Popovers

Ingredients
3 tablespoons melted butter, divided
2 beaten eggs (room temperature)1 cup milk (warmed in microwave for 30 seconds)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp kosher salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 F

2. Coat a muffin tin with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter, a pastry brush can help here.  Place the muffin tin in the oven to heat up for 5 minutes.

3. Beat the eggs and milk together.

4. Add the remaining melted butter (5 tablespoons), flour, and salt.

5. Pour the batter into the heated muffin tin and bake until golden, about 35 minutes.

Lemon Merginue Pie

THE MOST DELICIOUS OF THE PIES!  Seriously, I’m not a big fan of pie, usually too much dry crust and mushy fruits.  But lemon meringue, there’s something about the sourness of the lemon and the airiness of the meringue that just gets me.  This is from Fine Cooking and they have a good video showing some of the tips here.  I will warn you this takes like four hours from start to finish with a fair amount of attention required, so make it when you have a free afternoon.
Note: The original recipe has you use some gingersnap cookies below the custard to keep the pie crust crisp.  I didn’t do this because I didn’t have gingersnap cookies and I didn’t want to go to the store, and my pie turned out just fine without them.

Sorry the picture’s a little dark.  It took so long to make the pie it was dark out by the time we were able to eat it.

Serves 1 Pie Lover (1 Pie)
Lemon Meringue Pie
1 Pie Crust

For the Custard
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
5 large egg yolks (keep the whites for the meringue)
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces and softened
1 1/2 Tbsp finely grated lemon zest (about 3 medium lemons)
1/3 cup lemon juice (from those very same lemons)

For the Meringue
5 large egg whites, room temperature (I told you to keep them)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1.Somehow make yourself a cooked pie crust in a buttered 9 inch glass pie plate.

2. In a 3 quart saucepan mix together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt.

3. Whisk in 1/4 cup cold water until the mixture is smooth, then mix in another 1 1/4 cups cold water until combined.

4. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally and the constantly as it starts to boil (a couple large bubbles will form and pop).  The mixture should turn into a semi-translucent gel, total cook time 4-6 minutes.

5. At this point whisk briefly and then mix with a spatula pulling the sides towards the center.  After doing this for one minute, remove the pot from the heat.

6. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks lightly.

7. Gently whisk in 1/2 cup of the sugar gel and repeat with another 1/2 cup.

8. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the remaining sugar gel and cook just as before. (4-6 minutes over medium-low until boiling then one minute more).

9. Remove the pot from heat and dot the filling with butter, pushing it below the surface.  Let it stand for a minute to allow the butter to melt.

10. Gently whisk in the lemon juice and zest until smooth.

11. Pour the filling into the pie crust and smooth with a spatula.  Let it cool for at least 30 minutes before making the meringue.

Meringue Time!  This is a Swiss meringue which means we are going to cook the egg whites and get a fluffy marshmallow like meringue, but you can feel free to do a classic French meringue by just whipping the hell out of some egg whites and sugar.  Also, to save time and your wrist, this assumes you have a stand mixer.

12. Bring 1/2 inch of water to simmer in a pot that you can makeshift into a double boiler with the mixing bowl of your stand mixer (but don’t put the mixing bowl over the hot water yet).  Turn the burner to low after it starts simmering.

13. In your mixing bowl (off the heat) whisk the egg whites by hand until frothy.

14. Add the sugar 2 Tbsp at a time, whisking for a couple of seconds between each addition.

15. Put the mixing bowl over the hot water and slowly whisk.  You’re not trying to add air yet, just dissolve the sugar and keep the eggs from cooking.

16. After 2-4 minutes the eggs should be warm to the touch and you should not be able to feel any sugar grit in the mixture.

17. Add the vanilla and cream of tartar and take the mixing bowl off the heat and put it in your stand mixer.

18. Beat the egg whites with the whisk attachment.  Slowly increase the speed from low to high over about a minute.  Beat to stiff peaks (3-5 minutes).

19. Spread all of the meringue over the pie with spoon, make sure it anchors to the pie crust the whole way around the pie.  Press down as you go to make sure there are no air pockets.

20. Make fun spiky curls by touching the back of the spoon to the meringue and pulling away.

21. Brown the meringue either in your ovens broiler or with a kitchen torch.  If you broil make sure to rotate it to get the whole thing.

22. Let the whole shabang rest for about an hour to setup and then enjoy.

Grilled Chicken with Lemon, Garlic, and Oregano

Nothing’s more American than grilling on the Fourth of July.  But we wanted to mix it up a bit and not just do the regular burgers and hot dogs so Lynn found this recipe for grilled chicken on Epicurious and it was delicious.  Though it takes quite a while to cook on the grill, the low and slow method leaves you with delicious, tender piece of chicken.

Sadly, I didn’t get to take a picture so here’s one from the original recipe.

Serves 4
Grilled Chicken with Lemon, Garlic, and Oregano
4 lemons, juiced
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh oregano
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 Tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
8 chicken legs (drumsticks) with skin (that’s the most delicious part)

1. Whisk everything but the olive oil together (don’t whisk the chicken either).

2. Keep whisking and slowly pour in the olive oil to make an emulsion.

3. Marinate the chicken legs in this for a couple of hours in the fridge.

4. Preheat your grill.

5. Make one side of your grill hot and the other not by either turning one burner on high and the other on low or pushing all your coals to one side.

6. Place the chicken on the cool side of the grill and let it cook for about an hour, flipping it every 15-20 minutes.
Note: If you’re using charcoal you may need to add some briquettes during the hour to keep them going, you’re charcoal bag should tell you how many and how often.

Blueberry and Peach Crumble

Summer means blueberry time and here in Texas it also means Fredricksburg peaches.  This recipe puts them both together with a delicious brown sugar crumble topping for a delicious dessert best served with Bluebell Homemade Vanilla ice cream.  Make sure to use room temperature fruit so that it bakes evenly.

Serves 6
Blueberry and Peach Crumble
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
3 cups (1 lb) blueberries, room temperature
3 medium peaches (1 lb), halved, pitted, and sliced 1/2 in thick
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F and lightly butter a 9 inch square baking pan.

2. Combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and 1/8 tsp of the salt.

3. Work the butter into the flour mixture until it readily clumps when pressed together.

4. In a large bowl combine the granulated sugar, cornstarch, nutmeg, and the remaining 1/8 tsp salt.

5. Add the blueberries and peaches to the sugar mixture and toss to coat.

6. Spread the fruit mixture into the butter baking pan and cover with the brown sugar crumble.

7. Bake until the fruit is bubbling in the center and the top is crisp and well browned.  It should take about 45 minutes.

8. Cool slightly and serve warm with some ice cream.

Pie Crust

I’m the first to admit this recipe may seem like way too much work when you can just buy a pie crust at the grocery story for a dollar.  But if you have the time, this will give you an amazingly flaky, crunchy, buttery crust that goes way beyond what you can buy in the frozen food aisle.

Makes 1 13 in pie crust
Pie Crust
6 oz all purpose flour
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
6 Tbs unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1/2″ cubes
4 Tbs vegetable shortening, chilled, cut into 1/2″ cubes
2 to 4 Tbs ice water

1. Mix the flour, salt, and baking powder and chill in the freezer for 30 minutes. (a zip lock bag works well for this)

2. Add half the butter and shortening cubes and toss to coat with flour.

3. Pour it all out into a food processor. Give it four 1 second pulses and then process for 4 seconds.

4. Add the remaining butter and shortening and pulse four more 1-second pulses.  Then process until you pea sized pieces of butter and shortening (3-4 more seconds).

5. Empty this into a bowl and drizzle 1 Tbs of the ice water over it.  Mix the dough together.

6. Keep adding ice water 1 Tbs at a time and mixing in between until the dough feels moist and binds together and is no longer super crumbly.

7. Form the dough into a 5 inch disk, flour, wrap in plastic wrap and stick in the fridge for about an hour (or up to 3 days if you’re making it ahead of time).

8. Roll out the pie crust until it is 13″ in diameter on a pastry cloth with a rolling pin – it should be about 1/8″ thick.  (Flour the pin and and not the crust to keep from incorporating too much flour in the dough).

9. Find yourself a good pie recipe and use your delicious homemade crust.

Sauteed Carrots with Ginger, Orange, and Scallion

It’s root vegetable season (I know you’re just as excited as I am!).  Lynn and I went to the Farmer’s Market downtown and picked up a ton of fresh carrots, some were even fun colors like purple. (Fun fact: All carrots were originally purple until the 17th century when they were bred for the orange color as a tribute to the House of Orange in the Netherlands.)  This recipe uses a lot of bright flavors to play off the earthiness of the carrots.

Serves 4
Sauteed Carrots with Ginger, Orange, and Scallion
Juice from 1 large orange (I don’t want to tell you how much that is because you’ll just use orange juice, and it’s just not the same)
4 tsp honey
4 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp lemon zest
2 Tbs butter
4 tsp olive oil
2 lb carrots (cut into 2 in long, 1/4 in sticks)
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallion
2 tsp minced fresh ginger
1 tsp minced garlic

1. Whisk together the orange juice, honey, soy sauce, and lemon zest until the honey is dissolved.

2. Heat 2/3 of the butter and olive oil over medium heat in a 12″ sauce pan.  When it gets to temperature add the carrots and pinch of salt. Cover the pan.

3. Stir the carrots occasionally until brown, 16 minutes or so.

4. Add the scallions, ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant (20 seconds or so).

5. Add the juice mixture and stir until it thickens.

6. Remove the pan from heat and add the remaining butter to finish. Stir until melted.

Shrimp Po Boys

There’s something really nice about the texture of a Po Boy, especially when you use fresh shrimp.  It’s kind of like savory gushers, only deep fried and worse for you.  This is also a modified recipe from Classic Creole, we replaced the mayo with garlic aioli because frankly its better and toyed with proportions a bit.

Serves 4
Shrimp Po Boys
1 lb fresh shrimp, shelled and deveined (about 6 per person)
1 egg
1/2 cup whole milk
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
1 cup vegetable or canola oil
French bread loaf, preferably soft
4 Romaine lettuce leaves
1/2 cup garlic aioli
1 tomato, sliced
Sliced dill pickles

1. Combine the lightly beat the egg and whole milk in a bowl big enough for shrimp dipping.

2. Combine the cornmeal and flour in another shrimp dipping bowl.

3. Heat the oil in a large (preferably cast iron) skillet over medium heat.

4. Dip the shrimp in the egg mix and then the flour mix, making sure to shake off any excess flour mix.

5. Place the shrimp in the hot oil and cook for roughly 2 minutes a side until golden brown.  Avoid overcrowding the pan, you will definitely have to work in batches unless you have a massive cast iron skillet.

6. Drain the shrimp on some paper towels while you make the sandwiches.

7. Slice the french bread lengthwise and to appropriate sandwich length.

8. Spread some garlic aioli on each side and add lettuce, tomato, dill and shrimp to your liking.

9. Eat it all up, you can throw some fresh squeezed lemon or hot sauce on there too.

Garlic Aioli

This is like mayonnaise on crack, you will never again go back to Helman’s or whoever makes that terrible excuse for a sandwich spread.  Adding some garlic only makes it even tastier.  Aioli, like mayo, is an oil and egg emulsion and takes a ridiculous amount of beating to come together, so if you have a stand mixer you’re in luck, if not, start warming up your whisking arm now.

Makes 1/2 cup
Garlic Aioli
3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced (its even better if you add the salt below and grind it up either on the cutting board with your knife or in a mortar and pestle)
1 large egg yolk
1 tblsp lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

1. With an egg beater, stand mixer, or your hand whisk if you have forearms of steel, mix the garlic and egg yolk together until it forms a smooth mixture.

2. Mixing as quickly as possible very slowly begin adding the olive oil.

3. If it gets too thick add some lemon juice and then go back to the olive oil.

4. When you’ve added all the olive oil you should have a nice emulsion and you can finish with the remaining lemon juice, pepper, and salt if you didn’t use it to mash your garlic.

5. Spread on your favorite sandwich and enjoy your own mayonnaise killer.

Dirty Rice

A Cajun classic.  Living only a really long drive away from New Orleans I make the trip usually at least once a year and my favourite part is often the food (its a toss up between that and the smell of urine and shame on Bourbon street).  Last time I was there I got Ann Couiellette’s Book Classic Creole and so in celebration of Mardi Gras, Lynn and I gave a couple of the recipes a whirl.  I’ve modified the recipe from the book a bit because I found it a little bland (basically doubled up on veggies and added more spices).

Serves 6
Dirty Rice
1 lb ground beef (though some ground andouille sausage would be better)
1 cup cooked rice
1/2 white onion, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Hot sauce (we prefer Texas Pete or North Carolina Pete as we call it since its actually made in North Carolina)
Salt and pepper

1. Heat a large skillet over medium and add the beef or sausage, cooking until done (about 10 minutes) and making sure to break up the meat.

2. Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic and cook an additional 10-15 minutes until the vegetables soften.

3. Fold in the cooked rice and add hot sauce and salt and pepper to taste.

4. It’s that easy.

Chicken Vindaloo

This Indian classic has a good amount of spicy, but not too much.  Serve it with jasmin rice and naan to be transported to India, you know without the traffic and haggling.

[Eaten too quickly to get a picture, it was just that good]

Serves 4
Chicken Vindaloo
1 1/2 Tbs curry powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into 3/4 inch pieces
8 medium garlic cloves, crushed and minced
4 Tbs red wine vinegar
1 tsp kosher salt
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 Tbs grated ginger
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, drained, 1/3 cup juice reserved
2/3 cup water

1. Mix together the curry, paprika, cayenne, and black pepper.

2. In a medium bowl combine half the garlic, 1 Tbs curry powder mix, 2 Tbs vinegar and 1 tsp salt.

3. Mix it up so everything’s nice and coated and set aside.

4. In large skillet or dutch oven heat a couple tablespoons oil over medium high until shimmering and add the onions with a pinch of salt.  Cook until they soften and start to brown.

5. Add the ginger, remaining garlic, remaining curry mixture, and stir for about 45 seconds.

6. Add the tomatoes and mix to combine, scrapping the bottom of the pan as you go.

7. Stir in the chicken, reserved tomato juice, remaining 2 Tbs vinegar, and water.

8. Bring to a boil, partially cover, and reduce heat to medium.

9. Simmer, stirring occassionally until the chicken is cooked, 17 minutes.

10. Season with salt and pepper and serve over rice.