Happy Celtic New Year Barmbrack

Barmbrack is a traditional Celtic bread served during Samhain which is the first day of the traditional Celtic year and also the first day of winter. Samhain, pronounced "sah-win" or "sow-in," is celebrated halfway between the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice from sunset on October 31st to sunset on November 1st.

The name “barmbrack” (or Bairin Breac,) originates from the Irish word bairín for "yeasted loaf" and breac for "speckled," hence a speckled loaf. To make a traditional barmbrack, trinkets and charms are always added into the mixture. Upon cooling, pieces of the cake are carefully cut and eaten and the charms discovered. As you can see the meanings are somewhat outdated (and downright gloomy and disheartening if you ask me), but the charms for Barmbrack traditionally included:

Gold ring: Marriage
Bean or pea: Won’t be married
Button: Bachelorhood
Thimble: Spinsterhood
Matchstick: Unhappy marriage
Coin: Wealth
A small piece of cloth: Poverty

Naturally, your own charms and meanings can and should be utilized as a part of your own Samhain traditions. Each charm should be wrapped carefully in parchment paper and placed in equal intervals through the bread before its final rise. Remember, when choosing to add charms to your Barmbrack, be certain to warn your guests before consuming. What might work a little better is to follow the method used by makers of Southern bridesmaids’ cakes. Each charm is attached to a little ribbon, and inserted after baking. The guests then choose a ribbon and pull it from the bread. No cheating and less chance of a lost charm choking someone. Even the most depressing charm would be better than a trip to the ER!

• 1 cup of brewed tea
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup dried fruit
• 1 package of yeast
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups warm milk
• 4 cups white flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1 egg, beaten

In a cup of hot tea, steep the dried fruit and raisins and allow to soak overnight.  I prefer to use an Orange Pekoe tea for a wonderful flavor, but any black tea can be used. Drain the excess liquid from the fruit before adding to the dough.

Proof the yeast by a teaspoon of sugar to the warm milk and adding yeast. The yeast should begin to bubble and get foamy.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, spices and salt and then cut in the butter. Pour the rest of the warm milk and the beaten egg into the yeast mixture and combine with the dry ingredients. Beat well and knead until the batter is stiff but elastic.

Knead in the tea-soaked fruit a little bit at a time until fully incorporated. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and leave in a warm place until the dough doubles in size. Knead again for another 2 or 3 minutes and divide into two round loaves.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. If using, wrap the charms in parchment or waxed paper and then roll them in the dough at equal intervals. Cover again and let the dough rise for another 30 minutes to an hour while the oven preheats. Bake for about an hour, until the tops of the loaves are nicely browned and the bread sounds hollow when thumped.

The barmbrack is wonderful served warm with a bit of fresh butter or cream cheese. It should keep for about a week in a sealed container. Stale barmbrack makes delicious French toast or bread pudding too.

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Sonny's Spicy Roasted Pepitas

While most kids look forward to carving pumpkins for the resulting scary decoration, Sonny is all about the roasted seeds. Dom and Nic plan out the jack-o-lantern designs and Sonny formulates the perfect spice mixture for his annual batch of pepitas.

Pepitas are sold all over Mexico from carts on the street and bags in the store. Unlike sunflower seeds with an outer shell you must remove before eating, you can just pop ‘em in your mouth and eat ‘em whole. Pumpkin seeds have long been valued as a source of the mineral zinc. To maximize zinc consumption, it is best to eat the seeds unshelled.

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• Fresh pumpkins seeds 
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon white pepper, ground
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• Pinch ground allspice
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As you gut the pumpkin, keep all the seeds in a bowl. Toss seeds in a colander and rinse them under cold water, pulling away any chunks of pulp as you go. Spread the rinsed seeds out on a baking sheet. Don’t use paper towels or the seeds will stick.

Allow the seeds to dry several hours or overnight. When they are nicely dried, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Toss the dried seeds with olive oil and spice mix and spread them back out in a single layer on the baking sheet.

Toast them in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until the seeds are a light golden brown.  Pepitas should be stored in an airtight container if they last beyond the first day.

Happiness Hacks for Life In and Out of the Kitchen

Every now and then we get a request to share our tips and tricks; “kitchen hacks” if you will. I finally starting writing a few in my journal and have compiled a list of 20 of the best. Clearly it is not comprehensive, but you may find a few helpful. Some of these gems have been around for several lifetimes, and a few come directly from our kitchen to yours.

1. There are some things that will always make you happy if you have them in your home: flowers, good olive oil, an excellent knife and a cat.

2. When you’re sad, don’t fight it - accessorize it. Get a fancy handkerchief, pour some gin and play Edith Piaf until the CD player overheats.

3. Knowing how to roast red peppers will impress more people than you'd think.

4. Take the time to actually read recipes through before you begin.

5. Recipes are only guidelines, not hard and fast rules. Get comfortable replacing ingredients with similar ingredients that you like.

6.  Unless it’s a recipe for cake or bread, then don’t make substitutions and measure accurately. There are no shortcuts in pastry: It's a science.

7. You can substitute white wine for vermouth in a martini.

8. Everything tastes better when served by candlelight.

9. If your plates and glasses don’t match, no matter. It’s just another reason for the candlelight.

10. Take your shoes off, put on some Coltrane, pour a glass of your favorite beverage and enjoy your time in the kitchen.

11. Do not try to order in French at a French restaurant unless you are French.

12. After making an omelet, deglaze the pan with sherry, then drizzle the sauce over the top to add another dimension to the dish.

13. Never try a new recipe and a new ingredient at the same time.

14. The cheap caviar is still quite good.

15. If you must leave a party and you don't have a good excuse, spill something on yourself.

16. Cook pasta 1 minute less than the package instructions and cook it the rest of the way in the pan with sauce.

17. When you make a mistake, own it.

18. Fix it, or deal with it, but stop whining about it

19. Clean as you go. Sounds obvious, but people rarely do it.

20. The best way to end a conversation is "I'm sorry to let you go."

I'm sure there are many, many, many more. So far, these have worked for us. Please feel free to share your simple rules for life, happiness and cooking in the comments section. We would love to hear them!

Nuclear Fission “Hots” Pepper Relish

With temperatures expected to dip into the upper 20s this evening, we picked a ginormous amount of green cayenne peppers before they could freeze overnight. Which begs the question, what in the world do we do with them all?

Normally on a hot summer day, the guys would toss some wieners on the grill and load them up with mustard and some freshly chopped chilies and onion, so why not preserve that combo in an all-in-one relish. A little research revealed that this is not a new custom. Apparently in Baltimore, Maryland, when you order a sandwich in a sub shop, a specialty called “hots” is offered along with the usual array of condiments. I imagine this relish would be amazing on scrambled eggs, on tortilla chips like salsa, or served over grilled pork and chicken.

Although pepper of the same variety are supposed to have the same level of heat units on the Scoville scale, in our experience green cayenne peppers seem hotter than their riper (and redder) brethren. As a result, this relish with the under ripe peppers, onion and mustard gave off napalm-like vapors while simmering and a tiny nibble brought tears to my eyes – just the way my guys like it! I would recommend exercising caution when using this relish, even sparingly.

• 1 pound (about 3 cups) hot green peppers, stemmed
• 1 medium (about 1 cup) yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon mustard seed

Roughly chop onion and hot peppers (any combination of cayenne, serrano, jalapeno) removing seeds if you prefer to reduce the heat a bit. Place peppers and onions in work bowl of a food processor fitted with steel blade. Pulse until peppers and onion are finely chopped. Add in salt and toss to coat.

Transfer the pepper mixture to a fine mesh strainer set inside a bowl and let sit for 2-3 hours. Rinse the peppers under cold water and drain. Press the peppers in the strainer to remove as much water as possible.

In a medium saucepan, bring vinegar and sugar to a boil over medium high heat, stirring to dissolve to sugar. Add in pepper mixture and mustard seed, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

If you prefer to can the relish, ladle hot pepper relish into sterilized jars and follow directions to hot pack the condiment. Otherwise, the relish is ready to use once it has cooled completely. Transfer the relish to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to a month.

Pumpkin Spice Caramel Popcorn and Pepitas

The nights are getting cooler and the store aisles are filling up with holiday merchandise. While some head straight for the ornaments and decorations, I cannot resist the shelves of holiday treats: chocolate-covered almonds, gingerbread, peppermint bark and caramel popcorn. Nowadays, caramel popcorn comes in a wide variety of flavors unlike the Cracker Jack of my youth. Also, unlike Cracker Jack, gourmet caramel popcorn is a pricey treat when bought at department stores!

Well worth the price to avoid the messy, finger-scorching caramel and the sticky, cemented aftermath? Not anymore apparently. A little internet searching turned up several recipes that recommended making the caramel in the microwave and using the same to finish the popcorn in a paper bag. Seriously? The microwave?

Yes, I was skeptical, but the urge to try some was too strong to repel. So, instead of tediously hovering over the saucepan to make sure the caramel reaches the perfect candy consistency, so it doesn't crystallize after coating the popcorn, I made some popcorn, loaded my caramel ingredients into a large mixing bowl and found a big paper bag. The entire time I muttered to myself, “There’s no way this is going to work,” “I’m gonna end up with a bag of popped goo,” and “What was I thinking?” Trying to convince myself with, “If you think about it, shaking the caramel corn in a bag should provide astounding uniformity, rather than pouring the caramel over the popcorn in a roasting pan, and then trying to mix the gloppy mass with a wooden spoon.”

After removing the paper bag filled with caramel corn from the microwave and dumping it out on parchment paper, it was torture to wait for the corn to cool enough to taste. The result? “Ah -{crunch, crunch, crunch}-mazing!!” I couldn't believe it! And I couldn't stop eating it… It is a good thing it is so easy to make because now I needed to make more for the guys!

• 1 cup popping corn, popped
• ¼ cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds), toasted
• 1 stick butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 cup corn syrup, light or dark
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Place the popped popcorn in a large brown paper grocery bag and set aside.

Combine the corn syrup, butter, spice, vanilla and sugar in a large microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 2 minutes. Stir the caramel-to-be and microwave for another 2 minutes. You may see that the butter is not fully incorporated – don’t worry. Add in the baking soda to the caramel mixture and stir vigorously. The syrup will foam up quite a bit, so be careful!

Working quickly, pour the syrup over the popcorn in the paper bag and shake the bag enthusiastically. Roll down the top of the paper bag and place the popcorn - bag and all - in the microwave and microwave on high for 45 seconds. Remove the bag from the microwave and add the pepitas and again shake the bag enthusiastically.

Microwave the bag of popcorn for another 45 seconds and shake. Repeat this one more times (making three total 45-second bursts), and then pour the popcorn out onto cookie sheets to cool. Let the popcorn cool a bit before separating the clumps into smaller morsels. Please use caution; the molten caramel can cause serious burns.

The popcorn is best on the day it's made. Seal any leftovers (Ha ha ha! As if!!) in an air tight bag or container. Over time, the sugar will begin to soften, making the popcorn more chewy than crispy (which makes it a perfect topping for ice cream, yogurt, cupcakes or cookies.)

Oh My Darling Lemon Thyme Marmalade

When life gives you lemons, instead of making lemonade, we make marmalade. Homemade preserves and jams with farm-fresh fruit are the essence of rural Italian cuisine. Every family has its own cherished recipes for making jams and jellies. In the spirit of Italian orticoltura, we have nurtured a Meyer lemon tree for several years and enjoy the fruits of our labor (sorry, couldn’t resist that pun!)

I am a huge fan of marmalade and making a batch of marmalade has been on my agenda for over 2 months now. My preferred method of consumption is slathering the tangy, syrupy conserve on a toasted and buttered English muffin, but it makes the perfection addition to glazes, barbecue sauce and even as an addition to specialty cocktails. Its unique, slightly tart aftertaste is also a fabulous contrast when paired with sharp or creamy cheeses, crackers, and a sparkling white wine.

• 7 (about 2 lbs.) lemons, preferably Meyer
• 2 cup cold water
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
• Pinch of salt

Scrub the lemons and trim the ends, and then using a vegetable peeler, peel strips of zest off the lemons. Thinly julienne the peel strips into thin strips about two inches long. Put these into a small pot, cover with cold water, and bring to the boil. Allow the zest to blanch for about one minute and then shock by rinsing with cold water. Strain the peels and set aside.

Using a sharp knife, peel all the skin and pith off the fruit. Removing all the pith will create a lovely clear marmalade that is not as others I have tasted. It's flecked with large lumps of fruit, as well as the julienned zest which turns into lovely candied goodness. Prepare the fruit by holding the peeled lemons over a small bowl and cutting the segments free from the membranes. Discard seeds. Capture the segments and juice in a bowl and place the membranes, pith in a small saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring these to a boil and allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes. Remove skins and reserve boiling liquid.

In a small saucepan, bring one cup of boiling liquid, sugar, and salt to a boil over medium-high heat for about 2 to 3 minutes, stirring until the sugar completely dissolves. Add the julienned peels, lemon segments, juices and thyme sprigs, and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and skim any foam from the surface. Simmer very gently until the mixture breaks down and thickens, 40 to 60 minutes, checking frequently to prevent scorching or overcooking.

To test, dip a wooden spoon into the marmalade and allow the mixture to drip. When two drips merge on the end of the spoon instead of running off the spoon, the mixture will set on cooling. Alternatively drop a spoonful onto a chilled plate, run your finger through it and if your trail remains there, it's reached setting point.

Remove the thyme sprigs if you prefer (I leave them in). Take off the heat and let the mixture set for 15 minutes to help evenly distribute the peel. Using a sterilized spoon, carefully spoon the marmalade into sterilized jars leaving ample head room. Screw on lids and set aside to cool.

You can water-process the jars at this time if you want to extend the shelf life of the marmalade. Remember to wipe down the outside of jars with a wet cloth, label and date and then store in a cool, dark place.

Hunka Burnin' Love Hot Pepper Jelly

Our family’s burning love for hot peppers (all pun intended) is well documented. Like many natives of the South, I grew up with peppers, lots of them. The hot, muggy climate seems to make for the perfect growing conditions for a wide variety of capsaicin-laden peppers.

Sweet, tart, and spicy, hot pepper jelly is nearly irresistible to those of us raised in the South.  Most frequently ladled over goat cheese or cream cheese, this jelly adds a serious kick to a simple grilled cheese sandwich and makes a great glaze for chicken wings, pork loin or even grilled quail.

You can use whichever kinds of peppers you wish (or that are plentiful.) For this batch, I used a combination of poblano, cayenne, cow horn and a few mild cherry peppers ranging from 1,000 to 50,000 on the Scoville Scale which is the measurement of the spiciness of chili peppers or other spicy foods containing capsaicin. While the cayenne peppers have a robust flavor, they are very fiery.

Not a fan of the heat?  It is fine to use mild, sweet peppers.  I would, however, recommend using peppers that are all the same color (red or green) else you will end up with a murky-brown jelly that will not look very appealing.

• 2-2 ½ cups peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 5 cups sugar
• 2 cups distilled white vinegar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 (3-ounce) envelope of liquid pectin

Be sure to wear latex gloves when working with hot peppers. If you want your jelly hotter, include a few seeds. Pulse the chopped peppers in a food processor (and seeds if desired) in food processor until finely minced, 12 to 15 pulses, scraping down bowl every 5-6 pulses.

Combine peppers, sugar, and vinegar in large saucepan and bring to vigorous boil over medium-high heat. Stir the mixture to ensure that the sugar is completely dissolved. Keep a close eye on the pot so it doesn't boil over.  Having made this mistake, I can tell you the mess is epic.

Add the liquid pectin and return to vigorous boil, stirring constantly, for about 10 to 15 minutes until the temperature registers 221 degrees F on a candy thermometer.  Using large spoon, skim any foam from top of jelly.

Ladle the jelly into sterilized jars with tight-fitting lids. Let the jars cool to room temperature and then cover and refrigerate. Let jelly set in refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours. Jelly can be refrigerated for at least 2 months. The jar can also be processed in a hot water bath for longer term storage.

This jelly will be a wonderful condiment addition to your Thanksgiving table; in fact I plan to mix some in with my homemade cranberry sauce this year. Come to think of it, this would be a wonderful hostess gift for the upcoming holiday season!