LOBSTER RISOTTO WITH MUSHROOMS AND TARRAGON

Posted in Rice and Grains, Seafood by sallybr

The husband brought home a humongous lobster tail the other day (pictured in the end of this post), he grilled it for our dinner but we still had a substantial amount of lobster meat leftover. Next day, I brought it back in risotto form, and used one of my favorite methods to make it: the pressure cooker (for a flash back, click here). Not traditional, not authentic, but trust me, works like a charm!

LOBSTER RISOTTO WITH MUSHROOMS AND TARRAGON
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

8 ounces Cremini mushrooms, cleaned and cut in small pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 large celery stick, diced
1 cup Arborio rice
salt and pepper to taste
fresh tarragon leaves, to taste
3 + 1/2 cups shrimp broth (made according to this recipe)
1/2 cup dry white wine
lobster meat, fully cooked, cut in pieces
lemon zest and juice to taste

Warm up the shrimp broth in a saucepan. If you don’t have enough shrimp stock, make the difference with water. In a pressure cooker, heat 4 tbs Olive oil and 1 Tbs Butter. Add the celery and mushrooms and saute until fragrant. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Add the tarragon and rice, cook stirring until all grains are well coated with the oil/mushroom mixture (about 3 minutes). Pour all the warm stock and wine in the pan, close it, and bring to full pressure. Reduce the heat or use the specific instructions from your pan to keep the pressure constant for 7 minutes. Immediately take the pan to the sink, run some cold water over the lid to reduce the temperature, and when the pressure is down, open the pan. Add the lobster meat, lemon zest, a squirt of lemon juice, and simmer everything together, until the lobster is warmed through. Serve with fresh tarragon leaves, adjusting seasoning if needed.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Can you wrap your mind around the size of that baby? Since it is just the two of us, no way we could finish it that evening. Ideally lobster stock would be more appropriate for the risotto, but I had discarded the shell and remembered I had some shrimp stock in the freezer, so I put it to use. I have made risotto using green tea as the liquid and I almost went that route with this version. Most risotto recipes will have you add more butter before serving, but we never do that. Your kitchen, your rules, do it if you like. I debated whether to put the lobster meat in the beginning, but felt that since it was already fully cooked, the 7 minutes of intense heat could be too much. I just cut it in small pieces and simmered for 5 minutes. It turned out delicious. The tarragon flavor was quite strong, I used maybe one full sprig in the broth, and a few fresh leaves to serve. This was a delicious dinner, and super fast to bring to the table.

ONE YEAR AGO: Air-Fried Cauliflower with Pomegranate Seeds and Tahini Sauce

TWO YEARS AGO: Pistachio-Rose Donuts

THREE YEARS AGO: Smoked Chocolate Macarons

FOUR YEARS AGO: Chocolate Celebration Cake

FIVE YEARS AGO: Incredibly Simple Times Four, May 2018

SIX YEARS AGO: Tangential Quiche with Asparagus and Fennel

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Fakebouleh

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Yellow Squash Soup

NINE YEARS AGO: Grilled Chicken with Tamarind and Coconut Glaze

TEN YEARS AGO: Chicken-Apricot Skewers

ELEVEN YEARS AGO:Asparagus Quiche

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Two-stage Pea and Prosciutto Risotto

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Mellow Bakers: Corn Bread

22May2023

A STAR IS BORN!

Posted in General by sallybr

We have great news! On May 20th, we brought home a little bundle of joy, an 8 weeks-old female Dalmatian called Star. Full name is Ziggy Star Barker, a play with David Bowie and Star Baker. She is feisty, sweet, and the boys accepted either very enthusiastically (Prince) or kind of reluctantly (you know who). We are thrilled to have her join our home!

Ziggy Star Barker, born March 25th, 2023 in Eldora, Iowa – Rosais Acres LLC Dalmatians and Quarter Horses

This is a little video of her meeting the boys…

The Kingdom of Tatarrax

Stay tuned for future adventures with our furry friends!

18May2023

MY VERY FIRST VIDEO TUTORIALS

Posted in Cookies by sallybr

Recently I was asked to demonstrate how to make the Uzbek cookies that I blogged about last month (read about it here). Because the pattern can be easily lost during baking, I’ve been trying it with different cookie recipes and the one I shared in that post is one of my favorites. I used it for these video tutorials.

Here is the first video, with special thanks to Prince Freckles of Tatarrax, for his guest appearance.

The second video shows how I paint the cookies, using Sugarprism.

I made the cookies using pistachio flour, but you can substitute almond or pecan flour, and flavor it with any extract of your choice. Once you add all the ingredients, you might have to add a little more flour (like I mentioned in the video) because depending on the size of your egg and the moisture of your flours, the dough might require a little extra.

I hope you find the tutorials useful. I need to learn my way better, paying more attention to centering the image and also avoid banging the holder of the cell phone with my arm. But I had a lot of fun making the videos and might do others in the future…

Let me know what you think!

16May2023

SHRIMP AND CUCUMBER STIR-FRY

Posted in Seafood by sallybr

If you have only enjoyed cucumber in salads and cold preparations, don’t twist your nose and click away from this post. Give the poor cucumber a chance to shine in a slightly different way. This version was inspired by a recipe from Irene Kuo in “The Key to Chinese Cooking”, published in 1977. It is a huge compilation of recipes, but there are no photos. Back in those days, cookbooks for the most part had very few if any pictures. If that does not bother you, I highly recommend you buy it (click here for ordering info).

SHRIMP AND CUCUMBER STIR-FRY
(inspired by The Key to Chinese Cooking)

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and de-veined
2 quarts water + 1/4 cup salt + 1/4 cup sugar, fully dissolved
1 large or 2 small cucumbers
shiitake mushrooms, cleaned, stems removed
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon dry sherry
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons peanut or other vegetable oil
drizzle of sesame oil
fresh cilantro

Brine the shrimp by covering it with the salt-sugar water for 30 minutes. Drain, rinse briefly, set on paper towels to dry.

Cut the ends of the cucumber, peel it leaving some peel to form a stripped pattern. Slice in half lengthwise, remove seeds, and slice each half in pieces, not too thin, around 1/4 inch thick. Reserve.

Make the sauce combining soy, sherry, salt, and sugar. Reserve.

Heat the oil in a wok or large non-stick frying pan. Add the mushrooms, season lightly with salt, sauce for a couple of minutes, then add the cucumbers and saute everything together for a couple of minutes more. Transfer to a bowl. If needed, add a little more oil to the pan, when very hot add the brined shrimp, cook until they turn pink. Add the prepared sauce, coat well the pieces of shrimp with it, add the reserved mushroom-cucumber mixture. The shrimp should be fully cooked by now, pour the 1/4 cup water in, then the dissolved cornstarch, and cook on high heat until the sauce thickens. Add a drizzle of sesame oil, the fresh cilantro, and serve over white rice.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: We will definitely be adding cucumber to stir-fries with other proteins, like chicken and beef. It adds a refreshing note, and the texture is perfect. I see chicken, cucumber and mint in our future. If you need a quick and flavorful option for a weeknight dinner, try this stir-fry and you won’t be disappointed!

ONE YEAR AGO: One Bowl, One Whisk Confetti Cupcakes

TWO YEARS AGO: Incredibly Simple Times Four

THREE YEARS AGO: Phyllo Parcels with Moroccan Turkey

FOUR YEARS AGO: Roasted Corn and Zucchini Salad

FIVE YEAR AGO: Fraisier Cake, A Celebration of Spring

SIX YEARS AGO: Zucchini Frittata with Roasted Tomatoes and Goat Cheese

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Playing with Pectinase

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Poached White Asparagus with Lemon and Pistachios

NINE YEARS AGO: Dan Lepard’s Saffron Bloomer

TEN YEARS AGO: Fesenjan & The New Persian Kitchen

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Quinoa Salad with Roasted Beets

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Pasta Puttanesca

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Miche Point-a-Calliere

11May2023

BAKING THROUGH THE BLOGOSPHERE

Posted in Breads, Cake, Cookies by sallybr

Once again I share with you bakes that I’ve made over the past couple of months, following recipes from blogs I love…
(links to recipes below each individual picture)

TROPICAL SHORTBREAD COOKIES
from Pastries Like a Pro

(recipe available here)

These are shortbread type cookies with macadamia nuts and coconut, absolutely delicious! I made the chocolate glaze in two different ways, one simply dipping like Helen suggests, and the second way adding some texture. To do so, I laid a piece of textured paper on the chocolate while still wet as shown below. It is hard to get it smooth to the very edge of the chocolate, but I still liked the effect.

RAMASAN PIDESI
from Caroline’s Easy Baking Lessons

(recipe available here)

This is a great soft bread, ready in 2 hours! Uses instant yeast, and depending on the size of your pizza pan, you can have enough for 2 full round breads or go with a large round and the leftover used for a different shape of your liking. I opted for a 4-stranded braided loaf.

The crumb is spectacular, Phil now wants this bread on a regular basis… His favorite is the flat shape.

BOUCHONS AU CHOCOLAT
from Karen’s Kitchen Stories

(recipe available here)

These were made famous by Thomas Keller, and they use a specific mold to make the right shape, like a cork. I’ve had the mold for years, unfortunately it does not seem to be available any longer, but you can use a muffin tin. I used the exact recipe blogged by Karen, which is a variation from the original. Absolutely delicious, but you must adore a strong chocolate taste, this is not a sweet, kid-friendly concoction. It will be showing up again in our kitchen, for sure!

HOSTESS MINI-CAKES
(from Baker’s Anonymous)

(recipe available here)

Helen was a tent-baker with me during the Great American Baking Show and she is now a professional baker, with a super busy life! She keeps her blog with great recipes, and this one got the most enthusiastic reviews from our departmental colleagues. A must-make! It was a great opportunity to put to use my little cupcake corer thingie…

RED TART CHERRY PIE BARS
from Bakes by Brown Sugar

Another tent-baker friend, Cheryl, from a season before mine, these are absolutely spectacular! She uses canned tart cherries, which I had never even bought before, not knowing if they would be good. Well, they work wonders in this preparation, and you will not be disappointed at all. Easy, sharp, sweet and tart at the same time. Make them!

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES WITH PEANUT BRITTLE
(from David Leibovitz)

(recipe available here)

Have you ever made peanut brittle? If not, you absolutely need to correct this handicap. The only problem is stop sampling the brittle so you have enough for the cookies. You’ve been warned. The cookies are amazing, with the regular flavor of a chocolate chip, but the added intensity of the caramelized peanuts.