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1. 13 Sep 2009 22:27

Robindcr8l

Someone in the past week, (It might have been belladonnis, but I'm not quite remembering for sure) suggested we start a separate link just for our favorite recipes, as they tend to get lost on Channel Baldur. I think that's a super idea. So over the next several days, I will try to go through all the 2253 threads and find the recipes and post them. The rest of you can add your own if you'd like.

2. 13 Sep 2009 22:27

Robindcr8l

From Baldur, way back in the beginning:

Egg Salad
First take 6 large eggs and place them in a medium sized saucepan.
Cover the eggs with cool water.
Place the saucepan on the stove and bring it to a very low boil.
Cook the eggs for 10 minutes and remove from the heat.
Drain the boiling water from the pan and replace it with cold water to stop the cooking action.

When the eggs are cool, peel them.
Remove 4 of the egg yolks and dispose of them. Maybe your dog would find them to be a treat, or break them up and put them outside for the wildlife.

Chop the remaing 2 cook yolks with all 6 of the cooked egg whites, stir in a couple tablespoons of reduced fat Mayonnaise, salt and pepper to taste and a tiny bit of finely minced onion.
Now for the good part:
Take a ripe avocado, remove the pit, take the flesh out of the skin.
Dice the avocado into small pieces and fold it into the egg salad.

This is incredible with lettuce and spinach leaves in the sandwich as a garnish.

3. 13 Sep 2009 22:29

Robindcr8l

Post 92, back in March, from Baldur:

Due to overwhelming public outcry I am back on the air to present another recipe
Today's recipe is Baldur's take on a classic salad dressing, which I call:
'Greener Goddess'

mince very finely:

4 Tablespoons of fresh parsley (or 2Tbsp dried)
4Tablespoons of fresh Chives (or 2Tbsp dried)
3 or 4 large basil leaves (or 1Tbsp dried)
3 tablespoons of dill weed (or 1.5 Tbsp dried)

combine them in a bowl with:
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 teaspoon celery seed, pummeled to death in a mortar
1 small clove of garlic, smashed
the juice of one lemon, de-seeded
freshly grated black pepper

stir in:
1 cup mayonnaise

stir in cold water a little at a time to get a thinner pourable consistency.
chill.

Notes, fresh herbs are better than dried but use what you have.
I use a reduced fat mayonnaise but the recipe is flexible in that regard, it can also be prepared with sour cream or yogurt, you can replace the lemon juice with lime juice or white vinegar even.
Other herbs are equally welcome; try adding tarragon or chervil.

4. 13 Sep 2009 22:30

Robindcr8l

Post 105, from Baldur:

Baldur's Bourbon Fudge Sauce
In the bottom section of a double boiler (bain marie) bring water to a low simmer. Place the top section of the double boiler over the simmering water and add to it:

A 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk
4oz of unsweetened baking chocolate chopped
4oz of bittersweet baking chocolate chopped

heat slowly stirring occasionally until the chocolate has melted and blended smoothly into the sweetened condensed milk.
If the sauce is thicker than you'd like at this point stir in a tablespoon or two of milk. (I like it thick)

Remove the double boiler from the stove and stir 1oz of bourbon into the chocolate sauce.
Serve warm over ice cream.

In place of the bourbon you can substitute Rum, or any flavored liqueur.
Try Grande Marnier, Frangelico, Framboise, Kahlua etc etc

5. 13 Sep 2009 22:31

Robindcr8l

Post 116, from Qsilv:

ok, in poking around on the net for photos, this is the one best showing the shape and proportions I'm after--
http://britishfood.about.com/od/recipeindex/r/ecclescakes.htm

this one is NOT right, but the commentaries are priceless--
http://mattikaarts.com/blog/baking-recipes/eccles-cakes-the-classic-british-tea-cake/

R ecipe-- (my recipes are always pretty casual... weather affects all baking)

PASTRY
1 C flour
1 pinch salt
~1 C unsalted butter (yes, you're going to make a VERY short pie crust dough!)
~1/4 C water (I tend to add vanilla and/or lemon)

FILLING
1 C currants
1/4 C candied citrus peel (minced fine, dried works too)
~1 tsp nutmeg (cinnamon optional... play with it)
~1/2 C sugar (note: caster is finer than granulated; demarara is a light golden brown with a lovely distinctive flavor)
...more butter
.......and-- BRANDY!

Heat the oven to as 400F+
Chill the butter
Make up the dough by cutting in the chilled butter in gradual batches
Rest the dough in the fridge for half an hour or so
Mix the filling together in a saucepan and heat it gently
Roll out the chilled dough rather thickly (I'd roll it thinner for pie, thicker for cookies.... and I roll onto a floured board, you may be fancier/cleverer)
Cut rounds ~4" (cookie cutters work, I use a soup mug... so sue me)
Pile a bit of filling on each round (it should be moist but not gooey)
Bring up the edges of the rounds, moisten and pinch closed
Turn the cakes over to get the pinched part down
Flatten the cakes a bit (rolling pin is a tidy way) til they look like the photo I recommended... don't get fatched if a few currents break through, you need a steam vent anyway
Pinch out a centered little hole (or use scissors)
Brush the tops with egg white and sprinkle with sugar if you want to
Shovel them onto your baking sheet (with this short a dough it doesn't really need greasing; parchment's nice if it's handy)
Bake 10 - 15 minutes, depending on... life. Risen gold is what you're after.
Cool on a rack... Enjoy!

6. 13 Sep 2009 22:32

Robindcr8l

Post 125, from Baldur:

Tonight's cooking segment features a request from a longtime listener for a recipe for 'Welsh Rarebit'.
This recipe is wonderful comfort food, and a standard pub item across the UK, though oddly it is rarely served in the United States where Baldur's lair is located.
I had the privilege of being the chef at a very nice, very old retirement home in Providence, RI where this was a very popular supper.

One part of the recipe has changed for me in the intervening years which you may care to restore in your own version. Worcestershire sauce is traditionally used as a flavoring, a couple of good manly shakes of the bottle adds a nice note to the finished dish. Being a vegetarian has caused me to skip that one ingredient (the vegetarian Worcestershire analog isn't worth using in my opinion). In lieu of this I tend to add a small pinch of ground cloves to the dish.
Enjoy!

Welsh Rarebit

In a saucepan with a heavy bottom melt:
2 Tablespoons of butter

Stir in:
2 Tablespoons of flour
1 Tablespoon of dry English mustard
a good shake of cayenne pepper
With a wooden spoon stir the mixture over medium low heat until it
is well cooked and has a rather toasted and nutty aroma.

Now switch over to using a wire whisk and carefully whisk
6oz of ale *
into the flour butter mixture. This will result in a rather thick sauce.

Into this sauce fold in:
1 pound of English Cheddar, shredded (I prefer a rather sharp one)

Stir until the cheese is melted and the Rarebit is quite smooth,
add a couple grinds of:
Black pepper

At this point the Rarebit is normally poured into a shallow
container and chilled. When ready to serve you broil slices of good
bread on one side, flip them over, smear a good amount of cold
Rarebit on top and return them to the broiler until browned and
bubbly. There is nothing wrong however with using it immediately
and hot on top of the same broiled bread.
The final broiling gives it a browned skin that makes it magical.

*(a dark beer such as Guinness is traditional here, but I go with a medium amber ale, actually you can think outside the box and use a dry cider
if you prefer, it will be delicious though scandalous)

7. 13 Sep 2009 22:33

Robindcr8l

Post 163, from Baldur:

Welcome back to Radio Baldur, 'All Baldur, All the Time'.
Today's cooking episode was inspired by a recent posting on ThinkDraw by kmkagle. That posting contained a recipe for 'Alligator Pie'.
Ahhh what memories that brought back.

I'm certain that kmkagle's recipe is delicious but I'd like to offer a different variant here. My dearly departed Grandmother: BabkaBaldur used a recipe that she learned when working the Riverboats to and from New Orleans back in the 1920s.
Here is:

BabkaBaldur's Alligator Pie

Make a large graham cracker crust and put it aside

In a large bowl take 1 pint of heavy cream and add 4 tablespoons of granulated sugar, beat the cream with a whisk until soft peaks form, put the whipped cream aside

Place 2 oz of milk in a small saucepan and sprinkle a tablespoon of unflavored gelatin over the top of it. Put the saucepan on the stovetop and heat it while stirring constantly until the gelatin dissolves.

Take 8oz of soft cream cheese and place it in another bowl, fold into this 1 small poached alligator, boned and chopped fine. stir in 1 cup of Absinthe and the warm gelatin/milk mixture. If desired you may add 1 teaspoon of alligator extract (available from www.spicesetc.com). Place the bowl over ice and stir the cream cheese/alligator mixture until the gelatin has started to set. (The mixture should be like a thick syrup)

Now using a rubber spatula gently fold the reserved whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture. Pile the mixture lightly into the reserved pie shell. Place in the Ice Box for 4 hours or overnight until firm.

Garnish as desired

8. 13 Sep 2009 22:38

Robindcr8l

post 461, from Baldur:

Baldur's Bloody Mary

In a large glass pitcher combine
64oz (a large bottle or can) Tomato juice
2 heaping tablespoons of prepared horseradish sauce
a good 6 or 8 shakes of hot sauce (Frank's Red Hot in my case)
the juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 teaspoon pummeled celery seed (I buy ground celery seed powder)
8oz of Vodka, I know people who would triple or quadruple this.

Stir until blended.

Into your glass insert a celery stick with some of the frilly leaves on top.
Add a couple ice cubes
Fill glass with with the Bloody Mary
and a slice of lemon on the rim.
Serves one over the course of a summer afternoon

9. 13 Sep 2009 22:40

Robindcr8l

post 524, from Baldur:
ok Lilalee here is a basic viniagrette that you can customize witrh whatever herbs you prefer.

Viniagrette

In a jar combine:
3/4 cup of olive oil
1/2 cup vinegar (I prefer balsamic, but cider, white or the red wine types are fine too)
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon prepare mustard (the dijon type or basic yellow)
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil
1 small garlic clove, smashed
ground pepper
salt (optional, I don't use it)

cover the jar and shake well.

Some people might add a teaspoon of sugar or honey.
You can add any other minced herb that you like instead of or in addition to those that I've used. Tarragon, chives, parsley, chervil, etc etc
(Baldur would also add 1/2 teaspoon of hot red pepper flakes)

10. 13 Sep 2009 22:40

Robindcr8l

post 528, from Baldur:

Baldur's cheese tortelini salad

take 2 packages of frozen cheese tortelini (small cheese filled Italian pasta, which in RI are sold in 13oz bags).
Boil them according to package directions, drain them and allow them to cool.

While doing this take:
2 large Spanish onions
6 large green bell peppers
2 large sweet red bell peppers
2-3 cloves of garlic

Clean and de-seed the peppers
Peel the onions and garlic
Dice the onions and peppers into 3/4" to 1" pieces (approx, the same size as your tortelini)
Smash the garlic with the side of your French knife or mince it very finely.

Take:
2-3 Tablespoons of olive oil
and saute' the onions and peppers until the onions are translucent and the peppers are slightly cooked but not mushy.
In the last minute or so of cooking add the smashed garlic.

In a large bowl combine the cooked pasta and the sauteed vegetables.
Also fold in:
1 pint of small cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup of balsamic viniagrette salad dressing
1/4 cup of fresh chopped parsley
1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes (optional)


I also add approximately 2 cups of cubes of vegetarian faux chicken meat (brand name Quorn) to up the protein, but this is fine as a salad without the protein.
But you could add cooked diced chicken or cooked peeled,de-veined, de-tailed shrimp.

I serve this immediately slightly warm, but if making it ahead of time refrigerate it promptly. It is fine cold too.

11. 13 Sep 2009 22:43

Robindcr8l

post 636, from Dragon:

I've gotten more that one recipe from Channel Baldur that I really want to try so I thought I'd reciprocate.
Here's a little recipe my honey and I quite enjoy.

Roasted Red Pepper & Corn Chowder

6 large red peppers
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 small onions, chopped
2 large potatoes, peeled
3 Tbsp butter
4 cups (1 litre) bouillon or 900mL Chicken broth
½ tsp each salt and ground pepper
1 tsp dried tarragon leaves
1 cup frozen or canned corn niblets
Sour cream (optional)

Roast peppers and remove skins. Prepare garlic and onions. Chop potatoes into small cubes. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and onions. Stir often until onions are soft. Then add potatoes, broth and seasonings. Boil then reduce heat. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally until potatoes are fork tender. Whirl peppers in food processor until pureed. Stir into soup along with corn. Bring to a boil then reduce heat. Cover and simmer until corn is hot.
Serve with a dollop of sour cream if desired.


(To roast peppers, for those who don't know, you seed them and cut them into large pieces then lay them on a cookie sheet with the skins facing up. Put them in the oven under the broiler and watch them closely. When the skins bubble up and turn black take them out then seal them by putting a sheet of aluminum foil over them to let them sort of steam themselves. After 5 or 10 minutes remove the foil and you should be able to simple peel the skins right off.)

12. 13 Sep 2009 22:44

Robindcr8l

post 736, from Baldur:

Ok it's late night dessert time at Chateau Baldur.

Take a large cup, such as this cafe' au lait cup in my hand.
Into the bottom of the cup slice a ripe banana
on top of the sliced banana put a scoop of dark chocolate ice cream.
you acyually don't need that much ice cream because the banana takes up a lot of space in the cup.
On top of the ice cream pour some chocolate syrup
Baldur recommends Hershey's brand 'Special Dark' syrup.
Take one OREO cookie firmly in your fist and crumble it over the syrup.'


Devour

13. 13 Sep 2009 22:45

Robindcr8l

post 794, from Baldur:

It happens that I had a page of recipes from the local paper. A few years back they featured such culinary nostalgia just for fun and I saved it.

The recipe that I just baked is called:

'WACKY CAKE'

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F
Into an 8" square cake pan sift:
1 cup sugar
1+1/2 cups flour
3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

make 3 holes in the flour mixture, into the holes deposit:
1 Tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 Tablesppons vegetable oil

Over everything pour:
1 cup water

Stir the mixture together with a fork until there are no more lumps.
Bake for 25-30 minutes

Note: the center of the cake will shrink slightly upon cooling.

14. 13 Sep 2009 22:47

Robindcr8l

post 844, variation of previous recipe, by Baldur:

I made a second Wacky Cake today, this time following a hunch I had to change the flavor.
When Baldur was but a boy his mother would sometimes make gingerbread (cake, not cookies) from a boxed mix. The brand name was 'Dromedary' (as in Camel) and indeed it is still available in some markets. It was a very dark brown moist cake.
When I made 'Wacky Cake' a few days ago subbing carob powder for the cocoa I was reminded of it.
Baldur really hates using mixes and prefers to cook by scratch whenever possible.
So today when making the cake I went with the carob again but added these ingredients when sifting the other dry ingredients together:
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
a pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
a pinch of cayenne pepper
a couple grinds of black pepper
1/2 teaspoon of dry English mustard

It came out amazingly close to the cake Baldur remembers. It is exact colorwise and in terms of moistness.
Next time I will slightly increase the ginger and cloves.

Always add a little bit of the hot spices when baking spicebreads, gingerbread is meant to bite back. It was never meant to be a namby-pamby sweet (+10 points just because nobody uses 'namby-pamby' as much as they really should).

15. 13 Sep 2009 22:48

Robindcr8l

post 860, from Robindcr8l:

Had to chime in with my baked potato soup recipe. I'm from Idaho, so ought to know good potato soup when I taste it. This turns out delicious. I'm including the bacon here, but, Baldur, I hate bacon and always omit it from this recipe, so let me assure you it is scrumpdilyicious (10 points for creativity)even as a vegetarian dish!
A baked potato soup with butter, green onions, bacon, cheddar cheese sour cream, and seasonings.
INGREDIENTS:
2/3 cup butter
2/3 cup flour
7 cups milk
4 large baking potatoes, baked, cooled, peeled and cubed, about 4 cups
4 green onions, thinly sliced
10 to 12 strips bacon, cooked, drained, and crumbled
1 1/4 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
PREPARATION:
In a large Dutch oven or stockpot over low heat, melt butter. Stir in flour; stir until smooth and bubbly. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly, until sauce has thickened. Add potatoes and onions. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until soup begins to bubble. Reduce heat; simmer gently for 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients; stir until cheese is melted. Serve baked potato soup immediately.
This baked potato soup recipe serves 6 to 8.

16. 13 Sep 2009 22:48

Robindcr8l

post 864, from Dragon:
Baldur was talking about Cream of Broccoli soup and it got me thinking of this recipe. It's easily the best Cream of Broccoli soup I've ever had and my boyfriend agrees on that one.

Dragons Gourmet Cream of Broccoli Soup

INGREDIENTS
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 small potatoes, thinly sliced
• 2 cups fresh chopped broccoli
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

DIRECTIONS
1. Melt butter in pan, do not brown. Add vegetables, toss to coat with butter, then press parchment paper on top of vegetables--this is called "sweating"-- for better flavor. Put lid on pan and simmer very gently until vegetables have softened. Do not brown.

2. Remove paper, add chicken stock, bring to a boil, then simmer until vegetables are soft.

3. Put in blender and puree until smooth. Pour back in pan, add salt, pepper, and cream. Simmer gently, do not boil or cream will curdle, until heated through.


17. 13 Sep 2009 22:49

Robindcr8l

post 871, from sheftali52:

Baldur's dinner sounded yummy, as did Dragon's cream of broccoli soup. Sheftali has a Broccoli Bisque Soup that she's made for the past 25 years, and which she offers for consideration:

1 cup sliced leeks
1 cup sliced mushrooms
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup broccoli flowerets
1 cup half and half
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese

Saute the leeks and mushrooms in the butter. Add flour and cook until bubbling. Remove from heat and blend in chicken broth. Return to heat and stir until thickened. Add broccoli (I chop up the flowerets into small pieces) and simmer 20 minutes until tender. Blend in half and half and cheese. Simmer until cheese is melted.

I found this recipe in the local newspaper, and it's been enjoyed by folks time and again. The leeks add a subtle flavor, the flour thickens sufficiently, the mushrooms add substance, and the Swiss cheese adds a kicked up touch.



18. 13 Sep 2009 22:50

Robindcr8l

posts 872 +873, from Baldur:
Perhaps I should mention cooking regular cultivated mushrooms while on this topic. So many people destroy this marvelous delicacy and have thus never really experienced what a mushroom can really be.

Buy a basket of either white mushrooms or the light brown cremini type at your local market
They should be firm and smell 'earthy'. They should also still be tightly closed around the stem, a sign of freshness. They open up and expose their gills ar they age.
Clean the mushrooms using a minimum of water. No water, just a soft brush is best, but indeed sometimes water really is necessary.
These mushrooms are tender and edible, even in regards to the stem. Many people toss the stems out, which is throwing out a good part of what you've paid for.
With a sharp paring knife trim off just the very bottom 'root' end of each stem.
Now slice the mushrooms evenly, try for slightly thinner than 1/4" slices.
Place a tablespoon of butter in your skillet.
This is a great time to use that heavy old black cast iron skillet that's been gathering dust, but even a wok or the most modern non-stick pan will do the job too. A larger skillet works best here, you have room to spread things out whilst stirring
Melt the butter in the skillet but do not allow it to get so hot that it turns brown and burns.
Deposit the sliced mushrooms in the pan.
Using 2 wooden spoons toss them around gently and let them warm up.
You will notice that they exude a bit of moisture and start to look wilted as they heat through. This is really only the first stage of cooking them.
You need to get past the point where this extra moisture evaporates so that the mushrooms will start browning.
The mushrooms actually 'sing' as they approach the right stage of doneness. They stirring and heat produces an odd little whistling or squeaking type of sound, this is hard to explain without having you here by my side in my kitchen. It is not a loud noise but it tells you they are approaching perfection, so listen for it.
The mushrooms will start to turn golden brown and a nutty aroma will fill your kitchen. When perfectly golden and beautiful they are ready.
Salt and pepper them lightly and enjoy as a side dish.

873. 30 Jun 2009 00:35
Baldur


You can make a marvelous dinner out of this be elaborating it a bit.
Make a white sauce using whole milk or part whole milk/ part cream.
Add a splash of dry sherry, salt and pepper and a few gratings of fresh nutmeg.
Fold in your freshly fried golden mushrooms.
Serve over lightly buttered toast.
This is amazing as an autumn supper with cider or beer in front of the fireplace.


19. 13 Sep 2009 22:51

Robindcr8l

post 881, from indigo:

I have a recipe for you all to try, I make it a lot. You need

4 medium size peppers, red, orange, yellow and green finely chopped
1 celery branch, finely chopped
1/4 to half small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 medium potatoes, finely chopped
Your favorite broth (chicken or Veggie) 2 to 3 cups
1 tsp Fine Herbs or herbs de Provence
1 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp thyme
1 good size bay leaf
1 tbsp dried parsley
Put about a tablespoon or so of olive oil in a pot and cook vegetables till tender but not brown. Add the herbs and broth and cook till potatoes are
tender. Put into blender and mix till smooth.. If using salt add it now.
If you have to reheat before serving, you may add some milk if you find it too thick. You can use only red peppers if you like or two red, two orange. The color of the soup depends on the peppers that you use. Enjoy!

20. 13 Sep 2009 22:51

Robindcr8l

post 884, from Baldur:

New Englanders have always been finicky about clam chowder.
The tradition New England Clam Chowder is cream based, as opposed to the Manhattan version which is tomato based.
There is yet another Rhode Island version that is neither, the clam broth predominates. The ingredients are salt pork, onions, clams, water, potatoes and seasonings. People in these parts get very defensive about how chowders should be prepared.

I thought it would be interesting to take corn chowder, normally a thick creamny soup and prepare it 'Manhattan style' instead.
It came out quite good.
Baldur doesn't have a measured out recipe for this so bear with me.

MANHATTAN STYLE CORN CHOWDER

Into the bottom of a good sized soup pot pour:
1/4 cup olive oil
Dice into small pieces:
2 ribs of celery
2 good sized onions
Add these to the oil and saute' them, stirring periodically with a wooden spoon until the onions are translucent but not browned, towards the end of the sauteing add:
1 clove of garlic, peeled and smashed into oblivion
1 bay leaf
When the onions are at the correct stage carefully pour in:
2 quarts of vegetable broth
Bring the broth to a low boil and add:
4 cups of frozen corn kernels (or even better the 4 ears of corn kernels scraped off the cob, Baldur makes extra corn on the cob just to have this soup the next day)
6 good sized potatoes, peels and cubed
1 can (15-16 oz)diced tomatoes with juice
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon (or more) hot red pepper flakes (optional)
Simmer until the potatoes are quite tender, season with
Salt and black pepper