Cakes of the Pan

Listening to A Prairie Home Companion this week, Garrison interviewed an elderly meteorologist who lives in northern Minnesota. Needless to say, most of the conversation revolved around the stoicism that subzero temperatures breed. It made me wonder if a stack of pancakes and bacon would have made the man a little more cheerful. I mean, is there a problem in the world that thick-cut smoked bacon can't solve? Seeing as eating only bacon for breakfast is generally frowned upon, I wanted to share with you the recipe I use for tangy and fluffy buttermilk pancakes. Don't be intimidated; if you can make pancakes from Bisquick, then you can master this recipe. The key is combining the ingredients in stages and then, at the end, mixing the wet and dry ingredients until just combined--I repeat DON'T OVERMIX! You want your batter to harbor pea-sized pockets of flour and leavening that, upon cooking, burst open and give your pancake lift.

Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes

My favorite tool for cooking these pancakes is a cast iron skillet. It holds heat very well and, when treated properly, will be the best piece of non-stick cookware in your kitchen.  During cooking, rub 1/2 tsp. of oil inside the skillet every 2-3 pancakes. After a few, the residual oil in the towel will be sufficient to coat the surface. To clean cast iron, simply wipe out any cooked flecks of batter or oil with a paper towel -- never use soap! 

Makes 4-5 pancakes 

Ingredients:
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup milk (plus an extra tablespoon or so if batter is too thick)
1 large egg , separated
2 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted
vegetable oil (for brushing griddle)

Preheat oven to warm and heat griddle or cast iron skillet over strong medium-heat. 

Mix dry ingredients (flour through baking soda) in medium bowl. Pour buttermilk and milk into 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup. Whisk in egg white; mix yolk with melted butter, then stir into milk mixture. Dump wet ingredients into dry ingredients all at once; whisk until just mixed.

Brush griddle generously with oil. When water splashed on surface confidently sizzles, pour batter, about 1/4 to 1/2 cup at a time, onto griddle. When pancake bottoms are brown and top surface starts to bubble, 2 to 3 minutes, flip cakes and cook until remaining side has browned, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Hold pancakes in oven till ready to serve. Re-oil the skillet periodically.

November 26th--Turkey Friday

Everyone is well aware of "Black Friday," a day for bargain purchases. The best find though is not at Target, REI, or even Amazon.com. Instead, it's at your local grocery store; it contains all the orphan turkeys not lucky enough to find a home for Thanksgiving. These birds won't keep till Christmas so they're priced to move. And move you should!

This year, I was intrigued by a glazed turkey recipe in Cooks Illustrated. The turkey is butterflied (i.e. you rip out the backbone--a true test of the quality of your kitchen shears), roasted for a few hours, then basted with either a cranberry-molasses or apple-maple glaze. This recipe is a departure from my usual ritual, which begins with brining. The advantage of this recipe is that you can go from store to oven in only a few hours. I will say the meat is not as juicy as a brined bird, but it's still very acceptable. Perhaps what I like most about this recipe is the baking powder rub that goes on the outside of the bird which REALLY helps crisp up the skin in the oven. Since I only had one bird, I tried the cranberry-molasses glaze. If I did this again, I'd probably cut back on the amount of vinegar and mustard which I found overpowering.

If you'd like the recipe, it can be found in the Nov/Dec 2010 issue of Cooks Illustrated. Below, I offer a photographic summary of the day's labors.

Glazed Turkey with Cranberry-Molasses Glaze

Cranberries about to simmer in apple cider, ginger, and vinegar

The roasted bird...looks good doesn't it?

If you prefer dark meat, this cut is for you.

A tongue of sage for the potatoes.

Turkey isn't complete without potatoes and homemade gravy!

Giving Thanks for Root Vegetables

I am very thankful for yesterday; a day spent with amazing people AND amazing food. You know it was a feast because the number of desserts nearly outnumbered the number of main/side dishes! There was a fantastic apple coffecake, Cazuela pie, freeform fruit tart, and a parsnip spice cake. I wish I could post recipes for all of them but since I only made the latter that's what I'll share with you.

Often shoved into the corner of the produce section, parsnips look like albino carrots. Also like carrots they're root vegetables but perhaps a touch more bitter. Regardless, they can be transformed into an amazing cake with a little work. 

Parsnip Spice Cake with Maple Icing

The maple icing hardens very quickly and is NOT spreadable once it cools--so don't wait too long before applying it to the top of the cake. The cake is wonderful as a dessert or served at brunch alongside a strong tea like Earl Grey, to balance the icing's sweetness.

Cake:

1  pound  parsnips, peeled and sliced into 1 inch thick rounds.

1  cup  packed dark brown sugar

1/2  cup  granulated sugar

5  tablespoons butter, melted

1  teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2  cup apple juice

3  cups all-purpose flour

2  teaspoons baking soda

1  teaspoon ground cinnamon

1  teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2  teaspoon salt

3/4  cup 1% milk

Cooking spray

Icing:

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2  cup 1% milk

2  tablespoons butter

1/4  teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar

1/2  teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup chopped or whole pecans, toasted

Preheat oven to 350°. Place the parsnip in a saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer over medium heat 20 minutes or until tender then drain. While parsnips cook, toast pecans then transfer to a bowl to cool.

Place the drained parsnip, 1 cup brown sugar, granulated sugar, 5 tablespoons butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a food processor. Process until smooth, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Transfer mixture to a large bowl, add apple juice and mix well with a hand or stand mixer.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and 1/2 teaspoon salt, stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture and 3/4 cup milk alternately to parsnip mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Pour batter into a 9 x 13 inch pan lightly coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on wire rack, 2-3 hours. To speed up cooling: cool in pan for 10 min, then remove and cool cake on wire rack and return to pan or serving platter for icing.

To prepare icing, combine 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup milk, 2 tablespoons butter, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat, and simmer until slightly thick (about 5 minutes), stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Add powdered sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; beat with a mixer at medium speed until icing is smooth and only slightly warm. (Icing will continue to thicken as it cools.)

Working quickly, spread the icing over the top of the cake the layer and sprinkle with toasted pecans. Allow icing to cool to room temperature. For storage, cover cake with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator. Reheat slices in microwave (15-30 seconds) before serving.

Aloha Deliciousness

Autumn in Ann Arbor is synonymous with traffic jams and tailgating; courtesy of the Big House which sits half a mile from my apartment. It will soon be too cold to fire up the grill, but before that happened I wanted one last hoorah with the Webber. For some reason I was really in the mood for a teriyaki burger. Maybe it's the refrigerator full of Asian sauces I inherited or nostalgia over Sunday evening post-UPC trips to Red Robin with my sister's family; who knows. Regardless, give this a try before you pack away the grill for the season.

Teriyaki Burger with Grilled Pineapple

It's OK if you buy pre-ground beef to make these burgers...but if you've never had home-ground beef, you don't know what you're missing! The texture and flavor of the burger is orders of magnitude better than the stuff you buy. All you need to grind your own beef is a food processor. Alton Brown can walk you through the process (skip to 5:45 for the really relevant demonstration) 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_Lj-ZSVvWI&feature=related.

Ingredients

8 oz. chuck steak, trimmed, cut into 1.5 inch cubes

8 oz. sirloin, trimmed, cut into 1.5 inch cubes

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 c. chopped green onions

1 tbsp teriyaki sauce or soy sauce

1 tsp peeled fresh ginger, grated (a microplane works well)

1 garlic clove, minced

1 28 oz. can pineapple rings, drained well

Hamburger buns

Lettuce

Mayo

vegetable oil

Serves 3

1. Place trimmed and cut beef on parchment paper in freezer (DON'T FORGET ABOUT IT, LEST YOU END UP WITH BEEF-SICLES).

2. Remove beef from freezer (should be stiff but still pliable). Pulse approximately 1/3 of the meat in a food processor (1 second pulse, 10 times) and transfer to mixing bowl. Return any excessively large pieces to the processor and process with next batch of beef. Repeat until all meat has been processed. Pick out any gristle.

Omit steps 1-2 if using preground beef (wimp).

3. Combine beef through garlic, mixing well with hand. Form meat into 5 oz patties, making a depression in the center with your thumb (this will help prevent the burger from puffing up during cooking).

4. Place pineapple rings on paper towel and blot off any excess liquid. Transfer to plate and use 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil to lightly coat the rings.

5. Cook burger on grill, flipping once, to desired degree of wellness. Transfer to plate, cover with foil and let rest 5-10 minutes.

6. Sear pineapple rings on grill, 1-3 minutes per side. Toast buns on grill, apply mayo, assemble burger and devour.

Transforming Brunch Leftovers

I love a good leisurely weekend brunch. When faced with what to make, I usually go for either blueberry buttermilk pancakes or french toast. Well it just so happens that this past weekend I had the opportunity to cook on two different mornings. The first morning I satisfied my pancake/french toast craving and was left to consider what to make on the second. Surveying my kitchen I found half a loaf of challah bread (left over from the french toast), eggs, cheese and a sage plant (courtesy of some friends). The sage made me think savory and got me digging through my freezer. A few chilled fingers later, my hands emerged having located some ground pork. It was decided; this morning called for a skillet strata.

Skillet Strata with Sausage and Herbs

For a vegetarian alternative, use your favorite textured soy substitute in place of pork. Gruyére is also good in place of Cheddar. Don't trim the crust from the bread or the strata will be dense and eggy. A 10-inch skillet is also critical for obtaining the right thickness and texture.

6 large eggs

1 1/2 c. milk

1 tsp fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp dry thyme)

1 tbsp fresh sage, minced (or 1 tsp dry)

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

4 oz cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)

1 tbsp unsalted butter

1 medium onion, minced

8 oz raw pork

1/2 tsp salt

5-7 thick slices of day old bread (preferrably challah) cut into 1 inch cubes

Adjust oven rack to middle positon and heat to 425. Whisk the eggs, milk, thyme, sage and pepper together. Stir in cheese and set aside.

Melt butter in a 10-inch ovensafe and non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and salt and cook till softened 3-5 minutes. Add crumbled pork and cook till lightly browned, 5-7 minutes. Add the bread and using a spatula carefully fold the bread into the sausage/onion mixture until its evenly coated. Cook an additional 3-5 minutes till bread is lightly toasted.

Off the heat, add the egg mixture until well combined with the bread--make sure that cheese is evenly distributed! Gently press on the strata to help the bread soak up the egg mixture and bake till the edges and center are puffed and the edges have pulled away from the pan, about 12 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Put Down that Spoon!

Historically, a good risotto is inseparable from a forearm workout. Anyone who has made it knows the regimen. Small amounts of broth are added to the pan while a wooden spoon orbits about, coaxing starch out of the rice, giving risotto its unmistakable texture. I find the process therapeutic. It's also one of the few culinary activities that one can perform while having a genuine conversation with guests. I contrast this to most other chit-chat that happens during food prep, such as chopping vegetables, in which I usually pay more attention to the paring knife than the parlance (don't anyone act shocked--I don't want to loose a finger anymore than you want me to bleed all over your food).

This is all to say, though, that a recent issue of Cooks Illustrated featured an "Almost Hands-Free Risotto" recipe and I figured I'd give it a try. I was presently surprised; the risotto had a creamy texture and the rice was nice and firm. So if you wanna give your forearms a rest, give it a metaphorical whirl. Actual whirling is not encouraged--that's the whole point.

Chicken Risotto with Herbs

Ingredients

5 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 cups water

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves (about 12 ounces each), each cut in half crosswise

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large onion , chopped fine (about 1 1/2 cups)

Table salt

1 large garlic clove , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)

2 cups Arborio rice

1 cup dry white wine

2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 cup)

1 teaspoon juice from 1 lemon

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Ground black pepper

Bring broth and water to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain gentle simmer.

Heat olive oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until just starting to smoke. Add chicken, skin side down, and cook without moving until golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Flip chicken and cook second side until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Transfer chicken to saucepan of simmering broth and cook until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part registers 165 degrees, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to large plate and keep liquid just below a simmer. 

Add 2 tablespoons butter to now empty Dutch oven set over medium heat. When butter has melted, add onion and 3/4 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring frequently, until onion is softened but not browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add rice and cook, stirring frequently, until grains are translucent around edges, about 3 minutes.

Add wine and cook, stirring constantly, until fully absorbed, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir 5 cups hot broth into rice; reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until almost all liquid has been absorbed and rice is just al dente, 16 to 18 minutes, stirring twice during cooking.

Add ¾ cup hot broth to risotto and stir gently and constantly until risotto becomes creamy, about 3 minutes. Stir in Parmesan. Remove pot from heat, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, remove and discard skin and bones from chicken, and shred meat into bite-size pieces. Gently stir shredded chicken, remaining 2 tablespoons butter, lemon juice, parsley, and chives into risotto. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If desired, add up to ½ cup additional broth to loosen texture of risotto.

Channeling Julia

This recipe has been sitting in the queue for far too long. I actually prepared it last summer while staying with my sister's family in Seattle. It is one of those dishes where you want to set aside a good majority of the day for the undertaking. Yes it is A LOT of work but the results are simply amazing. It's easily the second most delicious stew I've ever tasted; the cioppino at the Pink Door in Seattle is currently the 1st place holder. I was also reminded of the recipe because a member of my old wine club back in Boston made the dish for our reunion this past month.

Bon appétit!

Boeuf Bourguignon (Beef Stew in Red Wine)

This recipe comes courtesy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child et al. I have made a few modifications, most notably increasing the amount of vegetables called for from the original version. As for wine, I used a bottle of Casa Emma, a 2005 Chianti. The mushrooms and pearl onions are cooked separately and added prior to serving. See the end of this recipe for those directions.

Instead of serving over buttered noodles, you can also serve over rice or potatoes. Be sure to have a side of bread to soak up this amazing sauce!

Ingredients

6 slices of thick bacon (approximately 1/3 lb)

3-5 Tbsp. olive oil, divided

3 lbs. rump roast, trimmed of fat cut into 2 in cubes (chuck roast or sirloin tip are also acceptable), and patted dry

3 carrots, peeled and sliced 1 in thick

1 onion, sliced into crescents

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 Tbsp. flour

3 c. of a full-bodied young red wine such as Beaujolais, Cotes du Rhone, Burgundy or Chianti (a full bottle of wine is about 3 1/2 cups)

2 to 3 c. of beef stock

1 Tbsp tomato paste

2 large garlic cloves, mashed

1/2 tsp thyme

1 1/2 bay leaf

4 parsley springs (plus some for garnish)

cheesecloth

18-24 small white pearl onions (about 1 inch in diameter), peeled

1 lb fresh white mushrooms (left whole if small, quartered if large)

Preheat oven to 450 °F.

Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a 6-9 quart oven-safe casserole (or dutch oven) on medium heat and saute the bacon for 2 to 3 minutes until lightly brown. Remove to side dish with a slotted spoon and crumble. Increase the heat on the dutch oven to medium-high until oil is almost smoking. Saute the beef (it is important that you dry the beef before placing it in the pan, otherwise it will not brown!), a few pieces at a time in the hot oil and bacon fat until nicely browned, approximately 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove and add to a separate side dish.

In the same fat cook the sliced carrot and onion, on medium heat, until browned, approximately 5-7 minutes. Remove the vegetables and pour out any remaining fat (but be sure to leave any browned bits on the bottom of the pan).

Return the cooked vegetables and beef to the pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss. Then sprinkle with the flour and toss again to lightly coat the contents. Set dutch oven, uncovered, in the middle position of the oven for 4 minutes. Toss the meat and return to oven for 4 more minutes (this browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust). Remove the dutch-oven and turn the oven down to 325 °F.

Stir in the wine and enough beef stock so that the meat is barely submerged. Add the tomato paste, garlic, and herbs. Bring to a simmer on top of the stove and using a wooden spoon scrape off any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Then cover and set in lower third of preheated oven. Regulate heat so that liquid simmers very slowly for 2-3 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.

While the beef is cooking. Prepare the onions and mushrooms (see recipes below). Set them aside until needed.

When the meat is tender, use a slotted spoon to remove the solid contents from the dutch oven, leaving only the liquid. Combine the meat and vegetables (including onions and mushrooms) in a large bowl or serving dish (feel free to add back the bacon from earlier too, I like to add it this point because if it simmers with the beef, the bacon becomes very tough).

To the liquid, add any juice from the sauteed mushrooms or browned onions. Skim any fat off the surface of the liquid in the dutch oven, there should be approximately 2 1/2 c, and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons of stock.

For immediate serving: Top a bed of buttered egg noodles (cooked according to package directions, then tossed with butter) with the meat and vegetables, then spoon sauce over the dish. Garnish with a sprig of parsley.

For later serving: Combine meat, vegetables, and sauce. Once cooled, refrigerate. Reheat on stove top gently simmering for 10 minutes, occasionally basting the meat and vegetables with sauce.

Champignons Sautes au Beurre (Sauteed Mushrooms)

It is critical that the mushrooms are dry, the butter is very hot and the pan is not crowded. If you crowd the mushrooms while cooking they will steam instead of fry; their juices escape and they do not brown. So it's best to saute the mushrooms in 2 batches with a large 12 inch skillet.

Place a skillet over high heat with 2 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp oil. As soon as the butter fom begins to subsite, add 1/2 lb of mushrooms. Toss and shake the pan for 4 to 5 minutes. During their saute the mushrooms will at first absorb the fat. In 2 to 3 minutes the fat will reappear on their surface, and the mushrooms will begin to brown. As soon as they have browned lightly, remove from heat.

Repeat with other 1/2 lb of mushrooms and set aside with first batch.

Oignons Glaces a Brun (Brown-Braised Onions)

Combine 4 parsley sprigs, 1/2 bay leaf, and 3 inch sprig of fresh thyme (or 1/4 tsp dried thyme) in cheesecloth and tie closed.

Place a 8 or 10 inch skillet over medium heat, add 1 1/2 Tbsp butter and 1 1/2 Tbsp oil till the butter begins to bubble. Add the pearl onions, rolling gengly every minute so they brown nicely (will take approximately 10 minutes total). You cannot expect to brown them uniformly.

Pour in 1/2 c. of beef stock and add the herb bouquet. Cover and simmer slowly for 30-40 minutes, until the onions are perfectly tender but retain their shape. Remove the herb bouquet, and combine onion and juices with sauteed mushrooms (above).