I received an email about a public relations snafu at Nieman-Marcus. A lady and her daughter were lunching there and ordered the famous Nieman-Marcus Cookie for dessert. Mama found it to be of the usual high Nieman-Marcus standards and asked if she could get the recipe. The waitress declined to give it but would sell it to her for two-fifty. The amount was added to the luncheon bill.
When viewing her monthly statement sometime later, the customer discovered a $250 charge. When an inquiry was made to the accounting department, the green shaders told her in so many words, "c'est la vie"... nothing could be done.
Still upset that she had been 'ripped off', the woman informed Nieman-Marcus that she would publish the recipe and send it to all of her friends. Nieman-Marcus, of course, requested that she not carry out that act of retribution.
Needless to say, the recipe has been shared and a delicious one it is. The original makes 112 cookies. I halved it and also used a #20 disher - ice cream scoop - not quite filled. Still makes about 35 plump, mouth-watering cookies.
Click here to get the recipe. I'm kinda glad she published it. Think you will be too.
Monday, September 19, 2005
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Grillin'
Back in the 90's I worked in Asia, mostly a few months each year in Hong Kong and southern China. No where have I had food as fresh as I did there.... the fish swims in a tank until you pick it out, then is prepared your favorite way. And the flavors of the foods I remember to this day. So, when I come across a recipe like this one that combines Asian flavors with grillin', I try it.
Butterflied Chicken with Asian Flavors - Preparation is about 15 to 20 minutes and cooking either on the grill or in the oven is about one hour.
Butterfly a chicken, 3½ to 4 lbs: Have your butcher butterfly the bird (my daughter's recommendation). Alternatively, place breast side down. Cut along side of the backbone with a chef's knife or use poultry scissors to remove the bone. Slip your knife under the rib cage on one side and remove. Do the same on the other side. There are two bones that will be evident at the top of the chicken: remove these shoulder bones by cutting the meat on both sides and breaking off close to the joint. Turn the chicken over, cut along both sides of the wishbone, put your thumb at the top of the wishbone and remove. Next find the joint between the thigh and leg. Make a cut partially through the joint. This cut will ensure even cooking of the joint.
Take your fingers/thumb and loosen the skin from the breast, legs and thighs. Make the sauce and place some under the skin. Rub some of the sauce on the outside skin. Salt and pepper the underside.
Oven @ 425°F or grill on high. Half way through the cooking period baste with any remaining sauce.... or you can omit to get a crispy skin. Either way the flavors are what sold me on this recipe. The next time I cook this up, I plan to add about 1-2 teaspoons of grated ginger.
Butterflied Chicken with Asian Flavors - Preparation is about 15 to 20 minutes and cooking either on the grill or in the oven is about one hour.
Butterfly a chicken, 3½ to 4 lbs: Have your butcher butterfly the bird (my daughter's recommendation). Alternatively, place breast side down. Cut along side of the backbone with a chef's knife or use poultry scissors to remove the bone. Slip your knife under the rib cage on one side and remove. Do the same on the other side. There are two bones that will be evident at the top of the chicken: remove these shoulder bones by cutting the meat on both sides and breaking off close to the joint. Turn the chicken over, cut along both sides of the wishbone, put your thumb at the top of the wishbone and remove. Next find the joint between the thigh and leg. Make a cut partially through the joint. This cut will ensure even cooking of the joint.
Take your fingers/thumb and loosen the skin from the breast, legs and thighs. Make the sauce and place some under the skin. Rub some of the sauce on the outside skin. Salt and pepper the underside.
Oven @ 425°F or grill on high. Half way through the cooking period baste with any remaining sauce.... or you can omit to get a crispy skin. Either way the flavors are what sold me on this recipe. The next time I cook this up, I plan to add about 1-2 teaspoons of grated ginger.
Saturday, August 06, 2005
More Seasonal pies
Picking up where I left off - on the joys of seasonal cooking: It's blueberry season so I made a blueberry pie - the filling from Rose Levy Beranbaum's book. My own crust, of course. This adaptation is one of the best, simply because only a portion of the filling is cooked, then added to the remaining berries.... keeps the filling from becoming mush. And as the plastic container advertises: this "miracle berry" is ranked #1 out of 40 fruits and vegetables for health benefits.
Beranbaum calls this an 'Open-faced Fresh Blueberry Pie'. Use your favorite pie crust for a single pie. Or try mine in last blog and cut the proportions in half. Use discretion in the reduction of the iced water... you might need more than half. Bake this pie crust completely for 45 to 50 min. After 30 min. cover the edge with foil to prevent overbrowning.
The recipe calls for a total of 4 cups of blueberries.... I used 5 cups. I like pies with lots of filling. Measure 1 cup of blueberries into a 3 quart saucepan together with ½ cup of water. Cover and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, whisk together in a small bowl 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water. Set aside.
When water and berries have come to a boil, lower heat and simmerr gently, stirring constantly for 3 to 4 minutes or until berries start to burst and the juices begin to thicken. Stirring constantly add cornstarch mixture, ½ cup sugar, 1 teaspoon lemon juice and salt. Simmer for a minute or until the mixture becomes translucent. Immediately remove from heat and quickly fold in the remaining berries.
Spoon the mixture into the baked pie crust and allow to sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours before serving. When set, the berries will remain very juicy but will not flow out of the crust. Also you now have a filling that has the full flavor of full blueberries.
Beranbaum calls this an 'Open-faced Fresh Blueberry Pie'. Use your favorite pie crust for a single pie. Or try mine in last blog and cut the proportions in half. Use discretion in the reduction of the iced water... you might need more than half. Bake this pie crust completely for 45 to 50 min. After 30 min. cover the edge with foil to prevent overbrowning.
The recipe calls for a total of 4 cups of blueberries.... I used 5 cups. I like pies with lots of filling. Measure 1 cup of blueberries into a 3 quart saucepan together with ½ cup of water. Cover and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, whisk together in a small bowl 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water. Set aside.
When water and berries have come to a boil, lower heat and simmerr gently, stirring constantly for 3 to 4 minutes or until berries start to burst and the juices begin to thicken. Stirring constantly add cornstarch mixture, ½ cup sugar, 1 teaspoon lemon juice and salt. Simmer for a minute or until the mixture becomes translucent. Immediately remove from heat and quickly fold in the remaining berries.
Spoon the mixture into the baked pie crust and allow to sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours before serving. When set, the berries will remain very juicy but will not flow out of the crust. Also you now have a filling that has the full flavor of full blueberries.
Monday, August 01, 2005
Seasonal Cooking
Summer cooking takes advantage of the wide array of garden fruits and veggies. Fruit pies have become my favorite in the past few years.....mainly because of the ease of making a consistent pie crust.
Seems that every cookbook has its own version of a pie crust. Browsing the recent Cook's Illustrated, I find they've come up with another version of the quintessential pie crust.
There is little difference between Cook's Illustrated recipe and Jacques Pepin's pie crust which he's been making for 50 years. Both use all butter, ice water and flour. Some cookbooks suggest a combination of butter and lard/shortening. Shortening is hydrogenated soy or cottonseed oil with all the good parts destroyed in the process. Alton Brown of FoodTV uses 3 parts butter to 1 part lard in his crusts. The one I use calls for salt and sugar added to the flour before addition of the fats. All the recipes I've seen, except Pepin's, suggest resting the pie dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Pepin states that if the processing is kept to a minimum, the dough should be ready to roll immediately. I use his method. Experiment and find the right combination for you.
Oven @400°. For a two-part pie dough place ½ cup of water in a measuring cup and add 3 or 4 ice cubes. Take 2 cups of flour (scoop and scrape) and place in a processor. Add a pinch of salt and sugar. Pulse to mix. Cut 12 ounces of unsalted butter into ¼" slices and then quarter these pieces. Add to processor and pulse 4 times for about 1 second (count 1001). Measure 1/3 cup of iced water and splash about half into the processor. Process for about 5 seconds. Flour should just about come together. Splash about 1 to 1½ tablespoons more. Process until dough comes together into a ball. Stop at this point. When the dough is pinched and it holds its shape, remove from processor and place on a floured surface.
Divide the dough into two parts. Roll one part into a 12" circle to fit your pie plate. Place into the pie plate and cut a piece of parchment paper big enough to place on top of the dough. Add a bunch of beans for weights and place in a 400° oven for 12 minutes. Remove from oven, remove parchment and weight, wash with a mixture of 1 egg beaten and 1 teaspoon of water. This will waterproof the shell from the liquid of the filling. Bake an additional 7 minutes. I use this process for all baked and unbaked pies. It makes the crust crisper for the baked pies.
Two fillings I recently used from Rose Levy Beranbaum's The Pie and Pastry Bible are for a peach pie and one for a blueberry pie. Both fruits are ripe for using in pies in my locale now. Her pie crusts are different from those above,so try it if you like them.
For the peach pie, use 2 3/4 pounds of peaches (about 8 medium - I use 9 or 10), peeled, pitted and sliced thinly. Macerate the peaches in a 3 quart non-reactive mixing bowl - stainless or glass - by adding 1 tablespoon lemon juice (juice of ½ lemon), ½ cup + 1 tablespoon sugar and a pinch of salt. Mix gently and let stand for a minimum of 30 minutes up to 1 hour. Transfer peaches to a colander over a small saucepan to collect the almost 1 cup of juice.
Reduce the liquid to 1/3 cup until syrupy and lightly caramelized. Transfer peaches back into the mixing bowl used for macerating them and add 4 teaspoons cornstarch and ½ teaspoon almond extract. Mix until all traces of cornstarch are dissolved. Pour syrup over peaches, tossing gently. Transfer mixture to pie shell.
Roll out pie dough to fit on top or alternatively, cut into strips ½" wide for a lattice top. Top pie with your choice topping, place in 425° oven for 45 to 50 minutes. After 30 minutes, if using a lattice top, cover the edges with foil to prevent overbrowning.
Let pie cool on rack at least 3 hours before cutting.
Seems that every cookbook has its own version of a pie crust. Browsing the recent Cook's Illustrated, I find they've come up with another version of the quintessential pie crust.
There is little difference between Cook's Illustrated recipe and Jacques Pepin's pie crust which he's been making for 50 years. Both use all butter, ice water and flour. Some cookbooks suggest a combination of butter and lard/shortening. Shortening is hydrogenated soy or cottonseed oil with all the good parts destroyed in the process. Alton Brown of FoodTV uses 3 parts butter to 1 part lard in his crusts. The one I use calls for salt and sugar added to the flour before addition of the fats. All the recipes I've seen, except Pepin's, suggest resting the pie dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Pepin states that if the processing is kept to a minimum, the dough should be ready to roll immediately. I use his method. Experiment and find the right combination for you.
Oven @400°. For a two-part pie dough place ½ cup of water in a measuring cup and add 3 or 4 ice cubes. Take 2 cups of flour (scoop and scrape) and place in a processor. Add a pinch of salt and sugar. Pulse to mix. Cut 12 ounces of unsalted butter into ¼" slices and then quarter these pieces. Add to processor and pulse 4 times for about 1 second (count 1001). Measure 1/3 cup of iced water and splash about half into the processor. Process for about 5 seconds. Flour should just about come together. Splash about 1 to 1½ tablespoons more. Process until dough comes together into a ball. Stop at this point. When the dough is pinched and it holds its shape, remove from processor and place on a floured surface.
Divide the dough into two parts. Roll one part into a 12" circle to fit your pie plate. Place into the pie plate and cut a piece of parchment paper big enough to place on top of the dough. Add a bunch of beans for weights and place in a 400° oven for 12 minutes. Remove from oven, remove parchment and weight, wash with a mixture of 1 egg beaten and 1 teaspoon of water. This will waterproof the shell from the liquid of the filling. Bake an additional 7 minutes. I use this process for all baked and unbaked pies. It makes the crust crisper for the baked pies.
Two fillings I recently used from Rose Levy Beranbaum's The Pie and Pastry Bible are for a peach pie and one for a blueberry pie. Both fruits are ripe for using in pies in my locale now. Her pie crusts are different from those above,so try it if you like them.
For the peach pie, use 2 3/4 pounds of peaches (about 8 medium - I use 9 or 10), peeled, pitted and sliced thinly. Macerate the peaches in a 3 quart non-reactive mixing bowl - stainless or glass - by adding 1 tablespoon lemon juice (juice of ½ lemon), ½ cup + 1 tablespoon sugar and a pinch of salt. Mix gently and let stand for a minimum of 30 minutes up to 1 hour. Transfer peaches to a colander over a small saucepan to collect the almost 1 cup of juice.
Reduce the liquid to 1/3 cup until syrupy and lightly caramelized. Transfer peaches back into the mixing bowl used for macerating them and add 4 teaspoons cornstarch and ½ teaspoon almond extract. Mix until all traces of cornstarch are dissolved. Pour syrup over peaches, tossing gently. Transfer mixture to pie shell.
Roll out pie dough to fit on top or alternatively, cut into strips ½" wide for a lattice top. Top pie with your choice topping, place in 425° oven for 45 to 50 minutes. After 30 minutes, if using a lattice top, cover the edges with foil to prevent overbrowning.
Let pie cool on rack at least 3 hours before cutting.
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
House Chores
Things have been pretty hectic around here for the past several weeks. Started a project to insulate a part of the back entry that the contractors negliently overlooked many years ago. The temperature soared here in the tundra so my work days were cut back to 3 hours or so.
Also, over the many years I have collected about 350 vinyl 33 rpm assorted jazz/vocals. Unfortunately, in my youth I abused the devil out of my vinyls. And in todays world, or at least mine, playing a vinyl is a posterior pain. Therefore, the vinyls were stored.
Improperly, so our kids told me. One of our children's friends borrowed a couple of albums, cleaned them up and sent the results. Got rid of most if not all of the youthful abuse to those selected vinyls. Pretty impressive. That started the process for me to do the same. Our daughter's boyfriend has a bunch of knowledge concerning the electronics world. At first, it was suggested to record directly from a cd with an audio cd burner. However, after reading an article in the local fish wrapper, I investigated a program by Diamond Cut Products.
Spoke with a couple of the guys at Diamond Cut who were very helpful to me. Eventually I bought the program plus some ancillary products necessary for me to complete my mission. For the past couple of weeks I have worked with DC6 and the personnel at Diamond Cut. The process to restore is a lot more involved than the journey that takes you to that point. The learning curve is not shallow but the results are worth the effort.
Since our kids have both expressed an interest in the vinyls, I am sure that they will be equally eager to get copies of the restored versions. At any rate, once again I am enjoying the sounds of my youth without the scratches, crackle and hiss.
Also, over the many years I have collected about 350 vinyl 33 rpm assorted jazz/vocals. Unfortunately, in my youth I abused the devil out of my vinyls. And in todays world, or at least mine, playing a vinyl is a posterior pain. Therefore, the vinyls were stored.
Improperly, so our kids told me. One of our children's friends borrowed a couple of albums, cleaned them up and sent the results. Got rid of most if not all of the youthful abuse to those selected vinyls. Pretty impressive. That started the process for me to do the same. Our daughter's boyfriend has a bunch of knowledge concerning the electronics world. At first, it was suggested to record directly from a cd with an audio cd burner. However, after reading an article in the local fish wrapper, I investigated a program by Diamond Cut Products.
Spoke with a couple of the guys at Diamond Cut who were very helpful to me. Eventually I bought the program plus some ancillary products necessary for me to complete my mission. For the past couple of weeks I have worked with DC6 and the personnel at Diamond Cut. The process to restore is a lot more involved than the journey that takes you to that point. The learning curve is not shallow but the results are worth the effort.
Since our kids have both expressed an interest in the vinyls, I am sure that they will be equally eager to get copies of the restored versions. At any rate, once again I am enjoying the sounds of my youth without the scratches, crackle and hiss.
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Banana Cream Pie
Is there a better way to get one's daily supply of potassium than through a big helping of banana cream pie? Maybe, but why deprive yourself of the pleasure of this one? My wife's art colleague calls it the banana cream pie diet.
The first recipe I tried was from the Joy of Cooking, circa mid 20th century. It was simple enough but the filling was too thin and the pie ran when at room temperature. Also, a lot of cream pies not only call for cream in the filling but also the topping. My sweetie thought a meringue would be a nice touch. Always nice when someone is looking out for your belt size.
The next recipe I looked at was one by entertainer-disguised-as-chef, Emeril Lagasse. This dude really loves bananas. For a 9" pie he uses 9 bananas cut into ½" pieces. That's more potassium than most people get in a year. I do like the filling, however, which seems to be just about right.
So, it's modification time in the kitchen. We just finished the first pie... It was well received. Now on to the second recipe. This place is quickly becoming a local test kitchen but no one here seems to object.
For the pie dough: Oven @400°F. Chill ¼ cup of water by placing several ice cubes into a measuring cup and fill with water. Next weigh 6 ounces, about 1 cup, of all purpose flour and add it to your food processor. Add pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar. Take 3 ounces of butter, cut into ¼" to ½" slices and then quarter the slices. Place into the processor bowl and pulse 4 times. Do the same with 1 ounce of lard, place into the processor bowl and pulse 3 times. Add a couple of tablespoons of water and pulse 4-5 times. Dough should just start to come together. Add another tablespoon of water and run processor until dough comes together into a ball.
Remove from processor bowl onto a well-floured surface and roll to fit a 9" pie pan. Place into pie pan, cut a piece of parchment paper large enough to fit into the pie pan on top of the dough and come up the sides about 3 inches. Wax paper is a substitute. Spray the bottom of the paper with a food spray, place on top of dough and fill with a weight. I use dry beans... the same beans for the past 10 years. Bake for 35 minutes, remove from oven and remove the weight and paper. Save the weight for the next time. Make an egg wash with 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of water. Mix well and wash the pie dough with a pastry brush. Bake for 7 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
Click here or the title to get the filling. As I mentioned earlier this is adapted from Emeril's recipe from FoodTV. I use only 2 cups of heavy cream. You can use another 2 cups of heavy cream for the topping. Follow the instructions for the meringue in the recipe and sub the cream top. You can use 1 teaspoon of vanilla instead of the bean. Save the egg whites for a meringue top.
The first recipe I tried was from the Joy of Cooking, circa mid 20th century. It was simple enough but the filling was too thin and the pie ran when at room temperature. Also, a lot of cream pies not only call for cream in the filling but also the topping. My sweetie thought a meringue would be a nice touch. Always nice when someone is looking out for your belt size.
The next recipe I looked at was one by entertainer-disguised-as-chef, Emeril Lagasse. This dude really loves bananas. For a 9" pie he uses 9 bananas cut into ½" pieces. That's more potassium than most people get in a year. I do like the filling, however, which seems to be just about right.
So, it's modification time in the kitchen. We just finished the first pie... It was well received. Now on to the second recipe. This place is quickly becoming a local test kitchen but no one here seems to object.
For the pie dough: Oven @400°F. Chill ¼ cup of water by placing several ice cubes into a measuring cup and fill with water. Next weigh 6 ounces, about 1 cup, of all purpose flour and add it to your food processor. Add pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar. Take 3 ounces of butter, cut into ¼" to ½" slices and then quarter the slices. Place into the processor bowl and pulse 4 times. Do the same with 1 ounce of lard, place into the processor bowl and pulse 3 times. Add a couple of tablespoons of water and pulse 4-5 times. Dough should just start to come together. Add another tablespoon of water and run processor until dough comes together into a ball.
Remove from processor bowl onto a well-floured surface and roll to fit a 9" pie pan. Place into pie pan, cut a piece of parchment paper large enough to fit into the pie pan on top of the dough and come up the sides about 3 inches. Wax paper is a substitute. Spray the bottom of the paper with a food spray, place on top of dough and fill with a weight. I use dry beans... the same beans for the past 10 years. Bake for 35 minutes, remove from oven and remove the weight and paper. Save the weight for the next time. Make an egg wash with 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of water. Mix well and wash the pie dough with a pastry brush. Bake for 7 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
Click here or the title to get the filling. As I mentioned earlier this is adapted from Emeril's recipe from FoodTV. I use only 2 cups of heavy cream. You can use another 2 cups of heavy cream for the topping. Follow the instructions for the meringue in the recipe and sub the cream top. You can use 1 teaspoon of vanilla instead of the bean. Save the egg whites for a meringue top.
Friday, June 17, 2005
Frittatas
Frittatas are the Italian version of an omelette. Or it could be my sister-in-law's version: the add whatever's-in-the -fridge to the eggbeaters recipe. I thought there had to be a better way to make this seemingly simple Italian dish and at the same time trying to keep it on the level of an omelette.
About a year ago, Sandy D'Amato of Sandford's Restaurant in Milwaukee, wrote about a trip he had taken to Trieste, Italy. It was asparagus season and this delightful vegetable was every where. Sandy shared his Asparagus Frittata with his local fans. I clipped the article and finally made it this past week. My only explanation for waiting so long to try this was fear of add-whatever to 'beaters.
Try this easy, delightful meal. Had to substitute local bacon for the pancetta, unfortunately. Pancetta is cured but not smoked bacon. If you have to make this substitution, be wary of the first addition of salt. Also, put under a hot broiler for 3 minutes. 4 seems to make it too dry for me.
About a year ago, Sandy D'Amato of Sandford's Restaurant in Milwaukee, wrote about a trip he had taken to Trieste, Italy. It was asparagus season and this delightful vegetable was every where. Sandy shared his Asparagus Frittata with his local fans. I clipped the article and finally made it this past week. My only explanation for waiting so long to try this was fear of add-whatever to 'beaters.
Try this easy, delightful meal. Had to substitute local bacon for the pancetta, unfortunately. Pancetta is cured but not smoked bacon. If you have to make this substitution, be wary of the first addition of salt. Also, put under a hot broiler for 3 minutes. 4 seems to make it too dry for me.
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