tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65621709674405079302024-03-05T04:05:40.577-06:00tiny biscuitsdrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03372171693076828623noreply@blogger.comBlogger118125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562170967440507930.post-79275438305400597732012-03-07T17:41:00.009-06:002012-03-07T20:15:18.765-06:00deep south dip<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhzlaQ1KTTf6RhMpMH9bMlxVxb6AoIXKVe6g4cy97sBddREtgDilYyHqK_R5nYvpveuxETWFe8FnPe3THfjeUJhZf4sdVJS2P4kt_GS7ggkW55ZsIpoMZzcWuFyOKJf589i8UDVpu4Qss/s1600/swt+pot+hummus.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhzlaQ1KTTf6RhMpMH9bMlxVxb6AoIXKVe6g4cy97sBddREtgDilYyHqK_R5nYvpveuxETWFe8FnPe3THfjeUJhZf4sdVJS2P4kt_GS7ggkW55ZsIpoMZzcWuFyOKJf589i8UDVpu4Qss/s400/swt+pot+hummus.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5717307937987809874" border="0" /></a><br />Now that we're following guidelines from <span style="font-style: italic;">Eat to Live, </span>I eat all the time. I have to. It seems that I burn a lot of calories throughout the day, so I've begun incorporating as many snacks as possible, since most of them are pretty low-cal.<br /><br />One of my favorites is raw veggies dipped in hummus made with roasted sweet potato & black-eye peas. It's really delicious, low-fat, and (if you make the peas yourself), incredibly low-sodium.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Southern Hummus</span><br /><br />1 1/2 cups cooked black-eye peas<br />1 sweet potato<br />3 Tbs tahini<br />2 garlic cloves<br />juice of 1/2 a lemon<br />1 Tbs ground cumin<br />1 tsp paprika<br />1/4 tsp cinnamon<br />1/8 tsp cayenne<br /><br />So, let's talk peas. You can use canned black-eye peas, and you might be able to find some that are low in sodium. We've been using dried peas. It's pretty easy, but it takes a little longer. Follow the instructions on the bag for the overnight soak - the quick soak will do, but it's not as good - and then cook according to package directions, but (and this is important) use chicken stock instead of water. It'll give them much better flavor. Get low-sodium chicken stock, or <a href="http://tinybiscuits.blogspot.com/2009/03/henny-penny-are-not-forgotten.html">make your own</a> and keep it in little containers in the freezer.<br /><br />To roast the sweet potato, poke a bunch of holes in the skin with a fork, and roast it in the oven at 425 for 45-55 minutes. Big ones may take more than an hour - the potato is done when a fork will easily slide all the way in. By the way, put a sheet of foil or an old baking sheet underneath the potato while you're roasting it. The sugars inside are going to leak out, and they'll stick to the bottom of the oven if you don't catch them.<br /><br />During the last bit of roasting the sweet potato, put your two garlic cloves in the oven, too. You don't have to peel them, but you might want to wrap them in foil to hold in the moisture and kind of steam them as they roast. They should be brown and soft and slide out of their skins when they're done.<br /><br />And now, it's easy.<br /><br />If the potato is still hot, carefully pull the skin off of it. If you let it cool, you can recklessly<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>remove the skin and throw it away.<br /><br />In the food processor, combine everything. Pulse, pulse, pulse, until you get the texture you want. If it seems a little thick, add some water (a little at a time).drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03372171693076828623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562170967440507930.post-57122836831547375552012-02-07T13:49:00.005-06:002012-02-07T14:51:05.419-06:00kale crisps<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZbxhPEcDYh2njbqHxgWyvmptXXuDf47YSjjAC1eutbrmziCcrlVxLCppg1jmNmmZJBMacpTvRVJfN1jxMQPrIxyQyAB4BNjKPRx5KBmhw3bZh8B5CCaWwItskIYDS1UbI-MIWsbSLamA/s1600/kale+%2526+hummus+001.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZbxhPEcDYh2njbqHxgWyvmptXXuDf47YSjjAC1eutbrmziCcrlVxLCppg1jmNmmZJBMacpTvRVJfN1jxMQPrIxyQyAB4BNjKPRx5KBmhw3bZh8B5CCaWwItskIYDS1UbI-MIWsbSLamA/s400/kale+%2526+hummus+001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5706484540806955714" border="0" /></a><br />Well, now that we've been following Eat to Live guidelines from Dr. Joel Fuhrman, the food around our house is a little different. Gone are the cookies, gone is the cheese. Gone is the BACON. (Sniff.) Gone are the three Scotches before bed.<br /><br />I'm not going to lie - it wasn't an easy switch. But it makes sense that we should eat mostly fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains. And I feel healthier, though I've had to make some alterations to his plan.<br /><br />Dr. Fuhrman recommends a fairly strict vegan/pescatarian diet, but that doesn't work for me. After a month of eating like a gorilla, I had lost 15 pounds. I cannot afford to lose more, so I started keeping track of my caloric intake and expenditure on LiveSTRONG.com. According to that calculator, I've been running a thousand-calorie deficit for the last month! It's no wonder I lost so much weight so quickly. So, I'm adding back some foods.<br /><br />Long story short (too late), I think I've decided what to call myself. I'm a low-fat, low-sodium, whole grain, anti-processed-foods, non-dairy vegetarian who eats eggs and lean meat.<br /><br />One thing we miss is sandwiches - I'm going to make some whole wheat beer bread this afternoon - so every once in a while, we stuff a whole wheat pita with grilled portobello mushrooms and sauteed veggies. And alongside it, we like to have kale chips.<br /><br />Now, kale is a super food, but make no mistake about it - these are NOT substitutes for potato chips. But they <span style="font-style: italic;">are</span> crispy and taste good.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Baked Kale 'Chips'</span><br /><br />a bunch of kale<br />salt-free <a href="http://shop.tonychachere.com/saltfree-creole-seasoning-8-oz-p-21721.html">Tony Chachere's</a> cajun seasoning<br /><br /><br />Preheat the oven to 350.<br /><br />Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.<br /><br />Rinse the kale well, and tear the leafy parts off of the tough ribs. Dry thoroughly.<br /><br />Spread the kale on the baking sheet, and mist lightly with olive oil. (We got a Misto olive oil mister on ebay, and it works great.)<br /><br />Sprinkle with Tony's.<br /><br />Bake for 10 minutes. Serve immediately.drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03372171693076828623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562170967440507930.post-12091583865125666182012-01-16T14:40:00.002-06:002012-01-16T15:03:01.589-06:00Eat to Live!After a long hiatus, I am back posting. But this comeback post won't be exciting. Consider yourself warned. <br /><br />There are two reasons this post is boring. First, it has no pictures. I haven't made Drew photograph our dinners lately, so I have no pictures to post. Sorry. Second, it's about Eat to Live.<br /><br />What is Eat to Live, you ask? It's a book/lifestyle plan by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. We're following it, which means that we are not eating: (1) oil; (2) dairy; (3) (most) meat; (4) sugar; (5) salt; or (6) refined carbohydrates. But because we are rockstar cooks, we are nonetheless making some delicious meals. <br /><br />I cheat a little. I have a plethora of homemade chicken stock frozen, so I use it, even though I'm not supposed to eat animal protein. And I use a dash of fish sauce pretty often, which is high in salt. And we have seafood once or twice a week. But on the whole, we're following this pretty strictly. <br /><br />The first week was hell because we followed the "recipes" in the back of the book. It's an understatement to say they were yucky. Dr. Fuhrman does provide some good recipes, but they're few and far between. And there's not much on the internet...or if there is, I can't find it.<br /><br />So, I'm going to be posting our favorite Eat to Live-ish recipes over the next...well, lifetime if this sticks. Dr. Fuhrman recognizes that it's hard to eat this way, so we're allowed to eat the restricted foods 10% of the time. So, the death food recipes won't disappear all together, but the healthy recipes will definitely increase. With pictures in the future, I promise.<br /><br />Accordingly, I offer a recipe for <u>Apple-Butternut Squash Soup</u>:<br /><br />1 butternut squash, peeled and sliced<br />2 Granny Smith apples, diced but not peeled<br />1 red onion, minced<br />2 garlic cloves, minced<br />1 tbsp. ginger, minced<br />2 small dried hot red peppers, crushed<br />5 cups of low-sodium vegetable stock (or homemade chicken stock if you're bad like I am)<br />2 tbsp. garam masala<br />1 small squeeze of fish sauce (optional)<br /><br />Sprinkle squash with about half of the garam masala and roast on a baking pan lined in foil at 425 for 45 minutes or until mushy. In the meantime, saute apples, onion, cloves, peppers, and ginger.<br /><br />Now, "saute" does not mean "saute in oil," though if you weren't following this diet, you could do that. No, "saute" means "water saute," a term Dr. Furhman coined. Basically you add about 3 tbsp. of water to a very hot pan, add your vegetables, and continue adding small amounts of water as it dries up, until the vegetables are cooked through. They will brown slightly using this method. They will also make a hot mess of your pans. <br /><br />Ok, so once veggies are sauteed and squash roasted, combine and add stock and remaining garam masala and simmer 30 min or so. Puree in batches in a blender. You can add some arrowroot powder (a tablespoon or so) if you want a thicker consistency, but it works a bit like cornstarch, so it gives soups a kind of shiny texture that I associate with Chinese food and also find weird.<br /><br />That's it! This soup is good and satisfying on a cold winter night. It takes a while but it's not hard, and it's worth the effort.kaytiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13987148107333614175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562170967440507930.post-34706237433182928892011-08-31T10:05:00.000-05:002011-08-31T10:05:00.386-05:00starch substitute<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP5UGK4UeoM-xCL__aMTAkmALzsvrSUxGcNd68hWLVOOrbejrnMq-h9uQAzpPS4XPkw-nIkI06SPShbeja59lCDDpBqq7sQGiG4Sl0VU7152goMrioTUs7cVXeUST5zB2gu3rGGcyht7k/s1600/cauliflower+001.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635964108774953090" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP5UGK4UeoM-xCL__aMTAkmALzsvrSUxGcNd68hWLVOOrbejrnMq-h9uQAzpPS4XPkw-nIkI06SPShbeja59lCDDpBqq7sQGiG4Sl0VU7152goMrioTUs7cVXeUST5zB2gu3rGGcyht7k/s400/cauliflower+001.JPG" /></a>
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<br /><div>When Kaytie and I first moved in together, we made a lifestyle change. We went low-carb. </div>
<br /><div>(This lasted for a while, we lost weight, and then we went back to eating like normal people. We occasionally go back to the low-carb lifestyle when necessary.)</div>
<br /><div>This was the beginning of our cooking escapades, and one of our favorite sides that we discovered was mashed cauliflower. This turned out to be a great substitute for grits and felt starchy, even though it was a vegetable. We could eat the mashed cauliflower for dinner one night, and then the next morning, the leftovers were great with fried eggs. </div>
<br /><div>I'm pretty sure the recipe for these came from the South Beach cookbook, but I've made them so many times that I don't remember the original.</div>
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<br /><div><strong>Mashed Cauliflower 'Grits'</strong></div>
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<br /><div>1 head cauliflower, cut into florets </div>
<br /><div>4 oz fat-free cream cheese</div>
<br /><div>1/2 c 'Italian-mix' grated cheese (or good Parmesan, if you'd rather)</div>
<br /><div>1/4 c butter </div>
<br /><div>garlic salt to taste</div>
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<br /><div>Preheat oven to 425 while you are cutting up the cauliflower.</div>
<br /><div>Spread the cauliflower florets on a baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil on the cauliflower and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 25 minutes.</div>
<br /><div>Combine everything in the food processor and puree until the cauliflower is the texture of grits.</div>
<br /><div>Easy as pie.</div>
<br />drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03372171693076828623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562170967440507930.post-59246096788348037222011-08-25T12:21:00.002-05:002011-08-25T12:40:24.443-05:00pb & cake<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfe_uXw3yYk7MrPqgguXL4YbpLGg2P0KF9-8npLI6SbMac3bkRFHiHlUs70Ed63UXDhCBsAsGe8e1NnXYTEmekTAMNN0TxwOF9wa3vY_lnpQ1Kolf1PAkD56ZnelXxRHp4nEOlD5EoAU/s1600/PBfrosting+027.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644845363572479410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfe_uXw3yYk7MrPqgguXL4YbpLGg2P0KF9-8npLI6SbMac3bkRFHiHlUs70Ed63UXDhCBsAsGe8e1NnXYTEmekTAMNN0TxwOF9wa3vY_lnpQ1Kolf1PAkD56ZnelXxRHp4nEOlD5EoAU/s400/PBfrosting+027.JPG" /></a>
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<br /><div>Yesterday, I attended a lunch presentation about the state of obesity in Mississippi. (Basically, it's a problem.)</div>
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<br /><div>The yogurt parfait served as dessert, while good, did not satisfy my sweet tooth, even after I ate an extra one. So, last night, I made a cake.</div>
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<br /><div>It wasn't really my idea. After dinner, Kaytie said she wanted some cake. I <em>always</em> want cake, but I was feeling a bit lazy, so I wasn't really sold on making a cake until Kaytie started talking about peanut butter icing. That got me motivated, and since we are not obese, I looked up a Cook's Illustrated <a href="http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/detail.asp?docid=18766">chocolate cake recipe</a>. They suggested serving the cake with a dusting of powdered sugar, which I'm sure is nice.</div>
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<br /><div>But powdered sugar ain't got nothin' on this peanut butter icing. </div>
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<br /><div><em>(Because this is thick, it may be more accurately labeled as frosting, not icing, but when I was growing up, if it was spread on a cake, it was icing, no matter the consistency. Besides, who cares about semantics? It's delicious.)</em></div>
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<br /><div><strong>Peanut Butter Icing</strong></div>
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<br /><div><em>makes enough to ice a 2-layer 9-inch cake</em></div>
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<br /><div>1 stick room temperature butter</div>
<br /><div>1 cup creamy peanut butter</div>
<br /><div>2 cups powdered sugar</div>
<br /><div>1/3 cup milk</div>
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<br /><div>Cream the butter and peanut butter until smooth. (Note: if you decided to make this cake at the last minute, like I did, cold butter out of the fridge will do fine. It'll just take a little longer to get the mixture smooth.)</div>
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<br /><div>Beat in the powdered sugar. This may be easier and less dusty if you do it a cup at a time.</div>
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<br /><div>Finally, add the milk. Mix it all together until it is smoothly combined.</div>
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<br /><div>Ice your cake.</div>
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<br /><div>(Because of the milk, I'm keeping this cake in the fridge.)</div>
<br />drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03372171693076828623noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562170967440507930.post-30531728196543146622011-08-08T22:04:00.002-05:002011-08-08T22:55:59.541-05:00fresh mex<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU4rl2yU7qZvvT1ie4fpr9l14peG12nDzSwvAkNz7MHCK16RQpt62PEC-Hq3xigELO85dysfbmDDX1swh98pKsNP_h8Nnv6nvdIXk4fm6sTqhpdUl5nSYfLQxJQj5hgMXyy7gYS-nEREw/s1600/003.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638687415378588722" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU4rl2yU7qZvvT1ie4fpr9l14peG12nDzSwvAkNz7MHCK16RQpt62PEC-Hq3xigELO85dysfbmDDX1swh98pKsNP_h8Nnv6nvdIXk4fm6sTqhpdUl5nSYfLQxJQj5hgMXyy7gYS-nEREw/s400/003.JPG" /></a>Last night, I grilled a flank steak and served it with asparagus, corn salad, and sauteed mushrooms. Tonight, we decided to use the leftover steak for tacos.
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<br />To go alongside, I made pinto beans. They were beautiful. I started with dried beans, soaked them, and started them simmering in plenty of time for a dinner at seven thirty. They had <em>five</em> different kinds of peppers in them, including jalapenos from my garden and banana pepper from Daniel's. Fresh tomatoes from the farmer's market. Kaytie walked in after work and immediately asked about the wonderful smell that filled the house.
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<br />"Beans," I said as I dumped half a beer into the pot. We went out to the back deck to have a beer and to admire the lights I'd spent the day hanging. One beer turned into two, and when we finally went back in, <em>the beans were burned.</em>
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<br />So, instead of beans, I'm offering a recipe for guacamole. Growing up in Texas, I heard lots of recipes for guacamole. Some use sour cream, some marshmallow fluff, some start with store-bought guacamole. This recipe is simple, fresh, and delicious. And not burned.
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<br /><strong>Guacamole</strong>
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<br />2 avocados
<br />1 tomato, peeled & diced
<br />1/4 c diced red onion
<br />1 jalapeno
<br />2 cloves garlic, roasted & minced
<br />juice of 1 lime
<br />salt & pepper to taste
<br />(cilantro to taste, optional)
<br />(1/4 red bell pepper, diced & optional)
<br />(1 tomatillo, diced & optional)
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<br />Start with roasting your garlic cloves. I toss mine in some olive oil and roast it in the toaster oven for about ten minutes at 450.
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<br />While the garlic is roasting, get the meat out of the avocados. Run your knife around the equator of the avocado, penetrating to the pit. Unlock the magic by pulling and twisting the two halves apart. Set the pit aside. (I have not experimented to prove this, but I was raised to believe that if you put the pit back into the guacamole when you put it in the fridge, your guac won't turn brown.) Use a spoon to scrape out the flesh of the avocado into a medium bowl.
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<br />Squeeze the lime juice over the avocado and use two knives to cut the avocado into small pieces. Mush it around a little.
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<br />Slice the top off your jalapeno and throw it away. Slice it in half lengthwise. Scrape out the white ribs and seeds and get rid of them. Dice the rest of the jalapeno very small and add it to the avocado.
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<br />Add all of the other ingredients. (I recommend all of the optional ingredients.) Mix well. Eat with chips.
<br />drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03372171693076828623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562170967440507930.post-79442317786178682042011-08-07T09:45:00.000-05:002011-08-07T09:45:01.238-05:00baked pasta 2<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaLmHpMMwdgUnrj5LbOcaMz63vYgl022ot1Hgh1aytTZl3hM9b61DjREFqhqXTfuNTeu7hDnFpIkb1jJn2pZBoinGv1xV8Kd5MeJ5pFAYbdyv7Gk6Rpj065jfOy43m-QOm1jS4DMIhB2Y/s1600/006.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634971292330030754" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaLmHpMMwdgUnrj5LbOcaMz63vYgl022ot1Hgh1aytTZl3hM9b61DjREFqhqXTfuNTeu7hDnFpIkb1jJn2pZBoinGv1xV8Kd5MeJ5pFAYbdyv7Gk6Rpj065jfOy43m-QOm1jS4DMIhB2Y/s400/006.JPG" /></a> I have a tendency to get interested in one thing and go a little overboard. (You may have noticed a string of cookie posts about a year ago.) Well, I did it again. I only made two baked pastas, but it <em>was</em> within one week, which was too much baked pasta for Kaytie.<br /><br />This was a good recipe, too, but it might be good to space your baked pastas out!<br /><br /><strong>Baked Veggie Pasta</strong><br /><br />1 stick butter<br />1/2 c + 2 Tbs flour<br />4 c whole milk<br />6 slices bacon<br />1 lb mushrooms, sliced<br />1 c fresh basil, sliced<br />1/2 c roasted pine nuts (or walnuts)<br />1 onion, diced<br />1 can quartered artichoke hearts, drained<br />10 oz spinach<br />4 cloves garlic<br />1 can diced tomatoes, drained<br />1 lb pasta (choose your favorite shape)<br />2 Tbs butter<br />1-2 c grated Parmesan<br /><br />First, make the bechamel. Melt the stick of butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Mix in the flour. Add the milk. Increase the heat to bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.<br /><br />Roast the garlic. I do this in the toaster oven - about 15 minutes at 400. Chop it up.<br /><br />Chop up the bacon and saute it until just browned. Add the mushrooms and saute until browned. Set mushrooms and bacon aside.<br /><br />Saute the onion until translucent. Add spinach and saute until wilted.<br /><br />Stir the basil, nuts, bacon, and all veggies together in a medium bowl.<br /><br />Cook the pasta according to package directions, but stop cooking a minute or two early. (I used radiatore because it looked awesome.) You want the pasta to be be just tender, but still firm. Drain, return to the pot, and toss to coat with 2 Tbs butter. Mix in the veggies.<br /><br />Preheat oven to 400.<br /><br />Dump the pasta mixture in a greased casserole dish. Spread the bechamel over it, and top with grated Parmesan.<br /><br />Bake for 10-15 minutes.drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03372171693076828623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562170967440507930.post-55163095260383596852011-08-03T08:31:00.000-05:002011-08-03T08:31:00.664-05:00baked pasta 1<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9-TOXPE6GSv9vFtawUp-xq_MjWF2VGWLhEK0kOdx_OXW2WbLFcZoI6PUXI7Xd5sFnbjqXnHkpJuZ-aaHTaSMJPep50yk-CPXW4Ak0kqDxyA7hkUiZ5DYNaFCQ2L9kLL7x4hoF0M7tgIY/s1600/004.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634957057982140066" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9-TOXPE6GSv9vFtawUp-xq_MjWF2VGWLhEK0kOdx_OXW2WbLFcZoI6PUXI7Xd5sFnbjqXnHkpJuZ-aaHTaSMJPep50yk-CPXW4Ak0kqDxyA7hkUiZ5DYNaFCQ2L9kLL7x4hoF0M7tgIY/s400/004.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div>In March, <em>Bon Appetit</em> had an issue with several recipes for baked pastas. Seemed like a great idea - make one dish and eat it for a few days. When Kaytie and I are busy, leftovers are a quick and easy dinner. (This, by the way, is being posted <em>months</em> after I actually made it. I was too busy to post.) I, however, am not very good at sticking to a recipe. (Unless it is a baked good.)</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>According to the writers, all you need for a baked pasta is pasta (of course), some interesting fillings, and a bechamel. I decided that bacon is also an essential ingredient. In the recipe I chose, the bechamel was replaced with a parsnip puree. I figured this was healthier, and, with a few modifications, it ended up tasting great.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><strong>Baked Tortellini</strong></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>4 medium parsnips, peeled & cut into 1/2-inch slices</div><br /><div>2 1/2 c whole milk, divided</div><br /><div>1 c grated Parmesan cheese, divided</div><br /><div>6-8 slices bacon</div><br /><div>5 oz spinach, sauteed</div><br /><div>1 large onion, diced</div><br /><div>1 can tomatoes, drained</div><br /><div>1 1/2 lbs mushrooms, sliced</div><br /><div>3 cloves garlic, minced</div><br /><div>2 tsp fresh rosemary, minced</div><br /><div>1 20-oz pkg cheese-filled fresh tortellini</div><br /><div>2 Tbs butter</div><br /><div>1 c <a href="http://forevercheese.com/products/naked-goat%c2%ae-murcia-curado-dop/">Naked Goat cheese</a>, grated</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Boil parsnips in salted water for about 20 minutes, until they are tender. Drain.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Put the parsnips in a food processor. Add 1 1/2 cups milk, and blend until smooth. Keep the food processor running, and slowly add the remaining 1 cup milk. Blend in 3/4 cup of Parmesan.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>In a medium saucepan, simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes, whisking often. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Chop the bacon into small pieces and saute it until crispy. Remove the bacon. Add the onion and saute until translucent - about 5 minutes. Remove the onion and saute the mushrooms until they are browned. Add the onions, garlic, and rosemary. Saute until fragrant.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Preheat oven to 4<span style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffff00">00</span> and grease a baking dish.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Cook the pasta. Follow the package directions, but stop cooking when the pasta is just tender but still firm. Drain pasta and return to the pot. Toss the pasta with 2 Tbs butter. Mix in the sauteed veggies and bacon.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Spread the pasta mixture in the baking dish. Cover it with the parsnip sauce and top the entire dish with the Naked Goat cheese and the remaining Parmesan. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Bake 18 to 20 minutes until the sauce is heated through and bubbling. If you want, broil 1-2 minutes to brown the top. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Let it sit for 10 minutes before serving.</div>drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03372171693076828623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562170967440507930.post-30879741008993963242011-07-29T20:20:00.002-05:002011-07-29T20:28:58.000-05:00who needs phyllo?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3HHDDNAQilsMKzCnpczVmPmJ1pB7FZ2-wRFTHG738L4Z4xZRSF-BUHsLgUWzIK2YEB26syGwNddrs7RQG7QjIzLxfCZ285uDH9D9NnhKTKsYn75MF0DMfJbwgHlfPRQShZXfQ0VZdReA/s1600/003.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634948294314722610" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3HHDDNAQilsMKzCnpczVmPmJ1pB7FZ2-wRFTHG738L4Z4xZRSF-BUHsLgUWzIK2YEB26syGwNddrs7RQG7QjIzLxfCZ285uDH9D9NnhKTKsYn75MF0DMfJbwgHlfPRQShZXfQ0VZdReA/s400/003.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div>There are many reasons to like staying in a hotel. Room service, comfortable beds, fancy pillows. (Kaytie once found pillow that she liked so much, we paid the front desk 50 bucks for it. They thought we were nuts.) One of our favorite things to do when we stay in a hotel is to watch TV. </div><br /><br /><div>I know that sounds lame. What you should know is that Kaytie and I only pay 12 bucks a month for cable at home. This means that we only get about 18 channels, two of which are shopping networks, and two of which are CSPAN. So, when given the opportunity to surf through dozens of channels, we have a tendency to veg out. And I'm sure you can guess what we usually end up watching. Food Network, of course. </div><br /><br /><div>During one recent stay, we saw someone use tortillas & muffin tins to make crunchy cups for a migas-style brunch dish (which was delicious, by the way, but you'll have to find that recipe on their site). We're always looking for new ways to serve hand-held food (because of the Christmas party), so I was excited to try some smaller tortilla cups. </div><br /><br /><div><strong>Spinach Cups</strong> </div><br /><div><em>makes 24</em> </div><br /><br /><div>4 oz cream cheese </div><br /><div>1/2 c mayo </div><br /><div>1 egg </div><br /><div>5 oz fresh spinach </div><br /><div>2-3 cloves garlic, minced </div><br /><div>1/2 onion, diced </div><br /><div>6 slices bacon </div><br /><div>1/4 c finely grated parmesan </div><br /><div>juice of 1/4 lemon </div><br /><div>salt & pepper to taste </div><br /><div>6 flour tortillas </div><br /><br /><div>Preheat the oven to 350. </div><br /><br /><div>Cook the bacon over medium heat until crispy. Set the bacon aside, and drain most of the grease from the frying pan. Turn off the stove. </div><br /><br /><div>Cut the tortillas into quarters. Briefly warm a quarter-tortilla in the frying pan, about 2-3 seconds per side. Press the tortilla into an oiled mini-muffin tin. This is dangerous, and you may burn yourself. (No pain, no gain. Stop whining.) Repeat the warming & pressing maneuvers 23 more times. </div><br /><br /><div>Bake the cups for 5 minutes. </div><br /><br /><div>Meanwhile, turn the stove back on to medium heat, and saute the onion until translucent. </div><br /><br /><div>Add the garlic & saute for about 30 seconds to a minute. </div><br /><br /><div>Remove the onions & garlic, and saute the spinach until wilted. </div><br /><br /><div>Crumble the bacon. </div><br /><br /><div>In a medium bowl, combine most of the crumbled bacon (reserve about 1/4 cup), cream cheese, mayo, and egg. Stir together, and then add the onion, garlic, spinach, and parmesan. Squeeze in the lemon juice and mix everything well. Season with salt & pepper. Stir some more. </div><br /><br /><div>Spoon equal amounts of the mixture into each tortilla cup. </div><br /><br /><div>Bake for 5 minutes. </div><br /><br /><div>Cover loosely with foil to prevent over-browning of the tortillas, and then bake about 5 more minutes. </div><br /><br /><div>Top with crumbled bacon. </div><br /><br /><div>These are best warm, but they're pretty good at room temperature, too. You'll see some variation of the tortilla cup at the 2011 Christmas party, I'm sure.</div>drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03372171693076828623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562170967440507930.post-56757675978589761392011-06-21T19:33:00.003-05:002011-06-21T20:24:22.708-05:00complex napoleons<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJLRlqgVqdS9ptTAvXkqCAjhzvgKb8nXbnBGnwcw-aHxpSCczummW2Ic7yOo6EujzzjWEFGWrBljDWtPWRqH_mgme8dLFzCDzs6Opchepe-BtGLxMRR5G1G3G9fESSApImqEHyx0czqU/s1600/dinner+party+003.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 249px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620836740416894354" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJLRlqgVqdS9ptTAvXkqCAjhzvgKb8nXbnBGnwcw-aHxpSCczummW2Ic7yOo6EujzzjWEFGWrBljDWtPWRqH_mgme8dLFzCDzs6Opchepe-BtGLxMRR5G1G3G9fESSApImqEHyx0czqU/s400/dinner+party+003.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div>I learned a lot in my first year of med school. For example, there is not quite enough time in the day to keep a food blog updated AND keep up with classwork. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>But, now it's summer, and I have loads of free time. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Kaytie's</span> workload has recently lightened a bit, so we decided to have a small dinner party last weekend. Five courses with an Italian bent.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>We started with <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">prosciutto</span>-wrapped cantaloupe. We followed with a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">caprese</span>-inspired napoleon, but instead of just tomato, basil, & fresh mozzarella, we added some watermelon and mint. The seafood <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">ceviche</span> was served in ice bowls. The main course was roasted pork tenderloin in a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">picatta</span> sauce with <a href="http://tinybiscuits.blogspot.com/2009/09/im-believer.html">asparagus</a> and <a href="http://tinybiscuits.blogspot.com/2010/04/two-bad-dogs.html">easy Italian bread</a> on the side. And for dessert, we made peach ice cream, topped it with caramel sauce, and served it with <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">florentine</span> cookies.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Everything was good (except for the squid in the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">ceviche</span> - it got <em>way</em> too rubbery), but the napoleons were the prettiest.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><strong>Tomato & Watermelon Napoleons</strong></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>good tomatoes from the farmer's market</div><br /><div>watermelon</div><br /><div>fresh mozzarella</div><br /><div>fresh basil</div><br /><div>fresh mint</div><br /><div>red onion, diced</div><br /><div>balsamic vinaigrette</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>This is pretty easy, but it's delicious and looks very fancy. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Peel and slice the tomatoes. Season them with salt & pepper. (Note: if you want to add some more color to this, get some heirloom tomatoes.)</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Cut the watermelon into slices that are approximately the same size as the tomato slices. If you're nice, and I am, remove the seeds. Not only will your guests appreciate your efforts, it will also reduce spitting at the dinner table.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Slice the fresh mozzarella.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>For assembly, I started with a tomato slice. I put a couple basil leaves on it, and then added a slice of mozzarella. Next was a slice of watermelon topped with a couple mint leaves. Then, I just kept stacking.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Once the tower was an appropriate height, I sprinkled on some diced red onion and a little <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julienning">julienned</a> basil. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>These can be assembled before everyone arrives - just splash a little balsamic vinegar on top right before you serve them.</div>drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03372171693076828623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562170967440507930.post-55477216348150018292011-02-27T21:08:00.003-06:002011-02-27T22:28:34.083-06:00franks n beans<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbx8qOexas7VfD7MS6DFbmPV2GZYYWND7jBGXyKB1NqPnW2J4wzyYtZ4W3lYuhHeHrqNwjc3uym6Mx2UEWBc2T-QGUFL_X_7dncJ9g_imfCSjOcbarYMLJG4UipF4mO60Ptf4CYfIq1-c/s1600/001.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578572339333671346" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbx8qOexas7VfD7MS6DFbmPV2GZYYWND7jBGXyKB1NqPnW2J4wzyYtZ4W3lYuhHeHrqNwjc3uym6Mx2UEWBc2T-QGUFL_X_7dncJ9g_imfCSjOcbarYMLJG4UipF4mO60Ptf4CYfIq1-c/s400/001.JPG" /></a> This is a recipe that I tried to have ready for Kaytie when she got home from the Coast. (She's been working weekends away from home. It's very lonely here, and I have no excuse not to study. It sucks.) I did not have it ready when she got home. It was ready an hour and a half after she arrived. But it was good.<br /><br />So, two weeks later, after Kaytie's <em>next</em> weekend on the Coast, I made it again, with a few alterations. This confused Kaytie - "I'm not sure why you'd want to make the same thing twice in a month." Well, I was perfecting it. (By the way, it was not ready on time, either.)<br /><br />Making this may make you feel like a French chef. Because instead of calling it a casserole, we can call it a cassoulet, which is a nice way of saying white bean stew. Now, traditionally, a cassoulet would use confit. This doesn't, which makes it easier. Anyway, here's a recipe for some fancy pork and beans. It's based on a recipe from Cook's Illustrated.<br /><br /><strong>Pork & White Bean 'Cassoulet'</strong><br /><br />1 lb dried white beans<br />2 ribs of celery, cut into 3-inch pieces<br />1 bay leaf<br />4-5 sprigs of fresh thyme<br />2-3 inches of fresh rosemary<br />1 lb fresh bratwurst<br />6 oz salt pork<br />1 lb pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch cubes<br />3 medium carrots, diced<br />1 large onion, diced<br />4 cloves garlic, minced<br />1 Tbs tomato paste<br />1/2 c dry white wine<br />1 can diced tomatoes, drained<br />4 c chicken broth<br />1 c cornbread crumbs<br />1/2 c chopped parsley<br />salt & pepper<br />a Dutch oven<br />some cheesecloth<br /><br />Stir 2 1/2 Tbs salt into 10 cups warm water in a large pot. Dump the white beans in. Bring to a boil, and boil for 2 minutes. Cover, and let the beans soak for an hour. Drain & rinse the beans.<br /><br />Move your oven rack to the bottom third of the oven, and preheat the oven to 300.<br /><br />Make your bouquet garni: Wrap the celery, bay leaf, thyme, & rosemary in cheesecloth, and tie the bundle closed with string.<br /><br />In a large saucepan, cover your sausages and salt pork with an inch of cold water. Bring to a boil, and boil for 5 minutes. Drain and let the sausages cool for a minute or two. (Save the salt pork!) Slice the sausage into 1-inch pieces.<br /><br />In a Dutch oven, over medium-high heat, brown the sausage on all sides in about a Tbs of olive oil. Set the sausage aside.<br /><br />Brown the pork chunks on all sides. This should take about 5 minutes.<br /><br />Add the onions & carrots. Stir constantly until the onion is translucent. This will take about 2-3 minutes.<br /><br />Add the garlic & tomato paste. Stir for about a minute.<br /><br />Add the sausage, and stir everything together. Add the wine to deglaze the pan. Use a wooden spoon to scrape any crusty bits off the bottom of the pan. Cook for a minute to reduce the wine a little.<br /><br />Stir in the tomatoes, bouquet garni, and salt pork. Add the white beans and chicken broth. If any of the beans are above the level of the liquid, add a little water.<br /><br />Increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Cover, and put it in the oven for an hour and a half.<br /><br />Remove the bouquet garni and salt pork. Season the stew with salt and pepper.<br /><br />Increase the oven temperature to 350, and bake uncovered for 20 minutes.<br /><br />Meanwhile, mix the cornbread crumbs and parlsey with a couple Tbs of olive oil. Season with a little salt & pepper.<br /><br />Sprinkle about half a cup of the crumb mixture over the top of the cassoulet. Bake covered for 15 minutes.<br /><br />Uncover, and bake for 15 more minutes.<br /><br />Sprinkle the rest of the cumbs over the top, and bake for about 30 minutes, until the crumbs are a golden brown. (If you get impatient, or if your wife gets home earlier than you expected, you can turn on the broiler to brown the crumbs. Just keep an eye on it, so they don't burn.)<br /><br />Let it rest for 15 minutes, and enjoy.drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03372171693076828623noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562170967440507930.post-84942631374717472342011-02-18T22:39:00.004-06:002011-02-19T00:40:49.376-06:00mmmmmm.....<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575257421427482226" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3whGyYNanc2CY9s8X8ZZCU3-L_Cpv3Ftz6gYftCx3YwtXsIk2okbMTBR8u0t7eM21oklFRzsS6_LbwH4oeX2r_-S9VBDSLD69AmNIhJF-jNyoU6FkVIXAsR_p7-Aulaf3qpe3Ql5u9Rc/s400/008.JPG" /><br /><br />What's better than delicious chocolate cake?<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575257884857323650" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVx0IjjV2xBEiyxtcljnD1BEcsf6jhr-c22UQ2yqQcKjKxNFbY6T6lV8I-I9By2zkFwBsfuI6j9Bt7VkJzMB3CMgDQC-L0sT-JtQEkw7-YY3jjvL3_B7DnvkkDcpMDLjeAPnMs50E_r24/s400/013.JPG" /><br />A <em>bigger</em> chocolate cake! (Duh.)<br /><br /><br />So, here's the genesis of this post: <em>Bon Appetit</em>'s <a href="http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2011/02/cocoa_layer_cake">Cocoa Layer Cake</a>. A couple weeks ago, Kaytie said she wanted some cake, and since I suffer from a bona fide sugar addiction, I was happy to oblige her craving.<br /><br /><br />We'd just gotten our February <em>Bon Appetit</em>, and the cake on page 90 looked delicious. I followed the recipe, almost. And it was great. BUT, it was only about 3 inches tall. And because I'm a red-blooded American, I believe that bigger is better.<br /><br /><br />So, I doubled the recipe, moved some espresso powder around, and added some nuts. This is the best chocolate cake ever, and it looks like a cake that you could buy at a fancy bakery. Guaranteed to impress.<br /><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>Chocolate Cake</strong><br /><br /><br />1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder<br />2 cups warm water, divided<br />1 cup buttermilk<br />3 cups cake flour<br />1 tsp instant espresso powder<br />1 1/2 tsp baking soda<br />scant 1/2 tsp salt<br />2 cups sugar<br />1 cup packed light brown sugar<br />2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp<br />2 eggs, room temp & beaten slightly<br />1 cup toasted pecan pieces/chips<br /><br /><br />Note: You need 3 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides.<br /><br /><br />Position your oven racks so one is in the top third of your oven and the other is in the bottom third. Preheat the oven to 350.<br /><br /><br />Cut parchment paper rounds that fit into your cake pans. Butter (or spray with Pam) the pans. Press the parchment paper rounds into the pans, and grease the paper. Dust the sides of the pan with flour. (Tilt the pan, dump a pinch or two of flour on the side, and rotate the pan so the flour lightly covers the inside of the walls of the pan.) This will give the batter something to grab, and your cakes will rise evenly, instead of rising more in the middle.<br /><br /><br />Whisk the cocoa and espresso powder into 1 cup of water in a small bowl.<br /><br /><br />Whisk buttermilk and 1 cup of water together in another small bowl.<br /><br /><br />Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.<br /><br /><br />Use an electric mixer to beat the butter and both sugars in a large bowl for about 5 minutes.<br /><br /><br />With the mixer running, add the eggs, and beat about 15-30 seconds, until smooth.<br /><br /><br />Add the cocoa mixture. Beat to blend.<br /><br /><br />Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk mixture and beating to blend with each addition.<br /><br /><br />Divide the batter evenly between the 3 cake pans. (About 3 1/4 cups each)<br /><br /><br />Bake cakes about 20 minutes, reversing the pans about halfway through. The cakes will be done when a tester (or toothpick) inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cakes (in pans) completely on racks.<br /><br /><br /><em></em><br /><em></em><br /><em>Icing</em><br /><br /><br />10 Tbs unsalted butter<br />1 1/3 cups packed light brown sugar<br />1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder<br />1 tsp instant espresso powder<br />scant 1/2 tsp salt<br />1 cup heavy whipping cream<br />2 tsp vanilla extract<br /><br /><br />Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.<br /><br /><br />Stir in the sugar, cocoa, espresso powder, and salt.<br /><br /><br />Gradually stir in the cream. Keep stirring until the mixture just begins to simmer at the edges.<br /><br /><br />Reduce heat to low, and stir for about a minute.<br /><br /><br />Dump the mixture in a medium bowl, and stir in the vanilla.<br /><br /><br />Stick the icing in the fridge, and let it cool for an hour and a half, stirring occasionally. Then, let it stand at room temperature.<br /><br /><br /><br />Now, it's time to assemble the cake. To get the cakes out of the pan, run a knife around the sides of the cake. Carefully, invert one cake onto a plate. (Please note, these cakes are fragile and very moist, almost sticky. Handle with care.) Peel off the paper, and spread about 1/2 cup of icing on top. Invert the second cake onto your palm, and carefully slide it onto the first layer. Peel off the parchment, and spread about 1/2 cup of icing on that layer. Repeat with the third layer. Spread the remaining icing over the top and sides of the cake.<br /><br /><br />And finally, it's time for fun. To get the nuts on the cake, I literally threw small handfuls of pecans at it. And they stick. (This is the dogs' favorite step, because some nuts inevitably end up on the floor, which means the dogs get to eat them.)drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03372171693076828623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562170967440507930.post-40494139538455011302011-01-09T13:21:00.006-06:002011-01-20T17:17:42.070-06:00put this on your pork & smoke it<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560268671199587330" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWIaDhvegXl_nX9_j8TV3ehDfgM1voS7fSZ9VOwnYMXtmmQhQXoNNhfKuJKMf2qnGcZGTgaou51XIX33HqWBBVYiONZGYv6uIEA2Sh9XaWfI5LqmxJXleFfnwL-juA6ABHEZh-24m-m5E/s400/pork+butt+001.JPG" /><br />Well, another Christmas party has come and gone. We don't have a lot of new recipes because (1) we wanted to make sure the food was great, so we went with some old favorties, and (2) we were too rushed to write down what we were doing. (My last exam was on the 21st, and the party was on the 23rd.)<br /><br />But, rushed as were were to get everything out on time, it was a great party, and the food was excellent. Lots of recipes are already on the blog. We served <a href="http://tinybiscuits.blogspot.com/2009/12/god-bless-us-everyone.html">peanut butter balls</a>, <a href="http://tinybiscuits.blogspot.com/2010/01/slap-your-mama.html">white chocolate-cranberry cookies</a>, <a href="http://tinybiscuits.blogspot.com/2010/05/quick-easy.html">boiled shrimp</a> with my <a href="http://tinybiscuits.blogspot.com/2010/05/quick-easy.html">cocktail sauce</a>, mushrooms stuffed with duck sausage, and <a href="http://tinybiscuits.blogspot.com/2010/05/cure-for-salmon.html">cured salmon</a>.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560278245508296626" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2eX92dMnPv4bUyaQHPtHzijfH5MTlgY1RQZSbA8ycBCWE093z8K5S_T9s7ryXajKjC9MdvRKaGQaQKtNSPddsrdUA9nu7fWZy_0JxQxwV0qi1SPwuJorjfrriqKLgqg8x7vrb9VUDxfo/s320/xmas2010+007.JPG" /><br />There were quesadillas filled with the stuffing from our <a href="http://tinybiscuits.blogspot.com/2009/11/pumped-up-poppers.html">sausage & smoked gouda poppers</a>. The <a href="http://tinybiscuits.blogspot.com/2010/01/more-party-food.html">corn, crab, & brie dip</a> was, as always, a hit. We filled phyllo cups with mashed sweet potatoes and topped them with <a href="http://tinybiscuits.blogspot.com/2009/01/whole-story-response-to-kayties-puff.html">candied bacon</a>.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560278884191665282" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1SSIyw9tkmL3soOPIGEfEZ9X2-gPm_8G6KtSElIc3m4GNO3xDHt2A2kB8hxZzL-hl4FyVzuHzYj-BRq_etz74QtQ-BXNnGsf280J7lP9LXIGxQGg2QoZ8taGiVy-BZf5p-IBHr3z517k/s320/xmas2010+005.JPG" /><br />There were little bowls of <a href="http://tinybiscuits.blogspot.com/2009/12/christmas-party-2009.html">roasted walnuts</a> scattered throughout the house for easy snacking. Kaytie made a punch with citron vodka, creme de cassis, pomegranate juice, and prosecco. We always serve mulled wine, and of course, we served med-rare venison tenderloin slices on toast with gorgonzola-horseradish butter. (It's one of the party standards.)<br /><br />My favorite thing this year was an open-faced Cuban-inspired sandwich. Smoked pork, garlic aioli, and homemade pickles on toast, topped with dill Havarti cheese.<br /><br />That pork was damn fine, if I do say so myself. It tasted even better than it looked. Here's the rub I used:<br /><br /><strong>Garlic Pork Rub</strong><br /><br />5 dried chipotle peppers<br />1 dried habanero (dump the seeds out)<br />1 tsp yellow mustard seeds<br />1/2 Tbs cumin seeds<br />1/2 tsp fennel seeds<br />1 Tbs coriander seeds<br />1/4 tsp white peppercorns<br />1/4 tsp black peppercorns<br />1 1/2 Tbs paprika<br />2 Tbs onion powder<br />1 1/2 tsp salt<br />8-10 garlic cloves, diced ultra-fine<br /><br />I have a reformed coffee grinder that we use to grind dried peppers, seeds, and peppercorns. If you're a traditionalist, I suppose you can use an old-fashioned mortar and pestle. Either way, once you get everything ground down to a powder, the instructions are pretty simple: mix everything together.<br /><br />Rinse your pork shoulder, and pat it dry. Rub the spice mixture all over the pork. I usually put it on a rack over a baking sheet so I can pick up any rub that falls off and rub it back on the meat. (Tip - if you wear rubber gloves, less rub will stick to your fingers. Plus, once you take the gloves off, you can rub your eyes or pick your nose without fear of pepper residue under your fingernails.)<br /><br />I smoked the pork, but you could definitely roast it in the oven. I'm not going to get into specifics of cooking it because I haven't made careful enough notes about time & heat, but you can get good information from a google search. I will tell you that I normally cook a pork shoulder to an internal temperature of 150-155 degrees, which is lower than many sites will recommend. Use your own discretion.drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03372171693076828623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562170967440507930.post-86088389238603677972010-12-01T08:44:00.000-06:002010-12-01T08:44:00.589-06:00so much stuffing...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYs0FwGUuZw86WkWw9ikOrAFSWGeoNUhTx9f7T6tu9Zu1yh16QIDtl7vGq3KN0B6MN-RFE53zGM8fh5liQOIqSt9CvmKPicVW22WhUQS0wCVFQJ8WtWa2J6LZ60z9nVy-lPEyL_Cb3hdU/s1600/turkeysushi2.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 272px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544427324474850130" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYs0FwGUuZw86WkWw9ikOrAFSWGeoNUhTx9f7T6tu9Zu1yh16QIDtl7vGq3KN0B6MN-RFE53zGM8fh5liQOIqSt9CvmKPicVW22WhUQS0wCVFQJ8WtWa2J6LZ60z9nVy-lPEyL_Cb3hdU/s400/turkeysushi2.JPG" /></a><br />In the week after Thanksgiving, our fridge is normally full of leftovers. I assume that yours is, too. I've offered an <a href="http://tinybiscuits.blogspot.com/2010/11/too-much-turkey.html">option</a> for your leftover turkey, and now I'm moving on to stuffing.<br /><br />Or dressing, depending on where you're from. I've always called it stuffing, even though I've always been eating dressing. I don't think it really matters, as long as it is cornbread-based.<br /><br />Regardless, you can use your old stuffing for turkey sushi. Don't freak out - the turkey's not raw. This is just a convenient way to get your holiday dinner in one bite, and it <em>looks</em> kind of like sushi. People love it.<br /><br />We did this a couple years ago for one of our Christmas parties. For those of you not in the know, Kaytie and I throw a big Christmas party every year. It's a chance to see everyone we know, and it's also a chance to show off. There's usually a theme, like cajun or comfort food, etc. One year, we were inspired by our big 28-course anniversary dinner at <a href="http://www.alinea-restaurant.com/index.html">Alinea</a>, and we decided to do Christmas dinner, deconstructed and reimagined.<br /><br />Some of the highlights were sweet potato & marshmallow nachos, mushrooms stuffed with green bean casserole, and, of course, turkey sushi.<br /><br /><strong>Turkey Sushi</strong><br /><br />smoked turkey breast from the deli<br /> (turkey should be sliced thick enough to stay together instead of all the slices falling apart)<br />canned cranberry sauce, cut into long strips<br />green onions<br />stuffing (see below)<br />mayonaise<br />seasoned cream cheese (see below)<br /><br />Mix the stuffing and the mayonaise together. You only need enough mayo to moisten the stuffing and make it stick together. Probably about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of mayo for a whole pan of stuffing.<br /><br />Lay one slice of turkey on a bamboo sushi-rolling mat. Spread a thin layer of seasoned cream cheese all over the turkey. Lay a green onion and a strip of cranberry sauce longways across one edge of the slice of turkey. Spoon some of the stuffing mixture over the cranberry sauce and green onion. Use the mat to roll the turkey around the stuffing, sauce, and onion, forming a roll about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Slice into 1-inch slices with a very sharp knife.<br /><br /><br /><strong><em>Cornbread Stuffing/Dressing</em></strong><br /><br />1 pan of cornbread (we make ours from a mix)<br />4 cups of dried herb-flavored white bread stuffing<br />1 stick of butter, melted<br />1 can of chicken stock (about 2 cups)<br />2 onions, diced<br />3 stalks of celery, diced<br />1 tsp garlic salt<br />1 tsp onion powder<br />1 tsp poultry seasoning<br />2 tsp fresh sage, chopped<br /><br />Preheat oven to 350.<br /><br />Saute the onion and celery until wilted.<br /><br />Crumble the cornbread, and add it to the white bread stuffing. Add the veggies, and stir everything together. Pour the butter and chicken stock over everything, and add the spices. Mix everything together. <br /><br />Spread the mixture evenly in a casserole dish, and bake for 30-45 minutes, until browned.<br /><br /><br /><strong><em>Seasoned Cream Cheese</em></strong><br /><br />1 pkg cream cheese, room temp<br />1 Tbs poultry seasoning<br />1 tsp garlic salt<br />1 Tbs fresh sage, chopped<br /><br />Mix it all together.drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03372171693076828623noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562170967440507930.post-74472294370975235392010-11-27T19:36:00.003-06:002010-11-27T20:40:20.188-06:00too much turkey?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW3X8Lg3k8ZBlGj6xIhzfxXoSfnt7FMGleGEaoXw1irMGsouN6MBhrQ8XY0O7nk-RE7Uee2R8Kbiva4WNw1CTpRpAwZZzHhv24yoIaOwxtt3Fm1VvdPGr9NzS5YkrJHz_AT0THCQNi3w4/s1600/007.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 269px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544410982117408914" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW3X8Lg3k8ZBlGj6xIhzfxXoSfnt7FMGleGEaoXw1irMGsouN6MBhrQ8XY0O7nk-RE7Uee2R8Kbiva4WNw1CTpRpAwZZzHhv24yoIaOwxtt3Fm1VvdPGr9NzS5YkrJHz_AT0THCQNi3w4/s400/007.JPG" /></a><br /><div>So, Thanksgiving has come and gone (time for Christmas! Whoo hoo!), and you have a bunch of leftover turkey, right? (Unless you ate at <em>my</em> Thanksgiving dinner - the head honcho prefers roast chicken and ham. But I'm cooking a turkey next year. Fried or smoked, it matters not to me. With God as my witness, there will be turkey at my next Thanksgiving dinner!)</div><div> </div><div>So, a fridge full of turkey - now what? Well, there's always the obligatory turkey & cranberry sauce sandwich, but how many sandwiches can you eat?</div><div> </div><div>I have your solution: turkey bone gumbo. It's a recipe handed down to me from my mom and modified a little ('cuz that's how we roll) by Kaytie. It's friggin' delicious.</div><div> </div><div>By the way, you may be wondering how we made this, since there was no turkey at our Thanksgiving dinner. Well, we like this recipe so much that we begged for bones from another house!</div><div> </div><div>(Historical note: The first time we made this was the first time we ever made stock. Now, we make <a href="http://tinybiscuits.blogspot.com/2009/03/henny-penny-are-not-forgotten.html">stock</a> <em>all</em> the time! Like pioneers.)</div><div> </div><div><strong>Turkey Bone Gumbo</strong></div><div><em>(makes a lot)</em></div><div> </div><div><em>for turkey stock:</em></div><div>turkey bones</div><div>2-3 carrots</div><div>2-3 stalks celery</div><div>2 onions</div><div>1 rutabega</div><div>2-3 bay leaves</div><div>1 tsp black peppercorns</div><div>a few sprigs of fresh thyme</div><div> </div><div><em>for the gumbo:</em></div><div>1/2 stick butter</div><div>1/4 c olive oil</div><div>3/4 c flour</div><div>2 onions, diced</div><div>1 bell pepper, chopped</div><div>3 cloves garlic, minced</div><div>2 stalks celery, chopped</div><div>2 bay leaves</div><div>1 tsp dried oregano</div><div>1 Tbs dried basil</div><div>1-2 Tbs fresh parsley, chopped</div><div>1 Tbs powdered sage <div>hot sauce, salt, & pepper to taste</div></div><div>1 pint heavy cream</div><div>2 c chopped turkey</div><div>1 lb smoked sausage, cut into bite-size pieces</div><div>1 bunch of green onions, diced</div><div> </div><div>Put the turkey bones in a big stock pot. (We had a discussion about this at Thanksgiving dinner this year. What's the most appetizing word for turkey bones? Carcass? Body? Cadaver?)</div><div> </div><div>Chop the carrots, celery, onion, and rutabega into large chunks, and dump them in the pot. Add the bay leaves, peppercorns, and thyme. (Please note: all of this stuff is optional, but it will make the stock delicious!) </div><div> </div><div>Cover everything in the pot with water. Boil (covered) for about 1 1/2 hours. The meat should pretty much fall off the bone.</div><div> </div><div>Strain everything out, and reserve the meat and the broth.</div><div> </div><div>Saute the sausage in a frying pan. Get a good browning on most sides. Reserve the sausage.</div><div> </div><div>Now, make a roux in the sausage drippings. First, melt the butter over low heat. Add the olive oil and flour. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the flour turns light brown and no longer smells raw.</div><div> </div><div>Add the onions, garlic, celery, and bell pepper. Cook until the veggies are wilted. </div><div> </div><div>Add 2 quarts (8 cups) of the reserved turkey broth. (Freeze the rest in 2-3 cup containers for later use when making more turkey bone gumbo, cooking rice, making soup, etc...)</div><div> </div><div>Add the bay leaves, oregano, basil, parsley, sage, hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Bring the whole thing to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, for an hour. </div><div> </div><div>Add the cream. Bring to a boil, and boil until the liquid level reduces by about an inch.</div><div> </div><div>Add the sausage and chopped turkey. Lower the heat to med-low, and cook for 15 minutes. </div><div> </div><div>Add the green onions, and cook for a few more minutes.</div><div> </div><div>Serve over rice.</div>drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03372171693076828623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562170967440507930.post-36195201733451109332010-10-25T20:07:00.007-05:002010-10-25T21:39:27.688-05:00study break<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNGhbjorKVwu15mUodE4z0nblIo5_8OHq1oWtegOTdcXIci83AyjTDz4bYLOB47ItoMLaqHJZ28D1bfELfJqXfzYb0jTpL6Pjfz7mKlg6S5VfsmjExW4Ht6Z0H0chDjakTaB814Cg4-DI/s1600/hummus+007.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532169086122325058" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNGhbjorKVwu15mUodE4z0nblIo5_8OHq1oWtegOTdcXIci83AyjTDz4bYLOB47ItoMLaqHJZ28D1bfELfJqXfzYb0jTpL6Pjfz7mKlg6S5VfsmjExW4Ht6Z0H0chDjakTaB814Cg4-DI/s400/hummus+007.JPG" /></a><br /><div>So, I eat a lot of snacks these days. For some reason, I want to eat when I am studying, and since I study 12-13 hours a day these days, I want to eat <em>all</em> the time.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>I like salty snacks. I really like candy, and I eat a <em>lot</em> of it. But I know these things are not good for me, and I've actually discovered that eating fruits and vegetables makes me feel better, so I try to work in some healthy snacks, too. Like apples & peanut butter, string cheese, nuts. (I'm currently a big fan of plain almonds. They're my new favorite super food. Other super foods: spinach, <a href="http://tinybiscuits.blogspot.com/2010/05/cure-for-salmon.html">salmon</a>, eggs, annnd... <a href="http://tinybiscuits.blogspot.com/2010/01/meats-favorite-cookie.html">bacon</a>.) I eat a lot of carrots, too. They're nice and crunchy - a good quality in a snack food. Plus, I can dip them in stuff. Like hummus.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong></strong></div><div><strong>Hummus</strong></div><div><em>(makes about 5 cups)</em></div><div><em></em> </div><div><em></em> </div><div><em></em></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>1/2 lb chickpeas</div><div>3/4 cup tahini</div><div>1-2 Tbs garlic powder</div><div>1-2 tsp paprika</div><div>1/4 - 1/2 tsp cayenne powder</div><div>1 tsp salt</div><div>juice 1 1/2 lemons</div><div>1 1/4 cups water</div><div> </div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>First, the chickpeas. They come, dried, in 1-pound bags. Prepare them according to the package directions (salt the water). This will make too many, but you can freeze half of them until you make the next batch of hummus. You'll need about 3 cups of cooked chickpeas. (This probably translates to about 2 drained cans of chickpeas, if you want to take a shortcut. I don't judge.)</div><div> </div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>Now, let's talk tahini. You can buy it at the grocery store in the international aisle. (I've bought it at Kroger.) But I think you can probably get a better deal at a Mediterranean grocery store. I know for sure that you can get your weight in bay leaves for about 3 bucks. It's worth checking.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>Okay, now for the recipe. It's pretty simple. Dump everything in a food processor, and puree the hell out of it. I've made the spice measurements variable for a reason. Start low, and add more until you like the taste. Also, if the hummus is too thick, you can add more water, a little at a time, to thin it out.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>Puree, puree, puree. Store it in the fridge, and eat it on carrots while you learn about inherited disorders of metabolism or the lumbar plexus. Or on pita chips or Wheat Thins - hummus is good on those, too.</div>drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03372171693076828623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562170967440507930.post-34397284512947902682010-10-16T12:08:00.003-05:002010-10-16T12:46:33.944-05:00one last bite of summer<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTtAy42qpBPwp12IiGayHdH3kpaI7ul1DPI6RPfBk65uv6WFALFlAq9Q7JPC78rsc7O3zhFukeBfEBLtvMtnxJOVxSSeE33i1TQ4vujbqZj3WnFDCRu0-4ZUp1F0joz0BWkXoiIzuT66s/s1600/pepper+dip+005.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528692825313354290" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTtAy42qpBPwp12IiGayHdH3kpaI7ul1DPI6RPfBk65uv6WFALFlAq9Q7JPC78rsc7O3zhFukeBfEBLtvMtnxJOVxSSeE33i1TQ4vujbqZj3WnFDCRu0-4ZUp1F0joz0BWkXoiIzuT66s/s400/pepper+dip+005.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><p>We hadn’t seen Sarah and Tim in a while. Sarah’s a doctor – I’ve followed her around the ER a little bit – and Tim is a lawyer, so it’s a pretty good match for us. (Because Kaytie’s a lawyer, and I’m in med school.) As a side note, they also have one of the best babies I’ve ever met. She's not quite as cute as <a href="http://tinybiscuits.blogspot.com/2010/05/aubrey-approved.html">Aubrey</a>, but it's a pretty close competition.<br /><br />Anyway, our schedules finally aligned a couple weeks ago, so we planned to have a glass of wine at their house. Well, we don’t like to go anywhere without food, and I hadn’t cooked anything in a while, so I thought I’d make a dip. Something on the lighter side, fresh-tasting. Something that just catches the tail end of the summer produce.<br /><br />And now, here is the most thorough recipe for dip that you will EVER read.<br /><br /><strong>Roasted Red Pepper Dip<br /></strong><em>(makes about 3 cups)<br /></em><br />2-3 red bell peppers<br />2 ears of corn, husks on<br />2 shallots, diced small<br />2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped fine<br />3-4 slices bacon<br />½ cup manchego cheese, grated superfine<br />1 ½ cups mayonnaise<br />¼ cup sour cream<br />salt & pepper<br /><br />Roast your peppers. Preheat your oven to 425. Remove seeds and ribs and cut peppers into large slices. (the larger, the better) Line a baking sheet with heavy-duty foil, and spray it with Pam. Lay your peppers out, skin side up, and slide them in the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes, and then broil ‘em until the skin blisters and blackens all over. Let them cool.<br /><br />Cook your bacon. Crispy is good, but burned is bad. I usually cut my slices in half, cook them over medium heat, and flip them often. Once the bacon is cooked, lay it out on paper towels. As soon as it is cool enough to touch, crumble it into a food processor, but reserve a little bit (about ½ tsp) of crumbs for garnish. Pulverize the rest of it in the food processor into very, very small crumbs.<br /><br />If you still have bacon grease in the frying pan, use it to sauté your shallots over medium heat until they’re just translucent. If you tossed the grease already, just use a little olive oil. Set the shallots aside.<br /><br />I like <a href="http://tinybiscuits.blogspot.com/2010/05/one-from-vault-best-corn-ever.html">grilled corn</a>. A lot. So, instead of just draining a can of corn and using that (which you can do if you want), I decided to grill the corn and slice it off the cob. Basically, pull as much of the silk off as you can, rewrap the corn with the husks, and soak them for 10-15 minutes so the water soaks up into the husks. Grill for about 5-10 minutes on each side. Wear some leather gloves and work quickly as you shuck the husks off the corn and throw them back on the grill. Keep an eye on them and rotate to brown the corn a little bit. When it cools down a little, slice it off the cob. Reserve a little for garnish.<br /><br />Okay, time to do some stirring. Combine the mayo, sour cream, basil, bacon, shallots, and corn in a mixing bowl. Stir it up and add the cheese. By the way, pretty much any hard cheese would be good – I used manchego (I think – it might have been gruyere - I can't remember) because we had it in the fridge. Also, I used a <a href="http://us.microplane.com/MicroplanePremiumClassicGraters.aspx">microplane</a> to grate it so fine it was fluffy.<br /><br />Back to the peppers. Once they’re cool enough to handle, you need to get the peels off. This is a messy and slightly annoying task, but it’s worth it. Home-roasted peppers are SO much better than the ones you buy in a jar.<br /><br />Puree the peeled peppers in the food processor. Add the resulting mush to the dip that you’ve already mixed. Stir well. Season with salt & pepper to taste.<br /><br />Put it in a serving bowl, and garnish with the corn kernels and bacon crumbles. You could add some julienned basil, too. You can serve this right away, but I think it benefits from a couple hours in the fridge, covered with plastic wrap. That gives it time for the flavors to marry.</p><p>We served this with plain pita chips. It would be great with Fritos, too.</p>drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03372171693076828623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562170967440507930.post-9347913599683685362010-09-26T22:32:00.003-05:002010-09-26T23:05:18.520-05:00one-upper<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAGmWTEkcIYkKd7FfEVUWTAlph8NaLiMsPYF1Uy39iIpykmlqL55gRhV8fASoh-N5GTSIEHqEA8BKWmEaIGogENri17HNUCG3FSPo7CgrSNalQtFu5sNVVzkVgJ5TvDmqQxkFlLsd3KQk/s1600/006.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521432181393225250" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAGmWTEkcIYkKd7FfEVUWTAlph8NaLiMsPYF1Uy39iIpykmlqL55gRhV8fASoh-N5GTSIEHqEA8BKWmEaIGogENri17HNUCG3FSPo7CgrSNalQtFu5sNVVzkVgJ5TvDmqQxkFlLsd3KQk/s400/006.JPG" /></a><br /><p>Obviously, I haven't been posting much lately. Why, you're wondering? Well, I started med school in August. And let me tell you this - there's a lot to learn. Luckily, I like what I'm learning.</p><p>Every once in a while, though, I need to cook. It's a great study break.</p><p>So, recently, I made some "World Peace" cookies from a recipe I found in a recent <em>Bon Appetit</em>. Sounds great, right? Well, they were good. A little on the dry side, though. My buddy Kris said cookies don't have to be soft. He and his wife enjoyed them. </p><p>I disagree. Cookies <em>should</em> be soft. And what does <em>Bon Appetit</em> know? I can make a better cookie. So, I messed with the recipe, and let me tell you, they're SO much better.</p><p>There are times to be humble, I know. This is not one of them. These cookies are absolutely delicious. I can say without exaggeration that they are the best chocolate cookies you'll ever eat. Okay, that may be a bit of a boast, but these cookies <em>are</em> great. They're soft and rich and light at the same time.</p><p>Kaytie took one bite, looked at me, and said, "I hope you wrote this down."</p><p>I did. And instead of learning about the innervation of the heart, I'm sharing it with you. It's THAT important.</p><p><strong>Best Chocolate Cookies EVER</strong></p><p>1 1/2 sticks butter, room temp</p><p>1 Tbs vanilla</p><p>1 Tbs milk</p><p>2 Tbs strong coffee, room temp</p><p>1/4 cup granulated sugar</p><p>2/3 cup packed brown sugar</p><p>1 egg</p><p>1/4 tsp kosher salt</p><p>1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour</p><p>1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder</p><p>1/2 tsp baking soda</p><p>5 oz bittersweet chocolate</p><p> </p><p>Mix the butter, vanilla, coffee, milk, both sugars, and salt until creamy. Add the egg and mix well.</p><p>In a separate bowl, sift the flour, cocoa, and baking soda together.</p><p>Combine the wet and dry ingredients, and mix until smooth.</p><p>Chop the chocolate into small chunks (nothing bigger than about 1/3 of an inch). Fold the chocolate into the dough.</p><p>Refrigerate the dough for a couple hours until it is firm. (NOTE: This step is unnecessary. If you want your cookies faster, you can cook 'em right off the bat - just knock a minute or two off the baking time. The benefit to cooling the dough is that you have a lot more control over the shape and size of the cookies.)</p><p>Preheat the oven to 325.</p><p>Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.</p><p>Roll the dough into balls that are about 1 - 1.25 inches in diameter. I recommend wearing latex gloves while you do this. Place the balls on the cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. (If you decided not to chill your dough, just scoop it onto the cookie sheets.)</p><p>Bake for 11 minutes.</p><p>You probably can't bake all of the dough at the same time. You should keep the extra dough in the fridge while you're baking the first round.</p><p>Cool the cookies on a rack.</p><p>Makes about 4 1/2 dozen delicious cookies.</p>drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03372171693076828623noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562170967440507930.post-25720081867917698612010-08-13T19:35:00.003-05:002010-08-13T19:40:34.981-05:00parting gift<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3NDwQFY2jDvQho-_uSNUwYCBso5phBr78US9CBpvheHvbDaDvEJ9wqyk_ZwECa0RKNbuRmJdUs65nVAysccZ2UL0Ql8fgxrYKyEKuMuZ3ROaUVkkIzyEDrX-WWlDMWOLss2G2pKl694o/s1600/020.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505058017037243042" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3NDwQFY2jDvQho-_uSNUwYCBso5phBr78US9CBpvheHvbDaDvEJ9wqyk_ZwECa0RKNbuRmJdUs65nVAysccZ2UL0Ql8fgxrYKyEKuMuZ3ROaUVkkIzyEDrX-WWlDMWOLss2G2pKl694o/s400/020.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><p>August is a big month for us. Kaytie starts a new job – she just finished her clerkship today. I quit the restaurant business, and on Monday, I start med school. I, of course, am excited about this, but leaving my work was bittersweet. I will miss my friends there, and I’ll probably be too busy to stop for a drink.<br /><br />As a parting gift, Melissa made me one of her famous angel food cakes. This, to me, is in the same class of culinary magic as <a href="http://tinybiscuits.blogspot.com/2009/02/procrastination-pepto-bismal-petit.html">homemade marshmallows</a>. I think of angel food cake as something that is bought at the store, not made at home. Melissa has proved otherwise, and I can’t wait to make this cake myself.<br /><br /><strong>Angel Food Cake</strong><br /><br />1 ¼ cups sifted flour<br />1 ½ cup sugar, separated in half<br />12 egg whites<br />1 ½ tsp cream of tartar<br />½ tsp salt<br />1 ½ tsp vanilla<br />½ tsp almond extract<br /><br />Plan ahead. Set your dozen eggs on the counter and let them sit out overnight. Don’t worry – you’ll be fine.<br /><br />Preheat the oven to 350.<br /><br />Sift ¾ cup of sugar and the flour together. Set aside.<br /><br />Combine the egg whites, cream of tartar, salt, vanilla, and almond extract. Beat with a wire whip until soft peaks form. <br /><br />Gradually add ¾ cup more sugar, about 2 Tbsp at a time. Beat until the meringue holds stiff peaks.<br /><br />Gradually fold in the flour/sugar mixture until it is just incorporated.<br /><br />Pour the batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan that is 4 inches deep. Gently run a knife through the batter a couple times.<br /><br />Bake 35 to 45 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.<br /><br />Invert the pan on a cooling rack until the cake is completely cool.</p>drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03372171693076828623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562170967440507930.post-63870065681952087542010-05-29T14:52:00.000-05:002010-05-29T14:52:00.500-05:00the end of an evening<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBBRzMkXoUt9eleLVXN3IL6kAKvgA7wnMGKmy8cFwj2-vB42p_c7938uG-q6llAv0rSmvfdgESdBumZGAXjhztvVmOB2u0uBMPhpLopmu_5mgPtXDV6wkkuXM0vJyx8eB07AH4IkG7e5Q/s1600/dinner+party+035.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471958461320188226" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 340px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBBRzMkXoUt9eleLVXN3IL6kAKvgA7wnMGKmy8cFwj2-vB42p_c7938uG-q6llAv0rSmvfdgESdBumZGAXjhztvVmOB2u0uBMPhpLopmu_5mgPtXDV6wkkuXM0vJyx8eB07AH4IkG7e5Q/s400/dinner+party+035.JPG" border="0" /></a> To finish off Tott’s end-of-the-first-year-of-law-school dinner, we served a lemon crème brulee that the folks at Briarwood paired with an Elderton Semillon.<br /><br />We chose crème brulee for a couple of reasons. We’d had several successes in the <a href="http://tinybiscuits.blogspot.com/2010/02/deceptively-simple.html">past</a>. The custard could be made beforehand. And, of course, everyone loves crème brulee and thinks it is fancy.<br /><br /><strong>Lemon Crème Brulee</strong><br /><em>(makes 8 servings)</em><br /><br />2 lemons<br />3 cups heavy cream<br />7 Tbs white granulated sugar<br />6 large egg yolks<br />½ tsp vanilla<br />about 8 tsp turbinado sugar<br />8 crème brulee ramekins<br />1 blowtorch<br /><br />Preheat the oven to 325. Make sure the oven rack is in the middle position.<br /><br />Zest the two lemons and combine the zest with the cream in a heavy saucepan. Stir in the white sugar and a pinch of salt. (Save the zested lemons for juice later.)<br /><br />Heat the mixture, stirring occasionally, over medium-low heat until it is almost boiling. Remove it from heat. Allow it to cool to room temperature, and then cool in the fridge for 2 or 3 hours. (You don’t <em>have</em> to do this step of cooling it in the fridge, but if you do, the lemon flavor will be stronger.)<br /><br />Remove the cream mixture from the fridge and place it over medium-low heat. Once again, stir occasionally as it warms, and remove it from the heat just before it boils.<br /><br />Lightly beat the yolks in a heatproof bowl. Gradually whisk in the cream. Just slowly drizzle it into the yolks while you are whisking quickly. This should prevent the eggs from curdling.<br /><br />Pour the custard mixture through a wire colander to strain out the zest and any cooked yolk. Stir in the vanilla and 1 tsp fresh lemon juice.<br /><br />Divide the custard evenly among the 8 ramekins.<br /><br />Arrange the ramekins in a roasting pan. Place the pan on the oven rack, and pour in water until the water level is about halfway up the sides of the ramekins.<br /><br />Bake 30 to 40 minutes. The custard will be set around the edges, but the centers should wobble when the ramekins are wiggled.<br /><br />Carefully remove the roasting pan from the oven. (I bumped the edge of the stove and ruined two custards when the water bath spilled into them. I was able to save two others by carefully soaking up the spilled water off the tops of the custards with paper towels.)<br /><br />Cool the custards in the water bath for 20 minutes, then chill uncovered in the fridge for 4 hours.<br /><br />Just before serving, evenly sprinkle the turbinado sugar over the tops of the custards. Use your blowtorch to melt and caramelize the sugar. Keep the torch moving to avoid burning the sugar.<br /><div></div>drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03372171693076828623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562170967440507930.post-57725315944359094022010-05-26T07:53:00.001-05:002010-05-26T07:53:00.084-05:00greater tuna<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiekZvzdH-YccHWQoD4SyJUMRB9HPEyrlHQAH6fCaNdxXRzoCKGE-VR9mkTOE_MC01z8t6o4WL9y7vFNwVLiG-hY7uvw0UAwOqtZ-jnO0rrXHB1-Pofq1eZGw_hSMuAwuNaS0ECx6TCyNU/s1600/dinner+party+034.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474201159523706818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 394px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiekZvzdH-YccHWQoD4SyJUMRB9HPEyrlHQAH6fCaNdxXRzoCKGE-VR9mkTOE_MC01z8t6o4WL9y7vFNwVLiG-hY7uvw0UAwOqtZ-jnO0rrXHB1-Pofq1eZGw_hSMuAwuNaS0ECx6TCyNU/s400/dinner+party+034.JPG" border="0" /></a> It’s about time we got some seared tuna on this blog. (Actually, my mom put a <a href="http://tinybiscuits.blogspot.com/2010/02/guest-blogger-my-mom.html">recipe</a> on here, but I didn’t get to <em>taste</em> it.) This was the main course of Tott’s celebration dinner: seared tuna with a beurre blanc over rice, sautéed snow peas, and ginger pureed carrots.<br /><br />Step 1: Get some good tuna. Sushi-grade – because the middle of this is going to just on the rare side of raw. But if you have good tuna, that will be delicious. (By the way, my favorite way to get good fish is to make friends with a restaurant kitchen manager. Retail is for suckers.)<br /><br /><strong>Orange-Ginger Seared Tuna<br /></strong><em>(4 light servings)</em><br /><br />1 lb sushi-grade tuna (2 steaks)<br />2 oranges<br />2 Tbs soy sauce<br />5 quarter-sized slices of fresh ginger<br />¼ tsp Sriracha hot chili sauce<br />1 dash sesame oil<br />Black pepper<br /><br />Make your marinade. Zest about half an orange into a bowl. Squeeze the juice from both oranges into said bowl. Add everything else (except the tuna), and stir it all together.<br /><br />Put your tuna in a Ziploc bag. Dump in the marinade. Squish around to ensure even coverage. Marinate the tuna in the fridge for 45 minutes to an hour.<br /><br />I seared the tuna in a cast iron skillet. The trick is to make it very hot. Heat the pan on high until it begins to smoke a little. Add just a bit of oil to just barely coat the pan. <br /><br />Remove the tuna from the marinade, making sure the ginger slices don’t stick to the fish. Lay the tuna on one side and cook for 1-2 minutes. Flip the tuna, and cook for another 2 minutes.<br /><br />Slice thinly and fan over a bed of rice. We topped this off with a beurre blanc (which made it richer and fancier), but Kaytie made the sauce, so you’ll have to wait for her to post that recipe.drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03372171693076828623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562170967440507930.post-30621289295154172802010-05-23T14:50:00.000-05:002010-05-23T14:50:00.100-05:00the perfect food<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTbybfKyLyzKKCKCHkS5fs9yEpxBMfQOpRdR2PJPYIP4ky_uFoPeufS5On7svHkzywJk4V7MVgMo6LjerC07i4gXo20Fd8IS9KZzt9-jv3ctdr7HY9w8TqTX4OayO687_5NpE3icQM00/s1600/dinner+party+026.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474198789548567554" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTbybfKyLyzKKCKCHkS5fs9yEpxBMfQOpRdR2PJPYIP4ky_uFoPeufS5On7svHkzywJk4V7MVgMo6LjerC07i4gXo20Fd8IS9KZzt9-jv3ctdr7HY9w8TqTX4OayO687_5NpE3icQM00/s400/dinner+party+026.JPG" border="0" /></a> Mark Bittman calls the scallop one of nature’s most perfect foods. (I know this because we’ve been cooking a lot out of his <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Minimalist-Cooks-Home-Recipes-Ingredients/dp/0767909267/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1274561374&sr=8-1">Minimalist Cooks at Home</a> cookbook. Great recipes.) I agree with him. Who doesn’t love scallops?<br /><br />That’s why we chose a seared scallop as an amuse bouche for Tott’s fancy dinner.<br /><br />Kaytie really should be writing this post, since she made the stuffing, sautéed the spinach, and whipped up the delicious sauce. (All I did was stuff and sear the scallops.) But she’s taking a nap right now. You snooze, you lose, baby. Plus, I really like how the scallop in the picture looks like a monster. A delicious little monster.<br /><br />(I do hope she’ll post the recipe for her beurre blanc, though. It was incredible.)<br /><br /><strong>Seared Stuffed Scallops over Sauteed Spinach</strong><br />(an exercise in alliteration)<br /><br /><em>Scallops:</em> Since we served this as a quick appetizer, we only served one scallop per person. (A total of five.) If you want to serve this as an entrée, then you will, of course, need more scallops. Mark Bittman recommends 1 ½ pounds for 4 servings. You’ll probably need to double the stuffing recipe.<br /><br /><em>Stuffing<br /></em>1 handful fresh basil leaves<br />1 very small garlic clove<br />½ tsp salt<br />¼ tsp pepper<br />juice of ¼ lemon<br />1 Tbs olive oil<br /><br />Mince the basil, garlic, salt, and pepper together until everything is very finely chopped – almost a puree. Mix in the olive oil and lemon juice to make a paste.<br /><br />To stuff the scallops, cut horizontally almost all the way through the scallops. They’ll open up like a clamshell. Spread a little dollop of the stuffing inside each scallop, and close them.<br /><br />Place a large skillet over high heat for a little while. I used our trusty cast iron skillet and waited until it was smokin’ hot.<br /><br />Add a couple tablespoons of olive oil to the pan. <br /><br />Add the scallops one at a time. Let them brown for 1 or 2 minutes. Carefully flip them over to brown the other side for another 1 or 2 minutes. These need to be served quickly, so they’re nice and hot.<br /><br />While I was searing the scallops, Kaytie was sautéing spinach and making the sauce. We put a little spinach on each plate, put a scallop on that, and topped the whole thing off with beurre blanc and some capers.drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03372171693076828623noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562170967440507930.post-6550729718938759122010-05-22T09:13:00.000-05:002010-05-22T09:13:00.260-05:00porch drinks<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiz_3y9Qvgb5rGZlFuIiCK9x8wHd5je0PmI61bW5o7_9Awy7GO7ya13_Fc5p4KRj3dH6cqlN3x66WuHHsMQom9JhPDrGCD8f9gnu7sSx1vFzQ8JYe_uJyCPEp1-nDWdeQ2iQZaojLW4DQ/s1600/dinner+party+032.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471963814048332146" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 392px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiz_3y9Qvgb5rGZlFuIiCK9x8wHd5je0PmI61bW5o7_9Awy7GO7ya13_Fc5p4KRj3dH6cqlN3x66WuHHsMQom9JhPDrGCD8f9gnu7sSx1vFzQ8JYe_uJyCPEp1-nDWdeQ2iQZaojLW4DQ/s400/dinner+party+032.JPG" border="0" /></a> We had wine for most of the courses of Tott’s dinner. We wanted to mix it up a little, though, so while we seared the tuna and sautéed the snow peas and while our guests snacked on gravlax & cucumber bites, we had a sake cocktail.<br /><br />Tott kept calling them sake-tinis, but I’m not a fan of that. They’re based on a recipe we found for a drink called Green My Eyes, which is an incredibly stupid name. Whatever you call it, this is a great summer cocktail. It would be perfect for sitting on the porch or by the pool, and we will certainly be taking a bottle of sake to Dallas for the 4th of July family reunion.<br /><br />We used “seedless” cucumbers, which were smaller than regular cucumbers and turned out to have seeds. Liars. I think it would be fine to use regular cucumbers.<br /><br /><strong>Cucumber Fizz<br /></strong><br />3 slices cucumber<br />1 oz chilled sake<br />½ oz simple syrup<br />club soda<br /><br />Muddle the cucumbers in the bottom of a rocks glass (or a highball glass). Fill with ice. Add the sake and simple syrup and top it all off with the club soda. Stir lightly to mix, or pour it into a shaker and back into the glass. You can garnish it with another slice of cucumber, if you’re into that sort of thing.<br /><br />**These are delicious as they are, but I think I’m going to muddle a couple of mint leaves with the cucumbers next time, just to see how it goes. Not too much mint, though, because you don’t want to overwhelm the cucumber flavor.drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03372171693076828623noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562170967440507930.post-10952198692362066542010-05-20T08:30:00.001-05:002010-05-20T23:57:03.559-05:00A cure for salmon<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ZOb_L6gUSm6Ic3PibalD4JmxTZnuEbBPHdcUi569FFDYL17VR_QKHHc6Qay0dStXr2LEjLtexMni9piKN2Qyu6qxWuJQCqu4eiRZUDCvokf3RrQqDmm-4w6co5jUaQLkH-E8QixRTyc/s1600/dinner_party_020.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473085203023645266" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ZOb_L6gUSm6Ic3PibalD4JmxTZnuEbBPHdcUi569FFDYL17VR_QKHHc6Qay0dStXr2LEjLtexMni9piKN2Qyu6qxWuJQCqu4eiRZUDCvokf3RrQqDmm-4w6co5jUaQLkH-E8QixRTyc/s400/dinner_party_020.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div align="justify">When I waited tables at the Parker House, the ladies loved to order salmon. Pronounced SAL-mon. Well done, please. And could you bring a glass of white zinfandel? Blech. Maybe that experience is why I hate most cooked salmon; it just tastes fishy and gross to me. But I <em>do </em>love smoked salmon. I actually trained myself to like it when I was in my early twenties; I'd just started dating Drew, and his family liked to have smoked salmon, capers, and cream cheese with bagels at brunch. I thought this was the height of elegance, and so I was convinced that <em>truly</em> cultured people liked smoked salmon. I choked down a ton of it, trying to acquire a taste for it. And you know what? I did! </div><br /><div></div><br /><div align="justify">Well, so since I love smoked salmon (and I know Tott does, too), I wanted to make it for her party last Saturday. Unfortunately, I don't know how to work a smoker. I'm sure Drew could make it if he tried (there's not much I think Drew can't do, other than carry a tune), but he had to work most of last week when we were getting ready for Tott's party. So smoked salmon was out, and I didn't know what to do for the third course. Then I came across a Mark Bittman recipe for gravlax--<em>cured </em>salmon, in other words. Well, I figured I could do that. And you know what? I could!</div><br /><div></div><br /><div align="justify">Cured salmon is super easy--you only need a little bit of really fresh, high-quality salmon and time. We served it sliced thin and piled on top of cucumber rounds with a little dollop of some dill-infused sour cream. Sooooo good. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div><strong>Citrus-Cured Salmon</strong> </div><div>(modified from <em>The Minimalist Cookbook </em>by Bittman)</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>1 lb. fresh raw salmon</div><div>1/2 cup salt</div><div>1 cup sugar</div><div>2 tablespoons sriacha</div><div>zest of one lime, one lemon, one orange, and one grapefruit</div><div>1 tablespoon ground coriander</div><br /><div></div><br /><div align="justify">Combine all ingredients but salmon. Lay salmon on a clean sheet of cling wrap. Cover in salt mixtures, piling it all on there. If your salmon fillet has skin on it, pile it all on the opposite side. Wrap tightly in cling wrap (I think I put mine in a baggie). Let it rest 36 hours in the refridgerator. Rinse mixture off and dry. Slice thinly on the bias. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>kaytiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13987148107333614175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6562170967440507930.post-34875422852257069132010-05-16T12:29:00.004-05:002010-05-16T12:44:12.110-05:00aubrey approved<div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT7oZut6gpSRyKDM7gMCY5TIb_yAJMxYhnlbmapSUZIkJTYiTh0CA68Kqrg4sQAgX88zUYCrKW-qmGK6XAk5YkVIZjbFlOlQDkX4DmE-nyYVZtItLswQb5qwNqZtTvJUOBaWKXB7WgkEo/s1600/dinner+party+006.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471921900161299666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 363px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT7oZut6gpSRyKDM7gMCY5TIb_yAJMxYhnlbmapSUZIkJTYiTh0CA68Kqrg4sQAgX88zUYCrKW-qmGK6XAk5YkVIZjbFlOlQDkX4DmE-nyYVZtItLswQb5qwNqZtTvJUOBaWKXB7WgkEo/s400/dinner+party+006.JPG" border="0" /></a> Last night, we had a dinner party for Tott. You see, she just finished her first year of law school. So, we came up with a killer menu – seared stuffed scallops, crab salad over avocado, cured salmon & cucumber, seared tuna, and lemon crème brulee. The nice folks at <a href="http://www.briarwoodwineandspirits.com/Main_page.htm">Briarwood</a> took a look and picked out wine for each course. (The pairings were great, by the way.) We like to cook over the top, and we had an excuse.<br /><br />We didn’t want people to have to stand around in the kitchen, watching us prepare each course, so we spent Saturday prepping. And what’s better than prepping all day? Prepping while babysitting!<br /><br />Kaytie’s goddaughter came over at 6 AM. Luckily, even a baby knows that’s way too early to be awake, so she slept until 9:30. (So did we.) Then, Kaytie and I cooked while Aubrey made a mess and a LOT of noise. (We didn’t mind, of course, but the dogs preferred to spend the day outside.)</div><div><br />We had decided to serve the tuna with sautéed snow peas and pureed carrots. As I was turning the carrots into mush, I realized that I had a rare opportunity. I was making something that looked like baby food, AND I had a real live baby in the house. With just a couple pictures, I could make this food blog a whole lot cuter.<br /><br /><div> </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471922701838547922" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 335px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOuzZJ4jkPuuZ2teGhJRZLkFmJjypWMWWrppw4Z4pKdU6rVpgL50BCawucZWAR5Rf_GJkCdv4_TTbzYXH1F9DFJ5Ci6taWHmi51IOCCAusp3O00R-2PJvCWMP5wfoS8OGMWBnDOPJEZIw/s400/dinner+party+004.JPG" border="0" /></div></div></div><br /><p>Anyway, these are the best carrots you’ll ever eat. Even Alice, who was scarred by a childhood memory of Mickey Mouse and some carrot cake, ate all of her carrots. They’re <em>that</em> good.<br /><br /><strong>Ginger Pureed Carrots</strong><br /><em>(serves 4-5)</em><br /><br />1 lb baby carrots, cut in half<br />1 Tbs brown sugar<br />1 Tbs minced fresh ginger<br />½ cup chicken stock<br />½ tsp salt<br />5 Tbs butter<br />¼ cup heavy c ream<br /><br />Over high heat and in a covered pot, simmer the carrots, sugar, ginger, salt, and chicken broth for about 12 minutes, until the carrots are fork-tender.<br /><br />Puree the mixture with the butter and cream in a food processor until it is the consistency of baby food. You may want to season with a little more salt.<br /></p><p>You can make this ahead of time and keep it in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave for 4 minutes or so, stirring once half way through. Make sure it's not too hot if you're going to feed it to a baby.</p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471923371039870434" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhc8FQaiBI3vXd6RTPSjQdl4z0TKk96cOwXEj-YM1bOJEDv6v8jyQb3c8h0gMXjAHt0ydPtek0WxLSkLhrRJGiDbVSCOJigvMca4f0-sIaboakj3rv91g6h6GUGzD2nCxuL6a0nV0eJYE/s400/dinner+party+012.JPG" border="0" /></p>drewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03372171693076828623noreply@blogger.com0