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~Liz

I've Moved!

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~Liz

Quick Party Food: Edamame Dip

*Today's Technique: Seeding a Cucumber*

It’s the most wonderful time of the year… Scratch that. I think it should read: It’s the most busy time of the year. I have 2 birthdays, an anniversary, plus the usual hustle and bustle of the holidays. I have already conquered one birthday and came out unscathed for the most part. There was one small incident when I was making my daughter’s birthday cake where I knocked over a whole carton of eggs and sent them crashing to the floor. What a mess! I had to sneak into my neighbor’s house-they were in Lego Land-to try to score more eggs and when I realized they had whittled down their food supply and didn’t have any eggs, I had to make an emergency trip to the store. (In case you’re wondering, I fessed up to my neighbors upon their return and still managed to get invited to their house for dinner for some Cincinnati Chili. There’s nothing like good friends!)

 

Unlike birthdays, anniversaries are much easier. My husband and I hang out alone and we eat and toast to “us”. We make sure that we are the ones doing all of the asking and attention begging for what always seems like a much-needed date night. This year we had the opportunity to eat at a restaurant in Downtown Richmond, Chez Foushee, which is owned by the man who catered our wedding. They have always only been open for lunch, during the week, because they catered in the evenings but have recently opened for business Thursday through Saturday evenings and for weekend brunch too. They make the most amazing lemon butter cake which is truly one of the best desserts that I have ever put in my mouth. That’s another story though.

 

Since this time of year is so busy, and so fun, I decided to devote my recipes for the next month or so to easy and fun party food. I was inspired by this restaurant I went to a few weeks ago that had a delicious edamame spread on the menu. My husband, my friend and I had attended a lovely wine and beer tasting one evening that had a couple hundred selections. Our friend retired early because he had to be at the hospital the next morning. (ER doctors are good friends to have. My advice if you have one: Make them a Godparent to one of your children ;)) Soon after, my husband and I decided that we had had enough, and the hors d’oeuvres that were served at the tasting were not going to cut it as dinner. We headed up the street to a new restaurant with high ceilings, lots of tables and a good old Richmond vibe. We really only needed a snack and the edamame spread caught my eye. It was served with toast points, which in my opinion were the wrong pairing, but nonetheless, it was delicious. When I eat at a restaurant and eat something that I really like, I often question the server about the ingredients so I can attempt to recreate something like it at home. This recipe had 3 ingredients: edamame, sesame oil and wasabi. My version is very simple with the addition of 2 ingredients (plus salt which should always be assumed). I added a little lemon juice to pop the flavor. It’s often a good idea to add something acidic to your food because the acidity acts as a flavor enhancer. I also added hemp seed oil to make it creamier. I’ve mentioned before that hemp seed oil is wonderful because it’s loaded with omega 3’s but I understand that you may not have it on hand so extra-virgin olive oil is a fine substitute. I think of sesame oil as a spice and a little goes a long way. Just keep that in mind when using it. The spread, or dip, goes really well with rice crackers, cucumbers, sugar-snap peas, grape tomatoes, or any other dipping vegetable. I have two non-gluten extended family members so this is a wonderful appetizer for them as well.

 

Enjoy and be on the lookout for more simple and delicious holiday treats!

Edamame Dip

Makes about a cup

*Gluten Free*

*Usually Dairy Free and Vegan but check packaging*

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups frozen, shelled, edamame beans

2 teaspoons sesame seed oil

3 tablespoons hemp seed oil (or extra-virgin olive oil)

1 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon wasabi paste (or more depending on taste)

¾ teaspoon sea salt

 Equipment:

Measuring spoons/cups

Knife and cutting board

Lemon juicer (optional)

Small pot

Strainer

Food processor

Silicone spatula

Procedure:

-Cook edamame beans in plenty of boiling water for 5 minutes. Strain and place in food processor.

-While beans are cooking, add remaining ingredients to food processor.

-Process all ingredients for 1 minute. Scrape down sides and bottom and process for 2 minutes more.

-Adjust salt and wasabi to taste.

-Serve with rice crackers and/or dipping vegetables. (Technique: See below for a quick way to seed a cucumber.)

 

-Cut cucumber in half if long.

-Cut each half in half lengthwise.

-Cut in half lengthwise again.

-Make a diagonal cut and remove strip of seeds.

-Cut into desired shape.

A Mid-Week Roast: Apple-Stuffed Pork Loin

 

I am a big fan of roasting meat because it doesn’t take much prep work and it frees you up to make other things, or not make anything. I can throw a piece of meat in the oven and then walk away. When roasting a non-bird meat, it is really easy to gauge doneness because there is no guess work when it comes to inserting a thermometer in the middle. It’s hard to mess up that one. The next recipe I want to share is for Apple-Stuffed Pork Loin.

 

Pork, to me, can be pretty boring. It is often overcooked and as a result dry. A lot of people also do not properly season their meat, meaning they do not apply the right amount of salt and pepper. When I was in school, our chef instructors’ biggest criticisms used to be that our dishes needed more seasoning. A good marinade or spice and/or herb rub can be really helpful when it comes to seasoning your meat but be sure to taste them first. On the salt side of seasoning, sodium intake should be considered for health reasons but if you are not on a special diet, you should make it your goal to season your food adequately. You will be amazed at how the flavor will be enhanced in your food. Even sweet concoctions tend to have at least a pinch of salt to help bring out the flavor. If you are on a low-sodium diet, there are some really tasty marinades and rubs that will keep sodium in check. If you need to scale back on the sodium, just be sure to overcompensate with other flavors so you don’t have boring meat.

 

I think I covered lackluster pork in the flavor department, now on to the issue of dryness. Growing up I always learned that pork had to be cooked to well-well done because of the fear of Trichinosis. I don’t know much about what happens to you when you get Trichinosis but I do know that if you cook your pork to 138 degrees, you won’t get it. When I worked for Food Arts, I used to attend a lot of food and wine events in New York City. I ate a lot of good food and I don’t think I ever had overcooked pork. In fact, I think it tended to be more on the medium-rare side in many cases. I don’t really enjoy it when it’s medium rare but I do like a little pink in the middle and it’s perfectly safe that way. For that reason, I typically cook stuffed pork loins and tenderloins until the middle is 140-145 degrees and whole loins and tenderloins until 150-155 degrees. Just be sure that your thermometer is accurate. (Technique: Place your thermometer in ice water for 5 minutes. It should read 32 degrees.) The temperature will also raise a few degrees while the meat is resting. Resting=important. I can’t stress that enough. DO NOT cut into your meat until it has been sitting at least 10 minutes out of the oven or the juice will escape the meat and it will be dry. The juices need to recede back into the meat once it has stopped cooking.

 

You can stuff your pork loin or tenderloin with anything. I usually use whatever vegetables I have on hand and in this case, I used apples since I have so many left over from a recent apple-picking excursion. The apples and sage give the dish a nice impression of fall and make the pork very tasty. There are a couple of ways to flatten out a pork loin so you can stuff it but I used the “butterfly” technique, which is explained below, since it was a smaller loin. I chose to cook it by coating the loin with all-purpose flour and sautéing it in butter, before finishing it off in the oven. The butter and flour give it a wonderful, yet light, golden-brown crust. If you want a simple pan sauce when you’re done, remove the loin from the pan and place the pan on a medium-high burner. Pour about a half cup of white wine, like a Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc, into the pan, scraping up the brown bits (called suc-pronounced “suke”), and cook for a few minutes. Strain the liquid, skim off any fat at the top, season if necessary and drizzle over the sliced meat. Enjoy!

 

Apple-Stuffed Pork Loin

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1.5 lb. pork loin

Salt

Pepper

Cinnamon

1 tablespoon chopped sage

½ shallot, sliced

½ large or ¾ small apple, sliced

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon butter 

Equipment:

Cutting board

Boning knife

Waxed paper

Meat pounder

3-12” pieces of cooking twine

Large sauté pan

Meat thermometer

 

Procedure:

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

-Place meat on a cutting board and butterfly the loin. (Technique: Envision an imaginary line along the longest side of the loin. Place your non-dominant hand on top of the meat and with the other hand, take a boning knife(or paring knife if you don’t have one) and cut along that imaginary line, from one end to the other, leaving one side intact. (Repeat the cutting motion as many times as necessary.)  It will look just like a hot dog bun sitting on its side. Open up the meat like you would open a book.) Place waxed paper on the meat and pound it so it flattens out. If the meat starts to tear, stop pounding that section and move on to the next so the meat is evenly flattened.

-Sprinkle 3 generous pinches each of salt and cinnamon and 2 generous pinches of pepper all over one side of the meat. Cover with sage, shallots and apples and starting at one long end, tightly roll the meat, keeping the shallots and apples inside.

-With the 3 pieces of cooking twine, tie up the loin on both ends and in the middle. (Technique: When tying the knot, loop it twice before pulling the ends for a tighter knot. Repeat.)

-Sprinkle 3 pinches of salt and 2 of pepper all over the outside of the meat (Technique: When sprinkling, keep your hand high so the salt and pepper disperse evenly and over a wide range.). Coat with flour and set aside.

-Heat the butter in a large sauté pan over medium/medium-high heat. Cook loin on all sides for 3-4 minutes per side, or until golden-brown on each side. Once the loin is turned to the final side for browning, place the pan in the oven and cook until a thermometer in the center reads 140-145 degrees, 25-30 minutes.

- Rest for 10 minutes, slice and serve.

Cooking for 1 Plus 3: Risotto with Mushrooms

I posted a recipe for Steamed Mussels recently after preparing a meal that I cooked for myself and my 3 children, but not my husband, who had to work late. The meal consisted of mussels atop whole wheat pasta, along with the broth, crusty bread, a glass of Pinot Grigio and there I had it: an adult meal. Unfortunately, that meal didn’t quite cut it for my kids so I fed them plain pasta with parm, crusty bread, 1 mussel each (a “try it bite”) and sliced red peppers. Their glasses had milk instead of wine. I call this method of cooking for myself and breaking apart the elements for my children deconstruction. I find that a lot of people who are cooking for themselves don’t always enjoy cooking because they feel as though whatever they make yields too much and they do not want leftovers for 4 nights in a row. And if you are feeding yourself and your kids, you don’t necessarily want to base your meal on what they will eat, because let’s face it, most kids are picky. And there it was, the birth of “Cooking for 1 Plus 3”.

It’s actually not too difficult to prepare something satisfying for yourself, so you don’t eat your way to a craving, while giving your kid(s) a wholesome meal, more to their liking, too. I am not a short-order cook and rarely prepare two separate meals. My kids eat what I eat which is why I often, not always, but often deconstruct my meals for them. It was actually a huge breakthrough when they collaboratively decided that they liked lasagna. It’s like they could read each other’s minds and made a pact that they would now eat it.

Today’s dish is Risotto with Mushrooms. I definitely don’t expect my kids to eat mushrooms since I, myself, didn’t eat mushrooms as a child. I ate almost anything but not mushrooms until I was around 20. Now I love them. What changed my mind? I think it was good ole college peer pressure. Sometimes it is actually beneficial!

There are one or two things to know when you are cooking mushrooms. When I was in culinary school, the chef instructors, in their French accents, would always say, “Let it cook,” when we had onions, mushrooms or meat in a pan and the goal was to achieve a golden sear. What they meant by that was when you have your meat or onions or mushrooms in a pan, let them sit for 3-5 minutes to get the browning process started before you move the food around. You’re essentially caramelizing the surface and sealing in the juices.  When you try to move meat that is not seared, it sticks. When you try to move mushrooms and onions when they’re not ready, they release their juices and steam. For mushrooms and onions, it is okay sometimes, but not every time.

Risotto is relatively easy to cook. I typically start by sweating onions and garlic (“sweating” means that you move them around a lot so they do not color) and then I add the rice and cook it for about a minute. Next I add white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc, let that absorb, and add stock, a half a cup at a time, absorbing between each addition and stirring a lot, until the rice is al dente. Then you have risotto. Sometimes I add cheese but rarely heavy cream because it is creamy enough when it’s right. For my kids, there is no shot of getting them to eat it if they see onions and garlic floating around. If I have any chance of passing it off as “cheesy rice”, which is what I call it, I have to leave that stuff out. That’s okay because while the rice is cooking, I get a pan going off to the side with my add-ins.

When I was in culinary school, I had an internship at a restaurant that was called RM (it’s gone now). One thing I learned from the cooks was that risotto can be partially cooked, refrigerated, and then finished off to order. What that means for me is it’s one of those things I can cook almost all of the way in the morning, or whenever, and then finish off right before dinner. So for this dish, I cooked the risotto most of the way through and when it was time to eat, I finished cooking it while I was sautéing the mushroom mixture, which I had already prepped earlier and had ready to go. It took about 10 minutes for me to get everything ready for dinner which was great since we got home late from my daughter’s extra-curricular class. For this recipe, I did enough risotto for one adult and three children and a generous amount of mushroom mixture for 1 person. If you want it to be vegetarian, use vegetable stock. For vegan, go a second step after switching the stock and omit the cheese. Otherwise, enjoy!

Risotto with Mushrooms

Serves 1 adult, 3 children

*Gluten Free*Vegetarian/Vegan Options*

 

Ingredients:

Risotto:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 ½ cups Arborio rice

½ cup white wine, such as Pinot Grigio

Around 3 cups low-sodium, gluten-free chicken stock or broth

¼ cup parmesan or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for garnish

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Mushroom Misture:

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

¼ pound or 4 ounces shitake mushrooms, sliced (see below)

¼ medium red onion, sliced (see below)

1 small clove garlic, chopped

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon chopped herbs (such as half thyme, half sage)

¼ cup white wine

Salt and pepper to taste

 

 

Equipment:

Medium saucepan

Measuring utensils

Wooden or bamboo spoon

Chef’s knife

Cutting board

Procedure:
Risotto:

 

-Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add olive oil and then rice. Cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Pour in wine and stir frequently until it absorbs. Add chicken broth, ½ a cup at a time, stirring frequently, and adding more after each addition absorbs. The risotto is done once the rice is al dente. At that point, stir in salt, pepper and cheese. Check for seasoning (salt and pepper) and adjust if necessary.

Mushroom Mixture:

-While the rice is cooking, heat large sauté pan over medium heat. Add oil and then mushrooms and onions. Spread them out in the pan and then let them sit for 3-5 minutes, or until they begin to brown. Give the mixture a light stir and then cook some more, moving things around occasionally. When the mushrooms shrink and the onions are limp, add garlic and cook a minute or two more. Add the salt, pepper, herbs and wine and stir to combine, cooking until the wine is absorbed. Check seasoning and season with salt and pepper to taste.

To Assemble:

-Scoop around 2/3 of the risotto into a bowl. Top with the mushroom mixture and garnish with a sprinkle of fresh parmesan cheese.

Quick Cinnamon Scones

Yesterday morning was really cold for Virginia (30’s) considering it was in the 80’s about a week ago. It was a good morning for a hot cup of coffee, especially after I froze during my morning run. I needed a little something extra so I sprinkled some cinnamon on my coffee. I figured it tasted good, it smelled amazing and it might even soothe my sore muscles since it is supposed to help with inflammation. (That’s one of those holistic things that needs to be confirmed by more research but mentally, it made me feel better.) The cinnamon tasted so good, I needed more so I decided to bake some cinnamon scones. On a cold morning, nothing is better than the smell of fresh-baked goods wafting through the air and scones are a great quick fix if you desire something warm and delicious to pull out of the oven. But the best part for me is they always make me think of my chaotic days back in the pastry kitchen.

 

When I worked at Mesa Grill, I was on the morning-brunch shift for much of the time. We made everything from A to Z. Biscuits, scones, coffee cake, muffins, rolls-you name it. The thing about NY restaurants is there is no room for error. Everything had to be perfect every time so when you worked in one of those restaurants, you learned quickly to hone in on your skills. There was no mercy when you made a mistake. It was known throughout the pastry kitchen-we were warned early on- that if you made a mistake, you had to throw it in the trash immediately. Bobby did not come back to our hole-in-the-wall space often but when he did, he would bust you immediately if you slipped up. We called it Flay-dar. There was one story-confirmed and not urban legend-of when he was out for a run on a Saturday morning. He never came in the restaurants on Saturday mornings but on that particular morning he decided to detour through his kitchens. He wandered into the pastry kitchen and pulled a scone from the cooling rack. There were at least a dozen trays of varied-baked goods cooling but he managed to pull a scone from the one tray that had been overcooked. The chef had set them there to cool before throwing them away but he or she also happened to set them on the cooling rack that the wait staff would go to for items to fill bread baskets. He was p-o’d big time. From that point on, everyone knew that if you ever made a mistake, trash the evidence immediately before Chef Bobby could catch you because he always did. If that wasn’t a way to instill fear of screwing up, I don’t know what was. If you made enough mistakes, there was a line of chefs who were waiting to take your place and work for meager pay.

 

Thankfully, out of fear, eagerness to learn, or simply having a perfectionist personality, I learned a lot of baking tricks. Scones seem simple but there are quite a few things to keep in mind when making them. First, everything should be cold. If you want rise, you need to surprise those butter bits in the oven so they cook up and not sideways. Second, you do not want to overwork the dough. Only combine it until it just comes together. It needs to be homogenous, but not worked into submission or the scones will be tough and won’t rise well. You should work quickly and get them into a hot oven as soon as you are done sprinkling sugar on the dough. I can make them in 30 minutes, start to finish, including clean up. Practice makes a difference! When cutting the scones, coat your bench scraper (see photo below) or knife with flour between every cut. If you don’t, the dough will seal on the sides and, again, not rise properly. I also don’t sprinkle sugar on them if I need to wrap them up because it gives them a weird coating once unwrapped.

 

Some recipes use eggs either in the dough or brushed on the dough, but I do not because I don’t like a lot of color on my scones. Eggs facilitate browning. If you want mini scones, shape the dough into a square, cut it in half and then cut triangles from there. You should result in twice as many scones. If you would like to make a different flavor, you can omit the cinnamon, add some lemon or orange zest (about a tablespoon), dried fruit like raisins, cranberries or blueberries (about a half a cup). If you do fresh berries, freeze them first. Add the berries or dried fruit with the buttermilk.

 

You can make this recipe by hand or with a food processor. Both techniques are below. It takes a little longer by hand but you will be less likely to overwork the dough. I often cheat and use a food processor when I am pressed for time so don't feel bad if you go with that method.

My last tip for success: try to eat your scones warm, sitting down and with a good, hot beverage. Enjoy!

Flaky Cinnamon Scones

Makes 8

 

Ingredients:

1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, cold

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for counter

¼ cup organic sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for sprinkling

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons strong cinnamon

¾ cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon heavy cream

 

Equipment:

Large baking sheet

Silicone mat to fit baking sheet OR parchment paper

Large bowl

Food processor

(If using the hand method, you need either 2 dinner knives or a pastry cutter)

Fork

Large knife or bench scraper (see photo above)

Pastry brush

Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line baking sheet with silicone mat or parchment paper.

2. Cut butter into 32 small pieces (see photos). Place in refrigerator until ready to use.
3. Combine dry ingredients (2 cups flour, ¼ cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon) in a large bowl.

 

 

4. Hand Method: Whisk dry ingredients to combine. Add butter and blend either with two knives, cutting with a scissor motion, or a pastry cutter. Cut until butter is the size of peas and the mixture resembles textured sand. Continue to Step 5.
Food Processor Method: Place dry ingredients in food processor and blend for 10 seconds or so to aerate. Add butter and pulse 5-7 times until butter is the size of small peas and the mixture resembles textured sand. Place in large bowl. Continue to Step 5.

5. Add buttermilk and toss with a fork until a dough begins to form. Lightly flour the counter and place the dough on the counter, kneading  a few times until a cohesive dough forms. (Technique: to knead, fold dough in half, make a quarter turn clockwise, fold in half again, turn a quarter of the way again. Repeat only if needed.) Do not over knead!

 

6. Shape into a circle, with your hands, that is 1 inch high. With a bench scraper or long knife, cut into 8 wedges. (Technique: Coat bench scraper or knife with flour between every cut to ensure proper rising.)

7. Place wedges on baking sheet and brush with heavy cream and sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake for approximately 12 minutes, or until scones just begin to brown. Cool 10 minutes and enjoy!