Author: Robert Andrews

Very Lemon Loaf

Ingredients

  • 4 large lemons or 8 key limes – clean
  • 1 stick unsalted butter – softened
  • 1 3/4 C AP flour
  • 1 2/3 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 C sugar
  • 2 whole eggs plus 1 yolk
  • 1 C whole milk ricotta cheese

Step by Step

  1. Grate and juice citrus of choice
  2. Butter 9x5x3 loaf pan
  3. Preheat oven to 350º
  4. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt
  5. Drop butter into bowl of stand mixer and beat until fluffy
  6. Beat in ricotta, zest and juice
  7. Add flour 1/3 at a time and mix to incorporate
  8. Scrape batter into prepared pan
  9. Bake until golden brown and toothpick comes out nearly clean (50-60 minutes)
  10. While cake cools, make the glaze
  11. Pour 1/2 C sugar into sauce pan and ad 1/4 C juice
  12. Simmer until sugar dissolves and sauce thickens (3-5 minutes)
  13. Remove cake from pan and brush with glaze while loaf is still warm

Crispy Tofu

  • Press semi firm tofu with a heavy skillet to remove excess water (30-60 minutes) put in between several layers of paper towels
  • Submerge in 3 TBL each of
    • hot soy,
    • apple cider,
    • dashi, and
    • ginger slices
  • Alternately in 4 TBL each of
    • Worcestershire and
    • Sherry wine vinegar
    • with a dash of Tabasco
  • Let marinate for 15 minutes
  • Set on paper towels
  • PROCESS ONE
    • Mix flour
    • Dip to cover with flour
    • DO NOT keep a thick layer.  Thinner is better
    • beat eggs
    • Dip in hot skillet
    • Fry till golden brown – about 2 minutes
    • Eat as breakfast
  • PROCESS TWO
    • Cut into squares
    • Mix 1/2 C cornstarch with 1 tsp sugar and 1/2 tsp each black pepper and salt
    • Toss in cornstarch mixture
    • Fry in very hot sesame oil (about 375º) 3-4 minutes per side
  • Use in other recipes

A good side is minced apple, lemon zest, walnuts, sambal olek and lemon juice.

Another good side is a Thai Cucumber Salad:  English cucumber sliced very thin tossed in mixture of 1/4 C rice vinegar, 2 TBL granulated sugar, 1/2 tsp sesame oil, 1-2 sliced green onions, 1 sliced jalapeño or Thai chili and 1/2 tsp salt.  Let marinate for at least an hour

Chicken and Diamonds

Original recipe by Edna Lewis

Preparation One:  Create a Dough to Make the Diamonds

  • 1 C Bisquick
  • scant salt and pepper
  • 1 TBL melted or grated butter
  • 1/4 C buttermilk
  1. Mix all ingredients, rolling and forming by hand at the end
  2. Cover with plastic and rest for two hours (up to 24 hours)
  3. Roll flat (about 1/8 inch) on well floured surface
  4. Use pizza cutter and cut parallel lines
  5. Rotate 30 degrees, and cut similar parallel lines
  6. Toss in dry flour to keep from sticking

Preparation Two: Cook Chicken

  • You need 2 C broth, 1/2 C water, celery and onion
  1. Brown thawed chicken meat (skin side down) in deep pot
  2. Add 2 C broth and 1/2 C water
  3. Add 1 rib celery and 1/4 onion (whole)
  4. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer 25 minutes
  5. Discard celery and onion and plate chicken – set aside to cool

Preparation Three: Cook Noodles

  1. Bring stock back to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low
  2. Put noodles into stock, stirring so they don’t stick
  3. Cover and simmer 15 minutes

Preparation Four: Combine Chicken and Stock

  1. Shred cooled chicken
  2. Put back into pot for about 60 seconds to reheat
  3. Serve in slurp-able bowl

Tips: Starch Thickeners

Most people use cornstarch as a thickener because that is what has always been used. It is also widely available; HOWEVER, after Passover (the Jewish holiday) Manischewitz (man-i-chev-its) potato starch is usually widely available and on sale.

Here is a quick comparison of different starches from the website YUMMY.

Cornstarch

Cornstarch of cornflour is a fine, powdery starch that’s made from corn. It is a pure starch thickener, so compared to flour, a smaller quantity is needed to thicken the same amount of liquid. It is fast-acting too, thickening a sauce almost immediately when added to nearly boiling liquid. Asian-style dishes often use cornstarch, as sauces thickened with this starch remain clear and shiny. It is also used as a coating for fried chicken, pork, and fish.

Rice Flour

Rice flour is a type of flour derived from finely milled white or brown rice. It is gluten-free, thus it is often used as a substitute for wheat flour. Aside from being the main ingredient in noodles and native sweets, rice flour is also used for coating meats before frying.

Tapioca Starch

Extracted from the cassava root, tapioca starch is one of the purest forms of starch. It is gluten-free and is a popular thickening agent for sauces and dessert fillings. Like other root starches, it gelatinizes at relatively lower temperatures and produces sauces that are clear, shiny, and silky. It also has a less forward flavor once cooked. In Thai cuisine, water chestnuts are dredged in tapioca starch to make the classic dessert of red rubies with coconut milk. It can also be used as a coating for fried meat.

Potato Starch

Potato starch is a very refined root starch extracted from potatoes. Since it contains minimal protein or fat, sauces thickened with this starch are more translucent and glossy, with a silkier mouthfeel and a neutral flavor. It is also a good thickener for custards, puddings, and pie fillings. It is an ideal thickening agent for dishes or sauces that will be refrigerated or frozen, since it prevents liquids from separating, unlike sauces made with cornstarch.

Sweet Potato Flour

Sweet potato flour is a gluten-free root starch produced from white sweet potatoes or kamote. It is dull white in color with a stiff and somewhat coarse texture. It is commonly used as a coating for fried meats and poultry and also as a starch for gluten-free baked goods such as breads, cookies, muffins, and pancakes. It may also be used to thicken sauces and gravies.

Kona Kampachi Tiradito

Get a very fresh fish such as Jack.  Bright red gills, clear eyes, no fishy smell.

  1. Make slurry with lemon zest, ricotta, yuzo, A-1 sauce, chive and parsley.
  2. Prepare garnish:  flower, mint, pineapple, papaya, watermelon radish
  3. Spread slurry on a plate
  4. Place garnish to the side
  5. Slice VERY thin slices of raw fish and shingle on top of the slurry
  6. Sprinkle with a bit of cayenne

Muffalatta Turkey Sandwich

  • Cooked turkey breast sliced thin
  • Provalone cheese – sliced thin
  • Cappicola
  • Genoa Salami
  • Tomato sliced thin
  • Olive Tapenade (see recipe below)
  • Soft brioche bun

Olive Tapenade:  Finely minced carrot, garlic, green olive, capers, sauteed onion, finely minced celery, capers, roasted bell pepper or sun dried tomato, EVOO.

  1. Slice briche
  2. Spread both halves heavily with the Olive Tapenade
  3. Put cheese on both halves
  4. Layer other ingredients on one half, then put the whole thing together
  5. S-Q-U-E-E-Z-E  the sandwich flat and wrap in plastic
  6. Let tapenade absorb into the bread for an hour or two in the fridge
  7. Halve and plate on a large leaf of lettuce.
  8. Serve with a pickle on the side

Avocado Hollandaise – VEGAN

This is really simple, and is great on grilled vegetables (eg) Eggplant, asparagus, bell pepper, green onion, carrots, onion, garlic, mushrooms, zucchini, tomato, squash, etc.  This is also a VEGAN / VEGETARIAN recipe.

Put into blender:
1 ripe avocado
1 tsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Cayenne pepper to taste

Emulsify 2 TBL EVOO
(drizzle in slowly while blender is running)

Avocado BLT Salad

  • Gem lettuce – cut into bite size pieces
  • Cherry  tomatoes – halved
  • Bacon – rendered in maple syrup and pieced
  • Cheddar cheese – shredded
  • English cucumber – deseeded and in thin slices
  • Almonds – slivered
  • Ripe avocado
  1. Toss together 1 TBL EVOO, salt and pepper
  2. Whisk in (optionally) tarragon, chives, mayo, sour cream, lemon or lime

Optionally top with chicken, salmon, tuna, ham or hard boiled egg

Authentic Turkish Lavas Puff Bread

If you’ve eaten at a real Turkish kebab house or ocakbaşı (meaning “fireside restaurant”), you’ve probably sampled this classic puff bread from Turkey. You can use this recipe to bake authentic Turkish lavaş (lah-VAHSH) at home.

Lavaş, sometimes called “balloon bread,” is thin and crispy and puffs up high as it cooks. It’s served piping hot, with a hollow center full of steam, as an appetizer before kebab meals. You’ll often find it accompanied by Turkish tulum goat cheese, chunks of unsalted village butter, and a spicy tomato and pepper crush called ezme (ez-MAY).

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 teaspoons yeast (active dry)
  • 1 1/4 cups water (warm)
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 4 tablespoons butter (or margarine)
  • 3 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • Garnish: sesame seeds
  • Garnish: nigella seeds

Steps to Make It

  1. In a large bowl, stir the dry yeast and warm water until the yeast is dissolved.
  2. Add the sugar and stir again until it has dissolved. Set the yeast mixture aside in a warm place to let it develop. You’ll know it’s ready when you see bubbles on the surface.
  3. After 15 minutes, melt the butter then let it cool down. Stir it into the yeast mixture.
  4. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the yeast mixture.
  5. Knead the dough first in the bowl, then on a lightly floured surface until it forms a smooth ball.
  6. Grease the inside of a deep bowl with a little olive oil, place the dough inside, and cover with plastic wrap.
  7. Allow the dough to rise in a warm place for about 15 minutes. Turn the dough out onto your floured surface and knead again for 15 minutes.
  8. Oil the bowl again and add the dough, this time letting it rise for about 2 hours. The dough should double in size.
  9. Preheat the oven to 480 F (250 C). Turn out the dough onto your floured surface and flatten it with your hands.
  10. Cut the dough in half, then cut each half into 3 even-sized pieces.
  11. Form the pieces into balls and cover them with plastic wrap and let them rise on the floured surface for 15 minutes.
  12. Using your hands or a rolling pin, make a disk out of each piece of dough.
  13. Continue to flatten the disk until it becomes very thin. Use extra flour to keep it from sticking to your hands and the surface.
  14. Sprinkle sesame and nigella seeds onto the dough and roll it in with the rolling pin with one last stroke.
  15. Grease two large baking trays with a little olive oil and place 3 pieces of dough on each one.
  16. Bake for about 8 minutes until the centers puff up high and they begin to brown. If you have time, bake them one by one in the very center of the oven for the best puff-up results.
  17. Serve your lavaş hot with goat cheese, butter, spicy ezme salad, and grilled meats.

From:  https://www.thespruceeats.com

Other notes:

The flatbread used to make Doner Kebap sandwiches in Turkey: finecooking.com/recipe/yufka-turkish-flatbread

Chicken Tikka Masala

  • One chicken leg with thigh – double the recipe if you wish
  • 1/2 Onion, 3 cloves garlic, 1 stalk celery, 1 tsp fresh ginger – chop
  • 1 Serrano pepper without the seeds
  • 2 TBL canola oil or ghee
  • 1.4 tsp each:  Salt, powdered ginger, turmeric, chili powder, clove
  • 1/2 tsp each:  Cinnamon, sugar,  cumin, coriander, cardamom
  • 1/4 C yogurt
  • 1 can crushed San Marzano tomatoes
  • 2 C chicken stock
  • 2 TBL butter
  • 1/4 C half and half
  • Cilantro, naan and cooked Pulao Rice
  1. Cut the chicken into pieces and set aside
  2. Put canola into a skillet and turn on medium low heat
  3. Heat the onion, garlic, celery and ginger for 5 minute
  4. Put the onion mixture, Serrano, and half the spice into a blender and puree.  Strain through a colander, discarding the solids.
  5. Toss the chicken pieces in with the other half of the spice mixture
  6. Add the coated chicken to the skillet and cook until browning just barely begins
  7. Dump everything into a large mixing bowl
  8. Add 1/4 C yogurt and toss together
  9. Refrigerate and marinate 2-4 hours
  10. In about three hours, heat one can of crushed tomatoes and 2 C chicken stock in a large oven-safe stock pot
  11. Toss the chicken mixture in with the tomatoes
  12. Bake uncovered in the oven at 350º for 12-15 minutes
  13. Put onto stovetop over medium-high heat and add 2 TBL of butter and 1/4 C cream
  14. Stir for 5-10 minutes to reduce
  15. Serve garnished with cilantro, and with hot naan rubbed with butter and then put under the broiler briefly
  16. Rice works well as a side for this dish also

Halloween Pumpkin Butter

This is best with sugar pumpkin (aka pie pumpkins) as the sugar content is higher than Jack-o-Lantern pumpkins.  Takes about 30 minutes total.

Ingredients

  • 15-ounce cans pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
  • 2 TBL honey
  • 2 TBL maple syrup (Grade A is best)
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • pinch sea salt
  • 1/4 C apple sauce
  • 1 TBL lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 2 tsp CinnaSugar®
  • 1/8 tsp ground clove

Instructions

  1. Add all ingredients to a large saucepan or pot over medium-high heat and stir to combine.
  2. Once it begins bubbling, reduce heat to medium and simmer.  You want an active boil, but not frenetic.  Reduce or increase temperature as necessary.
  3. Cook, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.  Add more sugar, salt or lemon if necessary.
  5. Transfer hot to clean canning jars.  If using within the next month, a normal jar is OK.

Grandpa’s Notes # 20

Sides and Appetizers

[tv-note]

BBQ Sauce

  • While I like to MAKE MY OWN BBQ sauce, ATK or CC tested sauces.
  • Bulls Eye came out the winner, Stubbs was the runner up, and Kraft was the looser.

Mozzarella Cheese

  • Pre-shredded cheese is tossed in cellulose to keep it from sticking together
  • Plus it dries out, losing some of that incredible meltability
  • Do a taste test yourself
  • Low moisture is stretchier and is 45-52% moisture
  • Fresh is about 60% moisture
  • Your best bet is to buy your own block or ball of mozzarella and shred it yourself.

Sour Dough Oven Stuffing

  • 1 TBL salt
  • 1/2 C shredded carrot
  • 1 C chopped celery
  • 1 C diced pears
  • 1 C diced onion
  • 1/2 C fresh cranberries
  • Sauté above 2 minutes
  • Add 1 tsp each thyme, sage, rosemary, parsley
  • Add 1 TBL chopped pecans
  • Toss 6 C bread crumbs with 3/4 C EVOO
  • Combine all with 2 C chicken broth and 1 TBL balsamic reduction
  • Spread out in 9×12 baking dish
  • Bake covered for 1/2 hour
  • Finish bake uncovered for another 1/2 hour

Date and Gorgonzola Prosciutto Roll

  • Slice dates lengthwise and remove pit
  • Stuff with a piece of gorgonzola cheese
  • Wrap in prosciutto
  • Lay in pan
  • Brush all with garlic, olive and EVOO mixture
  • Bake 400º for 5-8 minutes

Truffle Notes

  • OK to wash truffle, then pack in rice to dessicate
  • Black truffle should be used to accent a more complex dish
    – $2,000 per pound
  • White truffle should be featured and be used in a simple dish
    – $6,000 per pound – $400 per ounce
    – October, Nov and Dec in Piedmont Italy
  • Black Périgord truffles cost $575 per pound from farmer’s markets and $2000 per pound from retail sellers.
  • Black summer truffles cost $670 per pound
    – Year round in Umbria Italy and Burgundy France
  • Pecan truffles cost $100 per pound
    – Australia, Oregon and Tennessee

Simple White Truffle Recipe

  • Egg, butter, cream – shave white truffles over the top

Puff Pastry Baskets

  • Puff Pastry squares 4″ each side
  • Put in center – turkey, mozzarella, pesto
  • Wrap up and tie in four or eigh sections
  • Bake 15 minutes at 400º
  • Remove string – top with rosemary sprig

Cranberry Salad

  • Jello and hot water
  • Lemon zest
  • Chopped raw cranberries
  • Orange
  • Grapes – light chop
  • Apple – diced

Refrigerate 4 hours

Grandpa’s Notes # 20

Equipment Notes

[tv-note]

Cooler Test

  • Before you go on a long vacation and risk your expensive food, test your cooler’s retention ability.  Put an 8 or 10 bag of crushed ice into each cooler and close the lid.
  • Open the lid for no more than 15 seconds starting at two hours

Paper Towels – ATK Test

Recommended is two-ply Bounty

Wood Chips

  • Soak Hickory, Oak or Mesquite chips in water for 15 minutes
  • Wrap in heavy foil – about the size and thickness of a paperback book
  • Poke holes in the top
  • Put right on the coals or on the bottom rack

ATK Equipment Review – Skillets

Winner: Oxo Good Grips Nonstick 12 inch open fry pan – $40

 

Grandpa’s Notes # 19

Treats and Just for Fun

[tv-note]

Black Muffins

A great idea for a Halloween party. – – – Just add 1 TBL activated charcoal for Black Muffins, or 1 TBL fine wood ash (untreated wood) for Gray Muffins

Candied Apples

Put 2  sugar into a heavy pot and add 1/4 C corn syrup.  The Chef on TV added 3/4 C water, but this is really unnecessary.  As long as a single teaspoon of water remains, the syrup will never get above 212º.  You need to bring it up to 300º for caramelization to happen.  The water is a shortcut to make the sugar melt, that actually makes the entire process take longer.  Skip the water.

Option:  For Black Apples, add 1 T activated charcoal when the temperature hits about 285º

Grandpa’s Notes # 18

Desserts

[tv-note]

Crumb Top Cake

Base

  • 2 1.4 C AP flour
  • 3/4 C milk
  • 1/4 C sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tsp yeast
  • salt
  1. Add all but 1/2 C of the flour and beat two minutes on medium
  2. Add 6 TBL butter – one pad at a time until incorporated
  3. Optionally add raisins
  4. Add remainder of flour and stir till combined
  5. Beat 6 minutes on high
  6. Put into 9×12 greased cake pan
  7. Flatten sponge with fingers
  8. Cover and rise 1 hour
  9. If necessary, push dough back into any corners or sides

Crumb Topping

  • 18 TBL butter – melted and clarified
  • 3/4 C white sugar
  • 3/4 C brown sugar
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Dissolve all ingredients together to make “Butter Mixture”
  • 4 C cake flour – sifted
  1. Mix cake flour and butter mixture
  2. Rest 10 minutes
  3. Sprinkle crumbs by hand across top of sponge
  4. Bake 350º for 35 minutes until toothpick comes out clean
  5. Turn oven off and rest baked cake 3 hours in cooling oven
  6. Optionally dust with confectioner sugar

North Carolina Lemon Pie

This sounded great, but I am not going to retype the entire episode here.  CLICK HERE for Cooks Country recipe.  If they take down the recipe USE THIS LINK.

Crepe / Blintz

Use my recipe for crepes.  They should be UNDERDONE, and not browned.

  • For a blintz, make a large crepe using a 12″ pan
  • When ready to cook brush pan with butter
  • Heat to 350º
  • Add 1/3 C batter and tip to spread
  • Cook only to congeal.  Try not to brown too much.

Ricotta Filling

  • Fill with mixture of 11 oz whole milk ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 C confectioner sugar
  • 2 TBL cream cheese
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • Cover and refrigerate 2-36 hours

Topping – Raspberry Sauce

  • 10 oz raspberries
  • 1/4 C granulated sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • Heat 8-12 minutes
  • Serve hot over freshly cooked blintz

To Finish the Blintz

  • Put 2 TBL filling in the center of a cooled crepe
  • Form into a 2×4 strip or log
  • Fold bottom in, then sides, then roll to make a packet
  • OK to refrigerate these overnight for the next morning
  • Cook in 2 TBL fresh unsalted butter
  • Fry 6 at a time, leaving a bit of space between them
  • 2 – 4 minutes per side at 350º till browned
  • If making more, wipe out pan and use new butter
  • Serve hot with topping

Optional simply use cream cheese with blended strawberry topping

 

Rib Eye Steak

  • Put peppers, garlic and EVOO into baking dish and cook along with the meat
  • Cast iron pan – medium high heat
  • Sear 10 minutes per side
  • Head of garlic break apart in the pan
  • Add a stick of butter
  • Baste meat as it cooks
  • Put into oven at 425º until 130º internal temperature – about 30-45 minutes
  • Rest 5 minutes
  • Cut off the bone and serve with the peppers
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