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Posts from the ‘Recipes’ Category

Apr 14

Say Cheese

SAY CHEESE

Spring is so filled with holidays and events that knowledge of cheeses is a big help to anyone planning to entertain during these Covid years. America’s favorite type of party is known as a Cocktail or Open House before dinner and a Reception or Get Together after. Whether black tie or blue jeans the format is the same. People are free to mingle and chat without hindrance of seating arrangements. Food is in canape form, communally presented and eaten with the fingers. ( See posts of April 22, 2021, and    April 29, 2021)

Nowadays, many consider dips and items requiring dipping sauces as cross-contaminates.  Unfortunately, prepared canapes’ appeal depends on freshness, exposure spoils their texture. Serving them requires constant oversight and replenishing, a problem for DIY hosting. 

Cheeses are the answer.  Whether a single wedge, block or wheel on a plate with crackers or an array on a board, cheeses offer presentations to satisfy groups of all sizes. I’ve attended large parties where only cheese boards were served. Sometimes there was a variety on each board; others the boards featured the products of different countries, or specific types. There are many presentation possibilities, and the number of boards depends on the number of guests. So planning is easily scaled and preparation is simplified.  

Cheese boards are easily kept looking fresh too. Buy double, or divide your selection in half, then when an item is consumed, or begins to look ‘untidy’ just replace it with the spare piece. So long as each item has its own knife, there’s never a question of cross-contamination either. Best of all, unlike other canapes, cheese leftovers have second lives in dressings, spreads, toppings and as ingredients in other dishes. So there’s no waste.

Cheese platters can vary from the spare dinner plate to inlaid or carved marble trays and cheese knives of various designs are sold everywhere from Dollar stores to jeweler’s shops, singly and in sets. Cheese boards are just as diverse, often doubling as bread boards; they range from rustic kitchen models to ones of patterned and/or inlaid woods to elaborate carved center pieces. 

Crackers, sliced breads, chips and other products to hold the cheeses are far too large a category to discuss here. However, there are so many choices available that’s it’s smart to be aware of the options, keep an open mind as to pairings, and if you have no preferences, seek advice from the cheese vender, the web or recipe books. It is important to have complementary flavorings. If in doubt, select a product with a neutral taste, such as Table Water Crackers and allow the cheese flavor to stand alone.

To procure the cheeses for an event, most supermarkets, especially the upscale ones, have acceptable gourmet cheese sections. Peruse the markets in your area to determine the best and you may have to select items from several stores. If you have questions, don’t ask a clerk, get the manager or managers if need be. Of course, a specialty Cheese Shop or gourmet boutique are always the best bets. The web and its specialty sites are another option, but double check them. Aside from being more expensive, it’s wise to verify sources before ordering perishables by mail.

As for selecting cheese or cheeses, decisions depend on personal preferences and the specific occasion. It’s one thing to buy for the family or a few friends and another to plan for a large group. Actually, formal or casual doesn’t matter here, because people’s taste remains the same regardless of setting. The important thing is to have an understanding of the choices and what is appropriate for the occasion and the specific group.

In my book, How to Control Food Bills,    along with the more than 100 pages of other charts, I have an extensive chart on cheeses.  It’s too many pages to include here, but it describes many varieties, their appearance, colors, textures, flavors and uses. It is a true helper in advising anyone interested in this subject. However, I have included a Cliff Notes type of cheese directory below, which will give you an idea of how to proceed. 

Even if you’re not entertaining, do take a step into the world of cheeses. It’s a delicious, fascinating trip you’ll never regret. So smile and say “Cheese”!

CHEESES-U.S. Department of Agriculture listing

UNRIPENED CHEESES – Unripened cheeses are made by coagulating milk proteins (casein) with acid, such as sour milk alone, and/or an enzyme such as rennet. A few require some heating. They can be made in the home kitchen and eaten fresh.  White in color and soft textured they are good as spreads, in dips, casseroles, as pasta filings, with vegetables and fruits and in cheesecake

1)  Acid Only     –   Cottage. Cream, Neufchatel, Quark, Chevre
2)  Acid + Heat   –   Ricotta, Queso Blanco, Paneer, Mascarpone    

3)  Acid + Rennet – Fresh Mozzarella

4)  Rennet Only   – Queso Fresco, Panela, Ranchero    

RIPENED CHEESES – Ripened cheeses are made by coagulating milk proteins with enzymes (rennet) and culture acids just as the unripened ones but then they are ripened (aged) by bacteria or mold. Also called maturation, this process in the cheese-making is associated with active microbial proteases and lipases changing the morphology and physical texture of the cheese as well as developing the taste and flavor into the final product.
For Interior ripened cheeses, the maturation process begins on the inside of the cheese and moves outward. Bacterial cultures introduced into the milk do the same thing as they do in surface-ripened cheeses, but they make for a more solid product by hardening the paste first. Lactic acid bacteria play a key role during ripening and can therefore be used as accelerating agents. After these cheeses have been fully ripened, they are coated and sealed with wax to cut off oxygen circulation on the surface. 

Also known as soft-ripened cheese, this type of rind refers to cheeses that are ripened from the outside and whose rinds are made from a perfect amalgamation of mold and yeast. Bloomy rinds create a flavorful, textured, and very edible crust, which encourages the cheese inside to ripen. A soft-ripened cheese has mold (Penicillium candidum, camemberti or glaucum) added to the milk or sprayed over the wheel of cheese. By taking the cheese through a series of maturation stages where temperature and relative humidity are carefully controlled, the cheese maker allows the surface mold to grow and the mold ripening of the cheese by fungi to occur. This mold creates the soft, white rind and also helps the cheese ripen from the outside in. Often called; washed-rind’ these cheeses can be hard or soft. The softer ones are sometimes distinguished as  ‘smear-ripened’.

Cheese rinds are food safe and edible. You should feel free to enjoy flavored rinds, washed rinds, and bloomy rinds as part of your cheese eating experience. Other rinds made of wax or cloth can generally be removed and discarded—these rinds are there to protect the cheese along its aging journey.

RIPENED CHEESES

BACTERIAL RIPENED

Internal –    These cheeses are best known for their ready use as appetizers, snacks, sandwich filings, grated toppings and accompaniments to other foods. They have a firm texture, distinct rather sharp tastes and, generally, range in color from golden to dark orange.
Examples:  Cheddar, Colby, Monterey Jack, Swiss, Edam-Gouda, Romano, Parmesan, Provolone, Mozzarella, Muenster, Brick.

External – These cheeses are softer and smoother textured than the internal.  In fact, they often have a silky quality. Creamy white to pale gold in color, their taste can vary from mild to strong, but they are all able to stand alone as appetizers and accompaniments to fruit as desserts. They also serve as a featured ingredient to a specific dish as does Gruyere in French Onion Soup.
Examples: Limburger, Liederkranz, Guyere, Esrom, Comte, Tilsit, Port du Salut.

MOLD RIPENED

Internal – These cheeses are the most recognizable. The mold which ripens them also marbles them with a dark vein. The bulk of the cheese is a creamy white, with a soft, dry, crumbly texture and a strong taste with a bite. People tend to like or dislike these cheeses as a group. They are excellent as appetizers with crackers, in salads and salad dressings and crumbled as garnish over cold fruit and vegetable dishes, or just with fruit for dessert.
Examples: Blue, Roquefort, Gorgonzola, Stilton, Danableu, Rosenbourg, Bleu d’Auvrane, Blue Shropshire

External – Like the externally bacterial ripened cheeses, these cheeses have a soft, smooth, rather silky texture differing from their internally, mold ripened cousins.  They are generally a pale golden color with a no less distinctive taste but milder without the sharp bite of the internally mold ripened. They’re good as appetizers, snacks with bread or dessert with raw fruit.

Examples: –   Camenbert, Brie, Cambozia, Saint Andre

Apr 7

Spring Roasts (1)

ROASTS FOR SPRING HOLIDAYS

As spring approaches our natural inclination is to eat lighter. In warmer weather we need less fat and fortifying carbohydrates to sustain us. Of course the prospect of summer around the corner is motivation to cut back on calories and eat less too. The recipe suggestions in Spring Roasts for Easter and Passover, are selected for holidays, occasions or simply dinners at this season.  I’ve written several posts with different excerpts from this book specifically on April 5, 2012,   April 21, 2014, March 22, 2015,   March 22, 2018, April 1, 2019,  March 25, 2020 each with different takes on the book and one on brunch options  on March 23,2016.  The past few years, with holiday and event gatherings so dependent in size on the current situation, menu options are a real consideration.

The basic point is that spring roasts are smaller, more tender, than the hardy stars of fall and winter feasts. Also, in keeping with the season, spring roasts are treated in a lighter manner and/or presented in a more delicate cut, such as a rack rather than a leg, and are often served au jus rather than with thickened gravy. They are meant to be accompanied by and compliment the fresh, young produce of spring not overpower it.

Foods have changed with the times as well. They aren’t so seasonally specific. For example pork, formerly associated with colder weather is found on menus all year, offering an economic option. Summer squash and asparagus are available in fall and winter. I deal with this subject in my post on Spring Roasts for March 22, 2018.  Incidentally, that post lists different entrée recipes than this, so you might want to check it out. I quote from it here. 

“Beef is welcome, but in cuts like fillet mignon, London broil and a seasoned brisket. Pork too is acceptable, as loin, tenderloin or the elegant chop display of a crown roast filled with steamed spring vegetables. Lamb is making a comeback as a mature animal because it’s sustainable, but the legs are larger and chops in racks are becoming favorites. Poultry is still popular and turkey has joined the line-up but as a Hotel Breast not a full bird. Ham, cured over the winter has always been popular too.

Spring Roasts does contain recipes for veal, which is still available in specialty butcher shops but recipes for veal, turkey, chicken and pork are interchangeable. There are also lots of recipes for sides and desserts. There are many menu options and available selections cover a wide price range resulting in a huge variety of possible presentations. This book offers suggestions for the complete entrée as well as tips on seasonal upgrades. For example, if you feel comfortable with your own method of roasting, say a chicken, there are ways to perk it up for spring.

1.Rub the roast with oil and sprinkle inside and out with a dried herb of choice

2.Instead of potatoes, roast whole carrots, onions or lightly blanched fennel quarters around the roast. About 40 min. before it’s done, add the vegetables with a bit of canned, condensed broth, baste them a time or two.

3,Forget thickening gravy. Use the rest of the broth to deglaze the roasting pan at the end, adding a little wine or herbs to make a sauce to pass at table.

4.Try one of the easy stuffings below. I suggest the rice because it’s lighter than bread. The first 2 recipes can be made ahead, frozen and thawed for use on the day

In general, for spring meals, I like to go easy on the carbs and serve several vegetable dishes,
including a leafy salad with fruit. If I’m catering to big or growing appetites, muffins, especially fruit ones or focaccia with a flavored topping are great fillers.” However, there is a selection of spring carb recipes in last week’s post on March 31, 2022. Additionally, if you prefer stuffing, or want to roll a roast, there are seasonal options for that in Spring Roasts as well. Some examples are below:

RECIPES

Apricot Glazed Cornish Hens

 4 Cornish Hens
1 cup apricot nectar
4 Tbs. apricot jam
1 tsp. butter – melted
Marinate the hens in a plastic bag with the nectar, in the refrigerator for at least 2 hr. turning often. Remove the hens, reserving marinade, and place in a pan breast side up. Bake in a 350 deg. oven basting with marinade often during first 40 min. Mix butter with jam and baste the hens a final time. Bake 20 min. more or until hens are tender. Deglaze pan drippings with a bit of white wine or apple juice and serve with the hens.

Duck with Cherries

4lb. duckling
2 cups white wine or apple juice
Salt, pepper, powdered ginger –
2 Tbs. flour
(1) 20 oz. can pitted Bing cherries in syrup
Clean the duck, trim the fat and remove the oil gland. Place the duck on a rack in the sink, prick the skin with a fork all over and pour 2-4 cups of boiling water over the duck. This shrinks the skin and helps it crisp. Sprinkle with the seasonings and put the duck, on the rack in a pan into a preheated 450 deg. oven for 15 min. reduce heat to 350 deg. and cook for 20 min. per pound until tender. Baste often with the wine or juice, using all. When duck is done, keep warm. Strain fat from pan drippings. Mix the flour with the drippings and cook until smooth and thickened. Add the cherries with syrup and heat through. Spoon some of the sauce over each portion as served and pass the rest.

Chicken with Herb Butter
6 lb. oven roaster
5 cloves garlic – mashed
1 cup mixed chopped fresh herbs- rosemary, thyme, sage & parsley OR ¼ cup mixed dried herbs
¼ lb. butter softened
Salt and pepper
2 cups water or broth –   more if needed
1 Tbs.cornstarch

Mix herbs, butter and garlic. Gently lift the breast skin on the chicken and spread about ¼ the butter mixture under the skin on each side. Put the chicken in a roasting pan breast side up. Gently dot some of the butter over the top and pour about ¼ cup both in the pan bottom. Put the chicken in a preheated 350 deg. oven and roast 30 min per pound dotting with the remainder of the butter and adding broth to keep the pan drippings fluid during roasting. Don’t baste unless it looks dry. Remove the chicken to a serving plate and tent with foil to keep warm. Mix broth with the pan drippings to equal 2 cups. Whisk in the cornstarch and stir over medium heat until slightly thickened. Serve with chicken.

Chicken with Fruit Stuffing.
6 lb. oven roaster
¼ cup diced onion
¼ cup diced celery
1 large cooking apple like Granny Smith, peeled, cored and in large cubes
1 orange cut in half and segments removed—rind zested and reserved
1/3 cup raisins\
½ tsp. each dried thyme, rosemary and sage
1 egg
6 slices cinnamon raisin bread – lightly toasted and torn in 1 inch pieces OR 6 slices white bread lightly toasted with ½ tsp. cinnamon added to the mix
@ 3 Tbs. orange juice or apple juice – more if needed to just moisten stuffing
Salt and pepper to taste
Chicken broth
1 Tbs. cornstarch

Mix all the ingredients above except the broth and cornstarch, adding only enough fruit juice to moisten. Stuff the chicken and put it in a roasting pan breast side up, with ½ cup broth in the bottom. Cook 30 min. per pound, adding broth to keep pan drippings fluid. When chicken is golden and juices run clear, remove to a serving plate and add enough broth or, optionally, broth and fruit juice to pan to equal 2 cups. Whisk in cornstarch and stir over medium heat until slightly thickened. Serve with roast.

Rack of Lamb: Allow 1 chop per serving
Number 1
2 racks of lamb
½ cup mint jelly
2 Tbs. vinegar
Trim the meat well and place fat side up in a roasting pan. Brush with jelly melted with vinegar and roast 375 deg. 15-20 min per pound. Brush with rest of the jelly mix just before finished. Serve on a platter and divide into servings at table.

Number 2
2 racks of lamb
½ cup panko- lightly crushed
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. chopped fresh chives
3 tsp. chopped fresh mint
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon zest
Water
4 Tbs. butter
SAUCE
1 Tbs. lemon juice
½ cup white wine
2 Tbs. mint jelly
4 Tbs. butter
Mix the panko and next 6 ingredients in a bowl using just enough water to bind. Trim lamb and press breading into meat, Place bones down in a pan, drizzle with butter and roast 375 deg. for 15-20 min per pound. MAKE SAUCE by deglazing pan with lemon juice and wine, add a bit of water if more liquid is needed. Dissolve first jelly then butter in pan to make sauce. Serve drizzled on plates when carving.

Leg of Lamb with Mint Sauce

5-7lb. leg of lamb
½ cup of mint sauce – a vinegar based sauce, not mint jelly. For recipe see p.28*
¼ cup of cider vinegar
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup beef broth
3Tbs. flour
Trim all the fat from the lamb, rub with the vinegar and place in a roasting pan with ¼ inch of water. Pour about ¼ cup of mint sauce over the lamb and put in a 325deg. oven. Roast 13-15 min. per pound for rare, 16-18 min for medium After 15 min. pour over the other ¼ cup of mint sauce. Baste frequently with drippings, adding water as necessary to maintain the liquid level. Meanwhile, dissolve the flour in 1 cup broth. When meat is done, remove to a plate and keep warm. Use I cup of broth to deglaze pan add to the cup with the flour in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and stir until thickened. Serve hot with the meat and pass mint jelly on the side.
* Mint Sauce:
Per bunch of fresh mint- I use spearmint;  Cut off the thickest part of the stems and any root tendrils. Wash the leaves well. Place in a stockpot and just cover with apple cider vinegar. Bring to a simmer and add sugar to a sweet-sour taste. Don’t over sweeten. You may use sugar substitute. Cook until stems are soft—about 5-8 min. Cool and blend or process until mint is almost a powder. Pour into glass bottles. Leave to cool completely and screw on tops. I use well cleaned 8oz.salad dressing bottles. Store in a dark place at room temperature.  Keeps for months.

Rub this over the leg of lamb before roasting and add a bit to pan drippings to baste. I make gravy of the pan drippings and 2 beef plus 1 chicken bouillon envelopes and 2 cups water mixed with ¼ cup mint sauce, pan drippings and about 5 Tbs. flour or 2 ½ Tbs. cornstarch.

For broiled lamb chops, or lamb patties, I pour a light covering of mint sauce over them before cooking.

Sauce can also be used for flavoring in Sheppard’s Pie, stews, soups etc.

Excellent over fresh fruit and vegetables.

Pork Loin and Beets: Serves 4- from Bon Appetit.com
¼ cup walnuts
3 Tbs. plus ½ cup olive oil
1 ½ pounds pork tenderloin
Kosher salt
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
3 medium golden beets, scrubbed, cut into bite-size pieces
Freshly ground black pepper
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups sauerkraut, plus ½ cup brine
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
½ cup dry white wine
4 Tbs. fresh lemon juice, divided
½ cup finely chopped mint”
½ cup finely chopped parsley
¼ cup finely chopped dried tart apricots
Toast walnuts in a skillet or on a rimmed baking sheet, in a 350 deg. oven, tossing once, until golden brown, 7–10 minutes. Let cool, and chop. Heat 3 Tbs. oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Season pork loin with salt and cook until browned on all sides, 10–15 minutes. Transfer pork to a platter. Add onions and beets to same skillet and cook, stirring often, until onions are slightly translucent and browned, 10–12 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Add garlic, sauerkraut, brine, broth, wine, and 2 Tbsp. lemon juice and bring to a simmer. Cover skillet, reduce heat to low, and cook until beets are fork-tender, 25–30 minutes. Return pork to skillet and push down into liquid. Turn heat up to medium and simmer, uncovered, turning occasionally until instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of loin registers 150 deg., 20–30 minutes. Transfer pork to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes before slicing.
Meanwhile, mix walnuts, mint, parsley, apricots, remaining 2 Tbs. lemon juice, and remaining ½ cup oil in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper. Spoon beet mixture onto plates and arrange sliced pork on top. Spoon a generous amount of walnut sauce over.

Spinach Stuffed Pork Loin: Serves 6
3 lb. boneless pork loin
(1) 4 oz. can mushroom stems and pieces
½ cup diced shallots
1 garlic clove-minced
2 Tbs. brandy
1 Tbs. butter
(1) 10 oz. box frozen, chopped spinach-thawed
1 Tbs. oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups condensed canned chicken broth + more if needed
¼ cup white wine
Mix the broth and the wine. Butterfly the pork by lengthwise slicing almost through. Open it like a book and make similar slices down each half. Cover with plastic wrap and pound the meat to an even thinness. Sauté the shallots and mushrooms in the butter until golden, remove to a bowl. Add the oil to the pan and toss the spinach over with the garlic, remove to the bowl with the shallots and add seasonings. Save any pan juices and add to the broth mix. Spread the vegetable mixture on the meat to within a about an inch of each edge. Roll the meat around the stuffing, starting with a long side and secure with string. Pour over about ½ cup of broth mix and cook in a 350 deg. oven about 1 hr.45 min. >2 hrs. adding more broth mix as necessary. Deglaze the pan with the rest of the broth mix and pass at table.

Baked, Glazed Ham: For those on restrictive diets, Smoked Turkey can be substituted for the ham. The GLAZE is an old family recipe

1 ham, shank or butt 7-10 lbs.
½ cup molasses
2 Tbs. cider vinegar
@24 whole cloves
2 cups apple juice + more if needed
1 small can pineapple rings
4-5 Candied or Maraschino cherries + equal number of toothpicks
½ cup raisins
Trim all fat from the ham, lightly score the top and dot it with cloves.  Put the ham in a roasting pan with 1 cup of apple juice to prevent sticking, and set it in a 350 deg. oven. After about 20 minutes, or when the scoring opens, baste it with ½ the glaze and add more juice to the pan, if needed. Allowing 15min. per pound, halfway through the cooking, add a bit more juice to the bottom of the pan to deglaze and baste with that, then spoon ½ the remaining glaze over the ham. 30 min. before it’s finished,  open a small can of pineapple slices and, reserving the juice,  place 4 slices on top of the ham, centering each with a cherry on a toothpick, then spoon the remaining glaze over them.
Raisin Sauce

Meanwhile, combine the reserved pineapple juice and enough apple juice to make 2 cups, with 2Tbs. cornstarch and ½ cup raisins. Stirring constantly, I bring the mixture to a boil in a small saucepan until it thickens and clarifies. Add the pan drippings and stir to incorporate. To make a delicious Raisin Sauce!

STUFFINGS –Stuffing with egg tends to puff and rice spills out. An easy way to keep the stuffing in a bird is to flatten a piece of bread with a can or rolling pin to compact it and place it over the cavity opening secured with a couple of poultry pins or skewers.

Apricot and Herb Stuffing: Yield 3 cups-Adapted from Memorable Roasts published by Konemann
1 cup chopped dried apricots
1 onion chopped
1 stalk celery chopped
¾ cup raisins
1 Tbs. dried parsley
¼ tsp. EACH dried sage, thyme, rosemary
About ¼ cup milk*
3 cups fresh breadcrumbs*
1 egg beaten*
Mix all the ingredients adding just enough milk to hold it loosely together and seal in a freezer bag or covered container. To use, thaw and stuff bird, cook as directed.
*Replace these ingredients with 3 cups cooked rice—suggestion brown rice.

Walnut and Ham Stuffing: Yield 3 cups- Adapted from Memorable Roasts published by Konemann
1cup finely chopped ham
½ cup chopped walnuts
½ cup chopped mushrooms
¼ cup chopped parsley
About ¼ cup milk*
2 cups chopped breadcrumbs*
1 egg beaten*
Mix all the ingredients adding just enough milk to hold it loosely together and seal in a freezer bag or covered container. To use, thaw and stuff bird, cook as directed.
*Replace these ingredients with 3 cups cooked rice—suggestion brown rice

Fruit Stuffing for Duck: Yield about 3 cups
2 apples, peeled, cored and diced
½ navel orange sectioned + 1Tbs. slivered orange peel OR (1) 8oz. can mandarin oranges, drained
About ¼ cup orange juice or milk
1/3 cup raisins
1 small onion chopped
1 stalk celery chopped
1 tsp . dried sage
3 slices raisin bread toasted-torn in1 inch pieces
Mix all the ingredients adding just enough liquid to hold it together. Stuff bird and cook as directed

Mar 31

Carbohydrates for Spring

CARBOHYDRATES FOR SPRING

With the first signs of spring, our thoughts, food wise, focus on a desire to eat lighter and we anticipate the arrival of fresh spring produce. However, those crops present a menu problem, because, save for the small fresh peas, tiny new potatoes and possibly baby carrots, none of them contain the carbohydrate density to give a meal enough sustenance to stave off hunger for more than a couple of hours. There are no legumes or starchy spuds and sturdy stuffings and rich, filling sauces for pasta and grains seem too heavy. (For recipes using spring vegetables, see last week’s posting Mar. 24, 2022. It also contains a full listing of past posts on the subject.)

The answer to finding nourishing carbohydrates for spring to balance our dinner menus is to devise seasonal ways to prepare the old standards, pasta, grains, bread and to make-over a few vegetables from other seasons. Using delicate pastas with light sauces, mixing fruits and vegetables into grains and even bread stuffings, serving beets cold or as filled nests are all solutions.

The recipes below are tasty examples of this type of created carbohydrates for spring menus. Moreover, they all illustrate how to personalize carbohydrate side dishes to compliment your specific menu for any season by adding different ingredients, vegetables, fruits, herbs or spices. They’re great outlines for your imagination.

It seems simpler to present the basic carbohydrates categorically, with notes, to show the variations for clarity, rather than just listing the recipes. So here goes….

RECIPES

Pasta is a good place to start because it highlights how small changes can make the difference. As stated above, use the___14 light and/or delicate shapes.
Cappellini con Agilo e Formaggio (Angle Hair with Garlic an Cheese) Serves 4
4 oz. pasta cooked
2 Tbs. Extra Virgin Olive Oil-this is important because here it is a taste factor
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Grated parmesan or Romano cheese to taste
Drain the hot pasta, toss with the oil and add the seasonings. Top with the cheese and serve at once.

Orzo with Lemon and Parsley: 4 servings- Also for Stellini, Rissoni, Anelli pasta shapes
Amount of pasta as directed on box for 4 servings
½ tsp. olive oil per serving
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice per serving
1 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley per serving, or cilantro

Couscous: Packaged couscous is an excellent time saver. Fast cooking, it comes flavored and is open to any amount of add-ins, which can be stirred into the pot after cooking and before fluffing
Mediterranean Couscous: Serves 6- From https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/packages/couscous-recipes  This dish is wonderful with poultry, a favorite meat in spring.
2 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 medium red onion, diced 
1/4 cup chopped dried apricots 
13/4 cups Israeli couscous 
3/4 cup beef broth 
1 ½ tsp. salt 
Heat olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté for a few minutes, until softened. Add apricots and couscous, and cook for 2 min. to toast the couscous. Add 1 ¼  cups water, beef broth and salt, and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is absorbed and the couscous is tender, 10 to 12 min. serve warm.

RICE: Rice and pasta are inter-changeable in most recipes but be sure of the cooking times of all the ingredients. Caterers often prefer minute rice because of its lighter, fancier appearance and quick cooking time. Brown rice is preferable to white due to its higher fiber and protein content but be aware of the difference in types of rice. The choice can result in big changes in the appearance and texture of the finished dish.
1. Long grain rice cooks up fluffy and separates easily
2. Medium grain rice is more moist and tender, but becomes stickier the longer it cools
3. Short grain rice is almost round. Moist and tender, it has a high starch content and becomes very
sticky when cooked.

Rice, Spinach and Peas with Almonds: Serves 4**
1 cup long grain rice
3 cups water
1 envelope beef or chicken bouillon granules
1 small bunch spinach
4 Tbs. butter OR 2 Tbs. butter and 2 Tbs. oil
2 cloves garlic minced
2/3 cup fresh or frozen peas thawed
Salt and pepper
¼ cup toasted sliced almonds
Cook rice in water with bouillon until tender, about 14 min.; rinse in cold water and drain well. Remove tough stems from spinach and cut leaves in 1 inch strips. Heat 1 Tbs. butter and 1Tbs. oil, if using, or 2 Tbs. butter, in a skillet over medium low heat. Add spinach and garlic and sauté until spinach wilts about 1 min. Add peas, rice and seasonings and toss. Add remaining butter and oil, cover and allow butter to melt, about 5 min. Toss again gently with almonds and serve.
NOTE: This can be made a few days ahead and kept chilled, covered, without the almonds. Reheat in the microwave and toss with the nuts before serving.

Scented Rice: Serves 4
1 cup long grain rice
2 cups broth-chicken or beef
1 Tbs. butter
¾ tsp. flavoring spice or herb*
¼ tsp. other herbs or spices*
1 large onion diced—preferably red
1 bell pepper diced
½ cup peas- thawed if frozen
1 Tbs. oil
Salt to taste
Sauté the rice in the butter until it’s shiny and a bit golden. Add the flavorings and/or spices with the broth, bring to a broil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until rice is cooked and liquid is absorbed, about 20 min. Sauté the onion, peas and peppers in the oil, then add to the cooked rice. Adjust seasonings. Serve hot, but can be made ahead and stored covered in the refrigerator for several days and reheated in the microwave.
*This rice dish can be altered to fit any ethnic menu by altering the spices, herbs and flavoring in quoted amounts or to taste. For example: Mexican=3/4 tsp. cumin + ¼ tsp. EACH oregano and chili powder; French=substitute powdered rosemary for the cumin and marjoram and thyme for the oregano and chili powder; Italian –use basil, oregano and garlic. A simpler, but tasty combination is to forget all the herbs etc. and add 1-2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice and 2 Tbs. fresh chopped parsley to the cooked rice.

Grains: The recipes below are really more outlines than written in stone. The add-ins and flavorings can be changed to better compliment the rest of the menu, even so far as substituting fruits for vegetables. The grains can be altered to fit your preference, so long as you calculate the cooking times to avoid overdoing the additions

Taboule: Serves 4 — This is a traditional dish and though the basic preparation is the same, the optional choice of add-ins can change its presentation. I’ve had it with only tomatoes and lemon juice, although mint is usually present as well. I marked the optional add-ins in this recipe (*) but feel free to add any others you like.
½ cup bugler
1 medium tomato –diced
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbs. olive oil
1/8 tsp. dried oregano
½ cup chopped fresh mint
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
½ cucumber-diced*
1/3 cup diced onion or thinly sliced scallions*
½ green bell pepper –diced*
¾ cup chopped fresh parsley*
¼ cup fennel- diced*
Cover the bugler with water and soak for 45 min. Drain well and squeeze in a towel to be sure it’s dry. Drain the tomato, and cucumber, if using, and pat dry if needed. Gently toss the bugler with the chosen vegetables and herbs and store covered in the refrigerator until ready to use. Mix lemon juice, oil, oregano, salt and pepper in a small jar and store chilled. When ready to serve, gently toss bugler, vegetables and herbs with dressing. Can be served cold or at room temperature.

Bugler with Mushrooms: Serves 4 – This is excellent with all roasts
1 cup beef broth
1 cup bugler
3 Tbs. butter
1 Tbs. oil
12 button mushrooms- caps and stems sliced
1 large shallot-diced
1 Tbs. thyme-fresh minced or 2 tsp. dried
Salt and pepper
Combine bugler and broth in a bowl and soak about 45 min. until tender then drain in a sieve to lose excess broth. Sauté mushrooms in oil and 1 Tbs. butter until starting to brown, about 8 min. add the rest of the butter and the shallot and sauté 5 min. more. Add bugler and thyme, seasonings and heat through. Serve at once or cover and freeze. To reheat thaw and use the microwave.
NOTE: With the addition of 1/3 cup thinly sliced celery sautéed in 2 Tbs. butter and 2 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley, this can be used as a stuffing.

NOTE: Any of 4 recipes above can be made with cooked orzo or couscous following the same directions for preparation, storing and reheating.

Bread Stuffings may seem out of place in spring, but this is light and wonderful with duck and also chicken, both favorite roasts for the season.

Raisin and Fruit Bread Stuffing: This is estimated for a 5-6 lb. bird and can be used with chicken or duck.
5-6 slices raisin bread-toasted and torn in ½ >1 inch pieces
½ small onion –diced
1 smaller inside rib of celery- stalk thinly sliced and leaves chopped
1 cooking apple, cored, peeled and sliced-slices cut in half
1 orange
1 tsp. sage
Salt and pepper
1 egg
milk
Put the bread, apple, onion and celery in a bowl with the seasonings. Cut the orange in half and add the meat from one half to the bowl and the juice from the other half. Mix in the egg and enough milk to keep the stuffing easy to toss but not wet or sticky. Fill bird, both neck and body cavities if there is enough stuffing. Any extra can be cooked covered in a dish, for half the time the bird roasts. Follow regular cooking directions, according to the size of the bird.
** Recipes adapted from ones in the U.S.P.C.A. files

New Potatoes:  These are wonderful just boiled and served with butter and chopped fresh parsley, or peeled in a band around their midsection and popped in the oven with a roast.

New Potatoes and Asparagus: Serves 4**
6 new potatoes—red or other colors preferred over brown
2 lb. asparagus—fresh preferred
1 roasted red bell pepper slivered-jarred is O.K.
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
½ cup olive oil
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1 small shallot in fine dice
4 Tbs. chopped chives
Salt and pepper
Boil potatoes until tender, drain cool and quarter. Cook the asparagus in 1/2 cup water in the microwave until crisp tender about 4-8 min. depending on thickness, drain and cut in 1 ½ inch pieces. Toss potatoes, asparagus and pepper together. Whisk mustard, oil, lemon juice and shallot in a small bowl and pour over the vegetables; toss gently. Serve at room temperature garnished with chives.
Note: Can be kept for a few days covered in the fridge. Lightly microwave to warm for serving.

My Nana’s Stuffed Potatoes: Serves 4–If the new potatoes aren’t in regular ones can be used. I like to peel brown skins, but redskins or other colors are decorative if left on. 

4 potatoes
1 medium onion
4 slivers of butter—depending on roast and size of potatoes
Wash and prepare potatoes if peeling. Cut a sliver off the bottom so they stand up. Using an apple corer or vegetable peeler, scoop out the center of the potatoes, leaving at least ½ inch margin. Grate the onion (I use a mini-chopper) and stuff the potatoes making sure they are packed solid. If the roast is quick cooking and the potatoes are large, bake the potatoes, topping each with a sliver of butter, in a pre-heated 375 deg. oven until beginning to brown but be sure they have at least 30 min. in the pan with the roast being basted to finish. Otherwise, simply bake the potatoes with the roast.

Red Beets: Beets are an example of vegetables from another season which can be served in spring without seeming out-of-place. In fact their color fits right in. Zucchini, yellow squash and broccoli rabe, not broccoli, are others compatible with spring menus.

Pickled Beets: This can be made using freshly cooked beets or canned
Place cooked, peeled and/or sliced beets in a pot, covered in their juice. Remove half the juice and replace with vinegar. Add sugar and salt to taste. (Optionally other flavorings are added according to ethnic recipes, also to taste, cloves, caraway, peppercorns, allspice sliced onions and horseradish.)
Bring to a simmer, reduce heat and cook until the sugar dissolves and beets are heated through. Remove and allow to cool. Store covered in a cool place and allow to marinate for at least 36 hrs. These will keep for months properly stored. Serve well drained.
NOTE: After the beets are eaten the juice is a wonderful marinade to devil hard-boiled eggs. Put the eggs in a jar, covered with the juice and allow to pickle for at least 5 days. They should be a purple color. They are eaten whole, deviled and chopped into a salad. Don’t worry if they feel hardened, that’s to be expected.

Beets with Herbs: Serves 4
12 small cooked and peeled beets- canned-drained will do(save the juice to devil eggs)
4 Tbs. butter
½ cup sliced scallions
¼ cup chopped parsley
1 Tbs. fresh tarragon = 1 tsp. dried
1 ½ Tbs . sugar
¼ cup white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Leave whole or slice the beets. Melt the butter in a saucepan; add the beets and the other ingredients and heat through. Serve hot.
OPTIONALLY: Add 1 cup sour cream at the end and just heat through.

Beet Baskets: Per portion
The amounts vary with the choice of ingredients and the size of the beets, depending on their intended use. Small ones make canapés, medium ones are for sides and large ones can be entrees.
Boil and peel the beets, slice off a sliver of the bottom so they stand upright. Then hollow out the center, leaving at least a ½ inch shell on the large ones.
For 6 Servings:
6 medium beets prepared hollowed out- pulp reserved and chopped
1 cup chopped cooked beet greens*
1 hardboiled egg-chopped
1 slice of cooked bacon-diced
1 Tbs. chopped onion
1 Tbs. melted butter
Salt and pepper
Parsley for garnish
Mix all the ingredients but the parsley and stuff the beets. Place them in a flat bottom pan in a preheated 350 deg. oven and heat them through. Garnish with parsley and serve hot.

VARIATIONS:

Cold peas and chopped celery mixed with mayonnaise, or another creamy or boiled dressing

Chopped hard-boiled egg and chopped sweet pickle mixed with French dressing and a dash of mustard

Chopped hard boiled eggs mixed with tarragon chives and mayonnaise

The beet pulp chopped and mixed with chopped sautéed onions

Cheese flavored rice

Canned herring or mackerel can be combined with any of the above stuffings

Horseradish can be added to any of the stuffings where acceptable and horseradish dressing can be substituted for any suggested ones.

*NOTE: Beet greens are a wonderful vegetable by themselves, much like any other leafy green such as spinach and kale and like them 1lb. =2 servings.
1) Wash the greens well and briefly blanch them in boiling water. Drain them well and sauté them in melted butter with 1 Tbs. lemon juice and garnish with a pinch of nutmeg.
2) Wash and blanch them as above, then sauté in oil with chopped garlic.

Mar 24

Spring Vegetables (1)

SPRING VEGETABLES

Planning a menu with Spring Vegetables runs into the same problem with the weather as do the fruits. The crops simply may not be ready when desired. Nowadays most spring vegetables are available all year, thanks to transportation and freezing methods. However, here again, though they may be a treat out-of-season, in season these options seem artificial compared to fresh local produce.

The thing which sets spring vegetable apart from those of other seasons is that they are best while young and tender, rather than ripe and fully matured. Youth and freshness are key to both appearance and taste. Preparation is focused on maintaining and conveying these qualities, so cooking them is a case of less is more. A pinch of salt in the water, a dab of butter when plating them is often enough. For Spring Vegetable recipes see posts on  May 17,2014,   Apr. 9, 2015,   Mar. 3, 2016,   Mar. 31, 2016,   Apr. 6,2016,   Apr. 20, 2017,   Mar. 15, 2018,   Mar. 29, 2018,   Apr. 2, 2020,   Mar. 25, 2021.

On the other hand, this is the saving grace if you’re forced to depend on regular market offerings. The door is open to doctor them a bit to taste like the real thing. Not by using the sauces, syrups or bolder herbs and spices which are used on vegetables of other seasons, but with the delicate addition of herbs and spices also associated with spring. Mint, parsley and dill are prime examples. Ginger root is considered a light spice, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, though not seasonal, always brightens taste. I’ve written several posts giving recipes to use as examples, 

The recipes below illustrate how this is done, and, hopefully, give you ideas for serving spring vegetables. Oh, and do try the radishes. They’re delicious!

RECIPES

Green Beans with Shallots: Serves 4 – From- https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/french-string-beans-with-shallots.html
2 Tbs. olive oil or unsalted butter

2 large shallots, thinly sliced

1/2 cup water

3/4 pound (12 ounces) French string beans (haricots verts), trimmed

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Pinch sugar

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, about 8 min. Do not brown. Add the beans, salt, pepper and water; bring to a boil. Cover the skillet, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 8 min. Remove the lid and increase the heat to high. Cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid is evaporated, the beans are tender, and the shallots are jammy, about 6 min. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar. Serve warm.

Peas and Mint Serves 4-6

1 lb. fresh or frozen peas

¼  cup. chopped fresh mint.

2 Tbs. butter

Steam or lightly boil the peas until crisp tender about 5 min or as stated on package. Drain, add mint or butter and toss to coat and mix, Serve at once.


Gingered Carrots: Serves 4

1 lb. carrots sliced on an angle

2 Tbs. oil

1 inch fresh ginger grated

1Tbs. poppy seeds

Lightly boil the carrots until just tender 8-10 min; drain well… Sauté in a pan with the oil, ginger and poppy seeds until glossy and just tender. Don’t allow to burn. Serve hot.
2) Prepare the carrots as above. Sauté them with 2 Tbs. melted butter, ½ cup maple syrup, 1 tsp. cinnamon until tender and glossy. Season with salt and pepper if needed. Serve hot.
3) Proceed as above and sauté the carrots in 2 Tbs. butter, ½ tsp. nutmeg, juice of 2 oranges and zest of 1 orange until glossy and tender. Add freshly ground pepper to taste.
4) Proceed as above, using 3 Tbs. butter and ¼ cup honey. This may need a drop of lemon juice.
Carrots roast well tossed with a bit of oil, 1 tsp. of balsamic vinegar and dusted with herb of choice, they take about 30 min. at 350 deg. just watch that they don’t shrivel.
2) They can also be baked. Cut them in sticks and lay the raw carrots in a shallow pan. Pour over 1 cup stock or broth and sprinkle with 2 Tbs. fresh or 1 Tbs. dried herb of choice, thyme, rosemary, sage, marjoram or dill. Dot with 2 Tbs. butter and bake 350 deg. for 30-35 min. until stock is absorbed Taste for salt and pepper if needed. Serve hot.

Asparagus
Break off the woody part of the stems and put the spears in a microwave proof dish in one layer, if possible, no more than two, or cook in batches. Microwave on high 3 to 9 min. depending on the thickness of the stems. If marinating, put drained spears on a serving plate, pour marinade over and allow to infuse as the asparagus cools, then refrigerate or serve. If saucing, shock spears with cold water, chill them and sauce before serving or sauce and serve hot.
For Marinating: A vinaigrette of choice is best
For Saucing: A plain white sauce is good or optionally for 4 servings combine

1 cup cooled cooking water

1 Tbs. cornstarch

Lemon pepper to taste

Dissolve the cornstarch in the liquid and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly until thickened. Add seasoning to taste. For a richer sauce, add 1 beaten egg yolk to the cooled sauce and reheat, over low, stirring constantly until sauce is quite thick. Check to adjust seasoning.  
Garnishes: Asparagus loves to be decorated and will accept many things: sliced or chopped roasted or fresh peppers, chopped eggs, toasted chopped nuts and seeds, anchovies, capers, herbs crumbled bacon, even breadcrumbs.

Braised Fennel: Serves 4

2 heads fennel – stalks removed and quartered
1 Tbs. butter
1 Tbs. oil
Enough broth to partially cover
Salt and pepper
Sauté the fennel in the butter and oil until golden on one side and slightly translucent about 5 min. Pour over broth, cover pan and simmer until tender about 15- 20 min. Season and serve hot. 

Fennel also combines well with radishes, cucumber, cabbage, celery, pears, apples, grapes and most nuts citrus fruits, pieces, zest or juice spark its flavor as does a bit of vinegar in the dressing. Because of fennel’s unique flavor, some may think it’s hard to be creative in using it, but the opposite is true. Aside from braised, fennel doesn’t like to be alone and readily combines with other foods.  Actually, it’s an excellent place to learn to be creative, and salads are a good platform, especially the newer ones combining many ingredients, including grains and seeds.

Spring Spinach Salad: Serves 6-8—depending on size of bag OR
7-12 oz. . fresh, spring spinach
4-6 red radishes= 1 per serving
¼ cup toasted, chopped walnuts
4-5 fresh strawberries per serving – halved if large
½ cup crumbled feta cheese—optional for garnish
Vinaigrette dressing of choice—Raspberry suggested
Wash greens snap off hard stems, wash and hull berries, wash and thinly slice radishes, discarding greens. Chill all ingredients, in water if necessary. Drain and divide the spinach among plates, scatter radish slices, then berries, nuts and cheese over. Drizzle with dressing

Nana’s Hot Boiled Dressing
This dressing is an old, favorite family recipe. It’s wonderful cold in place of mayonnaise for sandwiches and salads like potato, chicken, tuna and salmon. Hot it gives a new dimension to spinach and, if you can get them, dandelions. Young spring spinach is best but the “baby” found pre-packed in bags all year is acceptable. Just make sure all greens are well washed and the hard part of the stems is snapped off. Either salad can be garnished with crumbled bacon. Used cold with the addition of quartered hard boiled eggs it can make a meal of the spinach version.
Recipe: Makes about 2 cups
3 Tbs. sugar
½ tsp. dry mustard
1/8 tsp. paprika
1 Tbs. flour
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. butter
½ cup cider vinegar
½ cup water
2 eggs – well beaten
Using the top of a Bain Marie or double boiler, whisk together the first 5 ingredients. Whisk in the next 3 and place top pot over bottom in which the required amount of water is boiling. Cook, constantly stirring, until smooth and butter is melted. Pour a little into the beaten eggs, stirring to prevent curdling, pour the rest of the hot liquid into the eggs. Then return the mixture to the top of the double boiler and cook constantly stirring until mixture is thick and smooth.
Serve hot over chosen cleaned greens. Do not use over lettuces. All greens will wilt with the heat and lettuces don’t stand up well.
NOTE: Chill leftover and use as mayonnaise or a salad dressing.

Sautéed Spinach and Garlic: Serves 4

1 ½ lb. baby spinach or 1 large bunch field spinach
6 cloves garlic -chopped
2 Tbs. oi

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Fresh lemon juice-optional
Trim stems of field spinach if using. Wash spinach and spin almost dry. In a large skillet, sauté garlic in oil over medium heat, 1 min. but don’t allow to brown. Add all the spinach, salt and pepper and stir with a wooden spoon to coat with oil. Cover pot and cook for 2 min. to wit spinach evenly. Uncover and continue cooking and stirring until spinach is tender and garlic is fragrant, about 2-5 min. more. Serve at once with an optional squeeze of lemon.

Sautéed Radishes: Serves 4- from 500 3-Ingredient Recipes by Robert and Carol Hildebrand.
1 lb. radishes-trimmed and split lengthwise
1 Tbs. minced garlic
1 Tbs. rice vinegar or other light, flavored vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
Salt and pepper
Heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium heat, add the radishes, season and add garlic. Cook 5-6 min. gently tossing. Add the vinegar and stir to incorporate. Serve at once.

Mar 17

Spring cakes

SPRING CAKES

By mid-March the weather is warming, buds are appearing, daylight saving time begins and I, for one, am ready to kiss winter good-by. Along with craving lighter clothes I crave lighter foods. It’s easy to replace the hardy roasts and fortifying casseroles with different cuts and salads, but those warm, spicy desserts loaded with dried fruits and nuts are another matter because the local seasonal fruits aren’t ripe yet, and the frozen or imported ones in markets seem artificial . The answer is Spring Cakes.

Granted cakes are a favorite especially for events, all year,(see post for Dec. 9. 2021) but Spring Cakes are special. Lighter in texture, more subtle in flavor, they bring a freshness to the table which personifies the spirit of the season. Spring Cakes are great as treats on a weeknight or weekend, such as the Vegetable Cake below, and with small alterations or optional frostings and garnishes, most become a decorative headliner at a holiday feast or special occasion.

Another feature of Spring Cakes is their individuality. All of the recipes below, with two exceptions, are made from scratch rather than commercial mixes. Yet all of them require little more effort and no more time or cost for additional ingredients than commercial products. So give them a  try—You’ll be so glad you did!! P.S.I’ve put personal notes on several.

RECIPES

Fresh Blueberry Cake: Serves 8-10
5 Tbs. butter
2 ¼ cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
¼ cup milk
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. EACH vanilla and cinnamon
2 cups fresh blueberries sprinkled with a little sugar
Cut 4 Tbs. butter into flour and sugar until it resembles pebbles. Reserve ¼ cup of mixture. Add remaining ingredients, except blueberries and cinnamon, and best until smooth. Pour batter into a greased springform pan, turning pan so batter forms a rim around the pan edge, leaving a hallow in the center. Place berries in hallow. Mix 1 Tbs. butter, cinnamon and reserved batter with hands until small crumbles appear and scatter them over the berries. Bake in preheated 450 deg. oven for 5 min., reduce heat to 350 deg. and bake 30 min. more. Serve warm or cold.

Boston Cream Pie: Serves 10-Despite the name this is actually a cake and great for the season, Try it with a garnish of coconut for Easter.
CAKE
1/3 cup butter-softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 ¼ cups flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
¾ cup milk
FILLING
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbs. cornstarch
1 ½ cups milk
2 egg yolks-slightly beaten
1 Tb. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
GLAZE
1 Tbs. water
1 Tbs. butter
3 Tbs. cocoa
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
½ tsp. vanilla
For cake-Beat first 4 ingredients until light and fluffy. Combine next 3 and add alternately to egg mix with milk. Pour batter into (2) 9 inch greased cake pans and bake in a preheated 350 deg. 30 min.
For Filling-Combine first 4 ingredients in a saucepan and cook over medium heat, constantly stirring, until mixture boils. Boil 1 min. until thickened. Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla. Stir to incorporate, cool and chill covered.
For glaze-Bring butter and sugar to a frothing boil, in a saucepan. Remove from heat add cocoa and beat in sugar and vanilla until smooth. Immediately pour over assembled cake allowing it to drip down the sides.
For assembly- Make filling before cake. After cake is completely cooled, divide each layer in half to make 4 layers. Coat 3 of the layers with filling, and place on top of each other ending with the 4th layer. Pour hot glaze over. Cool and/or chill before serving.

MODIFIED OPERA CAKE Serves 10-12-A great dessert for events all year.
(3) 9 inch round cake pans—available as a 3-pack in a dollar store
Parchment paper or waxed paper
1 box yellow cake mix and ingredients listed on package*
8 oz. container whipped topping
8 oz. cream cheese
1 tsp. almond extract
1 can dark chocolate frosting
Toasted slivered almonds—optional for garnish
Cut parchment rounds to fit cake pans. Grease pan bottoms and paper rounds. Mix batter according to package directions and place 1/3 in each pan. Bake at package stated temperature for 1/3 the time recommended, usually about 15-18 min. or until top springs back when lightly pressed. Cool then invert onto plates and peel off paper. If necessary, slice tops to level them.
Beat cheese, topping and extract together until smooth. Plate one cake layer and cover with a thin layer of frosting, spread ½ the cheese mixture on top and repeat with a second layer. Top with the 3rd layer even side up making sure it’s level. Remove excess filling from sides with a knife if needed.
Microwave remaining frosting 20-30 sec. until easily pourable but not too runny and using a spoon as a guide if necessary, pour evenly over the top of the cake to create a smooth glazed effect . It’s O.K. if some runs decoratively down the sides. Decorate with toasted slivers of almonds or a sprig of holly in the center.


Authentic Opera Cake-This is a sponge cake recipe and the easiest one I’ve seen.
3 eggs separated
6 Tbs. sugar
Dash salt
¾ cup sifted cake flour
½ tsp. vanilla
3 Tbs. sugar
Beat yolks, sugar and salt until light and fluffy, about 5 min. Fold in flour. Beat whites until soft peaks form and then beat, adding sugar, until peaks are stiff. Fold a glob of whites into yolk mixture, and then fold in the rest. Pour into 3 pans, prepared as instructed above, and bake at 325 deg. for 15 min. Ice and store as for box mix.

Sponge Cake is wonderful baked in two layers with the rum frosting below. Simply prepare (2) 9 inch cake pans as directed above and bake at 350 deg. for 20-25 min. until a toothpick comes out clean. For many years this was my family’s choice for Easter dessert.

Rum Buttercream Frosting-From twosisterscrafting.com
1 pound (4 cups) of confectioner’s sugar
1 cup butter-softened
1-2 Tbs. milk
1 tsp. Rum Extract
Beat sugar and butter on low, add 1 Tbs. milk and continue beating until incorporated, then begin to bet on medium-high, scraping sides and bottom of bowl often and adding more milk a bit at a time  until icing is right consistency. Beat in rum extract.

Pistachio Marble Cake: Serves 10–A great every day cake, but one which easily dresses up.
Requirements: 1 mixing bowl; 2 layer cake pans or 1 tube pan
1 box marble cake mix WITHOUT pudding included. White or yellow will do if you can’t find marble*. The important thing is no pudding in the mix.
(1) 4 serving size box pistachio instant pudding and pie filling mix.
1 1/3 cup water
3 eggs
1/3 cup of oil
1 can dark chocolate creamy or whipped frosting mix OR make pistachio frosting if you want the cake to have a soft green appearance (Nice for Christmas and Easter)-see directions below
¾ cup coarsely chopped pistachio nuts (optional)
Cooking spray
3 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder*
This can be made in 2 layer pans but appears more attractive when cut if made in a tube or bunt pan. Prepare pan(s) by spraying liberally with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat the eggs, water, pudding mix and oil into the batter until it is smooth. See cake mix directions. Using a spoon, blend in ½ cup nuts. Pour 2/3 of the batter into the prepared pan(s) if using a marble mix directions will say to add contents of the enclosed envelope to the remaining 1/3 batter in the bowl. * * If not, add the cocoa powder to 1/3 cup reserved batter and blend well. The cake box directions will now tell you to pour the chocolate batter over that in the pan(s) and using a table knife, blade down, in a cutting motion, gently swirl the top layer into the one below, creating a marble effect. If using a tube pan, go down to reach the bottom, but don’t overdo.
Bake the cake for the times dictated on the box for your choice of pan. Cool as directed and frost with the chocolate frosting. Use the rest of the nuts as garnish. If using a pistachio frosting there is the option of garnishing with chocolate curls or chips.

Pistachio Frosting

Makes enough to fill and frost 2 layers
I don’t like very sugary frostings, nor do I need one high in calories and fat. So I’m offering 2 recipes here. The first is the classic Kraft recipe for pudding icing and the second is my own creation. There is a third choice which uses only whipped topping, but I find that is so light that it soaks into the cake in a day and can’t be made in advance.
1) Kraft Pudding Icing

Makes about 2 ½ cups
(1)4 oz. pkg. = ½ of 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
 1 stick= ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
 1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) Pistachio flavor instant pudding and pie filling
Using an electric mixer beat together cream cheese and butter until well combined. Add pudding and beat on high speed until light and fluffy and pale in color, approximately 5 min. Gradually add powdered sugar and beat until fully incorporated and fluffy.

2) My Pudding Icing

Makes about 4 cups
(1) 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
(1) 8oz. tub whipped topping
(1) 4 serving box of pistachio instant pudding and pie mix
Beat all 3 ingredients together until completely blended, smooth and spreadable.

Vegetable Garden Cake: Serves 10
3 eggs beaten until fluffy
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
1 ½ cups-packed-shredded zucchini
½ cup-packed-shredded carrots
2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
½ cup ground almond
½ tsp. cinnamon
Grease and flour (2) 9 inch round cake pans. Stir first 3 ingredients together, add vegetables and mix well, add remaining cake ingredients and stir well. Pour batter into pans and bake at 350 deg. for 25-30 min. Cool in pans on rack for 0 min. Remove and cool completely. Optionally freeze one layer now.
Milk Glaze-for 1 layer. Double quantities for 2 layer cake.
1 cup sifted confectioner’s sugar
2 tsp. hot milk
½ tsp. vanilla
Combine ingredients and mix until smooth. Cover top of cake and decorate as desired.

Coconut Cake with Coconut Icing: Serves 10-Always a spring favorite-From https://abountifulkitchen.com coconut-cake-made-with-box-mix//the-best-

3 large eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup cold water

3/4 cup coconut milk 

1 white cake mix I like Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker

1 small package instant vanilla pudding*

ICING

1/2 cup butter, softened

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

4-5 cups powdered sugar

Dash of salt

2 tablespoons milk or half and half

1 7-10 oz. coconut flakes, sweetened
Grease and line 2-9 inch cake pans with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and set rack in center of oven. Beat eggs, sour cream, vanilla, water and coconut milk until blended well. Add cake mix and instant pudding.* Mix only till smooth.  Pour batter into pans; sprinkle a little coconut on top of cakes, if desired. Bake at 350 deg. for about 25-30 min. or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Invert onto rack and let cool completely.

FROSTING:

Blend butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar, salt and milk until desired consistency. Mix well. Spread frosting on cooled cake. Sprinkle remaining coconut on top and sides of cake and gently press into frosting.

Chill until serving. Remove about 30 minutes before serving for best results. Store any leftovers covered in refrigerator.

Notes: Actually I prefer Betty Crocker Fluffy White Frosting mix in a box. Simply top with the coconut flakes

*Coconut pudding may be used in place of vanilla pudding.

**3 8-inch pans or 24 muffin tin may be used. For cupcakes, bake at 350 for about 18-20 minutes

Mar 10

SAINT PATRICK’S DAY RECIPES

SAINT PATRICK’S DAY RECIPES

Saint Patrick’s Day has changed over the past decades. Fewer people make it a point to wear green and dyed carnations aren’t sold on every corner. But local pubs still serve green beer and come dinner time most Americans make it a point to eat Irish. However, ‘eating Irish’ has changed a bit as well.

Corned beef, formerly a market staple, especially in winter, is now available for only a few weeks and the price is anything but the budget favorite Grandma loved.  Add to that the time it takes to cook and it’s obvious why the traditional Saint Patrick’s corned beef and cabbage dinner is no longer a given on that day, especially if it’s a weekday.

However there are new, delicious ways to enjoy Irish cuisine all year long. Soda Bread has become popular and is wonderful served with the Irish cheeses now in markets but, for me, the best Irish culinary import is Kerry Gold butter. It’s richer with more taste and proof of the old slogan:”Butter makes everything better.”

This book Some Saint Patrick’s Day Recipes covers everything from appetizers to coffee, even leftovers.  There are the traditional dinners, Corned Beef and Cabbage and Irish Stew, as well as a quick, fun 30 min. substitute and directions for ‘corning’ beef, and ham, which incidentally is an easy, fast process (see NOTE below recipe). There are also plenty of recipes in which to use that delicious butter. Whatever your schedule or budget the book shows ways to ‘eat Irish’ not just on Saint Patrick’s Day but all year. A sampling of recipes is below and the book’s complete list of contents follows. Find the book on Kindle and on this site in the books section.

RECIPES

Parsley Pinwheels:
1 can Crescent Rolls
½ bunch of fresh parsley-stems removed and chopped
(1) 4oz package of cream cheese
Lemon Pepper
Garlic powder
Roll the roll dough out slightly to get rid of the perforations and make one rectangle. Spread with the cheese; sprinkle lightly with the lemon pepper and garlic, distribute the parsley evenly over the top. Roll up and cut into ½ -3/4 inch slices . Place on a baking sheet and cook according to package directions

Pea Soup with Mint: Serves 2 in bowls
Sauté a medium onion in 1Tbs. canola oil, then added 1lb. of frozen peas, 3 sprigs of fresh mint and 1qt. of chicken broth. After simmering these ingredients for 20 min. puree the soup. Usually no other seasoning is needed, but check for taste optionally adding salt and pepper. Serve hot or chilled. Garnish with sour cream and a sprig of fresh mint .

Classic Corned Beef and Cabbage: Serves 6 *See NOTE below for corning directions
4 lb. cut of corned beef
1 large or 2 small heads of cabbage- enough for a generous sized wedge per person
5-6 white potatoes-whole or halved- for number of servings -unpeeled
6 Peeled carrots, halved–optional
1 qt. or more of chicken broth—enough to cover the meat and potatoes in the pot
Reserve the seasonings from the corning wrapper. Trim all excess fat off the meat, rinse meat well and put it in a deep pot with the seasonings and enough broth to cover. Simmer until fork tender, about 1 1/2 hrs.
Add potatoes and carrots if using and cook another hour. Add cabbage about 45 min before serving.
Slice roast and serve hot with vegetables, pot liquid on the side . Store leftover meat in pot liquid.
ALTERNATIVELY: Put potatoes and carrots in a slow cooker. Top with beef, 3cups broth and seasonings. Cook on low 6 hr. Cut cabbage in 2 inch wedges, add to the cooker and cook on low 2 hr. more. Serve and store as above.
NOTE: Corning Directions:

For Beef:

For 5-6 lbs. of beef –any cut—Allow to marinate 36 hrs. to 8 days- Adjust ingredient amounts according to the poundage of the cut being corned.
8 cups water
1 cup salt
3 Tbs . brown sugar
1 bay leaf
6 peppercorns
1 clove garlic-minced
¼ tsp. choice of any or all—whole allspice, paprika, ginger, mustard powder, nutmeg or mace.-I use all
Trim the meat of fat, wipe with a damp cloth and pierce all over with a fork. Place in a glazed ceramic, glass or enameled pan that fits comfortably and is deep enough to allow for full immersion in the brine. Put all the above spices and seasonings in 4 cups warm water and stir to dissolve the sugar and salt. Pour over the beef. Add enough water to cover the meat by 1 inch. Place a weighted plate on top and leave to marinate in a cool or cold place for at least 3 days, better 5-8 . (Alternatively, place the meat and marinade in a plastic bag. Leave extra air space close, and put the bag in the bowl.
 With refrigerator space on the bottom shelf, it can be made all year.

Corning Ham:
1 ½ lb. lobe cut from a ham
Omit the water and salt from the above list of ingredients
Measure half quantities of the remaining spices and seasonings.
Mix those items and use them as a dry rub for the ham. Seal the ham in a plastic bag and refrigerate it for 5-7 days. Remove from plastic, leaving rub on, cover with broth and cook as for corned beef . The taste was close enough to corned beef to fool everyone who ate it, even sliced cold, and the price difference was well, the difference between beef and ham.

Corned Beef Hash: Serves 4-additional variations in the book
2 cups cooked corned beef—diced
2 cups boiled potatoes—leftover, or microwaved in jackets 2-3mins depending on size—diced
1 small onion—diced
½ cup milk or cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients. The mixture can be formed into patties and browned in a pan, or spooned into individual greased casseroles. For casseroles use a spoon to make an indention in the center and bake in a 350degree oven 30 min . until brown. Break an egg into each indentation and bake for @10min more. Serving hint; Pass ketchup on the side.

A Light Lite Dessert:1 scoop Lime sherbet per serving
green Crème de Menthe liqueur
Put a scoop of sherbet in each dessert dish. Poke a hole in the center with the handle of a wooden spoon and pour the liqueur in just to fill and slightly overflow. Serve at once.

Irish Coffee: Serves 1
5-6 oz. fresh, hot black coffee
11/2 oz. Irish whiskey
1 tsp. sugar
Sweetened whipped cream
Warm an 8oz goblet with very hot water. A mug will do . Pour in whiskey, fill with coffee, add sugar and stir to dissolve. Top with a generous glob of whipped cream. Garnish with a dash of cinnamon.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction –
Traditional Brisket Cut
“Flat” and “Point”
“Corning” Defined
General Cooking
Optional Corned Cuts
Use of a Slow Cooker
Cost
Home Corning
Ham
Canned Corned Beef
Canapes
First Courses
Entrees
Leftovers
Salads
Breads
Desserts
Finale
Corning Directions
Beef
Ham

Mar 3

SEAFOOD SOUPS

SEAFOOD SOUPS

Seafood soups have many advantages. They can be served as a first course, a lunch or a main course and with so many varieties of seafood, there’s a huge flavor range. Since most the ingredients are always available, and seafood soups are generally lighter than others, they are acceptable all year. Several are delightful chilled in summer. Because they require less meat per portion than a plate serving, seafood soups are cost conscious, as well as offering a great way to introduce newcomers of any age to the delights of the sea.

However, my favorite things about seafood soups are first, they take relatively little time to make, far less than other entrée meat soups and second, the flavors often benefit from being made ahead, chilled then reheated. This means that seafood soups are the perfect dinner to have ready ahead for a busy 

The recipes below prove my point. For convenience sake I’m repeating two, New England Clam Chowder and the famous Bookbinder’s Soup from a previous posting n Jan. 29, 2022. And the freezer made Cioppino is a fun dish which will get you raves. In fact, all these seafood soups are winners. 

RECIPES

Manhattan Clam Chowder: Serves 6- Adapted from foodnetwork.com
1 ½  Tbs  oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 ½  celery stalks, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch crushed red pepper
¼  cup  tomato paste
1 Tbs. parsley flakes
1 ½ tsp. dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 large potato (about 3/4 pound), diced
5 cups clam juice (five 8-ounce bottles clam juice)
(1) 28-ounce can whole, peeled tomatoes (with liquid), roughly chopped
1 ½  cups minced or whole  baby clams, drained (about four 6-1/2 ounce cans)
1 Tbs. kosher salt or to taste
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
2 Tbs. chopped parsley for garnish
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, garlic, and crushed red pepper and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 8 min. Stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for about 1 min. more. Add the parsley, thyme, and bay leaf to the pot with the potatoes. Pour in the clam juice and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 10 min. Stir in the tomatoes and clams. Cover and bring to a low simmer. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide among soup bowls and sprinkle with the parsley. Serve immediately.

New England Clam Chowder: Serves 6
3 cups peeled, diced potatoes- about 1 lb.
1 onion diced
(3) 6 ½ oz. cans of chopped or whole baby clams or about 1 pint fresh, shelled
Water
3 Tbs. butter
1 pt. half and half
Salt and pepper
Put the vegetables, clam juice and enough water to cover in a deep stockpot and simmer, partially covered about 20 min. Remove from heat. Stir in clams. In a separate sauce pot, make a roux by melting the butter and stirring in the flour to form a smooth paste. Gradually add the half and half stirring until very smooth. Add this sauce to the potato mixture and stir until smoothly incorporated. Heat through, but do not allow to boil. Serve hot with crackers.

Fast Salmon Chowder: Serves 6
2 tsp. oil
2 lb. skinless salmon fillets-packaged frozen is fine. Lightly poached in oil and 1 inch water, reserved
2 cans condensed tomato soup
2 cups milk
(1) 16 oz. can cream style corn
¼ tsp. EACH curry powder and ginger
1 lime sliced
Cut cooked salmon fillets in half lengthwise and gently shred meat into soup size pieces, Combine salmon, reserved liquid and all the other ingredients but the lime, in a deep pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until smooth and heated through. Serve at once with sliced lime.

Pea Soup with Floating Salmon: Serves 4 – A good choice summer or winter
1 Tbs. butter
1 Tbs. oil
1 medium onion, chopped 
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp. parsley flakes
2 lb. frozen green peas
(2) 14 oz. cans chicken or vegetable broth
½ cup water
1/2 cup half and half
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch dried dill weed or dab sour cream per portion for optional garnish
Melt butter in oil over medium heat. Add onion and celery; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 6 min. Add garlic and parsley; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 10 sec. Stir in peas. Add water and broth; bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook until very tender, about 3 min. Puree the soup in batches in a blender until smooth. Stir in half-and-half, salt and pepper.
Note: Can be made ahead. Cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
SALMON
Poach, or bake (at 350 deg. for 18-20 min. in 1 Tbs. oil and 1 Tbs. lemon juice-total) 4 skinless salmon fillets-frozen packaged is fine- or 1 per serving. Chill if soup is served cold, otherwise serve at once garnished as desired.

Bookbinder Soup: Serves 6 – This soup was a famed Philadelphia institution for over 100 years
3 Tbs. butter
1 large onion –thinly sliced
1 green pepper –diced
3 stalks sliced celery
2 tomatoes peeled and chopped
1 quart fish stock=1/2 clam juice will do
1lb. red snapper fillets cut in 1 inch strips-alternately use sea bass or tilapia
1 ½ cups tomato sauce
1 cup sherry
Buttered croutons
Melt butter in a large stockpot and sauté onion, pepper and celery until tender. Add tomatoes and fish and cook, stirring, 3-4 min. Add stock and tomato sauce, bring to a boil, reduce heat and add sherry. Simmer 4-5 min. and serve hot with croutons.

Shrimp Bisque: Serves 6
1 ½ lb. raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
5 Tbs. butter
1 small onion-minced
1 stalk celery sliced
1 carrot sliced
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
¼ tsp. dried thyme
1 cup heavy cream
4 Tbs. dry sherry
Unsweetened whipped cream –optional garnish
Chopped chives-optional garnish
Chop shrimp. Melt butter and sauté vegetables until tender, Add shrimp and cook 5 min. stirring constantly. Add stock and thyme, partially cover and simmer, partially covered 30 min. Puree soup until smooth. Add cream and sherry and gently reheat. Serve hot with optional garnishes.

Cioppino: Serves 8-Please note this dish can be prepared completely from the supermarket’s freezer section which makes it quite reasonable for an 8 serving dish, and a fun, unusual menu choice.
¼ cup oil
3 Tbs. butter
2 onions-sliced
2 cloves garlic- minced
½ lb. sliced mushrooms
1 green Bell pepper-sliced
(1) 28 oz. can whole plum tomatoes in juice
(1) 6 oz. can tomato paste
2 Tbs. dried basil
1 Tbs. orange zest
1 Tbs. freshly ground pepper and salt to taste added a the end
2 cups dry wine
1 lb. cod, red snapper or tilapia
¾ lb. scallops
1 lb. mussels or clams
¾ lb. cleaned shrimp
Orange slices
Coarse fresh artesian bread
Sauté onions and garlic in oil and butter until tender. Add green pepper and mushrooms and cook until soft. Add tomato products, wine, spices and herbs and simmer, covered, 20 min. Add fish and scallops with additional wine to cover, if needed. Add mussels or clams and shrimp and, if using fresh, cook until shells open or about 5 min. Serve with lots of sliced artesian bread for sopping.

Feb 24

Savvy Sauces and Gravies Part II Pan Sauces

PART II PAN SAUCES- 101

In my book Savvy Sauces and Gravies I list the 8 classic French sauces, starting with the 5 famous ‘Mother Sauces’, Béchamel (or classic White Sauce), Sauce Volute, Hollandaise,Demi-Glace, Sauce de Tomate, Mayonnaise, Oil and Vinegar and Sauces au Buerre(Butter Sauces). I explore all of them; give directions how to make them and explain that ingredient variations and/or additions, result in a second generation of sauces, some such as Marsala and Picatta have become standards in their own right. In the same way third, fourth and more generates of sauces are created.

These later generations of sauce offspring, including pan sauces, form a large and varied category with some of the creations recorded for duplication, bringing fame to chefs for their inspirations. Perhaps best known is Caesar Cardini who patented his salad dressing. Countless more, made every day, are momentary inspirations of chefs, cooks and family meal providers, problem solving or menu perking, their recipes equally fleeting.

Pan sauces are made in the pan used to sauté meats or vegetables. After cooking, little leftover particles, called the fond, are stuck to the pan’s bottom, and they, plus any residual cooking fluids transform into a smooth sauce by a process called deglazing. Deglazing is adding liquid, such as stock or wine, to a pan to loosen and dissolve the fond, which becomes the source of the major flavor for the sauce. In the case of non-stick pans, there will still be a bit of fond. To start a pan sauce, you will need to melt a pat of butter or add bit of oil to gather it.

So according to definition, pan sauces are descendants, principally, of the Demi-Glace and Au Buerre sauces. They are based on and fundamentally flavored by reduction from a food sautéed in butter or a similar substance, margarine or oil for example. The operative word here is ‘sautéed’ as opposed to fried. Frying foods may create a fond, but never a reduction.

So let’s take a closer look at these two founding, classic sauces. The full details are in Savvy Sauces and Gravies. These are ‘Cliff Notes’ on making pan sauces.

The Demi-Glace is the mother of all brown sauces.  It takes more time than the light sauces and requires more ingredients, but it’s simple to make and it freezes well to make other sauces on demand. The recipe calls for 2 onions and 2 carrots diced and in equal amounts, sautéed in ¼ lb. butter over low heat Periguex (Truffle) for about 30 mins, adding 1 Tbs. sugar for the last 10 mins. to caramelize the mix. Stir in 3 Tbs. flour and cook for 3 mins. until it begins to brown, then add: 3 cups stock: 2 cloves minced garlic, Bouquet Garni, 1 Tbs. tomato paste, pinch of salt, dash of pepper  and simmer for 1 hr. Strain into a clean pan, add 1 Tbs. Cognac and 1 Tbs. Madeira and brown food coloring if needed.  If freezing, omit the Cognac and Madeira until ready to use. 

Convenient commercial renditions of Demi-Glace reductions are bouillon, consommé and, for best results, many jarred products in a wide variety of price and quality. They’re great time savers making pan sauces a cinch for the busy cook, needing just to be dissolved, in directed amount, in the pan liquid.
1) In the first generation of offspring, the special ingredients for the specific dish are cooked in wine or vinegar and then add the master sauce. Special finishing ingredients, if required, are added later. Examples: Sauces Chateaubriand, Diablo and Diane.
2) In the second generation the special ingredients are cooked first in butter then reduced in wine or vinegar before adding the finished mother sauce. Examples: Chasseur, Duxelles, and Lyonnaise
3) In the third generation the special ingredients are simply added to the diluted master sauce. Examples: Madiera and Periguex (Truffle.) 
4)In successive generations of true Pan Sauces, after the pan is de-glazed, the special ingredients and then proper amount of master sauce reduction are dissolved in the pan fluid, seasonings added, stirred well and often a sliver of butter melted to give the sauce a silky fins

Sauces au Buerre or Butter Sauces are a huge category encompassing both cold and hot sauces. Cold butter sauces are called “Compounds.” Since almost anything can be added to butter to make a sauce, the possibilities are endless. Traditionally butter sauces, both hot and cold, were served only with hot foods, but compounds have become increasingly popular as spreads for canapés, sandwiches and other cold dishes which widened the field even further. The traditional add-ins  are anchovy paste, garlic, mashed capers, citrus zest and/or juice, garlic, herbs, toasted spices and nuts. 

We make both compounds and pan sauces up on the spur of the moment to fit what we’re cooking. So the best way to handle such an increasingly large, individualized subject is to establish the basics and let you experiment on your own. Compounds only connection with pan sauces is if they are used to sauté the main ingredients or added as a flavor additive and texture smother at the end. Therefore, in discussing pan sauces, the term ‘butter’ will include any compounds.

Always clarify the butter for hot Butter Sauces or the impurities will burn. Hot Butter Sauces are to be served with hot foods or they will unappetizingly congeal and they must be finished just before serving. However the butter can be clarified and reheated as the sauce is made. Hot butter sauces are popular with seafood, Brown butter sauces are used in recipes and as toppings for desserts and baked goods like pancakes. Hollandaise is a second generation butter sauce.

Pan sauces aren’t so fussy, although clarified butter is becoming popular. It’s healthier and gives the sautéed food a cleaner taste. Once the sautéing is over, the cooked food is removed and the pan is deglazed with broth, juice, wine, even cream. Be sure to use heavy cream or half and half, light cream and milk curdle. In the case of non-stick pans, it’s still advisable to start the deglazing by melting a pat of butter or adding a tablespoon of oil to gather the fond.

After deglazing, a flavorful reduction is dissolved in the liquid, a form of demi-glace for meats and vegetables often jelly for fruit, to give the sauce body and depth. Once the sauce is liquid, the finishing seasonings are added, the major food is returned to the pan and everything is heated through for serving. Vola! A Pan Sauce is born!

Once the hallmark of fine dining in restaurants, where dishes with elaborate, accented names were prepared to order at tableside, sauces have undergone a revolutionary transformation since the 1950s.They have gone from being ‘exclusive’ to  being the busy cooks best friend in getting dinner on fast. Partly this is due to our changed lifestyle. Most people work away from home; domestic kitchen help is extinct, eating nutritionally has become important and our culinary tastes have become far more sophisticated and international. We want lighter dishes, cooked in more interesting ways, in less time with less effort and prep.

Keeping pace with this change has been one in the butchering industry. Gone is the dependence on red meats and the larger cuts, the roasts, and veal has completely disappeared, not just from the markets but from restaurant menus as well. However, there are many popular veal dishes that people still wanted Marsala and Picatta to name two. Poultry, presented skinless and boneless, became a happy stand-in. Our meat counters are filled with chops, ‘tenders’ and a new selection of scaloppini unknown before, chicken, turkey and pork, all light, quick cooking cuts.

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In fact pork has become the third meat in the now popular meat trinity. “The other white meat.”appears in new, versatile cuts, vying for menu space modeling a variety of sauces; some, again, like Marsala and Paprika, associated with veal, but others like Normandy, from its own past, in updated renditions. Pork, however, is a problem for some people with dietary or medical restrictions. Although chicken provides a good substitute for pork in many dishes, some recipes are better made with turkey. Turkey with its slightly deeper flavor and affinity for many of the same herbs as pork, such as thyme and sage, can be a mirror replacement.

The revolution in butchering, which made this interchange of meats possible is phenomenal.  Chicken no longer comes in whole breasts or breast quarters with lots of bones. Pork is now offered in scaloppini style cutlets and 1-2 lb. fillet loins.  Most amazing of all is what’s being done with turkey. There are boneless breasts, cutlets, scaloppini, and fillet loins, not to forget ground. Turkey can really be used for anything that pork or veal is and some of beef as well.

The adaptability of these meats to sauces is due to their flavors, though unique to each, being, generally, mild enough to work well with complimentary or contrasting additions. Their popularity is due to the large variety of taste combinations they accept, but their practicality is two- fold. First, the new butchering style insures there will be a cut to fit your budget, and second, though ideally made from scratch in conjunction with a sauce, leftovers of these meats are excellent recycled in sauce.

Once you’ve begun to work with pan sauces, you take any recipes you come across in stride and find you develop a feeling what works and what doesn’t. You create your own formula and change it up or down as the occasion demands. It’s second nature, no sweat, a convenient tool, shortcut to getting a meal on the table. Soon you’ll be using cream to make a quick white sauce and finishing with sour cream to duplicate Eastern European dishes. Just remember, sour cream, and milk products, other than heavy cream and Half and Half curdle when boiled. 

Also don’t confuse white pan sauces with the creamy, labor intensive gourmet creations of classic haut cuisine. These are the working crew waiting to help at the end of the day. These are the guys who allow you to relax when asked;” What’s for dinner?” and even let you fit the flavor to the mood of the moment.

Pan sauces are more fluid by nature, but if the sauce seems too thin, ½ tsp. of cornstarch dissolved in 1 Tbs. of the chosen liquid can be added. Stir until desired thickness is reached and proceed as directed. Flour doesn’t work as well. It doesn’t dissolve as completely and often results in a lumpy sauce.

I’m always on the lookout for ways to make cooking less labor intensive. Professionally, it’s expedient because there are time limits, and, personally, I like a relaxed approach. On a normal night, I allow 1 hour from prep to table for dinner, including time to change, or do chores or enjoy a glass of wine, easily done on a night when I’ve planned using a version of a sauce I’ve devised. It’s a bit unorthodox, but it works for me, and, perhaps, will for you as well.

BASIC RECIPE FOR SAUCE- STEP  ONE–2 SERVINGS
1 Tbs. butter—even for non-stick pans because only butter browns well
1 Tbs. canola oil-together with the butter it absorbs the essence of the meat and gives the sauce a base
1 Tbs. white wine or water – for deglazing
Garlic, chopped, powdered or fresh , if using, in stated amount or to taste
½ cup white wine, broth or juice—see note below*
½ tsp, bouillon, beef, chicken, vegetable or ham as suits recipe=Demi-Glace
2 portions of chosen meat-chops, cutlets etc.
Melt butter in pan over medium-high heat and brown meat, adding oil as needed to prevent sticking. Remove meat to a plate, turn heat down to medium and add onions to pan with any remaining oil. Sauté, stirring, until onions are soft, about 3 mins, adding garlic, if using, for last 30 secs.  Use the 1 Tbs. wine or water to partially deglaze and prevent sticking or burning. Remove pan from heat, add the ½ cup liquid and bouillon and completely deglaze.
*I prefer using white wine in making sauces, because it adds a depth of flavor with no alcoholic taste. Broth is often too weak, and juice contains sugar which may burn, or change the overall flavor. If using leftovers, skip the step with the butter and start with sautéing the onion in the oil. The meat will be added after deglazing. 

Either way this is a generic sauce base and you are free to choose the additional flavoring ingredients you want. When confronted with roast leftovers, I often make double this base, refrigerate half and make two completely different types of entrees, to avoid boredom.

STEP TWO—OPTIONS UNLIMITED
No matter what flavor sauce you choose, you will need:
At least 1/4 cup more liquid
Possibly 1 tsp. cornstarch
Probably 1 or 2 more flavor elements
What you want to avoid is a crammed ingredient list, especially if you will want to duplicate the sauce in the future.
Re-heat the meat in the sauce base over medium, then add options. If using leftovers, cook only until sauce is finished and meat is heated through depending on thickness and cut; usually, about 8 mins. Then add finishing flavor ingredients.

Here’s a bonus recipe to give you some ideas to start you on your way exploring the wide, wide world of sauces and their multiple uses.

 FRUIT SAUCES- For those who love the local produce, this a great way to use the bruised or slightly older fruits. It tastes fresher than commercial products, but lasts only about a week chilled.
1 pint of berries, cut if large, or peeled, sliced stone fruit (thick Slurry)
2 1/4 cups water- divided
Sweetener of choice to taste—this is a great recipe for diabetics!
Herbs-mint, lemon balm etc. to taste –optional
1 ½ Tbs. cornstarch
Dissolve the cornstarch in ¼ cup water. Simmer the fruit until soft in 2 cups water with the sweetener.  Add the herbs if using and then the cornstarch. Cook an additional 3 mins until sauce is thick. Use at once or store chilled in covered containers; Can be used as jam, as syrup for pancakes etc. or as a sauce.

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