For this week’s Two Spoonfuls post, I’m tackling Chapter #6 of Alton Brown’s I’m Just Here For The Food.  This week’s technique: Braising.  Braising and Stewing both begin with searing or pan frying the main ingredient and finishing the cooking by simmering.  The meat is seared, to brown it, then cold water and veggies are added, the dish is covered and the entire dish is simmered “slow & low”, to achieve maximum flavor and tenderness of the meat.

The difference between a Braise and a Stew:

Braise = uses a large piece of meat, small amount of liquid, covered and cooked on low heat.

Stew = uses lots of smaller pieces of meat, submerged in liquid, covered and cooked on low heat.

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This was a fun chapter for me, because I love a good braise or stew.  Especially in the Fall and Winter.

It was a bit tricky to find oxtails in August, but my persistent husband managed to find some frozen at our local grocery.  Braises and Stews are great “One Pot” meals, that (for the most part) don’t leave you with a sink full of dishes when you’re done.  They also tend to make quite a bit of food – and it keeps getting better as leftovers.  Leftovers can also be frozen for nights when you don’t want to cook!  And above all – they just taste good.  All that cooking time results in a wonderful, tender meat and savory sauce.

Alton gives us a few bonus tips in this chapter – including a section all about Pressure Cookers. (I don’t own one – do you?)

Alton also includes a selection of recipes to try out your new Braising/Stewing skills.

I really wanted to try Oxtails, but Alton doesn’t provide a recipe for these, so I used an Emeril recipe for Braised Oxtails with Sweet Potato Pudding and Fried Okra.  I’m not a fan of okra – so I left that part out. Overall this recipe was easy, and definitely a learning experience:

Emeril calls for cutting the oxtail into 1″ pieces.  This is very difficult to do, since the tail bones are not straight, but instead branch out into the meat.  I left mine whole and ate the meat off the bones when they were finished.

Like most recipes, the browning will take longer than you expect.  Factor that in.

(The finished dish!)

We didn’t like the Sweet Potato Pudding.  It was extremely sweet, and had alot of butter pooled at the top.  Plus, the meat is so tasty, it would have been much better paired with a simple starch: plain mashed potatoes or cooked rice.

The Oxtails and their accompanying sauce = fabulous!

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And now I’m going to sign off on the last Two Spoonfuls post for me.  I think this series has run it’s course.  I’ve enjoyed trying new recipes, new techniques and learning from the great Alton Brown.  I want to thank everyone who has been reading along and commenting on this series of cooking blog posts.

I’ll still be blogging about my kitchen adventures, but not on a set schedule.

As Julia would say: “Bon Appétit!”

Jenn : )

This week Alton and I are tackling the exciting world of water!!!

Did that sound enthusiastic?  Believe it or not – Alton really does get excited about the process of cooking with water: Boiling, Poaching, Simmering, Blanching and Steaming; all get thoroughly discussed in chapter 5 of  I’m Just Here For The Food.  For this week’s cook-along with Alton, I decided to skip over Boiling (we’ve all boiled something, haven’t we?) and instead, delved into the technique of Poaching.  I have poached chicken many times.  It seems that every cook has their own steps for poaching, and basically they all work.  I like poaching chicken because I am completely in control of what is added to it.  I can toss in a little salt, to heighten the flavor, or leave it out for the ultimate in healthy protein.

Alton fancies his chicken up a bit by adding white wine, peppercorns and bay leaves.

I have to say – this was the most moist poached chicken I’ve ever made.

The recipe is super easy and yields alot of chicken.

*This would be especially good to make on a chilly afternoon,

as the chicken poaches away for over an hour and warms your kitchen nicely.

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But then the question remains:

What do I do with all this delicious chicken I just poached?

Well, in his book Alton gives several suggestions.

The one I followed was to simmer the chicken in my favorite barbecue sauce.  Very simple.  I bought some whole wheat rolls, a jar of pickle spears, our favorite chips and wa-la! A fun summertime dinner that Josh and I both loved.

I still have chicken left over, so I’ll be trying some of Alton’s other suggestions in the next couple days.

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Alton defines Poaching as:

“Cooking food gently in liquid that has been heated until the surface just begins to quiver”

(or, just below a simmer.)

Alton’s steps for perfect poaching:

1. Start with liquid at a boil (this will kill surface bacteria).

2. Drop water temperature to final desired temperature of the meat (that way, the food never overcooks).

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Fun facts about water from Alton’s book:

Distilled Water: is pure H2O.  Everything else has been removed.

Natural Sparkling Water: is naturally carbonated spring water or spring water that has gone flat and been recarbonated.

Club Soda, Seltzer, Soda Water: are all classified as soft drinks, not bottled water: they are essentially tap water that’s been manipulated by man.

Bottled Water that says “Purified Water” or “Drinking Water”: is water that’s come from a municipal source (the tap).

“Glacial Water”: must by law come from a glacier.

“Naturally Sparkling Water”: must come from a spring, with bubbles.

Hard Water: is water that has absorbed CO2 (becoming acidic), then comes into contact with minerals.

Soft Water: is water that is relatively free of dissolved solids.

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Poaching a whole chicken is a healthy, economical way to feed your family.  You don’t have to use a bottle of wine, you can poach using chicken stock and water, or even just salted water.  The resulting pulled chicken meat can be served over greens or made into chicken salad.

Now, lets see what’s going on over in Ginny’s Kitchen.

Jenn : )

It’s that time again – another Two Spoonfuls post!

This time we’re sautéing along with Alton in

Chapter 4 of I’m Just Here For The Food.

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Alton’s tips for a perfect sauté:

1. Prepare all foods: cut, chop, etc…

(Chopped carrots and zucchini.)

2. Add cooking oil after the pan is hot.

3. Add aromatics (onion, celery, ginger, etc..) and toss for 30 seconds.

(Minced fresh ginger.)

4. Add firm vegetables or meats and toss until half cooked.

(Carrots.)

Then add high moisture ingredients like tomatoes, etc..

(Zucchini, salt and pepper.)

5. Add final flavors: ie citrus juice or vinegar.

6. Toss with salt and pepper.

7. Top with grated cheese, nuts, bread crumbs, herbs, etc…

(Toasted sesame seeds.)

(Done and delicious!)

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Alton’s sauté recipes can be done with a handy non-stick pan, and I was very tempted to do just that.  The reason?  Lets just say that over the years I’ve made several attempts to try this technique using a real, authentic metal sauté pan.  It’s so disappointing to prep a beautiful piece of food and gently placed it into a pan, only to have half of it stick there and fall apart.  And lets not even talk about the amount of elbow grease it takes to scrub that pan clean after the food and pan have fused into one entity.

But this time I decided to be brave, dust off my metal sauté pan and give it a go.

And, following Alton’s steps…. look!

When I was finished, that sauté pan was clean as a whistle.

: )

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Here are some fun sauté recipes that you could try:

Alton Brown’s Glazed Carrots,

Emeril’s Quick Vegetable Sauté,

Alton’s Fungal Sauté (Yum!).

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Now, how ’bout we see what’s been

happening over in Ginny’s kitchen?

Jenn : )

Hello Readers!

It’s been a bit chaotic here in the Maruska house.  I’ve had lots of house projects going on (possibly including some renovation work) and I have 5 custom orders to do for the shop (4 needlebooks and a custom project tote).  All these goings on have certainly kept me out of trouble, but sadly, have given me little time for blogging (and to everyone I owe emails to – you’ll be hearing from me soon!).

So here is my latest Two Spoonfuls post: Chapter 4 of Alton Brown’s “I’m Just Here For The Food”.

This time I’m tackling immersion Frying.

I made one recipe from Alton’s book: Quick-Dip Potato Strips.

The only ingredients for this recipe are: canola oil, a potato, salt & pepper.

This has to be one of the easiest recipes I’ve tried in awhile.  And according to Alton, he’s been able to create his own home made potato chips at a cost of approximately $0.22 for a large bags worth of chips.  Compared to store bought, that’s pretty economical!  And these are fun to make.  This past Wednesday night (aka “LOST night” in our house) we had two friends over and we all took turns making chips.  My friends really enjoyed it and I bet kids would love this, too.

In his book, Alton goes into great detail about the science of frying, types of oils, smoke points, etc.  He provides many recipes to try out your new immersion frying skills, including a homemade tempura batter recipe.  I used several of Alton’s pointers to make my chips a success:  I used a Dutch oven and heated it up before adding my oil (oil starts to degrade once it’s passed a certain temp., so it’s best not to heat it along with the pan.), I used a combination candy and oil thermometer while I was frying (these can easily be purchased in your local grocery store.) and I kept an inverted metal rack and paper towels close by to drain my finished chips.

Using an ordinary potato peeler I peeled potato strips right into a bowl of cold water.

Before frying, I gave them a quick spin in the salad spinner.

Keep that temp. between 360° and 380° F!

Plain ‘ol potato strips go into the oil…

…and turn into crispy, delicious homemade chips!

This is the beauty shot I took when I made these for Josh and I.

When the guys came over on Wednesday – the chips never made it to the serving platter!

Yeah.  They’re that good.

(Here is a similar recipe from Alton, found on the Food Network site.)

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Since I had the oil out already, I was inspired to make up my own quick tempura dinner.

This isn’t Alton’s recipe – instead I used a box mix that I got in the Asian section of my grocery.

I sliced up a variety of veggies (onion, sweet potato, green beans and zucchini) and a few large shrimp.

Into the oil…

…and onto paper towels.

Delicious!

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I had alot of fun giving immersion frying a try. I like how quickly the food is cooked – making this a great option for a fast, warm snack or dinner.  I already had a candy/oil thermometer, so my only equipment investment was the metal strainer for getting the hot foods out of the oil (that cost about $7).  And I’ve got to say it again – my guests LOVED the chips.

So buy a couple potatoes, invite some friends over, and gather ’round the stove = you’ll have alot of fun!

My next technique to master will be Sautéing!

Jenn : )

Hello readers!

For this week’s Two Spoonfuls post we’ll be exploring Chapter #4 of Alton Brown’s I’m Just Here For The Food.

Chapter #4 covers Pan Frying, Immersion Frying and Sauté.  I’ve chosen to cover each of these in a separate post, because immersion frying (deep frying) is a new technique for me, and I want to give it my full attention.

This week I made Alton’s recipe for Eggplant Parmesan, in which you pan fry the eggplant before assembling the final dish.  Yeah, I know – everybody has panfried something before, but what Alton brings to the table is a wealth of sciencey information, charts and illustrations covering every aspect of frying.  After reading this chapter, you’ll know all about: breading, batters, the anatomy of a French fry, why oil and water don’t mix, fat saturations, smoke points, you name it!

Alton’s Basic Steps For Breading and Pan Frying:

1. Season dry food with s & p.

2. Set up an assembly line to bread your food.

3. Dredge food in flour (seasoned but not salted).

4. Shake off excess flour (very, very important).

5. Coat food in eggs (beaten with 2t. water per egg).

6. Coat with crumbs.

7. Let rest for at least 30 minutes so egg has time to set.

8. Fry in fat no deeper than 1/2 height of food.

Eggplant just beginning to fry.

Nicely browned and crispy.

I layered my slices in an 8″ x 8″ dish, switching between vertical and horizontal.

The final meal – fabulous!

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So…..

……..have you ever followed a recipe and when you’re all done you think to yourself “What did they mean by that?” I’ve tried many, many recipes in my day and occasionally I come across one of these.  For me it’s usually something along the lines of “Now add anchovies”  when anchovies weren’t part of the ingredient list.  Things like that can usually be explained by an editing error or simple oversight.

Oddly enough, I found myself with that same feeling of “What the heck, Alton Brown?” after I completed this recipe.  There were minor things that can be explained by personal preference; for example, this recipe calls for a mere 1/2 cup of panko breadcrumbs.  Maybe I used a larger eggplant than Alton did… or maybe I couldn’t help myself and was a little more heavy handed with the panko than he is (I love panko!).  But I used at least twice the amount of panko that was called for.

But the big question on my mind is why (why, Alton?) does this recipe say “In a heavy-bottom pot, heat 1/2 inch oil to 350°F.” While at the same time you instruct us to “Cut the eggplant into 1/4-inch slices…” And the last of your Basic Steps For Pan Frying clearly says: Fry in fat no deeper than 1/2 height of food. ???

I don’t know the answer to that one.

All I can say is that the eggplant was quite tasty, and overall easy and fun to make.

But I’m scratching my head as to why you’ve contradicted yourself.

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Alton doesn’t share this recipe online, but there are many other Eggplant Parmesan recipes that you can try, incorporating Alton’s Basic Steps For Pan Frying.  My advice:  have a pair of tongs handy, minimize splattering by frying in your Dutch oven, and don’t use too much oil, it’s overkill.

From Tyler Florence

From Bobby Flay

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Next time: Immersion Frying (gulp!)

Now lets see what sweet things are happening over in Ginny’s kitchen!

Jenn : )

Hello, Readers!

Ginny and I are continuing our exploration of Alton Brown’s I’m Just Here For The Food and I‘m Just Here For More Food.

Technically, my next chapter should be Grilling/Broiling….but between the rain, sleet and snow we’ve been sporadically having, I’m going to save those topics for when the weather’s nicer.  Boy, have I gotten thin skinned since we moved to the Northwest. If we still lived in Chicago – I’d probably be out there firing up the grill!  But, I digress…

Instead, I’m going to talk about the deliciousness of roasting.  Mmmm… roasting.  I’m barely touching the tip of the iceberg here, because roasting can be applied to so many different foods; from the simple to the complex.  Honestly, I think I could do a month’s worth of roasting blog posts.  Can you tell it’s one of my favorite cooking methods?

About learning to roast, Alton says: “It may take some time and attention, and you might even overcook a roast or two, but in the end you will be one of the few, the proud – the roasters.”

Alton’s chapter on roasting is incredible.  He shares a great deal of knowledge, including the how’s and why’s of what roasting is and controlling temperature to achieve the best results. I couldn’t begin to summarize all the information in this chapter (which is why I highly recommend adding this book to your kitchen must-haves!) Instead, I will give you a short list of Alton’s roasting tips:

* Roasting is not about time, it’s about temperature.

* By exposing the roasting item to different temperatures at different stages of the cooking process, you can have both a crusty outside and medium rare inside.

* For the best accuracy, especially when tackling a piece of meat, “Get a digital thermometer with a probe that attaches with a length of wire.”

* Bring foods to room temperature before roasting (for up to 30 minutes).

* Lightly oil the food that you want to roast.

* Always season the food that you want to roast: use kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, don’t be shy.

* “Roast at different temperatures. Either start low and finish high, or in the case of pork and chicken, vice versa.”

* Buy big – for leftovers!

* When buying beef, look for “choice” grades.  They’ll have better marbling and will keep moist while cooking.

* Rest meats after they come out of the oven. According to Alton: “Resting gives the heat and pressure inside the meat time to subside, and that allows the juices locked inside to be absorbed back into the meat tissues.”

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Alton provides 6 different roasting recipes in this chapter.

These range from the simple (baked potato) to more complex (rib roast).

I chose to make Slow-Roast Tomatoes.

To make these, you’ll need:

20 ripe tomatoes, halved crosswise

1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil

3 T. sugar

2 T. mixed fresh, minced herbs (thyme, rosemary & sage)

1T. kosher salt

Fresh ground pepper

Preheat your oven to 170 degrees F (I actually set mine to 200 degrees). Place the tomato halves cut side up on a baking pan (one with a rack is best, if you have it), drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with sugar, then herbs and finally salt and pepper.

Roast in the oven for at least 10 hours.

These will keep well in a zip bag in the fridge, or you can freeze them.

Alton suggests: trying them on bread with basil and olive oil, adding them to salads, soups, risotto, pizza, spaghetti sauce.

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I halved this recipe and used 10 vine ripened tomatoes.

You can use any herbs that you like.

I have rosemary growing in my yard.

(And it’s a good thing we like it, because it grows like a weed!)

Mince your herbs as small as you like.

This is how my tomatoes looked before going in the oven.

And this is how they looked after roasting at 200 degrees for 10 hours.

They are delicious on a simple cracker or piece of bread, with a dollop of your favorite cheese.

Here I’ve used goat cheese.

I often find myself with a half container of sour cream, creme fraiche or ricotta, left over from another recipe.  You could use any of these to make a delicious hor d’oeuvre for your next get together.  Here I’ve mixed a bit of sour cream, a couple roasted tomatoes and sliced green onions – yum!

I hope you’ll give Slow Roast Tomatoes a try!

They really are worth making, since they are both tasty and versatile.

We’ll be happily munching on these until my next Two Spoonfuls post!

Now… I wonder what Ginny is baking over in her kitchen…

Jenn : )

It’s time again for this Two Spoonfuls girl to get herself into the kitchen!

Today we’re going to explore the technique of Searing,

with some guidance from our culinary mentor, Alton Brown.

What is searing?

Searing is a method of cooking during which heat (usually high) is applied to a food’s surface, creating a flavorful brown crust on the outside.

Myth:

Searing “seals in flavors” or “seals in juices”. According to Alton, searing is a means of creating a delicious brown crust, but is not a way to seal anything in.

Need proof?  Check this out:

The best searing surface:

Cast Iron. There are many surfaces (copper, stainless steel, etc..) that can be used for searing. I’m calling Cast Iron the best one because it can get very hot, it provides even heating, it stays hot, it’s economical (I bought my cast iron pan at a hardware store, nothing fancy), and it also provides small amounts of dietary iron to foods cooked on it. The only maintenance a cast iron pan needs is to be seasoned or “cured” once a year with solid vegetable shortening, to seal it against rust.

What you’ll need:

Good air flow (there may be a little smoke.)

Some kind of splatter guard (there’s going to be some sizzling going on here.)

A pair of tongs for flipping.

A spray bottle of oil, or some Pam.

Salt for seasoning.

A flat surfaced food item to be seared.

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In I’m Just Here For The Food, Alton gives half a dozen recipes using his searing method.

Which is:

1. Decrease the difference in temperature between the pan and your ingredient

by setting your food on the counter up to 30 minutes before searing.

2. Don’t be afraid to get the pan hot.

3. Season your food with salt while your pan heats.

4. Have your mise-en-place ready, because the searing will go quickly.

5. Cook the nicest side of the food first – it will brown the quickest and look the best when flipped.

6. When you put the food in the pan – leave it alone. Don’t move it around.

7. If you’re searing meat, let it rest for 5 minutes under foil once it’s out of the pan.

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Last night I made dinner using Alton’s Seared Portobello Mushrooms* and my own Cheesy Polenta.

(* I really don’t want to make Mr. Brown angry, so I’m not going to copy his recipe here. I will tell you that the only ingredients are portobello mushroom caps, olive oil, salt and pepper, and that by using the searing method above, you too can re-create this easy and tasty dish.)

Searing sliced portobello for a nice golden brown.

Seared Portobello mushrooms with onions, Cheesy Polenta and side salad.

This dinner is easy to make and fairly economical.

Two portobello mushrooms were about $3.

I doubled the mushrooms so that I could have leftovers for a second dinner tonight.

After the mushrooms were done searing, I added chopped onions to the pan, with a sprinkle of salt, and cooked them until golden. The next time I make this dish, I’ll add chopped chive or parsley at the end – just for a little extra color.

For the polenta, I used approx. $0.35 worth of cornmeal from the grocery bulk section.

Polenta is a filling, inexpensive food that pairs nicely with many other foods.

Here’s a copy of my Easy Cheesy Polenta for you to download!

Now, how about we make something for dessert?

Hello all!

I’ve been taking a blogging vacation over the holidays. Things have settled down a bit now, I’ve started new projects for the New Year and it’s time to get back to business!

Two Spoonfuls will be starting the year off right – focusing on the basics, with the brilliant mind of Mr. Alton Brown to guide us. I’ll be tackling Alton’s big book of kitchen knowledge: “I’m Just Here For The Food”, while Ginny will be studiously reviewing Alton’s big book of baking: “I’m Just Here For More Food”.

Our goal here is not to do a boring old book review, but instead to broaden our horizons, try new cooking techniques and share the results with you in way that we hope, will spark your own culinary creativity!

Alton’s first book, “I’m Just Here For The Food” introduces us to what the essence of cooking really is:

“cook (v) – to prepare food for eating by means of heat.”

When we learn to manipulate heat and understand how food is prepared with it, our cooking choices become numerous. With Alton’s book as a guide, we are going to learn all about:

Searing

Grilling

Broiling

Roasting (my personal favorite!)

Frying (pan and immersion)

Sauteing

Boiling

Poaching

Simmering

Blanching

Steaming

Braising

Stewing

Pressure Cooking (this will be a new one for me!)

And also…

Brining

Marinating

Rubs & Sauces

Eggs

Microwaving

Phew! That’s 20 topics – enough to keep me out of trouble and my husband pleasantly full tummied for a good, long while!

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* Alton’s Notes *

Alton’s books are a wealth of knowledge about all things cooking. Here are a few of his tips on getting started… along with a couple of my own personal observations as to why his advice is sound.

1. When trying a new recipe, read through the ingredient list, item by item. Note any tools that are needed, techniques called for and times mentioned.

(The time thing used to be… (ok, sometimes still is), a big hurtle for me. For that reason alone, it’s always best to read through a recipe before starting. On more occasions than I’d like to admit, I have started making cookies at 7:00 pm, only to get half way through the recipe and discover that they need to chill in the fridge for 2 hours before baking. I’ve had some late baking nights!)

2. Get together your Mise En Place. This is French for “put in place”: in professional cooking, proper planning of equipment and ingredients for a food preparation and assembly station. Meaning: wash, chop and measure all your ingredients and gather your tools BEFORE you start cooking.

(Want to know why I’ll never forget this step? I once hosted a formal dinner party that had several courses, one of which was a salad. To save myself a little time, I used a package of mixed salad greens and added to it. Now, there’s nothing wrong with balancing labor intensive dishes with time saving ones inorder to save your sanity. But when you don’t take a moment to look over your ingredients before you start putting things together….. well, someone could end up with a plastic coupon for more salad greens on their plate. I will NEVER forget how I felt when one of my guests stopped eating and said “What is this?”)

3. Look at your recipe again for “hidden dangers and booby traps”. An example of this is “preheat oven”. Alton also notes that sometimes a recipe will mention an ingredient in the instructions, but that ingredient isn’t part of the ingredient list. Alton says “Internet recipes are notorious for this kind of thing.”

(I have also found a couple of online recipes like this.)

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I am really looking forward to learning new cooking skills with Alton and my readers.

Join me in two weeks for our first lesson in heat and Searing!

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And stop by again soon to see what new projects I’m working on,

I’ll be blogging more often from now on! : )

Hey, let’s go see what Ginny and Alton are up to!

Jenn : )