Continue reading »]]> A lot of people like to associate lemons with summertime. A nice, cold glass of lemonade is the official drink of the summer. Yet when I think of lemons, I think winter. It is in the winter when lemons are in season. And it’s the only time of year when you can find my favorite type of lemon – the Meyer Lemon. These lemons are kind of a cross between a lemon and a tangerine. They still pack that lemon punch but with a sweeter and improved flavor. To me, they are the suprerior lemon. I love using them in recipes that just called for regular lemons. One of those recipes I tried out this week was a lemon curd one by Alton Brown (bet you never saw that coming!). In case you haven’t tried a lemon curd before it’s a custard that uses eggs (in this case just the yolks), sugar, and the juice and zest of lemons (or you can use other citrus family members. It’s velvety smooth and can be used for anything you would use jam or jelly for. Below you will find my notes from this recipe. For the full recipe, visit Food Network’s website.

1. Like I said in the beginning I used Meyer Lemons instead of the traditional ones. Even thought they are sweeter, I didn’t change the amount of sugar in the recipe. I found the end result to have the perfect balance of sweet and tart.

2. To zest your lemons, I really recommend this Microplane Zester. It works so well and comes with a plastic case that is perfect for collecting the zest.

3. Making lemon curd is all about technique. You need to stir, stir and stir so more. I would do this when someone else is in the house that can help you stir if your arm starts feeling like it’s going to fall off.

4. Knowing when to stop stirring takes experience. I have made custard based ice cream, tons of times, so I have an idea what thick enough looks like. It should easily coat the back of a spoon.

It’s how a few simple ingredients can make a delicious, sweet, tart, smooth, velvety treat. It’s all through the power of sugar and eggs working together along with some flavors. Now it’s time for me to come up with some good uses for the curd. The first thing I tried it with was some popovers, another simple ingredients, delicious treat. I am looking forward to experimenting using it in other ways.

Continue reading »]]> I have been cooking a lot of whole chickens as of late. A local grocery store had a sale on several Saturdays in a row on whole chickens for $.69/lb. That was a deal I do not want to pass up, so I would always head off there and get my max allowed 2 chickens. I would usually freeze one and cook the other one soon after. Eventually started tiring of the same old roast chicken, so I searched out some other methods. One I came upon was Alton Brown’s Broiled, Butterflied Chicken. I have never done either of these things with chicken before, so it was the perfect idea.

I have tried this recipe twice now and both times ran into some issues, but I think my third attempt will be the charm. Read below my experiences from this recipe. You can find the entire recipe at Food Network’s website.

1) Butterflying the chicken was easier than I thought. A good pair of kitchen shears will easier help you remove the backbone. The harder part is removing the bone, so that the breast can lay flat. Alton makes it look easy in the show, but it I had to mess with it a bit to get the bone off. Hopefully with practice I will get better.

2) The first time I broiled the chicken, I did so with the rack at the lowest level. But it was still raw in the middle after the 30 minutes it says in the recipe outline. I would use my probe thermometer to get the exact temperature but in this case the broiler is too harsh of any environment for that. What I discovered when reading the first volume of Good Eats, is that the book tells you to broil it for 25 minutes, then flip and another 25, much longer than the online instructions say. This would probably solve the problems I had.

3) The second time I broiled the chicken, I read the book halfway through after being frustrated the chicken still wasn’t done even when I moved it to a higher position in the oven. Some of the skin was pretty black. I ended up having to finish it by turning the broiler off and just roasting it at 425.

4) The next time I try this I am going to follow the book and do it 25 minutes each side as well as keep the chicken on the lower rack, so I don’t blacken it.

5) Alton makes a sauce out of the chicken drippings. I haven’t tried this yet, because both times dinner was later than I wanted and I didn’t want to take the time to try it.

Sometimes with recipes, you have to work with them a bit, figure out what works for you. Don’t just give up with the first “failure”. Both times my chicken still turned out moist and juicy (especially the 2nd time as I brined it). It just took longer because I keep taking it out of the oven. But I am confident when I get it right, I will be happy with the results.

If you are a fan of a crispy skin on your chicken, then it’s worth the effort to master this recipe. You can get that crispy skin without drying out the meat underneath. So it’s a way to have your cake and eat it too.

Continue reading »]]> It what is truly a bittersweet announcement, the final episode of Alton Brown’s Good Eats will be airing on Food Network on February 10th @ 8pm. The episode entitled “Turn on the Dark” will be an hour long show on the subject of dark chocolate. This will be the 4th chocolate themed episode in the history of the series. I am disappointed that the show is coming to an end. Good Eats is what really started my passion for food and what led to this blog existing. Make sure to check out this farewell to the great food show in television history. Here are the complete list of airtimes for the episode.

February 10th @ 8pm ET/PT
February 11th @ 3am ET/PT
February 12th @ 7pm ET/PT

Check out some past reviews I have done on Good Eats episodes:
Alton’s Countdown to T-Day
The Caul of the Flower
Roll Call
The Proof is in the Bread Pudding
Devil Of A Cake

Continue reading »]]> There are some things people just don’t ever think of making themselves. We have gotten so used to just going to the store and getting something we need already made up for us. Give mustard for example. How many people make their own mustard, let alone would even know how to begin. As usual Alton Brown and his fans (me included) would think of it and have made our own homemade mustard. It doesn’t even take that long to do, you just need the right ingredients and equipment. You grind whole mustard seeds, combine them with some spices & salt and mix that with sweet pickle juice, water and apple cider vinegar. Then nuke it in the microwave, blend it and, your done. You could even make the mustard while your homemade soft pretzels are baking!

Below I share my notes from preparing Alton Brown’s Best Mustard Ever recipe. For the full recipe, visit Food Network’s website.

1. In order to grind up the mustard seeds, I use a coffee grinder, that doubles as a spice grinder. I have a Cuisinart model I just got. I know Alton likes the grinders made by Krups.

2. When vinegar comes into contact with the ground mustard seed, it will at the point prevent the mixture from getting stronger. So you could start heating the mustard up, and then add the vinegar. However to everyone I have given the mustard to, not a single person thought this mustard needed to be stronger. It’s pretty strong stuff as is. Much more than that stuff you probably normally have. But if you decide you want to turn up the heat on your mustard, you need to be careful. Mustard gas wasn’t called mustard gas, because it produced a yellow colored cloud.

3. Alton microwaved his mixture for 1 minute, then hit it with a stick blender. I found that after 1 minute, my mustard was way too loose. The strength of one’s microwave factors in here. I microwaved it a couple more times for 1 mintue and always hit it with the stick blender in between until I got a better consistency. It thicken up in the fridge too. Just be patient.

If you are looking for a good strong mustard give this a try. I find that it’s strong flavor works well in marinades and with homemade honey mustard. I gave a jar of it to my parents for Christmas.

Continue reading »]]> Mashed potatoes are turkey’s best friend, so you must have them at Thanksgiving. Most people don’t think much about the potatoes. They just grab some at the store and boil them up at the last moment. But potatoes can be so much more. I decided to try a couple new recipes this year. The first one is a new one by Alton Brown for whipped potatoes. It’s from this new Thanksgiving special – Alton’s Countdown to T-Day. These potatoes (Yukon Gold for this recipe) are soaked in the fridge overnight to remove excess starch. Then they are cooked in milk and a ricer is used to create a great texture. For the full recipe, visit Food Network’s website. Below you will find my notes from this recipe.

1. I decided to only do a half recipe this time, so I just halved everything.

2. my Oneida Mandolin made quick work of the potatoes. By slicing them with a mandolin, you have more surface area, making it easier to wash away excess starch. The whole point of getting rid of some starch is to make light, fluffy potatoes that are not gummy.

3. Make sure you take the potatoes out of their bath without much water coming with them. Also if you have a salad spinner, use it! When I gave them a spin in my spinner, I got quite a bit of water in the bottom.

4. Be careful not to let the potatoes boil over. Milk tends to cause boil overs if not careful. I took my eyes off the pot for a few minutes and had to hurry back to it to prevent milk from spilling over all my stove top.

5. After using my ricer on the potatoes, I only added a little bit of milk. I didn’t want as much milk in mine as Alton used.

6. Alton said not to over whip and I think that can’t be stressed enough. You go to all the hard work of making the potatoes and if you whip them too much, you won’t have the return on your time invested.

Delicious potatoes! They have a nice, creamy texture. The thing I like the best about them is the potato flavor. It’s more pronounced than in any other mashed potatoes I have made. A richer flavor and lighter texture make this dish a winner in my mind (and my house!).

Continue reading »]]> For any Good Eats fan, Romancing the Bird, Alton’s original 1 hour Thanksgiving special is a classic. A classic that is hard to follow up, but as the Good Eats series is coming to an end, Alton tries one more time to produce another Thanksgiving classic. This time with a different approach. It’s all about a stress free Thanksgiving, that involves a lot of planning ahead. This show gives a lot of tips on how to do this along with a brand new turkey recipe that looks to address some of the “problems” with his original Good Eats Roast Turkey (which is a 5 star turkey no doubt).

Shopping for a Turkey
You can’t start a Thanksgiving show, without a turkey. So up first, Alton selects his bird. He turns to his old pal, Chuck, who speaks an expanding varieties of turkeys for the consumer. The variety that most of us are eating is the Broad-Breasted White Turkey. It’s bread to have more white meat than the average bird, but it doesn’t mean it’s the best tasting turkey. He speaks of some delicious heritage varieties. These are turkeys that are direct descendants of the original turkeys that populated our land. He also speaks of kosher turkeys which contain no antibotics, are given outdooor access, and are soaked in a brine (which Alton points out increases the weight, increasing the price). Alton ends up with a pasture turkey, one that lives like a turkey would normally live.

Butterflied, Dry Brined Roasted Turkey | Click here for the recipe
Even thought Alton’s original brined turkey is the best turkey I have ever had, Alton says there are some drawbacks to it. These drawbacks are mushy meat if overbrined, flabby skin that isn’t as crisp as it could be, and drippings that are too salty to make gravy. In order to get rid of these drawbacks, Alton opts for a dry brine, which is a modified version of the dry aging process done with steaks. Now because liquid is not being added, he chooses to butterfly the turkey so that it will cook more quickly, so not to be dried out. It’s an interesting method, that I am going to try with my next turkey.

As part of the turkey recipe, Alton prepares a Roasted Root Vegetable Panzanella. This dish contains parsnips, rutabaga, Brussels sprouts, bread, onion, and other seasonings. The cool thing about this dish is that you roast it right underneath the turkey. Yes Alton cooks the turkey directly on the rack, so that the juices will drip onto the veggies, giving them a great flavor.

Bourbon Pecan Pie | Click here for the recipe
First, he explains that pecan pie is considered a chess pie. A chess pie is a pie that contains eggs, butter, and a syrup. Chess is an old English way to describe a pie that sets up like a cheese curd.

Alton has a couple unique tricks for his pecan pie.
1) He includes ground pecans in the crust and using spiced pecans in the filling.
2) He uses golden syrup, which is sugar cane juice that has been boiled down and treated with acids. The brand he uses was Lyles Golden Syrup
3) He cooks the pie in a tart pan with a removable bottom. When the pie is finished he freezes it and then removes it from the pan and cuts it into 8 perfect pieces.

Whipped Potatoes | Click here for my review of this recipe.
Alton has down mashed potatoes before, but not quite like these ones. The night before the meal, you slice Yukon Gold potatoes with a mandolin. Then soak them in water in the fridge overnight. The point is to wash away starches, so make the final product nice and airy and not gummy. The potatoes are then cooked in a gallon of milk, which Alton says you can save to make a chowder type soup later. Unique methods here that I look forward to trying myself.

Turkey Giblet Gravy | Click here for the recipe
Alton’s gravy recipes begins hours before the turkey is ready. He uses the giblets, neck, and backbone to make a giblet stock which is then used to make the final gravy. The best tip I got from this recipe is to use flour and potato starch as thickeners. By using two different thickeners you help keep the gravy from becoming a solid mass within minutes after pouring it into your gravy boat.

While it may not be as life changing (my culinary life that is) as Romancing the Bird was, this episode was packed full of useful tips and recipes that I am looking forward to trying out. It was also great to see some of the old characters making appearances. Now if you want you have all the tools needs to make an entirely Good Eat Thanksgiving meal with reduced stress.

Continue reading »]]> There are a lot of important decisions to make when preparing for your Thanksgiving meal. And most of those decisions concern the bird you plan to roast. One of those questions you have to answer well before the meal, do I brine or not brine? I am here to give you my opinion on the subject.

Is Brining a Turkey Worth It?
Absolutely! Brining is your opportunity to introduce flavor to the inside of the meat. There are tons of great recipes out there that flavor the outside really well, but those flavors don’t penetrate into the interior like a brine does. That is a reason enough to brine. Another good reason is brining is kind of like insurance. If you overcook the turkey there is still a chance of it being juicy because you choose to brine. You can still dry out a brined turkey but it’s more difficult to do than with one that hasn’t been brined.

What Do I Need to Brine?
I like using a clean 5 gallon bucket that hasn’t been used for some other household project. The turkey goes in the bucket, along with the brine, and ice. The turkey likes a cold bath and if you don’t give it one you run the risk of inviting Salmonella to your party.

How Does Brining Work?
It’s all about osmosis. The concept is that an area of greater concentration wants to move to an area of lesser concentration to create a balance. Moisture will first move out of the bird and into the brine, but then to attain a balance, liquid will move inside the bird, bring flavor along with it. This process does take time.

How Long Do I Brine For?
This is where you will need some basic math skills. What time do you want to eat? An average 14-16 lb turkey takes somewhere around 2 to 2 1/2 hours, adding to that 15 minutes of resting time before carving. So you want to be pulling your turkey out of the brine right before you put it in the oven. You should brine for at least 8 hours, but no more than 16 hours.

I first learned how to brine a turkey from Alton Brown. Below you can watch a video of Alton giving his instructions on how to brine. I think everyone who is going to roast a turkey needs to watch this (and the entire “Romancing the Bird” episode).

Continue reading »]]> It’s the best time of the year in the culinary world. And if you are looking for some ways to show off your culinary skills, then you might want to tune into Food Network this month. There will be a lot of shows dedicated to turkey and all the fixings, including a brand new 2 hour live special, called Thanksgiving Live! as well as an all-new Good Eats thanksgiving episode. If you watch any of these shows, I would love to hear from you, leave a comment below.

Dear Food Network: Thanksgiving Problems Solved 2 | Saturday, November 12th @ 7am
Food Network chefs offer their advice on some common Thanksgiving problems.

Throwdown w/Bobby Flay: Thanksgiving Challenge | Saturday, November 12th @ 8pm
Bobby faces off with “Pioneer Woman” Ree Drummond in a Thanksgiving battle.

Down Home w/the Neeleys | Saturday, November 12th @ 9am | Check out my review of this episode
This episode will air again on November 14th @ 12:30pm and November 23rd @ 12:30pm
The Neeleys will be making: stuffed turkey breast w/sweet Italian-sausage stuffing, white cheddar mashed potatoes, shaved Brussels sprouts w/bacon & walnuts, and pumpkin cupcakes w/maple cream cheese frosting.

30 Minute Meals w/Rachel Ray | Saturday, November 12th @ 9:30am | Check out my review of this episode
This episode will air again on November 15th @ 3:30pm and November 20th @ 8am
Rachel will be making turkey pot pie, cranberry-orange corn muffins, and honey mustard dressed greens with apples & pears.

Secrets of a Resturant Chef w/Anne Burrell | Saturday, November 12th @ 10am
Anne will be making turkey breast stuffed w/sausage and mushrooms as well as sweet potato casserole topped with oatmeal-walnut crumble.

Barefoot Contessa w/Ina Garten | Saturday, November 12th @ 11am | Check out my review of this episode
This episode will air again on November 15th @ 4pm and November 22nd @ 1pm
Ina will be making truffle-butter turkey, sausage-stuffed mushrooms, roasted Brussels sprouts, and turkey hash browns.

Giada at Home | Saturday, November 12th @ 11:30am | Check out my review of this episode
This episode will air again on November 14th @ 4:30pm and November 21st @ 1:30pm
Giada will be making cranberry-orange glazed turkey, roasted root vegetable salad, and pumpkin & goat cheese risotto.

5 Ingredient Fix | Sunday, November 13th @ 7am
Claire Robinson will show you how to prepare for Thanksgiving dinner

Rachel Ray’s Week in a Day | Sunday, November 13th @ 8am
Rachel will be preparing roasted turkey breast w/maple worcestershire gravy, fruit & nut pilaf, broccoli & cauliflower macaroni and cheese, roasted mushrooms, parnship, potatoes, and spinach casserole, and ginger-soy carrot soup.

Ten Dollar Dinners | Sunday, November 13th @ 9am
Melissa d’Arabian will be making turkey pad Thai and chocolate-yam marble cake

Guy’s Big Bite | Sunday, November 13th @ 10:30am
Guy will be making turkey cordon bleu, twice-baked sweet potatoes, and green bean casserole with homemade mushroom gravy.

Bobby Flay’s Barbecue Addiction | Sunday, November 13th @ 11am
Bobby will feature a Thanksgiving line-up prepared barbecue style.

Challenge: Charles Brown Thanksgiving Cakes| Sunday, November 13th @ 8pm

Iron Chef America | Sunday, November 13th @ 10pm
Thanksgiving battle: Bobby Flay & Michael Symon vs. Jose Garces & Marc Forgione

Dear Food Network: Thanksgiving Desserts | Monday, November 14th @ 10am
Food Network personalities prepare some of their favorite Thanksgiving desserts.

30 Minute Meals with Rachel Ray | Monday, November 14th @ 3:30pm
Rachel makes turkey ragu w/polenta and dark greens with cranberries.

Barefoot Contessa with Ina Garten | Monday, November 14th @ 4pm
Ina makes turkey roulade, homemade gravy, roasted veggies, cranberry conserve, and gingerbread cupcakes.

Paula Deen’s Best Dishes | Monday, November 14th @ 5:30pm
Paula makes roasted turkey with maple-apple cider, apple-cranberry stuffing, mashed potatoes with parsnips & rutabagas, and pumpkin pie.

The Best Thing I Ever Ate: Bird is the Word | Monday, November 14th @ 8pm
Food Network personalities talk about the best birds (including turkey) they have ever eaten.

Chopped: Give It Your All | Tuesday, November 15th @ 10pm
A Thanksgiving themed edition of Chopped.

Thanksgiving Live! | Sunday, November 20th @ 12pm
Hosted by Alton Brown, featuring Ted Allen, Sunny Anderson, Anne Burrell, Melissa d’Arabian, Bobby Flay, Alex Guarnaschelli, and Rachel Ray. Ask your Thanksgiving questions answered live via facebook, twitter, and Skype.

Good Eats: Countdown to T-Day | Sunday, November 20th @ 8pm
The second to last ever Good Eats episode. It’s an hour long special focused on preparing for the big day (turkey day that is).

Here is when the reruns of past Good Eats Thanksgiving related episodes will air.
Romacing the Bird
This must see, classic Good Eats episode will teach you what you need to know about cooking a turkey.
Airing: Sunday, November 13th @ 7pm on the Cooking Channel
Friday, November 18th @ 9pm on the Cooking Channel
Saturday, November 19th @ Midnight on the Cooking Channel

American Classics IX – Pumpkin Pie
Learn how to make the perfect, classic pumpkin pie.
Airing: Thursday, November 17th @ 11am on Food Network

Fry Turkey Fry
Learn how to safely deep fry a turkey.
Airing: Friday, November 18th @ 11am on Food Network

The Remains of the Bird
Alton gives some recipes that use Thanksgiving leftovers.
Airing: Friday, November 18th @ 8pm on Cooking Channel
Saturday, November 19th @ Midnight on Cooking Channel
Sunday, November 20th @ 11am on Cooking Channel

Continue reading »]]> The fall time is my favorite time of year for cooking. Apples, squash, and pumpkins, and let’s not forget at the end of fall is Thanksgiving. We have certain recipes that are becoming a fall tradition in my household. One of them is Alton Brown’s Butternut Squash Dumplings or Gnocchi. It is a combination of roasted butternut squash and baked potato, cooked up in brown butter with fresh sage. It is a wonderful fall treat, that makes a great side dish for any meal. Below you will find my notes from this recipe. For the full recipe, visit Food Network’s website.

1. I used the butternut squash that I grew in my garden. Mine never got all that big, so I ended up using all four that I had (pictured on the right). I baked up 4 Russet potatoes. The squash was ready first, so I got that ready to go as the potatoes were finishing up.

2. When mashing up the squash and potatoes you need to not overdo it, but don’t underdo (I know that’s not a word, but it should be) do it either. You don’t want big chunk in your dough.

3. The biggest challenge is getting this dough to come together. You must be patient. Slowly keep adding flour until you have a workable dough. It all depends on much moisture you have your in squash. If it looks like your dough isn’t coming together, slowly add more flour. I thought it would never come together but eventually it did. So don’t give up too quickly.

4. Make sure you flour your surface very well when rolling out the dough.

5. I cut the dough into pieces using my trusty bench scraper.

6. I usually freeze half the batch for later use. Putting them on a flour baking sheet into the freezer until frozen and then moving them to a zip top bag.

7. I use fresh sage from my herb garden. The flavor of the sage is perfect for this dish. Sage is one herb that can survive the frost, so I usually have it up until December, when it finally gives up.

This is a fantastic dish, with great flavor. I never been a big squash fan, but the squash flavor is muted by the addition of the potatoes and the other seasonings. Of course the texture is different than just eating the roasted squash. I hope to make these a couple more times when squash is in season and cheap.

Recipe Grade: A

Continue reading »]]> I was sadden to learn early this year that my by far favorite food show of all time, Good Eats is ending it’s run. However it will do so with a bang. There are 3 episodes left, each an hour long special. The first one of those specials will be airing Saturday, August 6th, 2011 at 8pm (ET/PT). The episode entitled “Right on Q” will be discussing BBQ pork. I hope you will tune in to Food Network this weekend. I will be doing a recap of the show and maybe I will even try out some of the recipes.