Silverthyme

A CookBook Recipes & Other Stuff or How to Keep the Kids from Developing Beriberi After They've Moved Away From Home

Saturday, July 18, 2015

Mocha Madness

Do Not get an ice cream machine for your birthday!!!!

But if you do you get one you need to try this recipe - I don't know if you remember but when you were all small we used to have disagreements  about which flavor of ice cream to buy - coffee became our default choice because it was the only flavor everyone liked ...

From King Arthur Flour



  • 1 cup cold whole milk
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons espresso powder
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, Dutch-process preferred
  • 2 cups (1 pint) cold heavy cream or whipping cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 8 Oreo cookies, broken into small pieces
  • 1 tablespoon brandy or other alcohol - Kalhua would be nice

Directions

  1. 1) Whisk or mix together the milk, sugar, espresso powder, and cocoa till the sugar has dissolved.
  2. 2) Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla.
  3. 3) Freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions.
  4. 4) Pour cookie bits into soft ice cream just as the ice cream is done.
  5. 5) For firmer ice cream, place in a covered container. Place in the freezer for 2 to 3 hours, until ice cream is as hard as you like it. 
  6. Yield: about 6 to 8 rich servings.

Tzatziki Potato Salad

I made a half recipe which was more than enough - didn't add any of the extras, except for chives ...

From Smitten Kitchen


4 pounds potatoes (I like tiny Yukon golds, but you can use whatever boiling potatoes you like for salads)(I used a 2 lb bag of little red - they look nicer)

1 3/4 cups Greek yogurt (I used full-fat but I think other fat levels would work)

1/4 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (from half a big lemon)

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon minced fresh dill

1 medium garlic clove, minced

2 teaspoons kosher salt (I use Diamond brand; use less if you use another, read why here)(used 1 tsp regular table salt)

Freshly ground black pepper

1 hothouse or English cucumber (1 pound), unpeeled but quartered lengthwise, seeds removed

More ideas for additions: Crumbled feta, chopped green olives, chopped fresh mint leaves or a minced hot chile

In a medium pot, cover your potatoes with cold water and bring them to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-high and let potatoes simmer until tender enough that they can be pierced easily with a skewer or slim knife. I find that small potatoes tend to be done in roughly 30 minutes from the time I put them on the stove cold, but it’s best to start checking 5 to 10 minutes sooner.

 Drain potatoes and let them cool completely. (This is a great step to do ahead, as it seems to take potatoes forever to cool. If you’re really in a rush, spread them on a tray and pop them in the freezer for 10 minutes.)

Meanwhile, in the bottom of a large bowl, stir together yogurt, sour cream, lemon juice, vinegar, dill, garlic, salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper.

Grate the cucumber on a box grater (or in your food processor’s shredding blade, if you like to get things done in one hundredth of the time) and try to remove some of the excess by squeezing out handfuls, pressing it in a mesh sieve with a spoon or wringing it in a square of cheesecloth or a lint-free dishtowel. Add to yogurt mixture.

Once potatoes are cool, cut tiny ones into quarters or larger ones into generous chunks. Add to cucumbers and yogurt and stir to coat.

 Add any extra ingredients desired. Adjust seasonings to taste. Either eat immediately or keep in the fridge for up to three days.

Crabby Patties

These were good - even though I don't really like crab cakes - maybe next time I'll use shrimp ...

Umm - changed the name to Crabby Patties as Michael thought Crab Cakes was an eewww name (he was thinking of something like chocolate cake with crab meat??? Crabby Patties was much more acceptable)

From The Kitchn

For the crab cakes:
1 pound lump crab meat
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
2 green onions, chopped
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup panko crumbs, plus additional for dredging
1/4 cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Lemon wedges, for garnish
For the rémoulade:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sweet relish
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon prepared horseradish sauce
Couple dashes of hot sauce (didn't add as it was going to Grandma)
Squeeze of lemon
For the crab cakes, combine the crab meat, bell peppers, and green onions in a large bowl. Add all of the remaining ingredients and mix gently until well-combined. Using a 1/4-cup measuring cup, scoop out crab mixture and form into a patty with your hands. Dredge the cakes in additional panko crumbs until completely covered. Arrange the cakes on a sheet pan and chill until ready to cook.
Heat a few glugs of canola or safflower oil (used coconut oil) in a large aluminum or cast iron skillet over medium-high to high heat. Cook crab cakes (in two batches if necessary, adding more oil as needed) until crispy and light golden-brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Keep the crab cakes hot in a warm oven, if desired. Serve with a lightly dressed arugula salad, a couple of lemon wedges, and a dollop of rémoulade.
For the rémoulade, combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and chill for at least 4 hours. Adjust seasonings to suit personal taste, if desired. 

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Raspberry Sherbet

Another recipe for the new ice cream maker ...

The only thing annoying about making this is straining the raspberries

From Baked by Rachael who took it from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz


3C (24oz) raspberries (I used 2 bags of frozen raspberries)
1C whole milk

1/2 c heavy cream
3/4C sugar
1 1/8 tsp lemon juice

1 tablespoon some kind of alcohol

Directions:

Thaw raspberries until at least soft. Add raspberries, sugar and milk to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.
 Over a large bowl, pour mixture through a strainer to remove seeds. Discard solids. Stir in lemon juice. alcohol and cream.
Add to ice cream maker, mix for 25 minutes or per manufacturers directions.
Transfer to a freezer safe container. Freeze for at least 4 hours or until sherbet reaches desired consistency.

Berry Yogurt Pops

Also got some popsicle molds - this recipe from Smitten Kitchen - fills about 10 popsicle molds - they are not bad for breakfast ...



2 level cups fresh blackberries, or the berry of your choice

2 tablespoons (40 grams) honey

1/2 lemon or 1 small lime

1/2 cup (120 grams) water

1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups (340 grams) plain unsweetened Greek-style yogurt (1 cup fage = 227 grams)

If your berries are large, especially blackberries, cut them in half. Place berries in non-reactive (i.e. not aluminum or tin, which I suspect you weren’t using anyhow) bowl and squeeze 1 tablespoon lemon juice over it (save the peel; you’re about to use it). Add honey, stir to combine. Set aside.

Place lemon peel, water and sugar in a saucepan. Cook, stirring, until it comes to a boil and sugar has dissolved. Gently simmer for 5 minutes more. Strain out peel and chill syrup completely. You can do this in the fridge, but I find it much quicker to set the bowl of syrup in a larger bowl of ice water. Within 15 minutes, it should be quite cold to the touch.

Whisk yogurt and chilled syrup together.

Place the berry mixture and any juices that have accumulated in a blender and whirl until desired texture. (I left a few tiny chunks throughout.) 

If you loathe the seeds from raspberries or blackberries, puree fully and press through a fine-mesh strainer to remove seeds. 

Assemble popsicles by alternating pouring a little of the yogurt mixture, then a little of the berry mixture into each popsicle mold, repeating as desired until you reach 1/4-inch from the tops (to leave room for expansion as they freeze). Use a skewer to lightly swirl the mixtures together. (the second time I made these I just whisked both together)

If using conventional molds, snap on the lid and freeze until solid, 3 to 4 hours. If using glasses or other unconventional molds, freeze until the pops are beginning to set (45 minutes to 1 hour), then insert the sticks and freeze until solid, 3 to 4 hours. 

Vanilla Ice Cream

I got a new ice cream maker for my birthday - so trying out lots of new recipes ....

This ice cream can easily be dressed up by adding your favorite chopped candies or sprinkles at the end of churning. Makes about 5 cups (ten ½-cup servings)

1 cup whole milk
¾ cup granulated sugar
 pinch salt
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon brandy or other alcohol (this keeps the ice cream from freezing too hard)

1. In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer on low speed or whisk to combine the milk, sugar and salt until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours, or overnight.

 2. Turn on the ice cream maker; pour the mixture into the frozen freezer bowl and let mix until thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes. The ice cream will have a soft, creamy texture. If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours.

Freeze in advance the container to which you are transferring the finished ice cream so it doesn't melt before you get it in the freezer ,,