Steamed Homemade Hot Chocolate with Real Whipped Cream

  » By Keith Prickett

June 20th, 2008 - Posted in Dessert, Drink | Leave a comment (0)

Heavenly!  Pretty much sums up this delicious cup up of rich, chocolatey goodness.  I have to admit, I am a coffee snob.  I like my coffee so I go to a lot of good coffee shops.  When I first saw someone order a hot chocolate at my favorite coffee shop downtown I was amazed to see them steam the milk and use REAL chocolate sauce.  To top it all off they put fresh whipped cream on top — something we didn’t have very often growing up.  I suppose it’s this attention to quality and freshness that makes Red Horse my favorite to begin with.  The point is, their hot chocolate amazed me!  I started noticing other coffee shops made it like that too and they were delicious!  Some still use the powder and water method which usually tastes either too watered down, not rich enough or slightly like tin.

Last night I felt the urge to have one of these hot chocolates.  Luckily Rachel bought me (us) an espresso machine for Christmas last year so I had everything I needed.  Most importantly, I had the steamer!  I made a cup for Rachel and I and we were truly in Heaven on Earth!  Here’s what I did:

Ingredients (per cup):

• 8 0z milk
• 2-3 tablespoons chocolate syrup (like Hershey’s)
• Fresh whipped cream (heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, vanilla extract)
• Dash of cinnamon

Directions:

1. Make the whipped cream (basically whisk heavy whipping cream with small amount of powdered sugar and vanilla extract in your mixer)
2. Prepare your steamer or espresso maker for steam
3. Steam milk and chocolate syrup together until the mixture reaches about 180 degrees Fahrenheit.  The mixture will about double in size with all the foam it creates so make sure to have a container big enough or do it in 8-oz batches like I did.
4. Pour the milk and chocolate mixture into your mug
5. Top with whipped cream
6. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon and serve immediately.

For a holiday flare you can serve it with a candy cane, or anytime you can serve it with a chocolate stick (just like every drink at Red Horse!! YUM!)

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

  » By Keith Prickett

June 19th, 2008 - Posted in Dessert | Leave/read a comment (1)

Rachel was at it again.  This time she used her Stahlbush Strawberries (just now coming into season) and Rhubarb (which has already been cut once, but it’ll grow more for a cut later on in the season).  As I said before she really loves smittenkitchen.  She thinks I need to get a nice camera (as opposed to my cheap, point-and-shoot, digital camera) to take quality food shots.  I agree, but I don’t want to fork out the dough.

She used a recipe from the site for the pie and I have to say it turned out incredible!  Rachel spent a lot of time in the kitchen on this one.  Apparently the recipe originally comes from Bon Appetit, April 1997.  After the pie was done cooking we decided that next time we might leave out the shortening (and replace it with butter).  Other than that, like I said, it was great!  I really love the strawberries around here and rhubarb is really growing on me.  I wouldn’t have given rhubarb a second glance a few years ago.  Now we seem to be eating it all the time.  We sure have been eating good around here lately!  Here’s what we did:

Ingredients for Crust:

• 3 cups flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 10 tablespoons (about) ice water

Ingredients for filling:

• 3 1/2 cups 1/2-inch-thick slices trimmed rhubarb (look for Stahlbush in your grocery health food section)
• 1 16-ounce container strawberries, hulled, halved (about 3 1/2cups) (look for Stahlbush in your grocery health food section — or get fresh if available!)
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 larg egg yolk beaten (for glaze)

Directions:

• For Crust: Combine Flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor [or use a pastry cutter].
• Using a on/off pulse cut in the butter and shortening until a coarse meal forms.
• Blend in enough ice water a few tablespoons at a time to form moist clumps.
• Gather dough into ball, cut in half and flatten each half into a disk.
• Wrap in plastic separately and refrigerate until it is firm, about 1 hour.
• For Filling: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Combine first seven ingredients in a large bowl and toss to blend.
• For Pie: Roll out each dough disk to 13-inch round. (Rachel really liked using this pie crust maker and I saw it in action, it’s really awesome!
• Transfer to 9-inch pie dish.  Trim excess dough leaving a 3/4 inch overhang
• Roll out second dough in the same way.
• Cut it into fourteen 1/2-inch-wide strips.
• Pour filling into crust and arrange the 1/2-inch strips on top
• Seal the end.
• Brush the glaze over the crust and sprinkle with turbinado sugar (if you have it) for a nice touch.
• Bake the pie for 20 minutes, reduce heat to 350, then bake until the the rhubarb is tender (about another 30 to 40 minutes)  If the crust starts to brown too much you can cover it lightly with tin-foil.

I hope you enjoy it!

Bread with Added Wheat Gluten [Update]

  » By Keith Prickett

June 18th, 2008 - Posted in Breads | Leave/read a comment (2)

I tried making bread with the 1/2 cup of wheat gluten added as suggested by a friend.  I mentioned it in my whole wheat bread recipe, but didn’t actually try it until now.  The result was a bread that, when sliced, looks and feels much more like what you can buy in the grocery store.  I think it’s too much like what you get in the store.  Next time I am going to try my recipe with 1/4 cup of wheat gluten instead of the 1/2 cup I added this time.  We can usually finish a loaf of bread in about a week, so it’ll take me that long before I bake another loaf.

This most recent bread also didn’t smell that great, again, I think it was the wheat gluten (it was the only thing I changed).  I did buy the wheat gluten a while back, so now I am wondering how long it lasts and how to store it.  I guess I have a few experiments to run before I update you on my bread status again.  This just proves once again that making great bread is a fine art.

Rosemary Lemon Rhubarb Spritzer Recipe

  » By Keith Prickett

June 15th, 2008 - Posted in Drink, General | Leave a comment (0)

Thanks Elise!  Your spritzer was great!  I followed Elise’s spritzer recipe and it turned out wonderfully.  Since Rachel is working at Stahlbush and the first rhubarb harvest of the year is just finishing we enjoyed tons of leftover rhubarb samples from their lab.  Rachel had mentioned they were harvesting, I had some fresh rosemary growing in our tiny garden and Elise posted this recipe.  It was a match made in heaven.  Serve this drink at a party (especially one with a pink theme) or just to enjoy the creatively unique flavors on your palate.  Here’s what I did:

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of frozen cut Stahlbush rhubarb (or other frozen/fresh)
• 2 cups of water
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary (Elise used more but I think it was nice and strong with 2 tablespoons)
• 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
• Soda (Carbonated) water, chilled

Directions:

1. Simmer rhubarb, sugar, water and rosemary in a sauce pan for about 15 minutes (until rhubarb dissolves)
2. Remove from heat and let it cool for a bit
3. Strain well into a separate container (I used cheesecloth, Elise used a fine mesh strainer)
4. Add the lemon juice
5. Chill and serve 1/3 cup of syrup with 2/3 cup of soda water.

I hope you enjoy it!

Chipotle-Honey BBQ Bacon Burgers with Gorgonzola Cheese

  » By Keith Prickett

June 14th, 2008 - Posted in Beef, Dinner, General | Leave/read a comment (2)

I received (thanks Danae) a very good book a while back (if you like burgers) called “build a better burger“ by James McNair.  I was amazed to see all the varieties of burgers — all gourmet and DELICIOUS looking!  With this beautiful weather we’ve had in Corvallis the last few days I couldn’t help getting the charcoal and grill out for some good summer cooking.  Rachel picked the recipe and I got to work.  First I made the patties, then set them aside in the fridge while I made the sauce.  If you’ve never had Gorgonzola or don’t have it very often be prepared for some different, yet enjoyable, tangy flavor.  The Chipotle chile is not all that spicy, so if you want some extra kick feel free to use more than 2 or add some [1 or 2 teaspoons] chili powder.  This time, though, I followed the recipe from the book as-is.  Here’s what I did:

Ingredients (for patties):

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 4 ounces ground pork (or ground pork sausage)
• 1/4 cup sliced green onion
• 2 tablespoons diced red bell pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper

Ingredients (for Chipotle-Honey BBQ Sauce):

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 2 chiles from a can of chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, chopped
• 2 tablespoons diced green bell pepper
• 2 tablespoons diced red bell pepper
• 2 tablespoons tomato
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup honey

Ingredients (for finishing it off):

• 1 thick peppered bacon slices per burger (this recipe makes 4-5 patties but a lot more sauce)
• 1 Kaiser roll per burger, split
• 4 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
• 1 or 2 tomato slices per burger

Directions:

1. Prepare your grill for medium-hot action
2.  Make patties: combine all patty ingredients and mix well then divide into equal portions (4 or 5 depending on your hunger level).  Set aside in the fridge while you work on the rest.
3. Make the sauce:
   1. heat the olive oil in a sauce pan
   2. Add the onions, chiles, bell peppers, tomato, and garlic and cook until soft, stirring occasionally.
   3. Add the vinegar, mustard, ketchup and honey then bring to another low-simmer until you are ready to use it
4. Start the patties on the grill then, about 5 minutes later…
5. Cook the bacon on the grill with a bbq griddle or pan
6. Add the sauce, generously, to the patties when you first put them on, then again after you flip them (about 5-7 minutes later)
7. When the patties are just about done put the buns (inside down) on the grill for 1 or 2 minutes to heat up
8. To prepare the burger:
   1. Place some sauce on the bottom of a bun
   2. Add some gorgonzola
   3. Layer on the bacon, tomato (I also added sliced avocado and freshly grown lettuce — YUM!)
   4. Add the burger then top it with the other half of bun and ENJOY!

I hope you enjoy them!

Chicken Tomatillo Wrap

  » By Keith Prickett

June 13th, 2008 - Posted in Chicken, Dinner, Lunch | Leave a comment (0)

Rachel loves Real Simple Magazine and we have always found their recipes to, truly, be simple.  She picked a couple at random the other day and the wrap was one of them. The wrap is really fresh and seems quite healthy.  It has avacado, broccoli, pine nuts, tomatillo salsa, and tomatoes — all really healthy fresh ingredients.  We made the recipe from the magazine but halved it and ended up eating it for a few days of lunch and dinner in a row.  I sneaked a little sour cream in mine, but don’t tell Rachel!  Whip these up on a hot day to save from turning on the oven or stove.  Here’s what we did:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 of a rotisserie chicken, shredded (find it in your grocery store)
• 1/4 red onion, sliced thin
• 1 cup tomatillo salsa (or green salsa)
• 3 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 1/2 head of broccoli, diced and steamed
• tortillas (my favorite is whole-wheat or homemade — I’ll have to blog a tortilla recipe sometime!)
• 2 avocados, 1 diced and the other for slicing and presenting on the plate
• 1 lime, sliced in wedges

Directions:

1. Combine the chicken, onion, salsa, tomatoes, brocolli, and pine nuts in a bowl
2. Add some mixture to each tortilla and top with the diced avacado then roll up
3. Serve wraps with a lime wedge and sliced avacado

I hope you enjoy them!

100% Whole Wheat Bread

  » By Keith Prickett

June 12th, 2008 - Posted in Breads, General | Leave/read a comment (2)

This blog post has been a long time coming.  Every time I make bread, and I make it often, I think I should post it!  Well, lately I’ve been in the posting mood, so it’s your lucky day!  This bread recipe has been such a blessing to me; the bread comes out perfect every time (with the exception of using bad flour).  I like to use whole wheat, but sometimes I sneak in 1/2 cup of regular flour.  You would definitely want to do that if you don’t have good quality whole-wheat flour.  Here are all of the tricks I have learned from making bread over the past 18 months or so:

1. Temperature matters!  Use 120 degree f. water to get the yeast activated.
2. Make sure your yeast rises when you activate if, if it doesn’t buy more, seriously.
3. Use high quality whole-wheat flour (as mentioned before)
4. The runnier the honey, the better.
5. Kneading is important!  Do it for about 10 minutes.
6. Use a dish with water in it on a second rack in the oven below the bread as it bakes

One more tip I received a while back was to add some wheat-gluten to the recipe.  I am still working on trying that so I can’t really comment on it yet.  The tip I received was to add 1/2 cup of wheat-gluten in place of some flour in this recipe.  Like I said, I haven’t done that yet so I won’t include it below.  Here’s what I do:

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup 120 degree water (my tap on the hottest setting puts out the perfect temperature!)
• 1/2 cup boiling water (I use a tea kettle to heat the water up while the yeast activates)
• 1/2 cup 120 degree water
• 2 1/2 teaspoons active-dry yeast (I get mine in bulk from our co-op grocery store)
• 1/3 cup honey + 1 tablespoon (molasses or maple syrup could work too)
• 1/3 cup dry powdered milk
• 1/3 cup oil (I use olive or canola, but grapeseed might work too)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

Directions:

1.  Combine the 1/3 cup 120 degree water with the 1 tablespoon honey and dissolve the yeast in it.  Let the yeast sit and activate for about 5 minutes.  It will more than double in size so use a dish large enough to hold it.
2. Add the boiling water in a mixing bowl with the salt, oil, honey, and dried milk and whisk them all together to dissolve.
3. Add the 1/2 cup 120 degree water and whisk some more.  This will cool down the mixture after everything has been dissolved with the boiling water making it cool enough to add the yeast.
4. Add the yeast mixture and whisk.
5. Add the flour 1 cup at a time and mix after each cup with a wooden spoon.
6. Flour a counter or surface to knead on, then pour out the dough onto the surface.  The dough may be very moist, this is OK!
7. Either oil your hands, flour the top of your dough or both and begin kneading.  To “knead” I simply push down on the dough very firmly, as if to flatten it.  Then I fold it in half back on top of itself and repeat with twisting  motions and flattening motions.
8. Add more flour (1/2 handful at a time) as needed until when kneading the dough does not stick to your hands any more.  I usually just sprinkle the surface (top and bottom) of the dough and knead that in.
9. After about 10 minutes of kneading your dough should be at a good consistency.  One trick I heard is that if you push down on the dough with your finger it should spring back fairly quickly.
10. Wipe some oil in your mixing bowl (or a new bowl) and place the dough ball into the bowl.  Cover the bowl and place it in a warm place (at least 75 degrees is good — but not too hot) for about an hour (or until it doubles in size).  On a hot day (or in a hot oven) the dough will rise quicker so keep an eye on it.
11. After this, punch the dough down in the bowl.  This is an attempt to get all the air out of it, so punch it a bunch of times then squeeze it and shape it so it will fit into your bread loaf pan.
12. Place it in the bread loaf pan and cover it lightly again.  Let it rise again for another hour or until it doubles.  Mine always grows so big so I keep a close eye on it at this point.  Once it is about the right size for a loaf of bread I bake it.
13. Bake your bread at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes, then cover lightly with aluminum to prevent over-browning and bake for another 20 minutes.  At this point I test my bread with a thermometer for 190 degrees Fahrenheit inside.  If it’s not quite there, go ahead and leave it in for a few more minutes, otherwise take it out — it’s done!
14. Remove the bread from the loaf pan and cool for a few minutes or longer then ENJOY home-made delicious whole wheat bread!!!!

I hope you enjoy it!
By the way, the leftover strawberry chiffon shortcake was DELICIOUS — I just finished a piece!

Strawberry Chiffon Shortcake

  » By Keith Prickett

June 12th, 2008 - Posted in Cake, Dessert | Leave/read a comment (3)

Rachel has an obsession with this food blog, so naturally she always wants to try out recipes.  I don’t blame her, the photos and ideas look so perfect.  So my sister-in-law had her 21st birthday a few days ago so Rachel set out to make her the strawberry chiffon shortcake from the blog for her.  I love strawberries and whipped cream (who doesn’t?) so I was sold on this cake the instant I saw the photo.  When she finished it last night we sliced into the tall, beautiful, 3-layer treat and enjoyed it with the birthday girl.  The cake was light and fluffy and the lemon zest did indeed offset the missing flavor of butter (as is suggested in the blog).  The whipped cream and fresh strawberries added to the flavor and texture to create a delicate and delicious cake.  We decided the only think we’d do different is put whipped cream around the sides next time.

I can’t wait until tonight when we get to eat another piece (leftovers!).  I don’t think I’ll post the directions here because Smitten Kitchen’s are so complete (and Rachel doesn’t change recipes like I do), so check out our photos and then make it for yourself by clicking the link above.

I hope you enjoy it!

Perfect Whole-Wheat Blueberry Muffins

  » By Keith Prickett

June 10th, 2008 - Posted in Breakfast, Snacks | Leave a comment (0)

Who would have known, a 100% whole-wheat muffin recipe can actually be moist and delicious!  Rachel and I typically have a big breakfast/brunch on the weekends and make a huge mess in the kitchen doing so.  I woke up a bit earlier than Rachel and decided to make her muffins the other morning as part of our regimen.  Now Rachel doesn’t usually like the whole-wheat goodness like I do so I wanted to do it right.  Well, taking some hints from my chocolate chip-cookie recipe (they were also so moist and delicious!), I whipped some muffins up that topped them all!  To help support local and more humane food practices you can try using milk from a local dairy, eggs from your local farmer’s market (or neighbor/co-worker as we do), and other locally produced goods as they are available near you.  Here’s what I did:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups 100% whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/4 cups 1% milk (or buttermilk)
• 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup cold butter cut up into small bits
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (this helps with the moistness)
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 1.5 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Directions:

1. Preheat that ol’ oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit
2. Fill your muffin tin with unbleached paper cups
3. Beat the butter, egg whites and brown sugar until they become fluffy
4. Mix in the milk and honey
5. Next mix in the whole wheat flour and baking soda just until it is combined
6. Add the blueberries carefully and fold them in so they don’t get too crushed
7. Fill up your muffin cups 2/3 — you should get anywhere between 12 and 24 depending on the size of your muffin pans.  I made about 20.
8. Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes then enjoy the best whole-wheat muffins you ever have had!

I hope you enjoy them!

Rustic Vegetable Soup

  » By Keith Prickett

June 9th, 2008 - Posted in Dinner, General, Soup | Leave a comment (0)

YUM!  I am exited to share this recipe with you.  I really loved cooking and especially loved eating this soup.  It warmed my insides and had a wholesome texture that brought back memories of visiting my Grandma.  The unique flavor of leek, heartiness of cabbage, and healthy carrots I feel make this soup a quick and easy meal that you can make and enjoy for the whole week — or feed a large family or group of friends.  It’s a light soup but it still filled me up.  Rachel said that it needed some potatoes, so next time I think I’ll add those.  Here’s what I did:

Ingredients:

• Olive Oil
• 3 long celery stocks diced
• 3 large carrots chopped
• 1 large white or yellow onion chopped
• 1 large leek chopped (white portion)
• 1 whole green cabbage
• (Rachel suggest 2 or 3 medium potatoes)
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• Sea Salt and Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 2 teaspoons chili powder for a kick
• 64 oz chicken broth or vegetable broth for vegetarian/vegan
• Water

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium
2. Add all the vegetables and heat them up until they begin to get soft (about 5 to 10 minutes)
3. Add the broth
4. Cover the rest of the vegetables (as needed) with water
5. Bring the pot to a slow boil and let it simmer for 20 minutes.
6. Serve the soup in a big bowl with some fresh Italian bread and garnish with some parsley.

I hope you enjoy it!