Boursin Mashed Potatoes

This recipe is unbelievably easy, and incredibly flavorful. It harnesses the power of a premade cheese blend to avoid most of the hassle normally associated with good mashed potatoes. Via Budget Bytes.

For the salt, I keep adding it and tasting until I feel subconsciously compelled to keep reaching back for another bite.

Boursin mashed potatoes
serves 6-8

Cut into one-inch cubes:
2.5 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes

Place the diced potatoes in a large pot and fill with enough cold water to cover the potatoes by one inch. Place a lid on top and bring the pot to a boil over high heat. Boil for about 10 minutes or until the potatoes are very tender.

Once the potatoes fall apart when poked with a fork, drain them in a colander. Return them to the warm pot (with the burner turned off).

Add and mash the potatoes to a rough consistency:
1/4 cup milk
1 5-oz. package Boursin "basil and chive" cheese

Add a further 1/4 cup milk, and mash/stir until mostly smooth.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in a squeeze of lemon juice to finish.

Shopping list
2.5 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes
5-oz. package Boursin "basil and chive" cheese

lemon

Check the pantry
1/2 cup milk

Sesame chicken

Via Budget Bytes.

Sesame Chicken
serves 4

Combine in a small bowl: 
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. water
1.5 tsp. (0.5 tbsp) sesame oil
4.5 tsp. (1.5 tbsp) brown sugar
4.5 tsp. (1.5 tbsp) rice vinegar
1 inch fresh ginger, grated or finely minced
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. cornstarch
2 tbsp. sesame seeds

In a large bowl, whisk together: 
1 egg
2 tbsp cornstarch
a pinch of salt and pepper

Take 1 lb. of boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Trim any excess fat, then cut them into small 1 inch pieces. Toss the chicken in the egg and cornstarch mixture (a technique called "velveting").

Heat a large skillet with ~2 tbsp. of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the chicken and all of the egg mixture. Cook the chicken for 7-10 minutes, until it's golden brown and cooked through. Stir occasionally to break up the chicken chunks (and avoid making an omelet).

Once the chicken is cooked through and golden brown, pour the sauce over top. Toss the chicken to coat it. Thanks to the cornstarch, the sauce will begin to thicken as soon as it hits the hot skillet. Once the chicken is coated and the sauce has thickened, turn off the heat.

Serve over rice.

Pancakes for 2

Alton Brown makes a mean pancake recipe. However, his is designed to feed a family of four, three times over if you count the volume of dry ingredients (which he says to split into 3 and freeze). Even a single batch makes about 18 4-inch pancakes, which is far too much for just me and my husband on a Sunday morning. Since doing mental math before noon on a weekend should be illegal, I've cut down the recipe and recorded it here.

Pancakes for 2
makes 8-10 pancakes

Dry ingredients
Combine in a large bowl:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda

Wet ingredients
If you don't have buttermilk on hand, combine 1 cup milk and 1 tbsp. lemon juice. Let stand for 5-10 minutes.

Pour into a medium bowl:
1 cup buttermilk

Melt in the microwave:
2 tbsp. butter

Separate 1 egg, adding the yolk to the melted butter and the white to the buttermilk.

Whisk each mixture together. Then pour the yolks/butter into the buttermilk/whites, and whisk thoroughly to combine.

Pour the combined wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Whisk until just combined (some lumps will remain). If you would like to add blueberries, chocolate chips, etc., stir in about 1/2 cup at this point.

Heat a non-stick skillet or griddle until a drop of water will dance across the surface. Lightly butter the surface, then wipe it thoroughly with a paper towel until no butter is visible.

Using a 1/4 cup measure, ladle the pancake batter onto the hot skillet. When bubbles begin to set around the edges of the pancake, flip the pancakes. Continue to cook for 2-3 minutes until the middle of the pancake is set.

Hold the finished pancakes on a plate in a warm oven until ready to serve.

Tiki drinks

We've started experimenting with making classic tiki drinks, so I'm making a standing post that will be updated with our successful experiments and favorite versions.

Rum recommendations:
Jamaican, dark Jamaican: Appleton Estate
dark: Koloa dark
Demerara: El Dorado 5 year
white, light: Mount Gay


Demerara Dry Float
Discovered at the bar Smuggler's Cove. This recipe was found on TikiRoom.com. The original calls for Luxardo, but I find that Cherry Heering, which is sweeter, better balances the citrus in the drink and adds a nice depth of flavor.

2 oz El Dorado 80 proof Demerara rum
0.5 oz Lemon Hart 151 Demerara rum (float)
0.5 oz Cherry Heering or Luxardo maraschino liqueur
2 oz fresh lime juice
0.5 oz fresh lemon juice
1 oz Small Hand passion fruit syrup
0.5 oz simple syrup

Shake all ingredients with ice except the 151. Strain into an empty glass and float the 151.

Mai Tai
The original recipe, as determined by Beachbum Berry. Use quality rum.

2 oz. rum, pref. Appleton Estate (options: gold, spiced, or 50/50 light/dark rum)
0.5 oz Grand Marnier orange curacao
1 oz. fresh lime juice
0.25 oz Small Hand orgeat syrup
0.25 oz simple syrup

Sidewinder's Fang
http://www.killingtime.com/Pegu/2012/02/02/tiki-drink-sidewinders-fang/

1 oz. dark Jamaican rum
1 oz. demerara rum
1.5 oz. fresh lime juice
1.5 oz. orange juice
1.5 oz. Small Hand passion fruit syrup
2 oz. soda water

Painkiller
http://tikiloungetalk.com/2011/11/25/painkiller-cocktail-recipe-your-weekend-tiki-drink/

2 oz. dark rum
1 oz. cream of coconut
4 oz. pineapple juice
1 oz. orange juice

Puka Punch
http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Puka-Punch

2 oz. white rum
0.75 oz. dark Jamaican rum
0.25 oz. 151-proof rum (optional)
0.25 oz. falernum
1 oz. fresh lime juice
0.75 oz. fresh orange juice
0.75 oz. pineapple juice
0.75 oz. Small Hand passion fruit syrup
2 tsp. honey mixed with 2 tsp. hot water, chilled
1 dash Angostura bitters

Garnish with pineapple slice, orange wedge, and maraschino cherry.

Gazpacho from scratch

Food processors aren't designed to hold large volumes of liquid! If the liquid level rises above the spindle in the center, your gazpacho will start to leak out all over your countertop. So make sure to blend the vegetables in smaller batches and transfer them to a secondary container.

Gazpacho
serves 4-6

Working in batches, blend until smooth in a food processor:
2 medium red bell peppers, seeded and roughly chopped
tops of one bunch of green onions

1 large cucumber, peeled and roughly chopped
4-5 medium ripe tomatoes, quartered

Transfer each batch of blended vegetables into one large container. Stir to combine.

Add and process until combined:
1-2 cups of blended vegetables

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp salt

5 dashes hot sauce

Return contents of blender to the larger container and stir until evenly mixed. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Refrigerate until cool. Garnish with croutons and small diced vegetables for texture (e.g. bell pepper, onion, cucumber) just before serving.

Pecan Pie

Pecan pie is a delicious Southern staple, and often makes an appearance at Thanksgiving.  However, most recipes for it are cloyingly, tooth-achingly sweet. This recipe actually has the proper ratio of pecan flavor to sugar! It comes to me via my friend Kathleen, who modified it slightly from the Farmhouse Cookbook by Susan Herrmann Loomis.

If you want to create a decorative pie, leave the pecans whole and arrange them in the pie shell in whatever pattern you desire. However, a pie made with whole pecans is harder to eat.  If you don't possess a food processor, you can easily buy crushed pecans and mix the pie filling by hand with a whisk.

Not-So-Sweet Pecan Pie

Ingredients
1.25 cups whole pecans
3 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup dark corn syrup (e.g. Karo brand)
1/4 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pre-baked pie shell

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Briefly pulse 1.25 cups of whole pecans in a food processor to break them down slightly. Set aside.

Blend in a food processor until thoroughly combined: 
3 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup dark corn syrup

And and blend until smooth:
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

Pour the pecans in an even layer in the pre-baked pie shell. Carefully pour the blended egg mixture over them, transfer the pie to a baking sheet, and place it in the bottom third of the oven. Bake the pie at 350 for ~35 minutes until the filling is set. Remove it from the oven and let it cool to room temperature on a wire rack before serving.

Raspberry Coulis

Theoretically, you can make this coulis with any berry as a base, but the raspberry version is so very, very good that I've never felt the need to stray.  Peach sorbet? Chocolate mousse? Cheesecake?  Lemon souffle? It works really well on all of them.

This makes a LOT of coulis, so it will make plenty for whatever dessert you plan to top, even if you're serving a small army.

Raspberry Coulis
makes 1.5 cups

Cook in a sauce pan over medium, for ~5 minutes:
12 oz. individually quick frozen raspberries
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp. Chambord raspberry liqueur (optional)
6 tbsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. salt

Once the raspberries have mostly broken down, pour the hot mixture into a Cuisinart or blender.  Add 2 tsp. of lemon juice, then puree briefly.

To remove the seeds, pour the coulis through a fine mesh strainer, working it back and forth with a silicone spatula.

Refrigerate covered for ~1 hour before serving.

Summer Berry Pie

Credit once again goes to Cook's Illustrated for this gem.

Because berries are very acidic, it's best to use non-reactive cookware like stainless steel or non-stick saucepans, silicon spatulas, and wooden spoons for this recipe.

Summer Berry Pie
one 9-inch pie, serves 6-8


Graham cracker crust

• 9 graham crackers, broken into rough pieces
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 5 tablespoons butter, melted and warm

Adjust your oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Melt 5 tbsp. butter in the microwave.  In a food processor, process 9 graham crackers until evenly fine, about 30 seconds.  (This should yield about 1 cup of crumbs.)  Add 2 tbsp. of granulated sugar and pulse to combine. Continue to pulse while adding the warm melted butter in steady stream. Pulse until the mixture resembles wet sand.

Transfer the crust mixture to a 9-inch glass pie plate.  Form the crust by pressing down and around with a 1/2-cup dry measuring cup.

Bake the crust at 325 until fragrant and beginning to brown, 15 to 18 minutes.  Transfer the plate to a wire rack and let it cool completely while you make the filling.

Pie filling

• 2 cups fresh raspberries (~9 oz.)
• 2 cups fresh blackberries (~11 oz.)
• 2 cups fresh blueberries (~10 oz.)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp. cornstarch
• 1/8 tsp. table salt
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 2 tsp. red currant or apple jelly

Combine all the berries in a large colander and rinse them gently, being careful not to bruise them.  Spread the washed berries on rimmed baking sheet lined with paper towels, and pat them dry.

In a food processor, puree 2.5 cups of the mixed berries for at least 1 minute, until smooth. To remove the seeds, strain the puree through a mesh strainer into a small nonreactive saucepan, scraping with a spatula to extract as much puree as possible.  This should yield 1.25 to 1.5 cups.  If not, keep scraping!

Whisk together in a small bowl:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tbsp. cornstarch
1/8 tsp. salt

Whisk this dry ingredient mixture into the puree.  Bring the puree to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly with a non-reactive spoon to avoid scorching the bottom.  When the mixture has thickened to the consistency of pudding, remove it from the heat and add 1 tsp. lemon juice.  Set it aside to cool slightly.

Place all the remaining whole berries into a medium bowl. Melt 2 tsp. red currant (or apple) jelly in second small saucepan over low heat.  Pour the melted jelly over the whole berries and toss gently to coat them.  (This increases their sweetness while giving them a beautiful glossy sheen.)

Pour the slightly cooled puree into the baked and cooled graham cracker pie shell, then add the whole fresh berries.  Loosely cover the pie with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about 3 hours to set the puree.

Mardi Gras king cake

If anyone knows how to make a proper king cake for Mardi Gras, it's Southern Living! Their recipe has a sour cream base for the dough and cream cheese for the filling, which is critical for keeping the cake moist and gives it a nice tang.  The dough requires serious stirring power, especially if you use bread flour.  We burned out the motor on our small hand mixer one year trying to make it, so beware.

The filling is a plain base to which you can add many different flavors.  I recommend using extracts and liqueurs, and trying flavors such as amaretto, raspberry, or orange.  Since the dough recipe makes two cakes, you can divide the filling base in half and make two different fillings.  Get creative and have fun with this part - the recipe is very forgiving.

King Cake
makes 2 cakes; each yields 10-12 slices

Ingredients list
2 0.25-oz. envelopes active dry yeast
3 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
7 tbsp. butter
2 8-oz. packages cream cheese
16 oz. sour cream
6-6.5 cups bread (or AP) flour
1.5 cups granulated sugar
3 cups powdered sugar

2 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tbsp. lemon juice
3-4 tsp. flavoring extracts or liqueurs of your choice

Dough (for two cakes)
Yeast prefers a temperature similar to the human body, so the liquids below should be about the same temperature as your hand. If it's too hot for you to leave your finger in, it will kill the yeast and your dough won't rise.

Combine and let stand at least 5 minutes:
2 0.25-oz. envelopes active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 tbsp. granulated sugar

Melt in a small sauce pan on low:
16 oz. sour cream
1/3 cup granulated sugar
4 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. salt

Remove the sour cream mixture from the heat and let it cool down.

Beat at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric mixer until smooth:
yeast mixture
sour cream mixture
2 large eggs
2 cups bread flour (can substitute AP flour)

Reduce the mixer speed to low, and gradually add 4 to 4.5 cups more flour until a soft dough forms.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.  Knead until it's smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place it into a well-greased bowl, turning the dough ball to grease the top.  Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let it rise in a warm place for 1 hour (or until the dough is doubled in size).

Cream cheese filling (for two cakes)
Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
16 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 large egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Divide the filling in half and flavor each as you see fit. It should require about 1.5 tsp. of extract or liqueur, bumped up to 2 tsp. for chocolate.

Punch down the risen dough, and divide it in half.   Roll each portion into a 22x12 inch rectangle. Spread the cream cheese filling evenly on each dough rectangle, leaving 1-inch borders.  Roll up each dough rectangle, jelly-roll fashion, starting at a long side.

Place one dough roll, seam side down, on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bring ends of roll together to form an oval ring, moistening and pinching edges together to seal. Fit a small bowl into the center of the circle to help it hold its shape.  Repeat with second dough roll.  Cover and let the cakes rise in a warm place for 20 to 30 minutes (or until doubled in bulk).

Bake at 375 for 14-16 minutes until golden. Cool cakes on pans on wire racks for about 10 minutes.

Glaze (for two cakes)
Stir together:
3 cups powdered sugar
3 tbsp. butter, melted
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Stir in 2 tablespoons milk.  Add up to 2 more tablespoons, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the glaze is the right spreading consistency.

Drizzle glaze evenly over warm king cakes.  Sprinkle with colored sugars in purple, green, and yellow, alternating colors and forming bands. Let the cakes cool completely before serving.

Asian cucumber salad

I found this recipe in the New York Times "recipes for health" section, and decided to use it to take advantage of the amazing Persian cucumbers that are always available at my local produce market.  The original calls for sunflower or grapeseed oil, which I wasn't willing to buy for a single recipe - instead, I subbed in neutral-flavored peanut oil.  I also ditched the cilantro, again because the recipe only calls for a little and the rest of the bunch would just liquify in my refrigerator.

Asian cucumber salad
serves 4-6

Thinly slice using a mandolin:
6-8 small thin-skinned Persian cucumbers (about 2 pounds)

Place the sliced cucumbers in a colander and sprinkle liberally with kosher salt.  Let sit for 15 minutes.  Rinse off the salt, then blot with paper towels to remove excess water.

Whisk together in a large bowl:
3 tbsp. rice vinegar
3 tbsp. peanut oil
2 tbsp. dark sesame oil
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 inch minced fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. cayenne
freshly ground pepper

Add 1 bunch of green onions, sliced thinly.  Toss the sauce mixture with the drained cucumbers, and salt to taste.  Let sit for at least 10 minutes before serving, stirring occasionally.

Chicken sausage with pesto pasta

This is a recipe I found on RealSimple.  It's a great fast weeknight dinner - I love the efficiency of boiling the pasta and the vegetables together in one pot.  Although the original recipe calls for only 8 oz. of sausage, I use an entire 12 oz. package of Aidell's and the ratio of sausage to other ingredients is just fine.

I wanted more pesto flavor, so I amped up the amount from 1/3 to 1/2 cup.  Your mileage may vary here, especially depending on what pesto you use.  If the sauce is lumpy or not coating the pasta properly, thin it out with some water, preferably reserved cooking water from boiling the pasta (since this contains gluten). My preferred brand is the Cucina & Amore "Pesto alla Genovese".

Also, remember that Parmesan cheese can be quite salty - don't add extra salt to your sauce until after the cheese goes in!


Chicken sausage with pesto pasta
serves 6

Brown in olive oil for about 6 minutes:
one 12 oz. package of Italian chicken sausage, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds

Boil for 9 minutes:
3/4 pound medium shells pasta

For the last 7 minutes, add to boiling pasta:
1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

For the last 3 minutes, add:
1 cup frozen peas

Drain pasta and veggies. Return to the pot.

Toss with:
1/2 cup pesto (adjust to taste)
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
salt to taste
if needed: add water to loosen the sauce

Once the seasoning level for the pasta and veggies is right, add in the browned sausage rounds.

Chewy chocolate chip cookies

Move over, Toll House: my husband wants his chocolate chip cookies to be chewy instead of crispy, and the recipe for that is Alton Brown's.  I've recorded the recipe as we made it, rather than replicating Alton's exactly.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 dozen cookies

Melt 1 cup of salted butter in a 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup.

In a large bowl, combine and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes until smooth:
2 ounces granulated sugar
8 ounces light brown sugar
1 cup melted butter

Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl:
12 ounces bread flour
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Whisk together wet ingredients in a Pyrex measuring cup:
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1/8 cup 2% milk
1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract


Slowly pour in the wet ingredients into the butter/sugar mixture.  Beat for about 30 seconds until mixed.  Add the dry ingredients in batches, until completely incorporated.

Stir in 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips.

Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.

Portion out eight 1.5 oz. cookies per baking sheet.  Cook at 350 for 12 minutes on the top oven rack.

Shopping list
2 large eggs
1/8 cup 2% milk
1 cup salted butter
12 ounces bread flour
2 ounces granulated sugar
8 ounces light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract