SIDE DISH RECIPE: Adobo Sauce

10-whole chipotle peppers (smoked, dried jalapeno peppers)
1/3-cup onion, diced
5-tbsp cider vinegar
2-cloves garlic, sliced
4-tbsp ketchup
3-cups water
¼-tsp cumin
½-tsp oregano
½-tsp salt

Combine all ingredients in a pan
Cook over a very low heat for 1-2 hours until the chiles are very soft and the liquid has been reduced to about 1-cup
Will keep several weeks in the fridge in an airtight container

NOTE: Put in blender and process for a thick sauce

Leek Bread Pudding
Adapted from Ad Hoc at Home
I actually had a chance to go to Ad Hoc shortly after it opened when I was out in San Francisco a couple years ago and I loved it. That kind of stepped-up home cooking speaks to me, as I have a hard time summoning the effort to make something unless it’s going to taste a little better than we might expect from the dish. This recipe perfectly embodies this: caramelized leeks, layered with toasted bread, cheese and custard that could be breakfast, lunch or dinner. It’s my kind of dish.
The flavors here are pretty subtle, but they work. Nonetheless, there’s definitely potential to increase the amount of leeks you use and increase the amount of cheese. You might also add another sautéed vegetables or some sharp parmesan as well. This is a flexible recipe.
Makes one loaf. Double the recipe to fit in a 9×13 baking dish.
Serves 6 as a side dish
1 cup leeks in 1/2-inch thick slices, white and light green parts only, cleaned and rinsed
Kosher or coarse salt
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) unsalted butter
Freshly ground black pepper
6 cups 1-inch-cubed crustless brioche or Pullman loaf (I used a little less than one loaf)
2 teaspoons finely chopped chives (I forgot to buy these; it made me sad)
1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
3 cups whole milk, heavy cream or half-and-half or a combination thereof
Freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup shredded Comté, Emmanthaler or Swiss cheese
Place a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat, drain excess water from leeks, and add to pan. Season with salt, and sauté until leeks begin to soften, about 5 minutes, then reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in butter. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are very soft, about 20 minutes. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. While leeks are cooking, spread bread cubes on a baking sheet and bake until dry and pale gold, about 15 to 20 minutes (my already-stale brioche took less time to brown), turning pan about halfway through. Transfer to a large bowl, leaving the oven on.
Add leeks, chives and thyme to the bowl of bread; toss well. In another large bowl, lightly whisk the egg and egg yolks, then whisk in milk or cream, a generous pinch of salt, pepper to taste and a pinch of nutmeg.
Sprinkle 2 tablespoons shredded cheese in bottom of a buttered 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. Spread 1/2 of bread mixture in pan, and sprinkle with another 2 tablespoons cheese. Spread remaining bread mixture in pan, and sprinkle with another 1/4 cup cheese. Pour in enough milk mixture to cover bread, and gently press on bread so milk soaks in. Let rest 15 minutes.
Add remaining milk mixture, letting some bread cubes protrude. Sprinkle with salt. Bake until pudding is set and top is brown and bubbling, about 55 to 65 minutes. Serve hot or cold (because I’m weird and enjoy bread pudding cold).

Mom’s Ginger Scones
Ingredients:
1 stick of butter (113.4 grams)
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups oats
1/4 cup unpacked brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup crystallized ginger chips
Turbinado sugar for sprinkling

Method:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Melt the butter.
Mix together all the dry ingredients.
Beat egg and add it to milk.
Make a well in dry mixture and stir in egg, milk and melted butter.
Stir until blended.
Spoon hand-sized balls of dough on greased cookie sheet and sprinkle tops with raw sugar.
Bake 10-15 minutes.
Makes between 8-12 scones.

Lemon Curd Recipe Printer Friendly Page
Lemon curd is a thick, soft and creamy, spreadable cream that has a
wonderful tart yet sweet flavor. Traditionally it was used as a spread
for scones but today we also use it to fill our tarts, pies, cakes,
and as part of a trifle.

Lemon Curd does not use exotic ingredients; just eggs, sugar, lemon
juice, lemon zest, and unsalted butter. It is similar to a lemon
filling or custard in that it is cooked on the stove. But instead of
cooking the lemon curd in a saucepan, we are going to put it in a
stainless steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water (can
use a double boiler). This method does take a little longer, but it
helps prevent the eggs from curdling (little specks of cooked egg).
Just make sure that the water in the bottom saucepan is ‘simmering’
which is defined as the point just short of a boil, that is, when
bubbles start to appear. Oftentimes if you find the lemon curd is not
thickening fast enough, all you need to do is increase the temperature
of the simmering water. Once the lemon curd has become nice and thick
(like hollandaise), remove it from the heat and strain to remove any
lumps that may have formed. Then stir in the butter and lemon zest and
you’re done. Cover immediately with plastic wrap to prevent a skin
from forming and refrigerate. You will find that the lemon curd will
continue to thicken as it cools. It will keep in the refrigerator for
about a week. You can even make the lemon curd lighter in texture and
flavor by folding in a little whipped cream once the curd has been
thoroughly chilled.

When choosing lemons look for ones that are fragrant with brightly
colored oily yellow skins. The best ones are firm, plump, and heavy
for their size. Don’t buy lemons that have blemishes, soft spots, or
are hard and wrinkled. Lemons consist of a yellow outer rind (skin)
that can be of varying thickness and graininess, and can have either a
bumpy or a smooth texture. This outer skin is where most of the
lemon’s wonderful tangy flavor is located. Before removing the outer
rind (zest) make sure you wash the lemon thoroughly (soap and water is
best). When removing the zest do not remove the white membrane (pith)
that is underneath as it is very bitter tasting. Once you have removed
the outer rind, inside the lemon are small vessels called ‘pulp
vesicles’ which contain the pleasantly acidic lemon juice and seeds.
Squeezing the lemon by hand or with a lemon squeezer or reamer
releases this clear tart juice. Always use fresh lemons to make lemon
curd as the bottled lemon juice is a poor substitute and won’t give
you that wonderful sharp and refreshing citrus taste.
In a stainless steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water,
whisk together the eggs, sugar, and lemon juice until blended. Cook,
stirring constantly (to prevent it from curdling), until the mixture
becomes thick (like sour cream or a hollandaise sauce) (160 degrees F
or 71 degrees C). This will take approximately 10 minutes. Remove from
heat and immediately pour through a fine strainer to remove any lumps.
Cut the butter into small pieces and whisk into the mixture until the
butter has melted. Add the lemon zest and let cool. The lemon curd
will continue to thicken as it cools. Cover immediately (so a skin
doesn’t form) and refrigerate for up to a week.

Makes 1 1/2 cups (360 ml).

If you want a lighter lemon curd whip 1/2 cup (120 ml) of heavy
whipping cream and fold into the lemon curd.

Adapted from Easy Entertaining with Marlene Sorosky

 Lemon Curd Recipe:

3 large eggs

1/3 cup (80 ml) fresh lemon juice (2-3 lemons) (do not use the bottled
lemon juice)

1 tablespoon (4 grams) finely shredded lemon zest

3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar

4 tablespoons (56 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut
into small pieces

Note:  Room temperature lemons provide more juice.  After squeezing,
strain the juice to remove any pulp.  Zest is the yellow,
sweet-flavored outer rind of the lemon.  A zester or fine grater can
be used to remove the rind.  Cold lemons are much easier to grate.
Grate lemons just before using as the zest will lose moisture if it
sits too long.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and place rack in middle
of oven.  Stack two baking sheets together and line the top baking
sheet with parchment paper.  (This prevents the bottoms of the scones
from over browning during baking.)

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder,
baking soda and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into
the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. The mixture
should look like coarse crumbs.  Add the buttermilk to the flour
mixture and stir just until the dough comes together. Do not over mix
the dough.

Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead dough gently four or
five times and then pat, or roll, the dough into a circle that is
about 7 inches (18 cm) round and about 11/2 inches (3.75 cm) thick.
Cut this circle in half, then cut each half into 3 pie-shaped wedges
(triangles).  Place the scones on the baking sheet.  Make an egg wash
of one well-beaten egg mixed with 1 tablespoon milk and brush the tops
of the scones with this mixture.

Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick
inserted in the middle comes out clean.   Remove from oven and then
turn your broiler on high.  Sift confectioners (powdered or icing)
sugar heavily over the tops of the scones and place them under the
broiler.  Broil for just a few seconds, turning the pan as necessary,
until the sugar has melted and turns golden brown.  Make sure to watch
the scones carefully as the sugar will burn very quickly.   Transfer
to a wire rack to cool.

Makes 6 scones.
 Recipe:

2 cups (280 grams) all purpose flour

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (113 grams) (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces

2/3 cup (160 ml) buttermilk

Egg mixture for brushing tops of scones:

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon milk