Making this recipe was like a reading comprehension game – I followed a Tastemade video, and its accompanying text (surprise: the two diverge). So here is my hard-won wisdom: You don’t need that extra egg white in the choux pastry. You need to double the pastry cream if you want to have enough! Corn “flour” is a typo – they mean “cornstarch”. The whipping cream+mascarpone needs a bit of powdered sugar. The espresso shot can be put in before or after refrigeration of the cream (and yes it could be a simple espresso shot rather than instant coffee in the first cup of milk used for the cream).

Other than this semi-confusion, the experience was dreadful because choux pastry is messy. But eclairs with coffee cream are a revelation deserving of some suffering along the way 🙂

Here’s the infamous recipe:

https://www.tastemade.com/shows/the-scran-line/tiramisu-eclairs

Breakfast Taco with Breaded Poblanos, Salsa Verde and Melted Gouda

No recipe followed here – roasted a poblano pepper, dipped in egg and flour and fried, chopped over some black beans and melted cheese, and topped with homemade salsa verde (the salsa came from a recipe though: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+Chilipeppermadness/posts/cDTTdU2ky5K)

The salsa verde recipe is from Chili Pepper Madness

Corn Popovers with Collard Greens & Pepperoni

Nearly 15 years ago, in Atlanta I tried something called “pot lickers” – corn muffins with collard green & ham hock broth. You dipped the muffin in that juice and licked the metaphorical bottom of the pot. I was so obsessed with the flavor that I bought a jar of the broth from the place (something like World Cafe, it was called), and carried it proudly through airport security – they did allow liquids those days.

This combination is a modified, fancier version of pot lickers – popovers from smitten kitchen and an unusual sauteed collard greens with pepperoni experiment from Food and Wine Magazine. The collard greens need more juice for the dipping, and you can make that happen with some chicken broth and white wine towards the end of the sauteeing.

I think this qualifies as Thanksgiving grub too.

Here are the two recipes:

1) http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/sauteed-collard-greens-pepperoni

2) https://smittenkitchen.com/2011/07/corn-buttermilk-and-chive-popovers/

Chicken Tagine over Lentils & Rice

This tagine version is rich on dried apricots and green olives. Didn’t have whole preserved lemons, but I had preserved lemon syrup, so that did the trick! Another funky addition was two dollops of Trader Joe’s Harissa Salsa -that made it just spicy enough! Topped with chopped mint and some pomegranate seeds.

Followed this recipe (of course with a ton of substitutions…):

http://www.closetcooking.com/2009/05/moroccan-chicken-tagine-with-olives-and.html

Persian Bundt Cakes with Saffron Icing

So simple, so favorful – loads of Persian aromas – rosewater, cardamom, saffron. Also dairy free.

Got some fancy saffron from my local Middle-Eastern shop “Damascus” – I plan to visit there more – oh the halvas, preserved lemons, baklavas, nuts, jams, coffees! These places are more than shops, they are cultural centers.

Recipe here:

http://www.unicornsinthekitchen.com/persian-love-bundt-cake/

Eggplant Stew with Prunes

This eggplant stew is the infamous Turkish dish Imam Bayildi, which translates to “the Imam fainted”. The imam ate a fascinating eggplant dish his wife prepared, and he asked her how she made it. When she revealed the quantities of oil she used… he fainted. Well, it wasn’t her fault – eggplant soaks up oil like a sponge!

This here version introduces a “twist” – the prunes, or plums (if you have fresh plums, it’s a plus). They sweeten the pot, literally, and complement the other veggies. If you love eggplant, I would recommend following a traditional Turkish recipe (some of them feature rice too). I just sauteed chopped onions, carrots, celery, tomatoes, green peppers, eggplant chunks, garlic, tomatoes and prunes, filled the scooped up eggplant “boats” with that stew and broiled a bit. This dish likes parsley, but oregano, savory or thyme work well too. And do add a sprinkle of lemon juice at the end.

Here are some recipes for the classic Imam Bayildi:

http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015148-imam-bayildi

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/oct/10/aubergine-recipes-turkish-imam-bayildi-hungkar-begendi-roast-with-tarator-yotam-ottolenghi

https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/imam-bayildi-the-imam-fainted/10582/

Bacon, Apple and Cheddar Fritters with Caramel Sauce

If you like savory/sweet combinations – this one is for you. Although, I am thinking it fully qualifies as dessert. You barely taste the apple, the cinnamon is quite pronounced – and the cheddar should indeed be sharp. Oh, and the caramel sauce is absolutely not optional.

The recipe comes from Closet Cooking and I have been eyeing it forever.

I think next time I will cut the apple in chunks, rather than grate it – just to embolden its presence.

http://www.closetcooking.com/2013/10/apple-cheddar-and-bacon-fritters-in.html

Roasted Cauliflower & Garlic Hummus

Been crazy about cauliflower lately. And I’ve trying bean, beet, pickle etc. weird hummus-es too, but somehow this obvious combo eluded me.

You roast the cauliflower and garlic, add lemon juice, salt, tahini and olive oil, and make that food processor work. Smoked paprika helps a lot too!

Now the topping… that was one heck of find. It is actually a stand-alone recipe by smitten kitchen, that I will repeat again and again and again -> Brown Butter Cauliflower with Pepitas and lime. These ingredients truly go together like (if not better than) peanut butter and jelly!

https://smittenkitchen.com/2016/11/roasted-cauliflower-with-pumpkin-seeds-brown-butter-and-lime/

As far as the cauliflower hummus, there are plenty of recipes out there, but it is best to “eyeball” it.

Ganache Dipped Apricot Muffins
I am often tempted to try recipes from little reader-contributed cooking leaflets in Bulgarian newspapers, although that can be rather risky. This recipe seemed straightforward, but I would certainly re-do it if I go back to it. You have standard muffin dough – half with cocoa, half – vanilla based. After the first scoop you add chopped apricots (should have added way more!). You top it off with the vanilla scoop. Bake and then dip in some ganache and cover with chopped pistachio nuts.

Here is the recipe if you wanna give it a go – the dough does seem to be too dense and buttery (which is in a way NOT a bad thing), so all kinds of substitutions work.

Cream 200g of soft butter with 150g of sugar. Add two eggs. Separately mix 300g of flour with 2 teaspoons baking powder. Add vanilla or other aromas. Mix the dry and the wet ingredients. Separate the dough in two batches, add 2-3 tablespoons of cocoa to one, and mix thoroughly. (by the way added half a cup of milk spontaneously, because the mix was too thick). Chop 300g of apricots – fresh or conserved. I used chopped Trader Joe’s frozen apricots (after I defrosted them).

In a muffin tin, for each muffin, pour a scoop of cocoa mix first, a tablespoon of apricots and then a scoop of vanilla mix. Bake at 350-360C for 35-40 minutes. Top with ganache and nuts.

(Recipe was in print, in Bulgarian only).

Brussels Sprouts Caesar Salad with Crispy Chicken Breast Deli Bits

Yet another way to serve Brussels sprouts that are oh-so-good-for-you. I pre-treated them with lemon juice – I think that makes a difference and makes them less bitter. Added Caesar dressing, croutons (love to make them myself with lots of olive oil), and then… dum dum dum, flash fried bits of spicy deli chicken breast until they got golden brown and crunchy. Finally added the obligatory grated parmesan. Who said Caesar salad is boring ?!

I didn’t follow this recipe, but you could, if you want -> it is way fancier:

https://food52.com/recipes/39327-brussels-sprouts-caesar?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=SocialMarketing&utm_campaign=Social