This blog probably should be read in conjunction with Recipe 36: Pumpkin Puree, as I put a good portion of the pumpkin puree into the pie.
I was reminded today that a good, homemade pie crust takes time (and sometimes planning-not my strong suit). The good news is, instead of two days, like I ended up doing for the cheesy creole tomato pie, I made this in only a couple of hours. Its not difficult work, and its great if you have small errands to run or other chores to catch up on, or just want to sit down with a good book. But this time, I had my nieces over and didn't get to it last night. I had promised my nieces pumpkin pie after lunch. They were disappointed to hear they'd get it after dinner instead, but that comes later.
First, I began mixing the flour with butter. Salt may go in and a tablespoon of sugar I believe. When I had rubbed all the butter in, which James kindly provided as I had run out of sticks, I added the water, shaped a disk and wrapped it in parchment paper I'd been working the dough on and then plastic wrap. My nieces got hungry, so we made lunch and knocked out some quick errands. Then I pulled out the dough and played kind of smart. Normally you roll the pie crust out on another surface and transfer it to the pie pan and play with excess dough in the edges. That all sounded like too much work. So I put flour in the bottom of the pie pan, dropped the dough down, and proceeded to form the dough with small circles beginning in the middle. It requires a little attention but it was far easier than rolling out and transfering and fluting the edges or imprinting with a fork. Your dough will be a little thicker than the standard 1/8" in this case. I like doughy dough. Now, pop this back in the fridge, review the recipe...may as well start on the pumpkin when I bake the pie crust according to this.
I sat down to knit and watch the ending of "How to Train Your Dragon" again, then let the girls play outside for a bit. When the pie crust was ready, I sprayed the parchment paper with cooking spray, placed it in the pan, poured dried beans on it as weights and baked it for about 15 minutes. I began working with the pumpkin at this point creating the puree in the previous blog. Once I got the pumpkin, some juice, and the heavy cream in the blender and realized I had probably enough pumpkin for two pies, I decided to make a smoothie out of some and pie out of what I needed. I added spices. I did ad lib here a bit. The recipe called for a 1/4 tsp of each spice. That seems miniscule to my tongue(James may have begun to burn off my tastebuds after all...at least some of the better working ones). Of course, it could be that I like spices too. I included a full teaspoon of cinnamon and at least a full teaspoon of nutmeg. I kept the ginger and cardamom to a half teaspoon each. I thought about clove, and next time I expect I will add them, but this recipe did not call for them. After I mixed in the spices, I remembered the eggs. I worked the eggs in...this is much easier to do in its own turn earlier.
Then I poured the batter into the crust and popped it into the oven for nearly an hour. Not more than ten minutes after the pie was in the oven, the girls began to ask when it would be done. "I'll send some home with you for after dinner." I told them. They reminded me I'd said after lunch. I explained the pie wasn't ready yet, and proceeded to knit while I waited some more;-).
After the pie came out of the oven and cooled down, I cut some slices, piled two little girls into my truck with treats and drove them home. I remembered the pie, I forgot the 1 night rental movies. I was really glad my rentals are still half off.
When I returned home to my left-over pie, I decided I'd had my dinner, so I would taste a slice. I'm thinking now I should have made the second pie, even if I don't need it. Not only did it have a good flavor, it had an earthy quality you can't find in the store bought stuff. And pies are always better with fresh ingredients.
When I mentioned the earthy quality you can't quite place, he'd mentioned that he saw a show on a cooking channel the other day that equated nutmeg with earthiness...I'm liking nutmeg more and more now. I think it gave this pie an excellent flavor, even if it does become an earthy nutmeg pumpkin pie...I'm sure we can find a fascinating way to shorten the name without using the acronym for it.
I didn't even need whipped cream, though it would have been good.
I will definitely make this recipe again...when I have a weekend to devote...or just want to kick back and read a good book.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Recipe 36: Pumpkin Puree
This blog pairs with the next blog, yet to be written...I expect it will be finished tonight or tomorrow, depending on times. I started this recipe last week...I found a nice beige 6# pie pumpkin and bought it at my local farm market. It was a little more than I needed, but I figured I'd figure out something to do with the rest...if it didn't all end up in the pie.
The pumpkin did still need to be seeded, and cut and cut and cut some more. I believe we worked with eighths of the pumpkin when it was done...its still not easy to cut through, silly pumpkins. I did think about carving or painting the pumpkin first, but decided I wanted to use the insides for pie more.
So, I cut the pumpkin in half, scooped out the seeds and proceeded to cut it into eighths. I lined the baking sheet with parchment paper(it makes life so much easier) and I arranged the pieces on the sheet. I drizzled them with olive oil...and used a little more than the recipe called for.
When I got ready to make the pie...I began removing the rind/skins. I used a paring knife as it did not peel as easily as I'd hoped. then I chopped the pumpkin into pieces and attempted to strain the solids through a cheese-cloth lined sieve(which I had to buy this week). I wondered as I read through the recipe if this was really the approach I wanted, seems like that would give me more of a pumpkin juice than a pumpkin puree. After a couple of attempts to put the pumpkin through the lined sieve, I said to heck with it and dropped it in the blender.
I know, I know, that's the quickest way to kill a blender. So I looked in the fridge and found some orange strawberry banana juice to help the pumpkin process in the blender. I probably should have pulled out the food processor that was kindly given to me after I killed the last blender, but the food processor was in the cupboard under the counter, and the blender was already on the counter and is easier to assemble. I need to switch that arrangement around;-). Alas, enough with the organization woes...back to the puree.
The juice helped a little, but did not give it quite enough juice, so i checked the recipe--as not to add too much extra liquid, and dumped in the heavy cream the recipe called for. Finally, we got the start of a blend. I think this made enough for two pies really, and if I'd prepped two pie crusts, I'd have made it. I might have some puff pastry left...but that's a different blog.
As for the extra...I ended up adding the spices, some clove(not included in the original recipe and some brown sugar to make a smoothie. I left out the eggs due to not cooking them.
I will definitely make this recipe again...probably with a smaller pie pumpkin and some cloves.
For the pie, you'll have to catch the next blog...which may be written after laundry gets folded tonight...
The pumpkin did still need to be seeded, and cut and cut and cut some more. I believe we worked with eighths of the pumpkin when it was done...its still not easy to cut through, silly pumpkins. I did think about carving or painting the pumpkin first, but decided I wanted to use the insides for pie more.
So, I cut the pumpkin in half, scooped out the seeds and proceeded to cut it into eighths. I lined the baking sheet with parchment paper(it makes life so much easier) and I arranged the pieces on the sheet. I drizzled them with olive oil...and used a little more than the recipe called for.
When I got ready to make the pie...I began removing the rind/skins. I used a paring knife as it did not peel as easily as I'd hoped. then I chopped the pumpkin into pieces and attempted to strain the solids through a cheese-cloth lined sieve(which I had to buy this week). I wondered as I read through the recipe if this was really the approach I wanted, seems like that would give me more of a pumpkin juice than a pumpkin puree. After a couple of attempts to put the pumpkin through the lined sieve, I said to heck with it and dropped it in the blender.
I know, I know, that's the quickest way to kill a blender. So I looked in the fridge and found some orange strawberry banana juice to help the pumpkin process in the blender. I probably should have pulled out the food processor that was kindly given to me after I killed the last blender, but the food processor was in the cupboard under the counter, and the blender was already on the counter and is easier to assemble. I need to switch that arrangement around;-). Alas, enough with the organization woes...back to the puree.
The juice helped a little, but did not give it quite enough juice, so i checked the recipe--as not to add too much extra liquid, and dumped in the heavy cream the recipe called for. Finally, we got the start of a blend. I think this made enough for two pies really, and if I'd prepped two pie crusts, I'd have made it. I might have some puff pastry left...but that's a different blog.
As for the extra...I ended up adding the spices, some clove(not included in the original recipe and some brown sugar to make a smoothie. I left out the eggs due to not cooking them.
I will definitely make this recipe again...probably with a smaller pie pumpkin and some cloves.
For the pie, you'll have to catch the next blog...which may be written after laundry gets folded tonight...
Monday, October 25, 2010
Recipe 35: Emeril's Quick Cabbage in Beer
I have a secret...I am Irish-German and I don't like cooked cabbage. So, I wasn't too sure if I would like this one. So, I did my best to keep an open mind, prepped the butter, 2 c. onions, bay leaves, crushed red pepper, minced garlic, salt and heated in the pan for a few moments...making a note to buy older sweeter onions that don't have me tearing up with the first three cuts.
I had frozen the onions for 5-10 minutes to make it easier to cut. It was, this time. Then I minced the garlic on the sulfur soaked cutting board and wished I'd thought to mince the garlic first...note to self...mince garlic, buy vidalias. Panoche onions aren't too bad for tears either.
Then I cored and chopped the cabbage into 2" sections and added it to the pan. I added all the cabbage-the recipe said to add it half at a time and let it wilt in the pan for 5-6 minutes per batch. I left it until it started to wilt, then added the beer.
I purchased Leinenkugel's Fireside Nut Brown Ale for the beer because I like it...when I added it to the cabbage(which is pretty stinky), it smelled like beer and fermenting cabbage. I wished I had simply bought budweiser for this. I expect I would have gotten the same result...smelly cabbage.
I have tried the cabbage...and a full serving, not just a bite or two. I still didn't care for it. I may try it again tomorrow to be sure...I am a glutton for punishment some days..and I will get James opinion, and hopefully he will comment on this as he likes cooked cabbage instead of raw cabbage.
Funny thing is...if you mix the beer in for mayo in slaw, I'd probably love it, and declare it genius, James would probably hate it;-) I may have to put that one up on Blindly Dash! at some point.
I had frozen the onions for 5-10 minutes to make it easier to cut. It was, this time. Then I minced the garlic on the sulfur soaked cutting board and wished I'd thought to mince the garlic first...note to self...mince garlic, buy vidalias. Panoche onions aren't too bad for tears either.
Then I cored and chopped the cabbage into 2" sections and added it to the pan. I added all the cabbage-the recipe said to add it half at a time and let it wilt in the pan for 5-6 minutes per batch. I left it until it started to wilt, then added the beer.
I purchased Leinenkugel's Fireside Nut Brown Ale for the beer because I like it...when I added it to the cabbage(which is pretty stinky), it smelled like beer and fermenting cabbage. I wished I had simply bought budweiser for this. I expect I would have gotten the same result...smelly cabbage.
I have tried the cabbage...and a full serving, not just a bite or two. I still didn't care for it. I may try it again tomorrow to be sure...I am a glutton for punishment some days..and I will get James opinion, and hopefully he will comment on this as he likes cooked cabbage instead of raw cabbage.
Funny thing is...if you mix the beer in for mayo in slaw, I'd probably love it, and declare it genius, James would probably hate it;-) I may have to put that one up on Blindly Dash! at some point.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Recipe 34: Honey Vanilla Goat's Milk Ice
Welcome to the wonderful world of Ice cream making. I do have to wonder if no cookbook author works from scratch anymore, but I'm not sure how much that would have saved me...but that's what best friends are for, and Curves pals, right?
So, I wrote down and bought all the ingredients for this Ice Cream. Honey was on hand, it usually is. I located Goat's Milk at Meijer, and there is a farm in Gladwin, about 20-30 miles away that will sell me some, but she needs notice. The health food store gave me her number. Greentree Food Co-op only sells goats milk in powdered form. I bought the milk at Meijer. I bought the vanilla beans there too...it was 50 cents cheaper and easier. I stopped at a local farm market in town, and bought the eggs. Then I read the entire recipe before I got started...(I learned this trick after a couple of long and drawn out recipes that left me eating dinner way too late). Mix first three ingredients in a large, heavy bottom saucepan. When milk is hot, remove pan from heat and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes to allow vanilla and milk to get better acquainted.
Discard vanilla beans, or put them each in half a bottle of McMaster's canadian whiskey and allow to infuse for a few weeks. Give one to your best friend for Christmas. Nothing says love like homemade vanilla. You may need a little more, I usually don't. But its good. And you get more bang for your buck...especially if you are on a budget.
Back to the Ice Cream...next you beat the eggs until lemony. I do not have a mixer, I used the blender...add them to the milk mixture slowly, stirring often so they do not curdle. Chill in the fridge two hours to overnight. Check. I do have a fridge...a fridge that's worth most of the rent payment;-).
"3. Freeze the ice milk in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions." Ice Cream Maker? Ice Cream Maker! I just said I don't even have a mixer...but an ice cream maker! Does this man think I'm made of money. I just dropped $15.00 on the ingredients and spent another $5 on honey two weeks ago. And now, where am I supposed to get an ice cream maker...oh, my. Well, at least I read it through first....
Deep breath...try freecycle. I offered to share the ice cream even...and no one offered one. So I checked Amazon.com for used...$20 and up, plus expensive shipping. Ugh...move on to e-bay. Don't forget the thrift stores. E-bay had some, but I kept getting out-bid. I'm still on a budget, wouldn't ya know. Thrift stores did not have any...I got a roasting pan from one...but not an ice cream maker. I did find a sno-cone machine...but expected this needed a real ice cream maker. I'm still at a loss.
I did check Meijers as well...they have most everything. I didn't see one my first time through, and thought maybe it was seasonal. The next time I went, I checked again: $30.00. If I squeezed hard, I might be able to squeeze it in...but I just wasn't sure I could do that.
I mention it at Curves along with my options. One lady told me her son has one, but he's in Ionia and she's not going down there until Tuesday and won't be back before Curves closes.
--If I get it, I'll still share the ice cream with him, I tell her.
Later, someone else did ask me about my luck in finding one.
--Not yet, I have a bid on e-bay, but you know how those can go.
--Well, there's one at a yard sale in Farwell, which is about 5 miles from me. It's $6.00.
--I should go get it, but I'm tired on a Thursday evening after work. I should get dinner.
--I can pick it up, its right on my way home.
--Thank you, I'll pay you back if you get it.
I did check Meijers as well...they have most everything. I didn't see one my first time through, and thought maybe it was seasonal. The next time I went, I checked again: $30.00. If I squeezed hard, I might be able to squeeze it in...but I just wasn't sure I could do that.
I didn't get to Curves on Saturday to check, darn my luck. And I ended up talking to Andrea on Friday. I'd been researching ways to freeze ice cream via the internet. Now, let me back up half a step out there...you might be wondering...didn't she make the ice cream in a coffee can as a kid. Some of you might even remember that I have child labor (nieces and nephews) I could borrow for this. I had the small, quart size coffee cans even. I did not have a large, metal maxwell house can...Folgers and many other brands have gone plastic, that may not be as useful. I priced out the coffee...$7.89 was the cheapest I believe. I was nearly kicking myself for not buying whatever Meijer had on sale last week, when I still had grocery money.
I considered the double baggie method, but didn't see that working out too well with ice cubes and rock salt.... In addition, that would require borrowing child labor as well, or putting James to work...and I wasn't sure how either of those would pan out. Finally, after calling my best friend, and reading about some areas online where they simply said, pop it in the freezer for 6 hours. Andrea suggested I remove it and stir it periodically. So, I bought a freezable plastic quart container, and made the ice and poured it in.
At Curves on Tuesday night, near the end of my workout, I spotted a box with my name on it...and the name of my ice cream angel...whom I may owe $6.00 for an ice cream maker and certainly some ice cream.
I stirred the ice cream the first night, a time or two, and the next morning...then forgot about it until tonight. I even drank the milk that didn't fit in the container.
This makes a very good, creamy sweet goats milk drink as well as ice. I do have more of a thinner texture similar to ice milk, but the flavor makes up for any lack of perfection in texture and technique. I will now have to get the stuff to try this recipe again, or maybe a cheaper recipe in my new ice cream maker as well. I could pimp out my vanilla beans again, but that may be a lot to ask of them...I could also add in a couple teaspoons to a tablespoon of my home-made vanilla and try the recipe that way...my options are endless...
But yes, I will definitely make this recipe again...Now, where to put the ice cream maker?
So, I wrote down and bought all the ingredients for this Ice Cream. Honey was on hand, it usually is. I located Goat's Milk at Meijer, and there is a farm in Gladwin, about 20-30 miles away that will sell me some, but she needs notice. The health food store gave me her number. Greentree Food Co-op only sells goats milk in powdered form. I bought the milk at Meijer. I bought the vanilla beans there too...it was 50 cents cheaper and easier. I stopped at a local farm market in town, and bought the eggs. Then I read the entire recipe before I got started...(I learned this trick after a couple of long and drawn out recipes that left me eating dinner way too late). Mix first three ingredients in a large, heavy bottom saucepan. When milk is hot, remove pan from heat and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes to allow vanilla and milk to get better acquainted.
Discard vanilla beans, or put them each in half a bottle of McMaster's canadian whiskey and allow to infuse for a few weeks. Give one to your best friend for Christmas. Nothing says love like homemade vanilla. You may need a little more, I usually don't. But its good. And you get more bang for your buck...especially if you are on a budget.
Back to the Ice Cream...next you beat the eggs until lemony. I do not have a mixer, I used the blender...add them to the milk mixture slowly, stirring often so they do not curdle. Chill in the fridge two hours to overnight. Check. I do have a fridge...a fridge that's worth most of the rent payment;-).
"3. Freeze the ice milk in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions." Ice Cream Maker? Ice Cream Maker! I just said I don't even have a mixer...but an ice cream maker! Does this man think I'm made of money. I just dropped $15.00 on the ingredients and spent another $5 on honey two weeks ago. And now, where am I supposed to get an ice cream maker...oh, my. Well, at least I read it through first....
Deep breath...try freecycle. I offered to share the ice cream even...and no one offered one. So I checked Amazon.com for used...$20 and up, plus expensive shipping. Ugh...move on to e-bay. Don't forget the thrift stores. E-bay had some, but I kept getting out-bid. I'm still on a budget, wouldn't ya know. Thrift stores did not have any...I got a roasting pan from one...but not an ice cream maker. I did find a sno-cone machine...but expected this needed a real ice cream maker. I'm still at a loss.
I did check Meijers as well...they have most everything. I didn't see one my first time through, and thought maybe it was seasonal. The next time I went, I checked again: $30.00. If I squeezed hard, I might be able to squeeze it in...but I just wasn't sure I could do that.
I mention it at Curves along with my options. One lady told me her son has one, but he's in Ionia and she's not going down there until Tuesday and won't be back before Curves closes.
--If I get it, I'll still share the ice cream with him, I tell her.
Later, someone else did ask me about my luck in finding one.
--Not yet, I have a bid on e-bay, but you know how those can go.
--Well, there's one at a yard sale in Farwell, which is about 5 miles from me. It's $6.00.
--I should go get it, but I'm tired on a Thursday evening after work. I should get dinner.
--I can pick it up, its right on my way home.
--Thank you, I'll pay you back if you get it.
I did check Meijers as well...they have most everything. I didn't see one my first time through, and thought maybe it was seasonal. The next time I went, I checked again: $30.00. If I squeezed hard, I might be able to squeeze it in...but I just wasn't sure I could do that.
I didn't get to Curves on Saturday to check, darn my luck. And I ended up talking to Andrea on Friday. I'd been researching ways to freeze ice cream via the internet. Now, let me back up half a step out there...you might be wondering...didn't she make the ice cream in a coffee can as a kid. Some of you might even remember that I have child labor (nieces and nephews) I could borrow for this. I had the small, quart size coffee cans even. I did not have a large, metal maxwell house can...Folgers and many other brands have gone plastic, that may not be as useful. I priced out the coffee...$7.89 was the cheapest I believe. I was nearly kicking myself for not buying whatever Meijer had on sale last week, when I still had grocery money.
I considered the double baggie method, but didn't see that working out too well with ice cubes and rock salt.... In addition, that would require borrowing child labor as well, or putting James to work...and I wasn't sure how either of those would pan out. Finally, after calling my best friend, and reading about some areas online where they simply said, pop it in the freezer for 6 hours. Andrea suggested I remove it and stir it periodically. So, I bought a freezable plastic quart container, and made the ice and poured it in.
At Curves on Tuesday night, near the end of my workout, I spotted a box with my name on it...and the name of my ice cream angel...whom I may owe $6.00 for an ice cream maker and certainly some ice cream.
I stirred the ice cream the first night, a time or two, and the next morning...then forgot about it until tonight. I even drank the milk that didn't fit in the container.
This makes a very good, creamy sweet goats milk drink as well as ice. I do have more of a thinner texture similar to ice milk, but the flavor makes up for any lack of perfection in texture and technique. I will now have to get the stuff to try this recipe again, or maybe a cheaper recipe in my new ice cream maker as well. I could pimp out my vanilla beans again, but that may be a lot to ask of them...I could also add in a couple teaspoons to a tablespoon of my home-made vanilla and try the recipe that way...my options are endless...
But yes, I will definitely make this recipe again...Now, where to put the ice cream maker?
Recipe 33: Triple Chocolate Pecan Fudge
I will definitely make this recipe again! It was not difficult, not even tricky, and I got rave reviews. It did require a little patience...a lot of good chocolate and kind of pricey pecans, but it is sinfully delicious and downright irresistible. I ate three pieces the first night alone...then I had to offer it up on yahoo! and facebook! Since I only had one offer for me to deliver to my brother, when I specifically asked for pick-up orders...I packaged it up and took it to work and to my class.
I'm now known as "evil," amongst my coworkers and classmates. One of the class instructors thought I was being nice, when really, I'm attempting to protect my own waistline. But with three chocolates and 3 cups of sugar, and a little half-and-half, and some nice flavorful pecans you get a sinfully flavorful fudge without too much richness or too much sugar. Even James thought it was good fudge and he doesn't like fudge(so he tells me). I'm thinking this could make great Christmas gifts too;-).
I will definitely make this recipe again.
I'm now known as "evil," amongst my coworkers and classmates. One of the class instructors thought I was being nice, when really, I'm attempting to protect my own waistline. But with three chocolates and 3 cups of sugar, and a little half-and-half, and some nice flavorful pecans you get a sinfully flavorful fudge without too much richness or too much sugar. Even James thought it was good fudge and he doesn't like fudge(so he tells me). I'm thinking this could make great Christmas gifts too;-).
I will definitely make this recipe again.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Recipe 32: Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Easy and quick, and mostly affordable...if you're a careful planner. The brussels sprouts may have been the toughest part to prepare, as you need to cut the ends off of each one, then toss them with olive oil, salt and pepper, then set them on an baking sheet in an even layer. I simply lined my baking sheet with parchment paper and baked for about 25 minutes. They shared the oven with the chicken I roasted so they got quite done on top, as they were close to the burner. They still turned out good.
After the sprouts roast, and are lightly caramelized around the edges, toss them with minced garlic, oil, lemon zest and Parmesan. Make sure they are coated evenly, and add more Parmesan. These were excellent, and maybe I was just hungry, but I ate about half a pound of these things, which does equate a serving. When I passed them onto James, they disappeared quickly with the comment: "You can make more of those anytime you want."
The good news is he likes his veggies;-). We will make this recipe again.
After the sprouts roast, and are lightly caramelized around the edges, toss them with minced garlic, oil, lemon zest and Parmesan. Make sure they are coated evenly, and add more Parmesan. These were excellent, and maybe I was just hungry, but I ate about half a pound of these things, which does equate a serving. When I passed them onto James, they disappeared quickly with the comment: "You can make more of those anytime you want."
The good news is he likes his veggies;-). We will make this recipe again.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Recipe 31: Homemade Mozzarella
Here is a fun weekend activity...don't try it on a week night as it can take some time. Don't get me wrong, while it can be fun...it does take some work, and I'm not sure I've gotten this recipe quite right. The first part of cheese making may have been mentioned in the Homemade Ricotta post in which I had to locate cheese salt. I found a place in Grand Rapids that has cheese making supplies. This is a very good thing...as I would need rennet, an enzyme that helps milk coagulate, for this recipe. As well as citric acid and cheese salt.
I later discovered after looking at my salt that I did have on hand the substitute for cheese salt, which is Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. But back to rennet...I purchased this one weekend with Andrea and bought a couple of sodas to try from this shop. I also most likely brought home a specialty beer, though I do not remember which one, possibly Screamin' Pumpkin. So, we come back to Andrea's and I put the rennet in the freezer like the clerk told me too...the rennet is still in Andrea's freezer.... What's a forgetful girl to do? I mentioned it to a co-worker who kept forgetting the rennet for about a week. So, I went to the local health food store, and was so glad to find the rennet, I splurged on a $5.00 gallon of organic milk...wow, that stuff is expensive.
All that said and done...finally;-), I begin the process and attempt to set everything out where I can get to it...this 12oz cheese log sure has a lot of components. The citric acid gets mixed with some cool distilled water, and the rennet gets mixed with less distilled water, still cool. these get set aside...
and the milk gets heated...first the citric acid goes in to a fair amount of stirring. Then you heat it to a seemingly low 90 degrees...then the rennet goes in, and 30 seconds of stirring...then you get a 5-10 minute break, while you cover the cheese and leave it alone.
Once the curds and whey separate good, you get to dice it(slice all the way to the bottom in a crosswise pattern), then the stirring and heating begins...up to 110 degrees this time. Now for the stirring, 2 to 5 minutes, longer for firmer cheese. Then you get to drain the whey from the curds using a "cheese-cloth" lined heat proof strainer. The curds might be too small for cheese cloth, use muslin. In the meantime, get some water hot enough to burn your tender hands...185 degrees, so once the curds are separated from the whey and folded gently, you can dip them, and fold some more for elasticizing.
I am really not good at the elasticizing part...gonna take more practice. In the meantime, fill a large bowl with ice and cold water, and have it ready off to the side.
After the whey is drained fold the curds gently and dip into hot water...i could go on...i probably will...after a few to a few dozen dips in the 185 degree water, and more folding of curds 30 seconds each time, you get to stretch hot cheese and mold it into form. then you get to the easy part, once its formed dip it into ice water and let it sit for ten minutes. Then you get to place it in an airtight container and store it soon, if you don't eat it all on the spot, as its at its best out of the ice bath.
It takes some work, and might contribute to a bit of a sore back, but it is wonderful when it comes out right.;-)...even if my first batch was a little grainy.
I will definitely make this recipe again...I am tonight, with milk James got for me...next time, he's helping me make this cheese;-)
P.S. I did start this at 9PM tonight, using milk I wasn't sure shouldn't be used, and was finished at 11:30PM, while blogging during the down time...I didn't do the recipe exactly, I left the muslin bag on and squeezed the bag for some of my folding. I also left it in the muslin bag to form and now have a ball of mozzarella cheese that is a little tart, but is better than expected. Yeah! I also added a secret ingredient to flavor it even more as we indulge in this old-fashioned delicacy, so it can be done on a weeknight, but its better done on a week-end, in my humble opinion.
Best of luck in your cheese-making habits.
I later discovered after looking at my salt that I did have on hand the substitute for cheese salt, which is Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt. But back to rennet...I purchased this one weekend with Andrea and bought a couple of sodas to try from this shop. I also most likely brought home a specialty beer, though I do not remember which one, possibly Screamin' Pumpkin. So, we come back to Andrea's and I put the rennet in the freezer like the clerk told me too...the rennet is still in Andrea's freezer.... What's a forgetful girl to do? I mentioned it to a co-worker who kept forgetting the rennet for about a week. So, I went to the local health food store, and was so glad to find the rennet, I splurged on a $5.00 gallon of organic milk...wow, that stuff is expensive.
All that said and done...finally;-), I begin the process and attempt to set everything out where I can get to it...this 12oz cheese log sure has a lot of components. The citric acid gets mixed with some cool distilled water, and the rennet gets mixed with less distilled water, still cool. these get set aside...
and the milk gets heated...first the citric acid goes in to a fair amount of stirring. Then you heat it to a seemingly low 90 degrees...then the rennet goes in, and 30 seconds of stirring...then you get a 5-10 minute break, while you cover the cheese and leave it alone.
Once the curds and whey separate good, you get to dice it(slice all the way to the bottom in a crosswise pattern), then the stirring and heating begins...up to 110 degrees this time. Now for the stirring, 2 to 5 minutes, longer for firmer cheese. Then you get to drain the whey from the curds using a "cheese-cloth" lined heat proof strainer. The curds might be too small for cheese cloth, use muslin. In the meantime, get some water hot enough to burn your tender hands...185 degrees, so once the curds are separated from the whey and folded gently, you can dip them, and fold some more for elasticizing.
I am really not good at the elasticizing part...gonna take more practice. In the meantime, fill a large bowl with ice and cold water, and have it ready off to the side.
After the whey is drained fold the curds gently and dip into hot water...i could go on...i probably will...after a few to a few dozen dips in the 185 degree water, and more folding of curds 30 seconds each time, you get to stretch hot cheese and mold it into form. then you get to the easy part, once its formed dip it into ice water and let it sit for ten minutes. Then you get to place it in an airtight container and store it soon, if you don't eat it all on the spot, as its at its best out of the ice bath.
It takes some work, and might contribute to a bit of a sore back, but it is wonderful when it comes out right.;-)...even if my first batch was a little grainy.
I will definitely make this recipe again...I am tonight, with milk James got for me...next time, he's helping me make this cheese;-)
P.S. I did start this at 9PM tonight, using milk I wasn't sure shouldn't be used, and was finished at 11:30PM, while blogging during the down time...I didn't do the recipe exactly, I left the muslin bag on and squeezed the bag for some of my folding. I also left it in the muslin bag to form and now have a ball of mozzarella cheese that is a little tart, but is better than expected. Yeah! I also added a secret ingredient to flavor it even more as we indulge in this old-fashioned delicacy, so it can be done on a weeknight, but its better done on a week-end, in my humble opinion.
Best of luck in your cheese-making habits.
Recipe 30: Eggplant Parmesan Napoleon with Spicy Tomato Sauce
Eggplant Parmesan I've had before, but I don't recall deep-frying the eggplant. Maybe that's where the Napoleon comes in. I have to double check the recipe next time. This recipe makes six, and I'm only one, sometimes two, when I get James to help. I bought three entire eggplants for this recipe. Since re-heating deep-fried foods usually doesn't work well, I only deep fried one set of slices.
It is a well-layered recipe, with a lot of depth. Battered and deep-fried eggplant, with tomato sauce in the middle and fresh mozzerela and freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese on top, then broiled for a few minutes. Its kind of like a deep fried eggplant pizza margherita...so if you're craving pizza, consider this recipe.
As you may know, or have guessed, James likes his food pretty spicy, and I like mine a little spicy, but not near James Learman spicy(burn your tonsils off spicy). However, with only 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper, even I found the tomato sauce to be a bit bland. However, since sauces keep well, and I made the entire recipe worth of the sauce, I added a fresh cayenne pepper to the jar I put the sauce in and let it sit overnight. The flavor was just about perfect after that. James would have even called it passable.
This recipe did call for Peanut Oil for frying. Having heard it has a good flavor, I ponied up the extra dollar for the peanut oil and found the rumor to be true. I love when that happens! Normally, I cheat and buy canola oil or vegetable oil for deep-frying. James offered to take the rest of it off my hands and nearly lost a hand in the process;-). Instead, I strongly recommended he get his own peanut oil, this time.
We also found that when I put the eggplant under the broiler again to heat them up the next night, and almost burned them, they were a much better texture for eating. The peel on the side was still a little tough when we had them originally...when broiling with cheese...your dish is probably not done until the top is mostly brown, not just spotted.
It took some work, but is a fun and different use for eggplants that I hadn't tried yet. I enjoyed making this recipe, though I'd rather make it for the nieces and nephews on a weekend day, only I'd call them eggplant pizzas and keep the tomato sauce mostly bland...though I will sneak in some extra cayenne and some smoked paprika to bump up the flavor a little. I will definitely make this dish again.
And thank you James, for being my sous-chef in all of this;-)
It is a well-layered recipe, with a lot of depth. Battered and deep-fried eggplant, with tomato sauce in the middle and fresh mozzerela and freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese on top, then broiled for a few minutes. Its kind of like a deep fried eggplant pizza margherita...so if you're craving pizza, consider this recipe.
As you may know, or have guessed, James likes his food pretty spicy, and I like mine a little spicy, but not near James Learman spicy(burn your tonsils off spicy). However, with only 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper, even I found the tomato sauce to be a bit bland. However, since sauces keep well, and I made the entire recipe worth of the sauce, I added a fresh cayenne pepper to the jar I put the sauce in and let it sit overnight. The flavor was just about perfect after that. James would have even called it passable.
This recipe did call for Peanut Oil for frying. Having heard it has a good flavor, I ponied up the extra dollar for the peanut oil and found the rumor to be true. I love when that happens! Normally, I cheat and buy canola oil or vegetable oil for deep-frying. James offered to take the rest of it off my hands and nearly lost a hand in the process;-). Instead, I strongly recommended he get his own peanut oil, this time.
We also found that when I put the eggplant under the broiler again to heat them up the next night, and almost burned them, they were a much better texture for eating. The peel on the side was still a little tough when we had them originally...when broiling with cheese...your dish is probably not done until the top is mostly brown, not just spotted.
It took some work, but is a fun and different use for eggplants that I hadn't tried yet. I enjoyed making this recipe, though I'd rather make it for the nieces and nephews on a weekend day, only I'd call them eggplant pizzas and keep the tomato sauce mostly bland...though I will sneak in some extra cayenne and some smoked paprika to bump up the flavor a little. I will definitely make this dish again.
And thank you James, for being my sous-chef in all of this;-)
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Recipe 29: Braised Kohlrabi with fennel and leeks
Did I ever mention that I like some adventure with my cooking? I also like a little free with my cooking. Free is even better when the chef that created this cookbook has no concept of a food budget, as I've mentioned before. I'm really glad I didn't try to cook a different recipe every night;-). But back to my adventure...
I'm a part of the Mount Pleasant FreeCycle group on Yahoo!. Every once in a while, someone posts something I could use or even need. And it happened one day, that someone posted Kohlrabi for free, garden fresh, take it all if you want. I was a little surprised, and I wasn't due to make this recipe yet, but fennel and leeks were available, the leeks, barely, so I inquired. In actuality this home was about 20 minutes from where I work and I wasn't doing anything else that night, so I made the drive along all the country back roads to the north edge of St. Louis to find this trailer on a lot with a large pool and a huge garden space. I felt bad that I'd interrupted dinner, but I apologized, found a box in my truck of stuff I'd meant to pass along on freecycle, but the woman never came to pick it up. I took the clothing out, and proceeded to dig up some very large kohlrabi.
I came home with it, and described it to James as a green potato. He was at work by this time. After some research, because I only needed three and I picked about a dozen, we determined it was also referred to as a cabbage turnip. I only like cabbage in coleslaw and I've never had turnips either. But I did find a website with a few recipes, and James went to work on his share of the kohlrabi.
I saved out my three, and a couple extra just in case, cut them into wedges, and proceeded to follow the recipe. Olive oil, butter, kohlrabi, fennel, leek, dry white wine, chicken stock/broth*, thyme, salt, pepper and fennel fronds.
Note on the chicken broth/stock--I used what I had and what I borrowed from James. In the future, I will make sure to have vegetable stock/broth on hand as I think the chicken stock may have been a little powerful for this recipe.
It had a very mild flavor...I can hear James saying, 'Pass me the hot sauce and the cayenne pepper, will ya?' But its a good mild flavor, and certainly included a fun little adventure.
I expect I will make this recipe again, hopefully without the twenty minutes of driving. I will probably grow my own kohlrabi next year. This could get to be even more of an adventure;-).
I'm a part of the Mount Pleasant FreeCycle group on Yahoo!. Every once in a while, someone posts something I could use or even need. And it happened one day, that someone posted Kohlrabi for free, garden fresh, take it all if you want. I was a little surprised, and I wasn't due to make this recipe yet, but fennel and leeks were available, the leeks, barely, so I inquired. In actuality this home was about 20 minutes from where I work and I wasn't doing anything else that night, so I made the drive along all the country back roads to the north edge of St. Louis to find this trailer on a lot with a large pool and a huge garden space. I felt bad that I'd interrupted dinner, but I apologized, found a box in my truck of stuff I'd meant to pass along on freecycle, but the woman never came to pick it up. I took the clothing out, and proceeded to dig up some very large kohlrabi.
I came home with it, and described it to James as a green potato. He was at work by this time. After some research, because I only needed three and I picked about a dozen, we determined it was also referred to as a cabbage turnip. I only like cabbage in coleslaw and I've never had turnips either. But I did find a website with a few recipes, and James went to work on his share of the kohlrabi.
I saved out my three, and a couple extra just in case, cut them into wedges, and proceeded to follow the recipe. Olive oil, butter, kohlrabi, fennel, leek, dry white wine, chicken stock/broth*, thyme, salt, pepper and fennel fronds.
Note on the chicken broth/stock--I used what I had and what I borrowed from James. In the future, I will make sure to have vegetable stock/broth on hand as I think the chicken stock may have been a little powerful for this recipe.
It had a very mild flavor...I can hear James saying, 'Pass me the hot sauce and the cayenne pepper, will ya?' But its a good mild flavor, and certainly included a fun little adventure.
I expect I will make this recipe again, hopefully without the twenty minutes of driving. I will probably grow my own kohlrabi next year. This could get to be even more of an adventure;-).
Recipe 28: Sausage Stuffed Bell Peppers
I was amazed when I saw the number of peppers this recipe required, but then I realized it made 4 servings, as most of these recipes do. I purchased all 5 Bell peppers, some red and orange as well as green. Next time, there will be more red and orange than green. I bought sweet italian sausage for this, but not as fresh as the recipe called for. I still ate a fair amount of sausage before it ever made it into the recipe. Then I wonder why I'm not sticking to my diet...diet, schmiet...it was good.
I halved the peppers, seeded them, and I cooked the brown rice. I cooked the sausage first, then I cooked the rest of the fillers--onion, garlic, tomato, salt, pepper. I was supposed to cook them all together it seems, but it still worked out. I began this dish on a tuesday night, and decided I wasn't staying up forever until it was all done. So, I put the components in the fridge and made it Wednesday evening. It turned into a very nice dinner for James and I, we both went back for seconds. I did slice the sausage instead of crumble it, and next time, I might try it crumbled...and with a little more Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese in it. But they had an excellent flavor that spoke of cooking that you only get when you go home, or in my case...to grandma's house;-).
I will definitely make this recipe again.
I halved the peppers, seeded them, and I cooked the brown rice. I cooked the sausage first, then I cooked the rest of the fillers--onion, garlic, tomato, salt, pepper. I was supposed to cook them all together it seems, but it still worked out. I began this dish on a tuesday night, and decided I wasn't staying up forever until it was all done. So, I put the components in the fridge and made it Wednesday evening. It turned into a very nice dinner for James and I, we both went back for seconds. I did slice the sausage instead of crumble it, and next time, I might try it crumbled...and with a little more Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese in it. But they had an excellent flavor that spoke of cooking that you only get when you go home, or in my case...to grandma's house;-).
I will definitely make this recipe again.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Recipe 27: Spiced Zucchini Bread
What do you do when your co-worker hands you squash that really are bigger than babies some women have given birth to? And about a week later, brings you more, just smaller ones? Oh, and did we forget to mention the 3 medium sized zucchinis you bought at the farmer's market on the way to deliver one of the humongous zucchinis to your best friend? Regardless of the Provencal style stuffed zucchini, and the tomato, leek and zucchini galette(puff pastry veggie pizza), and other creative uses-temporary door stops, if need be you will end up making zucchini bread. I don't think zucchini pickles well.
Before Emeril, zucchini and I have always had a rocky relationship...the elements were just not quite right...my nephew would not eat my zucchini bread after a while. It wasn't ever bad, it just didn't match his Grandma Judy's zucchini bread. It was always light in color(the skins left on give it the color) or something else just wasn't perfect about it.
So I began my journey to making zucchini bread again. I made it the first time, following the recipe relatively closely...I ended up with closer to three cups of zucchini than two, so I added a little extra of each of my dry goods; and I doubled the cinnamon, just to see. I forgot to add in and toast the walnuts, but since I was attempting to get every ingredient in the recipe in, even if not in the correct amounts, I pulled the zucchini bread out of the oven, chopped a large handful of walnuts, and drizzled them over the bread and muffins I was baking. I popped them back in and had a fun element of toasted walnuts on top. I felt like a frickin' genius.
I gave it to James and he asked for more, and promptly took his half of the loaf home and made it disappear. As I made batch number 2, out of the first run of zucchini I decided to take some into work. Jeff was amazed at my instant turn around on bread delivery as he gave me more zucchini. That evening, I made him a loaf and a dozen muffins as well.
The next time I made this loaf, almost out of necessity, and I have a few more batches to go, I put in a little more zucchini than the second batch, a little too much flour, I added half brown and half white sugar, and I replaced about half of the oil with applesauce. It was a little more dense than the others were. I'll add a bit more zucchini again--I have to use these things. And I'll keep the flour closer to the prescribed amount. I will still use the applesauce in place of some of the oil and we shall discover if that is causing the dryness-though I have not experienced that in the past.
I think I will take some of this into my class tomorrow and maybe make a loaf tomorrow night to spring on my nephew and see if its up to his high standards. The rest of us love it, so maybe this time I'll tell him its just him.
Since I already have, I'm sure I will definitely make this dish again.
Before Emeril, zucchini and I have always had a rocky relationship...the elements were just not quite right...my nephew would not eat my zucchini bread after a while. It wasn't ever bad, it just didn't match his Grandma Judy's zucchini bread. It was always light in color(the skins left on give it the color) or something else just wasn't perfect about it.
So I began my journey to making zucchini bread again. I made it the first time, following the recipe relatively closely...I ended up with closer to three cups of zucchini than two, so I added a little extra of each of my dry goods; and I doubled the cinnamon, just to see. I forgot to add in and toast the walnuts, but since I was attempting to get every ingredient in the recipe in, even if not in the correct amounts, I pulled the zucchini bread out of the oven, chopped a large handful of walnuts, and drizzled them over the bread and muffins I was baking. I popped them back in and had a fun element of toasted walnuts on top. I felt like a frickin' genius.
I gave it to James and he asked for more, and promptly took his half of the loaf home and made it disappear. As I made batch number 2, out of the first run of zucchini I decided to take some into work. Jeff was amazed at my instant turn around on bread delivery as he gave me more zucchini. That evening, I made him a loaf and a dozen muffins as well.
The next time I made this loaf, almost out of necessity, and I have a few more batches to go, I put in a little more zucchini than the second batch, a little too much flour, I added half brown and half white sugar, and I replaced about half of the oil with applesauce. It was a little more dense than the others were. I'll add a bit more zucchini again--I have to use these things. And I'll keep the flour closer to the prescribed amount. I will still use the applesauce in place of some of the oil and we shall discover if that is causing the dryness-though I have not experienced that in the past.
I think I will take some of this into my class tomorrow and maybe make a loaf tomorrow night to spring on my nephew and see if its up to his high standards. The rest of us love it, so maybe this time I'll tell him its just him.
Since I already have, I'm sure I will definitely make this dish again.
Recipe 26; Crostini with Ricotta and Spring Peas
This recipe was a little tougher for me than some of the others. I almost set it aside until spring, but James likes peas and insisted I just buy them frozen and make it anyway. I did tweak a little bit in this recipe.
I decided on a multi-grain baguette instead of a french bread or roasted garlic baguette. I toasted the crostini in olive oil with salt and pepper as instructed. I added garlic to the ricotta, as well as olive oil and shallot. I did skip the mint, I forgot I had some on my window sill and a little in my front yard. I wasn't sure it would work. Knowing Emeril, I should know better and should go chop p a tablespoon plus a teaspoon and add it now. It could work well in here after all.
To the peas, which need to be blanched (brought to a boil and placed in ice water immediately after they boil), I added parmigiano-reggiano cheese and fresh basil leaves after James and I took turns mashing the half stubborn peas into the bowl. Next time, bigger bowl and a potato masher...and fewer peas...I might be eating peas as a snack all week. There are worse things I suppose.
To finish, you spread some of the ricotta mixture on the crostini(toasted bread) and spoon the peas on top of the ricotta mixture. Then you have cute little light snacks or hor d'oeuvres.
For James, and in the spring, when I can get fresh spring peas, I will definitely make this recipe again.
I decided on a multi-grain baguette instead of a french bread or roasted garlic baguette. I toasted the crostini in olive oil with salt and pepper as instructed. I added garlic to the ricotta, as well as olive oil and shallot. I did skip the mint, I forgot I had some on my window sill and a little in my front yard. I wasn't sure it would work. Knowing Emeril, I should know better and should go chop p a tablespoon plus a teaspoon and add it now. It could work well in here after all.
To the peas, which need to be blanched (brought to a boil and placed in ice water immediately after they boil), I added parmigiano-reggiano cheese and fresh basil leaves after James and I took turns mashing the half stubborn peas into the bowl. Next time, bigger bowl and a potato masher...and fewer peas...I might be eating peas as a snack all week. There are worse things I suppose.
To finish, you spread some of the ricotta mixture on the crostini(toasted bread) and spoon the peas on top of the ricotta mixture. Then you have cute little light snacks or hor d'oeuvres.
For James, and in the spring, when I can get fresh spring peas, I will definitely make this recipe again.
Recipe 25: Provencal Style Stuffed Zucchini
Excellent...a little work, but most good food is worth a little work.
This recipe called for 2 cups bread crumbs. Just having received a food processor and since I have a hard time using all the bread I buy or make, I took some day or two-day old bread, cubed it and dropped it in the food processor. Panko, eat your heart out...you can get the best bread crumbs in the world at home for free. I used my brown irish soda bread for this.
The flavors made for a great combination, the sausage gave this dish a nice spice, the parmesan reggiano you grate just before you toss it in adds a pleasant little nip in there and the parsley, garlic and salt and pepper along with some onions make this a near perfect dish. The tomatoes add a great texture and flavor as well.
When zucchini comes back in season next year, I will definitely make this recipe again, especially with the fresh made brown soda bread crumbs and all.
This recipe called for 2 cups bread crumbs. Just having received a food processor and since I have a hard time using all the bread I buy or make, I took some day or two-day old bread, cubed it and dropped it in the food processor. Panko, eat your heart out...you can get the best bread crumbs in the world at home for free. I used my brown irish soda bread for this.
The flavors made for a great combination, the sausage gave this dish a nice spice, the parmesan reggiano you grate just before you toss it in adds a pleasant little nip in there and the parsley, garlic and salt and pepper along with some onions make this a near perfect dish. The tomatoes add a great texture and flavor as well.
When zucchini comes back in season next year, I will definitely make this recipe again, especially with the fresh made brown soda bread crumbs and all.
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