Witchy Kitchen

Tag: Worcestershire sauce

  • Rye Popovers with Welsh Rarebit Sauce

    Rye Popovers with Welsh Rarebit Sauce

    I adored Tim Burton’s 2016 film Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children based on the book of the same name by Ransom Riggs. I can attribute most of my love to the film’s charming and spookyl atmosphere, from the Burtonesque settings, to the paranomal abilitied children I’ve described as X-Men through an Instagram filter, to the hauntingly lovely Florence and the Machine song that plays through the credits. I can attribute the rest of my love to the luminous Eva Green as Miss Peregrine.

    Illustration by Andrew Tarusov

    Miss Peregrine’s school is located in Wales, and to my American sensibility the most iconic Welsh food is Welsh Rarebit (please comment and school me if there are more dishes I should know). As far as dishes go though, this is a good one, the sauce is simply amazing. One of my peculiar children declared “dis is yum!”

    I made the lovely rarebit creamy cheese sauce flavored with dijon, worcestershire sauce and ale (I used pumpkin beer!) but rather than on rye toast, I made some light and airy rye popovers to evoke Emma (yes in the book it’s Olive) who is lighter than air. I wonder if she’s a good cook – she’s probably great at things like popovers, soufflees, meringues, puris, foams and lattes.

    Just a note, in a rare twist I adapted nothing this time, both unaltered recipes came out really nice.

    Rye Popovers with Welsh Rarebit Sauce

    For the popovers
    Recipe from Food.com

    • 3⁄4 cup rye flour
    • 1 cup all-purpose flour
    • 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup milk
    • 1 tablespoon butter, melted
    • 2 eggs, lightly beaten

    Heat over to 450° and grease a muffin tin.

    Whisk together flours and salt, then add milk, butter, and eggs. Mix well and divide between muffin cups.

    Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350$deg; and bake for another 5 minutes. Cool on a rack. Serve with rarebit sauce, below.

    For the rarebit sauce
    Recipe from Alton Brown

    • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
    • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
    • 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce (vegetarian sauce to make vegetarian)
    • 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
    • 1/4 cup beer (porter is best, I used a lighter pumpkin beer, also good)
    • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
    • 3/4 cups shredded cheddar

    On low heat in a saucepan, heat butter and flour, whisking continuously for several minutes (do not let flour brown). Whisk in in dijon mustard, worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper until well combined. Whisk in beer and cream, and add cheddar. Cook, whisking constantly, for 5-7 minutes until cheese is melted completely and mixture has slightly thickened. Remove from heat and serve warm with popovers.

    Recipe for Fiction Kitchen Podcast Episode 48: MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN in which Carrie and Diana discuss the 2016 Tim Burton film and the novel by Ransom Riggs that it’s based on. Giant carrots, weird little back-teeth, eyeball munching, carnival food; all very peculiar.

  • Roasted Grape and Sweet Potato Salad

    Roasted Grape and Sweet Potato Salad

    After the Renaissance Festival (shamelessly love it, go every year), my friend Gloria invited us back to her house for pumpking carving, also our yearly tradition, and fed us a delicious dinner including a salad with roasted grapes. I was fascinated by these grapes, as I often am with food I’ve eaten since childhood treated a different way, and wanted to try them myself (I roast everything else in the world, might as well try this). So here’s my version of Gloria’s yummy salad, which has a decidedly fall feel.

    Roasted Grape and Sweet Potato Salad

    For the vinaigrette
    The “Original” red wine vinaigrette:

    • 1/4 cup water
    • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
    • 1/4 tsp sugar
    • 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
    • 2 tsp salt
    • 3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
    • 3/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
    • 1/4 tsp dry English mustard
    • 1 small clove garlic, grated
    • 1 cup olive oil

    Shake everything together in a Mason jar.

    For the salad

    • 1 lb grapes
    • 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
    • 3 slices dark pumpernickel bread, cubed
    • olive oil
    • sea salt & pepper
    • 10 oz or so baby spinach
    • 5 oz queso fresco, crumbled
    • 1 shallot, sliced, and soaked in red wine vinegar, pinch of sugar and salt for 30 minutes
    • couple handful pumpkin seeds

    Heat oven to 400°. On three separate baking dishes, toss grapes, sweet potatoes, and pumpernickel cubes with a little olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper, then spread in a single layer. Roast, turning occasionally. Bread croutons will only take 10 minutes or so until crispy, grapes and sweet potatoes will take 25-35 minutes. Remove and cool.

    Toss together spinach, grapes, sweet potato, and pumpernickel croutons with just enough vinaigrette to coat, then sprinkle with cheese, pickled shallot and pumpkin seeds. Serve with optional extra vinaigrette on the side.

    I’m trying to put some pictures of my stinky cute kids at the Ren Fest but will figure that out later…

  • Cajun Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

    Cajun Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

    So with all the pumpkining there is clearly an excess of pumpkin seeds that need attention. These are fragrant, warming, and just a little spicy (but not so much that my kids aren’t devouring them).

    Unlike my sister, who lived in Baton Rouge for several years and is never without Tony’s in her cabinet, I usually just throw together a few of the spices typically found in cajun spice mixes. And to be honest, although I do like Tony’s, most mixes are so salty it’s hard to get the spice you want without salting the whole thing to hell. The next time I make gumbo maybe I’ll make a homemade Cajun Masala – but for now a little paprika, cumin, coriander and of course cayenne with do!

    Cajun Spice Pumpkin Seeds

    Slightly adapted from About.com

    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 1/2 tsp paprika
    • 1/4 tsp each cumin, coriander powder and cayenne
    • few turns cracked black pepper
    • sprinkle cinnamon
    • 1 tbsp butter, melted
    • 2 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
    • 1 cup pumpkin seeds, cleaned and dried

    Heat oven to 300°.

    In a medium bowl, mix salt, paprika, cumin, coriander powder, cayenne, black pepper, cinnamon, butter and Worcestershire sauce.

    Spread evenly on a baking sheet and roast, turning occasionally, for 45 to 60 minutes (mine only took 45) until nicely brown and crunchy.