Last week my wife needed a support structure for her gingerbread house and used two small milk cartons. Since they came with heavy cream in them I decided the best use for it would be to make ice cream. This is my wife's absolute favorite ice cream and she had consumed most of it before it had finished hardening in the freezer. It uses peppermint essential oil but if you do not have that then use peppermint extract, I am not sure the amount but I believe the two are not interchangeable. Exercise caution with the extract, you can always add more but there is no going back once too much is added.
The World's Absolute Greatest Mint Chip Ice Cream.
3 egg yolks
¾ cup sugar, divided
1½ cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 drop peppermint essential oil (and only one!)
1 cup chopped Andes mint candies (or mini chocolate chips)
Whisk together egg yolks and ¼ cup sugar in a bowl until thick and pale yellow. Set aside.
Heat milk, cream, essential oil and the remaining ½ cup sugar in a saucepan (or saucier) over medium heat until steam rises from the mixture.
Gradually add half of the hot milk mixture to the yolks, whisking constantly (slowly or you will end up scrambling the eggs). Then add the yolks back to the rest of the milk mixture (again slowly).
Reduce the heat to medium low and cook for about 5 minutes.
Transfer the mixture to a sealed container and chill overnight. Churn according to your ice cream maker's instruction and add the chips during the last few minutes of churning. Allow to harden in the freezer for 4-6 hours.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Monday, December 26, 2011
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.
I have to admit that I didn't do much holiday cooking this Christmas season. I did do some holiday candy and a confectionist I am not. Other than than I helped my wife with a pair of pumpkin pies we took over to my Inlaws' to Christmas dinner and they were very well received. I have only recently put together the clues to why the pumpkin pie my family makes was different that just about everybody else's.
Since early in High School I was in charge of holiday pies due to my mother working the ICU graveyard shift at the hospital (Dinner conversation at my house growing up was pretty interesting). Clue number one was the stained recipe card penned in my grandmother's hand. The title read 'Pumpkin/Squash Pie' and I never gave it much thought at the time.
The next clue I discovered while perusing a cookbook and I came across a recipe for New England Squash Pie and I saw that my family's pumpkin pie recipe was almost exactly the same except it used squash instead of pumpkin. For some reason my family made basically new england squash pie with pumpkin and served it at holidays.
There are several differences between a more traditional pumpkin pie and and a new england pie. First was the fat in the pie, new england pie uses a combination of evaporated milk and whole milk mixed with melted butter. Second is the spices, it is heavier on ginger and cinnamon but there are no cloves whatsoever. And lastly it uses only brown sugar rather than white or a combination of white and brown sugars.
Pumpkin Pie (Makes two 9" Pies)
2 unbaked 9" pie shells
1 twenty eight oz. can steamed pumpkin (Not the pumpkin pie mix, just steamed pumpkin)
2 tsp salt
1 fifteen ounce can evaporated milk with whole milk added to make 3 cups
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
6 eggs slightly beaten
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
2 tbs melted butter
Set your oven to 425°. Dump everything but the pie shells into a mixer a turn it on medium. When the pie mix is mixed and the oven is heated, open the oven and pull out the oven rack. Place the two pie shell on the rack and divide the pie mix evenly between them. Carefully slide the rack back into the oven and close the door. Bake it for 20 minutes then drop the oven temp to 350° and bake the pies for another 30-40 minutes until a knife inserted into the middle of one of the pies comes out clean. I usually let them cool overnight. Serve them with whipped cream.
Since early in High School I was in charge of holiday pies due to my mother working the ICU graveyard shift at the hospital (Dinner conversation at my house growing up was pretty interesting). Clue number one was the stained recipe card penned in my grandmother's hand. The title read 'Pumpkin/Squash Pie' and I never gave it much thought at the time.
The next clue I discovered while perusing a cookbook and I came across a recipe for New England Squash Pie and I saw that my family's pumpkin pie recipe was almost exactly the same except it used squash instead of pumpkin. For some reason my family made basically new england squash pie with pumpkin and served it at holidays.
There are several differences between a more traditional pumpkin pie and and a new england pie. First was the fat in the pie, new england pie uses a combination of evaporated milk and whole milk mixed with melted butter. Second is the spices, it is heavier on ginger and cinnamon but there are no cloves whatsoever. And lastly it uses only brown sugar rather than white or a combination of white and brown sugars.
Pumpkin Pie (Makes two 9" Pies)
2 unbaked 9" pie shells
1 twenty eight oz. can steamed pumpkin (Not the pumpkin pie mix, just steamed pumpkin)
2 tsp salt
1 fifteen ounce can evaporated milk with whole milk added to make 3 cups
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
6 eggs slightly beaten
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
2 tbs melted butter
Set your oven to 425°. Dump everything but the pie shells into a mixer a turn it on medium. When the pie mix is mixed and the oven is heated, open the oven and pull out the oven rack. Place the two pie shell on the rack and divide the pie mix evenly between them. Carefully slide the rack back into the oven and close the door. Bake it for 20 minutes then drop the oven temp to 350° and bake the pies for another 30-40 minutes until a knife inserted into the middle of one of the pies comes out clean. I usually let them cool overnight. Serve them with whipped cream.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
A La Cuisine!
Every so often my extended family participates in a cooking competition. We are planning one over the Christmas holiday and this battle's theme in cheese. Other themes have included broccoli, chili, lasagna, and mac & cheese. The battle after this one is going to be bacon- I am so excited! My challenge this time is that due to accommodating people's holiday and work schedules the battle is a weekday night so I have approximately 12 minutes between getting home from work and loading up the van and head off to the judging. Additionally cheese does not lend well to long cook times- say in a slow cooker for example. So I decided to go with a homemade cheese spread and my favorite is Kentucky Beer Cheese.
Beer cheese is a spicy, garlicky cheddar served with crackers in Kentucky pubs to make patrons thirsty and therefore buy more beer. I decided to alter the traditional recipe by first reducing the spice and garlic because many of the family are not fans of spicy foods. Fearing this change would make the spread too bland, I went with a stronger cheese than medium cheddar and opted for an extra sharp white Vermont cheddar. Additionally I have never been a fan of beer (I am sorry if any of you guys think less on me now) I am simply not a fan of the bitterness of hops in beer. I understand and respect its necessity as a preservative before refrigeration was around but I just do not like it. I replaced the traditional beer with hard cider. A dry amber I thought would go best with the cheddar- I used Woodchuck Amber.
Cider Cheese
2 pounds Extra Sharp Cheddar
1 12 oz. Bottle Dry Hard Cider (Feel free to use your favorite brew here)
3 Cloves Garlic
1 tsp salt
1 tbs Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp Hot Sauce (I like Franks Red Hot)
A Dash Cayenne Pepper ( or to taste)
1. Finely shred cheese into the largest bowl you have.
2. Peel and mince garlic, making sure to remove the stem end. Sprinkle the salt over the garlic and using the side of a chef knife, work the garlic into a paste. Add to the shredded cheese.
3. Sprinkle cheese with Worcestershire, Hot Sauce and Cayenne. Toss together with you hands.
4. Pour cider (or beer) over cheese and mix well with your hands.
5. Run the cheese mixture through a meat grinder with a fine die. Alternatively you an pulse it in a food processor until smooth. If you lack either of these devices just stir the hell out of it with a wooden spoon- but it will be a little chunky this way.
6. Transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate overnight to meld flavors.
7. Serve with crackers, pretzels and apple wedges.
And would you believe it? I lost. And to my own wife none the less. With cheese pizza. Uhg!
Beer cheese is a spicy, garlicky cheddar served with crackers in Kentucky pubs to make patrons thirsty and therefore buy more beer. I decided to alter the traditional recipe by first reducing the spice and garlic because many of the family are not fans of spicy foods. Fearing this change would make the spread too bland, I went with a stronger cheese than medium cheddar and opted for an extra sharp white Vermont cheddar. Additionally I have never been a fan of beer (I am sorry if any of you guys think less on me now) I am simply not a fan of the bitterness of hops in beer. I understand and respect its necessity as a preservative before refrigeration was around but I just do not like it. I replaced the traditional beer with hard cider. A dry amber I thought would go best with the cheddar- I used Woodchuck Amber.
Cider Cheese
2 pounds Extra Sharp Cheddar
1 12 oz. Bottle Dry Hard Cider (Feel free to use your favorite brew here)
3 Cloves Garlic
1 tsp salt
1 tbs Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp Hot Sauce (I like Franks Red Hot)
A Dash Cayenne Pepper ( or to taste)
1. Finely shred cheese into the largest bowl you have.
2. Peel and mince garlic, making sure to remove the stem end. Sprinkle the salt over the garlic and using the side of a chef knife, work the garlic into a paste. Add to the shredded cheese.
3. Sprinkle cheese with Worcestershire, Hot Sauce and Cayenne. Toss together with you hands.
4. Pour cider (or beer) over cheese and mix well with your hands.
5. Run the cheese mixture through a meat grinder with a fine die. Alternatively you an pulse it in a food processor until smooth. If you lack either of these devices just stir the hell out of it with a wooden spoon- but it will be a little chunky this way.
6. Transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate overnight to meld flavors.
7. Serve with crackers, pretzels and apple wedges.
And would you believe it? I lost. And to my own wife none the less. With cheese pizza. Uhg!
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Bowl of Red
Cold weather makes me want to make chili, so that is exactly what I decided to do. This is not your usual combination of ground beef, chili powder, kidney beans, tomatos and onions. It is a tad different.
First is the meat. I do not use ground, I use cubed or 'stew' meat. Just about any inexpensive cut will work. If you want beef, use chuck roast, pig; boston butt (which is actually the shoulder) lamb use shank or neck. The cheaper cuts of meat have more connective tissue and are therefore tougher but really shine in a long low cooking process like that used in chili.
Second is the spices, I use some chili powder but the main aeromatic is chipotle. Chipotle are smoked jalapenos canned in a spicy vinegar sauce and is usually found in the mexican food aisle in the supermarket.
Third is no beans. Instead of the startch off of the beans to thicken the chili, I throw corn chips in the pot, it adds a nice flavor and texture to the chili.
Willy Chili
3 lbs stew meat (beef, pork, and/or lamb)
First is the meat. I do not use ground, I use cubed or 'stew' meat. Just about any inexpensive cut will work. If you want beef, use chuck roast, pig; boston butt (which is actually the shoulder) lamb use shank or neck. The cheaper cuts of meat have more connective tissue and are therefore tougher but really shine in a long low cooking process like that used in chili.
Second is the spices, I use some chili powder but the main aeromatic is chipotle. Chipotle are smoked jalapenos canned in a spicy vinegar sauce and is usually found in the mexican food aisle in the supermarket.
Third is no beans. Instead of the startch off of the beans to thicken the chili, I throw corn chips in the pot, it adds a nice flavor and texture to the chili.
Willy Chili
3 lbs stew meat (beef, pork, and/or lamb)
2 tsp cooking oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 (12-ounce) can of beef broth (you can also use beer)
1 (16-ounce) jar of salsa
half a large bag of Fritos
2 chipotle peppers canned in adobo sauce, chopped
1 tbs adobo sauce (from the chipotle peppers in adobo)
1 tbs tomato paste
1 tbs chili powder
Toss meat with salt and oil and heat a heavy (preferably cast iron) frying pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, brown the meat in 2-3 batches and transfer the browned meat to a slow cooker.
After all the meat is browned deglaze the frying pan with the broth or beer if you are using it. Deglazing means to pour the liquid in the hot pan and scrape up all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan with a spatula or whisk. Next dump the liquid on top of the meat in the slow cooker.
Next add the salsa, fritos, chipotles, adobo, tomato paste and chili powder to the slow cooker and mix everything up. Turn the slow cooker to low for 7-8 hours. Serve in wide bowls with shredded cheese, diced avacado, corn tortillas, fritos, hot sauce, sour cream, pumpkin/sunflower seeds, chopped cilantro, diced tomatoes, hominy or anything else you like with your chili.
By the way, this recipe did win a chili cook-off.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Ironman
One of my all time favorite cooking materials is cast iron. It's cheap (relatively), it's almost indestructible, its easy to clean and it's heat retention properties are unmatched. Additionally it is very versatile, after leaving home my first set of pots and pans consisted of a 2 quart cheap saucepan and a cast iron chicken fryer (a deep frying pan with a lid) and with it I could fry, deep fry, sear, bake, broil, roast or braise (stove top or oven). The only thing I used the saucepan for was to boil, stew or steam.
Seasoning Cast Iron:
Do this before you cook anything on the cast iron. Even if the cookware is 'pre-seasoned' I still do it.
Cleaning Cast Iron:
Rule #1: Do not use soap.
Rule #2: Do NOT use soap.
Rule# 3: Do not put it in the dishwasher (See Rule #2)
The trick is to clean the cast iron while it is hot, preferably as soon as you are done cooking in it. Other than that you only need two things to clean cast iron; water and a stiff brush. I use a natural hog bristle brush because I am afraid a synthetic bristle will melt on the hot iron.
As soon as you evacuate the food from said cookware, transfer it to you sink. Turn the water on the cast iron, there will be steam- a lot of steam- so be careful. Scrub it clean with your brush. If extra scouring if needed I usually drain off the water and add a few heavy pinches of salt and continue to scrub away, this trick is very handy for cast iron grill pans. Please note that if you were cooking on high heat let it cool down or you run the risk of warping or cracking the hot iron. I can't think of why you would be cooking on high with cast iron though, to brand cattle maybe?
After it's clean move it to the stove and heat it until it's dry. Drizzle a bit of cooking oil into the hot cast iron and spread it with a folder paper towel. The more you use it the easier it becomes to clean because the seasoning improves with use. Because of this shy away from high protein 'sticky' foods like fish and eggs until the cast iron is well seasoned.
Seasoning Cast Iron:
Do this before you cook anything on the cast iron. Even if the cookware is 'pre-seasoned' I still do it.
Wash the cookware with hot, soapy water and a stiff brush. (This is the ONLY time one uses soap on cast iron). Rinse and dry it completely. Apply a thin, even coating of solid vegetable shortening to the cookware (inside and out). Place aluminum foil on the bottom rack of the oven to catch any dripping and set the oven to 350°. Place cookware upside down on the top rack of the oven. Lids (if any) go right side up. This is so no fat pools on the cookware- pooling fats will cause a sticky mess that requires a sandblaster to remove. Bake the cookware for an hour. After the hour, turn the oven off and let the cookware cool in the oven. In the future if you notice the seasoning wearing, just repeat the steps.
Cooking With Cast Iron:
Cast Iron has the best heat retention of any cookware I know of. When one places cold food in a hot pan, the pan looses some of its heat to the food- there by cooking it. Cast Iron looses little to the food so it keeps a high temperature. Because of this a lower heat is needed and I seldom cook with cast iron over anything higher than medium. Additionally its heat retention properties allow for good searing and browning of meats. This combined with its ability to regulate fluctuating oven temperates make cast iron ideal for long low braises like pot roast. You brown the meat in it on the stove top, add liquid then put it into a slow oven for a long, low braise.Cleaning Cast Iron:
Rule #1: Do not use soap.
Rule #2: Do NOT use soap.
Rule# 3: Do not put it in the dishwasher (See Rule #2)
The trick is to clean the cast iron while it is hot, preferably as soon as you are done cooking in it. Other than that you only need two things to clean cast iron; water and a stiff brush. I use a natural hog bristle brush because I am afraid a synthetic bristle will melt on the hot iron.
As soon as you evacuate the food from said cookware, transfer it to you sink. Turn the water on the cast iron, there will be steam- a lot of steam- so be careful. Scrub it clean with your brush. If extra scouring if needed I usually drain off the water and add a few heavy pinches of salt and continue to scrub away, this trick is very handy for cast iron grill pans. Please note that if you were cooking on high heat let it cool down or you run the risk of warping or cracking the hot iron. I can't think of why you would be cooking on high with cast iron though, to brand cattle maybe?
After it's clean move it to the stove and heat it until it's dry. Drizzle a bit of cooking oil into the hot cast iron and spread it with a folder paper towel. The more you use it the easier it becomes to clean because the seasoning improves with use. Because of this shy away from high protein 'sticky' foods like fish and eggs until the cast iron is well seasoned.
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