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.

Information about colonial baking

To understand the history of baking in America you need to start with some information about colonial baking.

Save the Receipts

In colonial times recipes were called “Receipts”. More often than not the author of the “Receipt” would have assumed that the baker had already prepared to bake. This would have included making sure the fire in the large fireplace that each house came equipped with was hot, raked, banked and ready to cook on. Yes I said cooked on. Baking was done directly on the coals unless it was done just in front of the hearth.

Some flavorings would include molasses, rose water, caraway seeds, lemon, almonds and coconuts and just about any spice the baker could get their hands on. If you are looking for vanilla beans to show up in the recipe you’re in for a long wait, vanilla was rarely used.

Some ingredients that would not have been found in the baked goods in colonial times would include Peanuts and oats. Up until the civil war peanuts and oats were considered animal food. Peanuts were fed to pigs and oats were horse food. The old stand by, the oatmeal cookie, didn’t show up until around 1880.

No Cookie for You

Ok, that isn’t completely true. Small baked goods, not called “Cookeys” until the late 1700’s, were not common but they were around. Considering that in colonial times there were no chemical leavening so the cookies made back then must have been thin, hard and dense. With only air and egg whites to use as leveners macaroons were popular and more than likely the only cookie made back then that we would recognize as a cookie. 

It wasn’t until 1742 that pearlash was discovered. The discovery of this leavener lead to the creation of quick breads. But until that time the only other leavener available was yeast which although good for bread it is not so useful for smaller baked goods.

Into the fire

Information about colonial baking tells us that the baking process was incredibly complicated and would make cooking small sweet snacks for your friends and family would not just be a gift of baked love but literally a labor of love. Baking was not an endeavor to be undertaken lightly. The baker had to dry their flour by the fire and then sift it before it could be weight out. 

If raisins were to be used the baker had to rub the raisins between towels to remove the dirt and stems and then deseed them one at a time. Sugar would be bought in blocks and the baker would have to cut off pieces of the sugar using “Nippers” and then they would have to pound the sugar to granulate it so that it could be measured and mixed correctly. Any spices that were to be used would have to be dried by the fire and then pounded to a powder and then sifted. 

Butter would have to be washed, with either plain or rose water, to remove the salt that was used as a preservative. The butter, by the way, was more than likely churned by hand by the baker. Then once all the ingredients were mixed the bread was either baked directly on the fire or on the hearth just in front of the fire.

Advances came slowly. First there was the Dutch oven that would at least offer radiant heat but only in the small space of the oven. Next came the roasting kitchen. The roasting kitchen was a reflector that was placed in front of the hearth and reflected heat back into the fireplace.  This was the start of dry heat baking and the birth of baking, as we know it today.

It wasn’t until the 1800’s that stoves with ovens came along. Although this sounds like a blessing for bakers and a chance to explore more options than just bread and the occasional cake these ovens were still an ordeal. These ovens were high maintenance devices that required daily cleaning and polishing. Learning how to artfully manage the flues in the oven to control the temperature was a trial by fire affair.  As far as determining the temperature of these ovens was a rather vague process. 

The standard advice offered bakers back then was this scale:

If you could hold your bare arm in the oven for 20 to 35 seconds it was called a quick oven, for 35 to 40 seconds it was a moderate oven and for 45 to 60 seconds it was called a slow oven.

Dutch Oven Camping Recipes

Camping is about getting away from it all, getting back to nature and with Dutch oven camping recipes it’s about good food too.

What is a Dutch oven

A Dutch oven is basically a pot with a lid. When it was first introduced in the early 1700’s it was made of cast iron and was a major help in the kitchen. The big innovation of the Dutch oven was the lid, which was designed as a flat lid with a lip running along the edge. The lip is there to hold hot coals on the lid. The coals will heat the cast iron and heat the space within the Dutch oven evenly.  

What is commonly thought of as Dutch oven camping recipes today would have been home cooking in the 1700’s. Dutch ovens are usually made from cast iron or aluminum. Both metals have their advantages and disadvantages. I like cast iron. My cast iron 12-inch pan lives on my stove. The advantage of cast iron is that it heats evenly. It holds on to heat so you don’t loose a lot of heat when you add food to the pot or pan.  Metal that holds on to heat well and radiates it evenly is a great thing out of which to make a Dutch oven.  

Aluminum also has its advantages. If you need to hike to your campsite you may regret bringing along a 15 pound cast iron Dutch oven but may not even notice the aluminum Dutch oven weighing in at one pound maybe. Aluminum heats up very quickly and is easier to clean. 

How to use a Dutch Oven

You can use a Dutch oven like any pot but it really shines out when used as a portable oven. Get your fire good and hot using hard wood if you can find it. Hard wood will give you longer lasting coals and you are going to want the coals to last as long as possible. You can just use regular charcoal briquettes.

Once you have your coals ready place the Dutch oven on a nice flat bed of the coals. Be sure to have a nice pile of hot coals to add to the lid to get the Dutch oven acting like an oven. Now that you have the coals and oven ready lets move on to the Dutch oven camping recipes.

Dutch Oven Camping Recipes

Anything that is best slow cooked is perfect for a Dutch oven.  So stews, braises pilafs and soups are great ideas.

Pilaf is easy to make and pairs well with anything that you are cooking over the fire. The ratio here is 1 rice to 1.5 to 2  liquid. So 2 cups of rice can take up to 4 cups of liquid. Use a chicken or beef stock. Place about 20 coals or briquettes under the Dutch oven.

Take:

2 ounces of butter

3 ounces of diced onion

2 cups of rice

3.5 to 4 cups of chicken or beef stock

Pinch of salt

Melt the butter in the Dutch oven

Add the onions and sauté until they are soft

Add the rice and stir it until it is coated with the butter.

Pour in the stock and bring to a boil

Add additional seasonings (see below)

Once the stock comes to a boil reduce the coals to about 15 place the top on the Dutch oven and add some coals to the top. Simmer until the liquid has been absorbed check n 20 minutes.

You can add just about anything you have on hand to your rice pilaf a few good ideas would be:

Pimento

Scallions

Raisins

Peas

Mushrooms

Diced carrots

For a nice beef stew you will need

1.5 pounds beef cut into 1 inch cubes
1 ounce oil
1/4 pound onion
1/2 teaspoon garlic
1 ounce flour
2 ounce tomato puree
half a quart beef stock

1 bay leaf

Pinch of thyme

4 celery stalks

4 carrots

¼ pound of pearl onions

8 ounce can of diced tomatoes

8 ounce frozen peas

Salt and pepper

Heat the Dutch oven

Heat the oil until it’s very hot.

Brown the beef

Add the onion and sauté until lightly browned

Add the flour to make a roux

Stir until the roux is slightly browned

Stir in the tomato puree

Add the stock and bring to a boil

Add the bay leaf and the thyme

Cover the Dutch oven and add coals to the top

Add the veggies

Add the tomatoes

Let it simmer for about and hour until the meat is tender

Degrease the stew and taste for seasoning

Applesauce banana whole wheat muffin

Applesauce banana whole-wheat muffins are nutritious, delicious and a great source of fiber.

Yes we Have Those Bananas

Bananas are a fantastic fun fruit and a great source of vitamins. A three and a half ounce serving of banana will provide you with 28% of your recommended daily intake of Vitamin B6, 15% of your recommended Vitamin C as well as 8% of your recommended potassium.

The most common variety of banana you will find in your store is the Cavendish. The best tasting bananas as far as the Cavendish variety goes are ungassed bananas.

Bananas are picked green and shipped green. When they get to their destination they are placed in a big room and gassed with ethylene gas to force them to ripen quicker. If your grocer has the option to order ungassed bananas ask if they will do so. Ungassed bananas take longer to ripen but taste noticeably better.

The best way to ripen green bananas is in a paper bag. This will capture and concentrate the natural gasses that the bananas release but the paper bag will allow some air to circulate. Plastic bags will make the banana sweat and that is not desired. For this recipe for applesauce banana whole wheat muffins you will want your banana to be very soft to make it easier to mush the banana. If you want to make this recipe right away and don’t want to wait for your bananas to ripen ask your grocer if they have any overripe bananas in the back. Often if the bananas are looking a bit worse for wear the produce person will not display them.

This recipe was worked on using the standard Cavendish but I’m thinking of trying some red bananas next time just to see how they taste in the muffin. Red bananas often do not get as soft as quickly or a thoroughly as the Cavendish but I think a little extra mashing would be worth the effort. Red bananas tend to have a richer, deeper banana flavor.

The Whole Whole Wheat Story

Many people prefer whole-wheat flour to the more common all-purpose flour. If you are trying to eat a more natural or organic diet then you would want to avoid bleached flour and all-purpose flour is usually bleached.  Whole-wheat flour is not bleached generally and since it is milled using the whole-wheat kernel, hence the name, it has a higher nutritional value and a higher fiber content.

Applesauce Banana Whole Wheat Muffins

I broke this recipe into two parts: the muffin and the topping. For the muffin you will need:

2 cups of whole-wheat flour

½ cup of sugar

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1 teaspoon of baking soda

¼ teaspoon of cinnamon

¼ teaspoon of salt

¾ cup of mashed bananas

½ cup of applesauce unsweetened

1/3 cup of vegetable oil

¼ cup of old fashion oatmeal (optional)

¼ cup of chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and sugar together in a bowl.

In a separate bowl mix the banana, applesauce and oil.

Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.

Spray your muffin pan with non-stick spray.

Put enough batter to ¾ fill your muffing pan.

If you like you can sprinkle some topping on each [[Muffins_Recipe_1 | muffin]] before baking.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

For the topping:

2 tablespoons of sugar

2 tablespoons of cinnamon

1 teaspoon of nutmeg

Mix together until thoroughly combined and sprinkle on each muffin before cooking.

The high fiber content of the whole-wheat flour usually will cause your breads and muffins to be rather dense. The addition of mashed banana and applesauce will add higher moisture content to your product and should counter the whole wheat’s heaviness. Applesauce banana whole-wheat muffins are great with some butter or cream cheese and the topping adds a nice sweet crunch to the whole experience.

Omm Ali: Egyptian Bread Pudding

Made with phyllo pastry rather than chunks of stale bread, Omm Ali: Egyptian bread pudding is a delicious dessert option.

Think of a Different Bread Pudding

Every other bread pudding recipe is made with little cubes of stale bread. Sometimes it is sourdough sometimes croissants sometimes it is raisin bread but nevertheless it’s basically the same hard bread squares. Let’s try something different here. Let’s try making some Omm Ali the Egyptian bread pudding. What makes this bread pudding different is that it uses phyllo pastry. Phyllo pastry is sometimes difficult to work with. If you are trying to make Baklava or almond fingers or apricot parcels and you let the phyllo sheets get dry then working with them will be like trying to piece together the Dead Sea scrolls. But the flaky tasty pastry that can lead you to madness can in this case lead you to a unique version of bread pudding.

You are going to need:

12 sheets of Phyllo pastry

2 ½ cups of milk

1 cup of cream

1 beaten egg

2 tablespoons or rose water (optional)

½ cup of chopped pistachios

½ cup of chopped almonds

½ cup of chopped hazelnuts

2/3 cup of raisins

1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon

Crème Anglaise

 Instructions

1 Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit

2 Using two baking sheets bake the phyllo pastry for 15 minuets

3 Remove the phyllo from the oven and turn the oven up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit

4 Scald the milk and cream by bringing them to a simmer

5 Temper in the beaten egg

6 Add the rose water

7 Cook over low heat until it thickens to nappé stage

8 Crumble the phyllo pastry

9 Layer the phyllo, nuts and raisins in a casserole dish ending with a layer of phyllo

10 Pour the custard mixture over the contents of the casserole

11 Bake for 20 minuets until golden brown

12 Dust the top with the cinnamon

13 Serve with Crème Anglaise

Omm Ali: Egyptian Bread Pudding

If this is your first time using phyllo then this really is a good place to start. Phyllo has a tendency to dry quickly and then crumble when you touch it. This recipe will give you some experience working with the delicate pastry without having to worry about keeping it perfect. I think that once you taste your Omm Ali the Egyptian bread pudding you will make it your go to bread pudding.

Almond Macaroons

Usually when people think of Macaroons they think of coconut macaroons. Almond Macaroons originated in Venice Italy and are tasty bite size treats that are easy to make. Just this Christmas past the Los Angeles Times had a cookie contest and asked several restaurants in the Los Angeles area to send in cookies. In the top ten was an Almond Macaroon filled with a flavored ganache. These cookies are light, sweet and when wrapped in a colored cellophane make an attractive gift.  

Get your mixer out

You are going to need your stand mixer and some parchment paper.

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit and as it warms up get together:

*  7 Ounces of almond paste

*  2 ½ ounces of confectioner’s sugar

*  2 ½ ounces of granulated sugar

* 1 ounce of Pastry flour

* 1 ½ ounces of egg whites (about three eggs worth)

Instructions: 

1 In your stand mixer mix the Almond paste and the sugars together until they are blended well.

2 Add the pastry flour.

3 Slowly add the egg whites so that no lumps form.

4 Mix until it is a creamy consistency.

5 Using a piping bag, pipe out quarter size rounds onto your cookie sheets or sheet pans.

6 Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until golden brown.

7 Remove from oven and let cool

8 Invert the parchment paper onto another parchment paper.

Now Fill Them

Then best part of Almond Macaroons is the filling. The cookies themselves are tasty but the filling you add to them can make them wonderful. Once the cookies are cooled you can add the filling of your choice and use that to glue two of the cookies together. Some people like to make a ganache while other prefer lemon curd to fill their cookies. Even a butter cream will add a creamy sweetness to your Almond Macaroon.  A quick and fun way to fill your cookies is to use any jams you happen to have in the house. This is a fun way to get the kids involved with making the cookies. 

Fried chicken is a summer time favorite and it is easy to make.

It’s all in The Pan

When making fried chicken I like to use my 12-inch cast iron pan. Cast iron holds heat better than other types of metal and so the oil will maintain its frying temperature better. This is important because when you add the chicken to the oil the temperature of the oil will drop. Cast iron helps get that oil back up to temperature fast and that will help your chicken look and taste better.

If you fry a lot of chicken and are interested in deep-frying it there are specially made cast iron pans called chicken fryers that are deeper than the usual cast iron fry pan. The sides on a standard fry pan are usually 2 inches deep but on a Chicken fryer the sides are 3-1/4 inch deep. That would give you a deep-frying effect. I like the standard pan because I prefer to pan fry my fried chicken.

Fried Chicken

There are those who like to soak their chicken overnight in buttermilk. I don’t do this but if you want to you can. The reason they soak their chicken is the enzymes in the buttermilk break down the chicken helping to make it tender and the buttermilk adds to the flavor of the chicken. The reason I don’t do this is because I usually forget to pick up the buttermilk when I’m at the store. If you are so inclined you can take your chicken, wash it well, and then put it in a bowl and cover it with buttermilk. Let it soak overnight or for at least 12 hours. If you want you can skip this step and go right on to cooking your chicken.

To make 6 servings of fried chicken you will need:

2 frying chickens cut into pieces

2 eggs

2 cups of milk

6 cups of flour

1 tablespoon of paprika

A dash of cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon of salt

1 tablespoon of pepper

Vegetable oil

1 Wash and then dry your chicken.

2 If you have soaked it in buttermilk just let it drip off a bit.

3 Mix the flour, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper together and then separate into two bowls or plates.

4 Mix the eggs and milk.

5 Place the flour and the milk mixture on your counter in this order: Raw chicken, plate of flour, bowl of egg/milk mix, plate of flour and then a plate on which to  place the coated chicken.

6 Coat the chicken in the flour then in the egg mixture and then again in flour and then place it on the plate to rest. The chicken should move in one direction only.

7 Pour enough vegetable oil into the pan to come up about a quarter of an inch. A little more is ok but not less.

8 Heat the oil over a medium flame to about 350 degrees Fahrenheit. If you don’t have a thermometer handy you can take a little of the flour and moisten it with some egg. Drop the dough into the oil. If it sizzles and starts to fry your good to go.

9 Place the chicken into the oil making sure you give the pieces plenty of space. #Cook skin side down first. Cook about 12 minutes per side. You’re looking for an internal temperature of 180 degrees.

10 Let the chicken cool and drain on a rack before serving.

Ganache

Ganache is one of the most versatile substances in the bakery. It can be a frosting, a filling, a surprise and even a valued chocolate snack.

Simple to Make

Nothing could be simpler to make than a batch of ganache. It’s so simple to make that there are several ways to make it. To make ganache you will need a saucepan, a heatproof bowl and something to cover the bowl and a whisk. You will also need cream and chocolate. The ratio is 50 percent cream and 50 percent chocolate. So lets start with:

* 6 ounces of chocolate

* 6 ounces of cream

If you have chips then just put them in a heatproof bowl. If you are using a solid block of chocolate then you will have to crush it somehow. The best way to do this is with a serrated edge knife. Cutting the chocolate with a serrated edge will quickly chop the chocolate into meltable chunks. Once the chocolate is chopped up put it into a heatproof bowl. The kind of chocolate is up to you. You can use milk, semi-sweet, bitter sweet whatever you like.

Heat the cream in a saucepan until it just starts to boil and then pour it over the chocolate and then cover the bowl for a about five minuets. Then use your whisk and mix the chocolate until it is smooth and well blended.

Another way to make ganache is to take your saucepan and fill it about half way with water. Put both the chocolate chunks and the cream in the bowl and put the bowl on the saucepan. This is a variation of the Bain Marie concept. Put the saucepan over a medium heat and as the steam heats the cream/chocolate mixture use your whisk to blend the chocolate and cream until it is a smooth blend.

What to do with Ganache

Ganache makes a great frosting and is easy to use. You can just pour it over a cake or use a spatula to spread it over a cupcake. You can let it cool and harden and then make little balls out of it. When making cupcakes you can half fill the cupcake cup, place the ball of ganache in the center of the cupcake, and then fill the cupcake cup the rest of the way. When the cupcake cooks the ganache will melt and when you open the cupcake the chocolate will flow out and you just made a cupcake surprise. You can use the ganache to fill an Almond Macaroon it you so desire. With so many options you will be covering just about everything you can think of with Ganache. 

Pumpkin Cookies

It’s autumn in Ventura and all along the 101 you can see the pumpkin patches trying to look as sincere as possible.

This is the best time of the year for pumpkin lovers. The pumpkin pies, soups, cakes, mousse filling the house with that warm aroma that foretells the coming holidays. My favorite pumpkin recipe is for pumpkin cookies.

These are easy to make and are addictive. What you are going to need is 1 cup of raisins, 3 cups of all purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, ¾ teaspoon of ground cloves, ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ½ teaspoon of salt (a bit less is better) 1 ¾ cups sugar, 2/3 cup of butter (this is 1 stick and 2 2/3 tablespoons) softened, ½ cup veggie oil, ¼ cup molasses, 1 ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1 cup canned pumpkin (not the seasoned pie filling but the plain ‘ol canned pumpkin). 

Set your oven to 350 degrees and give a couple of cookie sheets a quick spray with non-stick stuff, or butter them up. Soak the raisins in hot water for ten minutes. While they are soaking mix the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, cloves, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl. Really mix these well.

Put the butter and sugar in the bowl of your mixer (or use a hand mixer if you like) and beat them until very fluffy. Then add the oil, molasses, vanilla and pumpkin and mix until well blended. Slowly add the dry ingredients and then lastly add the raisins (drain them first please.)

Spoon the dough onto the cookie sheets about a teaspoon per cookie; keep them 2 inches apart. They need to cook about 14 minutes. Then let them stand for a few minutes before letting them cool completely on a wire rack.

As they cook and cool you can make the frosting for them. For the frosting you need 2-½ cups confectioners sugar, 3 ounces of cream cheese at room temperature, ¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of orange juice.

Mix the cheese, sugar and vanilla in your mixer until smooth, and then add the juice. If it’s too thick you can thin it out with a bit of water but it’s supposed to be frosting thick not icing thin.

Top each cookie with the frosting.

Sugar Plums

Now usually only found in poems like “A visit from Saint Nicholas” or the ballet “The Nutcracker” Sugar plums were once a special treat for Victorians.

Visions of Sugar Plums

Sugar plums are charming little treats that are a delight to young and old alike. They can be made with any dried fruit you happen to have on hand but raisins, dates, and apricots are a good start. Because of their inherent sweetness I would suggest that you use both golden and regular raisins but the recipe for sugar plums is pretty loose on the interpretation of what fruit is used. Whatever fruit you decide to use for your sugar plums avoid the candied fruits that are sold for fruitcake.

Sugar Plums

Sugar plums will enchant you and after you taste your own sugar plums you will understand why children in the Victorian era had visions of them dancing in their heads. Sugar plums where a tradition around Christmas time and where often placed on the pillow of the one you love to ensure good dreams on Christmas night. I don’t know if this works or not but once I learned how to make sugar plums I make them every Christmas just for the fun of it. If you don’t have cellophane to wrap them a quick wrap in plastic wrap will work just as well. If you don’t happen to have a food processor all you have to do is mince the dried fruits and then mix the spices and brandy in by hand.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons sugar

6 Ounces of dried fruit of your choosing. Raisins should be in this mixture.

½ cup of slivered almonds

2 tablespoons brandy

½ teaspoon of ground mace (or ground nutmeg if you cannot find mace)

½ teaspoon of Cinnamon

Instructions

Line a half sheet pan or cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Place the dried fruit, almonds, brandy, cinnamon, and mace in a food processor.

Pulse until well blended.

Scoop out the mixture with a teaspoon and roll into small balls.

Place the sugar in a small plate.

Roll the fruit balls in the sugar to coat.

Place on the cookie sheet and let rest in the refrigerator until chilled, about two hours.

Wrap in colored cellophane.

Place on the pillow of your loved one on Christmas Eve.

Ambrosia Salad Recipe

Back in the age of Achilles when Greek gods walked among the humans and directed the course of history, ambrosia was the food that sustained the Gods and gave immortality to mortals who were fortunate enough to taste it. These days when Greek gods are only found in museums and underwear ads, ambrosia salad is the closest we can get to that sublime food but, if made properly, ambrosia salad can be confused with the food of the Gods.

But Would Zeus Eat It

Ambrosia salad is a traditional Southern dish and since I grew up in New York, I had very little exposure to it until I learned how to make it at culinary school. Up to that time, I was under the impression that ambrosia was only available to the Pantheon. Since that class, I have experienced every variation of the ambrosia salad. Some that contained Jell-o, some that where made with non-dairy whipped topping, all that had fallen short of the ambrosia salad that I was taught to make at the Cordon Bleu. I think the defining difference that placed the school's version of the salad above the less traditional variations was the freshness of the ingredients, including homemade whipped cream. Although I believe that using only fresh fruit helps make our ambrosia salad taste the best it can, I would like to suggest that you use canned pineapple if you want.

When I was taught how to make this salad it was for 30 servings, which calls for a full pineapple peeled, cored, and diced. I have reduced this recipe to serve 15. One 12-16 ounce can of pineapple will suffice unless you either want to make enough ambrosia salad to feed 30 people, in which case go ahead and use a large fresh pineapple, or you can use fresh pineapple if you have other uses for fresh pineapple. Either way, about 12 ounces of pineapple will work for the 15 servings version of the recipe.

For the oranges, the term "suprêmes" refers to when you peel an orange, cut off the outside pith (white stuff), and then cut out each segment so they are separate and clean of the pith. Basically, trimmed orange segments.

Ambrosia Salad Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 ounces heavy cream
• 1 ounce sugar
• 6 oranges cut into suprêmes
• ½ pineapple peeled, cored, and diced or 1 12-ounce can of pineapple, diced.
• 1 pound of bananas, peeled and sliced
• 8 ounces of green seedless grapes, sliced in half
• 4 ounces dried unsweetened coconut flakes

Instructions

1. Spread the coconut out on a half sheet pan or cookie sheet that has been lined with a sheet of parchment paper.
2. Heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Toast the coconut flakes for about 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Keep this aside.
4. Using a whisk, whip the cream until it starts to become whipped cream.
5. Then add the sugar and continue to whisk the cream until it has stiff peaks.
6. Fold in the oranges, grapes, bananas, and pineapples.
7. Let the salad rest in the refrigerator for at least thirty minutes.
8. Scoop the salad into bowls and top each serving with the toasted coconut flakes.

Salmon Fillet Recipes

Salmon is that pink colored, distinctly flavored fish that, with some salmon fillet recipes, can add fun and sophistication to your dinner table.

Farm Raised vs. Wild Salmon

Salmon is one of the few fish in the world that is born in fresh water, swims out to the ocean to live in salt water, and then returns to the stream where it was born to spawn. Fish that live in this manner are called anadromous. For centuries, people and wildlife have relied on this cycle for sustenance.

The world's salmon population has been depleted drastically due to over-fishing and the construction of dams that block the salmon's access to spawning areas. In order to keep up with consumer demands for salmon, commercial fisheries have been started where the salmon is raised. Although there is no noticeable taste difference between farm-raised and wild caught salmon, there is a difference in the color of the fish's flesh. Wild caught salmon has the distinctive pink color while farm-raised salmon has a white colored flesh. In order to produce the desired pink color, farm-raised salmon are fed a coloring agent, sometimes a dried red yeast, sometimes the fish are fed astaxanthin, which is an anti-oxidant.

Most Atlantic Salmon that is on the market is farm- raised while most Pacific Salmon is wild caught. All Alaskan salmon is wild caught. In fact salmon farming is illegal in Alaska.

Salmon Fillet Recipes

Because salmon is so flavorful, most salmon fillet recipes will be relatively simple. This gives the cook an opportunity to complement the flavor of the salmon rather than overpower it. These salmon fillet recipes let the salmon's taste shine through and are easy to do.

Pan Seared Salmon with Tartar Sauce

This recipe serves 6. If you have a griddle, I suggest you use it for this recipe to give the salmon nice grill marks but any pan will work. I like to use Crème Fraiche to make my tartar sauce you can substitute mayonnaise if you do not have Crème Fraiche handy.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds of skinless salmon fillets cut into 6 equal pieces
• 2 ½ teaspoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• ½ teaspoon of pepper

Tartar Sauce

• 8 ounces of Crème Fraiche
• 1 ½ tablespoons of sweet pickles chopped
• 2 tablespoons of capers chopped
• 1 ounce (about three tablespoons) of chives chopped
• 1 ounce (about three tablespoons) flat leaf parsley chopped
• Salt and fresh pepper to taste

Instructions

1. It's best to make the tarter sauce first and let it chill as you cook the fish.
2. Mix together the crème Fraiche, pickles, capers, chives, and parsley in a bowl and taste for salt and pepper.
3. Place the tartar sauce in the refrigerator until needed.
4. Mix together the flour and salt and pepper.
5. Lightly coat the salmon fillets with the flour mixture.
6. Place the oil in your pan and heat over a medium flame until hot.
7. Place the salmon into the pan and fry for 5 minutes.
8. Do not move the fish around in the pan.
9. After five minutes, carefully turn the fish over.
10. Cook for another 5-10 minutes.
11. The sides of the fish will tell you how the cooking is going. You will see the flesh turn to a light pink as it cooks. Once the whole fish is cooked, serve the salmon with the sauce.

Grilled Salmon Fillet Satay

Ingredients

• 3 ¼ pounds of salmon fillet
• 2 cloves of garlic, mined or crushed in a garlic press
• 1 tablespoon of fresh basil, chopped
• 6 tablespoons of olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Twenty-four 8-inch bamboo skewers

Instructions

1. Slice the salmon into ½ thick slices.
2. Mix in a bowl the olive oil, basil, garlic, and add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Add the salmon to the bowl and toss to coat well.
4. Let the salmon rest, covered, in your refrigerator for at least one hour.
5. When ready to cook, thread the salmon lengthwise onto the skewers.
6. Grill over a medium hot grill about two minutes per side.

Recipes for Pickled Eggs in Pickled Beets Juice

If you are looking for a colorful, delicious treat, then you need some recipes for pickled eggs in pickled beets juice. Not only are these eggs seriously tasty, but the purple color would also do Prince proud.

We Got the Beets

In order to make any of the standard recipes for pickled eggs in pickled beet juice, you first need some pickled beets juice. So, let's pickle some beets.

There are many ways to pickle beets. First, the beets need to be cooked. Some cooks like to roast the beets first while other like to boil them. If you want to roast them, you need to wash them and trim the bottom off just a bit, but leave about an inch to a half inch of stem. Use about six beets, a sprig or two of rosemary, some fresh oregano sprigs, a shallot, or a bit of crushed garlic. Really, you could add just about anything here. Toss all the ingredients together with enough olive oil for a coating. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and put all the ingredients into a roasting pan and cover the pan tightly with foil. Roast them for about 35 minutes.

Or, you can just boil them. Take the six beets and wash them. Trim them like above, place them into a pot, cover them with water, and add a bit of salt. Boil them until they are tender.

After roasting or boiling the beets, you will need to let them cool off a touch and then remove the skins. Once the beets are cooled, slice them about a quarter of an inch thick.

Now, let's get the marinade going. You're going to need vinegar to pickle them and I like cider vinegar. For a simple beet marinade, you will need:

• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons salt

For a slightly different flavor, you can substitute the salt with one teaspoon each of whole cloves, allspice, and cinnamon.

Definitely do not use the salt and the spices in the same mixture. I tried it... believe me, you do not want to do it. So either go with the spices or the salt. If you simply must add salt with the spices, use much less, like 1/4 teaspoon.

Once you have all the ingredients, place them all in a pot and bring them to a boil. Let the mixture cool. Place the sliced beets into your canning jars (you will need two standard mason jars) and pour the liquid over the beets.

Let this sit in your refrigerator for about a week. You want the beets to sit in the liquid for a while to get a good color in the marinade.

These Are Some Serious Eggs

Ok, so now you have some pickled beets. If you are not so much interested in pickling your own beets, or if you just don't have the time, you can buy a large jar of pickled beets at the store and go from there.

Now for the easy part...hard-boil some eggs. Cool them by running some cold water over them. Once they are completely cooled, take half of the beets out of the jar and add the eggs. How many eggs you add really depends on the size of the jar. If you are using a mason jar, you will only get about 3 eggs in each jar. But, if you bought a large jar of pickled beets at the store, you could probably get a half dozen or so eggs in the jar.

Some people like to peel the eggs before putting them into the jar of beet juice, but I like to leave the shells on. Which way you go here is up to you. Let the eggs sit in the liquid for a week before serving them.

Recipes for Pickled Eggs in Pickled Beets Juice

Any of these recipes for pickled eggs in pickled beets juice will give you great results. The eggs not only absorb the color from the beet juice but also take some of the flavor from the marinade as well. I like the more flavorful spice mixture--it gives the eggs a unique and subtle taste. And nothing makes your egg dishes more vivid than bright purple eggs.