FoodB

So much to talk about.

This weekend we attended a Halloween party at my sister-in-law's house. Jenn was tasked to make some chicken wings (which will be posted later) and I took it upon myself to make a dessert. With the holidays coming up I have been wanting to make a pumpkin cheesecake for either Thanksgiving or Christmas but wanted to make sure the recipe was good first. Having 1 cheesecake and two people isn't a good thing either so this party was the perfect chance to experiment. I had made a lemon cheesecake for an Easter party we went to earlier in the year so I wasn't new to the process but it was a new recipe and those can be scary if done wrong.

The recipe I used is from a book my mom gave me: Baking Illustrated, which I can't recommend enough if you have even the smallest interest in baking. The cover price is $35 but this is the King Kong of baking books. It has just about every recipe that you can think of and great write ups about baking issues and various equipment you may need. I have made three things now out of this book and they have all gone over very well.

If you have a Kitchenaide mixer you are very lucky! The two cheesecakes I have made have been done with a hand mixer, which you can use to make this recipe, it's just not advised. Also you will need a springform pan which is a fun little tool that I got last Christmas. Enough talk, here is the recipe:

Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake

Crust

5 ounces graham crackers (9 whole crackers), broken into large pieces
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
6 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted

Filling

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar (10 1/3 ounces)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese , cut into 1-inch chunks and left to soften at room temperature, about 30 minutes
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon lemon juice from 1 lemon
5 large eggs , left at room temperature, about 30 minutes
1 cup heavy cream

1. For The Crust: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Spray bottom and sides of 9-inch springform pan evenly with nonstick cooking spray. Pulse crackers, sugar, and spices in food processor until evenly and finely ground, about fifteen 2-second pulses. Transfer crumbs to medium bowl, drizzle melted butter over, and mix with rubber spatula until evenly moistened. Turn crumbs into prepared springform pan and, using hand, spread crumbs into even layer. Using flat-bottomed ramekin or drinking glass, press crumbs evenly into pan bottom, then use a soup spoon to press and smooth crumbs into edges of pan. Bake until fragrant and browned about the edges, about 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack while making filling.


2. For the Filling: Bring about 4 quarts water to simmer in stockpot. Whisk sugar, spices, and salt in small bowl; set aside. To dry pumpkin line a baking sheet with triple layer of paper towels. Spread pumpkin on paper towels in roughly even layer. Cover pumpkin with second triple layer of paper towels and press firmly until paper towels are saturated. Peel back top layer of towels and discard. Grasp bottom towels and fold pumpkin in half; peel back towels. Repeat and flip pumpkin onto baking sheet; discard towel.


3. In standing mixer fitted with flat beater, beat cream cheese at medium speed to break up and soften slightly, about 1 minute. Scrape beater and bottom and sides of bowl well with rubber spatula. Add about one third of sugar mixture and beat at medium-low speed until combined, about 1 minute; scrape bowl and add remaining sugar in two additions, scraping bowl after each addition. Add pumpkin, vanilla, and lemon juice and beat at medium speed until combined, about 45 seconds; scrape bowl. Add 3 eggs and beat at medium-low until incorporated, about 1 minute; scrape bowl. Add remaining 2 eggs and beat at medium-low until incorporated, about 45 seconds; scrape bowl. Add heavy cream and beat at low speed until combined, about 45 seconds. Using rubber spatula, scrape bottom and sides of bowl and give final stir by hand.


4. Set springform pan with cooled crust on 18-inch-square doubled layer heavy-duty foil and wrap bottom and sides with foil; set wrapped springform pan in roasting pan. Pour filling into springform pan and smooth surface; set roasting pan in oven and pour enough boiling water to come about halfway up side of springform pan. Bake until center of cake is slightly wobbly when pan is shaken, and center of cake registers 145 to 150 degrees on instant-read thermometer, about 1 1/2 hours (see note). Set roasting pan on wire rack and use paring knife to loosen cake from sides of pan. Cool until water is just warm, about 45 minutes. Remove springform pan from water bath, discard foil, and set on wire rack; continue to cool until barely warm, about 3 hours. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours or up to 3 days.


5. TO SERVE: Slide thin metal spatula between crust and pan bottom to loosen, then slide cake onto serving platter. Let cheesecake stand at room temperature about 30 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve.

Note: It sets up a lot better if you refriderate it for two days.

Not to toot my own horn, but I thought this was one kick ass cheesecake. I have had a lot of cheesecakes in restaurants and to me they feel like they are all made by robots. Just the perfect amount of everything and the exact amount of refrigeration, so it's nice for me to see a crust that’s not perfectly flat or the top of the cheesecake is a little bubbled. It must have been good too because my diabetic mother-in-law had two slices even though I told her how much sugar was in it.

Posted by Gordon at 09:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I decided on the way home from work last night to move this recipe up to tonight. I bought the ground lamb Monday night and didn't want to have to freeze and unfreeze or have the fact that the meat had been sitting in the fridge for a few extra days. The soup was all canned stuff anyways so it can sit.

Moroccan Spiced Lamb Meatballs in Cumin Coriander Spiced Tomato Sauce

Meatballs
2 1/2 lbs ground Lamb
Spice Mix, below
1 Egg
1/2 cup Ketchup

Spice Mix
1 Tbsn ground coriander, toasted
1 Tbsn ground cumin, toasted
1 Tsp curry powder
1 Tsp garlic powder
1 Tsp onion powder
1 Tsp dried oregano
1 Tsp dried thyme
3/4 Tsp ground mustard
3/4 Tsp paprika
1/2 Tsp ground allspice
1/2 Tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 Tsp chili powder
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Meatball Sauce
2 Tbsn olive oil
1/2 cup minced onion
1 Tbsn minced garlic
1 Tbsn minced shallots
2 cinnamon sticks
1 Tbsn ground cumin, toasted*
1 Tbsn ground coriander, toasted
4 cups tomato puree
1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsn thinly sliced mint leaves
1 Tbsn minced Italian parsley leaves

Slivered almonds, toasted, for garnish
Chopped fresh mint leaves, for garnish
Warmed pita wedges, for serving

1. Meatballs: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, mix lamb, Spice Mix, egg, and ketchup, being careful not to overwork the meat. Form into 1 1/4-ounce balls, about the size of a ping-pong ball. Place meatballs on a large baking sheet and bake for approximately 20 minutes.
3. Sauce: In a large saucepan over medium heat, add the oil and heat, then add the onions and lightly sauté until soft. Add garlic, shallots, cinnamon sticks, cumin, and coriander and sauté over low heat, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add tomato puree and bring to a boil. Add stock and season sauce with salt, ground black pepper, mint, and parsley. Simmer for about 10 minutes and remove the cinnamon sticks.
4. To serve: Add the meatballs to the sauce and heat until warmed through. Pour a small amount of sauce on the plate and add 5 meatballs per serving. Garnish with toasted slivered almonds, mint, and warm pita wedges.

Note: To toast spices, heat in a small, dry skillet over low heat until fragrant.

I really liked this one. We didn't have curry powder so we left it out and didn't miss it at all. Even though there were a boatload of spices, it didn't take away from the meat at all. I'm also starting to wonder how this recipe would do as a hamburger. Good stuff, easy to make, and I think we have a new addition to our rotation of recipes.

Posted by Gordon at 09:08 AM | Permalink

Shepherd's Pie seems like an odd name for this dish once you think about it. As far as I think of shepard's from days past, they were people that lived with their flocks and would usually eat off of the land. But what do I know, it still makes for one of my favorite dishes to come from Britain (especially since it isn't either boiled or fried).

On another note, I had Mac and cheese last night and yes it was from the blue box. I commented to Jenn afterwards how that was a horrible and amazing meal all in the same sitting. Horrible because the stuff upsets my stomach. Amazing because I actually crave the stuff about once a year. I've tried making my own mac and cheese and I think that Kraft has ruined the real stuff for me. Damn you blue box!

Shepherd's Pie

2 lbs. Potatoes, such as russet, peeled and cubed
2 Tbsp Sour Cream or softened Cream Cheese
1 large Egg Yolk
1/2 cup Cream
Salt and Black Pepper
1 Tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 3/4 lbs. Ground Beef or Ground Lamb
1 Carrot, peeled and chopped
1 Onion, chopped
2 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp All-purpose Flour
1 cup Beef Stock
2 Tsp Worcestershire
1/2 cup Frozen Peas
1 Tsp Paprika
2 Tbsp chopped Fresh Parsley

1. Boil potatoes in salted water until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain potatoes and pour them into a bowl. Combine sour cream, egg yolk and cream. Add the cream mixture into potatoes and mash until potatoes are almost smooth.
2. While potatoes boil, preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil to hot pan with beef or lamb. Season meat with salt and pepper. Brown and crumble meat for 3 or 4 minutes. If you are using lamb and the pan is fatty, spoon away some of the drippings. Add chopped carrot and onion to the meat. Cook veggies with meat 5 minutes, stirring frequently. In a second small skillet over medium heat cook butter and flour together 2 minutes. Whisk in broth and Worcestershire sauce. Thicken gravy 1 minute. Add gravy to meat and vegetables. Stir in peas.
3. Preheat broiler to high. Fill a small rectangular casserole with meat and vegetable mixture. Spoon potatoes over meat evenly. Top potatoes with paprika and broil 6 to 8 inches from the heat until potatoes are evenly browned. Top casserole dish with chopped parsley and serve.

Jenn tells me that she likes to double up on the Worcestershire sauce to add more flavor to the gravy. Also she prefers to make the mashed potatoes really smooth and instead of adding sour cream or cream cheese she will just keep adding cream until she gets the smoothness the way she likes. One last note, this time around she used a small can of peas and carrots and that really cut the prep time in half and tasted just the same.

Whatever she does to it sure do be good!

Posted by Gordon at 11:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Jenn and I took it really easy this last week as a kind of post-wedding hangover. Most of our meals were either 30 minute meals or take-out. This week it looks like it's up to me to cook because another expansion pack for the Sims came out and Jenn is in pet creating heaven for the next few meals.

Since we are coming up on the holidays we are looking to experiment with some recipes that we may serve for some holiday parties we are either going to host or plan on attending. I am hoping to make a pumpkin cheesecake for a Halloween party on Saturday (the last cheesecake I made was a big hit) and planning on making one for Thanksgiving. After making the squash soup we were thinking we would try making a pumpkin soup for a Christmas party we may throw. Jenn is thinking about making a goose for the same party and is probably going to use a recipe her aunt used to make goose some time ago. She raves about that meal her aunt made so I am looking forward to it because I have never had goose and it sounds good. She has some other ideas she is mulling around as well but is keeping them to herself for now.

Here is a kick-ass stir fry that Jenn whipped up last week. This is one of those recipes where the prep takes more time than the actual cooking so be warned you knife-aphobes.

Stir Fry

2 cups Cooked Rice
2 New York Steaks
1 Zucchini
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 Orange Bell Pepper
1 Yellow Bell Pepper
1 Green Bell Pepper
1 Red Onion
3 Baby Bok Choy
1 can Water Chestnuts
1 small bunch Sweet Peas or Snow Peas
Dash of Japanese Chili Powder
1 Tspn Sesame oil
Sesame Seeds

Steak Marinade
1/2 cup Soy Sauce
1/4 cup Mirin Rice Wine
2 Tbsp Sugar
2 cloves Minced Garlic

Directions:

1. Cook rice according to your rice cooker.


2. Cut the fat off of steak and cut into 1-inch thick cubes and marinade Steak for at least a 1/2 an hour.


3. Wash all the vegetables. Slice the zucchinis into silver dollars sized wedges. Cut the bell peppers thinly into strips. Dice or slice the red onion depending how much onion flavor you want. Cut the bottom of the Baby Bok Choy off. Drain the water chestnuts and set aside. Cut off the little ends on the pea pods.


4. Add the sesame oil to a wok (Electric or Manual).


5. Throw the bell peppers in the wok for about 2 minutes. Add the onions and cook both for another 5 minutes or until you get your desired tenderness.


6. Throw in the zucchini's water chestnuts and pea pods and cook for another two minutes.


7. Add the bok choy and cook for another minute.


8. Add a dash of chili powder onto the mixture and toss in some soy sauce if desired.


9. Remove veggies into a separate bowl.


10. Put the steak cubes into the wok and add some of the marinade. Cook until desired doneness. Remove steak from wok.


11. In a bowl, dish out rice, veggies and meat, sprinkling with sesame seeds.

This dish would also be good by substituting the rice with cooked udon noodles. You can buy pre-made noodles in the store that you cook in hot water for about 3 minutes. Once they are done drain them and add them to the wok once the meat is done for about 10 seconds to stir in some of the marinade and other flavors.

I have another 2 posts brewing for the next few days so this should be a good posting week for me.

Posted by Gordon at 10:16 AM | Permalink

Jennifer's sister got married this weekend and we were asked to cater the wedding. We all settled on going italian because it seemed the easiest to make and most everyone likes italian. The menu consisted of 4 gallons of meat sauce, 4 gallons of marinara sauce, 6 pounds of cooked spaghetti noodles, 8 vegetable lasagnas, 8 meat lasagnas, salad and quiche. That's a lot of food in case you didn't know.

Jennifer started cooking the day before the wedding and cooked 8 batches of sauce which we refrigerated until needed. The morning of, Jennifer's mom cooked all of the lasagna's and I cooked the noodles. I tossed the noodles in olive oil once cooked and put them in aluminum trays that I could just throw into the oven to reheat. Once I was done I loaded up the car, grabbed the lasagnas, and headed over to the church. I got there about 3 hours early and set up because I wanted to keep everything as organized as possible.

The church they got married at was pretty old and their kitchen looked to be older than my dad but was serviceable for the night. One of the burners on the stove didn't work at all and another one only cooked at high temps. I started reheating the sauce about an hour before I was going to serve it and prepared all of the quiches. The quiches and lasagna's were bought from Costco so fortunately I didn't have to do much more than throw them on a tray and put them in the oven. The only tricky part was trying to juggle everything so that there would be enough food for everyone.

Everyone arrived in the hall about 7 o'clock and then things got nuts. The quiche were the appetizers so I had to get those out first. After that I had to heat some of the lasagnas and noodles in order to get them to the people that were serving. After about an hour or more of this everyone was done getting seconds and I was finally able to eat. Finally being able to taste what we were giving out, I felt a bit of relief because it was actually pretty good. The lasagna wasn't rubbery like I thought it might be after reheating and the noodles were edible.

All in all I think everyone had a good time. I was wrecked after all of this because I was pretty much a one man show and I didn't get an opportunity to sit down for over 4 hours. Here is a link to the marinara sauce we made which is a really easy and good recipe to make instead of using the canned stuff:

Marinara Sauce

Also on a side note, we don't plan on eating italian for a long time. Smelling the sauce for two days and testing noodles the whole day has really turned me off to the greatness of that particular style of cooking. I'm hoping this won't last long though because we both enjoy italian a lot and it would be a shame to miss it from our diets for too long.

Posted by Gordon at 12:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Flank steak is an oddity to me. It seems to be such a tough meat but when you cook it right it is one of the most tender. Jenn has been making this recipe for some time now and it is a very easy meal to put together on work nights. It also came out of our healthy cookbook so it has that going for it too.

Stuffed Flank Steak

1 Flank Steak
1 Package Frozen Spinach
1/4 Cup Sun Dried Tomatoes
1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese, shredded
1/2 Tsp Basil
1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to broil
2. Take the flank steak and using the grooved side of a meat mallet, pounding the meat working from the middle to the outside.
3. Add salt and pepper to both sides along with the garlic powder.
4. In a small pan cook the spinach according to the directions on the package. Drain thoroughly.
5. Spread the spinach out over the flank steak.
6. In a food processor, chop up the sun dried tomatoes until its almost like a paste. Spread the paste over the spinach. Add parmesan cheese on top and sprinkle the basil.
7. Start from the smaller side of the flank steak and start to tightly roll the flank steak. Use toothpicks along the flap to keep the roll together.
8. Cut into slices about 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick. Place the rolls onto a broiling pan and place in the oven.
Cook for 10-12 minutes for medium rare or 12-16 minutes for medium. Flip once halfway through the cook.

Note from the Mrs.: You can also cook these with bacon or pancetta on the outside which will give this recipe a very unique flavor. Add the slices after step 3 and roll it up with the spinach and tomatoes.

Good stuff and this one gets requested quite frequently at home.

Posted by Gordon at 05:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

A new season of Good Eats has started and Alton's first show was all about Peaches. Since they are in season I watched eagerly hoping for something that we could make. The recipe that caught my interest was for the Peach Upside-Down Cake and I got around to making it Friday night. Here is the recipe.

Individual Peach Upside-Down Cake

3 Tbsp Butter, divided
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
2 Medium Peaches, peeled
1 oz. Crystallized Ginger, finely chopped
2.5 oz. All-Purpose Flour
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1/8 Tsp Baking Soda
1/8 Tsp Kosher Salt
1/3 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 Cup Buttermilk, room temperature
1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
Whipped Cream or Ice Cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Divide 2 tablespoons of the butter between 4 (6-ounce) ramekins. Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter and set aside. Evenly divide the brown sugar between the ramekins; sprinkling it into the bottoms of the dishes. Cut each peach into 12 to 14 pieces. Lay the peaches on top of the sugar; evenly dividing them between the dishes and sprinkle with the ginger. Set aside.
3. In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl whisk together the sugar, buttermilk, vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir just until combine. Pour the batter over the peaches; dividing the mixture evenly between the dishes. Place on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cake reaches an internal temperature of 190 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.
4. Remove from the oven to a rack and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of each dish and turn upside down onto a serving plate. Repeat with each cake. Serve immediately with whipped cream or ice cream if desired.

Man was this good stuff. Jenn commented that I put too much ginger in but I didn't mind because I love ginger. It was really easy to make and with some good ice cream makes a very easy dessert to make. It was the perfect size for a dessert as well.

Jenn and I also came to the conclusion that I am a much better baker than I am a cook. Cooking requires too much abstract thought and I am a linear thinker. So there is going to be a lot more baking topics on this site in the future.

Posted by Gordon at 10:15 AM | Permalink