Gloves, Cut Resistant

Posted on by October 18, 2017

From a comment to a post by Chef JJ

The KnifeShield glove from Forschner offers an outstanding level of cut resistance while maintaining the tactile feel necessary for performing food prep tasks such as slicing, boning, filleting, and more (note: this glove is not cut proof and will not protect from sharp points, serrated blades and meat saws, or chopping cleavers – use a stainless steel mesh glove for these tasks).

The durable Spectra and polyester sheath offers protection from cuts while providing a flexible, less slippery feel. The comfortable interior is excellent for longer periods of use. Features:

  • Unique elastic over banding in cuff for comfort and safety
  • FDA and USDA approved materials
  • Washable and bleach safe materials
  • Ambidextrous design

Manufacturer: Victorinox. Manufacturer SKU 86104

Fried Hot Water Cornbread-First Time

Posted on by January 15, 2019

10/15/2017 – This was the first time to make hot-water cornbread fried as a pattie–sorta like a hush puppy. What we did was inspired by the recipe at  http://inthekitchenwithpaige.blogspot.com.  Here is what we did that made a great, crunchy cornbread…

1/15/2018 – 2nd-time lessons learned are inserted below in italics and in bold.  Could be that as we prepared this about 30 minutes before frying that made a difference as the batter was no longer as hot as it would have been had we fried it immediately after blending it.  But, the fried, crunchy cakes were not at all grainy inside. Continue reading →

Jalapenos & Carrots Fermented, 6% salt

Posted on by October 25, 2017

10/15/2017, 2 pm – Made with firm shiny jalapenos and carrots bought yesterday. Cut the penos into 1/4″ discs and the carrots as thin as could be done quickly with a chef’s knife. Made a 6% salt brine with well water from the farm and kosher salt. Layered the penos and carrots and added 3-4 large garlic cloves per quart. Added the glass weights that held it below the brine and the special fermenting lids Mary had bought.

10/16/2017, 7 PM – One jar looks a bit cloudy and both are gassing with bubbles rising when moved.

10/25/2017 – Have been enjoying the firm peppers, carrots, and garlic for the past week. Some of the peppers are hot but good.

Tasso-Cured then Smoked

Posted on by November 2, 2017

10/15/2017 – Cut and deboned half of a pork butt bought yesterday for $1.29/lb. Smoked the larger part of it today and shook on cure per the cure calculator that provided the values below. This was our first dry-cure of tasso and after 16 days it the meat was well cured and not hard to add rub, dry them smoke. Resulted in a mild flavor of smoked ham with noticeable seasoning but not spicy. It will be good additions to dishes as desired. Continue reading →

Pork Butt and Beef Tip Roast Smoked

Posted on by October 17, 2017

10/15/2017 – Dry brined the tip roast with kosher salt the night before. This morning cleaned up the butt and took off about 3 lbs to cure for tasso. Rubbed the beef with Jeff’s Texas Rubb and the piece of the butt with Stubbs Hot Pork Rub. This simple cook with two small roasts worked out well and provide variety for the week. Continue reading →

Fried Onion Rings

Posted on by October 15, 2017

10/14/2017 – Mary made fried onion rings that were as good as the best we have had at restaurants.  She was inspired by the recipe at http://www.laurainthekitchen.com/recipes/onion-rings/

Ingredients

  • 1 large onion, cut into rings and each piece separated. In addition to Laura’s recipe, put the rings into about a quart of water with maybe about 1 T of kosher salt. Let them brine for maybe 45 minutes. Other recipes said 30 minutes.
  • ~1 & 1/2 cup of All Purpose Flour
  • ~2 cups of Buttermilk
  • 1 egg
  • ~1 T of Baking Powder
  • ~2 T of Corn Starch
  • ~2 T Kohl’s Creole Seasoning
  • ~2 T Sriracha Hot Sauce
  • Vegetable Oil
  1. Drain salt water before starting to fry
  2. Mix all dry ingredients then added Sriracha then the buttermilk to create a slurry, like thin pancake batter or a thick gravy.
  3. Add rings to the batter letting them soak while one batch fried.
  4. Lifted battered ring and let drip off before laying into the hot oil.

Note – She did not measure any of the ingredients so the only thing we are sure of is the one egg.

Next time, try Laura’s dipping sauce for blooming onion chips.
1/3 cup of Mayo
1 Tbsp of Ketchup
1 Tbsp of Prepared Horseradish
1 tsp of Paprika
1/4 tsp of Ground Oregano
Small Pinch of Salt and Pepper

Roux in the Oven

Posted on by December 10, 2017

12/8/2017 – Made following Kit Whol’s directions in her Creole Classics cookbook. Set the oven at 400 degrees and stirred the roux every 15 minutes. We had already cooked it on the stove to a light brown but got tired of stirring it. It was a dark caramel within an hour. This was a lot easier.

Here is another way we have not tried.Serves: Yield: 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup vegetable oil

Instructions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large cast iron skillet, whisk together the flour and oil to make a paste. Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 90 minutes to 2 hours for a dark roux, stirring every 30 minutes. Once the roux has achieved your desired color, transfer to a storage container or a gumbo-cooking vessel and proceed with the recipe.

Sweet Potato Cornbread ToTry

Posted on by October 5, 2017
INGREDIENTS
  • 1 large sweet potato (yielding 1.5 cups mashed; roasting instructions below)
  • 1 cup whole grain cornmeal
  • ½ cup dry creamy wheat (i.e., Cream of Wheat)
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 TB baking powder
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ½ tsp table salt
  • 2 large eggs, room temp
  • ½ cup whole Greek yogurt, plain
  • ¾ cup milk
  • 2 TB olive oil
  • 4-5 pats real butter
DIRECTIONS
  1. Do ahead: Wrap sweet potato in heavy foil and roast 1.5 hours at 425F in oven or toaster oven. Once it can easily be pierced with fork, it’s done. Carefully unwrap (it’s hot!) and let cool enough to handle. Mash sweet potato. Measure out 1.5 cups for use in this recipe.
  2. Spray a 10 inch cast iron skillet with oil and set in oven on lower middle rack. Preheat oven to 425F.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, dry creamy wheat, flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine mashed roasted sweet potato, eggs, yogurt, milk, and olive oil. whisk to combine well. Mixture should be smooth and thick.
  4. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold sweet potato mixture with the cornmeal mixture just until no dry streaks of flour remain. Do not over-mix.
  5. Place preheated/greased skillet on a heat-safe surface. Scrape batter into skillet, evening out the top into the edges. Bake 25-30 minutes or until top is puffy and golden brown. There should be cracks visible around edges of cornbread. Place cornbread on wire rack. Immediately place 4-5 pats of butter on top, letting butter melt into the cornbread. slice and serve with additional butter, if desired.