Month: March 2016

Month: March 2016

BUYING AND STORING WHOLE FISH

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One advantage of buying whole fish is that it’s easy to tell if it’s fresh. Here’s what to look for.

In galls Photography

  1. The eyes should be bright and shiny, not cloudy or sunken.
  1. Look for bright red gills; avoid fish whose gills are a dark rust color.
  1. If you poke a freshly caught fish lightly with your finger, the flesh will spring back quickly rather than remain indented.
  1. The skin of a fresh fish glistens with a rainbow sheen.
  1. Use your nose as well as your eyes and hands: The freshest fish will smell like the ocean; it will not smell fishy.

Once you take your catch home, use it quickly—within a day or two—as it’s highly perishable, or freeze it. Proper storage is a key to maintaining quality. Store whole fish in the coldest part of your fridge wrapped in parchment or butcher’s paper on a tray of crushed ice. Make sure the fish does not come in direct contact with ice, which can cause frost damage. Change the ice frequently, as melting ice will water log the flesh, deteriorating the flavor and texture.

 

Chicken Kiev Cutlets

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Ingredients:

  • 3 chicken breast halves (about 1.5lb)
  • Herb butterto taste, about 4oz
  • 2-3 eggs
  • 1/3 cup of milk
  • About 2 cups of plain bread crumbs
  • 1 cup of all purpose flour
  • Ground black pepper to taste
  • Salt to taste
  • Oil for frying

 

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  1. Let’s start off by prepare batter for dipping:

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  1. The next part is somewhat tricky – we will need to flatten chicken breasts. Slice off inner breast piece (the one which is barely attached to it):

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  1. From the slice side, carefully butterfly the breast, leave pieces connected:

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  1. Repeat the same for all breasts and smaller sliced off pieces:

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  1. Arrange all chicken cutlets inner side up, cover with 2-3 layers of food wrap, and gently beat them up with meat tenderizer to flatten them out:

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  1. Fold 3 cutlets:

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Once all 3 cutlets are folded put them to freezer for 10-20 minutes, it will make further steps a bit easier.

  1. Now it is time to coat cutlets. The goal is to seal the cutlet completely, repeat steps with egg-milk mix and bread crumbs if needed to close all openings:

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  1. Repeat coating steps with remaining cutlets:

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  1. Warm up deep pot with vegetable oil over moderate heat (if you use bigger pot, you may be able to fry all three cutlets at once, but you will also need more oil to fry them; if you use smaller pot, fry cutlet one by one). Add cutlets in:

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  1. If pot you use and amount of oil is not enough to dip cutlets in completely, turn them from time to time to cook evenly:

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  1. Move cooked cutlets to a baking pan, then bake them for 10-15 mins more in the oven, warmed up to 400F:

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NONSTICK WOK PAN (12.5″) WITH GLASS LID

Gunter Wilhelm® ProCook collection is designed for the professional chef and passionate cook. Hand Made in Germany from stress relived chill cast aluminum and infused by plasma with Diamond 3000 Plus non-stick PFOA FREE coating, the ProCook collection delivers superior characteristics for healthy and safe cooking.

  1. Hand Made in Germany. 8 – 10 mm thick bottom is made of stress relieved chill cast aluminum which allows for perfect heat distribution; optimal thermal absorption and no distortion even at high temperatures.
  2. Food safe aluminum alloy, FREE of heavy metals such as nickel, copper etc. 100% PFOA FREE to prevent allergies.
  3. Infused by plasma, the Diamond 3000 Plus provides unsurpassed nonstick performance, allows fat free cooking for a healthier lifestyle, and easy cleaning.
  4. Coating system is water based and FREE of solvents. Coating is also applied on medical appliances where extra health requirements needs to be fulfilled.
  5. Rivet-free interior prevents unsightly food build-up.
  6. Oven safe up to 250 °C (500°F)
  7. 99% Recyclable, including packaging – that makes GW cookware very environment friendly
  8. Innovative and modern low energy eco-friendly production facilities.
  9. Advanced manufacturing and quality control procedures.
  10. Hand-washing recommended.
  11. Lifetime Warranty

Easter Bread

 

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Ingredients

2 cups + 2 Tbsp. warm milk (I used whole milk)

6 eggs, room temp

1 Tbsp active dry yeast

2 cups sugar

2 sticks unsalted butter, (1/2 lb. or 226 grams), melted (if using salted butter, omit the salt)

½ tsp salt

½ cup sour cream

1 tsp vanilla

9 cups all-purpose Canadian flour, divided

1 to 1½ cups raisins (white or brown)

For the Topping:

2 cups powdered Sugar

3 Tbsp Lemon Juice

What you’ll need:

3 Large Panettone Paper Molds; we purchased them on Amazon

 

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Instructions
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In a large Mixing bowl, whisk together 2 cups + 2 Tbsp. warm milk, 6 eggs, 1 Tbsp. yeast, 2 cups sugar, 2 sticks melted butter (just warm, not hot!), 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 cup sour cream and 1 tsp. vanilla. Whisk in 4 cups flour. Your batter will be thick like sour cream. Cover and let it rise in a warm place or a warm oven (about 100˚F) for 2 hours. Note: Do not put the mixture in a hot oven or it will deactivate the yeast and it won’t rise; yep we learned this hard way and an entire batch ended up in the garbage can. So either put it in a warm 100˚F oven or put it in a warm spot in the sun.

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Add 5 more cups of flour; one cup at a time or until the dough no longer sticks to your hands (it will still feel sticky but wont’ stick to your fingers). Dough should be soft. Stir in 1 to 1 1/2 cups raisins. Cover and let dough rise another 2 hours in a warm oven (100˚F).

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Divide dough evenly into the three paper baking molds; try not to mix it or stomp it down too much. Let dough rise uncovered in a warm 100˚F oven for an additional 2 hours or until the molds are almost full.

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Bake at 350˚F for 30-35 minutes in the middle of the oven until the top is golden brown. Let cool to room temp or just warm and then tear off the wrapper.

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Once the Breads are at room temperature and wrappers are off, get your frosting ready. In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 cups powdered sugar with 3 Tbsp. lemon juice. Add a little water if it’s too thick or a little more powdered sugar if it’s too runny. Pour the glaze over cooled Easter bread. Top with sprinkles, which just make these seem so traditional and festive.

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Juicy Barbecued Chicken Thighs

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Ingredients for the Tastiest BBQ Chicken:

  • 3 lbs (about 10 count) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • Sea Salt (about 1 tsp)
  • Pepper (about 1/4 tsp or to taste)
  • Mrs. Dash Seasoning (about 1 tsp), plain or garlic variety, or your favorite seasoning
  • Garlic Powder (about 1/2 tsp)
  • 1 Tbsp Real Mayo
  • 1 medium onion, thickly sliced
  • BBQ Sauce (We love Stubb’s Original)

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Marinating the Meat:
1. Season both sides of chicken thighs to taste. I used a total of 1 tsp sea salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1 tsp Mrs. Dash Seasoning, 1/2 tsp garlic powder.  Turn the chicken to coat evenly with seasoning.
2. Stir in 1 Tbsp Mayo and mix the chicken until evenly coated.

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3. Add thick-sliced onion and toss everything together. Cover tightly with plastic wrap or a lid and marinate 6 hours or overnight.

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Grilling Method:
Preheat the grill and generously brush grill plates with oil. Reduce heat to low and place chicken thighs with a smooth side up.
Cover the grill and cook for 12-15 minutes. I rotated them once to make criss-cross grill marks. Before flipping the thighs, baste them with BBQ Sauce.

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Flip thighs over; baste the flip side with BBQ sauce then cover and cook for another 12-15 minutes, rotating once to make grill marks. Check for doneness by cutting the thicker part of the chicken. If juices run clear then its done. Flip the chicken again, coat it with BBQ sauce and remove from the grill. Let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

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Baking Method:
Preheat Oven to 400˚F.
1. Place Chicken thighs flat with the smooth side up on a large rimmed baking dish. Bake at 400˚F for 30 mins.
2. Increase heat to 450˚ and Remove chicken from oven to brush the tops and sides generously with BBQ sauce. Return chicken to the oven another 5 minutes or until glaze has dried slightly onto the chicken.

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