Happy Hanukkah Potato Latkes

There were at least five different posting for Latke recipes (potato pancakes) on the Internet this week, so I thought, "why not!" I have never made Latkes before so I thought it would be fun. And you can't have Latkes without applesauce, so I made some of that for the first time too!

Applesauce
4lbs of apples( 8 to 12 apples depending on size). If possible mix up sweet and tart. I used Honeycrisp and Gala because they were on sale
1 cup of water
1/4 cup of sugar
pinch of salt

Core the apples and cut into chunks about 1 to 11/2 inches. Leave the peels on.
Put apple chunks in a large dutch oven
Add water, sugar and salt
Cover and heat over medium low heat about 20 minutes, until apples begin to fall apart. Be sure to stir occasionally during cooking.

When apples are cooked transfer to a food mill and churn them until they are all milled. Remember to scrape the bottom of the mill. Discard the scraps.

Add water and sugar for taste and consistency if needed. Sauce can be eaten hot, at room temperature, or chilled. 

Latkes - Potato Pancakes

5 potatoes. I used Russets

2 yellow onions

salt

Pepper

Oil

Optional ingredients

1 or 2 eggs

1 or 2 tablespoons of flour

butter

Peel the potatoes and place in a bowl of water so they don't oxidize

Peel the onions and grate on the largest side of a box grater. It is easiest to grate into a colander set inside a large bowl

Grate the potatoes on top of the onions.

Add a large pinch of salt and a pinch of black pepper and stir.

The salt will draw out moisture. With your hands or the back of a wooden spoon squeeze the potato/onion mixture eliminating as much excess liquid as possible. If you want to add the egg and flour for binding purposes transfer the mixture to another bowl, add egg and flour and stir.

Heat enough oil to cover the bottom of a skillet. vegetable, olive or peanut oil is recommended. For flavor add tablespoon of butter to the hot oil.

When oil is heated form small patties (about 1/4 cup) out of the potato/onion mix and drop into the pan. As the bottoms crisp flatten the pancake down with a spatula. 

When the bottom is golden brown turn the latke and cook on the other side. When the latkes are golden on both side remove from pan and drain on a paper towel. Serve immediately with applesauce or sour cream.

If you need to make multiple batches pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees and place a sheet tray inside. When the latkes are finished place them on the tray in the oven and make more. This will keep the latkes crisp and warm while the others cook.

Enjoy and Happy Hanukkah!

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was a small affair this year so everything is semi-homemade. We went shopping at Safeway for all our turkey day fixings. Instead of a full turkey we decided to roast a turkey breast. In addition we purchased a package of turkey drumsticks for those who like dark meat.

The menu is as follows:

Herb Flavored Roasted Turkey Breast w/Turkey Gravy
Cornbread Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes
Niblet Corn
Sliced Cranberries
Oven Fresh Dinner Rolls
Apple Cider

Desert:
NY Style Cheesecake
Devil's Food Chocolate Cake

The turkey was rubbed under the skin and on top with an herb butter made with garlic, thyme, sage, rosemary and lemon. Then I used a larding technique instead of using a brine. It took about three hours to roast and came out delicious. You can watch the video below to see this cooking technique. I combined methods from two of my favorite cooking shows; The Barefoot Contessa and Cook's Country.

The Best Ham Sandwich

Back in 1980 my friend Andy was going to school at Oneonta. One fall weekend I drove upstate to visit him. During the weekend we went to a restaurant called The Depot, which was built in an old railroad station. I ordered a ham and cheese sandwich and to this day it was one of the best sandwiches I ever had. It was served warmed and wrapped in foil. The cheese was all melty and the heating brought out the juices in the ham. The restaurant is still in Oneonta and if you are ever up that way make sure you stop in.

The Depot Restaurant & Tavern, Oneonta NY

It is still my favorite way to eat a ham and cheese sandwich and its very easy to do at home. First pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Use a crusty roll such as a kaiser roll, ciabatta, dutch crunch or mini french bread. Slice the roll in half and apply mustard to the bottom half. I prefer a spicy brown mustard such as Gulden's. Apply one or two slices of cheese to cover the bread. Fresh deli sliced American or a nice Sharp Cheddar is best. Generously layer ham on top of the cheese. If you have access to a good German or Irish delicatessen that bakes fresh Virginia Ham I recommend that. Here in San Francisco I settle for Boar's Head brand Virginia Ham. You can also used smoked, black forest, honey baked or regular deli sliced ham. Apply another slice or two of cheese and more mustard to the top of the bread. Feel free to add other condiments such as onion, pickles, etc., but be careful of things that might wilt in the oven.

Wrap the sandwich in a layer of foil and place in the pre-heated oven. Heat for 15 to 20 minutes. Slice and serve with a side of kosher dill pickle, chips and the cold beverage of your choice. Try it with Roast beef and cheese or smoked turkey. Delicious.

Halloween Cupcakes

While the stew was simmering I made some chocolate cream filled cupcakes with a Halloween flair. The recipe comes from this season of Cook's Country on PBS and they are a homemade version of the classic Hostess chocolate cupcake.

I added orange food coloring to the cream filling and instead of a white squiggle I turned the decorating over to the art department for some festive Halloween designs.

The cupcakes came out moist and oh so chocolaty! The icing was rich without being too sweet and the cream filling was perfect. I will be making these again.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Beef Stew for Halloween Eve

The last three times I made a slow cooked meat dish I bought the meat at the local supermarkets (Safeway & Lucky).  I bought chuck roasts for cutting up into chunks for beef stew and chili con carne. Each time the meat came out tough and without a lot of good beef flavor. I belive they were selling beef round as chuck in both cases. Either way they always do a poor job of specificaly labeling the cuts of meat.

So today I decided to buy my meat from Guerra Quality Meats, a local butcher shop that I have driven by many times. I had heard good things about the shop; great quality; and bad things, a little pricey and service seems to be better for the regular customers than the walk-ins. Well the service was excellent and yes the stew meat was a little more expensive, but I was saved the trouble of cutting up a chuck roast myself and the meat was delicious., so it was well worth the extra dollars.

The shop was very busy at 4 PM on a Saturday, but the service was fast and friendly and it was the first time I ever saw butcher in suit and tie serving customers. I can tell you that Guerra Quality meats has a new regular customer.


I bought the meat to make some of Mom's Old-fashioned Irish Stew. I'll print the recipe below. i was running a liitle behind schedule so I substited some petit potatoes for the red potatoes. In a new twist, because my dinner guests demanded it, I served the stew over a bed of egg noodles. I also added one cup of red wine to replace a cup of chicken broth. It added a nice full body flavor to the stew with a hint of pepper.

It felt like Halloween with a big pot (cauldron) bubbling away on the stove for three hours. The stew came out flavorful and the meat was fork tender. Here's a quick video clip. I am considering experimenting with other videos in the future.

Here is the recipe if you want to try it.

Mom’s Old Time Beef Stew

Ingredients

Approximately 2 lbs. of stew meat cut into 1” to 11/2” pieces. – I recommend buying stew meat from a butcher. If you shop at a supermarket buy a chuck roast and cut up it yourself. If you buy pre-packaged stew meat from the market make sure it is chuck and not round.

4 cups beef or chicken broth ( I prefer Swanson low-sodium organic chicken broth)

(You can substitue one cup of broth for a cup of red wine or beer. If using wine see change in red)

1 large onion – chopped

1 clove garlic minced

½ can of tomato paste

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon Worstershire Sauce

½ teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon pepper

2 bay leaves

pinch of Allspice

3 springs of Thyme tied in a small bundle

1 pound baby carrots cut in half (or 6 whole carrots cut in 1” pieces)

1 ½ pounds petite red potatoes cut in quarters (or 6 medium potatoes peeled and cut in to 1” pieces)

½ bag of frozen pearl onions

3 tablespoons of oil

¼ cup water

½ teaspoon plain gelatin

Kosher salt

Fresh ground pepper

• lay stew meat out on tray lined with paper towels. Season with kosher salt and put in the refrigerator for an hour. Assemble all your other ingredient
• Put 2 tablespoons of oil in dutch oven and heat over medium high heat.
• Take meat out and pat dry all over with paper towels. Season with fresh ground pepper. When oil is shimmering add 1/3 to ½ of the meat to the dutch oven and brown on all sides. About 12 minutes. When the meat is browned remove it to a plate and add the next batch of meat. Do not over crowd the pot. Repeat till all the meat is well browned. If grease splatters lower heat slightly, but keep hot enough so meat browns and forms a nice dark crust.

• After all the meat is browned and removed from the pot pour off any grease at the bottom into a small bowl. Do not scrape out the bottom with a spatula. Add another tablespoon of oil to the hot pot and let it heat up for a minute or two. Then add the chopped onion and sprinkle with a dash of kosher salt.
• Allow the onion to cook until nicely caramelized and reduced, about 10 to 12 minutes.
• Make room in the center of the pot and add the clove of minced garlic. Allow garlic to cook for about 30 seconds until it turns the color of straw and then stir in to the onions.
• Add tomato paste and stir into onions and cook for about two minutes
• Stir in lemon juice, sugar, worstershire sauce, paprika, pepper and allspice. Allow spices to bloom for about 30 seconds. Add in a teaspoon of kosher salt.
• If using wine, add 1 cup now. Use wooden spoon to scrape fond off bottom of pot (de-glaze) simmer and reduce wine by half
• Add chicken broth (and beer if using) and stir using wooden spoon to scrape up all the brown bits (fond) on the bottom of the pot.(skip this de-glazing if you used wine in previous step)
• Bring to boil. Add a dash of kosher salt.
• Add browned meat. Include any juices that have collected on plate
• Skim off fat from the small bowl of liquid collected after browning the meat and add remaining liquid to the pot.
• Stir and bring to boil. Then reduce to simmer. Add bay leaves and thyme bundle. Add a dash of kosher salt. Cover and allow to simmer for 2 hours, stirring every 15-20 minutes
• During simmer time wash and cut your potatoes and carrots
• After 2 hours remove bay leaves and thyme bundle. Add potatoes, carrots and frozen pearl onions and a dash of kosher salt. Bring to boil and reduce to simmer. Simmer for 1 hour until potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork. For a thinner stew simmer with the cover on for the full hour. For a thicker stew simmer with cover off for last 30 minutes.
• Sprinkle ½ teaspoon of unflavored gelatin into ¼ cup of water and let sit for 5 minutes. Add water gelatin mixture to stew and stir. Simmer 5 more minutes. Salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Lemon-Lime Ice Box pie

About three months ago my friend mark asked me to try making a Key Lime pie. I did and since then I have been experimenting with these delicious citrus flavored desserts.

My first attempt was the Key Lime pie using a recipe from Cook's Country. It tasted great but lacked structure. My next attempt was the combination by of both lemon and lime. This pie was better, but still was a little runny and the graham cracker crust needed work. I was also dissatisfied with how the two layers looked.

This past weekend I made my third attempt, addressing the concerns from the past pies and I am pleased to say that I achieved perfection. A delicious no-bake Lemon/Lime Ice Box Pie.

I adapted the recipe from the 2009 season of Cook's Country.

First I ditched the pie plate and used a spring form pan. I increased the amount of graham crackers, butter and sugar for the crust. I did this because I wanted enough graham cracker crumbs to line the bottom and sides of the pan.

I followed the recipe for the lime filling and then just repeated the recipe, substituting lemon for lime juice and zest. I also added three drops of green and yellow food coloring to give each layer a distinctive look.

After making the lime filling I put the pie in the freezer so it would firm up while I mixed the lemon filling. This way there would be no mixing of the two layers.

I served each slice with a dollop of whipped cream and tiny candied lemon and lime wedges.

The pie was tart, but not too tart with a nice sweetness to balance it out. the lemon lime flavors were distinctive, but went well together. The pie looked great with the bright green and yellow layers perfectly separated. And the graham cracker crust was firm without being hard and had a really nice flavor to it.

My pie was declared a huge success by my friends. Next up a lemon/ raspberry chiffon pie!!

Recipe:
Graham Cracker Crust
14 Graham Crackers broken in pieces
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 stick of butter, melted.


Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Line the bottom of a spring form pan with a circle of parchment paper.
Place graham crackers in food processor. Add sugar and butter and process until it has the texture of moist sand.
Pour the crumbs into the pan. Use a spoon to press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan and up and around the sides.
Bake in the over 10-12 minutes, till golden brown and firm. Set aside to cool.


Filling
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon of lime zest
8 oz. cream cheese softened
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup instant vanilla pudding mix (the no-cook kind)
green food coloring
1 1/4 teaspoon of plain gelatin
1 cup of fresh squeezed lime juice (based on size you will need 8 or 9 limes)
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract


1.) add sugar and zest to food processor and process for 30 seconds
2.) add cream cheese and process for an additional 30 seconds
3.) Add sweetened condensed milk, putting mix and 3 drops of green food coloring. process for 30 seconds
4.) use a spatula to scrape down sides of processor bowl
5.) in a small dish place 2 tablespoons of lime juice and the plain gelatin, stir. Place in microwave for 15 seconds to heat and dissolve gelatin
6.) While processor is running add gelatin lime juice mixture, remaining lime juice and vanilla. Process for 30 seconds
7.) pour filling into spring form pan and place pan in freezer for 15 minutes.


While pie is firming repeat the above 6 steps with the following substitutions.
1 tablespoon of lemon zest
3 drops of yellow food coloring
1 cup of fresh lemon juice (about 6 lemons based on size)


Take pie out of freezer and ad lemon filling. Place pie back into freezer for 10 minutes and then transfer to the refrigerator. Cover with plastic wrap. To have a smooth top try to avoid having the wrap touch the filling. Chill 5 hours or more. Can be made a day in advance.


Serve with whipped cream and little wedges of lemons and limes coated in sugar.

BBQ Chicken Breasts

I was back in my own kitchen today making a healthy dinner of BBQ grilled chicken breast, peas with caramelized pearl onions and steamed broccoli. The broccoli was fresh, but the pearl onions and peas were frozen. I buy the chicken breast cutlets in bulk when they are on sale. Trim them and bag 2 or 3 in a  Ziploc bag and freeze. This way there is always chicken ready to be defrosted for dinner.

The chicken cutlets were patted dry and then brushed lightly with olive oil then sprinkled with kosher salt, pepper, garlic powder and smoked paprika.

After getting the BBQ nice and hot and brushing the grills with oil I seared the chicken on each side in order to get some nice grill marks. Then I turned the far right burner off and moved the chicken to the cool side of the grill, closed the lid and let it cook for about 15 minutes.

In the meantime I heated some oil in a large skillet and added 1/2 bag of frozen pearl onions. I cooked these till they were translucent, about 5 minutes and the I added 2 teaspoons of brown sugar and continued to toss the onions until they were caramelized. I placed the onions on a plate and wiped out the skillet of excess oil.

After 15 minutes I brushed the chicken with BBQ sauce and then closed the lid again. two to three minutes later I turned the chicken and brushed the other side with sauce. I repeated this twice. I checked the chicken for an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

I took the chicken off the grill and tented it. I heated the skillet, added a whole bag of frozen peas and the onions and cooked for 4 to 5 minutes. I placed the basket of broccoli florets over a pot of boiling water and steamed the broccoli for 5 minutes. Do not steam it any longer, if you do the broccoli will turn gray.

The broccoli was served with a light spritz of I Can't Believe It's Not butter.

The garlic powder and smoked paprika gave a nice boost to the BBQ sauce. In this case I used Bullseye bottled sauce (original flavor).

The sweetness of the onions complimented the peas perfectly.