Thanksgiving 2010: Pecan Pie

My second offering for Thanksgiving was a pecan pie. I decided to pair Pioneer Woman's pie filling with a pie dough using Michael Ruhlman's Ratio app.

I decided to use half butter and half shortening for my pie crust after reading this tutorial on Epicurious.

Thanks, Chao for picking up the shortening for me!

Took some smart advice from blogs and retail reporters to stock up on baking essentials the week before Thanksgiving. Prices on ingredients like nuts and butter were way lower than normal.

Pie crust is another great use for the food processor. Fit the bowl with the dough blade and pulse the butter and fat together until crumbly. Then, add ice water bit by bit until a sticky dough forms.

My dough went into the refrigerator over night, then I rolled it out between two pieces of wax paper (harder than it sounds, actually).

Roll the crust over the wax paper, then lay into a pie dish. Trim the edges and cover until ready to fill.

(pretty good for my first real pie crust, huh?)

And again, we were a little pressed for time, so I just whipped up PW's pie filling in a tupperware and brought it with us. We baked the pie at Jake's while we were eating dinner.

It's entirely true that I should not have brought a pie to someone else's thanksgiving that I had never made before in my life. It's also entirely true that I should have listened to PW's note at the bottom of the recipe, where she clearly warns that the bake time for this pie is unpredictable:

"Required baking time seems to vary widely with this recipe. Sometimes it takes 50 minutes; sometimes it takes 75!"

And, indeed, the pie took about 75 minutes. It was soft and beautiful and had a really nice flavor.

Happy (late) Thanksgiving, everyone.

Recent cooking adventures: barbecue ribs, beer brats, homemade calzones, and penne carbonara

Just because I've been a bit neglectful of the blog doesn't mean I haven't been continuing to cook!

Take a peek at a few things I've been up to lately - beer brats last weekend, then a major cooking marathon of side-by-side barbecue ribs and homemade calzones, then last night's creamy carbonara:



Carbonara is one of the first dishes I learned how to make when I started cooking for myself sophomore year of college. I had never even heard of it, but read an article about Rachel Ray, and how it was a special meal for she and her husband. I loved how it was nicknamed "coal miner's pasta," and I decided to make it myself.

The worst screw up I have ever had cooking this dish was making the mistake of drinking some of the wine while cooking, then laying down on the couch while the bacon and garlic browned. Lesson learned: never walk away from the stove for a quick lie down. Especially not while you are an overworked college student.

I recently had a pasta special at the little cafe next door to my office that was called carbonara but was a really creamy sauce, almost as thick as alfredo.

I decided to try to incorporate a little of that creaminess into my dish this weekend.

Penne carbonara recipe:
(adapted from Rachel Ray)

1 lb pasta (I like rigatoni for this, you can use regular spaghetti. I used penne this weekend), cooked to just before al dente in salted water. Reserve 1 c of the pasta cooking water.
1/3 lb pancetta or about 8 slices of bacon
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tsp red chili flakes
1/2 c white wine, like pinot grigio
2 whole eggs + 2 egg yolks, beaten
1/2 c heavy cream or half&half
3/4 c shredded or grated Parmesan cheese (can use a mix of Italian cheese)
handful of chopped parsley
black pepper

Fry bacon until not quite crisp. Remove from pan and chop roughly. Drain the fat from the pan. Reserve entirely if you have uses for it, otherwise keep just 1 TBS

Heat 1 TBS bacon fat over low heat, return bacon to the pan and stir in the garlic and red chili flakes. Saute about 2 mins (do not burn the garlic), then stir in the wine. Increase the heat and allow alcohol to evaporate. The liquid will reduce by about half. Turn off the heat.

In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs and yolks, then slowly stir in about 1/3 c of the pasta water to temper the eggs. Mix in the half&half (if using) and the cheese.

Slowly stir in the egg mixture into the pan sauce, then quickly toss in the pasta. Season liberally with freshly cracked black pepper and parsley.

And, if someone has a good way of reheating carbonara that *doesn't* cause the egg in the sauce to scramble, please let me know.

Dreaming? of my next Disney trip, in just one week!

Pitas, hummus, and falafel dinner - almost like New York

Sunday dinner (clockwise from the pitas): pitas, parmesan couscous salad, hummus (smaller red bowl) w/ paprika garnish, tzaiziki, tahini and falafel.

This was the first time I had ever worked with dried chickpeas, but found it to be just as easy as everyone else has said. I covered them with boiling water and kept them on low heat for a couple of hours. Had I planned far enough in advance, I could have used cold water and just left them over night.

I used half the chick peas to make hummus, which I made using homemade tahini for the first time. About halfway through, I found a full and unopened can of tahini in my fridge, but found I like the homemade version so much better. It's richer and nuttier and less oily. The food processor really was my kitchen workhorse for this meal - and because all of the flavors were blended together, I didn't bother to wash between making the tahini, hummus and falafel mixes. Here's the hummus spread on some bagel pieces:

Next, I rolled my pita dough and let them rise. They're so cute and fluffy.

I also made a tzaiziki sauce with yogurt, cucumbers and dill to serve with the falafel.

Jake caught some awesome light photographing the pitas while they cooled. We just used the grill pan (Jake acted as grill master while I rolled each little pita)

The falafel themselves were a mixed bag. I didn't take the time to chill the mixture as suggested, so they were fairly crumbly. After frying each side for a couple of minutes to brown, I popped them into the oven on a baking sheet for another 10 minutes. The second half of the dough went into the fridge over night, and I baked them for 12 minutes on each side the next day. They held up considerably better, and I was glad not to have all the oil fried into them.

The end result was not as exciting as it had been the weekend before at Karavas Place in Greenwich Village, but still tasty when paired with a couscous and avocado salad.

Recipes:

Hummus:
2 1/2 cups soaked chickpeas
3 cloves garlic
2-3 spoonfuls of tahini (homemade optional)
3 TBS olive oil
1/4 tsp red chili flakes
pinch of salt, to taste

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Squeeze a quarter lemon over (removing seeds) then combine again. Serve with a sprinkle of smoked paprika.


Pitas:
1 packet rapid rise yeast
1 TBS sugar
1 1/2 c warm water
(combine and leave in a warm place for up to 10 minutes until foamy and expanded)
4 c flour
2 TBS olive oil
pinch of salt

Mix yeast with flour and salt then drizzle olive oil. Knead until smooth and elasticky (I do this by hand). Invert a bowl over the dough and allow to rise for up to an hour.
Punch down, then knead briefly and shape into 12 balls. Cover with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap and allow to rise again until nearly doubled in size.
Roll balls until about six inches in diameter and thin. Grill over medium high heat until browned on both sides.
Serve warm.


Falafel
2 1/2 c of soaked chickpeas
1/2 a medium onion
3 TBS chopped cilantro
3 TBS chopped parsley
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp cumin
salt/pepper to taste
1 tsp baking powder
4 TBS flour

Combine all ingredients in food processor until coarsely chopped. Use hands to gently shape small golf-ball-sized balls, then flatten slightly.
Optional - fry on each side 3-5 minutes until browned
Transfer to a cookie sheet at bake 12-15 mins on each side at 300 F.
Serve with pitas, tahini, hummus and tzaiziki sauce.

Empanadas!!

Inspired by a post on Serious Eats today, I tried my hand at empanadas tonight. The recipe for the crust was quick and easy, and turned out to be the most impressive flaky pastry I've tried. 

The filling on SE was a bit less my style, however, as I don't eat raisins OR olives, so I put together a beef-corn-beans-cheese concoction that was equally yummy.

The dough, after scraping it out of the food processor. It's cream cheese based, and smells great. Knead it gently, wrap it up and chill for 30+ mins. I made the filling (ground beef, chopped onions, cilantro, homemade taco seasoning -- salt, pepper, garlic, paprika, chili powder, cumin -- corn, black beans, 2 c of cheese, 2 oz cream cheese) in a large skillet. We have a TON leftover.

When the dough comes out, fold it into a log, and slice into 10 even parts. Roll out about 4-5 inches in diameter. Fill with about 1/4 c taco mix, wet the edges, and fold over to seal. Press the edges down with a fork.

Some recipes call for baking, others call for frying the empanadas. I filled the baking sheet with ones for baking, then fried the last four. I also found the first two I made were too big, and the dough too thin. The warmth of the filling started to melt the dough (see the top two below). Brush with egg wash, prick with a fork to allow steam to escape. 20 mins @350F

While the first batch are in the oven, I heated a frying pan with oil and fried up the last four.

The result was a delicious meal with tons of leftovers! The fried ones, as expected, were hot, flaky and perfect. The baked ones became a little misshapen, but overall were not too bad. The crust does well both ways.

 

  

 

RECIPES:

From Serious Eats:

Cream Cheese Pastry

Ingredients

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling the dough
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

Procedure

1. Process the butter, cream cheese, and cream in a food processor, electric mixer or by hand to thoroughly combine.

2. Add the flour and salt. Process until just combined and the dough holds together in a ball. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Divide into 2 pieces. Flatten into disks and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling out. If the dough is chilled overnight, take it out 15 minutes before rolling out.

Taco filling

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

1/2 c diced onion

1/2 can corn

1/2 can black beans

1/3 c chopped cilantro

salt, pepper, garlic, paprika, chili powder, cumin (about 1-2 TBS total)

1 c monterrey jack cheese, shredded

1 c cheddar cheese, shredded

2 oz cream cheese

1. Brown beef in a skillet, add onion and cilantro and spices.
2. Drain and rinse corn, black beans. Mix in with the beef. 

3. Sprinkle with cheese and mix until thickened. 

4. Remove from heat, allow to cool before spooning into pastry rounds.

5. Bake empanadas for 20 minutes at 350 F or fry in shallow pan with oil

Homemade salsa

In a food processor, combine 1/2 bunch cilantro, 2 cloves garlic, 2-3 inch chunk of onion. Pulse until a paste forms. Pour in 2 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes (with juices), 1/2 TBS salt, 1/2 TBS sugar, 1 TBS white vinegar, 2-3 TBS chili oil (or use a a jalapeno). Process until smooth. Squeeze a lime into the salsa.

Snow day biscuits

Yesterday the area was more or less entirely shut down, owing to the fact we got dumped with 6 inches of snow. What better to do than bake? My thoughts exactly.

After running across this post by Amateur Gourmet, I was excited to have a use for my last cup of buttermilk.

I adapted the recipe a little bit - and instead of breakfast style buttermik biscuits, I added in some fresh herbs that were getting near their last legs and a bit of Parmesan.

Adam, from AG, suggests mixing your dough in one bowl, and rolling your biscuits in another. But, I tried to form my dough in my new food processor and had my first #foodprocesorfail. The 6 oz. buttermilk and 6 oz plain yogurt (mixed with a little white vinegar), so I ended up having to add an extra up of flour in a different mixing bowl. I scattered a little more flour on one of my new cutting boards and rolled the biscuits there.

This is a midway shot, I wasn't actually able to fit all 12 biscuits into one pan like the recipe suggested (owing, I'd guess to the extra cup of flour I added). I just stuck the other four in a separate pan, but they burned a little on the bottom. Next time I'll probably yank the second pan a few minutes before the full one.

Additionally, as we learned with last week's popovers, my oven tends to run a little hot, so I was watching pretty closely this time. The extra Parm I sprinkled on the top burned a bit, so I think I would also save that til the last few minutes.

End result? 12 beautiful (ok, 4 had slightly burned bottoms), delicious and fluffy biscuits. 

Here's my  adapted version of the recipe: 

3 c all purpose flour

1 TBS baking powder

1 TBS sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

chopped basil and parsey (about half a handful of each, or however much you've got onhand)

3 TBS grated Parmesan cheese

4 TBS cold butter, cut into little pieces

1 1/2 c buttermilk (I used 3/4 c buttermilk and one 6 oz plain yogurt mixed with 1 TBS white vinegar)

Pulse together dry ingredients and herbs in food processor (or whisk together in a large mixing bowl). 

Cut the butter into flour mixture until it looks like coarse meal (I used my FP for this). 

Pour the liquids into the dry ingredients and combine into a sticky dough.

Sprinkle about 3/4 c flour on a baking sheet or large cutting boards. Scoop 1/4 c sized balls of dough and roll in the mound of flour, then place in a well oiled cake pan. (AG fit 12 in his pan, I only fit 8 in mine)

Bake for 5 minutes at 500 degrees, and 10 at 450 (I adjusted the temperature slightly in my own oven) 

Turn out on wire racks to cool. 

 Dreaming? of a day without snow, so I can go buy more flour and keep baking! 

Weekend recipes

Still no Internet access at the apartment, so this is just a quick hit of the recipes I used this weekend!

I finally got around to making the Creamy Potato soup I posted about earlier, but with a few changes (see below in bold)

Creamy Potato Soup (adapted from CHOW.com)

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/4 stick) I used about 4 TBS Brummel and Brown
  
• 2 cups finely chopped leeks (pale green and white parts only)
• 4 cups peeled, medium-dice russet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 6 slices of turkey bacon chopped
  
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (from 4 medium thyme sprigs) I substituted a handful of chopped parsley (it was half off at the grocery store)
  
• 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 3 cups water
• 1/3 cup heavy cream 1 c. nonfat greek yogurt (per a suggestion from a dear friend who made this recipe before me)
  

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. When the foaming subsides, add leeks, season with freshly ground black pepper, and cook until leeks are softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Add potatoes, salt, turkey bacon and thyme parsley and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Increase heat to high, add vegetable broth and water and bring just to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until potatoes are fork tender, about 10 minutes.
3. Blend soup in a blender in 2 batches until smooth. Return soup to the saucepan over medium heat, stir in cream yogurt, season with additional pepper as needed, and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes.

Sriracha Chicken Stir Fry:
2 chicken breasts cut into 1 inch slices
butter spray
1 green bell pepper
1/2 onion, sliced/quartered
handful of baby carrots, cut like matchsticks
1/3 head of cabbage shredded
1 bunch of green onions (dark parts only -- I used the light parts for tteok bogi, which I served with the stir fry)
soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, garlic, ginger, sriracha sauce

Mix 3 parts soy sauce, 1 part sesame oil with equal parts sugar, garlic, ginger and sriracha sauce (enough to cover and marinate the chicken). Marinate the chicken for 10-30 mins (longer if you've got the time)

Heat a wok or large skillet with butter spray, fry the chicken until nearly opaque. Toss in onion, carrots, peppers cabbage and scallions. Add more sauce if needed.

Serve with noodles or rice (it also stands alone nicely, which is how I served it, since we had carbo-load between tteok bogi and dumplings)


Dreaming? The movers came today! I can't wait to get ALL of my kitchen stuff unpacked. Photos to follow!

A ton o' pics

Since moving to the new place, I haven't had a ton of internet access. So, here's a round up of pictures I've taken, starting with our last meal in the old place.

THE LAST SUPPER: Bibimbap in the basement

Officially retiring the wine bottle rolling pin. New one on it's way!

Frying up the bulgogi

Pan frying the dumplings, as had already packed the bamboo steamer (see below)

 

MMMM bibimbap!!(recipe to follow)

FOOD PROCESSOR

Ingredients for hummus

 

In action!! Fastest hummus ever!

 

Pie crust dough, just for something else to try

Flaky and delicious

BAMBOO STEAMER ACTION

 

 

Recipes:

Bibimbap (Korean rice bowl)

1 1/2 c cooked rice (traditional Koreans use whatever is leftover from the day before)
Any veggies of the following (about 1/4 c of each per serving - sliced matchstick style, sauteed lightly in vegetable oil or butter spray):
baby carrots, spinach, zucchini, onion, enoki mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, daikon radish, bean sprouts
ground beef, pork belly or steak (korean bbq style) - about 1/3 c
1 egg, fried on the bottom
1 -3 TBS gochuchang (red pepper paste)

Drizzle 1 TBS sesame oil over rice, arrange vegetables in segments on top of rice, top with fried egg and the gochuchang. Stir to combine.




Hummus (adapted from the Cuisinart recipe book)
1 large can chick peas/garbanzo beans
2 cloves garlic
zest and juice of 1 lemon
3 TBS tahini, more to taste
1 tsp cumin
salt, to taste
2 TBS olive oil
5 TBS water
optional: small handful parsley, 1 tsp red chili flakes

In a food processor, chop the garlic, lemon zest, cumin until well combined.
Add chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, water and parsley if using. Pulse until smooth. Mix in salt and chili flakes, if using, to taste
Add more water and olive oil in small batches to desired consistency. Hummus should be smooth, but thick and creamy.

If you don't have a food processor, you can still make hummus. I use to use an old school mortar and pestle (you could use a heavy mixing bowl and a large spoon or other heavy kitchen tool) to mash up the chickpeas, then mix in minced garlic, the tahini, oil and water (hot water usually helped smooth things out). The hummus is a little chunkier, and if you have a blender (I had a terrible bullet blender), you can try to blend it a little smoother.

Dreaming? of all the new things I can make with my food processor!!