Food For Thought

June 29, 2011

Sparkle Up Your Fourth Of July!

Filed under: How To, Retro Recipes, Trying Something New, Uncategorized, Writing — Tags: , , , , , , , , , — Theresa H Hall @ 4:07 pm

This is a perfect dessert with summery goodness and will be a welcome tart for this weekend! It takes a little longer to prepare, but it is not difficult. Read over these recipes and surprise those who have asked you to bring a dish for the cookout. If there are a lot of people, you’d best prepare two or three tarts. Simply double or triple the recipes. Once cooled, you can remove the tarts quite easily from the tart pans, and cut in any sized portions. You can always use cupcake papers and place the mini-tarts (after cutting) in them to serve your guests. For more formal dining, it makes a wonderful centerpiece and should be sliced in pie portions. Any way you serve this beauty, it will be talked about long after the party is over.

What is a Pear Frangipane Tart?

Pears poached in simple syrup, vanilla bean, star anise and some liquor. Pâte sucrée, sweet pastry dough, frangipane and the poached pear halves placed flat side down. Bake then brush with hot apricot glaze. Garnish with freshly chopped pistachios. Incredible flavor.

Choose your pears with care. and treat all of your ingredients with respect. You will produce something fragrant and elegant. Remember it needs to cool overnight!

I have included here five recipes for: dough, frangipane, frangipane tart, poaching fruit, and pear frangipane tart. My suggestion is that you read through each recipe a few times in order to study and familiarize yourself with procedure. Then when you are ready to proceed, you will feel very confident in your French Pastry Experience. Bon Appetit!

Pear Frangipane Tart

1 9″ pâte sucrée tart (uncooked)
1 cup frangipane
6 poached pear halves (thinly sliced, but kept together)
finely chopped pistachios for garnish

1) Fill uncooked shell 3/4 with frangipane

2) Place six pear halves flat side down, evenly spaced onto the top of the tart

3) Bake 350º to 375º for 45 to 55 minutes

4) Classic finish is to glaze with hot apricot and garnish in between

the pears on the outer edge with chopped pistachios

Allow to cool overnight

Yield is 16 portions

Do not freeze; store covered in plastic wrap in refrigerator for up to four days

Pie and Tart Doughs

Pâte Sucrée / Sweet Tart Dough

Very rich; crisp; not flaky. Used in tarts or tartlets. Sweet never savory fillings.

It is a sturdy dough and should crumble in your mouth.

8 oz softened butter
4 oz sugar
1/2 t vanilla
1/2 t lemon zest
1 large egg
12 oz A P flour
1/4 t salt

1) Cream butter in a mixer with paddle, with a little sugar to cut the butter

2) Add the remaining sugar, lemon zest, vanilla and egg. Scrape the sides of the bowl

3) Add all of the flour and salt. Stir until just mixed and dough holds together when pressed;

Place onto work area and shim down until evenly blended and cut in half

4) Wrap in plastic wrap and let cool in refrigerator 30 minutes or until cool and firm

5) Shape dough by rolling it out quickly…moving and lifting so it will not stick to surface…on a lightly floured and cold work area

Roll to 1/8″ for thicker tarts and to desired thickness for other shapes, and any scraps

may be added back to the dough and rolled out again (this is a nondirectional dough)

which means you can put the dough together, press together and roll it out without

regard to the direction, originally used when rolling)

6) Place over rolling pin and transfer to lightly greased tarts pan. Reinforce walls, roll off top and crimp edges

7) Rest in refrigerator for 30 minutes or until cool and firm

Bake in preheated oven 350º to 375º 15 to 18 minutes or until amber in color. Bake blind (without any filling) by lining inside with parchment paper and using weights (remove the weights after partially baking and return to oven.) You may also dock the dough; pricking the bottom with tiny holes to allow steam to escape and bake for the specified time. You can bake right out of the freezer too.

Fill according to recipe. You may also use in a recipe which calls for a raw shell to be filled and baked together.

Yield is approximately two 8″ tarts or twelve 2 1/2″ to 3″ tartlets.

** (other ways to use this dough) **

Unfilled shells may be kept at room temperature for 2 to 3 days, or wrapped in plastic and frozen for up to 3 months. Unrolled dough 1 week in the refrigerator or 1 month in the freezer. To extend the shelf life of a baked shell you may use glaze, egg wash, whole eggs, whites, sugar, 10X, caramel, frangipane, thin layer of chocolate, glaze. For any egg used return shell to heat, in order to seal the surface.

Pies and Tarts

Frangipane & Frangipane Tart (two recipes)

This recipe is a batter that bakes just like a cake. It is used as a bottom filling for many tarts. It can be used as a filling to be baked. Classic flavorings are two tablespoons of lemon zest, dark rum and vanilla.

1 raw pâte sucrée 9″ shell

Frangipane: (Room Temperature Ingredients)
1 lb softened butter
1 lb sugar
1 lb almond flour
10 large eggs
3 oz A P flour (save for later)
1 pinch of salt
1 c seedless raspberry jam

** Finish for a Classic Frangipane Tart **

Topping:
1/2 of a cherry glace
7 or 8 toasted almond slices

1) Cut the butter with a small amount of sugar in a mixing bowl with a paddle

2) Add remaining sugar and cream the butter

3) Pour in the almond flour and pinch of salt; add two eggs at a time until
thoroughly blended and continue adding eggs until blended

4) Add flavoring and the last 3 oz flour, the consistency will be like cake batter

(filling the tart shell)

Spread 1/8″ raspberry jam on the bottom of the raw shell; add frangipane almost to the top

Place 1/2 cherry glacee in the center and surround it with 7 or 8 toasted almond slices.

Bake 350º to 375º 40 to 45 minutes.

Cool completely on wire rack.

Yield is 16 servings. Makes three 9″ tart shells.

Store in refrigerator wrapped in plastic wrap for 4 to 5 days.

Fruit

Poaching Fruit

Be sure to respect the fruit and while peeling it, let the fruit tell you its shape
Cut in half and melon ball the center to remove the core and seeds

8 to 10 pieces of fresh fruit (peeled and cut in half)
2 parts water
1 part sugar
vanilla bean
star anise

1) Bring water and sugar to a simmer. Add the vanilla bean and the star anise

2) Add fruit flat side up; do not let the top of the fruit dry out

3) Place parchment paper, which has been cut to vent steam, over the pan of fruit
This will form a tent and allow to simmer for about ten minutes

4) Remove from heat and allow to cool thoroughly. Store in liquid in the refrigerator overnight.

5) The liquids may be used in other recipes or sauces so be sure to keep

the lid closed tightly.

Hot apricot glaze is apricot jam thinned with a bit of water and boiled to the right consistency.

Using a pastry brush, gently glaze the tops of your tarts. Make certain it is not goopy or you will ruin the finish.

May 4, 2011

Juiced Any Oranges Today?

Filed under: Celebrating Food, How To, Trying Something New, Writing, holidays — Tags: , , , , — Theresa H Hall @ 5:20 pm

Many people like to prepare a breakfast for their loved ones on Mother’s Day. This Sunday why not add oranges to the menu? Be sure to have plenty in your kitchen, because pretty orange slices and freshly squeezed orange juice are always appreciated.

May 4th highlights National Orange Juice Day, and Candied Orange Peel Day. This is a treat you can make a few days ahead. Dress them up in a glass jar tied with a beautiful ribbon. Mothers love our thoughtful presents. They like knowing that time was spent thinking of them as gifts were being lovingly arranged. Think how pleased your Mother will be as she gets to enjoy breakfast in bed, or taste a sweet candied orange peel. When Mother is happy then all is well in our world.

Candied Orange Peel

2 large navel oranges

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup cold water

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips  * (see below)

~~~~~~~~~~

1) Cut off the tops of both ends of the oranges

2) Using a vegetable peeler cut  3/4″ to 1″ strips from the top to the bottom

3) Bring a small heavy saucepan filled with water, to a boil

4) Add the peels, cooking for a minute, drain and rinse under cold water

5) Repeat this process (fresh boiling water each time) until all are done

6) Bring water and sugar to a boil, until sugar is dissolved

7) Add the orange peels and simmer over medium-low heat, about fifteen minutes

8) Using tongs, remove peels and place them onto a baking sheet lined with paper.

9) Allow to dry for around one hour.

~~~~~~~~~~

* If you want to dip one-half end of the candied orange peel, then melt the chocolate

1) Line a baking sheet with parchment paper

2) Put chocolate into a small bowl

3) Place bowl over pan of simmering water, gently stir until melted

4) Dip one end of the peel (about 1 1/2″) into the chocolate

5) Place them onto the parchment paper

6) Allow to set for about twenty to thirty minutes

7) Store in a glass container in a cool dry place

Do not refrigerate  **  P.S.  If you want extra sweet, toss the peel in some granulated sugar before putting it on the parchment paper **

Remember to get your Mother’s Day Card early!


January 21, 2011

Leftover Bread Made New

Filed under: How To, Trying Something New, Writing, leftovers — Tags: , , — Theresa H Hall @ 10:09 pm

That leftover loaf of bread was put to very good use today. Knowing company is coming, blend a few ingredients and add in the bread. Before you know it you’ll have a dessert that will make your family and guests say ooh and ah. It is simple … yet simply delicious.

Rum Bread Pudding

1 loaf rich bread (two days old) * Place bread loaf in freezer for 30 minutes prior to beginning the recipe as it helps to make the bread easier to cut into cubes.

3 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

1 Tbsp butter

1/4 tsp salt

1 3/4 cups sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 oz dark rum

4 eggs

Preheat oven to hot 350º

1) Heat milk and heavy cream in large stainless pot. Bring to a slow simmer. (When the hot liquid is poured out the bottom of the pot should have a skin of milk on the bottom, to prove it was heated without burning.

2) Place eggs into a large stainless bowl or ceramic bowl.

3) Cut bread into cubes. Include the crust for color and texture.

4) Melt butter. Add vanilla, dark rum, salt, melted butter and sugar to the eggs and mix well.

5) Temper the hot liquid to the egg mixture and then add the remaining liquid.

6) Add in the bread cubes, toss and press down. Cover for 5 – 10 minutes with clear wrap, allowing the bread to absorb the liquid. Pull the bread apart to test to be sure the liquid reaches the center of the bread cube. Do not soak too long.

7) Add to buttered and lightly sugared baking dish. Place onto a cookie sheet and bake for 45 minutes.

8) Boil apricot jam or preserves with some water and brush on top of the baked bread pudding.

Serve immediately or allow to set and then serve. Maple pecan ice cream is a great accompaniment. I love pouring cold heavy cream on top. It mixes with the rum and is awesome.

Click here for step-by-step photographs. Serves 8 to 10.


June 2, 2010

Cater Your Own Wedding and Save

Filed under: Entertaining, How To, frugal — Tags: , , — Penny Hawkins @ 3:39 pm

 

It’s June and that means time for weddings! The Wedding Report.com estimates that the average wedding costs about $23,040, not including the cost of the engagement ring, honeymoon, wedding planner or bridal consultant! They also report that $11,790, or about one-half of the total wedding budget, is spent on the wedding reception. With the reception accounting for one-half of the total wedding cost, it’s easy to see why a bride on a budget may want to consider self-catering as a money-saving option!

I experienced this first-hand when my daughter got married a few years ago. Just like many other brides, she was on a budget, and just like many other parents of the bride, my husband and I were watching the costs add up as she talked to us about what she wanted. In the end, through compromise and some creative strategies like purchasing her gown at a discount bridal shop, using silk flowers, and catering the wedding ourselves (including the cake which I baked and decorated- pictured above) we were able to hold the cost of the entire wedding to less than $3,000! From our experience, I assure you that it can be done, but there are a few things you should consider first.

If you are a bride considering catering the reception yourself, you should know what you are getting yourself (and friends and family) into. Among other things, you should consider these factors:

Where do I have the reception? You will need a location that allows self-catering and has adequate facilities and equipment. Church reception halls are ideal for this, and many are available for a reasonable fee. Keep in mind that serving alcohol and playing secular music may not be an option if using a church reception hall. Ideally, you will want the wedding ceremony and reception locations to be either in the same place or reasonably close together. We held the wedding and reception at a church near our home which was convenient and affordable.

Who does the work? Make no mistake, catering a wedding is work! As the bride, it will be difficult for you to contribute much to food preparation, especially in the days leading up to the wedding when last-minute details will compete for your time and attention.  Keep in mind as well that friends and family members who are doing the food preparation will probably also want attend the ceremony, so you will need to decide who stays behind to get the food out before reception guests arrive. All our food was prepared by family members of the bride and groom, and two very generous friends volunteered to stay behind to heat up food and get things placed on the buffet tables.

What do I serve? Fortunately, this is easier than it seems, and there are lots of creative solutions that will easily fit into your budget. One of the easiest ways to control what you serve is by carefully choosing the time of day you hold your wedding. Guests attending an afternoon (and I mean after lunch!) wedding will not expect a full meal, while guests attending an evening wedding will expect and deserve to be served something more than finger foods. If your budget does not accommodate a full-meal reception, choose the afternoon for your wedding instead. My daughter’s wedding was at 2:00, so we were able to serve a buffet of finger foods without her guests feeling slighted or hungry. Tip #1: A buffet saves you money because it requires no wait staff, although people will usually take more food when serving themselves. If you plan for this, you will still come out ahead. Tip#2: Use smaller plates for your buffet as guests will not put as much food on them. The larger the plate, the more food people will put on it. I purchased 7-inch plastic dinner plates at Sam’s Club for my daughter’s wedding and they were ideal.

Now that you have the time of day determined, what about the menu? The internet and cookbooks are good resources for finding menus that accommodate 50 or 100 guests ( I do not recommend trying to cater for a group larger than this yourself)! To help you get started with menu ideas, here is the menu from my daughter’s reception as well as some of the recipes we used (we expected 75 guests so we cooked for 100):

Sliced Beef Brisket with Rolls- See recipe for brisket below. Rolls (8 dozen) were from a local bakery and sliced at home.

BBQ Meatballs- 12 lbs. frozen pre-cooked meatballs and sauce (4 bottles your favorite bbq sauce).

Shrimp and Cocktail Sauce- Approx 4 bags of 75 pieces frozen shrimp purchased from Sam’s. We purchased 4 bottles cocktail sauce.

Potato Salad- 6 lbs. potato salad purchased from Sam’s Club and “doctored” with 1 small diced onion, 2 cups sour cream and 6 chopped hard-boiled eggs.

Veggie Platter and Spinach Dip- Baby carrots (no cutting required!), celery sticks and grape tomatoes. We purchased 3 lbs. carrots, 1 ½ lbs. celery, and 3 qts. cherry tomatoes. Dip (4 qts.) was purchased from Sam’s and cost less than making from scratch.

Cheese Ball and Crackers- See recipe for cheese ball below. Two large boxes fancy crackers purchased from Sam’s.

Carved Watermelon Fruit Basket- This had to be assembled hours before the wedding due to the number of fresh ingredients. Plan for 5-6 pieces of fruit per person. We bought the following:

1- 18 lb. watermelon
1- 4lb. pineapple, cubed
1- 3 lb. honeydew or cantaloupe, cubed
1- lb. strawberries, sliced
1- lb. seedless red grapes
1- lb. seedless green grapes
1- pint blueberries

Robert’s Beef Brisket (Thanks to my friends Robert and Stephanie for sharing this delicious recipe) Makes a 4 lb. beef brisket-serves 12 people.

1 4lb. beef brisket
1 cup beer
1 cup catsup
1 cup water
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. dried minced onion
4 tbsp. vinegar
1 tbsp. horseradish (do not leave this out!)
1 tbsp. yellow mustard
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp. pepper

Mix all ingredients together. Place beef fat side up in an oven-safe container. Pour mixture over and refrigerate several hours to marinate. Bake in a 300 degree oven for about 4 hours. Refrigerate overnight. Remove beef and drippings from pan. Skim fat from drippings. Slice beef against the grain, put back in pan, add drippings. Heat in 200 degree oven until warmed through. Beef can also be served cold after this and leftovers can be frozen.

Note: This recipe was scaled to accommodate the required number of servings. There are computer programs such as MasterCook that will do this for you accurately. To help with portion control and save time, I paid a local deli to slice the meat for me. This is the best way I know to serve beef to a crowd without the expense of a carving station (I purchased 25 lbs. of brisket from a local meat market for less than $3.00 per pound)

Dried Beef Cheese Ball (I doubled this recipe and made one large cheese ball)

8 oz. cream cheese
3 oz. dried beef, chopped
3 cloves garlic
¼ tsp onion salt
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce  

In a medium bowl or food processor, combine cream cheese, dried beef, and garlic. Mix well and then add onion salt and Worcestershire sauce. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate overnight.

May 3, 2010

The Beauty Of Meringue

Filed under: How To, Trying Something New, Writing — Tags: , — Theresa H Hall @ 4:12 pm

Theory: Meringue is a structure with sugar sometimes melted into it. It is a combination of egg whites and sugar, granulated or powdered. Granulated sugar does not always dissolve. The most common ratio is 2 oz sugar to 1 oz egg whites. Week-old egg whites develop better than day-old egg whites, which produce a tighter meringue. Whenever using new egg whites, add just a smidgin of salt, cream of tartar, or two drops of lemon juice.  You must handle the egg whites properly. A very clean dry stainless steel bowl is best. Never use aluminum as it will turn the meringue a grayish color. While whipping egg whites use medium 3/4 speed on your mixer. The egg whites will appear to have many small air bubbles, and as it develops, the color will turn from a yellow to a white. At this juncture you might add a tablespoon of sugar, whip some more, and continue adding sugar in small amounts until you have soft peaks, firm and shiny. Stop the mixer and pick up the whisk. Seeing meringue inside of the whisk indicates that you are finished whipping. Meringue can be flavored or lightly colored, but only after it is developed. Remember that anything added will change the consistency of the recipe. Be gentle when folding. The rule of thumb is to fold light into heavy and then heavy into light. Be moderate when adding tints and flavorings. Use them sparingly.

French is the cold method. Beat the whites and sugar at the right point and whip until stiff peaks form. Mixture is unstable and takes air unevenly. It bakes dry and crunchy. All of the sugar doesn’t get dissolved. It is the strongest meringue but also considered the most unsafe because the whites are not cooked.

Swiss is the warm method. Sugar and water are heated to 141º (just to ouch). Temper by slowly adding the heated liquid into partially-beaten whites, then whip until cold, smooth and shiny. This is considered a much safer meringue because the whites are partially cooked. It is used in many recipes as a decoration because it is so smooth and shiny.

Italian is the hot method. Sugar and water (which when mixed together is called a slurry) is heated to 238º (soft ball). Temper the whites very slowly, then whip until cool, smooth, and creamy peaks form. This is the safest meringue as the whites are fully cooked. It is also used as the base for many butter creams, replacing whipped cream. It is known to make a mousse even lighter than it already is.

These meringues are desserts by themselves and are especially wonderful additions when combined with other recipes. They can be baked into cookies, baked into layers for cakes, used atop tarts and pies, and included in butter creams, and piped as light and fluffy fillings. The methods for making meringues are incorporated into sponge cake recipes and can be piped into decor, dried and applied to plated desserts.

Variations: Meringue Chantilly or Meringue Glace`; Bake meringue biscuits by piping two sides onto parchment lined sheet pans. After baking, fill with Creme` Chantilly or ice cream.  Top with chocolate shavings and curls.

Creme` Chantilly

Always served with Savarin. Great with puff pastry and many other fresh deserts.

2 c Heavy Cream

10 X sugar (to taste) or  granulated sugar

1 T vanilla extract

1) Whip cream by hand or mixer, until viscosity is reached; it forms soft and creamy peaks. Do not over mix.

Serve right away or chill in refrigerator.

Yield is 2 cups.

April 19, 2010

Cooking for One

Filed under: How To, Quick Meal Tips, leftovers — Tags: , — Anne Coleman @ 8:40 am

As the mother of seven, I often find myself daydreaming about cooking just for me. Many nights I have to cook what everyone else likes and set my own wants aside. Conversely, folks who live alone get tired of eating alone. Here are some tips to help you along when you’re dining solo.

1. Enjoy it! Coming from the viewpoint of one who has to cook what others want all the time, I look forward to days when I can cook something that I alone can enjoy. You can experiment to your heart’s content and the only palate you’ll be offending
if you flop is your own.

2. Fresh is best. We all know this one, but when it comes to cooking for one, fresh is more than just good for your health, it’s also good for your wallet. Fresh veggies and fruit that can be bought a piece at a time are perfect for one person. Often a can of food isn’t used by one before it goes bad and fresh food is the perfect solution. It may cost more per ounce or pound, but food that goes bad before it can be consumed is a waste of money – period.

3. If you must buy more, learn to properly store the leftovers. Freezing is often the best option for canned goods that aren’t eaten right away. Stow them in bags with one serving or small single-serving plastic containers that are freezer safe.

4. Buy in bulk – or at least from the bulk bins. A scoop of this or a scoop of that is far easier to manage for a single than bags and boxes meant for families. Check them out for things like nuts, legumes, grains and the like.

5. Don’t let reipes for 4 or mor dissuade you. Make the recipe and portion it out then freeze the leftovers for quick weeknight meals anytime!

6. Use small appliances. A toaster oven is the perfect companion for one. It’s just the right size to heat one or two meals and it’s great for use in warmer months as it won’t heat up the house like a full oven.

7. Plan leftovers. Make a full an of beans knowing you’ll be using the extra in a burrito, or chop a full tomato so you have the leftover on-hand the next morning for an omelet. Thinking ahead saves wasted food and provides a lot more variety.

8. Buy appropriate sized containers. The perfect single-serve dessert fits into a standard ramekin and goes from freezer to oven easily.

9. Eat with friends – even when they’re not in the same room! Grab your laptop and converse away with friends on Facebook, FriedEggs or Twitter while you’re having dinner, or turn on a favorite movie for dinner theater.

10. Eggs. Yep, the perfect little natural single-serve food! The possibilities for eggs are endless, too so you’ll have lots of recipes to choose from.

I made this for myself recently and it was so good I just had to share.

Shrimp and Veggies for One
Ready in 15 minutes
Serves: 1

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup fresh-frozen green beans
1/2 cup red, yellow and orange pepper strips
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup white wine
6 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat.
Toss in green beans, peppers and garlic. Stir-fry until veggies start to soften slightly.
Add wine and cook until simmering. Toss in shrimp and over with a lid. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper and serve.

March 27, 2010

Food Secrets: Grilled Cheese

Filed under: How To, Writing — Tags: , — Theresa H Hall @ 12:10 pm

Today I am sharing my secret recipe.

Homemade Bread is key to making the perfect grilled cheese sandwich. Two slices of swiss cheese and two slices of provolone cheese, layered. Lots of unsalted butter and a hot, to medium-hot skillet. At the finish a sprinkling of salt on either side as it grills.

You start off with a medium to hot skillet and put the butter into the pan. Move it around so it is covering the bottom of the skillet. Place your sandwich into the pan and coat one side of the bread with the butter. Remove from pan. Add more butter. Now coat the reverse side and reduce heat from high to medium-high. Take your spatula and press down on the top of the sandwich. Turn the sandwich over, but add more butter before placing the sandwich back into the skillet. Press down with spatula. Let it cook for about 1.5 minutes. Add butter as you are flipping the sandwich over. Wait and allow to cook. Lower the heat to medium-low.

Your goal here is to evenly brown the bread and the edges of the crust, plus you want the cheese to be perfectly melted. Lift, add butter, flip over. Press down. Now … cut the sand

wich in half and return it to the pan, and this time place some butter in the middle, between the divided sandwich. Flip over while adding just a little more butter in the center. Sprinkle with salt and repeat for the other side. Make sure you are not burning your bread and that the cheese is all warm and melting. Eat immediately. You will not believe how much you want to wrap your lips around this perfect grilled cheese delight.

Variations: Tomato slices, fresh basil, crisp fried bacon as a garnish, olive oil and butter if using cibiatta bread. Consider serving it with a little apple chutney on the side.

March 12, 2010

What To Do If You Run Out Of…

Filed under: Baking Tips, How To — Tags: — Penny Hawkins @ 10:35 am

I have posted about this cook’s dilemma before. No matter how carefully you check your ingredients before starting to cook (or bake), the day will inevitably arrive when you find yourself  halfway the recipe and you realize you’re missing something! Sound familiar? I know it sounds familiar to me, because it happened to me just this past weekend!

It’s because this happens often enough to be aggravating that I started looking for and keeping a list of “emergency” substitutions, and they come in handy more often than I care to admit! So, if you’ve never seen my previous post, check it out…print it….keep it handy…and don’t forget to add my updates from today’s post! The next time you run out of an ingredient in the middle of a cooking session, you’ll be glad you did!

Brown Sugar- 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 tbsp. molasses. Combine in a bowl using a fork or an electric mixer. Store in an airtight container and use as you would regular brown sugar.

Baking Mix- 6 cups all purpose flour, 3 tbsp. baking powder, 1 tbsp. baking soda, 3 tbsp. sugar, 1 tbsp. salt, 1 cup vegetable shortening. Combine all your dry ingredients in a large bowl. Using two forks or a pastry blender, cut the shortening into the flour mixture until it resembles fine cornmeal (no lumps!). Store in an airtight container in the fridge and use as you would your favorite “Quick” baking mix.

“Cream of  xxxxxxx” Soup- 2 tbsp. butter or margarine, 2 tbsp. flour, 1 cup milk or chicken broth, 1 tsp. salt, 2 tbsp. onion, celery, or mushrooms (optional). Melt the butter over medium heat and saute the vegetables if you are using any (this is entirely optional). Whisk in the flour until smooth. Add milk or broth, whisking as you pour. Continue to stir slowly until the mixture begins to simmer and thicken. Reduce heat and simmer 1 minute. Use in place of 1 can of “cream of xxxxxxx” soup in your recipe. The real beauty of this recipe is that it has less sodium than the “cream of” soup in a can!

Onion Soup Mix- 3/4 cup dried onion, 1/3 cup powdered beef bouillon, 4 tbsp. onion powder, 1/4 tsp. sugar. In a small bowl, mix everything together using a whisk or two forks. Store in an airtight container. 5 tbsp. soup substitute = 1 envelope onion soup mix. Note: To reduce the sodium, use a low-sodium beef bouillon.

Seasoned Salt- 2 tbsp. sea salt, 2 tsp. sugar, 1/2 tsp. paprika, 1/4 tsp. turmeric, 1/4 tsp. onion powder, 1/4 tsp. garlic powder. Combine ingredients together in a small bowl, using a fork to make sure there are no lumps. Store in an airtight container or shaker jar.

February 27, 2010

Sweet Or Savory Soufflés

Filed under: Baking Tips, Did you know?, How To, Time Saving Tips, Trying Something New, Writing — Tags: — Theresa H Hall @ 7:31 am

A soufflé has to be one of the easiest yet most elegant of dishes. They have been admired and loved since the late 1780’s and were created in France by a chef who really used his head. It is lightened by whipped egg whites and the frothiness expands with the heat from baking and pushes the dessert to rise, rise and rise, to the top and a bit over the rim of the soufflé dish.

First you’ll want to chose a recipe and decide whether you want it as a main course, a side dish or as your dessert. Once you have made up your mind, pre heat your oven for 20 minutes and be certain it is at the right temperature. Next, prepare your baking dish by buttering every inch of the inside of your dish. For a sweet soufflé you’ll want to generously butter every crevice, and dust it with fine sugar before adding the batter. For a savory soufflé`, butter and then dust with fine breadcrumbs or a grated hard cheese, such as Parmesan.

A soufflé is no more than a simple sauce or a fruit puree that is lightened by folding in whipped egg whites. If you are using a large dish fill it, but leave at least an inch of space from the rim so it will not spill out while baking. If you are using individual ramekins then you may fill the dish almost to the very top. The little size will keep the soufflé from falling and this is what no cook wants, a deflated soufflé.

If you bake in a big dish make sure it is a deep, straight-sided mold. The straight sides will allow the soufflé to rise and appear tall with a poufy crown. It is served immediately and you spoon it from the top and the soufflé sauces itself. Smaller dishes should be baked on a sheet pan and since the dishes are hot use tongs to pick them up and set them gently onto serving dishes.

Once you have your recipe it is time to create a base, or use fruit puree and then whip your egg whites. The rule here is to be sure the beater(s) and bowl are squeaky-clean. Whip on medium-low speed until frothy and then turn up speed to medium. Continue whipping until they are at soft peaks, when the beater is lifted from the bowl and hold very soft peaks. Do Not Over Whip. If you do then your eggs will not have any place to go. They will not rise very much and you have wasted them. You must start over. Trying to add another egg white will screw up your proportions. This is baking chemistry remember? So now fold in the eggs and pour the batter into the dish or dishes and bake-away.

Classical French technique is to bake @ 425º to 450º, quicker rise and a little undercooked resulting in more sauce.  However, I have heard Americans want theirs baked longer and prefer a sauce on the side, so the temperature is reduced to 375º to 400º.

There you have it. You understand a good beginning of what to do and how to do it. Pick out a recipe and try it out. Before you know it you’ll be popping soufflé out of your oven in no time and experimenting with both savory and sweet ones. Bon Appetit.

Sweet Soufflé

Prepare 1 1/2 to 2 quart mold beforehand by heavily buttering the bottom and sides and dusting with granulated sugar.

Chill before using.

1 1/2 oz butter

1 1/2 oz flour

3/4 c milk heated

————

3 yolks

2 oz sugar

1/8 to 1/4 c Grand Marnier

————

6 oz egg whites

1 oz sugar

1) Melt butter with flour making a very light rue; the consistency of applesauce.

2) Make bechamel by adding heated milk to the rue and blending together.

3) Dissolve the sugar into the mixture. Pour into a clean bowl and cool over ice bath.

4) Stir in yolks. Add Grand Marnier.

5) Whip egg whites and sugar to softest peaks.

6) Fold whites into mixture, light to heavy and heavy into light.

7) Pan molds. Which means to pour batter into the pans.

Bake 375º to 400º 18 to 20 minutes. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR.

The souffle will appear brown and caky on the top.  If you tap the side there should be just the slightest jiggle.

Serve immediately. Two spoons in the middle at the top…and the souffle sauces itself.

Note: the photograph is of a Cheese Soufflé we made in French culinary school. 

February 23, 2010

More Uses for Too-Ripe Bananas: “Banana Cubes”

Filed under: How To, Quick Meal Tips, Trying Something New, Uncategorized — Tags: , , , — Penny Hawkins @ 2:09 pm

I am always on the lookout for new ways to use up food rather than throwing it away, and it makes me feel great when I can avoid waste. One of the foods I have the hardest time with is bananas. It seems I am always fighting against them for some reason…those suckers just get ripe faster than I can use them and I hate throwing them out! But, as you may recall from my last post about using “too-ripe” bananas, there is only so much banana bread one family can stand!

Not buying them is not an option for us…my hubby, the triathlete, has one almost daily in his smoothies, and my youngest grandson will eat them until you make him stop (or until he…well…you know). I have tried estimating how many we need for the week and purchasing accordingly, but most weeks I either run out or get stuck with 2 or 3 “too ripe” bananas!

So, what can I do with those darn overly-ripe bananas? Some people say to stick them in the freezer whole and use them for banana bread in the future. Now maybe it’s just me, but there is something about seeing those lifeless, blackened bananas in my freezer that just creeps me out! However, I really like the idea of freezing them for later, so I came up with this solution….banana cubes!!

As I mentioned before, my hubby has a protein smoothie almost every day, and I always put a banana in it.  So, I decided to see if I could mash the ripe bananas into a kind of puree and freeze them in ice-cube trays. Well, I tried it and it worked beautifully! Just put the bananas in a dish, mash them up with your potato masher, spoon them into an ice-cube tray and freeze! I freeze them in sets of two per baggie and just pop them into the blender with my other ingredients. They work like a charm, don’t turn brown, and help make his smoothie cold, thick and delicious!

 

 

So next time you wonder what to do with those pesky “too-ripe” bananas, try making some banana cubes and using them in a cool, refreshing smoothie! Here is my smoothie recipe:

Daryl’s After Workout Smoothie

8 oz. cold soy milk (or regular milk)
1 (4 oz.) container soy yogurt (or your favorite yogurt)
3-4 whole frozen or fresh strawberries
2 banana cubes (or 1 whole banana)
1 scoop vanilla-flavored protein powder

Add all ingredients to blender and pulse on puree setting until blended. Enjoy!

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