Throwback Thursday: Braised Goat with Tomatoes, Rosemary & Cinnamon

"Throwback Thursday: Taking you back through the past 6 years by highlighting some of my favorite blog posts"

Silly Conversations That Come Up When You Decide to Cook a Goat....

Conversation #1
Me: Do you sell goat shoulder?
Butcher: We have a bunch of goat; you come in; take a look around; pick out the goat you like, I cut you the shoulder.


Conversation #2
Uncle: We’re having goat for dinner.
Young Niece: No, you can’t!
Uncle: Why not?
Young Niece: You just can’t!  I read somewhere it’s not good for you.


Conversation #3
Me: We’re cooking goat tonight.
Mother: What sound does a goat make?
Me: I don’t know. Can’t wait to try it.
Mother: What sound does a goat make?


Conversation #4Me: If I can find a goat can you take me to the butcher to pick it up?
Carpooler: Please tell me I’m misunderstanding this. I assume you mean the butcher is going to do what he has to do with it and that you aren’t asking me to have a live goat in my car??


Conversation #5
Husband: I’m going out early tomorrow.
Me (1/2 asleep): Whatever floats your goat.

Conversation #6
Crazy girl in Pilates class: Are you have a bahhhd day?

__________________________________________________________

If you haven't figured it out by now....yes, we cooked our first goat this past weekend. It was delicious; very tender and tasty. I loved the cinnamon in this recipe. I can't wait to eat it again...which will probably be real soon. A 51/2 lb goat shoulder for 2 people yields lots of leftovers. I'm looking forward to goat sandwiches.



Braised Goat with Tomatoes, Rosemary, Cinnamon and White Wine
(adapted from A16 Food +Wine) (printable recipe)

51/2 pounds bone-in goat shoulder cut into 4-8 ounce pieces
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, smashed with the side of a knife
2 cups dry white wine
2 sprigs rosemary
1 (28 ounce) can San Marzano tomatoes with juice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Season the goat with salt. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Preheat oven to 275.

In a heavy bottomed pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes, or until softens and starts to turn golden. Add the wine and rosemary and boil for about 8 minutes, or until the wine has almost fully evaporated.
 

Meanwhile, place the tomatoes and their juice in a bowl and crush with your hands or the back of a wooden spoon. Once the wine has reduced, stir in the tomatoes with their juice and the cinnamon. Bring the sauce to a boil, then remove from the heat.

In a large roasting pan, evenly distribute the goat pieces. Carefully pour the sauce over the goat. Cover the roasting pan with aluminum foil and transfer to the oven.

Braise the goat for about 31/2 hours or until the meat pulls away from the bone.

Remove the pot from the oven when done and let the meat cool in the braising liquid. Lift out the goat from the sauce and pull the meat from the bones, removing it in large chunks if possible. It should come away easily from the bone and the connective tissue. Skim off most of the fat from the sauce, remove and discard the rosemary, taste for seasoning and add more salt if needed.

To serve, return the meat to the sauce and bring to a simmer. Ladle the meat with some of the sauce into warm bowls and finish with a drizzle of olive oil. Serve immediately.

Distinctive Holiday Cookie Creations Featuring Bob's Red Mill Flour

By: The Food Hunter

When dessert is mentioned during the holidays my mind automatically envisions cookies. Though I make cookies throughout the year, they never seem to be as grand as the ones made during the holidays.

Tried and true recipes passed down through generations are dressed up with icing, coconut, decadent chips and luscious fillings. Whether they're passed around the dinner table, gifted to that special someone or swapped with co-workers; cookies seem to play a huge part in the season's festivities.

This year, as a blog challenge, I wanted to try switching things up a bit. Partnering with Bob's Red Mill, and trying some alternative flours, the girls and I set out to create a not so traditional cookie plate. Four different flours; four very different cookies and a lot of things learned along the way.

***See below for a chance to win a Bob's Red Mill 4 pack of flour so you can make these treats.***



Davinia used the Quinoa flour to make Ginger Spice Cookies. Though not the easiest to bake with due to the distinctive smell and unique flavor..she did a great job. After some trial and error she was able to create a great tasting Gluten Free cookie by using a mixture of both almond and quinoa flour.


Ginger Spice Cookies
3/4 cup butter
1 tbsp vanilla
1 cup sugar
2 eggs slightly beaten
1/4 cup molasses
1 1/4 cup Bob's Red Mill quinoa flour
1 cup almond four
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp all spice
sugar for sprinkling on cookies

Cream butter, vanilla, sugar, eggs and molasses in large mixing bowl.

Sift dry ingredients. Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients until combined.

Chill about 2 hours. When ready spoon onto pan and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake 350 for 8-10 minutes


Cinnamon Butter Cream Frosting
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened to room temperature
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. unsweetened vanilla coconut milk (or milk)

Using a mixer, beat the butter until it is creamy. On low, mix in the vanilla and slowly beat in the powdered sugar. Add milk as needed to reach desired consistency. Pipe onto cooled cookies.



Jenny made 10 Grain Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies using Bob's Red Mill 10 Grain flour. Jenny reported having no real issues baking with this flour though she did say the texture was a little different than the traditional peanut butter cookie she's used to.

10 Grain Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 cup shortening
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp flax meal
6 tbs water
1 cup peanut butter
2 cups Bob's Red Mill 10 grain flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare baking sheets by lining with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, combine flax meal and 3 tablespoons water. Mix until it's a smooth mixture. Set aside.

Cream together both of the sugars and the shortening. Add peanut butter. Beat on medium until well combined. Add flax mixture and vanilla, continue beating until incorporated.

Combine flour, salt and baking soda in a small bowl. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture, alternating with the water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Stir in chocolate chips.

Scoop dough onto prepared cookie sheet with a 1 tablespoon scoop. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Allow to cool on cookie sheet for 3 minutes and transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Leah made Toasted Coconut & Toffee Chip Cookies using Almond flour. Almond flour can be slightly grainy so Leah sifted it to thin it out a bit. Otherwise, a perfectly delicious and easy to make cookie. Depending on the chips you purchase this could also be a nice gluten free option.

Toasted Coconut & Toffee Chip 
1½ cups (6 oz) Bob’s Red Mill almond flour
¼ cup of unsalted butter, room temperature
¼ cup of sugar
1 egg
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp vanilla
¼ tsp of baking soda
¼ cup of toffee chips/pieces
1/3 cup sweetened coconut flakes

Preheat the oven to 375° and cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Sift flour into a medium bowl. Add baking soda and salt and set aside.

In large bowl, cream sugar and butter. Add the egg and vanilla and beat well. Gradually add in the flour mixture, beating until combined. Fold in toffee chips.

Roll into 1 to 1½ inch balls. Lightly press down on to parchment paper. Sprinkle sweetened coconut flakes on top.

Bake for 11 to 12 minutes until a light brown. Remove cookies from oven, but do not remove from pan until completely cooled.



I used Hazelnut flour, with relatively no problems, to make the Nutella filled Italian Hazelnut Cookies. It was a great flour to bake with and gave the cookies a nice hazelnut taste. Without even trying I made my first gluten free cookie!

Nutella Filled Italian Hazelnut Cookies
1 cup Bob's Red Mill hazelnut flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 Tbs hazelnut liquor (optional)
2 egg whites

Nutella

Preheat oven to 325.  Line baking pans with parchment paper.

Beat egg whites until stiff. Add hazelnut liquor is using.

Fold egg whites into hazelnut flour.

Using wet hands roll dough into small balls and place on prepared pan.  Press down slightly on the top.

Bake 20 minutes or until firm and golden on the outside. Remove from pan and allow to cool on wire rack. Serve as is or spread Nutella on bottom of one cookie and top with another cookie.



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Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies

By: Leah Bieszczad

Have you ever heard of Goosnaugh Cakes, Hamantashen or Pfeffernůesse cookies? Neither had I until I perused Ester Brody’s, The 250 Best Cookie Recipes. If you are looking for original recipes with straight forward ingredients this book is for you.

The 250 cookie recipes all include easy-to-follow directions with helpful tips on storage, ingredient methods and a troubleshooting section. With so many cookie swapping parties and the holidays coming up, there is definitely a wide variety of unique recipes here. If you are like me, it will be hard to decide on just one.

After marking about 12 recipes with my trusty Post-It notes, I decided on these simple, but delectable Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies. Frankly, anything that involves cream cheese and chocolate is a no-brainer for me. They were light, chocolaty and delicious. I am officially adding these cookies to my rotation!

Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies
(printable recipe)

1 package (10 oz) mini chocolate chips, divided
2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1/2 cup of softened butter
1 package (8oz) softened cream cheese
1 ½ granulated sugar
1 egg
½ chopped nuts

Preheat the oven to 350°

1. In a saucepan over very low heat, melt 1 cup of chocolate chips

2. In a bowl, mix together flour and baking soda

3. In another bowl, beat butter, cream cheese and sugar until smooth and creamy. Beat in egg until well incorporated. Beat in melted chocolate until well combined. Add flour mixture and mix well. Fold in nuts and chocolate chips.

4. Drop by tablespoons about 2 inches apart onto cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are firm around the edges. Immediate transfer to wire racks to cool.

Makes about 4 dozen

 

A Night of Good Food & Good Times at The Sanctuary in Scottsdale

Heading into it's 13th season the Sanctuary's "Lunch and Learn" series brings together an all-star line-up of both locally and nationally known chefs with Sanctuary's very own Beau MacMillan; to present guests with an evening of culinary enchantment.

This past Saturday I had the pleasure of attending a "Lunch & Learn".  Along with Beau MacMillan the guest Chef was Chef Paul Boehmer of Boehmer Restaurant in Toronto. Two extremely talented chefs in one room, cooking 4 amazing courses; it's definitely a night I will be talking about for a long time. 

We were greeted with flutes of champagne and flavored popcorn as we were led into the striking Views ballroom. Prepare to be dazzled because with floor to ceiling windows, an indoor/outdoor fireplace and a spacious terrace, the Views is much more than just a ballroom.

Following a brief cooking demonstration from Chef Boehmer; where he described the arctic char (our first course) and how to sear it properly, we were served a four-course meal expertly paired with wines courtesy of Southern Wine and Spirits.

The vibe in the room was lively as each course was brought to the table and described in detail by Chefs Boehmer and MacMillan.  Guests were given ample opportunity to pose questions to both the Chefs and the sommelier and to inject their thoughts and feelings on each dish. (all positive of which were positive)

Everything was delicious; from the veal osso bucco with spinach, to the lamp chop with a root vegetable cake. There was even a warm apple gingerbread dessert topped with vanilla ice cream.

For me it was the BBQ quail served atop some chanterelle mushroom barely risotto that knocked my socks off.

Not on the menu, but oh so delicious were the caramel addiction brownie bites from Sherrye's Kitchen...the name says it all.

The evening ended on a silly note with some risque jokes, crazy photos and drinks at the Sanctuary's Jade Bar. A great time had by all and some truly amazing food.

Throwback Thursday: Sponge Cookies

"Throwback Thursday: Taking you back through the past 6 years by highlighting some of my favorite blog posts"

By: The Food Hunter

This sponge cookie recipe has been passed down to me from my grandmother. Never did a Christmas go by without her making these cookies. Decorating them was always a fun family event. As my grandmother would pull them out of the oven there were always a few of us standing by ready to spread the icing and pour on the sprinkles.

This past Sunday I made a batch of sponge cookies; and even though my grandmother is no longer with us I felt close to her that day as I baked and decorated her special treats. Of course I hope she couldn't hear what I was saying as I spilled hot icing all over the stove and dropped the container of red sprinkles on the floor. These are definitely easier to make with help.

Sponge Cookies
(printable recipe)

1 cup Crisco
1 cup sugar 8 eggs
1 Tbs vanilla
4 cups flour
5 tsp baking powder
2 egg whites
1 lb powdered sugar
4 Tbs melted butter


Cream Crisco and gradually add sugar until combined. Add 1 egg at a time and the vanilla. Blend in 2 cups of flour and baking powder (beat well) Add last two cups of flour beating until mixture is stiff.

Drop by heaping teaspoon on greased cookie sheet. Bake 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Glaze cookie with icing when warm not hot.

Glaze
Melt butter over low heat. Add eggs and beat over heat. Mix in powdered sugar until combined.