Author: Natalie

Thin-Cut Pork Chops with Rosemary-Balsamic Glazed Shallots

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This is another really great recipe that has come from my experiments with fast-cooking these last few weeks. It’s from Emeril’s 20-40-60 Fresh Food Fast. It also goes back to the library tomorrow.

Pork Chops with Rosemary-Balsamic Glazed Shallots

4 6-oz. center-cut pork chops
2 t. kosher salt
1 t. white pepper (I used black)
2 T. Wondra Flour (I used all-purpose)
3 T. olive oil
1 T. unsalted butter
1 c. thinly sliced shallots
1 t. minced garlic
1/2 t. chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 c. balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 c. chicken stock

1. Season the pork chops on both sides with salt and pepper. Dust each pork chop lightly with the flour and set aside.

2. Set a 12″ cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, and add the olive oil and butter. When it is hot, place the pork chops in the skillet and sear for 2 minutes per side. Remove the chops from the skillet and set them aside. Add the shallots to the skillet and cook, stirring often, until lightly caramelized, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and rosemary and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

3. Add the balsamic vinegar and deglaze the skillet. When the vinegar has nearly evaporated (about  1/2 minutes), add the chicken stock. Increase the heat to high, and return the pork chops to the skillet. Baste the pork chops with the stock and cook until the liquid has reduced to a sauce consistency 6-8 minutes.

4. Remove from heat and serve. (I completed the meal with polenta and roasted acorn squash.)

Skillet Tamale Pie

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This is a recipe Rex loved from the Best’s 30-minute meals. I’m cataloging it because I have to take the book back to the library tomorrow.

Skillet Tamale Pie

2 T. vegetable oil
1 onion, minced
2 T. chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb. 90% lean ground beef
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 (6-8 oz.) package cornbread mix (or homemade)
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
2 T. minced cilantro

1 . Heat oven to 450.

2. Heat oil in a 12″ skillet over medium and saute onion, chili powder, 1/2 t. salt and cook until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until gragrant, about 30 seconds.

3. Make filling” stir in ground beef, beans, tomatoes, and bring to simmer, breaking meat with a spoon.

4. Make topping batter either to package instructions or homemade recipe below.

5. Stir in cheddar and cilantro into filling and seaons with salt and pepper. Dollop corbread batter over filling and spread evenly.

6. Bake 10-15 minutes and serve.

Homemade cornbread topping:

3/4 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. cornmeal
3 T. sugar
3/4 t. baking powder
1/4 t. baking soda
3/4 t. salt
3/4 c. buttermilk
1 large egg
3 T. butter, melted and cooled

Whisk dry ingredients together. In separate bowl, whisk buttermilk and egg together. Stir buttermilk mixture into flour mixture until uniform, then add butter until combined. Proceed in recipe above.

Homemade Mint Milano Cookies

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Mint Milano 2So, Martha published this recipe in September’s Everyday Food, and it’s delightful. Not only are Pepperidge Farm’s Mint Milano cookies a favorite around here, it’s just fantastic to make 20+ of them at a time (I’m sure you could freeze the extras if this doesn’t excite you). I’ve made them twice now, and they’ve all disappeared within 2 hours, even with doubling the recipe.

A tip: I had better results not chilling the dough before piping them (I wanted them to look flatter, like Pepperidge Farms’, and chilling them made mine too stiff; they didn’t spread at all), and I flattened them slightly with the back of a spatula before baking.  I also just added 1/2 t. peppermint extract to the chocolate, rather than making the icing. This worked a lot better: the cookies set up easier, the taste was just as great,  and I forewent a little unnecessary sugar.

Homemade Mint Milano Cookies

  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt [I used table]
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. In a small bowl, whisk together flour and salt. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and granulated sugar on high, scraping down bowl as needed, until light and fluffy, 4 minutes. Add vanilla and beat to combine. Add egg and beat to combine. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture and beat just until combined. Transfer dough to a quart-size zip-top bag; with scissors, snip a 3/4-inch hole in one corner (or use a pastry bag with a plain tip). Pipe 54 cookies (3/4 by 2 inches), 1/2 inch apart, onto two parchment-lined baking sheets. Chill until firm, 20 minutes.
  2. Bake until cookies are light golden at edges, about 15 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer immediately to wire racks and let cool.
  3. Place chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until melted, 2 minutes. Remove bowl from pan. (Alternatively, melt chocolate in microwave at 30 second intervals.) In another medium bowl, whisk together confectioners’ sugar, peppermint extract, and 4 teaspoons water [I didn’t do this–I just added the extract to the chocolate–I recommend!]. With a small offset spatula or table knife, spread chocolate on flat side of half the cookies and mint glaze on the other half. Sandwich cookie halves together.

Martha’s Hint on piping the cookies: Twist and squeeze the bag so that the batter is in one corner. Snip an opening, then squeeze out excess air. To pipe, hold bag at an angle to sheet with one hand and apply pressure from top with the other.


Stir-Fried Shrimp and Snow Peas with Coconut Curry Sauce

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With all the craziness of our new schedule, I have decided I needed to drastically cut down on dinner prep time, and so I checked out the Best Recipe’s 30-Minute Meals and have been trying a few out. This was by far my favorite from this last week. I thought it was great, so I’m thinking of making it again this week 🙂

Stir-Fried Shrimp and Snow Peas with Coconut Curry Sauce

This is the recipe--made with chicken, though

 

Coconut Curry Sauce
1 c. coconut milk
1 T. fish sauce
1-2 t. red curry paste
1 t. light brown sugar
1 t. cornstarch

Stir Fry
1 lb. 21/25 shrimp, peeled and deveined (or thinly sliced chicken breast or steak or cubed tofu)
2 t. soy sauce
2 T. vegetable oil
1 bell pepper, cored, seeded, and sliced (1 1/2 c.)
8 oz. snow peas, strings removed
1 c. bean sprouts
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 T. grated fresh ginger

1. Prepare Sauce and stir-fry shrimp (or meat): Prepare sauce and set aside. Toss shrimp with soy sauce. Heat 2 t. of oil in 12″ nonstick skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up clumps, until curled and lightly browned, about 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer shrimp to clean bowl.

2. Stir-fry vegetables: Add 1 more tablespoon of oil to pan and return to high heat until shimmering. Add bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in snow peas and bean sprouts and cook for 1 minute.

3. Combine and simmer: clear center of pan and add remaining 1 t. oil, garlic, and ginger. Cook, mashing garlic mixture into pan with back of spatula until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in cooked shrimp. Whisk sauce to recombine, add to pan, and bring to simmer. Cook until sauce thickens, 1-2 minutes. Serve immediately. [I served just with rice, and left some of the chicken and snow peas out of the sauce, to be sure my kids would eat it–was great!]

Dark Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes (or Muffins)

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For anyone else who might be searching for new ways of using zucchini, I really, really like this recipe, and my kids have no idea that zucchini is in it–a definite plus. This recipe was originally published in Everyday Food as “Ian’s Sweet Zucchini Cupcakes” (May 2007), but I’ve changed it a bit (added the chocolate and the milk), because of a memory I had of a chocolate zucchini bread that I loved. If you want to go without the chocolate, just omit the milk as well, and you’ll have the original. Note: I used dutched cocoa, but if you only have baking cocoa like Hershey’s, I would love to hear if the recipe would still work as well–I imagine it would. Also, you can leave these cupcakes unfrosted to be more like a muffin, or you can insert the cream cheese frosting into the middle of the cupcake for a really fun surprise, or spread on top, and sprinkle with cinnamon. Also, as far as I can tell, muffins usually have one less egg than cupcakes, and sometimes a little less sugar. I think these could count as muffins as they are, but if you want them to be denser, omit one egg.

Dark Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes (or Muffins)

I thought these to be pretty little things, even without frosting

1 1/2 c. flour
1 c. packed dark brown sugar
1/3 c. dutched cocoa
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. coarsely chopped pecans
1 zucchini (10 oz.), grated (1 1/2 c.)
1/3 c. vegetable oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 1/2 T. milk
1/2 t. pure vanilla
Cream Cheese Frosting (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375. Line cups of a standard muffin tin with a paper or foil liners. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, cocoa, and salt. Mix in nuts.

3. In another bowl, combine zucchini, oil, eggs, milk, and vanilla,; add to flour mixture, and mix just until combined.

4. Divide batter evenly among cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 30-35 minutes.

5. Cool in tin on a wire rack for 10 minute; turn cupcakes out, right side up, and cool completely. Meanwhile, make Cream Cheese Frosting (if using–see below). Using an offset spatula or butter knife, spread frosting on cupcakes. The frosted cupcakes are best eaten within 1 day.

Cream Cheese Frosting
In a medium, with an electric mixer, beat 4 T. room-temperature butter with 4 oz. cream cheese until smooth. Add 2 c. powdered sugar and 1/2 t. vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy.

Fudgy Texas Sheet Cake

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texas-sheet-cake-1
This recipe is from the 2009 Annual of America’s Test Kitchen. I’ve always thought of Texas Sheet Cake as dry and not that interesting. This cake is the complete opposite–it’s really moist, fudgy, and my mother even thought it was a flourless chocolate cake. To top that off, it’s even better the next day (perfect for entertaining purposes), and quite amazing out of the freezer as well (if you need to hide the leftovers). Note: it’s critical to ice the cake hot out of the oven–so make sure to plan time accordingly!

Fudgy Texas Sheet Cake

Cake
2 c. all-purpose flour
2 c. white sugar
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
2 eggs, at room temperature
2 egg yolks, at room temperature
2 t. vanilla
1/4 c. sour cream
8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
4 T. unsalted butter
3/4 c. vegetable oil
3/4 c. water
1/2 c. dutch-process cocoa powder

Icing
8 T. butter (one stick)
1/2 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. dutch-process cocoa powder
1 T. corn syrup
3 c. powdered sugar
1 T. vanilla
1 c. toasted pecans, chopped

1. For the cake: Adjust an oven rack to middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 18″ x 13″ baking sheet. Combine flour, sugar, soda, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk the whole eggs, yolks, vanilla and sour cream in another bowl until smooth.

2. Heat the chocolate, butter, oil, cocoa, and water in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally until smooth, 3-5 minutes. Whisk the chocolate mixture into the flour mixture until incorporated. Whisk the egg mixture into the batter, then pour into the baking sheet. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 18-20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack.

3. For the icing: About 5 minutes before the cake is done, heat the butter, cream, cocoa, and corn syrup in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Off the heat, whisk in the powdered sugar and vanilla. Spread the warm icing evenly over the hot cake and sprinkle with the pecans. Let the cake cool to room temperature on the wire rack, about one hour, then refrigerate until the icing is set, about one hour longer. Cut into 3″ squares. Serve. Cake can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for 2 days. Return to room temperature before serving [Test Kitchen’s advice, not mine].

Free-form Summer Fruit Tart

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free-form-tart
This is a recipe from America’s Test Kitchen’s 2007 annal. It’s quite easy to make, and since any combination of stone-fruit/berries can be used, it’s very, very useful. And delicious. And Sharalee, I hope you’re impressed I got it up this quickly!

Free-form Summer Fruit Tart

Dough
1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 c. fine-ground cornmeal
2 t. sugar
1/2 t. salt
7 T. unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 in. pieces and chilled
2 T. sour cream
2 T. water

Filling
3 c. mixed berries, or pitted stone fruit, cut into 1/4″ slices (I would blanch and peel the stone fruit as well. I’ve tried this recipe with a mix of nectarines and blackberries, peaches and blackberries, and just blackberries. My favorite’s been the nectarines and blackberries, but many more combos still need testing . . . )
2-3 T. sugar
2 T. unsalted butter, cut into 1/4″ pieces
1 T. water

1. For the dough: Process the flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add half of the butter and pulse until the butter is the size of small peas, about four 1-second puleses. Add the remaining butter and pulse until the butter is the size of small peas, about 4 pulses. (You can also do this by hand: whisk the dry ingredients together, then cut in the butter with a pastry scraper or two knives–or your fingers, if you need to!)

2. Mix the sour cream and water in a small bowl until combined. Add half of the sour cream mxiture to the flour mixture; pulse for three 1-second pusles. Repeat with the remaining sour cream mixtures until the dough just comes together, about five 1-second pulses. Turn the dough out onto the counter and flatten into a 6″ disk. Wrap the disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before rolling.

3. When ready to roll and bake the tart, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the disk of dough from the refrigerator and roll it out between 2 large sheet sof parchment paper or plastic wrap to a 13″ circle (if the dough becomes soft and/or sticky, return it to the refrigerator until firm.) Slide the dough, still between the sheets of parchment paper, onto a baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes.

4. For the filling: Discard the top sheet of parchment paper. Pile the fruit in the center of the dough, leaving a 2-3″ border. Sprinkle 1-2 T. of the sugar over the fruit and dot with the butter.

5. Fold the edges of the dough over the fruit. Brush the top of the tart with the water and sprinkle with the remaining 1 T. sugar. Bake until the crust is golden brown and crisp and the fruit is bubbling, about 40 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet with the tart to a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes. Slide the tart off the baking sheet and cool on the rack until warm or room temperature before serving. Exceptionally good with a dollop of whipped cream.

Cabbage Slaw with Ginger and Almonds (and no mayo)

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Almond Ginger SlawI found this recipe in an Everyday Food, and I have a lot of cabbage, so I’ve made it a few times, with a little tweaking. It’s good–and different for the summer potluck fare. I’ve left the cilantro, peppers, and almonds on the top, because I think it looks more striking than combining it. In this photo, I substituted the red pepper for grated carrots, just because I had carrots on hand. This slaw would also be great swapping the almonds for peanuts! This is really a summer favorite.

Cabbage Slaw with Ginger and Almonds

  • 4 T. rice-wine vinegar
  • 2 T. Dijon mustard
  • 1 piece fresh ginger (2 inches long), peeled and grated
  • 6 T. vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • coarse salt and ground pepper
  • 1 medium cabbage, cored and cut into bite-size pieces
  • 1 red bell pepper (seeds and ribs removed), thinly sliced (or celery, or other crunchy vegetable)
  • 1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1/2 cup chopped roasted almonds
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard, ginger, and oils until dressing is smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
  2. In a large bowl, combine cabbage, bell pepper, cilantro, and peanuts. Add dressing to taste, and toss to combine. Serve.

Spiced Graham Pie Crust (to go with Fruit Ice Creams)

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Back to blogging! Hooray! We’ve been in our new house five weeks now, and we’re finally settled enough that I can sit at the computer and chronicle a new good thing: the ice cream pie. My friend Kerstin made an inspirational one last week, and then Cooking Light suggested a great dessert would be lemon sorbet with a ginger snap crust. Well, with Brickley’s (in Wakefield, RI) in mind, Rex made a terrific lemon ice cream by adding the zest of two lemons to the Best’s vanilla ice cream, and it worked out well. I couldn’t find a recipe for a ginger snap crusts, so I improvised a little, and thought it worked (for once!).

Spiced Graham Pie Crust

1 bag graham crackers, crushed
1/4 c. almonds, toasted
2 T. sugar
2 T. butter, melted
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ginger
dash of allspice

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine graham crackers, almonds and sugar in a food processor  and pulse until almonds and grahams are pea-sized or smaller (or put them in a baggie and crush with a rolling pin). Add melted butter and spices (which you can adjust to your taste), and continue to pulse until the mixture looks like wet sand. Press the graham mixture into an 8″ or 9″ pie dish, and press down with the bottom of a measuring cup to make uniform. Bake 12-15 minutes, or until fragrant. Let cool on a wire rack. Fill with soft ice cream, then freeze 1-2 hours, until firm.

Homemade Pretzels

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With a month-old baby, I’m starting to be back in the kitchen a little, and this week’s greatest success (by far) were these homemade pretzels from Everyday Food. I

I thought they turned out beautifully!

thought these were unbelievable, and I loved that I could use half the dough for pretzels, and the other half for pizza (dinner). I made the chocolate variation, and right out of the oven, I thought these pretzels tasted a lot like pain au chocolat–with no butter, I might add. Definitely a fun treat!

Homemade Pretzels

Ingredients

Serves 8

  • 1/2 recipe Basic Pizza Dough, or 1 pound store-bought pizza dough, thawed if frozen (Martha’s recipe is below, but probably any recipe would work, especially if it has a little sugar in it)
  • All-purpose flour, for work surface
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped nuts or 1/2 cup chopped chocolate or 2 tablespoons fennel seed
  • olive oil, for bowl and baking sheet
  • 3 tablespoons baking soda
  • 2 tablespoons coarse sugar (like Demerara or Turbinado, but don’t stress if you don’t have this)

Directions

  1. Place dough on a lightly floured work surface; sprinkle with nuts, chocolate, or fennel seed. Gently knead to incorporate. Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest 1 hour.
  2. Divide dough into 8 equal pieces. On a lightly floured work surface, roll each piece into an 18-inch-long rope. To shape dough into pretzels, form each dough rope into a U-shape and twist ends twice. Fold twisted end down and pinch to secure (see below). Transfer pretzels to an oiled baking sheet and let rest 20 minutes.
  3. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add baking soda. In batches, boil pretzels until puffed and slightly shiny, about 1 minute. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a wire rack to drain. Return pretzels to baking sheet; sprinkle with sugar. Bake until golden brown and cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through. Serve warm or at room temperature. (To store, keep at room temperature, up to 2 days.)

Basic Pizza Dough

Ingredients

Makes 2 pounds

  • 2 packets (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for bowl and brushing
  • 2 teaspoons coarse salt
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for work surface

Directions

  1. Pour 1 1/2 cups warm water into a large bowl; sprinkle with yeast and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
  2. Whisk sugar, oil, and salt into yeast mixture. Add flour and stir until a sticky dough forms. Transfer dough to an oiled bowl and brush top with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, draft-free place until dough has doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently knead 1 or 2 times before using.