Favorite recipes?
I posted a recipe thread a couple of years ago and got some good stuff out of it.
These days, I've been making a lot of bread. I've found this recipe for hamburger and hot dog buns (not my recipe) to be absolutely outstanding. Strongly preferred to store bought buns and far less preservatives (but you do have to eat or freeze them within a few days).
Anyone else have some good recipes to share?
These days, I've been making a lot of bread. I've found this recipe for hamburger and hot dog buns (not my recipe) to be absolutely outstanding. Strongly preferred to store bought buns and far less preservatives (but you do have to eat or freeze them within a few days).
Anyone else have some good recipes to share?
Quote:
Buns (Hamburger/Hot Dog)
Makes: 12 -16
Ingredients
1 cup milk
½ cup water
¼ cup unsalted butter
4½ cups flour (unbleached, whole wheat, or a
mix)
1 pkg instant yeast
1 tbsp honey
1½ teasp salt
1 egg, room temperature
Method
Heat the milk, water, honey and butter until butter
is melted. Check temperature. Depending on the
temperature, let cool to 120F. Carefully beat in
egg.
Mix 2 cups of the flour, yeast, and salt. Mix into the
flour mixture. Stir in the rest of the flour, 1/2 cup at
a time. Beat well after each addition.
When the dough pulls together, turn it out onto a
floured surface and knead until smooth and
elastic. This should take about 5 minutes.
Divide dough into 12 -16 equal pieces. This will
depend on the size you want for the finished bun.
Shape into smooth balls, flatten slightly, and place
on a silpat covered baking sheet.
Let rise for 30 to 35 minutes. When buns have
almost doubled bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 12
minutes.
If you are making hot dog buns I find it easiest to
roll the dough out into a large rectangle and cut
into smaller rectangles. Let rise with sides
touching.
You can brush the tops with egg wash and
sprinkle with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, coarse
sea salt, or whatever you like. You can add dry
onion soup mix for onion rolls. These are very
versatile!
Makes 12-16
Buns (Hamburger/Hot Dog)
Makes: 12 -16
Ingredients
1 cup milk
½ cup water
¼ cup unsalted butter
4½ cups flour (unbleached, whole wheat, or a
mix)
1 pkg instant yeast
1 tbsp honey
1½ teasp salt
1 egg, room temperature
Method
Heat the milk, water, honey and butter until butter
is melted. Check temperature. Depending on the
temperature, let cool to 120F. Carefully beat in
egg.
Mix 2 cups of the flour, yeast, and salt. Mix into the
flour mixture. Stir in the rest of the flour, 1/2 cup at
a time. Beat well after each addition.
When the dough pulls together, turn it out onto a
floured surface and knead until smooth and
elastic. This should take about 5 minutes.
Divide dough into 12 -16 equal pieces. This will
depend on the size you want for the finished bun.
Shape into smooth balls, flatten slightly, and place
on a silpat covered baking sheet.
Let rise for 30 to 35 minutes. When buns have
almost doubled bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 12
minutes.
If you are making hot dog buns I find it easiest to
roll the dough out into a large rectangle and cut
into smaller rectangles. Let rise with sides
touching.
You can brush the tops with egg wash and
sprinkle with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, coarse
sea salt, or whatever you like. You can add dry
onion soup mix for onion rolls. These are very
versatile!
Makes 12-16
Comments
So tasty.
Preparation:
Basically it's 1 cup risotto, 3.5 tbsp of butter (don't skimp), about a whole package of chicken broth, 1 small onion (err on the side of less), 1 lb asparagus (again, don't skimp), 3/4th cup of white wine, and kosher salt.
First prepare the asparagus by snapping off the woody ends. Then boil about 2/3rd of the asparagus in water, running them under cold water at just about the point where a fork can pierce the outside with a little pressure yet goes in smooth through the meat of the plant. Then puree that cooked asparagus in a blender with some chicken broth (just enough to get it to puree). Set aside.
Pour the stock in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer.
Then, finely chop the onion and fry in a little olive oil and the butter (but set aside 1 tbsp for the end). When translucent, add the rice and toast for a minute or two. Do not wash the rice. Risotto gets its creaminess from the starches in the rice, which won't remain if you wash it. Then add the wine and stir. The big myth about risotto is that you always need to stir. This is not true. You only need to stir each time you add liquid, and maybe a few times after that.
When it appears the rice has absorbed all the wine, begin to add a ladleful of broth, adding more each time it appears the rice has absorbed all the liquid. This step could take 20-30 minutes. You eventually want to get the rice to a point where it still has a little "bite" but it's tender. You want "al dente" rice, I suppose; not mushy or crunchy rice.
At some point, you want to add the remaining asparagus to the rice (cut in 1-inch diagonal pieces). This part is probably the trickiest, since you don't want to overcook the asparagus or the rice. When the rice is finished, add the asparagus puree and fold in the remaining butter and add cheese if you'd like. Add salt to taste (can do this at any point, basically).
Serve immediately!
It's almost "soup-like," but thick, mild, and delicious.
*Note- if you make more than 1 cup of risotto, make sure you add more asparagus. Non-soupy risotto not made in a restaurant sometimes has the texture of glue, and you don't want that!
I could have called that one...
Oh yeah.
I forgot that I already posted it in a similar thread.
Cayenne pepper pairs surprisingly well with chocolate. Hot chocolate with cayenne pepper might be the most euphoric drink on the planet. No exaggeration-- you get an endorphin rush without any of the pain. This is a good recipe for "Spicy Mayan Hot Chocolate."
Right now I'm enjoying some chocolate pudding with cayenne pepper. It's unspectacular (unlike the hot chocolate), but it keeps things interesting.
Man, I butchered that one.
Actually, it is "brew-skay-ta"
I wonder why the "English" pronunciation has to be different. Maybe that's just wikipedia being dumb.
Bruschetta (pron. brus'ket'ta in English, /bɾu'sketta/ in Italian)
I wonder why the "English" pronunciation has to be different. Maybe that's just wikipedia being dumb.
I don't know. I'm just going by how my family always said it. And of course Giada.
I read it should be cooked in a cast-iron skillet. Never had one of these. Anyone use one?
I've been obsessed with creating perfect omelettes. Mine has to have a very thin shell, moist body, and made from good quality eggs (ones with practically orange yolks) (incidentally, just how I like my women.) I do this by beating several eggs with a splash of milk, salt, and pepper. Then I add 1 tbsp of cubed butter so it melts evenly when cooking. The real secret is to break up the curds with the bottom of a fork as they form. This gets the egg silky and creamy; not a dry, thick slab of egg. It's hard to master because you have to get the temperature right and control the curd formation without scrambling or drying out the egg. I finish with a touch of heat to create the thin shell (yellow, not burned).
I also make a mean english muffin egg sandwich. The ingredients can easily vary, but it basically consists of bread, egg, meat, and vegetable. My version uses a toasted, lightly buttered english muffin; egg, basil, and green onions cooked appropriately for a sandwich; a slice of roasted red pepper; and a slice of soppresata or prosciutto. You can get as fancy or down-home as you want with this thing. I've seen it with smoked salmon and caviar. I love it!
My omelettes always end up runny and rawish in the middle. Do you cover the pan? Also, are you putting the butter in your egg mixture or melting first in the pan?
The cubed butter goes in the egg mixture so that it will melt evenly in the pan when you start frying it up. Also, there's no time to cover the pan. The process of breaking up the curds as they form with the bottom a fork takes all your attention. Doing it this way, the texture of the egg is creamy, so you don't have that egg mass/runny insides thing you seem to be getting. When you fold it, the egg only runs a little and it's nothing a few more seconds on the pan can't help solidify without drying up the egg. It's difficult to perfect-- I've mistakenly scrambled/dried out more omelettes than I can count.
My omelettes always end up runny and rawish in the middle. Do you cover the pan? Also, are you putting the butter in your egg mixture or melting first in the pan?
The perfect (basic) omelet.
However,,, There are these Buttermilk Spice Muffins served at Mimis Café http://www.mimiscafe.com/default.aspx and they are really good with breakfast.
They actually post the recipe on their website and here it is:
BUTTERMILK SPICE MUFFINS
Muffin Batter
1 cup sugar\t \t
1/2 cup butter or margarine\t \t
3 eggs\t \t
2 1/2 cups flour\t \t
2 teaspoons baking soda\t \t
1 teaspoon nutmeg\t \t
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon\t \t
3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon buttermilk
Nut Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Grease the baking tins with butter or margarine
Method
Preheat oven to 375°. In a mixing bowl, cream the sugar and the butter together with an electric mixer. When they are thoroughly mixed, add eggs and beat one more minute.
Sift the flour into a separate bowl, together with the baking soda, nutmeg and the cinnamon.
Add the flour and the buttermilk to the first mixture, mix at low speed until smooth. To avoid lumps in the batter, add the wet and dry ingredients alternately, in small amounts.
Make the nut topping: Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.
Grease muffin tins with butter or margarine. You can also use paper baking cups. Fill each cup 3/4 full of batter. Add a full, rounded tablespoon of nut topping on top of each muffin cup of batter. Bake immediately or the topping will sink to the bottom of the muffin.
Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. A toothpick inserted in the middle of the muffin should come out dry. Home ovens heat differently from commercial ovens so you may need to adjust the temperature or the baking time accordingly.
Recipe yields 12 standard-size muffins, or six Mimis size muffins. If using the jumbo muffin pans, reduce the oven temperature by 25° and increase the baking time 5-10 minutes.
They are perfect!
Fellows
The perfect (basic) omelet.
I love Alton Brown, but his omelette won't have a creamy consistency or thin shell; it'll be a lump of egg mass. Standard omelette, basically. Although the tip about swirling the runny egg around the pan pre-flip does help reduce runniness.
I am really beginning to fall in love with bacon. I've been eating it 3-4 mornings per week for the last 3 weeks or so. I bought an $8 package of bacon to see if it is better than the usual....man is it. I don't know if I can go back to cheap-o bacon. And I imagine $8 is cheap compared to the best of what's out there.
I read it should be cooked in a cast-iron skillet. Never had one of these. Anyone use one?
Cast Iron skillet is awesome for bacon. I am not a terribly good cook and I really only use recipes for baking, but this place http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/shophome.html has improved the quality of my food. I haven't ordered online as they opened a store close enough to me, but the quality and price of the spices is excellent. Sean, you should try some of the fine herbs in your omlette.
I love Alton Brown, but his omelette won't have a creamy consistency or thin shell; it'll be a lump of egg mass. Standard omelette, basically. Although the tip about swirling the runny egg around the pan pre-flip does help reduce runniness.
Alton's my favorite too. I've always followed his omelet method and never had a runny center, but the center should definitely be moist. For those that like their omelet dry, try a frittata instead.
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Recipe By: Raw Food Real World
Ingredients:
For the tamarind dipping sauce:
3 tablespoons tamarind
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon nama shoyu (or soy sauce)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 pinch sea salt
For the Wraps
1/2 cup raw cashews, chopped
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons grated ginger, grated into a paste
1 tablespoon chopped red chile, or tabasco, or raw jalapeños, or habaneros.
1 cup raw almond butter, or peanut butter
1/2 head savoy cabbage, shredded (or regular shredded cabbage)
6 collard greens, or romaine (spring roll wrappers work well)
1 carrots, large
2 cups bean sprouts
1 handful cilantro
1 handful basil leaves
1/2 handful mint
1 mango
Directions:
1. In a small bowl mix the cashews, sesame oil, and salt and set aside.
2. In a food processor, mix the maple syrup, lemon juice, grated ginger, red chile, and nama shoyu. Add the almond butter and blend at low speed to combine. Add water to thin if necessary, to get a thick, cake batter-like consistency.
3. In a medium bowl, add the shredded cabbage and the almond butter mixture and toss well to combine (this is easiest if you use your hands).
4. Cut out the center rib of each collard green leaf, dividing the leaf in half. Place 1 I half leaf on a cutting board with the underside facing up. Arrange a few tablespoons of the cabbage mixture evenly across the bottom third of the leaf, leaving about 1 1/2 inches clear at the bottom. Sprinkle some of the chopped cashews over the cabbage. Lay a few sticks of carrot, a few strips of mango, and a few sprouts on top. Add a few leaves each of cilantro, basil, and mint. Fold the bottom of the collard leaf up and over the filling, keeping it tight, and tuck the leaf under the ingredients and roll forward. Place the roll seam side down on a serving dish. Repeat with remaining leaves and ingredients. Serve with the tamarind dipping sauce.
For the dipping sauce
Wisk together the tamarind, maple syrup, nama shoyu, and olive oil. Taste for seasoning and add a pinch of salt if necessary. Place in a separate bowl and set aside. This sauce may be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 2 days. It can also be frozen if you have leftovers or want to make it in advance