What started the cooking storm was the pie challenge this week. I live alone so I didn't really want to make a giant sweet pie and have it hanging around the house. In honor of my buddy Wendy, one of the finest cooks I know, I've decided to make HAND PIES! I had some ground turkey to use up. For those of you who consider ground turkey bland no matter the spicing up you do, consider my trick. I mix 3 parts turkey with 1 part ground buffalo. Its a considerably healthier mix than pure ground beef while the turkey keeps it economical (buffalo is pricey!) while being just as tasty as beef in most uses (ie meatballs, meatloaf, burgers, chili etc). I wanted a real texture storm so I added in some ground dried peas (they sell them to use in trail mixes as a snack) to stiffen the meat patties, created a sort of mushroom duxelle to go on top for a little softness and luxury feel to the tongue, and wrapped the whole in flaky layers of phyllo. Your teeth sink into a little crunch then the satisfying firmness of the patties mixes with the mushroom and oh my they are addictive. I ate one to try then ran back to the kitchen for another.
After all that savory goodness, I knew I'd want a little sweet but no longer felt like going through a lot of effort so I whipped up an Earl Grey (in honor of my buddy Vicki and her Earl Grey obsession) creme brulee on the stove top. These are not as creamy perfect as the oven/water bath version but very good on its own when you don't feel like starting up the oven again.
For dinner and for my mom who likes ribs and my dad who eyes them hungrily (he has a heart condition and can't really pig out on them any more) I used country ribs in the oven. They have some bone in them so my mom likes them but are meatier and less fatty so my dad will have some as well. These are fall off the bone delicious and lets you dream of summer BBQ's with a ton of flavor yet almost no effort. Give them a try in the wintry months.
Mushroom and Turkey Hand Pie
For the patties:
1 lb ground turkey
1/4 lb ground buffalo
1/4 c soy sauce
1/4 cup shaoxing wine (sherry will also do)
2 Tblsp brown sugar
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 onion finely chopped
1 tsp minced ginger
1 Tblsp Chao Siu sauce (optional)
1/3 c ground peas
Mix all together. Form into tiny slider sized patties and cook on grill pan (or in my case a Cusinart Griddler Jr) until just slightly under done. Set aside to cool.
For duxelle:
16 oz baby bella finely minced(any mix of mushrooms will do here)
1 tsp ground sage
2 Tblsp cooking wine
2 Tblsp heavy cream
In a wide flat pan (the wider, the better as liquid will evaporate faster) on high heat add a little bit of butter. When it warms, add in the mushroom and cook until it releases its liquid. Add wine and sage. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add cream and cook just a minute of so more until it thickens into a mushroom paste almost. Set aside to cool to room temp.
Assemble:
1/2 box phyllo dough (store bought)
room temp duxelle
room temp patties
1 can butter flavor oil mist
Lay flat a sheet of phyllo lying. Mist with butter spray. Lay another sheet on top. Mist. Place patty about 1/3 of the way in the long way and right in the middle the short way. Add a generous Tblsp of the duxelle on top. Fold the short side over it then one long side down and the other up so its now a strip with the patty pocketed in one end. Mist with more butter spray. Roll the patty down until you end up with a nice neat packet. Place on baking sheet. Bake at 350F for about 20 - 25 mins until golden brown on top.
Stove Top Earl Grey Creme Brulee
1 packet Earl Grey tea
2 cups heavy cream
4 egg yolks
2 Tblsp sugar
2 tsp vanilla
Sugar to brulee on top. I highly recommend turbinado. I didn't have any this time and my brulee job suffered for it.
Beat egg yolks and sugar in a heat safe bowl. Heat cream until boiling with tea bag. Take off heat and let steep for 5 mins. Squeeze out and remove tea bag. Return to a boil. Add cream a little at a time at first to temper eggs while beating then add it all in. Place bowl on top of a pot of boiling water double boiler style and stir occasionally until it thickly coats a spoon. Take off heat and add vanilla. Pour through a strainer into ramekins. Chill over night. When ready to eat sprinkle with sugar on top and torch until golden but not burnt.
Oven Baked Country Ribs
4lbs country style ribs (these are meaty and more pork chop than rib but this recipe will work just as well for baby back and regular ribs)
1 cup brown sugar
2 Tblsp chili powder
5 tsp salt
2 tsp dried minced garlic
2 tsp dried minced onion
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp five spice powder
On a large piece of foil lay out the ribs in a single layer. Mix everything else together in a bowl and sprinkle/rub thickly on top. Flip the layer and do the same for the other side. Fold up the foil into a sealed packet. I generally do two layers of foil because I am constantly tearing the stuff but this is not strictly necessary. Place in 200F oven for 3-4 hours (if you're doing real ribs you might need more like 6). When cooked through, remove ribs and you'll notice all those spices and sugar have become this great pool of sauce now in the foil. Pour out into a small pot and boil until thick. Use to coat ribs or on the side as dipping sauce. If it tastes a bit too sweet for you, try cutting it with a little bit of cider vinegar right at the end.
No comments:
Post a Comment