I’m not sure why @chefsymon, the originator of this recipe, makes it outside on his grill BUT it made me want to try it.
Homemade Cream Cheese
Looks easy enough!
Prep Time: 15 min Cook Time: 20 hr 15 min Difficulty: EasyServings: Yield: 1 cup Source: foodnetwork.com
INGREDIENTS
1 quart (4 cups) cream or whole milk (or a mix of both)
One .05-ounce packet cream cheese starter
Kosher salt
DIRECTIONS
Set up your grill for low, even heat. If using a charcoal grill, distribute the coals evenly. If using a gas grill, heat both sides.
Slowly heat the milk/cream over low heat to 86 degrees F. Remove from the heat. Mix in the starter packet, mixing for no more than 15 seconds. Allow to sit at room temperature for at least 12 hours.
The next day: Ladle the solids into a cheesecloth-lined strainer set over a mixing bowl. Gather up the cheesecloth to cover the surface and refrigerate overnight, allowing the cheese to drain and firm up.
The next day, pick up the cheesecloth and pour the cream cheese into a mixing bowl. Season with salt and stir to combine. (If you’d like a firmer cheese, continue to press.)
This one’s from an old community cookbook. I’d made it years ago but had forgotten how good it was.
I’ve tried French Onion Soup recipes from Alton Brown, from the Barefoot Contessa and (gasp) the disgraced Frugal Gourmet, among many others. I wouldn’t have looked any further had I recalled making this version. Kick it up a notch by using bone broth if you’ve got it.
SO good. So EASY. So, what are ya waiting for, make it! 😎
Prior to adding the Parmesan…
French Onion Supper Soup
★★★★★
Soups & Stews, TRIED & TRUE
Difficulty: Easy Servings: 4
INGREDIENTS
3 large onions, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup butter
4 cups beef or vegetable stock (I used beef bone broth)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 thick slices of French bread
4 ounces Gruyère cheese, sliced
grated Parmesan cheese
DESCRIPTION
A delicious QUICK and EASY full flavored onion soup
DIRECTIONS
In a covered saucepan cook onions and garlic in butter over low heat 20 minutes or until tender; stir occasionally. Add stock and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 15 minutes. Meanwhile, toast bread. Top each with sliced cheese; sprinkle with Parmesan. Broil 2 to 3 minutes or until cheese melts. Ladle soup into 4 bowls. Top with a toast slice and serve.
2 (6 to 8-ounce) jars imported tuna packed in olive oil, drained
½ cup (¼-inch) diced hearts of celery
½ cup minced scallions, white and light green parts (3 scallions)
3 tablespoons minced fresh dill
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
¾ cup good mayonnaise, such as Hellmann’s
1 teaspoon anchovy paste (optional)
4 large slices bread, such as Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse Hearty White
4 ounces Swiss cheese, such as Emmentaler, grated
1 ounce microgreens
DIRECTIONS
In a medium bowl, flake the tuna finely with a fork. Add the celery, scallions, and dill, and continue mixing and fluffing with the fork until combined. Add the lemon juice, 1½ teaspoons salt, and ¾ teaspoon pepper. Combine the mayonnaise and anchovy paste, if using, and mix into the tuna.
Preheat the broiler. Toast the bread in a toaster and place the slices in a single layer on a sheet pan. Spread a quarter of the tuna mixture thickly and evenly on each piece of bread, covering the entire slice. Sprinkle the cheese evenly on the 4 sandwiches, covering the tuna completely. Broil for 1 to 2 minutes, just until the cheese melts and starts to brown. (Watch it carefully!) Sprinkle with the microgreens and serve hot.
🚨Full no-recipe recipe alert🚨 Speedy Fish Chowder: nyti.ms/2BGcxlP
Dice a strip or two of bacon if you’re a meat eater, or grab some butter if you are not (or use both if you are reckless). Add it to a Dutch oven set over medium-high heat and sauté with a few handfuls of diced onions, carrots and potatoes until the onions have gone translucent. Hit the mixture with some salt and pepper and a flash of smoked paprika if you have it. If you can find good corn on the cob, that would be a fine addition. So would a cup of frozen corn.
Do you have any fish stock? No? White wine? Surely you have water. Add enough liquid (of any combination of the above) so that the potatoes are almost swimming, then add a bay leaf and reduce the heat to a simmer.
Allow the chowder to bubble along until the liquid has reduced by a third and the potatoes are tender. Add a splash or two of milk or cream and allow it to heat and thicken slightly. Now cut the fillets into chunks and stir them in gently. Five minutes later: chowder. Serve with crusty bread.
3 pounds ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
1/2 pound cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped jalapeno pepper
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup good olive oil
12 ounces tomato juice
Salt, pepper, ground coriander
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 lime cut into slices
6 slices toasted French bread
Gazpacho Relish:
2 tablespoons each – small diced red pepper, cucumber, red onion and red tomatoes
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper
DIRECTIONS
Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor (except bread and limes), and puree until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl and refrigerate for 4 hours. Meanwhile prepare relish.
Relish: Combine and chill for 1 hour. Ladle out soup into pretty bowls, top with a large tablespoon of relish, 1 crouton, and a slice of lime.
I purée in batches …My tomato press separates the seeds and skins from the pulpChillin’ that first hour in the fridge. Yields about 2 quarts
I highly recommend THE PEACH TRUCK cookbook. Every recipe I’ve tried has been a keeper 😍.
INGREDIENTS
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup chopped fresh peaches
3 large eggs
¾ cup whole milk
¾ cup all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
To Serve:
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 cups sliced fresh peaches
DESCRIPTION
The author’s favorite recipe from The Peach Truck cookbook
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped peaches and 1 tablespoon of the granulated sugar and cook, stirring often, until the peaches begin to brown, about 3 minutes. Remove the peaches from skillet and wipe the skillet clean. Place the skillet in the hot oven for 10 minutes.
Blend the eggs, milk, flour, remaining 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, and the salt in a blender until smooth. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons butter to the skillet and swirl the skillet until the butter has melted. Pour the batter over the melted butter in the hot skillet without mixing it in. Spoon the caramelized peaches on top of the batter. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until puffed and golden.
Serve immediately, topped with a dusting of powdered sugar and additional sliced fresh peaches if desired.
Ready to pop back into the oven to bakeBaked and ready for the sliced fresh peaches and powdered sugar
I source my peaches from Dickey Farms as they are the only shipper that hasn’t disappointed me. Others have arrived bruised and mealy, but not if they are shipped from Dickey Farms.
Now THIS French Dip recipe for a pressure cooker is a KEEPER! It rivaled the taste and texture of a brisket recipe I make every year at Christmas (?!?!!)
Two caveats on the time. Meat must be room temp for 15 min before starting AND there’s 25 minutes to add to cook time in the natural release (steam).
I also chilled the dipping broth so the fat rose to the top for removal. I don’t find it palatable without that step.
The meat is tender as buttah and the flavor?? To-DIE-for. Never making a chuck roast another way.
Instant Pot French Dip Sandwich ★★★★★ INSTAPOT/Pressure Cooking, Kid-Friendly, Main Dish, Meats, Sandwich Prep 15 mins ∙ Cook 1 hr 40 mins ∙ Makes Servings: 6 sandwiches ∙ Source Number-2-pencil.com INGREDIENTS
2.5 pound chuck roast 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil 2 teaspoons of kosher salt freshly ground pepper to taste 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder 1 onion sliced 1/2 cup of red wine 1 14 oz can of low-sodium beef broth 1 dried bay leaf 6 soft rolls 3 tablespoons of butter melted 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder pinch of kosher salt 6 slices of provolone cheese DIRECTIONS
For best results, let chuck roast rest at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before searing.
Add vegetable oil to the Instant Pot and hit the sauté button.
Season chuck roast with 2 teaspoon of kosher salt, freshly ground pepper to taste and 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder on all side.
Using a pair on long heat-proof kitchen tongs, sear roast on all sides in Instant Pot.
Remove seared roast from Instant Pot and set aside.
Add onions to pot and sauté just until they start to soften.
Add red wine to pot and let simmer until reduced by half.
Use a wooden spoon to scrape up seared bits from the bottom of the pot as it simmers.
Once wine has reduced, add low-sodium beef broth and bay leaf.
Return roast to Instant Pot, close lid and make pressure release valve is set to sealing.
Hit Meat/Stew function and increase time to 100 minutes.
Let Instant Pot natural release for 25 minutes, then turn valve to venting to release any excess pressure.
Remove lid and transfer roast to a serving plate and shred.
Strain liquid through a fine mesh strainer and serve warm for dipping sandwiches.
Set oven to broil and place sandwich rolls on a baking sheet.
Combine melted butter, 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder and pinch of kosher salt in a small bowl.
Brush over rolls and toast 2-3 minutes, just until gold brown.
Pile meat onto rolls and top with cheese. Return to broiler and heat just until cheese has started to melt.
Top sandwiches with freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley and serve with warm au jus for dipping.
f you’re one of those people who saw the word “pickled” in the title and said “Ugh, no, sorry, not for me,” do know, I was the same not too long ago and encourage you to fight the good fight for as long as you can, because once your tastes cross over to the vinegar side, there’s little going back.
4 to 5 cups mixed slivered or julienned* firm, raw vegetables (see above for vegetable suggestions, below for slicing tips)
Optional: Few slivers of jalapeno
DIRECTIONS
Heat vinegar, sugar, salt and mustard seeds to a simmer in a small, non-reactive pot over moderate heat, stirring only until sugar and salt dissolve. Stir in water, which should bring the mixture’s temperature down significantly. Let cool to lukewarm.
Divide vegetables between jars. (I used two 3/4 liter jars.) Pour vinegar mixture over vegetables and refrigerate until needed. You’ll find the vegetables to be lightly pickled within an hour, and deliciously pickled within a day. They will get slightly more pickled as they sit, but the change shouldn’t be too dramatic from the 24 hour level.
Eat with/on sandwiches, aside grilled food and pack it along for picnics — it goes with almost anything. Then make more, because this stuff is habit-forming.
Do ahead: Mine have kept in the fridge for a month without any change in taste or appearance. Updated to add (thanks, Erika!) that you’ll want to make sure that your vegetables are submerged in the brine for them to keep this long.
* I used a mix of a sharp knife, a simple mandoline (that includes julienne blades) and a julienne peeler (the Kuhn one), which I was embarrassed to admit I bought last year until I realized how much easier it makes getting juliennes from long, thin vegetables (carrots, cucumbers, parsnips and zucchini). Don’t fret if you don’t have a fancy peeler or mandoline; you can cut thin strips with your knife, then slice them into skinny matchsticks quite easily.
Nothing says summertime to me like a garden full of basil. Here’s my favorite recipe for a classic Pesto (although I do substitute walnuts for pine nuts if I happen to have them on hand).
Quick work in a food processor
I love it straight up on pasta and even freeze some in ice cube trays, to pop into sauces come winter.
Let me know in comments your favorite way to enjoy homemade pesto.
Pesto
★★★★★
Servings: 2 cups
INGREDIENTS
2 cups fresh basil leaves
4 medium-sized cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup walnut meats (or pine nuts)
1 cup best-quality olive oil
1 cup freshly grated imported Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated imported Romano Cheese
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS
Process the basil, garlic, and walnuts in a food processor fitted with a steel blade – or in 2 batches in a blender – until finely chopped.
With machine running, pour in the oil in a thin, steady stream.
Add the cheeses, a big pinch of salt, and a liberal grinding of pepper. Process briefly to combine. Remove to a bowl and cover until ready to use.
Yield: 2 cups, enough to sauce 2 pounds of pasta
Freezes beautifully
After making the fresh basil pesto recipe pour it into an ice cube tray- in 1 ½ tablespoon portions. Top each cube with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Put the ice cube tray in the freezer.
After a couple hours the pesto cubes will be frozen, pop them out and store them in a freezer safe bag.
You can keep the cubes in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Pull out the delicious homemade pesto 1, 2, or 8 cubes at a time to add to your recipes.
Talk2USoon 