TWD: Tender Shortcakes
Nothing says summer like strawberry shortcakes!
Nothing says Oven Love like forgetting the sugar in your strawberry shortcakes.
Luckily, this Dorie recipe was delicious, even without the extra sugar. This week’s TWD recipe is Tender Shortcakes, chosen by Cathy at The Tortefeasor. Cathy’s blog is super-cute. Here’s a secret, though- I don’t know how to pronounce tortefeasor. Or what it means. But it’s super cute!
Back to the shortcakes.
I made teeny-tiny shortcakes, which proved to be quite hard to split, so I ended up making more of a shortcake parfait. It was so yummy that I didn’t even realize I forgot the sugar until I was figuring out how many WW points the recipe would be. (Side note: Dorie’s recipes are like a million WW points. But I love her anyways).
De-lish. Loving summer.
*Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) is a group of bloggers baking through Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours.
**Find the recipe here.
Tea Soaked Grilled Chicken
This chicken was good.
Two ways to tell if a dinner recipe is good in my house: if there’s no picture, or if there’s a crappy picture. When something’s good, photos are usually an afterthought or a quick table shot before it’s devoured. This rule doesn’t apply to desserts, since we eat those in small doses, but back to the chicken.
This was another Memorial Day weekend recipe for my family. I was looking for a quick marinade (since I always forget the steps that come before grilling meat), and this fit the bill. It only needs an hour minimum in the fridge. I never really thought about marinating with tea before, but the chicken turned out so moist and juicy.. I think it had to be the tea. There was something special about this chicken.. you’ll just have to try to to know what I mean.
And just because I’m a proud mommy, and since you could eat him up, too..
Already 12 weeks. He’ll be eating badly-photographed chicken before I know it.
Tea Soaked Grilled Chicken
based on a recipe by Rachael Ray
3 bags black tea, any variety
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar (I used dark brown)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
4-6 chicken breasts, pounded 1/2 inch thick
1. In a saucepan, bring 2 cups water to boil. Add the tea and steep for 5 minutes. Discard the tea bags. Stir in the soy sauce, brown sugar, oil and cinnamon; let cool to room temperature.
2. Place chicken in a gallon-sized ziploc bag and pour in the marinade; refrigerate for 1-8 hours.
3. Preheat grill to medium. Grill chicken uncovered, turning onto each side twice, for 10-12 minutes.
Peach Sorbet
I’ve learned a lot about sorbet since my first batch of strawberry a few weeks back. My brother and sister-in-law are huge AB fans, so we ended up watching his episode on sorbet and ice cream while they were here to visit. I learned that the size of the ice crystals make a big difference in the consistency of the sorbet, so it’s an absolute must to chill the mixture before putting it in the ice cream maker. I made this peach sorbet after learning this information, and it totally changed the outcome of the recipe. It was much smoother and creamier.. it almost seemed like ice cream, but there was no dairy in the recipe at all. Bonus!
Do yourself a favor and watch the AB episode here. I think he can convince you to drop your Ben & Jerry’s habit and put your ice cream maker to work. Then, find the Chocolate Gourmand’s recipe for peach sorbet below.
Oh, and also, I’ve lost 9 pounds this month on Weight Watchers. It must be all the sorbet and brisket and ice cream pie.. did I mention I love Weight Watchers?
Peach Sorbet
juice of 1 large orange
juice of 1 lemon
4 cups fresh sliced peaches (about 16 small peaches or 10 large peaches)
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 tablespoons limoncello (optional)
3 tablespoons Grand Marnier (optional)
juice of 1 lemon
4 cups fresh sliced peaches (about 16 small peaches or 10 large peaches)
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 tablespoons limoncello (optional)
3 tablespoons Grand Marnier (optional)
Mix together ingredients.
Juice one large orange and one lemon and pour juice into blender. Wash peaches and peel with a small knife. Remove pit and slice peach into smaller chunks before dropping into measuring cup. Once you have 4 cups of peeled and sliced peaches, dump them into the blender. Add sugar (start with just 1 cup if your peaches are really sweet), limoncello and Grand Marnier. Puree in blender until well blended, about 1 minute. It’s OK if the puree is a little frothy, but don’t over-blend. Taste the puree for sweetness. Add more sugar to suite your taste. Keep in mind it will taste less sweet when frozen, so make sure it is a little on the sweet side. I always pass the sorbet through my chinois out of habit, but since very little residue was left behind in the chinois you could skip this step and nobody will notice.
Chill base and then freeze in ice cream maker.
Chill mixture in ice bath until less than 45° F. Pour into ice cream maker and freeze according to your maker’s instructions. Once chilled, remove from ice cream maker and place in dedicated (odor-free) container to let ripen in the freezer for several hours. Because of the alcohol, it will always be a tiny bit soft.
Paula Deen’s Texas Brisket
I’m really getting into this grilling thing. So into it that I decided to buy a brisket for Memorial Day without any idea how I was going to cook it. It took me five days to finally cook it.
Day One: Oh, I can’t just grill it for an hour? Oh.
Day Two: It’s supposed to be smoked? Oh.
Day Three: I was supposed to season it and let it marinate over night? Oh.
Day Four: I need wood chips to turn my grill into a smoker? Oh.
I finally got around to cooking it on day five. It looked amazing coming off the grill, but unfortunately, it finished cooking three hours early, so I think it dried out while it was warming in the oven. It had excellent flavor and I will definitely try to recreate it sometime soon and retain the moisture.
PS. I need to clear something up. Not only am I a charcoal snob, I’m a natural hardwood charcoal snob. I’m in love.
Hope everyone had an excellent Memorial Day celebration, grilling faux pas or not!
To find Paula’s Texas Brisket recipe and smoking instructions, click here.
Tuesdays With Dorie: Banana Coconut Ice Cream Pie
Before I begin… thanks Spike for choosing this pie. It’s so good!
This week’s TWD pick is Banana Coconut Ice Cream Pie. It’s a coconut butter crust, a layer of bananas and a layer of chocolate ice cream mixed with bananas. I wasn’t sure what to expect with this pie, but I think it was a winner. I loved the crust. Loved it. Yum!
I made the chocolate ice cream from scratch in my new ice cream maker. I used Dorie’s recipe for Chocolate Ganache Ice Cream, made with real bittersweet chocolate. It’s great on its own, and it’s tasty in the pie as well. I’ll post that recipe later this week.
Enjoy!
*Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) is a group of bloggers baking through Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours.
**Find the recipe here.
Sun Tea
Don’t you love life’s simple pleasures?
Water + tea + sun + time. That’s all you need to make sun tea. I love the simplicity of it; watching the tea turn from clear to dark and delicious. It’s great for summer when the sun is plentiful and lots of people have a taste for tea. I used this amazing sassafras tea that I adore. It tastes like root beer and is naturally sweet with no calories. Can’t argue with that!
This requires no work, so try it anytime. Unless it’s dark. Then you’re out of luck.
Directions for making sun tea:
Add loose tea or tea bags to water (I used 1/4 cup loose tea for a quart). Place your container in a sunny spot for 4-6 hours or more, depending on how dark you want your tea. Strain tea or remove tea bags; chill and serve.
Green Beans with Tangy Mustard Vinaigrette
Umm.. summer is great. Except for the heat and humidity. That’s kind of a downer. But otherwise, it’s great!
We are becoming obsessed with the grill. Confession time: we bought a Weber grill last summer, but didn’t grill on it at all until this year. I am now regretting the months and months of delicious grilled goodness that I’ve missed.
Another confession: I’m basically a charcoal grill snob. It’s amazingly delicious and the only way to grill.
Back to the point of this post: green beans. Sides are super important when you’re grilling. Because let’s face it, even though it would be great to eat grilled meat every day, it’s probably healthier to add some veggies to the meal. The easiest thing of all is to just throw the veggies on the grill with your meat, but the second easiest thing is to steam up some veggies and toss them in a vinaigrette. I just threw together this vinaigrette this afternoon and I love it! It adds a nice kick of flavor to some otherwise plain greens. A perfect side for your (charcoal) grilled delights.
Happy summer!
Green Beans with Tangy Mustard Vinaigrette
1 lb green beans, washed and trimmed
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tbs mustard (whatever type you like, I used spicy brown)
1 tbs honey
2 tbs olive oil
kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
Steam green beans for about 5-10 minutes, until cooked through. While beans are steaming, whisk lemon juice, mustard and honey in a medium bowl. While stirring, add olive oil slowly to create an emulsion. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add hot green beans to bowl and cover with vinaigrette. Serve immediately.
Do I Get a Pass Card?
No Apple Apple Bread Pudding for TWD this week. (Check out the recipe at Cake or Death.) Here are my excuses:
1. I have no bread, apple butter, or heavy cream.
2. I would go to the grocery store, but my sweet little two-month-old just got his first shots today and I want to keep him at home.
3. I would leave the little one at home with my husband, but he’s away at training in Alabama.
So it’s just me, the baby, and no ingredients.
Do I get a pass card?
Making Burger Bacon
Ever wonder how restaurants manage to make bacon flat for burgers and sandwiches?
Okay, maybe you’ve never wondered that, but I’m giving you permission to wonder about it now.
In my excitement over our awesome charcoal grill, I stocked up on all the summer grilling issues of my favorite food magazines. One of the tips I read was about making the bacon for burgers. The magazine suggested to bake the bacon in the oven between two baking sheets. I’ve seen people bake bacon before, but I never thought about this tip for keeping it flat. It worked very well, but ended up getting a little greasy on the parchment paper. Next time, I think I’ll put the bacon on a baking rack to drain off extra grease. I’m also thinking about sprinkling a little brown sugar on the bacon during the second half of baking.. and now I’m drooling.
And the extra plus- your whole house will smell like bacon.
Flat Burger Bacon
Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place bacon strips flat on parchment paper (or a baking rack) on top of a baking sheet. Place another baking sheet on top of the bacon. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove baking sheet (sprinkle on some brown sugar if you like the idea of candied bacon) and bake for another 5-10 minutes until bacon is done.
Strawberry Sorbet
Summer’s here!
At least it is in Georgia. It is HOT here. I know people said it would be hot already, but really? This hot? We’ll see if I’m cut out for the southern life.
To cool down and to test out my fantastic new ice cream maker, I made this easy sorbet. It’s simple and made with just a few fresh ingredients. I’m loving the idea of making lots of sorbets this summer, pairing them together, and coming up with very cool recipes in the comfort of my air conditioned kitchen. Loving it.
This is everything a sorbet should be.. made with fresh, yummy fruit and has just the right amount of sweetness. And to top it all off, one serving is only one WW point!
Strawberry Sorbet
(adapted from Cooking Light)
-makes 12 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup)
Ingredients:
-1 cup sugar
-1 cup water
-6 cups sliced strawberries (about 2 pounds)
-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat.
Place half of sugar syrup, half of sliced strawberries, and fresh lemon juice in a blender, and process until smooth. Pour pureed mixture into a bowl. Repeat the procedure with remaining sugar syrup and sliced strawberries.
Pour mixture into the freezer can of an ice-cream freezer; freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions (mine takes about 20-30 minutes). Spoon sorbet into a freezer-safe container; cover and freeze 4 hours or until firm.
