Monday, April 23, 2012

Cinnamon Roll

innamon roll (also sweet roll, cinnamon bun, cinnamon swirl and cinnamon snail) is a sweet pastry served commonly in Northern Europe and North America. It consists of a rolled sheet of yeast dough onto which a cinnamon and sugar mixture (and raisins or chopped grapes in some cases) is sprinkled over a thin coat of butter.

The dough is then rolled, cut into individual portions, and baked. In North America, cinnamon rolls are frequently topped with icing (often confectioner's sugar based) or glaze of some sort. In northern Europe, nib sugar is often used instead of icing.

The size of a cinnamon roll varies from place to place, but many vendors supply a smaller size about 5 centimetres (2.0 in) in diameter and a larger size about 10 centimetres (3.9 in) to a side. The largest variety can be found in Finland, called Korvapuusti, where it can be up to 20 centimetres (7.9 in) in diameter and weighing 200 grams (7.1 oz).

Comparable to the cinnamon roll is the honey bun, which is part of the donut family. It is not to be confused with a Danish pastry

A honey bun is a version of the cinnamon bun that is popular in the southeast United States. "A honey bun is a fried yeast pastry that contains honey and a swirl of cinnamon in the dough and is glazed with icing. According to legend, Howard Griffin of Griffin Pie Co. in Greensboro, North Carolina, developed the first honey bun in 1954. Flowers Foods acquired Griffin Pie Co. in 1983.

Although the Greensboro bakery is now closed, honey buns remain a best-seller for Flowers."Unlike cinnamon buns, which are generally the product of bakeries, honey buns are common convenience store and vending machine fare. Normally sold individually wrapped, alone or in boxes of 6 or more, they are a popular grab-and-go breakfast, eaten cold or heated in a microwave oven.

Cinnamonrollcutting_photo_by_CrucibleGuardian_at_WikipediaCinnamonrolls_preglazed_wikiHOWCinnamon_Roll_photo_by_NefariousOpus_at_Wikipedia


From wikiHOW

How To Make Cinnamon Rolls

For Plain Cinnamon Rolls:
2 and 1/2 cups flour
5 teaspoons fresh yeast or
1/2 teaspoon dry yeast
1 cup milk
5 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
1 pinch salt

For Filling: 1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 stick room temperature butter

egg wash: 1 egg with 2 tablespoons milk beaten together
handful of flour for dusting
Sugar Glaze:
6 teaspoons brown sugar
1 cup water


From wikiHOW

How To Make Cinnamon Rolls With Raisins & Nuts
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 3/4 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 egg

1/4 cup butter
7/8 cup milk
1/4 cup walnuts or pecans
1/4 cup raisins
handful of flour for dusting

Filling: 1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon melted butter
2 teaspoons icing/powdered sugar
egg wash: 1 egg with 2 tablespoons milk beaten together

Sugar Glaze: 6 teaspoons brown sugar 1 cup water


Tools needed: Large and small bowls. Rolling pin. A sharp knife. A clean work surface for the dough. Clean dry tea towel. Pastry brush, basting brush or similar implement. Spoon. Baking pan or rectangular cookie sheet. Oven mitts.

If mixing by hand: Mix all dry ingredients, except yeast in a large bowl after sifting and measuring the flour. Combine water, yeast, milk, and egg together in a bowl until well blended. Add egg mixture to dry ingredients. Add butter. Stir until mixture is smooth and slightly sticky.

Working the dough: Place dough into a clean bowl and knead it, using oiled or floured hands to move the dough around several times. Cover the dough and let it sit in a warm or room temperature spot for at least 30 minutes. The dough should double in size before shaping. A clean tea towel makes a good cover.

Mix the filling ingredients together in a bowl while you wait and set aside. Lightly grease baking pans while waiting.

Place dough on a clean, lightly floured surface. Punch the dough down with clean hands. Place down on surface and pound down or roll out until you get the shape of an even rectangle. After it forms a rectangular shape, apply the melted butter to one side of the dough. Brush on or apply with another tool. Make sure it's evenly applied and use all of the butter. Apply cinnamon evenly coated and then add the sugar on top.

Roll it up evenly from the longest side and roll down towards you. You should have a long cylinder. Cut the dough up into pieces. You may get about 6 to 8 pieces, using the ends as well. Place in the lightly greased baking pan(s).

Cover and let rise about 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 375*F about 10 minutes prior to adding the rolls. Bake in the oven at 375ºF / 190ºC for 20 to 25 minutes.

Prepare sugar glaze while the rolls bake. Place a saucepan on the stove. Fill with water. Add sugar and stir over low heat. When sugar is completely dissolved remove from heat and let cool. Use a pastry brush to apply cooled glaze to baked rolls.

Text Credits: Wikipedia || wikiHOW || wikiHOW
Image Credits: wikimediaCommons || wikiHOW || Wikipedia

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Salisbury Steak

alisbury steak
Long before there was Atkins there was Dr. J. H. Salisbury (1823–1905) It is Dr. Salisbury we have to thank for Salisbury steak. "An early proponent of a low-carbohydrate diet for weight loss; the term "Salisbury steak" has been in use in the United States since 1897. Salisbury steak is a dish made from a blend of minced beef and other ingredients, which is shaped to resemble a steak, and is usually served with gravy or brown sauce."

From: "What Must I Do To Get Well And How Can I Keep So?" by Elma Fraser Stuart: Dr. Salisbury's Beef-cake. Copied from his Recipe, dated first 1863.

"Food Meats.—Eat the muscle pulp of lean beef made into cakes and broiled. This pulp should be as free as possible from connective or glue tissue, fat and cartilage. Previous to chopping, the fat, bone, tendons, and fascia should all be cut away, and the clean muscle cut up in pieces an inch or two square. Steaks through the centre of the round [middle-cut] are the richest and best for this purpose. Beef should be used from well-fatted animals that are from 4 to 6 years old. The pulp should not be pressed too firmly together before broiling, or it will taste livery. Simply press it sufficiently, so that it will hold together. Make the cakes from half an inch to an inch thick. Broil slowly and moderately over a fire free from blaze and smoke. When cooked, put it on a hot plate and season to taste with butter, pepper, salt, and mustard. If desired, celery may be moderately used as a relish."

Salisbury Beef-cake (Date, Dec 1897). Recipe given to a patient of Dr.Salisbury

"Take a cut off the round and carefully remove all fat and gristle. Pass through machine 3 times. After this, it must not be touched except with two forks to make it into a cake. Form the meat lightly into a cake about an inch and a half thick, taking care not to pack it too tightly. Broil, seeing that your gridiron is thoroughly hot before putting the cake on. Keep the cake at first close to the fire, which must be clear and hot, until a skin is formed to keep the juice in. Then move it a little further off from the fire. Turn the cake with a cake-turner as often as you see a drop of juice coming out of the cake. The cake must be done thoroughly, right through, and not be in the least bit pink, but thoroughly brown right through. If a cake can be cooked under the fire (as in a gas stove), it is far better and more digestible. A 7 oz. cake over the fire takes from 16 to 21 minutes; under the fire rather more."

From Recipes Online: wikidot


Salisbury Steak

For the steaks: 2 lbs ground beef
2 eggs
4 tbsp ketchup
4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup onion
1/2 tsp pepper
For the sauce: 32 oz water with 1 beef bullion cube
4 tbsp cornstarch


Preparing the steaks: Mix all together and make into 4 patties. Brown in frying pan. Remove temporarily from frying pan & put on a plate.

Preparing the sauce: Mix together in same frying pan as steaks had been. After mixing the sauce put meat back in the pan. Cook together for 5 minutes.

Editor's Note: my tweak for this recipe would be to increase the number of eggs from 2 to 4, add 1 cup crimini mushrooms for flavor, and eliminate the cornstarch for the sauce as it seems to contradict Dr.Salisbury's intent to have a dish with fewer carbohydrates. i would increase the amount of Worcestershire sauce to 1/2 cup. Also the recipe as it appears at wikidot uses an onion soup mix packet. my preference would be for freshly chopped onion. Also i recommend covering the skillet during the cooking process. This will help the beef to remain juicy. The original method of cooking the dish was to broil it which of course will help in tenderizing the beef.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 United States License.via glutenfreegirl.com




Text Credits: Wikipedia || Free Google eBook || wikidot Recipes Online
Image Credit: glutenfreegirl.com

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Crêpe Suzette

"Crêpe Suzette (pronounced: [kʁɛp syzɛt]) is a French dessert consisting of a crêpe with beurre Suzette, (pronounced: [bœʁ syzɛt]), a sauce of caramelized sugar and butter, tangerine or orange juice, zest, and Grand Marnier or orange Curaçao liqueur on top, served flambé."

"The origin of the dish and its name is somewhat disputed. One claim is that the dish was created out of a mistake made by a fourteen year-old assistant waiter Henri Charpentier in 1895 at the Maitre at Monte Carlo's Café de Paris. He was preparing a dessert for the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, whose guests included a beautiful French girl named Suzette."

"This is told by Henri Charpentier himself in Life a la Henri, his autobiography, although later contradicted by the Larousse dictionary."

"It was quite by accident as I worked in front of a chafing dish that the cordials caught fire. I thought it was ruined. The Prince and his friends were waiting. How could I begin all over? I tasted it. It was, I thought, the most delicious medley of sweet flavors I had ever tasted. I still think so."

"That accident of the flame was precisely what was needed to bring all those various instruments into one harmony of taste . . . He ate the pancakes with a fork; but he used a spoon to capture the remaining syrup. He asked me the name of that which he had eaten with so much relish. I told him it was to be called Crêpes Princesse. He recognized that the pancake controlled the gender and that this was a compliment designed for him; but he protested with mock ferocity that there was a lady present."

"She was alert and rose to her feet and holding her little skirt wide with her hands she made him a curtsey. 'Will you,' said His Majesty, 'change Crêpes Princesse to Crêpes Suzette?' Thus was born and baptized this confection, one taste of which, I really believe, would reform a cannibal into a civilized gentleman. The next day I received a present from the Prince, a jeweled ring, a panama hat and a cane."

Crêpe Suzette with raspberries photo by StuSpivack at Flickr"Different sources (like the Larousse Gastronomique) however doubt that Charpentier was serving the prince instead of the head waiter because he would have been too young."

"The other claim states Crêpes Suzette was named in honor of French actress Suzanne Reichenberg (1853–1924), who worked professionally under the name Suzette. In 1897, Suzette appeared in the Comédie Française in the role of a maid, during which she served crêpes on stage. Monsieur Joseph, owner of Restaurant Marivaux, provided the crêpes. He decided to flambé the thin pancakes to attract the audience's attention and keep the food warm for the actors consuming them. Joseph was subsequently director of the Paillard Restaurant in Paris and was later with the Savoy Hotel in London."

"In 1896, Oscar Tschirky published the recipe as "Pancakes, Casino Style" with everything in place except the final flambée. This appears on page 629 of his book published in New York, The Cook Book by "Oscar" of the Waldorf."

"The dish was already a specialty of the French restaurant Marie's by 1898 (Paris Vécu, L. Daudet, 1929)."

Oscar Tschirky's Pancakes, Casino Style

Rub fifteen lumps of sugar on two whole orange peels; also rub five pieces of
sugar on two vanilla sticks; take one wineglass of curaçao and a pony of brandy,
together with half a pound of fresh butter and mix the whole together until the sugar is dissolved, and the mass forms a paste. After having your pancakes prepared as shown for plain pancake [*plain pancake instructions below], take a chafing-dish and use for each pancake one tablespoonful of the above preparation.

Place the preparation in the chafing-dish and when it is hot, put one pancake into it, and leave it there for about a minute, and turn your pancake over for the same operation as before; keep on doing the same thing for every pancake. It is proper to do this at the table as soon as the pancake is done, and serve it to your guest.


*Plain Pancakes

Mix two teaspoonfuls of flour with a little salt. Beat the yolks of four eggs and the whites of two, a few drops of orange flour water, and then stir this in with the flour. Butter a small omelet pan, and when hot, pour in a small quantity of the batter, bake until brown, then turn and brown the other side. Roll up the pancake, put it on a hot dish, and keep near the fire till all are made. Arrange them on an ornamental dish-paper on a hot dish, sprinkle a little sugar over, and serve.

Text Credits: archive.org || Wikipedia

Image Credit: Wikipedia

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Chicken Croquettes

"A croquette is a small fried food roll containing, usually as main ingredients, mashed potatoes or béchamel in Spain, and/or ground meat (veal, beef, chicken, or turkey), shellfish, fish, cheese, vegetables, and soaked white bread, egg, onion, spices and herbs, wine, milk, beer or any of the combination thereof, sometimes with a filling, often encased in breadcrumbs. The croquette is usually shaped into a cylinder or disk, and then deep-fried. The croquette (from the French croquer, "to crunch") gained worldwide popularity, both as a delicacy and as a fast food."

"Croquettes are prepared in different ways in different countries. In the United States "Boardwalk" fish cakes and crab cakes, eaten on the east coast of the United States, are essentially croquettes. They consist, respectively, of chopped fish or crab meat, mixed in a buttery dough which is then breaded and deep-fried."

"A deviled crab (croqueta de jaiba) is a particular variety of a blue crab croquette from Tampa, Florida. The crab meat is seasoned with a unique Cuban-style enchilada or sofrito sauce (locally known as "chilau"), breaded with stale Cuban bread crumbs, formed into the approximate shape of a prolate spheroid, and fried. It is meant to be eaten with one hand. It originated in the immigrant community of Ybor City during a cigar workers strike in the 1920s and is still very popular in the area."

"Other types of crab and fish croquettes are made throughout the southern U.S., especially in coastal states such as Louisiana where seafood dishes are common staples. These varieties have different seasonings and shapes, with some served inside the scooped-out shell of the crab."

"A traditional New England/Northeastern United States preparation uses ham, usually of the maple-cured variety, along with pre-cooked mashed potato (often mixed with some mild seasonings and a bit of milk or butter for a smoother consistency) for the outer roll. These are dipped in crumbed breading, and sautéed or fried in a small skillet using butter. Typically, these are most common during the Thanksgiving-to-Christmas holiday season as one of several ways to use up leftover holiday ham."

Croquettes_with_salad_photo_by_deramaenrama_at_Flickr"Another croquette dish popular across much of the American South is salmon croquettes. Any canned fish - usually salmon or mackerel, although canned tuna is also used in some recipes (although the dish is often colloquially referred to as "salmon croquettes" or "salmon patties" regardless of the actual fish used) - is mashed by hand to break up any fish bones and give the fish meat a smoother consistency, then combined with a binder and various seasonings.
Seasonings typically include pepper, salt, chopped (sometimes sautéed) onions, garlic, lemon juice, and/or paprika."

"The binder can be any starch such as flour, cornmeal, matzo meal, ground crackers of any type, even white rice or oatmeal - although these latter variations are not as common, and are mostly limited to the northern U.S. Chopped eggs, parsley, and Parmesan cheese may also be added. The mixture is then shaped into rounded patties for pan- or deep-frying; corn or peanut oil are the most commonly used frying oils in the southern U.S., but canola, safflower, or olive oil are also used, and some recipes call specifically for pan-frying in butter or margarine."

From wikiHOW

How To Make Chicken Croquettes

4 tbsps butter
1/2 cup plain flour
1 cup milk
1 roast chicken breast chopped
1 clove garlic,finely chopped

1 egg,beaten
1 cup fresh white bread crumbs
vegetable oil,for deep-frying
salt and ground black pepper
fresh parsley,to garnish
lemon wedges to serve

For basic thick white sauce: Melt the butter in a small pan over a low heat.Add the flour and cook gently,stirring constantly,for 1 minute. Gradually add the milk whisking constantly to make a smooth,very thick sauce. To avoid white sauce turning lumpy make sure you cook the butter and flour properly before adding the milk. Mix the chicken with the sauce. Season with garlic,salt and pepper to taste. Leave it to cool completely. Shape the mixture to eight even-sized sausages,then dip each in egg and then in the breadcrumbs. Deep-fry in hot oil for 4 minutes until it becomes crisp and golden. Drain on kitchen paper and serve garnished with parsley and lemon wedges.


Text Credits: Wikipedia || wikiHOW

Image Credit: Wikipedia

Monday, April 2, 2012

Ham

"Ham: A cut of meat from the thigh of the hind leg of an animal, especially pigs. Nearly all hams sold today are fully cooked or cured."

Most children when asked about the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of things to eat at Easter time will most likely say jelly beans, chocolate bunnies, marshmallow chicks, or hard-boiled eggs. And as much as i enjoyed eating the jellybeans, biting the ears and/or head off chocolate bunnies, dying and eating hard-boiled eggs, [but not the marshmallow chicks---never was fond of those]---food-wise i had a different primary focus.

When i was a child, Easter dinner was the main attraction, with ham as the main course. Mother's prep after rinsing the ham would be to rub the ham with brown sugar. To my recollection prior to the rub, the meat was never soaked, only rinsed, because the salt that would have been eliminated from soaking, was a desired seasoning.

It was a different time, and the concern for salt reduction was not a priority. Besides which not soaking did make for a more flavorful dish. After the rub the ham was scored and dotted with cloves. Next came the pineapple rings alternating between the cloves and the scored sections. In the center of the pineapple rings maraschino cherries were placed.

Anyone who owned stock in maraschino cherries from the early '60s through to the mid '70s owes a tip of the hat to me & my sibs for an upswing in their late March/early April profit margin. Mother would always have to buy 2 jars---one for placement on the ham, the other for us kids who would eat them by the handful while we hung out in the kitchen as the ham was being dressed.

The recipe below is from wikiHOW, but i will always have fond memories of my family's Saturday afternoon before Easter Sunday tradition of preparing a salty sweet fall off the bone juicy ham.

Happy Easter.

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.via Cooking Stuff


From wikiHOW

How To Bake A Ham

1 country-cured or city ham, not presliced
water
seasonings to taste (ex. onions, apples, bay leaves, allspice, etc.)

a glaze, preferably sweet or tangy (optional)
cloves and/or pineapple rings (optional)
maraschino cherries (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F / 175 degrees C. Let it heat up while you prepare the ham. Score the fat. This will give the baked ham a nice “skin.” Consider glazing the ham. A sweet-and-salty or sweet-and-tangy combination is highly recommended. (Ex. honey and mustard; soy sauce, brown sugar, and sherry; honey mustard barbecue sauce; etc.)

Consider studding the ham. Inserting cloves into the skin or pinning pineapple rings to the outside with toothpicks can add another dimension of flavor.

Place the ham on a baking tray, wrap it in foil, and bake. You should allow around 10 minutes per lb or 20 per kilo. Baste regularly. Keeping the baste heated in a pan as you bake will keep the ham from cooling down too much.
As you baste, check the internal temperature; the desired temperature is around 170 degrees F / 75 degrees C. 30 minutes before the ham is done, remove the foil. This will allow the outside to develop a nice texture.


Text Credits: Wikipedia wikiHOW || Image Credits:Wikipedia

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.via Cooking Stuff