Tips & Advice

Canning 101

Fri, 17 May 2013 11:00:00 GMT

Canning is a fantastic way to preserve foods you love, from jams and jellies to all manner of pickles, so that you can enjoy them throughout the year. Many people hesitate to jump into canning, but it’s actually a very simple and safe process, especially if you consult this walk-through of how to can foods using a water bath.

Presterilize

It’s easiest to sterilize jars using your dishwasher. Alternatively, wash them in hot, soapy water and then simmer them in your canning pot, covered with water, for 10 minutes. The jars should still be warm when it’s time to fill them. To avoid damaging the lids, simmer them separately in a small pan of hot water over medium heat. You don’t have to sterilize the bands or tongs, but dipping the funnel and ladle in the pot of boiling water is quick and simple.

Heat Water, Make The Recipe, Fill The Jars

Because boiling the large amount of water necessary for processing takes time, fill your canning pot with water and start heating it well in advance. Your food and jars should both be warm when it’s time to can, so if your recipe takes more than 30 minutes, you can prepare it before sterilizing the jars; otherwise, prepare it after sterilizing the jars. Fill the still-warm jars with the prepared recipe, leaving headspace at the top as specified in the recipe (typically 1/4- or 1/2-inch). If pickling, make sure that the fruit or vegetable is fully covered by the pickling liquid. Stir the contents to release air bubbles, wipe the rim of each jar clean, and then put on the lids and screw on the bands fingertip-tight (don’t completely tighten them; otherwise, air in the jars can’t escape).

Process

Place the filled jars in the canning insert and lower the insert into the pot of boiling water (or lower the jars into the pot and onto the rack using a jar lifter), making sure that the jars are covered by at least 1 inch of water. Process the jars for the amount of time prescribed in the recipe, making sure that the water is at a rapid boil before you start the clock. Processing times vary based not only on the size of the jars you are using but also on altitude. As elevation increases, water boils at lower temperatures that are less effective for canning. We specify the times for various elevations in each recipe. After the processing time is up, turn off the heat and let the jars sit in the water for 5 minutes.

Cool

Remove the cans from the pot using the canning insert and jar lifter (or just use a jar lifter to remove the jars if you are using only a rack) and let the jars cool on a wire rack or a towel for 24 hours. During cooling, you should hear a popping noise, which is the sign that the jars are sealed airtight and the process is complete. You can check the seal by removing the bands; the lid should be taut and should adhere tightly to the rim of the jar. Store sealed jars in a cool, dark place; they will keep for at least 1 year.

pH and Canning

What's the pH necessary to inhibit bacteria when canning? Good question. Here's a short video answering that very question:

Big-Batch Summer Tomato Sauce

A little bit of work gives you a yearlong payoff.

By Elizabeth Carduff | July 31, 2012

Why This Recipe Works: My garlic- and basil-infused tomato sauce starts with fresh farmers’ market or homegrown tomatoes. I prefer to peel the tomatoes—I find the peel’s presence distracting in the final product. A simple blanch and shock makes them easy to peel, and pureeing them in the food processor before adding them to the pot breaks them down quickly and avoids any splattering. Oil can cause botulism in canned goods, so I forgo sautéing and go straight to simmering the tomatoes with garlic, tomato paste, basil, and salt. Once the sauce has reduced for a couple of hours, I divvy it into jars, sanitize them, and store them.

Ingredients:

30 pounds tomatoes
12 garlic cloves, peeled
1 cup tomato paste
1 cup chopped fresh basil
Salt and pepper
½ cup red wine vinegar
Sugar

Directions

Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot over high heat. Fill large bowl halfway with ice and cold water. Remove core from tomatoes and score small X in base. In batches, lower tomatoes into boiling water and cook just until skins loosen, 15 to 45 seconds. Using slotted spoon, transfer tomatoes to ice bath and let cool, about 2 minutes. Remove tomatoes from ice bath and remove loosened skins.
Process garlic in food processor until minced, about 10 seconds. Transfer to small bowl. Process peeled tomatoes in batches in now-empty food processor until almost smooth, 15 to 20 seconds. Transfer to second large bowl.
Combine 3-1/2 quarts tomato puree, one-quarter of minced garlic, 1/4-cup tomato paste, 1/4-cup basil, and 1-1/2 teaspoons salt in each of 4 Dutch ovens or large pots and bring to simmer over medium heat. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce in each pot has thickened and reduced to 2 quarts, 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Stir 2 tablespoons vinegar and 1 teaspoon sugar into each pot, seasoning with additional sugar to taste. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
To Process for Long-Term Storage: Transfer hot tomato sauce to 8 hot, sterilized quart jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace at top, and process. Processing times depend on your altitude: 40 minutes for up to 1,000 feet, 45 minutes for 1,001 to 3,000 feet, 50 minutes for 3,001 to 6,000 feet, and 55 minutes for above 6,000 feet. Store in cool, dark place for up to 1 year. Opened jars of tomato sauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 week. Makes 8 quarts

For more Canning Recipes, visit CHEFS Catalog

Giveaway Alert!! We love the Cook's Country From Our Grandmother's Kitchen cookbook so much that our friends at Cook's Country graciously gave us 5 copies to giveaway to you! We will randomly select 5 people responding to today's Your Turn question to receive a copy of this fabulous cookbook!

Your turn: Experienced canners--What tips do you have for beginners? Beginners--What canning questions do you have about getting started?

Caring for Your Nonstick Cookware

Wed, 01 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Nonstick cookware is a lifesaver - it keeps me from scrubbing my pots and pans for hours on end after dinner by making the cooking and cleaning processes super easy. But, much like anything else in life, your nonstick pots and pans must be cared for properly to keep the nonstick surface the same as when you first cooked with it.

There are a few dos and don'ts when it comes to these types of surfaces. You don't want to be using your cookware and come to find out that you have been caring for it in the wrong way. Sure, taking care of your cooking equipment seems fairly black and white, but in reality, there are a few things you need to know when it comes to taking care of your beloved nonstick pots and pans.

Read the directions

There are directions for cleaning and using a pan? Yes, and they are steps that shouldn't be ignored. Some nonstick pans must be rinsed, dried and rubbed with an oiled paper towel before use. Despite the fact that the pot or pan is nonstick, it often still needs some type of lubricant.

Additionally, some surfaces can use metal utensils while others recommend against it. Check out those instructions before your first cook with your new nonstick cookware. You will be glad you did, and your pan will benefit from your careful attention.

Use cooking sprays sparingly

It may seem easier to just spritz a bit of cooking spray on your nonstick pan before use, but this may actually end up making your pots and pans sticky. In the areas where the heat doesn't burn the spray off - like the sides of a frying pan - it often leaves a residue. Over time, the left over spray that doesn't come off in the wash, will build up. Over time the build up will discolor and negate the nonstick surface.

However, if you have buildup on your cookware, all is not lost and you don't have to just throw out the pan. You can save the pan and make the nonstick surface almost as good as new.

Take the pan and sprinkle it with a nonabrasive cleaner. Here at the office, and in my kitchen at home, I use Bar Keeper's Friend for this job. It will not damage the nonstick surface but it will remove that nonstick spray buildup.
Use a little warm water to create a paste with the cleanser, a nonabrasive scrubby (I use the blue Scotch Brite kind), and a little elbow grease. Scrub the surface and the buildup will begin to break down and come off the pan.
Once the pan is clean, rub a small amount of cooking oil across the surface. Don't just tilt the pan and let the oil run across the surface, use a paper towel or your fingers to rub it across the surface. Wipe any excess oil out of the pan and your pan is ready to cook with again.

Avoid high heat

You may want to cook your food faster by setting it on high heat, but this may not be so hot for your nonstick cookware. When the temperatures are too high, the nonstick coating may begin to crack, making the quality of your dish suffer. Higher heat will not help the food cook any faster or give you a better sear in the pan. It will simply leave food overcooked on the outside but undercooked internally. Cooking at high heat with cooking spray will also help create the dreaded build-up. Instead, use a lower heat to make the food come out much more evenly.

Most nonstick cookware is made for cooking over low to medium heat. With that being said, you should also avoid subjecting your pots and pans to extreme temperatures. If it's just coming off of a sizzling stove, you don't want to subject the cookware to cold water, which will cause the pan to warp. A warped pan keeps the heat from distributing correctly. Instead, let it cool for a few minutes before submerging in water.

Use care with metal utensils

Check your cookware's instruction manual when it comes to the best utensils to use with it. In many cases, the manufacturer recommends swapping out metal utensils for wood, rubber, silicone, nylon or plastic cooking tools. Metal utensils may easily scratch and ruin some types of nonstick surfaces that help make all of your dishes turn out so deliciously. Avoid cutting food inside the pan. Transfer the food onto a cutting board instead of slicing it up directly in the pan—this way, you'll avoid cutting into the nonstick surface right along with your food.

One thing to note about metal utensils: there are some nonstick surfaces—ceramic, titanium-ceramic, hard anodized, to name a few, that using metal utensils will not damage the surface. When in doubt, consult the manual.

Store your pans properly

If you have all of your pans stacked up in a cabinet, you may want to think about keeping your nonstick cookware elsewhere. You don't want that precious coating to be scratched by other heavy pans. If you have the means to hang them, this is the best way to go to protect them. Make sure there is plenty of space between the pans when hanging them to avoid further nicks and scratches. Alternatively, many types of pan protectors and spacers are available to protect the surface of your pans.

The Dos And Don'ts Of Cleaning Your Nonstick Cookware

Do use softer detergents to clean.
Don't clean your cookware with steel wool. Instead, use a soft sponge or scouring pads that say "nonstick pan safe" on them.
Do clean and dry your nonstick pans after use to prevent rust from forming and remove any grease leftover from the cooking process.
Don't put your nonstick cookware in the dishwasher - hand wash it instead.

Want to know more about nonstick cookware, visit our other nonstick cookware CHEFS Mix posts:

Your Turn: Do you have any helpful hints for caring for your nonstick cookware? What types of recipes do you use your nonstick cookware vs. other types of cookware? Share your thoughts with us!

Nonstick Cookware Making Cleanup Easier

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 01:00:00 GMT

The last thing you want to do after cooking an extravagant meal is stand over the sink scrubbing off all the food that stuck to the pans. Those leftover remnants of lasagna can be a lot tougher than they look.

Thankfully, there’s a way to make cleanup a breeze and, no, you don’t have to douse the pan with cooking spray: Nonstick cookware. These dishes let you fry, sauté, and bake your food with less mess and fat. So you’ll spend less time scrubbing and more time enjoying the activities you’d much rather be doing.

Accidental Beginning

Ever wonder how this magical nonstick surface allows any meal to just slide right off the pan and onto the plate? Well, actually, it was an accident. Back in 1938, Ohio-born scientist Roy Plunkett was searching for a less toxic chemical to use as a new refrigerant and created a mixture meant to produce tetrafluoroethylene gas. He left it to sit overnight.

The next day, Plunkett found a white, waxy substance in place of the gas. This substance was polytetrafluoroethylene, also known as PTFE. A French engineer, Marc Gregoire, later found a way to bond the PTFE to aluminum, creating the first piece of nonstick cookware. Isn’t science wonderful?

Not Your Mother's Nonstick Cookware

In the recent years, there have been concerns about the chemical make-up of nonstick cookware, specifically the presence of PFOA and PTFE. Manufacturers have responded by creating nonstick coatings and cookware that adhere to a more stringent set of guidelines. And the cookware is a far cry from the early nonstick cookware that our mothers used.

Ceramic

The coating used in ceramic nonstick cookware use a mineral-based coating. The inorganic nature of this type of nonstick coating make it outstandingly durable, environmentally-friendly, and safe for contact with food at higher temperatures. The traditional nonstick coatings were organic in nature and weren't as durable, which led to them to crack, peel and become unstable under high temperature.

Ceramic Cookware Brands: Tramontina, Zwilling J.A. Henckels, Cuisinart, Mauviel, Scanpan

Hard Anodized

Hard-anodized cookware is made from electrochemically-hardened aluminum, and are best known for durability and long lifespan. Cookware made from hard-anodized aluminum resist to scratching, warping, and corrosion. Additionally, they are known for having even heat distribution, which make them highly reliable. The manufacturing process leaves the cookware non-porous, which makes it technically only stick resistant but most find the nonstick properties to be acceptable. Some manufacturers add an additional coating to make it completely nonstick.

Hard-Anodized Cookware Brands: Cuisinart, Le Creuset

Getting the Most from Your Nonstick Cookware

I love my nonstick cookware, but there are a few things you can do to get the very best performance out of your cookware:

Read the directions: Some nonstick manufacturers recommend a light oiling before the first use of nonstick cookware. Before you put the pan on the stove, make sure you have followed the manufacturer's recommendations to help ensure that your cookware performs at its best.
Avoid high heat: High heat applied over a long period of time may cause the nonstick coating to crack. Stick with a lower heat to preserve the life of your pan. Plus, high heat doesn't mean the food will cook faster or better. But it will typically mean the food is partly burnt and partly raw.
Avoid using pans with chipped or peeling coatings: This seems like a no-brainer, but I remember some highly questionable pans from my childhood. If you coating begins to peel or is chipped, it is time to replace that pan.
Use nonstick spray sparingly: Most nonstick cookware does not require additional spray to be nonstick. Plus over time the sprays will build up and create a pasty, stick residue that will negate the nonstick properties of the pan. There is good news, however! Your pan can be cleaned to return the nonstick finish, most of the time. A nonabrasive cleaning powder, like Bar Keeper's Friend. I have personally seen it return some pretty gross pans to near-perfect condition.

Shopping for Nonstick Cookware

If you want the best possible nonstick cookware for whipping up meals, here are some things to keep in mind as you shop:

Heat conductivity: Nonstick cookware often has an aluminum base for the best heat conductivity. If you have an electric stove, a pan with a flat aluminum bottom will heat more evenly. If you use a gas stove, however, you may want to look for stainless steel pans with aluminum cores.

Oven-safe handles: Some recipes call for dishes to start on the stove and finish in the oven. Therefore, you should look for a handle that’s oven safe.

Durability: If you know you’re going to be tough on your cookware, look for a nonstick pan that will stand the test of time. Search for a brand that places heavy emphasis on durability.

Consider a set: If you know you’ll be using all the pieces on a regular basis, a set is a great investment. If you don’t, buy individual pieces. Otherwise, you’ll just have pans taking up unnecessary space in your cabinets.

Want to know more about nonstick cookware, visit our other nonstick cookware CHEFS Mix posts:

Your Turn: Your turn: Which nonstick cookware do you find you get the most use out of? Share your thoughts with us!

A Guide to Cooking and Enjoying Fava Beans

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:00:00 GMT

You've heard of the black bean, the pinto bean, the kidney bean and the lima bean - but what about the fava bean? This type of legume is a little less well-known than its counterparts. Fava beans, also known as broad beans, are a staple in Asia, the Middle East, South America, North Africa and Europe. Luckily, the United States is beginning to discover their buttery texture and nutty taste just in time for spring.

What Is A Fava Bean?

The fava bean is actually part of the pea family and is one of the oldest plants still being cultivated. These beans were eaten in Ancient Greece and Rome, and were the only variety that the Europeans ate before they discovered America and all its legumes. Fava beans can be served boiled, mashed, spread on crostinis or added to spring stews and soups. Regardless of how you choose to prepare them, they are filled with lots of nutrients. They're high in fiber and iron and low in sodium and fat. Fava beans are also packed with protein and have no cholesterol.

In What Dishes Are They Traditionally Used?

Fava beans can be used in a variety of dishes and eaten either raw, lightly blanched, shelled, unshelled or sometimes even in the pod! In Egypt and several Arab countries, these beans are traditionally pureed or mashed and served with parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, onions and cumin in a breakfast dish known as ful medames. In other countries like Peru, Colombia and Mexico, however, they are prepared a bit differently. The beans are either fried or dried then slated to create a crunchy and delicious snack.

How To Peel And Eat Them

While these beans are both delicious and nutritious, the process of getting them ready for consumption is actually pretty labor-intensive, as they have to be peeled twice. The beans must first be removed from their waxy coatings, but before you begin the process and are searching for the beans at the store, you want to look for green pods. The ones that appear to be bulging out of their shells are older and might have a more bitter taste than the fresher beans. Here's how to peel and enjoy your fava beans:

Run a finger up the seam of the pod, splitting it open and removing the beans. You should find about four to five beans per pod.

Next, you'll need to peel off the thick white skin around it. While the skin can be left on, it's more common to peel it off . To do so, make a small slit with a knife along the edge of the bean to pop it out of its skin. Another method, which is slightly more popular, is to place the beans in boiling salted water to blanch for 30 seconds. Remove the beans from the boiling water and proceed by putting them in ice cold water to halt the cooking process. This is what softens the skin and makes it much easier to remove.

Finally, finish the process by squeezing the bean out of its skin with your fingers. Now you're ready to cook!

A Fava Bean Favorite

Try out this tasty, fresh salad recipe just in time for spring:

Quinoa Fava Bean Spring Salad

1 cup quinoa
1 pound fava beans
1 pound peas in the pod
1 bunch asparagus cut into 1-inch pieces
4 green onions, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons lemon juice
½ cup chopped spring herbs of your choice
salt
freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add quinoa and reduce heat to maintain a steady simmer. Cook about 12 minutes. Turn off the heat and let simmer for about 15 minutes.
2. Shell fava beans and peas, set aside.
3. Combine oil and lemon juice in large bowl. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste.
4. Add cooled quinoa to the dressing and toss to combine. Throw in vegetables and stir, contribute remaining ingredients and toss to combine.

Your Turn: What's your favorite way to enjoy the Fava Bean?

Choosing the Right Pasta Shape for Your Delicious Dish

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 02:00:00 GMT

When we were little, it was all about the fun shape of the pasta. Favorites might have included the pinwheels or various cartoon shapes derived from the macaroni and cheese box. While pasta shapes are still just as fun to pick out as adults, there should be a method to the madness. Certain shapes pair better with some dishes than others, and when you've chosen the right shape, your dish often looks better. As a general rule of thumb, thin and delicate pastas like angel hair or spaghetti should be paired with light sauces. On the other hand, thicker pastas like fettuccini work best with heavier and creamier sauces. However, there are more than 40 different pasta shapes available, so it can be difficult to pair a shape with the right sauce. Here's a general outline of some of the most popular shapes and forms which pasta can take:

The ABC's Of Pasta Shapes

Strand Pasta
The following strand pastas pair best with lighter sauces or oil-and-garlic combinations:

Spaghetti: Common round-rod pasta
Capellini dangelo: Thinnest round-rod pasta, also known as angel hair
Spaghettini: Thin spaghetti
Capellini: Thicker than angel hair, but thinner than vermicelli
Vermicelli: Thicker than capellini

If you're searching for a new recipe to try out, look no further than Spaghetti with Pancetta, Peas and Mint. It's filled with fresh ingredients and is super easy to whip up in no time!

Tubular Pasta
The following tubular varieties pair best with chunkier sauces, like tomato or Bolognese, that can get into the crevices of the pasta:

Cannelloni: Large tubes that are stuffed
Cavatappi: Corkscrew-shaped macaroni
Chifferi: Short and wide macaroni
Fagiolini: Short and narrow tubes
Manicotti: Large ridged tubes that are stuffed
Penne: Medium-length tubes with ridges and cut diagonally at both ends
Mezze Penne: A shorter version of penne pasta
Mostaccioli: Similar to penne but doesn't have ridges
Rigatoni: Large and slightly curved tubes
Ziti: Long and narrow tubes

If you enjoy a little kick in your pasta dish, check out this Rigatoni with Spicy Tomato Sauce recipe.

Uniquely Shaped Pasta
The following shapes, similar to the tubular pastas, also work well with chunkier sauces:

Capunti: Short, convex ovals similar to open and empty pea pods
Farfalle: Bow tie or butterfly shaped
Fiorentine: Grooved cut tubes
Gnocchi: Round dumplings often made with flour and potato
Orecchiette: Bowl or ear-shaped
Rotelle: Pinwheel or wagon wheel-shaped
Rotini: Two-edged spiral, tightly wound - like a spring
Trofie: Thin, twisted pasta

Broccoli Rabe with Orecchiette is a perfect recipe to try out if you're looking to incorporate fun-shaped pasta into your meal.

Ribbon Pasta
The following ribbon-like pasta pair best with thicker, heartier sauces:

Fettuccine: A ribbon of pasta approximately 6.5 millimeters wide
Lasagne: Very wide noodles with fluted edges
Linguine: Flattened spaghetti
Pappardelle: Thick, flat ribbons
Sagnarelli: Rectangular ribbons with fluted edges
Tagliatelle: Ribbons slightly thinner than fettuccine

If you're looking for a delicious recipe to try out with these ribbon pasta shapes, we wholeheartedly recommend this Summer Vegetable Lasagna recipe - perfect for a fresh dinner to enjoy with family and friends!

Micro Pasta
The following micro pastas work well in pasta salads or soups:

Anelli: Small rings of pasta
Conchigliette: Small, shell-shaped noodles
Corallini: Small and short tubes
Farfalline: Small bow tie shapes
Orzo: Similar to rice
Stortini: Smaller version of elbow macaroni
Trachana: Granular, irregular-shaped pasta of Greek origin

Try this Pasta with Bacon, Fennel and Parmesan Cheese recipe that uses orzo and is packed with flavor.

Stuffed Pasta
A thicker, creamier sauce works best for these varieties of pasta:

Cannelloni: Oven-cooked stuffed rolls
Mezzelune: Semi-circular pockets
Pierogi: Dumplings stuffed with meat, vegetables, cheese or fruit
Ravioli: Square pasta pockets often stuffed with ground meat, cheese or vegetables
Tortellini: Ring-shaped and stuffed with mixtures of meat and/or cheese
Tortelloni: A larger version of Tortellini

Whip up a mouth-watering creation with Tom's Tortellini with Garlic & Basil recipe. It's a healthy meal you can make quickly.

Keep In Mind...
Whichever shape you choose for your dish, it's vital to make sure the pasta comes out looking and tasting perfect! Here are a few pointers to keep in mind when cooking up a storm:

Follow directions. This may seem like an obvious hint, but it's crucial to not over or under cook your pasta. Follow the time directions on the packaging right down to the minute and strain the pasta immediately after that timer goes off.

Skip the rinsing. It might make sense to rinse the pasta when it's done cooking, but this washes away much of the nutrients and taste.

Mix the sauce with the pasta before serving. While some choose to pour the sauce directly onto the pasta on the plate, the dish won't come out tasting the same. Instead, mix the sauce in with the pasta in the pan or pot first. This way, the hot pasta really absorbs the flavors of the sauce.

Looking for some delicious pasta recipes? Visit CHEFScatalog.com recipe section for Pasta Recipes.

For these and more pasta tools, visit CHEFScatalog.com

For more on Pasta, visit our other posts:

Your Turn: What's your go-to Pasta shape?

Pasta Making Tips, Tricks And Ideas

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

If you're really craving pasta, watching "Eat, Pray, Love" just isn't going to cut it. Neither will dinner at Olive Garden. Making pasta from scratch might sound intimidating, but take it from a novice chef: It isn't as difficult as it sounds.

Homemade pasta is considered superior to store-bought pasta for a number of reasons. First and foremost, it is more authentic. In countries with direct ties to pasta culture, homemade noodles are the norm. Second, the taste of homemade pasta is simply better. Pasta made from scratch is fresh, substantive and bursting with flavor.

Cultural Ties

Although many foodies associate pasta with Italian cuisine (and we sure do love spaghetti), these much-loved carbs are also prevalent in other ethnic diets across the globe.

Asian countries are well-known for their love affair with noodles. Pasta consumption is prevalent in many Asian countries, including China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia. While there are many different types of Asian noodles, most are made from rice, buckwheat, wheat, egg or mung bean.

In addition to Italy, many other Mediterranean countries center their diets around pasta. In countries like Libya, Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria, couscous - a semolina pasta - is the carb of choice.

Our Favorite Pasta Types

Pasta is an exceptionally diverse food. In addition to coming in many shapes and sizes, it can be made from a variety of ingredients. Looking for a light, healthy noodle? Try whole wheat pasta. What if you're in the mood for a heavier, protein-packed dish? You'll probably want to go with egg noodles. Not sure? Go for something in between.

Egg Pasta

Egg pasta is a no-brainer in authentic Italian cuisine. These rich and delicious noodles will be sure to please your palate, and the recipe is very simple: The only ingredients required are all-purpose flour and eggs. You'll want to make sure to knead your dough for at least five to 10 minutes after the eggs and flour are thoroughly combined.

Water Pasta

Water pasta is simple to make and significantly lighter than pastas made from fresh eggs. This option also pairs well with almost any sauce, but its thin texture is exceptionally conducive to sweet tomato sauces.

When cooking water pasta, you'll want to keep a few tips and tricks in mind. All-purpose flour and water will be the only ingredients in your noodles, so make sure you have a kitchen scale on hand to weigh out the proper amount of flour. You don't want to mess up the consistency of this simple dough! As is the case with most types of pasta, walnut-sized lumps should form in your pasta maker after a few minutes of kneading. This will signify that your water pasta is the proper ratio of flour to water.

Spinach Pasta

Looking for a sneaky way to get greens into your kids' (or your own) diets? Spinach pasta combines the hearty, rich consistency of carbs with the nutritional density of leafy spinach. To make this pasta, you'll want to place both spinach and flour into your pasta maker. Allow the machine to run, and add eggs one at a time. This will ensure that the dough is properly combined.

Again, look for walnut-sized lumps after about 10 minutes of kneading. When those lumps are visible, you'll know that your dough has reached the desired consistency.

Semolina Pasta

Semolina flour is famously the base of couscous, but it can be used to make other pasta shapes as well. We recommend using at least 25 percent all-purpose flour, and adding semolina to comprise the remaining 75 percent of the starch in your recipe. Semolina dough will be a bit more difficult to work with than other pasta doughs, mainly because it expands more than its more mainstream counterparts. Note that the first 20 inches or so of your dough will seem a bit ragged: This is the result of the semolina's rapid initial expansion. After that first 20 inches, your dough should be fully expanded and smooth.

Whole-Wheat Pasta

On a health kick? Whole-wheat pasta is high in fiber, protein and carbohydrates, making it an energy-packed powerhouse of a pasta. To prepare these noodles, you'll just have to swap out all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour. Feel free to follow any of the aforementioned recipes, but watch your dough's consistency carefully, as whole-wheat flour tends to be more dense than all-purpose flour.

Other Tips And Tricks

You can feel free to get creative with your pasta making, but note that the most important part of the process is ensuring that your dough has the perfect ratio of flour to liquid. Whether you're using water or eggs for your pasta, you'll need a bit of patience: Working with flour isn't an exact science, and the best chefs know to use their eyes, tongues and fingertips to test dough.

You'll want to run all-purpose flour through your pasta maker on first use. After you've used your machine, feel free to experiment with all your favorite flours.

Oh, and it isn't possible to over-knead dough. Feel free to step out of the kitchen while your pasta maker is churning that delicious mixture.

Looking for some delicious pasta recipes? Visit CHEFScatalog.com recipe section for Pasta Recipes.

For more on Pasta, visit our other posts:

Your Turn: Are you an experienced (or just an aspiring) pasta maker? Do you have any special hints to share?

Frost Your Layered Cakes Like A Pro with These Insider Tips

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 22:00:00 GMT

Looking through magazines, it can be easy to feel envious of the perfectly frosted cakes that line the pages. Every peaked curl of the frosting and smooth edge creates a sweet confection that looks just about as good as it tastes. If you have a big event coming up like a graduation, birthday or wedding, you'll want to top off your party with the perfect layer cake—and one that you're proud to show off to your guests. Here's how to get a flawlessly frosted cake with just a few simple steps:

Let your creation cool

Once you pull that sweet treat out of the oven (you can tell if it's done by sticking a toothpick in the middle and having it come out clean), it's important to give it time to cool. If you start frosting it too soon, the frosting could start melting off, leaving a mess. Cool off the cakes by setting each layer on a wire cooling rack away from drafts.

Create a flat surface

If you're piling layers of cake on top of one another, you'll want to shave off the top of the domes with a large serrated knife to create smooth, flat surfaces. A cake knife with a serrated edge prevents the cake from tearing - gently slice back and forth using a sawing motion for the best results. If left with uneven layers, your cake may end up looking like the end of a game of Jenga instead. This puffed top can be prevented by gently tapping on the batter before it goes in the oven to let all of the air bubbles escape.

Set your confection on a cake platter

Set your cake on a stand before starting the icing process. You'll want a flat and sturdy surface to help it turn out excellently.

Try this Cake Stand with Nonslip Pad to decorate your confection like a pro. The cast-iron base and sturdy aluminum turntable top allows you to revolve the cake as you ice it, giving you easy access to all sides for precise and seamless icing.

Help your cake stick

You don't want your cake moving around on the cake platter. Keep it in one place by lining the dish with strips of parchment paper. To secure it even further, apply a small dab of frosting in the middle of the stand to act as glue for the bottom layer of the cake.

Say goodbye to crumbs

Before you begin icing, take a minute to brush away any crumbs that may be sitting on top of your cake. Foregoing this step can make applying frosting a bit more difficult and messy.

Frost away

Now here comes the best part - decorating! Start off the process by adding about 1 to 1-1/2 cups of frosting to the first layer using either a butter knife or an offset spatula. It's okay to be generous with the amount of frosting you use - you can always scrape the excess off, but with too little frosting, you risk pulling the cake apart. When spreading your frosting, keep these tips in mind:

Start in the center of the cake and work your way out
Spread the frosting up to the edge of the cake, not over
If the frosting is too thick to spread, place the bowl into another bowl of warm water and stir to soften the consistency
If the frosting is too thin, thicken it up by adding a little powdered sugar until it's at the perfect spreading texture
Always wipe the spatula clean every time you lift it from the cake for a clean-looking finish
Run the spatula around the cake to smooth the frosting on the edges
Create texture on the top of the cake by using the back of a spoon, which makes swirls and ridges for a professional-looking confection

Frosting Recipes

Classic Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Frosts & fills 1, 8-inch 2-layer cake or 9x13-inch cake

1-1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 pounds (7-1/2 cups) powdered sugar, sifted

1/4 teaspoon table salt

2 tablespoon vanilla extract

Up to 3/4 cup milk or heavy cream

Directions

In a mixing bowl using a hand or stand mixer with paddle attachment, add butter and beat until light and fluffy. With mixer on low, gradually add powdered sugar until thoroughly combined. Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla, salt, and cream. Add remaining sugar or cream to reach desired consistency: sugar for a stiffer consistency, cream for a softer consistency.

Beat butter for a few minutes with a mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed. Add 3-cups of powdered sugar and turn your mixer on the lowest speed (so the sugar doesn’t blow everywhere) until the sugar has been incorporated with the butter. Increase mixer speed to medium, add vanilla extract, salt, and 2-tablespoons of milk/cream, and beat for 3 minutes. If your frosting needs a more stiff consistency, add remaining sugar. If your frosting needs to be thinned out, add remaining milk 1-tablespoons at a time.

Variations

Chocolate: Sift 3/4-cup unsweetened cocoa powder with the powdered sugar. Continue as above
Orange: Once sugar and butter are incorporated, add 2-teaspoons orange extract and 2-teaspoons orange zest. Substitute orange juice for milk. Continue as above. (For lemon variation, use the lemon extract, zest and juice)
Mint: Add 2-teaspoons of mint extract, and continue as above. For extra panache, melt 4 ounces of unsweetened chocolate with 4-tablespoons of butter, stirring until smooth. After frosting, drizzle with chocolate mixture for a mint chocolate experience.
Peanut Butter: Substitute an equal amount of smooth peanut butter for unsalted butter. Continue as above.
Caramel: In a small, heavy-bottom saucepan, combine 1/3-cup butter and 1/3-cup brown sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once the mixture comes to a boil, add 1/3-cup butter and stir until melted and smooth. Let mixture return to a boil, and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and let completely cool. Make frosting as above, and stir in caramel mixture and stir to combine. (Alternatively, use 3/4-cup of caramel ice cream topping and stir into frosting)
Pineapple: Add 1/2-cup of drained, crushed pineapple. Replace milk with pineapple juice.
Fruit, using puree: Beat butter as above, and add 1/2-cup of fruit puree. Continue as above. If using fruit with seeds, you may want to strain the puree before adding to the frosting.
Fruit, using jam: Beat butter as above, and add in 1/2-cup seedless jam. Continue as above. To enhance the color, add a few drops of food coloring.

7-minute Icing

Frosts 1, 8-inch 2-layer cake.

1-1/2 cups sugar

1/4 teaspoon cream of tarter

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup water

2 egg whites

1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Pour a about 1/2-inch of water into the bottom of sauce pan or double boiler and bring to a boil over medium heat. Make sure that when the top portion of the double boiler is added that the water will not touch the bottom of the bowl.

In a large heatproof bowl, off the heat, combine sugar, cream of tartar, salt, water, and egg whites. Using a hand mixer beat at medium speed for 1 minute. Place over the saucepan of boiling water. Using the hand mixer beat on high speed for 7 minutes. Remove from heat, and fold in vanilla.

Whipped Cream Frosting

Frosts 1, 8-inch 2-layer cake

1 cup cold heavy whipping cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 to 4 tablespoons powdered sugar

Directions

Place metal mixing bowl and wire whisk or whisk attachment in freezer for 30 minutes before making whipped cream.

Combine heavy cream, vanilla and powdered sugar into cold bowl. Using wire whisk or mixer, beat cream to stiff peaks. Frost and serve cake immediately. If not using immediately, cover and store in refrigerator separate from cake. After using as frosting, it is best to keep left over cake or pastry refrigerated.

Variations

Berry or Apricot: Beat cream to soft peaks. Add 1/3-cup chilled fruit puree or seedless jam and continue to whip to stiff peaks.

Lemon: Beat cream to soft peaks. Add in 1/2-cup chilled lemon curd and continue to whip to stiff peaks

Chocolate: After pulling bowl out of the freezer, add vanilla, 3-tablespoons powdered sugar, 1/4-cup powdered sugar, and 2- to 3-tablespoons of cream. Stir to create a thick paste. Add remaining cream and stir to combine. Whip to stiff peaks.

Stabilizing Whipped Cream

Whipped cream alone doesn't last very long. After a short time whipped cream will fall and may become watery—not yummy, especially on a cake. The easiest way to prevent that from happening is to stabilize the cream. There are several methods: from gelatin, which may be an issue for vegetarians and those who keep kosher, to marshmallows. Try one of these methods to stabilize your whipped cream to make it suitable for frosting:

Add 2-teaspoons of nonfat dry milk powder for every cup of heavy cream before whipping.
Sift 1-teaspoon cornstarch into powdered sugar for every cup of heavy cream used.
Sprinkle 1-teaspoon of unflavored powdered gelatin into 2-tablespoons of cold water and stir to combine. Let mixture set for 5 minutes. Heat in microwave 10 to 15 seconds until gelatin is completely dissolved. Let cool to room temperature. Whip cream to soft peaks and pour gelatin mixture into whipped cream in a thin stream, whipping continuously. Continue to whip to desired peaks.
Whip heavy cream to desired peaks. Sprinkle 1-teaspoon of agar agar (vegetable gelatin) for every cup of cream used, while continuing to whip. Continue to whip to desired peaks.
Whip heavy cream to soft peaks. Melt 1 regular marshmallow for every cup of cream used (about 5 seconds in the microwave). Add melted marshmallow to cream and continue to whip to stiff peaks.
Add 2-tablespoons of instant dry pudding (in whatever flavor desired—flavor will be muted, but still present) to heavy cream before whipping.
Add 1/2-cup mascarpone cheese to heavy cream before whipping. Whip to desired peaks.

Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

Frosts 1, 8-inch 2-layer cake

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 cup white sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, cold

Directions

Place mixing bowl and whisk attachment in freezer for 30 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, salt and vanilla until smooth. Add heavy cream and whip to stiff peaks.

Keep chilled.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Frosts 1, 8-inch 2-layer cake

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 pound (3-3/4 cups) powdered sugar

Directions

Sift powdered sugar, breaking up and clumps. In a mixing bowl, using a hand or stand mixer, cream together cream cheese and butter, until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and stir to combine. Gradually add powdered sugar, mixing continuously on low speed until thoroughly combined.

More about cakes:

Your Turn: What are some of your best frosting secrets when it comes to layer cakes? Share your thoughts with us!

Finding The Right Cake Pan For Your Recipe

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

You may be baking a cake for your friend's upcoming birthday party and everything is going great. You have all of the ingredients set out, you've whipped the batter together, now all you need to do is pour it into the baking pan and pop it in the oven! But that's when you realize that the recipe calls for a round cake pan when you only have a square one. What now? Worry no more: It's usually possible to use another cake pan equivalent with comparable volume and depth, depending on the particular recipe you're following.

Cooking with Different Baking Pans

When choosing a different cake pa than what your recipe calls for, have a few things in mind:

The cooking time will likely need to be altered, so keep a watchful eye
Deeper pans may need more time in the oven
Shallow pans may need less baking time
Filling a pan to the halfway mark will ensure that the cake rises evenly
Comparing measurement to volume can help you determine how much batter you'll need
It's better to have more batter than not enough - remaining batter can be used to bake other sweet treats, like cupcakes!

Recipes commonly call for baking pans like pie plates, cake pans muffin tins, or loaf pans. But if you need to make some substitutions, check out our chart below for the correct pan equivalents to use:

For an 8-inch round cake pan...

1, 8x4-inch loaf pan
1, 9-inch round cake pan
1, 9-inch pie plate

For a 9-inch round cake pan...

1, 8-inch round cake pan
1, 8x4-inch loaf pan
1, 11x7-inch baking dish

For a 10-inch round cake pan....

2, 8-inch round cake pans
1, 9-inch tube pan
1, 10-inch springform pan

For a 9-inch tube pan...

2, 9-inch round cake pans
2, 8-inch round cake pans
1, 10-inch Bundt pan

For a 10 -inch tube pan...

3, 9-inch round cake pans
2, 10-inch pie plates
2, 9-inch deep-dish pie plates
4, 8-inch pie plates
2, 9x5-inch loaf pans
2, 8-inch square baking dishes
2, 9-inch square baking dishes

For a 10-inch Bundt pan...

1, 9x13-inch baking dish
2, 9-inch round cake pans
2, 8-inch round cake pans
1, 9-inch tube pan
2, 11x17-inch baking dishes
1, 10-inch springform pan

For an 11x7x2-inch baking dish...

1, 8-inch square baking dish
1, 9-inch square baking dish
1, 9-inch round cake pan

For a 9x13x2-inch baking dish...

1, 10-inch Bundt cake pan
2, 9-inch round cake pans
3, 8-inch round cake pans
1, 10x15-inch jellyroll pan

For a 10x15x1-inch jellyroll pan...

1, 10-inch Bundt pan
2, 9-inch round cake pans
2, 8-inch round cake pans
1, 9x13-inch baking dish

For a 9x5-inch loaf pan...

1, 9x2-inch deep-dish pie plate
1, 10-inch pie plate
1, 8-inch square baking dish
1, 9-inch square baking dish

For an 8x4-inch loaf pan...

1, 8-inch round cake pan
1, 11x7-inch baking dish

For a 9-inch springform pan...

1, 10-inch round cake pan
1, 10-inch springform pan
2, 8-inch round cake pans
2, 9-inch round cake pans

For a 10-inch springform pan...

2, 8x4-inch loaf pans
1, 9-inch tube pan
2, 9-inch round cake pans
1, 10-inch Bundt pan
2, 11x7-inch baking dishes
2, 8-inch round cake pans

For an 8-inch square baking dish...

1, 9x2-inch deep-dish pie plate
1, 9x5-inch loaf pan
2, 8-inch pie plates

For a 9-inch square baking dish...

1, 11x7-inch baking dish
1, 9x2-inch deep-dish pie plate
1, 9x5-inch loaf pan
2, 8-inch pie plates

Top Cake Pans

Now that you know which pan to use for your recipe, make sure you have a pan that's going to help your sweet treat turn out like it does in the magazines.

If you're making a cheesecake, springform pans are often the best to use. Cuisinart Chef's Classic Springform Cake Pan is equipped with a superior nonstick coating and easy release buckle to reveal the perfect cheesecake.

If you're looking to make a Bundt cake, the right pan is essential. Nordic Ware's Bundt Pan will make removing the cake an easy task with modern nonstick lining.

Layer cakes often call for round cake pans. USA Pans Round Cake Pan is perfect for making a flawless layer cake. With the nonstick Americoat Plus surface, cakes will come out clean every time. If you're opting to bake a squared layer cake for a special occasion, Fat Daddio's Square Anodized Aluminum Cake Pan Set is the perfect tool to help your cakes turn out looking great.

Tube pans are perfect for baking delicious angel food cake. You can make a fluffy and moist creation with Chicago Metallic Nonstick Angel Food Cake Pan. Not only does it have a nonstick finish, it is perfect for all types of bread and meatloaf, so no need to get out another pan!

For sweet treats like banana bread, professional bakers and home cooks prefer pans with aluminized steel surfaces like USA Pans Aluminized Steel Loaf Pan. The nonstick aluminum surface allows for quick release and long-lasting durability.

More about cakes:

Your Turn: Do you have any more recommendations or tips for baking with cake pan equivalents? Share your thoughts with us!

For the Love of Infographics

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 12:00:00 GMT

Remember when the best tips you could get for cooking came from family and friends? We wrote it down on a card, scrap of paper, or back of a recipe and filed it away in a recipe box. Thanks to the internet and social media (I am looking at you, Pinterest), we have access to so much more information. If you are willing to try it, you can probably find a tip, technique, or recipe for even the most complicated kitchen and cooking projects.

I am always on the lookout for interesting items on the web. When I find something I typically print it and save it. Most times, I find a delicious sounding recipe on a blog or a time saving tip that I want to try. But sometimes I find a really interesting infographic.

If you are not familiar with them, an infographic is a pictorial representation of a collection of information. Sometimes about one topic. Sometimes about several related topics. Wikipedia defines them as "graphic visual representations of information, data or knowledge intended to present complex information quickly and clearly. They can improve cognition by utilizing graphics to enhance the human visual system’s ability to see patterns and trends."

Yeaaahhhh, OK. Way to over complicate it, Wikipedia. How about this: they are a pretty picture that usually tells a story or relays information. Its the modern day version of what we used to just jot down.

I have a weakness for infographics. Being someone who collects cookbooks and recipes, I have several binders of tidbits of information I have collected over the years. When infographics started gaining in popularity over the past couple of years, I was hooked. I have collected just a few (okay—a binder full) of infographics that I think are helpful and useful in my kitchen.

You can find infographics all over the web, but here are a few that I think you will find useful and will want to print out and save.

The Kitchen Cheat Sheet

A great overall cheat sheet for a lot of information, from measurements to cuts of meat. It is pretty handy.

Kitchen Cheat Sheet infographic by shellshockuk.

How Fresh is Your Fridge

Helpful reminders of how long basic staple items can be stored in the fridge. The nose doesn't always know what is good or bad when it comes to the fridge.

How Fresh is Your Fridge? infographic

Month to Month Veggies and Fruits

Everyone seems to be trying to shop more seasonally and locally. A handy quick reference on what is in season across the lower 48.

Month to Month Veggies and Fruit Infographic: Your Guide to Seasonal Cooking infographic by HealthCentral.

Pairing Wine & Food

A simple beginners guide to wine pairings.

Wine Pairing Chart infographic by madelinep.

16 Flavors of Cheese: Flavor Traits & Related Cheeses

A handy breakdown of the flavor traits of different cheeses. Helps make those wine and cheese party parings easy.

16 Flavors of Cheese: Flavor Traits & Related Cheeses infographic by Humboldtarian.

Baking Starter Breads

Bread starters can be a little confusing and daunting for the novice baker. I like the breakdown this infographic gives on making and caring for a starter.

Baking Starter Breads infographic by rjzaworski.

The Ultimate Vegan Baking Cheat Sheet

I am not a vegan or vegetarian. I am happily omnivorous. But I have friends and loved ones who are, and I like to be able to bake for them too. This has been a handy helper when I am making conversions from regular to vegan.

The Ultimate Vegan Baking Cheat Sheet infographic by PETA.

Your Turn: What infographics have you seen that were especially good (share a link if you have one)? What topics would you like to see converted into an infographic?

Salad Spinners: You Spin Me Right 'Round!

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Spring salads are fun to make and delicious to eat, but there are a few materials that are really essential to good salad making. Deep salad bowls, sturdy tongs for tossing and sharp knives for chopping are all great things to have, but few appliances are as beneficial to salad-lovers as a salad spinner. Chefs love this handy device, which eliminates water from vegetables after they've been cleaned and rinsed, leaving the veggies crisp, clean and delish.

Why it's important to wash your vegetables

Leafy greens are ridiculously healthy for us - after all, they contain a high amount of protein per calorie, as well as tons of beneficial phytochemicals such as vitamin C, carotenoids, magnesium, folate and vitamin K. They are also high in both iron and calcium!

That said, leafy greens are some of the most commonly contaminated varieties. According to National Public Radio, because these nutrition-dense plants grow low to the ground, they are exposed to a lot of bacteria from irrigation systems.

Produce can become contaminated by E. coli, salmonella and listeria, among other things. Additionally, you may want to consider how many strangers handle your produce from when it is plucked from the field to when it is placed on your dinner plate.

Luke LaBorde, associate professor in Penn State University's Department of Food Science, told NPR his recommended method for cleaning leafy greens.

"Rinse a few times until you can't see any visible dirt," he said. "Then spin them in one of those vegetable dryers."

(By "one of those vegetable dryers," LaBorde means a salad spinner).

The Dirty Dozen

In addition to being wary of food contamination, you should also keep in mind the harsh chemicals and fertilizers used within the agricultural sector. The use of these chemicals calls to mind the importance of thoroughly washing produce.

The 12 most chemically contaminated foods - also known as the "Dirty Dozen" - might be great products on which to splurge for organic varieties:

Apples
Celery
Strawberries
Peaches
Spinach (one of our favorite leafy greens for using in spring salads!)
Nectarines
Imported grapes
Sweet Bell Peppers
Potatoes
Pears
Lettuce (yet another leafy green)
Cherries

Likewise, there is also a list of the 12 "least contaminated" fruits and veggies. By no means should you neglect cleaning and spinning these, but you might not need to be as worried:

Onions
Sweet corn (frozen)
Pineapples
Mango
Asparagus
Sweet peas (frozen)
Kiwi fruit
Avocado
Papaya
Broccoli
Cabbage
Banana

How to wash and spin your veggies

To wash your salad ingredients, you'll want to thoroughly run the food items under running water to eliminate the presence of dirt. You don't want to wash the foods in a bowl of water, as this won't remove dirt effectively. This means getting your hands dirty, but it's for a good cause! To remove pesticides, many organic food advocates recommend soaking certain members of the "dirty dozen" in a mixture of water and white vinegar.

LaBorde even suggested scrubbing foods that have rinds or grooves (such as melons, potatoes, cucumbers and citrus) with a brush.

After you've thoroughly scrubbed your salad fixin's, you'll need to dry them in a salad spinner. Dabbing them with a paper towel simply won't do the trick - you'll be left with soggy greens and correspondingly watery salad dressing. What a mess! Instead, place the damp greens in a salad spinner and spin the vegetables until no more water can be collected. To make your veggies extra crisp, throw them back in the fridge for a few minutes before serving.

Your turn: Have you used a salad spinner before? How do you feel the quality of a salad prepared with a salad spinner compares to the quality of a salad prepared without one?

Recipe Search: Salads, Vegetables

Pineapple

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 11:00:00 GMT

Large, fresh, sweet pineapples are beginning to appear at the market. As they come into season, the price goes down and are more tempting to buy. But, as I found out a few days ago, some folks are a little intimidated by the having to peel and core a pineapple.

Recently, while picking out a few for myself, a woman approached me and asked me about picking, peeling, and coring a pineapple. We spoke for a while about my methods, and I thought there may be others who question how it can be quickly done. It really is a very easy task. You can either use a tool designed for the job, the pineapple corer, or you can use a large serrated knife.

Note: If you want to know more about picking a pineapple, visit CHEFS In Season this month. There we discuss how to choose, prep, store and cook with a pineapple, including using it with cream and gelatin.

Peeling and Slicing with a Pineapple Corer

Once you have chosen your pineapple, you are going to want to peel it and core it. You will need a knife to remove the top, a cutting board, and I like to place a damp towel under the cutting board to keep it from moving around.

Next, cut the top of the pineapple off.

Stand the pineapple on its bottom, and locate the core of the pineapple. Can you see in in the picture below? It is usually close to the center, but it may be slightly off center.

In my pineapple, the core isn't dead center, but it is close enough. Oh, and see the brown bit there at the edge, that's an eye. You'll want to remember those, but we will talk about those more in future steps.

Center the corer over the core of the pineapple.

While pushing down, begin to turn the corer into the pineapple meat. It will quickly take hold and become very easy to turn.

Keep turning.

And turn some more, until the corer reaches the bottom on the fruit.

Once the corer reaches the bottom of the fruit, grip the handle of the corer, and pull the meat out.

If you see a few eyes still in the meat, use a vegetable peeler that has an eye remover or a paring knife to cut the eyes out.

Stand the corer on the cutting board, and remove the handle. You can slide the sliced pineapple off the corer at this point, but if the corer comes with a wedger (and mine did), you can make chunks.

Place the cutter over the corer and push down firmly. The pineapple with quickly be cut into chunks.

Remove the core from the tool by pushing the handle of a spatula into the center of the corer to push the fibrous pineapple core out.

Serve your pineapple as is, or add it to your favorite recipe.

Believe it or not, the whole process takes less than a minute with a pineapple corer. Don't believe me? I have video to prove it! We went into the CHEFS Test Kitchen and put a pineapple corer with wedger to the test. Take a look:

Peeling and Coring Pineapple with a Serrated Knife

If you don't have a pineapple corer, you can use a large serrated knife to peel and core a pineapple.

Cut the top of the pineapple off. You can remove the bottom at this point, too. However, I find that cutting off the bottom makes the process a bit more slippery. I usually cut the bottom after the peel has been removed.

Locate the eyes that are visible in the fruit meat.

Place your knife behind the eyes and cut down the fruit, using a sawing motion, to remove a section of skin. This first cut is typically wider than any other cut that you will make to remove the pineapple peel.

Continue around the fruit, removing the peel. Try to follow the shape of the fruit while cutting to keep the fruit loss to a minimum.

Once all of the peel is removed, trim the bottom of the pineapple.

Stand the pineapple on the board, and locate the core. Cut the pineapple in half through the core.

Cut each half into quarters, to make removing the core easier.

Place the quarter flat on the cutting board, and use the knife to remove the core.

Slice the pineapple into chunks and serve, or add to your favorite recipes.

That's all there is to it. Either method you choose will quickly and easily peel and core a pineapple.

Your Turn: What is your favorite recipe to enjoy pineapple?

Edible Spring Flower

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Bloomin' onions—you know the tasty breaded deep-fried onions served commonly at steakhouse—are not the only things blooming this season. Coming from South Texas, this is my favorite times of year when the bluebonnets and wild flowers are in season. I think it is a state law that if you have a child, or get married or engaged, your pictures must be taken in a field of bluebonnets. Then there are the blossoms in the garden. Summer squash, herbs, tomatoes, so many beautiful blooms cropping up to enjoy. And many of spring's blooms are not only beautiful but delicious. In fact, spring flowers can make fabulous looking garnishes for cupcakes and used within dishes to create fresh, unique tastes ideal for the spring season.

I think most people know some of the common edible flowers—squash blossoms, hibiscus, pansies and roses, to name a few. As a kid, who didn't find the nearest honeysuckle bush and pull out the stamen for that tiny, sweet drop of nectar. But please, don't just run into the garden or nearest blossoming field and start grabbing flowers to nosh. While there are many flowers and plants that are edible, there are an equal number that can make you very sick.

First, always remember to only use flowers that you are sure are edible. Typically, you should only use the petals; however, sometimes the leaves are edible and flavorful, too. Additionally, I recommend avoiding flowers from florists or stores that sell flowers because they are sprayed with chemicals. In addition, for those with hay fever or other outdoor allergies, you may want to avoid these natural dishes. Some recipes including blossoms that are ideal for the home cook include:

Violet Jam

I recommend trying this on your toast tomorrow morning. You will wonder why you wasted your time with grape jelly for so long—I know I did. This particular recipe calls for the following ingredients:

2 cups of wild violet blossoms
1-1/2 cup of water
2-1/2 cups of granulated sugar
1 medium lime (you can also use a lemon).
1 package of pectin (1.75 oz.)

I begin by using a food processor to blend the flowers. Then, add 3/4-cup water, lime juice, and blend well. Slowly add the sugar and continue blending. At this point, it will turn into a paste. Bring the pectin and water to a boil, and then mix it in the food processor with the other ingredients. Pour mixture into jars, immediately to set.

Yarrow Eggs

Foodies, you have to try this! I like to make a big breakfast consisting of yarrow eggs and violet jam on toast; it is the ultimate springtime breakfast or brunch. To make yarrow eggs, you need:

3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup chopped yarrow
1/2 of a small onion
Salt and pepper to taste (You can also use cayenne pepper or fresh garlic instead.)

I start by chopping up my yarrow finely and cutting a half an onion. I saute the yarrow with the onion until the onion is translucent, then add the eggs. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Using a spatula, scrape the pan frequently to move the cooked eggs away from the pan surface, allowing the raw egg to move down. Serve hot, with toast and violet jam.

Salad Garnishes

I absolutely adore using spring buds as garnishes for desserts, pasta dishes and even cottage cheese. I sometimes freeze them in ice cubes and use them to liven up my spring cocktails. However, spicing up a salad is simple when you know what flowers you can use to enhance the flavor and look of your greens. Some examples include carnations, basil flowers, apple blossoms and day lilies. Personally, I like using carnations or day lilies because they come in a variety of colors, so I can add a mixture of hues or stick with one color scheme.

My personal favorite is arugula and baby spinach topped with basil flowers and Parmesan cheese with a homemade vinaigrette dressing. Other fun and flavorful combinations include red leaf lettuce and day lilies, mixed greens with carnations or radicchio, endive and apple blossoms.

Know the Flowers

Proper identification of edible flowers is important. Consult proper authorities or reference guides when unsure about the species or edibleness of a flower. If in doubt, no not take the risk*. For the best flavor, use flowers that are at their peak and are grown without pesticides.
If you are prone to allergies, introduce flowers in small amounts so you can judge their effect. Some have a much more pronounced flavor than others, so you'll need to judge accordingly.
Asthmatics or others who suffer allergic reactions to composite-type flowers (calendula, chicory, chrysanthemum, daisy, English daisy, and marigold) should be on alert for possible allergic reaction.

Edible flowers
Common name	Tastes like	Comments
Angelica	Celery	May be skin allergen to some individuals. Good with fish and the stems are especially popular candied.
Anise hyssop	Sweet, anise, licorice
Apple	Floral	Eat in moderation; may contain cyanide precursors.
Arugula	Nutty, spicy, peppery
Basil	Herbal, different varieties have mild lemon, mint, etc., flavors
Bee balm	Minty, sweet, hot	Used in place of bergamot to make a tea with a flavor similar to earl grey tea.
Borage	Herbal, light cucumber flavor
Burnet	Herbal, mild cucumber flavor
Calendula**	Saffron, spicy, tangy, peppery	Adds a golden hue to foods
Carnation	Spicy, peppery, clove-like
Chamomile**	Faint apple flavor	Good as a tea
Chicory*	Herbal	Buds can be pickled.
Chives	Onion, Garlic variety will have a garlic-onion flavor.	Avoid eating whole flower, taste can be overwhelming
Chrysanthemum	Slight to bitter flavor, pungent	Use the florets
Lemon	Waxy, pungent	Use sparingly as an edible garnish, good for making citrus waters
Clover	Vegetal	Raw flower heads can be difficult to digest.
Coriander	Pungent, some describe the flavor as soapy	A prime ingredient in salsa and many Latino and Oriental dishes.
Cornflower**	Sweet to spicy, clove-like
Dandelion**	Young flowers are sweet and honey-like. Mature flowers are more bitter.	Very young buds fried in butter taste similar to mushrooms. Makes a potent wine.
Day lily	Vegetal, sweet	Many lilies (lillium species) contain alkaloids and are not edible. Day lilies may act as a laxative. Remove the narrow base of the petals, as it will be bitter.
Dill	Herbal, fresh	Pairs nicely with lemon and is often used with fish and poultry
English daisy**	Raw flowers will be mildly bitter. Cooked flowers will be vegetal and tangy.
Fennel	Sweet, mild anise or licorice flavor
Fuchsia	Slightly acidic
Gardenia	Slightly sweet
Gladiolus**	Vegetal
Hibiscus	Slightly acidic, fruity	Boiled and steeps makes a nice tea or iced beverage. Showy edible garnish
Hollyhock	Vegetal	Showy edible garnish
Honeysuckle: japanese	Sweet	Berries are highly poisonous. Do not use other honeysuckle flowers.
Impatiens	From no flavor to herbaceous
Jasmine: arabian	Delicate, sweet flavor
Johnny-jump-up	Bland to sweet, minty flavor	Contains saponins and may be toxic in large amounts.
Lavender	Sweet, perfumed flavor	Lavender oil may be poisonous. Use sparingly due to intense flavor.
Lemon verbena	Lemon	Boiled and steeped makes a nice tea
Lilac	From no flavor or green and herbaceous, to lemony and floral
Mallow: common	Sweet, delicate flavor
Marigold	Spicy to bitter	Lemon Gem and Tangerine Gem have the best flavor
Mint	Minty	Different varietals have unique flavors
Mustard	Mustard	Eating in large amounts may cause red skin blotches.
Nasturtium	Spicy, peppery, mildly pungent	Buds are often pickled and used like capers.
Okra	Vegetal	Similar to squash blossoms
Pansy	Very mild sweet to tart flavor
Radish	Milder, sweeter version of the more familiar radish heat
Redbud	Mildly sweet	Tastes like:
Red clover	Sweet	Raw clover flowers are not easily digestible
Rose	Sweet, aromatic flavor, stronger fragrance produces a stronger flavor	Remove the bitter white portion of the petals. Rose hips are also edible.
Rosemary	Herbal
Runner bean	Nectar, bean-like
Safflower**	Saffron
Sage	Herbal
Snapdragon	Bland to bitter flavor
Squash blossom	Sweet, nectar flavor
Sunflower**	Flower is best eaten in bud stage when it has an artichoke flavor; petals of open flowers have a bitter- sweet flavor	Lightly steam petals to lessen bitterness. Unopened flower buds can be steamed like artichokes.
Thyme	Herbal	Fragrant
Violet	Sweet, perfumed

(Sources: homecooking.about.com; NC State University)

*Know the risks: While we have done our best to make sure all the sources and information are correct, individuals consuming the flowers, plants, or derivatives from this list do so entirely at their own risk. Neither the editors or CHEFS Catalog can be held responsible for any adverse reaction to the flowers.

**Considered a composite flower. Only the petals of these flowers are edible. Chances for allergic reaction may be higher with these edible flowers due to high pollen content. Composite flowers should not be consumed by those with asthma or other sensitivities.

Your Turn: What edible flowers to you use in the kitchen?

Let Them Eat Pie!

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Is there anything not to like about pie? Flaky crust, yummy fillings from sweet to savory served with ice cream, whipped cream, or maybe a little melted cheese. Although it did not originate in the United States, it is definitely one of those foods that we have made our own. I mean, is there anything more American than the apple pie?

Regardless of the type of pie, the crust is critical to good pie. But making a good pie crust can stump the most experienced bakers. I watched my mom make pie crusts for over 20 years, and have yet to make the same tender, flaky pie crust that she makes—even using the same recipe.

I have tried all the tips out there for making the best pie crusts, from using vodka to ice water. Are there any sure fire tips for making delicious flaky pie crust? Yes, there are. And we put them together with a few troubleshooting hints to help you make the perfect pie crust!

Pie Crust Tips

Chill the ingredients: Keep butter or shortening cold until using. The cold fat will melt into the flour layers during cooking to make a flaky crust. After mixing, chill the dough an hour before rolling out.

Avoid developing gluten: Avoid over handling the crust dough. Use a pastry blender or fork to cut the fat into the flour until the fat is cut into small pea size pieces. Add cold water gradually and mix just enough to form a ball. Chill the dough 1 hour before rolling to allow the dough, and any gluten formed, to relax.

Use proper rolling technique: Using proper rolling will help prevent over handling the dough. Start with well-chilled dough which will help reduce sticking. Avoid adding too much flour onto the rolling surface.

Roll from the center and lift the rolling pin after each roll. Rotate the dough a quarter turn at a time after each roll to help create a evenly round shape. Drape half of the crust over the rolling pin to help transfer to the pie pan. Be careful to not pull or tug on the dough to help prevent shrinkage during baking.

Finish with Style: Crimp the edge of the crust, or use scraps and small cookie cutters to decorate the crust edge. Brush the crust with an egg wash and sprinkle with granulated sugar.

Whether you add water, milk or cream, add 1 tablespoon of liquid per egg to make the egg wash. But the liquid you add will affect the finished look of the crust:

Whole egg + dash of salt = Shiny surface
Whole egg + milk = Medium shine
Whole egg + water = Golden brown finish
Cream only = Golden brown finish
Egg yolk + water = Shiny golden brown finish
Olive oil only = Shiny golden brown finish
Egg yolk + heavy cream = Shiny dark-golden brown finish
Egg white only = Crisp, light-brown finish

Need help with crimping? Fine Cooking has a great instructional video on easy ways of decorating a pie crust.

Pie Crust Troubleshooting

Crust is too brown: Oven temperature is too hot. Lower the oven temperature or reduce the baking time. Alternatively, use pie shields to protect the crust and keep it from overbrowning.

Crust is crumbling: Too little gluten formed. Add a touch more water and work the dough a little more.

Crust is tough: Too much gluten formed. Cut the fat into the flour more thoroughly before working with hands.

Crust shrinks: Dough was stretched when place in pie pan and allow the crust to rest 30 minutes before baking. If pre-baking (blind baking), prick the crust before cooking or use pie weights.

Crust isn't flaky: Fat was cut in too finely. Cut fat into flour using a pastry blender of forks until it resembles coarse meal.

Bottom is soggy: Opt for a glass, dark metal or dull-metal pie pan. They will absorb heat better helping the bottoms to brown and crisp. Alternatively, place the pie plate on a baking sheet to cook, increase the oven temperature, or extend the baking time.

In my opinion, no one makes a better pie than Alton Brown. I have referenced his Good Eats episodes for the best pie making techniques many times.

For more Good Eats pie making episodes

Pie Trivia

Did you know:

The first pies date back to early Romans and Greeks
The first published pie recipe was for a Roman rye-crusted goat cheese and honey pie
Early pies were mostly meat pies. Fruit pies were first made in the 16th century, and Queen Elizabeth I is credited with the creation of the first cherry pie.
In the 17th century, Oliver Cromwell banned the eating of pie because is was a "pagan pleasure". The ban remained in effect for 16 years.
Pie was brought to America by early English settlers
The term "upper-crust" came about because in hard economic times, only the affluent could afford both and upper and lower crust on their pies.
Florida and Vermont both have a state pie: key lime and apple pie, respectively. While in Kansas, it was once illegal to serve ice cream on cherry pie.
The world's largest apple pie was made in 1982 at the Hilton Apple Fest. The resulting pie was 18 feet around and 18 inches deep.
Pie for dessert is a relatively recent practice. In the early 19th century, pie was more often a breakfast food.
According to Crisco, the top pies are apple, pumpkin or sweet potato, chocolate, lemon meringue and cherry.

Basic All-American Pie Dough

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Crisp and flaky, this dough is suitable for any pie.

Ingredients

For a 9-inch Pie Shell

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
3 to 4 tablespoons ice-cold water
For a 9-inch two crust pie
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable shortening
7 to 8 tablespoons ice-cold water

Cooking Instructions

Your hands are the best tools for making it, so I urge you to plunge them right into the flour and shortening and forge ahead. You will become familiar with the feel of the dough right away, and be surprised how quick and easy it is. When friends taste your pies, they will want you to show them how you did it.

Blending the Flour and Shortening

Put the flour and salt in a large bowl-large enough to hold the ingredients, with room for your hands, and stir them together with your fingers. Drop in the shortening, then with your fingers break it in to several pieces as you push it around the flour.

Now put both hands in the bowl with the flour and shortening, and rub the fingers of each hand against the thumbs, lightly blending the shortening and flour together into smaller lumps and flake-shaped pieces. Your goal is to rub the shortening into the flour while keeping the mixture light-textured and dry.

Work as quickly and comfortably as you can, lifting your hands often and letting the mixture fall back into the bowl. You know when you have blended enough when you do not see any lumps of shortening and you have a mixture of particles the size of coarse and fine bread crumbs.

Adding the Water

Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of water over the dough and stir briskly with a fork or pastry blender. Continue adding water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring after each addition and concentration the areas of the dough that seem the driest. When the dough forms a rough, cohesive mass, reach into the bowl and press the dough together into a roundish ball. If it does not hold together, or if parts of it seem crumbly and dry, sprinkle on a little more water.

The amount of water can vary slightly from time to time, depending on your ingredients. If you are in doubt, it is better to add a little too much than not enough, because a dough that is too dry can be difficult to roll out.

Rolling Out the Dough

Chill dough for 30 minutes to 1 hour before rolling. Have a handful of additional flour nearby in a small cup, for lightly flouring your hands and the rolling surfaces. Rub a light dusting of flour on your hands and pat the dough in to a smooth cake about 1 inch thick and 3 to 4 inches across. (If you are making a two-crust pie, pat it into 2 cakes, one slightly larger than the other.)

Lightly sprinkle your rolling surface with flour, spreading the flour to cover an area about 12 inches in diameter. Put the dough in the center, using the larger pieces if it is a two-crust pie. Flatten the dough a little with your hands, and begin rolling it into a circle. Do most of the rolling from the center out to the edges of the dough, lifting after each roll and turning a quarter turn every 5 or 6 rolls to help keep it round.

If the dough sticks on the bottom, slide a long metal spatula underneath to loosen it, chill dough 10 to 15 minutes, or dust with a small amount of flour. If the top of the dough is damp and sticky, dust it with additional flour as well. If the dough tears, simply push it back together.

Although the edges will probably look uneven, keep the shape as round as possible without agonizing over it. When you have a circle 11 to 12 inches across and about 2 inches larger than the top of your pie pan, you have rolled enough.

Putting the Dough in the Pie Pan

If you are confident, you can probably just pick up the whole circle of dough and set it in the pie pan. Otherwise, try this: Roll the dough up onto the rolling pin, like a carpet. Then put the edge of the dough at the edge of the pan and unroll it, letting it drop into the pan. If it is not relatively centered, slide it gently so it is. If it tears, push it back together. Pat the dough snugly into the pan, starting around the edges and easing toward the center.

You should have 1/2 to 1 inch of overhanging dough all around the pan. In places where there is more than an inch, cut it off with scissors or a sharp knife. In spots where there is less, brush the edge lightly with water and press one of the scraps of trimmed dough onto it.

If you are making a two-crust fruit pie, roll out the second piece of dough just as you did the first. Transfer it, either by lifting it or rolling it onto the rolling pin, to a sheet of waxed paper, and set it aside. Then follow the instructions given later, for a two-crust pie.

Cream, custard, and chiffon pies have only a bottom crust, called a pie shell. Depending on the recipe, the shell is filled either unbaked or fully baked.

For an Unbaked Pie Shell

Fold the overhanging dough over itself and pinch it together to make a double-thick, upstanding rim all around. Pinch the rim to make a scalloped edge-this is called fluting or crimping, and the more you do it, the easier it will become and the better you will be at it. Fill the shell and bake as directed in the recipe.

For a Fully Baked Pie Shell

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Fold and flute the rim as directed in the instructions for an unbaked pie shell, and then prick the dough all over the bottom and sides with a table fork. This should be a rapid motion, and I usually prick it 100 to 120 times. These tiny holes keep the dough from puffing up in the oven, and it is better to have too many than too few.

So the dough will hold its shape, press a 12-inch square of heavy-duty foil (or a double-thick square of regular foil) snugly into the pie shell, over the bottom and sides of the dough. Bake for about 8 minutes, until the edges of the dough are beginning to look dry but not browned. If they still look wet, bake the shell a couple minutes longer. Remove the foil and bake for 6 to 10 minutes more.

Check a few minutes after you remove the foil, and if the dough is puffed in the center, prick it with a fork and it will deflate. The pie shell is done when the dough is light brown and looks dry all over. It is fragile now but will become crisp as it cools. It does not matter if it has shrunk a tiny bit. Set the baked pie shell aside to cook completely, and then fill it as directed in the recipe.

For a Two-Crust Pie

Put the filling into the dough-lined pan as directed in the recipe. Using your finger, a small brush, or a wet paper towel, brush the rim of the dough generously with water. Transfer the rolled-out top crust from the waxed paper-either lift if gently or roll it onto the rolling pin-and place it over the filled pie. Press firmly all around to seal the top and bottom crusts together. Trim the edges, using a sharp knife or scissors, so you have about half an inch of overhang.

Fold the overhang under itself to make a thick, upstanding rim. Flute the rim as directed in the instructions for an unbaked pie shell. With the point of a sharp knife, cut 10 to 12 slits, or vents, in the top crust, so steam can evaporate as the pie bakes. Be as random as you want with the vents, making about half of them around the edge and the rest around the center.

Two-crust fruit pies are usually baked at a high temperature for the first 15 to 20 minutes, to help brown the crust and begin cooking the filling, and then the oven is turned to a lower temperature for the remainder of the baking.

Fruit pies with juicy fillings sometimes boil over in the oven. To keep your oven clean, and to prevent a smoky kitchen, place a large sheet of heavy-duty foil on the rack under the pie to catch drips. It might not be needed, but if it is you will be glad its there.

It is okay to open the oven and check your pie a few times during baking. If you see the edges of the crust becoming too brown, remove the pie from the oven. Gently cover the edges with 2-inch strips of foil, bending them to fit the pie, and then return to the oven.

Cherry Pie with Lattice Crust

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Share the tradition -- lush cherries baked in a flaky crust!

Ingredients

Cherry Filling

48 oz. water-packed sour cherries
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
2 cups reserved cherry juice
1 1/2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 tsp almond extract
3/4 tsp red food coloring, optional
3 Tbs unsalted butter, softened

Flaky Pie Pastry

3 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
4 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 cup firm, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup chilled vegetable shortening, cut into small pieces
7 to 8 Tbs. ice water, or more as needed

Cooking Instructions

For Flaky Pie Pastry

Place the dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Chill for 15 minutes. Process for 5 seconds to blend.

Add half of the butter and shortening. Pulse 4 to 5 times, then process for 4 to 5 seconds. Add the remaining butter and shortening and pulse again 4 to 5 times, then process for 4 to 5 seconds. The mixture should have the texture of coarse meal and still contain some larger pieces of fat.

Empty the mixture into a large bowl. Add the ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, drizzling it around the side of the bowl. Use a kitchen fork to push the mixture toward the center with each addition.

With floured hands, press the dough against the side of the bowl forming two balls. All of the crumbs should adhere to the balls and clean the bowl. If not, add some additional water, a few drops at a time. Flatten the balls into two, 4 to 5-inch disks.

Dust the disks with flour, then score with side of your hand. Cover with plastic wrap. Chill 1/2 hour or longer before using. Will keep refrigerated for up to 3 days. This recipe makes one double crust 10-inch pie.

To Make The Filling

Set a colander in a large bowl. Drain the cherries thoroughly. Reserve 2 cups of the juice. Line a baking sheet with double thickness of paper towels, and spread the cherries on the towels to dry.

Combine the sugar and cornstarch in a 3-quart saucepan. Gradually stir in the reserved cherry juice, stirring until smooth. Cook over med-low heat until the mixture comes to a boil and is thickened. Simmer for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Do not over mix. Blend in the lemon juice, almond extract, red food coloring and butter; gently fold in the drained cherries. Set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Generously butter a 10-inch pie plate or pie dish. On a floured board, roll 1/2 of the pastry into a 15-inch circle. Line the pie plate loosely with the pastry. Trim the edges, leaving a generous 1/2-inch overhang. Spoon the cherry filling into the pan and smooth the surface.

Make a lattice top with the remaining pastry as follows: Roll pastry into a 14-inch circle. Using a pastry wheel, divide the pastry into ten 1-1/4-inch strips. Evenly space the pastry, starting with the longest strips in the center.

Place 2 strips on either side of the center strip graduating the length as needed. Turn the pan 90 degrees and repeat process, again starting with the longest strip in the middle. Trim, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Turn the edges under and flute or crimp with a fork. Brush with ice water, then sprinkle with sugar.

Tear two 3-inch strips of 18-inch heavy-duty aluminum foil and mold them around the pie pan to cover the edge of the pastry. If necessary, use tape to hold the strips together. This will prevent it from burning.

Bake the pie for 50-60 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the juices start to bubble. (Place an 18-inch square of heavy-duty aluminum foil on the shelf below in case the juices run over.) Cool on a rack at least 3 hours before serving.

This recipe serves 8 to 10.

Nellie & Joe's Famous Key Lime Pie

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Ingredients

1, 9-inch graham cracker pie shell
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup Nellie & Joe's Key West Lime Juice
Fresh whipped cream and lime slices for garnish

Cooking Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine milk, egg yolks and lime juice. Blend until smooth. Pour filling into pie shell. Bake for 15 minutes. Allow to stand for 10 minutes before refrigerating. Just before serving, top with fresh whipped cream and garnish with lime slices.

Your Turn: What is your favorite pie?

Spring Stir-fry

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 22:00:00 GMT

Spring! Oh, how I have missed you!

After a couple of weeks of seriously cold and snowy weather, it looks like Punxsutawney Phil's prediction for an early spring may be coming true. Okay, maybe it is not all that early, but I will take the sunshine any way I can get it!

Here in Colorado the warmer weather and extra-hour of sunshine keeps many of us outside as much as possible. Cyclists are tuning up the bikes, runners are shopping for new shoes, and hikers…well hikers grab the dog and a bottle of water and off they go.

In my house, with Spring comes stir-fry. A quick and easy meal that is perfect after a ride, run or hike. Good protein, yummy veggies, a light, flavorful sauce and some rice make up the basic stir-fry. Your culinary daring and creativity will make them great!

Tips for a Great Stir-fry

Have all of your ingredients ready: Have your ingredients prepped and ready to go. Cut all the ingredients into uniform-sized pieces to help ensure they cook at the same rate. Cutting hard vegetables on the bias (on the diagonal), exposes more surface area to the heat allowing them to cook more quickly.

Use higher heat: At the heart of a good stir-fry is the pan and the higher cooking heat. The higher heat sears the meat and seals in the flavor and quickly cooks vegetables without leaching out much of the healthy nutrients. If the pan being used is nonstick, stick to medium-high heat to prevent damage to the nonstick surface.

Start with the meat then add the veggies: When starting your stir-fry, cook the meat first until it is about 80% done. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan. If your pan is overcrowded, your meat will steam instead of sear. Once the meat is almost cooked, remove from the pan. Then start the vegetables. Start with the dense vegetables like carrots or eggplant and add leafy and fragile vegetables and aromatics toward the end of the cooking time. Add the meat back at the end with any juices that may have developed.

Keep it moving: When the meat gets added, wait a couple of minutes to allow it to sear. Then begin stirring to toss the ingredients. Once the vegetables are added, keep stirring quickly. Vegetables in a stir fry need to be kept moving to keep them from over cooking and getting mushy. If you are adding a sauce, use the sides of your pan. Push the cooked meat and veggies up the sides exposing the bottom of the pan. You will be able to easily create the sauce while keeping the rest of the stir-fry hot.

Serve immediately: Since stir-frys are made up of bite-sized pieces, they will cool quickly. Serve your delicious creation as soon as it is cooked, for best results.

The Wok

Do you really need a wok for stir-fry? Yes! If you don't have one, I highly recommend that you get a wok.

Could you create a stir-fry in a saute pan or skillet. Yes, you could. But the wok has an advantage when it comes to a stir-fry: its shape.

The high, concave shape make stirring easier. In a skillet, stirring moves the food from one side of the pan to another. Each stirring motion inside of the wok brings the ingredients up the sides, but allows them to tumble back down into the well of the pan where the heat is concentrated. And while the heat may be concentrated in the well, the sides of a wok heat as well and can be used as a cooking surface, unlike with a skillet or saute pan.

A wok also handles the bulky volume of vegetables or noodles easily. And the deep sides of the wok shape keeps food from spilling out while stirring.

Building Great Flavor

There is no lack of spices and ingredients for great stir-fry. Any good market will usually have a wide variety of spices available. But how do you know which to use? We have put together a list of some of the most common Asian ingredients and some basic information about what they are and how to use them.

Black bean sauce: a flavorful sauce made from salted, fermented black beans, rice wine and other ingredients like garlic, chile peppers, vinegar and soy sauce. Use sparingly in stir fries and other dishes; a little goes a long way.
Chinese Five Spice Powder: Traditional ingredients include ground peppercorns, star anise, cloves, fennel, cinnamon. Some versions include ground coriander seeds. This spice powder covers a wide flavor range, from sweet to hot. Use as directed in recipes or sprinkle on meat, fish, poultry and vegetables.
Edamame (eh-dah-MAH-may): green, immature soybeans either steamed or boiled. Eat only the soft, creamy beans: the pods are tough and inedible. Look for edamame – either still in the pod or shelled – in the frozen food case.
Fish Sauce: a pungent liquid resulting from the fermentation of fish with sea salt. The fish is often anchovies. Fish sauce has an intense flavor so use sparingly; a little goes a long way.
Hoisin Sauce: a dark and thick reddish-brown sauce that’s spicy and sweet. It’s main ingredients are fermented soybeans, vinegar, sugar, garlic and spices.
Kombu: an edible kelp with large leathery leaves used in Japanese and other Asian cuisine. You can find packages of dried kombu online or in natural food stores. Use kombu to flavor dashi, Japanese soup stock.
Mirin: a sweet, light-colored Japanese cooking wine. To make mirin, glutinous rice and malted rice are mixed with distilled spirits and allowed to ferment for 2 to 3 months. The resulting rice wine is high in sugar (40 to 50%) but low in alcohol (1% to 14%). The Japanese add mirin to fish and seafood dishes to help mask unpleasant or strong fishy aromas. Mirin also adds luster to sauces and glazes. Use sparingly; a little goes a long way.
Miso: a naturally fermented soybean paste that’s essential to Japanese cooking. Miso is made by fermenting soybeans with salt and a grain such as barley or rice in wooden kegs. The color is a good indicator of the miso’s age and flavor. Lighter colored miso is younger, sweeter and less salty than a darker one that has aged for up to 2 years. Darker miso has a deeper, more assertive and saltier flavor.
Nori: thin, pressed sheets of dried seaweed commonly used as sushi wrappers or a garnish
Oyster sauce: a mild sweet and smoky brown sauce made from boiled oysters, oyster extracts, sugar, soy sauce and other seasonings; popular in Cantonese dishes.
Panko: flaky Japanese bread crumbs used as a coating for tempura and other deep fried foods. Panko is Japanese for “bread crumbs.”
Plum sauce: Made from salted plums, apricots, vinegar, ginger and chilies. Has a sweet and tart flavor, perfect for dipping spring rolls, fried wontons and other deep fried foods. Texture can be either chunky or smooth.
Rice vinegar: a vinegar that is milder and more delicately flavored than regular white vinegar. Use rice vinegar to flavor sushi rice or in soups, dipping sauces, salad dressings and other dishes that vinegar.
Sesame oil or toasted sesame oil: a dark, aromatic oil made from sesame seeds. Use sparingly; a little goes a long way
Shrimp Paste: a pungent paste made by fermenting shrimp in salt. Shrimp paste is often used in dipping sauces. Cooking the paste first helps tame its strong aroma. Use sparingly; a little goes a long way.
Soba noodles: Japanese noodles made from buckwheat flour and wheat flour and used in hot and cold dishes. When compared to Italian pasta, soba noodles are about the same thickness as spaghetti.
Soy sauce, tamari or shoyu: A slightly salty sauce or condiment traditionally made from fermented soybeans and wheat. Wheat-free and low-sodium varieties are also available.
Sriracha and other chili sauces and pastes: made from a blend of fresh and dried chilies, vinegar and other ingredients like garlic. Amount of heat depends on the chilies used. Consistency varies from pourable sauce to thick paste.
Tamarind paste: sticky and paste-like edible pulp of the tamarind fruit. Young fruit has a sharp sour taste. In Thai cooking, it’s added to savory dishes like Pad Thai. Riper fruit is much sweeter and used in desserts and beverages. Buy ready-made tamarind concentrates online or in Asian markets.
Tofu: Soybean curd made by curdling soy milk and then pressing the curds into molds. Tofu by itself tastes quite bland. In recipes, it absorbs the dish’s main flavors. Two main types: silken and pressed. Silken is soft, smooth and creamy and has high water content. Because silken tofu purees beautifully, use it in puddings and smoothies. Pressed tofu is firmer and denser making it more suitable for stir-fries, frying and grilling.
Udon: thick, chewy Japanese noodles made from wheat flour served hot in noodle soups and other dishes.
Wasabi: True wasabi is the root of the hard to grow wasabia japonica plant and is often called Japanese horseradish. Although related to horseradish, wasabi belongs to a different botanical family. When we eat that hot green paste served with sushi and sashimi, we are most likely enjoying extra hot horseradish mixed with hot Chinese mustard. If you buy wasabi power, read the ingredient list to see how much true wasabi is actually in the powder.

Lemongrass-Garlic Stir-Fried Pork

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Ingredients

Marinade
6 large cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1-1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, sliced into 1/8" thick pieces

Sauce

1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons minced lemongrass
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons Sriracha chili sauce or to taste
4 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
juice of 1 lime
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 2" pieces
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 (6-7 ounces each) red bell peppers, cut into 1/4" slices
2 small (4 ounces each) yellow onion, cut into 1/4" slices
1 cup fresh basil leaves

Cooking Instructions

In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, soy sauce, fish sauce and sugar. Add the pork and toss to coat. Set aside.

In a separate small bowl, combine the chicken broth, lemongrass, fish sauce, Sriracha, sesame oil, rice vinegar and lime juice. Whisk to combine. Add the cornstarch and whisk to combine.

Heat a wok over high heat until smoking. Add the canola oil and the green beans and toss to coat. Stir in the 1/2 cup chicken broth, cover, and let the beans steam until they are crisp-tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer the beans to a bowl and cover to keep warm.

In the same wok over high heat, add 2 tablespoons canola oil, the red peppers and the sliced onions and toss to coat. Cook until the vegetables begin to soften, then transfer them to the bowl with the green beans. Add the marinated pork to the wok and cook, stirring often, until cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in the sauce and bring to a boil.

Add the cooked vegetables to the pork mixture and toss to coat with the sauce. Stir in the basil leaves and serve immediately with steamed rice.

Makes 4 to 6 main-course servings

Spicy Shrimp and Mango with Snow Pea Salad

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Ingredients

2 red onions, sliced
1 tablespoon ginger julienned
1-1/2 tablespoons sambal
1-1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Juice of 2 limes
2 ripe mangoes, diced
1/2 pound blanched snow peas
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/8 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup canola oil
Salt and black pepper to taste

Cooking Instructions

In a hot wok, coat wok with oil and caramelize onions with the ginger. Season. Add sambal and shrimp and stir fry until just cooked through. Deglaze with lime juice and add mangoes. Check for seasoning. In a mixing bowl, whisk together Dijon, vinegar and oil. Check for seasoning. Toss with snow peas. Place a pile of snow peas in the middle of the plate. Surround with stir fry. Garnish with mango slices.

Leek and Pork Stir-Fry

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Ingredients

3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
2 leek, rinsed and sliced diagonally
2 pounds pork, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 celery stalks, cleaned and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 Green pepper, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Instructions

In a wok, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Once oil is hot, fry the pork, in batches, 5 to 8 minutes or until pork is cooked through. Remove pork from wok, and set aside. Add 1 tablespoon to hot pan, add garlic. Sauté garlic 1 to 2 minutes, or until fragrant. Add vegetables, except leeks, and stir fry 7 to 8 minutes, until vegetables are tender-crisp. Add leeks and stir fry 1 to 2 minutes more. Add water, and bring to a boil. Add oyster sauce, and stir to combine. Allow to reduce 3 to 4 minutes, until reaches a sauce consistency. Return pork to the pan and stir to combine. Serve with hot steamed rice.

Grilled Shrimp and Vegetable Stir-Fry

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Ingredients

1-1/2 pounds medium-sized shrimp deveined
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons sweet wine
3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
15 fresh shiitake mushrooms
6 scallions sliced into 2 inch lengths
6 ounces snow peas
6 ounces baby corn
1/2 medium sized onion
2 broccoli stalks

Cooking Instructions

Preheat Cuisinart Non-Stick Grilling Wok on grill to medium heat. Combine and mix soy sauce, sweet wine, and sesame oil in a bowl. Add chopped broccoli, scallions, snow peas, mushrooms, baby corn, and onion and mix well. Transfer vegetables and sauce to wok. Grill the vegetables for 6 to 8 minutes tossing to ensure even grilling. Set vegetables aside on a serving plate. Add shrimp to wok. Grill for 5 to 6 minutes tossing shrimp to grill evenly. Remove from heat and serve with vegetables over a bed of white rice or favorite noodles.

Beef Vegetable Stir-Fry

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Ingredients

2 pounds flank steak or sirloin steak
1/3 cup light soy sauce, divided
2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine
2 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
4-1/2 tablespoons garlic, minced
1 pound fresh mushrooms of choice, stems removed, 1/4-inch slices
1-1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed and sliced into 1-inch pieces
1 large red pepper, seeded, sliced
1 large onion, 1/4-inch slices
4 tablespoons peanut oil
1/3 cup oyster sauce
1-1/2 tablespoons garlic-chili sauce
2 cup beef stock, divided
Steamed rice or cooked noodles

Cooking Instructions

Trim excess fat and gristle from flank steak. Place meat into the freezer for 30 minutes to make slicing easier. Remove from freezer, and slice thinly against the meat grain.

In a medium bowl, combine 4 tablespoons soy sauce, rice wine, 1-1/2 tablespoons cornstarch and 2 1/2 tablespoons of garlic. Add beef and toss to coat.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in wok or stir fry pan over high heat. Add steak, and cook until just browned. Note: Depending on size of wok, it may be easier to work in batches. Avoid over crowding the pan, you want the meat to be able to sear and cook quickly. Remove immediately and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together oyster sauce, garlic, remaining soy sauce, and 1-1/2 cups of beef stock.

In a second mall bowl, whisk together 1/2-tablespoon cornstarch and 1/2-cup beef stock.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in wok over high heat. Add onion and garlic, and stir fry for 1 minutes. Add mushrooms and continue to saute 3 to 4 minutes. Add red pepper and asparagus, and stir fry for 2 to 3 minutes, until asparagus is tender-crisp.

Add 2 tablespoons of oil to the wok and 2 tablespoons of garlic. Stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add mushrooms and sauté until soft, 3-4 minutes. Add asparagus and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes. Asparagus should still be crisp. Add beef and any meat juices that have gathered. Stir to combine.

Add oyster sauce mixture and bring to a boil. In a slow stream, add cornstarch mixture to thicken sauce, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and serve over steamed rice or noodles.

For these and other recipes, visit CHEFS Recipes

Your Turn: What do you most look forward to cooking in warm weather?

Good Cookies Gone Bad

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 22:00:00 GMT

I made cookies this weekend, by special request. I have not been baking much, and the cookie monster in my house reminded me of that fact by placing the empty cookie jar in the center of my kitchen island—subtle, huh?

So I pulled out my favorite Dark Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe and went to work. I love this recipe. It is easy, on the healthy side of cookies (no, no—it does not qualify as health food, it's just on the healthier side), and until now been fool-proof. I have literally baked this cookie hundreds and hundreds of times. But when I pulled that first batch out of the oven, I knew something had gone terribly wrong.

The cookies are flat. Truth be told, they are very, very flat. A thin stack of standard copy paper—10 sheets to be exact, is thicker than these cookies. I know, I measured. Argh!

I have already had one baking mishap recently (remember the banana bread)! I did not need another. I especially did not need one when I was tripling the recipe. That's right, TRIPLING. I now have a freezer load of these babies. Sigh…

Okay, so what went wrong.

Well, in my case, it was a combination of too little flour and baking soda gone flat. I remember thinking when I was putting the cookie dough together that it was kind of loose. But, nah, I have made it hundreds of time. So lesson learned—listen to the batter. Well, at least pay attention to it.

And, just like in the quick breads, test those leaveners—baking soda in this case. I knew I had not baked in a while. I should have tested the baking soda before I put it in the recipe. But I didn't, and the cookies told on me. Second lesson learned—make sure you have good ingredients.

Did my cooking mistake stop us from eating them? Um, no. In fact I was told this morning that they make a good breakfast cereal. Oh dear…

5 Common Cookie Mistakes

Too Hard

One of two things happened, the cookies were over mixed or they had too much flour.

Over mixing cookies does the same thing to cookies as it does to cakes, it makes them tough. For cookies it will also make them hard and flat. Do not let your mixer run while you measure ingredients. Have everything ready to go, or turn off the mixture if you need to spend time measuring.

Too much flour may be the result of poor measuring or rolling flour into the dough. Make sure to measure accurately. If rolling the cookie out, try using powdered sugar instead of flour.

For a sugar cookie recipe, it may also mean that they were cooked too long. For most sugar cookies, the color should stay a light blonde color. Golden brown is overcooked.

Cookies Spread

Make sure to only grease a cookie sheet when the recipe calls for it. And allow cookie sheets to cool slightly before adding the next batch.

A greased cookie sheet help cookies spread. It is tempting to add nonstick spray, just in case. But 9 times out of 10 the cookies are going to start getting cozy with their neighbor if you spray the pan. Avoid the temptation to spray. If, however, the recipe calls for greasing the pan, regrease after each batch.

A pan that is too hot will melt the fat in the cookie dough. Allow the cookie sheets to cool slightly before adding more. Plus, it helps to keep the cookie dough chilled. Chilling the dough will keep the fat solid regardless of how hot the kitchen gets.

Too Flat

Either the sugar and butter weren't creamed together, the dough was over mixed, the pan was too hot, or the leavening was old.

Creaming butter and sugar help air pockets to form which help give cookies some lift. Don't get carried away, creamed butter and sugar will never look like whipped cream, but after several minutes (sometimes as much as 8 to 10 minutes) the butter will be a paler yellow and fluffier.

Over mixing the dough will make the dough flatten when cooking and look greasy. Mix just until you don't see large streaks of flour. Remember if you are adding chocolate chips, nuts or other add-ins that there is a bit more mixing to do. Mix just until all the ingredients are combined.

A hot pan will melt the pan, and the cookies will spread out resulting in a flat cookie. Keep the dough in the refrigerator between batches, and allow the pan to cool slightly.

As for the leaveners…Please, test your soda today! Don't let a good cookie go bad.

Cooked Uneven

It could be the oven, uneven sizing of the cookies, or the baking sheet.

Uneven cooking is caused by hot spots. To test your stove for hot spots, fill a jelly roll pan with plain bread. Place in the center rack in a preheated 350 F oven and let the slices toast for a few minutes. The areas that are darker are hotter. You may need to rotate your cookies from front to back and from top to center to help even out the cooking.

If the bottom of the cookie gets too brown, the pan may be to blame. Avoid using dark-colored pans for that cookie recipe. Cookies will continue to bake on a hot pan, so remove cooked cookies to a cooling rack for best results.

To make sure your cookies are the same size use a cookie scoop. The cookie scoop will help ensure that the cookies are the same size thus baking at the same rate.

In a sugar cookie recipe, an intricate cookie cutter may be the culprit. The small intricate pieces may cook faster than the whole cookie. Stick with simpler cookie shapes.

Fragile Cookies

A dry crumbling cookie has too much flour. A rolled cookie that crumbles may also be the result of rolling the dough too thin.

For drop cookies, I find that letting the dough rest 5 to 10 minutes before cooking allows the moisture to be absorbed. But sometimes you will have to add a little more liquid to the dough. Try an extra egg or a couple tablespoons of milk. In general, milk will produce a crisper, flatter cookie and adding an egg will produce a puffier cookie.

For rolled cookies, the dough should be 1/4-inch thick then cut into shapes. If the rolled cookie isn't cooked all the way through, then it wasn't rolled thin enough.

Your turn: What is your secret to the perfect cookie?

Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 01:00:00 GMT

Have you noticed more coconut based products available these days? From coconut water and coconut milk to coconut oil, it seems that the delicious coconut is taking over in the food, beauty and health food aisles. But it really isn't a new phenomenon, coconut is a pretty common ingredient. I think it is just that we are catching on to the benefits of the little coconut.

It's a Tough Nut to Crack

One of the more intimidating features of the coconut is the fact that it is so hard to crack open. In trying to find an easy way to open a coconut, I have seen many online videos utilizing everything from a power saw to a metal mallet to get at the tender meat.
The easiest way I have found to open a coconut uses a hot oven, not a power saw. I saw Martha Stewart demonstrate this method on a cooking show years ago. Unfortunately, she does not have a You Tube video out on the technique. However, Gourmet Magazine does. I have used this method countless times to open a coconut. It really does work.

A quick note on choosing your coconut: when you choose a coconut, look for one whose shell is intact. Do not buy a cracked or open coconut—the meat is most likely dry.

Also, shake it! Listen for the sound of sloshing juice inside. If you cannot hear or feel the liquid moving around inside, choose a different one. Coconuts fall from the tree full of liquid that is sweet and yummy to drink. As it sits, the coconut juice evaporates. If you shake it and there is not any liquid, it is an old coconut. Try a different one instead.

Health Benefits of Coconut Oil

Cooking with coconut oil has been a standard cooking tradition for centuries among Asian and Pacific Island populations. In addition, studies have shown that cooking with coconut oil may have an array of health benefits:

Easy to digest: The molecules of coconut oil are easily broken down by saliva and gastric juices making it easy for individuals who have trouble producing the pancreatic enzymes necessary for easy digestion.
Healthy Hearts: Many people who consume coconut oil on a regular basis have the lowest rate of heart disease. The medium-chain triglycerides in coconut oil help to raise good cholesterol and lower the bad cholesterol.
Anti-aging Benefits: Coconut oil help fight the free radicals that cause wrinkles, sagging and premature aging of skin.

Coconut Recipes

Coconut is essential for some recipes: coconut shrimp, coconut cream pie, ambrosia. These dishes just are not the same without the coconut. Hollywood has even depicted the horror the lack of coconut in a dish like ambrosia can cause. Hint: Think "Driving Miss Daisy," when Florine, Miss Daisy's daughter-in-law, cries out in exasperation, "Maybe you can figure out how to serve ambrosia to 50 people without coconut, I give up!" ()

Try these delicious recipes featuring the delicious coconut.

Chocolate Cherry Magic Bars

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Ingredients

Crust:

3 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup finely chopped nuts, such as walnuts, pecans or almonds
Pinch of Kosher salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter, melted

Filling:

One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups (12 ounces) bittersweet (or semi) chocolate chunks or chips
1 cup dried tart cherries
1 1/2 cups coconut
1 cup chopped nuts, such as walnuts, pecans or almonds

Cooking Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F with the rack positioned in the bottom third of the oven. Lightly butter a 9" x 13" baking dish and line with parchment paper. Set aside.

To make the crust: In a small mixing bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, chopped nuts and salt. Pour the melted butter over the crumb mixture and stir to combine. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.

To make the filling: Pour the sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture. Layer with the chocolate chunks, cherries, coconut and nuts. Press down firmly on the entire surface using the palms of your hands.

Bake until lightly browned and bubbling around the edges, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Serve at room temperature.

Coconut Shrimp

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Enjoy crispy shrimp rolled in a coconut beer batter!

Ingredients

1 egg
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup beer
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups flaked coconut
1-1/2 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails attached
3 cups vegetable oil for frying

Cooking Instructions

These crispy shrimp are rolled in a coconut beer batter before frying. For dipping sauce, I use orange marmalade, mustard, and horseradish mixed to taste. In medium bowl, combine egg, 1/2 cup flour, beer, and baking powder. Place 1/4 cup flour and coconut in 2 separate bowls.

Hold shrimp by tail and dredge in flour, shaking off excess flour. Dip in batter; allow excess to drip off. Roll shrimp in coconut and place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Heat oil to 350 F (175 C) in a deep fryer.

Fry shrimp in batches. Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown, turning once. Using tongs, remove shrimp to paper towels to drain. Serve warm with your favorite dipping sauce.

Yield: 6 servings

Note: Serve Coconut Shrimp with a simple sauce. Mix together 3/4 cup orange marmalade, 1/4 cup Dijon-style mustard, 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish, and 1/4 cup honey.

Curried Squash Soup With Lemongrass and Coconut Milk

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Ingredients

Olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
Salt
2 pounds yellow summer squash, sliced
2 teaspoon each minced fresh ginger and garlic
1 stalk lemongrass, smashed, cut into 3" long pieces
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 teaspoon curry powder
1 cup coconut milk
Chicken or vegetable broth
2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish

Cooking Instructions

In a medium ovenproof pot, heat a thin film of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and saute until translucent. Add squash, another pinch of salt and saute until tender, being careful not to brown. Add the ginger, garlic and lemongrass and saute until fragrant. Stir in pepper flakes and curry powder and cook until fragrant.

Stir in the coconut milk and enough broth to just cover the vegetables. Cover, reduce heat to very low, and simmer to meld flavors, about 5 minutes.

Remove the lemongrass stalks and puree the soup using a stick or stand blender. Strain through a strainer into a clean pot. Adjust seasoning with salt and freshly ground pepper. Serve hot or cold, garnished with chopped cilantro.

Asparagus Coconut Crepes with Sweet Chili

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Ingredients

Sauce:

1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1/4 cup lime juice
1 clove garlic , minced
1/2 teaspoon ginger, grated
2 red chilies, finely chopped
1/4 cup salted, roasted peanuts, finely chopped

Crepes:

2 large eggs
1-1/2 cups coconut milk
1/2 cup chickpea flour
1 cup rice flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 cup water
Oil for cooking
4 scallions , finely sliced
1 bunch asparagus, cleaned and trimmed
12 cooked shrimp, cleaned, deveined, shelled and chopped

Cooking Instructions

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together honey, soy sauce, and lime juice. Stir in garlic, ginger, chilis and chopped peanuts. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together coconut milk, water, chickpea flour, rice flour, salt and turmeric. Batter should be thin. Add extra water a little at a time to reach crepe batter consistency, if needed.

Using a steaming basket, steam asparagus for 3-5 minutes until tender crisp.

Using a crepe pan or nonstick frying pan over medium heat, brush pan with thin coating of oil. Depending on size of pan, pour about 1/4 cup of batter into the pan, and tilt pan to spread the batter across the cooking surface. Sprinkle with sliced scallion and chopped shrimp before batter is completely set. Cook 2 minutes and flip. Cook additional 1 to 2 minutes until light brown. Remove from heat. Continue in the same manner until all of the batter is cooked.

Divide the steamed asparagus among the crepes. Wrap each bundle of asparagus in hot crepe, and serve immediately with dipping sauce.

Your Turn: What's your favorite way to enjoy coconut?

Asparagus

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 20:00:00 GMT

Editor's note: When we decided to do Asparagus for our CHEFS In Season article, we reached out to our friends at Cook's Country and asked if they might have some great tips to share. Did they ever! Today's CHEFS Mix post is a collection of tips for selecting, preparing and cooking asparagus, from the great folks over at Cook's Country.

CHEFS In Season is a monthly article featuring in season fruits, vegetables, game and more. Each article contains selection, storing, preparing and cooking tips. Find featured recipes plus browse the archive.

CHEFS is a proud sponsor of Cook's Country TV for the past two seasons. Find the recipes below plus other great recipes from Cook's Country in CHEFS Recipe section. Check your local PBS station for the Cook's Country TV air times.

White Asparagus Vs. Green

Published May 1, 2010. From Cook's Illustrated.

What is white asparagus, and how does its taste compare to green asparagus?

White asparagus is simply green asparagus that has never seen the light of day. The plant is grown under soil or some other covering to block out the sun’s rays, preventing photosynthesis and the development of chlorophyll, which turns the spears green. Europeans prize locally grown white asparagus as a springtime delicacy, but since there are no domestic producers in the U.S., the great majority of white asparagus available in supermarkets is imported from Peru. When we pan-roasted Peruvian white asparagus and green asparagus and sampled them side by side, tasters dubbed the green spears “vegetal,” “sweet,” and “grassy,” with a “slightly mineral” aftertaste. The white spears had a less pronounced flavor, reminding tasters of “a cross between peas and turnips.” Overall, the white spears didn’t wow us, presumably because their delicate flavor had faded during shipping and storage.

If we have the opportunity to try freshly picked white asparagus, we won’t hesitate. As for the usual supermarket offerings, with a price difference of at least $2 per pound (we paid $3.99 per pound for green and $5.99 per pound for white), we’ll stick with the green stuff.

Asparagus Size

Should I buy different thicknesses of asparagus for different applications?

While shopping for asparagus to fill our Hearty Omelet with Asparagus, we bought stalks as thin as pencils and others as fat as nickels. To find out how size affects flavor or texture, we steamed, broiled, and sautéed both thin and thick spears, adjusting the cooking times to make up for the difference in size. While both groups were tender when steamed, the slender spears were less watery and had a more intense asparagus flavor than the fat ones. Inversely, broiling and sautéing both produced perfectly cooked thick asparagus—tender, moist interiors surrounded by crisp, browned skin—but left the thin asparagus emaciated inside of their shriveled, tough skins.

Thin Spears: Best for steaming. Thick Spears: Best for broiling or sautéing.

Selecting Thick Vs. Thin Of Asparagus

Published March 1, 2011. From Cook's Illustrated.

Sometimes the asparagus stalks at local markets are as thin as pencils; other times they’re fat and meaty. Is thickness an indication of maturity? And does size affect taste?

Asparagus spears are the plant shoots of an underground crown that can produce for up to 20 years. The thickness of a spear has nothing to do with its age—that is, a thin spear will not mature into a thicker spear. Rather, diameter is determined by two factors: the age of the entire plant (younger crowns produce more slender stalks) and its variety.

So, which size is preferable? We snapped off the woody bottoms of fat and skinny spears and tasted them side-by-side, both steamed and tossed with olive oil and salt. While both types tasted equally sweet, nutty, and grassy, we expected the delicate-looking thin spears to be more tender. To our surprise, the thicker spears actually had the better texture (if only by a hair). The reason? The vegetable’s fiber is slightly more concentrated in thinner spears.

Since thick and thin spears are both good bets, choose the size that best suits your cooking method. Thicker stalks are better for broiling and roasting because they will stand up to the intense dry heat that would quickly shrivel skinnier spears. We also like thicker spears for grilling since they are easier to manipulate. Quick-cooking thinner spears are good candidates for steaming and stir-frying.

Storing Asparagus

"Recipes That Work®" Cook's Country February/March 2009

Here is the best method for preserving the freshness of this delicate vegetable.

To determine how to best maintain asparagus’ bright color and crisp texture, we tested refrigerating spears in the plastic bag we’d bought them in, enclosed in a paper bag, wrapped in a damp paper towel, and with the stalk ends trimmed and standing up in a small amount of water. After three days the results were clear. Those left in the plastic bag had become slimy, while the paper bag and towel bunches had shriveled tips and limp stalks. However, the bunch stored in water looked as good as fresh and retained its firm texture.

To store asparagus this way, trim the bottom 1/2-inch of the stalks and stand the spears upright in a glass. Add enough water to cover the bottom of the stalks by 1 inch and place the glass in the refrigerator. Asparagus stored this way should remain relatively fresh for about four days; you may need to add a little more water every few days. Re-trim the very bottom of the stalks before using.

Vegetable Bouquet

Store cut asparagus in water to keep it fresh longer.

Trimming Asparagus: It's A Snap

Published May 1, 2011. From Cook's Illustrated.

Even the most thin, delicate spears of asparagus still have tough, woody ends that must be removed. To break off the ends at precisely the right point, all you need is your hands.

Grip the stalk about halfway down; with the other hand, hold the stem between the thumb and index finger about an inch or so from the bottom and bend the stalk until it snaps.

The Best Way To Cook Asparagus

Published September 1, 2008. From Cook's Illustrated.

Asparagus side dishes often don't get much attention and taste rather dull. How do you build flavor with a minimum of work?

Shopping Notes

Pencil-thin asparagus are easily overcooked and thick spears are woody; choose asparagus 1/2- to 5/8-inch thick.

Preparation

Trim tough ends.

Basic Cooking Methods

Broiling and pan-roasting concentrate flavors in delicate asparagus. Toss 2 pounds trimmed asparagus with 1 tablespoon olive oil on baking sheet and broil, shaking pan once, for 8 to 10 minutes. Or heat 1 tablespoon each vegetable oil and butter in 12-inch nonstick skillet. Add 2 pounds trimmed asparagus, with half of tips pointing in one direction and other half pointing in opposite direction. Cover and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Uncover and cook over high heat until tender and browned, 5 to 7 minutes.

Parmesan-Crusted Asparagus

From Cook's Country April/May 2012

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Why This Recipe Works: Simply roasting asparagus and topping it with shaved Parmesan gives you limp spears and rubbery cheese. To get crisp-tender asparagus, we salted it to rid it of excess moisture. From there, we dipped the spears in a combination of honey and egg whites whipped to soft peaks and coated them with a mixture of bread crumbs and Parmesan. Finally, to reinforce the Parmesan flavor, we topped the spears with an extra dose of cheese at the end of roasting.

Avoid pencil-thin asparagus for this recipe. Work quickly when tossing the asparagus with the egg whites, as the salt will rapidly begin to deflate the whites.

Ingredients

2 pounds (1/2-inch-thick) asparagus, trimmed
Salt and pepper
3 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1 1/2 cups)
3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Pinch cayenne
2 large egg whites
1 teaspoon honey

Directions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with vegetable oil spray. Using fork, poke holes up and down stalks of asparagus. Toss asparagus with 1/2-teaspoon salt and let stand for 30 minutes on a paper towel–lined baking sheet.

Meanwhile, combine 1 cup Parmesan, breadcrumbs, butter, 1/4-teaspoon salt, 1/8-teaspoon pepper, and cayenne in bowl. Transfer half of breadcrumb mixture to shallow dish and reserve remaining mixture. Using stand mixer fitted with whisk, whip egg whites and honey on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium-high and whip until soft peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape into 13 by 9-inch baking dish and toss asparagus in mixture. Working 1 spear at a time, dredge half of asparagus in breadcrumbs and transfer to baking sheet. Refill shallow dish with reserved breadcrumb mixture and repeat with remaining half of asparagus.

Bake asparagus until just beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2-cup Parmesan and continue to bake until cheese is melted and bread crumbs are golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to platter. Serve. Serves 4 to 6 as a side dish

Creamy Asparagus Soup

From Cook's Country April/May 2010

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Why This Recipe Works: For our Creamy Asparagus Soup recipe, we found that cooking asparagus on medium-low heat slowly coaxed out its flavor. But there was a fine line between perfect and overcooked; for its fresh flavor to translate to the soup, the asparagus needed to be just tender enough to puree, but no more. For the soup’s base, we quickly discovered that water was bland (no surprise). A homemade asparagus stock wasn’t worth the extra effort, and additions of wine or vermouth turned a delicate soup grassy and acidic. Ultimately, our tasters liked store-bought chicken broth the best. We tested a number of “cream" components, from yogurt to sour cream, crème fraîche, and rice milk, and they were all too heavy, too tangy, or just too weird. In the end, a pour of heavy cream tasted just right. To give the soup a silky quality we switched from a base of onions to leeks. When pureed they made the soup creamier and added heft.

Ingredients

2 pounds asparagus, stem ends trimmed
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 small leeks, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise and sliced thin
Salt and pepper
3-1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup frozen peas
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions

Cook Tips: Cut tips off asparagus spears and chop stalks into 1/2-inch pieces. Peel the bottom 1/3 of the spears with a vegetable peeler, if they are thicker than 1/2-inch. Melt 1-1/2 tablespoons butter in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add asparagus tips and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 2 minutes. Set aside.

Soften Vegetables: Add remaining butter and asparagus, leeks, 1/2-teaspoon salt, and 1/8-teaspoon pepper to empty pot and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes.

Simmer Soup: Add broth to pot and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in peas and Parmesan. Puree soup in blender in 2 batches and return to pot. Stir in cream, lemon juice, and asparagus tips, and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve. (Soup can be refrigerated in airtight container for 2 days.) Serves 6

Tips, recipes and images courtesy of America's Test Kitchen and Cook's Country. America’s Test Kitchen is filmed in a real, working test kitchen located just outside of Boston. It is the home of Cook’s Illustrated magazine, Cook's Country TV, and the Monday-to-Friday destination for more than three dozen test cooks, editors, food scientists, tasters, and cookware specialists. CHEFS Catalog is a proud sponsor of Cook's Country, a part of the America's Test Kitchen family. For more information about Cook's Country and America's Test Kitchen visit their website: www.americastestkitchen.com, www.cookscountry.com

Your Turn: What's your favorite was to enjoy asparagus?

Chicken and Dumplings

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Winter circled back around one more time to visit Colorado Springs. Dire predictions of a blizzard and warnings to stay off the road kept me inside. Well, that is not the only reason that I stayed inside—I also was stricken with a nasty flu. After several days of surviving on canned soups, I wanted some old-fashioned comfort food. I wanted chicken and dumplings.

Being sick, I was banned from making anything, lest I become our home's typhoid Mary. But I wrote down a shortcut version of the recipe for the acting cook to follow. I was afraid that the results would be less than comforting. However, with a little couch-cooking, it turned out excellent. Still rich and creamy, with comforting chicken flavor. It is such a quick recipe, I think it is a keeper for a week-day chicken and dumplings.

Dumpling Challenge

The challenge to making chicken and dumplings is always the dumplings. There are two types of dumplings: the flat type, which resembles thick noodles, and the round version. . It is a matter of preference as to which you want, but they play an important part of the soup. The flour from the dumplings helps thicken the broth.

What's the difference? The flat dumplings are made from stiffer rolled dough and then cut into shape. The round dumpling is made from a thick batter dropped by the spoonful into the broth. My experience in making chicken and dumplings is that the flat version will not thicken the broth as much as the round

My dumplings dissolved! What happened? One of my first attempts at making chicken and dumplings, all of my dumplings disappeared. The soup was rich and thick, but not a dumpling remained in the broth. I immediately called up my grandmother, the source of all my dumpling knowledge. After she stopped laughing, 5 minutes later, she asked me if the broth had been boiling when I dropped in the dumplings. It had not been. She may have had a good laugh, but I got some great tips for making dumplings that have helped ensure that my dumplings are delicious.

Grandma's Tips for Delicious Dumplings

Start with boiling broth: Having the broth at a slow boil when you start dropping in the dumplings is the key to making the dumplings regardless of which type you are making. The high heat of the boiling liquid seals the dumpling into shape as soon as it hits the liquid.

Do not rush adding the dumplings: As the dumplings are added to the hot broth they will sink and then come back up to the top. Typically, I will add several at a time, wait the 30 seconds or some for them to start coming back up and then add more. Add another round of dumplings, then wait. I continue in the same way until all the dumplings are in the pot.

Keep the broth at a high simmer: Make sure to adjust the heat as you go to keep the broth between a simmer and slow boil. This will keep the dumplings intact.

Cover the pot and don't stir: Once the dumplings are in cover it, and here is the next important part, do not stir the pot for at least 15 minutes. After 15 minutes or so, uncover the soup and stir to separate the dumplings, if necessary. Let them continue to simmer until done.

Taste a dumpling: Gummy dumplings are undercooked dumplings. Pull one out of the broth after they have been simmering for 15 to 20 minutes. If it is still gummy in the center, let them keep cooking and try again in a few minutes.

Thicken, if needed: I typically make the round dumplings, and my broth thickens nicely. But after stir to separate the dumplings, if you want to make your broth thicker, that's when you want to do it. Adding a blond roux, flour or cornstarch dissolved into chicken broth, or a little heavy cream, will thicken a broth nicely.

Quick Chicken and Dumplings

Makes 4 servings
32 ounces chicken stock
2 medium carrots, cut into 1/4- to 1/2 inch rounds
1 stalk celery, sliced thinly
1 medium onion, diced
2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1-3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste

In a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat, add chicken stock, onions, celery, onion and chicken. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer. Cook 20 to 30 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Using a fork to stir, mix in 1/2 cup milk to form a soft, but thick batter. Add up to 2 additional tablespoons of milk if batter is too thick.
Increase heat to bring broth to a low boil. Drop by the tablespoonful into simmering liquid. Keep the dumplings spaced apart to prevent them from sticking together. Continue to add dumplings until all batter is used.

Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes. Uncover and stir. Check dumpling for doneness by tasting or breaking one apart. If dumpling is gummy in the center, allow them to simmer 5 to 10 minutes longer.

Serve immediately.

Your Turn: What is your favorite comfort food recipe?

Quick Breads

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 22:00:00 GMT

Saturday is National Banana Nut Bread Day. I love banana nut bread. It is one of my favorite quick breads to keep on hand. It is great on its own with a bit of butter, dipped in egg wash for French Toast, crumbled and baked in a custard to make banana nut bread pudding.

I am always buying bananas, some for me to eat and some to let get overripe. Last time I made banana bread, something went wrong. It was dry and tough; definitely not the best banana bread I have ever made. So I started doing some research into what went wrong and what not to do the next time. Turns out, I probably over mixed the batter and had used a pan that was too big.

I discovered some great tips as I was doing my research. As a result, I have compiled a list of the best hints and tips for making better quick breads to share with you.

Ingredients

Measure the baking powder and baking soda accurately. Too much leavening ingredients can make the bread dry and crumbly or leave a bitter aftertaste. Too much baking powder or soda can cause the batter to over rise, which will cause the bread to fall and appear sunken. Too little leavening will result in a bread texture that is dense or gummy.
Check the freshness of your baking powder and soda before adding into the dry ingredients. Place 1 teaspoon of baking powder in 1/3 cup hot water or 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda in 2 teaspoons of vinegar, if the solutions bubble, then they are good to use in your quick bread.

High Altitude Adjustments

Reduce the baking soda 1/8 teaspoon to help create a better rise.
Reduce the sugar by 1 or 2 tablespoons to help prevent the bread from falling
Increase the flour by 2 to 4 tablespoons to help add structure and prevent the bread from falling.
Increase the liquid by up to 1/4-cup to help keep the quick bread moist
Increase the baking temperature 15 F (for altitudes up to 6,000 feet) or add extra baking time (over 6,000 feet).

Mixing

The secret to tender moist quick breads is in the mixing. It is best to mix by hand and not by a stand or hand mixer. A stand mixer will whip too much air into the batter, potentially drying out a quick bread.
Mix wet and dry ingredients separately first before combining them together. Sift together the dry ingredients in one bowl. Beat together the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Then fold the dry ingredients into the wet just until ingredients are moistened. Add any extras—chocolate chips, nuts, or fruits, and stir until just combined.
Avoid over mixing—small lumps in the batter will be fine. Over mixing can cause the quick bread to be tough because of the gluten that will form when mixing. Over mixing will also cause large bubbles or “tunneling” in the finished bread.

Adding Fruit and Nuts to Quick Breads

If using dried fruit, soak them in just enough boiling water to cover the fruit in a small bowl. Let them stand about 15 minutes, drain and add to batter. For extra flavor, use juice or liquors and allow the fruit to soak overnight.
For nut breads, check the bread 15 to 20 minutes before the time called for in the recipe. If the loaf is browning too quickly, tent with foil.
To keep nuts and fruits from sinking in a quick bread, dust them with a tablespoon of flour before adding to flour. (shake off and dispose of any excess flour).

Baking

Fill the baking pan only 2/3 of the way full to allow for rising during baking.
If using a glass or dark metal pan, reduce the baking temperature 25 F.
Always grease the baking pan before adding batter. Shortening is the best fat because of its higher melting point. Cooking sprays will also work. To prevent an rim around the edge of the loaf, grease the pan only 1/2 way up the side of the pan.
Allow the bread to cool 15 to 20 minutes and then remove from the pan and allow it to finish cooling on a wire rack. This will help prevent the bread from sticking in the pan or overcooking from residual pan heat.
If using a different size pan than a recipe calls for, adjust the baking time and check on the bread often.
For best results, bake breads on a rack placed in the center of the oven.
Check the bread 10 to 15 minutes before baking time is complete. Tent with foil if it appears to be browning too quickly.

Serving

To keep a quick bread from crumbling when sliced, make sure that the bread has cooled completely. Cut using a sawing motion without pressing down.
The cracks that form in the top of a quick bread are normal, and are caused by
the quick leavening that occurs when baking. Drizzle with an icing to cover, if they seem unsightly to you.

Storage

Allow breads to cool completely before storing and keep in the refrigerator, for short-term storage, to prevent spoiling.
If storing at room temperature, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and then foil to help preserve moisture.
To freeze, wrap in foil and then place in a heavy-duty resealable freezer bag. To thaw a frozen quick bread, remove from plastic wrap and loosen foil. Allow to thaw at room temperature 2 to 3 hours.

Looking for a few versions of banana bread to celebrate National Banana Nut Bread Day, try these recipes from CHEFS. For these and more quick bread recipes, visit CHEFS Recipe section.

Whole Wheat Banana Bread

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Ingredients

6 roasted ripe bananas, mashed
1 large egg
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup milk
1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup ground flax seed
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cup pecans

Directions

Note: There is no extra sugar added to this recipe. The sweetness of the bread comes from the roasted bananas and chocolate chips. If extra sweetness is desired add 1/2 cup honey or brown sugar.

Preheat oven to 400F. Place bananas, with skin on, on a baking sheet. Place in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes until skin turns solid black. Remove from oven and cool until easy to handle. Peel bananas and remove flesh. Mash and set aside.

Lower temperature of oven to 325F. Grease and flour a 9x5-inch loaf pan.

In a mixing bowl, combine bananas, egg, vegetable oil, and milk. Stir to combine. Combine flours, flax seed, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to wet ingredients and stir until combined. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake on center rack 60 to 70 minutes, until knife inserted into center of loaf comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Classic Banana Nut Bread

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Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cups sugar
1-1/2 cups light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups mashed overripe bananas
4 large eggs, beaten
1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Grease and flour two 9x5 inch loaf pans.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and eggs, until smooth. Add bananas and eggs, and mix until smooth. Sift together flour, salt and baking soda. Add dry ingredients to wet, and stir until just combined. Divide the batter evenly between prepared loaf pans.

Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 70 minutes until a knife inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool loaves in pans on a wire rack.

Banana Zucchini Bread

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Ingredients

2 cups mashed ripe bananas, about 4 bananas
1 large egg
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded zucchini
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease 9x5 loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl combine mashed bananas, egg, oil, sugar and vanilla. Whisk to combine. Sift together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet and stir until just combined. Stir in zucchini and walnuts.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 55 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack.

Double Chocolate Banana Bread

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Ingredients

2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 cups ripe bananas, mashed, about 4 bananas
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch processed cocoa powder
1 cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 F. Butter and flour 9x 5-inch loaf pan.

Note: To help preserve any banana chunks in mashed bananas, it is best to mix by hand. However, if keeping the chunky bananas isn't important, use a stand mixer, but mix only until just combined. Avoid over mixing the batter.

In a medium bowl, whisk together butter and eggs. Stir in mashed bananas, vanilla and salt. In a large bowl mix together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk wet ingredients into dry ingredients, mixing until combined. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake in preheated oven on center rack for 50 to 60 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Place loaf pans on a wire rack to cool.

Chocolate

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 15:00:00 GMT

Tomorrow is February 1st: the beginning of the month of sweethearts, spouses, and loves. February is also National Chocolate Lover's Month--a whole month to celebrate the delicious, velvety smoothness of chocolate! Mmmmm…Chocolate…

The first chocolate candies, or eating chocolates, were created in England in the 1800’s. Chocolate, in candy form and as a drink, was very popular with the wealthier society: they were the only people who could afford the decadence at the time. It spoke to your wealth if you served chocolate to guests. Today, thankfully chocolate is readily available no matter your status, and it is one of the most popular candies available. During the month of February the National Confectioners Association estimates that over 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolates will be bought and sold over Valentine’s Day.

Learn more about chocolate at CHEFS Catalog In Season, featuring chocolate!

While eating chocolate candies and bars are delicious ways to enjoy chocolate, I prefer it used in recipes. Give me chocolatey chicken mole (mo-lay), chocolate cheesecake, or a warm, buttery chocolate babka! But if you aren't used to working with chocolate, it can be challenging to decide which chocolate to use. Molding, tempering and storing chocolate presents their own challenges. I will not claim to be an expert on chocolate, but I thought I would share some of my favorite chocolate resources.

For a nice good quick reference guide on types of chocolates, I like Cook’s Country Getting to Know: Chocolate. It was published in their recent December/January issue, but is also available online.

If you haven’t ever heard of him, Jacques Torres, is one of the premier chocolatiers. He has many videos available, but these two are perfect for learning some basics:

Chocolate Making 101

Tempering & Storing Chocolate

(And yes, I have used my hair drier to heat chocolate. It really works!)

How will you be celebrating National Chocolate Month? Below are a few of our most popular featured recipes to help satisfy that chocolate craving. (For these and other Chocolate recipes, visit CHEFScatalog.com)

Your Turn: What's your favorite chocolate indulgence?

Chocolate Meringue Miniature Cheesecakes
printer-friendly recipe

Cookie Crust:
8 chocolate graham crackers
3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons finely chopped Guittard bittersweet chocolate

Chocolate Cheesecake:
14 ounce cream cheese (not whipped)
1/2 cup sugar
5 ounce semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 eggs

Meringue Topping:
1 tablespoon sugar
2 egg whites
pinch of Salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F.

Put graham crackers in the small bowl of the food processor fitted with the metal blade, and pulse until fine crumbs form. Add the melted butter and sugar and pulse to blend.

Transfer mixture to a small bowl. Stir in the chocolate. Divide mixture equally among 12 round molds in a mini cheesecake pan, pressing evenly into the bottom of each cup.

Bake until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Cool.

Chocolate Cheesecake
Put all ingredients in the large bowl of the food processor fitted with the metal blade and pulse until smooth. Scrape bowl and pulse again. Pour mixture onto the cookie crusts in the mini cheesecake pan, dividing evenly and filling almost to the top.

Bake until set, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill thoroughly.

Meringue Topping
Remove cheesecake pan from the refrigerator approximately 15 minutes prior to serving. Carefully unmold the cheesecakes from the pan.

In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and the salt. Put the egg whites and sugar mixture in the large bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat until stiff peaks form. Spoon meringue into a piping bag fitted with a medium star tip.

Pipe a large star on the top of each cheesecake. Using a kitchen torch, lightly torch the top of the meringue "star", browning slightly.

Shave chocolate on top of meringue for garnish.

Makes 15 miniature cheesecakes.

Cook's Country Chocolate Blackout Cake
printer-friendly recipe

Pudding:
1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup whole milk
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cake Layers:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing pans
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting pans
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
1 cup brewed coffee
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon

Directions:

Be sure to give the pudding and the cake enough time to cool or you'll end up with runny pudding and gummy cake. Serves 10 to 12

For the pudding: Whisk sugar, cornstarch, salt, half-and-half, and milk in large saucepan. Set pan over medium heat. Add chocolate and whisk constantly until chocolate melts and mixture begins to bubble, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in vanilla and transfer pudding to large bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on surface of pudding and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours or up to 1 day.

For the cake layers: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter and flour two 8-inch cake pans. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in bowl.

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in cocoa and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Off heat, whisk in coffee, buttermilk, and sugars until dissolved. Whisk in eggs and vanilla, then slowly whisk in flour mixture.

Divide batter evenly between prepared pans and bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool layers in pans 15 minutes, then invert onto wire rack. Cool to room temperature, at least 1 hour.

To assemble the cake: Cut each cake in half horizontally. Crumble one cake layer into medium crumbs and set aside. Place one cake layer on serving platter or cardboard round. Spread 1 cup pudding over cake layer and top with another layer. Repeat with 1 cup pudding and last cake layer. Spread remaining pudding evenly over top and sides of cake. Sprinkle cake crumbs evenly over top and sides of cake, pressing lightly to adhere crumbs. Serve. Cake can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.

Chocolate Silk Pie
printer-friendly recipe

Ingredients
1 single crust pie crust
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4 eggs or equivalent pasteurized egg product
1/2 cup sweetened whipped cream

Directions
Heat oven to 450 F. Roll out pie crust to fit 9-inch pie pan. Line crust-filled pie pan with parchment and fill with pie weights. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely with pie weights in place to help ensure crust shape, about 30 minutes.

In 1-quart saucepan, melt chocolate over low heat; cool. In small bowl with electric mixer, beat butter on medium speed until fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in cooled chocolate and vanilla until well blended.

Add eggs 1 at a time, beating on high speed 2 minutes after each addition; beat until mixture is smooth and fluffy. Pour into cooled baked shell. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate curls. Store in refrigerator.