Quote of the Week:
"Every morning one must start from scratch, with nothing
on the stoves. That is cuisine."
- Fernand Point (1897-1955)
"Every morning one must start from scratch, with nothing
on the stoves. That is cuisine."
- Fernand Point (1897-1955)
UPCOMING FOOD HOLIDAYS:
April is: National Food Month
Fresh Florida Tomato Month
National Pecan Month
April 20 - National Pineapple Upside Down Cake Day
April 21 - National Chocolate Covered Cashews Day
April 22 - National Jelly Bean Day
April 23 - National Cherry Cheesecake Day
April 24 - National Pigs-in-a-Blanket Day
April 25 - National Zucchini Bread Day
April 26 - National Pretzel Day
April 27 - National Prime Rib Day
April is: National Food Month
Fresh Florida Tomato Month
National Pecan Month
April 20 - National Pineapple Upside Down Cake Day
April 21 - National Chocolate Covered Cashews Day
April 22 - National Jelly Bean Day
April 23 - National Cherry Cheesecake Day
April 24 - National Pigs-in-a-Blanket Day
April 25 - National Zucchini Bread Day
April 26 - National Pretzel Day
April 27 - National Prime Rib Day
The Everyday Oyster Any Time of Day
By Mark Bittman
Until recently, if you asked me for my favorite ways to eat oysters,
I would have said, raw, raw and fried. (Sometimes they’re good in a
stew, but usually they get lost there.)
The problem with raw oysters, though, is that you have to either
shuck them yourself - for most of us this means risking limb if not
life - or pay two bucks each for them, which gets pretty pricey.
Though I still believe that the only way to eat really good oysters
(fresh ones, from cold water) is raw, I’ve finally found a way to use
common pre-shucked oysters that I actually enjoy.
It’s called the Hangtown fry, and the story of its origin goes
something like this: A successful 49-er (the gold-miner type, not
the football-player type) goes into a bar in Hangtown (in California
gold country, and now known as Placerville), throws a pouch of gold
on the table, and asks the bartender to make him the most expensive
thing he can.
On the spot, the bartender takes bacon, eggs and oysters hauled in
from the coast and whips them into an omelet-like concoction. And a
new (if ultimately not-too-famous) dish was born.
I was playing with this dish just before New Year’s, because I had
a hunch it would be a hangover cure. (No such luck, though it’s good
both in the morning and the evening; at lunch too, for that matter.)
I wound up adding a few shiitakes because, well, I liked it that
way; there was something complementary about them. I also applied my
fast-as-lightning-but-still-creamy method of scrambling eggs, taught
to me about 10 years ago by Jean-Georges Vongerichten and still one
of the most valuable cooking techniques I know (described in the
recipe).
Still, I would say the most important part of the Hangtown fry is
that it finally gives me a way to take advantage of the pre-shucked,
not-too-expensive oysters you find in refrigerated cans in every
fish market and practically every supermarket in the country; a way
to enjoy oysters without the shucking.
Hangtown Fry
============
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup diced slab bacon, or sliced bacon cut into pieces about
2 inches long
1/2 cup sliced shiitakes (no stems)
Salt and pepper
6 or more shucked oysters (pre-shucked are fine)
4 or 5 eggs
Chopped fresh parsley leaves
Put oil in a skillet over medium heat; a minute later, add bacon.
Cook for a minute, then add shiitakes and a pinch of salt. Cook,
stirring occasionally and adjusting heat so bacon and mushrooms
brown without burning. Add oysters, stir, and cook until plump
and firm, a minute or so. Turn off heat.
Beat eggs with some salt and pepper; stir in parsley. Pour into
pan; turn heat to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently and
scraping the sides of the pan (a heat-proof spatula is good).
As eggs begin to curdle, parts touching pan will begin to dry out;
when you see that, remove pan from heat and continue to stir until
cooking slows a bit. Return to heat and continue cooking. Eggs are
done when creamy, soft and a bit runny; do not overcook. Serve
immediately.
By Mark Bittman
Until recently, if you asked me for my favorite ways to eat oysters,
I would have said, raw, raw and fried. (Sometimes they’re good in a
stew, but usually they get lost there.)
The problem with raw oysters, though, is that you have to either
shuck them yourself - for most of us this means risking limb if not
life - or pay two bucks each for them, which gets pretty pricey.
Though I still believe that the only way to eat really good oysters
(fresh ones, from cold water) is raw, I’ve finally found a way to use
common pre-shucked oysters that I actually enjoy.
It’s called the Hangtown fry, and the story of its origin goes
something like this: A successful 49-er (the gold-miner type, not
the football-player type) goes into a bar in Hangtown (in California
gold country, and now known as Placerville), throws a pouch of gold
on the table, and asks the bartender to make him the most expensive
thing he can.
On the spot, the bartender takes bacon, eggs and oysters hauled in
from the coast and whips them into an omelet-like concoction. And a
new (if ultimately not-too-famous) dish was born.
I was playing with this dish just before New Year’s, because I had
a hunch it would be a hangover cure. (No such luck, though it’s good
both in the morning and the evening; at lunch too, for that matter.)
I wound up adding a few shiitakes because, well, I liked it that
way; there was something complementary about them. I also applied my
fast-as-lightning-but-still-creamy method of scrambling eggs, taught
to me about 10 years ago by Jean-Georges Vongerichten and still one
of the most valuable cooking techniques I know (described in the
recipe).
Still, I would say the most important part of the Hangtown fry is
that it finally gives me a way to take advantage of the pre-shucked,
not-too-expensive oysters you find in refrigerated cans in every
fish market and practically every supermarket in the country; a way
to enjoy oysters without the shucking.
Hangtown Fry
============
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup diced slab bacon, or sliced bacon cut into pieces about
2 inches long
1/2 cup sliced shiitakes (no stems)
Salt and pepper
6 or more shucked oysters (pre-shucked are fine)
4 or 5 eggs
Chopped fresh parsley leaves
Put oil in a skillet over medium heat; a minute later, add bacon.
Cook for a minute, then add shiitakes and a pinch of salt. Cook,
stirring occasionally and adjusting heat so bacon and mushrooms
brown without burning. Add oysters, stir, and cook until plump
and firm, a minute or so. Turn off heat.
Beat eggs with some salt and pepper; stir in parsley. Pour into
pan; turn heat to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently and
scraping the sides of the pan (a heat-proof spatula is good).
As eggs begin to curdle, parts touching pan will begin to dry out;
when you see that, remove pan from heat and continue to stir until
cooking slows a bit. Return to heat and continue cooking. Eggs are
done when creamy, soft and a bit runny; do not overcook. Serve
immediately.
KFC Honey Barbecued Wings
=========================
20 Chicken Wings, tips removed
2 cups flour
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1 Bottle KC Masterpiece Original BBQ Sauce
1/4 cup honey
oil for deep frying
Wash the chicken wings, then remove the wing tips; cut the other
two pieces in half. Shake off the excess water.
Place the eggs and milk in a bowl and mix well. Set aside. Mix
together the BBQ sauce and honey. Set aside.
Put the flour into a bag, then shake the wings in it, to lightly
coat. Roll the wings in the egg wash, then toss them back into the
bag. You want a fairly heavy coating of flour so the BBQ sauce has
something to hang onto. Repeat 2-3 times.
Heat a large skillet or use your deep fryer. Heat oil until it's
very hot (around 350F). Fry the wings until they're golden brown.
Remove and drain on paper towels.
Preheat oven to 325F. Dip each wing in the BBQ sauce and place on
a greased cookie sheet. Make sure the pieces don't touch each other.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, until they no longer look shiny.
=========================
20 Chicken Wings, tips removed
2 cups flour
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1 Bottle KC Masterpiece Original BBQ Sauce
1/4 cup honey
oil for deep frying
Wash the chicken wings, then remove the wing tips; cut the other
two pieces in half. Shake off the excess water.
Place the eggs and milk in a bowl and mix well. Set aside. Mix
together the BBQ sauce and honey. Set aside.
Put the flour into a bag, then shake the wings in it, to lightly
coat. Roll the wings in the egg wash, then toss them back into the
bag. You want a fairly heavy coating of flour so the BBQ sauce has
something to hang onto. Repeat 2-3 times.
Heat a large skillet or use your deep fryer. Heat oil until it's
very hot (around 350F). Fry the wings until they're golden brown.
Remove and drain on paper towels.
Preheat oven to 325F. Dip each wing in the BBQ sauce and place on
a greased cookie sheet. Make sure the pieces don't touch each other.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, until they no longer look shiny.
Brisket with Burgundy-Orange Sauce
==================================
1 1/2 cups Burgundy wine
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon dried basil
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/3 cup orange marmalade
1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange rind
2 teaspoons sugar
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 lbs. beef brisket
1 lb. mushrooms, cut into quarters
Preheat the oven to 300F. In a roaster into which the brisket fits
comfortably, stir together the soup mix, wine, water and flour until
blended. Stir in the basil, thyme, marmalade, orange peel, sugar,
garlic and pepper. Add the brisket, spooning some of the sauce over
the top and distributing the mushrooms evenly around the brisket.
Cover and bake for 4 hours, basting every hour, until tender when
pierced with a fork. If the sauce bubbles too rapidly, reduce the
oven temperature to 275F.
Remove from the oven and place the brisket on a sheet of heavy foil.
Pour the sauce into a bowl, cover, and refrigerate. When the brisket
is cool, wrap in foil and refrigerate. Remove solidified fat from
the sauce and discard. Slice the brisket thinly against the grain.
Overlap slices in a shallow, ovenproof dish that is just large enough
to hold them. Pour the sauce over the meat and heat in the oven until
hot and bubbly.
==================================
1 1/2 cups Burgundy wine
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon dried basil
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/3 cup orange marmalade
1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange rind
2 teaspoons sugar
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 lbs. beef brisket
1 lb. mushrooms, cut into quarters
Preheat the oven to 300F. In a roaster into which the brisket fits
comfortably, stir together the soup mix, wine, water and flour until
blended. Stir in the basil, thyme, marmalade, orange peel, sugar,
garlic and pepper. Add the brisket, spooning some of the sauce over
the top and distributing the mushrooms evenly around the brisket.
Cover and bake for 4 hours, basting every hour, until tender when
pierced with a fork. If the sauce bubbles too rapidly, reduce the
oven temperature to 275F.
Remove from the oven and place the brisket on a sheet of heavy foil.
Pour the sauce into a bowl, cover, and refrigerate. When the brisket
is cool, wrap in foil and refrigerate. Remove solidified fat from
the sauce and discard. Slice the brisket thinly against the grain.
Overlap slices in a shallow, ovenproof dish that is just large enough
to hold them. Pour the sauce over the meat and heat in the oven until
hot and bubbly.
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