With the grape harvest rapidly approaching, it makes sense to find a use for these delicious grapes, commonly referred as “Foxy”, due to their musky flavor, particularly in fermented products. If you’re planning on making grape preserves, it’s best to start this recipe at the very beginning of the day, and update it [...]]]>

With the grape harvest rapidly approaching, it makes sense to find a use for these delicious grapes, commonly referred as “Foxy”, due to their musky flavor, particularly in fermented products. If you’re planning on making grape preserves, it’s best to start this recipe at the very beginning of the day, and update it as you go along. When all the mason jars have been pulled from their water bath, you’ll have this delicious frozen treat waiting for you after a long day’s work.

Ingredients:

2 quarts concord grapes, stemmed

½ cup sugar

Juice from two limes

After washing & de-stemming all grapes,
separate into 2 or 3 batches, add each
batch to blender. Blend at high speed until
broken down, pour mixture thru strainer,
removing all grape solids. Repeat for all
batches. Add sugar & lime to grape juice,
mixing well until sugar is dissolved. Place
in refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Add
mixture to a 2 quart ice cream maker, mix
according to the manufacturers instructions.
Once set, remove from ice cream maker,
transfer to a freezer safe vessel. Cover &
freeze for at least 2 more hours.

Notes:
Although this recipe is designed for a 2 Qt ice cream maker, it only makes about 3/4 of a quart of sorbet, -a larger cooling surface is required to quickly freeze the juice, and reduce the formation of ice crystals, resulting in a silky smooth mouth feel. If you have a larger ice cream maker, feel free to increase the recipe accordingly, remembering that your final product should be no more than 1/2 the capacity of the ice cream maker.

3 Whole Cucumbers, cut into 1/2″ slices 1/2 Cantaloupe, peeled and seeded, and cut into cubes. Juice from 1 lemon 1/2 cup sugar

Divide the cucumbers and cantaloupe [...]]]> There is something exciting about seeing all the fruits of the season finally becoming ripe. Here’s a creative way to use some of those extra cucumbers:

3 Whole Cucumbers, cut into 1/2″ slices
1/2 Cantaloupe, peeled and seeded, and cut into cubes.
Juice from 1 lemon
1/2 cup sugar

Divide the cucumbers and cantaloupe into small batches, and then puree in a blender.

Strain the puree through a fine mesh sieve and discard the solids.

Add lemon juice and sugar, stir till dissolved

Place the mixture in a 2 qt ice cream maker and prepare according to the directions of your ice cream maker.

Once solid, transfer to the freezer for at least one hour to completely harden.

Archaeologists claim that olives have been part of the human culture since 3000 BC. Their complex structure, combined with their high oil content make them extremely useful. But an olive fresh from the tree is a terrible, inedible bitter fruit covered with glucosides that can only be made edible with processing.

There are [...]]]>

Archaeologists claim that olives have been part of the human culture since 3000 BC. Their complex structure, combined with their high oil content make them extremely useful. But an olive fresh from the tree is a terrible, inedible bitter fruit covered with glucosides that can only be made edible with processing.

There are three primary processing methods, and each method imparts a distinct flavor profile.

Lye Curing - historically lye was the chemical used to remove bitterness, but the results tend to be a mild olive. The olive is immersed in the lye solution then washed repeatedly till any trace of lye is removed.

Salt Curing – (think Kalamata) The olive is stored in a waterless salty environment that causes the bitterness to slowly work its way out, resulting in a very robustly flavored olive. In traditional Greek olives, this is followed up with an acid fermentation that gives the olive their acidic flavor

Water curing - The olives are kept in water, and the water is changed once or twice a day. Although the olives are full of flavor, this method doesn’t lend its self to long term preservation. Olives cured this way only keep for about a week.

Common Olives:

Mission- This is the olive commonly found on your pizza or in the salad bar. It’s cured using the lye method. Most mission olives are picked green, cured, then stored in an oxygen rich environment that turns them the traditional black color we’re used to. For a flavorful variety, try to find mission olives that indicate they were picked when they were black.
Kalamata: Strong/somewhat bitter with a “meaty” taste. Cured using the salt method, so they tend to be slightly bitter. Great in salads, or eaten plain.
Picholine: Green olive The French version is usually stored in herbs and oil creating a rich floral flavor that transforms to mildly nutty and then an incredibly buttery finish, whereas the American version is stored in vinegar, creating a mildly sour taste. They’re best eaten by themselves or added to a mild chicken salad.
Nicoise: A small purple olive with a potent punch and distinctively sour flavor. Chef Tom recommends adding a few Nicoise olives to pot roast, as the flavor complements meat very well.
Manzanilla: Ordinarily stuffed with a pimento and put in a cocktail, this is the traditional green American olive. They’re great when sliced and added to a grilled cheese sandwich. They’re acid cuts through the richness of the cheese and complements cheese’s creaminess very well.
Partanna - a large green Sicilian olive with an incredible mild flavor reminiscent of floral and nuttiness with a strong buttery finish. Hands down one of my favorite!

Olive Roasted Almonds
The initial roasting of the almonds in the pan does a great job browning the exterior. When followed up by the slow oven roast, it reduces the moisture content of the almonds to almost zero. When that is combined with the warm olives the fried rosemary, and the dried flavor from the juice the olives were stored in – WOW… It’s like eating a grown up version of popcorn.

This makes for a great appetizer, as you can make it ahead, and then just pop it in the oven at 325 for 15 minutes prior to serving.

2 Tbs Olive Oil
3 inch sprig of Rosemary
8 Oz Raw Whole Almonds
1 Tbs Sea Salt
4 Oz of assorted Greek Olives in red wine vinegar
¼ cup of “olive juice” from the Greek olives

Preheat oven to 325 Degrees F.
Preheat olive oil in an oven safe frying pan over medium/high heat until the oil starts to shimmer.
Remove leaves from rosemary, and place leaves in oil, tossing until all leaves are coated.
Reduce heat to medium
Add almonds and salt and toss in oil, let roast for 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes (almonds will start to make a popping noise.
Add olives and olive juice to the almonds.
Transfer entire mix to the oven and roast for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and serve while still warm.

The trick to this dish is getting the almonds nice and brown before putting them in the oven. The heat of the pan while on the stove causes all sorts of chemical reactions, creating some pretty great flavor compounds. However, if you were to keep the almonds on the stove, they would burn before the moisture in the middle was gone. By using a two step browning/roasting strategy, you get the intense flavor of the browning process, with the light texture that comes from evaporating off the moisture in the oven. This is a GREAT appetizer that will go fast. Make extra.

Nicoise Pot Roast
I LOVE the flavors of a good pot roast. The trick is to let the roast sit at roughly 210 for an hour or so. At this temperature the connective tissues (glycogen) transform into gelatin, coating the long protein strands of normally tough meat, and turning them into tender morsels of deliciousness.

This version calls on French methods to produce an outstanding overall meal.

3 lb pot roast, preferably “chuck” in nature, trimmed of outside fat, reserve the fat for popovers.
2 Tbs cooking oil
1 lb pearl onions
2 lbs peeled carrots, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 tsp Sea Salt
1/3 cup all purpose flour
8 oz crimini/baby bella mushrooms cut into 1/4ths
1 bottle dry red wine (Cabernet, Zin or Syrah) (use 3 extra cups chicken stock if you choose to omit wine)
1 cup low sodium chicken stock
1 cup water
Zest from 1/3 of an orange
3 Tbs anchovy paste
5 sprigs thyme
1/2 cup nicoise olives (kalamata will work too)
2 bay leaves

Preheat oven to 325. Add cooking oil to an enamel coated dutch oven and warm over medium high heat. Once the oil starts to shimmer (but before it starts to smoke) add the roast and brown on all sides. Remove the meat. Add the onions and carrots to the pot and cook until onions turn transluscent.

Sprinkle the flour over the onions/carrots, and stir to combine, making sure that no flour chunks form. Add the mushrooms, red wine, chicken stock and water. Bring to a strong simmer. Add orange zest, anchovy paste, olives, thyme and bay leaves.

Cover the dutch oven with a sheet of aluminum foil, and then place lid on dutch oven. Place in oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until meat is fork tender.

Remove the dutch oven from the oven, and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Remove bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Carve the pot roast, and plate with carrots and onions, and cover with the remaining pan gravy.

Breading. It’s not the easiest thing in the world. There is a trick to doing it and keeping your hands (and breading tubs) relatively clean.

The trick? Work with both hands. One hand is your “wet” hand (for putting the wet chicken into the flour, and pulling it out of the egg wash) [...]]]>

Breading. It’s not the easiest thing in the world. There is a trick to doing it and keeping your hands (and breading tubs) relatively clean.

The trick? Work with both hands. One hand is your “wet” hand (for putting the wet chicken into the flour, and pulling it out of the egg wash) and one “dry” hand (handling the floured chicken, and pulling the breaded chicken out of the pecan crumbs). The only challenge with this method is when the egg coated chicken is sitting in your breading. Pull the wet chicken out of the egg with your “wet” hand, and then sprinkle the chicken with the breading using your “dry” hand. If you can avoid touching the chicken while it’s in the breading until the last possible moment, the breading will act as a dry barrier to your hand, keeping it clean and breading free.

Feel free to go heavy on the flour. It acts as a glue for the egg, making sure the breading remains on the chicken. Too little flour will cause your breading to separate from your chicken.

This recipe goes GREAT with Sweet Potato Tater Tots

2 lbs chicken breasts, cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch wide strips
1/2 cup all purpose flour
3 eggs
2 Tbs Milk
1 Tbs Soy Sauce
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
1 cup finely ground/chopped pecans
1 Tsp Ground Chipotle pepper (optional if you’re serving kids that don’t like a kick to their food)
2 Tsp Salt
2 Tbs Brown Sugar

Set up 3 separate breading tubs, one containing flour, the second containing the eggs, soy and milk, with the third station containing panko, pecans, pepper and salt.

Divide your chicken strips into 4 equal batches.

Flour each batch, then immerse in egg, then transfer to pecan/panko breading, taking care to let the egg drip off prior to putting in the panko breading.

Continue the process until all the chicken is coated.

Place on a well oiled baking sheet, and bake for 18-20 minutes, turning halfway through.

Upon removal from the oven, immediately transfer to a cooling rack to retain crispness.

Discard any remaining flour, egg and/or breading.

The Shortcake: 2 1/2 cups all [...]]]> Look out! Here’s a great way to take advantage of the orange infused oil we made today on Good Things Utah. Because orange is incorporated into the dish in 3 different ways, the way your mouth and nose perceive the orange flavor is extended, meaning it’s SUPER orange!!!

The Shortcake:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbs Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Cup Sugar
1 stick of Butter (1/2 cup)
1 large egg, separated
Orange Zest from one piece of fruit (roughly 1 Tsp)
1 cup buttermilk
1 Tbs additional Sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 425.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar and mix well.

Add butter and blend in a food processor, or with a pastry blender until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.

Whisk egg yolk, buttermilk and orange zest until incorporated

Combine liquid with dry ingredients and and mix until just incorporated (the less you mix the better).

Turn the dough out on to a floured surface.

Spray your hands with non stick cooking spray and knead the dough 3 or 4 times, then pat down to 3/4 inch thick

Using a biscuit cutter, cut out shortcakes and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Press any excess dough together and continue to cut out additional cakes until the dough is used (recipe should make 8 cakes)

Brush the top of each cake with egg yolk, then sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, until tops are golden. Cool on wire baking rack.

The Orangesicle Pastry Cream
3 cups milk
4 TB Orange Infused Oil
8 egg yolks
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
½ cup corn starch
1 tsp vanilla
2 drops red food coloring
4 drops yellow food coloring

Add 3 cups milk and orange infused oil to a saucepan and place over high heat. While this is heating, combine egg yolks, 1 cup milk, 1 cup sugar, and ½ cup cornstarch and whisk well until completely combined/smooth.

Once the milk/butter mixture comes to a boil, temporarily pull the saucepan off the burner and slowly add ½ of the egg/milk mixture, mixing well while adding. Return the saucepan to the burner and slowly add the remaining egg/milk mixture, stirring the entire time. Cook the mixture, taking great care to stir throughout the cooking process. Be sure to stir all the way to the bottom of the saucepan to prevent scorching. Once bubbles start forming in the pastry cream, remove from the heat, add vanilla, orange oil, and food coloring. Mix WELL to combine.

Pastry cream should be cooled before adding to the shortcake. To cool, transfer cream from saucepan into fridge worthy bowl and place piece of cling wrap directly on the surface of the cream.

Putting it all together:
You’ll need:
Orange Shortcakes
Creamsicle Pastry Cream
4 oranges cut into segments

Cut each shortcake horizontally.

Divide the orange segments evenly and place them on top of the bottom half of the shortcake.

Spread pastry cream over the top of the orange segments.

Place the top half of the shortcake on the pile of yummy orangeness.

If you have any remaining pastry cream, pipe little flowers or rosettes on top of each dessert.

We talked about making infused oils today on Good Things Utah. Here are some great tips, and a few easy recipes.

Most of the amazing flavors we associate with taste are fat soluble (thus the phrase fat=flavor)

General tips on infusions/compounds: -Put infused oils into a bottle that’s been recently sanitized. -Store all [...]]]>

We talked about making infused oils today on Good Things Utah. Here are some great tips, and a few easy recipes.

Most of the amazing flavors we associate with taste are fat soluble (thus the phrase fat=flavor)

General tips on infusions/compounds:
-Put infused oils into a bottle that’s been recently sanitized.
-Store all infusions in the fridge. The addition of water and organic material makes it unsafe to store on the counter-top.
-For cold infusions and compounding, it’s best to bring water to a boil, and then immerse the herb in boiling water for 10 seconds (blanching) to kill any unwanted bacteria. Pull the herb out of the hot water, immediately put it in cold water, and dry thoroughly prior to infusing or compounding.
-Some older cookbooks recommend letting the oil sit with the herbs on the counter-top as a method of infusing the flavor. This is a very dangerous way to flavor your oils and not recommended.

Method 1: Hot Infusion
This is a great way to turn regular ole butter into Lemon Grass butter, or Olive Oil into Basil Oil.

All you need to do, is mix your oil/butter with the clean herb of your choice, put it in an oven safe cooking vessel, and then let it sit in a 200 degree oven for 45 minutes. All the flavorful compounds in the herbs will make their way into the oil.

After it’s done, you can either strain the herbs out into a sterile container while it’s still hot and just use the flavored oil, or keep the herbs inside the oil for additional color. Be sure and keep the oil refrigerated and use it within one week.

Some great hot infused oils:
-Mix finely minced orange peels with a neutral oil such as canola or grapeseed and then strain for a delicious orange oil. -great in pastry cream, and brownies.
-Combine lemon peel and lemon grass with butter for an amazing lemon butter. – it is a fun way to improve traditional drawn butter normally
served with shellfish
-Combine basil stems with olive oil for a rich basil oil that pairs very well with tomatoes
-Combine nutmeg and cardamom with a neutral oil for a delicious and complex oil that is great with rice.
-Mix rosemary with olive oil and brush it on bread before making a grilled cheese sandwich

Method 2: Cold Infusion
Combine herbs and oil in a blender. The blending action causes the herb to release its oils, and add amazing flavor. Strain herbs that tend to be woody (like ginger, garlic, horseradish) prior to serving. Refrigerate immediately and use within a few days to keep from spoiling.

Some great cold infused oils:
Cilantro with a neutral oil is a great topping to mexican dishes
Roasted Shallots or Garlic and olive oil are great in vinaigrette
Chili Peppers with a neutral oil gives an incredible kick to an otherwise spicy dish. Capsaicin, the compound that makes your mouth tingle with hot, is oil soluble, so be careful, you can turn regular oil into 5 alarm oil in a hurry.
Mint with a neutral oil works great as a refreshing salad dressing.

Method 3: Compounding
This method is normally used for solid fat (most commonly butter or cream cheese). Since fat is extremely accepting of new flavors, stirring in aromatic herbs without melting the fat and then storing it in the fridge allows for the flavors to marry with the fat, creating a velvety and delicious spread.

The easy way to compound fat is to allow it to soften at room temperature, blanch and finely mince the herb, mix it in, and then put it back in the fridge to harden. Some chefs will use parchment or wax paper to mold the fat into a roll to make it easy to slice.

Mix dill and butter for a great fish topping
Combine tarragon, thyme and butter for an amazingly rich steak topping
Lime zest and butter goes extremely well on roast veggies.

Easy infusion recipes:

Cold Infused Basil Oil
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh basil

Combine in a blender/food processor and mix till finely chopped.

Strain into a sterilized bottle and keep in the fridge.

Orange Oil
Rind from two oranges, finely chopped
1/2 cup canola oil

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
Combine oil and orange rind in an oven safe container
Bake for 45 minutes
Strain the oil into a sterilized bottle and keep in the fridge.

Lemon Peel Butter – goes GREAT with shellfish
1/2 cup butter
Peel from one lemon
Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
Combine oil and lemon zest in an oven safe container
Bake for 45 minutes
Strain the oil into a sterilized bottle and keep in the fridge.

1 Tbs Olive Oil 1 cup Arborio Rice 1/2 medium yellow onion – minced 1 clove garlic – minced 12 oz can Coconut Milk Chicken stock to make 2 1/2 cups total liquid (approx 1 cup) Juice from one [...]]]> This unconventional twist on risotto results in a creamy dish full of rich coconut flavor.

1 Tbs Olive Oil
1 cup Arborio Rice
1/2 medium yellow onion – minced
1 clove garlic – minced
12 oz can Coconut Milk
Chicken stock to make 2 1/2 cups total liquid (approx 1 cup)
Juice from one lime
Salt to Taste

Combine oil, onion and garlic over medium high heat, cooking until onion is translucent (but not brown). Add rice and stir, stir, stir until the rice turns from clear to white (microscopic cracks form in the rice releasing the starch, and causing the individual grains to reflect the light, making the grain turn a solid color).
Combine coconut milk, lime juice and chicken stock.
Add just enough liquid to cover the rice (should be no more than 1/4th of the total liquid). Stir frequently.
Continue the process of adding liquid, making sure the liquid never rises above the level of the rice. Continue to stir frequently.
Cook until rice is Al Dente (roughly 45 minutes). Salt to taste.
Garnish with some grated nutmeg.