Siblings get together!

Alex, Cindy, Gary, and Meg all came to Perdido Key for a quick visit. They drove down Friday and got here in time for lunch. We finished a great lunch and then headed to the beach. That night Denis sauteed up some Snapper that he caught during our Romarco fishing trip. Nothing better than fresh fish! It's Mom's 84th birthday this week and we're all going to Birmingham on Sunday to celebrate.

Things we cooked this week:

Tuna Salad

Adapted from Ina Garten

7.2011 – fabulous with my modifications. Salt was so overpowering that I had to drain dressing off and start again. Original recipe called for 2½ tsp. Needs to be salt and pepper to taste. Next time start with juice and rind from one lime. I started with two and it was good but might be better with a little less. I also drizzled a very small amount of sesame oil into the dressing to add more Asian flavor.

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients

2 pounds very fresh tuna steak, cut 1-inch thick
4 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for brushing
kosher salt to taste, plus extra for sprinkling
coarsely ground black pepper to taste, plus extra for
sprinkling
2 limes, zest grated
1 teaspoon wasabi powder
4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (2 limes)
2 teaspoons soy sauce
10 dashes hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)
1 to 2 ripe Hass avocados, medium diced
¼ cup minced scallions, white and green parts of scallions)
¼ cup red onion, small diced (I like to let them soak in some
cold water & then rinse before I use them raw - LB)
sesame oil to taste


Directions

Brush the tuna steaks with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the tuna steaks in a very hot saute pan and cook for only 1 minute on each side. Set aside on a platter.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the olive oil, salt, pepper, lime zest, wasabi, lime juice, soy sauce, sesame oil and hot sauce. Add the avocados to the vinaigrette.

Cut the tuna in chunks and place it in a large bowl. Add the scallions and red onion and mix well. Pour the vinaigrette mixture over the tuna and carefully mix.

Lemony Orzo-Veggie Salad with Chicken

7.2011 – Alex, Cindy, Meg & Gary were here for a quick visit. We made this with just a few modifications – added hearts of palm and champagne vinegar.

Yields: 6 servings
Ingredients

¾ cup uncooked orzo
¼ teaspoon grated lemon rind
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon minced garlic
¼ teaspoon honey
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast
½ cup diced English cucumber
½ cup prechopped red bell pepper
⅓ cup thinly sliced green onions
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
½ cup (2 ounces) crumbled goat cheese
Directions

1. Cook orzo according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain and place in a large bowl.

2. While orzo cooks, combine lemon rind and next 6 ingredients (through black pepper), stirring well with a whisk. Drizzle juice mixture over orzo; toss to coat. Add chicken and next 4 ingredients (through dill); toss gently to combine. Sprinkle with cheese.

ULTIMATE BANANA BREAD

7.2011 I made with frozen bananas and everybody liked it. I think I may have over-mixed it. I thought it was a little dry. I cooked it for 55 min before checking so next time I’ll check at 45. I’ll also be more careful about not over-mixing. It looked beautiful – that’s my picture attached. The bananas on top looked good but we all pulled them off.

Published July 1, 2010. From Cook’s Illustrated.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
We added banana flavor without introducing too much moisture to our banana bread recipe by microwaving the fruit and draining it. We then simmered the banana liquid in a saucepan until it reduced and incorporated it into the batter. We used br…(more)

MAKES ONE 9-INCH LOAF
Be sure to use very ripe, heavily speckled (or even black) bananas in this recipe. This recipe can be made using 5 thawed frozen bananas; since they release a lot of liquid naturally, they can bypass the microwaving in step 2 and go directly into the fine-mesh strainer. Do not use a thawed frozen banana in step 4; it will be too soft to slice. Instead, simply sprinkle the top of the loaf with sugar. The test kitchens preferred loaf pan measures 8 by 4 inches; if you use a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan, start checking for doneness five minutes earlier than advised in the recipe. The texture is best when the loaf is eaten fresh, but it can be stored (cool completely first), covered tightly with plastic wrap, for up to 3 days.

Yields: 0 servings
Ingredients

1¾ cups (8¾ ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon table salt
6 large very ripe bananas (about 2¼ pounds), peeled (see note)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter , melted and cooled slightly
2 large eggs
¾ cup (5¼ ounces) packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup walnuts , toasted and coarsely chopped (optional)
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
Directions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8 by 4-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together in large bowl.
2. Place 5 bananas in microwave-safe bowl; cover with plastic wrap and cut several steam vents in plastic with paring knife. Microwave on high power until bananas are soft and have released liquid, about 5 minutes. Transfer bananas to fine-mesh strainer placed over medium bowl and allow to drain, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes (you should have to cup liquid).
3. Transfer liquid to medium saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until reduced to cup, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat, stir reduced liquid into bananas, and mash with potato masher until fairly smooth. Whisk in butter, eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla.
4. Pour banana mixture into flour mixture and stir until just combined with some streaks of flour remaining. Gently fold in walnuts, if using. Scrape batter into prepared pan. Slice remaining banana diagonally into -inch-thick slices. Shingle banana slices on top of either side of loaf, leaving 1-inch-wide space down center to ensure even rise. Sprinkle granulated sugar evenly over loaf.
5. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, 55 to 75 minutes. Cool bread in pan on wire rack 15 minutes, then remove loaf from pan and continue to cool on wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
SHOPPING

DO THE RIPE THING

Dont even think of making banana bread with anything less than very ripe, heavily speckled fruitunless youre fine with a bland loaf. As bananas ripen, their starch converts to sugar at an exponential rate. In lab tests, we found heavily speckled bananas had nearly three times the amount of fructose (the sweetest of the sugars in fruit) than less spotty bananas. (The exact percentage will vary from fruit to fruit.) But the impact of ripeness only goes so far: We found little difference in sweetness between loaves baked with completely black bananas and those made with heavily speckled ones.

TOO SOON
1.8% FRUCTOSE
A lightly speckled banana has only a little fructose, the sweetest sugar in fruit.

JUST RIGHT
5.3% FRUCTOSE
A heavily speckled banana has a lot more fructose.
STEP-BY-STEP

WHO KNEW? BANANAS HAVE JUICE

Typical banana bread contains just three pieces of fruit. Heres how we upped the number to five without turning the loaf into pudding.

1. EXTRACT JUICE
Microwaving ripe bananas for 5 minutes causes them to release juice.

2. STRAIN IT OUT
After straining the bananas, you should have ½ to ¾ cup of liquid to work with.

3. REDUCE THE JUICE
Reducing the banana liquid yields a concentrated liquor, intensifying flavor without making the loaf wet.
TECHNIQUE

SHINGLE YOUR LOAF

Layering thin banana slices on either side of the loaf adds even more banana flavor to our bread (and brings the total number of bananas in the recipe to six). To ensure an even rise, leave a 1-inch-wide space down the center.



I made this especially for Cindy since I know she is not a big spicy fan. We all (Denis, Alex, Cindy, Gary, & Meg) really liked it. Served it with shrimp and then we all decided we liked it better than tartar sauce with fish.


REMOULADE
¾ cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon spicy stone-ground mustard, preferably Creole (zatarains.com)
3 tablespoons finely chopped celery
1½ tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
½ tablespoon finely chopped scallion
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Whisk together mayonnaise, ketchup, and mustard. Stir in celery, parsley, and scallion. Season with black pepper. Serve immediately (or refrigerate for up to 1 day).

Visit with Ally & Jasper

Pepere and I are visiting Jerry & Ally's new home in Kentucky. I keep wanting to say Nashville because they were going to live in Clarksville, close to Nashville, and then found a place over the state line in Kentucky that we all love! Makes perfect sense to me. Jerry is away doing some training in New Mexico and we miss him but will see him over the Labor Day holiday. We're all looking forward to that family weekend.

As for cooking so far Ally is taking care of us! She made Israeli Couscous with Asparagus, Peas, and Sugar Snaps last night with a few variations as we were pantry challenged! Denis went to the store and we checked and had some nice sugar snaps that we were going to sub for the snap peas. I got them out to help and when I poured them out of the bag they were spoiled. So - we didn't have snap peas, chives, parmesan cheese, or chives! Oh and used orzo instead of Israeli Couscous It really should be called israeli Orzo, if you ask me, 'cause it's more like baby orzo. Little pearls of pasta instead of the grainy texture that couscous has. With all that said - this really turned out good. Jasper did not care for the asparagus or chicken today - we don't know why since he normally loves both but it's Friday........ Oops - almost forgot we sub'd chicken broth for vegetable broth. I think chicken broth always make a dish taste better than vegetable broth. (not to mention we didn't have any of that either!

After dinner we started talking about the over-ripe bananas in the kitchen and Denis made us a Banana upside down cake. He wasn't happy about using a recipe but this was really really good. Our pregnant girl was in heaven!

Bon Appétit | June 2010
by Jeanne Kelley
Israeli couscous is small, round, toasted pasta with grains about the size of peppercorns. Serve this dish chilled or at room temperature.
Yield: Makes 6 servings

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 large garlic cloves, minced, divided
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
1 1/3 cups Israeli couscous (6 to 7 ounces)
1 3/4 cups (or more) vegetable broth
14 ounces slender asparagus spears, trimmed, cut diagonally into 3/4-inch pieces (about 2 1/2 cups)
8 ounces sugar snap peas, trimmed, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch pieces (about 2 1/2 cups)
1 cup shelled fresh green peas or frozen, thawed
1/3 cup chopped fresh chives
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Whisk 2 tablespoons oil, lemon juice, 1 garlic clove, and lemon peel in small bowl; set dressing aside. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add couscous, sprinkle with salt, and sauté until most of couscous is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add 1 3/4 cups broth, increase heat, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until liquid is absorbed and couscous is tender, about 10 minutes, adding more broth by tablespoonfuls if too dry.

Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add asparagus, sugar snap peas, green peas, and remaining garlic clove. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; sauté until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer vegetables to large bowl.

Add couscous to bowl with vegetables. Drizzle dressing over. Add chives and cheese; toss. Season with salt and pepper.


Test-kitchen tip:
To trim asparagus, hold onto the top of the stalk with one hand and bend the bottom of the stalk with your other hand. The stalk will snap, separating the woody end from the tender top.


Ingredient tip:
Some sugar snap peas have a tough string running along the top of the pod. To remove it, snap off the leaf end and pull the string.

Banana Upside-Down Cake
Bon Appt | April 1996
From Goldie's by the Bridge, North Tarrytown, New York.
Yield: Serves 8

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
2 firm but ripe large bananas, peeled, cut diagonally into 1/4-inch-thick slices

1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350F. Melt 1/2 cup butter in heavy small saucepan. Remove from heat. Add brown sugar and stir until smooth. Pour into 9-inch-diameter cake pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Arrange banana slices in concentric circles atop sugar mixture, submerging into sugar mixture and covering bottom of pan completely.

Beat 1 1/2 cups sugar and remaining 1/2 cup butter in large bowl to blend. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth. Sift 2 cups flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt into medium bowl. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Beat 2 minutes. Spoon batter over bananas.

Bake cake until puffed and golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean (cake will rise above rim of pan), about 1 hour. Transfer pan to rack and cool 5 minutes (cake will fall slightly). Place platter over cake. Turn cake pan and platter over, inverting cake onto platter. Let stand 15 minutes. Remove cake pan. Rearrange bananas if necessary. Serve warm.

Orzo Salad, Homemade Hot Dog Buns, Homemade Tortillas

I don't think I've been in the kitchen since Ally & Jasper left. Very busy with work and several events I'm planning. I decided to post a few of my favorite things. I'm going to make an orzo salad today that I just love. I made it for the first time (that I can remember) when Mom turned 80 and all the family came to Perdido Key to celebrate. It's easy to add to or take away from depending on your individual tastes. For some reason Ally and I both preferred it without Kalamata olives but I've left them in since I originally made it that way. I would only use sun-dried tomatoes that have been packed in oil. I can never seem to get the dry version plumped up enough to work.




Orzo Salad

1 cup uncooked orzo
2 cups bagged prewashed baby spinach, chopped
1/2 cup chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomato halves
3 tablespoons chopped scallions or shallots
3 tablespoons chopped pitted kalamata olives
1 (6-ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts
3/4 cup (3 ounces) block feta cheese
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts


Cook the orzo according to package directions. Drain and combine with spinach and next 6 ingredients (through salt) in a large bowl.

Drain feta and cut into 1/2"inch wide strips and then cut strips into 1/2" blocks. (I've quit crumbling feta into salads. I find that this method keeps the cheese in bite-size portions and it doesn't collect as crumbles in the bottom of the bowl.)

Drain artichokes, reserving marinade. Coarsely chop artichokes, and add artichokes. and feta cheese to orzo mixture, tossing gently to coat. Taste the salad and adjust seasonings with reserved marinade from artichoke hearts, if you like that flavor, or just use some extra virgin olive oil and a vinegar of your choice. Red wine, champagne or white wine vinegars are all good in this salad. I generally use a little of the marinade and then adjust with oil and vinegar. I find that the marinade can taste a little artificial and strong if I use all of it. Just before serving toss the toasted pine nuts into the salad.


Okay - I know - homemade hot dog buns when you can buy them for $1.00!! You seriously have to try these. Your first batch will be a practice run (at least mine was even with Denis helping out) but will still taste fantastic. It really is worth the trouble when you want a real treat. I made them because one of Denis' favorite things are lobster rolls and in Canada and on the eastern seaboard you can get top-split hot dog buns which I never see in the south.

Homemade Burger/Dog Buns

Source:   "Gourmet  | June 2009 by Ian Knauer"

Description: 18 hamburger buns, 16 hot dog buns (like for lobster rolls)
Buns are best the day they are made but can be frozen in sealable bags up to 2 weeks

Qty Measure Ingredient
------------------------------------------------------------
For dough:
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1 Cup heavy cream
1/4 Cup warm water, 105-155)
1 Package active dry yeast (1/4 ounce)
1/4 Cup sugar
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
For tops of haburger buns:
1 Large egg, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
Equipment: A stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, 3-inch round cook cutter (for burger buns)
or 2 13" x 9" baking pans (for hot dog buns)

Instructions: Make dough: 

Bring milk and cream to a bare simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cool mixture to 105 to 115°F.
 
Meanwhile, stir together warm water and yeast in mixer bowl and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn't foam, start over with new yeast.)
 
Add warm milk mixture, sugar, flour, and salt to yeast mixture and mix at low speed, scraping down side of bowl as necessary, until flour is incorporated. Increase speed to medium and beat 6 minutes. (Dough will be sticky.)
 
Transfer dough to a lightly oiled large bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a kitchen towel (not terry cloth) and let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled, about 2 hours.
 
To make hamburger buns:
 
Butter 2 large baking sheets. Punch down dough, then roll out on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin into a 14-inch round (about 1/2 inch thick). Cut out as many rounds as possible with floured cutter, arranging 3 inches apart on baking sheets. Gather and reroll scraps once, then cut out more rounds.
 
Loosely cover buns with oiled plastic wrap and let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until they hold a finger mark when gently pressed, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
 
Preheat oven to 375°F with racks in upper and lower thirds.
 
Brush buns with some of egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake, switching position of sheets halfway through, until tops are golden and undersides are golden-brown and sound hollow when tapped, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to racks to cool completely.
 
To make hot dog buns:
 
Butter baking pans. Punch down dough, then divide into 16 equal pieces (about 3 oz each). Roll each piece of dough into a 6-inch-long log on a lightly floured surface. Space 8 logs evenly in each pan so that there are 2 columns of logs that run parallel to long sides of pan.
 
Loosely cover buns with oiled plastic wrap and let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until buns just start to touch, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
 
Preheat oven to 375°F with racks in upper and lower thirds.
 
Bake buns, switching position of pans halfway through, until tops are golden and undersides are golden-brown and sound hollow when tapped, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely. Before using buns, pull apart and cut lengthwise down center of each (but not all the way through).



These are so quick and easy. Just like most things the first time you make them they are "less perfect" than they will be on your second try. The biggest problem I had was overcooking. They look beautiful and puff up nicely but if you overcook them or don't get the skillet hot enough, they will get really hard and tough within a few minutes of removing from skillet.

Homemade Flour Tortillas
 
Tortillas are best served warm.  But you can also refrigerate them in covered container and then warm in the oven for 10 minutes on lowest setting until ready to use.  To freeze, wrap in plastic then place in freezer ziploc bags.  Thaw in refrigerator before use.d  I do not recommend mcirowaving as they tend to get hard and chewy.

Qty Measure Ingredient
------------------------------------------------------------
1 Cup all-purpose flour
1 Cup whole wheat flour
1 Teaspoon salt
3/4 Cup warm water
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Instructions: In a bowl, mix flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside.
 
In a measuring cup, mix water and oil.  Add to the dry ingredients one tablespoon at a time, mixing with a fork after every additon. Continue adding until a sticky dough forms.
 
Transfer to a floured working space and knead for 5 minutes, dusting with flour as needed to prevent from sticking. When dough is a smooth ball, let rest for 20 minutes covered with damp towel.
 
Tear off golf size pieces from dough and shape into smaller balls. Cover with damp towel and let rest for another 10 minutes.
 
To form tortillas, flatten small balls of dough into 4 inch circles.  Dust rolling pin with flour and roll  dough thinly (about 1/8 inch thick) from the center out to approximately 6-inch size circles.
 
Cook in a peheated skillet on medium  (no oil) for 30 to 90 seconds on each side. Do not overcook or tortillas will be hard. Keep warm in a covered container until ready to use. 
 
 

 

My notes from my fist attempt:

Very easy if you know what you're doing.  The flour and water turned into a nice sticky dough as stated.  I used a good bit of flour when rolling them out and was afraid they would taste raw but they were perfect.  The first one I cooked was good at first but when I let it sit it got hard and not good at all.  Denis to the rescue - the skillet must be properly heated. It puffs the dough up and they get a few light brown spots and are done.  Probably only 60 to 90 seconds per side in skillet.  Served them up as chicken fajitas and loved it!