So what else can you do with 6 lbs of chicken? Well, hopefully when you ate it (and not all of the chicken), you saved the bones. I should have mentioned, the 6 lbs of chicken meat was meant for only 2 people, and made to stretch of dinner that night, chicken chunks for butternut squash soup and more chicken for Part 4!
Parts 2 and 3 will consist of making chicken stock and then using the baked squash to make a Curried Butternut & Acorn Squash Soup!! For making the stock, in case you are not blessed with owning a fine meshed sieve, a clean dishtowel in a colander will work well for straining your chicken broth out (a great little trick that Chris Lloyd and I learned last year when hosting Thanksgiving!).
Other exciting news in my life consists of is the Cuisinart Smart Stick. Thanks Crow for the Crate&Barrel gift card :] !! My old Toastmaster worked wonders for a while, but finally got just a bit too tired and broken, so I traded up and got this little guy. Although there is only one speed setting, it is a wonderful kitchen tool, not to mention all the other great little add ons that come with the set! It quickly and evenly purred the soup into nice and smooth squash soup goodness!!
Chicken Stock & Curried Butternut & Acorn Squash Soup
For the Stock
ingredients
1 leek, white parts only
2 celery stalks, cut into 3 inch lengths
2 carrots, cut into 3 inch lengths
1/2 large onion
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp peppercorns
chicken bones
1-3 pieces of raw chicken pieces (drumsticks, thighs, or wings)
For the Soup
ingredients
1/2 onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 chopped garlic cloves
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups of baked butternut & acorn squash
1 tart apple, peeled and cubed
1.5 cups shredded chicken meat (left over from baked chicken)
3-4 cups of chicken stock*
1-2 tablespoons curry powder
salt & pepper
instructions
For the Stock
1. remove the meat off of your uneaten, remaining chicken legs and set aside. place everything else (bones from legs, skin peeled off, etc etc) into a 5-6 quart stock pot
2. fill pot with cold water until all ingredients are covered plus 2 inches
3. put pot on stove, on high, uncovered. as soon as bubbles start to break the surface, turn the heat down so that the pot barely simmers
4. LEAVE UNCOVERED. Skim away surface crud as needed
5. leave on a barely simmer for 3-6 hours, or until all flavor has been leeched out
6. remove all large pieces. Having a clean 3 quart pot ready, strain broth with a fine mesh sieve to get the rest of the crud out
7. plunge pot into a 40F ice bath to cool
8. set aside needed chicken broth volume, and the remainder into the fridge!
instructions
For the Soup
1. in a 3 quart pot, heat olive oil.
2. toss in onions, garlic, celery, and carrots. lightly salt. Cook until onions are translucent, ~ 10 minutes
4. Mix in butternut squash & apple
5. Add about 2.5 - 3 cups of chicken stock, enough to mix into the squash and cover it
6. bring to a near boil, and then let simmer for 20 minutes, or until apples are soft
7. take off heat, and with immersion wand, blend mixture until it is of smooth consistency
8. if it is too thick, add more chicken broth
9. add chicken, and heat up to a low simmer.
10. add curry powder, salt and pepper until desired flavor is reached
* If you have an entire day to make chicken stock followed by the soup, then use your homemade chicken stock, just know since the intial stock is made without salt, you'll have to add more salt. If you are impatient, like me, you can use regular from the can chicken stock
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Baked Chicken, 4 ways- Part 1
Hello World! I've been lacking on my blogging... wow! So much has happened since September 17th.. okay, not really...
Happy belated birthday to my friend Christel. I promised I would do a special blog for her birthday (she did grilled pizzas- they were amazing!!) but the time has waaayyy past!
Anyhow, nothing too new in my life, yes, still very much unemployed!! The mountains are getting glorious amounts of snow (it's a sight to be seen!) and I am seriously contemplating heading to A Basin for some early season snowboarding tomorrow. My life is hard. I know.
This next series of blogs are going to be about chicken quarters. The chicken quarter, for me personally, is the best part of the chicken, with dark meat, some white and tons of flavor... not to mention it is also super duper inexpensive (Hi Chicken Breasts! What? you cost $7.99/lb? No thanks, I'll take some of them Chicken Legs instead for $1.99). Since it is fall and winter squashes are becoming a plenty, I am taking this opportunity to see what I can do with chicken and winter squashes.
So in this edition of my blog, you can pick and choose what you want to make... but let us follow the life of 6 lbs of chicken legs that I bought. This blog also won't have a picture (we ate part 1 of the chicken legs last night) but everything else will. First up is just baked chicken legs. In the oven with the legs are oven baked potato wedges and acorn and butternut squash. Sure, it sounds like a lot to have in your oven, but you might as well be green if you are turning it on by cooking as much as possible right? The legs and potatoes will obviously be eaten tonight and you can obviously have a side of squash too, but the squash will be mainly used for the next evening's dish.
Evening 1, Baked Chicken Quarters, Potato Wedges, and a side of Squash
ingredients
6 lbs of chicken legs, rinsed and pat dry
5 yukon gold potatoes, cut into wedges
Sea salt
pepper
olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, cut into wedges
garlic, coarsely chopped
1/8 tsp red chili flakes
1 butternut squash
2 acorn squash
1 tblspn of flour
1/4 c chicken broth
instructions
1. preheat oven to 375F, coat bottom of baking pan with olive oil
2. season chicken with salt&pepper
3. rub chicken with olive oil
4. place chicken onto baking pan, wedge about 1/2 of the onion in between chicken
5. in a bowl, toss the potatoes in salt&pepper, garlic, and chili flakes.
6. chop up remaining onion and toss that with the potatoes too
7. place in a baking pan
8. cut acorn and butternut squashes in half, remove strings and seeds (save the seeds, they are excellent toasted)
9. in another baking pan, place squash halves cut face up, sprinkle with sea salt, add water so that it is about .5 inches deep and cover with foil
10. place all three pans (chicken, potatoes and squash) into the oven. Bake for 45 - 60 min until juices of the chicken run clear and the squash can have a knife move through it easily, potatoes can be periodically tossed (every 15 min)
11. At this point, if the chicken hasn't thoroughly browned, turn the broiler on to brown the chicken and the potatoes. Remove squash and let cool.
12. Remove chicken from pan and let rest. Toss potatoes to let it continue to brown
13. Transfer the drippings from the pan to a sauce pan. Add small amounts of flour at a time, while whisking continually. Add a bit of chicken broth, continuing to whisk. Add a bit more flour until your gravy has reached desired consistency.
14. Consume dinner of baked chicken, potatoes, and if you want, some of the squash (I scooped a bit out and added some butter)
15. Once the squash has cooled, scoop out its innards and toss the shell. Let everything throughly cool before you store in the fridge.
Tomorrow, we will be making chicken stock, butternut and acorn squash soup!
Happy belated birthday to my friend Christel. I promised I would do a special blog for her birthday (she did grilled pizzas- they were amazing!!) but the time has waaayyy past!
Anyhow, nothing too new in my life, yes, still very much unemployed!! The mountains are getting glorious amounts of snow (it's a sight to be seen!) and I am seriously contemplating heading to A Basin for some early season snowboarding tomorrow. My life is hard. I know.
This next series of blogs are going to be about chicken quarters. The chicken quarter, for me personally, is the best part of the chicken, with dark meat, some white and tons of flavor... not to mention it is also super duper inexpensive (Hi Chicken Breasts! What? you cost $7.99/lb? No thanks, I'll take some of them Chicken Legs instead for $1.99). Since it is fall and winter squashes are becoming a plenty, I am taking this opportunity to see what I can do with chicken and winter squashes.
So in this edition of my blog, you can pick and choose what you want to make... but let us follow the life of 6 lbs of chicken legs that I bought. This blog also won't have a picture (we ate part 1 of the chicken legs last night) but everything else will. First up is just baked chicken legs. In the oven with the legs are oven baked potato wedges and acorn and butternut squash. Sure, it sounds like a lot to have in your oven, but you might as well be green if you are turning it on by cooking as much as possible right? The legs and potatoes will obviously be eaten tonight and you can obviously have a side of squash too, but the squash will be mainly used for the next evening's dish.
Evening 1, Baked Chicken Quarters, Potato Wedges, and a side of Squash
ingredients
6 lbs of chicken legs, rinsed and pat dry
5 yukon gold potatoes, cut into wedges
Sea salt
pepper
olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, cut into wedges
garlic, coarsely chopped
1/8 tsp red chili flakes
1 butternut squash
2 acorn squash
1 tblspn of flour
1/4 c chicken broth
instructions
1. preheat oven to 375F, coat bottom of baking pan with olive oil
2. season chicken with salt&pepper
3. rub chicken with olive oil
4. place chicken onto baking pan, wedge about 1/2 of the onion in between chicken
5. in a bowl, toss the potatoes in salt&pepper, garlic, and chili flakes.
6. chop up remaining onion and toss that with the potatoes too
7. place in a baking pan
8. cut acorn and butternut squashes in half, remove strings and seeds (save the seeds, they are excellent toasted)
9. in another baking pan, place squash halves cut face up, sprinkle with sea salt, add water so that it is about .5 inches deep and cover with foil
10. place all three pans (chicken, potatoes and squash) into the oven. Bake for 45 - 60 min until juices of the chicken run clear and the squash can have a knife move through it easily, potatoes can be periodically tossed (every 15 min)
11. At this point, if the chicken hasn't thoroughly browned, turn the broiler on to brown the chicken and the potatoes. Remove squash and let cool.
12. Remove chicken from pan and let rest. Toss potatoes to let it continue to brown
13. Transfer the drippings from the pan to a sauce pan. Add small amounts of flour at a time, while whisking continually. Add a bit of chicken broth, continuing to whisk. Add a bit more flour until your gravy has reached desired consistency.
14. Consume dinner of baked chicken, potatoes, and if you want, some of the squash (I scooped a bit out and added some butter)
15. Once the squash has cooled, scoop out its innards and toss the shell. Let everything throughly cool before you store in the fridge.
Tomorrow, we will be making chicken stock, butternut and acorn squash soup!
Friday, September 17, 2010
Spicy Ibarra Chocolate Cupcake with Cinnamon Whipped Cream Frosting
I took a small adventure to Aurora, CO. Who knew Aurora housed a beautiful biotech hub and the University of Colorado Medical Center and little Mexico? As I drove around looking for where I needed to go (the Med Center), I drove past a Mexican Grocery store. JACK POT!!! I've been on the hunt for Mexican Chocolate, specifically Ibarra. Mexican chocolate is not like your average Scharffenberger Chocolate bar which you take out of the foil wrap and consume. Instead Mexican chocolate is composed of extremely granular sugar, cacao nibs and cinnamon. Typically it is melted down in milk and made into hot chocolate. Tasty! Looks like Dan and I will be enjoying some extra spice and sugar in our hot chocolates this winter!
Besides Ibarra, what ELSE could make a typical Chocolate Cupcake amazing? Have you ever had a Spicy Chocolate Bar? Oh, who knew the flavor of chili spiciness could be so mutually symbiotic to chocolate... like champagne and oysters, it was meant to be! This flavorful cupcake has a lingering heat from red chili powder, a subtle hint of cinnamon and the crunch of Ibarra.
Ohhh la la!!!
Spicy Ibarra Chocolate Cupcake with Cinnamon Whipped Cream Frosting
ingredients
1 c AP flour
6 tblspn cocoa powder
.33 (.5@SL) tsp b soda
.33 (.5@SL) tsp b powder
.25 tsp salt
.25 tsp red chili powder
.25 tsp cinnamon
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (minus 2 tblspn) white sugar
1.5 tsp vanilla
1 egg
.5 c milk*
.33 c heavy cream*
*if @SL, 2/3 cup whole milk would be just fine
4 squares of Ibarra, chopped
instructions
cupcake
1. Preheat your oven to 375 (350@SL), prepare cupcake tin.
2. whipped butter and sugar together until creamed and fluffy
3. add egg until mixed, add vanilla
4. in a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, chili powder and cinnamon
5. alternating between dry, wet, dry, wet, ending in dry combine flour mixture and milk
6. fold in Ibarra chocolate
7. pour into pan (2/3rd full for standard, 1/2 full for giant sized)
8. bake 20 or so minutes until toothpick comes out clean.
9. let cool on wire rack
makes 6 giant cupcakes
Cinnamon Whipped Cream
ingredients
.5 c heavy whipping cream
3 tblspn powder sugar
.5 tsp vanilla extract
.25 tsp cinnamon
instructions
1. first mix sugar, vanilla & cinnamon
2. slowly add in cream until soft peaks form
3. do not over beat or else you will get butter
4. Top on cooled cupcakes and sprinkle addition cinnamon on top if desired.
Besides Ibarra, what ELSE could make a typical Chocolate Cupcake amazing? Have you ever had a Spicy Chocolate Bar? Oh, who knew the flavor of chili spiciness could be so mutually symbiotic to chocolate... like champagne and oysters, it was meant to be! This flavorful cupcake has a lingering heat from red chili powder, a subtle hint of cinnamon and the crunch of Ibarra.
Ohhh la la!!!
Spicy Ibarra Chocolate Cupcake with Cinnamon Whipped Cream Frosting
ingredients
1 c AP flour
6 tblspn cocoa powder
.33 (.5@SL) tsp b soda
.33 (.5@SL) tsp b powder
.25 tsp salt
.25 tsp red chili powder
.25 tsp cinnamon
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (minus 2 tblspn) white sugar
1.5 tsp vanilla
1 egg
.5 c milk*
.33 c heavy cream*
*if @SL, 2/3 cup whole milk would be just fine
4 squares of Ibarra, chopped
instructions
cupcake
1. Preheat your oven to 375 (350@SL), prepare cupcake tin.
2. whipped butter and sugar together until creamed and fluffy
3. add egg until mixed, add vanilla
4. in a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, chili powder and cinnamon
5. alternating between dry, wet, dry, wet, ending in dry combine flour mixture and milk
6. fold in Ibarra chocolate
7. pour into pan (2/3rd full for standard, 1/2 full for giant sized)
8. bake 20 or so minutes until toothpick comes out clean.
9. let cool on wire rack
makes 6 giant cupcakes
Cinnamon Whipped Cream
ingredients
.5 c heavy whipping cream
3 tblspn powder sugar
.5 tsp vanilla extract
.25 tsp cinnamon
instructions
1. first mix sugar, vanilla & cinnamon
2. slowly add in cream until soft peaks form
3. do not over beat or else you will get butter
4. Top on cooled cupcakes and sprinkle addition cinnamon on top if desired.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Salmon with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
Happy Post Labor Day Weekend! I just wrote and entire blog about how my meal I just ate (see photo) was the least environmentally plate ever. Greens from California, Fish flown from Alaska, Bell Pepper from Canada... oh but the onion, that's from Colorado...
Anyhow, I've been making all sorts of sandwiches and recently, its rekindled my love for the roasted bell pepper. sweet, tangy, and oh so delicious it is such a versitile addition to anything! I had one left over in the fridge from making sandwiches... but hm, an entire roasted pepper on a piece of fish? hmm... how about I food processor that up and dump it over some broiled salmon. Voila!
I chose to eat this on a bed of baby arugula and baby spinach sans dressing with a side of steamed broccoli. You can easily choose to eat it with rice, potatoes or whatever else side you want!
Salmon with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
ingredients
2 6 oz portions of Salmon (I bought King)
4 slices of sweet onion
1 roasted bell pepper
1 tsp olive oil + some
1 garlic clove, minced
s&p to taste
instructions
1. prepare salmon and onion by rubbing with olive oil, sprinkle with s&p; place on broiling pan
2. rub minced garlic on salmon
3. turn on broiler to low and allow 5 minutes for the broiler to heat up, then broil the fish and onion 5 inches away from heat for 5 minutes
4. while the fish is broiling, coarsely chop the bell pepper and place in a mini food processor. Pulse 4-5 times. add the olive oil and pule 3-4 more times. sprinkle in some salt to taste
5. flip the onion over, turn the broiler on HIGH for 3-4 minutes to brown up the fish and onion
6. Plate your fish, top with roasted red pepper sauce
makes enough sauce for 2 portions
Anyhow, I've been making all sorts of sandwiches and recently, its rekindled my love for the roasted bell pepper. sweet, tangy, and oh so delicious it is such a versitile addition to anything! I had one left over in the fridge from making sandwiches... but hm, an entire roasted pepper on a piece of fish? hmm... how about I food processor that up and dump it over some broiled salmon. Voila!
I chose to eat this on a bed of baby arugula and baby spinach sans dressing with a side of steamed broccoli. You can easily choose to eat it with rice, potatoes or whatever else side you want!
Salmon with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
ingredients
2 6 oz portions of Salmon (I bought King)
4 slices of sweet onion
1 roasted bell pepper
1 tsp olive oil + some
1 garlic clove, minced
s&p to taste
instructions
1. prepare salmon and onion by rubbing with olive oil, sprinkle with s&p; place on broiling pan
2. rub minced garlic on salmon
3. turn on broiler to low and allow 5 minutes for the broiler to heat up, then broil the fish and onion 5 inches away from heat for 5 minutes
4. while the fish is broiling, coarsely chop the bell pepper and place in a mini food processor. Pulse 4-5 times. add the olive oil and pule 3-4 more times. sprinkle in some salt to taste
5. flip the onion over, turn the broiler on HIGH for 3-4 minutes to brown up the fish and onion
6. Plate your fish, top with roasted red pepper sauce
makes enough sauce for 2 portions
Friday, August 27, 2010
Vanilla Cupcake with Palisade Peaches and Whipped Cream
I've recently begun to bake in Boulder. I thought I'd start with cookies but 5 batches deep now… I still haven't quite gotten it right… I found this great article on NPR about a women who did a DIY wedding cake for her brothers wedding and made a Alice Water's 1-2-3-4 Cake. Essentially, that's what my vanilla cupcake recipe entails, with a few high altitude modifications (slightly less flour, slightly more liquid, slightly higher temperature) and a little bit of Lisa touch. I also opted not to make frosting and instead made a peach compote type thing with a dollop of whipped cream to top it off. The cake itself is moist, dense and very rick in flavor.
These peaches are special. They are called "Palisade Peaches", and come from the south western corner Colorado. I always thought the best peaches came from California (best peach experience was when Craig Edelman brought me and entire case of white peaches fresh from the farmers market for my birthday) but no, in actuality, CO makes a darn good peach. They are extraordinarily fuzzy compared to any other peach I have ever seen and oh so very juicy, soft and nearly instantly ripe.
In the cake, instead of regular whole milk, I used buttermilk, which gives it such a nice creamy, tangy burst of flavor, a little trick I learned from my friend Jen in grad school. I'll do my best to keep it so that you can make this at sea level too, but here is the original recipe and the NPR article. You'll see I'll add a different value, # @SL, meaning use this amount if you are at sea level!
If you are super lazy, (although I don't really recommend it), canned whipped cream or cool whip would be sufficient as a quick topper.
Oh, and how am I doing you might ask? Ahh, just fine. And yes, I am still unemployed but am one happy camper!!
Vanilla Cupcake with Peach Compote and Whipped Cream
ingredients
cupcake
.75 tsp/2 tsp@SL baking powder
.25 tsp sea salt
1.33 c/1.5 c @SL AP flour , sift then measure
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 c granulated white sugar
2 eggs, separated
1 tsp vanilla extract
.5 c buttermilk
peach compote
2 tblspn unsalted butter
3 medium, ripe peaches, diced into .25 inch pieces
pinch of salt
2 tblspn brown sugar
whipped cream
.5 c heavy whipping cream
3 tblspn pwoder sugar
.5 tsp vanilla extract
instructions
cupcake
1. Preheat your oven to 375 (350@SL), prepare cupcake tin.
2. whipped butter and sugar together until creamed and fluffy
3. add one yolk at a time until mixed, add vanilla
4. in a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt
5. alternating between dry, wet, dry, wet, ending in dry combine flour mixture and buttermilk
6. in a metal or copper bowl, whisk egg whites until soft peaks form
7. fold in egg white mixture (by hand) in thirds until all egg whites have been incorporated
8. pour into pan (2/3rd full for standard, 1/2 full for giant sized)
9. bake 20 or so minutes until toothpick comes out clean.
makes 8 giant cupcakes, or 12 standard cupcakes
peach compote
1. melt butter on medium high heat. DO NOT CAUSE THE BUTTER TO BROWN
2. sauté peaches, add salt
3. add brown sugar and cook until peaches are soft and liquid around peaches is bubbly
4. you can also add a splash of amaretto or grand marnier at this point or a sprinkle of cinnamon.
whipped cream
1. first mix sugar and vanilla
2. slowly add in cream until soft peaks form
3. do not over beat or else you will get butter
THE WHOLE CUPCAKE
once the cupcake has been cooled on a wire rack and the compote has been cooled to RT, put the compote on the cupcake and then add a dollop of whipped cream. Voila!
These peaches are special. They are called "Palisade Peaches", and come from the south western corner Colorado. I always thought the best peaches came from California (best peach experience was when Craig Edelman brought me and entire case of white peaches fresh from the farmers market for my birthday) but no, in actuality, CO makes a darn good peach. They are extraordinarily fuzzy compared to any other peach I have ever seen and oh so very juicy, soft and nearly instantly ripe.
In the cake, instead of regular whole milk, I used buttermilk, which gives it such a nice creamy, tangy burst of flavor, a little trick I learned from my friend Jen in grad school. I'll do my best to keep it so that you can make this at sea level too, but here is the original recipe and the NPR article. You'll see I'll add a different value, # @SL, meaning use this amount if you are at sea level!
If you are super lazy, (although I don't really recommend it), canned whipped cream or cool whip would be sufficient as a quick topper.
Oh, and how am I doing you might ask? Ahh, just fine. And yes, I am still unemployed but am one happy camper!!
Vanilla Cupcake with Peach Compote and Whipped Cream
ingredients
cupcake
.75 tsp/2 tsp@SL baking powder
.25 tsp sea salt
1.33 c/1.5 c @SL AP flour , sift then measure
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 c granulated white sugar
2 eggs, separated
1 tsp vanilla extract
.5 c buttermilk
peach compote
2 tblspn unsalted butter
3 medium, ripe peaches, diced into .25 inch pieces
pinch of salt
2 tblspn brown sugar
whipped cream
.5 c heavy whipping cream
3 tblspn pwoder sugar
.5 tsp vanilla extract
instructions
cupcake
1. Preheat your oven to 375 (350@SL), prepare cupcake tin.
2. whipped butter and sugar together until creamed and fluffy
3. add one yolk at a time until mixed, add vanilla
4. in a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt
5. alternating between dry, wet, dry, wet, ending in dry combine flour mixture and buttermilk
6. in a metal or copper bowl, whisk egg whites until soft peaks form
7. fold in egg white mixture (by hand) in thirds until all egg whites have been incorporated
8. pour into pan (2/3rd full for standard, 1/2 full for giant sized)
9. bake 20 or so minutes until toothpick comes out clean.
makes 8 giant cupcakes, or 12 standard cupcakes
peach compote
1. melt butter on medium high heat. DO NOT CAUSE THE BUTTER TO BROWN
2. sauté peaches, add salt
3. add brown sugar and cook until peaches are soft and liquid around peaches is bubbly
4. you can also add a splash of amaretto or grand marnier at this point or a sprinkle of cinnamon.
whipped cream
1. first mix sugar and vanilla
2. slowly add in cream until soft peaks form
3. do not over beat or else you will get butter
THE WHOLE CUPCAKE
once the cupcake has been cooled on a wire rack and the compote has been cooled to RT, put the compote on the cupcake and then add a dollop of whipped cream. Voila!
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Bailey's Dark Chocolate Gelato
about 8 years ago I developed this amazing love affair with ice cream that spawned into more then I could ever ask for. When I was 17 years old, I got the best job a girl could ask for: scooping ice cream with a bunch of 17 year olds... best part? IN A CASINO. haha! I worked for Ben and Jerry's until my sophomore year of college. Because of that job, I've made some ever lasting friendships and have some of the fondest memories with the people I worked with and hung out with. Much love for my Ben and Jerry's crew!
As many of you know, I have been DYING for an ice cream maker attachement for my Kitchen Aid. With the attachment costing $80, I haven't quite made the dive yet. Alternatively, here is my first non ice cream maker making ice cream experience. I found this on David Lebovitz's Blog. I'll call it more of a gelato, because it doesn't quite have the same consistency for ice cream. I made a few modifications, but click on the link for the original concoction. What a tasty treat! It is SO EXTREMELY EASY TO MAKE!! foolish if you can't. And if you like alcohol, why bother with an aperitif if you can have it in your ice cream :) The alcohol used in this recipe is essentially what is preventing the dairy from freezing and the banana gives it a creamy texture.
It's a tasty treat all right!
Bailey's Dark Chocoalte Gelato
ingredients
.25 c semi sweet dark chocolate chips (I used 60% ghirardelli chips)
1 very ripe banana, mashed
5 tblspn heavy cream
1 tblspn water
6 tblspn Bailey's
1 tblspn dark rum
instructions
1. take the mashed banana and mix well with heavy cream, water, Bailey's, and rum. mix until it is no longer chunky. you might want an emulsifying wand to help the process
2. take the chips and melt in the microwave or over double boiler
3. add banana/booze mixture and stir into melted chips (off heat if you used the double boiler). Whisk well, until it is a chocolate sauce.
4. If needed, send the mixture through a sieve or find strainer to eliminate chunks of banana.
5. place in a small metal or plastic container. cover with plastic wrap such that it makes contact with the surface
6. freeze for at least 2-3 hrs.
7. consume!!!
makes a tasty 4-5 medium sized scoops!
As many of you know, I have been DYING for an ice cream maker attachement for my Kitchen Aid. With the attachment costing $80, I haven't quite made the dive yet. Alternatively, here is my first non ice cream maker making ice cream experience. I found this on David Lebovitz's Blog. I'll call it more of a gelato, because it doesn't quite have the same consistency for ice cream. I made a few modifications, but click on the link for the original concoction. What a tasty treat! It is SO EXTREMELY EASY TO MAKE!! foolish if you can't. And if you like alcohol, why bother with an aperitif if you can have it in your ice cream :) The alcohol used in this recipe is essentially what is preventing the dairy from freezing and the banana gives it a creamy texture.
It's a tasty treat all right!
Bailey's Dark Chocoalte Gelato
ingredients
.25 c semi sweet dark chocolate chips (I used 60% ghirardelli chips)
1 very ripe banana, mashed
5 tblspn heavy cream
1 tblspn water
6 tblspn Bailey's
1 tblspn dark rum
instructions
1. take the mashed banana and mix well with heavy cream, water, Bailey's, and rum. mix until it is no longer chunky. you might want an emulsifying wand to help the process
2. take the chips and melt in the microwave or over double boiler
3. add banana/booze mixture and stir into melted chips (off heat if you used the double boiler). Whisk well, until it is a chocolate sauce.
4. If needed, send the mixture through a sieve or find strainer to eliminate chunks of banana.
5. place in a small metal or plastic container. cover with plastic wrap such that it makes contact with the surface
6. freeze for at least 2-3 hrs.
7. consume!!!
makes a tasty 4-5 medium sized scoops!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Pan Seared Mahi Mahi
Oh my goodness I don't even remember the last time I posted was… pre birthday maybe? ::checks blog::, yup June 1st. Okay, so 2 months later, what has happened?
1. I turned 25!
2. I graduated from Rush!
3. I moved out of Chicago
4. I drove across the mid atlantic with my parents back to CT. The most exciting part was probably somewhere in the middle of Ohio, where my car locked itself, with the keys in the ignition. WHAT?? you might say? Well, for some of you that have driven in my Corolla, I have been swearing on my life that my car is possessed and it goes nuts and goes locking wonky. Well, the one time I ever leave the keys in the ignition, the doors locked (windows closed) as my mother and I stood outside stretching it out. Thankfully 45 minutes later and some help from AAA, we are back on the road and make it safe to CT.
5. I had a great time in CT, love my shandrea
6. I met Dan's Mom!
7. Watched THE MOST EPIC FIREWORKS SHOW IN BOSTON EVER. AMAZING!!!
8. Dan met my mom and dad (again)
9. Dan and I began our trip out to CO, with a detour in Hoboken NJ (note to self, never take the GW Bridge, regardless of what time it is) and the Eastern Shore of VA.
10. We blazed across country from VA --> Indy --> Boulder in just 2 days. Missouri was the best because at Chick fil a, they looked like they never saw an asian in their entire life! ha!
11. I moved to Boulder, CO.
So what am I doing now you might ask me? Well, really I've been catching up on a lot of sleep. a lot. I'd say MONTHS worth. I've also been quite busy with the "job hunting" business, which, well is slow going, but going. Lots of hiking and biking and movie watching and really just enjoying everything there is to love about summer. I tried baking cookies once. They turned out mediocre at best. This high altitude baking, ::sigh:: well… I guess I have to start over! Other tasty things I have made have included no bake cheese cake, grilled stuffed zucchini, citrus brown sugar glazed salmon, stuffed chicken thighs, and things of the like.... sorry I haven't blogged them!
And today, what will we be focusing on? Ahh, the irony is that I am landlocked and I will be blogging about fish! Mahi mahi is not too steaky of a fish, not too flakey, just a nice in between. You might frequently see it in fish tacos too. Sear it in bacon fat and topped with caramelized onions? Suuureeee. If you are like me and don't frequently cook bacon, I suggest just going to a local butcher or Whole Foods, where they sell bacon in the deli/meat case and buy 2 or 3 slices. you want the nice thick kind. I used the applewood smoked. The scent of applewood smoked in the pan is enough just to eat bacon for dinner, let alone topping it on some pan seared fish that was seared in the bacons drippings. Don't worry about over cooking the bacon. I always loved the texture the crispy adds to the fish. Some bits might even be burnt looking by the end of the cooking process but sooooo good.
Other things: I've been trying to perfect the art of literally cooking for 2. Its hard, but I have been able to do it… sort of. This last dinner cooking round, was perfect. Nothing left over and perfectly satiated. I'm only going to blog about the protein part. Wilting spinach in garlic butter seems pretty self explanatory, and mashed potatoes, well they aren't really anything special. Minced fresh rosemary, fresh minced garlic, butter, and heavy whipping cream all whipped together with some boiled Idaho Potatoes and salt in a kitchen aid mixer.
TIP: you'll have to cube up the bacon into bits. since it is a fatty piece of meat, throw it in the freezer for 15 minutes before you start cooking. The cold will firm up the fat and make it much easier to chop up
One more thing.... from now on, my cooking times might be longer, baking times might be higher.... due the fact that I am at a little bit of a high elevation, so for times and temperature, please use your common sense... if it looks done, and is starting to burn, mayyyybeee it just might be done!
Pan Seared Mahi Mahi topped with Carmelized Onion & Bacon Crisps
ingredients
.75 lbs mahi mahi, portioned
2 strips of applewood smoked bacon (thick),
.5 sweet onion, thinly sliced
s&p to taste
instructions
1. take your bacon and cut it in half length wise, then cut the other way to cube it up
2. heat up pan to medium high heat
3. toss in bacon and cook until greeeassyyy (ie fat is rendered and meaty bits begin to crisp up)
4. toss in onion, sauté until onions become slightly browned, season mahi mahi with S&P
5. put in mahi mahi on top of the onion and bacon to sear, 5-7 min
6. flip and sear other side, 5-7 min
7. it will be cooked once it starts to be flaky or reach internal temperature (at the thickest part) of 145F.
8. serve topped with caramelized onion and bacon
nom nom!
.75 lbs of fish is enough for 2 portions. + sides
1. I turned 25!
2. I graduated from Rush!
3. I moved out of Chicago
4. I drove across the mid atlantic with my parents back to CT. The most exciting part was probably somewhere in the middle of Ohio, where my car locked itself, with the keys in the ignition. WHAT?? you might say? Well, for some of you that have driven in my Corolla, I have been swearing on my life that my car is possessed and it goes nuts and goes locking wonky. Well, the one time I ever leave the keys in the ignition, the doors locked (windows closed) as my mother and I stood outside stretching it out. Thankfully 45 minutes later and some help from AAA, we are back on the road and make it safe to CT.
5. I had a great time in CT, love my shandrea
6. I met Dan's Mom!
7. Watched THE MOST EPIC FIREWORKS SHOW IN BOSTON EVER. AMAZING!!!
8. Dan met my mom and dad (again)
9. Dan and I began our trip out to CO, with a detour in Hoboken NJ (note to self, never take the GW Bridge, regardless of what time it is) and the Eastern Shore of VA.
10. We blazed across country from VA --> Indy --> Boulder in just 2 days. Missouri was the best because at Chick fil a, they looked like they never saw an asian in their entire life! ha!
11. I moved to Boulder, CO.
So what am I doing now you might ask me? Well, really I've been catching up on a lot of sleep. a lot. I'd say MONTHS worth. I've also been quite busy with the "job hunting" business, which, well is slow going, but going. Lots of hiking and biking and movie watching and really just enjoying everything there is to love about summer. I tried baking cookies once. They turned out mediocre at best. This high altitude baking, ::sigh:: well… I guess I have to start over! Other tasty things I have made have included no bake cheese cake, grilled stuffed zucchini, citrus brown sugar glazed salmon, stuffed chicken thighs, and things of the like.... sorry I haven't blogged them!
And today, what will we be focusing on? Ahh, the irony is that I am landlocked and I will be blogging about fish! Mahi mahi is not too steaky of a fish, not too flakey, just a nice in between. You might frequently see it in fish tacos too. Sear it in bacon fat and topped with caramelized onions? Suuureeee. If you are like me and don't frequently cook bacon, I suggest just going to a local butcher or Whole Foods, where they sell bacon in the deli/meat case and buy 2 or 3 slices. you want the nice thick kind. I used the applewood smoked. The scent of applewood smoked in the pan is enough just to eat bacon for dinner, let alone topping it on some pan seared fish that was seared in the bacons drippings. Don't worry about over cooking the bacon. I always loved the texture the crispy adds to the fish. Some bits might even be burnt looking by the end of the cooking process but sooooo good.
Other things: I've been trying to perfect the art of literally cooking for 2. Its hard, but I have been able to do it… sort of. This last dinner cooking round, was perfect. Nothing left over and perfectly satiated. I'm only going to blog about the protein part. Wilting spinach in garlic butter seems pretty self explanatory, and mashed potatoes, well they aren't really anything special. Minced fresh rosemary, fresh minced garlic, butter, and heavy whipping cream all whipped together with some boiled Idaho Potatoes and salt in a kitchen aid mixer.
TIP: you'll have to cube up the bacon into bits. since it is a fatty piece of meat, throw it in the freezer for 15 minutes before you start cooking. The cold will firm up the fat and make it much easier to chop up
One more thing.... from now on, my cooking times might be longer, baking times might be higher.... due the fact that I am at a little bit of a high elevation, so for times and temperature, please use your common sense... if it looks done, and is starting to burn, mayyyybeee it just might be done!
Pan Seared Mahi Mahi topped with Carmelized Onion & Bacon Crisps
ingredients
.75 lbs mahi mahi, portioned
2 strips of applewood smoked bacon (thick),
.5 sweet onion, thinly sliced
s&p to taste
instructions
1. take your bacon and cut it in half length wise, then cut the other way to cube it up
2. heat up pan to medium high heat
3. toss in bacon and cook until greeeassyyy (ie fat is rendered and meaty bits begin to crisp up)
4. toss in onion, sauté until onions become slightly browned, season mahi mahi with S&P
5. put in mahi mahi on top of the onion and bacon to sear, 5-7 min
6. flip and sear other side, 5-7 min
7. it will be cooked once it starts to be flaky or reach internal temperature (at the thickest part) of 145F.
8. serve topped with caramelized onion and bacon
nom nom!
.75 lbs of fish is enough for 2 portions. + sides
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