10.27.09
Posted in Chocolate, Cookies & Candies, Cuisines, Dessert, Foodblog Events, French, Nuts, Grains & Legumes at 12:58 pm by julie
The 2009 October Daring Bakers’ challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming’s The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe. I knew it was coming, sooner or later, and I’ve always been nervous about baking macarons, with very good reason. I made a batch of pistachio macarons once, before I really knew what they were; Nigella Lawson’s description was irresistible, but they came out sticky, lumpy, and so sweet that my husband wouldn’t eat more than one bite. I could barely remove them from the sheet pan. I’ve never tasted a real macaron, or even seen one outside of photographs, so I’d like to think that had some effect on the outcome.
My food, savory and sweet, has come a long way in the four or five years since that incident, in part thanks to taking part in 23 Daring Bakers challenges now. But when it comes to macarons, apparently I’m still at square one.
I decided to try my hand at chocolate macarons, mostly to divert my husband from eating all the Halloween candy before the trick-or-treaters get a shot at it, and my post is a little late because I was holding out to get parchment, almond meal and powdered sugar at the grocery store. When I finally got there on Tuesday, however, they didn’t have almond meal in stock and I totally spaced out the powdered sugar, so I ended up having to make both in the food processor anyhow. Superfine sugar, cocoa, and almonds all went in, and a fine brown powder came out. I sieved it to remove the larger bits of almond and lighten the texture before folding into my egg whites.
I made the cocoa-almond meringues in Baking: From My Home to Yours a month or two back, and they had a similar ingredient list and process, although they aren’t neatly piped. My meringues looked like airy rocks and had a large air pocket between the crisp shell and chewy base.
The macaron batter seemed to deflate even more than that meringue batter did, which didn’t seem like a good sign. Still, I carefully piped out row after row of neat little rounds… which promptly spread to twice their size and threatened to merge into sloppy amoeboid shapes. Not a good sign.
I baked them off anyway according to the recipe, and they set up into bumpy brown pancakes: no frilly foot, no dome, no nothing. Clearly something went awry. Was it my ingredients? My folding technique? The fact that I flavored them with chocolate? I’ll only know with further experimentation and lots more practice.
Anyhow, I filled my little bellyflop cookies with a simple ganache of 3 oz Valrhona chocolate and 1/3 C heavy cream, and gave some to my taste testers. Nolan instantly recognized them as chocolate and ate a whole cookie without sharing with his dad. He usually crams food into his mouth whole, but these had just the right tender texture for him to practice taking big-boy bites. And my husband has been mostly distracted from the Halloween candy. So even if I can’t call these cookies macarons, I’d still call them a big success. Thanks so much to Ami S. for choosing this very challenging challenge, and check out the infinite variety of real macarons baked up by our Daring Bakers at the blogroll.
I am a member of the Theta Class of Daring Bakers, inducted in July 2007. Below is a list of previous challenges:
Strawberry Mirror Cake – July 2007
Milk Chocolate and Caramel Tart – August 2007
Cinnamon Rolls and Sticky Buns – September 2007
Bostini Cream Pies – October 2007
Tender Potato Bread – November 2007
Traditional Buche de Noel – December 2007
Lemon Meringue Pie – January 2008
French Bread – February 2008
Perfect Party Cake – March 2008
Opéra Cake – May 2008
Danish Braid – June 2008
Filbert Gateau – July 2008
Chocolate Éclairs – August 2008
Lavash Crackers and Dip – September 2008
French Yule Log – December 2008
Tuiles – January 2009
Chocolate Valentino and Ice Cream – February 2009
Lasagne of Emilia-Romana – March 2009
Abbey’s Infamous Cheesecake – April 2009
Apple Strudel – May 2009
Bakewell Tart and Homemade Jam – June 2009
Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies – July 2009
Dobos Torte – August 2009
Vols-au-Vent – September 2009
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10.19.09
Posted in Dinner, Meats, Poultry, Sides at 9:22 pm by julie
I watched the most recent season of The Next Food Network Star mostly out of boredom, and because it was in season, as it were. I had no special interest in any of the candidates until the very last episode, when Melissa d’Arabian demonstrated an easy 4-step chicken dish with a side of individual potato gratins baked in a muffin tin. The chicken looked like a good repertoire dish, very adaptable and easily made with pantry staples, but the mini-gratin idea was genius. I, along with—let’s face it—practically every other person on the planet, love a good potato gratin. The problem is making them without mishap in a reasonable amount of time. Until now, every gratin I’ve tried has come out undercooked and soupy in the middle, usually requiring extra baking time that overbrowns the top of the gratin and throws off the timing of the rest of my food. But these individual gratins take just half an hour to bake and come out perfectly crisp on top and done underneath, not to mention scaling seamlessly to any number, so long as you have the muffin tin to contain them.
I have used both Yukon gold and red potatoes for versions of these gratins, though I’ve stuck with the onion and Gruyere cheese; I’ve no doubt you could tuck other veggies in between the potato slices as well, or use whatever cheese you prefer. The reds are the perfect size circumference for my muffin tin; you might have to trim down a russet. This is a great assembly-line recipe if you have helpers, or you could probably prepare it in advance and store in the fridge for a bit if you use low-starch potatoes like reds. I sliced my potatoes with a mandoline rather than dirty my food processor, but you could slice them by hand also if your knife skills are good. I also usually forget to put on the foil, and they still come out just fine in my oven.
I realize I’ve been blathering on and on about the potatoes, but the chicken was actually also very tasty. I’ve done two different variations so far, first making a lemon-onion sauce with peas, and then a dijon-thyme sauce.
5-Minute Individual Potato Gratins
Vegetable spray
2 large russet potatoes, roughly peeled and thinly sliced (or Yukon Gold, red, etc.)
1/2 C grated Swiss cheese (or Gruyere, cheddar, etc.)
2 green onions, finely chopped (or sweet onion, etc.)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 C heavy cream
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray 8 muffin tins with vegetable spray. Layer potato slices, cheese, and onions into each muffin cup, finishing with a layer of potato topped with cheese. Season with salt and pepper and top each gratin with 1 or 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Cover with foil and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, removing the foil halfway through cooking time. Invert gratins onto plate and serve.
Source: Food Network
Update 11/30/09: I finally tried making these with russet potatoes. It worked fine, but I do think I prefer the texture of the red and Yukon potatoes better for this, as they hold up without getting mealy or mushy.
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Posted in Dinner, Meats, Poultry, Soups at 6:11 pm by julie
It’s that time of year: I’ve been itching for soups, stews, chilis, or anything warm and comforting. They aren’t Jeremy’s favorite, but I can talk him into soup every so often, usually with the offer of fresh bread or biscuits for dipping. I made a chicken stew with Dijon mustard and kale a few years back, and it was just sounding really good to me. It is delicious in its original form, but I decided to tweak it and use up what I had in the kitchen already. That meant onions, boneless chicken breasts and baby spinach, with a squirt of whole grain mustard and a pinch of thyme for good measure.
Dijon Chicken Stew with Potatoes and Kale
4 tsp olive oil, divided
2 C sliced leek (or onion)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 C all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 ounces)
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 tsp salt, divided
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 C dry white wine
3 C fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth, divided
1 T all-purpose flour
1 1/2 C water
3 T Dijon mustard
1 T whole-grain mustard
1 tsp dried thyme
2 C (1/2-inch) cubed peeled red potato (about 1 pound)
5 oz loosely packed torn kale or baby spinach (about 8 C)
Crushed red pepper (optional)
Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add leek or onion; sauté 6 minutes or until tender and golden brown. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Spoon mixture into a large bowl.
Place 1/3 cup flour in a shallow bowl or pie plate. Dredge chicken in flour, shaking off excess. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add half of chicken mixture; sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper. Cook 6 minutes, browning on all sides. Add browned chicken to leek mixture. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken mixture, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper.
Add wine to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Combine 1 cup broth and 1 tablespoon flour, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Add broth mixture, remaining 2 cups broth, water, thyme, and mustards to pan; bring to a boil. Stir in chicken mixture, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes.
Stir in potato. Cover and simmer 30 minutes or until potato is tender. Stir in kale; cover and simmer 10 minutes. (If using spinach, add immediately before serving.) Garnish with crushed red pepper, if desired.
Source: Cooking Light
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10.18.09
Posted in American, Chinese, Cuisines, Dinner, Meats, Poultry at 6:09 pm by julie
I’ve been trying for a while to track down a recipe that emulates the orange chicken from Panda Express, which I’m sure is loaded with fat, corn syrup and other naughty things. This recipe comes pretty darn close to that sweet-heat flavor and crisp-gooey texture, and I’ve already made it several times. I did make a few slight adjustments, most notably orange juice concentrate in place of the orange juice, which kicked up the orange flavor markedly. When I had no more orange juice concentrate, I made it myself just by boiling down about 1/2 C prepared orange juice to 2 T before adding the rest of the sauce/marinade ingredients. I also omitted the green onion and substituted dried orange zest and some chips of dried ginger in place of fresh; they imparted plenty of flavor as the marinade cooked.
As for the chicken, I am rarely organized enough to know what I’m making for dinner hours in advance, so my chicken just marinated for about half an hour. I use a Tupperware container for that, and also to shake it with the flour so I don’t waste a Ziploc. I also just throw all the marinade in with the chicken instead of separating some for the sauce; it boils down at high heat afterwards, so I don’t worry too much about contamination. I also added some lightly steamed broccoli to the dish at the end, just in time to toss with the chicken and sauce.
Crispy Orange Chicken
1 1/2 C water
2 T orange juice concentrate (or 1/2 C juice boiled down to 2 T)
1/4 C lemon juice
1/3 C rice vinegar
2 1/2 T soy sauce
1 T grated orange zest (or 1 tsp dried)
1 C packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger root
1/2 tsp minced garlic
2 T chopped green onion (optional)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
3 T cornstarch
2 T water
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 C all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 T olive oil
Pour 1 1/2 C water, orange juice concentrate, lemon juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce into a saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Stir in the orange zest, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, chopped onion, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat, and cool 10 to 15 minutes.
Place the chicken pieces into a resealable plastic bag or container. When contents of saucepan have cooled, pour 1 C of sauce into bag. Reserve the remaining sauce. Seal the bag, and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
In another resealable plastic bag, mix the flour, salt, and pepper. Add the marinated chicken pieces, seal the bag, and shake to coat.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place chicken into the skillet, and brown on both sides. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels, and cover with aluminum foil.
Wipe out the skillet, and add the remaining sauce. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Mix together the cornstarch and 2 T water; stir into the sauce. Reduce heat to medium low, add the chicken pieces, and simmer, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Source: AllRecipes.
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10.04.09
Posted in Dinner, Meats, Poultry, Veggies at 3:16 am by julie
I made this meal back in July or August when zucchini were plentiful, and I had a guest coming over. It was very flavorful and the marinade was quick to prepare in advance; all I had to do when we started getting hungry was toss everything on the grill and make up a pot of quinoa. Grilling zucchini is also a good way to handle it texture-wise, because it cooks quickly and tends to retain some toothiness rather than turning to mush.
I did make several adjustments to the original recipe to use what I had on hand. The marinade called for fresh lime juice, but I ended up using ponzu (the soy-free sort) instead. I’d love to try it again with lime as the ponzu had a pretty delicate flavor against the hoisin. I also omitted the sambal oelek because I can’t handle that level of heat, and used only boneless skinless breasts.
Hoisin-Ponzu Grilled Chicken and Zucchini
1/4 C plus 1 T grapeseed or canola oil
1 T minced garlic
1 T peeled and minced fresh ginger
1 C hoisin sauce
1/4 C ponzu
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 boneless chicken breasts
1/4 C white parts of scallions cut 1/8 inch thick, plus 2 tablespoons julienned or chopped green parts, for garnish (optional)
1 large or 2 medium zucchini, ends trimmed, sliced lengthwise into fat spears
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Two hours or up to 24 hours in advance (the longer, the better), combine about 2 cups of the Hoisin-Lime Sauce with the chicken and scallion whites, and toss well; reserve some marinade for garnish. Marinate, refrigerated, turning the chicken at least once. Thirty minutes before cooking, add the zucchini, and stir to coat well.
Prepare a grill and heat to hot, or preheat your broiler; spray a broiler pan with nonstick spray or coat the grill with 1 tablespoon of grapeseed or canola oil. Remove the chicken from the marinade and grill or broil it, turning once, until the juices run clear when the meat is pierced with a fork, 8 to 12 minutes for breasts.
About 5 minutes after the chicken has begun to cook, add the zucchini and cook, turning once, until brown, about 8 minutes total. Transfer to a cutting board.
Slice the zucchini and chicken breasts on the diagonal and arrange on a serving platter. Drizzle with the remaining Hoisin-Lime Sauce, and garnish with the scallion julienne, if using.
Source: Adapted from Simply Ming: Easy Techniques for East-Meets-West Meals
, by Ming Tsai.
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10.03.09
Posted in Cuisines, Dinner, Italian, Nuts, Grains & Legumes, Pastas, Soups at 8:30 pm by julie
One of my first memories of going to the farmer’s market in Salem was finding a booth with a bucket of the gorgeous red-streaked cranberry beans above. I’d never seen anything quite like them, and I couldn’t resist bringing home a big bagful to play with—in fact, they were one of the very first foods I felt compelled to photograph. I used Marcella Hazan’s recipe for pasta e fagioli with homemade noodles, and ended up with a pot of deliciously savory soup, full of creamy, tender beans that lost all of that interesting coloration as they cooked. They had a better texture, hands-down, than any canned or dried bean I’ve ever eaten.
Ever since that meal, I’ve kept my eyes open for shelling beans whenever I go to the market. I’ve had good luck finding peas and favas in the spring, but late summer shell beans are a scarcity here for some reason. Four years later, I finally got my hands on some more fresh beans, not cranberry this time, but something the vendor called rattlesnake or dragon’s tongue beans. I raced back home and shelled them, to discover that they look an awful lot like purple pinto beans. Knowing that most of that color would soon vanish, I nevertheless whipped up a pot of pasta e fagioli. Here’s hoping it won’t be another four years before I get to make it again.
Pasta e Fagioli
1/4 C extra-virgin olive oil
2 T chopped onion
3 T chopped carrot
3 T chopped celery
3 or 4 pork ribs, OR a ham bone with some lean meat attached,
OR 2 little pork chops (OR 1/3 lb ground pork)
2/3 C canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, cut up, with their juice,
OR fresh tomatoes, if ripe and firm, peeled and cut up
2 lb fresh cranberry beans, unshelled weight, OR 1 C dried cranberry
or red kidney beans, soaked and cooked as described below*,
OR 3 C canned cranberry or red kidney beans, drained
3 C (or more if needed) beef stock OR 1 cup canned beef broth diluted with 2 C water
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
Either maltagliati pasta, homemade, OR 1/2 pound small, tubular macaroni
1 T butter
2 T freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
*To cook dried beans: Put the beans in a bowl and add enough water to cover by at least 3 inches. Put the bowl in some out-of-the-way corner of your kitchen and leave it there overnight. When the beans have finished soaking, drain them, rinse them in fresh cold water, and put them in a pot that will accommodate the beans and enough water to cover them by at least 3 inches. Put a lid on the pot and turn on the heat to medium. When the water comes to a boil, adjust the heat so that it simmers steadily, but gently. Cook the beans until tender, but not mushy, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Add salt only when the beans are almost completely tender so that their skin does not dry and crack while cooking. Taste them periodically so you’ll know when they are done. Keep the beans in the liquid that you cooked them in until you are ready to use them. If necessary, they can be prepared a day or two ahead of time and stored, always in their liquid.
For the soup: Put the olive oil and chopped onion in a soup pot and turn on the heat to medium. Cook the onion, stirring it, until it becomes colored a pale gold. Add the carrot and celery, stir once or twice to coat them well, then add the pork. Cook for about 10 minutes, turn the meat and the vegetables over from time to time with a wooden spoon. Add the cut-up tomatoes and their juice, adjust the heat so that the juice simmers very gently, and cook for 10 minutes.
If using fresh beans: Shell them, rinse them in cold water, and put them in the soup pot. Stir 2 or 3 times to coat them well, then add the broth/stock. Cover the pot, adjust the heat so that the broth bubbles at a steady, but gentle boil, and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the beans are fully tender.
If using cooked dried beans or canned: Extend the cooking time for the tomatoes in Step 3 to 20 minutes. Add the drained cooked or canned beans, stirring them thoroughly to coat them well. Cook for 5 minutes, then add the broth/stock, cover the pot, and bring the broth/stock to a gentle boil.
Scoop up about 1/2 cup of the beans and mash them through a food mill back into the pot. Add salt, a few grindings of black pepper, and stir thoroughly. Check the soup for density: It should be liquid enough to cook the pasta in. If necessary, add more broth, or, if you are using diluted canned broth, more water. When the soup has come to a steady, moderate boil, add the pasta. If you are using homemade pasta, taste for doneness after 1 minute. If you are using macaroni pasta, it will take several minutes longer, but stop the cooking when the pasta is tender, but still firm to the bite. Before turning off the heat, swirl in 1 tablespoon of butter and the grated cheese.
Pour the soup into a large serving bowl or into individual plates, and allow to settle for 10 minutes before serving. It tastes best when eaten warm, rather than piping hot.
Variation with Rice: The same soup is delicious with rice. Substitute 1 cup of rice, preferably Italian Arborio rice, for the pasta. Follow all other steps as given above.
Source: Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking
, by Marcella Hazan.
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