Jereme's Kitchen

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Gnocchi with Leeks and Crispy Basil August 25, 2011

Filed under: Condiment,Culture,History,Mishaps,Recipe,Sides and Appetizers,Vegetarian — Jereme's Kitchen @ 11:16 am
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It’s been one of those “what the H-E-double-hockey-sticks do I have in the refrigerator / pantry today” kind of days.  But this recipe started out as an inspiration; an “a-ha!” moment, if you will.  For whatever reason, I was inspired to try to make gnocchi today (and by “today” I mean the same day that I’m writing this).  No idea why. . . I’ve never made gnocchi before. . . I don’t have a wise old Italian grandmother who can teach the wonders of making my own dumplings.  But I did have a bunch of leeks and a bushel of basil from the farmer’s (or is it farmers) market.  And I had some leftover mashed potatoes from the night before, so it all made sense.  I could make a shepherd’s pie, but I have the day off so why not try something new?

Now I know that you’re not supposed to use mashed potatoes when making gnocchi, but how different can it be?  There’s just a little extra cream and butter, maybe some garlic. . . and there are probably some recipes out there that would add all that stuff in anyway.  The only problem that I had was my lack of a ricer or a food mill, which I totally recommend that you have if you make gnocchi a lot. . . or even a little, because I had to pass all this through a mesh strainer, which was a pain!

Being a novice at this is rather evident — I could not roll it out right, mainly because I was working with a too-big piece of dough (I altered the recipe to accommodate).  So that meant that the pieces I cut were huge, which also meant that I could not shape things right.  But with all those things incorrect, it still tasted pretty good.  Now I have gone to restaurants and had some bad gnocchi — too dense, too doughy, too bland.  Much to my surprise, these were pretty light, but probably could have used a little bit more salt — I thought the mashed potatoes were salty enough.

This is another one of those things that doesn’t have as exact measurements as I would like. I kept on adding flour to the dough since it was too wet (I assume from the mashed potatoes).  But something like that would probably happen if it’s too humid outside.  This is as close as I could get it.  Here’s what you need:

  • 2 eggs
  • 3 c. leftover mashed potatoes
  • 1 1/2 c. flour, plus extra for the dough and rolling
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 leeks, thinly sliced
  • 2 sprigs of fresh basil
  • canola oil
  • zest of a lemon

1.  Into a large bowl, run the mashed potatoes through a ricer, food mill, or a sieve.  Make a well in the middle and add your eggs, salt, & pepper.  Mix the eggs with a fork, gradually adding some of the potatoes along the sides of the well.

2.  Sprinkle the flour over the top and using the fork mix to combine, being careful not to overmix.  The dough should be moist, but not wet or sticky.  If it is still wet, sprinkle flour over the top 1/4 c. at a time and work in gently.

3.  Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces.  Roll out the dough into a thin log, about an inch wide.  Cut the dough into 3/4 in pieces and dust with flour.  Roll the pieces over the tines of a fork.  Place the rolled pieces onto a sheet pan.

4.  Bring some water to a boil in a large stock pot.  When it comes to a boil,  generously salt the water with about 1 T. salt.  Drop the gnocchi into the water and cook for about 5 minutes; when they are done, they will float to the surface.  Transfer to a bowl and set aside.  Prepare the crispy basil.

5.  In a small pan, put about an inch of canola oil on medium-high.  Pinch off the individual basil leaves.  Working in small batches, fry the basil in the oil; it should only take a couple of seconds.  Remove the leaves and place on a wire rack lined with paper towel.

6.  Put a couple of tablespoons of the basil oil into the drained stock pot (I didn’t want to dirty another pan).  Place on medium high and sauté the leeks.  Add salt & pepper to taste.  When tender, add the gnocchi and heat through.  Toss with the lemon zest and serve.

Notes — Alright so here’s a little history for you, for which I know you’ve been chomping at the bit.  Gnocchi is probably one of the oldest recipes out there, with some documentation dating back to the 1300s.  There is debate on the origin of the word, but most agree that it has its roots in the Middle East. . . Traditionally, this is one of those meals that help extend your budget, since you can make it from simple ingredients. . . You can make these ahead of time and leave them in the refrigerator or maybe freeze them. . .

 

Caprese Salad with an Herb Vinaigrette August 2, 2011

Filed under: Culture,History,Main Dishes,Recipe,Salads,Sides and Appetizers,Vegetarian — Jereme's Kitchen @ 9:24 am
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Here’s something that I had tried to put together.  Originally I had the idea to make a Caprese Pie (which I still want to make), but alas I was fresh out of Pate Brisee.  So instead of trying to reinterpret a Caprese salad, I decided to try to switch it up a little bit.  This is a great summertime dish because prep can be so simple.  And who wants to be bogged down in a hot kitchen during the summer?  Not this guy!  The hardest thing you need to do could be just washing the veg!  Plus tomatoes are so good right now!  And when you can get a bushel of basil from the local farmer’s market for $1, it’s a match made in heaven.

Now after a little bit of research, what everyone knows as a Caprese salad really isn’t the one from Capri.  According to Epicurious, the original salad was served with arugula and dried oregano, both of which grew wild on the island.  Plus, it is served with olive oil only.  The vinegar would be detrimental to the flavor of the dish and overpower some of the more delicate notes.  My take does have an herb vinaigrette and the moscatel vinegar that I used can be a little overwhelming, but I make a nice emulsion with some basil and oregano which does help tame it a bit.  Here’s what you need:

  • 2 fresh tomatoes, cut in half and sliced 1/4 in. thick
  • 2 lbs. fresh mozzarella, sliced 1/4 in. thick half rounds
  • 1/4 c. moscatel vinegar
  • 3/4 c. olive oil
  • 1 c. fresh herbs (I used basil and oregano), coarsely chopped.
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • salt & pepper, to taste

1.  In a small food processor, chop the basil, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Drizzle the olive oil and vinegar over the top and blend well.

2.  While the dressing marries, arrange the tomatoes and mozzarella on the plate.  I made a circular pattern alternating the cheese and tomatoes.  In the center I put a chiffonade of some basil.

3.  Pour some of the dressing on top and you are ready to serve!  Simple!

Notes — If you like you could try using a more neutral vinegar, but I like the tartness of the moscatel. . . I think that you could add a lot of interest to this salad by using some heirloom tomatoes and different kinds of herbs like some purple basil. . . I also did a lazier version where I just coarsely chopped everything and tossed it with the vinaigrette — very rustic!

 

Shredded Greens with Marinated Glass Noodles and a Garlic-Soy Vinaigrette July 22, 2011

Filed under: Main Dishes,Recipe,Salads,Sides and Appetizers,Vegetarian — Jereme's Kitchen @ 9:48 am
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We are waist deep into summer, and for me that means that I need to avoid using my stove / oven at all costs.  Especially this week; it was over 100 degrees F yesterday.  So that means no real baking for the next couple of days / weeks / months.  Oh, how I miss the 2 feet of snow I had in the backyard nigh just a few months ago.  So since cooking and baking slow down, all this heat also means a lot of outdoor grilling and a lot of salads.  And with the farmer’s markets in full swing, why not take advantage of nature’s bounty?

I may have said this before, but I am not a fan of iceberg lettuce.  It’s only real purpose, in my opinion, is to keep my hamburger bun from getting soggy with burger-y juicy goodness.  So this salad will not have any of that stuff.  I use Red and Butter Lettuces here with some sliced onion and radish.  The little twist is that I added some marinated glass noodle.  It adds a nice bit of texture and interest, especially after chilling in the fridge of a couple of minutes or so.  I do also rather like the dressing.  It’s simple and I think you have a nice balance of flavors — you get some sweetness from the honey, some saltiness from the soy sauce, there’s the acid from the vinegar, and the raw garlic adds some heat and bitterness.  And all that flavor is wrapped up in a lovely olive oil.  Here’s what you need:

For the noodle:

  • 1 – 2 “bundles” of glass / cellophane noodles (Chinese vermicelli)
  • 2 c. water
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 T. seasoned rice vinegar
  • 1/4 c. soy sauce
  • 1 – 2 t. sesame oil

1.  In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil with the bay leaf.  Once boiling, add the vinegar and soy sauce.

2.  Remove from the heat and add the glass noodle.  Let steep for 5 – 7 minutes.

3.  Strain and toss with some sesame oil.  Set aside.

For the vinaigrette:

  • 1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 T. balsamic vinegar
  • 2 T. seasoned rice vinegar
  • 1 T. soy
  • 1-2 T. honey
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped

1.  Whisk together olive oil, vinegars, and soy sauce until well blended.

2.  Add honey and combine.  The honey will help hold the emulsion and add some sweetness.

3.  Add the black pepper and chopped garlic.  Stir to coat and set aside.

Assemble the salad:

  • 1 head of butter lettuce
  • 1 head of red lettuce
  • 3 radishes, halved and thinly sliced
  • 1/4 large white onion, thinly sliced

1.  Separate the leaves of lettuce.  Place them in a water bath to wash them.  Shred the leaves into bite-sized pieces and spin them dry.

2.  Place a bed of the lettuces on a plate.  In the center of the lettuce, place 1/2 the noodle, twisted with a fork to make a “nest”.

3. Drizzle the salad with the dressing.  Whisk the vinaigrette to re-emulsify if it separated whilst assembling the salad.  Repeat the steps to make a second salad or save everything to make a salad tomorrow!

Notes — I did top off the noodles with some left over lo mein.  I figured it would add a little bit of extra flavor, plus help clean out the fridge. . .  Also, I tend to like my dressings on the tart side, so I probably use more vinegar than most.  Usually the ratio of oil to vinegar is around 3:1 depending on the strength of the vinegar.  Try some different things out and see what you prefer.  And use high quality stuff.  You can’t mask sub-par ingredients here because you will definitely taste it. . . You will have plenty of extra greens here.  After shredding them, just place them in a zip top bag with a slightly damp paper towel and they will stay fresh for a while, maybe a week or so.  I can’t really recommend someone go to the market and just peel off a few leaves of lettuce here and there!

 

Gougere (aka Cheezy Poofs) July 14, 2011

Filed under: Breads and Baked Goods,Culture,Recipe,Sides and Appetizers,Vegetarian — Jereme's Kitchen @ 4:20 pm
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Happy Bastille Day!  So to celebrate I thought I’d make some Gougere.  That’s just French for “cheese puffs”.  Well, probably not, but that’s what they are.  But I was thinking one day about making certain sweet items more savory.  Cream puffs came to mind, so I was thinking about what would be a way to make them less sweet.  And — Bam! — cheese would work.

After doing some digging, it turns out I’m not all that much of  an innovator.  Looks like the French did this like millions of years ago.  Maybe I should read more French cookbooks.  This recipe basically follows your simple pate-a-choux recipe which is essentially a 1-1-1-4 combination.  That is 1 stick of butter, 1 cup of water, 1 cup of flour, and 4 eggs.  Plus any salt, pepper, and sugar you might add.  This makes about 40, depending on how big you make them.

Anyhoo, here’s what you need:

  • 1 stick of butter
  • 1 t. salt
  • 1 t. sugar
  • 1 c. all-purpose flour
  • 1 c. grated Gruyère
  • 1/2 c. grated cheddar
  • 1/4 c. grated parmesan
  • 5 eggs
  • 3 T. fresh herbs
  • 1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper

1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Make an egg wash by mixing together one egg and 1 T. heavy cream; set aside.  Bring 1 c. water, the salt, sugar, and butter to a boil in a saucepan.  Cook until butter is melted.  Add in the flour all at once and stir to combine.

2.  Cook the flour combination for about 5 minutes, until there is a film covering the bottom of the pan.  Transfer to a bowl.

3.  Add the cheeses to the mixture and mix well.  One at a time, add 4 eggs, mixing after each addition.  Now add the herbs and black pepper and incorporate.

4.  Using a piping bag, pipe out 1 – 2 inch rounds onto a lined baking sheet.  If needed, dip your finger into a bowl of water and smooth out the tops.  Brush the puffs with the egg wash and top with a little cheese if you have any leftover.

5.  Bake for about 20 – 25 minutes until golden and puffed.  Serve immediately.

Notes — A couple of things:  (1) Now I was watching a clip on-line from Martha and they said that you could bake these and freeze them.  I certainly hope that’s the case since I will have a lot leftover.  I have frozen some pies before with no problems so I’m guessing it should work out fine.  (2) Also, you can just drop the puffs if you don’t want to pipe them out.  Just smooth out the tops to get a nice uniform shape.  (3) You can substitute a variety of cheeses, but I’d figure you want some kind of good melting cheese at least.  I wonder what using a Stilton would be like.

 

Baked Eggs with Roasted Peppers June 18, 2011

Filed under: Main Dishes,Recipe,Vegetarian — Jereme's Kitchen @ 9:53 am
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What’s wrong with brunch?  Nothin’ I tell ya’!  I love a lazy Sunday brunch.  Now this past Sunday brunch was lazier than usual in the fact that it started at around 12:15 pm.  I guess you can’t really call it brunch anymore if it’s that late.  But again it’s a lazy Sunday.  Which is why I try to keep brunches very simple.  And it is the only meal where I allow any kind of meal from a box.  Take waffles and pancakes for example.  I know how to make them from scratch, and if I am motivated enough to do it (or if I am doing some type of early morning entertaining), I will make them from scratch.  But (for the third and hopefully final time) it’s lazy Sunday!  And that’s why I love my giant bag of Krusteaz in my pantry.  Just add some eggs and butter and *poof!* you’ve got a whole bunch of waffley or pancakey goodness.  And if you want to make it extra fancy, just add some fruit to the mix.  Or even chocolate chips.  Williams-Sonoma always has some very nice waffle mixes and there’s probably a store not too far from you.  I also love stuff from Stonewall Kitchen, but that might be a little bit more difficult to find.  I especially love their jams like the Peach Amaretto or Wild Maine Blueberry.

But I digress. . . Back to the recipe!  Now this is a nice traditional French dish.  Sometimes called shirred eggs, it’s hearty and rustic, plus it’s simple and quick to make.  Now there are a bunch of recipes out there.  Some have a little bit of cheese, some have some wedges of tomato, some have just some herbs, and some are pretty much a quiche with no crust, leaving the eggs unscrambled.  I added some slivers of roasted peppers to just add some different flavors and textures, but they can certainly be omitted.  To make it even more Provencal, I had initially wanted to add some lavender, but I was overruled.  So in with the peppers.

For whatever reason, I don’t make Baked Eggs all that much, but I like the recipe so much that I bought 2 baking dishes specifically for this.  Good thing I can use those dishes for other things.  Now this is nice to serve with toast, probably a good sourdough or wheat bread.  I had some leftover biscuits that I had as a side.  It’s good to have something to help sop up all the liquidy deliciousness left from the eggs, cream, and butter.  You’ll need a small type of ramekin or some other similar type of baking dish.  It will need to be shallow so that the heat can surround the eggs.  This is especially important since the dish will be in the oven for a total of about 10 minutes, with the eggs being in there for maybe 5 of those minutes.

Here’s a single serving recipe.  Here’s what you need:

  • 3 eggs
  • 1 T. cream
  • 1 t. butter
  • salt & pepper, to taste
  • Herbes de Provence, to taste
  • red pepper flakes, to taste
  • 1/2 roasted pepper, sliced into strips

1.  Set the top rack in the oven to about a 8 inches or so from the heating element.  This will probably be the second highest level in the oven.  Turn the broiler in the oven to high.  Leave the oven on for a couple of minutes to get everything to temperature.

2.  Place the cream and butter in the baking dish.  Place in the preheated oven for about 5 minutes, until bubbly and somewhat browned.  Doing this step helps ensure everything cooks evenly.  Now while the cream is heating in the oven, crack the eggs into a measuring cup or some other vessel that can facilitate easy pouring.  It is important to minimize the amount of time the dishes are out of the oven.

3.  When the cream is ready, remove the dish from the oven and add the eggs.  Season with the herbes de Provence, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.  Add the roasted peppers and return to the oven under the broiler.

4.  Cook for another 4-7 minutes, until desired doneness.  The less time it is in the oven, the runnier the yolk will be.  Usually leave it in the oven until the whites are almost set.  Remove from the oven and let it sit for about a minute to let it set.  Like with scrambled eggs, they still continue to cook while out of the oven.  After the minute is up, it’s then ready to serve!

 

Grilled Beet Pilaf June 15, 2011

Filed under: Culture,Recipe,Sides and Appetizers,Vegetarian — Jereme's Kitchen @ 11:41 am
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I don’t know about y’all, but when I think about rice pilaf, there is always an air of mystery.  But when you look up what a rice pilaf actually is, it’s basically some rice with some other stuff in it.  It’s usually some wild rice, but it could be some toasted onion, spices, raisins, nuts, etc.  Tah-Dah!  Mystery solved.  Of course, some are more complicated where you toast the pre-cooked rice in some butter with some vegetables and spices, then cook everything in some broth or some saffron water.  This recipe is much simpler.

Pilaf can be traced back to the Middle East to about 2500 years ago.  Historians have found that the dish was probably served to Alexander the Great and Darius the Great. It has spread to become a very international dish.  But if you think about it, paella or risotto could be considered a pilaf.  Even fried rice could fall into that category.

Now I don’t really know how to quantify some ingredients since some leftovers were used and everything was thrown together.  I had some beets leftover from some other dish that I didn’t end up doing (I had originally planned that Mixed Green Salad with Chive Flowers and Fried Goat Cheese to also have Roasted Beets.  But it seemed too busy so I nixed the beets.)  Plus, there was some leftover brown rice in the fridge with which I needed to do something.  So this is my first real attempt to “standardize” the recipe.

Here’s what you need:

  • 2 beets, peeled and sliced about 1/4 – 1/2 ” thick and cut into quarters (I used a red and an orange beet)
  • 1 medium onion, sliced about 1/4 – 1/2″ thick
  • 1 t. Herbes de Provence
  • 2 T. olive oil
  • salt & pepper, to taste
  • 1 T. chive butter
  • 3 c. cooked brown rice

1.  On a large sheet of foil, place the beets, onion, and herbes de Provence.  Drizzle with the olive oil and toss gently.  Add the salt & pepper.  Fold half of the foil sheet over and crimp the edges to seal them and make a pouch.

2.  Place the foil pouch on the grill and cook for 25 – 30 minutes, until the beets are tender.

3.  Transfer the cooked rice into a serving dish.  Empty the contents of the foil pouch on top of the rice and toss to combine.  Top with the chive butter.

Note — If you are making this for someone who’s vegan, just omit the butter.  Plus you can still cook this on the grill with some burgers and hot dogs and the like along with the beets because they are self-contained.  Since they are in a foil pouch, the beets are protected from the meat.  Of course, there are some who might object to using the same cooking surface regardless.  You could always get a second grill!

 

Mixed Greens Salad with Fried Goat Cheese and Chive Flowers June 5, 2011

Filed under: Condiment,Recipe,Salads,Sides and Appetizers,Vegetarian — Jereme's Kitchen @ 11:16 am
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So in honor of National Fresh Fruit and Veggies Month and National Salad Month (which was last month), I thought I’d give a try to make a nice salad.  Now I’ve never been a fan of salad.  Maybe it’s because historically for me, it usually involves some bits of iceberg lettuce and some kind of dressing.  Sometimes a special treat would be a couple of croutons.  Not fun, at least in my opinion.  So whenever I make a salad, I try to make it interesting with a wide range of flavors, different textures, different colors, fun ingredients, seasonal inspiration. . . all that jazz.

Chive flowers were the inspiration for this dish.  I have some chives growing in a couple of pots which I usually take into the house over the winter.  This time, for whatever reason, I left them out to face the winter head-on.  Fast forward to Spring 2011 and there are an abundance of chive flowers.  Not sure if it has anything to do with being exposed to the elements, but that’s beside the point.  Point is, I had at least twice the amount of chive flowers than I’ve had before.  If you’ve never eaten them, they are somewhat milder than chives, but they have a subtle spiciness and bite.

For this salad, the greens that I chose are a mixture of butter lettuce (yum) and some frisee (also yum).  The nice soft sweetness of the butter lettuce is a nice contrast to the bitterness and hardiness of the frisee.   I use about 2 parts frisee to 1 part butter lettuce (which is nice cuz frisee costs a lot less).  Add in the nice, tart, creaminess of the goat cheese and I think it’s a winner.  Here’s what you need to make 2 nice-sized salads:

For the salad:

  • about 3 c. mixed greens (I usually get extra greens, cuz you could have enough for a couple of salads the rest of the week.  For this batch I got 2 heads of frisee and 1 of the butter lettuce.)
  • 8 – 10 chive blossoms, leaving some whole and some divided into florets
  • 4 rounds of goat cheese, 1/2″ thick
  • 5 T. toasted breadcrumbs
  • 2 t. fennel seeds
  • vinaigrette, to taste (I made a raspberry vinaigrette with just a touch of balsamic)
  • salt & pepper, to taste

1.  Place the goat cheese in the freezer for about 15 minutes.  This makes it easier to slice and handle later.  It also helps it not melt too much when it is fried up.

2.  Wash and dry greens.  Cut or tear into bite-sized pieces.  Place on a serving plate or salad bowl.  Wash and dry chive blossoms.  Keep four whole, but separate the other four into the individual florets.  Sprinkle florets over the greens.  Set aside the whole flowers.

3.  Slice rounds from the goat cheese log.  In a small dish, mix together the bread crumbs, fennel seeds, salt, and pepper.  Coat the rounds in the crumb mixture.  Quickly fry the rounds until golden.

4.  Place the warm rounds on top of the greens.  Drizzle with prepared vinaigrette.  Garnish with the whole chive flowers and serve.

For the raspberry vinaigrette:

To make your standard vinaigrette, the ratio of oil to vinegar is somewhere between 3:1 and 2:1.  It all depends on the strength of the vinegar and how tart you like it.  Plus vinegars come in a wide range of flavors, so the ratio needs to adjust to accommodate.   Do what you feel comfortable with!  For this recipe, I used a 2:1 ratio.  There’s no additional emulsifiers here, but if you want something a little bit creamier, you can add maybe 1 T. of honey, or maybe 1 T. of raspberry preserves.  Personally, I don’t really add any emulsifiers unless I need them for the flavor they provide.  Lately I don’t even mix them together; I just drizzle some vinegar and olive oil on the greens and toss it together in my bowl.  Here’s what you need:

  • 1/2 c. olive oil
  • 1/4 c. raspberry vinegar (with a splash of balsamic)
  • 1 t. chopped chives
  • salt &  pepper, to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a container and whisk until combined.  Or you could put all the ingredients in a mason jar and shake to combine.

 

Yolks, Yolks, and more Yolks. . . plus an Egg Custard and Nutmeg tart May 26, 2011

Filed under: Pies and Tarts,Recipe,Vegetarian — Jereme's Kitchen @ 2:58 pm
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So I’ve been working on making some cupcakes for the past couple of days (maybe I’ll post something on that later).  What I originally planned to use with those cupcakes was a nice swiss meringue buttercream.  I was going to divide the basic batch in half or maybe thirds, and then tint and flavor them accordingly.  And since it’s a meringue, that meant just using the egg whites.

Fast forward to the part when you add the butter, and guess what happened next.  Well, the minute I added the butter, everything just deflated.  I thought, “That’s weird.  It’s not like I’ve never made this before.”  So fast forward to take two and lo and behold, the same thing happened.  That meant a change of plans.  It also meant that I had 26 egg yolks that were just kinda hanging out in the refrigerator (10 for each batch of buttercream, plus 6 from a batch of 7-minute frosting that I made as a replacement).

Now what do you do with that many egg yolks?  I didn’t have the foggiest idea.  The only thing that I could come up with was making maybe a gallon of lemon curd which wasn’t the best solution (in my opinion).  So after doing some searching, I came across a recipe for a Classic Egg Custard Pie with Lots of Nutmeg on Martha Stewart’s website.  It looks fairly simple, plus it uses 12 egg yolks!  Of course, I’ll still need to make a lemon curd anyway.  Or maybe a lime curd.

A couple of caveats — I didn’t have the correct pan so I had to improvise.  Since I didn’t have the correct pan, I had lots of extra filling.  So I just decided to have a couple of small baking dishes (which I use for baked eggs — I’ll post on that later) and an old ramekin act as stand-ins without crusts.  I also didn’t bother with the “sweet pastry dough” that was listed in the ingredient list.  I already had some pate brisee in the freezer so I just used that.  Plus, I didn’t have a vanilla bean hanging around, but I did have some vanilla extract. . .  Also, I didn’t have enough cream so I added a little roux to the mix.  Oh yeah, and some of the measurements could be a little off cuz some of the yolks had broken so there might be a little bit more in what I made.  Oops.  Wow — that’s lots of changes.  And I forgot; I don’t have arrowroot, so I used corn starch.

Here’s you’ll need for my version (but check out Martha’s at the link I listed earlier):

  • all-purpose flour for dusting
  • 1/2 pate brisee recipe (check out my earlier post)
  • 1 t. vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 c. heavy cream
  • 2 1/2 c. whole milk
  • 1 t. flour
  • 1 t. butter
  • 12 egg yolks at room temperature
  • 1/2 c. granulated sugar
  • 2 t. cornstarch
  • 1/4 t. ground nutmeg, plus more for dusting
  • confectioners’ sugar for dusting

1.   Preheat oven to 350.  On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to about a 1/8 inch thick round.  Place in a 9″ tart pan that was lined with parchment on the bottom.  Trim off excess crust (save the trimmings — form them into a ball and put them in the fridge or freezer).  Blind bake for 12 minutes, remove pie weights (or rice or beans) and bake for about 25 minutes until golden brown.  Place pan on a wire rack to cool.

2.  In a medium sauce pan, melt the 1 t. of butter with the 1 t. of flour.  Cook for about a minutes on medium and gradually add the milk while stirring to combine.  Add the cream and vanilla and bring the mixture to a simmer.  Remove from heat, cover, and set aside for 10 minutes.

3.  Whisk together yolks and granulated sugar in a large bowl until pale and thick, about 2 minutes.  While still whisking, add warm cream mixture gradually.  Add the cornstarch and nutmeg and whisk until smooth.  Pour through a mesh strainer into the crust.

4.  Bake until edges of filling are set but center is still slightly wobbly, about 40 minutes.  Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.  Refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or overnight).  Before serving, unmold, sprinkle with nutmeg, and dust with confectioners’ sugar.

 

Dry Rub May 23, 2011

Filed under: Condiment,Holidays,Recipe,Vegetarian — Jereme's Kitchen @ 5:47 pm
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So, May is National BBQ Month (I have already mentioned this in a couple of previous posts).  When a lot of people think of a BBQ, it usually involves some family and friends in the backyard, ice cold drinks, maybe a couple of dogs running around, all revolving around someone managing the grill.  Depending on who you talk to, this is not a BBQ, but in fact grilling.  Grilling is a method of cooking done over a direct flame and high heat.  To purists, BBQ takes hours, slow roasting cuts of meat at a low temperature (low and slow!), all done in a smoker or a pit.  Some are wet (dripping in a variety of sauces) while others use a dry rub.

And what is a dry rub?  Essentially, it’s a dry marinade.  It is a mixture of salt, sugar, and spices that is rubbed on the outside before roasting.  Everything is allowed to marinate for several hours which draws out a lot of moisture which, in turn, concentrates the flavor of the meat.  This also draws in a lot of the flavor of the marinade.

Now, I like this kind of stuff a little on the sweet side, so this recipe has more sugar than most (I do have a rub that is a lot more spicy, too).  It works well when used on the grill because the sugar helps to give a nice caramelized coating on whatever you are grilling, meat, veggies, or otherwise.  This recipe does make a lot, but it should last you the whole grilling season (depending on where you live and how much you use).   It might seem needlessly complicated, but every ingredient does do its part.

Here’s what you need:

  • 10 T. brown sugar
  • 3 T. salt
  • 1 T. chili powder
  • 1 T. cocoa
  • 1 T. ground coffee
  • 1 t. paprika
  • 1 t. galangal
  • 1/2 t. dry mustard
  • 1/2 t. onion powder
  • 1/2 t. garlic powder
  • 1 t. chili flakes
  • 1 t. whole anise
  • 1 t. celery seed
  • 1 t. whole coriander
  • 1 t. whole cloves
  • 1 t. cumin

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the brown sugar, salt, chili powder, cocoa, coffee, paprika, galangal, mustard, onion powder, and garlic powder.  In a dry saute pan, toast the chili flakes, anise, celery seed, coriander, cloves, and cumin.  Add to the rest of the ingredients to the food processor and pulse until a fairly uniform powder is formed and the dry rub is cool.  Store in an air tight container.

Note — this is something that I came up with after lots of trials.  There’s a lot of ingredients, so I suggest just trying to simplify things and just go with a basic dry rub.  Start with just the brown sugar, salt, and chili powder.  Add stuff as you go and see what you like.

 

Cinco de Mayo Menu — Guacamole, Ceviche, and Margaritas May 5, 2011

Filed under: Culture,Drinks,History,Holidays,Menus,Recipe,Sides and Appetizers — Jereme's Kitchen @ 1:14 pm
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Happy Cinco de Mayo!  You know what that means — time to get your drink on!  But what it really commemorates is the Mexican victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862 (the Mexican Day of Independence is September 16, 1810).  Napoleon was looking to get some money back that Mexico owed France and this invasion was a way of doing that.  But things on this day didn’t turn out the way he had planned and Mexico defeated the superior (yet uncoordinated) French force.  It’s like the Alamo. . . if Texas had won.

So this isn’t really a menu per se.  More of a collection of recipes that are easy to make and that you can have for your holiday celebration.  So let’s start off with the Guacamole.  It’s simple and easy to make.  Plus it’s easy for you to put your simple twist on it.  Por exemplo, you could keep everything in a rough dice and make an avocado salad, or add some jalapeno or serrano chiles, or add cilantro (yuk — I am one of those folks who cannot stand cilantro).  Here’s what you need:

  • 3 or 4 Hass avocados, about 1 1/2 lbs.
  • 1 clove garlic, minced or chopped
  • 1/2 of a small white onion, diced
  • 1 tomato chopped
  • juice of 1 lime
  • salt and pepper to taste

1.  Prepare the avocados by cutting them in half lengthwise and twisting them to open up the halves.  Remove the seed.  Scoop out the flesh and place in a bowl.  Now mash it with a fork (depending on how chunky you want it).

2.  Add the remaining ingredients and stir.  Serve with some tortilla chips or use as a topping for tacos, burritos, eggs. . .  anything really. . . except like blueberry pie and the ilk.  Press down a cover a plastic wrap onto the surface of the guacamole if you’re not using it immediately.  I have heard that in order to keep this from turning brown, you can place the avocado pit on top of the mixture.  Not sure how or even if this works.  But if it does, in theory, you won’t need to cover this dish and can even cut back on the lime.

Ceviche.  There are all different kinds of ceviche, but they all involve “cooking” or marinating fresh seafood in some citrus juice, usually lime.  “Cooking” doesn’t necessarily happen in this dish, but the citrus does denature the proteins in the seafood, which is what the heat from cooking does.  It probably originated in Peru and made its way up the coastline to Mexico, although some place origins of the dish closer to Central America.  There are some cultures in Asia who may also have a claim on “inventing” the dish (I luv Hawaiian Poke).  Again, a variety of seafoods are used — different fishes, scallops, squid, octopus, crab, I even saw one with smoked fish for those who have concerns about eating raw fish.  Since this is Cinco de Mayo, I will “de-Asian” my recipe to put it closer to the Mexican version (I like to put a little ginger, green onion, and soy sauce in mine).  I will be making some later today.  Here’s what you need:

  • 1 lb. ocean fish like halibut, mackerel, or snapper (go to your fish monger and see what’s fresh and use that.  you could also tell them that you’re planning on making ceviche and ask them for suggestions.  any good fish monger should be able to help you out.  if they can’t offer any good advice buy your fish somewhere else!).
  • 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced or chopped
  • 1 c. fresh lime juice
  • 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
  • 1/4 c. chopped cilantro or flat leaf parsley
  • hot chiles, to taste
  • 2 T. olive oil
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • sugar

1.  Cut the fish into about 1/2 in. cubes.  Place in a non-reactive bowl (like glass or stainless) with the onion, garlic, and lime juice.  The fish should be covered with the lime juice, if not just add some more, or top it off with some water.  Let marinate in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours, to get the fish well done.  If you want it more raw, just marinate it for about an hour or two.

2.  Strain out the lime juice and discard it.  Add your tomatoes, chile, cilantro (or parsley), and olive oil.  Stir to combine.  Season with the salt and pepper.   Balance out the flavors with just a scant amount of sugar, maybe 1/2 teaspoon.

Margaritas.  What would today be without a good margarita?  Origins of this drink are highly debatable, with several stories about where and why this drink was created.  But it is definitely Mexican in origin and can be made in lots of variations, which I’m sure y’all know.  Just go to a local restaurant and see what different kinds they have.  This recipe is simple, requires only three ingredients (not including ice and salt or sugar on the rim of the glass) — Silver Tequila, lime juice, and Cointreau.

1.  Prep the glass by running a lime around the rim and dipping it into a shallow plate of salt or sugar, depending on your taste.

2.  Pour your tequila, lime juice, and Cointreau into a pitcher.  If you use a cup of each, you’d probably get 5 margaritas, depending on how much of a booze hound you are.  Fill a cocktail shaker about half full of ice.  Add enough of your Margarita mixture for a couple of drinks and shake vigorously for about 15-30 seconds to chill and dilute it.  Strain into the prepared glass.

Now these are just a couple of things that you can make today to help celebrate the holiday.  We typically think of this day as an excuse to drink, but take some time to celebrate Mexican culture and heritage.  One e-magazine that can offer some information on a wide variety of topics ranging from culture to cuisine to travel is MexConnect.  On the Culinary side of things, one great resource is Chef Rick Bayless.  He has a series on PBS called Mexico – One Plate at a Time where he explores the culture and food traditions  of Mexico, as well as the variations across the different regions of the country.  He has won various awards including a couple of James Beards.  You can learn about his books, restaurants, products, and his bio at the hyperlink above (I did not know that he did some doctoral work in Anthropological Linguistics at the University of Michigan).

Sorry for the long post, but hope it was helpful.  I’ll try to post some other things throughout the day that are Mexican themed.  Depends on how many margaritas I have :)

 

 
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