Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Whoops! I thought I scheduled this to go live on October 1st...when the #7Days7ColorsChallenge kicked-off! Darn, I messed that up. But you can read more about the challenge:  here . And this, woefully belated, post is brought to you by the color red. Many RED fruits and veggies are loaded with lycopene and anthocyanins that may combat heart disease and decrease the risk and macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in people aged 60 and older. Here are some of my favorite recipes using the color red. Of course you can't forget red wine! Basic Tomato Sauce Roasted Tomato Sauce Rose Harissa Watermelon Radish Salad with Beet-Hazelnut Vinaigrette If you know nothing else about vinaigrettes, remember this: the magic ratio of oil to vinegar is 3 to 1. As long as you know that, you won't need to consult a vinaigrette recipe ever again. Just remember three parts oil to one part vinegar and you'll be all right. If you get them backwards ...

It's not a birthday party without a birthday cake, right?  So, despite the fact that we had already indulged in beet mousse and affogato , I had to make a beet chocolate cake to hold the candle while we sang to Jenn. 2-1/4 C chestnut flour 1/2 C salted butter 1-1/2 C organic granulated sugar 1/2 C unsweetened cocoa powder a dash of ground ancho chili 1/4 C organic beet juice 2 large eggs 1 C small curd cottage cheese 1 T pomegranate balsamic vinegar 1 T baking powder Preheat over to 350 degrees. With a hand mixer, cream butter and sugar until lightened in color and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add cottage cheese and beet juice to the mix. Using a spatula, gently stir in flour, cocoa, and baking powder. Stir in pomegranate balsamic vinegar. Batter should be somewhat thick. Pour batter into prepared cake pan and bake for approximately 40 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.   I frosted the cake with a cocoa buttercre...

I started with a recipe from Bon Appetit and promptly made some adaptations, adding more root vegetables and using boullion instead of water. Ingredients 3 medium red beets 1 medium golden beet 1 1/2 teaspoons butter 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil 2 leeks (white and pale green parts only), chopped 4 carrots 1 fennel bulb 1 small onion, thinly sliced 1 celery stalk, chopped ground ginger ground ancho chili powder 4 C low-sodium chicken boullion 2 T pomegranate balsamic 3 small bay leaves fresh thyme sprigs 1/4 cup whipping cream crème fraîche for serving Procedure Preheat oven to 350°F. Roast beets until tender when pierced with fork, about 1 hour. Cool. Peel beets. Cut into cubes. Melt butter with oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add leeks, onion, carrots, fennel, and celery and cook until beginning to brown, stirring frequently, about 13 minutes. Stir in spices and beets. Cook until vegetables begin to sti...

This began with Michelle Miller's Spiced Apple Chutney but evolved to include beets as well as some other variations. I started by chopping the following into small pieces: 1 onion 1 fennel bulb 1 sweet red pepper 1 sweet yellow pepper 3 golden beets 9 green apples In a large saucepan, I crushed 8 tepin chilis - this chutney has a lot of heat, so adapt as needed - and heated them with olive oil.  Then I added all of the chopped ingredients, a jar of green peppercorns, 3 C raw sugar, 1 C apple cider vinegar, 2 C white balsamic vinear, 3 T pomegranate vinegar, 1 T ground ginger, 1 T ground cumin, and a pinch of saffron threads.  Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce to a simmer, stirring about 1 hour until thick. Place in hot water bath for 10 minutes. Serve with a lamb roast.

2 lamb tenderloins 1 large leek 4 carrots 8 fingerling potatoes chicken stock milk ancho chili powder ground cumin ground cinnamon pink Himalaya salt 1 T pomegranate balsamic vinegar Brown thinly sliced lamb tenderloin with sliced leeks in a pat of butter.  Add sliced carrots and potatoes.  Season with ancho chili powder, ground cumin, ground cinnamon, pink Himalaya salt, and pomegranate balsamic vinegar.  Cover wtih chicken stock.  Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook till vegetables are fork-tender.  Add a splash of milk just before serving.

I am certain that I must block out how much butter is in this sauce every time I make it, which - probably because of the amount of butter - is not very frequently.  But it is so delicious and a must when  you make eggs benedict! 4 egg yolks 4 T lemon juice 1/2 t pomegranate balsamic vinegar 1 T water 1 C butter, melted 1/4 t pink Himalaya salt In the top of the double boiler, whisk together egg yolks, lemon juice, pomegranate balsamic, and water. Add the melted butter to egg yolk mixture a couple of tablespoons at a time while whisking yolks constantly. If hollandaise begins to get too thick, add a teaspoon or two of hot water. Continue whisking until all the butter is incorporated. Whisk in salt, then remove from heat. Place a lid on pan to keep sauce warm until ready to serve. Here's my version of eggs benedict...