Sometimes when performing cooking demonstrations, we need to alter our plans due to supplies, weather, or other situation that is thrown our way. This past year, we ran into an issue with supplies. We decided to do an improvisational recipe and it was a tasty success! This was a change to a traditional dish and I liked it immensely and I hope you do too.
Ingredients
Cod Hash
2 lbs of cod, cut into 2 inch by 2 inch cubes
1 medium onion or 1 leeks (a mild onion flavored vegetable), diced
1 lb of carrots, thick julienned (size of twig or finger, but not matchstick sized)
1/4 lb of sweet potatoes, peeled and thick julienned
1 lb of red potatoes, thick julienned
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 sprig of rosemary
Kosher or sea salt (to taste)
black pepper (to taste)
2 tbsp of olive oil
Over medium heat add the olive oil. Once hot, add the garlic and onion or leek to flavor the oil. Once sweated (becoming transparent), add the vegetables and stir constantly for 6 – 8 minutes. The vegetables should be nearly tender and add the fish; the fish will not take long to cook. The dish is ready when the carrots and potatoes are tender. Remove from heat and let it set for 2 minutes before serving.
Ingredients: 4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 cup lukewarm water
2 pkgs active dry yeast
3 tbsp butter
Coarse salt for sprinkling
Soda Bath
1/2 cup baking soda
2 quarts water
Dissolve yeast in the lukewarm water. Mix flour and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Form a well in the flour mixture then add the sugar to the center of the well. Pour the yeast/water mixture into the well. Let it rest for 15 minutes before mixing.
Add the softened butter to the mixing bowl and knead everything to form a smooth dough. Add a teaspoon of water occasionally to get to the correct consistency. Remove the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.
Cut the dough into twelve equal parts, then roll each piece on the table and taper the ends; make sure you don’t roll it too small as it will break.
Close-up of pretzel.
Place the pretzels without covering them in the fridge for about an hour. This helps build a skin that will absorb the dipping solution better and make a beautiful shiny crust.
Preheat the oven to 400 F.
Note: an authentic German recipe calls for a lye solution, but baking soda is a perfectly acceptable and widely used substitute.
Fill large pot 3/4 full and bring the water to a boil. Carefully and slowly add the baking soda to the boiling water. There will be a reaction when the baking soda hits the water and it will bubble furiously for a moment and then relax. Stand back a bit just to be safe.
Using a slotted spoon, gently drop each pretzel into the bath for 10 seconds, then turn over for another 10. Astrid called for a total of 10 seconds only. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Score the dough once to avoid cracking, sprinkle with coarse salt, and bake the pretzels for about 15 to 20 minutes.
Handmade Mustard Ingredients 1/2 cup yellow mustard seeds
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (can be more or less depending on level of spiciness)
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp horseradish (optional)
Simmer the mustard seeds, water and vinegar together for 20-30 minutes over medium heat. The seeds should absorb most of the liquid and swell in size. Remove from the heat and add the cayenne pepper and turmeric (and horseradish) and place in a food processor until creamy (like peanut butter) and serve.
September 14 and 15, 2013 was love and romance weekend at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival. We played things up a wee bit and make two types of tarts and made a few other dishes too! Keep in mind that these are for two separate tarts (not combined) and you will want to divide up the crust in half to make two separate items. *Dairy free and Vegan substitutions are offered below
Pear Tart made September 15, 2013
Crust: 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp granulated white sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled, and cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) pieces (for a dairy free option, I use clarified bacon fat and for a vegan option I use coco butter)
1/8 to 1/4 cup ice water
Pear Filling: 3 medium pears
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp raw sugar
Directions for the Pears: Core the pears and cut into 1/4 to 1/8-inch slices. In a large bowl toss the pear slices with the lemon juice.
Arrange the pears in a in a sunburst on the crust dough, leaving a 2-inch boarder. Fold the border over the filling. It will only cover the pears partially and does not need to be even. Sprinkle with the cinnamon and raw sugar.
Bake the tart for 15 minutes, and then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, keeping the tart in the oven all the while, and bake for another 40 minutes, until the pears are tender and the crust is golden brown.
Raspberry Tart Directions: Place raspberries stem side down until filled in and sprinkle liberally with the raw sugar and orange zest. Bake at 450 until the raspberries crust is done. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
During Love and Romance weekend at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival, we decided to make the most decadent (calorie laden) and romantic meal we could come up with. Duck L’Orange and Potato Dauphenois. The potato dish has been a long-standing favorite of Alice the Cook’s and it was nice to show it off again. Ideally, the potatoes and the duck should be nicely caramelized on the top for appearance and taste sake.
There were no leftovers with this dish.
Duck ¼ cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons Sherry
1 ½ cups orange juice
2 tablespoons shallots, minced
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
4 oranges, sections cut from membranes
2 duck breast halves, seasoned with salt and pepper
¼ cup unsalted butter
2 tablespoons orange zest
Preparation:
The finished dish
Boil the sugar and water for several minutes, until the syrup caramelizes and turns a golden brown color. Add the vinegar, juice, shallots, and chicken stock and simmer until the sauce is reduced to a little less than a cup. Add butter and 1 tablespoon of orange zest. Stir in orange sections.
Before cooking, score the duck fat with a knife so that the duck fat made render properly. In a hot skillet, sear the duck breasts, fat side down, over very high heat until caramelized (not burnt) for about 3-5 minutes. Turn the duck breasts over and continue cooking for about 5 more minutes. Pour the prepared sauce over the duck breasts and continue cooking with the duck fat and sauce together for 4 more minutes. Take the duck and let it set for 2 minutes outside of the pan and cut on a bias, garnish with the sauce and remaining orange zest.
Potato Dauphinoise
Preheat over to 350 degrees F
3 lbs of red potatoes, thinly sliced
6 large garlic cloves, minced
1 large garlic clove, halved
4 table spoons of butter
2 1/2 cups of heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste
Place the potato slices into a bowl of cold water to remove the excess starch. Drain and pat dry with paper or cloth towels. Take the halved garlic clove and rub the cut side around a wide, shallow, ovenproof dish or cast iron pot. Butter or spray oil the dish/pot generously and blend the cream and milk together.
Cover the bottom of the dish with a layer of the potatoes. Dot a bit of the butter and minced garlic over the potatoes and season with the salt and pepper. Pour a bit of the cream and milk mixture over the layer. Continue making layers until all of the ingredients have been used, ending with just a layer of cream.
Bake for about 1 1/4 hours. If the potatoes are browning too quickly, cover with a lid or a piece of aluminum foil. The dish is done when the potatoes are soft and tender and the top is golden brown.
Serves 8
English Fish and Chips
4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into strips
1 cup of all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup of milk
1 egg
1 quart vegetable oil
1 ½ lbs cod
English Fish & Chips
Place potatoes in a medium-size bowl of cold water. In a separate medium-size mixing bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Stir in the milk and egg; stir until the mixture is smooth. Let mixture stand for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oil in a large pot or electric skillet to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Fry the potatoes in the hot oil until they are tender. Drain them on paper towels.
Dredge the fish in the batter, one piece at a time, and place them in the hot oil. Fry until the fish is golden brown. If necessary, increase the heat to maintain the 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) temperature. Drain well on paper towels.
Fry the potatoes again for 1 to 2 minutes for added crispness.
In the photo, I dusted the fish and chips with homemade curry powder and lemon zest. The photograph does not do it justice, it was very delicious.
**A gluten-free option uses potato flour instead of all-purpose flour.
