Category: Grandpa’s Use Only

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.

Arepas

  • 1 C pre-cooked corn meal (P.A.N. is very popular)
  • 1/2 C hot water
  • 1/2 C warm milk
  • scant salt
  • 1 TBL butter
  1. Mix above to playdough consistency.  Add a little more milk or corn meal if necessary
  2. Form into golf-ball sized balls, and flatten just a bit
    You can make them bigger, but if you do, consider baking at 350º for about 15 minutes or deep fry for 6-8 minutes
  3. Indent the center and put a bit of filling
  4. Wrap around the filling and flatten again
  5. Fry in 1 TBL EVOO for about 5 minutes per side

Fillings:  meat, cheese, beans, cream cheese, avocado, etc.

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Coffee information – A better cup of coffee

  • Try to control these four things:
    • Grind size
      • Propeller blade causes inconsistent size
      • Burr grinder will create similar sized grains
        They are expensive.  Consider using Store Grinders
    • Temperature
      • Temperature of brewing water should be 190 – 205º
    • Proportion
      • Ideally 2 TBL coffee to 6 oz of distilled water
    • Brew time
      • Brew time is 4-5 minutes – strained into a caraffe

TWO WAYS OF COOKING COFFEE

  1. Heat water to about 207-210 degrees and pour over coffee grounds in a ceramic filter.  Rinse clear water through the coffee filter before running your coffee through.  2 TBL per cup of coffee.
  2. Drip coffee – about 210-211 degrees and poured through grounds
  3. Stovetop – Comes to a simmer, so it is about 212º so let it come to the MEAREST SIMMER don’t let it come to a rolling boil
  • ROASTS
    • Light City – high caffiene
    • Full City
    • French Vanilla
    • Italian
    • Espresso – low caffiene
  • Bagged coffee should have a pressure release button on the bag
  • COFFEE PRODUCTION LOCATIONS – Descriptions by Alton Brown
    • Hawaii and Central America – Bright and Snappy
    • E Africa and Yeman – Brooding
    • Sumatra and Indonesisa – Funky

Tip 1
Place a cinnamon stick piece in the basket of your coffee maker
Optionally, a piece of star anise or an orange peel

Tip2
Place a piece of salted caramel chocolate in the bottom of your coffee cup
Fill half with coffee, and then fill with warm half-and-half
Stir

Tip 3
Create your own vanilla coffee syrup
Scrape out the inside of one vanilla bean
Place shell of vanilla bean in the pan
Add 1 cup sugar and 1 cup water
Heat to about 180°

Carrot Soup

4 C chicken broth
2 carrots (peeled and grated)
1 stalk of celery (diced)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 TBL butter
1 TBL sugar
1 TBL flour
1 onion (diced)
3 TBL fresh cilantro
1 tsp corriander
salt and pepper to taste
zest from 1 lemon with juice

  1. Brown onions in melted butter
  2. Add carrots, flour and sugar
  3. Add chicken broth
  4. Add garlic and cilantro
  5. Add coriander, salt and pepper
  6. Cook for 25 minutes
  7. Puree with immersion blender
  8. Add garlic and lemon
  9. Top with cream and a sprig of cilantro

Cremé Anglaise aka Vanilla Sauce

First I will mention that the liquid must be at least 160º but never exceed 185º or the eggs will solidify

Separate 4 eggs
– We will use the yolks in the recipe. You can reserve the whites for other uses
Mix egg yolks and 1/4 C granulated sugar together until the color lightens
Set aside

In a small, heavy saucepan, heat cream and vanilla until bubbles form at edges.
2 C heavy cream
1/3 cup castor (or white) sugar
1 tsp corn starch
1/2 vanilla bean (optional 1 tsp vanilla extract)
When cream is about 185º pour into your preheated double boiler – stirring almost constantly

Temper several ladles of hot liquid into the egg mixture, then slowly return to the double boiler, whisking constantly.
Continue to whisk until the sauce thickens. If a few clumps do develop, you can strain the liquid, but if the custard splits there is no remedy. You must start over.

Here is a video from Food Network about how to temper an egg mixture.

See also WikiPedia

Buttercream Frosting

Easy Buttercream

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (115 grams) unsalted butter (softened)
  • 1.5 cups (180 grams) powdered sugar
     For a sweeter frosting, mix in an additional 1/4 C
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 tablespoons (30 ml) heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • Tiny pinch of salt

Instructions

  1. In the large mixing bowl, combine the butter and powdered sugar.  Mix with a hand-held mixer until smooth and fully combined.
  2. Add the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt
  3. Continue mixing on medium speed until everything is well combined.
  4. Pipe the frosting onto cupcakes or frost a cake.
 

Note

Frosting can be made 1 to 2 days in advance, cover tightly and transfer to the refrigerator. Remove from the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before frosting cupcakes/cakes.

 

Heavy Cream: You may replace the heavy cream with milk, but the frosting won’t be quite as creamy.

 

Recipe Variations

  • Vanilla: For a vanilla buttercream frosting, double the vanilla.
  • Chocolate: Sift 1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder and mix it into the frosting base until well combined.
  • Caramel: Mix in 1/4C  caramel ice cream topping.
  • Strawberry: Add a 1-ounce frozen strawberries to the bowl at Step 2 above.

American Buttercream

  1. Combine
    • 2 sticks softened butter
    • 1/2 C shortening
    • scant salt and 1 tsp vanilla
  2. Combine with
    • 12-14 oz confectioner sugar
  3. Beat everything using your paddle attachment
  4. Add
    • 1/4 C buttermilk
    • 2 TBL (1 oz) sour cream
  5. Blend until combined
  • Ice round cakes on a lazy susan
  • You can elevate the cake by putting a flat mixing bowl on the lazy susan at the beginning
  • Put a blob of icing on the cardboard cake round to “hold” the cake still
  • Cut the puffy top off so that layered cakes will sit evenly.
  • Using a long knife or long saw blade, cut even layers
  • Cut a notch in the side of the cake to help with alignment later
  • Ice between layers
  • Create a “crumb coat” of icing that will be covered up later.
  • Put the crumb coat into the fridge for 20-30 minutes to harden
  • Apply the final outside layer of icing.
  • To create “writing chocolate” combine 1 C chocolate chips and 2 tsp canola oil.  Stir together, then microwave for 60 seconds.  Stir to mix, then put into a piping bag or squirt bottle.  As you are writing, back up and the end of each letter.
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