my life » Culinary

Ribs – The Recipe

Devon — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 07:04:01 +0000

So, people have asked for this. No surprise. For those who are brave enough to attempt this recipe (I promise you that it’s worth it!), please make sure that you give yourself plenty of time. This is not a recipe that can be rushed.

Ingredients:

3 thawed racks of (baby-) back ribs†

For the roasting glaze:
2 C. Stubbs Original BBQ Sauce
2 C. Bullseye BBQ Sauce
2 C. Catalina dressing

For the grilling glaze:
¼ C. pineapple juice
¼ C. whiskey or brandy‡
1 Tbsp. coarse-ground black pepper
1 tsp. ground red pepper

† I picked mine up at Costco for $23 and they turned out great.
‡ Yes, you can omit this if you prefer not to cook with alcohol.

Instructions:

1. Determine the lowest temperature at which your oven can operate. To fully cook, pork needs to reach 165°F, but to keep the meat tender, we want to first heat it for an extended time at a low temperature rather than merely trying to get the meat to reach that cooking point. For more detail, please read this great article on the subject: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/30/dining/30curious.html

2. Preheat the oven to the desired temperature. The lowest my oven can go is 170ºF, which left my ribs a little drier than I would have preferred, but a lot of people may not even notice the difference.

3. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the ribs on the foil and baste them thoroughly with the roasting glaze. Turn and do the same for the other side.

4. Cover the baking sheet and ribs with foil, making sure to seal the edges. This reduce the amount of moisture that is lost. Place the covered sheet on the middle rack of the oven. If you’re really concerned about moisture retention, you can also put a 9″×13″ pan filled with water on the bottom rack. Just realize that this will add even more time to the tenderizing process.

5. Flip and re-baste the ribs every 2-3 hours or as needed, re-sealing the foil each time.

6. After the ribs have reached the desired tenderness (or your guests are just too hungry to wait any more), remove the ribs from oven and start preheating your grill at low flame.

7. Add the ingredients for the grilling glaze to what remains of the basting glaze.

8. Place the ribs on a grilling pan and place on the grill at low flame (or just line the grill with foil and mist the foil with olive oil.) Coat the ribs with the glaze mixture and close the grill.

9. Rotate, flip, and re-coat the ribs frequently until done, using up the remainder of the glaze mixture. (Ribs are done when they begin to fall apart when you try to flip them.)

10. Grab a roll of paper towels and enjoy!

Posted from Provo, Utah, United States.

Ribs and other amazing things

Devon — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 14:16:42 +0000

Last week I was ~~coerced~~ ~~challenged~~ strongly encouraged to do ribs for the 4th of July. It was probably one of the best culinary decisions I’ve ever made in my life so far. They were amazing. Not perfect, or just really good, but amazing. And this is coming from someone generally known to be fairly critical of food. Were they a little drier than I would have preferred? Yes. Did the meat fall off of the bones and did the glaze make you wish you could lick you fingers for hours? Yes.

I’ll be happy to provide my recipe to anyone who wants it – I’m just waiting to type it up until I know that I really need to. The basic idea is to slow-cook the ribs at a low temperature before finishing them on the grill over a low flame.

I also made a batch of Nutella Walnut Chocolate Chip cookies, which were also pretty darn good.

Posted from Provo, Utah, United States.

Summer Solstice

Devon — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 03:30:47 +0000

Three important parts to the first official day of summer:

A Pool

Watermelon Carving

Dill-crusted Salmon and Eggplant

Recipe! Friday: Fudge-Centered Orange Wafers

Devon — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 06:15:17 +0000

This is a fairly simple recipe that, more than anything else, just requires the dough and fudge to chill in the refrigerator. It’s a great recipe to make in advance, as the completed logs can be wrapped and stored in the freezer until they are needed, and a single batch makes 7 dozen (small and thin) cookies.

Fudge Ingredients:

1 ½ cups chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon orange extract
1 ½ cups chopped pecans or walnuts

Fudge Instructions:

1. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips and butter.
2. Once the chocolate is melted stir in the sweetened condensed milk, nuts, and vanilla and orange extracts. Chill for 30 minutes or until firm to the touch.
3. Form the fudge into logs between 12″-15″ long and ½″-¾″ thick. Wrap in parchment paper and refrigerate until firm.

Dough Ingredients:

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 egg
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda

Dough Instructions:

1. Cut the butter into ½″ cubes and place in bowl of electric mixer.
2. With the paddle attachment, beat in sugar and zest at medium-high speed for about 5 minutes, until light and fluffy.
3. At low speed, beat in the egg.
4. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda. At low speed, mix into mutter mixture just until incorporated. The dough should stick together in clumps but not pull away from the sides of the bowl.
5. Roll the dough into 12″-15″ long × 4″-5″ wide sheets ¼″ in thickness on parchment paper and refrigerate until firm.

Final Instructions:

1. Wrap the chilled dough around the fudge logs so that the edges overlap slightly. Press the edges together to seal as necessary.
2. Re-wrap the logs with parchment paper and chill for another hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
4. After the logs have chilled, cut into ¼″ slices and set 1″ apart on the baking sheet.
5. Bake for 8-9 minutes or until edges begin to brown slightly. The fudge center will remain soft.
6. Cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Entering the new year

Devon — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 05:58:57 +0000

Today marked the first day of the new semester. I’m not particularly thrilled about the prospect of having to cram 6 hours of class and 18 hours of homework into my already packed schedule, mainly because I know from experience that the first two things to suffer are my sleep schedule and my social life, both of which I could use a lot more of rather than less.

So far I’ve done fairly well keeping my resolutions. That isn’t saying much given that we’re only 4 days into the new year, but I’ll take what small successes I can. I’m kind of glad to be kicking fast food out of my diet – I purchased a small refrigerator from my cousin who’s being transferred to our offices in Thailand, so that will help me cut down on lunch expenses. The only true obstacles to completely avoiding fast food will be when I’m traveling. Although if I could find a sit-down restaurant in Malad, Idaho last summer, I should be able to find one just about anywhere. Besides, the McDonald’s in Park City doesn’t stay open past midnight anyway, so what’s the point.

To identify what is and isn’t fast food, I’ve developed a set of questions. If the answer is yes to any of the following, then it’s a culinary no-no:

Can it be purchased at a gas station or convenience store?
Is there a drive-thru?
Does it come wrapped in paper and tinfoil?

Christmas in Oklahoma

Devon — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 06:12:43 +0000

I returned last night from visiting my parents and siblings back in Oklahoma. It was nice to be back there for a few days, even if two were spent stuck indoors thanks to that nasty blizzard. Snow shoveling aside, I enjoyed seeing the family for a few days and being able to relax for a bit.

The primary benefactor from this year’s Christmas haul is, without a doubt, my gastronomical impulses:

From ma complice belle:
- Julia’s Kitchen Wisdom
- A cooking journal/recipe diary with three incredible recipes (I’m dying to try the baked Brie)
- Julie & Julia on DVD
From the folks:
- A blender! (Hard to believe I haven’t had one since the mission, isn’t it?)
- Pasta attachments for my KitchenAid
- A pasta drying stand
- The Pasta Bible
- The Williams-Sonoma Collection: Dessert
- Baking chocolate
- A springform pan
From my sister:
- An apron, another kitchen necessity that I’ve long neglected

Recipe! Friday: Pies!

Devon — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 05:58:09 +0000

Many of you have probably heard of the up-and-coming fad of Pie Wednesday, which is exactly what it sounds like – rather than waiting until after we’ve all stuff our pie holes with things other than pie, we bake as many pies as we possibly can the day before Thanksgiving, and immediately commence devouring them like a pack of starving hyenas. Because this results in a large number of pies being baked (and consumed) in a very sort span of time, it’s critical that there be a fair amount of variety among the selection of pies. No one wants to end up with dozen pumpkin and apple pies – unless, perhaps, you work at a bakery or grocery store. I chose to go with a Butterscotch Pear pie and a Raspberry Bavarian Cream pie, the latter inspired by a viewing of Julie & Julia while on a recent date. The pies that the others baked were even more amazing – this will definitely become a standing tradition, just as will the day-after-Thanksgiving airsoft war. I’ll post the recipes shortly.

Serious Fruit Salad

Devon — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 06:14:30 +0000

I’ve had a lot of fruit salads over the short span of my life – some were great, others not so much. Many of them, quite frankly, have contained more high-fructose corn syrup than actual fruit, which is a sad statement on American cuisine. The recipe I like to follow is simple, delicious, and equally elegant – enjoy!

Ingredients:

3–4 cups whipping cream, chilled
¼ cup confectioner’s or baker’s sugar (optional)
3 large apples, chilled
2 pears, chilled
4 almost-ripe bananas
2 pomegranates, de-seeded

Instructions:

Combine cream and sugar if desired
In a large bowl, whip the cream until it stiffens
Wash, peel, core, and slice the apples and pears. Gently fold the pieces into the whipped cream.
Peel and slice the bananas and gently fold into the mixture.
Carefully fold the pomegranate seeds into the mixture, chill, and serve.

Recipe! Friday: Provolone Oregano Focaccia

Devon — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 01:02:26 +0000

Provolone Oregano Focaccia topped with Kalamata olives, chopped walnuts, and Parmesan and Asiago cheeses with a fresh mozzarella salad

A week ago, I invited a good friend to a bread bake which my cousin’s wife was hosting. While my friend wasn’t able to make it that night, she suggested that we make an attempt at focaccia, which we did last night. This is a slightly modified version of a recipe from King Arthur Flour. Feel free to substitute your own toppings to make it your own – it’s hard to go wrong with focaccia! The dough requires a lot of time to rise (1 hour and 55 minutes at room temperature), so hopefully you’re as fortunate as I am and have someone who’s willing to bake this with you! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/3 cup olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 tablespoon (1 package) active dry yeast
1 ½ cups warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup semolina flour*
1 cup Provolone cheese, finely diced
2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
½ cup pitted Kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
¼ cup shelled walnuts, finely chopped
* I found was able to find some at the local Good Earth Natural Foods Market

Instructions:

Heat garlic and oil over medium heat until garlic begins to brown slightly. Remove from heat and cool.
In a large bowl, stir yeast into water to soften. Add sugar, salt, 2 tablespoons of the cooled garlic/olive oil mixture, whole wheat flour, semolina flour, Provolone cheese, and oregano. Beat vigorously for 2 minutes.
Gradually add flour, a little at a time, until the dough is stiff enough to knead. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead, adding flour as necessary, until you have a smooth, elastic dough. Put dough into an oiled bowl. Turn once to coat the entire ball of dough with oil. Cover with towel and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
Lightly grease and flour a shallow 12″×18″ baking sheet. Turn the dough out into the baking sheet and press the dough to the edges. Do not remove all the air – big holes make the bread more interesting. Cover and let rise for 25 minutes.
Dimple the dough – press all the way to the bottom of the pan with fingertips. Each hole should be about 1 inch from the next. Cover the dough and let rise for 20 minutes more.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Just before baking, drizzle the top of the dough with the remaining garlic/olive oil mixture, allowing it to puddle in the dimples. Use a pastry brush to apply an even, light coat of olive oil to the top of the dough, using extra oil if necessary. Gently sprinkle the chopped olives and walnuts and grated Parmesan over the dough.
Bake for 25 minutes, or until done. Immediately remove bread from pan and put on a wire rack. Focaccia is best eaten slightly warm, or at room temperature.

Recipe! Friday: Apple Cider Donuts

Devon — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 02:03:56 +0000

This was my first attempt at donuts (or doughnuts, if you prefer), and I was pleasantly surprised by the results. These cake donuts have a very subtle apple taste to them, so you might want to try adding finely diced Granny Smiths for more apple-ness. I used a 2¾″ donut cutter and ended up with a ton of donuts — I also learned that they come out a lot better if you keep the dough rolled ½″ thick (and the dough separate from the cutter much easier, too.) Enjoy!

Ingredients:

For the donuts:

1 cup apple cider
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
½ cup buttermilk
vegetable oil (for frying)

For the glaze:

1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider

Instructions:

In a saucepan over medium or heat, gently reduce the apple cider to about ¼ cup, about 20–30 minutes. Set aside to cool.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the eggs at low speed, one at a time, mixing each until completely incorporated. Gradually add the reduced apple cider and buttermilk, mixing until combined. Add dry ingredients and mix just until dough comes together.
On a floured sheet of parchment or waxed paper, roll or pat dough to ½″ thickness and place on a sheet pan in the freezer for 20 minutes.
Add 3–4 inches of oil to a deep-sided pan at medium heat until the oil reaches 350°F (a candy thermometer works great here.)
While the oil is heating, pull the dough out of the freezer and cut out donuts using a 3″ donut cutter. Place the cut donuts and donut holes onto a sheet pan and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Line a plate or cooling rack with multiple layers of paper towels.
In a small pan, whisk together the apple cider and confectioners’ sugar for the glaze on medium-low heat until the mixture is smooth and the sugar is completely dissolved, then reduce heat to low.
To fry, place the donuts in the oil for 60 seconds, then flip them over for another 30–60 seconds until evenly cooked.
Drain on the paper towels, dip the top in the glaze, and enjoy!