Anyone Care for Dessert?

Good evening everyone to an extra night of cooking here on Out of the Culinary!  As we focus on low calorie recipes, sometimes it's nice to splurge on a dessert everyone now and then.  Unfortunately, the majority of these recipes are ridiculously high in the calorie count and it wouldn't even be worth the splurge.  Tonight, I'm creating a delicious dessert, that just happens to be nutritious too!

The Recipe:  Butterscotch Blondes
Original Recipe Found In:  Cooking Light, September 2013 Issue

What You'll Need:
4.5 Ounces Whole-Wheat Pastry Flour (about one cup)*
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Cup Butterscotch Morsels
2 Tablespoons Half-and-Half
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
3 Tablespoons Canola Oil
3 Tablespoons Butter, melted
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 Large Eggs
1/3 Cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips

*Note:  While we knew that whole-wheat pastry flour is a specialized ingredient, we knew not to look in the regular grocery store.  We found the flour in a supermarket and I'm sure you can find it too in a grocery store that has a large baking section.

To start, preheat an oven to 350 degrees.  Next, weight or lightly spoon the flour into a dry measuring cup and level in a knife.  In a medium mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Stir with a whisk, making sure all the ingredients are well combined.

In a medium microwave-safe bowl, mix the butterscotch morsels and the half-and-half.  Pop into the microwave and microwave on high for 45 seconds, stirring every 15 seconds until this mixture is smooth.  Into a mixing bowl, add the brown sugar, canola oil, butter, vanilla, and eggs.  Using a mixer, beat these ingredients for two minutes, or until all the ingredient are well combined.  Add the flour mixture and the butterscotch mixture to the mixing bowl and stir until just combined.  Finally, stir in the chocolate chips.

In an 8-inch square metal baking pan, coat with cooking spray.  Pour the batter into the baking pan.  By this time, the oven should be preheated.  Place the baking pan in the oven and bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees, or until a wooden pick inserted comes out with moist crumbs clinging.  Place the pan on a wire rack to cool.  Cut into 16 squares, serve, and enjoy!

The End Result:

These little squares are packed with moist, yet crumbly goodness.  The whole-wheat flour definitely is a different flavor direction your mouth will not be ready for.  It a complete flavor difference than just regular all-purpose flour.  Bits of butterscotch flavor are infused into the bars.  While it's not a smack in the face flavor, it's enough to notice and it makes it more flavorful.  The chocolate chips become somewhat melty and an ooey-gooey consistency happens.  With each square being 154 calories, it's okay to have more than one and you won't feel guilty!

Thanks for joining us this week.  If you are in the states, celebrate the last blast of summer of Labor Day, and we'll rejoin next week with brand new recipes to share with you all.  Until then,

~Cheers!

Taking Take Out Home

Good evening everyone!  When you order take out from any restaurant, the only complaint is that the food you are receiving is too high in calories.  While it's a quick and convenient way to have any meal, there are way too many calories that one should consume in a day, (but it's definitely nice to indulge every once in a while.)  Tonight, I'm bringing the take out home.  By cooking it yourself, you save the calories and still get to indulge.

The Recipe:  Stir-Fried Rice Noodles with Beef and Spinach
Original Recipe Found In:  Cooking Light September 2013 iPad Issue

What You'll Need:
6 Ounces uncooked wide Rice Noodles (or rice-flour noodles)
1 Tablespoon Canola Oil
1 Cup thinly sliced Green Onions
2/3 Pound top Sirloin Steak, cut into thin, one inch strips
2 Cups sliced Shiitake Mushroom caps
2 Garlic cloves, finely minced
1 (6 ounce) bag washed Baby Spinach
2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
1 Tablespoon fresh Lime Juice
3 Tablespoons lower-sodium Soy Sauce
2 Teaspoons grated peeled fresh Ginger
2 Teaspoons Sriracha (or hot chili sauce)
1 Tablespoon dark Sesame Oil
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
2 Teaspoons Sesame Seeds, toasted

To start, bring a large stockpot of water to boil.  Once at a boil, add the rice noodles.  Cook the noodles according to package directions (usually between eight to ten minutes.)  Once cooked, drain the noodles in a colander and rinse with cold water.  Set the noodles aside.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the rice vinegar, lime juice, soy sauce, ginger, and Sriracha.  Whisk these ingredients together until well combined.  Set the bowl aside.

Next, heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat.  If you have a wok available to use, you can use this instead of a large skillet.  Add the canola oil and swirl to coat.  Once heated, add the onions and steak and stir fry for one minute or until the steak begins to turn a light brown and the onions begin to soften. Next, add the mushrooms and garlic.  Stir fry these ingredients until the mushrooms begin to soften, about three minutes.  Add the spinach and continue to stir fry, until the spinach begins to wilt, about two minutes.

Once all the ingredients in the skillet are well-combined and cooked through, add the vinegar mixture to the steak mixture.  Stir everything together until the sauce begins to thicken.  Add the noodles, sesame oil, and salt.  Stir until the noodles are heated and coated, about one to two minutes.  Sprinkle in the sesame seeds, serve, and enjoy!

The End Result:

When we create a recipe that is very similar to take out food, it's impossible to brag.  All the ingredients were incredible tasty together - I swear beef and mushrooms were meant to be together!  The beef was so thinly sliced that it cooks almost instantly and soaks in any flavor from other ingredients.  The mushrooms almost give a meaty quality that isn't given by the beef.  The spinach is almost tasteless, but does add that pop of green and adds some definite vitamin power.  The rice noodles are slowly becoming by new favorite.  Not only are they low in calories, but they make an excellent substitution for any pasta.  At slightly over 400 calories a serving, it's hard to enjoy this take out substitute at home!

Thanks for joining us this evening.  Check back tomorrow as I present a bonus dessert recipe that you'll want to whip up this week.  Until then,

~Cheers!

Saving Coleslaw...With Bacon!

Good evening everyone! Coleslaw is a quintessential summer dish that falls under the 'love it or hate it' classification. You hardly find someone who can "take or leave" the cabbage based side dish - rather people either love it to pieces or detest it. Full disclosure, I find myself on the 'hate it' side of the equation.

If we've discovered one thing this summer, it has been that bacon really does make every dish better. So, when I discovered a recipe that paired two things I love (bacon and corn) with the traditional coleslaw side dish, I knew I had to give it a try. Would bacon be enough to make coleslaw a personal favorite? Let's find out!

The Recipe: Pork Chops With Corn-Bacon Slaw
Original Recipe Found In: Food Network Magazine, September 2013

What You'll Need:
(Serves 4)

4 Center Cut Bone In Chops (2 pounds total)
4 Slices Bacon
2 Ears of corn (Kernels removed)
4 Cups Shredded Coleslaw Mix


* The pork chop recipe is wide open for your preference here. You can choose from any pork chop concoction we've cooked up over the years (search "pork chops" in the upper left hand portion of the page) or you can use your own recipe. For this dish, I'm making up the maple glaze sauce from THIS recipe, but you're free to do as you wish. (I'd recommend the maple glaze recipe linked above or our BBQ sauce recipe, found HERE)

To prepare the slaw, begin by cooking the bacon slices in a large skillet until the pieces are crispy and cooked through. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate to dry off the excess grease, then chop the bacon into 1/2 to 1/4 inch pieces. Set aside.

Depending on pork chop recipe you're following, you may need to cook the chops in a skillet. If that's the case, go ahead and add the chops into the skillet now. Using the bacon grease in the skillet really boosts the flavor of the chop, while providing a great oil crisp and brown the outer edge of the chop. Once cooked, transfer the chops to a 200 degree oven or a plate tented with foil to keep warm.

In the same skillet, add the corn and cook in the bacon grease  until the kernels turn a light golden brown color (3 to 5 minutes). Stir the cooked corn into a large bowl with the coleslaw mix and the bacon pieces. Serve the slaw with the pork chops and enjoy!

The Results:

There's not much to this recipe, but that doesn't mean it doesn't deliver. Bacon, once again, saves the day. The blending of bacon and corn, which Maggie discovered in her side dish from earlier this month, is a beautiful harmony of flavor that really brings out the best aspects of the coleslaw mix. What can be an underwhelming side dish is picked up by two simple ingredients. The cabbage within the coleslaw acts as a companion to the bacon, brightening the final flavor - simply put, coleslaw can move off my blacklist...so long as it has bacon and corn alongside it.

That's all we have for you this evening, but we've got a full week of cooking ahead. Maggie will be taking to the kitchen on Wednesday night with a uniquely Asian inspired dish, followed by a special post on Thursday featuring a simple and delicious dessert treat. Stop in tomorrow to see what's on the menu. Until then,

~Cheers

Bourbon, Bacon & Burgers...Brilliant!

Good evening everyone! First and foremost, my apologies for not posting my regularly scheduled recipe last week – we ran into a little ingredient difficulty (Read: shortage) and that forced me to postpone my dish into this week.

If you watch the Food Network with any sort of regularity, you’ve likely encountered the show “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives”. If you’re unfamiliar with the show and its boisterous host, Guy Fieri, the premise is simple. Guy travels across the country stopping at various diners, drive-ins and dive bars, looking for the best menus, great food items and unique culinary ideas. We enjoy the show simply because you get to see such a large cross section of American cuisine. There are those that find Guy’s passionate and catch phrase heavy presentation to be too much of a shtick, but if you’re going to let things like that bother you – your issues are probably more with yourself than with any host of any show.

Last month’s Food Network Magazine featured a burger from the show. The burger was discovered during Guy’s visit to St. Paul Minnesota at a place called Casper’s & Runyon’s Nook. This recipe blends some of my favorite things – burgers, bacon and bourbon -  and is appropriately called “The Triple B Burger” You can’t have a trifecta like that and NOT expect me to try it! Let’s get cooking!

The Recipe: The Triple B Burger

Original Recipe From: Casper’s & Runyon’s Nook (St. Paul, Minnesota)

What You’ll Need:

(Serves 6)

For the bourbon sauce:

¼ Cup Cornstarch

¼ Cup Confectioners’ Sugar

¼ Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

¼ Teaspoon Salt

¼ Teaspoon Black Pepper

¾ Cup Bourbon

2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce

2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup

1/3 Cup Sesame Oil

2 ½ Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar

1 Teaspoon Dijon Mustard

1 Teaspoon Minced Garlic

1 Teaspoon Minced Onion

1 ½ Teaspoons Tabasco Sauce

½ Cup Packed Brown Sugar

½ Cup Granulated Sugar

For the burgers:

2 Pounds 85/15 Ground Beef*

12 Slices Thick Cut Smoked Bacon, Cooked Until Crispy

6 Slices Mild Cheddar Cheese

6 Fresh Bakery Buns, Buttered and Toasted

* Many burger recipes call for 80/20 beef, simply because they want all of that fat to stay within the burger for a juicy finish. More fat means a greater chance that the beef will retain that moisture. I’ve found that 80/20 beef tends to cause more grill flare ups (essentially – grease fires) than it’s worth. By dropping the ratio to 85/15, I’ve reduced the flare ups and still manage to preserve a great deal of the burgers natural juices. For burgers 90/10 is typically too lean, but 85/15 seems to be the sweet spot (when using a grill at least).

In a medium bowl, combine the confectioners’ sugar, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper. Set this mixture of dry ingredients aside. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan or skillet (12 inches) combine the bourbon, 1 cup water, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, maple syrup, sesame oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic, onion, Tabasco, brown sugar and granulated sugar over medium low heat. Bring this mixture to a light simmer before slowly incorporating the dry ingredients with a whisk. When the mixture is well combined (no clumps or dry ingredients should remain) all the mixture to simmer for one more minute before removing it from the heat. Set this mixture aside.

Preheat your grill to medium heat and bring it up to temperature. Lightly season your burger patties with salt and pepper, then place them on the grill to cook for 4 to 5 minuets per side (medium doneness is achieved at this time, add time to increase doneness). 1 minute before the burgers are done, add a cheese slice on top of each burger and close the lid of the grill to allow the cheese to melt completely. Remove the burgers from the grill, add them to your toasted buns topped with the crispy bacon and a generous helping of the bourbon sauce. Serve and enjoy!

The Results:

Burgers with bacon and cheese are as guaranteed as death and taxes. It’s pretty tough to screw that premise up – so the real question is – how was the bourbon sauce? In short, delectable. The sauce was a beautiful blend of sweet yet smoky flavors with the undertones of the bourbon shining through with each bite. The harsh ‘bite’ that most people find unappealing in bourbons was gone, replaced by a sweet (but not too sweet) base from the sugars and maple syrup. Drizzled all over this burger, this sauce was simply perfection.

That’s all we have for you this week, we’re back next week with a few brand new recipes, including a dessert recipe that you’re sure to love. Until then,

~Cheers

It's Mag-potle

Good evening everyone!  As I was compiling my dishes (yes, there is more than one this week,) it hit me that both of these recipes have a restaurant equivalent.  By no means did I intend on doing this, it was a happy surprise, so I'll roll with it.  I am a big fan of Chipotle, but I'm often discouraged that their dishes are quite high in caloric count (and that's without any chips and salsa or a drink.)  While Chipotle is known for their burritos, tonight's recipe can be comparable to their burrito bowls (same ingredients for the burrito go in the bowl, without the large flour tortilla to wrap it in.)  Tonight, we're cutting the calories even more.  With more flavorful and better for you ingredients, this recipe can be made in a snap, without relying on Tex-Mex pitstop.

The Recipe:  Tex-Mex Rice Bowl
Original Recipe Found In:  Cooking Light, September 2013 iPad Issue

What You'll Need:
1 (8.8 Ounce) pouch precooked Brown Rice
8 Ounces ground Sirloin*
1/4 Cup Water
1 1/2 Tablespoons 40%-less-sodium Taco Seasoning
1/2 Cup frozen Whole-Kernel Corn
1 (15 Ounce) can organic Black Beans, rinsed and drained
1 Cup fresh Pico de Gallo
1 Jalapeno Pepper, minced
4 Teaspoons chopped fresh Cilantro

*We found that it's quite impossible to find sirloin that is comes pre-ground.  As Tyler has mentioned previously, that's one task that can be easily solved.  If the sirloin comes in steaks, cut them into one-inch pieces.  Place the sirloin pieces in a food processor and pulse six to eight times.  This will yield a similar result to ground beef.

To start, cook the brown rice in a microwave or according to package directions.  While the rice is cooking, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat.  Once at temperature, add the ground sirloin.  Cook the beef for three minutes or until browned, stirring to evenly cook.  Once the beef is cooked, stir in the water and taco seasoning and bring to a simmer.  Next, stir in the corn and beans and cook for one minute or until heated through.  Stir in the rice and stir until all the ingredients are well-combined and heated through.  Divide into four bowls, top with pico de gallo and jalapeño, serve, and enjoy!

The End Result:

This recipe tastes so similar to Chipotle, I bet you can't taste the difference!  Letting all the natural and flavorful ingredients shine through is the winning key for this dish.  Tyler and I both agreed that adding sour cream or cheese would have given this dish more quality of flavor, but it shined all on its own.  The healthfulness of this recipe is definitely the winning ingredient.  This "burrito bowl" is just over 300 calories.  In comparison, a burrito bowl, with the same exact ingredients, is almost 500 calories.  This recipe is a true winner for a fast, fresh, healthy dish!

Thanks for joining us tonight!  Check back tomorrow as Tyler presents a brand new burger recipe and I'll return later this week for a tasty and healthy dessert.  Until then,

~Cheers!

Sign Us Up for Fast and Healthy Mexican!

Good evening everyone!  As followers of the blog know, I have been on an avid quest to claim gold with the perfect Mexican dish.  The qualifiers for this dish would be a recipe that's low calorie, minimal time, and, of course, taste delicious.  Whether or not I felt like I have met this goal previously, tonight's dish has definitely claimed that title and I'm excited to share with you all!

The Recipe:  20 Minute Chicken Enchiladas
Original Recipe Found In:  Cooking Light, August 2013
(Serves 6)

What You'll Need:
1 Cup prechopped Onion
1 Cup unsalted Chicken Stock
1 Tablespoon All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 Tablespoons Chili Powder
2 Teaspoons ground Cumin
3/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 (15 ounce) can unsalted Tomato Sauce
3 Cups shredded, boneless, skinless Rotisserie Chicken Breast
1 (15 ounce) can unsalted Black Beans, rinsed and drained
12 (6 inch) Corn Tortillas
3 Ounces preshredded 4-Cheese Mexican Cheese (shredded Pepper Jack Cheese would also do in a pinch)

To start, preheat an oven to 350 degrees.  Next, in a large saucepan, combine the onion, chicken stock, flour, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, crushed red pepper, salt, and tomato sauce; stir to combine.  Bring this mixture to a boil over high heat and cook for two minutes, or until the sauce has thickened.  Carefully, spoon out 1 1/2 cups of the sauce mixture and set aside.  The sauce might be splashing on the sides of the pan, so I urge extreme caution while putting your hand in the pan to retrieve the sauce.  To the remaining sauce in the pan, add the chicken and beans and cook for two minutes or until the chicken is throughly heated.  Take the pan off the heat and set aside.

Next, on a clean plate, stack the tortillas and wrap the stack in damp paper towels.  Place the plate in a microwave and cook for 25 seconds on high.  Once the tortillas are warmed, you can begin to assemble the enchiladas.  Prepare a 9x13 inch glass baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray.  Spoon about 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla and roll them up.  Place the rolled up tortillas seam side down in the baking dish.  Once all the tortillas are filled, top with the reserved sauce and sprinkle with cheese.

Place the baking dish in the oven and cook at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cheese is slightly browned and the sauce is bubbly.  If you wish, serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprig or two of cilantro, and enjoy!

The End Result:

Out of all the Mexican dishes I created here on the blog, this was, by far, the best one I've made.  All the flavors melded together so well and it helps that the sauce was "homemade", not from a can.  Adding shredded chicken and black beans made the filling so, well, filling.  The cheese adds a bit of melty goodness that is undeniably Mexican.  Not only was the flavor incredible, but the caloric value really made this dish pop.  At 374 calories for two (TWO?!) enchiladas, this dish has won every round in my journey of Mexican recipe gold.

Thanks for joining us this evening.  Check back tomorrow when Tyler hits us with a brand new dish.  Until then,

~Cheers!

Tex-Mex Pizza...Like You've Never Seen Before

Good evening everyone!  As a notorious fiend of Mexican and Tex-Mex, my love for cooking and eating these recipes are often overshadowed by how long most of these recipes take.  The cooking time takes longer than I usually have patience for and I usually stuff the food in my mouth when the food is done.  But tonight, I'm whipping up a dish that satisfies that Tex-Mex craving, without taking too long to make.

The Recipe:  Individual Tex-Mex Chicken Pizzas
Original Recipe Found In:  America's Test Kitchen Simple Weeknight Favorites

What You'll Need:
(Serves 4)

1/2 Cup Sour Cream
1/3 Cup chopped fresh Cilantro
2 Tablespoons Lime Juice
1 (15 Ounce) can Refried Beans
1 Teaspoon Chili Powder
4 (8-inch) Flour Tortillas
8 Teaspoons Vegetable Oil
2 Cups shredded Rotisserie Chicken
4 Ounces shredded Pepper Jack Cheese

To start, preheat an oven to 475 degrees.  While the oven preheats, whisk the sour cream, one tablespoon of lime juice, and 1/4 cup of cilantro in a small bowl.  Mix all these ingredients until well combined.  Place this bowl in the refrigerator until the pizzas are ready to serve. In another bowl, mix the refried beans, chili powder, and the remaining one tablespoon lime juice.  Set this bowl aside.

Next, place four tortillas on a clean plate.  Brush one side of the tortillas with one teaspoon of vegetable oil.  Place the tortillas, oil side down, on two rimmed baking sheets.  Brush the other side of the tortillas with another teaspoon of oil.  Place the baking sheets in the oven and cook until the tortillas are golden brown on both sides, two and a 1/2 minutes on each side, five minutes total.

Once the tortillas are cooked, take them out of the oven and place on oven pads.  Spread a 1/4 cup of the bean mixture on each tortilla and spread until there is a 1/2 inch border around the tortilla.  Then top with a 1/2 cup chicken and a 1/4 cup cheese.  Place the baking sheets back in the oven and cook until all the ingredients are heated through and the cheese is melted, six to eight minutes.  Slice the pizzas into quarters and liberally drizzle the sour cream mixture on top.  Serve and enjoy!

The End Result:

All the ingredients work so well together in these individual "pizzas".  Starting from the ground up:  The tortillas become a cracker-thin crust and are crunchy, yet satisfying when bit into.  The refried beans serve as a good base, keeping all the ingredients stuck to the tortillas and they have a hint of heat, due to the chili powder.  The cheese definitely kicks the heat up, but not enough to melt any faces.  The sour cream mixture is the perfect element to cool this pizza down, if it does get a bit too hot.  With simple ingredients and differing flavor components, this recipe is ready to devour anytime of the week!

Thanks for joining us tonight.  We will return next week with new recipes to share.  Until then,

~Cheers!

Product Review: Dorot Frozen Garlic & Herbs

It’s probably the most common thing we hear from people when we talk to them about the blog, “Oh, I’d love to cook like that, but we just don’t do it often enough to justify the money for fresh ingredients” or, “I hate buying fresh herbs, I use half of them for one recipe then they go bad!”

It’s a fair point. Unless you cook for yourself 3+ times a week, many fresh ingredients such as garlic, basil, thyme, parsley – etc. will be bad before you can use them again. It’s wasted money and enough to frustrate many amateur chefs into simply not buying fresh ingredients or just avoiding cooking from scratch all together.

For years, we haven’t really had a reply to these statements. We could merely shake our head and say something to the effect of “Yeah, I can see that” or “Sure, if you don’t cook that much, it’s hard to justify the money”. That was before we discovered a new product on the shelves of our local Trader Joes. This product looks to fill the need of the at home chef who wants to cook from scratch, but doesn’t do it often enough (or in large enough quantity) to justify spending money on garlic and herbs that will go bad long before they can use them again.

Enter, Dorot frozen garlic and herb cubes.

We’ve tried our fair share of packaged herb products before – from pastes to different verities of dried, they each have their limitations. Dried herbs are great, but they don’t pack the flavor that fresh herbs do. Herbs worked into a paste are nice, but only if they’re going to be used IN a recipe (they don’t work well as a topping) and their shelf life is only moderately longer than their fresh counterpart.

That’s where Dorot’s products attempt to fill the void. They make fresh ingredients into tiny cubes, and then freeze them. The concept is brilliant – fresh herbs, but preserved for nearly an infinite amount of time so that any chef, no matter how frequently they cook, can use fresh ingredients in any dish.

The proof is in the pudding, as they say (note: don’t use these products for pudding, that’d be gross) so do Dorot’s clever little cubes solve the kitchen conundrum? We put them to the test, here’s what we found out:

The Selection:

Dorot offers a wide range of the most commonly used herbs and spices including; garlic, ginger, red chiles, basil, cilantro, dill and parsley. They also make a line of pesto and pasta bases, but we have not tried those products, so we’ll keep our focus on the garlic and herbs.

That selection covers the basics, although it would be nice to see Dorot expand into some of the lesser used spices, such as tarragon and sage. Since recipes only occasionally call for these herbs, it would be great to have a frozen option for them as well. Still, all things considered this product line should cover a majority of the at home chef’s needs.

The Flavor:

We’ve tested herbs in paste form before and weren’t thrilled by the flavor they delivered. After all, there’s little point in using a product as a substitute for fresh ingredients if it doesn’t pack any more flavor than their dried counterparts.

Our tests focused on the basil and garlic forms of Dorot’s line, and we were very pleased with both results. The garlic is on the milder side, but it still imparts great flavor into any dish with the same ratio as fresh garlic cloves (1 cube = 1 clove). We found that a recipe calling for 2 cloves crushed garlic could easily be covered by 2 cubs of the frozen alternative.

We found the basil to be considerably stronger than expected. They list 1 cube being equivalent to 1 teaspoon of fresh chopped basil, but we found the ratio closer to 1 cube = 2.5 teaspoons fresh chopped basil. That’s not necessarily a bad thing (you’ll get more value for your money, after all) but it does mean the first time using the product is a bit experimental.

Ease of Use:

Herb pastes have always been limited by the rather small area of use. They work well if you’re stirring the herb INTO the recipe, but if it’s meant to top the dish, they simply don’t cut it. Unfortunately, Dorot frozen line suffers from the same limitations. The cubes are packed with water and / or soybean or sunflower oil to help in freezing them. That means that as they ‘melt’ they take on more liquid form than dry form. If you’re topping a dish with a particular herb, you’re still going to want to turn to fresh or dried.

When it comes to every other aspect of cooking, however, Dorot’s products worked great. The cubes melt extremely quickly when added to a hot pot or skillet and once melted, they behave much like their fresh counterparts. Recipes that call you to cook the garlic until fragrant, for example, can still be followed to the letter. Simply add the cube, allow it to melt (20 to 30 seconds in our experience) and then let it simmer until it becomes fragrant.

We put these cubes through their paces in a multitude of recipes (Including marinades, pestos, sauces and rubs) and never once found the cube to be a hassle or hurdle to normal cooking. Simply pop the cube out of the easy to access tray and drop it right into the recipe. Easy as that!

Value:

Pricing may vary depending on your store of choice, but these cubes sell for between $2.99 and $3.99 at our local Trader Joes. Considering you get 24 cubes per package, that’s not too bad of value, especially since they last such a long time.

Final Verdict:

These cubes deliver on flavor, although we found the garlic to be a bit mild and the basil to be a bit strong – each was close enough to their fresh counterpart to keep the recipe tasting like it should. They’re easy to use and versatile, despite not being able to top a recipe, they will work in nearly any other cooking situation (even recipes that call for garlic to be rubbed across a steak – simply use the cube to rub – works like a charm!). With 24 cubes in most packages, this product will last you for months and you never have to worry about it going bad before your next dish – making these fresh herb alternatives a winner in our book.

Please not that we received no financial compensation from Dorot to talk about their product, nor are they involved with this post in any way. We simply found a product we liked that we felt many other at home chefs should know about and wanted to share our thoughts. The above post is our honest opinion of the product and nothing more.

That’s all we have for you this evening, we close out our great big week of blogging tomorrow night with a brand new recipe from Maggie. Until then,

~Cheers

A New Twist on a Summertime Favorite

Good evening everyone! In my opinion, summertime produces the world’s greatest vegetable – sweet corn. Sure, sweet corn may have nonexistent nutritional value but it’s loaded with delicious value (which is a metric I just made up). There are few things that can top freshly picked sweet corn, lightly glazed in butter, eaten right off the cob.

The only downside with sweet corn is from a culinary creativity standpoint. Other than wrapping it in bacon, throwing it on the grill or getting cute and slathering it in a medley of spices and herbs, you can’t really deviate from the norm of corn on the cob.  When I found this week’s recipe – corn chowder – I was intrigued; it took fresh summertime sweet corn and placed it in a form that I’ve yet to try (chowder) the only question is, would this new form still carry the great flavors of summer, or would we create something entirely different? Let’s get to cooking and find out!

The Recipe: Corn Chowder

Original Recipe From: Cooks Country Online

What You’ll Need:

(Serves 6)

8 Ears Sweet Corn (Husks, silk removed – washed, boiled and cut from cob)

3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter

1 Onion (Finely chopped)

4 Slices Bacon (Halved lengthwise, then cut into ¼ inch pieces)

2 Teaspoons Fresh Thyme

¼ Cup All Purpose Flour

5 Cups Water

¾ Pound Red Potatoes (Diced into ½ inch pieces)

1 Cup Half and Half

Sugar

3 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Basil

Begin by preparing your sweet corn the standard way (clean, boil for 5 to 7 minutes). Then, using a sharp chef’s knife or corn stripper, remove the kernels from the cob and transfer them to a large bowl. Don’t discard the cobs – instead transfer them to a plate until you’ve finished removing all of the kernels from all of the ears.

Once the kernels are removed, grab the cobs and use a butter knife to scrape off any of the remaining pulp left behind on each cob (scrape this pulp into a small bowl). Repeat this process on all 8 ears until you’ve gotten a nice amount of pulp (the recipe says you will get about 2 to 2 ½ cups of pulp but my experience yielded about ¼ to ½  of a cup). Next, take a kitchen towel or paper towel and wrap it around the pulp. Over a clean bowl, squeeze the towel until you’ve worked all of the moisture out of the pulp (once again the recipe claims 2/3 a cup of juice, I was closer to 1/8^th of a cup). Set this juice aside.

Next, melt the butter in a large dutch oven over medium high heat. Once melted, add the onion, bacon, thyme, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper and cook (stirring constantly) for 8 to 10 minutes or until the onions begin to brown along the edges. Stir in the flour and cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes (be careful the flour doesn’t burn or brown too quickly – if it is cooking fast, move on to the next step regardless of the time). Whisk in the water slowly and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, stir in the corn kernels and the red potatoes and return the mixture to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium low and let the mixture simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the potatoes have softened.

Remove 2 cups of the chowder from the dutch oven and process it in a food processor or blender until it becomes smooth. Then return this to the dutch oven. (This process creates a creamy base for the choweder, while keeping all of the great flavors we’ve been building). Add the half and half and return the mixture to a soft simmer. Once simmering, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the reserved corn juice from earlier along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Taste the chowder and add up to 1 tablespoon sugar as needed (don’t over sweeten if the corn has provided enough natural sweetness). Top with fresh basil, serve and enjoy!

The Results:

This is one tasty chowder! The sweetcorn blends beautifully with the red potatoes to create a dish reminiscent of 'fresh of the grill' summer flavors. I found the chowder to be sweet enough without adding any extra sugar, but your results will vary based on how sweet your sweet corn actually is. The one tweak I would make to this recipe would be to cook the bacon before adding it in with the onions. It never fully browns while being cooked this way and great crispy bacon bits would be a better addition than bacon on its own. 

That's a minor gripe in what otherwise was a very tasty and easy recipe. If you're in the mood for summertime's greatest vegetable, but don't want to prepare it in the same old way - give this recipe a try. 

That's all we have for you this evening. We're back tomorrow night with a product review that just may make the life of the at home chef so much easier. Until then, 

~Cheers 

Pastry Perfection

Good evening everyone! Just because we focus on healthy eating doesn’t mean we can’t have a little not-so-healthy fun every now and again. No matter your diet regimen, everyone has a soft spot for pastries. Whether they’re soft, crispy, flaky, frosted, cream filled, or just laced with sugar the humble pastry is a classic guilty pleasure dish. When you can make this dish yourself (and avoid all the ‘extras’ that mass produced pastries have in them) you’re better off. Today we have a delectable morning bun recipe that will satisfy your sweet tooth. It isn’t health food, but if you’re going to deviate from healthy eating once in awhile, you might as well enjoy it!

The Recipe: Morning Buns

Original Recipe Found On: Cooks Country Online

What You’ll Need:

(Makes 12 rolls)

For the Dough:

3 Cups All Purpose Flour

1 Tablespoon Sugar

1 Envelope Instant or Active Rise Yeast

¾ Teaspoon Salt

24 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter (Cut into ¼ inch pieces – chilled)

1 Cup Sour Cream (Chilled)

¼ Cup Orange Juice (Typically this is the amount of juice you can get from one orange)

3 Tablespoons Ice Water

1 Large Egg Yolk

For the Filling:

½ Cup Granulated Sugar

½ Cup Packed Light Brown Sugar

1 Tablespoon Grated Orange Zest

2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Begin by combining the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a large (1 gallon) zipper baggy and tousle the bag to evenly distribute the ingredients. Next, add the butter slices into the bag, shaking the bag occasionally to work the butter into the flour. Once you have all the slices into the bag, give it a good toss to cover all the butter slices in flour.

Next, lay the bag on the counter and use a rolling pin to work the butter slices flat and flaky. I found that simply starting the pin in the center of the bag and rolling it towards the front, then the back and repeating 3-4 times worked well. Flip the bag and repeat the above process. Toss the bag a few times, repeat the rolling process again. Once your butter is thin and flaky (you should be able to feel it through the bag) transfer the dough to a large bowl.

Work in the wet ingredients (orange juice, egg yolk, sour cream and water) with a large spoon or your hands (I found using my hands was easiest – albeit a bit messy). Once the ingredients are worked in, turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead the dough with your hands until the dough becomes one smooth, cohesive ball.

Next, take a lightly floured rolling pin and work the dough into a rough 12 X 20 rectangle. Once flatted, prep a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper and clear space in your freezer for the baking sheet. Beginning on the edge closest to you, roll the dough into a tight cylinder (use flour to clean up any sticky or soft spots in the dough). Pat the cylinder into a rectangular shape (essentially flattening the sides and top) then transfer it to the baking sheet and place it in the freezer for 15 minutes.

While the dough is “chilling out” (pastry humor!) you can begin working on your filling. In a medium bowl, combine the sugar and brown sugar and toss by hand to evenly incorporate. Next, add the orange zest and vanilla extract and toss to combine. Set this mixture aside.

Remove the dough from the freezer and transfer it to a lightly floured work surface. Use a rolling pin (reapply flour if it has worked off from the earlier rolling) to work the dough back into a 12 X 20 rectangle. I’ve never been able to get a perfectly even rectangle in the process, so I don’t have a lot of tips to help you form one either. Try to keep the shape as uniform as possible as it will make things much easier over the next few steps – but don’t fret if it isn’t perfect, mine certainly wasn’t and it all worked just fine.

Once you’ve formed a respectable rectangle, distribute the filling across the top of the pastry, leaving about ½ inch of space along all of the edges. Use your hand to make sure the filling is at even depth across the pastry – a thicket patch of sugar will make the next step harder than it needs to be and a bald spot (sugar free) will be disappointing to the final consumer!

Beginning on the short edge closest to you, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Work slowly and diligently to make sure the roll is staying tight. Once you’ve made your cylinder, inspect it to see if there are any large bulges (thicker spots in the dough will yield to thicker portions of the cylinder) and work those out by hand.

Next, use a chef’s knife to cut the dough in 12 evenly spaced parts (you can trim ½ inch of dough off of each end and discard, that dough is likely free of any filling). Place 12 aluminum cupcake liners into a muffin tin and spray them lightly with cooking oil. Transfer each slice into a cupcake liner (you may have to squeeze, squish or otherwise manipulate your dough to get it to fit nicely in the liner – that’s okay). Once all 12 slices are in a liner and placed in a muffin tin, cover them loosely with plastic wrap and transfer the muffin tin to the refrigerator to rest for at least 4 hours (up to 24 hours).

After the 4 hours are up, preheat your oven to 200 degrees and then shut it off once it reaches 200. Remove the plastic wrap and place the muffin tin into the (off) oven for 20 minutes. This allows the rolls to nearly double in size. Once they’ve grown the oven, remove the muffin tin and preheat the oven to 425. Return the tin to the oven and allow the rolls to cook for 5 minutes before reducing the oven heat to 325. Allow the rolls to bake for 40 to 50 minutes at 325 or until they turn a deep golden brown color.

Remove the tin from the oven and let the rolls rest for 5 minutes. After resting, immediately remove the rolls from their liners and set them on a wire rack to cool. Serve warm and enjoy!

The Results:

These rolls are certainly not the easiest thing to make (they’re time consuming to say the least!) but the payoff is of-so-worth-it! Because we worked the butter into the dough and left it flaky, the final dough is crisp and flaky, much like a croissant. The filling caramelizes during cooking, creating a very ‘cinnamon roll’ like flavor in the center of the bun while the bright citrus from the orange juice and orange zest pops in every once in a while to keep the roll from being too sweet.

All in all, these delightful little buns make for a great weekend treat the whole family is sure to enjoy! That’s all we have for you this evening, but we’ve got a lot more planned for this coming week. I’ll be in the kitchen tomorrow night with a brand new recipe that features summertime’s greatest food item. We’ll follow that up with a product review on Wednesday (I didn’t forget last week’s promise, the weekend simply got away from us!) and then Maggie will close out the week with a new recipe of her own. It’s going to be a busy week of cooking her at Out of the Culinary! Be sure to stop in tomorrow night to see what’s on the menu. Until then,

~Cheers

What Would Be Better with Fish? Bacon, of Course!

Welcome back everyone to another night of Out of the Culinary!  As we are still caught up in the bacon craze across this nation, there will always be new recipes using bacon to try out.  Some recipes make sense, like the sweet potato bacon hash - the sweet and smoky tastes amazing together.  But pairing sweet and savory flavors to bacon?  This definitely peaked my interest!

The Recipe:  Hailbut with Bacony Corn Saute
Original Recipe Found In:  Cooking Light, August 2013

What You'll Need:
1 Tablespoon Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
2 (6 Ounce) skinless Halibut fillets
2 slices center-cut applewood-smoked Bacon
2 1/4 Cups fresh Corn kernels (about 4 ears)
1 1/2 Tablespoons Butter
3/4 Cup (1 inch) sliced Green Onions
Lime Juice

To start, heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add oil to the pan and swirl to coat.  Sprinkle the fish evenly with salt and pepper.  Once the oil has begun to shimmer, add the fish to the pan.  Saute the fillets until completely cooked through, about four to five minutes on each side.  After the fish have cooked, remove the fillets from the pan and place on a plate.  Cover to keep warm.

Next, reduce the heat to medium and allow the pan to cool slightly.  Add the bacon to the pan.  Cook the strips until crisp, about four minutes total, two minutes on each side.  Remove the bacon from the pan and lay on a paper towel lined plate.  Once the bacon has cooled, crumble into small pieces.  Next, add the corn to the skillet and cook for three minutes or until the corn begins to brown, stirring to ensure no sticking to the skillet.  Add the butter and stir until the butter is mixed in and melted, about one minute.  Stir in the crumbled bacon and green onions until everything is heated through.  Serve a generous portion of the sauté with the fish, add a dash of lime juice over the fish and saute, serve, and enjoy!

The End Result:

The old adage, adding bacon to anything will make it better, is never more true than in this recipe.  While the halibut is fresh, it is quite plain.  The true star of this recipe is the sauté.  The sweetness from the corn, the crunch from the green onions, and the smoky flavor from the bacon, all cooked together, makes for one heavenly treat.  I mentioned to Tyler that I could have made a whole pan of the saute itself and it's wouldn't be enough.  All these ingredients alone don't make a whole lot of sense, but when they are mixed together, it sure is delicious!

Thanks for joining us tonight.  Check back tomorrow for a special quick hit from Tyler.  Until then,

~Cheers!