Caramel Heavenlies

This recipe from MARY JAMES dishes it out is great for gift giving.

CARAMEL HEAVENLIES

12 DOUBLE GRAHAM CRACKERS
2 CUPS MINIATURE MARSHMALLOWS
¾ CUP BUTTER
¾ CUP BROWN SUGAR
1 TEASPOON CINNAMON
1 TEASPOON VANILLA
1 CUP SLICED ALMONDS
1 CUP FLAKED COCONUT

Arrange graham crackers in a single layer in a 10x15 inch jelly roll pan. Sprinkle with marshmallows.

Combine the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the brown sugar dissolves, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla. Drizzle over the marshmallows; sprinkle with the almonds and coconut.

Bake at 350° for 12-14 minutes or until light brown. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 3-inch squares; cut each square into halves to form triangles.

Store in airtight container in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 3 months.

Teaching Notes: If bars become too hard to remove from pan. Return pan to oven for 30 seconds to a minute to soften. Once you get a corner lifted up, you will be able to easily cut between the squares. I usually cut them in squares first then remove from pan and cut 1 or two times more to create medium or small triangles. The small triangles are great bite sized treats.

Lamb Sweetbreads with Morel Sauce

It seems that each time my departure from France draws near, my favorite things begin to show up on the table. And this night was decadent. Lamb Sweetbreads with Morel Sauce that had more morels than you could count in it. It was absolutely yummy and the 2004 Domaine Santa Duc Haute Garrigues (Gigondas) was a perfect match.

Thinking Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is not far away and by now you could have 90% of the work done.....don't worry, it is not too late. For 25 years, I taught as many as 3 classes every Fall on The Southern Thanks
giving. In fact, this mostly do-ahead menu is in my book, Mary James dishes it out (page 112).

Now for some of those extra tips. The dressing can be done now and frozen....makes 24 pieces.....freeze it on a sheet pan then bag it if you don't have freezer room....just remember to put it back on the cookie sheet before it thaws! Cook it on turkey day

By all means make the cranberry conserve....this is a HUGE hit every year.....double the recipe and it will carry you through Christmas...don't freeze...just refrigerate.....I don't like to do more that a double batch at a time....it seems to change how it sets up and thickens if you do more than that......The picture on the left shows you the approximate size of the fruit when it is cut......Bring to a simmer (slow boil) and then time it for 20 minutes stirring occasionally......This dish sparkles when presented in a glass/crystal dish.

MJ in Provence

OLIVES....one year later

OK...I know, I know. I keep getting requests for more blogs. Even though there is so much that I want to share, it is next to impossible to blog when we are welcoming groups to Provence.

So now it is early in the morning. The Provence light is casting its golden/orange shadows across the porch. I have my cup of steaming coffee and am the beginning of this day could not be better.

Throughout the season, Xavier and I get lots of questions about the olives. There are 17 trees here on the property and everyone wants to know what happens next. So, in a nutshell, here it is. As the olives ripen, they are hand picked or, in some instances, raked from the trees. At this point, they can go to the mill to make olive oil, or be preserved whole in brine, or dry cured with salt, or treated industrially with lye. But, to become edible/palatable, no matter how green or ripe (black) an olive is, it must be processed to remove the bitterness.

So now, it has been almost a year since these olives went into the brine. Yes, I know we are rushing the process a bit since it can take a year ++ to cure olives this natural way, but my time here is short and I just can't wait! Anyway, they will continue to mellow without the cap. During this past year, a cap formed across the top and actually acted as a seal. Yes, it looks like mold and, in fact, is mold. But, by now, you know that all mold is not bad i.e. the cheese lesson posted previously (see Blog Archive, May 2007) Xavier carefully lifts the cap from the olives and !voila!, we are sampling the olives grown right here on his property. Delicious and full of flavor.....we even rinse those that were trapped in the cap, drizzle with some of the olive oil from his trees and yum, yum, yum! Click on the slideshow to view the uncapping process!

Sights from Xavier's and the Cote d'Azur

To enlarge, click on the photo, then view album, then slideshow.......

Sights from MJ's House in Provence

Enjoy!..

Oatmeal Cherry Cookies & Black Ice

PHOTOS: Breakfast set-up. Warm McCann's nutty oatmeal in the copper chafer accompanied by Raspberry Muffins, bacon, fresh OJ, and hot coffee. The raspberry muffins are on page 48 of Mary James dishes it out!

So my day began at 4:30 with prepping for the arrival of The Good Morning Show here at the house. Today was to be all about oatmeal. Warm and cozy with great smells coming from the kitchen, we thought we were all set until someone mentioned black ice and a winter weather advisory. Whoops!...Out the door they went to cover developing weather. Since we had mentioned that Oatmeal Cherry Cookies were coming up in the next segment and they are still on the counter waiting for their moment of fame, I will pass along the recipe here.

OATMEAL CHERRY COOKIES

2/3 CUP FLOUR
1 TEASPOON CINNAMON
1/2 TEASPOON BAKING SODA
1/2 TEASPOON SALT

3/4 CUP BUTTER
1/2 CUP SUGAR
1 CUP LIGHT BROWN SUGAR

1 EGG
2 TABLESPOONS WATER
1 TEASPOON VANILLA EXTRACT

3 CUPS QUICK COOKING OATS
1 CUP DRIED CHERRIES

Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Using a mixer, combine the butter, sugar, and brown sugar well. Add egg, water, and vanilla. Beat to thoroughly combine. Add flour mixture and mix well. Add oats and cherries, stir to combine.

Using a #16 ice cream scoop, place cookie dough on cookie sheet lined with parchment or reuseable pan liner (or grease the pan).

Bake in preheated 350 oven for 15-18 minutes.

Yield: 20 cookies

Variation: Add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts to the batter when adding oats and cherries.

These cookies freeze great.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

1 13.5 OUNCE CAN ARTICHOKE HEARTS IN WATER
1 10 OUNCE PACKAGE CHOPPED SPINACH

1/2 CUP MAYONNAISE
2/3 CUP SOUR CREAM
3 OUNCES CREAM CHEESE, ROOM TEMPERATURE
3/4 CUP CHEDDAR CHEESE, GRATED
1/2 CUP PARMESAN CHEESE, GRATED
1 TEASPOON DRIED THYME
1 TEASPOON FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER
1/2 TEASPOON TABASCO OR TO TASTE

Drain artichokes very well. Chop coarsely. Thaw spinach and drain very well, squeezing very dry with your hands. Set aside.

In the mixer, combine mayonaise, sour cream and cream cheese. Add remaining ingredients plus artichokes and spinach. Mix to combine.

Transfer to a heatproof shallow serving dish. Bake in preheated 350 oven for 15-20 minutes or until hot throughout. Serve with crackers or sliced toasted baguette.

Alternative: For large events, transfer mixture to chafing dish and serve hot from chafer.

Variation: Add 1/2 pound crabmeat.