I love a crunchy salty snack, and in a former life I loved Cheetos. Those orange powder covered crunchy things were (are?) so addicting. I would eat the whole bag, and have orange stained fingers for days. These days I don't eat much processed food, but still.... sometimes I want something salty, crunchy and light. The first time I saw this idea was on Maria's Nutritious & Delicious Journal. I've adapted her recipe a bit to suit my food needs, and when I'm faced with egg whites, like after I make mayo, I'm likely to make these. I only use cheese freshly grated by me to avoid any additives, like "food starch" added to keep the bits of cheese from sticking back together. And it makes a huge difference in the taste of food!
Cheese Crunchies
2 egg whites
1/8 tsp cream of tarter
1 oz fresh hard cheese (parm, asiago) grated
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and preheat the oven to 325. Beat the egg whites until frothy and add the cream of tarter. Continue to beat until the eggs are very stiff. Gently fold in the cheese and drop by scant teaspoonfuls onto the parchment. Bake for 20 minutes until light golden brown. Turn off the oven and let the crunchies sit another 30 minutes in the oven. Enjoy!
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Mayo
One of the best things to keep in the house is homemade mayo. And when you make it with real pasture eggs from the ranch, it's bright yellow. When we have a potluck at work most people get requests for things like rammen noodle salad, or tater-tot casserole. I get requests for apple salad or deviled eggs. And the reason is the homemade mayo. It's easy, a bit time consuming, and fun. Although I will admit that sometimes it doesn't work for me ... right now I have a jar of fairly runny mayo in the fridge. But I don't care. It's still tasty.
Homemade Mayo
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 Cups good oil - but not extra virgin olive, which makes a bitter mayo. I use extra light olive.
1 Tbs lemon juice or vinegar (hubby hates vinegar so I use lemon juice)
1/2 tsp salt
dash pepper
dash cayenne pepper (opt)
Other herbs as desired (I've used cinnamon for dressing for Waldorf Salad, thyme in the summer for chicken salad, rosemary, etc)
Beat the egg yolks in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer until they're creamy and almost double in volume. Use a teaspoon and drop the oil into the yolk drop by drop, beating after each drop. It's very important to go very slowly at this point. I think that's why some batches fail - I get in too big a hurry. After you've added a couple of tablespoons, you can start adding the oil in a very fine stream off the edge of the spoon, beating the mixture the whole time. I use a Kitchen-Aide set on 10 with the whip attachment.
Once you have added a half a cup and have a thickening mixture, add the salt and other spices. Now start pouring the oil in a fine stream into the mixture, adding another half cup. The mixture should be very thick. Add the lemon juice and continue to beat. Add the last half cup oil in a stream. Check for taste and thickness. If the mayo is too thick add a tablespoon of hot water as you beat it.
Your result should be a creamy thick mayo that's perfect for your sandwich, salad, or burger. I store it in a wide-mouth mason jar for up to 2 weeks, but my eggs are just a few days from the chicken at any given point. If you are using eggs from the store, you should use the mayo within a week.
Homemade Mayo
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 Cups good oil - but not extra virgin olive, which makes a bitter mayo. I use extra light olive.
1 Tbs lemon juice or vinegar (hubby hates vinegar so I use lemon juice)
1/2 tsp salt
dash pepper
dash cayenne pepper (opt)
Other herbs as desired (I've used cinnamon for dressing for Waldorf Salad, thyme in the summer for chicken salad, rosemary, etc)
Beat the egg yolks in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer until they're creamy and almost double in volume. Use a teaspoon and drop the oil into the yolk drop by drop, beating after each drop. It's very important to go very slowly at this point. I think that's why some batches fail - I get in too big a hurry. After you've added a couple of tablespoons, you can start adding the oil in a very fine stream off the edge of the spoon, beating the mixture the whole time. I use a Kitchen-Aide set on 10 with the whip attachment.
Once you have added a half a cup and have a thickening mixture, add the salt and other spices. Now start pouring the oil in a fine stream into the mixture, adding another half cup. The mixture should be very thick. Add the lemon juice and continue to beat. Add the last half cup oil in a stream. Check for taste and thickness. If the mayo is too thick add a tablespoon of hot water as you beat it.
Your result should be a creamy thick mayo that's perfect for your sandwich, salad, or burger. I store it in a wide-mouth mason jar for up to 2 weeks, but my eggs are just a few days from the chicken at any given point. If you are using eggs from the store, you should use the mayo within a week.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Happy Easter
My adult kids stayed the night for Easter. I did buy the obligatory bits of chocolate for them, but didn't get around to eggs.... surprising because we always have 4-5 dozen in the fridge. But as I look around the room, I'm seeing eggs peeking out from behind the mirror and in the light. Because they are pasture eggs, they come in colors ranging from pale blue to dark brown, so they didn't have to dye them.
Friday I discovered that Lindt Excellence makes a 99% cocoa bar. It's very very strong dark chocolate. I love it! It's something may have to work up to, and it's not something you can eat pounds of at one sitting. I found a great use for it: chopped up in a Quick Strawberry "Sorbet".
Quick Berry Chocolate Sorbet
4 cups frozen strawberry slices
6 squares Lindt 99%
Let the strawberries thaw for 15-30 minutes, or put them in a microwave safe bowl and zap for a minute or 2. Using an immersion blender or food processor, process until smooth and creamy. Break up the chocolate into small pieces and mix into the berries. Serves 4.
Friday I discovered that Lindt Excellence makes a 99% cocoa bar. It's very very strong dark chocolate. I love it! It's something may have to work up to, and it's not something you can eat pounds of at one sitting. I found a great use for it: chopped up in a Quick Strawberry "Sorbet".
Quick Berry Chocolate Sorbet
4 cups frozen strawberry slices
6 squares Lindt 99%
Let the strawberries thaw for 15-30 minutes, or put them in a microwave safe bowl and zap for a minute or 2. Using an immersion blender or food processor, process until smooth and creamy. Break up the chocolate into small pieces and mix into the berries. Serves 4.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Say Cheese!
So flipping cold for April. I got ready for work today, looked outside and realized there was at least 3" of snow on my car, and it was still pouring snow. sigh. As I pushed all that wet heavy snow off my car, my hair got drippy again. So I spent the day with less than perfect hair. I hid in my office most of the day. But when I got out of work it was in the mid-40's, and felt like spring again.
Last night I made a modified Caprese Salad. The fresh basil was no longer fresh, so I mixed up a dressing of olive oil and dried basil: a couple of tablespoons of a good extra virgin olive oil and a tsp of good quality dried basil. Then I sliced a pint of grape tomatoes in half, chopped about a cup of lettuce, and a quarter of the mozzarella cheese I made yesterday. I added the oil, and tossed the whole thing together, and served to my family, who ate the whole thing. I can't wait to make more cheese.
Last night I made a modified Caprese Salad. The fresh basil was no longer fresh, so I mixed up a dressing of olive oil and dried basil: a couple of tablespoons of a good extra virgin olive oil and a tsp of good quality dried basil. Then I sliced a pint of grape tomatoes in half, chopped about a cup of lettuce, and a quarter of the mozzarella cheese I made yesterday. I added the oil, and tossed the whole thing together, and served to my family, who ate the whole thing. I can't wait to make more cheese.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Brrrr.....
There is nothing like springtime in Michigan. When it's good it's very very good. Mild temps, sunshine, birds, little buds of flowers and leaves. Then there's this year. Gray. Cold. Windy. It's mid-April and we have a fire in the fireplace. What to do on a cold windy Sunday? Guess it's time to cook something.
I've been thinking about cheese lately. I watched some food porn about cheese fondue. I read an article or 6 about different kinds of cheese. I drooled at the thought of a fresh margarita pizza, with a special gluten free crust. So today I made mozzarella cheese. I had time, I had the simple supplies, and I always have people in the house who will taste-test for me. So I made a quick trip to the health food store for Rennet and picked up a gallon of whole milk. Have you noticed that it's getting harder and harder to get full-fat dairy?
My first batch of mozzarella came out well, if a little bland. It's a very simple procedure; it only took me about an hour. I heated the gallon of milk to 80 on my candy thermometer and added 1 1/2 tsp of citric acid (another thing I get at my health food store in the bulk area) diluted in a couple of tablespoons of cool water. Then I heated it a bit more and added 1/4 tsp of liquid rennet diluted in a couple of tablespoons of cool water. Gradually heated the pot to 105, kept it there for a few minutes until the liquid part (whey) became a greenish clear, and took it off the heat. I strained it and pushed out as much of the whey as I could. Then I plopped it into a Pyrex baking dish and zapped it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Knead, add salt, zap. Knead, zap, knead, zap. I should have used more salt, but I have a beautiful log of smooth mozzarella. I think I'll serve Caprese salad tonight.
I've been thinking about cheese lately. I watched some food porn about cheese fondue. I read an article or 6 about different kinds of cheese. I drooled at the thought of a fresh margarita pizza, with a special gluten free crust. So today I made mozzarella cheese. I had time, I had the simple supplies, and I always have people in the house who will taste-test for me. So I made a quick trip to the health food store for Rennet and picked up a gallon of whole milk. Have you noticed that it's getting harder and harder to get full-fat dairy?
My first batch of mozzarella came out well, if a little bland. It's a very simple procedure; it only took me about an hour. I heated the gallon of milk to 80 on my candy thermometer and added 1 1/2 tsp of citric acid (another thing I get at my health food store in the bulk area) diluted in a couple of tablespoons of cool water. Then I heated it a bit more and added 1/4 tsp of liquid rennet diluted in a couple of tablespoons of cool water. Gradually heated the pot to 105, kept it there for a few minutes until the liquid part (whey) became a greenish clear, and took it off the heat. I strained it and pushed out as much of the whey as I could. Then I plopped it into a Pyrex baking dish and zapped it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Knead, add salt, zap. Knead, zap, knead, zap. I should have used more salt, but I have a beautiful log of smooth mozzarella. I think I'll serve Caprese salad tonight.
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