The Fumbling Foodie

Thanksgiving Day

The Thanksgiving turkey turned out pretty nice. This 18-pounder cooked in 3 hours, believe it ot not. I expected it to take 4-4.5 hours so when the thermometer stuck in its thigh showed 175 after only three hours, I was not ready.

The gravy turned out very salty, probably because I dry-brined the turkey. I fixed it by diluting the gravy with some water then to re-thicken it I made a roux of 1/4 cup each of flour and butter and whisked it into the diluted gravy. I even got compliments on the gravy later.

The apple pie turned out great even though I forgot the cinnamon and ginger. And I didn't poison anyone.

The Day Before Thanksgiving V

The cornbread stuffing. This turned out so good my wife is eating it by the spoonful already.

Tomorrow morning, Thanksgiving Day, the turkey needs to come out of the fridgeat 6:30am to sit at room temperature for an hour. Then into the oven for 4 4.5 hours (It's an 18-pound turkey). At 10:30 I'll start the water boiling for the mashed potatoes. At 11:30 - 12:00 the turkey will be done and come out of the oven and the cauliflower-fettucchine gratin dish will go into the oven in its place.

While the tukey is resting I'll make the gravy.

There will be eight of us at the table.

The Day Before Thanksgiving IV

The cauliflower and fetucchini gratin dish is ready to be topped with the seasoned breadcrumbs and popped into the oven.

The Day Before Thanksgiving III

The apple pie is done. I sure hope it tasts ok. I discovered that I forgot to add the cinnamon and nutmeg. I did add some extra brown sugar, so let's cross our fingers and hope for the best.

The Day Before Thanksgiving II

The pumpkin pie is done.

The Day Before Thanksgiving I

Today is Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, and due to several turns of events I'm doing most of the cooking this year.

Here is the first task of the day: Using my Spyderco sharpener to put a nice utility edge on my chef's knife.

As I write this, I've also just finished mixing the dough for the pie crusts and it is resting in the fridge.

Sweet Corn Alert!!

For anyone reading this blog here in the Phoenix area, I just heard from Cindy Gentry that this Saturday at the Phoenix Farmer's Market will be a day that should not be missed.

The first sweet corn of the season straight from Crooked Sky's field will be roasted on-site at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market Saturday. Farmer Frank will also bring a variety of juicy heirloom tomatoes - Juliettes, Purple Cherokees, Taxis (yellow) and San Marzanos! And to top it all off, Mary Coyle’s Ice Cream and Yogurt will be on hand at 10 serving with ice cream cones and sundaes, and Nina’s Specialty Foods will be doing hot dogs and brats.

I am salivating already!

Tags: Phoenix, Farmers Market, Sweet Corn

Mother's Day Dinner

Tonight I had the honor of preparing Mother's Day dinner for five women in my family spanning four generations, four of them mothers. The eldest was my own 77 year old mother and great-grandmother to the youngest lady present, Sydney, age 22 months. In between were my own beautiful and wonderful wife Merry Ann, my sister Sharon, and my niece Amanda, mother of Sydney.

I wanted to make this meal memorable while at the same time playing it safe. Therefore when choosing the menu I eliminated everything that I had not made before no matter how appetizing it looked. I settled on Coq au Vin from Julia Childs Mastering the Art of French Cooking with brown-braised onions and sauteed mushrooms. Even little Sydney liked it. In fact, both my niece and my sister wanted the recipe. Thank You Julia.

Dessert had to be special: Strawberry Souffle. Sweet and fluffy and loaded with fresh strawberries, it was the Oh My God course of the evening. Guys, if you want forgiveness for any transgression, make this.

Strawberry Souffle

4 cups fresh strawberries, hulled
4 tablespoons water
4 teaspoons powedered gelatin
4 eggs, separated
2/3 cup superfine or ultrafine sugar
1 cup heavy cream
6 3-inch diameter by 1.5 inch deep ramekins

Attach collars made from parchment paper to the ramekins so that each collar stands 1.5 inches above the top of the ramekin. Slice six strawberries in half and place two halves in the bottom of each ramekin. Cut the remaining strawberries in quarters and run them through the blender to puree them.

Put the water in a small heatproof bowl and sprinkle in the gelatin, making sure the water absorbs all the gelatin. Set aside for 5 minutes, then stand the bowl in a small pan half-filled with boiling water and simmer for 3-4 minutes, sirring occasionally until the gelatin dissolves to a clear liquid.

Put the egg yolks and sugar in a large heatproof bowl, then stand the bowl over a pan of simmering water so that the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water. Beat using a hand-held mixer until the eggs are very thick and pale, and the beaters leave a trail when lifted above the mixer. Remove the bowl from the heat and continue beating until cool.

Gradually fold in the dissolved gelatin, adding it in a thin steady stream, then fold in the strawberry puree.

Softly whip the cream then fold it into the souffle mixture. Chill if the mixture is too liquid.

Wash the beaters and dry well. Then use the mixer again to beat the egg whites into stiff moist-looking peaks. Fold a large spoonful into the souffle mixture to loosen it, then gently fold in the remaining egg whites.

Pour the mixture into the ramekins so that it fills each ramekin above the rim. Chill until set (at least 4 hours).

Tags: Mother's Day, Dessert, Souffle, Strawberries

Dinner From The Farmers Market

Most of the ingredients for tonight's dinner came from Phoenix's Farmer's Market.

The salad consisted of greens and sugar peas from Maya's Farm, located at The Farm At South Mountain mixed with wild Pacific Northwest shashimi-grade albacore tuna from Especial Tuna. Frankly, I have never had tuna that tasted this good, and there is nothing in the can that is not part of the tuna (like added water).

The pasta is handmade Tomato Sonoran Spice linguine from DeCio Pasta. This stuff goes from raw to al dente in 4-5 minutes (no kidding), and all it needs is to be tossed with a little butter to be delicious (topped with Parmigiano Reggiano, of course). This stuff is remarkably tasty. My wife and I both commented on how good it tasted with nothing but the butter and Parmigiano. On the shopping list for our next visit will be the Spinach Basic Garlic, Tomato Basil Garlic, and Wild Mushroom flavors.

Tags: Phoenix, Farmers Market

Tea Oil

While taking a cooking class at Plate It Up, my favorite kitchen store here in Glendale, AZ, I discovered Imperial Republic's Tea Oil.

I use a lot of olive oil for pan-frying, saute, and sear-roasting. One problem with olive oil is that it has a low smoke point - about 375F for extra virgin olive oil. When high heat is needed, the classic solution is a 50-50 mixture of olive oil and butter, raising the smoke point.

Enter Tea Oil, which has a smoke point of 485F. Not only that, tea oil is very healthy:

• Rich in vitamim E and other antioxidants.
• Good for your cholesterol (raises HDLs and lowers LDLs).
• Less saturated fat than olive oil.
• No sodium or cholesterol.
• No trans-fatty acids.
• Not hydrogenated.

We made a salad today using it in the vinagrette, and it was nice because it did not have that strong olive oil taste.

Tags: Tea Oil, Olive Oil, Cholesterol