All posts by Saint Andrews Forest Farm
Black Mountain Chocolate, Ancho Ginger Test
Salmon with Pasta, Tarragon, Bacon & Asparagus
Blackened Tuna Atop Arugula and Baby Romaine Blend
I found the freshest tuna and pan-seared it with blackening seasoning. And, olive oil.
I make the spice blend with cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, white pepper (if I have it) and black pepper if not and paprika.
I put this on top of arugula and baby romaine with feta, kalamata olives and 3 kinds of tomatoes.
And, with this, I added bacon, avocado, shiitake mushroom and pear Gorgonzola vinaigrette.
Baked French Onion Soup
Good onion soup takes love and devotion. The onions take at minimum an hour, and often two hours, to get to the right stage of carmelization. I start with 5 or 6 large onions. Sometimes I get different types to mix together. They’re all delicious once they’ve been cooked forever. I slice them lengthwise and into half rings. Wide slices are fine. Cook them over medium heat — stir frequently for uniform cooking, and to prevent sticking — Â until they’re dark brown but not burned and black. Add beef stock and red wine. You can thicken it with flour but I don’t.
Besides cooking the onions with lots of attention for over an hour, the other most important thing that I’ve found with onion soup is your choice in cheese. I used to just use Swiss cheese of any kind, but in the past few years I’ve realized that gruyere or emmenthaler is best. Mixing them is even better.
Then add about 8 cups of beef broth and a splash more of wine. Simmer a bay leaf for 15 minutes.
Cut a slice of crusty or hard bread and put the gruyere and/or the emmenthaler cheese on top. Broil it until bubbly and light brown.
good eggs
We always start our eggs by adding butter to a nonstick pan with poblano peppers or mushrooms or both. We throw in fresh herbs. Tarragon has been a favorite lately, but in the Summer when it’s plentiful, basil is the usual choice. We shred cheese, usually a sharp cheddar. We found a 3 year cheddar at a local cheese shop recently. It makes a difference to use special cheese. Feta adds even more yum.
We let the cheese get good and melted. We both like it when it gets crusty with cheese around the edges and wherever it’s leaked out. We fold both sides over a bit and voila! A delicious treat morning, noon or night.
Potato Pancakes
I made these with 2 cups of leftover mashed potatoes mixed together with 2 slightly beaten eggs, 1 tbs of flour, chopped parsley and salt and pepper. If I’d had green onions or chives, I’d have put them in too. I fried them in butter until golden. Yum! Our mashed potatoes had roasted garlic cloves smashed in, but if yours don’t, just add garlic powder.
Making Gravy
We like to brown our flour first. It’s also important to use drippings from the bird.
We whisked the hot drippings into the browned flour. Avoiding lumps, blending smoothly then heating until thickened.
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving day was lovely and exhausting. Fabulous food and family all day long! We put the turkey in the oven by 10am after rubbing it with butter, salt and fresh sage.
We stayed hydrated with this lovely ale, and plenty of water, of course!
We roasted garlic for the mashed red potatoes.
The green bean casserole was cheesy, garlicky goodness!
The stuffing was fresh and loaded with flavor and was a big hit.
It’s Thanksgiving Day!
Chris and I cooked most of the day yesterday and are super excited to finish making our delicious feast today! Chris made 3 pumpkin pies. They are beautiful and tasty.
The sweet potato casserole is desserty. And we have a nice selection of fine beers!
We made stuffing and green bean casserole!
We’re off to get the turkey in the oven.
Saint Andrews Forest Farm 
