As promised, I went to Barne's and Noble and picked up a copy of the February issue of Cook's Illustrated. (You wait, 6 months from now I will come across the copy from my mailed subscription!) After reading their work and recipe on improvements to Jim Lahey's version, I now understand my cousin's comment, discussing the use of beer.
I 'get' this, and Cook's discussion, and unknowingly made similarly directed changes from my first attempt with no knead recipes. I have three comments that are my personal changes, and remind you that that recipes are only meant to be guidelines. From the start, I used buttermilk as part of the liquid in the Lahey and Hertzberg/Francois recipes. So I have always been achieving the yeasty,sour/tart flavor to my bread. I understand what Cook's is trying to achieve and say, beer & vinegar or buttermilk, the news is all good. I am going to try the beer/vinegar method however, just using the Hetrzberg/Francois method which somehow seems easier to me in terms of timing and the flexibility in refrigeration, extended length of the uncooked dough and the longer shelf life of the baked product.
A second change I made from the beginning was to add a little bit of sugar to the yeast mixture. One teaspoonful has always been my standard, and sometimes I have used honey rather than granulated sugar. Yeast likes to eat.
The final change I made come from reading Shirley Corriher's bread making technique. In the beginning, when the yeast and wets are mixed, rather than immediately adding the flour, etc... I let the wet yeast mixture sit on the counter for 15 minutes to an hour. Everything that is in the air that could cause the yeast to develop complexity floats in and is locked into the flavor of the final bread product. So if you have the time, let that wet sponge mixture 'hang out' for a bit before you add the flour.
This week, I tried another of the master dough recipes in the Hertzberg/Francois book (Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day), the European Peasant Bread. This recipe includes a portion of rye flour and whole wheat flour in the total flour amount. I must say the results are tres bien. The outer surface of the bread is crusty and yet the inside is nice and soft, with a great billowy crumb and very rich, nutty flavor. I might just try it again (when I use up my 4 loaf dough in the refrigerator) and play around with a bit of beer in the wet ingredients. The 4 loaf output from the Hertzberg/Francois method is another advantage for me. I can create 4 loaves from one dough recipe (6 cups of flour) and the unbaked dough lasts up to two weeks, and in my opinion just gets better over that time. Plus, additions of herbs, fruits or cheeses are possible to make individual creations with each loaf.
Like my cousin I am so delighted to find bread recipes that produce a truly rustic, homemade and yet predictable loaf without the fear of failing in the kneading department. Everyone becomes a home baker with relative authority!
If we are baking bread, we could surely use some soup, and many good soups start with good broth. Come back soon to hear about the pressure cooker recipe for making homemade beef broth. So many of us have pressure cookers gathering dust in the closet. If you don't have one, this recipe just might make the purchase of one worthwhile. Would it be worth it to you if you could have a supply of homemade broth on hand (freezer) and cut the preparation time from 3 hours to 1? I have made the beef broth version and was pleasantly surprised at the taste. It was much richer, beefier and smoother than the traditional stove top method and definitely better than any canned variety I have tried. Onion soup, anyone?
One final note, all this talk of fresh bread entreats me to encourage you to look for European and artisanal butters available in your grocery store. The combination of spectacular and varied butters with fresh bread is not to be missed.
OK, whether using Jim Lahey's original recipe, the Cook's Illustrated version or any of the mast recipes in the Hertzberg/Francois book, none of us has an excuse not to be baking fresh bread any day of the week. I have long ago made the investments in a kitchen scale (1 pound portions of dough make a perfect any day loaf size in the Hertzberg/Francois method), a pizza stone and wooden pizza peel, and a sharp knife or baker's blade (razor blade). A Dutch oven, as used in Lahey's and Cook's recipe, is also one of those items one should purchase because it has a multitude of uses far beyond bread.
Comfort yourself and those around you!
Buttermilk
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Marinade for Greek Inspired Roasted Chicken
1 Chicken
1/2 C extra virgin olive oil
2 lemons, zested and juiced
(Save lemons and zest. See recipe post)
8 cloves garlic, chopped
1 heaping Tbsp dried oregano
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
Mix all together and marinate chicken for at least 8 hours or overnight.
Serve with dressed orzo or rice (See recipe post.)
Cheddar Cheese & Chive Biscuits
Yields: 3 dozen
6 C self-rising flour
1 stick "salted" butter, cut into small cubes
8 oz cream cheese, cut into small cubes
1/3 C fresh snipped chives
2 C grated sharp cheddar cheese
2 1/1 cups "buttermilk"
1 Tbsp melted, cooled butter or reserved bacon fat
Preheat over to 425 degrees.
Cut butter and cream cheese into small cubes. Then let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before adding to flour. Put flour in large mixing bowl and add butter and cream cheese cubes. Using finger tips, rub fat into flour until results in pea or peppercorn sized bits of fat/flour.
Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in buttermilk. Use fingers to pull flour from outer edge into buttermilk well. Turn bowl with other hand until all flour and buttermilk mixed, resulting in a shaggy dough. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Pat into a 3/4 " thick rectangle, using a rolling pin as needed.
Dip 2 inch biscuit cutter in flour then begin stamping out biscuits. Place biscuits on a lined baking sheet-parchment paper, Silpat, disposable non-stick paper.
Paint tops of biscuits with reserved bacon fat or melted, cooled salted butter. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Turn half way through baking. When brown on bottom and top, remove, cool for 2-3 minutes, then serve.
Yields: 1/2 cup or 1 stick
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 tsp kosher salt or 3/8 tsp table salt
Cut stick of butter into small cubes. Place into bowl. Sprinkle with salt and toss. Use immediately.
Alternatively, let butter come to room temperature for 30 minutes. Cut into 4 pieces and place in food processor. Add salt. Pulse 6-8 times until whipped. Place in a container and store in refrigerator.
Mock (Instant) Buttermilk
Yields: 1 Cup
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
~ 1 Cup milk or half & half
In a 1 cup measuring cup, add lemon juice. Pour in milk or half & half, stir to combine. Let sit for 5 minutes. Use immediately or store for 1 day in refrigerator.
Self-Rising Flour
Yields: 4 Cups
4 C plain flour
2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp baking powder
Mix together in a bowl. Use immediately or store in refrigerator.
Happy Day Soup
Yields: 4-6 Servings
4 slices of bacon, cut into 1/2 pieces
1 onion, diced
1 lb ground chuck
1 package frozen mixed vegetable, thawed
2 C Spicy V-8
2 C Beef Stock
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 Bay leaf
1-2 sprigs Fresh Thyme, if you have it, or 1 tsp dried Thyme
Brown bacon in large, deep frying pan or stock pot. If more than 1-2 Tbsp of fat are rendered, pour off excess. When browned, add onion. Cook on low-medium for 5 minutes or until onions are soft. Add in ground beef/chuck. Turn up heat to medium and brown meat. Once browned, add in vegetables, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, Bay leaf & Thyme, V-8 and beef stock, salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered on low for 15-20 minutes. Remove Bay leaf before serving. Freezes well.
SC Style Hot Dog Chili
Yields: Enough to Dress 10 Hot Dogs
1 Lb Ground Chuck
2 Vidalia or Texas Sweet Onions (large) or 4 Yellow onions (medium), finely chopped
3 Tbsp Yellow Mustard
1 C Organic Ketchup (No high fructose syrup)
3 tsp sugar
3 tsp Chili Powder
3 tsp Cumin
2 tsp Cider Vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 Tsp black pepper
Water, to cover mixture in pot
In a large soup pot, place ground chuck and break up with spoon until no chunks remain. Finely chop onions or pulse in the food processor. They should be fine, and not liquified. Add to pot with meat. Add remaining ingredients. Stir to combine. Pour in enough water to cover mixture by 1-2 inches. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, uncovered. Reduce heat to low, continue to cook uncovered until chili is consistency you prefer. Usually 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Stir every 10-15 minutes. When done check seasonings and adjust to your taste. Chili is better the next day.
Creamy Southern Cole Slaw
Yields: 4 Cups
1 package preshredded slaw mix or
4 C shredded green cabbage and 2 carrots shredded
1/4 C sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 C Whole Milk
1/2 C Mayonnaise
2 Tbsp Cider Vinegar
2 Tbsp Lemon juice, fresh
In a bowl, mix mayonnaise and milk. Then add vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Stir in cabbage/carrots, about one cup at a time. Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving. Will keep for at least 4 days.
Vermouth Basting Liquid for Poultry
Yields: 3 C
2 C Dry Vermouth
1 C white wine (anything except Chardonnay)
1 stick unsalted butter
2 Tbsp chopped fresh Tarragon
Melt butter in bowl in microwave or small pan. Remove from heat and add Tarragon. Let sit for 15-30 minutes at room temperature.
Prepare whole poultry (chicken, turkey) as you would for roasting, in roasting pan. Season poultry as desired. Scatter vegetables around poultry. Combine Vermouth and wine then pour over poultry. Pour melted butter with Tarragon over poultry. Roast poultry as usual, basting every 15 minutes until done. Serve sliced poultry with pan juices.
Note: if roasting a particularly large turkey, add water (1/2 C at each basting) to roasting pan as needed to keep adequate liquid in pan for basting.
Summer Cabbage
Yields: 4 Servings
1 medium or 1/2 large green cabbage, sliced in 1/4 inch strips
1 sweet yellow onion, sliced thin
2 C white wine (anything except Chardonnay)
1 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 T chopped fresh Dill weed
4-6 Link Sausages of your choice
Kosher salt and Black Pepper
Heat oil on medium in a large frying pan until warm. Add onions then reduce to low. Season with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Saute for 10 minutes until soft. Add cabbage on top of onions and stir to combine. Sprinkle on another good pinch of salt and pepper. Add 1 1/2 C wine and bring to a simmer. Leave uncovered and cook for 15 minutes or until cabbage is tender to a fork but still crisp. Do not overcook-avoid mushy cabbage.
While cabbage is cooking grill sausage in another pan, grill pan or outdoor grill. When cabbage is done, nestle sausages in with cabbage.
Add in 1/2 C wine and simmer another 5 minutes uncovered. Add fresh Dill weed and stir to combine. Check seasoning and add additional salt and pepper as desired.
Serve and enjoy.
Garden Potatoes
Yields: 3 Cups
6 medium red skinned potatoes, peeled
3 cloves Garlic, peeled, sliced
1 C Half & Half, warmed (30 seconds x 2 in microwave)
3 T butter unsalted
1/4 C blue cheese crumbles or crumbled
Basil (fresh), chopped, equaling 1/2 C
Mint (fresh), chopped, equaling 1/4 C, optional
1 T Kosher salt or 1/2 T table salt
Salt & pepper to taste
Slice potatoes in half lengthwise. Place in 3-4 Qt pot with cold water, add 1 T kosher salt (or 1/2 T table salt) then bring to boil over high heat. Reduce to medium heat then cook for 15-18 minutes-until easily pierced with a fork. Drain and place back in pot over low heat. Stir while potatoes dry, 1-2 minutes. Use potato masher or fork to mash potatoes and garlic together. Stir and incorporate in warmed Half & Half. Turn off heat (gas stove), or remove from heat (electric stove). Stir in blue cheese, herbs and butter. Correct seasoning with additional salt, and add pepper.
Enjoy!
Cranberry-Orange-Port Compote
Yields: 2 Cups
1 12oz package fresh cranberries
3 Tbsp orange juice, fresh
Zest of one orange
6 Tbsp Port, Dry Sherry or Red wine
1 tsp Kosher salt or 1/2 tsp table salt
1 sprig Rosemary, fresh or 1/2 tsp dried
1 C sugar or 1/2 C Spenda Blend
Place all in a heavy bottom pot on medium low heat. Stir 1-2 minutes until sugar dissolves then continue stirring for 4 to 6 more minutes. Some, but not all of the cranberries should pop and the mixture will become thick. Remove Rosemary sprig and pour into heat proof bowl to cool. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Carolina Barbecue Sauce
Yields: 2 Cups
1 C yellow mustard
1 C apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp butter, unsalted
1 TBSP brown sugar
1 TBSP kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
Bring mustard and vinegar to a medium simmer in a pot on the stovetop. Add all other ingredients, except butter. Continue to simmer on low for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Once incorporated the sauce is ready for use. Refrigerate any remaining sauce. Gently warm for re-use.
Potato Pancakes
Yields: 8, 3inch pancakes
3 C shredded, raw potatoes
2 eggs, large
1/4 C grated onion, yellow or red
1 T chives, minced, fresh (2 tsp dried)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3-4 T Rye flour (or plain bread crumbs)
3 T Italian parsley, chopped (or 1 1/2 T dried)
5 T Buttermilk, regular (not fat free)
Bacon, 3 slices
Canola or vegetable oil, 3 tsp
Topping:
1/2 C sour cream
salt & pepper to taste
Begin cooking bacon on griddle or in large frying pan over low medium heat. When browned, removed from griddle/pan and save fat in cooking vessel. Keep pan warm, but on lowest setting.
In a large bowl, beat eggs for 1-2 minutes with a fork or whisk. Stir in remainder of ingredients (except bacon,oil & sour cream), and add the flour or bread crumbs a tablespoon at a time. You may need only 3 tablespoonfuls. The batter should be thick but not stiff. (See picture in August 21, 2008 Blog entry).
Heat pan containing bacon fat back up to medium, then add in 1 teaspoonful of oil. Using a basting brush pull in some of bacon fat from sides of pan to mix with oil and paint main surface of pan or griddle.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
Use a 1/3 C ice cream scoop (or 1/3 C measuring cup) to scoop and drop two individual pancakes onto the heated pan/griddle. Cook 2 1/2 minutes on each side, until browned. Removed to a paper lined plate and keep in 200 degree oven while other cook.
Repeat oiling of pan and cooking of two pancakes at a time until all batter used.
If desired, top each pancake with a tablespoon of seasoned sour cream.
Make Its Own Crust Coconut Pie
Adapted from Gopher Hill Favorites, Etta Varnadoe
Yield: 2 Pies, 9 inch
4 eggs, beaten
1 3/4 C sugar
1/2 C self-rising flour
2 C whole milk
4 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled (5 minutes)
1, 7 oz package flaked coconut
1 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place two, greased 9 inch pie pans on a baking sheet.
Stir all ingredients together in a bowl. Pour evenly between the two pie pans. Bake for 40 minutes. Cool to room temperature, then slice. Refrigerate any remaining pie.
Buttermilk Dill Bread
Yield: 3 loaves
Note: Dough may be kept refrigerated for up to a week, and loaves baked when desired
6 1/2 C AP flour, unbleached
1 1/2 TBSP Yeast
1 1/2 TBSP Sugar
1 1/2 TBSP Salt
2 TBSP chopped fresh Dill or 2 tsp dried Dill
2 C lukewarm water
1 C Buttermilk, at room temperature
1/2 TBSP Butter, unsalted, melted (Day of baking)
In a large bowl, add yeast and sugar to water and buttermilk. Stir briefly and let sit on counter for 15 minutes to proof (bubbles will form). Add in the flour, then salt and dill. Stir to mix or use dough hook on stand mixer. Dough will be shaggy and moist.
Cover loosely with greased wrap and place in a warm spot to proof for 2 hours. Dough should double in size. Refrigerate overnight.
Grease 9 x 4 x 3 inch, non-stick loaf pan with butter or oil. Dust hands and top of dough with flour then pull off a portion of the dough that weighs 1 1/2 pounds or is the size of a large grapefruit. Working from the underside shape into a ball then flatten to form a piece of dough that is the length of the loaf pan. Cover loosely with greased wrap and let proof in a warm spot for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
After the dough has been proofing for 1 1/2 hours, preheat oven to 350 degrees while dough proofs 10 minutes more (total of 1 hour and 40 minutes).
Remove wrap from bread and dust lightly with flour. Slash the top of the loaf 3 times with a sharp knife or razor. Diagonal slashes work well. Gently brush the top of the loaf with melted, cooled butter.
Bake in center of oven for about 45 minutes. Top should be golden brown and loaf should sound hollow when tapped.
Remove from oven then pan. Cool completely before slicing. Wrap and store at room temperature.
Salad Valencienne
Yield: 6 Servings
2 skin on Chicken breasts
1 pound fresh Shrimp
1 package Mahatma Saffron Yellow Rice
1/4C Extra virgin olive oil + extra for chicken (1-2 tsp) and rice (1 tsp)
1/2 C red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp fresh Lemon juice, and halved whole Lemon
1 sprig fresh Dill weed
1 Tbsp fresh Dill weed, chopped
1/4 C fresh Italian Parsley, chopped
1/4 tsp Garlic powder
Salt (Kosher, preferred)
Pepper, black
Curry powder
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a baking pan, place chicken breast. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and a pinch of curry powder on both sides. Rub seasonings into meat. Drizzle with olive oil (1-2 tsp). Roast, skin side up for 35-40 minutes. Set aside to cool. When cool, discard skin and remove breast meat from bone Shred into bite size pieces. Place in large bowl.
On the stove, heat 6 cups of water to a simmer. Toss in a halved lemon, sprig of Dill weed, 1 tsp curry powder, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Let simmer for 10 minutes then add shrimp. Turn heat up to medium high, bring to boil and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove shrimp and reserve shrimp water. Place shrimp in an ice water bath for 30 seconds, then drain. Peel and devein shrimp, then cut into bit size pieces. Add to bowl with chicken.
Strain reserved shrimp boiling water and use as the water in the directions for preparing the Mahatma rice. Add 1 tsp olive oil with the rice mix. Once rice is done, add to bowl with chicken and shrimp.
For the dressing, mix 1/2C red wine vinegar and 1/4 c olive oil. Add in the Tbsp of fresh lemon juice, chopped Dill weed and Italian parsley, garlic powder, 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Stir to mix.
Pour dressing over ingredients in the bowl and toss to mix. Eat warm or chill before serving.
Grow Your Own: Sourdough Starter
1 C whole milk
1 C AP flour
Place milk in a glass quart jar or plastic vessel. Just avoid metal. Allow to stand at room temperature, uncovered but protected for 24 hours.
Stir in the flour. Leave uncovered, at room temperature in a protected place (a cold oven is good) for at least two days and up to five. You will know you've got an active culture when it is bubbling. Once it has bubbles and a sour aroma, it is ready to use.
Take out one cup at least weekly (discard or donate) and feed the starter with an additional cup each of milk and flour. Let ferment at room temperature for at least two hours (look for the bubbles again) and then it is ready to use. Refrigerate the remaining starter.
Tarragon Chicken Salad
Yield: 4 Cups
4 split Chicken breasts, skin on
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper, to taste
1 1/2 TBSP fresh Tarragon leaves chopped of 2 tsp dried Tarragon
1 C red seedless grapes, halved
2 stalks celery and leaves, sliced into bite sized pieces
1/2 C mayonnaise
Optional:
1/2 C chopped fresh Fennel bulb
1 Shallot, minced
Preheat oven to 350. Place cleaned and dried chicken breasts in baking pan. Season with salt and pepper on both sides, rubbing it in. Drizzle with olive oil.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool for at least 10 minutes, then discard skin and remove meat from breast bone. Chop or shred meat to your preference.
Mix chicken with remaining ingredients. Adjust to taste with salt and pepper. Chill for at least 2 hours then bring up to room temperature before serving. Serve on leaf lettuce or in a sandwich. Goes well with Pumpernickel bread!
American Pumpernickel Bread
Yield: 4 1lb loaves
12 oz water
12 oz dark beer or lager
1 1/2 Tbsp yeast
1 1/2 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp molasses
1 1/2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
2 tsp instant Espresso powder or very finely ground coffee
1 1/2 Tbsp Caramel syrup or 'flavoring'
1 C dark Rye flour
5 1/2 C unbleached AP flour
*Cornstarch wash (Recipe follows)
In order of listing place all ingredients in a bowl. A stand-up mixer with the dough hook is the method for mixing I use. Otherwise, use a wooden spoon and mix by hand, adding flour in portions to make mixing easier.
Mix on low speed until a gooey wet dough is achieved.
Cover dough loosely and let sit in warm area for 2 hours or until doubled in size.
Refrigerate overnight, loosely covered. Dough will keep for at least one week if refrigerated.
Using wet hands (not floured) remove a grapefruit-size of dough or measure a one pound portion. Shape into an oval, turning in your hands and tucking underneath until you have a smooth loaf.
Place on a board or pan that has been dusted with cornmeal. Let rise in a warm area for 40 minutes.
About 20 minutes into the rising, place pizza stone or piece of tile into oven and start heating to 400 degrees. Place empty broiler pan on lowest rack of oven.
After dough has risen, paint the surface with Cornstarch wash, then use a sharp knife or razor and slash three diagonal lines across the top. (You may sprinkle with Caraway seeds at this point if you desire.)
Slide the loaf onto the heated stone or tile. Pour one cup of water into the heated broiler pan and close oven door quickly.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until loaf has a hollow sound when thumped. Cool on a wire rack, slice and enjoy!
Cornstarch wash:
Mix 1/2 tsp Cornstarch with 1/2 tsp of water in a measuring cup to make a paste. Add 1/2 cup more of water. Microwave for 60 seconds, stir and look for the solution to have become clear. If it has not, heat for 30 seconds more.
Wash will keep in refrigerator for about 2 weeks. Do not use if it has a bad odor.
Risotto Soup with Asparagus, Spinach and Parmigiano
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Butter, unsalted
1 large Onion, chopped
2 tsps grated Lemon zest
1/4 C dry Vermouth (or White wine)
3/4 C Arborio or other short-grained rice
3 cans (14oz each) Chicken broth, simmering
1-2 C fresh Asparagus cut into 1-inch pieces
1 C sliced fresh spinach
1/4 tsp nutmeg (freshly grated if possible)
1-2 one inch pieces of Parmigiano rind
1/2 grated Parmigiano
Salt and Pepper
Heat oil and butter in large sauce pan over medium heat. Add onions pinch of salt and pepper then saute for 2 minutes until softened. Add lemon zest and saute 2 minutes more. Stir in rice, saute 3 minutes and add Vermouth. Cook a few minutes more until evaporated.
Stir in simmering Chicken broth, bring to a boil then reduce to simmer. Cover pot and cook 10 minutes.
Uncover, add in Parmigiano rind pieces, asparagus, spinach and nutmeg. Cook at a simmer for 3 to 4 more minutes until asparagus are tender. Adjust seasonings with salt and peper to taste. If risotto is not al dente, turn off heat, cover and let sit for 5 more minutes.
Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with grated Parmigiano.
Mrs. Marx's Brownies
(A rich, thin brownie, perfect alone or as the base for a scoop of ice cream and a bit of chocolate syrup)
1/2 C butter, unsalted
2 oz unsweetened (bitter) baking chocolate
1 C sugar
1/2 C all purpose flour
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2-1 C pecan halves (optional)
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Place butter and chocolate in microwave safe bowl. Microwave at defrost heat level for 2-3 minutes. Stir then heat in additional 1 minute intervals as needed, until melted and combined. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
Crack eggs into small bowl, stir briefly with fork to combine.
Mix flour, vanilla and eggs into melted chocolate and butter. Gently stir in pecans.
Spray 8 1/2 to 9 inch square baking pan with non-stick product. Pour batter into pan. Bake 20 minutes. May appear uncooked in center, but should still be removed at 20 minutes. Cool then cut for serving.
Beef Bourguignon
(Adapted from Southern Living Party Cookbook, 1972, and the Barefoot Contessa (Ina Garten)
Yields: 6 to 8 servings
4 slices of bacon, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2-3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 lbs of Chuck Roast cut into 1 inch cubes, bone-in cut is most tender
2 Carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 Yellow Onion, cut into a large dice
1 Can Beef Bouillon or Broth
1 Tbsp Tomato paste
Salt
Black Pepper
1 Bay leaf
2-3 stems Fresh Thyme or 1/2 tsp dried Thyme
2 Garlic cloves, minced
1 Bottle Red Wine (Something you would drink)
1/2 Cup Brandy
1 bag frozen Pearl Onions
1 lb fresh Mushrooms sliced or 2 jars Whole Mushrooms, drained
1/2 C Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley, coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp Butter softened and mixed with 3 Tbsp AP flour into a paste.
6 to 8 slices Bread, toasted and rubbed with sliced Garlic clove
Preheat oven to 300 degrees
Sprinkle beef cubes with salt and pepper.
Heat a large pot or Dutch Oven at medium for 2-3 minutes then fry bacon until crisp. Remove and set aside.
Add in a tablespoon of olive oil. If using fresh mushrooms, add in and saute 2-3 minutes over medium low heat. Add a pinch of salt and continue cooking 2-3 minutes more until released liquid is nearly gone. Remove to a bowl and cover when cool.
Add another Tbsp of olive oil, turn heat up to medium high, then begin searing beef, 3 to 4 minutes on each side until browned. Do in two rounds if pot is not larger enough to avoid crowding. Remove beef to its own bowl.
Turn heat down to low. If the pot is dry, add another Tbsp of olive oil. Add yellow onions and carrots, pinch of salt and pepper. Saute 4-5 minutes until onions are soft, but not browned. Add in minced garlic and cook 30 seconds more--just until you smell the fragrance.
Add Brandy, light and quickly step back. When flame dies, add back in beef and bacon.
Stir in tomato paste, then add wine, beef broth, Bay leaf and thyme. Wine should just cover the mixture.
Bring to a gentle simmer on the stove. Cover with lid and place in oven. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Remove from oven.
Place back on stove over low heat. Remove thyme stems if used fresh variety. Stir in butter & flour paste. Cook 3-4 minutes until mixture begins to thicken. Stir in mushrooms.
If preparing a day in advance, at this point remove pot from heat and let cool for 30 minutes. Cover and refrigerate. The next day, uncover and warm for 5 minutes over low heat. Add in bag of frozen pearl onions. Cover and cook over low for 10 minutes more. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Toast bread slices and rub with a slice of fresh garlic. Place in bowl or on plate. Ladle a serving of beef onto bread and sprinkle with fresh parsley.
If beef is to be served on the day of cooking, after the addition of the mushrooms, proceed with adding the butter & flour paste. When thick, add the frozen pearl onions, cover and cook over low for 5-7 minutes until they are done. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over croutons as above.
Oven Roasted Asparagus
Yields: 6 to 8 servings
2 lbs fresh Asparagus, pencil sized, washed and ends broken off at natural breaking point
2-3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Kosher salt
Black Pepper
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
(If asparagus are thick, consider peeling.) Dry asparagus, place in rectangular oven proof dish. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat all sides.
Bake in oven 10-12 minutes, or just until a fork inserts easily, then serve.
Flourless Chocolate Cake
(Courtesy Wonderful Friend, Jeanne)
1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate morsels
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon instant-coffee granules
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1/3 cup sugar
8 eggs
confectioners' sugar (optional)
sweetened whipped cream (optional)
raspberries (optional)
Grease the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment or waxed paper, set aside. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Place chocolate, butter, water and coffee granules in a medium, heavy-duty saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until melted and smooth. Stir in cocoa and sugar until smooth. Remove from heat. Transfer chocolate mixture to a large mixing bowl.
Beat eggs in large mixing bowl for 5 minutes or until volume doubles. Fold one-third of the beaten eggs into the chocolate mixture. Fold in remaining beaten eggs, one-third at a time, until thoroughly incorporated. Scrape batter into prepared pan.
Bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until cake has risen (center still will move or appear under-baked) and edges start to get firm and shiny. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack (center will sink slightly). cover cake and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. The cake can be prepared as many as four days in advance.
About 30 minutes before serving, remove side of pan by first running a knife around the edge of cake. Invert cake on a sheet of parchment paper, peel off parchment pan liner and turn cake right-side up on a serving platter. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Serving suggestion - dollop of sweetened whipped cream and raspberries.
Ragu di Bolognese
(Courtesy Chef Will Packwood, Cibo, Austin)
Yields: 4 to 4 1/2 lbs of sauce
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Butter, unsalted
1 small, Yellow Onion, peeled and minced
1 small, Carrot, peeled, trimmed and minced
1 small rib, Celery, washed, trimmed and minced
4 Tbsp Flat Leaf Parsley, fresh, leaves only, minced
1/2 lb Ground Veal
1/2 lb Ground Pork
1 lb Ground Beef
1 C White Wine
1 C Whole Milk
Nutmeg, freshly grated, to taste
2- 14oz cans of Tomatoes and juice, cores + seeds removed, broken with hands
1 Tbsp Tomato Paste
1 3" Parmigiano Cheese Rind
3 Anchovies, packed in oil
2 Bay Leaves, fresh or dried
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Begin with a large non-reactive pot. Do NOT cover the pot at anytime during cooking.
Heat butter and oil in pot over medium heat and add onions, celery, carrots and parsley. Salt and pepper (a pinch of each) the layer. Sweat over lowered heat for 5 minutes, until onions are translucent.
Add ground meats, salt and pepper the layer, then stir often and gently mashing meat into vegetables. DO NOT BROWN THE MEAT. Over low heat this will take 7 to 8 minutes.
Once meat is gray in color, add the wine, salt and pepper again.
Turn heat up to achieve a heavy bubbling simmer (not a roaring boil), then lower heat and reduce mixture until almost all of the liquid is gone. During this phase the meats will release a good bit of liquid, so the reduction will take time.
Add the milk, salt and pepper. Keep mixture at the constant lower simmer until again, the mixture has reduced and is nearly dry.
Stir in tomato paste, tomatoes, tomato liquid/juice, parm rind, anchovies, bay leaves and grating of nutmeg.
Keep mixture at a slow 'bubble', stirring periodically. If mixture gets too dry, add water (or Brodo) 1/2 C at a time.
Cook at this constant temperature for 4 to 6 hours.
Taste and adjust seasonings, serve now or next day or freeze.
Voila
Roasted Rosemary Potatoes
1 Chicken
1/2 C extra virgin olive oil
2 lemons, zested and juiced
(Save lemons and zest. See recipe post)
8 cloves garlic, chopped
1 heaping Tbsp dried oregano
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
Mix all together and marinate chicken for at least 8 hours or overnight.
Serve with dressed orzo or rice (See recipe post.)
Cheddar Cheese & Chive Biscuits
Yields: 3 dozen
6 C self-rising flour
1 stick "salted" butter, cut into small cubes
8 oz cream cheese, cut into small cubes
1/3 C fresh snipped chives
2 C grated sharp cheddar cheese
2 1/1 cups "buttermilk"
1 Tbsp melted, cooled butter or reserved bacon fat
Preheat over to 425 degrees.
Cut butter and cream cheese into small cubes. Then let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before adding to flour. Put flour in large mixing bowl and add butter and cream cheese cubes. Using finger tips, rub fat into flour until results in pea or peppercorn sized bits of fat/flour.
Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in buttermilk. Use fingers to pull flour from outer edge into buttermilk well. Turn bowl with other hand until all flour and buttermilk mixed, resulting in a shaggy dough. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Pat into a 3/4 " thick rectangle, using a rolling pin as needed.
Dip 2 inch biscuit cutter in flour then begin stamping out biscuits. Place biscuits on a lined baking sheet-parchment paper, Silpat, disposable non-stick paper.
Paint tops of biscuits with reserved bacon fat or melted, cooled salted butter. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Turn half way through baking. When brown on bottom and top, remove, cool for 2-3 minutes, then serve.
Yields: 1/2 cup or 1 stick
1 stick unsalted butter
1/2 tsp kosher salt or 3/8 tsp table salt
Cut stick of butter into small cubes. Place into bowl. Sprinkle with salt and toss. Use immediately.
Alternatively, let butter come to room temperature for 30 minutes. Cut into 4 pieces and place in food processor. Add salt. Pulse 6-8 times until whipped. Place in a container and store in refrigerator.
Mock (Instant) Buttermilk
Yields: 1 Cup
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
~ 1 Cup milk or half & half
In a 1 cup measuring cup, add lemon juice. Pour in milk or half & half, stir to combine. Let sit for 5 minutes. Use immediately or store for 1 day in refrigerator.
Self-Rising Flour
Yields: 4 Cups
4 C plain flour
2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp baking powder
Mix together in a bowl. Use immediately or store in refrigerator.
Happy Day Soup
Yields: 4-6 Servings
4 slices of bacon, cut into 1/2 pieces
1 onion, diced
1 lb ground chuck
1 package frozen mixed vegetable, thawed
2 C Spicy V-8
2 C Beef Stock
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 Bay leaf
1-2 sprigs Fresh Thyme, if you have it, or 1 tsp dried Thyme
Brown bacon in large, deep frying pan or stock pot. If more than 1-2 Tbsp of fat are rendered, pour off excess. When browned, add onion. Cook on low-medium for 5 minutes or until onions are soft. Add in ground beef/chuck. Turn up heat to medium and brown meat. Once browned, add in vegetables, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, Bay leaf & Thyme, V-8 and beef stock, salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered on low for 15-20 minutes. Remove Bay leaf before serving. Freezes well.
SC Style Hot Dog Chili
Yields: Enough to Dress 10 Hot Dogs
1 Lb Ground Chuck
2 Vidalia or Texas Sweet Onions (large) or 4 Yellow onions (medium), finely chopped
3 Tbsp Yellow Mustard
1 C Organic Ketchup (No high fructose syrup)
3 tsp sugar
3 tsp Chili Powder
3 tsp Cumin
2 tsp Cider Vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 Tsp black pepper
Water, to cover mixture in pot
In a large soup pot, place ground chuck and break up with spoon until no chunks remain. Finely chop onions or pulse in the food processor. They should be fine, and not liquified. Add to pot with meat. Add remaining ingredients. Stir to combine. Pour in enough water to cover mixture by 1-2 inches. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, uncovered. Reduce heat to low, continue to cook uncovered until chili is consistency you prefer. Usually 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Stir every 10-15 minutes. When done check seasonings and adjust to your taste. Chili is better the next day.
Creamy Southern Cole Slaw
Yields: 4 Cups
1 package preshredded slaw mix or
4 C shredded green cabbage and 2 carrots shredded
1/4 C sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 C Whole Milk
1/2 C Mayonnaise
2 Tbsp Cider Vinegar
2 Tbsp Lemon juice, fresh
In a bowl, mix mayonnaise and milk. Then add vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Stir in cabbage/carrots, about one cup at a time. Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving. Will keep for at least 4 days.
Vermouth Basting Liquid for Poultry
Yields: 3 C
2 C Dry Vermouth
1 C white wine (anything except Chardonnay)
1 stick unsalted butter
2 Tbsp chopped fresh Tarragon
Melt butter in bowl in microwave or small pan. Remove from heat and add Tarragon. Let sit for 15-30 minutes at room temperature.
Prepare whole poultry (chicken, turkey) as you would for roasting, in roasting pan. Season poultry as desired. Scatter vegetables around poultry. Combine Vermouth and wine then pour over poultry. Pour melted butter with Tarragon over poultry. Roast poultry as usual, basting every 15 minutes until done. Serve sliced poultry with pan juices.
Note: if roasting a particularly large turkey, add water (1/2 C at each basting) to roasting pan as needed to keep adequate liquid in pan for basting.
Summer Cabbage
Yields: 4 Servings
1 medium or 1/2 large green cabbage, sliced in 1/4 inch strips
1 sweet yellow onion, sliced thin
2 C white wine (anything except Chardonnay)
1 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 T chopped fresh Dill weed
4-6 Link Sausages of your choice
Kosher salt and Black Pepper
Heat oil on medium in a large frying pan until warm. Add onions then reduce to low. Season with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Saute for 10 minutes until soft. Add cabbage on top of onions and stir to combine. Sprinkle on another good pinch of salt and pepper. Add 1 1/2 C wine and bring to a simmer. Leave uncovered and cook for 15 minutes or until cabbage is tender to a fork but still crisp. Do not overcook-avoid mushy cabbage.
While cabbage is cooking grill sausage in another pan, grill pan or outdoor grill. When cabbage is done, nestle sausages in with cabbage.
Add in 1/2 C wine and simmer another 5 minutes uncovered. Add fresh Dill weed and stir to combine. Check seasoning and add additional salt and pepper as desired.
Serve and enjoy.
Garden Potatoes
Yields: 3 Cups
6 medium red skinned potatoes, peeled
3 cloves Garlic, peeled, sliced
1 C Half & Half, warmed (30 seconds x 2 in microwave)
3 T butter unsalted
1/4 C blue cheese crumbles or crumbled
Basil (fresh), chopped, equaling 1/2 C
Mint (fresh), chopped, equaling 1/4 C, optional
1 T Kosher salt or 1/2 T table salt
Salt & pepper to taste
Slice potatoes in half lengthwise. Place in 3-4 Qt pot with cold water, add 1 T kosher salt (or 1/2 T table salt) then bring to boil over high heat. Reduce to medium heat then cook for 15-18 minutes-until easily pierced with a fork. Drain and place back in pot over low heat. Stir while potatoes dry, 1-2 minutes. Use potato masher or fork to mash potatoes and garlic together. Stir and incorporate in warmed Half & Half. Turn off heat (gas stove), or remove from heat (electric stove). Stir in blue cheese, herbs and butter. Correct seasoning with additional salt, and add pepper.
Enjoy!
Cranberry-Orange-Port Compote
Yields: 2 Cups
1 12oz package fresh cranberries
3 Tbsp orange juice, fresh
Zest of one orange
6 Tbsp Port, Dry Sherry or Red wine
1 tsp Kosher salt or 1/2 tsp table salt
1 sprig Rosemary, fresh or 1/2 tsp dried
1 C sugar or 1/2 C Spenda Blend
Place all in a heavy bottom pot on medium low heat. Stir 1-2 minutes until sugar dissolves then continue stirring for 4 to 6 more minutes. Some, but not all of the cranberries should pop and the mixture will become thick. Remove Rosemary sprig and pour into heat proof bowl to cool. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Carolina Barbecue Sauce
Yields: 2 Cups
1 C yellow mustard
1 C apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp butter, unsalted
1 TBSP brown sugar
1 TBSP kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
Bring mustard and vinegar to a medium simmer in a pot on the stovetop. Add all other ingredients, except butter. Continue to simmer on low for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Once incorporated the sauce is ready for use. Refrigerate any remaining sauce. Gently warm for re-use.
Potato Pancakes
Yields: 8, 3inch pancakes
3 C shredded, raw potatoes
2 eggs, large
1/4 C grated onion, yellow or red
1 T chives, minced, fresh (2 tsp dried)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3-4 T Rye flour (or plain bread crumbs)
3 T Italian parsley, chopped (or 1 1/2 T dried)
5 T Buttermilk, regular (not fat free)
Bacon, 3 slices
Canola or vegetable oil, 3 tsp
Topping:
1/2 C sour cream
salt & pepper to taste
Begin cooking bacon on griddle or in large frying pan over low medium heat. When browned, removed from griddle/pan and save fat in cooking vessel. Keep pan warm, but on lowest setting.
In a large bowl, beat eggs for 1-2 minutes with a fork or whisk. Stir in remainder of ingredients (except bacon,oil & sour cream), and add the flour or bread crumbs a tablespoon at a time. You may need only 3 tablespoonfuls. The batter should be thick but not stiff. (See picture in August 21, 2008 Blog entry).
Heat pan containing bacon fat back up to medium, then add in 1 teaspoonful of oil. Using a basting brush pull in some of bacon fat from sides of pan to mix with oil and paint main surface of pan or griddle.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
Use a 1/3 C ice cream scoop (or 1/3 C measuring cup) to scoop and drop two individual pancakes onto the heated pan/griddle. Cook 2 1/2 minutes on each side, until browned. Removed to a paper lined plate and keep in 200 degree oven while other cook.
Repeat oiling of pan and cooking of two pancakes at a time until all batter used.
If desired, top each pancake with a tablespoon of seasoned sour cream.
Make Its Own Crust Coconut Pie
Adapted from Gopher Hill Favorites, Etta Varnadoe
Yield: 2 Pies, 9 inch
4 eggs, beaten
1 3/4 C sugar
1/2 C self-rising flour
2 C whole milk
4 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled (5 minutes)
1, 7 oz package flaked coconut
1 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place two, greased 9 inch pie pans on a baking sheet.
Stir all ingredients together in a bowl. Pour evenly between the two pie pans. Bake for 40 minutes. Cool to room temperature, then slice. Refrigerate any remaining pie.
Buttermilk Dill Bread
Yield: 3 loaves
Note: Dough may be kept refrigerated for up to a week, and loaves baked when desired
6 1/2 C AP flour, unbleached
1 1/2 TBSP Yeast
1 1/2 TBSP Sugar
1 1/2 TBSP Salt
2 TBSP chopped fresh Dill or 2 tsp dried Dill
2 C lukewarm water
1 C Buttermilk, at room temperature
1/2 TBSP Butter, unsalted, melted (Day of baking)
In a large bowl, add yeast and sugar to water and buttermilk. Stir briefly and let sit on counter for 15 minutes to proof (bubbles will form). Add in the flour, then salt and dill. Stir to mix or use dough hook on stand mixer. Dough will be shaggy and moist.
Cover loosely with greased wrap and place in a warm spot to proof for 2 hours. Dough should double in size. Refrigerate overnight.
Grease 9 x 4 x 3 inch, non-stick loaf pan with butter or oil. Dust hands and top of dough with flour then pull off a portion of the dough that weighs 1 1/2 pounds or is the size of a large grapefruit. Working from the underside shape into a ball then flatten to form a piece of dough that is the length of the loaf pan. Cover loosely with greased wrap and let proof in a warm spot for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
After the dough has been proofing for 1 1/2 hours, preheat oven to 350 degrees while dough proofs 10 minutes more (total of 1 hour and 40 minutes).
Remove wrap from bread and dust lightly with flour. Slash the top of the loaf 3 times with a sharp knife or razor. Diagonal slashes work well. Gently brush the top of the loaf with melted, cooled butter.
Bake in center of oven for about 45 minutes. Top should be golden brown and loaf should sound hollow when tapped.
Remove from oven then pan. Cool completely before slicing. Wrap and store at room temperature.
Salad Valencienne
Yield: 6 Servings
2 skin on Chicken breasts
1 pound fresh Shrimp
1 package Mahatma Saffron Yellow Rice
1/4C Extra virgin olive oil + extra for chicken (1-2 tsp) and rice (1 tsp)
1/2 C red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp fresh Lemon juice, and halved whole Lemon
1 sprig fresh Dill weed
1 Tbsp fresh Dill weed, chopped
1/4 C fresh Italian Parsley, chopped
1/4 tsp Garlic powder
Salt (Kosher, preferred)
Pepper, black
Curry powder
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a baking pan, place chicken breast. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and a pinch of curry powder on both sides. Rub seasonings into meat. Drizzle with olive oil (1-2 tsp). Roast, skin side up for 35-40 minutes. Set aside to cool. When cool, discard skin and remove breast meat from bone Shred into bite size pieces. Place in large bowl.
On the stove, heat 6 cups of water to a simmer. Toss in a halved lemon, sprig of Dill weed, 1 tsp curry powder, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Let simmer for 10 minutes then add shrimp. Turn heat up to medium high, bring to boil and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove shrimp and reserve shrimp water. Place shrimp in an ice water bath for 30 seconds, then drain. Peel and devein shrimp, then cut into bit size pieces. Add to bowl with chicken.
Strain reserved shrimp boiling water and use as the water in the directions for preparing the Mahatma rice. Add 1 tsp olive oil with the rice mix. Once rice is done, add to bowl with chicken and shrimp.
For the dressing, mix 1/2C red wine vinegar and 1/4 c olive oil. Add in the Tbsp of fresh lemon juice, chopped Dill weed and Italian parsley, garlic powder, 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Stir to mix.
Pour dressing over ingredients in the bowl and toss to mix. Eat warm or chill before serving.
Grow Your Own: Sourdough Starter
1 C whole milk
1 C AP flour
Place milk in a glass quart jar or plastic vessel. Just avoid metal. Allow to stand at room temperature, uncovered but protected for 24 hours.
Stir in the flour. Leave uncovered, at room temperature in a protected place (a cold oven is good) for at least two days and up to five. You will know you've got an active culture when it is bubbling. Once it has bubbles and a sour aroma, it is ready to use.
Take out one cup at least weekly (discard or donate) and feed the starter with an additional cup each of milk and flour. Let ferment at room temperature for at least two hours (look for the bubbles again) and then it is ready to use. Refrigerate the remaining starter.
Tarragon Chicken Salad
Yield: 4 Cups
4 split Chicken breasts, skin on
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper, to taste
1 1/2 TBSP fresh Tarragon leaves chopped of 2 tsp dried Tarragon
1 C red seedless grapes, halved
2 stalks celery and leaves, sliced into bite sized pieces
1/2 C mayonnaise
Optional:
1/2 C chopped fresh Fennel bulb
1 Shallot, minced
Preheat oven to 350. Place cleaned and dried chicken breasts in baking pan. Season with salt and pepper on both sides, rubbing it in. Drizzle with olive oil.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool for at least 10 minutes, then discard skin and remove meat from breast bone. Chop or shred meat to your preference.
Mix chicken with remaining ingredients. Adjust to taste with salt and pepper. Chill for at least 2 hours then bring up to room temperature before serving. Serve on leaf lettuce or in a sandwich. Goes well with Pumpernickel bread!
American Pumpernickel Bread
Yield: 4 1lb loaves
12 oz water
12 oz dark beer or lager
1 1/2 Tbsp yeast
1 1/2 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp molasses
1 1/2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
2 tsp instant Espresso powder or very finely ground coffee
1 1/2 Tbsp Caramel syrup or 'flavoring'
1 C dark Rye flour
5 1/2 C unbleached AP flour
*Cornstarch wash (Recipe follows)
In order of listing place all ingredients in a bowl. A stand-up mixer with the dough hook is the method for mixing I use. Otherwise, use a wooden spoon and mix by hand, adding flour in portions to make mixing easier.
Mix on low speed until a gooey wet dough is achieved.
Cover dough loosely and let sit in warm area for 2 hours or until doubled in size.
Refrigerate overnight, loosely covered. Dough will keep for at least one week if refrigerated.
Using wet hands (not floured) remove a grapefruit-size of dough or measure a one pound portion. Shape into an oval, turning in your hands and tucking underneath until you have a smooth loaf.
Place on a board or pan that has been dusted with cornmeal. Let rise in a warm area for 40 minutes.
About 20 minutes into the rising, place pizza stone or piece of tile into oven and start heating to 400 degrees. Place empty broiler pan on lowest rack of oven.
After dough has risen, paint the surface with Cornstarch wash, then use a sharp knife or razor and slash three diagonal lines across the top. (You may sprinkle with Caraway seeds at this point if you desire.)
Slide the loaf onto the heated stone or tile. Pour one cup of water into the heated broiler pan and close oven door quickly.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until loaf has a hollow sound when thumped. Cool on a wire rack, slice and enjoy!
Cornstarch wash:
Mix 1/2 tsp Cornstarch with 1/2 tsp of water in a measuring cup to make a paste. Add 1/2 cup more of water. Microwave for 60 seconds, stir and look for the solution to have become clear. If it has not, heat for 30 seconds more.
Wash will keep in refrigerator for about 2 weeks. Do not use if it has a bad odor.
Risotto Soup with Asparagus, Spinach and Parmigiano
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Butter, unsalted
1 large Onion, chopped
2 tsps grated Lemon zest
1/4 C dry Vermouth (or White wine)
3/4 C Arborio or other short-grained rice
3 cans (14oz each) Chicken broth, simmering
1-2 C fresh Asparagus cut into 1-inch pieces
1 C sliced fresh spinach
1/4 tsp nutmeg (freshly grated if possible)
1-2 one inch pieces of Parmigiano rind
1/2 grated Parmigiano
Salt and Pepper
Heat oil and butter in large sauce pan over medium heat. Add onions pinch of salt and pepper then saute for 2 minutes until softened. Add lemon zest and saute 2 minutes more. Stir in rice, saute 3 minutes and add Vermouth. Cook a few minutes more until evaporated.
Stir in simmering Chicken broth, bring to a boil then reduce to simmer. Cover pot and cook 10 minutes.
Uncover, add in Parmigiano rind pieces, asparagus, spinach and nutmeg. Cook at a simmer for 3 to 4 more minutes until asparagus are tender. Adjust seasonings with salt and peper to taste. If risotto is not al dente, turn off heat, cover and let sit for 5 more minutes.
Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with grated Parmigiano.
Mrs. Marx's Brownies
(A rich, thin brownie, perfect alone or as the base for a scoop of ice cream and a bit of chocolate syrup)
1/2 C butter, unsalted
2 oz unsweetened (bitter) baking chocolate
1 C sugar
1/2 C all purpose flour
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2-1 C pecan halves (optional)
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Place butter and chocolate in microwave safe bowl. Microwave at defrost heat level for 2-3 minutes. Stir then heat in additional 1 minute intervals as needed, until melted and combined. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
Crack eggs into small bowl, stir briefly with fork to combine.
Mix flour, vanilla and eggs into melted chocolate and butter. Gently stir in pecans.
Spray 8 1/2 to 9 inch square baking pan with non-stick product. Pour batter into pan. Bake 20 minutes. May appear uncooked in center, but should still be removed at 20 minutes. Cool then cut for serving.
Beef Bourguignon
(Adapted from Southern Living Party Cookbook, 1972, and the Barefoot Contessa (Ina Garten)
Yields: 6 to 8 servings
4 slices of bacon, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2-3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 lbs of Chuck Roast cut into 1 inch cubes, bone-in cut is most tender
2 Carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 Yellow Onion, cut into a large dice
1 Can Beef Bouillon or Broth
1 Tbsp Tomato paste
Salt
Black Pepper
1 Bay leaf
2-3 stems Fresh Thyme or 1/2 tsp dried Thyme
2 Garlic cloves, minced
1 Bottle Red Wine (Something you would drink)
1/2 Cup Brandy
1 bag frozen Pearl Onions
1 lb fresh Mushrooms sliced or 2 jars Whole Mushrooms, drained
1/2 C Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley, coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp Butter softened and mixed with 3 Tbsp AP flour into a paste.
6 to 8 slices Bread, toasted and rubbed with sliced Garlic clove
Preheat oven to 300 degrees
Sprinkle beef cubes with salt and pepper.
Heat a large pot or Dutch Oven at medium for 2-3 minutes then fry bacon until crisp. Remove and set aside.
Add in a tablespoon of olive oil. If using fresh mushrooms, add in and saute 2-3 minutes over medium low heat. Add a pinch of salt and continue cooking 2-3 minutes more until released liquid is nearly gone. Remove to a bowl and cover when cool.
Add another Tbsp of olive oil, turn heat up to medium high, then begin searing beef, 3 to 4 minutes on each side until browned. Do in two rounds if pot is not larger enough to avoid crowding. Remove beef to its own bowl.
Turn heat down to low. If the pot is dry, add another Tbsp of olive oil. Add yellow onions and carrots, pinch of salt and pepper. Saute 4-5 minutes until onions are soft, but not browned. Add in minced garlic and cook 30 seconds more--just until you smell the fragrance.
Add Brandy, light and quickly step back. When flame dies, add back in beef and bacon.
Stir in tomato paste, then add wine, beef broth, Bay leaf and thyme. Wine should just cover the mixture.
Bring to a gentle simmer on the stove. Cover with lid and place in oven. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Remove from oven.
Place back on stove over low heat. Remove thyme stems if used fresh variety. Stir in butter & flour paste. Cook 3-4 minutes until mixture begins to thicken. Stir in mushrooms.
If preparing a day in advance, at this point remove pot from heat and let cool for 30 minutes. Cover and refrigerate. The next day, uncover and warm for 5 minutes over low heat. Add in bag of frozen pearl onions. Cover and cook over low for 10 minutes more. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Toast bread slices and rub with a slice of fresh garlic. Place in bowl or on plate. Ladle a serving of beef onto bread and sprinkle with fresh parsley.
If beef is to be served on the day of cooking, after the addition of the mushrooms, proceed with adding the butter & flour paste. When thick, add the frozen pearl onions, cover and cook over low for 5-7 minutes until they are done. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over croutons as above.
Oven Roasted Asparagus
Yields: 6 to 8 servings
2 lbs fresh Asparagus, pencil sized, washed and ends broken off at natural breaking point
2-3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Kosher salt
Black Pepper
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
(If asparagus are thick, consider peeling.) Dry asparagus, place in rectangular oven proof dish. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat all sides.
Bake in oven 10-12 minutes, or just until a fork inserts easily, then serve.
Flourless Chocolate Cake
(Courtesy Wonderful Friend, Jeanne)
1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate morsels
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon instant-coffee granules
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1/3 cup sugar
8 eggs
confectioners' sugar (optional)
sweetened whipped cream (optional)
raspberries (optional)
Grease the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment or waxed paper, set aside. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Place chocolate, butter, water and coffee granules in a medium, heavy-duty saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until melted and smooth. Stir in cocoa and sugar until smooth. Remove from heat. Transfer chocolate mixture to a large mixing bowl.
Beat eggs in large mixing bowl for 5 minutes or until volume doubles. Fold one-third of the beaten eggs into the chocolate mixture. Fold in remaining beaten eggs, one-third at a time, until thoroughly incorporated. Scrape batter into prepared pan.
Bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until cake has risen (center still will move or appear under-baked) and edges start to get firm and shiny. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack (center will sink slightly). cover cake and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. The cake can be prepared as many as four days in advance.
About 30 minutes before serving, remove side of pan by first running a knife around the edge of cake. Invert cake on a sheet of parchment paper, peel off parchment pan liner and turn cake right-side up on a serving platter. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Serving suggestion - dollop of sweetened whipped cream and raspberries.
Ragu di Bolognese
(Courtesy Chef Will Packwood, Cibo, Austin)
Yields: 4 to 4 1/2 lbs of sauce
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Butter, unsalted
1 small, Yellow Onion, peeled and minced
1 small, Carrot, peeled, trimmed and minced
1 small rib, Celery, washed, trimmed and minced
4 Tbsp Flat Leaf Parsley, fresh, leaves only, minced
1/2 lb Ground Veal
1/2 lb Ground Pork
1 lb Ground Beef
1 C White Wine
1 C Whole Milk
Nutmeg, freshly grated, to taste
2- 14oz cans of Tomatoes and juice, cores + seeds removed, broken with hands
1 Tbsp Tomato Paste
1 3" Parmigiano Cheese Rind
3 Anchovies, packed in oil
2 Bay Leaves, fresh or dried
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Begin with a large non-reactive pot. Do NOT cover the pot at anytime during cooking.
Heat butter and oil in pot over medium heat and add onions, celery, carrots and parsley. Salt and pepper (a pinch of each) the layer. Sweat over lowered heat for 5 minutes, until onions are translucent.
Add ground meats, salt and pepper the layer, then stir often and gently mashing meat into vegetables. DO NOT BROWN THE MEAT. Over low heat this will take 7 to 8 minutes.
Once meat is gray in color, add the wine, salt and pepper again.
Turn heat up to achieve a heavy bubbling simmer (not a roaring boil), then lower heat and reduce mixture until almost all of the liquid is gone. During this phase the meats will release a good bit of liquid, so the reduction will take time.
Add the milk, salt and pepper. Keep mixture at the constant lower simmer until again, the mixture has reduced and is nearly dry.
Stir in tomato paste, tomatoes, tomato liquid/juice, parm rind, anchovies, bay leaves and grating of nutmeg.
Keep mixture at a slow 'bubble', stirring periodically. If mixture gets too dry, add water (or Brodo) 1/2 C at a time.
Cook at this constant temperature for 4 to 6 hours.
Taste and adjust seasonings, serve now or next day or freeze.
Voila
Roasted Rosemary Potatoes
Yields: 4 to 6 servings
2 each Baking potatoes and Sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2inch to 2 inch cubes
(May also use 4 Baking potatoes)
2 stems fresh Rosemary, needles removed from stem and coarsely chopped, OR 1 TBSP dried Rosemary
1/4 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tsps Kosher salt or 1 1/2 tsps table salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Places potato cubes in a gallon zip lock plastic bag. Add oil, rosemary, salt, pepper and garlic. Close bag and shake gently to coat all cubes.
Pour potatoes into rectangular roasting pan. Avoid using a glass pan as potatoes may stick and burn.
Roast 30 minutes, stir to turn and bake for 15 to 30 minutes more-until fork tender and browned.
Italian Rosemary Pork Ribs
4 to 5 lbs of country style pork ribs
4 to 5 stems of fresh rosemary (Save two stems for the gas grill version) or 3 TBSP dried
Kosher salt
Black Pepper, freshly ground
Red Pepper flakes
2 to 3 cloves of minced fresh garlic (optional)
Extra virgin olive oil
Wash and dry ribs. (If using fresh rosemary: remove needles from two stems of the fresh rosemary and chop.) Sprinkle all sides of pork generously with salt and peppers and rub rosemary into meat. Follow method with minced garlic if desired. Drizzle with olive oil. Marinate overnight in refrigerator or at least 4 hours.
Prepare grill (all gas burners on, or full charcoal pan) or preheat oven to 450 degrees.
For oven method, place ribs in baking dish large enough to allow them to fit in easily with open space between the ribs. Place in oven and back for 10 minutes. Turn temperature down to 200 degrees and bake for 2 hours more.
For gas grill method, when heat is at 450 degrees place ribs on grill and quickly brown on each side. Turn frequently to avoid flare-ups or burning-no longer than 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Turn off all but one burner, farthest away from meat. Let temperature fall to 200-250 degrees, place 2 or 3 springs of fresh rosemary near meat (not over direct fire), close grill and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
For charcoal method, approximate the same temperatures by browning meat first, then moving charcoal to one side of the grill pan, farthest away from the meat. Leave top off of grill for 5 minutes, then close. Cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, checking every 20 minutes to ensure that temperature inside grill is as it should be. This recipe is a good reason to purchase a charcoal grill thermometer.
Remove ribs from heat source and cover with foil until ready to serve. Keep warm in 200 degree oven.
Braised Pork with Bourbon and Prunes
(Adapted from Bill Neal and Simone Beck)
3 lbs pork loin cut or 3 lbs of country style ribs, cut into 2 inch chunks
18 prunes (or dried figs)
2 Cups beef bouillon or broth
1/2 Cup Dijon mustard
2/3 Cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp olive or vegetable oil
2/3 Cup Bourbon
Salt and pepper
Bouquet garni (tied bouquet of) 3 to 4 sprigs of thyme, sage and Italian parsley
Italian parsely, 1/2 C chopped
1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 2 Tbsp water or broth(a slurry)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Warm 1 C of the broth in the microwave for 1 minute.
Steep the prunes in the broth until ready to add.
Wash the pork, place in a pan, pat dry and rub with salt and pepper. Let rest for 30 minutes.
Brush the pork with Dijon mustard, then roll in brown sugar. This is messy, thus the suggestion to do it all in a pan.
Heat oil in a Dutch Oven or large ovenproof/stove top proof casserole with lid. Over low medium heat, brown the pork on each side, about 4 minutes to the side. The sugar will caramelize, turn dark brown, but monitor heat to avoid burning.
Pour half of the bourbon over the pork, stand back and set aflame. When the flame goes out, pour in 1/2 C of the broth. Cover the pot and place in the oven for a (total) 1 hour and 25 minutes.
About 45 minutes into cooking time, turn the meat and add the bouquet garni to the pot. Lower the heat to 350 degrees.
25 minutes later, add the prunes and their steeping liquid. Replace lid. Cook 10 minutes more.
Remove the pork and prunes to a platter. Cover with foil. Strain cooking liquid and let cool until fat can be skimmed from the top.
Return the liquid to the pot, bring to a gentle boil, and add the remaining Bourbon. Stir to dislodge any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Reduce the heat to low medium.
Stir in the cornstarch slurry and whisk until thickened-2 to 3 minutes.
Add pork and prunes back to sauce. Heat through and serve over rice with peas and orange zest. Garnish with choped parsley if desired.
The pork is even better the next day.
Remembering Bill Neal Pimento Cheese (PMC)
(All rights to Remembering Bill Neal by Moreton Neal)
Yields: 3 Cups
12 oz (3/4lb) white cheddar cheese, grated
1/3 C Parmesan cheese,grated
1/4 C diced, jarred pimentos, drained
6 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 1/2 tsp Bourbon
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp ground cumin
Grate cheeses by hand or in food processor, using grating blade. Add remainder of ingredients and mix gently. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Serve with crackers, use as a sandwich spread, stuffing for celery stalks or (as Buttermilk says) in place of all other condiments of a hamburger.
(Bill, the more I know you, the more I miss your unique talent.)
Fantastically Easy and Flavorful Roasted Chicken
(with thanks to Simon Hopkinson, the Barefoot Contessa, and of course Julia)
Yields: 6 servings
1/2 C butter (unsalted) softened at room temperature
4-4 1/2 lb fresh whole chicken, organic is best
2 Tbsp Kosher salt or 1 Tbsp table salt
1/2 Tbsp ground black pepper
2 lemons, halved
2 shallots, halved, not peeled (or 1 onion quartered)
1 head garlic, halved, not peeled
4 sprigs (each) mix of fresh Tarragon, Thyme and Sage or 2 tsp dried Tarragon, 3 tsp Thyme and 2 tsp sage
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Wash and thoroughly dry the chicken, inside and out. (Remember to remove gizzards, livers, etc.. from inside-save for some later use or feed to those raccoons.)
Smear softened butter all over outside (top and underside, wings and drumsticks) of chicken and mash a couple tablespoons of the total amount on the inside cavity. For extra effect, slip a teaspoon size or two of the butter between the skin and breast. Be careful not to pierce the skin. Distribute the salt and pepper evenly between the inside cavity and the outside skin.
Squeeze the juices from the lemon halves over the chicken, remembering to turn the chicken over and get the underside. Stuff the juiced lemon halves, cut shallot, herbs and garlic head inside the chicken cavity.
Place the chicken breast side up in a pan. If you have a pan with a roasting rack, all the better.
Put the chicken in the oven and roast at 450 degrees for 15 minutes. Baste with melted butter and lemon juice accumulated in the pan, and turn down the oven temperature to 375 degrees. If the wings and drumsticks have already gotten dark, go ahead an place a piece of aluminum foil over the chicken.
Roast a total of 45 minutes more, basting every 15 minutes with pan juices. Remove the foil the last 15 minutes to brown the breast.
Turn off the oven, crack oven door ajar and wait 15 minutes. Carve to suit.
Hopkinson suggests there is no need to make a proper gravy rather dress the carved chicken with buttery-lemon pan juices.
Mysterious and Perfect Onion Soup
Yields: 4 servings
2 lbs onions thinly sliced (I used red onions-try a mix of yellow, white +/- shallots)
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp butter, unsalted
1 tsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp molasses
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
3 Tbsp All Purpose flour
2 Qts beef broth
3/4 C dry Vermouth
4 slices rustic bread, toasted
4 slices cheese, swiss variety
Melt butter with olive oil in large pot over low medium heat. Add sliced onions and cook over low heat for 15 minutes until they begin to soften.
Stir in brown sugar, molasses, salt and pepper. Cover, cook on low for 30 minutes.
Bring heat back up to medium, add flour, stir and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Add Vermouth and beef broth. Bring to a gentle simmer, reduce heat to low medium, cover and cook for 20 minutes more.
Place a slice of toasted bread (crouton) in bottom of each serving dish and top with a slice of a good swiss cheese (e.g. Emmenthaler, Gruyere). Ladle soup over bread and cheese and serve. As an alternative, you may also toast the bread slices under the broiler, flip, add cheese and toast until melted, then place in bowls and ladle on the soup, or ladle in the soup first, place the toasted bread, slice of cheese and slide bowls/individual soup crocks (ovenproof) under broiler.
Granny's Butter Pecan Turtle Cookies
(Read through recipe before starting to aid in assembling ingredients)
Yields: 1 13 x 9 pan of cookies
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
For bar layer:
Cut 1/2 C butter (unsalted) in 2 C all purpose flour. Mix in 1 C light brown sugar. This can be done using the pulse feature on a food processor.
Pat into a layer in a 13 x 9 pan (sprayed with non-stick spray if not a non-stick pan).
Distribute 1 C of pecan halves or chopped pecan pieces over flour/sugar/butter layer.
For Caramel layer:
Melt 2/3 C butter (unsalted) with 1/2C brown sugar in small saucepan. Boil one minute, then pour over pecan/flour mixture.
Bake in oven 18 minutes.
For chocolate layer:
Remove pan from oven and quickly pour up to 2C of semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips or a mixture of 1 C chocolate chips and 1 C other melting chips. Quickly spread melting chip mixture to cover all of bar/caramel layer.
Let cool at room temperature, then cut in squares or refrigerate, covered. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Pressure Cooker Beef Broth
(Adapted from Alton Brown's Beefy Broth)
Yields: 4 to 6 servings
Vegetable oil
Salt and pepper
3 pounds combined beef (fresh) soup bones, or oxtails and shanks
2 onions, quartered
2 ribs celery, halved
2 carrots, halved
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 bunch Italian parsley (preferred)
1 tsp black peppercorns
2 quarts water
Place pressure cooker pot on high heat. In a bowl, oil and salt the beef pieces. Once the pot is hot, sear beef pieces on all sides, 3-4 minutes per side. Cooking in batches is probably needed. Transfer seared pieces in overturned pressure cooker lid while cooking next batch of beef. Sear next batch of beef pieces and transfer to pressure cooker lid.
Turn down heat to medium low. Saute onions, carrots and celery for 7 to 8 minutes in pressure cooker pot until they begin to release their juices and onion become clear. Add garlic and cook another 30 seconds, just until you can smell the garlic.
Add back beef pieces, 2 quarts water, parsley and peppercorns. Pressure cooker should not be more than 2/3 full.
Turn heat back up to high, and bring to a boil. Skim off foam and discard. Cover and lock pressure cooker pot lid. Affix pressure gauge. Once pressure builds up and gauge starts to hiss, reduce heat to medium or medium-low, to achieve a gentle rocking hiss. Cook for 50 minutes.
Turn off heat and transfer closed pot to sink. Run cold water over closed pot top until pressure valve drops, at least 5 minutes. Gently open pot. (If you have a newer model with a valve release function, follow manufacturer's instructions.)
Spoon out all solids. (Save for dogs or raccoons) Taste. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour through a strainer or a cheesecloth lined strainer into a heat proof bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Carefully lift off hardened fat layer and discard. Use broth immediately or portion into containers and freeze.
Simple Corn Pudding
(Adapted from Gopher Hill Favorites)
Yields: 8 servings
1 box Jiffy Mix Cornbread
2 large eggs
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 can corn
1 can creamed corn
1 8oz cup sour cream
1 tsp dried thyme or 1 TBSP fresh thyme leaves
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 1 1/2 quart oven-proof casserole dish.
Mix cooled, melted butter, eggs and sour cream in a bowl, stirring until smooth. Drain corn and add to eggs and sour cream. Stir in creamed corn, then corn bread mix and thyme. Stir only until moistened; do not over mix. Pour into casserole and bake for 1 hour. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Bill Neal's Sherry Roasted Pecans
(Adapted from the publication Saveur, with rights to Bill Neal as originated in his Biscuits, Spoonbread and Sweet Potato Pie. )
Yields: 2 Cups
2 T Butter, unsalted
2 'pinches' cayenne pepper
1/2 t sugar (optional)
1 T dry sherry (I use 2)
2 C shelled pecan halves
1/4 to 1/2 t coarse salt
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Melt butter with cayenne and sugar in a wide saute (or frying) pan. Remove from the heat and stir in the sherry. Toss pecans in the pan with melted butter-sherry-pepper-sugar mixture.
If the saute pan is ovenproof, simply place it in the oven. If not, transfer pecans to a baking sheet, and spread to one layer. Bake for 15 minutes total, stirring half way. Be careful to avoid burning. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle pecans with salt to taste. (I transfer them to a plate and stir periodically while they cool. There will be remaining butter mixture to be absorbed as they cool.)
Serve warm or at room temperature. Store in an airtight container.
Lady Bird Johnson's Cheese Biscuits
Yields: 5 Dozen
1 C butter, unsalted
2 C all purpose flour
8 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 C Rice Krispies (TM)
1 C pecan halves (suggestion)
Pre-heat over to 350 degrees
Cut butter into flour and stir in grated cheese and spices. Gently fold in Rice Krispies. Drop by tablespoon full onto ungreased baking sheet. Lightly flatten top of each biscuit (and add pecan half if desired).
Bake for 12-15 minutes, watching carefully to avoid burning. Remove from oven, let cool for 1 minute and transfer to cooking rack. Store in airtight container.
Spaghetti alla Pavarotti
As provided by Luciano Pavarotti.
450 (1lb) grams of linguini
30 ml (2 tablespoons) of tomato paste, preferably Italian
3 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
250 ml (1 cup) of Italian parsley (flat), finely chopped
190 ml (2/3 cup) high quality extra-virgin olive oil
15 ml (1 tablespoon) red pepper flakes (optional)
1 cup grated parmigiano reggiano
Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
Cook the pasta al dente. Drain without rinsing before or after!
Add olive oil to wide pan (e.g. sauce or frying), warm on medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper, then cook for 30 seconds-just until you smell their aroma.
Stir in tomato paste and heat through. Remove from heat.
Stir in 2/3 C of the parmigiano reggiano and 2/3 C of the parsley. Stir in drained pasta. Add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to serving dish. Sprinkle with reserved parmigiano and parsley.
Buon appetito!
Gorgonzola Sauce
Marcella Hazan, The Essentials of Italian Cooking
Allow gorgonzola to sit out at room temperature an hour before using.
4 oz gorgonzola (piccante) or other blue cheese
1/3 C whole milk
3 T butter, unsalted
1/2C whipping (heavy) cream
1 1/4 pounds dried pasta of your choice, penne is nice.
1/3 C parmigiano reggiano (parmesan) cheese
Begin pasta in salted, boiling water. In a heavy sauce pan, add gorgonzola, milk, butter and 1-2 pinches of salt. Cook on low, incorporating the cheese into the liquid, until all is melted. Cook an additional 1-2 minutes until sauce is a creamy consistency. Remove from heat until the time you are ready to drain the pasta.
Near the end of cooking time for the pasta, return the gorgonzola sauce to medium-low heat and add the heavy cream. Cook for 2-3 minutes until sauce is partly reduced.
Add the cooked, drained pasta to the sauce and stir to combine. Transfer to a warmed platter and top with grated parmigiano cheese.
“Take a rack of baby back ribs. Cook slowly—we're talking eight hours. Serve to your best friends on Earth.”
(P.S. This is Oprah's favorite ribs recipe of all time.) O The Oprah Magazine
Serves 8
2 teaspoons Spike (or Steak) seasoning
1 teaspoon Ac’cent seasoning
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
5 racks baby back ribs (about 5 pounds)
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 large jalapeño peppers, minced
2 large onions, halved and thinly sliced
2 green bell peppers, thinly sliced
2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
2 yellow bell peppers, thinly sliced
In a cup, combine Spike and Ac'cent seasonings and black pepper. Sprinkle 1/4 tsp. seasoning mixture on each side of the rib racks. In a small bowl, combine the minced garlic, jalapeño peppers and remaining seasoning mixture. Rub the garlic mixture on the top and bottom of the ribs. Line a large roasting pan (17 x 11 1/2 inches) with enough foil to wrap all the ribs. Spread a layer of onions and bell peppers on top of the foil. Place 2 rib racks, side by side, on the vegetables. Continue to layer the onions and peppers and the ribs. Tightly wrap the marinated ribs in the foil and refrigerate for up to 2 days (Can cook after 1 day).
Remove the pan from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400°.
Before placing the ribs in the oven, reduce the temperature to 300°. Bake the foil-wrapped ribs for 6 to 8 hours. Remove the ribs. Spoon off the fat from the liquid in the pan and discard, reserving the pan juices. Cut each rack into three sections and serve with the vegetables and pan juices, plus sides of rice and chopped tomato-and-cucumber salad.
Recipe created by Quincy Jones
From the October 2001 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine
Shirley Corriher's Touch-of-Grace Biscuits
Serves 4 to 6
The secret of these sensationally light biscuits is the steam produced by a moist dough and baking the biscuits up against each other.
Read through the recipe first and gather the ingredients before starting to cook.
Preheat oven to 475.
Set a rack in center of oven.
Blend together in a bowl:
1 1/2 C (measured by dipping cup into flour and leveling against side of bag) White Lily self-rising flour, or 1 C other brand self-rising flour and 1/2 C granulated flour (i.e., Wondra or shake and blend), plus 1/2 t baking powder
1 T sugar
1/8 to 1/4 t salt
Work in with finger tips:
3 T vegetable shortening (cold, broken into pieces)
Add dairy and stir with a spoon until just mixed, and let rest about 3 minutes. Dough will be wet and gooey, like cottage cheese:
3/4 C buttermilk
1/2 C heavy cream
For shaping and baking:
Spray 8-inch cake pan with non-stick spray. Have 1 cup non-self-rising flour in a pie plate. Spray a medium ice cream scoop (1/3 or 1/2 C) or tablespoon with non-stick spray. Scoop up biscuit dough and drop in flour.
Sprinkle with flour and roll in flour. Shake off excess and shape into a tall round. Place in cake pan. Continue process until all dough is used, pressing biscuits snugly next to each other. For wretched excess, you could brush biscuits with melted butter. Bake about 15 to 18 minutes, or until golden brown. Eat hot, turning out the panful of biscuits onto a platter, and gently separating them with a paring knife.
Copyright 1996 Shirley Corriher
Buttermilk Pie
Yields 1 Pie
Unbaked 9 inch or 8 inch (deep dish) pie crust
1/2C melted butter
1 1/4C sugar
2 T all purpose flour
3 large eggs
1/2C buttermilk, regular or lowfat
2T real vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees or 325 if using a glass pie plate (which is always best for the crust)
Cream the melted butter, sugar and flour until smooth. Whisk in in the eggs one at a time then the buttermilk. When well combined, pour into the unbaked pie shell.
Bake for 45 minutes.
Cool before cutting and serving. Store in refrigerator.
Crab au Gratin
4 T flour
2 C whole milk
½ tsp hot sauce (Tabasco brand, tested)
½ tsp salt
1 16 oz jar Cheez Whiz
1 lb crab, claw or lump meat picked over, raw
1/3 tsp black pepper
1 C grated sharp cheddar cheese
2 T dry Sherry (Buttermilk's addition)
½ lb shrimp – boiled (optional)
Mix flour, salt and pepper with 1/2C of the milk, whisk until smooth and set aside. In a double boiler, add cheez whiz to rest of the milk. When melted, add flour mixture, Sherry and hot sauce sauce. Stir until smooth and thickened, and flour has a chance to 'cook'-7-8 minutes. Add crab meat (boiled shrimp if desired). Taste; add salt, pepper and more hot sauce if desired. Pour into a 2 quart casserole dish. Top with grated cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
My thanks to cousin Janet for this recipe and for treating her family every year to this comforting rendition of the Low Country's native seafood.
Blue Cheese Biscuits
This is one of those recipes that is embarrassingly simple and astonishingly good. I have learned that its important to remember that simple is often underestimated.
Yields 2 cake pans of biscuit "bits", serving 6 to 8 for cocktails
2 tube packages of refrigerator biscuits (10), not the butter-me-not brand
1 package 3-4 ounce blue cheese crumbles. or 4 ounces block blue cheese broken into crumbles with a fork
(Clemson Blue Cheese preferred)
1 stick butter, melted
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Melt butter, remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
Stir in half of blue cheese. This produces a milky-colored mixture. Remove from heat and set aside.
Cut each biscuit into 4 parts, and sprinkle one tube's contents into one of two 8 or 9 inch cake pans.
Pour blue cheese-butter mixture over biscuit dough, half into each pan. Sprinkle remaining blue cheese evenly between two pans.
Bake for 10-12 minutes. Start checking after 8 minutes.
Break apart and serve while hot. Wonderful with red or white wine.
My thanks to Dwight Shelton for sharing this deceptively simple and delicious recipe.
Chicken (or Turkey) Stock* (*Carcass only)
Yields 1 Quart (more if a large turkey)
1 cooked (leftover) chicken or turkey carcass, cleaned of meat
Water, enough to cover the carcass
1/2 C celery and leaves, chopped
1/2 C onion, chopped
1/2 C carrots, chopped
1/2 Bay leaf (fresh, if possible)
6 sprigs parsley
Salt and Pepper, to taste
[Note: if using a large turkey, increase to 1 C each vegetables, 1 whole bay leaf, and 12 sprigs parsley]
Place fowl in a tall pot and cover with water. Bring to a gentle boil, and reduce heat at once. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove scum.
Add the vegetables, bay leaf and parsley.
Continue to simmer the stock for 2 1/2 hours, uncovered.
Strain into a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cool, uncovered, then refrigerate covered. Once a layer of fat rises to the top, skim, and use immediately or freeze.
Chicken (or Turkey) Broth* (*Meat and Bones)
Yields 4 Quarts
1, 5lb hen or smaller chicken (raw) or 5lb turkey legs (raw)
6 quarts cold water
2 tsp salt (taste)
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 stalks celery, chopped
1-2 bay leaves (fresh are best)
2-3 sprigs fresh parsley (Italian, or flat leaf, preferred)
2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
6-8 whole black peppercorns
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Rinse and clean the chicken under cold water. Cut away any excess fat. Place in a large stockpot and cover with cold water. Add the salt. Bring to a simmer slowly. Skin off scum from time to time. Keep at a low simmer, uncovered, and cook for 2 hours. (1 hour for a 3-3 1/2lb bird).
Add the onions, carrots and celery. Simmer another 30 minutes. Continue to skim as scum rises to the top. Taste and add more salt if needed.
Add the bay leaves, peppercorns, parsley and thyme. Simmer for another 30 minutes.
Carefully remove the chicken carcass from the liquid. Set it aside in a bowl and cover. Refrigerate until ready to pull meat off of bones.
Line a colander with cheesecloth and place over a large bowl (e.g. 4 quarts). Carefully strain the broth through the colander. Check the broth in the bowl. Carefully skim off any fat that is visible.
[If time permits, refrigerate the broth overnight and remove solidified fat that has risen to the top.]
Taste again and season with fresh pepper and salt to taste. Use broth immediately or refrigerate as above, skim and portion in containers, label and freeze.
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Reviews of Kitchen Tools and Appliances
Baker's Blade
A Slice of Life
When baking bread it is good to slash the top of the unbaked dough just before placing in the oven. Three slanted slashes are generally all that is required.
Unless you have a very sharp, fine blade knife, the use of something with a razor's edge is preferred. The depth of the slash should only be superficial, will let out steam and allow the bread to rise while baking.
Disposable straight edge razor blades are difficult to come by these days. Chefs have always used a "Baker's Blade", which is basically a razor blade housed in a handle. They are not easy to find, but I have located an on line source for the Baker's Blade I purchased at a restaurant supply store made by Matfer Bourgeat . One source for ordering is chefsresource.com
If you can find disposable razor blades at your local pharmacy or grocery, by all means use them.
Good baking!
New Uses for Common Tools
Ice cream scoops
Equal Portioning and Even Cooking
Last year while visiting Paula Deen's restaurant in Savannah, Georgia, The Lady and Sons, I spent time watching the cook prepare cheese biscuits at a station in the dining room. In an 'ah ha' moment I noticed that she was utilizing an ice cream scoop to measure each portion of biscuit dough. Since the scoop was the variety with the side lever and internal wire scrape element, a quick press of the lever cleanly released the dough into the compartment of the muffin tin. An equal amount of dough in each muffin compartment produced consistent biscuits each time. Shirley Corriher demonstrates the use of an ice cream scoop when making her Touch-of-Grace biscuits as well. A light dusting of flour or even cooking spray will ensure a smooth release of the dough from the scoop.
The scoop I have on hand holds 1/3 of a cup in volume, and is a common size found in most stores. A recent trip to a kitchen supply store revealed an entire array of ice cream scoops measuring different volumes. Smaller scoops are perfect for cookie dough, and larger sized scoops are useful in portioning wet mixtures such as pancake batter or meat patties. One source for various sizes of cookie and ice cream scoops (by Oxo) is http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=598838
Graviti has answered the call. Click on the name and take a look. They have introduced a battery operated pepper mill (and a salt version) that is truly unique. The easy to understand instructions demonstrate how to insert the battery and whole peppercorns in their respective compartments. Once loaded, just tip the shaker over, and it will grind fresh pepper on to your food or into the pot. Variable settings allow for fine or course grinds.
Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa, always has a small dish of salt and freshly ground pepper in her mise en place for the recipes she is preparing. The Graviti mill is the perfect way to set up freshly ground pepper at the start of stepping through a recipe.
Prices are generally $20 or less. I found mine at Bed, Bath and Beyond (and used one of their great 20% off coupons), and have also seen the mill at http://www.amazon.com/ and various other sites. Folks, this one is a keeper.
A Slice of Life
When baking bread it is good to slash the top of the unbaked dough just before placing in the oven. Three slanted slashes are generally all that is required.
Unless you have a very sharp, fine blade knife, the use of something with a razor's edge is preferred. The depth of the slash should only be superficial, will let out steam and allow the bread to rise while baking.
Disposable straight edge razor blades are difficult to come by these days. Chefs have always used a "Baker's Blade", which is basically a razor blade housed in a handle. They are not easy to find, but I have located an on line source for the Baker's Blade I purchased at a restaurant supply store made by Matfer Bourgeat . One source for ordering is chefsresource.com
If you can find disposable razor blades at your local pharmacy or grocery, by all means use them.
Good baking!
New Uses for Common Tools
Ice cream scoops
Equal Portioning and Even Cooking
Last year while visiting Paula Deen's restaurant in Savannah, Georgia, The Lady and Sons, I spent time watching the cook prepare cheese biscuits at a station in the dining room. In an 'ah ha' moment I noticed that she was utilizing an ice cream scoop to measure each portion of biscuit dough. Since the scoop was the variety with the side lever and internal wire scrape element, a quick press of the lever cleanly released the dough into the compartment of the muffin tin. An equal amount of dough in each muffin compartment produced consistent biscuits each time. Shirley Corriher demonstrates the use of an ice cream scoop when making her Touch-of-Grace biscuits as well. A light dusting of flour or even cooking spray will ensure a smooth release of the dough from the scoop.
The scoop I have on hand holds 1/3 of a cup in volume, and is a common size found in most stores. A recent trip to a kitchen supply store revealed an entire array of ice cream scoops measuring different volumes. Smaller scoops are perfect for cookie dough, and larger sized scoops are useful in portioning wet mixtures such as pancake batter or meat patties. One source for various sizes of cookie and ice cream scoops (by Oxo) is http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=598838
That's the scoop!
Graviti Pepper MillFreshly Milled Pepper, No Longer a Grind
Pepper is the most widely used spice. All professional cooks admonish us to use freshly ground pepper when cooking. Yet, have you gotten to the point in a recipe to add pepper, with hands wet or sticky from the previous step and then reach for the pepper grinder? Do you have a family member with arthritis in the hands; I do. Fret no more.Graviti has answered the call. Click on the name and take a look. They have introduced a battery operated pepper mill (and a salt version) that is truly unique. The easy to understand instructions demonstrate how to insert the battery and whole peppercorns in their respective compartments. Once loaded, just tip the shaker over, and it will grind fresh pepper on to your food or into the pot. Variable settings allow for fine or course grinds.
Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa, always has a small dish of salt and freshly ground pepper in her mise en place for the recipes she is preparing. The Graviti mill is the perfect way to set up freshly ground pepper at the start of stepping through a recipe.
Prices are generally $20 or less. I found mine at Bed, Bath and Beyond (and used one of their great 20% off coupons), and have also seen the mill at http://www.amazon.com/ and various other sites. Folks, this one is a keeper.
Lessons Learned
Olive Oil, Any Oil-Keep it Cool
A chef friend once admonished me years ago to keep my oils AWAY from heat for daily storage. So don't keep your oils right by your cooktop stove or above your stove in the cabinet that is often there. My mother sometimes keeps her olive oil in the refrigerator and I suspect she read that this is a good idea. Maybe we can get her to comment on the source of this information. While I do not know if this helps maintain the integrity of the oil, my only complaint is waiting for it to thaw when I am ready to cook.
Another tip I picked up while on cooking vacation in Italy while visiting an olive oil producer is that one should always look for an expiration date on the oil bottle. New oil is pressed generally in the Fall of each year. If the bottle you have either has no date or is over a year old, rethink using it. I also learned from our chef instructor that each year Costco contracts with an olive oil producer in Tuscany to bottle and label a Kirkland's Signature brand, found in their stores starting in February each year. I have been buying this oil ever since. If you have a Costco nearby, keep an eye out for it, and notice the dating, remembering the most recent year is the best year.
Finally, as to shortening, which we use less and less these days. I no longer buy the larger can, but rather the Crisco sticks. (Even purist Alton Brown likes their butter flavored version.) I keep them in the butter section of my refrigerator. There is nothing worse than having the thought to make biscuits or something requiring shortening and pulling out the aging bulk can, only to smell it and know it has become rancid. Oxygen, heat, light and time are no friends to fats. Keep it cool!
The Skinny on Butter-Salted and un-Salted
A few years ago, after making chocolate chip cookies I noticed they didn't seem to have the same sweet and delicately salty, crispy bite that those my maternal grandmother made always had. I asked her about her recipe and she explained that she had always used the recipe on the back of the Nestle's Chocolate Chips bag for Toll House cookies. OK, that's the same recipe I had used. As we talked about what I could have been doing differently than she, we stepped through the ingredients and recipe. Voila! She had always used salted butter, and I used un-salted butter. Since I had long since been using un-salted butter for all of my cooking [Chefs remind us that controlling the amount of any salt when cooking is easier when additions are in your hands. You can add but you cannot take away.]
I asked her why she used the salted variety. She explained that 'during the war' (WW II), when butter was scarce, salt had been added to keep it from spoiling and make the limited supply stretch longer. Once the war was over, she just never changed the habit of using salted butter. Fascinating information, which I stored away without much thought until a recent visit home to the deep South. I noticed that in the refrigerators of family members, the salted variety was the only type on hand. A trip to butter section in the grocery store was interesting as well. There was a much greater supply of salted butter on the shelves, and only a limited supply of the un-salted variety. So does the local market demand salted butter or has the unseen hand of economic forces created that demand?
Fast forward to today, as I ponder what other differences may exist between the two varieties. For the factual reference, I turn to famed food science expert Harold McGee for answers in his tome On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen .
Butter is made in several distinct ways, producing varieties with different tastes and behaviors. In simplest terms, butter is produced when cream (or milk) is agitated to such an extent that its fat globules are damaged, the fat leaks out, and comes together in a mass we know and love.
Raw cream butter, whether salted or un-salted is a rarity today around the world. The milk is not cooked or pasteurized, results in a sublime flavor, and a fragility which makes it shelf life limited to less than 10 days. Let's move on.
Sweet (un-salted) cream butter and Salted sweet cream butter are the two varieties most commonly found on grocery store shelves in the US. Both are made from pasteurized fresh cream (cow's). By regulation both must be at least 80% fat. Butter produced in Europe or here in the US as European- style must have a fat content greater than 80%. Higher fat butters have 10-12% less water, and can be advantageous when using them in baking where they will produce a flakier product.
Sweet cream butter must be no more than 16% water with the remaining 4% as protein, lactose and salts contained in the buttermilk droplets.
In contrast, salted sweet cream butter contains between 1 and 2% added salt, the equivalent of 1-2 teaspoons per pound. McGee verifies that originally salt was indeed added as a preservative, and at 2%, the equivalent yield of 12% in the water droplets. Additional reading reveals that annatto, a flavoring and colorant from the annatto seed, is often added to butter (salted more often than un-salted). If you have a nut allergy, remember this. Cows that get little time consuming fresh pasture and the resulting orange carotene pigments, produce pale milk fat and thus pale butter.
Whipped butter begins as sweet (un-salted) butter and is then subjected to the injection of nitrogen gas (oxygen would produce rancidity), which weakens the butter structure and make it easier to spread. It is not the best choice for use in baking.
Cultured cream butter is the standard is Europe, and involves a process if allowing some degree of fermentation to talk place in the production process, with bacteria introducing new flavors resulting in an overall richer taste. If you have never tried any imported butters or those made here in the US from the milk of animals beside cows, look for possibilities in your grocery store. Can't you just imagine a butter-tasting party in the summer when the corn is fresh?
Butter is a relatively fragile food when exposed to air (oxygen) and bright light, which break its fat molecules into smaller molecules and produces a stale smell and rancid flavor. When storing butter, it is best to keep it in a cold, dark environment, wrapped in an airtight container in its originally provided, foiled paper. However, wrapping in standard aluminum foil can speed oxidation of the fat in butter, particularly in salted butter. Freezing well-wrapped butter is a good way to maintain an extra supply.The appearance of translucent, dark yellow patches on the surface of a stick of butter indicate it has been exposed to air and dried out. If few in number, these patches can be scraped away to eliminate a rancid taste, and the butter still used.
One final note on storage, the popularity of butter bells deserves a mention. Butter bells are touted as an old-time way (i.e., before reliable refrigeration) of storing butter at room temperature, keeping it soft and easy to spread. Following the science of the effects of exposing butter to oxygen, with water being comprised of 2 hydrogen molecules and 1 oxygen molecule, I imagine that prolonged storage at room temperature, in a butter bell where the butter is immersed in water could weakens the fat molecules, speed spoilage and affect the taste of butter.
Using butter for sauteing or frying is difficult and often produces burning. This is caused by the milk solids in butter which brown then burn at a much lower smoking point than vegetable oils--about 150 degrees less than vegetable oils, which withstand heating to 400 degrees. Despite what I have observed in the pan and heard from many chefs, McGee says adding oil to butter does not completely, reliably overcome this sensitivity to burning at lower temperatures. Clarifying butter is the better way to achieve a butter-based medium for frying. Clarifying butter involves gently heating butter, skimming off the milk solids, cooling and using only the remaining product. Not many of us in the US employ this method often, but it is very common in other countries. Clarified butter can be heated to 400 degrees without burning.
We cannot leave a discussion of butter without mentioning margarine. Margarine was invented by a French chemist (Hippolyte Mege-Mouries) in 1869, to produce a inexpensive food fat for the indigent masses, and involved the introduction of beef tallow to milk and producing a mixture like butter. Margarine produced today is a completely different animal than its predecessors. Today it is 80% fat and no more than 16% water, just like butter. This is where similarities to butter end.
The production process for margarine includes a water phase using fresh, cultured or reconstituted powdered skim milk. The fat phase introduces any of a single or combination of vegetable or seed fats such as soybean, cottonseed, corn, or sunflower oil. If you have a nut allergy, remember this. The process is completed with the addition of stabilizers, coloring agents, flavor extracts, salt , vitamins and nitrogen if the whipped form. Read the label to confirm what you are buying.
So after all of this, which is 'better', salted or un-salted butter? Naturally, this is up to your taste and how you define 'better'. I still agree with chefs who desire to control the addition of salt to a recipe, wonder about the possible effect on blood pressure of the forgotten salt in the salted variety (my grandmother had hypertension her entire life; yet, some feel salt has been overly implicated in hypertension), and more and more tend to shy away from the addition of stabilizers, preservatives and colorings so opt for un-salted butter. Then again, my grandmother's chocolate chip cookies were perfect! In life, there are always exceptions.
Perfecting Risotto
[Updated Note: Recently I tried the domestically grown product RiceSelect brand in the 32ounce jar. While I am reluctant to ever say something negative about our attempts to grow non-indigenous products here at home, I was disappointed in the outcome of the risotto. Though I followed my now well-honed method, the resulting dish lacked the creaminess I have found when using medium grain rice originating from Italy. Most grocery stores now carry authentic medium grain rice from Italy, and World Market (Cost Plus) is another source.]
Risotto refers to a method of cooking medium grain rice.
Arborio, Carnaroli and Vialone Nano are three varieties, grown in Italy.
After many attempts at trying to recreate the wonderful risottos I have tasted in the US and abroad, it was studying Lydia Bastianich that helped me most.
Two key points:
1) The liquid being added throughout the cooking process should be at or just below boiling (i.e. a high simmer). The rice and liquid mixture should be kept at a high simmer, and new additions of liquid should not trigger a drop in temperature. Food chemist Shirley Corriher reminds us that there is a transformation occurring in the starch of the rice during heating, with liquid being absorbed by the grain and starch being released from the grains to produce the creamy texture of risotto. When you introduce a cooler addition of liquid, this process is interrupted and the results are less than stellar.
2) Use a wide pot, at least 10 inches in width, to create a uniform platform for heat dispersion and ensure even heating throughout the process.
Buon appetito!
A chef friend once admonished me years ago to keep my oils AWAY from heat for daily storage. So don't keep your oils right by your cooktop stove or above your stove in the cabinet that is often there. My mother sometimes keeps her olive oil in the refrigerator and I suspect she read that this is a good idea. Maybe we can get her to comment on the source of this information. While I do not know if this helps maintain the integrity of the oil, my only complaint is waiting for it to thaw when I am ready to cook.
Another tip I picked up while on cooking vacation in Italy while visiting an olive oil producer is that one should always look for an expiration date on the oil bottle. New oil is pressed generally in the Fall of each year. If the bottle you have either has no date or is over a year old, rethink using it. I also learned from our chef instructor that each year Costco contracts with an olive oil producer in Tuscany to bottle and label a Kirkland's Signature brand, found in their stores starting in February each year. I have been buying this oil ever since. If you have a Costco nearby, keep an eye out for it, and notice the dating, remembering the most recent year is the best year.
Finally, as to shortening, which we use less and less these days. I no longer buy the larger can, but rather the Crisco sticks. (Even purist Alton Brown likes their butter flavored version.) I keep them in the butter section of my refrigerator. There is nothing worse than having the thought to make biscuits or something requiring shortening and pulling out the aging bulk can, only to smell it and know it has become rancid. Oxygen, heat, light and time are no friends to fats. Keep it cool!
The Skinny on Butter-Salted and un-Salted
A few years ago, after making chocolate chip cookies I noticed they didn't seem to have the same sweet and delicately salty, crispy bite that those my maternal grandmother made always had. I asked her about her recipe and she explained that she had always used the recipe on the back of the Nestle's Chocolate Chips bag for Toll House cookies. OK, that's the same recipe I had used. As we talked about what I could have been doing differently than she, we stepped through the ingredients and recipe. Voila! She had always used salted butter, and I used un-salted butter. Since I had long since been using un-salted butter for all of my cooking [Chefs remind us that controlling the amount of any salt when cooking is easier when additions are in your hands. You can add but you cannot take away.]
I asked her why she used the salted variety. She explained that 'during the war' (WW II), when butter was scarce, salt had been added to keep it from spoiling and make the limited supply stretch longer. Once the war was over, she just never changed the habit of using salted butter. Fascinating information, which I stored away without much thought until a recent visit home to the deep South. I noticed that in the refrigerators of family members, the salted variety was the only type on hand. A trip to butter section in the grocery store was interesting as well. There was a much greater supply of salted butter on the shelves, and only a limited supply of the un-salted variety. So does the local market demand salted butter or has the unseen hand of economic forces created that demand?
Fast forward to today, as I ponder what other differences may exist between the two varieties. For the factual reference, I turn to famed food science expert Harold McGee for answers in his tome On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen .
Butter is made in several distinct ways, producing varieties with different tastes and behaviors. In simplest terms, butter is produced when cream (or milk) is agitated to such an extent that its fat globules are damaged, the fat leaks out, and comes together in a mass we know and love.
Raw cream butter, whether salted or un-salted is a rarity today around the world. The milk is not cooked or pasteurized, results in a sublime flavor, and a fragility which makes it shelf life limited to less than 10 days. Let's move on.
Sweet (un-salted) cream butter and Salted sweet cream butter are the two varieties most commonly found on grocery store shelves in the US. Both are made from pasteurized fresh cream (cow's). By regulation both must be at least 80% fat. Butter produced in Europe or here in the US as European- style must have a fat content greater than 80%. Higher fat butters have 10-12% less water, and can be advantageous when using them in baking where they will produce a flakier product.
Sweet cream butter must be no more than 16% water with the remaining 4% as protein, lactose and salts contained in the buttermilk droplets.
In contrast, salted sweet cream butter contains between 1 and 2% added salt, the equivalent of 1-2 teaspoons per pound. McGee verifies that originally salt was indeed added as a preservative, and at 2%, the equivalent yield of 12% in the water droplets. Additional reading reveals that annatto, a flavoring and colorant from the annatto seed, is often added to butter (salted more often than un-salted). If you have a nut allergy, remember this. Cows that get little time consuming fresh pasture and the resulting orange carotene pigments, produce pale milk fat and thus pale butter.
Whipped butter begins as sweet (un-salted) butter and is then subjected to the injection of nitrogen gas (oxygen would produce rancidity), which weakens the butter structure and make it easier to spread. It is not the best choice for use in baking.
Cultured cream butter is the standard is Europe, and involves a process if allowing some degree of fermentation to talk place in the production process, with bacteria introducing new flavors resulting in an overall richer taste. If you have never tried any imported butters or those made here in the US from the milk of animals beside cows, look for possibilities in your grocery store. Can't you just imagine a butter-tasting party in the summer when the corn is fresh?
Butter is a relatively fragile food when exposed to air (oxygen) and bright light, which break its fat molecules into smaller molecules and produces a stale smell and rancid flavor. When storing butter, it is best to keep it in a cold, dark environment, wrapped in an airtight container in its originally provided, foiled paper. However, wrapping in standard aluminum foil can speed oxidation of the fat in butter, particularly in salted butter. Freezing well-wrapped butter is a good way to maintain an extra supply.The appearance of translucent, dark yellow patches on the surface of a stick of butter indicate it has been exposed to air and dried out. If few in number, these patches can be scraped away to eliminate a rancid taste, and the butter still used.
One final note on storage, the popularity of butter bells deserves a mention. Butter bells are touted as an old-time way (i.e., before reliable refrigeration) of storing butter at room temperature, keeping it soft and easy to spread. Following the science of the effects of exposing butter to oxygen, with water being comprised of 2 hydrogen molecules and 1 oxygen molecule, I imagine that prolonged storage at room temperature, in a butter bell where the butter is immersed in water could weakens the fat molecules, speed spoilage and affect the taste of butter.
Using butter for sauteing or frying is difficult and often produces burning. This is caused by the milk solids in butter which brown then burn at a much lower smoking point than vegetable oils--about 150 degrees less than vegetable oils, which withstand heating to 400 degrees. Despite what I have observed in the pan and heard from many chefs, McGee says adding oil to butter does not completely, reliably overcome this sensitivity to burning at lower temperatures. Clarifying butter is the better way to achieve a butter-based medium for frying. Clarifying butter involves gently heating butter, skimming off the milk solids, cooling and using only the remaining product. Not many of us in the US employ this method often, but it is very common in other countries. Clarified butter can be heated to 400 degrees without burning.
We cannot leave a discussion of butter without mentioning margarine. Margarine was invented by a French chemist (Hippolyte Mege-Mouries) in 1869, to produce a inexpensive food fat for the indigent masses, and involved the introduction of beef tallow to milk and producing a mixture like butter. Margarine produced today is a completely different animal than its predecessors. Today it is 80% fat and no more than 16% water, just like butter. This is where similarities to butter end.
The production process for margarine includes a water phase using fresh, cultured or reconstituted powdered skim milk. The fat phase introduces any of a single or combination of vegetable or seed fats such as soybean, cottonseed, corn, or sunflower oil. If you have a nut allergy, remember this. The process is completed with the addition of stabilizers, coloring agents, flavor extracts, salt , vitamins and nitrogen if the whipped form. Read the label to confirm what you are buying.
So after all of this, which is 'better', salted or un-salted butter? Naturally, this is up to your taste and how you define 'better'. I still agree with chefs who desire to control the addition of salt to a recipe, wonder about the possible effect on blood pressure of the forgotten salt in the salted variety (my grandmother had hypertension her entire life; yet, some feel salt has been overly implicated in hypertension), and more and more tend to shy away from the addition of stabilizers, preservatives and colorings so opt for un-salted butter. Then again, my grandmother's chocolate chip cookies were perfect! In life, there are always exceptions.
Perfecting Risotto
[Updated Note: Recently I tried the domestically grown product RiceSelect brand in the 32ounce jar. While I am reluctant to ever say something negative about our attempts to grow non-indigenous products here at home, I was disappointed in the outcome of the risotto. Though I followed my now well-honed method, the resulting dish lacked the creaminess I have found when using medium grain rice originating from Italy. Most grocery stores now carry authentic medium grain rice from Italy, and World Market (Cost Plus) is another source.]
Risotto refers to a method of cooking medium grain rice.
Arborio, Carnaroli and Vialone Nano are three varieties, grown in Italy.
After many attempts at trying to recreate the wonderful risottos I have tasted in the US and abroad, it was studying Lydia Bastianich that helped me most.
Two key points:
1) The liquid being added throughout the cooking process should be at or just below boiling (i.e. a high simmer). The rice and liquid mixture should be kept at a high simmer, and new additions of liquid should not trigger a drop in temperature. Food chemist Shirley Corriher reminds us that there is a transformation occurring in the starch of the rice during heating, with liquid being absorbed by the grain and starch being released from the grains to produce the creamy texture of risotto. When you introduce a cooler addition of liquid, this process is interrupted and the results are less than stellar.
2) Use a wide pot, at least 10 inches in width, to create a uniform platform for heat dispersion and ensure even heating throughout the process.
Buon appetito!
Facts and Fiction: Who Knew?
Oysters-Still the Way to Our Hearts?
Oysters have long been considered a food of romance.
Rowan Jacobsen, author of the new "A Geography of Oysters" which is devoted to the art of oysters, addresses the bivalve's mood-altering potential. The author agrees that no one really understands the effect, but when pressed, scientists suggest that the high Zinc level in oysters may be the trigger. Zinc is thought to increase testosterone levels. Beyond Zinc, the author believes that the intimate act of eating oysters and the ambience created, may be just what suggests the suggestion.
One final note, the non "R" months and shellfood warning apparently still apply. Jacobsen suggests avoiding shellfish in warm months that do not contain an R in their spelling.
A Yam by Any Other Name is Not a Sweet Potato
Each year when the weather turns cool, and when holidays approach, the sweet potato and 'yam' become more in our minds as options for cooking. The truth is that the two items are not the same thing regardless of how they are labeled in the market. Actually, it is rather rare to find a true yam in our markets in the U.S.
A yam is a the starchy, tuberous root of any of various climbing vines of the genus Dioscorea, cultivated for food in warm regions. A sweet potato is a plant, Ipomoea batatas, of the morning glory family, grown for its sweet, edible, tuberous roots.
The starch content in each is different and they 'behave' differently when used in recipes. But, no worries about trying to determine which you are using in a recipe. By in large, despite the label, you will find sweet potatoes in the U.S. If you travel to South or Central America, or the West Indies, true yams will be featured in the fare.
I once had a sweet potato soup while in Australia that was truly unique. Remember, the Southern preparation of sweet potatoes generally means there are marshmallows somewhere nearby. This new adventure was a soup, with a bit of curry powder in the recipe, and topped with creme fraiche and minced chives. Gooday!
Oysters have long been considered a food of romance.
Rowan Jacobsen, author of the new "A Geography of Oysters" which is devoted to the art of oysters, addresses the bivalve's mood-altering potential. The author agrees that no one really understands the effect, but when pressed, scientists suggest that the high Zinc level in oysters may be the trigger. Zinc is thought to increase testosterone levels. Beyond Zinc, the author believes that the intimate act of eating oysters and the ambience created, may be just what suggests the suggestion.
One final note, the non "R" months and shellfood warning apparently still apply. Jacobsen suggests avoiding shellfish in warm months that do not contain an R in their spelling.
A Yam by Any Other Name is Not a Sweet Potato
Each year when the weather turns cool, and when holidays approach, the sweet potato and 'yam' become more in our minds as options for cooking. The truth is that the two items are not the same thing regardless of how they are labeled in the market. Actually, it is rather rare to find a true yam in our markets in the U.S.
A yam is a the starchy, tuberous root of any of various climbing vines of the genus Dioscorea, cultivated for food in warm regions. A sweet potato is a plant, Ipomoea batatas, of the morning glory family, grown for its sweet, edible, tuberous roots.
The starch content in each is different and they 'behave' differently when used in recipes. But, no worries about trying to determine which you are using in a recipe. By in large, despite the label, you will find sweet potatoes in the U.S. If you travel to South or Central America, or the West Indies, true yams will be featured in the fare.
I once had a sweet potato soup while in Australia that was truly unique. Remember, the Southern preparation of sweet potatoes generally means there are marshmallows somewhere nearby. This new adventure was a soup, with a bit of curry powder in the recipe, and topped with creme fraiche and minced chives. Gooday!
The Heart of a Chef
As you have seen, Julia Child is honored as my muse. Growing up, watching her ground-breaking television series in the 60's-70's there was little that kept my attention as Julia did with her The French Chef television series. Cartoons could not campare. Recently, I read that James Beard was actually the first to have a television presence, but all the same, Julia is my muse.
Today we are all accustomed to the glamour and glitz of celebrity chefs and the constant streaming of The Food Network, but step back for a moment and consider the leap of faith Julia took to launch her series before televised cooking was cool. I have recently found DVDs of her original shows, with the first DVD being in black and white. Yes, television was broadcast in black and white, once upon a time. I consider the strength of vision it took to enter the homes of housewives at a time when casseroles with cream of mushroom soup, and TV dinners were all the rage, and I am in awe. Her mission was to bring classical cooking techniques, mainly French, to an audience of viewers who considered this all very unique, obscure and incredibly difficult. She made it approachable, and didn't mind one bit if her recipes of their execution didn't go exactly as planned. Her warmth, self-effacing humor, encouragement and reality-based approach are things I will never forget. Episode after episode she introduces us to methods and ingredients that were light years ahead of where the country was in their cooking acumen. The olive oil she frequently used was in a plain bottle and I am sure she brought it home from France with her, as availability in the US at that time would have been nil.
While you will have to purchase the DVDs to view the original series, her later endeavors featuring wonderfully-talented chefs can be viewed at http://www.pbs.org/juliachild/
Recently I saw the 2 edition set of her Mastering the Art of French Cooking on sale for at Costco, with pricing only they can bring. Additionally, Barnes and Nobles sells a cookbook that follows her original TV series with episode by episode recipes.
Finally, though her accolades are many, I think one of her neatest legacies is the heirloom tomato named for her. Google for providers of the seeds and let me know how your garden grows.
In her words, Bon appetit!
Today we are all accustomed to the glamour and glitz of celebrity chefs and the constant streaming of The Food Network, but step back for a moment and consider the leap of faith Julia took to launch her series before televised cooking was cool. I have recently found DVDs of her original shows, with the first DVD being in black and white. Yes, television was broadcast in black and white, once upon a time. I consider the strength of vision it took to enter the homes of housewives at a time when casseroles with cream of mushroom soup, and TV dinners were all the rage, and I am in awe. Her mission was to bring classical cooking techniques, mainly French, to an audience of viewers who considered this all very unique, obscure and incredibly difficult. She made it approachable, and didn't mind one bit if her recipes of their execution didn't go exactly as planned. Her warmth, self-effacing humor, encouragement and reality-based approach are things I will never forget. Episode after episode she introduces us to methods and ingredients that were light years ahead of where the country was in their cooking acumen. The olive oil she frequently used was in a plain bottle and I am sure she brought it home from France with her, as availability in the US at that time would have been nil.
While you will have to purchase the DVDs to view the original series, her later endeavors featuring wonderfully-talented chefs can be viewed at http://www.pbs.org/juliachild/
Recently I saw the 2 edition set of her Mastering the Art of French Cooking on sale for at Costco, with pricing only they can bring. Additionally, Barnes and Nobles sells a cookbook that follows her original TV series with episode by episode recipes.
Finally, though her accolades are many, I think one of her neatest legacies is the heirloom tomato named for her. Google for providers of the seeds and let me know how your garden grows.
In her words, Bon appetit!
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