Experience the sights, sounds, history and community of one of the most magical places on earth - the Land Where the Smoke Rises - in and around Kinnelon, NJ
The Holidays bring to mind getting together with friends and family, not just over elaborate formal meals, but also over festive exchanges of delicious bite-sized delights that the French refer to as "amuse-bouche" or "amuse gueule". The following Smoke Rise Inn recipe from Chef George Tavolara for Lobster Cream Puffs - in my estimation - falls into that category.
Try them out and let me know if you agree...
Smoke Rise Inn Lobster Cream Puffs
For the Pastry
2 Cups Water
Pinch of Salt
½ Pound Butter
2 Cups Flour
8 Eggs
Melt butter in a medium pot with water, bring to a boil, add salt then flour and work the dough over a high flame for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and beat dough adding eggs one at a time.
Pipe dough out on to a sheet with a pastry bag about the size of a golf ball. Bake 300 degrees for 40 minutes.
Lobster Filling
1 lb of freshly cooked lobster meat. (4 1¼ pound lobsters will yield 1 lb of meat)
¼ Cup Diced Celery
1/8 Cup Minced Red Onion
¼ Cup Mayonnaise
I was reminiscing about fresh apples and apple-picking with our dentist, Paul Leary last week. In particular, I was reliving the amazing Fuji apples Ted and I had picked, at the Warwick Winery, that were so fresh they foamed when we bit into them...
We missed apple-picking season this year. However, based on this Washington Apple Martini recipe from the Smoke Rise Inn, there's possibly a way to relive those memories...
Washington Apple Martini from the Smoke Rise Inn
If you are looking to make an easy, sophisticated cocktail then this one is for you. This is certainly becoming the new favorite cocktail at all the chic Martini bars. It is so easy, and very versatile. Did I mention DELICIOUS? It tastes just like a crisp Washington apple with a kickoff course! 2 oz Crown Royal 2 oz Apple Pucker 1 oz Cranberry Juice Rim the glass with a mixture of two part sugar, one part cinnamon. Garnished with a slice of Washington Red Apple.
Let me know what you think of this recipe and whether it brings back good apple-picking memories.
What a difference a week makes... especially after ~16 inches of snow in Kinnelon [and ~30 inches for parts of West Milford!], which toppled trees and led to intense power outages. Assuming you are close-to-being-back-to-normal, I bet you're ready for this treat: Hot Spiced Cider from theSmoke Rise Inn!
If you’re fortunate enough to have a chilly weekend around Halloween, mix up a batch of Hot Spiced Cider. It’s a great drink to share while gathering with neighbors around the fire pit or while tailgating with friends at the game. This drink will set things right. 2 quarts apple cider 4 cloves 3 cinnamon sticks 5 shots Applejack or Apple Brandy
Heat cider with cloves and cinnamon, add booze and stir. Pat the rims of mugs in brown sugar and serve the cider in them.
Doesn't this sound perfect? I could have used some Hot Spiced Cider after today's delayed Halloween Parade and, certainly, after going trick-or-treating with Emma tonight.
I hope you are all safe and weathered the freak storm safely.
I love soups, particularly around this time of year. Chef George Tavolara must have read my mind when he forwarded this recipe for Apple Sweet-Potato Soup from the Smoke Rise Inn for us all to try.
Let me know what you think.
Smoke Rise Inn Apple-Sweet Potato Soup
3 lbs of Sweet Potatoes
1 Medium Onion Diced
4 Tablespoons of Butter
6 Cups Chicken Stock
6 Cups Apple Cider
1 Cup Heavy Cream
Salt & Pepper
1 Vanilla Bean
Bake the sweet potatoes in their skin, 55 to 75 minutes depending on size, until soft.
Remembered by those of a certain movie-going generation as a favorite of cannibal Hannibal Lecter, "I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti." -- there is more to the fava bean than just that, Sir Anthony Hopkins' approval aside. A late summer staple best eaten fresh, fava beans have a wonderful and unmistakable flavor, and they don't require much cooking either, unlike lima beans, which they resemble but do not taste like.
We picked up a few pounds of the bean pods at Corrado's in Wayne last week, which, for those of you who do not know it, is our best and most extensive source of fresh produce and and ethnic foods of all kinds at really terrific prices. [See our other articles about Corrado's: Foodie Destination and What a Great Place!.]
Our primary customer, who also approves of fava beans. although initially suspicious, helped us to double shuck the beans -- they have a pod which holds around 4 to 6 big beans, and the the beans themselves need to have their skins removed after about 5 minutes of blanching in salted water.
So, to the recipe, which we lifted many years ago from a Bobby Flay recipe, and which may or may not have changed a bit over the years:
Fava Beans with Lemon and Asiago Cheese
4 or 5 cups of fresh fava beans (2 to 3 lbs of pods) 2 TBS of fresh minced garlic 1/4 Cup of olive oil 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 1 Cup finely grated Asiago, Reggiano Parmesan, Manchego or other good quality grating cheese 2 TBS finely chopped parsley
After you have shucked the beans from the pods, drop them in boiling salted water (as for pasta), and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Drain into a collander and place in a bowl with cold running water until the beans have lost their heat -- do this fairly quickly since we do not want to cook the beans any further. Skin the beans by hand by breaking the skin at the side with your finger nail and then squeezing the bean out into a bowl. Add all ingredients except cheese and parsley, and mix well, then add the cheese and mix again, and add the parsley. Serve warm, but not hot. Adjust the salt level after the dish is warm.
That's it. OK, it's a little bit of work, but it's fun and the results are worth it.
The Smoke Rise Inn's Chef George Tavolara shares with us a perfect recipe for a gloomy hurricane day: Key Lime Tart.
I first tasted Key Lime (pie) in Key West, Florida, and couldn't believe my taste buds! Ever since, it has been a favorite desert. This recipe looks particularly yummy with the addition of almonds to the tart crust...
Key Lime Tart Crust Ingredients:
1 Cup of Slivered Almonds.
1 Tablespoon of Sugar.
2 Cups of Fresh, Fine Bread Crumbs.
2 Ounces of Melted Butter.
Pulse almonds with sugar in a food processer until they are a fine powder. When finished, add bread crumbs and melted butter and pulse again. Press into a 9 inch tart pan with removable bottom.
Key Lime Tart Filling Ingredients:
Zest of one Lime
½ Cup of Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice.
14 Ounces of Condensed Milk.
3 Egg Yolks.
Blend all ingredients until smooth and fill pie shell. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Let cool before enjoying.
Thank you, Chef George! I can't wait to try this recipe.
Readers, what might you pair with this Key Lime Tart Recipe? Let me know in the comments.
Are you ever in for a treat, thanks to Herb O. Fisher, Jr.: The Smoke Rise Cookbook from 1962!
Herb wrote me the following message:
Recently, I have seen several recipes show up on blog articles.
Well, are you aware of, "The Smoke Rise Cook Book"?This goes back to the very early 60s.
Mitzi Yucknat was Nana/my grand mother.
Jan scooped this up from a dusty file cabinet in our garage. I have not seen this in a gazillion years.There are sooooo many names of women that sent in recipes (looks like 96) that I recall my parents mentioning and were charter family members of the infant Smoke Rise. Many of them had young uns' that were friends of mine. There is even one from a fellow named Howard who was the Chef at the Inn, way back then. There are over 200+ Dips, Salads, Main Dishes, Side dishes, Preserves, breads and cookies, and Desserts.
HOF jr.
Thanks, HOF! This is truly amazing!
Here is the introduction from this cookbook:
The Officers and Chairmen of The Women of Smoke Rise will be glad to tell you that we are no ordinary women's club. The needs of our young, exurban community have crated a women's organization vital to everyone who lives in Smoke Rise. It would be a terrible bore for you and for me if I listed our many functions. Just accept my word that we are into everything. We begin with tots at pre-school age and branch out in an all embracing web of services and activities. Because of thise frenzied work-load, the Scholarship Prize Fund for the Kinnelon High School sounded like pure madness to us, a very new Executive Board and President. Our own budget is balanced by sheer ingenuity and the heroic efforts of our Ways and Means Committee. The Fund commits The Women of Smoke Rise to about $1,000 a year. Every year one student, graduating from Kinnelon High School and selected by the faculty on scholastic merit alone, will receive approximately $250 a year for the four years of his or her continuing college education. By 1965 our first prize winning graduate begins his college career at the school of his choice. This Smoke Rise Cook Book, an enormous project in itself, is the selfless labor of our Community Service Chairman and her Committee and all profits from its sale are dedicated to the Scholarship Prize Fund for the Kinnelon High School. Irene Meyer President of The Women of Smoke Rise, 1962-1963
And, here is Mitzi Yucknat's recipe for Stuffed Cabbage:
Scald to soften, one head loose cabbage
Mix thoroughly:
1 lb round beef
1.2 lb ground pork
2 beaten eggs
1 cup uncooked rice
salt + pepper to season
Fill each leaf of cabbage with above. Fasten ends securely so stuffing will not escape during cooking. Place 1/2 can of sauerkraut in the bottom of the kettle. Put stuffed cabbage on top. Cover with the remainder of the kraut. Fill balance of kettle with water. Cook slowly 2.5 hours
Sauce - Brown 1 large chopped onion in 3 T. bacon grease. Add 2 T. flour and 1/2 Tsp. Paprika. Pour over kraut and let come to a boil.
--------
Does The Smoke Rise Cook Book of 1962 bring back memories? Did your family participate? Which were your favorite recipes?
Sangria is a delicious, fruit-based wine "punch" with its traditional heritage well rooted in Spain. Typically Sangria is made with red wine, fresh seasonal fruit and a bit of seltzer water or citrus flavored soda. It is very easy to make, easy to drink and a huge hit at summer parties - even for those who do not necessarily like wine. While Spain is heralded as the creator of Sangria, countries all over the globe have adapted the recipe to make a fruit-filled wine beverage that is refreshing and easy to drink with a wide variety of foods.
One of the great things about Sangria recipes is that you can use a variety of different wines in the recipe mix. It's often wines that have not been finished the day before that find their way into a Sangria recipe, or wines in the “Good Value” isle of the liquor store that make for a perfect Sangria blend.
This Sangria recipe maximizes the fruit content and adds a new twist, using a white wine, instead of the traditional reds. Hold-on to your seats for a “Fruit Punch” like flavor that is perfect for a backyard BBQ this summer.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Smoke Rise Inn Sangria Ingredients:
1 Bottle of your favorite white wine (just as delicious with a good red wine if you so choose)
1 Lemon cut into wedges
1 Orange cut into wedges
1 Lime cut into wedges
1 Peach cut into wedges
1 Cup sliced strawberries
1/2 Cup lemonade or limeade
1/2 Cup Sugar
2 shots of apricot, peach or "berry" flavored brandy
2 Cups ginger ale
1 eight ounce can of diced pineapple pieces with juice (Optional)
Smoke Rise Inn Sangria Preparation:
Pour wine in the pitcher and squeeze the juice wedges from the lemon, orange and lime into the wine. Toss in the fruit wedges (leaving out seeds if possible) and add sliced peaches, strawberries limeade/lemonade, sugar and brandy. Chill overnight. Add ginger ale and ice just before serving.
If you'd like to serve right away, use chilled white wine and serve over lots of ice. However for best results, allow Sangria to sit 12-24 hours prior to consuming.
Thanks, Randy!
Where's your favorite spot for enjoying your glass of Sangria and savoring the sights, sounds and scents of summer? Let me know in the comments.
It has been ages since we had Mussels for dinner! Thanks to Chef George Tavolara's latest Smoke Rise Inn recipe for Belgium Mussels, we have an excuse to have them again. Yum!
Ted likes to purchase mussels at Kings in Boonton or at Market Basket in Franklin Lakes. Although he has never tried Corrado's in Wayne, he would buy mussels there. He stays away from Pathmark where he's had poor luck [e.g., 1/3 dead or extremely gritty mussels].
Smoke Rise Inn Recipe for Belgium Mussels
Ingredients:
18 to 24 Black Mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded 1 large leek, sliced and rinsed of sand 6 tablespoons of butter ½ cup of white wine 1 tablespoon of French mustard ½ cup of heavy cream
Are you ready for another summer cocktail recipe? Here's one for a Pear Tree Martini that Randy Polo from the Smoke Rise Inn shares with us. It uses St. Germain Liqueur.
Are you familiar with St. Germain Liqueur?
St. Germain liqueur is made from Alpine elderflowers and makes simply superb sipping by itself, but with a splash of Champagne or club soda, it’s a summer cocktail. Whether you’re headed to the lake or planning an elegant dinner, St. Germain elderflower liqueur is something special. The 12"-tall bottle is as stunning as any perfume bottle, and makes an impressive gift. In terms of new and exciting, when was the last time anyone had an elderflower martini?
The delicate white elderflower blossoms grow on trees at the foothills of the Alps. As pretty as they are to look at, they are actually edible—or at least, drinkable, when made into liqueur. To that end, locals handpick the blossoms, which are distilled in small batches into a 100% elderflower blossom 40-proof liqueur made by French artisan company St. Germain. Take off the cap and the lychee aroma hits you immediately. There’s a bit of peach, some orange that evolves to grapefruit, and also some pear.
Don’t just take my word for it. St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur was a double gold medal winner at the 2010 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. This makes it the new hot drink you can cool off with—straight up, on ice, or in the recipe below. Who would imagine so many exciting things from such sweet little blossoms?
Pear Tree Martini
1 ½ ounces of St. Germain Liqueur. 1 ½ ounces of Pear Vodka (Hangar One Spiced Pear or Grey Goose La Poire) ½ ounce Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice. A Dash of Bitters
Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled Martini glass. Garnish with a slice of D'Anjou Pear and a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg.
Do you enjoy flavored vodkas? Have you ever wanted to make your own flavored or infused vodka? Thanks to Randy Polo, Smoke Rise Inn General Manager, you can now make your own infused vodka. Here's the recipe that he shares.
How to make your own Infused Vodka at Home.
As many of you are probably aware, there are so many flavor infused vodkas on the market these days. From Peach to Cherry, Lemon to Lime, Apple to Orange just to name a few. What you are probably not aware is that infusing vodka is easy to do and can become as much of a hobby as home wine making.
Infusing your own vodka is the best way to add a twist and have a story to tell with every cocktail when entertaining. With plenty of your favorite vodka, a jar, some fruit, and some time, you can customize your vodka and make it your own. Below are some helpful and easy to follow steps to guide you in your maiden voyage in the sea of infusing vodka.
Step #1 Choose a Flavor.
Decide how you want your vodka to taste, and get plenty of the desired fruits, berries, peppers or herbs. Use the following guidelines for infusing one liter of vodka.
If infusing fruit, use 1-3 depending on their size. Aim for about two large apples' worth; one is usually enough for larger fruits (i.e. grapefruit), but you'll need 3-4 for smaller fruits (apricots, plums, etc.)
If infusing fresh herbs, use 1-2 fists filled with the herb, depending on its potency. Use about half as much of dried herbs or spices.
If infusing berries, use 2-4 fists filled with the berries.
If infusing peppers, use as many as you want. The more you use and the longer you infuse, the spicier the end product will be.
Step #2 Preparation.
Wash all fresh ingredients thoroughly. Slice fruits finely to increase their surface area and speed up the infusion, removing any pits, seeds, or stems. Leave berries whole, but bruise by very gently squeezing them and remove any stems. Crush herbs gently, as it will help to release their flavor. Place all of your ingredients together in a clean, airtight container (glass works best). The relative proportions of each ingredient, if you're using more than one, are a matter of personal preference.
Step #3 Infuse!
Fill the container with vodka, seal it, and put it someplace safe and away from direct sunlight. (Very Important)
Step #4 Wait.
The timing isn't scientific but most recipes will infuse within two to five days. Generally, citrus fruits or strongly flavored ingredients will infuse more quickly, but softly flavored or fibrous ingredients (vanilla beans or fresh ginger) may need up to a week or more. Luckily, you need not do anything but ignore the jar. Some advice will recommend two weeks or more infusion time, but this is only necessary for a large restaurant-size batch. A week is plenty of time for a liter of vodka to infuse properly.
Step #5 Sample and enjoy!
The first few batches you make may not taste the best, but with practice you will get the hang of it. Drink, adjust, and try again!
----- Thank you, Randy, for this Smoke Rise Inn recipe! I've been thinking about several infused vodkas that I made a [long] while back - one with the most aromatic cantaloupe I had ever tasted and another with jalapeños... They were terrific and made for great stories. Time to recreate those infused vodkas!
What is your favorite infused vodka flavor? Let me know in the comments. Tell me, too, about your success with this recipe. Did you use fruit, berries, herbs or peppers?
Now my version of this Salsa quadruples all of the quantities and adds 1 large red onion in a small dice, about 2 cups. You could also add 2 cups of finely chopped green onion. And I did this because ... I am not using it as a topping but as an actual side dish that has to stand up to the Spicy Asian Glaze on Pork Spare Ribs.
Ted's Version of the MCS Salsa
SR Inn Mango-Cucumber Salsa (Ted's recipe uses 4X these quantites)
1 Cup Small Diced and Seeded English Cucumber
1 Cup Small Diced Mango
2 TSP Chopped Cilantro
3 TBSP Lime Juice
3 TBSP Salad Oil
1 Vanilla Bean
¼ Cup Small Diced Red Pepper
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Split and scrape vanilla bean in to mixing bowl and combine with lime juice, salad oil and a pitch of salt and pepper. Toss in Mango, Cucumber, Cilantro and Red Pepper. Let mixture sit for one hour as flavors develop. Use as a topping for your favorite fish, especially tuna or halibut.
I did not have a vanilla bean, surprise, surprise, so I made the salsa without it -- probably kept it from being the last word in haute cuisine salsa, but I thought it was great.
How To Slice/Dice Mango
Slice the Mango from the Pit
You want to get a mango that is ripe but still firm, so you can cut and dice it without it turning to mush.
The best way to break down the mango is to use a very sharp knife and slide it along the very flat pit from one end of the mango to the other, taking the top of the mango off and leaving the bare-sided pit with the balance of the mango.
You then turn the mango over and repeat. Once both sides are cut free, take a large metal serving spoon and slide it between the skin and the flesh much as you would scoop out the flesh of an avocado.
Then you can halve the flesh along the flat again, cut into slender strips, and then across the strips for the dice. OK.
So I am serving the SAG Ribs and the MC Salsa with Jasmine Lemon Rice cooked semi-Persian style. Here is my Microwave Rice Cooker Recipe:
Jasmine Lemon Rice
2 cups Jasmine Rice ( I use Carolina Brand Jasmine Rice) 1 cup finely diced Vidalia or other Sweet Onion Zest of 1 large Lemon finely grated (yellow part only!!!) 1 TBS fresh Lemon Juice 1 rounded TBS powdered Chicken Stock 3 TBS melted Salted Butter 2-1/2 cups Water
In my microwave, I cook this all together in the rice cooker for 16 minutes at high power, although your microwave may take a longer or shorter time depending on its power. I then fluff the rice and mix it well, recover it, and let it sit for 5 or more minutes before serving.
The whole thing is not complete without something fun to drink -- this weekend we made a tart and refreshing fruit punch based on White Zinfandel:
Ted's White Zin Fruit Punch
1-1/2 liter bottle White zinfandel of Choice 2 Nectarines Sliced fairly thinly 2 Plums Sliced fairly thinly 1 whole Orange (or Tangerine, etc.) sliced in 1/4 " rounds 1 Lemon sliced in 1/4 " rounds 6 good sized Strawberries quartered 1 cup less or more to taste Chef George's Mint Lime Simple Syrup -- SR Mojito Recipe May 27th
1 Cup Small Diced and Seeded English Cucumber
1 Cup Small Diced Mango
2 TSP Chopped Cilantro
3 TBSP Lime Juice
3 TBSP Salad Oil
1 Vanilla Bean
¼ Cup Small Diced Red Pepper
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Split and scrape vanilla bean in to mixing bowl and combine with lime juice, salad oil and a pitch of salt and pepper. Toss in Mango, Cucumber, Cilantro and Red Pepper. Let mixture sit for one hour as flavors develop. Use as a topping for your favorite fish, especially tuna or halibut.
I think this is a great side as well for spicier summer food such as BBQ, since the bright flavor of the lime and mango will balance the heavier and meaty flavors of, for example ribs with the SR Inn Spicy Asian Glaze.
In any case, tomorrow I will discuss making it and how I altered the recipe. That's allowed, you know!
OK, I cheated here -- I did not saute the garlic and ginger or bring the whole thing to a boil. I just mixed it all up and tasted it -- tasted great! -- and relied on the fact that when basting the meat, the sauce would get cooked! So, there!
The Spicy Asian Glaze I have used on Pork Spare Ribs, which I found on sale at Stop and Shop, but BJ's almost always has them at a great price. I like to give the ribs a dry rub 24 hours before grilling or baking them, which adds a lot to the flavor of the finished dish and manages to get into the meat of the rib a bit better than just the glaze alone.
Here are 2 very basic Dry Rub Recipes that are fine for this purpose:
optional -- add the dried and ground pepper of your choice, e.g., Chipotle peppers --dried and smoked jalapeno peppers, and/or ancho peppers -- tastes like spicy raisins
or, you could add your Hot Sauce of Choice -- I like my own Habanero Gold!
Lightly coat both sides of the ribs with the Sweet Dry Rub and add the Chipotle and Ancho pepper if you wish, and place on a sheet pan in the fridge over night.
The ribs I have here are trimmed in a "St Louis" cut which means they are more uniform and look more like Baby Back ribs -- which will cut down on the cooking time a bit -- and by the way, you could just as well be using Baby Backs for this recipe.
The next day, if you are that patient, preheat the oven to 300 degrees and bake the ribs for about 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until there is 1/4" of bone showing at ends.
Then begin basting the ribs with the SAG every 10 minutes or so, 3 times until you have a nice coating.
We have 2 more great summer recipes for the home kitchen from Chef George Tavolara to share with all of you -- a Spicy Asian Glaze or BBQ Sauce and a Mango Cucumber Salsa -- both great for the upcoming 4thofJuly Holiday or anytime in warmer weather.
This post begins a 4 part series of articles, the first and the 3rd of which release the recipe, and the 2nd and 4th with my execution of them. Did that come out wrong? I mean, I am going to make the recipes!
SR Inn Spicy Asian Glaze
2 Cups Hoisin Sauce
2 TBSP Freshly Chopped Ginger
1 TBSP Freshly Chopped Garlic
¼ Cup Soy Sauce
¼ Cup Rice Wine Vinegar
1/8 Cup Honey
4 TBSP Chile Paste (Easily found in most Asian Markets)
1 TBSP Vegetable Oil
This is a pretty easy recipe to follow, even for me, and I expect to have good results to show -- actually I cheated, and I already have good results to show based on the impartial judgment of Emma and Christine -- which I will post in a few days.
Yes! This is indeed our 3rd post on The Smoke Rise Inn, and the first recipe that Chef George Tavolara shares with us!
With most people grilling this weekend we felt a marinade would be a good first recipe. Below is Chef George'sTuscan Marinade which, according to Randy Polo, the Smoke Rise Inn General Manager, is great for steak, chicken or even vegetables.
Ted notes that toasting the Garlic in olive oil means just simmering the crushed garlic on medium heat until the barest hint of golden color appears, and not beyond, which will only take a couple of minutes.
You can make this marinade in larger quantities and store it safely refrigerated for several months.
1 cup Olive Oil
1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar
6 Cloves of Garlic, crushed
3 Sprigs of fresh Rosemary
1 Sprig of fresh Thyme
1 ts of salt
1 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes
Toast the garlic in the olive oil, then add herbs and red pepper flake to mixture. Mix with vinegar and season with salt. Add to steak, chicken or vegetables and allow 12 to 24 hours of marinading time before using. Ted suggests using a ziploc bag to marinate your food in, and to remember to squeeze as much air out of the bag as you can to keep the marinade in contact with the food.
Thanks, Chef George!
Happy Grilling, Bon Appetit and Happy Memorial Day!
Buffalo Wings, Hot Wingz, Deep-Fried Wings, Baked Wings, Pan-Fried Wings -- I like 'em. I like 'em cooked lots of different ways, but while I like the crisp outside, I do not like a crisp inside. The inside I want juicy and tender. Too often I get crispy critters all the way through. What to do?
The trick is to slow-cook for about and hour and then fast-cook for the brief period of time required to crisp up the skin. And I like a sweet wing, so I make them with honey, but I do think the classic "Buffalo Wing" sauce has a good idea mixing Hot Sauce with Butter, so I do that, too. But I go further yet, and I add Ancho and Chipotle Chile Powder, as well as Paprika.
I'm not big on the classic Buffalo style celery and blue cheese, 'cause I don't think the wings need anything else but the Wings and the Sauce.
Near us, we can get a 10 lb bag of frozen Tyson wings for $20 at our local BJ's, and they're good for this, since they are big, and big helps keep the wings tender, and of course, there's more to eat!
Ted's Hot WingZ:
3-1/2 lbs of Chicken Wings, jointed, tips reserved for stock! 1 cup Clover Honey 1/4 lb / 1 stick Salted Butter 4 TBS Ancho Chile Powder 1 TBS Chipotle Chile Powder 2 TBS Fresh (not 4 year old) Sweet Paprika Hot Sauce of choice, optional (I like mine -- see www.srfreshhotsauce.com) Salt Pepper
Melt the butter and mix with the honey and Chile Powders, and add Hot Sauce to taste.
Preheat the oven to 275 DEG, and lay out the wings on the bottom of a rimmed baking sheet or a broiler pan. Salt and Pepper the top side to taste. Bake for 1 hour. Remove and turn the wings.
Raise the temperature of the oven to 400 DEG with convection or 450 without and put the wings back in the oven until the skin starts to brown and crisp, about 10 minutes. Turn the wings again, and brown for an additional 5 minutes or time required.
Remove pan and pour Honey Mixture all over wings, taking care to turn wings in sauce to cover.
Replace in oven until Honey Mixture begins to bubble and thicken, and wings are a good, medium brown.
Remove from oven, let cool a bit, and pour remaining sauce over wings in serving bowl.
And we especially like the cookies we make ourselves.
Because, if we do say so ourselves, these cookies are REALLY GOOD!
Our current pleasure and satisfaction with cookies started out just the other way around -- we did not like most of the commercial cookies we bought and didn't like the cookie dough-in-a-log cookies from the refrigerated section of the supermarket. They had a funny taste.
And as much as we cook and like to cook, we are not bakers. So .. what to do?
But we decided, after all, how hard could it be? They're just cookies, right?
The internet is FULL of recipes for cookies, so we decided to start with well-recognized recipe sources like Food Network, Nestle (Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies, don't you know?), Epicurious, Martha Stewart, and so on.
And we discovered that there are only so many basic recipes, and most are more similar than they are different.
Our current favorites include:
Ranger Cookie Variation (no coconut), other ad-ins:
2 cups All-Purpose Flour 1 TSP Salt 1 TSP Baking Soda 2 sticks, 1/2 lb Unsalted Butter at room temperature (you can nuke it soft -- do not melt it) 2 TSP Vanilla (the real stuff, not artificial) 1 cup refined White Sugar 1 cup light or dark Brown Sugar 2 Beaten Eggs 1-1/2 cups crushed Corn Flakes 1-1/2 cups Quick Oatmeal -- optional 2 cups dried Cranberries 2 cups chopped Walnuts 1 cup Nestle Heat Bar crushed Toffee and Milk Chocolate 1 cup Nestle or preferably Ghirardelli White Chocolate
The last 2 items are available in the Baking Section of your supermarket. If you don't like nuts, leave 'em out -- same for any of the other ingredients
Mix the first 3 ingredients together in a mixing bowl, reserve, and add the next 4 ingredients to another mixing bowl and roughly mix by hand/spoon, then switch to a hand mixer or stand mixer and mix for 1 to 2 minutes or until the mixture lightens in color noticeably. Then add the beaten ages and continue mixing for another minute or 2 until well incorporated..
Add the flour, salt, baking soda mixture to the sugar, butter, etc. mixture and fold/mix together for a couple of minutes with a big spoon or a silicone spatula -- you hand or stand mixer will have a tough time with the mixture as it becomes increasingly stiff.
Add the Corn Flakes and optional Oatmeal (if you want), and mix again until well incorporated.
Last but not least add the remaining 4 items, Cranberries, Walnuts, Toffee, White Chocolate and mix again. The cookie dough mixture will be VERY stiff by now. Persevere! It's worth it.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees, and grab your biggest sheet pan(s). If you have parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, so much the better, but the plain baking sheet will be fine. You will just have to do more pan cleaning between batches.
Drop large golf ball sized spoons of cookie dough 3 inches or so apart onto the pan or use wet hands so the dough will not stick, and then with a wet spoon or hand, lightly flatten each ball to about 1/2 an inch thick.
Bake in the middle of the oven for anywhere from 15 to 22 minutes according to your oven and personal taste. I like well-cooked cookies, and my oven runs a little cool, so I bake them for about 20 minutes.
The will be great from about 15 minutes after removal from the oven, but best the next day.
Pizza! Pizza! Pizza! Specifically, Real Chicago Pizza! In Kinnelon no less!
Of course,you have to make it yourself...
Oh, I like all kinds of Pizza.
NY style, thin crust, fold-each-slice-in-half pizza.
Napoli style Margherita with only the most artisanal ingredients.
Yes. I like them all.
But, I have a special place in my heart for the real, original, Chicago style pizza that came out of the real original Pizzeria Uno and Due in Chicago in the Fifties, Sixties and Seventies, before all of the Uno’s Chicago Grill nonsense and fake Chicago style pizza in every mall. That stuff gives real Chicago Pizza a bad name.
They say Lou Malnati’s in Chicago is good, don’t know -- haven’t been there, but it could be, ‘cause Rudy Malnati, the father, was the original chef at Pizzeria Uno back in the day.
Anyway, I have tried to reproduce the crust and flavor for-it-seems-like-forever, with tasty and edible results, but NO SUCCESS, until NOW.
I have always known the crust is very short, that is, high in oil, and not much leavened, that is low in yeast, but I did run across a number of recipes on the ‘net which now bring me to within a hairsbreadth of the real thing, or, anyway, as real as several decades of distant memory will allow.
The real Chicago crust is somewhere between a pie crust and and a biscuit, I think, flaky, with a good crunch on the bottom, and little crumbly up from the bottom.
I am going to share this recipe with you all in the hopes that you will make it and I will get feedback! I do hope it is liked, but I would appreciate any suggestions from the Chicago-Pizza-Specific knowledgeable among you. If there are any!
The Crust:
4 cups All Purpose flour 1/2 to 1 cup fine cornmeal 1-1/2 cups or a tiny bit more water at 95 to 100 DEG F ½ cup corn oil and 2 TBS olive oil 1 TSP salt (I like sea salt) 1/8 TSP active dry yeast, and no more Note: This recipe makes enough dough for 2 pizzas
Bloom the yeast in the warm water for 10 minutes. We need the yeast not only for the little bit of leavening we get,but also for the flavor.
Also you may as well get the oven going at 400 deg F.
Using a stand mixer or a bread machine mix all of the ingredients until a fully mixed ball forms, and then stop. Do not knead the dough further – we do not want the gluten to develop tough, stretchy dough.
Store in a covered, olive oiled bowl for 4 hours to overnight at room temperature.
This recipe makes the appropriate amount of dough for 2 standard, 14” high-sided Chicago pizza pans. I used a non-stick Chicago metallic pan that I got from Amazon for 12 bucks. Worked very well. I remember the originals as being well-seasoned black steel.
Push out the dough ball with your hands into the pan, pressing it flat until the bottom is evenly covered as well as 1-1/4” to 1-1/2" up the sides.
Prick the dough with a fork across the bottom, since we are going to blind bake the dough for 20 minutes at 400 degrees F.
Put the crust in for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the thinnest crust on the bottom starts to turn a little bit golden.
The Cheese and Tomato and Sausage:
1-1/2 to 2 lbs low moisture whole milk or part skim, your choice, mozzarella, grated, or Fresh mozzarella 2-1/4 lbs, grated, see note below. 1 cup mild Provolone or Fontina cheese, grated. 2 cups good quality Reggiano Parmesan, grated. 8 oz Italian sausage gently cooked until barely done, and separated into smallish, ½” grains. 1 to 2 32 oz cans whole Plum or Roma tomatoes in juice; I like Tuttorosso brand. 2 TBS Italian Herbs crushed. 3 TBS olive oil Optional (non-traditional, but tastes good): Add 1/2 chopped sweet onion to the tomatoes sauteed below. Note: This topping list makes enough for 1 pizza Note: I prefer fresh mozzarella's flavor to packaged pre-grated, but it is too wet. What I do is to slice and dry the fresh cheese and then nuke it with the other cheeses for a minute or 2 until it gives up its water, which I pour off, leaving sweet, fresh tasting cheese that is dry. Stir to mix. Then allow to cool on a big plate. When cool, dice into cubes. Do not overcook.
The sausage above is optional, too, of course, but we always got it with sausage, and that's the way I like it still.
Add crushed Italian Herbs to the tomato juice and add to the pan with the whole tomatoes and continue to cook on low until sauce thickens. You can add a couple of cloves, of crushed garlic if you like, or more. Set aside.
Cooking:
Mix the cheeses together and add ½ to the pizza first, layering evenly over the dough, trying to leave no dough uncovered.
Sprinkle the sausage around.
Add the tomatoes and enough of the sauce in clumps around the pizza leaving about ½ the pizza uncovered by tomato.
Cover with the rest of the cheese.
Lower the heat to 350 DEG F. and cook the pizza in the middle of the oven for aprox. 40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese has begun to bubble and turn a bit golden.
Remove. Let sit for 5 minutes.
I then slide mine out onto a serving platter.
You can please yourself!
Slice and eat!
OK, let me know what you think.
~Ted
PS: I remember in my senior year of high school, having just gotten my driver's license, as had our friends, driving into Chicago as a group on a Friday or Saturday night, to the near North Side where Uno was located,
Trying to find a place to park, going down the steps into a lower than sidewalk (basement) location,
Smelling that indescribable combination of cheese, cooked dough, sausage and tomato, garlic, and olive oil,
Trying to get the waitress to serve us beer by ordering it very casually (1 time out of 5 or so it happened if she was very distracted -- Uno was a busy place),
Our delight if we succeeded in getting the beer,
Her scorn if we failed,
Waiting for the almost hour from ordering, because that's what it takes to cook, as we were reminded every time we ordered,
Trying not to eat the bread, breadsticks, or salad, or anything else that would take up room meant for the Pizza,
Watching every pie that went by hoping it was ours,
Eating ourselves silly,
Walking the meal off afterwards,
Going home, full and happy.
PPS: This recipe has been updated on 11/11/10 from its original posting. Ongoing process, you know.
The Smoke Rise & Kinnelon Blog has no affiliation with The Smoke Rise Club, Inc. All of the opinions shared in this blog are completely our personal views and are in no way those of The Smoke Rise Club corporation. The Smoke Rise & Kinnelon Blog is completely owned and created by Christine & Ted Whittemore.
