Tag: homemade

Another Biscuit? SWEET!!!

Another Biscuit? SWEET!!!

Bleary-eyed, I arrived home at 6:15 AM after dropping off Jamie at the airport at 5 AM.  I actually live only 10 minutes from the airport.  Are you wondering is California traffic that bad?  A protracted goodbye with the kid? A flat tire?

NOPE

Being very nice, enabling parents, we offered to drop her off for her flight and return the rental car.  The plan went smoothly, I dropped her off curbside and headed to the car rental lot to pick up the Hubster.  As soon as I entered the return lot a voice in my sleep-deprived brain said…hmmm, is this a good idea?  Apparently not.  The parking guys that man the exit booth do not arrive until 6 AM.  I guess it stands to reason if you are dropping off a rental car, you are probably catching a flight. 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️. So we sat in the car for 50 minutes, the Hubster occasionally looking over at me and shaking his head while playing Spelling Bee.  I ignored him.

By the time we got home, I was wide awake.  I might as well bake, I deserve a morning treat (ok, not really).  A recent article by my fav NYT cooking columnist, Eric Kim, highlighted (glowingly) the Buttermilk Sugar Biscuits from Tandem Coffee + Bakery in Portland, Maine.  I LOVE biscuits and a recommendation from Eric…turn on the oven now, please.

These biscuits are sweeter than most biscuits.  They have a crunchy exterior due to the high sugar content and yet are still flaky and tender inside.  This makes them sturdy enough for biscuit sandwiches, think ham or fried chicken.

First, grate cold butter and lightly blend it with flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  This eliminates cutting the butter into the flour step.  By grating the butter you have strands of butter that help create those flaky layers.

Let’s Skip to the Good Part

Pour the crumbly mass of butter and flour onto your counter. Take out your bench scraper and push your dough mass together and gently press down to compress, you want to roll or pat the dough into a rectangle.

Fold one half over on top of the other half using the bench scraper, gather the escaped bits, and press them into the dough. Then roll the dough out again into a rectangle.  Repeat the process a total of 5 times, rotating your dough ninety degrees each time.  The dough will come together and be less crumbly.  This is the process of lamination, creating layers of butter and flour in pursuit of flakiness.

With the last fold, shape the dough into a square.  Use your bench scraper to cut the dough in thirds both lengthwise and crosswise yielding 9 squares.  Cut straight down without sawing through the dough.  Sawing would smoosh the layers creating an uneven rise while baking.

Next time I will trim the outside of the dough to help with an even rise.

Flaky, crispy, buttery, and sweet. Brush the biscuits with butter and sprinkle them with Maldon salt or any coarse finishing salt you like to highlight the sweet-salty vibe.  Enjoy!

Buttermilk Sugar Biscuits

Course Biscuits and scones, Breakfast
Cuisine American
Prep Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cold unsalted butter 227 grams
  • 3⅓ cups all-purpose flour 425 grams plus more for rolling
  • ½ cup granulated sugar 100 grams
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) or 1¾ teaspoons fine sea salt
  • cups cold buttermilk 300 grams
  • Melted butter and flaky sea salt both optional, for finishing

Instructions

  • Heat oven to 375 degrees and line a large sheet pan with parchment paper or foil.
  • Coarsely grate the butter onto a plate, then freeze until cold and hard, at least 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
  • Add the butter to the dry ingredients. Using a spoon, toss together until all of the butter is coated with flour.
  • Add half the buttermilk and toss with the spoon. When incorporated, add the rest of the buttermilk and gently toss again, without mashing together or overmixing, until the dry ingredients are lightly hydrated throughout. The mixture will be crumbly.
  • Flour a clean surface and dump the mixture directly onto it. Using your hands, gently press the crumbs together and then use a floured rolling pin to roll the mass gently but firmly into a 1-inch-thick rectangle.
  • Fold the dough in half: Using a bench scraper, lift the top half off the surface and fold it over the bottom half. This step may be crumbly and messy at first, but just go for it and fold what you can down from the top. Repeat this roll-and-fold motion 5 times, flouring the surface and dough as needed and using the bench scraper to straighten the edges as
  • Build the final layer: Fold the dough in half one last time, then roll to about 1½ inches thick to create a 6-inch square, using the bench scraper to straighten out the edges.
  • Using the bench scraper or a sharp knife, cut straight down into
  • the square to create a 3-by-3 grid of 9 squares, then place them on your sheet pan, upside down if you’d like taller biscuits.
  • Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until risen, golden brown on top, and slightly pale on the sides.
  • Don’t worry if a couple of the biscuits tip over or if melted butter pools underneath. Brush the tops with melted butter and sprinkle with flaky sea salt, if using
Instant Pot White Chicken Chili? Yes We CAN!

Instant Pot White Chicken Chili? Yes We CAN!

Ramping up for the holidays?  Here is a recipe that is easy, delicious and thanks to your handy dandy Instant Pot, ready in minutes.  You will need, first and foremost, a can opener.  Yep, a can opener, indispensable. You’ll also need, chicken, white beans (can), chicken stock or broth (can), roasted peppers (can), corn (yes, a can) and spices. Everything except the chicken, you’ll need a can opener.  Stupid easy.

I couldn’t let sleeping dogs lie, the original recipe from the blog Eat.Drink.Love. calls for onion powder and garlic powder.  I decided to use chopped onions and garlic cloves instead.  It adds a couple of minutes, but I like the texture and flavor of the onions and garlic.  Feel free to stick with the original if you like.

This really is quick and easy, perfect for a busy weekday night.  Ready in minutes, good the next day, and very kid friendly.

The recipe calls for chicken breast, you can use thighs instead if you prefer dark meat.  Any white bean will work, Kidney, Great Northern, Navy or Cannellini.  The recipe calls for a can of corn, which I misread and thought it was a can of creamed corn. I went with it and I actually liked it.  It adds a bit of sweetness and creaminess to the chili.  Consider decreasing the broth if you use creamed corn.  I also added a finely diced jalapeño pepper to give the chili an extra kick.  If the sauce seems a bit thin at the end, remove chicken and continue to cook sauce on saute’ function to reduce to desired thickness then add the shredded chicken back to the pot.

Between you and me, I love eating chili over macaroni or rice.   From Epicurious, favorite ways to eat chili.

INSTANT POT WHITE CHICKEN CHILI

Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword White Chicken Chili
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts halved lengthwise
  • 2 15-ounce cans white navy beans rinsed and drained
  • 1 15-ounce canned corn, drained or 1 15 ounce canned creamed corn + 1 cup frozen corn
  • 1 4-ounce can roasted diced green chiles
  • 2 cups low sodium chicken broth 1-1/2 cups if using creamed corn
  • 3 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder*
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder*
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

*Substitute 1 chopped yellow onion and 4 cloves of garlic finely chopped

  • 1 jalapeno pepper seeded and veined, finely diced (optional)

Toppings

  • shredded cheddar or jack cheese
  • diced avocado
  • sour cream
  • cilantro or sliced green onions

Instructions

  • *If using onions and garlic, on saute', add 1 tablespoon oil to Instant Pot. Add onions and garlic and saute' until soft. Proceed with recipe, omit garlic powder and onion powder
  • Place the chicken into the pressure cooker.
  • Pour in the beans, corn, chiles, and the broth. Then stir in the seasonings*
  • Cover with the lid and set valve to sealing position.
  • Cook on poultry setting for 15 minutes followed by a quick pressure release.
  • Shred the chicken with a fork and serve with desired toppings.
  • Can add additional seasonings if desired.
  • Garnish with toppings, serve immediately

Stupid Easy: Homemade Vanilla Extract

Stupid Easy: Homemade Vanilla Extract

DSC02426Hard to believe the holidays are just around the corner!  Unfortunately, I am not a brick and mortar shopper, thank goodness for online shopping.  I’m the one dragging my feet in the malls and whining “are we done yet?”  To appease me (get rid of me), my family will tell me to go to the nearest bookstore (unfortunately there aren’t as many nowadays) or cookware store and they will retrieve me when they are done.  So as you can imagine gift buying is not high on my bucket list of things to do.  I do like giving gifts from my kitchen.  This year I’ll be adding homemade vanilla extract to my holiday goodies. I am really excited.  It is so simple its ridiculous.  I did find beans at Costco but a good online source is Beanilla.  Use the 2nd grade which is actually better for extract as the beans have less moisture in them.  I used vodka since it does not impart any flavor.  Rum and bourbon have been suggested but they will add their flavor to your vanilla.  I made my first batch a couple of weeks before Halloween and put them in the pantry.  Occasionally I take the bottles out and give them a peek and a shake. The extract will sit for about 8 weeks before I slap a cute label on them and give them to friends and family. My recipe source comes from a favorite blog Smitten Kitchen but I did find another site that described the process incredibly well, Will Cook for Friends.  Worth the time reading through both.  Next year I will start earlier so my tiny bottles of liquid gold can sit for longer.

 

Stupid Easy: Vanilla Extract

Ingredients

  • Vodka no need to buy expensive vodka, I got mine from TJ's
  • Vanilla beans I used bourbon madagasgar beans
  • Bottles 4 to 8 oz size I put mine in the dishwasher, you can sterilize bottles in boiling water if you want
  • Tincture of time Allow min of 6-8 weeks, it will have a nice brown color and should smell like vanilla not alcohol
  • I ordered glass bottles from Amazon in 5 ounce size.

Instructions

  • THIS IS STUPID EASY.
  • Split vanilla beans lengthwise leaving the top inch unspilt (to keep the bean in one piece)
  • Scrape seeds from inside the bean and reserve for bottle. This is optional. If you do not plan to strain your extract the seeds will stay in clumps so not really pretty.
  • If necessary cut beans in half cross wise to fit in bottles
  • Place beans in bottle or jar. I used 2 whole beans for 4 ounces of vodka
  • Fill with vodka/alcohol so beans are fully submerged. Remember those cute little funnels you bought and never used? Break them out now.
  • Cap and store at room temp away from light. Shake occasionally.
  • It is up to you if you want to strain the extract or leave the beans in the bottle.
  • Depending on when you started you now have weeks, maybe even months to design cool labels for your vanilla.
  • How easy is that?