Mama Still Rocks

I am a fan of Cook's Illustrated books and magazine. I like to know the science of food and how to make the ‘best’.

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, I decided to try and make the ‘best’ pumpkin pie. Since I did not grow up with pumpkin, I enlisted the help of a few friends. I started by asking around to see how people make pumpkin pie. One friend says, they always used butternut squash because they grew so much of it that why should they use a canned product. Yet, another friend says, I just use the recipe on the back of the can of pumpkin.

I started with the recipe from Cook's Illustrated (Nov/Dec, 2008), since it was the ‘best’. I also found recipes from a couple of Midwestern cookbooks. After all, a Midwesterner should know how to make pumpkin pie. I gathered my ingredients and began making pies. And here are my results.

The Cooks Illustrated recipe made the pie with the mildest flavor. It was deemed as being ‘good’. One pie was made with condensed milk and fresh pumpkin or squash. It was deemed as ‘gummy’ and good but not the ‘best’. The last was made with canned pumpkin and evaporated milk. A friend summed up his thoughts on this pie in this manner. “It tastes like Mom’s. “ He didn’t say anything about the best, but it tastes like Mom’s.

This little experiment reminded me that sometimes it’s not the best that we seek. We seek the comfort of the familiar, tradition, home and Mom. And I think that’s just fine. In this day of instant messaging and all other ‘instant’ stuff, it’s nice to hold on to tradition.

To all those folks at Cook's Illustrated, thanks for giving us the ‘best pie’. But apparently Mom still rocks.

Finally, I came up with my version of Mom’s and Cook’s Illustrated pumpkin pie recipe. I made it for my same friend. He liked it, but wished it was more orange, aka, the canned stuff. If you like, you can substitute one can of pumpkin and one cup of sweet potatoes.

Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:
Crust for 1-9” pie
3 cups pumpkin or butternut squash
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup dark brown sugar
1½ cups half and half or 1 can (12 ounce) evaporated milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients together and pour into pie crust. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes in a 425°F oven. Center will be slightly soft, but will set upon cooling.

Note: If desired the filling can be made in a food processor.

Trying Something New: Cheddar Cheese Pie Crust

I often talk to students in my foods class about trying something new. I tell them that if they never try anything new, they are not accomplishing very much. To help them try something new, I gave them an assignment to go to the grocery store and explore the world of cheese. They could only use natural cheeses, none of that processed stuff. These were their choices.

• American cheese, that is, made in America
• A non-American blue vein cheese
• Cheese made from either goat or sheep’s milk
• A cheese from Spain, France, Italy or Germany
• A cheese made in Nebraska.

Since I am always telling my students to try something new, I thought I too, would give something new a try. For my first cheese, I chose Cheddar cheese. Now, I have eaten Cheddar plenty of times, so that part is not new. But I always see Cheddar cheese on top of a slice of apple pie. My chef friend says Cheddar cheese on apple pie is just like eating cheese and fruit. I have never tried it. It just sounds awful. But, I always tell the students to try something new. So for me, I am going to put Cheddar cheese in my pie crust. Sorry, but I just can’t put it on top yet. One step at a time.

I chose to use an extra sharp Cheddar cheese from Crystal Farm in Lake Mills, WI. This is one of the less costly brands of cheese, 5.19/pound. I was not about to spend too much money for cheese to go into a pie crust. I’ll eat the more expensive stuff straight up.

Cheddar cheese originated in the village of Cheddar in Somerset, South West England. It is believed that Cheddar has been produced since at least the 12th century. It has a relatively hard texture and is yellow to off-white in color. Yellow cheese is usually made by adding annatto, a seed of the achiote tree. Its flavor ranges from mild to sharp, depending on the length of aging. While Cheddar is the most popular cheese in England, it is the second most popular cheese in the US. Per capita consumption of Cheddar for Americans is about 10 pounds per year.

 

Apple Pie with Cheddar Crust

 

Ingredients:
2 pounds assorted apples, about 5 medium
¾ cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Pie crust, recipe follows

 

Directions:
1. Peel, core and thinly slice apples. Place apples in a large bowl.
2. Stir together sugar, salt, cinnamon, and cornstarch. Stir into apples. Add lemon juice.
3. Roll out half of dough for crust and place in pie pan and add apples. Roll out the remaining dough and cover the apples or cut dough into strips and make a lattice top.

 

Crust:
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
¾ cup vegetable shortening or lard
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
1 Tablespoon vinegar
1 egg, slightly beaten
5 Tablespoons cold water

 

Directions:
1. Sift together flour and salt. Cut fat into flour until mixture resembles small peas.
2. Stir in cheese.
3. Combine vinegar and egg. Add to flour mixture. Stir to combine. Add enough water to make a soft dough. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 1 hour.

 

My Thoughts on the Pie
This would not be my favorite pie. It was an issue with the crust. It was too difficult to work with and was thick and tough. I may try it again with a different cheese crust. Normally, when I write this blog, I tell you about my successes. But everything you make cannot be a success and this was one of those things.

Apple Picking Time

I like apples. Now that probably does not come as a shock to anyone. Apples are just one of those fruits that everybody seems to like. We eat them as a snack. Put them in cakes and sometimes donuts. We make them into applesauce. They are a great accompaniment to pork. The ways with apples just seem endless, kinda like chicken.

If you really like apples, now is your time. Fall is the perfect time to purchase apples. Most cities have an apple orchard within a short driving distance. Some are u-pick orchards and some are just go and buy what you want (my favorite). If you can’t make it to an orchard or farmers market, check out the varieties at your local grocery store.

Back in the dark ages, it seems that we only had two kinds of apples, golden delicious and red delicious. But, we have come a long way. It seems that every year I find a new apple to try. Some are sweeter, some more tart, but all are fun to try. I’ve found that different apples have their own distinctive flavor. Some apples are better suited for cooking and others are better for eating.

For more information on apples and how to use them, try these resources.

• Kimmel Apple Orchard (Nebraska City, NE) - http://bit.ly/b6QAEV
• Washington State Apple Commission - http://bit.ly/aISOMR
• Better Homes & Gardens -http://bit.ly/aK1ygP
• Cooking Light - http://bit.ly/c34fjY

If you try any of these sites or recipes, please comment. We would love to hear from you.

Strolling Through the Farmers Market

I love going to farmers markets. I like spotting the friend I only see on occasion, talking to producers. I like going to the grocery store, too, but I always seem to be in a hurry to get out of there. At farmers market, I rarely ever seem to be in a hurry. At farmers markets, I find unusual produce, like heirloom tomatoes, several kinds of eggplants, and more pumpkins than I can shake a stick at. Ok, you get it. I really like farmers markets.

It’s fun go to farmers markets and see how the season changes. Here in the Midwest, early spring brings rhubarb, asparagus, sugar peas and lettuce. Later these items stop appearing and we get cucumbers, corn, okra and summer squash. Finally, watermelons, pumpkins and winter squash signal the end of the growing season and the last few weeks of the market.

On one of my last trips to the market, I purchased okra, a staple in the South, but still something of a novelty in the Midwest. I recently found a recipe for okra fritters and could not resist the urge to make them. I decided to serve them with some collard greens that I grew.

Okra Fritters

Makes about 28 fritters.

Ingredients:
4 slices of bacon
2/3 cup Vidalia or other sweet onion, finely chopped
8 ounces fresh okra, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 large egg
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
Vegetable oil, about 1 cup

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 200°F with a rack in the middle.

2. Finely chop bacon. Cook in a heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp. Drain on paper towels, reserving fat in skillet.

3. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add okra and cook until okra begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in bacon.

4. In a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg, cornmeal, sugar, cayenne, and salt. Stir in okra mixture.

5. Wipe skillet clean. Add enough oil to skillet to measure ¼ inch and heat over medium heat. Cook rounded tablespoons of batter (6 or 7 fritters per batch), turning once, until golden, 2 to 3 minutes per batch. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Keep warm in oven while making remaining batches. Serve immediately. Give these a try and let us know how you like them.

Brown Rice Convert

I admit it. I’m not much into brown rice. My excuse has always been that I don’t eat that much rice. I eat one or two servings a month. So why eat brown rice. It doesn’t contain that much fiber.

Well, I am getting older now and beginning to rethink some of my dietary choices. This decision was brought on by thinking about diseases related to diet, such as obesity, diabetes and hypertension. I don’t have them, yet. And I am trying to avoid them. So some changes were in order for me. Small, incremental and nonpainful changes are the ones I am concentrating on. After all, life and food are both supposed to be enjoyed.

Recently, I worked on a rice presentation for some associates of mine. I had to include brown rice, ‘cause it’s rice and you gotta include it. I made a brown rice, pear and cranberry salad. And I fell in love. (Okay, it wasn’t chocolate, but you know what I mean.) It had a wonderful flavor, nutty, sweet, crunchy, and colorful. I was hooked – on brown rice.

Brown rice contains more resistant starch than white rice. So exactly what is resistant starch? First of all starch is digested at a different rate. The starch in potatoes digest very rapidly, whereas, that in beans, barley or long grain brown rice digest more slowly, and cause a slower and lower rise in blood sugar levels. Resistant starch goes all the way through the small intestines without being digested at all. Behaving more like a fiber, and in some cases is classified and labeled as a fiber.

Benefits of Resistant Starches
1. Improved glucose regulation and better weight control
2. Reduced constipation
3. Reduced colon cancer risk
4. And reduced blood cholesterol and triglycerides

For those who would like to begin your journey to better eating, I am including my recipe for pear and walnut rice salad with cranberries. If you are going to get started, may as well start with something good!

Pear and Walnut Rice Salad with Cranberries

Serves 6.

Ingredients:
3 cups cooked brown rice
1 large firm pear, cored and diced
3 medium green onions, thinly sliced
½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted
⅓ cup crumbled blue cheese
⅔ cup dried cranberries
½ cup prepared vinaigrette, such as Italian or raspberry
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
 Lettuce leaves, optional

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl; toss to coat. If salad is dry, add more dressing. Serve over lettuce leaves, if desired.

Cooking Brown Rice
The procedure for cooking brown rice is similar to that of white rice. However, brown rice requires more time to cook. Forty-five to 50 minutes as opposed to about 15 minutes for regular long grain white rice. Most types of rice will yield about 3 cups of cooked rice for every 1 cup of dry. Rice can also be cooked and frozen. For every cup of brown rice, use about 2 to 2 ½ cups of water. Instant brown rice can also be used. Although it is generally more expensive.

Bread Making

Yes, I still make homemade bread. And, I do realize that I can purchase bread at the grocery store. I have not always been this way. I can still remember my first loaf of bread. It was so bad. I think I hid it in the trash or someplace. It was so bad that I didn’t make another loaf of bread for about 10 years. I would make rolls. Somehow they just didn’t present the same mental blockage as loaf bread.

Finally, I was in graduate school one of my roommates was making homemade bread and convinced me to give it a try. I tried and really enjoyed it. The bread turned out great and I was on my way to bread baking glory. I started with Anadama Bread and Sally Lunn. I don’t know why these two, other than I had the recipe for them. I soon moved on to other bread, whole wheat, cinnamon rolls, potato, and buttermilk. Baking bread became my passion. It’s just something about the yeast growing and watching the bread rise. (I know for some of you this is like watching paint dry. But I am a foodie. Enough said.) And I still get excited about cutting that first slice of bread. The crispy crust and that very soft texture.

Okay, enough drooling over homemade bread. Here is what I have learned about cooking. If you cook, you will periodically screw something up. That’s just life. I have also learned that cooking is part art and part science. And understanding the science has helped to make me a better cook. Now when I totally screw up a recipe, I go back to the science to attempt to determine what went wrong. Over the years, I figured that I most likely destroyed the yeast in that first loaf of bread. I probably added the yeast to liquid that was too hot. I still don’t use a thermometer to test the liquid before adding the yeast. I use the inside of my wrist. If it is comfortable on my wrist, it should be okay to grow yeast. I once left the salt out and that was a total disaster. That bread never stopped raising. The function of salt is to control the growth of yeast, strengthen the gluten, and help develop flavor. Most yeast breads only have a tiny amount of salt, but put it in. It’s vital to good yeast bread.

I recently ran across my first two loaf bread recipes. And since I have found them to be tried and true, I thought I would share them with you.

Anadama Bread
 It is believed that Anadama bread began in New England. The story goes like this, “A fisherman, angry with his wife, Anna, for serving him nothing but cornmeal mush with molasses, one day added yeast and flour and baked it. He ate the bread and exclaimed, Anna, damn her.” This recipe makes too much dough for a regular loaf pan. I bake this bread in a small pie pan or cookie sheet.

Yields: 1 loaf.

Ingredients:
1¼ cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup molasses
2 Tablespoons vegetable shortening
1 package active dry yeast
¼ cup warm water
3 to 4 cups all purpose flour


Directions:
1. Combine water, salt, and cornmeal in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and pour into the bowl of a mixer. Stir in molasses and shortening. Cool to lukewarm.
2. Soften yeast in warm water. Allow yeast to foam, about 5 to 10 minutes. (Note: If it does not foam, toss and start over.)
3. Add yeast to the cornmeal mixture. Stir in enough flour to make a sticky dough. Knead on floured surface until smooth, about 10 minutes.
4. Spray a large bowl with cooking spray or coat with oil. Place dough in bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to raise until volume doubles.
5. Punch down and shape as desired. Place in pan and let raise again until nearly doubled. Bake at 375°F for 40 to 45 minutes.


Sally Lunn
Sally Lunn bread is almost a cross between a cake and bread. Some historians believe this bread was first made by protestant refugees from France, who called this bread “soleil et lune”, meaning sun and moon. This bread is unusual in that it bakes in a fluted tube pan. The dough is also fluid, so don’t add extra flour.

Makes 1 loaf.

Ingredients:
1 package active dry yeast
¼ cup warm water
2 Tablespoons butter
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
3½ cups all purpose flour
1 cup warm milk

Directions:
1. Soften yeast in the warm water. In a mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Beat in eggs and salt. Stir in 1½ cups of the flour; beat vigorously. Stir in milk and the softened yeast; mix well. Add the remaining 2 cups of flour; beat vigorously. Cover; let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume (about 1 hour).
2. Stir batter down. Spoon into a greased 10-inch fluted tube pan. Cover; let rise again until double (30 to 45 minutes).
3. Bake in 325°F oven for 10 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 375F and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from pan. Serve warm or cool.

Waste not, want not. Love, Mama.

I can still hear my mother’s words just like it was yesterday, chiding me not to waste food. Food was just not to be wasted. You see, my mother came through the depression and times were hard. You made do and did without. None of this throwing away stuff just because you didn’t like it. If you think these people promoting “being green” are fanatics, you should have seen Mom in action.

In honor of dear ol’ Mom, last night I made some food with stuff that had just been around my house for way too long. I kept it simple and only purchased one thing to complete one dish – chicken breast.

For the first dish, I made an apricot sauce. I had apricots that were not going to be around too much longer. I chopped them up, added sugar, and cooked them down to make a sauce. I can’t claim that I did much for measuring, but for the sake of anyone who wants to try this, I used about two cups of chopped apricots and one-half cup of sugar. I then cooked them down to the consistency that I wanted.

This morning I had some with my yogurt. It was pretty tasty; even if I have to say so myself. Maybe this weekend, I can try it with pancakes.

To continue in this same vein, I found a recipe for chicken salad with olive vinaigrette – I had all of the ingredients except the chicken.

Chicken Salad with Olive Vinaigrette

Serves 4.

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked Israeli couscous
¼ cup chopped pitted kalamata olives
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
1 Tablespoon capers
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
2 (7 ounce) packages 98% fat-free chicken breast in water

Directions:
1. Cook couscous according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain.
2. Combine olives, parsley, capers, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic and chicken. Add couscous. Stir to combine. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Source: Cooking Light, July 2003

I did make a few changes. This was not about using the exact recipe. It was about ridding my kitchen of stuff that had been there for way too long. First, I did not use fresh lemon juice. I did not have any and I was not about to go to the store. I used two tablespoons of red wine vinegar instead. I have also never purchased chicken breast in water and was not about to do it for this recipe. Instead I used one chicken breast half. I poached the breast and used the liquid to cook the couscous. (Remember, waste not, want not.) I am also adding a few cherry tomatoes to mine. And that will be my lunch! I hope you had fun reading this blog. And I hope it brought back memories of your mother or grandmother. Let us know about your mother food stories. We would love to hear them.