Chicken Fried Steak = Love

Don requested Chicken Fried Steak, so I made it tonight.  But his request was specific; there had to be home fries, Texas toast and cream gravy.  Just like at Dee Tee's in Midlothian.  Dee Tee's is one of those timeless places that serves good ol' comfort food.  And nothing else.  Tried and true recipes over the course of many years.  And while Don hasn't been there in a long time, his fond memories include Chicken Fried Steak.
I have a recipe that I've only ever used once before and remembered that with a little adjusting, it would be good.  And it was.  I just don't make CFS very often; it makes a mess of the kitchen--it's a lot of oil, etc.  And I sure wasn't cooking it outside in this heat. Especially knowing I was going to fry the fries, twice.  I like to fry them first to get the inside cooked, then throw them back in and crisp them up.  And I did three batches (so six)--too many to be hanging around a hot pot of oil outside.  I started the fries in a cast iron dutch oven on the stove, then once I got them half done, I started the steaks.  But rewind--the recipe is just making sure your dredging and batter are well seasoned.  I mentioned earlier that I knew I wanted to adjust some things from the previous time I used this recipe.  You know how I love the Food Network, and this is a Tyler Florence recipe.

Chicken Fried Steak and Gravy

• 2 pounds beef bottom round, trimmed of excess fat (already processed cube steak works fine!)
• 2 to 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons onion powder
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 whole eggs, beaten
• 2 cups buttermilk or whole milk
• Hot sauce, to taste
• Vegetable oil
• 3 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup whole milk
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Hot sauce, to taste

Directions

In a medium flat dish add the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt and pepper, to taste, and combine well. In another flat dish stir together the eggs, buttermilk and hot sauce, to taste, and season well with salt and pepper, to taste. Cut beef into 4 (1/2-inch) thick slices then pound out using the teeth side of a meat mallet. This tenderizes the meat. Dredge each piece of meat in the seasoned flour, then in the seasoned buttermilk and back into the flour, allowing excess to drip off. Set out on a rack fitted over a baking sheet and allow to rest in the refrigerator for 20 to 25 minutes before cooking.

Add about 2 inches vegetable oil to a large cast iron pan and heat over medium-high heat to 365 degrees F. Once heated and working in batches, fry steaks 2 to 3 at a time until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove steaks and drain on a paper towels.
Carefully remove some the fat from the cast iron pan, reserving 1/4 cup. With the pan over medium heat, sprinkle in 3 tablespoons of flour and whisk to make a roux, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Once the flour has been fully incorporated slowly add the buttermilk and milk and continue to whisk until the gravy is nice and thick. Season well with salt and plenty ground black pepper, then whisk in hot sauce, to taste. Place the steaks on a serving platter, top with gravy and serve.

The only adjustments I made was not to use any hot sauce, never have (sorry, Tyler, don't see the point) and I use less garlic powder and onion powder.  Not much, just remembered those seasonings coming back to haunt me last time.  So I cut those down to about a tablespoon each.  I did have some buttermilk, so I mixed it with whole milk for the batter.  I think what makes this nice is the dredging, battering and back to dredging.  It ensures that the breading will stay on throughout the cooking process.
But really, the star of this show is the gravy.  I used my super large cast iron skillet for the steaks, and once I'd removed most of the used oil, the gravy came alive.  There were just enough beautiful bits in the pan to make it wonderful.  And my weird thing (works every time!) that I do to make sure I get the salt right is--I hover over the pan and smell the steam coming up.  When it's a little "salty" I know I've added enough.
Needless to say, we over-ate.  Mom made the Texas toast on the electric griddle (remember--I had a mess going on over at the stove!) and it was lovely.  Buttery and crispy all in the same bite!

Well, gotta have some comfort food occasionally, right?  Thanks Don, for your request.  We all came out winners on this deal.

Happy Eating!

Baked Egg

I never turn down an opportunity to make eggs for breakfast.  Especially on the weekend when I have a little more time to mess around with different recipes.  This morning I was feeling "Baked Eggs."  I found a recipe online, actually on another blog that I love to go to any time I'm interested in finding something new to bake-- "pete bakes!"  I've never met Pete; never even corresponded with him, but he is obviously a great cook.  And he's not afraid to jump out there and try new things on his own.  Of course, what drew me to his page are his beautiful pictures.  After all, he is a graphic design artist, illustrator, etc.  I'd expect nothing less.  Here's a link to his food blog:
http://www.peterandrewryan.com/baking/

And here's his recipe:

baked egg

recipe makes 4 eggs (1 egg per small ramekin). if using a larger ramekin, adjust measurements accordingly.

1/4 tsp minced fresh garlic
1/4 tsp minced fresh thyme leaves
1/4 tsp minced fresh rosemary leaves
1/2 tsp seasoned bread crumbs
1 Tbsp freshly grated parmesan
1 Tbsp crumbled cooked bacon
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 Tbp butter
salt and pepper to taste

1. preheat the broiler while you prepare the ramekins.

2. combine the garlic, thyme, rosemary, parmesan and bread crumbs. add 1/4 Tbsp butter and 1/2 Tbsp heavy cream in each ramekin. put the ramekins on a baking sheet and place under the broiler for 2-3 minutes, until melted and bubbly.

3. remove the ramekins from the oven and very carefully crack 1 egg into each. quickly sprinkle with the crumb/herb topping and place back in the broiler for anther 2-3 minutes. the eggs will continue to cook after you remove them from the oven. let cool for 1-2 minutes before serving warm.
I love my little ramekins (World Market) and they're perfect for this dish.  The only thing I have to watch out for is that my broiler is so hot, that my toppings get "done" before my eggs, so I pull them out from the broiler once they're "crusted" and turn the oven off, then set them back in for just a couple more minutes.  The egg comes out perfect.  The white is done just right and the yolk is creamy and rich.
You'd think that with garlic on the list of toppings it would be the strongest flavor, but not so.  I find the rosemary and thyme are the bigger stars, which I love.  And of course you can adjust according to your taste.  My hat's off to Pete!

Happy eating.

Family Favorites

Everybody has them.  Grandma's pie, Aunt Bertha's pickled beets, etc.  Dishes that show up at family gatherings and become mainstays that are passed down for generations.  A while back, Sara and I were reminiscing over some dishes that really stand out in our minds, and she was telling me about her mom's "Green Chili Mashed Sweet Potatoes."  I was really intrigued by this.  Sara's from northern New Mexico and her family has access to Hatch Chilies, so I can just imagine that these yummies make their way into all kinds of traditional dishes.  Of course, we're used to the more southern (deep south maybe?) version of making sweet potatoes, well, you know--sweet.  With brown sugar, butter, marshmallows, caramelized nuts; even oven fried ones are more likely to get sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.  So Sara's mom shared this recipe and I've finally gotten around to trying it out.  We had BBQ beef brisket this weekend with Bleu Cheese Coleslaw, Baked Beans and Sweet/Hot Pickles, so instead of a cold potato salad, I went for this.  I found a small can of mild Hatch chilies at the store--figured I'd better start out mild...

This was SO GOOD!  Boiling the sweet potatoes with garlic is a great start to it's savory trek; nutty Parmesan cheese helps it right along and POP!  The chilies give it a great finish.  I loved keeping it in my mouth and tasting everything coming together.  My hat is totally off to you, Arna Rhodes, for stepping out and trying something non-traditional.


Green Chili Mashed Sweet Potatoes
6 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 cloves garlic, peeled
2 cups water
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup whole milk or half & half
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Green chilies to taste (I used 2/3 of a 4 oz. can of mild; next time I'll definitely use the whole thing!)

Preheat oven to 350º F.  In a medium saucepan over high heat, place sweet potatoes, garlic, water and 1/2 tsp salt.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, until tender, about 15 minutes.  Drain well.  Return to pot and add milk and butter and beat with a hand held electric mixer until smooth.  Add cheese and green chilies and beat until fluffy.  Turn sweet potatoes into a 2.5 quart casserole dish lightly coated with cooking spray.  Cover and bake until heated through, about 20 minutes. (I have a confession to make:  I just noticed "cover" - I didn't cover!  Sorry!  But you know what--it was great anyway.  It formed a little "film" on the top, not much--and it was lovely!)

Thank you so much for sharing a great family recipe!

Happy eating.

"These are a few of my favorite things..."

I'm taking a vacation day today, so I'm just taking it easy, and eating when I want to. Gonna have a swim later. For lunch on a lazy day like this, I love to make bruschetta. Today I put together a very simple one to top my crostini. (Crispy, crusty bread. I grilled some Asiago Cheese bread last night with our shish-kabobs, so the leftovers are crostini today.) I cut up some grape tomatoes and fresh basil, tossed them with olive oil, kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Heaped it all on my bread and toasted it in the toaster oven for several minutes, broiling for the last few. After it came out, I shredded Pecorino Romano cheese on top. At that point I sometimes put it back in the oven to toast the cheese, but didn't want to this time. Remember--it's my day off! Something else I usually add but didn't this time is fresh, minced garlic. It gives it such a great pop. If I don't want it too garlicy, I have been known to just take a cut clove and rub it all over the bread before it goes in the oven. Not nearly so strong that way. I think everyone makes a bruschetta similar to this. I just love the freshness of the tomatoes and basil. I also love using roasted red peppers too. And I think the Pecorino Romano is so good; you don't always HAVE to use Parmesano Reggiano. Though it is equally as good.
Here's to the lazy, hazy summer days to come. Happy Memorial Day!

And happy eating.

Office Lunch

One day this week I decided it was time to clean out the office freezer. I didn't bring lunch and didn't want anything that was in my "back up bin." With 5 different food personalities in the office, we can get quite a conglomeration of items in the fridge and freezer. And as time passes, we forget (especially) about stuff in the freezer. We even forget who brought what. So I went looking to see if there was anything salvageable for a lunch. I found two frozen veggie packs, a tilapia fillet, and some scallops. I thought soup would be the most likely thing to make, so I rummaged through the cabinet and found a packet of chicken broth, some dried herbs and some pre-cooked rice. The frozen veggies had veggies of course, but also barley and beans for more starchy filler.
After verifying that no one was claiming any of it (I knew the scallops were mine), I threw everything but the scallops and fish in the crock pot. Yes, I keep a crock pot at the office. Hey, you never know. I have an electric wok and we have a George Foreman grill, and our standard microwave and
toaster oven. We're set for anything.
So a couple of hours on high and it was starting to smell pretty good. I added a little more salt and some grated parmesan, then close to time to eat, added the scallops and broke up the fish and added it.

Sara stirred. (I tried to give her more credit than that, but she insisted.)
Brent donated a loaf of bread that had a few pieces left, and I made croutons out of it in the toaster oven. They were a good topping for the soup. So that's the way it went. Office lunch out of basically anything. And more room in the freezer.
Moral: don't be afraid of coming up with a soup. Soup is large and roomy. You can add to it. And it's very forgiving. Just don't put anything in it you wouldn't eat otherwise and you're safe.

Happy eating!

The Simplest Things in Life...and cooking.

Some days I just don't feel like getting every pot and pan dirty. I don't like grocery shopping, and hate trying to find ingredients I don't have readily available. On days like this (like today), even though I did go to the store, I knew I didn't want to spend the entire day in the kitchen. I've always felt that "less is more," and I catch myself shying away from dishes that require tons of ingredients. Not that it seems daunting--though it probably would be time consuming, not to mention expensive--I just think that too many ingredients can muddle the flavor of dishes. I like to be able to identify and taste everything. I tend to go for recipes with ten items or less. Today, I took a major shortcut. I was digging around in the pantry (ewwwww, dark scary place!) and found some "Peach Jezebel Sauce" I picked up a few years ago from one of our favorite stopping places when we go to the Texas Hill Country--New Canaan Farms. They make jellies, salsas, sauces, marinades--anything you can put in a jar. And yes, a few years ago--so! It wasn't opened yet. Hey, I will admit--on this quest for a marinade, I found a jar of sun-dried tomato and olive relish that said "best if used by April 2003." That one I did throw away. That means we moved that jar here when we moved to this house. And I know inquiring minds want to know, yes, I opened it and smelled. It was kind of dark and very strong with balsamic vinegar. It was time to go. But I digress. I remembered that the Peach Jezebel was a great sauce for chicken and pork, and it just so happens I had some chicken thighs I'd been wanting to get out of the freezer, so this was perfect for that. And only this. I marinated and baked the thighs in it, and it was great. Only a few ingredients in the sauce--and you could use any variation of these, switch some things out, etc. Peaches, pineapple, apple cider vinegar, dry mustard and horseradish are the base. Use apricot preserves, use honey mustard. Just blend it all together to taste. A little chunky is good. I baked the thighs for almost an hour at 350º, basting with the juices halfway through. It was really good. And really simple. We had it with kale that I sautéd with some red onion, oregano and dill. Great for eating in front of the TV (Oscars are on tonight).
I almost forgot to take a picture, so you're seeing the last poor thigh sitting in the Pyrex® dish waiting for it's Tupperware®.

So don't get too caught up, you might miss something SIMPLY wonderful.

Happy eating.

Ice and Bacon Cheddar Scones

Well, my last post was "Snow and food..." so that looks to be the pattern these days-it seems to be all about the weather! We're "iced in" here in north Texas this week and it lends to lots of eating, meaning cooking. This is our third day in a row to work from home, so I have lots of access to the kitchen. It's unfortunate because I think I've gained five pounds since Sunday. And for some reason, there's a big bacon campaign going on here. (Did you just meet me?) Started the day Tuesday with Bacon Cheddar Scones. Tuesday night we had Refried Bean Tostadas, so of course they were made with bacon grease. Last night we had hot dogs wrapped in bacon and put under the broiler--shredded cheese and chili accompanied. Don't worry, I paid later. Then tonight, we're having BLT's with Tomato Bisque soup. What?
Back to the scones. Not to sound haughty, but I'm kind of known for my scones. I usually make a sweet variety--my all time fav are raisin, but I change it up, too. So it made sense to make them savory for a change. I have a great book of scones and biscuits by Elizabeth Alston, and everything I've ever made from that has been great. It's even taught me to step out and try some things on my own, so that's what this was. And I should note--I prefer making my scones "soft." By this I mean that I bake them touching, so the edges are soft when pulled apart, unlike the ones baked separated so that all sides are crusty. Just a preference.

So here's the basic recipe--anyone who makes their own buttermilk biscuits is well on their way:

2 C. All-purpose flour
2 t. Baking powder
1/2 t. Baking soda
1/2 t. Nutmeg
1/2 t. Salt
8 T. (one stick) Cold unsalted butter
Yolk of one large egg
3/4 C. Buttermilk or plain yogurt
White of one large egg
1 C. Crisp bacon, crumbled
1 C. Shredded cheddar cheese
Sugar, salt and pepper for sprinkling

Heat oven to 350º F. Put flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt into a large mixing bowl; stir to mix well. Add butter and cut in with a pastry blender or rub in with your fingers (I do both), until the mixture looks like fine granules. Add egg yolk to buttermilk (I never have buttermilk--make some with regular milk and lemon juice.), whisk with a fork to blend, then add to flour mixture and stir till a soft dough forms. Add the bacon and cheese, and mix in accordingly, finishing blending it in by turning all the dough out onto a floured surface and kneading it a few times. Cut the dough in half and knead each half briefly into a ball; turn smooth side up and pat into a 6-inch circle. Cut each circle into 6 wedges, but don't separate the wedges. In a small bowl, beat the egg white with a fork until broken up, and brush the top of each circle of scones, then sprinkle with a little sugar, kosher salt, and a tiny bit of pepper if you want. I didn't do the pepper on the ones in the picture. With a pancake turner, transfer both circles onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. If necessary, reshape the circles to make sure the wedges are touching.
Bake 18-22 minutes, until medium brown. Cool on a wire rack, then after about five minutes, pull the wedges apart and cover loosely with a dish towel.
And what I've found when making any biscuits or scones--get everything to room temp before you begin, except the butter. Keep it cold until you cut it in. It makes the dough so nice.
These were really good served warm with apricot jam.
Happy eating!