Quick and Easy Random Fruit Crisp

The best thing about putting together fruit crisps for dessert is that they're simple and supremely adaptable. All you need is fruit, nuts, sweetener, a little butter, a little binder, and your choice of spices (or none at all).

And, because a fruit crisp can be adapted to whatever ingredients you have on hand, it can easily become not only the go-to dish for emergencies, but the customizable signature dessert for your kitchen, and the guests need never know how simple and easy it is for you to throw together.

The formula is fairly simple: filling and topping, baked in a moderate oven (usually 350º F) until done.

Filling:
3 cups of your favorite pie fruit, such as blueberries, cherries, sliced apples, peaches… you can go with fresh, or drain a couple of cans/jars. If you feel really decadent, add some dried fruit to the mix, too (it'll help absorb any extra juices, as well, so factor that in, if you plan to use a starchy thickener).

2 to 4 tablespoons sugar (or your favorite substitute), to taste

approximately 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (or somewhat less nutmeg, allspice, or cardamom to your taste)

If you're working with a particularly liquid filling, such as fresh berries or cherries, you may wish to add a tablespoon of corn starch, arrowroot, or instant tapioca as a thickener/binder (your mileage may vary)

3 tablespoons butter or margarine, cold, cut into roughly 1 centimeter cubes

Combine fruit, sweetener, spices, optional thickener in the bottom of a greased 8 or 9-inch square baking dish. Distribute pieces of butter over all.

Cover with topping:

 

Topping:

3 cups chopped pecans (or walnuts, pistachios, or unsweetened shredded coconut, or a mix – whatever; your choice), and a few extras, not chopped, to toss into the mix for esthetics, if you so desire

1/2 cup brown sugar (or your choice of substitute – I really like Swerve)

1/2 cup flour to bind the topping (I have, at various times, used whey powder, gluten-free all-purpose flour, almond flour, and rolled oats – even once turned to coarse powder in the food processor –, as well as traditional all-purpose flour)

1 teaspoon cinnamon (or your preferred spice, to your taste preference)

4-6 Tablespoons butter, melted

In a medium mixing bowl, stir together dry ingredients. Add melted butter & mix thoroughly. Spread over filling. (I have been known to sprinkle dried fruit – especially tart cherries or cranberries – over the topping at this point, as well).

 

Bake at 350º F for 30-35 minutes, until browned (for fresh-apple-filled, make that 45-50 minutes, and you'll want to cover the dish for the first 30 minutes so the topping doesn't burn).

 

Allow to cool at least 10 minutes before serving with your choice of chilled or frozen dairy or dairy-like topping (whipped cream, heavy cream, ice cream, fro-yo, whipped coconut cream… go crazy).

Carrots, Again??? A sugar-free, low carb carrot cake

We didn't think about taking a pic, this time. Everybody just dove in.
Therefore, this is from the day after Easter dinner.

 I keep coming back for variations on a theme: the carrot cake. Well, then, and why not? It's tasty, satisfying, and relatively difficult to ruin, especially when you slather on a mass of cream cheese frosting.

My most recent version is sugarless, gluten-free, and nearly keto-friendly (between the carrots and the chopped dried Montmorency cherries, the carbs get bumped up a bit more than most strict keto diets would allow, so keep this in mind. It's no-sugar-added, not totally carb neutral). And it's tender and tasty enough to share with just about everyone – excluding any friends or family who might have nut allergies. Nobody will guess what isn't in it.

I recommend toasting the pecans ahead of time for this cake. Put about 2 cups of pecan halves on a cookie sheet and pop them in the oven at 350º F for about 5 – 7 minutes, until they begin to look a little dry. After you chop up what you need for the cake, you might have some left over to nosh, or to put into an apple salad for tomorrow's dinner…

Also, for a bit more complex, nutty sweetness without adding extra sugar substitute, I suggest browning your butter for the cake (but not so much for the frosting).

For sugar substitute, I stock up on erythritol & baking blends – Swerve produces some truly fine replacements, especially for brown sugar and confectioner's (powdered) sugar. You may decide you prefer a different sweetener, though, so check proportions if you want to go your own way.

This makes two 9-inch round cake layers.

Sugarless, Flourless Carrot Cake

 
Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, melted and browned (browning optional)
1 cup granulated sugar substitute (I prefer erythritol)
1/2 cup brown sugar substitute
8 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or powder
3 cups fine-ground almond meal or almond flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups coarsely grated carrots
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
1/2 – 1 cup coarsely chopped unsweetened dried tart cherries (like these)

Directions:

Grease two 9-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with greased or non-stick parchment.

Preheat oven to 350º F.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle (not whisk or dough-hook), combine granulated and brown sugar substitutes, add melted butter, and mix at medium-high speed until creamed and fluffy (this may take 10 minutes or so).

In a separate medium mixing bowl, whisk (or sift) together almond meal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.

In another bowl, combine grated carrots, chopped pecans, and chopped cherries.

When the butter and sweeteners have begun to turn fluffy-ish (the artificial sweeteners don't cream as easily as regular sugars do, but they bake nicely, even so), begin adding in the eggs, one by one, making sure to mix thoroughly before adding the next egg. When the last egg is added and the batter is smooth, mix in the vanilla.

On low speed, stir in the bowlful of dry ingredients until completely mixed, then fold in the carrots, pecans, and cherries.

Divide batter between the two 9-inch cake pans, bake on center rack of 350º F oven for 30 – 35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center of cake comes out clean.

Cool on racks on counter 20 to 30 minutes – until only slightly warm to the touch – before removing from pans.

Allow to completely cool before applying frosting (recipe below).

Sugar-Free Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

1 lb. (2 8-ounce bricks) regular full-fat cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
finely grated zest of 1 small lemon
3 – 5 Tablespoons fresh, strained lemon juice
1/2 cup confectioner's sweetener
1 Tablespoon heavy (whipping) cream (optional)

Directions:

Bring ingredients to room temperature.

In medium mixing bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, and lemon zest and whip until light and fluffy. 

Add in lemon juice and confectioner's sweetener in alternating portions, 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice and then a couple of tablespoons of the sweetener, until you have the thickness and tang you desire. If the frosting is too thin, add a little more sweetener. If it's too thick, add either a small amount of lemon juice or a bit of cream.

This will easily cover a 2-layer 9-inch cake or very generously cover a single 9" x 13" rectangular cake.

The thing I like about this kind of frosting is that you can easily adapt it to your own preferences, whether you want a hint of lemon or a great big bite of it.

Low-Carb Fried “Rice”, for when Regular Rice Isn't Nice

 

 

In this house, I cook for three (The Bat, Pop, and myself), and too often the cuts of meat I can buy are too big for a single meal. Leftovers, therefore, are a regular thing.

Sometimes, The Bat and I throw together soup or stew, sometimes sandwiches, and sometimes… sometimes… we go crazy and I make fried rice. Except that, recently, I've been put on a lower-carb plan, and I have a friend or two with even tighter restrictions on starches and sugars, so rice (being one of the starchiest of starchy foods) is a pretty much no-no. Naturally, this means playing with substitutions.

If you like working from scratch, you can prepare your own cauliflower rice in advance, but I felt flush enough to buy some already prepared (from the freezer section of my local supermarket). With that, it needs to be completely thawed and allowed to drain and dry out a bit. You can also use rinsed and drained hearts of palm "rice" (such as Palmini) in the same recipe – I like it a lot, but it's often hard to find, out here in the sticks. So cauliflower it is, for us, today.

The trick to cooking any fried rice, is, of course, to have everything lined up in advance (mise en place, people!), so you have it ready to stir in quickly, without any pause in your operation. Further, it's best to have most of the ingredients at room temperature before cooking. Cook your meat and mushrooms as far in advance as a day or two, and store them, covered, in the refrigerator (marinating the strips of meat overnight in a combination of deglazed pan drippings and a teaspoon or so of soy sauce gives it a little something extra, as well), but bring everything out to stand at least 20 minutes before you start cooking. 

As soon as you start the heat on your stove, you'll just keep adding and adding, letting each layer get fully heated up before adding the next, until the last, tenderest leafy item is heated to just shy of your liking (let it come to completion off the burner, on its way to the table).                                                                                                                                        

                                                                                                                                

Fried "Rice", Low-Carb Style

Ingredients:
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar substitute (I like erythritol)
2 – 3 Tablespoons sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, finely grated 
1 small carrot, diced small or very coarsely grated (up to 1/4 cup)
1 small onion (about 1/4 cup or less – to taste), minced
1 cup riced cauliflower
1/4 cup leftover cooked beef, sliced into small, thin strips, & marinated in soy sauce
8 – 10 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced and stir-fried in butter until slightly crisp
1 cup broccoli florets
2 – 3 heads baby bok choi, chopped coarsely
3 – 4 medium scallions, chopped finely

Directions: 

In a small bowl, beat eggs, soy sauce, and sugar substitute thoroughly (you don't want blobs of egg white showing up). Set aside.

On stove top at high setting, bring oil and lemon zest to shimmering heat in wok or frying pan; add in carrot and cook just until tender. Add onion, cook until it becomes somewhat transparent. Stir in cauliflower, coating it well with oil, and cook until the onion and carrots begin to brown. Add in egg mixture, stir well (and scrape the bottom of the pan to keep it from sticking), cooking until eggs show signs of setting up. Scoop the meat out of the marinade*, allow a second for it to drain, and add meat to pan, bring to full heat, then add mushrooms and heat, then broccoli, and finally the baby bok choi and scallions.

Cook only until the bok choi leaves start to wilt,  remove from heat, and serve.



*you can freeze the meat marinade for use in a later dish, such as noodles or even scrambled eggs, for a bit of a kick. Since there's nothing raw in it, it's even safe to just drizzle over your roasted skinny asparagus.

The only real rule about this kind of dish is that you should use ingredients you like to eat. Almost anything can be substituted for something else on the list, in whatever flavor combinations and proportions will float your boat. But for it to meet your own dietary restrictions, check with health professionals for more specific guidelines. As it stands, this one falls into the relatively keto-friendly range.

Addendum: lots of chefs, these days, tell you to scramble & cook up the eggs first, and stir them in as a separate item. However, The Bat taught me what she learned from Buwei Yang Chao's  How to Cook and Eat in Chinese, and that is to add the eggs to the oily, heated rice. I find that it gives the dish an almost creamy finish, as opposed to having eggy lumps distracting me from the other flavors and textures. It does mean you have to be more aware of the potential for sticking to the pan, but firm, swift stirring with a good spatula can reduce or even prevent that.

Quick Bread from Freezer Emergencies (Ice Cream Quick Bread)

 

 

 

A while back, I took a stab at this sort of quick bread using some old, not particularly good leftover ice cream.  Today, I had a better excuse for giving it a test: our freezer door was left slightly ajar for several hours, causing a meltdown of our excellent Tillamook ice cream. Rather than let it all go to waste – or worse, to my waist – I looked up a few recipes for ice cream bread. Almost all of them are labeled "2-ingredient bread" and call for self-rising flour.


Well, kiddies, this house doesn't keep a lot of self-rising flour around. Instead, we adjust those recipes to serve at need. Therefore, my adaptation in today's post means that, if you are like us and don't have a bin of self-rising flour, you don't have to go rushing out to the store for some. You'll only need your regular stuff and some good ice cream you're willing to sacrifice to the heat.

Ice Cream Quick Bread

Ingredients:

2 cups melted regular vanilla ice cream
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans*
2 cups dried blueberries*

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º F.

Line a 4-inch by 8-inch loaf pan with parchment, allowing an inch or so of  overhang on the long sides.

In a small bowl, cover dried blueberries with warm water, allow to "plump" for about 15 – 20 minutes, drain and pat dry.

Meanwhile, allow ice cream to completely liquefy and come to room temperature.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, pecans, and blueberries. Add ice cream and stir only until completely mixed – DO NOT OVERMIX!

Pour into loaf pan, bake at 350º F for 35 – 40 minutes.

Remove from oven, allow to cool about 5 minutes, then remove from pan. Cool completely before serving.



*optional. May substitute your own favorite nuts & fruits, or omit them entirely.

Serve with softened butter or cream cheese.

While this isn't quite as decadent as turning our ice cream into a milk shake, it turns out a quick bread can be a very nice alternative, during a freezer crisis.

Also, for the record, the flavor and texture of this bread is somewhere in the range of a traditional muffin. It isn't particularly sweet and dessert-like. I recommend it as a breakfast food, so you can tell everyone you have ice cream for breakfast.

Low(ish)-carb Buttermilk Drop Biscuits

 

One should always have buttermilk powder in one's kitchen arsenal. It's a habit I, personally, picked up from The Bat… no idea who started her down that dusty buttermilk lane, though. All she says about that is that it can elevate simple dishes by imparting its subtle tang, especially to pancakes, waffles, cornbread, and biscuits. And I have to agree with her. It even helps make a keto-friendly recipe even friendlier.

Granted, because it has dairy content, it's not entirely carb-free, so if one is on a strict keto diet it might not be the best option. Still, a trace of indulgence is better for the soul than a heap of resentment – especially if one also has fresh butter for slathering a bit more indulgence.

If, however, you're trying to behave yourself, you can swap out the buttermilk powder and the water in this recipe for 3 Tablespoons of almond milk, coconut milk, or whatever other "milk" you prefer. (A swap can also be made of your favorite shortening for the butter, but don't blame me when it doesn't taste like a real, fresh biscuit.)

Anyway, sometime soon, please, go ahead & get crazy! It's not nearly as naughty as you'd think.

Low(ish)-carb Buttermilk Drop Biscuits

Ingredients: 

2 1/2 cups almond flour
1/4 cup buttermilk powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, hard-chilled
2 large eggs
3 Tablespoons cold water

Directions:

Prepare cookie sheet with nonstick parchment.

Preheat oven to 350º F.

In food processor or medium bowl with a whisk, completely mix together flour, buttermilk powder, baking powder, soda, and salt.

Cut in chilled butter (if not working with food processor, use pastry cutter or fork) until fully mixed into flour and forms into pea-sized lumps. Add eggs and water, mix until just blended. Allow to stand in bowl about 1 minute (give the the water a chance to "wake up" the buttermilk powder), then drop by approximately 2-Tablespoon portions onto the parchment, allowing a space of about 2 inches between.

Bake 12–15 minutes, or until the little peaks of the biscuits begin to turn a rich golden brown.

Serve immediately with softened salted butter.

Makes one dozen.

I made these for my family for Sunday dinner. Usually Pop will politely eat a single sample of whatever gluten- or sugar-free bread I put on the table, but the rest will remain for me, the next day. Monday morning, I saw that he'd polished off his second biscuit, at breakfast, so he didn't equate them with "diet food". This is high praise, around here.

Further, they don't lose their tenderness overnight. Just a little heating up, and they're ready for more butter and/or a spot of sugar-free jelly.

Chocolate Pound Cake (sugarless version)

Served with a generous portion of Rebel™ Keto-friendly triple-chocolate ice cream, because… birthday and chocolate

Now is the beginning of the busy birthday season in our house – starting in the middle of the second week of March, we basically have a birthday to celebrate, on average, every nine days, until the end of May (when we take a break until August).

Which means a different birthday cake every weekend, more or less.

The first has always been the easiest, until this past year, when I had to start planning around a low- to no-sugar option. How does one make a tasty, sugarless chocolate pound cake?

Well, now… after doing my homework for a couple of weeks, I've proved it's possible.

Bear in mind, any good loaf of pound cake usually looks a bit like a brick, and has a similar heft. But, oddly, this one is difficult to mess up, as long as you have a little patience in the process, and it ends up moist, rich, and flavorful as heck. Also, it can be served plain, frosted, or decorated with a cheerful dusting of powdered "sugar" just before serving.

For this version, I made a simple shortcut (sugarless) whipped ganache (recipe below).

Sugar-free (keto-friendly) Chocolate Pound Cake

Ingredients:

1 ounce unsweetened baking chocolate
1 cup granulated sugar substitute (I like an erythritol blend, like Swerve)*
1/4 cup butter, cut into 1-Tablespoon pats†
4 ounces cream cheese†
4 large eggs†
1 1/4 cups almond flour
1/4 cups dark cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon instant coffee (optional)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º F.

Grease a 4" x 4" x 8" loaf pan, and line it with parchment, leaving at least an inch of overlap on each long side (to grip, in order to remove cake from pan
).

In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt unsweetened chocolate using 20-second increments (you don't want to burn it).

Using the paddle attachment of stand mixer, combine butter and sugar substitute, mix at high speed until it's light and fluffy, and turns from brighter yellow to a pale lemony hue, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl (this process may take as much as 10 or 15 minutes – don't try to cut it short, or you could end up with a bottom-heavy cake).

Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together almond flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder. Set aside.

When the butter and "sugar" are nice and fluffy, add in cream cheese, mix in thoroughly.

Gradually add in the eggs, mixing completely before adding the next one.

A few of tablespoons at a time, add in the dry mixture.

Finally, add in the melted baking chocolate, stirring until evenly distributed.

Pour batter into loaf pan, bake at 350º F for 60 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean).

Allow to cool at least 15 minutes before removing from pan. Allow to cool completely before decorating or frosting.

*If you're looking to take a couple minutes off the time it takes to cream the "sugar" and butter, run a couple of cups of your sugar substitute through a food processor for a minute or so, giving it a finer grain. Don't swap out powdered sugar substitute, though, since it may also have a starch substitute.

†Allow these ingredients to come to room temperature before starting to mix.

and then there's the easy sugar-free whipped ganache frosting:

Ingredients:

8 ounces sugar-free semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream

Directions:

Combine chocolate chips and cream in medium-small microwave safe bowl, and in 30-second increments, heat until chocolate just begins to melt. Stir until completely smooth, and allow to cool down until the bottom of the bowl is barely warm to the touch (just above room temp). 

Using hand mixer, whip until it lightens in color and more than doubles in volume (this may take as much as 10 minutes, depending upon how warm the ganache is when you begin).

Slather on cake and have some fun.

This is best if eaten within a day or two (as if anybody had to encourage you to rush to chow down on chocolate).

Bright and Zingy Succotash

 Let's be honest. Succotash is often what you make when you don't have enough of any one particular veggie, so you toss together what you have, with a some lima beans and corn. Some people fill it out Southern style, with a mess of okra. I actually like throwing in a little winter squash, from time to time. But tonight's version… well, Pop asked for seconds, so that's a victory not to be taken lightly.

And the fact that it's so simple to prepare makes it that much better. 

Red, green, golden, and spicy

Bright and Zingy Succotash

Ingredients:

2 cups frozen baby Lima beans
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 small onion (about 1/2 cup), diced
2 cups frozen sweet corn
1 can (14–16 ounce) diced fire-roasted tomatoes drained, liquids reserved
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300ºF. 

In a steamer or microwave, cook baby Lima beans until almost tender.

Using a 12-inch oven-safe frying pan, sauté diced onion in butter until transparent and tender. Add in corn, cooking on low heat until some kernels begin to brown. Stir in drained tomatoes, cayenne pepper, and salt, then add cooked Lima beans. Stir well. Place on rack in oven, roasting for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven, add in the reserved tomato juice and stir well. Serves an army (well, 8-10 very hungry people, at any rate).

FTR, I can't tell whether it was the tomato or the cayenne zing which won Pop over, and, frankly I don't care. I'm just glad he liked it.

Christmas Comfort Cabbage Gratin

Holidays can sometimes be tough for people on various dietary restrictions – all the cookies, candies, and, of course, in our house, the bûche de noël, a chocolate- and Cointreau-laden (and yet still gluten-free) scroll of decadence.

Amid all that misbehaving, some people need a little basic comfort food, but with a little extra something. This is where, at my table this year, a head of cabbage takes on a faint hint of holiday decadence, with cider syrup, rich cream and a couple of my favorite types of cheese.

there'll be a bit of a fight over these leftovers…

Christmas Comfort Cabbage Gratin

Ingredients:

1 large head green cabbage (about 2 lbs)
2-3 Tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more to grease dish
light sprinkling of kosher salt

zest of 1 small lemon (about 2 teaspoons)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
2/3 cup freshly grated smoked Gruyère cheese
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs* (I use gluten-free)

1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 Tablespoons apple cider syrup†
1 teaspoon garlic, grated or minced
1 1/2 Tablespoons thyme
1/2 teaspoon white pepper, finely ground
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cups heavy or whipping cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400º F

Strip away outer leaves from cabbage head, cut cabbage into 8 wedges, leaving the core attached. Arrange neatly in greased baking dish (if you're using a round dish or oven-safe frying pan, setting them in a pinwheel pattern is attractive, but go ahead and see what design you like). Brush with oil to completely coat, then sprinkle lightly with salt. Roast until the leaves are lightly charred and the cores have become tender (about 10 minutes).

While the cabbage is roasting, combine the lemon zest, cheeses, and bread crumbs in a medium-small mixing bowl, and set aside.

In another medium-small mixing bowl, combine apple cider syrup, garlic, thyme, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and, after stirring well, gradually add heavy cream, stirring rapidly.

When the cabbage leaves have browned well on the edges and/or tops, reduce oven temperature to 375º F., sprinkle with lemon juice and a teaspoon more salt, and pour cream mixture evenly over roasted cabbage. Top with cheesy breadcrumb mix, and bake for 20–25 minutes. Allow to cool about 5 minutes before serving.

*If you're trying to reduce your carb count, almond meal may be used as a substitute, but I recommend toasting it a bit, well in advance of adding it to the cheeses.

†If you don't have this in your cupboard, you can simmer a cup or more of cider until it's reduced to about 1/4 cup (it can take a half hour or so. If you make a larger batch, freeze it in small cubes & it'll last for years). Or you can substitute a relatively dry wine.

It ain't a fancy dish, but it's pretty enough to pass around the holiday table, and easy enough to make it your own.

Creamy, Dreamy, Broccol-y Soup

 I bought some fresh veggies for crudites, last weekend, and then realized there was already a superabundance of food, so the broccoli, in particular, sat in the refrigerator crisper, calling out recriminations for its neglect, until… 

 SOUP WEATHER ARRIVED!

 FTR, this is a quick, easy, but definitely not low-fat option.

Broccoli Cream Soup

Ingredients:

1 small onion, minced (about 1/2 cup)
1 Tablespoon butter
2 or 3 fresh leaves, finely chopped (or 1/2 tsp dried) basil
pinch dried rubbed sage
pinch dried crushed thyme

2 cups chicken broth plus 1/2 teaspoon powdered chicken bouillon* 
1 bay leaf
4 cups fresh bite-sized broccoli florets

1/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup whipping cream
8 oz cream cheese, cut into 1/4 inch slabs  (or smaller) and brought to room temperature

ground white pepper to taste

Directions:

Melt butter over medium heat in a small frying pan. Add onions, cook until transparent. Stir in herbs and set aside.

In a 3-quart (or larger) saucepan, bring chicken broth, bouillon powder, and bay leaf to a boil. Add in broccoli, allow to return to low boil, then reduce to low heat.

Remove bay leaf. Stir in onion/herb mixture.

In small mixing bowl, soften cream cheese (I often give it 20 seconds in the microwave).

Heat milk and buttermilk (saucepan or microwave – your choice) until just simmered, but do not boil. Pour about 1/2 cup of this into the cream cheese, and whisk until smooth. Add remaining milk mixture, continue to stir. Pour this mixture into the saucepan, add the cream, and stir until completely mixed.

Allow to return to low simmer, remove from heat, and serve.

*I'm notorious around here for using this stuff in many of my recipes, including dips and sauces. I can get away with using less salt & still get full flavor. If you prefer fewer additives, substitute salt & pepper to taste– or you don't want the extra sodium, Herb-Ox makes a very nice alternative. It isn't a "must add" item, but it gives a nice balance.




 

Cod Pieces (because I HAD to go there)

Sometimes I wish I weren't allergic to crustaceans. There are days when I crave crab cakes the way some people crave chocolate doughnuts, but the prospect of anaphylaxis puts a damper on my desires.

This  is not to say I can't eat fish in general – in moderation. With that in mind, I occasionally do my best to cheat the system. I hunt down a simple enough crab cake recipe, and substitute a tender, sweet fish.

This week, I found Cod.

I found it in the freezer at ALDI. I also found I have a superabundance of Old Bay seasoning blend, big scallions growing in a flower pot in the laundry room, some eggs, a mess of almond flour, several jars of Duke's mayonnaise, and a half-pound chunk of Parmesan cheese. Add to that, there are, perhaps, a dozen different recipes for fish cakes and crab cakes in my files (hard copy and digital), none of which was exactly what I was looking for (especially as calls for breading and other fillers), leading me to make stuff up as I went along. Sort of.

To be fair, I've done variations on this theme before, but usually with canned fish of one sort or another, and a mess of lemon juice (and no cheeses). I like it better when there's fresh fish or fresh-frozen fish factored in, for F's sake.

So, let us eat cakes.

Cod Cakes (Big Cod Pieces!)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
2 lbs cod filets, baked or steamed, allowed to cool
2 large eggs
1/3 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup finely chopped scallion greens
2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning blend


Directions:

Preheat oven to 375º F.

Prepare a large well-greased non-stick baking sheet.

In a small bowl, mix together 1 cup Parmesan cheese and all the almond flour. Separate 1 cup to stir into fish mixture, and put the remaining portion of this in a shallow dish.

Break apart cod filets into large chunks.

In a medium bowl, lightly mix together eggs, mayonnaise, scallions, and Old Bay seasoning.

Add in 1 cup of almond flour/Parm mix and all the fish chunks, and gently stir, breaking up larger chunks of fish – be careful to avoid over-mixing (I do this by hand. You get a better sense of how large the chunks will be, and it's also surprisingly therapeutic).

Divide mixture into 12 equal portions, forming each into a ball. Roll in reserved almond flour/Parm mix, place on well-oiled baking sheet, and gently press into flat patties about 1 inch thick.

Sprinkle reserved 1/2 cup grated cheese over top of patties.

Bake 15 minutes, or until top is golden-brown.

Allow to stand & cool about 3-5 minutes before serving.

These can be fried in butter (or a small amount of oil), as well, but that's a more labor-intensive operation, fraught with risk that the cakes will fall apart before you can get them to the plate. Also, there's all that extra grease…