You will have to be enthralled by my brilliant narrative because, once again, I forgot to take pictures. I was so caught up in the process and then even more focused on eating the result, that the plate was empty before I remembered I should have had a camera out.
In a "celebration" of past Daring Cooks and Daring Bakers challenges,
Lisa challenged all of us to search through the Daring Kitchen archives
and pick any one we'd like! The REAL challenge was picking which
delicious recipe(s) to try! I chose a challenge from July 2012 - Cooking "En Papillote" from Sarah of All Our Fingers in the Pie. The challenge was to cook in parchment and learn a new process.
I've missed most of the challenges lately, due to some health issues, but I really enjoyed this one. We regularly have Cajun prawns I prepare in a cast-iron skillet on the cooktop, so the flavors were similar but the process was new. The prawns marinated for 30 minutes in a spicy blend of Worcestershire, lemon, melted butter, rosemary, thyme, red pepper, black pepper, Tabasco, and garlic. I, of course, upped the pepper and Tabasco because we like it hot.
After marinating, the prawns and marinade are enclosed in parchment, which is supposed to be pleated to close. I was not adept at this at all and the liquid was soaking the parchment and leaking out. When the pleats failed, I resorted to stapling the parchment closed. Not pretty - but effective.
The prawns cooked for 20 minutes in a 425 degree oven. It was disconcerting not to be able to assess the process to decide if the prawns needed less time, but there is really no way to do that. The parchment is full of steam and if you breach the wrap somehow, you also destroy the cooking vehicle. I probably would shorten the cooking time a bit - maybe 5 minutes - if I did this again.
The outcome, however, was quite tasty and spicy. I let the prawns rest for a few minutes to release the steam and then opened the packages and plated the prawns and marinade. We had a celery, date, almond salad with a lemony dressing and shaved Parmesan cheese. The cooler celery was a nice offset to the spicy prawns.
I'm looking forward to the next challenge, which I guarantee will have photos!
Monday, October 14, 2013
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
It's a Wrap!
I'm returning to Daring Cooks after quite a hiatus. 2011 and 2012 were full of time-consuming diversions, some welcome, some not so much. A move after 30+ years in the same house, surgery, my daughter's wedding, the loss of my mother - life happens.
All is fine now and I'm looking forward to cooking adventures.
Our lovely Monkey Queen of Don’t Make Me Call My Flying Monkeys, was our May Daring Cooks’ hostess and she challenged us to dive into the world of en Croute! We were encouraged to make Beef Wellington, Stuffed Mushroom en Croute and to bring our kids into the challenge by encouraging them to create their own en Croute recipes!
I decided to be a bit creative and go in my own direction for this challenge. It's halibut season in the Pacific Northwest and the halibut is outstanding. To take advantage of fresh fish, I decided to wrap filets in egg roll wrappers. I'm not sure egg roll wrappers are exactly a pastry, but I think the general goal of enclosing the food in a crust of some kind is met.
I sauteed some mushrooms, gathered some dill sprigs and seasoned the halibut lightly. Mushrooms first, then dill, then halibut.
All is fine now and I'm looking forward to cooking adventures.
Our lovely Monkey Queen of Don’t Make Me Call My Flying Monkeys, was our May Daring Cooks’ hostess and she challenged us to dive into the world of en Croute! We were encouraged to make Beef Wellington, Stuffed Mushroom en Croute and to bring our kids into the challenge by encouraging them to create their own en Croute recipes!
I decided to be a bit creative and go in my own direction for this challenge. It's halibut season in the Pacific Northwest and the halibut is outstanding. To take advantage of fresh fish, I decided to wrap filets in egg roll wrappers. I'm not sure egg roll wrappers are exactly a pastry, but I think the general goal of enclosing the food in a crust of some kind is met.
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| The ingredients assembled. |
I sauteed some mushrooms, gathered some dill sprigs and seasoned the halibut lightly. Mushrooms first, then dill, then halibut.
Getting ready to seal the egg roll wrappers.
I used water to seal the wrappers. I lightly moistened each side of the bottom wrapper and then topped it off.
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| Sealing and folding the wrappers. |
After the top wrapper was on, I folded the edges over to create a kind of envelope for the halibut. I then seared both sides of the wrapped halibut in a hot cast iron skillet with a little peanut oil. When each side was a golden brown, I put the halibut in the oven for about 5-7 minutes, until an instant read thermometer registered about 125 degrees.
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| The final product! |
When done, the halibut was moist and beautifully flavored. To add some color to the plate, I served it with avocado and tomatoes - good complements to the mild-flavored halibut.
I think this process would also work as an appetizer-sized dish. Smaller cuts of halibut that would fit in one egg roll would be great with a dipping sauce. Still a quick process, with even shorter cooking times - maybe something to try.
Thanks for the challenge!
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Feeding the Texans
I haven't posted for quite a while, since we were caught up in selling a house, buying a house, moving and getting settled. Throw in a few personal issues and adjusting to a new location, and time passed.
Now, however, I'm more settled and I realized I want to preserve some memories again.
This week, Nick (currently in the Army in El Paso repaying them for financing his dental school education) came home with two Texas friends, Jason and Joseph. They are spending the week skiing at the various resorts in the area and are staying with us. Each evening, they come home, fully exercised and hungry and I've been feeding them. Preparing meals for three young men is a bit different from preparing dinner for Bob and me - more food and a motherly interest in making sure they get something balanced and nourishing.
Monday - We had steak sandwiches and cole slaw. Only one of the guys was here, but I brought sandwiches to the airport to feed the others when they arrived later in the evening. Pretty simple meal - rib eye, caramelized onions, peppers on sandwich rolls.
Tuesday - Nick had requested spicy pork tenderloin, so I obliged. The pork is seasoned with chipotle, maple syrup and mustard; grilled until just done - still a little pink inside; served with an incredible roast carrot and avocado salad. I used multi-colored carrots, roasted them with a chili-cumin paste, tossed the avocado and lettuce with a citrus-honey dressing with the carrots included. Sprinkle with some sunflower seeds, and you have a veggie salad that is incredible. It totally disappeared!
Wednesday - Another Nick request was jerk chicken. I use a recipe I've used for years, marinating the bone-in chicken overnight in a habanero-laced sauce with lots of spices and lots of heat. We grilled it and served with a pineapple-papaya salsa and rice. A lot of chicken was consumed since Elisabeth and Sean joined us. Everything gone again!
Thursday - I did bourbon-brown sugar flank steak, with smashed baby potatoes, and a snow-pea-radish braise. There was leftover flank steak, which the guys can make into sandwiches tomorrow to take along on their trip to Mt. Baker.
Friday - The plan is roast chicken with glazed carrots and farro-wild rice with mushrooms and almonds.
Saturday - I think we will skip the meat on Saturday and just have mac and cheese with a couple salads - maybe waldorf and a green garden salad. And Sunday - well, that's up in the air. I don't usually cook on Sundays since there is always food around earlier in the week. I'm thinking it might be good to order some pizza! Not everything has to be healthful all the time.
It has been fun and reminds me of the days when Nick's friends dropped by the house regularly to join us for dinner or just prowl the kitchen for snacks. These guys have been doing their own breakfasts (and doing an excellent job of cleaning up) and eating lunch on the mountain, but they have been ready for dinner each night!
Now, however, I'm more settled and I realized I want to preserve some memories again.
This week, Nick (currently in the Army in El Paso repaying them for financing his dental school education) came home with two Texas friends, Jason and Joseph. They are spending the week skiing at the various resorts in the area and are staying with us. Each evening, they come home, fully exercised and hungry and I've been feeding them. Preparing meals for three young men is a bit different from preparing dinner for Bob and me - more food and a motherly interest in making sure they get something balanced and nourishing.
Monday - We had steak sandwiches and cole slaw. Only one of the guys was here, but I brought sandwiches to the airport to feed the others when they arrived later in the evening. Pretty simple meal - rib eye, caramelized onions, peppers on sandwich rolls.
Tuesday - Nick had requested spicy pork tenderloin, so I obliged. The pork is seasoned with chipotle, maple syrup and mustard; grilled until just done - still a little pink inside; served with an incredible roast carrot and avocado salad. I used multi-colored carrots, roasted them with a chili-cumin paste, tossed the avocado and lettuce with a citrus-honey dressing with the carrots included. Sprinkle with some sunflower seeds, and you have a veggie salad that is incredible. It totally disappeared!
Wednesday - Another Nick request was jerk chicken. I use a recipe I've used for years, marinating the bone-in chicken overnight in a habanero-laced sauce with lots of spices and lots of heat. We grilled it and served with a pineapple-papaya salsa and rice. A lot of chicken was consumed since Elisabeth and Sean joined us. Everything gone again!
Thursday - I did bourbon-brown sugar flank steak, with smashed baby potatoes, and a snow-pea-radish braise. There was leftover flank steak, which the guys can make into sandwiches tomorrow to take along on their trip to Mt. Baker.
Friday - The plan is roast chicken with glazed carrots and farro-wild rice with mushrooms and almonds.
Saturday - I think we will skip the meat on Saturday and just have mac and cheese with a couple salads - maybe waldorf and a green garden salad. And Sunday - well, that's up in the air. I don't usually cook on Sundays since there is always food around earlier in the week. I'm thinking it might be good to order some pizza! Not everything has to be healthful all the time.
It has been fun and reminds me of the days when Nick's friends dropped by the house regularly to join us for dinner or just prowl the kitchen for snacks. These guys have been doing their own breakfasts (and doing an excellent job of cleaning up) and eating lunch on the mountain, but they have been ready for dinner each night!
Friday, October 14, 2011
Moo Shuing the Pork
The October Daring Cooks' Challenge was hosted by Shelley of C Mom Cook and her sister, Ruth, of The Crafts of Mommyhood. They challenged us to bring
a taste of the East into our home kitchens by making our own Moo Shu, including thin pancakes, stir fry and sauce.
I make moo shu pork regularly because I really like the flavors in the stir fry along with the hoisin sauce. I usually buy wontons rather than make them myself, but decided to get with the spirit of the challenge and roll out my own pancakes.
The dough is pretty straightforward: flour and boiling water plus a little oil. After the dough rests for a while, it is rolled out into pancakes about 6-8" which are cooked in a frying pan until brown spots appear.
After 30 minutes of resting, the dough is kneaded until smooth and then divided and rolled into sausage shapes. The "sausage" is cut into equal pieces, which are rolled into a ball and then flattened and rolled into 6-8" thin circles.
The pancakes are fried until brown spots appear and then set aside and kept covered until needed.
The stir fry is pork (I used tenderloin), shredded Napa cabbage, scallions, mushrooms (I used fresh because I found some lovely chanterelles in the market to mix with the other fresh mushrooms), egg and bamboo shoots, mixed with soy, a little sesame oil and rice wine. I left the bamboo shoots out - not a fan - but used the other ingredients. The stir fry takes only minutes, which is why it is important to do the more labor-intensive pancakes first.
The one part of this challenge I was not able to complete was the hoisin sauce. Bob cannot eat peanuts, so the peanut butter base was out. I had no black bean paste, so I used the hoisin I had in the pantry. It looks as if, with the proper ingredients, the sauce would be pretty easy to pull together. Maybe next time.
We finished nearly everything and, of course, the stir fry can be eaten alone or thrown into an omelet or on top of rice, so leftovers are welcome. This was a pretty tasty challenge!
a taste of the East into our home kitchens by making our own Moo Shu, including thin pancakes, stir fry and sauce.
I make moo shu pork regularly because I really like the flavors in the stir fry along with the hoisin sauce. I usually buy wontons rather than make them myself, but decided to get with the spirit of the challenge and roll out my own pancakes.
The dough is pretty straightforward: flour and boiling water plus a little oil. After the dough rests for a while, it is rolled out into pancakes about 6-8" which are cooked in a frying pan until brown spots appear.
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| Dough while it rests. |
The pancakes are fried until brown spots appear and then set aside and kept covered until needed.
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| Kneaded dough, ready for shaping. |
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| Cut and ready to roll! |
The stir fry is pork (I used tenderloin), shredded Napa cabbage, scallions, mushrooms (I used fresh because I found some lovely chanterelles in the market to mix with the other fresh mushrooms), egg and bamboo shoots, mixed with soy, a little sesame oil and rice wine. I left the bamboo shoots out - not a fan - but used the other ingredients. The stir fry takes only minutes, which is why it is important to do the more labor-intensive pancakes first.
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| Stirring the fry |
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| Pancakes, sauce and stir-fry pork and veggies |
The one part of this challenge I was not able to complete was the hoisin sauce. Bob cannot eat peanuts, so the peanut butter base was out. I had no black bean paste, so I used the hoisin I had in the pantry. It looks as if, with the proper ingredients, the sauce would be pretty easy to pull together. Maybe next time.
We finished nearly everything and, of course, the stir fry can be eaten alone or thrown into an omelet or on top of rice, so leftovers are welcome. This was a pretty tasty challenge!
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Stock Tales and a Cheesy Ending
Peta, of the blog Peta Eats, was our lovely hostess for the Daring Cook's September 2011 challenge, "Stock to Soup to Consomme'." We were taught the meaning among the three dishes, how make a crystal clear consomme' if we so chose to do so, and encouraged to share our own delicious soup recipes!
I was challenged - by time, by decisions about what to make, by not understanding what was required by the challenge (despite repeated readings), and by ending up missing a requirement. Other than that, everything went really well.
Making chicken stock is something I do regularly, although not often enough. I love the rich chicken flavor from homemade stock, something that simply is not available from commercial products. I do use boxed chicken stock sometimes because I don't always have homemade - I make a lot of soup! I find the brands which limit the ingredients to real food rather than a myriad of chemicals taste okay. Not as good as homemade, but still usable, especially if the soup has lots of other flavors.
I have used a variety of techniques in making stock: buying wings, backs, necks and using those; using the bones from roasted chicken if I have enough; using a whole chicken, removing the meat when it is done and returning the bones to the pot. They take varying amounts of time, but they all work. It can be a long process if you really want to reduce the stock to intensify the flavor. The stock I used for this challenge was one made from a whole bird.
The soup I chose was a cheese soup. Many cheese soups are very thick and I sometimes feel as if I'm eating fondue with a spoon - not that there is anything wrong with that! Normally, however, I want a soup that has texture but is not so thick it is almost hard to get out of the bowl. This soup is perfect in that respect. It is rich, but has a thinner soup texture.
The ingredients are pretty straightforward: mirepoix, russet potato, cheese, chicken stock, milk, Tabasco, and Worcestershire. The carrots, onion and celery are sauteed in unsalted butter. Flour is added and cooked for a couple minutes before adding the stock one cup at a time. The potato is added - I keep the pieces a bit big so the potato doesn't dissolve in the soup - and then the soup is simmered until the potato has softened. At this stage, you can puree the soup for a smooth texture; however, I never do because I prefer having the veggies identifiable and a little crunchy. At the end, when the potatoes are done, the milk, grated white cheddar, and seasonings are added and stirred until the cheese is melted - it doesn't take long. If I had been organized, I would have supplemented the soup with some kind of crusty bread or rolls, but life sometimes gets in the way.
And then there was this little distraction, as if my wandering mind wasn't enough.
I was challenged - by time, by decisions about what to make, by not understanding what was required by the challenge (despite repeated readings), and by ending up missing a requirement. Other than that, everything went really well.
Making chicken stock is something I do regularly, although not often enough. I love the rich chicken flavor from homemade stock, something that simply is not available from commercial products. I do use boxed chicken stock sometimes because I don't always have homemade - I make a lot of soup! I find the brands which limit the ingredients to real food rather than a myriad of chemicals taste okay. Not as good as homemade, but still usable, especially if the soup has lots of other flavors.
I have used a variety of techniques in making stock: buying wings, backs, necks and using those; using the bones from roasted chicken if I have enough; using a whole chicken, removing the meat when it is done and returning the bones to the pot. They take varying amounts of time, but they all work. It can be a long process if you really want to reduce the stock to intensify the flavor. The stock I used for this challenge was one made from a whole bird.
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| Chicken stock made from whole chicken. |
The soup I chose was a cheese soup. Many cheese soups are very thick and I sometimes feel as if I'm eating fondue with a spoon - not that there is anything wrong with that! Normally, however, I want a soup that has texture but is not so thick it is almost hard to get out of the bowl. This soup is perfect in that respect. It is rich, but has a thinner soup texture.
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| The basic ingredients |
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| All the veggies diced. The potatoes were cut in larger pieces. |
The ingredients are pretty straightforward: mirepoix, russet potato, cheese, chicken stock, milk, Tabasco, and Worcestershire. The carrots, onion and celery are sauteed in unsalted butter. Flour is added and cooked for a couple minutes before adding the stock one cup at a time. The potato is added - I keep the pieces a bit big so the potato doesn't dissolve in the soup - and then the soup is simmered until the potato has softened. At this stage, you can puree the soup for a smooth texture; however, I never do because I prefer having the veggies identifiable and a little crunchy. At the end, when the potatoes are done, the milk, grated white cheddar, and seasonings are added and stirred until the cheese is melted - it doesn't take long. If I had been organized, I would have supplemented the soup with some kind of crusty bread or rolls, but life sometimes gets in the way.
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| The finished product! |
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| The sunset while I was preparing the soup. |
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Time for a Rant
No pictures, no challenge - just me berating myself for making a mistake I should know not to make.
There are blogs galore with original recipes or at least, recipes that have been tweaked in some way so the blogger can claim they are original. Some of these are tremendous and I have had a lot of success with many. Usually, if the author is someone with some credibility - a lot of experience, some time in the public eye, maybe restaurant experience or a cookbook under her/his belt - you can assume that the recipes have been checked, double-checked and tested thoroughly. Sites like Food52 are an excellent example of this.
HOWEVER, there are also some sites where people contribute their "original" recipes and fail to read what they have written or modified to see if it makes sense. I once reviewed a cookbook written by a small restaurant owner which was really a lesson in how not to write a cookbook. Instructions which made no sense, ingredients listed in apparently random order, rather than in the order in which they are used, references to optional steps which don't show up until well past the "optional" time... . It goes on and on.
Tonight I made a version of General Tso's chicken. Now, I have lots of Asian cookbooks, so why I relied on an amateur recipe, I don't know. The picture looked good and the ingredients looked appropriate. It was only as I really started preparing it that I realized all the things that were missing.
For example: "Prep your chicken" - That's it. Prep it how? Cut it in a specific way or to a specific size? Not mentioned. So I assumed (which you should never have to do) that it meant cutting the boneless, skinless pieces into even bite-sized portions.
"Stir together until a thick slurry forms. It will look gummy but smooth." I do not think trying to make a thick slurry with over 1/4 cup corn starch and 1 tablespoon soy and 1 tsp sesame oil and an egg white would ever work. I ended up with something more like a ball of clay than a slurry (maybe our definition of slurry isn't the same?). I added about another tablespoon of liquid and then I had a slurry with which I could coat my chicken.
"Heat oil until it shimmers." I hate this! What is the optimal temp? Why not use a thermometer to monitor when the correct heat is reached? Oh, and don't use canola oil for high temp cooking - it tastes funky. Peanut oil is excellent and corn oil works.
"Cook chicken for 4 minutes." Well, if we knew what size the chicken pieces were supposed to be and what temp the oil was supposed to be, perhaps this would be helpful.
"Transfer chicken to paper towel lined plate." One plate? So we are putting just cooked chicken on top of earlier batches once the plate is full? Really?
"Stir into sauce." I forgot to mention the sauce. This is General Tso's chicken, right? Hot and spicy? So why would you add only 1 teaspoon of chili-garlic sauce, the only source of heat, to a mixture of over a cup of liquid? That will not register with anyone's taste buds. I know not everyone wants tons of heat (I do), but why not write a range - 1 tsp for mildly spicy and upwards for more? I added probably at least a tablespoon.
Now - having said all this, Bob still liked the chicken but he pretty much likes anything with lots of heat. And the chicken was fine, although it was totally flavorless until the sauce was added. I think it should have been salted and peppered before "slurried" to be sure there was some flavor.
Will I make this again? Maybe some variation of it. It made a mess, of course, with the frying (even using a spatter guard) and the cornstarch (which always ends up all over the place. Lots of bowls and utensils which could have probably been streamlined.
So once again, I promise myself to do the recipe analysis BEFORE I start cooking and figure out if correcting the errors is worth the effort.
Stay tuned for this month's Daring Cook, to be posted on September 14, assuming I get it done!
There are blogs galore with original recipes or at least, recipes that have been tweaked in some way so the blogger can claim they are original. Some of these are tremendous and I have had a lot of success with many. Usually, if the author is someone with some credibility - a lot of experience, some time in the public eye, maybe restaurant experience or a cookbook under her/his belt - you can assume that the recipes have been checked, double-checked and tested thoroughly. Sites like Food52 are an excellent example of this.
HOWEVER, there are also some sites where people contribute their "original" recipes and fail to read what they have written or modified to see if it makes sense. I once reviewed a cookbook written by a small restaurant owner which was really a lesson in how not to write a cookbook. Instructions which made no sense, ingredients listed in apparently random order, rather than in the order in which they are used, references to optional steps which don't show up until well past the "optional" time... . It goes on and on.
Tonight I made a version of General Tso's chicken. Now, I have lots of Asian cookbooks, so why I relied on an amateur recipe, I don't know. The picture looked good and the ingredients looked appropriate. It was only as I really started preparing it that I realized all the things that were missing.
For example: "Prep your chicken" - That's it. Prep it how? Cut it in a specific way or to a specific size? Not mentioned. So I assumed (which you should never have to do) that it meant cutting the boneless, skinless pieces into even bite-sized portions.
"Stir together until a thick slurry forms. It will look gummy but smooth." I do not think trying to make a thick slurry with over 1/4 cup corn starch and 1 tablespoon soy and 1 tsp sesame oil and an egg white would ever work. I ended up with something more like a ball of clay than a slurry (maybe our definition of slurry isn't the same?). I added about another tablespoon of liquid and then I had a slurry with which I could coat my chicken.
"Heat oil until it shimmers." I hate this! What is the optimal temp? Why not use a thermometer to monitor when the correct heat is reached? Oh, and don't use canola oil for high temp cooking - it tastes funky. Peanut oil is excellent and corn oil works.
"Cook chicken for 4 minutes." Well, if we knew what size the chicken pieces were supposed to be and what temp the oil was supposed to be, perhaps this would be helpful.
"Transfer chicken to paper towel lined plate." One plate? So we are putting just cooked chicken on top of earlier batches once the plate is full? Really?
"Stir into sauce." I forgot to mention the sauce. This is General Tso's chicken, right? Hot and spicy? So why would you add only 1 teaspoon of chili-garlic sauce, the only source of heat, to a mixture of over a cup of liquid? That will not register with anyone's taste buds. I know not everyone wants tons of heat (I do), but why not write a range - 1 tsp for mildly spicy and upwards for more? I added probably at least a tablespoon.
Now - having said all this, Bob still liked the chicken but he pretty much likes anything with lots of heat. And the chicken was fine, although it was totally flavorless until the sauce was added. I think it should have been salted and peppered before "slurried" to be sure there was some flavor.
Will I make this again? Maybe some variation of it. It made a mess, of course, with the frying (even using a spatter guard) and the cornstarch (which always ends up all over the place. Lots of bowls and utensils which could have probably been streamlined.
So once again, I promise myself to do the recipe analysis BEFORE I start cooking and figure out if correcting the errors is worth the effort.
Stay tuned for this month's Daring Cook, to be posted on September 14, assuming I get it done!
Sunday, August 14, 2011
A Return to Daring Cooks with Appam and Prawn Curry
I'm finally cooking again after a several month hiatus. We put our house on the market the end of February and I had to limit what I did in the kitchen so when the prospective buyers wanted to see the house with 15 minutes notice (it happened!), I wasn't in the middle of a project. So I suspended my Daring Cook efforts and, of course, missed out on lots of yummy projects.
Fortunately, the house sold in a couple months (yea!) and we found a new house right away. Still couldn't cook because we had to pack and organize closing dates and loans and all the rest. And then we moved in and I had to unpack and organize and bring some order to chaos (movers have very unusual ideas about what to pack together). That took much longer than expected, but now, just over 2 months after we walked through the door, I'm ready to cook again.
Mary, who write the delicious bog, Mary Mary Culinary, was our August Daring Cooks' host. Mary chose to show us how delicious South Indian cuisine is! She challenged us to make Appam and another South Indian/Sri Lankan dish to go with the warm flat bread.
The required recipe was for appam, a rice-based flat bread. Appam is quite a process - not difficult (although I did not have perfect results) but quite time-consuming. First the rice soaks for 3 hours. Then the rice is drained and put in a blender with proofed yeast and a small amount of cooked rice. This is blended until it is a batter and placed in a bowl, covered, and left to rise and ferment for 8-12 hours. Finally, coconut milk is added to the batter and it is fried in a crepe-like manner. Other than the coconut milk, there is not a lot of flavor in these flat breads, which makes them ideal for sopping up the curry sauce from the main course.
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| The appam batter |
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| Mise en place for prawn curry |
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| Making the curry |
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| Prawns cooking in curry sauce |
The appam served their purpose in scooping up the sauce and the prawns were succulent and not overcooked. The recipe which was provided suggested cooking the prawns until they were done and then adding more coconut milk and bringing it to a boil. It makes no sense to me to cook a protein to "doneness" and then boil it 5 more minutes, so I added the final coconut milk before the prawns were done. That worked splendidly.
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| A plate full of goodness! |
Now I can't wait to see what September brings!
Thursday, April 14, 2011
One Bite Munchies, Container and All
Renata of Testado, Provado & Aprovado! was our Daring Cooks' April 2011 hostes. Renata challenged us to think "outside the plate" and create our own edible containers! Prizes are being awarded to the most creative edible container and filling, so vote on your favorite from April 17th to May 16th at http://thedaringkitchen.com!
It is so wonderful to be posting something after all this time! Our house is for sale, so I have to limit my cooking to quick and easy. If I get a call saying someone wants to see the house in 30 minutes, I cannot be in the middle of prepping an elaborate meal or baking some complicated bread or dessert. Meals have been old standbys that I can pull together quickly and without a lot of mess.
This challenge was very quick, so fit into my "don't make a big mess" criterion very well. I decided to use kataifi, which is shredded phyllo dough, to make little appetizer nests. The kataifi is prepped in a way similar to phyllo sheets: use some melted butter or oil to lightly coat, keep unused portions covered so they don't dry out, and cook until golden. I formed the shreds into little nests which I placed in mini-muffin tins. I baked them for about 10 minutes and when they were cool, I filled them with a variety of toppings.
The forming and baking took no more than 15-20 minutes. I had lots of phyllo left over but it can be refrigerated or refrozen, so I can try other fillings another time.
I filled the little nests with salmon mousse, hummus with a Kalamata olive garnish and mini-caprese salads - mozzarella, tomato and basil. They were so good, all of them, but I liked the salad and mousse the best. They truly were one bite - we just popped the crispy (and somewhat fragile) bites in and savored them.
I loved this challenge because it is something I might not have thought of or tried on my own and it is also something I will use again. Twenty minutes is not much time to invest in creating a dozen appetizers and since the phyllo can be held for a while, you could easily make larger quantities and just fill them at the last minute. I thought of many other bites that might be good: mini-bastillas, mini-eggs benedict (quail eggs would work for that, if I could get them!), guacamole, even chicken or shrimp salad. What fun to try them all!
It is so wonderful to be posting something after all this time! Our house is for sale, so I have to limit my cooking to quick and easy. If I get a call saying someone wants to see the house in 30 minutes, I cannot be in the middle of prepping an elaborate meal or baking some complicated bread or dessert. Meals have been old standbys that I can pull together quickly and without a lot of mess.
This challenge was very quick, so fit into my "don't make a big mess" criterion very well. I decided to use kataifi, which is shredded phyllo dough, to make little appetizer nests. The kataifi is prepped in a way similar to phyllo sheets: use some melted butter or oil to lightly coat, keep unused portions covered so they don't dry out, and cook until golden. I formed the shreds into little nests which I placed in mini-muffin tins. I baked them for about 10 minutes and when they were cool, I filled them with a variety of toppings.
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| Right out of the oven |
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| One bite treats! |
I loved this challenge because it is something I might not have thought of or tried on my own and it is also something I will use again. Twenty minutes is not much time to invest in creating a dozen appetizers and since the phyllo can be held for a while, you could easily make larger quantities and just fill them at the last minute. I thought of many other bites that might be good: mini-bastillas, mini-eggs benedict (quail eggs would work for that, if I could get them!), guacamole, even chicken or shrimp salad. What fun to try them all!
Monday, February 14, 2011
Feeling a Little Noodle-y and Crunchy
The February 2011 Daring Cooks' challenge was hosted by Lisa of Blueberry Girl. She challenged Daring Cooks to make Hiyashi soba and tempura. She has various sources for her challenge including japanesefood.about.com, pinkbites.com, and itsybitsyfoodies.com.
Two dishes! Both new to me, although I've certainly made noodles and fried things before. To say I was challenged is an understatement. I did do the noodles early, since they are served cold, but the tempura had to wait for Bob's arrival so it would be fresh and hot. And in a lot of ways, this challenge was just what Daring Cooks expect - lots of room for variations and some technique changes.
The directions for cooking the soba seemed a little odd to me, so after reading other posts on the Daring Cook site, I decided to ignore them and just follow the directions on the noodle package. Unlike many people who found their noodles congealing into a gooey mass, my noodles were just the right texture and stayed totally separate. One for me.
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| Soba noodles with veggies and sauce |
There are many options for sauces and condiments for this cold noodle salad. I chose the spicy sauce (although perhaps "spicy" is a relative term, since this sauce did not seem all that spicy). If I were to do a spicy sauce of my own creation, I would add ginger, red pepper flakes and other flavors to heighten the heat. The little bit of dry mustard didn't really reach the level of spicy I like. For condiments, I used bok choy, daikon, and red radishes. I could have added chicken or ham or strips of omelet, but with the tempura on the menu, it didn't seem necessary. The cold noodle salad was fine, but not as flavorful as I would have chosen.
The tempura was another case of changing the process. I made the tempura batter as described, I prepared the veggies as described (including parboiling the sweet potatoes using Kenji's (Serious Eats Food Lab writer) method of adding a little vinegar to the water), and I kept all cold until the oil was ready. The time involved in heating oil is always more lengthy that I expect and requires a lot of attention to be sure the right temp is reached but not exceeded by too much (remembering that adding the food will bring the temp down).
The recipe said to use 320 degree oil for the veggies and 340 for the prawns. I thought that sounded way too low for the veggies, so again, drawing on the expertise of Kenji, I used his recommended temp for making potato chips and heated the oil to 350. The recipe had little information on how long various veggies would take to cook, so it was a bit of a guessing game. I think everything turned out pretty well - the sweet potatoes were awesome - but a little more guidance would have helped. And the prawns were supposed to cook at 340, but 360 worked better, so that's what I did. Again, a little shortage of instruction on how to determine doneness, but I tried to estimate and it seemed to work - all the prawns were devoured.
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| Prawn, sweet potato, carrot and mushroom tempura |
And honestly, by the time I was done cooking for the pictures and my husband, I was not too interested in going on. Maybe sort of like Thanksgiving: Spend a week getting ready and the actual meal seems far less appealing.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Cooking from the Pantry
I read a challenge somewhere - can't remember - to cook from your pantry for a week. Since I was going through post-holiday doldrums and cooking overload, this sounded pretty appealing to me. No grocery shopping, just use what you have.
Usually about once a week - often on Mondays - I make lentil soup or some other dish that can be constructed from ingredients I always have on hand. The lentil soup recipe is basic - lentils, canned tomatoes, carrots, onions, couple dried herbs and stock. If there is a melty cheese in the house, that is the garnish. Simple, tasty, and especially appealing in the winter. But a whole week of pantry cooking? Could I do that?
Well, yes I could when motivated by a distinct aversion to going grocery shopping or doing anything labor-intensive. It would mean a largely meatless week because I rarely have frozen meat in the house, but nothing wrong with that!
We had ham and beans and dumplings one night, made with the ham bone I had saved from the holiday ham (see Annasrecipes.blogspot.com for Winter Solstice Ham). I soaked the white beans overnight and cooked them with the ham bone, some scraps of ham, onion, and carrot. The dumplings were the shortcut version - I just used Bisquick (I know, I know, but it's fast and easy).
Other nights we had black beans, brown rice, salsa and cheddar casserole; veggie omelets; black bean enchiladas. I have lots of Rancho Gordo beans, which are incredible - fresh and interesting varieties - so beans are always an option. And I read that cooking beans with salt makes them much more tender. I tried it and I agree, although there are two camps in this debate - some are completely opposed to salting the water. Passions run high in cooking!
Now I'm back to my regular "plan the week's menus, make the grocery list and shop" routine, which works well most of the time. But every once in a while, a meat-light week using what you have on hand is a great way to make room for even more good stuff in the pantry!
Usually about once a week - often on Mondays - I make lentil soup or some other dish that can be constructed from ingredients I always have on hand. The lentil soup recipe is basic - lentils, canned tomatoes, carrots, onions, couple dried herbs and stock. If there is a melty cheese in the house, that is the garnish. Simple, tasty, and especially appealing in the winter. But a whole week of pantry cooking? Could I do that?
Well, yes I could when motivated by a distinct aversion to going grocery shopping or doing anything labor-intensive. It would mean a largely meatless week because I rarely have frozen meat in the house, but nothing wrong with that!
We had ham and beans and dumplings one night, made with the ham bone I had saved from the holiday ham (see Annasrecipes.blogspot.com for Winter Solstice Ham). I soaked the white beans overnight and cooked them with the ham bone, some scraps of ham, onion, and carrot. The dumplings were the shortcut version - I just used Bisquick (I know, I know, but it's fast and easy).
Other nights we had black beans, brown rice, salsa and cheddar casserole; veggie omelets; black bean enchiladas. I have lots of Rancho Gordo beans, which are incredible - fresh and interesting varieties - so beans are always an option. And I read that cooking beans with salt makes them much more tender. I tried it and I agree, although there are two camps in this debate - some are completely opposed to salting the water. Passions run high in cooking!
Now I'm back to my regular "plan the week's menus, make the grocery list and shop" routine, which works well most of the time. But every once in a while, a meat-light week using what you have on hand is a great way to make room for even more good stuff in the pantry!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Poaching Needs Coaching
Jenn and Jill have challenged the Daring Cooks to learn to perfect the technique of poaching an egg. They chose Eggs Benedict recipe from Alton Brown, Oeufs en Meurette from Cooking with Wine by Anne Willan, and Homemade Sundried Tomato and Pine Nut Seitan Sausages (poached) courtesy of Trudy of Veggie num num.
Let me state at the beginning that I knew this would be a challenge for me. Not only have I never poached an egg, I've never eaten a poached egg, let alone Eggs Benedict. I think it stems from a childhood disgust of all things runny when eggs were involved. My eggs were scrambled until dry or fried with the yolks broken - no oozy stuff for me! Okay, so that was quite a while ago and I am only gradually moving towards more flexibility.
The challenges continued. I decided to make the Eggs Benedict on Wednesday morning - the Wednesday before Thanksgiving when I should have been making soup. But hey, I bought special eggs for this and if I waited, they would be stale and I'd have to get new fresh eggs. And the recipe provided suggested it took only 20 minutes to pull the whole thing together. Well, maybe. Maybe if you had perfect luck and mastered the technique the first time.
The hollandaise actually looked pretty good: silky, lush. The instruction was to keep it in a thermos or carafe or warm bowl while preparing the poached egg. I cleverly put it in a low (very low) oven to keep it warm. Probably mistake number 1.
The first egg I poached sat on the bottom of the pan, so I assume the "gentle simmer" was a little too gentle. I would have used it but when attempting to remove it from the pan, I broke the yolk. Start over. Meanwhile, I had put the muffin in the toaster and the ham in the frying pan and they were ready. Acckkk!!
Reheated water with small amount of vinegar. Had a more bubbly surface this time and put the egg in - not gently enough, but I'm not up to refinements at this point. It seemed to be doing the right thing and when the egg white was firm, I removed it with a slotted spoon - no breakage this time. I had put my muffin and my ham on a plate, so I gently laid the egg on top. With a little rearrangement of the trailing ends of white, it didn't look too bad! Then I went to get my warm hollandaise with which to crown my creation. Curdle. I guess my plan to keep it warm was a bit of overkill - plus, of course, it was in the oven for much longer than I had anticipated, more like 10 minutes than 3. I added a little more butter to loosen it up (I am sure there is a way to redeem hollandaise but I didn't have time to investigate), sort of poured it on. It actually didn't look too bad - from a distance. So quick with the camera!
Okay. Forget the camera. The batteries are dead and I don't know where the extras are and Bob isn't home. Meanwhile my creation, such as it is, will soon be inedible in addition to being only passably pretty. I give up. The one redeeming factor - it tasted fine. The hollandaise was clearly not the right texture but the flavor was good. The egg was cooked right, with lots of warm yolk to sauce up the ham and muffin.
I may do this again under less stressful conditions and using the lessons I learned from this morning. Then again, I may not.....
Now on to Thanksgiving soup!
Let me state at the beginning that I knew this would be a challenge for me. Not only have I never poached an egg, I've never eaten a poached egg, let alone Eggs Benedict. I think it stems from a childhood disgust of all things runny when eggs were involved. My eggs were scrambled until dry or fried with the yolks broken - no oozy stuff for me! Okay, so that was quite a while ago and I am only gradually moving towards more flexibility.
The challenges continued. I decided to make the Eggs Benedict on Wednesday morning - the Wednesday before Thanksgiving when I should have been making soup. But hey, I bought special eggs for this and if I waited, they would be stale and I'd have to get new fresh eggs. And the recipe provided suggested it took only 20 minutes to pull the whole thing together. Well, maybe. Maybe if you had perfect luck and mastered the technique the first time.
The hollandaise actually looked pretty good: silky, lush. The instruction was to keep it in a thermos or carafe or warm bowl while preparing the poached egg. I cleverly put it in a low (very low) oven to keep it warm. Probably mistake number 1.
The first egg I poached sat on the bottom of the pan, so I assume the "gentle simmer" was a little too gentle. I would have used it but when attempting to remove it from the pan, I broke the yolk. Start over. Meanwhile, I had put the muffin in the toaster and the ham in the frying pan and they were ready. Acckkk!!
Reheated water with small amount of vinegar. Had a more bubbly surface this time and put the egg in - not gently enough, but I'm not up to refinements at this point. It seemed to be doing the right thing and when the egg white was firm, I removed it with a slotted spoon - no breakage this time. I had put my muffin and my ham on a plate, so I gently laid the egg on top. With a little rearrangement of the trailing ends of white, it didn't look too bad! Then I went to get my warm hollandaise with which to crown my creation. Curdle. I guess my plan to keep it warm was a bit of overkill - plus, of course, it was in the oven for much longer than I had anticipated, more like 10 minutes than 3. I added a little more butter to loosen it up (I am sure there is a way to redeem hollandaise but I didn't have time to investigate), sort of poured it on. It actually didn't look too bad - from a distance. So quick with the camera!
Okay. Forget the camera. The batteries are dead and I don't know where the extras are and Bob isn't home. Meanwhile my creation, such as it is, will soon be inedible in addition to being only passably pretty. I give up. The one redeeming factor - it tasted fine. The hollandaise was clearly not the right texture but the flavor was good. The egg was cooked right, with lots of warm yolk to sauce up the ham and muffin.
I may do this again under less stressful conditions and using the lessons I learned from this morning. Then again, I may not.....
Now on to Thanksgiving soup!
Friday, December 3, 2010
I'm On a Roll
Let me just say this: I have a small amount of bravery in me, at least when it comes to food. After all, I ate a scorpion! And I made and ate a poached egg - my first ever (I have residual issues from my childhood - no runny part of any egg was permitted). And now, I deliberately ordered and ate not one, but TWO raw oysters. And I even chewed them! Now, I admit, I asked for the smallest oysters they (Jake's Crawfish in Portland, OR) had - kumamotos. They were really small and probably didn't need any chewing but I was advised to really taste them, not swallow them whole. So, I squeezed on a little lemon, and took a big slurp (well, OK, a little slurp), chewed and swallowed. And they were good - smooth, briny, sweet with just a little tang from the lemon. Bob ate six much larger oysters, but I thought I made serious strides in the exploration of new (to me) foods.
So cheers to me!
So cheers to me!
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Adventures in Eating
It's been a while since I posted anything because I haven't done much cooking over the past month. I have done some eating, however, so I want to share that with you.
We spent two weeks in China in October and it was an experience unlike any other. Not only is China a beautiful country (and we have 3000 pictures to prove it), the people are incredibly friendly. We were often approached by people who wanted to have their pictures taken with us - they love Westerners, I guess. The places we visited were all different but had some things in common: good food, beauty, cultural and historic sites, and crazy traffic! We also discovered that, while tea is offered at meals, the beverage of choice seems to be beer at both lunch and dinner. And no napkins. And no ice. I asked one of the guides about the ice thing and he told me cold was bad for the stomach. Hmmm. Finding ice got to be a bit of a scavenger hunt. In Hong Kong, we went to a 7-11 so I could get a drink from a drink dispenser and have ice. In Beijing, I asked our hostess at the hotel buffet if I could have some ice and she brought a whole glass - bliss! In Guilin, the breakfast buffet had a little ice bucket by the OJ. And in Shanghai, I requested ice at an Indian restaurant and the waiter brought an ice bucket and carefully added one cube at a time to my glass until I told him to stop. Oh, and Bob found a Starbucks which was willing to put ice in my iced tea! He's a hero.
So here are some shots:
This is a picture of jasmine. The tea comes in a tightly rolled ball, which, when soaked in hot water, actually blooms. We went to a tea house outside the grounds of the Summer Palace in Beijing and a lovely young woman went through an elaborate tea preparation and tasting ceremony. I left with 6 different teas and a special clay teapot. Some of the best tea I've ever had - fragrant, nuanced flavors, totally different from Lipton's!
One night we were taken to a restaurant which specializes in Peking duck. The drive late at night past the Olympic buildings in Beijing and ending at an outdoor mall which could have been transplanted from any upscale community in America was a little surreal. This restaurant, which is clearly on the tourist route, is huge and has a multi-item menu featuring virtually every part of the duck. This particular dish was garnished with crispy scorpions! And would you believe it - not a scorpion was left uneaten by our table of adventurous gourmands. They were crispy but had no particular flavor. I would have eaten more.
A slightly better shot of the actual little critter.
Sometimes there were creative garnishes on the dishes - this is a lovely little swan made from a carrot.
Breakfast in the Western style hotels in which we stayed followed a pattern: European breakfast food (salami, cheese, croissants, yogurt), American food (eggs to order, bacon, sausage, sometimes pancakes or waffles), Japanese (miso soup, vegetables, rice), and Chinese (congee, wonton soup with veggies, dim sum). These little dumplings were served at the Swissotel in Beijing - some of the most creative we saw and all very tasty - if you could bear to eat a panda!
As I mentioned above, getting ice was an endeavor. Here is my glass of ice water - protected until every cube was gone!
We spent two weeks in China in October and it was an experience unlike any other. Not only is China a beautiful country (and we have 3000 pictures to prove it), the people are incredibly friendly. We were often approached by people who wanted to have their pictures taken with us - they love Westerners, I guess. The places we visited were all different but had some things in common: good food, beauty, cultural and historic sites, and crazy traffic! We also discovered that, while tea is offered at meals, the beverage of choice seems to be beer at both lunch and dinner. And no napkins. And no ice. I asked one of the guides about the ice thing and he told me cold was bad for the stomach. Hmmm. Finding ice got to be a bit of a scavenger hunt. In Hong Kong, we went to a 7-11 so I could get a drink from a drink dispenser and have ice. In Beijing, I asked our hostess at the hotel buffet if I could have some ice and she brought a whole glass - bliss! In Guilin, the breakfast buffet had a little ice bucket by the OJ. And in Shanghai, I requested ice at an Indian restaurant and the waiter brought an ice bucket and carefully added one cube at a time to my glass until I told him to stop. Oh, and Bob found a Starbucks which was willing to put ice in my iced tea! He's a hero.
So here are some shots:
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| In Hong Kong, I missed out on a seafood dinner, but Bob brought the best back to the hotel. This small lobster-like crustacean was superb! |
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| These prawns were also on the seafood dinner menu and he saved some for me. Excellent and so fresh. |
This is a picture of jasmine. The tea comes in a tightly rolled ball, which, when soaked in hot water, actually blooms. We went to a tea house outside the grounds of the Summer Palace in Beijing and a lovely young woman went through an elaborate tea preparation and tasting ceremony. I left with 6 different teas and a special clay teapot. Some of the best tea I've ever had - fragrant, nuanced flavors, totally different from Lipton's!
One night we were taken to a restaurant which specializes in Peking duck. The drive late at night past the Olympic buildings in Beijing and ending at an outdoor mall which could have been transplanted from any upscale community in America was a little surreal. This restaurant, which is clearly on the tourist route, is huge and has a multi-item menu featuring virtually every part of the duck. This particular dish was garnished with crispy scorpions! And would you believe it - not a scorpion was left uneaten by our table of adventurous gourmands. They were crispy but had no particular flavor. I would have eaten more.
A slightly better shot of the actual little critter.
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| And evidence that I ate it! |
Sometimes there were creative garnishes on the dishes - this is a lovely little swan made from a carrot.
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| In Guilin, we ordered (despite the server's concern) a beef dish with very spicy peppers. Bob scarfed it down! |
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| In the old town outside Guilin, these eggs were cooking in ash in the market area. Didn't try one, but this is a traditional way of cooking eggs in this area. |
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| The best dish of the trip - river crabs in ginger and scallion sauce. Absolutely incredible! |
Breakfast in the Western style hotels in which we stayed followed a pattern: European breakfast food (salami, cheese, croissants, yogurt), American food (eggs to order, bacon, sausage, sometimes pancakes or waffles), Japanese (miso soup, vegetables, rice), and Chinese (congee, wonton soup with veggies, dim sum). These little dumplings were served at the Swissotel in Beijing - some of the most creative we saw and all very tasty - if you could bear to eat a panda!
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| This was a little penguin, I think. |
As I mentioned above, getting ice was an endeavor. Here is my glass of ice water - protected until every cube was gone!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Stuffed!
Our October 2010 hostess, Lori of Lori's Lipsmacking Goodness, has challenged the Daring Cooks to stuff grape leaves. Lori chose a recipe from Aromas of Aleppo and a recipe from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food.
I have stuffed cabbage leaves and they were excellent, if I do say so myself. However, they were also labor-intensive and, as I recall, took most of the day to make. Between blanching and prepping the cabbage, making the filling, making the tomato sauce and cooking them, it was a considerable effort. Bob really like them, so maybe I'll do them again some day.
This project was considerably easier and faster. In the first place, grape leaves come in jars, pretty much read to use. The toughest part of the grape leave preparation was getting them out of the jar! They are rolled up and really packed in. I used one "roll" of leaves, soaking them in boiling water first and then again in cold water, to remove the brine in which they are packed. Then it is just a matter of unrolling them carefully and separating them. There are different sizes, but that doesn't really seem to matter. The larger leaves are a bit easier to stuff, but even the smaller leaves work fine.
The choice of stuffing was up to us, other than using rice. The short grain rice is soaked in water for 30 minutes to soften it slightly and then mixed with the other ingredients - in my case, sausage, mushrooms, pistachios and Vermont cheddar. The leaves are rolled around a couple teaspoons of filling and placed in an oiled saucepan. They are then covered 3/4 of the way with a mixture of lemon juice, salt and water, weighted down in the pan, which is covered, and braised for an hour in the oven. I also stuffed extra mushrooms in amongst the grape leaves and actually wish I had used more - they were really good!
This is how they looked in the pan. Not exactly things of beauty, but definitely grape-y.
After I cooked them, I took them out to test them. The filling was quite good, but the grape leaves were a mixed bag. Some parts were tender but they were really salty. I think the soaking process didn't remove all the salt or perhaps the salt content in the sausage combined with the additional salt in the cooking liquid was just a bit too much. If I were to do this again, I'd leave out the cooking liquid salt and just use the water and lemon juice.
Bob got some of these in his lunch the next day after they had been refrigerated overnight. Very portable!
If I were to do them again, I think I'd try some fruit variation - maybe dried figs with pine nuts or pistachios, spiced with cinnamon or allspice. I think this is the kind of challenge for which it is fun to dream up different stuffings, paying less attention to the traditional fillings and trying things that sound appealing to you. The best part of Daring Cooks is the freedom to be creative, not just follow the recipe as written, but use it as a starting point for doing something you think sounds good. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but it is all educational!
I have stuffed cabbage leaves and they were excellent, if I do say so myself. However, they were also labor-intensive and, as I recall, took most of the day to make. Between blanching and prepping the cabbage, making the filling, making the tomato sauce and cooking them, it was a considerable effort. Bob really like them, so maybe I'll do them again some day.
This project was considerably easier and faster. In the first place, grape leaves come in jars, pretty much read to use. The toughest part of the grape leave preparation was getting them out of the jar! They are rolled up and really packed in. I used one "roll" of leaves, soaking them in boiling water first and then again in cold water, to remove the brine in which they are packed. Then it is just a matter of unrolling them carefully and separating them. There are different sizes, but that doesn't really seem to matter. The larger leaves are a bit easier to stuff, but even the smaller leaves work fine.
The choice of stuffing was up to us, other than using rice. The short grain rice is soaked in water for 30 minutes to soften it slightly and then mixed with the other ingredients - in my case, sausage, mushrooms, pistachios and Vermont cheddar. The leaves are rolled around a couple teaspoons of filling and placed in an oiled saucepan. They are then covered 3/4 of the way with a mixture of lemon juice, salt and water, weighted down in the pan, which is covered, and braised for an hour in the oven. I also stuffed extra mushrooms in amongst the grape leaves and actually wish I had used more - they were really good!
This is how they looked in the pan. Not exactly things of beauty, but definitely grape-y.
After I cooked them, I took them out to test them. The filling was quite good, but the grape leaves were a mixed bag. Some parts were tender but they were really salty. I think the soaking process didn't remove all the salt or perhaps the salt content in the sausage combined with the additional salt in the cooking liquid was just a bit too much. If I were to do this again, I'd leave out the cooking liquid salt and just use the water and lemon juice.
Bob got some of these in his lunch the next day after they had been refrigerated overnight. Very portable!
If I were to do them again, I think I'd try some fruit variation - maybe dried figs with pine nuts or pistachios, spiced with cinnamon or allspice. I think this is the kind of challenge for which it is fun to dream up different stuffings, paying less attention to the traditional fillings and trying things that sound appealing to you. The best part of Daring Cooks is the freedom to be creative, not just follow the recipe as written, but use it as a starting point for doing something you think sounds good. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but it is all educational!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Apple Butter plus Cheddar Gougere = Pie in a Bite!
The September 2010 Daring Cooks' challenge was hosted by John of Eat4Fun. John chose to challenge the Daring Cooks to learn about food preservation, mainly in the form of canning and freezing. He challenged everyone to make a recipe and preserve it. John's source for food preservation information was from The National Center for Home Food Preservation.
This challenge was more about learning a process than producing a specific product. There was an extensive tutorial on preserving - both canning and freezing. Coming from a long line of food preservers, you would think I would be really comfortable with all this, but I have never been a jelly/jam maker and it has never even occurred to me to "put up" fruits and vegetables. I've seen it done but I've never done it on my own. My daughter, Elisabeth, probably knows more about this than I do!
Nonetheless, I followed John's suggestion and made apple butter and chose freezing as the preservation method since it requires substantially less equipment and time. The butter came together really quickly and easily and I was ready for the preserving piece of the challenge in no time.
We are not big users of jellies or jams or spreads in this house. I use them as ingredients in recipes sometimes, but never on toast. Nick loves his Grandma's Oregon grape jelly, but he's the only one who uses jelly as a spread. However - I had a thought about how to use the apple butter.
I eat apples raw and in salads and in ... pie! Could I find a way to make a pie-like product with the apple butter? My thought was to make gougeres with cheddar cheese in them, bake them and then fill them with the apple butter. An experiment in an alternate pie universe, perhaps.
And with little effort - pie in a bite! The gougeres have grated cheddar added before cooking. After they puffed up, I filled them with the apple butter by just inserting a very small spoon into the center of the gougere and adding the apple butter. Topped with some whipped cream and a little mint sprig, we have a bite-sized dessert which, if not exactly a pie, comes close.
I found it best to use a somewhat milder cheddar since a very sharp cheese takes over the flavor of the gougere and doesn't complement the apple butter as much. These are best hot, right out of the oven, but the pastry can be cooled and refrigerated or frozen and then heated up at a later point. I think I would add the apple butter before reheating to be sure everything was piping hot when served.
Fun little experiment.
This challenge was more about learning a process than producing a specific product. There was an extensive tutorial on preserving - both canning and freezing. Coming from a long line of food preservers, you would think I would be really comfortable with all this, but I have never been a jelly/jam maker and it has never even occurred to me to "put up" fruits and vegetables. I've seen it done but I've never done it on my own. My daughter, Elisabeth, probably knows more about this than I do!
Nonetheless, I followed John's suggestion and made apple butter and chose freezing as the preservation method since it requires substantially less equipment and time. The butter came together really quickly and easily and I was ready for the preserving piece of the challenge in no time.
We are not big users of jellies or jams or spreads in this house. I use them as ingredients in recipes sometimes, but never on toast. Nick loves his Grandma's Oregon grape jelly, but he's the only one who uses jelly as a spread. However - I had a thought about how to use the apple butter.
I eat apples raw and in salads and in ... pie! Could I find a way to make a pie-like product with the apple butter? My thought was to make gougeres with cheddar cheese in them, bake them and then fill them with the apple butter. An experiment in an alternate pie universe, perhaps.
And with little effort - pie in a bite! The gougeres have grated cheddar added before cooking. After they puffed up, I filled them with the apple butter by just inserting a very small spoon into the center of the gougere and adding the apple butter. Topped with some whipped cream and a little mint sprig, we have a bite-sized dessert which, if not exactly a pie, comes close.
I found it best to use a somewhat milder cheddar since a very sharp cheese takes over the flavor of the gougere and doesn't complement the apple butter as much. These are best hot, right out of the oven, but the pastry can be cooled and refrigerated or frozen and then heated up at a later point. I think I would add the apple butter before reheating to be sure everything was piping hot when served.
Fun little experiment.
Monday, September 13, 2010
The Big 6-0 and a Special Birthday Treat
Ron turns 60 today, but we celebrated yesterday with a dinner. I thought a recap of the meal would be fun, especially since there were some special treats involved.
I forgot to take a picture of the pre-dinner nibbles and they disappeared before I remembered, but they were, for the most part, purchased treats. There were Organic Blue Star Farms Stone Ground Wheat Crackers (made in Kent), Boat Street Pickled Figs (from the Boat Street restaurant in Seattle - really good!), and Dinah's Cheese.
This cheese was wonderful! Soft, buttery, and golden - and made on our very own Vashon Island, so local as well. A totally locavore appetizer without even trying.
The special treat was something I made. Let's see if you can figure it out.
Know what these are? How about a bigger picture?
Does that help? How about this?
Yep! Gummy bears. Now, what happens to gummy bears when they "marinate" in vodka for a few days?
They get bigger!
But not only that. They become lethal - a child's candy transformed into a portable adult cocktail. They are also very easy to eat. We didn't indulge enough to know if one can become tipsy from these little nibbles, but we laughed a lot!
The real dinner followed: A green salad (very local lettuce, from Bob's garden) with peaches and candied almonds in a peach viniagrette, tomatoes stuffed with robiola and gorgonzola cheese, risotto, and Alaskan king salmon. Thanks to Emma, I managed to deal with the salad and salmon while she was tending the risotto. It is wonderful having a God-daughter who is bright, entertaining, cute and an extremely capable sous chef.
When dinner was done, it was time for the official birthday dessert. Cake is not a big dessert favorite for some of the guests, so we had an alternative: A chocolate-mint Bailey's cream pie, based on a 1975 New York Times recipe. The chocolate-mint Bailey's was combined with cognac and mixed with a mousse-y filling in a chocolate cookie crust. What was I thinking? Start with vodka-infused gummy bears and end with Bailey's and cognac cream pie? Did we have a designated driver?????
While I love cooking these birthday dinners because I get to try new things with a receptive audience, the best part is an evening with some of my very favorite people. And Sarah, if you are reading this, I had a great meal planned for your birthday so we will have to do it next year!
Ooops! Almost forgot - no picture but the pie was accompanied by a freshly- made strawberry-tequila (or was it rum?) sorbet, kindly whipped by Bob to add to the overall alcohol level of the day. (NOTE: Dr. Bob is in charge of ice cream/sorbet production (and he has extraordinary talents in that category) and coffee roasting/grinding/making (scientifically approached, as you would expect) and hashbrown cooking (his skills far excel mine). All other food production on his part is incidental and not necessarily enthusiastic.)
I forgot to take a picture of the pre-dinner nibbles and they disappeared before I remembered, but they were, for the most part, purchased treats. There were Organic Blue Star Farms Stone Ground Wheat Crackers (made in Kent), Boat Street Pickled Figs (from the Boat Street restaurant in Seattle - really good!), and Dinah's Cheese.
This cheese was wonderful! Soft, buttery, and golden - and made on our very own Vashon Island, so local as well. A totally locavore appetizer without even trying.
The special treat was something I made. Let's see if you can figure it out.
Know what these are? How about a bigger picture?
Does that help? How about this?
Yep! Gummy bears. Now, what happens to gummy bears when they "marinate" in vodka for a few days?
They get bigger!
 |
| Inflated with vodka! |
But not only that. They become lethal - a child's candy transformed into a portable adult cocktail. They are also very easy to eat. We didn't indulge enough to know if one can become tipsy from these little nibbles, but we laughed a lot!
The real dinner followed: A green salad (very local lettuce, from Bob's garden) with peaches and candied almonds in a peach viniagrette, tomatoes stuffed with robiola and gorgonzola cheese, risotto, and Alaskan king salmon. Thanks to Emma, I managed to deal with the salad and salmon while she was tending the risotto. It is wonderful having a God-daughter who is bright, entertaining, cute and an extremely capable sous chef.
 |
| Peaches and candied almonds in Bob's homegrown lettuce. |
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| Robiola and gorgonzola stuffed tomatoes |
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| Emma's risotto |
 |
| Roasted Alaska King Salmon |
When dinner was done, it was time for the official birthday dessert. Cake is not a big dessert favorite for some of the guests, so we had an alternative: A chocolate-mint Bailey's cream pie, based on a 1975 New York Times recipe. The chocolate-mint Bailey's was combined with cognac and mixed with a mousse-y filling in a chocolate cookie crust. What was I thinking? Start with vodka-infused gummy bears and end with Bailey's and cognac cream pie? Did we have a designated driver?????
 |
| Boozy cream pie with 6 candles (because 60 candles would have been a fire hazard). |
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| The birthday boy and his birthday pie! |
Ooops! Almost forgot - no picture but the pie was accompanied by a freshly- made strawberry-tequila (or was it rum?) sorbet, kindly whipped by Bob to add to the overall alcohol level of the day. (NOTE: Dr. Bob is in charge of ice cream/sorbet production (and he has extraordinary talents in that category) and coffee roasting/grinding/making (scientifically approached, as you would expect) and hashbrown cooking (his skills far excel mine). All other food production on his part is incidental and not necessarily enthusiastic.)
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