Citrus Chardonnay Sauce

Date Prepared: 02/23/11

Source: This recipe was on the back of a package of Pasta Prima All Natural Lobster Ravioli purchased at Sam's Club

Lobster Ravioli with Citrus Chardonnay Sauce and Parmesan Cheese

*Recipe:

2 tablespoons shallot, minced
1 lemon, juiced
1 cup chardonnay wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 sticks unsalted butter, cubed
1 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves, chop fine
salt and white pepper to taste

Combine the shallots, lemon juice, and Chardonnay wine in a medium sauce pan over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer until liquid is reduced by half. Add the heavy cream and continue to simmer until liquid is reduced by half.

Remove the simmering cream from the heat and immediately whisk in the butter cubes one at a time until fully incorporated. Stir in the parsley then season with salt and white pepper to taste.
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Difficulty: Medium - I love sauces but I don't make them very often. In theory they should be easy - add some liquid, seasoning, and thickener to a pot and reduce. In practice, it is not so trivial. Temperature, rate of addition, proportions and other factors affect the final product. This recipe, in and of itself, is not terribly difficult, but it falls into the larger category. The difficulty for me was in determining whether the sauce was done (i.e. thickness) or if additional treatment was required after all the ingredients had been added.

Accessibility: Common - The ingredients used for this recipe should be available at most grocery stores. An open bottle of wine will suffice otherwise they have the miniature bottles of wine available too.

Visual Appeal: This sauce has a nice creaminess to it but at heat is very thin and barely coats a spoon. No roux or thickener is added and though I suspect the butter does help tighten the sauce, it doesn't serve so well at temperature. The added fresh parsley provides some contrast to the faint yellow cream sauce.


Overall Taste: The flavor was really quite nice. We are naturally inclined to pair lobster with butter and, perhaps, lemon, so the sauce goes well with the prepared lobster ravioli from Pasta Prima. The sauce has a nice silkiness to it (likely thanks to the butter) and the lemon helps cut the richness of the cream and butter. It is surprisingly light in texture and bright in flavor but not likely skimping on the calories.


Overall Experience: I must admit that this recipe had me slightly anxious. One area of culinary I would appreciate getting to know better would be sauce preparation. To break a cream sauce or improperly prepare a gastrique can ruin a dish or, at least, waste some precious time. However, sauces are so critical to tying together the components of a dish (in my opinion). In spite of my disappointment over the thickness of the sauce, I am happy that I took the little bit of time and afforded myself the extra calories to try this sauce. I would certainly make this sauce again - or some variation of it, anyway.

Additional Notes: The individual bottles of wine are only 6oz. each, which is the standard serving volume for wine. However, the recipe requires a full 8 ounces. If choosing this route, be sure to purchase multiple bottles.

*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

Whole Wheat-Carrot-Banana Bread

Date Prepared: 02/20/11

Source: Better Homes and Gardens (available on-line at bhg.com) 

Whole Wheat-Carrot-Banana Bread

*Recipe:

1/2  cup  butter, softened

1  cup  packed brown sugar

2    eggs

1  cup  all-purpose flour

1  cup  whole wheat flour

1  teaspoon  baking soda

1/2  teaspoon  baking powder

1/2  teaspoon  salt

1/2  teaspoon  ground cinnamon

1  cup  mashed ripe bananas (about 3)

1  cup  finely shredded carrot

1/2  cup  chopped pecans or walnuts

Grease bottoms and halfway up sides of two 7-1/2x3-1/2x2-inch loaf pans, one 9x5x3-inch loaf pan, or eighteen 2-1/2-inch muffin cups; set aside.

In large bowl, beat butter and brown sugar with electric mixer on low to medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs. In medium bowl, stir together the flours, soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add flour mixture and mashed bananas alternately to brown sugar mixture, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the carrot and nuts. Spoon into prepared pans.

Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 40 to 45 minutes for small loaf pans, about 50 minutes for large loaf pan, about 18 minutes for muffins, or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. If necessary to prevent overbrowning, cover loaves with foil after 30 minutes of baking. Cool loaves in pans for 10 minutes; cool muffins in pans for 5 minutes. Remove to wire rack and cool completely. Wrap loaves in foil; store overnight before slicing. Serve muffins warm or cool. Makes 12 to 18 servings.
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Difficulty: Easy - Like most "quick bread" recipes, this recipe is of the mix-and-bake variety. There is some additional work required to grate the carrots but nothing to be concerned about. Do make sure to grease and flour your pan to prevent a poor release after baking.

Accessibility: Common - The ingredients used for this recipe should be available at most grocery stores. Preparation for this recipe does require some planning, as the bananas should be well ripened (i.e. brown in color and soft but not mushy).

Visual Appeal: The final product is a deep golden-brown color specked with orange threads of carrot and nuts. The texture is dense and moist.

Overall Taste: The flavor of the banana is present and predominant. In contrast, the carrot is not specifically noticable but might provide some of the sweetness in this preparation. There is a dense hartiness to this bread and does not suffer from dryness like other recipes I've tasted.

Overall Experience: This recipe is very easy to make and well worth the overnight wait to cut the first slice. And, as always, baking makes the kitchen smell delicious.

Additional Notes: I've made this recipe many times and admit that it does not fit into my original goal of making new dishes. However, I enjoy this recipe and wanted to share it with the people who happen to look through this blog. I'm glad I found this recipe from Better Homes and Gardens and hope you can enjoy it like I do.

*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.

Five Spice Beef and Pepper Stir-Fry

Date Prepared: 02/17/11

Source: Rachael Ray, 30-minute meals. Recipe also available at foodnetwork.com

Five Spice Beef and Pepper Stir-Fry

 *Recipe:

Jasmine rice or short grain white rice, 1 to 1 1/2 cups prepared to package directions
2 cups beef broth or stock, paper container or canned
2 tablespoons wok or clear oil, 1 turn of the pan
1 1/2 pounds beef sirloin or beef tenderloin tips, trimmed, placed in freezer for 5 to 10 minutes then thinly sliced
2 medium green bell peppers, seeded and diced into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 cup dry sherry
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce, eyeball the amount
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder, found on Asian foods aisle of market
Cracked black pepper
3 scallions, thinly sliced on an angle, for garnish
1/2 cup smoked whole almonds, for garnish

Boil water for rice and prepare to package directions. Place beef broth in a small pot over low heat to warm the liquid.

Heat a wok-shaped skillet or pan over high heat. Add oil (it will smoke) and meat bits. Stir-fry meat 3 minutes and remove from pan or move off to the side of the wok. Return pan to heat and add peppers and onions. Stir-fry veggies 2 minutes. Add meat back to the pan.

Add sherry and stir-fry until liquid almost evaporates about 1 minute. Add soy sauce to the pan. Dissolve cornstarch with a ladle of warm broth. Add beef broth to the pan, then add cornstarch combined with broth, the five-spice powder and black pepper. Stir sauce until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Adjust seasonings. Add more soy sauce or salt if necessary. Remove stir-fry from heat. Fill dinner bowls with beef stir-fry and top with a scoop of rice. Scoop rice with ice cream scoop to get a rounded ball. By placing rice on top of stir-fry, rice will stay firm and not soak up too much sauce. Garnish with chopped scallions and smoked almonds.

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Difficulty: Easy - This recipe was classified as "intermediate," but I'm not sure why. Rice can be a touchy thing to prepare sometimes but minute rice can be used if you are concerned to prepare jasmine rice. I would classify this recipe as easy. There are no advanced techniques required in this preparation.

Accessibility: Common - The ingredients used for this recipe should be available at most grocery stores. Chinese five-spice powder was indeed found in the ethnic aisle of the grocery store.

Visual Appeal: This dish, like the Beer-poached pulled chicken mole, is not much to look at. It is very similar in appearance to beef stew. The sauce had a good thickness and smoothness. The peppers do provide some color to the dish but very little to brighten things up.

Overall Taste: The recipe did taste a bit bland as described. However, the recipe does direct the preparer to add additional soy sauce or salt as necessary. It was difficult to determine if the dish just needed more salt or if some other ingredient would have elevated the taste. There was really no heat to the dish, which might have provided an element of interst. And I didn't find the Chinese five-spice to add a remarkable amount of flavor. The aroma, however, of the anise and licorice root were evident. The addition of fresh garlic or ginger might be a welcomed addition. All-in-all, the flavor profile left something to be desired.

Overall Experience: It was good to be making stir-fry again - and not from a bag. I appreciated this recipe not so much for the taste but more for the simple fact that it was not in my normal repertoire of meals. Also, I appreciate recipes that introduce new tricks or techniques. I have not come across briefly freezing a cut of meat in order to make slicing very easy. It was very refreshing. Finally, I was excited about using Chinese five-spice. I've not before tasted this mixture of spices and, though nothing remakable, was pleased to have been exposed to this new ingredient.

Additional Notes: Some ingredient variations were observed. Snow peas were added. I opted not to use green bell peppers. Rather I swapped the dull green for the brightness of a red bell pepper. Originally I was going to add broccoli but decided not to. Instead I steamed the crowns of the broccoli separate, peeling and cutting the broccoli stems into matchsticks and adding them to the stir-fry. The red bell pepper and broccoli stems provided some added color.

*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.

Real Pizza Burgers

Date Prepared: 02/14/11

This recipe was based on no particular recipe. Rather, it was an experiment to recreate a high school cafeteria favorite, the pizza burger. It was a compromise between a sausage pizza and a juicy hamburger. I wasn't interested in having just another burger and figured I would try something I have missed for so many years. I'm not disillusioned to think it is gourmet, yet, but it resulted in an interesting derivation to the typical beef patty.

Real Pizza Burgers

Italian sausage mixed with Sirloin gives a moist, juicy burger

Recipe:
1 pound Ground Sirloin
1/2 pound bulk hot italian sauage
1/2 cup red onion, diced
3 tablespoons fresh basil, chiffinade
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, finely shredded
1 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Provolone cheese, sliced
Bruscetta topping

Heat grill to 350F-400F. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients completely. Gently form patties and place on grill. Sear the burgers on the grill cooking for approximately 6 minutes on each side. In the last few minutes add 2-3 tablespoons of Burscetta topping and a slice of provolone. Remove burgers from grill and rest for 5 minutes before serving.

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Difficulty: Easy - This recipe is a beginner-level recipe. No particularly difficult techniques are required.

Accessibility: Common - The ingredients used for this recipe should be available at most grocery stores.

Visual Appeal: The burgers got some excellent color from the grill and had a nice juiciness when cut. The color of the bruscetta topping and fresh basil brightened an otherwise ordinary-looking burger.

Overall Taste: Depending on your capacity for heat, these burgers might be a bit too much. The hot variety of Italian sausage had an unexpected level of heat. However, the flavor of the sausage did provide the "pizza" element that I had hoped. A milder variety might have allowed for the flavor of the basil and onion to be enjoyed but was not altogether unenjoyable.

Overall Experience: The preparation was simple and the result was good first time and as reruns, so, all-in-all, the recipe seemed to be successful. Future preparations might include some refinement, though currently undetermined.

Red Chard and Rice

Date Prepared: 02/10/11

Source: Rachael Ray, 30-minute meals. Recipe also available at foodnetwork.com

 *Recipe:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 to 4 slices bacon, or 1 (1/8-inch thick) slice of speck, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 small bunch red chard, stemmed and chopped
Freshly grated nutmeg
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika or sweet paprika
1 cup white rice
1 3/4 cups chicken stock or water

Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a sauce pot over medium heat. Add the bacon, cook 2 minutes, then add the garlic and stir 1 minute. Add the chard and season with a little nutmeg, salt, pepper, and paprika. When the chard is wilted add the rice and stir 1 minute more. Add the stock or water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot. Cook 15 to 18 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Fluff with a fork and serve.

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Difficulty: Easy - This recipe is a beginner-level recipe. No particularly difficult techniques are required. Additional information on preparing Red Chard is readily available online.

Accessibility: Common - The ingredients used for this recipe should be available at most grocery stores.

Visual Appeal: This dish offers a variety of colors which provide contrast to each other. It is a rice dish, so there is little opportunity for texture and height.

Overall Taste: The bacon provides a welcomed smokiness and the kale a slight bitterness. Nutmeg offers an unusual aroma while providing a complimentary flavor to the chard. Overall, it is a different flavor - interesting.

Overall Experience: There is not much to say about the experience of this recipe. It is relatively quick and uncomplicated. The dish is hearty looking and enticing. The flavor didn't blow me away like I expected, but I am glad I made it anyway. I would recommend trying it with a Tex-Mex-style meal or with pork loin or chicken.

Additional Notes: I have yet to find a source providing speck and resigned to using a nice smoky bacon instead.

*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.

Beer-Poached Pulled Chicken Mole

Date Prepared: 02/10/11

Source: Rachael Ray, 30-minute meals. Recipe also available at foodnetwork.com

Beer-Poached Pulled Chicken Mole (served with Queso Fresco and Pepitas)

 *Recipe:

3 medium onions
8 boneless chicken thighs
1 Mexican-style beer (recommended: Negra Modela)
4 fresh bay leaves
3 ancho chilies, seeded and stemmed
1/4 cup sliced almonds
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons golden raisins
1 red chile pepper, such as Fresno or Holland
2 small stems fresh oregano or marjoram, finely chopped
1 tablespoon cumin
2 tablespoons unsweetened Mexican cocoa powder
Pinch cinnamon
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (15-ounce) can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
Small corn or flour tortillas
Toasted pepitas, for garnish

Quarter one of the onions and place in a pot with the chicken, beer and 2 bay leaves. Add just enough water to come up to the top of the chicken pieces. Bring to a low boil over medium-high heat, and then lower the heat and simmer until cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove chicken from the hot liquid to a bowl and shred the meat with forks. Strain and reserve the stock.

Meanwhile, in a small pot, cover the anchos with just enough water to cover and simmer to reconstitute, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the anchos to the food processor bowl, reserving the cooking liquid.

Toast the almonds in a saucepan large enough to which to make the sauce. Remove the toasted nuts to the food processor bowl.

Slice the 2 remaining onions. Heat the extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat in the same pot you toasted the nuts in. Add the onions, garlic, last 2 bay leaves, raisins, red chile, oregano, cumin, cocoa, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Cover and cook to soften the onions, 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the crushed tomatoes and heat through. Transfer to the food processor with the reconstituted anchos and almonds. Process into a thick paste and return to saucepan. Add a little of the chicken stock and ancho stock to thin the sauce a bit. It should remain thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add the shredded chicken to the sauce then serve with warm corn or flour tortillas for wrapping. Garnish with pepitas.

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Difficulty: Easy - This recipe is relatively straightforward. The extent of the difficulty lays in understanding technical terms like "reconstitute" and ingredient references like "pepitas" and "ancho chili."

Pepitas: In short, "pepitas" refers to pumpkin seeds. According to the website gourmetsleuth.com, these seeds are a popular Mexican ingredient consumed by foodies as far back as the Aztecs. They can be consumed in several forms but have a high oil content and can go rancid relatively quickly.

Ancho Chili: Dried Poblano peppers. They are a deep reddish-brown in color and have a mild flavor when reconstituted.

Reconstitute: A technique used to rehydrate a dried ingredient. Often this involves soaking the ingredient in warm water or other liquid to soften the flesh. In this recipe, the Ancho chillies are simmered in water for a short period of time. This process produces not only the softened ingredient but a stock of sorts imparted with the flavor of the ingredient, as well.

Accessibility: Limited Specialty - Most of the ingredients I was able to find at a typical grocery store. The Ancho chillies, red finger pepper (Holland or Fresno), and Mexican cocoa might be more difficult to locate, but a Mexican or ethnic grocery store should have these ingredients. The Mexican-style beer is common enough and should be available in a basic liquor store.

Visual Appeal: As the recipe is prepared, it is very unappealing to look at. However, a basic fact about mole is that it is not the prettiest dish to look at. As with this dish, the addition of the cocoa produces a generally unappealing brown color. The corn or flour tortillas don't have much chance to enhance the blase color scheme. The addition of the pepitas does brighten up the picture some. Optional ingredients not listed could provide additional color contrast if you are worried about serving this dish to your friends and family (lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, etc.).

Overall Taste: In my opinion, mole is not a dish that is unanimously enjoyed. The mixture of cinnamon and cocoa, in particular, can be difficult to get past for some. This mole is not particularly sweet but does have a certain depth inherent to mole. There is some heat but not overwhelming.

Overall Experience: I was really excited to make this recipe and the final product was rewarding. The preparation did take longer than the original recipe indicated, but I am not always the most efficient chef at home and tend to allow things to cook longer than, perhaps, necessary. The quest to locate all the ingredients was frustrating (see notes for omissions and substitutions). During the preparation, the ingredients need to be pureed. Having only a mini food processor I was initially discouraged. However, having watched other cooking shows, I have observed chefs utilize blenders to puree their sauce or breakdown a mixture of ingredients. I attempted this and, initially, it was a disaster! I had neglected to replace the o-ring from the last time the blender was used. As soon as I started to blend the mixture of ingredients, liquid began to leak from the base of the machine! I immediately stopped the processing and transferred the mixture to a bowl only to realize the o-ring was missing. My original concern was that the warm mixture would shoot out the top. I hadn't considered that it would just leak out everywhere! My encouragement for this dish would be to approach it with optimism. It has some different flavors but is an interesting addition to your repertoire.



The blender disaster

Additional Notes: The substitution of a blender for a traditional food processor has already been discussed. I would probably recommend using a glass blender over a plastic construction but either appears to work. Regarding ingredient changes. I neglected to pick up a can of roasted tomatoes and had to substitute regular diced tomatoes in a pinch. Mexican cocoa and Fresno or Holland peppers proved to be elusive and were replaced by regular unsweetened cocoa powder and 2 Serrano chillies. Serrano chillies are, in fact, hotter than Fresno peppers and Jalapeno peppers would have been a more appropriate substitute, in hindsight. Regarding ingredient additions, no significant amount of garnish was included. As pictured, the pepitas were used in addition to some Queso Fresco.

*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.

Yukon Gold Cinnamon Rolls

Date Prepared: 02/05/11

Source: Greg Atkinson. bon appétit magazine. March 2009. Recipe available at epicurious.com



Yukon Gold Cinnamon Rolls

*Recipe:

Dough
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 large eggs
4 1/2 cups (or more) unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 cup warm water (105F to 115F)
3 1/4-ounce envelopes active dry yeast
2 tablespoons sugar

Filling
1 1/3 cups (packed) golden brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour
9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, room temperature

Glaze
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons (or more) whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

Prep. time: 2 1/2 hrs.
Cooking time: 20 min.
Yield: 12 rolls

Combine potatoes, 2 cups water, and 1 tablespoon coarse salt in large saucepan. Boil until potatoes are very tender, 15 to 18 minutes. Mash potatoes with water in pan (do not drain). Add butter and mash until butter is melted.  Whisk in eggs, then 1 cup flour; mash until very smooth. Let potatoes stand until barely lukewarm, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour 1/2 cup warm water into large bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment; stir in yeast and sugar. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add potato mixture to yeast mixture; mix on low speed until well blended, 2 minutes. Mix in 3 cups flour, 1 cup at a time, beating well. Beat until sticky dough forms.

Spread 1/2 cup flour on work surface. Scrape dough onto floured work surface. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic, adding flour by tablespoonfuls if dough is very sticky, about 8 minutes. Coat large bowl with butter. Transfer dough to bowl and turn to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until double in volume, about 1 hour.

Mix brown sugar, cinnamon, flour in medium bowl. Using fork, mix in butter.

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 425F. Line large rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Turn dough out onto well-floured work surface. Roll out dough to 24x16-inch rectangle. Sprinkle filling evenly over dough. Starting at 1 long side, roll up dough jelly-roll style, enclosing filling. Using large knife dipped in flour, cut roll crosswise into 12 pieces. Transfer rolls onto baking sheet, spacing rolls about 3/4-inch apart. Cover baking sheet loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise in warm draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, about 20 minutes (roll will be very puffy). Bake cinnamon rolls until golden, about 20 minutes. Cool rolls 10 minutes on baking sheet.

Whisk powdered sugar, melted butter, 2 tablespoons milk, vanilla, and coarse salt in small bowl. If glaze is too thick spread, add more milk by 1/2 tablespoonfuls as needed. Spread glaze over warm rolls.

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Difficulty: Easy - The recipe is written well enough and generally easy to follow. The difficulty lays in the dough manipulation - understanding how the dough should look at feel after being kneaded. There are no particularly difficult steps to this recipe, however.

Accessibility: Common - The ingredients for this recipe can be obtained readily at your basic grocery store. The recipe discusses the use of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, but this equipment -though helpful if available- is not necessary. Manual mashing and mixing can be substituted with comparable success.

Visual Appeal: Visual appeal with a cinnamon roll is implicit. The toasted bread covered in gooey glaze is completely enticing. The look is basic and does not have eye-pop like a sophisticated plated entree (not that it is really expected). I was displeased that much of the filling seemed to leak out of the roll as it baked, generating a sticky caramel on the bottom of the pan. Also, the rolls did not have that stereotypical spiral shape. However, this was likely an error on my part and not a downfall of the recipe itself.

Overall Taste: The recipe boasts of being "amazingly moist and tender," a description that is quite accurate. The flavor of the bread was a bit bland. The bread alone was not particularly sweet and did not have a remarkable cinnamon flavor. In my opinion, it could have had used more filling to raise the flavor a notch.

Overall Experience: The most satisfying recipes to me are those that do require a lot of work. Typically, the flavors pay dividends on the work. I don't do yeast breads often but am pleased to have tried this recipe. It was a basic enough recipe and an interesting deviation from the typical bread dough. I prefer cinnamon rolls that are moist and dense over ones that are light and flaky. These rolls held up well for the the second day in a sealed container.

Additional Notes: Active dry yeast  is a "biological leavener" which is actually living. Adding warm water and "food" (typically sugar and/or salt) allows the yeast to grow and generate the gas required to produce a light, fluffy dough. The water used to "bloom" active dry yeast should be warm but not hot - 105F to 110F.

*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 - Second Chance Appetizers

My creativity calisthenics continued recently as 4 chefs were challenged to compose an appetizer in 20 minutes using: catfish, tomatillos, marshmallows, and rutabaga. The episode aired 02/01/11, but I received my assignment remotely and came up with a dish with little thought or consideration - pure spontaneity. I finally drew up the sketch yesterday.

Catfish: A firm-fleshed, fresh-water fish that is mild in flavor and takes well to a variety of cooking preparations.

Catfish fillets

Tomatillo: A variety of tomato that can have a green or purple flesh that is firm and has a tart flavor.

Tomatillos

Marshmallows: A light, fluffy confection comprised of sugar, corn syrup, and gelatin.

Marshmallows

Rutabaga: A root vegetable similar to a turnip.

Rutabaga

In my lengthy career in food service, I have had catfish several times. Naturally, it made sense to slice the fillets into "fingers," bread them and broil them to a crispy crunch. The tomatillos, often used for salsa verde, would be chopped and mixed with finely sliced scallions and lime to make a topping for the fish. These components required a platform or vessel, so a potato-like base might work well. The rutabaga has a starchiness/firmness similar to a potato -in my opinion- and could form a potato cake when grated and mixed with some onion, egg, and flour. The mixture would be pan-fried until golden and cooked through. Finally, the marshmallows would be melted and used as the sweet component of a sweet-sour sauce to dress the plate and accompany this appetizer.

Rutabaga Latkas with Crispy Catfish, Tomatillo Salsa and Marshmallow Sweet-Sour Sauce



This type of challenge does require creativity, but it also requires experience. The more we cook and eat different types of cuisine, the better foundation we have to take on challenges like this. An incoherent mixture of ingredients can be tamed by adapting them to similar traditional dishes or coming up with something completely off the wall. But it takes more than knowing how to pop a frozen pizza in the oven or open a can of beans to be successful. Try something new, for it could be the next winning dish!



 

Eggplant Lasagna - An Experiment

Date Prepared: 02/01/11

Recipe: (marinara sauce)

1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup carrot, small dice
1 cup celery, medium dice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 15oz can tomato sauce
1 29oz can tomato sauce
1 28oz can diced tomato
salt and pepper

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil until tender. Add carrot and celery and saute with onion and garlic. Add diced tomato, tomato sauce, basil, oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook mixture on medium heat, covered, for 45 minutes. Cool sauce and puree. Re-heat sauce when ready to use.

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Several months ago, I tried eggplant for my first time. Prepared in eggplant parmigiana it was breaded and covered with mozzarella. It was excellent. My second experience with eggplant was prepared in a tomato sauce from a Mediterranean restaurant in Chicago. It was excellent for a whole different reason. With these positive experiences in mind, I was inspired to prepare something of my own focused on eggplant.

Initially, I wanted to make two flavors of eggplant "ravioli" - sausage and Parmesan and ricotta with roasted red pepper and garlic. My plan was to slice the eggplant very thin and use two sheets to make a pillow with filling in it. The ravioli would be breaded with panko, pan-fried, and served with homemade marinara.

The preparation seemed to have promise but the execution quickly fell apart. I sliced the eggplant on a mandolin at a width of 1/16th inch. The slices were soaked in dilute lemon water briefly, dried, and salted to help remove any bitterness. I'd never prepared eggplant before and was relying on what literature I found online. These steps might not have been necessary at all! After rinsing the eggplant "noodles" I dried them again and attempted to prepare my first "ravioli." Unfortunately, the variety of eggplant I chose was too wide and some of the slices too short to make the necessary pocket. It quickly became apparent that my original idea wasn't going to work.

Somewhat discouraged, I considered scrapping the project. But unwilling to waste the time and effort I had put in, I changed directions slightly. The eggplant "noodles" turned into the layers of my eggplant lasagna. Layers of eggplant alternated with a ricotta/cottage cheese/Parmesan mixture and a sausage/beef layer. Homemade marinara sauce separated the layers and provided necessary liquid to braise the eggplant. To my chagrin, I admit, that the whole dish was topped off with a generous portion of mozzarella cheese. After 45-60 minutes in the oven at 350F, I was ready -however anxious- to taste the creation.

The dish seemed to be an instant, epic failure when the sharpest knife in my kitchen couldn't make a clean cut through the layers of eggplant and sauce. Granted, my knives aren't very sharp, but really... Eventually, we managed to saw a couple of pieces out of the 13"x9" pan and transfer the mess to a couple of plates. Some of the issue could be attributed to not having peeled the eggplant. In addition, the whole mass moved as I tried to cut through the layers. Refer to the exhibit below:

Epic [Eggplant Lasagna] "Failure"

The look of the finished product did not live up to my expectations, so I was wary of the taste. My initial impression was not favorable. The eggplant continued to be difficult to cut through and the texture and flavor did not dance in my mouth. The mixture of marinara, meat, and cheese went well with the crusty bread that accompanied the meal but, as a whole, I was not a fan of the eggplant. I think the dish was tasty enough for someone who enjoys eggplant but was not to my preference. The top layer of the lasagna covered with baked mozzarella was fabulous but not representative of the dish as a whole.

After a couple days covered in the fridge I decided to give the dish a second chance. Oddly, it was much easier to cut the lasagna when it was cold than fresh out of the oven. The taste was still paletable but did not improve in my opinion much.



Eggplant Lasagna with Parmesan, Ricotta, Sausage and Marinara

Although pasta lasagna would have been a better choice in the end, I was glad I chose to attempt this dish, substituting the eggplant for the pasta component. In the same way we hold onto good recipes, we can avoid wasting time and energy with recipes we don't enjoy only when we give them a chance and try them - at least once.