Archive for September, 2011
Chicken Breast with Avocado Sauce
After watching a few too many cooking shows I realized I needed to experiment more with sauces. The avocado sauce in this recipe is one of the best I’ve made. It is really delicious with chicken breasts.
Ingredients:
- chicken breasts
Sauce:
- 2 avocados
- 1 small onion
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 2 tbs fresh cilantro
Lightly chop the onion and place in a blender. Add the avocados, milk, sour cream, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth. Add the cilantro and blend for a few more seconds.
I poached the chicken breast with some herbs. Serve with the sauce.
Roasted Garlic Beef Roast
For this recipe I wanted to see if I could impart some smokey flavor without actually smoking the roast. The rub was very tasty and I really liked the roasted garlic flavor. It didn’t have as much smokiness as I hoped it would and if I do it again I probably won’t bother with the smoker.
Ingredients:
- 1 beef roast
- 1 bulb garlic
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tbs pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 1/2 tsp honey
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup olive oil
To roast the garlic cut about 1/2″ off the top and peel off some of the outer skin. Drizzle with 1 tbs oil. I used a garlic baker, but you can also wrap it in foil.
Blend the lime, water, pepper, turmeric, cumin, paprika, honey, salt, and oil. Pour into a pie plate. Place the garlic and mustard sauce in a hot smoker.
I smoked mine for 1 1/2 hours in a cabinet smoker set at the highest level (275°). You can also roast the garlic in an oven set at 325° for 45 minutes.
Remove from the smoker and puree the garlic with the mustard sauce. You should be able to pinch out the garlic from the skins. Brush the roast liberally with the sauce (I used half).
I chose to sous vide the roast, but it can be cooked in the oven or however you would like. For the sous vide I cooked it for 8 hours at 134°. Then I let it cool off for 30 minutes and seared it on a hot griddle.
The roast was cooked perfectly and we really enjoyed it.
Onion and Poppy Seed Matzo Rolls
I think I made these for the first time about 15 years ago. My husband was stationed in Korea and when he came back on leave we got together with his family. I wanted to try something different, but when I told his Jewish grandmother about them she was less than enthusiastic. She was kind of famous for her matzo ball soup so I was a little concerned. I’m glad I went ahead and made them because after she tasted them even she was surprised. They do not use traditional leavening agents, but they are still surprisingly light and I really like the savory flavor.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
- 1 cup water
- 2 tbs dried onion flakes
- 2 cups matzo meal
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbs sugar
- 1 tsp poppy seeds
- 4 eggs
Heat butter, water, and onion in a saucepan on medium until warm.
Add matzo, salt, sugar, and poppy seeds. Cook for 1 minute, stirring.
Place matzo mixture into mixer bowl. With the mixer on low slowly add the eggs one at a time mixing after each one. The dough will be quite sticky.
To shape the rolls scoop out about 1/4 cup of the dough and with wet hands roll them into balls. Rinse your hands in between each roll so they stay moist.
Place on a greased cookie sheet. You should get about 12 rolls.
Bake at 350° for about 50 minutes.
Eggs Benedict with Blender Hollandaise
This is a delicious breakfast and the blender hollandaise makes it so easy. I don’t have precise measurements for the muffins because to me it’s a matter of taste. The hollandaise is probably enough for about 4-6.
Ingredients:
- English muffins
- Canadian bacon
- eggs
- salt and pepper
Hollandaise:
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 tbs lemon juice (1 lemon)
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
Toast the muffins and poach the eggs. My daughter and I like our eggs cooked to death so that’s why they look scrambled.
Cut the bacon to fit on the muffin. You may want to heat it slightly, but I haven’t found it to be necessary.
While the egg is poaching make the hollandaise. Separate the eggs and add the lemon juice. Whisk with a fork or blend.
Heat the butter in the microwave until melted and hot (not boiling). With the blender running pour in the butter and blend for a few seconds. It should thicken slightly. I used a stick blender, but it should work the same with a traditional blender. Hollandaise should be served immediately and does not rewarm well (gets lumpy).
Assemble the rest of the muffin by topping with the egg, hollandaise, salt and pepper to taste.
Microwaveable Dog Treats
These treats are quick and easy to make. I can’t vouch for their flavor, but our pups seem to like them.
I make my own liver powder for treats by cooking, dehydrating, and grinding liver. The smell is such that the dehydrating must be done on the front porch (sorry UPS), but I think it’s worth the effort.
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup dry milk
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 cup oatmeal
- 1/4 cup flaxseed
- 1/4 cup cornmeal
- 2 tbs dried liver powder (or beef bouillon powder)
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup water
Combine dry ingredients.
Add the butter, egg, and water and mix. I use a combination of butter and bacon grease.
The dough will probably be quite moist. Let it rest for about 30 minutes to absorb the moisture. Start scooping and rolling the dough into balls. My scoop is about 1 tbs.
Microwave at 50% power for 5 minutes.
I usually dehydrate them for a couple hours after cooking.
Roasted Duck
I tried roasted duck tonight. It really came out juicy and tender. I used a Nuwave oven. The recipe I was using as a guide calls for it to be roasted in a conventional oven for 5 hours. I will include the original instructions.
Here’s what you need:
- 1 duck
brine:
- 1 gallon water
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbs fresh ginger, chopped
- 1 tsp Chinese five spice powder
Combine 1/2 gallon of water and remaining brine ingredients. Warm on the stove long enough to dissolve the salt and sugar. Add another 1/2 gallon of chilled water. Cool completely. Place duck in brine and refrigerate overnight. Place a plate on top to keep the bird submerged if needed.
Remove the duck from the brine and rinse thoroughly. Pierce the skin (not the meat) with a fork. Cook breast side up for 1 hour at 300° (power level 8). Pierce the skin, flip and cook breast side down for 1 hour at 300° (power level 8). Pierce the skin, flip and and cook for an hour at 225° (power level 5). Pierce the skin, flip it one last time and cook for another hour at 150° (power level 2).
Let rest for about 10 minutes and serve.
For a conventional oven pierce the skin and flip it every hour. Cook for 4 hours at 300° and 1 hour at 350°.
The Cooking Cobb 