50 just few Recipes

any liquid can be reduced just by heating it - but why would you want to do that, answer comes back to two of our old friends, flavor and consistency (texture)., by reducing any flavored liquid you intensify its flavor and at the same time thicken it. you can continue this process until what you have left is a syrup if it contains sugar, or a sauce if it does not., this is 1 of the most important tools in the kitchen , believe it or not, because a great sauce can rescue an indifferent meal., literally any liquid can be reduced ., a few uses, wine is frequently used in cooking , both as a marinade and as an addition to sauces for meat., there are some problems with it though, 1 of which is that you need a really good wine and quite a lot of it to produce a reasonable sauce for, say, six people., on the other hand , if you use pure grape juice and reduce it to a syrup, that syrup, added to any sauce (or gravy if you prefer) will lift it into the realms of gourmet ., more , you don tsp have to make your reduction on the night you prepare your meal. you can reduce a liter of grape juice at any time to the consistency and flavor you want; then just store it in the fridge., you can do the same thing with any fruit juice - prune is sensational - and store it until needed. just about all of them will do things for ice cream, pies or tarts that will have your guests demanding the recipe, pork with apple sauce use a carton of fresh apple juice from the supermarket and reduce it. and if you want a real sensation add in a glass of apple brandy during the reduction process., are you getting an idea of how simple this is, take any carton of fresh stock straight of the shelf and reduce it. you will transform it into something even the manufacturer won tsp recognize. but beware, you need to start out with good quality in the first place, because when you reduce a liquid you intensify all the flavors, and not just the good ones., if it s salty to start with, for example, it will be salty beyond belief by the time you ve reduced it even by half. so if you are going to use a supermarket stock, make sure it s an extremely good 1., believe me when i tell you that stock cubes should not be used for reduction sauces., thickeners, because you will be tasting as you go (won tsp you ), you may find that you get the flavor you want before the desired consistency is reached., a couple of hints right now for your sauces., sweet ones can be thickened successfully without loss of color by adding in liquid glucose early on in the reduction process. surprisingly, this will add little in the way of sweetness and produces a beautiful velvety sauce when whisked., if you get it wrong and add too much, no problem. stir in a little extra water to thin it., reduction pans, reductions need to happen rapidly in serving to preserve flavors. and the greater the surface area of the liquid the faster the water will evaporate., however you may want to whisk something into the sauce while its cooking - such as butter or olive oil for example - and for that i find a small wok is best; 1 with a handle., a wok is less likely to reduce so fast that the sauce is burnt while your back is turned. but try both methods and see which you prefer. you may even end up using something totally different., no magic to this. whatever works for you, that s what you should use, in this and everything else to do with cooking., just bear in mind that what you re after is speed and ease of use. as well as a great tasting result, of course. :>), keeping, if they should dry out , simply add a little water and heat through., sauces containing meat juices of any kind must be frozen if you re going to keep them, and should be brought to boiling point before being used again. there is no need to thaw them out to do this, in fact it s better not to. simply drop the frozen cubes into a saucepan, melt them over a gentle heat, and then bring swiftly to the boil., why do you do this to avoid food poisoning, that s why. you are making sure that any bugs introduced into the sauce during the preparation process are killed off., worry , this will not be because of anything you have done wrong (i hope!), but because bacteria are part of our everyday lives and they exist in every kitchen, however clean., in fact your food , and especially your meat, is crawling with wildlife that you will never see. don tsp worry about them. careful handling and simple precautions will ensure that these miniature monsters can never multiply enough to harm either you or your guests.

brown sugar or penuche fudge, brown sugar, evaporated milk, light corn syrup, vanilla, chopped nuts , optional, butter, preparation, in a medium saucepan (2 to 3-quart size), combine brown sugar with evaporated milk and corn syrup; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. continue boiling, stirring frequently, to soft ball stage or when candy thermometer registers 234o to 238o., heat and add vanilla and butter; do not stir. let cool for about 25 minutes, then beat with a wooden spoon until the fudge just begins to thicken. add chopped nuts and beat for a few more minutes, until it begins to lose its gloss but is not too thick. pour or spread in a greased pie plate or 8-inch square pan. score when set and cut into squares when firm., test for soft ball stage, use fresh cold water each time you test the candy. in about 1 cup of cold water , spoon about 1/2 tsp of hot candy. put you hand into the water and push the candy to form a ball. gently pick the formed ball up (if it will not form a ball, it is not done) - the soft ball will flatten slightly when removed from water.

tuna, well drained, diced bell pepper (any color ... or mix them), sweet red onion, egg, italian seasoned breadcrumbs, italian seasoned breadcrumbs (for coating patties just prior to frying), salt, pepper (or more to taste), garlic powder, olive oil (just a few tbsp, just enough to coat pan for frying), diced bell pepper (any color ... or mix them), diced red onion (or any sweet onion), diced jalapeno pepper, kraft cracked pepper mayonnaise, taco sauce (packets from taco bell work great, your preferred heat or flavor)

flaked coconut, toasted, margarine or 1/3 cup butter, melted, cream cheese, softened, sweetened condensed milk, lime juice concentrate, green food coloring, just a few drops, frozen non-dairy topping, thawed

chicken liver, all purpose greek seasoning , you must use cavender s, mesquite wood chips , soaked in water for the bbq (optional), mesquite liquid smoke , just a few drops (optional)

sandwich spread, cream cheese, mayonnaise (not miracle whip), dry ranch dressing mix, hearty bread (i like dark rye for this) or bagels (cut bagels in half and toast very lightly), cucumber, peeled and sliced 1/4 thick, several ice cold crispy lettuce leaves, tomato slices, sweet onion slices, cheese slices (swiss, sharp cheddar, smoked gouda, havarti, goat, brie, just to name a few choices)

cake mix (from a 18.25oz box of mix), water, oil, egg, lightly beaten, powdered sugar, baking cocoa, vanilla extract, butter, melted and cooled, milk

uncooked brown rice, boiling water, salt, plain unsweetened almond milk, ground flax seeds, blanched slivered almond, sugar (i used 1/4 cup sun crystals stevia- blend), rose water, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, cardamom (just a few shakes), saffron, powder, chopped pistachios