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Potato Leek Soup

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Potato leek soup garnished with bacon, cheese and shredded leek greens

Simple soup with chicken base and vegetables, thickened with potato flakes and cream. Serves 6.

Ingredients

  • 3-4 medium shallots, minced (about 1 cup)
  • 2 – 3 Russet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1″ cubes (about 2 cups)
  • 2 ribs celery, diced (about 2/3 cup)
  • 1 medium carrot, diced (about 1/2 cup)
  • 3 – 4 leeks with the greens removed and reserved, diced (about 1/2 cup)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tbsp)
  • 2 tablespoon butter
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup potato flakes, reserved
  • 1/2 cup whole milk or 1/3 cup half & half, reserved
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Optional, 1 tablespoon white miso
  • Optional, 2 teaspoon light soy sauce
  • 1 leek green, finely minced for garnish

Instructions

In a 3 quart saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat, then add olive oil. Saute shallot, celery and carrot until shallots are translucent, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and leek, and saute until fragrant, 3 additional minutes.

Add potatoes and cover with chicken broth. Raise heat to a boil, then reduce to medium and simmer for 20 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Gradually add potato flakes while stirring until soup thickens. Add milk or half & half and stir to combine. Season with salt, pepper, miso, and soy to taste.

Serve topped with shredded cheddar cheese, bacon crumbles and minced leek green.

Corned Beef Brine (Wet brine)

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This is experimental, use at your own risk. Annotations and observations to follow.

Ingredients

  • 6-8 lbs beef brisket
  • 8 quarts water
  • 1½ cups Diamond Crystal Kosher salt
  • ¼ cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp Prague Powder #1
  • 1 tbsp black peppercorn
  • ½ tbsp yellow mustard seed
  • ½ tbsp coriander seed
  • 2 tsp fennel seed
  • 1 tsp whole allspice
  • 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • ½ tsp ground mace
  • 3 clove crushed garlic, or 2 tbsp granulated garlic
  • 2 bay leaves, crumbled
  • 2 anise pods
  • 2 cloves
  • 2 cinnamon stick, crushed

Instructions

Prepare beef brisket, trimming silver skin and fat. Reduce fat cap to ¼” thickness.  Set aside.

Combine water, salt, sugar, Prague Powder and spices in a pot and raise to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes, until salt and sugar are dissolved.  Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Combine beef brisket and cooled brine in a 2 gallon freezer bag, displacing air. Refrigerate 10 days, flipping daily to distribute cure.

After 10 days, rinse beef well to remove excess cure and spices, discarding brine. Refrigerate meat up to 2 weeks, or prepare as normal.

Sous Vide Flan

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Sous vide flan

This recipe requires twelve 4 oz mason jars with lids.

Ingredients

Caramel

  • 1½ cups white granular sugar
  • ⅓/cup water

Custard

  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1½ cups half & half
  • ½ cup sweetened condensed milk
  • ¾ cups white granular sugar
  • 6 medium eggs plus two yolks
  • 2 oz Liquor 43, Gran Gala, Cointreau or orange curacao

Directions

Clean and arrange twelve 4 oz mason jars on a work surface.

In a light colored pan, combine sugar and water and heat over high heat, stirring frequently. The sugar will melt and boil. Continue heating and stirring until the liquid starts to caramelize and turn amber. Do not scorch or overheat. When the liquid turns amber colored, immediately remove from heat. Working quickly, distribute the liquid among the mason jars and then immediately roll the liquid around the side of each jar before it sets. Set jars aside to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, combine milk, half and half, condensed milk and sugar. Beat with a wire whisk until the sugar dissolves.

In a separate bowl, beat eggs and egg yolks until well combined. Add eggs to the milk mixture and combine well, whisking away any egg clots. Add orange curacao.

Distribute the custard among the mason jars and seal loosely to allow steam to escape during cooking.

Preheat a water bath to 185°F. Transfer jars into the bath and allow to cook undisturbed for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, transfer jars to an ice bath to halt cooking, and refrigerate 1 hour or overnight. Store up to 2 weeks sealed in individual jars.

To serve, allow jars to warm slightly. Unseal a jar and use a knife or spatula to separate the custard from the jar. Upend the jar over a plate and use the knife or spatula to gently break the vacuum holding the custard in the jar. The custard should pop out, and the caramel sauce will drizzle over the custard.

Banana Rum Bread

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Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground clove
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups mashed banana, about 5 medium
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, browned
  • 3 oz dark, spiced rum

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 X 5-inch bread pan with butter or cooking spray.

Prepare the browned butter. In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and maintain heat until amber in color, swirling frequently, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and add the rum to the pan to halt the cooking. Allow to cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg.

In a medium bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Mix in the banana and sugar. Add butter / rum mixture to banana mixture and thoroughly incorporate.

Add banana mixture all at once to dry ingredients and stir until just mixed. Do not over mix.

Transfer batter to greased loaf pan. Bake for 55 – 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Note: Cover loaf with some tin foil in the last 15 minutes of baking should it begin to darken too much.

Remove from oven and place pan on wire rack to cool for 15 minutes.

The bread slices best after being left in plastic wrap overnight

Source: https://www.365daysofbakingandmore.com/brown-butter-rum-banana-bread/

Empanada dough

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Makes 1 dozen 4″ disks, or 2 dozen 3″ disks.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 12 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter
  • 2 large eggs, divided
  • About ⅓ cup cold milk or ½ cup cold buttermilk, divided

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Combine flour, salt and butter in the bowl of a food processor, pulsing several seconds until butter forms pea-sized clumps. Add one egg and one half of the milk or buttermilk. Pulse until combined. Slowly add remaining milk until dough just clumps.

Turn out onto a floured work surface and press flat with fingers. Fold into thirds and press flat several times, sweeping in loose bits of dough. Do not knead or use a rolling pin. Repeat folding and pressing flat several times until dough is combined. Split into 2 large balls and rest refrigerated 10 minutes, or up to 2 days.

With a rolling pin, roll a ball out into a thin sheet about ⅜” thick. Cut rounds with a biscuit cutter.

Prepare the remaining egg in a small bowl, beaten.

Fill 4″ rounds with 3 tablespoons of filling, or 3″ rounds with 2 tablespoons. Do not overfill. Dampen edges of the round with water. Fold rounds over, sealing the edge by pressing with a fork or gently pinching and twisting.

Place finished pastries on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spaced 1″ apart. Brush the pastries with the beaten egg. Bake at 425°F for 15-18 minutes, until well browned.

Shepherd’s Pie #1

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Ingredients

  • 1½ lbs ground beef (80-20 recommended)
  • ½ large white onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 1 tablespoon granulated garlic or 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 4 teaspoon flour
  • 1½ cups beef broth
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon ground thyme
  • ½ teaspoon ground parsley
  • ½ teaspoon ground sage
  • 8 cups mashed potato (about 8 servings)
  • 2 cups mixed vegetables (corn, carrot, peas, lima beans)

Directions

Prepare 8 cups (about 8 servings) of mashed potato.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a 12″ skillet, brown the beef adding salt and pepper when meat is mostly browned. When meat is browned, remove with slotted spoon, reserving fat in pan. Heat fat over medium-high heat, and dust flour over the fat, whisking until smooth to incorporate into a roux. Whisk roux until flour is cooked, and becomes fragrant. Slowly add beef broth, whisking into a thin gravy. Combine thyme, ginger and sage adjustong seasonand simmer, stirring occasionally, adjusting to taste, until reduced by a third, about 15 minutes.

Combine gravy, beef and vegetables in skillet. Spoon or pipe potatoes over the beef and spread into an even layer. Embellish with a fork.

Bake 20-30 minutes at 350°F over a foil drip pan until potatoes start to brown.

Maple Sage turkey brine

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Tangy maple and sage brine for turkey, up to 14 lb.

  • 4 quarts water, divided
  • 1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar
  • 1 cup sea salt
  • 1 cup maple syrup
  • 1 cup cider vinegar
  • 24 fresh sage leaves
  • 6 bay leaves
  • 2 tablespoons mustard powder
  • 2 tablespoons coarsely ground pepper
  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 4 quarts ice water

Raise 2 cups of water to a boil and add salt.  Simmer 3 minutes until salt is dissolved.  Cool brine to room temperature. Whisk mustard powder into vinegar and set aside.  Prepare a bouquet garni of sage and bay leaves. 

Combine ingredients in a non-reactive vessel and top up with ice water.

Clean and truss turkey, and add to brine ensuring the turkey is completely covered.  Refrigerate covered up to 24 hours.  After 24 hours, rinse turkey and pat dry.  Refrigerate uncovered overnight allowing skin to dry, allowing for a crispier finish.

Maple Cider turkey brine

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Apple and maple with herbs and aromatics.  For up to 12 lb birds.

  • 2 quarts apple cider
  • 1/2 cup kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon whole allspice berries
  • 3/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
  • 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
  • 6 (2-inch) strips orange rind
  • 2 rosemary sprigs
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 gallon cold water, divided

Raise 2 cups of water to a boil and add salt.  Simmer 3 minutes until salt is dissolved.  Cool brine to room temperature, and combine remaining ingredients in a non-reactive vessel.

Clean and truss turkey, and add to brine ensuring the turkey is completely covered.  Refrigerate covered up to 24 hours.  After 24 hours, rinse turkey and pat dry.  Refrigerate uncovered overnight allowing skin to dry, allowing for a crispier finish.

Apple Maple turkey brine

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Apple and maple with fall spices and aromatics.  For up to 12 lb birds.

  • 14 cups water (divided)
  • 1 cup kosher salt
  • 3 litres unsweetened apple juice
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 4 large garlic cloves, thickly sliced
  • 2 Tbsp. whole black peppercorn
  • 2 lemons, quartered
  • 2 oranges, quartered
  • 4 cinnamon sticks, broken into three pieces
  • 6 whole cloves
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh sage

Raise 2 cups of water to a boil and add salt.  Simmer 3 minutes until salt is dissolved.  Cool brine to room temperature, and combine remaining ingredients in a non-reactive vessel.

Clean and truss turkey, and add to brine ensuring the turkey is completely covered.  Refrigerate covered up to 24 hours.  After 24 hours, rinse turkey and pat dry.  Refrigerate uncovered overnight allowing skin to dry, allowing for a crispier finish.