The Gothic Gourmet lives...

Hello dear readers (if there are any left after such a long absence).

I have been quite busy trying to stay out of the hospital (had a few visits in the past few months) and have been busy writing My cookbook and cooking/canning many things. I wanted to check in and let everyone know that yes, I am still here and thankfully, am not in the hospital at the moment.

I just finished making and canning up tons of homemade apple butter which I made from homemade applesauce. The house smells divine and the apple butter is the best I have ever tasted if I do say so Myself. (I also used a few lovely varieties of pears along with several different kinds of apples (including some of the biggest giant apples I have ever seen in My lifetime.) These were called 'apple crisp' and were so crisp, juicy and luscious that they almost didn't make it into the pot.

Last night I made homemade candy (turtles) which are called 'Billionaire chocolates'. They taste like a billion bucks and I decorated them with silver and gold glitter/sugar tops to make them look just as rich as they are. The recipe is quite easy and I will include it on this entry. So easy that I am almost embarrassed to list it. But, with the holidays upon Us, a little time saving candy making recipes go a long way and giving these as gifts is such a lovely way of sharing your sense of style and love through food.

I canned quite a few items for this winter and made a very fine/expensive homemade French Onion Soup that I canned up for a cold day. I saved a few jars for the hubby and I to enjoy now with crusty croutons/French Bread and thick sharp Provolone cheese rounds to place on top of the hot crocks. I will also include a recipe for this (all though some of My secrets will be left out). Don't worry, the results will still be the best you have ever tasted and more than likely it will be your 'go to' French Onion Soup recipe all though it is a bit involved and time consuming. Be sure to make plenty so that you can can several quarts for your cold and wet winter days ahead.

Lets see, what else? Oh yes, I have canned up more beans, corn (is coming next) fruits, and various spreads. I have to make a list of things to can including some more soups such as vegetable and chicken noodle. I did make some lovely chicken noodle soup made out of homemade stock that had been boiled down with lovely root vegetables for a few days. The result was rich and tasty. My days ahead will be making and jarring up homemade pasta/tomato sauce. I have some lovely new homemade fresh pastas to make and some wonderful sauce/pesto recipes to go along side them. I love homemade pasta. Raviolis will be nice as well.

Speaking of soups, is there nothing nicer on a cold winters day than a nice hearty crock of soup? I don't know...but for Me, soup is good for the soul. I should also include My Greek Lemon Rice soup recipe that was handed down to Me by a very wise lady with years and years of cooking experience. This is an authentic Greek recipe. I love the lemons in it, and often use lemon in every soup I make as a secret weapon. I am a citrus freak! Lemons and limes are My most favorite cooking ingredient. I just made a Key lime pie for friends this past week.

I have a few artichokes in the refrigerator that I need to use tonight and luckily have a great stuffed artichoke recipe that I have been longing/aching to make. Cooking is so therapeutic for Me, I just can't express that in mere virtual words.

Oh yes, the candy I made, I boxed up in the cutest of boxes that I found at Michael's craft store yesterday. The holidays are so fun and cute aren't they?

Speaking of cooking, I need to make a pineapple upside down cake for a friend today. (Not My favorite of cakes) but I enjoy making anything that brings joy to others. That is My joy.

So, on with the joy...

Chocolate Billionaires: (This recipe can be doubled etc.)

1 large package 14 oz of wrapped caramels (unwrapped of course)
1 1/2 teaspoon of water.
3 cups of chocolate chips or semi sweet chips or a mixture of both
1 1/2 cups of chopped Pecans
1 cup of puffed rice cereal.
1 teaspoon shortening.

Directions:

Line two (2) baking sheets with waxed paper.

In a large saucepan over low heat, melt your caramels with the 1 teaspoon of water until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in your Pecan pieces and your one cup of puffed rice cereal. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a microwave or over a double broiler, melt your chocolate chips and teaspoon of shortening until smooth.

Drop your caramel mixture by teaspoon fulls onto your wax lined baking sheets. Refrigerate for about ten minutes or until firm/pliable. Once pliable, roll with your clean hands into spheres (or leave like they are which would be more flat/turtle shaped). Dip into chocolate, shake off excess chocolate and place back on baking sheets with waxed paper. Refrigerate until chocolate is set and package up in pretty boxes lined with pretty colored paper. Give as gifts (or eat them all yourself). Your choice! :-)

I sprinkle the tops of My chocolates with edible silver and gold glitter/sugar or gold leaf to give these chocolate billionaires a true rich billion dollar look.

I will take a picture of these for you all to see.

French Onion Soup (enough for dinner and canning up for winter)

Note: I am writing this recipe off the top of My head. Amounts may not be exact. You will get the gist of the recipe and can make as much as you like according on the amounts of ingredients you choose to use.

1 to 2 bay leaves
bunch of fresh thyme
boquet garnet. (bay leaf, thyme bundle and whatever other herbs you want to use tied together with butchers twine and hung over pot.
Herbs de Provance (to taste)
Parsley (fresh to taste)
Kosher salt or Fluer de sel (or another fine nice sea salt)
Freshly ground black pepper
cracked green peppercorns
cracked red peppercorns
2 lemons zested and juiced (or as little or as much as you prefer to taste)
Dry white wine (half a bottle or more) or to taste
Red wine (half a bottle) or to taste
A bit of nice Sherry or Cognac (or both!)
6 or more large sweet peeled and sliced (half moon slices) of Onions (or to taste) I use more sometimes.
1 to 2 or more quarts of homemade beef stock/broth
2 cans of beef consume
1 or more quarts of homemade chicken stock
Fresh Parsley for garnish
1 French loaf of bread cut into 1 inch thick rounds
Swiss, Mozzarella, Provolone, Gouda, cheese (your choice or a combo of your choice).
3 to 4 cloves of fresh garlic chopped fine (minced)
4 stalks of celery chopped (this is for flavor and will not end up in your finished soup).
a few dashes/or how much ever you like of nice soy sauce
a few dashes/or how much ever you like of worcester sauce
olive oil
butter

In a large saucepan, melt some butter along with a bit of olive oil and add in your onions. Cook until caramelized which can take up to an hour. After onions are caramelized, add in your garlic and cook a few moments being sure not to burn it.
Add onions and garlic into a large stock pot (very very large)
Add your white wine to your pan and get up all the brown bits with a wooden spoon. If you have an aversion to wine/spirits just use beef stock to de-glaze your pan instead on wine. Your end result will still be a nice rich hearty warm your soul soup (just not as good and not as French).
pour the contents of pan into your stock pot
Add your boquet of herbs and hang over side of pot for easy removal.
Cover your onions with half of your beef stock and chicken stock along with your cut up ribs of celery. If you are fortunate, you will have a large giant stock pot with a strainer inside. Place the celery in this part of your pot so that you can easily separate it from your onion soup part of the pot.
Add in your beef consume along with a bit of water. If you like an even richer flavor, add in some soup base (beef) the very high grade liquid base that is much likened to syrup. Beef syrup that is. Williams and Sonoma sell this for 29.99 a jar (which is quite high) but only a few teaspoons or tablespoons are needed. I make My own which takes a very long time of reducing but is well worth it when you can it in 1/2 pint jars so that you have it on hand when you need it. I have a veal, vegetable and mushroom base as well as chicken on hand.

OKAY, where were We? Oh yes, flavoring. At this point I like to add in My soy sauce/worchester sauce and a bit of parsley. I also add a fresh bundle of thyme and My lemon juice to taste. Salt and pepper to taste as well.

Your soup should be getting very rich and hearty with a nice broth of wine and onions with a hint of citrus zing. I zest My lemons and put the zest in a bit of a time to taste and add the lemon halves to the pot along with the celery (in the strainer part). This adds even more intense flavors. Taste, taste and taste some more and let simmer on low heat for hours! I cook mine all day long and it is even better the next day. Keep your lid on your pot to keep the soup simmering constantly and nice and hot by the time you need to fill your crocks.

Now, for My super cool hints on keeping your crock of French Onion Soup LAVA HOT during your meal:

Heat oven to 425 degrees F. and place two oven safe soup crocks (Mine are relics which are brown with handles on each crock) on a baking sheet. Leave in the oven while you cut your French loaf of bread into as many slices as you will need for toasting your lovely croutons for your soup. Cut into 1 inch slices (or to your desired size). Place on the baking sheet (or a separate baking sheet) in your 425 degree oven and heat until toasted on one side. Your soup should be nice and hot at this point.

Open your oven and with an oven glove pull out your baking sheet towards you and add in some shredded cheese in the bottom of each crock. The cheese will sizzle when it hits your hot crocks. Ladle enough soup to nearly fill each crock of soup but leave enough head space for each of your French crouton slices. Put French crouton piece in each crock toasted side down and lay two to three (depending on how cheesy you are) slices of sharp Provolone cheese/Swiss/Gouda etc. on top of each crock. The slices should fit just over each crock opening (enough to hang over slightly) and bake onto each crock. Sprinkle a few fresh sprigs of Parsley on top for garnish and close your oven door and broil your soup on 500 to 550 degrees F. until cheese is melted and bubbly with bits of brown on top. This shouldn't take long as your oven is already hot and so are your crocks and the molten lava soup inside.

Use extra caution when removing your baking sheet from oven (I just grip the crock handles with My pot holder) but depending on what crocks you are using, you may need to take the whole baking sheet out or at the very least, use two oven mitts to grab onto each crock of soup.

Transfer crock of soup onto oven safe/glass plate so that you can carry your soup to your desired eating destination with ease and without much fear of being burned to death.

Eat soup with extra crusty bread and butter on the side along with a nice salad of your choice. Caesar salad is a nice addition to this soup with homemade anchovy/Caesar dressing. I also have a lovely Caesar salad and dressing that I have perfected over the years if you would like Me to share it with you. Just leave Me a comment and let Me know.

For desert, I usually have Creme Brulee or French Chocolate/custard/Mousse. Divine. I also have recipes for these two things which My husband is in love with. He especially loves My pot de creme (chocolate Mousse) as it is made of eggs, lots of heavy cream and specialty chocolate that is so rich, it should wear the Hope Diamond. Again, leave a comment and I will try and jot those recipes down for you via virtual ink when time permits.

Speaking of the French, I have a lovely pork roast that I made French Style a few weeks ago and have purchased another to make this week in the same manner. I tell you ladies, My hubby isn't going anywhere as long as I can cook. :-D

That with triple milled, mashed, and whipped potatoes which have also been pressed through a sieve like they do at a famous restaurant in Las Vegas, along with a seasonal fresh veggie and bingo, We are in business.

I made a divine Risotto a couple of weeks ago which I may share with you if you twist My arm hard enough.

Well, onto making this cake and a special request dinner tonight which includes fresh French croissants... YUM.

I'll try to remember to take pictures of those candies before they are all gone. Until then, keep laughing, loving, cooking and above all else? LIVING!

As always,
The Gothic Gourmet.