Best Etc Recipes

MAPLE CINNAMON GLAZE FOR CAKES ETC.

Steps:

• In small bowl whisk ingredients til smooth and creamy.
• Add more powdered sugar if too thin.
• Add more maple syrup (or heavy cream or milk) a teaspoons at a time if too thick.
• Drizzle over just about any dessert! Especially good on cakes, coffee cakes and pastries!

GANACHE, SOFT FILLING FOR CHOCOLATES ETC...

Steps:

• To make chocolate cases: melt 200g ( 7 oz) chocolate over a pan of warm water, do not overheat, when three quarters of it is melted, remove from heat and stir vigorously, this should distribute the heat and melt the remaining chocolate without it getting too hot and going "grainy".
• Take a small teaspoon of melted chocolate and " paint" the inside of your mini muffin paper or the insides of your silicone ice block forms. If coverage is a bit skimpy don't panic. these set in the fridge in minutes and a second coat is easier and works better than trying to get one very thick coat. Put them in the fridge to harden. Reserve enough of your chocolate to cover the bottom of your forms once they have been filled with the ganache filling.
• Put butter and cream in a saucepan and bring to boil, stirring all the time.
• Remove from heat and add chocolate and liqueur.
• Stir well until smooth (heat of mixture will melt chocolate) leave to cool a little, then let cool.
• Use as soft filling for chocolates and tartes.
• This does thicken up over time, and good chocolate is never refrigerated, just kept in a cool dry place. If these are refrigerated the filling gets very firm over time.
• By now your ganache filling mixture should be cool enough to put into the chocolate cases, using a piping bag or a teaspoon, fill them with the ganache, (but not quite to the very top of the chocolate case) Then put them back into the fridge for a while, and once set a little solid, put a "top" of melted chocolate on them to seal them closed and refrigerate until the top too is solid. I like to keep these in the fridge for a least a few hours or somewhere nice and cool overnight before I try and get them out of the forms.
• If using mini muffin papers, peel away the papers from the chocolates (this can be fiddly, don't press too hard as you peel them or your chocolate will break), If using the silicone ice cube forms, GENTLY easy the chocolates out of the forms, they will just pop out -- plate up and amaze your guests with these divine triumphs !

CHOUX PASTRY (FOR CREAM PUFFS, ECLAIRS, ETC)

Steps:

• Chop butter, melt in water and just bring to boiling. Immediately add flour, and mix well with wooden spoon, until it forms a dough that leaves the side of the pan (it looks really gross and clumpy at first, but as you keep stirring it fixes itself). Remove from heat and cool 2 minutes.
• For a sweet pastry, add the sugar to the beaten eggs. Stir in the eggs, mixing until it look like dough again (this is gross at first too).
• Now you have many choices: using a pastry bag or spoon, shape the dough as desired (for puffs: use a spoon or pipe a mound, eclairs: pipe a line, rings: pipe a circle, profiteroles: pipe a mound w/star tip) onto a greased cookie sheet. Keep in mind that it will grow to aprox 3xs its size when done.
• Bake at 425 'til it looks crisp and golden, about 30 mins for half dollar sized puffs. Cut in half, or cut a slit in the side to let the steam escape- if you don't do this fairly quickly they get soggy inside.
• They save for a while in tupperware, unless they're filled. You are supposed to fill them with freshly whipped cream that has a touch of powdered sugar and vanilla or almond added in, but I just fill them with buttercream frosting because its cheaper and tastes pretty good too.

ESCAROLE WITH BACON, WALNUTS, DATES ETC

Steps:

• * Combine escarole, dates, and walnuts in large bowl. Cook bacon in medium skillet over medium-high heat until brown and crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Add bacon to bowl with salad. * Discard drippings from skillet; add walnut oil. Place over low heat. Add shallot; sauté until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat; add vinegar and whisk to blend. Season vinaigrette with sea salt and black pepper. Gradually add warm dressing to salad, tossing to coat. Divide among plates.

TORTILLA CHIP CRUST FOR SAVORY PIE (QUICHE, MEXICAN PIE, ETC.)

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix crushed chips and melted butter.
• Pat into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate.
• If using for quiche or anything with a very wet filling, pre-bake at 375 for 5 minutes and allow to cool before filling.

JAM MUFFINS, APRICOT ETC

Steps:

• Preheat the oven at 200°C (400°F).
• Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together into a baking bowl. Make a hollow in the dry ingredients. Beat the eggs and milk together and add with melted butter into the middle of the dry ingredients mixing just enough to moisten the mixture.
• Spoon a largish tablespoon of the mixture into the bottom of the muffin form,making certain that it covers the bottom of the muffin form. Make a small hollow in the middle if the muffin mixture and set a teaspoon of apricot jam into the hollow, try not to let the jam run out to the sides very much.
• Cover the apricot jam with another spoonful of the muffin mix and run a clean finger around it so that the jam is as enclosed by the muffin mixture as possible.
• Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 15 minutes or until cooked.
• Ease the muffins out of the form while warm and put onto a wire rack to cool.
• Once cool, dust the tops with powdered sugar.

FRIED FISH FILLETS (CATFISH, SWAI, FLOUNDER, ETC)

Steps:

• 1. Wash fish fillets and set aside. My pic is swai this time. We also love catfish and speckled trout this way.
• 2. Mix together buttermilk and half that amount of sour cream. For instance if you are using 1 cup buttermilk then use 1/2 cup sour cream. This amount depends on how many fish fillets you are using so use your own judgement. Mix in salt, pepper and paprika and whisk until well combined.
• 3. Place fish fillets in a bowl with lid or ziplock bag and pour in the buttermilk mixture and refrigerate for at least one hour or up to several hours, turning the bag (or bowl) occasionally.
• 4. To fry: Put two plastic grocery bags together and put in the flour, salt, pepper and paprika. Combine together by gently moving the bag back and forth. Again use your judgement as far as the amount, which depends on how many filets you're frying. Add in the fish fillets. Securely close up bag by twisting top then gently shake the bag until fillets are well coated.
• 5. Take out fillets and shake off excess flour and place onto a cookie sheet. Get out skillet and heat up the oil or shortening you'll be frying them in.
• 6. Place in hot oil or shortening and fry to a golden brown or to your likeness. Be careful not to over cook.
• 7. Serve with tartar sauce, lemon wedges, vinegar or just plain. As sides we enjoy boiled or baked potatoes, slaw and hushpuppies.

BUTTER SAUCE FOR PASTA, SEAFOOD, ETC.

Steps:

• Let both butter and margarine soften.
• Using hand mixer, blend butter and margarine together with flour until well incorporated.(I generally do this blending in a glass bowl which I can then place on top of a pan of simmering water for the next steps).
• Melt the butter/flour mixture in a double boiler over med. low heat(or glass bowl over simmering pan) until just melted.
• As butter/flour mixture is melting, add it the evaporated milk, garlic powder, cayenne, salt and pepper. All of these ingredients are according to your taste - you can use real garlic and heavy cream, white pepper, whatever you prefer or have on hand. You can add up to 4 tablespoons of evaporated milk without making the sauce too thin. Lastly, add in as much paremsan cheese as you would like, my preference is about 2 tablespoons.
• Pour over noodles or whatever and enjoy!

FLAVORFUL CHICKEN FOR EMPANADAS, TACOS, ETC...

Steps:

• Boil chicken breast, 1/2 of the onion sliced, and chiles until chicken is cooked through.
• Shred the chicken into bite size or smaller pieces.
• Fry in a skillet the other half of the onion, diced, the garlic, and the parsley leaves for 2-3 minutes, or until onions are soft.
• (I also like to add the boiled chile here to add a little kick.)
• Serve as meat for empanadas, taquitos, burritos, atop a taco salad, or use your imagination!

VIRGINIA'S CINNAMON SAUCE (BREAD PUDDING, ICE CREAM, CREPES, ETC

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and cinnamon.
• Whisk 3 cups of water into the dry ingredients.
• Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.
• Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Sauce will thicken and turn clear as it cools. Serve warm or cool.
• Covered, the sauce will keep in the refrigerator for some time and reheats well in the microwave. Try it over pancakes or french toast, ice cream, blintzes, bread pudding, apple pie -- .

DELICIOUS ROAST CHICKEN (OR TURKEY, CORNISH HENS, ETC.)

Steps:

• Remove any "innards" from chicken.
• Rinse chicken and cavity with cold water, pat dry with paper towel.
• Oil outside of chicken well with olive oil.
• Sprinkle with seasoning salt inside and out.
• Place on rack in shallow roasting pan with a 1/2" of water covering bottom of pan.
• Sprinkle rest of spices and herbs evenly on outside of chicken.
• Tie legs together if desired. Tuck wings under.
• Roast, uncovered, in 350° oven for about 2 hours or until done. (*About 20 minutes per pound).
• *Baste every 30 minutes with melted butter.
• (You can also baste with juices from the pan when enough accumulate. But start with butter).
• Let chicken rest for about 15-20 minutes before carving.
• Great for turkeys, too!

CROCK POT RECIPE BLACK BEANS AND CORN ETC.

Steps:

• Layer half the black beans, water chestnuts, corn, leeks,.
• onions, carrots, jalapeno, garlic & tomatoes.
• Sprinkle with the Oregano & chili flakes.
• Place the thighs on top & repeat layers ending with the last.
• half of the tomatoes on top.
• Turn Crock Pot to low and cook for 6 hours.
• That's all there is to it Hope you enjoy it!

DUTCH KITCHEN HAM GRAVY FOR VERENIKA, SPAETZLE, EGG NOODLES, ETC

Steps:

• Place the ham in the bottom of a large pot over medium heat for a few minutes to get the flavor and juices out.
• Pour in the buttermilk, evaporated milk, sour cream, and ham base.
• Heat through, but do not bring to a boil.
• Mix the cornstarch (I start with a tablespoon or two) with cold water and stir into the gravy. Keep stirring for a minute or two to keep it from settling at the bottom. Repeat this until it is the consistency you want.

SMOKED CHICKEN SALAD WITH GRAPES, PECANS, CELERY, ETC.

Steps:

• mix dressing ingredients and let meld while mixing other in a seperate bowl then combine dressing with other ingredients, cover, and refrigerate at least two hours before serving Yumulious!!

HOMEMADE FLAVORED TORTILLAS ( ROASTED RED PEPPER, SPINACH ETC)

Steps:

• Sift together flour and salt into a bowl.
• Work lard or shortening into the flour with your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
• In a blender or mini-food processer, blend water and ingredient of your choice together so there are no big chunks.
• Make a well in the flour and slowly stir in the liquid. Stopping when flour is moistened. Add more flour or water if needed.
• Knead lightly until smooth and form into a ball. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
• Divide dough into balls roughly smaller than a ping pong ball.
• On a lightly floured wooden surface, roll out each ball until very thin. Cut off rough edges if desired.
• Cook tortillas on a hot ungreased pan for a minute or two on each side.
• Keep warm in a bowl covered with foil or a damp towel.

LOBSTER AND TENDERLOIN & OYSTER SAUCE, GINGER,ETC

Steps:

• 1. Prepare an ice-water bath. Fill a large stockpot 3/4 full with cold water. Bring to a boil. Add 1/4 cup salt. Plunge lobsters head first into water. Return to a boil, and cook 10 minutes. Using tongs, transfer lobsters to ice-water bath, and let cool 5 minutes. Place lobsters on a cutting board. Working with one lobster at a time, twist tail from joint where it meets body. Cut tail in half down center. Twist claws from body; discard body. Separate claws from knuckles. Crack knuckles, and remove meat. Grasp "thumb" of claw, and bend it back to snap it off. Crack claws, and remove meat
• 2. Whisk 1/4 cup soy sauce, the cornstarch, and water in a bowl. Add lobster pieces, and toss; set aside to marinate.
• 3. Combine stock, remaining tablespoon soy sauce, the oyster sauce, mirin, lemon juice, chopped cilantro, and red-pepper flakes in a bowl.
• 4. Season beef on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef, leaving about 1 inch between each steak. Brown on all sides, about 8 minutes total. Add scallions, ginger, and garlic scapes if using. Reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring scallions, ginger, and garlic scapes occasionally, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into beef registers 125 degrees for medium-rare, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer steaks to a platter. Remove strings. Cover with parchment paper and then foil to keep warm.
• 5. Reduce heat to medium-low. Using a slotted spoon, add lobster pieces to sauce in skillet (reserve marinade). Cook, tossing gently, until warm, about 4 minutes. Transfer lobster to plate with beef.
• 6. Add oyster-sauce mixture and reserved marinade to sauce in skillet, and raise heat to high. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened slightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Arrange beef and lobster on 4 plates. Pour sauce over top. Garnish with cilantro sprigs. Serve with rice if desired.

CREAMY MAPLE CINNAMON GLAZE FOR CAKES, ETC.

Steps:

• 1. In small bowl whisk ingredients til smooth and creamy. Add more powdered sugar if too thin. Add more maple syrup (or heavy cream or milk) a teaspoons at a time if too thick. Drizzle over just about any dessert! Enjoy!

CHEATER BERRY SYRUP FOR PANCAKES, WAFFLES...ETC.

Steps:

• 1. Empty both jars of jam into a medium saucepan.
• 2. Add the 3/4 jar of water. Add warm water and shake to get all of the jammy goodness out!
• 3. Dump your berries into the purple pool.
• 4. Mix using a whisk (yeah, I know...some berries get caught in it, but cooking is an adventure!) until incorporated.
• 5. Heat to boiling while stirring, reduce to a simmer (watch it, you do not want it to boil over...MESSY). I help the berries along a bit and partially smash them while the mixture is simmering.
• 6. Continue simmering until mixture is reduced to a syrup-like consistency. Taste. At this point add the lemon juice if you think it is too sweet. With the jam that I use, I never need the lemon.
• 7. Remove from heat, syrup will continue to thicken a bit as it cools. Once cool...serve or put into container of your choice. I use canning jars. The picture above is what was left after serving syrup over four Belgian waffles. Enjoy!

TED'S SWEET & SOUR SAUCE FOR PORK, CHICKEN ETC

Steps:

• Put tbsp of oil into a wok or skillet, heat but not smoking.
• Add garlic, carrot & green pepper stir fry for 2-3 minutes or until the carrot & pepper start to darken in color.
• Pour in the chicken stock, soy, vinegar & sugar, bring to a boil and boil rapidly for 1 minute.
• Add mixed cornstarch, keep stirring the sauce until it is clear and thickened.
• Pour over the meat and enjoy.

RED SAUCE FOR TAMALES OR ENCHILADAS ETC...

Steps:

• Seed the chiles, rinse and set aside. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Remove from heat and add the chilies, pushing them down with a spoon so they are fully submerged.
• Cover and let stand for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a saucepan over medium heat, boil the onions in water until soft, about 25 minutes. Drain. Or alternatively you can put the onions under the broiler to blacken.
• Remove the soaked chiles from the water, reserving 2 cups of the liquid. In a food processor, blend the chilies, onions and garlic until pureed.
• In a saucepan over medium heat, heat the oil. Stir the cumin into the hot oil, being careful not to burn it.
• Add the chile mixture and simmer for 3 minutes. Add 1 cup of the stock, 1 cup of the reserved chile liquid and the tomatoes.
• Add just enough additional stock and reserved liquid to make a sauce the consistency of thin gravy.
• Add the 2 T sugar and 1/2 T salt and cook for 10 minutes longer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is the consistency of a thin gravy.
• Taste and add more salt and sugar if needed.
• Set aside to cool. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days, or in the freezer for 2 to 3 months.