|
| |
|
Preheat oven to
225 and line 2 large baking sheets w parchment paper. Sift 3 T sugar onto
lined baking sheets. With a mandoline, slice apples crosswise paper thin
and arrange in one layer on sheets. Sprinkle w remaining sugar.
Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching positions halfway through
2.25 hours total, or until slices are pale golden and starting to crisp.
immediately peel off paper and cool on rack. |
|
Artichokes--Trimming |
Serves |
|
Break off and
discard stem of chokes. Bend outer leaves back until they snap off close
to the base and remove several more layers of leaves in same manner until
the pale inner leaves are reached. Trim bases and sides w stainless steel
knife, cut through each artichoke 1.5 inches from the bottom, and rub the
cut surfaces w lemon half, dropping bottoms as they are trimmed into a
bowl of cold water acidulated w lemon juice. |
|
Mix dry
ingredients in large bowl. Gradually add 1.25-1.5 c water to make stiff
paste. The dough must not be sticky. Lift from bowl and knead 2 min. Roll
out to 1/2" thick. Plop onto a square of plastic wrap. |
|
| Best
for home use is 7% salt (Kosher) (2/3 c per gallon of
water). You can add 2/3 c brown sugar, wine, soy sauce, herbs and spices. With turkey, brine overnight, then remove and pat dry. Refrig uncovered for 6 hours or overnight.
With pork, brine 2 days. |
|
Balsamic Vinegar, Aging
In sauce pan, reduce very slowly (30-40 min) 1/3 c supermarket
balsamic vinegar, 1 T sugar and 1 T port to 1/2 original volume. Drizzle over
ice cream.
Burnt Chili
|
DO NOT STIR THAT
BURNT STUFF UP FROM BOTTOM. Change pots and add 1/4 c sherry. |
|
Butter,
clarified (Ghee) |
Serves |
|
Bring butter to
boil in small heavy saucepan over moderate heat. Once foam completely
covers butter, reduce heat to very low. Continue to cook butter, stirring
occasionally, until a thin crust begins to form on surface and milky white
solids fall to bottom, about 8 min. Continue to cook butter, watching
constantly and stirring occasionally to prevent burning, until solids turn
light brown and butter deepens to golden and turns translucent and
fragrant, about 3 min. Remove from heat and pour through a sieve lined w a
triple layer of cheesecloth into a jar. Keeps covered and chilled 2 months |
|
Butter |
2 |
|
sticks unsalted,
cut into 1" pieces. |
|
Cut butter into
1-inch pieces and melt in heavy saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat
and let stand 3 min. Skim froth and slowly pour butter into measuring cup,
leaving milky solids in bottom of pan. Discard solids. |
|
Cake Flour,
Self-rising |
Serves |
|
You can use 1 c
all purpose flour mixed with 2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt |
|
Brush a large
sheet of foil w veg. oil. In dry 3 qt heavy saucepan cook sugar over
moderately low heat, stirring slowly w fork to help melt evenly, until
melted and pale golden. Cook caramel without stirring, swirling pan to
ensure even coloring, until deep golden. Remove pan from heat. Working
very quickly and carefully and tilting pan, dip a skewered piece of fruit
into caramel, turning to coat evenly. Arrange fruit on foil and
immediately transfer to mate rack set in shallow baking pan (fruit
juices may drip.) Cool about 15 min. . Let fruit stand until coating is
hardened, about 2 min. Carefully peel fruit from foil Keep no longer
than 1.5 hours or fruit will get mushy. |
|
Fruit |
strawberries,
mandarine oranges, etc |
|
Crumble or slice
into small pieces and place in freezer. Use in the next recipe that calls
for grated cheese. |
|
Heat milk to a
boil. Remove from heat and stir in juice. Allow to sit 5 min. Strain
through fine sieve and discard liquid. Season w salt. |
|
Cheese,
Herbed Yogurt |
Serves |
6 |
|
Wet & wring
out 4 layers of cheesecloth approximately 18-20" sq. Spread out over
a glass, metal, or ceramic bowl or pitcher. Stir herbs into yogurt and
spoon the mix into the center of the cheesecloth. As cloth falls, grab 2
corners of square in each hand and bring them together. Tie them around
the handle of a wooden spoon and rest spoon across sides of bowl. Cover w
plastic wrap and refrigerate 6 hours or overnight; the longer it drains,
the firmer it becomes. To serve, use an ice cream scoop to mold cheese
into neat portions and roll in cracked black pepper. Note: omit herbs and
pepper and add .5 c honey and 2 pints assorted berries for dessert cheese.
Drizzle w honey. Or omit hone and serve w chopped cucmber. |
|
Yogurt |
32 |
|
oz plain (whole
milk is best) |
|
Chestnuts,
Roasted |
Serves |
|
With a sharp
knife, carefully cut a 1/2" gash on either side of chestnut shells.
Heat cooking oil in heavy skillet and add nuts. Shake over low heat for 5
min, then roast at 450 for 5 min. When cool enough to handle, remove
shells w paring knife or let guests do it. |
|
Line 2 cookie
sheets w foil. Place semisweet chocolate and 1/2 tsp shortening in small
bowl. Set over simmering water until melted and smooth, stirring
occasionally. Remove from over water. Using small metal spatula or spoon,
spread thin layer of chocolate over veined underside of 6 leaves, being
careful not to drip over edges. Place on 1 prepared sheet and chill until
set (5 min). Spread second layer on each leaf, remelting chocolate if
necessary. Refrigerate until set (30 min). Repeat process w white
chocolate. When chilled, starting at stem end, gently peel leaves off. Can
be prepared 1 day ahead. Refrigerate in single layers in airtight
container. |
|
Chocolate |
3 |
|
oz semisweet,
chopped |
|
Vegetable
Shortening |
1 |
|
tsp |
|
Chocolate |
3 |
|
oz white,
chopped |
|
Leaves |
12 |
|
med. Camellia or
lemon, wiped clean |
Chocolate, Melting
First of all, chop chocolate into small pieces, which melt faster. Make sure
everything is perfectly dry, even a drop of water will sabotage the effort.
Microwave method: put chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and zap at 50% power.
For 2-4 ounces, begin checking after 2.5 min; for 5-8 ounces, begin checking
after 3 min. Don't be fooled by how it looks, a single stir will reveal that
it's on its way to a molten state. (For milk chocolate, shorten time by 30 sec);
if at any point the bowl feels hot, let it stand to see if the residual heat
will finish the job. For the double-boiler method: make sure the water in the
bottom pan isn't touching the top pan and don't let the water get above a bare
simmer.
Clams or
Mussels--Cleaning
|
Before cooking,
sprinkle shells w cornmeal and soak for 20 min in lukewarm water to get
rid of ingested sand. |
|
Coconut,
Grated Fresh |
Serves |
|
Preheat oven to
450. Place whole coconut in oven and bake 20 min. Pierce the 3 eyes of
coconut w metal skewer or small screwdriver and drain liquid. Break open
shell w hammer and remove flesh, levering it out carefully w point of a
strong knife, small spatula or grapefruit knife. Using a vegetable peeler,
take off thin crusl of coconut. Transfer to baking sheet and let stand,
uncovered, 30 min. Place in oven and bake until edges are golden, about 10
min. Cool and store in airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze. |
|
To
"candy" herbs and f lowers: paint with egg white and sprinkle w
superfine sugar. Keep in a cool dry place several days. You can add food
color to sugar. |
|
An all purpose
cleaner for decks, siding, bricks, stucco--any place where dirt and mildew
accumulate outside the house. Mix 1/2 gallon non-chlorine bleach (if
solution will come in contact with vegetation) or Clorox, 1.5 gallons
water and 1 cup TSP (trisodium phosphate--a powdered detergent available
from most paint or hardware stores). Wear rubber gloves and eye
protection. Mix ingredients in a 2 gallon garden sprayer. Wet the area to
be cleaned with water, spray on mix, and wait 10-15 min. Scrub w
long-handled brush to loosen dirt. (If doing vertical surface, start at
the bottom) Rinse with a hose. Don't forget to rinse sprayer. If mix gets
on paint, rinse immediately. |
|
If you just need
to add one, use 1 Tsp cornstarch or use mayo in place of the egg and the
oil. Also add a bit of sugar |
|
Puncture fat end
of egg w needle. Put eggs in large heavy pot and cover w 1.5 inches of
cold water. Partially cover pot and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce heat
to low and cook eggs, covered completely, for 30 seconds. Remove pot from
heat and let eggs stand, covered, 15 min. Run under cold water for 5 min. |
|
Fatty Gravy
or Stock |
Serves |
|
Place in
refrigerator; allow fat to get hard and remove. Or pour gravy over ice
cubes. Most of the fat will solidify and you will be able to remove it. |
|
Rub fish w lemon
juice and salt and rinse well. Cook in milk. |
|
Flowers,
Cooking w |
Serves |
|
Make sure they
haven't been treated w pesticides and are free from bugs. Bergamot (good w
poultry, pork and curries), calendula (peppery), dianthus or pink (spicy
and clovelike), hollyhock (mildly flavored), nasturtium (peppery flavor;
the flower, leaf and seeds are all edible); carnation (clovelike),
marigold (citrusy and pleasantly bitter), violet (slightly wintergreen)
and dandilion (bitter); baby rosebuds; geranium leaves |
|
Frying Fat,
Re-Use |
Serves |
|
Fry a sliced
potato and strain oil. |
|
Cut off the top
of the head of garlic and pull away any papery skin. Put on piece of foil
and sprinkle w 2T olive oil. Wrap it up and bake at 350 for 1 hour or
until tender. OR Peel without crushing and thinly slice lengthwise
as evenly as possible. Cook garlic in olive oil in a 12-inch nonstick
skillet over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until just golden,7
to 10 min. Transfer to a bowl (Garlic will crisp as it cools) |
|
Put it through a
strainer, mashing lumps w wooden spoon. Reheat very slowly. |
|
Mascarpone is a
fresh temperature- and acid-treated Italian cheese made from cream with a
butterfat content of 30-46%. Its texture is compact, but it is also supple
and spreadable. Its flavor is unique--mildly sweet and refreshing. Usually
distributed in small containers, mascarpone has a very short shelf life.
Often mixed w cocoa, coffee, liqueurs, or fruit to use as a spread or an
accompaniment to fruit. Crème fraiche is often considered the French
equivalent of sour cream, but it is quite different. It is made from 30-40
% butterfat cream that has been left out to mature and naturally sour. The
final product is not sour or acidic, but has a nutty flavor and is mildly
tangy. The texture is often described as smooth, rich, and "spoonable,
not pourable". Used most often as a garnish for soups, fruit and
caviar. Both can be whipped into airy, satin-like peaks. |
|
Cook thin
spaghetti in boiling water for 3 min. Put in a colander and place over
simmering water for 20 min. Deep fry in vegetable oil at 370 a handful at
a time about 3 min. Drain. |
|
(Generally sold
frozen) Cut tentacles from octopus head (just below eyes) and discard
head. Fill a 6 to 8 quart pot 3/4 full w water and bring octopus to boil
(do not salt the water, it will make the octopus tough). Simmer until
tender when pierced w fork, about 1 hour. Drain and cool slightly. Rinse
under cold water to remove as much of the purple outer coating as possible
without removing suction cups. Drain well and cut crosswise into 1.5 inch
pieces. Simmer in liquid 45 min to 1 hour. |
|
Preheat the oven
to 140-150; turn off heat; place pans in middle of oven. For an electric
oven, reheat as necessary to maintain warm temp. When drying 2 pans in
single oven, alternate occasionally and turn if necessary. Drying time
will vary from 8-24 hours. |
|
Preheat broiler
or grill. Put peppers on baking pan and broil or grill, turning several
times until skin begins to blacken and blister. Cool in brown paper bag.
Remove skin. Slit open and remove stems, seeds and veins. |
|
Mix all
ingredients and add 1.25 c water. Add food color if desired. Mix until
smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook a
minute longer or until mix looks like moist mashed potatoes. Transfer to
plate and cover w damp cloth. Knead a little and it's ready. For project,
roll out to 1/4" and cut out figures w cookie cutters. Or cut out
pictures from magazines; place picture on clay and cut around outside.
Finished pieces go on wire rack in a warm 350, turned off oven for 30 min
or until dried and hardened. Can be painted or shellacked. |
|
Russet=Idaho
(low moisture) use for baking, frying and mashed: Yukon Gold=cross between
baking and boiling, hold up, less starchy than Russet, all purpose; Red or
White= potato salad and roast, hold shape |
|
Mix together: 4
c dried rose petals (from last year's garden), 1 c oven dried parsley (150
degrees for 30 min), 2 c mixed herbs (especially lemon balm and lemon
verbena); 1 c old spices (from the cupboard), 2 c cedar chips (this makes
it mothproof), 1 c dried orange peels, 1 c balsam needles, .25 c coarse
cut orris root (a fixative), and 1/2 dram rose oil. Store in tightly
lidded jar for 4-6 weeks, then place in pretty jars. Uncover to release
the fragrance, stir and enjoy. |
|
Prickly Pear
Cactus |
Serves |
|
These are called
nopales (cactus paddles) in Mexico. Put flat side down and scrape a knife
almost horizontally from base to top. Dethorn on other side, then trim all
around edge. Cut into 1/2" cubes. Cook onion in veg oil, stirring
until softened. Add cactus and salt and cook, stirring, until well coated
w oil, about 1 min. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, stirring
occasionally, until cactus is crisp tender and has oozed liquid, about 5
min. Incease heat to moderate and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally,
until liquid is evaporated, 7-9 min. |
|
Prickly Pear
Syrup |
Serves |
|
Peel and divide
prickly pears into smaller segments. Place in saucepan and cover w water.
Boil, uncovered, stirring frequently 20 min. Strain through cheesecloth.
Do not squeeze, as this will make your syrup cloudy. Measure juice and add
sugar to taste (3/4 c sugar to 1 c juice). Boil gently, stirring
constantly, until thickened. If not to be used immediately, bottle in a
sterilized jar. Pour over pancakes or use to color and flavor drinks. |
|
Pumpkin
Seeds--toasting |
Serves |
|
Separate
seeds from pulp and rinse gently. Drain well. Place in bowl and toss
with a little oil. Spread onto a waxed-paper lined 15x10x1" baking
pan. Let stand for 24-48 hours until dry. Remove waxed paper. Toast at
325 for 40 min, stirring once or twice. Season |
|
In a large
stainless steel kettle, bring milk to 170 degrees over medium-high heat ,
stirring once in a while (not more than every few min). Stop stirring
and bring to 192 degrees. Remove from heat. If using juice, stir in and allow to set 45 min., undisturbed. Line a large mesh strainer w
a damp kitchen towel or several layers of damp cheesecloth, making sure
that the cloth extends well over the sides of the strainer. Place over
large, deep bowl and gently spoon the curds over. Allow to drain for 30 min, or
refrigerate 12 hours, making sure that the strainer does not rest in
liquid. Gather up the loose ends of the cloth and twist lightly to extract
more liquid from the curds. Transfer curds to bowl and stir in the salt.
Keep, refrigerated, up to 3 days. |
|
Milk |
3 |
|
qts. Whole (or
use 1 gal 2% milk & 5 c low-fat buttermilk, no lemon juice and .5 tsp salt) |
|
To enhance
saffron's flavor before adding it to a dish, toast it in a small skillet
over medium for 1 min, until you can smell it. Grind in mortar and pestle
of crumble with fingertips |
|
Sage Leaves,
Fried |
Serves |
|
In heavy
saucepan heat 1" oil to 365. Working quickly, fry sage leaves, 5 at a
time, 2 seconds, transfering w slotted spoon to paper towels. Immediately
sprinkle w coarse salt. |
|
Sage |
0.5 |
|
c loosely packed
fresh leaves |
|
Mix all
ingredients and pour into shaker w large holes. |
|
Add sliced
potato and continue cooking. Throw out potato. |
|
Silver--how
to Clean |
Serves |
|
Place silver in
aluminum pan. Sprinkle with .5-1 c baking soda. Cover w boiling water.
Remove and buff |
|
Usually bought
in the form of wings. If the skin is still attached, ask the fishmonger to
remove it for you, The striated white meat has a delicate, distinctive
flavor and is best poached or sauteed and served w beurre noir (brown
butter) |
|
Steaming
dishes-Asian style |
Serves |
|
Put ingredients
in solid, heatproof dish, set the dish (on trivet or jar lids) inside a
large pot over boiling water, cover pot until food is done (20-30 min).
Add food in bunches based on cooking time. Add seasonings, such as ginger,
garlic, green onions or sauces sauce as soy, oyster or fish, at the
beginning. Coat meat or seafood w cornstarch (1 tsp per lb). Add water if
needed. |
|
Remove zest from
6 limes in strips and cut away any white pith. Chop (about .5 c), then
grind in food processor w 2.25 c sugar until mix is pale green. May be
made 3 days ahead and kept, chilled, in an airtight container. |
|
Add a few drops
of lemon or lime juice, or as a last resort, add vinegar. |
|
|
Stubborn
tarnish stains can often be "cooked" off silver. Put an
aluminum foil sheet on the bottom of a non-aluminum pan and place
silver on foil. Dissolve half a tsp of salt and half a tsp of
baking soda in a pint of water and pour over silver. Simmer one
half hour over gentle heat. |
|
|
|
Toasting
& Skinning Hazelnuts |
Serves |
|
Toast nuts in
one layer in baking pan at 350 for 10-15 min until lightly colored and
skins are blistered. Wrap in kitchen towel and let them steam 1 min. Rub
in towel to remove skins and let them cool. |
|
Tomatoes,
Oven-Dried |
Serves |
|
Preheat oven to
200. Using pastry brush, lightly coat skin side of each tomato w olive
oil. (Sprinkle w thyme or garlic if desired) Place skin side down on large
baking sheet. Season to taste. Bake until they shrink to 1/4 original
size, 4-8 hours. They should remain soft and juicy. Let cool on sheet.
Place in container and refrigerate. |
|
Tomato |
28 |
|
med plum, core
end cut off, halved lengthwise |
|
|
To unshrink
wool--make a solution of one part white vinegar and two parts water. Boil
the sweater gently in this for a half hour. Remove and reshape to its
original size and dry flat |
|
|
|
Whipped
Cream--Real |
Serves |
|
Refrigerate
mixing bowl and beater at least 15 min. In small saucepan, melt together
1/4 c cream and butter (use 1/4 cup for cream w 20% butterfat and 3T for
cream w 36% butterfat), stirring constantly until butter is melted. Pour
into small measuring cup and cool to room temp. Add vanilla. In chilled
bowl beat remaining 3/4 c cream and sugar until traces of beater marks
begin to show distinctly. Add butter mix on low speed in a steady stream,
beating constantly. Beat until stiff peaks form. Store 2-3 days
refrigerated. |
|
Butter |
unsalted,
softened |
|
In a gallon of water mix .5 c ammonia, 1 c white vinegar, and 2 T
cornstarch |
|
|
Zucchini
Blossoms |
Serves |
|
The whole
blossom is edible, but male blossoms (those w/o fruit) are more crisp and
flavorable. Trim stem of blossom to 1". Wash gently and quickly under
cold water and pat dry. Fry in light batter (2/3 c all-purpose flour
whisked into 3/4 c beer or soda), or just dredge in seasoned flour and
saute in butter, or stuff w cheese or rice and
meat mixture and bake |
|