Caroline Remebered

As many of you know, I returned home this summer for the funeral of my Grandmother Caroline. Even though Caroline was born in South Dakota, her love of polka and the Lutheran Church gave away her German heritage. When I was younger, we'd visit her home in Oregon and two common breakfast foods that she'd serve were grapefruit and shredded wheat bars. Do not be mistaken, this shredded wheat was neither frosted nor mini, it was the size of a small loaf and had to be softened in milk. In her later years, through, Grandmother developed quite a sweet tooth. So when I came across this recipe for a German apple pancake, that features a healthy amount of brown sugar, I though "this is a dish she would have thoroughly enjoyed."

If you're in the mood for something savory, you can replace the brown sugar and cinnamon with some diced ham and fresh minced sage.

German Apple Pancake

A 10-inch ovenproof skillet is necessary for this recipe; I highly recommend using a nonstick skillet for the sake of easy cleanup, but a regular skillet will work as well. You can also use a cast-iron pan; if you do, set the oven temperature to 425 degrees in step 1, and when cooking the apples in step 3, cook them only until just barely golden, about 6 minutes. Cast iron retains heat better than stainless steel, making the higher oven temperature unnecessary. If you prefer tart apples, use Granny Smiths; if you prefer sweet ones, use Braeburns. For serving, dust the apple pancake with confectioners' sugar.

Serves 1-2 people

Ingredients

½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

½ teaspoon table salt

2 large eggs

2/3 cup half-and-half

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 ¼ pounds Braeburn or Fuji apples (3 to 4 large apples), peeled, quartered, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

¼ cup light or dark brown sugar

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon lemon juice

confectioners' sugar for dusting

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position; heat oven to 500 degrees.

Whisk to combine flour, granulated sugar, and salt in medium bowl. In second medium bowl, whisk eggs, half-and-half, and vanilla until combined. Add liquid ingredients to dry and whisk until no lumps remain, about 20 seconds; set batter aside.

Heat butter in 10-inch ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until sizzling. Add apples, brown sugar, and cinnamon; cook, stirring frequently with heatproof rubber spatula, until apples are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Off heat, stir in lemon juice.

Working quickly, pour batter around edges of pan and then and the middle. Place skillet in oven and immediately reduce oven temperature to 425 degrees; bake until pancake edges are brown and puffy and have risen above edges of skillet, about 15-18 minutes.

Using oven mitts to protect hands, remove hot skillet from oven and loosen pancake edges with heatproof rubber spatula; invert pancake onto serving platter. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve!

Friendships forged in a deep fryer

Nearly a whole year since I last updated this blog...truly unbelievable. Well for those of you who don't know, I've relocated to Ann Arbor and am working as a postdoc in the Chemistry department at the University of Michigan. I've been blessed to work in a lab with three other amazing postdocs: Lori, Malathy, and Will. Lori hosted a monthly potluck at her place which came to be known as "Lori's Food Club." Needless to say, sharing a passion for food and deep frying (we made fish and chips for the Superbowl) we bonded rather quickly. Lori and her husband John just moved to California for a job. Before their departure, they deposited 5 boxes of assorted kitchen goodies at my place. Two of these boxes were entirely full of oils, spices, and sauces. So it seemed a fitting tribute to Lori and John to whip up some vegetable tempura and put those sauces to use. Besides red peppers, zucchini, onions, and mushrooms you could also try using green beans, scallions, eggplant, asparagus, chicken or shrimp.

Tempura

Do not omit the vodka; it is critical for a crisp coating. For safety, use a Dutch oven with a capacity of at least 7 quarts. Be sure to begin mixing the batter when the oil reaches 385 degrees (the final temperature should reach 400 degrees). It is important to maintain a high oil temperature throughout cooking. The temperature will drop once you add your food so after the first batch of frying check the temperature again and adjust stovetop accordingly. Serve with your favorite dipping sauces (I like soy sauce, garlic chili paste, sweet chili sauce) and rice.

Serves 3-5 people

Ingredients

3 quarts vegetable or canola oil

2-3 pounds vegetables (see above)

1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

½ cup cornstarch

1 large egg

1 cup (average priced) vodka

1 cup seltzer water

Kosher salt

Dipping sauces

White Rice

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with paper towels and place a wire cooling rack on top then place lined sheet w/ rack in oven.

Prepare vegetables by slicing peppers into 1/4 in thick strips, zucchini and onions into 1/4 in thick rounds, and halving (or quartering very large) mushrooms. Lay out on paper towel to remove any moisture.

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. In large, heavy Dutch oven fitted with clip-on candy thermometer, heat oil over high heat to 385 degrees, 18 to 22 minutes. Alternatively, monitor occasionally with an instant read thermometer.

Whisk flour and cornstarch together in large bowl. Whisk egg and vodka together in second large bowl. Whisk seltzer water into egg mixture.

When oil reaches 385 degrees, pour liquid mixture into bowl with flour mixture and whisk gently until just combined (it is OK if small lumps remain). Submerge 6-10 vegetable pieces in batter. Using tongs, remove vegetables from batter 1 at a time, allowing excess batter to drip off, and carefully place in oil (temperature should now be at 400 degrees). Fry, stirring with chopstick or slotted spoon to prevent sticking, until light brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to rack in oven to keep warm.

Return oil to 400 degrees, about 2-4 minutes, and repeat with another batch of vegetables. Once all vegetables are cooked, arrange on a platter with rice.

My little green friend

Some of you may remember a June 2008 Enchiladas Verdes recipe in which I discovered tomatillos. Ever since, I've been a fan of these little green wonders. I've spent this summer between grad school and postdoc in Seattle with my sister's family. One of the first things we did was go to the local nursery to spruce up her outdoor deck and to load up the garden. To our surprise and delight we found little baby tomatillo plants and purchased three.


Should any of you wish to undertake a similar enterprise, be advised, these plants grow at an astonishing rate! What began as a 9 inch seedling was over 6 feet tall in just under a month. Certain sunny days I swear I could see the plant grow before my eyes. It took some chicken wire to secure and stabalize the plant and about this time the beautiful yellow blossoms started to grow papery husks, the future home of the tomatillo. At two months the plant was covered with these husks, which in the sunset looked like green japanese paper lanterns. At three months, we decided to harvest and had enough to make enchiladas verdes...but what to do with the other 1.5 lbs?


Thankfully, we in the Pacific Northwest live in an agricultural paradise and my sister's house was overflowing with peaches (a special thanks to my Aunt Eunice for getting us an extra box of O'Henry Peaches)! So I found a great salsa recipe and swapped out the mangos for the peaches. Enjoy!


Rosted Tomatillo-Peach Salsa
The origonal recipe called for mangos instead of peaches, either is delicious. Balanced by the sweet peaches, the tomatillos give this salsa a nice sour tang. Don't overprocess the salsa in the food processor, there should be visible white bits of onion.

Makes 3-4 cups of salsa

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds fresh tomatillos
1 large jalapeño pepper (optional, I find 1/2 a pepper gives enough heat for me)
1 large onion, peeled and quartered
4 unpeeled garlic cloves
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon salt
2-3 cups finely diced peeled peaches (about 2-3 large)

Preheat broiler.

To prepare salsa, discard the husks and stems from tomatillos, rinse and dry. Remove stem from jalapeño. Place tomatillos, jalapeño, onion, and garlic on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil until the tomatillos and onions are lightly charred (about 8 minutes total), turning once; cool.

Peel garlic. Place garlic, tomatillos, jalapeño, onion, cilantro, lime juice, and 1 teaspoon salt in a food processor; pulse 5-10 times or until ingredients are coarsely chopped (don't over do it!). Place tomatillo mixture in a large bowl; stir in mango.

He's back...

After a few conversations with some friends and a near-death experience with a Jesuit, I decided it's time that I get back to blogging about my passion for food. "I'm just so busy" is an excuse that I use far too often and it begs the question, "what then does one fill his or her time with to cause such temporal clutter?" St. Ignatius would be quick to ask the follow-up question "are these activities life giving, do they feed your deepest desires and cause you to grow into a more loving person?"

I'm not going to try and list for you everything that I've been consumed with for the past 9 months since my last blog entry, but what I'd like you to take away from this little reflection is that we have the power to choose what fills our spare time and I'm hoping that I'll be a little more intentional about sharing my culinary discoveries through this blog.

One other change, which is apropos to the focus of this blog is that I'm no longer on a gluten-free diet. It was a bit of an experiment in the first place, to see how my body would respond without gluten. What I discovered is that I can have small amounts here and there without consequence. However, if I have a few slices of jet-puffed wonder bread every day for a week...watch out. As a result, I'll still try to highlight gluten-free recipes on this blog but I'll also be including some gluten-laden ones as well.

Now that the rambling is over, let's get to the food! Tonight for dinner I had cedar-plank grilled salmon with green beans (see blog archives for the salmon recipe) and a cheese plate. It's the cheese that I'd like to share with you this evening.


The first cheese (wedge shaped in the picture) was Petit Basque cheese from France. It's a semi-soft sheep's milk cheese that has a texture similar to provolone and a flavor like a mild cheddar. I think it would be dynamite as a fondue cheese but was very good on it's own.


The second cheese (small round in the picture) was a local artisan cheese called Fresh with Ewe (http://www.willapahillsfarmsteadcheese.com/farmsteadcheese.html). It's also a sheep's milk cheese but has a blue cheese rind on it. It's a very creamy cheese and spreads easily, while it doesn't have a strong aroma it packs a good amount of blue "punch." If you're looking to ease your way into blue cheeses this may be a good place to start. I also think it would be awesome paired with beef or in a salad.

It's not too early to plan for Turkey Day 2009!

I apologize that there has been such a hiatus in my posting. I've been busting my butt trying to write a paper for my advisor and, as a result, my recipes have been piling up. Now if you were dissatisfied with your Thanksgiving turkey this year, here's a heads-up for 2009.

It all began (like so many things) during a lunchtime discussion in our group's breakroom. We were imagining what Sarah Palin's family eats (see picture at the end for our hypothesis) and with all this food talk, and Thanksgiving being right around the corner, I thought that our lab should have a little Thanksgiving dinner. I thought this was a good idea because a) so many people in our lab like to cook b) even more like to eat and c) I wanted to introduce the foreign students (especially from Japan) to an American holiday that celebrates large quantities of food and napping.

The invitation was simple--bring something that for you symbolizes Thanksgiving dinner...and should you not celebrate Thanksgiving in your country, a dish that you really enjoy. As host, I undertook preparation of the poultry but we also had a fantastic array of dishes from the traditional (sweet potatoes, cheesy potatoes, mashed potatoes) to the exotic (smoked salmon sushi--Japan, pierogies filled with pork and sauerkraut--Poland, and potato-bacon pancakes--Germany).




As for the bird, I fused a recipe from Cooks Illustrated for the preparation with Alton Brown's method for cooking. The key is brining! None of the steps that follow are difficult, it just takes time and the right equipment. So keep up, here we go.

Thanksgiving Roast Turkey

This recipe is for a 15lb turkey, cooking times and ingredients may need to be scaled for a larger bird. Also don't wait till the last minute to buy your turkey--especially if it's frozen!! A 15 lb. turkey will take at least 3-4 days to thaw in your refrigerator (and add an extra day for brining). Remember to place it on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any liquid.

Equipment:
Roasting Pan
V-rack (for roasing pan)
Digital thermometer with probe
Aluminium foil

Ingredients:
1 15lb turkey (thawed)

2 gallons water
4 carrots (chopped)
2 onions (chopped)
4 celery stalks (chopped)
1 tsp. peppercorns
3 bay leaves

1 1/4 c. parsley (chopped)
4 tsp fresh thyme leaves
2 tsp fresh sage (chopped)
1 1/2 tsp fresh rosemary (chopped)
1 medium shallot (chopped)
2 medium garlic cloves (chopped)
3/4 tsp lemon zest
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 c. olive oil

Step 1: The Brine
Combine 1 gallon of water, 4 carrots (chopped), 1 onion (chopped), 4 celery stalks (chopped), 3 bay leaves, and 1 tsp. peppercorns. Bring to a boil then simmer for 1 hour. Remove solids then add 1 1/2 c. salt and 1/2 c. brown sugar. Stir to dissolve. Let brine chill completely (ideally overnight in your refrigerator).


Remove thawed turkey from package and extract neck, gizzard, heart (and any other "parts" that come with the turkey--reserve if you want, I never do). Rinse turkey under cool water and transfer to a 5 gallon plastic pail (breast down, so the legs are sticking up) with lid.


If you live somewhere cold (40 °F or below): Add chilled brine then an additional 1 gallon of cold water. Cover pail and place outside to keep cold (between 5–40 °F) for 6-12 hours.

If you live somewhere warm (above 40 °F): Choose one:
A) Repeat instructions for if you "live somewhere cold" and park the pail in your refrigerator.
B) Add chilled brine then 8 c. ice and 8 c. chilled water. Monitor temperature every 1-2 hours to make sure it stays below 40 °F, add additional ice if necessary. Using an insulated cooler instead of a pail will help keep it colder longer if you resort to option B.


Step 2: The Rub
Remove turkey from brine and rinse liberally with cold water (rinse inside the cavity too). Pat dry with a paper towel. Combine parsley through black pepper in food processor and blend with ten to twelve 10-second pulses. Add Dijon mustard and olive oil. Pulse an additional five times (10-seconds each pulse) and scrape down sides with spatual. Repeat five 10-second pulses. It should look like pesto at this point (see picture).


With a knive make a small incesion near the top of the breast where the skin flops over (opposite end of the cavity). Using your hands, loosen the skin from the breast and thights (you'll be amazed how stretchy the skin can get--whoohoo biology). Evenly rub paste on meat beneith skin. Finally, brush the outside of the turkey skin with canola or vegetable oil (use a brush or paper towel).

Step 3: The Heat
Preheat oven to 500 °F.

Prepare a foil "breast plate" by taking 2 sheets of aluminum foil and fold the ends over to make a traingle at one end (see pictures). Now, gently mold the foil onto the breast of the raw turkey and remove (making sure to retain it's shape). This is so that you don't have to cover the breast with your hands when it's 500 °F! Finally, insert digital probe into breast (making sure not to hit bone). See Alton Brown on You Tube for a helpful video on this section.


Place turkey into V-rack (breast up) in roasting pan. Place in oven for 30 min. Then remove and cover breast with pre-formed aluminum "breast plate." Return to oven, reduce heat to 350 °F, and bake until breast reads 161 °F (thigh should be around 180 °F at this point--double check with thermometer). The turkey should be done in about 2 hours at 350 °F (so 2.5 hours total). Remove and cover with aluminum foil and a few dish towels, let rest 20-30 minutes.

Carve and devour!


Finally-- What we envision the Palin family served for Thanksgiving.


From Bottom to Top: moose (chopped), ritz crackers, salmon hash, easy mac, crumbled hot dogs and velveeta, tater tots and cream of mushroom soup, french's onion rings and shredded AMERICAN cheese, sprinkled moose, corn flakes.

Baked Palin...I mean Alaska

Disclaimer: IT'S NOT GLUTEN-FREE (but you could easily make it so by substituting a GF cake).

The vice presidential debate was last night and my roommate and I hosted a little "viewing party," complete with foods to honor the two candidates. Our labmate Megan made cookies (initially she was going to make macaroons to represent Delaware but they fell through) and I made Baked Alaska to represent Sarah Palin (because I think many of her positions are about as substantial as the fluffy meringue topping on the dessert).

While the debate lacked the kind of fireworks we were hoping for, there was plenty of fire when the Baked Alaska came out. If you've never made it before, it's really not that difficult. It just takes a little time and common sense (and having a dad who's a firefighter is a big plus).

Baked Alaska
If anyone knows of a good GF cake recipe that tastes ok after it's chilled, let me know. The reason I used a normal gluten cake is because most GF cakes taste really grainy and dry once they're refrigerated or frozen.

For the base:
1 9x13 cake (any flavor--I used chocolate)
2 quarts ice cream (any flavor--I used vanilla)

For the meringue:
1/2 c. water
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch

1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
3/4 tsp. vanilla
6 egg whites (at room temperature)
3/4 c. sugar

Prepare cake according to instructions. Cool completely then transfer to a foil lined baking sheet (with rims). Allow ice cream to stand at room temperature 5 minutes then scoop out slices and place on top of cake (like puzzle pieces), as the ice cream becomes pliable, smooth the pieces together to form a single layer. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight.

Prior to serving, preheat oven to 425 °F. Combine water, 1 1/2 tsp sugar and cornstarch in small saucepan. Heat till boiling with constant whisking. The mixture will turn translucent and thick (the consistency of pudding). Remove from heat and cover with lid.

Combine egg whites in a large mixing bowl and beat on high till frothy (about 1 minute). Add vanilla and cream of tartar, beat till soft peaks form (see pictures). Then add 1 c. sugar and beat till stiff peaks form. Finally, add the cornstarch "pudding" from above and beat at high for 20 seconds to incorporate.

"Soft Peaks"


"Stiff Peaks"



Remove plastic wrap and spread meringue over cake like frosting. Be sure to cover sides of cake with meringue, to create a complete seal between the cake and the baking sheet (basically, you should only see meringue, no cake). Finish by making little "peaks" on the meringue using the back of a spoon and quick pulling motions.

To finish you have two options:

Option 1: Brown meringue completely in oven---In this case, bake 4-8 minutes (depending on oven) until top is well browned like a marshmallow.

Option 2: Watch Video. Lightly brown in oven then flambe at table---Bake 3-5 minutes (depending on oven) until the tips of the meringue peaks look tan (not brown) and it smells fragrant. While the meringue is baking, place 1/8 c. alcohol (must be at least 80 proof!! I like Grand Marnier) in a metal 1 c. measuring cup and heat on stove till you see small bubbles start to form (don't go too long or you'll boil off all the ethanol). Remove meringue from oven once tan, place on table, ignite alcohol in measuring cup and pour over top of meringue. Voila!

Syrah Tasting

A few years ago Dustin, a friend in the lab next to mine, suggested that we start a wine tasting group. The idea was simple; a bunch of amateur wine lovers get together every few months, each person brings a bottle of a particular kind of wine, and we have a blind tasting (and if they're lucky, I cook something to go along with the wine). When the wine group meets, it's always the highlight of my week. And thanks again to Dustin's suggestion, I've decided to post the results of our conclave.

So below you'll find our Top Pick (the one we liked the most) as well as one bottle that will become a part of the Wall of Shame (clearly, we didn't like it so much) in my apartment. From time to time you may also see Noteworthy Finds (this is for bottles that didn't really fit in with the others but we liked nonetheless).



Syrah Tasting

Syrah also is sold under the synonym Shiraz, which became the popular name in Australia and South Africa (but don't be fooled, it's the same grape). Syrah is known for its full body. This refers to how it feels in the mouth--think of the difference between whole milk (full body) versus fat free milk (very watery). They typically have hints of berry and pepper which makes them an excellent accompaniment to grilled foods or spicy dishes like Jambalaya (I'll post my recipe for that soon) which is what we ate.

Top Pick: Earthquake Syrah; Lodi Valley, CA; Michael & David Vineyards; 2004; $30.00+


This wine had a very fruit aroma, without being overpowering. It starts out juicy and then finishes with a light pepper taste on the back of the tongue. It sits in the mouth like a pinot noir (at least Crystal and I thought so).

Noteworthy Finds: Joel Gott Syrah; Oakville, CA; 2005; $13.99


This wine was all around fantastic. It had an amazing aroma that was very complex and not as sweet as the other Syrahs. The flavor is also awesome, very, very juicy compared to the other Syrahs but with the same peppery finish. This wine was noteworthy because it was totally different from the other Syrahs--but in a good way!

Wall of Shame (WoS): Sinceryl Shiraz; Western Cape, South Africa; 2004; $14.99


Bad aroma! Smells like a storage bin. No distinct flavor, weak, with a sour finish.