Summer's Coming!

My favorite smell in the summer is from the barbecue.  I know summer's close when I catch a whiff of it when I'm walking home from class.  Now I'm home for the summer, and of course it's raining.  Welcome to Utah in late May.  I'm sitting on the couch listening to Barbecue University on KBYU TV.  Everything featured sounds so amazing, so I'm thinking of what to have for lunch and dinner for the next few days, since it's Memorial Day weekend.  I only wish I were better at the grill.

Here is a recipe that was featured on the show that really jumped out at me.  The chef used this with veal, but since I'm against veal (for those who may not know, veal is white meat from a calf who has never been exposed to the light of day, preventing the meat from the calf from reddening.  To my family, that is nothing short of barbaric).  I personally would use this with pork chops.

Happy barbecuing!

Lemon Oregano Jam

Yield: Makes about 3/4 cup

2 large lemons (preferably with thin rinds)
1/4 cup sugar, or more to taste
1-1/2 teaspoons coarse salt (kosher or sea), or more to taste
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano leaves

1. Scrub the lemons under cold running water, then pat dry with paper towels. Cut each lemon into 8 pieces and remove and discard the seeds.
2. Place the lemon pieces and the sugar, salt, and pepper in a food processor and process to a coarse puree.
3. With the motor running, add the olive oil in a thin stream; the mixture should emulsify, becoming honeylike in consistency.
4. Add the oregano, pulsing to mix. The jam can be prepared up to this stage and kept, refrigerated, for several weeks.
5. Transfer it to a clean glass jar, placing a piece of plastic wrap between the top of the jar and the lid to keep the lid from corroding. Bring to room temperature before serving, stir to recombine, and taste for seasoning, adding more sugar, salt, and/or pepper as necessary.

Let Them Eat Cake!

Today was my last day in the cooking lab.  It was a sad day.  I've learned so much, met some fun people, and overall just had a great time.

Just a note before you go on to read about today's project, I thought I'd post a little ditty about cooking.  In the lab, we bake by flour weight.  Meaning, where normally you would measure by scale (cups, teaspoons, etc.), in this instance you weigh ingredients by their weight.  This is because flour is a fickle ingredient to weigh.  Have you ever made bread, cookies, cakes, etc, and one time it will be dense and dry, and the next time it will be very moist and fluffy?  It is because of how you measured your flour.  Flour is less dense than water.  Where 1 cup of water weighs as 8 ounces, 1 cup of flour weighs at about 4.8 ounces.  Also, people measure flour differently.  One person might pack in the flour, another might sift it.  This can make the flour measurement differ by a few tablespoons!  By measuring by weight, you get the same measurement whether you pack your ingredients or sift them.  By using this method of cooking, I have fallen in love with food scales.

Today we made desserts.  I made a white velvet butter cake with a white chocolate frosting.  Here's the recipe:


White Velvet Butter Cake
 (Makes 2-9” layer cakes)

Ingredients:
1 cup milk
½ vanilla bean, split down the middle
6 oz butter, softened
10 oz sugar
5 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla
11 oz flour
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
Berry filling
White Chocolate Fudge frosting

1.  In a small pan, add milk and vanilla bean. Scald milk over medium heat, but do not boil. Set aside and let vanilla steep in warm milk 10 minutes. Scrape interior of bean into milk, then discard the outer pod.
2.  Using the paddle attachment of an electric mixer, cream butter until light. Add sugar and continue to cream until light and fluffy. Add egg whites one at a time to the creamed mixture, blending until completely incorporated after each addition. Scrape down sides of bowl before adding next white. Add vanilla to mixture with the last egg white.
3.  In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
4.  Add ¼ of the flour to the creamed mixture, mixing just to combine. Scrape down sides and blend into batter. Add ⅓ of the milk, mixing just until the liquid is incorporated into the batter. Continue adding alternate portions of flour and milk, mixing just to incorporate and scraping the sides of the bowl often.
5.  Divide the batter evenly (by weight – approximately 20 oz) into two greased and floured 9” layer pans. Bake at 375°F for 20 – 25 minutes, until the tops are golden and a cake tester comes out clean.
6.  Cool cakes 10 minutes in pans set on a wire rack. Turn out layers to cool completely.
7.  To assemble cake, spread berry filling evenly on one layer, avoiding the outer ½” of the cake. Set second layer on top, then frost top and sides of cake with white chocolate fudge frosting


Berry Filling

Ingredients:
3 oz mixed berries (frozen works best)
1 – 2 Tbsp fat-free yogurt

1.  Combine berries and yogurt. Mix thoroughly and allow to sit 15 – 20 minutes or until completely thawed if frozen.
2.  Mash berries lightly with the back of a fork, breaking up large chunks. Spread berries and juice evenly over cake.


White Chocolate Fudge Frosting

Ingredients:
2 oz water
1 oz shortening or butter
2 oz white chocolate, melted
⅛ tsp salt
1 lb powdered sugar
¾ tsp vanilla

1.  Bring water, shortening, and salt to a boil. Stir until shortening is completely melted.
2.  Transfer water mixture to the bowl of a mixer. Using the paddle attachment, completely mix in the powdered sugar.  Note:  This frosting does not get fluffy.  It should be thick, almost like fondant or play-doh.
3.  Add melted chocolate and vanilla, stirring to mix thoroughly through the frosting.
4.  While still warm but not hot, center the frosting between two large sheets of parchment or waxed paper (approximately 12" by 12").  Using a rolling pin, roll over the paper, spreading the frosting into a large circle, about a quarter-inch thick.  (If the frosting is too cool, it will be difficult to spread. If necessary, gently warm the bowl of frosting over a pan of hot water until it is fluid enough to pour.)  Carefully peel off the top layer of paper, and lay the frosting over the cake.  Very slowly and carefully peel back the paper, trying your best to not tear the frosting.  Using a sharp knife, cut the frosting around the base of the cake.  Smooth the frosting over the cake and its sides.

Fish Sauce

Anyone who knows me also knows that I am not the biggest fan of fish.  I'll eat most shellfish.  I love a good unagi roll (that's eel sushi).  I tolerate tilapia, halibut, and salmon.  I do not like trout.  It's the smell.  Also, my mom used to make me sit at the table until I finished my fish.  Now that I'm an adult, I just don't like fish.

I just finished a month of the HcG diet.  I lost 15 pounds, but still it's not as much as I'd hoped.  I cheated.  A lot.  Hard not to at college with so many things going on.  Anyway, I got sick of chicken, deli turkey, and steak fast.  So I went to the grocery store and gave in and got some tilapia and halibut.  Unfortunately, my tilapia wasn't that fresh; it smells fishy.  Since I'm not experienced with fish, I've been cooking it the same.  Defrost, rinse well, pat dry.  In the blender I ground sea salt Melba snacks, a little paprika, garlic salt, and lemon pepper until it was all a fine crumb mix.  Then I dip the fish in lemon juice and roll the filets in the crumbs.  Then I put them on parchment paper-lined baking sheets in the oven at 325 degrees for about 25 minutes, until the fish just starts to flake with a fork.

I have a cooking lab on Friday late afternoons.  Last week we made Escalope of Salmon with Herb Cream Sauce.  Here's the recipe:


Yield: 12 servings,
(1 serving = 4 oz salmon and 1 ½ oz sauce)

1 oz shallots, chopped
½ oz butter
1 pt fish stock
8 fl oz dry white wine (2 oz white grape juice + 0.6 oz white wine vinegar)
4 parsley stems
½ bay leaf
1 pt heavy cream
tt lemon juice
tt salt and white pepper
tt chopped fresh herbs (tarragon, chives, or parsley)
4 lbs salmon fillets (escalopes), boneless, skinless
as needed, oil or clarified butter

1. Sweat the shallots in butter until soft.
2. Add stock, wine, parsley, and bay leaf. Over moderate or high heat reduce the liquid by three-fourths.
3. Add the cream and bring to a boil. Boil 1-2 minutes, or until reduced to a light, sauce-like consistency.
4. Season to taste with lemon juice, salt, white pepper, and fresh chopped herbs (tarragon, chives, or parsley), and keep warm.
5. Heat a little oil or clarified butter over high heat in a sauté pan. Sauté the 4 oz salmon escalope about 1-2 minutes on each side. Remove and drain briefly on paper towels to absorb excess oil.
6. To serve, cover the bottom of a warm plate with sauce and place a salmon escalope on top.

I took the leftover sauce home for my tilapia (even though it went against the protocol).  Here's a tip:  dairy-based sauces or soups do not reheat well.  They will curdle and the fat will separate if it gets too hot.  Instead of microwaving it, put the sauce in the top of a double boiler (or a small sauce pot held over a medium sauce pot of boiling water), stirring until the sauce reaches the desired temperature.

This sauce is amazing!  It's creamy, lightly seasoned, and has just a hint of lemon.  It goes nicely with fish.  I highly recommend!

Body Scrubs

Mother's Day is two weeks away.  I thought I'd post a recipe that I love, and give you an idea for something that you could make for Mom that uses a lot of things you already have in your pantry, plus a few special ingredients.

Body scrubs are amazing!  They are all natural, and leave your skin feeling so soft.

A little advice, if you are going to add a scent to your scrub, do not use extracts, because I guarantee they will irritate the skin.  Instead, use oils.  You can find them at health-food stores in cosmetics or aromatherapy aisles.  Or, if you live in the Salt Lake area, you can go to Orson Gigi.  I personally love the chocolate.  A little bit of caution: these oils are very strong, so a little goes a long way!  Also, be sure to use sea salt (you can buy it in bulk at Costco or Sam's Club).  Regular table salt will also irritate the skin.

If you are thinking of doing this for a gift, a great idea is to buy a cute jar to store it in, and provide a little spoon to stir it up, since it will separate a little.  Also, it might be a good idea to provide a note that, if it is going to be used longer than a month, to store it in the fridge, since there is a risk of spoiling.  Another note, this is not meant for delicate areas of the body, such as the face.  You don't need to wash this scrub off--the oils will moisturize your skin, and leave a nice scent.  You will, however, want to rinse yourself and your shower off afterwards.

Okay, here's the recipe for the scrub:

1/2 c. sea salt
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. baking soda
1/2 c. canola oil (NOT vegetable oil!)
8 drops flavoring oil
1/2 c. cocoa (optional)

In a medium mixing bowl, combine salt, sugar, and baking soda.  Sift in the cocoa.  Mix them together.  In another container, mix together the oils.  Pour over the dry mixture.  Mix well, making sure it is fully blended.  Put in airtight container, and enjoy!

I have tried using all sugar (1 1/2 cups), since salt does burn if you use the scrub on a scratch or cut.

Good luck!  And to all you Moms, Happy Mother's Day!