B(lackened) C(atfish) L(ettuce) T(omato) Tacos

Breakfast tacos? Why not. These are loaded with blackened catfish, homemade basil crema, lettuce and tomato. They are actually simple enough I'd be willing to put them together as a breakfast food, but full disclosure, they were dinner tacos first. Only the leftovers got eaten for breakfast.

I think I could get the fish more blackened in the broiler.

Having cooked the fish indoors on a cast iron skillet (as directed by the recipe) I will toss out one warning; these send a lot of smoke wafting through the house. Didn't set off a smoke alarm, but it could have. If I repeat these I'll probably try making them under the broiler instead of on the stove to see if that gets the blackening without the smoke.
You will also have more crema than one batch of tacos. I put the rest on nachos, so this is a solvable problem.

BCLT Tacos

Difficulty Level: Medium
Will It Get Made Again? I'd consider repeating these, and I have another 1lb of catfish because I could only find it in 2lb quantities, but I don't think they'll be a regular thing in my house.

A Toast To Your Health (Seedy Date Bars)

The seedy date bars are clearly geared to be health food. No processed sugar, and lots of different seeds hold together by pureed fruit. They almost look like they would be part of the raw food movement, except that the seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, flax, and chia) are toasted.

Toasty

The sticky glue holding them together is a mixture of dates and apricots. I actually had less trouble getting the mass out of the food processor than the recipe warned, so yay. Shape into a mass, then chill for a couple of hours and voila, something you'd pay at least $3 a bar for at a health food store.

I'm Tempted To Call These Birdseed Bars

These are fairly fragile, so don't try to take them on the road. They'll crumble all over the place.

Difficultly Level: Medium
Will It Get Made Again? I'm kind of on the fence with these. They're pretty good for what they are, which is the faint praise that damns so many health foods.

Insert Food Bribe Here (Salty Chocolaty Peanut Buttery Crunchy Bars)

When I need to bribe someone or wow a crowd I default to Smitten Kitchen's Coffee Toffee recipe; which is one of the recipes that earned me the "Dessert Goddess" title in certain circles and resulted in me being automatically assigned desserts in a lot of potluck situations. My bar for what qualifies as top tier is extremely high. Salty Chocolaty Peanut Buttery Crunchy Bars are Alton Brown's favorite listed food bribe for people, the question was, how would they stack up for me?
In battle Peanut Butter Bars vs Coffee Toffee the bars lose on total effort to make because the toffee is simpler for me to make. They sugar/honey mixture the base is made out of gets heated to a candy temperature that slightly above a phase known as "soft crack" in candy making terms, but slightly below "hard crack"* in order to create a firm but still chewy texture. The several hundred degree mixture is then swirled with peanut butter.

I Swear Those Were Straight Lines When Cut

The bars require two cooling phases that up the manufacturing time, and are complicated to cut. The first cut is deceptively simple, and done while the peanut butter mix is still warm. However because it's warm the shapes shift as it cools; resulting in uneven lines. A chocolate toppings gets poured over the cooled peanut butter bars and you can sort of see the lines of the original cuts through it. The second cut is the hard one, now you need to slice along the original lines that have shifted during cool down. In retrospect, I should have flipped the entire thing over for cut number two, so that I could really see the lines that were apparent on the bottom. Even flipping it isn't a perfect solution though, because when I tried that on some of the pieces I discovered the chocolate layer was more likely to fracture when being cut from that direction.

Rough Edged But Tasty

It's the taste test that really matters though. My own personal opinion is while this is really good stuff, it's not top tier addictive. Mileage may vary if you love chewy peanut brittle more than me.

Difficulty Level: Complex

Will It Get Made Again? I'd only repeat this one on request from someone who loves it more than me. This batch will disappear without issue, but in the overall battle it loses to my favorite toffee in the candy bribe war.

*These are just literal descriptors of how sugar behaves at certain temperatures; some good candy thermometers include the descriptions along with the temperature marks.

Homemade Vs. Restaurant (Turkey Tikka Masala)

Tikka masala is one of those staple dishes in Indian restaurants in America, and like so many others I'm a fan. I had never attempted a version from scratch before, and never seen it with turkey at all.
The turkey is only an issue because the recipe calls for boneless, skinless, turkey thighs; which no one in my town will sell me. I did find bone-in, skin on, turkey thighs (which I didn't know I could get) so I added a prep step to the recipe where I skinned and de-boned the turkey thighs. If I were to repeat this I would just sub chicken thighs, because it would be easier.

No, it doesn't taste burnt.

Step two is to toast a bunch of spices and grind your own spice mix. Then the turkey gets marinated in spiced yogurt before getting charred on either a grill (which is Alton's preferred method) or a cast iron skillet (which is what I used because of the weather). While you're cooking the turkey, you make the sauce. Not as simple as ordering take-out, but is it better?

Turkey Tikka Masala

This is a good version of tikka masala, but in a head to head battle with the version from my local Indian restaurant I'd take the restaurant version. Kind of like with the mango lassi, but without the salt problems.
Difficulty Level: Complex
Will It Get Made Again? Nah, too much work for the payoff.

Alton's Inspiration (Roast Broccoli Hero)

I have read the cookbook written by the chef Alton is riffing off of for this recipe, which is called A Super Upsetting Cookbook About Sandwiches, so I knew what I was getting into. The recipe I tried from that cookbook was a broccoli tempura breakfast sandwich that was futzy to make, but delicious. This broccoli hero is futzy to make, but delicious. If I am ever in NYC I need to try the No. 7 Sub Shop and let someone else do the work of making the sandwich.

Roast Broccoli

Grated Cheese & Marinated Pickles

To build this broccoli hero you're going to marinate pickles, roast the broccoli, grate ricotta salata, and then pile the combo onto a roll that went under the broiler. No individual steps are difficult, but it's a lot of effort to put into a small batch of sandwiches. The end result is a gourmet sub that is delicious, but not life-changing.

The Best Kind of Vegetarian Sub

Difficulty Level: Medium
Will It Get Made Again? Maybe... I really like this sandwich, I just rarely want to put this much effort into a sandwich.

Pollock Style Breakfast (Nitrous Pancakes)

I picked up a nitrogen charged cream whipper for this project, and finally tested it out on the nitrous pancakes. The first lesson was aiming the dispenser nozzle, which I initially had positioned slightly off leading to a splatter of batter on the silverware drawer... Lesson two was that the end of canister will dispense in splatters, leading to a final Jackson Pollock inspired pancake for the batch.

Note, still cooks fine in splatter shape.

Lesson three was that I didn't master the nitrogen distribution on the first try, the last couple of pancakes had a much fluffier texture than the first ones. The first ones had a slightly odd almost rubbery texture, still edible but not the goal. For the next batch I think I need to shake the canister more aggressively to distribute the nitrogen charge more evenly.

Not yet the perfect pancake, but I'll keep trying.

Difficulty Level: Medium (It's all the equipment, the batter is an easy mix)
Will It Get Made Again? I'm absolutely game to try these again and work on better technique with the cream whipper, I still have lots of charge cartridges...

Think Like Julia Child (Kimchi Crab Cakes)

There's a quote I love from Julia Child "The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you've got to have a what-the-hell attitude." This is what I was thinking when I realized I'd made a classic mistake with the crab cakes I was making, I forgot an ingredient! I was pan-frying them and realized that they were incredibly fragile, some of them were falling apart, and then promptly realized that I'd forgotten the egg that was supposed to go into the crab cake mix as a binding agent... I kept going, because I was committed at that point, and the egg wasn't a major flavor. I figured I'd see how they would turn out, and make peace with the fact that they wouldn't be pretty.

Before they fell apart.

I still managed to get a few to come out whole, and a few of them even looked nice. The taste was not compromised. A huge part of cooking is balancing experience (like knowing the egg was important but not critical) and willingness to roll with imperfection. I have seen people freeze in the kitchen when anything goes wrong, instead reach for your inner Julia Child. Then put messy crab cakes in sandwiches. C'est la vie.

The most photogenic of the lot.

Difficulty Level: Medium
Will It Get Made Again? I think I will make these again, if only to try it with all the ingredients this time. I may make a substitution though, the recipe calls for half backfin crab meat (which is expensive) and half jumbo lump crab meat (which is extremely expensive); I cannot tell the difference once they're in the crab cake. So the next batch will probably be all backfin meat.

Hot Soup for Cold Nights (Pho Bo)

This was my first time making pho and it's not a recipe that gets whipped up casually. I had to track down a butcher that had both oxtail and beef shanks in stock (my neighborhood butcher didn't), and ended up buying my first meat cleaver because the oxtail I did find was still whole. It was actually harder to find the bean spouts that are part of the garnish assortment; apparently almost every store in town got cleaned out over new year's and hadn't restocked when I first went looking. In the end I bumped my pho production schedule by two days as I acquired all the ingredients and equipment. So the end product tastes like victory.
Once everything was set up I made the broth. Broth is key for pho and in this case gets locked in a pressure cooker instead of having to spend hours on the stove; this is the closest I've come to hitting max capacity on my instant pot. That pot had 4lbs of meat in it (2 cuts of beef plus chicken wings), plus all the spices, liquid, and half an apple.

See That Line That Says Max? I Got Close

There's a third cut of beef that goes into the serving bowl raw, to be cooked by the hot pho broth when it's poured over it. Plus a standard array of garnishes.

Garnish Board

The end result is not the best pho I've ever had, but is better than some restaurants.

No Regrets

Difficulty Level: Complex
Will It Get Made Again? Maybe, I could see myself being in the mood to try this again now that I have one round under my belt to see if it's a little simpler the second time around. I might up the spices in the broth a little more to get a stronger spice level. I still have a pound of oxtail left, it might be destined for a 2nd batch down the line.

How To Make Candied Orange Peel and What Do With It (Amaranth Wafers)

In the 1st edition of EveryDayCook the recipe for making candied orange peel is a side bar in the recipe for Amaranth Wafers. This is the amended recipe that was published after complaints about the short version of the directions, it also contains double the amount of oranges.

"Candied Orange Peel 2.0
Ingredients
4 ripe oranges (Navel will do just fine)
2 cups sugar
4 cups water
Instructions:
Place a cooling rack over a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. If you don’t have a pan, just put the paper on the counter, but don't skip the cooling rack.
Using a vegetable peeler, remove the outer peel of each orange working from stem end to blossom end. (I'd say "longitudinally," but who thinks about oranges having lines of longitude?)
When all the peeling is done, lay each piece on a cutting board, pith side up (that's the white stuff) and use a paring knife to scrape off as much of the pith as possible. Don't go crazy, but the more you get off the less bitter it'll be.
Place the peel strips in a medium saucier or saucepan (I use a three quart saucier so that the liquid will pool in the bottom as it reduces). Add two cups of water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then drop the heat to maintain a simmer for 15 minutes. Drain and return the peel to the pan.
Add the sugar and the last two cups of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and stir every few minutes until the sugar dissolves. A silicone spatula is absolutely the best tool for the job.
When the syrup hits a boils, drop the heat and maintain a simmer for approximately 1 hour. Since the syrup is going to slowly concentrate, you'll need to drop the heat every now and then to just maintain that simmer. Remember this isn’t just about creating a sugar crust, it’s about actually getting some of that sugar into the peel and that takes time. Stir every few minutes to help insure equal coverage and cooking.
After 50 minutes a majority of the water will have evaporated and the remaining syrup will thick and there will be a lot of bubbles. You'll know you're close to done when you feel grit at the bottom of the pan when you swipe the spatula across it. That means the syrup is “concentrated” and the sugar is falling out of solution. At this point use an instant read thermometer to start checking the temp.*
When the syrup hits 250 degrees F, immediately remove from the heat and pour the orange peels onto the cooling rack, separating and straightening the pieces as quickly as you can with the spatula or a couple of forks. Once cool, shake off any excess sugar and cover lightly with paper towels or a clean towel overnight.
Seal the candied peel in a glass jar and store at room temperature for up to 3 months. If making in the summer, consider adding a food grade silica desiccant pack to the jar to absorb humidity. (Yes...the interwebs has them.)

Note: I don't like waste so I return any syrup and surplus sugar from the paper and rack to the pan. I add a cup of water, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. The resulting syrup can be used in beverages...like tea and cocktails. Sealed in a jar and refrigerated it'll keep for months.
Oh yeah...don’t forget to eat the oranges."

Making this recipe requires commitment. It took me around 2 hours to make the candied orange peel, which then needed to cool overnight.

Skinned Oranges, Cooking is a Violent Sport

Candied Orange Peel 2.0

When you are ready to make the cookies it goes in, first you need to pop the amaranth berries. I did not know you could make tiny amaranth popcorn, but you can. It takes patience because it's best done in small (a tablespoon or less) batches to keep the layer of berries even on the heat and prevent burning. I may have slightly over-toasted some of the earliest attempts, but nothing burned beyond redemption.
Mixing the dough is pretty straightforward, but it does need to chill before you shape it. Even chilled the dough is pretty crumbly, and the cookies are fragile coming out of the oven so they do need to sit on the baking tray to finish firming up.

Crumbly, But Workable

I served a couple of them with freshly squeezed orange juice, because that appropriate to the theme of the recipe. They are nice little crunchy bites.

Hardcore From Scratch Snacking

Difficulty Level: Complex
Will It Get Made Again? Realistically no. These have a high time/effort investment and while they're good, I would need a really, really good reason to go to the trouble again.

New Year's Day Part 3: The Cornbread

Cornbread is one classic southern dish I actually grew up with. The Cajun restaurant that was up the street from me for most of my life (the owner retired in 2017, the end of an era) made a slightly sweet version that accompanied many servings of jambalaya and Friday fish specials. This cornbread from EveryDayCook is from the same school.

Making cornbread is pretty simple, mix everything and pour it into the pan. In this case it includes the now familiar to me step of preheating the cast iron in the oven and poring the batter into the hot pan to give the crust and overall cooking a jump start.

Golden Brown and Delicious 

This was definitely my favorite of the three New Year's dishes, and the only one I'm likely to repeat. I haven't made jambalaya in awhile...
Difficultly Level: Easy
Will It Get Made Again? Yes. I might be tempted to add some actual corn kernels or a little kick of spice to the next batch, but as is it's a classic cornbread that's better than others I've tried making.

New Year's Day Part 2: The Black-Eyed Peas

If the collards are the cash money the black-eyed peas are the coins. As part of the southern New Year's line-up these spend awhile simmering on the stove with assorted spices.

I think you have to grow up loving these.

It's a solid veggie side, but nothing else for me.
Difficultly Level: Easy
Will It Get Made Again? Probably not, without any sentimental attachment to black-eyed peas as a dish I just don't see myself doing these again.

New Year's Day Part 1: The Greens

The nickname for collard greens in the south is apparently "cash money" and they're a traditional thing to kick off the new year with. This is less common in the midwest where I'm from, but that doesn't mean I can't get collard greens.

That's a lot of green.

Cooking the greens is multi-stage process. You wilt them, then add spices and chunk of smoked ham and lock everything in a pressure cooker for a bit. Then pull out the greens and give the ham another turn in the pressure cooker.

Greens & Ham

I flinched at the amount of salt in the recipe because I know pressure cookers concentrate flavors, so I cut it, but I should have cut the salt more. We ended up mixing them with rice to diffuse the salt a little.

Salty Greens & Ham

Difficultly Level: Medium
Will It Get Made Again? Probably not. I don't love greens & ham enough to make them a new years tradition in my house, though I'm sure I could make a less salty batch the 2nd time around.

Why Are Biscuits Round? (Little Brown Biscuits)

I maintain there is better way to make biscuits than what I did here. The most basic rule of biscuit making is that you don't want to overwork the dough, so the biscuits from the first roll out are always the best. However as you keep punching out wholes in the dough you have to keep mashing the dough together again for the next couple of biscuits. I hate that; what I want to do is just roll out one rectangle, and slice even squares. No overworked biscuits, I don't care if they're not round. I was following directions though, so you can tell which biscuits are from the last roll out, they're rougher than the earlier ones.

They just degrade with each roll out.

This was my introduction to making biscuits with lard instead of butter, I suspect my dream biscuit has both because the texture of these was really good, but I miss the buttery flavor. I have also yet to be converted to whole wheat flour for baking. These are made with 50/50 split of white flour and whole wheat flour, which I suppose makes them more nutritious. <sigh>

Rise Up

Difficulty Level: Medium
Will It Get Made Again? No, these were fine, but I'll be searching for my dream biscuit recipe rather than repeating these.