Monthly Archive for June, 2009

Amazing Five-Minute Homemade Puff Pastry. No Really. Five Minutes.

Published on June 29, 2009 in Desserts. 4 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .
Individual Tart Size Homemade Puff Pastry

I LOVE using frozen puff pastry. It is an amazing substance. It will instantly transform an amateur pastry maker like myself into a top-notch pastry chef. But it is spendy and doesn’t keep well, and a little on the oily side.

For about a year now I have been tinkering with a homemade dough that doesn’t take an entire day to make and still has that rich, buttery flaky layered texture that is the puff pastry hallmark.  I won’t bore you with all the variations, but I made about 30 versions, trying to get the balance of ingredients just right to maximize flavor and texture.

I FINALLY FINISHED IT THIS WEEKEND!

My sister Sandy is a culinary student who has a pastry certificate. She was here this weekend and gave it her stamp of approval! She was impressed with  the texture given how little time was invested in making it. It only takes 5 minutes of prep time. No, seriously, 5 MINUTES! I am NOT making that up!

These little small discs are great for making individual tarts by spreading with a little pudding or flavored cream cheese and topping with fresh fruit.

***Stayed tuned for my next post in a few days for “Red, White and Blueberry Tarts,” made with this pastry just in time for the Fourth of July***

So, here it is in all its flaky buttery glory!

5 MINUTE HOMEMADE PUFF PASTRY

1 1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 ounces cream cheese, cold
8 ounces unsalted butter, cold
1 tablespoon cold water
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut butter into very small cubes and place in freezer for at least 1o minutes. Place flour and salt in a food processor. Cut cream cheese into small cubes and add to food processor. Add frozen butter cubes to food processor. Pulse in 1-second pulses for about 8 to 10 pulses, until small crumb stage.

Turn processor on and stream in the water and lemon juice, just for a few seconds until the dough begins to come together in a ball.  Flatten dough into a small disc, wrap in plastic wrap and then refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and let stand about 20 minutes, until soft and cool to the touch. Roll out to 1/4 inch thickness. Fold dough over itself in thirds. Roll out to 1/4 inch thickness again.

Cut into shapes as desired and bake on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Bake near top of of oven for 15 to 18 minutes, depending on size of shapes, until light golden brown, watching closely the last few minutes so as not to burn.

– posted by Donna

c – Copyright 2009 by Donna Kelly -
Commercial use with permission only

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Fab Frugal Friday: Ginger Scallion Sauce

Published on June 26, 2009 in Frugal Tips, Gluten Free and Healthy Fare. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

I kind of have a special guest star here today! A good friend of mine came to visit earlier this week, and happens to be an adept Chinese cook. She was kind enough to give me the secret to one of the staples in her arsenal of flavors: a really tasty blend of ginger and scallions that is “flash fried” right in the jar. Here’s what I got to eat it on:

Angeline says, “This is a great dipping sauce for meats (especially chicken), can be mixed into marinades, and is a great eaten with just plain ol’ white rice! The one caveat I have to this recipe is that it is very important not to overpower the sauce with too much ginger or too much scallion – equal portions of each make the ideal blend.” It’s also great in stir-fries, as I was lucky enough to discover for myself while she was here! This is a really versatile and flavorful homemade condiment to keep on hand.

ANGELINE’S GINGER-SCALLION SAUCE

1 large hand ginger, peeled and cut into chunks
8 scallions,  roughly chopped
splash of Shiaoxing wine or  dry sherry (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of garlic powder (optional)
3 tablespoons peanut oil

In the food processor, pulse the ginger until the pieces break up. Add the scallions and process until everything is finely chopped/minced. Stir in salt, pepper, garlic powder and sherry. Transfer mixture to a glass jar with a lid. In a small saucepan, heat the oil until it is hot. Carefully spoon oil into ginger mixture.  As soon as you have added all the oil, put the lid on the jar and gently shake the contents to mix the hot oil and the sauce. Refrigerate up to 6 months.

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First Gazpacho of the Summer!

Published on June 24, 2009 in Appetizers, Gluten Free, Healthy Fare, Side Dishes, Vegan Recipes and Vegetarian Entrees. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

I look forward to this every year. I’ve been eating this since I was a kid – my mom (the wonderful adoptive mom who raised me, not the equally wonderful birth mom with whom I share this very blog, for those of you who know the whole story) used to make it religiously. We called it “liquid salad”, and though that makes it sound a bit less appetizing than it actually is, it’s a fair description of the raw veggie content. I can’t think of a more healthy recipe, for the life of me, and it’s one that can be dressed up with any number of garnishes. Also? EASY. This is my own definitive version, having tweaked it for literally decades now.

GAZPACHO

6 cups tomato juice, divided
2 tomatoes, cored and quartered
1 medium onion, quartered
1/2 green and 1/2 red bell peppers (or just one of either)
1/2 cup cilantro
2 cloves garlic, chopped
juice and zest of 1 lime
dash or two (or three) hot pepper sauce (to taste)
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
freshly ground pepper to taste

Combine about 2 cups of the juice in the food processor with all the vegetables and the cilantro. Blitz until smooth! You could do this in the blender, and indeed I have, but I actually like it to have a bit of ‘texture’. Don’t get me wrong – it should not be chunky or anything even near it, but I like being able to see and feel a bit of the fiber, if that makes sense. Anyway, pour contents into a large bowl, and add remaining juice and the rest of the ingredients. Stir well, making sure oil has been well-incorporated. Chill for at least 2-3 hours, if not more.

Then it’s ALL about the garnishes. I prefer a combination of finely diced cucumbers, peppers, and carrots, but many other things are great. Scallions, chives, more cilantro leaves, additional diced tomato  or halved grape tomatoes – all fabulous and still uberhealthy. We always used to add croutons when I was a kid, also an option. And in recent years I’ve been adding carefully diced avocado, too, which adds a wonderful creaminess

All in all, a cooling yet zesty addition to any summer grillfest, picnic, or ordinary dinner.

– posted by Anne

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Fab Frugal Friday: Grilled Fruit

Published on June 19, 2009 in Desserts and Frugal Tips. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , .
Peaches on the Grill

Peaches on the Grill

One of my greatest discoveries this summer is grilled fruit. This is soooooo easy you can even send one of your older kids out to the grill with a bowl full of fruit lightly sprayed with oil and some tongs and let then throw them on the grill!

So many fruits turn out great when grilled – I think peach halves are my very favorite. They taste fab and make a delicious frugal topping for ice cream. I also like eating them the same way my grandma ate plain peaches – sliced into a bowl with a little milk and a sprinkle with sugar. Yum!

For extra flavor, I use a balsamic reduction glaze: 1 cup of balsamic vinegar with 1/4 cup brown sugar simmered until reduced slightly. Brush on the fruit and then use the extra glaze as a drizzle later.

– posted by Donna

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Granitas 5 Ways

Published on June 17, 2009 in Desserts and Gluten Free. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , , , .

Summer marches on! With strawberries overflowing everywhere I turn, I thought this would be a perfect – and incredibly cheap and simple – way to celebrate. Talk about both fabulous and frugal; all you need besides the strawberries (which are of course the most affordable right now) and water (free) is sugar (though you can substitute another sweetener if you prefer). I whipped up a batch, and then went crazy making 4 more.

I realized only after the fact that two of the pairs I made look almost identical: the Cappucino and Earl Grey tea are both creamy beige, and the Raspberry Lime Rickey and Strawberry Balsamic are both, well, bright red! At least the Ginger Peach is unique. Anyway, I assure you that the flavors are much more varied than their looks.

The Cappucino and Earl Grey versions are also so cost effective – I generally have both on hand in the pantry, along with sweeteners, so if you’re like me, all you need is the cream. The raspberry and peach were both made using frozen fruit I had on hand, and I luckily had one lime left, and a hunk of ginger in the freezer (the best way to store leftover ginger – you can grate it directly from frozen with your microplane and it lasts forever).

You MUST try at least one of these, or a few – or all 5 if you get possessed by the process like me.

STRAWBERRY BALSAMIC

1 1/2 cups water
½ cup sugar
4 cups ripe strawberries, hulled
2-3 teaspoons balsamic vinegar (optional)

Bring water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan; stir to dissolve the sugar. Let cool to nearly room temperature. Puree the remaining strawberries in a food processor and stir into simple syrup.

Transfer to a shallow container and place in freezer. Every half hour to 45 minutes, using a fork, stir the granita, scraping the bottom and sides so that it freezes evenly. You’ll have to repeat this process about 5-6 times, over about 3 hours or so (every freezer being different).

Note about the balsamic: I think this would also be terrific both in taste and presentation with a drizzle of balsamic reduction syrup on top, if you have any on hand. If not, do try mixing a few teaspoons in as above.

ICED CAPPUCINO

3 cups strong brewed coffee
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup cream or half & half
½ teaspoon cinnamon

Put hot coffee in a bowl.  Add sugar and stir to dissolve, then add cream or half & half and cinnamon. Let cool a bit, to about room temperature.

Transfer the mixture to a shallow pan, place in the freezer, and follow the rest of the above instructions, stirring mixture with a fork approximately every 30-45 minutes.

EARL GREY GRANITA

3 cups strongly brewed Earl Grey tea (I used 5 bags)
1/3 cup sugar
½ cup cream or half & half

Follow instructions for coffee mixture above. Note: this took the longest of all 5 varieties to set up for some reason – if it doesn’t seem to be freezing at first, just be patient. It may take an hour or so for it to start to crystallize

RASPBERRY LIME RICKEY

1 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
2 ½ cups raspberries
1 lime – juice and zest

Follow instructions for strawberry granita, adding the lime juice and zest (best procured using a microplane) to the berries in the food processor. You might want to reserve a little zest for garnish, as the vibrant colors together are so purty. Here they are hanging out in the food processor together, just before being blitzed.

GINGER PEACH GRANITA

1 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
2 cups sliced peaches
1-2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger (start small & add more to taste)

Again, follow the instructions for the strawberry granita. Keep in mind that you can vary the thickness; this one in particular got a bit sticky as it was freezing. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, you just may want to avoid it getting TOO thick.

My freezer is stocked and my weekend guests are stoked! All best enjoyed poolside, of course.

– posted by Anne

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And the Joy of Summer Grilling continues: Pizza on the Grill

Published on June 15, 2009 in Entrees. 4 Comments Tags: , , , .

Grilled pizza is of those things that just seems illogical – soft dough on a sizzling hot grill . . . Hey, wouldn’t the dough just ooze through the grill? Or stick? Or start on fire?

But, several chefs I admire cook pizza on the grill, and Grilling Guru Bobby Flay recommends it.  It sounded fun, so I gave it a try over the weekend. Turns out, it works! -  and I have a few suggestions of how to improve upon Chef Flay’s recipe.

First, I found that this is one of those cases where the type of flour makes a difference. Bread flour makes the dough sturdier, and I threw in a little whole wheat flour to make it even more substantial. The first batch I made was with all purpose flour, which was too soft and stuck to the grill. It was a huge mess! Chef Flay recommended “any bread dough,” but if I may be so bold: I disagree!

Pizza dough grilling

Pizza dough grilling

Second, I found through trial and error that it is better to just cook one side, then top that side with pizza toppings and put the whole thing back on the grill, uncooked side down.

Third, it is very important to close the grill cover. VERY important. Otherwise the dough burns before the toppings cook. Trust me on this one.

PIZZA ON THE GRILL

2 cups bread flour (plus a little extra as needed)
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 cup very warm water
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Mix together the flours, sugar, salt and yeast in food processor. While processor is running, slowly stream in the water and oil, until dough ball forms and dough does not stick to the sides. (Note: if dough does not come together as a ball, slowly add a little extra flour one tablespoon at a time until it does.)

Place in an oiled bowl and let stand in a warm place for about 2 hours, until doubled in size. Divide dough ball into four balls and let stand another 20 minutes. Roll to a thickness a little thicker than 1/4 inch.

Heat grill to medium hot, about 350 degrees if you have a gauge. Spray dough rounds lightly with oil and then place on grill. Turn grill heat to low. Cover grill. Cook for about 3 minutes and then start checking every minute or so. Remove dough rounds from grill when bottoms are cooked and have grill marks.

Remove rounds and place on counter cooked sides up. Spray with oil and then top as you would an oven-baked pizza. Place pizzas back on grill uncooked side down. Cook covered for another 3 minutes or so, until bottom is cooked and toppings are bubbly.

Happy Grilling!

–posted by Donna

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Fab Frugal Friday: Zestfully Frugal

Published on June 12, 2009 in Frugal Tips. 3 Comments Tags: , , , , .

This is all about maximizing as much of your produce as you possibly can, specifically your citrus, in this instance. The esteemed Kalyn of kalynskitchen did a great post not too long ago about freezing your lemon and lime juice in order to make sure you always have the real thing on hand. This is almost the flip side of it: preserving the zest from any lemon, lime, orange, or any other piece of citrus you might have.

You could use a traditional zester:

Or a snazzy microplane:

Zest is absolutely packed with flavor, as it contains the aromatic oils of the fruit. Donna just made excellent use of zest in her fajita marinade, for example. We used it in our Grapefruit Gelato. I recommend adding a touch to the Cranberry Pecan Lilybars. It’s great paired with berries, it can perk up a stew, add pop to a salad, than there’s sorbet, marmalade, limoncello, the sky’s the limit, really.

Just about anywhere you use citrus juice, you can throw in a bit of zest and it amps up the flavor considerably. But if you don’t use ALL the zest, it’s a shame to let all that bright shiny flavor go to waste! And yes, you CAN freeze zest! Of course it is always best when fresh, ideally zested immediately before using, but freezing is definitely functional here, certainly better than tossing it out – especially when you’ve got something fleeting like Meyer lemons on hand.

My recommendation is simple and twofold: first, make sure to use good quality heavy-duty ziploc freezer bags, and get all the air out. Second, I would opt to use the traditional zester for this task over the microplane, since the increased surface area created by the microplane will make the zest a bit more vulnerable to oil dissipation or freezer burn. If you only have a microplane, it’s still worth freezing, but do it the slightly more old-fashioned way for best results if you can.

So there you have it. If you only need the zest for a recipe, follow Kalyn’s tip and freeze the juice, and if you only need the juice, always make sure you save the zest!

– posted by Anne

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Let's call them Lilybars*.

Published on June 10, 2009 in Gluten Free, Healthy Fare and Vegan Recipes. 6 Comments Tags: , , , .

I’ve eaten a lot of nutritional bars over the years. Call them power bars, energy bars, meal replacement bars, protein bars, diet bars, and what have you, I’ve tried dozens of dozens. In recent years, I started eschewing the more processed and chemically-laden varieties in favor of ones comprised of actual food. (What a concept, eh?) My favorite of them all has been the blissfully simple Lärabar. They’re delicious, and they’re also vegan, raw, gluten-free, kosher, and pretty much any other virtuous superlative you can think of.

Lärabars come in an impressive variety of flavors (Ginger Snap, Pistachio, Apple Pie, Key Lime, and Cashew Cookie, just to name a few), but what’s even more impressive is the simplicity and purity of ingredients. The latter of the above has exactly TWO INGREDIENTS: dates and cashews. That’s it! The others don’t have too many more ingredients; I’d wager an average of 3, maybe 4, Cocoa Mole having the most due to the inclusion of spices.

Given the minimal ingredient list, being me, I decided to try making them at home. Here are the three I concocted:

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH

1 cup pitted and roughly chopped whole dates (I used organic Medjool)
3/4 cup raw cashews*
2 tablespoons cacao nibs (you could also use regular chocolate chips)
dash of cinnamon (optional)

Put a sheet of plastic wrap in an 8 inch loaf pan, enough to hang over each side, lengthwise.

Place the dates in a food processor. Pulse until processed to a paste; the dates will start to form a ball. Transfer paste to a medium bowl (no need to clean the processor).

Add the cashews to the processor and pulse until finely chopped. You definitely want this fine, but you don’t want to go too far and make cashew butter. Add the nuts to the bowl with the date paste, add cacao nibs or chocolate chips. Use your fingers to knead the nuts into the paste.

Once well-combined, roll into a log (it doesn’t need to be too fussy) and transfer into the plastic-lined 8 inch loaf pan. Press mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan . . .

and then lift it out – voila, perfect rectangle!

Divide into 8 bars – I used a bench scraper for this, like so:

Close up the rest of the plastic around any leftover bars and refrigerate. Note: these do need to be kept refrigerated, unlike Lärabars themselves, which uses an opaque wrapper specially designed to keep light and oxygen out.

The other varieties I made:

BLUEBERRY APRICOT ALMOND

1 cup pitted and roughly chopped whole dates
1/4 cup dried apricots
1 cup raw almonds*
1/4 cup dried blueberries

CRANBERRY (or GOJI BERRY) PECAN

1 cup pitted and roughly chopped whole dates
1/3 cup raw cashews*
1/3 cup raw pecans*
1/4 cup dried cranberries or goji berries (I used  goji berries)
1 or 2 teaspoons orange zest (optional)

Rather than typing the instructions for each over again – it’s basically the same process. Process dates and other moist fruits first, then nuts, then transfer to a bowl, add additional mix-ins, squish together, and press into bars.

I’m pleased with how they turned out – especially since my 14 month old also likes them. My favorite of the three is the Blueberry Almond Apricot one, but the others are tasty too. And I plan to experiment more with different varieties , maybe adding some flax and oats, maybe some spices – and so should you! It seems the key ratio is approximately 1 cup dates or a combination of dates and other moist dried fruits to 3/4 cup nuts of your choice, as a foundation, and then take it from there!

I’ll still be a Lärabar consumer, no doubt, but adding these into our healthy snack arsenal is definitely a boost to the budget – besides, they’re FUN to make. Enjoy!

*Lily is Anne’s 14 month old daughter/Donna’s 14 month old granddaughter.

** When using raw nuts, be sure to soak them first to get their full benefit. Here’s a great explanation, with instructions.

– posted by Anne

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The Most Flavorful Fajitas Ever – Flank Steak or Chicken Breast

Published on June 8, 2009 in Entrees. 8 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

In February, my sister and I went to Santa Fe and took some classes at the Santa Fe School of Cooking – it was an incredible culinary experience – I highly, highly recommend it for a fabulous getaway for any foodie interested in southwest foods.  I learned so much in just a few days – but I heard one thing that shocked and puzzled me. I attended a class called “Fajitas!,” with Chef Susan Anzalone. She said this -

“Never add acid to marinades for meats. NEVER. It will toughen the meat, just like it does in ceviche. Use zest if you want citrus flavor.”

This stunned me, because for years I have used lime juice in fajita marinades – with chicken and flank steak. So, I did some research seeing what some of my favorite chefs recommend for fajita marinades.

Alton Brown, a culinary hero of mine, calls flank steak “the most marinatable hunk of beef there is” in his book I’m Just Here for the Food. But, he does NOT use citrus in his marinade. On Good Eats, he does use lime juice, but says it does NOT tenderize the meat but only adds flavor. (((Hhmmmm . . . OK, Alton, one question:  if you’re not using juice for tenderizing meat but only flavor, why not use ZEST – it’s 1,000 times more flavorful than juice?)))

Some of my favorite magazines – Bon Appetit, Gourmet and Cooking Light – all use lime juice in their marinades, all recommend varying times for marinating.

And the amazing source America’s Test Kitchen (Cook’s Illustrated February 2007) uses lime juice, but sprinkles it on right before cooking. So, obviously ATK does not recommend citrus as a marinade.

I went to some of my favorite food blogs – Simply Recipes uses lime juice as a marinade. Kalyn’s Kitchen uses just a little lime juice during crock-pot cooking. Serious Eats uses lime and orange juices but a very short marinade time.

Now that grilling season is here, I plan on doing more than my share of feasting on fajitas – but I was confused: how to marinate?

I decided that the only solution in the quest for a perfect fajita marinade was  a true “Donna’s Test Kitchen” test: juice vs. marinade. The two marinades I used were identical except one used zest and one used juice.

AND THE WINNER IS: ZEST!!!

I marinated two hunks of flank steak  for one hour on the countertop.

I then sprinkled a little lime juice on both hunks of meat and then cooked the two hunks side by side on the grill with the veggies – same temperature, same length of time.

I took off the meat, let it rest about 10 minutes and sliced it.

The clear, not-even-close winner was the ZEST marinated meat. Both hunks were equally tender – because of thin slicing. But, the ZEST marinated meat was by far the most flavorful.

FLAVORFUL FLANK STEAK FAJITAS

2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
Zest from one lime (about 2 teaspoons full)
1/4 red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Place in a zip lock bag with one flank steak (about 1 1/2 pounds). Let stand on counter 1 hour, turning occasionally. ( You can marinate in the fridge overnight – I tried both ways with the same results.)

Remove meat from bag, wiping excess marinade off. Spray both sides of meat with oil.

Grill meat over very high heat for 3 to 5 minutes on each side according to desired doneness. Remove meat from grill and let stand 10 to 15 minutes. Slice very thinly across the grain. Serve with grilled veggies and tortillas.

NOTE: I MARINATED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH THE SAME ZEST MARINADE, WITH GREAT RESULTS – JUST AS DELICIOUS AND TENDER AS THE FLANK STEAK.

– posted by Donna

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Fab Frugal Friday Tip: 8-2-4-4 Good Old Fashioned Lemonade

Published on June 5, 2009 in Frugal Tips. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .
Old Fashioned Lemonade

Old Fashioned Lemonade

Right now lemons and limes are on sale everywhere, and when I saw the sale price, (In my area lemons 3 for $1.00 and limes 5 for $1.00) I grabbed a sack full and ran home to make my Grandma’s lemonade.

I have such good memories of spending summer days with her boiling up a batch of lemonade and then sipping it on the porch with my Grandpa as we “watched the cars go by,” one of his favorite things.

This is the best lemonade you will ever drink, I promise. I don’t know why it is so incredibly delicious. Maybe it’s the boiling of the sugar and water. Maybe it’s the perfect sugar-to-acid combo. Whatever it is, it is well worth your time and very frugal – less than $3.00 for a huge pitcher.

Boil 8 cups water with 2 cups sugar for 2 minutes. Chill. Add in juice from 4 lemons and 4 limes (1 cup total juice). Add ice. Rocking chair optional, but recommended!

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