This is a variation on a breakfast gravy that I like to make. You can use ground beef or ground pork (or a mixture of both.) Try it and let me know what you think.
INGREDIENTS
1 lb. ground beef or pork
4 tbsp. butter
4 tbsp. flour
3 c. milk (warmed to room temperature in the microwave)
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 cube beef bullion
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. white pepper
1 tsp. course ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 can Pilsbury Grands Butter Tastin' biscuits
DIRECTIONS
1. Brown the ground meat and drain, set aside.
2. Prepare biscuits according to directions on can.
3. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and wisk until creamy. Stir and continue to cook about 2-3 minutes until the mixture starts turning a very light brown.
Slowly wisk in the milk, to create a smooth sauce (adding too much milk too fast will results in lumps.)
4. Add Worcestershire sauce, bullion cube (crumble into a powder before adding), onion powder, white and black pepper, and nutmeg.
5. Add drained meat to the gravy and cook over medium-high heat until boiling.
6. Remove from heat (gravy will thicken as it starts to cool.)
SERVING
Tear a biscuit into small pieces in a bowl. Top with the gravy mixture and mix thoroughly.
*You can also serve this great gravy over the tops of a biscuit or toast, but then it's not quite a "bread pudding", is it?
Friday, August 24, 2007
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
ORANGE CHICKEN
The following recipe is from Cook's Illustrated. I made this for dinner last week and turned out really good. I highly recommend this one (thus my posting of the recipe.)
ORANGE FLAVORED CHICKEN
INGREDIENTS
See Illustrations Below: Secrets to Great Orange Chicken
1. FOR THE MARINADE AND SAUCE: Place chicken in 1-gallon zipper-lock bag; set aside. Combine chicken broth, orange juice, grated zest, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, ginger, and cayenne in large saucepan (with at least 3-quart capacity); whisk until sugar is fully dissolved. Measure out 3/4 cup mixture and pour into bag with chicken; press out as much air as possible and seal bag, making sure that all pieces are coated with marinade. Refrigerate 30 to 60 minutes, but no longer. 2. Bring remaining mixture in saucepan to boil over high heat. In small bowl, stir together cornstarch and cold water; whisk cornstarch mixture into sauce. Simmer sauce, stirring occasionally, until thick and translucent, about 1 minute. Off heat, stir in orange peel and chiles (sauce should measure 1 1/2 cups); set sauce aside.3. FOR THE COATING: Place egg whites in pie plate; using fork, beat until frothy. In second pie plate, whisk cornstarch, cayenne, and baking soda until combined. Drain chicken in colander or large mesh strainer; thoroughly pat chicken dry with paper towels. Place half of chicken pieces in egg whites and turn to coat; transfer pieces to cornstarch mixture and coat thoroughly. Place dredged chicken pieces on wire rack set over baking sheet; repeat with remaining chicken.4. TO FRY THE CHICKEN: Heat oil in 11- to 12-inch Dutch oven or straight-sided sauté pan with at least 3-quart capacity over high heat until oil registers 350 degrees on instant-read or deep-fry thermometer. Carefully place half of chicken in oil one piece at a time; fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes, turning each piece with tongs halfway through cooking. Transfer chicken to large plate lined with paper towels. Return oil to 350 degrees and repeat with remaining chicken. 5. TO SERVE: Reheat sauce over medium heat until simmering, about 2 minutes. Add chicken and gently toss until evenly coated and heated through. Serve immediately.
STEP BY STEP: Secrets to Great Orange Chicken
ORANGE FLAVORED CHICKEN
We prefer the flavor and texture of thigh meat for this recipe, though an equal amount of boneless skinless chicken breasts can be used. It is easiest to grate the orange zest and remove the strips of orange peel before juicing the oranges; use a sharp vegetable peeler to remove the strips. For extra spiciness, increase the cayenne added to the sauce to 1/2 teaspoon. The whole dried chiles are added for appearance, not for flavor, and can be omitted. To fry the chicken, use a Dutch oven or a straight-sided sauté pan (with at least 3-quart capacity); do not use a 12-inch skillet with sloped sides, as it will be too small to contain the oil once the chicken is added. White rice and steamed broccoli are good accompaniments.
INGREDIENTS
 |
See Illustrations Below: Secrets to Great Orange Chicken
1. FOR THE MARINADE AND SAUCE: Place chicken in 1-gallon zipper-lock bag; set aside. Combine chicken broth, orange juice, grated zest, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, ginger, and cayenne in large saucepan (with at least 3-quart capacity); whisk until sugar is fully dissolved. Measure out 3/4 cup mixture and pour into bag with chicken; press out as much air as possible and seal bag, making sure that all pieces are coated with marinade. Refrigerate 30 to 60 minutes, but no longer. 2. Bring remaining mixture in saucepan to boil over high heat. In small bowl, stir together cornstarch and cold water; whisk cornstarch mixture into sauce. Simmer sauce, stirring occasionally, until thick and translucent, about 1 minute. Off heat, stir in orange peel and chiles (sauce should measure 1 1/2 cups); set sauce aside.3. FOR THE COATING: Place egg whites in pie plate; using fork, beat until frothy. In second pie plate, whisk cornstarch, cayenne, and baking soda until combined. Drain chicken in colander or large mesh strainer; thoroughly pat chicken dry with paper towels. Place half of chicken pieces in egg whites and turn to coat; transfer pieces to cornstarch mixture and coat thoroughly. Place dredged chicken pieces on wire rack set over baking sheet; repeat with remaining chicken.4. TO FRY THE CHICKEN: Heat oil in 11- to 12-inch Dutch oven or straight-sided sauté pan with at least 3-quart capacity over high heat until oil registers 350 degrees on instant-read or deep-fry thermometer. Carefully place half of chicken in oil one piece at a time; fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes, turning each piece with tongs halfway through cooking. Transfer chicken to large plate lined with paper towels. Return oil to 350 degrees and repeat with remaining chicken. 5. TO SERVE: Reheat sauce over medium heat until simmering, about 2 minutes. Add chicken and gently toss until evenly coated and heated through. Serve immediately.
STEP BY STEP: Secrets to Great Orange Chicken
| | |
 | |
 1. Soy-orange marinade keeps chicken juicy. |  2. Patting marinated chicken dry helps chicken adhere. |
 3. Beaten egg white acts as "glue," securing coating to chicken. |  4. Cornstarch and baking soda coating fries up golden and crisp. |
 5. Frying in peanut oil produces chicken with fresh, clean flavor. | |
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
SKILLET-BARBECUED PORK CHOPS
I recently started subscribing to Cooks Illustrated magazine. It is awesome! It is made by the people who do the TV show America's Test Kitchen. All the recipes are tested by using several methods of cooking and seasonings, and the best results are used in the recipes. I have tried several recipes so far and all of them have been great. Here is one for pork chops that my wife really enjoys.
****************
INGREDIENTS
1. FOR THE PORK CHOPS: Dissolve salt in 2 quarts water in large bowl or container. Submerge chops in brine, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. FOR THE SPICE RUB: Combine ingredients in small bowl. Measure 2 teaspoons mixture into medium bowl and set aside for sauce. Transfer remaining spice rub to pie plate or large plate.
3. FOR THE SAUCE: Whisk ingredients in bowl with reserved spice mixture; set aside.
4. TO COOK CHOPS: Remove chops from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Coat both sides of chops with spice rub, pressing gently so rub adheres. Pat chops to remove excess rub; discard excess rub.
5. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch heavy-bottomed nonstick skillet over medium heat until just smoking. Place chops in skillet in pinwheel formation; cook until charred in spots, 5 to 8 minutes. Flip chops and continue to cook until second side is browned and charred and center of chop registers 130 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 4 to 8 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and transfer chops to clean plate or baking sheet. Lightly brush top side of each chop with 2 teaspoons sauce.
6. Wipe out pan with paper towels and return to medium heat. Add remaining teaspoon oil and heat until just smoking. Add chops to pan, sauce-side down, and cook without moving until sauce has caramelized and charred in spots, about 1 minute. While cooking, lightly brush top side of each chop with 2 teaspoons sauce. Turn chops and cook until second side is charred and caramelized and center of chops registers 140 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.
7. Transfer chops back to plate or baking sheet, tent with foil, and let rest 5 minutes. Internal temperature should rise to about 145 degrees. Meanwhile, add remaining sauce to pan and cook, scraping pan bottom, until thickened to ketchup-like consistency and reduced to 2/3 cup, about 3 minutes. Brush each chop with 1 tablespoon reduced sauce and serve immediately, passing remaining sauce at table.
****************
We prefer natural to enhanced pork (pork that has been injected with a salt solution to increase moistness and flavor) for this recipe, though enhanced pork can be used. If using enhanced pork, skip the brining in step 1 and add 1/2 teaspoon salt to the spice rub. Grate the onion on the large holes of a box grater. In step 5, check your chops after 3 minutes. If you don't hear a definite sizzle and the chops have not started to brown on the underside, increase the heat to medium-high and continue cooking as directed (follow indicated temperatures for remainder of recipe).
INGREDIENTS
|
1. FOR THE PORK CHOPS: Dissolve salt in 2 quarts water in large bowl or container. Submerge chops in brine, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. FOR THE SPICE RUB: Combine ingredients in small bowl. Measure 2 teaspoons mixture into medium bowl and set aside for sauce. Transfer remaining spice rub to pie plate or large plate.
3. FOR THE SAUCE: Whisk ingredients in bowl with reserved spice mixture; set aside.
4. TO COOK CHOPS: Remove chops from brine and pat dry with paper towels. Coat both sides of chops with spice rub, pressing gently so rub adheres. Pat chops to remove excess rub; discard excess rub.
5. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch heavy-bottomed nonstick skillet over medium heat until just smoking. Place chops in skillet in pinwheel formation; cook until charred in spots, 5 to 8 minutes. Flip chops and continue to cook until second side is browned and charred and center of chop registers 130 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 4 to 8 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and transfer chops to clean plate or baking sheet. Lightly brush top side of each chop with 2 teaspoons sauce.
6. Wipe out pan with paper towels and return to medium heat. Add remaining teaspoon oil and heat until just smoking. Add chops to pan, sauce-side down, and cook without moving until sauce has caramelized and charred in spots, about 1 minute. While cooking, lightly brush top side of each chop with 2 teaspoons sauce. Turn chops and cook until second side is charred and caramelized and center of chops registers 140 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.
7. Transfer chops back to plate or baking sheet, tent with foil, and let rest 5 minutes. Internal temperature should rise to about 145 degrees. Meanwhile, add remaining sauce to pan and cook, scraping pan bottom, until thickened to ketchup-like consistency and reduced to 2/3 cup, about 3 minutes. Brush each chop with 1 tablespoon reduced sauce and serve immediately, passing remaining sauce at table.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
PERFECT STEAKS
Here are tips for making the perfect steak. Following it is a recipe for a gorgonzola butter that is awesome when served on grilled steaks.
First, buy BLACK ANGUS steaks (I prefer Ribeye or NY Strip, my wife prefers Tenderloin) Black Angus is always $2 to $3 more per pound, but I just prefer it over CHOICE beef. PRIME BEEF would be even better (but not by much in my opinion), but the cost is prohibitive.
Second, and really the most important is the cooking process itself..... Most people aren't very patient when it comes to grilling. For the very best from your grill (other than Brats or dogs) you need to follow these steps.....
1) Let your grill get VERY hot (maximum settings if using a gas grill), then using an old rag or t-shirt wipe the grates with a heavy oil (I use olive oil) before starting the grilling itself.
2) Do NOT pre-salt any meat - this will pull all of the moisture to the surface and out of the steak, chop or whatever (unless you let it stand for over 60 minutes.) Wipe the surface of the steaks with olive oil and used some McCormick's Steak seasoning and some fresh ground black pepper.
You can get creative here and do almost anything - just NO salt.
3) Once you put the steak or chop on the grill, close the lid and forget about it. Most people ruin the steaks right here by trying to turn them too soon. All you do is "tear" the surface of the meat (leaving bits and pieces stuck to the grill) and boom.... there goes all the juice of the meat. You want to "SEAR" the surface of the meat by keeping it inside the meat. Depending on the thickness, and how hot your grill is, you should probably leave them on the first side from between 3 to upwards of 6 minutes. A great way to tell when they are ready to turn is they will start to "sweat" a bit on the surface. Now, I don't mean that all of the internal juice is coming to the surface... they just start to look a bit "glassy." Once you get used to it, you can also tell by temperature by just touching them.
4) Turn the steaks or chops and again FORGET about them. You are doing the same thing to this side.... searing the outside to hold in the natural juice and flavor. Once again, most "grillers" want to keep flipping or turning stuff when it's on the grill.... DON'T! You tear the surface and lose juice and flavor. Anyway, about the same amount of time on this side and you will be right at Medium Rare. (again, depending on thickness or grill temp) For Medium, turn them once again laying them perpendicular to how you had them before and go about another minute or two and so on all the way to well done, where you would turn them a fourth time for the last couple of minutes. Even well done (brown all the way through) steaks done carefully, will be juicy, tender and flavor full.
5) Be sure to let the steaks 'rest' after removing them from the grill - at least 10 minutes. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat. You can place a dollop of the following recipe on the steaks while they 'rest' for AWESOME flavor!
Throw all ingredients into the food processor and "whip" until well blended.
A little (or a LOT ) brushed on the steak right after placing on the serving plate is just unbelievable. We also like to substitute this for butter on our baked potatoes when having our steaks.
Yummy! You really should try it!
First, buy BLACK ANGUS steaks (I prefer Ribeye or NY Strip, my wife prefers Tenderloin) Black Angus is always $2 to $3 more per pound, but I just prefer it over CHOICE beef. PRIME BEEF would be even better (but not by much in my opinion), but the cost is prohibitive.
Second, and really the most important is the cooking process itself..... Most people aren't very patient when it comes to grilling. For the very best from your grill (other than Brats or dogs) you need to follow these steps.....
1) Let your grill get VERY hot (maximum settings if using a gas grill), then using an old rag or t-shirt wipe the grates with a heavy oil (I use olive oil) before starting the grilling itself.
2) Do NOT pre-salt any meat - this will pull all of the moisture to the surface and out of the steak, chop or whatever (unless you let it stand for over 60 minutes.) Wipe the surface of the steaks with olive oil and used some McCormick's Steak seasoning and some fresh ground black pepper.
You can get creative here and do almost anything - just NO salt.
3) Once you put the steak or chop on the grill, close the lid and forget about it. Most people ruin the steaks right here by trying to turn them too soon. All you do is "tear" the surface of the meat (leaving bits and pieces stuck to the grill) and boom.... there goes all the juice of the meat. You want to "SEAR" the surface of the meat by keeping it inside the meat. Depending on the thickness, and how hot your grill is, you should probably leave them on the first side from between 3 to upwards of 6 minutes. A great way to tell when they are ready to turn is they will start to "sweat" a bit on the surface. Now, I don't mean that all of the internal juice is coming to the surface... they just start to look a bit "glassy." Once you get used to it, you can also tell by temperature by just touching them.
4) Turn the steaks or chops and again FORGET about them. You are doing the same thing to this side.... searing the outside to hold in the natural juice and flavor. Once again, most "grillers" want to keep flipping or turning stuff when it's on the grill.... DON'T! You tear the surface and lose juice and flavor. Anyway, about the same amount of time on this side and you will be right at Medium Rare. (again, depending on thickness or grill temp) For Medium, turn them once again laying them perpendicular to how you had them before and go about another minute or two and so on all the way to well done, where you would turn them a fourth time for the last couple of minutes. Even well done (brown all the way through) steaks done carefully, will be juicy, tender and flavor full.
5) Be sure to let the steaks 'rest' after removing them from the grill - at least 10 minutes. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat. You can place a dollop of the following recipe on the steaks while they 'rest' for AWESOME flavor!
Gorgonzola Butter (for steaks)
INGREDIENTS:
1 Stick REAL butter
1/4 lb. GORGONZOLA cheese
1 or 2 shallots
1 TBS. FRESH parsley
DIRECTIONS:
Throw all ingredients into the food processor and "whip" until well blended.
A little (or a LOT ) brushed on the steak right after placing on the serving plate is just unbelievable. We also like to substitute this for butter on our baked potatoes when having our steaks.
Yummy! You really should try it!
Sunday, July 22, 2007
DEJA VU
Have you ever experienced Deja Vu? I do occasionally, but I have had a real interesting experience the past 24 hours. I think what may have initiated it was an old PC game that I downloaded and started to play yesterday morning (Saturday.)
The other day I was thinking about some cool old games I used to play on the PC and started looking for some online to download (abandonware, etc.) I saw the game Blade Runner and downloaded it the other day. I wasn't sure if it would even play on my Vista-based PC, but I tried it. It installed fine and I fired it up. Well, that started bringing back memories of playing this game. As I played it, I would here dialog from the game and it sounded very familiar. It got to a point that I felt like I was having Deja Vu.
Well, even after I stopped playing the game, I kept having Deja Vu-like feelings. All day long and even in the evening at work. Not constantly, but it would happen for extended periods (anywhere from 2 minutes at a time to 30 minutes at a time.) It was very weird, but really cool. It felt almost surreal. It was mainly based on things I heard or thoughts I had... not necessarily entire events or even being able to predict what would happen next. Almost every thought I had felt like a Deja Vu experience.
I decided to look up some information about Deja Vu online. It appears there is not a lot of research conducted on it, but may be related to certain brain activity. Some descriptions seem to point to déjà senti aswhat I experienced:
Have any of you ever had extended Deja Vu experiences in a 24 hour period?
The other day I was thinking about some cool old games I used to play on the PC and started looking for some online to download (abandonware, etc.) I saw the game Blade Runner and downloaded it the other day. I wasn't sure if it would even play on my Vista-based PC, but I tried it. It installed fine and I fired it up. Well, that started bringing back memories of playing this game. As I played it, I would here dialog from the game and it sounded very familiar. It got to a point that I felt like I was having Deja Vu.
Well, even after I stopped playing the game, I kept having Deja Vu-like feelings. All day long and even in the evening at work. Not constantly, but it would happen for extended periods (anywhere from 2 minutes at a time to 30 minutes at a time.) It was very weird, but really cool. It felt almost surreal. It was mainly based on things I heard or thoughts I had... not necessarily entire events or even being able to predict what would happen next. Almost every thought I had felt like a Deja Vu experience.
I decided to look up some information about Deja Vu online. It appears there is not a lot of research conducted on it, but may be related to certain brain activity. Some descriptions seem to point to déjà senti aswhat I experienced:
This phenomenon specifies something 'already felt.' Unlike the implied precognition of déjà vécu, déjà senti is primarily or even exclusively a mental happening, has no precognitive aspects, and rarely if ever remains in the afflicted person's memory afterwards.
Dr. John Hughlings Jackson recorded the words of one of his patients who suffered from temporal lobe or psychomotor epilepsy in an 1889 paper:
| “ | What is occupying the attention is what has occupied it before, and indeed has been familiar, but has been for a time forgotten, and now is recovered with a slight sense of satisfaction as if it had been sought for. ... At the same time, or ... more accurately in immediate sequence, I am dimly aware that the recollection is fictitious and my state abnormal. The recollection is always started by another person's voice, or by my own verbalized thought, or by what I am reading and mentally verbalize; and I think that during the abnormal state I generally verbalize some such phrase of simple recognition as 'Oh yes – I see', 'Of course – I remember', but a minute or two later I can recollect neither the words nor the verbalized thought which gave rise to the recollection. I only find strongly that they resemble what I have felt before under similar abnormal conditions. | ” |
As with Dr. Jackson's patient, some temporal-lobe epileptics may experience this phenomenon.
Further research point to other things it could be (but I certainly hope not) including: simple partial seizures, meningitis, brain tumors, and other frightening things. I hope it's just a minor imbalance or old long-term memories mixing with short-term memories or something.Have any of you ever had extended Deja Vu experiences in a 24 hour period?
WARM CHOCOLATE TART
I made this recipe for a get-together in my neighborhood. It is very good and very rich. Be sure to use high quality chocolate for the best results.
I used Scharffen Berger chocolate in my recipe. I actually used 3 oz of semisweet and 1 oz of bittersweet. It turned out great!
Warm Chocolate “Tarts”
4 oz. bittersweet or semi sweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped
1 1/2-oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
3 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 c + 2 t all purpose flour
1-1/2 T unsweetened cocoa powder
10 T (1 1/4 sticks) butter
3/4 t baking powder
1/2 c + 2 T sugar (use extra fine)
Vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream, optional
Lightly butter (or pam) six 1-cup soufflè dishes. Melt both chocolates in the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water, stirring until smooth. Add butter and sugar and stir until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Transfer to a large bowl. Add eggs, then flour, cocoa and baking powder. Using an electric mixer, beat until mixture thickens to mousse consistency, about 8 minutes. Divide mixture among prepared dishes. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze at least 3 hours. (Can be prepared up to 3 days ahead.)
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Peel plastic wrap off dishes. Bake (do not thaw first) until edges are set and centers are still moist and shiny, about 11 minutes; do not overbake. Cool 10 minutes. Invert 1 dish onto each plate. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.
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Pay attention to the cooking instructions - the insides come out like pudding and the edges like cake. And I make sure to run a knife around the edge of the souffle dishes before inverting, plus giving the plate and souffle dish a firm shake to release it on to the plate. And I've typically liked the whipped cream more than the ice cream with this particular recipe.
I used Scharffen Berger chocolate in my recipe. I actually used 3 oz of semisweet and 1 oz of bittersweet. It turned out great!
Monday, July 9, 2007
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