nanceeeb's tips: Dried Fruits, Cutting & Re-Hydrating

Dried fruits can be wonderful baked into cakes. An easy way to cut them up, yet still leave them chunky, is to oil a pair of scissors and snip away. Each time the fruit builds up on the scissors blade,run a razor blade scraper along the sides of the scissors and add a film of oil to them. Begin again. Don't forget to re-hydrate those dried fruits before you bake. Use any liquid with flavor. Heat the fruit and liquid over a flame or in the micro-wave oven. Off heat, allow the fruits to sit and macerate until they are plump and luscious. They can also be re-hydrated in a strainer placed over boiling water. This method takes longer and some of the fruit juices are lost in the boiling water. (That flavored water could be used to bake Ham. See recipe on this blog.)
c.Nancy Bookman Hoffman

Browned & Clarified Butter

Browned butter has a distinct flavor all its own. It is delectable and can cut the amount of butter used in half because the flavor soars. To brown butter, simply melt a stick in a pot or pan. When the foam subsides, lower the flame and watch the bottom carefully. That is where the milk solids fall.

At this point the clear melted butter can be poured off the top without disturbing the bottom solids. That clear liquid is called clarified butter, or ghee, often used in baking.

Back to browning the butter: when the milk solids are tan and toasted, quickly remove the pot or pan from the flame. They burn quickly. The browned butter can be re-solidified in the refrigerator for use in baked goods. It can be combined immediately with toasted bread crumbs to top cooked vegetables, fish or casseroles.

If clarified butter is called for, reserve the milk solids to enrich a gravy or casserole. Clarified butter keeps longer than butter with milk solids. Butter is actually only 80% fat, 18% water and the rest is milk solids.
c.Nancy Bookman Hoffman

Poultry Seasoning

Once in a while poultry, particularly turkey, can have a nasty, bitter taste. To eliminate any thought of that occurance wash out the cavities and the flesh of the bird with a fresh lemon or two. Next generously sprinkle the bird inside and out with powdered ginger. This sweetens the bird without flavoring the finished product. Then add personal additional seasonings. Substitute two Tablespoons of dry white vermouth, white wine, frozen apple juice or another citrus juice for the lemons. Whatever is used should be acidic. Keep a constant supply of powdered ginger on the shelf. It is a remarkable neutralizer.
c.Nancy Bookman Hoffman

Trussing a Bird

Many people like to get out a big needle and strong thread and sew a bird closed. Still others are adept at trussing with butchers' cotton string. I have become fast and adept at using stainless steel trussing pins. When the butcher has made an accidental extra slash, start a pin above the cut, enter the skin only and weave in and out down the length of the error, alternating sides of the cut. Pin the neck skin under the bird with the same in and out stitch, whether or not that cavity is stuffed. Then put the bird's elbows (pinions) up by its neck and bend the wing tips so that they further anchor the neck skin. Run one pin from the top of the slash of the bottom cavity down towards the tail. A small opening can remain. With the longest pin, start by going from the outside of one ankle, through the nearest skin flap of the cavity, then through the tipped up tail and through the other cavity flap and second ankle. This keeps the legs hugged close to the bird. Pour two Tablespoons of dry white vermouth into the cavity to keep the breast meat moist. If the cavity opening remains wide, place something there: the neck (seasoned and greased), one half a lemon, a small apple or an onion.
c.Nancy Bookman Hoffman

Wrapping Well with Plastic

In the bakery where I worked we had to seal our products very well. We also had to get back into them fast when we needed to unwrap them. Pull out enough plastic wrap to go under and over the container or sheet pan. Place the whole container on top of the plastic. Pull the plastic up and over the container. Pull the last bit of plastic out of the box to overlap the first end. Cut and seal on TOP of the product. Pull the plastic sides up on TOP of the container, too. Thus all of the ends of the plastic rest on TOP of the product and the product is tightly sealed inside an envelope of plastic. If the container, such as a sheet pan, is too wide for the plastic, cover one half of the pan lengthwise as above, then repeat, overlapping the plastic down the center, for the second half of the pan. Sealing this way should prevent "freezer burn", and prevent blind searching for ends underneath a wrapped product.
c.Nancy Bookman Hoffman

A Different Kind of Birthday Cake

Not everyone can eat wheat. In fact, a growing number of people have become gluten-intolerant, which means their bodies are unable to process the gluten that is an essential part of wheat and other grains. But just because you can't eat conventional flour doesn't mean you should miss out on the fun of a cake on your birthday. Take this recipe, which was adapted from one originally tasted at the Fatty Crab Restaurant in New York City's Greenwich Village.

MALAYSIAN COCONUT/RICE CAKE

Oven temperature: 350 F
Preparation time: 1½ hours
Essential Equipment: 2 bowls (1 large)
2 half sheet pans, fitted with baking paper

DRY Ingredients
1 pound Mochiko Powder (fine rice flour)
3 Tablespoons Coconut Powder
3 Tablespoons Baking Powder
1 Tablespoon salt

WET Ingredients
8 Tablespoons soft sweet butter
2 Tablespoons vanilla
5 cups granulated sugar
10 whole eggs
2 cans coconut milk

1. Preheat oven. Prepare pan(s).
2. Mix together dry ingredients.
3. Mix together wet ingredients.
4. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
5. Spread batter evenly on prepared pans and bake.
6. Serve in two-bite squares or small diamonds.

Nancee b's notes: This is a very moist, dense, light cake. The crumb is so wet that the consistency resembles a fine polenta. At the restaurant a two bite square per person accompanies the check. Called Coconut Mochi Cake, it is a delightful, slightly sweet ending to a fine meal. Preferably mix the cake by a machine. Unsweetened coconut minced finely can be substituted for coconut powder. The batter will be very liquid. Test tilt of oven with a level before baking. If using only a half recipe, bake in two 11 inch jelly roll pans. They will take less than one hour to bake.

c.Nancy Bookman Hoffman

Nanceee B's cooking tip: Getting ready to bake up a storm during the holidays

Because I bake a lot, the big thing I accumulate in my freezer is unsalted butter. I buy it whenever it is on special at the supermarket.

Big winter holidays like Christmas/Hannukah/Kwanza either call for a wonderful brunch or a simple elegant dinner. Both require some baked goods.

Think ahead and try to freeze anything you are going to bake well ahead of time. Most baked goods freeze beautifully without suffering any flavor loss. They must be well sealed in plastic.
(See Wrapping Well with Plastic on this blog.) Because they incorporate AIR, they also defrost quickly within their wrappings.

Getting the baking out of the way long before due date takes much of the cooking pressure off the big event.
c.Nancy Bookman Hoffman

Nanceee B's cooking tip: Don't flush the fat down the drain!

Keep an empty coffee can in the refrigerator for fat. Cap the plastic top onto the bottom of the can for use when the can is full. I set the can on a piece of cardboard or a folded paper towel so that if I spill the fat over the side of the can, it won't rub off on the refrigerator when I return it to its place.

Poultry fat is very tasty and salt free. It also has a high smoke point, meaning that it can be used over a high flame without burning. It's great for home fried potatoes and lightly greasing the next bird for roasting.

If you can accumulate several cans (about 5 pounds) of fat (any kind), you may want to try to make your own laundry soap. It's a long, messy, process with lots of ingredients, including caustic lye. I usually do it in a big old enamel roasting pan, outdoors in the barbecue pit. One recipe lasts me years.

Otherwise, cap the can when it is full with the plastic lid you saved on the bottom of the can. Throw it in the garbage.
c.Nancy Bookman Hoffman

Nanceee b's cooking tip: Cleaning Your Oven After Thanksgiving...

A quick tip for those dealing with the not-so-pleasant side of Thanksgiving …

To clean your "turkey" stained oven, place ammonia in a glass bowl on the floor of the oven over night. The next morning carefully open the oven door, making sure the fumes do NOT hit your eyes. Wipe the sides, ceiling and floor of the oven with a damp cloth, paper towels or a sponge. The same thing can be done with a separate broiler. If some large lumps remain, run a razor blade scraper through a bar of soap, then scrape clumps off the oven surface. The soap will prevent the razor from scratching. It can be used (soaped) on glass oven doors as well.
c.Nancy Bookman Hoffman

Recipes for Thanksgiving Leftovers

LEFTOVER TURKEY SOUP

large pot
sheet pan

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 bunch parsley, stemmed, leaves minced
leftover stuffing
leftover gravy
leftover turkey bones and skin
leftover turkey, removed from bones and set aside, covered in the refrigerator
3/4 cup pearled barley
1/2 cup dry white vermouth


1. Saute the onion in olive oil until it is tan.

2. Add the carrot, celery, parsley stalks (tied with a rubber band), stuffing, barley, gravy, turkey bones and skin.

3. Add vermouth and enough water to cover. Set over low heat and allow to cook until the barley has bloomed (40 minutes to 1 hour) and is soft.

4. Off heat. Skim skin and fat from surface of soup. Remove parsley stems and discard. Also discard the bones.
The simplest way to do this is to strain or remove all solids from the soup with a slotted spoon and place them on a sheet pan.

5. Return the solids to the soup. Add turkey and fresh chopped parsley. Season to taste. Reheat and serve hot.

NANCEEE B'S NOTES: Fat and skin rise to the top of the soup. They add flavor so leave a thin skim of fat. It can be completely removed after refrigeration. Since I roast my turkey on a grid of celery, onions and carrots (so that it won't stick to the pan) , those vegetables go into my soup pot. Celery and parsley add natural salt to the soup. Carrots add natural sugar.

c. Nancy Bookman Hoffman

Holy Smoke – Surprises amid the Great BBQ

RESTAURANT REVIEW
(Submitted to the Putnam County Courier, October 24, 2004)

If you love surprises and you love BBQ, there are plenty of both at Chris and Susan Casino's. new restaurant, HOLY SMOKE . For years we have pursued real BBQ and have sampled it in Gaylordsville (smoked turkey legs at a fair), East Fishkill, Pawling, Danbury as well as NYC, Kansas, Alabama, Florida, California, Louisiana and Texas. So when we spotted the attractive HOLY SMOKE sign on Route 6N, it was natural for us to slam on the brakes. We couldn't pass it by. No way.

When you walk in, the smell is right . Susan Casino greets and seats you. The restaurant looks airy and clean. The waitress is cheery. She obviously likes her job. The menu is varied and innovative.

Chris will tell you good quality choice meats is a key, along with the right wood, the right temperature and patience. "It's a long slow process," he says. "There are no short cuts." Chris has cooked in Manhattan, Kansas and both Galveston and Houston Texas. He also worked for Stouffers. Top of the line products are all over the menu down to fine Beverages where he stocks Stewarts Sodas. Ales and beers are imported and domestic.

For Starters Corn Fritters are crisp outside, gooey inside, a treat not to be missed.
Trash Ribs come from the kine bone, that triangular flap, which runs perpendicular to a rib rack . They are surprisingly juicy and succulent, boasting exactly the right shade of rosy pink produced by great smokers, with three wonderful home made dipping sauces to mix at the table. BBQ Spring Rolls in a crisp tortilla shell have a memorable complex, saucy filling, yet are not messy to eat.

Because we want to taste as many of HOLY SMOKE's dishes as we can, we try both Texas Beef Brisket and Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwiches, each served on an Arthur Avenue hand-formed Kaiser roll, and each smoked to tasty pink perfection that amateur smokers wish they could achieve. The pickles are cold and crunchy. We just loosen our belts a little, mix up some more sauce and dig in.

Side dishes are delicious, too. Spinach is warm and creamy. Beans are baked with chunks of BBQ meat . Skinny sweet potatoes are fried crisp. It is delightful to find that nothing we taste is heavily salted. More local restaurants might take note.

The Casinos' Italian sweet tooth shows up at Dessert. Home made Apple/Raspberry Crumble should probably be served warm, maybe with ice cream. Here, it is served straight from the refrigerator. The final good surprise is the Banana Split with Smoked Chocolate Sauce. Never heard of it? It's a first for me and a fascinating twist on a universal favorite.

We questioned Chris some more after dinner and learned that hundreds of pounds of meat pass slowly through his huge stainless steel smoker every 24 hours. It's a process that doesn't start until 10 PM every night, when a fire under water-soaked wood in the smoker is allowed to burn for 2 hours before the temperature is right and the smoke is sweet and white. At Midnight the meat is loaded in on the racks and left there all night, at a constant temperature, until 10 AM the next morning. After the perfectly smoked meat is removed, the smoker is scrubbed down thoroughly and made ready to be fired up for another night's work.

How many times do we go to a restaurant and find almost every dish worth applause? Seldom. We are lucky Susan and Chris Casino chose to open in our neighborhood. The quote by Alexander Pope on HOLY SMOKE's menu is, "Send me, Gods, a whole hog barbecued," Chris Casino, thankfully, is doing just that for us in Mahopac! We are already salivating thinking about our return visit.

Located 3.5 miles from Jefferson Valley and 3 miles from Mid-Mahopac, 8 miles from Carmel, on a totally renovated old restaurant site, HOLY SMOKE is open from 11:30 AM to 10 PM, 9 PM Sundays, closed Mondays
241 ROUTE 6N, MAHOPAC, NY 10541, 845-628-9795.

c.Nancy Bookman Hoffman