Laughing Wolf

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Scallops In Coffins

No, I haven’t gotten militant on the mollusk population, but am getting ready to modify a very nice Scottish recipe. It apparently came to Scotland in part from soldiers and mercenaries who had served in India and the Far East. It is traditionally served in baked potatoes (tatties), but I am modifying it to a low-carb diet.

If I can find some good scallops today, I will prepare them as follows:

In a large skillet, sauté 2-3 cups of scallops in butter, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and an optional touch of dill or lemon zest. Dice and set aside.

In the same large skillet, or medium sauce pan, melt .25 cups of butter (.5 stick), add in 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon of Madras (Hot) curry powder. I recommend making your own curry powder to suit (most Indian groceries can and will help), but you can use the pre-made if you like. If very spicy is not to your taste, use a regular or mild curry powder. Cook for one minute.

Add in 2 Tablespoons of regular (all purpose, not self-rising) flour and cook an additional minute.

Gradually add 1 cup of light cream (you can cut heavy with milk if needed), stirring to prevent lumps and scorching. Season mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Add in 2 Tablespoons minced green pepper and 2 cups (or a little more) of the diced cooked scallops.

Normally, you would then spoon this mixture into baked potatoes that you had scooped out, but that is a no-no for hypoglycemics, diabetics, or those on high-protein/low-carb diets. So, what I am thinking of doing is putting it into some red or yellow bell peppers. Whatever you choose to do, sprinkle the top with chopped fresh parsley and bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven until the tops are golden.

A variation is to chop up some green onion and place it along with the parsley, or you can put on some other garnishes. Be creative, and have fun with it. Enjoy.

Monday, July 16, 2007

Low Carb Pizza

Since I know others out there have to eat low carb diets, be it for weight loss or things like diabetes and hypoglycemia, I thought I would share a quick, easy, and low-carb way to deal with pizza cravings.

Go to the store and get some tortilla shells. Flour will do, but if you want the best type of carb even in this small an amount, go for corn or whole wheat. Pre-heat the oven to 450. Lay the shell out on a baking sheet, or a wooden paddle if you have a stone in your oven. Put a small amount of oil (olive, garlic, or truffle) on it and spread it over the shell. Lay down your cheese, and then put whatever toppings you want (if any) on top of the cheese. Place in the hot oven and “cook” until the cheese is melted and/or the ingredients are done. Doesn’t take long, so keep a close eye on it.

Pull the pizza out of the oven, cut it up, and enjoy. A variation of this is to get the small shells, and do individual pizzas. This is also a great way to get kids involved and let them start learning about cooking while doing their own.

Enjoy.

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Mushrooms

Well, she had to do it. She had to challenge me. So, I wandered around the temporary lair singing (sort of) “Just you wait, Teresa Higgins, just you wait” like Audrey did to Rex Harrison, or at least how she would have had she been built like an out-of-shape linebacker and singing base. She wants a challenge? Then here it is, my entry in this week’s Carnival of the Recipes, a two-for since I missed last week. An entry of mushrooms.

Stuffed Mushrooms

Hardware:
Bowl
Baking pan
Oven
Knife
Cutting Board

Ingredients:
Whole baby Bella, Crimini, or white mushrooms
Good sausage, spicy is better
Egg
Bread Crumbs (optional)
Grated real Parmesan or Romano Cheese
Grated sharp or smoked cheese (optional)

Clean mushrooms and remove the stem. Trim stems and chop up fine. Place chopped stems in bowl, combine with sausage, an egg, a small amount of bread crumbs, and cheese (savory) if used. Place mixture into mushroom caps and place caps in backing dish. Put water into dish at least quarter way up the caps. Sprinkle caps with grated parmesan cheese. Cover dish with foil and place in 350 degree oven for at least 20 minutes. Check then to see if sausage is cooked, continue cooking as necessary. Once sausage is cooked, remove foil and allow top of stuffing to brown. NOTE: you do not have to use water, but I have found that it helps the mixture cook evenly. Do not use too much as it will make things soggy.

Mushroom Ragu

Hardware:
Cutting board
Knife
Large skillet

Ingredients:
As wide a variety of mushrooms as you can get
Dill, pepper, kosher salt, fresh garlic
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar (optional)
Wine (optional)
Butter

Clean and slice mushrooms as needed. Mince garlic. Place skillet on medium heat and when hot add a tablespoon or two of olive oil, and a tablespoon or two of butter. Add in garlic and fresh ground pepper, do NOT let burn. Add in heaviest/densest mushrooms first and begin cooking. Add a small amount of dill. As things progress, add in the mushrooms that take the shortest time to cook. Towards the end, add salt to taste. NOTE: The idea is to bring out the flavor of the mushrooms, not to hide it. That said, however, if you need to add liquid, add water, a small amount of balsamic vinegar, or wine of your choice. I tend to go with water for the most part, and let the heat pull out the large amount of water in the mushrooms, so that it forms a mushroom stew. Good mushrooms to use for this include portabella, oyster, chanterelle, baby bella/crimini, miatake, woodear, and enoki. Use white if you need to or want to, but they don’t tend to add much to the flavor. Go light on the spices on this one, for what you want to do is draw out the flavor of each along with the water. Dill and garlic complement this nicely, as can a small amount of balsamic.

Enjoy.

Saturday, July 14, 2007

Crème Fraiche

There are times when sour cream just doesn’t do it, nor does whipped cream. You want, need, and deserve something more. That more is crème fraiche. It is wonderful over fruit, it can be put in soups and sauces and boiled without curdling, and it is the perfect base for caviar.

It can also be hard to find, with commercial preparations being a bit pricy. Never fear, though, Laughing Wolf is here. Sorry, couldn’t resist. You can make it at home fairly easily.

Hardware:
Measuring cup
Measuring spoon
Plastic wrap

Ingredients:
Whipping cream
Real buttermilk

Fill measuring cup with one cup of whipping cream. Add 2 tablespoons of the real buttermilk. Please note that it must be real, as it is introducing the bacterial cultures that make things happen. Stir. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit out at room temperature (around 70 F) for 8-24 hours until thickened. Stir again and place in container (or just leave it in measuring cup and keep covered with plastic wrap) and store in refrigerator. Should last for a week or so.

Friday, July 13, 2007

Chocolate Ecstasy Cake

This is a cake I do on special occasions, both because it can be a bit pricy to do and because too much of it can be deadly.  Enjoy. 

Recipe by C. Blake Powers based on version from the Death By Chocolate TV show

Items Needed:
Mixer
cake pans
wire racks
double boiler or boiler and stainless steel bowls
whisk
spatula
fork
spoons
knife

Cake Ingredients:
4T + 1t unsalted butter
1/4 cup + 1t all purpose flour
3 whole eggs
3 oz. unsweet. choc. in pieces
2T unsweet. cocoa
1 C gran. sugar
2 oz. semisweet choc. in pieces
1t baking powder
1t vanilla
1/2t salt
1/4 cup sour cream

Optional ingredients:
Chocolate Chips
nuts

Cake Directions:
Preheat oven to 325o. Coat a 9-inch cake pan (round) with unsalted butter. Measure dry ingredients (2nd column, above) together then
sift to ensure complete mixing and uniformity.

In a double boiler, melt butter over medium to medium-low heat. Add chocolate and allow to melt. If you are in a rush, dump it all in at once and let it melt. I’ve noticed no difference in texture, etc. for doing it this way. This is called a chocolate liqueur.

As the chocolate is melting, break the 3 eggs into a medium to large mixing bowl and whisk until blended. Then add 1 cup of
granulated sugar. Whisk until well blended. Then add 1 teaspoon of vanilla and whisk again. If you eyeball the vanilla and use more, it does not matter.

Mix melted butter and chocolate together, remove top part of double boiler being sure to wipe the bottom of the pot to prevent any
condensation/water from getting into the chocolate or the mix. Pour chocolate liqueur into egg mixture and whisk to blend. When well mixed, add dry ingredients - whisk slowly at first to keep from spreading dry ingredients all over kitchen. When this is mixed, add in sour cream and repeat whisking. Once all ingredients of basic recipe are blended, then add optional to your taste. I find 1/3 bag of semi-sweet chips is a very good add to the mix.

Pour final mix into greased pan. Place in oven and bake for app. 40 minutes. If additional ingredients are used, you may need to increase baking time by 10 minutes. Cool on wire rack and cut in half.

Filing:
1 cup of toasted, crushed (food processor) hazelnuts. These are best if toasted and peeled a day or two ahead of time and soaked in some brandy or Frangelica hazelnut liqueur. Use at least 2T.

Icing (Chocolate Ganache):

Icing Ingredients:
1.5 cups heavy cream
3T unsalted butter
3T granulated sugar
12 oz. semisweet chocolate in .5 oz. pieces—I find 14 is better and will make icing darker. Up to 18 ounces can be used if desired. I also recommend doubling the recipe to ensure enough for decorating and proper glazing of cake.

Icing Directions:
Place chocolate in a large mixing bowl. Bring cream, sugar, and butter to a boil in a saucepan. Keep a ladle in the pan to prevent boiling over and the creation of messes. Pour boiling cream mix over chocolate pieces. Whisk together until chocolate is melted and ensemble is completely mixed.

Reserve 1 cup of mix for decorating. I strongly suggest refrigerating it for at least 1 hour. Mix 1/2 to 1 cup of mixture with hazelnuts. Again, I strongly suggest refrigerating it for at least 1 hour until almost firm.  Reserve remainder for icing finished cake. This can be placed on top of sauce pan containing water. Said pan can be placed on low to keep icing fluid while other parts are chilling/firming.

Denouement:
Place bottom layer of cake on wire rack located over catch-pan.  Spread chocolate-hazelnut mixture on bottom layer of cake. Then place top
layer over hazelnut layer. Pour liquid ganache over the cake using ladle to direct and ensure that top and sides are completely covered. Refrigerate until ganache has set. Icing in pan can be added to that reserved for decoration. FYI, cake does not have to be decorated as glaze is what is presented in fine restaurants. If you want to decorate it, do what makes you happy.

Variations
My favorite is to bake two cakes and make the final cake either two- or four-layer depending on humor of the moment. This will require all
ingredients, especially the ganache, to be doubled.

In place of hazelnuts, use raspberries. Run a bag of frozen raspberries through the food processor. Take 1 cup of the processed raspberries and soak them in 2T to 1/4 cup (or more) of Chambord raspberry liqueur for up to 24 hours. Then mix them with 1 to 1.5 cups of the icing mixture and refrigerate until stiff. Then use in place of hazelnuts. For decorating, rinse and drain 1 pint of fresh raspberries and soak them in Chambord. Place these around the top of the cake. You can also place a few around the bottom for effect. If you want to be really decadent, place a chocolate chip in each of the firm, fresh raspberries.

The ganache can be much improved by adding additional chocolate, of the bittersweet and bitter chocolate varieties. 

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Mrs. Broughton’s Asparagus Supreme

This one is always a holiday or special occasion favorite.  Enjoy. 

Equipment:
Knife
Egg slicer (optional)
Casserole dish
Boiler
Grater
Oven

Ingredients:
3 large cans white or green asparagus
2-5 hardboiled eggs
1/2 -1 cup grated cheese
1.5 cup cream sauce
1/2 cup blanched almonds (sliced or slivered)
1.5 T butter
3 T flour
pepper
salt
1.5 cups hot milk

Directions:
Cream Sauce for Asparagus Supreme
Melt butter and add seasoned flour and stir until well blended. Gradually add hot milk while stirring constantly.  Bring to boiling point and boil for 2 minutes.  Add cheese just before pouring over the asparagus.

Slice eggs.  Add grated cheese to the cream sauce.  Place alternating layers of asparagus, sauce, eg, and almonds in casserole and bake 20 minutes at 350-375 degrees, or until golden brown.

Options/Extras:
First, I always double the cream sauce, and more than double the cheese.  What is above is NOT doubled. 

Use good cheese in the sauce, and I had great luck using real smoked cheese as a part of the mix.  I used some good sharp cheddar, a real smoked cheese, and one other type (can’t remember, used what was in at the cheese store) to add flavor. 

Also, I prefer to use the sliced almonds, and to toast them a bit beforehand.  Adds to the flavor and the crunch

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Off The Wagon

I’ve been really good about the extreme low fat diet the doc put me on for the experiment.  I have been wondering what would make a great splurge one day, and had debated pizza, prime rib, and a number of other delights.  Well, I will have to wait a while for another splurge for last night I was taken out to dinner at the Rathskeller in Indianapolis.  Nothing that fit the extreme low fat on the menu, so I splurged with a delicious beef rouladen, spaetzle, sauerkraut, and a sneak of some excellent sausage.  In six weeks, I can consider going off the wagon again…

LW

Content copyright C. Blake Powers and the individual authors. Comments become the property of C. Blake Powers and may be altered, edited, deleted, and used by C. Blake Powers or the individual authors without restriction or recompense.