french toast

Specters move like pilot flames

Their widow’s toast at St. Angel

Better times collide with now

And better times

And better times are coming still

“A Widow’s Toast” by Neko Case

Elissa and I are attempting to start a new tradition of making breakfast on Sunday mornings. She told me that her mom always used to make breakfast on the weekends, something that she always thought was pretty special. If we are going to establish a family tradition, I am cool with it revolving around food. Here is my recipe for French toast; hopefully we will make it for a couple thousand more Sundays.

Serves four

Ingredients:

1 loaf day old French bread, cut into 1 inch thick diagonal slices (if bread is too hard, place in the microwave for 1 minute)
4 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ heaping teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons canola oil

Directions:

1. Heat oven to lowest setting
2. Mix egg, milk, spices
3. Soak bread in mix
4. Heat 2 tablespoon of oil in skillet over medium low heat
5. Fry bread, four pieces at a time, brown flat sides first (about 1 minute each)
6. Brown two short sides (this ensures the egg in the middle is cooked through)
7. Place finished French Toast on a baking sheet, cover with aluminum foil and place in oven
8. Serve with maple syrup and toasted pecans

pistachio ice cream

When I was a boy I thought about the times I’d be a man

I’d sit inside a bottle and pretend that I was in a can

In my lonely room I’d sit my mind in an ice cream cone

You can throw me if you wanna ’cause I’m a bone and I go

Oop-ip-ip oop-ip-ip, yeah!

“7 and 7 Is” by Love

Last weekend I held a pistachio “gelato” throw down.  The competition matched up two very different recipes one using cornstarch as a binder, one using eggs (the contestants were me vs. me).  Why I am apprehensive calling this gelato? Because it technically is not gelato, my ice cream maker incorporates too much air into the mix.  Gelato is supposed to be very dense, and while my ice cream did taste like pistachio gelato, it did not have the same texture.  Ah well…the judges helped me to hammer down what I think is an above-average pistachio ice cream recipe. Try it for yourself; I would love your feedback.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup unsalted shelled pistachios (about 3 3/4 oz.)
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups whole milk
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 large egg yolks
½ teaspoon lemon zest
2 drops green food coloring (optional)

Directions:

1.    Grind 3/4 cup pistachios, 1/4 cup sugar, and lemon zest in a food processor.
2.    Combine pistachio mixture, milk, almond extract, and vanilla extract in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to boil.
3.    In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar.
4.    Slowly whisk milk mixture into yolk mixture. Return mixture to saucepan.
5.    Stir over medium-low heat until custard thickens slightly and leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, about 8 minutes (do not boil).
6.    Remove from heat. Whisk in food coloring.
7.    Refrigerate custard until cold, about 3 hours.
8.    Strain pistachios out of mix with a strainer. (Discarded pistachios can be used as a garnish, see note)
9.    Process the ice cream mix in an ice cream maker.
10.    Transfer to a covered container and freeze for at least four hours.

Note: Place discarded pistachios on a baking sheet and dry out in a 200 degree oven, time depends on how wet the pistachios are.

Based on recipes from:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pistachio-Gelato-572


http://www.saveur.com/article/food/Pistachio-Gelato-

obama on food

While preachers preach of evil fates

Teachers teach that knowledge waits

Can lead to hundred-dollar plates

Goodness hides behind its gates

But even the president of the United States

Sometimes must have to stand naked

“It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)” by Bob Dylan

Check, Please! Bay Area is a popular restaurant review show on KQED public television out of San Francisco.  The show takes three people from the area and asks them to review each other’s favorite restaurant.  While the guests can often be hard-to-swallow, it is a good way to get some input on good local restaurants.  This YouTube clip was from a public television show in Chicago that was the precursor to Check, Please! Bay Area. Hopefully President Obama can tackle the economy like he did those Johnny Cakes.

Check, Please! Bay Area:
http://blogs.kqed.org/food/

soft pretzels

Pictures of movies stars fade and grow old

The hot dogs and pretzels are always served cold

Take nothing with you when you leave but your soul

In lulu land

“Lulu Land” by Camper Van Beethoven

My wife loves soft pretzels with that plastic ballpark cheese; it is her go to junk food at any event that offers such culinary treasures.  I saw Alton Brown make pretzels a couple of years back and I remember the recipe didn’t seem too confusing.  The part that always scared me was parboiling the dough before baking. It was no problem at all and the pretzels from start to finish were completed in about two hours. I also thought that beer cheese soup -a Wisconsin treasure- would be a perfect accompaniment to replace the synthetic cheese substance my wife adores.  It probably would have been a great pairing if I didn’t let the soup separate (I will give that recipe another try in the future). Anyways, the pretzels were awesome and easy-to-prepare.  This recipe does require one essential gadget, a kitchen aid mixer with the dough hook attachment, unless you really, really like to knead dough…it is a must.

Makes eight pretzels

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 package active dry yeast
22 oz. all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 cups
2 oz. unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil, for pan
10 cups water
2/3 cup baking soda
1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Pretzel salt, I used kosher salt

Directions:

1.    Combine the water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top.
2.    Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam.
3.    Add the flour and butter and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined.
4.    Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth about 5 minutes.
5.    Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil.
6.    Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes.
7.    Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
8.    Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper. Set aside.
9.    Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in an 8-quart non-reactive saucepan. (some critics suggest this prevents an overly metallic taste, I used my enamel pot)
10.    In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces.
11.    Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope.
12.    Make a U-shape with the rope, holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press onto the bottom of the U in order to form the shape of a pretzel
13. Let formed pretzels rest for 15 minutes
14.    Place the pretzels into the boiling water, 1 by 1, for 30 seconds
15.    Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula
16.    Return to the half sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt
17.    Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes
18.    Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving

Modified from Alton Brown’s Good Eats
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/homemade-soft-pretzels-recipe/index.html

sangria

I love ole sangria wine

When I drink it with ole friends of mine

Yeah I love to drink with ole friends of mine

When we get drunk on that sangria wine

“Sangria Wine” by Jerry Jeff Walker

Sangria always reminds me of Cha Cha Cha, a restaurant that serves tapas in the city.  Every time I go there I have sangria.  Every time I have the sangria it is delicious.  Every time I have the delicious sangria it makes the night very foggy.  I decided to try my own sangria; it was delicious and helped to create a comparable mental fuzziness.  Not too sweet, not too alcolhol-y, and perfect over a little ice.

Ingredients:

1 bottle dry red wine
1/2 cup brandy
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup frozen lemonade concentrate
1/3 cup orange juice
1/2 cup triple sec
1/4 cup white sugar
1 lemon, sliced into rounds
1 lime, sliced into rounds
2  small oranges, sliced into rounds, cut into semi-circle
1 blood orange, sliced into rounds, cut into semi-circle
(semi-circles help determine the fruit you want to eat from the fruit that makes you look like the dude with bitter beer face)

Directions:

1.    In a large pitcher or bowl, mix together the brandy, lemon juice, lemonade concentrate, orange juice, red wine, triple sec, and sugar. Float slices of lemon, orange and lime. Refrigerate overnight for best flavor.

Adapted from
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sangria-Sangria/Detail.aspx

Cha Cha Cha
http://www.cha3.com/

guajillo chile pork tamales with red chile sauce

Hot tamales and they’re red hot, yes she got’em for sale

Hot tamales and they’re red hot, yes she got’em for sale

I got a girls, say she long and tall

She sleeps in the kitchen with her feets in the hall

Hot tamales and they’re red hot, yes she got ‘em for sale, I mean

Yes, she got ‘em for sale, yeah Hot tamales and they’re red hot,

Yes she got ‘em for sale

“They’re Red Hot” by Robert Johnson

Continuing the Latin American themed week, I decided to finally attempt tamales.  There are millions of recipes out there for this dish, so I decided to create a hybrid recipe (thus obviously ensuring success).  Ultimately the recipe came from three different places on the internet and the side of the instant masa bag.  I was really happy with the final results.

Two notes:

1. making the red chile sauce really lengthened the process and wasn’t completely necessary

2. The recipe looks really long and complicated, but it isn’t

Ingredients for Red Chile Pork Tamales (makes about 20 small tamales):

22 dried corn husks
16 medium dried guajillo chiles, stemmed, seeded and each torn into large pieces
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cumin, plus more for seasoning
11/2 lbs. lean boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
11/2 teaspoon salt divided, plus more for seasoning
2 cup instant corn masa
2 cup lukewarm chicken broth
1 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup lard (or vegetable shortening if you really have to)

Directions for red chile pork filling:

1.    Combine the chiles, garlic, pepper and cumin, 3 cups of water in a blender and blend until smooth
2.    Strain the mixture through a strainer into a medium saucepan
3.    Add the meat, 3 cups of water and 1 teaspoon salt
4.    Simmer, uncovered, over medium heat, stirring regularly, until the pork is fork-tender and the liquid is reduced to the consistency of a thick sauce, about 1 hour
5.    Use a fork to break the pork into small pieces
6.    Season with salt and pinch of cumin after shredded, let cool to room temperature

Directions for masa batter:

1.    Combine masa, baking powder and ½ teaspoon salt in a bowl
2.    Work in broth with your fingers, to make a soft, moist dough
3.    In a separate medium bowl, beat the lard until fluffy
4.    Beat masa mix into lard until it is a spongy consistency
5.    Let rest for one hour in the fridge

Directions for making the tamales:

1. Start by making the pork filling
2. Once pork filling is on the stove, make the masa filling
3. Reconstitute the corn husks by placing in a pot covered with water
4. Place pot on high heat and bring to a boil, turn off the heat and place a bowl over the husks to weigh them down
5. Soak for one hour
6. To assemble the tamales, unroll one or two of the dry corn husks, tear lengthwise into strips, two for each tamale
7. Put a reconstituted husk on the counter with the wide end pointing toward you
8. Place ¼ cup masa batter in the middle of the husk, spread the batter to ¼ inch thickness square
9. Place 1 tablespoon pork filling down the middle of the masa
10. Roll the tamale into a cylinder and fold both empty ends toward the middle
11. Tie both empty ends with the corn husk strips
12. Use smaller husks to line the steamer basket and cover the tamales.
13.To steam the tamales set a large pot over high heat with a steamer basket at the bottom
14. Fill the pot up to the bottom of the steamer, place some dried corn husks at the bottom of the steamer
15. Fill the pot with the tamales and cover
16. When steam escapes from under the lid, reduce the heat to medium.
17. Steam 1 hour 15 minutes, adding more water if necessary.
18. Remove from heat; let stand 15 minutes for batter to firm up.

***Serve with red chile sauce or just some hot sauce

***Be sure to wrap any uneaten tamales in foil, they dry out very fast

***To reheat, cover the tamales with a wet paper towel and nuke for three minutes

***Use any leftover filling to make some nachos, tacos or an awesome torta.

Optional red chile sauce:

Ingredients:

15 large dried chilies (I used guajillo, California, and pasilla)
4 garlic cloves
2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt, plus 2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon flour
2 teaspoon olive oil or melted lard (don’t be scared use lard)
2 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoon red wine vinegar

Directions:

1. Remove stems and seeds from dried chili peppers
2. Place peppers in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for 3 minutes
3. Place pepper in a bowl and cover with water, soak for 30 minutes
4. Put peppers and 2 1/2 cups of the soaking water into a blender (save the remaining soaking water)
5. Add garlic, cumin and salt
6. Cover and blend until smooth
7. In a 2-quart sauce pan, stir flour and lard over med heat until browned
8. Slowly stir in blended chili mixture, it will bubble violently
9. Add 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 teaspoon red wine vinegar and 2 t salt
10. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes
11. Strain the mixture before serving

Recipes came from:

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/ricks-red-chile-pork-tamales

http://www.recipezaar.com/bb/viewtopic.zsp?t=188623

Manteca instant masa mix bag

pulparindo tamarind candy

Candy, I call my sugar Candy, because I’m sweet on Candy, and Candy’s sweet on me

She understands me, my understanding Candy, and Candy’s always handy

When I need sympathy, I wish that there were four of her,

So I could love much more of her.

She has taken my complete heart, got a sweet tooth for my sweetheart

Candy, it’s gonna be just dandy, the day I take my Candy

And make her mine, all mine.

“Candy” by Ray Charles

About twice a month, I treat my World History classes to something I call “Hungry for History”. Hungry for History is one way for me to introduce a new cultural experience to my students and inject some of my food nerdery into the history curriculum. Past Hungry For History’s have included: Eid al-Fitr fig and date bread, brie cheese, hummus, and kim chi. This week we covered Latin America, so I decided to try something I consider unique, hot and salty tamarind candy (kind of like a chili pepper covered fruit roll up). A majority of my students are Latino so this was not very unique for them, but I think they appreciated a nod to their culture. It should be noted that watching the non-Latino students try this “exotic” food was priceless.

Here is what I shared with my class:
http://www.mexgrocer.com/9350.html

bosc pears

Sweet pear, sweet pear

Those who say they love you would never dare

I`ll watch out for you I`ll always be there

In the hour of distress you need not fear

“Sweet Pear” by Elvis Costello

Pyrus communis

A solid pear…literally. This is firmer than the pears I remember having when I was a wee lad. It is good to utilize this firm texture for cooking applications like salads. Pear recipes:
http://recipes.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Category:Pear_Recipes

mediterranean rice pilaf

A dreamer of pictures

I run in the night

You see us together,

Chasing the moonlight,

My cinnamon girl.

“Cinnamon Girl” by Neil Young

I needed something to go with my leftover lamb kabobs from the other night, so I made this dish, which just happens to be one of my favorite starch recipes.  The combination of raisins, pine nuts and cinnamon with the ample amount of butter really works in this dish.  Try it, it goes well with pretty much anything.  The recipe calls for long grain rice, which works well, I used medium grain and it was fine.

Serves four

Ingredients:

3 tablespoon butter
½ cup pine nuts
½ cup golden raisins
1 cup long grain rice
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups chicken broth

Directions:

1.    Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat
2.    Add pine nuts and raisin, sauté for 3 to 4 minutes until nuts are golden
3.    Add rice, cook 2 to 3 minutes
4.    Add sugar and spices, stir
5.    Stir in broth, bring to a simmer
6.    Reduce heat to low and cover
7.    Cook for about 20 minutes or until broth is absorbed
8.    Season with salt to taste

Based on recipe from
http://projects.eveningedge.com/recipes/mediterranean-rice-pilaf/

satsuma mandarin season

Follow me, don’t follow me

I’ve got my spine, I’ve got my orange crush

Collar me, don’t collar me

I’ve got my spine, I’ve got my orange crush

We are agents of the free

I’ve had my fun and now its time to

Serve your conscience overseas (over me, not over me)

Coming in fast, over me

“Orange Crush” by REM

Citrus reticulata

Some interesting dorky information on Mandarin Oranges (
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/mandarin_orange.htm
l)