Cornbread Muffins

Cornbread Muffins

2 cups (240g) flour

1 cup (120g) cornmeal

1 cup (200g) sugar

1 ½ tablespoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

½ cup (8 tablespoons) butter - melted

½ cup oil

1 ¼ cups milk

3 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a muffin tin.

In a large bowl whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

In a medium bowl mix together butter, oil, milk, and eggs.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

Fill muffin tin cavities 1/2-2/3 full. Bake for 11-13 minutes until golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean or with only a few crumbs (no wet batter).

Allow to cool for about 5 minutes before gently removing muffins from tin.

Crispy potatoes

 

4g baking soda and 25g kosher salt per 2 qt water to boil potatoes

4 lbs russets (or Yukons) peeled and cut into large chunks (2-3” or so)

5T (75ml) extra virgin olive oil/duck fat

 

Oven rack to center, preheat oven to 450

Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil over high heat

When the water comes to a boil, add salt and baking soda and the potatoes and stir.  Return to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook until a knife meets little resistance when inserted into a potato chunk – about 10 min after returning to boil

Drain carefully and let rest in pot for about 30 seconds to allow excess moisture to steam off – transfer to a bowl with the melted fat, season to taste with salt and pepper, and toss to coat roughly until a thick later of mashed potato0like paste has built up on the potato chunks

Transfer to large parchment lined rimmed baking sheet and spread them evenly – roast 20 min, flip, continue roasting until deep brown and crisp, shaking and turning a few more times, about 30-40 min.

Cranberry Relish

1 bag (12 oz) fresh whole Cranberries, sorted through, washed and drained well
1 large Navel Orange - sliced into wedges, skin and all
1 large Red Delicious Apple - sliced into wedges, barely cored, mostly to remove seeds
1/2 - 1 C granulated sugar - matter of taste, tradition calls for 1 C but I experiment with going lower

This is my Grandma McLellan's recipe - not sure where she got it from, but this is a recipe she always made for the holidays and I always made with her using her white KitchenAid stand mixer that she bought on the day that the plane flew into the Empire State Building in the 1940's (need to look that up and link it ...)  My mom still has the grinder attachment for it that we used - the mixer finally gave up its last a few years ago so the relish making fell to me and my setup.

Traditionally this is a 1-1-1-1 recipe: 1 bag of cranberry, 1 navel orange, 1 apple (my grandmother always used red delicious - I have never tried another variety - its purpose is to blend into the background and add to the sweetness to balance the orange and cranberry) and 1 cup of sugar.  I have experimented with lowering the sugar and have been happy with the results I get anywhere from 1/2 cup for a nice tart condiment where you can really taste the orange and cranberry to the full 1 cup that is just sweet and tangy and wonderful and works so well with turkey or ice cream or ... so many things.

Just slice the apple and orange into wedges that will fit well into your grinder of choice - I use a KitchenAid stand mixer with their sold-separately grinder attachment - and run those and the cranberries that you have sorted through to remove bad ones, washed and dried through the grinder into a bowl,  Once everything is ground, add the sugar.  I would suggest adding 3/4C of sugar to start (unless you really like straight up cranberry and orange flavor - start at 1/2 C!) - mix well with the ground fruit, store in fridge, give it a mix the next day as the flavors will have continued to blend.  If you want it sweeter, add more sugar at this point, mix well and come back in a few hours, mix and taste again.  But before adding more sugar than you started with, give it a chance to meld together.

Green Bean Cssserole

340 g frozen French cut green beans, thawed
10.5 oz can Cream of Mushroom soup
1.5 C Fried onions - 1 C + 1/2 C ... plus maybe more ...

Oven to 350

Than the beans and drain well. Mix with the cream of mushroom and at least 1 C of fried onions and put in casserole dish.  Bake 30 min - remove from oven and top with at least 1/2 C fried onions, bake additional 10 min and remove 

~fin~

Pan fried baby yukon gold potatoes

Set up a steamer and add scrubbed baby yukons (and some fresh herbs if you have them ... thyme, rosemary, whatever)

steam ~10 min (untl tender - pokeable with fork or knife)

remove - let them steam off and dry a bit

Heat ... plenty ... of butter in a pan ... med heat? Add potatoes and brown on all sides - they are cooked, so this is about adding flavor and texture                       

IMPROVED Idahoan boxed Au Gratin Potatoes

 So ... I was making shake and bake pork chops and needed a starchy side and wanted boxed Au Gratin potatos ... and discovered I had no milk.  And I had no good alternatives. We are recently moved back in after the fire and not all staples, supplies and routines are back to 100% so OF COURSE there was no damn milk.

The Idahoan Au Gratin boxed potatoes call for 3/4 C milk.  I had no milk, but I did have Fage 5% Greek Yogurt.  I figured 1/4 - 1/3  C of the whole milk greek yogurt  with enough water to equal 3/4 C would do ... and of course I went with 1/3 C Greek Yogurt with water to equal 3/4.

Then I followed the rest of the package instructions - except for temperatures because I had those shake and bake pork chops to cook to.  So ... preheat to 450*, cook au gratin potatoes for 10 min - cut temp to 400*, add thiccccc shake n bake coated pork chops, cook 23 min, remove potatoes and pork chops from oven - rest both about 5 min befofre serving.  

Oh holy hell ... I will never bother with milk again and ... I am on the verge of recommending using only 1/4 C of Greek yogurt because using the 1/3 C ... these were RIDICULOUS. But only on the verge - it would be fine either way but these are not uncomfortably over the top ... just enough!

Chawanmushi

(This is still in the "notes that will only makes sense to me" stage - recipe refinement to follow ... maybe)

Notes:

Did you know?! (selfeyeroll) You can eliminate the bubbles that form around the edges of things like this using a kitchen torch! And you SHOULD get rid of the bubbles whether wirth blowtorch or toothpick or leaving it alone for a while until it happens on its own or it will be all pockmark looking.

Egg to Dashi ration should be 1:3 so scale up or down with that ratio in mind

Dashi:

• Use Crystal Geyser water - 1 liter - (metric magic ... that will weight 1000g)
• 10g kombu soaked one hour
• bring to simmer - remove kombu from water at 80*C/180*F (ish - I used all my metric magic above ... this is close enough for hand grenades in terms of temp conversion ... pretty much "bubbles forming but not actually quite a simmer just yet, but almost")

***You can keep used kombu aside, julienne into 3" long pieces and add to leftover katusobushi (also chopped a bit more finely) for making furikake - you also add pretty much teriyaki ingredients to all of that and sautee until pan is nearly dry and shiny shiny shiny and then add toasted sesame seeds - the actual amoutns and ingredients are around here somewhere, hopefully I will kink it at some point ... ***

• bring the pot to a boil - when it reaches a boil, kill the heat and add 20 g Katsuobushi and leave it alone completely for 5 minutes.
  
• pour the pot through cheesecloth/papertowel and strainer/funnel into container - wait until completely cool before storing - store up to 4 days

Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1.5 C dashi
• 0.5C egg (2-ish)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• add ins - kamaboko, mushrooms, scallops, edamame, shrimp, chicken, peas, mushrooms, etc.
• mitsuba (no mitsuba? - flat leaf parsley is fine)

Blend eggs with chopsticks ntil uniform, add dashi and salt, mix trying to get as few bubbles as possible.  Strain mixture.  Add in the add ins to lidded cuips, then add in egg mixture, cover with foil or lids.

Prepare pot to steam the cups - make sure the cups do not touch the bottom of cooking pot and that the containers are not floating - water does not need to actually touch the cups, but CAN touch the cups, so long as the water level does not allow for water to seep inside the cups

Bring the water to a boil and drop to low heat so the water is simmering - should take somewhere around 20 min but it all depends on volume, how thick the cup is, how many add ins, etc.

done when 160*f or more 

September 10, 2023

Going for 2  servings of chawanmushi - thinking one egg and whatever 3x that volume in dashi.  Made GORGEOUS dashi according to notes above yesterday so I will be using that  - I have seen people say you can sub in any stock or use instant dashi (so long as you strain it extra well so it doesn't look nasty when finished) but ... don't. This is literally dashi egg and salt and whatever add ins you decide to use - there is nowhere to hide any weird flavors and every opportunity for a really well crafted dashi to shine. It's so painless to make dashi from kombu, katsuobushi and filtered water and its so front and center in something like katsuobushi - it's not worth making chawanmushi unless you are willing to use good ingredients.

sliced shiitake - added to cups raw
lotsa kamaboko
sauteed enoki
mitsuba

Scalloped/Au Gratin Homestyle Casserole

No ... this is not how to make it from scratch.  This is cooking time adjustments for the boxed Idahoan casseroles.  I have no shame in my love for these, none whatsoever.  I can throw down on some pommes anna and other fussy potato dishes, but these are fast, easy and tasty.  I love these boxed franken-potatoes and I don't care who knows!!!

Best for Golden Browning

1. PREHEAT oven to 450°F. COMBINE potatoes and sauce mix in 1 1/2 quart baking dish.
2. STIR in 1 1/2 cups boiling water, 3/4 cup milk, and 1 Tbsp. margarine or butter with whisk.
3. BAKE uncovered for 25 minutes or until top is golden brown and potatoes are tender (sauce will thicken slightly when cooling).
4. Remove from oven and let stand a few minutes before serving.
5. BAKING NOTES: 

• To prepare 2 casseroles at once, double all ingredients, increase baking dish size accordingly, and bake about 30 min. 
• To bake potatoes and roast meat at the same time, 
• bake at 450°F for about 25 min;
• bake at 425°F for about 30 min or until golden brown;
• bake at 400°F for about 35 min or until golden brown;
• bake at 375°F for about 45 min; 
• bake at 350°F for about 50 min; 
• bake at 325°F for about 60 min.

Zucchini & Tomato Rice Gratin

Adapted from a Recipe adapted by SmittenKitchen.com - I have made it larger and eliminated a lot of the olive oil.

3 medium/large zucchini, sliced 1/4" thick
5-6 plum tomatoes, sliced 1/4" thick
1 Cup uncooked long grain rice, cooked as you prefer (I used long grain brown jasmine rice)
2 eggs
1 Cup grated parmesan, 3/4 C for rice mixture, 1/4 cup for sprinkling
1 large onion, sliced thin - I used a huge Spanish onion
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 T olive oil - really, just enough to cook the onions and garlic in
1 t dried thyme or 1 t fresh
salt & pepper


Preheat oven to 450 - line baking sheets with parchment, you can brush with olive oil but I don't bother, lay out slices of zucchini and tomato, sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast zucchini for 20min, roast tomatoes for 10 min.

Heat oil over medium in heavy pan with lid, add onion and garlic, lower heat and cover, stirring occasionally until onions are soft and limp - about 15 minutes.  Remove to bowl, combine with thyme, rice, eggs, parmesan and salt and pepper to taste.

Layer 1/2 rice mixture on bottom of non-stick or oiled 2 qt or larger baking dish, place a layer of zucchini, place the rest of the rice, another layer of zucchini and then the tomatoes.  Sprinkle remaining parmesan on top.

Bake until browned - about 25 minutes.  My oven browns best when I use a rack near the top.

Onion Confit

Shamelessly stolen from Tom Colicchio with slight adjustments to volume

4 large Vidalia onions, sliced thin (Tom says to use Vidalia, I respectfully disagree - Vidalia really aren't designed to be cooked. I use ye olde 3lb bag of yellow onions and they come out sweet as candy and, IMO, far tastier than the time I actually used the Vidalia.)
2 T olive oil

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium, then add onions and reduce heat to medium low. Stir frequently and add kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Cook until onions are soft, but not carmelized - about 30 minutes. Then add:

1 C chicken stock
2 T white wine vinegar

Continue stirring frequently until pan is mostly dry - about 30 minutes. If using dried herbs, add them during this last half hour, add fresh herbs after you are done cooking and toss to combine.

Can be refrigerated for 1 week.

Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuits

Shamelessly stolen from Ina Garten

Preheat oven to 425

2 C (+ additional for sprinkling/as needed) AP Flour
1.5 teaspoons Kosher salt
1 Tablespoons Baking Powder

combine in mixer bowl, attach paddle, stir on low, then add:

1.5 sticks (12 T) diced, cold, unsalted butter

continue to mix until butter is pea sized, then combine the following in a glass bowl or cup:

1 egg (cold) - recipe calls for Xtra large egg, I simply used a large egg)
1/2 C shaken, cold buttermilk

add to the flour mixture while continuing to stir on low, when just combined, combine the following in a small bowl:

1 C grated sharp white cheddar
1 small handful of AP flour, tossed to coat cheese

Add the cheese mixer to the dough, mix until combined and then turn out onto a floured surface. Roll into 5" x 10" rectangle and cut into 8 pieces. Brush with egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 T water) and sprinkle with flaked sea salt. Bake on parchement lines sheet for 20 - 25 minutes.

Modifications:

I totally forgot the egg wash and sea salt - still tasty!

I think that these would be even better as drop biscuits brushed with garlic butter after they come out of the oven!

Sweet Potato, Yukon,Gold, Vidalia and Sausage Home Fries

... in Duck Fat!

• 3 Tbsp Duck Fat


• 1/2 large Vidalia Onion, long thin strips


• 1 large Sweet Potato, peeled, 3/4" dice


• 2 Medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, 3/4" dice


• 4 -5 cooked sweet Italian sausages


• salt & pepper to taste

Preheat skillet (with lid) over medium-high heat and add the duck fat - when the duck fat is hot, add the potatoes and the onion. Toss to coat everything in the duck fat, reduce heat to medium and cover with lid for about 10 minutes - the potatoes should be cooked through and the onions translucent ... and the bottom should be crispy!

Add in the sausage and salt & pepper to taste, stir to copmbine and continue to cook uncovered for 10 - 15 minutes, stirring only occassionally. (Too much stirring and no crisy edges will form.) It is important not to overcrowd the pan - it will still taste good but it won't get crispy.

Thoughts for next time include adding apples to the mix or perhaps grilled pineapple chunks. I served this with cornbread waffles (Jiffy cornbread mix, 3/4 C milk, 1 egg & 2 Tbsp oil - mix together and cook as if they are waffles.)

Bacon Spoon Bread

Oh HELLS yes!

3/4 C Cornmeal, yellow is best
1-1/2 C cold Water
2 C shredded sharp Cheddar (I used sharp white cheddar!)
1/4 C Butter, room temp
2 cloves Garlic, crushed
1/2 t salt
1 C milk
4 eggs, separated
1/2 lb. Bacon, cooked and crumbled

Preheat oven to 325. Butter a 2-quart casserole/souffle and then coat with grated Parmesan. In sauce pan, combine cornmeal and cold water and bring to a rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. When thick - after about 60 seconds - remove from heat and stir in cheese, butter, garlic and salt. When the cheese melts, stir in the milk and then the egg yolks, then add the bacon. Beat egg whites until stiff and then fold into batter (rule I was taught was to put 1/3 of the whites into the batter and stir to lighten the mixture overall, then add the next third and fold carefully. When that is fully incorporated, carefully fold in the last third of egg whites, only until incorporated.) Pour mixture into the prepared baking dish and level and smooth the top of the batter with a spatula. Bake until browned on top, high and puffy - about one hour or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean - if it does not, bake for an additional 10 minutes. Serve directly from baking dish using 2 spoons.

Oven Roasted Potatoes

Oven fries on a smaller scale - I am making this up as I go along. This is my plan for a small batch - I am making a roast chicken, pan fried brussels sprouts and bacon spoon bread for dinner tonight so there is no need to make a huge batch of potatoes! I imagine it would be as simple as increasing all ingredients proportionally to make a larger batch.

3 Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed but unpeeled, cut in half and then quartered.
Olive oil - enough to coat potatoes evenly
2 Shallots, roughly chopped
Dried Rosemary
Parmesan, grated
sugar
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 400 (can go higher). Mix all ingredients together in zip lock bag with most of the air removed until evenly coated. Line cookie sheet with parchment (or not - its just for ease of clean-up) and spread potatoes in even layer. Cook 15 minutes, flip/stir, cook 5-10 minutes longer.

Mushroom Risotto

I make this using an on/off style rice cooker. My rice cooker is one of the most useful, versatile kitchen appliances that I own. The model I have comes with a metal steamer basket - I can cook rice in the pot and make a side dish - or even cook an entree - in the basket. It works perfectly as a steamer and I find its the ideal way to heat leftovers evenly without drying out. Some people can't live without a microwave, but I easily gave mine up years ago ... but if you took my rice cooker, I might very well get hysterical!

This is my recipe - I have adapted it from other risotto recipes found in the Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook - if you have a rice cooker, you should have this cookbook. Fantastic information, delicious recipes and recipes for both on/off rice cookers and fuzzy logic rice cookers. A fuzzy logic rice cooker is on my wish list, but my on/off cooker rocks!

Mushroom Risotto

I package of Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
1 T olive oil
2 T unsalted butter
2 med-lg shallots, minced
1 C + 2 T arborio rice
3 C liquid consisting of 1 can of chicken broth (I used the roasted veg flavor and its great!) and water
Butter/Parmesan/salt/pepper to finish

Heat the olive oil and butter in the rice cooker pot, then add shallots. Keep them moving and cook until softened - a few minutes or so. Add the rice and coat with the oil and then add the mushrooms - stir for a few minutes until the rice grains have white spots in the middle and the mushrooms are starting to brown a bit. Add the liquid and cover, stirring several times - the rice cooker will switch to "keep warm" when it is finished. Before serving, let a few pats of butter melt into the rice, then stir in salt, pepper and parmesan to taste.

Shrimp & Spinach Risotto

• 1/2 C Dry White wine (or broth or water or whatever)
• 1/2 C Water
• 1 Bay leaf
• 12 oz Shrimp in shell, cooked, liquid reserved
• 2 T Olive Oil
• 1/4 C Shallots, minced
• 1 small clove Garlic, minced
• 1 bag pre-washed baby Spinach
• 1 C Arborio rice
• Chicken stock - enough to make 3 C liquid when added to shrimp stock

Bring wine, water and bay leaf to boil, add shrimp, cook until done. Reserve liquid and shell shrimp. Turn on rice cooker and heat olive oil - add shallots and garlic, cook until soft. Add rice and toss in oil to coat, cook for a few minutes until rice has white spot at center. Add spinach and toss for a few minutes to take the raw edge off, add stock and close lid. Stir several times, when rice cooker switches to Keep Warm, add shrimp and stir to combine.

Crab Cakes

Scott and I were sitting around on Wednesday night and our thoughts, for whatever reason, turned to crab cakes. We decided that crab cakes cooked in a Madeleine pan, if they had that same crispy bottom, would be amazing. I surprised him with a test batch on Thursday night and plan to make them Friday for Xmas Eve dinner! The test batch involved panko and lacked shallots - I think these will be even better, but the test batch was good, too!

Preheat oven to 350

• 2 T olive oil
• 1 minced shallot
• 2 chopped scallions, reserve greens

Heat oil and saute the shallots and scallion whites until soft. Then add them to a bowl along with:

• 2- 6 oz cans of crab, drained
• 1-2 eggs
• 1-2 T mayo (probably on the lower end of that measure)
• 1 t dry mustard (maybe go heavier)
• 1 sleeve of Ritz (use your judgment)
• 1/2 t cayenne (maybe go lighter)
• 1 t garlic powder
  
• Worcestershire sauce - a few spashes
• salt and pepper to taste

Refrigerate this mix until well chilled

Butter and flour a Madeleine pan as if to make Madeleines, drop the crab mix into the molds and shape lightly, don't pack.

Bake 20 - 25 minutes

Baby Carrots

Put baby carrots into a pot and cover with water by 1/2" - bring to a boil over high heat, then drop to medium. Simmer until fork tender (3-6 minutes). Drain, return to cooking pot and add a few pats of butter to melt - you can also add fresh parsley or other herbs - toss to combine.

Enoki Mushroom Miso Soup

This is a slight variation on standard miso soup - white Enoki mushrooms were used instead of tofu. Everything is the same except I leave out the tofu altogether and I slice the enoki mushrooms into thirds, reserving the caps to add directly to serving bowls and adding the 2/3 that are stem to the broth while it comes up to temperature. I do this with regular miso soup too, but it is worth mentioning again: I chop the scallions and reserve the green portions to add as the soup is finishing, but I toss the whites in the pot while the broth is coming up to temperature - they add flavor and when cooked like this get really sweet and delicious. I can't wait to try this with Shitake mushrooms and other, more flavorful varieties!

Satsumaimo Oven Fries

Pretty much the same as regular Sweet Potato Fries, only using the purple skinned Japanese sweet potatoes.

Oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Wedge the sweet potato and toss into sip-top bag along with oil and seasonings (salt/pepper - add what you like - remember that spicy compliments sweet ... cayenne would not go amiss!) and shake it around to coat evenly. Spread evenly on parchment and back 20-30 minutes, flipping once.