779 that darn 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.

yeast, warm skim milk (or any other milks really), water , that is warm, sugar, egg, melted butter, flour (or more or less as needed), salt, extra melted butter, cinnamon, sugar, nutmeg

lean ground beef, chopped onion, red bell pepper, chopped, chili powder, minced garlic, bay leaf, peeled and diced tomatoes, kidney beans, drained, spaghetti sauce, salsa, taco sauce

baking potatoes, peeled and cubed, garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt, ground black pepper, softened butter, heavy cream

food cake mix, instant chocolate pudding mix, sour cream, water, vegetable oil, eggs, chocolate frosting ( perfect is preferred, but store bought or your own recipe is acceptable)

beef, sliced very thinly, sesame oil, soy sauce, green onion, chopped, honey, brown sugar, garlic, chopped, fresh ginger, minced, sake, black pepper, red pepper flakes, sesame seeds

baking potatoes, peeled and cubed, garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt, ground black pepper, butter, softened, heavy cream

mayonnaise, freshly grated parmesan cheese, white sugar, spring lettuce mix, freshly grated parmesan cheese, grated carrot, cauliflower florets, bacon bits

pumpkin , not pie mix, evaporated milk, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, butter, melted, duncan hines butter recipe cake mix, pecans, chopped, cream cheese, powdered sugar, cool whip

cottage cheese, sour cream, real mayonnaise, chopped chives, garlic cloves, finely minced, grated onions, worcestershire sauce, tabasco sauce, fresh ground black pepper

food cake mix or 18 1/4 oz fudge cake mix, instant chocolate pudding mix, sour cream, vegetable oil, water, eggs, semi-sweet chocolate chips, icing, sugar, butter, whole milk, semi-sweet chocolate chips

water, sugar, water, tea bags, lemonade concentrate, orange juice concentrate, brandy (peach or apricot)

spice cake mix, jello instant vanilla pudding mix, pumpkin puree, oil, water, eggs, pumpkin pie spice (optional)

all-purpose flour, salt, white sugar, active dry yeast, vegetable oil, warm water (about 110 degrees f), eggs (1-1.5 yolks, 3-4 whites ), low-fat milk, deli ham, turkey sausage, diced (pre-cooked & smoked , keilbasa style), spinach, onion, diced (optional), mushrooms, diced (optional), tomato, diced (optional), pizza cheese, shredded (part-skim mozzarella, provalone, parmesan and romano mix), cheddar cheese, shredded, garlic powder, chives, chopped (garnish ) (optional)

lean ground beef, garlic cloves, minced, onion, chopped, sweet red pepper, chopped, diced tomatoes with green chilies, tomato sauce, tomato paste, oregano, marjoram, rosemary, crushed, thyme, coriander, basil, salt

bell pepper, chopped, poblano pepper, chopped, onion, chopped, sliced mushrooms, stewing beef, beef broth, olive oil, butter, garlic cloves, finely chopped, flour, salt, pepper, steak sauce, honey, velveeta cheese, parsley, finely chopped

ground beef , or to taste, taco seasoning mix , or to taste, water, chicken-flavored ramen noodle soup, mexican-style stewed tomatoes, water, sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese

dry mustard, white vinegar, turmeric, salt, mixed italian spices, sugar, eggs