Creamy Bean Soup with Ham

Creamy Bean Soup with Ham 

Karri Perry| Blue Ribbon Favorites 

Ingredients: 

2 Tbs olive oil

1 medium yellow or Vidalia onion peeled and chopped (medium dice)

2 cloves garlic minced

2 cups fresh carrots-peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces

1Tbs tomato paste 

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp smoked paprika 

1 tsp dried ground thyme

2 cups sliced ham-1 inch pieces

4 cups water 

1 ham bone or ham hock

3/4 cup half and half or cream

3-13 ounce cans of Northern White Beans (or use Cannellini, Butter Beans or White Kidney Beans) -your choice you can drain or not drain the beans-either way works.

Directions 

In a large heavy bottomed pot or Dutch oven, sauté the onion in the olive oil over medium heat. Sauté for 3-5 minutes until onion softens.

Add garlic and tomato paste.  Stir for 2 minutes, then add the chopped carrots, and spices (pepper, thyme, smoked paprika).

To the pot add 2 cups of sliced ham-cut into 1-inch pieces.

Add 4 cups of water.

Add the beans.

Add the ham bone. 

Simmer over low heat for 1-2 hours-the longer you simmer the soup the more tender the vegetables and the flavors build.

After 2 hours-remove and discard the ham bone.

To the pot add the half and half.

Simmer on low until ready to serve.  

Taste for salt, often the ham is salty, and imparts those flavors and the soup will often not require additional salt.

Serve with crusty bread, or crackers.

Marbled a pound Cake

 

Vanilla & Chocolate Marbled Pound Cake

Karri Perry|Blue Ribbon Favorites 

Makes one large Bundt cake; serves 12-16

Ingredients:

3 sticks unsalted butter-softened

3 cups granulated sugar

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

6 large eggs-room temperature 

1 8-ounce package cream cheese (softened)

3 cups cake flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon bourbon 

—

3 teaspoons dark cocoa powder

1 4-ounce semi-sweet baking chocolate bar (melted)

2 Tablespoons very hot water 

Ganache:

3/4 cups heavy cream

1 cup (generously measured) chocolate chips-either milk chocolate or semisweet.

Ganache can be made ahead. Warm the cream to very hot-but not boiling in the microwave. Carefully add the chocolate chips, gently stir until all chocolate is fully melted. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of bowl. Ganache will be shiny and glossy. After ganache has cooled for 30 minutes-refrigerate and ganache will become thick and fudge-like as it cools.

Directions for Cake:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Middle oven rack

Important: Grease and flour tube or bundt pan, set aside.

Cream the softened butter and sugar together for 2 -4 minutes, add the softened cream cheese. Mix until light and fluffy. Scrape side of bowl as needed. Add the oil.

Add the eggs one at a time, incorporate each egg before adding the next. Mix batter for 2-3 minutes on medium speed, until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and bourbon, mix to combine.

Gently add the cake flour and salt. Mix until just combined. 

Using a dry measuring cup, reserve 3 generous cups of plain vanilla flavored batter. Place in a medium bowl. Set aside. (This will become the chocolate batter)

Break the chocolate into small chunks. Place the chocolate in a small microwave safe bowl and microwave at 30 second intervals, stir in between each of the 30 seconds, until melted. (Takes about 1-2 minutes usually)

Once melted add the cocoa powder to the melted chocolate and stir.

Add the chocolate mixture to the reserved batter, gently fold in the chocolate-until it’s uniform in color. Add two Tablespoons of very hot water to the chocolate batter-this will loosen the batter-making it spreadable.

In the greased bundt or tube pan, add alternating large dollops (about 1/2 cup-sized) of chocolate and vanilla batter.  The process of adding the batter together does not need to be symmetrical or especially neat-because we will swirl them together in the next step.

Transfer all of the batter (both the chocolate and vanilla) into the prepared loaf pan.  

Use a long wooden skewer or the thin blade of a butter knife to swirl the batter inside the pan. Make a few passes from one end of the pan to the other to swirl. 

Begin by baking the cake for 1 hour on the middle rack of a preheated 325 degree oven. After 1 hour, gently place a piece of aluminum foil on top of the cake to prevent over browning. Simply lay the foil on top of the cake.

Continue to bake the cake for an additional 45-55 minutes longer-until a tooth pick comes out cleanly from the center-showing no wet batter. (Total bake time is typically 1 hour and 50 minutes.)

Remove cake from the oven, let rest for 5-10 minutes in the pan.

Turn cake out onto a cooling rack. Allow cake to cool to room temperature before glazing with chocolate ganache.

Add ganache to the cake, drizzle from a few inches above the cake. Reserve extra ganache if any, to serve with cake slices. Enjoy.