One night, when I had neglected to plan ahead for dinner, I bought several bone-in chickn breasts and threw together this rub. It was a big hit, so I saved the recipe. The name comes from my daughter, Abigail, who believes that no plans for dinner constitutes an emergency.
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup seasoned salt
2 Tbs paprika
2 Tbs freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbs garlic powder
1 Tbs dry mustard
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1. Combine all of the rub ingredients. Store in a sealed glass jar.
TIP
• Remove the skin from the breast before applying the rub.
Showing posts with label Recipes: Miscellaneous. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Recipes: Miscellaneous. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
Grandma's Fruit-Nut Bread
When my grandmother died twenty years ago, my mother saved her recipe box. This was one of the recipes I was happiest to find inside. It’s a quick bread that Grandma made with dates and apricots. Like most quick breads, it benefits from sitting around, so a loaf made on Sunday tastes great all week. Try it as an afterschool snack for the kids, maybe with a little cream cheese.
6 pitted dates (about 3 oz)
12 dried apricots (about 3 oz)
1 tsp baking soda
1 c walnuts
1¾ c flour
¾ c sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp baking powder
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Butter and lightly flour a loaf pan.
3. Chop the dates and apricots into pea-sized pieces. Place in a small bowl. Coat with the baking soda. Add 1 cup boiling water. Stir to separate, then let hydrate while you prepare the dry ingredients.
4. Chop the walnuts. Combine in a mixing bowl with the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Beat the egg with a fork and add it to the dry ingredients. Add the vanilla extract.
5. Add the fruit-and-water mixture and stir to combine thoroughly. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
6. Bake until done, testing as you go, about 45 minutes. Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing.
TIPS
• You can use any dried fruit or nuts for this recipe. I usually keep the dates and walnuts, but I've successfully substituted dried cherries and dried cranberries for the apricots.
• I test for doneness using a knife. I insert the blade into the center of the loaf, and if it comes out clean (no gooey batter attached), then I know the bread is done.
6 pitted dates (about 3 oz)
12 dried apricots (about 3 oz)
1 tsp baking soda
1 c walnuts
1¾ c flour
¾ c sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp baking powder
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Butter and lightly flour a loaf pan.
3. Chop the dates and apricots into pea-sized pieces. Place in a small bowl. Coat with the baking soda. Add 1 cup boiling water. Stir to separate, then let hydrate while you prepare the dry ingredients.
4. Chop the walnuts. Combine in a mixing bowl with the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Beat the egg with a fork and add it to the dry ingredients. Add the vanilla extract.
5. Add the fruit-and-water mixture and stir to combine thoroughly. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
6. Bake until done, testing as you go, about 45 minutes. Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing.
TIPS
• You can use any dried fruit or nuts for this recipe. I usually keep the dates and walnuts, but I've successfully substituted dried cherries and dried cranberries for the apricots.
• I test for doneness using a knife. I insert the blade into the center of the loaf, and if it comes out clean (no gooey batter attached), then I know the bread is done.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Rosemary Focaccia
The most important ingredient in this recipe is time. There’s not much work involved, but you’ve got to allow several hours for the dough to rise. If you’re tempted to hasten the process, remember that the more time you allow, the better the focaccia will be. After all, you’re not making matzoh here.
2 c warm water
2 Tbs sugar
2 pkg active dry yeast (not rapid-rise)
5 c unbleached flour
2 tsp kosher salt
4 sprigs fresh rosemary, stripped and minced
¾ c good olive oil
1–2 Tbs sea salt
1. Pour the water into the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook. Stir in the sugar and sprinkle the yeast on top. Let the yeast proof for 5 minutes. (It should foam slightly; if it doesn’t, the yeast is dead, and you should start over with fresh yeast.)
2. Add the flour, salt, half of the rosemary, and ¼ cup of the olive oil. Mix very slowly until the dough forms a ball, about 30 seconds. Increase the speed to medium slow and knead for 3 minutes. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes, then knead again for another 3 minutes.
3. Oil a mixing bowl large enough to handle twice the volume of the dough, pooling about a tablespoon of oil in the bottom. Transfer the dough to the bowl and roll it in the oil so that the dough ball becomes coated. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until the dough doubles in volume, about an hour.
4. Line a rimmed cookie sheet (also known as a jelly roll pan) with parchment paper and oil the paper well using another tablespoon or two of the oil. Transfer the dough from the bowl to the pan and drizzle it generously with more oil, about another 2 tablespoons.
5. Spread your fingers and point them downward as though you were preparing to play a piano. Use the tips of your fingers to dimple the dough, starting in the center and pressing down and slightly outward as you go. Your goal is to spread the dough to the edges of the pan. In all likelihood, the dough will begin to resist before you get there. Stop at this point, cover the dough with plastic wrap, and let it rest for 20 minutes. Then drizzle on more olive oil and dimple again until you reach the pan’s edges. Cover again with plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature for another 2-3 hours, or at least until the dough’s volume has increased by half.
5. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. Just before baking, remove the plastic wrap and sprinkle the dough with the remaining rosemary and the sea salt.
7. Bake in the middle of the oven, rotating the pan front to back after 10 minutes. Begin checking the bread after another 7-8 minutes. It’s done when it turns golden brown. Remove the bread from the pan and let it cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with olive oil for dipping.
TIPS
• If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can make do with a stainless steel mixing bowl and a large spoon. Just keep dipping the spoon in warm water so that the dough doesn’t stick to it. Letting the dough rest occasionally also helps make the kneading easier.
• Coating the dough well with oil and covering it with plastic wrap prevents a nasty dry crust from forming during the rising.
• If you get a late start, you can keep the first rise (in the bowl) to an hour and the second rise (in the pan) to whatever time remains. But shortcutting the rise will yield a much denser bread.
• You can’t use too much oil when making focaccia because it’s all absorbed during the baking, imparting a wonderful flavor as long as you use a decent oil.
• I specify sea salt for the topping because the crystals are large and thus make a bright splash on your tongue. Using ordinary table salt would simply make the bread taste generally saltier.
2 c warm water
2 Tbs sugar
2 pkg active dry yeast (not rapid-rise)
5 c unbleached flour
2 tsp kosher salt
4 sprigs fresh rosemary, stripped and minced
¾ c good olive oil
1–2 Tbs sea salt
1. Pour the water into the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the dough hook. Stir in the sugar and sprinkle the yeast on top. Let the yeast proof for 5 minutes. (It should foam slightly; if it doesn’t, the yeast is dead, and you should start over with fresh yeast.)
2. Add the flour, salt, half of the rosemary, and ¼ cup of the olive oil. Mix very slowly until the dough forms a ball, about 30 seconds. Increase the speed to medium slow and knead for 3 minutes. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes, then knead again for another 3 minutes.
3. Oil a mixing bowl large enough to handle twice the volume of the dough, pooling about a tablespoon of oil in the bottom. Transfer the dough to the bowl and roll it in the oil so that the dough ball becomes coated. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until the dough doubles in volume, about an hour.
4. Line a rimmed cookie sheet (also known as a jelly roll pan) with parchment paper and oil the paper well using another tablespoon or two of the oil. Transfer the dough from the bowl to the pan and drizzle it generously with more oil, about another 2 tablespoons.
5. Spread your fingers and point them downward as though you were preparing to play a piano. Use the tips of your fingers to dimple the dough, starting in the center and pressing down and slightly outward as you go. Your goal is to spread the dough to the edges of the pan. In all likelihood, the dough will begin to resist before you get there. Stop at this point, cover the dough with plastic wrap, and let it rest for 20 minutes. Then drizzle on more olive oil and dimple again until you reach the pan’s edges. Cover again with plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature for another 2-3 hours, or at least until the dough’s volume has increased by half.
5. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. Just before baking, remove the plastic wrap and sprinkle the dough with the remaining rosemary and the sea salt.
7. Bake in the middle of the oven, rotating the pan front to back after 10 minutes. Begin checking the bread after another 7-8 minutes. It’s done when it turns golden brown. Remove the bread from the pan and let it cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with olive oil for dipping.
TIPS
• If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can make do with a stainless steel mixing bowl and a large spoon. Just keep dipping the spoon in warm water so that the dough doesn’t stick to it. Letting the dough rest occasionally also helps make the kneading easier.
• Coating the dough well with oil and covering it with plastic wrap prevents a nasty dry crust from forming during the rising.
• If you get a late start, you can keep the first rise (in the bowl) to an hour and the second rise (in the pan) to whatever time remains. But shortcutting the rise will yield a much denser bread.
• You can’t use too much oil when making focaccia because it’s all absorbed during the baking, imparting a wonderful flavor as long as you use a decent oil.
• I specify sea salt for the topping because the crystals are large and thus make a bright splash on your tongue. Using ordinary table salt would simply make the bread taste generally saltier.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
The Way I Write Recipes
I can be lazy when reading recipes. Sometimes I'll just scan a recipe before beginning to cook, only to find myself a few minutes later standing over a hot skillet, having only just realized that I need to add a tomato that isn't yet diced. For this reason, I strive in all my recipes to include the preparation work as a step. That way, people following the recipe won't get too far ahead of themselves, as I sometimes do.
I also try to keep in mind the quantities in which ingredients are sold. Although most of my recipes yield enough for two adults and two growing children, when a special ingredient is called for, I try to adjust the yield so that all of a package gets used. Coconut milk, for instance, comes in 14-ounce cans. I don't see the point in using just 10 ounces and letting the rest get moldy in the refrigerator. So I'll adjust the yield of a recipe that calls for part of a can in order to make use of the entire can.
Finally, and most importantly, I try to be explicit about what steps really make a difference in the preparation of a dish. Generally, I have a scientific bent of mind. I really try to understand what makes things work, including good food; so I pay a lot of attention to what makes a dish go right and what can make it go wrong. Some things are okay to fudge; others aren't. I'll always try to let you know which is which (often in the Tips section that follow a recipe, so please don't skip it!).
I also try to keep in mind the quantities in which ingredients are sold. Although most of my recipes yield enough for two adults and two growing children, when a special ingredient is called for, I try to adjust the yield so that all of a package gets used. Coconut milk, for instance, comes in 14-ounce cans. I don't see the point in using just 10 ounces and letting the rest get moldy in the refrigerator. So I'll adjust the yield of a recipe that calls for part of a can in order to make use of the entire can.
Finally, and most importantly, I try to be explicit about what steps really make a difference in the preparation of a dish. Generally, I have a scientific bent of mind. I really try to understand what makes things work, including good food; so I pay a lot of attention to what makes a dish go right and what can make it go wrong. Some things are okay to fudge; others aren't. I'll always try to let you know which is which (often in the Tips section that follow a recipe, so please don't skip it!).
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