Blog - Fresh From Oregon

Mixed Berry Bread Pudding

July 26, 2015 · by Carrie Trax ·

Here is a good bread pudding to making in the summer months when the berries are ripe and juicy. You can make this bread pudding with just one type of berry or as many as you like. The egg custard layered with these juicy berries will melt in your mouth. I baked in 6 medium size ramekins but you can also bake in a 13×9 baking dish or 2 bread loaf pans. Serve it in the morning, afternoon or evening for a sweet taste of summer.

Mixed Berry Bread Pudding
9-12 slices soft French or egg bread, cubed 1-inch pieces (6 cups)
3 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup sugar
3 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups fresh mixed berries (blueberries, marionberries, red raspberries, blackberries), divided
Mixed berry sauce, recipe below (optional)

In large bowl place cubed bread, set aside. In medium bowl beat eggs, sugar, milk and vanilla. Pour milk mixture over bread cubes and let set for 30 minutes. Grease 6 medium ramekin baking dishes. Place about 1/2 cup of the cubes of bread in each greased ramekin, sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the mixed berries, add another 1/2 cup bread cubes, sprinkle top with 1/4 cup of mixed berries. There should be a small amount of egg mixture left in the bowl, evenly divide among the six ramekins. Place ramekins on a baking sheet and add about 2 cups of water to the baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until golden brown and knife inserted comes out clean. Remove and cool for about 10 minutes if you would like to serve warm. Once cooled completely you can refrigerate to serve later or the next day.

When you are ready to serve run a knife around the outer edge of the bread pudding and flip over to remove the bread pudding. Top with remaining 1 cup of fresh berries or mixed berry sauce below. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Fresh Mixed Berry Sauce
4 cups mixed berries
½ cup white sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup water

Combine sauce ingredients in saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the sauce thickens, about 10-15 minutes. Serve warm or cold over the bread pudding.

Fresh Oregon Berry Tart

June 14, 2015 · by Carrie Trax ·

Fresh berries in all shapes and colors are now ready in Oregon. The fruit stands are overflowing with fresh strawberries, blueberries, blackberries red raspberries and tayberrries. You will always find a pint or two of berries in my refrigerator ready to create a sweet dessert or muffin or just to top off my Sunday morning pancakes or serve with some yogurt. The sugar cookie crust in this tart is sweet and crisp and much firmer that a traditional pie dough crust making it last a few extra days in the refrigerator without getting soggy. The sweet taste of the lemon filling with the sauce from the tayberries and the mountain of berries creates layers of flavor from top to bottom.

What is a Tayberry? Its a cross between a blackberry and red raspberry and the fruit is sweeter than a blackberry and much larger than a red raspberry. The name comes from the river Tay in Scotland.

Fresh Oregon Berry Tart

Sugar cookie crust:
8 Tablespoons butter, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 and ½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt

Lemon filling:
2 eggs
3 egg yolks
¼ cup whipping cream

juice from 1 large lemon
¼ cup granulated sugar

Topping:
2 cups Tayberries or Red Raspberries, slightly mashed
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
2 Tablespoons water
2-3 cups mixed berries, washed

To make the sugar cookie crust, place the butter and sugar in a standing mixer and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes on high. Add the egg and mix on medium until fully incorporated. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt all at once and mix on medium just until no spots of flour remain, about 20 seconds, do not over mix. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray fluted 9 1/2″ removable bottom tart pan with cooking spray.

While the oven is preheating, make the lemon filling by whisking together the eggs, egg yolks, whipping cream, lemon juice, and granulated sugar until smooth. Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator. Press dough it into the tart pan evenly on the bottom and up the sides. Pour the lemon filling into the crust. Bake until the filling is set and the crust begins to turn golden, 20-25 minutes. Do not over bake – pull the tart out just when you see any golden color on the crusts. Make sure the lemon filling is cooked by inserting a toothpick in the center and checking to see if it comes out clean. Allow the shell and filling to cool completely at room temperature. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

To prepare the topping add tayberries or red raspberries and sugar to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, in another small bowl combine cornstarch and cold water; whisk until smooth. Add cornstarch mixture to raspberries and whisk to combine. Bring to boil and continue boiling 3 to 5 minutes or until sauce is as thick as you like. Set aside to cool. Sauce will thicken as it cools.

To assemble spread raspberry sauce over the lemon filling and place mixed berries on tart and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve chilled.

The Hoods are here… Mini Strawberry Pretzel Pie

May 25, 2015 · by Carrie Trax ·

Strawberry Pretzel Pie

Fresh strawberries are over flowing everywhere here in Oregon. As I was walking through the farmers market this weekend the question I kept hearing as people were buying strawberries was are they “Hoods”. The strawberry variety everyone looks for here in Oregon are “Hood” Strawberries, so what are Hood Strawberries? They emerged from Oregon’s Hood River Valley in 1965 and are prized for there bright red color and large size. Nothing can compare to these Northwest grown sweet and juicy berries. Hoods are a June-bearing strawberry so there is a short window to enjoy them. Look for these great tasting strawberries at farmers markets, farm stands or grocery stores that sell local produce. Here is a easy strawberry treat I made with my Fresh From Oregon Hood strawberries.

Mini Strawberry Pretzel Pies
3 1/2 cups pretzels, salted
1 stick (8 tablespoon) butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 pints strawberries
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
juice 1/2 lemon
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup cool whip

For the pretzel crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Crush the pretzels in a large resealable plastic bag with a rolling pin. Mix in a bowl with the butter and brown sugar. Press into six 5″ mini pie pans and bake for 6 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool.

To prepare the glaze: Wash strawberries and remove the green tops and core. Take half the strawberries and slice, set aside. Chop the remaining half of the strawberries in a food processor. Place the chopped strawberries in a sauce pan and begin to cook over medium heat. Mix sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl; add to the sauce pan of strawberries. Add lemon juice and cook on low heat for about 10 minutes or until mixture thickens. Remove from heat. Set aside and cool. Once cool take remaining sliced strawberries and fold into the glaze mix, set aside.

To prepare cream filling: In stand mixer bowl beat the cream cheese, sugar and milk until combined. Fold in the cool whip.

To assemble the mini pies spoon the cream cheese mixture among the six pretzel pie crusts and smooth to the edges. Spoon and mound the strawberries that have been glazed over the cream mixture. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce

April 27, 2015 · by Carrie Trax ·

This year in Oregon we have had an early spring and the fresh strawberries and rhubarb are already starting to be harvested. These two make the best combination for pies, cobbler and YES a sweet sauce. In about 30 minutes I had a warm sweet sauce ready to serve on my homemade buttermilk pancakes!

Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce
4 cups diced strawberries
4 cups diced rhubarb
1 lemon, juiced
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup water

Combine the strawberries, rhubarb, lemon juice, sugar and water in a medium sized sauce pan. Bring it to a boil and let it cook on low to medium heat for about 30 minutes, cook less or longer depending on how thick you want it. The sauce can be served cold or warm. Keep refrigerated.

Recipe from ~ Laylita’s recipes

B “S” T Egg Salad Sandwich

March 31, 2015 · by Carrie Trax ·

I am putting the “S” or spinach in the traditional “B”acon “L”ettuce “T”omato egg sandwich. With Easter coming there will be some extra hard boiled eggs in my refrigerator perfect for egg salad. In my egg salad recipe I add some crisp bacon to add a little extra flavor. This open face sandwich is served on grilled bread layered with fresh baby spinach, sliced tomatoes, egg salad and topped with pieces of crisp bacon.

Bacon Spinach Tomato Egg Salad Sandwich
6 hard boiled eggs, peeled
1/2 cup Miracle Whip or mayonnaise
3 slices bacon, cooked crispy, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
4 large slices french bread
butter
1 cup fresh spinach
2 tomatoes, sliced

In a medium bowl place the hard boiled eggs. With a pastry blender (My favorite kitchen tool) chop eggs into small pieces. Add Miracle Whip or mayonnaise, 2 slices of bacon that has been chopped into small pieces, salt and ground pepper. Mix until combined.

Preheat a flat top grill or skillet. Butter both sides of the bread and cook until lightly brown on both sides. To assemble sandwiches place each piece of bread on a plate. On each piece of bread layer a 1/4 cup of spinach, 3 slices of tomatoe and 1/4th of the egg salad. Chop the last piece of bacon into small pieces and sprinkle on each sandwich.

Melt in your Mouth Reuben Sandwich

March 13, 2015 · by Carrie Trax ·

Corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and thousand island dressing sandwiched between two pieces of grilled rye bread = one of the most amazing sandwich. The Reuben sandwich first gained local fame when the Blackstone’s Hotel in Omaha, Nebraska added it to the lunch menu, and its fame spread when a former employee of the hotel won a national contest with the recipe. There has been much debate were the Reuben originated Omaha, Nebraska or New York, New York but right now this homemade Reuben sandwich is Fresh From Oregon. I roasted the corned beef, add my homemade sauerkraut and homemade thousand island dressing and served it with my homemade garlic dill pickles. Enjoy this melt in your mouth recipe.

Reuben Sandwich
8 slices rye bread
butter
1 pound roasted corned beef, sliced thin
1 to 1 1/2 cups sauerkraut, drained
8 slices Swiss cheese
Thousand Island dressing, recipe below
Dill Pickles

Butter one side of each piece of rye bread. To assemble sandwich place one piece of bread butter side down and spread a thin layer of thousand island dressing. Add one slice of Swiss cheese, 1/4 pound corned beef and 1/4 to 1/3 cup sauerkraut. Spread thousand island dressing on second piece of rye bread and place butter side up. Assemble the remaining three sandwiches. Heat a flat top grill or pan over medium heat. Grill sandwiches on one side until golden brown about 3-4 minutes. Flip over and grill other side until golden brown. Serve with a side of pickles and potato and enjoy!

Thousand Island Dressing
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
2 teaspoons finely diced onion
1/4 teaspoon finely minced garlic
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste

Add all ingredients to a small bowl and mix well. Taste and add additional salt if desired. Refrigerate for at least an hour to allow the flavors to meld. Serve. Can keep in refrigerate 4-5 days.

Sweet & Spicy Roasted Corned Beef

March 10, 2015 · by Carrie Trax ·

What is Corned Beef? Corned Beef is is a cut of meat, a brisket, that has been cured, or pickled, in a seasoned brine. Even though corned beef is associated with St. Patrick’s Day this is not an Irish dish. The connection with St. Patrick’s Day is a Irish-American tradition. In the late 19th century corned beef was used as a substitute for bacon by Irish-American immigrants. Traditional corned beef is simmered in water with spices for 3 to 5 hours until tender. I like my corned beef with a crusty outside and a little kick so this recipe for Sweet & Spicy Roasted Corned Beef is the perfect recipe. It comes out of the oven tender, juicy and delicious! Served with some roasted cabbage and carrots and you have the perfect dinner. I always make sure I have extra corned beef for a Reuben sandwich the next day and some corned beef hash!

Sweet & Spicy Roasted Corned Beef
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 tablespoon horseradish
2 tablespoons honey
3 pound corned beef with spices*
2 tablespoons brown sugar

In small bowl, mix together the honey, mustard and horseradish. Remove corned beef from packaging and rinse in cool water. Pat dry. Place in a gallon sized Ziploc bag. Smear the honey/mustard mixture over the corned beef being sure to coat the entire thing. Add spice mixture to bag and seal. Gently massage the corned beef for a few seconds to be sure the marinade is coating every surface possible. Place on plate and put in fridge to marinate for 3 hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 350. Place corned beef, fat side up, on top of a large square of aluminum foil. Pour a little of the excess marinade on top. Sprinkle 2 Tbs brown sugar over the corned beef. Bring up edges of foil and seal to make a loose packet around the meat. Place in a shallow roasting pan and bake at 350 degrees for 2 hours. Remove from oven and carefully vent a corner to let steam escape. Turn oven to broil. Fold sides of foil down a bit to expose the corned beef. Pop back into oven and broil 1 -3 minutes until top is deep brown and sizzling. Remove to platter and slice against the grain, serve slices with a spoonful of the pan drippings for a sweet/spicy kick.

* If your corned beef does not come with spices you can use pickling spice or make you own. Just mix 1 teaspoon coarse salt, 1 teaspoon whole peppercorn, 1 cinnamon stick crushed, 1/2 teaspoon mustard seed, 2 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon minced garlic and 1/4 teaspoon crushed red peppers.

Recipe from ~ A Hen’s Nest

Fresh Salmon = French Cooking in my Oregon Kitchen

February 27, 2015 · by Carrie Trax ·

I am bringing French cooking to my Oregon kitchen this week. Fresh From Oregon Salmon and homemade Kale Pesto tucked inside puff pastry and baked until golden brown. Served with a creamy dill sauce this makes the prefect meal for your family or any special occasion.

Salmon en Croûte

1 salmon fillet (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut in half, skin and bones removed

sea salt and fresh black pepper

2 (9×9) puff pastry sheets, thawed
1/3 cup Kale Pesto

1 egg, beaten

Creamy Dill Sauce

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/2teaspoon dried dill

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment or grease lightly with oil. Lay a sheet of puff pastry down on a lightly floured surface. Place one half of the salmon in the middle. Sprinkle some salt and pepper over the salmon. Spread half the kale pesto over the salmon evenly. Wrap the salmon like a package, brushing the overlapping puff pastry with egg so it sticks together. Brush the entire thing with egg wash then poke holes all over it with a fork, about an inch apart, especially where it is overlapped. Place on the baking sheet. Repeat with the second piece of salmon. Bake 30 – 35 minutes until puff pastry is cooked through. If it starts to get too dark cover loosely with a piece of aluminum foil.

As the salmon is baking make the sauce. Combine all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and whisk until well mixed. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Adapted from ~ Cinnamon-Spice & Everything Nice

Fresh Kale Pesto

February 22, 2015 · by Carrie Trax ·

This week Fresh From Oregon… Kale! Kale comes in many varieties and the best one to make this pesto is the green curly-leaved kale. It only takes a few minutes to blanch the kale and create this creamy pesto to toss with pasta, brush on some toasted french bread or use as a great condiment for seafood and chicken.

Fresh Kale Pesto
1 big bunch of kale, rinsed, ribs removed and torn into small pieces
3/4 cup olive oil, less 2 tablespoons
2 tablespoons Spice Traders Mercantile Meyer lemon olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice, fresh
2 cloves garlic, rough chopped
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated or shaved
Salt and pepper to taste

Blanch the kale in boiling salted water for about 3 minutes and chill down in a cold water bath, drain and squeeze excess water. Place into small work bowl of food processor or Ninja food processor bowl and pulse to start breaking up the kale, add rough chopped garlic, process, add pine nuts, pulse several times. Slowly add the olive oil, Myers lemon olive oil and lemon juice, process until everything is broken down. It will never be real smooth. Finally add the cheese and pulse a few times. Season with salt and pepper. If serving with pasta grate a little extra cheese over and add extra virgin olive oil to the hot pasta, toss with pesto, serve with additional grated cheese. To store, place in a glass jar or container and add about 1 tablespoon olive oil on top to keep pesto fresh. The olive oil will create a small seal to keep pesto from getting dry.

Recipe adapted from ~ Food 52

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread Pudding

February 7, 2015 · by Carrie Trax ·

Here is my second bread pudding recipe for my 2015 bread pudding mission. This bread pudding is layered with a lemony cream and sprinkles of poppy-seed. If you think this is not enough lemon wait until you pour some warm lemon sauce over the top. A burst of lemon flavor is in every bite!

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread Pudding

5 1/3 cups bread, day old and cut into 1-inch cubes

1 cup milk

1 cup heavy cream

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar

juice of 1/2 lemon

zest of 2 lemons

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon poppy-seeds

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup sugar

juice of 1/2 lemon

To make the bread pudding heat the milk with the sugar in a pan on low heat (or in a microwave) and stir until completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Transfer this mixture to a bowl and mix in the heavy cream. Whisk in the eggs and egg yolks gradually until well combined. Add the vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest. Mix well. Stir in the poppyseeds. Set aside.

In another bowl, beat the cream cheese together with the sugar and lemon juice; set aside. Spray an 8×8 inch square baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange half the amount of bread cubes in a single, even layer. Drop dollops of the cream cheese on top of the bread cubes. Pour about 3/4 cup of the custard mixture over the bread cubes. Top with the remaining half of bread cubes. Drop dollops of the remaining cream cheese over the bread. Carefully pour the rest of the custard mixture evenly over the whole thing. Set aside for 1 hour at room temperature or overnight in the fridge, covered and let come to room temperature for 30 minutes before baking. Bake at 350 degrees uncovered for 45-50 minutes until the pudding is set. Best served warm drizzled with the warm lemon sauce.

Lemon Sauce

3 egg yolks
6 tablespoons sugar

juice of 2 small lemons

zest of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons water

4 tablespoons butter, cut into cubes

To prepare the lemon sauce combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Mix well. Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice together in a pan over low heat. Stir constantly for about 4 minutes until slightly thickened. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and continue stirring for 3 minutes or more until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and add the butter, one cube at a time. Stir until smooth. Transfer to a container. Press a sheet of plastic wrap on the surface of the curd to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Heat in the microwave quickly before serving with the bread pudding.

Recipe ~ Food Wanderings in Asia