Mini Cheese Grits Casserole ミニグリッツキャセロール

Recently we purchased a box of grits to make a dish of shrimp and grits. But the quantity of grits we used to make that dish didn’t make a dent in the large amount of dried grits remaining in the box. So my wife took it upon herself to find a way to use up some of it.  She found this recipe at Southern Living web site. The original recipe was for a make-ahead breakfast dish for a large crowd. The idea was to basically put the dish together the day before so the next morning all that had to be done was to cook it in the oven. After looking at the quantity of ingredients called for in the recipe we decided that we were definitely not feeding a crowd that big so we significantly reduced the the size of the recipe. Also, since we were not going to be eating it for breakfast we saw no need to make it up a day ahead and store it in the fridge overnight.  We had it as a lunch with salad which included my wife’s home-made mango chutney seasoned cheese curd. This turned out to be a variation of standard cheese grits but in a more elegant individual presentation. It was quite good although next time we thought we could reduced the amount of cheese a bit.

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups broth 

3/4 cup uncooked quick-cooking grits
1 teaspoons salt, (divided, 1/2 in the grits, 1/2 in the egg mixture) 
1/2 cup half-and-half (or buttermilk)
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon cayenne 
1 large egg
4-6 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
several teaspoons of sauteed shallots and mushrooms.  

Directions
Bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan over high. Add grits and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until grits are thickened and tender, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk together half-and-half, mustard, pepper, eggs, egg yolk, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Stir in grits and cheese until cheese is melted. Divide mixture evenly among the ramekins. (We used 4 small and 3 medium sized ramekins as shown in pic #2). Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake in preheated oven until puffed and edges are set, about 20 to 25 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes.

These were quite good. Lots of rich flavor with the cheese and shallot mushroom mixture adding a lot of depth. The cayenne pepper added a nice bright note. My wife noted that next time she would just make it in a baking dish and then cut it into square pieces for serving. What ever the presentation this makes a mighty fine “side” for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. 

Duck Leg Confit アヒルのもも肉のコンフィ

My wife found several packages of frozen duck fat in the freezer which we had used to make confit of duck legs some years ago.  Although we removed any solids from the fat after use and promptly froze it, it was getting old. So my wife issued an edict: “either we use the fat to make duck confit or we throw it away”. Fortuitously I noticed that Weee had frozen duck legs on sale so I ordered them.  They came as a  package of two legs and we were “in business”. As we did before, we used a slow cooker for the confit rather than the more traditional low-temp oven method.  Since there were only two legs, we used a small slow cooker we had and they fit just perfectly and the duck fat just covered them.

The confit process finished in close to 4 hours. Although we read that the confit legs could be stored in the fridge in the congealed fat for up to a month we didn’t have to do that because we ate them that night for dinner. I removed them from the liquid fat and browned the skin just before we ate them. The meat was so tender, flavorful and came off the bone easily. The skin was nicely crisp. I sautéed  green beans and broccoli (both pre-steamed) seasoned with salt and pepper. For carbohydrate, we served a piece of the mini-baguette I baked some days ago (it was frozen and then toasted). With a good Cab, this was nice dinner plate.

There is nothing particularly different from the previous post, I repeat it just for our convenience sake.

Ingredients:
2 duck legs, frozen and thawed
2 cups (or enough to submerge the legs) rendered duck fat
1/2 tsp dried thyme (or sprigs of fresh rosemary or thyme if you have them, (our poor rosemary in the herb garden did not survive the hash winter we had))
1 tps Kosher salt
3-4 cloves of garlic, crushed

Directions:
The night before, season the duck. In a sealable container just snugly fit two legs (or how many legs you are using), sprinkle half of the salt and dried thyme on the bottom, place the legs in the container without over lapping,  add salt and thyme on the skin side add the crushed garlic cloves, cover and refrigerate over night.

Next day, turn on the slow cooker to low and add the duck fat (in our case frozen blocks) until just melted (1 hour or a bit more). 

Remove any excess salt and herbs from the surface of the legs and submerge into the duck fat without overlapping, transfer the garlic to the duck fat and let it cook for 3-4 hours until the meat retracts from the bone

Remove the legs and brown the skin in the frying pan (without oil since the surface of the legs are coated with rendered duck fat) for several minutes and turn over and cook for one more minute. I added the broccoli and green beans in the same pan and seasoned with salt and pepper.

The duct fat was perfectly OK and the confit was perfect but we decided to put the duck fat to a well deserved rest. Next time we make duck leg confit we will have to get fresh duck fat.

Stir-steamed “Kimpira gobo” Burdock-root 蒸し炒め金平牛蒡

This is a variation of the ubiquitous braised burdock root dish “kimpira gobo” 金平牛蒡. The most common way to make this dish is to first stir-fry the vegetables in oil. Optionally this would be followed by adding a small amount of water to the pan and letting it steam with the lid on, then seasoning with soy sauce and mirin.  One thing I did not like about this method was the way the oil splattered when the burdock was being stir-fried. I recently saw on YouTube that instead of stir frying in oil, the same effect could be achieved by “stir-frying” in water or by “stir-steaming”; i.e. “mushi-itame 蒸し炒め. Although I did not have the exact recipe, I improvised making it the way I thought would work and the dish came out really well. Later I re-found the YouTube episode from which I got the ideal of stir-steaming and it turns out I did almost exactly what was suggested in the video. I think I will make kimpira using the stir-steamed method from now on.

Ingredients: (amounts are arbitrary)

1/3 of the “gobo” burdock root, skin scraped off using the back of a knife, thinly sliced on bias (on angle), then julienned, and soaked in cold water until used.

1 small carrot, skin peeled and julienned like the burdock

2 tbs mirin

2 tbs soy sauce

1 tbs dark sesame oil

Directions:

Drain the burdock. Add the burdock and carrot in a cold frying pan, put on medium flame and stir for a few minutes until the residual water on the veggies is mostly evaporated. (If the amout of water on the burdock is not enough to soften the burdock add a bit more water).

Add the mirin, stir then add the soy sauce stir until almost no liquid is left, taste and adjust the seasoning

Turn off the flame, add the sesame oil and white sesame seeds and mix.

Initially, I thought the sesame flavor was strong, but it calmed down when the dish cooled. I could not tell the difference between the stir-frying and stir-steaming method in the texture and taste of the final kimpira dish. But the major difference was much less splatter mess. 

 

Strawberry Cream Cheese Cupcakes 苺とクリームチーズのカップケーキ

When we went to Whole Foods the other day. my wife picked up a package of fresh strawberries. After coming home, I asked why she got the strawberry. Her answer was, “To make Strawberry Cream Cheese Cupcakes”.  She saw the recipe on the King Arthur Baking site. She showed me the recipe and my one thought was ‘this is a very long and complicated recipe’. Of course she significantly deviated from the original. The appearance of the cupcakes is not as pretty as in the picture of the original recipe but this tasted pretty good. We had it as a part of our breakfast.

Ingredients
Strawberry reduction 1 pound (454g) of fresh strawberries
3 tablespoons sugar, (2 tablespoons to use when first cooking the strawberries. You can use more or less depending on how sweet the strawberries are.) (The remaining 1 tablespoon is used for the strawberries when they are thickened with the cornstarch.)
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch (1/2 teaspoon Instant Clearjel ) My wife used cornstarch
2 teaspoons lemon juice (optional)
There will be about 1 cup of strawberry reduction after it is cooked 

Strawberry cake 
1 1/2 cups (180g) cake flour
1 cup (198g) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon table salt
6 tablespoons (85g) butter, at room temperature
1 large egg
1 large egg white
3 tablespoons (43g) water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
1/2 cup (130g) strawberry reduction, from above. (This will leave about 1/2 cup of the reduction to use for other dishes)

Filling and frosting

One 8-ounce package cream cheese
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg yolk from the separated egg above
1 Tbs. honey (or to taste)
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 
pinch of table salt

Directions:
To make the strawberry reduction: Rinse the strawberries, remove their leaves and stems, then dice; you should have approximately 3 cups (about 400g) of strawberries at this point. Transfer the strawberries to a medium pot and add 2 tablespoons (25g) sugar; mix to combine. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the strawberries have released their juices and softened, 3 to 5 minutes.

Using an immersion blender, purée the strawberry mixture off the heat, and then return it to the stove. You should have approximately 1 1/2 cups (about 370g) of strawberry liquid. Bring the mixture to a low boil over medium heat and continue to stir for 6 to 8 minutes. The mixture will become foamy, slightly thick, and darker in color. 

In a small bowl, stir together the remaining 1 tablespoon (12g) sugar and cornstarch (or Instant ClearJel.) Add to the strawberry mixture, followed by the lemon juice (if you are using it) and continue stirring at a low boil for 1 minute. The mixture should thicken. 

Remove the pan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. You should have approximately 1 cup (about 275g) of strawberry reduction at this point. The strawberry reduction can be made up to 5 days in advance. If making in advance, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use. 

To make the filling   
In the bowl of a stand mixer with a flat beater add the cream cheese and ricotta. Mix until completely blended and smooth. Add the honey, egg yolk, vanilla and salt and mix until fully incorporated. Set aside.

To make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with baking cups. In a cuisine art blender fitted with a blade combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter and mix at low speed until the mixture looks sandy. (Similar to making biscuit dough). Beat in the egg, the extra egg white, water, and vanilla, then mix until no dry spots of flour remain. Stop the mixer and scrape the bowl and beater attachment(s) as needed; the mixture will be thick.

Add 1/2 cup of the strawberry reduction (this will leave a remaining 1/2 cup to use for something else). Continue to mix on low speed until the batter is smooth. Stop to scrape the bowl and then mix again at low speed for 30 seconds. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins. Make a small divot in the batter and fill it with a scoop of the cream cheese filling. (There may be cream cheese filling in excess. Just add it to a mini cupcake pan lined with paper cups and cook them along with the assembled cupcakes to make little sweet cheese bites.)

Bake the cupcakes for 20 to 24 minutes, or until the cake springs back when lightly touched. Remove the cupcakes from the oven, and as soon as you can handle them, remove them from the pan and transfer them to a rack to cool.

These cupcakes were very different from anything we’ve made before. They have a lovely pervasive strawberry taste and the texture is very moist. The cheese filling adds a different texture and a contrasting slightly sweet flavor (from the honey) and a richness (from the cheese). In general cream cheese doesn’t melt but contracts and becomes firmer when cooked. As you can see from the pictures this is what happened with these cupcakes. The cream cheese filling lost moisture during the cooking and contracted into the divot it filled in the batter making hole in the center of the cupcake. Nonetheless the cheese added a very good taste dimension to the muffin. As an aside, the strawberry reduction was very good in its own right and can be a very versatile sauce to use for many other purposes.

Vegetarian Buttermilk Panna Cotta ベジタリアンバターミルクパナコタ

My wife was planning on serving “buttermilk panna cotta” for dessert the night we were having a Hanami celebration with our friends. Then she realized one of the guests was vegetarian so she could not use “gelatin” to make the panna cotta as she usually does. She remembered that in the past we had gotten agar-agar powder to use instead of gelatin for just such a situation. Luckily I was able to locate it quickly in the pantry. She then remembered, that the last time she used it the desert she made was a failure because it did not jell. So she went on the web to see how to use agar as a substitute for gelatin. She discovered that the agar failed the last time because she just treated it like it was gelatin.  From her web search, she discovered that agar is quite different. The quantity of agar can not be directly substituted for gelatin on a one-to-one basis; 1 teaspoon is agar powder typically replaces 1 tablespoon of gelatin. In general agar makes the panna cotta firmer with less melt-in-the-mouth feel than geletin so less agar must be used to make it creamier.  In addition, agar must be completely dissolved, rather than just “bloomed” in cold liquid before heating. Most importantly, it must be heated for considerably more time than gelatin to become activated. My wife found several recipes/instructions on the web and the resulting panna cotta was a complete success. If you were not told you could not tell the difference between the panna cotta made with agar and the one she usually makes with gelatin.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups light (or heavy) cream
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 + 1/8 tsp agar (it has to be completely dissolved in cold liquid)
1/2 cup sugar (or to taste)
1 tbsp vanilla extract 
A pinch of salt

Directions:
Hydrate the agar: In a medium saucepan, whisk the agar powder into the cold cream and let it sit for 5-10 minutes to soften. Heat and Activate: Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly. Once it simmers, continue to boil gently for 1-2 minutes to ensure the agar is fully activated. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar until dissolved. Allow the mixture to cool slightly (to avoid curdling), then whisk in the vanilla and buttermilk.

This panna cotta was quite a success. There was a bit of a learning curve involved but it was worth it because vegetarian panna cotta is now a viable option for future vegetarian desserts.