Cooking with custom spices

Cooking with custom spices is a great way to add flavor to just about anything you are grilling or even baking.  Making your own custom spice blend is easier than you think once you get the hang of it.

Preparing Your Spices

Most spice rubs are a blend of hot and sweet flavors. They are called spice rubs because it is rubbed onto the meat or sprinkled on the fish before cooking. Although there are several spice blends available at the store you will find you get a better more pronounced flavor if you blend the spices yourself. Blending them yourself will allow you to balance the hot-sweet ratio to suit your tastes.  Most rubs are going to have paprika and brown sugar in them and if there is a particular herb or spice that you especially like then you should throw that in also.  Here is an example of cooking with custom spices by using a good spice rub for your chicken:

* 1/4 cup paprika

* 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar

* 1 tablespoon dried thyme

* 1 tablespoon dried sage

* 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

* 1 tablespoon chili powder

* 1 teaspoon ground fennel seeds

* 1 tablespoon salt

* 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

* 1/2 teaspoon cayenne

Mix this up in a bowl and then keep in an air tight jar. This should keep for three months.

Take it Outside

Cooking with custom spices doesn’t mean that you are chained to the stove.  You can make your own barbecue sauce and take it to the grill. You are going to need:

* 3 tablespoons olive oil

* 1 small onion finely chopped

* 1 clove of garlic crushed

* 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

* 2 tablespoons malt vinegar

* 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

* 2 tablespoons brown sugar

* 3 tablespoons ketchup

* 1/2 teaspoon chili seasoning

* 1/2 cup chicken stock

Heat oil in sauce pan, add onion and garlic and sauté for two min.

Stir in mustard, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, ketchup, chili seasoning and stock. Bring to a boil.

Cover and simmer for ten minuets. Give it a taste and adjust the spices to suit you.

Now all you have to do is rub the chicken with your spice rub and grill it. Once it’s done slather your bar-b-queue sauce on and enjoy.

Hurry it’s a Curry

Rather than buying a jar of curry that could have been sitting in the store for decades you can just raid your spice rack.  All you need is:

* 2 tablespoons cumin seeds

* 2 tablespoons fenugreek

* 1 1/2 tablespoons mustard seed

* 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

* 1 tablespoon ground ginger

* 1 1/2 teaspoons hot chili powder

* 1/4 cup of turmeric

Grind the cumin, fenugreek, mustard, peppercorns, coriander and poppy seeds in spice grinder.  Then add the remaining spices. Kept in an air tight jar this will last for three months.  A good recipe for this blend is breaded curry chicken. You will need:

* 2 egg yolks

* 4 cloves of garlic crushed

* 2 teaspoons of your curry spice mix.

* 2 chicken breasts. Skinless is best here.

* 2 cups of breadcrumbs. If you like you can use the preseason breadcrumbs that you get at the store or if you have plain breadcrumbs you may want to add to them some garlic powder, dried parsley, dried oregano and dried thyme.

* 1 stick of butter

Mix the Egg yolks, garlic and your curry powder in a bowl and add the chicken. Let the chicken marinate for at least one hour. Up to six hours is best. The longer it marinates the better. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Pour half of the butter into a baking dish and set your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.  Coat the chicken with the bread crumbs and put it in the baking dish.  Bake the chicken for 20 minuets and then turn them over and bake for another 20 minuets. Then pour the remaining butter over the chicken and bake for 15 more minuets. Now you’re cooking with custom spices.

Cooking with Custom Spices

Although cooking with custom spices is usually good for meats and poultry you can also use your spice blends to add a bit of custom flavor to olives as well. Try this trick:

* 1 cup ripe olives

* 1 cup green olives

* 3 lemon slices

* 3 dried red chilies

* 2 garlic cloves crushed

* 1 teaspoon mustard seeds

* 1 teaspoon black pepper corns

* 3 allspice berries

* 2 cups olive oil

Mix all ingredients in bowl. Pour into jar. Shake jar for a min.

Let the olives marinate for a week.

These olives are a great addition to any table.

How acidic juices react with baking soda

Bakers understand how acidic juices react with baking soda to make baked goods that rise high and are tender and flaky.

What is a Leavening Agent

Leavening is what makes baking both a delight and a challenge. It is because of leavening agents that your cookies, breads and cakes rise and your pastries are light and flaky. Leavening comes in several varieties mechanical, biological and Chemical.

Mechanical

If you are using the creaming method to mix your dough you are using mechanical leavening. This method incorporates air into the batter or dough and then relies on steam to give the food the lift it needs.

Biological

This is yeast. When you are making bread you use yeast to give your bread dough the rise it needs. How important is yeast? If you have ever seen a matzo then you know what bread without leavening looks like.

Chemical

Chemical leaving is when the baker adds a chemical to the batter or dough to get the same basic effect as adding yeast without adding any flavor to the product.

This chemical can be baking soda or baking powder or some other chemical.

PH – It’s All to Scale

The ph scale goes from 0 (acidic) to 14 (alkaline or base) with 7, the middle of the scale being neutral (like …water).  Lets serve up some science:

In the 1600’s an Irish chemist, Robert Boyle, first started sorting things into two divisions, alkalies and acids. Mr. Boyle sorted them out like this:

*Acids

**Taste sour

**Are corrosive to metal

**Turn litmus red

**Turn less acidic when combined with a base

*While Bases

**Have a slippery feel

**Change litmus blue

**Become less basic when combined with an acid

When a base and an acid are combined they react with each other making each other weaker, this is called neutralization.  This explains how acidic juices react with baking soda.

In 1923 two scientists working independently, Johannes Brønsted and Thomas Lowery, published papers that were very similar. They defined an acid as a substance that can donate a hydrogen ion and defined a base as a substance that can accept a hydrogen ion. Baking soda acts like a base because it can accept a hydrogen ion from an acid.

In the Kitchen Baking Soda is the Ace of Base

Baking soda goes by many different names. Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium acid carbonate or even NaHCO₃. Baking soda will be found in bread recipes (soda bread) cookies, cakes and just about anything that you would need to get a rise from. Baking soda, being a base, will react with any acids that you add to your baking like Sourdough cultures (like a starter dough or sponge), butter milk, yogurt, any unprocessed sugar like molasses, chocolate, unprocessed cocoa, vinegars and acidic fruit juices. 

Another acid that is common in the kitchen is cream of tartar. Technically named potassium hydrogen tartarate it is an acid that is collected from the inside of wine barrels. If you mixed two parts of cream of tartar to one part of baking soda you would have a rudimentary single acting baking powder. This mixture will give you a lot of rise because it is a pre mixed acid and base, which will react when moisture is added. Double acting baking powders will have additional acids added that will react with heat and so will add rise to your product as it cooks while single acting adds all it’s rise before cooking.

How acidic juices react with baking soda

Baking soda is a 9 on the PH scale, a base. While some vinegars and lemon juice are a 2 on the ph scale, they are acids. As we know when an acid and a base are mixed a reaction occurs. When you add your acid, the acidic juice of a lemon to your base the baking soda the resulting chemical reaction crates carbon dioxide, CO₂, which adds bubbles to your dough or batter. That is how acid juices react with baking soda. 

Cooking Crab Creole Shrimp

A staple of Louisiana cooking crab Creole shrimp is a delightful dinner and very easy to make.

Where does Creole come from

Creole cooking is a native Louisiana cuisine. It is a combination of several cooking styles that where brought to the Louisiana area from France, Spain, Africa and sometimes Italy. As you explore Creole cooking you will discover a wide variety of foods including seafood. Creole cooking also tends to be a bit spicy so when cooking crab Creole shrimp you will find that you need cayenne pepper. Another native food of the Louisiana area is Cajun cooking. They are similar in many aspects like the ingredients they use and the spiciness of the cuisines. But they differ in the fact that Cajun cooking is based on French provincial cooking while Creole cooking is based on classical style cooking. So with Creole you will find a lot of classical cooking methods used. For example many of the sauces used in Creole cooking are based on the sauces found in classic cooking. There are some differences between classical cooking and Creole cooking such as in classical cooking most sauces and soups will use a mirepoix of Onions, carrots and celery while with Creole cooking most of the sauces and soups will use a mirepoix of onions, celery and bell peppers.

Get Sauced

In the classic cooking world there are five mother sauces: Béchamel, Espagnole, Tomato, Hollandaise, and Veloute. These are sometimes called Leading sauces. From the mother sauces you can make most of the sauces you would need. Any sauce made from a mother sauce is called a small sauce.  

Creole sauce is a small sauce based off of the Tomato mother sauce. 

Once you have made your Tomato sauce you will need:

4 Ounces of onion diced small

4 Ounces sliced celery

2 ounces of green peppers small diced

1 Tablespoon of chopped garlic

1 Quart of tomato sauce

1 Bay leaf

A pinch of thyme

½ Teaspoon of grated lemon rind

Salt

Pepper

Cayenne pepper

In a 2-quart saucepan sauté the onion, garlic, celery and green pepper in olive oil.

Then add the tomato sauce.

Add the Bay leave and the thyme.

Let simmer for 15 minuets

Add salt, pepper and Cayenne pepper to taste.

This is a basic Creole sauce that you can use if you are cooking crab Creole shrimp or any other Creole style food.

Lets get Creole Cooking

The general recipe that I gave you above is good but if you want to be cooking crab Creole shrimp you will need:

1 Pound of shrimp peeled

1 Pound of cooked crabmeat

5 Ounces of butter

1 Cup of Green peppers small diced

1 Cup of onions small diced

1 ¾ Pounds of tomatoes diced

¼ Teaspoon of thyme

4 Cloves of garlic minced

2 Teaspoons of parsley

1 Teaspoon of paprika

1 Bay leaf

1 Tablespoon of cornstarch

Salt

Pepper

Cayenne pepper

In a two-quart pot sauté the peppers and onions in 2 ounces of butter

Add the bay leaf, tomatoes, thyme, garlic, parsley and paprika

Let this simmer for about an hour. If it doesn’t thicken to the right consistency add the cornstarch and whisk until it thickens

While the sauce is simmering sauté the shrimp in 3 ounces of butter with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper.

After the sauce has simmered for an hour add the shrimp and crab to the sauce

Remove the bay leaf.

Serve over white rice.

The best way to make white rice is to use a two to one water to rice ratio. Add a bit of salt to the water and bring the water to a boil. Add the rice and bring to a boil again. Then reduce the heat so the water is now just a simmer. It should be done in about ten minuets.

  

Cooking Crab Creole Shrimp

Creole cooking has a rich history of flavorful dishes. From desserts like Creole Cream cheese to tasty sides like Creole Hush puppies. As you explore Creole cooking you will discover tasty variations of classic dishes.   

Baking bread in a wood oven

Bread is the staff of life and while you can bake bread in just about any oven there is nothing like baking bread in a wood oven to give you great flavor and an incredible crust.

The Basics of Bread Baking

In order to make a loaf of bread you need four ingredients: flour, water, yeast and salt. From this base you can make any kind of bread you want. For unleavened bread you would not use a leavener like yeast. There are some basic steps to bread baking whether you are making the bread in a standard oven or if you are baking bread in a wood oven you will need to:

Scaling the Ingredients - Measuring the ingredients out, called scaling because bakers use scales to measure out their ingredients to give a more accurate measurement.  Professional recipes are usually given in weight and more often than not in metric.

Mixing the ingredients – The ingredients must be mixed according to the method being used either Straight dough, Sponge or starter method.

Fermentation – when the baker lets the leavener ferment and the dough rise

Punching – Not literally hitting the dough, you use your hand to press down on the dough to let out the gasses that have formed.

Scaling – This is when the baker scales out the bread, dividing it into loaves.

Rounding – Shaping of the loaf.

Benching – Letting the dough sit on the work surface rising for a little bit.

Makeup & Panning – braiding, shaping or placing the dough into the pan in which it will cook.

Proofing – letting the bread rise one last time, usually done in a steam environment

Baking – the actual baking part.

Cooling – letting the bread cool properly before you eat it or…

Storing  - storing the bread properly to prevent mold or staling.

Baking your Bread

Once you have your bread ready to cook it is time to get it in an oven and get it baking. If you have one handy you will find that baking bread in a wood oven will give you some of the best bread you have ever experienced.

A wood oven will usually be made of stone or brick. Any material can be used to make the oven as long as it can withstand high temperatures and hold on to heat, something called a good heat sink.

It is heated by burning wood in the oven itself hence the name. It is best to use very dry wood. At first you will notice a lot of smoke, this is natural and will usually happen when there is too much fuel (wood) in the oven. The walls will turn black with the smoke and this is expected as well.  As the wood turns to embers the intense heat will burn the smoke off of the walls of the oven and the walls will turn white hot with the heat. Ideally the oven should get hot enough to ignite the gases that collect in the oven. Once the oven has reached temperature it is time to remove the embers from the oven. After the embers are removed the floor of the oven is mopped to remove the ashes. Traditionally the embers are placed into a bucket and the bakers will roast sausages for their lunch over the embers.

The signature crust, a deep and flavorful crust, is one of the primary reasons for baking bread in a wood oven and it comes from the steam that is released from the dough as it cooks. When you seal the oven door the steam will get trapped in the oven giving you a fantastic crust.

Baking bread in a wood oven

Wood ovens are called “falling ovens” because the temperature starts very high and then falls as the bread cooks. If you were lucky enough to have access to one of these ovens the breads you could make would be dazzling. And if you are so inclined they make great pizzas as well. Whatever kind of bread you are making you will find that there is no substitute for baking bread in a wood oven.

Spelt baking mix.

 If you are looking to try a different grain for your home made bread you may want to make your own Spelt baking mix.

What is Spelt

Spelt is one of the oldest known grains. Originally grown as far back as 5,000 BCE the only grains known to be cultivated before Spelt are Elkorn and Emmer.

Spelt is known by many different names. In Germany it is called Dinkle in Italy it is known as Farro and in the old days the Romans called it Farrum. The scientific name for Spelt is Triticum spelta and is distantly related to the wheat that we know and eat today.

Spelt is know to have more protein, fat and fiber than common wheat and is higher in B complex vitamins and carbohydrates including special carbohydrates called mucopolysaccharides, which play a key role in stimulating the body’s immune system. Spelt does contain gluten but it is a delicate form of gluten and so some people who are gluten sensitive can eat spelt breads and pastries, check with your doctor first.

Spelt has a very tough husk that offers some benefits. The husk does make the grain more difficult to process than common wheat but offers more protection to the grain. Because of this added protection growers do not have to rely on pesticides and so can opt for a more organic growing process. If you are trying to avoid chemicals in your food or just wish to eat a healthier grain then Spelt may be an option for you.

How is that Spelt

Spelt has a nutty, sweet and delicate flavor. The gluten is rather fragile so it can’t be kneaded as long as common wheat. You definitely don’t want to over mix the dough or it will end up crumbly and not make a good loaf. You don’t want to mix the dough more than 4 minuets.

Make sure you are using the proper amount of water. Spelt baking mix can be very particular about the moisture content. If the dough seems too sticky add more flour if it seems too dry add more water.

A straight dough mixing method might not be the best way to go. You may find you get better results with your spelt baking mix using the sponge method. 

Here’s how it works.

1 Take 1/2 of all your ingredients including your yeast

2 Place in bowl and mix until it becomes dough. Remember don’t mix more than 4 minuets.

3 Cover and let rise.

4 You will have to use this within 12 hours of mixing it.

5 You now have a sponge.

6 When you are ready to make your bread add the rest of your ingredients.

Spelt baking mix

A good spelt baking mix is this one:

3 pounds of spelt flour

4 and a half ounces of oil

Half an ounce of salt

1 ounce of active dry yeast

¼ cup of honey

¾ of a cup of water

2 2/3 cups of water

1 In a small bowl mix the ¾ cup of water, the ¼ cup of honey, and the ounce of yeast. Let the yeast bloom

2 In another bowl, a large one will work best, mix the 2 and 2/3 cup of water, the salt and the oil.

3 Add to the large bowl half of the yeast mixture and half the spelt flour.

4 Mix until well combined

5 Let rest briefly

6 Add the rest of the flour and knead until smooth.

7 Spray a large heatproof bowl with non-stick spray and put your dough into the bowl.

8 Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in your oven (do not turn the oven on). Let it rise until it doubles in size.

9 Punch your dough down and split it into three equal sized loaves.

10 Place the loaves into three bread pans that have been sprayed with non-stick spray.

11 Let rise again

12 Slash the loaves

13 Bake in an oven that has been pre-heated to 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minuets.

14 Let cool

15 Enjoy

What yeast is used for in baked goods

Many people who are new to baking ask what yeast is used for in baked goods. That is a question that gives rise to many answers. Let’s explore the mysteries of the yeast.

Yeast and Bread go way Back

Use of yeast in baking dates back as far as 4000 BCE. There is archaeological evidence that the Egyptians intentionally added yeast to breads and used it in the brewing of beer. It is believed that the discovery of beer was an offshoot of the discovery of making bread. The Egyptians would sprout the grain they intended to use to make bread. Dry it, grind it and then mix it into a dough. They would then par-bake the bread for storage. That bread would be broken up and it would be soaked in water and it would ferment. Then the resulting liquor would be strained before it was imbibed.

There are two different theories regarding how yeast started to be used intentionally in the making of bread. One theory proposes that since bread and beer were both being made in the same place that there was a lot of yeast flying around (yeast is present in the air anyway, there would just be more of it at the bakery/brewery) and bread that had been left exposed to the air picked up more spores and rose better. Eventually bakers learned how to collect yeast and add it to the bread to create a risen bread consistently. 

The other theory states that since the beer was there the bakers just used it rather than water to mix the bread, the yeast in the beer and the natural CO2 from the fermentation helped the bread dough rise. The second theory is considered to be more accurate.

This shows how important beer is to everything that is civilized. In fact beer and brewing is essential to the creation of yeast. The yeast that bakers use to make their breads rise is a by product of the brewing processes and it wasn’t until a few centuries ago that yeast was available from any source other than brewers.

Which Yeast to Use

What yeast is used for baked goods is dependent on what is available to you. There are three yeasts that are used for baked goods and although they are all effective the kind you use is really a personal preference. I particularly like fresh yeast. I feel that fresh yeast gives the bread a better rise and a better flavor. The types of yeasts available are:

Fresh yeast:

This is the best yeast to use. As the name states it is fresh and is reliable and has the best taste. The down side of this yeast are that it does not keep well, so you will need to use it within two weeks of buying it. This type of yeast is proofed in water alone, not in water mixed with sugar.

Active Dry Yeast:

This is the kind of yeast you will find most often at the local market. This yeast needs to be activated by letting it soak in warm water that has been mixed with sugar.

Instant yeast:

This yeast does not need to be activated and can be mixed directly with the dry ingredients. In order to let the bread develop the same kinds of flavor that the first two yeasts will develop consider a longer cooler proofing.

Texas pea salad

Sometimes called Texas caviar, Texas pea salad is a snappy black-eyed pea salad that is a welcomed addition to any barbecue.

Black-eyed Peas

The Pea part of the Texas pea salad is the black-eyed pea. The Black-eyed pea is a variant of the cowpea. Along with Catjang, the Yardlong bean and the southern pea, the black-eyed pea is originally from Africa. The black-eyed pea is a relative of the mung bean, which was known to the Romans and Greeks.

Black-eyed peas like hot weather and dry soil, which makes it a very good legume to plant in hot, dry areas where other crops do poorly. They are known as a drought tolerant crop. As with other legumes black-eyed peas add nitrogen to the soil. Nutritionally Black-eyed peas are a great source of calcium and vitamin A. 

Prior to the American civil war Black-eyed peas were considered only suitable to feed to animals. When General Sherman was burning his way to Atlanta he had his troops destroy the crops that they considered human food but they left the corn and black-eyed peas not thinking that anyone would want to eat them. After the civil war when food in the south was scarce attitudes towards Black-eyed peas changed and they became a staple of the southern diet. Not only are they used in Texas Pea Salad but they are also found in such dishes as Hoppin’ John which is black-eyed peas and rice and sometimes pork.  Black-eyed peas are eaten on new years day with Collard greens for luck a tradition which dates back to the post civil war days.

The flowers of the Black-eyes pea plant are very good nectar producers and can be a considerable source of honey.

How to cook Black-eyed Peas

In order to make Texas Pea salad you will need to have some black-eyed peas.  Unless you live in an area where they are grown you will probably have dried peas on hand rather than fresh. In order to prepare your dried black-eyed peas you should start with a pound of dried peas. Place the peas in a bowl and cover with water. Let the peas soak overnight. Drain the peas and place them into a large pot and add enough water to cover the peas with two inches of water. Dice a small onion and add it to the water. If you like you can add two tablespoons of Bacon fat or some fatback to the water but do not add salt to the water.  Bring the water to a simmer and let simmer for forty- five minuets. Once the peas are tender drain them.

Texas Pea Salad

In order to make Texas pea salad you will need:

4 cups of Cooked and drained black-eyed peas

1 green pepper seeded and diced

1 red pepper seeded and diced

1 small onion diced

2 jalapeno peppers seeded, with the ribs removed, finely diced

2 tablespoons of olive oil

4 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

2 cloves of garlic minced

1 tablespoon of cilantro chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and taste it for seasonings. You may want 

to add more vinegar if the salad does not seem moist enough. Let the salad rest 

in your refrigerator overnight if possible. 

Texas pea salad is a refreshing side dish particularly in the summer. This salad is best served after it has been allowed to rest in the refrigerator for a few hours and so is a welcome addition to a warm weather picnic or barbecue.

This salad is very popular in Texas, where it was invented, and I’m sure it will be a popular side dish where ever you bring it. Since it is a good make ahead dish it can save you time if you make it the night before your barbecue leaving you more time to grill and entertain.