04.04.06
Posted in Cooking at 8:01 am by Beau
I’ve been eyeing the recipe for Paula Dean’s White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Pie for about six weeks because I love almost anything white chocolate wiht macadamia nuts (except those nasty, pre-packaged Mrs. Fields version. They’re totally toxic). I’d been holding off until I was done with school and give it my full attention. That was this weekend and just happened to be early Sunday morning. Nothing beats melting chocolate over a jimmy-rigged double-boiler at 8am with a hot cup of steaming decaf at the ready.
Overall, I thought the result was pretty good. The recipe is ridiculously simple which makes it a no-brainer if you need to take a good pie somewhere for this summer. I quite possibly over-roasted the nuts but it didn’t seem to matter much. As a big fan of white chocolate, I was a little disappointed in how much the flavor was subdued by the nuts and chocolate ganauche but overall, the pie is really good.
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Pie
Ganache:
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream
Filling:
6 1/2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream, plus 3/4 cup, whipped soft
6 1/2 (1-ounce) squares premium white baking chocolate, melted
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
2/3 cup roasted, chopped macadamia nuts
1 pre-baked deep-dish (9-inch) pie shell
Garnish:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 to 2 ounces chopped macadamia nuts
Ganache:
Place chocolate chips in a metal mixing bowl. Bring cream to a simmer over medium heat. Pour simmering cream over chips and stir until melted. Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature.
Filling:
Beat cream cheese and sugar with a handheld electric mixer until smooth. Scrape bowl with a spatula and mix in 1/3 cup heavy cream. Add the melted white chocolate, zest, and nuts and stir just until incorporated. Fold in the whipped cream. Spread into pre-baked pie shell and level off using a rubber spatula. Put in freezer until frozen.
To finish pie, place the ganache in the microwave on low for no more than 10 seconds at a time. Stir after each warming, until ganache pours loosely but is not even close to boiling. Be very careful when warming chocolate, as it will burn very quickly when heated in the microwave. Once chocolate is scorched it is unusable. Spread warm ganache over top of frozen pie, smoothing to the edges with a spatula.
Garnish:
Beat cream and confectioners’ sugar with a handheld electric mixer to stiff peaks. Transfer to a piping bag and pipe edges of pie with whipped cream. Sprinkle macadamia nuts over top. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Permalink
02.13.06
Posted in Cooking at 8:37 am by Beau
I whipped up another batch of Paula Dean’s Almond Danish Swirls yesterday to sooth myself and my aching head (bond-ratings! alternative capital financing strategies, pork! pork! pork!) with every intention of eating every last one. From the ingredient list, that’s two full tubes of cresent rolls and a whole package of cream cheese mind you. Loveless chicks with spoons and pints of Ben & Jerry’s have nothing on me.
I had a change of plans about half way through this orgy though, when the glob of confectioner’s sugar glaze I licked off the back of my hand turned out to be the Neutrogena moisturizer I had just slathered on. Brought up short by this assult on my hungry inner child and left with a taste of Alpha Hydroxy well into the evening, I saved myself the estimated 2534 calories left in the almond swirls and packed them away for another day.
Almond Danish Swirls
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup slivered almonds, chopped fine
2 (8-ounce) cans refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1 egg white
1 teaspoon water
Glaze:
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
4 teaspoons milk
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, almond extract, and sugar until fluffy. Fold half of the chopped almonds into the cream cheese mixture. Separate 1 can of dough and assemble into 4 rectangles. Firmly press the perforations to seal. Press or roll each piece of dough to form a 7 by 4-inch rectangle, and spread each with about 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese filling to within 1/4-inch of the edges. Starting at the short end, roll each rectangle tightly into a cylinder. Repeat with the other can of dough and remaining filling.
Place on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F while the rolls are chilling.
Remove from the refrigerator and cut each roll into 4 slices. Place 1/2-inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. In a small bowl, combine the egg white with 1 teaspoon water. Brush over the swirls. Sprinkle with the remaining chopped almonds. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until light brown.
While the swirls are baking, combine the glaze ingredients in a small bowl. Cool the swirls for 3 minutes on wire racks placed over a sheet of waxed paper. Drizzle the icing over the warm swirls.
Permalink
02.05.06
Posted in Cooking at 1:23 am by Beau
I’ve been going through Rachel Ray’s “365: No Repeats”, marking up potential recipes to try so when it came to tonight’s dinner, it was either ordering in pizza or trying something with stuff we had on hand. I opted for cooking and canoodled Jeff into it, promising as I always do that if it doesn’t taste good, I won’t be offended if we toss it and go with plan B. I’m still so new at cooking that I can’t be surprised if things turn out inedible and would never force anyone to eat it just to sooth my fragile psyche.
All that being said, the chicken croquettes with sweet potato mashers and pan gravy were completely edible and are on the repeat list. Lessons learned: mashed potatoes are simple and quick to make, so I need to stop being a pussy about side dishes. Also, pan gravy isn’t rocket science.
Chicken Croquettes with Spinach Mashers and Pan Gravy
from “365: No Repeats”, Recipe # 74, page 66
3 lg. potatoes, peels and cubed (I subbed in sweet potatoes)
Course salt
1.3 lbs ground turkey or chicken
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
1 sm. onion, finely chopped
2 tsp. poultry seasoning
3 tbls. chopped fresh thyme
3 tbls. chopped flat-leaf parsley
Coarse black pepper
1 egg yolk
2 cups bread crumbs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
4 tbls. butter
2 tbls. flour
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup cream or half-and-half
1 lb. baby spinach leaves
Place the potatoes in a pot adn cover with cold water. put a lid on the pot and bring the water to a boil. Salt the water and cook the potatoes until tender, about 15 minutes.
While the potatoes cook, make the croquettes. Place the meat in a bowl. Add the celery, onions, seasoning, thyme, parsley, salt, pepper, and egg yolk. Combine and form 8 patties. Coat both sides with bread crumbs. Heat the vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Cooke the patties for 5 minutes on each side. Remove the croquettes to a plate and cover loosely with foil to keep warm. Reduce the heat under the skillet and add 2 tbls of butter, melt, then whisk in the flour. Cook the roux for a minute or two. Whisk in 2 cups of chicken stock and bring to bubble. Thicken for a minute and turn of the heat. Season with sauce with salt and pepper.
Drain the cooked potatoes and return to the hot pot. Add 2 tbls butter, 1/2 cup of chicken stock, and the cream. Mash and season with salt and pepper. Fold in the spinach leaves until they wilt.
To serve, pile the spinach mashers on the plates and top each portion with 2 croquettes and gravy.
Permalink
01.16.06
Posted in Cooking at 8:49 pm by Beau
I’ve cooked my hands down to a bloody pulp this weekend. Encouraged by the 30-minute Meal books I’ve purchased over the last few weeks, I swung out, planned my grocery lists, and had at it:
Chili Sweet Potato Hash with Fried Eggs and Fresh Tomato Salsa
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
1/2 pound bulk breakfast sausage, such as maple sausage
1 medium sweet potato, scrubbed clean, cut in 1/2 lengthwise, thinly sliced into 1/2 moons
1 large red onion thinly sliced, divided
2 teaspoons chili powder, 2/3 palm full
1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/3 palm full
2 teaspoons ground coriander, 2/3 palm full
Salt and pepper
3 yellow vine ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, a palm full
1 lime, juiced
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, a few handfuls
1 cup grated manchego or extra-sharp Cheddar
1 tablespoon butter
4 large eggs
Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat with 2 turns of the pan of olive oil, about 2 tablespoons. Add the breakfast sausage and break it up with the back of a wooden spoon into little chunks, brown sausage for 3 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes and 3/4 of the chopped red onion to the sausage, season with chili powder, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper, stir frequently and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the potatoes are nice and tender.
While the hash is cooking, in a small bowl combine the tomatoes, jalapeno, and the remaining chopped red onion, cilantro, lime juice and a little salt and pepper.
Once the hash is cooked, add the chopped parsley, stir to combine and transfer hash to a serving platter. Sprinkle with the cheese and cover with aluminum foil, the cheese will melt while you make the fried eggs.
Wipe clean the skillet you made the hash in, return it to the cook top over medium-high heat and add the butter. Once the butter has melted, crack each of the eggs into the skillet, season with a little salt and pepper and fry to desired doneness. Eggs may, of course, be scrambled as well. As you like!
Transfer the fried eggs to the top of the hash, sprinkle with the fresh tomato salsa and serve.
My take: This was AWESOME!! My favorite of the whole weekend. I could make this over and over again. Seriously, the surprise is the great salsa flavor over top of the dish.
Sausage, Mushroom, and Pesto Polenta Lasanga
recipe in Rachel Ray’s No Repeats cook book which I left at home. I’ll post the recipe next weekend for anyone interested. This was ok. I need to tweak the amount of the ricotta filling but Jeff ate it and liked it so it’s a keeper.
Turkey Cacciatore Burgers on Portobello “Buns”
1 1/3 pounds ground turkey breast, the average weight of 1 package
Salt and pepper
6 crimini mushrooms (baby portobellos) stems removed and finely chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, smashed away from skin and finely chopped
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano, a couple of handfuls
Handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
4 large portobello mushroom caps, stems removed
Coarse salt and black pepper2 cups arugula leaves, coarsely chopped
1/2 pound fresh mozzarella or fresh smoked mozzarella, thinly sliced
Sliced red onion and sliced yellow and plum tomatoes
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
Combine meat with salt and pepper, chopped crimini mushrooms, chopped bell pepper, chopped onion, garlic, tomato paste, Worcestershire, crushed red pepper flakes, cheese and parsley. Score and form meat into 4 large patties, 1 inch thick. Drizzle extra-virgin olive oil on top the patties then fry 5 or 6 minutes on each side in a hot skillet.
Place portobello caps on a small baking sheet gill side up and drizzle extra-virgin olive oil on them. Roast the caps 12 minutes. Remove them from the oven and season them with salt and pepper. Turn oven off. Top each cap with about 1/2 cup arugula and a burger. Cap burger with mozzarella and place back in still-warm oven. Melt the cheese 1 minute. Transfer burgers on “bun” bottoms to plates. Top with onions and tomatoes and serve.
My take: These didn’t work at all. I ate a half and threw the rest away. I was really disappointed because all the ingredients looked and smelled so great but the end result was like bland, woody cardboard that would need SO much mayonaise just to eat, it wouldn’t be worth it.
Grilled Chicken Cutlet Parmigiana
2 pounds thin cut chicken breast, cutlets
Salt and pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling, plus 2 tablespoons
3 to 4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 small yellow skinned onion, finely chopped
1 (28-ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes, such as Muir Glenn brand
1 cup, 20 leaves, fresh basil leaves, shredded or torn
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/2 pound smoked mozzarella, thinly sliced
Heat outdoor grill or indoor grill pan to high. Season chicken with salt and pepper and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil to keep it from sticking to the grill. Cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side and transfer to a foil covered platter to hold. If you are using a grill pan, cook the chicken in 2 batches if necessary. While chicken cooks, make sauce.
Place a medium pot on the stove over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan. Add garlic, crushed red pepper flakes and chopped onions. Cook 10 minutes, stirring often. Add tomatoes and heat through, 2 minutes. Wilt in the basil and season the sauce with salt and pepper.
Preheat the broiler to high.
Layer the chicken with fire roasted sauce in a casserole dish. Top the casserole with Parmigiano and mozzarella. Brown the casserole under the broiler 3 minutes.
My take: This turned out pretty well which surprised me. I thought for sure it would flop and be tasteless but it was surprisingly flavorful and moist AND I was actually able to put it together and have it on the table in under 30-minutes.
And my non-Rachel Ray attempt:
Almond Danish Swirls
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup slivered almonds, chopped fine
2 (8-ounce) cans refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1 egg white
1 teaspoon water
Glaze:
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
4 teaspoons milk
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, almond extract, and sugar until fluffy. Fold half of the chopped almonds into the cream cheese mixture. Separate 1 can of dough and assemble into 4 rectangles. Firmly press the perforations to seal. Press or roll each piece of dough to form a 7 by 4-inch rectangle, and spread each with about 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese filling to within 1/4-inch of the edges. Starting at the short end, roll each rectangle tightly into a cylinder. Repeat with the other can of dough and remaining filling.
Place on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F while the rolls are chilling.
Remove from the refrigerator and cut each roll into 4 slices. Place 1/2-inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. In a small bowl, combine the egg white with 1 teaspoon water. Brush over the swirls. Sprinkle with the remaining chopped almonds. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until light brown.
While the swirls are baking, combine the glaze ingredients in a small bowl. Cool the swirls for 3 minutes on wire racks placed over a sheet of waxed paper. Drizzle the icing over the warm swirls.
And so that was it. I did manage to squeek out a paper on private versus public insurance reimbursements and finish a team presentation on core performance measurments in healthcare so I’m feeling rather…productive, strangely enough.
My take: I LOVED THESE and they were so simple! It’s unfortunate that I wanted to lose 15lbs because these pieces of evil are going to fuck that plan to hell…but I DONT CARE! Seriously, they’re amazing.
Permalink
01.14.06
Posted in Cooking at 11:58 pm by Beau
I haven’t had a blog crush in some time…in a VERY long time but as soon as J.Go introduced me to Bloghungry, I knew I was hooked. A cute guy who cooks and likes to put a lot of pictures up of himself cooking. Holy SHIT! Why didn’t anyone else think about doing this YEARS ago when blogs were new and shiny. Yet his is very shiny and it just so happens to coincidently coincide with my current manic phase of wanting to cook the shit out of things (to be followed in the next month or so with All Things Gardening) and watching Rachel Ray’s 30-Minute Meals incessantly on the TiVo. Sometimes the world does give us exactly what we need.
To that end, I pulled out a recipe from RR’s “30-Minute Meal Comfort Food” that used only things I already had in the house. I came up with her Pumpkin and Black Bean soup recipe on page 77. I’m a soup-whore so I doubled the recipe for long-term consumption and made my first-ever batch of guacamole (not as hard as one would believe) while the onions were sautéing. Seriously, seriously good with a little extra cayenne pepper for some heat. Give it a whirl:
Pumpkin & Black Bean Soup
1 tbls veg/canola oil
1 tbls butter
1 med onion, finely chopped
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken or veg stock
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes in juice
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and washed
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp cumin
3 pinches cayenne pepper
Coarse salt to taste
Heat a deep pot over med heat. Add oil and butter. When butter melts, add onion and sauté, 5 minutes, until tender. Add broth, tomatoes, black beans, and pumpkin. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and stir in cream, curry, cumin, cayenne, and a few pinches salt. Simmer 5 minutes and adjust seasonings. Serve with chunky guacamole and tortilla chips.
Me, I’m thinking beer would be good with this hearty soup
Permalink
11.23.05
Posted in Cooking at 10:00 pm by Beau
I’ve done a large turkey several years in a row just to prove to myself that I could. I’m still saying that Alton Brown’s suggestion of a 24-hour brine for the turkey is the best way to go. My mother may have made fun of me but she ate the damn thing and was pleasantly surprised that I was able to do it, I think.
This year, it’s just Jeff and me. Cooking Thanksgiving for two is more challenging then at first glance because it is just so easy to say “fuck it” and have pizza. But we decided it was still Thanksgiving so I’m trying out a turkey breast in the slow cooker, Jeff’s Mom’s stuffing, roasted parsnips and sweet potatoes, and some ginger squash soup I made last weekend. Sounds peaceful and relaxing to me.
Permalink
Posted in Cooking at 10:00 pm by Beau
I’ve done a large turkey several years in a row just to prove to myself that I could. I’m still saying that Alton Brown’s suggestion of a 24-hour brine for the turkey is the best way to go. My mother may have made fun of me but she ate the damn thing and was pleasantly surprised that I was able to do it, I think.
This year, it’s just Jeff and me. Cooking Thanksgiving for two is more challenging then at first glance because it is just so easy to say “fuck it” and have pizza. But we decided it was still Thanksgiving so I’m trying out a turkey breast in the slow cooker, Jeff’s Mom’s stuffing, roasted parsnips and sweet potatoes, and some ginger squash soup I made last weekend. Sounds peaceful and relaxing to me.
Permalink
11.13.05
Posted in Cooking at 11:32 pm by Beau
I am in no way any kind of food snob and my cooking skills still mark me as an amateur which I’m fine with. I am getting comfortable with trying some new things, working through my fear of self-poisoning, and really just enjoying the discovery that some cooking isn’t really as hard as I’ve imagined it would be.
Case in point, salmon, which I love. If someone told me that four nice pieces of salmon on a bed of spinach and chopped mushrooms in the microwave for nine minutes gets what appears to be a top-quality and snazzy meal, I’d have said they were crazy. But it is true. I’ve done it twice now, once with an orange juice and Dijon mustard sauce and once with a teriyaki sauce and both times, it came out perfect.
Who knew the microwave was good for anything but heating up leftovers and water?
Permalink
11.06.05
Posted in Cooking at 11:33 pm by Beau
In an attempt to completly sabotage my Health Care Infrastructure course this weekend, I put off my very important presentation on the VA Health Care system to take a side trip down the cooking trail. By the end of the weekend, I’d wound my way through the current issue of Everyday Food and managed to make a big pot of roasted red pepper soup, four delicious salmon fillets in an orange juice and dijon mustard sauce, roasted parsnips and sweet potatoes, and eight rice and bean burritos that promptly got frozen for later use.
At least if I flunk out of school, I won’t starve.
Permalink
12.31.04
Posted in Cooking at 10:34 am by Beau
Sweet & Sour Beef Stew in the crockpot: Very good and made the kitchen smell really good all day.
Charlotte’s Noodle Kugle: Very good. Freezes beautifully!
Chicken Enchilada Cassarole: Pretty good…too many onions for Jeff, though. This got much better after substituting shredded chicken for that nasty, no flavor tempeh. I love making vegetarian dishes better and more…meaty.
Curried Chicken Turnovers: Very Good but takes too damn long to thaw, cut, and fill those pesky puff pastries…especially when I’ve doubled the recipe. File under “Painful, but worth the effort…sometimes”.
Spicy Crab Salad: Very good…but too many onions for Jeff. He’ll have to make his own. I don’t have to fucking cook everything just for him.
Cranberry mulled Wine: Good…but no cranberries to be found in late december and substituting with frozen Berry Medley just didn’t cut it. Tasted OK but not after one glass. Would be better when it’s really cold and there are actual people around; i.e., don’t drink alone.
Recipes for anyone who wants them.
Permalink
« Previous Page — « Previous entries « Previous Page · Next Page » Next entries » — Next Page »