Posted by admin on 30th August 2009
To make, add 2 tablespoons molasses to 1 cup granulated sugar and stir with a fork. Store brown sugar in an airtight container to keep it soft.
Short is the joy that guilty pleasure brings. — Euripides
Posted in preparing food | Comments Off
Posted by admin on 27th August 2009
Black truffles are earthier and woodsier than white ones. They
e moist and supple, and are meant to accompany the flavor of stews and game birds. Possibly the ideal way to use them is to slip them under the skin of a duck or goose (or even a Cornish hen) before roasting. Instead of shaving them, as you do white truffles, slice them before using them. However, for use in stews, they can be shaved as well. Both black and white truffles are sometimes available in powder form, which is good for year-round use in the kitchen.
Always behave like a duck - keep calm and unruffled on the surface but paddle like the devil underneath. — Jacob Braude
Posted in preparing food | Comments Off
Posted by admin on 25th August 2009
Roasting Peppers
Method 1
Warm a cast iron skillet to medium heat. Wash the peppers and remove stem if you desire. Cover the surface of the skillet with peppers. Let peppers cook for 10 to 15 and then turn them over. Continue this process until the pepper becomes discolored and the shiny texture becomes dull. Peppers may puff and even pop. Continue turning, watching that the pepper is evenly roasted.; Some charring of the skin may occur but this will peel off. When the peppers are evenly roasted and ready to be removed from the heat, place them in a plastic bag that should be kept closed. The peppers are hot and may melt the plastic, but generally a good size freezer bag will do. Let the peppers sit in the bag until cool. After the peppers have cooled, puncture the skins and tear off. It is okay if a little bit of the skin and some black charred flecks remain as this will add texture, color and flavor to your dish.
To store the peppers, place softened peppers in freezer bags. They have a freezer life of about 3 months.
Method 2
You can roast whole peppers* over a very hot wood or charcoal fire. Place peppers directly on the grill. If its still flaming a bit, thats okay). Turn peppers frequently to allow the skins to blister and blacken. When the peppers are charred, remove them from the fire and place in a plastic bag. Allow some air to remain in the bag and loosely tie. The steam that will form in the bag will help to remove the skin. Let cool for about af minutes or until you can easily handle the peppers.
When peppers have cooled, remove them from the bag and use your hands to peel off the skins. Cut off the stem end and slice the peppers open. Remove the core and seeds and cut into strips.
* You can alternately quarter, core and seed larger peppers before roasting.
Every man has a rainy corner of his life whence comes foul weather which follows him. — Jean Paul Friedrich Richter
Posted in preparing food | Comments Off
Posted by admin on 21st August 2009
Seed and pur?e to use in sauces, salad dressings and sorbets. They are at their peak in December, but are available through the early spring and sporadically throughout the summer.
There is no nonsense so gross that society will not, at some time, make a doctrine of it and defend it with every weapon of communal stupidity. — Robertson Davies
Posted in preparing food | Comments Off
Posted by admin on 8th August 2009
Caramel Sauce
For safety reasons, heating the unopened can (an old cooking method) is NOT recommended.
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
Oven Method
Pour sweetened condensed milk into 9-inch pie plate. Cover with aluminum foil; place in larger shallow pan. Fill larger pan with hot water. Bake at 425 degrees F for 1 hour or until thick and caramel-colored. Beat until smooth.
Stovetop Method
Pour sweetened condensed milk into top of double boiler; place over boiling water. Simmer over low heat for 1 to 1/2 hours or until thick and caramel-colored, stirring occasionally. Beat until smooth.
Microwave Method
Pour sweetened condensed milk into a 2-quart glass measuring cup. Cook on 50% power (medium) 4 minutes, stirring briskly every 2 minutes until smooth. Cook on 30% power (medium-low) 20 to 25 minutes or until very thick and caramel-colored, stirring briskly every 4 minutes during the first 16 minutes and every 2 minutes during the last 4 to 10 minutes.
There can be no spirituality, no sanctity, no truth without the female sex. — Andrew Schneider
Posted in preparing food | Comments Off
Posted by admin on 6th August 2009
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 (7 ounce) can green chili salsa
1 (7 ounce) can green chiles, seeded and diced
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
1 (17 ounce) can refried beans
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 dozen large flour tortillas
2 cups Longhorn cheese, grated
1 cup sour cream
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Brown the beef in a skillet, crumbling with a fork as it cooks. Drain off the fat. Add onion, green chile salsa, chiles, tomatoes and beans. Season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir mixture for 5 minutes or until most of the moisture has cooked away.
Place tortillas on center rack of the oven and heat until just hot, not crisp or stiff. Remove one at a time to plates and quickly place some meat mixture in the center of each one. Top with 2 tablespoons of the cheese and 1 tablespoon of sour cream. Roll tortillas around filling and serve immediately. The burritos may be cooled, wrapped in foil, and refrigerated or frozen for later use.
What is it about possessing things Why do we feel the need to own what we love, and why do we become jerks when we do Weve all been there– you want something, to possess it. By possessing something you lose it. You finally win the girl of your dreams, the first thing you do is change her. The little things she does with her hair, the way she wears her clothes or the way she chews her gum. Pretty soon what you like, what you changed, what you don like, blends together like a watercolor in the rain. — Jeff Melvoin
Posted in preparing food | Comments Off
Posted by admin on 5th August 2009
Marzipan (available at local grocery or gourmet market -
make sure marzipan is pliable before you buy it)
Gel paste food coloring (color desired for roses)
Green gel paste food coloring (for petals)
Plastic gloves
Tint the marzipan to desired shade then work the marzipan with your hands until the color is evenly distributed and is warm to your touch. It will develop a gloss as you work it.
Break off small amount and roll it in your palm until round. Pinch the end to make a point like a strawberry. Set on wax paper.
Break off a slightly larger piece, about the size of a small marble. Roll the piece in your hand until round, then begin flattening the ball with your thumb. (the flatter you make it, the more realistic the rose, especially the edges. If it tears, just put it back together.
When it is flattened thin, pick up the strawberry-shape ball and wrap the ball with the flat petal. It is best to only leave a little of the point of the strawberry shaped ball showing to create the center of the rose. Then roll the edge of your first petal like a rose that is beginning to open.
Repeat this procedure until your are pleased with the size. A few petals creates a bud…more creates a full blown rose.
To finish, flatten some green tinted marzipan and make a star shape either with a knife or by pinching. Place the green star on the bottom of the rose to simulate the base of the flower.
Make the leaves out of the green marzipan by rolling and flattening to a realistic shape. You may use a knife to simulate the veining and serration of the leaves.
Place the finished roses on cake.
The world is moved not only by the mighty shoves of the heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker. — Hellen Keller
Posted in preparing food | Comments Off
Posted by admin on 5th August 2009
Method 1
Wash and stem tomatoes. Slice horizontally about 1/4-inch thick. If desired, salt on both sides, allow to sit for 30 minutes, then rinse. Lay on mesh or foil-covered baking sheets. Cover lightly with cheesecloth. Place in the hot sun for several hours, turning occasionally, until desired dryness is achieved. Store in jars in a cool place.
Method 2
Make marinated sun-dried tomatoes by placing tomatoes in jars with olive oil, garlic and herbs; refrigerate immediately at 40 degrees F or below.
NOTE: Be sure you sun-dry your tomatoes on a day when the humidity is low.
If one has no vanity in this life of ours, there is no sufficient reason for living. — Leo Tolstoy
Posted in preparing food | Comments Off
Posted by admin on 3rd August 2009
Roasting tomatoes gives them an exotic flavor. Roasting works best with ripe, red tomatoes. To roast and peel tomatoes, set the oven to broil. Arrange cored tomatoes with their top surfaces about 5 inches from the heat. Broil, turning occasionally, until the skin is blistered and evenly browned, about 5 to 8 minutes. The skins will be easy to remove. If you roast them on aluminum foil, the cleanup will be easy, and you can also save the juice.
Another option for roasting tomatoes is to use an asador.
To skin and seed tomatoes, plunge them into boiling water to cover and leave them for exactly 15 seconds. Remove and put them into cold water to stop the cooking process. Remove the skin. Remove the core, cut the tomatoes crosswise into halves, then squeeze out seeds. Push the seeds through a strainer to extract the juice.
Tomatoes can also be grated by removing a thin slice from the top of the tomato. Put the tomato in the palm of your hand and rub it on a coarse grater. The flesh will become a fine pulp and the skin will be left in your hand.
To oven-dry plum tomatoes, split them in half lengthwise. Place them on a large drying rack set on top of a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and a little rosemary or thyme. Place in an oven set at 200?F for 6 to 8 hours, depending on the size and ripeness of the tomatoes. The tomatoes should be shriveled and reduced to about half their original size, but they should not be leathery.
I believe in getting into hot water it keeps you clean. — G. K. Chesterton
Posted in preparing food | Comments Off
Posted by admin on 30th July 2009
Use the freshest meats possible.
Cook in a cast iron skillet.
Rinse meat with water before dipping in spices.
Allow skillet and oil to get very hot.
Be careful not to splash when turning.
Season on one side only.
Serve with room temperature sauce.
Loving a child doesn mean giving in to all his whims to love him is to bring out the best in him, to teach him to love what is difficult. — Nadia Boulanger
Posted in preparing food | Comments Off
