Warning: this post contains classic spoiled-princess bitching about a luxury appliance being temporarily out of order. People with a strong work ethic and/or general sense of gratitude should pass on by.
After writing that I feel much less inclined to complain about how not having a dishwasher for a couple weeks affects me. But the fact is, having to personally scrub every last utensil in hot water after using it dissuades me rather forcefully from my usual culinary ambitions, so it doesn't seem entirely irrelevant to "mention" it here...
My "starter kitchen" had no dishwasher and barely any counterspace around the sink to stack all the dishes, and other than noting that homemade meals and incidental baking projects really did take a lot of time when you factored in the clean-up, I did just fine for six months or so. This is clearly a case of having been spoiled by two years of that wonderful feeling I get when, upon seeing the post-dinner mess of plates, spatulas, skillets, measuring spoons, measuring cups (I am primarily a baker by "personality," so these things feature often in everyday cooking as well), etc... the vast majority of it requires nothing more than to be picked up and placed squarely in the dishwasher. O what a different sentiment overtakes me when I survey the counters after dinner and feel the burden of a half hour of tedium settling onto my shoulders...
Enough of the poetry. I have to go wash the dishes. Tonight we had Szechuan green beans over rice, an all-time favorite from Best International Recipe. It uses a little ground pork and a lot of flavorful ingredients for the sauce, chiefly sherry, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic. I finally bought white pepper and used that for the first time as specified, and I think it really did give it more depth (and definitely more of a kick). Yum. I made pastry cream yesterday, just because, and chopped up some peaches to serve with that for dessert.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Pork tacos and fixings
I sort of threw this meal together out of my freezer/fridge/pantry surplus tonight, and for once an improvised meal turned out fabulously. Gratifying.
Pork tacos
1/2 lb. pork tenderloin, trimmed
Dry adobo (see below)
1 tsp. vegetable oil
1/2 yellow or red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 Tbsp. minced chipotle chiles in adobo
1/4 cup sour cream
1-2 Tbsp. lime juice
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
4 corn tortillas, warmed
1. Rub the pork all over with the dry adobo and return to fridge for at least 15 minutes or up to an hour.
2. Preheat oven to 425. In an 8" ovensafe skillet heat oil over med-high heat til just smoking. Add tenderloin and brown well on all sides, including ends.
3. Transfer pan to oven and roast until temperature registers 140 (start checking after 12 minutes or so; mine took 20 but was a little frozen still).
4. Remove pork to a cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest 10 minutes before cutting; the temp should rise 10-15 degrees.
5. While pork cooks/rests, mix together sour cream and lime juice. Saute the bell pepper strips over med-high heat until well charred. Prep remaining ingredients and serve with sliced pork.
Dry adobo rub (adapted from Daisy Martinez, Daisy: Morning, Noon, & Night)
Mix together:
3 Tbsp. sea salt
1 1/2 Tbsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dried oregano
You will have tons left over; it will keep fine for a couple months at room temp.
This goes great with a mango batido (adapted from CI's Best International Recipe):
1 ripe mango, peeled and cut into rough 1" pieces
3/4 cup whole milk (or coconut milk---thought of this variation too late)
1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1 cup ice
Blend until smooth and serve very cold.
Pork tacos
1/2 lb. pork tenderloin, trimmed
Dry adobo (see below)
1 tsp. vegetable oil
1/2 yellow or red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 Tbsp. minced chipotle chiles in adobo
1/4 cup sour cream
1-2 Tbsp. lime juice
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
4 corn tortillas, warmed
1. Rub the pork all over with the dry adobo and return to fridge for at least 15 minutes or up to an hour.
2. Preheat oven to 425. In an 8" ovensafe skillet heat oil over med-high heat til just smoking. Add tenderloin and brown well on all sides, including ends.
3. Transfer pan to oven and roast until temperature registers 140 (start checking after 12 minutes or so; mine took 20 but was a little frozen still).
4. Remove pork to a cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest 10 minutes before cutting; the temp should rise 10-15 degrees.
5. While pork cooks/rests, mix together sour cream and lime juice. Saute the bell pepper strips over med-high heat until well charred. Prep remaining ingredients and serve with sliced pork.
Dry adobo rub (adapted from Daisy Martinez, Daisy: Morning, Noon, & Night)
Mix together:
3 Tbsp. sea salt
1 1/2 Tbsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dried oregano
You will have tons left over; it will keep fine for a couple months at room temp.
This goes great with a mango batido (adapted from CI's Best International Recipe):
1 ripe mango, peeled and cut into rough 1" pieces
3/4 cup whole milk (or coconut milk---thought of this variation too late)
1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1 cup ice
Blend until smooth and serve very cold.
Friday, May 13, 2011
desserts of late
A couple weeks ago I checked out a cookbook by pastry chef Sherry Yard after hearing her name thrown around favorably. I tried two recipes out of it, both incidentally involving coconut.
The first was the coconut gelato. I was really psyched about this one, and was hoping for something amazing after I spent about 30 minutes babysitting the coconut milk I was reducing on the stovetop---there was no time indication given in the recipe (Cook's Illustrated has definitely spoiled me there), so I didn't know if I was going extraordinarily slow or if that was about right for reducing 2 cups to 1 cup, but I didn't want to turn up the heat and scorch it. Anyway, I used Chaokoh brand coconut milk, which is usually my favorite, but this time, there was some kind of off flavor going on in the background which I smelled as soon as I opened the cans, and naturally that flavor transferred into the gelato. I have no idea what was going on there. I made a point of not saying anything to M about the weird flavor I tasted, and I think he's had it three times now without saying anything other than "this is good." Maybe my tastebuds are in a funk. (I've heard about pregnancy affecting your sense of taste, so let me head off any suspicions of that sort by assuring my readership that this is not the source of the problem.) I'd be willing to try this recipe again. It's certainly very pretty in its pristine whiteness---looks just like snow.
The second recipe had me a little disappointed, but probably because I had very high expectations here as well. Sherry described how she would eat frozen Mounds bars at the beach growing up, and introduced the recipe as her take on that candy. Maybe Mounds bars have evolved since whenever Ms. Yard was growing up, but the Mounds bars I know (and unfortunately love) are not quite...this. Which I knew before making the recipe: it consists of a thin, very lightly sweetened shortbread base, with a refined chocolate ganache poured over the top. Hardly the super-sweet gunky coconut and who-knows-what-else fillng wrapped in "dark" chocolate that is a Mounds bar. Anyway, part of what had me so excited to try this recipe was the revelation that you can make a chocolate ganache using entirely coconut milk (rather than cream). Chocolate and coconut are two of my very favorite flavors. Unfortunately it seems that when you have them in equal amounts, the chocolate well overpowers the coconut flavor, as was the case here. I sprinkled sweetened coconut on top and cut them into bars, which I'm storing in the freezer. Last night I had one (okay maybe three) after they chilled in the fridge to set the ganache and they were pretty good. I would definitely add a pinch of salt to the shortbread, and if I could get my hands on coconut extract that would also probably help a lot with bigger coconut flavor in the ganache. I'm certainly not complaining about "having" to eat the rest of these over the course of the next few weeks (okay maybe days).
Surprisingly, my favorite dessert I've made this week was a creation all my own. And oh so sophisticated. It goes like this:
1 sleeve (about 12 cookies) ladyfingers
1/3 cup orange juice
2 Tbsp. dark rum
1/4 whipped cream, well chilled
1 Tbsp. confectioners' sugar
1/8 tsp. vanilla extract
1 oz. dark chocolate, slightly warm
Whip the whipped cream to soft peaks, then add sugar and vanilla and whip to stiff peaks. Set aside.
Mix together orange juice and rum in a shallow bowl. Briefly dip 6 of the ladyfingers in the mixture (2-3 seconds per side), then transfer to a small dish. Smear half the whipped cream over the cookies. Use a vegetable peeler or grater to shave half of the chocolate over the cream. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Chill for at least a couple hours.
The first was the coconut gelato. I was really psyched about this one, and was hoping for something amazing after I spent about 30 minutes babysitting the coconut milk I was reducing on the stovetop---there was no time indication given in the recipe (Cook's Illustrated has definitely spoiled me there), so I didn't know if I was going extraordinarily slow or if that was about right for reducing 2 cups to 1 cup, but I didn't want to turn up the heat and scorch it. Anyway, I used Chaokoh brand coconut milk, which is usually my favorite, but this time, there was some kind of off flavor going on in the background which I smelled as soon as I opened the cans, and naturally that flavor transferred into the gelato. I have no idea what was going on there. I made a point of not saying anything to M about the weird flavor I tasted, and I think he's had it three times now without saying anything other than "this is good." Maybe my tastebuds are in a funk. (I've heard about pregnancy affecting your sense of taste, so let me head off any suspicions of that sort by assuring my readership that this is not the source of the problem.) I'd be willing to try this recipe again. It's certainly very pretty in its pristine whiteness---looks just like snow.
The second recipe had me a little disappointed, but probably because I had very high expectations here as well. Sherry described how she would eat frozen Mounds bars at the beach growing up, and introduced the recipe as her take on that candy. Maybe Mounds bars have evolved since whenever Ms. Yard was growing up, but the Mounds bars I know (and unfortunately love) are not quite...this. Which I knew before making the recipe: it consists of a thin, very lightly sweetened shortbread base, with a refined chocolate ganache poured over the top. Hardly the super-sweet gunky coconut and who-knows-what-else fillng wrapped in "dark" chocolate that is a Mounds bar. Anyway, part of what had me so excited to try this recipe was the revelation that you can make a chocolate ganache using entirely coconut milk (rather than cream). Chocolate and coconut are two of my very favorite flavors. Unfortunately it seems that when you have them in equal amounts, the chocolate well overpowers the coconut flavor, as was the case here. I sprinkled sweetened coconut on top and cut them into bars, which I'm storing in the freezer. Last night I had one (okay maybe three) after they chilled in the fridge to set the ganache and they were pretty good. I would definitely add a pinch of salt to the shortbread, and if I could get my hands on coconut extract that would also probably help a lot with bigger coconut flavor in the ganache. I'm certainly not complaining about "having" to eat the rest of these over the course of the next few weeks (okay maybe days).
Surprisingly, my favorite dessert I've made this week was a creation all my own. And oh so sophisticated. It goes like this:
1 sleeve (about 12 cookies) ladyfingers
1/3 cup orange juice
2 Tbsp. dark rum
1/4 whipped cream, well chilled
1 Tbsp. confectioners' sugar
1/8 tsp. vanilla extract
1 oz. dark chocolate, slightly warm
Whip the whipped cream to soft peaks, then add sugar and vanilla and whip to stiff peaks. Set aside.
Mix together orange juice and rum in a shallow bowl. Briefly dip 6 of the ladyfingers in the mixture (2-3 seconds per side), then transfer to a small dish. Smear half the whipped cream over the cookies. Use a vegetable peeler or grater to shave half of the chocolate over the cream. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Chill for at least a couple hours.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Cornmeal pancakes
I made these for "lunch" yesterday and we thought they were very nice.
Cornmeal pancakes
Adapted from Joy of Cooking
1 cup yellow (fine ground) cornmeal
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. vanilla scented or regular sugar
1 cup boiling water
1 egg, separated
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. melted butter, still warm
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
Mix the cornmeal, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in the hot water, cover the bowl, and let sit for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk together the milk, vanilla, and egg white. Separately mix the melted butter and egg yolk, then add to the milk mixture. In another small bowl, combine the flour and the baking powder. (The batter will be quite thin.)
Whisk the wet ingredients into the cornmeal mixture, then stir in the flour-baking powder mix just til combined. Cook in a preheated 12" skillet or griddle using a scant 1/3 cup of batter. Makes about 12 pancakes to serve 3-4.
Cornmeal pancakes
Adapted from Joy of Cooking
1 cup yellow (fine ground) cornmeal
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. vanilla scented or regular sugar
1 cup boiling water
1 egg, separated
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. melted butter, still warm
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
Mix the cornmeal, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in the hot water, cover the bowl, and let sit for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk together the milk, vanilla, and egg white. Separately mix the melted butter and egg yolk, then add to the milk mixture. In another small bowl, combine the flour and the baking powder. (The batter will be quite thin.)
Whisk the wet ingredients into the cornmeal mixture, then stir in the flour-baking powder mix just til combined. Cook in a preheated 12" skillet or griddle using a scant 1/3 cup of batter. Makes about 12 pancakes to serve 3-4.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Honey-yogurt waffles, and a tangent on "healthy baking"
Recipe below. First, some (unnecessarily in-depth) background. Once upon a time I went through a phase my family probably remembers all too well, during which my supreme goal in baking was to drastically alter original recipes, the first time I made them, in order to make them "healthier." This included but was not limited to a) substituting whole wheat flour for regular "processed" flour as often as possible (i.e., as often as a recipe called for flour); b) using applesauce as a 1:1 replacement for butter in baked goods; c) adding ground flaxseed to e-v-e-r-y-thing, which consequently meant decreasing any fat in the recipe, since there is fat in ground flaxseed; and d) arbitrarily decreasing amounts of butter, sugar, or whatever other ingredients I deemed unhealthy. I may be forgetting some of my "techniques." It took a series of many more failures than successes for me to finally realize that baking is an exacting science. It is not forgiving of a novice's whims, certainly not when said novice is ignorant of basic points of culinary chemistry.
Now, of the aforementioned adjustments, some of them I do still use, in moderation. (The applesauce-for-butter one I do not, and I only have whole flaxseed on hand for a cracker recipe I've been meaning to try.) Moderation also happens to be the key to receiving a cake recipe just as it is, without one plea (forgive the irreverence), because three sticks of butter or not, it's dessert. You're not going to eat all three sticks of butter by yourself. Let dessert be dessert, for crying out loud. I did just today make a 50% whole wheat ciabatta that turned out fabulously---that is one area where I'm more than happy to use whole wheat flour, but I did it under the expert guidance of Peter Reinhart. (Love ya Pete.)
The reason I write all that on this particular post is because I recall making these honey-yogurt waffles (which I actually made into pancakes, cause heck, it didn't really matter to me what the original recipe said, even in the TITLE) at the height of my whole grains madness. No doubt because the title caught my eye as sounding healthy. I probably went ahead and used all whole wheat flour and omitted the butter and added flaxseed, who knows. Tonight, however, I returned to this recipe for the first time in years and made them exactly as the recipe indicated, in the wafflemaker. They were splendid. They did not taste healthy; they did not taste like a self-consciously "sugar-free" breakfast, and while it is unusual to see a handful of oats thrown in to a waffle recipe, it was clearly not done as some half-baked attempt to make the recipe "healthier," because you can always sense---well, taste---when that has happened. The flavor is subtly sweet and I think they're great waffles.
Honey-Yogurt Waffles
adapted from Williams-Sonoma.com, which cites it as adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Waffles from Morning to Midnight (did not realize that!)
Serves 2-3
These do get pretty dark because of the honey---at least mine did, though the picture on Williams-Sonoma looks very pale in comparison!
1 1/2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp. old-fashioned oats
1 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp. milk
6 Tbsp. plain yogurt (I used Stonyfield Farms whole milk)
2 1/2 Tbsp. honey
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Preheat your wafflemaker. Melt the butter and set aside.
Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk together the milk, yogurt, honey, egg, and vanilla in a small bowl til very well combined (it will take some time for the honey to incorporate). Pour liquid ingredients over the dry and lightly whisk until combined. Fold in the melted butter. Pour 1/3 cup-fuls (or however much your wafflemaker manual specifies) of batter into the wafflemaker and bake til deep golden. You can hold these in a 200 degree oven for up to half an hour if necessary. Serve with butter and maple syrup.
Now, of the aforementioned adjustments, some of them I do still use, in moderation. (The applesauce-for-butter one I do not, and I only have whole flaxseed on hand for a cracker recipe I've been meaning to try.) Moderation also happens to be the key to receiving a cake recipe just as it is, without one plea (forgive the irreverence), because three sticks of butter or not, it's dessert. You're not going to eat all three sticks of butter by yourself. Let dessert be dessert, for crying out loud. I did just today make a 50% whole wheat ciabatta that turned out fabulously---that is one area where I'm more than happy to use whole wheat flour, but I did it under the expert guidance of Peter Reinhart. (Love ya Pete.)
The reason I write all that on this particular post is because I recall making these honey-yogurt waffles (which I actually made into pancakes, cause heck, it didn't really matter to me what the original recipe said, even in the TITLE) at the height of my whole grains madness. No doubt because the title caught my eye as sounding healthy. I probably went ahead and used all whole wheat flour and omitted the butter and added flaxseed, who knows. Tonight, however, I returned to this recipe for the first time in years and made them exactly as the recipe indicated, in the wafflemaker. They were splendid. They did not taste healthy; they did not taste like a self-consciously "sugar-free" breakfast, and while it is unusual to see a handful of oats thrown in to a waffle recipe, it was clearly not done as some half-baked attempt to make the recipe "healthier," because you can always sense---well, taste---when that has happened. The flavor is subtly sweet and I think they're great waffles.
Honey-Yogurt Waffles
adapted from Williams-Sonoma.com, which cites it as adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Waffles from Morning to Midnight (did not realize that!)
Serves 2-3
These do get pretty dark because of the honey---at least mine did, though the picture on Williams-Sonoma looks very pale in comparison!
1 1/2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp. old-fashioned oats
1 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp. milk
6 Tbsp. plain yogurt (I used Stonyfield Farms whole milk)
2 1/2 Tbsp. honey
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Preheat your wafflemaker. Melt the butter and set aside.
Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk together the milk, yogurt, honey, egg, and vanilla in a small bowl til very well combined (it will take some time for the honey to incorporate). Pour liquid ingredients over the dry and lightly whisk until combined. Fold in the melted butter. Pour 1/3 cup-fuls (or however much your wafflemaker manual specifies) of batter into the wafflemaker and bake til deep golden. You can hold these in a 200 degree oven for up to half an hour if necessary. Serve with butter and maple syrup.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Spanish pork roast and brown rice
Tonight I tried another method for pork roast, which I've come to regard with wariness and low expectations. With the exception of CI's maple-glazed pork loin, I have never been too impressed with the oven-roasted pork recipes I've found. This time I mixed two Epicurious recipes---the ingredients for one and the method for a another---and the results were fantastic. The recipe is below. I wasn't entirely sure about the raisins, but I knew dried fruit and pork was a traditional combination, and I'm here to tell you it works.
I also had another Cooking for Two (2011) success: I used the Spanish-style skillet brown rice recipe with chickpeas and saffron, except for the saffron, because vanilla beans are about the most expensive I'll go for spices. Oh, and the pimentón de la vera that I used for the pork was a real splurge. Like, $6 for a palm-sized tin. So you see how I think. Since I remember Daisy Martinez saying that the flavors are similar, I used a pinch of whole achiote seeds steeped in the broth (and then strained out) instead. I'm not really sure if it made a difference, but whatever. I forgot we were eating brown rice because the texture was very much like white, which means this will definitely be my go-to brown rice method from now on.
I forgot to take pictures and already sliced up the leftover pork for salad...oh well. It was a nice brick red color with all the paprika, but otherwise not much to look at.
Spanish Pork Roast with Sherry-Raisin Vinaigrette
Pork:
1 (2 1/2) lb. boneless pork loin roast, tied if unevenly sized
2 tsp. sea salt
2 Tbsp. sweet smoked Spanish paprika (La Chinata brand is available at Alon's. It comes in sweet, bittersweet, and hot; either of the first two would work here.)
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. fresh coarse ground black pepper
Vinaigrette:
2 Tbsp. golden raisins
2 Tbsp. dry sherry
2 1/2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/2 small shallot, minced
salt and pepper
1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley
1. Pat the pork dry with paper towels and tie down its length with butcher's twine if necessary. Stir together salt, smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, and pepper and rub generously over surface of the pork. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 6-12 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 350. Bring the pork to room temperature, about 30 minutes if your kitchen is warm. Set pork on a wire rack set inside a baking sheet and roast until the center registers 140 degrees, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest, loosely covered with foil, til temperature rises to 150 degrees, about 10 minutes.
3. While pork cooks, make vinaigrette: soak raisins in the sherry for 30 minutes. Add vinegar, shallots, and salt and pepper to taste. Slowly whisk in oil. Add parsley just before serving.
4. Slice rested pork thinly and plate with a generous drizzle of the vinaigrette. Serves about 6.
I also had another Cooking for Two (2011) success: I used the Spanish-style skillet brown rice recipe with chickpeas and saffron, except for the saffron, because vanilla beans are about the most expensive I'll go for spices. Oh, and the pimentón de la vera that I used for the pork was a real splurge. Like, $6 for a palm-sized tin. So you see how I think. Since I remember Daisy Martinez saying that the flavors are similar, I used a pinch of whole achiote seeds steeped in the broth (and then strained out) instead. I'm not really sure if it made a difference, but whatever. I forgot we were eating brown rice because the texture was very much like white, which means this will definitely be my go-to brown rice method from now on.
I forgot to take pictures and already sliced up the leftover pork for salad...oh well. It was a nice brick red color with all the paprika, but otherwise not much to look at.
Spanish Pork Roast with Sherry-Raisin Vinaigrette
Pork:
1 (2 1/2) lb. boneless pork loin roast, tied if unevenly sized
2 tsp. sea salt
2 Tbsp. sweet smoked Spanish paprika (La Chinata brand is available at Alon's. It comes in sweet, bittersweet, and hot; either of the first two would work here.)
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. fresh coarse ground black pepper
Vinaigrette:
2 Tbsp. golden raisins
2 Tbsp. dry sherry
2 1/2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/2 small shallot, minced
salt and pepper
1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley
1. Pat the pork dry with paper towels and tie down its length with butcher's twine if necessary. Stir together salt, smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, and pepper and rub generously over surface of the pork. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 6-12 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 350. Bring the pork to room temperature, about 30 minutes if your kitchen is warm. Set pork on a wire rack set inside a baking sheet and roast until the center registers 140 degrees, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest, loosely covered with foil, til temperature rises to 150 degrees, about 10 minutes.
3. While pork cooks, make vinaigrette: soak raisins in the sherry for 30 minutes. Add vinegar, shallots, and salt and pepper to taste. Slowly whisk in oil. Add parsley just before serving.
4. Slice rested pork thinly and plate with a generous drizzle of the vinaigrette. Serves about 6.
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