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December 8, 2009

Apple Crisp

DSC_8559

When my mom offered to host Thanksgiving, I asked what desserts she’d like me to bring.  Her answer?  “Pumpkin pie and that apple dessert you made two years ago, the one I’ve asked you to make four times since then.”  What she didn’t say, but she and I both heard was, “And which you never made even though I asked you to serve it for Nathan’s first birthday.”  And I did felt a little guilty when I (virtually) heard that, especially since I had made the crisp for Helen just days before.

The good part was that I had made the crisp only days previous.  So, I knew where the problems with the crisp were, and I could ‘fix’ them for Thanksgiving.

Apples!

Paul and I love America’s Test Kitchen.  When I first decided to try my hand at apple crisp years ago, we pulled that recipe and made it.  Our immediate reaction was, “This is delicious, but the tasters in the test kitchen hate topping.”  We quickly increased the amount of topping by 50% which improved the crisp by roughly 500%.  This is the huge fix in this recipe.

The second fix?  America’s Test Kitchen tells you that you need cold butter for the topping.  I go a step further and say your butter better darned well be frozen.  Do not muck around with butter from your refrigerator unless you keep a subarctic fridge like my mother.  If you use cold, but not frozen, butter, you will end up with a giant unappetizing lump of dough for your topping, not the “damp sand” texture desired.  If you end up with said giant unappetizing lump of dough, do not give up.  Work on breaking it up as best possible and top your crisp with it.  As Tim Gunn would tell you, “Make it work!”

Nutmeg

The last thing worth mentioning isn’t really a fix at all, but a personal preference.  I love McIntosh apples and I love to not eat a meal prior to making my baked sweets.  This means that when my McIntosh apples hit the bowl of sugar and lemon zest and juice mentioned in step 5 below, I start to snack on them.  I normally eat about half an apple to a whole apple before I can stop myself.  Due to this, if you’re like me, I’d suggest adding an extra McIntosh apple, 1/2 tablespoon of lemon juice, and an 1 tablespoon of sugar, and using a full rind of zest for this recipe.

Ingredients for Filling:

3 medium Granny Smith apples
3 medium McIntosh apples
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Ingredients for Topping:

8 tbls unbleached all purpose flour
7 tbls unsalted butter, chopped into 1/2 inch bits
1 1/4 cup chopped pecans
3/8 cup packed light brown sugar
3/8 cup granulated sugar
3/8 tsp ground cinnamon
3/8 tsp nutmeg (use fresh nutmeg and microplane for best results)
3/8 tsp salt

1.  For the topping, put the flour, sugar, spices, and salt in your food processor.  Don’t worry if you have a small one.  My wimpy food processor handles this recipe like a pro!  Pulse the ingredients once or twice to mix.  Add the frozen butter.  Pulse, pulse, pulse (about ten times) for 4 seconds each.  Your topping should look like sand or coarse cornmeal.  It should not be a big giant lump.  if you got the lump, your butter wasn’t frozen enough, but don’t despair.  You can break it up and use it, but it’s more work and it doesn’t look as good.  Add the nuts, and do 4 one second pulses.

2.  Make sure to refrigerate the topping for about 15 minutes or for the time to it takes to deal with the apples.

3.  Turn on your oven to 375 degrees and make sure your oven rack is in the lower middle of your oven.

4.  Peel, quarter, and core your apples.  Cut them into 1 inch cubes.

5.  Toss the apples, lemon juice, zest, and sugar in bowl.  I usually combine steps 4 and 5, tossing each apple into the mix as soon as I’m done with it.  This allows me to take a nice long Bejeweled break in the middle when I get tired of peeling and coring apples.  It also allows me to snack on some of my McIntosh apples!

6. Pour this mix into 8 by 8 baking pan.  Make sure to scrape the apple/lemon juice mix into that pan.  Distribute the cooled topping on your apples, and cook for 40 minutes.

7.  Crank the oven to 400 degrees for another 5 minutes.

8.  Let it cool slightly on a nice cooling rack and then serve (warm) with a nice cinnamon ice cream or whipped cream.

Comments (View) so far. Add your comment!   |   Filed under apples jennifer recipe cook at 9:00am  
URL: http://phillyfoodie.com/post/274678620/apple-crisp
November 18, 2009

Stocking up: meatballs

Winter is here, and I’ve been laying in provisions almost instinctually.  (bda has accused me of stocking the freezer so I know he will eat while I am traveling, but that’s not true.  I know he’ll just order Domino’s.) I’ve made chili, I’ve made curry, and now it is time to tackle the mountain of meatballs.

approaching the pyramid

When I was a kid, I thought meatballs were gross.  That is because I was eating spheres of baked ground beef, with nothing else added.  And that is gross.

A good meatball should have lots of flavor elements, starting with some nice fat.  (I was not very surprised on the burger tour to learn that all of the burgers were 80% meat, 20% fat.) I get 85%/15% ground beef at Whole Foods.  Would I get 80%/20% if they sold it?  Probably.

To that, I add bread crumbs, eggs, onion and plenty of salt and pepper.

the flavor elements

Having a sack of homemade meatballs in the freezer is a beautiful thing.  Babies love them.  You can pretend you went to the super-tasty version of IKEA.  Throwing in some meatballs even makes jar sauce feel more special.  (You should stop eating jar sauce.  Really.  But if you still do, at least you can give yourself some homemade meatballs.)

Traditional Beef Meatballs

  • 2 lbs. 85/15 ground beef
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 small onion, minced
  • salt to taste (at least 2 teaspoons)
  • pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil

Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, and knead until well combined.  Roll into balls roughly 2 inches in diameter.

Heat the canola oil on medim-high heat in a large frying pan, just enough to keep the meatballs from sticking.  When the pan is hot, arrange the meatballs in the pan.  Squeeze them in tight enough that they will hold each other in place, but loosely enough that you can still turn them.

squeeze 'em in!

After one side has browned (about 2-3 minutes), begin turning the meatballs.  Turn every couple of minutes until they are browned all over.  Remove from heat; they are ready to eat.

Makes approximately 40 small meatballs.  Can be frozen for up to 6 months.

Comments (View) so far. Add your comment!   |   Filed under Helen cook recipe simple stockingup at 12:05pm  
URL: http://phillyfoodie.com/post/248601859/stocking-up-meatballs
November 13, 2009

Fried plantains

Thank goodness for restaurants!  Usually, when I eat something really tasty, and I look up how to make it, I come away thankful that there are so many people in this world who exchange their cooking expertise for money.  (See: soup dumplings)

Sometimes, though, you catch a break, and your tasty dream dish can be made at home with virtually no effort.

fried plantains

I will order a dish based on it having a side of plantains, so why did it take me so long to try cooking them?  Simple and tasty, this is sure to be a new regular side for me!

Fried Plantains

  • 1/2 to 1 plantain (per person you want to serve)
  • frying oil
  • powdered sugar or grated queso blanco (optional)

Heat a large frying pan on high, filling with canola or other frying oil to a depth of 1/2 inch. Peel the plantains, and slice diagonally into rounds 1/4 to 1/2 inches thick.

Place the plantain pieces in the oil, taking care not to overfill the pan. When the edges are browned (2 to 3 minutes), turned the pieces over.  Remove from the cooking oil when nicely browned on both sides (about 5 minutes) to a paper-towel lined plate.

Cook in batches, if necessary.  Top with powdered sugar or grated queso blanco, if desired.

Comments (View) so far. Add your comment!   |   Filed under Helen simple recipe cook at 9:53am  
URL: http://phillyfoodie.com/post/242604259/fried-plantains
November 2, 2009

Gateau breton is not heaven on earth.

You know when you go to the shore, and you keep walking by the fudge store, and that sample man is just calling to you?  And even though you walked by not 10 minutes before, you can’t help yourself from going back and getting another sample?

Several years ago, my family went to Brittany, otherwise known as the butter capital of France.  They had a cake there, a butter cake, and we would just keep circling that butter cake sample man, waiting a reasonable time to swoop back in and grab another round of samples.  (10 minutes is reasonable, right?)  A brawl nearly broke out in a restaurant one night when Jane gobbled down a whole slice, leaving none to share.

So, the other day, when I came across Nigella Lawson’s gateau breton recipe, I had to make it.  As Jane said when I told her, “heaven in my mouth!  But, alas, I did not research enough.  Nigella’s cake was not the one I sought.  I was looking for the Kouign Amann.

I should have known.  Nigella’s recipe was too easy to be as delicious as I remembered. (I was fooled by the massive amounts of butter the recipe called for.) However, if you are a coffee drinker, this recipe is probably a delightful accompaniment to a cup of coffee. It was sweet and buttery… almost a cross between a shortbread and marzipan.  And, if you like this recipe, it’s a perfect counterpart to her pavlova recipe, which will use up all the egg whites you have left over!

Gateau Breton

  • 2 1/4 cups flour
  • 2 1/2 cups sugar
  • 2 1/2 cups unsalted butter
  • 6 large egg yolks

Preheat the oven to 375.  Put all the items in a bowl, and mix until fully combined.  Pour into a 10 inch springform pan, and pat smooth.

Bake for 15 minutes, then turn the heat down to 350.  Bake for another 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Comments (View) so far. Add your comment!   |   Filed under Helen recipe cook at 12:08am  
URL: http://phillyfoodie.com/post/230477660/gateau-breton-is-not-heaven-on-earth
October 26, 2009

Steak, the photo recipe

Looking for a fast, simple dinner to get your week started?  Steak is shockingly easy to get right, and you already have everything you need (except the steak) in your cabinets right now.

Preheat your oven to 500.  Put your all-metal (including the handle) pan on the floor of the oven.  When the oven has finished pre-heating, take the pan out, and put a thin layer of kosher salt on the bottom of the pan.

Put fresh-ground pepper on both sides of the steak, then throw it in the pan.

Put the pan back on the floor of the oven.  Make sure your exhaust fan is on.  You might also want to make sure your windows are open.

After 5 minutes, flip it over.  Put it back in the oven for another 5 minutes.  (This is a 3/4 lb. New York strip steak — for a bigger steak, add a couple more minutes.)

Then, pull it out, take it out of the pan, and let rest for 5-10 minutes.  Slice and serve.

Feeling super indulgent?  Put a pat of butter on top.  Mmm mmm!

Comments (View) so far. Add your comment!   |   Filed under Helen recipe at 3:37pm  
URL: http://phillyfoodie.com/post/224072023/steak-the-photo-recipe
October 16, 2009

Savory butternut squash soup

Butternut squash is one of my all-time favorite soups, and I take it very seriously.  (I have a long-time grudge against Sabrina’s for serving me a truly repellent butternut squash soup once.)  It can’t be too sweet, and it can’t be too thin.

Also, it should have bacon bits.  And those bacon bits should come from (just one!) slice of Whole Foods butcher counter bacon.  It’s amazing (and I have gotten bacon from all of the bacon purveyors at Reading Terminal Market, so you should take my word on this.)

Savory butternut squash soup

  • one butternut squash
  • 1 apple
  • 1/2 onion
  • 1 carrot
  • 4 cups stock
  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 3 tsp salt
  • 1 1/4 tsp garam masala
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 cups milk, cream or stock

Preheat oven to 350.  Split squash in half, and scrape out seeds.  Season with 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp garam masala, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon.  Melt a half tbsp of butter in a roasting pan, then put the squash in cut side down.  Roast for 80 minutes.

Roughly chop onion, carrot and apple.  Melt remaining butter in a stock pot on medium heat.  Sweat the onions for 1-2 minutes, then add your carrots and apples.  Sautee for 5 minutes before adding 4 cups of stock.  Simmer for 30 minutes.

When the squash has finished roasting, scrape it out of the shell, and into the liquid.  Add remaining teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon garam masala.  Puree using in immersion blender, or in batches in a regular blender.  It is now ready for freezing.

Before eating the soup, you’ll want to thin it a bit further, with milk, cream or stock.  Simmer to bring it up to temperature.  Garnish with bacon and croutons.

Comments (View) so far. Add your comment!   |   Filed under Helen recipe at 6:58pm  
URL: http://phillyfoodie.com/post/215043274/savory-butternut-squash-soup
August 21, 2009

Tarte Tatin

Apples!

Photo by Ivan Makarov.

As anyone who has ever eaten with me at a restaurant can tell you, I heart apple desserts.  I find them glorious, wonderful, autumnal, and something that I long for all year long, but they seem a damned nuisance to make at home.  You have to buy pounds of apples which must be peeled, cored, and cut.  There’s the crusts which appear finicky, or the crumbles which I can never get to the right crumbly texture.

Luckily, Paul has patience, the ability to follow a recipe, and a “let’s just do it” mentality, which is how I ended up eating a decadent tarte tatin one night, with a little scoop of cinnamon ice cream, and a dab of whipped cream, on the side.  I know it’s still summer, but September’s looming large in my mind, and I’m starting to think of apples all the time.

Paul’s added advice was, “Many blogs and food books stress how difficult pastry doughs are and that if you look at them funny, they fall apart or end up being super chewy.  That can be true but since pastry crusts are only made of flour, salt, and fat (i.e. butter) it shouldn’t be a huge deal to throw out a failed pastry dough and make another.  So long as you don’t overwork the dough you shouldn’t be scared of them and they are delicious.”

Tarte Tatin

Tarte Tatin Recipe

Pastry Dough:

1 1/3 cups of all-purpose flour

1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 stick unsalted butter (cold)

1 large egg (cold)

Carmelized Apples:

1 more stick of butter (YUM!)

3/4 cup of granulated sugar, plus one more tablespoon

3 lbs of Granny Smith apples, peel them, core them, quarter them.

Instructions:

1.  Do the pastry first.  Mix the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl.  Dice up the first stick of cold butter and put the butter in to the bowl and coat the butter with the dry mixture.  Then, use your fingers to squish the butter and incorporate it into the dough.  You want it thinly crumbly, not thoroughly melted and mixed in.  The original recipe says you can toss all this into a food processor and go at it, but our food processor would cry and then die if we tried that.

2.  Then, add the egg and stire with a fork until little balls of dough form.  Press the balls together with the back of the fork, and then make them all into a ball which you’ll wrap in plastic and then flatted into a four inch disk.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, but we often forget stuff like this in our household and let it refrigerate for like a few hours.  Just make sure it warms slightly so you can roll it out if you forget it for a long period of time.

3.  Back from watching some television or reading a book?  Unwrap the dough, and turn it out onto a floured surface where you’ll roll it out.  Make sure to sprinkle it with some extra flour first, though.  Starting from the center of the disk, roll it until you have a 12-inch circle.

4.  Move the crust to a rimless cookie sheet or a turned-over a rimmed cookie sheet if that’s all you have, or a convenient pizza peel if you have that.  Cover the dough with some plastic wrap, and put it into the fridge while we do the apples.

5.  Turn the oven on to 375, and make sure you have an over rack set to the upper-middle.

6.  On to the apples.  Melt the remaining stick of butter into a nine inch cast iron skillet.  Remove from heat and sprinkle the whole of that evenly with sugar.  You’ll then want to arrange your quartered apples in the skillet.  Our finished picture above should give you some idea of how that should look.

7.  Return the skillet to high heat.  Cook until the juices turn to a rich amber color.  This should take 10 to 12 minutes.  Then, remove the skillet from the heat, and use a pair of forks to flip the apples over to their uncaramelized side!

8.  Return the skillet to high heat again for another five minutes to cook the other side of the apples.

9.  Remove the skillet from the heat once more.  Slide the dough over the skillet and tuck the edges of the dough against the skillet wall.  Be careful, please.  The skillet is super hot.

10. Throw the whole thing into the oven, and cook for 25-30 minutes.  Your crust should be golden brown.

11. Put the skillet on a wire rack, let it cool for 20 minutes.  Loose the edges with a paring knife, place your serving plate over the top of the skillet and flip!  We had a few stuck apple pieces, but not many, and we just re-arranged them on top of the tart.

At this point, if you were smart, you already had a bunch of cinnamon ice cream and some whipped cream ready for topping.  If not, Paul will give me the recipe for his cinnamon ice cream another day to post here.

Comments (View) so far. Add your comment!   |   Filed under paul jennifer apples recipe at 10:00am  
URL: http://phillyfoodie.com/post/168164872/tarte-tatin
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August 19, 2009

Goat cheese onion puffs

Nick and Mariah moved to New Hampshire, and stuck me with their phyllo dough.  (Thanks, guys.  Your present is in the mail.)  I knew how much work phyllo was, and had never had the urge to work with it before, but I hated to let it go to waste all the same.

Puffs

  • 20 sheets phyllo (half package)
  • 2 sticks of butter

Goat cheese and caramelized onion filling

  • 4 ounces fresh chevre
  • 3 tablespoons whole milk yougurt or sour cream
  • 5 tablespoons caramelized onions, diced (or more, to taste)
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix together the goat cheese and yogurt/sour cream until they have a smooth, uniform consistency.  (If the cheese is very dry, you may need to add a little more yogurt until it’s smooth.)  Stir in the peppers and salt, then fold in the onions.

Then, start the tedious, tedious process of brushing. butter. on. every. sheet. of. phyllo.  4 sheets form a layer.

To fold the puffs, spoon a little of the filling onto the dough, according to Athen’s triangle instructions.  Makes 32 small triangles, or 16 large triangles.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes (until golden brown.)  Do not actually use the triangle man formation below; space them 2 inches apart.

I was complaining about how much time it took to work with phyllo to Jenn.  Then she witnessed it, and said Paul would think nothing of spending that much time on a dish.  I guess we all have our different standards.

They were delicious.  But I would only make them again if I had a team of laborers to assist me.  But I hope you enjoy them!

Comments (View) so far. Add your comment!   |   Filed under Helen recipe at 10:00am  
URL: http://phillyfoodie.com/post/166505056/goat-cheese-onion-puffs
March 28, 2009

The World’s Simplest Carnitas

For your cooking pleasure, the world’s simplest carnitas recipe, courtesy of the Homesick Texan.

  • 3 lbs pork butt
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 2 teaspoons salt

Cut the pork into 1 inch by 3 inch strips.  Put everything in the pot.  Bring it to a boil, then let it simmer for 2 hours.  Raise heat to medium-high for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid evaporates, and only fat is left.  Remove the pork from the fat, and snack heartily while waiting for it to cool (or serve immediately, but save some to freeze.)  High-five yourself for being an awesome cook, and call Helen to thank her for giving you such an awesome recipe.

P.S. The leftover fat is great for making your own refried beans.

P.P.S. I served it Jose’s style, tacos with chopped onions, limes, and salsa verde.  Yield is probably 16 tacos worth.

Comments (View) so far. Add your comment!   |   Filed under Helen recipe at 11:03pm  
URL: http://phillyfoodie.com/post/98745940/the-worlds-simplest-carnitas