Category: Food & Wine

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baking ahead for Saint Paddy’s Day

keeping the spirit of Saint Paddy's Day alive!

Last year I posted my corned beef pie recipe and it generated much discussion.  Meat pies are very popular everywhere the British land and pop up often at picnics and special occasions. Most American’s are unfamiliar with any corned beef pie and this is why it is so special.

Laura remarked that she thought a corned beef pie appeals to women’s almost inherent desire for carbohydrates, vegetables and pastry, while men love the sheer meaty satisfaction. It’s hard for almost anyone to leave a meal of corned beef pie unsatisfied. The key to making a great corned beef pie is using the best corned beef ( I make my own), the best vegetables, a great gravy and a perfect crust!


This pie is now nicely tucked away … but I am sure I’ll have to make many more!

Roger

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recipe development

should I make or steal a recipe?

I have always learned in recipe development that many great works are made with much trial and error. However, like all great endeavors they are often built on the works of others. If you know what was in the mind of the recipe’s creator then you might understand some of the trade offs that went in it’s creation. Sometimes, the  today’s substitute has no resemblance with the original creation.  Chicken Tetrazinni and Beef Stroganoff are not the same thing with different meats and they never meant to be created with Mushroom soup.

Many recipes you find are the result of a committee. One chef says it should have this or that for ease in preparation, another will say that certain ingredients must be substituted due to cost and a few might throw in some products for no reason that they are a sponsors own preference. Why should we be bound by any of these constraints if indeed you wish to make something extraordinary? As said in the “Last Holiday”:

“the SECRET of Life is BUTTER!”

I would add, that it also contains wondrous cheeses, meats, cream and many long forgotten spices.

So, before you splash in that recipe some condensed milk, replace it with heavy cream … before you make that pie with cinnamon alone, think about how more delicious it might be with hints of nutmeg, cloves, cardamon? Have you ever tried ‘savory?’ or  ‘fenugreek?’ in anything?…  and there is so much more.

Enjoy the discovery.

Roger

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quiche me once again

it may be cold and wet... but it's time for Crab quiche!
Kristin had made a small request for a crab quiche, which was also her Grandmother Junes favorite as well and it gave me a chance to break in my new 12 inch deep pie plate. Oh yes, slight modifications to the recipe had to be made to accommodate the roughly 50% increase in volume! ( you can’t just add 50% to the recipe — check your results as you go along) And , yes, for quality control I had to ‘taste’ every step along the way!!

Here is the basic recipe for my crab quiche.

Kristin's Lunch of Crab Quiche
Lunch for Kristin

I changed the recipe slightly adding 10 eggs, sherry and Armagnac made an appearance and more ‘goodies’….

Bake something today!

Roger

PS… yep, I had enough leftover for a second 8″ pie!

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quiche me this morning

nothing like a homemade quiche to fill in those empty spots on a cold winter's morn

There was a wonderful French Bakery & Caterer in Santa Barbara who was extraordinary in many ways, but above it all was her wonderful quiche. Charlotte made a variety of quiches which I would purchase in quantity when my journeys would pass her way, often, I would make the trek just for her food!

I particularly enjoyed her simple — but mouth watering — spinach quiche!

Here is my humble salute to her wonderful quiche!

Enjoy each morning,

Roger