Recipe: Bison Chili

This one doesn't get a picture because--let's face it--chili is ugly. It's just a lumpy mass of brown, but man, is it tasty. Chili is one of those dishes that's incredibly versatile. Beans, no beans, tomatoes, no tomatoes, ground meat, cubed meat, beef, lamb, pork, or any combination, chili powder, fresh chiles, any or all of the above. I like to use bison because it's lower in fat and cholesterol than beef, and I also find that the flavor of the meat shines through better than a lean ground beef.

Ingredients
1 lb ground bison
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
3/4 cup black beans
3/4 cup kidney beans
1/2 cup salsa - your choice of heat level
1 chipotle pepper - dried or in adobo sauce
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 pinch cumin
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 (12 oz) bottle or can of beer - I like lager or wheat beer best - if it's too stout, the beer flavor will overpower the other ingredients
3 cups stock and/or water
1 small can tomato paste

Method
1) Turn crock pot on low heat.
2) Brown bison over medium-high heat. Drain and add to crock pot.
3) Add all ingredients except tomato paste to the crock pot and stir to combine.
4) Cover and cook for at least 4 hours. This is good to start before you leave for work so you have dinner ready when you get home. Well, almost. There's one more step.
5) Stir in the tomato paste before serving.

-Katy

Review of Barbecue

Sure, they completely forget about Kansas City, which is the best barbecue in the whole country, but it's still good.

-Katy

Checking for Doneness

Herein lies the biggest challenge for a new cook, I believe: knowing when something is done. Unfortunately, the most common way to check for doneness of, say, a piece of meat--cutting it open--is also the worst way. Cutting meat while it's still cooking is a good way to get really dry meat. Along with ways to check for doneness of meat, I'll also go through a few ways to ensure that you do not have doughy breads or gooey quickbreads. So, here we go.

The Thermometer Method
Used for: Meat, primarily

Certainly, this is the most accurate way to check for doneness. I would suggest purchasing a digital probe thermometer which has a cord connecting the probe to the readout. This way, you can check on an item in the oven without having to open the oven. You can also set an alarm on the readout which will tell you when it's done.

A couple of rules about this method: First, make sure the end of the probe is as close to the center of the thickest part of the item as possible. Also, make sure it is not touching a bone as this will cause a false reading. Once the item has reached the desired temperature, leave the probe in there for a few minutes (3 minutes for small items up to 15 for things such as a roast or turkey).

You should cook the following items to the following temperatures (all Fahrenheit):
Poultry of any kind - safe to eat at 165°, white meat is most pleasant to eat at 161°, dark meat at 175°
Ground meat of anything but poultry - 155° is safest
Other solid meats - 145° is safest
Doneness levels of things like steak - 125 °=rare, 130 °=med-rare, 135 °=med, etc.
Yeast breads - 190°

The Poke Method
Used for: muffins, cupcakes, quickbreads

When you poke the top of one of these items, it should spring right back. If your finger leaves a dent, let it cook longer.

The Other Poke Method
Used for: meat, esp. steak

Hold your hand relaxed and open, and then press your finger against the fleshy part near your thumb, that's what a rare steak should feel like. Now touch your thumb to your forefinger. This is what a medium-rare steak should feel like. Each successive finger represents the next level of doneness.

The Toothpick Method
Used for: cakes, brownies

Stick a toothpick in the middle of the item. It should come out clean.

The Jiggle Method
Used for: cheesecake, quiches, frittatas

If you shake the pan, the contents should still have some jiggle when you take it out of the oven or off the stove. If you only see jiggle within the center third or less of the item, you're good.

The Bubble Method
Used for: pancakes

When you see bubbles really start to get going on the top of a pancake, flip it. Then, cook the other side to a nice golden brown. (It's okay to peek.)

The Tasting Method
Used for: pasta, veggies

Sometimes, the best way to check for doneness is just to eat some of it. It should go without saying, but don't do this with anything that isn't safe to eat raw.

-Katy

Ice Cream Basics: The Custard Base

I've been on an ice cream making kick lately. I can't help it. It's summer and it's hot, and my ice cream maker is still relatively new. I find that the best ice cream starts with a custard base. It doesn't freeze up as hard as a base with no eggs in my experience, and I also find it has a smoother, creamier mouthfeel.

Sweet Cream Custard Base

Ingredients:
1 qt half and half
1 c sugar
4 eggs (or 8 egg yolks)
a pinch of salt

Method:
1) Stir together 2 c half and half, sugar, and salt in a saucepan over low to medium-low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved.
2) Whisk together the eggs and slowly whisk in the half and half mixture until you've mixed in about a third, then pour it back into the saucepan. This is called tempering and will prevent the eggs from scrambling when added to the milk.
3) Cook over low to medium-low heat, stirring and scraping the bottom constantly until the custard thickens. It should coat the back of a spoon, and when you run your finger across the spoon, it should leave a track that the custard does not run into.
4) Once you've reached the correct consistency, strain the mixture into the rest of the half and half to stop the cooking.
5) Either chill over an ice bath or in the refrigerator overnight. The colder the mixture is before you freeze it, the better. You will have a better consistency because the ice crystals will be smaller.
6) Freeze according to manufacturer directions on your ice cream maker. I have a Cuisinart ice cream maker with a freezable core (it should be in the freezer at least 24 hours before freezing). I let it go for at least 20 minutes before I check it. I look for the ice cream to be heaping up in a spot before I call it finished. It should be the consistency of soft serve.
7) Put the ice cream in the container of your choice and put it in the freezer. It should be at the right consistency in a few hours.

Variations:
Vanilla - steep a vanilla bean in the milk and sugar at the beginning of the process, or add a teaspoon or two of vanilla extract just before freezing.
Chocolate - add 1/2 c of cocoa powder to the half and half before adding sugar and salt. Let it get completely incorporated before adding sugar and salt.
Mint Chocolate Chip - steep up to 3 cups of mint leaves in the half and half and strain before adding sugar and salt (I'd suggest using more like 1 cup. I find 3 cups far too minty, but this is the amount I've seen in most recipes), or add a teaspoon of peppermint oil just before freezing. Add the chocolate chips near the end of the freezing process. Keep the chocolate chips cold.
Strawberry - Halve the above recipe. Use 1 c half and half and 1 c cream instead of 2 c half and half. Once the custard is ready, add it and a 10 oz package of frozen strawberries or a pint of fresh, hulled strawberries to a blender and puree.

-Katy

photo via Flickr user laffy4k

The best way to make hash browns

via xkcd.com

-Katy

Posh Nosh

Just in case you're starting to take yourself a little too seriously, a good dose of Posh Nosh ought to fix that for you. Posh Nosh is a short-lived BBC show featuring the husband and wife team of Simon and Minty Marchmont. Minty makes ridiculous meals using ridiculous methods (like alienating chorizo or interogating mussels) while Simon looks on, usually critiquing Minty's cooking or describing a bottle of wine in a way that leaves me with no desire to drink it. A choice quote from Minty: "We make our own stock, but by all means buy stock cubes if you have low self esteem."



-Katy

How to Read a Recipe

I know what you're thinking. You looked at that title and wondered whether I thought you were an idiot, or perhaps you thought I was an idiot. I assure you. Neither of us are idiots, and some of this may seem stupid; however, if you can approach a recipe in the right way, they will do better by you. (Geez, that was a long sentence.) Basically, what we are trying to do by this method is have a complete idea of what is coming when we make a dish. Think of it like SQ3R, only far less picky.

First, read over the whole recipe, just to get a basic idea of the whole picture.

Next, you'll want to look over the ingredients list and take a careful look at what should happen to each of them. You don't want to get halfway through a dish and realize that deglazing liquid should be at room temperature or that onion needs to be diced fine or that chicken should have been cooked already or worse, those beans should have soaked overnight. Also, make sure you have all the ingredients before you begin.

Now take a look at what tools you will need. It may not say explicitly, but I'm sure you'd be able to glean that you need a pan in order to saute. Make sure all your necessary tools are near at hand to your cooking area.

Take a look at how long each step will take to make sure you have enough time to actually prepare the dish.

Next, start your mise en place. (French for everything in its place or something like that) Chop up your vegetables. Measure your liquids. Get out the right number of eggs. Get out all the herbs and spices you'll need. (If you're particularly anal, you can measure them out and put them in custard cups just like on TV.) Make sure all your ingredients are prepped and within reaching distance. I just let everything sit on my cutting board.

Now that everything is in place, take one last look at the recipe. There may be a teaspoon of salt hidden in the directions. (My Better Homes and Gardens cookbook does that to me all the time.) Or that cup of buttermilk may need to be split in half. Or the oven may need to be preheated. (I ruined many a pan of brownies with this one.)

Finally, you're ready to start cooking. It may seem like this takes a long time, but there are three reasons why it doesn't. 1) It will save you time because you won't have to stop in the middle of a recipe to cut something up or run to the store. 2) It will save you time by streamlining your procedure. 3) You only have to go through this process once per recipe.
-Katy

Recipe: Fried Rice

Most people think of fried rice as a side dish, but I am here to present an argument for its inclusion as a main dish. If you add meat to it, you have all the elements of a meal all rolled into one: protein, grains, and vegetables. And even if you don't have the meat, you still have eggs for your protein. And if you're a vegetarian, you can always use tofu. See? It's not just a main dish. It's a whole meal!

Fried rice is a pretty versatile dish, so it's perfect for using up leftovers. In fact, it actually works better with leftover rice than with fresh rice (though I rarely make it with leftover rice because the only other ways we eat rice is in etouffee or red beans and rice). I usually use onions, carrots, and peas for the veggies, but just about any combination would work, and I would encourage you to experiment. Now, onto the recipe.

Ingredients:
canola oil
2 cloves garlic
1 small to medium onion, diced
1 medium to large carrot, quartered and sliced (1/8" thick)
3 cups cooked long grain white rice
sesame oil
2 eggs
1 t ginger
frozen peas
soy sauce

Method:
1) Saute garlic, onion, and carrot over medium to medium-high heat in a little bit of canola oil (just enough to coat the pan) until nearly tender, about 6-8 minutes.
2) Add rice and stir to incorporate. You're not trying to put color on the rice, just heating it up and getting it mixed in with the vegetables.
3) Make a well in the rice. Pour sesame oil and then eggs into the well. Stir the eggs until they are partly scrambled, and then incorporate them into the rice.
4) Add ginger and frozen peas and stir until the peas are heated through.
5) Add soy sauce to taste.

-Katy

Recipe: Double Berry Pie

"You Can Convince Yourself It's Healthy" Double Berry Pie

Crust:
1/2 c whole wheat flour
3/4 c all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 c butter
1/4 c ice water

Filling:
2 1/2 c strawberries
2 1/2 c blueberries
1/2 c sugar
3 Tbsp cornstarch

Topping:
3/4 c rolled oats
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
dash salt
2 Tbsp butter

1. For crust, cube butter and combine with flours and salt in a food processor until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add water a little bit at a time until dough comes together. It may not necessary form a dough ball in the food processor, but it should hold together if you squeeze it.
2. Chill dough in a plastic zip top bag for at least 30 minutes. Roll out dough in the plastic bag. Cut off 3 sides and invert over a pie pan and press into place. Prick crust with a fork and cover with a double layer of foil. Blind bake crust for 10 minutes at 400 degrees.
3. For filling, mix together all ingredients. I would suggest sifting the cornstarch into the sugar and berries to help prevent cornstarch clumps in your pie.
4. For topping, mix together oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. You can also add a pinch of nutmeg if you'd like. Cube the butter and cut into the other ingredients until mixture (excluding the oats) resembles coarse crumbs. I start by using my fingers and then cut in the rest of the butter in with a fork.
5. Once the crust comes out of the oven, turn it down to 375 degrees. Remove foil, add filling, and top with oatmeal topping. Bake at 375 for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let cool at least 1 hour before eating.

Recipe: Granola Bars

Granola Bars

3 c rolled oats
2 c nuts (I used almonds and pecans and crushed them with a mallet)
3/4 c shredded coconut
6 T brown sugar
6 T maple syrup
1/4 c vegetable oil
3/4 t salt
1 c raisins

Mix together oats, nuts, coconut and brown sugar in a large bowl. Set aside.

In another bowl, mix together maple syrup, oil, and salt. Mix into dry ingredients.

Spread mixture onto two sheet pans and bake in a 250 deg. oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.

Remove to a large bowl. Add raisins and mix until evenly distributed.

To make bars:
1/4 c vegetable oil
1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c honey
1/3 c peanut butter
3 1/2 c granola
6 oz. chocolate chips

Mix together first four ingredients. Microwave for two minutes, stirring halfway and at the end. (If I were making this again, I'd probably leave out the oil.)

Mix into the granola. I mixed the chocolate chips in at this point, so they melted. Wait for it to cool some if you don't want this result.

Press into the bottom of an 8"x8" square pan. I used the back of a spoon. You can use your hands, but you'll want to grease them up first.