Tag Archives: butter

Real Caramel Sauce

Posted on by

Makes 3 to 4 cups

  • 1 cup golden syrup or light corn syrup
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3/8 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Equipment:
  • Candy thermometer
  • A long-handled silicone spatula or wooden spoon
  1. Combine the syrup, sugar, and salt in a heavy 3-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, until the mixture simmers around the edges.
  2. Wash the sugar and syrup from the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush. Cover and cook for 3 minutes. (Meanwhile, rinse the spatula or spoon for use again later.) Uncover the pan and wash down the sides once more.
  3. Attach the candy thermometer to the saucepan, without letting it touch the bottom of the pan, and cook, uncovered, without stirring until the mixture reaches 305° F. Meanwhile, heat the cream in a small saucepan until tiny bubbles form around the edges of the pan. Remove the pan from the heat and cover it to keep the cream hot. When the sugar mixture is at 305° F, remove it from the heat and stir in the butter chunks.
  4. Gradually stir in the hot cream; it will bubble up and steam dramatically. Put the pan back on the burner and adjust the heat so that the mixture boils energetically but not violently. Stir until smooth. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, to about 225° F (or 228° F for a sauce that thickens like fudge when poured over ice cream). Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
  5. Serve the sauce warm or hot. Store in the refrigerator (it keeps for ages) and reheat it gently in the microwave or a saucepan just until hot and flowing. You can stir in rum or brandy to taste. If the sauce (after reheating) becomes too thick or stiff to serve over ice cream, it can always be thinned with a little water or cream.

 

Shrimp and grits from www.saveur.com/

Posted on by
1 cup white or yellow stone-ground grits
3⁄4 cup grated cheddar
1⁄4 cup parmesan
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
Kosher salt
2 tbsp. canola oil
1 lb. medium shrimp (about 30), peeled
Freshly ground black pepper
6 button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1⁄2 cup broth
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice, plus 4 lemon wedges
1⁄2 tsp. hot sauce, preferably Tabasco
4 scallions, thinly sliced
In a 2-qt. saucepan, bring 4 cups water to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and whisk in grits. Cook, whisking frequently, until grits are tender and creamy, 30–40 minutes. (Whisk in more water for thinner grits.) Whisk in cheddar, parmesan, and 1 tbsp. butter and season with salt; cover and set aside.
Heat oil in a 12″ skillet over medium heat.
Season shrimp with salt and pepper. Over medium-high heat, add shrimp to skillet and cook, turning once, until bright pink, about 2 minutes. Transfer shrimp to a plate with a slotted spoon. Lower heat to medium; add mushrooms to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until golden, 1 minute. Raise heat to high, add chicken broth, and scrape bottom of skillet with a wooden spoon. Cook until broth reduces by half, 3 minutes. Return shrimp to skillet along with the lemon juice, remaining butter, and hot sauce and cook, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens, about 1 minute. Divide grits between 4 bowls; top each with shrimp and its sauce. Garnish each bowl with bacon, scallions, and lemon wedges.

Almond Joy Magic Cookie Bars from www.eatcakefordinner.net/

Posted on by

Cookie Crust:
1/2 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 c. light brown sugar, packed
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. chocolate graham cracker crumbs (not quite 9 full-sheet crackers)
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Layers:
3/4 c. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 3/4 c. shredded sweetened coconut
1/2 c. sliced almonds
about 12 oz. sweetened condensed milk (not quite one can)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a slight overhang for easy removal and spray with cooking spray; set aside.  For the Crust: In a large bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar, using a hand mixer, until smooth and creamy.  Add the vanilla and egg and mix until combined.  Add the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt and mix until fully combined.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Press graham cracker dough evenly into the bottom of your prepared baking pan.  Bake for 5 minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with the mini chocolate chips (reserving a small amount), coconut and sliced almonds.  Drizzle the sweetened condensed milk over the top and sprinkle with reserved mini chocolate chips.  Remember the pan is hot and return to the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until set (I baked mine for about 26 minutes).  Loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil halfway through baking time to prevent the coconut and almonds from browning and rotate the pan in the oven.

Allow to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes and then stick in the refrigerator to cool all the way through (the bottom of the pan will be cold).   Cut into 9-12 squares.  DO NOT cut the bars while they are still warm or the gooey filling will run all over the place.

Jenn’s Notes: I cut mine into 9 bars, but since they are pretty rich, I think 12 bars would be perfect.

Chef John’s Dutch Babies

Posted on by
  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
  2. Blend milk, flour, eggs, vanilla extract, and salt together in a blender until batter is smooth.
  3. Melt clarified butter in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over high heat until bubbling; pour batter into the center of the skillet.
  4. Bake in the preheated oven until puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Brush with 1 tablespoon butter, drizzle lemon juice over the top, and dust with confectioners’ sugar.

apple crisp from Anna Thomas

Posted on by
  • download2 pounds tart green apples, peeled and sliced
  • thinly(about 5 to 51/2 cups sliced)
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup butter

Peel the apples and slice them thinly. Put them in a rather shallow 1-quart casserole and sprinkle them with the water. Put them aside while you prepare the crust.

Sift together the dry ingredients and cut in the butter until all is well combined. Sprinkle this mixture thickly and evenly over the apples. Don’t mix the two together.

Cover the casserole and bake at 350 degrees for 1/2 hour, then uncover and bake another 1/2 hour. The crust will be crisp on top, and will have partly seeped down through the apples,
flavoring them and binding them slightly together.

Serve hot or cold.

Michigan Pasty (Meat Hand Pie) cookingchanneltv.com

Posted on by
  • cq5dam-web-266-2003 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling dough
  • 1 cup shortening
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 cup ice cold water
  • 8 ounces faux ground beef
  • 4 ounces rutabaga, cut into 1/4-inch dice
  • 1 medium carrot, cut into 1/4-inch dice
  • 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 1 small potato, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
  • 1/4 cup picked fresh parsley, chopped
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 egg, whisked
  • Ketchup, for serving
Add the flour, shortening and a pinch of salt to a food processor and run the motor until the dough starts to clump together. With the motor running, drizzle in the water. Stop the motor when a ball begins to form. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for about 1 hour. This step allows the glutens to relax and makes for easier rolling.

Mix together the beef, rutabaga, carrots, onions, potatoes and parsley. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside until ready to form the pies.

Cut the dough into 6 even pieces, about 5 ounces each, and form into balls. Make sure the dough is cold for easier handling. Flour a work surface and roll out each ball of dough into an 8-inch circle. Evenly divide the filling (about 3/4 cup per pastie) on one half of each dough circle. Fold the dough over to cover the mixture and crimp the edges using a fork. Slice 3 small slits on top of each pocket. This prevents steam from building up and splitting the dough. Brush the pasties with the egg and bake on the prepared baking sheet until the crust is golden brown and flaky, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Serve with ketchup.

Cook’s Note: Pasties can be baked and then frozen. To reheat, place in a 300 degree F oven until warmed through, about 20 minutes.

Parmesan-Butternut Squash Gratin from Phyllis Keating

Posted on by

downloadCrispy bread crumbs add a bit of crunch to tender slices of butternut squash seasoned with garlic and Parmesan.

1 butternut squash (2 1/2 lb)
1/4 cup butter or margarine
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup  panko bread crumbs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 13×9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. Peel, halve lengthwise and seed squash; cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Arrange with slices overlapping slightly in bottom of baking dish.

2 In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Reduce heat to low. Add garlic; cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until garlic is soft and butter is infused with garlic flavor. Do not let butter brown.

3 In small bowl, mix bread crumbs, cheese and 1 tablespoon of the butter-garlic mixture.

4 Brush squash slices with remaining butter-garlic mixture. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and bread crumb mixture.

5 Bake uncovered 30 to 40 minutes or until squash is tender when pierced with fork. Increase oven temperature to 425°F; bake 5 to 10 minutes longer or until lightly browned. Before serving, sprinkle parsley over top.

Pasta e fagoli (pasta and bean soup) from Mario

Posted on by
  • 2 tablespoons butter?
  • 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped Italian parsley (plus more for garnish)
  • 1000x400-q80_6ec2fc22392b70edf51cfc41c4cbd0b91 medium Spanish onion (finely chopped)
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 8 cups veggie stock
  • 3 cups cooked barlotti beans or kidney beans (rinsed and drained if canned)
  • 2 cups dried pasta scraps from making fresh pasta (or broken dried fettucini)
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Parmigiano (for garnish)

In a Dutch oven, heat the butter and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over high heat until almost smoking. Add the parsley and onion and cook, stirring, until the onion is browned and soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 10 minutes. Add the veggie stock and beans and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Add the pasta and simmer for 10 more minutes. Remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper, and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

Divide the soup among six serving bowls. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and garnish with more parsley and grated Parmigiano.

 

Magic Cake from jocooks.com

Posted on by
  • 4 eggs (separate yolks from whites) at room temperature
  • magic-cake-1-11 tsp vanilla extract
  • 150 g (3/4 cup) sugar
  • 125 g (1 stick or ½ cup) unsalted butter, melted
  • 115 g (4 oz or ¾ cup) of all purpose flour
  • 500 ml (2 cups) milk lukewarm *
  • powdered sugar for dusting cake
  1. Preheat oven to 325 F degrees. Grease a 8 inch x 8 inch baking dish or line it with parchment paper so that it’s easier to get the cake out.
  2. Separate the eggs and beat the egg yolks with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add butter and vanilla extract and continue beating for another minute or two after which you can add the flour and mix it in until fully incorporated.
  3. Slowly start adding the milk and beat until everything is well mixed together.
  4. Add the egg whites to a mixer and mix until stiff peaks form.
  5. Add the egg whites to the cake batter and gently fold them in. Another variation to folding in the egg whites would be to whisk them in to the cake batter, this is a lot faster and easier. Make sure you don’t fold the egg whites in completely, you still want to see some of the white bits floating at the top.
  6. Pour batter into baking dish and bake for 40 to 70 minutes or until the top is lightly golden. The baking time could vary greatly depending on the oven, so take a peek at around 40 minutes and see how it looks.
  7. Sprinkle some powdered sugar after cake has cooled.
* To get the milk lukewarm I usually warm it in the microwave for about a minute.

The baking time can vary greatly for this cake. I’ve baked this cake in 3 different ovens and I’ve always needed different times which were from 40 to 70 minutes. The oven I have right now only requires about 45 minutes to get a nice golden color on the cake, whereas other ovens I’ve used required the full 70 minutes. Test if after 40 minutes to see what it looks like. The cake is done when it only jiggles slightly but feels firm to touch.

 

Celery Soup from bon appetite

Posted on by
  • 1 head celery, celery-soup-940x560stalks chopped, leaves reserved
  • 1 large waxy potato, chopped
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • Kosher salt
  • 3 cups low-sodium veggie broth
  • ¼ cup fresh dill
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • Flaky sea salt (such as Maldon) and olive oil (for serving)
  • Combine celery, potato, onion, and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat; season with kosher salt. Cook, stirring, until onion is tender, 8–10 minutes. Add broth; simmer until potatoes are tender, 8–10 minutes. Purée in a blender with dill; strain. Stir in cream. Serve soup topped with celery leaves, sea salt, and oil.