recipe: cottage cheese grasshopper chocolate pudding

This is the third recipe I made from the cookbook Cheesy by Farideh Sadeghin and I'm not sure how I feel about it. It might be a "healthier" dessert option to have in my back pocket, but there were a few drawbacks to it.

The pudding once done being blended is quite thick. The cookbook author did top her pudding with homemade whipped cream, which I omitted due to time and wanting to truly taste the pudding on its own. However, I do think the whipped cream is necessary to provide some lightness in contrast to the pudding. Sadeghin then topped the whipped cream with chocolate shavings. I substituted cocoa nibs, which would still work.

While it's a natural sugar at least, there is still quite a bit of maple syrup in each serving. And, despite this amount of sweetener, I still felt the end result needed more. 

It may be due to the cheap mint extract I used, my note regarding wanting more sweetness, or residual vinegar from the cottage cheese making process (the how-to for that is coming tomorrow), but there was an odd chemical taste to the pudding, with neither a delicious mint or chocolate flavor shining through.

I did use my Vitamix versus a food processor and it was a pain to get all the pudding out from underneath the blade. I have this same issue with my food processor so using that as directed would not have helped the issue. I may have felt better about the time involved had I made a full batch of pudding. For this small a serving I'm not sure the effort matched the success of the end result.

If I haven't talked you out of making this pudding ;) please see below for the measurements. The original as shown in the cookbook is on the left and what I made with the recipe cut in half is on the right in parentheses (who knows maybe my math was wrong and that's why the taste is off haha). I may try this again by adding a bit of milk to make it less thick or try it with yogurt (just stirring this with a spoon for easy cleanup!) Regardless, it was something fun to try.

 

Chocolate Grasshopper Pudding

Ingredients:

1 lb cottage cheese (1 cup cottage cheese)

1/4 cup maple syrup (1/8 cup)

3 tbsp cocoa powder (1 1/2 tbsp)

1/4 tsp mint extract (1/8 tsp)

1/8 tsp salt (a very small pinch)

Instructions:

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the ingredients and process until very smooth. Divide among four 6 ounce ramekins, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 5 days.

recipe: sour cream and onion spiced nuts

I made a second recipe from the cookbook, Cheesy, and it is a keeper with some edits (see "notes" at the bottom). These are an upgrade to regular salted deluxe mixed nuts when serving a cheese board or snacks to guests. Or, something special to nibble on yourself.

Sour Cream and Onion Spiced Nuts

Ingredients:

4 oz raw almonds

4 oz raw cashews

4 oz raw hazelnuts

4 oz raw pecans

2 oz raw pepitas 

2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

3/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

3/4 tsp salt

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. 

Toss the nuts and pepitas together in a large bowl. Drizzle with the butter and Worcestershire sauce and toss to coat. Spread the mixture in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet and bake until toasted 18 to 20 minutes.

While the mixture is still warm, season with the garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. Serve warm or at room temperature. The nuts will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a month.

Notes:

The above recipe is as written from the cookbook. However, when I made it I used an unsalted deluxe mixed nut package that I got from the store, which I added pepitas to. This made it quick to put together and required keeping less different types of nuts on hand. I didn't use parchment paper as I rarely use it to save on waste. Without it, I had no issues at all with any sticking or cleanup. I toasted for 10-12 minutes longer than suggested (so 30 minutes) and I still don't think the nuts got toasted enough. The time on the recipe aligns with the normal toasting time it should take. So, I am not sure why mine weren't getting crispy and a darker tone. The one thing I can think of is that I felt like the nuts were too "wet" - next time I would cut the butter in half. In this same vein, I liked the flavor a lot but wanted it punched up more. So, I would double the spices and maybe even double the Worcestershire sauce amount.

Let me know if you have any suggestions for me in getting a better "toasting" on my nuts next time!

recipe: polenta with fontina and mixed mushrooms

When I was researching foods for my long term pantry this Spring I became curious what the difference between corn meal, polenta, and masa was. I discovered that they are all made from corn, however, are ground and processed differently which therefore makes each one useful in varying ways.

Cornmeal - A fine or medium flour that has a gritty/sandy texture best used for baking cornbread, dusting pizza peels, or making crusts for fried foods.

Polenta - A specific type of coarse ground yellow cornmeal and made into a creamy porridge dish, hailing from Italy, or letting it cool into a solid log, slicing it, and frying or baking it. The confusion comes because you technically could use corn meal to make polenta. However, standard corn meal is often fine or medium grind. So, if you plan to make polenta and were going to buy an item labeled as corn meal versus polenta, you would just want to check that the corn meal was a medium or coarse grind to ensure that your finished cooked polenta didn't turn out pasty. Conversely, if you have a package labeled polenta you can make cornbread from it. But due to the coarser grains, your finished baked cornbread will have a denser crumbly texture versus the softer cakelike texture you would get from the fine or medium grains of cornmeal.

Masa - Very finely ground and has been undergone a process called nixtamalization (soaking and cooking dried corn in an alkaline solution like a lime water) best used to make corn tortillas and tamales.

Because of this prior research, when perusing through Cheesy: 50 Boards & Recipes by Farideh Sadeghin, the first recipe that popped out at me to try was Polenta with Fontina and Mixed Mushrooms.

Polenta with Fontina and Mixed Mushrooms

Ingredients:

Polenta

2 1/2 cups whole milk

1 cup polenta

6 ounces shredded fontina (I used gruyere)

3 tbsp unsalted butter

2 tbsp creme fraiche or sour cream (I used whole milk yogurt)

salt

Mushrooms

3 tbsp unsalted butter 

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large shallot, thinly sliced

1 1/2 pounds mixed fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced (I did not have access to mixed mushrooms so I just used one kind)

1 1/2 tsp minced fresh thyme

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/2 cup white wine (I did not have this so I omitted, which I assume didn't give me a glaze, but the mushrooms were still great)

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

salt and pepper

Instructions:

To make the polenta:

In a heavy medium saucepan or Dutch oven over high heat, combine the milk and 2 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low, slowly add the polenta, and cook, stirring frequently, until thick and creamy, about 30 minutes. Stir in the fontina, butter, and creme fraiche, and season with salt. Keep warm.

To cook the mushrooms:

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter and olive oil together. Add the shallot and saute until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until their liquid is released, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the thyme and garlic and cook for 2 minutes, then stir in the wine and vinegar. Cook until the liquid has reduced and the mushrooms are lightly golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. 

To serve, spoon the polenta into bowls and top each with some of the mushrooms.

This polenta was so easy to make and had a great flavor yet still allowing the polenta to shine through. I'll definitely be reaching for this recipe often this Fall when I want a cozy warming feeling just like I would get if I was craving macaroni and cheese!