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Chef2Chef Recipe Club - Volume 4 Issue 110- May 30, 2003 Chef2Chef Recipe Club Member Forum: http://forums.chef2chef.net Un/Subscribe: Un/Subscribe: http://chef2chef.net/news/subscribe.htm -------------------------------------------------- Hello Recipe Club, Here are some great recipes to fill your weekend with fun and flavor. I want to thank my friend Martin Kimeldorf for his recipes throughout the year and for our Club this week. I hope that you all printed out this week's recipes, tips and techniques. If you didn't or if you just "Gotta have more" I've included links at the bottom of this Club mailing to his e-books at Amazon. The e-books are awesome, affordable and a must have for every outdoor cook. Father's Day is coming! Next week we'll have some refreshing summery citrus recipes from our friends at Sunkist.com and a few of our own. Have a great weekend…you deserve it. -------------------------------------------------- Saturday Cooking Event Beer Brined Smoky Ribs With Bourbon Fruit Sauce + Special Dessert I begin by removing the ribs and let them air dry as I prepare the smoker. I toss a few cups of hickory and apple wood chips on my electric smoker and then put the ribs on. It's going to be a slow evening, so a few beers are in order or I stroll through the neighborhood with my dog. There is plenty of time later for making salad and sauces. This menu will be ribs, garlic bread, a vegetable of choice, and a special ice cream sundae. You will use the remainder of Friday's bread to make garlic bread. Instead of topping with olive oil and tapenade, use melted butter with garlic and Italian seasonings if you like. Again, I prefer salads with grilled food, but you may enjoy grilling corn, peppers, onions or potatoes. While the rib cooking tips and sauce come from my smoker book, you can also cook it on your grill. Just remember to use low, indirect heating. Traditional wood for smoking pork or other heavy meat is hickory. But I enjoy just about any wood that is native to my area such as apple and even alder. Prepare the ice cream sundae sauce. It is really a fruit marinade using a cherry liqueur. Choco-Cherry Almond Sundae This recipe will become a favorite if you can find the time to seed and chop up the cherries. The carpal tunnel will be well worth it. Three hours before the meal prepare 1 cup of bing cherries for a liqueur marinade. Begin by splitting cherries in half, removing the pit. Then place cherries in a food processor and pour enough cherry liqueur to cover the cherries by 1/8 inch. Chop briefly because you don't want a purée. Let the mixture soak for at least 2 hours in a refrigerator (overnight if possible) Fill dessert dish with 3 scoops of chocolate or coffee flavored ice cream. Pour a generous amount of the cherry-liqueur mixture over scoops of ice-stuff. Top with 2 dollops of sweet whipped cream. Sprinkle crushed almonds over the entire affair. You just went to dessert heaven! Options: In the picture I used orange segments in orange liqueur. Save left over sauce for a sundae on Sunday. -------------------------------------------------- Recipe Club, The secret to creating classic sauces, delicious soups or superb risotto is starting with a flavorful stock base. GatewayGourmet.com now offers More Than Gourmet's complete line of gourmet stocks & glaces at great prices. With a year shelf life, these reductions are perfect for home cooks and personal chefs who want to achieve maximum flavor without spending countless hours making their own. No chemicals. No MSG. No fillers or preservatives. Compare the ingredients. Demi Glace & stock reductions including veal, lamb, lobster, duck, veggie, venison, & more. For our Chef2Chef 10% off special, please visit http://www.profcs.com/app/adtrack.asp?AdID=36079 -------------------------------------------------- Rib Cooking Tips Many people forget to remove the membrane from the back side of baby back ribs. This makes the eating easier. If you want to enhance penetration of rubs or sauces cut a slit between each rib about 1/3 the length, cutting from the end, towards the center. These slits also make it easier to cut up the ribs after cooking. Cook ribs fat-side up or bone-side down. Doneness is a subjective state with ribs. Most outdoor chefs like to cook ribs for 4 to 6 hours. Many pitmasters feel you can't overcook or over- smoke ribs. If you cook them longer they move into the dry-ribs found in Texas. After 5 hours they are far past done at 160OF and now are fall-apart-tender. To me that is over-cooking and I'd send it back to the kitchen. I like my ribs still juicy, which takes from 2 to 4 hours. Most barbecue folk let ribs smoke for 2-4 hours before opening the lid to baste, turn, or apply sauce. Then the common way to test for doneness is to grab and pull. That is, grab two. If they wiggle free they are basically done, if they come apart, they are definitely done, unless you want to keep cooking to the fall-apart-tender stage. You can use a thermometer and check for 160OF, which most ribs achieve by 2 hours. I like to use Paul Fraaborg's method of removing the ribs after 3 or 4 hours, cutting them into pairs, and then slathering on my sauce. I then cook them in a pan another 30 to 90 minutes. Whatever method you use, try to cook them slow and low, or about 180F to 225F. -------------------------------------------------- SignatureSecrets.com A "signature" dish shows off a chef's or restaurant's creativity - an item worthy of bearing the name of the creator. In the same tradition, Signature Secrets culinary thickener provides the very best in thickening - speed, versatility, stability, appearance and taste - in hot or cold preparations. That's correct. You do not even have to cook Signature Secrets culinary thickener. It delivers smooth, appealing, lump-free textures in soups and sauces, gravies, dressings, and desserts. And they'll stay that way in and out of the freezer or refrigerator, saving you time and energy. This product is now available for the personal chef or caterer at our online store. http://html.chef2chef.net/goto.php?id=205 -------------------------------------------------- Bourbon-Fruited Rib Sauce while you wait for the ribs 1 cup mango or apricot, pureed (use fruit in can with light syrup) 1/2 cup maple syrup 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 1/4 cup orange juice 1/4 cup store bought BBQ sauce or chili sauce 2 Tbs. lime juice 1 Tbs. onion powder 1/2 tsp. pepper, fresh ground 1/2 tsp. cardamom 1 tsp. ginger 1/2 tsp. white pepper 1 tsp. Tabasco or other red hot sauce 1/2 tsp. Sea salt Combine the above ingredients and simmer on a semi-boil for 8 to 10 minutes until it thickens a bit. Then add 3/4 cup bourbon and simmer vigorously for 5 to 10 more minutes while stirring. -------------------------------------------------- Last Day! This Month's Giveaways and Free Stuff! Feeling Lucky? This month, two lucky winners will win a set of celebrity chef Jacques Haeringer's cookbooks, Two for Tonight and The Chez François Cookbook http://topchefs.chef2chef.net/recipes-2/haeringer/ Whatever's on the grill, you can be sure to bring out the best taste with the trio of grilling sauces that are part of this month's sweepstakes giveaway by Bandana Bandito! First up is a Blue Ribbon approved Habanero Steak Sauce with a true Southwest flavor. Next is the Mango/Chipotle Sauce that adds fantastic tropical flavor to any marinade or dipping sauce. Lastly, the Bandit's Spicy BBQ Sauce gives any meat off the grill pure Alamo City taste. As if this is not enough, the Bandit will also send the winner a fun and original Wooly Boy Cookie Jar. http://html.chef2chef.net/goto.php?id=215 Sign up for a FREE Subscription to Food Arts Magazine. The Magazine for the Foodservice and Hospitality Industry. U.S. residents only. http://html.chef2chef.net/goto.php?id=242 -------------------------------------------------- Unwind Sunday with Tarragon & Basil Encrusted Tuna Generally, tuna does well with a simple oil, garlic powder, and salt coating. However, when you want to add a special crust try this recipe, which will take tuna to a place Charlie the Tuna never went. This makes enough for 2 fish lovers or 4 people if you have side dishes. I'd repeat any of the vegetables enjoyed before. I like tuna with something garlicky. Try the garlic bread, and when you turn it over, sprinkle a bit of Parmesan cheese on the top side. Tuna recipe: This recipe will create a crust covering about one pound of Tuna Fillets. I suggest you make the crust at least 1 hour before grilling. While I prefer grilling you might opt for smoking with alder or other mild wood. This will involve less movement of the fish and therefore more of the crust will stay intact. Ingredients for the crust: 1 Tbs. basil, dried 2 Tsp. tarragon, dried 3 garlic, cloves, minced finely 1/4 cup parsley, dried 1/2 tsp. hickory salt Lemon zest from one lemon Juice from the lemon. 2-3 Tbs. Olive oil Steps Wash and pat dry the tuna. Thoroughly mix the dry ingredients (tarragon, basil, garlic, parsley, salt, lemon zest) in a food processor. Then add the lemon juice and process it in. End by adding in the oil a little at a time. Stop adding oil and processing as soon as it resembles the consistency of a wet paste. Coat both sides of the Tuna and press it down into the flesh. Set aside in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook, giving the tuna about an hour to absorb flavors. Lightly coat grate with olive oil just before placing Tuna on the fire. If your Tuna is 1 inch thick cook on one side for 4 minutes and then turn over for an additional 4 minutes. Cut open and if tuna needs more time, finish with indirect heat for 2-4 more minutes. Serve with a dollop of mayonnaise on the side. Resources My favorite grill maker http://www.topgrill.com My favorite smoker Cabella's Premium smoker found at http://www.cabelas.com My favorite source for spices http://www.CulinaryExotica.com/index.html My books Grill Play, The Art Of Leisurely BBQ. ISBN 0-9740655-2-8. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/dt/assoc/tg/aa/xml/assoc/-/B000099STS/chef2chef/ref%3Dac%5Fbb1%5F%2C%5Famazon/002-2604583-2554413 Smoky Pleasures, The Joy Of Smoke Cooked Barbecue. ISBN 0-9740655-3-6 http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/dt/assoc/tg/aa/xml/assoc/-/B000099STO/chef2chef/ref%3Dac%5Fbb1%5F%2C%5Famazon/002-2604583-2554413 Both ebooks can be purchased as PDF files online at www.powells.com or www.amazon.com I am not for sale, but you can reach me, Martin Kimeldorf online at kimeldorf@comcast.net or kimeldorf@attbi.com If you come to visit in Tumwater, Washington bring some scotch and I'll furnish the cigars or candy. -------------------------------------------------- QUESTIONS, Comments, Technical Support: http://forums.chef2chef.net |