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.
Friday, November 28, 2014
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
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