Great Taste

Family recipe for German potato salad

Looking for a delicious complement to holiday ham?

Give this potato salad a try. It's from mama, with a few subtle updates.  The recipe calls for raw eggs so you will need to prepare and eat the salad the same day. 

Five large, fresh red potatoes, halved
Six slices thick, quality bacon, chopped into one-inch pieces
One-half large or one small white onion, chopped
Two fresh eggs, beaten
One-half cup apple cider vinegar
Three tablespoons (or more) fresh parsley leaves, chopped
Salt and freshly cracked pepper
One chopped green onion, for garnish

Cover potatoes in water and cook until fork tender but not too soft--15 to 20 minutes. Drain off water and allow potatoes to cool slightly. Meanwhile cook bacon in large pan on stovetop. After a few minutes add white onions. Continue to cook over medium to low flame until bacon is slightly crispy and onions are soft. While potatoes are still warm, peel and gently slice. Place sliced potatoes in pan with onions, bacon and fat. Pour over eggs and vinegar, and mix in parsley and seasonings. Carefully blend ingredients, taking care to not break up potatoes in the process. Let stand at least an hour. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with chopped green onion. Serve with warm ham or cold cuts with rye bread, pumpernickel and/or vollkornbrot. Yield: About eight servings

Want something fluffy and yellow right now?

Check out this Lanesboro cook' s tempting recipe for lemon meringue pie--with plenty of photos to help it along.

http://cookoutofthebox.blogspot.com/

 

Easter grocery shopping idea

Let the Earth Day vibe keep hoppin' towards the holiday.

Get fresh Easter eggs and other farm-direct foods at tomorrow's Rochester Downtown Farmers Market indoor market:  http://www.rochesterdowntownfarmersmarket.org/

 

What do Easter, vichyssoise, and a new blender have in common?

Recently this writer needed to empty out her fridge. Some sad-looking vegetables were transformed into a superlative vichyssoise, without much fuss and muss. (Soup satisfies in so many ways.) 

Thoughts floated to the upcoming holiday and potato-leek soup, aka vichyssoise, as a starter course. Meanwhile an online discovery was made: the Cuisinart all-in-one blender that takes soups from raw ingredients to finish. Here is a link with video: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/cuisinart-soup-maker-blender-sbc-1000/?pkey=cblenders-juicers%7Celtbjcble   

Another discovery: Chop up and add a couple of stalks of celery to the base ingredients of your vichyssoise. 

"Taste of Home" comes to Roch

Taste of Home Cooking School, which bills itself "America's leading cooking school program," will be in Rochester on March 23rd. PB story link here.

GG has never made it to a Taste of Home event, but she has watched a number of Taste of Home's online videos, including this one (http://videos.tasteofhome.com/video/How-to-Make-a-Pie-Crust-3;search:) for making a bottom pie crust. 

If you're starting to think about Easter activities Taste of Home has online instructions for making naturally dyed Easter eggs, among other holiday ideas.

In general GG can't get excited about Taste of Home. She views Taste of Home to be more on the order of Taste of Conventional and Convenient. But feel free to prove her wrong.

 

Thinking about...chocolate?

Le Cordon Bleu Chef's Series presents "Valentine's Day Chocolates; Truffles and More," 10 am to 1 pm on February 12 at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Minneapolis/St. Paul, 1315 Mendota Heights Road, Mendota Heights. 

The class is described as a "hands-on session" in which participants create hand-dipped candies, chocolate truffles, and molded holiday confections. "Aspects of how chocolate is made, how to temper and theoretical application will also be discussed."

Picture Perfect

Advice on holiday food photography from Huffington Post:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lou-manna/photographing-food-tips_b_801172.html#s215097

 

A Christmas dinner menu

 

Here's the plan for Gourmanda & Co.'s holiday feast:

 

Appetizer

Gulf Shrimp with Creole Dip

Dinner

Chicken Escarole Soup

Local Greens with Vinaigrette

Beef Wellington with Madeira Sauce

Boiled Minnesota Red Potatoes

Roasted Root Vegetables

Dessert

Zinfandel Poached Pear with Sabayon Sauce

 Cranberry Pie with Ice Cream

Decorated Cookies

Upper Midwest and European Cheeses

 

Your feedback is welcome!

 

 

 

Hear ye, hear ye: Ferndale Market's Turkey Fest

Holiday food samples, recipes, and live music are featured today from 10 am to 3 pm at Ferndale Market, 31659 County 24 Blvd., Cannon Falls.

Ferndale's own fresh free-range turkeys will be available for pick-up.

The market also offers locally-raised meats and fowl, including pork, beef, chicken and bison. Locally produced dairy products like milk, cheeses, and ice cream; locally produced organic frozen vegetables; locally baked goods; locally produced condiments--the "local" list goes on--are on sale as well. Some area farmers and producers will be at the fest.

 

 

 

 

This cappuccino elegantly completes holiday dinner

If you have an espresso machine with steam attachment and not too many guests, considering finishing your holiday meal with a flourish. Ingredient list is short--though potentially pricey.     Freshly ground Milano-style European Espresso beans from www.kofficoffee.com OR your fave freshly ground espresso beans A quality caramel sauce, made with all-natural ingredients One ounce extra bitter chocolate (preferably Valrhona), shaved Whole milk Express two to three shots espresso into cup. Stir in a teaspoon of caramel and some chocolate shavings. Pour at least a cup of milk into metal container and steam as frothy as possible. Place dollops of froth over espresso and add a few tablespoons of hot milk. Squeeze one to two tablespoons of syrup in swirls on top of froth. Sprinkle chocolate shavings over frothy top. Serve immediately.