Archive for May, 2011
Pork & Shrimp Egg Rolls
I like to make these and keep them in the freezer They are quick and easy to pop into the fryer when we feel like having a snack.
Ingredients:
- 14 oz cooked peeled shrimp
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1/2 bundle bean thread noodles (optional)
- 6 tbs (3 oz) water chestnut
- 6 tbs (3 oz) carrots
- 4 tbs (2 oz) celery
- 4 tbs (2 oz) onion
- 1 pkg (30) egg roll wrappers
I measure this using a kitchen scale so the tablespoon measurement is an approximate.
Cook the ground pork. Chop the shrimp, vegetables, and bean noodles. You can also combine everything and grind it in a meat grinder. Drain everything after grinding or chopping.
Lay down one wrapper on your work surface with the point towards you. Place about 2 tbs filling on the wrapper. Mine is closer to 3 tbs because there were only 20 wrappers in the package I purchased.
Combine 1 tbs flour and 2 tbs water for sealing the rolls. Starting with the point closest to you roll it over one time. Fold the right and left points in. Brush the point furthest away from you with the flour mixture. Finish rolling and press the point down to seal. Place roll with sealed edge down on a plate. Place them in the freezer if you are not having them right away.
To cook, heat enough oil to cover them to 325°. Cook 3 or 4 at a time. The fresh ones float so you should hold them down with the basket or turn them half way through. For fresh ones cook for 3 minutes. For frozen ones add another 30 – 60 seconds.
Drain on a paper towel and serve hot with soy sauce.
Asian Marinated Chicken
This recipe is very easy and imparts a great Asian flavor. I used legs and thighs. I baked it, but it would be equally good grilled.
Marinade:
- 2 tbs fresh ginger (1 oz), grated
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 6 tbs sesame oil
- 6 tbs hoisin sauce
- 2 tbs rice vinegar
Combine marinade ingredients and add the chicken. Marinate for several hours or overnight. Remove chicken and discard marinade. Bake it at 350° for 45 minutes.
Ham and Turkey Stromboli
I had some puff pastry in my freezer that I wanted to use so I found this recipe. I think mine might have turned out better with pastry that hadn’t sat in my freezer for too long (it was a little dry). It was still tasty and I think I will make it again.
Ingredients:
- 1 sheet puff pastry
- 8 oz thin sliced ham
- 8 oz thin sliced turkey
- 4 slices provalone cheese (optional)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar
- 1 egg
- 1 tbs water
Let the puff pastry thaw in the refrigerator for a couple hours (I took mine out in the morning and used it in the evening). Preheat oven to 400°. Roll out the thawed puff pastry on a lightly floured surface to about 16×12 inches.
Layer the ingredients on the puff pastry in the following order: ham, provalone, turkey, then cheddar. Leave a 1″ edge on one short end so you can seal it.
Starting from the short side roll the pastry. With damp fingers seal the seam and pinch the ends. Place seam side down on a baking sheet. Beat the egg and water and brush the roll.
Bake for 25 minutes at 400°. Remove and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Mine split a little and some cheese came out the end. I think when I try this next time I am going to make a couple slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Stuffed Mushrooms
I love mushrooms and the stuffing sounded so good that I had to try them.
Ingredients:
- 2lb whole white mushrooms (30 – 40)
- 2 tbs pine nuts or walnuts
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 shallot
- 5 oz fresh spinach
- 1/2 tsp herb blend
- 2 oz feta cheese
- 2 oz cream cheese
- 1/4 cup bread crumbs
- 2 tbs parmesan cheese
- 1 (15 oz) can artichoke hearts, well-drained
Toast the pine nuts lightly.
For the filling you will add ingredients and pulse in between each addition to lightly chop. First, drop the garlic and shallot into a running food processor. Then add the spinach and herbs (I used a bouquet garni blend). Then add the feta and cream cheese. Last add the bread crumbs, parmesan, pine nuts, and artichokes.
Remove and discard the stems from the mushrooms.
Rinse and lay out your mushrooms.
Fill each mushroom with 1 tbs filling. I bought 2lb which was 31 mushrooms. I filled them and had enough filling leftover for 8 – 10 more.
Place the mushrooms on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake the mushrooms for 20 – 25 minutes at 425°.
Smoked Salt
I like making smoked salt to give as gifts. It takes a little time, but it’s easy to do. I cold smoke it, but it can probably be smoked with heat as well.
Ingredients:
2 cups salt
I use Celtic sea salt
Put the salt into a fine mesh sieve and spread it out as much as possible. Some of the salt will sift out, but not a significant amount. You can also put it on a plate.
I use a cold smoker and hickory dust. I purchased this online and it is very easy to use. I just fill it up with the dust and put a tea light in for a few minutes to get it smoking.
I put it in my cabinet smoker, but that is just for convenience and is not necessary. Stir the salt several times so that it all gets a nice amount of flavor. Smoke the salt until it reaches the desired color. I smoked it for about 24 hours.
Salt Block Beef Spirals and Shrimp with Dipping Sauces
I make this on a 8″ Himalayan salt block. There are a few places on the internet where you can purchase them. It sounds a little crazy to cook things on a big block of salt, but it always comes out nicely seasoned (not too salty). You do have to be careful with shrimp and seafood since the water content seems to make it saltier. When I do shrimp I strain it well and keep the block as dry as possible.
I have served this as an appetizer several times and everyone always seems to enjoy them.
Ingredients:
- thin sliced round steak (approximately 1/4lb per person)
- shrimp (I use precooked, jumbo)
- skewers and toothpicks
Blue Cheese-Garlic Sauce:
- 5 oz blue cheese
- 3/4 cup cream
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tsp pepper
Ginger-Soy Sauce:
- 6 tbs soy sauce
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tbs fresh ginger, grated
Mayonnaise-Mustard Sauce:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp capers, chopped
- 1/2 tsp tarragon
- 1/2 tsp parsley
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
Miso Sauce:
- 2 tbs 1/4 tsp miso
- 1 1/8 tsp sesame oil
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp sesame seeds
- 3/4 tsp garlic
- 2 tbs green apple, grated
Mustard Sauce:
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1 tbs sesame seeds
- 1/2 tsp garlic
- 2 tbs dry mustard
- 5 tbs milk
- 2 tbs cream
For each sauce just combine the ingredients. The Miso Sauce may need to be microwaved for a few seconds to melt it. I make them the day before so the flavors have a good chance to combine. Ginger-Soy is always a favorite, but my personal favorite is the Mustard.
For the beef, cut it into thin, bite-sized strips.
Roll each strip and skewer with a toothpick. This is about 1lb.
To cook the beef I heat my salt block on a wok stand on the stove. I start with the temperature on 1. Then I increase the temperature 2 notches every 10 minutes until it reaches 9. It takes about an hour. If you don’t have a salt block you can use a hot griddle or grill.
Grill for several minutes on each side. I like cooking them in small batches so there are hot ones that keep coming off the grill.
Serve warm with the sauces.
I have started precooking the beef sous vide for an hour at 131° and chilling before putting them on the salt block.
Before cleaning the salt block let it cool completely. Put a small amount of water on it, scrub with a brush and repeat until most of the food has been removed.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 2 so far )Sous Vide Adobo Grilled Chicken Breast
For more information about sous vide cooking please see How I Sous Vide.
This is an easy recipe with great flavor. I like precooking the chicken so it doesn’t dry out on the grill. I’ve lightly steamed it in the past, then grilled. This time I wanted to try something different.
Ingredients:
- 4 chicken breasts
Marinade:
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 tbs lime juice
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/4 tsp pepper
I split the chicken breasts, but that is not necessary. Place the chicken in a single layer into a vacuum sealing bag (or Ziploc).
Combine mayonnaise, garlic, lime juice, oregano, and pepper. Reserve about 1/2 cup for mopping the chicken later. Pour the remaining marinade into the bag with the chicken.
Seal the bag. If you are using a Ziploc type bag fill a large container with water and slowly submerge the bag to squeeze out air. When you get close to the zipper start sealing it, tilting the bag as you go to get out as much air as possible. Allow to marinate several hour or overnight.
Setup your sous vide system and place the chicken in the water bath. I cooked it at 136° for 2 hours. This cooks it to rare. While it is safe to eat, it can withstand a few minutes on the grill without drying out. Remove the chicken and place the bag into an ice water bath while you heat up the grill. I use a Cobb grill which takes about 30 minutes to get hot. Once the grill is hot take the chicken out of the bag. Place it on the grill, brushing with the reserved marinade. I grilled it for about 10 minutes.
Remove from grill and enjoy.
I’ve tried this recipe before, but this is the first time cooking it sous vide before grilling. It came out very moist and tasty. I think when I do it next time I will skip the additional brushing as it was nicely sauced when I removed it from the bag.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )How I Cook Sous Vide
I have recently discovered sous vide cooking. For those that are not familiar with this method of cooking it is basically cooking food in a bag at a low, controlled temperature. I am fairly new to this method of cooking so I am not giving advice on food safety or anything like that.
I decided to try it, because I wanted to be able to perfectly cook a steak. I think I’ve achieved that and have also had great results with pork and chicken as well.
If you want to try it you can probably start with something you already own. When I started I used a Masterbuilt turkey fryer and a thermometer with a probe. It took some monitoring to keep the water bath at an even temperature, but I got decent results.
I would like to share with you my sous vide setup and how I use it. One thing I have learned is that there are many different ways you can set up a system. I already had the cooking device so my basic setup was probably about $200. Here’s what I use for the cooking:
- Sous Vide Magic (SVM) temperature controller
- Tetra aquarium pump with two air outlets
- Nesco 12 quart oven
- cooking rack
You will also need a vacuum sealer or Ziploc bags.
Here’s how I set it up:
Set the Nesco to 400° and fill about 3/4 full with water.
Set up the air hoses and temperature probe under a cooking rack. The air hoses are to keep the water circulating and helps to keep an even temperature. The temperature probe underneath is so it’s not touching the food.
Plug the Nesco and temperature probe into the SVM. Plug in the SVM and set the temperature. The SVM monitors the temperature of the water bath and turns the Nesco on and off accordingly. When I first used it I had the temperature dial of the Nesco cranked up to 500°. The temperature fluctuations were too great. I use it at 400° now and I get pretty consistent results +-.5°.
Attach the air hoses and plug in the air pump. This air pump came with airflow valves that I use to keep the bubbles to a moderate level.
Here is the finished setup.
It takes maybe half an hour to set everything up. Once it’s cooking I can pretty much leave it (for a couple days if necessary). I have made mistakes here and there like forgetting to put the probe in the water and plugging the air pump into the SVM (both end up with the bags boiling). I have a permanent label on the Nesco cord and I try to keep a close eye on the probe now. One other time I let the air hoses drop down which created a siphon and a huge puddle on the floor. In spite of the learning curve (and stupid mistakes) it’s been fun to try.
This is just the basic setup. The other part of it is sealing what you are cooking in plastic bags. Seal in a single layer in a vacuum sealer or Ziploc (freezer) bags. For Ziploc bags fill a large container with water and slowly lower the bag into the water. When you get close to the zipper start sealing it, tilting the bag as you go to get out as much air as possible. It is not critical to get all the air out.
Coconut Macarons with Chocolate Buttercream Filling
Today I made French macarons sprinkled with coconut and filled with chocolate buttercream. This is only my 2nd try at making macarons, but I thought they came out very nice.
Here are the ingredients I used followed by my method.
Macarons:
- 1 cup almond flour (112g)
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (180g)
- 3 extra large egg whites (100g)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (24g)
- sweetened coconut
Chocolate Buttercream:
- 6 tablespoons butter (84g)
- 2 2/3 cups powdered sugar (319g)
- 1/2 cup cocoa (40g)
- 1/3 cup milk (76g)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
Separate the egg whites, cover them, and let them get to room temperature (I vacuum sealed them and left them on the counter overnight). Whip them in a copper bowl for several minutes until they start to get foamy. You don’t have to use a copper bowl, but I read that it makes the best, stable meringues so I thought it was worth a shot.
Add the 2 tbs granulated sugar and whisk until glossy with pretty stiff peaks. It takes about 30 minutes.
After whisking the eggs, measure the almond flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill) and powdered sugar. I like to use a kitchen scale for accuracy.
Last time I made these I found the almond flour a little lumpy. This time I blended it with the sugar in a food processor. I think it made it a little smoother, but I’m not sure if it was worth the hassle. I sifted it twice. I found my method of sifting to be time consuming and messy. I have a real sifter on my shopping list to avoid this in the future.
Combine the eggs and flour and mix lightly. The eggs will deflate which seems like all the whisking work is going to waste, but for some reason they come out light.
Transfer the mix to a piping bag using a large round tip and start piping them onto parchment paper. I used circles that were about 1 1/2″ in diameter. My daughter piped them out and she got about 80. By the 4th sheet she was pretty proficient. Some were amoeba shaped and they were sporadically bigger and smaller, but I found that it didn’t matter since you can probably find another one about the same size. Here is the printout for my guide. Macaron Template
After piping them sprinkle them with coconut. Let them sit for about an hour so they have a slight crust on them. The first time I made these I cooked them in an oven on Silpats at 280°. I got pretty good results, but I made the mistake of putting both cookie sheets in at the same time. I wanted to try my Nuwave oven this time since it seems more like a convection oven. It took me about 3 tries before I got the best results. the best batch was at power level 7 (275°) for 12 minutes. The butter knives are just to keep them from getting sucked into the fan.
After cooking them, one sheet at a time, cool completely. After they cool loosen them and turn them all over. Prepare the chocolate buttercream filling. Allow the butter to soften then cream it in a mixer. Then add the remaining ingredients and blend well in a mixer.
Scoop the filling into another icing bag and use the big round tip again. Pipe a good sized ring onto half of the cookie rounds and top with another round of similar size.
Then enjoy the cookies!
These should be stored in the refrigerator.
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The Cooking Cobb 