Sheets Culinary Feats

Gluten allergies are becoming more and more commonplace in our society and it can cause a lot of problems for those who are allergic. I wanted to make sure that those folks didn’t miss out this holiday season so I found a recipe on celiac.com for some pretty tasty gluten free sugar cookies. Enjoy all!

Gluten Free Soft Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

2/3 cup shortening

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

4 teaspoons milk

2 cups gluten free flour, see recipe below

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon xantham gum

For the gluten free flour:

2 cups white rice flour

2/3 cup potato starch

1/3 cup tapioca flour

Simply blend the three flours very well.

Method of Preparation:

1. Cream together the shortening, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy, then add in the egg and mix well.
2. In a separate bowl combine the “flour”, baking powder, salt, and xantham gum.
3. Alternating between dry and wet ingredients, mix them into the creamed mixture. Divide the dough in half and chill for 1 hour.
4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
5. Roll the dough out on a lightly “floured” surface, you may also need to coat the rolling pin with the gluten free flour, roll to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Cut the cookies into the desired shapes and bake on a greased cookie sheet for 6-8 minutes. I would recommend using parchment or a silicone baking surface. Allow the cookies to cool almost completely as they are very fragile right out of the oven.

The traditional Yule log was a large log that was burned all night long during the celebration. However sometime during the 18th or 19th century the French created a pastry out of the conecpt and began serving it during Christmas celebrations. It is basically a jelly roll filled with hazelnut mousse and coated in chocolate. Now a days the pastries are done up beautifully to more greatly resemble the log they are name after.

The jelly roll in this recipe is very light and delicate and requires a gentle touch when you are rolling it up. It’s much easier if you use a long piece of parchament paper underneath the log to help you roll it up nice and tight. There’s a lot of steps to this recipe, but it’ll turn out looking gorgeous at the end. I’ve left out the meringue mushrooms, but if you’re interested in putting them on the log, leave a note and I’ll post the recipe.

Yule Log

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

6 eggs, seperated

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon of sugar

1/2 cup all purpose flour, sifted

For the hazelnut mousse:

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

5 ounces hazel nuts, toasted

5 ounces milk chocolate cut into small pieces

1 tablespoon hazelnut oil

For the chocolate frosting:

12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut in small pieces

8 ounces unsalted butter, cut in small pieces

1/2 cup powdered sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/2 strong coffee

1/4 cup sour cream

Method of Preparation:

For the cake:

1. Butter a jelly roll pan, line with parchment paper, butter the paper and sprinkle with flour, tapping to remove excess flour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks with 2 tablespoons of the sugar.
3. Meanwhile, place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until soft peaks form. Turn the machine up to high, and beat in the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar, continue to beat until shiny but not stiff.
4. Add the flour to the yolk/sugar mixture and whisk to combine. Add l/4 of the egg whites to the yolk mixture, whisking to lighten the mixture. Then return the yolk mixture to the egg whites, and fold gently.
5. Scrape into the prepared pan and even the top by running a long offset spatula across the surface. Bake until cake is golden brown and springs back when lightly touched, l2 to l5 minutes. Cool on a rack. Set aside.

For Hazelnut mousse:

1. Place cooled hazelnuts on a kitchen towel and rub together to remove skins. Place the skinned hazelnuts in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for l minute. Add the hazelnut oil through the feeder tube and process until a paste forms.
2. Melt chocolate in a medium bowl placed over simmering water, or melt in a microwave oven. Add the melted chocolate to the hazelnut paste and set aside.
3. Whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Fold in the hazelnut/chocolate mixture. Keep covered in the refrigerator until needed.

For the Chocolate Frosting:

1. Melt the chocolate. In a small pot, heat the coffee and cocoa. Add the sour cream.
2. In the bowl of a mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add the chocolate mixture and combine completely. Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside until of spreading consistency.

To Assemble:

1. Trim the edges of the sponge cake. Place the Hazelnut mousse on the cake layer. Spread the mixture evenly over the cake, leaving a l inch space along the long side.
2. Using the parchment paper to aid you, carefully roll up the cake into a thick log, enclosing the mousse. Leave the wrapped, rolled-up cake on the sheet pan and refrigerate until filling is firm, at least 2 hours.
3. Remove pan with cake from refrigerator and place wrapped cake on a firm surface. Carefully unwrap cake. Using a serrated knife, from one end cut a 2-inch piece of cake on the diagonal. Set the cut piece aside.
4. Cut out a piece of cardboard the length and width of the cake. Cover the cardboard with foil and place the cake on it. Spread a little frosting on the bottom of the small cut piece and set on top of the cake roll. Using a small spatula, spread the frosting over the entire cake as well as the small piece atop the cake. With a wooden skewer or the point of a small knife, make furrows to simulate bark along the sides and top of the cake.
5. Arrange Christmas greens and plastic holly around the Yule Log. Sift powdered sugar over the whole thing to simulate snow. Fresh cranberries can be scattered around for added color.

Sorry this post is a little late, with all the excitement at work and holiday parties I’m running a little behind.

My grandmother has made this fudge for as long as I can remember. I’ve had a lot of different fudges in my day, and still this one is my favorite. Maybe it’s the nostalgia, I’m not sure, but this recipe will always have a spot in my heart.

Fantasy Fudge

Ingredients:

3 cups sugar

3/4 cup, or 1 1/2 sticks butter

2/3 cup evaporated milk

1 12 oz package of semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 cups marshmallow cream

1 cup of your favorite chopped nuts, I love some toasted walnuts personally

1 teaspoon of vanilla

Method of Preparation

1. combine the sugar, butter, and evaporated milk in a heavy bottomed sauce pan. Bring to a rolling boil, and reduce the heat to medium, stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Be extremely careful with the hot sugar, while it may not be caramel yet, 200 degree sticky sugar is still extremely unpleasant on your skin.
2. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Stir until melted.
3. Add the marshmallow cream, nuts, and vanilla. Stir until well blended and poor into a 9″X13″ pan and let it cool completely.

These are extremely good after you have let them set up over night covered on the counter. They’ll keep in an airtight container for a week at room temperature, but they never last that long.

When I catered for the Jewish community I always looked forward to Hanukkah and the making of latkes for the kids to eat. There’s nothing quite like a warm breakfast of blintzes and latkes eaten with friends and family.

These latkes are a wonderful combination of potato, onions and egg. A wonderfully delicate treat that just explodes with flavor in your mouth. And then the amazing depth that actually comes out when you combine the savory and the sweet with the sour cream and the applesauce.

The act of slathering my latkes with sour cream and applesauce actually took a great deal of coercing on my behalf from my co-workers until I actually put the condiments on. But once I did I was sold, and I can never dream of having a latke or any other potato pancake without them ever again. In fact several times I’ve gone into restaurants and asked if I can get sour cream and applesauce with my potato pancakes, and when told that they didn’t have either I had to find something else.

But I digress, on to the recipe:

Potato Latkes with sour cream and applesauce - makes approximately 16 latkes

Ingredients:

2 pounds Idaho potatoes

1 large yellow onion

1/2 cup of matzo meal

4 eggs, lightly beaten

salt and pepper to taste

Your favorite brand of plain applesauce and sour cream for serving.

Method of preparation:

1. Grate the potatoes and the onion into a bowl and combine well. If you’re increasing the size of this recipe it is greatly recommended you use a food processor with a grating attachment. Place the mixture into a colander and let it drain until it is dry to the touch. This is extremely important, don’t skip this step as your latkes will fall apart otherwise, if you need to, use a paper towel to dry off the onions. Once completely dry place into a mixing bowl.
2. Add the matzo meal and the eggs and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. The mixture should be firm and stick together but still moist.
3. Heat 1/4 inch of vegetable oil in a skillet until very hot. Form the mixture into patties about 2 inches in diameter and fry in the hot oil. When the Latkes are browned on one side flip them over and brown on the other, about 3 minutes or so.
4. Keep the latkes in a warm oven and serve hot. Plate up with the applesauce and the sour cream.

I love the holidays myself, namely the wonderful food traditions. Nothing beats getting together with friends and family and celebrating with some great food, great conversation, and the opening of presents and what not.

I’ve worked rather extensively with a Jewish catering service and it was wonderful for me to learn the different traditions that are celebrated for Hanukkah. 10 years ago if you had asked me if I would ever eat a potato pancake with applesauce and sour cream I’d have looked at you like you were a nutter. Now though, I find myself craving them every year.

Admittedly I’m not very up on any on Kwanzaa traditions, but it’s definitely something that I’m interested in learning all about. So if you celebrate, please comment here about your traditions and share with everyone.

I’m not attempting to exclude anyone from these recipes, so again if there’s something you’d like to see let me know and I’ll put something up. I think next week I’ll continue the holiday theme (seeing as how Christmas and Hanukkah are both next week), maybe do some Japanese Christmas recipes.

Anyways, I’d love to go over a few different recipes this week. Including:

Potato Latkes with Sour Cream and applesacue

Fudge

Yule Log

This was never a dish that I grew up with, but I had heard a lot about it from folks as time went on. It wasn’t until recently that I finally tried it out and it has jumped on to my list of wonderful comfort foods.

Those in the military will know this dish under a different name, mostly s**t on a shingle. Not the most alluring name but definitely one of the favorites of soldiers everywhere. I’ve taken that basic recipe and added some mushrooms to it, I think they give it a nice extra earthy quality.

Cream of Chipped Beef: Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 Teaspoons of vegetable oil

4 ounces of sliced mushrooms

1 1/4 pounds of chipped beef, this is just shaved corn beef if you can’t find it in your deli. Once you get it shaved simply cut it into 1 inch squares.

1 Tablespoon of butter

1 1/2 Tablespoons of Flour

1/4 cup evaporated milk

1 Tablespoon fresh chopped parsley

1 pint beef stock

8 pieces of toast, I like a good sourdough or texas toast.

Method of Preparation:

1. Heat the oil in a skillet and then add in the mushrooms, season lightly with salt and pepper. Once the mushrooms release their fluids add the meat to the pan and cook for 1 minute.
2. Add the butter and stir until it melts. Add in the flour and stir together to form the roux, so that the flour looks like wet sand. Cook for 1 minute and then stir in the evaporated milk and dissolve the roux. Add in the beef stock and parsley and bring to a simmer, cook until the mixture becomes thick and bubbly. Serve over 2 pieces of toast.

I think the combination of Grilled Cheese and Tomato soup has ingrained itself into the American culture as a comfort food that crosses the traditional borders. Whether you just want to eat your sandwich or dunk it in your soup as you go, few things make us feel better than that.

This isn’t your standard grilled cheese, I won’t be using any velveta or what not, but you could always use that if it makes you feel good. The combination with the ciabatta rolls makes for a delicious taste sensation and it really soaks up the soup when you dip it.

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches Serves: 6

Ingredients:

6 ciabatta rolls split in half

Mayonnaise to taste

6 slices of muenster cheese

6 slices of Havarti, I love a nice dill havarti but it can be hard to find.

Method of Preparation:

1. Spread a small amount of mayonnaise on the inside of each of the ciabatta rolls.
2. Place one slice of the muenster and havarti on the rolls and place the tops back on. Heat a skillet over medium high heat and spray it with a non-stick spray.
3. Toast the sandwiches on either side until golden brown and the cheese is wonderfully melted. Serve hot with the tomato soup.

Creamy Tomato soup Serves: 6

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons of butter

2 Tablespoons Olive oil

1 large onion, diced

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

2 Tablespoons flour

3 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes, chopped

2 Tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon of sugar

3 cups vegetable broth

1/8 teaspoon ground clove

To Taste Salt and Pepper

1/2 cup half and half

Method of Preparation:

1. Melt the butter with the olive oil over low heat in a pot.
2. Add the onion and saute until translucent, add in the garlic. Sprinkle with the flour and cook 3 minutes longer.
3. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, and broth. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. Cook over medium-low heat for 30 minutes. Season with the cloves, salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.
4. Puree with an immersion blender, or in a food processor but that can be a bit more risky. Pour the mixture through a sieve into a separate pot and stir in the half and half.

So I was thinking today with the large amount of snow that we’re expecting this week that it’s the perfect time to stay home curled up under some blankets in front of a fireplace and eat some delicious comfort food.

These are some of my absolute favorites of all time when ever I’m feeling down in the dumps or just need to warm up.

The beef and noodles is probably my most favorite recipe ever from childhood and I loved hearing those words when my mom told us what was for dinner. Now a days it’s so difficult to make truly amazing noodles now a days, especially since my GG’s (read great grandma we couldn’t say it as kids) is over 100 years old and contains this sort of timeline: When the men go out to milk the cows mix the ingredients roll it out and let it dry; When the men come in for lunch, turn the noodles over…you get the point. I have, however, located a wonderful frozen noodle that actually tastes just as good as any noodle that ever came from my GG.

So without further ado, here’s the list of this weeks recipes.

Grilled cheese and tomato soup

Cream chipped beef

Beef and Noodles

This is one of my favorite recipes that I’ve been making for years on end. Whenever I bring them to a party they never last longer than 2 hours. And that’s with over 100 made. Gyoza are simple, delicious, and even more amazing when served with soy sauce.

They can be a bit time consuming to make, so I’ve included the special equipment you’ll need as well.

Gyoza

Equipment Needed:
Steamer, I prefer a spagetti pot with the steamer basket insert.
Large skillet
Food Processor
Ravioli Press, again I prefer the fold in half plastic kind but you can also use the square metal kind, they work pretty well actually.
Saute pan
A pair of tongs that won’t tear up your non-stick saute pan if using one

Ingredients:
1 Tbls of vegetable oil, I prefer a canola/peanut blend for this
1 large or 2 small schallots, finely minced
1 piece of fresh ginger about the size of your thumb, peeled, and finely minced
1 lb ground pork
1 small head of green cabbage, approximately 1 lb
1 package won ton wrappers, ~75-100 count
Enough more of the canola/peanut oil to fry the gyoza

Method of preperation:

1. Fill your steamer with water and put it on to start boiling with the lid on.
2. In your skillet add the vegetable oil, and heat it for a few minutes. Once hot add the shallot and ginger and saute for a minute until the schallots beging to become translucent. Then add the pork and cook thoroughly. Set the mixture aside to cool slightly.
3. Cut your cabbage in half and then remove the core from each half. Cut each half into thirds and place the pieces in your food processor. Process the cabbage until it is chopped small, about half the volume it was previously. Add in the pork mixture and process until it forms a paste.
4. This next step works best with two people, one forming gyoza and one cooking them.
5. Using a teaspoon fill each wonton skin in the middle leaving enough room for the edges to fit together. Dip your finger in water and run it around half of the won ton skin and press the gyoza together using the ravioli press.
6. Heating a small amount of oil in the saute pan cook 3 gyoza at a time for approximately 2 minutes on each side till they are nice crispy and brown. Once browned transfer the gyoza to your steamer to finish cooking the skin. This process gives you a gyoza that is crunchy and chewey at the same time and completely cooked all the way through.

A good friend of mine, George, spoke about some of his variants to the Yakisoba recipe that enjoys, one of them being Dashi Stock. Check ‘em out on my previous post.

Dashi really is the staple Japanese stock with the mild flavor of fish and seaweed it is light, flavorful and very flexible. It is the base for a large number of soups and broths, and even used to cook some noodles. Again, you can pick all of these ingredients up at your local asian market, just be careful as you might need to buy them in large quantities.

Dashi - makes 6 cups

Ingredients, note the ingredients are measured by weight:

6 cups of water

1/2 oz konbu (seaweed)

1/2 oz shaved dried bonito flakes

Method of preparation:

1. bring the water to a boil and add the konbu and remove fromthe heat. Stir it around in the water for 4 minutes in order to release it’s flavor. Then strain out the konbu.
2. Add the bonito shavings and bring the water back to a boil. Immediately remove the pot from the heat. Allow the shavings to settle to the bottom of the pan, about 3 minutes.
3. Strain the stock through a fine sieve and the broth is ready to use.