Archives for February, 2010
February 26, 2010
Chicken Divan Crepes
A traditional chicken divan with broccoli and mornay sauce wrapped tenderly into a delicate crepe. …more
February 24, 2010
Stuffed Sole
Mild, tender white fish stuffed with a light simple stuffing. Pour your favorite Sauvignon Blanc and light some candles. …more
February 8, 2010
Manicotti
Another Italian classic that’s great as a side dish or as the main meal, stuffed with cheeses and hidden spinach. …more
February 8, 2010
Garlic Chives
chives second time around
newly planted garlic clove
The welcomed stink
When I get near the garlic chives they smell exactly like garlic but they taste very mild. I picked through the entire bunch toward the end of fall last year. Cut back the entire bunch like cutting grass. It’ll come back hearty and strong. This is a 3 week growth.
Garlic is extremely easy to grow as you might have discovered. I lost a clove behind a flour tin and within a week it had started a strong green shoot. All the myths and old wives tales about sprouted garlic are untrue. In fact, the sprouted part is pretty tasty. Or you can plant in some dirt, clove side down, medium drainage and let the soil dry completely between waterings and get a bunch in 3 months time when the leaves start to fade and wilt.
Again, it’s strange here in the southern west coast. You don’t have to wait till spring.
February 7, 2010
Medium
Meat has all different texture, color, and marbling so when talking about doneness, color discussion is relative.
Rare: Entirely raw inside, juice had not begun to form
Med-Rare: Crust begins to form, thoroughly warm inside
Medium: Crust to internal pinkness is half, juicy, hot
Med-Well: Meat begins to shrink, crust is tough
Well done: Dry, tough, crusty
February 7, 2010
Well Done
Meat has all different texture, color, and marbling so when talking about doneness, color discussion is relative.
Rare: Entirely raw inside, juice had not begun to form
Med-Rare: Crust begins to form, thoroughly warm inside
Medium: Crust to internal pinkness is half, juicy, hot
Med-Well: Meat begins to shrink, crust is tough
Well done: Dry, tough, crusty
February 7, 2010
Rare
Meat has all different texture, color, and marbling so when talking about doneness, color discussion is relative.
Rare: Entirely raw inside, juice had not begun to form
Med-Rare: Crust begins to form, thoroughly warm inside
Medium: Crust to internal pinkness is half, juicy, hot
Med-Well: Meat begins to shrink, crust is tough
Well done: Dry, tough, crusty
February 7, 2010
Knead
Directions will tell you how vigorously to knead. Quick breads, biscuits, and pie crusts require gentle and spare kneading. Dough that requires gluten and elasticity require lengthier kneading time. When told to knead a specific number of times—one knead is up to step 3. See above. If you knead bread by hand it can be quite a work out. Most heavy duty mixers come with a kneading paddle and a proper setting.
- Work dough into a flat disk
- Lift front half and fold away
- With the heals of your hands push down and out
- Turn 90 degrees
- Work dough into another flat disk
- Fold in half like number 2… Repeat
February 7, 2010
Incorporate
To bring ingredients together or conglomerate mixes. Incorporating can be as simple as mixing to working ingredients into a dough while kneading.
February 7, 2010
Marinading
To soak foods in a seasoned liquid so flavor is infused before cooking. Some acidic marinades actually do the cooking as with ceviche. The marinade makeup can be any combination of acid, sugar, salt, oil, alcohol, and include herbs and spices.