Here is a picture of our cat Maggie ringing it in the right way. May your new year be full of relaxing in the sun…
Cheers! Cranberry-Apple Crisp
December 28, 2006 By Leave a Comment
A recipe from my daughter Morgan. She is always coming up with something fun to try in the kitchen. Growing up, she would say she had the best dishes for a college student and now for a 26 year old…The green bowl is her “popcorn bowl” from when she went to the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and the two little ones are part of the set we designed epically for her last year.
Enjoy!
Morgan’s Cranberry-Apple Crisp
- First, put 1 cup of fresh cranberries, one cup of water and ¼ cup of sugar in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.
- While the cranberries are coming to a boil, peal and chop up 4-5 apples. I prefer Honeycrisp (they are Minnesotan) but any apple you like is fine.
- The put the apples in a big baking bowl (preferably a Clay Coyote bowl – they are oven safe you know) and sprinkle with ¼ cup sugar, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and a squirt of lime juice if you have it.
- When the berries have boiled (they will look a bit like mush – that’s ok) drain off the juice and pour the berries in with the apple mixture. Fold the apples and the berries together.
- Then in a separate bowl (I must confess on this one I used a Mel Jacobson bowl) combine together 1 ½ cup rolled oats, 2 table spoons flour, 1 table spoon cinnamon, ¼ cup sugar, and 3/4 stick of room temperature butter. Pour the mixture over the fruit and place in the oven at 350 for 50-60 minutes.
When you are all done, it should look like this:
What the heck's a Cassole?
December 27, 2006 By Leave a Comment
Last year we were approached by Paula Wolfert (she had used several of our pots in the past) to see if we could make a cassole similar to one she had bought in France years ago. She was updating her famous book “The Cooking of SW France” and needed a pot large enough to hold the whole cassoulet recipe (over 5 quarts) and shaped to properly bake this wonderful dish.
So here it is….about 13 inches across the rim, 2 handles and about 7 inches tall. It’s a big pot! 
And it just about matches Paula’s original which is on the cover of the book. Which you can order through Amazon.
Exclusively from the Clay Coyote Pottery: Chicken Baker
November 27, 2006 By 2 Comments
Our new Chicken Baker is an improvement on the recipe for “Beer Can Chicken” you may have heard of. This pot is an improvement since you simply put the liquid….beer, lemonade, herbed water….in the center cup, and then slip the chicken (a 3 to 4 lb. fryer) over the cup. Rub a bit of olive oil and seasoning on the skin and bake uncovered for about 1-1/2 hours at 350 deg F. Set on the table and carve off the most moist, succulent chicken you’ll ever have…with just a hint of the flavoring of the liquid in the cup.
Now you’re going to be famous for your chicken, too!
Now you’re going to be famous for your chicken, too!
Make your own Vinegar
November 15, 2006 By Leave a Comment
It is all the rage! Crafting your own vinegar from leftover wine will provide you with the finest vinegars you can use. Paula Wolfert approached us recently about making crocks for the home brewing of vinegar and wrote an article about it for ‘Food & Wine’ magazine. She found homemade vinegars made a huge difference in cooking, from subtle amounts that bring flavors alive, to dressings where the vinegar is the key player.
The Clay Coyote vinegar crock is designed to Paula’s specifications, holding about a gallon, with the spigot a few inches above the bottom. Ultimately this space is for the residual ‘mother’ that forms. Of course, the crock could also be used for other liquids.
Our crocks hold about a gallon (don’t have to fill it to start out) and feature a wood spigot. The initial startup will take some 2-1/2 months, but from then on it can be used at any time. You’ll need a starter (we recommend Mark Larrow’s at http://www.beer-winemaking.com/) although others are available on the internet or your local beer/wine home-brewing store may carry them.
For a great article on brewing your own vinegar, see this article (copyrighted) from Sunset Magazine, October 2008. /SunsetMagazine_Vinegar.pdf Also see their vinegar blog at Sunset Magazine Team Vinegar.
