Good Eats

[ThomsCircuit]

My way of saying thank you to this group.
Recipes from my kitchen:

Eye Round Roast

At about $8lb. its inexpensive and pretty simple to prep and even easier to cook.
All you really need is salt and coarse ground pepper or you can add additional spices and some mashed garlic like i did here.
First, you'll need to tie up the roast to give the meat an even shape.
Next, coat the roast with a tablespoon of oil.
Mix together 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Coat the roast all over and seal with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.
Unwrap roast and place in a roasting pan on top of rack or a few cut up carrots. Let it sit for 2 hours at room temp.
Set oven temp at 475F Insert probe into roast and bake, uncovered 25 minutes.
Reduce temp to 325F and continue cooking till probe reads 125F. Remove, tent with tin foil and allow temp to rise to 135F
Carve and enjoy with your favorite side dish.

I added these additional spices to the salt and pepper.
⅛ Teaspoons Dried Thyme
¼ Teaspoons Dried Basil
1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
3 Garlic cloves, crushed

 

[ThomsCircuit]

Evacuations from hurricane Idalia has brought our county to a halt. Fortunately were 18ft above sea level and a dozen miles inland so our place is where the family and extended members come here. If not just for the shelter but the delicious apple fritters too.

For Batter:
2 Tablespoon sugar
2 extra-large eggs
½ tsp. vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. cinnamon
⅛ tsp. pumpkin pie spice* (*blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg & allspice)
½ tsp. salt
¼ cup milk
1 tsp. lemon juice
2-3 cups peeled, cored and chopped Granny Smith or firm pie apples
A deep Fryer with vegetable oil
Glaze:
1¼ cups powdered sugar
¼ tsp. vanilla
1 Tablespoon warm water or milk

----------------------------------------------
1. In a large bowl cream the sugar, eggs and vanilla for 1-2 minutes with the paddle attachment.
2. Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon, pie spice, salt and milk. Mix well.
3. In a separate bowl, chop and toss peeled apples with lemon juice then stir apples into batter.
4. Heat vegetable oil to 375º. Make sure that the oil is hot enough to fry the fritters correctly.
5. Using a Ice cream scoop, (3 tablespoons) drop batter into hot oil.
6. When they get to a deep golden brown color, carefully turn the fritters over to brown the other side and continue cooking. (This should take approx. 2-3 minutes per each side).
7. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels.

Make icing.
Simply mix all the ingredients by hand with a whisk adjusting the milk until a pourable icing is achieved then pour over warm fritters.

 

[ThomsCircuit]

I make this appetizer for just about every event at our house. Its simple and cooks up in about 10 minutes. I prep the ingredients in advance then make it table-side on the grill. The sizzle of the peppers and the aroma from the cracked garlic is a great way to get the conversations going.

Fried peppers and olives:

1/4 cup olive oil
3 sage sprigs
zest of 1 lemon (in strips)
a pinch of red pepper flakes
6 to 8 baby bell peppers
8 smashed garlic cloves
1 cup mixed olives (green, black, kalamatta) no pits

*To prepare the garlic just peel, and crack open by laying your knife on top of the clove then give a quick smack with your hand. Don't destroy it, just crack it open.
*To prepare the lemon strips use a paring knife and slice off the zest in wide strips from top to bottom.

You will need a good size skillet. Heavy bottomed.
Heat 1/4 cup olive oil, 3 sage sprigs, the zest of 1 lemon (in strips) and a pinch of red pepper flakes in a skillet over medium-high heat, 1 minute. You goal is to flavor the oil without burning anything.
Add 6 to 8 baby bell peppers; cook until softened, about 3-5 minutes. The will be slightly browned.
Add 8 smashed garlic cloves and cook 3 more minutes. Again just browning the garlic. If you dont cook it enough it may taste too strong.
Add 1 cup mixed olives and cook 2 more minutes. Just warming up the olives here.

You can pour the entire dish into a large plate or leave it in the pan.

 

[MaxHeadRoom78]

Eye Round Roast

I usually look out for one just like it, Hopefully Very little marbling!, I use them for hot & spicy Beef jerky in the Air Fryer.

 

[ThomsCircuit]

I use them for hot & spicy Beef jerky in the Air Fryer.

The best is that which is prepared by oneself. My mum has an air fryer. Ill have to give that a try.

 

[ThomsCircuit]

Its Labor Day here in the US. Hope your all enjoying the day off and this home made baked bean recipe

1 medium onion chopped
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 canned chipotle chiles in adobo (thats just one pepper from the can, not the whole can)
3 big (28-ounce) cans cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 slices bacon
Leaves from 6 fresh rosemary sprigs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Cut the bacon into 1 inch pieces and cook in a sauce pan over medium heat until just about done. Remove bacon from skillet onto a paper towel. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of the oil from the pan.
Put the onions in the pan of hot oil and cook until wilted and golden. About 4-5 minutes.
Mince the chili pepper and add to the pan with the onions. Put the molasses, ketchup, and mustard in the pan. Add the beans and cooked bacon to the pan, season with salt and black pepper, and gently toss so that the beans are coated with the molasses mixture. Place sprig of rosemary on top then bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
Enjoy!

 

[MaxHeadRoom78]

Its Labor Day here in the US. Hope your all enjoying the day off

Yes, also here in Canada

Labour Day or Fête du Travail

 

[ThomsCircuit]

Smoked Pork

If you have a smoker and do smoke meat then for you this is just how I do this. I know smoking meat can get very technical but I have teenage kids that I have taught how to cook so I like to keep things fairly simple. The oven temp for pork is recommended at 225F but if your smoker is gas or wood burning it can be difficult to maintain so its ok if it creeps up to 250F. Experience with your smoker will help. After a few seasons you will be a champ so don't sweat it.

The worst thing that you can do is over smoke. How does one over smoke?
Letting the wood catch fire. That will create white smoke. White smoke is good for informing the world that we have a new Pope but not for smoking meat. It creates black, crusty creosote. Your meat will be bitter and unedible. Control the smoke with the ovens dampers. Air and heat make fire. If your wood catches fire close the dampers. The fire will go out. You will have better smoke. Don't crowd the smoke pan. Smoke one layer at a time. I started with chips but i now use chunks as they are easier to control. Your meat will benefit from a light smoke. Some people call this blue smoke. I call it beer time.

How long so i smoke?
Meat can only absorb so much smoke. I put the meat on the smoker when its cold. Cold meat will absorb smoke better. Meaning it will absorb more smoke. In my experience, four hours is best for pork but. Two hours for ribs. After that you take a risk of the smoke over powering everything else.

How long do I cook?
Regardless of the weight your target temp is 196F. How long that takes will depend on a few factors but the average is 11 hours.

Water pan.
Very simple. Keep water in the pan the entire time.

An interesting thing happens at 160F.
Its called the stall. the temp will hang around at 160-165F for hours before it finally starts to climb again. I wont go into the details but you can solve this and speed things up with a few sheets of foil. So when the time comes have two sheets of foil ready and quickly remove the meat from the smoker and wrap tightly in each sheet of foil. Rotate the meat 90 degrees for the second sheet. Stick your temp probe in then place it back in the smoker or in a pre-heated oven inside. This helps it push through the stall while retaining the juices.

Chopped or pulled?
The best Pit Boss restaurant in town chops their pork. I pull it. Why? While chopping is much quicker, pulling allows me to feel the meat and remove and large pieces of fat and the occasional grizzle from the cut.

Seasoning (Rub)
you can certainly go online and find great rubs for pork, ribs, chicken, and brisket but I use one rub for everything. Its called "Memphis Dust". Why this one? There's this guy here in the US who calls himself Meathead. He's won many awards and written a number of books one of which has made a list as one of the "25 best cookbooks of all time". He is the reason I can smoke meat. If you want to understand the science behind smoking meat start here.

Wood?
Whatever wood you prefer. I'm a weekend smoker. I use Apple, pecan, oak, or cherry. How much can vary just have enough. You don't want to run out. 12-16 oz

Prepare the meat.
Start with any size bone in pork butt
Wash and dry with paper towels. If your using the "Dust" salt the meat before applying the rub. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Ready to cook.
Turn on the smoker. Have water in the pan and, (if you have a gas smoker) your tray of wood chips/chunks ready. This way your not wasting wood. Get the temp up to about 250f.
Take the meat straight from the fridge, remove the wrap, and place it in the smoker. Insert your pan of wood and open the dampers. When the smoke starts close the dampers. try to maintain 225-250f.
For the next four hours feed the tray with wood and keep water in the pan. After that wait till it reaches 160f then wrap in foil. Return to the smoker or place in pre-heated 225f oven. When the meat reaches 196-200f your finished. Remove it from the oven. You can shred it straight away or wait this the temp drops (keep in foil) so its easier to handle.

BBQ Sauce.
I make the "Kansas City Style Sauce" from the same site.
I dont add it to the meat but place it in a bowl on the table and let my guests slather on as much or as little as they like.
Enjoy

 

[tepalia02]

The steak looks yummy.

 

[ThomsCircuit]

This has always been a favorite at our table. A little bit of extra work as you must cook the meats separate then add them back to the pan after the sauce simmers but the flavors are worth the trouble.

Chicken Thigh and Fennel Sausage Cacciatore "Hunter Style" (Food Network)

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound sweet fennel sausage links, cut into large pieces
6 chicken thighs, bone-in and skin-on
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup thickly sliced cremini mushrooms (use what you have, uncooked)
1 cup frozen pearl onions, thawed
1 cup diced red bell peppers
1 head garlic, roasted (Don't skip this)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup marinara sauce (jar is ok)
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

To roast a head of garlic:
Remove some of the skin from the bulb but don't separate the cloves. With a sharp heave knife remove the top 1/4" like shown. Place on a sheet of foil and drizzle with olive oil. Bring the edges of the foil together and form a cocoon around the bulb. Place in a 400f oven for 45 minutes. Let it cool for at least 15 minutes. Carefully remove each clove from the bulb, invert then squeeze the garlic out. Fish out any skin. Yes, the garlic is sticky, just stay with it.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Add the olive oil and sausages to a large Dutch oven set over medium-high heat and sear until browned, about 3 minutes. Remove the sausages to a plate and set aside. Sprinkle the chicken thighs on both sides with salt and pepper, then sear the chicken in the Dutch oven, 4 to 5 minutes per side; remove to a plate and set aside.

Now, add the mushrooms, pearl onions, red peppers, roasted garlic and pepper flakes to the pot; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Saute until the vegetables are softened and the pearl onions translucent, 4 minutes. Add the wine, bring to a boil, and then simmer for 5 minutes, de glazing the pan.

In a large roasting pan add the browned sausages and chicken thighs, the sauteed vegetables, and the chicken stock and marinara sauce. Tie the thyme and rosemary into a bundle using butcher's twine and add it to the pan. Stir all the ingredients together and transfer the roasting pan to the oven. Cook until the chicken thighs are cooked through and tender and the sauce has thickened, 35 to 45 minutes. Remove the herb bundle.

Serve the cacciatore on a large serving platter, garnished with parsley.

 

[ThomsCircuit]

I'm always on the lookout for a real good chocolate chip cookie. A fella by the name of Joshua Weissman can decipher a recipe simply by tasting it. This is the coveted New York Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut cookie. I make these for the staff at my daughters high school for their Friday meetings.

Levain Chocolate Chip Cookies:

1.5 cups (230g) cake flour
2 cups (275g) all purpose flour
1.5 tsp (5g) kosher salt
2 tsp (8g) corn starch
1/2 tsp (6g) baking soda
1.25 cups (280g) unsalted butter
1.25 cups (285g) brown sugar
1/2 cup (115g) white granulated sugar
2 eggs
3 egg yolks
2 cups (165g) walnuts
1 lb (450g) chopped chocolate (60%)

In a medium saucepan, melt unsalted butter and set to the side to cool.

Roughly chop the dark chocolate.
In a medium size bowl, combine cake flour, all-purpose flour, kosher salt, cornstarch, and baking soda. Whisk together.

Using a stand mixer fitted with the WHISK attachment, add light brown sugar and granulated sugar. Whisk together on medium speed then slowly stream in the butter.

Once combined add in the eggs one at a time followed by the egg yolks.
Once smooth switch to the PADDLE attachment and mix in the flour mixture until smooth.
Add in rough chopped walnuts and chopped chocolate. Mix until combined.

Place in a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes.
Weigh each dough ball out to 6oz and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake in a 425F for 10-13 minutes.
Set on a wire rack to cool before serving.

 

[ThomsCircuit]

These are probably the best biscuits Ive ever had.
In order for this recipe to work you need to use these exact ingredients.
It gets a bit messy but "stick" with it. After a few folds it will start to behave itself.
My daughter and I make these at least once a month along with a sausage gravy

Homemade Biscuits

>2 cups self-rising flour (the flour must be labeled "self-rising"; all-purpose flour will not work for this recipe)
>¾ cup salted butter (cubed and very cold; ¾ cup = 1 ½ sticks of butter)
>1 ¼ cup cold buttermilk (make sure you use buttermilk - it reacts with the baking powder in the self-rising flour allowing the biscuits to rise; no other type of milk will work for this recipe)

I cube the butter into 1/2" pieces then toss them in the flour to separate them then place the bowl into the fridge for about 30 mins.

Preheat your oven to 450°F.

Make your own Self rising flour:
2 cup (120g) All-Purpose Flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Grease a large cast-iron skillet with shortening or melted butter. (You can also use a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.)

Add flour and cubed butter to a food processor. Pulse just until butter is pea-size and incorporated (about 10 quick pulses). (If you don't have a food processor, you can cut the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter or a fork.)

Pour the flour mixture into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and pour the buttermilk into the well. Using a rubber spatula, fold the flour mixture into the buttermilk until the dough comes together but is still crumbly. (Don't overmix.)

Turn the dough out onto a well floured surface. With floured hands, bring the dough together and gently flatten out into a ¾-inch thick rectangle. Trifold the dough in over itself, using a bench scraper as needed. Pat the dough back down to a ¾-inch thick rectangle and trifold one more time. Gently pat the dough back down to ¾-inch thickness.

Dip a 2 ¾-inch biscuit cutter or glass jar into flour and then press straight down into the dough. (Don't twist the cutter or it will seal off the edges of the biscuits and prevent them from fully rising.) Place biscuits in a greased cast-iron skillet (or baking sheet lined with parchment paper) side-by-side touching each other (this will allow the biscuits to climb up each other and fully rise). Bring leftover dough together and flatten back down to ¾-inch thickness. Continue to cut out biscuits, re-dipping the cutter in flour each time, until all the dough has been used. I usually end up with 12 to 15 biscuits.

Bake at 450°F for 13 to 16 minutes, until lightly golden brown on top.

Brush the tops with melted salted butter immediately when they come out of the oven.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Those aren't 'biscuits'

 

[rjenkinsgb]

Scones, indeed!

An English scone recipe - notice the similarities, despite the author starting off by claiming American biscuits are totally different??!

Classic English Scones - A Complete Tutorial

No English Tea Party would be complete without a tray of beautiful Scones. Is it scone that rhymes with "on", or is it scone that ...

www.theenglishkitchen.co

There are more variations in English scone recipes that between many UK and US versions. I'd had American biscuits and I can't tell the difference.

All good regardless!

(The English equivalent sometimes served with meat and gravy are "Dumplings", made very differently)

 

[ThomsCircuit]

Scones, indeed!

Oh ive made these a few times. I add blueberries and cut them into triangles.
The difference is the "scone" does not add folding to the process which would account for the layers in the "Biscuit" method.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

There was a long running legal argument in the UK about what is a 'cake' and what is a 'biscuit' (due to taxation being different on them) - the manufacturers of the Jaffa 'cake' (which is certainly sized and eaten like a 'biscuit') won, as they rightly pointed out that as they get too old cakes go 'hard' and biscuits go 'soft'. As Jaffa cakes are soft when new, and go hard when old, they are rightly classified as 'cakes'

Perhaps we shouldn't bring scones in a cakes/biscuits discussion? - probably a different category entirely?.

 

[ZipZapOuch]

what is a 'cake' and what is a 'biscuit' (due to taxation being different on them)

And I thought other countries had politicians that are smart enough to make decent laws compared to the stupidity of our politicians.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

And I thought other countries had politicians that are smart enough to make decent laws compared to the stupidity of our politicians.

Politicians are stupid (and crooked) everywhere - it's just a question of degree.

 

[ThomsCircuit]

This lemon shortbread desert is liked by everyone. Prepare your pucker.

Lemon Bars
----------------------------------------------
For the crust:
1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
For the filling:
6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (4 to 6 lemons)
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup flour
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
-----------------------------------------------

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine the flour and salt and, with the mixer on low, add to the butter until just mixed. Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and gather into a ball. Flatten the dough with floured hands and press with floured hands it into a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking sheet, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides. Chill for 30 mins

Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned around the edges. Let cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.

For the filling, whisk together, by hand, the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice. Carefully, sift the flour over the mix and stir in.

Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes full batch 20 minutes for half batch, until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.

Cut into triangles and dust with confectioners' sugar.

 

[Tony Stewart]

As I scan your pix, I am in pain. I just finished Dr. Palmer's podcast on getting into a ketonic state with a starvation diet of water only starting today. This is to trigger the mitochondria to activate a higher state of alertness and healthiness, now based on science. I don't know if I can last 2 weeks then followed by a Keto diet.

Fortunately we indulged immensely yesterday with 1st and last courses below.