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July 21, 2011 – Hot Summer Nights
Getting Tipsy – Summer Cooking Tips
A lot of people don’t bake in the summer at all. I do, but I dread thinking about it. Plan carefully so that your oven is on for as short a time as possible.
Watch the weather report and plan to cook more on cooler days.
Use an exhaust fan to divert cooking heat out of the kitchen. You don’t need to install a special fan. Just direct your regular fan to blow the heat outside.
Keep the kitchen door closed, if possible, so the heat won’t escape to the rest of the house.
Choose quick-cooking foods like small pasta, fine bulgur, lentils, scrambled eggs, string beans, leafy greens, and pita.
Be especially careful with food safety. Defrost in the refrigerator, store leftovers right away, cover foods tightly and use them up in time.
Prepare for cooking, including peeling and chopping, beforehand while the kitchen is still cool. Or make space in another room.
Cook foods that will also taste good cold. Bean recipes, pasta casseroles and of course salads all work well. But experiment—just because something is traditionally eaten hot doesn’t mean you have to eat it that way.
In summer, gift appliances earn their storage space. A rice steamer makes perfect rice, every time, with no excess heat to fog your kitchen.
Don’t forget to use the crockery slow-cooker. A pressure cooker can prepare family favorites in a fraction of the time—or kitchen temperature—needed by an oven. Hot bread from an automatic bread machine makes a light summer meal more substantial.
Finally, take a tip from our Southern friends, and cook chickens, roasts, or stews in a portable roaster, outside on the porch!
History of America’s Test Kitchen
America’s Test Kitchen is filmed in a real, working test kitchen located just outside of Boston. It is the home of Cook’s Illustrated magazine and the Monday-to-Friday destination for more than three dozen test cooks, editors, food scientists, tasters, and cookware specialists. A typical episode contains two or three recipes joined by a common theme such as "Making Chinese Take-Out Dishes". Each recipe segment opens with Chris Kimball showing the problems inherent in cooking the recipe (e.g., waterlogged pasta dishes with jarred sauces; tough, leathery supermarket steaks that don't hold up well in skillet recipes) or in ordering out for the dish (e.g., overcooked meat in tasteless soy-laden brown sauce with a few vegetables thrown in for a so-called "steak and peppers" Chinese takeout meal), leading up to Kimball urging everyone to join [featured chef] in the test kitchen as they make a bad recipe the right way. During the cooking of the recipe, usually at a fairly mundane step of the recipe (e.g., browning onions; baking item for ___ minutes; other segments are shown, usually consisting of two or more of the following:
A Tasting Lab segment, where an ingredient or prepared food product is run through a tasting panel and then taste-tested by Kimball;
An Equipment Corner segment, which gives reviews and rankings of kitchen gadgets;
A periodic "Science Desk" segment, discussing the science behind a pertinent technique used in the recipe;
A "Quick Tips" segment, inserted as a 15–30 second mock-bumper, to demonstrate tips and tricks from Cooks Illustrated magazine and viewers' mail.
Appetizer – Bacon Cheddar Toast
Ingredients: 2 cups (8 ounces) finely shredded cheddar cheese 3/4 cup mayonnaise 1/3 cup crumbled cooked bacon 1 loaf un-sliced French bread (1 pound)
Directions: In a large bowl, combine the cheese, mayonnaise and bacon. Cut the bread into 24 slices, about 1/2 in. each. Spread the cheese mixture on one side of each slice.
Place on an un-greased baking sheet. Bake at 425° for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Yield: 2 dozen.
Salad – Creamy Dill Cucumber Salad
Ingredients: 1 cup sour cream 3 tablespoons cider vinegar 1 teaspoon granulated sugar 1/4 cup minced fresh dill 1/2 medium red onion, sliced very thin 3 medium cucumbers, sliced, salted, and drained
Directions: To prepare the cucumbers: Peel, halve lengthwise, and scoop seeds from cucumbers. Stack halves flat side down; slice diagonally 1/4-inch thick. Toss with 1 tablespoon salt in strainer or colander set over bowl; weight with water-filled, one-gallon-sized zipper-lock freezer bag, sealed tight. Drain for at least 1 hour, and up to 3 hours.
Transfer to medium bowl; reserve for further use. Whisk first four ingredients, and salt and pepper to taste, in medium bowl. Add cucumbers and onion; toss to coat. Serve chilled, adjusting seasonings if necessary.
Put it on the Side - Rice Pilaf
Ingredients: 1/4 cup olive oil 1 medium onion, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2 cups white rice 1 quart chicken stock 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
Directions: Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan and sauté onion and garlic until the onion begins to turn translucent. Add rice and stir to coat with oil, onions and garlic, and let rice "toast" lightly. Stir in chicken stock and poultry seasoning and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer covered until all liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and flake rice.
Main Course - Pineapple Beef Kabobs with Parsley Sauce
Ingredients For the Parsley Sauce: 3 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley 2 cloves garlic, peeled 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1 teaspoon crushed chili flakes 1 teaspoon sugar 11/2 teaspoons kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup olive oil
Ingredients For the Beef Pops: 1 1/2 pounds beef fillet, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (about 40 cubes) 1 (2-pound) pineapple, cut into 3/4-inch pieces (about 40 pieces) 20 (8-inch) wooden or bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes 1 Tsp. Salt ¾ Tsp. Freshly ground black pepper
Directions For the Parsley Sauce: In the bowl of a food processor, blend together the parsley, garlic, vinegar, chili flakes, sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper until smooth. With the machine running, gradually add the olive oil until incorporated. Place half of the mixture in a medium bowl. Place the remaining mixture in a small serving bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Directions For the Beef Pops: Place the beef in the medium bowl with the parsley sauce. Toss well until the beef is coated with the mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours.
Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Thread the skewers starting with a piece of pineapple, then a cube of beef. Repeat with another piece of pineapple and another cube of beef. Continue with the remaining skewers and season with salt and pepper. Grill the skewers for 2 to 3 minutes each side (for medium rare) or until desired doneness. To serve, arrange the Beef Pops on a serving platter. Drizzle with the remaining reserved Parsley Sauce or serve the sauce on the side as a condiment.
Dessert – Peach Sorbet
Ingredients: 1 pkg. (4 serving size) peach flavored gelatin
Directions: Dissolve gelatin and sugar in boiling water. Add ice cubes to gelatin mixture, stirring until ice is melted.
Peel peaches; cut them up. Place fruit in food processor/blender; add 1 cup gelatin mixture and puree until smooth. Add remaining gelatin mixture and process again for a few seconds. Pour fruit mixture into a 13"x9" pan. Cover with foil or plastic wrap and place in freezer 2 to 3 hours. Spoon sorbet mixture into chilled blender or food processor and blend at high speed until smooth and fluffy. Pour into a 9"x5" loaf pan; cover and freeze until firm, 8 hours or overnight. Makes 5 1/2 cups; 10 servings. Variations: Strawberries and strawberry flavored gelatin, bananas and lemon flavored gelatin, plums and peach flavored gelatin.
Lighten UP!!! Grapes and Walnuts with Lemon Sour Cream Sauce Dietitian's tip: The colorful outermost layer of the lemon, called the zest, is full of essential oils that contribute lively flavor and aroma to this sour cream sauce. Remove the zest by grating it with the fine rasps of a hand-held grater to form fine particles. By Mayo Clinic staff. Serves 6
Ingredients: 1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
Directions: In a small bowl, combine sour cream, powdered sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla. Whisk to mix evenly. Cover and chill for several hours. Divide grapes equally among 6 stemmed dessert glasses or bowls. Add 2 tablespoons of the lemon topping to each dish. Sprinkle each serving with 1/2 tablespoon of chopped walnuts. Serve immediately. Nutritional Analysis - (per serving)
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