Disaster in the Kitchen

Well, not everything always turns out ok. Case in point: A colleague gave me a bunch of really nice pears. After enjoying a couple of them, I still had enough left over for experimenting. So, I thought, why not try a pear tart! I dug up a recipe that I’ve had for some time, got some puff pastry from the store, and voila, a little bit later, delicious pear tart! Or so I thought. This was really not my best effort.
The puff party was soggy, the peach preserves I used were too watery and ended up running off the pears and burned. The goat cheese was too strong and tasted funny despite the added vanilla and sugar (I do like goat cheese, though.) All in all, nothing worked out right with this application, but if I can find milder goat cheese, I might try again! Upside: I still have three sheets of puff pastry left–I think there are some apple turnovers in my future!

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Cheesecake anybody?

I made some cheesecake this weekend, and while it turned out quite yummy, it struck me as very ordinary. Please
submit suggestions on variations on cheesecake. I will make the most interesting cake and share the results.
Looking forward to all sorts of cool recipes :)

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Recipe for Bienenstich

Ingredients

1 5/8 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 pinch salt
3/4 cup lukewarm milk
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon milk
5/8 cup sliced almonds
1 tablespoon honey (optional)
1 1/2 cups milk
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 tablespoon cream of tartar
Directions

Combine flour, yeast, 2 tablespoons sugar, salt, 3/4 cup milk, and 3 tablespoons butter or margarine. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 15 to 20 minutes. Place in a well greased bowl, and cover. Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled.
Punch down the dough. Roll out to a 1/2 inch thickness. Spread into a greased 8 inch square baking pan. Cover, and let rise for 30 minutes.
Melt 3 tablespoons butter or margarine and confectioner’s sugar in a saucepan. Add almonds and 1 tablespoon milk. Remove from heat, and stir in honey. Spread evenly and carefully onto the dough. Allow dough to continue to rise for an additional 30 minutes.
Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes, or until crust turns golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Dissolve cornstarch in a little milk. Combine 1 1/2 cups milk, cornstarch, and 1 tablespoon sugar inn the top of a double boiler. Heat while stirring until thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add in beaten egg, and keep stirring for about 2 more minutes, or until thick. Remove from heat, and stir in extract. Chill, covered, in refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Beat the whipping cream with the cream of tartar until stiff. Fold into the chilled pudding.
Cut the cooled almond crust bread into 1 1/4 x 2 inch rectangles. Slice each horizontally into halves. Fill with pudding mixture. Chill, and serve cold.

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Bienenstich is Here!

Well, it took a couple of weeks longer than I thought, but here it is:

I finally made Bienenstich, This is a German yeast-based cake that is filled with vanilla pudding that has been enriched with whipped cream, and topped with caramelized slivered almonds. Yummy! It is quite rich, and one piece is almost too much. I will post the recipe in the recipe section. Bienenstich is German for bee sting, and I am not sure why it’s called that. It takes a little bit of time to make, but it’s totally worth it!

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Very Worthwhile Organization

If you don’t already know about it, check out the Organization Cooking Matters.

This organization teaches families how to cook, and how to cook healthy meals. They are also involved
in fighting childhood hunger and a number of other worthwhile causes. Check it out!

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New DDD place visited!

We recently visited another Diner’s Drive-ins and Dives place. For some outstanding Italian food, visit Mama Cozza’s in Anaheim, California. The pizza was great (the menu allows you to build your own.) Great crunchy crust, loads of cheese, and toppings of your choice. A 12″ pie easily feeds two people.
We also tried one of the signature dishes, pasta (of your choice) with tomato clam sauce. According to the server, Guy has been back a couple of times for this dish, and I can see why! The sauce is thick and rich and loaded with chopped clams–also a dish enough for two! We are definitively going back!

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Awesome Ribs for the Superbowl!

Check out the yummulicious ribs we had yesterday! I brined them overnight in beer (dark lager), water, garlic and onion powder, salt and pepper. After 12 hours in the brine, I coated them with a dry rub composed of, among others, paprika, smoked paprika, cumin, and chili powder. When it came time for the barbecue, I slow cooked them on 220 degrees for about 3 hours. I added some hickory chips for extra flavor, and basted them with barbecue sauce during the last 30 minutes. They came out very juicy, nicely glazed, and fell right of the bone. Delicious!

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Great article by Mark Bittman

I am big fan of Mark Bittman, the former New York Times columnist. Here is another great article from him

http://bittman.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/01/wait-so-people-are-cooking/#more-3691

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Domilise’s-New Orleans

Anthony Bourdain was right! You have to try Domilise’s. This place in New Orleans is great! A little hard to find, it’s tucked away in the Garden District, but well worth the effort. I had the shrimp po’ boy, and it was sooo good. They don’t have a website, but watch No Reservations, the New Orleans show, and you get the idea. 4 1/2 Fries!

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Bienenstich this weekend!

This is it! This is the weekend I will make Bienenstich *. For those of you not familiar with German baked goods, it’s a yeast-based dough topped with caramelized, slivered almonds and filled with vanilla pudding. It’s baked in a sheet pan, and then sliced horizontally in half for filling, it’s totally delicious. Recipe to follow!

*translates to bee sting

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