My lovely wife is in the habit of ordering one thing time and again when we call out for Chinese food:  chicken with broccoli.  It’s usually pretty good at my local take-out, but I’ve gotten unlucky before, and the chicken can be rubbery, the broccoli way overcooked and the sauce cloyingly sweet.

I was determined to make it better (and cheaper!) at home.

This recipe is an easy stir-fry for the home cook.  No special equipment required – while I’m sure it’d be nice to use a wok over a roaring flame, I have an electric stovetop, so I just pulled out the biggest skillet in my cupboard.  Prep is important when stir-frying – once your pan is on the heat, everything comes together quickly, so you’ll want all of your ingredients assembled and at the ready.  Another technique note:  the chicken is “velveted” in this recipe, or tossed with cornstarch slurry to protect it during cooking.  This is the first time I’ve tried this technique but it seemed to work – the meat was moist and flavorful even having simmered for about 20 minutes on the stove after cooking.  Once it all came together, it looked a little something like this:

I finished the dish with a few pinches of kosher salt and awaited my wife’s return home.  And with crisp broccoli, savory chicken and a sauce that doesn’t drown everything else out, you simply can’t go wrong.

Enjoy!

Chicken with Broccoli, Chinese Take-out Style

Ingredients

1 lb broccoli – 2 large heads should do it

2 tsp cornstarch

2 tsp rice wine vinegar

1 lb chicken breasts or chicken tenders, cubed

3 tbsp soy sauce

3 tbsp hoisin sauce

1 ½ tsp sugar

4 tbsp canola oil

1 chunk unpeeled fresh ginger

1 clove garlic, peeled

1 can (8 oz) sliced bamboo shoots (check the international aisle of your local grocery store)

1 tsp sesame oil 

Directions

Chop the broccoli into florets and stalks.  It’s easiest to slice the florets off in one stroke, then slice the stalks into bite-size pieces.

In a work bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and rice wine vinegar (and do it quickly; the cornstarch can clump easily in the liquid).  Add the chicken and toss with your hands to evenly coat all of the pieces.

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sugar and 2 tbsp water.  Set aside.

In a large skillet or stir-fry pan, heat 1 tbsp canola oil over high heat (and make sure it’s canola, otherwise you’ll set off your smoke alarm!)  Once hot, toss the broccoli into the pan and cook for about 30 seconds.  Add three tbsp water to the pan, reduce heat to medium and cover.  Cook the broccoli for another 3 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.  Set the broccoli aside.

Heat 3 tbsp canola oil over high heat, then add the ginger and garlic to the pan.  Once the ginger and garlic start to sizzle, add the chicken and toss throughout the pan to cook evenly.  Be very careful at this stage, as the oil will spatter everywhere.

Once the chicken chunks all look cooked on the outside, remove the ginger and garlic, then reduce heat to medium and add the soy sauce mixture.  Drain the bamboo shoots in the can, then add to the pan with the broccoli.  Cook, stirring frequently, until all ingredients are heated through and sauced.  Drizzle the sesame oil over the pan and stir well.

-HML

Whoopie pies (in case you haven’t yet had the pleasure) are cake-like sandwich cookies with a buttercream-style filling.  I heard once that they’re named for the cheer that farmers would give when they discovered these treats in their packed lunches.  None of my colleagues shouted when I presented these, but I did get great reviews all around.

This recipe adapts the filling slightly into a marshmallow buttercream, which goes really nicely with the cake-like cookies and tastes quite a bit like an Oreo.  I like a bit more vanilla than most people in both elements of this dessert, so you can always reel that in a bit without harming the taste.

And considering the sheer amount of butter in this recipe, be sure to make them for a crowd!

Ingredients

Cookies

3 ½ cups flour

1 tsp salt (table salt, not kosher here)

1 ½ cups cocoa powder

1 tbsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2 sticks butter at room temperature

2 cups granulated sugar

2 cups buttermilk at room temperature

1 tbsp vanilla extract 

Filling

2 sticks butter at room temperature

2 cups confectioner’s sugar

7 ½ oz marshmallow fluff (Kraft’s Marshmallow Kreme worked for me here in)

1 tbsp vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Whisk together the flour, salt, cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder, then set aside.  Prepare two baking sheets – you’ll need either silicone baking mats or parchment paper on each one.

Cream together the butter and sugar in your mixer on medium or medium-high speed until lightened in color and fluffy, maybe three minutes.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and make sure that each is fully incorporated before adding the next.  Blend in the buttermilk and vanilla extract, then add the dry ingredients, but only mix the dry ingredients until combined.  (You may need to scrape the mixing bowl, especially on the bottom, to ensure that the batter fully incorporated the cocoa powder).

Using a disher or scoop, drop the batter in 1-oz portions onto the baking sheets.  You should be able to fit 12 per pan, but make sure they have enough room to spread out.  Bake for 12 minutes, then allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.  (You may not have quite enough batter for all 24 filled cookies if you’ve been generous with your disher; I ended up with 22).

For the filling, beat the butter in your mixer for a couple of minutes until smooth, then add the confectioner’s sugar.  Be careful at this step, as the powdered sugar will easily fly out of the bowl if you start the mixer too quickly.  Once combined, beat in the marshmallow fluff and the vanilla and continue mixing for a couple of more minutes until fluffy.

Match cookies up by size, then fill by spooning (or piping with a pastry bag) the filling onto the center of one cookie at a time.  Press together to spread the filling evenly.

Enjoy!

-HML

However, before I unleash the power of the vanilla bean upon you, I should inform you that the vanilla beans Mr. Nicholls from Cook’s gave to me were colossal.  They were plump and fragrant and beautiful.  Nothing like what you may come across in your grocer’s aisle, a thin stalk folded into thirds and stuffed in a jar.  Cook’s premium vanilla beans may be procured from Bayou Bakery, Cork Market, Palena Market, Black Salt Market, Butcher’s Block, Central Coffee Roasters (Sperryville, VA) and Home Farm Store (Middleburg, VA).  Their website is located here.

For those of you who don’t know, vanilla beans are gleaned from vanilla orchids and the species originated in Mexico.  These days the primary sources of beans are the Madagascar and Tahitian varieties of the same orchids.  Each flower has to be hand pollinated, and once the pods are harvested, they must be dried and cured for around six months to fully develop the flavor.  The process of producing vanilla beans remains very labor-intensive, keeping prices on the beans high.  However, do not settle for imitation.  Once you taste the complex flavor of a real vanilla bean, nothing else will do.  Each recipe title is a clickable link, except the cocktails.  And now, onto the recipes:

1.  Vanilla Pork Chops – I never would have guessed that vanilla and pork chops would go together so well, but they do.  If you’re a fan of pork chops or vanilla, this recipe (courtesy of the Washington Post) is a must-try.  I did not use my grill, but the broiler does just fine during the winter.

2.  Scallops with Champagne-Vanilla Butter Sauce – I love Emeril.  His sauce is a bit of a challenge, but a little patience goes a long way.  Again, I was surprised at how well the vanilla and scallops went with each other.  I would suggest that a nice white fish fillet would do equally well in this sauce.

3.  Salmon with Citrus Emulsion – This dish was incredibly flavorful.  Once again, the sauce takes a little more effort than usual to complete, but it is worth the few extra minutes.  I’d recommend serving this fish entrée with buttery mashed potatoes and sautéed green beans to wow your dining companions.

4.  Vanilla Bean-Champagne Cocktail – This drink was one of Mr. Nicholls’ suggestions, and it’s impressive.  Fill each of four flutes about three-quarters of the way with champagne and add ½ ounce of your favorite vanilla liqueur per glass.  I split two vanilla beans lengthwise, and used one half in each flute as the garnish.  It’s a great cocktail to serve when you want to have an elegant evening.  One other cocktail Mr. Nicholls asked me to try was a Cuba Libre with the addition of the seeds from half a vanilla bean.  It was very good, and the kind of drink you’d want to encounter at a local bar as one of the special house drinks.

5.  Curried Duck with Vanilla – I ended up using chicken thighs instead of duck legs for this recipe, but I was seriously impressed by how deliciously the vanilla and curry went together.  I ended up using different vegetables, but I kept the spices the same.  Though I was slightly worried about the vanilla overwhelming the dish (it smelled amazing), the taste of the vanilla ended up more subtle and complimentary to the curry.  For anyone who may be afraid to incorporate vanilla into savory entrees, try this dish first!  You’ll be very glad you did.

-TKW

Disclosure: From time to time, we are given free items (like vanilla beans), meals, or events.

Ceder Plank Grilled Salmon/Scallops Pic Courtesy of Napoleon Grills.

Napoleon® Fireplaces and Grills sent us some interesting stats on grilling (by gender). The referenced study confirms men most often take up the tongs when it comes to grilled meals. They have some great looking recipes here.

-JAY

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Males continues to reign in the fiery realm of the grill, according to a new report studying the barbecue habits of North Americans.

The 2011 consumer research study, put together for the international Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association, found that the male head of the household is more often the one who makes the decision to use a grill, prepares the food and actually does the work on the grill.

Grilled Shiraz Ribs Pic Courtesy of Napoleon Grills.

“Grilling has traditionally been a guy thing, and this research confirms the anecdotal evidence many of us have seen in our own homes for years,” said David Coulson, national advertising manager for Barrie, Ont.-based Napoleon Fireplaces and Grills. “Having said that, the study shows there are also a lot of households out there where both spouses are content to share the tongs.”

The online survey, conducted this past summer, looked at the way people in Canada and the United States typically use gas, electric and charcoal grills to prepare meals, as well as what features they’re looking for when they buy them.

Among the details provided by survey respondents, researchers found:

Males handle the majority of the grilling duty

Mango BBQ Quail Pic Courtsey of Napoleon Grills.

·         The survey indicates the male head of the household cooks about 73% of the meals on gas grills, 72% on charcoal grills and 66% on electric grills.

·        Women account for 24% of the cooking on gas grills, 22% on charcoal grills and 32% with electric grills.

Breaking down food prep

·         While most men like to be hands on at the grill, a smaller number of them share a hand in the food preparation. The survey found men prepare the food 58% of the time for gas grilling, 55% for charcoal grills and 50% for electric grills.

·         Those stats compare to women who handle food prep 39% of the time for gas grilling, 40% for charcoal grills and 49% for meals made on electric grills.

The will to grill

·         Men generally make the final call when it comes to whether or not to grill a meal. The survey indicates men typically make the decision 60% of the time for gas grilling, 63% of the time for charcoal grilling and 56% of the time for electric grills.

·         Women make the call 36% of the time for gas grilling, 33% of the time for charcoal grilling and 43% of the time for electric grilling.

Where’s the fire?

·         No matter who actually exercises their grill skills to cook the meal, the job of firing up the equipment usually falls to the man of the house, the survey found. Men said they light gas grills 78% of the time compared to 20% for women. Men ignite charcoal grills 77% of the time, compared to 18% for women.

“It’s extremely important for us to know how people typically use their grills and barbecues so we can tailor our products and services to our customers habits,” Coulson said. “At Napoleon, we have a full line of gourmet gas and charcoal grills to suit any household, no matter who’s at the helm.”

JAY asked me write about my home cooking – that is, chiefly, my ever-present stack of recipes, my attempts to recreate the experts’ work and all the successes, failures and happy accidents that occur along the way.  I’m always looking for accessible, budget-friendly ways to keep cooking at home, and I’m quite thankful for the chance to write about it regularly.

For my first recipe, I turned to a suggestion from my sister for a winter dessert:  Dark Chocolate Cream Pie.  My sister first obtained a version of this recipe from Rick Rodgers’ Thanksgiving 101, and I decided to make something similar for my wife on our first date a few years ago.  (Pro tip:  test out your cooking before you invite her over!  My roommates at the time loved getting to try out the results of my practice run through that dinner date).

The pie’s shell is the easiest place to play around with this recipe – you can certainly make your own pie dough, but I tend to buy pre-made crusts because (confession!) I honestly don’t like the crust very much.  I prefer the filling!  Don’t skimp on the good chocolate here, either.  Most neighborhood grocery stores have a selection of high-quality chocolate bars in the baking aisle and if you’re really feeling gourmet, you can certainly splurge on something from Whole Foods.  As a California native, I’m always partial to Ghirardelli chocolate.  Finish off with a dollop of whipped cream and some grated chocolate, and you’ll have a hit on your hands.  (Disclaimer:  No guarantees if you use it on a date!)

Dark Chocolate Cream Pie

Ingredients

Pie shell of your choice, docked and baked (Note:  “Docking” is the process of maniacally stabbing the crust with a fork or pastry tool to prevent the dough from bubbling up while baking.  If you use an Oreo or other cookie crust, though, neither docking nor baking is necessary).

3 cups half and half

2/3 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar

1/8 tsp salt

3 tbsp cornstarch

4 large egg yolks

4 oz. high quality bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped (Note x2:  Don’t skimp on the chocolate here.  Don’t use chocolate chips, either – the emulsifiers in the chips may help them hold their shape, but they don’t help the custard.  High-quality bar chocolate is best.)

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup heavy cream, chilled (Note x3:  The heavy cream is only necessary if you want to whip your own.  Cool Whip or its generic equivalent will work in a pinch.)

Cocoa powder or chocolate shavings for garnish

Directions

Heat 2 ½ cups of half & half, 2/3 cup sugar and the 1/8 teaspoon salt in a saucepan.  Stir over medium heat until fairly hot and bubbles appear around edges of saucepan, then set aside off heat.

Whisk together cornstarch and remaining ½ cup of half & half vigorously until dissolved – seriously, you’re not going to hurt anything, so make sure every last bit of cornstarch is dissolved.  Whisk in egg yolks one at a time until the mixture is uniform in color and textures.  Gradually whisk in sweetened half & half mixture, rinse out the saucepan and return the mixture to the pan.  Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom of the pan until the custard comes to a boil and thickens.  Be especially careful about hot spatters of custard as it heats up!  Reduce heat to medium low and stir constantly for one minute, and then remove from heat.  Add chopped chocolate, butter and ½ tsp vanilla and stir the mixture until the butter and chocolate melt completely.

Pour custard into pie shell and smooth top (jiggling once or twice to remove air bubbles would be good too).  Allow the pie to cool, then refrigerate until serving.

If making whipped cream:  Combine heavy cream, 2 tbsp sugar and ½ tsp vanilla in a large, chilled mixing bowl.  Beat the mixture until soft peaks form.  Spread whipped cream over pie and garnish with cocoa powder or chocolate shavings.

-Guest Writer Michael (HML)

Pic Courtesy of staceysnacksonline.com.

Five Best Spirits for Desserts

There’s something strangely satisfying about incorporating booze into your cooking, isn’t there? The sheer knowledge alone that there is beer or wine in your dish seems to almost make the utensils jump off the table and into your hands. Not only that, when you are talking about desserts, the combination is so tempting. It’s the course where the non-drinking parent manages to squeeze in some sorely needed hooch. The best part is that each one of the following spirits works as a great tipple right after.

Brandy
Candy and brandy make you dandy. So what could be dandier than a brandy dessert? One of the characteristics that seems to make good brandy a perfect fit for the last course is its flavorful, aged quality. The fruity floral life of “burned wine” can yield another layer of flavor.

Try Cherries Jubilee with a little Hennessy. I think you’ll find the brandied form of this fruit its truest and most delicious.

Grand Marnier
I’m cheating a little bit here since Grand Marnier is actually based off Cognac (ergo, brandy). What makes this liqueur very unique is that it is made with bitter orange essence which leaves that distinct flavor profile. Douse your dessert with “Gran Ma,” light it on fire, and watch the blue flames dance over all over such delicate dishes.

Have a taste of the Grand Marnier Soufflé. It’s an airy confection that goes a long way with this liqueur. Or, maybe make a Crêpe Suzette.

Bourbon
Bourbon has extracted character from charred wood barrels. The flavors elicited from the barrel often renders the spirit with cinnamon, vanilla, and caramel notes – perfect flavors for desserts. Moreover, because nearly every “bourbon” whiskey is made with anywhere from 51-80% corn, it can often have a sweeter and thicker quality.

I don’t know if anyone can be disappointed with a Derby Pie; particularly, there’s some good ole Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey from Maker’s Mark Distillery.

Pernod
Where there’s candy, there’s licorice. And while licorice doesn’t derive its flavor from pastis or absinthe, a distinct anise flavor in both is undeniable. In fact, one of my favorite associations with a well made Sazerac is the candy-ish quality that accompanies the spicy, nutty rye whiskey flavor.

Like ice cream? Add a dabble of Pernod into that custard for a Star Anise Ice Cream. Like toppings? Make a Pernod whip cream!

Amaretto
Most people don’t know that Amaretto is distilled from either an apricot or almond pit base. The result is a nutty liqueur and since almonds are already a topping of choice for many sweets, this liqueur is a perfect fit for a wide variety of desserts.

“Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.” Next time TNT is running that Godfather trilogy marathon, whip up some of these with a little Amaretto in them.

-By Guest Writer & Alcohol Writer/Bartender Anthony of Done Like Dundee Gone Like Ghandi.

-JAY

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Be a Winner with this Easy Holiday Recipe;
then Win $1 Million with a Recipe of Your Own

Short on time for laying out a party spread that’ll wow your holiday guests?

“The secret to creating something memorable is often as simple as pairing unexpected flavors that really hit it off,” says Dave Hirschkop, owner of Dave’s Gourmet (www.davesgourmet.com), maker of award-winning sauces.

“It doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated,” he says. “If you mate ingredients that have chemistry, you’ll blow your guests away.”

If you’ve already created that blow-em-away recipe – the sauce that’s the hit at every gathering – it could win you up to $1million in royalties in Dave’s Gourmet Recipe Challenge.

And if you haven’t, Hirschkop has a gift for you: His Easy Holiday Dip will make short work of party-pleasing.

Easy Holiday Dip

1 ½ cups roasted red peppers (from jar or canned)

1 8-ounce package of cream cheese

¼ cup pumpkin seeds

1 Tablespoon olive oil

½ teaspoon paprika (I like smoked but any will do)

Salt and pepper to taste

Put everything into a food processor and pulse until smooth, creamy and delicious.

Serve with fresh-cut veggies (carrot sticks, celery, you know the drill folks) pretzels or pita chips.

For you chile heads, add a couple drops of your favorite Dave’s Gourmet hot sauce and make that dip rip!

Dave’s Gourmet Recipe Challenge

And now about that recipe contest. Dave’s Gourmet is looking for a winner to add to its product line, and guess who’ll get the royalties for six years? That’s right – you. Up to $1 million. Hey, it’s only fair if your name’s on the label.

Payday starts immediately with a $2,000 advance.

Just submit for your original recipe for a sauce, salsa or dip by Dec. 31 at www.davesgourmet.com. Dave’s team will test the recipes and choose semifinalists, who’ll be taste-tested by a Dave’s Gourmet panel. Finalists will be notified Jan. 12-14. The winner (or winners) will be chosen by food professionals attending the Fancy Foods Show in San Francisco. They’ll be notified Jan. 18.

Isn’t it about time your killer sauce paid off? Dave thinks it is.

Kabocha02 by miltedflower

I located their recipe for Chao Nan Gua. Intrigued yet again, I set to work.

Disorganized as usual, I didn’t actually have fresh ginger or white sugar on hand, and so I used what I had, and futzed with proportions both intentionally and by spilling some and making it up on the fly.

I used:

About 1.5 tbs. canola oil
1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger (not the powder kind, the kind from a
jar…fresh would be better)
2 tsp. brown sugar
A few pinches sea salt
1/2 tsp. yuzu kosho*
1 small kabocha, peeled and cubed
Just under 1/2 cup water with a splash of rice vinegar

I put the squash in the microwave for a couple minutes to soften it enough for my not-great knife to cut, and while it cooked I set out my mise-en-place. In the process I spilled the water twice, knocked over my jar of salt, and burned myself with spattering pre-heated oil. This before drinks, even! These steps I don’t recommend. I do recommend that when it’s softened a bit, you cut up the squash.

So, as you may have guessed, I had preheated the oil over a high flame, and when it was hot added the ginger and yuzu kosho to toast a bit, then the squash, which I tossed in the spiced hot oil.

Then I added the sugar and salt and tossed the squash around some more. After a few seconds to let a glaze form, I added the water-vinegar mix and covered the lot with a lid. On reduced heat, I let the mixture braise for about 10 minutes, stirring every now and again.

The result was bloody delicious: sweet, nutty, and spicy!

* A note on yuzu kosho: this is the best reason to visit your local Japanese market I can think of (besides MSG-enhanced mayo). A paste of yuzu (a citrus somewhere between lime and Meyer lemon) and chili, it is a fantastic condiment I now put on way too many things.

-MAW

Yesterday afternoon I attending the bacon curing class they taught as part of the bacon week festivities.  I learned that bacon’s red color comes from pink Insta Cure Salt; Chef Brian Robinson said that without the pink salt, that the bacon would not have the bacony flavor we love and expect.  Below is their recipe for curing bacon.  You won’t this whole batch of rub at once.

The rub:

Yes, they make pancetta too.

12 oz Kosher Salt (They used to use 16 oz.)

8 oz. Sugar

1 oz. (10 tsp.) Pink Salt

Combine Ingredients thoroughly and rub pork bully. Next, wrap in plastic wrap or store in airtight plastic container for 5-7 days in the refrigerator. You will have to change the plastic wrap/container after a few days because of the liquid that is released curing curing process. Finally, smoke belly (optional),  slice to desired thickness and cook!

They also put the bacon in a 300 degrees over to make it set so that it is easier to slice. they smoke at 150 degrees. They use the liquid left over from the curing in their smoker, but you can just discard it.

-JAY

The packaging is simple, and the directions are easy.  Like any recipe with wet and dry ingredients: in one bowl, whisk an egg, then whisk in a cup of milk.  In another bowl, empty the entire packet of Pedon’s dry pancake mix then slowly incorporate your liquid into the dry mix with the whisk. Flex your whisking muscles to ensure a smooth batter and a couple minutes later you’re ready cook it stove-top.

The aroma while it’s cooking was a big tease, because it took a few minutes before the top dried and I could turn it over.  Check out the gorgeous, even coloring once I flipped it.

The flavor of the finished product was similar to what I expected a pancake might be, and the texture was very good. No, it doesn’t taste exactly like a wheat-flour pancake but I didn’t mind. Salt content was perfect, and the option of adding sugar to the batter isn’t necessary; instead, pour some quality maple syrup on top and enjoy. Pedon’s got a winner: they’re in the same league as Pamela’s pancake mix which is the gluten-free gold standard in our household.

After offering a taste to my family, I polished off the entire batch. Win.

–Mark Feghali (MFF)

Disclaimer:  I know something to this effect is stated in our “About” section, but (as sometimes happens), we received freebies.  That said,  our words are our own.