117. Melon and Prosciutto

Date Cooked: November 10, 2009
Page: 18
Rating: B-

This barely qualifies as a recipe so don’t expect a long drawn out explanation. I had picked up a honeydew melon at the grocery store specifically because I had it in my mind to make this appetizer. I had some prosciutto in the fridge so I figured let’s chop up the melon into slices and wrap some prosciutto around it.

Rating: B-. You know what… as simple as it sounds the flavors work so well together. The salty prosciutto paired against the light sweetness of the melon was refreshing and satisfying. I enjoyed it.

116. Classic Deviled Eggs

Date Cooked: November 1, 2009
Page: 22
Rating: A+

This is one of those recipes that I feel I am supposed to hate because they come straight out of the 70’s and 80’s. But I don’t hate them. In fact I am the one that will eat a platter of them, sneaking them when no one is looking until they are all gone. So I was looking forward to this.

I was supposed to use the recipe for foolproof Hard-boiled Eggs but I won’t ever try that again. At least not while I continue to get fresh eggs delivered. So I boiled seven eggs, peeled them, sliced them carefully in half and popped out the yolks.

In a mixing bowl I mashed the yolks with mayonnaise, whole grain mustard, cider vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. I transferred the mixture to a ziploc bag and piped the mixture back into the egg white halves. Let’s just say that piping is not really my strong point. A little cayenne was sprinkled on top.

Rating: A+. These were tasty! I will absolutely make these things again. That’s all I have to say about them. I think I should make more tonight.

79. Herb-Poached Shrimp

Date Cooked: May 10, 2009
Page: 21
Rating: B+

** That is a very bad picture. I know. I failed at poaching shrimp.**

Shrimp were one of those foods that as a child I despised, but as an adult love. Although both my wife and I agree that the larger the shrimp gets the more important it is that it is cooked correctly. Although the recipe for herb-poached shrimp recommends extra large, all I had were large so they would have to do.

I started by peeling the shells off the shrimp which would be used to create a stock for poaching the shrimp in. If I had thought more about presentation, I would have left the tail piece on but I didn’t really think about it until later. Not that it would have mattered as you can tell by the picture. They looked horrible, but more on that tragedy shortly. With the shrimp de-shelled I set to making the poaching broth.

The shells were boiled in salted water for about twenty minutes. Once done the shells were discarded and into the hot liquid went, tarragon, parsley, coriander seeds, black peppercorns, lemon juice and white wine. The ingredients were boiled for a few minutes to allow their flavors to unite before the shrimp were added. Once the shrimp were in the solution the temperature was turned off and they were left to soak for 8-10 minutes. Or that’s how long they were supposed to be.

I think almost twenty-five minutes passed before I realized they were still in the stock. With great alarm I lifted the lid and was shocked by the disaster I had wrought! I could barely see the shrimp because the water had turned very milky white. I quickly removed the shrimp (and everything else in the water since I couldn’t see anything in the white liquid), and plunged them into an ice water bath to stop the cooking process, 15 minutes later than required.

I was a little heart-broken with this disaster since I knew the shrimp were very overcooked and tough. My wife’s family like shrimp and every family get together involves them. Well since this was a mother’s day meal with family I put them out anyway and they were still all eaten. The sauces I had made for them may have helped a little.

Rating: B+. I will make these again if only to validate that I screwed it up bad. You could taste the herb flavors but since they were so overcooked I’m sure a lot of the flavor that was gained was subsequently lost.

65. Buffalo Chicken Wings

Date Cooked: February 1, 2009
Page: 28
Rating: A+

I love wings! I’m not the type of person that loves every type of wing or loves them suicidally hot. I just love a good crispy chicken wing, nicely spiced with a good sauce or two for dipping. I had also never thought to make my own wings. Superbowl Sunday I attempted to make some wings.

Throughout this project I have become more comfortable with certain cooking techniques. Hot oil and I used to be afraid of each other, or rather I used to be afraid of it. Oil can’t be afraid of things, it’s just oil. Anyway I have learned to wear long sleeves when using oil and the splatter screen is a valuable household utensil. Deep-frying though is something I had never considered without the purchase of a specialty appliance. Turns out I can deep fry in my dutch oven. This was an experience that ended with tasty results (and a foul smell liquid to get rid of).

I picked up 3 pounds of wings from the grocery store to give this recipe a try. The first thing to do was bring the oil up to temperature. It crept along slowly until all of a sudden the temperature was dangerously approaching 400. It was supposed to go to 360. I removed it from the heat and let the temperature get under control while I finished coating the wings with salt, cornstarch and cayenne pepper. Once nicely coated the first batch was dumped into the oil… well actually I carefully placed each wing in the oil, I’m sure a hospital visit would have been in order had I just dumped them in. The oil did not splatter as I had imagined it would. I took great care to pat dry each wing before tossing it in the coating so the lack of excess water probably helped. I set the timer for ten minutes and waited, carefully monitoring the oil temperature. Once done I pulled them from the oil with long handled tongs (the longest I could find) and placed them on a warmed, paper towel lined baking sheet in the oven. Then I loaded in the next batch in the oil.

I had to try one and I was blown away! These wings were my perfect wing! It was instantly apparent that the three pounds of wings would not be enough so we quickly called my mother-in-law to pick up more wings on her way over. Once the three pounds were and waiting in the oven I finished up the sauce.

The sauce was a simple preparation. Melted butter in a saucepan to which brown sugar, Frank’s Louisiana’s Hot Sauce and vinegar were added. This sauce can be spiced up a lot more depending on preference simply by adding different types of hot sauce. I like a tangy sauce with a bit of heat. Too much heat takes away from my enjoyment of the wings.

Rating: A+. Absolutely amazing wings! They were nicely seasoned and came out perfectly crispy. These alone will get me to invest in a good deep-fryer. I thought the sauce was good but my wife loved it! The worst part of this recipe was having to dispose of the used oil. After deep-frying 5lbs of wings the oil was rather dark and too be honest a bit foul smelling. I had to scour my garage for a container to dump it in since I had no intention of reusing it. I look forward to the next time I make my own wings.

64. Herbed Spinach Dip

Date Cooked: February 1, 2009
Page: 12
Rating: C-

I like spinach dips. I really love spinach dips with pumpernickel bread. For Superbowl Sunday I decided to cook up a few appetizers and this herbed spinach dish was one of them. I had so much frozen spinach in the freezer that this was a good chance to start using it up.

Not a hard dish to put together. Spinach was thawed out and squeezed to remove excess water. Everything then gets a spin in the food processor. Your basics were all present and accounted for, mayonnaise, sour cream, scallions, garlic, salt and pepper, parsley and dill. In addition red pepper and some hot sauce were thrown in. A simple recipe to make.

Rating: C-. This dish tasted mildly of fish. I don’t know what happened but I suspect the spinach. It absolutely turned everyone off the dip. What a waste of food! I’m sure it was the quality of the spinach which concerns me because I have more of it in my freezer.

51. Chunky Guacamole

Dated Cooked: January 9, 2009
Page: 26
Rating: B

Guacamole, my wife loves avocados and while I don’t dislike them they have never held the same place in my heart as they do in hers. We both enjoy guacamole but my wife is a real connoisseur. So I prepared this recipe knowing I was trying to impress her taste buds. Did I succeed? Let’s find out.

The recipe is a rather straightforward concoction. Three medium ripe avocados are used. The first one gets mashed up into a paste and mixed with the rest of the ingredients which includes such delightful items such as onions, garlic, jalapeno peppers and cilantro. I have come to the conclusion that I LOVE cilantro. A few years back my wife made some appetizers that prominently feature cilantro. I was overwhelmed by the taste and immediately confused the overwhelmed feeling with a dislike of them. Now a few years later I look forward to any recipe that uses cilantro. I can’t really imagine how I ever made it that far in life without having tried cilantro.

Anyway… The recipe says chunky guacamole but I encountered a problem the second I cut into the avocado. Ripeness. These avocados were not really rock solid but I’m sure if one of these was thrown at someone’s head they would be nursing a rather large bruise after they awoke from their avocado induced slumber. Mashing was becoming an issue so I gave up and took out the food processor. I was also lazy so instead of cutting the remaining two avocados into small cubes I just tossed them in the food processor for a few pulses.

Rating: B. With the help of the food processor the final result was tasty and not to chunky. That being said the ripeness of the avocados affected the taste. The flavor just wasn’t full-bodied? Vibrant? I’m struggling to describe it… something was missing. If the flavors were painting my tongue they just kept missing a spot and no matter how much I ate that spot was not being reached. It was still good though and my wife liked it, so I will make it again, but next time I will ensure that the avocados have time to ripen.

50. Classic Red Tomato Salsa

Date Cooked: January 9, 2009
Page: 24
Rating: A

This was prepared as a side dish to the main meal we were going to be eating. Since it was recommended I figured why not knock this recipe out as well. I will admit I was pretty dubious about liking this recipe since it contained tomatoes and my wife dislikes tomatoes and I am less than enthusiastic about eating them… let’s just say things didn’t turn out as expected.

The recipe is very simple. Basically a bunch of chopping and then letting the whole batch rest for the flavors to get acquainted. It’s hard to write much about the process since it didn’t really involve any difficult techniques. I halved the recipe since it was just my wife and I. But forget the preparation and let’s talk taste.

It was extremely fresh tasting salsa (as should be expected) and really surprised me how much I liked it. I was thoroughly impressed and although it didn’t beat my favorite standby salsa (Garden Fresh that we buy at Costco) it definitely beat out any other I’ve ever purchased.

I did do one thing though not mentioned in the recipe. I seeded the tomatoes… it’s the part that both my wife and I really dislike. The gross slimy interior of tomatoes really doesn’t turn me on to them. I’ve never really had a problem with the taste of the tomato but the texture of the interior is definitely not a selling point.

Rating: A. This is a really good rating due to the main component being tomatoes.

I just realized this is blog post 50 for recipes from the book! I finally feel like I am making some progress... of course I still have chapters in the book I haven't even touched! Might be time to bake a cake or cook some lamb.

04. Pita Chips - A Second Place Side

Date Cooked: August 23, 2008
Recipe: 4
Page: 16

When I made the last batch of hummus I wanted to try my hand at the pita chips that the ‘Best’ book suggested. These pita chips couldn’t have been easier to make… well actually they could have. You need to brush oil on each cut slice, I hate brushing oil on things… especially when those things are several dozen cut pita slices. When I made the second batch I just spread oil on the full pita round before slicing them. Much quicker so I’m not sure why the recipe indicates cutting them first. With a sprinkle of salt these spent 10-12 minutes relaxing in the oven earning them a nice golden tan. They ended up crispy without the sometimes dried burnt flavor toasted bread products can get. These paired wonderfully with the hummus I had made.

While the pita chips were easy to make, I’m not sure how often I would make these. Currently I enjoy grilled naan for serving with my hummus so the pitas are a measly second place choice. Although while I sit here and type this I am actually thinking these pita chips sprinkled with a little cayenne or some other simple spices would probably be pretty awesome. Maybe I will try these again soon after all.

01. Hummus - Where It All Began

Date Cooked: August 23, 2008
Recipe: 1
Page: 13

So this is the recipe that started it all. Back on that fateful day in the grocery store when I defied the corporate man and decided to spend my money making fresh hummus instead of buying a prepackaged container I’m sure they all just smiled. I was going to spend more money buying the ingredients to make the hummus than I would have if I had just bought the single container. Of course this doesn’t take into consideration the numerous batches of hummus I would be able to make from these ingredients so I win in the end!

The only difficulty I had in getting the ingredients for this recipe was finding the tahini, which is essentially ground sesame seeds, nothing else. I hit several large supermarkets until I eventually found it. In the past few weeks I have definitely discovered the stores in my area that carry the non-standard ingredients… I call them non-standard but considering the ethnic diversity of my community they are actually pretty standard. I’m just learning to open my eyes and look.

Hummus is really easy to make if you have a food processor and I was really surprised at both how good it turned out for a first attempt and how quick it is to make. I think I spend more time getting the food processor out and then cleaned up and put away than it takes to actually make. Well this would be true if I hadn’t discovered how to make it a truly smooth texture.

The ‘Best’ recipe makes mention that after rinsing the chick peas and towel drying them some lose their ‘skin’ making for a smoother hummus. Well I have found that if I take this to the extreme and remove the skin from each bean then I get a very smooth texture. Apparently I don’t have enough to do in the course of a day that peeling chick peas is an acceptable practice. But the results are worth it, a creamy dip without the slightly fibrous texture of the chick pea skin.

Since my first attempt at making hummus I have begun to deviate away from the ‘Best’ recipe. I have found that I like a spicier hummus with a little more garlic in it. A pinch in the ‘Best’ recipe usually translates into a half teaspoon or more.

I will continue to make hummus frequently. I always enjoyed it as a light dip and only ate it during family gatherings or social events, now I can enjoy it whenever I feel like peeling several hundred individual chick peas.