Madison House Chef

Guinness and Bailey’s Cupcakes

These are some of the most delicious chocolate cupcakes ever.  There’s Guinness in the chocolate cupcake batter, a ganache of dark, bittersweet chocolate and Bailey’s that lies in wait in the midst of the cake like a hidden treasure, and the whole thing is topped with butter cream frosting laced with more Bailey’s. Mmmm….mmm…mmmm! These could be a new go to dessert for a less formal meal.

The recipe I used for these scrumptious bites is from Smitten Kitchen’s “chocolate whiskey and beer cupcakes” aka Guinness and Bailey’s Irish Cream Cupcakes via Annie’s Eats.  I can’t say enough about these decadent, delicious, luscious, rich, confession inducing cupcakes. Ken and I both give them an A+ and look forward to sharing them with others tomorrow.

~Enjoy!

Thin Crust Pizza & Stuffed Crust Pizza - Homemade

This Sunday Ken made our Sunday pizza with a delicious garlic crust with which he experimented with its thinnest and thickness.   He made an amazing super thin crust that had was not the least bit dry and also a standard crust pizza with a stuffed crust. 

The key, he found, to making a stuffed crust that was neither dry nor too “bready” was to put a hint of sauce at the very edge of the crust, add the cheese and then fold.  He also considered olive oil, but considered that this could make it greasy.

Homemade Pizza on Sunday – what a tradition!

Three Cheese White Pizza (with photos)

Sometime ago a tradition began in our household … Sunday pizza.  Not that I don’t enjoy a good roast beef or a roasted chicken with potatoes and gravy (both aromas instantly take me back to my childhood and to my grandmother’s kitchen), but a hot pizza and a cold malted beverage have become a pleasant, very low key way to unwind after a busy morning and at the end of a full weekend.

Ken continues to perfect his homemade pizza and has been working on a three cheese white pizza for our daughter who does not care for red sauce.  However, I began to nibble hers and found out how much I too enjoy it.  Ken has now brought to fruition both a mild and also a robust version of white pizza. 

The best part of white pizza with multiple cheeses is that there are so many ways to mix and match fromage and add (or not) a few toppings.

Above is Ken’s CIA inspired pizza dough now herb infused, tossed to a thin disk.  This is a perfect complement to the white pizza.

Add several teaspoons of quality olive oil,

and spread evenly over the crust.

Be certain to spread the oil to the edges.  Sprinkle the edges of the crust liberally with kosher salt.

Beginning from the center of the pie add each cheese,

building layers of flavor.

Flavor combinations may include any variation of prepared mozzarella, fresh mozzarella, Feta, Blue cheese, Provolone, Goat Cheese, Queso Blanco, Muenster, Parmesan, Romano.  Certainly others may and should be used according to the preference of taste.

Caution: Do not overload the pizza with cheese lest the cheese not fully melt, or the crust burns before the center of the pizza is fully cooked.

Just before putting the pizza into the oven, sprinkle a blend of Italian seasonings or (in season) fresh basil, which provides the most flavor.

Sprinkle corm meal on the hot pizza stone.

Place prepared pizza on a hot pizza stone in a preheated 500 degree oven or into a very hot wood fire.

Check at approximately 7-8 minutes.  Watch carefully, checking every minute there after.

On average, a moderately thin crust will finish in about 11 minutes though the best way to truly know if it has cooked properly is to keep a close eye on it, removing the pizza from the oven when the cheese is golden and the crust begins to turn golden brown. 

Allow pizza to stand and cool for about 4 minutes prior to cutting.  This sets the cheese … “and keeps one from burning the roof of the mouth behind the teeth.”

Cut into slices and serve.

Enjoy!

The Ruben Burger

Hot and juicy meets rich and tangy.

Beef burger topped with Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and 1000 island dressing --- that’s the Ruben Burger.

Baby Back Ribs

My husband, Ken is the first ever ‘guest’ blogger… his fabulous, soon to be famous ribs, which was requested and ravenously eaten by our son (and gathered extended family, too) on the occasion of his 14th birthday, are today’s feature!

~Enjoy!

  
Ribs, post cook, pre-broil (It’s difficult to keep your fingers out of them while they rest)

This is a recipe based on Alton Brown’s recipe, with some significant changes in cooking time and temperature.  The first, and frankly most important, ingredient is time.  Start these the day before you actually want to enjoy the ribs.

Day One
Prepare the following rub – it is enough for two full racks of ribs:
8 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
½ teaspoon black powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
½ teaspoon Thyme

 
I cut my ribs into half-rack portions.  (editor’s note: photos are from a time he was only making two racks and left them whole)

Place each half-rack on a long sheet of aluminum foil, liberally coat ribs with rub,

and then fold into a pouch, securely closing one end, and creating a funnel-like opening on the other end and close, but not tightly (you will need to be able to open the one end to put in the braising liquid before cooking the ribs).  Make sure the packets are essentially leak-proof.

Braising liquid:
1 cup white wine
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 cloves of garlic
Mix the liquid as thoroughly as you can, cover and park in the refrigerator overnight.

Day Two
Preheat oven to 215 degrees.  Pour equal amounts of braising liquid into each packet of ribs – reseal foil as securely as possible.  Place the packets on a cookie-sheet or some other such pan.  Cook for six hours.  The greatest danger here?  Being at home while the cooking takes place – the smell at about hour 3 or 4 is devastatingly good and you will be greatly tempted to tear into them – but you must remain patient and resist said temptation.  Open that next beer or pour yourself another glass of wine, get a good book, and wait.  It will be worth it.

After six hours, remove the half-racks from their foil pouches and let them rest for anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour.  This is easily the hardest step.  Why? Because they are just sitting there, beckoning you to ‘taste’ them.  Odysseus had an easier job when sailing past the Sirens then you do at this moment.  Employ your spouse or some passerby on the street to lash you to the mast, or the dishwasher, it all depends on what is handy.  By this time your family or guests are ready to mount an ugly mutiny in the kitchen in order to get the ribs – smugly tell them they need to wait just a few moments longer (smugly, because you have either mastered the temptation, or given in completely all in the name of making sure that the ‘flavor profile is just right’).  At this point, you can throw them either on the grill or under the broiler for a quick bit to give them a bit of a crust.  Do not drown them in any kind of sauce, let your guests choose what they want on them.  

The slow cooking and TLC you have lavished upon this choice bit of pig yields succulent ribs that are flavorful and tender.  Clean-up is quite easy as the only thing left are the clean bones.

 

Puff Pastry Pizza Stars

Ingredients

1 sheet of puff pastry
mozzarella cheese, shredded
pepperoni, sliced and cut into very small shreds
bacon, crumbled
other pizza toppings

Directions
Thaw puff pastry according to directions.

With a small star shaped cookie cutter, press out stars and lay them individually on a pizza pan or baking sheet.

Sprinkle pizza toppings generously over each star – that’s before the cheese.  The cheese on top ultimately holds the toppings in place making them easier to eat.

The Madison House Chef Jr. prepares these twinkling treats.  She prefers cheese-only as her topping.

Top with a generous amount of mozzarella cheese.

Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven until puff pastry has “puffed” and cheese is bubbling.  Serve immediately.

These mini bites are quick, easy enough for kids to make, and make great finger food for both kids and adults.

Enjoy!

Blogging My Refrigerator Birthday Edition

Another unique look inside my refrigerator … though actually this is the second refrigerator aka “the beer refrigerator” or the “party refrigerator.”  This fridge is about 87 years old (at least it seems that way….). The exterior is covered in wine and beer labels, which may in fact be what’s actually holding it together.  Nevertheless, it is the coldest refrigerator ever, keeping beer icy cold and party food fresh; and more than anything else giving us extra cold space.

Tomorrow is my son’s 14th birthday which we’re celebrating with a family dinner (the four of us, 2 grandparents and an aunt and uncle), featuring Ken’s famous ribs (large shiny packets on second shelf) and potatoes capped off by a two layer chocolate cake (top shelf next to the milk) with chocolate frosting.  All of the prep, plus various barley libations and the gallon of milk, is here and ready to go for tomorrow’s family fiesta.

The only thing left to put in the fridge is a dozen cupcakes that I made for him to take to share with his friends at school during lunch.  I teased him that they weren’t as fancy as the store bought kind and he flatly responded, “good!”  He’s a picky eater in that he always wants mom’s (mine) baking or cooking over store bought anything.  I don’t mind a bit and am glad to make food for him and his friends, who tend to raid his lunch box (Gregory won’t eat cafeteria food and carries his lunch daily) because his always looks/tastes better than theirs.  Go figure.  Once, over lunch, they began to negotiate a price on my making all of their lunches every day.  I’m not sure if he was trying to make a buck or trying to get them to keep their hands out of his lunch box.

Enjoy!

Mini Crab Cakes

Ingredients

8 ounces fresh crab meat
1 egg
2 T + 1 T butter, melted,
1 T mayo or horseradish sauce (pre-pkg)
1/4 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
panko

Directions

Mix first 6 ingredients in a bowl.  Mix gently to combine.

Form a very small amount of the mixture into a cake – about the size of a quarter.  Coat/dredge with panko.

In a medium skillet, melt an additional 1 T butter over low heat.  Place cakes, one or two at a time in the pan and cook until golden brown.  Turn over cake and continue cooking until this side too is golden and crab is heated all the way through.

Enjoy!

Bok Choy and Shrimp with Teriyaki Sauce (with photos)

The bok choy at the grocery looked splendid – bright white stalk and deep green leaves.  It beckoned as I passed, calling to be stir fried or sauted; it proceeded to jump into my cart.  Okay, not quite that dramatically, but it sure looked good and thus made it into this week’s menu.

Though the Bok Choy with Green Onions is a perennial favorite we were in the mood for something a little different.  After evaluating what we had the taste for, and determining we were looking for a sauce that would be leaning toward sweet and with a pronounced ginger flavor I set out to ‘create’ this evening’s rice with junk meal.

A side bar about the ‘rice with junk’ moniker.  In 2004, Rush drummer, Neil Peart published the book The Masked Rider: Cycling in West Africa wherein he describes his journey, both physical and spiritual, of time spent in Africa.  At one point he describes “...the women of the village cooked nearby on clay firepits, preparing us the usual dinner of rice and "mystery meat" stew (which I had dubbed in Cameroon as "rice with junk on it").”  From that point on, ‘rice with junk’ became a fond appellation for any pan asian dish with rice and vegetables plus or minus a protein. 

Bok Choy and Shrimp with Teriyaki Sauce  (rice with junk)

Ingredients

1 head of bok choy, sliced
1 carrot, diced
6 – 8 ounces of mushrooms, sliced
1 lb of shrimp, shelled and deveined (brown gulf shrimp preferred)
1 ounce fresh ginger, peeled and diced fine
1 tsp fresh garlic, minced
1 Tbl sesame oil
5 Tbl teriyaki sauce
1 Tbl sesame seeds
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a hot pan or wok, heat sesame oil.  Add fresh ginger and garlic.  Saute’ until they begin to soften.  Be cautious not to scorch garlic or the seasoning will taste bitter.

Add carrots and saute’ for 2 minutes.

Add bok choy and stir, insuring that leafy greens do not stick to the pan.

Add mushrooms.

Stir to combine all ingredients and continue to saute’ or stir fry for about 3 minutes or until green leafiness begins to wilt.

Push vegetables to one side of the pan, making room for the shrimp.  Add shrimp and allow to cook until they begin to cook on one side.

Continue to cook until shrimp are finished.  Do not overcook (or shrimp will be chewy and vegetables will be soggy).

Stir in teriyaki sauce, salt and pepper to taste.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve over short grain, Japanese rice.

Serve hot.

And there you have a fine bowl of rice with junk.
~ Enjoy!

Stuffed Mushrooms with Bacon and Olives with photos

This particular appetizer/tapas recipe is from the Bon Appetit Cookbook with variations of my own according to our own tastes.  It’s savory combination of olives and rosemary are a delight. 

 
mushrooms prior to plating

Ingredients

10 large mushrooms, white button or small portabella
4 slices of bacon
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp dried rosemary (or fresh!)
12-15 Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
4.5 ounces of cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1 T butter, plus a dot to coat baking pan 
fresh ground pepper

Directions

Remove stems from mushrooms.  Coarsely chop stems and set aside.

 
NOTE: Choose white mushrooms that are firm and evenly colored with tightly closed caps, and avoid rinsing them with water, since this may cause them to become water-logged.  Instead, wipe away with a clean moist cloth. 

Cook bacon until crisp.  Remove from pan and crumble.

Pit and chop olives.

 

In a small skillet, melt 1 T butter over medium heat.  Add garlic and saute. 

Add chopped mushroom stems

and rosemary.  Cook until mushrooms and garlic soften.

Add bacon to skillet. Stir.

 

Add olives to skillet. Cook for approximately 2 minutes, stirring to combine all ingredients.  Season with fresh ground pepper to taste.

Mix cream cheese in a medium bowl until smooth.

Remove mushroom mixture from the stove and add it to the cream cheese. 

Butter bottom of baking pan (one large enough to hold mushrooms, or use a couple of smaller ‘tapas’ size ones).  1 T at a time, stuff mushroom caps and arrange in pan. 

At this point the prepped mushroom caps can be covered with wrap and put into the refrigerator for up to 1 day.

To cook:  Place mushrooms in pan(s) into a preheated 375 degree oven and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the mushroom is heated through.

Transfer to a serving platter or serve tapas style.

Enjoy!

Mushroom and Leeks in Phyllo (appetizer or tapas)

The alternate title to this particular favorite is “a little pocket of heaven.”

 
One mushroom and leek in Phyllo and one Muenster cheese in phyllo

Ingredients

3 leeks
8 oz. mushrooms
1/2 stick of butter, plus additional melted butter
1 pkg. phyllo

Directions

Cut root end and leafy green from the leeks.

Slice leeks very thin and rinse thoroughly.  Do not skip this step. 

Slice and rough chop mushrooms.  NOTE:  Ever wonder what to do with the mushrooms that are a day or two pass their prime (i.e. beginning to discolor) but that are not yet ready to be thrown into the garbage.  This little phyllo pouch is perfect for such back-of-the-refrigerator morsels.

 

Saute’ mushrooms and leeks in butter until they soften significantly.

 

Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Lay out a single sheet of phyllo.

Place 1 T mushroom and leek mixture at the center edge of the phyllo.

Fold right third of phyllo over mixture.

Fold left side.

Fold up and over until a tidy pouch is formed. 

 
NOTE: If the mixture is a bit damp, gently lift from underneath the phyllo to make the first flip upward, then fold from there.  This essentially keeps the mixture and dough intact.

Place on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Brush with melted butter.

At this point, these may be refrigerated for up to 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Bake 20 minutes, until the phyllo is golden and crisp and the mushrooms and leeks are hot.

Enjoy!

Celebration of 2009 and Looking to 2010

Here are a dozen and a half highlights of 2009:

Organic carrots – cleaned 5lbs at a time.  In 2009, our kids discovered vegetables beginning with carrots.

Stock – This year we were quite intentional about regularly making stock and using as the flavor base not only for soup, but also for rice, couscous and even to saute vegetables in a low fat way.

Tortilla soup with homemade tortilla chips – Soup became the staple of the year as we developed favorite flavor profiles.

Ribs – Ken perfected BBQ ribs this year with a savory rub and a long and low process of cooking.

Pizza – He also perfected both crust and topping combinations to the extent that it’s a rarity that we eat carry out pizza.

Salmon Chowder – This soup used both our kitchen made stock and utilized seafood which we had made a commitment to eat more of in 2009.

Roladen – A favorite, reminiscent of our days in Munich.  Also one of the most Googled recipes of 2009.

Ice Cream Cake – The temperature on July 8, Madeleine’s birthday, was 104 degrees and thus we decided to have an ice cream cake for her.  What a fun new way to celebrate.  I’d like to try to make one.

Ox Tail Soup – Another of the most Googled recipes of 2009, however, it was probably one of my biggest culinary disappointments of the year.  I had wanted to try ox tail for a very long time and when I came to find out that my maternal grandmother, one of my earliest cooking teachers, made it that desire increased.  Well, the soup/stew wasn’t what I expected.  Maybe I’ll try again in the new year.

Charlie Trotter – Eating at the Kitchen Table and meeting Charlie himself was an amazing way to celebrate Ken’s dissertation defense and inaugurate the final steps toward his PhD (which he received in May).

Meatballs – One of the funniest food episodes this year is when I made meatballs, and I kept making them, and making them, and rolling them, and preparing them, and making them… 442 in total. 

Hot and Spicy Chicken Wings – Mine are the best in the Valley, no, in the world. 

Olive Burger – Hungry for an olive burger like the one at the Keyhole Bar in the UP, I tried to re-create one.  My version was quite delicious, but still it just wasn’t quite it.  Unplanned, our summer vacation included a 2000 mile (each way) road trip to the UP and the Key Hole Bar where I ate the real thing.

The Perfect Steak – Ken’s grilling mastery is off the charts: delicious, juicy, and what beautiful grill marks on the steaks.  Likewise, he’s grilled fish, ribs, ratones, and vegetables.

Grilled Cheese – This was Madeleine’s first grilled cheese that she made “all by herself.”  Another Madison House Chef is launched.

Blueberry Muffins – 2009 was a year of baking and sharing baked goods.  Baking is still one of my favorite ways to relax.

Pork Picnic – We tried and successfully accomplished Pulled Pork!

Bok Choy – This was our new vegetable of the year.  While I’d eaten it many times before, I had not ever cooked with it, but now it’s in the regular rotation of vegetable sides.

Looking to 2010 I’m hopeful to do more baking, to explore more vegetables and create new ways to eat them, and to eat at another world class restaurant (maybe in Spain, the UK, or Finland).  I look forward to learning to make homemade sausage, finding a great paella recipe, and continuing to catalogue these recipes (and share them) via this Madison House Chef blog.

Happy New Year, 2010 – Enjoy!

Blogging My Refrigerator – New Year’s Eve Edition

We aren’t big New Year’s Eve partiers, but instead like to have a quiet evening at home with just our family and a few of our favorite appetizers and tapas.  We let our kids stay up until midnight and have a champagne toast to welcome the New Year.  This year, we may add to the repertoire and eat 12 grapes as the hour strikes.  This is a custom in Spain (where we will be traveling to this summer while my husband teaches at the University in Salamanca) and a fun way of our ongoing preparation for our trip.

Nevertheless, over the last hour or so we’ve put together a few family favorites including: mushroom and leeks in phyllo, stuffed mushrooms, mini crab cakes, tamales (a friend dropped these off earlier today), puff pastry pizza stars (the newcomer to the party), and the tried and true brie in phyllo.  These tasty tapas’ are taking up the majority of the space in the refrigerator and are ready for “the party.”

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010!

Spinach stuffed Chicken Roulades with Goat Cheese and Pine Nuts

 

Ingredients

4 chicken breast, boneless, skinless
2 oz pine nuts
1 C baby spinach
1 pkg chevre goat cheese with basil and garlic
1/3 C chicken stock, approximate
salt and pepper to taste.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Toast pine nuts.

Hand tear baby spinach into smaller pieces.

 

Place pine nuts, spinach, and goat cheese into a bowl and stir to combine completely.

Pound chicken to 1/4 inch thickness.

Place 1/4 of the cheese-spinach mixture onto each of the 4 chicken breasts. 

Roll each chicken breast tightly to contain all cheese mixture. Place seam side down in a medium size roasting pan.  Pour chicken stock around rolls to moisten pan (the full 1/3 cup may not be needed depending upon the size of the base of your pan, likewise it may require a little more).

Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes.

Roasted Carrots and Cranberries

Ingredients

250 g (8 oz) carrots, julienne     
110 g (1 C) cranberries, coarsely chopped     
12 g (3 tsp) brown sugar       
juice of 1/2 a lemon
salt/pepper to taste

 

Directions

Preheat 350 degrees

Combine rough chopped cranberries, julienne carrots, brown sugar, and the juice of one lemon in an oven proof dish.

Cook for 1 hour or until carrots are tender.  Season to taste.

The original recipe called for butter and more sugar which would obviously enrich the flavor, but at the expense of a couple hundred calories and the fat of butter.  The carrots and berries are tart and enjoyable without the extras, especially if you like “tartness” and the flavor of cranberry. 

(280 calories total recipe)

This recipe was originally from a Food Channel recipe that sounded quite delicious and would work well with the roladen I was serving.
I modified it for our personal taste.

Enjoy!