Uncategorized

Hot Salad with Dandelion Greens

This side dish of dandelion greens with a simple stovetop custard sauce flavored with bacon and apple cider vinegar is a PA Dutch classic. My Grammy Drake taught my mom how to make it when my parents were first married, and my mom gave me the recipe. I’ve made it before but not for a few years. I guess I got busy and somehow forgot how special a memory this homey mixture is. Actually, my mom used to make the custard minus the bacon, vinegar and greens and pour it onto a dinner plate; I would eat it still warm and it was very soothing and yummy if I had a tummy ache.

Back to this version that my father loved: the dandelion greens are slightly bitter; the bacon is salty and crisp if you add it at the very last moment. Mixed together with the tangy custard it is so delicious over freshly made mashed potatoes. It tastes like my childhood.

Notes: There are a few secrets to it. Use whole milk to get the proper thickness and rich flavor for your custard. Use real bacon and chop it up before frying. Pick tender greens and clean them well: rinse, remove any bloom stalks and dead or yellow leaves. Rinse again. Double check and rinse one last time. Spin in your salad spinner or dry in lint free kitchen towels. Finally, it’s critical to stir the custard often as it cooks and keep the heat low; it is pretty easy to scotch this delicate sauce.

Hot Dandelion Salad

Custard Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. rice flour

1.5 Tbsp. sugar

pinch of sea salt

1 cup whole milk

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

2 slices of bacon fried to crispy perfection – crumble after they cool

1 qt cleaned dandelion leaves, no flower stems, roots or brown/yellow leaves. Wash several times and spin dry in your salad spinner. Baby spinach makes a good substitute for dandelions.

Freshly made mashed potatoes

Directions: Mix the flour, sugar and salt in a 1 qt saucepan, preferably one with a heavy bottom. Add the milk and whisk together. Place over medium low heat and whisk in the egg. Cook slowly until it thickens quite a bit, could take 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat, cool for 5 minutes and add vinegar; whisk well. Add a tsp or two of the bacon fat and stir in the crumbled bacon and washed and torn dandelion greens. Serve while still warm over mashed potatoes. Goes well with roasted trout, fried heirloom porkchops or salmon fillets. Enjoy!

Best Brownies Ever!

Running late and still trying to figure out a special dessert? Let me suggest a brownie recipe that everyone falls in love with because of the delicious flavor and perfect texture of these bars.  Plus, bonus points as it is really easy to make.  All of the ingredients can be purchased at a regular grocery store.  I rarely post this recipe because then I want to make and eat them, and I would be a blimp if these brownies were around all the time!  I dare anyone to think these are GF until you tell them! Everyone who tastes these falls in love and begs for some to take home! Make them to please your special someone for dessert this week.

Notes: I prefer to use really great quality chocolate like Ghirardelli for the best flavor.  I sometimes add a 1/4 to 1/2 tsp cinnamon to the flour mix to add extra kick to these kick ass brownies. I am thinking of replacing some of the sugar with coconut palm sugar. I will update with my results.

Perfect Brownies

Ingredients:
– 2/3 c King Arthur Basic GF flour blend or the brown rice flour mix at bottom of post
– ½ tsp salt
– ½ tsp baking powder
– ½ tsp xanthan gum
– 2 oz unsweetened chocolate
– 4 oz semisweet chocolate *strongly suggest Ghirardelli or other top-notch chocolate
– ½ c butter
– 1 ¼ c sugar
– 1 tsp vanilla extract
– 3 large eggs
– ¾ c chopped walnuts

Directions:
Heat oven to 325 F, with rack in middle of oven. Line bottom and side of 8-inch square pan with foil, spray with cooking spray. Mix dry ingredients in small bowl. Melt chocolates and butter in heavy medium sauce pan over low heat. Remove from heat, whisk in sugar and vanilla. Whisk in eggs one at a time. Whisk until mixture is smooth and glossy. Add flour mixture and whisk just until incorporated. Stir in nuts. Pour into prepared pan, bake 45 minutes until test (I use a steak knife or my fancy long tester skinny metal stick) in middle of pan comes out with wet crumbs. Cool in pan on rack for 5 minutes, remove from pan by lifting out foil. Cool completely on rack and then cut into squares. Store in fridge for up to 5 days or freeze-wrapped in plastic wrap and foil. Frankly, you won’t have much left over by the end of the second day!

Brown Ric Flour Recipe
Ingredients
– 1 c brown rice flour
– 1/3 c potato starch (not potato flour)
– 3 tbsp tapioca flour

Posted originally in June 2014, some changes made for this posting.  This recipe comes from Gluten Free Baking Classics by Annalise G. Roberts.

Image