learning

Aw, Honey, You’re So Sweet

March 2, 2010 by arfoodie Leave a Comment

Dessert one member brought to the meeting. How cute is that?

I just wanted to give a shout-out to the Lady Beekeepers of Arkansas, who had me over tonight for my first-ever speaking engagement as Fancy Pants Foodie. (I can use that like a name, right?)

My talk, other than a bit of shameless self-promotion and plugs for Pulaski Technical College Arkansas Culinary School, focused on food trends, especially locally-grown, sustainable goods. They’re white-hot. And what is more local, more sustainable, more straight-from-the-backyard-to-your-mouth than honey?

I also gave a quick comparison of honey to wine, the latter of which gets all the glory for its depth and range based on growing conditions. Honey has a wondrous range that most bear-bottle consumers have never experienced, based on the type of plant from which the bees were collecting pollen. One attendee described her watermelon honey, and I absolutely must try it. (If you’re reading, please please save me some!) In Arkansas, the most common types include clover (although more complex than the blended stuff you get at Kroger), soybean and cotton.

As promised, I am listing links to the articles and recipes I mentioned in my talk. If you weren’t there, I’m sure you’ll get just as much out of it.

And if you have any interest in maybe, possibly keeping bees, these are a great group of ladies to get you started. (And if you’re a guy, they can direct you to the “other” meeting.) They’re a hoot. Tell ’em Fancy Pants sent you.

National Honey Board Culinary Education Materials (For foodservice professionals and culinary students/instructors only): Honey Culinary Instruction Kit and The Honey Culinary Library. I ordered mine, which I got free for being a foodie student! I forgot to mention these in the meeting, but if you qualify, here you go.

My favorite Honey Wheat Sandwich Rolls (used in the Flank Steak Sandwich post). They can also be made into a loaf or smaller rolls. Honey feeds the yeast and gives a perfect foil to the rich whole wheat flour.

Smoking Chipotle Honey Sauce. Heat and honey; two great tastes that go great together. Also a nice burger recipe on this page, as well as some tips on storing and cooking with honey.

Honey Wheat Ice Cream. Another example of how honey’s delicate sweetness can stand up to and compliment the flavors of vanilla and, yes, wheat germ. I think this would be great with the watermelon honey. This is actually a great article on “shopping local,” with one person’s story of cooking from what she finds in the mercantile of products from no more than 100 miles away.

Good Eats, Pantry Raid IV: Comb Alone. This episode of (yes, again) my favorite show highlights the various incarnations of honey, historical and biological facts, and some fabulous recipes.

Learning to ‘Que

February 3, 2010 by arfoodie Leave a Comment

Competition BBQer Troy Black demonstrates preparation of a mean set of ribs.

Competition barbeque champion Troy Black didn’t have a great week in Arkansas, at least not until the last night.

On Monday, Jan. 25, the award-winning ‘que chef and Southern Living “BBQ on Tour” spokesperson rolled into town in his competition rig, doing the media circuit for his “Learn2Q” class at the Pulaski Technical College Arkansas Culinary School, which was scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 30.

And then, the cold came.

After shivering in his underinsulated trailer all week, the campus ended up being closed on Saturday, delaying his class until Monday of this week (Feb. 1). And that morning, while cooking the last of the savory smoked meats for the class to sample, his competition smoker burst into flames when the extreme cold clogged its grease drain. (Black said the manufacturer has cited a malfunction and agreed to replace the smoker.)

Nevertheless, about 100 hungry barbecue fans and wannabe competitors gathered to hear Black’s musings on smoke, rubs, cuts, cookers and clashes with classically-trained chefs.

Black brought the crowd into his world of competition barbeque, recently made more popular by the TLC show, BBQ Pitmasters. He knows all the folks on the show, and he’ll even tell you which one his wife avoids at competitions because of his language (if you watch the show, you can guess).

Making the information more relevant to the home cook, Black went through every conceivable smoker type and price range. His favorite for home smoking was the Weber Bullet (also known as the Smokey Mountain Cooker), in the $300 price range for the 18.5 inch model. He also referenced the homemade terra cotta model made by Alton Brown on Good Eats, which made this writer and Alton fan very happy.

As for sources, Black generally shuns specialty stores for product, getting most of his competition meat and spices at Sam’s Club. For ribs, he recommends baby back style for beginner home cooks, but also demonstrated preparation of St. Louis and spare ribs. He also prepared brisket and pulled pork for the audience, which hastily took notes and devoured samples.

“They usually don’t teach barbecue in culinary school,” Black said, referencing a difference in the way barbecuers and classically-trained chefs view the cooking process. “Even at the Culinary Institute of America, where the Bobby Flays of the world come from, it’s a one-hour course.”

Black will return to North Little Rock next month for the USA Barbecue Championship at Smoke on the Water, a national barbecue competition and festival to be held March 19 – 20. The event boasts the barbecue circuit’s largest prize purse at $100,000.

Black promoted the upcoming release of his DVD, Real BBQ Know-How, which he created with a Food Network producer, as well as an upcoming barbecue book produced by Southern Living, to be released in April. Also, after seeing an unexpected great interest in competition tips, Black said he’d attempt to schedule a session of his “Road to the Winner’s Circle” competition class in the Little Rock area. Updates, as well as recipes and other info, are available at Black’s website, Learn2Q.com.

Tips:

Buy a good knife for meat preparation; Black recommends the Victorinox Butcher Knife. He also recommends a serrated knife with curved teeth for cutting finished product.
Only use pure charcoal (he recommends Royal Oak or Kingsford briquettes) or natural lump charcoal (excluding any brands labeled “South American hardwood”).
Allow rubs to sit on meat for about 10 minutes before smoking.
Most meats cook at 250 degrees F. in the smoker. Generally, the more expensive smokers maintain temperature better.

Recipes:

Pork Rub

1 cup dark brown sugar (pourable style if you can find it)
1/2 cup granulated garlic
1 cup paprika
1/2 cup kosher salt
2 T granulated onion
2 T cayenne powder
2 T chipotle powder
2 T sweet ancho pepper (found at Mexican markets)
1 T chili powder
1 T ground cumin
1 T black pepper
1 T dry mustard

Mix well and sprinkle liberally over Boston Butt (pulled pork) or ribs before smoking. Can be stored in cool, dry place for 3-4 months.

Pork Finishing Sauce

1/2 cup white vinegar
2 c apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup apple juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 T kosher salt
2 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne powder
1/2 tsp paprika

Cook just until a boil and remove from heat. For use on pulled pork. Can be stored for several months in the refrigerator.

Brisket Rub

3/4 cup paprika
1/4 cup coarse ground black pepper
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup sugar
2 T chili powder
2 T granulated garlic
2 T granulated onion
2 T ground cumin
2 tsp. cayenne powder

Mix well and sprinkle over brisket before smoking. Can be stored in cool, dry place for 3-4 months.

Brisket Sauce

1 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
2 T unsalted butter, melted
1/2 T onion powder
1/2 T granulated garlic
1/2 T cumin
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

When brisket is finished (205 degrees internal temp), remove from cooker and place in foil. Pour in a slurry of one cup beef broth and two tablespoons of the above sauce. Rewrap and hold until serving, at least 10 – 15 minutes for juices to redistribute. Slice and serve with more sauce as desired.

Photos:

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New (Old) Cookbooks and Sage-Garlic Roasted Chicken

September 15, 2009 by arfoodie Leave a Comment

Obviously, I am still working out exactly what all Fancy Pants Foodie is and will be. But one of the things I will most likely always do is show you what I’m cooking, and what I learned from it. Tonight, you get to learn from both my success and my mistakes!

Recently, my friend Beth was participating in a fundraiser for her church that involved selling donated cookbooks. Upon getting her email with the available list, I “ordered” my stack of cookbooks, which I read like trashy novels. Not that I read trashy novels, but if I did, I would read cookbooks the same way. Anyway.

Beth recommended two that were not on my list, both by Pam Anderson, former executive editor of Cook’s Illustrated, a foodie favorite. (If you haven’t discovered the magazine yet, it’s worth clicking the link and picking up at least a trial issue.) The first book, humorously titled How to Cook Without a Book, focuses on learning techniques and simple formulas for making just about anything with what’s in your fridge and pantry at that moment. I like this approach very much, and it’s actually what I have tried to do myself over the years. Learn a basic technique — most of mine from the good ol’ Better Homes and Gardens basic book — and roll with it for years to come.

TPRcover

The second book, The Perfect Recipe, is Pam’s version of a research journal for home cooks. She took several basic recipes, from macaroni and cheese and burgers to cornish hens and prime rib, and tried them several different ways to find just the right technique. It’s interesting to read how she made batch after batch of burgers, experimenting with making the ground beef herself, and seasoning the beef at different stages in cooking, to report the best results to the reader. Then, for each final recipe, she outlines a basic, illustrated technique, with a few fancied-up variations afterward.

In The Perfect Recipe, Pam offers a simplified roasted chicken that makes it, as she categorizes, an “Everyday Classic.” Hmmm. I’ve done this before, but not lately. Chicken doesn’t seem the means by which to get Fancy Pants. But finally, I dared to step outside my rut of boneless, skinless chicken breasts and purchased a whole “roaster.”

What makes this recipe different is that the bird is not exactly roasted whole, but butterflied. This means getting out your best pair of kitchen scissors (neither of mine were really great) and cutting out the backbone, then flattening out the bird for roasting. This cuts down quite a bit on cooking time and makes it much easier to carve and serve. (Note: The video linked above has you take out the keel bone, which is fine, but not necessary. I didn’t, and neither did Pam.)

After I had rinsed, dried, cut, and flattened said chicken, my husband enters the kitchen. He looked at the bird. He looked at me.

“Why is the chicken spread eagle?”

“It’s not,” I replied. “It’s spread chicken.”

Here’s my version based on Pam Anderson’s technique, using the ingredients I had on hand:

Sage-Garlic Roasted Chicken

3 to 4 lb. whole roaster chicken
1 large garlic clove
6 – 10 leaves fresh sage
1 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. olive oil

Preheat oven to 500 degrees and position top rack to be about 12 inches from the top element. Butterfly the chicken, rinse with cool water and pat dry. (See video for technique.) Place chicken on a large jelly roll pan or roasting pan. Tuck wings under the bird so they do not burn. Loosen the skin around the breasts and legs so that you can get between the skin and meat.

Crush garlic in a press or mince finely, and mince the sage. Mix these in a small bowl with the salt and pepper. Spread this mixture under the skin of the chicken.

Rub the skin all over with oil, and season with a bit more kosher salt and pepper. (Any further seasonings will burn in the high heat of the oven.)

Roast for about 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 165 degrees. The skin will be a lovely, medium brown and the juices should run clear.

Remove from oven and loosely cover with foil to rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

____________________________________________

OK, that sounds all peachy and lovely, right? Wondering why there are no photos today?

Actually, there should be. The chicken itself was beautiful. I was just too distracted (and hungry!) by all the shortcomings along the way.

First of all, the battery on my really good Polder meat thermometer is dead. I should replace it immediately. But I haven’t. So.

I took the bird out a little early, thinking it looked done. My ghetto turkey-frying thermometer said it was. After throwing together some sides that did NOT really turn out well (that’s another story for another day), I got the table ready and turned to my lovely birdie for carving.

Still red in the middle. Sheesh!

Not one, but TWO baking sessions later, I finally got it done. Thirty minutes left alone would probably have done it. Or, for a larger bird (which mine was), you can start it breast-down and flip it halfway through. Prolly shoulda tried that.

The other problem, Pam actually experienced herself. From The Perfect Recipe:
The broiling method also took some fine-tuning, for my first attempts set off two smoke alarms.

I didn’t set off any alarms, but the house definitely had a mystic aura for an hour or two. Someday I’ll have an oven with an outside vent, but for now, these things will just have to happen. The same thing occurred with my famous broiled steak from years ago. Darn tasty, but smokes up the house something awful.

What else did I learn?

That even when things get messed up, they can still come out tasting glorious. It really was, even if all the side items were cool by the time we sat down to eat.

The chicken was moist, and the sage/garlic mixture really permeated the meat. The leftovers will make a great shredded chicken somethingorother tomorrow.

More soon!

P.S. If you Twitter, please follow me… @arfoodie. Not only will you get notices of blog updates, you’ll also get local foodie news and updates, as well as the occasional random ROT (river of tweets) of useful foodie tidbits and links.

And so it begins….

August 20, 2009 by arfoodie 7 Comments

I suppose I should start this blog with a little explanation of what it is.

Here’s the deal…I’m obsessed with food. When I was a tween, during summers and weekends, I would stay up at night and cook things my mom wouldn’t let me make during the day. Sometimes she knew, most times she didn’t…she eventually resigned to the idea and just asked that I clean up when I was done.

Simply by following recipes and using the trusty Better Homes & Gardens cookbook, which included basic method instructions, I made all kinds of wonderful things. Cookies. Taffy. Wonton soup. And eventually, things like chocolate soufflé.

Even then, I found myself leaning toward the extravagant, more challenging side of cooking.

Fast forward ten years or so.

Having also found a passion and talent for writing as a child, I followed that path until it landed me at Arkansas State University as a Journalism major, with an emphasis in public relations. I loved the broad-spectrum nature of public relations and marketing (still do), and chased a career through the agency, non-profit and consulting worlds.

And then….there was my daughter.

My beloved daughter. She is seven today, and is the model of all things you would wish a child would be, most days. But as a baby, she just about killed me.

She was born a little early, about a month. Just enough to be “fully cooked,” but just short of a fully evened-out nervous system, as I read later on. Result: screaming colic until 4 a.m. daily.

What does this have to do with food, you may ask? Well, while I was trying to maintain my sanity on no sleep, I discovered Food Network.

To this day, “Good Eats” reminds me of early evenings, rocking her at the beginning of our daily showdown. “Unwrapped” was the midnight struggle toward the bed. And “Emeril Live” was victory…late afternoon, after a tiny bit of sleep and enough time to sort of recover and feel a little human.

Emeril and I became good friends. When I finally got human enough to start cooking real meals again, about six months into the baby ordeal, my hubby was eating quite well.

And I rediscovered my old flame. (Cooking, that is.)

Today I find myself in new phase of life, one in which the possibilities are limitless. With a loving hubby, baby #2 (a boy, who actually SLEEPS!) and a little experience under my belt, I am hoping I can tie all my loves into one digital adventure.

I thought I would invite you along on my journey to culinary nirvana. Won’t you come along?