Coming to the end of peach season, we got a batch of peaches that were not that great. Sugared, they languished in the fridge. Rob will tell you that I go to great lengths to use up ingredients, even if it means going out to buy more ingredients.
This time, I decided to cake the peaches and be done with it. The biggest challenge was how to deal with soggy peach slices and the decision to shore up the fruit content with frozen blueberries, which would also melt and add more blue liquid to the mess on the bottom of the cake.
When a juicy fruit of any kind is used on the bottom of a coffee cake, the problem is that the batter 'boils' in the fruit juice and becomes soggy. This is not so offensive if eaten while warm, but I dislike the texture once cooled. If the cake is left out a few days, then mold grows more quickly in this medium as well. Yuck. One must note that I am not talking about a fruit crisp here, where the extra liquid is welcome.
Cornstarch to the rescue! I simply added a tablespoon to the batter, mixing it in with the dry ingredients, and this did a wonderful job of sopping up the extra juices and producing a cake with a good texture next to the fruit.
If there is no cornstarch on hand, then some pastry flour mixed with the all purpose flour component is acceptable, but this is more complicated since one needs to account for the fact that cake flour and all purpose flour is not substituted at a 1:1 ratio. Admittedly, I just eyeball it. Sometimes, if I wish to alter the texture of a cake, I will mix all purpose and pastry flours, but this is a discussion best left for a different post, since I am very fervent about it.
On another topic, my kids wanted chocolate chip cookies, but my daughter was feeling orange. I bought her a large orange, and she zested it and added it to her cookie dough. Such a simple addition, but what a difference it made to the ordinary Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe (although she argues that she produces cookies which are far from ordinary).
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
Comfort food.
"Can you wait at least a half hour?" I ask the kids, as we troup into the house. "Dinner won't be ready for up to 45 minutes." They chorus their assents, and take off to do the sorts of things they do while waiting for food.
After a long, rather difficult day at work, who doesn't crave comfort food? Unfortunately, Rob was not around to provide it tonight, so I had to rise to the challenge.
Rob claims that every Chinese girl he met at university had a rice cooker. I refrain from trying to figure out how many girls he became acquainted with well enough to learn this 'fact', but I remain skeptical that his sample size was large enough to create a statistical norm. The mind wanders.
Anyway, this is a dish I used to make with a friend while we were living in our dormitories, and wanted a late night snack. In those times, we used canned niblet corn, because we did not always have access to refrigeration, but now, I use frozen corn. Less sodium, and every bit as good.
What am I talking about? A combination of rice, Chinese sausage cut in bite size pieces and corn. That's it! You add a little extra water to the rice after you've washed it, and throw the other two ingredients in the pot. Turn the rice cooker on and walk away for about 20 minutes and check. When the 'rice cooking' button pops up, you stir the mixture and unplug the cooker. (Everyone knows that you can't just eat the rice immediately after the button pops up, right?) Leave the rice mix for at least ten minutes, and spoon out and serve.
I only cut up 3 sausages, and there was not quite enough with a starting point of 2 cups raw rice. I should have put in more corn too - probably at least 2 cups. How was I to know the kids would like it as much as their mother?
Now I know my kids will be fine when they go away to university. A rice cooker is not just for girls, but Rob probably never spent time checking out the boys.
After a long, rather difficult day at work, who doesn't crave comfort food? Unfortunately, Rob was not around to provide it tonight, so I had to rise to the challenge.
Rob claims that every Chinese girl he met at university had a rice cooker. I refrain from trying to figure out how many girls he became acquainted with well enough to learn this 'fact', but I remain skeptical that his sample size was large enough to create a statistical norm. The mind wanders.
Anyway, this is a dish I used to make with a friend while we were living in our dormitories, and wanted a late night snack. In those times, we used canned niblet corn, because we did not always have access to refrigeration, but now, I use frozen corn. Less sodium, and every bit as good.
What am I talking about? A combination of rice, Chinese sausage cut in bite size pieces and corn. That's it! You add a little extra water to the rice after you've washed it, and throw the other two ingredients in the pot. Turn the rice cooker on and walk away for about 20 minutes and check. When the 'rice cooking' button pops up, you stir the mixture and unplug the cooker. (Everyone knows that you can't just eat the rice immediately after the button pops up, right?) Leave the rice mix for at least ten minutes, and spoon out and serve.
I only cut up 3 sausages, and there was not quite enough with a starting point of 2 cups raw rice. I should have put in more corn too - probably at least 2 cups. How was I to know the kids would like it as much as their mother?
Now I know my kids will be fine when they go away to university. A rice cooker is not just for girls, but Rob probably never spent time checking out the boys.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Bacon and Tomato Sandwiches, Variations, Chicken Wings
Back to school and here we are, rushing to make lunches, eat breakfast and out the door. But there are a few things we do like about early September.
The tomatoes still taste like real tomatoes. They are sweet, juicy and flavourful. And of course, Rob makes his wonderful, to die for, Bacon and Tomato Sandwiches. No, I am not missing the 'L' for lettuce. This is no discussion of healthful gastronomy. This is indulgence.
Rob crisps up the bacon in the microwave. He uses the ordinary thin sliced stuff, so it is not too filling and difficult to chew. He slices the tomatoes thickly. Good cheddar cheese. Good quality bread, whole wheat or otherwise. That's it! He spreads a bit of mayo on the bread, melts the cheese on the tomatoes and assembles with the bacon. "Daddy has Sandwich Powers!" say the kids. How right they are.
Over the weekend, Rob also put together some fresh foccacia with ham, tomatoes and cheese (cacciacavallo), then grilled it all. It's really the same formula each time, with different actors. It's like the fashion equivalent of 'uniforms.' You find something that works for you and then you go crazy on the variations.
I also bought a few bartlett pears. They were a little hard and quite green. What a difference it makes, in 3 days! Sweet, juicy ripeness that explodes as you chew. There are also a few peaches left. What a life we enjoy at the end of summer.
But since I haven't posted for a few days, I have to mention the chicken wings. Rob loves his new grill, and usually I am in charge of marinading the meat. When he asked me to do it, I refused. I told he needed to do something new, something different! So he did.
He made a rub - salt, garlic, chipotle, chili powders. When the wings had been almost finished on the grill, he brushed them with molasses and honey to add a little sweetness. Not much, but enough on the tastebuds. We were all so happy one kid had a cold. More for the rest!
The tomatoes still taste like real tomatoes. They are sweet, juicy and flavourful. And of course, Rob makes his wonderful, to die for, Bacon and Tomato Sandwiches. No, I am not missing the 'L' for lettuce. This is no discussion of healthful gastronomy. This is indulgence.
Rob crisps up the bacon in the microwave. He uses the ordinary thin sliced stuff, so it is not too filling and difficult to chew. He slices the tomatoes thickly. Good cheddar cheese. Good quality bread, whole wheat or otherwise. That's it! He spreads a bit of mayo on the bread, melts the cheese on the tomatoes and assembles with the bacon. "Daddy has Sandwich Powers!" say the kids. How right they are.
Over the weekend, Rob also put together some fresh foccacia with ham, tomatoes and cheese (cacciacavallo), then grilled it all. It's really the same formula each time, with different actors. It's like the fashion equivalent of 'uniforms.' You find something that works for you and then you go crazy on the variations.
I also bought a few bartlett pears. They were a little hard and quite green. What a difference it makes, in 3 days! Sweet, juicy ripeness that explodes as you chew. There are also a few peaches left. What a life we enjoy at the end of summer.
But since I haven't posted for a few days, I have to mention the chicken wings. Rob loves his new grill, and usually I am in charge of marinading the meat. When he asked me to do it, I refused. I told he needed to do something new, something different! So he did.
He made a rub - salt, garlic, chipotle, chili powders. When the wings had been almost finished on the grill, he brushed them with molasses and honey to add a little sweetness. Not much, but enough on the tastebuds. We were all so happy one kid had a cold. More for the rest!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Fish Stew
Rob chopped and diced to my directions: onions, garlic, peppers, carrots and zucchini. Sauteed in olive oil with paella seasoning I found at the Italian store and dumped in canned tomatoes and chicken broth (no fish stock on hand, or clam nectar). Yes, I know paella has Spanish origins, but what the heck, there aren't any Spanish stores around, and I like this particular seasoning. Add some dried oregano, basil, powdered celery (I forgot to buy fresh) and crushed chili peppers and simmer until the vegetables are tender to taste.
Red snapper was on sale. Rob spent some while removing bones, although I don't usually bother. Cut into large chunks and throw into the soup. Voila, fish stew. Served with a tomato salad and bread brushed and toasted with seasoned butter (also leftover) and we were very happy. Low calory too, if you skip the buttered bread, but less omega 3 with the lean white fish. Lycopenes with the tomatoes.
The kids slurped up dinner and wondered why I didn't have fake crab in it. Depending on how generous my food budget is, the tomato base holds all kinds of fish/seafood: canned or frozen or fake crab, clams, salmon, halibut, shrimp, snapper, cod, or whatever I like. Usually the family or visitors like too.
Oh, the tomato base is generally composed of whatever I find on hand. The saffron is nice, but not necessary. I often add thyme from the garden, even when it is in very bad shape during the winter. If you don't like herbs, leave them out and add more onions.
Tastes good on a cold, wet day. The yellow saffron reminds me of sun.
Red snapper was on sale. Rob spent some while removing bones, although I don't usually bother. Cut into large chunks and throw into the soup. Voila, fish stew. Served with a tomato salad and bread brushed and toasted with seasoned butter (also leftover) and we were very happy. Low calory too, if you skip the buttered bread, but less omega 3 with the lean white fish. Lycopenes with the tomatoes.
The kids slurped up dinner and wondered why I didn't have fake crab in it. Depending on how generous my food budget is, the tomato base holds all kinds of fish/seafood: canned or frozen or fake crab, clams, salmon, halibut, shrimp, snapper, cod, or whatever I like. Usually the family or visitors like too.
Oh, the tomato base is generally composed of whatever I find on hand. The saffron is nice, but not necessary. I often add thyme from the garden, even when it is in very bad shape during the winter. If you don't like herbs, leave them out and add more onions.
Tastes good on a cold, wet day. The yellow saffron reminds me of sun.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Smelling the Seasoning, Ribs.
I had a work gang making apple crisp for me yesterday. As usual, the children were busy complaining at first, but dug into the task eventually.
We used Braeburn apples, which turned out to have a nice texture - the apples didn't cook to mush, but were very sour. I had tasted them earlier and adjusted the sugar, but I felt the finished crisp was improved by ice cream, which in fact, I failed to have with the dessert because I wasn't hungry. I got compliments on the 'crispiness' of the topping though.
As Rob attempted to peel the world's longest strip off a large apple, one kid chopped and sliced, and the other kid was supposed to cut the butter into some flour and sugar. Unfortunately, she did not understand that "cut the butter into the flour" comes from a time when we did not have pastry cutters - people used two knives to reduced the butter from a large block to small pebbles the size of peas.
We have a new fangled device. It looks a bit like a potato masher, with a very sturdy handle, and straight, ridged rows of metal, which can be pushed through the hardest, coldest butter. My clueless child was using this device to mash the butter into a paste as she tried to twist and push at the same time. The old semi-circular pastry cutters would often bend and buckle if the butter was too hard. No particular harm done, but I had to use a table knife to scrape the butter off the pastry cutter, and explain the principle of the task. We've made crisp many times. How could she have escaped this basic knowledge? You also need to make sure you add enough butter. Otherwise your crisp becomes more of a crumble, but no one minds the difference except for me.
I start by using an old Betty Crocker recipe to make my crisp topping. It evolves from there. I use different combinations of brown and white sugar, depending on how sweet the apples are. (I prefer the old fashioned rolled oats for apples, but will mix in quick oats for blueberries, sometimes, because the finished product is runnier.) For spices, I like cinnamon and nutmeg as a minimum. Lots of cinnamon, especially with a tart apple. From there, I added allspice, and cloves.
"But Mommy, how do you know how much to add?" I stuck the bowl under her nose and told her to sniff! Her eyes crossed, but didn't stick. She has a nice, orthophoric gaze, my child. "Mmmmmm!"
For some reason, people don't seem to really smell their seasonings when they are following a recipe. I always stick my nose in it. I make the children stick their noses in it too. When they were very small, I would take them to the spice cupboard, and we would spend a number of minutes smelling the seasonings. Smelling informs the taste buds. The aroma changes on heating, and it is the cook's experience which expedites the understanding of this transformation. The easiest way to learn is by baking. After a while, one can season many things just by thinking about it, and knowing the smell of the spice beforehand.
Note: The quality, age and quantity of a spice all affect its potency when used. Once the cook knows these factors, very little time is required to adjust the seasoning. Since I am often in a hurry, I usually don't need to pull out a spoon and actually taste the product (besides burning my tongue on things like spaghetti sauce). What fun to try new foods, and anticipate the taste from the delicious odours wafting out of the kitchen. Even more fun later, trying to replicate a new group of spices and smells when first introduced to a new cuisine.
Tonight, Rob made barbequed ribs. He put a spice rub on them and grilled them at low heat for 3 hours. Then he slathered on homemade sauce and wrapped them in foil to allow the sauce to steam onto the meat. Apparently this is not a purist method either. Well, I suppose I will never be a true gourmet, but I remain ready to appreciate food someone else cooks for me. The ribs were spicy and tangy and sweet. Add rice, frozen corn and leftover grilled zucchini. We ate it all up.
We used Braeburn apples, which turned out to have a nice texture - the apples didn't cook to mush, but were very sour. I had tasted them earlier and adjusted the sugar, but I felt the finished crisp was improved by ice cream, which in fact, I failed to have with the dessert because I wasn't hungry. I got compliments on the 'crispiness' of the topping though.
As Rob attempted to peel the world's longest strip off a large apple, one kid chopped and sliced, and the other kid was supposed to cut the butter into some flour and sugar. Unfortunately, she did not understand that "cut the butter into the flour" comes from a time when we did not have pastry cutters - people used two knives to reduced the butter from a large block to small pebbles the size of peas.
We have a new fangled device. It looks a bit like a potato masher, with a very sturdy handle, and straight, ridged rows of metal, which can be pushed through the hardest, coldest butter. My clueless child was using this device to mash the butter into a paste as she tried to twist and push at the same time. The old semi-circular pastry cutters would often bend and buckle if the butter was too hard. No particular harm done, but I had to use a table knife to scrape the butter off the pastry cutter, and explain the principle of the task. We've made crisp many times. How could she have escaped this basic knowledge? You also need to make sure you add enough butter. Otherwise your crisp becomes more of a crumble, but no one minds the difference except for me.
I start by using an old Betty Crocker recipe to make my crisp topping. It evolves from there. I use different combinations of brown and white sugar, depending on how sweet the apples are. (I prefer the old fashioned rolled oats for apples, but will mix in quick oats for blueberries, sometimes, because the finished product is runnier.) For spices, I like cinnamon and nutmeg as a minimum. Lots of cinnamon, especially with a tart apple. From there, I added allspice, and cloves.
"But Mommy, how do you know how much to add?" I stuck the bowl under her nose and told her to sniff! Her eyes crossed, but didn't stick. She has a nice, orthophoric gaze, my child. "Mmmmmm!"
For some reason, people don't seem to really smell their seasonings when they are following a recipe. I always stick my nose in it. I make the children stick their noses in it too. When they were very small, I would take them to the spice cupboard, and we would spend a number of minutes smelling the seasonings. Smelling informs the taste buds. The aroma changes on heating, and it is the cook's experience which expedites the understanding of this transformation. The easiest way to learn is by baking. After a while, one can season many things just by thinking about it, and knowing the smell of the spice beforehand.
Note: The quality, age and quantity of a spice all affect its potency when used. Once the cook knows these factors, very little time is required to adjust the seasoning. Since I am often in a hurry, I usually don't need to pull out a spoon and actually taste the product (besides burning my tongue on things like spaghetti sauce). What fun to try new foods, and anticipate the taste from the delicious odours wafting out of the kitchen. Even more fun later, trying to replicate a new group of spices and smells when first introduced to a new cuisine.
Tonight, Rob made barbequed ribs. He put a spice rub on them and grilled them at low heat for 3 hours. Then he slathered on homemade sauce and wrapped them in foil to allow the sauce to steam onto the meat. Apparently this is not a purist method either. Well, I suppose I will never be a true gourmet, but I remain ready to appreciate food someone else cooks for me. The ribs were spicy and tangy and sweet. Add rice, frozen corn and leftover grilled zucchini. We ate it all up.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Crusts and Lighter Cheesecakes
The children's eyes swayed with the knife as I made the cut, carefully down the centre, as evenly as possible. There was a plea for an equal starting time. Then spoons flashed as each half was carefully consumed to be sure all was fair. The bone of contention was a small bowl filled with leftover almond cheesecake. I was in a great hurry when I made it. Fortunately there was a leftover almond nut crust in my freezer waiting for these kinds of moments.
Sometimes in suprisingly diverse places, one can find amaretti biscuits made only with almonds. The majority of commercial amaretti biscuits contain some kind of wheat flour, which makes it off limits for those with gluten allergies. I found my wheat free stuff in the drugstore food aisle! The texture is slightly different if it contains wheat. Different. Not worse, or bad.
The amaretti biscuits are crushed in a food processor, and mixed with ground almonds. When I am feeling ambitious, I roast the almonds, cool them, and then grind them. Usually, I just grind them and throw them in because they are roasted when I bake the crust anyway. The ratio of biscuits to nuts is whatever convenient amounts add to the total for a recipe of graham cracker crumbs and I subtract some sugar. Okay, to tell the truth, I just eyeball everything.
It's important to put just enough melted butter to thinly coat the crumbs, because with too little, the crust is too crumbly. Too much, and the crust is too hard. The crumb proportions are not that important, but keep in mind what you want the final product to taste like! I am also looking for a specific textural quality. When mixed long enough, the crumbs sort of stick together, but fall apart easily, until you pack them into the bottom of the pan.
Adjust your ingredients according to how you plan the crust to contrast with the filling. There are a number of variables: the size of the crumbs, the type of nut, the sweetness you need, etc. These all change the feel of the crust when you push your fork through the cheesecake. You want that crust to crumble into the filling as you bite and chew so everything mixes together to delight the tongue. Remember that texture is as important as taste.
The other very important thing to remember is to cool the crust completely. Absolutely at room temperature or colder. Otherwise, it gets soggy. Many times, I have eaten a good cheesecake ruined by a soggy crust! A well cooled crust often withstands freezing even when the cheesecake has been cooked on top of it. If you plan to do that though, add a little extra butter for insurance. To me, a good crust makes the difference in whether a cheesecake is perceived as merely good, or amazing!
Onto the lighter cheesecake. I don't really believe in "low fat" recipes, per se. What I want is something that tastes natural, without the feeling that a substitution has been effected, just to lower the fat content. This means I NEVER use light cream cheese for baking. I use it for other things, but often you will see that a recipe tells you specifically not to use the stuff. This is because light cream cheese has a much higher water content, and again, this affects the texture of baking.
Well, I actually want to talk about a no-bake cheesecake today, so I will leave the rest of that discussion for another time. I still don't use light cream cheese though. Instead, I add less cream cheese, and fold it into a custard base and I do use gelatin to make sure it all comes to a firm enough texture to cut. Sacrilege! Some people do not believe in using gelatin to stiffen a mousse or cheesecake, but then, I never claimed to be a purist.
This is how I do it: I make a custard with 1% milk, sugar, eggs, flavouring and a little cornstarch to thicken it. Standard. I beat the cream cheese until it is fluffy, and mix it into the custard. I can either soften the gelatin and cook it into the custard, or mix it in with the cream cheese. If I have time, I will let it cool and watch it carefully, so it doesn't set too fast. Then I take whipping cream, whipped, and fold it all together and pour into the crust to properly set.
When I am in a rush, I simply whip the cream and fold into the warm cream cheese mixture. The result is a runny mess. Pour into the cooled crust (if newly baked, stick in freezer while doing the filling). Then get on with the rest of your day.
You get a slightly denser version, which still has a relatively light feel on the tongue. I actually like it this way. The extra filling went into a bowl, which the children ate after breakfast.
I served the cheesecake with raspberry sauce, but it also would have been good with chocolate sauce with amaretto liqueur.
Sometimes in suprisingly diverse places, one can find amaretti biscuits made only with almonds. The majority of commercial amaretti biscuits contain some kind of wheat flour, which makes it off limits for those with gluten allergies. I found my wheat free stuff in the drugstore food aisle! The texture is slightly different if it contains wheat. Different. Not worse, or bad.
The amaretti biscuits are crushed in a food processor, and mixed with ground almonds. When I am feeling ambitious, I roast the almonds, cool them, and then grind them. Usually, I just grind them and throw them in because they are roasted when I bake the crust anyway. The ratio of biscuits to nuts is whatever convenient amounts add to the total for a recipe of graham cracker crumbs and I subtract some sugar. Okay, to tell the truth, I just eyeball everything.
It's important to put just enough melted butter to thinly coat the crumbs, because with too little, the crust is too crumbly. Too much, and the crust is too hard. The crumb proportions are not that important, but keep in mind what you want the final product to taste like! I am also looking for a specific textural quality. When mixed long enough, the crumbs sort of stick together, but fall apart easily, until you pack them into the bottom of the pan.
Adjust your ingredients according to how you plan the crust to contrast with the filling. There are a number of variables: the size of the crumbs, the type of nut, the sweetness you need, etc. These all change the feel of the crust when you push your fork through the cheesecake. You want that crust to crumble into the filling as you bite and chew so everything mixes together to delight the tongue. Remember that texture is as important as taste.
The other very important thing to remember is to cool the crust completely. Absolutely at room temperature or colder. Otherwise, it gets soggy. Many times, I have eaten a good cheesecake ruined by a soggy crust! A well cooled crust often withstands freezing even when the cheesecake has been cooked on top of it. If you plan to do that though, add a little extra butter for insurance. To me, a good crust makes the difference in whether a cheesecake is perceived as merely good, or amazing!
Onto the lighter cheesecake. I don't really believe in "low fat" recipes, per se. What I want is something that tastes natural, without the feeling that a substitution has been effected, just to lower the fat content. This means I NEVER use light cream cheese for baking. I use it for other things, but often you will see that a recipe tells you specifically not to use the stuff. This is because light cream cheese has a much higher water content, and again, this affects the texture of baking.
Well, I actually want to talk about a no-bake cheesecake today, so I will leave the rest of that discussion for another time. I still don't use light cream cheese though. Instead, I add less cream cheese, and fold it into a custard base and I do use gelatin to make sure it all comes to a firm enough texture to cut. Sacrilege! Some people do not believe in using gelatin to stiffen a mousse or cheesecake, but then, I never claimed to be a purist.
This is how I do it: I make a custard with 1% milk, sugar, eggs, flavouring and a little cornstarch to thicken it. Standard. I beat the cream cheese until it is fluffy, and mix it into the custard. I can either soften the gelatin and cook it into the custard, or mix it in with the cream cheese. If I have time, I will let it cool and watch it carefully, so it doesn't set too fast. Then I take whipping cream, whipped, and fold it all together and pour into the crust to properly set.
When I am in a rush, I simply whip the cream and fold into the warm cream cheese mixture. The result is a runny mess. Pour into the cooled crust (if newly baked, stick in freezer while doing the filling). Then get on with the rest of your day.
You get a slightly denser version, which still has a relatively light feel on the tongue. I actually like it this way. The extra filling went into a bowl, which the children ate after breakfast.
I served the cheesecake with raspberry sauce, but it also would have been good with chocolate sauce with amaretto liqueur.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Lemon and Raspberries
"Oh, this is soooo hard!" moans my child. She is scraping raspberry seeds back and forth over a sieve, to push as much pulp as possible out the other side. "All the seeds still have some goo on them! It takes forever!"
I love the taste of raspberries, but I do not enjoy the seeds. At all. Rob had been the chief raspberry seed remover in the family, but the kids are growing older and acquiring more responsibilities, right?
I make raspberry sauce a lot, since we have a patch in our back yard which is reasonably prolific. Once the seeds are removed, it's a simple matter to throw in some lemon juice, sugar and cornstarch to make a lovely, bright tasting sauce. The lemon juice is key. The extra acid wakes up the flavour. As usual I eyeball the ingredient amounts, and often don't even bother to taste the product until serving. It somehow comes out right with very little adjustment. The cornstarch is important to the feel in the mouth. Sometimes, I want it thicker or thinner so I add accordingly.
Once the sauce is cooked to my desires, I pour it into jam jars and cap it hot. Then I let it cool to room temperature and put it in the fridge. Note, I am NOT preserving it this way. I just find the skin that forms on top is less evident if I cover it warm. The best way to prevent 'cornstarch skin' on a sauce or custard is to put plastic film directly on top while hot, but I can't be bothered for jars of sauce.
What to put it on? Tonight, it was a tangy lemon tart. I made a butter shortbread crust baked in the oven for 15 minutes and pushed down to cool, so it was good and firm. Then poured in the lemon filling (make it from scratch, it's worth it).
The trick when having lemon tart with raspberry sauce is to make sure it's not too sweet. This is really difficult when trying to balance sweet with sour. The best way to smooth out the conflict is to use a dab of whipping cream served with the two. Refrigerating the tart also helps, which I didn't do tonight, so it was a bit on the sweet side for me but the sour was perfect.
As an aside, when one must juice so many lemons, it's hard to see all that zest go to waste. There were the extra egg whites too, from the filling. Rob will tell you I hate to leave excess ingredients around. So somehow, this morphed into a lemon poppy seed snacking cake which had beaten egg whites, with a combination of all purpose and cake flours to lighten it further. I crossed a snack cake recipe with a chiffon cake, because I didn't have enough yolks for a balanced chiffon, and I didn't feel like making a sponge cake. We will see how it turns out when we get around to tasting it.
I love the taste of raspberries, but I do not enjoy the seeds. At all. Rob had been the chief raspberry seed remover in the family, but the kids are growing older and acquiring more responsibilities, right?
I make raspberry sauce a lot, since we have a patch in our back yard which is reasonably prolific. Once the seeds are removed, it's a simple matter to throw in some lemon juice, sugar and cornstarch to make a lovely, bright tasting sauce. The lemon juice is key. The extra acid wakes up the flavour. As usual I eyeball the ingredient amounts, and often don't even bother to taste the product until serving. It somehow comes out right with very little adjustment. The cornstarch is important to the feel in the mouth. Sometimes, I want it thicker or thinner so I add accordingly.
Once the sauce is cooked to my desires, I pour it into jam jars and cap it hot. Then I let it cool to room temperature and put it in the fridge. Note, I am NOT preserving it this way. I just find the skin that forms on top is less evident if I cover it warm. The best way to prevent 'cornstarch skin' on a sauce or custard is to put plastic film directly on top while hot, but I can't be bothered for jars of sauce.
What to put it on? Tonight, it was a tangy lemon tart. I made a butter shortbread crust baked in the oven for 15 minutes and pushed down to cool, so it was good and firm. Then poured in the lemon filling (make it from scratch, it's worth it).
The trick when having lemon tart with raspberry sauce is to make sure it's not too sweet. This is really difficult when trying to balance sweet with sour. The best way to smooth out the conflict is to use a dab of whipping cream served with the two. Refrigerating the tart also helps, which I didn't do tonight, so it was a bit on the sweet side for me but the sour was perfect.
As an aside, when one must juice so many lemons, it's hard to see all that zest go to waste. There were the extra egg whites too, from the filling. Rob will tell you I hate to leave excess ingredients around. So somehow, this morphed into a lemon poppy seed snacking cake which had beaten egg whites, with a combination of all purpose and cake flours to lighten it further. I crossed a snack cake recipe with a chiffon cake, because I didn't have enough yolks for a balanced chiffon, and I didn't feel like making a sponge cake. We will see how it turns out when we get around to tasting it.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Judgement and Terriyaki Salmon
I asked the kids to make me Greek salad, and they asked how many peppers and tomatoes should be cut up? I told them to figure it out! They've only eaten a million Greek salads. And so they did. They could see the proportions as they sliced up the vegetables and proudly told me it "looked right." We, the parents, explained that cooking requires a lot of judgement, which comes with practise. It's not like baking, which needs a far more rigorous understanding if you want to start substituting and changing amounts of ingredients. We will continue to practise judgement, not just in the kitchen!
The kids also wanted terriyaki salmon. This is really easy. I found a fresh side of salmon, and Rob poured terriyaki sauce (the thin kind) on the salmon and threw it on the grill at high heat. He carefully removes the fish from its skin and flips it over right on the skin, and finishes cooking it before putting it on a warm platter. Then he cooks the skin until it is crispy. For those who think, "Yuck! Salmon skin?" You've never tried Rob's.
Then there was the chicken sauce. At least, it's included with steamed chicken when you buy it from a Chinese deli. So simple. Almost equal amounts of green onions and ginger, very finely chopped (I use a food chopper) and just enough canola or peanut oil to coat everything - or more if you want to be authentic. Either salt, or soy sauce to taste. It's prettier with plain salt, but I think it tastes better with soy sauce. Use with the terriyaki salmon, and it's surprising how much you eat - sauce and fish on plain rice.
We had grilled peppers too. Such a great time of the year.
The kids also wanted terriyaki salmon. This is really easy. I found a fresh side of salmon, and Rob poured terriyaki sauce (the thin kind) on the salmon and threw it on the grill at high heat. He carefully removes the fish from its skin and flips it over right on the skin, and finishes cooking it before putting it on a warm platter. Then he cooks the skin until it is crispy. For those who think, "Yuck! Salmon skin?" You've never tried Rob's.
Then there was the chicken sauce. At least, it's included with steamed chicken when you buy it from a Chinese deli. So simple. Almost equal amounts of green onions and ginger, very finely chopped (I use a food chopper) and just enough canola or peanut oil to coat everything - or more if you want to be authentic. Either salt, or soy sauce to taste. It's prettier with plain salt, but I think it tastes better with soy sauce. Use with the terriyaki salmon, and it's surprising how much you eat - sauce and fish on plain rice.
We had grilled peppers too. Such a great time of the year.
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