I've been looking for this! It just so happened to find me today. Note to self: make soon.
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/tsfl040624.phtml
Thursday, April 10, 2008
"I'll assist you with your loins!"
*Title of post refers to Olivia's clever response to my "cooking for one" complaints after making this meal
Bored again, I decided to venture into Tenderloin territory, and I don't mean the notoriously grungy part of San Francisco. Here are links to some recipes I made that turned out to be fabulously delicious. Quite easy too.
Pork tenderloin with balsamic-cranberry sauce
Asparagus with parmesan butter
Bored again, I decided to venture into Tenderloin territory, and I don't mean the notoriously grungy part of San Francisco. Here are links to some recipes I made that turned out to be fabulously delicious. Quite easy too.
Pork tenderloin with balsamic-cranberry sauce
Asparagus with parmesan butter
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Biscuit recipe for Cas
From the 30Sec WineAdvisor FoodLetter:
INGREDIENTS:
(Makes eight to 10 biscuits)
2 cups (480g) all-purpose soft wheat flour
3 teaspoons (15g) baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teastpoon salt
2 1/2 tablespoons butter
2 1/2 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening
1/4 to 1/2 cup whole milk or 2% milk
PROCEDURE:
1. Preheat oven to 450F (230C).
2. Measure the flour into a bowl. Add the baking powder, baking soda and salt, taking care to measure the amounts precisely. Stir to combine.
3. Cut the butter and shortening into pea-size pieces and sprinkle over the dry ingredients. Then, using your fingers, gently work the shortening into the flour mixture - much like making pie crust - until the combined result resembles a pile of soft grains of rice.
4. Then add the milk, a little at a time. Use only as much milk as needed to bring the flour and shortening together in a soft dough. Stir gently, using a large rubber spatula, to combine the wet and dry ingredients; take care not to over-work the dough.
5. As soon as the dough has reached such a consistency that you can form it, use the spatula to scrape it into a ball-like round and turn it onto a floured dish towel on your work surface. Pat it out to about 1/2 inch thickness, and cut into rounds with a biscuit cutter (or a thoroughly cleaned soup can with both ends cut out). If you're feeling lazy, simply cut the dough into squares; the result will taste just as good. After you've cut as many rounds as you can, gently form the leftover scraps of dough into a roughly circular "cook's biscuit."
6. Place the biscuits close together on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 14 minutes, until the tops are nicely browned.
Serve them as you like them, topped with butter or honey or molasses, a round of sausage or a few slices of bacon, a fried egg or even, if you must, milk gravy. If you're looking for a wine match this week, you're on your own!
INGREDIENTS:
(Makes eight to 10 biscuits)
2 cups (480g) all-purpose soft wheat flour
3 teaspoons (15g) baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teastpoon salt
2 1/2 tablespoons butter
2 1/2 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening
1/4 to 1/2 cup whole milk or 2% milk
PROCEDURE:
1. Preheat oven to 450F (230C).
2. Measure the flour into a bowl. Add the baking powder, baking soda and salt, taking care to measure the amounts precisely. Stir to combine.
3. Cut the butter and shortening into pea-size pieces and sprinkle over the dry ingredients. Then, using your fingers, gently work the shortening into the flour mixture - much like making pie crust - until the combined result resembles a pile of soft grains of rice.
4. Then add the milk, a little at a time. Use only as much milk as needed to bring the flour and shortening together in a soft dough. Stir gently, using a large rubber spatula, to combine the wet and dry ingredients; take care not to over-work the dough.
5. As soon as the dough has reached such a consistency that you can form it, use the spatula to scrape it into a ball-like round and turn it onto a floured dish towel on your work surface. Pat it out to about 1/2 inch thickness, and cut into rounds with a biscuit cutter (or a thoroughly cleaned soup can with both ends cut out). If you're feeling lazy, simply cut the dough into squares; the result will taste just as good. After you've cut as many rounds as you can, gently form the leftover scraps of dough into a roughly circular "cook's biscuit."
6. Place the biscuits close together on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 14 minutes, until the tops are nicely browned.
Serve them as you like them, topped with butter or honey or molasses, a round of sausage or a few slices of bacon, a fried egg or even, if you must, milk gravy. If you're looking for a wine match this week, you're on your own!
Friday, February 8, 2008
Meatloaf / Eggplant Bake
I found the best meatloaf recipe. I love meatloaf, but I often forget about it. It's just not a high profile dish and I think it may have some negative connotations associated with it. However, this recipe is pretty healthy (if you use extra lean meat) and very flavorful. You have to bake it for awhile, but the prep time isn't that long and the ingredients are common (i.e. you don't have to buy a lot of exotic extras). Note: I realized too late I didn't have any dried parsley, so I substituted 1 tbsp of McCormick's Italian Seasoning for the parsley and basil and it turned out great.
My side dish was a tomato-eggplant bake. I substituted shredded mozzarella cheese for the slices and shredded parmesan for the grated parmesan, but otherwise I followed the recipe. Very good! Very easy!
My side dish was a tomato-eggplant bake. I substituted shredded mozzarella cheese for the slices and shredded parmesan for the grated parmesan, but otherwise I followed the recipe. Very good! Very easy!
Monday, February 4, 2008
Pistachio Ring
I got a weird impulse to try and make bread this weekend. So I started flipping through my latest Taste of Home magazine and found this recipe for pistachio bread. It was a lot easier than I thought it'd be (though in the process, due to sheer clumsiness I burnt three fingers, tore a fingernail, and made a complete mess of our kitchen - just thought I should provide a warning). It's time intensive, mostly because you have to do a lot of waiting for it to rise. That worked out perfectly for me though, as I was able to clean up my mess, do my laundry and watch part of the Super Bowl at the same time. I brought most of it into work today and received many compliments. It's not too sweet, not too bready, generally a great and easy (and somewhat impressive looking) breakfast treat.PISTACHIO RING
TIME: Prep: 30 min. + rising
Bake: 25 min. + cooling
Ingredients:
1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 cup sugar, divided
1/4 cup warm water (110° to 115°)
1 cup warm milk (110° to 115°)
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon salt
3 to 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 cup sugar, divided
1/4 cup warm water (110° to 115°)
1 cup warm milk (110° to 115°)
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon salt
3 to 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
FILLING:
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup shelled salted pistachios, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup shelled salted pistachios, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in warm water; let stand for 5 minutes. Add the milk, butter, salt, 2 cups flour and remaining sugar; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.
Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Punch dough down. On a floured surface, roll into a 16-in. x 12-in. rectangle. Brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with pistachios and sugar. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seam to seal. Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet; pinch ends together to form a ring.
With a scissors, cut from outside edge two-thirds of the way toward center of ring at 3/4-in. intervals. Separate strips slightly; twist to allow filling to show, slightly overlapping with the previous piece. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.
Brush with egg. Bake at 375° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool.
Yield: 1 ring (18 slices).
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Spaghetti alla carbonara
Make this! *from 30Sec Wine Adviser Food Newsletter
INGREDIENTS:
(Serves two)
3-4 strips American smoky bacon or 2 ounces Italian pancetta
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon (15ml) olive oil
4-6 ounces (120-180g) spaghetti
1/4 cup (60g) grated Pecorino Romano cheese
Black pepper
Nutmeg
2 eggs, preferably freshest possible free-range
2 tablespoons heavy cream
PROCEDURE:
1. Cut the bacon or pancetta into thin strips. Peel and smash the garlic cloves. Brown the garlic over medium-high heat in a skillet or saute pan; discard it, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook the bacon until it's crisp. Remove from heat; leave the bacon in the pan, but spoon off all but about 2 tablespoons of the fat.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and, when it comes to a full boil, cook the spaghetti until al dente, typically 7 to 10 minutes depending on thickness.
3. While the spaghetti cooks (or do this in advance if you don't like working under pressure), grate the cheese, put it in a small bowl, and season it with freshly grated black pepper and nutmeg. Break the eggs into a cup, add the heavy cream, stir in the grated cheese mixture and whip it gently with a fork until all the ingredients are mixed.
4. Just before the spaghetti is done, spoon 2 or 3 tablespoons of the pasta cooking water into the egg mixture, stirring briefly. Reheat the pan containing the cooked bacon and remaining fat. Quickly drain the pasta in a big strainer or colander, then put it in the skillet with the bacon and fat, reducing heat to very low. Pour in the egg mixture and toss with two spoons until every strand is coated and the egg mixture barely cooks. Don't overcook; it's better creamy than dry.
WINE MATCH: The dairy flavors pretty much call for a white, and the smoky bacon suggests a richer-styled white. It was fine with a modestly priced, textured blend of Carignan Blanc and Vermentino from Southwestern France, Domaine du Poujol 2006 "Pico" Vin de Pays de l'Heurault.
INGREDIENTS:
(Serves two)
3-4 strips American smoky bacon or 2 ounces Italian pancetta
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon (15ml) olive oil
4-6 ounces (120-180g) spaghetti
1/4 cup (60g) grated Pecorino Romano cheese
Black pepper
Nutmeg
2 eggs, preferably freshest possible free-range
2 tablespoons heavy cream
PROCEDURE:
1. Cut the bacon or pancetta into thin strips. Peel and smash the garlic cloves. Brown the garlic over medium-high heat in a skillet or saute pan; discard it, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook the bacon until it's crisp. Remove from heat; leave the bacon in the pan, but spoon off all but about 2 tablespoons of the fat.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and, when it comes to a full boil, cook the spaghetti until al dente, typically 7 to 10 minutes depending on thickness.
3. While the spaghetti cooks (or do this in advance if you don't like working under pressure), grate the cheese, put it in a small bowl, and season it with freshly grated black pepper and nutmeg. Break the eggs into a cup, add the heavy cream, stir in the grated cheese mixture and whip it gently with a fork until all the ingredients are mixed.
4. Just before the spaghetti is done, spoon 2 or 3 tablespoons of the pasta cooking water into the egg mixture, stirring briefly. Reheat the pan containing the cooked bacon and remaining fat. Quickly drain the pasta in a big strainer or colander, then put it in the skillet with the bacon and fat, reducing heat to very low. Pour in the egg mixture and toss with two spoons until every strand is coated and the egg mixture barely cooks. Don't overcook; it's better creamy than dry.
WINE MATCH: The dairy flavors pretty much call for a white, and the smoky bacon suggests a richer-styled white. It was fine with a modestly priced, textured blend of Carignan Blanc and Vermentino from Southwestern France, Domaine du Poujol 2006 "Pico" Vin de Pays de l'Heurault.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Friday Treats
Everyone at my work takes turns bringing treats on Friday and I got a lot of good feedback on my entry today. These recipes were quite easy (I did shopping then made all three between 6:30 and 10:30 pm on Thursday) and there weren't any really exotic ingredients.These may be the best muffins I've ever had. Sweet, moist, crunchy (I used medium grind cornmeal) - perfection. I also used skim milk (which didn't affect the taste, from what I could tell) and one pint of blueberries, which is a bit more than the 1/2 cup it calls for.
Banana Coconut Muffins (pictured left)
I'm a sucker for coconut and these little beauties were delicious. The one thing I would've done differently, however, is to let the bananas ripen more. Mine were still edible, and I think for this recipe to really wow, they need to be much darker. But still very good!
Cool Veggie Pizza Appetizer (pictured right)
I hadn't made this in years, and in doing so, I remembered that it's one of my favorite super easy entertainment recipes. I changed a lot of things about the spread this time, but it's one of those things that you can play with and figure out what works best. I don't like Miracle Whip, so I made it with cream cheese, sour cream, ranch dressing and mayonnaise instead (the same amount of cream cheese, small amounts of the other three). Also, instead of onion salt and dill, I used a tablespoon of the Lipton Recipe Secrets Onion Soup powder. Delicious!
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