Recipes

Summer is in full bloom here on the prairie and with it, as every year, come back memories of my childhood almost always spent with either set of grandparents. They are my fondest memories from my childhood and interestingly they have something in common- a kind of freedom provided by the old and the wise in my family.

Lobo and I undertook a recon mission a few days ago—we visited an upscale supermarket in the area, in hopes they’d have a larger selection of Asian goods than the other stores in the area. We were wrong on that, but were pleasantly surprised to find competitive prices on a few things (not enough to make regular stops there worthwhile, however).

I did find something in the dairy section that got my culinary coils all knotted up. Imagine this mashup: the epitome of 1970s-tech “convenience” foods, processed and packaged in a pressurized can for squirting, then consuming; and current organic food mania.

When I think of bigos I immediately feel like I'm about to open presents. See, for me it's the ultimate Christmas dish and one of the perfect comfort dishes. It is a meal ideal for entertaining guests and a good topic for a conversation about Poland, its culture and history. It is so because it's a dish similar to Russian and German dishes and very often when I introduce someone to it they say "But this is so German!" or something of a similar effect. Yes, I perfectly understand why anyone would think so- bigos is mostly sauerkraut and meat so you can't get any more German than that.

Longer ago than I care to admit, a dear friend asked me about making pie crust. And since today is that person’s birthday, I figured evidence that I hadn’t forgotten that request might make a suitable birthday gift.

When done well, pie crust is a deep brown, delectable testament to the near-miraculous effect of heat on a few simple ingredients. Tender and flaky, it serves as a perfect embrace for fresh fruits, pudding, or whatever tasty filling a cook can devise. Pie crust can also be intimidating as hell to make, because the quality of those simple ingredients really matters. So does the cook’s handling of them. I am by no means an expert pie baker, but I am adequate and if I had regular practice, I’m confident I could become an expert one. So could you; and here are my tips and an excellent recipe for starting down that path. Let’s head into the kitchen!

A while back I read an enthusiastic endorsement of a new cheesecake cookbook on a foodie site; being a cheesecake lover, I clicked through to Amazon to check it out. The cookbook is apparently based on a successful restaurant’s New York-style cheesecake recipes. But a few things in an editorial review turned me off of the book, and of their cheesecakes. My primary objection is the use of corn starch in the cheesecake. Now, I know that restaurants need to be as concerned with food appearance as much as taste, but as something of a cheesecake snob, I do not like extra binders in my cheesecake. The cheese and eggs should be sufficient—no flour, gelatin, or corn starch should be necessary to get a smooth cheesecake. They can add off flavors and textures to the cake. I’ve never had a problem with cracks in my cheesecakes, and I’ve never gone to the lengths described to accomplish a picture-perfect cheesecake—I don’t use extra binders, I don’t use a water bath, and I bake the cheesecakes at typical (325–350° F) temperatures.

All that said, making a pretty and delectable cheesecake is one of the trickier propositions I’ve encountered. Still, all that’s required is some extra care in preparing the batter and baking the cake. For starters, one must plan ahead: cheesecakes taste best after mellowing about 24 hours after they’re baked. Follow me into the kitchen if you’re interested in the secrets of homemade cheesecake success.

I realized last night that I was almost out of my last batch of home made schnapps, so thought it would be a good time to share the recipe here.

Before I start, and just for the sake of argument - those who are purists or like to work a lot harder than necessary... here are some links to other methods.

Brewing Real Schnapps by distilling - without a real "still"
What are Schnapps and Cordials?
Complete, exhaustive recipes and directions here.

So! Start out with JUST ripe, fresh fruit if at all possible. Frozen fruit is ok, as long as it is top quality and JUST ripe when frozen. (Good luck unless you picked it and froze it yourself. sigh) Wash and clean (peel if needed, core, remove stems, pits, etc.) carefully, then allow to drain thoroughly. Fruit that turns dark on exposure to air can be sprinkled with vitamin C powder. Grind some C tablets with a mortar and pestil - just remember to wash out the chili powder you ground up last!! LOL

Chop fine or run through food processor on coarse setting. Don't puree.

ratio is 1 pound clean, dry fruit to 1.5 cup everclear or 95% grain alcohol PLUS 1.5 cup filtered or distilled water. OR you can use 3 cups of 80 proof Vodka. Some vodka has a funky flavor, so the better quality the better the finished product will taste. I won't use vodka at all since I started with the Everclear - but the vodka is ok if you can't get the other.

DO NOT ADD SUGAR at this point.

Mix these in a sterile glass or stainless steel container with a good tight seal. Allow to stand in a cool, dark place for 2 to 4 weeks. Pour through a fine metal strainer into a clean glass jar. Allow it to drip and don't press. The fruit pulp will make wonderful topping for all sorts of things, so don't even DREAM of discarding it! It can be frozen in ice cube trays and then put in plastic bags to be used little by little.

When you have the pulpless product in the glass jar you can choose whether or not to add sugar - or how much. The standard recipe calls for 1 1/4 cup white granulated sugar for the batch size above. That much sugar may or may not dissolve immediately, but will be ok eventually. Don't use more, however. This should be sealed again and left to age in a cool, dark place for about 3 months.

I have plans to try some plain honey instead of sugar on the next batch. The honey would be especially good with some of the herb liquors like peppermint or spearmint. I want to do some with chamomile and maybe one with rosemary too.

For an herbal recipe, start with the 1.5 cup water, boiling. Add 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the dry herb and allow to steep until the water is cold or longer for bark (cinnamon) or seeds (like dill). Strain out the herbs and add the alcohol, then sweeten or bottle unsweetened. It doesn't need the same "working" time as the fruit, though it will improve in flavor with age.

One of my favorites is made with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, cloves and apple juice concentrate for the water. This one definitely needs the sugar. It's dynamite on/with hot apple pie or to make "mulled cider" in a flash. Use a recipe for apple pie spice mix to get the proportions. I'll look it up and try to remember to add it later.

Whew! Have fun with this. I need to go find something to drink! [G]

Sunni's turkey roasting account spurred me to share my own methods and recipes here. Cooking is certainly one shining example of the idea that there is more than one "right" way to do things! I'll have to try her method one of these days, and thought some of you might enjoy reading about mine.

This method is good for any size turkey, and for any wild game birds. There are some extra tricks for the wild birds, however, so ask me if you want those too.

Longer ago than I wish to consider, I promised Ian I’d post my roast turkey recipe. His procedure involves brining the turkey, which I must admit, I’ve never tried. It seems like a complicated and potentially messy way to try to avoid what is the bane of all cooks—a dry turkey. (Trust me on that: in my house, with that much water, sugar, and salt involved, plus two young children who would almost certainly be “helping” at some point in the process, spillage is a given.)

I first came across the basic procedure I have modified to suit my needs several years ago, when I needed a fast way to roast a turkey. I modified it when I needed to create a gluten-free turkey gravy procedure ... and true to form, I am still tweaking the recipe, but am very pleased with it overall. It doesn’t guarantee a moist turkey—no recipe can, because if a turkey is overcooked, it will be dry—but I have never had a properly-roasted turkey come out dry using this recipe.

Before those of us who want to continue head off into the kitchen, I would like to wish a wonderful Thanksgiving to “my seven readers”, as well as others who wander in via some search. I appreciate your interest in my ramblings, and I especially value the stimulating feedback and ideas many of you share with me. Here’s to the internet! [clink!]

And now, off to the recipes ... plus a bonus for those of you with the fortitude to read to the end.

My guess is pretty much any decent cook can take a chicken carcass or some beef bones and make a decent stock from it. I regularly save roasted chicken remains and freeze them until I have enough to make a big batch of chicken stock. It’s thrifty, easy, and much tastier and more healthful than bouillon cubes and powders and the like (although I will admit to using a couple of Penzeys soup bases in a pinch). But what about vegetable stock? Turns out it is every bit as easy to make—and for the investment of ingredients and time, it’s an even better payoff than homemade meat stocks. Best of all, homemade stock won’t have unknown quantities of mystery or undesirable ingredients like modified food starch or MSG. This stuff is liquid gold when it comes to adding a nice flavor boost to rice, polenta, and pasta sauces. And of course, it makes a splendid base for building other sauces, or gravies, soups, and stews.

Some of y’all might remember that Jim Bovard is a peanut butter connoisseur. I really like the stuff too, as long as we’re talking real peanut butter, the kind without added sugar and that requires stirring to get the peanut oil put back into suspension.

After my conversation with Jim turned to peanut butter, I began private negotiations to get some recipes out of him. His, er, terms being a little too high for me, I set out to create my own peanut buttery goodness. And I think I’ve done a good job with my first effort—a peanut butter frosting that’s easy, has only five ingredients, and tastes wonderful. Best of all, it doesn’t contain loads of confectioner’s sugar.

I have lost three very successful pood experiments this summer, because I failed to write down what I tossed together for dinner and subsequently forgot what I did. At MAL’s urging not to let that happen with tonight’s main course, I hereby record my first effort at a potato-tomato frittata. Pretty cheap, good eats!

One of my favorite meats is turkey; and it’s also a meal that I greatly enjoy preparing. Transforming that pale, slippery skin into a golden, crisp covering for the juicy meat beneath is very satisfying ... and even a small turkey provides a good amount of meat. MAL has been known to bring home a turkey in the summer, and even then I’m happy to fire up the oven and stovetop to roast the turkey and make mashed potatoes and gravy.

Someday I’ll post my oven-roasted turkey recipe, and challenge Ian to a turkey cook-off—he’s already posted his brining and cooking procedure (I’m too lazy to look it up at the moment). For now, I’m focusing on ways to handle leftovers. I’ve got a good turkey soup recipe down pat, as well as turkey-potato cakes, but it’s nice to add another variation to one’s recipe box.

The other day, I set out a bunch of frozen turkey meat without a clear idea of what I was going to do with it for dinner. I started tossing things into a saucepan, stirring and sampling, and what I ended up with was a dish MAL and I really liked. The snolfs, however, did not. Having just read parts of a Calvin and Hobbes book, they dubbed my creation “Bat Barf”. I doubt that it resembles bat barf at all, but I’ve a feeling the name will stick (another of my creations has the lovely title “Ick and Yuck”).

Anyway, I’d told Ian that if he posted a chicken rotis recipe he’d mentioned, I’d post my bat barf recipe. Ian has come through in his singular style – here’s his amusing method for making chicken rotis. Read on – if you dare! – for the soon-to-be-legendary [or maybe not] recipe for Bat Barf.

Frank Zappa may get the credit for most folks’ knowing what those initials stand for, but I read somewhere that his was a cover of an older R&B tune. The initials stand for “White Port and Lemon Juice”—a sort of simple wine cooler way before Bartles and Jaymes’ time.

What am I doing thinking about booze so early in the morning? Well, I’ve been working hard at this month’s issue of the Salon, and the end is in sight—but there’s still a big push ahead, and I almost always work better after a bit of tipple. And it’s Friday at last! Also, I awoke this morning with that song running through my head; and now I’m thinking about various drink combinations I’ve tested and liked.

Last weekend, for an outing with some freedom-minded folk, I made a New York cheesecake, and wanted a topping to offer with it. I recalled that Lobo picked huge quantities of blackberries while we were gone, and most of them are still waiting patiently in the freezer for my attention ... so I made a blackberry sauce. It's very easy to make sauces full of fresh-fruit taste, from frozen fruit—but it does require some advance planning.

I have been cooking quite a bit of rabbit lately and thought I'd share one of my recipes. It is original, although has undoubtedly has influenced by various cookbooks, restaurants and friends.