Gingerbread Cookies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

Makes 16 cookies .

• 6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1 cup packed dark-brown sugar
• 4 teaspoons ground ginger
• 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon finely ground pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup unsulfured molasses
• Royal Icing
• Fine sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Directions

1. Sift together flour, baking soda, and baking powder into a large bowl. Set aside.
2. Put butter and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until fluffy. Mix in spices and salt, then eggs and molasses. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Divide dough into thirds; wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough on a lightly floured work surface to a 1/4-inch thick. Cut into snowflakes with a 7- inch snowflake-shape cookie cutter. Space 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper, and refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.
4. Bake cookies until crisp but not dark, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.
5. Put icing in a pastry bag fitted with a small plain round tip (such as Ateco #7). Pipe designs on snowflakes; immediately sprinkle with sanding sugar. Let stand 5 minutes; tap off excess sugar. Let icing set completely at room temperature, about 1 hour. Store cookies between layers of parchment in an airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days.

First published   

Copyright 2010 Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Gingerbread House

Adapted by Food Network from a recipe courtesy of Beatrice Ojakangas

Prep Time:

1 hr 15 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

15 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

One recipe of dough makes one

Ingredients

1 cup butter, room temperature [226g]
1 cup brown sugar, well packed [220g]
2 tablespoons cinnamon
4 teaspoons ground ginger
3 teaspoons ground cloves
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ cup boiling water
5 cups all-purpose flour [875g]

For assemblage and decoration:

• Melted white chocolate or Royal Icing (recipe follows)
• Gumdrops, licorice and peppermint, as desired

Directions

Gingerbread House:

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar, molasses, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and baking soda together until the mixture is smooth. Blend in the flour and water to make a stiff dough. Chill at least 30 minutes or until firm.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Cut paper patterns for the gingerbread house:

Two rectangles (figs. A and B), 3 by 5 inches, to make the front and back of the house. Two rectangles (figs. C and D), 3 by 5 1/2 inches for the roof. Two pieces for the ends of the house (figs. E and F), 3 inches wide at the base, 3 inches to the roof line, and slanted to a peak 5 1/2 inches from the bottom. Four smaller rectangles (figs. G, H, I, and J), 1 1/2 by 1 inch for the roof and sides of the entryway. And one piece (fig. K), 2 inches wide at the base, 1 1/2 inches to the roof line, and slanted to a peak 2 1/2 inches from the bottom for the front of the entryway.

Roll gingerbread dough out to edges on a large, rimless cookie sheet. Place paper patterns onto the rolled out dough. With a sharp, straight edged knife, cut around each of the pieces, but leave pieces in place.

Bake at 375 degrees F for about 15 minutes until dough feels firm.

Place patterns on top of the gingerbread again and trim shapes, cutting edges with a straight-edged sharp knife. Leave to cool on baking sheet.

Place royal icing into pastry bag with a writing tip and press out to decorate individual parts of house, piping on decorations, windows, door, etc., as desired. Let dry until hardened.

Glue sides, front and back of house together at corners using royal icing. Place an object against the pieces to prop up until icing is dry (it only takes a few minutes).

Glue the two roof pieces to the pitched roofline of the house. Then, similarly, glue the sides and roof of the entryway together with icing. Attach the entryway to the front of the house.

Continue decorating the house, glueing on gumdrops, licorice and peppermint, as desired.

Royal Icing:

• 1 pound (3-3/4 cups) powdered sugar, sifted if lumpy
• 1 to 2 large egg whites, or substitute 4 teaspoons packaged egg whites and 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon almond extract, vanilla or lemon juice

Mix all of the ingredients together using an electric hand mixer, until the icing is smooth and thin enough to be pressed through a pastry bag with a writing tip. Add more lemon juice, if necessary.


http://images.marthastewart.com/images/content/web/pdfs/2009Q4/ms_hol09_swedish_gingerbread_house_temp.pdf

Shortbread

Made basic shortbread last Christmas for the first time.  What I love about shortbread is it keeps for THREE weeks.  I'll have to dip some in melted dark chocolate this year like the photo above.  It's really yummy with coffee and it only takes one square to satisfy a sweet craving.  With all that butter, it's definitely rich!

 

Ingredients

Publish Post

Makes 8 to 10 wedges

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/2 cup confectioners' or granulated sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter an 8 1/2-inch round cake or springform pan. Sift together flour and salt in a small bowl. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium, cream butter until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add sugar, and continue to beat until very light in color and fluffy, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary, about 2 minutes more. Add flour mixture, and beat on low, scraping bowl if necessary, until flour is just incorporated and dough sticks together when squeezed.
2. Pat dough into prepared pan. Use a paring knife to score dough into wedges; prick all over in even intervals with a wooden skewer or fork.
3. Bake until firm in the center and just starting to color, about 50 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Cut into wedges. Cookies will keep, in an airtight container, at room temperature 3 weeks.

From The Martha Stewart Show, December 2008

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Basic Shortbread - Martha Stewart Recipes

Cheddar Topped Sheperd's Pie

Made this several times last winter.  Cheap, easy, and a great comfort food. 

 I think original cottage pie, later known as shepherd's pie, was made of minced lamb or mutton.

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 2 pounds baking potatoes (about 4), peeled and thinly sliced
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, such as safflower
• 6 medium carrots, halved lengthwise, quartered if large, and thinly sliced
• 6 celery stalks, thinly sliced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 2 pounds ground beef chuck
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp white cheddar (6 ounces)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450. Place potatoes in a large saucepan, and cover by 1 inch with salted water. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife, 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high. Add carrots, celery, onion, and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add flour and tomato paste; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add beef; cook, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink, 6 to 8 minutes. Add 1 cup water; bring to a boil, and simmer 1 minute. Set beef filling aside.
3. Drain potatoes; return to pan. Cook over medium, stirring, until liquid has evaporated and a thin film covers bottom of pan, about 1 minute. Remove pan from heat; add milk and 1 cup cheese. Mash until smooth; season cheddar-potato topping with salt and pepper.
4. Pour beef filling into a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Drop dollops of topping over filling; spread to edges with a spatula. Using a fork, make decorative peaks; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake until topping is browned and filling is bubbling rapidly, about 20 minutes (if topping and filling were chilled, increase to 35 minutes). Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

From Everyday Food, October 2008

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Cheddar-Topped Shepherd's Pie - Martha Stewart Recipes

Espresso Snowcaps

Came out a bit too sweet, for me at least.  The extra confectioner's sugar didn't help.  Still tasty though!  I'll have to try using 1/2 C of brown sugar next time.




Espresso Snowcaps

Makes 18

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 4 teaspoons instant espresso
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
• 1 tablespoon milk
• Confectioners' sugar, for coating

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, espresso, baking powder, and salt. With an electric mixer, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg until well combined; mix in cooled chocolate. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture; beat in milk until just combined. Flatten dough into a disk; wrap in plastic. Freeze until firm, about 45 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Pour confectioners' sugar (about 1/2 cup) into a medium bowl; working in batches, roll balls in sugar two times, letting them sit in sugar between coatings.
3. Place on prepared baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies have spread and coating is cracked, 12 to 14 minutes; cookies will still be soft to the touch. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Chocolate-Espresso Snowcaps - Martha Stewart Recipes

Molasses Cookies

Made these last Christmas.  Spicy yummy goodness!



Makes 36

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup molasses

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In a shallow bowl, place 1/2 cup sugar; set aside.
2. With an electric mixer, beat butter and remaining cup of sugar until combined. Beat in egg and then molasses until combined. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in dry ingredients, just until a dough forms.
3. Pinch off and roll dough into balls, each equal to 1 tablespoon. Roll balls in reserved sugar to coat.
4. Arrange balls on baking sheets, about 3 inches apart. Bake, one sheet at a time, until edges of cookies are just firm, 10 to 15 minutes (cookies can be baked two sheets at a time, but they will not crackle uniformly). Cool 1 minute on baking sheets; transfer to racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to 4 days.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Chewy Molasses-Spice Cookies - Martha Stewart Recipes

Pumpkin Pecan Pie

From the most recent Weekend Kitchen newsletter, a great recipe for my first attempt at Thanksgiving Pie!

Thanksgiving Twofer Pie
Can't decide what kind of pie to make this year.  Dorie Greenspan has the answer in her twofer pie- Pecan and Pumpkin.  Don't forget the home made whip cream or vanilla ice cream with this one!

Baking: From My Home to Yours
by Dorie Greenspan (Houghton Mifflin, 2006)
Saveur Magazine Link to recipe

FOR A 9" SINGLE CRUST:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 sticks (10 tbsp.) very cold (frozen is fine) unsalted
   butter, cut into tbsp.-size pieces
2 1/2 tbsp. very cold (frozen is even better) vegetable
   shortening, cut into 2 pieces

*** Short on time and  need to buy a crust?  Try the Trader Joe's pie crusts.  They are really good and not full of as many ingredients you can't pronounce as the other brands.

FOR THE PUMPKIN FILLING:
1 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 tsp. dark rum
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. salt

FOR THE PECAN FILLING:
1/2 cup light or dark corn syrup
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups (about 7 oz.) pecan halves or pieces
1. For the crust: Put flour, sugar, and salt into a food processor; pulse to combine. Drop in butter and shortening; pulse to cut into flour. What you're aiming for is to have some pieces the size of fat green peas and others the size of barley. Pulsing, gradually add about 3 tbsp. ice water-add a little water and pulse once, add some more water, pulse again; keep going that way. Then use a few long pulses to get water into flour. If, after a dozen or so pulses, the dough doesn't look evenly moistened, pulse in up to 1 tbsp. more ice water, to get a dough that will stick together when pinched. Shape dough into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate 1 hour.
2. For the pumpkin filling: Pulse all ingredients together in a food processor. Leave filling in bowl.
3. For the pecan filling: In a bowl, whisk together all ingredients except pecans until smooth.
4. Preheat oven to 450°. Roll dough out to a 12" circle on a floured counter, turning dough over frequently; keep counter floured. Slide dough into the fridge for about 20 minutes to rest and firm up. Fit dough into a buttered 9" pie plate; cut excess dough to a 1/4"-1/2" overhang. Fold dough under itself, so that it hangs over the edge just a tad, and flute or pinch the crust to make a decorative edge.
5. To assemble: Give the pumpkin filling one last quick pulse, then remove bowl, rap it on counter to debubble batter, and pour filling into crust. Top pumpkin filling evenly with pecans, then pour over pecan filling. Poke down any pecans that float to the top and aren't covered with filling. Bake pie for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300° and bake for another 35-40 minutes, or until it is evenly puffed and a slender knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer pie to a cooling rack and let it stand until it is just warm or until it reaches room temperature.

MAKES 1  9" PIE

Flour's Banana Bread

UPDATE: 5.3.2010

Added an ENTIRE bag of chocolate chips to this recipe this past weekend.  Don't do that again.  LOL  I can't believe I'm saying this but it was way too much chocolate.  Half a bag would suffice.

Prep Time: 20 min

Inactive Prep Time: 1 hr 0 min

Cook Time: 1 hr 0 min

Serves: 1 loaf

Ingredients

• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup oil
• 3 1/2 bananas, very ripe, mashed
• 2 tablespoons creme fraiche or sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

Directions

Set oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of a loaf pan with parchment paper.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Beat sugar and eggs with a whisk until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes. Drizzle in oil. Add mashed bananas, creme fraiche, and vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients and nuts. Pour into a lined loaf pan and bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Jesse and the Big Ass Beer List

Blah...Many beers, too little time.



Rodenbach: Grand Cru & the straight up Flemish red (or is it brown I can't remember now)

Weinhestephaner

Franziskaner

Paulaner

Weyerbacher: Any brew...good solid brewery

Dogfish Head: Don't care if you like them or not, fantastic brewery because they take chances and 3/4 of you do not. All beers are good, you just might not like them all, hell I don't like them all, but I trust that I will enjoy the experiment.

Unibroue: Same as the Weyerbacher...solid, all good, simply dependent on the type of beer you want. Mostly bottle fermented though, so I believe stouts are out.

Victory: Again good.

Berkshire Brewing: Again, I say again...good.

Flying Dog: So I say...again.

Sierra Nevada: Just cuz I have never encountered a bad beer from them....

Magic Hat: I don't care what anyone says, these ARE good brews, but they all taste like No.9 (they have that MAGIC HAT taste). So to me only No.9 is good, the rest is derivative, good but still a minor change on the same.

Thomas Hardy: Awesome if you can afford it; 20 usd for a 4 pack...:O(

I'll add more later...MUCH MORE...

Does this include liquor?

Jesse

Rodenbach: Grand Cru & the straight up Flemish red (or is it brown I can't remember now)

EDIT RE: Midas Touch Entry

Jesse's been drinking Midas Touch for the past six years... apparently... and was extremely offended by my previous entry.  He also claims that I hated Midas Touch when he had me try it way back when.  If I could remember having tasted Midas Touch and not liking it maybe I could protest against his accusations but as I cannot... well.  Who cares.  I love it now.  There.

Tis' the season for beer.

The recent kick of warm weather has jump started summer beer mode.


Jesse has discovered Midas Touch by Dogfish Head.  Reminds me of summer and is now at the top of my favorite beers list.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Midas Touch

Availability: 

Year Round 

This recipe is the actual oldest-known fermented beverage in the world! It is an ancient Turkish recipe using the original ingredients from the 2700 year old drinking vessels discovered in the tomb of King Midas. Somewhere between wine & mead; this smooth, sweet, yet dry ale will please the Chardonnay of beer drinker alike.

Original Release Date: 

03/1999

 

Food Pairing Recommendations: 

Pan-Asian dishes, risotto, curries, baked fish and chicken 

Glassware Recommendation: 

White Wine 

Tasting Notes: 

Honey, saffron, papaya, melon, biscuity, succulent

Wine Comparable: 

Sauterne Champagne

Bourbon Pecan Chews

Need to try this one...                           Ingredients Makes about 5 1/2 dozen. 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup unsulfured molasses 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened 1/4 cup bourbon 1 cup packed light-brown sugar 4 cups coarsely chopped pecans, toasted Directions Whisk together flour, allspice, and salt in a small bowl; set aside. Melt molasses and butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat; let cool slightly. Stir in bourbon. Transfer to a medium bowl; whisk in sugar until smooth. Stir in flour mixture and 1 cup pecans. Refrigerate dough until firm, at least 1 hour or up to overnight. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Scoop balls of dough using a 11/4-inch (1 ounce) ice cream scoop; roll in remaining 3 cups pecans. Space 1 1/2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake until flattened and lightly colored on edges, 9 to 11 minutes. Let cool on sheets 3 minutes. Transfer to wire racks; let cool completely. Store in airtight containers at room temperature up to 1 week. First published

Copyright 2010 Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

French Onion Soup

  

 

 

 

 

French Onion Soup

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

Prep Time:

15 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

55 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 4 onions, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 fresh thyme sprigs
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup red wine, about 1/2 bottle
• 3 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 quarts beef broth
• 1 baguette, sliced
• 1/2 pound grated Gruyere

Directions

Melt the stick of butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and salt and pepper and cook until the onions are very soft and caramelized, about 25 minutes. Add the wine, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the wine has evaporated and the onions are dry, about 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Dust the onions with the flour and give them a stir. Turn the heat down to medium low so the flour doesn't burn, and cook for 10 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste. Now add the beef broth, bring the soup back to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

When you're ready to eat, preheat the broiler. Arrange the baguette slices on a baking sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle the slices with the Gruyere and broil until bubbly and golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes.

Ladle the soup in bowls and float several of the Gruyere croutons on top.

Alternative method: Ladle the soup into bowls, top each with 2 slices of bread and top with cheese. Put the bowls into the oven to toast the bread and melt the cheese.

Another Great Coffee

Found another great brand of coffee!  JOY!

Dave's Coffee of Charleston, RI


The Keurig died at work and we've been forced to make our own coffee again... GASP!

All the better though because my boss bought a bag of 1941 Power Blend while in RI for site visits and now I've been introduced to Dave's Coffee.  Listed as a dark roast, it's got just the right amount of kick and has all the yummy flavors of a medium roast with no "burnt" taste.  hmmm

This might compare my love to Starbuck's Sumatra.


-Cheers!

Tyler's Ultimate Meatloaf

Our favorite meatloaf recipe:

Notes: 

• We've made this recipe with a turkey and pork mix for a slightly healthier version.

• To ensure a moist meatloaf, we like to place a shallow pan of water on the lower rack.

Dad's Meatloaf with Tomato Relish

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

 

Prep Time:20 min
Cook Time: 1 hr 30 min
Level: Easy

Serves: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

Tomato Relish:

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and finely diced
• 2 tomatoes, halved, seeded, and finely diced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 (12-ounce) bottle ketchup
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Meatloaf:

• 3 slices white bread, crusts removed, torn into chunks by hand
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 pound ground pork
• 2 eggs
• Leaves from 2 fresh thyme sprigs
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 to 4 bacon slices

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Coat a skillet with a 2-count of oil and place over medium heat. Saute the onion, garlic, and bay leaves for a few minutes to create a base flavor. Throw in the red peppers and cook them for a couple of minutes to soften. Now add the tomatoes; adding them at this point lets them hold their shape and prevents them from disintegrating. Stir in the parsley, ketchup, and Worcestershire; season with salt and pepper. Simmer the relish for 5 minutes to pull all the flavors together. Remove it from the heat; you should have about 4 cups of relish.

Place the torn white bread in a bowl and add the milk to just barely cover, swish the bread around in the milk and let it sit while you get the rest of the ingredients for the meat loaf together.

This is where you get your hands dirty! In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef and pork with 1 1/2 cups of the tomato relish, the eggs, and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Squeeze the excess milk from the bread and add the soaked bread to the meat mixture. To test, fry a small "hamburger" patty of the meatloaf until cooked; the patty should hold together but still have a soft consistency. Taste the patty for seasoning.

Lightly oil a cookie sheet. Transfer the meat mixture to the center of the cookie sheet and form into a log about 9 inches long and about 4 inches wide. Coat the top of the meatloaf with another 1/2 cup of the tomato relish. Lay the bacon across the top lengthwise.

Bake the meatloaf for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until the bacon is crisp and the meatloaf is firm. Rotate the meat loaf while it's baking every now and then to insure that the bacon browns evenly. Remove the meatloaf from the oven and let it cool a bit before slicing. Serve with the remaining tomato relish on the side. Unbelievably moist!

Roast Beef

I've been craving for roast beef sandwiches so I bought five pounds of beef, covered it in Konriko and Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning, and used the searing method described below.

Roasting
There are several methods for cooking a beef prime rib roast. There is the slow method where the oven temperature is set around 200 to 225 degrees and the roast is cooked at a rate of 23 to 24 minutes per pound. This method is common where large upright ovens are used.

The second and probably the most popular is using a medium heat of 325 degrees and cooking for 17 to 20 minutes per pound. Another method, which I like the best, is a searing method where the roast is cooked at 450 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, or until slightly browned and then at 325 degrees for 14 to 17 minutes per pound or until the meat thermometer reaches 5 degrees under desired temperature. This is because the internal temperature will continue to rise about 5 degrees after the roast is removed from the oven. Remember, if the meat thermometer is placed properly it will tell you when your roast is ready.

Jesse and I are still eating roast beef sandwiches and it's been five days since I made the roast.  Our sandwich ensemble:  home made horseradish mayo, red onion sliced thinly, baby spinach, sharp cheddar, on lightly toasted Portuguese bread. hmmm



Note:
If you want to slice it thin for sandwiches, let the roast cool and then place in the refrigerator.  It slices easier when it's cold.

Brooklyn Special

Snatched this one from the Conlans.  Though we have yet to try it ourselves, it sounds mighty tasty.

 

"2 parts bourbon, 1 part sour mix, 1 part sweet vermouth. Shake the life into it and serve smoking cold in a martini glass rimmed with lemon, then throw the twist in the drink and proceed to get hammered. For some reason these things pack a punch!"

 

 

Beef and Stout Pie

Jesse and I have made this many times already and it gets better and better every time.  As it is time consuming, I recommend this dish be made during the weekend.  I can't imagine making this on a weeknight, but if you happen to have a pressure cooker and are quick with the knife, you can have this meal prepped and cooked in under three hours.

The blue cheese really pulls all the flavors together on this one, so don't ommit it!  We tend to leave a bowl of crumbled blue cheese on the side for individual use and not fill the pie crust.  This way our guests are able to tailor their bowl of pie to their liking.

Also, Jesse suggests a tastier stout like Murphy or Samuel Smith.  In my opinion, I think the rule of thumb is if you don't like to drink it don't cook with it.

Cheers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beef and Stout Pie

This hearty beef stew is slowly simmered on the stovetop, then topped with Stilton pastry and finished in a hot oven.

Ingredients:

• 7 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 lb. white button mushrooms, quartered
• 2 cups frozen pearl onions, thawed
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 3 1/2 lb. beef chuck roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Tbs. tomato paste
• 2 1/2 cups Irish stout
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 lb. carrots, cut into chunks
• 1 lb. red potatoes, cut into chunks
• 1 Tbs. finely chopped fresh thyme
• One 16-inch round Stilton pastry
• 1 egg, beaten with 1 tsp. water

Directions:

In a 5 1/2-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm 1 Tbs. of the olive oil. Add the mushrooms, onions, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Season the beef with salt and pepper. Dredge the beef in the flour, shaking off the excess. In the Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm 2 Tbs. of the olive oil. Add one-third of the beef and brown on all sides, about 7 minutes total. Transfer to a separate bowl. Add 1/2 cup water to the pot, stirring to scrape up the browned bits. Pour the liquid into a separate bowl. Repeat the process 2 more times, using 2 Tbs. oil to brown each batch of beef and deglazing the pot with 1/2 cup water after each batch.

Return the pot to medium-high heat. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Add the beef, stout, broth and reserved liquid, stirring to scrape up the browned bits. Add the mushrooms, onions, carrots, potatoes and thyme and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the beef and vegetables are tender, about 3 hours.

Preheat an oven to 400°F.

Brush the rim of the pot with water. Lay the pastry round on top, allowing it to droop onto the filling. Trim the dough, leaving a 1-inch overhang, and crimp to seal. Brush the pastry with the egg mixture, then cut 4 slits in the top of the dough. Bake for 30 minutes. Let the potpie rest for 15 minutes before serving. Serves 8 to 10.

Williams-Sonoma Kitchen.

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/beef-and-stout-pie.html