A turkey made with butter???!!!! Yeppers, my friends.

Posted by Lyndi

You have to check this out. Last night while grocery shopping at Allen’s Market in Bella Vista, I came across the cutest thing!

A little turkey shaped from butter!

Practical?  Nope.

Economical?  Nope. (It’s $3.29)

Exotic, imported, and therefore very posh?  Nope.  Not so much.

So stinking cute that I had to buy it for Thanksgiving?  Yes!  Yes!  Yes!

So if you are running around today and stopping at the Missouri border for some wine & spirits, stop in at Allen’s Market (next to the Bella Vista movie theater) and grab one of these little cuties.  They are in the butter section, but not exactly.  Head to the butter section (left hand side of store) and then scan your eyes to the right.  Top shelf.  Next to the Lurpak specialty butter.  There it is.  Bingo!

Happy enjoying-the-oohs-and-aahhhs-over-your-cute-butter moment!

Serve a show-stopping (and easy) lemon soufflé.

Posted by Lyndi

If you are looking for a last-minute dessert that can be made from ingredients on hand, look no more.

If you are looking for a dessert that is easy, melt-in-your mouth, dairy-free, gluten-free, and oh-so-delicious, look no more.

The original recipe comes from cooksillustrated.com and it wasn’t gluten free. If you’re not familiar with cookillustrated.com, you are missing out.  This website literally taught me how to cook!  Plus, there is a free 2-week trial offer.

Everyday Lemon Souffle

Serves 6

“Note:  Don’t open the oven door during the first seven minutes of baking, but do check the soufflé regularly for doneness during the final few minutes in the oven.  Be ready to serve the soufflé immediately after removing it from the oven.  A 10-inch skillet is essential to getting the right texture and height.”

Ingredients

5 large eggs, separated

¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

2/3 cup (4 ¾ ounces) granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoons table salt

1/3 cup juice and 1 teaspoon grated zest from 2 to 3 lemons

2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour (I used gluten-free white rice flour)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter (I only had salted and it worked just fine)

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Instructions

1.     Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees.  Using stand mixer (I used a hand mixer and it worked just fine), whip egg whites and cream of tartar together on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute.  Slowly add 1/3 cup sugar and salt, then increase speed to medium-high and continue to whip until stiff peaks form, 3 to 5 minutes.  Gently transfer whites to clean bowl and set aside.

2.     Using stand mixer (again, hand mixer worked fine!) (no need to wash mixing bowl), whip yolks and remaining 1/3 cup sugar together on medium-high speed until pale and thick, about 1 minute.  Whip in lemon juice, zest, and flour until incorporated, about 30 seconds.

3.     Whisk ¼ of whipped egg whites into yolk mixture until almost no white streaks remain (I didn’t fold in enough).  Gently fold in remaining egg whites until just incorporated.

4.     Melt butter in 10-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-low heat.  Swirl pan to coat evenly with melted butter, then gently scrape soufflé batter into skillet and cook until edges begin to set and bubble slightly, about 2 minutes.

5.     Transfer skillet to oven and bake soufflé until puffed, center jiggles slightly when shaken, and surface is golden, 7 to 11 minutes.  Using potholder (skillet handle will be hot), remove skillet from oven.  Dust soufflé with confectioners’ sugar and serve immediately (mmmmmm, this is pretty and melts-in-your-mouth!)

Variations

Follow recipe for Skillet Lemon Soufflé, substituting 1/3 cup orange juice for lemon juice and 1 tablespoon grated zest from 1 orange for lemon zest.  Gently fold 1 ounce finely grated bittersweet chocolate (about ½ cup) into soufflé batter after incorporating whites in step 3.  Grating the chocolate fine is key here; use either a Microplane grater of the fine holes of a box grater.

www.cooksillustrated.com

Published September/October 2009 issue of magazine.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here’s a delicious gluten-free gravy for Thanksgiving.

See that scratch-free wisk? Find it in the $1 section at Allen's Market in Bella Vista! 

Posted by Lyndi

Now’s the time to start planning your Thanksgiving meal… or, in my case, start dolling out responsibilities! 

Here is a no-fail, highly aromatic, and incredibly delicious gravy that can be used with either turkey or roast this Thanksgiving meal.

The original recipe comes from cooksillustrated.com and it wasn’t gluten free.  I’ve made notations on substitutions.  If you’re not familiar with cookillustrated.com, you are missing out.  This website literally taught me how to cook!  Plus, there is a free 2-week trial offer.

All-Purpose Gravy

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients

1 small carrot, peeled and chopped into rough ½-inch pieces (about ½ cup)

1 small rib celery, chopped into rough ½-inch pieces (about ½ cup)

1 small onion, chopped into rough ½-inch pieces (about ¾ cup)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter (I used salted and it was just fine)

¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour (I substituted with gluten-free rice flour.  You’ll want to add more to make it thicker)

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 cups low-sodium beef broth

1 bay leaf

¼ teaspoon dried thyme

5 whole black peppercorns

Instructions

1.     In food processor, pulse carrot until broken into rough ¼-inch pieces, about five 1-second pulses (actually, mine ended up being just short of pureed and it worked just fine).  Add celery and onion; pulse until all vegetables are broken into 1/8-inch pieces, about five 1-second pulses.

2.     Heat butter in large heavy-bottomed saucepan (I used a dutch oven) over medium-high heat; when foaming subsides, add vegetables and cook, stirring frequently until softened and well browned, about 7 minutes.  Reduce heat to medium; stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, until thoroughly browned and fragrant, about 5 minutes.  Whisking constantly, gradually add broths; bring to boil, skimming off any foam that forms on surface (there will be plenty of this!).  Reduce heat to medium-low and add bay leaf, thyme, and peppercorns; simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced to 3 cups, 20 to 25 minutes (mine did not reduce much… but then again I quadrupled the recipe!).

3.     Strain gravy through fine-mesh strainer into clean saucepan, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard solids.  Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.  Serve hot.

www.cooksillustrated.com

Published November 1, 2003

Happy meal planning!

Snag a used cookbook for 50% off at the Friendly Bookstore!

Posted by Lyndi

I was running errands over lunch on Friday and decided to do a quick in-and-out at The Friendly Bookstore in downtown Rogers.  They have a great selection of used cookbooks at a really great price.  

Only, don’t confuse “great selection” with the latest Dorrie Greenspan or Top Chef cookbooks. I mean great selection of really interesting cookbooks and vintage recipe pamphlets!!!  Never have I paid over $5 for one of these gems.

I was excited to see that ALL COOKBOOKS ARE 50% FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER!  This means you only have about two more weeks to check it out and snag a deal!

While the cookbook section isn’t the largest section in the bookstore, there are plenty of great finds to explore. 

Friday’s venture yielded two really unique books:  Getting the Fresh Herb Habit ($1.50) by Margaret Kirkwood and Barbara Brookie-White and Lady Maclean’s Diplomatic Dishes ($2.50).

The herb book is great because it detail how to grow, freeze, prepare, and enhance dishes using herbs.  It even has a fold out section of how-to lay out your herb garden plots!

The diplomatic dishes book is compilation of Lady Maclean’s diplomatic friends from all over the world!  I love books like this that are far from the ordinary.  Check out S.E. Monsieur Gerard Andre, Ambassade De France, commissioned in Helsinki (1975) recipe titled “Pain de Champignons” and quoted as “my grandmother’s recipe.” 

How interesting is that?!!! 

I hope you have a chance to do a quick in-and-out yourself before the end of November to take advantage of the 50% off deal.  The Friendly Bookstore is located on 401 N. 2^nd Street in Rogers and is open Monday-Saturday from 10am-4pm and also opens late on Monday until 7pm.  All proceeds from the bookstore sales supplement the Rogers Public Library budget “to broaden the services provided to the community.”  Check out their website here for more information.

Happy browsing!