Oreshki – Baked Walnut Cookies Sunday, Sep 28 2008 

Desert and Russian and Ukrainian olga 6:57 pm

INGREDIENTS:

Filling:
2 cups finely chopped walnuts
1 can condensed milk

Dough:
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
¼ tsp baking soda
1 T vinegar
250 gr unsalted butter
3 cup flour
1 tsp vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

Filling:
Cover can of condensed milk with water, bring it to boil and cook on low for 3 hours.
When cooked, cool with cold water. Mix milk with walnuts.

Dough:
Heat over to 375 F
Mix sugar with egg yolks
Mix egg whites until they get foamy
Mix vinegar with soda
Combine sugar, egg whites, vinegar mixtures with flour, vanilla to make dough

Fill in walnut forms with dough and make it hollow for the filling later
Bake for 15 minutes, until the edges get golden. Let it cook off and use filling to put two shells together.

 

Fried Calamari Sunday, Sep 28 2008 

Appetizer and Seafood , olga 6:56 pm

INGREDIENTS:

Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
1 pound clean squid with tentacles, bodies cut into 1/3- to 1/2-inch-thick rings
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons dried parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 lemons, cut into wedges
1 cup simple tomato sauce, recipe follows or jarred marinara sauce, warmed

DIRECTIONS:

Pour enough oil into a heavy large saucepan to reach the depth of 3 inches.

Heat over medium heat to 350 degrees F.

Mix the flour, parsley, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.

Working in small batches, toss the squid into the flour mixture to coat. Carefully add the squid to the oil and fry until crisp and very pale golden, about 1 minute per batch.

Using tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer the fried calamari to a paper-towel lined plate to drain.

Place the fried calamari and lemon wedges on a clean plate.

Sprinkle with salt. Serve with the marinara sauce.

 

Fresh Strawberry Topping Sunday, Sep 28 2008 

Desert , olga 6:54 pm

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs strawberries, cleaned, hulled, and cut lengthwise into 1/4-to 1/8-inch slices
1/2 cup sugar
1 pinch salt
1 cup strawberry jam (about 11 ounces)
1 tablespoon lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:

Toss berries with sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Let them stand for about 30 minutes to dissolve sugar, tossing occasionally.

Meanwhile, process jam in food processor until smooth; transfer to small saucepan. Bring jam to simmer over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently until dark and no longer frothy, about 3 minutes. Stir in lemon juice; pour over strawberries and stir to combine. Let cool, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours or up to 12 hours.

To serve, spoon a portion of topping over each slice of cheesecake, poundcake or scoop of vanilla ice cream!

 

White Bread Sunday, Sep 28 2008 

Culinary Basics olga 6:53 pm

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons butter
4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 cup warm water (105 – 112 F)
5 – 6 cups all purpose flour

DIRECTIONS:

Milk + sugar + salt + butter = saucepan over low heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Cook to lukewarm.

Yeast + water = in the mixer

Add milk mixture + 4 1/2 cups flour

Use dough hook, Speed 2, mix for 1 min

Continue on Speed 2 + remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time

Mix until clings to hook and cleans sides of bowl = 2 min

Knead on Speed 2 = 2 min, until dough is smoth and elastic

Place dough in greaased bowl,cover, let rise in wam place = 1 hour

Punch dough down and divide in 1/2

Shape each 1/2 into a load and place into loaf pan

Cover, let rise in warm place = 1 hour

Bake 400F until golden = 30 min

Remove and cool off

 

French Vinaigrette Sunday, Sep 28 2008 

Culinary Basics and French , olga 6:51 pm

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup white-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

Whisk together vinegar, shallot, salt, mustard, and pepper until salt is dissolved. Add oil in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified.

 

Basic Stock Sunday, Sep 28 2008 

Culinary Basics olga 6:49 pm

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb Mirapois:
2 parts onions 50%
1 part celery 25%
1 part carrots 25%

6 lb fish bones (White bones only, no salmon bones)
parsley stems
black peppercorn
1 – 2 bay leafs
4 – 6 fresh thyme

DIRECTIONS:

Cover pot with cold water, bring to boil, 3 – 4 hours simmer

 

Fettuccine Alfredo Sunday, Sep 28 2008 

Italian and Pasta olga 6:48 pm

INGREDIENTS:

12 oz dried egg fettuccine or fresh
1 stick (1/2 cup) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (4 oz) plus additional for sprinkling
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Cook fettuccine in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water* until al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup cooking water, then drain pasta in a colander.

Melt 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) butter in a 2- to 3-quart flameproof gratin dish over low heat. Add cooked pasta and toss to coat, lifting strands. Add cheese, reserved cooking water, cream, remaining 3 tablespoons butter (thinly sliced), salt, and pepper and toss to combine well. Sprinkle with additional cheese and serve immediately.

 

Eggnog Sunday, Sep 28 2008 

American and Beverage , olga 6:47 pm

INGREDIENTS:

4 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
1 pint whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
3 ounces bourbon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
4 egg whites*

DIRECTIONS:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add the 1/3 cup sugar and continue to beat until it is completely dissolved. Add the milk, cream, bourbon and nutmeg and stir to combine.

Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat to soft peaks. With the mixer still running gradually add the 1 tablespoon of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Whisk the egg whites into the mixture. Chill and serve.

Cook’s Note: For cooked eggnog, follow procedure below.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add the 1/3 cup sugar and continue to beat until it is completely dissolved. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, over high heat, combine the milk, heavy cream and nutmeg and bring just to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and gradually temper the hot mixture into the egg and sugar mixture. Then return everything to the pot and cook until the mixture reaches 160 degrees F. Remove from the heat, stir in the bourbon, pour into a medium mixing bowl, and set in the refrigerator to chill.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. With the mixer running gradually add the 1 tablespoon of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Whisk the egg whites into the chilled mixture.

 

Duck A L’Orange Sunday, Sep 28 2008 

Duck and French , olga 6:45 pm

INGREDIENTS:

For duck
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 (5- to 6-lb) Long Island duck (also called Pekin)
1 juice orange, halved
4 fresh thyme sprigs
4 fresh marjoram sprigs
2 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs
1 small onion, cut into 8 wedges
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup duck stock, duck and veal stock*, chicken stock, or reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 carrot
1/2 celery rib

For sauce
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup fresh orange juice (from 1 to 2 oranges)
2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 to 4 tablespoons duck or chicken stock or reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon fine julienne of fresh orange zest, removed with a vegetable peeler

DIRECTIONS:

Roast duck:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 475°F.

Stir together salt, coriander, cumin, and pepper. Pat duck dry and sprinkle inside and out with spice mixture. Cut 1 half of orange into quarters and put in duck cavity with thyme, marjoram, parsley, and 4 onion wedges.

Squeeze juice from remaining half of orange and stir together with wine and stock. Set aside.

Spread remaining 4 onion wedges in roasting pan with carrot and celery, then place duck on top of vegetables and roast 30 minutes.

Pour wine mixture into roasting pan and reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Continue to roast duck until thermometer inserted into a thigh (close to but not touching bone) registers 170°F, 1 to 1 1/4 hours more. Turn on broiler and broil duck 3 to 4 inches from heat until top is golden brown, about 3 minutes.

Tilt duck to drain juices from cavity into pan and transfer duck to a cutting board, reserving juices in pan. Let duck stand 15 minutes.

Make sauce:
While duck roasts, cook sugar in a dry 1-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, undisturbed, until it begins to melt. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally with a fork, until sugar melts into a deep golden caramel. Add orange juice, vinegar, and salt (use caution; mixture will bubble and steam vigorously) and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until caramel is dissolved. Remove syrup from heat.

Discard vegetables from roasting pan and pour pan juices through a fine-mesh sieve into a 1-quart glass measure or bowl, then skim off and discard fat. Add enough stock to pan juices to total 1 cup liquid.

Stir together butter and flour to form a beurre manié. Bring pan juices to a simmer in a 1- to 2-quart heavy saucepan, then add beurre manié, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Add orange syrup and zest and simmer, whisking occasionally, until sauce is thickened slightly and zest is tender, about 5 minutes. Serve with duck.

 

Duck Breast Sunday, Sep 28 2008 

Duck and French , olga 6:44 pm

INGREDIENTS:

4 boneless 1/2 duck breastst, skin on
Salt and Pepper
2 Tablespoons Vegetable oil
1 teaspoons Fresh Thyme

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 425 F

With the tip of a sharp knife, lightly score cross pattern in the skin of the duck breasts.
This will help them render their fat and crisp nicely.

Season the duck breasts lightly with salt and pepper.

In a heavy skillet over medium heat in the oil, slowly brown and crisp breasts, skin side down.
Remove to an oven proof dish, skin side up.

Sprinkly with thyme.
Roast for 5 minutes for medium rare.

Medium Rare 140
Medium 145

 

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