Fresh Mozzarella in 30 Minutes

Aunt Ruth demonstrates via YouTube.

The End-of-the-World Chipotle Cheeseburger

I have a theory (which is mine) that people who either don't or can't look at the pretty pictures of various menu items when they order at their local McBurgers will, on the whole, report superior satisfaction with their order when all is said and done. I base this on the fact that there is an absolute disconnect between what is pictured and what is actually delivered. The picture is invariably piled high with goodies and dripping with its own juices, where the delivered sandwich is inevitably dry and thin enough to fit comfortably in the average wallet.

Not so with Sam's Chipotle Pork Cheeseburgers, which require a ladder to get from the bottom bun to the top, and eat exactly the way they look. I've taken the liberty of posting his recipe from Epicurious.  Have the crash-cart handy when you serve.

Ingredients

1 pound ground pork (not lean)
2 teaspoons minced chipotle in adobo plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce
2 garlic cloves, forced through a garlic press
4 slices Muenster cheese
4 hamburger buns, toasted
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 large tomatillo (1/4 pound), husked and rinsed, then sliced
1/2 small avocado, sliced
1/2 cup cilantro sprigs

Instructions

Prepare grill for cooking over medium heat.
Gently mix pork, chipotle, garlic and a scan t salt until just combined.  Form into 4 patties 1/2 inch thick.
Oil rack and grill patties, covered, for 4 minutes.
Flip patties and top with a slice of cheese. Grill, covered, until just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes more.
Spread buns with mayonnaise and assemble burgers with tomatillo, avocado and cilantro.

Korean Fried Chicken Wings

At the Grotto for TGIF drinks and appetizers last Friday, S&D, K&K and T&T all bemoaned the disappearance of the Korean Fried Chicken Wings from the menu.  But I had found a recipe shortly after I first had them at the Grotto.  I haven't tried them yet, but if you have a hankerin', check out http://food52.com/recipes/6845-kfc-korean-fried-chicken-wings

Porcini-Crusted Steaks with Fresh Herb Butter- Happy Birthday, Ruth!

What better way to celebrate Ruth’s birthday than to coat a steak with the delicious mushroom powder in the Makanda Goodins' Xmas gift baskets, cook it up and serve it with some herb butter.  And if you drove to Missouri to get filet mignon for $8.99 a pound, and you made the butter yourself, then congratulations… it’s your birthday week!

Ingredients:

• butter, room temperature
• chopped fresh chives
• chopped fresh tarragon
• garlic clove, finely chopped
• Enough mushroom powder to dip the steaks in (can also just grind up some dried porcinis)
• steaks (chicken or pork would work too)

Instructions:

1. Mix first 4 ingredients in small bowl for herb butter. Season butter to taste with salt and pepper. 
2. Put mushroom powder onto a plate. Sprinkle steaks with salt and pepper. Press steaks into porcini powder to coat both sides well.
3. Melt 2 tablespoons herb butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add steaks to skillet and cook to desired doneness, about 6 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer steaks to plates. Put some herb butter atop each steak and serve.

Made in Spain

Media-related debates at our house generally pit those who want to watch Jose Andres (Keira) against those who would prefer to see anything else (everyone except Keira), but who eventually end up watching Jose for the umpteenth time. These sorts of things happen in a house whose youngest member thinks she is on a first-name basis with Mario Batali.

Which brings us to churros, those not-quite-doughnut little goodies scarfed down at Spanish cafes with mugs of thick Spanish chocolate. I am hardly a fan of sweets, but with the two women of the house swooning every time Jose Andres dunks a hot churro into a steaming cup of chocolate, duty was calling. Please note that, the first time I made these, the chocolate was just an after-thought, and I just whipped up some Swiss Miss. Bad Daddy: make the real thing. The critics know how Jose does it, and they expect nothing less.


Churros

1 c water
2 T brown sugar
1/2 t salt
1/3 c butter (we used home-made, since that's all we had)
1 c white flour
2 eggs
1/2 t vanilla extract
1/4 c sugar
1/2 to 1 t ground cinnamon

Heat 1 1/2 to 2 inches of vegetable oil in a 10-12 inch Dutch oven or fryer.  Shoot for a temperature of 360, and be assured that VBT (Very Bad Things) will happen when you stray too far above or below that mark.

Mix the 1/4 c sugar and cinnamon together on a large plate and set aside.  This is for dusting the finished churros, although you may prefer to dispense with this and use powdered sugar instead.

In a sauce-pan, bring the water, brown sugar, salt and butter to a good boil.  Remove from heat and stir in the flour until well blended.  In a separate bowl, mix the eggs and vanilla together and then add this mixture to the flour mixture. Stir until well blended and all the egg is completely mixed in.

The next step is important.  The internets--which never lie--will tell you it is possible to make churros using one of those frosting applicator tools that look like a caulk-gun.  My experience was that I could not keep the dough streaming long enough with one of those to really do the job right.  So when your oil is up to temp, load your dough into a pastry-bag with the biggest star-tip you can find.  Hold it as low as you dare over the oil, and push 4 inches of dough into the oil at a time.  The rate at which the cooking churros have to be turned precludes doing more than a few at a time.  When you see gold appear on top, gently flip them, and be prepared to remove them to newspapers or a stack of paper towels.  As soon as they are cool enough to handle, dust with cinnamon-sugar mix or powdered sugar and make available for munchers.


Spanish Chocolate

2 c whole milk
4 oz Abuelita (or equivalent) chocolate, available at your favorite Mexican grocery
1/2 t cornstarch

Pour the milk into a saucepan and add the cornstarch, whisking in to dissolve thoroughly. Heat on medium just until boiling, then remove pan from heat. Add the chocolate and stir until it is completely melted. Dunk and enjoy!

Citrus Tea-Rubbed Pork Loin- Happy Birthday, Margaret!

To many of your siblings, a walk through the orange groves was one of most exotic experiences of visiting the Goodwards.  So as winter breaks for the large Midwestern portion of the clan, some citrus tea seemed like it would be a welcome.  

For your Christmas baskets, I got some citrus herbal tea from Etsy, and supplemented it with some other herbal teas.  Then I found a recipe which uses it as a rub for pork loin.  

For those who prefer shrimp, you could also just mix the tea with some lime juice, olive oil and perhaps some curry powder, then marinade the shrimp for 20 minutes.  Then skewer it and grill it.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Citrus Tea
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 3-4 lbs. pork loin

Instructions:

1. Combine tea and salt and grind in a spice grinder until well combined.


2. In bowl, mix oil and tea to form a paste.


3. Rub paste over pork loin, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.


4. Remove pork from fridge, unwrap and bake at 350°F for 20 minutes per pound.

Mushroom Mac- Happy Birthday, Sam!

We celebrated Sam's birthday last Thursday by eating pizza at Donna and Sam's new house.  Kayte even brought a delicious fruit tart from a French bakery in St. Louis.


Here's a recipe using the mushroom powder we gave at Christmas.  Or you can dip a steak in it, then pan fry it and serve it with an herb butter.









Ingredients

• 1 stalk of celery
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup milk
• 3 oz grated/dry cotija or parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons mushroom powder
• 4 oz mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 pound of elbow macaroni noodles

Instructions
1.  Dice the celery, garlic, and onion; measure your milk, cheese, fat, and flour.  Slice the mushrooms.
2.  Start heating the pasta water.
3.  Melt the butter in a 2-quart saucepan and cook the celery, garlic, and onion until soft, 5-7 minutes.  Add in the flour and mix into a paste over medium heat, stirring constantly, 1 to 2 minutes.
4.  Add the milk a little at a time, and stir vigorously but not extravagantly, until all traces of roux-lumps are gone.  Continue to stir and cook for another 5 to 8 minutes, until the mixture is pleasantly thickened.  Reduce heat to low.
5.  Add in the mushroom powder, stir, and taste.  Don’t add any salt, because the cheese is plenty salty.
6.  Yeah!  Add the cotija or parmesan cheese.  High-five the person nearest you.  Kill the heat, stir to combine.
7.  Cook the sliced mushrooms in oil over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until they’ve lost most of their liquid, shrunk, and browned.  Cook in a single layer.
8.  Cook the macaroni in the boiling, salted water, and cook until al dente – then drain and incorporate into the cheese sauce.  Add the mushrooms, stir to combine, and serve.