One of our most beloved, and popular dishes is the
unremarkably named, “chicken, sausage, peppers, and potatoes,” which was sort
of the inspiration behind this sausage mushroom chicken video. Besides their
unimaginative names, what these recipes have in common is how they take
advantage of rendered sausage fat, and its proven ability to make everything it
touches taste meatier.
Cooking things in rendered bacon, or pancetta fat is fairly
common, but not so much when it comes to pork sausage, which is funny, since
not only are we getting that pork goodness, but we also get to utilize all the
herbs and spices used in the grind.
I went with a sweet Italian sausage, which paired perfectly
with the chicken, mushrooms, and wine-based pan sauce, but half the fun of a
“recipe” like this is choosing which variety to use, depending on which other ingredients
you plan on including. So, call that friend I was talking about in the video, and
no matter which way you guys decide to go, I really hope you give this, or
something like this a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 2 portions:
1 (6-ounce) sweet Italian sausage, cooked, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 boneless chicken breasts
salt, freshly ground black pepper, and cayenne to taste
Using this simple “crepe cake” technique, you can turn any of your favorite cake fillings into visually stunning, multilayered masterpieces. By the way, I said this is simple, not fast, as it does take a little bit of time to make and stack all those crepes, but once you get rolling, it goes pretty quick.
I was going for a very light dessert here, in both taste and texture, but this technique really shines if you use a more traditional cake filling like buttercream. Since that gets nice and firm when chilled, you’ll get even more gorgeously defined layers. Chocolate ganache is also a great choice, especially layered alternately with pastry cream, which would create a sort of Boston cream pie.
The ingredient amounts below are just a guide, since it really depends on the size of your crepes, and how much filling you spread on. You’ll probably have a few more crepes than you need, which isn’t really a problem, and you can try to go even higher than I did. I also increased the cream filling ingredients below, since I had to make another half batch during my construction.
Speaking of filling, I probably could’ve just folded the strawberry jam into the whipped cream mixture to save time when assembling. I though it would be nice to have streaks of fruit in the cream, but once sliced, it really wasn’t that noticeable. Of course fresh fruit would also work, just be aware of the extra moisture that might add. Regardless of how you fill yours, or how high you stack, I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!
Virtually every beer batter fish recipe looks crispy coming
out of the fryer, and some even stay crispy for a few minutes, but then the
inevitable sogginess sets in, and by the time you take that last bite, you’re wondering
why you just didn’t bake it. Well, with this simple formula, and a few easy
tricks, you can achieve what many think impossible; a fried fish where the last
bite is as crisp as the first.
The keys here are keeping your batter really cold, and your
fish really dry. If you use frozen fish, make sure it’s fully thawed, and
you’ve carefully blotted off any excess moisture, before giving it a light coating
of starch. I like rice flour for this, but as I said in the video cornstarch,
or potato starch will also work.
If you do want to season yours differently, you can apply
whatever you want directly to the fish before it goes in the beer batter. Keep
in mind that salt draws out water, so don’t go too heavy, and make sure your
fish is as dry as possible before it gets dunked into your ice-cold batter. I
generally keep things very simple, but the occasional spoon of Indian spice, or
chili powder makes for a nice change of pace.
If you make your batter ahead, which is fine, be sure to
keep it in the fridge, and if you’re doing a large number of portions, maybe place
the batter over a bowl of ice, so it stays cold as you fry. Other than keeping
things cold and dry, not much can go wrong, except maybe calling your “crisps”
chips, which will definitely trigger your British friends. Anyway, they’ll be
fine, and so will you after making this easy, and crispy-to-the-last-bite beer
batter fish. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 4 portions Fish & Chips:
For the fish:
4 (six-ounce) pieces of boneless white fish, such as cod,
haddock, etc., cut in half lengthwise into 8 strips
salt to taste
enough rice flour to lightly coat
For the batter:
1 cup self-rising flour (or all-purpose flour mixed with 1
tsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp fine salt)
2 tablespoons rice flour, or cornstarch or potato starch
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
about 1 cup lager-style beer, plus more as needed to adjust
This spring vegetable tart only looks hard to make, and
would be a perfect centerpiece for any special occasion meal, just as long as
you put it out on the table a little bit early, since we’ll need to allow
enough time for all the Instagramming that follows. And please, no flash
photography.
As long as you use a wide array of colorful vegetables, and
tuck them into a gnarly base of greens, this easy cheese tart/salad can’t help
but look gorgeous. In fact, the hardest things will be deciding which
vegetables to use, and how to prepare them.
As I said in the video, you can go with anything from raw to
roasted, but my favorite way to prep the vegetables, is to simply blanch them
briefly in boiling, salted water. Just cook them for a few minutes to take off
the raw edge, and then plunge them into cold water, before draining, and
dressing.
Above and beyond the veggies, this cheese filling will work
with any soft cheese, but I think the tanginess of the goat cheese is an
important factor, so if you use something milder, you may want to sneak in some
lemon juice. Regardless, of what specific ingredients you use, I really hope
you give this gorgeous vegetable tart technique a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for a 10-inch round Spring Vegetable Tart:
2 sheets frozen puff pastry (round or rectangular)
(This tart can be made with any type of shell, including
piecrust, phyllo, etc.)
1 large egg beaten with 1 teaspoon of water (for brushing,
and then for the filling)
For the filling:
1 1/4 cups goat cheese
salt, freshly ground black pepper, cayenne to taste
1/4 cup freshly chopped herbs, like dill, parsley, thyme,
tarragon, basil, chives, etc.
the rest of the egg wash
1/4 cup heavy cream
For the vegetables:
2 handfuls mixed colorful salad greens (including something
light and frizzy if possible)
2 to 3 cups of bite-sized fresh vegetables, briefly blanched
in salted water
1/2 cup thinly sliced raw radishes, and cherry tomatoes
For the dressing (this is what I used, but your favorite
salad dressing will work):
Remember that time you waited all day for your “low and
slow” beef brisket to finish cooking, and once it finally did, it was dry? It
left you disappointed, disillusioned, and wondering what went wrong. Well, I
won’t bore you with all the scientific, easy-to-Google details, but basically
meat can “stall” during long, low-heat methods, and never reach the proper
internal temperature to fully release all the succulent goodness.
If you really nail it, the results can be amazing, and I’ve
gotten lucky a few times on the smoker, but this significantly faster method is
much less risky. Unless you really overcook it, you shouldn’t have to worry
about dry meat, and you can instead worry about other things, like whether you
cooked enough meat. By the way, I'm not sure if they invented it, but I adapted
this from something I saw watching an America's Test Kitchen rerun, so if you
have issues, please contact them.
Speaking of enough meat, if you decide to use a whole
brisket, this method will work as shown, but you’ll probably need to give it a
little more time at the end to ensure it’s fork tender. Or not, but there’s
only one way to find out, so have your poking fork handy, and use as needed.
Whether you’re looking for a brisket recipe for Passover, or you’re simply
interested in moister meat in less time, I really hope you give this easy,
baked brisket recipe a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 6 portions Easy Baked Beef Brisket:
(Adapted from America's Test Kitchen)
3 pound beef brisket (the flat half of a full brisket)
4 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
For the gravy/braising liquid:
2 tablespoons butter, oil, or rendered fat
1 large yellow onion, sliced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1 cup apple juice or cider
- Bake at 325 F. for 1 1/2 hours, then reduce oven to 250 F.,
and cook for about 2 hours 15 minutes, or until fork tender.
Lamb borek is stunning to look at, and even more enjoyable
to eat, which is all thanks to, believe it or not, intentionally soggy dough.
This is something I didn’t grasp the first time I made it, and I just brushed melted
butter between the layers, hoping for something really crispy, and flaky, which
in Phylloland is standard operating procedure. However, since my dough was not
made flexible by the egg/yogurt/butter wash we used here, it basically exploded in like seven
spots when I tried to roll it up. Lesson learned.
Besides moisturizing the phyllo, this magic mixture also
adds flavor, thanks to the tangy yogurt; and the melted butter helps create a
fairly crispy exterior as well. So, while we don’t want to fully saturate the
sheets, a light brushing really does wonders. If you use a 9 or 10 inch round
pan like I did, three rolls should work out nicely, but this technique will
work no matter what you bake it on. You can also skip the spiral effect, and
keep them straight, or bend them into any other shape.
You’ll need a package of phyllo that provides at least 12 decent
sheets, and I really hope yours is better than the tragic box I bought.
However, as bad as mine was, it still worked out quite nicely, so I’m not exactly
sure why I’m complaining. Anyway, whether you make the recipe as listed, or
tweak the filling to your tastes, I really do hope you give this lamb borek
recipe a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 6 large portions:
(for one 9-10 inch round baking dish)
1 package frozen phyllo (filo) dough
2 teaspoons sesame seeds for the top, optional
For the lamb filling (you’ll have some leftover):
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 pounds ground lamb
2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
4 cloves minced garlic
2 tablespoons currants
3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
1/4 cup water
For the egg/yogurt/butter wash:
1 large egg
3 tablespoons Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoon melted butter
For the yogurt sauce:
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons very finely sliced mint leaves
lemon juice to taste
1 crushed garlic clove, optional
enough water to achieve desired texture
pinch of salt and cayenne
- Bake at 400 F. for 35-40 minutes, or until browned and
crisp.
Note: Save any extra phyllo, since the filling recipe above makes
extra, and you can fold up some smaller, triangular boreks if you want.
These easy to make soufflé pancakes use the same basic
technique as their extremely trendy Japanese cousins, but are much easier,
don’t require a mold, and actually taste like pancakes. Of course, these won’t
garner the same love on Instagram, but hey, what we sacrifice in verticality,
we more than make up for in less hot air.
The fully inflated version just isn’t dense enough to
satisfy me as a pancake, and mostly makes me want to bake actual soufflés. By
the way, no matter what pancake recipe you like best, if it has eggs in it, you
can do the same thing with the whites, and it almost always improves the
texture.
I joked about putting hot pancakes on cold plates in the video,
but in the restaurant business, this is no laughing matter. It’s one way you
can tell whether pros or amateurs are running the place. At home, I usually
just turn my oven to the lowest setting, and warm the plates in there, ideally
next to some bacon.
Running them under hot water also works, as does zapping
them in the microwave for 20 seconds. Regardless of the plate’s temperature
beneath them, or what you top these with, I really do hope you give them a try
soon. Enjoy!
Makes 4 large or 6 smaller Soufflé Pancakes:
2 large eggs, separated
1 1/2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon melted butter
pinch of salt
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon self-rising flour (see note below)
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 teaspoons butter for cooking Note: To make your own self-rising flour (2 cups worth): Sift together 2 cups all-purpose flour, with 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1 teaspoon fine salt.
This amazing Hawaiian comfort food classic is made by
topping rice with a fried burger, which is then smothered with a rich, brown
gravy, and finished with a fried egg. Seriously, how did it take until 1949 for
someone to think of this combination? And, once they did, why exactly did they
name it, “crazy mucus,” which is what this actually translates to.
I’ll let you read all about that here, but disturbing names
aside, this really is a cheap, filling bowl of goodness, that can be adapted in
all sorts of ways. The beef patty is standard, but spam is also used, as is
roast pork, and even seafood.
I like the classic burger best, although as I mentioned in
video, I do recommend using a thinner patty, around 4 ounces, which will make
this easier to eat, as well as provide a better beef-to-rice-to-gravy ratio. I
had a pound of meat and decided to make two portions, but in hindsight I should
have saved half for something else.
Of course, you’re having a pretty good week when you’re
complaining that your burger was too thick for your loco moco. Anyway, I hope
you had a great week as well, and that you give this fast, and very satisfying Hawaiian
classic a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 2 portions:
1 teaspoon unsalted butter for cooking the burger
2 ground beef patties (4 to 6 ounces is ideal)
salt, freshly ground black pepper, cayenne to taste
2 tablespoons minced green onions (white/light parts)
2 cup cooked white rice
2 fried egg
sliced green onions to garnish
For the gravy:
1 1/2 cups high-quality beef broth
4 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
few drops of sesame oil, optional
2 teaspoons ketchup
2 teaspoons sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch (or a little more if you want a
thicker sauce)
I’m running off to a very important meeting, and between
getting some notes together, and finding a clean shirt, I don’t have time to
write the bacon wrapped Spring chicken post just yet. So, for now you’ll have to settle for the ingredient
amounts, and I promise I’ll fill out the rest later. Enjoy!
Okay, I'm back, and ready to finish off this post. Except, I'm not sure exactly what to add, since the technique is every bit as easy as it appears in the video. The only real point of emphasis is keeping the knife relatively still where it goes into the side of the breast, as you cut a nice big pocket inside. Other than that, just be sure to tuck your bacon ends under the chicken, and you shouldn't have too much trouble. You should probably use a thermometer to check the doneness, but a great rule of thumb is when you see and hear juices from the stuffing and chicken start to leak into the pan. I just did a quick lemon deglaze, but time permitting, the browned bits in the pan will make a great pan sauce, like the one we did in this Airline Chicken video. Either way, I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 2 portions:
For the stuffing:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup sliced green onions (aka spring onions)
2 tablespoons finely diced jalapeno pepper
3 cloves minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese, grated Gruyere, cheddar, blue, or any other
cheese
2 tablespoons freshly chopped green herbs (tarragon, parsley, dill, a little thyme, are all great choice alone or combined)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 rounded teaspoon fine dry breadcrumbs
For the rest:
2 eight-ounce boneless skinless chicken breast, cut as show
enough salt, freshly ground black pepper, cayenne to generously
season chicken
4 to 6 strips of bacon, or enough to wrap chicken breasts
1 teaspoon oil to grease pan
juice from 1 lemon to deglaze pan drippings
- Roast at 425 F. for about 30 minutes, or until an internal temp of at least 155 F.
