Nom nom nom Wednesday - Transfiguration Edition

As I looked over the remaining classes for March that have not yet been the subject of this column I realized they are all shall we say, unappetizing.  My mind kept returning to Transfiguration though, to the thought of the multitude of uses for dragon's blood.  Let me tell you - a google search for "Blood Recipes" gets you some fantastic stuff if not on several terror watch lists.  In any case I give you the following recipe that I'll be trying myself this weekend.  I'm thinking I can sell it to my three trolls if I tell them it is made with dragon's blood.  Enjoy.

Seared Ahi Tuna with Blood Orange Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 (8 ounce) ahi tuna steaks
1/2 cup white wine
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups blood orange juice
 
1.In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Sear tuna on one side for about five minutes. Flip and sear other side for two to three minutes, or until tuna is cooked to your desired degree of doneness. Remove from skillet and allow to rest.



2.Return skillet to heat and add white wine. Scrape bottom of pan with spatula to remove any bits from browning the tuna. Reduce heat to medium and add shallot and garlic. Cook and stir until shallot is clear, approximately 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in blood orange juice. Boil until the liquid has reduced to half its original volume or until it thickens. Remove from heat.


3.Slice the tuna across the grain. Fan the slices out onto a place and drizzle with blood orange sauce.

nom nom nom Wednesday - Arithmancy Edition

Artihmancy celebrates all things magically mathematical.  Do you remember in your first pre-algebra class when your teacher revealed the mystery of pi to you?  Do you remember how tricky and grown up you felt the first time you wrote that little symbol in an equasion and your homework looked soooo much more impressive?

Like higher mathematics pie crust is something that can go terribly wrong if not properly handled.  Thus I am presenting you today with a recipie for Apple Galette.  What is a galette you ask?  It is a pie with a really sloppy crust.  Think of it as a pizza in which you fold the edges of the crust up onto the toppings.  It is rustic, the edges are as they were rolled up and there is no need to futz around with crimping edges, weaving lattice or cutting out cute little shapes.

Apple Gallete

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1/4 lb.) plus 2 tablespoons cold butter
1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
1/2 cup walnuts
2 pounds tart apples (3 to 5), such as Pink Lady or Granny Smith
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 large egg, beaten to blend with 1 tablespoon water



Instructions
1. In a food processor or large bowl, combine flour, granulated sugar, and salt. Cut 1/2 cup butter into pieces and add to flour mixture; pulse motor, cut in with a pastry blender, or rub in with your fingers until mixture resembles coarse meal. With motor running (or stirring with a fork after each addition), add egg yolk and 3 to 4 tablespoons cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time; process or stir just until mixture comes together in a ball. Form dough into a flat disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill until firm but still pliable, about 1 hour.



2. Meanwhile, spread walnuts in a baking pan and bake in a 375° oven until barely golden under skins, 6 to 8 minutes (leave oven on). Coarsely chop nuts.


3. Peel and core apples; cut each into eight wedges. In a 10- to 12-inch nonstick frying pan over medium heat, melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter. When it's foamy, add apples and stir often until slightly softened and brown at edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Sprinkle brown sugar and nutmeg over fruit and stir until liquid is syrupy and bubbling, about 5 minutes. Stir in walnuts. Remove from heat.

4. Unwrap dough. On a lightly floured surface, with a lightly floured rolling pin, roll into a round about 15 inches in diameter. Butter a 12- by 15-inch baking sheet   and carefully transfer dough round to sheet (edges will hang over sheet).

5. Pour apple mixture onto center of pastry, mounding wedges in a circle about 8 inches wide and 2 inches high. Gently fold edges of dough over apples, pleating as you go, leaving an opening about 4 inches wide in the center. Brush pastry all over with beaten egg.


6. Bake in 375° oven until pastry is golden brown and apples are tender when pierced, 40 to 45 minutes (35 to 40 in a convection oven). Transfer galette to a wire rack to cool.  Serve slightly warm or at room temperature, cut into wedges.

Then find some vanilla icecream and a good movie.

nom nom nom Wednesday - Herbology Edition

New classes and a need for new snack foods.  One of the unique forms of abuse I suffered as a youth was a mother who became obsessed with poppy seed muffins.  We had them for breakfast, for late night snacks and they were put in our sack lunches every day.  As such, when I read the class prompt for Herbology, my gag reflex began to trigger.  Needless to say there won't be any tiny black beads in my future, but perhaps these muffins will be in yours.

Poppy Seed Crucio  Muffins - Makes 2 dozen

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 cups sugar
4 1/2 teaspoons poppy seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract

Glaze:
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons butter or margarine, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Instructions:
1.  In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, poppy seeds, baking powder and salt.
2.  In another bowl, beat the eggs, milk, oil and extracts. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.
3.  Fill greased muffin cups two-thirds full and bake at 350 degrees F for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
4. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.
5. Combine glaze ingredients and spoon over warm muffins. Serve immediately but not frequently.