Fudgesicles

I was looking for recipes online to make use of our new popsicle molds. The easiest option is to make pudding pops with instant pudding. My first attempt was a homemade fudgesicle recipe from Alton Brown. I altered it slightly (forgetting the vanilla), so my recipe was:

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
2 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
12 ounces (1 1/2 cups) heavy cream
8 ounces (1 cup) milk
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

They are now freezing for 4 hours.

Radiant Bok Choy

This is beautiful, and pretty good, if a little heavy on the turmeric. I added some shedded cooked chicken for the last 6 minutes of cooking.

1 tbl. canola oil
2 tbl. turmeric
1 tbl. kosher salt
2 lbs. bok choy, halved lengthwise
1 can coconut milk, plus enough water to make 3 cups liquid
1 tbl. fresh lime juice or 4 lime wedges

In an 8- or 9-inch saucepan, heat the oil over low heat. Stir in the turmeric and salt and cook for about 1 minute. Add the pieces of bok choy, laying them on their sides and cramming them in so as to make them as compact as possible.

Pour in the cocobut-water mixture, cover the pan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook for 6 minutes. The bok choy should sink into the sauce and cook evenly. If some of the bok choy is not covered with liquid, turn the pieces. Re-cover and cook for 6 more minutes. Stir in the lime juice, if using. Or serve hot, accompanied with lime wedges, if desired.

Serves 4 as a side dish.
from Vegetable Love, by Barbara Kafka

CSA

We joined a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) this summer, so we get a box of fresh organic veggies every week from mid-May through October or so. Our CSA is with Honeybrook Organic Farms in Pennington, NJ, and they have a drop off site in Maplewood, not far away.

Last week we got through almost everything, giving away only one of the three heads of lettuce. This week we start off with:

1 bunch Arugula
1 head Bok Choy
1 bunch Broccoli
3 heads Lettuce
1 bunch Sage
1/4 lb. Spinach
Strawberries

We started with the Bok Choy tonight.

spinach, shallot, and smoked gouda souffle

Hello from me, too--I have been letting Kels do the majority of the cooking and all of the posting since we have been back, so I thought I'd finally do something.

We mostly started this to keep track for ourselves, as it helps us remember what we liked or didn't, or wanted to modify. But as we considered the options for a food diary for ourselves, the fun of putting it online was letting anyone who actually cared (we know you must be out there somewhere, right...?!) see it and trade recipes with us, and also see us cook all of the fun recipes we got as a result of Shelley and Becky's recipe shower.

Tonight, though, I thought that instead of focusing on new recipes, I'd focus on new stuff. And that includes the new souffle pan that Chad and Becky just gave us for Christmas, and the Kitchenaid mixer that I have become a big devotee of (thanks, Van and Karen!). What I didn't anticipate was the additional eleventh-hour frantic consultation of Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking, also a new Christmas present, when the souffle rose too quickly beyond the dish and started cascading over the side. Oops.

For some reason, I started cruising souffle recipes and decided that I was going to combine a couple of recipes and improvise. It turns out that this is not recommended right off the bat with souffles, but how was I to know? So I will say that we have a 2 quart souffle dish and it was not big enough for this dish as I made it. It is also clear, after that 11th hour reading of the Joy and On Food and Cooking, that the non egg white mixture below is too wet. While it was delicious, it was not beautiful and did its share of hemorrhaging innards--if you want to try this, adjust as need be. I will probably work on it again in a few months, as well. Recipe is based on a couple from epicurious and one from cooks.com.

Spinach, Shallot, and Smoked Gouda Souffle

1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
a good share of fresh-ground black pepper
1 1/2 c. milk
3/4 c. chopped shallots
1 1/2 c. shredded smoked Gouda
1 package frozen chopped spinach, cooked and squeezed relatively dry
5 eggs, separated

Preheat oven to 325. Prepare souffle dish (mine was 2 quart, but not big enough, at least for this liquid of a souffle) by buttering it, then coating it with breadcrumbs. (Many sources say that a souffle rises better with this treatment of the dish; OFAC totally dispels that.) Put milk in small saucepan over medium heat; when it approaches boiling, turn it off immediately. Meanwhile, heat butter in cast-iron skillet over medium heat; saute shallots in melted butter til soft and starting to discolor. Add flour, salt, and pepper and make a roux. Slowly whisk in hot milk, stirring constantly, until smooth and thickened (might try less milk, or thickening a lot, or both). Add cheese and spinach, heating over low heat and stirring until cheese melts. Remove from heat, and beat in egg yolks, stirring rapidly. Set aside.

Beat egg whites on high just until stiff peaks form. With rubber spatula, gently fold in cheese mixture in two additions. Pour into prepared souffle dish and bake about an hour, or until puffy and golden. Serve immediately.

Red Flannel Hash

Made this with the delicious Cast Iron Duck.

Alton Brown, p. 34.

Cast Iron Duck

We've been cooking a lot from Alton Brown this week. This one was great, and simple (on p. 33). Two frozen duck breasts (12 oz. total) cost $10.99 at Whole Foods, but it was worth it (and one is fine for a serving). I probably had the heat slightly too high, as not all the fat was rendered when the outside was pretty brown.

Software:
4 duck breasts
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Canola oil

Hardware:
Sharp knife
Paper towels
Spray bottle for the oil
Cast-iron skillet
Tongs
Resting rack
Aluminum foil

Application: Searing

With a sharp knife, trim excess fat and sinew from the breasts and score the skin in a crosshatch pattern, being very careful not to cut into the muscle. Pat the breasts dry with paper towels. Season the breasts with salt & pepper. Heat a well-seasoned cast-iron pan over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Using a spray bottle, lightly coat the pan with oil. Gently lay the breasts into the pan, skin side down. Resist the urge to move them around, as you'll want them to brown. Once you've acheived a golden brown skin, using tongs, flip the breasts away from yourself, using easy motions so you don't splash hot oil on yourself. Cook for another 3 minutes. Remove the breasts to a resting rack and loosely cover with foil. Letting the meat rest will allow the juices to redistribute throughout the meat. After about 5 minutes, with the skin side up, slice the breasts on a bias. Fan the meat over a tasty side dish---how about Red Flannel Hash---and enjoy.

Yield: 4 servings

Scampi v2.0

Thursday night we cooked our first meal at home after the holidays, and made Scampi v2.0 from Alton Brown (p. 127). Very easy and good.

With steamed broccoli & garlic.

Software:
2 cloves garlic
2 tbl. finely chopped parsley
2 tbl. olive oil
1 lb. jumbo shrimp (headless)
2 ripe Roma tomoatoes, seeded and diced [I never seed tomatoes]
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tbl. butter
Juice of half a lemon

Hardware:
Sauté pan

Application: Sautéing

Chop the garlic togethe with the parsley until it almost reaches a paste like consistency.

Heat the sauté pan and, when hot, add the oil. Add the shrimp and toss. When halfway cooked, about 1½ minutes, add the tomatoes and toss for 30 seconds to 1 minute more. Add the garlic and parsley mixture, the salt, pepper, butter, and lemon juice and toss one last time. Turn out onto a plate and serve.
Yield: 2 servings

Chicken in Garlic & Shallots

Made Alton Brown's Chicken in Garlic & Shallots (p. 125) on Friday night. Smells great, very tender, good with bread. Kind of greasy, and ended up with a lot of liquid (watery chicken thighs?). Garlic was good, but not enough. I would reduce oil, and use 30-50 cloves of garlic instead of only 10.

Software:
1 whole chicken (broiler-fryer) cut into 8 pieces, or 10 chicken thighs
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
Several sprigs parsley, sage and thyme
10 peeled cloves garlic
10 shallots, peeled and split from stem to root

Hardware:
Large ovenproof saute pan with tight-fitting lid. [I used a Le Creuset casserole dish]
Tongs for handling meat.

Application: Slow Frying

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper. Toss with 2 tablespoons oil, and brown on both sides in wide frying pan or skillet over high heat. Remove from heat, add garlic, shallots, herbs and the rest of the olive oil. There’s no need to chop the herbs, just distribute them around and in between the chicken chunks. Cover and bake for 1½ hours.
Yield: 6 servings.

Black Bean and Hominy Stew

Last night (from Heather and Andrew)

Very good and hearty! Be careful adding salt, the ham adds plenty.

2 tbl. olive oil
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion
1 large garlic clove
½ lb. smoked ham, cubed
½ tsp. cumin
½ tsp. coriander
1 canned chipotle chile in Adobo (1 tsp.)
2 15 oz. cans black beans
2 15 oz. cans hominy
1 ½ cups chicken broth (homemade or low sodium)
¼ cup chopped cilantro
salt & pepper
½ cup shredded cheddar

In large saucepan, heat olive oil, add bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Cook until browned. Add ham, cumin, coriander and chile and cook until the ham is browned. Add black beans, hominy, and stock and bring to boil. Simmer stew until thickened. Add cilantro, season with salt & pepper. Top with cheddar.