Pate a Choux - Gougeres

Damn Gina. These bad little cheese puffs can make Betty Crocker look like Martha Stewart. Wait, like Jacques Pepin. Yes, like Jacques.

Ingredients:
1/2 recipe Pate a Choux, recipe follows
1/2 cup grated Gruyere
Freshly cracked black pepper
1 egg, beaten

Special Equipment: pastry bag fitted with a #10 star tip, baking sheet, parchment paper, pastry brush or just get over it and use two spoons to drop spoonfuls onto your baking sheet. Get fancy or just get simple.

Pate a Choux:
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons sugar
6 tablespoons butter, cut in pieces
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour, sifted
4 eggs, beaten

In a small saucepan over high heat, bring the water, salt, sugar, and butter to a boil, making sure the butter is completely melted. Off the heat, add the flour all at once and beat vigorously with a wooden spoon. Return to the heat and continue beating until the dough forms a solid, smooth mass and pulls away from the sides of the saucepan. Take off the heat and empty the dough into a clean mixing bowl. Little by little add the beaten eggs, beating vigorously in between each addition, until the dough forms a smooth, supple mass.

Divide the dough into 2 even quantities, 1 part to be used for the gougeres, the other for profiteroles if you want. Personally, I love the savory cheesy gougeres so I have yet to get around to making sweet puffs.

You won't believe how simple and easy it really is until you do it once and then you may be tempted to make another batch right on the fly. That's exactly what happened to me anyway. (Now, I just double or triple the recipe.)

In a small mixing bowl, add the grated cheese and plenty of freshly cracked black pepper to the half-recipe of pate a choux. With a rubber spatula, scoop the pate a choux into the pastry bag and pipe out approximately 25 (1-inch) rounds, spaced 1 to 2 inches apart on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Alternatively, instead of piping, just drop rounded tablespoonfuls of the pate a choux on to your baking sheet. Parchment paper is easy for cleanup and a non stick surface, if you have it, otherwise use a silpat or grease your baking sheet.

Baking:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Brush your little gougeres lightly with the beaten egg and place in the oven. Cook until golden and puffed, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool briefly on a baking rack. Serve hot or at room temperature. Good luck getting them to room temperature...

Seriously, the first time I made these for my family, they were all eagerly waiting for them to come out of the oven. They never even made it off the baking sheet as the whole family dove in for the hot little nuggets. My Dad's girlfriend thought they were so amazing, she asked me to give her the recipe and I immediately made another batch. Not a one survived the night...

The only thing I wrote down for this recipe that night and I quote, "oh my god. these rock."

The inspiration for these really come from my favorite steakhouse, Fogo de Chao. They serve these at the table as a little snack while you wait for your table and the horrible/lovely dilemma arises: you could literally stuff yourself on these little gems before you make it to the all you can eat steak extravaganza... But do try to refrain, because you can make them so easily at home it will surprise you and may even be your own little secret weapon when entertaining family and friends.

When bread or rolls just won't cut it, serve these. You will not be disappointed. I've even heard that pate a choux will freeze perfectly well. Alas, I never have any left over to try. What a terrible problem to have... :)

Garlic, Mushroom and Anchovy Pizza

This was an awesome pizza. I received a radio transmission last night from someone talking smack about homemade pizza... Sensing I was being baited, I run headlong into the challenge being thrown. I knew I had this one in the bag even if it took a while to get the magic moving along.

As most of my loved ones know, I'm not the fastest cat in the kitchen and some call me intense and methodical but the truth is that I am part food scientist and culinary wizard. Ok, maybe wizard is going too far but I love the challenge of making something awesome from what I happen to have on hand. And I revel in making everything from scratch, if and when I can. From grinding the wheat to make flour, to making a sauce and yes, sometimes, making the cheese, it's just what I do. Most people who know me well, love my cooking and love this quirky little character trait almost as much.

In recent months, I have been dying to make bread and pizza, which is something I have often made on a super regular basis in the past. But given the strange way my cooking mojo has been affected by my husband's sudden and unexpected departure, I guess I have been in need of some inspiration. And maybe even more importantly, I needed someone to love the kitchen witchcraft back to life. Not really about trying to impress anyone but hey, if that happens as a side effect, I won't ever cry over it.

Knowing my pizza snob's particular weakness for garlic, I thought I had a good idea of the kind of pizza he might like so I ransacked my cupboards and found what I thought to be the perfect ingredients for his kind of pie. Turns out, I wasn't far off the mark at all and I got more than a few props. But with or without the enthusiastic response and genuine appreciation, I would have done it for him in a heartbeat just for the sake of bringing back the kitchen love I've been missing.

He wanted me to write it down last night but I knew I wouldn't forget. Even so, just to keep track of our goodies for his benefit, I will sketch out the gist of it for "memory preservation". Like I could really forget... He was dead serious I document it and so here is how the event went down:

Ingredients:
1 tin of good anchovies in oil
10 -12 cloves of fresh garlic, grated into a paste
Marinated mushrooms from Costco (not sure the brand but they are my favorites), sliced; however many you like
1/2 Vidalia or sweet onion, sliced thin
~1/2 lb shredded mozzarella

Dump anchovies and their oil into a medium bowl and grate the garlic cloves into a paste, adding to the anchovies. Add the sliced mushrooms and onions to the anchovy garlic mixture and just stir. I added maybe 2 tbsp of the mushroom marinade to the mix but you can squeeze a lemon or lime or add a little vinegar of your choice if you are using fresh mushrooms.

The idea is really to make almost a dressing or oil and vinegar marinade for the mixture. This will be the base of the pizza and is almost a sauceless or white style of pizza because there is no traditional marinara or pizza sauce used in this pizza.

Pizza Dough:
3 c 4 tbsp flour
2 tsp yeast
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1 1/3 c lukewarm water
2 tbsp olive oil
(this is enough dough for 2 medium 8-10" pizzas or 1 large rectangular baking sheet)

In a mixing bowl, gently mix all ingredients either using a stand mixer or even by hand until just incorporated. Cover and let rest until doubled, which is usually about an hour. Punch down and let knead until it forms a smooth ball. At this point, you can let it rise and double in size again or let it rest, then shape for your pizza. If you don't use all the dough, you can wrap the rest of it tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze for later use. Yep, I said, it, freeze it. It freezes, thaws and cooks beautifully, which is a great time saver if you've already gone to the trouble once... so consider doubling or tripling your recipe to save time next pizza night. It also makes great calzones, bread sticks or dinner rolls.

Shape your dough, by pressing it with your hands into a pizza pan. It isn't rocket science. There may be a technique to it, but I find it fun just to stretch it, press it, rotating the pizza pan and pressing it from the middle of the pan to the outer edges. No magic necessary. Just make it so... If it tears or gets a hole, who cares? Fix it and keep on trucking.

Here is a tip: take a fork and poke it all over the dough once you've got it in the pan. This keeps the dough from puffing up too much while it bakes. It will bake evenly this way....

Bake:
Preheat the oven to 425 F. Use coconut oil or olive oil to lightly grease the pizza pan of choice. If your dough is well rested, it will easily stretch to fit your pan

I pre-bake my crusts for 5-7 minutes. Spread the anchovy mixture on the bottom of the crust, being careful not to overload as the flavors are fairly strong and straightforward. Sprinkle the mozzarella on top and bake for 10-12 minutes at 425 F.

This wasn't the last pizza we made together.  When I make pizza, I usually make enough for more than one pizza and this evening was no different. The second pizza I made was more of a white Greek affair. Primarily, because I again, had all the ingredients on hand to make something unique and with very strong flavors, which we both love.

Greek Feta Pizza Topping:
1 lb of Greek Feta, crumbled
3-4 cloves of fresh garlic, grated
Handful of Kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped
1 beefsteak tomato, diced
~1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 red onion, julienned
Bunch of fresh arugula

In a food processor, I gently pulse all ingredients except the red onion and tomato. The reason I leave these ingredients out is because any of the cheese mixture you don't use in the pizza can easily be stored in the fridge, literally for months. The key to preserving this is well, most of the ingredients are already fermented or preserved already: the feta and the olives, for instance. In my experience, if you pack the cheese mixture into a mason jar, cover the remainder with olive oil and seal tightly with a lid, ensuring there are no air pockets in the cheese mixture, it will keep for quite a long time.

You can add the fresh tomatoes and red onions when you are ready to use and the garlic will have permeated the cheese mixture beautifully. We use this mixture for pizza but also for pasta as it makes an incredibly light and satisfying sauce for fresh pasta when you have little time or are feeling less than enthusiastic about spending time in the kitchen. One of the reasons I usually make several batches just to have on hand.

To use it as a pizza "sauce", just pre-bake your pizza crust for 5-7 minutes. This ensures a crispy crust that is fully baked and yet not soggy. Spoon dollops of the mixture on your prebaked crust, not getting too carried away or the pizza will be too heavy and I enjoy it best with a lighter touch. But do experiment to see what you prefer.

Add the diced tomatoes and julienned red onion on top of the cheese. Sprinkle a little mozzarella on top if you must, but this pizza really doesn't need it.

Bake at 425 for 10-12 minutes or until brown and bubbly. Not required, but I find it helps to let the pizza "rest" for about 5-10 minutes or so to make cutting and serving easier, but do what you must if you can't wait that long.

I like to add fresh arugula to the finished pizza once it is out of the oven and cool, almost like a flatbread salad, but you can follow your gut and play around with flavors to suit your tastes.

Don't Fall in Love With Me Mesquite Pulled Pork

Yep, this one is a winner. Never fails if I don't cook it too long and take it out while there are still enough juices.

Made this recently for a friend who lost a loved one and again recently for myself and some Halloween misfits just for the hell of it.

Crazy things happen in life, in a long marriage and what once was a passion shared, sometimes suffocates when not properly nurtured and cherished.

They say a way to a man's heart is through his tummy and even so, sometimes keeping him takes more than love and good cooking. Found that out the hard way and in a sly play on a well known saying, one man's leftovers is another man's buffet. Oh well, his loss... these leftovers rock.

Cooking is definitely harder without a partner or loved one to share it, so sometimes that takes a backseat when going through serious shit. However, with the love of friends and family, and no doubt time and perspective, moving on gets easier and then one day in walks someone who blows your mind and makes you laugh like you are going to die from it, die without it.

So for the sweet soul who came into my life like a Southern hurricane and makes me laugh so hard I swear one day he really will make me pee my pants, I made this and a few other of my Thai favorites. Checking his temperature, essentially.  Dude's for real.

The first thing he ever gave me was a bag of honey smoked Thai chilis that he made in his smoker and even though we narrowly avoided our very first argument over whether they were serranos or thai chilis, it was a moment that stands still for me. Click. Click. Click. Lock. Aim. Fire. Those suckers rocked my world and I knew I was in for a wild freaking ride. Pretty sure he knew it too. Honey Smoked Chilis. Red Solo Cup. Fort for the Trees.

While this wasn't the best part of the first meal I ever cooked for this freak of nature that can sit on my couch and eat my hot sauce straight from the bottle like a crazy addict, it was a side bar and worth making a note of, just like everything else that has happened since the Universe answered my last letter...

I didn't ask for a crazy mutha like this but I'm so glad She answered my letter knowing more about what I needed than what I wanted. And lucky for me I got both delivered in Cat 5, Southern style. Shock and awe, baby with a pair of dimples and killer blue eyes that could probably kill ya if you look at them too long.

Shoot, I digress, so on with the pork story...The best part of this recipe is truly how easy it is.  I guess that's why I had to set it up like Gone With the Wind or something. Whatever. Don't be alarmed that there are really only two ingredients. That's what makes it a real go-to when your days start to run together and even easier than opening up Pandora's box when the Universe delivers a sudden and true gift.

The best things in life, turns out, do not have to be so hard and can be so easy, you really just have to blink like an idiot to make sure it's real. Pinch yourself if you need to know for sure. And sure as hell, hang on to the oh-shi* bar...

Ingredients:

Costco's Sweet Mesquite seasoning which will be your dry rub
10 lb pork shoulder or butt

I know. Hard right? I think the key is to unpack the pork, trim the fat, dry it off with paper towels and liberally cover it with the Sweet Mesquite seasoning which acts like a dry rub in lieu of making a dry rub from scratch.  

I put this pork in a large Creuset, lid on and let the pork come to room temperature. I do this overnight, leaving the pot covered in the oven over night. I will turn on the oven in the morning while I'm making my coffee and just let it slow cook for 4-6 hours. No juices are necessary because this pork will release it's own awesome juices during the slow baking process.

Bake:
Bake the pork at 250 degrees for at least 4 hours.

At that point, I usually remove the lid and bake for another 2 hours or so until it just falls apart. Keep an eye on the juices. The last one I did, I got busy with other things and the juices had caramelized but were not burnt. This was really good but I kinda wished I had left just a little of the juices in there. Either way it was really awesome and it had plenty of crunchy, caramelized crispy edges while still being very tender.

Just use a couple of forks to pull or shred the pork and either serve it the way I do, with large baked russet potatoes for stuffed baked potatoes or with tortillas, salsa, sour cream, guacamole and cheese. Either way, it rocks.

I also reserve bacon grease and will gently fry up some of the pulled pork, sweet onions and cilantro that I will serve with eggs for breakfast tacos in the morning.

This also makes a mean enchilada or burrito so get creative and use it for whatever floats your boat. Chile rellenos could also be in order, so I may just break out that recipe for later when my Scrabble buddy comes a-callin'.  This time I won't let him beat me so easily...

Italian Cream Cake

Wow, is this something else! My brother in law took the family on a little trip one night to Needville, TX.  Sounds like the middle of nowhere, right? Um, it was. Took us a long while to get out there and it was pitch black. It was raining and cold that night just before Thanksgiving, when we ventured out but it was a night we all remember well because the trip was specifically for dessert.

Oh yes, we had some great barbecue at this old timer's diner run by a husband and wife team (sigh!). As far out from our home neighborhood as we were, I laughed each time someone walked up and patted my brother in law on the back, shaking hands, introducing family members, exchanging holiday greetings and sharing tips on which neighborhoods had the best holiday Christmas lights display. I jokingly call him the "Mayor" because everyone knows my brother in law. Doesn't matter where we are... at the grocery store, at the gas station, in the middle of bum-f*ck Egypt... someone knows him, my sister or the kids.

But on this particular evening we were all about the coconut cream pie and another of their specialties, the Italian Cream Cake.  My nephew looks across the table and says, "Well? What do you think, KK? Can you figure this out?"  Never one to backdown from such a confident challenge, I set out to do just that.

I made one for Thanksgiving and in a matter of minutes, there was only one piece left. Everyone at the table was very quiet and all of a sudden my other nephew says lovingly, "Oooh. You nailed it, KK!!"

Later that evening, when a playful but entirely serious argument ensued between my little brother and my brother in law over who would have the last piece, I quickly intervened to settle the debate. I offered to make a second cake the next morning, special, for the Mayor.  My brother wasted no time and in a devoted fashion, wrapped up the last piece for the 2 hr trek home to Austin. He said he ate only a few bites every day, trying to save it for as long as he could and asked me if I would please post this recipe. 

Long overdue, here goes little bro:

Cake Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil (I always substitute coconut oil and it works perfectly)
5 egg yolks, beaten
2 cups cake flour (or to substitute cake flour use all purpose flour, remove 4 tbsp of flour and add in 4 tbsp of corn starch sift well)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk (I have successfully substituted 1 c. sour cream, also tried half c sour cream mixed with half cup whole milk and both worked well)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 egg whites, stiffly beaten

Separate egg yolks from the egg whites in separate mixing bowls. Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks and set aside. In a separate mixing bowl, sift together all dry ingredients and set aside. Beat egg yolks with the other wet ingredients and slowly sprinkle in the bowl with the dry ingredients. Stay with me, this really isn't hard, just a matter of being organized... Fold in the egg whites but just until incorporated as you want this batter to be full and fluffy.

Separate batter into your greased and floured cake pans. See below for suggestions.

Bake:

I make (3) 8 inch round layers and cut the layers in half, making 6 thin layers all together. Sometimes, I will do different sizes for a taller, smaller version or small spring forms for mini versions. Cupcakes are super easy as well, just depends on what I'm in the mood for but the above recipe works well no matter which size you prefer.  

350 degrees F for 15-20 min.

Icing:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 lb confectioners' sugar

Optional Toppings:

1 cup chopped pecans or

1 can coconut

Decorate:

You can add pecans to the icing and ice each layer or you can just ice each layer and press crushed pecans or coconut to the outside or just to the top of the cake. Depends on how fancy schmancy you really want to get.

Word of warning: the icing is really addictive so I will usually make a double recipe and freeze any leftovers, if it so happens there are any at all.

Chicken Barbecued in Foil

Nothing says "I love you" like good home cooking.  I have been in need of spoken and unspoken I love you's lately... and because I am blessed with an abundance of loving people in my life, I have come out like a bandit in recent weeks!

Hubs and I have been going through some tough times. To be honest, all I really want is to make this dish for him but when life gives you lemons, make this dish. :) I know he would love it.

Recently my father's lovely girlfriend and life partner made this for me to patch the holes in my heart and feed my hungry soul.

What a beautiful and well balanced dish this turned out to be. Don't forget the mashed potatoes, because that was the perfect side dish for soaking up the gorgeous, savory sauce.

The following recipe serves 2-4 but we made a doubled the recipe for 4 gigantic Texas chicken breasts that weighed about 1 lb each:

Ingredients:
3 tbsp of butter
1 tbsp brown sugar
3/4 c. chopped onion
1 tsp vinegar
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp prepared mustard
1/4 c. lemon juice or juice of 4-5 small lemons
1/2 c. ketchup
1 (2 1/2 to 3 lb) broiler-fryer, cut in half or (2) 1 lb chicken breasts

Prep:
Combine all ingredients except the chicken. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, rub chicken with salt and pepper. Place each broiler half or chicken breast on a piece of heavy aluminum foil, large enough to tent-wrap each piece securely.  Put half of the sauce on each piece of chicken. Tent and fold tightly.

Bake:
Bake in moderate oven (350 degrees F) 1 hour, or on a very slow oven (200 degrees F) for 2 hours. Carefully open packages to avoid burns from escaping steam; turning back the foil slowly.

Broil chicken until browned. Serve the foil package as is or you can serve the chicken and sauce separately. We didn't bother removing the foil, we just put the foil packages on plates, opened and served them as is with awesome mashed potatoes.

**Of course, you can grill these for about 45 minutes but everyone's grilling experience is different so I won't cover any grilling instructions here except to say that heavy foil works best and a meat thermometer is always a good idea if you have a hard time controlling your grill temperature.  But baking is easiest when trying this recipe for the first time, so do give that a whirl.

4th of July Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

Oh my GOOD-NESS.  I first made these cupcakes for my nieces and nephews because they have an amazing lemon tree in their front yard.   Every Thanksgiving, we do the key lime pies for Dad, of course, but because we had such a bountiful harvest of these perfect Rio Grande lemons last year, we decided to get creative.

What if, in addition to pies, we did a lemon meringue something or other?  Because we were inspired by the idea of owning a family bakery some day, we came up with the idea of a cupcake version of one of our family favorites. 

Just to give you an idea, we made 48 mini cupcakes but there was not a single crumb left 10 minutes after the last tray came out of the oven. No lie! DESTROYED.  So, I would say this is a great bet for parties or heck, just a bunch of hungry kids no matter how young or old they are.

But now that I live in the tropics, I also had an abundance of lemons from my own Meyer's lemon tree so we decided to make these again for our 4th of July celebration picnic by the beach! Once again, they went in the blink of an eye and only a trail of crumbs were left to tell the tale.

Cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, room temperature
1 large egg, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup buttermilk
zest of a lemon

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes in a greased muffin pan.  We used mini muffin pans but any size muffin should work fine.

Icing Options:

You can use either a classic meringue or do what we did, we made our own TexMex Valley lemon curd because we had an abundance of lemons.  Bake the cupcakes first and either let cool or pipe lemon curd to the warm cupcakes. 

We never got that far... I put a spoon in a bowl of lemon curd on the table and turned my back for a minute. One of the kids dumped the cupcakes out right on the cabinet and another had a spoon of lemon curd in their mouth before I turned back around! So, forget about making them pretty when kids are around. None of that fanciness is required, just make sure there are plenty of spoons for the curd or there will be squeals and words exchanged over whoever has the lemon curd while the others are trying to wait for it to hit the table again.

Meringue:
3 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon Bakewell Cream or cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons sugar

Beat egg whites and dry ingredients to stiff peaks.  Use a piping bag to pipe the meringue onto unbaked cupcakes. **Tent a piece of tin foil over the top if they appear to be getting too brown before the cupcakes are done.