Ethereal buttercream frosting

This is my new favorite frosting, inspired by some cupcakes from an unknown Cary bakery.  There were piled high with frosting, but it was very airy, not too sweet, and not too rich.  Even though there was a lot of it, it was delicious and not at all overwhelming.

This recipe was derived from one by King Arthur Flour, for 7 minute frosting, a.k.a. Italian meringue.  I increased the sugar a little, added cornstarch in hopes of stabilizing the meringue, and beat in some butter.  The recipe seems fairly robust at this point, and much less fussy than the Swiss meringue buttercreams I tried.  Also, with this proportion of sugar to egg white (and the whites starting at room temperature), the whole mix gets up to 155 F (in my kitchen at least), which should be enough to fully cook the egg and alleviate any food safety concerns.  However, if you're cooking for the very young, the very old, pregnant women, or immune-compromised individuals, you might consider pasturized eggs or whites for extra safety.

This frosting works best cold, at refrigerator temperatures.  Fully chilled, it's firm but still quite spreadable / pipeable.  I've kept it that way for a week with no problem.  It probably shouldn't be left at room temperature for more than a few hours, not least because at warmer temperatures the frosting starts to get a bit runny.  (The shortening should help with that somewhat.)  It also tastes a bit too sweet and marshmallowy for my liking when warm;  the amount of sugar is calibrated for serving it cold.

To start, cut the butter into tablespoons and separate the egg whites;  allow both to come to room temperature.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, place

1. 2 egg whites (about 2.5 oz)
2. 1/4 t cream of tartar

Whisk until foamy and increased in volume.  The whites should mound in the bowl, but ideally are not yet holding a soft peak.

In a medium saucepan, while whites are whipping, whisk together and bring to a boil

1. 1 T cornstarch
2. 9 oz sugar (1 1/4 c)
3. 2 oz water (1/4 c)
4. 1/8 t salt

Cover saucepan briefly to wash any sugar crystals from sides.  Try to time it so that syrup boils just as whites reach stiff peaks.  If needed, rest syrup off heat while whites finish;  underbeaten whites will keep the frosting from reaching full volume.  When sugar is completely dissolved and whites are fully whipped, slowly pour syrup down the side of the mixer bowl with mixer running on medium speed.  (Be careful not to splatter hot syrup on yourself!)  Increase speed to high and whip until meringue is thick, fluffy, and shiny.  Reduce speed to medium and continue whisking until cooled, about 10 minutes.  Frosting can be used as-is at this point, or ...

One tablespoon at a time, beat in

1. 1 oz vegetable shortening, such as Crisco (2 T)
2. 3 oz butter (6 T)
3. 1 t vanilla extract

The frosting will be bright white at this point, but it takes gel food color very nicely.  The frosting will deflate somewhat as the fats are added, and may become quite runny, depending on how warm the ingredients are.  (Butter may be substituted for the shortening, but this will exacerbate the runniness.)  No worries, the frosting will firm up when chilled in the refrigerator.  After chilling, use for frosting cakes, cupcakes, or even Oreo cookies!

Bacon caramels with smoked salt

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

1. 2 sticks (1 c) butter
2. 2 c (14 oz) granulated sugar
3. 2 c (16 oz) light corn syrup
4. 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. 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

1. 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

1. 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. 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

1. 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

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. 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

1. 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. 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. 1 c cider vinegar
2. 2 oz. roasted red peppers (from a jar)
3. 1 t salt
4. 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...

Acidified Austrian Potato Salad

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

1. 2 pounds Yukon Gold or other potatoes, peeled and cubed
2. 1 c chicken broth
3. 1 c water
4. 1 t salt
5. 1 T sugar
6. 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. 1/2 c potato cooking liquid
2. 1 T vinegar
3. 1 T Dijon mustard
4. 1/4 c vegetable oil
5. 1/2 c cooked potatoes

Fold in

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

Serve warm or chilled.

Like oil and water

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. 1 T wine vinegar (or other acid)
2. 1/2 t mayonnaise (regular or light)
   
3. 1/2 t Dijon mustard
4. salt and pepper
   
5. 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

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. 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

1. 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

1. 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!

Turkey gravy

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:

1. half an onion, chopped
2. handful of carrot pieces
3. celery seed (would've used celery if I'd had it)
4. 2 bay leaves
5. large spring fresh thyme
6. small bunch fresh parsley
7. salt and pepper
8. turkey neck
9. turkey gizzard and heart (no liver) (pictures for identifying the pieces)
   
10. 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

1. 4 T butter (half a stick)
2. 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.

Magnolia Grill food processor pie crust

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

1. 12.5 oz flour (half all-purpose and half pastry flour)
2. 3/4 t Kosher salt
3. 3/4 T sugar

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

1. 4 oz (1 stick) butter, cut in small pieces and chilled 20 min. in freezer
2. 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

1. 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.