With an extended family that now measures 15, including two that are still highchair-aged and two that are I-only-have-three-foods-I-will-eat age, there are very few dishes that everyone will eat happily. The yorkshire pudding last night (with roast beef and potatoes, of course) was loved by adults, kids, and babes-in-arms alike. In fact, the two extra servings went to nephew, age 8, and niece, age coming-up-on-3, and Bilbo's piece was devoured by nephew, age 16 months.
From Recipes: The Cooking of the British Isles, in the Time Life Books Foods of the World series, 1969.
2 eggs
1/2 t salt
1 c AP flour
1 c milk
2 T roast beef drippings (or 2 T lard)
Blend in a blender, high speed 2 or 3 seconds: eggs, salt, flour, and milk. Scrape jar, blend again 40 seconds. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 400 F. In a 10 by 15 by 2.5 inch roasting pan, heat the fat over moderate heat until it splutters. Briefly beat the batter again and pour it into the hot fat. Bake in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 F, and bake 15 minutes more, or until the pudding rises over the top of the pan and is crisp and brown. With a sharp knife, divide the pudding into portions and serve immediately with roast beef. Toad in the hole is made by cooking the sausage in the pan, rendering its fat, pouring the batter over, and proceeding to bake.
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Saturday, December 6, 2014
Reb Eat World Potstickers
My potstickers were pretty darn good too! RAC supplied the cooking-method expertise.
1/2 small head savoy cabbage (~8 oz), finely shredded
salt, pepper
1/2 lb ground pork
~1 T fresh ginger
~2 T shredded carrot
2 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
2 cloves minced garlic
1 T soy sauce
1 t hoisin sauce
2 t sesame oil
1/2 egg, lightly beaten (I put other 1/2 with the eggs for the fried rice-- you could probably use the whole egg)
12-14 oz package gyoza wrappers
oil
water
Toss cabbage with ~1 t salt; set over strainer 30 minutes. Then squeeze out the water with all your might, mind, and strength. Add pork, ginger, carrot, scallions, garlic. Whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, egg, and hoisin sauce. Stir into the pork mix. Season with pepper and salt-- keep in mind that the cabbage was salted and the soy sauce is salty. You may want to test a bit of mix by quickly cooking a little ball in a hot pan. It may not need any more salt, especially since any dipping sauce will probably have soy sauce in it.
Make potstickers by pleating into half moons with what you find to be right amount of filling, about 1/2 T or a touch more. Moisten one edge to seal, of course. As you make them, set them on a baking sheet and press a little bit to flatten their bellies.
Arrange 1/2 of the potstickers in a NONSTICK skillet over medium heat. Pour in some water to generously cover the bottom of the pan; cover the pan and steam until thoroughly cooked. Drain off all remaining water, and pour in some oil-- enough so that when you tilt and agitate the pan, the bottom is coated with oil and all the pot stickers are sitting on a film of oil. Cook, uncovered, until the bottoms are crispy and brown. Agitate pot stickers during this time so they do not stick. Invert on to plate!
I liked the dipping sauce-- it was quite like what roommate SL fed me-- but others didn't seem as into it. I'll iterate, I suppose, but here it is. It made buckets, by which I mean just a little over a cup, so I'm giving a halved version here. It will still be a lot. Mix:
1 T sambal oeleck
1/4 c rice wine vinegar
1/4 soy sauce
1/2 t sesame oil
grated ginger
minced scallion
1/2 small head savoy cabbage (~8 oz), finely shredded
salt, pepper
1/2 lb ground pork
~1 T fresh ginger
~2 T shredded carrot
2 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
2 cloves minced garlic
1 T soy sauce
1 t hoisin sauce
2 t sesame oil
1/2 egg, lightly beaten (I put other 1/2 with the eggs for the fried rice-- you could probably use the whole egg)
12-14 oz package gyoza wrappers
oil
water
Toss cabbage with ~1 t salt; set over strainer 30 minutes. Then squeeze out the water with all your might, mind, and strength. Add pork, ginger, carrot, scallions, garlic. Whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, egg, and hoisin sauce. Stir into the pork mix. Season with pepper and salt-- keep in mind that the cabbage was salted and the soy sauce is salty. You may want to test a bit of mix by quickly cooking a little ball in a hot pan. It may not need any more salt, especially since any dipping sauce will probably have soy sauce in it.
Make potstickers by pleating into half moons with what you find to be right amount of filling, about 1/2 T or a touch more. Moisten one edge to seal, of course. As you make them, set them on a baking sheet and press a little bit to flatten their bellies.
Arrange 1/2 of the potstickers in a NONSTICK skillet over medium heat. Pour in some water to generously cover the bottom of the pan; cover the pan and steam until thoroughly cooked. Drain off all remaining water, and pour in some oil-- enough so that when you tilt and agitate the pan, the bottom is coated with oil and all the pot stickers are sitting on a film of oil. Cook, uncovered, until the bottoms are crispy and brown. Agitate pot stickers during this time so they do not stick. Invert on to plate!
I liked the dipping sauce-- it was quite like what roommate SL fed me-- but others didn't seem as into it. I'll iterate, I suppose, but here it is. It made buckets, by which I mean just a little over a cup, so I'm giving a halved version here. It will still be a lot. Mix:
1 T sambal oeleck
1/4 c rice wine vinegar
1/4 soy sauce
1/2 t sesame oil
grated ginger
minced scallion
Reb Eat World Fried Rice
This is the scheme I designed for a pretty classic fried rice tonight... it turned out quite well. I researched and compiled some well-reviewed schemes and recipes. Sometimes that doesn't work, but I am pleased this time.
peanut oil
sesame oil
1-2 garlic cloves, grated
1/2 shallot, minced
1 T grated ginger
4 eggs, beaten with a dash of soy sauce, fish sauce, white pepper
4 scallions, white and green parts, minced
8 oz cooked ham, diced
1 c frozen peas and carrots, thawed (I actually used frozen peas and quickly steamed 1/2 c diced carrots)
~4 c cold cooked white rice leftover at least a day (did not measure, was about 4 cups)
1 T soy sauce
mix of: 2 T soy sauce, 1 t fish sauce, 1 t oyster sauce, 1 t hoisin or to taste, total of 3 T
Prepare mise en place. Marinate ham in 1 T soy sauce. Heat pan over high heat for ~5 min. Add peanut oil, 1-2 T or thereabouts; stir fry ginger, garlic, shallot, and half of the minced scallions until the shallots wilt. Add ham, peas and carrots, cook to brown ham a little. Push everything to one side of the pan and nudge it off the heat. Pour the egg into the empty side of the pan; you can let it cook pretty still and then chop it later. When egg is softly cooked, transfer the contents of the pan to a bowl and wipe the pan.
Add 1-2 T peanut oil and ~1 T sesame oil to skillet, heat until shimmering. Add rice; stir fry, breaking up clumps, until you are satisfied with the fry. Return the egg, ham, and vegetable mixture to rice. Stir in the 3 T of mixed sauce. Stir to coat; adjust seasoning if necessary with soy sauce, salt, pepper, or sesame oil (I did not think mine needed adjustment at this point). Serve with leftover minced scallions.
peanut oil
sesame oil
1-2 garlic cloves, grated
1/2 shallot, minced
1 T grated ginger
4 eggs, beaten with a dash of soy sauce, fish sauce, white pepper
4 scallions, white and green parts, minced
8 oz cooked ham, diced
1 c frozen peas and carrots, thawed (I actually used frozen peas and quickly steamed 1/2 c diced carrots)
~4 c cold cooked white rice leftover at least a day (did not measure, was about 4 cups)
1 T soy sauce
mix of: 2 T soy sauce, 1 t fish sauce, 1 t oyster sauce, 1 t hoisin or to taste, total of 3 T
Prepare mise en place. Marinate ham in 1 T soy sauce. Heat pan over high heat for ~5 min. Add peanut oil, 1-2 T or thereabouts; stir fry ginger, garlic, shallot, and half of the minced scallions until the shallots wilt. Add ham, peas and carrots, cook to brown ham a little. Push everything to one side of the pan and nudge it off the heat. Pour the egg into the empty side of the pan; you can let it cook pretty still and then chop it later. When egg is softly cooked, transfer the contents of the pan to a bowl and wipe the pan.
Add 1-2 T peanut oil and ~1 T sesame oil to skillet, heat until shimmering. Add rice; stir fry, breaking up clumps, until you are satisfied with the fry. Return the egg, ham, and vegetable mixture to rice. Stir in the 3 T of mixed sauce. Stir to coat; adjust seasoning if necessary with soy sauce, salt, pepper, or sesame oil (I did not think mine needed adjustment at this point). Serve with leftover minced scallions.
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Coffee Cake
A favorite from childhood; the page in Betty Crocker's Cookbook is absurdly stained.
1 1/2 c AP flour
3/4 c sugar
2 1/2 t baking powder
3/4 t salt
1/4 c shortening
3/4 c milk
1 egg
Heat oven to 375. Grease 8x8 can. Cut fat into mixed dries; stir in mixed wets. Beat 30 seconds. Spread in pan, sprinkle topping over batter. Bake 25-30 minutes until it tests clean. Serve warm.
Topping (cut together until crumbly):
1/3 c brown sugar
1/4 c AP flour
1/2 t cinnamon
3 T firm butter
1 1/2 c AP flour
3/4 c sugar
2 1/2 t baking powder
3/4 t salt
1/4 c shortening
3/4 c milk
1 egg
Heat oven to 375. Grease 8x8 can. Cut fat into mixed dries; stir in mixed wets. Beat 30 seconds. Spread in pan, sprinkle topping over batter. Bake 25-30 minutes until it tests clean. Serve warm.
Topping (cut together until crumbly):
1/3 c brown sugar
1/4 c AP flour
1/2 t cinnamon
3 T firm butter
Orange Rolls
Just like cinnamon rolls. Fill it with all white sugar mushed with 1/4-1/2 t orange oil.
The frosting should be made with orange juice instead of water. Done and done!
The frosting should be made with orange juice instead of water. Done and done!
Up for Iteration: Reb Eat World Pecan Pie
I made pecan pie for the Thanksgiving meal this year. I came up with my own recipe scheme, based off of four recipes: my mother's; a well-reviewed corn syrup-based recipe; a well-reviewed cane sugar-based recipe; and a well-reviewed maple syrup recipe. It turned out well, and the tweaks I would make are small: I'd simplify the flavor profile by leaving out orange oil (or making sure to just put a drop), and I'd toast the nuts adequately so that they stay crisp.
6 T butter
1 c dark brown sugar
1/2 c golden cane syrup
1/2 c maple syrup
2 t vanilla
(1/2 t orange zest)
(1/2 t lemon juice)
1/2 t salt
3 eggs
3 c pecans, toasted until fragrant and crisp; broken with hands into pieces
1 1/2 t AP flour
3/4 t cinnamon.
Roll out, form, and chill your crust. Heat oven to 350.
Melt butter in sauce pan over low-medium heat, let it brown and become fragrant. Add brown
sugar, salt, cane syrup, maple syrup, vanilla, (orange zest), (lemon juice); stir
till smooth, 5 minutes.
Lightly beat eggs; whisk into syrup with flour.
Put pecans in crust. Dust the cinnamon over the top. Pour the syrup mixture over them.
Bake 50 min-1 hr till set and slightly puffed. Bake over a
tray in case of bubbles.
Grandma Cox's Spiced Nuts
More spiced nuts...
1 c sugar
6 T milk
1/2 t cinnamon
1 t grated orange rind
1/2 t salt
1 t vanilla
3 c nut pieces
Bring all ingredients except vanilla and nuts to a boil; boil until soft ball. Add vanilla and nuts and stir until all nuts are coated with sugar granules. Separate nuts and cool.
1 c sugar
6 T milk
1/2 t cinnamon
1 t grated orange rind
1/2 t salt
1 t vanilla
3 c nut pieces
Bring all ingredients except vanilla and nuts to a boil; boil until soft ball. Add vanilla and nuts and stir until all nuts are coated with sugar granules. Separate nuts and cool.
Mom's perfected brownies
Mom's old recipe for brownies was in an older style; she has since tweaked it and I think it has become quite perfect for at least my 2014 tastes.
1/3 c brown sugar
2 c sugar
4 eggs
3/4 c butter
1 T vanilla
1/2 c plus 1 T cocoa
6 sq unsweetened baking chocolate
1/2 t salt
1 c flour
3/4 t baking powder
1/2 t cinnamon, optional
9" x 12" pan, at 325, for 30 minutes.
1/3 c brown sugar
2 c sugar
4 eggs
3/4 c butter
1 T vanilla
1/2 c plus 1 T cocoa
6 sq unsweetened baking chocolate
1/2 t salt
1 c flour
3/4 t baking powder
1/2 t cinnamon, optional
9" x 12" pan, at 325, for 30 minutes.
Suzhou Braised Pork (within or without a clay pot)
One of my earliest 'favorite recipes.' Mom made this first when I was probably a pre-teen, and I loved the intense and novel flavors. Sister T even gave me a clay pot one Christmas, I loved it so much! She made the recipe again recently, and it was just as glorious as I remember. This is from Martin Yan's Culinary Journey through China. I also have fond memories of watching Martin Yan at my Grandmother Cox's house. Knife skills!
1 1/4 lb boneless pork shoulder
Marinade:
2 T regular soy sauce
1 T dark soy sauce
1 T cornstarch
Broth:
2 c chicken broth
1/3 c rice wine or dry sherry
2 T oyster sauce
2 T dark soy sauce
4 green onions, cut in half and lightly crushed
2 whole star anise
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 c crushed rock sugar or packed brown sugar
2 T oil
6 T garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 lb napa cabbage, cut into 1 1/2 inch squares
1 1/2 t cornstarch, dissolved in 1 T water
1. Cut pork into 2 inch pieces. Combine marinade ingredients. Add pork and stir to coat. Let stand 10 minutes. Combine seasoning broth ingredients in a bowl.
2. Place a wok over high heat until hot. Add oil, swirling to coat sides. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add pork and cook until browned on all sides, 3-4 minutes.
3. Place pork in a clay pot or a 2 qt pot. Add seasoning broth ingredients; bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until meat is tender, about 1 1/4 hours. Add cabbage, cover, and simmer until cabbage is crisp-tender, about 10 minutes. Add cornstarch solution and cook, stirring, until sauce boils and thickens.
4. Serve with a lot of rice; the sauce is intense and a little goes a long way on rice.
1 1/4 lb boneless pork shoulder
Marinade:
2 T regular soy sauce
1 T dark soy sauce
1 T cornstarch
Broth:
2 c chicken broth
1/3 c rice wine or dry sherry
2 T oyster sauce
2 T dark soy sauce
4 green onions, cut in half and lightly crushed
2 whole star anise
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 c crushed rock sugar or packed brown sugar
2 T oil
6 T garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 lb napa cabbage, cut into 1 1/2 inch squares
1 1/2 t cornstarch, dissolved in 1 T water
1. Cut pork into 2 inch pieces. Combine marinade ingredients. Add pork and stir to coat. Let stand 10 minutes. Combine seasoning broth ingredients in a bowl.
2. Place a wok over high heat until hot. Add oil, swirling to coat sides. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add pork and cook until browned on all sides, 3-4 minutes.
3. Place pork in a clay pot or a 2 qt pot. Add seasoning broth ingredients; bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until meat is tender, about 1 1/4 hours. Add cabbage, cover, and simmer until cabbage is crisp-tender, about 10 minutes. Add cornstarch solution and cook, stirring, until sauce boils and thickens.
4. Serve with a lot of rice; the sauce is intense and a little goes a long way on rice.
Ignatio's Argentine Pizza
This scheme for Ignatio's Argentine Pizza is worth it just for the term 'pre-pizza.' I also really enjoyed his pizza, and was surprised by its subtle novelty.
1. Buy pre-pizzas (flavored pizza crusts) from the Argentine bakery.
2. Get enough thinly sliced ham from the deli to entirely cover the pizzas.
3. Get a big chunk of queso cremoso, a little box of tomato sauce and an envelope of 'spices for pizza' from an Argentine source.
4. Warm up tomato sauce, mix spices in.
5. Spread the tomato sauce on the pre-pizza; cover it all with the sliced ham and then cut slices of the cheese. Cover the entire thing with cheese on top of ham.
6. If you are being complete, chop green olives in half and put them around the rim. Or perhaps strips of bell peppers on radii; big round tomato slices are an option; fresh corn; chicken; big old round slices of salami.
7. Bake them. Now they are pizzas, not pre-pizzas.
1. Buy pre-pizzas (flavored pizza crusts) from the Argentine bakery.
2. Get enough thinly sliced ham from the deli to entirely cover the pizzas.
3. Get a big chunk of queso cremoso, a little box of tomato sauce and an envelope of 'spices for pizza' from an Argentine source.
4. Warm up tomato sauce, mix spices in.
5. Spread the tomato sauce on the pre-pizza; cover it all with the sliced ham and then cut slices of the cheese. Cover the entire thing with cheese on top of ham.
6. If you are being complete, chop green olives in half and put them around the rim. Or perhaps strips of bell peppers on radii; big round tomato slices are an option; fresh corn; chicken; big old round slices of salami.
7. Bake them. Now they are pizzas, not pre-pizzas.
Lemon pilaf with mustard seeds, Chitrannam
I mentioned this Southern Indian recipe several posts back; it was part of one of the most beautiful meals I've had, with pulled pork vindaloo, a rye flat bread, peas, and fresh peaches. The peaches were a replacement for the mango called for as a garnish in this recipe. I liked the peach with the meal, but would eat it separately from the rice; so I am leaving it out of the recipe. This is from Julie Sahni's Indian Regional Classics.
1 T oil
1 t mustard seeds
1/2 t minced garlic
1/2 t turmeric
1 1/2 T lemon juice
3 T water
2 1/2 c cooked rice made from 1 c raw rice (basmati or jasmine)
1/4 c chopped roasted cashews
salt
1/2 t minced green chiles (optional-- we did not use)
Heat oil in heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. When hot, add mustard seeds and cover the pan with the lid because the seeds will pop and spatter. When the spluttering subsides, add the garlic, turmeric, lemon juice, and water. Bring to a boil.
Stir in rice, cashews, salt, and chiles, if using. Toss well until rice is evenly seasoned.
1 T oil
1 t mustard seeds
1/2 t minced garlic
1/2 t turmeric
1 1/2 T lemon juice
3 T water
2 1/2 c cooked rice made from 1 c raw rice (basmati or jasmine)
1/4 c chopped roasted cashews
salt
1/2 t minced green chiles (optional-- we did not use)
Heat oil in heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. When hot, add mustard seeds and cover the pan with the lid because the seeds will pop and spatter. When the spluttering subsides, add the garlic, turmeric, lemon juice, and water. Bring to a boil.
Stir in rice, cashews, salt, and chiles, if using. Toss well until rice is evenly seasoned.
Malaysian Mexican Butter-filled Buns
Months and months ago, sister S. made this recipe from Jane Mason's The Book of Buns. Ms. Mason says that these buns are sold as "Mexican Coffee Buns" all over Malaysia, and that they are sometimes called Rotiboy buns after a chain that popularized them. I liked them, and have thought of recording the recipe; it was hard for me to find the recipe again because I was remembering them as "Butter-filled Buns," since they are, in fact, stuffed with a little cube of butter.
Scalded dough:
100 g (3/4 c) AP flour
70 g (1/3 c) boiling water
Put the flour into a little bowl and pour over the boiling water. Stir to mix. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
Dough:
400 g (3 1/4 c) AP flour
2.5 g (1 1/4 t) instant yeast OR 5g (1 3/4 t) dry yeast OR 10 g fresh yeast
80 g (6 T) sugar
175 g (2/3 c) milk, heated up to just below boiling point, then cooled to room temperature
10 g (2 1/2) t salt
1 egg
60 g (5T) butter, cubed, at room temperature
Put the flour in a big mixing bowl; make a well. Sprinkle yeast and sugar into the well and the pour in the cooled milk. Flick some flour over the milk to seal the well; cover and allow to rest 1 hr.
Add salt, egg, and cooled scalded dough (break it up tin obits so it is easier to incorporate). Bring the ingredients together in the bowl. Turn dough out and knead well 10 minutes. Add the butter and knead again for 10 minutes. Return to bowl, cover; reast for 2 hours. Pull dough out onto an unfloured surface.
Divide dough into 12 equal portions. Roll each portion into a 'tight ball.' Allow to rest under a dry towel for 15 minutes.
Gently flatten each piece of dough into a disk about 1 1/4 inches in diameter. Place in the center one of:
100 g (6 1/2 T) butter, divided into 12 little cubes, at room temperature
Stretch the dough around the butter. Roll it up and shape into a tight ball. Place on prepared baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
Prepare topping by beating together:
125 g (8 T) butter, at room temperature
125 g (1 scant cup) powdered sugar
1 egg
240 g (2 c) AP flour
1/2 t pandan paste (optional)
Pipe a thin swirl on top of each bun that starts at the top of each bun in the center and travels one third of the way down the sides. Allow the buns to rest, uncovered, for about 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 425. Bake the buns 15 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack.
Scalded dough:
100 g (3/4 c) AP flour
70 g (1/3 c) boiling water
Put the flour into a little bowl and pour over the boiling water. Stir to mix. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
Dough:
400 g (3 1/4 c) AP flour
2.5 g (1 1/4 t) instant yeast OR 5g (1 3/4 t) dry yeast OR 10 g fresh yeast
80 g (6 T) sugar
175 g (2/3 c) milk, heated up to just below boiling point, then cooled to room temperature
10 g (2 1/2) t salt
1 egg
60 g (5T) butter, cubed, at room temperature
Put the flour in a big mixing bowl; make a well. Sprinkle yeast and sugar into the well and the pour in the cooled milk. Flick some flour over the milk to seal the well; cover and allow to rest 1 hr.
Add salt, egg, and cooled scalded dough (break it up tin obits so it is easier to incorporate). Bring the ingredients together in the bowl. Turn dough out and knead well 10 minutes. Add the butter and knead again for 10 minutes. Return to bowl, cover; reast for 2 hours. Pull dough out onto an unfloured surface.
Divide dough into 12 equal portions. Roll each portion into a 'tight ball.' Allow to rest under a dry towel for 15 minutes.
Gently flatten each piece of dough into a disk about 1 1/4 inches in diameter. Place in the center one of:
100 g (6 1/2 T) butter, divided into 12 little cubes, at room temperature
Stretch the dough around the butter. Roll it up and shape into a tight ball. Place on prepared baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
Prepare topping by beating together:
125 g (8 T) butter, at room temperature
125 g (1 scant cup) powdered sugar
1 egg
240 g (2 c) AP flour
1/2 t pandan paste (optional)
Pipe a thin swirl on top of each bun that starts at the top of each bun in the center and travels one third of the way down the sides. Allow the buns to rest, uncovered, for about 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 425. Bake the buns 15 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack.
Maida Heatter's ginger-ginger cake
Along the same lines and even on the next page of Maida Heatter's Cakes, comes this Ginger-Ginger cake.
3 c sifted AP flour
1/4 t baking soda
6 oz (about 3/4 c) candied ginger
3-4 oz fresh ginger
8 oz butter
2 3/4 c sugar
6 eggs, separated
1 c sour cream
Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour a 10 x 4 1/4 inch angel-food tube pan with an 18 c capacity.
Sift flour with baking soda.
Cut candied ginger into 1/4 -1/3 inch pieces.
Grate the fresh ginger.
In large bowl, beat butter until soft. Gradually beat in fresh ginger and 2 1/4 c of the sugar. Then beat in egg yolks.
On low speed, gradually add sifted dries in two additions alternately with the sour cream in one addition. Stir in half of the candied ginger.
In the small bowl of the mixer, beat egg whites until they hold a soft shape. Gradually add remaining 1/2 c sugar. Then beat until they whites hold a peak.
In three additions, fold the whites into the batter. Be particularly gentle at the end; "fold only partially-- do not be too thorough." Turn into pan and smooth. Sprinkle with the remaining candied ginger.
Bake for about 1 1/2 hours, until it tests done. Let cool in pan 15-20 minutes; it will sink somewhat. Invert out of pan and let cool.
3 c sifted AP flour
1/4 t baking soda
6 oz (about 3/4 c) candied ginger
3-4 oz fresh ginger
8 oz butter
2 3/4 c sugar
6 eggs, separated
1 c sour cream
Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour a 10 x 4 1/4 inch angel-food tube pan with an 18 c capacity.
Sift flour with baking soda.
Cut candied ginger into 1/4 -1/3 inch pieces.
Grate the fresh ginger.
In large bowl, beat butter until soft. Gradually beat in fresh ginger and 2 1/4 c of the sugar. Then beat in egg yolks.
On low speed, gradually add sifted dries in two additions alternately with the sour cream in one addition. Stir in half of the candied ginger.
In the small bowl of the mixer, beat egg whites until they hold a soft shape. Gradually add remaining 1/2 c sugar. Then beat until they whites hold a peak.
In three additions, fold the whites into the batter. Be particularly gentle at the end; "fold only partially-- do not be too thorough." Turn into pan and smooth. Sprinkle with the remaining candied ginger.
Bake for about 1 1/2 hours, until it tests done. Let cool in pan 15-20 minutes; it will sink somewhat. Invert out of pan and let cool.
Maida Heatter's white pepper lemon ginger cake
It's been years since we've made this, but I still remember it, so I figured I should record the recipe when I got a chance. Likely not for everyone, but for lovers of all the flavors, like me, it really works.
We got it from Maida Heatter's Cakes.
zest from 2 large lemons
2 T lemon juice
1/2 oz fresh ginger
3 c sifted AP flour
3/4 t baking soda
3/4 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
2 t white pepper
8 oz butter
1 3/4 c sugar
3 eggs
1 c buttermilk
Preheat oven to 325. Butter and flour a 10-12 c tube pan.
Mix zest and juice. Grate ginger and add.
Sift together flour, soda, baking powder, salt, and pepper.
In large bowl, beat butter until soft. Add sugar; beat about 1 minute. Add eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated after each addition.
On low or by hand, add sifted dries in three additions alternately with the buttermilk in 2 additions. Stir in lemon and ginger mixture.
Turn into pan, smooth by jerking pan. Bake 1 hr and 15-20 minutes, till cake tests dry. Let stand in pan 5-10 minutes before removing.
While the cake bakes, prepare glaze. Stir and let stand:
1/3 c lemon juice
1/2 c sugar
When cake is removed from pan, stir the glaze and use a pastry brush to brush the glaze all over the cake, including the hole in the middle. The cake will absorb it all. If some drips off, pour it back over the cake.
Let stand until cool. It is even better the next day or two.
We got it from Maida Heatter's Cakes.
zest from 2 large lemons
2 T lemon juice
1/2 oz fresh ginger
3 c sifted AP flour
3/4 t baking soda
3/4 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
2 t white pepper
8 oz butter
1 3/4 c sugar
3 eggs
1 c buttermilk
Preheat oven to 325. Butter and flour a 10-12 c tube pan.
Mix zest and juice. Grate ginger and add.
Sift together flour, soda, baking powder, salt, and pepper.
In large bowl, beat butter until soft. Add sugar; beat about 1 minute. Add eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated after each addition.
On low or by hand, add sifted dries in three additions alternately with the buttermilk in 2 additions. Stir in lemon and ginger mixture.
Turn into pan, smooth by jerking pan. Bake 1 hr and 15-20 minutes, till cake tests dry. Let stand in pan 5-10 minutes before removing.
While the cake bakes, prepare glaze. Stir and let stand:
1/3 c lemon juice
1/2 c sugar
When cake is removed from pan, stir the glaze and use a pastry brush to brush the glaze all over the cake, including the hole in the middle. The cake will absorb it all. If some drips off, pour it back over the cake.
Let stand until cool. It is even better the next day or two.
Friday, November 28, 2014
Pecan bars
Last Thanksgiving, we made portable versions of Thanksgiving classics as we were set to road-trip to California the next day. My favorite was this quite-rich pecan bar recipe, in place of pecan pie. Maybe I liked it because it has over 3 times as many pecans as a typical pecan pie recipe. It comes from Maida Heatter's "Pecan Bars Americana" recipe; she got it from Jacques Kranzlin, the pastry chef at the Americana Hotel in Miami Beach back in the day.
Pastry Shell
8 oz butter
1/2 c sugar
1 egg
1/4 t salt
zest of 1 lemon (or lemon oil)
3 c sifted AP flour
Butter a 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 1 inch jelly roll pan. Line with foil. Place pan in freezer as you prepare the recipe.
In large bowl, beat butter till softened; add sugar; beat to mix well. Beat in egg, salt, zest. Gradually add flour, and beat, scraping bowl, until mix holds together.
Place dough a round-teaspoonful-clump at a time around the sides of the pan, just pressing against the raised sides. Place pieces 1/2-1 inch apart. Place remaining dough the same way all over the bottom. Flour fingertips and press the mounds of dough, first up the sides and then the bottom, until you've formed a smooth layer. Avoid any thin spots, or low spots on the sides; it can even come above the top. Prick the bottom with a fork at 1/2 inch intervals. Chill 15 min.
Preheat over to 375. Bake 20 min. Watch dough to make sure it does not slip or puff. Remove when edges are lightly colored; bottom is pale but dry. remove, but do not turn off heat. Prepare topping.
8 oz butter
1/2 c honey
1/4 c sugar
1 c plus 2 T dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 c heavy cream
20 oz (5 c) pecan halves or large pieces
In heavy 3 qt pan over moderately high heat, cook the butter and honey, stirring occasionally, until butter is melted. Add sugars, stir to dissolve, bring to a boil, let boil without stirring "exactly 2 minutes."
Remove from the heat; stir in heavy cream, then stir in pecans. Wait 5 minutes. With a large slotted spoon, place most of the pecans evenly over the crust. Drizzle remaining mixture over the peacns so it is even, up to the corners. "It will look like there is not enough of the thin syrupy mixture, but it is okay.")
Bake at 375 for 25 minutes. Cool at room temperature. Turn out of the pan. It is easier to cut if it is chilled briefly.
Pastry Shell
8 oz butter
1/2 c sugar
1 egg
1/4 t salt
zest of 1 lemon (or lemon oil)
3 c sifted AP flour
Butter a 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 1 inch jelly roll pan. Line with foil. Place pan in freezer as you prepare the recipe.
In large bowl, beat butter till softened; add sugar; beat to mix well. Beat in egg, salt, zest. Gradually add flour, and beat, scraping bowl, until mix holds together.
Place dough a round-teaspoonful-clump at a time around the sides of the pan, just pressing against the raised sides. Place pieces 1/2-1 inch apart. Place remaining dough the same way all over the bottom. Flour fingertips and press the mounds of dough, first up the sides and then the bottom, until you've formed a smooth layer. Avoid any thin spots, or low spots on the sides; it can even come above the top. Prick the bottom with a fork at 1/2 inch intervals. Chill 15 min.
Preheat over to 375. Bake 20 min. Watch dough to make sure it does not slip or puff. Remove when edges are lightly colored; bottom is pale but dry. remove, but do not turn off heat. Prepare topping.
8 oz butter
1/2 c honey
1/4 c sugar
1 c plus 2 T dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 c heavy cream
20 oz (5 c) pecan halves or large pieces
In heavy 3 qt pan over moderately high heat, cook the butter and honey, stirring occasionally, until butter is melted. Add sugars, stir to dissolve, bring to a boil, let boil without stirring "exactly 2 minutes."
Remove from the heat; stir in heavy cream, then stir in pecans. Wait 5 minutes. With a large slotted spoon, place most of the pecans evenly over the crust. Drizzle remaining mixture over the peacns so it is even, up to the corners. "It will look like there is not enough of the thin syrupy mixture, but it is okay.")
Bake at 375 for 25 minutes. Cool at room temperature. Turn out of the pan. It is easier to cut if it is chilled briefly.
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Native nuts with native flavors
I made these in advance of Thanksgiving for our Native Nosh/Nibbles/etc. We've always had some treats indigenous to the Americas for Thanksgiving, including corn (in the form of Corn Nuts) and chocolate-dipped peanuts. This year I was given the assignment, and I've gone a little crazy.
I wanted to make some glazed nuts (all nuts indigenous, of course) using all indigenous flavors. I thought of making one batch of maple glazed nuts and another batch spiced with vanilla, chili (cayenne), and allspice. I was looking for some maple candy, but found none in three stores I visited. When I went to Harmon's, our highest end grocery store, and found nothing remotely maple, I actually teared up a little bit with homesickness for Wegmans.
So I had to make my own. I found the simplest well-reviewed recipe for maple nuts, from Ellie Krieger at the Food Network. All it uses is maple syrup and nuts (and salt), none of that sugar-and-butter-etc mess, so I decided to go for it. I think I made the right choice! It is simple, I didn't mess it up which must mean it is foolproof, and it was very, very fast. I also think it is delicious, and the best part is that it is completely made from ingredients available in pre-Colombian America.
With the success of those nuts, I decided to make my spiced batch with the same recipe. The first few I tried I didn't love. But they grew on me quickly (it helped to let them thoroughly cool). Now I'm quite pleased with them. Quite thoroughly pleased. They too are made completely with ingredients available in pre-Colombian America, albeit spanning distant ends of the continents.
Native nuts with native flavors (maple or maple and spices)
2 c native nuts (I used pecan halves, cashews, and brazil nuts cut in half)
1/3 c maple syrup
1/4 t salt
Preheat a dry skillet over medium high heat (I did wait to get my skillet quite hot). Mix nuts, syrup, and salt in a bowl, and then put in the pan (they will sizzle immediately). Cook, stirring, until syrup is caramelized and nuts are toasted, about 3 minutes. (I thought it would take longer than prescribed as I've had that experience with other glazed nut recipes, but it really didn't. Maybe I did 3 minutes and 20 seconds). Spread out on a parchment-lined sheet to cool and dry thoroughly, then pack in an air-tight container.
To add more native flavors, add 2 t vanilla to the syrup, increase the salt to 3/4-1 t and make a spice mix of:
2 t vanilla sugar (yes, I know this is redundant and it probably isn't necessary, and, if you are picky, it messes up the 100% American scorecard.)
1 t cayenne (this gives them a slow but powerful heat. I considered saying I would reduce the amount of cayenne-- they do burn-- but the initial bite doesn't have a whole lot of cayenne flavor, so I don't know.)
1/2 t allspice
I scattered the spices over the nuts in the last 30 seconds of cooking to give them time to be thoroughly distributed in the still-wet syrup.
I wanted to make some glazed nuts (all nuts indigenous, of course) using all indigenous flavors. I thought of making one batch of maple glazed nuts and another batch spiced with vanilla, chili (cayenne), and allspice. I was looking for some maple candy, but found none in three stores I visited. When I went to Harmon's, our highest end grocery store, and found nothing remotely maple, I actually teared up a little bit with homesickness for Wegmans.
So I had to make my own. I found the simplest well-reviewed recipe for maple nuts, from Ellie Krieger at the Food Network. All it uses is maple syrup and nuts (and salt), none of that sugar-and-butter-etc mess, so I decided to go for it. I think I made the right choice! It is simple, I didn't mess it up which must mean it is foolproof, and it was very, very fast. I also think it is delicious, and the best part is that it is completely made from ingredients available in pre-Colombian America.
With the success of those nuts, I decided to make my spiced batch with the same recipe. The first few I tried I didn't love. But they grew on me quickly (it helped to let them thoroughly cool). Now I'm quite pleased with them. Quite thoroughly pleased. They too are made completely with ingredients available in pre-Colombian America, albeit spanning distant ends of the continents.
Native nuts with native flavors (maple or maple and spices)
2 c native nuts (I used pecan halves, cashews, and brazil nuts cut in half)
1/3 c maple syrup
1/4 t salt
Preheat a dry skillet over medium high heat (I did wait to get my skillet quite hot). Mix nuts, syrup, and salt in a bowl, and then put in the pan (they will sizzle immediately). Cook, stirring, until syrup is caramelized and nuts are toasted, about 3 minutes. (I thought it would take longer than prescribed as I've had that experience with other glazed nut recipes, but it really didn't. Maybe I did 3 minutes and 20 seconds). Spread out on a parchment-lined sheet to cool and dry thoroughly, then pack in an air-tight container.
To add more native flavors, add 2 t vanilla to the syrup, increase the salt to 3/4-1 t and make a spice mix of:
2 t vanilla sugar (yes, I know this is redundant and it probably isn't necessary, and, if you are picky, it messes up the 100% American scorecard.)
1 t cayenne (this gives them a slow but powerful heat. I considered saying I would reduce the amount of cayenne-- they do burn-- but the initial bite doesn't have a whole lot of cayenne flavor, so I don't know.)
1/2 t allspice
I scattered the spices over the nuts in the last 30 seconds of cooking to give them time to be thoroughly distributed in the still-wet syrup.
Monday, November 3, 2014
Fox Point Green Beans
I made these on my birthday to go with some wonderful sausage gravy, biscuits, and fruit salad (with some of my favorite fruit salad add-ins including avocado, nuts, and blue cheese). I was winging it, but ended up really liking them. It was a perfect menu. Penzey's Fox Point seasoning is a blend of salt, shallots, chives, garlic, onion, and green peppercorns.
Steam trimmed fresh green beans ~40 minutes.
Melt a combo of butter and olive oil in a large skillet.
Saute the steamed beans in the fat.
Season quite generously with Penzey's Fox Point seasoning.
Serve with grated hard cheese, like a nice Parmesan.
Steam trimmed fresh green beans ~40 minutes.
Melt a combo of butter and olive oil in a large skillet.
Saute the steamed beans in the fat.
Season quite generously with Penzey's Fox Point seasoning.
Serve with grated hard cheese, like a nice Parmesan.
Cake doughnuts
The annual Halloween doughnuts were, to me, especially lovely this year. The recipe comes from The Joy of Cooking. Apparently Mom's copy of The Joy (but not mine) has a variation with orange juice and zest that she has never made. That sounds delicious to me! This year, she added some orange powder, and for that or another reason, I found these exceptional. They did not taste at all orange-flavored, but had a nice complexity of flavor. I usually have orange oil on hand, but not orange powder, so I'm saying to add a bit of orange oil instead.
Cake Doughnuts
Whisk together in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed:
4 c AP flour
4 t baking powder
3/4 t ground cinnamon or 1 t grated lemon zest (Mom uses cinnamon)
3/4 t grated or ground nutmeg
3/4 t salt
"cake doughnut flavor" from King Arthur -- internet says this is no longer sold
In a large bowl, beat well with an electric mixer:
2 eggs
Add slowly and beat until thick and creamy:
3/4 c plus 2 T sugar
On low speed, add and beat until blended:
3/4 c buttermilk (or milk in a pinch)
a small splash of orange oil
5 T butter, melted
Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and mix with a large spoon just until blended. The dough will be soft and sticky. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate at least 2 hours, or up to 24 hours (I think you can skip this in a pinch, but the dough will be harder to work with).
Roll the dough 1/2 inch thick (a little thicker is ok) on a lightly floured work surface. Cut out doughnuts with a well-floured cutter. Transfer cut donuts to a sheet of wax paper generously floured. Re-roll scraps.
Allow doughnuts to rest at room temperature 20 minutes to 1 hour before frying. This helps the dough to form a light crust so that it absorbs less oil.
Heat about 3 inches oil to 375 F. Never crowd the fryer. Each donut will take 11/2 - 2 minutes per side to cook, depending on the size. They should be a deep golden brown. It is a good idea to test the first doughnut.
Drain the doughnuts on paper bags. When they are cool enough, coat with:
cinnamon sugar
Cake Doughnuts
Whisk together in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed:
4 c AP flour
4 t baking powder
3/4 t ground cinnamon or 1 t grated lemon zest (Mom uses cinnamon)
3/4 t grated or ground nutmeg
3/4 t salt
"cake doughnut flavor" from King Arthur -- internet says this is no longer sold
In a large bowl, beat well with an electric mixer:
2 eggs
Add slowly and beat until thick and creamy:
3/4 c plus 2 T sugar
On low speed, add and beat until blended:
3/4 c buttermilk (or milk in a pinch)
a small splash of orange oil
5 T butter, melted
Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and mix with a large spoon just until blended. The dough will be soft and sticky. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate at least 2 hours, or up to 24 hours (I think you can skip this in a pinch, but the dough will be harder to work with).
Roll the dough 1/2 inch thick (a little thicker is ok) on a lightly floured work surface. Cut out doughnuts with a well-floured cutter. Transfer cut donuts to a sheet of wax paper generously floured. Re-roll scraps.
Allow doughnuts to rest at room temperature 20 minutes to 1 hour before frying. This helps the dough to form a light crust so that it absorbs less oil.
Heat about 3 inches oil to 375 F. Never crowd the fryer. Each donut will take 11/2 - 2 minutes per side to cook, depending on the size. They should be a deep golden brown. It is a good idea to test the first doughnut.
Drain the doughnuts on paper bags. When they are cool enough, coat with:
cinnamon sugar
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
EHK's Tteokbokki
A few months ago I asked my friend EHK to teach me how to make her family's tteokkbokki (pronounced, approximately, tuppoki, except the t is sort of like a d, and the p is sort of like a b and there's a sort of stop after the u and the k is on the verge of being voiced-- you get it, just say tuppoki and you'll be ok). The first time we tried, we kind of went on a wild goose chase to find ingredients (my fault entirely-- EHK is savvy about this stuff).
But today, she made it happen! There's a bright red, spicier/sweeter version that I've had at restaurants, and I like that too, but this is what I wanted today-- it's a much more homey, comfort-food-style autumnal dish.
A few years ago, I would have said I could take or leave the fish cakes. But they grew on me-- a lot-- I now find them one of the best parts of the dish.
So I present to you EHK's tteokbokki. Thanks, EHK!
EHK's Tteokbokki
Soak your rice cakes for a few hours before starting; drain.
Boil vegetables in a minimum of water: carrots, sliced thin on the diagonal; onions, cut large; or cabbage, cut in squares; turn down heat to simmer
Add 2-3 huge spoonfuls of gochujang, sweetened with sugar or honey, to taste. Stir it up.
Add a package of ramen noodles or two-- depending on how much you are making.
Slice a package of fish cakes into large strips; Add to the pot.
Add the rice cakes, stir it up, put on the lid and cook, covered, until the rice cakes are soft. (They will always be very chewy, but they should not be hard.)
The tteokbokki should not be very soupy at all; it should resemble a casserole in texture much more than a stew, and not at all like a soup.
Eat hot, and enjoy!
But today, she made it happen! There's a bright red, spicier/sweeter version that I've had at restaurants, and I like that too, but this is what I wanted today-- it's a much more homey, comfort-food-style autumnal dish.
A few years ago, I would have said I could take or leave the fish cakes. But they grew on me-- a lot-- I now find them one of the best parts of the dish.
So I present to you EHK's tteokbokki. Thanks, EHK!
EHK's Tteokbokki
Soak your rice cakes for a few hours before starting; drain.
Boil vegetables in a minimum of water: carrots, sliced thin on the diagonal; onions, cut large; or cabbage, cut in squares; turn down heat to simmer
Add 2-3 huge spoonfuls of gochujang, sweetened with sugar or honey, to taste. Stir it up.
Add a package of ramen noodles or two-- depending on how much you are making.
Slice a package of fish cakes into large strips; Add to the pot.
Add the rice cakes, stir it up, put on the lid and cook, covered, until the rice cakes are soft. (They will always be very chewy, but they should not be hard.)
The tteokbokki should not be very soupy at all; it should resemble a casserole in texture much more than a stew, and not at all like a soup.
Eat hot, and enjoy!
Friday, October 10, 2014
My really rather triumphant guacamole
Last weekend, I tailgated. The overall night would have been an astonishing bust except for the fact that my guacamole, carefully researched and with final preparation on the spot, was a triumph. It was even hidden under a hoodie and carried away to another tailgate by someone who loved it and wanted it for his own tri-tip steak, and not the across-the-aisle brisket. It was fine with me; his tri-tip steak was delicious. I designed my guacamole scheme from my native preferences, but also from several online suggestions of how to make a reliably great and crowd-pleasing dish-- including Naomi Duguid's rather strange (but heavily endorsed) addition of fish sauce. She's right-- you in no way taste 'fish sauce' flavor (which I don't find very 'fishy' anyway). It just adds a subtle layer of salty smoky umami depth.
A long-looking recipe for the simplest thing in the world, and also something everyone knows how to make. But it's my recipe box and so here it is as I did it and would like to do it again.
My guacamole
Mince-- truly mince; no chopping, no dicing, no squashing, just honest mincing:
1/2 sweet onion, purple or white; most onions these days are huge, but if you find a small one, you could use the whole thing, I suppose
1 roma-sized tomato, seeds and jelly goop carefully removed
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded, according to your taste; or some other small non-lethal pepper
Mash 1 large garlic clove, chopped, in a mortar with 1/2 t salt to make a paste.
Mix garlic/salt paste with minced onion, tomato, and pepper; put in a strainer over a bowl and drain it in the fridge for up to several hours. Stir it and squish it and make sure it is exceptionally well-drained.
Add:
1 T fruity olive oil
1 t fish sauce
1/2 t ground cumin (I actually used ras al hanout, not to be strange but because it was the most cumin I had)
You can drain it further at this point, but you don't want to lose that yummy fish sauce and olive oil (although if you let it drain just long enough to release the liquid that comes out from the extra salt content, you will end up with liquid leftover that makes a fantastic quick dressing on lettuce and would probably really bump up some soup or stock).
Pack your beautiful, fine-grained salsa to your party with your avocados, limes, and a salt shaker. And, of course, appropriate utensils, bowl, and plastic wrap.
On the spot, Mash 3 ripe Haas avocados. I prefer it moderately well-mashed-- no particularly big chunks-- but with a fork-- I also do not want a homogeneous blended cream. Add your salsa. For three avocados, the salsa should not be dense in the avocado matrix. This guacamole is still about the avocado. I want the onion, tomato & co to meld, and never overwhelm. Squeeze a lime or two in, to taste. I used one juicy lime. Salt to taste. You could even add some cilantro if you're into that.
A long-looking recipe for the simplest thing in the world, and also something everyone knows how to make. But it's my recipe box and so here it is as I did it and would like to do it again.
My guacamole
Mince-- truly mince; no chopping, no dicing, no squashing, just honest mincing:
1/2 sweet onion, purple or white; most onions these days are huge, but if you find a small one, you could use the whole thing, I suppose
1 roma-sized tomato, seeds and jelly goop carefully removed
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded, according to your taste; or some other small non-lethal pepper
Mash 1 large garlic clove, chopped, in a mortar with 1/2 t salt to make a paste.
Mix garlic/salt paste with minced onion, tomato, and pepper; put in a strainer over a bowl and drain it in the fridge for up to several hours. Stir it and squish it and make sure it is exceptionally well-drained.
Add:
1 T fruity olive oil
1 t fish sauce
1/2 t ground cumin (I actually used ras al hanout, not to be strange but because it was the most cumin I had)
You can drain it further at this point, but you don't want to lose that yummy fish sauce and olive oil (although if you let it drain just long enough to release the liquid that comes out from the extra salt content, you will end up with liquid leftover that makes a fantastic quick dressing on lettuce and would probably really bump up some soup or stock).
Pack your beautiful, fine-grained salsa to your party with your avocados, limes, and a salt shaker. And, of course, appropriate utensils, bowl, and plastic wrap.
On the spot, Mash 3 ripe Haas avocados. I prefer it moderately well-mashed-- no particularly big chunks-- but with a fork-- I also do not want a homogeneous blended cream. Add your salsa. For three avocados, the salsa should not be dense in the avocado matrix. This guacamole is still about the avocado. I want the onion, tomato & co to meld, and never overwhelm. Squeeze a lime or two in, to taste. I used one juicy lime. Salt to taste. You could even add some cilantro if you're into that.
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Shellbark Nut (or Filbert) Pound Cake
Another good one from Mom-works-through-the-Penzeys-catalogs,-slightly-adapted.
This one is from a Diane Braden who has a shellbark hickory tree and a good recipe for its use. We do not, and so we used filberts/hazelnuts.
Baking recipes-- cakes and cookies-- can produce quite different results depending on where they are made. Some recipes worked great in New York but not in Utah, and some recipes I knew to be reliable in Utah did not work in New York. Not only are there altitude effects, but I'm convinced there are factors that have to do with the hydration levels of your flour and sugar as well.
Be that as it may, despite being developed at a low, dry altitude, this produced a beautiful cake here at the foot of the Wastach. The Utah cake was denser and baked up relatively flat in the tube pan; the picture of the nearer-sea-level cake is domed with a lighter crumb. Denser pound cake is the pound cake I know and love, so the Utah result seemed pretty perfect to me.
Shellbark Nut (or Filbert) Pound Cake
2 sticks butter, room temperature
1/2 c shortening
3 3/4 c sugar
5 eggs
3 3/4 c flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking powder
1 c milk
2 t vanilla
1 1/4 c hickory or filbert nuts, finely chopped (a blender/food processor works well for this; no need to blanch and remove the skins-- they give the cake a delightful speckle)
Preheat oven to 300 F. Grease and flour tube pan and set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, shortening, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well. In a separate bowl, measure the flour (the catalog says that Diane sifts the flour THREE TIMES. Here in the shadows of the everlasting hills, this did not happen). Add flour to the fat/sugar mix gradually, alternating with milk and vanilla. Gently stir in chopped nuts. Pour into the prepped pan and bake at 300 F for 2 hours. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes before turning out of the pan onto a serving plate. The recipe suggests sprinkling with powdered sugar but we did not.
1/24 of the cake: 360 cal; 17g fat 48g carb; negligible fiber; 5g protein
This one is from a Diane Braden who has a shellbark hickory tree and a good recipe for its use. We do not, and so we used filberts/hazelnuts.
Baking recipes-- cakes and cookies-- can produce quite different results depending on where they are made. Some recipes worked great in New York but not in Utah, and some recipes I knew to be reliable in Utah did not work in New York. Not only are there altitude effects, but I'm convinced there are factors that have to do with the hydration levels of your flour and sugar as well.
Be that as it may, despite being developed at a low, dry altitude, this produced a beautiful cake here at the foot of the Wastach. The Utah cake was denser and baked up relatively flat in the tube pan; the picture of the nearer-sea-level cake is domed with a lighter crumb. Denser pound cake is the pound cake I know and love, so the Utah result seemed pretty perfect to me.
Shellbark Nut (or Filbert) Pound Cake
2 sticks butter, room temperature
1/2 c shortening
3 3/4 c sugar
5 eggs
3 3/4 c flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking powder
1 c milk
2 t vanilla
1 1/4 c hickory or filbert nuts, finely chopped (a blender/food processor works well for this; no need to blanch and remove the skins-- they give the cake a delightful speckle)
Preheat oven to 300 F. Grease and flour tube pan and set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, shortening, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well. In a separate bowl, measure the flour (the catalog says that Diane sifts the flour THREE TIMES. Here in the shadows of the everlasting hills, this did not happen). Add flour to the fat/sugar mix gradually, alternating with milk and vanilla. Gently stir in chopped nuts. Pour into the prepped pan and bake at 300 F for 2 hours. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes before turning out of the pan onto a serving plate. The recipe suggests sprinkling with powdered sugar but we did not.
1/24 of the cake: 360 cal; 17g fat 48g carb; negligible fiber; 5g protein
Thursday, September 18, 2014
Pulled pork vindaloo??
The other day Mom made oven pulled pork, but with leftover vindaloo sauce she'd bottled in the freezer, rather than a barbecue-type sauce.
Yum. Highly recommended. Familiar texture, all the delights of pulled pork (I love the edges that get a little crispy, but I also love all the tender meat too), with an unexpected pepperiness and complexity I'm still thinking about.
I don't have her vindaloo recipe, maybe this will prompt her to provide it.
It was served with a lemon pilaf that I also loved and which was BEAUTIFUL. It called for mango as a garnish but since we're swimming with peaches in late August/early September, we used peach. I would maybe serve the peach slices (unsweetened) on the side; I did love it as a companion to the pilaf, and again, it looked BEAUTIFUL, but I wanted my rice and peach bites more separated.
With peas on the side, the plate was really gorgeous, with the juicy meat, the bright yellow rice polka-dotted with blackened mustard seed, the orange-and-red peaches, green peas, and wedges of rye-barley flat bread.
I will try to edit with the recipe.
Yum. Highly recommended. Familiar texture, all the delights of pulled pork (I love the edges that get a little crispy, but I also love all the tender meat too), with an unexpected pepperiness and complexity I'm still thinking about.
I don't have her vindaloo recipe, maybe this will prompt her to provide it.
It was served with a lemon pilaf that I also loved and which was BEAUTIFUL. It called for mango as a garnish but since we're swimming with peaches in late August/early September, we used peach. I would maybe serve the peach slices (unsweetened) on the side; I did love it as a companion to the pilaf, and again, it looked BEAUTIFUL, but I wanted my rice and peach bites more separated.
With peas on the side, the plate was really gorgeous, with the juicy meat, the bright yellow rice polka-dotted with blackened mustard seed, the orange-and-red peaches, green peas, and wedges of rye-barley flat bread.
I will try to edit with the recipe.
Monday, September 1, 2014
Orange Bacon Chicken Kaboodle
Another yummy recipe modified from Penzeys. In the Penzeys catalog, it is done as bacon-wrapped chicken kabobs, but here Mom has simplified it into a skillet dish, or de-kabobed it. Brother I noted that dekabobed dishes are kaboodles. Well, ok, then.
The idea of wrapping a protein in bacon is fun, because the flavor of bacon is fun, but we like our bacon more done than that technique allows. The bacon flavor and a nice, remarkably full orange flavor come through well here.
Sauce:
1/2 c orange marmalade
1/2 c soy sauce
2 T honey
1/2 t powdered ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
Saute:
l lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 lb bacon strips, cut into generously large, but bite-size, pieces
1/2 lb medium mushrooms, quartered
1 large onion, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 large green or red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1 inch pieces
In medium saucepan, combine sauce ingredients. Heat over medium until boiling. Boil the sauce, stirring frequently, until it is reduced by half its volume. Set aside and let cool. (Note that this makes a lot of sauce; the recipe may only need half of it)
Crisp the bacon in a large skillet; remove to drain. Leave some bacon fat in the skillet to brown the chicken pieces in batches; cook until almost, but not quite, cooked through. Remove to plate.
Brown the vegetables in the remaining bacon fat and fond; add back the chicken with some sauce and cook until done. Moisten with the sauce as appropriate and to taste; the sauce is quite powerful. Add bacon back right before serving to remain crisp. Serve on rice.
The idea of wrapping a protein in bacon is fun, because the flavor of bacon is fun, but we like our bacon more done than that technique allows. The bacon flavor and a nice, remarkably full orange flavor come through well here.
Sauce:
1/2 c orange marmalade
1/2 c soy sauce
2 T honey
1/2 t powdered ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
Saute:
l lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 lb bacon strips, cut into generously large, but bite-size, pieces
1/2 lb medium mushrooms, quartered
1 large onion, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 large green or red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1 inch pieces
In medium saucepan, combine sauce ingredients. Heat over medium until boiling. Boil the sauce, stirring frequently, until it is reduced by half its volume. Set aside and let cool. (Note that this makes a lot of sauce; the recipe may only need half of it)
Crisp the bacon in a large skillet; remove to drain. Leave some bacon fat in the skillet to brown the chicken pieces in batches; cook until almost, but not quite, cooked through. Remove to plate.
Brown the vegetables in the remaining bacon fat and fond; add back the chicken with some sauce and cook until done. Moisten with the sauce as appropriate and to taste; the sauce is quite powerful. Add bacon back right before serving to remain crisp. Serve on rice.
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Fried Egg with Kimchi and Two Sauces
When I first started rebeatworld, Mom remarked to me that she wanted to try most of the recipes I posted. It was a simple thing to say, but I was very flattered. I took it as quite the compliment! Well, that probably has changed by now, and here I am posting a recipe which almost everyone (who looks at rebeatworld) is likely to find TERRIFYING. But, after all, I started this as my recipe box, and so it will be. These are flavors that I became fond of as a very young child, and so my palate-brain cannot know what they taste like to someone who was not introduced to them early. As for me, I think they're the stuff comfort food is often made of.
I had kimchi and eggs, and I have heard about combining the two. I remembered a Melissa Clarke recipe in the New York times for a kimchi omelet (http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/16/kimchi-omelet-with-sriracha-syrup/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0), and also found a blog post about frying eggs with kimchi (http://appetiteforchina.com/recipes/fried-eggs-with-kimchi).
I took the fried egg approach, and decadently used BOTH SAUCES, albeit moderate drizzles of each. And I loved every bite. The simplicity of the egg with the vegetal/acid kimchi, the umami/salty oyster soy sauce, and the sweet/spicy sriracha syrup covered every single base there is-- harmoniously.
Fried Egg with Kimchi and Two Sauces
Sriracha syrup (makes less than 1/2 cup; will probably store forever in the fridge)
1/2 c rice vinegar
1/3 c sugar
1 T sriracha (Melissa Clarke used 1-2 t, but I felt it was too sweet and needed balancing)
generous dash salt (also my addition, to balance)
Combine vinegar with sugar over medium heat. Bring to the boil, simmer to reduce by half (this took about 10 minutes for me). Remove from heat, cool slightly, stir in sriracha and salt (to taste) till dissolved.
Oyster/soy sauce (amount per egg)
1 t soy sauce
1 t oyster sauce
Stir together.
For the egg
1 egg
2 T chopped mild cabbage kimchi
Fry the egg in the manner you are accustomed to. I like the edges of the whites to be a little crisp and the yolk to be not liquid by any means, but quite soft and capable of moving a bit. Early on, as the whites begin to set, scatter the chopped kimchi over the whites (don't break the yolk). Finish cooking till your desired doneness, slip onto plate. Drizzle two sauces over.
Consider serving with:
***rice***
sesame seeds
chopped scallion
cilantro, if you're into that
fried shallots
I had kimchi and eggs, and I have heard about combining the two. I remembered a Melissa Clarke recipe in the New York times for a kimchi omelet (http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/16/kimchi-omelet-with-sriracha-syrup/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0), and also found a blog post about frying eggs with kimchi (http://appetiteforchina.com/recipes/fried-eggs-with-kimchi).
I took the fried egg approach, and decadently used BOTH SAUCES, albeit moderate drizzles of each. And I loved every bite. The simplicity of the egg with the vegetal/acid kimchi, the umami/salty oyster soy sauce, and the sweet/spicy sriracha syrup covered every single base there is-- harmoniously.
Fried Egg with Kimchi and Two Sauces
Sriracha syrup (makes less than 1/2 cup; will probably store forever in the fridge)
1/2 c rice vinegar
1/3 c sugar
1 T sriracha (Melissa Clarke used 1-2 t, but I felt it was too sweet and needed balancing)
generous dash salt (also my addition, to balance)
Combine vinegar with sugar over medium heat. Bring to the boil, simmer to reduce by half (this took about 10 minutes for me). Remove from heat, cool slightly, stir in sriracha and salt (to taste) till dissolved.
Oyster/soy sauce (amount per egg)
1 t soy sauce
1 t oyster sauce
Stir together.
For the egg
1 egg
2 T chopped mild cabbage kimchi
Fry the egg in the manner you are accustomed to. I like the edges of the whites to be a little crisp and the yolk to be not liquid by any means, but quite soft and capable of moving a bit. Early on, as the whites begin to set, scatter the chopped kimchi over the whites (don't break the yolk). Finish cooking till your desired doneness, slip onto plate. Drizzle two sauces over.
Consider serving with:
***rice***
sesame seeds
chopped scallion
cilantro, if you're into that
fried shallots
Monday, August 25, 2014
Green Chili Desabrada
For Sunday dinner, Mom prepared this shredded beef recipe from a recent Penzey's catalog. Another hit as far as my appetite and palate goes. The recipe comes from a Penzey's reader, Shari, who notes that she likes to use a mix of different grilled chilies: anaheim, jalapeno, etc. Mom served this with tortillas, black beans, tomato, cheese, avocado, shredded lettuce, sour cream, salsa.
1 3-4 lb beef roast (advises to use sirloin tip roast, but that any pretty lean roast will do)
1 10 oz can green chilies
2 T minced garlic
1-1 1/2 T salt
1 T fresh cilantro leaves, minced
4-5 large fresh tomatoes, finely chopped, or 1 29 oz can chopped tomatoes
2 large onions, chopped
1 T ground cumin
1 T fajita seasoning
1/4 -1 t black pepper, or to taste
SHARI'S METHOD
Start early in the morning you plan to serve the meat. Cook the roast in a slow cooker with 1/2 c water on high for 6 hours.
Start early in the morning you plan to serve the meat. Cook the roast in a slow cooker with 1/2 c water on high for 6 hours.
Shred/cut the beef into thin strips. Remove and discard any fat or bones.
Add all remaining ingredients.Turn the slow cooker on low, cook all day (8 or more hours). Stir occasionally. You could instead cook on high 4-5 hours.
MOM'S METHOD
Meat in 350 degree oven (with 1/2 c beef broth, in deep casserole, cover with foil) 10 hours before meal; 4 hours in, shred the meat and add the vegetables, put back in oven approx. 6 more hours.
MOM'S METHOD
Meat in 350 degree oven (with 1/2 c beef broth, in deep casserole, cover with foil) 10 hours before meal; 4 hours in, shred the meat and add the vegetables, put back in oven approx. 6 more hours.
4 oz has: 260 cal, 10 g fat 8 g carb, 2 g fiber, 30 g protein.
Shredded Pork in Ancho-Orange Sauce (Chilorio)
It was the weekend of shredded meat! On Saturday, the family trekked down to Ephraim, where sister S. has recently moved to The House with the Creepiest Basement of All Time. The house is otherwise charming, and has a nice, airy kitchen. In this nice, airy kitchen, she had prepared for us this recipe from Pati's Mexican Table: the Secrets of Real Mexican Home Cooking, Pati Jinich, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013, p 174-176. I like pork, and I like orange, and I like chiles, and I liked this! She served it on sandwich rolls with avocado. Yum!
1 1/4 c water
1 1/4 t salt
4 ancho chiles (2 oz), rinsed, stemmed, and seeded
1/2 c coarsely chopped white onion
4 garlic cloves
1/2 c chopped fresh italian parsley
1 t dried oregano
1/4 t ground cumin
1/4 t ground black pepper
2/3 c apple cider vinegar
3 T oil
16 flour tortillas
1) Place the pork in a heavy 12-inch skillet or dutch oven/ Add the orange juice, water, and 1 t of the salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 40 to 45 minutes, or until most of the liquid has cooked away and the meat is lightly browned and has rendered most of its fat. Set aside to cool.
2) Meanwhile, place the chiles in a bowl, cover with hot water, and soak for 10 to 15 minutes, until softened.
3) Place the chiles, along with 1 1/2 cups of their soaking liquid, in a blender or food processer, along with the onion, garlic, parsley, oregano, cumin, the remaining 1/4 t salt, the pepper, and vinegar and puree until completely smooth.
4) When it is cool enough to handle, shred the pork with your hands or two forks and place it and any juices in a large bowl.
5) In the pot in which the meat was cooked, heat the oil over medium heat. Pour in the chile puree, bring to a simmer, and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until thickened and darkened. Toss in the shredded meat and juices and cook until the meat has absorbed most of the chile sauce, 20 to 25 minutes. Taste for salt.
6) Serve the meat rolled up in the warm flour tortillas or with the tortillas on the side.
Mexican Cook's Trick: Although chilorio is traditionally made with pork, you can also make it with chicken breasts, legs, and/or thighs. Be sure to use chicken with skin and bones for the most flavor.
3 lbs boneless pork butt (shoulder) or loin, preferably with some fat, cut into 2-inch chunks
1 1/4 c orange juiceMexican Cook's Trick: Although chilorio is traditionally made with pork, you can also make it with chicken breasts, legs, and/or thighs. Be sure to use chicken with skin and bones for the most flavor.
Friday, August 1, 2014
A way with rice
I love rice. I like a good rice preparation with flavors and additions and all, but I also just love good steamed (salted) rice. A lot of this stems from the memory of the rice of my childhood, a rice which I have chased but not been able to find since. We lived in Southern California, in an area with a majority Korean population, and adjacent to an area called "Little India." Mom would buy jasmine rice from the markets and steam it for breakfast or cook it in a very simple pilaf-style (quick saute in fat till opaque first). The rice must have been exceptionally good and exceptionally fresh. It smelled heavenly... the name 'jasmine' seemed so obvious for it. In all the years since, I've been buying jasmine rice, opening the package with eager anticipation, breathing in deeply, and ... being disappointed. And the flavor of that childhood rice! A lot of rice is flavorless, but it doesn't have to be. This rice tasted almost sweet and just so... ricey. It was a pauper's breakfast, but I loved it. We would have a bowl of cinnamon-sugar on the table, and I would sprinkle it on some times, but thought the rice had enough flavor on its own.
Well, no news about finding that rice. I think I would have to actually go back to Cerritos... and hope.
But we tried a new rice preparation recently... simply steaming jasmine rice in coconut water instead of water. Remember to use plenty of salt. We didn't tell Dad what we had done because he does not like coconut. When I indicated that something had been done differently as regards the rice, he asked if it was trying to achieve that California rice flavor. Well, that hadn't occurred to me, but when he put it in my mind, I thought, well... "yes, this does get it a little closer." It replicates that slight, natural sweetness and a hint of nuttiness.
Mom said, if she did it again, she'd probably dilute the coconut water somewhat. I do not find it to be too 'sweet,' however. I find the effect subtle and natural, although diluting would be fine too. In fact, when I did it again (undiluted) and fed it to the family, I didn't tell anyone and no one noticed, at least consciously. What did happen is the rice got devoured.
I think this idea came to us from the Parade Magazine Sunday newspaper supplement.
Well, no news about finding that rice. I think I would have to actually go back to Cerritos... and hope.
But we tried a new rice preparation recently... simply steaming jasmine rice in coconut water instead of water. Remember to use plenty of salt. We didn't tell Dad what we had done because he does not like coconut. When I indicated that something had been done differently as regards the rice, he asked if it was trying to achieve that California rice flavor. Well, that hadn't occurred to me, but when he put it in my mind, I thought, well... "yes, this does get it a little closer." It replicates that slight, natural sweetness and a hint of nuttiness.
Mom said, if she did it again, she'd probably dilute the coconut water somewhat. I do not find it to be too 'sweet,' however. I find the effect subtle and natural, although diluting would be fine too. In fact, when I did it again (undiluted) and fed it to the family, I didn't tell anyone and no one noticed, at least consciously. What did happen is the rice got devoured.
I think this idea came to us from the Parade Magazine Sunday newspaper supplement.
A.B.'s shrimp, sun-dried tomato, and artichoke bricolage
I recently dropped by a friend's house for an impromptu dinner. She is a talented cook, and has moved well past the bound-to-recipe stage in her development; I am still woefully stuck there. She's also an intuitive cook, and is good at matching components. She threw together what she had, sauteing some oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes and some canned artichoke in some olive oil with some minced garlic and some shelled deveined shrimp. And it was good. I'd like to try it at home. I would serve it on pasta or couscous. Leftovers could probably be eaten chopped a little and mixed together with the couscous as a chilled salad. Not sure about that, but it is summer so everything is sounding good chilled right now.
Lemony Pasta and Garlicky Pasta a la Bilbo
While I was in California this spring, Brother-in-law B (I was going to abbreviate the whole thing to B.I.L.B, but then it looked like Bilbo, and I thought I couldn't do that, but now that I am typing it again, I like it, so I am just going to call him Bilbo for the purposes of this blog and the strange culture of putting other people's names, veiled, into one's blogs) made some yummy pasta in two varieties, a lemony version and a garlicky version. The other day my appetite wanted the lemony version, so Bilbo kindly provided the schemes. I'm aware that these are pretty classic, normal pasta preparations, and I suppose a more experienced cook than I would not need recipes per se. But, well, I'm not more experienced, so here goes.
The lemony pasta comes from Mario Batali, from an episode of his show "Mario Eats Italy." um, yum:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/mario-batali/pasta-with-lemon-sauce-tagliarini-al-limone-recipe.html
Lemony Pasta (a la Bilbo) or "Tagliarini al Limone"
6 qts water
2 T salt
6 T butter
1/4 c fresh lemon zest (zest of 4 lemons)
1 lb fresh tagliarini (or 1 pound dried) -- Reb notes that any dried, long, slender, flat pasta will do
1/2 c freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (optional, Bilbo did not use when he fed it to me)
salt, pepper
Bring water to boil, add salt.--> Of course, you will cook the pasta according to package directions. In large saute pan, heat butter with lemon zest over medium heat. Drain pasta and add to lemon butter. Remove from heat and add cheese, if using. Serve with salt and pepper.
Bob added halved cherry tomatoes (do not cook down), and maybe he added some spinach, which wilts just slightly to remove the chew? Other options: basil chiffonade, shrimp, mushrooms, artichoke hearts. A slim hit of goat cheese crumbles rather than parm-reg.
Garlicky Pasta a la Bilbo (Or better yet! Aglio e olio a la Bilbo)
Saute garlic in olive oil and add to pre-cooked pasta, salt, pepper to taste. Bob adds the cherry tomatoes and spinach, which is good. Parm-Reg would be good here. The chiffonade basil (or parsley) would work well here; the shrimp; and... you know.. bacon. Prosciutto crisped up with garlic. Chicken. Mushrooms. Sun-dried tomatoes (the soft kind, packed in oil). Whatever.
The lemony pasta comes from Mario Batali, from an episode of his show "Mario Eats Italy." um, yum:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/mario-batali/pasta-with-lemon-sauce-tagliarini-al-limone-recipe.html
Lemony Pasta (a la Bilbo) or "Tagliarini al Limone"
6 qts water
2 T salt
6 T butter
1/4 c fresh lemon zest (zest of 4 lemons)
1 lb fresh tagliarini (or 1 pound dried) -- Reb notes that any dried, long, slender, flat pasta will do
1/2 c freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (optional, Bilbo did not use when he fed it to me)
salt, pepper
Bring water to boil, add salt.--> Of course, you will cook the pasta according to package directions. In large saute pan, heat butter with lemon zest over medium heat. Drain pasta and add to lemon butter. Remove from heat and add cheese, if using. Serve with salt and pepper.
Bob added halved cherry tomatoes (do not cook down), and maybe he added some spinach, which wilts just slightly to remove the chew? Other options: basil chiffonade, shrimp, mushrooms, artichoke hearts. A slim hit of goat cheese crumbles rather than parm-reg.
Garlicky Pasta a la Bilbo (Or better yet! Aglio e olio a la Bilbo)
Saute garlic in olive oil and add to pre-cooked pasta, salt, pepper to taste. Bob adds the cherry tomatoes and spinach, which is good. Parm-Reg would be good here. The chiffonade basil (or parsley) would work well here; the shrimp; and... you know.. bacon. Prosciutto crisped up with garlic. Chicken. Mushrooms. Sun-dried tomatoes (the soft kind, packed in oil). Whatever.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Matilde's Classic Beef Empanadas
From one of my very favorite bedtime-reading cookbooks, Gran Cocina Latina, by Maricel E. Presilla (Thanks, Mom!). I by-golly LOVE these empanadas. I have made them twice (with generous help and slight variability). Argentine brother Ignatius was like 'eh, it was pretty ok.' I haven't quite gotten the knack of making them juicy enough for him. Also, Argentine brother Ignatius generally shows his approbation in an 'eh, what's up doc' kind of a way, so who knows? Anyway, I LOVE them.
The first time I assembled them as written, with a wedge of egg and an olive. The next time, on Ignatius' suggestion, both eggs and olives got chopped and incorporated. I liked it both ways. The consensus of the group was, if I remember correctly, wedge-and-olive; I think I will argue on the side of incorporation. Also, I like cheap black olives, and no foodie will talk me out of that love.
Maricel Presilla provides a recipe for dough, which I am sure is delicious, but she also includes the note that "you can use 30 La Saltena frozen dough disks for flaky empanadas (hojaldradas)" so I do that.
Makes 30.
30 La Saltena frozen dough disks for flaky empanadas (hojaldradas)
8 oz ground beef
1 T plus 1 t salt
2 medium white onions (about 1 lb), peeled and finely chopped (about 2 c)
2 T butter
2 T corn oil
1 1/2 t freshly rendered suet or lard (I think I used bacon fat both times)
1 1/2 t dried oregano
1 1/2 t sugar
1 1/2 t AP flour
1 t black pepper
1/2 - 3/4 t aji molido or crushed red pepper flakes
30 green or black olives, drained and pitted
4 hard-boiled eggs, cut into 8 wedges each
2 large eggs, beaten with 1/2 t water, for glaze
Making the filling: Boil 2 qts water and 1 T salt over medium heat. Reduce to low, add onions, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 15 minutes. This will stink up the house. Empanadas are worth it. Drain.
Return onions to the pot, add the meat, 2 T butter, oil, suet/lard/fat, oregano, sugar, flour, both peppers, and the remaining 1 t salt, and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the meat is cooked through but has not browned-- it must remain juicy. Taste for salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and let cool. Cover the filling with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or as long as overnight.
Assembling: Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 400 F.
Check the filling for seasoning and salt if needed. Place the olives and eggs on a plate.
Lay one dough disk on a work surface and place 1 T filling in the center. Top with 1 olive and 1 egg wedge. Fold into a half-moon, and pinch the middle of the edges together. Seal the empanada by pleating it-- the true decorative pleat is called a repulgo, and my brothers can do it and I cannot. They will be delicious anyway. Place on baking sheets at least 1/2 inch apart. Repeat with all empanadas. Brush with egg wash.
Baking: Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, switching position of baking sheets after about 12 minutes, until the empanadas are golden and hollow-sounding when tapped on the bottom. Serve hot, she says, but I love them cold for lunch.
The first time I assembled them as written, with a wedge of egg and an olive. The next time, on Ignatius' suggestion, both eggs and olives got chopped and incorporated. I liked it both ways. The consensus of the group was, if I remember correctly, wedge-and-olive; I think I will argue on the side of incorporation. Also, I like cheap black olives, and no foodie will talk me out of that love.
Maricel Presilla provides a recipe for dough, which I am sure is delicious, but she also includes the note that "you can use 30 La Saltena frozen dough disks for flaky empanadas (hojaldradas)" so I do that.
Makes 30.
30 La Saltena frozen dough disks for flaky empanadas (hojaldradas)
8 oz ground beef
1 T plus 1 t salt
2 medium white onions (about 1 lb), peeled and finely chopped (about 2 c)
2 T butter
2 T corn oil
1 1/2 t freshly rendered suet or lard (I think I used bacon fat both times)
1 1/2 t dried oregano
1 1/2 t sugar
1 1/2 t AP flour
1 t black pepper
1/2 - 3/4 t aji molido or crushed red pepper flakes
30 green or black olives, drained and pitted
4 hard-boiled eggs, cut into 8 wedges each
2 large eggs, beaten with 1/2 t water, for glaze
Making the filling: Boil 2 qts water and 1 T salt over medium heat. Reduce to low, add onions, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 15 minutes. This will stink up the house. Empanadas are worth it. Drain.
Return onions to the pot, add the meat, 2 T butter, oil, suet/lard/fat, oregano, sugar, flour, both peppers, and the remaining 1 t salt, and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the meat is cooked through but has not browned-- it must remain juicy. Taste for salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and let cool. Cover the filling with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or as long as overnight.
Assembling: Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 400 F.
Check the filling for seasoning and salt if needed. Place the olives and eggs on a plate.
Lay one dough disk on a work surface and place 1 T filling in the center. Top with 1 olive and 1 egg wedge. Fold into a half-moon, and pinch the middle of the edges together. Seal the empanada by pleating it-- the true decorative pleat is called a repulgo, and my brothers can do it and I cannot. They will be delicious anyway. Place on baking sheets at least 1/2 inch apart. Repeat with all empanadas. Brush with egg wash.
Baking: Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, switching position of baking sheets after about 12 minutes, until the empanadas are golden and hollow-sounding when tapped on the bottom. Serve hot, she says, but I love them cold for lunch.
Wasabied Steak & Noodles
Mom made this recipe from a recent Penzey's catalog last week. I knew I would enjoy it-- I love all the components! But I was worried no one else would, and I would feel guilty, somehow, that only I was enjoying this dish that not only took a big expensive hunk of beef but also the special purchase of wasabi. I was very happy Mom would try it though, since the description excited me. Turns out everyone liked it! Or seemed to. And I really liked it! I will note, in true recipe-review style, that she quadrupled the beef, doubled the noodles-- and tripled the sauce as a sort of compromise. Also, we used fresh garlic (5 cloves) and a 1 1/2 inch knob of fresh ginger, minced, and fettucine. This base recipe makes only 2 servings, which is pretty perfect for me, but the blurb notes that it is easily multiplied.
Wasabied Steak & Noodles
8 oz strip steak
1/4 t minced ginger
1/4 t granulated garlic
1/4 t pepper
4 oz egg noodles, wide or extra wide
2 t olive oil
granulated garlic, minced ginger
2 t rice vinegar
1 t wasabi powder
1 T water
1 T soy sauce
1/2 t white sesame seeds
1/2 t black sesame seeds
Bring 4 c water to a boil for pasta. Season both sides of steak with ginger, garlic, and pepper. Heat a stovetop grill, grill pan, or heavy duty fry pan over medium-high heat. Cook beef until medium-rare-- usually 4-5 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the steak. Remove the steak from the pan and let it rest while cooking the noodles. Cook the egg noodles in the boiling water. Drain, and toss with olive oil and a sprinkle of garlic and ginger. Add rice vinegar to the noodles and toss. Mix the wasabi with water, and stir to blend. Then mix with soy sauce and sesame seeds. Cube steak and add to noodles. Drizzle with wasabi-soy mix and toss again to combine and blend flavors. Adjust seasoning and serve.
Wasabied Steak & Noodles
8 oz strip steak
1/4 t minced ginger
1/4 t granulated garlic
1/4 t pepper
4 oz egg noodles, wide or extra wide
2 t olive oil
granulated garlic, minced ginger
2 t rice vinegar
1 t wasabi powder
1 T water
1 T soy sauce
1/2 t white sesame seeds
1/2 t black sesame seeds
Bring 4 c water to a boil for pasta. Season both sides of steak with ginger, garlic, and pepper. Heat a stovetop grill, grill pan, or heavy duty fry pan over medium-high heat. Cook beef until medium-rare-- usually 4-5 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the steak. Remove the steak from the pan and let it rest while cooking the noodles. Cook the egg noodles in the boiling water. Drain, and toss with olive oil and a sprinkle of garlic and ginger. Add rice vinegar to the noodles and toss. Mix the wasabi with water, and stir to blend. Then mix with soy sauce and sesame seeds. Cube steak and add to noodles. Drizzle with wasabi-soy mix and toss again to combine and blend flavors. Adjust seasoning and serve.
Nutmeg-Maple Cream Pie
From the New York Times, November 15, 2006
4 egg yolks
1 whole egg
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pre-baked 9-inch pie crust (see recipe).
Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
¾ cup maple syrup
2¼ cups heavy cream4 egg yolks
1 whole egg
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pre-baked 9-inch pie crust (see recipe).
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, reduce maple syrup by a quarter, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in cream and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and egg. Whisking constantly, slowly add cream mixture to eggs. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a cup or bowl with pouring spout. Stir in salt, nutmeg and vanilla.
3. Pour filling into crust and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until pie is firm to touch but jiggles slightly when moved, about 1 hour. Let cool to room temperature before serving.
Yield: One 9-inch pie, 8 servings.
Friday, January 3, 2014
Meredith's Yummy Granola
2 c rolled oats (not instant)
1 c peanuts or toasted almonds
1/4 c sesame seeds
1/2 c toasted sunflower seeds
1/2 c coconut (unsweetened)
1/2 c raisins (or other dried fruit)
1/2 c dried fruit
scant 1/4 c oil
1/2 c honey
cashews
1. Mix oats, nuts, grains in large bowl.
2. Mix in oil, then honey. Pour out onto large roasting pan. Bake at 300 F for 30 min, turning every 10 minutes.
3. When finished, add raisins and fruit, stirring as it cools.
1 c peanuts or toasted almonds
1/4 c sesame seeds
1/2 c toasted sunflower seeds
1/2 c coconut (unsweetened)
1/2 c raisins (or other dried fruit)
1/2 c dried fruit
scant 1/4 c oil
1/2 c honey
cashews
1. Mix oats, nuts, grains in large bowl.
2. Mix in oil, then honey. Pour out onto large roasting pan. Bake at 300 F for 30 min, turning every 10 minutes.
3. When finished, add raisins and fruit, stirring as it cools.
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