02 February

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February 18, 2017

Tourin

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Tourin (French Garlic Soup)

tourin soup

February 18: Feast Day of St. Bernadette of Lourdes (France) [also April 16]

As a newly-professed religious brother, Islander’s sibling, K, had to go to France to learn about the 200-year history of his congregation and its founder. Along with his fellow brothers and sisters from all over the world, they met in Bordeaux for an ongoing program of formation to learn about their roles as young missionaries. They were also fortunate to have made a pilgrimage to nearby Lourdes, the hometown of St. Bernadette, who had incredible visions of Mary, the Immaculate Conception, in 1858.

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St. Bernadette’s life story, apparitions and journey to sainthood have been chronicled elsewhere so we are not elaborating here. However, we are providing a peasant’s recipe from the Midi-Pyrénées region where she grew up as a poor girl. Tourin is a French-style soup made of sautéed garlic thickened with a little flour and egg. It is very flavorful for those who love garlic like we do!

So celebrate with simple soup on the Feast Day of St. Bernadette of Lourdes today or on April 16.

Recipe

(Adapted from Southwest Story)

Ingredients

  • 6 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 2 cups water
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 egg, separated
  • 1 teaspoon vinegar
  • croutons (optional garnish)

Directions

Slice the garlic cloves thinly. In a small soup pot, sauté in olive oil over medium low heat until brown (about 5 minutes). Stir in the flour quickly to make a roux. Slowly pour water while constantly stirring and dissolving any clumps of flour. Boil on medium low heat for 20 minutes for the garlic flavor to develop. Season with salt and pepper.

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Meanwhile, separate the white and yolk of the egg. Mix the vinegar with the egg yolk and 2 tablespoons of the boiling soup water. Pour this mixture back into the pot. Stir well. Whisk in the egg white quickly. Allow the soup to thicken for another 5 minutes. Ladle into soup bowls. Garnish with croutons. Serve hot. Yield: 2 servings.

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Notes

  • February 18 is when the locals in Lourdes and traditional congregations in France observe the Feast Day of St. Bernadette. Others celebrate on April 16, the date of her death in 1879.
  • Thanks to Islander’s brother who brought back a bottle of Lourdes water from the grotto’s spring as a souvenir. It is pictured in the final food photo above next to the garlic bulb. Learn more about Lourdes water, St. Bernadette, Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception and the place for pilgrimages from the Sanctuaire Notre-Dame de Lourdes website.
 

February 12, 2017

Lincoln Cake

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Lincoln Cake

lincolncake

February 12: Birthday of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln (1809)

We have been to Washington, D.C., on several occasions for business and pleasure. One of the many monuments we have visited was that of the 16th American president. A huge statue of Abraham Lincoln sits peacefully within his stately national memorial—we hope his expression reflects that we, too, could have peace across the land that he loved.

Speaking of which, here is a cake recipe that Lincoln loved. His wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, supposedly made this almond-flavored confection while they were courting and throughout their marriage. As First Lady, she also made this comforting cake while in the White House. Bake this as a birthday cake in honor of one of America’s most popular presidents—Abraham Lincoln.

Recipe

(Adapted from Parade)

Ingredients

  • 2-3 ounces blanched slivered almonds, finely chopped
  • 4 eggs, separated
  • ½ cup sugar, superfine (caster sugar)
  • ¾ teaspoon almond extract
  • ¼ teaspoon lemon extract
  • ¼ cup flour, sifted

Directions

Chop up the almonds finely to resemble coarse crumbs. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. In another bowl, beat the egg yolks until they are thick with a pale yellow color (about 3-5 minutes).

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Gradually beat in the sugar until blended well. Stir in the almond and lemon extracts. Mix in the almonds.

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Stir in the flour. Fold in about 1/3 of the egg whites into the flour mixture until lightened. Then gradually fold in the rest of the egg whites.

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Pour into an ungreased tube pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool upside down. Carefully remove the cake from the pan. Slice and serve.

lincolncakesteps4

Notes

  • Our final food photo above features lots of Lincoln pennies (unfortunately, we do not have enough five dollar bills!). Look on the back of the penny. Some one-centers have different designs on the back, from the old wheat, Lincoln Memorial and other commemorative bicentennial images to the current Union shield.
  • This cake does not rise as high like an angel food cake. But it is still light, fluffy and delicious for a snack.
  • Search our blog for other patriotic recipes.
 

February 9, 2017

Pizza Bagels

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Pizza Bagels

pizzabagels

February 9: National Bagel Day and National Pizza Day

Highlander’s all-time favorite food is pizza! Our first-ever blog post was for a pizza recipe and we have made mini pizzas (pepperoni and sausage) as well. We have used different crusts for those recipes. But for National Pizza Day today we used thin bagels for the crust because it is also National Bagel Day! Pizza bagels are simple to make and doubly delicious for celebrating both food holidays.

Recipe

Ingredients

  • Bagels (we used thin bagels)
  • 1 small jar pizza sauce (we used Ragu brand)
  • 1 bag shredded pizza cheese
  • 1 package of mini pepperoni slices (we used Hormel brand)

Directions

Cut the bagel in half. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Spread pizza sauce on the bagel halves. Sprinkle the cheese shreds over them.

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Top with mini pepperoni slices. Bake in a preheated oven for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven and cool slightly before eating.

pizzabagelsteps2

Notes

  • The second week in January is National Pizza Week. September 5 is National Cheese Pizza Day. October is National Pizza Month. October 11 is National Sausage Pizza Day. And November 12 is National Pizza With Everything (Except Anchovies) Day.
 

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