Pistachio Sauce

This sauce is not a very wet sauce, so do not be surprised if it looks like wet chopped nuts...it is supposed to. The combined flavors of the pistachios and the mint combined well with the lemon preserved stuffed chicken. So much so, more than one person swore they'd make it again.

Pistachio Sauce

1 cup shelled unsalted pistachios, toasted and coarsely ground

3 tbsp. roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 tbsp. roughly chopped fresh mint

1 clove garlic, smashed and minced into a paste

1 red Fresno or Holland chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced (use a jalapeno if you can not find one of these two chiles)

Zest and juice of 1 lemon


3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black

pepper, to taste

1. Combine pistachios, parsley, mint, garlic, chiles, and lemon zest and juice in a medium bowl.
2. Add oil in a thin stream, whisking constantly with a fork until the sauce is well combined; season with salt and pepper.

3. Cover sauce and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour before serving. Sauce will keep, refrigerated and covered, for up to 3 days. 

King Cake

King Cake

This traditional cake, made here with a rich brioche dough and stuffed with a decadent cream cheese filling, is drizzled with a buttermilk glaze and sprinkled with crunchy green, gold, and purple sanding sugars. 

This recipe just about had this Rookie in tears. For those of you that do not bake often and are not well versed in working with active yeast, I have a tip for you DO NOT BOIL THE WATER. I was told afterwards that hot tap water is warm enough. That whole 115 degree thing through this engineer for a loop. I ended up killing the yeast so it did not get "foamy" and in subsequent steps the dough did not double in rise...no matter how long I let it rise (and willed it to rise with my mind power). The filling is what really made this a "cake" and in the I believe the reason there was only one sliver of a slice left. Tara suggested this would make a great Sunday brunch coffee cake sans the colored sugar. You know the kids only wanted it BECAUSE of the colored sugar. Would I make this one again? Yes. because now I know it will work out in the end and not to kill the yeast!

For The Dough:

1 1/4-oz. package active dry yeast

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup milk

2 tbsp. light brown sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2 3/4 cups flour

3/4 tsp. kosher salt

8 tbsp. softened butter

For the Filling:

1 lb. cream cheese

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped pecans

2 tbsp. maple syrup

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Zest of 1/2 lemon

For the Icing:

2 cups confectioners' sugar

1/4 cup buttermilk

Green, purple, and yellow sanding sugars

Make the dough:

1. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a hook, combine yeast, 1/2 tsp. of the sugar, and 1/4 cup water heated to 115°.
2. Stir to combine and let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes.
3. Add remaining sugar, milk, light brown sugar, vanilla, egg, and egg yolk.
4. Beat on low speed until thoroughly combined, 1 minute.
5. Turn mixer off and add flour and salt.
6. Mix on medium speed until the dough just comes together.
7. Turn mixer speed to high and knead dough for 4 minutes.
8. Add the butter and continue kneading until dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, about 6 minutes.
9. Remove bowl from mixer, cover with plastic wrap
10. Let sit until doubled in size, 1 1/2–2 hours.

Make the filling:

1. Combine cream cheese, brown sugar, pecans, cinnamon, maple syrup, salt, and zest in a large bowl and beat on medium speed of a hand mixer until combined; set aside.

Shape and Fill the cake:

1.  Punch down dough and turn it out onto a heavily floured surface.
2. Using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a large circle, about 1/4"-thick.
3. Cut a hole in the center of the circle and pull with your fingers to widen.
4. Place dollops of filling evenly around circle halfway between outer edge and inner hole.
5. Drape outside edges over filling and continue rolling outside inward until filling is covered, widening inner hole as needed, until dough covers the seam.
6. Transfer rolled dough circle to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet; cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 1 hour.
7. Heat oven to 350°.
8. Uncover cake and bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.
9. Let cool completely.

Make the icing:

1. Whisk together the sugar and buttermilk in a small bowl until smooth.

Finish the cake:

1. Transfer king cake to a cutting board or serving platter
2. Spread icing evenly over top of cake and sprinkle evenly with sanding sugars.

January 2013: A Vegetarian Harvest

2013 Started off with a warm and cozy dinner...

The Hostess

The Rookie

The Theme
A Vegetarian Harvest

The Menu

Appetizer: Gougères

Main Dish: Farro Risotto and Leek and Potato Soup
 Side Dishes: Marinated Beets With Walnuts and Blue Cheese
Shredded Brussels Sprouts and Kale Salad
 Dessert:Torta di Sant'Antonio with Freshly Whipped Cream

Drink: Twelve Mile Limit Cocktail

Background

It was a cold and rainy night in December when I picked out this menu. Doesn't that type of weather make you want to curl up with a bowl of thick soup by a crackling fire? 

I didn't tell my boyfriend there would be no meat until our dinner guests had already arrived and were bringing their dishes into the kitchen. He was...less than excited. I think only one of the guys was "okay" with the idea. The other two filled up on meat products earlier in the day. Honestly, I didn't miss the meat. The farro risotto and the soup were very filling. The salads were a perfect accompaniment. The ladies began by toasting to our first dinner of Supper Club 2.0 with glasses of Twelve Mile Limit cocktails (the recipe described it as "potent" and I can confirm it is). Gougères started the evening's menu off as described on Saveur's website, but you'll have to check out that post for the final verdict.

After the men were fed and the children were tucked in a back bedroom with a few packages of glow sticks to entertain them, the ladies ended the meal in the kitchen with a slice of Torta di Sant'Antonio (a story all it's own)  and a dallop of freshly whipped cream. Perfection!

2012 ends and 2013 begins

2012 has closed out and I am happy to report Supper Club was a success. This blog, well...not so much. Though Six Kitchens met eleven months out of twelve, we did not find the time to share the recipes and stories with you all. The "golden wisk" goes to "The Writer" for attending all eleven dinner.

Like every year, there was lots of change. The typical trials and tribulations that occur when and group of six women come together.

I am so glad we made it through the year and we enjoyed it so much, we have decided to continue this journey into 2013. However, 2013 will see a slight change.

In 2012, we tried the concept of pushing ourselves outside our cooking comfort zones. Let's be honest, sometimes we only nudged ourselves beyond that line. The hostess for the month picked a theme and various dishes from the web and away we went.

In 2013, the menus will be more structured. We are selecting menus from Saveur. Good golly, so many yummy choices. I had the daunting task of selecting January's menu. First one out of the gate and so many ones to chose from. It was a cold rainy evening when I was looking through them. The type of evening when comfort food is what you want. Warm thick stew. Roasted vegetables. Steamy rice. That is what was calling my name and tempting my palate when I browsed page after page of menus. Stay tuned for January's menu to see what I picked and how the recipes turned out.

Thanks for joining us on our culinary journey as begin Six Kitchens Supper Club 2.0

Happy New Year!!

Crab Cakes Recipe

In my opinion, the best crab cakes are more crab and less "cake." I want the ratio of filler to crab to be just enough to hold the shape. These beauties are all about the crab and simple enough to be made while some steaks are perfected on the BBQ out back. I made one batch and before the cooled down, they were gone.

Ingredients

1 pound crabmeat, picked free of shells
1/3 cup crushed Ritz crackers
3 green onions (green and white parts), finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped bell pepper
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 egg
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard (same as ground mustard)
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
Flour, for dusting
1/2 cup cooking oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients, except for the flour and oil. Shape into patties and dust with flour.

3. Place patties on a lightly greased cook sheet. 

4. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Baking them firms up the patties and helps them stay together a bit.

5. Remove from oven.
6. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. 

7. When oil is hot, carefully place crab cakes, in batches, in pan and fry until browned, about 2 to 3 minutes. 

8. Carefully flip crab cakes and fry on other side until golden brown, about 2 minutes.

These were devoured before I could snap pictures! 

These were supper simple and were delicious! I will definitely make these again.

Enjoy!!

Louisiana Red Beans and Rice Recipe

We have been getting together monthly for the last six months and have had very few (two?) recipes that did not turn out as planned. That number increased to three with my attempt at red beans and rice.

This recipe was off to a rocky start when I attempted to locate a ham hock at my local grocers. I walked around the store while texting Mandy trying to figure out if ground mustard was the same as dry mustard (for a different recipe) when I could not find a ham hock. I did find a butcher, but I stumbled over my words and asked for a ham shank.

He hesitated in his reply, "Um, we don't carry those unless it is the holidays." 

"Isn't it a bone? Like for seasoning soups?" 

"Nope." 

"Let me consult the recipe. I meant ham hock, do you carry ham hocks?" 

"Yes, over here. But you want this instead," pointing to a pork shank. I am pretty sure the butcher feared for my dinner guests as I walked away.

When it was time to eat, the beans were still crunchy. Ick! I followed the recipe, I swear! The only thing I can think is that my crock pot should have been on High instead of Low. I left them in the crock pot for an additional 8 hours overnight on low and it was much better. (As a result, I am changing the recipe to reflect 8 hours on high, rather than low.)

Red Beans and Rice Recipe

Ingredients

1 pound dried red beans, soaked overnight
10 cups water
1 pound andouille sausage, sliced into rounds
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
8 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 ham hock
4 cups cooked rice

Directions

1.  Place the beans and water into a slow cooker. 

2.  Brown sausage in a skillet. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to the slow cooker. 

3.  Add onion, green pepper, jalapeno pepper and garlic to the drippings. Cook and stir until tender. Transfer everything from the skillet to the slow cooker.

4.  Season the mixture with pepper and Creole seasoning. Add the fresh basil leaves and ham hock. 

5.  Cover and cook on low for about 8 hours, or until beans are tender. If the bean mixture seems too watery, take the lid off the slow cooker and set heat to High to cook until they reach a creamy - not crunchy!! - texture.

Behind The Scenes: The Roux

I wasn't too concerned when I picked the gumbo. I knew (from watching all of those 30-minute meals with Rachel Ray) that if I prepped as much as I could the night before I would be that much ahead in the morning. The day before, I prepped all of the vegetables. I was a chopping fiend. My 4 year old sous chef even helped.

When evening fell all of the veggies were chopped and tucked away in labeled containers in the fridge, dread settled in as I climbed into bed. ROUX! HOW AM I GOING TO MAKE ROUX??

I started posting on Facebook as the night hours ticked by.

My mother, the southern cook, was out of state and only offered, "I should have taught you honey."

Thanks for the support mom!

Meghan posted that she used Alton Brown's oven technique.

I quickly searched the web for more information on this proven technique (well, Meghan said it was proven). I located a video of the technique, it look easy enough and I am visual learner.

I ran to the store first thing in the morning and purchased a cast iron pot. Luckily I found a scale in the kitchen and was able to weigh out the flour. This was the simplest and easiest way to make roux. Who knew? Well, Meghan did...and I am so grateful she did.

When I spoke to my mother a few days later I was so proud to tell her it worked, and teach her something new about cooking roux!


The ingredients: 

This is part of the magic...measure your ingredients by weight rather than by volume. If you are scratching your head and wondering what that means, put away your measuring cups and pull out your food scale.

3/4 oz oil

3/4 oz flour


The Recipe:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place the oven rack in the center position.

2. In a cast iron dutch oven, whisk the flour and oil together until they form a thick paste. It will resemble the paste your used in kindergarden, the kind they told you not to eat but you did anyway and then wondered why you did because it tasted nasty. Yep, that stuff. 

 
3. Place in the oven and cook for 30 minutes.

It will not appear much different within the first 30 minutes
rest assured you are on the right track. 

4. Whisk and return to oven for 30 more minutes.

5. Whisk again and return to oven for 30 more minutes. The roux should begin to darken at this point.

Notice the roux has begun to darken,
it will also have a nutty scent to it. 

7. Roux is done when it is medium brown to red brick in color.

8. Remove from oven and use immediately. Smile to yourself because to just made roux and didn't burn it!

Enjoy!

June Supper Club: Louisiana Comfort Food

The Hostess

The Theme

Louisiana Comfort Food 

The Menu

Appetizer: Crab Cakes

Main Dish: Gumbo - chicken and sausage
Side Dishes: Cheesy Grits, Red Beans and Rice, and Cornbread – southern style
Dessert: Cajun Cake

Drink: Sweet Tea, Hurricanes, and Abita beer

Background

Growing up, my mom, who was raised in Louisiana, filled our Massachusetts home with the flavors of the south. I remember visiting my maternal grandmother in Alexandria, Louisiana and driving to back-woods hole-in-the-wall-locals-only restaurants to devour baskets of hot fried catfish and savory hush puppies.

My father's sister and brother-in-law ran a restaurant, The Plantation Manor, in Alexandria. Even after my uncle retired and moved to California, he still cooked up a mean gumbo and 30 years later, we have finally convinced him to dust off his hush puppy recipe.

When I finished my undergraduate degree and was considering where I would pursue my graduate studies, one of my top choices was the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. I spent two exciting years in Knoxville,  and was blessed to eat more than one meal with my classmates' families.  Though Knoxville's traditional dishes are a little different than Louisiana's,  I enjoyed them all the same and today reflect fondly on my memories of sharing comfort food with family.

It made sense, then, that when my turn to host Supper Club came up, I broke cornbread with my Six Kitchen family and created new memories of enjoying  southern comfort food.

Deciding on the menu was only half the fun. With the busy summer months upon us, only three kitchens were able to cook. Heading to my parents' beach house for the weekend, I helped my fellow cooks escape the heat and dish up heaping plates red beans and rice, gumbo, cheesy grits, and cornbread, washing it down with hurricanes, sweet tea, and Abita and topped off with Cajun cake.

While we missed the other kitchens, we all agreed, good southern soul food with good friends is a great way to spend a June evening.