Crepes

When I was cleaning my grandma's kitchen I found an old crepes recipe. She had two different types, one czech and one french. They were both very similar ingredient wise but had slightly different proportions. I decided that I would make both versions and test them out. I made small batches of each, cooked them the same way and flavored them the same with a little powdered sugar. When I ate and made them I noticed some differences: the French version had a thicker batter which resulted in an eggier crepe. The Czech version resulted in a lighter crepe. After making and tasting both I decided that the Czech version was better. So the next time you feel like crepes, use the Czech version below. Or better yet, make both types and have your own Crepe Debate!



Crepes are great because they use very basic ingredients but they can be flavored in a bunch of different ways! You can fill them with savory items like herbs and meat or sweet items like jam and fresh fruit. I've even seen crepes stacked up and then iced and used as a cake. I love having this crepe recipe memorized in case I'm ever in a situation that calls for some quick thinking to utilize strange ingredients.


French Version
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
1 T melted butter, slightly cooled

VS.

Czech Version
2 eggs
pinch salt
2 cups millk
2 cups flour

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl or blender. Mix until just combined.

2. Put batter in the fridge and allow to rest for 1 hour.

3. In a small non-stick pan, add a little butter, allow to melt and wipe out excess with a paper towel.

4. Add a few tbsp. of the batter into the pan. (I used a laddle so each crepe would use the same amount of batter) Turn the pan until the batter is in one even, thin layer.

5. Allow to cook over low heat until slightly browned. Flip crepe over and cook on the other side for about 1 minute.

6. Stack finished crepes into a towel and keep in an oven at 200 degress until all crepes are finished.

7. Take one crepe, place fillings (sweet or savory) into the middle and gently roll up.

8. If using for breakfast, serve with jam and top with powdered sugar.

Paella

Paella is both a pan and the name of a spanish rice dish. To make paella you need a pan that is wide but very shallow, only 1-2 inches high. I found my pan at my Grandma's house and decided to make this dish. Once you have the method of a paella down, you can add lots of different flavors, meats, and seafoods to it. I tried to keep mine as traditional as possible but made a few tweaks. A normal paella uses bell peppers but since I don't like the flavor of bell peppers, I used a pasilla pepper instead. This dish really needs even heat when cooking. I suggest doing it on a large grill. I made mine on the stove top and was constantly turning it to make the heat even as possible so the rice would cook evenly. I think this turned out really well and I'm excited to make this in the future. If you're making it for a dinner party you can do through step 3 and then store the items. 30-45 minutes before you want to eat, turn the heat back up on the pan and continue with the rice at step 4.

Ingredients:

2 Chicken Thighs, cut in half
1/2 Polish Kilbasa, cut into half moons
1/2 large Onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves Garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 pobalno or pasilla pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
2 Tbs. Tomato Paste
1 tbs. paprika
1/2 tsp. Saffron threads
1 cup Arborio Rice
4 cups Chicken stock
1/2 cup White wine
4 Shrimps
2 Scallops


Directions:

1. Prep all ingredients. Clean seafood and chicken. Chop onion, garlic and peppers. Bloom saffron in 1/2 cup of stock. Etc.

2. Place 1 tbs. olive oil into your paella pan and set over medium heat. Add the kilbasa and brown sausage in pan. Set aside. Without removing any fat, brown chicken pieces (seasoned with salt and pepepr)in the pan. Set aside.

3. Saute peppers in the pan. Add onions and turn heat to low. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until onions are carmelized. Add garlic and cook for one minute. Add tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Make sure to scrap up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan while you're cooking the veggies.

4. Add rice to pan and lightly toast for 1-2 minutes.

5. Add white wine, 1 cup of stock and saffron mixture. Make sure to scrap up brown bits. Add enough stock that the rice is totally submerged but just barely. The liquid ratio will be about 2 1/2 parts liquid to 1 part rice by the end. Stir sausague back into rice.

6. Place chicken on top of rice. Make sure everything is spread evenly. From this point on, don't stir the rice! trust me! Cook uncovered over the stove on low heat for 8 minutes. The liquid should be gently bubbling up through the rice while cooking.

7. Add a second dose of the stock but only to where the rice looks dry. Add the seafood at this time. Make sure it is spread evenly around the pan. Cook another 8 minutes. No stirring!

8. Taste the rice once it's been cooking for 16 minutes. If it is not finished, add more liquid and cook another 2-5 minutes, lowering the heat. Continue slowly adding stock and cooking until rice is done.

9. Rest paella for 5 mintues with a towel covering the dish.

8. Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon and chopped herbs like green onion. I suggest serving straight from the pan, it's a very impressive presentation.

Compound Butter

A compound butter is basically butter with a bunch of other stuff added to it. It's a great instant sauce for just about anything! I served mine with chicken and mashed potatoes. Compound butter is amazing because it's really easy to make (all you do is cut and then stir). There are a million different flavor combinations that you can use. Here are a few ideas: use soy, ginger, and garlic to make an asian butter, use chili powders and spices to make a mexican butter, use fresh herbs and citrus for a mediterranean butter.

For the butter I made I wanted to echo flavors that were in the rest of the dish. I also wanted to make it have a really bright and fresh flavor so I used a lot of citrus. Feel free to get creative with your compound butter!!!

Ingredients:

1/2 stick of room temp butter
1 tbs. fresh thyme, chopped
1 tbs. green onion, chopped
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. lemon zest
salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Make sure your butter is at room temp otherwise this will be a lot harder to mix.

2. Cut up all herbs and other components of the sauce.

3. In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients until everything is well mixed.

4. You can use this instantly and spoon onto the dish or you can use parchment and wrap it into a cylinder shape and place in the fridge to harden. Then later, slice off medallions of the butter and top on whatever you are serving!

Salmon with Asian Glaze and Fried Rice

I wanted to try to make a new salmon dish. I decided to try an Asian salmon dish because I figured the flavors of the glaze would match the texture and taste of the fish. To go with it I wanted a quick side so I picked fried rice. (its posted under shrimp fried rice if you're looking for a recipe). To have everything come out hot I made the sauce first and then cooked the salmon. Once the salmon was finished I left it on top of the hot oven and whipped up the fried rice. The whole meal was quick and tasty!

Glaze: (enough for 6 salmon fillets)

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/8 cup rice vinegar
1/8 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/2 tablespoon fish sauce
1/2 tablespoon toasted (dark) sesame oil
1 teaspoons chili paste
1/4 cup sliced scallions (2 scallions)
1 tablespoons minced garlic (8 large cloves)
1 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425. Clean salmon, make sure all bones and scales removed. Place on a foil lined pan.

2. Combine all glaze ingredients. Pour one spoonful over each fillet and turn to coat so everything is covered. Place fish in oven.

3. Start preparing all the ingredients you'll need for the fried rice. Every 2 minutes the fish is in the oven, remove and baste salmon with more of the glaze. Do this throughout the cooking process until fish is cooked through, about 12 mintues for 1 inch fillets.

4. Allow fish to rest, covered with aluminium foil to keep warm. Fry up rice following my previous recipe. This will take about 3 minutes.

5. Plate everything together on a dish or serve on large platters so people can help themselves. Make sure to have extra lemon wedges for the fish!

Brined Chicken

Brining chicken and all poultry is a great way to make sure the meat stays juicy and moist. A brine is basically a mixture of water, salt and sugar. I think one of the most important times to brine poultry is the thanksgiving turkey. Since you're cooking it for so long the brine helps it from drying out. This is also a good way to store raw chicken for a few days and add flavor at the same time. I suggest brining it for 3 days but you can do as little as overnight or up to 6 days.

When picking what flavors to add to your brine, think about the final flavor you want your chicken and sauce to have. I chose lemon and thyme but you cuold add other fresh herbs and different citrus.


Ingredients:
Brine: (makes about a 1/2 gallon of brine)

3 cups water
2 cups ice
1/8 cup salt
1/8 cup sugar
1 lemon, sliced
4 sprigs of thyme

Directions:
1. Make Brine: Simmer 3 cups of water with salt and sugar. Stir until dissolved. turn off heat, add 1 cup of ice. Add lemon and thyme.

2. Add 2nd cup of ice and allow to cool to room temp. Add brine to bag with chicken pieces. Take out as much air as possible and store in the fridge until ready to cook.

2. Rinse and dry chicken thouroughly before cooking!

3. Preheat oven to 350. Heat a tbs. of olive oil in a pan. Sear both sides of the chicken until browned.

4. Place chicken onto a foil lined pan and cook in oven until chicken reaches 155. Remove and allow to rest. Serve with veggies and a sauce of your choice!