21 mores points 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.

olive oil, uncooked uncooked boneless skinless chicken breast (cut into 1-inch pieces), dried thyme (or more ), table salt, black pepper, garlic cloves, minced (or more ), broccoli florets, reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided, cornstarch, cooked brown rice , kept hot

i use a 3 1/2 to 4 lb chuck roast, well marbelized with fat, and if you can find a bone-in roast, that s better yet (but it s almost always boneless chuck that you find at the grocer). i like to quickly rinse the roast in cold water just before i lay it on the cutting board to coat it with seasoned flour. place the following ingredients in a small baggie and shake the closed bag to mix it up, flour, salt, garlic salt, crazy mixed-up salt (if you can tsp get this seasoning, use seasoned salt instead, but jane s is by far the best), pepper, use your hands to generously pat the seasoned flour into the roast, on both sides, flipping the roast a couple times and repeating the process., in a dutch oven or roasting pan large enough to hold the roast, heat 1 tbsp oil over medium high heat - you want your pan and oil to be hot enough to sear the roast well when you put it in the pan. when the oil is just about to the smoking point, put the roast in and cover the pan. let the meat sear until nicely browned on the bottom, then flip the roast. let it sear for a minute or two on the second side, then add, beef stock (i much prefer the boxed stock to the canned broth - it just seems to give the gravy a much richer taste in the end), cover the roasting pan and place it in a pre-heated 300 degree oven. roast for 4 to 5 hours, until the meat is fork tender and falls apart easily. i check the roast each hour, quickly opening the lid, just to make sure the stock has not evaporated. as long as your pan has a good seal on it, this shouldn tsp happen. but if necessary, add more stock to the pan., an hour before the roast is done , prepare the mashed potatoes. peel 6 large red potatoes (these work better - at least for me - because they are much moister than the russets, so the mashed potatoes are creamier); cut into 1/4th, and place them in a large saucepan - rinse the cut potatoes 2 times in cold water, then cover them in fresh cold water and place the pan over medium high heat; boil until tender. this is usually about 30 minutes, but it depends on the size of your cuts, so just cook them until you can easily insert a fork into a potato. drain potatoes well, reserving 1 cup of the water for the gravy. add the following to the hot potatoes, butter, sour cream, milk, salt, crazy mixed up salt (use regular salt or garlic salt if jane s salt is not available), pepper, i use a hand masher , but you can use an electric mixer or however you chose to mash the potatoes into a creamy yet firm texture. add more milk if potatoes are too stiff. place the mashed potatoes in a buttered casserole dish, cover with foil, and place in the oven to keep warm while you make the gravy., prepare the gravy, melt 2 tbsp butter, stir in 1/4 cup flour to make a paste, stir in enough beef stock to thin the paste enough to pour., finished roast from the pan and place it on a plate; cover meat with foil to keep warm., place the roasting pan over a medium flame and bring the liquid to a gentle boil (i usually seem to have about 1 1/2 to 2 cups liquid in the pan when the roast is done - if you have less, just use the beef stock to increase your liquid)., use a whisk to gradually whisk in the butter/flour/stock liquid., add 2 tbsp beef base - i use tone s (i prefer beef base to buillon - has a richer flavor and is really worth having on hand, but if you can tsp find this, try knorr s beef buillon extra large cubes), add the 1 cup of reserved potato water, add 1/2 cup beef stock, taste the gravy and see if you want more seasoning. i usually find i don tsp need to add anything at this point, since i have the seasoning from the flour coating and the stock and the beef base. if you think you need more seasoning, add salt and pepper to your taste. beef base will also give you more saltiness., keep the gravy warm while you uncover the meat and use 2 forks to pull the meat apart into small to medium chunks., you are now ready to assemble...

boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, chicken broth, regular or low sodium, soy sauce - again, regular or low sodium, quarter-size or more piece of fresh ginger, peeled and either slivered or chopped, garlic cloves, minced, baby spinach, boiling water, store bought hoisin sauce , honey garlic sauce, sweet and sour sauce, dumpling dipping sauce, or homemade sesame soy sauce or peanut sauce., here is the recipe for sesame-soy dipping sauce., soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, peeled and grated fresh ginger, garlic, minced, scallions (white and tender green parts), thinly sliced on the diagonal, sesame seeds (optional), in a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, oil, vinegar, ginger, garlic, and scallions, stirring to blend., at this point, you can cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week., stir in the sesame seeds just before serving.

cornmeal, whole wheat flour, unsweetened applesauce, mashed banana (about 1 medium), baking powder, artificial sweetener (honey can be substituted), cinnamon, allspice, salt, water, vanilla, banana extract (if is unavailable, just add an extra tsp of vanilla or 1 more banana)

olive oil, garlic cloves, to taste (crushed, (or more ), tomato (chopped ), fresh parsley (chopped, or 2 tsp dried ), fresh basil (chopped, or 1 tsp dried ), honey, salt, black pepper, cooked elbow macaroni (about 4 oz uncooked ), canned black beans (rinsed and drained ), fresh spinach (chopped and well cleaned and drained )

balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing, parsley, garlic, shrimp, tomato, mixed salad greens, pepperidge farm whole grain 15 grain bread, read more : http://www.kitchendaily.com/recipe/tuscan-shrimp-salad-with-toast-points-78419/#ixzz17q1cup0k60

light butter, scallion, minced, frozen corn kernels (no need to thaw frozen corn) or 2 1/2 cups fresh corn (no need to thaw frozen corn), all-purpose flour, skim milk, table salt (or more ), black pepper, freshly ground (to taste)

flour, table salt, divided, black pepper, chicken breasts, skinless, sliced thin, olive oil, chicken broth , fat free & reduced sodium (divided), garlic, minced, broccoli florets, lemon zest (or more ), parsley, fresh, chopped, fresh lemon juice

canned chicken broth, walnut halves, roughly chopped, reduced-fat sour cream, walnut oil , toasted variety, garlic clove, peeled, sea salt, black pepper, freshly ground (or more ), uncooked whole wheat linguine, fresh parsley, chopped, grated parmesan cheese or 2 tbsp parmigiano-reggiano cheese

whole wheat tortillas , like la tortilla factory whole wheat low-carb low-fat tortillas, original (not large), cooked skinless chicken breast, shredded, black beans, corn, drained, jalapeno jack cheese , like lifetime fat free, shredded, red chili pepper, diced, frozen chopped spinach, thawed & thoroughly drained, avocado, nonfat sour cream, hidden valley ranch dressing mix , the original ranch, tomato, diced, pepper (or more , to taste)

olive oil flavored cooking spray, 3 sprays, green beans, trimmed and cut in half (thawed ) or 2 (16 oz) bags frozen green beans (thawed), tomatoes, washed and cut in half, fresh basil , cut into ribbons, minced garlic, table salt (or more ), fresh ground black pepper (to taste)

fusilli, uncooked or 8 oz other spiral shaped pasta, balsamic vinegar (or more ), olive oil, dried oregano, grape tomatoes, halved or 1 cup cherry tomatoes, basil, fresh, chopped, part-skim smoked mozzarella cheese, table salt (to taste), black pepper (to taste)

unsalted butter, shallots, minced, all-purpose flour, dry sherry, chicken broth, homemade or low-sodium canned, minced flat-leaf parsley, fresh thyme, kosher salt, plus more , to taste, freshly ground black pepper, plus more , to taste, cayenne pepper, freshly grated nutmeg, shiitake mushrooms, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch slices, creme fraiche or heavy cream, cubed poached chicken , recipe follows, snipped fresh chives, suggestions : buttered noodles, toast points, biscuits, or crepes, parsley, fresh thyme, onion, halved, carrot, halved, stalk celery, halved, chicken breasts halves, on the bone and fat trimmed, chicken broth, homemade or low-sodium canned

beef brisket , point cut, smoked paprika, kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, olive oil, ketchup, cider vinegar, plus more for seasoning, molasses, brown sugar, mustard powder, bourbon, plus more for seasoning, worcestershire sauce, potato rolls , for serving

lean ground beef (optional), bacon, diced (optional), butter (optional), onion, diced, garlic, minced (or more ), assorted fresh vegetables (it gets fun here, suggestions are diced carrots and celery, sliced 3/4-inch green beans, diced baby), beef broth (use vegetable broth if keeping this vegetarian), kidney beans, rinsed and drained, dry basil, oregano, rosemary, tomato sauce, tomatoes, seeded and chopped, elbow macaroni or 2/3 cup spaghetti, broken into pieces (i use odds and ends of pasta at this point), shredded cabbage or 2 cups spinach (what i use) or 2 cups swiss chard, salt and pepper, grated parmesan cheese

whole low-fat honey graham crackers (4 rectangles per cracker), marshmallow cream, semi-sweet chocolate chips, cinnamon, aluminum foil

low-fat sugar-free chocolate ice cream , breyers double churn free french chocolate fat-free ice cream, marshmallow creme, room temperature (only 1 tbsp. will actually end up on your sundae), low-fat honey graham crackers, lightly crushed (half a sheet), semisweet mini chocolate chips, fat free reddi-wip topping