All the Best in 2026!

 

Scalloped Potatoes

The family is here for Christmas, so R and I did some cooking and baking together...something we enjoy. We had ham for Christmas Eve dinner, and I knew that scalloped potatoes go well with ham. Usually I make Julia Child's Pommes Savoyard, a dish where thinly sliced potatoes are baked in broth in a casserole with a bit of onions and some Swiss cheese. This time I decided to jazz it up a bit by adding some milk, thyme, peppercorns and extra Swiss cheese. I infused the milk with the thyme and a few peppercorns, but then strained it into a large bowl, then added the broth.  Immediately after slicing them, we coated the potatoes with that mixture. This allowed the starchy potato juices to blend into the liquid as well as allowing the liquid to coat the potato slices to keep them from turning brown. That extra starch thickens up the sauce just the right amount. Most of the rest of the recipe was Julia's recipe.

Look at this close up! Tender, flavorful potatoes, golden top crust, crispy bits of browned cheese at the edges. So good.

We enjoyed a delicious potato casserole with tender potatoes well flavored by the milk, broth, thyme, pepper and cheese, plus some butter and onion and garlic. Most of the liquid was absorbed by the potatoes as the casserole cooked with the rest forming a delicate sauce, and the cheese on top makes a golden crust that is appealing in looks and taste.

All of this takes a bit of work, including peeling and slicing the potatoes, but it's worth it for such a delicious side dish. My family loved it...and I'll bet your family will, too.

Scalloped Potatoes

1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
5-6 peppercorns 
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons finely minced onion (I used about twice this amount...I love onions)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup chicken broth (I used a bit more -see note below )
3 all-purpose potatoes (about 1 pound), peeled ( I used Idahos)
salt and pepper to taste
nutmeg, freshly grated if possible
1 cup grated Gruyere or Swiss cheese (about 4 ounces)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a small pot heat the milk, thyme leaves and peppercorns until mixture simmers, then turn off heat and let sit while you continue to work on the recipe. 

Combine the butter, onion and garlic. Use on third of the mixture to grease a shallow 1 quart baking dish. (A shallow dish is important so that you get plenty of browned topping!)

Use a large fine-mesh strainer to strain the milk mixture into a large bowl. Add the chicken broth. Discard the residue in the strainer.

Take peeled potatoes and slice them 1/8-inch thick. Put them into the bowl of milk/broth mixture and turn until all the slices are coated with the milk mixture. Leaving the milk mixture in the bowl, remove half  of the potatoes and spread in the baking dish on top of the butter mixture, and season to taste with salt and pepper and nutmeg.

Sprinkle a third of the cheese over the potatoes. 

Arrange the remaining potato slices in an even layer over the cheese; season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Top with the remaining cheese.

Pour the milk and broth mixture over all and dot/spread evenly with the remaining butter mixture. Note: I made sure that the milk/broth mixture comes up almost to the top of the layered potatoes so that they will cook evenly throughout...you may need to use more broth than the recipe calls for but it is worth it and the broth cooks into the potatoes and cooks off so the potatoes keep their shape and are not soggy, so it's OK. No need to add additional milk; just more broth.

Cover and bake for 1 hour, then bake uncovered for another half hour or until the potatoes are tender throughout and golden brown on top and the milk/broth mixture is mostly absorbed. Serves 4 - 6.

Sweetie Loves Mushrooms

 It's mushroom season. We actually found a few poisonous red capped mushrooms under our oak tree last week. Pretty to look at, but that's it. Let's do a recipe that uses mushrooms from the market. If you are lucky enough to have wild mushrooms that you can trust, use them for half the mushroom mixture in this Mushroom and Stilton Galette.

I often am inspired by recipes that I find online, as I suspect you might be. Today's recipe is a variation on one posted by Smitten Kitchen and she got it from the Williams-Sonoma Season Celebration Series - Autumn. As usual I made quite a few changes because this mushroom galette was going to be dinner (so I added cubed cooked chicken - a great way to use up leftovers), I put a layer of sour cream at the bottom for extra richness and creamy mouthfeel...plus a sprinkle of garlic salt to season the sour cream. The original recipe had green onions and I only had yellow onions (so I switched in a half of a large onion, peeled and chopped). No wild mushrooms available, so I used a full pound of fairly large crimini mushrooms...and it worked well. Last, but not least, I added a tablespoon of brandy to the pan once the mushroom filling was cooked. The pan was hot enough that the alcohol pretty much cooked off as the brandy helped deglaze the pan. The flavor went so well with the mushrooms and the pungent blue cheese.

I have a bunch of photos to show you how I put this together. It makes a tall gallette the way I did it, but if you want yours to be shorter and wider (perhaps to feed more people?), just put the fillings further out, away from the center, when you add the fillings.

Don't usually use pre packaged pie dough? Check out the bottom photo to see how flaky it is. It's delicious, too, so no reason to not use it if you have it around. Only you will know that it isn't made from scratch.

Mushroom and Stilton Galette

·      Servings: 6

·       Time: 1 hour plus rest time 

·      Based on: Williams-Sonoma Seasonal Celebration Series, Autumn

·         1 pre-made pie dough round (I use Pillsbury Crusts), at room temperature

·         1/4 ounce dried wild mushrooms, such as chanterelles, porcini or shiitakes

• 1 cup boiling water
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1/2 pound assorted fresh wild mushrooms, such as chanterelles, porcini and shiitakes, brushed clean and large mushrooms thinly sliced (or another 1/2 pound crimini)
• 1/2 pound fresh crimini mushrooms, brushed clean

and thinly sliced

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• sprinkle of garlic salt
• 1 cup cooked, cubed chicken or turkey
• 5 ounces Stilton or other good-quality blue cheese
• 1 large egg yolk, whisked with 1/2 teaspoon water (optional)

 Make the filling: Place the dried mushrooms in a small bowl and add the boiling water. Let stand for 30 minutes until softened. Drain the mushrooms and mince finely.

 Heat oven to 400°F.

 In a large sauté pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onions and sauté, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, rosemary and thyme and continue to cook, stirring, for 1 minute more. Increase the heat to high, add the fresh and rehydrated mushrooms, season well with salt and pepper, and sauté until the mushrooms are tender and the liquid they released has completely evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool.

 On a floured work surface, roll out the dough into a 12-inch round. Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet. Spread the sour cream in an even layer, leaving at least two inches of dough uncovered all around the outer edge of the dough. Sprinkle with garlic salt. This is the first layer.

 Crumble the blue cheese into a bowl.

Spread half the mushroom mixture over the sour cream on the dough, keeping the border. That's the second layer.

Top the mushroom layer with the chicken in a single layer...third layer.

 Distribute the crumbled blue cheese evenly over the chicken layer...fourth layer.

Evenly spread the remaining mushrooms over the blue cheese...last layer.

Fold the border over the mushrooms and cheese, pleating the edge to make it fit. The center will be open.

 If you’d like, brush the outside of the dough with the egg wash for a deeper, shinier color. (Egg wash is 1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water.)

 Bake until golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, let stand for 5 minutes, then slide the galette onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

 Do ahead: Galette keeps well in the fridge for 4 to 5 days.

Last of the Garden Bounty

It's been quite a year for produce from the garden. I grew potatoes for the first time and was successful with both heirloom Bodega Red and with regular small white potatoes. There were plenty of tomatoes and it was a pretty good year for zucchini, too. Lots of cucumbers were much appreciated for salads and we even had a few golden beets. 

The last thing to be harvested is the broccoli I planted in the late summer. This is another new crop for me and we had the first head last night. It was delicious! So much better than what we get in the store. I still have some to eat tonight and some still in the garden, but they are all ready to harvest at the same time. Next year I'll try to space them out a bit more. The one crop that didn't work was the sugar snap peas that I planted with the broccoli. The deer decided that I planted the peas for them, so they ate all of the small plants before any flowers even could bloom. Next year I'll be sure to protect them with a fence of something.

We like our broccoli cut into florets and steamed briefly until bright green and just tender. Didn't get a photo of that, but we enjoyed them. There are also numerous recipes using broccoli. My favorite is a quiche like this Chicken and Broccoli one. There is also a recipe for a great salad where broccoli is the star HERE. It's similar to a deli version that I quite enjoy. 

Yay for broccoli!

Elf Time

Hard to believe that we are a week into December. Seems like Halloween was just yesterday and then, Whoosh!, here we are less than three weeks away from Christmas.

Time to become an honorary Santa's Elf. In the kitchen that means starting to make delicious things for when the family gathers...and a few things that might just be for me.

Sweetie and I are looking forward to a week with three of our daughter's family; our daughter, her husband and their son. At the end of their visit we'll be hosting a family-centered lunchtime gathering the day after Boxing Day. Sonoma Co. family will be joined by those from San Francisco, Sacramento area, LA area and maybe further away. Still getting responses to the invite.

After watching the current season of the Great British Baking Show with Kate, we have a list of baked goods we'd like to make together and with my grandson. I'll post those when we make them. My elf job right now is to make things that can be frozen, will keep, or actually need time to mellow (like fruitcake). Maybe it's time to try Lane Cake again.

Today's bake will be breakfast treats using blueberries and raspberries that can be frozen and reheated in the toaster oven or microwave as needed. I know that doesn't sound all that Christmassy, but there will be a number of mornings leading up to Christmas when things will be so busy that a cup of tea or coffee, some fruit and one of those scones or muffins hits the spot. 

The first bake is for a raspberry muffin. The last time I made these I included a surprise dollop of sweetened ricotta cheese in the center, but this time I went with simple and just made a nice muffin with fresh raspberries. A sprinkle of sanding sugar on top gives a bit of extra sweetness, plus a pleasing crunch when you bite into the muffin.

The second bake is fresh blueberry scones with pecans. This one has both regular and whole wheat flour, plus a bit of dried lemon peel. More sanding sugar, this time held on by brushing buttermilk over each scone once they are cut and on the baking sheet. There's buttermilk in the scones, too, which gives them a nice tang...goes so well with the fresh blueberries. I baked mine on 12-inch pizza pans, greased with butter flavor baking spray, which allowed the scones to be separated enough so they didn't touch when they rose and spread slightly.

These goodies are going to be frozen so they keep until Christmas week. Sweetie and I each had a taste of each kind. I liked the blueberry scone the best, but I think he liked the raspberry muffin most. Bake them and see which one you like best!

Raspberry and Lemon Muffins
Makes 12

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
zest of 1 lemon (Meyer if available)

2 eggs, beaten 

1/4 cup unsalted butter or margarine, melted and cooled

1 cup  buttermilk, at room temperature

1 heaping cup fresh raspberries, washed and drained

about 1 tablespoon clear sparkling or sanding sugar (optional)

 
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 12 cup muffin pan with baking spray. Set aside.

In a bowl, sift the dry ingredients together. Add the lemon zest and stir to distribute.

In a second bowl, whisk together the egg, butter, and  buttermilk.

Add the wet ingredient mixture all at once to the flour mixture and stir together with a fork, just until all the dry ingredients have been moistened. Don't overmix.

Stir the raspberries gently into the batter, then put mixture in the pans, distributing evenly. Sprinkle with sanding sugar, if desired, distributing evenly.

 Bake in preheated oven for 17 - 25 minutes until tops are golden brown and the center springs back when pressed down with a clean finger. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack 3-5 minutes, then removed carefully from the muffin tin and serve.

Fresh Blueberry Pecan Buttermilk Scones
a variation on Blueberry Buttermilk Scones from Baking in America by Greg Patent
Makes 16 scones

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup chopped pecans 
2 to 2 1/4 cups buttermilk, plus a bit more for glazing the top
1 tablespoon sanding sugar (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with cooking parchment or a silicone liner; Set aside.

Sift the flours, baking soda, salt and sugar into a large bowl. Grate the butter using the shredding disc on your food processor if butter is frozen, or cut the butter (which has been cut into tablespoon-sized pieces) into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or two knives. Be gentle. Use your finger to work the butter rapidly into large flakes. Add the blueberries and chopped pecans and toss with your fingers to coat evenly.

Pour the buttermilk into the blueberry mixture and stir and fold gently with a rubber spatula. Use your fingers, spread out, to gently work the last bit of very moist dough into the last dry bits. The dough will be thick. Scrape dough onto a lightly floured surface and dust it lightly with flour. If needed, blend any remaining dry bits into the moist dough with your fingers. Use a bench scraper or knife to divide the dough into two pieces. Shape each piece gently into an 8-inch disc. Use a bench scraper or sharp knife to cut each disc into eight pieces.

Transfer each piece carefully to the prepared pan, setting the scones slightly apart. Brush a bit of extra buttermilk over each of the scones with a pastry brush and sprinkle on a pinch of sanding sugar, if using. Bake in the preheated oven 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to cooling racks with a large spatula and serve warm or at room temperature. These are great without any additional embellishments, but do taste good with butter, jam or lemon curd added.

A Busy Time at the Farmhouse

Over the years, especially since the pandemic when we did major upgrades, we have had visitors now and then who stay in the farmhouse. With the exception of our daughter's family, it's usually only for a night or maybe a few days. This past week we had heavy use. As a matter of fact we had four turnovers.

To begin we hosted one of our grandsons and his sweetie as they made their way to Oregon. Almost as soon as they headed up the road the next guest arrived, a friend of mine who was visiting with her sister. Her sister is also my friend and lives in a one bedroom house, so this arrangement is a repeat of other times Louise has stayed in the farmhouse. Louise left at noon on Thanksgiving. We had enough time to again change the sheets and other linens and swab down the kitchen and bath when our nephew from San Francisco came for a few nights. Once he left Saturday morning we again changes linens out and cleaned for the return visit of our grandson as he and his sweetie returned home. Mixed in there were meals with each of them so we had some fun with each visitor! Looking forward to a full week at Christmas with our daughter and her husband and step-son.

Since this all took place during the week of Thanksgiving, I wanted to share a photo (top of post) of what we had on Thanksgiving. We went for fairly simple and this photo doesn't show the pumpkin pie with whipped cream that finished off the feast. Hope you had an equally delicious feast if you were celebrating Thanksgiving. Hope that your week was just a bit less hectic than mine!