Roasted Cauliflower with Garlic, Lemon and Parmesan

I love cauliflower plainly roasted with just olive oil and salt. But it is nice to mix it up a little sometimes. And simply adding garlic, lemon and parmesan is a really nice way to brighten it up. Throw a few chopped chives on top for color and you're done. I go through phases where I'm drawn to long, involved recipes and can't wait to see the outcome. But I'm in more of a back-to-basics mood this week. Hey, life can't all be cake pops and homemade marshmallows (well it can, but you'd probably sleep a lot and have really bad skin).

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER WITH GARLIC, OLIVE OIL AND LEMON

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

5 to 6 cups cauliflower florets, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter (from 1 medium head)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon sliced garlic

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons grated parmesan

chopped chives, for garnish

1.      Preheat oven to 450º F.

2.      Place the cauliflower florets in a roasting pan or large sauté pan. Drizzle the olive oil over the cauliflower, and season with garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper; toss to coat.

3.      Place the pan in the oven and cook for about 20 minutes or until cauliflower has brown spots and is cooked through. Stir every 5 minutes to ensure even roasting.

4.      Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the parmesan. Garnish with chopped chives and serve immediately while still warm.

from Emeril Lagasse

cauliflower

cauliflower florets

squeezing lemon juice over

sliced garlic

roasted

freshly grated parmesan

chives

ready

.

Maple-Pepper Salmon Bites

These little salmon bites really surprised me. First of all, I was scared of all that pepper because I'm not a huge pepper lover and just the idea of so much of it was making me gag a little. So I dipped some in pepper and left some undipped. Then I got a huge glass of water ready and popped a peppery one in my mouth. It was sooo delicious...not only did I not gag, I immediately ate about five more. Then I tried a plain one and ended up dumping a bunch of pepper over it, so it would taste more like the other ones. Since these couldn't be easier, I'll definitely be making them for the salmon lovers I know (don't be scared).

MAPLE-PEPPER SALMON BITES

Serves 6 as an hors d'oeuvre

1 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup soy sauce

24 oz. skinned salmon fillet, cut into bite-size cubes

1/4 cup freshly ground black pepper

vegetable or canola oil

1.       Combine maple syrup and soy sauce in a medium-size bowl and add salmon, making sure the fish is fully immersed in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.

2.       Grease a sheet of aluminum foil with the oil (vegetable oil sprays work well). Preheat oven to 500° F.

3.       Put pepper in small bowl or plate and dip top of salmon pieces into pepper. Place each peppered piece on foil, then cook in oven for 3 to 4 minutes. Serve immediately.

Epicurious, January 1999 by Nancy Hawley

skinless salmon fillets

cutting

cubed

maple syrup

soy sauce

salmon marinating

dipping in black pepper

ready to bake

baked

close up

Just to prove that my ability to hurt myself with ordinary,
every day stuff is unparalleled...I managed to get a speck of
black pepper jammed so deeply under my nail that I couldn't
get it out. It hurt for two days (I made these salmon bites
about five days ago). It's finally numb or something because
the stinging stopped. Now I can get back to obsessing about
my twitchy eye (don't ask).

.

Hot Chocolate on a Stick

Here's a fun food gift for the holidays. Not only do they make a great cup of hot chocolate, but they're also delicious melted into coffee or eaten on their own, like fudgy cocoa pops. You can roll them in candy canes for peppermint hot cocoa or add a little flavoring oil to make other varieties. And if you're really feeling ambitious, you can make homemade marshmallows and put one on each stick too. Or you can slap a bow on a can of Swiss Miss, that works too (only no one's going to tell you how cute it is and wonder where you came up with such a delightful gift idea).

HOT CHOCOLATE ON A STICK

Yield: about 3 dozen

½ cup heavy cream (4 oz. or 113 g.)

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk (1 1/4 cups)

3 cups semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped or chips (18 oz. or 510 g.)

3/4 cup unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped (4 oz. or 113 g.)

optional: flavoring oil (such as hazelnut, coffee or vanilla)

optional: cocoa powder for sprinkling and rolling

optional: crushed candy canes or peppermint candies

about 3 dozen lollipop sticks

1.         Line the bottom and sides of an 8" x 8" pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

2.         Heat the cream and condensed milk over low heat until steaming. Remove from the heat and add all the chocolate; allow it to gently melt.

3.         After about 10 minutes, return the chocolate mixture to low heat to completely melt the chocolate. Whisk vigorously until the mixture is thick and shiny. Add a few drops of flavoring oil if desired.

4.         Pour the chocolate mixture into the pan; shake the pan gently to level. Sprinkle with cocoa, if desired. Set aside overnight to slowly set up.

5.         Run a knife around the edge of the pan and turn out onto a clean cutting surface.

6.         Slice into 1 ¼" cubes. Heat a knife in hot water and wipe dry before each cut, for smoothest results.

7.         Insert a stick into the center of each block.

8.         Roll in cocoa or crushed peppermint candy, if desired.

9.         Wrap in waxed paper, parchment, or plastic wrap. Can store at room temperature for up to 2 weeks (well wrapped and in an airtight container) or in the freezer for up to 30 days.

10.     To make hot chocolate: dissolve each cube in 6-8 oz. hot milk (to taste) and stir.

from Cocoa Blocks by King Arthur Flour 

pouring sweetened condensed milk into the cream

adding chocolate chips (I used Callebaut bittersweet)

mixed

I almost forgot to add the unsweetened chocolate too.
So I added it when I was reheating the chocolate mixture. Phew!

spread in the pan

the next morning

I only lined the bottom of my pan with parchment and it was
a little hard to remove, so I do suggest lining the sides too.

cutting

some with sticks

rolling one in crushed candy canes

I probably could have crushed them a little finer.

in cocoa powder

I left that one plain on the sides.

mixing into hot milk

hot chocolate...it works!

.