Polyface Farms

When my friend Vanessa said she would be stopping by Polyface Farm on her way back home from her trek south, I knew I had to have her pick me up some goodies!

For those of you not in the know, Polyface Farm was featured in the book The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan.  He called it "exemplary sustainable agriculture." It is seriously living with the land instead of taking and not giving back.

The owner, Joel Salatin, is highly influenced by religion in his approach to farming and to the land.  He firmly believes that his Christian religion directs how he raises and slaughters his animals and gives back to the earth.  While I am usually extremely skeptical of anyone who claims God is their driving force, I have to admit that the Salatin family is walking the walk.

Vanessa brought us back eggs, ham, two chickens - one old stewing hen and a fryer - as well as bacon (chunks and sliced,) pork ribs, and ground beef.  Quite the picnic basket!

Tonight we went for the ham.

This was NOT your basic grocery store ham steak.  First off, the curing ingredients were salt, sugar, and pepper.  That's it.

From a leading retailer: Cured with Water, Contains less than 2% of Salt, Sugar, Potassium Lactate, Dextrose, Sodium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Diacetate, Sodium Erythorbate, Sodium Nitrite.

Salt, sugar, and pepper.  What a concept.

And we tasted the difference right away.  These were probably aged at least 8 months and probably longer.  They tasted like real pork with a wild, natural flavor that can't be mimicked or recreated in a chemistry lab.  They were salty without being salty.  Sweet without being sweet.  They were properly dry and had a consistency that almost verged on a prosciutto, and if they hung for several more months, that's probably what we would have.  The last time I had a ham steak like this was probably in Brown County, Indiana at the Nashville House.  First time I ever had red gravy and fried biscuits with baked apple butter.

You heard right - fried biscuits.  They rock.  Totally.

I could see this ham cut into a julienne and being mixed with pasta or cubed and cooked into a real macaroni and cheese.  Lots of possibilities.

I'm looking forward to working my way through the rest of the goodies in the coming weeks.

 

 


Mother's Day Coconut Cake

This is called The Ultimate Coconut Cake - and I have to say, it truly is.  Ultimate in every sense of the word.

This is an "OMG I can't believe I'm eating this" cake.

This is an "OMG I'll never be able to finish this slice" cake.

This is an "OMG I'm going to die - but with a smile on my face" cake.

And, It's really good.

I was given the task of making a combination Mother's Day and Birthday cake for all the moms plus Victor's mom's birthday on May 11th.  The request was a coconut cake because Nonna really likes coconut (who knew?!?)  So...  I went looking for a great recipe.

I thought it really needed to be fairly traditional - no key lime fillings, rum fillings, and the like.  I went to Epicurious to see what they had and found a cake called The Ultimate Coconut Cake from a restaurant in South Carolina..   It sounded intriguing, but in reading the reviews, one woman stated this was NOT the real cake from The Peninsula Grill in South Carolina, but the recipe was posted on Martha Stewart's site.  Over to Martha and I found it.  Much better than the Epicurious version.

I have to say up front that this is NOT a recipe for the faint of heart.  The entire cake calls for 2 1/2 pounds of butter, 6 1/2 cups of heavy cream, half a dozen eggs, and 12 cups of coconut.

It is one of the richest cakes I have ever made in my life - and while it was worth every artery-clogging calorie, I will probably not be making it again any time soon.  If ever.

But OMG it was good.

There are 5 recipes for the entire cake, recipes for the cake, the filling, the icing, the simple syrup, and the instructions for putting it all together.

Because we had to travel 100 miles north, I made the cakes on Friday and froze them.  I made the filling Friday as well, since it has to be made at least a day in advance of assembly.  The frosting I made this morning.

Ultimate Coconut Cake

Robert Carter
The Peninsula Grill, Charleston, South Carolina

 

Ingredients

  • 2 cups sweetened shredded coconut flakes
  • Coconut Cake
  • Robert Carter's Simple Syrup
  • Coconut Filling
  • Coconut Cake Frosting

Directions for assembly

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread coconut flakes in an even layer on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake until golden, 5 to 7 minutes; set aside to cool.

Using a serrated knife, trim tops of cakes to make level; discard trimmings. Cut each cake into 3 even layers. Place four strips of parchment paper around perimeter of a serving plate or lazy Susan.

Place one layer on the cake plate. Brush with about one-fifth of the simple syrup. Spread over 2 cups of filling. Place a second layer on top. Repeat process with the next four layers and top with last remaining layer.

Spread top and sides of cake with frosting, keeping in mind you may not need to use all of it. Press toasted coconut into sides of cake; remove parchment paper strips. Chill cake at least 5 hours and up to 5 days. Slice immediately; bring to room temperature before serving.

Coconut Cake

Yield Makes two 10-inch round cakes

Ingredients

  • Nonstick cooking spray with flour
  • 1 pound unsalted butter, preferably European-style
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 6 large eggs
  • 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon coconut extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray two 10-inch round cake pans with cooking spray; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5 to 6 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until creamy, occasionally scraping down sides of the bowl using a spatula.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl, mix together cream, vanilla, and coconut extract. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture, alternating with cream mixture, beginning and ending with flour; beat until just combined.

Pour batter into prepared cake pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack before removing cakes from pans.

Simple Syrup

Yield Makes enough for one cake

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup water
  • 3/4 cup sugar

Directions

Place water and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool.

Coconut Filling

Yield Makes enough for 1 cake

Ingredients

  • 5 cups heavy cream
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 9 cups shredded sweetened coconut

Directions

Place cream, sugar, and butter in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together cornstarch, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon water. Add to cream mixture, bring to a boil, and simmer until thickened, about 1 minute.

Place coconut in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until coconut is finely chopped. Remove cream mixture from heat and stir in coconut until well combined. Transfer to a large baking dish; let cool.

Cover filling with plastic wrap and chill overnight. Just before using, place mixture in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until smooth and creamy, 4 to 5 minutes

Coconut Cake Frosting

Yield Makes enough for 1 cake

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 8 ounces cream cheese
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 5 cups confectioners' sugar
  • 1 vanilla bean, scraped

Directions

Place butter and cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat until creamy.

With mixer on low speed, slowly add vanilla extract, seeds from vanilla bean, and confectioners' sugar. Continue beating until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes.

It's worth making once - if you have a really big crowd.  This is definitely not the type of cake you would make for a weeknight dessert with the immediate family.

And I followed the recipe.  I didn't try to cut butter or cream, substitute lighter versions of anything.  This is the type of dessert that you make just as it is designed to be made, or don't bother.

Oh...  and I found out while putting it together that the cake was featured as a Bobby Flay Throwdown!  Food Network stated:

Bobby takes on a South Carolina chef known for his calling card, a six-layer, 12-pound, luxuriously rich Ultimate Coconut cake. When Bobby goes cake to cake, who will take home the win?

I didn't look at Bobby's recipe.  This one was good enough for me.

And I did have to show a picture of the table and the mess.

It was worth it.

 

 

 


Chicken and Biscuits

Yesterday it was 80°.  Right now it's 48° outside.  It's been cold and damp all day.  It's the perfect excuse to turn last nights leftover chicken into a pot pie.  Of sorts.

This was just what the weatherman ordered!  Hot and creamy with cheesy-dill biscuits on top.  Perfect cold-weather fare.

This is the sort of meal I just throw together based upon what's in the 'fridge.  I had actually planned to do a BBQ's pork, but the chicken was there and the weather wasn't really conducive to BBQ.

I sauteed onion and celery in some butter.  When it was looking good, I added flour, mixed it well, then slowly added about a quart of chicken stock.  (The chicken stock came out of the freezer - I have more simmering to replace it with.)

When it had thickened a bit, I added some salt and pepper, a bit of poultry seasoning, and some rosemary.

Next I added the chicken from the carcass, cooked pasta (I didn't have any flat or wide egg noodles so I used a couple of handfuls of open partial boxes) and some frozen mixed vegetables.I always have frozen nixed vegetables in the freezer because you just never know when you'll need them.  They really are convenient.

Heat went to low and I made the biscuits.

You can use your favorite baking mix but I made these using self-rising flour.  Into the flour I added butter, eggs, dill, and cubed cheese.  I then added heavy cream until I got the consistency I wanted.

This is why it's difficult to actually write recipes, sometimes.  I didn't start with a set amount of anything.  There was maybe 2 cups of flour left in the bag so I dumped it into a bowl and went from there.

I used a small scoop and dropped the biscuits onto the boiling filling and baked it for about 18 minutes at 425°.

And the important part of that sentence is boiling filling.  The biscuit needs to cook from both the top and the bottom.  If it went on a cold filling the filling would not heat up fast enough to cook the biscuit and it would be doughy on the bottom - and over-cooked on top.  Start with a hot filling and put into a hot oven.

We had lots of leftovers so this may keep me from eating hot dogs all day tomorrow while Victor is in New York shopping and otherwise having fun.

I get to have a knee MRI and see a Urologist.

Guess who is going to have the most fun!


Brining a Chicken

When one is pig-headed and opinionated about things, I always find it's a good idea to once in a while revisit the things that one is pig-headed and/or opinionated about.  It can either validate the opinion or - in rare cases - actually change a mind.

Yes...  as opinionated and pig-headed as I am, I do - occasionally - change my mind on things.

I'm pleased to report, however, that brining is not one of the things I'm going to change my mind about, tonight.

In my not-so-humble opinion, brining, at least on a commercial level, has always been about putting flavor where factory-farming has taken it away.  Pick up a package of name-brand chicken breasts and notice the "May contain up to 14% (or 15% or 22%) solution" label.  It's usually in pretty small print somewhere.  They've bred the natural flavor out so now they have to add flavor to make it palatable.  But even more than reintroducing flavor, brining changes the texture of the product.  It breaks it down.  Where most people say "moist"  I say "mushy."

It's totally a texture thing.

So...  last night, I decided I needed to revisit my pig-headed opinionatedness.

I had a lovely 4 1/2 pound organic chicken that I decided to experiment with.  These are great birds on their own and I know the flavor profile perfectly.  I had my base line.

Not being a brining expert, I went to Epicurious to see what was up.

I came upon every type of brine imaginable, from basic salt and water to way-over-the-top flavorings.  Armed with a little bit of knowledge, I made up my own:

Brine for Chicken

  • 6 qts water
  • 1/4 cup kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp rubbed sage
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1 tbsp coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp onion seeds

Bring two cups water to a boil, add salt, sugar,a nd spices, and mix until sugar and salt have dissolved.  Add remaining water mixed with ice cubes to chill. Pour over chicken making sure it is completely submerged.  Brine 8 - 24 hours.

Into the 'fridge it went.

This afternoon, I pulled it out of the brine, rinsed it, dried it,, and got it ready for the grill.

It seems most brined chicken recipes call for the bird to be grilled, so...  when in Rome...

I had preheated the grill and then turned off the middle burners and kept the end burners on high, setting the bird right in the middle.

About an hour and half later, I had a pretty good looking bird.

I must admit that the flavor was really, really good.  The sage really came though albeit in a very subtle way.  There - but not overpowering or overly-pronounced.  Crispy skin for Victor (I'm not much of a skin fan.)

And yes, it was moist and juicy.

Victor's first bite was "It's really moist!"  His second bite was "Yeah.  I see what you mean about the texture."  It's just too soft.  There's no 'chew.'   It just lacks the proper consistency.  The flavor is definitely there, the texture ruins it for me.

And this is one where I know I'm in the minority.

Type in "brining" in Google and every celebrity chef and wannabe restaurateur has a recipe for brining something.  More power to them all.  I could almost see it if one wanted to really infuse something with a specific flavor, but I'd rather have the natural flavor and add a sauce.  And it's easier and less time-consuming!

My pig-headed opinionatedness concerning brining is something I don't have to revisit for a while.

NEXT?!?

 

 

 

 


Lamb Chops and Lemon

During my Monday Shopping today, I saw some lamb chops that looked just too good to pass up.

I don't seem to buy a lot of lamb.  No particular reason - I really like it - but for whatever reason, it doesn't end up in the shopping cart all that often.  Tonight, I figured the chops would go on the grill but I wanted something to go with them.  I first thought of lemon and mint - the mint is already growing crazy outside - but in the end I opted for lemon, garlic, and rosemary.  Classic lamb accompaniments.  The rosemary hasn't reached mint proportions, but it's outdoors and fresh, nonetheless.

Lemon Rosemary Sauce

  • 1 small clove garlic, minced
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 tsp fresh rosemary
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • pinch salt and pepper

Place everything but olive oil in small food chopper and chop.  With processor running, add oil slowly to create a lovely emulsion.

Serve atop lamb chops.

It's one of those things that is just so easy, yet takes the meal from "good" to "WOW" with no effort, at all.

Served with the chops were Brussels sprouts - actually from Belgium  - and a whole-grain rice assortment.  Brussels sprouts are my most-favorite vegetable in the world.  I know, I'm weird, but I've always liked them.

The rice was a blend of different whole-grain rices in the cupboard... black, mahogany, red, and the end of a confetti rice blend.

And the chops...  Cooked to perfection.  I put them on the grill and then heard Victor speaking with our next door neighbor over the fence, so off I went to join them.  They flared up a bit and the fat got a bit charred, but they were g-o-o-o-o-d!

I'm going to have to pick them up a bit more often.  The mint-and-lemon sauce combination still sounds good!

 


Trish's White BBQ Sauce

I was perusing facebook about 10 days ago when I noticed that my friend Genevieve Boulerice was making a variation of a white BBQ sauce that her friend Trish Cairnes makes.

Well...  This is the month of BBQ Sauces, right?!?  I had to make it!

Gen posted her recipe and Trish posted hers right after.  Just similar enough that I knew I could play with this one!

In the end, I followed Trish's recipe pretty close, but added a teaspoon of dill at the last minute - just because.  I also didn't add any water.  Didn't need to thin it any more than it was.

Also, I marinated the chicken in the sauce and then grilled them over indirect heat.  After one side was cooked, I dipped them back into the sauce and cooked side two.

Trish Cairn's White BBQ Sauce

  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup water x2
  • 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1-2 teaspoon prepared horseradish. depends on what you like.
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2 tablespoon sugar

This is awesome on chicken! I brush some on the chicken when its about 3/4 of the way done. But make sure you keep a bunch for dipping! There are some recipe that are thicker, but I don't like that as much. I've been using for years now. :) But play around with it and see what you think.

And what I think is that it was pretty awesome!  I can see where this could just have a bazillion-and-one possibilities.  I could see switching out vinegars, adding chipotle powder or smoked paprika...  Really.  The possibilities are endless.

So thanks, Genevieve, for posting your dinner and thanks, Trish, for the recipe!

Good food and good people.  What more can ya ask for?

Well...  you could ask for flooding rivers to recede, that's what you could ask for.

Lori and Ev are safe.  They made a harrowing ride back to Cairo last night to grab what they could.  Lori wrote about the ride back:

When you live in Southern Illinois you see some impressive storms, but I've never been in one like this. Lighting was striking so close to the car it was blinding for a few seconds. It was raining so hard it was like driving under water, with the wind whipping the big trees along I-57 and Ev hanging onto the steering wheel for all she was worth, hoping we wouldn't hit a spot where the water from the drainage ditches finally spilled across the highway.

That is much more adventure than I ever want to experience.

It's still a great big what-and-see game, but I'm of the mind that their 112 year old home has weathered floods before and will, again.

Positive thoughts...

 

 


Apple Cake

Apple Cake.  One of my favorite desserts.

Okay...  all desserts are my favorite desserts and the one I'm eating at the moment is my most favorite dessert.  I just love dessert.  I'll pass up the whole buffet and head straight to the sweets table.

And I'm not particular.  I hold a bowl of rice pudding to the same high esteem as a homemade apple pie or a gooey 6-layer cream cake.  Or a cookie.  Or a tart lemon tart.

I think my only real criterion is that they be hand-crafted.  Yes, there are lots of store-bought and/or packaged products out there and not all of them are engineered with ingredients whose sole purpose is to trick our taste buds into thinking we're eating something good.  But I really do prefer my desserts - and food in general - to be real.

Enter the Apple Cake.

It's beauty is in its simplicity.  It's a fantastic dessert and it's a wonderful Sunday Morning Coffee Cake.  You seriously get to have your cake and eat it, too.

Apple Cake

  • 3 cups flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup oil
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 4 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 5 large apples

Preheat oven to 350°.  Peel and cut apples into small chunks.  Add 4 tsp sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon and stir together.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and set aside.

Beat together eggs, OJ & vanilla.  Add oil, mix in flour mixture.

In a well-greased tube pan, pour alternate layers of batter and apples.  Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top.

Bake at 350° for 1 1/2 hours or until cake tests done.

Cool before slicing.

 

Enjoy!

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