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Category: Tips
Today I am just posting pictures of a few of things I made this week that did not get full posts. One meal was previously posted, one meal was a variant of a previous post, and the last was a baking experiment. Spicy stir fried pork with white rice I kicked this recipe up with some fried chili paste, pickled sliced ginger and a plethora of vegetables. From this… To this… Knackwurst, fried potatoes, and seven spice rye bread with butter I found the Austrian seven spice rye bread at a local international market (freshly made too!) and I just had to pick up a loaf. It reminded me of my Oma in Salzburg, she had this type of meal for us to enjoy when we…
Here is a picture post of last night’s impromptu ‘pop-up’ dinner I made for a few friends. Sometimes, on the spur of the moment, I will make dinner for a few friends just to change things up a bit. Last night, I made paella for the lucky few and I wanted to share the pictures with you. I also want to thank the group for being gracious to my impromptu culinary efforts. They are always supportive and provide valuable feedback. Thanks gang! Here are the ingredients I started with: And here are the end results! The group really enjoyed it and best of all… there was no leftovers! When will the next ‘pop-up’ dinner be and what will…
I enjoyed Christmas dinner with my brother Roger, a wizard in the kitchen himself. We decided on rib eye steak, duchess potatoes, and asparagus with Gruyere wrapped in prosciutto as our menu. I opted to cook the steaks and potatoes sous vide style, a method he had not used before. To say he was converted would be an understatement. The steaks were cooked at 122.5 degrees for 90 minutes then seared in a screaming hot cast iron skillet and finished with a pat of butter. The potatoes were cooked sous vide at 195 degrees for 90 minutes, hand mashed and mixed with sour cream and shredded Gruyere cheese, then baked in buttered ramekins. The asparagus was easy with a quick blanch in the 195 degree water bath…
Today’s cocktail recipe is perfect for an old fashioned Christmas party… like a party attended by the Founding Fathers! I received this recipe from Cook’s Science and of course I tweaked the recipe by substituting hard to find ingredients to easier sourced ones while twisting the flavor profile slightly. I am sure the title has you intensely curious (as well as slightly grossed out at the thought of a ‘milk punch’ cocktail), but trust me please. The use of milk in this ‘punch’ is to clarify the cocktail to an incredibly clear light pink hue. The flavor of this cocktail is sublime – just sweet enough, slightly spiced with a hint of citrus from the tea, ‘punch’…
Today, I want to show you how I prepare chicken cordon bleu for cooking sous vide style. If you have ever made chicken cordon bleu before, you know that cheese usually begins spilling out before the chicken is done, making a mess and impacting the final results you hoped for. So rather than use a combination of complicated folds and toothpicks/skewers to avoid this situation, I use the vacuum sealed bag to keep everything tight and in place while it cooks in the water bath. Once the chicken is cooked thoroughly, simply open the vacuum bag and finish preparing the rolled chicken breast by breading and frying or just pan searing it. Another bonus is that you can prepare several chicken breasts at once and conveniently freeze…
Another Friday night, another cocktail – albeit a little later than I had hoped. Tonight let us get into the holiday spirit and what better way than to relax with a nice glass of egg nog. But wait, isn’t this a cocktail post? Why yes, yes it is… so I am boosting the basic egg nog with brandy, creme de cacao, and cranberry bitters. To keep the cocktail smooth like egg nog and not watered down, I will add a little bit of heavy cream (ok, who’s counting calories during the holidays… not me!). Time to mix and start making merry, Christmas is only a week away! Save Print Nog Alexander Prep time: 5 mins Total time: 5 mins Serves…
We all have told, seen or heard jokes targeting the much maligned fruitcake. Which is really a shame, because the brick/lead weight/anvil connotation is probably not fairly earned if we base it on the plethora of European ‘fruit cakes’. These fruit cakes include Italy’s panettone and Germany’s stollen which are light and flavorful with sweetness from fruits and citrus. I consider both wonderful treats during the holidays and today I want to share with you a quick and easy (read ‘non-yeast’) recipe for stollen. This recipe is based on one I found on the King Arthur Flour website – which of course, as usual, I modified. So, preheat the oven to 325 degrees because this dough comes…
Per request, here is the large group (i.e. family/party) gumbo recipe. This gumbo is a crowd pleaser whenever I bring it to parties or impromptu ‘pop-up’ dinners. This recipe takes some effort and planning, but the results are the best. I make the recipe in segments and complete the cooking in a slow cooker/crock pot. So without further ado… Debby, this recipe is for you! Save Print Chicken, Andouille, and Prawn Gumbo Ingredients 2 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 pound andouille sausage, cut crosswise ½ -inch thick pieces 1½ pounds chicken breast tenders, cut into ¾ -inch thick pieces 1 lb of prawns (26 – 30), shelled and deveined 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning ½ cup butter ½ cup all-purpose flour 2 cups…
Here is my latest experiment – a poppy seed roll! This post is just a picture post… please enjoy the results visually while I enjoy them by sampling! Save Save…
Tonight’s cocktail is an interesting one, but one I think you will like it once you try it. Of course, I have tweaked the standard recipe, but you should expect that by now! Simple and elegant, I find this a beautifully relaxing drink. Without further ado, let’s get to it… Save Print Bourbon Satin Prep time: 5 mins Total time: 5 mins Serves: 1 Ingredients 3 parts bourbon 1 part coffee liqueur (I used Kahlua) 1 part white creme de cacao 2 parts heavy cream (or half and half) Instructions Chill a martini glass. Add cracked ice cubes to your shaker. Add all ingredients and shake well to cool and incorporate. Strain into chilled martini glass and enjoy! 3…