Appetizers

String Cheese Theory

June 12, 2013 by Regina 1 Comment

All the way back in December a friend of mine gave me the gift of a cheese making kit. Or rather an online gift certificate for a kit to be ordered and sent to my home upon my request. As soon as I could I ordered it. So excited, I couldn’t wait to try it out. I waited for its arrival, patiently; ok impatiently, but I waited and waited and waited. You see the kit will not ship in extreme temperatures due to the sensitivity of the rennet (coagulant). Did I mention I currently live in northern Vermont? I do and something you may not be aware of it that it can get pretty darn cold in January. In fact this year we saw record inducing lows; think in the range of -15. You see when it gets that cold I just hibernate; I don’t look at the temperatures I just feed the fire and stay indoors. The farm sending me the kit deemed those temps to be in the extreme and I had to wait and wait I did, till MARCH!

Now I am not bitter, not in the least. I got my kit and went straight out to buy whole, organic milk from my local farmers market/COOP. I then began researching for the best recipe and technique to making fresh mozzarella. This took me to YouTube primarily. I watched old Italian ladies pull cheese over and over again, I watched talented young chefs give demonstrations, and finally I watched some home cooks who were as excited as I was to make their own cheese. After all this “research” I came up with what I was calling “My technique” an amalgamation of all that I had watched. Next I set up my station; 2 stainless steel work bowls, 1 large stainless pot, a spider, chef’s knife, latex gloves, cheese cloth, thermometer and a binder clip. I began with 1 gallon of whole organic local milk and poured it all in the pot and began to bring it slowly up to temp, 86 degrees. I then followed the farm kit instructions on adding citric acid, lipase powder (optional), calcium chloride, and rennet. Once I had the desired curds I let them set for a bit in the pot. I sliced through the curds with the chef’s knife and scooped up all the curds with the spider into the prepared cheese cloth. I gathered everything up, secured the bundle without pressing on the delicate curds and hung with a binder clip over the small stainless bowl for 2 hours. I reserved the leftover whey and rinsed out the pot so that I could boil the water to pull the cheese. I recut the drained curds into manageable slices and placed in the second (large) stainless steel work bowl. In the small bowl I added warm water and to the pot of boiling water I added a lot of sea salt. On a side note did you know that in Naples Italy it is tradition to use water straight from the sea to pull the mozzarella? I thought that was a cool tip and seasoned my water accordingly. I donned my gloves, I double gloved, this will get very warm! To the bowl with the cheese curd I added a small amount of the warm water and a ladleful of the boiling water and began working the cheese. As the water cooled I drained it and added more and more boiling water till the cheese was nice and melty. Now the fun part, using mainly my hands I grabbed a large handful of cheese and began to pull. The cheese will get very shiny. As it did I rolled and tucked the cheese ball as if I was working with a small ball of pizza dough. Then when I was happy with the ball I squeezed it off into the cool bowl of water. I did this with the remaining cheese curd and ended up with 3 medium sized balls of cheese. I let them cool and set up in the cool water then went to town! I ate one right off the bat with some salt; delightful. Then I made a small mixed greens salad with basil and small grape tomatoes topped with slices of the fresh mozzarella and a quality Italian olive oil saved for special occasions that I got from my last trip to Eatily in NYC and a little sprinkling of flaky sea salt. It was sublime! I encourage anyone who thinks they want to try this to give it a go. It is surprisingly simple once you have the chemistry part down and that’s what the internet is for right!

Wing Dings!

April 20, 2013 by Regina Leave a Comment

I have had enough cold rainy weather up here! Today was a bit gloomy, a tad windy and oh just a little on the chilly side. Given all that I decided today would good day to break out the grill!

First BBQ of the season was grilled smokey chicken wings with a honey chipolte BBQ sauce. They were awesome!!I paired it with a southwest avocado salad with a cilantro lime dressing. It was a great first meal and an indication of the rest to come.

Recipe:

Chicken wing pieces, rinsed and patted dry
2 T. oil

Dry Rub:
2 parts chili powder
1 part cumin
1 part coriander
1 part smoked paprika
salt and pepper

Sauce:
2 T. chili powder
1 tsp. smoked paprika
3 T. chipolte puree (more or less to taste)
1 cup honey
2 T. cider vinegar

Mix together all ingredients of dry rub and liberally dust all the wings add the oil and massage. Let sit for anywhere from 1 hour to over night.

Ready the grill. I used charcoal which gave a nice smokiness, if using gas I would add a tray of soaked smoke chips but it is not necessary.

When grill reaches 400 degrees arrange wing pieces on hottest area. As wings get crispy and flip and remove to lower heated area.

When wings are done toss with some of the BBQ sauce and serve with a cucumber ranch dipping sauce!

For the salad combined corn, black beans, diced avocados, sliced cherry tomatoes and lettuce of choice. Dress with a mixture of cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, salt & pepper. Pretty easy!

Enjoy with a beer! 🙂

Well Hello There Gorgeous

February 15, 2013 by Regina Leave a Comment

Well it has been a whole year since I have been around here. Life sure does have a way of getting in the way of things. I was thinking about totally forgetting about this blog and deleting it but then I saw that apparently people are still pretty interested in what I have to say! So to all of you out there that keep looking me up a big THANK YOU!

So to kick this thing back off right how about a little food porn! I have not been in the kitchen as much as I would like this past year due to some health issues but I did manage to whip up a quick batch of potato pancakes, better know as latkas to go with some smoked salmon and domestic caviar. It is a simple breakfast that we enjoy every Christmas morning! I have to be honest I don’t even really make these myself anymore, several years ago M took over in the fry department and we whip these up in minutes!

For the recipe it is really easy there are only 5 ingredients unless you count salt and pepper which I don’t they are standard!

3 Russet Potatoes grated and squeezed
1 Onion grated and squeezed
1 Egg
Flour
S&P

I grate the potatoes and onions together and then squeeze them out until they are good and dry to the mix stir in a beaten egg. Now begin to add the flour a tablespoon at a time until the mixture is just right. It should stick together but not be dry; this usually takes about 1/4 of flour but it varies. Season your mixture!!! Now heat a skillet, we use cast iron but any skillet works here. Melt fat of choice and a small nub of butter, we use coconut oil it’s a great all purpose oil. When it’s hot but not smoking you can add your silver dollar sized potato patties to the pan. Fry until golden brown on both sides and remove to a plate lined with paper towels and then salt them right away!!

Serve warm or at room temp. These are great topped with the smoked salmon but just as yummy on their own with either sour cream, creme fraiche, or apple sauce. Use your imagination!

Sweet + Spicy = YUM!

February 22, 2010 by Regina 3 Comments

So in the spirit of being healthy I have been trying very hard to eat small meals every 2-3 hours. I have also cut out wheat and a lot of other things so my options are limited to what I can have for lunch. I want to make sure I get my greens and my protein in but salad and a can of tuna (no matter how good it is!) is really getting old. So today when lunch rolled around I found myself staring blankly in the fridge. When that was extremely unhelpful I went to good old internet. What I found was an idea! Japanese cucumber salad with a kick of spice and protein!

Salad:

1 cucumber seeds scooped out and cut in halfmoons, I buy unwaxed organic when ever I can because I love the skin, but you can use whatever you have
1/2 cup steamed and shelled edamame
1/4 cup sliced green onion

Dressing:

3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp mirin
1 Tbsp agave (or honey or sugar)
1 tsp. black sesame seeds (or more)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. chili flakes

Directions:

For the dressing whisk everything together and place in the microwave for 30 seconds to dissolve the salt and sugar if using. Pour dressing over cucumbers and edamame and refidgerate till chilled. i placed it in the freezer to hurry it up and it was done in a couple of minutes. When cooled add the green onions and mix everything together.

A little sweet, a little salty, a little spicy, but all together yummy!

Homemade Pâté – OoLaLa!

February 19, 2010 by Regina Leave a Comment

I am a little late on this post. I promised my good friend Kathy along with my father this recipe weeks ago! But to be honest as much as I love to share my recipes I kind of like keeping this 1 to myself. It”s like my secret weapon; if I give it away they will have no reason to invite me over anymore. I kid, sorta.

All three of us love Pâté, M not so much; I get his portion! But its pretty expensive. In fact when you realize what is in it and how easy it is to make it really grates my cheese. I have dreams of making this in big batches and selling it to make my millions, or at least a couple hundred bucks!

So without further ado here is the recipe for 1 of the best creamy pâté ever and the best part is it costs pennies! OK, Kathy you better still invite me over, I do come with wine!

They wouldn’t wait for me to get my camera! It really is that good.

Recipe: Makes two 1 cup Ramekins.

Pâté:

8 oz chicken or other poultry livers, dark spots removed
1 stick butter
1/2 cup shallots
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 T. cognac ( or other tasty spirit)
1 t. fresh herb minced such as parsley or tarragon or none.
salt and pepper to taste

Aspic:

1/4 cup stock (any good quality will work, I like to make mine with a veal demi-glace for richness)
1 t. cognac or more to taste (see above)
1 t. sherry or other quality vinegar
1/2 t. gelatin
salt and pepper to taste – sometimes I use rough cracked pepper for texture and taste

Method – Pâté:

Melt 1/2 the butter over medium heat until just melted, add shallots. Reduce heat and cook until translucent. Add garlic and saute a little longer till fragrant, make sure not brown! Now carefully add the cognac and cook down a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add the cream. Simmer for a couple more minutes then add the remaining butter stirring to melt. Take off heat and set aside to cool.

Using your blender puree the raw livers until smooth. Add the shallots and cream mixture and puree on high until everything is completely smooth and pale in color.

Strain mixture through a fine mesh strainer pushing the mixture through with the back of a spoon.

Fill 2 ramekins with the mixture leaving about 1/4 inch room at the top for the aspic.

Transfer (carefully) the ramekins to a deep sided baking dish placed in a preheated 300 degree oven. Cover ramekins tightly with aluminum foil and fill baking dish with boiling water 1/2 way up the side of ramekins. Bake for 30 minutes until pâté is set (like a cheesecake).

Cool to room temperature and transfer to the refrigerator. Once chilled make the aspic.

Method – Aspic:

Combine everything except the gelatin in a saucepan (or microwave) until simmering stir in the gelatin to dissolve. Cool. Once cooled pour on top of the chilled pâté and return to the fridge until the aspic sets up; a couple hours.

Before serving bring to room temperature. Serve with good french bread and wine.

I know it sounds like a lot of work but really you spend more time waiting for everything to cool down than anything else. Plus each ramekin of pâté costs about $1; yup ONE DOLLAR! Compare that to $50/lb in gourmet stores, doesn’t seem like too much work now does it! Also, you get to be creative. Once you have the method down you can switch up the flavors or add textures if you prefer.

By the way I should mention I got inspiration for this recipe from the very lovely Steamy Kitchen; Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!

ENJOY!

Not Your Mom’s Tuna Salad

February 15, 2010 by Regina 4 Comments

Though we haven’t gotten any of the snow the rest of the country has gotten we are still in the dregs of winter. About this time of year is when you start yearning for the warm beaches of the Caribbean. It was with that in mind that I made myself a lunch of fresh Ahi Tuna salad.

Though I live in a small town in northern Vermont I am very lucky that we have a good fish monger who gets their catch early every morning direct from the docks in Portland and Boston. I know how cool is that! On any day (except Monday they are closed) I can get fresh seafood that was swimming less than 24 hours ago! Plus, they are right across the street! I know you are all jealous now, unless you actually live in 1 of the great port cities then well I am jealous because your catch is most likely cheaper and fresher than mine.

Anyway to get on with the recipe. When I walked into the store I hadn’t yet decided what I wanted for lunch but as soon as I saw that big slab of Ahi Tuna laying in the case I knew that was going to part of my lunch. They also sell fresh japanese seaweed salad so I grabbed a caintainer and to round it off a handful of recently cooked fresh shrimp. When I got home I laid out my finds and then began to rummage around in the fridge and cupboards. And this is what I came up with!

Recipe (for 1 good portion or 2 small):

4 oz sashimi grade tuna, diced
2 -3 oz fresh cooked shrimp, diced
1/2 avocado, diced
1 green onion, sliced
1 tbsp red onion small dice
1 tsp. rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp. mayonnaise (or less, just use as much as need to hold everything together)
1-2 tsp. black sesame seeds
squirt of sirrachi (to taste)
a good pinch of course sea salt (or kosher)
a dash of togorashi (Japanese pepper, if you have it no biggie to leave it out)
1/4 cup seaweed salad

Ok this is too easy; after you get through prepping everything and believe me that is what takes all the time here, you mix everything except the seaweed salad together. Don’t over stir just gentaly fold everything together until incorporated. Place most of the seaweed salad on a plate and top with tuna salad. Garnish with the remainder of the seaweed and sesame seeds.

You will think you are at a fancy beach resort. Just poor yourself some sparking mineral water or better yet some sparkling wine and you can now pretend your are on Life Styles of the Rich and Famous. Ok well you don’t have to go that far but you will definitely forget about winter for at least the duration of lunch.

Do you dip?

January 21, 2010 by Regina Leave a Comment

I love all things dip related. I can make a batch of ranch or vegetable dip and seriously forget about the chips I just need a spoon. However that is not exactly the best thing for your diet. Then I discovered Hummus. This stuff is amazing. Its a meal in dip form. I make hummus in all varieties, from plain to artichoke to festive spinach. But 1 of my favs is roasted red pepper. People who are not hummus fans seem to even like this 1. The creaminess plus the sweetness of the peppers is always a hit.

Recipe:

1 can chick peas, drained
2 roasted red peppers
1/4 cup Tahini
1 clove garlic
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/4 – 1/2 cup good olive oil
salt and pepper

So easy, throw everything except the olive oil in a food processor and give it a whirl. With the motor running drizzle in the oil until everything comes together and becomes thick and creamy. Taste and season again if needed. You can make this ahead of time and chill or serve immediately. I like to top with fresh parsley and serve with assorted veggies, pita bread and crackers.

You can whip this up anytime, you can keep these ingredients in your pantry and when unexpected guests show up you have a tasty dip that won’t kill your diet to serve up. This serves everyone! Vegan no problem! Dairy free, sure! Gluten intolerant, go right ahead! Plus it is good for you. It is rich in heart healthy oil, protein packed beans, loaded with vitamin C. I seriously call hummus my “single girl meal”, if M is away or working late I make a batch of hummus and curl up on the couch with a glass of wine.

Don’t feel limited hummus can take a lot of creativity. So have fun just remember the basics and you’ll be fine.

Liquid Gold!

January 15, 2010 by Regina Leave a Comment

Wow! I didn’t think it was possible but I am so happy that the holidays are over. I know you are all saying that they ended weeks ago, well in this house they last till after M’s birthday on Jan. 7th (he turned the big 3 o !). Since it was such a momentus birthday we had a big surprise party for him and it was needless to say a bit hectic around here.

I have so much I want to tell you all about! I made tons of great things.

Here is a list of some of the things I made over the past few months:

Duck Pate

Lobster Mac n Cheese

Herb Crusted Lamb “pops”

Crispy Roast Duck with Cabernet Cherry Reduction

Confit New Potatoes with Rosemary and Garlic

Sunday Gravy (aka Italian Marinara)

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

German Chocolate Cake

Sweet Cherry Tartlettes

And what I am most excited about; I rendered my very own duck fat and yes that is what I cooked the new potatoes in! I never knew how easy it would be.

OK get yourself a nice duck. Trim away all the loose fat and excess skin. I spatchcocked the bird which made it even easier to get at all the fat and skin. In a large skillet place the fat and skin in a single layer and cover with water till just the tops of the fat are showing. Heat pan on medium for about 45 to 90 minutes. As it boils the water will evaporate and you will notice the bubbles will become larger and slower. It will look like a pan of olive oil.

I was cautious and watched it like a hawk; I recommend doing this because if you burn it it will be ruined. As soon as I noticed the larger bubbles I took it off the heat. Once done take the crispy bits of fat out. You can discard but my grandmother would have a fit! She would recommend that you place on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt. In Yiddish this is called Gribenes or Schmaltz. My grandmother was not Jewish but Hungarian and I cannot spell what she called it! But whatever you call it it is tasty. Getting back on track, once you have removed the bits strain the rendered fat through cheese cloth to remove any particles. And what you have left is a beautiful yellowish fat that you can cook with as you would any other oil only it tastes so much better!

If anyone would like the recipes for any of the other foods listed just ask. I’ll either email you the recipe or create a post about!

China Pattern

September 21, 2009 by Regina 3 Comments

Last Friday was M and I’s 7th anniversary. We have a tradition that dates back to our first anniversary of a feast of chinese take-out. Back then we had just moved into our very first apartment and we had next to nothing plus new nothing of the area. To celebrate we made a picnic on the floor (no furniture either!) and ate chinese take out. I think back then it cost a total of $18 and for us that was about as far as our new budget could stretch. Ever since it has been the tradition to do that every year. This year for some reason was special to me. 7 years is a long time, at least for me and the whole 7 year itch people always talk about. So I decided at trying my hand at making a Chinese feast myself.

I made our appetizers just like we would order, pan-fried dumplings or pot-stickers, scallion pancakes, and a napa and cilantro salad we had tried at A Single Pebble and loved.

I have made dumplings before but M really likes gyozas and I had gyoza wrappers on hand. So I made a traditional pork dumpling mixture and filled the wrappers. I had never folded in this style before so I You Tubed a video on the technique of folding gyozas. Very helpful! Over all for my first try I think I did well. M even jumped in and folded a couple. He was actually better right of the gate then I was. I jump right in and pick it up as I go and am speedy, M on the other hand studies it then meticulously proceeds; its the perfectionist in him!

Here is the quick recipe of the filling:

1/2 lb ground pork
1/2 cup scallions
1/2 tsp. minced ginger
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. rice wine

Mix everything well and refridgerate for 30 minutes. Then fill dumplings. You don’t have to do anything special, you can pleat them if you like or make little beggers purses, or even just a good seal will work fine. I followed this video for a tutorial and It was very good. I made a simple dressing out of Chinese balck vinegar and soy sauce with a tad of minced ginger. It was nice combination. To cook I fried them in very little oil then added a spoonful of water to the very hot pan and quickly covered. You can do that or steam entirely, deep fry or even boil.

For the pancakes I had never made them before at all and I took a little help for a fellow blogger. What is weird is that I had planned this out, googled and ended up on a site I have been to many times. Then later while surfing Tastespotting this exact post from Appetite for China was featured, how serendipitous! I took her exact recipe but I tried to short cut the pancakes by using a method I had read on a Ming Tsai recipe. Next time I will follow her instructions exactly! They came out good but in trying to make it easier I ended up making it harder I think.

The napa salad was an after thought but a good one. We have had this a few times out and I thought with all the heavy food a nice light salad would be a good idea. It is simply sliced napa cabbage and torn cilantro in a dressing consisting of 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar, 1 T. sugar, 1 T. light oil (I used coconut), a pinch of salt and about 5 drops of sesame oil. I nuke it for 30 seconds to dissolve the sugar/salt and when cool and ready to eat I dress the salad. Its that easy and very tasty; I can eats bowls of this stuff!

We took a brief intermission from eating to clean up, relax and prepare for the next course, Chinese Red Cooked Beef (Chinese Braised Beef) with noodles. Basically its Chinese pot roast. It takes all day to braise and makes the house smell wonderful! It’s a perfect fall dish.

Recipe:

1 1/2 lbs chuck roast or any cheap cut of meat, cut in to bite size chunks
1 cup sliced shitake mushrooms – I used a combination of dried and fresh, the dried I soaked in hot water for 30 minutes and squeezed out the excess water (save the liquid!)
2 carrots sliced on the diagonal
2-3 cloves garlic minced
1 inch (or so) nob of fresh ginger, minced
1 onion chopped
2-3 cups stock, I used a cup of the mushroom water and 1 1/2 cups of beef stock
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine or dry sherry if you can’t find rice wine
2 T. brown sugar
2-4 red chilies
2-3 whole star anise
2 cinnamon sticks broken in 1/2
1 T. 5 spice
salt and pepper (minimal)
oil for browning, I used coconut

Start out by prepping all your vege and set aside. Now prep your meat by cutting into chunks and seasoning with salt, pepper, and 5 spice. Set aside. In a large dutch oven heat the oil and stir fry the garlic and ginger for a few seconds until you can smell it. In batches add your meat. You want the meat evenally on 1 layer without crowding the pan. This should take about 2- 3 batches once done remove all meat. In the same pan add more oil if needed, but you shouldn’t, you should have more than enough fat from the beef. To the pan add your onions and mushrooms and saute until you see some color, about a minute or 2. Now add the beef and the remaining ingredients. Make sure the liquid just covers everything. Turn the heat to medium low and bring to a boil then turn the heat all the way low and cook uncovered for about 3 hours or until the liquid has almost completely reduced and the meat is tender. When almost done, about 30 minutes out, add your carrots. What I did here was since I knew I was going to serve it later, when it was done I turned off the heat and added the carrots gave it a good stir then covered until ready to serve. This cooked the carrots just perfectly.

You can serve this over steamed rice but really it is a noodle type of meal. Traditionally you would serve it with thick wonton noodles which are chinese egg noodles. Living in the mountains of Vermont I could not find them so I used fresh parpadelle which worked perfect! I also served this with seared bok choy seasoned with garlic, ginger, and soy sauce and to top everything off a seasonal hard cider that is produced for fall and had a hint of cinnamon in it; it was Woodchuck Draft Fall Cider. It was a perfect pairing.

It was a very nice dinner and definitely a step up from take out, though I did kind of miss it in a nostalgic kind of way.

Technical Difficulties

May 20, 2009 by Regina 1 Comment

So you must be wondering if I have have given this whole blogging thing up for bigger and better things. Well the answer is no, not exactly. You see I have been having these hosting issues that will not go away. It is really getting annoying and yes I have spent much time with tech support and still things are not working as they should.

But moving on….. I catered a small spa party last night at a salon. I have prepared a small healthy menu and I took a risk in that I sold a menu with a dish I had never tested and 1 I had never even tasted! But I have had all the ingredients so I could figure out a flavor profile but still! Luckily it all turned out well. I don’t know how this catering thing happened, I just kind of fell into it and I have to say I kind of like it. I get to do something I enjoy and on top of that get paid! Not a bad gig huh?

So would you like to know the menu? Ok here is goes:

Muhammara with Whole Wheat Pita (I had never tasted this before)
Candied Ginger Macadamia Nuts
Vegetable Sushi Rolls
Marinated Strawberries in Phyllo Cups with Yogurt
Citrus Cucumber Fresca (to wash it all down with!)

I actually love this menu. I am making it for about 10-15 people who will be coming to learn more about knew spa treatments and skin care that the salon is offering. I picked the menu based on ingredients that are are good for the skin and body as a whole. I know, besides the salon owner I will be the only person who realizes this but that doesn’t matter.

Muhammara is a Turkish dip not unlike hummus. It is a beautiful deep red color and has a wonderful unexpected texture. It is made with roasted red peppers, walnuts, cracker crumbs, lemon juice, olive oil, cayenne pepper and pomegranate molasses. It has a a sweet, tangy, and spicy flavor that is unlike anything I have ever had before. Though this dish may be high in fat it is high in monounsaturated fats; which are the good fats. Fats that have been linked with decreasing amounts of breast cancer as well as healthy skin, nails and hair! Not to mention it is loaded with Vitamin E and Vitamin C. Perfect for a salon party!

Candied Ginger Macadamia Nuts are awesome! Sweet, crunchy, spicy, and nutty! It is a great snack, although they can be quite addicting; I could not stop “testing” them!

Vegetable Sushi Rolls are easy to make and easier to eat! And the possibilities are endless. I made cucumber rolls, avocado rolls, and pickled carrot rolls. Served with pickled ginger and wasabi, it can be a meal in its self, at least for me.

For the sweet tooth, I marinated some sliced fresh strawberries in a little raw sugar and pure vanilla extract. Then pilled them into small phyllo cups and topped with a dollop of vanilla yogurt.

And last to wash everything thing down a Citrus Cucumber Fresca. Its really simple, mix together cucumber juice, lemon juice and little sugar (or agave nectar) to taste then add either carbonated or non carbonated mineral water. I like the bubbles so I used carbonated but either way it is a very refreshing drink; great for pool side!

Well, that’s it for now. I will let you know how it all went. Hopefully, my host will have fixed the problem once and for all!

Appetizers

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