Monthly Archives: November 2007

Candied pecans

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I made a crustless pecan pie for the holiday. The inspiration was in the right place, but it was very hard to dish up and eat. The pecans on top were truly addictive, though.

So today I thought it would be a good time to try a variation on caramel and pecans. I toasted 2 cups of pecans in the oven at 325° in a nonstick pan and melted together 1/2 cup light brown sugar, 1/2 cup dark corn syrup, 3 tablespoons butter, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. When the pecans were toasted I mixed in the syrup and popped them back in the oven, stirring every 5 minutes until the pecans stuck securely to the plastic spatula I was using. I scraped them onto a silicone sheet and stirred to break them up while they were still warm.

When cold they were quite candied, with a buttery/caramelly taste – and just a touch of molasses. Looking at them last night, I said to myself, “They’re not photogenic, being brown on brown.” But by the light of day, they looked very different, so I snapped a pic and made one of those “up close and personal food porn” links for you. It’s ok to drool over the full-sized photo linked to the bottom pic. Yep, they’re yummy.

Answering questions, making suggestions

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Unless you are a webmaster, you may not be aware that those who are can view what surfers searched on to find your site. I see an occasional question in my stats, so I thought I’d answer what I can and make suggestions how to get better results from searches. Note: some of these in the first group I had to turn into questions. Some in the last group I was unable to figure out what the question might have been.

Is microwave heating ok for peanuts? If you just want them warm, yes. If you want to cook them you’ll probably get better results frying, baking, or boiling them, depending on the results you’re looking for.

Can potatoes be peeled soaked in water ahead of cooking? Yes.

What are the best potatoes to use for home fries? Any fresh potatoes can be used for home fries.

Is it ok to reduce sugar for making cookies? If you reduce the sugar by 25%, they will be less sweet and probably a bit thicker. If you reduce it by much more than that, you may find it significantly changes the results. Try and see!

Should I boil potatoes before making home fries? No.

Eating baked food with bugs in flour? Safe, but why?

How much xanthan gum should you add to gluten? It depends on what you’re making how much xanthan gum you should add to gluten-free flours, probably from 1/2 teaspoon to 1-1/2 teaspoons per cup. Some recipes may not need any, depending on the other ingredients and the expected result. But you should never need to add xanthan gum to gluten.

Does pumpernickel bread have gluten? Yes, unless it is made without wheat or rye.

Eating stale shrimp? No, throw them out.

Are Funyons gluten free? Yes, but they are made on a product line that is also used for making wheat-based snacks.

What is the difference between hash browns and home fries? A long time ago I read that the difference between home fries and hash browns was that home fries are made from raw potatoes and hash browns from pre-cooked ones. Think hash, which is made from precooked ingredients. But the lines are blurred. Shredded type hash browns have to be made from raw potatoes. So I wouldn’t count on the different terms meaning something special to anyone.

Is there a trick to breakfast potatoes? Depends on what kind of breakfast potato you’re trying to cook. The tastiest and quickest home fries are made from raw potatoes.

Can olive oil be substituted for vegetable oil in cooking home fries? Sure, why not?

Where to buy coconut sorbet? I tried a commercial brand once, and it tasted awful. The artificial flavor taste stayed in my mouth for a long time, even though it wasn’t supposed to have artificial flavor in it. Maybe make your own?

How do you make frozen shrimp with red pepper? I would thaw the shrimp in a large amount of water to remove any stale taste or preservatives. Then make the sauce separately. Poach the shrimp until barely done, add the sauce, and serve. When you cook raw shrimp in a sauce they release a lot of water that dilutes the sauce. If you boil it down until it is thick again, the shrimp will be overcooked. What I do is make the sauce exactly as I want it, poach the shrimp separately, then serve the shrimp with the sauce on them.

Do you have to boil potatoes before sauteeing? Depends on the recipe you’re trying to make.

Cooking food for me. For you? What exactly do you like, and what are you good at cooking?

English term used when onions get dark while frying. Browned…caramelized…burnt…blackened?

Is mayonnaise gluten free? It should be, but be sure to read the label and contact the manufacturer if there are any ingredients you aren’t sure about.

What’s an easy and fast way to cook groats? Whole buckwheat and oat grains are often referred to as “groats”. I have found the quickest way to cook them is to soak them overnight in my rice cooker, with the timer set to cook them when I want them to be ready. Kasha (not Kashi) can be coarsely ground buckwheat groats, so it cooks more quickly.

The rest of the questions below either I don’t know about or I can’t figure out what they want. When you search, try to include the important words in your query and leave out words like ‘and’, ‘the’, ‘an’, ‘in’, etc.

Fastest way to cook boiled peanuts
How long should raw peanuts be boiled for maximum f
5 minute savory dishes fo
The best way to cook brea
To dip food into liquid before eating it
Cooking cake free to play
Ingredients that are added to chocolate that haven’
How to make gluten free batter
Savory dishes with milk in it
Do you have to boil the p…?

Waffled mashed potatoes

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Sorry, I ate the whole thing the first time around. But they were so good I ended up making them again the next day, so I got to take a few photos.

What I did was to chop a clove of garlic and an inch of leeks very finely. (Day 2 potatoes had sweet red peppers sauteed in with the leeks, as you can see in the photo.) I sautéed them in chicken fat—use butter, oil, or whatever fat you prefer— gently until soft, adding freshly ground black pepper and ground or crushed red pepper if desired. Mix in with leftover mashed or smashed potatoes. These will be better if there is fat in the mashed potatoes, but it will still work if the potatoes were mashed without fat. Taste to adjust for seasoning, adding salt if necessary.

I recently started zapping my potatoes in the microwave to mash them. Just put them in a deep, covered casserole and microwave until soft. It couldn’t be easier, and they cook up properly for mashing. You’ll see I’ve got what looks like a ceramic glazed cast iron dutch oven. It’s not. Actually, it’s a ceramic casserole with a nonstick coating that I got on one of those special promotions at the supermarket. It’s made in China, oh-oh…

Butter or grease a cold non-stick Belgian waffle iron. Pack in enough cold seasoned potatoes so that when you lower the top and squish it closed, the grids will be filled without coming out the side. Now plug it in and put it on high. Check after 5 minutes, giving more time if necessary until it is golden brown. If you have more potatoes to do, keep the first batch in a warm oven, loosely covered with foil while waiting for the remainder to bake. I think with a large waffle iron you can probably make four generous servings in one cycle.

I would probably serve these at brunch or as a side dish with dinner.

More brownies, and better than ever

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Brownies, brownies, brownies. No apologies, I make them super-chocolatey, adapting a recipe from the James Beard cookbook, American Cookery.

The flour I use is the same as for most of the things I bake—3 parts white rice flour to 1 part sweet rice flour. Aside from that, I use the maximum amount of chocolate in the recipe and reduce the sugar to make the effect more intense than sweet.

I am sensitive to xanthan gum, so I don’t use it, and I find that most sweet baked goods don’t need it.

So…

  • 1 stick butter (or 7/8 cup coconut oil, if you can’t handle the dairy of butter
  • 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
  • 1-1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3/4 cup white rice flour
  • 1/4 cup sweet rice flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Optional:

  • 1 cup walnut meats, broken
  • 3/4 cup dry fruit, soaked in 2 ounces of liquid (water, brandy, or juice) until the liquid is absorbed (OK to hurry by heating this, covered, in the microwave.)
  • chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease a nonstick or silicone square 9″ x 9″ or rectangular pan.

Melt together butter and chocolate, stirring until smooth. Add sugar. Stir until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla. Stir until blended thoroughly. Add flour and salt, then nuts and/or dried fruit, if using. Scrape into the prepared pan and bake about 45 minutes, or until the center is no longer liquid.

Remove from pan when almost cold and cut into squares. How many pieces you can cut depends on how many of the optional ingredients you added.