Roo's Steamed Artichokes

Roo has a new fave vegetable.

Hello, lovely.

I can not express how giddy this newfound love for artichokes makes me. Artichokes were, and quite possibly are still my own most favoritest vegetable. So, there's that.

But the real reason I cannot get over the fact that my kid, my boy, is sucking down artichokes like they're going out of style is that they have a really complicated texture. I mean, you have to get the teeth involved to effectively scrape the yummy yet decidedly gunky meat from the leaves. This is not something that comes easily to my child, Mr. Textural Sensitivity.

Yet, here he is, clamoring for artichokes, demanding his own full artichoke to disassemble and then savoring every last bit of heart dripping with bright yellow lemon butter. It makes a mama's heart swell with pride.

So totally worth the butter stains all over that sweater.

Roo's Steamed Artichokes

3 whole artichokes
1 quart chicken stock (or water)
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic
2 whole lemons, halved
1 or 2 bay leaves
Several sprigs fresh thyme
salt and pepper
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

Wash and trim your artichokes. If you're unsure how to do that, take a look at this video. Rub the cut sides of artichokes with one lemon half to prevent discoloration.

Combine the stock, wine, oil, garlic, 2 lemon halves, bay leaves, and thyme in a large pot with a lid. Bring to a simmer and season the liquid with salt and pepper.

Place the trimmed artichokes, bottoms up, in the simmering liquid. Cover the pot and simmer for about 30 minutes. They're done when a knife slips easily into the base.

When they're nice and soft, use tongs to remove the artichokes from the cooking liquid and drain. Flip them right side up onto a serving platter.

Melt the butter in a small dish. Squeeze the remaining lemon half into the butter and use as a dipping sauce for the artichoke leaves.

To eat the artichokes, pull off a leaf. Dip the soft end in lemon butter and use your front teeth to scrape the meat off. Discard the tough leaf. When you get to the small purple-tinged leaves in the center, remove them. Use a spoon to scrape out the hairy choke, trim and tough edges and eat the tender heart.

artichoke carnage

Radishes in Brown Butter with Lemon

Radishes are so pretty. The vibrant purplish pink really works to their advantage with my pink and purple-loving crew.

The KC kids generally prefer their radishes crisp, raw and thinly sliced and I admit, that's not a half bad way to enjoy them. But beyond salads and the crudite platter, here's a simple, delicious way to showcase radishes in all their springy pink and purple glory.

Radishes in Brown Butter with Lemon
adapted slightly from Cooking Light

2 bunches radishes, including greens
1 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp fresh lemon zest
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp black pepper

Trim the greens from the radishes, leaving about one inch of stem attached to the bulb. Halve the smaller radishes. Quarter larger ones. Wash the greens and spin dry in a salad spinner. Roughly chop the greens.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add radishes (not the greens!) and simmer until crisp tender...about 3 or 4 minutes. Drain and dry the radishes on a towel.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the radishes and saute for a few minutes until the butter starts to brown. Add the lemon juice, zest, salt, and sugar and cook one minute more. Remove the pan from heat. Stir in the radish greens and plenty of black pepper.

French Chocolate Cake

March is a big birthday month here at Kid Cultivation and Mufasa is first in line.

Typically I'm all about inclusiveness, food allergies and all, but not when it comes to the point of exclusiveness. You follow, right? I didn't think so.

Backstory: 10 years ago I picked The Cook's Encyclopedia of Chocolate out of the bargain bin at Border's (yup, Border's, remember that relic of the past?) About 3 recipes into the book, there's this deep, dense, elegant, nearly flourless slim chocolate cake that caught my attention. That year, long before the KC kids were in existence, I made it for Mufasa's birthday, at which time he declared it his birthday cake every year from here on out unless otherwise specified. For the record he has never otherwise specified.

Then we entered this strange land of food allergies and eggs, in my baking at least, fell by the wayside. It's not fair to tell a 4-year-old he can't have any cake when everyone else is oohing and ahhing over the fudgy goodness. But, it's not fair to deprive a pre-diabetic adult man his most treasured and anticipated annual indulgence either. So, sorry Roo. This one's for Daddy.

By the way, Roo enjoyed a generously frosted dark chocolate vegan cupcake, much to the dismay of his sisters who were forced to eat the "regular" French Chocolate Cake.

French Chocolate Cake
From The Cook's Encyclopedia of Chocolate

9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp brandy or triple sec
5 eggs
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
powdered sugar (for dusting)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch springform pan with butter or cooking spray. Trace the bottom of the springform pan onto a sheet of parchment paper and cut out a circle to fit the base of the pan. Lay the parchment circle in the base of the springform pan, and grease the top of the parchment paper too for good measure. Wrap the bottom and sides of the pan in foil to prevent water from seeping in during cooking. It should look like this:

In a double boiler (or the microwave), melt the chocolate, butter, and sugar, stirring frequently until smooth. Cool slightly and stir in the liquor.

Put a tea kettle on the stove to boil. I'm serious. 

In a separate large bowl beat the eggs lightly for about a minute. Add the flour and beat again. Slowly stir in the melted chocolate mixture and stir until well blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Place the springform pan into a large roasting pan or other rimmed pan. Open the hot oven and place the whole ensemble on the center rack. Carefully pour boiling water from the tea kettle into the roasting pan until it comes up about 3/4-inch up the sides of the springform pan. Bake 25-35 minutes, until the edges of the cake are set but the center is still a bit soft.

Remove the springform pan from the oven. Be careful not to drip hot water everywhere. Remove the foil and cool the cake on a wire rack. Don't worry if the cake starts to sink in the center. It's supposed to be slim. Remove the side of the springform pan. Let the cake cool completely. Flip the cooled cake over onto your serving platter, so it's bottom side up. Remove the base of the springform pan and the parchment paper.

Cut 6-8 strips of parchment paper and lay them over the cake in a crisscross pattern.

Sprinkle powdered sugar over the top of the cake then remove the strips.

Happy birthday, Mufasa! I hope it was worth the wait.

Parmesan & Thyme "Cookies"

In all fairness, Ina Garten calls these Parmesan & Thyme Crackers but I call them cookies. Doing so triples the chances your children will eat them. I recommend it.

Buttery, cheesy, crumbly, herb cookies are so tasty with a sippy cup of milk, a mug of tea, or a glass of champagne, simple enough for kids but elegant enough for your fanciest dinner party.

The thyme is truly magical here. The herbs keep the flavor bright despite the ample butter and cheese. And really, what would a cookie be without a fair amount of butter?

Parmesan and Thyme "Cookies"
adapted slightly from Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature
4 ounces Parmesan cheese, finely grated
1 & 1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper*
1 & 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter for about 1 minute. Add the cheese, thyme, salt and pepper and mix until well combined. Add the flour and continue to mix on low until the dough forms large crumbles. If the dough seems too crumbly and won't clump together, add a little water, 1 teaspoon at a time until it is workable.
2. Dump the dough onto a floured counter or board. Press the dough together into a mound and roll into a 9-inch log. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to a few days.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 3/8-inch rounds and place them onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 22 minutes until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks and serve at room temperature.

*The original recipe calls for 1/2 tsp of black pepper but I reduce it by half as the shorties in my house are pepper-averse. Add a little more or less to suit your audience. 

 

Buttermilk Biscuits with Garlic Chive Butter

Earlier this week we made our own butter and buttermilk. Then we put them to work in Buttermilk Biscuits with Garlic Chive Butter.

Buttermilk Biscuits
Adapted slightly from Alton Brown

2 cups flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
4 tbsp. butter
1 cup buttermilk, chilled

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter or two forks until the dough resembles course crumbs. Make a well in the center, pour in buttermilk. Mix only until the dough comes together. No more than absolutely necessary.
3. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead 5-6 times and press to a 1-inch thickness. Cut out biscuits with a 2-inch round cutter (the rim of a glass will also work in a pinch). Place biscuits on a baking sheet so their edges just touch. Reform dough and repeat.
4. Bake until fluffy and light golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. Serve warm with more butter, jam, or garlic chive butter.

Garlic Chive Butter

1/4 cup unsalted butter (homemade if possible)
1 small clove garlic, finely minced
2 tbsp. chives, finely chopped
pinch salt

Bring butter to room temperature. Mix in garlic, chives, and salt. Let stand for several minutes to blend flavors. Spread on warm buttermilk biscuits.

Homemade Butter, Shaken Not Stirred

Little House on the Prairie is more than just a series around here. It's a way of life. I have Laura Ingalls Wilder's biggest fan in residence. We often play "Little House" which mostly entails three pioneer children, Laura, Mary, and Carrie, diligently and obediently carrying out whatever task Ma or Pa Ingalls might need done at any given time. As far as parent participation games go, this is my favorite.

This week we embraced our inner pioneer spirit by churning our own butter. The process is so very simple, especially when you can run to Costco to buy a half gallon of of heavy cream, yet so satisfying.

Start with a good amount of heavy cream. We used about 2 quarts, but there's no need to measure. Let the cream sit out until it's room temperature. Cold cream takes much longer to convert and if your kids are anything like mine, this makes all the difference between fun active science experiment and grueling upper body workout.

Pour the cream into a spill-proof container. We used plastic Tupperware containers with screw lids, but whatever you've got that you can shake without spilling should work just fine. Just be sure to leave plenty of room for expansion. Alternatively you can whip the cream with a mixer but we had a lot more fun shaking ours into submission. 

Start shaking. And shaking. And then shake some more. The cream will start to expand until it becomes whipped cream. At this point we unscrewed the lids and everyone had a taste.

Put the lids back on and shake some more. When it feels like you're shaking a solid lump of clay, keep going, you're almost there.

 Success!

 

Drain off the liquid buttermilk using a cheesecloth or other thin piece of fabric as a sieve. An old dinner napkin worked for us. Reserve the buttermilk for pancakes, biscuits or other pioneer-inspired treat. Rinse the butter in cold water and drain repeatedly through the cheesecloth until the water is clear. Place the solid butter on a flat surface and squeeze out as much liquid as possible using a spatula or the back of a spoon. That's it! 

Fresh homemade butter fit for Ma Ingalls' table.