November 9, 2012 by stevesacooking

Lyn’s Almond Butter Cookies

I know she got these out of a natural health magazine many years ago and that these are good, real good, that’s all I will write. Smell the almond.

About 3 1/2 dozen cookies

Ingredients

24 whole almonds
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
½ cup maple syrup
2/3 cup almond butter
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest.

How

Preheat the oven to 350°. Lightly grease 2 backing sheets

Blanch the almonds in boiling water for 45 seconds. Drain and rinse under cold running water, squeeze each almond to pop it out of its skin; transfer almonds to cookie sheet and toast in the oven for 8 minutes.

Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl.

In another bowl, whisk together maple syrup, almond butter, melted butter, vanilla and almond extracts and orange zest until smooth.

Fold the flour mixture into the almond butter mixture.

Form the dough into walnut sized balls. Place the balls 3 inches apart on the backing sheet and gently flatten into 1 ½ inch rounds. Press an almond into each cookie. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through for even baking. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool until crisp.

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Is this true?

Almonds are not nuts. In fact, an almond is the seed of the fruit of the almond tree. This tree bears fruits with a “stone-like” seed within.

Fruits with these characteristics are called “drupes”. Specifically, a drupe is a fruit that has an outer fleshy part surrounding a shell that contains a seed. Other drupes include fruits from walnut trees and coconut trees.

The seed inside the almond fruit is what is commonly referred to as an almond “nut”, even though it’s not a nut. A nut is a hard shelled fruit that has an indehiscent seed; more simply, a hard shelled fruit that doesn’t open to release its seed(s). An example of a true nut would be an acorn or chestnut.

This all gives a whole new perspective to the famous Almond Joy jingle “Sometimes you feel like a nut; sometimes you don’t”. When you feel like a nut, an Almond Joy wouldn’t do you any good due to the ingredients primarily comprising of chocolate (bean), coconut (seed), and almonds (seed). The ending of the jingle, like so many advertisements, is then just plain false advertising: “Almond Joy’s got nuts” (LIES!!!), “Mounds don’t”.

July 4, 2012 by stevesacooking

Pan Seared Oven Roasted Tenderloin

I know you have gone out to dinner and had that wonderful melt in your mouth steak Filet Mignon. Being that it is an expensive cut of meat at the restaurant it is much more economical to cook at home especially when you do not eat as much, heck Lyn and I can share one and are completely satisfied. I used to laugh to myself watching my parent split such a small piece of meat. At home some like to broil or grill but I prefer to pan sear and finish off roasting it in the oven. Do yourself a favor don’t buy grocery store cuts unless it is something that equals the quality of Wholefoods or a local butcher the $4 to $6 a pound you save is not worth it

FYI from about.com

Question: What is filet mignon?

Filet mignon is an expensive tender cut of beef

Answer: Filet mignon is considered the king of steaks because of its tender, melt in the mouth texture. A prime filet mignon can literally be cut with a fork. This beef cut can be quite expensive when dining out, but much more reasonable to make at home, especially if you purchase a whole tenderloin.

Filet mignon is French, of course, with filet meaning “thick slice” and mignon meaning “dainty.” It first appears in American print in 1899. Filet mignon comes from the small end of the tenderloin (called the short loin) which is found on the back rib cage of the animal. This area of the animal is not weight-bearing, thus the connective tissue is not toughened by exercise resulting in extremely tender meat.

The tenderloin term (also erroneously called chateaubriand) applies to the entire strip of tenderloin meat, whereas slices of the tenderloin are termed filet mignon. Filet mignon slices found in the market are generally 1 to 2 inches thick and 2 to 3 inches in diameter, but true mignons are no more than 1 inch in diameter and are taken from the tail end. Although this cut is very tender, the beef flavor is proportionately lessened. As such, it is often served with an accompanying sauce incorporating the pan juices.

Ingredients

1 or 4 Filets depending on how many you are serving about 1 ½ to 2” thick
1 small or medium sweet onion sliced very thin
Button mushrooms
1 small clove garlic
Butter
Vegetable oil

How

Season the steaks with salt and pepper and bring to room temperature.

Slice the onion very thin.

Preheat oven to 425⁰ rack in center.

Heat the oil over medium heat in an oven proof pan.

Sear the steaks for about 5 minutes.

Turn and place the pan in oven for about 7 minutes.

Remove cover very loosely with tin foil and let set for 5 minutes before serving.

Either the mushrooms or onions are optional but we like them.

Meanwhile sauté in butter, half the onion, garlic and mushrooms to be used as side.

In another pan heat the vegetable oil until simmering and add a little at a time some of the remaining onions, the goal is to crisp. I will be honest here I have only been successful in crisping the onions to my liking once or twice but they always are a good topper for the steak. If anyone can share how to do it let me know. Thanks

This is always a 2 head bobbing up and down from Lyn and Steve.

Some other recipes from Stevesacooking.com

Flank Steak Stir-Fry with Asparagus, Red Bell Peppers and Caramelized Onions

Herb Rubbed Flank Steak

March 25, 2012 by stevesacooking

Lyn’s Blueberry Oatmeal pancakes

Sunday morning the newspaper, waffles, pancakes or even eggs and bacon what could be better? We have made these plenty of times before each time the memory never lets us down. With this much oatmeal, you can expect it to be pretty hardy. Two of these fills me up for most of the morning but I cheat and have a third they are just so good. I caught Lyn sneaking another this morning, at least she did not put pepper on them she is a pepper head after all. You can cook the entire batch then freeze them, separated by parchment or wax paper and warm one for a quick breakfast of breakfast for supper.

Ingredients

8 Tbsp. powdered buttermilk and 2 cups water or milk you can substitute with 2 cups real buttermilk
1 ¾ cups quick-cooking rolled oats
½ cup oat flour
2 large eggs, beaten
¼ cup light olive oil
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 teaspoon salt

Warm maple pancake syrup

1 cup pure maple syrup
¼ to ½ cup frozen blueberries.
Chopped walnuts

How

Mix together all ingredients in a blender let stand in frig for a short while or if hunger plow ahead.

Heat a griddle or heavy skillet over medium heat until a drop of water skates over the surface and lightly grease. Pour about a ¼ cup for each pancake onto the griddle. Cook until bubbles form on the surface, the edges are dry and the bottoms are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Turn once, cooking the other side until golden, about 1 minute. Serve immediately, or keep warm in a 200° oven until ready to serve.

To make the warm pancake syrup, combine the blueberries in a small saucepan or microwave-proof bowl. Heat

Serve immediately top with chopped walnuts.

Makes 6-12 pancakes

Double click to enlarge pictures

January 20, 2012 by stevesacooking

The Ultimate Yummy

My brother was a recipient of that chain email I talked even though he did not join he did send me a recipe. He was an inspiration to me working at Danny Kay’s that small Italian restaurant in Falmouth long since gone, making sauces and other delights. I remember walking in when I moved back to the cape from Chicago (at least 3 years had passed) and Paula Rose asked me if I wanted my usual Veal parmesan. It was the kind of place that you could share stories and sometimes food with people sitting next to you at least my Dad did. I think that is why I can make new friends in a line.

Anyway Mike sent this

Sorry, but I am not into the mass recipe things. But I would like to share this wonderful treat. The problem is that it is really not very good for those on a diet. But it is unbelievably yummy. Once made, it can be frozen and saved for a special day. Nancy’s daughter-in-law made it. It lasted just a few days in our freezer!

Call it what you want. We just call it “The Ultimate Yummy!”

Enjoy!

Nancy and Mike

Ingredients:

1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
Semi-sweet chocolate chips (doesn’t say how much) I prob use about 1/2 a bag
Saltine crackers

How:

Preheat oven to 350

Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil

Grease foil and line with saltines

Melt butter and brown sugar in small saucepan. Bring to boil stirring constantly. Boil for exactly 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla.

Pour mixture over saltines and spread evenly. Bake for 5 minutes

Remove from oven and put chocolate chips on top. Allow chips to melt and spread evenly

Refrigerate to set. Break up crackers and remove aluminum foil from bottom of the cookies

Keep refrigerated until ready to serve

Here are some tweaks I might try.

Use light brown sugar and no salt butter, use dark chocolate and maybe melts some white chocolate and drizzle on top. Chopped golden raisins and or nuts pecan or walnuts mmm? But like I say, try it the cooks way first you should taste what they created.

PS I did a quick Google search on the ingredients and found that this is similar to Saltine Butter/Cracker/nut Toffee so I admit it I grabbed a picture, this is something that I have to stay away from but it sounds soooooo good.

January 12, 2012 by stevesacooking

Big Fat Cod potato pancakes

I don’t eat a lot of potatoes these days but every once in a while they hit the spot. Funny we could go weeks without having them and then it seems every night for a week nothing but potatoes with or in the meal. Could there be some sort of vitamin deficiency that causes these potato cravings. I firmly believe that the body will make you crave what it needs to fix an issue. Yes the rest of the family thinks I’m a little off too.

Big Fat Cod Potato Pancakes

Prep 10-15 minutes

Cook 30-35 minutes

Ingredients

2 large potatoes, peeled and cut in half
1 lbs cod fillets, cubed
1 Tbps.butter
1 Tbpsgrated onion
1 Tbps chopped fresh parsley
1 egg
2-3 Tbps oil for frying (canola, corn, safflower, sunflower, vegetable- all have high smoke point and are good for pan frying)

How

Boil the potatoes in a large pot, remember to start with cold or room temperature water and add potatoes then bring to boil then the outside will not cook faster than the inside. Cook until they are almost tender.

Add the fish to the pot and let the fish and potatoes cook until they are both soft. Drain and transfer into to a large mixing bowl. Add butter, onion, parsley, and egg to the bowl; mash the mixture together. Have some kid fun and mold the patties.

Heat oil in a large skillet over a medium-high heat, fry the patties on both sides until golden brown. Drain on paper towels before serving.

All you need now is a vegetable broccoli sound good doesn’t it? A quick homemade tartar sauce mix mayo, and relish together maybe a few red pepper flakes cause I like the heat.

I think next time we will try with sweet potatoes.

January 12, 2012 by stevesacooking

CRUNCHY OVEN-FRIED FISH

We used to pan fry our fish all the time placing an halved onion in the oil to absorb what we were told would be the fish odors. Then we slowly got healthier and were delighted when surfing the channels came upon Americas Test Kitchen and they were making this tried it and now it is a staple. We had baked fish before but it never really came out crispy or stuck to the fish. Who would have thought a skinny nerdy looking guy, Chris Kimball, would become one of my heroes although he does not seem to cook much, so I guess my real heroes are Julia, Bridget, Rebecca and the rest of the crew. He does pull it all together and I am sure he is a fine cook and not how he depicts himself on the show. Please keep inspiring and educating me.

CRUNCHY OVEN-FRIED FISH

Published September 1, 2008. From Cook’s Illustrated.

With my minor tweaks and cheats

This is very similar to how I do my chicken cutlets either pan-fried or baked minus a few ingredients.

Serves 4

To prevent overcooking, buy fish fillets at least 1 inch thick. The bread crumbs can be made up to 3 days in advance, cooled, and stored at room temperature in an airtight container. Serve with Sweet and Tangy Tartar Sauce (see related recipe) or lemon wedges. Steve tweak: If you have a skinny end of the fish you can always fold under to make it about the same thickness as the other so it cooks evenly.

Ingredients

4 large slices white sandwich bread , torn into 1-inch pieces Steve tweak: Whole wheat bread
2 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted
Salt and ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
1 small shallot , minced (about 2 tablespoons)
1/4 cup plus 5 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour Steve tweak: Whole wheat bread
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish (optional) Steve tweak: optional? Not in my opinion
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1 1/4 pounds skinless cod fillet , or haddock fillet, or other thick white fish fillet (1 to 1 1/2 inches thick), cut into 4 pieces (see note)
Lemon wedges

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Pulse bread, melted butter, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in food processor until bread is coarsely ground, eight 1-second pulses (you should have about 3 1/2 cups crumbs). Steve tweak: Use already prepared whole wheat or panko bread crumbs added salt and pepper and then melted butter. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet and bake until deep golden brown and dry, about 15 minutes, stirring twice during baking time (0-8 minutes using bread crumbs). Cool crumbs to room temperature, about 10 minutes. Transfer crumbs to pie plate; toss with parsley and shallot. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees.
Place 1/4 cup flour in second pie plate. In third pie plate, whisk eggs, horseradish (if using), mayonnaise, paprika, cayenne pepper (if using), and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper until combined; whisk in remaining 5 tablespoons flour until smooth.
Spray wire rack with nonstick cooking spray and place in rimmed baking sheet. Dry fish thoroughly with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Dredge 1 fillet in flour; shake off excess. Using hands, coat with egg mixture. Coat all sides of fillet with bread crumb mixture, pressing gently so that thick layer of crumbs adheres to fish. Transfer breaded fish to wire rack. Repeat with remaining 3 fillets.
4. Bake fish until instant-read thermometer inserted into centers of fillets registers 140 degrees, 18 to 25 minutes. Using thin spatula, transfer fillets to individual plates and serve immediately with lemon wedges.

Step-by-Step

Keys to a Crisp Crust I love that they review

Soft, moist fish needs an extra-thick coating of bread crumbs to add flavor and crunch. Here’s how we lay it on thick: