Chocolate sorbet with candied pecans. Oh my. Image by MadeByGirl.
2012/09/05
2012/09/04
Leftovers Puff
This is in honor of all the leftovers that seem to linger in the fridge uneaten. Here we had a few pan roasted baby potatoes, plus some leftover chicken and ham. To that I added some copped celery and sauteed them with some red onions and parsley, mixed it all together and wrapped it all in some puff pastry rustically, then baked it following the instructions until it was nice and golden brown.
I'm pretty sure you could fill it with nearly anything and you'd have a really cool new dish. I think we're going to try:
- Petite green peas
- Roasted turkey
- Shredded skirt steak (with a little chimichurri)
- Cheese (soy cheese in our case, of course)
- Scrambled eggs
- Portobello mushrooms
Image by MadeForJen
2012/08/31
Kitchen Things: Knives
Knives are an essential kitchen "ingredient" and there is a lot of debate about what kinds of knives you should have. I am a little bit of a kitchen purist in terms of tools so I like to have at least a good selection for different purposes but I also only end up using 3 of them on a regular basis.
In the end, you should use knives that you're comfortable with. Jen refuses to use the chef's knife because it is heavy, large and very sharp, but I lovingly taunt her for using a paring knife when it's not the right tool (like cutting chickens up)...but if she's comfortable then that's the tool she should use (just might take longer).
For me, these are the knives that I think are essential:
Additionally, I keep 5 other knives, including a cleaver (for the big meat cutting), a large Santoku (multi-purpose), and a filet knife (for meats).
The quality of the steel and the weight are the two most important factors. I really like some of hte porcelain knives but while they stay sharper longer, they are more difficult to sharpen. These are all Henckel Four Star which is on the upper end but still affordable, well balanced, good steel and excellent grips. Don't put them in the dishwasher - always hand wash your knives.
Chef's Knife
A chef's knife is a large knife - generally about 8" to 12" - and made of good carbon steel or porcelain (I love the porcelain but I still tend to stick with the steel). If you're going to invest in any kitchen tool, this is the one to not chintz on. I use a 10" Henckel Professional. It's heavy but it has a slip-resistant grip that fits my hand well, and the blade is curved just right for all types of cutting, including rocking (following the curve from tip to handle back and forth to cut).
Make sure the blade is strong (should not flex at all) and it should be very sharp (sharpen it about once a week).
Paring Knife
A kitchen paring knife is a small knife - about 3" to 4" - and serves a wide range of purposes. The funny thing about paring knives is that they are meant for both peeling and slicing, and consequently it's actually a good idea to have 2. Peeling requires a slightly dull knife because it provides control when slipping between the skin and flesh. Slicing and shaping (detail cutting) requires a sharp blade.
So here I actually recommend having a good one for slicing and a nearly disposable one for peeling.
Santoku
A Santoku is a general purpose knife of Japanese origin, marked by a medium blade - 6" to 10" in length - with one relatively flat, sheepsfoot blade and a curved top. The popular Westernized design has scallops just above the blade, but the metal is uniformly thick the entire distance. Cutting is done in a single, straight-down motion instead of sliding as one would with a chef knife. Blades typically stay sharp longer.
I have 2 of these - the smaller Henckel in the photo that I use a lot, and a thicker Wusthof that is good for small cleaving.
Whatever you choose for knives, keep them cleaned well, lightly oiled when not in use (will help preserve the steel), and properly sharpened.
Images by MadeForJen
In the end, you should use knives that you're comfortable with. Jen refuses to use the chef's knife because it is heavy, large and very sharp, but I lovingly taunt her for using a paring knife when it's not the right tool (like cutting chickens up)...but if she's comfortable then that's the tool she should use (just might take longer).
For me, these are the knives that I think are essential:
- chef's knife
- paring knife
- Santoku
Additionally, I keep 5 other knives, including a cleaver (for the big meat cutting), a large Santoku (multi-purpose), and a filet knife (for meats).
The quality of the steel and the weight are the two most important factors. I really like some of hte porcelain knives but while they stay sharper longer, they are more difficult to sharpen. These are all Henckel Four Star which is on the upper end but still affordable, well balanced, good steel and excellent grips. Don't put them in the dishwasher - always hand wash your knives.
Chef's Knife
A chef's knife is a large knife - generally about 8" to 12" - and made of good carbon steel or porcelain (I love the porcelain but I still tend to stick with the steel). If you're going to invest in any kitchen tool, this is the one to not chintz on. I use a 10" Henckel Professional. It's heavy but it has a slip-resistant grip that fits my hand well, and the blade is curved just right for all types of cutting, including rocking (following the curve from tip to handle back and forth to cut).
Make sure the blade is strong (should not flex at all) and it should be very sharp (sharpen it about once a week).
Paring Knife
A kitchen paring knife is a small knife - about 3" to 4" - and serves a wide range of purposes. The funny thing about paring knives is that they are meant for both peeling and slicing, and consequently it's actually a good idea to have 2. Peeling requires a slightly dull knife because it provides control when slipping between the skin and flesh. Slicing and shaping (detail cutting) requires a sharp blade.
So here I actually recommend having a good one for slicing and a nearly disposable one for peeling.
Santoku
A Santoku is a general purpose knife of Japanese origin, marked by a medium blade - 6" to 10" in length - with one relatively flat, sheepsfoot blade and a curved top. The popular Westernized design has scallops just above the blade, but the metal is uniformly thick the entire distance. Cutting is done in a single, straight-down motion instead of sliding as one would with a chef knife. Blades typically stay sharp longer.
I have 2 of these - the smaller Henckel in the photo that I use a lot, and a thicker Wusthof that is good for small cleaving.
Whatever you choose for knives, keep them cleaned well, lightly oiled when not in use (will help preserve the steel), and properly sharpened.
Images by MadeForJen
Carolina Pulled Pork Sliders
Urban Carolina pulled pork on challah with Terra Exotic Vegetable Chips (kabocha, carrot and blue potato) and a pickle. The sauce is homemade and the pork is hand pulled.
"Urban" refers to the fact that we had to cook it in a broiler on very low heat for several hours because we can't grill in the City. Recipe to be posted.
2012/08/30
I Ate What?
New game: guess what we had for breakfast yesterday...
A. Denver omelettes
B. Bagels with cream cheese and lox
C. Gluten-free blueberry pancakes with agave syrup
Image by MadeForJen
A. Denver omelettes
B. Bagels with cream cheese and lox
C. Gluten-free blueberry pancakes with agave syrup
Image by MadeForJen
2012/08/29
Review: Uva
We've found that the best way to save your belly and your wallet at the same time while eating out is to eat right, so what we do is order salads and share a main course. This is what we did a couple of days ago at Uva.
Uva is a cute little Italian place on Second Ave on the Upper East Side.
Frisee Salad (gorgonzola cheese removed and served on the side).
Arugula Salad with artichoke hearts (shaved parmesan served on the side).
Bowtie pasta with pesto and fresh tomatoes.
Uva
1486 Second Ave (E 77th & 78th)
New York City 10075
212.472.4552
Images by MadeForJen (sorry about the color - very low light and shot with an iPhone)
Uva is a cute little Italian place on Second Ave on the Upper East Side.
Frisee Salad (gorgonzola cheese removed and served on the side).
Arugula Salad with artichoke hearts (shaved parmesan served on the side).
Bowtie pasta with pesto and fresh tomatoes.
Uva
1486 Second Ave (E 77th & 78th)
New York City 10075
212.472.4552
Images by MadeForJen (sorry about the color - very low light and shot with an iPhone)
Vanilla-Pecan Mini Cupcakes
Basic vanilla cupcakes with finely chopped pecans in the mix before baking adds a little bit of zing. On top, basic vanilla buttercream with a hint of maple and some whole pecans. Wow!
2012/08/28
Grilled Egg and Cheese
I love grilled cheese. I mean, I really love grilled cheese. Something so wonderful about the buttery, caramelized bread filled with oozing velvety cheese stretching and pouring from inside. Brings back memories of childhood and everything in between.
This is a little spin on the basic grilled cheese because, well, I love eggs too. This is a great sandwich when you need breakfast on the run, or just sitting down for a little TV time with comfort food.
Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 slices bread
Cheese - here I used both mozzarella (in the eggs) and white cheddar (in the bread)
Chopped parsley
1 Tb butter
Olive oil
Blend 1 egg with some of the chopped cheese and parsley in a bowl. Drizzle a bit of olive oil into a skillet over medium heat. Once hot (just beginning to smoke), pour the egg mix into the pan. Fry like an omelette, not scrambled (cook until brown on one side, lifting the edge and allowing the wet mix to slide under every so often, then turn over entirely). Remove from heat and set aside.
Drop half of the butter into a skillet (cast iron preferably) over medium heat and melt. Place one slice of bread, cheese slices to cover, then add the egg on top, more cheese slices, and the other slice of bread. At this point leave it alone. Let the bread become caramelized on the one side. Once ready, lift the sandwich with a spatula, put the rest of the butter in the pan, and flip over the sandwich onto the butter and caramelize.
Perfect by itself but even better with a cup of cappuccino!
Image by MadeForJen
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