October 2007 Archives
On Thanksgiving, you could walk into a random hose and predict what they will be serving. Most of the time you would be correct. Here is the typical menu
- Turkey
- cranberries (canned)
- stuffing (Pepperidge farm)
- sweet potato casserole (marshmallows on top)
- mashed potatoes with gravy
- rolls
- sweet potato pie or pumpkin pie
Many will complain if this menu is not made. People expect, and sometimes request, the old and bland food of years past. Many associate this holiday with a set menu, and put the food above the company. I enjoy having my family over for a large dinner. I have the day off, so it is a special event. I take it as an excuse to entertain, and I can cook for more then just my immediate family. If I'm going to cook for 7 to 12 people, I'm going to cook how I want to.
It's easy to take that traditional menu and modernize it. You can still roast a turkey, but explore some new flavors. Last year I made a herbed roast turkey. I worked an herb paste under the skin of the turkey, then placed a few lemons, an orange, and herbs in the cavity (microwaved first to heat up ). There was a wonderful herb flavor through all the meat. If you don't want herbs, try a spice rub, or deep frying. There are so many possibilities that can be explored when cooking a turkey.
The same goes with cranberry sauce. Ditch the can and go for fresh. It's such a simple recipe, the flavors are so much better, and it can be made in advance. If you really want standard, you just need water, salt, and sugar. but with a few extra steps, you can make something spectacular. This year I am thinking about ginger, star anise, lemon, and possibly currants.
The same goes for all the other dishes server at thanksgiving. You can modernize the Thanksgiving menu without sacrificing what people want to eat. You can still throw in your own touches. Make it a day long event, prosciutto and melon while people watch a movie, cold cucumber dill soup when the house is 500 degrees, limoncello and biscotti long after dinner.
I try to make my menu ahead of time, I will try some dishes a month in advance, then make a few alterations to the recipe to make everything flow. I think the goal is to make the day memorable, not a menu that hasn't changed in 50 years.
It has 4 ingredients. This is the recipe I use. Go to Target and get a large glass jar with a rubber-gasket sealed top.
1 Liter vodka - I look for the 100 proof
15 lemons
3 1/2 cups of water
2 ½ cups of sugar
It's quite simple to do - wash and zest your lemons. I really hate the little ring zesters, they tend to dig in too deep, and waste so much of the rind. A regular vegetable peeler will do a fine job removing the top layer of the lemon. Don't dig down too deep - you don't want any of the white pith, the pith will turn the flavor to the bitter side.If you see some, scrape it off with a paring knife.
Take all the lemon zest and place it in a jar. Add the vodka and seal the jar.Keep this at room temperature in a cool and shady place.Shake the jar lightly every day.When you are at your halfway point (3 to 4 weeks) make a 'simple syrup' with the remaining ingredients.When it has cooled to room temperature, add the syrup to the mixture and return it to it's resting place.
A few days before you want to serve the limoncello, strain the mixture through cheesecloth once or twice. The lemon peels will be close to white in color. Transfer the limoncello to a serving container (old vodka bottles work well).You need something that will freeze without breaking.Freeze the mixture for a few days, it will not solidify, but thicken and pale in color.Serve it right from the freezer in cordial glasses.
If you want to give away the limoncello as gifts, look for small glass bottles that can be corked or have sealed lids. Pier One has some, and so does Bed Bath and Beyond. Just remember to wash them first.
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Last year I made my dad some honey-lavender biscotti. I've been trying to come up with other cooking uses for all the lavender in my back yard. Lavender goes very well with lemons, I think I will drop a few sprigs into the seeping lemons. It will also give me an excuse to harvest and dry the flowers. When the limoncello is halfway done, you can sample the flavor. It will blend more with age, but the halfway point is a good place to adjust flavors. If it needs more lemon, toss in some fresh zest, more sugar, add more syrup, etc.
I've tried using orange zest, the flavor is there, but it is too mellow. One of the great things about the lemons is the punch. The flavors are very strong. I suspect limes, or possibly grapefruit would infuse well, but the oranges just didn't do it for me.
Pan seared chicken cutlets with a White wine rosemary lemon sauce.- 1 large or 2 small chicken breasts (enough to serve 2 (1/4 pound per person))
- Canola Oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1/3 cup Dry White Wine
- 1/3 cup Chicken stock or low sodium chicken broth
- lemon
- sprig of fresh rosemary
- 3 Tbsp butter (cold)
- 4 thin lemon slices
- rosemary oil
This goes very well with Parmesan mashed potatoes, and you could finish this meal with some bread and a roasted relish of tomato and sweet corn.
The crabcakes were very good. The aioli was nice and thick, with a little added garlic. I have a knack at emulsifying. The second dish was a roasted red pepper salad. Yet another reason I want an exhaust hood at home. Two members in my group worked on the vinaigrette in the blender while I started on the third dish - Pasta with a tomato sauce.
I've come to the conclusion that I have really good cooking habits. Chef Martin was explaining how you fan the pasta into the water, thus keeping it from sticking together, I've been doing that for over 10 years, it just makes sense. The first night went off without a hitch.
The second night was very enjoyable. this was a similar format to the first night. About an hours worth of lecture/demonstration, then cooking. Chef Martin demonstrated how to butterfly and flatten a pork tenderloin. He also covered how to use a mandolin.
We made the pork first -- everything turned out very well. While the meat cooked in the oven, we started on the poached eggs. I got the poaching liquid ready and did the reduction for the hollandaise sauce. I managed the eggs while two of my team members made the first batch of sauce. The eggs were done about 20 seconds before the sauce *broke*, and about 2 minutes before the pork was done. This put my group into a panic. I started to direct traffic because the group started to fizzle, the failed sauce had knocked off the rhythm.
Five minutes for the meat to rest, two minutes for the vegetables to saute, and a hollandaise sauce needing to be remade. I asked one woman to work on the veggies, while the other two gathered the plates and got some wine for everyone. I cooled the reduction in another bowl, added the egg yolk, and started to whisk. I kept whisking while they sliced and served up the pork and shoestring vegetables. When the sauce was near it's consistency, I pulled it from the heat. I dropped the poached eggs in simmering water of the double boiler to reheat, and had everything plated before the first woman finished her pork. The eggs turned out really well, the two who had not eaten poached eggs said they liked them.
The last thing we made was roasted pineapple with macadamia nuts, drizzled with a caramel sauce, served with vanilla ice cream. No one wanted to make the caramel sauce, so I volunteered (I've done all this before, so I tried to let them take the lead if they hadn't done it). The pineapple cooks in very quickly when broiled. The nuts will burn and give your dish an off flavor. I started the sugar/water/corn syrup on the cook-top while the pineapple was prepared. When the sugar began to color, we added the pineapple to the oven. I pulled the sugar off heat when it had a nice medium brown color and added the heavy cream. Then more whisking! When the pineapple was out of the oven, I plated the desserts for everyone. Pineapple, ice-cream in the center, then I poured the caramel over the desserts. It was quite good.
That sums up the Chef Skills class. My wife will be taking the classes later this week. So that's it for this years installments of the CAP classes. There will be more next year, we both really enjoyed the classes we have completed.
Bananas are a staple in many households with children. We get the seedless variety in the US. Common uses for bananas are eating raw, in cereal, pudding, pies, bread, and other desserts. There are uses for bananas in savory dishes, but typical everyday uses will lean towards the sweet side of the pallet.
More then likely, you are eating a Cavendish variety. These have been selectively bread (a form of genetic engineering) for their size and ability to withstand the rigors of travel. The majority of imported bananas are artificially ripened in an ethylene room. This 'doesn't' effect the flavor of the banana, and allows the banana to ripen faster. It is similar to the effect of placing peaches in a paper bag and crimping it closed. The fruit releases the gas that speeds the ripening of anything in the bag. Fruit will ripen naturally if left in the open air (and are more flavorful), but most people want the fruit to ripen early, thus having a longer life in the house, and a fresher appearance at the grosser store.
Many cultures use the banana leaf to wrap food for steaming, boiling, and grilling. The leaf itself in inedible, but it is a good conductor of heat, waterproof, inexpensive, and readily available in most cities (you may have to look for them in ethnic markets).
Banana Chips, I remember these from growing up, and I still find them in trail mix and at some supermarkets. Well -- I did some research on these.. wow.. the majority of chips are deep fried, then covered with honey, sugar, and preservatives. One ounce of banana chips has a staggering 147 calories and 8.2 grams of saturated fat (41% daily recommendation). To put that into perspective - a snickers bar is 2 ounces, and has fewer calories and fat then 2 oz of banana chips. I only bring this up because I had always considered them to be a healthy snack alternative. shrug..
Banana's Foster
Well -- almost Banana's Foster. This recipe traditionally uses spiced rum, but I prefer brandy. The brandy adds a sharpness that I find lacking from the dish. And I don't use vanilla ice cream either. This is a showy dish, turn out the light when you flambe the sauce. If you have a gas stove, you can probably light it from the burner, otherwise, you will need a long match or grill starter.
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 2 bananas
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- dash ground nutmeg
- 1/4 cup applejack brandy
- dulche de leche gelato
Chop the banana, and prep the other ingredients.
Melt the butter in a pan, add the brown sugar and cinnamon. When the brown sugar is dissolved, add the bananas, toss to coat, cook for 2 minutes, turning the banana slices halfway through, Remove the bananas to two serving bowls. While the pan is away from the heat, add the brandy to the pan, .
When the liquid mixture is simmering, light the pan with a long match. Shake the pan to keep the flame going. You may need to pull the pan away from the cooktop if the flames are going into your exhaust fan, When the alcohol has burnt off, and the sauce has reached its desired consistency, split the contents between the two bowls. Add two or three scoops of gelato over the bananas and eat.
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Not a recipe -- but some tips.
When making banana pancakes or banana bread -- mash the bananas with the sugar.
Bake with bananas that are overripe (brown spots on the peel). Do not bake with green bananas.
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