Category: TOPICS & CATEGORIES

Ahi Poke

SEE TUNA TIPS BY CLICKING HERE

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 LB fresh sashimi grade RED tuna
  • Scallions
  • Macadamia nuts
  • Marinate ingredients (see below)

STEP BY STEP

  1. Cut ahi tuna into 1/2 inch chunks
  2. Toss gently in marinate
  3. Refrigerate 30 – 60 minutes
  4. Top with minced scallion greens
  5. Finish with chopped macadamia nuts

MARINATE

  • 1/2 Maui onion
  • Garlic
  • Ginger
  • Soy
  • Lemon
  • White scallion
  • Sambal olek
  • Sesame oil

Tips: _MISC – MOVE AROUND

Peeling lots and lots of potatoes

  1. Score the potato around the equator
  2. Boil the potato for 3-4 minutes
  3. Plunge in ice water
  4. Skin should slide off

Keeping food Warm

  • To keep served food warm, heat your plates in a 200º oven before serving

Frying and Browning

  • For a nice brown cheese sandwich use mayonnaise rather than butter
  • Put a metal bowl over top of your cooking grilled sandwich with a drop of water to melt the cheese and keep the bread soft.
  • To reheat fries bring up to room temperature, put on wire rack, spray with oil, bake at 400º until browned

Salads

  • Dress the SIDE of your salad bowl to more evenly coat your salad leaves

Pasta

  • Don’t start your hot pasta water with hot water from the tap.  This includes MUCH more dissolved solids than cold water.
  • While on the subject, don’t start your pasta in non-boiling water.  It changes the texture and can make it gummy

Butter and Oil

  • If you run out of butter, just use canola oil in a 1 to 1 ratio.  The fats in the oil behaves exactly like melted butter.
  • Use old toilet paper rolls to scoop up the congealed grease from your pan.  These can then be used as fire starter logs.

Food Preparation

  • Spread sour cream on a tortilla.  Add lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and meat.  No wet stuff.
  • To peel ginger, use a spoon and scrape the skin off
  • Old eggs float.  Fresh eggs will sink.  This is because of the gasses produced as it begins to spoil.  If an egg floats, do not eat it.
  • To truss meat, use a double loop on your first knot, and it will hold itself.
  • Cook your roast on a bed of mirpoix veggies:  carrot, onion, celery

 

Easy Pizza Sauce and Easy Pizza

Ingredients

  • 1 can San Marzano tomatoes
  • 5-10 leaves fresh basil
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 packet red pepper flakes
  • 1 TBL EVOO

Puree/Blend ingredients, and you are ready to go.

Easy Pizza

  1. Buy a ball of pizza dough from your local pizzeria (about $3)
  2. Flatten it and spread it out on a cold cast iron skillet – bring it up to the edge
  3. Roll strips of mozzarella up in the edges
  4. Add sauce, more shredded mozzarella, kalamata olives red onions must be on the top in order to fully cook.
  5. Heat on stove top on high for 5 minutes
  6. Move to 500º oven and bakd 20 minutes
  7. Top with fresh basil, EVOO and ground Parmesan

Hot Crab Dip

  • 1 can crab meat, or 1/2 LB Krab
  • 1 8 oz package of cream cheese
  • 1 tsp whole milk
  • 1/2 C mayonnaise
  • 1 TBL minced onion
  • zest and juice from one lemon
  • dash of Tabasco
  • 1 TBL parsley
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 2 TBL slivered almonds
  1. Mix all but Krab and almonds together
  2. Drain and flake Krab
  3. Fold gently into the mixture
  4. Put in a small casserole dish
  5. sprinkle with slivered almonds
  6. Bake at 350º for 20 minutes
  7. Serve with crackers

 

Crab Piquante

  • 1 8 oz package of cream cheese
  • 1 large can Krab meat
  • 1/2 bottle cocktail sauce
  • zest and juice from one lemon
  1. Allow cream cheese to come up to room temperature
  2. Spread cream cheese onto a serving platter
  3. Spread Krab on top of the cheese
  4. Spread lemon over top of the crab
  5. Top with cocktail sauce
  6. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours
  7. Serve with crackers

Option, mold into ramekins and then turn ramekins out on individual plates for each guest.

Salmon Mousse

  • 1 can salmon
  • 1 8 oz package cream cheese
  • 3 TBL mayonnaise
  • zest and juice from one lemon
  • 1 small jar lump fish caviar
  • 3 TBL sour cream
  • 1 TBL gelatin
  • 4 TBL chopped parsley
  • salt and pepper to taste
  1. Make sure all bones and skin is absent from salmon
  2. Drain well
  3. Soften cream cheese and mix with mayo, sour cream, lemon and seasonings
  4. Dissolve gelatin in very little cold water
  5. Add a small amount of boiling water and stir until clear
  6. Put all of the above in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy
  7. If too stiff, add a little water or cream, but be careful not to over-blend
  8. Pack salmon mixture in small round bowl which has been oiled or sprayed
  9. Unmold on plate big enough to surround mound with pumpernickel bread or melba rounds
  10. Before serving, spread sides with sour cream and sprinkle with parsley
  11. Spoon chilled caviar on the top

 

Lentil Soup

Ingredients

  • 1  C dry lentils
  • 2 C distilled water
  • 2 C beef stock

Step by Step

  1. Heat above to boiling and simmer 5 minutes
  2. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand 1 hour
  • 1 bottle lager beer
  • 1/2 C diced celery
  • 1/2 C diced carrots
  • 1/2 C diced onion
  • 3 slices bacon (minced0
  • 1/2 tsp thyme
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 2 sliced all beef hot dogs
  1. Heat to boiling
  2. Reduce heat to simmer
  3. Simmer 60-90 minutes, or until lentils and vegetables are tender
  4. Serve hot
  5. Option: Blend and strain

Corn Chowder

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 LB sausage
  • 2 C raw potatoes (diced)
  • 1 onion (diced)
  • 3 C milk
  • 1 can whole kernel corn (or 4 ears of corn)

STEP BY STEP

  1. Crumble and fry sausage in a heave skillet
  2. Remove and set aside on paper towel or newspaper
  3. Fry onions in sausage fat
  4. When onion is softened, add diced potatoes and milk
  5. Cook 20 minutes
  6. Add 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper
  7. Add kernel corn
  8. Heat thoroughly
  9. Just before serving, add sausage back in

ALTERNATE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 TBL butter
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 onion, minced
  • 1 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
  • 2 TBL all-purpose flour
  • 3 C canned vegetable stock
  • 1 C heavy cream
  • 1 Idaho potatoes, peeled and diced small
  • 3 ears corn
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 TBL chopped fresh parsley leaves

STEP BY STEP

  1. Heat the butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat.
  2. Add the onion, garlic, and thyme and cook until the vegetables are good and soft, 8 to 10 minutes.
  3. Dust the vegetables with flour and stir to coat everything well.
  4. Pour in the vegetable stock and bring to a boil.
  5. Add the cream and the potatoes, bring to a boil and boil hard for about 7 minutes, until the potatoes break down (this will help to thicken the soup and give it a good texture).
  6. Cut the corn kernels off the cob and add to the soup.
  7. Season with salt and pepper and simmer until the corn is soft, about 10 to 12 minutes.
  8. Stir in the parsley and give it another little drink of olive oil.
  9. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

 

Cream of Broccoli Soup

  • 1 small onion (pieces)
  • 1 TBL Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 box frozen chopped broccoli
  • 1 C chicken broth
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 TBL butter
  • 1 can mushroom soup
  • 1 C sour cream
    or 1 C heavy cream with 1 tsp sugar
    or 1 C sweetened condensed milk
  1. Soften onion in 1 TBL olive oil
  2. Add broccoli, broth and nutmeg
  3. Cook about 5 minutes
  4. Add butter and mushroom soup
  5. Bring up to simmer
  6. Put into blender and add 1 C sour cream
  7. Serve from blender, or return to saucepan a place at a low simmer until your guests are ready to eat
  8. Garnish with diced tomato

Serve with Homemade Pita Bread fresh out of the oven

Talapia Two Ways

talapiaBAKED or FRIED

Ingredients

  • Talapia, sole or flounder
  • 1 C milk
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 onion (slivered)
  • 1/4 C AP flour
  • 1 egg (beaten)
  • Panko bread crumbs
  • 1/2 onion (grated)
  • salt, pepper
  • 2 TBL butter

Step by Step

  1. Place fish in a zip lock baggie with 1 C milk mixed with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 onion (slivered)
  2. Let soak two hours
  3. Let drain on a rack two minutes
  4. Dredge in flour, then egg, then bread crumbs

BAKED

  1. Place close together in greased pie pan
  2. Sprinkle with grated onion
  3. Top with salt and pepper
  4. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese
  5. Dot (or drizzle) with 2 TBL butter
  6. Pour 1 tsp cream over top of each fliet
  7. Bake at 450º for 12 minutes

FRIED

  1. In separate small pan braise grated onion with butter
  2. When onion is softened, add cream
  3. Place each filet in hot oil (360º) until browned
  4. Plate fish and top with onion mixture, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese

 

Pita – Middle Eastern Bread

pita

  • 6 C AP white flour
  • 1 C whole wheat flour
  • 1 TBL salt
  • 2 TBL sugar (for flour)
  • 1 tsp sugar (for yeast)
  • 1 TBL yeast
  • 2 C very warm (not hot) water
    1. Mix 1 tsp sugar, yeast and half of your water in a small bowl.
    2. Set aside to bubble 10 minutes
    3. Mix flour, salt and 2 TBL sugar in a large bowl
    4. Stir yeast mixture into flour
    5. Add more water to flour to form a soft dough that is slightly sticky
    6. Pour dough into a floured surface
    7. Knead about 10 minutes adding more flour to the surface as necessary.
    8. Dough ball should be smooth and should bounce back when you press a finger into it.
    9. Lightly oil top of dough and let rest until doubled in size (about 60-90 minutes
    10. Punch dough a few times to get rid of built up air bubbles inside
    11. Divide into half, then half again – You should now have four pieces
    12. Divide each piece into thirds – You should now have twelve pieces
    13. Form each into a smooth ball, cover and let stand about 10 minutes
    14. Roll into 8 inch rounds about 1/8 inch thick
      – For a more authentic ekmek, flatten it with your hands and then pound it with your finger tips until flattened
    15. Place on ungreased pan at 450º for 8-10 minutes
    16. These will puff up and the center should be hollow.

Grandma’s Oatmeal

Ingredients

  • 1 C Quaker Original Oatmeal
  • 1 C Water
  • 3/4 C milk
  • 1/4 C salt

Step by Step

  1. Put into toaster oven for 5 minutes
  2. Bring water to a boil
  3. Add milk to the water all at once
  4. Add Oatmeal all at once, and it will kind of disappear
  5. Reduce heat to low
  6. Allow to simmer, stirring occasionally.
  7. Add salt halfway through
  8. Continue to stir and watch for boil-over
  9. It is done when you can start to see the individual flakes of oatmeal again.

Step by Step for Overnight Oatmeal
(High in soluble fiber)

  1. Put into toaster oven for 5 minutes
    • 150 gm oats
    • 8 gm chia
    • 120 gm dried fruit
    • 2 TBl dark maple syrup
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    • .25 tsp cinnamon
    • .25 tsp salt
    • 300 gm coconut milk
    • 300 gm unsweetened almond milk
    • 12 gm flax seed meal
  2. Mix and separate into 4-6 canning jars
  3. Refrigerate overnight
  4. Eat cold or warmed

 

Miso Glazed Salmon

miso salmon

  • Ramen noodles (without the flavor packet)
    – or Basmati rice
  • 2 TBL Red miso paste
  • 2 TBL Honey or maple syrup
  • 2 TBL Rice wine vinegar
  • 1 TBL Soy
  • 1 TBL Siracha hot sauce
  • 2 TBL Smooth peanut butter
  • Juice and zest from 1 lime
  • 2 C Coleslaw mix (or shred cabbage, carrot, celery, thinly sliced cucumbers)
  • Toasted sesame seeds
  • Scallions (approx 1 inch pieces
  1. Set refrigerated fish out on a plate to start to come up to room temperature
  2. Mix all of the above except for fish, ramen noodles, slaw mix, sesame seeds and scallions
  3. Reserve 1 TBL, then split the remainder in half.
  4. Brush top of salmon generously with HALF of miso mixture about TWO HOURS before cooking (if possible)
  5. Just before cooking, toss other half of the sauce with coleslaw mix
  6. Start small pot of water boiling for ramen noodles
  7. Broil salmon six inches from broiler element for 5-7 minutes.
  8. Turn and broil 3 more minutes
  9. Boil ramen noodles for about 1-2 minutes or until al-dente
  10. Plate noodles, then slaw, then fish
  11. Spread the reserved sauce on top of the fish
  12. Top with sesame seeds and scallions

Chocolate Roulade with Raspberries

  • 6 egg whites
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 3 C double cream
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 4 tbsp cocoa
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup confectioner sugar
  • 2 LB frozen raspberries
  1. Pre-heat oven to 400º
  2. Line a large tray with parchment paper and oil it generously with sunflower oil.
  3. Whisk the egg whites until stiff with a balloon whisk on high speed.
  4. Whisk yolks, sifted cocoa and sugar for 2 minutes on high speed with balloon whisk.
  5. Fold egg whites into chocolate mix.
  6. Spread out and place immediately into the oven.
  7. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes.
  8. Meanwhile place a large sheet of parchment paper on a clean table surface.
  9. When done, turn out onto parchment paper
  10. Peel off first parchment paper and roll to a roulade, allowing parchment paper to be rolled up too
  11. Leave to cool for two full hours
  12. Whip up the cream together with sugar and vanilla.
  13. Unroll, and fill the roulade with still frozen raspberries and cream, reserving some cream for decoration.
  14. Now roll back up, removing parchment paper
  15. Serve sprinkled with icing sugar and some sprigs of mint from the garden.

Millionaire Shortbread

INGREDIENTS

  • 250 (1 C – 2 sticks) Butter – NOT MARGARINE!
  • 250 gm (2 C) Plain AP flour
  • 125 gm (1 C) caster sugar
  • 125 gm (1 C) cornflour
  • ½ tsp salt

STEP BY STEP

  1. Let butter come up to room temperature or soften butter in microwave at 30% power for 60 seconds
  2. Put into a Kitchen Aid with the sugar and mix with paddle attachment on high for about 5 minutes, or until it starts to become creamy.
  3. At a low speed, add both the flours.  Mix – increasing speed a bit when flour is mixed in.
  4. Pre-heat oven to 300º F.

DECISION TIME:  Are you making Millionaire Shortbread, or simply Shortbread Cookies?

REGULAR COOKIES

  1. On a floured surface roll out 1/3 of dough to about 1 cm (but not more) thickness. Cut out round biscuits and move to lightly greased trays.
  2. Dock cookies with the tines of a fork
  3. Once all the dough has been used, put trays into oven on the bottom two shelves and bake for 1 ½ hours, shuffling the trays around halfway through
  4. The biscuits should be pale and short, not doughy (test 10 minutes after coming out of the oven – if doughy = wet, put back and bake for further 10 – 15 minutes).
  5. Sprinkle with sugar immediately after coming out of the oven, leave to rest for 10 minutes before putting them on racks
  6. Store in air tight containers.

MILLIONAIRE SHORTBREAD

  1. Prepare basic shortbread dough as shown above.
  2. Grease a 9×12 rimmed baking sheet and line COMPLETELY with parchment paper
  3. Press dough onto sheet evenly and dock thoroughly with tines of a fork
  4. Bake at 350º for 30 minutes
  5. Remove from oven and press down using another baking sheet so that it is completely flat and compressed
  6. Let cool while you prepare the caramel
    CARAMEL PREPARATION
  7. Heat 1 can (14 oz) Sweetened Condensed Milk over medium heat to near boiling
  8. Remove from heat and mix in 1 C compressed brown sugar, 1/2 C corn syrup (Karo), 8 TBL softened butter, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 C heavy cream
  9. Continue to heat (about 16-20 minutes) until temperature is between 236º and 239º – BE EXACT – Stir occasionally
  10. Pour onto shortbread crust and smooth using offset spatula
  11. Cool on counter, then refrigerate for 90 minutes before the next step
    CHOCOLATE TOPPING
  12. Microwave 6-10 oz bittersweet chocolate at 50% power for 60 seconds.  Repeat at 30 second sessions, until stirring creates a smooth chocolate mixture
  13. Add 2 oz cocoa powder
  14. Pour over top of the caramel topping using an offset spatula to smooth.
  15. Sprinkle very sparingly with sea salt on some, Turbinado sugar on some, and crushed graham crackers on others… or not!
  16. Refrigerate only 10 minutes, then remove to cut into strips or squares using a serrated knife
  17. Cool and wrap in plastic, waxed paper or foil pieces

 

Sticky Date and Toffee Pudding

Sticky Date and Toffee Pudding

  • For 60 people

CAKE

  • Chopped dates 1.4 kg
  • Water 1.7 l
  • Bicarbonate of Soda 2 tablespoons
  • Margarine or Butter 700 g
  • Caster Sugar 750 g
  • Eggs 12
  • Vanilla Essence 2 tablespoons
  • Self-raising flour 1.5 kg

SAUCE

  • Soft brown sugar 900 g
  • Cream 750 ml
  • Butter (NOT margarine) 700 g

PREPARATION

  • Pre-heat oven to 190 C. Oil lightly and line 2 medium sized aluminium tins.
  • Put dates and water in a pan, bring to boil. Remove from heat and stir in the soda. Leave to cool in a sink filled with cold water.
  • Beat softened butter and sugar together with balloon whisk on high speed, until pale and creamy. Add eggs, one by one, and vanilla essence.
  • Take mixing bowl off the mixer, add the cooled dates and mix in, sieve the flour into the bowl and now fold it into the butter mix with a spatula with large movements, trying not to over beat it.
  • Fill into the prepared tins. Bake in the oven for 50 min to one hour or until a skewer, inserted into the centre of the cake, comes out clean.
  • To make the sauce, put all ingredients into a pan and bring slowly to the boil . Simmer on low heat for 1 minute.
  • To serve: Serve once cake has cooled a bit, or if pre-prepared: Reheat cakes covered with aluminium foil for 20 minutes at gas 4, and heat up sauce on low heat.

From TV – Alton Brown

  • Preheat oven to 350º
  • Use popover pan
  • butter
  • cream
  • treacle – molasses and brown sugar and espresso powder
  1. Melt 150 gm butter in  a pan (11 TBL) over low heat
  2. 300 gm brown sugar
  3. 90 gm molasses
  4. 1 TBL instant coffee powder (preferably espresso)
  5. 1/2 tsp salt
    • Whisk over heat till starts to bubble
  6. Add 3/4 C heavy cream
  7. simmer for 2-3 minutes, then set aside
    • Combine to make cake
  8. 105 gm AP flour
  9. 3/4 tsp baking soda
  10. 1/2 tsp baking powder
  11. 1/2 tsp kosher salt
    • In food processor
  12. 150 gm pitted Medjool Dates
  13. 3/4 C boiling water
    • Pulse to break apart
  14. Add 1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk
  15. 85 gm melted butter
  16. 65 gm dark brown sugar
  17. 50 gm granulated sugar
  18. 1/2 tsp vanilla
  19. 1/2 tsp instant espresso powder
    1. Pulse to combine
  20. Add flour mixture plus
  21. 70 gm more pitted dates
    1. Pulse to combine
  22. Spoon in 2 tsp topping mix into popover pan
  23. #10 (2.5 oz) batter into cups – about 2/3 of the way up
  24. Bake 11 minutes
  25. Rotate pan, then tap on counter to collapse
  26. Bake 11 more minutes or 211 degrees
  27. Remove, let cool a bit, then use a chopstick to break them free of the pan
  28. Poke about 5 holes using the stick
  29. Top with 1-2 TBL more toffee
  30. Broil for 1-2 minutes when ready to serve
  31. Invert pan and tap on counter

 

Family Reunion Baked Beans

Home made Baked beans

5 pounds (80 oz) baked beans

  • Tomato sauce:
  • 3 large onions – very finely chopped
  • ½ bulb of garlic – roughly minced
  • ½ C olive oil
  • 3 C tomato puree or ketchup
  • 1 C molasses
  • 1 C lemon juice
  • 1 TBL vegetable stock powder
  • 32 oz apple juice
  • 16 oz water
  • 1/2 C soft brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cracked pepper
  • 1 level tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves (or 8 whole cloves)
  • 3 tsp cinnamon
  • 4 tsp dried dill
  • 5 bay leaves
  • ½ C tamari sauce
  • 1 LB of cooked bacon :: added during the cooking process.
  1. Fry onions and garlic until soft, then add all the other ingredients.
  2. Cover with a lid, bring to boil, then simmer for 90 minutes on a low heat.
  3. Stir from time to time.  If it becomes too thick, add more apple juice.
  4. You want to end up with a thick sauce which will bind the beans together.
  5. After the cooking have a taste – add more salt or sugar if necessary.
  6. Add the canned beans last.
  7. Stir into the sauce
  8. Simmer 30 minutes.

Alternate for Step 8:  Put into a large flat baking pan, sprinkle with brown sugar, and bake for 30 minutes

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