Category Archives: Desserts

July 3, 2012

July 4th: Recipes for Independence Day

By 5iveDollarFeasts

So, if you’ve been a reader for the last year, you should know what I think you should have for July 4th: 5 Days of Pulled Pork!

If you haven’t been a reader that long (which, let’s face it, most of you haven’t based on my number of views then, and my number of views now) then you should follow this link, so you can enjoy recipes that look like this.

(Ooh, ahhh…)

“But, Ed,” I hear you saying, “you left out dessert. What should we stuff our faces with after all that delicious pulled pork?”

Well, I have your answer! And since you will probably be very full and tired from dinner, this recipe is a light jell-o recipe

that won’t weigh you down, AND it you can make it ahead, so all you have to do after dinner is remove it from the fridge, garnish, and eat!

Independence Day Jell-O

This is a traditional July 4th dessert treat that is often made in a flag mold. Whatever you do, do NOT buy a flag mold. Over thirty dollars for a cheap plastic mold you might be able to use twice is not worth it. Just use your rectangular brownie pan or casserole dish. A little bit of clever decoration will get it looking like a flag in no time. Don’t be afraid of all the steps. They are really just the same steps, repeated. Once you get the hang of it, it goes fast. Just be sure to start at least an five hours before serving for the proper amount of refrigeration time!

You can also make individual portions in cups, bowls, or martini glasses! Just as tasty without the fuss!

1 small package of blueberries

2 six ounce packages of red jell-o (any flavor) 

2 six ounce packages of blue jell-o (any flavor)


1 six ounce package lemon jell-o

1 sixteen ounce tub of non-dairy whipped topping (such as cool-whip,) thawed

3 ¾ cups pineapple juice, refrigerated
 (This adds more than just your average jell-o flavor to the dish. You could also substitute half of this pineapple juice for rum for a more adult dessert.)

7 ½ cups boiling water 

 

  1. Spray 13” x 9” pan with non-stick spray. If you have one, you may also use a flag mold for an even greater flag-like appearance.
  2. Make the red jell-o. In a large bowl, stir 3 cups of boiling water into red gelatin until dissolved. About 2 minutes
  3. Once dissolved, stir in 1 ½ cups cold pineapple juice. Pour into the 13” x 9” pan or flag mold.
  4. Refrigerate pan for 1 hour. (The red jell-o is made first, because it will be at the top after unmolding.)

  5. Make the lemon jell-o. Wash the large bowl or use a new bowl to make the next batch of gelatin. You don’t want the colors to mix. In this bowl, stir 1 ½ cups boiling water into the lemon jell-o.
  6. Once dissolved, stir in ¾ cup cold pineapple juice. Refrigerate the lemon jell-o in the bowl for 30 minutes. This should thicken the jell-o, but not set it completely. The lemon jell-o should be the consistency of egg whites.
  7. Fold in 8 ounces (about half the tub) of cool whip to the bowl with the thickened lemon jell-o. This will make the jell-o white as well as give it a nice flavor and texture. Pour the mixture over the set red jell-o.
  8. Refrigerate for another 30 minutes.
  9. Make the blue jell-o. Stir 3 cups of boiling water into blue jell-o until dissolved.
  10. Once dissolved, stir in 1 ½ cups cold pineapple juice. Pour over hardened jell-o in the pan.
  11. Refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.
  12. Remove the jell-o from the pan by sliding a butter knife around the edges. Carefully flip the gelatin onto a serving platter.
  13. To get a more defined, flag-like appearance, trim the edges of the jell-o with a sharp long knife.
  14. Decorate the top left corner with blueberries in a square pattern (you may have to trim the bottoms of the blueberries to get them to stay.) Then, create the white stripes. Fill a pastry bag (or a large Ziploc bag with a hole cut in one corner) with non-dairy whipped topping and create flag-like stripes across the jell-o flag.

This recipe may also be halved and put into cocktail glasses or ice cream dishes and topped with fruit for a simpler Independence Day treat.

Tip for getting that darn jell-o out of the pan in one piece: Dip jell-o mold in warm water for about 15 seconds. Gently pull gelatin from around edges with moist finger. Place moistened platter on top of jell-o mold. Invert mold and platter quickly. Holding mold and platter together, shake slightly to loosen. Gently remove mold; center gelatin on platter.

Leave a comment | posted in American, Desserts, Holidays

May 28, 2012

Memorial Day Leftovers – Unique Uses for your Favorite Spice Rub

By 5iveDollarFeasts

So it’s Memorial Day. Or the week after. As per my advice, you went out and bought yourself a ton of Johnny Tush’s Magical Wonder Rub, or perhaps you mixed up a ton of your own BBQ spice rub to use for your grilling needs on Memorial Day. You’ve used on your burgers and beer can chickens, or ribs, but you still have more spice rub left than you know what to do with.

Well, here are some fun and interesting ideas on what to do with all that leftover spice rub. I used Johnny Tush in the pictures, but feel free to use whatever BBQ rub you happen to have laying around.

Make yourself a Johnny Tush Magical Wonder Breakfast. Simply add a pinch of spice rub to your eggs, potatoes or hash browns. You can also add it to bacon! Simply follow this recipe for  Cosmic Bacon on the Johnny Tush website.

Cure you Memorial Day hangover the following morning with a BBQ Spice Rub Bloody Mary. Simply add a teaspoon of your spice rub to your favorite Bloody Mary mix recipe. Rim a glass with your spice rub. This is easily done, by rubbing a lemon or lime wedge around the rim of the glass and then dipping it into the spice rub laid onto a small plate. Garnish the Bloody Mary with your favorite treats, like celery, olives, or even a spice rubbed shrimp. (Perhaps leftover from Cheesy Grits and Shrimp?)

Add it to popcorn. This really does work with any spice rub. Spice Rub Popcorn really takes the flavor of whatever rub you add. Simply prepare the popcorn with your favorite method and then toss with the rub after you add butter!

Add some of your rub to mixed nuts for a unique BBQ Spice Rub Trail Mix.

There is no longer any excuse for all these spice rubs to pile up in your spice rack. It’s time to get them down and finish them off! Please post below any other unique ways you use your extra spice rub!

Leave a comment | posted in American, Breakfast, Cocktails, Desserts, Holidays, Recipes, Snacks

April 19, 2012

Our One Year Anniversary! We Made Birthday Brookie Sundaes! (Cookie Brownies)

By 5iveDollarFeasts

April 14th marked the 1 year anniversary of our blog! I can hardly believe it has been a whole year. One blog a week has been challenging at times, but 81 recipes and 53 blogs later (OK, so sometimes more than challenging, I did miss one week,) I have grown tremendously as a chef and a writer trying to find interesting yet affordable recipes to share with you.

I have heard from many of you that you have tried and enjoyed many of my recipes in your kitchen, and I feel honored every time.  It is truly inspiring to think of you letting me into your lives like that.

We started small, with only 10 readers every day, but have slowly grown to close to 100 readers a day. (If we keep it up at that pace, we’ll have 1,000 readers a day next April!) It has been and continues to be very important to me that this blog not just be a temporary hobby. The more I write and cook the better I get at it, and the more interesting meals I can share with you. And Jodie’s portfolio of food photography went from a few scattered images to so many amazing shots that there are too many for one portfolio.

And, of course, this all has culminated in a beautiful show we are so proud to be producing: Pairings. We have one more weekend of shooting before we wrap. There is still much to do before we can bring you the show (editing, music, sound, etc.) but we will have a 7 episodes for you to watch in the fall! Much of our fundraising came as a direct result of this blog and we thank you so much.  We will continue to bring you a blog every week for the next year. We plan to use Pairings and 5ive Dollar Feasts as complimentary projects. We have some exciting changes and surprises planned for the next year.

On a more personal note, this blog has brought me some solace and direction in a tumultuous time in my life and I am grateful for all of you who have followed me on my journey.

But enough of this serious nonsense. Who wants a brookie sundae?! What is a brookie you ask? It is my term for a dessert that I was inspired to make from a couple who inspired me to start my blog and offered us some early advice. Foodies @ Home posted a dessert that was part chocolate chip cookie and part brownie. This wonder dessert is so cheap & easy to makes any day seem like a special occasion.

I grew up having Brownie sundaes on special occasions. Think of BJ’s pizookie’s as an example. Fresh warm brownie, topped with ice cream and chocolate syrup. I thought that the Cookie Brownie or Brookie would make an even more delicious sundae and thus the creation of the Brookie Sundae! Pure heaven.

Brookie Sundaes

1 box of your favorite brownie mix for a 9 x 9 inch pan

chocolate chip cookie dough for 12 cookies (store bought is just fine for brookies)

Ice Cream

Chocolate Syrup

  1. Preheat the oven to the temperature indicated on the brownie mix box.
  2. Grease a 13 x 9 inch pan.
  3. Prepare the brownie mix in a bowl as directed on the package.
  4. Place 12 cookie sized dollops of raw cookie dough, spaced evenly. Pour the brownie mix around and / or over the cookie dough. Bake according to directions on the brownie package.
  5. Remove from oven, let cool for 15 minutes. Cut out a warm brownie and top with you favorite ice cream and chocolate syrup. Enjoy!

Leave a comment | posted in American, Desserts, Recipes

January 26, 2012

Dark Chocolate Dipped or Citrus Zested Madeleines

By 5iveDollarFeasts

It should have been clear I would have a passion for cooking at an early age. Looking back it was pretty obvious. While most of my friends looked forward to their Mom’s baking brownies or chocolate chip cookies, my brothers and I looked forward to Madeleines. It caused lots of dancing, singing and excitement (“Mom is great, makes us chocolate…Madeleines” doesn’t have quite the same ring as the Cosby family’s catch phrase.) when we saw the specialized Madeleine came out. Yes, that’s right, one of our favorite childhood treats was a specialized French cookie. We were clearly trained to be foodies from a very early age.

Madeleines, like scones, are just made plain wrong 99% of time in the United States. This isn’t like a “Cheesecake is best from New York,” or  “Pizza is best in Chicago,” opinion. If you have had a scone from Britain or Australia, you know that those soft fluffy amazing pillows of deliciousness are not the triangular bricks we serve in the States. Madeleines are the same. What we serve as flaccid overly sweet doughy pastries are crunchy on the outside, melt in your mouth cookies in France. I don’t know why this is. The recipe is not terribly hard or expensive. I must conclude that somewhere in history we were bamboozled into thinking that Madeleines (and scones) are just something different than the rest of the world thinks they are.

I’d like to help correct this error not only by sharing the recipe with you, but also by giving you the opportunity to get some from me. That’s right, folks, if you make a pledge to our webseries, Pairings, the rewards include these Madeleines. You can also receive a 5ive Dollar Feasts 2013 calendar or PDF cookbook! Please watch the video below and consider helping out independent web television and visiting our fundraising site here.

Madeleines

Equipment: Madeleine pan

½ pound butter, room temperature, plus 2 Tablespoons for greasing

2 ½ cups powdered sugar

2 cups flour (technically this should be sifted, but I never bother, and it’s never been an issue,) plus 1 Tablespoon for pan dusting

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon lemon or orange zest (optional)

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease the Madeleine pan with butter and then sprinkle with flour to prevent the cookies from sticking.
  2. With an electric mixer, beat the room temperature butter on high until it’s fluffy, about 5 minutes.
  3. Add powdered sugar and  mix on low.
  4. Add eggs one at a time, blending them into the batter on high speed.
  5. Slowly add the flour to the mix, blending on low speed at first and increasing speed after all the flour has been added.
  6. Pour the batter into the Madeleine molds about ¾ full and bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown along the edges.

For Chocolate Dipped Madeleines:

1 package of semi sweet chocolate chips

Omit the optional zest from the previous recipe

  1. Bring water in a deep saucepan to a boil, place a metal bowl over the boiling water. Fill the metal bowl with the semi sweet chocolate chips. (This can also be done in a double boiler. You need to melt the chocolate over boiling water so it won’t burn.)
  2. Stir the chocolate with until it melts. Once it is melting, dip the Madeleines in the chocolate until 1/3 of the cookie is covered in chocolate. Place the cookie on wax paper until it cools.

Leave a comment | posted in Desserts, French

December 1, 2011

Ninja Food: Ninja Men Cucumber and Dill Cream Cheese Sandwiches and Ninja Face Cupcakes

By 5iveDollarFeasts

I live and work in Los Angeles. That means that a lot of my cooking is done for the primary L.A industry: Film. I cook on set most of the time and feed hungry casts and crews.

Recently, I was asked to provide refreshments and snacks for the premiere of an independent movie (aptly screened at Downtown Independent,  which was a lovely venue. If you have a chance, I highly recommend catching a movie there sometime) called Office Ninja written and directed by Bin Lee.

Bin contacted me to me to make some Ninja themed snacks on the cheap so people attending the premiere wouldn’t go hungry until the after party.

My mission, if I chose to accept it, was to keep 200 Hollywood types, on a budget of only 200 dollars, satisfied from 7 until 9 until they could head down the street for the open bar and pizza party . That’s not a Five Dollar Feast, that’s a 1 dollar feast!

While I did this for a Premiere party, I wanted to write a blog about it, because Ninjas will always be popular with kids and adults, and if you ever wanted to throw a Ninja themed party, these snacks would be a lot of fun to serve. Of course, you can just follow the recipes for delicious sandwiches and cupcakes. You need not Ninja-fy them.

I’m not going to lie, it was a challenge, but it went off very well, and the whole event was quite a success (although, the credit for that goes to Bin’s wonderful film…alright, I’m sure the open bar at the after party didn’t hurt, either.) Most of the photos on this page were taken at the event and are courtesy of Brenda White.

While coming up with ideas, I did find a restaurant in New York that has a Ninja Theme, and while I enjoyed learning about a restaurant where the waiters might serve you or assassinate you, the food on their menu seemed a little out of my price range. (I couldn’t afford to buy one grapefruit per person, let alone fill them with dry ice and their own mini swords.)

So, I went a different route. I found these wonderful Ninjamen Cookie cutters on Amazon for $7.99 and ordered them. (Well, they were $7.99, when I bought them.) I had used the trick of cutting sandwiches with cookie cutters for children’s birthday parties before (a little sliced banana and Nutella cut into animal shapes makes a great healthy birthday treat the kids love.) So I used the trick again and made my favorite high tea sandwiches, Cucumber and Dill Cream Cheese, ninja style.

I also wanted a dessert for those with more of a sweet tooth. I like the idea of cupcakes, but transporting 200 cupcakes in my car (I really need a truck) did not seem like a good plan. But then I remembered my mini cupcake pan (I bought it more for making small cornbread cakes.) I’m not really a pastry chef, but I figured even I could create little Ninja faces on them. (Trust me, if I could do this, so can you.)

An important note for delicious, easy and cheap cupcakes: you don’t need to make them from scratch. Just doctor a boxed cake mix. By “doctor” I mean replace the water with buttermilk and add some vanilla. You get a cupcake that tastes home made without the time and expense of starting from nothing.

I also cut some of a Trader Joe’s Wasabi Roasted Seaweed Snacks into Ninja Stars and served them with wasabi crisp peas. Of course, I made plenty of coffee and water as well.

I almost bit off more than I could chew, cooking for 200 people without an assistant (even just snacks and drinks) and I never would have succeeded without enlisting my brother’s help. (Yeah, that’s right. My parents had three boys and we all cook. That’s how real men roll.)

Still, it was worth it to see our logo printed on the red carpet’s Step & Repeat. (That’s the background with all the logos on it you always see celebrities standing on front of.) That’s Bin Lee in the photo doing his best imitation of my sandwich poses.

Cucumber and Dill Cream Cheese Sandwiches

1 stick of cream cheese, softened (alternatively, you can use a package of whipped cream cheese)

approximately ½ cup of plain yogurt or sour cream

2 Tablespoons fresh dill, chopped (or on Tablespoon dried)

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

2 slices of bread

salt and pepper to taste

  1. Mix the dill, cream cheese, yogurt (or sour cream,) lemon juice, salt and pepper together until well blended. Taste and adjust flavors appropriately. (The yogurt or sour cream should only help to thin out the cream cheese, the mixture should still have a cream cheese flavor.)
  2. Peel the cucumber and then slice very thinly.
  3. Layer one side of sandwich with cucumbers and spread the other with the cream cheese mixture.

Ninja Style: Simply cut the sandwich with a Ninja Cookie cutter. Press down firmly and remove the edges.

Doctored Yellow Mini Cupcakes

1 box yellow cake mix (I found Pillsbury mix for $1.07 at Target)

Buttermilk in the amount of water called for on the package

Eggs as directed by the package (you can also add an extra egg for even moister cupcakes)

Oil as directed by the package

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  1. Follow the directions on the back of the cake mix box for cupcakes. Replace the water with buttermilk and add the vanilla extract. For mini cupcakes, subtract five to seven minutes from the normal cupcake baking time listed.

Ninja Style: Decorate with Chocolate Frosting below. Add all the colors of food coloring to get the frosting as black as possible to simulate the ninja mask and eyes.

Chocolate Frosting

1 cup butter, softened

3 cups powdered (or confectioner’s) sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 Tablespoon Evaporated or Condensed milk (or whole milk)

a pinch of salt (if using unsalted butter)

  1. With an electric mixer or hand blender, beat the butter on high until creamy. Add the vanilla and salt (if using) and blend it in.
  2. Slowly add the sugar a little bit at a time on low speed until all of the sugar has blended in. Increase the speed to high until you have a frosting like texture. Add the milk as you go to help blend the sugar.
  3. Add the cocoa powder on low speed again. Taste as you go. Stop adding cocoa powder when the frosting is chocalatey enough for you.

1 comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in American, British, Desserts, Sandwiches, Vegetarian

November 17, 2011

Thanksgiving in Warm Weather- Grilled Bourbon Turkey with Bourbon Gravy, Green Bean Casserole, Stuffed Pumpkin, and Bourbon Pumpkin Tarts

By 5iveDollarFeasts

When I was planning the compulsory Food Blog Thanksgiving post, I originally thought that I would just post recipes for a bunch of delicious side dish choices. I mean, I figured everyone would already have their turkey technique decided over years of tradition. But I found a way to cook your bird that is incredible. If you’re open to it, I have found a way to cook your bird that gets the best of both the roasting world and the smoking world, and if you try it, I don’t think you’ll go back to your old method again.

I had recently heard about two friends who were going to brine their bird in Bourbon and then smoke it, which sounded amazing. I mean what better flavor to infuse your bird with than Bourbon for Thanksgiving? I can’t think of another popular liquor that was invented in America other than Bourbon. Sure, we do wine well, but Europe was doing that long before us; beer was invented by Franciscan monks in what is now Belgium; obviously scotch, tequila, and vodka were invented elsewhere. Bourbon, however, is ours. It was invented in Old Bourbon in Kentucky, and that area of America is still where most of the Bourbon in the world is made. And what better holiday to feature American’s spirit than the day we celebrate the Spirit of the New World: Thanksgiving?

There was one problem with recreating my friends’ Thanksgiving Day Turkey idea: I don’t have a smoker. I do have a grill, I thought to myself. There must be some way to grill a turkey, right? And, if there is, what a great way for those of us who live in warm weather cities to celebrate the holiday? If you live in any Southern or Tropical American climates, or if you are celebrating Christmas in Australia, there is no better way to make a Turkey. (Of course any warm weather climate will do. I am just making the silly assumption that I don’t have many South America, African, Asian or Middle Eastern readers, as my blog is not widely translated, but I suppose I could be wrong.)

There are a few guidelines to ensure a perfectly grilled bird, however:

1. Use a roasting pan with a rack. This will allow the hot air to get all the way around the bird, but still leave you pan dripping for a delicious Bourbon gravy. (If you don’t own one, Smart & Final sells cheap disposable roasting pans with racks.)

2. Brine the bird. Basting the bird on the grill will be too disruptive of the heat, and will not get you the delicious crisp skin you want.

3. Cover the top of the wings and the end of the legs with tin foil for the first hour of cooking to keep them from burning.

4. Do NOT start the bird breast down as can be en vogue these days. It cooks just fine breast up, and you will just ruin your turkey’s skin.

5. Do NOT tuck the wings back or truss the bird. This just messes with the cooking on the grill. The wings will over cook and the drumsticks will under cook.

6. Do NOT stuff the bird. (To me, this is the only drawback of a grilled bird. I like a stuffing flavored by the bird. This is why I recommend Stuffed Pumpkins for a side, to get a pumpkin flavored stuffing instead.)

7. Do NOT cover the bird in foil as it sits for the final 15 minutes before serving. The bird will stay plenty warm, and all you are doing is trapping moisture in the skin you took all that care crisping.

8. Pour a little Bourbon (or water) in the bottom of the roasting pan at the beginning of cooking to keep the bird moist.

9. Use soaked wood chips in a pie tin on the grill for a delicious smoke flavor.

10. Rub herbs and oil UNDER the skin as well as over the skin to make it penetrate the meat.

If you follow these 10 rules you are on your way to a very impressive Thanksgiving. And, trust me, guests will be ooo-ing and aah-ing seeing your bird on the grill. Grilling the bird works best for a smaller bird. Mine was 12 pounds. If you need to make a 20 pound monster to feed a crowd, grilling may not be the best method for you.

I also have great recipe for a Green Bean Casserole. I think Green Bean Casserole has a bad connotation now, because it brings to mind soggycasseroles of mushy canned beans in a mushy canned soup paste. If you use fresh Green Beans, shallots, and mushrooms, you can still use some cream of mushroom soup and some fried onion topping for a delicious side that pairs well with the Bourbon flavors.

I made a Stuffed Pumpkin as well. Just follow the link to my Halloween blog, but use one medium sized pumpkin and cook it for 2 hours rather than the small pumpkins cooked for 90 minutes. (I made the rice stuffed pumpkin this time, but use what you like. This can also be a good vegetarian option. Just eliminate any meat products. Or you can add soyrizo or any other vegetarian sausage.)

Jodie made little Pumpkin Tarts in a filo dough cups (that we got on sale at Fresh and Easy.) She topped them with a home-made Bourbon Whipped Cream and a little candied ginger. These flavors worked so well together, we had guests tell us that they loved them even though they didn’t normally like pumpkin or candied ginger. This is a great alternative to pumpkin pie.

Last but not least, shop around for your bird. All of your local stores will have their Turkey sales listed on their weekly ads. Just search the internet for the store’s name and find the weekly ad page link on their home page. This year, I found Vons (Pavillions / Safeway) selling 12 pound frozen birds for eight dollars. I also saw Ralph’s selling birds 2 for 1, which is great if you can find a friend to buy their bird with you, but doesn’t seem likely. Frozen birds are often cheaper, and I  don’t find any significant difference in flavor. Just allow it 2 days to defrost in your brine.

Grilled Bourbon Turkey

1 10 to 16 pound Turkey (I recommend about 12 pounds.)

1 onion, quartered

4-6 garlic cloves

½ cup Bourbon

1 bag wood chips (hickory, mesquite, etc.)

tin foil

Brine:

1 cup Bourbon

1 cup Maple Syrup

¾ cup whole crystal sea salt or 1 ½ cups table salt

1 quart water

Wet Rub:

1 Tablespoon dried thyme (or your other favorite herb)

1 Tablespoon dried parsley

½ cup olive oil

  1. Mix the brine ingredients together in your largest pot or Dutch oven. Unwrap your Turkey and submerge in the brine. If your bird is frozen, brine for 36 to 48 hours, if fresh, brine for 12 to 24 hours. Remove the bird at least 1 hour before ready to cook to allow it to come to room temperature. (If your turkey doesn’t totally submerge, flip the bird every 12 hours.)
  2. Prepare the grill. You need to cook the Turkey over indirect heat. Make sure you have plenty of propane. Begin by preheating your grill by turning the burners to high and covering the grill. Then set up your grill for indirect grilling. Hopefully, you have burners that will allow heat from 2 sides of the Turkey. If so leave the middle burners off, and the side burners at medium. If you have only 2 burners, leave one burner off, and turn the other to high. If you are using a 2 burner grill, be aware you will have to turn you roasting pan every hour for equal roasting. If using charcoal, you are a brave soul, and make sure your coals and wood chips are spread to two sides, with no coals directly in the center.
  3. Soak wood chips for ½ hour. (Unless using charcoals, then add the chips directly to the coals.)
  4. Mix the herbs in the oil to create the wet rub. Let this sit while you prepare the turkey, to let the flavors meld together. Do not use any salt, the turkey is salted enough from the brine.
  5. Remove the giblets from the center of the turkey and rinse the bird. It is important to rinse the salty brine off of your turkey. Pat dry thoroughly with paper towels.
  6. Using your fingers loosen the skin of the turkey from the flesh. You fingers will have to poke through some membranous tissue, but be careful not to poke through the actual skin. Rub the bird with the wet rub over and under the skin. Poke the skin with a fork or bamboo skewer 5 to 6 times to help the oils escape during cooking to crisp the skin.
  7. Place the onion quarters and garlic in the cavity of the turkey. These should fit in loosely as aromatics, not as a stuffing. A few sprigs of fresh herbs can be added here as well.
  8. Place the turkey in a roasting pan with a V-shaped rack, breast side up. Pour ½ cup of bourbon in the roasting pan. Cover the tops of the wings (do NOT tuck these back) with foil, as well as the extremities of the drumsticks to prevent burning.
  9. Place the turkey on indirect heat on the grill and the half of the wood chips in a pie tin over the direct heat.
  10. Roast the turkey for 15 to 20 minutes per pound. (My 12 pound bird took 2 and ¾ hours.)
  11. Check on the bird every half hour very briefly. (Do not keep the grill open too long to let the heat escape.) During the first hour add more bourbon or water to the bottom of the roasting pan if necessary. After an hour, remove foil from the wings and legs. After the first hour, keep an eye on the wood chips. You’ll need to replace them with the second half of the soaking cips when they get too blackened. You do not want your turkey to taste of burnt wood.
  12. When the bird reads an internal temperature of 165 (NOT 180!) in several places, the juices are running clear, and the wings and legs move freely when wiggled, the turkey is done. Remove it from the grill and let it sit for 15 minutes before carving (use this time to finish you sides, make gravy and get everything to the table.) Do NOT tent the bird with foil.
  13. Carve and serve, passing Bourbon gravy (Directions below)

Bourbon Gravy

Pan Drippings from Grilled or Roasted Turkey

1 cup flour (approximately)

4 cups Turkey or Chicken Broth (approximately)

4 Tablespoons butter

½ cup Bourbon

  1. If possible place your roasting pan directly on your stove’s burners. Otherwise scrape the pan drippings into a large pan. Over low heat, add flour and butter to the pan dripping to make a roux. The roux should be thick and not watery, but the flour should be completely dissolved.
  2. Once the flour is once mixed thoroughly with the fats of the turkey drippings and butter, Turn the heat to high, and pour the bourbon and half the broth into the pan while whisking vigorously. (This is the tricky part. If a friend is available, have them pour the whiskey and broth, while you whisk your heart out for the roux to dissolve.)
  3. When the gravy thickens, add more broth. Continue to do this until the gravy is at your desired consistency while also at a rolling boil. (If you do not boil the gravy, it will retain a floury taste.) Let it boil for a few minutes, then remove and serve immediately.

Green Bean Casserole

2 cups (16 ounces) fresh green beans, rinsed and the ends removed

3 to 4 shallots, minced

6 to 8 white button mushrooms, sliced

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 cups cream of mushroom soup (I prefer Trader Joe’s Cream of Portabello mushroom soup)

½ cup shredded cheddar or swiss cheese

2 cups crispy onion topping

  1. Preheat the oven to 350.
  2. Parboil the green beans, by cooking them 5 to 6 minutes in boiling water, and then immediately drain them and rinse with cold water. Transfer the beans to a casserole dish.
  3. Saute the shallots in the olive oil. Once softened, brown the mushrooms in the shallots and oil until shimmering.
  4. Mix the shallot mushroom mixture with the mushroom soup, and green beans in the casserole dish.
  5. Top the mixed beans with cheese. Then top the cheese with a thick layer of crispy onions.
  6. Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

Pumpkin Tarts 

12 mini filo dough tart cups

1 16oz package of cream cheese, softened

1 can of pumpkin

1 cup sour cream

1 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves or allspice, ginger)

Candied ginger, cut into small pieces

  1. Using an electric mixer, combine sour cream, cream cheese, and brown sugar until smooth.
  2. Add pumpkin and spices, beat until smooth.
  3. It is a little slow but you can use a turkey baster to suck up the pudding and squeeze into the filo cups, or spoon a cup or two into a freezer bag and cut a small piece of one of the corners off and squeeze like a pastry bag.
  4. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
  5. Remove from refrigerator, top with Bourbon Whipped Cream (below) and a small piece of candied ginger.

Bourbon Whipped Cream

1 small (1/2 pint) carton heavy whipping cream

2 Tablespoons powdered sugar

1 ½ Tablespoons Bourbon

1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract

  1. Combine ingredients and the beat, using an electric mixer, on high heat with whisk attachments until the cream has stiff peaks.

5 comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in American, Casseroles, Chicken & Poultry, Desserts, Holidays, Recipes, Vegetables

September 22, 2011

The Ultimate Oktoberfest Feast at Home – Schnitzel, Spaetzle, and Bread Pudding

By 5iveDollarFeasts

2 years ago Jodie and I spent a month backpacking through Europe. We timed it so that we would be in Munich at the end of September for the ironically named Oktoberfest. (While the original festival that started Oktoberfest took place over 3 weeks of horse races in October as a celebration of some noble wedding or another, the Munich people decided it was so much fun that they should do it every year! But, they decided, “Well, why not move it forward a couple weeks for better weather. Oh, and all that horse racing? We don’t really need that…just the beer tents.)

Oktoberfest will always be one of the most memorable experiences of my life. It’s remarkable, if you think about it, as I drank 3 ½ beers (1 liter each) that night and shouldn’t really remember anything at all as…well let’s say “tipsy”…as I was.

But I do. I remember riding the tallest carnival swing ride of my life with great views of Munich;

I remember the horse drawn wagon of beer being delivered to the numerous beer gardens, I remember the enormous beer “tents” that were larger than most capitol buildings and more grandly decorated; I remember the Oompah bands in the center stage of each of these tents; I remember one of these traditional German bands break into a rendition of “Seven Nation Army” by the White Stripes; I remember standing on the long tables with my arms around my friends as well as a few locals we had just met, belting the lyrics to said song; I remember waitresses who could carry eight or more liter-sized steins of beer without spilling a drop! But mostly, I remember the food. Oh, the food.

There were amazingly herbed rotisserie chickens, giant pretzels the size of your head, obazda (a dip of brie, butter, and beer,) schticklefish (a deep fried mackerel,) wursts of all kinds, schnitzel, spaetzel, streudel, and bread pudding! It was a good thing we met up with friends so we were able to share so many of these German delicacies.

Now, I can’t make Oktoberfest every year (or even every decade,) but I can bring a bit of Oktoberfest to me with some Schnitzel with Spaetzle and Bread Pudding for Dessert. (With a side of sauerkraut.)

Pork tenderloin is very cheap and you need one for to serve 4. While spaetzle may look like noodles, it’s just a conglomeration of flour eggs and milk, basically a long tubular dumpling. And my wife’s bread pudding recipe is best with stale leftover bread.  I can’t claim these recipes are easy, but if you are up for an adventure, they are very cheap and delicious.

Also, German beer is very affordable. I recommend Spaten Optimator or Ayinger Dunkelweiss (a dark roasted hefeweizen, with bannana bread flavors.) If your a wine drinker, grab a good riesling to pair with the meal, I love Charm by George Bruer.

 Pork Schnitzel

 The most important part of traditional schnitzel is how you fry it.  You want to get your schnitzel to have the wavy skin of a shar-pei dog. There’s a trick to it. Don’t worrry, I’ll show you.

1 pork tenderloin

flour for dredging

1 cup very dry breadcrumbs (If using fresh breadcrumbs, you may need to dry them out in a low oven for a while)

2 eggs

1 cup vegetable or olive oil plus 2 Tablespoons

salt and pepper

  1. Cut the pork loin in half at an angle. Then repeat that process with the two halves of the pork tenderloin, creating four pork cutlets. Using a mallet, pound the cutlets to ¼ inch thick underneath a layer of saran wrap. Season the cutlets with salt and pepper.
  2. Make the egg wash by cracking 2 eggs into a shallow bowl and mixing in 2 Tablespoons of oil. (This is unusual, but seems to help the breadcrumbs to lightly coat the pork.) Dredge the pork in flour, dip in the egg wash, and then dip into the breadcrumbs. It is important push the pork gently into the breadcrumbs, but not to apply too much pressure. (Again important for the fluffy breading.)
  3. Heat the oil in the bottom of a large dutch oven (not a pan.)  Make sure you use enough oil. There should be enough room for the cutlets to lightly float from the bottom of the pot without getting stuck to the bottom, but not be submerged. Contrary to common sense, this will actually help the schnitzel be less greasy as the contact to the bottom of the pan is where meat absorbs the most oil. Also, it is essential to getting the perfect skin on the schnitzel.
  4. Now here is the tricky part: Once the oil is hot and the surface is shimmering, add 2 of the breaded pork cutlets. Immediately begin to lightly shake the dutch oven back and forth, splashing the oil up over the top of the cutlets. (See why you don’t want to use a pan? You would get hot oil all over your self. The splashing needs to substantial.)
  5. Once the cutlets are golden brown, turn them once gently and repeat the process for the other side, but for only half the time. The cutlets should be mostly cooked through by the time you have flipped them.
  6. Remove the cutlets and to a paper towel for draining and serve after 2 or 3 minutes.

Basic Spaetzle

This is a basic spaetzle recipe. Feel free to add herbs and spices to this for your own unique spaetzle. Anything goes. Almost. Oh, and there is a trick to this too, unless you have a spaetzle maker. If you do, you are probably German and don’t need this recipe anyway. 

For the Dough:

1 cup flour

2 Eggs

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon salt

pinch of pepper

1 teaspoon nutmeg

For the Saute

2 Tablespoons butter

Fresh or dried herbs of choice (I used dried parsley for my first try)

  1. Mix all the ingredients together for the dough until it is smooth. Let sit 10 minutes.
  2. Boil water in a large saucepan. The trick is to take a large-holed colander and push the dough through it to create the long thin noodle-like dumplings. (I’ll be honest, I was only half successful on my first attempt. But it was fun!) Boil for five minute or until Spaetzle is floating at the top of the water.
  3. Meanwhile melt butter and herbs together in a small pan. Using a slotted spoon, scoop the finished spaetzle out of the boiling water and into the pan. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes or until covered in butter and herbs. Serve Immediately.

 

Bread Pudding

Stale dense bread such as leftover bagels or beer bread works best but any bread will do. This is my go to dessert when I have a bunch of leftover bagels that are too stale to eat, the best are cinnamon raison bagels.

 

4-5 stale bagels or 6-7 slices of regular bread

3 eggs

4 cups milk

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons of cinnamon

1 stick butter

 

 

 

 

 

  1. Spray or butter up a 9×13 inch pan and pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. (Every thing for the bread pudding can be put together an refrigerated up to 12 hours before baking)
  2. Tear up bread in large pieces and place in greased baking dish. (you may need a knife if the bread is particularly stale)
  3. In a bowl, combine egg, milk, sugar, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon. Mix until eggs are beat and sugar has dissolved.
  4. Pour liquid mixture over bread pieces. If the bread is quite stale let the mixture sit for an hour or so to soften up the bread.
  5. Just before baking sprinkle 1 tablespoon (or more if you’d like) on the top of the soaked bread and cut the stick of butter into several pats, place the pats of butter all over the top.
  6. Bake for 1 hour.
  7. It should be huge and puffy when removed from oven. It will shrink immediately out of the oven. Let stand for 20 minutes.
  8. Cut, drizzle with butter rum sauce (recipe to follow) and serve.

Butter Rum Sauce

1 stick butter

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon rum

1/4 cup milk

  1. Melt butter in a small sauce pan.
  2. Add powdered sugar and rum, stir quickly with a whisk.
  3. When the sauce becomes thick add milk and stir some more.
  4. Let cook for 5 minutes, remove from heat and let sit before serving.

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