Glenbrooke News » Andrea Charroin

Had Enough Heat? Savor Zucchini’s Salad Days

Andrea Charroin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 07:01:21 +0000

by Andrea Charroin There is no question that summer in the North State is here! While we wilt in the heat, we can bask in the glory of our incredible summer growing season. Visit our local farmers markets and you will certainly feel inspired to build your meals to accommodate the local bounty. I love summer for the fresh vegetables and fruits, particularly zucchini, tomatoes, melons, and berries. I love this salad for its simplicity, freshness, and versatility. If by chance there are any leftovers; I toss them in with a little prepared couscous and add chopped fresh peppers and cucumber.

Zucchini Salad

1 pound zucchini sliced paper thin or grated
Juice of 1 lemon, or more to taste
2 garlic cloves crushed and chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 to 3 tablespoons of fresh basil

Toss the zucchini with lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate about 8 hours, or overnight. Chop the fresh herbs and mix in just before serving. Serve with a lovely Sauvigon Blanc. On the side, add a few sliced tomatoes, a perfect baguette with a little chevre cheese, and the perfect summer easy dinner is complete!

Enjoy!

Andrea Charroin was a trained baker and pastry chef in San Francisco before she and her family moved to Redding 11 years ago. After falling in love with Redding’s downtown, Andrea and husband Westley opened a little pastry shop, Rene-Joule Patisserie, across from the Cascade Theatre. For the three years Rene-Joule was in business, it was renowned for making everything from scratch, using the best ingredients and keeping with a seasonal menu. To this day, Andrea is asked about her Marathon Bars, Orange Twists and sourdough bread.

Reprinted with permission from author.

Andrea’s Best Sugar Cookies

Andrea Charroin — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 08:20:27 +0000

Andrea’s Best Sugar Cookies

1 stick of butter (half a cup)
3/4 cup sugar
2 vanilla beans
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Decorative sugar. (I use a mixture of green, red, and white for Christmas. I also prefer the larger granulated sugars, looks prettier and holds up better during baking.)

In a bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. With a knife halve vanilla beans lengthwise. Using the back side of a knife, scrape seeds into butter sugar mixture. Beat in egg and vanilla extract until well combined. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into mixture and beat until just combined.
On a large sheet of parchment or wax paper form dough into a 10-by-2-inch log. Chill dough until firm. (I like to chill mine overnight to really get a fantastic vanilla flavor.)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Place decorative sugar on a platter. Remove paper from cookie dough and roll log in sugar. Cut log crosswise into 1/4 thick slices. Roll in more sugar after slicing if necessary. Arrange cookie slices 1/2 inch apart on parchment lined baking sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until edges are golden. Please let cookies cool before enjoying to avoid scalding the roof of your mouth.
This recipe is also perfect for rolling out into your favorite holiday shape.

Reprinted with permission from Anewscafe.com.

BBQ Pork Sandwiches

Andrea Charroin — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:14:40 +0000

During the hustle and bustle of our week with school, meetings, doctor appointments, jiu-jitsu classes, music practice and just normal daily running around, dinner can be an afterthought. Time to dust off the slow cooker. What can be more comforting while in the mist of a crazy day than the knowledge of dinner cooking at home? I love walking through the front door and having the scent of dinner greeting me. All I have to do is set the table and maybe make a side veggie. Easy. I sometimes take a recipe that is just designed for the oven or stove and with wild abandon toss it in my slow cooker. Recently while we were visiting my mother in Huntington Beach, she made barbecue sandwiches. The recipe came from Paula Deen, that gray-haired hoot on the Food Network that puts my butter use to shame. I have never used any of Paula’s recipes, so I was curious as to how the sandwiches were going to turn out, and most importantly, if my kids were going to like them. Turns out the recipe is a hit, only my mom was at the stove for a while. I thought this would be one of those perfect meals for a busy fall evening. I made some of my own changes to suit the slow cooker and my personal taste. I love the flavor of the rub that I frequently use . Now it’s one of our favorite slow cooker recipes. The night before I make a batch of dough for sandwich rolls, and with some baked beans and veggies, dinner is a breeze.

Recipe adapted from Paula Deens’ BBQ Pork Sandwich

Print This Recipe

BBQ Pork Sandwich

Dry rub:
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons black pepper
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons paprika
1/2 tablespoon cayenne

4 pound shoulder pork roast
2 cups apple juice
1 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
6 soft hamburger buns

Directions

Mix the dry rub ingredients in small bowl. Sprinkle rub all over the pork roast, pressing into the pork. Cover with plastic and refrigerate overnight. If you forget to do this, it really is no biggie, the meat still turns out fantastic.

Combine liquid ingredients and the garlic powder in a medium bowl and pour into slow cooker. Cook on low for about 11 hours hours or high heat for about 5 hours.

Shred the pork with a fork or tongs into bite-size pieces.

Serve on hamburger buns topped with barbecue sauce.

Back to Classic coffee cake

Andrea Charroin — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:08:53 +0000

Sometimes it is easy to forget about the classics. We get enamored with all the bells and whistles that come with the arrival of the next big thing. This happens with cars, fashion, houses, and even food.

I am frequently told, “I can’t bake.”

Well, I beg to differ. I always suggest that we start with the basics, or really the classics, to get a feel of how things are done. Form a good base of knowledge, and then build from there.

Today I am sharing one of the easiest recipes for a new baker: Classic Coffee Cake. Funny thing is, this has always been my go-to recipe for this brunch favorite.

Add berries if you like, but what makes this coffee cake so good is its enduring, classic taste and look.

Classic Coffee Cake

For the cake

1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 1/2 cup sour cream

For the topping

3 cups flour

1 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cinnamon

3 sticks of room temperature butter

In a medium sized bowl combine all the ingredients. Working with your fingers, mix the butter and sugar until large clumps form. Set aside.

To make the cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare 9-inch by 13-inch baking pan by buttering it.

Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl and mix again, assuring that the butter and sugar are incorporated. Add eggs one at a time, making sure that they are fully mixed in before adding the next egg. Add vanilla extract. Next add half the flour mixture, mix, and then add all of the sour cream, ending with the remaining flour. Mix until everything is nicely combined.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Smooth out with a spatula. Sprinkle the topping over the batter. Bake for about 40 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
Dust with powdered sugar and serve!

Enjoy!

Truly amazing Peanut Butter Cookies

Andrea Charroin — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 13:00:23 +0000

Truly Amazing Peanut Butter Cookies

2 ½ cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

2 sticks unsalted butter-room temperature

1 cup peanut butter-your preference chunky or smooth (natural won’t make a good cookie)

1 cup brown sugar

¾ sugar

2 eggs

1 ½ cups chopped salted peanuts

An additional ½ cup sugar for rolling

Oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together the flour, nutmeg, baking soda, and baking powder in mixing bowl.

In a separate mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugars until smooth and creamy. Add peanut butter and mix until incorporated. Add eggs one at a time, beating until each addition is mixed in, about 1 minute. Scrape down the bowl and on low speed add the flour mixture. Mix in the chopped peanuts.

Scoop dough into desired size and roll into a ball. Drop ball into the rolling sugar and coat.

Place on baking sheets with about 2 inches of space between each cookie.

Dip the tines of a fork into the sugar and press the tines against each cookie. You should have a flattened round of dough with a criss-cross indentation.

Bake for about 12-15 minutes, or until the cookies are a lovely light golden brown. Remember to cool the cookies before popping one in your mouth, which can be quite the challenge!

Enjoy!

Andrea Charroin was a trained baker and pastry chef in San Francisco before she, her husband Westley, and their two sons moved to Redding. They fell in love with Redding’s downtown and opened a little pastry shop, Rene-Joule Patisserie. See more of her great creations in the Food section and in her blog at www.anewscafe.com. Used with permission.