Sometimes simple hits the spot.
This summer, Anchorage broke records for consecutive days with temperatures above 70. degrees. All that gorgeous heat stretched our imaginations for more refreshing warm weather treats (after all the Popsicles, sorbets and ice creams that we had already eaten). We have moved well past that now to the cold rains of August, but for those of you who still have hot sunny days ahead:
This recipe comes from my son who first called the results Slushies and then renamed it Slurpies once he got a straw into the action.
How to do it:
Throw a tray full of ice cubes in your food processor and pulse until they are reduced so those ice-y granules that he calls snow.
Use your favorite ice cream scoop to transfer some "snow" to a juice glass.
Pour some juice over the top.
Slurp away.
We like cherry juice. Or to really pucker up try pure cranberry. Something with bold color makes it more fun.
August 22, 2013
Fig Jam
Fig Jam
Figs really don't grow here in Alaska. But I ordered fresh figs as an add on to my produce order from Full Circle this week. They were incredible, sweet and tender and so luscious that I could easily have eaten lots and lots of them plain as hand fruits. Instead I ate some and put the rest up as this fig jam. It tastes great. Looks lovely in the jar. And has definitely turned me on the to concept of balsamic adding a depth of flavor to other fruit jams.
What you need:
2 pounds figs
1 Cup water
1 Cup sugar
1/4 Cup balsamic vinegar (you don't need super fancy aged sipping balsamic)
1/4 Cup bottled lemon juice
Important Note: Do not squeeze lemons for juice.
You need the reliable acidity of bottled for safe storage.
What you do:
Stem and quarter the figs.
Bring water and figs to a boil in a large nonreactive pot.
Simmer for 5 minutes, smashing the fruit a little to soften and break it up.
Add the sugar, vinegar and lemon juice.
Return to a boil then reduce heat to simmer for about 20 minutes until thick and jammy.
Remove from heat.
Wait 5 minutes.
Stir to remove air bubbles.
How to store:
Then either ladle into jars to keep in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
Or use the boiling water bath canning method to preserve for up to a year.
The specs for canning:
Use four ounce or half pint jars.
Leave 1/4 inch of headroom.
Processing time at a rolling boil is 10 minutes.
Then turn off water and let rest for 5 minutes before removing to a kitchen towel on the counter to sit for 24 hours.
How much?
For me, this produced a little less than the 4 Cups predicted in the original recipe from Put 'em Up! But start with sufficient clean hot jars to handle that quantity. I may have reduced it a little too much and you might get slightly more. Better to have the jars ready and need them, then to find when you are almost done that you are short a jar. If you do end up with a partial jar, pop it in the fridge and use it within 3 weeks.
Figs really don't grow here in Alaska. But I ordered fresh figs as an add on to my produce order from Full Circle this week. They were incredible, sweet and tender and so luscious that I could easily have eaten lots and lots of them plain as hand fruits. Instead I ate some and put the rest up as this fig jam. It tastes great. Looks lovely in the jar. And has definitely turned me on the to concept of balsamic adding a depth of flavor to other fruit jams.
2 pounds figs
1 Cup water
1 Cup sugar
1/4 Cup balsamic vinegar (you don't need super fancy aged sipping balsamic)
1/4 Cup bottled lemon juice
Important Note: Do not squeeze lemons for juice.
You need the reliable acidity of bottled for safe storage.
What you do:
Stem and quarter the figs.
Bring water and figs to a boil in a large nonreactive pot.
Simmer for 5 minutes, smashing the fruit a little to soften and break it up.
Add the sugar, vinegar and lemon juice.
Return to a boil then reduce heat to simmer for about 20 minutes until thick and jammy.
Remove from heat.
Wait 5 minutes.
Stir to remove air bubbles.
How to store:
Then either ladle into jars to keep in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
Or use the boiling water bath canning method to preserve for up to a year.
The specs for canning:
Use four ounce or half pint jars.
Leave 1/4 inch of headroom.
Processing time at a rolling boil is 10 minutes.
Then turn off water and let rest for 5 minutes before removing to a kitchen towel on the counter to sit for 24 hours.
How much?
For me, this produced a little less than the 4 Cups predicted in the original recipe from Put 'em Up! But start with sufficient clean hot jars to handle that quantity. I may have reduced it a little too much and you might get slightly more. Better to have the jars ready and need them, then to find when you are almost done that you are short a jar. If you do end up with a partial jar, pop it in the fridge and use it within 3 weeks.
February 25, 2013
Asian Slaw
This variation is based on the slaw recipe presented as the companion for Marinated Flank Steak in The Essential New York Times Cookbook. The two foods echo each other with similar flavors and good texture contrast.
Asian Slaw
Foods to cut:
3 Cups thinly sliced red cabbage
2 carrots peeled and thinly sliced
2 shallot minced
2 scallions thinly sliced
1 Cup thinly sliced Thai basil leaves (the original recipe would have used sweet basil)
To measure for the dressing:
2 Tablespoons oil (we use canola, the original recipe called for peanut oil)
1 Tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon salt (the original recipe called for 3/4 tsp but we cut it back a little)
How to: This dish is really all about the prep work and measuring. Just get it all in a bowl and toss well so the veggies are well coated with the dressing.
Variations: The original recipe also called for 2 small hot chiles, seeded and minced.
Asian Slaw
Foods to cut:
3 Cups thinly sliced red cabbage
2 carrots peeled and thinly sliced
2 shallot minced
2 scallions thinly sliced
1 Cup thinly sliced Thai basil leaves (the original recipe would have used sweet basil)
To measure for the dressing:
2 Tablespoons oil (we use canola, the original recipe called for peanut oil)
1 Tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon salt (the original recipe called for 3/4 tsp but we cut it back a little)
How to: This dish is really all about the prep work and measuring. Just get it all in a bowl and toss well so the veggies are well coated with the dressing.
Variations: The original recipe also called for 2 small hot chiles, seeded and minced.
February 19, 2013
Marinated Flank Steak
The original recipe from The Essential New York Times Cookbook calls for marinating the meat for 6 to 36 hours. We don't have much experience with that full range of times. My husband puts it together one evening with plans to serve it the next.
Flank Steak
Put a 2 pound flank steak in a large plastic bag to marinate overnight (ish) with:
1/4 Cup rice vinegar
1/4 Cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes.
When ready to cook, broil until it is done the way you like, several minutes per side works for us. Transfer to a cutting board. Let rest 10 minutes or so. Then slice thinly on the bias.
Flank Steak
Put a 2 pound flank steak in a large plastic bag to marinate overnight (ish) with:
1/4 Cup rice vinegar
1/4 Cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes.
When ready to cook, broil until it is done the way you like, several minutes per side works for us. Transfer to a cutting board. Let rest 10 minutes or so. Then slice thinly on the bias.
Ginger Chick Peas
Based on the recipe for Chickpeas in Ginger Sauce from The Essential New York Times Cookbook.
Ginger Chick Peas
1/4 Cup oil
2 Cups chopped onion
2 Tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 teaspoons lemon juice
pinch cayenne
a little black pepper
4 Cups cooked or canned chick peas plus 1 Cup of their liquid
1/3 Cup water
In a large skillet, brown the onion in the oil on medium high.
Turn the heat down a little and add the ginger and garlic.
A couple of minutes later, add the coriander, cardamom, cayenne and black pepper. Stir to combine.
Then add the reserved chick pea liquid, water and lemon juice. Cook for 10 more minutes.
Then add the chick peas and cook for 10 more minutes, until heated through.
Leftovers keep well for tomorrow's lunch.
Variations:
The original recipe calls for adding a chopped tomato just after the spices and for serving with thinly sliced onion and shredded green chile (seeded). To please a picky child, we omit all of that. I am sure it would taste marvelous though.
Ginger Chick Peas
1/4 Cup oil
2 Cups chopped onion
2 Tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 teaspoons lemon juice
pinch cayenne
a little black pepper
4 Cups cooked or canned chick peas plus 1 Cup of their liquid
1/3 Cup water
In a large skillet, brown the onion in the oil on medium high.
Turn the heat down a little and add the ginger and garlic.
A couple of minutes later, add the coriander, cardamom, cayenne and black pepper. Stir to combine.
Then add the reserved chick pea liquid, water and lemon juice. Cook for 10 more minutes.
Then add the chick peas and cook for 10 more minutes, until heated through.
Leftovers keep well for tomorrow's lunch.
Variations:
The original recipe calls for adding a chopped tomato just after the spices and for serving with thinly sliced onion and shredded green chile (seeded). To please a picky child, we omit all of that. I am sure it would taste marvelous though.
December 20, 2012
Rich Cheesy Crackers
This cracker recipe is another one of my favorites from The Homemade Pantry. It makes quite a lot for our three person family, but they will last a week in a tin on the counter and also freeze well. So when I make a batch we can have some now and some for later. A tray of these makes nice nibbling at parties. The original recipe contemplates using a stand mixer, which I don't have. So I whir everything up in my food processor. This does require advance planning because the dough needs to chill at least two hours and they need quite a long time in the oven.
Cheesy Crackers
Ingredients:
6 ounces cheddar cheese - grated
3 Tablespoons cold butter, cut into cubes or chunks
1 1/2 Cups flour
1 teaspoon mustard powder
2 teaspoons white vinegar (or use cider vinegar if that's what you have)
an ice cube
How to:
Whir the butter, flour and mustard together in the large bowl of your food processor to a smallish crumb (or cut them together by hand with a pastry cutter). Add the cheese and process for a few more seconds.
Put the vinegar and the ice cube in a large measuring cup with 3/4 Cup water.
Add six Tablepoons of that mixture to the food processor and whir around for several more seconds. Add more water a Tablespoon at a time until the dough clobs up into one mass.
Mound the dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
When you are ready to bake: Preheat the oven to 325. Remove the dough from the fridge and let it sit out about 15 minutes. Then roll it quite thin -- 1/8 to 1/4 inch -- cut with a knife into squares or with a biscuit cutter into rounds. Bake in a greased sheet for 30 minutes or until slightly golden. Turn off the oven and leave the trays of crackers in there while the oven cools (an hour or so).
About timing and storage: Overnight or even a couple of days in the fridge is fine for the raw dough, so you can prepare the dough well ahead if you are making the crackers for a party. To make them even farther ahead, you can freeze the dough and then let it thaw in the fridge before baking. Once baked, the crackers keep fine in a covered container on the counter for a week. If you freeze the finished crackers, you can thaw them and crisp them up with a few minutes (5ish) in a hot oven.
Cheesy Crackers
Ingredients:
6 ounces cheddar cheese - grated
3 Tablespoons cold butter, cut into cubes or chunks
1 1/2 Cups flour
1 teaspoon mustard powder
2 teaspoons white vinegar (or use cider vinegar if that's what you have)
an ice cube
How to:
Whir the butter, flour and mustard together in the large bowl of your food processor to a smallish crumb (or cut them together by hand with a pastry cutter). Add the cheese and process for a few more seconds.
Put the vinegar and the ice cube in a large measuring cup with 3/4 Cup water.
Add six Tablepoons of that mixture to the food processor and whir around for several more seconds. Add more water a Tablespoon at a time until the dough clobs up into one mass.
Mound the dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
When you are ready to bake: Preheat the oven to 325. Remove the dough from the fridge and let it sit out about 15 minutes. Then roll it quite thin -- 1/8 to 1/4 inch -- cut with a knife into squares or with a biscuit cutter into rounds. Bake in a greased sheet for 30 minutes or until slightly golden. Turn off the oven and leave the trays of crackers in there while the oven cools (an hour or so).
About timing and storage: Overnight or even a couple of days in the fridge is fine for the raw dough, so you can prepare the dough well ahead if you are making the crackers for a party. To make them even farther ahead, you can freeze the dough and then let it thaw in the fridge before baking. Once baked, the crackers keep fine in a covered container on the counter for a week. If you freeze the finished crackers, you can thaw them and crisp them up with a few minutes (5ish) in a hot oven.
Creme Fraiche
Once you have cultured buttermilk, making creme fraiche is a snap.
Ingredients:
One pint heavy cream
3 Tablespoons cultured buttermilk
How to:
Put the cream into a clean jar. Stir in the buttermilk. Rest the lid on top of the jar. Let it sit out at room temperature for 16-24 hours, or until thickened. Then store in the refrigerator for up a week. It really is that easy.
You can use as you would sour cream. Or try a dollop a top a slice of fruit pie. Or on a scone.
Ingredients:
One pint heavy cream
3 Tablespoons cultured buttermilk
How to:
Put the cream into a clean jar. Stir in the buttermilk. Rest the lid on top of the jar. Let it sit out at room temperature for 16-24 hours, or until thickened. Then store in the refrigerator for up a week. It really is that easy.
You can use as you would sour cream. Or try a dollop a top a slice of fruit pie. Or on a scone.
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