19 that better than Recipes

any liquid can be reduced just by heating it - but why would you want to do that, answer comes back to two of our old friends, flavor and consistency (texture)., by reducing any flavored liquid you intensify its flavor and at the same time thicken it. you can continue this process until what you have left is a syrup if it contains sugar, or a sauce if it does not., this is 1 of the most important tools in the kitchen , believe it or not, because a great sauce can rescue an indifferent meal., literally any liquid can be reduced ., a few uses, wine is frequently used in cooking , both as a marinade and as an addition to sauces for meat., there are some problems with it though, 1 of which is that you need a really good wine and quite a lot of it to produce a reasonable sauce for, say, six people., on the other hand , if you use pure grape juice and reduce it to a syrup, that syrup, added to any sauce (or gravy if you prefer) will lift it into the realms of gourmet ., more , you don tsp have to make your reduction on the night you prepare your meal. you can reduce a liter of grape juice at any time to the consistency and flavor you want; then just store it in the fridge., you can do the same thing with any fruit juice - prune is sensational - and store it until needed. just about all of them will do things for ice cream, pies or tarts that will have your guests demanding the recipe, pork with apple sauce use a carton of fresh apple juice from the supermarket and reduce it. and if you want a real sensation add in a glass of apple brandy during the reduction process., are you getting an idea of how simple this is, take any carton of fresh stock straight of the shelf and reduce it. you will transform it into something even the manufacturer won tsp recognize. but beware, you need to start out with good quality in the first place, because when you reduce a liquid you intensify all the flavors, and not just the good ones., if it s salty to start with, for example, it will be salty beyond belief by the time you ve reduced it even by half. so if you are going to use a supermarket stock, make sure it s an extremely good 1., believe me when i tell you that stock cubes should not be used for reduction sauces., thickeners, because you will be tasting as you go (won tsp you ), you may find that you get the flavor you want before the desired consistency is reached., a couple of hints right now for your sauces., sweet ones can be thickened successfully without loss of color by adding in liquid glucose early on in the reduction process. surprisingly, this will add little in the way of sweetness and produces a beautiful velvety sauce when whisked., if you get it wrong and add too much, no problem. stir in a little extra water to thin it., reduction pans, reductions need to happen rapidly in serving to preserve flavors. and the greater the surface area of the liquid the faster the water will evaporate., however you may want to whisk something into the sauce while its cooking - such as butter or olive oil for example - and for that i find a small wok is best; 1 with a handle., a wok is less likely to reduce so fast that the sauce is burnt while your back is turned. but try both methods and see which you prefer. you may even end up using something totally different., no magic to this. whatever works for you, that s what you should use, in this and everything else to do with cooking., just bear in mind that what you re after is speed and ease of use. as well as a great tasting result, of course. :>), keeping, if they should dry out , simply add a little water and heat through., sauces containing meat juices of any kind must be frozen if you re going to keep them, and should be brought to boiling point before being used again. there is no need to thaw them out to do this, in fact it s better not to. simply drop the frozen cubes into a saucepan, melt them over a gentle heat, and then bring swiftly to the boil., why do you do this to avoid food poisoning, that s why. you are making sure that any bugs introduced into the sauce during the preparation process are killed off., worry , this will not be because of anything you have done wrong (i hope!), but because bacteria are part of our everyday lives and they exist in every kitchen, however clean., in fact your food , and especially your meat, is crawling with wildlife that you will never see. don tsp worry about them. careful handling and simple precautions will ensure that these miniature monsters can never multiply enough to harm either you or your guests.

ground beef, tomato sauce (or homemade sauce if you like), tomato paste, cottage cheese or 1 (15 oz) container ricotta cheese, if you like that better, egg, beaten, chopped fresh parsley, lasagna noodle, uncooked, mozzarella cheese

fast rising yeast, vital wheat gluten, almond meal, wheat bran, soy flour, flax seed meal, splenda sugar substitute, butter, eggs, water

i use a 3 1/2 to 4 lb chuck roast, well marbelized with fat, and if you can find a bone-in roast, that s better yet (but it s almost always boneless chuck that you find at the grocer). i like to quickly rinse the roast in cold water just before i lay it on the cutting board to coat it with seasoned flour. place the following ingredients in a small baggie and shake the closed bag to mix it up, flour, salt, garlic salt, crazy mixed-up salt (if you can tsp get this seasoning, use seasoned salt instead, but jane s is by far the best), pepper, use your hands to generously pat the seasoned flour into the roast, on both sides, flipping the roast a couple times and repeating the process., in a dutch oven or roasting pan large enough to hold the roast, heat 1 tbsp oil over medium high heat - you want your pan and oil to be hot enough to sear the roast well when you put it in the pan. when the oil is just about to the smoking point, put the roast in and cover the pan. let the meat sear until nicely browned on the bottom, then flip the roast. let it sear for a minute or two on the second side, then add, beef stock (i much prefer the boxed stock to the canned broth - it just seems to give the gravy a much richer taste in the end), cover the roasting pan and place it in a pre-heated 300 degree oven. roast for 4 to 5 hours, until the meat is fork tender and falls apart easily. i check the roast each hour, quickly opening the lid, just to make sure the stock has not evaporated. as long as your pan has a good seal on it, this shouldn tsp happen. but if necessary, add more stock to the pan., an hour before the roast is done , prepare the mashed potatoes. peel 6 large red potatoes (these work better - at least for me - because they are much moister than the russets, so the mashed potatoes are creamier); cut into 1/4th, and place them in a large saucepan - rinse the cut potatoes 2 times in cold water, then cover them in fresh cold water and place the pan over medium high heat; boil until tender. this is usually about 30 minutes, but it depends on the size of your cuts, so just cook them until you can easily insert a fork into a potato. drain potatoes well, reserving 1 cup of the water for the gravy. add the following to the hot potatoes, butter, sour cream, milk, salt, crazy mixed up salt (use regular salt or garlic salt if jane s salt is not available), pepper, i use a hand masher , but you can use an electric mixer or however you chose to mash the potatoes into a creamy yet firm texture. add more milk if potatoes are too stiff. place the mashed potatoes in a buttered casserole dish, cover with foil, and place in the oven to keep warm while you make the gravy., prepare the gravy, melt 2 tbsp butter, stir in 1/4 cup flour to make a paste, stir in enough beef stock to thin the paste enough to pour., finished roast from the pan and place it on a plate; cover meat with foil to keep warm., place the roasting pan over a medium flame and bring the liquid to a gentle boil (i usually seem to have about 1 1/2 to 2 cups liquid in the pan when the roast is done - if you have less, just use the beef stock to increase your liquid)., use a whisk to gradually whisk in the butter/flour/stock liquid., add 2 tbsp beef base - i use tone s (i prefer beef base to buillon - has a richer flavor and is really worth having on hand, but if you can tsp find this, try knorr s beef buillon extra large cubes), add the 1 cup of reserved potato water, add 1/2 cup beef stock, taste the gravy and see if you want more seasoning. i usually find i don tsp need to add anything at this point, since i have the seasoning from the flour coating and the stock and the beef base. if you think you need more seasoning, add salt and pepper to your taste. beef base will also give you more saltiness., keep the gravy warm while you uncover the meat and use 2 forks to pull the meat apart into small to medium chunks., you are now ready to assemble...

here are the basics of making an excellent cheese fondue , the proper way (or at least the lindysez way)., use good cheese , i use half emmental swiss and gruyere, grate them up and toss them with some salt and a good amount of pepper. let them sit out at room temp so they melt better . cut your bread (good french bread, but not sourdough) into bite sized pieces making sure to have crust on each piece. let those sit out for a while too so they aren tsp too soft., cheese that you use , you are going to use 1 3/4 cups of a dry white wine, such as a fume blanc, a california sauv blanc (don tsp use a new zealand 1 as most are too grassy) or a pouilly-fume. when you are ready to make the fondue, rub the pot with a clove of garlic (we like garlic, so we leave the clove in, but you don tsp need to); then place over a medium heat and add the wine. when the wine comes to a simmer, start slowly adding the cheese, sprinkling in a handful at a time, allowing each addition to melt (my dad said you always have to stir in the same direction, in a figure 8 motion, it works. if you stir in a circle you will end up with a big glop of cheese in the middle of a pot of wine, the figure 8 is key); keep adding until you have a nice thick sauce, then add a splash of kirsch and a pinch of nutmeg. put over a burner to keep it bubbling, and stir often when you dip your bread., a lb of cheese is enough for 4 people; or more if you are serving other things. and the amounts are guesstimates. i almost always grate too much cheese, so only add as much as you need to get the right consistency ; when you dip a piece of bread into the fondue, you want a nice coating of cheese and for the bread to absorb the wine. that s what it s all about, cheese, wine and bread. so use the best you can of each ingredient. and any left over cheese makes for a mighty good ham and cheese omelet.

baked cheddar broccoli rice cups, thanks to fountain ave. grill: http://fountainavenuekitchen.com/baked-cheddar-broccoli-rice-cups, simple to whip up with ingredients you have on hand, this side is a sure kid-pleaser that adults will enjoy as well. i employ 1 of my favorite kitchen tricks with this recipe: any time i use frozen broccoli or spinach that needs to be thawed and drained well, i put it inside a tea towel and literally wring it out. you will be surprised by how much water is released, and getting rid of it will prevent your finished product from becoming soggy., vary the cheese if you like or bake in a casserole dish or jumbo muffins tins. for my better-for-you ranch dressing, quick-cooking rice , like minute rice (can substitute about 2 cups regular, cooked rice and omit the 1 cup stock below), chicken stock, frozen, chopped broccoli, thawed and excess water squeezed out, shredded cheddar cheese, divided, homemade ranch dressing (see recipe), or store bought, eggs, lightly beaten, salt and freshly ground pepper to taste, low-fat buttermilk, chobani 2% plain yogurt, mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, canola or olive oil, kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste, minced chives, whisk all ingredients together ., dressing will keep for a week or so, covered, in the refrigerator., if you prefer a thicker dressing , use approximately 1/4 cup of buttermilk depending on your personal preference and intended use.

be made in a bread machine on dough setting , or by hand. but you have to bake in the oven., butter, lard or dripping, soft brown sugar or caster sugar, plain all purpose flour (or better with strong white bread flour - that s what i tend to use for better results), dried yeast or if making by hand then add some of the water to the yeast and make into a paste., warm water, salt

softened cream cheese, frozen spinach, thawed and drained, milk, garlic & onion powder, to taste, salt and pepper, to taste, parmesean or romano cheese, to taste, bacon bits, optional, egg, tubes refrigerated crescent rolls, kicked up version, i always buy bags of frozen chopped spinach. you can saute it with the seasonings , and have very little, if any liquid to drain. i like to saute with some onion and red pepper, both chopped fine, as well as a heaping tbsp of minced or chopped garlic. i like this better than the onion and garlic powder, however, those are good options that are quicker. i almost always add a squeeze of fresh lemon and a dash of worcestershire to anything using spinach. i usually add chopped fresh fried bacon instead of bacon bits. just wanted to post the original recipe as given to me by a friend for foodies who prefer the easier methods.

lukewarm water (90of to 100of), dry yeast or two 0.6-oz packages fresh yeast, crumbled, all purpose flour (i use king arthur bread flour), extra-virgin olive oil, coarse sea salt, note: i have found that adding anywhere from 1-2 tsp. of salt (table salt works just fine) to the flour while making the dough works as good or better than the coarse salt on top. it depends on your taste. i would suggest adding 1 tsp. of salt to the flour and maybe lightly adding the coarse salt before baking. or forgo the coarse salt altogether and add 1.5 tsp of salt to the flour for the dough. bread does needs salt to have a good taste., note 2: drizzle with olive oil before baking., note 3: you can knead with a little olive oil to keep from adding more flour and prevent dryness., add herbs of your choice and/or a grated favorite cheese. i have used rosemary, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, cracked black pepper, asiago, and parmesan in various combinations and it all worked out well.

trifle may be a holiday tradition for many families, but it is more about the tradition than the flavor of the thing. most trifles are a gloppy mass of soggy cake, grainy custard, watery fruit, and strong booze. we love the flavors, but wanted something better than that. starting with a classic southern rendition of trifle called tipsy squire, we set out to make a trifle that tasted as good as it looked. here s what we discovered, test kitchen discoveries, stale sponge cake works better than fresh because it absorbs the liquid without turning mushy. allow the cake to sit unwrapped overnight on the counter or expedite the process by baking the cake at 200 degrees for three hours., make a quick and light custard stabilized with cornstarch., use jam , not fresh fruit, for a deep fruit flavor without a watery texture., top the trifle with small almond macaroons for their flavor and crisp texture.

russet potatoes, skin peeled and cubed, bacon, chopped in 1/2 inch pieces, chopped carrots, chopped celery stalks, chopped onions, minced cloves of garlic, tb. coarsley ground pepper, tb better than bouillon , chicken stock seasoning in 3 cups of water or 3 cups of chicken stock, cream cheese, cubed and at room temperature ., heavy cream or milk (and you can use 2 tb butter mixed with 2 tb flour, fried in a pan and add 2 cups of milk to this, wisking well .. a cream sauce to be added to the finished soup for thickening added along with the milk) see comment below please.., before serving, taste your soup and at that time, you can add more pepper or salt. if you re serving the soup with a salty bread or with salted crackers, you do not need to add any salt. (there is enough salt in the bouillon seasoning and in the crackers, not to mention the bacon.)

farfalle pasta, yellow summer squash, cut into 1-in. chunks, zucchini , halved lengthwise and cut into 1-in. chunks, olive oil, divided, salt (my addition), champagne vinegar, freshly ground pepper, chopped fresh oregano, toasted pine nuts, chopped pitted kalamata olives (michael also said that it might be better to leave the olives whole)

butter, softened, white sugar, egg, vanilla extract, all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt

boneless pork loin roast, seasoned flour (as needed), olive oil (as needed), chicken broth, dry white wine, brown sugar, sour cream, bay leaves (broken )

go to you lumber yard and buy a few 60-penny nails,(these are large nails about the size of a lead pincil and about 5 long) wash the nails., buy red skin potatoes such as the pontiac potatoes ,the red skinned potatoe is far better then the others today that is sold for baking potatoes., run the 60-penny nail through the potatoe lengthwise ,leaving the nail protruding out of each end., a patch of skin off from the side of the potatoe as big as a nickle. this patch lets off moisture from the potatoe when it first begins to bake preventing any toughness developing.after the potato bakes a short time this open patch seals over., nail causes the potatoe to bake from the inside and out,making the potatoe flaky, bake at 400 degrees for 50 minutes, serve the potatoe with the nail in so as to keep the potatoe at the right temperature until opened. remove the nail ., enjoy

whole wheat onion rolls (if you can tsp find onion, that is fine. but you what a hearty stone ground or whole wheat bakery styl), baby arugula (1/2 cup per sandwich), heirloom tomatoes , you want 4 thick slices of each (i used 1 purple and 1 yellow, 2 different tastes, but use your favorite), onion, cut in 4 slices, balsamic vinegar (the more aged the better , but use the best you have. a store bought is fine if that is all you have ), olive oil (use regular vs extra virgin if possible, if not extra virgin will be fine), salt, pepper, mayonnaise (no miracle whip), olive (1/4 cup after they are chopped. i used a mix of green, black and kalamata, i usually have a jar or cup), fresh thyme, fine chopped, fresh basil, fine chopped, lemon zest, pepper

chicken broth, butter, heavy whipping cream, instant potato flakes