Christy and Kai Cook http://christy-kai-cook.posterous.com (well mostly Christy) posterous.com Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:30:00 -0800 Spaghetti Squash with Moroccan Spices http://christy-kai-cook.posterous.com/spaghetti-squash-with-moroccan-spices http://christy-kai-cook.posterous.com/spaghetti-squash-with-moroccan-spices

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From Gourmet

yield: Makes 4 servings
active time: 10 min 
total time: 25 min 
This is one of the few recipes that works better in a microwave than a conventional oven. The mild-flavored squash gets its name from the fact that the interior, when cooked, separates into a glorious golden tangle of long spaghetti-like strands. That intriguing texture goes well with a Moroccan-inspired combination of supermarket spices. The larger the spaghetti squash, the thicker and more flavorful the strands.

ingredients

  • 1 (3 1/2- to 4-pound) spaghetti squash
  • 1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

preparation

Pierce squash (about an inch deep) all over with a small sharp knife to prevent bursting. Cook in an 800-watt microwave oven on high power (100 percent) for 6 to 7 minutes. Turn squash over and microwave until squash feels slightly soft when pressed, 8 to 10 minutes more. Cool squash for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a small heavy saucepan over moderately high heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until golden, about 1 minute. Stir in spices and salt and remove from heat.
Carefully halve squash lengthwise (it will give off steam) and remove and discard seeds. Working over a bowl, scrape squash flesh with a fork, loosening and separating strands as you remove it from skin. Toss with spiced butter and cilantro.
Cook's note:•Alternatively, you can bake the squash in a preheated 350°F oven for 1 to 1 1/4 hours.

I added kale which worked really well and were I trying to make this more filling or into an entree I would try adding garbanzo beans!


Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Spaghetti-Squash-with-Moroccan-Spices-106168#ixzz1gYRkSzRT

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Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:22:00 -0800 Vietnamese-Style Spicy Dungeness Crab with Garlic Noodles http://christy-kai-cook.posterous.com/vietnamese-style-spicy-dungeness-crab-with-ga http://christy-kai-cook.posterous.com/vietnamese-style-spicy-dungeness-crab-with-ga

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons plus 1 tbsp. salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper 
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne 
  • Dungeness crabs, cooked, cleaned, quartered, and cracked 
  •  Vegetable oil for frying, plus 3 tbsp. 
  • 10 cloves garlic, chopped 
  • 1/2 pound spaghettini (thin spaghetti)-- I used udon noodles 
  • 3 tablespoons butter, at room temperature 
  • small dried red chiles 
  • 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger 
  • green onions, chopped 
  • serrano chiles, stemmed, seeded, and chopped 
  • 1/3 cup sake or other rice wine 
  • 1 cup basil leaves, chopped 
  • 1/2 cup mint leaves, chopped 
  • 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
Preparation
  1. Heat 1/2 C of vegetable oil, fry garlic until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Set garlic aside; cool and discard oil. 
  2. Remove dungeness meat from shells.
  3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tbsp. of the salt and the spaghettini. Cook until tender to the bite, 5 to 10 minutes. Drain, transfer to a serving bowl, and toss with butter and half of the fried garlic. Cover and put in a warm place.
  4. Heat a wok or pot large enough to hold all the crab over high heat (If you've removed crab from shells, pot need not be very large). Add remaining 3 tbsp. oil, dried chiles, and ginger. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add green onions, serrano chiles, and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt. Cook, stirring, until onions wilt, about 1 minute. Add sake and cook, stirring, until sake is reduced by about half. Stir in crab and cover. Cook until crab is heated through, about 3 minutes.
  5. Remove lid and cook, stirring, until any liquid evaporates. Stir in basil, mint, cilantro, and remaining 1/2 tsp. pepper. Cook, stirring, until herbs have wilted. Stir in remaining fried garlic. Transfer crab to a warm platter and serve hot, with garlic noodles.
Note:

Frying the crab first is optional and the recipe claims it adds superb flavor and makes the crabmeat more tender. If you choose to fry these are your first two steps.

  1. Combine flour, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. pepper, and the cayenne in a large bowl. Pat crab pieces dry with paper towels and toss (in batches) with flour mixture. Remove crab and shake off excess flour. Set aside.
  2. In a wok or large pot, heat 3 in. oil to 375°. Lay out paper towels for draining crab and garlic. Fry crab in batches (do not crowd wok) until golden, about 5 minutes per batch. Drain on paper towels.
  3. The results will be even more transcendent if you start with raw crab (get it from a fishmonger, and fry it a minute or two longer than cooked crab).

Sunset 

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Fri, 02 Dec 2011 23:41:25 -0800 Butternut Squash Soup http://christy-kai-cook.posterous.com/butternut-squash-soup http://christy-kai-cook.posterous.com/butternut-squash-soup
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Published 

September 1, 2011.   From Cook's Illustrated.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

For soup with intense squash flavor, many recipes will roast the squash to rid it of excess moisture and concentrate its flavor. But what if you don’t want to turn the oven on? For our soup, we start by microwaving large chunks of squash to hasten the cooking process. We then slowly caramelized the parcooked squash in a Dutch oven, much as we do with onion for French Onion Soup, until a thick brown fond developed. Deglazing the pot and scraping up the fond gave the soup the deep flavor of roasted squash soup in a fraction of the time. To further enhance the soup’s vegetable flavor, we chose vegetable broth over chicken broth and used an aromatic base of leeks, fresh thyme, and bay leaf.

SERVES 6 TO 8

Do not use prepeeled squash in this recipe. Our favorite vegetable broth is Swanson Vegetable broth. Low-sodium chicken broth can be substituted for the vegetable broth. If you use a blender to puree the soup, fill the jar two-thirds full-not more-and process in batches. Alternatively, use an immersion blender to puree the soup right in the pot. In addition to sour cream, serve the soup with Fried Leeks (related), which provide nice textural contrast.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 1/2
pounds butternut squash , peeled, seeded, and cut into 2-inch chunks (about 7 cups)
  • 2tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1leek , white and green parts only, quartered lengthwise, sliced thin, and washed thoroughly (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • Salt and pepper
  • 4cups vegetable broth
  • 1 - 2cups water
  • 2sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1bay leaf
  • pinch cayenne pepper
  • Sour cream
  • INSTRUCTIONS

    1. 1. Place squash in bowl, cover, and microwave until paring knife glides easily through flesh, 14 to 18 minutes, stirring halfway through. Carefully transfer squash to colander set in bowl (squash will be very hot) and drain for 5 minutes; reserve liquid.
    2. 2. Melt butter in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add squash, leek, and 1 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until squash pieces begin to break down and brown fond forms in bottom of pot, 10 to 13 minutes.
    3. 3. Add 2 cups broth and scrape bottom of pot to loosen and dissolve fond. Add remaining 2 cups broth, reserved squash liquid, 1 cup water, thyme sprigs, bay leaf, and cayenne. Increase heat to high and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until leeks are fully tender, 6 to 7 minutes.
    4. 4. Remove and discard bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Working in batches, process soup in blender until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Return soup to clean pot and bring to simmer, thinning with up to 1 cup water to desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste; serve with dollop of sour cream. (Soup can be made up to 2 days in advance.)

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    Fri, 02 Dec 2011 13:45:00 -0800 Cindy Ebert's Pecan Pie http://christy-kai-cook.posterous.com/cindy-eberts-pecan-pie http://christy-kai-cook.posterous.com/cindy-eberts-pecan-pie

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    Fri, 02 Dec 2011 13:05:00 -0800 Wild Boar Sausage and Wild Hedgehog Mushroom Pizza http://christy-kai-cook.posterous.com/wild-boar-hedgehog-mushroom-pizza http://christy-kai-cook.posterous.com/wild-boar-hedgehog-mushroom-pizza

    Brown the wild boar sasauge

    Carmelize diced onion (red or yellow)

    Cook the hedgehog mushrooms

    Spread olive oil and redpepper flakes on the dough

    Spread onions and mushrooms and boar sasauge on dough and sprinkle with grated mozzerella cheese

    Cook at 500 degrees for 8-10minutes

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    Tue, 22 Nov 2011 23:14:18 -0800 Juan's brisket http://christy-kai-cook.posterous.com/juans-brisket http://christy-kai-cook.posterous.com/juans-brisket
    Do not change a thing, make it this way: http://zambranoworld.wordpress.com/2010/10/25/briske/.  Juan's recipe, but our photo on his blog ;)

    Yoakim Bridge Cabernet Sauvignon pairs nicely, by the way.

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    http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/684362/kai-pt-patrick.jpg http://posterous.com/users/4wjDBTybubG9 Kai Harris Kai Kai Harris
    Mon, 21 Nov 2011 22:03:00 -0800 Acorn Squash Pizza with Bacon, Shallot Confit, Taleggio, Arugula & Balsamic http://christy-kai-cook.posterous.com/acorn-squash-pizza-with-bacon-shallot-confit http://christy-kai-cook.posterous.com/acorn-squash-pizza-with-bacon-shallot-confit
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    Ingredients
    • 1 small acorn squash, seeded & sliced
    • 15 shallots, peeled & thinly sliced (yes, this sounds like a lot!)
    • 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    • salt & black pepper
    • 8 slices bacon, cooked (we only used 4)
    • 8 ounces Manchego
    • 8 ounces Tallegio cheese, cut in thick slices
    • 2 cups baby arugula
    • 25 years old Balsamic(optional--ours was quite a bit younger, and cheaper)

    Preparation

    • In a medium pan, heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil and add the sliced shallots. Season with salt and pepper and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Cool before using.
    • Drizzle the acorn squash slices with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake until tender at 375′F
    • Place a pizza stone inside the oven and increase heat to 450′F.
    • Roll out the dough on a floured surface, spread out the shallots, bacon, acorn squash, manchego, tallegio and slide the pizza on the pizza stone, bake until golden and crisp, about 20 minutes. Top with baby arugula and drizzle with olive oil, aged balsamic and some black pepper. Eat!

    http://www.zencancook.com/2009/09/acorn-squash-pizza-with-bacon-shallot-confit-taleggio-arugula-aged-balsamic/

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    Mon, 21 Nov 2011 21:21:00 -0800 Pumpkin-orange cheesecake with chocolate crust and salted caramel http://christy-kai-cook.posterous.com/pumpkin-orange-cheesecake-with-chocolate-crus http://christy-kai-cook.posterous.com/pumpkin-orange-cheesecake-with-chocolate-crus

    From Sunset, November 2011

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    Ingredients

    CRUST
    • 1 package (9 oz.) chocolate wafer cookies 
    • 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter 
    FILLING
    • 3 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, at room temperature
    • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
    • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
    • 1 tablespoon flour
    • 4 large eggs, at room temperature
    • 1 cup canned pumpkin
    • 1/4 cup heavy cream
    • 1/4 cup sour cream
    • 1/4 cup maple syrup
    • Zest of 2 medium oranges (we used 1 orange and it was perfect for kai who likes zest and too much for me!)
    • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
    TOPPING
    • 6 tablespoons store-bought caramel topping
    • 1/8 teaspoon table salt
    • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped toasted pecans
    • Flaked salt* (such as Cyprus sea salt flakes or Maldon salt), for garnish

    Preparation

    1. Make crust: Preheat oven to 350°. Whirl cookies in a food processor until finely ground. Whirl in butter just until incorporated. Pour crumbs into a 9-in. springform pan and press over bottom and about 1 in. up inside of pan. Bake 7 minutes, then let cool on a rack. Reduce oven heat to 300°.
    2. Make filling: In a large bowl, with a mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese, sugars, and flour until smooth. Beat in eggs on low speed 1 at a time. Add remaining filling ingredients and beat until just blended. Wrap bottom of pan with foil, pressing it up the outside.
    3. Set springform pan in a roasting pan and pour filling into crust. Pour enough boiling water into roasting pan to come about halfway up side of springform pan. Bake until cheesecake barely jiggles in the center when gently shaken, about 1 1/4 hours (we cooked for at least 20 minutes more and it still didn't fully set. Trust yourself if you don't see the jiggle!) Let cheesecake cool on a rack 1 hour, then chill until cold, at least 5 hours.
    4. Whisk caramel topping and table salt in a bowl and spoon over cheesecake. Arrange pecans around rim and sprinkle flaked salt over pecans.
    *Flaked salt has large, hollow, crunchy crystals. Find it at well-stocked grocery stores and online.

    Note: For a fissure-free cheesecake, beat your filling just until it's blended--no more. (Too much air in the mixture will make it deflate, and then crack, in the oven.) Find pumpkin pie spice in your baking aisle, or make your own: 4 parts cinnamon, 2 parts ground ginger, 1 part nutmeg, and 1 part ground allspice.

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    http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1643801/PA010314.jpg http://posterous.com/users/cQcPVBm2MuoZk Christy Laborda Harris christylabordaharris Christy Laborda Harris