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Portuguese Sweet Bread

Big thanks to Stephanie to bringing this recipe, from Rustic European Breads From Your Bread Machine, to my attention. It’s a big favorite around here.

3 cups (1 pound) bread flour
2.5 tsp yeast
.33 c sugar
2 Tbs dry milk
2 Tbs dry mashed potato flakes
2 oz. butter
.5 tsp salt
.5 tsp vanilla
3 eggs, divided
zest and juice of .5 lemon
.75 c water

Reserve one egg for the glaze, combine the rest of the ingredients in
the bread machine pan, process on dough setting.

Once the cycle is completed, remove the dough to a lightly floured
surface and punch it down, adding additional flour if it seems too
sticky to handle. Turn the bread pan on top of the dough and let it rest for 15 minutes, then form the loaf.

Make a coiled loaf by rolling the dough into a 30″ rope. Spritz a pie
pan with cooking spray, then coil the dough into the pan, beginning at
the outside edge. Twist the rope as you lay it in the pan.

Sprinkle the top of the loaf with granulated sugar and set the loaf
aside to rise until nearly doubled in bulk about 40 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350F. Beat the remaining egg and brush it over the loaf.
Sprinkle the top with more sugar (I used pearl) and bake until brown, 25 to 40 minutes.

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Fajitas

From Good Eats

1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup soy sauce
4 scallions, washed and cut in 1/2
2 large cloves garlic
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more if desired)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 pounds inside skirt steak, cut into 3 equal pieces

1 ripe (red/yellow/orange) bell pepper, sliced
1 sweet onion, sliced
8 oz mushrooms, cleaned & sliced

1 avocado, sliced, sprinkled with lime juice, salt, and pepper
sour cream

flour tortillas

AB calls for grilling directly on chunk charcoal. Directly directly…no grate. Here is his recipe if you want to check it out. I’ve modified the recipe slightly for a gas grill.

In a blender, put in oil, soy sauce, scallions, garlic, lime juice, red pepper, cumin, and sugar and puree. In a large heavy duty, zip top bag, put pieces of skirt steak and pour in marinade. Seal bag, removing as much air as possible. Allow steak to marinate for 1 hour in refrigerator.

Heat all grill burners on high for 5-10 minutes, scrape down & oil grates. Turn the burners down just a squidge.

Grill steaks for two minutes per side. When finished cooking, place meat in double thickness of aluminum foil, wrap, and allow to sit for 15 minutes.

While the meat rests saute the onions, pepper, and mushrooms.

Remove meat from foil, reserving foil and juices. Slice thinly across the grain of the meat. Return to foil pouch and toss with juice. Serve with onion mixture, sour cream, and avocado in flour tortillas.

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French Toast

1 cup half-and-half
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons honey, warmed in microwave for 20 seconds
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 (1/2-inch) slices day-old or stale country loaf, brioche or challah bread
4 tablespoons butter

In medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the half-and-half, eggs, honey, and salt. You may do this the night before. When ready to cook, pour custard mixture into a pie pan and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Dip bread into mixture, allow to soak for 30 seconds on each side, and then remove to a cooling rack that is sitting in a sheet pan, and allow to sit for 1 to 2 minutes.

Over medium-low heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a 10-inch nonstick saute pan. Place 2 slices of bread at a time into the pan and cook until golden brown, approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from pan and place on rack in oven for 5 minutes. Repeat with all 8 slices. Serve immediately with maple syrup, whipped cream or fruit.

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No Sugar Added Apple Pie

INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
12 ounces unsweetened apple juice concentrate
6 cups thinly sliced apples
1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Whisk together the cornstarch, cinnamon and 1/4 of the apple juice.
In a saucepan over medium heat, simmer the apples in the remaining apple juice until tender. Add the cornstarch mixture and stir until thickened.
Pour into bottom crust and cover with top crust. Bake for 45 minutes.

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Pressure Cooker Chili

From Good Eats

3 pounds stew meat (beef, pork, and/or lamb)
2 teaspoons peanut oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 (12-ounce) bottle of beer, preferably a medium ale
1 (16-ounce) container salsa
30 tortilla chips
2 chipotle peppers canned in adobo sauce, chopped
1 tablespoon adobo sauce (from the chipotle peppers in adobo)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin

Place the meat in a large mixing bowl and toss with the peanut oil and salt. Set aside.

Heat a 6-quart heavy-bottomed pressure cooker over high heat until hot. Add the meat in 3 or 4 batches and brown on all sides, approximately 2 minutes per batch. Once each batch is browned, place the meat in a clean large bowl.

Once all of the meat is browned, add the beer to the cooker to deglaze the pot.
Scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the meat back to the pressure cooker along with the salsa, tortilla chips, chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, tomato paste, chili powder, and ground cumin and stir to combine. Lock the lid in place according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When the steam begins to hiss out of the cooker, reduce the heat to low, just enough to maintain a very weak whistle. Cook for 25 minutes. Remove from the heat and carefully release the steam. Serve immediately with grated cheese and sour cream.

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Pumpkin Cheesecake

This recipe really lets the pumpkin flavor come through without drowning it in “pumpkin pie spices”. The crust is the only spiced component to the cake.

4.25 oz. gingersnap cookies (about 17 two inch cookies) broken into pieces
2 oz (1/2 c.) pecans
1 T. Sugar
2 pinches salt
.5 t. cinnamon
4 T. melted butter

1 c. pumpkin purée, canned or fresh (run through food processor if stringy)
1 c. sugar
2 c. heavy cream, chilled
1 lb. cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks

24 pecan halves, toasted

Heat the oven to 350 F.

Line a 9″ cake pan with parchment.

In a food processor, process the cookies with the pecans, sugar, salt, and cinnamon until the cookies become fine crumbs, about 20 sec.
Add the butter and pulse about 10 times, just until incorporated.
Press the mixture into the pan, flattening and pressing up the sides with a flat-bottomed, straight-sided drinking glass.

In a small saucepan, combine the pumpkin and sugar.
Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a sputtering simmer, stirring constantly, about 5 min.
Turn the heat to low and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture has darkened and thickened to the consistency of applesauce, about 5 min.

Using a stand mixer w/ wire whisk, beat pumpkin.
Add the softened cream cheese and beat until smooth.
Add the eggs and yolks.
With mixer running, add chilled cream.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Place cake pan in a roasting pan, add hot tap water to come half way up the cake pan.

Bake the cheesecake at 350 F for 1 hour.

Turn off the oven without opening the door and let the cheesecake cool for 1 hour.
Transfer the cake to a rack (the center will still be jiggly) and cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.
Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.
Garnish with pecans before serving.
Serve with whipped cream.

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Stuffed Mushrooms

3/4 lb medium mushrooms (cremini), brushed clean
4 T butter
3 T minced onion (half one small)
1 clove garlic, mashed or pressed
1/4 lb lean ground pork or turkey
salt
fresh ground pepper
3 T bread crumbs
1/2 t brandy, preferably Spanish brandy or Cognac
1 T minced parsley
1 T chopped pine nuts
Separate the mushroom stems and chop finely. Heat butter in medium skillet and saute the onions and garlic slowly until the onion is wilted. Add the meat, salt and pepper and cook until the meat loses its color. Add mushroom stems and cook 3 minutes more. Turn off the heat and stir in the bread brumbs, brandy, parsley, pine nuts, and more seasoning if necessary (it should be very well seasoned).
Pile this mixture into the mushroom caps, forming a smooth dome with the cupped side of a teaspoon. Microplane parmesan cheese over the tops. [May be prepared ahead] Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes, until mushrooms are cooked and cheese is melted.

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Split Pea Soup

3 qt water
1lb split peas, rinsed
1 large onion, chopped
1 cube bullion (I did some stock instead of water and bullion)
1/2 tsp garlic powder (I used a few whole cloves)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
bay leaf
pepper
1.5-2c diced carrot
1-1.5c diced celery
1-2lb ham steak/shank/whatever you’ve got, diced
I usually put the water and peas in, then start dicing everything and adding it
Bring the cooker up to pressure under high heat, reduce heat to medium
It takes about 20 minutes, when it starts to foam from the vent, it’s done – don’t let it explode

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Deep Fried Turkey

6 quarts hot water
1 pound kosher salt
1 pound dark brown sugar
5 pounds ice
1 (13 to 14-pound) turkey, with giblets removed
Approximately 4 to 4 1/2 gallons peanut oil*

*Cook’s Note: In order to determine the correct amount of oil, place the turkey into the pot that you will be frying it in, add water just until it barely covers the top of the turkey and is at least 4 to 5 inches below the top of the pot. This will be the amount of oil you use for frying the turkey.

Place the hot water, kosher salt and brown sugar into a 5-gallon upright drink cooler and stir until the salt and sugar dissolve completely. Add the ice and stir until the mixture is cool. Gently lower the turkey into the container. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure that it is fully immersed in the brine. Cover and set in a cool dry place for 8 to 16 hours.

Remove the turkey from the brine, rinse and pat dry. Allow to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes prior to cooking.

Place the oil into a 28 to 30-quart pot and set over high heat on an outside propane burner with a sturdy structure. Bring the temperature of the oil to 250 degrees F. Once the temperature has reached 250, slowly lower the bird into the oil and bring the temperature to 350 degrees F. Once it has reached 350, lower the heat in order to maintain 350 degrees F. After 35 minutes, check the temperature of the turkey using a probe thermometer. Once the breast reaches 151 degrees F, gently remove from the oil and allow to rest for a minimum of 30 minutes prior to carving. The bird will reach an internal temperature of 161 degrees F due to carry over cooking. Carve as desired.

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Gingerbread Ornaments

http://www.make-stuff.com/hollidays/gingerbread_ornaments.html

3 tabs. shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 teas. baking soda
3/4 cup water
3 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon of cloves, ginger and cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat shortening and sugar together until light and fluffy, stir in molasses. Sift the dry ingredients together. Stir them into shortening mixture in 3 parts alternating with a 1/4 cup of water each time. Dough will be stiff. Refrigerate overnight.

Cut dough into 3 pieces. Knead to warm dough slightly, then roll each piece out about 1/4 inch thick. Cut cookie out with a gingerbread pattern of your choice.

Use a drinking straw to punch hole in center if ornament will be hanging. Place cookies on cookie sheet and bake 20 minutes, turn oven off and let cool in oven.

Remove from cookie sheet and place on rack to dry for about 3 days to totally harden. These cookies are purely for decorative purposes and not to be eaten. If you wish you can seal cookies with 3 coats of clear acrylic and decorate with colorful acrylic pains when dry.