27 February, 2014

Harvest Crock Pot Roast

Ingredients:
½ beef roast, of any size and quality
½ onion, sliced thickly
½ large sweet potatoes or 1/2 large yam, peeled and cut in 1” chunks
¼ lb whole baby yellow squash, rinsed, with stems cut off (optional)
1 large granny smith apple (about a pound) cored and cut in large chunks.
¾ cup spicy apple cider 
   (¾ c apple cider, 1 TBSP orange juice, ⅛ tsp cinnamon, a pinch of nutmeg, ⅛ tsp orange zest, and a dash of lemon juice.)
⅛ cup apple cider vinegar
⅛ cup brown sugar
garam masala (an Indian spice blend)
kosher salt
roux, for gravy (optional)

Directions:

o        Place thick-sliced onions in bottom of slow cooker.
o        Trim any visible fat from roast. Sear the roast (while it was still frozen, if possible)
o        Rub the roast all over, on both sides, with garam masala and salt to taste. 
o        Place roast in slow cooker with yam or sweet potato, squash, and apples piled around it.
o        Mix together spicy cider, vinegar, and sugar.
o        Pour cider mixture over meat and vegetables, making sure all parts of the roast are covered by about the same amount of liquid, and no vegetables are dry.
o        This can be refrigerated overnight at this point. 
o        Cover and cook on “high” for 5 to 8 hours, or “low” 10 to 12 hours, until roast falls apart easily when tested with a serving spoon.
o        Drain the apple juice out before serving it. (Set the juice aside for cooking other yummy things.)
o        If you feel like it, make gravy from some of the liquids in a saucepan.

Comments
  • This is pretty darned good. 
  • Make the gravy! Oh my goodness, make the gravy!
  • This goes with lighter beer, not stouts or dark ales. 





25 February, 2014

Barrel-Aged Beer Ice Cream




Ingredients:
  • 4 egg yolks
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 cup barrel-aged beer
  • 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions:
In a medium bowl, quickly whisk the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture becomes a pale yellow. 
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, bring the beer and cream to a simmer. Do not allow it to boil.
Slowly pour the beer mixture over the egg mixture, whisking constantly to temper the yolks. Return the mixture to the pan and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until it thickens. Pour the mixture through a strainer into a mixing bowl set over ice and stir until cool. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions.


23 February, 2014

Blood Orange Powder

Didn't get a picture of the process, but I finished a batch (5 trays) of blood oranges. Got 'em free from a produce stand two weeks ago, and have been dehydrating them since. They're very dry, which was the goal. Ground 'em all up. Made a cup & a half of powder. Not sure what to do with it.

Might be good, mixed with sugar, sprinkled on top of sweet breads. I think that it might make pretty good ice cream, but I have no idea how much to use. Might make some orange syrup, for pancakes or something. 

I'd kind of like to try an orange sauce for fish (a couple tablespoons of white wine, some melted butter, some orange powder, a little salt & pepper). And I have kind of an idea for an orange sauce for chicken (Current idea: 2½ TBSP white sugar, 1 tsp cornstarch, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1 tsp rice vinegar, ½ tsp soy sauce, 2 tsp orange powder, 1 tsp  cornstarch, ½ tsp flour, and a pinch of garlic powder and red pepper powder; cook gently, stirring, until thick.)

08 February, 2014

Waffle Browns



Apparently, cooking with a waffle iron is a “thing” now. Or so I am informed by my daughter the librarian. She & I worked this out in conversation last night.

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen hashbrown potatoes (feel free to use fresh)
½ cup frozen hashbrown sweet potatoes (or fresh)
⅓ cup sweet onion, sliced thin, cut into hashbrown size
3 strips bacon, cooked (not crispy), sliced to hashbrown size
1 TBSP bacon drippings
1 tsp dried oregano
1 TBSP olive oil
2 TBSP honey
½ tsp dried tarragon
Salt and pepper to taste
Butter

Fry the bacon: mostly done, but not crispy. Defrost frozen things. Mix potatoes, sweet potatoes, onion together gently. Add sliced bacon, bacon drippings, spices, oil & honey. Mix together gently.

Shape into a rough patty, and place 1 pat of butter on top.

Pre-heat waffle iron. Oil bottom plate. Place the patty (with butter on top) onto waffle iron; close & press down.

When cooked through, remove from waffle iron. Serve immediately. Top with shredded cheese, a fried egg and/or drizzle with honey if you like. 

Caution: Be sure to re-oil the waffle iron before every batch!
 

05 February, 2014

Making Lemon Powder

I wanted to make some spices for cooking fish. I wanted citrus. I can pour (or squirt) lemon juice on the fish, but it always washes the other spices off, and that's not wonderful.

So I sliced three lemons and a lime real thin, and dehydrated them. I gave an extra long time in the dehydrator, because I wanted to make a very dry powder.
I removed the rind from all the lemons and loaded them into the grinder. 
This is what the dehydrated segments look like. Kinda weird.
Ground into powder, it's not so weird. It's a very strong flavor.

I added one lime, but included the rind on that one for a little complexity to the flavor.

It's excellent on mahi mahi with dill and a little coconut oil. Definite winner.