This is a great starter and stands on it's own, but we have in the past poured the left over sauce over homemade pasta and it was delicious. You could make this into a mussel pasta from the get go.
Ingredients:
2 lbs mussels, well scrubbed (for proper mussel cleaning seek google/youtube)
1/2 cup dry white wine
4-6 cloves garlic smashed, peeled, and cut in half
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 shallot chopped (can substitute scallions/green onion)
1/3 cup heavy cream (can substitute butter for a lighter sauce)
kosher salt
1. Combine mussels, wine, garlic, and pepper into 2 quart ceramic dish, cover with plastic wrap and microwave at 100% for 8 minutes.
--I did on one occasion do this on a stove top and the mussels did not taste remarkably different so either method works just fine--if on a stove keep mussels covered and stir frequently until all of them open up (also about 8 min)
2. Remove cover, add parsley cream, salt, cook uncovered at 100% (or on stove top) for 1-2 minutes. Serve hot.
--Optional = strain liquid and put over pasta
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Monday, May 26, 2014
Joey's CarboLipo Dream Cake Cheese Cake
Crust
about 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup white sugar
1 stick butter melted
Mix ingredients together until fully incorporated. Pour into a greased 9in spring form pan, and pack down with knuckles of index and middle fingers. Make sure crust covers entire bottom of pan as well as 1/2in up the sides. Store in freezer while preparing the filling.
Note: If making a flavored cheesecake such as pumpkin, add 1/2tsp of nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove to crust. When making other flavors, flaked coconut can be a nice addition to crust.
Filling
4 8oz packages cream cheese
1 6oz package of sour cream
1 cup white sugar
1 tbsp corn starch
3 eggs
1tsp vanilla extract
Let cream cheese soften to room temperature before starting to mix in order to avoid lumpy bits. Preheat oven to 200f. Mix cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, corn starch, and vanilla until it is smooth in texture. Do not mix too fast in order to avoid air bubbles that will rise to the surface during baking. When adding the eggs, mix in one at a time until fully incorporated.
Pour filling mixture into prepared crust, and bake at 200f for 2 hours. This low and slow method eliminates the need to cover the cake or place in a hot water bath as it bakes. Eggs cook fully at 200f, so it will never burn or crack. You can even bake it longer and it wont over cook. It is ready when the middle shakes like jell-o, but will need more time if it ripples. DO NOT check center with a knife or toothpick as that will make it crack as it cools. When cake is fully cooked, let cool in refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or until the center does not shake when jiggled. Failure to let cool completely will result in a runny center of the cake, and will be messy and a weird consistency. The cream cheese has to congeal fully.
Enjoy with fresh cut fruit or whatever topping you like.
Note: When making a flavored cheese cake, prepare as usual. Then separate 1/4 of mixture and set aside. If making pumpkin cheese cake, add one small can of canned puréed pumpkin to 3/4 mixture with 1tsp of cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, and clove to taste. If using fresh pumpkin that you've prepared, blend or process the flesh, otherwise you'll have strings of pumpkin in the cake which can be a weird texture.
Once you have incorporated additional ingredients, fill crust with the flavored portion of filling, and smooth top with a rubber spatula. Layer the 1/4 of plain cheese cake over the top and smooth over with a rubber spatula. This doesn't change the flavor of the cake at all, but white is a more appetizing color than the funky orange brown that the pumpkin will become. Bake as usual.
If making lemon flavored cheese cake, zest one lemon, and mix zest with the 1 cup sugar one day prior to baking. This will infuse sugar with the lemon flavor. When making cake, incorporate juice from 2 lemons into the mixture as well. Bake as usual.
If making chocolate flavored cake, melt semisweet bakers chocolate (to taste) into 3/4 portion of cheesecake and bake as usual.
Let me know if you make any other flavor combinations!
about 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup white sugar
1 stick butter melted
Mix ingredients together until fully incorporated. Pour into a greased 9in spring form pan, and pack down with knuckles of index and middle fingers. Make sure crust covers entire bottom of pan as well as 1/2in up the sides. Store in freezer while preparing the filling.
Note: If making a flavored cheesecake such as pumpkin, add 1/2tsp of nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove to crust. When making other flavors, flaked coconut can be a nice addition to crust.
Filling
4 8oz packages cream cheese
1 6oz package of sour cream
1 cup white sugar
1 tbsp corn starch
3 eggs
1tsp vanilla extract
Let cream cheese soften to room temperature before starting to mix in order to avoid lumpy bits. Preheat oven to 200f. Mix cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, corn starch, and vanilla until it is smooth in texture. Do not mix too fast in order to avoid air bubbles that will rise to the surface during baking. When adding the eggs, mix in one at a time until fully incorporated.
Pour filling mixture into prepared crust, and bake at 200f for 2 hours. This low and slow method eliminates the need to cover the cake or place in a hot water bath as it bakes. Eggs cook fully at 200f, so it will never burn or crack. You can even bake it longer and it wont over cook. It is ready when the middle shakes like jell-o, but will need more time if it ripples. DO NOT check center with a knife or toothpick as that will make it crack as it cools. When cake is fully cooked, let cool in refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or until the center does not shake when jiggled. Failure to let cool completely will result in a runny center of the cake, and will be messy and a weird consistency. The cream cheese has to congeal fully.
Enjoy with fresh cut fruit or whatever topping you like.
Note: When making a flavored cheese cake, prepare as usual. Then separate 1/4 of mixture and set aside. If making pumpkin cheese cake, add one small can of canned puréed pumpkin to 3/4 mixture with 1tsp of cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, and clove to taste. If using fresh pumpkin that you've prepared, blend or process the flesh, otherwise you'll have strings of pumpkin in the cake which can be a weird texture.
Once you have incorporated additional ingredients, fill crust with the flavored portion of filling, and smooth top with a rubber spatula. Layer the 1/4 of plain cheese cake over the top and smooth over with a rubber spatula. This doesn't change the flavor of the cake at all, but white is a more appetizing color than the funky orange brown that the pumpkin will become. Bake as usual.
If making lemon flavored cheese cake, zest one lemon, and mix zest with the 1 cup sugar one day prior to baking. This will infuse sugar with the lemon flavor. When making cake, incorporate juice from 2 lemons into the mixture as well. Bake as usual.
If making chocolate flavored cake, melt semisweet bakers chocolate (to taste) into 3/4 portion of cheesecake and bake as usual.
Let me know if you make any other flavor combinations!
Helen's Indian Chicken/Lamb Makhani and Chris' Naan
Chicken/Lamb Makhani:
1 shallot finely chopped
1/4 white onion
2 tbl spoons butter or olive oil
1/2 squeezed lemon (2 tsp juice)
4-6 garlic cloves
1 tbl spoon ginger
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
pinch cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 bay leaf
1 cup (1-1.5 small container(s)) Greek yogurt
1 small can tomato paste
salt/pepper to taste
1 pound boneless chicken (or lamb) (or veal) (or beef)
a few potatoes
1 bag frozen peas and carrots (or any other veggies: corn, spinach, etc.)
1. Cook lamb/chicken until lightly browned and remove from pan and set aside, in yummy meat juice add butter or oil (whichever you prefer) and sautee shallot, onions, garlic until translucent, then stir in ginger, chili powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne, salt/pepper and bay leaf. Add tomato paste and reduce to low heat, stirring frequently for 10 minutes.
2. In a separate pan cook frozen vegetables and potatoes, once thawed, drain excess water from frozen vegetables and add them to the sauce.
3. Stir in chicken/lamb and taste it--add any additional spices (I often want more cayenne or salt/pepper--NOTE: keep in mind you will be adding Greek yogurt so you can make the sauce very spicy and it will mellow once combined with the yogurt)
4. Let cook on low heat for 10 min.
5. Right before serving stir in Greek Yogurt.
6. NOM.
Naan:
1) dissolve yeast in warm water, let stand 10 min until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt and enough flour to make soft dough. Knead for 6-8 minutes until smooth. Place dough in well oiled bowl, cover with damp cloth, and set aside to rise 1 hour.
2) Punch down dough, knead in garlic, pinch off small handfuls of dough about golf ball sized, roll into balls and place on a tray. Cover with towl and allow to rise until doubled in size about 30 min.
3) At grill side, roll one ball of dough into thin circle, Lightly oil grill. place dough on grill and cook for 2-3 minutes or until lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter and cook until browned about 2-4 min. Remove from grill and continue process until all naan balls prepared.
1 shallot finely chopped
1/4 white onion
2 tbl spoons butter or olive oil
1/2 squeezed lemon (2 tsp juice)
4-6 garlic cloves
1 tbl spoon ginger
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
pinch cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 bay leaf
1 cup (1-1.5 small container(s)) Greek yogurt
1 small can tomato paste
salt/pepper to taste
1 pound boneless chicken (or lamb) (or veal) (or beef)
a few potatoes
1 bag frozen peas and carrots (or any other veggies: corn, spinach, etc.)
1. Cook lamb/chicken until lightly browned and remove from pan and set aside, in yummy meat juice add butter or oil (whichever you prefer) and sautee shallot, onions, garlic until translucent, then stir in ginger, chili powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne, salt/pepper and bay leaf. Add tomato paste and reduce to low heat, stirring frequently for 10 minutes.
2. In a separate pan cook frozen vegetables and potatoes, once thawed, drain excess water from frozen vegetables and add them to the sauce.
3. Stir in chicken/lamb and taste it--add any additional spices (I often want more cayenne or salt/pepper--NOTE: keep in mind you will be adding Greek yogurt so you can make the sauce very spicy and it will mellow once combined with the yogurt)
4. Let cook on low heat for 10 min.
5. Right before serving stir in Greek Yogurt.
6. NOM.
Naan:
1 (25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 C white sugar
3 tbl spoons milk
1 egg beaten
2 tbl spoons salt
4 1/2 C bread flour
2 tbl spoons minced garlic
1/4 C butter metled
1 cup warm water
1/4 C white sugar
3 tbl spoons milk
1 egg beaten
2 tbl spoons salt
4 1/2 C bread flour
2 tbl spoons minced garlic
1/4 C butter metled
1) dissolve yeast in warm water, let stand 10 min until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt and enough flour to make soft dough. Knead for 6-8 minutes until smooth. Place dough in well oiled bowl, cover with damp cloth, and set aside to rise 1 hour.
2) Punch down dough, knead in garlic, pinch off small handfuls of dough about golf ball sized, roll into balls and place on a tray. Cover with towl and allow to rise until doubled in size about 30 min.
3) At grill side, roll one ball of dough into thin circle, Lightly oil grill. place dough on grill and cook for 2-3 minutes or until lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter and cook until browned about 2-4 min. Remove from grill and continue process until all naan balls prepared.
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