Authentic French Meringues

Alright – I published this recipe before, but I’m going to do it up right this time – with pictures. It’s a great way to use up egg whites when you have a recipe that calls for a large amount of egg yolks. See, I made my hubby a cake for Valentine’s Day (I’ll post the recipe very soon). It was a fantastic yellow cake recipe that called for 8 egg yolks. That a lot of yolks! And I hate wasting food, so I decided it was a great time to make some meringues, using up those 8 egg whites. Obviously, I doubled the recipe.

These are always a big hit and they look so great. AND, they’re fat free (although they do have a TON of sugar). Best of all (or worst, depending on your personality type), they are spectacularly messy to make (although quite easy to clean up afterward). And actually, if you don’t use a cookie press (which I prefer to do, just because they’re prettier that way)…anyhow, if you just use a spoon instead, I suspect the process will be a lot less messy.

Since I made these for Valentine’s Day this year, I colored half the batch with red food coloring (they came out pink). It was very pretty. If you want to do that, just put all the white ones that you want out on a cookie sheet and then color the rest of the batch before you put them on the cookie sheet. Incidentally, if you double the batch, you can use two cookie sheets (or more) and put them anywhere in the oven. It’s okay if one sheet is on the top and the other one on the middle rack. I suppose the lowest rack would be okay too, but I always avoid it if possible, since it’s closer to the heat.

Authentic French Meringues

INGREDIENTS:
4 egg whites
2 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
½ tsp cream of tartar (optional – see "tips" below)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C). Butter and flour a baking sheet.
Normally, I’d say that using non-stick cooking spray would be fine, but in this case, I personally was inclined to butter and flour. I’m not even sure why, but it struck me as being safer, since these are going to sit in the oven for close to 3 hours. For all I know, non-stick spray would work fine, but that’s just my disclaimer to let you know that I ACTUALLY buttered and floured. I suppose some of you younger folks might not even know what that means, since the spray has been around for so long. Well, sit down and I’ll tell you a story. You see, before there was cooking spray, your mom and grandma used a technique called “butter and flour”. Basically, you just smear a baking sheet with a thin layer of butter and sprinkle a bit of flour onto the baking sheet. Turn the sheet to various angles and gently bump the edges with your hands so that the flour kind of gets all over the baking sheet. Throw out the excess flour. The flour sticks to the butter and creates a pale white coating. THAT is your mostly non-stick surface for baking. And that concludes your history lesson for today.
2. In a glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites until foamy using an electric mixer. Sprinkle in sugar a little at a time, while continuing to whip at medium speed. When the mixture becomes stiff and shiny like satin, stop mixing, and transfer the mixture to a large pastry bag. Here are pictures of the egg whites at the "stiff peaks" stage when they're ready to go:

Pipe the meringue out onto the prepared baking sheet using a large round tip or star tip. (Or in my case, I used a cookie press. Frankly, you can skip that part all together and just use a spoon if you like. They won’t be as beautiful, but they’ll taste just as yummy. Also note, you can put the meringues very close together because they will not spread out like cookies do. And you can make them any size or shape that you want).
3. Place the meringues in the oven and place a wooden spoon handle in the door to keep it from closing all the way.
Bake for 3 hours, or until the meringues are dry, and can easily be removed from the pan. Allow cookies to cool completely before storing in an airtight container at room temperature.

These will last AND be tasty for months if you keep them in a very good airtight container. And I’m talking not even in the fridge. Just on the counter.

TIPS:
1. Use a clean, dry bowl. The bowl must be grease-free, because any trace amount of fat will wreck a meringue. Glass, ceramic, stainless steel, and copper bowls are all suitable. Plastic bowls may appear clean, but may still have trace amounts of oil, so do not use them.
2. Cold eggs separate easily, but eggs whip to a higher volume when at room temperature. The solution is to separate the cold eggs, and then set them aside for 10 or 15 minutes.
3. Separate each egg into two small bowls, one for the white and one for the yolk, and then add the white portion to the larger bowl. This allows you to reserve any with broken yolks for another purpose. Even a small amount of yolk can deflate the egg whites, so be careful.
4. Cream of tartar, white vinegar, or lemon juice can all be used to stabilize a meringue. Add 1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar per egg white to the unbeaten eggs. (If you're using a copper bowl to make your meringue, don't add any acid: it can react with the copper and discolor the egg foam.)
5. Whip to medium-soft peaks. Beat in 2 tablespoons white sugar per egg white. Continue to beat until egg whites are glossy and hold a firm peak.
6. Adding sugar early in the beating process results in a firmer, finer-textured meringue.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Well, here it is. A recipe that I actually just made up. The only problem is, I didn’t really write down EXACTLY what I did. So, here’s the deal. I’m giving you the gist of it now – amounts are a matter of taste. Then, in a few days, I’ll make some more and I’ll WRITE it down better!

I was going for something like what you would get at The Cheesecake Factory. It turned out really yummy, but then afterward, I thought about a way to make it even better. They’re usually called “garlic ROASTED mashed potatoes”, so I guess that means that the garlic should be….well, roasted. So next time, I’m going to try that. But here it is – even with UNroasted garlic, you will NOT get any complaints…believe me!

GARLIC MASHED POTATOES

INGREDIENTS:

5 pounds of potatoes
¾ stick of butter
Salt
Pepper
Sour cream (3 oz)
Milk (1/4 cup)

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all ingredients except milk. Let butter melt. Mix with electric mixer. Add milk until consistency of mashed potatoes is to your liking.

Old Fashioned Meatloaf

This came straight out of the Better Homes and Gardens “New Cook Book” (mine the 1981 edition). A lot of times, those simple, old-fashioned cookbooks have the best recipes (“just like Mom used to make”, so to speak). Of course, my mom made Hungarian food, but that’s another story. Yes, I promise to share some Hungarian recipes if and when I make them.

The only thing I changed was that I doubled the amount of sauce. I also added a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar. I tasted it and it just seemed like it needed more sugar. But then, I like stuff pretty sweet. Don’t worry about it, though, because the amounts in this recipe are ALREADY ADJUSTED for my preferences.

(As always, my notes are in blue)

OLD FASHIONED MEATLOAF

INGREDIENTS:

Meatloaf:
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped onion (I used almost ½ cup – it’s a preference thing)
2 Tbsp snipped parsley (or 1Tbsp dried parsley)
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp ground sage
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
Sauce:
1/2 cup catsup
6 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp dry mustard (or 2 Tbsp prepared mustard)

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all ingredients. Mix well. Pat into a 5 ½ cup ring mold, unmold onto shallow, greased baking pan, and bake in a 350 degree oven for 50 minutes (OR pat mixture into a loaf pan and bake for 1 ¼ hours). Spoon off excess fat. Combine catsup, brown sugar and mustard. Spread over meat. Return to oven for 10 minutes. Makes 6 servings.

Butter Flaky Pie Crust

What can I say? Everyone loves pie, right? Believe it or not, homemade pie crust is SUPER easy and SUPER fast. I swear this took me maybe all of 10 minutes to make the dough. Then you chill it and roll it out whenever you're ready. It's really simple. I mean, 4 ingredients - that's simple, right? And it's ingredients that almost everyone will have on hand.

will say that you really need one little tool for this - a pastry cutter. It's a little hand-held thing that looks like a half moon, or a capital "D", with the straight part being the handle, and hard wires or metal slats making up the curved part. That's for "cutting" the butter into the dough. They say you can use two knives, but I've never been able to master it that way. You can get a pastry cutter anywhere they sell cooking gadgets. I think I got mine at Target. Not the best quality, but it works.

So, if you want to really impress your friends with your homemade pie crusts - try this recipe. It's awesome! As usual, I got it off of AllRecipes.com. AND REMEMBER, IF YOU ARE GOING TO NEED A TOP CRUST, YOU NEED TO DOUBLE THIS RECIPE and split the dough into 2 halves before you chill it.

By the way, I've been bad about taking pictures. I promise to take some soon. I hate recipes without pictures. :-(

Butter Flaky Pie Crust

(As always, my notes are in blue)

This Recipe Makes 1 pie crust

INGREDIENTS: (Keep in mind – it’s VERY important that the butter and water be chilled)

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, chilled and diced

1/4 cup ice water

1 lightly beaten egg white (optional – for a top crust. If you’re making a top crust, brush it with the egg white before you bake it to help the crust brown nicely).

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water, a tablespoon at a time, until mixture forms a ball. (If you're making 2 crusts, just cut the dough in half at this point and form 2 balls). Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight (actually, even an hour seemed to be fine for me).

2. Roll dough out to fit a 9 inch pie plate. Place crust in pie plate. Press the dough evenly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate. (I have noticed that the edges of the crust seem to shrink a bit, so make sure you go out over the edge of the pie plate just a tiny bit, or at least go right up to the edge).

Baking a crust empty (for the “empty shell”):

In order to get the best bake of empty shell... prick the shell with fork, line the crust with parchment, and then fill to the top of shell with either dry beans or dry rice. I use the beans because they are cheaper so I don't feel bad about throwing them away.

How to Make a Lattice Crust:

Okay. First of all – don’t freak out by how complicated this sounds. If you just read one line at a time and do what it says (especially for the “real lattice”), you’ll be able to do it. It’s actually very easy – just a bit complicated to explain in writing. Remember – just take it one step at a time. Read and do what it says. Ready? Go!

Lattice crusts are a top crust design made by literally weaving strips of pastry dough on top of pie filling. There are two ways to accomplish this: making an actual woven lattice, and making a 'fake' lattice.

To make the 'fake' lattice, simply roll out the top crust to a 12" circle. Then, using a sharp knife or a pastry wheel, cut the circle into 1/2" strips. Starting with smaller strips at the edge of the circle, place every other strip on the pie, leaving a 1" space between each strip. Then simply place the remaining strips on top of the first, perpendicular to the first layer, again leaving a 1" space between each strip. You may not use all of the pastry strips. Then tuck the strip edges under the bottom crust, flute, and bake.

For a real lattice, roll out the top crust again and cut into 1/2" strips. This time, start with the center strips. Working from the center outwards, lay every other strip from the circle 3/4" apart on the pie filling. Now, fold every other strip on the pie in half back upon themselves. Starting at the center, lay one strip perpendicular to the rest. Unfold the folded strips over the perpendicular strip. Now, moving towards the edge of the pie, fold the unfolded strips back over themselves and over the first strip, lay down another perpendicular strip, and unfold the strips. Continue to the edge. Now repeat this process on the other side, starting again at the center. Tuck the strip edges under the bottom pie crust, flute, and bake.

* I noticed that after the prescribed baking time at the prescribed temperature, my pie crust was browned at the edges, but not in the middle, so I covered up the edges with tin foil (or you can buy tin “pie crust protectors”), and cranked up the heat to 425 for another 15 minutes , just to brown the top better.

Oatmeal Whole Wheat Bread

I know, I know – who out there is really going to make bread from scratch? Well, if you DO feel like taking on the challenge, this is a REALLY good recipe. I found it on a KitchenAid forum where someone credited it to Epicurious.com (just for the record). I haven’t made a ton of bread in the past, but I have made enough to know that it’s hard to make bread taste as good as some of the store-bought stuff. The texture is hard to get right. They use special ingredients and special ovens. I have gotten some clues from expert home bakers as to what cool ingredients I might add to make this EVEN BETTTER. Maybe I’ll share those ideas with you another time. But for now, this is definitely an amazing recipe just the way it is. It comes out somewhat similar to The Cheesecake Factory’s dark, sweet bread. It’s not really “sweet”, but just has a hint of sweetness from the honey. And after a few days, I stuck it in the fridge so it would last longer. Since it was in the fridge, from that point on, I toasted it when I wanted a slice. OMG! So good toasted! It’s like a whole ‘nother level of deliciousness when it’s toasted….”we bother” (if you don’t get the reference, read here).

My loaves did kind of collapse, so the tops fell in, but it didn’t affect the taste or the texture. They’d just look prettier if that hadn’t happened. I’m pretty sure I know why, too. I let them rise too long on the second rise (for those who don’t know, most (or maybe all) bread needs to rise twice). My oven was on the fritz and it took me an extra long time to get the temperature up to where I needed it (good thing I have my super cheap, super handy oven thermometer to keep me on track. Anyhow, by the time I got the temperature right, the loaves were like exploding out of the loaf pans. Clearly, too much rise. On the other hand, like I said, the texture was incredible overall.

One more note for you. Kneading bread is fun and there are definitely techniques involved. There are probably a million websites that will tell you how to do it “properly”, if there is such a thing. I just got my new MIXER (or hadn’t you heard?). So, for me, that was one of the great joys of having the top of the line mixer. It kneaded the dough for me – like a champ! Don’t lose heart, though, if you don’t have a mixer. Bakers have been kneading dough by hand forever and it’s totally fine. It just takes a little time and a little elbow grease.

OATMEAL WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups whole milk (or 1 12 oz. can of evaporated milk, plus 4oz. water (put evap. Milk in measuring cup and add water to make 16oz.)
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick-cooking) 1/2 cup warm water (105-115°F)
2 tablespoons active dry yeast (from 3 packages)
1/2 cup mild honey
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 cups stone-ground whole-wheat flour
About 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (it may take up to another cup)
1 tablespoon salt
Vegetable oil for oiling bowl
1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water

DIRECTIONS:
• Heat milk in a 1 1/2- to 2-quart saucepan over low heat until hot but not boiling, then remove pan from heat and stir in oats.
• Let stand, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until cooled to warm.
• Stir together water, yeast, and 1 teaspoon honey in a small bowl; let stand until foamy, 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn't foam, start over with new yeast.)
• Stir yeast mixture, melted butter, and remaining honey into cooled oatmeal.
• Stir together whole-wheat flour, 1 1/2 cups unbleached flour, and salt in a large bowl.
• Add oat mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms. Turn out onto a well-floured surface and knead with floured hands, adding just enough of remaining unbleached flour to keep from sticking, until dough is smooth, soft, and elastic, about 10 minutes (dough will be slightly sticky).
OR if using KitchenAid mixer, add flour/knead until dough pulls away from sides of mixer (but not bottom – it will be a slightly sticky dough)).
• Form dough into a ball and transfer to an oiled large bowl, turning to coat.
• Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel; let rise at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Lightly butter loaf pans.
• Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead several times to remove air.
• Divide dough in half and shape each half into a loaf, then place 1 loaf in each buttered pan, seam side down, tucking ends gently to fit.
• Cover loaf pans loosely with a kitchen towel and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly brush tops of loaves with some of egg wash and sprinkle with oats, then bake until bread is golden and loaves sound hollow when tapped on bottom, 35 to 40 minutes.
* Here's one way you can "go the extra mile" with this recipe. Not necessary, but something I heard about once and decided to try. I heard that professional bakeries have ovens that "steam" the bread. You can immitate that by placing a cookie sheet on the bottom of the oven (preferably not your nicest cookie sheet, as it will be exposed to a lot of heat). After you put the bread in, pour a little bit of water in it (a cup or so). It should steam like crazy. Then it calms down and steams steadily while the bread cooks. You can add water if it seems like it's dried up. I added water a couple of times during the process. Again, totally not necessary, but it may have contributed to the overall texture of the crust and it really wasn't very hard to do.
• Remove bread from pans and transfer to a rack to cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours.

Just a Funny

Not really about cooking, but still funny - Supposedly a transcript of an actual conversation between a hotel guest and a hotel employee somewhere in South America. It’s even funnier if you read it aloud.

Room Service: “Morny. Ruin sorbis”
Hotel Guest: “Sorry, I thought I dialed room-service”
RS: “Rye … Ruin sorbis … morny! Djewish to odor sunteen??”
HG: “Uh … yes … I’d like some bacon and eggs”
RS: “ Ow july den?”
HG: “What??”
RS: “Ow july den? … pry, boy, pooch?”
HG: “Oh, the eggs! How do I like them? Sorry, scrambled please.”
RS: “Ow july dee baychem … crease?”
HG: “Crisp will be fine”
RS: “Hokay. An san tos?”
HG: “What?”
RS: “San tos. July san tos?”
HG: “I don’t think so”
RS: “No? Judo one toes?”
HG: “I feel really bad about this, but I don’t know what ‘judo one toes’ means.”
RS: “Toes! Toes! … why jew Don Juan toes? Ow bow singlish mopping we bother?”
HG: “English muffing!! I’ve got it You were saying ‘Toast.’ Fine, an English muffin will be fine.”
RS: “We bother?”
HG: “No … just put the bother on the side.”
RS: “Wad?”
HG: “I mean butter … just put it on the side.”
RS: “Copy?”
HG: “Sorry?”
RS: “Copy … tea … mill?”
HG: “Yes. Coffee please, and that’s all.”
RS: “One minnie. Ass ruin torino fee, strangle ache, crease baychem, tossy singlish mopping we bother honey sigh, and copy … rye?”
HG: “Whatever you say.”
RS: “Tendjewberrymud.”
HG: “You’re welcome.”

A Mixer and A Muffin

Well, folks. I’m still cooking. I swear. In fact, I’ve been cooking and baking SO much that I haven’t had time to stop and write about it. I promise to do better!

First things first. I got the best present EVER for Christmas. Not a car. Not a diamond tennis bracelet. Something a foodie like me can really get excited about - a brand new, shiny, KitchenAid mixer! And if that weren’t enough, it’s not just any mixer – it’s THE BIG ONE – the 6 quart professional! It’s a cook’s dream. At least 5 or 6 times a day, I tell my hubby much I love my new mixer and how excited I am about it. Needless to say, he’ll be glad I’ve found someone else to tell it to. So, Hey! All you readers out there – I LOVE my new mixer!

How much do I love my new mixer? I love it so much that I did minor construction on my kitchen so that it could accommodate the new giant. The thing is really BIG, I’m telling you. I made cat food in it the other day (yes, I MAKE catfood). It’s not because I’m a crazy cat lady. My cat was on the verge of death and the food thing saved his life. So, enough said. I’m not nuts. Anyhow, I put 6 pounds of raw meat in there and some other ingredients. That mixer handled it like a pro. I was very impressed.

So, we know it can handle cat food. What about people food? Yes, yes, yes! The first thing I made with it was blueberry muffins. They’re called “To Die For Blueberry Muffins”, and they are…to die for! Incidentally, I got the recipe from AllRecipes.com . I LOVE that site because not only can you find multiple recipes for just about anything you’d ever want to cook or bake, but there are dozens (even hundreds) of reviews posted by other people who’ve tried the recipe. You can get great tips based on other peoples’ experiences – what works and what doesn’t.

And while we’re on the subject of great websites – I’ve been visiting KitchenAid’s forums on their website – www.kitchenaidconversations.com . It’s like an ocean of fun that I could swim around in for months and never get bored or even begin to skim the surface of what’s there. And it’s not just fun stuff, but really practical stuff about your KitchenAid products and recipes that you might make with your KitchenAid products. Very cool. Fair warning though – it might make you want to get more KitchenAid stuff. If you already have the itch to buy something KitchenAid, this will definitely take you over the edge.

So, here’s the “To Die For Blueberry Muffins” recipe I mentioned. They’re great!

TO DIE FOR BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

PREP TIME 15 Min
COOK TIME 25 Min
READY IN 40 Min

SERVINGS: 16

INGREDIENTS:
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ¾ cups white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 Tbsp vanilla (optional)
• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup butter (room temp)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). (If you’re not sure about the temperature of your oven, err on the low side. It’s not going to kill these if the temp is slightly less than 400.) Grease muffin cups and/or line with muffin liners.
2. Combine first four ingredients. Place vegetable oil into a 2 cup measuring cup; add the eggs and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture and add vanilla. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups ¾ full, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture. (don’t overfill the cups because they’ll run over the top and get burned. I know because I tried it. The sugar and butter in the topping can’t take that kind of heat – they burn quickly when they touch the pan.)
3. To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together last 4 ingredients. Mix with fork (or a pastry cutter), and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.