Notyo' Nachos

Date Prepared: 01/28/11

Source: This recipe is my girlfriends original recipe. It is not so much a composed recipe as it is just something we enjoy making and eating when we are otherwise at a loss. The source for this type of recipe is in each of our own minds. Use your imagination and the mishmash of ingredients in your pantry can quickly be developed into something new and exciting.

Nachos can be as easy or as complicated as you want and
can be a vessel for any mix of ingredients that sound interesting.

*Recipe:

>Some Tortilla chips
>A lot of Cheese
>Meat (cooked), as much as you like
>Plenty of Veggies
>Sauce to order


Preheat oven to 350°. Place tortilla chips in single layer in a jellyroll or rimmed baking sheet. Add cubed or shredded cheese on top of chips. Sprinkle cooked meat and/or beans to sparsely cover chips - a little on each chip. Evenly distribute preferred vegetables (peppers, onions, tomatoes, etc.) and remaining ingredients over chips. Eat any inadequately covered chips prior to cooking. Bake the nachos until the cheese is adequately melted or until you just can't stand to wait any longer.

Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Baking Time: 15-20
Serves: 1-100
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Difficulty: Easy to Medium - This recipe is as difficult as you make it. Canned beans and pre-shredded cheese are remarkably easy to distribute over a bed of tortilla chips. Braised pork with homemade mole and chihuhua cheese on fresh-fried tortilla chips takes a bit more time and skill. We generally opt for the former, but I wouldn't mind attempting the latter if I had an entire day to love on this dish! No special tools and very little skill is required to successfully complete this dish.

Accessibility: Common to Specialty- Tortilla chips, black beans, salsa, and Colby cheese are available at even the most limited grocery stores. Quinoa tortilla chips and peach salsa are not necessarily "common" ingredients.

Visual Appeal: Literally, the beauty of this dish is that it can be as vibrant or monochromatic as you like. Tortilla chips, shredded Colby and seasoned ground meat make these nachos relatively inelegant to look at but still pretty tasty. Add red onions, tomatoes, ripe olives, cilantro to this same bed of nachos and you would have a much more aesthetically interesting dinner or snack.

Overall Taste: To continue the theme, the taste is what you make it. The nachos we made this time had imitation crab, Velveeta cheese, red onions, black beans, and tomatoes. Many chefs might be aghast at this combination and speculate on the taste, but it is quite enjoyable. The use of processed cheese and "fake" crab might undermine any culinary credibility I earned over the past couple weeks, but it really is pleasing to my unsophisticated palette. It was exactly what we wanted to eat on a lazy Friday night. Lunch, dinner, or late-night snack nachos are easy to make and can easily be adapted to whatever you have available.

Overall Experience: Nachos are easy to make and an appreciated dish after a week of working and little ambition to take on a more complicated dish. When cooking with others, nachos are nice because it can be easily adapted to the tastes of each individual. Make a big tray or a couple different flavors.

Additional Notes: Don't be ashamed of the things you eat that others might perceive as strange. Be who you are and cook what you want. Food, after all, is about enjoyment. Ultimately, if it tastes good to you, then you can consider yourself successful. Words to think about.

Armchair Chopped - Third Course Ambitions

Armchair chopped is a challenge I've entertained many time while sitting on the couch watching the cooking show Chopped. Chefs are provided with a container of mystery ingredients and tasked with making a dish - appetizer, entree, or dessert.

Recently (01/25/11), the final 2 chefs were presented with a mystery basket containing the following ingredients and tasked with preparing a dessert in 30 minutes.

Coquitos: Per Haynes and McLaughlin, Coquito nuts are the edible fruit of the Chilean wine palm. They look like small coconuts and, reportedly, taste similar.

Coquito nuts

[fresh] Turmeric: The root of the a tropical plant native to India, turmeric is a spice with a flavor profile similar to Ginger. Not only does turmeric provide a source of vibrant yellow/orange color but, apparently, has many homeopathic and beautifying qualities.

Fresh Turmeric Root and Ground Turmeric

Empanada Wrappers: A pie crust-like dough, empanada wrappers are comprised of flour, salt, egg, and sugar among other possible ingredients.

Empanada Wrappers

Corn on the Cob: "sweet corn" that has not been cut from the cob. Typically this vegetable is purchased in the husk and either roasted or grilled with the husk on or boiled or steamed once the husk has been removed.

Corn on the Cob

The competition I engage in is purely singular. I challenge myself to utilize the same ingredient to compose a dish in a similar fashion and time period as the chefs on the show. I have yet to actually try cooking the dishes I developed and am skeptical about whether I would actually be able to complete them in the time allowed. I take the time, rather, to develop and sketch the dish I would like to present.

For this basket of ingredients I settled on a Banana and Coquito/Rum Napoleon with Corn Coulis and Turmeric Sugar. The Banana and Coquito/Rum creams would be just a developed pastry cream. The Corn coulis would be sweetened with honey and a touch of salt added to help prevent the dessert from being to sweet. The turmeric would be blended with granulated sugar to produce a bright orange sugar that would be sprinkled on the top of the pastry and across the plate. It seems very ambitious and perhaps impractical to complete but it shows promise in taste, texture, and technique.




Banana and Coquito/Rum Napoleon with Corn Coulis and Turmeric Sugar

 
I had never heard of coquitos prior to this episode and will have to look into acquiring a sample. Also, fresh turmeric is not an ingredient I have seen before was excited to see it and learn about the complimentary flavor profile. Empanada wrappers did not provide any great "curveball" and would certainly serve as a recipe for the rest of the ingredients for this dish; the actual shape of this dish -in competition- would be a half circle, not a rectangular as a typical Napoleon. Corn lends itself to being a contributor in a dessert course. This is not the most difficult mix of ingredients I have witnessed - not by a long shot!

The world of food is filled with opportunities to paint 1000 different pictures with the same set of brushes. I think this is what is so wonderful about culinary. Fascinating.

Sweet Potato Burritos

Date Prepared: 01/26/11

Source: Available on-line at Penzey's.com

Sweet Potato Burritos

*Recipe:

2 sweet potatoes (1 1/2 lb. or so total)

3/4 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. ground coriander

1/2 tsp. granulated garlic powder

1/4 tsp. black pepper (optional)

2 TB. lime juice (juice of 1 lime)

1 15-oz. can black beans

1 Cup corn kernels

1/4-1/2 tsp. salt (optional)

6 whole wheat tortillas

Optional Fillings:

1/2 Cup chopped olives

1 Cup chopped tomatoes

1/4 Cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 Cup shredded sharp cheddar or Chihuahua cheese

Preheat oven to 400°. Pierce the sweet potatoes with a fork, place on a baking sheet and bake for 40-60 minutes, depending on the size of the sweet potatoes. Or, if you're in a hurry, microwave the sweet potatoes for about 15 minutes.

Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and let cool. Reduce oven heat to 350°. Scoop the insides out of the potatoes into a bowl and mash with the spices and lime juice. Stir in the beans and corn. Add salt to taste if using. Spoon the mixture in the tortillas along with any optional fillings you desire. Roll up and bake for 10 minutes until heated through.

Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Baking Time: 40 - 60minutes
Yield: 6 burritos
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Difficulty: Easy - This recipe couldn't get any easier unless you pulled the burritos out of the freezer. No special equipment is needed to complete this preparation. The skill level required for this preparation is basic.

Accessibility: Common - All of the ingredients required for this recipe can be purchased in a typical grocery store. Fresh beans and corn are not necessary but would be a welcome replacement to canned items.

Visual Appeal: The food photographers at Penzey's did an excellent job presenting this dish. It looks appealing and was enticing enough to make its way onto our plates. The final product that came out of our kitchen was not particularly appealing to the eye. Without adding lettuce or cilantro, the burrito is relatively monochromatic. There isn't the height or textural components that might encompass a more traditional plated dish. But where this dish lacks in visual appeal, it makes up some in flavor.

Overall Taste: The taste of this dish was interesting. The sweetness of the sweet potato is predominant but not cloying. There is not a lot of salt added and no major salty component that helps balance the sweetness. This preparation provides a unique flavor experience but lacks texture components to elevate the taste and overall experience - rice, crispy tortilla strips, and such. It was difficult for me to control the impulse to manipulate the recipe and some extra chipotle peppers and adobo made it into the burrito filling. The added heat provided another layer of flavor.

Overall Experience: I am slightly embarrassed at the simplicity of this recipe, but the idea of eating a sweet potato burrito was too intriguing to pass up. The recipe was easy to prepare and good for a weeknight quick recipe. Between the beans and the sweet potatos -and lack of greasy meat- this recipe allowed me feel good about what I was eating. This recipe will likely make a second round with some additional modifications.

Additional Notes: This recipe provides the perfect platform to discuss the use of canned staples. Although I would prefer to use fresh ingredients, this is not always practical or cost-effective. I didn't think ahead enough to soak dry black beans overnight and didn't want to spend the time quick cooking them, so canned beans were used. Having a good understanding of how to work with fresh ingredients, as well as how to manipulate processed ingredients will allow a chef/cook to adapt better in their kitchen and expand the possibilities of their cuisine. Agree or disagree, this is my soup can for the day (soap boxes have no place in the kitchen).

*The recipe and instructions for this recipe have been reported to maintain the original instruction and is not an original recipe and belongs to the source indicated. This post has been prepared as a review only and with no intention to take credit for this recipe. This recipe has been reviewed without instruction or influence by the parties or companies mentioned therein.

Armchair Chopped - First Try

This type of post would constitute a "special feature."

In January 2009, the show Chopped was first aired on Food Network. I'm not sure when I started to watch this show but was instantly captivated...

Chopped is a show about culinary creativity and spontaneity. A group of contestants is presented with a basket of "mystery ingredients," which usually consists of 3-5 random ingredients (fresh, processed or a mixture). The chefs are then tasked with making a composed dish to present to a panel of judges. Initially 4 chefs prepare an appetizer...then one is chopped. Three chefs are then charged with making an entree with another set of ingredients...then one more is chopped. The remaining 2 chefs making a dessert with a new set of mystery ingredients, some not even considered for a dessert. The last chef standing is the "Chopped Champion."

On more than one occasion I have found myself playing along while the show goes on. What would I make with the same ingredients. What would I make in my mind from the comfort of our double wide recliner. What would I make if I were playing "Armchair Chopped"?

I had considered designing a cookbook entitled "Armchair Chopped" to highlight some of the winning chefs, the dish that helped them win their episode, and, especially, the strange collection of ingredients that were presented. To top it all off, I would include a dish of my own using the same ingredients. The problem is, I don't know what kind of legality is involved with this kind of project and what type of interest there would be in publishing such a book. It is not all that practical, I suppose, as not often do you think to use things like oysters, ginger cookies, kale, and other random ingredients together. So, for now, I have tabled this idea until I have a more concrete design in mind.

In any case, I still play "Armchair chopped," when I can. Recently (01/18/11), the chefs were presented with a mystery basket containing the following ingredients and tasked with preparing an appetizer in 20 minutes.

Fontina Cheese: A soft, cow's or sheep's milk cheese, Fontina melts easily and has a mild flavor.


Fontina Cheese

Speck: Similar to prosciutto, Speck is a cured ham that has been air dried.

Speck

Toy Box Squash: This ingredient is not actually a single ingredient at all. If I understand correctly,  it refers to a collection of summer squashes: Zephyr, Sunburst, Ronde di Nice, etc.



Zephyr squash - a type of "toybox squash" 

Marrow Bones: This ingredient is what it is...bone with marrow in the center. The marrow is primarily fat and can add richness to a dish or as a dish. Roasting it is the most basic way to cook and serve this ingredient. 

Marrow bones

I spent most of my minutes agonizing over how to work with the marrow bones and then how to use it. I've never actually used or tasted marrow and, frankly, it is a bit disconcerting. Marrow, along with other ofal (if it would be in this same category) is not all that enticing to me. However, I haven't had the "pleasure" of tasting these "cuts."

It was easy enough to take a stab at preparing an appetizer with the cheese, speck and squash, but much more difficult to incorporate the marrow.

The dish I composed would be truly an appetizer. It would consist of Broiled Fontina and Speck Polenta Fries with Fried Toybox Squash and Marrow served with a lemon-ginger aioli and spicy marinara.

It is hard to imagine how well this dish would be received or how feasible the preparation would be in only 20 minutes. But without being part of the actual competition, it is hard to determine whether my ambition would help me rise to the top or get chopped up front. I imagine that I would receive some criticism regarding the discontinuity between the parts of the dish (i.e. it might be perceived as 2 dishes) and perhaps for a lack of ingredient manipulation - creativity. In the end, the marrow is still the tricky ingredient and understanding how to work with it is the key. I don't know if I can tempura fry bone marrow with any great success but it can't be much worse than pork rinds...

Regardless of how practical the dish is, I appreciate the exercises in creativity and hope to challenge myself again in the future.

Teriyaki Burgers with Deep Fried Pickles

Date Prepared: 01/22/11

Source (Teriyaki Burgers): Inspirations. The Fresh Market. May 2010. p.2
Source (Deep-fried Pickles with Mustard Sauce): Food Network Magazine. June 2010. p.182

Teriyaki Burgers and Deep-fried Pickles with Mustard Sauce

*Recipe (Teriyaki Burgers):

1lb       ground sirloin
1/2lb    ground pork
1/2c     red onion, finely chopped
4slices  bacon, cooked and crumbled
1          egg, slightly beaten
1/2c     TFM Panko Bread Crumbs
3/4tsp  TFM Anything Goes spice rub
2tbsp   spicy brown mustard
4tbsp   TFM Truly Hawaiian Teriyaki Sauce
1/4c     Vegetable oil, for brushing the grill rack
6          seeded hamburger buns, split
6          fresh pineapple rings, thinly sliced
3tbsp   fresh cilantro, chopped

Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill with a cover, or preheat a gas grill to medium-high.

To make the patties, combine the sirloin, pork, onion, bacon, egg, bread crumbs, garlic, pepper, spice rub, mustard, and teriyaki sauce in a large bowl. Handling meat as little as possible to avoid compacting it, mix well. Divide mixture into 6 equal portions and form patties, slightly larger than bun size.

When grill is ready, brush grill rack with vegetable oil. Place patties on rack, cover, cook, turning once, until done (165F), about 7 minutes on each side. Grill pineapple rings after turning burgers, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. During the last few minutes of cooking, place buns, cut side down, on the outer edges of rack to toast lightly.

To assemble burgers, on each roll bottom, place a burger and a grilled pineapple ring. Brush bun tops with teriyaki sauce, sprinkle with 1/2tbsp of cilantro and serve.

Yield: 6 burgers

*Recipe (Deep-fried Pickles)

1              red onion, finely diced
3tbsp       spicy brown mustard
1 1/2tbsp yellow mustard
3tbsp       mayonnaise
1/2tsp      paprika
3/4tsp      garlic powder
Kosher salt

Vegetable oil, for frying
6              large dill pickles, sliced diagonally into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
2c            salted mini pretzels
2              large eggs
1/2c         all-purpose flour
Celery salt, for sprinkling (optional)

Make the sauce: Mix the onion, both mustards, the mayonnaise, paprika, garlic powder and salt to taste in a bowl. Set the sauce aside.

Make the chips: Heat 1/2 inch vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Gently pat the pickle slices dry with a paper towel. Put the pretzels in a large resealable bag and crush into coarse crumbs using a rolling pin or heavy pan; transfer to a plate. Whisk the eggs in a shallow bowl. Dredge the pickle slices in the flour, shaking off any excess; dip in the beaten eggs, then dip in the pretzel crumbs, turning to coat. Working in batches, fry the pickles until golden and crisp, about 1 minute per side. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with celery salt, if desired.

Serves: 4-6
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Difficulty: Easy - If you can measure and mix, you can make these burgers. Breading and frying pickles doesn't take much culinary intelligence either...The recipes are detailed and walk you through the process sufficiently to make these two recipes successful.

Accessibility: Limited Specialty- Most of the ingredients needed for these recipes can be purchased at a typical grocery store. Panko breadcrumbs can be found in the ethnic aisle in your grocery store. However, as the Teriyaki Burgers are "brand specific" some of the ingredients need to be purchased at a Fresh Market location. Although I have labeled this recipe as "limited specialty," it is merely a formality. I believe a good cook is able to adapt a recipe based on what is available. If there is not a Fresh Market near you, substituting ingredients will work just fine. The spice rub used in this recipe is a mixture of sea salt, sweet paprika, sugar, cumin, fennel, brown sugar, coriander, mint, red chili flakes, cinnamon, cloves, and cayenne pepper. Creating your own mix would not only work for this recipe but could be used for steaks or ribs, too.

Visual Appeal: The burgers looked and felt juicy and there was some good carmelization on the burgers from the teriyaki sauce in the burger mix. Fried crispy, the pickles were a beautiful golden brown and had a nice crunch.

Overall Taste: Without much added salt, the burgers tended to be a sweeter than I would typically eat but they were extremely flavorful and fulfilled my periodic need for teriyaki flavor. The combination of pork and sirloin in the burger likely contributed to the moistness, as I do not give myself much credit as a griller. The pretzels on the pickles provided the salty contrast to the sweetness of the burgers and the heat of the mustard sauce provided an additional flavor element. The deep-fried pickle recipe was adapted some with the addition of bread-and-butter pickle chips. The flavor was much more distinct than the dill pickles used.

Overall Experience: Deep-fried food is something I generally try to stay away from. However, deep-fried pickles -of all things- seemed to be a natural side dish to accompany a burger of most varieties. Deep-fried pickles have made it onto my plate once before and strangeness of the dish intrigued me the same this time around as the first. I am always pleased with recipes that I feel are a success (i.e. taste and look good) and this paid dividends for the little work required. Good for a Saturday night or Sunday afternoon football game.

Additional Notes: I think I've said as much as I wanted to say. Good and Good. Simple but good. Oh yeah..."yellow mustard" actually means prepared yellow mustard, not ground mustard powder. Oops.

*The recipe and instructions for this recipe have been reported to maintain the original instruction and is not an original recipe and belongs to the source indicated. This post has been prepared as a review only and with no intention to take credit for this recipe. This recipe has been reviewed without instruction or influence by the parties or companies mentioned therein.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

Date Prepared: 01/17/11

Source: Available on-line at Penzey's.com

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies
Picture taken by B. Stockel

*Recipe:

1 Cup extra crunchy peanut butter
1 Cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Cup dairy-and-wheat free chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the peanut butter, brown sugar, egg, baking soda, and vanilla. Fold in the chocolate chips. Spoon by the tablespoon onto parchment paper-lined cookie cheets and bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes, longer for a crispy cookie.

Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Baking Time: 10-12 minutes
Yield: 26 cookies
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Difficulty: Easy - This recipe is as easy as it can get. Mix and Bake...Almost as easy as the Easy Bake oven.

Accessibility: Limited Specialty - Most of the ingredients needed for this recipe can be purchased at a typical grocery store. However, if the need for gluten and dairy-free ingredients is critical, specially distilled vanilla and dairy-free chocolate chips should be used; these ingredients can likely be found at a natural foods store.

Visual Appeal: These cookies don't spread much and are a good size and shape. They appear to have some "puff" to them and the chocolate and peanuts give the cookie some texture. When baked, the cookies are a nice brown color without being burned.

Overall Taste: The sweet and salt are well balanced and the overall flavor of these cookies is enjoyable. I didn't keep coming back just because they were on my counter, they actually tasted good.

Overall Experience: Being a recipe published By Penzey's, there is always a story to relate to this recipe. It was a very simple and quick recipe, which required a small list of ingredients. I enjoyed the experience because of the simplicity and the tastiness of the end result. The recipe was not complex but fulfilled my desire to try something new...and sweet.

Additional Notes: In my opinion, soft cookies are the most enjoyable. Iwas interested to see how these cookies lasted. Sealed in a covered container, these cookies maintained their tenderness for at least 2 days.

*The recipe and instructions for this recipe have been reported to maintain the original instruction and is not an original recipe and belongs to the source indicated. This post has been prepared as a review only and with no intention to take credit for this recipe. This recipe has been reviewed without instruction or influence by the parties or companies mentioned therein.

Whoopie Pies with Mint Filling and Chocolate Ganache

Date Prepared: 01/15/11

Source: bon appétit magazine, January 2011, p.103

Whoopie Pies with Mint Filling and Chocolate Ganache
Picture taken by D. Detrick

*Recipe:

cookies
2 Cups all purpose flour
5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/8 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 unsalted butter (optional replacement: nonhydrogenated solid vegetable shortening)
1 cup sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup whole milk

mint filling
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (optional replacement: nonhydrogenated solid vegetable shortening)
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Cups plus 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/4 cup egg whites
3 to 4 drops green food coloring

chocolate ganache
3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips
Serves: 15

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375F. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat shortening, sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla in large bowl until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternately with milk in 2 additions, beating until blended after each addition.

Drop dough by very rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets, spacing 3 inches apart. Bake 1 sheet at a time until cooks are slightly puffed and spread but are still soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on sheets 10 minutes. Carefully transfer cookies to racks and cool completely. Repeat with remaining cookie dough.

Using electric mixer, beat butter, peppermint extract and vanilla extract in large metal bowl until blended. Add powdered sugar, egg whites, and pinch of salt; beat until light and fluffy. Add food coloring drop by drop for desired shade of green; beat until well blended. If mixture looks curdled, place bowl over low heat several seconds and beat until smooth.

Bring cream to simmer in heavy saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate; whisk until smooth. Cool until lukewarm but spreadable (i.e. ganache).

Spoon 1 teaspoon ganache onto flat side of half cookies. Place cookies, ganache side up, on prepared baking sheet. Spoon mint filling into pastry bag fitted with medium star tip. Starting at outer flat edge of remaining cookies and working toward the center, pipe mint filling in spiral. Place 1 cookie with mint filling together with 1 cookie with ganache, creating Whoopie pie.
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Difficulty: Easy - This recipe is relatively straightforward. The extent of the difficulty lays in making sure the cookies are uniform in size and remain soft when cooked.

Accessibility: Common - The ingredients for this preparation should be readily available at your basic grocery store.

Visual Appeal: The finished product looks very basic. The picture that accompanies the actual recipe looked a bit more enticing than the one in this review. The dark color of the cookie and bright green of the mint filling provides a good contrast. The size of the cookies I made resulted in a large pie and somewhat "clunky." Reducing the size to half dollars might make the presentation a bit cleaner.

Overall Taste: Again, nothing too overwhelming. The use of the mint extract is restrained enough to allow for an enjoyable flavor and combination with the soft cookie and the slight bitterness of the chocolate ganache.

Overall Experience: Whoopie pies seem so basic and the name makes them seem so much less distinguished than, say, a French macaroon. The preparation was simple enough without the need for any special or additional tools. The use of a makeshift piping bag and the basic piping is exciting (for me) and makes me feel the recipe is a bit more complex than it, perhaps, is. Mint and cocoa are favorable aromas to "stink up" the kitchen. Most importantly, the recipe was enjoyed by friends, friends of friends, and myself. It might not be a recipe that I would add to me book as an everyday dessert but it would be one to pull out when trying to impress guests.

Additional Notes: There are a couple deviations I would likely make if preparing this recipe again. First, I would omit the green food color and add fresh chopped mint to the filling. The artificial green color is never terribly appealing to me, even if it is recognizable. Second, I noticed that some of the chocolate chips did not melt completely, which provided some crunch to the otherwise soft pastry. Future preparations would include the addition of coarsely chopped chocolate chips or mini chips between the ganache and mint filling.

*The recipe and instructions for this recipe have been reported to maintain the original instruction and is not an original recipe and belongs to the source indicated. This post has been prepared as a review only and with no intention to take credit for this recipe. This recipe has been reviewed without instruction or influence by the parties or companies mentioned therein.

Coriander Chicken Tostadas with Refried Beans and Grilled Fennel

Date Prepared: 01/15/11

Source: bon appétit magazine, January 2011, p.85



Coriander Chicken Tostadas with Refried Beans and Grilled Fennel.
Picture taken by D. Detrick.

*Recipe:
beans
2 15-ounce cans pinto beans, liquid drained and reserved
1/2 cup chopped white onion
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

fennel and chicken
1 large fresh fennel bulb, trimmed, cut through core into 1/3-inch slices
6 tablespoons safflower oil, divided
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/3 cup coriander seeds, coarsely crushed

assembly
6 purchased corn tostada shells
3 cups thinly sliced romaine lettuce
6 radishes, trimmed, thinly sliced
6 fresh cilantro sprigs
lime wedges

Prep. time: 40 min.
Cooking time: 40 min.
Serves: 6

Place beans and next 5 ingredients in [food] processor; blend to chunky puree. Heat oil in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add bean mixture and 1/2 cup reserved bean liquid. Stir over medium-low heat until warmed through, adding more bean liquid if dry, about 5 minutes. Season with coarse salt and ground black pepper.

Brush fennel slices with 1 1/2 tablespoons oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add fennel slices. Sear until lightly browned and crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to plate. Cut into strips. Reserve skillet.

Using rolling pin, flatten chicken between sheets of plastic wrap to 1/4- to 1/3-inch-thick cutlets. Spread out coriander seeds on sheet of foil. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper; coat with coriander seeds.

Heat 4 1/2 tablespoons oil in reserved skillet over medium high heat. Working in batches, if necessary, Add chicken to skillet. Sauté until cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to work surface. Cool 5 minutes. Cut chicken in half lengthwise, then crosswise into 1/3-inch-wide strips.

Top each tostada shell with beans, lettuce, radishes, fennel, chicken, and cilantro sprigs. Serve with lime wedges.
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Difficulty: Easy - This recipe is relatively straightforward. The extent of the difficulty lays in making sure the chicken is thoroughly cooked without being over-cooked.

Accessibility: Common - The ingredients for this preparation should be readily available at your basic grocery store. The canned chiles can be found in the ethnic section of a grocery store along with the tostada shells. Safflower oil should be available near the olive or vegetable oil. Regarding technique and tools, a food processor is helpful but can be compensated for by a fine dice and manipulation with a standard potato masher.

Visual Appeal: The mixture of colors and textures with the height make this dish look mouth-watering. It looks like it would taste good and is even more enticing to look at than the recipe even suggests.

Overall Taste: Chipotle peppers give this dish some spice and the cilantro and lime brighten up the flavors even further. The aroma of the coriander, cumin, and oregano are pleasant but not overpowering.

Overall Experience: This dish seemed trivial to prepare, yet it generated a good number of dishes to clean. This is probably not typical just something that I manage to do! The work was well worth the final product and the dish a good accompaniment to a Saturday night football game. For friends and family that enjoy the Mexican/Latin American genre of food, this would be a nice and different recipe to add to your list of dishes to make this year.

Additional Notes: The bean mixture contained raw garlic, so I cooked it a bit longer to remove the raw flavor some. Safflower oil is not an oil that use often in my kitchen, so a mixed vegetable oil was used as a substitute. The mixed oil did smoke a bit more but still got the job done. This dish did not have any recommended accompaniments but I did serve it with a Zatarain's Spanish rice, which provided a starch for the meal. The one change that I would make if serving this recipe again would be to omit the crushed coriander seeds and use only ground coriander. The seeds provided some texture but not necessarily in a good way. The crushed coriander was more of a nuisance, picking it from my teeth than an enjoyable addition.

*The recipe and instructions for this recipe have been reported to maintain the original instruction and is not an original recipe and belongs to the source indicated. This post has been prepared as a review only and with no intention to take credit for this recipe. This recipe has been reviewed without instruction or influence by the parties or companies mentioned therein.

Scalloped Corn

Date Prepared: 01/02/11

Source: How We Became 1 (ISBN 978-0-9820548-0-2), pp.229, copyright 2008

*Recipe:

1 16 oz. can creamed corn
1 8 oz. can corn niblets, undrained
2 eggs, beaten
1 Cup sour cream
1/2 Cup melted butter
1/4 Cup sugar
1/2 Cup cornmeal
2 TB sugar
1 tsp. baking powder

Prep. time: 12 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Serves: 9

Preheat oven to 375 [degrees]. Combine all of the ingredients together. Pour into a greased 9-inch square casserole dish. Bake at 375 [degrees] for 40 minutes or until the center no longer jiggles when the dish is shaken.

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Difficulty: Easy - This recipe is as straightforward as it can get. Throw everything in a bowl and mix it up . Quick enough to make but takes a little longer to bake.

Accessibility: Common - The ingredients for this preparation are few and should be readily available at your basic grocery store. No special technique(s) or tools are required.

Visual Appeal: This dish is not altogether stunning. At first glance it looks like simply cornbread when it is removed from the oven. However, it is surprising moist and soft when scooped from the dish. It is a side dish and does not include anything in the way of garnishes.

Overall Taste: Sweet and creamy would be two appropriate words to describe this dish. The edge can be crispy, which is a favorite for some people I know. The taste and texture are very similar - and I suspect the ingredients too- to Chi Chi's corn cake recipe. To me, it is a good compliment to a savory beef or pork dish. I might be so bold as to serve it as a dessert sometime with something as absurd as bacon ice cream.

Overall Experience: Cooking is about creating memories and having stories to share. This is where the overall experience is made or broken. As with the meatloaf recipe that we pulled from this book previously, there is a story to accompany this recipe.

It is always good to finish and taste a recipe and be pleased with the result. The preparation is simple and the taste is enjoyable. Ultimately recipe writers hope you want to eat it again. Although it might not show up on the plate in an upscale restaurant, it is a great homestyle dish. In fact, I already have the ingredients for another batch.

Additional Notes:  We did cook this dish in a 10-inch ceramic pie plate with good results. The cooking time was approximately that included in the recipe. If you can get past the fact that you loaded this side dish with some butter and sugar, I suspect you might enjoy it. Check out more recipes at http://www.penzeys.com/.

*The recipe and instructions for this recipe have been reported to maintain the original instruction and is not an original recipe and belongs to the source indicated. This post has been prepared as a review only and with no intention to take credit for this recipe. This recipe has been reviewed without instruction or influence by the parties or companies mentioned therein.

Mom's Meat Loaf (Eric's Favorite)

Date Prepared: 01/02/11

Source: How We Became 1 (ISBN 978-0-9820548-0-2), pp.225, copyright 2008

*Recipe:

1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 Cup quick-cooking oatmeal
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 Cup chopped onion
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder

Mix all of the ingredients together and press into a glass loaf pan. Top with ketchup and let set overnight in the refrigerator. Back at 350 [degrees] for 1 hour and let cool 10 minutes before slicing.

Prep. time: 15 minutes plus overnight chilling
Cooking time: 1 hour
Serves: 4-6
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Difficulty: Easy - This recipe is as straightforward as it can get. Throw everything in a bowl and mix it up really well. Quick enough to make but takes a little longer to bake.

Accessibility: Common - The ingredients for this preparation are few and should be readily available at your basic grocery store. No special technique(s) or tools are required.

Visual Appeal: The finished product is meat loaf, which is difficult to make entirely appealing to the eyes. Covering the loaf in ketchup does not do much for the appearance either.

Overall Taste: Generally, I found this preparation to be somewhat bland. Although we originally prepared the recipe with tomato sauce instead of ketchup, I suspect that the use of ketchup would have provided minimal improvement in flavor. It was not unpleasant and would be a perfectly fine dish to serve for Sunday dinner.

Overall Experience: Cooking meatloaf is quick and easy. The recipe is easy to follow and the finished product was enjoyable. It is fun to get dirty with your food like you do with meatloaf. This particular cookbook includes a lot of stories, and the story relating to this dish enhances the experience slightly. We enjoyed the meal and would use the recipe again in a pinch.

Additional Notes: Ketchup was not included in the original recipe list and only in the preparation instructions. As a result, this ingredient did not end up in our cart. Basic tomato sauce was a sufficient substitute and we avoided to extra sweetness that condensed ketchup can provide. In addition, we deviated from the recipe slightly by cooking the meatloaf straight away (i.e. without chilling). This step might have allowed for the flavors to percolate a bit more though the meat but I would assert that it is an optional step. Finally, I appreciate that although this is a recipe from a branded cookbook, it does not include branded products in the recipe. Check out recipes and products from http://www.penzeys.com/.

*The recipe and instructions for this recipe have been reported to maintain the original instruction and is not an original recipe and belongs to the source indicated. This post has been prepared as a review only and with no intention to take credit for this recipe. This recipe has been reviewed without instruction or influence by the parties or companies mentioned therein.