These recipes are for Grandpa and his family. This category includes recipes from magazines, TV shows, newspapers, and other sources where I don’t have permission to republish the recipes, but still feels they are recipes that he may want to cook for himself at a later time.
Before you go on a long vacation and risk your expensive food, test your cooler’s retention ability. Put an 8 or 10 bag of crushed ice into each cooler and close the lid.
Open the lid for no more than 15 seconds starting at two hours
Paper Towels – ATK Test
Recommended is two-ply Bounty
Wood Chips
Soak Hickory, Oak or Mesquite chips in water for 15 minutes
Wrap in heavy foil – about the size and thickness of a paperback book
Poke holes in the top
Put right on the coals or on the bottom rack
ATK Equipment Review – Skillets
Winner: Oxo Good Grips Nonstick 12 inch open fry pan – $40
A great idea for a Halloween party. – – – Just add 1 TBL activated charcoal for Black Muffins, or 1 TBL fine wood ash (untreated wood) for Gray Muffins
Candied Apples
Put 2 sugar into a heavy pot and add 1/4 C corn syrup. The Chef on TV added 3/4 C water, but this is really unnecessary. As long as a single teaspoon of water remains, the syrup will never get above 212º. You need to bring it up to 300º for caramelization to happen. The water is a shortcut to make the sugar melt, that actually makes the entire process take longer. Skip the water.
Option: For Black Apples, add 1 T activated charcoal when the temperature hits about 285º
Add all but 1/2 C of the flour and beat two minutes on medium
Add 6 TBL butter – one pad at a time until incorporated
Optionally add raisins
Add remainder of flour and stir till combined
Beat 6 minutes on high
Put into 9×12 greased cake pan
Flatten sponge with fingers
Cover and rise 1 hour
If necessary, push dough back into any corners or sides
Crumb Topping
18 TBL butter – melted and clarified
3/4 C white sugar
3/4 C brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
Dissolve all ingredients together to make “Butter Mixture”
4 C cake flour – sifted
Mix cake flour and butter mixture
Rest 10 minutes
Sprinkle crumbs by hand across top of sponge
Bake 350º for 35 minutes until toothpick comes out clean
Turn oven off and rest baked cake 3 hours in cooling oven
Optionally dust with confectioner sugar
North Carolina Lemon Pie
This sounded great, but I am not going to retype the entire episode here. CLICK HERE for Cooks Country recipe. If they take down the recipe USE THIS LINK.
Crepe / Blintz
Use my recipe for crepes. They should be UNDERDONE, and not browned.
For a blintz, make a large crepe using a 12″ pan
When ready to cook brush pan with butter
Heat to 350º
Add 1/3 C batter and tip to spread
Cook only to congeal. Try not to brown too much.
Ricotta Filling
Fill with mixture of 11 oz whole milk ricotta cheese
1/2 C confectioner sugar
2 TBL cream cheese
1/4 tsp salt
Cover and refrigerate 2-36 hours
Topping – Raspberry Sauce
10 oz raspberries
1/4 C granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
Heat 8-12 minutes
Serve hot over freshly cooked blintz
To Finish the Blintz
Put 2 TBL filling in the center of a cooled crepe
Form into a 2×4 strip or log
Fold bottom in, then sides, then roll to make a packet
OK to refrigerate these overnight for the next morning
Cook in 2 TBL fresh unsalted butter
Fry 6 at a time, leaving a bit of space between them
2 – 4 minutes per side at 350º till browned
If making more, wipe out pan and use new butter
Serve hot with topping
Optional simply use cream cheese with blended strawberry topping
It’s the most crucial element and can make or break your loaf. In India, the two most common types of flour are atta that is used to make chappatis and the all-purpose flour or maida which is mostly used in baking or seen in store-brought breads, cakes etc. I tried the recipes which asked me to use whole wheat flour but it didn’t work for a number of reasons which I’ll come back to later.
And so, I decided to go in for a basic white bread.
When it comes to picking the right flour, Chef Vinesh Johny, baker and owner of Lavonne, Bangalore says, “You need to find the kind that’s got gluten content of about 14%. Anything less than that and your bread won’t bake well or hold structure.” I checked most of the maida packets but couldn’t find the quantity of gluten, but from initial research I figure it’s somewhere around 10% and so I also brought a packet of gluten from Modern Bazaar.
Don’t get confused with trying to find bread flour because all-purpose flour will do the trick and I say this because I cruised through both Modern Bazaar and Le Marche trying to find it myself. I didn’t want to try a recipe and buy ingredients that I wouldn’t want to buy again and so I decided to stick with all-purpose flour.
Yeast: This is an investment you’ll have to make. Modern Bazaar has a few options, they’re all imported but some of them are reasonable priced. I bought a Tesco box which has around 20 sachets of dry yeast and costs around Rs.300.
Things you want to set aside: Warm water, honey, salt, baking soda, sugar, eggs, olive oil and butter, salter and unsalted.
Methodology
I picked three recipes based on ease, expertise and popularity. The first recipe was the one which is most popular on YouTube and shows up every time you type in ‘how to make bread’. The second, was a classic French bread recipe for which I didn’t need special ingredients and the last one was Vinesh’s recipe who’s an exceptional baker.
Recipe #1 BakeLikeAPro
‘Bake Like a Pro’ is a YouTube channel with over a lakh subscribers and it’s all for good reasons. From cakes to biscuits to pasta dough, the channel has catalogued over 150 recipe videos and each one explains how to make a recipe, step-by-step. Bake Like a Pro has an excellent recipe for white bread for which you need a few basic ingredients like flour, butter, salt, sugar, milk and water.
You can watch the video here:
What works, what doesn’t:I had to try this recipe thrice to get it right but that was more my fault than the recipe’s. I couldn’t grasp how far the dough would rise and so I stuffed the baking tray with too much dough. But the one thing which was consistent every time I baked the bread was its taste. I’m not sure if it was the combination of milk and butter, but the loaf of bread had an extremely smooth and creamy taste.
After this recipe, I tried a number of other recipes and each and every one of them turned out to be a disaster which meant I needed to bring in an expert. I called up Chef Vinesh Johny (genius alert!) and here’s what he had to say: “Flour, yeast and water are the three basic ingredients you need to make bread. The rest of them are only for texture or flavour. Eggs and milk make it soft and creamy and sugar gives it a slightly sweet taste.”
Classic French bread recipes call for honey and are a tad sweet which is what makes this white bread different from the others. The ingredients you need for this recipe are water, honey, dry yeast, butter, maida and milk powder though I used milk instead.
What works, what doesn’t: I used two teaspoons of milk instead of milk powder but I should have used the same quantity. The bread tasted delicious but it was crumbly which I think had more to do with the quality of flour I used. So for the next attempt, I plan on adding a pinch of gluten to this recipe. The bread also took much longer to rise, because of the humidity maybe, so I had to leave it for almost 2 hours.
It did taste different than all the other batch of breads I tried and I’d bake it again but it’s not something I’d use for a ham sandwich. It’s the kind you eat with jam or plain butter.
You need a few basic ingredients for this recipe but the technique is what really stands out. So before you start, be careful to read it thoroughly. You need the basics: flour, yeast, salt, sugar, eggs and water.
What works, what doesn’t: The one thing I seriously struggled with here was converting grams to tablespoons. I’m an amateur cook, at best, and so 9 grams sugar is not something I’ve come face to face with before. But this gorgeous convertor I found online came to my rescue (click here). And I’m guessing it’s fairly accurate, because my recipe turned out beautifully.
The other thing I altered in the recipe was the shape. I just separated the dough into three separate rounds to get smaller buns. Since I’ve never baked bread before, the one thing I was confused most about was how much time should the dough rest but Vinesh advised me to let it rest till it doubles in size and not worry too much about the number of hours mentioned in the recipe.
The Verdict
I loved all the three recipes I picked but if I had to pick one, and this is purely based on ease of execution, then it would be the first one by BakeLikeAPro. It’s ridiculously easy and needs no more than a few hours. Plus, the bread lasts for good three days so you don’t need to run to the store before breakfast. It also tastes really good with a bit of butter and jam, it’s got this undertone of sweet and salt which is great too. And just so you can try it at home, I’ve penned down the recipe:
5-6 cups flour
1/2 cup milk
3 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
3Tbsp butter
2 packets of yeast (dry)
1 1/2 cups water
The only thing I added here is a pinch of gluten which you can if you like your bread a bit sturdy.
Method:
1. Heat the milk and add sugar, salt and butter. You can also you margarine if you want. Make sure the butter melts. If it hasn’t then microwave it a bit or over hot boiling water. You don’t want it boiling but it should be completely melt. Allow this mix to cool.
2. Heat up the water to about luke warm and add the yeast. Add a cup of flour and start stirring/mixing.
3. Add a second cup of flour and the butter mix you made in step 1. Stir again for a 9-10 minutes.
4. Add another cup of flour (3rd cup) and stir.
5. Add the next cup of flour and stir/knead for around 5-6 minutes. Add the 5th cup of flour and knead again. Keep kneading till it’s soft and doesn’t break but behaves more like clay. Add a bit more flour if required.
6. Pour some flour on your kitchen slab and start to knead the dough.
7. Oil a big pot. pan for the dough to go into. Cover with a towel and let it rise for around 35-40 minutes. Longer if it hasn’t risen.
8. Punch it down in the pot, take it out and knead it a little bit. Split it into two equal loaves.
9. Take two baking trays, oil them and put the dough in. The recipe asks for oil to be sprayed on top of the dough but i brushed some butter over them.
10. Cover them and let the dough rise for around an hour.
11. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees and bake till golden brown.
A stroopwafel (or StroopWaffle) is a waffle made from two thin layers of baked dough with a caramel syrup filling in the middle. Stroopwafels are popular in the Netherlands, and were first made in the city of Gouda.
The stiff dough for the waffles is made from flour, butter, brown sugar, yeast, milk, and eggs. Medium-sized dough balls are put into a heated waffle iron and pressed into the required uniformly thin, round shape. After the waffle has been baked, and while it is still warm, it is split into thin layered halves. The warm filling, made from syrup, brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon, is spread between the waffle halves, gluing them together.
WAFFLE
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/8 cups butter, melted
3/4 cup white sugar
2 (.25 ounce) envelopes active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm milk
1 egg
CARAMEL FILLING
1 1/2 cups molasses
1 1/3 cups packed brown sugar
1/3 cup butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, melted butter, sugar, yeast, milk and egg.
When the dough becomes to stiff to stir, turn out onto a floured surface and knead by hand for a few minutes.
Set aside to rise for 45 minutes.
To make the filling, heat the molasses, brown sugar, remaining butter and cinnamon in a saucepan over medium heat.
Stir to blend, and set aside.
Preheat a pizzelle iron (waffle iron)
Knead the dough briefly, and divide the dough into 2 inch balls, or a size compatible with your pizzelle iron pattern.
Press the balls in the preheated iron, and cook until the iron stops releasing steam, or until the waffles are golden brown.
Carefully remove with a knife or spatula, and split in half horizontally (like pocket bread) while they are still warm.
Don’t wait too long, otherwise they will break.
Spread filling on the insides, and put the halves back together, pressing gently.
This is a powder that I mix up and keep on hand. It is good for many things, but mainly French Toast. It used to be called French Toast Powder, so you may see it call that in other recipes.
Marinate ribs overnight with 1/2 C EVOO, 2 TBL Grandpa's Thunder Powder or Arghhh Powder, 6 cloves of garlic, 1/4 C ketchup, 1 tsp hot mustard, 1/4 C apple cider vinegar, 2 TBL sugar and 1 TBL soy sauce – optional 1/4 tsp liquid smoke
Add marinate liquid and 1 C water
If rib rack fits around perimeter of pot, stand upright – bones in, meat side out – otherwise, cut to fit and lay flat. Use Steam Rack to keep them out of the water
I like to wrap two potatoes (with skin on) in foil – more on that later…
Pressure cook (medium) for 25 minutes
10 minute natural release, then release steam
– They will be very tender, but not browned
Spread with sauce and place on broiler or grill until seared and caramelized – about 4 minutes
While ribs finish, use a paper towel to remove skin from potato
Add 4 TBL butter, 1/2 tsp salt and crush to mix
Add JUST ENOUGH milk to make creamy mashed potatoes. Mix well.
Too much milk, and they will be runny.
Prepare a mixture of 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder, and 2 TBL baking powder
Pat 24 wings dry – if frozen, thaw before patting dry
Toss wings in seasoning mix
Season wings prior to putting into the oven
Bake wings for 30 minutes. This will render much of the grease out of the wings, so they will smoke less. The baking powder will also remove much of the liquid.
Remove wings to a large mixing bowl, and turn the temperature of the oven up to 450º
Add 2 TBL coconut oil or canola oil and toss to coat
Meanwhile, mix 1 tsp GTP or desired seasonings, along with 1 TBL AP flour and 1 tsp cornstarch – and toss to coat all wings evenly
Put onto greased wire rack on top of rimmed cookie pan.
Bake at 450º for 30 minutes
Flip, then bake another 15 minutes.
Toss in Frank’s Red Hot Sauce or BBQ Sauce mixed with half as much melted butter.
Oil and season thighs, wings or drumsticks – 3 minutes
Press Sauteé button and wait for HOT to appear – 4 min
Put chicken in IP – skin side down – no lid – let brown 7 min
.Remove chicken to plate and set aside
Deglaze IP with 3/4 C white wine – 5 min
Make sure you have silicone ring on lid or pressure will not work.
Put chicken back in IP – skin side up – put lid on and lock it
Press Pressure Cook button – press [-] and set time to 12 minutes
Pressure cooking will start automatically
After time has completed, press Cancel
Carefully move Pressure Release toggle to allow steam to escape
NOTE: I do this in short bursts until steam flow has diminished
Once “button” has dropped, remove chicken to plate
IF YOU WANT SAUCE, CONTINUE
Press Sauteé button again and wait for HOT to appear
Allow liquid to boil and reduce until it begins to thicken NOTE: Allow 60 seconds AFTER pressing Cancel for temperature to drop, otherwise you may scorch the bottom of your IP
Frozen or fresh chicken wings