The Ardent Epicure

First up, this is my entry for Novembers Your Best Recipe :)
Baked Brie & Cranberry Sauce  Croissants for the recipe.

Your Best Recipe

This is a monthly entry to show off your best...Entries for this month need 

to be submitted by tonight if you have not already done so. It is fast and easy

and here it an quick instruction link YBR. If you missed this month I encourage 

you to show off your best for next month.

Next on my list is the latest 
Quickens Challenge

Any a noodle dish of your choice. 

A main dish, side, dessert or snack. Just be inventive and show some serious food love.
They will choose the most appealing and interesting or unexpected entry to win.

And what do you win? The most amazing cookbook "Quickies Morning Noon & Night"

Entries are open until 12:00 am EST December 14th

You can download this treasure here Chow and Chatter App.

Rebecca is a Registered Dietitian and gives use an on the go, anytime access to the

healthiest and tastiest recipes out there. I am working on begging...I mean working with

Rebecca on featuring a recipe here...you know as an example :)  Stop by Chow and Chatter 

here to get a good feel if you are not already a huge fan, it will just take a few moments.

So help me in sharing and supporting our friends accomplishments,

if they are new friends for you...Then stop over and have fun!

Enjoy~ Alisha-Magic of Spice

What could be better then finding a new Farmers' Market that has certified

organics, as well as a cheese selection like pictured above? Wait I know...
shopping with friends :) My friend Priscilla of She's Cookin' and I spend this
 past Sunday at a local Farmers' Market in New Port Beach. Some of you
may remember that we spent an afternoon awhile back at a different
market that left a bit to be desired.There were some nice finds, but the
selection was limited and not heavy on the organics. This market was just
the opposite, in fact we had several storms that weekend and Sunday was
expected to be the same.Luckily we ended up with clear blue skies later that
morning. But with rain expected a few vendors did not attend, impressive
never the less and I can not wait to see what the full market has to offer.

So let's explore just a bit about my cheese selection from a local vendors
cheese stand at the market. Picnics Fine Foods is a full service catering,
deli and fine foods grocery. Here is a link to their website.

My Artisan cheese selections:


Pierce Point - organic cows milk
Semi-firm with a creamy texture
The cheese is washed in a Muscato wine, rolled in dried
 herbs and grasses then aged for three weeks.
Imparting a delicately complex layer of flavors
The cheese is only produced during the Fall and Winter
 Seasons in California by Cowgirl Creamery


Fromager Des Clarines - cows milk "mountain milk"
Served at room temperature has a thick creamy texture.
Generally served directly in the wood-chip box.
The cheese is aged for about four months and
has deep white truffle flavors and the texture of
thick creamy butter. If you enjoy aged Brie, this is for you.
Produced in France by Jean Perrin

Etude - goat’s milk
A hard firm textured cheese
Aged for about six months and has a surprisingly
smooth milky flavor, mild and nutty with a bit of
a tangy after note.
Produced in California by Andante Dairy

Rondo - goat and cow's milk cheese.
A very soft-ripened cheese with an herbed rind.
At room temperature you can see in the photo above,
the cheese becomes very creamy and soft.
With a full, bright and slightly sharp palate.
Produced in California by Andante Dairy

We found the most amazing selection of local honeys as well.
I did not get an abundance of information on the honeys produced,
but the selection was quite large. There were two selections that
really caught our attention~ Avocado Honey and the Buckwheat...
 Bee Ladies Local Honey - justpeachybees@hotmail.com
If you are local to Orange County California or near by, you may
want to contact them for information on these unique and tasty honeys. 

And of course some gorgeous vegetables worth the trip themselves.
These gorgeous heirloom carrots straight from the ground (mud and all).
The photo does not do their striking and vibrant colors justice, and will
surely liven up any salad or dish they grace. And sitting in the very next bin,
pea shoots or pea greens. Have you ever tried them? They are a lovely
addition raw and added to a crisp salad. They can also be lightly sautéed
or just wilted with a splash of fresh citrus and your favorite spices.
They are also loaded with carotenes, antioxidants and vitamin k.

But the very best thing about a foodie day with a friend?
You can share...giving you the ability to try out many new items
with out worry of waste. Just load em up, then split em up :)
The Newport Beach Farmers' Market

And if you missed our Guest Post with Spicie Foodie and her new cookbook see it here.

We have a special guest here today on The Ardent Epicure...

Please join us in welcoming our most lovely friend Nancy. Nancy is

the author of Spicie Foodie the blog as well as her new cookbook

An Epiphany of the Senses. She will be sharing with us today one of

the beautiful recipes featured in her cookbook and tell us a little bit more

about the book itself...so sit back and enjoy~ 

An Epiphany of the Senses

If you have yet to try Forbidden Rice you are really missing something...
The rice was introduced into the United States in 1995 by Lotus Foods.
The rice is grown organically on small family farms in China and can be purchased
on line or in most health food stores. Although it is a bit difficult to tell in the photo,
once cooked the rice has a deep rich purple color.
This heirloom rice is prized for both it's exotic nutty flavor as well as its
medicinal characteristics. Boasting  a high concentration of antioxidants know as
anthocyanins  as well as a higher lever of various vitamins and minerals.
Now for me, anything that tells me there is an anti ageing benefit...well hey!
But the main attraction is the flavor, with little or no flavor enhancements,
it is just plain delicious ;)

For the salad
1 cup forbidden rice, cooked
1-2 tablespoons organic lentils, sprouted
(or a sprout mix)
1 head frisée (curly endive)
Garnish with carrot shavings, radish sprouts and pea sprouts

And a bit of Greek feta or other cheese

Let's get cooking:
Cook rice according to package instructions.
Ratio= 1 cup rice to 1 3/4 cup water
This will yield 3 cups cooked rice
About 10 minutes before your rice is done,
add sprouts to your rice. Continue to simmer covered until done.
Once your rice is done, add a small amount of oil and fluff.
Mixed sprouts I used are primarely lentil , garbanzo, split pea and adzuki.
Allow your rice to cool to room temperature,
 then arrange your salad.
as desired

I used pistachio oil
Sparling wine
Orange/Mango juice
Fresh thyme and sage, finely chopped
1 garlic bulb, minced
*Note: I used a 3 to 1 ratio, however I replaced vinegar
with juice and sparkling wine

Baked Brie Croissants with Cranberry 
Sauce and Awards

There are a few awards here today, and as many of you know
 Awards=Desserts :)
This is such an easy but delightful dessert...Or breakfast even ;)
I actually am insane over Baked Brie and I have served them loaded
with sautéed mushrooms or fresh garden herbs, but never fruit??? Well
it all started with an innocent shopping trip. I was just minding my own business
trying to hurry past the cheese case...when there they were, these perfectly
adorable mini wheels of baby Brie. I instantly thought of my fresh cranberries
 I already had waiting at home, then thoughts of baked Brie filled my mind.
I can't help it, really I was born this way :) And if you have never made your
own cranberry sauce, you really must and it is so easy...

For the cranberry sauce
1/2 cup black cherry juice, or other juice
1/2 cup water
1 cup raw sugar
12 ounces fresh whole cranberries
A dash of nutmeg and cinnamon, ground
Small sauce pan

For the Brie
4 mini brie wheels
2 sheets prepared puff pastry
A sprinkle of brown sugar
A small pat of butter for each, melted
Lined baking sheet

Let's get baking:
For the cranberry sauce
Place juice, water and sugar in your sauce pan.
Cook on medium/high heat until sugar has completely melted.
Add additional spices, stir until incorporated.
Add cranberries and reduce the heat just a bit, stir occasionally.
Continue to cook for about 10 minutes or so, until cranberries split
and sauce begins to thicken just a bit. Place in a bowl and refrigerate
until completely cool and thickened.

For baked brie croissants:
Prepare your puff pastry dough as instructed by the label.
With a sharp knife, remove just the very top rind of each wheel of brie.
Cover each brie top with chilled cranberry sauce.
Working on a piece of parchment paper, lay out one section of your
 puff pastry dough. Place brie wheel rind side down on dough section.
Fold dough up sides until just reaching the edge with a slight overlap.
Place additional dough section over the top and lightly press to bottom edge.
Place on lined baking sheet then cover tops with a bit of melted butter
and a sprinkle of brown sugar. *See photo above
Bake in a 350 (F) degree oven for about 20 minutes,
or until just golden and flaky.

We have a few more awards to share with you here today :)
I am going in the order received, and as previously established
with No Rules attached... We will be sharing these awards with fellow
bloggers that we enjoy for various reasons. Many sites has stunning
photography, recipes and/or wonderful stories to brighten our days.
But there is something else they all share, and that is Spirit.
They share their warmth and support for their fellow bloggers in
many delightful ways. So here we would like to continue this.

Fimer is the author of a most amazing site  Aux délices des gourmets
I am sure many if not all of you are already acquainted. The site is in French 
and is the epitome of food as art. Every recipe unfolds with a brilliance and
mouthwatering experience, a most definite delight for the senses. Please stop
by and take a look for yourself, you will leave most happy that you did :)
Fimer, nous remercions vous donc beaucoup pour ce prix 
Thank you,
Alisha, Adam and Grely

Elizabeth is the author of  Food and Thrift Finds
First and foremost Elizabeth is a genuinely delightful lady...
Every post if filled with love and enthusiasm, plus some seriously great food.
She does some amazing flavor packed veggie dishes, and we know how I like that.
Plus, she collects some amazing goodies that she finds in various Thrift Shops...
and takes up shopping with her too :) Again, I know many of you already know her
but for any of you that do not...just pop on over and have a great time :)
Elizabeth we thank you so much for honoring us with this award...
Alisha, Adam and Grely

Please take a moment to stop by, they are all wonderful blogs and blog owners :)

Enjoy~  Alisha-Magic of Spice


This recipe is being entered into Novembers YBR
on Spicie Foodie...

This soup is a fall favorite here in The Ardent Epicure kitchen...
Talk about some serious comfort food...Rich, warm and fragrant.
This is a vegetarian version but can easily be adapted to vegan :)

What you will need:
2 pounds of dried beans
1/2 cup pearl barley
4-6 large whole chipotle chilies, dried
2 tablespoons or so molasses, agave or honey
4 white tea bags
1 cup white wine, optional
6-8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
A mirepoix

2 crockpots or slow cookers
(you can 1/2 ingredients for less soup)

Let's get cooking:
Soak beans overnight in a large bowl with water covering
 beans to at least an inch above. Rinse beans thoroughly.
Sauté mirepoix (onions, celery & carrots chopped) in
a bit of olive oil until onions are just translucent.
Split all ingredients between the two crockpots and
cook on medium hight to high for about 12 hours.
Note: You can use large soup posts if and adjust the
cooking time until beans are tender...

Garnish with grated cheese and serve with crusty bread

Now on to a few treats that I received during a couple of give aways...

We will start with some lovely organic spice mixes from Blessed Botanicals.

I received this great gift through a giveaway held by Sommer on
her lovely site A Spicy Perspective. Thank you again Sommer...

I received five different varieties to try out and used two of these blends
here in our soup. The other varieties I received included  Salt of the Earth,
Farm House Rub and Lazy River Rub :) The site also carries a wonderful
collection of loose teas that sound delightful. So stop over and check them out.

I also received some lovely treats from Ritual Waters.
Now although these are not to be put in our soup, they most
definitely qualify as treats :) These lovelies were my prize from
another giveaway held by Christiane of The Mom Chef.
I chose the Rosemary Lemon-grass Soap and I received two
additional surprises  Hazelnut Lip Balm and Citrus Spice Lotion Balm.
You will find a beautiful of natural Handmade Herbal Soaps
along with several other bath and body products.
Thank you again Christiane I absolutely love them :)

Coming up we will have more Awards to share~
Along with another treat I have received in the form of a CSN gift certificate. 

I know what your thinking...Who is she paying off and just how much ;)

Enjoy~ Alisha-Magic of Spice


This will be entered into Friday Potluck on our darling Ekat's Kitchen 

Vanilla Custard with Pomegranate 
Molasses and Awards

The recipe I will be sharing with you today is flavor wise, based on a classic

Crème brûlée. However we needed a bit thicker of a custard base, so we

will just be calling our dessert Vanilla Custard. Why? Simple, if we were

to serve a lovely Crème brûlée with a hot Pomegranate Molasses....

We would have soup, I am sure a delicious soup but soup non the less.

So for our dessert today, we are looking to pair a rich creamy custard
with hard caramel topping and a sweet, slightly tangy sauce. 

A custard, if you are not already familiar, is a process of thickening
cream or milk with egg yolk. Custard bases are used in a variety of dishes
from sweet desert sauces to savory quiches. Although there are a variety of
preparations used to create a custard, one basic standard is generally upheld.
This standard involves a slow and imperative technique of gradually cooking the
ingredients to ovoid curdling.


What you will need:
4 large egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream
1-2 vanilla beans, split
1/4 cup raw sugar
4 ramekins
Hot water for bath
Culinary torch
4 tablespoons raw sugar for topping
Pomegranate Molasses recipe here


Let's get cooking:
In a saucepan add cream, vanilla beans and sugar.
Over a medium low heat slowly bring mixture to a low boil.
Whisking your mixture constantly, cook for about 5 minutes
making sure the sugar is completely dissolved.
Remove your mixture from the heat source and allow
to cool to room temperature....
Whisk or stir several times while cooling.
Place egg yolks in a mixing bowl and mix throughly
until completely blended. * Avoid mixing too briskly
as not to develop a foam, gently blend instead.

While your cream mixture is cooling pre-heat your oven to 300 degrees F.
Then prepare a high rimmed baking dish by placing a paper towel
or small kitchen town neatly lining the bottom of the pan.

Now that your cream mixture has cooled, slowly pour into the bowl
with your egg yolks. Stirring constantly until fully incorporated.
Strain your mixture through a fine sieve into another mixing bowl.
Pour even amounts of mixture into each ramekin and place in baking dish.
 Carefully pour enough hot water in the baking dish
to reach half way up the ramekin sides.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until set, but still jiggle in the center.
Remove from the oven and allow to stand until slightly cooled
then remove from the pan. Now allow these to sit to room temperature.
Then chill three hours to overnight.

Prior to serving remove the custards from refrigeration and
allow to stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
Then place about 1 tablespoon of raw sugar on top of each.
Spread the sugar evenly over each surface and caramelize using
your torch. This can also be done in a broiler for 3-5 minutes.
*Note: if using a broiler watch carefully and do not place them to
close to the flame.

Serve each custard with a small bowl of hot Pomegranate Molasses.

The Awards
We received a few awards late last month and will be presenting them here today.
These awards will be passed on to several other bloggers that we enjoy ourselves.
A couple words about the awards before we start. As in our last awards post...
These will be passed on with No Rules.

From Nadji
These lovely awards were passed on by our dear Nadji.
 Her blog Saveurs et Gourmandises, this is not only one of my very
most favorite sights, but an instant delight for anyone stopping by...
Her dishes are executed brilliantly and with a great deal of passion.
The photographs and presentations are always exquisite...
The site is in French so I would like to add her original message
 with the Awards translated below.


"Let's start the holidays by a distribution of prizes throughout the world and 
also returned through a blogosphere ever larger and more varied, thereby 
broadening our world view and another. A blogosphere where contacts are
 becoming easier, an area without visas or residence permits, 
a place where everyone finds his place.
A space where, for a while, we forget the economic crisis, unemployment 
and all that is wrong. A place where relationships are based on sharing and
 generosity exchange recipes and gifts, real or virtual."

So here today we are most honored to accept these awards from a
beautiful and generous friend Nadji. We would now like to extent these
awards to a few of our favorite international sites....



From Leanne

This next award was presented to us by Leanne of  My Little Sweet House.
Her blog originates from Australia and let's just say that the term "Sweet" is point on.
She never fails to whip up the most delightful of confections and treats, and some
delightful comfort foods to boot...I have had the opportunity to get to know her a
bit better recently via email, and I can assure you she is such a sweet lady.
If you are already not acquainted, please stop by...your in for several treats :)

Here we would like to pay it forward to a few of more of our favorites...
Again these sites and people provide us with delicious dishes, photography
and wonderful stories. These are also a few of my favorite people out in our
beautiful blogging world. They as well as the international sites I have mentioned,
show kindness, support and respect to those around them....

Enjoy~ Magic of Spice - Alisha