Red Wine Potatoes

Use a medium potato for this recipe, something with a firm skin.  For a nice vegetarian dish sprinkle with feta or goat cheese while still hot, otherwise serve with a roast of your choice.  Based on a recipe from Food and Drink Magazine

1.125 kg medium size potatoes, skin on
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp coriander
1 cup dry red wine
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs such as thyme, basil, parsley or fresh coriander

• Using smooth side of a kitchen mallet, crack the potatoes so there are cracks, but potato is still fully intact.
• Heat oil in a large deep frying pan over medium heat.  Add potatoes in a single layer.  Turn potatoes for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown on all sides.
• Sprinkle with coriander, cook 1 to 2 minutes or until fragrant.  Pour over wine and sprinkle with salt and pepper; cover.
• Reduce heat so potatoes simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until much of the wine has evaporated and potatoes are tender when pierced.
• Pile potatoes into serving dish; sprinkle with herbs.  Pour pan juices into a deep small dish.  Use a tine spoon to drizzle just a bit over each potato when split open.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Danish Potatoes

Who knew I have been doing these wrong! Well maybe not wrong but my version of this recipe was to mix brown sugar with butter and fry with small potatoes until they caramelize.  This has been a constant for our holiday dinners and I always thought that was the only way to do it.  I found this in Food and Drink Magazine and absolutely love it.  Use good quality, fresh mini potatoes.

750 g very small thin skinned potatoes
3 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp water
Coarse salt

• Boil potatoes in water to cover for 8 to 10 minutes until they are not quite cooked and offer some resistance when poked with a skewer.  Drain, rinse under cold running water and cool.
• Add sugar to a saute pan large enough to later hold potatoes easily in lamas a single layer My cast iron works great for this.  Cook sugar over high heat until just melting.  Reduce heat to medium high, add butter and stir for a minute to incorporate.  Slowly add water while stirring constantly.
• Add potatoes; turn to coat with sugar mixture.  Continue cooking for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring and lifting potatoes constantly, until a rich deeply coloured caramel glaze forms on each potato.  Turn into a warmed dish; lightly sprinkle with pinches of salt.  Serve right away with chicken, lamb or pork.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Really Gooey Butter Tarts

In honour of todays Butter Tart Festival in Midland, Ontario today here is a recipe for your own butter tarts. I used the No Fail Pastry from this blog.  I am a no raisins in my butter tart person so I just used 3 to 4 full pecans per tart for this.  You could add the raisins, or used chopped walnuts or put in raspberries…experiment and have fun! I mad a mistake and didn’t line the tart tins with parchment paper - this makes it very hard to get the tarts out without breaking the pastry….next time I will line them.

3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut in 8 pieces
1/2 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut in 8 pieces
1/3 cup cold water
2 tbsp white vinegar

1. Ina bowl, combine flour and salt.  With a pastry blender or fingers, cut in butter and vegetable shortening until mixture resembles bread crumbs.
2. Combine water and vinegar and sprinkle over flour mixture a little at a time tossing together with a fork until the pastry is moist enough to hold its shape when a little piece is pressed between the fingers.
3. Gather pastry into a ball - it should not feel sticky.
4. Flour the counter or pastry board lightly.  With a floured rolling pin, roll the pastry out into a rectangle approximately 8 x 12 inches.  Fold the pastry into thirds like a letter.  Turn the dough so the open edges face you and roll out into a rectangle again.  Repeat this procedure again.  Cover dough with plastic wrap and chill one hour.
5. For smaller pies, use half the dough, larger ones need two thirds or all of it.  Freeze any remaining dough for another occasion.  Dough should bee rolled 1/4 inch thick

1 cup corn syrup

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup butter

1/4 tsp salt

2/3 chopped nuts

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/ cup raisins

Line tarts tins with pastry.  Mix corn syrup and brown sugar in saucepan.  Cook gently for 5 minutes; cool slightly.  Pour over beaten eggs slowly - otherwise it will cook the eggs.  Beat continuously, adding butter and salt.  Put nuts and raisins - or whatever you are filling your tarts with in the tarts and pour the filling over to make the shells 2/3 full.  Bake 10 minutes in 450 F oven; reduce heat to 350F and bake until set, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Campfire Coffee

Served warm or over ice this is a great campfire coffee.

To a thermos add 12 oz Kahlua, 4 cups coffee, 4 oz chocolate syrup and a dash of your favourite hot sauce or a pinch of cayenne. Stir to mix. Serve in cups topped with whipped cream.