Best Chez Panisse Brine For Pork Chicken And Turkey Recipes

Basic All Purpose Brine for Meats, Chicken, and Turkey image

Provided by PalatablePastime

Categories Christmas

Time 3h15m

Yield 1 quart

Number Of Ingredients 7

1 tablespoon black peppercorns
2 sprigs fresh thyme
3 bay leaves
4 -6 cloves garlic, sliced
4 cups water
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup kosher salt

Steps:

Makes 1 quart- make up additional amounts of brine if needed until meat is submerged.
Stir ingredients together in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
Continue stirring until sugar is dissolved.
Allow to cool.
Place meat or poultry in a food safe plastic bag inside another container for support and leakage control (oven roasting bags are a fine choice- NOT garbage bags).
Pour cooled brine into bag, and squeeze out as much air as possible and seal with a twistie tie.
Refrigerate for 3-4 hours for 3 pounds meat (such as pork ribs), 5-6 hours for a nice roasting hen, or 12-24 hours for a turkey, 12 hours being for a small one and the longer time for those turkeys around 20+ pounds.
Discard brine before using and pat meat dry.
If using poultry, you may want to add citrus fruit such as oranges or lemons, additional fresh herbs, or cloves of garlic into the cavity.
Prepare meat as desired- roast, bbq, etc.

Chez Panisse Almond Cake image

Provided by spatchcock

Categories Dessert

Time 1h20m

Yield 1 9inch cake

Number Of Ingredients 8

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup almond paste (not marzipan)
10 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and position the rack to the center of the oven.
Line the bottom of a 9-inch cake pan with a round of parchment paper, or butter the pan and dust it lightly with flour, tapping out any excess.
With an electric mixer, beat together the sugar and almond paste until the paste is finely broken up (the sugar crystals helps break the paste into pieces-so don't add the butter yet!) 3.
Now add the butter and beat for a few minutes until light and fluffy.
In a separate bowl, or a measuring cup with a spout, stir together the eggs with a fork then dribble it into the batter as you beat.
Add the vanilla.
Mix together the flour, baking soda and salt with a whisk.
Stir the dry ingredients into the batter until just incorporated.
Transfer the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
The baking time may take a but longer due to the variation in different brands of almond paste.
Cool the cake on a rack before serving.
This cake is extremely moist and will keep well for up to a week if well-wrapped.