Sunday, October 31, 2010

Grownup Mac and Cheese


We were hankering for some mac and cheese. We had a great one from this restaurant in Lehigh Gorge so I looked around for something to try. I found this (http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/29/addictive-mac-and-cheese/) from a blog entry on the NY Times. I did not have enough time nor cheese so I tweaked the recipe a bit. Hey we all liked it so this goes on our blog!

Ingredients

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

2 cups heavy cream

3 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 grated cheddar

1  grated pecorino Romano

1 pound elbow macaroni

Method

1. Combine milk and cream in a pot and heat. Melt butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.

2. Slowly pour hot milk into flour-butter mixture while whisking. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.

3. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cheddar, and pecorino Romano. Set cheese sauce aside.

4. Fill a large saucepan with water. Bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 fewer minutes than manufacturer's directions, until outside of pasta is cooked and inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different rates; be sure to read the instructions.) Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.

5. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese.


Friday, August 20, 2010

Long day...


I can't really complain. Things have to be done, the pantry restocked, plants to transfer. Hey at least the sun is out and I am about to see my dear schatzi.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Asian Style BBQ

Finally the weekend is here. We were spared from all the heat and a nice shower came during the morning. Unfortunately I was planning to barbeque some chipotle in adobe sauce ribs outside. I saw this recipe the other day so it was out with the chipotle and in with the fish sauce.

Recipe: My Take on Fatty 'Cue Spare Ribs
2 1/2 cups fish sauce
1 cup sugar cane vinegar
1 bulb of garlic, peeled and smashed
1 medium shallot, peeled and sliced
2 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup sugar
2 racks pork spare ribs
1 gallon of water plus 3/4 cups of water
red pepper flakes
6 ounces palm sugar

1. In a pot, place a gallon of water. Add the sugar cane vinegar, garlic, shallot, black pepper and 2 cups of fish sauce. Cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat, place in a nonreactive container and chill.

2. For this recipe, I placed the ribs in the brine for about 9 hours but you can probably leave it in between 6 and 12 hours.

3. After the requisite brining, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Remove the ribs from the brine and sprinkle the red pepper flakes as liberally or as lightly as you want. Place ribs on a couple of trays.

4. Once the oven has reached the proper temperature, place the trays in the oven for about 20 minutes.

5. Combine the palm sugar and 3/4 cup water in a small pot over a medium flame, and heat until the sugar melts. Combine that simple syrup with the remaining 1/2 cup fish sauce.

6. Bring the trays out of the oven and glaze heavily with mixture. Put them back in the oven for another 20 minutes. Repeat the process two more times but make sure you flip the ribs at least once so you can apply the glaze.

7. Once done and you brought the trays out of the oven, let the ribs rest for about 5 minutes. Chop up the ribs and enjoy!

Here is a shot of the ribs.















Here is a closeup shot of a rib.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Tis' the Season


Can you believe it? It is that time folks. Time to clean up those tongs, wipe down the grill and chill those bottles of beer (or cider if you prefer). Yes sir, the weather is just perfect for grilling!

Take a gander at these beauties...



From Sesame Tenderloin Skewers with Asian-Style Sauce

-serves 4 as an amuse-bouche-

Ingredients

1/4 cup tamari

1/4 cup ponzu

2 tablespoons sesame oil

Small splash of mirin

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1 clove garlic, grated

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

1 small onion, minced

Chopped fresh chili to taste

3/4 pound pork tenderloin, cut into 1- to 1 1/2-inch cubes

1/4 cup white sesame seeds

Procedure

1. Begin by making the sauce/marinade. Whisk together the tamari, ponzu, toasted sesame oil, mirin, ginger, garlic, cilantro, scallions and chili. Divide the mixture in half. Place one half in a large Ziploc bag, and the other half in a serving bowl.

2. Add the beef to the Ziploc bag, and seal. Massage the marinade into the beef. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.

3. Meanwhile, soak as many 3- or 5-inch bamboo skewers as you have cubes of meat in water for at least 30 minutes.

4. Preheat your grill pan over medium-high heat.

5. Mix the sesame seeds together in a pie dish.

6. Remove the meat from the marinade, and discard the marinade. Thread 1 cube onto each skewer.

7. Dredge the meat in the black and white sesame seeds, covering them on all sides, pressing them into the meat if necessary. Grill 1 to 2 minutes on each of the four sides of the meat. Serve with the reserved sauce.

Saturday, April 03, 2010

Everybody Screams for Ice Cream


I had the privilege of eating Texas Blue Bell ice cream a couple of years ago. Unfortunately the dry ice was not sufficient to keep all the pints cool but that was due to an airline mishap and not of the company. Anyway I do not remember what I had but I know I liked it. I just read about another "local" ice cream maker called  Jeni's Ice Cream in Ohio. If I ever had the chance to pick up a couple of pints specially the salty caramel flavor, I would.

http://www.bluebell.com/

http://jenisicecreams.com

Monday, March 22, 2010

It was fun while it lasted



Compare Monday with Saturday and I wish it was the weekend all over again.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Rendevous



Two people, a lamp post and a tuck away corner. Need I say more?

Have you heard a peacock before?



As I was getting out of my conveyance, I heard this shrill call pierce through the air. It took me a couple of minutes to figure out where it came from.


Behold, the majestic peacock (waiting on tables it seems)!

Explain this to me



Ithe title of this sculpture is "Listener" by Karen Petersen. I see the head facing upward. How is that listening?

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Redoing the roof



A couple of years from now, this is what my roof will look like once all the shingles have been removed. I am not looking forward to the bill...

Could go for some dragon...



I really miss freshly cutup and chilled dragon fruit. I distinctly remember finding some in chinatown a couple of years ago but I have not seen it since.