Cinnamon Salmon

Cinnamon Salmon

12 ounces salmon fillets (about 2 fillets)

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Mix together soy sauce, lemon juice, and spices.  Place salmon in a shallow baking dish, and pour liquid mixture over the filets.  For more flavor, marinate for up to 1 hour or just bake immediately.  Bake about 25 minutes or until salmon is flaky.

Paul's Smoked Turkey

 

 

Paul's Smoked Turkey

For the Brine

 

10.4 ounces salt (2 cups Diamond Crystal kosher salt OR 1 1/3 cups Morton kosher salt OR 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons fine sea salt)

1 1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar

1/4 cup whole black peppercorns

2 tablespoons allspice

2 gallons cold water

1 bag of ice

1 clean 5-gallon bucket with lid

 

For Smoking the Turkey

 

1 12- to 15-pound thawed turkey

1 Granny Smith apple (quartered)

1 yellow onion (quartered)

Fresh sprigs of thyme

Olive oil

Melted Butter

Rosemary

Butcher’s twine

Apple wood pellets

 

Initial Preparation and Brining

 

In the bucket, combine water, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns and allspice. Rinse the turkey inside and out, remove giblets and discard or save for later use. Slide the turkey into the bucket of brine, making sure it is fully immersed. Place the bag of ice on top of the turkey to keep it submerged fully in the bucket. Place the lid on the bucket and set aside to brine overnight.

 

Final Preparation and Smoking

 

Remove the turkey from the brine, drain and pat dry with paper towels. Fold the wingtips behind the back and tie the legs together with butcher’s twine. Stuff both the main cavity and the neck cavity with the quartered apple, onion and fresh thyme.

 

Start the smoker on Smoke with the lid open until the fire is established (4 to 5 minutes). Place the turkey directly on the grill grate, breast side up. Close lid and let the turkey smoke on the Smoke setting for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

 

Combine the melted butter and rosemary in a small bowl. After initial Smoke, baste the turkey with the butter/rosemary and turn the Smoker up to 350 degrees. Smoke the turkey for an additional 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until the internal temperature in the thickest part of the thigh is 165 degrees Fahrenheit (use an instant-read meat thermometer).

 

Remove the turkey and let it rest at least 20 minutes before carving.

Crispy Hashbrowns

I LOVE hashbrowns.  The kind that are crispy and golden and crunchy on the outside with a soft, hot white interior.  Hashbrowns make breakfast extra special because I only ever get them when we are on vacation and stop for breakfast at a diner or something.  So when I realized I overbought potatoes for dinner the other night, I decided it was finally time to figure out diner-style hashbrowns at home. 

After looking up some instructions for latkes (similar to hashbrowns) for techniques in the America's Test Kitchen cookbook, I started googling and found a "recipe" on seriouseats.com that takes pretty much the same approach.  Removing excess moisture from the shredded potatoes by squeezing them in a dish towel and then briefly cooking the hashbrowns in the microwave first for just a couple of minutes are the secrets to extra-crunchy and golden-brown hash browns.  I like my hashbrowns a little extra peppery with ketchup on the side.

Crispy Hashbrowns

1 pound russet potatoes, peeled
3 tablespoons canola oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Shred the potatoes on the largest holes of a box grater. Wrap in a kitchen towel or several layers of cheesecloth, and twist to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Transfer the potatoes to a plate lined with two layers of paper towels. Cook in a microwave on high for 2 minutes.

Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. When oil shimmers, add shredded potato. Season with a large pinch of salt and pepper. Using a spatula, press potato into an even layer. Cook until golden brown on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Flip the potatoes with the spatula and brown on the other side, about 2 minutes longer. Remove and drain on a paper-towel-lined plate. Serve immediately.

Recipe from Nick Kindelsperger at www.seriouseats.com.

Easy Foccacia Bread

Easy Foccacia Bread

1 1/2 cup hot water

1 tablespoon yeast

2 tablespoons sugar, divided

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup butter, melted

Rosemary (preferably fresh), coarsely chopped

Coarse salt

 

Proof hot water, yeast, and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Combine flour, the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar, and salt and mix with yeast mixture. Knead, cover and let rise about 20 minutes. Dough will be sticky.

Spread in greased 9x13 pan. Melt butter and drizzle on top. Sprinkle with Rosemary and salt. 

Bake at 375 F for 15- 20 minutes. Serve warm.

Optional: instead of rosemary and salt, sprinkle with parmesan cheese, garlic salt, caramelized onions, or whatever other toppings you want.

Cherry Almond Cupcakes

A month or so before Clara's 4th birthday I started talking to her about what kind of cake she wanted and she consistently told me "cherry cupcakes!".  There was one day in there where she changed the request to blueberry cupcakes, but then went right back to cherry, so cherry it was. 

These cupcakes are actually an almond cupcake with fresh cherry frosting.  I found a lot of recipes for cherry cupcakes using maraschino cherries in the batter and frosting but I'm not a huge fan of maraschinos, especially in baked goods.  I'm glad I went with my gut on this and used fresh cherries instead, which are just coming into season in May.  I picked up some Brooks cherries (one of our favorite sweet varieties along with Rainiers) at the farmer's market on Thursday.

I thought I had chopped my cherries pretty well but I think I would go even farther next time and practically puree them to make the frosting to help release more of the juice because I feel like that is what caused the purple-pink liquid to seep out and ooze down the sides of the cupcakes.  They were still pretty but it just wasn't the effect I was going for.  Also, I would wait to add the cherry juice itself until after incorporating the chopped cherries and seeing how the frosting is holding up.  I might even try adding a cup of chopped cherries the almond cupcake batter as well and seeing how that would turn out, even though I loved the almond cupcake as it was. 

Cherry Almond Cupcakes (makes 18 cupcakes)

Cupcakes

1½ cups all-purpose flour

1½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

½ cup butter, at room temperature

2 eggs

1½ teaspoons almond extract

1 cup buttermilk

 

Fresh Cherry Frosting

 

1 cup butter, at room temperature

3½ cups powdered sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon almond extract

1 cup fresh cherries, pitted and very finely chopped

 

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners.

 

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt and mix to combine.

 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl in between additions. Beat in the almond extract. Add one-third of the flour mixture, beat to combine, then half of the buttermilk. Add another one-third of the flour, the remaining buttermilk, then the remaining flour. Beat just until combined.

 

Fill the cupcake liners about ⅔ full of the batter. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18 minutes. Remove from the pans and cool completely.

 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add in the powdered sugar, ½ cup at a time, mixing until completely combined. Beat in the salt and the almond extract, then turn the mixer to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in the cherries and any juices that may have accumulated. Beat on low until combined, then turn to medium-high and beat an additional 2-3 minutes. The frosting should be light and creamy and smooth.

 

Pipe the frosting on the cupcakes. Top with an additional cherry, if desired.

Black Forest Cherry Cupcakes

 

Black Forest Cherry Cupcakes

Cupcake

3 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1/3 cup unsweetend cocoa powder (regular or Dutch-processed)

3/4 cup hot water

3/4 cup bread flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp canola oil

2 large eggs

2 tsp white vinegar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

 

Filling and Topping

 

1 1/4 cups cherry pie filling, store bought or homemade

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1/4 cup granulated sugar

Finely chopped chocolate or real chocolate sprinkles, for garnish

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the chopped chocolate and cocoa powder in a medium bowl, then pour hot water over chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth. Transfer bowl to refrigerator and chill 20 minutes, stirring once halfway through chilling, until cooled (or 10 in freezer stirring once).

 

Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, salt and baking soda. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together canola oil, eggs, vinegar and vanilla. Pour chocolate mixture into oil mixture and stir until well combined, then add flour mixture and whisk until smooth.

 

Divide batter evenly among 12 paper lined muffin cups (about 1/4 cup in each). Bake in preheated oven until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 17 - 19 minutes. Allow cupcakes to cool in baking tin several minutes then transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely.

 

Cut a hole in the centers of each cupcake (big enough to fit 1 1/2 Tbsp filling, mine was slightly heaping out the top). Add about 1 1/2 - 2 Tbsp cherry pie filling to holes in cupcakes.

 

In a mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer, whip heavy cream on high speed until soft peaks form. Add 1/4 cup granulated sugar and whisk until stiff peaks form. Pipe whipped cream over cupcakes then top each with a cherry and garnish with finely chopped chocolate or sprinkles. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator, allow to rest at room temperature about 20 minutes before serving.

Empanadas Arregladas (Costa Rican Empinadas)

 

Empanadas Arregladas

2 cups Masa Harina (Maseca)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups hot water
1 teaspoon achiote powder (optional; also called annatto)
1 cup cooked Tica-style black beans
1 cup queso fresco
3 cups vegetable oil

Cabbage Salad

1/2 cabbage, chopped into narrow strips
1 large tomato, diced
Juice from 1/2 lemon (unless lemon is small, then use the juice from the full lemon)
Salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat.  Add the achiote powder to the hot water and stir to dissolve.  Make a hole in the center of the masa in a bowl, and slowly add water, a little at a time.  Using your fingers, mix the masa and water together until it all comes together and forms a ball.  It will be about the consistency of playdough.  Make balls with the masa slightly larger than the size of a golf ball.  Place the ball between to sheets of parchment paper, then press down hard with the bottom of a plate to form a tortilla.

Remove the top sheet of parchment paper and fill masa tortilla with about 1 teaspoon of cheese and 1 teaspoon of beans (or all beans, or all cheese, or a shredded chicken mixture).  Do not overfill.  Fold one side of the tortilla over and press edges down to seal the empanada. 

When all empanadas are prepared, gently lower a few at a time into the hot oil using tongs (very important as the water in the empanada dough will sizzle and pop quite a bit) and fry for about 3 minutes per side until golden brown.  Be sure not to crowd the pan.  Remove from oil and place on a plate lined with paper towels.

To prepare the cabbage salad, mix the cabbage and tomatoes, squeeze the lemon juice over them, and season with salt and paper to taste.   

Serve empanadas with cabbage salad and sour cream.  I like guacamole for them too, even though that is a Mexican thing and not something you would see in Costa Rica.

Gallo Pinto (Costa Rican Black Beans and Rice)

Gallo Pinto

2 cups cooked black beans, including the liquid (1 15 oz. can)*
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons Salsa Lizano**
2-3 teaspoons salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
1 cup finely chopped cilantro stems and leaves
3 cups cooked, long-grain rice

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter.  Add onion, pepper, and garlic and saute for a few minutes until soft.  Add the beans and Lizano sauce and cook for about 5 minutes more.  If making Gallo Pinto, add the rice now and cook a few minutes more until everything is well combined, then stir in cilantro and serve with tortillas, crema fresca or sour cream and Lizano sauce.

If making black beans for empanadas, mash about half the beans with a potato masher before stirring in the cilantro.

*To prepare dried black beans, soak 1 pound of beans in 6 cups of water overnight.  Drain the water, then pour beans, 6 cups water, 6 chopped garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons dried oregano, and 1 cup chopped cilantro leaves and stems.  Cook on high for 3 hours or until beans are tender.
**If Salsa Lizano is not available, the easies substitute is Worcestershire sauce.  It's not the same, but it will work in a pinch.

Potstickers

 

 

I am lucky to have a friend who shares my enthusiasm for trying to make dishes that we have never made before so when I mentioned potstickers she was totally up for the challenge.  She even took me and the girls on a field trip to the Asian market to pick up our ingredients, which was foreign to me both because everything was in Chinese but also because I basically never cook or even eat Chinese or Japanese foods.  Its a shortcoming I am trying to rectify. 

 

Anyway, with premade potsticker wrappers, it isn't difficult at all to make these savory little bites.  Served up with Asian stir-fry vegetables and Spicy Soy Potsticker Sauce, this makes a delicious  and satisfying dinner.

 

Potstickers (recipe by my friend Amy Barrett)

1 pound ground pork
4 cups Napa cabbage, finely chopped
¼ scallions, finely sliced
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons brown sugar
3 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 tablespoons minced garlic
4 tablespoons minced ginger
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon chili oil
70-80 potsticker (round) wrappers
Vegetable oil for frying
4 cups chicken broth

Combine the first twelve ingredients in a large bowl with your hands.  Place one heaping teaspoon of filling into the center of a potsticker wrapper.  Trace water around the edges of the wonton wrapper.  Fold wrapper in half and press closed to seal potstickers.  Place assembled posticker on a baking pan lined with foil and cooking spray until ready to cook.  Repeat steps 2-5 until all the filling or wrappers have been used.

Heat a large frying pan on medium-high heat with enough oil to coat the bottom surface of the
pan.  Place an single layer of potstickers flat side down in the pan and cook until wrapper turns to a
medium brown (about 2 minutes).  Add 1/3 cup chicken broth to the hot pan, turn heat to low, cover, and cook for an additional 2 minutes.  Gently remove potstickers from pan, being careful not to tear delicate wrapper.  Pour water into hot empty pan to deglaze and pour out when crispy bits have loosened.  Repeat until all potstickers have been cooked.

Serve with Spicy Soy Dipping Sauce.

Spicy Soy Dipping Sauce

This sauce is the perfect accompaniment for my favorite potstickers.  It definitely packs a little heat but it is oh so good.

 

Spicy Soy Dipping Sauce

 

1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
1/3 cup scallions, finely sliced
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon sambal olek* (more or less depending on desired level of spice)

Whisk all ingredients together and serve in individual dipping bowls.

*Note: Sambal Oelek is a ground fresh chili paste with a green lid and a gold label with a picture of a red rooster on it. It can sometimes be found in the Asian section of a grocery store, but is readily available at any Asian market. If it cannot be found, crushed red pepper flakes can be substituted in the same quantity.