FOODWORTHY

Hideous, yet somehow captivating. I must own it.

Order your very own buddy big boy snacks and sweets server from reclaim2fame.  The company has been around for over 15 years salvaging materials and turning them into bizarre and lovable creature-servers.  Oh, and if that’s not enough, he’s also wearing wingtip oxfords.

You deserve a pancake breakfast.

Dry Ingredients

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup mesquite flour

3 TBL packed brown sugar

1 3/4 TBL baking powder

1 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients

1 1/2 cups milk

3 TBL brown butter (from 6 TBL butter)

2 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
2. Combine all ingredients.  Be careful not to over mix.  You want the ingredients to just come together.  It is ok if there are still pockets of dry ingredients that are not wet.
3. Ladle 1 TBL of batter onto a heated, nonstick pan (30 seconds on each side for silver dollar pancakes).
4. Transfer to the oven to keep warm until ready to serve.
5. Drizzle any remaining brown butter over the pancakes.

• Important Tips for Consistent Pancakes:
• Do not overbeat, mixing only enough to incorporate the wet into the dry.
• If possible, let the batter rest, refrigerated, for 3-6 hours.
• Because variations in moisture content with flour, make a test pancake.  You can always add more flour or water.
• If you are using a nonstick surface, there is no need to add butter.
• Test the pan by dropping a little water onto the surface.  The pan is ready when the water turns into little bubbles, jumps around, and quickly evaporates.

*** I found mesquite flour at Erewon on Beverly in LA.  Call around to local health food stores or visit Casa de Fruta to order it online.

*** Chowhound has a great visual on the perfect brown butter.

Here chickee chickee

• The US produces roughly 75 billion eggs a year with the help of some 280 million birds.
• The average bird can lay 250 – 300 eggs a year.
• If a recipe does not specify what size egg is needed, go with the large egg, as all baking recipes are based on their use.
• The chef’s hat, or toque, is said to have as many pleats as there are uses for eggs.
• The modern henhouse has controlled lighting, triggering the hens to lay an egg every 24 – 26 hours, with a half hour rest before starting the process over again.  Incidentally, most eggs are laid between 7 and 11 a.m.
• There is no relation between the size of the egg and the grade of the egg.  Size is determined by the weight of an egg per dozen eggs, while grade is a measure of quality of shell, white, yolk and the size of the air cell.  Also, laying eggs doesn’t get easier with practice.  The younger the hen, the smaller the egg; the older the hen, the larger the egg.
• A refrigerated egg left in its carton will last up to three weeks after bought from the store.  You can tell a bad egg when it has dried up on the inside.
• The yolk and whites of an egg will yield 3 tablespoons.  If you want to separate them out, the yolk will give you 1 tablespoon and the white 2 tablespoons.

For more facts, visit the American egg board website by clicking on the photo above.

moo

If we can have our pizza delivered in less than 30 minutes, why can’t the food we eat come from farms just as near?  Epicurious has a neat list of about ten chefs and their restaurants who have made a commitment to sourcing local fruits and vegetables. Click on the photo above for the full article.

"You got it backwards, Dill," said Jem. "Clowns are sad, it's folks that laugh at them."

Ingredients

8 oz. container of Greek style yogurt

1/2 TBL extra virgin olive oil

1/4 tsp salt

3 large cloves of garlic, minced

juice of half a lemon

1/2 cup grated cucumber

1 tsp fresh dill

Mix all ingredients together

Tips

• I used a micro-plane/rasp to mince the garlic.
• It is very important to wring out all of the water from the cucumber, and then wring it out again.  And again.  Cucumber has a high water content and you do not want it diluting the taste of your tzatziki.
• It is best if let to settle in the fridge for at least a few hours – even make it a day ahead.
• Greek style yogurt can now be found in most supermarkets.  Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods also carry various brands.

* The quote is To Kill A Mockingbird

The New York Times has a very interesting article on butter and how it can make or break a cookie.  Consider it required reading for any novice baker.

Ingredients

6 hard-boiled eggs

2 TBL mayonnaise

2 TBL sour cream

1 tsp yellow mustard

1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more to taste

3 TBL diced celery

1/2 TBL fresh chives

1/4 tsp fresh dill

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Makes 4 sandwiches

Thanksgiving stuffing in a cocktail bite

Ingredients

1 box of puff pastry sheets

1 & 1/2 cups onion, diced

1 TBL butter

1 & 1/2 cups celery, diced

1 TBL olive oil

2 eggs

2 TBL (heaping) fresh thyme

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 cup Gruyere

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Lightly toss celery with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Roast for 30 min.
3. Melt butter over medium high heat and cook onions until browned, about 10 minutes, salting lightly.  Set aside.
4. Once the celery is finished, reduce heat to 325.
5. Whisk together the cream, eggs, salt and pepper.
6. Using a non-stick mini muffin pan as a guide, cut out enough rounds from the dough to make 36, and place in the pan.
7. Into each shell, place about 1/4 tsp onion, 1/4 tsp celery, 1/2 tsp cheese, a few leaves of thyme, and top with egg mixture.
8. Bake for 45 minutes.

Paired with greens, a perfect fall brunch

Ingredients

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

Custard:

3 large eggs

half & half (about 1 1/2 cups)

2 TBL fresh thyme

Pinch of nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

Filling:

6 oz. goat cheese, chilled

2 gala apples, roughly chopped into 1 inch pieces

2 TBL olive oil, divided

1 shallot, minced

1. Preheat the oven to 425.
2. Roll puff pastry to fit a 9-inch pie plate, trim edges, and place in the refrigerator until ready to fill.
3. Whisk eggs in a 4-cup measuring cup.
4. Add half & half until you reach the 1 1/2 cup line.
5. Whisk together with thyme, nutmeg, salt and pepper.  Chill in the refrigerator until ready.
6. Cut the apples into chunks and coat with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil
7. Roast for 30 minute or until desired taste.
8. Once the apples are finished, lower the oven temperature to 375.
9. Saute the shallots for 5 minutes over medium heat (with a little butter or olive oil).
10. Combine apples, shallots, and crumbled goat cheese in the pie shell.
11. Cover with custard mixture and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is a golden color.

Ingredients

3 TBL unsalted butter

¾ cup chopped white onion

1 bay leaf

1 tsp red pepper flakes

¼ tsp salt

4 cloves garlic

3 TBL tomato paste

2 TBL sun dried tomatoes

¼ cup red wine

Zest of 1/2 lemon, or more to taste

28 oz. can crushed tomatoes (I used Carmelina San Marzano)

2 tsp sugar

½ cup heavy cream

1. Melt butter over medium heat.
2. Add onions, bay leaf, pepper flakes, and salt.  Cook until onions are translucent (8-10 min.)
3. Increase heat to Medium High and add the garlic, stirring constantly as to not burn the garlic, about 30 sec.
4. Add the tomato paste and sun dried tomatoes.  Stir for 2 minutes.
5. Stir in wine and cook until evaporated, about 2 minutes.
6. Turn heat to low and add tomatoes and lemon zest.  Cook on low for 30 minutes.  The sauce will thicken as it cooks down.
7. Take off heat and stir in cream, sugar, salt, and pepper.

The food of the future has been genetically modified.....

In what is being called ‘a happy accident’, a tomato with three and a half times the average amount of lycopene has been produced by a team of Purdue University scientists.  Read the full article at the UK’s Daily Mail.

Ingredients

1/2 cup finely chopped green olives

1/2 cup finely chopped black olives

1 cup cubed mozzarella

2 TBL olive oil

1 tsp fresh oregano

1 garlic clove, minced

Juice of half a lemon, or to taste

1 package of wonton wrappers
(at least 48)

1. Combine all ingredients.
2. Refrigerate at least half an hour.
3. Fill wontons with one tablespoon of filling.
4. Roll according to instructions on wonton package.
5. Fry until crispy (thermometer should read 350) or bake at 375 for 20 minutes, turning once.

2/3 cup light mayo

1/4 cup honey

2 tbl + 1 tsp Grey Poupon

1 tsp white vinegar

salt to taste

freshly squeezed lime to taste

Whisk to combine.