Archive | Food RSS feed for this section

Cranberry-Orange Upside Down Cake

29 Nov

As most cooks will say, the winter holidays are the best for no-holds-barred cooking.  We get to bake, eat carbs (and lot’s of them), and cook with abandon using cream, butter, sugar, and love. YUM!  This time of year, I am always looking to come up with dishes and desserts that can be added to a holiday buffet spread.  While I love having free-reign over sugar this time of year, I do not enjoy overly sweet desserts – which was a big consideration for this cake.

The inspiration for this dessert was an extra bag of fresh cranberries that had gone unused at Thanksgiving.  I love cranberries cooked in orange juice, brown sugar, and spices with finely chopped pecans stirred in at the end and wanted to incorporate those flavors into the topping of this cake.  Revisiting some vintage upside-down cake recipes in my mom’s 1958 Mary Margaret McBride Encyclopedia of Cooking, I found the actual cake recipes themselves to be fairly incidental to the topping; usually a simple sponge used as a delivery vehicle for the topping.  Flavored with fresh orange juice and scented with green cardamom, I wanted this cake to enhance what was going on in the topping and to become a perfect compliment.

Cranberry-Orange Upside Down Cake

Adapted from Mary Margaret McBride Encyclopedia of Cooking

For Topping:
1 large orange
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
12 ounces fresh cranberries

For Cake:
1 1/2 cups sifted caked flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
15 green cardamom pods*
1 large orange
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan (preferably with a removable bottom). Cut a circle of parchment 1/2-inch larger than the diameter of the pan and line the bottom of the pan; butter the parchment and set aside.

With a fine grater, zest the orange. Then with a sharp paring knife supreme the orange (cut away the peel and pith then remove the segments); cut each segment in to thirds and set aside.  In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt together the butter and brown sugar, stirring until sugar has dissolved.  Remove from heat and stir in the orange zest and finely chopped pecans.  Spread this mixture evenly over the bottom of prepared cake pan.  Layer in the cranberries and evenly distribute the orange segments.

In a small mixing bowl, combine sifted caked flour, baking powder, and salt. With a mortar and pestle, crack open the cardamom pods and empty the black seeds and papery husks back into the bowl and grind to a fine powder; for about 1 teaspoon.  Add ground cardamom to the flour mixture and give a quick whisk to incorporate the ingredients; set aside.  Remove zest from orange and then squeeze enough juice for 1/4 cup.

In a larger mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in the orange zest and vanilla extract.  Beat in eggs one at a time until just incorporated.  Combine the 1/4 cup of orange juice and milk (it’s okay if it curdles a little).  In three batches, alternately beat in the flour and liquids; scraping down the sides of the bowl between batches.

Spread mixture evenly over the cranberries and tap pan on counter a few times so everything settles.  Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 55 minutes, or until golden brown and a tester inserted into the middle of the cake come away clean.

Remove from oven, loosen the sides of the cake, and immediately invert onto a serving plate.  Carefully remove pan and parchment.  Let cool completely before slicing.  Delicious on it’s own or with a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream.

*If using store-bought ground cardamom, use 1 1/2 teaspoons as commercial ground cardamom has the hard shell ground into the powder as well.

Serves 8.

This awesomely delicious cake will look fantastic on your holiday table or buffet.  It is fantastic with my mid-morning coffee beak or afternoon tea. So invite some friends over and enjoy!

Peace – J

Show the love, please hit the ‘Like’ button below.

Post-Thanksgiving: Turkey Stock

21 Nov

Traditionally my family makes turkey soup from the carcass and left over turkey bones.  I am personally not a fan of turkey soup — or for that matter turkey noodle casserole, but that’s for another post.  Cooking school and a desire not to be wasteful prevents me from just throwing it all away, so I make stock.

Cooking terms lesson of the day: Stock is made by simmering bones and vegetables in a liquid (usually water). Stocks are the bases for soups and sauces and therefore should be lightly seasoned and, in my opinion, unsalted.  Broth is very similar to stock except it derives it’s flavor from meat and vegetables rather than bones.

After making turkey or any other kind of stock, I usually divide it into 16-ounce deli containers and freeze it to use later as a base for soups (other than turkey) and in other dishes in place of chicken stock.  I mean com’on… it’s easy to do, although a little time consuming, and virtually free!  There is no real need to follow technique here and make sachets or bouquet garni, peel vegetables, etc. — it’s all gonna get strained out at the end.

Photo: JaseMan

Simple Turkey Stock

Turkey carcass, bones, wings, neck – meat removed
2 medium brown onions
3 celery ribs
2 large carrots
1 head garlic
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
12 springs fresh Parsley
A lot of ice

Cut carcass into 4 or 5 pieces and add to an 8- to 12-quart stock pot. Trim the root end off onions and quarter leaving the skins on.  Scrub celery ribs and carrots and cut into chunks. Cut garlic clove in half horizontally (through the cloves).  Add cut vegetables and remaining ingredients, except ice, to the pot.  Cover with water; about 16 cups.

Over high heat, bring stock to a simmer, but not a full boil.  Adjust heat and continue simmering for 3 to 4 hours. Every hour or so skim the impurities that have come to the surface and check to see that the water hasn’t evaporated too much – if it has, boil water in a kettle and add to the stock. Do not add cold water.  Here you need to make a decision; if you want more of a lighter flavored stock – keep the water liquid level close to where it began.  If you would like less of a richer flavored stock, then don’t keep adding so much boiling water and just let it reduce (my preference).

Once the stock is finished strain into another pot through a colander that has been lined with a couple layers of cheese cloth.  If you don’t have cheese cloth on hand, then strain through the colander and then through a fine mesh strainer.

Important: To keep your stock safe from bacteria, it must be cooled quickly and properly. Put a stopper into the drain of your sink. Set the pot of strained stock into the sink and surround pot with ice.  Fill sink with just enough water to come to the height of the stock in the pot. Stir the stock occasionally until cool. Transfer to the refrigerator to cool completely.

When you go to use it the stock, you may notice flecks of fat that, if you are a low-fat freak, you can remove with a spoon.  However, DO NOT remove the gelatin like stuff that has congealed in the stock.  This is the collagen that has been simmered from the bone and gives the stock it’s luscious body. The stock will last in the fridge for up to a week.  If you are not going to use it in that time, it freezes really well for 3 or 4 months.

Peace – J

If you enjoyed this post, please hit the ‘Like’ button below.

Mmmmmm… Doughnuts…

17 Nov

Homer Simpson had it right!  Doughnuts or donuts, whichever spelling you prefer, are one of my all time favorite indulgences.  Maybe it’s growing up in southern California where doughnut shops pop up on every corner.  Here are some fun shots the fabulous Heather Winters and I did a couple months back. When we originally decided to shoot doughnuts, it was going to be a cheeky promotion of  ”your bad photography v.s. our fabulous work”.  Well, Heather can’t seem to take a bad picture even when she tries to.  I love this photo —  It reminds me sitting in doughnut shop under the harsh light at the end of a long night of doing whatever! Peace – J If you have enjoyed these photos please hit the ‘Like’ button below and share with your friends!

Simple Roasted Brussels Sprouts

16 Nov

Brussels sprouts.  Tiny little bright green cabbages. YUM!

Growing up, I was that kid who LOVED Brussels sprouts. I used to beg my mom to make them.  She would simply boil them – I’m sure to states of over-cooked mush – and then toss them with a little butter, salt and pepper.  To this day, I still love them sautéed with bacon and pecans or in a creamy gratin with pancetta and shallots.  Earlier this year while working on MasterChef, one of the contestant challenges was to guess the ingredients in a dish and replicate it.  I created a cole slaw with blanched Brussels sprouts, Granny Smith apples, pecans, and a spicy jalapeno vinaigrette!  Amazingly delicious… even Gordon liked it!

Today, my preferred way to cook these little green orbs simply is tossed with a little olive oil, salt and pepper then roasted in a hot oven.  They are all at once tender, crunchy, sweet, and umami.

 

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

1 to 1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts
2 tablespoons good quality olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, if desired.

Wash Brussels sprouts removing any outer leaves that are loose or have yellowed. Trim off brown cut end of stem. Place on baking sheet and toss with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.  Roast in preheated oven for 35 to 45 minutes or until fork tender; occasionally shaking pan to turn sprouts.

Remove from oven and serve immediately.  It’s that easy.

Serves 4.

Selection Tips: Although they are in the stores pretty much year-round, the actual growing season is September through mid-February. Brussels sprouts range from 1- to 1 1/2- inches in diameter.  Look for smaller, tightly closed, compact, bright green sprouts.  Try to select them as close to the same size as possible for even cooking.  Store unwashed in an air-tight container in the refrigerator, but try to cook within a couple of days of purchasing as the longer they sit, the more pungent they become.  Some stores (like Trader Joe’s) and farmers market sell them still on the stalk for ultimate freshness.

These simple Roasted Brussels Sprouts would make an easy side dish to accompany your Holiday meal.  Eat seasonally and enjoy!!

Peace – J

If you enjoyed this post, please hit the ‘Like’ button below.

Homemade Vanilla Extract

4 Nov

I don’t know why I am always amazed when I go to the store to buy a good quality vanilla extract to find that an 8-ounce bottle costs from $18 (Madagascar) to $35 (Tahitian). Well, it turns out that vanilla is more expensive than any other flavoring or spice, the one exception being saffron. But why you ask? Vanilla is the fruit of a tropical vine that is part of the orchid family. When grown commercially, the flowers of the vine are hand-pollinated and thinned to ensure the quality of the bean. Once harvested it takes around eight months to cure and dry the beans before they can be packed for shipping.

There are primarily two varieties of commercially available vanilla beans – Madagascar or Mexican, and Tahitian. Yes my friends, Madagascar and Mexican are the same species… good to know for my SoCal peeps! It seems those crafty Spaniards snaked (read: stole) some vanilla cuttings on their way outta town and planted them on the island of Madagascar. For hundreds of years, Madagascar had the market cornered on vanilla export and today, along with Mexico, is the major producer of vanilla. Tahiti is the only other player of note in the vanilla game. Tahitian vanilla is a sweeter and more floral bean and by virtue of economics (umm… remember supply and demand), is almost twice the price. Whew, history and economics lessons accomplished!

One of the perks of working on cooking and cooking reality shows is leftover product and equipment. From a recent show, I inherited somewhere in the vicinity of 100+ vanilla beans. Jealous? Thought so. Well, after giving the majority away, I still had quite a few, so I decided to make vanilla extract.

Making vanilla extract is super easy, economical, and will make an excellent holiday gift! It does take a little planning as you need to wait a month or so before it is ready to use.

Homemade Vanilla Extract

6 long, soft vanilla beans
1 quart good quality vodka
Extra vanilla beans for presentation (optional)

Split the six beans lengthwise and then cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Add the vanilla pieces to a clean 1-quart canning jar and fill with vodka. Let steep in a cool, dark place for 30 to 45 days, shaking the jar every once in awhile. Strain through a cheesecloth lined wire mesh strainer. Return to a clean jar or smaller bottles and add a fresh vanilla bean for presentation.

Store tightly sealed. Vanilla extract will keep indefinitely (blessed by the USDA). There you have it, easy peasy.

I did a little experimenting with the recipe substituting Cuban rum and bourbon for the vodka. For straight on vanilla flavor, vodka is the best choice. The rum and bourbon variations are still very strong in vanilla flavor but, also have the underlying characteristics of smooth, sweet rich rum and smoky sweet bourbon respectively. Both the rum and bourbon vanillas I would gladly use in baking for more dimension of flavor, but also in cocktails. Hmm… vanilla scented Manhattan <<slurp>>!

Peace – J

Roasted Pumpkin Purée

3 Nov

Okay, so I procrastinate a little bit…  I started writing this two years ago because of the shortage in canned pumpkin caused by excessive rainfalls in the areas where pumpkins are grown for canning purposes.  Well, luckily the holidays roll around every year, only this year cans o’ pumpkin are a plenty. When you do your holiday baking this year and want to insure you’re getting pure pumpkin puree sans the preservatives, make your own fresh pumpkin puree. Truly, it’s not at all difficult.

DO NOT use jack-o-lantern pumpkin – the are meant to carve and put on your porch for trick-or-treaters to come by and smash. Jack-o-lantern pumpkins are water, stringy, and pretty tasteless. Select sugar pumpkins, pie pumpkins, or sugar pie pumpkins – I’ve seen them called all three.  One 5-pound pumpkin will yield around 4 cups of puree (a 15-ounce can is about 2 cups).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. I line a baking sheet with foil or kitchen parchment for easy clean up. Cut the top from the pumpkin and cut in half and scoop out the seeds and membrane.

At this point you can cut into smaller pieces… but, why? Place cut pumpkins on your baking sheet cut side up. It really doesn’t matter which side is up.  I prefer the pumpkin to get some caramelization for a little deeper flavor. You can also put the cut side down in a baking pan with a little water and cover with foil and steam them instead. Roast for 45 minutes until fork tender. Remove from oven and let cool. Scoop flesh from the shell and put in a food processor or blender. If using a blender, you may have to add a little water to get it going. Blitz the pumpkin until you have a smooth puree.

It’s that easy. So, support your local farmer’s and green markets and get to roastin’!

Peace – J

How To Tip: Bag Striping Icing Effect

8 Nov

This is (or at least should be) a quick posting that I have been meaning to get up for, oh, about 3 weeks now.  I had many requests since posting the Tie-Dyed Cake for Chloe as to how to get the color effect on the icing.  The technique I used is called bag striping. Bag striping can be accomplished a couple different ways. One is to use a spatula to place a couple similarly toned colored icings along the sides of a pastry bag.  This is best used with subtle color differences when piping flowers.  For vivid multiple color differences, like on Chloe’s cake, I used a brush striping technique.  The colors are more intense because the color is brushed into pastry bag.

When I did Chloe’s cake, I used a vinyl pastry bag and paste icing colors. The color stayed fairly intense while I piped the top of the cake and didn’t really start to fade until I got to the edge of the cake.  For this demo, I made a dozen cupcakes for Halloween using orange concentrated paste icing color and black gel paste color.  The gel color (black) faded quicker than the concentrated paste color (orange).  Also, I used disposable plastic piping bags so you could see the color.  However, the slickness of the plastic bags didn’t seem to hold the color as well the vinyl bag did.  Fine by me — I don’t like to use the disposable bags anyway because they hurt my hands after awhile plus, they’re not so great for the landfill.

brush striped color in pastry bag

Apply one or more stripes of the icing color with a small paint or decorating brush. In this case, I alternated three black stripes with three orange stripes. Fill the bag with white icing and as the icing is squeezed past the color(s), whatever you are piping will come out striped.

bag-striped effect on cupcakes

Okay, so it’s not the prettiest piping I’ve ever done… but you get the point!

Peace – J

Tie-Dyed Cake for Chloe

14 Oct

Lately I have had a few requests for birthday cakes.  I LOVE to bake, have taken numerous cake decorating classes, and actually went to cooking school with the idea of becoming a pastry chef. SIDE NOTE: Contrary to Top Chef: Just Desserts, not all pastry chefs are an emotional train wreck… but I digress.  A couple weeks ago, best gal-pal Sarah asked if I would make a birthday cake for her daughter Chloe’s second birthday. Sure! Happy to! The kicker… chocolate cake and the theme of the party is tie-dye. Hmmmm….

Tie-dye. How in the hell am I gonna make a tie-dyed cake? A couple friends, including Sara, said just make the cake, put it on a colorful plate and call it a day. Since many of you don’t know me that well, those who do will tell you that that is not how I roll.

The cake itself wasn’t the issue. White cake or yellow cake sure, easy. Just color the cake batter different colors and spoon it into the pans, bake it off, et voilà multi-colored cake! Although an easy out, I couldn’t bring myself to do that to her. You see, I had a traumatic experience with colored cakes as a kid.  My mom had purchased cake pan inserts to make a checkerboard cake for my birthday. She asked what kind of cake I wanted and thinking out of the box, I said a blue and yellow cake — I must have been a Cub Scout. However, when the cake was sliced at my party, there was no way in hell that I was going to eat it. What kind of unnatural thing is a blue and yellow cake?!

I Googled images for “tie-dye decorated cake” (go ahead, try it) and found a bunch of seriously ugly cakes worthy of the blog Cake Wrecks.  The cakes that I liked had used an airbrush for the effect and I don’t own an airbrush or know how to use one.  There was also a lot of chatter on the interweb about an episode of Cake Boss where he created a tie-dyed cake using fondant. All I could find was a paragraph on the TLC website that explained how he did it, but no images of the final product. I love you Chloe, but I ain’t spendin’ $30 on a tub of fondant, which btw tastes nasty, to try and figure it out.

Using different colored icings wouldn’t do for two reasons: 1) the colors look flat and more like a jigsaw puzzle, and 2) if you’re not really careful the colors become muddy when they start to blend. The cool thing about tie-dye, if tie-dye were to be cool, is the visual texture.  That texture happens because of gradation of color and the white showing through (where the rubber band was, duh).

A couple days later I remembered an icing technique called brush striping where instead of coloring the icing, the food coloring is painted in stripes top-to-bottom inside the pastry bag. (Sorry, I forgot to take pictures.) This technique only works with gel paste food coloring and not the liquid coloring from the grocery store.  So I painted a single stripe of each color: blue, purple, hot pink,  orange, yellow, and green on the inside of my pastry bag and loaded it up with white butter cream and started piping swirls on the cake.

tie-dye1

All-in-all, I was pretty happy with the way the cake turned out. Sarah was happy, Chloe was happy, and the cake was delicious! Mission accomplished. Oh yeah, Chloe’s cake was double dark chocolate with peanut butter and chocolate ganache fillings, YUM.

Peace – J

Grillin’ Figs (and Dinner) from the Farmers Market

26 Jul

I try to make it to the Hollywood Farmers Market as much as possible to check out what’s new.  It’s especially great this time of year when the stands are overflowing with fresh local produce.  This past Sunday, we picked up a quick and easy dinner to throw on the grill.  Fresh organic chicken breasts, figs and asparagus.  (If you’ve read a couple of the posts on here, you’ll figure out that I am a fiend for grilled asparagus.)

chicken-and-figs-2-w
This meal was super easy.  The chicken was seasoned with some shish kabob seasoning (paprika, salt, cayenne, sumac, onions, saffron, turmeric, etc.)  that I had left over from shooting some Moroccan recipes. Normally I try not to use pre-blended spice mixtures, but this stuff is delicious!  Grill the chicken breast over direct medium to medium-high heat for 7 to 9 minutes total; just until they are done.  They should feel firm to the touch.  To tell by touch, hold your thumb and pinkie finger together.  Now feel the fleshy part of your palm below your thumb – that’s what the chicken breast should feel like when you poke at it.  If you have any doubts, cut one open and make sure it’s cooked through. Once you get the hang of cooking poultry and meats by touch, you should never have to worry about dried out or under cooked foods again (we’ll discuss beef and pork another time).

Grilled Figs

Figs are in the markets right now rand they are ripe and delicious. Cut the figs in half top to bottom and lightly brush the cut side with a little oil. Place cut side down over a medium hot grill and cook for 2 to 4 minutes until well marked and tender.  The grilling caramelizes the sugars in the figs and takes them to a special place.  Serve drizzled with a balsamic vinegar reduction.

If you have never had a balsamic vinegar reduction or glaze before, I would HIGHLY suggest you do.  Reducing the vinegar gives you a sweet, slightly-sour, tangy syrup that is an amazing foil for fruits (try drizzled over fresh strawberries) and vegetables, and also makes an amazing glaze brushed over meats after grilling.

Balsamic Vinegar Reduction

Take a bottle of inexpensive balsamic vinegar and pour into a saucepan.  Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer.  As the liquid evaporates, the flavors of the vinegar begin to concentrate.  Let the vinegar reduce by about 75% (a 16-ounce bottle yields about 1/2 cup).  Make sure you keep an eye on it toward the end because it can quickly burn. The syrup should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Keep in a jar or squirt bottle in your refrigerator.  I guarantee you’ll find reasons to use it!

Forget Ray-Ray and her 30-minute meals. It’s all about quick, easy and delicious summer grilling! You could throw this together for friends and they would be amazed! Give it a try – season the chicken however you’d like… salt and pepper would be great with a little balsamic glaze brushed on at the end!. But definitely give the balsamic reduction a try drizzled over the figs, or fresh berries, or melon, or whatever!

Let me know what you think. If this post lights your fire, please pass it on!
Peace.

Bookmark and Share

 

Easy Grilling: Citrus Marinated Flank Steak

23 Jul

Easy summer grilling.  That’s what I’m about this weekend.  Grab a cold beer, fire up the grill and reee-lax.  This is super easy go to recipe for dinner or when friends stop by (to use your pool).  Grab the ingredients tonight or tomorrow morning and plan on a fantastic Sunday grill.

This was going to be for dinner a couple nights ago.  Plans changed and the steak marinated for two days… AMAZING flavor!  The citrus and garlic flavors get brightened up with just a little bit of heat.  Slice thinly on the bias against the grain of the meat and serve as is with some grilled green onions,* or toss on top of a salad or in an amazing sandwich.

DSC02176

Citrus Marinated Flank Steak

1.75 – 2 pounds flank steak
Juice from 2 oranges
Juice from 2 lemons
Juice from 2 limes
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 dried red chilies, crushed (or 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes)
2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
1/4 cup olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Rinse flank steak with cold water and pat dry with paper towels.  Place in a shallow dish just a little bigger than the steak.  Whisk together remaining ingredients, except S&P, and pour over the steak.  Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours and up to a couple days; occasionally turning the steak.

Remove steak from marinade 30 minutes prior to grilling. Discard the marinade.  Set up grill for direct cooking over medium-high heat. Brush and oil the grate when you’re ready to start cooking.

Pat steak dry and liberally season with salt and pepper, grill steak approximately 4 to 6 minutes per side. Remove from grill and let rest for 5 minutes. Thinly slice steak at an angle across the grain of the meat.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

* Trim and wash green onions.  Pat dry and toss with a little olive oil and sea salt and pepper.  Grill until desired doneness.

DUH-LICIOUS!!!

Please pass this post/recipe on and enjoy!

Bookmark and Share

 

← Older Entries

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 55 other followers