Shouldn’t the cook get first dibs? Nope, not in this house.
What you see pictured (above) is the very last chunk of cake. That little scrap was all that remained after a day in the fridge. Disappearing faster than the speed of light, why was this piece spared? I was ordered to make an identical. And, to guarantee that the duplicate would be absolutely identical, this scrap was left for testing purposes.
Given the large quantity of high quality cocoa powder, I was expecting a dark chocolate flavor. But, that wasn’t the case. This chocolate pound cake has a creamy milk chocolate-y flavor and a lovely classic pound cake texture that’s better on the second day.
Chocolate Pound Cake
makes 1 loaf
1 1/2 cups AP flour
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup Valrhona cocoa
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 sticks butter, soft
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup sour cream
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a small bowl, sift flour, cornstarch, baking powder and fine sea salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and sour cream. Whip vigorously until light and fluffy. Add cocoa. Whip briefly to combine. Then, gently stir in the flour mixture. Pour batter into buttered loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 60-70 minutes.
This pound cake might not be picture perfect. But, it is perfectly delicious.
I’ve seen dozens of recipes for Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken. But, inevitably, there’s something missing from each and every one. This is my best version to date. And, it’s still missing something. What am I missing?
I’m on the right track, though.
Brown Stew Chicken
makes 1 pot
1 chicken, cut into pieces
2 large onions, roughly diced
6 cloves garlic, sliced
2 Tablespoons peanut oil, or as needed
2-3 Tablespoons sugar
juice of 2 limes
1/4 cup soy sauce
splash of cider vinegar
5 carrots, roughly cut
2 potatoes, roughly diced
1 Tablespoon flour
4-5 cups chicken stock
1 scotch bonnet pepper
1 Tablespoon ginger, grated
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon thyme, ground
1 teaspoon thyme, freshly minced
1 teaspoon allspice, ground
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
In a large dutch oven, brown chicken. Removing it piece by piece as the skin turns golden. Then, set it aside. In the same dutch oven, sauté onions in peanut oil until golden. Add sugar and stir. Carefully watch it as you allow it to caramelize to a deep gold. Deglaze pan with juice of two limes, soy sauce, and cider vinegar. Sprinkle in flour. Add chicken stock and all remaining ingredients. Stir until smooth and lump free. Then, add carrots and potatoes. Simmer gently for about 5 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Add chicken to the dutch oven, skin side up. Place in oven and cook covered for 20 minutes. Then, remove lid and continue to cook for 20 minutes. Or, until the chicken pieces are fully cooked.
Spoon carrots and potatoes into a shallow bowl. Arrange chicken on top.
After straining three times, I’m still left with this milky white liqueur. Supposedly, if you repeatedly strain this liqueur it will become clear. I’m using an ultra-fine filter. I don’t even know where to find a finer filter. Hmmm…. I think I’m stuck with this milky white nog. Good thing it’s a tasty sweet milk punch.
Milk Liqueur
makes over 4 cups
2 cups milk
2 cups grappa, pisco, or vodka
2 cups sugar
1/2 of one vanilla bean, halved
Combine all in a large sterile glass bottle. Shake vigorously. Let sit one hour. Shake vigorously. Then, place in a cool, dark spot (like a basement) and let it sit for 8-10 days. Shake daily.
Strain through a double layer of coffee filters. If it’s still cloudy, repeat. Pour into a sterile glass bottle. Refrigerate.
Cheers!
This was the first pass through a medium-thickness filter. This takes quite some time.
(That’s a coffee filter that I’ve used successfully in the past for other liqueurs.)
I’m a practical kinda girl. Function trumps flashy every day of the week for me.
Why is Wolf king? Dual burners, that’s why. But, we’re not planning a full remodel. We have to work with what we have. That means we’re stuck with a standard 30″ space. That kicked Wolf out of the running in the first lap. The only 30″ has just four dual burners.
We opted for a 5 burner with a center griddle. Yes, we lost 3 dual burners. But, we gained a very useful center griddle. Done deal. Turns out, that my desire for function over flashy was a winning move. I’ve lucked into one incredibly attractive, yet, highly functional and reliably accurate beauty. I predict a long & happy life with my brand new “Old Faithful”.
Please Note:
This is not a paid advertisement. I’m just one VERY satisified customer.
How did I break in Good Old Faithful? I made a simple barely sweet snack cake.
Molasses Bran Snack Cake
(Note: This is a barely sweet cake. This might not satisfy a sweet tooth.)
makes 1 square baking dish
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Sift together:
1 cup AP flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup bran
Make a well & add:
1 cup whole milk
1 large egg
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup light & fruity olive oil
optional:
1/2 cup raisins or cranberries
Stir gently to combine. Pour into buttered baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes. Cool before slicing. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired.
First, scrub with soap and water. Then, boil potato skins covered in water.
After 15 minutes, they’ll turn black and yucky looking.
Rinse and dry well with a paper towel. Then, heat with surface covered in vegetable shortening. Turn off the heat. Wipe and brush with a paper towel in diagonal strokes. Carefully, cover every inch with a second coating of vegetable shortening. Heat and brush with more vegetable shortening. Let it cool completely. Wipe it clean in diagonal strokes.
Ready for Test # 1!
Look, lots of bubbles & no sticking! Success!!
Last Step:
Enjoy your first meal of one sunny side up egg on toast cooked on a griddle that you’ve personally seasoned. The satisfaction is priceless.
Whoops! I forgot to take a picture of the veggies!
Oh well, hidden underneath this pile of seafood were handfuls of mung bean sprouts, cabbage, half a pepper, almost one whole jalapeño, a little onion and a handful of random veggies that I believe included an Asian radish of some type. Also included in the mix, I found a condiment cup of pepper paste. I’m pretty sure it was some brand of gochujang.
Funnest make-shift meal ever! Yeah, that’s right I said funnest. So what?
Seafood Soup
1 package of Super H assorted seafood & veggie soup mix
1 onion
olive oil, as needed
4 cloves garlic
2 stalks celery, finely diced
2 carrots, sliced into thin rounds
1 cup tomato sauce
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt & Pepper, to taste
6 cups chicken stock (or more, if you like)
In a large dutch oven, saute onion and olive oil until light gold. Add garlic, carrots, celery and all of the other veggies (except mung bean sprouts) in the seafood package. Sauté for another minute or two. Deglaze pan with tomato sauce. Add red pepper, salt, pepper, chicken stock and pepper paste. Bring to a boil. Then, reduce heat and simmer vigorously for 15 minutes.
Season to taste, if needed.
Starting with the mackerel, I began to add the seafood. After 10 minutes, continue adding seafood from hearties to most delicate. When adding the most delicate fish, add mung bean sprouts. Continue to simmer for 10-20 minutes. Allow fish to cook completely before tasting. Taste. Season, if needed.
Serve with a crusty loaf of hot and toasty bread (or ramen.. or udon… or rice).
I’d definitely buy this again.
$8.99 equals dinner for two …and nearly a week’s worth of lunches.
Potato Bread
Home-made bread…. it’s one of life’s simple pleasures.
Several years ago, this simple recipe for potato bread was my introduction to baking bread from scratch.
And, I have to say, it’s still a real winner.
Potato Bread
makes 1 large loaf
1/4 cup warm water
1 packet yeast
1 Tablespoon sugar
5 cups bread flour, or as needed
1 medium potato, peeled & boiled & mashed
1 cup whole milk, barely warmed
3 Tablesoons butter, soft & unsalted
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
Poof Yeast:
In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine warm water, yeast and 1 Tablespoon sugar. Let it sit for 15 minutes or so. (Now, while you may skip this step, I think it gives the yeast a bit of a head start. Yeast like a wet environment. So, why not wake it up in a very liquid environment?)
Mix & Knead:
In a large mixing bowl, add mashed potatoes and milk. Mash again. Try to remove most of the big lumps. Add yeast mixture and butter. Stir briefly. Add 4 1/2 cups flour and salt. Stir vigorously. Keep adding flour as needed until mixture looks well-combined and it begins to pull away from the side of the bowl. Pour out onto a floured wooden counter or cutting board and knead for 8-10 minutes. The dough must be kneaded until smooth and soft. Cover with buttered saran and let rise for 1 hour.
Knead & Rise:
After 1 hour, turn onto floured board and knead briefly, until smooth. Shape into a loaf. Place in buttered loaf pan. Cover with buttered saran wrap or parchment. Let rise 1 hour to 1 hour and a half. Approximately 5-10 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 55-65 minutes. Let your bread cool for 10 before removing it from the loaf pan.
Enjoy!
Can it be a Pisco Sour without the Amargo Chuncho Bitters?
Pisco Sour
makes 2
4 ounces Pisco (here, Barsol)
2 ounces lime juice
1/2 – 2 ounces simple syrup (use it to your taste)
1 egg white
one hefty dash of Amargo Chuncho Bitters
2 pieces of lime peel, no zest
In a shaker with ice, combine Pisco, lime juice, simple syrup, egg white and one hefty dash of Amargo Chuncho Bitters. Shake vigorously. Divide between two old-fashioned glasses. Squeeze one piece of lime peel over the top of each cocktail. Then, add one tiny drop of Chuncho Bitters to each glass. Serve immediately.
Cheers!
This isn’t my favorite brand of tomatoes. Personally, I’d never use it for a marinara. But, it makes a perfectly acceptable base sauce. It has the added bonus of being easy to find. Wander into just about any Costco, you’ll almost always find a pallet full of these 6 lb cans.
Base Tomato Sauce
makes approximately 6 quarts
1 – 6lb 10oz can whole tomatoes
14 oz tomato paste
1/4 cup olive oil
10-12 cloves garlic, sliced
1 onion, roughly diced
1 teaspoon powdered basil
1 small bunch basil
5-10 large basil leaves
Place a large dutch oven over moderate heat. Add olive oil. Swirl pan. Add sliced garlic. Allow garlic to turn light golden at the edges. Add onion. Sauté garlic and onions another minute or two. Turn off the stove and set the pan aside.
In a large food processor, puree the bunch of basil and 1/2 of the whole tomatoes in the 6lb can. Pour these pureed tomatoes into the dutch oven and return to a moderate heat. The remaining tomatoes can be crushed by hand or finely diced. Add these diced tomatoes and the rest of the juices from the can to the dutch oven. Then, add powdered basil. Bring to a gentle simmer and simmer for 15 minutes. Add large basil leaves. Let cool. Then, divide between 2lb deli containers and freeze. Use as needed.
Or, transfer it all to a very large crock pot to keep it warm as you begin your favorite ragù.
Southerners, avert your eyes if you must. This is a delicate, moist, crumbly, yet, somehow cake-y and SWEET cornbread. This is one of our all-time favorites. But, that doesn’t meal we’ll ever give up the sheer awesomeness that is traditional Southern cornbread.
Best Basic Northern-Style Cornbread
makes 1 8×8″ dish
1 1/2 cups AP flour
1 cup masa de harina
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick butter, soft
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup half and half
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine dry ingredients. Sift. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Cream. Add half of the dry ingredients. Stir briefly. Add remaining dry ingredients and half & half. Stir gently until combined. Pour batter into an 8×8 inch baking dish. Smooth top and bake at 350 degrees for 45-48 minutes.
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