Coastal Cooking Online

Have company? Need something on hand that’s easy, unique, tasty and memorable? Try Cab-Apple Butter with Cab-Apple Light Wheat Bread made from Cayucos Cellars 2003 Cabernet. Before you say only those who are alcoholics or otherwise not-quite-mainstream would serve wine for breakfast, it’s important to note that when cooking with wine, sustained heat over a period of time gets rid of all the alcohol in the food. In other words, no alcohol remains. This leaves behind only natural flavors and anti-oxidants of the fruit. The following recipes might convince you to give wine for breakfast a try:

Cab-Apple Butter

*Note: I buy my half pound packages of natural apple rings from Avila & Sons Farms, but any variety will do.

Soak the above ingredients in a glass bowl covered with plastic wrap for several hours or overnight. The dehydrated apple rings should be plump and rehydrated when ready; some liquid will remain.

In batches, spoon apple rings and remaining liquid into a blender or food processor and blend until very smooth. Transfer to a nonstick pot and bring to a low boil over medium low heat on your stovetop, stirring occasionally. Once the liquid begins to bubble, thoroughly stir in 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon and continue to boil over low heat for at least 10 minutes. Add unsweetened apple juice or water 1/4 cup at a time if the mixture becomes too thick too quickly. Total cooking time should be just over 15 minutes.

Prepare jars as mentioned in earlier blogs. Spoon spiced fruit butter into clean, sterile jars and seal tightly. As mentioned in earlier posts, give your well-sealed jars a bath in boiling water. Allow to reach room temperature before serving or storing. Opened jars should be refrigerated and used as soon as possible. Makes approximately 6 cups of Cab-Apple Butter.

Cab-Apple Light Wheat Bread

In a medium sized bowl, blend together flours and salt. Using a pastry cutter, cut in softened margarine or butter until a slightly crumbly, dry mixture results. Spoon mixture into a bread machine or larger bowl.

Dissolve the package of active, dry yeast in warm water and Cap-Apple Butter, stirring until dissolved. Set aside and allow to activate for 2-3 minutes. Pour over flour mixture. If using a bread machine, program bread machine to wheat bread setting and start.

If making bread the old-fashioned way, knead mixture well until smooth and elastic, cover and set aside for ten minutes. Knead well once more and shape into a loaf. Place shaped dough into a loaf pan lightly coated with cooking oil spray and allow to rise until doubled in size (40-50 minutes, depending on room temperature).

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake prepared loaf in 375 degree oven for approximately 30 minutes or until evenly browned. Remove from oven, transfer to cooling rack and cool for at least 10 minutes before serving or wrapping. Makes one average sized loaf of lightly spiced, soft textured wheat bread, which is best enjoyed within a day or two. You may also freeze the bread for future breakfasts.

As an alternative, this recipe makes about one dozen Cab-Apple rolls by dividing the dough into sections and placing into lightly oiled muffin cups before the final rise. Rolls bake at 375 degrees for approximately 20 minutes. Whichever form you decide, a delicious, slightly sweet, aromatic breakfast awaits your guests! Yum!

Lest anyone think all I do is cook up preserves, it might  be useful to give some background on how versatile those jars can be. In spite of the cooking I do (and have done for years), preserves used to seem intimidating. Then diabetes hit a member of my immediate family. I was surprised to realize how much sugar is in everything, including salad dressing. Having cooked with wine over the decades, I began playing around with wines and fruit. First of all, I discovered soaking fruits or dried fruits in wine means little or no sugar is required for some very tasty treats. Then I started playing around with those little jars. My last blog included a recipe for Curried California Fruit Mince–this makes a very tasty dressing with a few additions and amazingly little time. The recipe for a full meal salad with dressing follows:

Curried California Fruit Dressing is a fast, easy recipe anyone can whip up in less than three minutes. You’ll need a blender.

Place all ingredients in your blender and liquify. Store in a clean, airtight jar in the refrigerator or serve immediately.

Sensational Syrah Salad is a meal in and of itself. To prepare, soak 3 ounces packaged, sundried tomatoes in 1/2 cup Falcon Nest 2003 Syrah.

It takes several hours for sundried tomatoes to rehydrate unless boiled, so you can begin soaking these in the wine in a clean jar first thing in the morning. I keep mine in the refrigerator. When dinner time rolls around, drain the sundried tomatoes (reserving the liquid for a later recipe), and in a large bowl, place the following:

*Note: my local grocer will confirm that I buy copious amounts of Babe Farms Continental Salad blend, though any organic baby salad greens will do.

Add dressing, toss lightly and serve with a glass of Falcon Nest 2003 Syrah (if possible) for a heart healthy, light meal. This recipe is enough to serve 4-6 people, depending on appetite. I bake bread nearly every day of my life and have an active sourdough starter… this salad is great with a slice or two of sourdough bread.

Have I mentioned dancing? Dance is terrific, fun exercise. I’ve an exercise bike gathering dust & rust in my garage plus a treadmill in my living room that’s very handy for stacking things on. Trust me, I understand how challenging it can be… life should be truly enjoyed, so eat great tasting food and dance!

Looking for something special to try? Falcon Nest Winery in east Paso Robles hosts a themed dinner party every month–March was an Italian Dinner dance, and April will be a Turkish theme. The April event will be complete with a professional belly dancer! This is particularly exciting to me, as one of my books (Every Child is a Genius) was translated into several languages and sold worldwide, with the most popular translation being… you guessed it… Turkish! So I started playing around with Falcon Nest’s 2003 Syrah. The recipe below is for Curried California Fruit Mince, which is very easy to prepare; the amount of curry spice can be increased or decreased to suit your taste.

*Note: I like Avila & Sons Farms Fruit Medley, which is available at our local Farmer’s Market or by contacting them at 13391 Fargo Avenue, Hanford, California, 93230. You can also call them at (559) 584-7156 or use the link.

Soak the diced, dried fruits for several hours or overnight in the juice, wine and water. I like to use a large, clean jar with a lid or a glass bowl covered with plastic wrap. Once the fruits have hydrated in the liquid, transfer the entire mixture to a large, nonstick pot, and begin heating to a low boil over medium low heat.

In a small bowl or measuring cup, blend the following:

Pour the blended sugar and spices over the heated fruit, stir, and continue cooking for 10 to 15 minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally. The fruit should become thick as it gently boils.

Meanwhile, prepare clean jars as described in my first blog. Spoon the fruit into clean, sterile jars, sealing tightly. Place well-sealed jars into a bath of boiling water for a few minutes (using tongs), place on clean towels or a cooling rack on the counter and allow to reach room temperature. This makes about six cups of mince, which will keep unopened in the pantry for several months.

It’s excellent spooned into store bought, bite sized pastry cups as a sweet & spicy party nibble, or served on the side with roasted lamb, chicken or pork.

As for belly dancing? I’m brushing up my skills with an instructional DVD, but I’ll leave it up to you if you want to give that a try. Hey, it’s great exercise and a fun way for me to work off some of my belly… not that I’m admitting to having one, of course.

This is my first-ever blog… let’s see how it goes! The central coast of California has unique wines, foods and a lifestyle that lends itself to playing around with fresh ingredients in new ways, so if you’re a serious (or semi-serious) foodie, it can be heaven. I like to play with my food; I’ve been cooking for three decades now. Nearly every day I try to whip up something inventive in the kitchen.

Enough about me, though, let’s move on to food and wine! I’ve discovered some fantastic ways of using our local wines that break the rules–like “Punched Up Pineapple Salsa” made with Cayucos Cellars 2001 Zinfandel, which is unbelievably tasty on fish tacos. You can’t serve fish with red wine? Oh, yes you can! And the recipe is incredibly simple:

Soak those first ingredients in a covered glass bowl or jar in your refrigerator overnight or for 24 hours. After soaking, add the following:

Soak for an additional 8-24 hours. Spoon soaked mixture into a large mixing bowl. To this mixture, add:

Combine well, cover and store at room temperature while you prepare jars for canning. This is quite simple, actually (yes, it is!). Boil a few large pots of water on the stove. Dip clean jars and lids into boiling water using tongs, remove, set on clean towels or paper towels to drain. Spoon the salsa into the jars, seal tightly and return the well-sealed jars to boiling water (again using tongs). Boil for no more than five minutes, remove jars from boiling water and place hot jars on cooling rack to reach room temperature. You’ll have eight one cup jars of very tasty salsa to serve within one month. Refrigerate jars after opening, and eat within a week of opening for best flavor.

Watch for more recipes using California’s central coast wines, which I’ll post as often as possible. May I suggest cranking up the stereo to dance in the kitchen while you cook? It’s a favorite pastime of my own, and a side benefit is it has my sons (ages 20 and 15) rolling their eyes and shaking their heads regularly.

Happy Cooking!