The only thing I'm not posting is the recipe for the Sweet Potato Gratin. It did not turn out well for some reason; it was very watery and just didn't set up. Everything else was pretty fantastic.
Menu:
Smoked Brisket
Snow Crab Legs
Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Sweet Potato Rosemary Gratin
Steamed Broccoli
Rote Grutzl
Lemony Lemon Tapioca Pudding
Butterscotch Banana Bread Pudding
Smoked Brisket
OK, there are ten billion brisket recipes out there. They're probably all good. This was our first time smoking a brisket; so far, we have done a Thanksgiving turkey, and salmon, and now brisket. We're 3 for 3.
Quoth Nate, "That was the best piece of meat I have ever eaten in my LIFE."
So I guess he liked it?
All of the meats we've tried so far have cooked a lot faster than most recipes predict, and I can't really explain it, but I'm not complaining. Also, most of the recipes I came across for brisket said to buy more than you think you need because the meat shrinks during the smoking process. So I bought 5 pounds (yes, for two of us...I wanted leftovers, OK??), and I would say we ended up with, oh, 4 7/8 pounds after shrinkage. So, yeah. We have some leftovers.
5-lb brisket with ~1/4" fat cap on one side
spice rub of your choice (I used a one of those McCormick Grillmasters rubs with lots of cracked black pepper...probably anything would work fine)
1. Sprinkle the spice rub generously on both sides of the brisket the day before.
2. Heat the smoker according to instructions (we have a Brinkmann vertical electric water smoker and used hickory chips), fill the water dish about half full with water, and pour two beers in to top it off. I have no idea if the beers make a difference, but it felt more gourmet that way.
3. Smoke the brisket, fat side up. I soaked my wood chips in water and added more every 30 minutes; that seemed to be about when the smoke started to die down. Also, a few times I just used dry chips, which also works fine, but I think they burn more quickly (um, duh). Mine reached the recommended internal temp of 140-145 F in about 3 1/2 hours.
4. Remove the brisket from the smoker and let rest for 30 minutes before slicing across the grain.
My brisket was a touch tougher toward the middle, at the thickest part. So I sliced the ends to serve for dinner (and they had that beautiful rosy ring round the edges...yum) and wrapped the rest up in foil and stuck it in the oven at 275 for another 30 minutes or so before slicing it to pack away in the freezer.
Snow Crab Legs
This is one of our favorite special occasion foods. But honestly, they're so easy to prepare, we could seriously have them every night. Usually I go for Alaskan King Crab, but Whole Foods only had these little ones. They were good, but definitely not as meaty. To prepare them from frozen, wrap them in foil and heat in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes or until heated through. Alternatively, you can put them in a baking dish, cover with plastic wrap, and heat in the microwave for about 5 minutes. Easy peasy.
Baked Macaroni and Cheese
One of my favorite comfort foods. I am sure I am not alone in that. Many years ago I learned the technique of using part chicken broth in the cheese sauce (called a Veloute sauce), which lightens and brightens an otherwise heavy cream sauce.
I have made this cheese sauce with many varieties of cheese, usually with whatever is left in the cheese drawer. It's great with a sharp cheddar as its base, but very nice with any other cheese as a supplement: parmesan, gruyere, goat, feta, swiss, blue, what have you. I've never met a cheese I didn't like. Nutmeg gives it a nice, deep flavor, and I often sprinkle smoked paprika or chipotle in there for some kick.
This is a basic mac and cheese recipe that can be baked or made on the stove top, and can also be embellished with broccoli, chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, or anything else that sounds good on a tired weeknight.
Ugh. Pay no attention to the sad excuse for a gratin in this picture.
Serves 2
2 cups whole wheat macaroni, rotini, fusilli, or any other shape you like
1 T flour
1 T butter
1/4 c low fat milk, warmed
1/4 c chicken or vegetable broth, warmed
1 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 oz gruyere cheese, shredded
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp smoked paprika or chipotle* pepper
black pepper to taste
additional shredded cheese to top, about 1/2 oz
fresh bread crumbs
cooking spray
1. Boil the pasta in water until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. In a small saucepan, whisk together the flour and the butter over medium heat until smooth.
3. Combine the milk and broth and gradually whisk into the flour mixture, a tablespoonful at a time. You're making a smooth white sauce here, and if you don't start slowly, it can break apart and you'll be left with hot milk with floury lumps. If that happens, there's no rescuing it; toss it and start over.
4. After you've added all of the liquid, stir constantly over medium heat until it starts to thicken, then lower the heat and whisk in the cheeses.
5. Season with the nutmeg, chipotle, and black pepper.
6. Transfer the pasta to a small baking dish or individual ramekins. Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta. Sprinkle additional shredded cheese over the pasta.
7. Top with breadcrumbs and spray with cooking spray.
8. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 30 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling.
*Rant #1: It's pronounced chi-POTE-lay. Not chi-POLT-ay. Just look at the letters, the t comes BEFORE the l. Argh! It drives me bonkers when people mispronounce this word! Second only to mispronouncing nuclear!!! (GWB, I'm looking in your direction...). Also, espresso does not have an X. You take an EXpress train, but you drink an ESpresso. Oy; I should stop now.
Lemony Lemon Tapioca Pudding
adapted from a recipe found on the blog Pinch My Salt
The inspiration for this pudding came from having received a few Meyer lemons from a friend (if you've never smelled a Meyer lemon, you're missing out...they are so flowery and perfumy I have been known to just hold them to my nose while writing up charts at my desk).
I was trying to think of what dessert would do them justice, and I thought I'd try to make some variation of rote grutzl. But rote grutzl's body comes from the raspberries, and I couldn't figure out how to do that with lemons, so it morphed into more of a creamy pudding. Then I stumbled across a recipe for candied lemons, and lo, it was a Christmas miracle. Or something. It was tasty, anyway.
You can definitely stop before adding the cream, but it's pretty darn luscious with that added bit of sin. Come on, it's Christmas. Splurge.
1/4 c small pearl tapioca
1 c whole milk
1 large egg yolk
1/4 c sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 of a vanilla bean, or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
zest of 1/2 a lemon
1/4 c fresh lemon juice, preferably Meyer
1/4 c well-chilled heavy cream
5 candied lemon slices, diced (before they've been dredged in sugar)
additional whipped cream for serving
1. Soak the tapioca in water for 30 minutes, then drain. Do not rinse.
2. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the milk, egg yolk, sugar, and salt.
3. Slice the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the milk mixture, then drop the bean pods in. If you are using extract, this will get stirred in later.
4. Heat the mixture to a gentle simmer, stirring constantly. When small bubbles start to form around the edge of the pot, turn the heat to low and simmer, stirring, for 15-20 minutes, until the tapioca is soft and translucent. Remove from heat.
5. Stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest (and vanilla extract). Let cool to room temperature or cover with plastic wrap and chill until you are ready to fold in the cream.
6. Stir the diced candied lemon pieces into the pudding.
7. Whip the chilled cream until soft peaks form. Fold it into the pudding.
8. Serve chilled. Top with whipped cream or lemon marmalade.
Rote Grutzl
One of my favorite holiday desserts. Probably not authentic, but I grew up with this version from the Rochester Junior League cookbook, Applehood and Mother Pie.
1 bag of frozen raspberries, 10-12 oz.
1/2 c red currant jelly
1 1/2 c plus two T cold water
3 1/2 T instant tapioca
heavy cream, either whipped or not
1. In a medium saucepan, combine everything except the cream and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes, stirring to make sure it doesn't boil over.
2. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl. Let cool for 20 minutes, then refrigerate overnight until. It will thicken as it cools.
3. Serve chilled with cream.
Candied Lemons
I used a recipe posted on this lovely blog, Figs With Bri. This is a two-day process, just so you're prepared. It's easy, though, and the actual interactive parts don't take much time or effort; you're mostly just waiting for the lemons to sit and absorb the syrup. I used regular lemons for this, but I bet it would be over the top with Meyer lemons . As an added bonus, I'm pretty sure I accidentally made marmalade. The cooking syrup smelled too good to throw away, so I put it in a container in the refrigerator while I pondered what to use it for. The next morning I was rewarded with a container of sweet lemon marmalade, also fabulous atop the lemon tapioca!
4 lemons, sliced into 1/4" slices
2 c sugar
extra sugar for coating (about 1/2 cup)
1. Place the lemon slices in a large saucepan and fill the pan with enough water to submerge the lemons. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the rinds are tender.
2. Set a large cooling rack over a layer of paper towels next to the stove. Transfer the lemons slices to the rack to drain.
3. Pour two cups of the cooking liquid into a smaller sauce pan and add the sugar. Heat over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
4. Remove the syrup from heat and pour into a large bowl. Add the lemons and stir to coat. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 8 hours.
5. Transfer the syrup and lemons to a medium saucepan and cook over medium-low heat for 30 minutes. The syrup will have reduced; if it gets absorbed completely before the time is up, turn off the heat to avoid scorching.
6. Use a slotted spoon to arrange the lemon slices in a single layer on a sheet of wax paper or foil. Let sit at room temperature overnight.
7. Dredge the slices in sugar to coat. Let dry for 3 hours before storing in an airtight container, in single layers separated by wax paper.
Butterscotch Banana Bread Pudding
adapted from Small-Batch Baking, by Debby Maugans Nakos
This is a great little book that I don't use nearly enough. Actually, tonight was the first time I've used it, and it's been languishing on the shelf for years! I look forward to making more from this.
I basically followed the recipe, but I used challah for the bread and layered sliced bananas on the bottoms of the ramekins before adding the bread pudding mixture. Mine made three servings, not two, but I think my ramekins were a little small. Also, I used Dewar's in the butterscotch sauce instead of Jack Daniel's, and I sprinkled chopped candied almonds over before serving. **
Puddings
unsalted butter, at room temperature, for greasing the ramekins (I used cooking spray)
3/4 c half-and-half or whole milk (I used whole milk)
1/4 c firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 T unsalted butter
pinch salt
1 large egg
white of 1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 c day-old "hearth-baked" bread cubes (1/2" cubes), such as ciabatta, country French, or country Italian
Tennessee Butterscotch Sauce
1/2 c sugar
2 T Jack Daniel's or bourbon whiskey
2 T water
1 1/2 T unsalted butter
1/2 banana, sliced thin (optional)
chopped candied almonds or toffee bits (optional)
whipped cream
1. Grease the ramekins. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Heat the half-and-half, brown sugar, butter and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and stir constantly until the sugar melts, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Whisk the egg and white together in a medium bowl. Gradually pour the hot cream mixture into the beaten egg, whisking vigorously as you pour to avoid scrambling the egg.
4. Stir in the vanilla. Then add the bread to the cream mixture and stir well to combine. Let the mixture stand, pressing down on the bread to submerge it, for 10 minutes or until saturated.
5. Divide the mixture between the ramekins and bake until puffed and golden, about 30-35 minutes. Let cool on a rack for 10 minutes.
6. To make the sauce, heat the sugar in a small sauce pan over medium heat, stirring with a fork, until melted and dark amber colored (about 20 minutes).
7. Remove from heat and carefully pour the water and whiskey down the side of the pan. It will hiss and bubble violently and the sugar will separate.
8. Return to heat and stir until melted again, then remove from heat and stir in the butter. It will keep for 4 days in the refrigerator.
9. Unmold the ramekins and spoon the sauce over each pudding to serve. Serve with cream
**Rant #2: Why can't I find toffee bits ANYWHERE? I can find chocolate-covered toffee bits and Heath bars and Heath Bar bits and Skor bars, but I'm not about to scrape the chocolate off just to get to the toffee. There are some people in this world who don't like chocolate!!
All I want for Christmas is that entire brisket you're slicing up.
My life: it is hard.
You have more or less singlehandedly convinced me to go buy a smoker. But wow, it all looks great!
ReplyDeleteWe've been having fun with ours, and it makes the whole neighborhood smell SO GOOD.
ReplyDelete