Category: Favorite Recipes

Posted in Favorite Recipes, food

Fresh Apple Cinnamon Scones

Posted on by Tony

First, the picture above is not mine. The link leads to the source of this recipe. Scones are considered a quick bread, like a biscuit. In fact, they are made same way. Before I began my Culinary studies I didn’t know what a scone was. And since I changed my diet I can’t eat them anymore, but, that doesn’t mean you can’t! These are great for breakfast with a nice cup of coffee. They’re easy to make. So let me know how you liked them.

SCONES

11-1/2 ounces King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2-3/8 ounces granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon Apple Pie Spice or ground cinnamon
4 ounces cold unsalted butter
2-3/4 ounces chopped fresh apple, in 1/2″ pieces (about half a medium apple); leave the skin on, if you like
4 ounces cinnamon chips
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 ounces applesauce, unsweetened preferred
TOPPING
3 tablespoons coarse white sparkling sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

  1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and spice.
  2. Work in the butter just until the mixture is unevenly crumbly; it’s OK for some larger chunks of butter to remain unincorporated.
  3. Stir in the chopped apple and cinnamon chips.
  4. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla, and applesauce.
  5. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until all is moistened and holds together.
  6. Line a baking sheet with parchment; if you don’t have parchment, just use it without greasing it. Sprinkle a bit of flour atop the parchment or pan.
  7. Scrape the dough onto the floured parchment or pan, and divide it in half. Gently pat and round each half into a 5″ to 5 1/2″ circle about 3/4″ thick.
  8. To make the topping: Stir together the coarse sugar and cinnamon. Brush each circle with milk, and sprinkle with the topping.
  9. Using a knife or bench knife that you’ve run under cold water, slice each circle into 6 wedges.
  10. Carefully pull the wedges away from the center to separate them just a bit; there should be about 1/2 inch space between them, at their outer edges.

*For best texture and highest rise, place the pan of scones in the freezer for 30 minutes, uncovered. While the scones are chilling, preheat the oven to 425°F.

  • Bake the scones for 18 to 22 minutes, or until they’re golden brown. When you pull one away from the others, it should look baked all the way through; the edge shouldn’t look wet or unbaked.
  • Remove the scones from the oven, and cool briefly on the pan. Serve warm. When they’re completely cool, wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to several days.

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Posted in Favorite Recipes, soups

Avgolemono Soup

Posted on by Tony

I realize that hot soups are not usually a summertime dish. However, summer is almost over. The nice cool fall weather is coming. And I love soup. And this one is quite tasty. This is from FoodWishes.blogspot.com, a Chef John recipe. It is pretty easy to make, and as I’ve said, pretty tasty. I hope you like it as much as I do. This is not part of the keto-diet. But when I cheat, I cheat well. Here are the ingredients below:

Ingredients:

Makes 6 Servings Avgolemono Soup:
1 whole chicken, about 3 pounds
3 quarts cold water
2 tsp salt at least, plus more to taste
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 bay leaves
1/4 Tsp dried oregano leaves
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups finely diced onion
2/3 to 3/4 cup Arborio rice, depending on how thick you like it
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2 large eggs
1/2 Tsp freshly ground pepper
pinch of cayenne

Directions:

1. Add Chicken, celery, 1 carrot, bay leaves, 1 onion large chop, dried oregano, and water to the pot.
2. Bring to a boil then lower heat and let simmer until the desired doneness. Remove unwanted foam from surface.
3. Sauté the 2 cups fine diced onions with olive oil until soft, sweet, and golden. Reserve until needed.
4. When the chicken is done, remove it and the vegetables from the chicken stock. Chop chicken into pieces (as big or as small as you like). Also, if you don’t want chicken pieces in the soup, cook until it falls apart in the in the stock
5. Set heat at medium-low, and add the sautéed onions to the stock.
6. Add the Arborio Rice. Let cook 30-45 minute until the rice is very, very soft.
7. Add salt to taste.
8. In the meantime squeeze 1/2 cup of lemon juice.
9. Beat the eggs and lemon juice and black pepper.
10. Once the rice is done, temper the beaten egg mixture with some of the soup liquid (2 cups). Once the egg mixture is tempered, add it back to the soup.
11. Add chicken back to the soup and cook another five minutes.
12. Serve.

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Posted in Favorite Recipes

Double Crust Apple or Peach Pie

Posted on by Tony

Who doesn’t like Apple pie with vanilla ice cream? Even better, Peach Cobbler (pie)? I learned to make both of these at The Culinary Institute of Charleston. This is a great recipe. I couldn’t believe how well it turned out the very first time we made it in class. I know you will be pleased as well.

Ingredients:

Pie dough 2 twelve oz discs, chilled
5 oz granulated sugar
0.5 oz Tapioca starch
1 oz cornstarch
2 grams salt
1 gram ground nutmeg
1 gram ground cinnamon
.5 oz fresh lemon juice
1 oz butter, melted
24 oz Apples or peaches, peeled, cored, sliced 1/8 thick

Egg wash (1 egg, tbs water, slightly beaten) as needed.

Directions:

1) Roll both discs of dough into 1/8” thick circles. Line the bottom of a pie pan with one crust. Chill both crusts.

2) Combine the sugar, tapioca starch, cornstarch, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, lemon juice, and melted butter and toss with the sliced fruit.

3) Fill the chilled, unbaked pie shell with the fruit mixture.

4) Egg wash the edge of pie shell. Top with a second rolled piece of pie dough(or lattice).

5) Crimp the edge to seal. Vent if not making a lattice top.

6) Egg wash the top crust or lattice.

7) Bake pie on a paper lined sheet pan at 375°F (non-convection) until the filling is bubbly and the crust is golden approximately 45 minutes.

8) Serve warm or cool to room temperature.

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Posted in Favorite Recipes

3 – 2 – 1 Pie Crust

Posted on by Tony

Here is a simple but tasty pie crust (pastry). It is worth a little effort to get a better crust than you might find at a grocery store in frozen foods.

Ingredients:

8 oz flour
4 grams salt
5.5 oz shortening
2.75 oz water

Directions:

1. Combine flour and salt.
2. Mix flour mixture and shortening together by hand until it forms pea size pieces.
3. Add water and mix just until dough comes together (should still be able to see pieces of fat in the dough)
4. Scrape out onto a floured table; knead slightly.
5. Portion out dough mix into 8 oz pieces (shape into a hockey puck)
6. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill.

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Posted in Favorite Recipes

Classic Lemon Meringue Pie

Posted on by Tony

This is one of my favorite desserts. And if I have never said so, pies of all types are my favorite desserts. I don’t eat pie very often because they are also some of the most sugary desserts created. Lemon Meringue Pie was one of my Mom’s specialties. She usually made them at Christmas time. This isn’t her recipe but it is a very good one. It comes from BettyCrocker.com

Ingredients:

Pastry
1 cup Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon shortening
2 to 3 tablespoons cold water

Filling
3 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/2 cups water SAVE
3 tablespoons butter or margarine SAVE
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 drops yellow food color, if desired
Meringue
3 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
6 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Direction:

  1. In medium bowl, mix flour and salt. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons more water can be added if necessary).
  2. Gather pastry into a ball. Shape into flattened round on lightly floured surface. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate about 45 minutes or until dough is firm and cold, yet pliable. This allows the shortening to become slightly firm, which helps make the baked pastry flakier. If refrigerated longer, let pastry soften slightly before rolling.
  3. Heat oven to 475°F. With floured rolling pin, roll pastry into round 2 inches larger than upside-down 9-inch glass pie plate. Fold pastry into fourths; place in pie plate. Unfold and ease into plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side. Trim overhanging edge of pastry 1 inch from rim of pie plate. Fold and roll pastry under, even with plate; flute as desired. Prick bottom and side of pastry thoroughly with fork. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown; cool on cooling rack.
  4. Reduce oven temperature to 400°F. In small bowl, beat egg yolks with fork. In 2-quart saucepan, mix sugar and cornstarch; gradually stir in water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute.
  5. Immediately stir at least half of hot mixture into egg yolks; stir back into hot mixture in saucepan. Boil and stir 2 minutes; remove from heat. Stir in butter, lemon peel, lemon juice and food color. Pour into pie crust.
  6. In medium bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar with electric mixer on high speed until foamy. Beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time; continue beating until stiff and glossy. Do not underbeat. Beat in vanilla. Spoon onto hot pie filling. Spread over filling, carefully sealing meringue to edge of crust to prevent shrinking or weeping.
  7. Bake 8 to 12 minutes or until meringue is light brown. Cool away from draft 2 hours. Cover and refrigerate cooled pie until serving. Store in refrigerator.

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Posted in Favorite Recipes

Marinated Skirt Steak

Posted on by Tony

Marinated Skirt Steak is one of my favorites. I mainly use it for fajitas. This marinade recipe comes from Epicurious.com. I used it a few days ago and it is quite tasty. Here it is:

Ingredients

3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup corn oil or other neutral oil such as grapeseed or canola
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 shallots, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon kosher salt
4 pounds skirt steak, cleaned of all exterior fat and connective tissue

Directions

1) Put all ingredients except the steak in a blender and blend until smooth.

2)Pour the marinade over the skirt steak in a nonreactive pan.

3)Break Point

4)Marinate, refrigerated, for 3 to 4 hours before grilling, but no more than 10 hours.

5)When ready to cook the steaks, prepare your grill for grilling.

6)Remove the skirt steak from the marinade and clean away any excess marinade with the back of a knife.

7)Grill the steak over medium-high heat for 4 to 5 minutes per side to serve it rare to medium-rare.

8)When cooked, slice the steak thinly against the grain, starting at one corner and cutting on the bias. Serve either hot or at room temperature.

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Posted in Favorite Recipes

Braised Red Cabbage

Posted on by Tony

By Chef John

This was one of the best things I learned to make in culinary school. Not this exact recipe, however, it was very close. I trust Chef John. I haven’t come across one of his recipes that I haven’t like yet. And BRAISED RED CABBAGE IS THE BOMB! I think you will enjoy this as much as I did.

Ingredients for 4-6 portions:

2 tbsp butter
1 small Red cabbage, sliced thin, about a 1 1/4 pounds
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup red wine
2 tbsp red wine vinegar, or to taste
2 tbsp white sugar
pinch of caraway seeds
salt and pepper to taste
*Note: there are SO many ways to tweak this recipe! Raisins, currants, shallots, onions, leeks, apples, and pears are just a few things that rock in this recipe.
Posted in Favorite Recipes

Risotta a la Milanese

Posted on by Tony

I learned this particular recipe at school. We served it with Osso Bucco, an Italian braised beef shank dish. It was quite delicious. It was a special interest culinary class focused on Italian cuisine.

Ingredients:

1 Small Onion, finely chopped
4 Tbsp of Unsalted Butter
1 Tbsp of Olive oil
1 cup of Arborio Rise or Risotto Rice
½ cup of White Wine
4 Cups of Chicken Stock might need a bit more
½ cup of Freshly Grated Parmiggiano Reggiano
½ tsp of Saffron Threads
Salt and Pepper To Taste

Directions:

1) In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the chicken stock and saffron and bring to a simmer, turn the heat down to low and let it sit there as you make the risotto.

2) In a large deep saucepan, large enough to hold the risotto and all the broth, add the oil and onions, season with salt and pepper and cook them over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes or until the onions start to soften.

3) Add the white wine and cook it for 1 minute. Once the wine has reduced, add a ladle full of the chicken stock, making sure that most of that liquid has cooked out before adding another ladle full. Continue adding chicken stock one ladle full at a time until the rice is mostly cooked though. This can take up to 20 minutes.

4) Once the rice is just about cooked all the way, add one more ladle full of chicken stock along with the butter and Parmigiano. Stir everything together and adjust the seasoning to taste. Serve it right away!

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Posted in Favorite Recipes

Bacon Cheddar Corn Muffins

Posted on by Tony

This is one of the first quick breads we learned at The Culinary Institute of Charleston. If you like cornbread, you will like these muffins. You might not even be able to wait for the rest of dinner to be done.

Ingredients:

Note: all measurements are by weight. You need a food scale.

6 oz cornmeal
6 oz ap flour
1.5 oz granulated sugar
0.2 oz baking powder
2 grams baking soda
3 grams salt

3 eggs (approx 5 oz)
12 oz buttermilk
4 oz canola oil

3 oz corn kernels
3 oz cheddar cheese
3 oz cooked bacon, chopped
1/2 oz fresh chives

Directions:

1. Accurately measure all ingredients (mise en place)
2. Sift the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs until completely smooth. Add the buttermilk, canola oil until combined.
4. Add the liquid ingredient to the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined.
5. Gently fold in the corn kernels, cheddar, bacon and (optional) chives. Do not over mix.
6. Portion into lined muffin pans with a scoop. filling them 3/4 of the way full.
7. Bake at 375º until the center of the muffins bounces back when lightly pressed, approximately 20-25 minutes.

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Posted in Favorite Recipes

Buffalo Wing Sauce

Posted on by Tony

Did you ever wonder what was in that sauce they put on buffalo wings? Me too. I learned a pretty good recipe at school. I was told that it is as close to the real recipe as you can get. It certainly tasted like the real thing to me.

You can prepare your wings the way you want. I like to deep fry them and then toss them in the sauce. And this sauce is super easy.

Ingredients:

4 fl oz hot sauce
4 fl oz butter
1/2 Tbsp white vinegar
1/2 Worcestershire
1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp Garlic, granulated

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients in a saucepan.
Heat and simmer until well blended.

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