Christmas With a Boricua
For Thanksgiving I stick with an all-American menu, but come Christmas I need to have at least a few Puerto Rican items on my plate. It's not Christmas in my house without some arroz con gandules and some pig-based meat roasting in the oven. Traditionally in Puerto Rico we serve the arroz con gandules, pernil (roasted pork shoulder), pasteles (kind of like tamales but not at all), and maybe some empanadas de yuca. (I'm not even sure how to explain these suckers. I'll let the interwebs inform you.) For dessert we have flan or arroz con dulce (rice pudding) or tembleque (a coconut custard thing). My family likes when I make some of the more traditionally American side dishes to go with our Puerto Rican meal like mashed potatoes with gravy, creamed spinach, or the dishes I have outlined below, roasted brussels sprouts and creamed cauliflower. I like making them, too, as they are A) comforting dishes, and B) super easy to make.
Let's start with the dish that takes the longest:
Arroz con Gandules
2 tbsp olive oil, plus 1 tbsp
1 lb of pork neck or cut up pieces of pork shoulder
1/2 Spanish onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp sofrito
1 15 oz can of gandules (pigeon peas)
1/2 of an 8 oz can of tomato sauce
15 oz of chicken stock
1 packet of sazon with safron
1 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
Adobo and salt to taste
3 cups medium grain white rice (Must be medium grain! Short grain and long grain require different rice-to-liquid ratios.)
In a large saucepan (or if you want to be really authentic, an aluminum caldero), heat up the 2 tbsp of olive oil over high/medium heat. Season the pork pieces with salt and place in the hot oil to sear, turning as they brown. When all the pieces are seared, remove from the pan and lower the heat to medium/low. Add the onion, garlic and sofrito to the oil and cook until the onions are soft. (You can make your own sofrito with cilantro, onion, garlic, olive oil, culantro, aji dulce, oregano and salt, or you could buy a jar of it at the store. The kind I buy is from Goya and they call it "recaito') Once the onion is soft, add the can of the pigeon peas. Fill the empty can with chicken stock and add that to the pot. Add the tomato sauce, sazon and chopped cilantro to the mix. Stir and add the adobo and salt to taste. Add the pieces of pork and let the mixture simmer for a bit so the liquid gets the flavor of the pigeon peas and the pork, about 20 minutes. Add the rice to the bubbling liquid, stir, and reduce the heat to a simmer. Leave it uncovered until the liquid starts to evaporate and you can see the top of the rice. (I've ruined a lot of rice by walking away at this stage and coming back to a pot with mostly evaporated liquid and dry rice. Lesson: be patient and don't walk away.) Once you start to see the rice a bit, cover it and let it cook, about 25 minutes. Check on it after the 25 minutes to see if the rice is cooked thoroughly and stir it a bit. If it's still hard to the bite, continue cooking. I'm sorry I can't be more precise with the exact cooking times but I guess like with pasta it's one of those things that you just figure out and end up with a sense for; you'll just know when it's done.
Serves 6
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
2 containers of brussels sprouts
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 of a small onion, roughly chopped into chunks
3 cloves of garlic, smashed
2 tbsp of butter, cut into 8 pieces
Preheat over to 400℉
Cut off the buts of the sprouts and cut in half, discarding the outer leaf of the sprout. Place on a baking pan, drizzle the olive oil on them and season with the salt. Mix them up to ensure all of them are evenly coated with the oil and salt. Turn them so they're all flat side down, and keep the leaves that have come off as they will end up like crispy brussels sprouts chips. Scatter the pieces of onion and garlic throughout the sprouts and dot the pieces of butter on top of them. Place into the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until tender and brown. (I remove the onion and garlic when I serve them as I only use these two ingredients as aromatics but you are more than welcome to serve them with the sprouts.)
Creamed Cauliflower
1 head of cailiflower
1 cup of heavy cream
salt to taste
Chop up the head of cauliflower by almost shaving the florets with your knife blade, leaving you with little fine grains of cauliflower. Place the chopped cauliflower in a medium pot on medium heat. Cook the cauliflower bare for a bit to release some of the moisture and make the cauliflower a little nuttier in flavor and aroma, about 5 minutes. Once you start to smell the cauliflower add the heavy cream, making sure you don't cover the cauliflower completely. Let it cook on low heat with the lid partially on until the cauliflower is softened and the cream has reduced a bit. Add salt to taste.
Arroz con Gandules
2 tbsp olive oil, plus 1 tbsp
1 lb of pork neck or cut up pieces of pork shoulder
1/2 Spanish onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp sofrito
1 15 oz can of gandules (pigeon peas)
1/2 of an 8 oz can of tomato sauce
15 oz of chicken stock
1 packet of sazon with safron
1 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
Adobo and salt to taste
3 cups medium grain white rice (Must be medium grain! Short grain and long grain require different rice-to-liquid ratios.)
In a large saucepan (or if you want to be really authentic, an aluminum caldero), heat up the 2 tbsp of olive oil over high/medium heat. Season the pork pieces with salt and place in the hot oil to sear, turning as they brown. When all the pieces are seared, remove from the pan and lower the heat to medium/low. Add the onion, garlic and sofrito to the oil and cook until the onions are soft. (You can make your own sofrito with cilantro, onion, garlic, olive oil, culantro, aji dulce, oregano and salt, or you could buy a jar of it at the store. The kind I buy is from Goya and they call it "recaito') Once the onion is soft, add the can of the pigeon peas. Fill the empty can with chicken stock and add that to the pot. Add the tomato sauce, sazon and chopped cilantro to the mix. Stir and add the adobo and salt to taste. Add the pieces of pork and let the mixture simmer for a bit so the liquid gets the flavor of the pigeon peas and the pork, about 20 minutes. Add the rice to the bubbling liquid, stir, and reduce the heat to a simmer. Leave it uncovered until the liquid starts to evaporate and you can see the top of the rice. (I've ruined a lot of rice by walking away at this stage and coming back to a pot with mostly evaporated liquid and dry rice. Lesson: be patient and don't walk away.) Once you start to see the rice a bit, cover it and let it cook, about 25 minutes. Check on it after the 25 minutes to see if the rice is cooked thoroughly and stir it a bit. If it's still hard to the bite, continue cooking. I'm sorry I can't be more precise with the exact cooking times but I guess like with pasta it's one of those things that you just figure out and end up with a sense for; you'll just know when it's done.
Serves 6
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
2 containers of brussels sprouts
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 of a small onion, roughly chopped into chunks
3 cloves of garlic, smashed
2 tbsp of butter, cut into 8 pieces
Preheat over to 400℉
Cut off the buts of the sprouts and cut in half, discarding the outer leaf of the sprout. Place on a baking pan, drizzle the olive oil on them and season with the salt. Mix them up to ensure all of them are evenly coated with the oil and salt. Turn them so they're all flat side down, and keep the leaves that have come off as they will end up like crispy brussels sprouts chips. Scatter the pieces of onion and garlic throughout the sprouts and dot the pieces of butter on top of them. Place into the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until tender and brown. (I remove the onion and garlic when I serve them as I only use these two ingredients as aromatics but you are more than welcome to serve them with the sprouts.)
Creamed Cauliflower
1 head of cailiflower
1 cup of heavy cream
salt to taste
Chop up the head of cauliflower by almost shaving the florets with your knife blade, leaving you with little fine grains of cauliflower. Place the chopped cauliflower in a medium pot on medium heat. Cook the cauliflower bare for a bit to release some of the moisture and make the cauliflower a little nuttier in flavor and aroma, about 5 minutes. Once you start to smell the cauliflower add the heavy cream, making sure you don't cover the cauliflower completely. Let it cook on low heat with the lid partially on until the cauliflower is softened and the cream has reduced a bit. Add salt to taste.
I like to drink while I cook and I also like to make sure my guests have something yummy to drink so they don't realize it's taking me longer to finish cooking than I originally let on. These two drinks are perfect for winter and require not that much effort (with the exception of some mild muddling).
Old Fashioned
1 orange slice (I do 1/8 of an orange)
3 maraschino cherries
1/2 tsp sugar
10 dashes of bitters
2 jiggers of your preferred bourbon or whiskey (I've been using Jefferson's Bourbon)
Ice
Place the orange slice, cherries, sugar and bitters into a glass and muddle until the cherries are crushed, the sugar is dissolved and you've squeezed the juice out of the orange. Add ice and bourbon. Stir. Drink.
Mulled Wine
1 750 ml bottle of red wine (I like to go with something that has spicy notes)
2 cups of pomegranate juice
2 sticks of cinnamon
1/2 tsp of cloves
2 star anise
the peel from half an orange
the juice from a whole orange
sugar, if needed
In a medium pot heat the wine, pomegranate juice and the juice from one orange. In a cheese cloth place the cinnamon, cloves, anise and orange peel, tie it up and place the sachet in the warm wine. Let it steep for about 20 minutes on low heat. Add sugar if necessary. Serve warm.
Makes 5 cups
Old Fashioned
1 orange slice (I do 1/8 of an orange)
3 maraschino cherries
1/2 tsp sugar
10 dashes of bitters
2 jiggers of your preferred bourbon or whiskey (I've been using Jefferson's Bourbon)
Ice
Place the orange slice, cherries, sugar and bitters into a glass and muddle until the cherries are crushed, the sugar is dissolved and you've squeezed the juice out of the orange. Add ice and bourbon. Stir. Drink.
Mulled Wine
1 750 ml bottle of red wine (I like to go with something that has spicy notes)
2 cups of pomegranate juice
2 sticks of cinnamon
1/2 tsp of cloves
2 star anise
the peel from half an orange
the juice from a whole orange
sugar, if needed
In a medium pot heat the wine, pomegranate juice and the juice from one orange. In a cheese cloth place the cinnamon, cloves, anise and orange peel, tie it up and place the sachet in the warm wine. Let it steep for about 20 minutes on low heat. Add sugar if necessary. Serve warm.
Makes 5 cups
Room for Dessert?
This is great to make if you didn't make something ahead of time for dessert and haven't the energy to get off the couch and start the cooking process all over again. These baked apples are really easy to make, the hardest part being having the patience to make the caramel at the end. Be patient, though, the caramel takes them to the next level and tastes really great with vanilla ice cream. I'm not giving very precise measurements and think it's better to just leave it up to you guys. Try not to think about it too much.
Serves 4
4 red delicious apples
butter
brown sugar
cinnamon
1/4 cup apple cider
Preheat the over to 400℉
Core the apples. In the now empty center, layer bits of softened butter, then sprinkle some cinnamon, then a ball of the brown sugar, and repeat until the center is filled. Place the apples in a baking dish, filling the bottom with the apple cider. Place the apples and bake for about 30 minutes, or until they're tender to the fork. Remove from the oven, draining the liquid into a shallow, wide pan. Heat the liquid until it starts to reduce and slightly thicken. When it does, add pads of butter, one tbsp at a time, whisking the butter in and allowing it to melt into the liquid before adding the next pad of butter. I added about 4 tbsp total. You should end up with a nice caramel-y, apple-y sauce. Pour the sauce over the apples and serve with vanilla ice cream.
Serves 4
4 red delicious apples
butter
brown sugar
cinnamon
1/4 cup apple cider
Preheat the over to 400℉
Core the apples. In the now empty center, layer bits of softened butter, then sprinkle some cinnamon, then a ball of the brown sugar, and repeat until the center is filled. Place the apples in a baking dish, filling the bottom with the apple cider. Place the apples and bake for about 30 minutes, or until they're tender to the fork. Remove from the oven, draining the liquid into a shallow, wide pan. Heat the liquid until it starts to reduce and slightly thicken. When it does, add pads of butter, one tbsp at a time, whisking the butter in and allowing it to melt into the liquid before adding the next pad of butter. I added about 4 tbsp total. You should end up with a nice caramel-y, apple-y sauce. Pour the sauce over the apples and serve with vanilla ice cream.
Squash Blossoms stuffed with couscous
Don't be afraid of squash blossoms. Well, maybe a little afraid. If you're the type of person that is clumsy with things that need to be handled delicately, then stay the hell away from these little flowers. You want to pick ones that are still slightly closed which means you will have to work your way into them in a way that feels slightly sexual to remove the pistol or stamen. They can be dipped in a tempura batter and fried or you can stuff them with cheese or whatnot. The flavor is very subtle so pick something subtle as well to stuff them with. I made a couscous with summer squash, shallots, sultanas (golden raisins) and ricotta salata. After the debacle of maneuvering my fingers to remove the stamens I thought stuffing them would be harder than putting Kirstie Alley into a pair of spanx but it really wasn't that bad. The tempura batter actually helped in keeping the flower together and the couscous from pouring out.
Ingredients
1 bunch of squash blossoms or one basket. I ended up with 9
1 recipe for couscous (see below)
tempura batter (I used about 1/3 of the attached recipe)
Directions
Clean the blossoms in cold water and remove the pistols or stamens from the inside. Make sure there are no bugs in the flowers as well. Gently stuff the blossoms with the couscous, making sure a bit of all the little ingredients get up in there. I used a little teaspoon to pour it in. Fold over the petals to cover the filling.
Heat up some vegetable oil in a skillet on medium heat. Dredge the blossoms in the tempura batter and place in the oil. Fry them up until slightly golden. Transfer them to a paper towel. Serve warm.
For the couscous:
I followed the directions on the box to make two servings of the couscous. While that was cooking I sauteed one diced up summer squash in about a tablespoon of butter and transferred that to a bowl. Then I diced and sauteed one large shallot in some butter until a little caramelized and soft and added them to the cooked squash. I added the cooked couscous to the veggies and added about 1/4 cup of golden raisins and about 1/4 of diced up pieces of the ricotta salata. (Because the cheese is hard it doesn't melt with the heat.) I mixed all the ingredients together and added a little salt to taste. This will leave you with plenty leftover once you've stuffed the blossoms but that's fine because it makes a fine vegetarian dish. You could even make it vegan by substituting the butter with olive oil and omitting the cheese.
Note: I do not condone veganism and fully believe butter and cheese to be necessary elements in life.
Ingredients
1 bunch of squash blossoms or one basket. I ended up with 9
1 recipe for couscous (see below)
tempura batter (I used about 1/3 of the attached recipe)
Directions
Clean the blossoms in cold water and remove the pistols or stamens from the inside. Make sure there are no bugs in the flowers as well. Gently stuff the blossoms with the couscous, making sure a bit of all the little ingredients get up in there. I used a little teaspoon to pour it in. Fold over the petals to cover the filling.
Heat up some vegetable oil in a skillet on medium heat. Dredge the blossoms in the tempura batter and place in the oil. Fry them up until slightly golden. Transfer them to a paper towel. Serve warm.
For the couscous:
I followed the directions on the box to make two servings of the couscous. While that was cooking I sauteed one diced up summer squash in about a tablespoon of butter and transferred that to a bowl. Then I diced and sauteed one large shallot in some butter until a little caramelized and soft and added them to the cooked squash. I added the cooked couscous to the veggies and added about 1/4 cup of golden raisins and about 1/4 of diced up pieces of the ricotta salata. (Because the cheese is hard it doesn't melt with the heat.) I mixed all the ingredients together and added a little salt to taste. This will leave you with plenty leftover once you've stuffed the blossoms but that's fine because it makes a fine vegetarian dish. You could even make it vegan by substituting the butter with olive oil and omitting the cheese.
Note: I do not condone veganism and fully believe butter and cheese to be necessary elements in life.
Lavender Honey Panna Cotta with roasted figs
I found some lavender for baking at the farmers market and knew I had to make something with it. Panna cotta is insanely easy to make. What was a bit more challenging was figuring out how to infuse the cream with the right amount of the lavender without making it taste like potpourri. If you're a bit afraid of the lavender you can very well just use some vanilla; either the seeds of one vanilla bean or a teaspoon of vanilla extract should do the trick. You can serve it with fresh berries but since I also found a nice pint of figs I decided to roast some with honey, butter and cinnamon and serve on top of the panna cotta.
makes 6
Ingredients
3 1/2 cups of heavy cream
1/2 cup of whole milk
1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp of honey
1 tbsp of baking lavender
1 packet of flavorless gelatin
Directions
In a medium saucepan heat up the heavy cream on low heat and add the honey. I didn't want to make mine too sweet and usually find that if you're making something that is to be eaten cold that the flavors are intensified when they cool down from their warm state. I placed the lavender in cheese cloth and made a sachet but you can very well just put the lavender into the cream directly. This would mean having to strain it out later, though. Take the cream off the heat and place the lavender in and steep for 20 minutes. I originally did this with 1.5 tbsp of lavender and steeped for 30 minutes which ended up being too much. You could do it for even less than the 20 minutes to end up with just a hint of the lavender. While the lavender is steeping, sprinkle the gelatin in the 1/2 cup of whole milk and let it soften. Under no circumstances should you mix or whisk the gelatin into the milk. You will end up with chunky milk and have to sprinkle another packet of gelatin into another 1/2 cup of milk. No, this isn't a mistake I made. Why are you making such accusations? Once the cream tastes lavender-y enough, remove the sachet and slowly whisk in the milk with the softened gelatin. Pour the cream into individual ramekins, cover and put them into the fridge. Allow them to cool down and congeal for at least six hours. Top with your fruit of choice.
makes 6
Ingredients
3 1/2 cups of heavy cream
1/2 cup of whole milk
1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp of honey
1 tbsp of baking lavender
1 packet of flavorless gelatin
Directions
In a medium saucepan heat up the heavy cream on low heat and add the honey. I didn't want to make mine too sweet and usually find that if you're making something that is to be eaten cold that the flavors are intensified when they cool down from their warm state. I placed the lavender in cheese cloth and made a sachet but you can very well just put the lavender into the cream directly. This would mean having to strain it out later, though. Take the cream off the heat and place the lavender in and steep for 20 minutes. I originally did this with 1.5 tbsp of lavender and steeped for 30 minutes which ended up being too much. You could do it for even less than the 20 minutes to end up with just a hint of the lavender. While the lavender is steeping, sprinkle the gelatin in the 1/2 cup of whole milk and let it soften. Under no circumstances should you mix or whisk the gelatin into the milk. You will end up with chunky milk and have to sprinkle another packet of gelatin into another 1/2 cup of milk. No, this isn't a mistake I made. Why are you making such accusations? Once the cream tastes lavender-y enough, remove the sachet and slowly whisk in the milk with the softened gelatin. Pour the cream into individual ramekins, cover and put them into the fridge. Allow them to cool down and congeal for at least six hours. Top with your fruit of choice.
Summer Berry Puddings
I originally made these a million years ago when I still had my heart set on going to culinary school and was experimenting with every recipe I came across. I did not like them the first time I made them because I was far too impatient to let the juices soak all the way through the bread and ended up with chunks of dry bread interspersed in between the berries. No bueno. This time I played a little with the puddings. I made one batch in the same way I'd make a bread pudding which made them more like a custard but not as berry-y as I wanted them to be. The other batch (for which I'm including the recipe) I made without baking or without using eggs or milk and liked the punch of sweet berry flavor the little ramekins packed. If weird textures keep you from enjoying certain foods this recipe might not be for you. The texture isn't overly strange but it is essentially pieces of bread soaked with berry juices so it can feel a little spongy and soggy. I'm doing a terrible job at selling this. Anyway, if you're more into the custardy bread pudding version let me know and I'll send you that recipe instead.
Makes 6
Ingredients
about half a loaf of brioche, sliced and cubed (I didn't remove the crusts and wish I had. Your call.)
1 pint of strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 pint of blueberries
1 pint of raspberries
1 pint of blackberries (if they're big slice them in half)
1 tbsp of sugar
1/2 tsp of vanilla
lemon zest (just a bit)
you could also play a little and maybe add some cardamom pods or half a stick of cinnamon
2 tbsp of water (for more flavor add a juice like pomegranate or acerola)
Directions
In a saucepan heat up the berries in low heat with the sugar, vanilla, lemon zest and the water (or juice). Let them simmer until the berries start to soften and release a bit of their juice. Pour a bit of the berries into the bottoms of the ramekins with some of the juices and top with the bread, then more berries and juice, then more bread, then more berries and juice. Pour any extra juice on top of the puddings even if they feel a little watery; the bread will end up soaking all of this up. Cover and chill overnight. Oh and then eat those suckers. Had one for breakfast this morning. Figured it's mostly fruit so it must be healthy and totally appropriate for breakfast.
Makes 6
Ingredients
about half a loaf of brioche, sliced and cubed (I didn't remove the crusts and wish I had. Your call.)
1 pint of strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 pint of blueberries
1 pint of raspberries
1 pint of blackberries (if they're big slice them in half)
1 tbsp of sugar
1/2 tsp of vanilla
lemon zest (just a bit)
you could also play a little and maybe add some cardamom pods or half a stick of cinnamon
2 tbsp of water (for more flavor add a juice like pomegranate or acerola)
Directions
In a saucepan heat up the berries in low heat with the sugar, vanilla, lemon zest and the water (or juice). Let them simmer until the berries start to soften and release a bit of their juice. Pour a bit of the berries into the bottoms of the ramekins with some of the juices and top with the bread, then more berries and juice, then more bread, then more berries and juice. Pour any extra juice on top of the puddings even if they feel a little watery; the bread will end up soaking all of this up. Cover and chill overnight. Oh and then eat those suckers. Had one for breakfast this morning. Figured it's mostly fruit so it must be healthy and totally appropriate for breakfast.
French Toast
I'm in a heated competition with my father over who makes the best french toast. He doesn't know it's happening but it is real and somehow I'm losing. For years I've been working on perfecting this recipe, trying to get it to come close to his, taking mental notes on what he does and how the toast tastes. This recipe is about as close as I think I'll come. Some say that the bread is where it's at, maybe that's true but the man uses friggin' white sandwich bread. I think the true secret lies in the liquid you dip the bread in. If that tastes good your french toast will taste good. I add dark rum to my mix, which was a tip I picked up while working at Shorty's .32, and serve it with bourbon maple syrup because why not.
makes 8 pieces of toast so it serves how many people can consume 8 pieces of toast. In my family that's not that many. Maybe 2 or 3, 4 if I also make bacon or sausage and eggs and provide fruit and drink. No, we're not fatties. OK, so maybe a little. No biggie. It's not like we then just sit around. OK, so we sit around and watch too much TV afterwards. Or take a nap. But that's just because we just finished eating all that food, it's not like we're that lazy always. OK, we are.
Ingredients
4 eggs
1 cup of milk (not skim. Preferably whole)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp dark rum
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of salt
8 slices of white bread (fewer slices if using a thicker bread as it soaks up more liquid)
butter for skillet
Directions
Whisk the eggs until scrambled and add the milk, vanilla, rum and cinnamon. Gradually whisk in the sugar to ensure that it dissolves completely and doesn't just sit at the bottom of the bowl or whatever you're using to do the dipping. Put a large skillet on medium heat and melt half a tbsp of butter. (Less if you're health conscious. I like to have more than necessary so the toast almost fries in the butter and you get the saltiness from it on the sweet toast.) Dip the bread in the batter one at a time, ensuring that the mixture is soaked all the way. Sometimes I would remove it too soon out of fear that the bread would break apart but then end up with some parts in the middle untouched by the mixture. This is no bueno. Slide the soaked bread into the skillet and slowly cook. I don't like to cook it too quickly because the inside ends up mushy. I try to achieve something akin to a bread pudding on the inside that is toasted and crisp on the outside. This texture takes a little bit of time and patience. You'll start to see the bread puff up a little as it cooks. Remove once cooked through and brown and toasty on the outside. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with your syrup of choice. I recently went to Vancouver for work and brought back this amazing maple syrup that is aged in Bourbon barrels and goes great with french toast. You can find it here.
makes 8 pieces of toast so it serves how many people can consume 8 pieces of toast. In my family that's not that many. Maybe 2 or 3, 4 if I also make bacon or sausage and eggs and provide fruit and drink. No, we're not fatties. OK, so maybe a little. No biggie. It's not like we then just sit around. OK, so we sit around and watch too much TV afterwards. Or take a nap. But that's just because we just finished eating all that food, it's not like we're that lazy always. OK, we are.
Ingredients
4 eggs
1 cup of milk (not skim. Preferably whole)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp dark rum
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of salt
8 slices of white bread (fewer slices if using a thicker bread as it soaks up more liquid)
butter for skillet
Directions
Whisk the eggs until scrambled and add the milk, vanilla, rum and cinnamon. Gradually whisk in the sugar to ensure that it dissolves completely and doesn't just sit at the bottom of the bowl or whatever you're using to do the dipping. Put a large skillet on medium heat and melt half a tbsp of butter. (Less if you're health conscious. I like to have more than necessary so the toast almost fries in the butter and you get the saltiness from it on the sweet toast.) Dip the bread in the batter one at a time, ensuring that the mixture is soaked all the way. Sometimes I would remove it too soon out of fear that the bread would break apart but then end up with some parts in the middle untouched by the mixture. This is no bueno. Slide the soaked bread into the skillet and slowly cook. I don't like to cook it too quickly because the inside ends up mushy. I try to achieve something akin to a bread pudding on the inside that is toasted and crisp on the outside. This texture takes a little bit of time and patience. You'll start to see the bread puff up a little as it cooks. Remove once cooked through and brown and toasty on the outside. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with your syrup of choice. I recently went to Vancouver for work and brought back this amazing maple syrup that is aged in Bourbon barrels and goes great with french toast. You can find it here.
Cheesecake
Cheesecake was never my thing. I generally found it too crumbly or it left a weird taste in my mouth. Besides, why eat cheesecake when there's chocolate cake? That was until I tried the creme fraiche cheesecake they had at Mercer Kitchen. This was creamy, luscious, tangy, addictive. The pastry chef would sometimes put the little cheesecakes that weren't perfect enough to serve to guests on the table for family meal; I would always grab one and slowly savor it. For this recipe I married the traditional New York cheesecake with this creme fraiche version I enjoyed so many years ago. The typical New York cheesecake is meant to have a bit of flour for that more cake-y consistency and sour cream in addition to the cream cheese. Creme fraiche is the more delicious French cousin of sour cream. If you are against anything French, call it Freedom cream and call it a day.
Ingredients
For the crust:
1 1/2 cups of graham crackers, finely ground
1/2 cup of candied pecans, finely ground
6 tbsp melted unsalted butter
For the filling:
1 8 oz packages of cream cheese
1 pint of creme fraiche
3 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp vanilla
lemon zest of one lemon, finely grated
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325℉.
Crumble the graham crackers and pecans in the food processor until they are finely ground. Put the crumbs into a bowl and mix the melted butter in, evenly distributing so all the crumbs become moist. Pour this mixture into an 8-inch springform pan and press into the bottom and about half an inch up the sides to form the crust. Refrigerate until it's ready for the filling.
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and creme fraiche with an electric mixer until smooth and lacking in clumps. Add the eggs and egg yolks one at a time to the mixture and beat slowly until it is all combined. Add the sugar, flour, vanilla and lemon zest and mix until creamy, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure even distribution. Pour the batter into the crust. Wrap the springform pan with aluminum foil (but don't cover the top). Place the springform pan in a roasting pan. Pour boiling water into the roasting pan until the water is about half way up the springform pan. Bake for 50 minutes. The cheesecake will still jiggle when you take it out but will continue to cook with its own heat. Let it cool to room temperature and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. (I cooled mine overnight.) You can serve as is or add your berry of choice. I macerated some halved strawberries with 1 tsp of sugar, lemon zest and the juice of half a lemon for about half an hour and topped the cheesecake with 'em. I then proceeded to devour the cheesecake slice.
Ingredients
For the crust:
1 1/2 cups of graham crackers, finely ground
1/2 cup of candied pecans, finely ground
6 tbsp melted unsalted butter
For the filling:
1 8 oz packages of cream cheese
1 pint of creme fraiche
3 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp vanilla
lemon zest of one lemon, finely grated
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325℉.
Crumble the graham crackers and pecans in the food processor until they are finely ground. Put the crumbs into a bowl and mix the melted butter in, evenly distributing so all the crumbs become moist. Pour this mixture into an 8-inch springform pan and press into the bottom and about half an inch up the sides to form the crust. Refrigerate until it's ready for the filling.
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and creme fraiche with an electric mixer until smooth and lacking in clumps. Add the eggs and egg yolks one at a time to the mixture and beat slowly until it is all combined. Add the sugar, flour, vanilla and lemon zest and mix until creamy, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure even distribution. Pour the batter into the crust. Wrap the springform pan with aluminum foil (but don't cover the top). Place the springform pan in a roasting pan. Pour boiling water into the roasting pan until the water is about half way up the springform pan. Bake for 50 minutes. The cheesecake will still jiggle when you take it out but will continue to cook with its own heat. Let it cool to room temperature and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. (I cooled mine overnight.) You can serve as is or add your berry of choice. I macerated some halved strawberries with 1 tsp of sugar, lemon zest and the juice of half a lemon for about half an hour and topped the cheesecake with 'em. I then proceeded to devour the cheesecake slice.
Gazpacho
I love this recipe because it is so simple and fresh yet super flavorful. It is really important that you buy really great tomatoes that are beautiful and ripe as they are the main basis of the soup. If you pick ones that are meh the soup will be meh. I chose to also make ceviche for the people who, like my mom, don't believe soup to be a real meal. (She says you eat it and an hour later you're already peeing it out. Oh, ma.) I suggest you refrain from eating the whole batch on the day you make it; your patience will be rewarded with a much tastier soup that has had the time to really marinate.
serves 6
serves 6
Ingredients
2 lbs of tomatoes
1/4 cup onion (I used a red onion but you can use Spanish onion or a sweet Vidalia)
2 cloves garlic
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
half a cucumber, peeled
1 cup cold water
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (I used sriracha) or more to taste
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Chop all the veggies into managable chunks and throw into a blender with about 1 cup cold water. Blend until smooth. Pour through a strainer to get out all the peels and seeds. This, for me, is the most time-consuming part of the whole recipe because the liquid drips pretty slowly through the puree. It does help to keep returning the puree that's left in the strainer to the blender to make the process a little faster. It will get a little tedious but it will be worth it as your soup will be velvety smooth because of it. Once you're done straining, return the liquid to the blender and add the vinegar, salt, pepper and spice. Once you have gotten the desired savoriness and spiciness, slowly add the oil while the blender is running to ensure that it really emulsifies. (If you were to add it in one go the oil would never become part of the soup and you'd end up with two layers: one of the tomato broth and one of oil. Yuck.) Serve chilled with bread to sop up the bit left at the bottom (or you could just use your tongue and directly lick the bowl).
2 lbs of tomatoes
1/4 cup onion (I used a red onion but you can use Spanish onion or a sweet Vidalia)
2 cloves garlic
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
half a cucumber, peeled
1 cup cold water
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (I used sriracha) or more to taste
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Chop all the veggies into managable chunks and throw into a blender with about 1 cup cold water. Blend until smooth. Pour through a strainer to get out all the peels and seeds. This, for me, is the most time-consuming part of the whole recipe because the liquid drips pretty slowly through the puree. It does help to keep returning the puree that's left in the strainer to the blender to make the process a little faster. It will get a little tedious but it will be worth it as your soup will be velvety smooth because of it. Once you're done straining, return the liquid to the blender and add the vinegar, salt, pepper and spice. Once you have gotten the desired savoriness and spiciness, slowly add the oil while the blender is running to ensure that it really emulsifies. (If you were to add it in one go the oil would never become part of the soup and you'd end up with two layers: one of the tomato broth and one of oil. Yuck.) Serve chilled with bread to sop up the bit left at the bottom (or you could just use your tongue and directly lick the bowl).
Ceviche
I sometimes find that people complicate ceviche too much, adding superfluous ingredients and flavors. This is a dish that tastes best when using the bare minimum, allowing the few components to compliment each other. My favorite ceviche that I've tried was prepared by my friend Adam so I got this recipe from him. This is what he had to say: "I love ceviche. If there was one food I had to eat every meal for the rest of my life, that'd be the one. I lived in Mexico for 7 months (and visit often), and ate ceviche damn near every day. If stuck on a desert island it's the perfect thing, because it is SO simple. Fish, lime, onions, time. This is the most basic recipe, and the one I was taught by a friend in Cancun. From this basic skeleton you can change the fish, add fruit and other veggies, fucking add it to pasta, I don't know." I've shied away from preparing it for years, afraid of not "cooking" the fish long enough or having it taste too fishy. This recipe helped me combat that apprehension and I will be frequently revisiting it when it's too damn hot to turn on the stove. Thanks, buddy.
Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs fresh white fish (I used tilapia per his recommendation but I've seen sea bass, scallops, shrimp be used)
1 diced red onion
10-15 limes
handful of cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
your favorite spicy additive (ie cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, sriracha, tabasco)
Directions
Cut fish into inch to 1/2 inch cubes and lay in a casserole dish. Try to keep it to one layer. Throw in diced onion, handful chopped cilantro, salt and pepper (pepper flakes as well). It's hard to explain, but just add these ingredients until its a colorful balance to the white fish after it's all stirred together. Start squeezing limes. Make sure the fish chunks are at least covered up half way, and throw in the fridge. Flip the chunks periodically, but let it chill until just after the outer edges of the fish cubes have gone opaque white. For firmer fish let it sit longer, but if you buy good fish it's up to you how "cooked" you want it.
The acid in the limes changes the structure in the proteins, essentially cooking the fish. The longer it sits the more cooked it gets. You could use vinegar, alcohol, or battery acid (editor's note: he's being cheeky, don't use battery acid), but lime juice is the way to go I'd say. Just make sure you get good quality fish and you're guaranteed success. Get fish that doesn't smell like anything and looks fresh.
Serve with tostadas or tortilla chips. Or just shovel it into your mouth with the closest object like I do.
(Well, I was going to paraphrase the recipe but decided to just copy and paste the directions that were sent to me. Hope no one thinks I'm plagiarizing.)
1 1/2 lbs fresh white fish (I used tilapia per his recommendation but I've seen sea bass, scallops, shrimp be used)
1 diced red onion
10-15 limes
handful of cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
your favorite spicy additive (ie cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, sriracha, tabasco)
Directions
Cut fish into inch to 1/2 inch cubes and lay in a casserole dish. Try to keep it to one layer. Throw in diced onion, handful chopped cilantro, salt and pepper (pepper flakes as well). It's hard to explain, but just add these ingredients until its a colorful balance to the white fish after it's all stirred together. Start squeezing limes. Make sure the fish chunks are at least covered up half way, and throw in the fridge. Flip the chunks periodically, but let it chill until just after the outer edges of the fish cubes have gone opaque white. For firmer fish let it sit longer, but if you buy good fish it's up to you how "cooked" you want it.
The acid in the limes changes the structure in the proteins, essentially cooking the fish. The longer it sits the more cooked it gets. You could use vinegar, alcohol, or battery acid (editor's note: he's being cheeky, don't use battery acid), but lime juice is the way to go I'd say. Just make sure you get good quality fish and you're guaranteed success. Get fish that doesn't smell like anything and looks fresh.
Serve with tostadas or tortilla chips. Or just shovel it into your mouth with the closest object like I do.
(Well, I was going to paraphrase the recipe but decided to just copy and paste the directions that were sent to me. Hope no one thinks I'm plagiarizing.)
Chicken Fried Steak with Mashed Potatoes
This is one of my favorite dishes to make because it invariably makes people feel good. It's not particularly difficult to put together, or terribly time consuming, but for it to come out tasty you have to cook it with feeling. It's certainly not a dish to be thrown together at the last minute (although if you happen to have these particular ingredients around I'm sure you technically could) because then it would lack that love and care that makes this soul food. Throw on a little Al Green and Otis Redding while you cook and see how much better your gravy tastes.
Serves 6
Serves 6
Ingredients
For the Steak:
6 pieces of cubed steak (I bought more since they were pretty thin and I was serving grown men)
1 cup of flour
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
5 tsp salt (more or less)
pepper
1 cup of whole milk
2 eggs
For the Gravy:
2 medium sweet onions
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp flour
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup whole milk
salt and pepper to taste
For the Mashed Potatoes:
6 large potatoes (1 per person), peeled and cut into cubes (or cube-ish pieces)
2 cups milk
1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, crushed
salt to taste
Directions
I start with what takes the longest time, which is boiling the water for the potatoes. Fill a large pot half way with water and add a handful of salt. Once it starts boiling, add the potatoes. Cook until there's no give when you stick a fork in them.
While things are boiling, prep the flour and milk for the steaks to be dipped in. It's called chicken fried steak because you prepare the steak in the same fashion as fried chicken, which is to say you dip it in a milk mixture then dredge it in flour, and fry until golden brown. I like to season the flour with cumin because it enhances the flavor of the steak and adds a savoriness that salt just doesn't. Add the cumin, cayenne pepper, salt and cracked pepper to the flour on a plate with slightly raised sized. Mix with a fork so the seasoning is evenly distributed within the flour. Taste the flour to make sure it's seasoned to your liking (sounds weird but it ensures that the steak isn't too this or not enough of that). I usually have to tweak the salt. If it's too salty for you, add more flour. In a shallow bowl (one that is wide enough to accommodate a full piece of steak) add the milk and eggs and whisk. I also add a little salt to that mixture but I like my food to be well-seasoned.
Back to the potatoes. I prefer to make the potatoes before frying the steaks so they don't get too cold. You can do things in whatever order you like, though. Once cooked, drain the potatoes and throw them in a large bowl. I warm up the milk in a small saucepan with a stick of a butter and the two cloves of garlic. When the potatoes are ready I remove the milk from the heat and discard the garlic. Slowly add the milk mixture to the potatoes and mash, or blend with a hand mixer (which is what I do). Add milk until you achieve the desired consistency but be careful not too add too much or else they'll end up looking like glue. I like my potatoes very buttery so I usually add more butter once they're all smooth one tablespoon at a time. I calculated that I ended up putting a stick and a half in my potatoes. Eeeshk. Always taste your food and season with salt (I use Kosher, not iodized). Once they're beautiful and smooth and creamy, set aside in a place where they'll keep warm while you fry the steak.
In a large skillet, add enough vegetable oil to cover the bottom and place on medium heat. I check the temperature of the oil by holding my hand above it to see if it feels warm enough. You could also put a bit of flour in to see if it sizzles. Once the oil is hot enough, dip the steak in the milk/egg mixture then dredge in the flour mixture, enough to cover but not so much that you have clumps of flour on the steak. Slide the steak into the oil and fry until golden on each side. I did two steaks in the skillet at a time to avoid crowding. Remove from the oil and keep on a cooling rack.
When all the steaks are fried up there should be just enough oil left in the skillet to cook the onions in. I added a little butter to mine to help them caramelize. Add the onions to the skillet and cook them down on low heat until they are soft and a caramel color, stirring occasionally to prevent them from burning or sticking. Once they are cooked, open up a little area on the skillet to make a quick roux. Melt the 2 tablespoons of butter and add 2 tablespoons of flour to it. Mix the two until it creates a paste. Add the milk and chicken stock gradually, adding more as it thickens and incorporate into the onions, creating an oniony, milky gravy. I add the liquid until it's a little thinner than I'd like it to end up and let it simmer until it slowly thickens, stirring occasionally. Add the salt at the very end because as the liquid thickens it will also become gradually saltier.
To serve, place the steak(s) on a plate and smother with the onion gravy and add a plop of the potatoes on the side. I can't vouch for the authenticity of this dish as it's my take on a classic, but I can speak of its deliciousness. If you have any questions (as I can imagine one would considering the vagueness of my measurements) feel free to send me a message. Enjoy!
For the Steak:
6 pieces of cubed steak (I bought more since they were pretty thin and I was serving grown men)
1 cup of flour
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
5 tsp salt (more or less)
pepper
1 cup of whole milk
2 eggs
For the Gravy:
2 medium sweet onions
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp flour
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup whole milk
salt and pepper to taste
For the Mashed Potatoes:
6 large potatoes (1 per person), peeled and cut into cubes (or cube-ish pieces)
2 cups milk
1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, crushed
salt to taste
Directions
I start with what takes the longest time, which is boiling the water for the potatoes. Fill a large pot half way with water and add a handful of salt. Once it starts boiling, add the potatoes. Cook until there's no give when you stick a fork in them.
While things are boiling, prep the flour and milk for the steaks to be dipped in. It's called chicken fried steak because you prepare the steak in the same fashion as fried chicken, which is to say you dip it in a milk mixture then dredge it in flour, and fry until golden brown. I like to season the flour with cumin because it enhances the flavor of the steak and adds a savoriness that salt just doesn't. Add the cumin, cayenne pepper, salt and cracked pepper to the flour on a plate with slightly raised sized. Mix with a fork so the seasoning is evenly distributed within the flour. Taste the flour to make sure it's seasoned to your liking (sounds weird but it ensures that the steak isn't too this or not enough of that). I usually have to tweak the salt. If it's too salty for you, add more flour. In a shallow bowl (one that is wide enough to accommodate a full piece of steak) add the milk and eggs and whisk. I also add a little salt to that mixture but I like my food to be well-seasoned.
Back to the potatoes. I prefer to make the potatoes before frying the steaks so they don't get too cold. You can do things in whatever order you like, though. Once cooked, drain the potatoes and throw them in a large bowl. I warm up the milk in a small saucepan with a stick of a butter and the two cloves of garlic. When the potatoes are ready I remove the milk from the heat and discard the garlic. Slowly add the milk mixture to the potatoes and mash, or blend with a hand mixer (which is what I do). Add milk until you achieve the desired consistency but be careful not too add too much or else they'll end up looking like glue. I like my potatoes very buttery so I usually add more butter once they're all smooth one tablespoon at a time. I calculated that I ended up putting a stick and a half in my potatoes. Eeeshk. Always taste your food and season with salt (I use Kosher, not iodized). Once they're beautiful and smooth and creamy, set aside in a place where they'll keep warm while you fry the steak.
In a large skillet, add enough vegetable oil to cover the bottom and place on medium heat. I check the temperature of the oil by holding my hand above it to see if it feels warm enough. You could also put a bit of flour in to see if it sizzles. Once the oil is hot enough, dip the steak in the milk/egg mixture then dredge in the flour mixture, enough to cover but not so much that you have clumps of flour on the steak. Slide the steak into the oil and fry until golden on each side. I did two steaks in the skillet at a time to avoid crowding. Remove from the oil and keep on a cooling rack.
When all the steaks are fried up there should be just enough oil left in the skillet to cook the onions in. I added a little butter to mine to help them caramelize. Add the onions to the skillet and cook them down on low heat until they are soft and a caramel color, stirring occasionally to prevent them from burning or sticking. Once they are cooked, open up a little area on the skillet to make a quick roux. Melt the 2 tablespoons of butter and add 2 tablespoons of flour to it. Mix the two until it creates a paste. Add the milk and chicken stock gradually, adding more as it thickens and incorporate into the onions, creating an oniony, milky gravy. I add the liquid until it's a little thinner than I'd like it to end up and let it simmer until it slowly thickens, stirring occasionally. Add the salt at the very end because as the liquid thickens it will also become gradually saltier.
To serve, place the steak(s) on a plate and smother with the onion gravy and add a plop of the potatoes on the side. I can't vouch for the authenticity of this dish as it's my take on a classic, but I can speak of its deliciousness. If you have any questions (as I can imagine one would considering the vagueness of my measurements) feel free to send me a message. Enjoy!