Category: Savory - DragonWarden

Lobster Tails

10/23/2020

Since lobster tails were always the purview of some fancy restaurant, the making of lobster tails was also associated with "fancy cooking" - or, rather, "complicated cooking" - in my mind. But nothing could be further from the truth! Even the prep work was easy peasy, as long as you have some kitchen rubber gloves to protect your hands (as I learned the hard way) and a pair of good kitchen shears. Even a Costco six-pack of lobster tails came out deliciously sweet and delicate! Adapted from this page.

lobster tails
3 tablespoons melted butter or olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 wedges lemon, to serve

Note: Like a lot of cooking recipes, the ingredient amounts are highly flexible. While some ratios are given here, you can really adjust it to your taste - just make sure there's enough to drench all the lobster tails.

Using a clean pair of scissors or kitchen shears, cut in a straight line along the middle of the top of the shell towards the fins of the tail. Cut through all of the horizontal segments, but do not cut through the end of the tail.
For this step, you may wish to use a pair of kitchen rubber gloves to handle the tails if they are particularly spiny. Using a spoon or your fingers, separate the meat from the two sides of the shell, then lift the meat up and out from inside the shell. (If you are having difficulty opening the shell up to lift out the meat, flip the tail over and make cuts along the carapace where the legs meet the bottom part tail, or you can squeeze the edges of the shell together until the ribs crack. This will help break the rigid structure of the shell and allow it to be more flexible.)
Press the two sides of the shell together, then lay the meat over the seam where the two shells meet.
While cutting through the shell, you may have also cut into the meat, which is perfectly okay. Make a shallow cut through the middle of the lobster meat so that you can peel down the thin layer of meat over the sides. This gives the lobster tail its signature look.
Preheat oven to 425°F (230°C).
In a small bowl, combine the butter, salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, lemon juice, and parsley, then brush the mixture evenly over the lobster meat.
Place the tails onto a baking sheet, then bake for approximately 12-15 minutes for larger tails, or 7-10 minutes for smaller tails, until the lobster meat no longer has any translucency throughout. If you have an instant thermometer, you can check that the internal temperature reaches 140°F. The key here is you never want to overcook them - when in doubt, take them out to check their middle, and then put them back into the oven 1-2 minutes at a time depending on how well done they are by that point.
Serve with a side of lemon wedges.

Carrot Ginger Tofu Soup

5/11/2020

This was a surprise hit! I recently read about substituting cream with silky tofu as a dairy-free, healthier alternative, and it worked beautifully. The result was a satisfyingly thick, robust soup that didn't feel overly heavy with a lovely spiced carrot flavor. I've never been a huge fan of carrots but I'd be willing to eat this every day!

2 cups (240 g) carrots, halved
¼ onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 Tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
salt and white pepper to taste
1 Tablespoon fresh ginger root
⅓ cup (70 g) light silken tofu
2-3 cups (480 ml) low sodium vegetable broth

Chop or shred the carrots with your device of choice (food processor, Vitamix blender, grater, etc)
Heat oil in a small pan and sauté garlic, onions, and carrots until onions are clear and carrots are tender. Add a little broth as needed to keep everything moist.
Place all ingredients into the Vitamix container and secure lid. Start at the lowest speed, then slowly increase to the highest. Add more broth as needed until the consistency is to preference.
Blend for 3-4 minutes or until heavy steam escapes from the vented lid.

Pistachio Crusted Rack of Lamb

4/28/2020

This was everything it promised to be and my entire family was blown away. I stumbled across this recipe looking for pistachio-related things to make, and it turned out absolutely beautifully. The dijon mustard gave it a lovely tangy depth (and as an otherwise avowed mustard-hater, I would NOT leave this off or substitute it with anything else) and everything else crusted up just as promised.

2 racks of lamb, trimmed
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2/3 cup chopped pistachio nuts
2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
salt and ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Generously season each rack of lamb with herbes de Provence, salt, and black pepper.
Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Place lamb in skillet and cook, browning on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer lamb to a foil-lined baking sheet; set aside.
Stir pistachios, bread crumbs, butter, olive oil, and a pinch of salt and black pepper in a bowl. Spread mustard on the fat-side of each rack of lamb. Pat pistachio mixture on top of mustard. Bake in the preheated oven until the crust is golden and lamb is pink in the center, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

Pane Bianco (pull-apart bread)

4/21/2020

I don't even remember how I stumbled across this recipe - I usually have 20+ tabs open in my browser, and in one of my infrequent fits of cleaning, I realized I had this particular tab open somewhere in the middle (which probably meant it was a couple weeks old) and it just so happened to use bay leaves ... which I was desperately trying to use the remainder of before they wilted. So I gave it a try, along with the tangzhong method for the first time, and while I think I made some missteps along the way, nevertheless it was a very usable bread that indeed stayed soft for several days and was enjoyed down to the last bite!

Dough (see notes for Tangzhong method)

3 cups (361g) bread flour
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup (113g) lukewarm milk
1/3 cup (74g) lukewarm water
3 tablespoons (35g) olive oil

Filling

3/4 cup (85g) shredded Italian-blend cheese or other cheese of your choice
1/2 cup (113g) oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes or your own oven-roasted tomatoes
3 to 6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/3 cup (14g) chopped fresh basil, green or purple

To make the dough: Combine all of the dough ingredients in a bowl (or the bucket of your bread machine), and mix and knead — by hand, using a mixer, or in your bread machine set on the dough cycle — to make a smooth, very soft dough. The dough should stick a bit to the bottom of the bowl if you're using a stand mixer.
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let it rise until it's doubled in size, about 45 to 60 minutes. Note: When making anything with yeast, it's best to let the dough rise to the point the recipe says it should, e.g., "doubled in bulk," rather than watching the clock. Rising times are only a guide; there are so many variables in yeast baking that it's impossible to say that bread dough will ALWAYS double in bulk in a specific amount of time.
Meanwhile, thoroughly drain the tomatoes, patting them dry. Use kitchen shears to cut them into smaller bits. Shears are also useful for slicing/chopping the basil.
Gently deflate the dough, shaping it into a ball, and letting it rest for 10 minutes. Then flatten and pat it into a 22" x 8 1/2" rectangle. Spread with the cheese, tomatoes, garlic, and basil.
Starting with one long edge, roll the dough into a log the long way. Pinch the edges to seal. Place the log seam-side down on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.
Using kitchen shears, start 1" from one end and cut the log lengthwise down the center about 1" deep, to within 1" of the other end.
Keeping the cut side up, form an "S" shape. Tuck both ends under the center of the "S" to form a "figure 8;" pinch the ends together to seal.
Cover and let rise in a warm place until double, 45 to 60 minutes.
While the loaf is rising, preheat the oven to 350°F. If there are bits of sundried tomato sticking out on the surface, gently tuck them under the dough so that they don't char.
Uncover the bread, and bake it for 35 to 40 minutes, tenting it with foil after 20 to 25 minutes to prevent over-browning.
Remove the bread from the oven, and transfer it to a rack to cool. Enjoy warm or at room temperature. Store, well-wrapped, at room temperature for a couple of days; freeze for longer storage.

Notes:
Don't want to use bread flour? The bread may not hold its shape quite as well, but feel free to substitute all-purpose flour 1:1 for the bread flour in the recipe. Reduce the water to 1/4 cup.

Want to make a softer loaf with extended shelf life? Try the tangzhong technique, a Japanese method for increasing the softness and shelf life of yeast rolls. Begin by measuring out the flour and milk you’ll be using in the recipe. Now take 3 tablespoons of the measured flour and the 1/2 cup milk; put them in a saucepan set over medium-high heat. Cook the mixture, whisking constantly, until it forms a thick slurry; this will take about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Transfer the cooked mixture to a bowl, let it cool to lukewarm, then combine it with the remaining flour and the other dough ingredients, increasing the amount of water to 3 1/2 ounces (1/2 cup less 1 tablespoon). Proceed with the recipe as directed. Well-wrapped and stored at room temperature, your loaf should stay soft and fresh for several days.

Double Olive Oil Bread (No-knead)

10/28/2019

I've always loved the idea of making bread but only ventured into that realm twice. Due to proofing times and my chaotic schedule, it was difficult to figure out when I was available to perform which step, and to be honest, it was difficult to make myself wait. I liked to just spend an hour doing everything and popping it into the oven - it was surprisingly difficult to perform a step, be patient for a few hours, then perform another step, then wait again, etc.

But I had just made pizza the other night and had half of a jar of olives still left over when this recipe landed in my inbox. The instructions seemed insanely easy for a bread recipe, so I gave it a try - and true to the article's claim, it really was as easy as it claimed! What came out was a beautifully aromatic, salty, crusty bread that I would be happy to pair up with all sorts of dips, spreads, you-name-it.

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped olives
1/4 cup olive brine from a jar of olives
1 1/4 cups warm water

In a large bowl stir together flour, yeast, salt and chopped olives.
Combine olive juice with warm water and slowly stir into dry ingredients until a shaggy dough is formed. If dough seems too dry, add a little more water, one tablespoon at a time, until dough is barely wet throughout.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in warm place, and let it rise for at least 12 hours but preferably 18 hours.
Place a large piece of parchment paper on counter. Generously flour the parchment paper. Use rubber spatula to turn dough on surface – it will be loose and sticky – this is what you want.
Flour hands and gently lift the edges of the dough in toward the center, folding the dough over onto itself to create a round shape. Cover with kitchen towel again and let rise for another 1½ to 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Place large Dutch oven in oven while it preheats (about 30 minutes).
Remove hot pan from oven. Lift the parchment paper/dough into the hot pot. Cover with lid and put back in oven. Bake for 30 minutes.
Uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes, until outside is golden brown and crispy.
Let cool to room temperature before serving.

Porcini Popovers

10/17/2019

I had never heard of popovers, but I adore yorkshire pudding, so I just had to give these a try when it landed in my inbox from Epicurious. I actually debated long and hard with myself on whether I should buy a popover pan, but after a bit of research, decided that I better try it first without before getting yet another pan - especially one that would take up quite a bit of shelf space.

Thankfully, I saved quite a bit of investment in both money and space, as these turned out beautifully even without the dedicated popover pans. (Though they did make quite a bit of a mess of my muffin tins!) In fact, these barely lasted the hour, much less the day ... it was one of the rare hits that every single person in the household craved, and they're so light and airy that no one felt too guilty about scarfing down multiples in one sitting.

1/2 oz dried porcini mushrooms
2.5 cups all-purpose flour
1.5 tsp salt
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
2.5 cups whole milk
0.5 stick unsalted butter (2 Tbsp melted and 2 Tbsp cold) plus additional for popover cups
2 nonstick popover pans with 6 (2/3-cup) cups or 1 regular 3x4 cup muffin pan

Grind porcini to a powder in an electric coffee/spice grinder or a blender (you’ll have about 1/4 cup). Whisk together porcini powder, flour, salt, eggs, milk, and melted butter until smooth, then let rest, chilled, 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Butter popover cups. Cut remaining 2 Tbsp butter into 12 pieces.
Heat popover pans in oven 2 minutes. Remove from oven and add a piece of butter to each cup. Return to oven and heat until butter is bubbling, about 1 minute. Divide batter among cups (a scant 1/2 cup each) and bake until puffed and golden-brown, 30 to 35 minutes.
Pierce top of each popover with a sharp knife to release steam, then continue to bake until deep golden-brown, 5 to 10 minutes more. Serve immediately.

Popovers can be baked 4 hours ahead. Remove from pans and reheat on a baking sheet in a 350°F oven until hot and crisp.

Hummus

4/23/2017

Hummus, I'm beginning to think in my vast inexperience, seems to be rather like stone soup - you pretty much put whatever you want into a chickpea paste base "to taste" (there's probably hordes waiting in the wings to burn me for that comment). But after visiting half a dozen pages on the merits of texture vs silkiness, Greek tahini vs Arabic tahini, whether olive oil belongs in the hummus before or after, etc I'm pretty much just tossing whatever is nearby in until I'm willing to lick the spoon (or my finger) clean.

1 can chickpeas
1/3 cup tahini
2-4 cloves garlic (to taste)
juice of 1-2 lemons or 2-4 tbsp of lemon juice (to taste)
1 tbsp of cumin or paprika
1 tbsp turmeric
1 tsp of salt (to taste)
olive oil (to drizzle or to taste)

Drain the chickpeas and reserve the liquid in a bowl. Put the chickpeas and garlic into a food processor and blend until coarsely ground. Scrape down the sides/redistribute as needed.
While the food processor is running, pour in the lemon juice and 2 tbsp of the chickpea liquid. Scrape down the sides/redistribute as needed.
While the food processor is running, add the tahini. Scrape down the sides/redistribute as needed.
While the food processor is running, add the spices and salt. Continue to add the chickpea liquid one tablespoon at a time until you achieve the consistency you want.

Note: There were some arguments over whether olive oil should be added during the making of the hummus or just drizzled atop it afterward. I made it without the olive oil, and it turned out fine, but some may find it irresistible to at least throw in a tablespoon or two during the making of it.

Pseudo-Bento-Anything-Goes-All-In-One Ramekin Pot Pie

12/2/2015

Much like the Post-Thanksgiving Scraps Turkey Shepherd's Pie, pretty much this is just to give some general guidelines and you can just go nuts with what you actually throw in. I know, I know, baking and bakers are all about precision, but this once, let your inner child loose and put as much of your favorite stuff in as you want. This is just to give you an idea of the possibilities.

mushrooms
marinated artichoke hearts
deli meats
tomato sauce
shredded mozarella cheese
Pillsbury croissant roll dough

Pre-heat the oven to 350 F. Using a pair of kitchen shears, cut up the mushroom and artichoke hearts and line the bottom of the ramekin. If you like your mushrooms cooked, pop the ramekin into the oven for about 5-7 minutes. The olive oil from the marinated artichokes should help to keep the mushrooms moist.
Once you have the ramekin back, use the shears to cut up the deli meats and stuff them in. Layer over them some tomato sauce, and then the cheese.
Unroll the Pillsbury croissant roll dough, and press together the pre-cut seams so that there is a single sheet of dough. Place over the ramekin top and trim the edges with the shears, making sure there's enough overhang to cover the edges of the ramekin. Press all the edges down, and then poke some holes in the top for venting.
Stick in the oven for about 12-15 minutes, according to the Pillsbury dough's intsructions. (If you wish to have a crusty top, set the oven to broil for the last two minutes.)

Post-Thanksgiving Scraps Turkey Shepherd's Pie

11/27/2015

This is the Frankenstein of all frankenstein mash-ups, and was born literally out of the seemingly incompatible states of being both restless and lazy at the same time. This took up the last of the Thanksgiving scraps, and though it initially was supposed to include marinara sauce and some crescent roll sheets on top, when I discovered the marinara sauce had gone bad, it was an abrupt appeal to some garlic herb butter and an egg to make it a sort of reverse shepherd's pie instead of the original pizza pot pie I had imagined. And it turned out AMAZING.

Yes, I did not include a whole lot of concrete portions, but that's the beauty of using leftovers. Everything's already been cooked and don't really need extra fussing with, and you're totally free to put more or less of anything according to taste (or what you want to get rid of).

However-many-ramekins-you-have's worth of:

stuffing
turkey
garlic herb butter, stock, or gravy (for moisture)

To cover (can use any one of these):

eggs and shredded cheese
crescent roll sheets
puff pastry

Set the wire rack to the middle of the oven. Set oven temp to pre-heat to 425 F.
I lined a baking sheet in case there were drippings, set the ramekins on top, then started layering the food in. You can put them in any order you want. For the cover, you can either crescent roll sheets, puff pastry, or like in this instance, an egg and some cheese. Tip - make a little well in the middle of the top layer so that the egg yolk has somewhere to sit once you've cracked it in. Otherwise, the egg white makes it slippery enough that the yolk tends to slide off toward the edges.
Pop everything in the oven for about 12 minutes (which keeps the yolk runny - if you want a more solid yolk, add a few more minutes). If you'd like a nice bit of browning on top, switch the oven to broil for one minute - keep an eye on it, though, because it will burn easily at this point!

French Onion Dip

11/22/2015

I first got the serving idea on one of the food sites (I forget which one, maybe Epicurious), but cobbled together the dip recipe from research spread over half a dozen other sites. In fact, I was so casual with throwing in a bit of this, a dash of that, and adjusting things to taste that I honestly don't know if the ingredient amounts below are anywhere close to accurate. But I think that pretty much exemplifies dip recipes - pretty much anything goes, and you can experiment and never make it the same way twice, but it will all be delicious; just in different ways.

2 tbsp butter
4 onions (for variety, you can use multiple types - sweet, yellow, red, etc)
2-3 large shallots
4 cloves garlic
1 1/2 cups sour cream
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp salt
1 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
chips
(optional) paprika
(optional) chopped green onions

Set the oven to 350 F. Cut the bottoms off the onions so that they can stand up. Set on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour. In the meantime, chop up the shallots and mince the garlic.
Slice the tops off the onions and scoop out the interior, leaving about 2-3 layers on the outside to act as a cup. Chop up the onion interiors and set aside.
Melt the butter in saucepan on the stove over medium heat and cook the shallots for about 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes. If you wish you can add the chopped up onion and continue to caramelize it in the saucepan for a few more minutes.
Set the onion mixture aside to cool (or else it will melt the sour cream). To speed up the process, you can either refrigerate or spread it on the inside of a metal bowl and set it inside another bowl filled with iced water.
Mix in the sour cream and mayonnaise, then add the remaining spices to taste. Stuff inside the onion cups. Add optional garnishes.

Note: You can make this a day ahead, and in theory, it's better if you let the flavors blend overnight anyway. Store the onion cups and the onion dip separately in the fridge, and make sure they are sealed tight against fridge odors creeping in.