11 that will make you 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.

old age, i decided , is a gift., i am now , probably for the first time in my life, the person i have always wanted to be., i would never trade my amazing friends , my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. as i ve aged, i ve become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. i ve become my own friend., i don tsp chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that i didn tsp need, but looks so avant garde on my patio. i am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant., whose business is it if i choose to read or play on the computer until 4 am and sleep until noon, i will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 50 s, 60 s, & 70 s, and if i, wish i will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if i choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set., will get old ., i know i am sometimes forgetful. but there again , some of life is just as well forgotten. and i eventually remember the important things.., over the years my heart has been broken ..., but broken hearts are what give us strength andunderstanding and compassion. a heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect., i am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. so many have never laughed, and so may have died before their hair could turn silver., as you get older , it is easier to be positive. you care less about what other people think. i don tsp question myself anymore. i ve even earned the right to be wrong., answer your question , i like being old. it has set me free.. i like the person i have become., i am not going to live forever, but while i am still here, i will not waste time lamenting about what could have been, or worrying about what will be. and i shall eat dessert every single day. (if i feel like it), may our friendship never come apart especially when it s straight from the heart, may you always have a rainbow of smiles on your face and in your heart forever and ever

chicken breasts (or pork cutlets or medalions, whatever you prefer), egg, beaten, flour, panko breadcrumbs (really use this not bread crumbs, makes all the difference), oil, for frying, salt and pepper, to taste, s &b curry roux (thi will be in the golden or black box that ay &b golden curry auce mix, in your a ian ai le.), garlic cloves, sliced and toasted till golden brown, don tsp burn, mozzarella cheese, shredded (use the cheap brick cheese in the cheese aisle and cube, not pre-shedded, not the fresh balls), rice, to serve with

sugar cookie recipe, after trying over 50 sugar cookie recipes , i found this 1 to be my absolute favorite. i love this basic sugar cookie recipe for many reasons. it taste great. it is simple with few ingredients. it will maintain it s shape which makes the dough ideal for molding. you must chill the dough for a couple hours (or overnight is great) or it will be very sticky to work with., butter, softened, cream cheese, softened, sugar, egg, vanilla, all purpose flour, in large mixer bowl combine all cookie ingredients , except flour., beat at medium speed , scraping bowl often until creamy., reduce speed to low ; add flour. beat, scraping bowl often, until well mixed., divide dough into 2 equal portions; wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate unitl firm (at least 2 hours)., heat oven to 350o. roll out on lightly floured surface or parchment paper. bake for 7 to 10 minutes or until edges are very lightly browned. remove from cookie sheets; cool completely., url : cookiedecorating.com, chocolate cut-out recipe, yummy! crisp chocolate cut-outs with a brownie-cookie type flavor. this dough should be chilled for an hour or two (or overnight) or it may be sticky to roll., butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, all purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, in large mixer bowl beat butter , sugar, egg and vanilla until well blended. in medium bowl, stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to butter mixture and blend well., refrigerate dough about 1 hour or until firm enough to roll., preheat oven to 325o. on lightly floured surface or parchment paper, roll out dough. bake 5 to 7 minutes or until no indentation remains when touched., cookie sheets ; cool completely., url : cookiedecorating.com, run sugar, run sugar icing is the classic cookie icing. it is a smooth textured icing that forms a very hard crust. it is made by taking royal icing at it s fluffiest form and adding water to make it flow. when it dries, you can stack the cookies. this type of icing takes several hours to dry. the icing has a simple, flavor with some crunch., powdered sugar, meringue powder, gum arabic, cream of tarter, water, water, first , mix-up royal icing (use this recipe or follow instructions on the commercial royal icing), in small mixing bowl, combine water, meringue powder and cream of tarter., beat until stiff peaks form ., in separate bowl, combine powdered sugar and gum arabic. mix thouroughly, then add to meringue., beat on low , then medium speed until stiff peaks form. after the royal icing has been mixed, divide the mixture into several small containers and cover with wet towel. add a small amount of water to each batch until it us just barely fluid, not watery. test consistency by dropping a small amount from spoon onto waxed paper. it should smooth itself in about 10 seconds. if it runs too much, add more powdered sugar. if it is too thick, add a bit more water., remember : keep this icing covered when you are not using it. it dries out quickly. place the icing in a bag with a tip #3 or #4. outline the area to be covered. quickly fill in the outline. if the icing is running off the cookie, too much water was added to the royal icing. if the icing is not smooth, add a bit more water to the royal icing. when icing crusts, pipe adjoining color. for added dimension or outlining, allow icing to harden (several minutes) and pipe on the top., royal icing, is probably the most popular icing that cookie decorators use. it is preferable because it holds up very well if the cookies need to be stacked, shipped, stored, etc.. royal icing can be made into a very nice glaze and also works great for very fine detail work. the biggest problem with royal icing is that it dries hard as a rock, and also tends to dry out the cookies more than a buttercream icing would. the drying rock-hard isn tsp a big deal if you are doing a cookie that has a thin layer of glaze and some basic outlines or decorations, but if you need a cookie to have thick piping, the thick decorations would almost be impossible to eat in royal icing., meringue powder, powdered sugar, water, vanilla extract (use clear vanilla if you want a pure white icing), almond extract, beat all ingredients together until stiff peaks form (about 10 minutes). to vary the consistency, add water to thin and add powdered sugar to thicken.

ground beef, green bell pepper, chopped, yellow bell pepper, chopped, purple bell pepper, chopped, red bell pepper, chopped, onion, chopped, garlic cloves, mashed, celery, sliced, carrots, sliced, mushrooms, sliced, tomatoes, chopped fresh parsley, fresh oregano, fresh basil, ground dried hot pepper, sugar, olive oil, red wine, beer, salt and fresh pepper

sugar, scant 2 cups corn syrup, water, food color, liquid or paste, blue and white, white vinegar, magic flowers, see recipe for magic flowers (show jq1a03), cake, see recipe for classic genoise (show jq1a03), buttercream, see recipe for basic buttercream (show jq1a03), simple syrup, see recipe for simple syrup (show jq1a03), rolling fondant, see recipe for rolling fondant (show jq1a03), royal icing, see recipe for royal icing (show jq1a03), assemble the centerpiece : you need to first make the glue to stick everything together. place the extra sugar pieces (those are remnants of the sugar that you poured freeform on to the silpat) in the microwave and heat until it begins to bubble. watch carefully to be sure it does not burn., next you need to make the sugar supports to hold the moon vertically and to support the 8-inch sugar circle that will be resting on and in the moon, creating the level stand for the cake. you will need 4 support pieces in serving to build the centerpiece. to make the supports, heat a metal triangle or metal scraper on the burner of the stove. place the heated edge on the 4-inch sugar circle allowing the heat of the metal to cut the 4-inch sugar circle into quarters. use the heated metal scraper to also cut 2 to 2 1/2 inches off 1 of the 2 pointed tips of the moon. you will need to do this on an angle of about 90 degrees, in serving to create a somewhat flat edge. this flat edge will provide a level landing spot for the 8-inch sugar circle that will be the cake stand attachment of the moon., pour some of the melted sugar into the center of the 12-inch circle and glue the moon vertically into place. the end of the moon that you cut off is now the bottom of the moon. hold the moon straight until the sugar sets. glue the first 2 support pieces (these are the pieces that you cut by quartering the smallest sugar circle) at the wide, face of the moon, gluing 1 on either side. these 2 supports should be touching both the face of the moon and the base the moon rests on vertically. these supports will steady the moon in its vertical position on the round sugar base. glue your third support piece on the narrow backside of the moon. this will create a bridge of support in the back, from the moon to the base. in other words it will prevent the moon from rolling backwards. once all 3 supports have hardened you can glue the 8-inch sugar circle to the cut edge of the moon, creating a level cake stand inside the moon. the circle will be sitting on both the cut level area and the inner curve of the moon. additionally, you might find that you need the forth support piece to steady the 8-inch level stand. glue it into place wherever you think more support is required.

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

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.