Spiced Yogurt Muffins, Hangover Helper

"Hello, CrabbyCook Hangover Hotline. Can I help you?"

"What's that?"

"Ahhh, no sir, I'm sure that's a bad idea."

"Well, I really can't say why your wife would suggest this as a hangover cure. Maybe it has something to do with the night before."

"No sir, I'm positive. Drinking all the dregs from the dirty glasses and rolling naked on the glass table you broke last night will not cure your hangover."

"Yes, yes, some aspirin and a long nap will probably do the trick. Glad we could be of help."

Sheesh, why do all the wackos call on my shift? I have to admit I'm not a big fan of New Year's Eve parties. People seem to think it's the one night they have a free pass off the deep end. Instead of eating too much they decide it's okay to drink too much.

I don't have a hangover cure or even a really good hangover preventative, besides not drinking at all. The best suggestion I can give you is to take a couple of aspirin before bed, if you've got the stomach for it, eat a couple of bananas and down it all with a very large glass of tepid water. I have no idea if this actually works, but chemistry says it should help.

Another idea I have for you is to have something ready to eat the next morning. A little something that will go down easily with strong coffee and noisy sunshine. Noisy sunshine? I've always found the sun to be particularly loud when it's acting like God's flashlight, illuminating the inside of an alcohol riven head. But I digress.

Today's recipe is for Spiced Yogurt Muffins. SSSal loves baking at this time of year and we always have some sort of muffin or breakfast cake sitting around. With a little luck the yogurt and spices will help you get through New Year's Day. So, perk a pot of coffee, turn on the Tournament of Roses Parade and just before you fall back asleep enjoy...


Spiced Yogurt Muffins
from Food & Wine magazine, November 2008

2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup light brown sugar
1 TBSP baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg (or ground if you don't have fresh)
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups plain low-fat yogurt (use the high protein Greek style)

4 TBSP unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 TBSP granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg (or ground if you don't have fresh)

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Line approximately 18 muffin cups with paper or foil liners.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, cloves and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, yogurt, butter, applesauce and vanilla. Fold the wet mixture into the dry ingredients until well blended.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups. (try using an ice cream scooper) Mix together the sugar and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg and sprinkle over the muffins. Bake for 18 minutes, until the muffins are springy; let cool in the pans for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.


There you go crablings. Obviously, you'll be in better shape to make this recipe if you're not fighting a major headache, so prepare it New Year's Eve day and have them waiting for the next morning.

Happy New Year!! Have a good time! Remember, don't drink and drive!!! I want you back next year so I can keep reminding you that, you can do it, you can cook.

Leek, Mushroom & Goat Cheese Tart

FREEZE!!! Nobody move!!

Put down the knives and forks and nobody'll get hurt!

OK, face it, you've been eating non-stop for the last four weeks. Between Thanksgiving, office parties, neighborhood get-togethers and trolling through the free samples at Hickory Farms your belly's bulging and your jaws are tired.

Freeze, nobody move?

What?

Are you kidding?

The only way you could move is with the help of a series of cranes, trusses and pulleys. You need a shoehorn to get into the bathtub! The relatives have to fluff up metal chairs after you sit in them. You're one fruitcake away from being that guy on TV who needs a fork-lift to get to the bathroom.

We've all been over indulging. The problem is that there's still one more holiday to go. Do you know why so many people resolve to go on diets after New Year's? It's because they're flat out tired of eating. So for the next week, take it easy. Pick at the leftovers, if you're going to cook, cook something light. Have a yogurt, go for one of my soup recipes. Slow down.

Here's a recipe that's easy, relatively light but packed with good flavors. This is more of an appetizer than a meal, but you've got enough extra fluff in you to last at least through August, so use it as a light lunch. It's from one of the New York Times cookbooks, the original recipe was horribly written, so you can thank me later for making it readable, but for now enjoy...



Leek, Mushroom & Goat Cheese Tart
from Country Weekend Cookbook, New York Times Press

1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted according to package directions
1 small fennel bulb
2 medium leeks, white and light green parts only
1 pound mushrooms, mix of white button and cremini
1 TBSP plus 1 teaspoon, olive oil
Salt and Pepper
3 eggs
8 ounces goat cheese, divided and at room temperature
Flour


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Defrost the puff pastry. Unfold the pastry onto a lightgly floured surface. Gently roll out the pastry to approximately a 5 x 14 in sheet.

Break 1 egg into a small bowl and beat slightly. Trim 1/4 inch strips all around the edge of the pastry. Set the strips aside.

Brush the entire surface of the pastry with the egg wash.

Use the saved edge strips to raise the border of the rectangle. Brush them with egg. Using a fork, prick holes in the interior of the pastry. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. When done, remove pastry and set aside to cool slightly.

While the pastry is cooking, trim off the green top and root end of the fennel bulb and leeks. Reserve the fennel fronds for presentation.

Using a sharp knife or mandoline, cut the fennel and leeks into thins slices. Clean and thinly slice the mushrooms.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the fennel and leeks and saute until just tender but not brown, approximately 6 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl.

Heat the remaining teaspoon of oil in the skillet and add the mushrooms. Saute the mushrooms until they release all their water and it boils away, approximately 7 minutes. Remove the mushrooms from the heat, add the fennel and leek mixture to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Combine the remaining 2 eggs with 6 ounces of the goat cheese. Blend with a fork until smooth. Spread the mixture onto the interior of the baked pastry rectangle. Return the pastry to the oven and cook for 4 minutes.

Shut off the oven and turn on your broiler.

Remove the pastry from the oven. Spread the mushroom, fennel and leek mixture atop the pastry rectangle. Crumble the remaining goat cheese over the veggies.

Broil the tart under low heat for 2 minutes. Remove from the oven. Garnish with the fennel fronds and serve.


Yup, pretty involved, but not really. You're using store bought puff pastry and you're cutting up and sauting some veg. The toughest part is getting the pastry the right shape, but if you don't mind a little free form look you can even go easy on that step.

It's a light lunch and if you're really hungry, you could always saute up some pancetta and drop that on top just before the broiling. But don't go too crazy, New Year's Eve will be here before you know it. As always, remember, if your stomach still allows you to reach the countertops, you can do it, you can cook.

Mushroom Soup, Comin' Down The Christmas Homestretch

Car, store, argument, line, pay, home.

Car, store, argument, line, pay, home.

Far and away the worst part of Christmas is finding that "perfect gift". For the "people in your life" you have to show some creativity. Presents from a list are great, but to really impress, you have to come up with something they haven't thought about. Something that shows you know them better than they know themselves.

Welcome to our store, enjoy your shopping experience here at Stress & Aggravation.

Life has gotten simpler now that the CrabCakes only want cash or gift cards. As for SSSal and I, we muddle through. We sort of tell each other what we want and then pick one thing and ignore the rest. I still bop downtown and stroll the shops, but it's just so much more relaxing knowing that you don't have to actually buy anything.

I usually pick a cold day for my foray into retail battle, mostly so I can look forward to getting home and cooking something easy and warming. Today it's another soup. I know we had one a week ago, but it's that time of year. Here's a simplified Mushroom Soup, not one of those overly creamed types, just something with good flavor and warmth to take the edge off mall mayhem. Enjoy...


Mushroom Soup
by Crabby with help from Giada, Ina and Julia

1 pound white mushrooms
1/2 pound crimini (baby bella) mushrooms
Juice of 1 lemon
2 TBSP unsalted butter
3 TBSP shallots, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 cup heavy cream
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
Zest of 1 lemon
1 TBSP chopped parsley, for garnish

Clean all the mushrooms, trimming any tough stems. Roughly chop the 'shrooms, sprinkle with lemon juice and set aside, (alternatively, you could put the mushrooms into a food processor and lightly pulse until you get the desired sized chunks).

Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan and lightly saute the minced shallots. Add the mushrooms and thyme. Saute over medium high heat until all the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated, approximately 10 minutes.

Add the salt, pepper, chicken stock and cream and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Salt and pepper to taste. Serve in warm bowls with a sprinkle of parsley and lemon rind.


Tada!! Another fairly quick recipe. While this soup does contain cream, it has a fairly thin texture. If you're looking for a thicker soup you have two choices: 1) take a little cold water, say 1 tablespoon, and mix it with a teaspoon of cornstarch. Add the slurry to the soup during the last 10 minutes of simmering, or 2) drop the amount of chicken stock by a cup and increase the amount of cream to compensate; your cardiac care team will love you.

OK crablings, Christmas is two days away. Relax, cook a little and enjoy the time with family and friends. The best gift I can give you is to remind you that you can do it, you can cook.

Merry Christmas.