Just a Good Biscuit

I've never been able to make a simple, successful biscuit until I came across Deb Perelman's recipe for these everything seasoned biscuits. I would like to try these with shredded cheddar instead of everything seasoning. And the everything bagel seasoning from Trader Joe's is too salty for this recipe. I learned the hard way!

Ingredients

For the everything bagel mix

• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 2 tbsp poppy seeds
• 1 tbsp dried minced onion
• 2 tsp dried minced garlic
• 1 tsp coarse salt

For the biscuits

• 2½ cups (325 g) all purpose flour
• 2½ tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp coarse salt
• 4 tbsp (55 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
• 4 oz (115 g) cream cheese, cold, cut into ½-inch cubes
• 1 cup (235 mL) buttermilk

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 450F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. To make the everything bagel seed mix, mix together all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
3. To make the biscuits, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and 1 tsp salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and cream cheese to the dry ingredients and toss together with your hands. Cut the butter and cream cheese into the dry ingredients with either your fingers or a pastry blender, mixing until it becomes the texture of wet sand. Add in the buttermilk and stir until just combined.
4. Drop the dough into the bowl with the everything bagel mixture in twelve equal rounds. Toss in the bowl to ensure each round gets covered with it. Move to the prepared baking sheet, spacing all of the rounds out evenly. Repeat until all the dough is used up.
5. Bake until golden, about 12 minutes.

Angel Food Cake

Pedro really enjoyed my Mom's angel food cake this summer during a makeshift trax farms strawberry festival we created over Father's Day while in COVID-19 quarantine. Peter did too :)

Pippy's Angel Food Cake

Makes 1 Large Cake = 12 servings

Preparation:  assemble ingredients and utensils needed.  Use 10-inch deep tube cake pan (do not grease).  Remove eggs from refrigerator, separate.  Let whites stand at room temperature.  Sift flour once before measuring.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Sift together 5 times:  

1 cup all purpose flour 

2 tbsp corn starch

3/4 cup sugar

(if using cake flour, 1 cup plus 2 tbsp)

Put into large bowl of mixer:

1-1/2 cup egg whites (11 to 13 whites)

1/2 tsp salt

Beat on medium speed until foamy - about 20 seconds

Add:

1-1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Continue beating on medium high speed until whites are stiff and stand in points - about 45 seconds.  Do not overbeat until dry.

Sprinkle in rapidly:

1 cup sifted sugar

While beating on medium high speed.  Beat only until sugar is blended - about 30 seconds.  Scrape bowl gently toward beaters and up and over with a folding motion.

Turn mixer to low speed and add:

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract

Sprinkle in sifted flour mixture evenly and quickly.  Beat only enough to blend - about 45 seconds.  Scraping bowl gently toward beaters with folding motion to blend in quickly.  Gently put into tube pan.  Carefully cut through batter with a knife or spatula, going around in circular motion 6 times, to release large air bubbles.

Bake the New Way:

Preheated oven 375 degrees - moderate oven - 30 to 35 minutes until golden brown.

Bake the Old Way:  Cold oven to start (250 degrees F) - 15 minutes then (300 degrees F) - 15 minutes, then (325 degrees F) - 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from oven, invert pan until cool (I invert over an empty wine bottle).  Loosen with spatula and remove from pan.

Tex Mex Dip

My mom has made this dip for as long as I can remember. It was always popular at parties my parents would sometimes host at the house. It goes great served with flank steak, warm tortillas and fresh squeezed lime.

TEX MEX DIP

Layer 1:  2 cans bean dip (I use Frito Lay, located in the chip aisle)

Layer 2:  3 ripe avocados, 2 tbsp lemon juice, salt and pepper

Layer 3:  1 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1 pkg dry taco mix seasoning

Layer the above in a 9x 13 pan.

Toppings

3 ripe chopped tomatoes, seeded

1 large can black olives, sliced

1 bunch green onions (white and green), sliced

8 oz grated Cheddar cheese (I use Colby Jack)

Serve with your favorite tortilla chips.

Refrigerator Dill Pickles

I remember my mom started making these after subscribing to a local CSA through Kretchman's Farm. I haven't bought pickles from a store since.

FRESH DILL PICKLE SPEARS

1 or 2 cucumbers, sliced into spears and placed in a glass quart jar with a few sprigs of dill

Heat to boiling

2 tbsp kosher salt

1/4 cup white vinegar

2 cups water

cut- up clove of garlic

Pour the mixture over the cukes, cover with jar lid and when it cools, refrigerate.

To avoid breaking the glass jar, run hot tap water on the outside of the jar just before pouring the boiling liquid in.

Rosemary Olive Oil Shortbread

Deb Perelman has done it again with this delicious and simple recipe. I made this recently when my husband asked me to make a dessert for a friend's casual get together. It came together literally in minutes and the ingredients are ones we always have on hand. They're surprisingly tender and not overly sweet. Would go great with morning coffee.

Ingredients 

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (195 grams)
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar (60 grams)
• 2 tablespoons turbinado (raw) sugar (25 grams), plus 1 teaspoon (5 grams)
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 cup mild olive oil (120 ml)
• 1 teaspoon finely minced fresh rosemary leaves
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate, chopped into small chunks (85 grams)
• 1 egg white, beaten until loose (optional)

1. Heat the oven to 325° F.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar, and the salt. Add the olive oil and rosemary and stir to combine. Add the chocolate chunks and stir again. Gather the dough with your hands into one mass.
3. Roll out the dough to an 8- to 9-inch roundish slab between two sheets of parchment paper. Remove the top sheet and use the bottom to slide the cookie round onto the back of a large baking sheet.
4. If desired—it merely provides a little shine—brush the cookie with the egg white. Sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon turbinado sugar.
5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Slide the cookie round carefully onto a cutting board while the cookie is still totally hot. Cut with a sharp, thin knife into desired shape(s). Let cool completely, then separate.
6. Do ahead: This dough keeps well in the freezer. Baked cookies keep for 2 weeks in an airtight tin at room temperature.
7. Note: For a milder flavor, replace half of the oil with a neutral/flavorless one. You can cut this into shapes with cookie cutters, too, but the chocolate provides a little resistance.

Arby's Knockoff Fries

Ingredients you'll need: 3 # potatoes 2.5qt (2.25liters)warm water 2.5tbsp (25g) kosher salt

Soak the spiralized potatoes for 30 minutes and then cut them so they're not too long and dip them in the batter without needing to dry them. Then fry! Batter: 1/2 cup(80g) flour 2tsp (8g) kosher salt 2 tablespoon (24g) smoked paprika 2 tablespoons (19g) ancho powder 1/2tsp (1g)cayenne 1/2tbsp (7g) garlic powder 1 cup (240ml) water Mayo: 1/4 cup (60g) mayo 1/2 small grated black winter truffle (17g) 2 cloves grated garlic 1 small bunch chives finely chopped Splash fish sauce Black pepper to taste

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zqcRrhyb5Y

Latkes with smoked salmon

A simple but very delicious breakfast during the COVID-19 quarantine. Peter went straight for the salmon.