A Girl and Her Pig

We couldn't wait till April Bloomfield's book came out.  When we heard she was writing a cookbook, we haunted Amazon until it got a publication date, then we kept waiting.  When the cover surfaced, we knew this would be a keeper.  (Ironically, the book has been trashed on Amazon BECAUSE of the cover.  It seems people are outraged about the pig.  Seriously, people, where do you think pork comes from if not the pig and no one is out there condemning every single barbecue book out there.  So pork is OK as long as we don't have to see where it comes from?  How stupid...but I digress...)

Bloomfiled was trained by Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers of the famed River Cafe.  They are famous for their "simple" fare.   The irony is some of their most famous dishes are way complicated.   That may be the mantra for Bloomfiled's book.  In an attempt to make her "simple" food accessible to the general public the direction are beyond complicated.   Her summer Tomato Soup consists of tomatoes and olive oil with some salt, garlic and basil.  There are two pages of directions.  You can only guess how long the recipe for her Beef and Bayley Hazen Pie is... four pages, not counting the page with the picture of the pie.  The thing is, in 2010, the Australian magazine, Gourmet Traveller published Bloomfiled's recipe for Beef, Stilton and Suet Pie (basically an identical recipe) without all the pomp and circumstance. 

The recipes in this book are fantastic, don't let this (or the vegan marauders at Amazon derail you from getting this book), but be forewarned.   When you look at the directions to any recipe, take a moment to breath.  The directions feature all of Bloomfield's attention to exacting detail extrapolated.

Roasted vegetables are a favorite.  Carrots, parsnips, fennel with some olive oil, garlic and salt.   In this book it is rocket science.  In fact the following recipe is from a magazine and not from her book.  Slightly different amounts, and far less instruction... and this recipe has a lot of instruction for roasted veg...

Roasted Veg

4 large fennel bulbs, outer layer removed, stalks discarded, and fronds reserved
4 small skin-on red onions, roots trimmed but ends intact, halved lengthwise
4 medium parsnips, peeled, topped, and tailed
6 medium carrots, peeled, topped, and tailed
1/2–3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
14 skin-on garlic cloves, separated
Maldon salt

 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Trim the root end of the fennel, removing any brown bits but keeping the end intact. Halve the fennel bulbs lengthwise. Ideally, the parsnips and carrots will be about the same size, but if the top portion is much thicker than the others, lop off this portion and halve it lengthwise.

Heat half the oil in a large heavy-bottomed sauté pan set over high heat until it’s hot—rippling, crackling, and smoking a little—about 5 minutes. Carefully add half the vegetables, with the cut sides of the onion and fennel facing downward, and let them sizzle. As they slowly brown, you’ll smell the sweetness as the vegetables’ sugars emerge. Once the undersides are golden brown (about 10 minutes), transfer the vegetables, brown side up, to a large heavy-bottomed roasting pan. Repeat with the remaining oil and vegetables.

Sprinkle plenty of Maldon salt over the vegetables in the roasting pan, crushing it between your fingers. Don’t stir, because you don’t want the vegetables to lose the salt. Scatter the garlic within the pan, and pop it into the oven.

Cook the vegetables, gently turning them over occasionally. Continue cooking until you can easily slide a knife into and out of the vegetables (40 to 50 minutes). You’re not aiming for crispy vegetables.

Arrange the vegetables and garlic on a large platter, then spoon on some of the sweet oil left in the pan. Sprinkle on a handful of chopped fennel fronds, and a little more salt, if you fancy it.

April Bloomfiled's stories about her life and food are wonderful.  The photo's are great.   The instructions are EXACTING and we mean exacting.   Which is nice if you are reading a cookbook.  To cook from this book, read the recipe, read it again and then just cook.

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MARINATED PORK LOIN

After grilling the same country style pork ribs  for the past umpteen years, I wanted a change.  I wanted to find some cut of pork that didn't need pre-cooking (in order to get it nice and tender). So recently, we started grilling pork loin (not tenderloin). The whole loin is very tender, flavorful and unlike the country style pork ribs that have lots of ... what picky-picky husband calls "waste" (fat, gristle, bone), the loins have ZERO "waste".  I usually buy a 2 pound loin and that is perfect for three big eaters (or 2 of us plus lunch tomorrow).

 

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons pineapple juice
1 tablespoon dehydrated onion flakes
4 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Put everything in a large zip lock plastic bag and squeeze it around to mix well.

Slice your 2 pound pork loin into 3/4" thick slices and put them into the bag with the marinade, making sure the liquid reaches all of the meat surfaces.  Put the bag in the fridge for 6-12 hours (I did it for 6 hours and it was perfect).

When you are ready to grill, remove the meat from the marinade (but save the marinade). Bring the marinade to a very gentle boil and cook it for 15 minutes. This cooking time will make the marinade safe to eat AND it will thicken the marinade so you can use it to baste the pork loin on the grill.

Grill your pork outdoors, basting the meat each time you flip it over.

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LEMON MERINGUE PIE FOR TWO

Whether you are empty nesters, like us, or you only have a couple of people to cook for; "recipes for two" are great!! Not only do they eliminate the temptation for 2nd third helpings, but they are excellent for those times when you don't feel like eating the same full size dessert all week!! This recipe makes two perfect (single serving size) lemon meringue pies, one of picky-picky husbands favorites.

CRUST
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon  cold shortening (I use butter flavored)
1 tablespoon cold butter
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
1 tablespoon cold water

Mix all of the dry ingredients in a small bowl; cut the cold shortening and butter into the dry ingredients until it is about "half of a pea" size. Stir in the cold water and mix into a ball (don't over work). Divide dough in half.

Any small oven proof dish will work for these little pies; I used my 10 ounce Pyrex custard cups.  Press the dough into the bottom and about half way up the sides of the custard cup. You can roll out the dough if you like, but I find it easier to just press the dough into place. Bake in preheated 425 oven for about 10 minutes or until light golden. Remove from oven and set aside.

LEMON FILLING
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon corn starch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold water
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten with fork   (save the egg white)
2 tablespoons FRESH lemon juice
1 tablespoon butter

In a small, heavy bottom, saucepan, mix the sugar, cornstarch and salt; whisk in the cold water,  until it is smooth.  Cook (stirring) on medium heat until thick and bubbly, then reduce heat and cook (and stir) for 2 minutes.

Slowly drizzle about half of the hot mixture into the beaten egg yolk (whisking like crazy as you drizzle, so you don't get scrambled eggs). Once well whisked, put it all back into the saucepan and cook 2 more minutes at a gentle boil.

Remove from heat and add butter and lemon juice; mix thoroughly and pour into baked pie shells.

MERINGUE
1 egg white
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Using a GLASS bowl (never use plastic when whipping egg whites) and beaters that are totally free from any grease or oil; beat egg white and cream of tartar until you get soft peaks. Sprinkle in the vanilla and sugar (while the mixer is still running) and continue beating until you get stiff peaks.

Spread meringue onto hot filling. Put back into a preheated 350 oven for about 10-15 minutes or until the peaks of the meringue are golden.

After the meringue is cooked, let these little pies sit at room temperature for about an hour then chill them for at least 2 hours before serving. Once they are chilled, you can lift the pies out of their baking dish for a prettier presentation.

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The Edgewater Sandwich Book

Everyone knows the story of the sandwich.  Once upon a time...   

The Earl of Sandwich was a big old gambler and could not be persuaded to leave the card table for the dinner table.  He instructed his cook to slap his meat between to slices of bread so he could eat and gamble simultaneously.  Here, necessity was the mother of invention.

Sine then, the sandwich has been a staple in our diet and once we eat anything, of course, someone writes a cookbook about it.  Arnold Shircliffe wrote The Edgewater Sandwich Book in 1930 for the Hotel Monthly Handbook series.  Hotel Monthly did a series of books that were long and narrow, presumably to tuck into a Chef’s vest pocket.  (Though I couldn’t name a chef that has a vest pocket these days.)  Arnold Shircliffe was quite the collector of all things food.  For many years he worked at the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago.

The Edgewater Sandwich Book features a dedication to the founder of the sandwich, the famous Earl, whose picture graces the frontispiece of the book.

These little Hotel Monthly books have become quite collectible.  Like so many of these little books, they are filled with recipes that are a bit vague.  Well, perhaps not vague to a chef, they are still just sandwiches.  Really, a ham and cheese open face sandwich is a ham and cheese open face sandwich. If the “recipe” calls for strawberry jam, then just add it.

The little book has hundreds of sandwich recipes and a special chapter for canapés and for compound butters and spreads for sandwiches.

There are ham, roast beef, veal, pig’s feet, rabbit, even squirrel sandwiches which one makes the same way as one would make a rabbit sandwich.  

Rabbit Sandwich

Rabbit, bread, butter, lettuce, bacon

Sauté the leg or loin of rabbit, then smother until tender.  Allow to cool, then cut in thin slices.  Arrange them on thin slices of buttered bread.  Season, press on leaf of lettuce, a strip of grilled bacon and upper slice.  Trim and cut in two diagonally.

Not only are there a plethora of meaty fillings there are also vegetable, nuts and fruit fillings.  Apples are of course, a logical choice for sandwich fillings, but prunes are a new one.

Prune Sandwich-I

Prunes, lemon juice, lettuce, mayonnaise, bread

Mix together six large prunes, chopped, two teaspoons lemon juice and one-third head lettuce, chopped fine.  Spread with butter and mayonnaise on slices of plain bread.  Press on upper slice and cut in desired shapes.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Prune Sandwich-II.  It calls for a whole wheat bread and Oregon prunes which are supposed to be tart.   For the truly bold there is something called the cannibal, an open faced sandwich of beef tartar.

Cannibal Sandwich

Spread thin slices of bread with finely ground or chopped raw beef, without tissues and sinews, mixed with a little finely chopped onion, and seasoned.  This is an open sandwich and the layer of meat should be about the same thickness as the bread.  Sprinkle with chopped chives and criss-cross with fork times to give a decorative appearance.

 Lord knows there is nothing worse than a Cannibal Sandwich that has not been decorated with fork tines.  This is one of those collectible titles that is a charming piece of history, but is probably not for everyone.  Though without this gem, I would have never thought of a pig’s foot sandwich or a cannibal sandwich, either.

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CLASSIC MACARONI SALAD

Everyone seems to have their own tried and true family macaroni or potato salad recipe. Some have lots of vinegar, some have lots of mustard, some have no eggs (yee gads!!) I even had some that had small cubes of sharp Cheddar cheese which was surprisingly tasty.

I remember when I was little, my folks took us back to visit our VERY German relatives in the Dakota's and one of my Aunts gave me some German potato salad. I was a huge fan of potato salad, but let me tell you that hers was not like any other potato salad I had ever tasted. It was not only FULL of vinegar and bacon grease, but it was HOT!! It's been over 50 years but I still can remember my shock!!  lol

What do you put in YOUR macaroni (potato) salad?

2 cups dry small seashell macaroni
½ cup chopped onion chopped (fairly fine)
3 stalks of celery with leaves chopped (fairly fine)
½ cup red bell pepper chopped (optional)
1 cup grated carrot
3 large pickles chopped (favorite flavor)
4 hard-boiled eggs chopped
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup lite mayonnaise
3 tablespoons yellow prepared mustard
3 tablespoons pickle juice

Boil macaroni for 8 minutes (or as recommended on box), then rinse under cold water, and drain very well.

NOTE: Many recipes warn you not to rinse cooked macaroni, however, I find that macaroni salad stays creamier if you rinse the starch off of the cooked macaroni before you add the mayonnaise to the salad.

Add chopped veggies, eggs and pickles to the cooked and rinsed macaroni. Whisk the mayonnaise, mustard, pepper and pickle juice together and gently stir into the macaroni-veggies.

IMPORTANT: This salad really needs to sit in the refrigerator overnight so the flavors can blend together…it makes a huge difference.

NOTE: I do not add salt to this salad because there is already a lot of salt in the pickles, pickle juice and mustard.

NOTE: Just before I put this salad into the fridge, for the first time, I put a piece of wax paper (or plastic wrap) on the surface of the salad and then I lay 2 paper towels (folded) on top of the wax paper and snap the Tupperware lid on. The paper towel will attract any condensation in the bowl and the waxed paper (or plastic wrap) will keep the moisture from running down into the salad. Once the salad is in the fridge overnight, discard the wax paper and paper towel.

NOTE: The amount of mayonnaise you use is up to you. Start with 1 cup and add more if you like your salad creamier.

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The Farm

Seriously, that whole farm-to-table idea has gotten so twee.  Everyone with a fourth-floor walk up and a can of compost envisions themselves a farmer.   And I applaud it, I do.  Now if you are looking for an authentic farm experience, give Ian Knauer's The Farm a try.   Knauer worked as a recipe tester for Gourmet for many years but people began to notice that his recipes were often to better than the ones he was being asked to test.

Truth be told, he also spent a lot time on the farm... an actual farm in the Pennsylvania countryside.   Like many people, Knauer packed up and moved from the idyllic countryside to find fame and fortune in the big city.  The big city is just that --big; and a city.   Knauer conned his sisters into heading back to their childhood haunts to work the family farm for a year.  The nostalgia of garden tomatoes proved too much to pass up.

Knaur takes the reader though a year in his family garden.  It has memories and history and some great food.  There are a lot of cool recipes in this book, but this is the kind of cake we love.   It is a recipe from Ian's grandmother, whose farm was thick with black walnuts.  

Black Walnut Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup black or English walnut pieces
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/3 cups buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 350°F, with a rack in the middle. Butter and flour a 9-inch-square cake pan.

Whisk together the flour, walnuts, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.

Beat together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture and the buttermilk alternately in batches, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and mixing until just combined.

Pour the batter into the cake pan and smooth the top. Bake until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 to 55 minutes. Cool in the pan on a rack for 1 hour. Invert the cake over a cake plate and serve.

I love to watch Ian Knauer on Unique Eats.   Rumor has it he might have a new show this year on NBC Sports.  He used to have a fine blog, but I guess writing a cookbook took him away from all that.  Ian, honey, please keep linking your info to your blog.

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Cooking In A Castle

My friend, Anne, recently sent me home with French cookbook entitled Cooking In A Castle by William Kaufman.  It's a tough job, traveling around France, visiting castles and eating their food, but someone has to do it.  (Why isn't it me?)

The book is chocked full of pictures of castles, but nary a morsel of food.  Still, it offers up some interesting recipes.  It seems that in France, as in much or the world, owning a castle is not cracked up to what it used to be.  One must keep up the building and grounds without loyal subjects who face the guillotine if they do not obey.  So many of these later day chateau owners have become defacto hoteliers to keep the lights on.

The book, published in 1965, offers up a Red Devil Cake.  This version of a Red Velvet Cake is usually found in books about the American South, not the South of France, but there it is in all its glory, illustrating that the history of our popular red cake is not as unique or as Southern as we think. 

Today's recipe is from the Cahteau de Cheronnac.  Its major claim to fame is that at one time (when this book was written) it was owned by Lily Fayol, chanteuse extraordinaire.

As summer is creeping up on us, I am always on the lookout for tomato recipes.  This recipe for a Tomato Pie has my mind spinning with all the different ways I can make (improve) it.

Tomato Pie

Pastry for one pie crust
6 large, firm tomatoes, sliced
1/3 to 1/2 cup butter
Salt, pepper, curry powder


Cut a 14 inch circle of aluminium foil; place on baking sheet and flour lightly.  Roll out pastry into a 14-inch circle; flute edges if desired.  Bake in a 425 F. oven for 10 minutes; remove.  Sprinkle tomato slices lightly with salt, pepper and curry powder.  Dredge in flour.  Melt butter in a large skillet.  Fry quickly on both sides until brown and crisp.  Place tomato slices on top of the pastry side by side. Bake in 350 F. oven 12 to 15 minutes.

This looks like a definite summer staple.

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Hominy Grill Recipes

Yes boys and girls, vacation made me stupid.  So I have been lax in my postings and I apologize.  But I did get some cool offerings as I ate my way across Charleston and Savannah.  So let us begin.   Stopped in at the fabulous Hominy Grill.   (If you did not see my posting at Lucindaville, I left on my vacation with a bunch of newfangled photo apps that I did not make the best of.  Like old Polaroids, most every picture I took sucked.  But since one no longer has the limitation of the cost of printing actual film... there are a plethora of BAD pictures to go around.)

The Hominy Grill is known for its Big Ugly Biscuit.  It involves a large biscuit, a large piece of fried chicken stuffed into the biscuit.  A scoop of cheese on top of the chicken.  Finally and ladle of sausage gravy to add a certain lightness to the mix!   How good is that!

Pretty darn good.  Along with the food one can get t-shirts, mugs and a small cookbook.   While the Big Ugly Biscuit is not in the cookbook, the actual biscuit recipe is included.    But the best thing in the cookbook is their chocolate pudding recipe.

It seems that Alton Brown showed up about a year ago and no one noticed him.  Then the Food Network did one of their "Best Thing I Ever Ate" shows about chocolate and Brown said the best chocolate he ever ate was the chocolate pudding at Hominy Grill.  It tasted he said, "like sucking the soul out of a little chocolate Easter bunny."

Chocolate Pudding

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate

1/2 cup sugar

6 egg yolks

4 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Chop chocolate, reserve in bowl.

Whisk 1/4 cup sugar into egg yolks. Mix rest of sugar with cream & vanilla in saucepan, bring to a boil. Pour a little hot cream into bowl with egg yolks for smoothness and then pour the remainder over chocolate, stir with spatula until smooth. Add egg mixture and salt, then train into a pitcher.

Refrigerate until cool.

Pour into 2/3 cup ramekins, place ramekins into a shallow baking pan half filled with water & cook for about an hour.

Chill for at least 3 hours before serving.

I was told, the chef's secret is using not just any bittersweet chocolate but using Callebaut chocolate.  Well, it was quite the experience.  Here's Alton with a bit of extraneous stuff from the show.

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INDIVIDUAL YORKSHIRE PUDDINGS

On VERY special occasions, my British mother used to make roast beef with Yorkshire pudding. She baked the pudding in a 9" x 9" pan and I can still picture the huge golden "puff" coming out of the oven. Of course, it always collapsed by the time she brought it to the table, but we all thought it was SUPPOSED to look like that and we eagerly dunked chunks of the tasty treat into mom's deliciously perfect beef gravy; Mmmmmm, I can still taste it.

Recently, I decided to make a couple of changes to my Yorkshire pudding recipe. First, I made them into individual puddings and secondly, I decided to serve them with roast chicken and gravy, so I added a little poultry seasoning and onion powder  into the batter; what a nostalgic treat!!

 This recipe is fool proof as long as you follow it closely.

The cooking times for these individual Yorkshire puddings work well if you bake them in one of those over-sized cupcake pans, I believe they are called Texas size muffin pans; a popover pan will work well also. If you use a standard cupcake pan, you'll have to reduce the cooking time.

Put your UNGREASED pan in a COLD oven and then preheat the oven and pan to 425.

While your oven/pan is preheating, whisk together:

3 eggs
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon onion powder (not onion salt)
½ teaspoon poultry seasoning  (if you use chicken gravy)
1 cup of milk (see note)
1 tablespoon melted butter

NOTE: If I have whipping cream, I put about ¼ cup of whipping cream in a measuring cup and then fill the rest of the way with 2% milk...if I have no cream on hand, I just use 1 cup of 2% milk.

After the above ingredients are whisked together well, add one cup of all purpose flour (spoon flour into measuring measuring cup and level off with straight edge). Whisk everything together until it looks very smooth and creamy. Let batter sit at room temperature while your oven preheats.

Working quickly (so your pan doesn't cool off) take your pan out of the hot oven and spray each cup with vegetable spray. Put a small chunk of COLD butter (roughly ½ teaspoon but the exact size is not crucial) (see note below) into the bottom of each hot cup (don't wait for it to melt). Fill each cup half way full.

Bake at 425 for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn the oven down to 325 (don't open the oven door) and bake for another 15 minutes. Remove puddings from pan and poke a tiny hole (I use a toothpick) in the bottom of each popover to relieve a little steam (not totally necessary if you are going to eat them right away).

The inside of the Yorkshire pudding is full of light batter with holes, which is perfect for holding butter and gravy.

NOTE: Traditionally, you are supposed to pour the batter over hot beef fat  in the bottom of each muffin cup, however, I couldn't bring myself to do that (and besides I was serving them with chicken), so I used butter and it works great.

NOTE: If you are serving these with roast beef, omit the poultry seasoning and add whatever seasoning you like.

NOTE: This recipe makes six generous Yorkshire puddings.

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BAJA SAUCE (Taco Bell Clone)

Taco Bell has a condiment that I adore, it is called Baja Sauce and it is cool, creamy, spicy and completely addicting (plus it is oh so easy to make).

 1/4 of a red bell pepper
1 jalapeno seeded chopped(see note below)
2 tablespoons diced onion

Put the above ingredients in a food processor, and chop until very fine.

Mix
6 teaspoons of the above chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon vinegar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Mix well and cover. Chill overnight.

NOTE:  I use a very small jalapeno and remove the seeds and ribs  to lessen the heat factor for picky-picky husband, but if you like more "heat", use a larger pepper or leave some of the seeds  in.

NOTE: I've never tried Miracle Whip in this recipe, so I can't comment on that. I used light mayonnaise and light sour cream and it worked very well.

NOTE: Make sure you let it sit in the fridge overnight, makes all the difference in the world.

NOTE: This keeps in the fridge for several days.

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SUNDAY MORNING FLUFFY BISCUITS

I have been biscuit "challenged" for many years, so when I'm in a hurry, I usually resort to a tube of commercial rolls and try to jazz them up, but they are pretty unmistakable (and getting expensive!!). 

The last few years, I've tried out a lot of biscuit recipes, in hopes of finding the perfect one; one that is flavorful, light, fluffy and EASY............here is my latest success...YUM!!!

Made with baking powder, baking soda, buttermilk AND yeast, these biscuits are light and fluffy. Hot out of the oven with butter and honey, they are a winner!!!

In a small bowl, mix 1 packet of dry active yeast, a pinch of sugar and ¼ cup of warm water (set aside). After a few minutes, it should be foamy like this:

2½ cups of all purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
1½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon of white sugar
6 tablespoons Crisco flavored shortening
1 cup buttermilk (see note)

Stir dry ingredients together and then cut in the shortening until it is about the size of small peas. Stir in the dissolved yeast and buttermilk. Mix well, but do not over mix. Turn out onto floured board and roll to ¾” thick. Cut with a 3” biscuit cutter. Place on parchment paper and bake in preheated 400° oven for 12-14 minutes or until nice and golden. Brush with melted butter when they come out of the oven; they make fantastic breakfast sandwiches!!

NOTE: No kneading needed.

NOTE: This recipe does not work as well if you use butter instead of shortening. I use butter flavored Crisco in all my recipes that call for shortening.

NOTE: Don't be tempted to use your food processor when cutting in the shortening, it will process the shortening to much, it is better to have larger pieces of butter than super fine. I use my pastry cutter.

NOTE: Do NOT add all of the buttermilk at once. Add about 2/3 of it and see if that is enough. Personally, I think 1 cup of milk is too much, but everyone’s flour is different. Just flour your board enough so that the biscuits are not sticky.

NOTE: If you don’t have parchment paper, spray your pan with vegetable spray.

NOTE: Don’t use a twisting motion when you are cutting your biscuits. It seals off
the edges and they won’t raise very high.

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FIVE STAR GREEN PEA SALAD

We still have a lot of snow around the edges of the yard (several feet of it as a matter of fact), but it won't be long before it's barbecue season again, so my thoughts are turning towards side dishes that can be prepared ahead of time. 

Summer Pea Salad, jazzed up with crisp bacon and tomatoes is one of my favorites. It is one of those great salads that travels well and tastes even better after it has been in the fridge for a day or two. If you are going to make this salad, in advance, don't add the crisp bacon right away (it will get soggy), just sprinkle it over the salad before serving.
16 ounce bag of frozen green peas
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup grated carrot
1/2 cup celery chopped
1 cup thinly sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup red bell pepper chopped
3 slices of crisp bacon cut up (optional)
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded (I use more)
cherry tomatoes, cut in half
sunflower seeds

Fresh green peas are the best in this salad, but when they are not available, frozen peas work very well too.  Microwave peas (covered) with 1 tablespoon of water for about 3 minutes or until slightly cooked (but not soft) then drain and cool.

In a large bowl, mix all of the above ingredients together (except the cherry tomatoes); gently fold in the dressing.

Dressing
3 heaping tablespoons of light mayonnaise
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1-2 tablespoons milk
Whisk the ingredients together and gently fold into salad.

Add cherry tomatoes and an extra sprinkle of cheese to the top of the salad for decoration. Cover and chill.
NOTE: Every microwave cooks at a different rate, so keep an eye on your peas when you microwave them. You don't want them to get overcooked and mushy.

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Eating Our Way...

...through Charleston & Savannah. Follow the adventure @Lucindaville.

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Wood-Fired Cooking

It is clear that I was an arsonist in a previous life. I love fire. I love cooking. So cooking with fire...that is the best.

Let's start at the beginning. In the beginning man cooked meat over an open flame. He survived, so really, how hard can it be? Well, harder than one might imagine. There is fire, but what kind of fire? Charcoal? Wood? What kind of wood? What kind of fire container? There are wood ovens, campfires, grills, big green eggs. Yes, meat is the obvious but what about breads and vegetables and seafood, oh my!

This is where Mary Karlin and Wood-Fired Cooking comes in. She has answers to all these questions. If they are not in the book, there are many answers at her web site, Elements of Taste. There you can also sign up for special cooking classes and find the most eco-friendly charcoal among other things.

Most cooing with wood type books are heavy handed on the barbecue side. Meat, sausage, a rub, a glaze, a sauce, throw in some beans and grilled fruit and there you are. With Wood-Fired Cooking one could just as easily leave out the wood-fired and have a great cookbook. (This is, of course, a bad idea as one would not get the nice char marks and smokey goodness that cooking over fire produces, but I digress.)

The book provides several cooking options depending upon each individual cooking nerd. (I mean that in a nice way, but if you have a roasting box and a big green egg invite me over!) Here is Karlin offering several ways to cook a duck or a chicken.

Tea-Brined Mahogany Duck


Tea Brine

8 cups water
1/2 cup Darjeeling or oolong tea leaves
3 slices fresh ginger
2 star anise pods
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup honey

Two 3-pound ducks, or one 5-pound roasting chicken

Basting Sauce

1 cup reserved tea brine
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
4 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons honey

To make the brine, combine the water, tea leaves, ginger, and star anise in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and let steep for 30 minutes. In a large nonreactive container, combine the steeped tea, soy sauce, and honey and stir until the honey is dissolved. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Add the bird(s) to the brine; refrigerate ducks for 4 hours, chicken for 6 hours. Keep the bird(s) submerged by placing a plate on top to weight down and at a temperature of not more than 40°F (4°C). Remove from the brine 1 hour before cooking. Rinse and pat dry.

Prepare a medium-hot fire 400°F (200°C) in a wood-fired oven or cooker.

To make the basting sauce, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir until the honey is dissolved.

To roast in a box roaster, place the bird(s) breast side down on a wire roasting rack in a roasting pan or clay baker and baste with the basting sauce. Light the charwood once the bird(s) is in place. Roast, covered, with indirect heat for 1 hour. Being careful not to pierce the skin, turn over, baste, and roast for 30 to 45 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in a thigh registers 175° to 180°F (79°C to 82°C).

To roast in a wood-fired oven or ceramic cooker such as a Big Green Egg, place the bird(s) breast side down in a roasting pan and baste with the basting sauce. Roast for 1 hour. Being careful not to pierce the skin, turn over, baste, and roast for 30 to 45 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in a thigh registers 175° to 180°F (79°C to 82°C).

Let sit for 10 minutes before carving and serving.

Birds and fire...what a great combo. If you are looking to get yourself or someone you know a "barbecue' book for summer, grab a copy of Wood-Fired Cooking. The food will be better for it.

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BACON

Mmmmm, Bacon!!

I am never frying bacon again!! Don't get me wrong, we are not removing bacon from our menu, it is just the frying method that I will never do again. Don't you hate cramming 4 or 5 pieces, at a time, into your largest frying pan... trying to get them all to lay flat as they curl up and leave those white fatty ends on each piece?!?!?  Me too, so I went on an Internet hunt for a "flat bacon miracle" and I found a super easy one!! Maybe everyone already knows about this method, but I sure didn't and I can tell you right now, I'll never fry bacon in a frying pan again!!

Using a large baking sheet that has a lip on it, spray it with a little cooking spray (probably not really necessary, but it makes for easier clean up) and line up the raw bacon slices, side by side, like this (my baking sheet cooked a 12 ounce package of bacon all at once.

Now, depending on how thick your bacon is and how hot your oven runs, it takes roughly 20-25 minutes at 375 degrees (I don't even pre-heat the oven) to bake the whole package at once!! No turning slices, no splattering in your oven, no bacon fat skin burns and no curly bacon....its magic!!

Start watching the bacon at about 20 minutes for regular thickness sliced bacon (I've never timed the thick sliced stuff). It comes out absolutely perfectly flat and Picky-picky husband who is one of the strictest bacon critics that I've ever met, gave this bacon BOTH thumbs up and raved about what a great texture and taste it had.....well, blow me over!!

Not only is this a wonderful way to cook mass amounts of bacon, but it leaves your entire cooking range free for whatever!!

NOTE: If you like super crispy bacon, just leave it in for an extra minute.

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MAPLE PECAN PIE

Picky-picky husband quizzed me on what flavor pie I was making this morning and when I told him it was maple pecan, my "pecan pie purist" husband wrinkled up his nose and went silent...(no fear...I'm used to that response ha! ha!). However, I've noticed him cutting extra slices from the pie more than once today, so I'm guessing he approves (everyone else loved it too!!).

This recipe is a nice, sweet change from traditional pecan pie since it's made with real maple syrup and it goes together quick and easy!! 

2 teaspoons butter
1½ cups pecans
3 eggs
1 cup real maple syrup (not pancake syrup)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon maple extract
1/2 teaspoon salt

Melt 2 teaspoons of butter in a frying pan and toast the pecans for a couple of minutes. Be very careful because they burn FAST!! Let the toasted nuts cool for about 10 minutes before adding them to the pie filling.

Mix everything else in a large bowl, using a whisk to combine well.  Stir in the cooled pecans and pour this filling into an unbaked 9" pie shell.

Bake in a preheated 350 oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until the filling is set and puffs a little. My oven takes the full 50 minutes.  Cool to room temperature before slicing.

NOTE: The first time I made this pie, I didn't watch the pecans close enough and they scorched (an expensive lesson!!). So most of the time, I toast them in the oven while it is preheating (just to be safe).

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