A Chemist's Cookbook

Beautiful Burger Buns

2012-01-03T20:57:00.000-05:00

This is straight out of the King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion, a fantastic cookbook. Despite the name, they also make killer hotdog buns. Originally appearing on the Internet courtesy of "Moomie" (Ellen Dill), many of the versions turned up by Google are just too dry, and hence too dense. Here's my take on the recipe:

In the large bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together:

14 oz (about 3 c) all-purpose flour
1.75 oz (1/4 c) sugar
1 t salt
1 T instant / rapid-rise yeast (yes, really: 1 full tablespoon)

Whisking at this step avoids clumping when the liquid is added. For onion rolls, add 1 t onion powder and 1/2 t dried minced onion. Instead of King Arthur flour, I actually prefer a generic, slightly softer all-purpose flour in this recipe, strangely enough. Now add:

8 oz (1 c) warm water
1 large egg
1 oz (2 T) butter, melted

Mix with the dough hook until smooth, soft, and well-mixed, about 5 minutes. It will be too wet to kneed easily by hand, so the mixer is really helpful here. Scrape down the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for 1 hour.

Flour the dough generously and scrape onto the counter. Divide into 8 equal pieces for burger buns, 12 for hotdog buns. Shape into balls and flatten (or stretch out) and place on a baking sheet fitted with a Silpat or parchment. (Use flour to keep them from sticking to you, but only as much as necessary.) Let rise 30-40 minutes. They'll stick to any kind of covering, so I use some tall cooling racks and kitchen towels to make a no-touch "tent" over the rolls. Bake at 375 F for ~14 minutes, until golden. Optionally, brush with 1T melted butter when they come out. For sesame or poppy seed rolls, brush with egg wash prior to baking and then sprinkle on the seeds. Like all breads, these are best the same day, but they do freeze well.

Filled chocolate truffles

2011-12-30T20:30:00.005-05:00

I've heard "truffle" used two ways with chocolate -- either simple balls of ganache covered in cocoa / sugar / chopped nuts, or a formed chocolate shell holding some kind of filling. The former are pretty straightforward, but the latter are generally the domain of professional chocolate shops. So of course, that's what we wanted to make for our friends and family this Christmas! Although it takes time, it's not that hard to produce an attractive -- and tasty -- result! (Flawless is still for the pros, though.)

Ingredients & Equipment

Couverture chocolate. This is high quality chocolate containing extra cocoa butter, and is used for the chocolate shell. The extra fat (cocoa butter) allows the chocolate to be tempered, producing a hard, shiny coat. Although I haven't tried it myself, the lore is that trying to use grocery-store chocolate for the shell will give poor results. (For a ganache filling, though, cheaper stuff seems fine to me.) The best deal I found was $15 + $10 shipping for 1 kg (2.2 lbs) of Callebaut from Golda's Kitchen on Amazon. I got about 4 dozen truffles per kilogram, but there's always a little waste at the end, so order at least 2 kg.
Chocolate molds. These are simple plastic trays that for molding the truffles. Lots of different sizes are available. The stated volumes seem to be for solid chocolates, so you'll get more for filled ones. I bought three 6 x 1 oz molds from Amazon. More molds make faster work, but more than about four would be hard to manage at one time.
Instant-read digital thermometer. Temperature (within 1 degree F) is critical for getting a good temper on the chocolate. Don't skip this.
Marble slab / stone counter / sheet pan. Ideally, you'd have a smooth, hard stone surface for tempering the chocolate. But I didn't, so I used the back of a cookie sheet. It's not ideal, but it's certainly workable. Make sure it's flat and clean.

Tempering the Chocolate

Tempering chocolate consists of melting it completely and then cooling it in a controlled way. The even cooling causes the fats to solidify in the uniform structure that produces a smooth, hard, shiny surface when the chocolate sets.

If you didn't buy callets (chips), chop the chocolate. You'll want at least enough to fill all your molds once. More won't hurt, you can re-use any leftovers. Melt them in a double boiler with 140 F water, top vessel not touching the water. Stir gently but continuously -- getting the chocolate over 140 F will scorch it, but you don't want to whip in any air. Also watch out for water -- even a small amount of water in the chocolate will ruin it. Keep stirring until the chocolate gets to 115 - 120 F. (Temperatures here are for dark chocolate; they vary somewhat for white or milk chocolate.)

Pour most (~3/4) of the chocolate out on your work surface, set the rest aside, off the heat. Spread it thin to help it cool, and keep folding it back on itself to mix it. I used an offset spatula in one hand and a metal bench scraper in the other. When the chocolate gets cool enough, it will abruptly set up into a thick paste. Scoop this back into your double boiler and stir until smooth. If the combined chocolate is now down to 82 - 83 F, you're done. Otherwise, pour some out and repeat -- you'll need less (maybe half) and it will set up faster (since it started off cooler).

The chocolate is now tempered. (You can test this by dipping a corner of parchment in the paper, folding it back on itself, and freezing for a minute or two. When set, it should break with a crisp crack.) But to work with it, you'll want to re-warm it over the double boiler to 87 - 90 F. Above ~93 F, the chocolate will start to lose its temper, so keep a thermometer in it while you're doing this. You'll probably need to re-warm the chocolate before each of the following steps.

Pour the warm chocolate into the prepared molds, filling them completely. It works best if you stop just shy of the rim -- too full and the truffles will have a little rim around the bottom. Let the molds sit at room temperature for 4 - 5 minutes (no more), then turn them upside down and give a gentle shake over your work surface. The molten centers should fall out, leaving chocolate shells in the molds. Freeze the molds for 5 minutes to fully set the shells. Scoop the chocolate on the work surface back into your double boiler to reuse.

Fill the shells with whatever you like (see below for suggestions). Fillings should be cool (no more than 80 F) so they don't melt the shells. If the filling seems thin, freeze for a another 5 minutes before capping. (Otherwise, the cap chocolate may sink into it!) To cap, pour a little more tempered couverture chocolate over the filling. I find shaking the mold gently after pouring each one helps the cap spread out smoothly. Work as quickly as you can; the chocolate will want to set up almost immediately. Freeze the truffles for 15 minutes to fully set them, then gently turn them out of the molds. They should come out very easily -- I think the freezing makes them pull away from the mold slightly.

We decorated them with edible glitter dust. We brushed the truffles with a little water to make it stick -- water doesn't seem to hurt them once they're solid. We also tried colored icing on a later batch, which worked OK, but didn't look quite as good.

Whisky Ganache Filling

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine

8 oz chocolate chips
4 oz (1/2 c) heavy cream

Microwave about 30 seconds, until chocolate is soft. Stir gently until smooth. Stir in

2 oz (4 T) Scotch whiskey

Let sit to cool to 80 F or less.

Any sort of liquor can be substituted: kirsch, Chambord, creme de menthe, triple sec, etc. are all good. We even considered tequila with candied lime peel and sea salt, but never got around to it.

Cabernet Reduction Filling

This is basically a wine jelly, a filling we invented for my father-in-law. It's derived from this recipe. In a small bowl, place

1 packet (0.25 oz) unflavored gelatin, such as Knox
3 T red wine

The wine will hydrate the gelatin. I found it best to pour the wine over top of it. In a medium saucepan, combine

1 bottle (750 ml) red wine (3 T reserved above)
6 T sugar

Boil the mix until reduced to 3/4 c (6 fl oz). Pour it into a Pyrex measuring cup to make sure; this needs to be pretty accurate, within about a quarter ounce. Stir in the hydrated gelatin until melted. This filling will probably still be liquid when you fill the truffles, it takes hours or days to set, but it does eventually set.

Dulce de Leche Filling

This is a wonderful, easy caramel sauce that I love. Simply submerse an unopened 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk into a saucepan of water, and simmer for 90 minutes. Do not, under any circumstances, allow the pan to run dry, or you may get an exploding can of hot caramel. If you keep it at a simmer and keep the pan covered you should have no problem. The label will probably fall off, but the canned caramel can be stored in the pantry for months. Just pop the top and fill the chocolate shells when you're finally ready. Do two or three cans at once so you'll have extra for pound cake, cheesecake, ice cream, etc.

Bacon caramels with smoked salt

2011-12-12T22:27:00.001-05:00

The holidays always make me want to bake. And for some reason, they particularly make me want to try something new or more elaborate than I've done before. So this year, I've been making a lot of candy for Christmas. Even as a kid, I was at least as partial to caramel flavors as to chocolate. I also have my mother's love of salt, so salted caramel is a near-perfect candy already.

Which brings me to bacon caramel. This variation was inspired by my brother-in-law Tommy, who is (tragically!) allergic to chocolate, and who generally prefers meat to candy. When I tell people about this flavor combo, I usually get raised eyebrows at a minimum. I, too, was skeptical. But then the folks who dip their bacon in the leftover pancake syrup start to reconsider. And after testing on a dozen friends and co-workers, there's been a unanimous thumbs up.

I wish I could claim to have thought of it first, but a quick Google proves I didn't. Still, I think my version packs in more bacon deliciousness than any of the other contenders! What follows is a basic recipe for caramels from the Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook, followed by the bacon version and two other sweet variations.

Basic Caramels

If using a candy thermometer, put it in a pot of boiling water to see how far off 212 F it is. Match the depth of the water to the expected depth of the caramel mixture. If you're inclined to skip this step, don't use a thermometer at all -- it will likely do you more harm than good.

In a large, deep pot, combine

2 sticks (1 c) butter
2 c (14 oz) granulated sugar
2 c (16 oz) light corn syrup
1 c heavy whipping cream

Stainless steel is preferable because it makes it easier to judge the color of the caramel, but anything will work. Use a big pot, much bigger than you think you need; this stuff expands a lot. Cook over medium to around 224 F, stirring occasionally. Adjust the target temperature based on how far off your thermometer is. If it read e.g. 206 in the boiling water (6 degrees off), you'll want to target 224 - 6 = 218 F. While it's bubbling, cover it with a lid for a few minutes -- the steam should wash down in stray sugar crystals stuck to the sides. (With so much corn syrup, I don't think there's much danger of crystallization, but it can't hurt.) Now stir in

1 c heavy whipping cream

I'm not sure why recipes have you add the cream in two additions. I'd guess only the final temperature matters, but I keep doing it this way out of superstition. Now the precise part: cook to exactly 246 - 248 F (again adjusted for your thermometer). The mixture will take on that signature caramel color and a thick, stringy texture when stirred (reminiscent of a starter sponge for yeast dough). A degree more or less at this stage makes a noticeable difference in the texture of the candy: too low, and the caramel will ooze; too high, and the caramel will be brittle. I like to reduce the heat to low at this point so the caramel cooks a little more slowly, and I have more wiggle room.

About 5 degrees before done, start dropping spoonfuls of caramel into a little bowl of ice water. Squeeze it flat with your fingers to help it chill. When it's room temperature, pull it out and chew to check the texture. When it's done, the super thin and spindly edges will probably crack (because they got colder) and the body of it will have a pleasantly firm chew. It doesn't hurt to pull the pot off the heat while you're checking, so it doesn't get away from you.

Finally, stir in

2 t vanilla extract

and any other last-minute additions. Pour into a well-greased 9 x 13 baking pan. I like to line mine with foil first (nonstick, if you've got it) to make things easier. Sprinkle with

Fleur de sel or other coarse salt

if you like. Let cool to room temperature, then cut into squares.

Bacon Caramels (original)

Before starting, thoroughly cook

1/2 lb bacon, chopped

Stir often and lower the heat as it approaches done, to avoid burning. Continue cooking until all fat is rendered and all bacon is very crisp. Transfer bacon to paper towel-lined plate. Chop bacon finely. Pour hot bacon grease through a coffee filter set in a strainer, into a heatproof measuring cup. (This is to remove any bits that might burn or spoil later.) Use bacon grease to replace an equal amount of butter in the basic recipe (about 1/4 cup, half a stick). Fold bacon in at the end, with the vanilla. I like to use

applewood-smoked sea salt

from the Spice & Tea Exchange to top the caramels and really up that smokey bacon flavor.

Pecan Praline Caramels (original)

Replace 1 c of granulated sugar with 1 c brown sugar, and fold in 8 oz chopped toasted pecans with the vanilla. Top with salt.

Ginger Fleur-de-sel Caramels (original)

Before starting, place ~2 oz peeled, thin-sliced ginger in a saucepan with the cream, and bring to a gentle simmer. Turn off the heat and leave the ginger to steep for at least 15 minutes. This imparts a subtle ginger note to the caramels without being too obvious.

Hot sauce

2011-01-30T21:36:00.000-05:00

I've been on a hot sauce kick lately, ever since I had the homemade stuff at Dame's Chicken and Waffles. His is still better than mine, but he won't give up the recipe, so I'm stuck inventing my own. This is the best I've come up with so far -- not bad if I say so myself. And it's a great use for all the dried peppers I made the last two summers and didn't know what to do with.

Cut the top quarter off of

1 head garlic (whole)

Drizzle with olive oil, and roast for about 1 hour at 300 F. (I did this in the toaster oven and it worked fine.) Remove from oven and let cool. This is a lot of garlic, but roasting makes it mellow and sweet. It helps lend body to the sauce too.

Meanwhile, stem and seed

10 medium cayenne peppers, dried

Best method I've found is to break off the stem end and the tip, then root around in the middle with a toothpick. Might be good to wear gloves while you're doing this. You'll invariably miss a few seeds, but try to get most of them. They don't blend up all that well, and the add a lot of extra (unwanted) heat. Add

1 cup water

Bring to a slow boil, uncovered, and reduce until only 1-2 T of liquid remain. (Peppers should be fully rehydrated.) Remove from heat, let cool. Seeding the peppers makes me sneeze, and the fumes when boiling can be pretty assertive. Oh, and wash the pot thoroughly after -- apparently I didn't the first time, and the next dish (chocolate sauce!) had a real kick to it...

Transfer garlic and peppers (with liquid) to the food processor. Add

1 c cider vinegar
2 oz. roasted red peppers (from a jar)
1 t salt
1 t sugar

Process until smooth. Strain through a coarse-mesh strainer into a Mason jar. Refrigerate for a few days to allow flavors to blend.

If you're like Dame, serve it with waffles and fried chicken. Or blend with mayo for a spicy cole slaw dressing. Or whatever else you like to do with hot sauce...

Ginger ale -- REAL ginger ale

2010-04-22T22:40:00.001-04:00

Ever since I tasted Reeds, I've had a thing for ginger ale. If all you've ever had is Schweppes or Canada Dry, you're in for a treat. Real ginger ale is sweet and sour and piquantly spicy all at the same time. It's anything but the bland, pedestrian soda you sipped as a kid when you were sick (although the ginger in the real stuff may still be good for an upset stomach).

When we lived in Seattle, there was a coffee shop in Freemont that sold homemade ginger ale in unmarked brown glass bottles. It was good stuff, but I don't know of an equivalent in Durham. Besides, ever since I got into making wine, I've wanted to try making my own soft drinks. As it turns out, making soda is far easier than making wine, and you get to enjoy the results a lot faster.

Yes, soda originally involved fermentation with yeast, back in the days before we made machines to force carbon dioxide into liquids under high pressure. The process is essentially the same as making beer or wine, except the bottle is kept closed to capture the carbon dioxide generated by the yeast, and the fermentation is stopped early, before any significant amount of alcohol is produced.

There are a few tools and ingredients that you need, so I'll get those out of the way first. Only two or three are truly unusual, so it's really not hard to get started!

Wine yeast. People generally recommend Red Star Premier Cuvee, as it ferments fast and clean. I also tried Lalvin EC1118, but got less carbonation. The little packets are about $1 each, so it's dead cheap if you have a homebrew store nearby. If you do mail order, everybody charges $10 in shipping, although American Brewmaster in Raleigh was slightly cheaper. It is possible to use regular baking yeast to make soda, but it adds some distinctive flavors that, while not terrible, are sort of distracting. Having tried both, I'd highly recommend springing for the wine yeast. Store it sealed in plastic in the freezer for up to a year. Each packet holds enough to make several gallons.
Food-grade citric acid. Citric acid is what gives lemons and limes their zing, and what makes many soft drinks pleasantly tart. You could use real lemon or lime juice, but I think you'd need a cup or two to get the same effect -- kind of a pain. Many other recipes include cream of tartar (a.k.a. tartaric acid) instead, for "mouth feel", but I can't see that it contributes anything useful -- I think citric acid works much better. You can get an 8 oz bag of citric acid from the New England Cheesemaking Supply Company for $5 and it will last you a lifetime. Besides, you need to order...
High thread count cheese cloth. The "cheese cloth" you find in the grocery store is too open to actually catch much of anything; the real stuff has a much tighter weave. Get the 90 thread count Butter Muslin from New England Cheesemaking at the same time you get the citric acid. A couple layers of this will catch most of the ginger residue when you strain your soda.
Coffee filters (optional). Straining the ginger ale through coffee filters removes the fine particles that otherwise make the final product hazy instead of clear. The cheese cloth is still necessary to first remove 99% of the big chunks that would otherwise clog your coffee filters in an instant.
Four 1L bottles or two 2L bottles. Get plastic seltzer bottles (1L) or soda bottles (2L), ones that are designed to hold carbonated liquids under pressure. I prefer the 1L bottles because there's less soda left over to go flat. (However, bottles will re-pressurize to some extent as they sit in the fridge.) If you try to use regular spring water bottles, they'll leak or deform or pop. Plastic is also safer than glass (e.g. beer bottles), because you can feel how much pressure there is by squeezing, instead of taking you best guess and praying nothing explodes.
Two large pots. Each should hold a gallon of liquid comfortably.
A sieve or strainer. It's much easier if you can suspend this above one of the pots. The mesh doesn't matter; you'll line it with coffee filters and/or cheese cloth.
A funnel and ladle. For filling the bottles -- trying to pour from the big pot doesn't work so well :)
A food processor. A blender might work in a pinch. If you have a juicer, I hear this is great for ginger, but I haven't tried it personally.
An instand-read thermometer. For measuring the water temperature. If you don't have one, 100 F feels like warm (but not hot) bathwater. It's better to be a little under than a little over, because overly hot water will kill the yeast.
A digital kitchen scale. You can get by without it, but it makes all your cooking so much easier. Spend $25 and pick one up from Amazon. Get one that does at least 5 lbs. in 1/8 oz increments or finer. You won't regret it.

Now, on to the recipe! Because you're trying to grow microorganisms in sugar water on your countertop, cleanliness is worth paying attention to, so that you grow the right microorganisms. But since it's only out for a few days before it goes in the fridge, you don't have to be crazy about, and you certainly don't have to sterilize everything. A nice wash with soapy water will be just fine.

(3 oz peeled ginger)

In the food processor, combine

3 oz peeled ginger root, or to taste
18 oz granulated sugar (2 1/2 c)

Run the food processor for several minutes, until you have a uniform, light golden paste. Processing the ginger with the sugar ensures that it gets chopped much finer than it would by itself. Three ounces of ginger makes a pleasantly zippy ginger ale. If you like more of a kick, try 6 oz. I like it that way, though most of my friends don't. I've tried all the way up to 12 oz, but it just burns your mouth and is no fun to drink. Also, some recipes recommend using brown sugar, but I find this muddies the taste.

In a large pot over medium heat, bring to 100 F

4 L water

Use your soda bottles to easily measure out 4 L of water. Remove from heat, scrape in the ginger paste, then add

3/4 t citric acid
1 T vanilla extract (optional)

This is a good time to taste the mix, and adjust anything that wants adjusting. Don't put your germy spoon back in the pot! Let it sit for 10 or 15 minutes to make sure all the flavor gets extracted.

Set the collander over the clean pot, and line it with overlapping coffee filters. Place several layers of fine cheese cloth over the filters. Strain the mixture into the clean pot. Sprinkle over top

1/4 t Red Star Premier Cuvee yeast

Let sit for at least 15 minutes, and up to an hour. Stir well, and use the funnel when ladling ginger ale into bottles. Leave a little air space at the top. Squeeze bottle gently to bring liquid all the way to the top, and cap tightly.

Your soda will ferment (and therefore carbonate) over the next 2 - 3 days. It will probably take at least 24 hours before you see any activity. The first signs are bubbles collecting on the sides of the bottle near the top. Then the air space will re-appear at the top, and the sides will straighten. Shortly after, the bottle will start to become rigid, like an unopened bottle of soda from the store. To some extent, the longer the fermentation continues, the more carbonated the drink will become. Of course, as the pressure increases, so does the chance of an explosion! I wait 24 hours (no more, no less) after the bottles first becomes rigid, and then move them to the refrigerator. The low temperature effectively halts the fermentation, although if the bottles warm up again, fermentation will resume. The total time from preparation to refrigerator is about 48 to 72 hours. (For the nervous among you, don't stop early either, or your soda won't have much in the way of fizz!)

If you used the coffee filters, your ginger ale should end up mostly clear, although there will always be some ginger + dead yeast sediment in the bottom of the bottle. If you skipped the coffee filters, it will be cloudier (but still delicious). Try to pour gently, and you can leave most of the sediment in the bottom of the bottle. Grab yourself a glass of ice, and enjoy!

According to my measurements, the ginger ale starts with enough sugar to generate 5% alcohol by volume, if it were fermented completely dry. In practice, very little of the sugar is actually converted to alcohol. Following the recipe above, there's so little alcohol I can't measure it when I transfer the bottles to the fridge. I'd say it's less than a quarter of one percent. There's probably more alcohol in a mouthful of beer or wine than in a whole bottle of my ginger ale, but still, use your best judgement.

The possible variations are almost endless. All sorts of citrus flavorings would be welcome additions, and I've actually contemplated building a ginger ale on top of lemonade or limeade. (You'd have to reduce the amount of added sugar, and probably eliminate the citric acid.) One recipe I saw included spices like black pepper and cayenne. And my mom suggested a vanilla ice cream - ginger ale float, which made me consider adding vanilla to the mix (though I'm not sure how, since I don't think the flavor extracts into water very efficiently). Finally, you could double the sugar and start the fermentation with the bottles unsealed. When you reached 5% alcohol, you could seal them up and end up with alcoholic ginger ale, which sounds fun. (This would generate more sediment though; I'm not sure how to deal with that. You could do the primary fermentation in a separate vessel before bottling, but that's a good bit of extra work.)

I started this recipe from several excellent sources on the web (Jerry Halstead, Mark Sexauer, Jeffrey Morgenthaler), and refined it with a couple of rounds of experimentation. I hope you enjoy it! And I'd love to hear of any great variations you come up with.

Turnips and Onions

2010-02-07T22:00:00.000-05:00

I had turnips for the first time this winter, thanks to Papa Spuds. They kept showing up on the list, and I figured, if this is what grows in the winter in NC, I should learn to cook it. As far as I can tell, people generally treat them like potatoes and mash them. But they're less starchy and much more watery (so they cook down), and they have a distinctive, slightly sharp flavor. It reminds me a little of horseradish, for some reason -- I think this dish would be amazing with a nice steak for that reason.

They look a bit homely, but trust me, this is good stuff for a cold winter night.

In salted water to cover, boil

1 1/2 lbs. turnips, peeled and cubed (about 3 medium)

until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and return to the warm burner to dry slightly, then mash with a hand masher and mix with

1/4 c cream

Place mashed turnips in a greased casserole dish.

While the turnips boil, put a large stainless steel skillet over medium heat. (Nonstick won't work because the onions don't caramelize as well or develop as much fond, and cast iron won't work because you can't see the difference between caramelized and burnt against the dark surface. Stainless it is.) Add

1 T butter
1 T olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, sliced
1 t sugar
salt to taste

Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are soft and browned, and a thick layer of brown fond has collected on the bottom of the pan. If the fond begins to turn very dark and look or smell burnt, reduce the heat! To the hot skillet, add

1/4 c water
1 T balsamic vinegar

With a wooden spoon, stir rapidly, scraping the bottom of the pan clean. All the fond should dissolve and coat the onions. (Bonus: cleanup will be easy.) Continue to cook over medium-low heat until the excess water evaporates and the onions are coated a rich brown sauce. (If you take it too far and bits begin to stick to the bottom again, add more water and repeat the cycle.) Layer the onions over the turnips in the casserole.

Bake in a moderate oven until heated through and bubbling, about 15 minutes. 350 F will work fine, but so will most other temperatures, and the time isn't too critical. This is a good way to hold the turnips until the rest of the meal comes together. Both the turnips and the onions really cook down a surprising amount, so this only makes 3-4 servings. I'm sure it could easily be doubled, though.

Blueberry jam muffins

2010-01-24T16:19:00.000-05:00

This is a Cook's Illustrated recipe that addresses the only real problem with blueberry muffins: you taste mostly muffin, and only a little blueberry. The trick is to boil down some of the berries into jam, and then stir them into the muffins just before baking.

In a small saucepan, boil and mash until reduced to a thick jam:

1 c (5 oz) blueberries, fresh or frozen
1 t sugar

In a mixing bowl, whisk to combine

2 1/2 c (12 1/2 oz) flour
2 1/2 t baking powder
1 t salt
1 c (5 oz) blueberries, fresh or frozen

If using frozen berries, rinse them under cold water and dry them before adding them to the flour mixture. In a separate bowl, whisk together

2 eggs
1 1/8 c (8 oz) sugar
4 T (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1/4 c vegetable oil
1 c buttermilk
1 1/2 t vanilla
zest of one orange (optional)

Gently fold wet and dry ingredients together, just until moistened. (Some spots of dry flour may remain.) Spoon batter into 12 greased, standard size muffin cups (cups will be full). Divide jam among cups, swirling into the batter with a chopstick. Sprinkle sugar over tops of muffins. Bake at 425 for about 17 minutes, just until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan before transferring to rack to cool.

If using the orange zest, you can also make an orange glaze out of the orange juice and powdered sugar (approximately 1 cup) -- top the muffins with glaze before serving. If not using the orange zest, you can incorporate lemon zest into the sugar used for topping the muffins.

Éclairs with peanut butter pastry cream

2009-12-27T20:10:00.000-05:00

Pregnant women like éclairs. Kind of a lot, actually. I had been promising Katy I would make her some for a month before I finally got around to it, and as it happened my parents came to visit the next day. Everybody was so taken with them that Katy and I decided to make more over Christmas, to celebrate my parents' anniversary.

As fancy as they look, the dough for these guys is a five minute proposition. Really. Amid some protest, I had Katy do this batch, and she admitted it was really easy. (Of course, now she knows how to make them for herself, which could be dangerous :)

There are lots of possibilities for filling, from whipped cream to ice cream. I tried pudding once, but it was too wet and made the pastry soggy. The better choice is pastry cream, which is quite similar to pudding but holds up better. The King Arthur cookbook has a fussy version that requires you to separate eggs and fold in whipped cream, but it has a bunch of great ideas for flavor variations. On the other hand, the version below is quite simple, but takes to flavoring equally well. Make the pastry cream 1 - 3 days in advance so it can chill well, and then assembly is fast and easy on the day of.

Peanut butter pastry cream
(based on a recipe from The Advanced Professional Pastry Chef)

In a saucepan, bring to a simmer

2 c milk
1/2 vanilla bean, scraped (or add 1 t vanilla extract at the very end)

Meanwhile, whisk together

4 T cornstarch
4 oz (1/2 c + 1 T) granulated sugar
1/4 t salt
2 eggs

Slowly whisk a third of the hot milk into the egg mixture, then whisk that back into the remainder of the milk. Bring to a full boil and hold for at least 10 seconds, then remove from heat. It's important to get it back up to a boil to kill enzymes in the eggs, or they'll slowly digest the cornstarch and un-thicken the cream. Remove vanilla pod (or add extract). Whisk in

4 T butter
1/2 c creamy peanut butter (optional)

Press plastic wrap over surface and chill thoroughly. I mix the eggs up in a 4 c Pyrex measure, then return the finished cream to it for chilling -- cuts down on the dishes to wash, and I figure the boiling-hot cream will safely sterilize any bits of raw egg left in the cup. This recipe makes about 3 c of pastry cream, though you can stretch it further (if desired) by folding in a cup or two of whipped cream at the end.

Éclair dough (pâte à choux)
(from the King Arthur Baker's Companion)

In a saucepan, bring to a rolling boil

1 c water
1 stick (1/2 c) butter
1/4 t salt

Pull off heat and dump in

5 1/4 oz (1 1/4 c) flour

Return to heat and stir vigorously until the dough comes together into a single mass. Cook about 1 minute. Pull off the heat and allow to cool until you can comfortably stick a finger in it (about 140 F), about 5 minutes. Transfer to a mixer and beat in, one at a time

4 eggs

After beating in the last egg, beat for at least 2 more minutes. Doing the eggs one at a time and beating the dough at the end are important -- I glossed over this once, and the dough didn't really rise. The times I remembered, it turned out beautifully.

Transfer the dough to a large zip-top plastic bag, placing it near one of the bottom corners. Snip away that corner, then pipe out finger-sized pieces of dough onto a baking sheet fitted with parchment paper or a Silpat. I get three rows of six or seven. Wet a finger and use it to flatten any little "tails" that are still sticking up where you pulled the bag away.

Bake at 450 F for 15 mintues, then drop the heat to 350 F for another 20 minutes. Pull out the éclairs, poke their ends with a paring knife to let out any trapped steam, and return to the oven for a final 5 minutes. Remove and cool on racks.

Chocolate glaze
(King Arthur Baker's Companion)

In the microwave (or over a double boiler) melt together

1 T butter
1 oz unsweetened baking chocolate

Beat these together, then beat in

1 T hot tap water
1/2 c (2 oz) confectioners' sugar

To assemble éclairs, cut the pastries in half horizontally and fill with cream. Spoon chocolate glaze over top. (If you want to be generous with the chocolate, make a double batch.) They keep for several days, but they're really transcendant when they're first made -- after just a few minutes, they start to get a bit soggy. If possible, fill them just before serving for best effect!

Bûche de Noël (Yule Log cake)

2009-12-26T21:12:00.001-05:00

After Katy and I made gingerbread houses for Evan and his friends to decorate, I got to thinking about holiday baking. I decided it might be fun to try another classic show piece, the yule log -- maybe as a treat to celebrate my parents 35th anniversary when we went down to visit. Two days later, I got this email from my mom:

Should we make something fabulous for dessert? I've always wanted to try one of these - Buche-de-Noel-with-Marzipan-Mushrooms

Great minds think alike, I guess. So away we went. There are lots of recipes on the internet, but some are pretty questionable -- the first cake recipe was a disaster that called for mixing melted chocolate with water, leading to gritty, nasty clumps of seized chocolate in the cake. (That cake was reincarnated a few days later as a trifle, but that's another story.) Eventually we cobbled together the necessary components from trusted sources, though, and the result was delicious! Although I'm not known for, er, pretty food, decorating it was really straightforward too.

Jelly Roll Cake
(from the King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion)

In a stand mixer, whisk until thick and doubled or tripled in volume

4 eggs, at room temperature
3/4 c (5 1/4 oz) granulated sugar

Start the eggs first, then slow add the sugar as the mixer is running. To quickly get the eggs to room temperature, put them in a bowl and cover with hot tap water for a few minutes. Mix in

1 t vanilla extract

Sift together

3/4 c (3 oz) all-purpose flour *
3/4 t baking powder
1/4 t salt

Gently whisk the flour mixture into the egg mixture. If you want a chocolate cake, replace the 3/4 c flour with 1/2 c flour plus 1/4 c cocoa (sifted). I think the vanilla cake would look more like "wood" under the frosting "bark", but chocolate did work well for me. Grease a 10" x 15" jelly roll pan, cover the bottom in parchment paper, grease again, and dust with flour (shaking out excess). This is a very sticky cake -- don't try cutting corners! Pour in the batter and smooth out to an even layer. Bake at 400 F until the center is just barely set, about 12 minutes. Err on the side of underbaking, as an overbaked cake will crack when you try to roll it.
Invert the cake onto a smooth dish towel dusted with powdered sugar (to prevent sticking). Actually, my cake still stuck, so I'm considering greased wax paper plus powdered sugar next time. Starting at a short edge, roll up the cake and towel together, and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Rich Chocolate Buttercream
(from The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook)

Traditional buttercreams require a boiled sugar syrup, but easy buttercreams like this one just whip together butter and powdered sugar. The double chocolate makes it extra flavorful.

In a double boiler, melt

2 oz unsweetened chocolate
2 oz semisweet chocolate

We used two squares each of Baker's. You could also probably use the microwave. In a stand mixer, beat until creamy

2 sticks (1 c) butter

Add the melted chocolate and

4 c sifted powdered sugar
1/4 c cocoa, sifted
1/4 c milk
2 t vanilla extract

Beat until creamy and spreadable.

Assembly and Garnish

Once the cake has cooled, unroll and spread evenly with about two-thirds of the frosting. Leave an inch or two at one of the short ends lightly frosted, as frosting tends to squish forward when the cake is rolled up. Starting at the other short end, roll the cake back up into a log.

Using a serrated knife, cut off about three inches from one end, at an angle. (Some people trim both ends, to show off the frosting/cake spiral, but I liked the tree-like look of the crispy cake ends.) Gently smoosh the cut end up against one side of the roll to make a branch. Cover the cake in the remaining frosting. Use the tines of a fork to make a few knots by turning them in a circle, then trace out wood grain by dragging the fork gently along the cake.

We weren't up for making marzipan holly or meringue mushrooms this year, so we used some real holly leaves (washed) with some fresh cranberries that were rolled in sugar while still wet. (Holly berries are poisonous, so just in case, we removed the leaves after taking the picture.) Use a strainer to dust a little powdered sugar over the top to create the snow effect, if desired.

Creamed Spinach

2009-12-16T20:35:00.001-05:00

The last year, I've really been into kale. It all started with this recipe on Orangette. And this time of year, Papa Spuds has great kale available every week.

Unfortunately, pregnant women get random cravings and aversions, and kale is currently on Katy's naughty list. So we ordered spinach instead, which would be fine -- but this was not your tender, sweet, salad-ready baby spinach. This was rugged, leathery, muddy spinach that had been fighting off the cold weather tooth and nail. Mature spinach, to put it delicately. I was worried it was going to be inedible, actually.

Creaming saves the day. There's no magic chemistry to creaming spinach (or corn, which also loves to be creamed). But it sure is delicious. This is a fairly high fat version, which doesn't hurt the deliciousness of course, but you could eliminate the butter and replace the cream with milk and it would still be fine. The cornstarch gives body to the sauce, which is particularly important for the low-fat version.
In a medium pot, cook until wilted, stirring contantly

1 large bunch spinach with stems, washed, dried, and coarsely chopped (about 8 oz.)
1 T butter
salt to taste

I think you can skip this step and immediately add the next ingredients, but this is the way I actually tried it last night. If you're omitting the butter, definitely skip ahead -- don't try wilting the spinach in a dry pot. Whisk together

1/2 c half-and-half
1 1/2 t cornstarch
fresh ground black pepper
few grates fresh nutmeg
1/4 t smoked paprika

It's important to blend the cornstarch into the cold cream before heating, so that it doesn't clump. Stir into the spinach and simmer over low heat, covered, until the spinach is tender and the sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes. You could replace the paprika with a little cayenne, or some Tabasco, or a touch of chipotle puree -- anything spicy. But it really needs that little touch to wake it up. The same basic recipe also works for corn, although I'd drop the spices and stick to salt and pepper.

As a footnote, cornstarch is a really useful thickener. Like flour, the starch molecules unwind and thicken the liquid they're suspended in when heated to near boiling. But unlike flour, which generally has to be cooked in a roux to get rid of the raw taste, cornstarch doesn't taste like much of anything. It's also quite efficient as a thickener -- you need about 1 T cornstarch per cup, as opposed to 2 T of flour.

Acidified Austrian Potato Salad

2009-12-12T13:05:00.002-05:00

I love potato salad (of all types), but I have a problem: mine always ends up half way to mashed potatoes by the time I'm done. I guess there's a magic moment when the potatoes are tender but will still hold their shapes, but I never find it. In an effort to avoid crunchy potatoes, I always overcook them.

However, I learned from Cook's Illustrated that potatoes respond to acid the same way beans do. That is, acidic conditions keep the cell walls of beans from breaking down and becoming tender, and (slightly) basic conditions promote faster "cooking". But potatoes cook a lot faster than beans, so instead we can use a little bit of acid -- about 2 T per quart -- to protect them from overcooking. Conveniently, they seem to cook to the perfect tender-firm texture for potato salad, and then just hold there for another 5 minutes or so!

This particular recipe is similar to a German or Austrian style potato salad, but the same technique would work for a vinaigrette- or mayonnaise-based salad. Still, this one is well worth a try -- it's got great flavors, and it's actually pretty healthy.

In a 12-inch skillet, bring to the boil

2 pounds Yukon Gold or other potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 c chicken broth
1 c water
1 t salt
1 T sugar
1 T vinegar (scant)

Reduce heat; cover and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Uncover and increase heat for 2 minutes to reduce liquid to about 1/2 cup. (If you have more or less, you'll have to drain the potatoes, measure the liquid, and then discard some or supplement with water. If it looks like about 1/2 cup though, just dump it all in!) Mash together

1/2 c potato cooking liquid
1 T vinegar
1 T Dijon mustard
1/4 c vegetable oil
1/2 c cooked potatoes

Fold in

remaining potatoes
3/4 c finely chopped red onion (1 small)
2 T minced cornichons or kosher dill pickles
2 T minced fresh chives
salt and pepper to taste

Serve warm or chilled.

Basic beans -- Lentil Chili

2009-12-02T21:46:00.000-05:00

My first exposure to lentils was in a sunny plaza somewhere in Spain; Toledo, I think. I hadn't been eating all that well lately -- Spanish food has some spectacular highs, but then sometimes you get a bowl of tiny fish, fried whole, and you don't really feel like bones and scales for lunch. So I was hungry, but this lentil stew was still fantastic -- deep and rich and savory and comforting, even if you (like me) had never had lentils before. Although the details have faded by now, I keep trying to recreate that stew. I think I'm passably close now.

This recipe started life as a meatless "chili" in Bon Appetit, and the first time I made it, the lentils never totally softened up -- they were still a little crunchy. It turns out that beans of all types are sensitive to pH -- in acidic conditions they stay firm, in basic conditions they go soft. So if you're cooking dry beans, you want to hold off on adding any acidic ingredients (like the tomatoes in this recipe) until the beans are already soft, or you may be waiting a very, very long time. (Or eating crunchy beans. Yuck.) For insurance, you can also add a tiny pinch of baking soda (like 1/16 t, or less) to ensure the water is not acidic. (Don't add much, or you'll likely get an off, soapy taste from the soda. Also yuck.)

I also added meat to the recipe -- in Spain, "vegetarian" is generally interpreted as "with less ham". The Toledo stew probably featured (hard, cured, Spanish-style) chorizo, but Italian sausage or ground beef or even bacon would add a welcome richness. The ascetics and vegetarians among you may leave it out, of course.

In a medium-large pot, brown

1/2 lb Spanish-style chorizo (or other sausage)

If you omit the meat, you'll need 2 t olive oil instead. Now add

1/2 c chopped onion

and saute until slightly softened. Stir in

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T mild ground red chile, such as New Mexico, or more to taste
1 T ground cumin
1 t dried oregano

You can find bags of ground chile powders for cheap in the Mexican foods section of most markets. I've found the heat can vary considerably from batch to batch, so start slowly and add more if you need it. I've substituted California chiles when I can't find New Mexico, but they're generally hotter. If your pepper is very mild or you like things very hot, you may want to add some cayenne pepper as well, say 1/8 t to start. Now stir in

4 c water, plus more as needed
1/4 c red wine (optional)
1 c dried brown lentils, rinsed
small pinch (< 1/16 t) baking soda

Simmer for 15 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. Stir in

1/3 c tomato paste (that's most of a 6 oz can)

Continue to simmer uncovered until chili is thickened and lentils are tender, about 15 minutes. Add water as needed if it gets too thick. Before serving, stir in

1/3 c sliced green onions

Top with additional green onions and sour cream (if desired) for garnish. Serves 4 for dinner (3 if you omit the meat).

Like oil and water

2009-11-23T22:36:00.000-05:00

Like oil and water -- that's how I get along with French cooking. Not that I don't respect the French. But many of their best dishes require exacting technique, and I'm usually too lazy or too klutzy for anything that precise. So while my good friend Brian can whip up a lovely vinaigrette the proper traditional way, I was all too happy to discover a cheat.

Most French sauces that blend oily things and watery things have the benefit of egg yolk to hold them together -- hollandaise, bearnaise, mayonnaise. The lecithin in the egg acts as an emulsifier to allow one of the liquids to "dissolve" in the other, much like soap allows cooking grease to "dissolve" in dish water. Vinaigrettes are not so lucky -- they have oil, vinegar, and maybe little mustard. (The mustard helps a little, but not nearly as much as egg yolk.) So getting a smooth, relatively stable vinaigrette requires adding the oil very slowly and whisking quickly, so that it's so finely broken up it takes at least a few minutes to separate out again. Too much work.

The folks at Cook's Illustrated discovered, however, that a little dab of mayonnaise from the jar in your fridge will make the vinaigrette emulsify quickly and remain stable for more than an hour. You can be fairly sloppy about your whisking, or even dump everything in a jar and shake, and it still comes out nice. That's science I can use.

The basic proportions go like this. If you're diligent with the whisk, the vinaigrette will be smoother, and thus taste less tart -- you can get away with the lesser amount of oil. If you're lazy like me, I'd recommend 4 T oil. The "acid" could be wine vinegar, balsamic, lemon juice, etc.

1 T wine vinegar (or other acid)
1/2 t mayonnaise (regular or light)
1/2 t Dijon mustard
salt and pepper
3 - 4 T extra-virgin olive oil (or other oil)

Combine everything but the oil thoroughly, then whisk in the oil. Although I haven't tried it, I bet you can get away with dumping it all in a jar and shaking thoroughly too. You don't have to measure the mayo either -- a little dab should be about right.

Cook's offers a half-dozen variations on this theme: some shallot, some garlic, some herbs, some citrus zest. But once you know the proportions above, you can really make the rest up as you go along.

Incidentally, contrary to vinaigrette's reputation, this isn't a very "light" dressing -- it's mostly oil. It should have about 180 fat calories per 2 T serving. On the other hand, I made homemade Ranch the other night, and between the lite mayo and the 1% buttermilk, I figure it had quite a lot less fat in it than most of the commercial dressings in my fridge -- somewhere south of 30 fat calories per serving. (And it tasted good, unlike "lite" Ranch.) But that's the subject of another post...

The x-ray structure of ginger

2009-10-12T21:25:00.003-04:00

Or maybe not. But it's crystalized, at least, and that's as close as I've gotten to structural biology lately. Crystallized (a.k.a. candied) ginger is yummy stuff, but my local Harris Teeter informs me that they only carry it during the holidays. Hmpf. So now I make my own, and it's not too hard, and even the by-products are useful. I love food like that, where nothing is wasted.

I went down this road because of Molly Wizenberg's book, where she describes banana bread with chocolate chips and crystallized ginger. She has another version of the recipe on her blog, but it's not the same as the book. But really, you can use any banana bread: just add in 3/4 c of chocolate chips (Ghirardelli 60%, if you have them) and 1/3 c crystallized ginger.

This recipe is the average, approximately, of what I turned up in a Google search. All the recipes were wildly different. So whatever you do, it will probably turn out just fine.

Start with

1 pound ginger, peeled and sliced thin

How thin is a matter of debate: too thin and they become insubstantial wisps after cooking, too thick and you get a rude jolt of ginger. I think 1/8" is about right (i.e., stack 8 slices and they should measure 1 inch). A vegetable peeler is good for peeling the ginger. Place the ginger in a medium-large saucepan with

water to barely cover

Simmer for 20 or 30 minutes. You can also steam the ginger and maybe retain a little more flavor, if you prefer.

Pour off almost all of the ginger water, leaving about 1/2 c behind. (You can save it if you want, mix it with the syrup, and pour over ice for a ginger-beer-like beverage, minus the bubbles.) Add

a large quantity of sugar

until you have a saturated sugar solution, more or less. You'll be boiling off excess water, so it doesn't matter too much -- it just takes longer if you skimp on the sugar. I think it's about 2 cups of sugar per 1/2 cup of water in the pot. Simmer until the ginger is translucent and the syrup forms tall, sticky mounds of small bubbles that cover the ginger and threaten to climb out of the pot. (Don't skimp on pot size, either.) You want to stop before the sugar takes on any caramel color at all.

Remove the ginger from the pot with a fork or slotted spoon and place it on a Silpat. (If you don't have one, get one; but in the meantime I'd try a greased cookie sheet.) Try to leave as much syrup behind as you can. Let the ginger dry for 8 - 16 hours, then toss with generous additional sugar while still slightly sticky and chop to desired size. Add more sugar as necessary to keep ginger pieces separated. Store in a plastic container at room temperature.

I'd save the ginger syrup if I were you. It could be good on vanilla ice cream, or drizzled over the aforementioned banana bread. I'm also thinking it would be good with pancakes topped with banana slices. Or perhaps with berries and whipped cream? Or go savory and make a gingery sweet and sour sauce for stir-fry. So many possibilities. Let me know what works out for you!

Baby Meatballs

2009-08-07T22:00:00.005-04:00

As in, meatballs for a baby, not cute little meatballs. These are one of the few proteins Evan will eat, and I can see why -- they're really quite delicious, no matter how old you are. The trick is in the grated apple and in breading them before cooking. The recipe is from First Meals by Annabel Karmel.

In a mixing bowl, combine

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, finely chopped
1 T chopped fresh parsley (optional)
1 chicken bouillon cube dissolved in 2 T hot water (Mmmm, MSG!)
1 small apple, peeled and coarsely grated
1/2 t Worcestershire sauce
pinch brown sugar
salt and pepper, to taste

Mix thoroughly, then shape into about 24 meatballs. Roll in all-purpose flour to coat, then saute in a little olive oil until browned on all sides and cooked through.

These keep for a few days in the fridge, or you can put them in a plastic container and freeze them. It's easy to take out 1 or 2 frozen meatballs and heat them for ~30 seconds in the microwave for instant baby dinner!

Marshmallows!

2009-08-07T21:38:00.003-04:00

Until recently, I had never considered that marshmallows were something you could make at home. Judging by the responses my first batch got, a lot of other people hadn't considered it either. But in fact, it's not that hard to do; they're one of the easiest candies I've ever tried.

To make indoor S'mores, set marshmallows in a nonstick skillet and broil on low power until lightly toasted. (Watch 'em -- they burn within seconds!) Add graham crackers, chocolate, and enjoy.

This recipe is Molly Wizenberg's, from the July 2008 Bon Appetit. (Yes, it sat in my to-make pile for a year. Anymore, that's not too bad.)

In the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer, combine

1/2 c cold water
3 (1/4 oz) packets unflavored gelatin, such as Knox

Let stand until gelatin softens, at least 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a heavy medium saucepan, combine

2 c sugar
2/3 c light corn syrup
1/4 salt
1/2 c cold water

Heat and stir until dissolved, then boil without stirring until syrup reaches 240 F. (Use a candy thermometer, please.)

With the mixer's whisk running slowly, pour sugar syrup into gelatin in a thin stream. To direct the stream into the bowl and away from the whisk, I like to pour down the handle of a wooden spoon. Gradually increase speed to high and whisk until mixture is very thick and stiff, 10-15 minutes. Add

2 t vanilla extract

and whisk to combine.

Scrape marshmallow mix into 13" x 9" pan lined with aluminum foil and sprayed with nonstick spray. Smooth top with a wet spatula. Allow to cool completely, about 4 hours.

Sift together

1/2 c potato starch (a.k.a. potato flour)*
1/2 c powdered sugar

Generously dust counter with starch-sugar mix, and invert pan of marshmallows. Generously dust top of slab. Cut into 2" squares (good luck!) and toss with starch-sugar mix to coat. If you're a domestically-inclined ninja, cut them into fun shapes instead. Set on a wire rack to dry for bit before storing in a sealed plastic container.

* I couldn't find potato starch at my grocery store, so I took plain instant mashed potato flakes and ground them to dust in my food processor. It seems to have worked, and remarkably enough, the marshmallows had no hint of potato flavor.

Cheerwine ice cream

2009-06-10T20:14:00.002-04:00

Seriously -- what a great idea. Wish I'd thought of it, but Jeanne and Bruce found it in a magazine somewhere. Note that it makes 3 quarts, which is two batches in my little ice cream maker. For those that don't know, Cheerwine is a regional soft drink that's somewhere between Dr. Pepper and Cherry Coke (but better than either!).

In a double boiler, whisk until thickened

4 eggs
2 c whole milk

Whisk in

2 c sugar

Whisk until sugar is dissolved, then remove from heat and strain through a fine-mesh strainer to remove any curdled egg. (I omitted this step because it wasn't in the directions, to my later regret.) Stir in

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk

Refrigerate until cold, at least several hours and preferably over night. Just before churning, stir in

2 1/2 c cold Cheerwine
2 c whole milk

Churn according to the directions for your ice cream maker.

Sausage, roasted red pepper, and spinach torta rustica

2009-06-02T21:25:00.002-04:00

A really easy and delicious recipe I clipped from Bon Appetit. The substitutions (frozen spinach, half-and-half) are mine. I suspect you could substitute some cheap Swiss for the Fontina to reduce the cost some more, as the cheese is pretty easily the most expensive ingredient.

Butter a 8x8 glass baking dish and line with

16 (1/4") baguette slices

Combine and add to dish

12 oz fresh baby spinach leaves, wilted in 1T butter or 10 oz frozen spinach, squeezed dry
1 lb. sweet Italian sausage, casing removed and sausage browned
1 c (4 oz) grated Fontina cheese
3/4 c diced drained roasted red peppers (from a jar)

Whisk together and pour over top

6 eggs
1 c heavy cream + 1 c whole milk or 2 c half-and-half
1 t salt
1/4 t pepper

Sprinkle with

1/2 c (2 oz) grated Fontina cheese (1.5 c / 6 oz total)

Bake at 350 F for 55 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes before serving.

Cucumber bean salad

2009-05-22T20:08:00.002-04:00

This is a really cheap salad that I made out of desperation with things that were left over in the fridge. Surprisingly, it turned out to be quite tasty! The inspiration was flavors from salsa.

Whisk together

1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
3 T cider vinegar
1 T tomato paste
1 t chipotle-in-adobo puree

Pour over

2 large cucumbers, diced
1 (15 oz) can of white beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 c minced white onion
1/4 c chopped cilantro

Add salt and pepper to taste. Should feed at least 4 as a side.

Sweet & Spicy Pecans

2009-01-02T14:34:00.003-05:00

This is a simple recipe that I had over the holidays, staying with my in-laws. The pecans are good as a snack or for adding some crunch to a green salad.

In a medium bowl, beat with a fork until slightly foamy

1 egg white

Add

2 c pecan halves

In another bowl, combine

1/2 c sugar
1 1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t chili powder
1/2 t cinnamon
pinch cayenne

Pour over nuts and toss to combine. Transfer nuts to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat, leaving behind as much coating as possible. Use fingers to spread nuts into a single layer, separating them slightly. Bake at 300 F for 30 minutes.

Mom's meringue cookies

2008-12-22T08:42:00.004-05:00

These were a Christmas tradition growing up -- airy shells of sugar filled with chocolate. They're delicate, crispy-crumbly, mostly dry but just a bit chewy in the middle. The recipe comes from my mother and her mother, and who knows before that. Prep is pretty simple and the ingredients are few, which may explain why Mom made hundreds of these for teacher gifts, family gatherings, and holiday parties.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip to medium peaks

2 egg whites

Any fat at all (greasy bowl, trace of yolk, etc) will keep the whites from reaching the appropriate volume. At medium speed, whip just until incorporated

2/3 c sugar (4 5/8 oz)
1 t vanilla extract
1 t cream of tartar (can be omitted in a pinch)

With a rubber spatula, fold in

1 c chocolate chips (6 oz)
1/2 c pecans, chopped to the size of the chips (optional; I leave these out)

Portion out by level tablespoons into 3 dozen cookies on two well-buttered cookie sheets. (Parchment paper or a Silpat is even better.) The cookies don't spread, but will approximately double in volume when baked, so leave about 1.5" between. Place sheets in a preheated 350 F oven and immediately turn off the heat. Leave cookies in the closed oven overnight or at least 8 hours. They will be dry and crisp, but not browned.

My mother-in-law says that her mother made these with chopped berries, so I may try that next!

Pasta with smoked salmon and rosemary cream

2008-11-29T23:10:00.003-05:00

This was a yummy dinner that came about almost by accident. We had some salmon that Neil from our parents' group had caught and smoked, and some fresh rosemary from the garden outside Liz and Bob's new house. The salmon wasn't the sort of barely cooked stuff you find sometimes; it was fully cooked, kind of a delicious salmon jerky. To top the whole thing off, we had some smoked salt from Market Spice down at Pike Place -- the crunch and extra smoke was a really nice touch.

Amounts are approximate because I'm guessing after the fact. Cook

8oz dried pasta, such as penne

in boiling salted water until almost done. Drain.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, combine

2 c heavy cream
3/4 c shredded Parmesean
1 sprig fresh rosemary
6 oz smoked salmon, chopped

Cook just until cheese is incorporated and mixture is slightly thickened. Add drained pasta and cook until pasta is tender and coated in sauce. Serve garnished with

Salish smoked sea salt (from Market Spice)

Turkey gravy

2008-11-29T12:16:00.003-05:00

We hosted Thanksgiving for the first time this year, so it was my first time cooking a turkey. I followed the salted turkey recipe from last year's Cooks Illustrated, and it came out well. I think icing down the breast meat really did help everything finish at the same time.

For the gravy, on the other hand, I didn't have a recipe exactly. The day before, I had seen Alton Brown making one with red wine on TV, and I had the trusty Ultimate Southern Living -- but neither was quite what I (thought I) wanted. Funny enough, the gravy got more compliments than anything else I made. So I'm recording it here for next year!

In a medium saucepan, simmer for 45 minutes:

half an onion, chopped
handful of carrot pieces
celery seed (would've used celery if I'd had it)
2 bay leaves
large spring fresh thyme
small bunch fresh parsley
salt and pepper
turkey neck
turkey gizzard and heart (no liver) (pictures for identifying the pieces)
water to cover

Strain, chill, skim. Yields ~3 cups stock.

While turkey is resting, pour off all drippings from the roasting pan (don't scrape). Place over burners, add ~1 cup stock, and scrape until all browned bits are dissolved and pan is clean.

In a medium saucepan, make a roux with

4 T butter (half a stick)
1/4 c flour

Pour in pan juices through a fine-mesh sieve and whisk to combine. Whisk in additional broth as needed to reach desired consistency, keeping in mind that full thickening won't happen until the gravy comes to a simmer.

Thai glazed carrots

2008-11-15T19:46:00.005-05:00

Carrots? Yes, carrots. I like them in things -- stir fries, pilaf, couscous. And they're fine for snacking, with dip or hummus. But on their own, cooked, I always thought of them as bland and mushy, not far removed from baby food. Even the carrots in ginger ale recipe was a little bland.

These carrots are much nicer: a little tangy, a little sweet (not too much), even a little spicy. And since Katy and I are really trying to watch our food budget, it doesn't hurt that they're 75 cents a pound and used things I had in the refrigerator anyway. (They got created in a what-have-we-got-in-the-fridge moment one night.) They dirty up only one pan and one spoon, which is a big plus in my book. Plus, any vegetable that brightly colored has to be good for you, right?

I used some lemongrass paste from a tube that I had left from some other recipe, when the grocery store didn't have fresh. But I think real lemongrass would be good here too. Ginger would also be nice and would probably be a perfectly respectable substitute.

The Key limes were also a bargain at ~$3 for a whole bag. Although the Key lime cupcakes looked and tasted like playdough, the rest of the limes kept nicely in the refrigerator and made themselves appreciated at several meals later in the week.

This technique is from The Best 30-Minute Recipe, but the flavors are mine. The amounts below are guesses, because I wasn't measuring when I made this :)

Thai glazed carrots

In a large skillet over medium heat, combine

1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into coins on the bias (about 4 large carrots)
1/3 cup water
1 T sugar
1/2 t salt
1 t hot Asian chili or chili-garlic sauce
2 t lemongrass (paste or fresh), or fresh ginger

Cover and steam until carrots are just tender when poked with the tip of a sharp knife. Remove lid and stir in

1 T butter
2 T sugar

Increase heat and cook, stirring, until carrots are tender (but not mushy) and glaze is thickened and lightly caramelized. Remove from heat and toss with

juice of 2 Key limes, or 1/2 - 1 regular lime

Goes nicely with a variety of things, even if the rest of the meal isn't Asian.

No-knead Dutch oven bread

2008-06-29T21:25:00.003-04:00

Despite the name -- and the technique -- this recipe makes far and away the best loaf I've ever made home. The crust is deep golden brown, and so crisp that it crackles and sings as it cools on the counter. The interior has large air pockets, an open structure, and a nice chewiness. The recipe appeared in the Jan/Feb 2008 Cook's Illustrated.

So far, I've only tried it with water in place of the beer, but it's still quite good that way. Supposedly the beer enhances the flavor further, but only very mild lager beers -- anything else adds weird spicy notes. And although I usually use King Arthur flours, Cook's develops their recipes with Gold Medal (if I remember correctly). So I can use basically any old unbleached all-purpose flour, which is nice since my local grocery charges double for the King Arthur stuff :(

As for timing, I start the dough in the late evening, shape it in the early afternoon of the next day, and then eat it with dinner. You pretty much have to be home the day of the baking, although there's very little active time.

In a large bowl, combine into a shaggy dough

15 oz unbleached all-purpose flour (such as Gold Medal), a bit more than 3 cups
1/4 t instant or bread-machine yeast
1.5 t salt
7 oz water
3 oz mild lager (such as Budweiser), or 3 oz water
1 T white or apple cider vinegar

Stir just until the dough comes together into a shaggy ball, then cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 8 to 18 hours. (Yes, really. The long rise is essential for autolysis and gluten development.)

Grease a sheet of parchment paper and greased side up in a 10" skillet. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and kneed 10 - 15 times, then shape into a ball and place on the parchment. (So little kneeding is necessary due to the extra long autolysis.) Cover loosely with greased plastic wrap and let rise 2 hours, until doubled in size.

30 minutes before baking, place a 6 - 8 qt Dutch oven or heavy stockpot in the oven and preheat to 500 F. Make a 6" long, 1/2" deep cut in the top of the bread, then gently transfer to the hot pot by lifting the edges of the parchment. Replace the lid, return to the oven, and decrease heat to 425 F. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove lid. Bake another 20 - 30 minutes, until dark golden brown or interior temperature hits 210 F. Transfer to wire rack and cool 2 hours. Best the day it's made, but keeps up to 2 days wrapped in foil.

Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Bars

2008-01-06T11:01:00.000-05:00

Well, I guess the title says it all. Nice bar cookies that ridiculously easy to make. Not healthy by any stretch, but tasty.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In 9" x 13" pan in oven, melt

1 stick (1/2 c) butter

Sprinkle evenly over butter

1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs

Pour evenly over crumbs

1 (14oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

Top with

1 (12 oz.) package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter chips

Press down firmly. Bake 25 to 30 minutes until lightly browned. Cool and cut into bars. Makes 24 to 36 bars.
I learned the hard way I would spray the pan with Pam next time I make these.

Strawberry Cake

2008-01-06T10:41:00.000-05:00

Strawberry Cake comes from my wife's Grandma Rose, who produces all manner of good ol' Southern treats. This cake is alarmingly pink but supremely delicious.

Mix together

1 box white cake mix
1 small box strawberry Jell-O (3 oz.)
3/4 c vegetable oil
4 eggs

Stir in

1 c strawberries, thawed (from frozen sweetened strawberries, juice reserved)

Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan and bake at 350 F for 35-40 minutes or until done. (Can also be baked as two 9" rounds, although baking time may have to be adjusted.)

In an electric mixer, cream

6 T butter (3/4 stick)

Gradually add

1 lb. powdered sugar (~4.75 c)
1/4 c juice from frozen strawberries
1 t vanilla

Slowly add about half the sugar, then half the juice and all the vanila, then the rest of the sugar. Add enough additional juice to reach frosting consistency. Allow cake to cool to room temperature before frosting, so frosting doesn't melt!

36-hour Ciabatta

2007-11-27T00:23:00.000-05:00

This is my second bread recipe for weeknight baking, adapted from the original in the King Arthur Baker's Companion. It does require a fair bit of advance planning, and it doesn't hold super well in the fridge for extra days -- all the bubbles rise to the top and create a giant pocket.

The bread is probably not much like "real" ciabatta, but it makes a large flat loaf with a soft and almost sponge-like crumb -- large but even holes. It's wonderful for sandwiches because it soaks up any juices / dressings / sauces -- try grilled beef and chimichurri. With the crust peeled off and the bread battered, it also makes a killer fried sandwich (can't find the recipe right now).

When you wake up, the day prior to baking:
Mix together in a medium-small bowl to form a dry, firm, shaggy dough

1/4 t instant (bread machine) yeast
4 oz (1/2 c) water
6.25 oz (1 1/2 c) King Arthur all-purpose flour

Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for about 12 hours, give or take a few.

As soon as you get home from work, the day prior to baking:
Pull the starter into walnut-sized pieces and place in mixer bowl. Add

1 t instant yeast
2 t nonfat dry milk powder
1 1/2 t salt
7.75 oz (1 c minus 1 T) water
1 T olive oil
8.5 oz (2 c) flour

Mix for ~3 min with paddle, then up to 10 more minutes with dough hook. Dough will be too wet, sticky, and slack to work by hand. Transfer to oiled bowl and cover. Every 40 minutes for 2 hours (3 times total), fold the dough over on itself a couple times. This is the key to developing enough gluten for the bread to hold its shape later. Turn it out onto a half sheet pan covered with a Silpat, forming a large flat oval blob. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and allow to rise 1.5 - 2 hours at room temperature. Transfer to refrigerator until the next night (about 20 hours).

Total time for this step is approximately 4 - 4.5 hours, or from 6pm until 10 - 10:30pm. It's tight for a workday, but doable. If you've changed the schedule so you'll bake without refrigerating, total rising time should be 2 - 3 hours at room temperature. (With refrigeration, the room temperature rising time is shorter because the dough will continue to rise somewhat in the refrigerator, especially before it gets chilled all the way through.)

As you start making dinner, the day of baking:
Preheat oven and stone to 425 F. Move second rack to top of oven. Heat 8oz of water to a rolling boil in a covered cast-iron skillet over high heat. Three minutes before baking bread, uncover skillet and transfer to top rack of oven. Place sheet pan with bread directly on baking stone and bake about 25 minutes total. Remove skillet with water after the first 10 - 15 minutes.

I use cast iron because it holds heat so well, so the water continues to boil in the oven and create steam. Also, you don't have to worry about the pan warping from the heat if it runs dry. To me, this is the best and easiest way to get steam in the oven of all the ones I've tried.

Chocolate pecan pie

2007-07-02T15:19:00.000-04:00

A very tasty dessert from my friend Louis Metzger, who was a fellow graduate student with me in the Duke biochemistry department. He reports that it's an adaptation of a recipe in Taste and Tour of Texas.

Combine over low heat, stirring constantly until melted:

2/3 c sweetened condensed milk
2 T butter
1 c semisweet chocolate chips

In a large mixing bowl, combine

2 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 c granulated sugar
2 T flour
1/4 t salt
1 t vanilla extract
1.5 c whole pecans

Stir chocolate mixture into contents of mixing bowl. Pour into

9” pie crust, unbaked (homemade or purchased)

Bake at 375F for 35-40 minutes.

Magnolia Grill food processor pie crust

2007-04-29T09:12:00.000-04:00

This is my favorite pie crust recipe, taken from Karen Barker's Sweet Stuff cookbook (she of Magnolia Grill fame). The idea of using half harder and half softer flour came from the King Arthur Baker's Companion; this gives just enough gluten to hold together but not enough to make the dough tough. This recipe makes enough for two 9" pie crusts, with plenty to spare.

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse to combine

12.5 oz flour (half all-purpose and half pastry flour)
3/4 t Kosher salt
3/4 T sugar

Pulse to cut in fats until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal (very small chunks of fat)

4 oz (1 stick) butter, cut in small pieces and chilled 20 min. in freezer
4 oz (1/2 c + 2 T) shortening, cut in pieces and chilled

Sprinkle most of water over dough, adding last 1 oz if needed, and pulse just until dough starts to come together

up to 1/2 c ice water

Dump dough out and separate into halves, flatten into relatively thin disks (so they're as close as possible to the final desired shape!), wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least a few hours and as long as overnight. I like to roll the dough out between lightly floured sheets of plastic wrap, as this makes it much easier for me to roll quickly without having the dough stick or tear.

Baked Gruyere Scallops

2007-04-29T08:42:00.000-04:00

Taken from the Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook, this dish has become a family tradition whenever we go to the beach. And you need a hard day playing in the surf to work this off...

The cheese for this dish will be relatively expensive, in the $10+/lb range, but don't skimp: you need good-quality ingredients to make this dish shine. Scallops aren't cheap either, come to think of it. I guess that's why I make it at the beach when my parents are paying!

In a large skillet, saute 2-3 minutes, then drain and set aside:

2 T butter
1 lb bay scallops

In same skillet, saute until tender:

2 T butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
8 oz sliced fresh mushrooms

Stir in scallops and

6 oz shredded Gruyere or other Swiss cheese (e.g. Emmentaler)
1/2 c mayonnaise
1/4 c dry white wine
1 T lemon juice

Spoon into greased oven-safe dish (one large or four individual) and broil 6" from heat until browned, about 2-3 minutes.

Tony Chachere's

2007-04-23T12:47:00.000-04:00

"Tony's" is a hot and smoky seasoned salt product from Louisiana. Katy's cousins swear by the stuff, carrying a can with them everywhere in their purses. They gave us some for Christmas, but I just tried it the other day. I have to say: it's the best seasoned salt I've ever had. It rocks on french fries. I don't know what else it's good on ("great on everything," the label says), but I'll keep some around just for that!

Two pizza recipes

2007-04-07T16:02:00.000-04:00

I recently created two successful pizza recipes and thought I would record them here. They're both built on my Refrigerator Flatbread dough, stretched out thin and baked on a pizza stone at 450 F for 10 minutes. (I tried using 1/3 part higher-protein flour and some dough relaxer, but the standard recipe is fine.) I put the dough on parchment to make it easier to slide into the oven. The high heat and stone are important for getting a nice crisp crust and nicely browned cheese.

I find that freshly shredded part-skim mozzarella works best; the whole-milk stuff gets awfully greasy. I use Polly-O because that's what the store carries. The secret is to go light with both cheese and sauce: too much of either makes the pizza heavy. Use less than you think you need, and it will come out just right.

Pork BBQ Pizza

Top the dough with a thin film of sweet tomato-based barbeque sauce, such as KC Masterpiece. Add diced red onions, fresh herbs if you have them (parsley, cilantro, or chives would all be nice), and some shredded pork barbeque. Top lightly with grated mozzarella and bake as above.

White Pizza

Brush dough with extra virgin olive oil. Use the really good stuff; this can make or break the whole thing. Sprinkle with salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Sprinkle with mozzarella and grated Parmesan and bake as above.

Carolina-style pulled pork barbeque

2007-04-07T15:49:00.000-04:00

This is a really easy recipe for pork barbeque that produces a reasonable imitation of the real thing. I got it from my friend Bryan Arendall, a true grill master. Since Carolina BBQ is going to be hard to find in Seattle, I'm really glad to have this recipe.

It's important not to get too large a piece of meat: 5 lbs would be about the limit of what my crockpot can handle. Removing the bone from a picnic ham was hard work and not something I would like to try again.

The key to NC barbeque is the sauce, made primarily of vinegar and cayenne pepper. I don't have a recipe for homemade sauce yet, but Scott's Sauce (www.scottsbarbecuesauce.com) is awfully good. Using some generic, tomato-based sauce in this recipe would really change the results (not for the better, in my opinion).

Start with

a 5 - 10 lb. Boston butt or picnic shoulder

Make sure it will fit in your crockpot! Start on the small side if you're not sure. 5 lbs is all mine will hold. Season liberally with choice of spices, such as

garlic salt
black pepper
cayenne pepper

Place meat in slow cooker and add

32 oz vinegar-based Carolina barbeque sauce (enough to cover)

Cook on high for 1 hour, then reduce heat to low and cook for one hour per pound of meat, up to a maximum of 8 hours. (Adjust for your cooker as experience dictates.)

Remove meat from sauce and shred with two dinner forks, removing fat. Ladle over some of the leftover sauce to moisten. Serve on big fluffy hamburger rolls with coleslaw and extra sauce on top. Feeds a crowd!

Italian Bread with Sesame Seeds

2007-01-14T07:35:00.000-05:00

This recipe makes a light, soft, slightly salty loaf that I just love. It comes from the King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion. It's amazingly similar to my Refrigerator Flatbread: both recipes use 19 oz flour and 12 oz water to make 2 lbs of dough, and both use some of the ingredients to make a pre-ferment. However, this one is slightly saltier and contains no oil, and its pre-ferment is not as wet and goes much longer. The result is a fairly different -- but equally delicious -- bread.

Make the starter (biga) the night before at about dinner time. It needs to sit at room temperature for 12 to 16 hours before you start the bread. In a medium bowl, mix

8 oz water (at room temp.)
8.5 oz (2 cups*) hard flour, such as King Arthur AP
1/4 t instant or "bread machine" yeast

Mix just until a dough comes together. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let sit overnight.

The next morning, add to the starter

4 oz water (room temp.)

and mix until fairly smooth. Transfer to a large bowl and mix in

10.5 oz (2 cups*) hard flour (19 oz / 4 c total)
2 t instant yeast
1 1/2 t salt

Mix until smooth but not necessarily elastic, about 3 minutes by machine or 5 by hand. (The gluten will be further developed as the dough rises, so you don't want to over-develop it initially.) Place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 1/2 hours. Every half hour, gently fold the dough in half and turn it over, to develop the gluten.

Divide the dough into thirds, shape into balls (see below), cover, and let rise 1 - 1 1/2 hours, until puffy. Brush and sprinkle with

1 egg white lightly beaten with 1 T water
sesame seeds

Bake 25 - 35 minutes at 425 F, until the internal temperature reaches 190 F. Cool on a rack.

There are several options for shaping. The easiest is balls, which come out a nice size to use as (large) bread bowls for soup. Grab the piece of dough by opposite edges, and tuck them underneath. Turn 90 degrees and repeat. Continue until you get a good tight skin -- near the end you may form a ring near the bottom of the ball with one thumb and forefinger draw it closed as you push the dough up inside. Set the ball on the counter. Gently cup one hand on either side and roll in small circles to tighten the skin further -- a good tight skin is the key to having the dough hold its shape as it rises.

If you're feeling more ambitious, roll the three pieces into ropes and braid them into a single loaf, as described in the original recipe. Again, pay attention to getting a tight skin on the individual ropes, or you end up with a fairly flat loaf. This is harder.

* 2 cups flour actually weighs 9.5 oz, so it evens out in the end if you use cup measures instead of weight.

Spicy Chicken with Green Onions

2007-01-14T07:28:00.000-05:00

A yummy little recipe from a tiny book called "Bon Appetit Quick & Delicious". It definitely is hot, though, so you really have to serve it with some creamy coleslaw.

In a small bowl, whisk together

2 T olive oil
1 T hot pepper sauce (Tabasco, Texas Pete, etc)
2 t honey
1 green onion, minced

Save 2 T of this mixture and pour the rest into a zip-top bag with

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes, then remove and grill along with

remaining green onions from the bunch, lightly salted

until done. Place on top of or alongside coleslaw and top with reserved marinade.

Pennsylvania Dutch Chicken Pot Pie

2006-12-29T19:28:00.000-05:00

A family tradition passed down from my great-grandmother (at least). It's not really a pot pie in the usual sense, but rather chicken, potatoes, and homemade noodles in a thick broth. Leftovers can be reheated in the microwave (yummy) or pan-fried in butter (haven't tried it, but sounds good). Total prep time is 2.5 - 3 hours.

In a large (10 qt) pot, bring to a boil over high heat

2 lbs. bone-in chicken (small chicken quartered, or two breasts and a thigh)
4-5 qt. water (about 3/5 full, still needs to be measured)

Boil for 20-25 minutes, covered, until chicken is done. Remove from heat and uncover. Remove chicken to a plate. Cool 20-30 minutes.

While chicken is cooking, combine in a large bowl

4 c flour (King Arthur all-purpose)
1 stick butter (8 T)

Rub butter into flour until the size of small peas. Whisk in

1 t salt (maybe 2 if using unsalted butter)

In a Pyrex cup measure, beat

two eggs

Supplement with

ice water (about 1/2 cup)

to make 1 c total liquid (or a touch more). Mix into flour until a firm dough forms. Mom suggests working the dough as little as possible, but it still requires kneading to bring together. Cover with plastic and refrigerate.

Bone chicken and cut into bite-sized chunks. Strain cooled broth, clean pot, and return broth to pot. Add to broth

1 large or 2 small russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" or 1.5" chunks

Cover pot and heat to a gentle boil. Take 1/8 of the dough from the refrigerator, flour liberally, and roll out as thin as possible, until translucent. (A pasta machine might make this easier, though don't go to the thinnest setting.) Cut noodles into 2" squares and add to boiling broth one at a time. (As the pot fills up, aim for the bubbling places.) Add a grind of

black pepper

stir carefully, and re-cover. Roll out another portion of dough, stirring pot again gently before adding noodles as before.

Cook at a gentle boil for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking to the bottom. Add flour paste or chicken broth as needed to adjust the consistency to that of a thin gravy. Add chicken and cook until warmed through. Serve and gorge! Pass pickles on the side, if you like that sort of thing.

Crook's Corner Shrimp & Grits

2006-12-15T07:39:00.000-05:00

Crook's Corner in Chapel Hill does a mean rendition of some Southern classics. This recipe, published in Duke Magazine, claims to be the authentic recipe of the late Bill Neal. I can't vouch for that, but it sure does taste like the wonderful stuff served at his restaurant.

Cheese grits
These take 4 cups of liquid rather than the 3 called for on the package because the cheese thickens up the grits considerably.
Bring to a boil

4 c milk (or water, in a pinch)

Stir in

1 c stone-ground or quick grits (not instant)

Cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Stir in

1 c grated Cheddar
1/4 c grated Parmesean
4 T butter
1/2 t salt
1/8 t pepper
pinch cayenne pepper
1/4 t Tabasco (or more to taste)

Shrimp and Grits
In a skillet, saute until browned but not crisp

6 slices bacon, diced

Remove to paper towels to drain, leaving grease in pan. Add to pan

peanut oil (as necessary to cover the pan bottom with fat)
1 lb. fresh shrimp, peeled, deveined (optional), rinsed, and patted dry

Turn shrimp when colored on one side and add

2 c sliced white button mushrooms

Saute about 4 minutes, stirring. Add

1 c minced scallions (white and green parts)
1 large clove garlic, minced

Cook another minute, then add

4 t lemon juice
Tabasco sauce
salt and pepper
2 T chopped fresh parsley

Divide grits (above) among 4 plates, top with shrimp mixture and reserved bacon. Serve immediately!

Guacamole

2006-12-15T07:29:00.000-05:00

This was an accompaniment to some Emeril recipe on Food Network, but it's the best guacamole I've ever had. It's pretty much the only one Katy will eat, too. We like to serve it with the scoop-shaped tortilla chips and the white queso you can find in the refrigerator case (not the nasty orange "nacho cheese").

2 large firm-ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and cup in 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup minced white onions
2 T minced fresh cilantro leaves
1 T fresh lime juice, or more to taste
1 t minced Serrano or jalapeño chile
1/4 t ground cumin
1/4 t minced garlic
1/4 t salt
Pinch cayenne

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and mash with the back of a fork until mostly smooth with a few chunks. Adjust the seasoning to taste, and serve. I tend to substitute 2 t dried cilantro or use less of the fresh stuff to tone down that flavor.

Turkey salad

2006-11-29T09:48:00.000-05:00

A nice use for Thanksgiving leftovers, kindly provided by my Mom. The eggs really make it. I usually think Miracle Whip is too sweet compared to mayonnaise, but in this case it's not objectionable.

white and dark turkey meat, cooked and diced
eggs, hard-boiled and diced
celery
onion
celery seed
salt and pepper
Miracle Whip

Port Wine Apple Sauce

2006-09-13T22:37:00.000-04:00

Mmm, more apple goodness. This is a slight variation on a great Emeril recipe -- I didn't have any bourbon (and don't like it), but I had some port left over from a wine tasting at A Southern Season. It's full of spice flavor, and great hot or cold. I developed it to go with cast-iron seared pork chops, but it's yummy solo too.

In a medium pot or large (4 qt) sauce pan over medium heat, saute for 1 minute:

1 T butter
1 1/2 T chopped fresh ginger

Add in

6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced
1 c dark brown sugar
1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t salt, plus more to taste (about 1 t total?)
1 c port wine

Simmer uncovered until apples are tender but not mushy, about 40-45 minutes. Some liquid will have been absorbed or reduced away, but a lot will be left. Mash by hand with a potato masher until broken up but still chunky.

Tarte Tatin

2006-08-21T09:42:00.000-04:00

That's [tar-TUH tah-TAHN], a rustic, French, upside-down apple tart -- apparently I'm on a quest for upside-down pastry. I somehow got it into my head to make this without really knowing what it was, but the good news is it's easy and delicious. I used a recipe from Sara Moulton / Food TV, which seems to have come by way of Gourmet magazine. It's short and simple, but her directions are so terse I'm going to elaborate on them a bit here. Start-to-finish time for me was just under 2 hours.

Pull out to thaw on the counter top

1 sheet (1/2 lb.) puff pastry

Keep it covered with a bit of plastic wrap. Once it gets a bit pliable, you can prop it open as a triangle. If it gets fully thawed before you finish with the apples, just put it in the fridge.

Now start with

3 lbs. apples, peeled, halved, and cored (about 5 grocery store large size)

Sara recommends Golden Delicious, and I used Braeburn because they were on sale, but I think Granny Smith would be the killer app here. If you don't have a corer, don't use a small cookie cutter like I tried to -- you do too much damage. Just cut a triangular wedge with your knife. To prevent browning, brush each apple as it is finished with

Juice of 1-2 lemons

In the bottom of a 10-inch skillet, layer

1 stick (1/2 c) unsalted butter, sliced thin
1/2 c sugar

On top of that, place the apple halves in a circle, rounded side down, with two more pieces to fill in the middle. After searching Google Images, I think I have it right -- see the picture.

Cook the apple mixture over medium heat for 30-35 minutes, until the carmel bubbling up starts to become golden. Slide the whole thing into a preheated 400 F oven for 10-15 more minutes, until the apples are tender. Let cool 5 minutes.

While the apples are cooking and cooling, pinch together the seams on the puff pastry and then roll it out and trim to a 12" diameter circle. Two sheets of wax paper and a little sugar to soak up the condensed moisture helps here. I use the destination plate as a template to cut the circle. Oh, and Alton Brown would want you to use a sharp knife on the pastry. Return the circle to the fridge to firm up again.

After the apples have cooled 5 minutes, drape the pastry over top. As the heat softens it a bit, tuck the edges down between the side of the pan and the apples. Prick the dough with a fork and return it to the 400 F oven for 15-25 minutes, until the pastry is dark golden but not burned. Remove from oven and invert on serving plate to cool. Yummy hot or cool, with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Dinners out: Spice Street and Four Eleven West

2006-08-21T09:29:00.000-04:00

I had some fantastic meals this weekend. It started off with a quick dinner at Spice Street after working wine tasting at A Southern Season. I had seared scallops over saffron rice with peas, red beans, and other goodies in it. This is the first time I've recognized what saffron actually tastes like, and I loved the savory richness it brought to the whole dish. I've been really impressed with that restaurant the two times I've been there...

Saturday night Katy and I went to Four Eleven West for some Italian food. They've always been good, but the dishes we had that night were outstanding. The starter was an artichoke dip served cold with thin, crisp pita wedges. The pita was on the edge between bread and cracker, and it had the wonderful, slightly ashy crispness that comes from a really hot wood oven -- similar to pizza crust in Rome. The icecream scoop of dip looked like industrial chicken salad, but it tasted more like a Caesar dressing, with that little bite the really good ones have. We tried to figure out what was in it, and we know artichoke, mayonasise, dill, and Parmesean; and possibly sour cream, lemon juice, garlic, and anchovy. I'm not sure what else, but I'll try to recreate it some time.

My entree was black pepper angle hair (pepper in the pasta dough), covered in a dill cream sauce with more black pepper, and topped with a mostly raw slab of smoked salmon (cold). Killer good. I'm too lazy to make pasta and don't have access to that kind of salmon, but I'd definitely go back for that dish!

Sunday brought a tarte Tatin and homemade vanilla ice cream, but that's another post...

Berry sauces / syrups

2006-07-12T18:40:00.000-04:00

I love berries, of all varieties, and this is the time of year for them. I've recently discovered two berry sauces that I love, both based on the same ingredients: fruit, wine, vinegar, sugar, and heat. The flavors are amazingly intense, and they'd be delicious on many things -- cheesecake, ice cream, even meat! I don't think you'd need particularly good berries because of the strong extra flavors, so frozen would probably be fine. But if you have some nice berries already...

Recipe number one comes from Gail Kyle at the Jordan Follow Farm Inn, via Food Network. It was originally intended to serve with pork crusted in herbs, but its so sweet it would work fine with desserts too.

Wild Huckleberry Sauce
In a medium saucepan, combine

2 c fresh huckleberries or blueberries
1/3 c sugar
2 T raspberry vinegar (I used balsamic; red wine vinegar would probably also work)
1/4 c white wine

Simmer gently until most berries burst and sauce is slightly thickened, about 10-15 minutes.

Recipe number two from an elaborate but delicious recipe for semolina cake (almost like cheesecake in texture) in some spring 2006 issue of Bon Appetit. I don't know if this one would work for meat dishes, but it's great on cakes and other desserts!

Strawberries in Red Wine and Balsamic Syrup
In a medium saucepan, combine

1 bottle red wine (750 mL, something fruity, I use a Cab)
6 T sugar (3/8 c)
1 T balsamic vinegar

Simmer until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 35 minutes. Cool to room temperature and combine with

1 lb strawberries, hulled and sliced

Upside-Down Cakes

2006-07-03T07:30:00.000-04:00

I've had good luck with upside-down cakes lately, an apple one and a banana one. The recipes are quite similar, so I thought it would be fun to put them side-by-side for comparison. Personally, I think I prefer the apple variation -- chunks of fruit in the cake is really nice, and the butterscotch is a nice twist.

Banana Upside Down Cake(s)
Butter 8 1-cup ramekins or a 9 inch cake pan. Over medium heat, whisk together until smooth and bubbly:

12 T butter (1 1/2 sticks)
3/4 c brown sugar

Pour into the bottom of the ramekins or cake pan. Peel and slice 1/4" thick, placing in concentric circles in bottom(s) of ramekins/pan:

4 large ripe bananas (spotted but not mushy)

Sift together:

1 1/2 c cake flour (6 5/8 oz White Lily)
1 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t Kosher salt

In the mixer, cream together:

1 c sugar
8 T butter, room temperature (1 stick; 2 1/2 sticks total for this recipe)

Scrape down sides and mix in:

2 eggs
2 t vanilla

Alternately add dry ingredients and buttermilk, and mix until smooth:

5 fl. oz. buttermilk (1/2 c + 2 T)

Pour batter into ramekins/pan and bake at 350 F, on a rimmed baking sheet (this bubbles over). Ramekins need 35-40 minutes; cake pan needs 45-50 minutes. Cool slightly, then loosen sides and invert onto serving plate(s).

This recipe comes from Karen Barker's Sweet Stuff, she of Magnolia Grill fame. She suggests blueberries, plums, fresh pineapple, and cranberries as possible alternates for the bananas.

My two cents on this: the baking powder (1 t) and baking soda (1/4 t) have equivalent leavening power, but the 1/4 t soda will neutralize the acidity from the ~1/2 c buttermilk completely, so the other half of the leavening needs to supply its own acid (which is what baking powder does).

Upside-Down Butterscotch Apple Sour Cream Cake
In a 10" skillet over medium heat, melt and whisk together till smooth and bubbling:

6 T butter
1/3 c brown sugar
1/3 c butterscotch morsels

Add and cook about 5 minutes:

2 large apples, pleaved, cored, and sliced (1/4")

Cool slightly, then arrange slices in concentric circles if desired. (Too much work for me.) If your skillet is shallow or not ovenproof, you should move the contents to a deep 9" cake pan instead.

Sift together:

1 1/2 c flour (6 5/8 oz White Lily)
1 1/2 t baking powder
3/4 t salt

In the mixer, cream together:

8 T (1 stick) butter, room temperature
2/3 c sugar

Scrape sides down and mix in:

2 eggs
1 1/2 t vanilla

Beat in dry ingredients, then

1/2 c sour cream (low fat is OK, not fat free)
1/2 large apple, peeled, cored, and finely chopped (~3/4 c)

Spoon batter carefully over the apples and smooth it out. Bake for 30 minutes at 375 F, with something in place to catch any drips. Cool slightly, loosen edges with a knife, and invert onto serving plate.

I would use Gala apples for this, or maybe Granny Smiths, but the original recipe from Bon Appetit (March 2006) called for Golden Delicious (ugh).

As I said, these recipes are very similar. I slightly prefer the effect of sour cream to that of buttermilk, and I think the fruit in the cake and the butterscotch morsels are both killer additions. On the other hand, a little cinnamon in the batter is also a nice touch.

Apricot-ginger-jalepeno sauce

2006-04-23T16:08:00.000-04:00

This was originally a dipping sauce for the coconut shrimp recipe below, but it's so tasty and versatile it gets its own entry. I'm going to serve it with grilled salmon later this week, or you could pour it over a block of cream cheese and serve with crackers for a tasty appetizer.

In a food processor, blend until smooth:

1/2 c apricot jam
1 T freshly grated ginger*
1 T Dijon mustard
1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and minced
2 T rice wine vinegar and/or fresh lime juice
up to 2 t sugar, to taste

* The easiest way to do this is with a microplane grater/zester. It's really a great kitchen tool for ginger, nutmeg, citrus zest, etc. and well worth the money.

Coconut shrimp

2006-04-23T15:54:00.000-04:00

To continue the frying madness, we made some coconut shrimp. (We had a bag of shredded coconut left over from one of Katy's class projects.) These turned out far better than I ever expected -- crisp and sweet, with none of the objectionable texture of shredded cononut. I got this recipe from Food Network.

For the beer batter, mix together:

1 c flour
1/2 c beer (something pale and mild)
3/4 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 t cayenne pepper
1 egg

Peel and devein

12 shrimp (16 to 20 count)*

Dip the shrimp in the beer batter and roll them in

2 c sweetened shredded coconut

Fry shrimp in oil at 350-375 F until golden brown and crispy. They're delicious on their own, or with the apricot-ginger sauce described in the next entry.

* Smaller shrimp work fine too; we used some frozen ones from Costco.

Churros

2006-04-23T15:42:00.000-04:00

We had fun this week because Carrie got a deep fryer for her birthday. So of course we all had to rush over and play right away, frying everything we could get our hands on. Churros were a great success.

Churros are a type of fried dough that's very popular in Spain. It's usually served with a small mug of thick, rich chocolate for dipping, and might be rolled in (cinnamon) sugar. This recipe comes from the King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion.

It would be nice to have a 1/2" star tip for piping these out, because that shape gives more crispy surface and makes sure the inside is cooked by the time the outside is browned. But we didn't have one, so we just snipped the corner of a plastic bag and squeezed it from there. It worked pretty well, though the center was still quite wet and undercooked.

Heat to a rolling boil:

1 c water
8 T butter (1 stick)
1/4 t salt

Dump in and stir vigorously until dough forms a ball:

4 1/4 oz (scant 1 cup) all-purpose flour

Stir in all at once:

3 eggs

Beat until dough is smooth.

Pipe out the churros about 1/2" in diameter directly into oil at 375 F. Fry about 4 minutes, until golden. If desired, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar (1/4 c sugar + 1/4 t ground cinnamon). Eat while still hot.

The King Arthur recipe for dipping chocolate was a bit of a disappointment. A warm chocolate ganache might be a better choice.

Biscuit-ology 101

2006-04-08T18:49:00.001-04:00

For years now, a light and fluffy Southern biscuit has been beyond my reach. After exhaustive experimentation, here is my lab notebook -- and my conclusions.

Start with

4 3/8 oz (1 cup) low-protein or Southern all-purpose flour (such as White Lily), sifted

I use low protein flour to avoid formation of gluten, the tough protein fibers that make yeast breads hold their shape. For biscuits, however, gluten just makes them tough. The amount of gluten formed is minimized by minimizing mixing once liquid is added, but more on that later.

Using your fingertips, rub in

1 oz (2 T) cold butter, cut in small cubes or thin slices
or 7/8 oz (2 T) vegetable shortening

Now shortening is traditional in most Southern recipes, but I find the butter gives a beautifully crispy, golden bottom crust, almost as though it were fried (which in a sense, it is). Either way, rub the fat between your floured fingertips until the largest chunks are the size of small peas. I know this is what all recipes say, but basically you can't get them smaller without a lot of patience and melting the fat to boot. It only takes a minute or two at most. If you think you've gotten it too warm, toss in the freezer for a few minutes to firm up.

Whisk in the leavening:

1/4 t baking soda
or 1 t baking powder

You may only use the soda if you're using buttermilk as the liquid: the acidic buttermilk will perfectly neutralize the soda (in these proportions), generating lots of carbon dioxide bubbles to make the biscuits rise. If you're using milk/cream/etc, you must use baking powder, which contains 1/4 t soda and the appropriate acids to neutralize it, activated on heating. If you use half buttermilk, you can use 1/8 t baking soda and 1/2 t powder. I advocate using baking soda whenever using buttermilk, to leave the biscuits closer to neutral pH: acidic environments inhibit browning, so the outside of your biscuits will be slightly paler when using baking powder together with buttermilk.

Also, I think baking powder can leave an unpleasant soapy-chemical taste, especially in large quantities. Speaking of which: Cookwise warns that using too much leavening can make baked goods flat as easily as too little, so don't supplement the amounts here. I do add it after the fat rather than sifting together with the flour, as otherwise I'm concerned that the leavening agent will get coated in fat and be unable to react with the (water-based) dairy liquid. This leads to flat biscuits and the soapy taste of unreacted soda.

Also whisk in

1 t salt
1 t sugar

Use whatever you like; I prefer Kosher. A little salt adds taste to all sorts of things, so don't leave it out, or the biscuits will taste more like hard tack, no matter how fluffy they are. The small amount of sugar promotes browning without making the biscuits perceptibly sweet. Without it, the biscuits are still very pale even when fully cooked.

Finally, stir/fold in gently just until ingredients are evenly moistened

3.5 - 4 fl. oz. (1/2 c) buttermilk (see below)

Use 3.5 oz if using White Lily, or 4 oz if using 1 cup national brand AP flour. To make fake buttermilk, mix 1 cup milk with 1 T lemon juice or white vinegar and let stand 10 minutes. Fake buttermilk is thinner than the real stuff and will give wetter dough. Don't stir too much at this point, as you'll create gluten that leads to tough, flat biscuits. You already sifted the flour, so any lumps are already gone. I like a spatula-spoon for this operation. It will look like a batter rather than a dough -- that's OK. Once the dairy is in, the leavening will start reacting to make CO2, especially if using buttermilk and baking soda. That means if you're prepping ahead of time, don't add the dairy until you're ready to put them in the oven. Drop the batter in four big heaps on a cookie sheet (I line mine with a Silpat first). Just drop them fairly close together to help them rise higher -- I don't know why this works, but it seems to. Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 14-16 minutes until done. They will be lightly golden on top. Baking at 450 makes them too hard, but 400 is workable if push comes to shove.

I abandoned the roll-and-cut (or pat-and-cut) method in favor of drop biscuits after many failed attempts. To get a workable dough, it has to be too dry -- only a wet dough creates enough steam to get tall and fluffy when baked. To shape a really wet dough, you have to flour the outside heavily, and that inevitably leads to clumps of uncooked flour. Plus, all the cookbooks say you need a sharp cutter and can't twist it when pressing down (or the biscuits won't rise). Then the wet dough sticks to the cutter anyway, or to the counter. Too much trouble! Embrace the ugly but deliciously effective method that is drop biscuits. I've even baked them in jumbo muffin cups, which gives a different outside texture (like biscuit bottom all over), but works pretty well.

Even better is a cast iron biscuit pan made by Lodge. Grease cups with spray oil before filling. One batch of this recipe fills two of the seven cups almost to the top; three batches fills six cups. (Don't use the center one as it cooks slower.) Smooth tops of cups with wet back of spoon or wet fingers. Baking takes longer since the pan can absorb so much heat, about 18 minutes at 425.

This recipe was assembled with input from Shirley Corriher in Cookwise, Alton Brown on Food TV, Katy's Grandma Rose, and the back of the White Lily bag. My biscuits aren't like any of theirs, but they helped me get there. I've probably forgotten some other sources, but a lot of this comes from experimentation too. I hope it helps someone else make a delicious biscuit.

By the way, this recipe makes four biscuits, an improbably small number. But it's good for families of two, and good when you're making a lot of different batches of biscuits. It should scale up 2, 3, or 4 times with no problems. You might try cutting the fat into the flour with a food processor (using short pulses). You can even "sift" the flour first by processing it, and incorportate the leavening and salt this way. But don't use the processor for mixing with the dairy or it will really overwork the dough.

Cole slaws

2006-03-25T11:47:00.000-05:00

Mmm, cole slaw. Both the recipes here make enough for 1 lb. of shredded cabbage, which I usually buy pre-cut as a package of tri-color slaw from the grocery store. Gudda's recipe is creamy and savory; not really my favorite, but recorded for here for posterity. I suspect it's pretty typical Pennsylvania Dutch. The other is my creation, modeled after the NC slaws I associate with church pig-pickin's and carry-out fried chicken. It should sit in the fridge for at least 24 hours, so the sugar can draw some water out of the cabbage -- otherwise the dressing is too heavy and too sweet.

Gudda's Cole Slaw

1/2 c mayonnaise
2 T cider vinegar
1 T grated onion
1/2 t celery seed
1 t sugar
1/2 t salt
1/8 t pepper

My Sweet White Slaw

1/2 c mayonnaise
1/4 c sugar
2 T white wine
2 T white wine vinegar
salt, pepper, celery seed

Black pepper-crusted steak with red onion chutney

2006-03-17T07:50:00.000-05:00

My friend Colin Crossman made this recipe for Katy and me shortly after we met -- and we've been friends ever since. That story came up at his wedding shower a few days ago, so I decided to post the recipe here to share with everyone. The original calls for grilling New York sirloins, but I've used fillet mignon and a hot skillet or grill pan (no grill allowed at the apartment) with great success.

For the chutney, saute until deep brown and carmelized:

4 small red onions, sliced in thin half-rings
3 T olive oil

Stir in

1/4 c balsamic vinegar
2 T brown sugar (packed)
2 T fresh oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Cook for 1 minute and remove from heat. Reserve.

For the steaks, mix together

1/4 c kosher salt
1 c black peppercorns, crushed with a rolling pin or coarsly cracked in a food processor (whole, if you're lazy, but not ground)

Press steaks onto this mixture, packing the salt and pepper on both sides of

4 New York sirloin steaks (12 - 16 oz each), 1.5 - 2 inches thick

Thick steaks are important, so you can sear the outside nicely without overcooking the inside. Grill steaks to desired doneness (about 10 min. per side for medium) and serve topped with chutney.

Baked Vidalia dip

2006-03-09T07:12:00.000-05:00

A warm & cheesy appetizer made with sweet Vidalia onions. I got this one from my mother, but I don't know where it originally came from.

In a large bowl, mix:

1 extra-large sweet onion (1 - 1.5 lbs), sliced into thin half-rings (about 2 cups)
1 c mayonaise (store-bought is fine)
1 c grated sharp Cheddar or Swiss cheese
1/4 - 1/2 t Tabasco

Pack into a medium size cassarole or 9" square Pyrex. Top with:

1/2 c grated Parmesean
hot paprika (to taste)

Cover and refrigerate if desired. Just before serving, bake for 30 minutes at 350. Serve hot with crackers or baguette slices.

Straw and Hay

2006-03-07T07:57:00.000-05:00

We fell in love with this dish at Amerigo's in Nashville, TN. If you want to get the namesake look, you'll need half regular fettuccine and half spinach fettuccine, but any kind of pasta tastes delicious. This recipe is based on the one in Betty Crocker's Cookbook, but I substituted peas for mushrooms, bacon for ham, and sherry for brandy. Quantities are very approximate -- none of this really needs to be measured out.

In a large skillet, cook until almost done:

6 slices bacon, cut into small pieces

Pour off some drippings to reduce fat to 1 - 2 T. Add and cook until tender, stirring occasionally:

2 T chopped fresh parsley
1/4 c chopped red onion
1/2 c frozen green peas

Stir in and cook until evaporated:

1/4 c sherry or marsala wine

Stir in and cook until thickened:

1 c whipping cream
1/4 c grated Parmesean cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Serve over a 50:50 mix of plain and spinach (green) fettuccine, cooked according to package directions. I've also had great luck making zucchini noodles by running a vegetable peeler down a zucchini (throw out the seed-filled middle); toss these with the sauce for a minute or two to soften up and then serve with a normal white pasta like angel hair. In theory this serves 4, but Katy and I can polish it off no problem.

White BBQ Chicken

2006-03-07T06:55:00.000-05:00

After a long delay -- I'm back! This is a very simple marinade / sauce that's quite different from a normal red barbecue sauce. The recipe is from The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook, which is one of my all-time favorites.

In a glass 2-cup measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together:

3/4 c mayonaise (store bought is fine)
1.5 oz (3 T) cider vinegar (white works but has less flavor)
juice of one lemon*
1 T sugar
1 T fresh-ground black pepper
1 T white wine Worcestershire sauce ("for fish or chicken")

Save half the sauce for dipping the cooked chicken. Put the other half in a big zip bag with 2 - 4 chicken breasts, and marinate the whole thing in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Cook chicken as desired -- on the grill, in a skillet, etc. -- and serve with reserved sauce.

* That's about 1 oz. (2 T). And no, you may NOT substitute that stuff in the plastic fruit, or the stuff in the glass bottle. Go get a real lemon.

Chocolate truffle tart

2006-01-11T18:57:00.000-05:00

An easy dessert that looks fancy, and a chocolate lover's heaven. It's basically a chocolate ganache in a chocolate pastry crust. I've seen a lot of versions of this recipe, but this one (from Favorite Brand Name Best-Loved Chocolate Recipes) is the only one I've made. I guess I've never seen a reason to change... :)

In the bowl of a mixer, thoroughly cream together

6 T butter, softened
1/2 c sugar

Add the following ingredients, and mix until a soft dough (finally!) comes together:

2/3 c flour (softer is better, e.g. White Lily)
1/2 c ground walnuts
1/3 c cocoa powder

Press into an ungreased 9" removable-bottom tart pan (or a pie plate, if you don't have a tart pan) and bake 12-14 minutes in a preheated 350F oven. Cool completely on wire rack, but leave it in the pan.

Heat to a bare simmer

1 1/4 c heavy cream
1/4 sugar

Remove from heat and add

12 oz (~2 c) semi-sweet chocolate chips*
2 T fruit jam, such as seedless raspberry

Let stand ~5 minutes to soften, then whisk until smooth. Cover and chill about one hour, until somewhat thickened but not yet solid. Beat with a hand mixer until color lightens. (This incorporates some air and makes the texture softer and lighter.) Spoon into cooled crust and chill until firm. Serves 12 to 16; keeps several days in the fridge, covered. Fresh raspberries, halved strawberries, whipped cream and vanilla ice cream all make nice accompaniments.

* Such as Ghirardelli 60% Cocoa, my favorite for all sorts of baked goods.

"Indonesian" peanut chicken

2006-01-10T06:37:00.000-05:00

I don't think this is in any way authentic (it comes from Betty Crocker's Bridal Cookbook, for goodness sake), but it sure is tasty. The thick peanut sauce is great over rice too. While you could easily do 4 breasts with this recipe (the original was written for a 3lb broiler-fryer), I like to make sure there's plenty of sauce to go around.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper and let sit at room temperature for up to 30 minutes before beginning; the salt dehydrates the surface, which will improve browning. Then, in a hot skillet over medium-high heat, brown

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, in
2 T peanut oil (canola, vegetable, whatever)

It'll probably take 4-5 minutes on each side, depending on how hot your pan is. Remove chicken and keep warm (it'll finish cooking later). Add a bit more oil if necessary, then soften

1/2 c chopped onion
1/4 c chopped red bell pepper (or green, or leave it out)

In a small bowl, whisk together

1/3 c peanut butter
1/4 c chili sauce*
1/2 c water

Doing it this way makes it easier to get smooth. Add peanut butter mixture to the skillet and stir to combine; add more water if the sauce is too thick for you, up to 1 c total water. You can also add some cayenne pepper for heat; or you could have blackened some dried chiles in the oil with before the onion went in. Katy and I prefer this one non-spicy, though. Now return the chicken to the skillet and simmer covered until cooked through. Serve sauce over chicken and rice, and top with

crushed/chopped peanuts
fresh-squeezed lime juice

I include extra lime wedges on the plate, too.

* Chili sauce is available in the oriental foods section of many grocery stores (for instance, H.T. Traders Red Chili Dipping Sauce). Mine has a clear red gelatinous base with tiny chunks of stuff suspended in it, and it's sweet and very mildly hot. Don't confuse this with the American ketchup-like condiment made by Heinz, and please don't confuse it with the uber-hot Thai chili (garlic) sauce that looks like tomato sauce with chile seeds in it. A quarter cup of that stuff will burn your tastebuds right out of your mouth...

Refrigerator flatbread

2006-01-05T06:51:00.000-05:00

I love fresh, hot bread with dinner, but it's just not an option on a normal workday -- who has 3+ hours of lead time for dinner? This recipe has two advantages, though. First, the dough is made ahead and waits in the refrigerator until you're ready to bake it, up to about a week. Second, it's cooked on the grill, so there's no waiting to heat the oven and baking stone. Since I have no grill at my apartment, I cook it in a grill pan over the stove.

This bread is great on its own or dipped in herbed olive oil. It's a natural parner for hummus, and it makes a good pizza crust too (especially for grilled pizzas). You could even slice a flatbread open and stuff it with some kind of filling. It's about the most versatile bread recipe I know.

The ingredients and basic procedure come from Bobby Flay's Boy Gets Grill; the slow rise is my modification, inspired by Peter Reinhart.

In large mixing bowl, combine

1 1/2 c warm water (below 110F or you'll kill the yeast)
1/2 t instant yeast

If using active dry yeast instead, wait 10-15 minutes for it to proof; otherwise, immediately mix in

9.5 oz (2 cups) King Arthur unbleached all purpose flour

Use the paddle on your mixer; mix for about 1 min on low speed once everything is together. Cover the mixer with a towel and let rise until doubled, 1-2 hours (usually 1). Briefly mix in

1/2 t salt (kosher or sea)
2 T olive oil
herbs and spices, if desired (?)

These aren't added initially because salt slows the yeast growth and oil can interfere with gluten formation. I think this would be a good time to add herbs or spices if you wanted (black pepper or rosemary, maybe?). Many of them actually boost yeast growth, but a few can inhibit it. (Read more in Shirley O. Corriher's CookWise, a book everybody should have.) Now swap the paddle for the dough hook and add another

9.5 oz (2 cups) King Arthur unbleached all purpose flour (that's 19 oz or 4 cups, total)

Knead with the dough hook until bread is smooth and plastic, about 10 minutes. It should stick to a small spot on the bottom of the bowl, but not come up the sides. Add a little flour if it does, or a little water if it doesn't stick at all.

Now, you could leave it on the counter another 2 1/2 hours and then procede straight to shaping. But instead I transfer it to a plastic container sprayed with non-stick spray (or lightly oiled), and I shove it in the fridge. Here it can sit for at least 12 hours, and up to a week. The container needs a cover that will let gas escape so pressure doesn't build up; aluminum foil or plastic wrap is fine. I prep this dough as I'm making dinner, and by the next morning it has almost doubled in size again, ready to use. As an added bonus, the long slow rise develops all sorts of nice flavors you just don't get from an hour or two on the counter top.

The recipe makes enough for 4 flatbreads. When you're ready to bake, remove a portion, shape into a ball and then flatten into a disk. Stretch it like pizza dough, either tossing in the air or poking with your finger tips on the counter. If you can't stretch it as thin as you'd like, let it relax for 5-10 minutes and try again. It needs to sit, covered loosely with plastic wrap, until the dough comes to room temperature and has puffed up a bit. To speed things up, I put it on a non-insulated cookie sheet over a pan half full of hot tap water, which gets it ready to cook within 30 minutes. Hmm, just enough time to get the rest of dinner together...

Heat your grill (pan) to medium or medium-high heat. Brush or spray the top of the bread with oil, and sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Flip that side onto the grill, and then oil and season the other side while the first one cooks. The top of the bread will develop bubbles as it cooks; once the bottom has some nice char marks and is lightly golden, it's ready to flip. It's pretty hard to screw the cooking part up -- if the outside looks like something you'd want to eat, the inside will be fine.

Chocolate Orange Rice Pudding

2006-01-03T11:05:00.000-05:00

I fell in love with rice puddings in Toledo, Spain, where Katy and I had a wonderfully cool arroz con leche in a small but blissfully air conditioned restaurant -- Toledo is hot in August. The traditional version is scented with lemon peel and stick cinnamon, so it keeps its pure white color. Since this version is dark brown anyway, the ground cinnamon doesn't hurt its looks, and means you need one less unusual ingredient.

I cooked up this version in honor of Katy's birthday, since she's a chocoholic and especially loves those chocolate oranges they sell around Christmas. To give credit where it's due, the recipe is based on largely on one from Saveur magazine's Tex-Mex special issue, with inspiration from Maricel Presilla's complicated but intriguing version. The combination of spicy peppers and chocolate is one I've had several places; the heat does something to really bring out the chocolate flavor. The idea of a carmelized "brulee" topping came from Bakus in Durham, which I wrote about earlier.

While you could easily make it with leftover Uncle Ben's from last night's dinner, the shorter grain rices release more starch and hence give a stickier, creamier pudding. This can also be adapted back to a non-chocolate version, by using only 1/4 + 1/8 c sugar (since there's no chocolate bitterness to counteract) and lemon zest instead of orange. Obviously, omit the chocolate and cayenne pepper.

In a medium sauce pan, bring to boil (covered) 1 cup water, and add

1/2 c short- or medium-grain rice

Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is tender and all liquid is absorbed. Add in

1 c whole or reduced-fat (not skim) milk
zest of 1/2 orange (1 long strip if possible)
1/4 t ground cinnamon
1/16 t cayenne pepper (optional)
1/4 t kosher salt
1/8 c cocoa powder
1/2 + 1/8 c sugar

Cook, stirring very frequently until thickened. Keep in mind that it will thicken more as it cools, so stop a bit short of where you want it. Remove from heat and stir in

1 t vanilla extract

At this point, you can chill it in an ice bath or go ahead and put it in ramekins and put it in the refrigerator. You could stir in some semisweet chocolate chips once it's cool, too, for a double-chocolate version. When you're ready to serve, sprinkle some

light brown sugar

on top of each pudding and carmelize with a torch or the broiler. (Propane torches are about $20 at the hardware store for a nice big one.) Serves 4.

Holiday Traditions II: Potato-Sausage Casserole

2006-01-02T12:54:00.000-05:00

Christmas dinner I can take or leave, but Christmas brunch is a tradition. This is one of two casseroles we always make, and for many years my Gudda kept this recipe a secret. But now that she can't make it anymore, it seems a shame to hide it from the world.

Combine:

1 lb. bulk pork sausage, browned and drained (if doubling recipe, go 50:50 mild to hot)
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup
3/4 c milk
1/2 c chopped onion
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper

In a greased 2 qt casserole, make two layers each of sausage and

3 c raw potatoes, hash brown cut*

Bake covered at 350F for 1 hr. Sprinkle with

8 oz shredded Cheddar

and return to oven until cheese is melted. Garnish with parsley.

* Raw shredded potatoes are often available in the refrigerator case around the holidays. If you can't find any, either shred your own or thaw some frozen ones.

Holiday Traditions I: Grandma Zales' Corn Casserole

2006-01-02T12:26:00.000-05:00

Every family has foods that make an appearance at the holidays, and this is one of my favorites from the Davis clan. We don't know who Grandma Zales was, since this recipe came out of some old newspaper or magazine. But her casserole is wonderful!

In a casserole, mix:

2 (12 oz) cans corn, such as Green Giant Niblet (drained?)
2 eggs
3 T minced onion
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 t baking powder
1/3 c light cream or half & half

Top with:

squares of uncooked bacon
shredded sharp Cheddar

Cover and bake at 350F for 55 minutes.

Flour of all trades, master of none

2006-01-02T08:59:00.000-05:00

The more baking I begin to do, the more I feel there's no place in my kitchen for "all purpose" flour. Like most all purpose things, it's not particularly good at anything -- not enough protein for bread, and too much for biscuits. So instead, I'm going to try to keep two flours: King Arthur unbleached all-purpose (which, despite the name, is closer to a bread flour) and White Lily. The King Arthur is good for breads and breadings, where you want high protein content (for strength and for browning, respectively). The White Lily is good for biscuits, cakes, and pastry, where you want to avoid developing much gluten. We'll see how this scheme works out.

On the subject of flour, I've realized there's a lot of variation in whole wheat flours. I had a bag of Hodgson's Mill "stone ground" whole wheat hanging around, and the two things I baked with it turned out different (read: worse) than when I'd used King Arthur whole wheat, which seems to have much finer particles. I've seen in the King Arthur's catalog that they have a "white whole wheat", which supposedly tastes and bakes more like white flour but still has all the good fiber of whole wheat. I'll be excited to try it...

Navy bean salad at Bakus

2006-01-01T21:31:00.000-05:00

Katy and I had the best New Year's dinner, at a tapas bar on 9th St (www.bakus.us). Though it's gotten mixed reviews, we loved the slightly Americanized yet still Spanish-gourmet plates. We had pork in a fig-sherry-cream sauce, apple wedges with almonds slivers and creamy cinnamon dressing, and fried plaintain slices with goat cheese. We shared a chicken breast entree that paired tomatoes and spinach with apples and raisins, which was a much better combo than I would have thought. But my favorite was the bean salad that accompanied the cheese plate: it could stand in for a potato salad any time. Via our kind waitress, the chef said there were 10 ingredients, which I can mostly remember:

navy beans
chorizo sausage (presumably Spanish style, not Mexican)
red (bell) pepper
onions
olives (black or green?)
cilantro
cumin
olive oil
lemon juice
salt & pepper

I haven't worked out the proportions yet, but I'll post it here sometime if I do!

Come to think of it, this would make a nice hummus too. Maybe I'll try that some time...