OK. Last post on Peach Preserves. I had a lot of peaches. 😮 This preserve tastes like an old fashioned peach pie. Delish! Continue reading Spiced Peach Preserves
Spiced Peach Preserves
Monthly Archives: May 2012
Vanilla Peach Butter
The problem with peaches is you can get carried away when you buy them, like buy a bushel of peaches when there are only 3 of you in the house and only 2 of you eat peaches. Hmmmm… Continue reading Vanilla Peach Butter
Jalapeño Cardamom Peach Preserves
Given the remarkably mild winter and resulting early growing season, peaches are beginning to appear at the local markets. They’re about 3 weeks early and the growers are estimating a bumper crop this year. Continue reading Jalapeño Cardamom Peach Preserves
Crab Mornay
I don’t get some people’s ideas about crab. Crabmeat has a rich buttery, slightly sweet and delicate flavor. Because of its delicate flavor, many people tell you that you lightly season crabmeat so the crabmeat shines on its own. How many times have we all heard that nonsense? About 14 months ago, Baby Lady and I went to a nice restaurant where they served jumbo lump crabmeat in an avocado shell as an appetizer. The idea seemed good until they brought out the appetizer. Then you realized the execution was a disaster. The crabmeat was scooped on top of the avocado shell. Although the avocado was sliced inside it had not been loosened from the shell and you couldn’t tell by looking at the dish the avocado had been sliced. It was difficult to eat without making a mess and had very little flavor because there was absolutely NO seasoning, no salt, no nothing. Just cold lump crabmeat and an avocado you didn’t know what to do with. When we spoke to the executive Chef (the restaurant had been open less than a month), the Chef’s response was “crab is so delicate you just don’t want to season it. You want the crabmeat to shine on its own.” The real truth is the Chef had no idea what to do with crabmeat! No wonder the place went out of business 9 months later. This dish is a beautifully seasoned preparation of crab that I guarantee you will enjoy. Oh, and the crabmeat really shines despite being seasoned. 😉 Continue reading Crab Mornay
Classic French Onion Soup
The last two posts, Hearty Beef Stock and Rich Chicken Stock, were a prelude to this post. You see, without those two posts you simply cannot make this recipe. The backbone and base of this soup is the stock. Canned or box stocks or broths will give you a soup but not one you want to serve your guests. This recipe is the real deal. Continue reading Classic French Onion Soup
Rich Chicken Stock
The previous post concerned making a good beef stock, a critical essential to soups and sauces. This post concerns making a good chicken stock. While many of you already know how to make basic stocks, there are others that don’t so I decided to put these basics on the blog, especially since I had to make them for the French Onion Soup recipe. Continue reading Rich Chicken Stock
Hearty Beef Stock
If your concept of beef stock comes out of a box or can…we need to talk. Box and canned beef stocks are lacking in flavor and taste dreadful, many of which with an awful aftertaste. This is because the U.S. Department of Agriculture requires a ratio of 135 parts water to only 1 part beef. Do you really believe if the FDA doesn’t require beef in beef stock that cost conscious food manufacturers are actually going to use beef? They don’t. As such, the beef flavor in beef stock doesn’t come from beef. It comes from advances in food chemistry. Manufacturers of beef stock use beef powder, technically called “dried pulverized beef tissue” and beef fat technically referred to as a “beef byproduct.” Another product used to give beef stock that “umami” character is MSG. Yum. Don’t you really want to feed your family canned or boxed stock? Continue reading Hearty Beef Stock
REMCooks 