24 should its 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.

you will need : makes 2 large baguettes or 4-5 smaller loaves(12 inches), sponge, bread flour, warm water(110 degrees ), instant or rapid rise yeast, dough, bread flour, instant or rapid rise yeast, warm water (110degrees), salt, glaze, egg beaten with 2 tbsp water, directions: this recipe requires 2 days... so plan ahead ., day 1, make the sponge. in a medium bowl, stir all of the ingredients until combined. you will need to cover the bowl with plastic wrap. let it sit at room temp until the sponge has risen and fallen at least 6 hours and up to 24 hours. i made mine in the late afternoon and started on it in the morning., day 2, in a mixer bowl, fitted with the dough hook, combine 3 cups of the flour and yeast. on low speed, add water and mix until the dough comes together. it will be about 2 minutes. stop the mixer and cover the bowl with a plastic wrap. let it sit at room temp for 20 minutes. after the 20 minutes. remove the plastic wrap and add the sponge from the previous day. add the salt and knead the dough on medium-low for about 8 minutes. after about 4 minutes, if the dough is still sticking to the sides if the bowl, add the remaining 1/2 cup flour, 2 tbsp at a time. the dough should not stick to sides only to the bottom of the bowl. complete kneading the dough for the additional 4 minutes. you should have kneaded the dough for a total of 8 minutes., turn the dough on a lightly floured counter top. form into a nice ball ., place the dough into a large , lightly oiled bowl. cover tightly with greased plastic wrap. let rise in a warm place. like with all my breads i let it rise in a cozy oven. (i turn on the oven for about a minute and then turn it off. ...it should feel just cozy, not hot or too warm.)let rise 1 hour., after the initial 1 hour rise time , you will need to turn the dough 2 times slide a bench scraper under 1 side of the dough. gently lift and fold 1/3 of the dough toward the center., repeat with the other side. finally, fold the dough in half perpendicular to the first folds. this should be a rough square. let it rise for 30 minutes . the process of turning and folding. cover the bowl with plastic wrap. let rise for an additional 30 minutes. this process stretches the dough gently and ensures that the sheets of gluten in the bread provide the proper structure and strength. top a large rimless(or inverted) baking sheet with parchment paper. turn the dough onto a lightly floured counter top. divide it into 2 loaves(i divided mine in 4-5 pieces as my baking stone is too small)., shape each piece into a baguette and lay each piece seam side down. space them about 4-5 inches apart., shaping the baguettes, work with 1 piece at a time. gently pat the dough into a rectangle., gently fold the bottom third of the dough up to the center. press to seal. bring the bottom of the dough up to the top and seal., flour your hand and create a large crease down the middle., top and the bottom of the dough together making sure it is secure ., gently roll the baguette back and forth to make a long log. lay each piece seam side down unto a parchment lined baking sheet., remember to space them. mist the baguettes with vegetable oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap.( i didn tsp cover them with plastic wrap). let rise in a warm place till doubled about 1 hr to 1 1/2 hr., after about 40 minutes of rising time prepare your oven. adjust your oven rack to the lower-middle position. place a baking stone on the rack and heat the oven to 500 degrees. let the baking stone heat for 30 minutes but no longer than 1 hour. after the baguettes have doubled in size, score them with 1/2 inch slashes. use a very sharp knife or a sharp blade. brush the breads with egg-water mixture. carefully slide the breads and parchment paper unto the baking stone. immediately reduce the oven to 425 degrees. don tsp forget this step. bake until golden and center of bread registers at 210 or about 25 minutes. rotate loaves halfway to ensure even browning. i don tsp think i bothered with turning them. let cool for about 30 minutes. this bread is amazing for steak sandwiches. delicious, recipe was adapted from america s test kitchen baking cookbook .

dried linguine or 4 -6 oz thick spaghetti or 4 -6 oz other dry pasta, salt (for pasta water... not optional), olive oil, garlic, minced, crushed red pepper flakes, anchovies, sun-dried tomato packed in oil, chopped (if using the dry kind , reconstitute in boiling water), freshly grated parmesan cheese (not the kind from a green jar, and it should be finely grated, not the big shreds), salt & freshly ground black pepper

shredded cabbage and carrots from ready-to-eat package, poured loosely into a measuring cup and settled down ever so lightly with the finger tips., apple grated , should make 1 cup (i prefer brae-burn for its crispness), grated fresh onion (more is not better .), miracle whip (half the fat of mayo.), milk, level tsp sugar, salt

olive oil, cinnamon sticks, onion, chopped, pumpkin (peeled and diced , it should be 1/2 lb) or 1/2 lb winter squash, diced into 1/2 inch cubes (peeled and diced, it should be 1/2 lb), coarse cut bulgar wheat, salt, water or 3/4 cup vegetable broth

pork, cubed into 20 pieces, bamboo shoot, sliced (canned will do), green pepper, sliced, salt, vodka, spirit, egg, beaten, cornstarch, flour, garlic clove, finely chopped, spring onion, cut into short lengths, oil (for frying ), vinegar, sugar, salt, tomato paste (puree), soy sauce, cornstarch, sesame oil

fat free graham crackers, crushed, keebler right bite shortbread sandies 100 calorie packs, almonds, toasted and finely chopped, i can tsp believe it s not butter fat free, melted, fat free cream cheese, room temperature, white sugar, skim milk, egg substitute, fat free sour cream, vanilla extract, all-purpose flour

risotto with sausage and cranberry beans, make risotto , you absolutely must use a specific type of rice called arborio rice (carnaroli and vialone nano are also used, some say superior, but are more difficult to find). these types of rice release starch when stirred in a liquid; it is this process which makes risotto, otherwise you just have a starchy mess of mush. these types of rice are identified by their fat round grains and pearly appearance. they can be used to make other sorts of rice dishes, such as pilaf, but other types of rice cannot be used for risotto. arborio is no longer that much of a specialty product; it can be found in most large, well-stocked grocery stores in the italian section. or sometimes, misguidedly, in the asian section., okay , so now we have the rice. you will also need some good, low-salt stock or broth - it should be low-salt not for health reasons, but because a good deal of it will evaporate, leaving its salt behind, and i like to have more control over the salt in a dish. it can be homemade, but i m not going to be a snob about it because, in truth, we go through gallons of store-bought stock in this household and i don tsp see that changing anytime soon. furthermore, risotto is actually a dish which can be whipped up out of thin air when it seems as though you have nothing to eat, as long as you have butter, rice, stock, maybe a few herbs, and some leftover parmesan. i like the kind of stock purchased in tetrapak cartons, because they are resealable and can be put in the fridge and used as needed. if you really want to use homemade but you don tsp have time to make stock or don tsp like the aroma of roasting bones in your house (i don tsp blame you), you can buy really great stock at north market poultry and game - it is expensive, but can be diluted with a 2- or 3-to-1 ratio of water to stock, so it stretches. my general guideline is to plan on 1/4 cup dry rice per person, and about 4 cups of stock to 1 cup of rice. of course, this isn tsp exact and will vary depending on your elevation and the phases of the moon, but it s a good place to start. i usually just use 4 cups of stock and then dilute with water or wine (or sometimes beer, if that s all i have) if i feel i m going to run out., well, we have rice and stock covered, now we just need our setup: place the stock in a saucepan on your rear burner, bring to a simmer, and leave it there with a 6-8 oz ladle in, and place a large, wide saute pan (must be really large, plan that your rice will at least quadruple in size) or dutch oven on the burner in front. get out your favorite wooden spoon and flex your stirring arm., nice thing about using sausage is it s so full of flavor you can leave out the usual onion/garlic/shallot/celery nonsense if you re tired and don tsp feel like chopping. furthermore, sausage goes from the freezer to the pan without suffering too much. okay, let s go, risotto with sausage and cranberry beans - serves 4, links italian sausage , or 1 lb bulk (or hot, or a combination - definitely with some fennel), casings removed, cooked cranberry beans or 1 can white beans, drained, arborio rice, beef , chicken or vegetable stock, butter, freshly, finely grated parmesan cheese , plus more for garnish, an oz) flat-leaf parsley, chopped finely, lemon juice , or juice from 1/2 lemon, salt and black pepper to taste, red pepper flakes to taste, optional, good balsamic vinegar , optional

i have found for cooking heavy whipping cream is best. cook slow and temper (this is when u add some of the hot liquid to the cream to bring it up to temp.) before putting in a hot liquid. if it is cooked to long and too hot it will break up or separate. i also know it can dry up, but just follow these rules and it should be okay. cream picks up flavors pretty quick. i would thin 15 or 30 mins. is long enough to let the cream sit with ingredients, althought when i was making souffles and other desserts the cream was not a factor unless i beat it too long (it would dis-solve to nothing), didnt have a clean, cold bowl or cream was warm., cream, half & is at least 10.5% butterfat (milkfat), light cream is between 18 and 30% butterfat, light whipping cream is between 30 and 36% butterfat, heavy whipping cream is between 36 and 40% butterfat., colder cream is to start, and the colder it stays as you whip it, the easier and better it whips., if it is not cold enough , it doesn tsp whip , it churns (no air is incorporated) which makes butter., when whipping cream , add the sugar when the cream is mostly whipped, and the cream will whip to a higher volume. adding the sugar at., prevent cream from curdling when adding to coffee, use fresh cream. as cream ages, its lactic acid content increases. acid can curdle cream. the acid in coffee, along with coffee s heat, favor curdling of cream., here are some facts and tips on using cream or milk in hot dishes., lower the butterfat (milkfat) content, the more likely cream is to separate., half & is at least 10.5% butterfat (milkfat), light cream is between 18% and 30% butterfat, light whipping cream is 30% to 36% butterfat, heavy cream (heavy whipping cream) is 36% to 40% butterfat, hotter the liquid , the more likely cream is to curdle (separate). cream should never be added to a boiling liquid., when adding cream or milk, it is best to heat it up a bit before adding it to another hot liquid. it is partly the difference in temperature that causes milk or cream to curdle. the beginning results is lower volume., freezing cream : freeze only heavy cream containing 40% or more butterfat. heat to 170 to 180of for 15 minutes. for storage longer than 2 months, add 1/3 cup sugar per quart of cream. cool quickly. place in moisture-vapor resistant containers, leaving 1/2-inch headspace., cream whipped after freezing and thawing does not become as stiff as never-frozen cream. individual whipped cream garnishes can be satisfactorily frozen by whipping cream before freezing. place dollops of whipped cream on baking sheet and freeze. once solidly frozen, remove dollops and store in the freezer in freezer containers.

cookies (polish bows) - chruscik, egg yolks, tb sour cream, tb rum, ts vanilla, confectioners sugar, flour (sifted), ts baking powder, ts salt, tb sugar, oil for deep frying, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until well combined. add sour cream, rum and vanilla and mix until smooth. sift the flour, baking powder and salt and add it to egg yolk mixture, a little at a time. on a heavily floured surface knead the dough vigorously, punching and squeezing as much flour into it as it will take until the dough is no longer sticky (1/2 hour). separate dough into several portions and roll very thin. turn the dough and loosen often when rolling. the dough should look like parchment paper that you can see through. cut dough into strips approx. 1 1/2 inches wide, 4 inches long. make slit closer to 1 end and bring the longer end through the slit. heat oil to 375 degrees and fry quickly (only a few seconds) until golden not brown. turn only once. drain on paper towels. dust with confectioners sugar. makes 8 dozen.

many supermarkets sell meat specifically labeled for braciole. if yours does not, the butcher should be able to cut it for you. steaks that measure 5 inches across by 7 inches long are ideal. this recipe makes enough extra sauce to coat 1 lb of pasta. we like to serve braciole with a hearty pasta shape, such as ziti or rigatoni., braciole, garlic cloves , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 tsp), raisins, pine nuts , toasted in a dry skillet until fragrant, fresh parsley leaves , minced, fresh basil leaves , minced, pecorino romano cheese , grated, steaks , cut from the widest part of a top round roast, 1/2 inch thick (about 2 lb total), extra-virgin olive oil, salt and ground black pepper, provolone cheese , cut in half (optional), simple tomato sauce, extra-virgin olive oil, onion , minced, garlic cloves , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 5 tsp), red pepper flakes, dry red wine, crushed tomatoes, bay leaf, fresh basil leaves , minced, salt and ground black pepper

pretzel goldfish crackers, oyster crackers, butter, melted, caesar salad dressing mix (such as good seasons ), cheez-it white cheddar crackers , baked cheese snacks (should be cheez-it twisters cheddar and more cheddar), roasted wasabi green peas, swedish fish gummi candies

whole unblanched almonds, whole unblanched hazelnuts, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, freshly grated nutmeg, freshly ground black pepper, unbleached all-purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, plus extra for dusting, dried fruits , preferably organic any combination of black currants, white or black raisin, black mission figs, white figs, sour cherries, plums, prunes, pears, peaches, nectarines, or cranberries and apricots and candied ginger, mild-flavored honey , such as clover, granulated sugar, candy thermometer (check your thermometer s accuracy in boiling water; it should read 212 degrees) or small bowl of ice water, cake ring or flan ring or several 4-inch flan rings placed on parchment-lined baking sheet, generously coated with melted butter and dusted with unsweetened cocoa powder, sheet of rice paper

all-purpose flour, kosher salt, sugar, cold unsalted butter , cut into pieces, ice water ( strain out the ice just before using), red wine vinegar, granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and thickly sliced, sugar, salt, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, pure vanilla extract, cold unsalted butter , cut into pieces, heavy cream, sugar

pork and beans (dig out the , drain off the extra sauce), bacon, cut in pieces (i buy the precooked stuff. there s a big debate in the family about whether you should use cooked or raw bacon. i prefer cooked so that i can eat it with the beans. and 1 package of precooked is perfect.), onion, cut in chunks (i process until pretty fine with a food processor), green pepper, cut in chunks (ditto food processor), worcestershire sauce, ketchup, brown sugar

ready to spread frosting, any flavor, chocolate chips , or any flavor chips, nuts if desired assorted garnished, decorations of your choice

tuna steaks (lightly grilled or broiled , it should remain a bit pink) or 1 (6 oz) can italian canned tuna (drained and flaked), red potatoes, trimmed fresh green beans, black olives, capers or 2 tbsp green olives, head butter lettuce, separated into leaves and washed, head garlic, top third cut off , remove papery skin, shallots , papery skin removed, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, dijon mustard, fresh thyme, salt and pepper