ThinkEats.com

Mulberry-Mint Pie

david — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 16:29:02 +0000

Ah, the mulberry.

A few weeks ago, I hardly knew ye, and now I’m eating your pie for breakfast.

(don’t judge me)

……

To be perfectly honest, I didn’t have much of an idea of what a mulberry was versus any other kind of random berry I’d find out & about. That is, until my buddy/coworker Sam invited my girlfriend Jess and myself out to go foraging for them last week along some of the river trails around Pittsburgh. I wasn’t really sure what they looked like or how we’d find them, but I was assured they were both delicious and FREE. Seriously, how can you pass that up?

Sam and his friend Chad had developed a nifty solution to hand-picking that Sam calls “tarping,” and it’s probably the most time-efficient way I can imagine harvesting mulberries short of giant destructo-harvesting machines of doom like the ones in Avatar or Fern Gully that lay waste to the entire area. That would be in the uncool/not sustainable category, so we stick with a tarp, some buckets, some rope with a 1-ft sturdy piece of wood tied on the end, and some good ole- shakin’.

Foraging for mulberries is easy and fun, and since there are various types of them that grow around the world, you’re never too far from a tree. Morus Rubra is the most plentiful type we might find here in Western PA, but mulberries can be found all across North America… so much so that they even made their way into our American version of “Pop Goes the Weasel.” It’s a great family activity too, and a good way to get your kids to start connecting the dots between the things they put in their belly and the Earth.

I won’t spoil the process of how/where to find them or the actual picking or cleaning processes here, because Sam discusses that on his blog, Old Ways and New Days. You should check it out. He and Chad took their 26 cups or so of mulberries home that night and started making some wine & beer with em, but Jess & I were headed in a less liquidy direction.

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We walked home that night with purple hands and around 6 cups or so of berries. There were plenty more on the trees, but sharing is the name of the game when you’re harvesting from common resources, so play nice and don’t get greedy. Take what you need and move on so others can join the fun too.

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So, without further delay, here is the f̶o̶o̶d̶ ̶p̶o̶r̶n̶ recipe:

Recipe: Mulberry Mint Pie

Print recipe

Serves	8
Prep time	10 minutes
Cook time	45 minutes
Total time	55 minutes
Allergy	Egg, Wheat
Dietary	Vegetarian
Meal type	Dessert, Snack
Misc	Child Friendly, Freezable, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold, Serve Hot
Occasion	Barbecue, Birthday Party, Casual Party, Formal Party
Region	American

Mulberry Mint Pie is a simple, subtle comfort dessert that you can get the whole family involved in. Mulberries are a bit less acidic than blackberries, so they provide a nice soft base layer of flavor to pair with the brighter lemon and the more floral mint. Foraging for mulberries is easy and fun too, and since there are various types of them that grow around the world, everyone can join in on the purple-smile fun.

Ingredients

4 cups Mulberries
1 cup Sugar
3 tablespoons Cornstarch
2 tablespoons Mint (finely chopped)
1/2 Lemon (juiced)
1 pinch Kosher Salt
1 Pie Crust (make your own or buy someone else's)

Directions

Step 1	Preheat oven to 425 deg
Step 2	Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan with only 2 cups of mulberries, then bring to a simmer
Step 3	Simmer until thickened, then remove from heat
Step 4	Gently spread the remaining 2 cups of mulberries into the pie crust, and then evenly pour the sauce mixture over top
Step 5	Place pie in the oven and bake for about 35 min (or until the crust becomes golden brown & flaky)

Now, this recipe is geared towards softer support flavors so that the subtle qualities of the berries can come through, but this recipe is incredibly easy to tweak because you’re really only dealing with the pie filling, so you don’t need to worry with making changes or substitutions like you might if you were adjusting something like a flour/egg/water ratio, for example.

If you want it sweeter, then add more sugar. If you want it sweeter AND to tweak the flavor overall, then perhaps use some amber honey. If you want it brighter, try adding some more lemon, or perhaps a dash of apple cider vinegar. You could also go the route of reducing some bourbon, cream sherry, or a dry white wine when you’re simmering everything together. If you want more floral or herbaceous notes, maybe experiment with some cinnamon or a bit of coriander.

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And now for my favorite pic in the series!

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Taking a break from the product/portrait style approach and going with a more traditional/rustic still-life setup this time around.

Overall, it’s pretty hard to mess this one up, provided you don’t fall asleep with it in the oven and wake up to your dog dragging your stupid ass out of your burning house

So thanks for reading… now go make some pie!

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Kogi Tacos & Cucumber ‘Kimchi’ Slaw — Part II

david — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 14:12:53 +0000

Behold.

The only thing that can make kogi tacos better than ~~massage with full-release~~ grass-fed beef…

Holy F.

I actually had a hard time finding a decent slab of uncut pork belly… the usual place we used to get it was in a Korean grocery store in Pittsburgh’s Strip District, but it’s pre-cut and frozen, and tends to have tougher tissues lining the sides of each slice that aren’t so awesome. After a few strikeouts, I was finally able to get 2 x 2.5lb slabs of uncut/skinless pork belly from Strip District Meats.

I’m going to stop typing for a bit so we can chest bump. Just let me set the laptop down…

Being able to choose the thickness of your own pork is such a liberating experience. No, she did not say that.

Below is a variation of the kogi tacos that uses larger halved cuts of cucumbers & radishes for the ‘kimchi.’ I’m actually starting to prefer this way better for the additional clean crunch you get in each bite. It contrasts very well against the rougher, more leathery (in a good way) texture from the grilled pork belly.

This makes me tear up and salivate at the same time. I don't think I could like anything more (sorry mom).

sloppy!

And lastly, the semi-obligatory poster-style glamour shot to close out this series… I would’ve styled it better, but these tacos are sloppy anyways, so I don’t want every pic to try avoiding that fact. It had nothing to do with my laziness or the fact that my stomach was ready to burst from my chest and attack the rest of the tacos that were waiting there to be eaten.

If you are here for the food photography, my apologies for leaving such an unstyled mess in front of the higher-contrast fashion-portait/glossy product lighting. I really just needed to put the camera down and devour this. I am still just a man, and I have my limits.

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Kogi Tacos & Cucumber ‘Kimchi’ Slaw — Part I

david — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 15:39:49 +0000

These kogi tacos are some of my absolute favorite cookout foods. The savory meat smothered in a smokey gochujang-based sauce is complemented well with the cool, crisp snap of the cucumbers and the chewy tortilla. Pair with a refreshing hefe, white ale, or a crisp-finishing pale ale and thank whatever deity you pray to that it’s not snowing (though you can totally make these indoors too).

There are a million different combinations of ingredients you can use in these little bliss-bundles, and a million more ways to tweak the cuts & ratios of the slaw and sauce to your personal taste. In Part I here, I will focus on grass-fed ground beef as my main protein, and use more of a traditional American ‘slaw’ approach to the quick-kimchi.

Recipe: Kogi Tacos & Cucumber “Kimchi” Slaw

Print recipe

Prep time	10 minutes
Cook time	10 minutes
Total time	20 minutes
Allergy	Soy
Meal type	Lunch, Main Dish
Region	Asian

These kogi (faux-gi) tacos are a m̶e̶s̶s̶y̶ great summer time dish to cook outside with friends. Grab some fresh soft-shell tortillas, grill up your favorite protein, and pile on the cool crunch of the cucumber slaw to balance out the smokey heat of the kogi sauce. Goes great with a cool hefe, white ale, or saison!

Ingredients

10 Soft Shell Tacos (fresh, if you can find them)
1lb Protein of Choice! (Pork Belly/Ground Beef/Shredded Pork/Seitan are my favorites here)

Lazy-American Kogi Sauce

4 tablespoons Gochujang (fermented red hot pepper paste)
3 tablespoons Soy Sauce
2 tablespoons Ginger Ale / Mountain Dew (or other sweet/citrus soda)
4 teaspoons Toasted Sesame Oil

Cucumber 'Kimchi' Slaw

1 medium Cucumber (half-inch x quarter-inch slices)
2 Jalapenos (minced)
5 Radishes (halved, then sliced)
1 tablespoon Sesame Seeds
1/2 teaspoon Toasted Sesame Oil
1 teaspoon Rice Wine Vinegar
2 teaspoons Red Pepper Flakes
2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder

Directions

Step 1	I would recommend making the cucumber 'kimchi' slaw first, because it benefits the most from sitting around while you make the other components, giving the flavors some time to get to know each other. It is typically easiest to mix the liquid ingredients together in a separate bowl, and then drizzle over the cucumber/jalapeno/radish/whatever else you tossed in there. Use a spatula to scrape all the goodness onto the veggies and then toss thoroughly to coat them as much as possible.
Step 2	Mix up the kogi (faux-gi) sauce in another bowl, adjusting the ingredients to taste, and let sit.
Step 3	Fire up the grill, skillet, or pan and toss on your favorite protein. I've done this with grass-fed ground beef, pork belly, shredded pork, tempeh, and seitan so far. I don't think tofu would hold up as well texturally, but it would probably still be delicious. If you try it, let me know!
Step 4	Slap a bit of each item in a soft or hard shell taco and get messy!

Part II is soon to follow, with a new hero protein that I could (and probably will) do an entire post about just in itself!

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Chorizo Creamed Kale

david — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 20:51:31 +0000

Pair it with eggs & english muffins for a hearty breakfast, serve alongside BBQ chicken for a savory side, or just grab a shovel and go to town.

Recipe: Chorizo Creamed Kale

Print recipe

Serves	4
Prep time	10 minutes
Cook time	20 minutes
Total time	30 minutes
Allergy	Milk
Dietary	Gluten Free
Meal type	Appetizer, Lunch, Salad, Side Dish, Snack, Soup, Starter
Misc	Child Friendly, Serve Hot
Occasion	Barbecue, Casual Party

Chorizo Creamed Kale is a great, savory side dish for your next backyard BBQ or potluck picnic. I've served it as an appetizer just by its lonesome, as well as paired it with scrambled eggs and sweet & tangy BBQ chicken. It's hearty, savory, and a great way to sneak some dark greens onto your family's plate =)

Ingredients

4 - 5 oz Chorizo (diced)
8 - 10 oz Kale (roughly chopped, stems removed)
1 tablespoon Garlic (minced)
1/2 Red Bell Pepper (chopped)
1/4 Red Onion (thinly chopped)
1 1/2 cup Heavy Cream

Optional

1 Jalapeno (minced)

Directions

Step 1	Warm a large (3 qt or above) pan over medium-low heat for ~ 2 min.
Step 2	Spread diced chorizo out in the pan evenly, and allow the fat to render out and coat the majority of the pan surface (~ 5 min).
Step 3	Add the red onion, garlic, jalapeno, and red pepper. Sweat (not you), and stir occasionally to let their flavors mingle (~ 5 min).
Step 4	Once you have as much of the delicious oily drippings from all those ingredients swimming around in the pan as possible, start adding in the kale one handful at a time. As you add each handful, fold the kale in and really try to coat it with as much goodness as possible. You can even wait a minute or so between each handful, so that the kale will start to shrink down a bit and make room for the next addition (if you add all the kale at once, you might not be able to stir without sending kale falling all over the stove).
Step 5	Increase the heat to around medium, and add the heavy cream.
Step 6	Stir in the cream to mix with all the oils (it should take on a light orange hue pretty quickly), and then allow everything to simmer as one big happy family until the sauce is your desired consistency (between 5-10 min).
Step 7	NOM.

Note

A little of this goes a long way, especially when pairing with a protein-based main dish. If you want to lighten it up a bit, you can reduce the amount of heavy cream a tad and add more kale, but let's be real here... there's nothing 'light' about chorizo or cream no matter how many veggies you toss in =)

And if you are looking for a dairy-free option, I think your best bet would be to sub out the heavy cream for full-fat coconut milk. I've tried this with both light coconut milk and soy creamer, and both fell apart on me. Thick & creamy is the only way.

Enjoy!

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Chipotle Pepper Dressing

patrick — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:13:50 +0000

Here’s the recipe for the homemade chipotle dressing that I served with the pork carnitas.

A chipotle is a smoked-dried jalapeño. During the drying process most of the natural heat of the jalapeno is retained and a chipotle pepper typically falls between 5000 and 10000 Scoville Units.

From Wikipedia:

Typically, a grower passes through a jalapeño field multiple times, picking the unripe green jalapeños for market. At the end of the growing season, jalapeños naturally ripen and turn bright red. There is an extensive fresh market for ripe red jalapeños in both Mexico and the United States. They are kept on the bush as long as possible. When the jalapeños are deep red and have lost much of their moisture, they are selected to be made into chipotles.

The red jalapeños are moved to a closed smoking chamber where they are spread on metal grills. Wood is placed in a firebox, and the smoke enters the sealed chamber. Every few hours the jalapeños are stirred to improve smoke penetration. The chiles are smoked for several days until most of the moisture is removed. In the end, the chipotles have dried up in a manner akin to prunes or raisins. The underlying heat of the jalapeños is combined with the taste of smoke. Typically, ten pounds of jalapeños make one pound of chipotle.

My friend suggested this particular brand of Chipotle peppers to me and I was very pleased. I admit I did not take a picture of this dressing. When I make this again, I will update this recipe with some action shots.

Recipe: Chipotle Pepper Dressing

Print recipe

Serves

Ingredients

1 can Embasa Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce (7 oz)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup lime juice
2 medium garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

Step 1	Add entire can of chipotles to a blender. Pull out all but 4 chipotle peppers keeping as much adobo sauce in blender as possible. (1 pepper = tame, 2 peppers = mild, 3 peppers = medium, 4-5 peppers = hot)
Step 2	Add olive oil, lime juice, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper.
Step 3	Blend until pureed.

Carnitas (Mexican Pulled Pork Tacos)

patrick — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:37:31 +0000

Let me just start by saying, if you like Mexican street tacos, stop now, jump down to the recipe and start making a grocery list.

History: Carnitas, translated “little meats”, is a fabulous dish in Mexican cuisine that usually uses pork. The type of pork used is usually the front or pork shoulder and are braised or roasted for a very long time, sometimes the entire length of a day. These kings of the taco cart are moist, juicy, rich in flavor, all the while remaining tender on the inside and crispy on the outside. The lengthy cooking process of this dish means that in many families, carnitas is only made on special occasions. Some Mexican-American families enjoy having it around the Christmas holidays. Others will prepare it for special events like children’s birthdays or anniversaries.

Since we don’t have all day and many of us don’t have an outside kitchen, this recipe is designed so that you can make these tasty treats at home. While the cooking time is still 2-3 hours, you will not be disappointed with the tremendous flavor of this recipe.

¡Buen provecho!

Tips:

When carving the meat, don’t remove ALL the fat, just the large pockets.
Make sure to check the pork at the two hour mark, if the pork doesn’t easily fall off the fork, place it back in for a little while and check again every 15 minutes.
Serve with a delicious homemade guacamole or chipotle pepper dressing (recipes to come!)
Be sure to try at least one taco with onion, cilantro, and lime juice… the flavor combination is fantastic.

Recipe: Carnitas (Mexican Pulled Pork)

Print recipe

Ingredients

3 1/2 to 4lb bonless pork butt (shoulder) (fat cap trimmed to 1/8" thick, cut into 2" chunks)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 small onion, peeled and halved
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano (Mexican oregano if available)
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 cups water
1 medium orange, halved
corn tortillas (6-inch), warmed

Toppings

lime wedges
minced white or red onion
fresh cilantro leaves
thinly sliced radishes
sour cream

Directions

Step 1	Preheat oven to 300 degrees and place rack in lower-middle position.
Step 2	Place dutch oven (or oven safe large pot) on stove over medium-high heat and combine: pork, salt, pepper, cumin, onion (halved), bay leaves, oregano, lime juice and water until the liquid comes just over the meat.
Step 3	In separate small bowl, juice the orange completely. Strain juice into pot to remove seeds. Add juiced orange halves to pot.
Step 4	Bring liquid to a simmer, stirring occasionally. (Time depends on temperature of other ingredients, feel free to place the lid on to speed this step up.)
Step 5	Cover pot and place in preheated oven for 2 to 2.5 hours flipping pork pieces once half way through. Cook until meat is "fork-tender" and easily falls apart when poked with a fork.
Step 6	Remove pot from the oven and set oven to broil.
Step 7	With tongs or slotted spoon transfer pork pieces to a large bowl to rest.
Step 8	Using a slotted spoon, remove onion, bay leaves and orange rinds from liquid and throw away.
Step 9	Place pot on stove over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, for 8-12 minutes. Cook until liquid is reduced to about 1 cup and is almost syrupy.
Step 10	Using two forks, pull each pork piece in half.
Step 11	Pour reduced liquid into bowl and toss with pork.
Step 12	Taste a piece of that amazing pork and salt and pepper to taste.
Step 13	Line a 13"x18" baking sheet with a wire rack and spread pork pieces over top rack making an even layer.
Step 14	Place baking sheet in oven in lower-middle position and broil for 10-15 minutes, flipping pork with spatula or metal tongs halfway through. (Broil meat until well browned, but not burnt)
Step 15	Enjoy immediately with warm tortillas, onions, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.

Source: America’s Test Kitchen

6-Minute Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

patrick — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:39:27 +0000

I have been challenged to present a recipe that doesn’t involve bacon or LOTS of cheese (lame I know), but here you go. This is a simple and easy to make Balsamic Vinaigrette that will knock the socks off anything you buy at the store AND if you buy your oil and vinegar in bulk can save you money.

WARNING SCIENCE CONTENT: Most crappy homemade vinaigrettes split faster than a banana at a custard stand; so, why does this recipe work? Emulsion. When you put oil and water together they don’t like to play together. Sure you can shake the bottle up and it will APPEAR to be combined, but 5 minutes later and it’s like a bad prom. Now, add an emulsifier and BAM these babies are up and dancing together. An emulsifier has one water-loving (hydrophilic) and one oil-loving (hydrophobic) end allowing it pick up both oil and water by the bootstraps and force them to play nice.

The emulsifier essentially reduces the surface tension between oil and water and allows us to make tiny oil droplets that have a lower tendency to recombine. The emulsifier also forms a protective coating around the tiny oil droplet and then the tail dissolves in the oil and the head attracts that water. The molecule that does this in egg yolk is called lecithin, one of the most powerful emulsifiers, and is a phospholipid (diagram above) and acts as this bridge between the water and oil.

Who knew there was that much science in a simple dressing?

Tips:

The recipe yields about a cup and a half of dressing which is usually enough for a mason jar.
Because this recipe contains egg yolks, try to only take out of the fridge what you are going to use and discard after about 2 weeks.
To learn more about pasteurization of eggs head over to SafeEggs.com
There are lots of emulsifiers you can use if you don’t have pasteurized eggs such as dijon mustard (1 tablespoon). I prefer the taste of just the egg yolk, but feel free to play around with some of the other emulsifiers like honey, soy lecithin, or even blended vegetables.

Recipe: 6-Minute Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

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Serves	lots
Prep time	6 minutes

Ingredients

1 pastuerized egg yolk
6 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
1.5 garlic cloves, minced
3/8 teaspoons kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup olive oil

Directions

Step 1	In a large mixing bowl, whisk egg yolk for 2-3 minutes.
Step 2	Add vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. Whisk 2-3 minutes.
Step 3	Slowly add oil, 1/4 cup at a time and keep whisking until blended.
Step 4	Refrigerate until needed.

Cheddar-Ale Soup

patrick — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 16:21:48 +0000

After an afternoon of bottling beer, it’s fair to say that delicious beer was on my mind. Now, a quick note here… the words beer cheese soup\dip and queso are as close to swear words in my house as anything else. Let’s just say the last 5-7 times I have attempted to make something like this, the result wasn’t that great and the mess in the kitchen was even worse. But man, am I glad I didn’t stop trying, because this one is fan-FREAKING-tastic.

Topping Tips:

Because this was going to be our meal, we decided to add some potato to the soup to hearty it up a bit. You can feel free to do this as well, or just leave the potato out.
I used pre-bought garlic and cheese croutons (the French would disavow me for this). If you have some left over bread, go ahead and cook up your own.
Mmmmmmmmmm…. bacon.

Recipe: Cheddar-Ale Soup

Print recipe

Serves	4
Prep time	5 minutes
Cook time	25 minutes
Total time	30 minutes

Ingredients

4 thick-cut bacon slices (cut into 1/2 inch strips)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup flour
1 cup pale ale
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup Milk (Whole preferrably)
Half & Half (Or heavy cream, or whole milk.)
1lb Sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4lb pepper jack cheese, shredded
Kosher salt (to taste)
Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

Optional

1 baking potato
garlic and cheese croutons

Directions

Step 1	(If you are adding potato to this soup, go ahead and cook off that potato now the same way you would do a baked potato. Honestly the microwave is fine, I won't tell anyone).
Step 2	In a large sauce pot (or dutch oven) cook bacon over medium-high heat until browned (6-8 minutes).
Step 3	Keeping about 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease in the pot, remove bacon and place on paper towel lined plate.
Step 4	Reduce heat to medium and add the butter. When melted, add diced onion and cook until translucent. (5 minutes)
Step 5	Add garlic and cooking for about 1 more minute, or until the garlic become fragrant.
Step 6	Add flour and cook, stirring occasionally for about 3-4 minutes.
Step 7	Add beer and cook, stirring constantly for about 2-3 minutes.
Step 8	Increase heat to medium-high and add Worcestershire, milk, and chicken broth. Bring to simmer.
Step 9	Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.
Step 10	Remove the pot from the heat and pour the soup into a blender (may have to do two batches). Blend on medium setting for approx. 30 seconds or until smooth.
Step 11	Add soup back to the pot and place on stove over medium-low heat.
Step 12	Add cheese a little at a time, stirring constantly (you do not want the soup to boil!).
Step 13	Taste the soup and add salt \ pepper.
Step 14	(Optional: cut up potato into bit sized chunks and place into bottom of bowl).
Step 15	Pour soup into bowls and garnish with bacon and optional croutons.
Step 16	Enjoy immediately.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma.com.

Pat’s Buffalo-Chicken Mac & Cheese

patrick — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 22:37:52 +0000

What’s that you say, Mac & Cheese not delicious enough for you? Alright then… let’s take it up about 18 notches with the best fried buffalo chicken you’ll ever eat in your life. You might want to think about making two batches of the chicken, one for the Mac & Cheese and one for drenching in hot sauce and quietly eating by yourself in the corner.

When going through almost every Buffalo Mac & Cheese recipe out there, these remained as the core ingredients:

butter
macaroni
chicken
Frank’s Red Hot
cheddar cheese
crumbled blue cheese
flour
cream

The first ingredient I wanted to focus my time on was the chicken, since that is what really makes this recipe different. When incorporating buffalo chicken into a mac and cheese, you want to start with fried chicken. Using fried chicken mixed with Red Hot gives a nice texture and flavor to the Mac & Cheese that you just can’t get using canned, shredded or grilled chicken. After trying many different methods of frying the chicken, the best that I found was a recipe from America’s Test Kitchen for “Easier Fried Chicken” (with some modifications to work with this recipe). While this fried chicken may take some work, the results speak for themselves.

After deciding on what type of chicken I wanted to use, all focus was then put into the the flavor of Mac & Cheese. Starting with a fairly basic flour + butter roux (thanks Mom) you create a creamy hot sauce that will be the base of the Mac & Cheese. Then, a four cheese approach adds a ton different flavors and textures to the dish: 1) sharp cheddar, 2) pepper jack, 3) cream cheese, 4) crumbled blue cheese (on top). The finishing touch is the crunchy panko topping that I believe is needed in any cheesy casserole.

Tips:

The spice amounts in this recipe are designed to make it mildly spicy (3 out of 10 spicy level). There are plenty of opportunities to add spice throughout the preparation, but I would just suggest using the ratios below and adding some Red Hot to taste when serving.
If you are in a rush, you can brine the chicken for only hour (or not all) – you’ll only be sacrificing tenderness.

Recipe: Pat’s Buffalo-Chicken Mac & Cheese

Print recipe

Ingredients

Buffalo Mac & Cheese

7 tablespoons butter (cultured is fine)
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cup Frank's Red Hot
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups heavy cream (or half & half)
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups grated pepper jack cheese
8oz cream cheese, cubed
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 cup panko bread crumbs
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1lb elbow macoroni

Boneless Fried Chicken

1.5lb boneless skinless chicken breats, halved
1 1/4 cup buttermilk (cultured is fine)
1 tbsp + 1 tsp table salt
2 tablespoons Frank's Red Hot
3 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons baking powder
1.5 cups flour
1 3/4 cup vegatable oil

Directions

Step 1	In a large bowl pour 1 cup of buttermilk. Then stir in 1 tbsp salt, Frank's Red Hot, 1 tsp black pepper, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp paprika, and 1/8 tsp of cayenne. Add chicken and turn a couple times to fully coat. Refrigerate, covered, for four hours.
Step 2	Take chicken out of the refrigerator. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Step 3	In a separate large bowl stir together flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons black pepper, 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 3/4 teaspoon paprika, and 1/8 tsp cayenne.
Step 4	Add remaining 1/4 cup buttermilk to flour mixture and mix with fingers until combined and small clumps form.
Step 5	Working with a piece of chicken at a time, place pieces in flour mixture, pressing mixture onto pieces to form thick coating. Make sure to let excess buttermilk drip off before placing in flour. Place chicken on plate.
Step 6	Heat oil in 11-inch straight-sided pan over medium-high heat to 375 degrees. Carefully place chicken pieces in pan and cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Flip and continue to cook until golden brown on second side, about 3 minutes longer.
Step 7	Finish in a preheated 400 degree oven for 5-10 minutes (or the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees). (Go start the pasta!)
Step 8	Remove chicken from oven, and when cool enough, cut chicken into small bites and set aside.
Step 9	Cook pasta according to package directions and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Step 10	While the pasta is cooking, in a skillet, melt 3 tbsp butter. Then add onion and cook till translucent. Add chicken pieces and garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Add 1/2 cup Frank's Red Hot. Mix until combined and then set aside.
Step 11	In a large pot, melt 4 tbsp butter. Then stir in flour, until smooth. Gradually add heavy cream and 1 cup Frank's Red Hot. Bring to a slight boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened.
Step 12	Gradually stir in cheddar cheese, pepper jack cheese, cream cheese until melted.
Step 13	Add drained pasta, chicken and onion mixture to sauce in large pot; stir to coat. Transfer into baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray.
Step 14	In a small bowl combine crumbled blue cheese, panko bread crumbs, dried parsley and then top mac and cheese with blue cheese mixture.
Step 15	Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Serve.

Note

Waiting Time: 4 hours, Prep Time: 60 minutes, Baking Time: 30 minutes

Sources: Fried Chicken adapted from America’s Test Kitchen. Mac & Cheese adapted from FoodNetwork.com and many other various sources.

Breakfast in a Cup! – Bacon, Egg, and Toast

patrick — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 22:12:49 +0000

POW! For the first recipe, let’s just throw an entire breakfast in a muffin tin and go to town. This recipe combines two things I love: food you can pick up and bacon.

Tips:

Make sure to have the bread cover the whole muffin tin or the egg will stick.
Flatten bread with your fingers before you butter it up the second time to make room for the egg (unless you love licking butter off your fingers and who doesn’t).
Just make enough for instant devouring, these things do not really reheat well.

Recipe: Bacon, Egg, and Toast Cups

Print recipe

Serves	3 - 6
Prep time	5 minutes
Cook time	25 minutes
Total time	30 minutes
Region	American
Website	MarthaStewart.com

Toast, Bacon, and Egg baked in a muffin tin for a quick, easy and fun breakfast treat!

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
6-8 medium slices white bread
6 medium slices bacon
6 large eggs
pinch (on each)kosher salt
pinch (on each)cracked black pepper

Directions

Step 1	Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Step 2	Take 1 tablespoons of the melted butter and grease 6 muffin cups.
Step 3	With a rolling pin, flatten the bread slices slightly, then with kitchen shears (or knife) cut each slice into a round 4 1/2 inch slice.
Step 4	Cut each round in half, then press 2 halves into each muffin cup, overlapping slightly and making sure bread comes up to the edge of the cup. If you do not get to the top of the cups, the egg will end up sticking to the side of the tin. Make sure you push all the bread down so that you have room for the other ingredients. Use any leftover bread to fill in gaps. Take additional melted butter and brush over bread.
Step 5	Cut the bacon slices in half, then in a large skillet cook back over medium heat, until almost crisp. (5-6 minutes)
Step 6	Criss-cross the bacon halves into the muffin tips and push down (to make room for the egg).
Step 7	Crack one egg over each and season with salt and pepper.
Step 8	Back until egg whites are just set (20-25 minutes). Tun a small knife around cups to loosen toasts. Serve immediately.

Source: MarthaStewart.com