Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove Cookbook (7 page)
Read Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove Cookbook Online
Authors: Debbie Macomber
M
ade in August, this soup highlights the sweetness of just picked fresh corn. But it’s still good made other times of the year using a 16-ounce bag of frozen corn.
Serves 4
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion or 2 shallots, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried whole thyme or 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
Salt and pepper
3½ cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
4 medium boiling potatoes, such as Yukon Gold, unpeeled and diced
5 ears corn, kernels scraped off
2 medium beefsteak tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar Sour cream and chopped fresh tarragon, for garnish
1.
Melt butter in medium saucepan or soup pot over medium heat. Add onion; cook 5 minutes, stirring often. Add garlic, thyme, salt and pepper; cook 1 minute, stirring. Add broth and 1 ½ cups water; bring to a simmer.
2.
Add potatoes to simmering broth; cook 20 minutes, until cooked through. Stir in corn kernels and tomatoes; cook 15 minutes.
3.
Remove from heat; stir in vinegar. Garnish servings with sour cream and tarragon.
TIP
Substitute always-available cherry tomatoes in the winter months, when beefsteak tomatoes aren’t available.
T
his classic soup is made easy by using a precooked rotisserie chicken. You’ll need one small roasted chicken for the soup.
Serves 6
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and very thinly sliced
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried whole thyme
8 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 cups shredded meat from a purchased rotisserie chicken
3 ounces wide egg noodles (about 1 cup dry)
¾ cup frozen peas (about half of a 10-ounce box)
Salt and pepper
Chopped fresh parsley leaves, for garnish
1.
Warm oil in a large saucepan or soup pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery and thyme; cook 8 minutes, until softened, stirring occasionally. Pour in broth, shredded chicken and about 2 cups water. Bring to a simmer; let cook 5 minutes, until vegetables are tender and flavors combine.
2.
Add noodles and peas; cook about 8 minutes, until noodles are tender. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with parsley.
TIP
Because the recipe calls for a large amount of chicken broth, use the reduced-sodium variety.
M
aking wontons is a fun activity for the whole family. Look for dumpling skins (sometimes called wonton wrappers) in the refrigerated section of your supermarket or at Asian markets.
Serves 4
WONTONS
1 head baby bok choy, coarsely chopped, stems and leaves separated
2
/
3
pound ground pork
2 scallions, minced
1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon rice-wine vinegar
36 dumpling skins or wonton wrappers
SOUP
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 scallions, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
6 ounces snow peas, trimmed
Asian sesame oil
1.
Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add salt and bok choy stems; cook 1 minute. Add bok choy leaves; cook 1 minute. Drain; run under cold water to stop cooking. Transfer bok choy to a cutting board; press with a clean dishcloth to squeeze dry. Coarsely chop.
2.
In a large bowl, combine bok choy, pork, scallions, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and vinegar until combined.
3.
Place one wonton wrapper on the countertop. Spoon about 2 teaspoons of the filling in the center of dumpling. Dip your finger in a bowl of warm water and moisten the edges of the dumpling. Fold the wrapper over the filling to make a half-moon shape, pressing the wet sides together to seal. Gently bend dumpling to make the classic crescent shape (this looks sort of like a nurse’s cap). Repeat until all dumplings are finished, storing finished dumplings on a baking sheet under a damp dish towel to keep them from drying out.
4.
For soup: In a medium saucepan, combine broth, scallions, garlic and 4 cups of water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add wontons and snow peas and simmer, until filling is just cooked through, about 5 minutes. The dumplings will rise to the top when done.
5.
Ladle the soup into serving bowls; garnish with a dash of sesame oil.
TIP
If baby bok choy is unavailable, regular-sized bok choy is a fine substitute.
at
6
RAINIER DRIVE
and the
VICTORIAN TEA ROOM
with
Justine Gunderson
I
f it wasn’t for Justine I probably wouldn’t have assembled all these recipes. My granddaughter asked me to compile my favorites when she decided to open the Victorian Tea Room. Needless to say, I was honored by her request.
As any grandmother does, I cherish my grandchildren. However there’s a unique bond between my only granddaughter and me. Tragedy struck Justine’s life early when her twin brother, Jordan, drowned. I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that Jordan’s death changed her life forever. It affected all of us, but it touched her more deeply than anyone else. That stands to reason, of course, since they were so close—and because she was with him when it happened.
I didn’t mean to start this chapter with such sad thoughts, especially since my granddaughter’s experienced so many positive changes in the past few years. The day she married Seth Gunderson was surely one of the happiest of her life—her mother’s and mine, too.
Justine and Seth are well suited and have a solid marriage. I don’t mean to suggest that everything’s gone smoothly for them because I know it hasn’t. But they’ve worked out their problems, some of them caused (
deliberately
caused!) by a former boyfriend of Justine’s.
The tea room has replaced The Lighthouse, the restaurant Seth and Justine used to own and which they lost to arson. They’d worked long and hard to make it
the success it quickly became. There
are
other restaurants in town (even if they aren’t quite as elegant as the Lighthouse) but the tea room is one of a kind. The moment she mentioned it, I knew this was exactly what Cedar Cove needed. And now the Victorian Tea Room is thriving.
I hate to say it, but the Lighthouse was perhaps
too
successful, and I suspect that contributed to their marital woes. Justine’s hours are a lot more reasonable these days, which is a good thing, considering that they have a family (which is about to grow in size).
Justine took my advice about the menu and has included a selection of savory dishes, like a delicious Broccoli Quiche with Ham and Gruyere, and desserts as well. The Chocolate Chip and Pecan Cookies are Sheriff Troy Davis’s all-time favorite. His late wife, Sandy (God rest her soul), gave me that recipe years ago. Justine has much to thank Sheriff Davis for, and I believe she put these cookies on the afternoon tea menu specifically as a tribute to him.
And then there’s the Pumpkin Tea Cake, which I promise will melt in your mouth. You won’t be surprised to learn that this recipe’s from Peggy Beldon who serves it at the B & B she and her husband run. I’m sure her secret is the pumpkins she grows in her huge garden. I’ve never gone to the trouble Peggy does; I use canned pumpkin instead and in my humble opinion it’s
almost
as good.
A word of advice about the Super Fudge Brownies. If you’re watching your sugar, as so many of us must now, these should be saved for a special occasion. On second thought, a Friday afternoon or Sunday morning might be considered special enough. Justine recently told me that chocolate should be considered its own food group and I agree with her.
Of course, it’s practically mandatory for a tea room to serve scones. The Honey-Walnut Scones are the ones I like best. I can’t recall where I got the recipe; all I can say is that everyone loves these whenever I bake them. The Cheese and Herb variation scones are equally good, whether you serve them with breakfast, tea or brunch.
I know you’ll enjoy reading these recipes—and they’ll whet your appetite for lunch or an afternoon snack at the tea room. Make sure you tell Justine I sent you!