Asparagus Herbed Soup – Redone!

25 Sunday Apr 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in Food, Food Prep, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe: Bob and Robin Young, Recipes, Vegetables, What's For Dinner?

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When you make a mistake, there are two routes you can take: (1) Ignore it or (2) Correct it. I choose to correct the mistake. So it is with the Asparagus Soup with Lemon Herb Crème Fraîche. The first time I made it I really messed it up. This time (see photo) it is much, much better. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the way Debbie made it (The Buzz). I just changed it somewhat. For instance, I used leeks along with some onion. And I also added some herbs while the soup was cooking. Look at the link above for a printable copy. But for your browsing interest, here is the recipe. Cheers!

Asparagus Soup with Lemon Herb Crème Fraîche

Author: Bob and Robin Young
Source: The Buzz and Food and Wine
Web Page: Rockin’ R’s Web Page, Boise Foodie Guild Blog

Comments: This is a different and an awesome Asparagus Soup that we first had at the “Buzz” in Boise.
Degree of Difficulty: Moderately difficult
Servings: 6

Ingredients:
½ c Crème Fraîche
1 T Parsley, chopped
3 t Chives, chopped
2 t Tarragon, chopped
1 t Lemon Zest, finely grated
1 t Lemon juice, fresh
Sea Salt and fresh ground Pepper
2 lbs medium Asparagus, tough ends discarded, tips reserved and stalks coarsely chopped
2 T Butter, unsalted
1 med Leek, white and green cut into rounds and then cut in half
¼ med Onion, finely chopped
1 qt Chicken stock
2 c Water

Directions:
1). In a bowl, blend the Crème Fraîche with the parsley, 2 t of chives, 1 t of tarragon and the lemon zest and juice. Season with salt and pepper, then cover and refrigerate. In a small saucepan of boiling salted water, blanch the asparagus tips for 1 minute; drain and ice down. Transfer to a plate.

2). Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, 4 minutes. Add the stock and water and bring to a boil. Add the chopped asparagus and season with 1½ teaspoons of salt and a few grindings of pepper. Add the remaining tarragon and chives. Boil over moderately high heat until the asparagus are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes.

3). Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender and pour it into a clean saucepan. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer over moderate heat. Use an immersion blender and puree the soup until smooth and creamy. Place about 4 or 5 asparagus tips in a warmed bowl and ladle the soup into shallow bowls. Top with large dollops of the Lemon-Herb Crème Fraîche, some cut chives and serve.

———-

Sourdough Breads

22 Thursday Apr 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in Bread, Recipe By: Bob Young, Recipes, Side Dishes, Sourdough Bread

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I have had several requests over the past 3 or four weeks for the recipe(s) for the Sourdough Bread I make. The latest just today from my Niece Beth. I sent these recipes to her, so I’ll post them to the “others” too. The hardest part is the starter – making your own. Remember, most of the sourdough yeasts are wild yeasts. That’s what makes the San Francisco sourdough bread so unique – the strain of air born wild yeast. Anyway, here are my recipes. Enjoy! They are listed from the easiest to the more difficult.

This might be easier. Listing these from the easiest to the more difficult –
1. Rustic Sourdough Bread – Rustic Sourdough Bread

2. San Francisco Sourdough French Bread – San Francisco Sourdough French Bread

3. Boise Sourdough Bread – Boise Sourdough Bread

Or, if you go to our, Web Page and click on Recipes By Bob and Robin and then follow the link to “Breads …..”, you will find each one listed. If you have problems finding the recipe you want, just let me know. One Note: The SF Sourdough French Bread I usually make into loaves using a loaf pan. The basic recipe, though, is for baguettes. Also, I have added some different grains – whole wheat, flax, oat flour – in some of the recipes. If you don’t have these grains, don’t worry. Just make sure your flour content is the same. 5 c All-Purpose, can equal 3 c Whole Wheat, 1 c Flax and 1 c All Purpose. Have fun and let me know how the bread comes out. I am in the process of making more of the #3 right now. People love it!

Cedar Plank Salmon

15 Thursday Apr 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in Recipes, Salmon, Seafood, What's For Dinner?

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I belong to several recipe and cooking newsletters. “Sizzle on the Grill” comes from Char-Broil, the manufacturer of my grill. I do get some really awesome recipes and information from them. Here is one such recipe for salmon. I can taste the Beurre Blanc now. But I think I would still add a little tarragon to the Orange Muscat – just a little. I can smell it and taste it now. I have edited the recipe: The original recipe called for 16oz servings. 8oz servings are plenty. This would be great with a good Pinot Griego. Enjoy! Click Here for the original recipe.

Cedar Plank Grilled Salmon with Orange Muscat Beurre Blanc

Yield: 4
Prep Time: 1 Hour
Cook Time: 20 Minutes

Ingredients:
4 Salmon Fillets each about 8 oz. (with skin is fine, without is fine also)
2 lg (or 4 small) Cedar Planks for grilling
2 t Fennel Seeds, lightly crushed
Olive Oil, Sea Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper
1 Shallot, finely diced
2 T Orange-Muscat Vinegar (Available at Trader Joe’s or make your own.)
¼ unsalted Butter, cut into teaspoon sized pieces
finely ground Sea Salt and freshly ground White Pepper, to taste

Directions:
Soak the cedar planks, completely submerged, in cold water for at least 1 hour. Preheat your grill to medium-high heat before grilling.

For the beurre blanc, heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the diced shallot and about 1 tsp. of olive oil and cook until the shallot smells great, about 3 minutes. If it looks like the shallot is starting to brown, reduce the heat. Add the white wine vinegar (in this case, orange muscat vinegar) and stir to deglaze the pan. Continue to cook until the vinegar has reduced by half, about 5 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and 2 teaspoons of butter. Continually whisk the butter until it is completely melted. If the butter starts to foam, place the bottom of the pan on a cold surface (like a stone countertop) to cool it. Add the remaining butter, 2 teaspoons at a time, whisking continually. If the butter refuses to melt, hold the pan over very low heat for a few seconds and then remove.

Once all the butter is incorporated, taste the sauce and adjust with a fine-grain salt and freshly ground white pepper. You can use black pepper if you want, but white pepper will make the sauce look prettier.

Prepare the salmon fillets by patting them dry and coating with salt, pepper and fennel seeds on the flesh side. Rub the fillets on all sides with olive oil. Make sure your grill has been preheated to medium-high heat. Arrange the cedar planks on your grill and place the fillets, skin side down (if they have skin) on the cedar planks. Close the lid and grill for 15-20 minutes, or until the fish is fully cooked. The planks will give off a lot of smoke which adds to the excellent flavor. However, if your planks should catch fire, simply spray them with a small amount of water (I recommend San Pellegrino 🙂 ) until the flames dissipate.

When the salmon is cooked to your preferred doneness (let’s face it, either it’s undercooked, done, or overcooked), use a long spatula or a chef’s knife to remove them from the planks. Top with a spoonfull of the beurre blanc and serve!

This recipe is presented as a courtesy of Seattle Food Geek

Boise Sourdough – Act III, "The Final Curtain"

15 Thursday Apr 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in Bread, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe: Bob and Robin Young, Recipes, Sourdough

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So here we go … the Final Act! After the bread rises I always like to do the final rise in the pan that I am baking the bread in. That way I don’t disturb the rise and deflate the bread as much. Slash the top – the cut could be deeper – so the bread has a place to expand, especially when it hits a 450 degree oven.

After it rises to about 1/4 inch above the top of the pan, it is ready to bake. 450 degrees F for about 25-35 minutes. I always use an instant read thermometer. 190 degrees F is the internal temperature I am looking for.

And then … the Bread! The aroma in the house, and in the alley along the house, is amazing and reminds me of Freihoffer’s Bakery in Wilmington, DE. when I was “tiny”.

I took some of this bread with us last night to the TVWS Pinot Noir tasting and shared it with some “testing tasters”. “Good sour taste”, was the comment from Chef James. Other comments were “Good texture”, “Good taste”, “Great with the wine and the dinner”. If you want the recipe, and it is involved, just Click Here and enjoy the process!
Have fun and I do hope you have enjoyed the postings on this bread. Cheers!

Sauerkraut

13 Tuesday Apr 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in Recipe: Bob and Robin Young, Recipes, Sauerkraut

≈ 3 Comments

This is far too much fun!! Developing these recipes, the Sourdough Bread and this Sauerkraut. The results of the first batch of sauerkraut is almost complete. If you had some to sample, now is the time. Just let me know what you thought. Thanks Gail for your input!! Here is the Kraut Recipe that I am working on. There was a song – last century – that had the line in it, “… second verse, same as the first…”. Well, this second batch is better than the first, as sauerkraut goes! I just sampled some. It’ll be ready, I think about, 01 May. Basically, here is what is in my sauerkraut.

Ingredients:
14 lbs Cabbage, fresh
3½ T Kosher salt, no iodine
1¾ T Cinnamon
3¾ T Caraway seeds
4½ T Mustard seeds
2¾ c Four Monks White Wine Vinegar

Look at the recipe for the procedure. My crock is one that Robin bought me for Christmas and is awesome. Holds about 20 pounds of shredded cabbage. Also, I added 1/2 head of red cabbage to this batch, as I did the original batch. Gives it some color. I said above that I sampled some: There is a bite, but not offensive. And I detected some sweetness, but there is no sugar in the recipe. The caraway is good and the cinnamon is there, but in the background. Mustard seed gives a unique flavor. So for now, there is the report. We’re talking about 2 weeks before I bottle the kraut. Cheers!!

Boise Sourdough Starter, Part II

12 Monday Apr 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in Bread, Recipes, Sourdough

≈ 1 Comment

All three of these photos are from Step #7.

Boise Sourdough Starter
or
Celebration Sourdough Starter

Directions:
1. (04/06/10) In a mound of flour, make a small well and add the water.
2. Slowly mix the flour and the water, bringing more flour into the center of the well. The mixture will gradually transform from a paste into a small piece of dough.
3. Knead this small piece of dough with your fingers for about 5–8 minutes, until it becomes springy.
4. (04/09/10) Place the dough in a small bowl, cover it with a damp towel, and let it sit in a warm spot for 2 or 3 days.
5. When it’s ready, the dough will be moist, wrinkled, and crusty. If you pull off a piece of the crust, you’ll find tiny bubbles and smell a sweet aroma.
6. Throw away any hardened crust. “Refresh” the remaining piece by mixing it with twice the original amount of flour and enough water to make a firm dough. Set aside as before.

7. (04/12/10) After 1 or 2 days the starter will have a new, fresh look. Remove any dried dough and mix with about 1 cup of flour.
8. (04/12/10) Once again, cover the bowl with a damp cloth and leave it in a warm place for another 8–12 hours.
9. When the starter is ready, it will appear fully risen, and a small indentation made with a finger won’t spring back.

I will make some bread from this tomorrow, Tuesday 13 April. I will save you some. Yea ….. Right! Cheers.

Sauerkraut, Part I

11 Sunday Apr 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in Recipes, Restaurant Reviews, Sauerkraut

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I made 2 pints – 4 half-pints – of kraut back around the first of the year and gave some to a few people to try. It was OK if they did not like it, but I had to know why. I now have 14 lbs in “getting happy” with some minor changes. (Robin gave me a great Kraut Crock for Christmas) Here is the first reply to the tasting so far. Two more to go.

Hi, You Two,

I have just eaten the best, most delicious sauerkraut I have ever tasted in my whole life—a mere 29 years—and I’m sure you can guess who made it. Wow! That is terrific; absolutely wonderful. I am running out of superlatives, but, no kidding, it was the best. Can I get on your Sauerkraut Donation list? Here is how I made it: boiled red potatoes until just barely tender, drained water, added hot Louisiana sausages, your sauerkraut, a bit of brown sugar and a sliced apple. To die for. Our stomachs are bulging, we can barely move, but Bob and I are happy campers—we ate the whole thing.

Thank you for sharing your wonderful sauerkraut with us—I need to return your jar. See you next Wednesday—I’m sure I will still be raving.

Hugs,
Gail

Once I get the recipe down and the technique corrected, I will post the results here. Until then, think Pork Mit Kraut! Cheers.

Maharajah’s Mince Lamb Curry (Bhēra karī )

08 Thursday Apr 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in Curry, Lamb, Main Dish, Recipe: Bob and Robin Young, Recipes, Things To Do

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Having spent a year in India, Rajasthan to be specific, there are certain elements of Indian food that still entice the senses. Sight being one and aroma being another and, in this case, word association with a given recipe. Never, ever had beef in India. It was probably goat or mutton – which is old lamb and not the same!
But this recipe just triggered some of those responses. So …… tonight this is what we are having. I have everything here to make this – I just pulled some ground lamb from the freezer. If you want a printable recipe, just Click Here. In the meantime, here is the recipe. Enjoy!! I have converted the metric weights and measures to pounds and ounces where necessary.

Maharajah’s Mince Lamb Curry (Bhēra karī)

Sources: http://www.maharajahschoice.com/recipes.php?group_id=4, http://www.spice-india.com/2009/03/keema-mattar-keema-matar.html , http://www.spice-india.blogspot.com
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon of oil
500g minced lamb (1½ lbs)
½ cup of water
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1½ T curry powder
½ can of 400 ml (13.5oz) tinned tomatoes
1 large onion chopped (or equal quantity of Maharajah’s Fried Dehydrated Onion)
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon of stock powder – optional
½ cup of Frozen Peas
1 T Garam Masala
Small pinch Red Pepper Flakes

Directions:
Heat oil (to medium heat) and fry onions (if using fresh onions) until golden brown.
Add minced garlic and ginger, fry for about 1 minute then add curry powder and fry for approx. 2 more minutes stirring constantly. Make sure that heat is not too high and curry powder fries (not burns).
Add minced meat and water. Stir until mince is separated.
Add tomatoes, red pepper flakes, salt (and or stock powder), garam masala and dehydrated onions (if fresh are not used earlier).
Cook on low heat for about 30 to 45 minutes.
Add frozen peas, warm through.
Serve with rice or bread.
This recipe makes very good filling for jaffles and is also delicious on toast.

Note: The appliance is known by various names around the world, including toasted sandwich maker or jaffle iron in Australia and South Africa, toastie maker or toastie pie maker in the United Kingdom. Breville, manufacturers of some of the earliest sandwich toasters, is sometimes used eponymously.
Typical toasted sandwiches are a grilled cheese sandwich, tuna melt, or patty melt. Toasted sandwiches are also known by various names. They are frequently called toasties in Britain, brevilles, jaffles in Australia (also brevilles in South Africa) or toasties in New Zealand. Jaffles are so named after the original jaffle iron (U.S. English: “pie iron”). Sandwich toasters are less common in the United States where grilled cheese sandwiches are more popular.
Sandwich toasters are notorious for being used relatively little, because of their specialised nature. A survey carried out in 2005 suggested that 45% of British adults owned but did not use sandwich toasters.

Rustic Sourdough Bread, Part II

07 Wednesday Apr 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in Bread, Classics, Food Prep, Recipe: Bob and Robin Young, Recipes

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OK, so here we go. I have posted this recipe before on this blog. But this version has some changes which I like much better. No necessarily different ingredients, but rather an altered technique. Here are some suggestions:
1). The 1st rise calls for 90 minutes. Don’t cut this short!
2). I divided the batch into two loaves at the 1st rise and placed them in a warm oven (the oven light on) to achieve the rise. Works extremely well.
3). I literally “poured” the dough
into 2 loaf pans and did not punch down between the 1st and 2nd rises. I just gently shaped the loaves and did not deflate.
4). The 2nd rise calls for 1 hour. Again, I did not cut this short. The loaves rose in their respective loaf pans.
I think the bread came out just fine. The crumb is what I am looking for. The taste is good, although not heavily “sour”. (Add 1 teaspoon of citric acid – vitamin C – if you want more sour or let your starter ferment longer.)

So enough of the “gibberish! I think the photos do the bread justice! Here is a direct link to the recipe, if you would like to print it out. Rustic Sourdough Bread Enjoy the bread and be sure to let us know how it comes out. And as a side note, my niece, Beth, tried the Cobb Salad the other day and her husband said it was the best salad he has ever had. Kudos to Beth!!

Rustic Sourdough Bread

Ingredients – Starter Feed:
1 c Starter, give away or make pancakes
½ c Water, 100°F
1 T Honey, use a light, floral honey. Tupelo is good.
1 t Active Dry Yeast
1 c King Arthur Unbleached All- Purpose Flour

Ingredients – Bread Dough:
12/3 c Water, 100°F
2 t Active Dry Yeast
2 T Honey, use a light, floral honey. Tupelo is good.
2½ t Salt
2 c Refreshed Starter
4 c King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

Starter Feed:
1). Remove 1 cup of your starter and either give it away and let a friend start their own or make pancakes or waffles.

2). Add:
½ c 100°F Water
1 c King Arthur Unbleached All Purpose flour
Pinch Yeast

Stir to completely blend and let sit 12 hours before using.

Bread Dough:
1). Combine all of the ingredients, kneading to form a smooth dough.

2). Allow the dough to rise, in a covered bowl, until it’s doubled in size, about 90 minutes.

3). Gently divide the dough in half; it’ll deflate somewhat.

4). Gently shape the dough into two oval loaves, and place them on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover and let rise until very puffy, about 1 hour. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 425°F.

5). Spray the loaves with lukewarm water.

6). Make two fairly deep horizontal slashes in each; a serrated bread knife, wielded firmly, works well here.

7). Bake the bread for 25 to 30 minutes, until it’s a very deep golden brown. Remove it from the oven, and cool on a rack.

Preparation Time: 13 hours
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Inactive Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 14 hours

Rosemary Lamb Noisettes

06 Tuesday Apr 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in Food, Food Prep, Lamb, Lava Lake Lamb, Local Harvests, Main Dish, Recipes

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Here is the recipe for Lamb using Lava Lake Lamb out of Hailey, Idaho. Now this reall looks good!!! The source for the recipe is Use Real Butter (dot) Com. Or you can get recipes directly from Lava Lake Lamb.

Lava Lake Land & Livestock, L.L.C.
P.O. Box 2249
Hailey, Idaho 83333
1.888.528.5253

Full Disclosure: I received a 9-ounce lamb tenderloin, 1-pound lamb loin chops, and 2-pounds of lamb shanks from Lava Lake Ranch with no obligation on my part.

Rosemary Lamb Noisettes

modified from Cooks Recipes

Ingredients:
16 oz boneless lamb tenderloin (usually 2), with silver skin removed
1 1/2 tsps fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 tbsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (optional – I omitted this)
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsps olive oil
rosemary sprigs

Directions:
1). Trim any silver skin from the tenderloin and set aside.
2). In a shallow bowl combine the rosemary, pepper, and salt (I used freshly ground pink Himalayan salt). Add the flour if you are using. Coat the tenderloins on all sides with the mixture.
3). Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium flame. When the oil is hot, add the lamb and sear on all sides for 3-4 minutes. For rare, I let the internal temperature reach 115°F. For medium rare, I think you want the internal temperature to get to 125°F.
4). Remove from heat and let the lamb rest for five minutes. The temperature will continue to rise a bit. Slice the tenderloins into medallions and serve with rosemary garnish.

Serves 4.