Welcome to Food For Thought cooking and recipes - online since 1991! There are 5 new recipes, plus new cooking hints & tips, posted to this page each week.
Title: Cheddar Beignets
Categories: Appetizer
Yield: 15 Beignets
1/2 c flour
1/2 ts smoked paprika
1/4 ts cayenne pepper
1 ts salt
1/4 c milk
1/4 c beer
1/4 c unsalted butter, cubed
2/3 c shredded cheddar cheese
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 tb chives, chopped
frying oil
Fill a deep pot half way with frying oil and
heat to 350°F while prepping dough.
Mix dry ingredients together and set aside.
Heat milk, beer, and butter together in a
wide saute pan or sauce pot. Pour in dry
ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula
to combine.
Continue to cook until ingredients are fully
combined and a dough ball forms, about 3
minutes.
Take off heat and move dough ball to a mixing
bowl. Incorporate cheddar using a spatula. Add
the eggs one at a time, then mix in the chives.
Gently stir until well combined, being careful
not to overwork.
Using a small ice cream scoop or spoon, drop
roughly a tablespoon size dollop of dough into
the frying pot and fry until golden brown.
Baking Powder is a leavening agent that contains a combination of baking soda, cream of tartar, and a moisture absorber. It is used like yeast, but it acts much more quickly.
Title: Kale Salad
Categories: Salad
Yield: 4 Servings
DRESSING:
1 md garlic clove
1 ts ground cumin
1 tb white miso
1 tb mirin
1 tb rice vinegar
1/2 ts soy sauce
1/2 ts agave nectar
1/4 c plain greek yogurt
SALAD:
1 bunch kale, chopped
1 sm head fennel, sliced
4 radishes, sliced
1/2 sm head purple cabbage, sliced
3 green onions, chopped
1 c snap peas, chopped
1/4 c pumpkin seeds
1 tb sesame seeds
Place the garlic, cumin, and miso in a mortar
& pestle and crush into a well-mixed paste.
Empty into the bottom of the salad bowl, then
add the mirin, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and
agave. Whisk until all mixed, then add yogurt.
Whisk again until dressing is well mixed.
Take the chopped vegetables: kale, fennel,
radishes, cabbage, green onions, and snap peas
and add on top of the dressing mixture. Toss
salad well until all vegetables are coated
with dressing. Then add both pumpkin and
sesame seeds on top and gently toss.
Baking Powder is used in batters where there is no acid present, such as cookies, cakes, pastries, pies, quick bread, etc. It makes the baked goods voluminous by allowing gas formation when an acid comes into contact with it and/or when it is heated.
Title: Flat Iron Steak
Categories: Main Dish
Yield: 4 Servings
BUTTER:
1/2 c unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tb parsley, chopped
1 tb tarragon, chopped
1 tb chives, chopped
1 tb shallots, minced
1 ts lemon zest
1 ts lemon juice
1 ts black pepper
1 ts salt
STEAK:
4 eight oz flat iron steaks
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
Whip all butter ingredients in a stand mixer
with a whisk until consistent. Set aside
until steak is cooked.
Season the flat iron steaks with salt and
pepper. Grill to your desired temperature.
Top with herbed butter to serve.
Most baking powders are double-acting, which means it reacts twice; one acid that dissolves when it comes in contact with water and a second acid that does not dissolve until it reaches a higher temperature. This type of double action ensures that the finished product is light and fluffy.
Title: Truffle Mac
Categories: Side Dish
Yield: 4 Servings
2 tb unsalted butter
3 tb all-purpose flour
1 c milk
1 c cream
2 c shredded cheddar
2 tb truffle oil
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
2 c dry cavatappi pasta
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
In a medium pot, melt unsalted butter. Add
flour and stir continuously over medium heat
for about 5 minutes.
Gradually whisk in milk and cream until
incorporated. Stirring often, bring to simmer.
Mixture should thicken as it heats. Allow to
simmer for about 5 minutes, continuing to
stir often.
A little at a time, stir in grated cheese,
until completely melted. Take off heat. Stir
in truffle oil and season with salt and pepper.
While sauce is being made, cook pasta until al
dente. Add drained, hot pasta directly to sauce.
Stir and check seasoning.
Title: Orange Cake
Categories: Dessert
Yield: 4 Servings
1 box white cake mix
3/4 c plain greek yogurt
1 c high pulp orange juice
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease an
eight inch baking dish and set aside.
Mix together your cake mix, yogurt, and
juice until there are no lumps. Pour into
your prepared dish and bake for 35-40
minutes or until a toothpick comes out
clean.
If too much baking powder is used in your recipe, this produces big bubbles that will run into each other and then rise to the surface and pop. The result is that the muffins, cakes or quick breads become heavy or sunken.
