Dinner

Tips for stretching a food budget?

Nest Colleen — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 16:12:00 GMT

A year ago, I never thought twice about buying spendy, gourmet goods, but the glory days of the $9 sliver of cheese are over in our house. Cash is tight. Food prices are high—and rising. I’m trying to get more nosh for our buck, and this is how we’re doing it. (Add your food budget tips, too!)

MacGyver your leftovers. You'd be amazed what you can do with a can of beans, leftover rice and the random stuff in your 'fridge. (Shout-out to my mom, the queen of "Must-Go Pie"--a motley assortment of whatever meat and veggies we had, chopped up, sauteed, and baked under a layer of cornbread.)

Buy in bulk. Nothing eats up foodie dollars faster than buying like you’re cooking for two. Buy like you’re cooking for a small army, then seal and freeze or dry store whatever you don’t use right away. Bulk items are almost always less expensive than small-box, single-serving. (One caveat: if you’re an avid couponer, you may save more with coupons if you buy smaller sizes.)

Read the price fine print. Compare the price per ounce/unit on different package sizes and your usual brand against generics or low-end brands. A 2-pound bag of rice is 6 cents per ounce, and a 5-pound bag is 4 cents per ounce. Or maybe the generic brand of black beans is half the price per ounce of your favorite brand. The savings add up.

Spend money to save money. Investing in a FoodSaver was one of the smartest moves we made to optimize bulk-buying and food storage shelf-life. Initially, I liked it because it's a cool gadget, but it has saved us plenty of dough. We buy more in bulk, and food stays fresh longer, so there’s less waste. The slick, new vertical FoodSaver (pictured) takes up less counter space. Older models are now as low as $80 online.

Get into big-batch cooking. Think: Vats of soup, stew or chili. Big casseroles broken into individual servings. Even if you grill a 24-pack of chicken breasts to freeze, you’re batch cooking. With a fully-stocked freezer, you make fewer trips to the market, and won’t be as tempted to order in or go out to eat. I thought I had the art of batch cooking down—I make gargantuan pots of gumbo and Bolognese—but I look at Joelen’s When It Snows…Cook!, and I'm humbled.

Put your slow-cooker to work. Braising (a.k.a. slow-cooking in liquid) turns big, tough inexpensive roasts cut from the chuck (shoulder) and round (leg) into tender gold.

Avoid processed foods. Ready-made, packaged meals and frozen dinners tend to be more expensive, and they’re loaded with salt and preservatives.

Save your scraps. Freeze bones, shells and veggie skins or ends and make your own stock.

Get serious about coupons. This is my weak spot. I’m just not in the habit of clipping and shopping with coupons. But it’s also where you can save the most money. I’m trying to get better by learning from the masters—like the Grocery Coupon Guide (the Couponing Basics tutorial is a great place to start). There are web sites galore with coupons for the taking (list your favorites in comments!), and I like this handy list of grocery stores that double coupons (by state).

Happy $aving...

Post your tips for stretching a food budget and recipes that make the most of what you've got.

What is a bain marie?

Nest Colleen — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 15:52:00 GMT

Bain marie is French for “Mary’s bath”—a technique that gently cooks food in a water bath by floating the dish in a shallow pan of water set on the stove or in the oven. (The word is also used interchangeably with “double boiler” and other pans designed for this type of cooking.)

Cooking in a bain marie prevents overheating and cooks more evenly because water conducts and maintains heat better than direct flame heat to a pan. This method of cooking is ideal for delicate foods that can curdle, scorch, seize or “break” like custards, sauces, cheesecake, pate, candymaking or melting chocolate. A bain marie can also be used to keep food warm.

At its simplest, a bain marie can be your favorite Pyrex measuring cup set in a saucepan filled with water. Or brulee ramekins in a roasting pan filled with water halfway up the side. On the higher end, there are bain marie/double boilers like the copper Mauviel (pictured).

For best results, there should be a buffer between the bottom of the water pan and the food pan. Double boilers are designed this way, but for a DIY bain marie, set a pie ring or terry-cloth towel in the bottom pan before filling the pan with water. This buffer protects the top pan from the hottest zone (over the burner) of the bottom pan.

Feel like testing your water bath skills? I like Alton Brown’s simple straightforward Crème Brulee a la bain marie.

Experimenting with flavor combinations?

Nest Colleen — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 15:26:00 GMT

We’ve all tried some seemingly oddball flavor pairing. Honey and blue cheese. Salty pretzels and ice cream. Bacon and peanut butter. Beef and caramel. Tuna and grapefruit. What makes ‘em work? In theory, the trick to pairing two (or more) unlikely ingredients is finding foods that have at least one volatile compound in common. Whatever that means.

Deconstructing ingredients and making unique and bizarre flavor pairings might seem like the stuff of Top Chef and molecular gastronomy—with their anti-griddles and vaporizers—but for home cooks like us there are simpler ways to play with food. A light went on the first time I tasted strawberries drizzled with balsamic vinegar. Sweet and rich, with a tinge of tart, the combination turned average, out-of-season strawberries into a plate-licking dessert. How could two seemingly unmatched ingredients come together to create such an unexpected, incredible flavor? (And, I wondered, how could I make that happen more often?)

Enter: The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, authors of the bestselling What to Eat with What to Drink. Among other things, it’s an encyclopedia of flavor affinities. Entries on hundreds of ingredients—herbs and spices, seafood, meat, cheeses, nuts, veggies, fruits—are cross-referenced with classic and unusual flavor combinations.

Think about the possibilities…you’ve got asparagus in the refrigerator, but zero inspiration for what to do with it. Flip to the entry:

Almonds, anchovies, artichokes, basil, bay leaf, beets, bread crumbs, brown butter, unsalted butter, capers, caraway seeds, carrots, cayenne, cheese (chevre, Fontina, goat, Muenster, Parmesan, Pecorino, ricotta, Romano), chervil, chives, crab, heavy cream, crème fraiche, dill, eggs and egg dishes, fava beans, French cuisine, garlic, ginger, ham, hollandaise sauce, Italian cuisine, leeks, lemon, lemon thyme, lime, lobster…

You get the picture. And that’s barely half of the list.

Want a copy of the book? I’ve got one to give away. Post or link to your best, bizarre-food-pairing recipe in Comments, and I'll pick a winner.

(Also, if you’re into molecular gastronomy and playing with food, I highly recommend blog.khymost.org’s They Go Really Well Together (TGRWT) events. Recent events paired ingredients like cauliflower and cocoa, and bananas and clove.)

Recipe challenge: Fast, easy apps and sides?

Nest Colleen — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:08:00 GMT

Because most of my effort goes into the main dish, like the hours prepping and cooking a gumbo or assembling the ingredients for a righteous meatloaf, I’m usually short on inspiration for appetizers and sides. It’s often an afterthought, like cheese and crackers or a quick tossed salad.

I thought this would be a good place to assemble a comprehensive collection of our favorite, super-fast “recipes”. Forget 30-minute meals. I’m talking 30 seconds. Minimal ingredients and cook-times, and preferably stuff you usually have lying around to throw together last-minute. (Okay, so fennel isn’t all that common. Minor details.)

Post links to blog entries, or better yet, just slap your simple recipes in the comments section so they’re all in one place.

Appetizers

Fennel Salad: Layer thinly-sliced fennel with Parmesan shavings. Drizzle with olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Charcuterie/Salumi Chips: Bake any thinly-sliced dried, cured meat (think: salami, sopressata, bresaola, coppa, prosciutto) on a pan lined with parchment paper at 350 degrees until crisp (about 15-20 minutes).

Spicy Edamame: Saute 1 tablespoon minced garlic in 2 teaspoons sesame oil; toss with one bag of hot, steamed edamame and 1 teaspoon coarse salt.

Baked Goat Cheese: Smear 1 small log of goat cheese in the bottom of a small baking dish. Top with chopped arugula or chives and bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Top with toasted, chopped pine nuts.

Sides

Creamed Carrots: Grate 2 cups of carrots and sauté in butter. Stir in 1/4 cup cream. Bake in a gratin dish at 350 degrees until crisp-brown around the edges.

Tuscan Salad: Toss cooked cannelini beans with shaved Parmesan, chopped salami, sliced boiled eggs and roasted red peppers. Dress with paprika, oregano, olive oil, black pepper and red wine vinegar. (Throw in a can of tuna to make it a main dish, like the Tuscan Tuna Salad, pictured.)

Peas with Mint: Mix cooked peas with butter, chopped mint and crumbled bacon.

Tex-Mex Beans: Heat cooked black-eyed peas and black beans with lime juice, minced red onion, chopped jalapeno and cilantro. Serve with sour cream.

Basic pie crust recipe?

Nest Colleen — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 22:11:00 GMT

Making a solid, homemade pie crust is like changing a tire. You may not do it very often, but when you do—oh, how much do you kick ass? Sure, I have frozen pie crusts in the freezer at the ready, but when I’m lousy with fall apples from the farmer’s market or I feel like cracking into the short, chubby pecans my Aunt Laurie sends me from Louisiana, no stinkin’ store-bought crust is gonna touch those ingredients.

My pies usually taste alright, but they're never much to look at. These fall leaf piecrust cutters (pictured) from Williams-Sonoma make the most blogtastic, picture-perfect ornaments for a pie.

Basic Crust

Makes 1 9-inch crust

The standard formula for a pie crust is one part fat to three parts flour, plus a pinch of salt for flavor and a sprinkle of liquid to help the protein in flour form glutens. Butter can make a perfectly lovely pie crust, but if you have access to fresh lard (ask the butcher in a specialty food store, or anyone selling pork at a farmer’s market), a mix of the two makes an ethereal crust. Shortening works, too. The sour cream? It acts as a fat, liquid and acid in this recipe, which makes for a more tender and flaky crust.

I like the food processor because it’s easier, but for a truly flaky crust, it’s better to roll over the cold flour and butter mixture several times with a rolling pin. (After rolling, scrape the mixture into a pile, then re-roll it, repeating about 5 or 6 times. If the butter starts to melt, freeze the dough for about 5 minutes.)

1 cup bleached, all-purpose flour

1/2 cup Wondra or other “instant” flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 tablespoons lard

1/4 cup sour cream

Pulse the flour and salt 2 to 3 times in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Remove the bowl and add the butter pieces and lard. Shake and swirl the bowl to coat the butter with flour. Place the bowl in the freezer for 8 to 10 minutes.

Pulse the mixture 10 times in the food processor, or until the texture is mealy. Dump the mixture into a medium bowl and gently fold in the sour cream. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of ice-cold water or milk if needed. Shape into a ball and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling it out.

Beyond this basic ratio, there are ways to tweak the ingredients to produce a more tender crust, or a flakier crust.

Tender:

* Use low-protein flour, like White Lily or pastry flour

* Incorporate an acidic ingredient, like sour cream or orange juice

* Skip the water and use sour cream or cream cheese

* Add a smidge of oil with the water

Flaky:

* Use lard or shortening

* Freeze the ingredients before blending

Recipe math for the numerically-challenged?

Nest Colleen — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 15:57:00 GMT

Kitchen math is my culinary kryptonite. No matter how many conversion charts I print out or buy (case in point), I experience some kind of mental paralysis when it comes to fiddling with numbers—whether I’m scaling a recipe or converting tablespoons to ounces. I’m easily confused. I transpose numbers or I cut a recipe in half instead of doubling it. I resort to counting on my fingers. Or, I’ll spend 20 minutes noodling with an online conversion calculator, and still not get it right.

I probably always knew kitchen calculators existed, but I assumed I wouldn’t know how to operate one. Just the thought of punching in a fraction makes me nervous. But now, I am officially in love with a calculator. The KitchenCalc is an English major’s dream come true. I figured out this gadget in about 15 minutes—easily less time than it would take me to convert gallons to quarts in my head. It converts volume and weight. It tweaks portion sizes and scales recipes. People, it can convert Celsius to Fahrenheit in four button strokes. I'm giddy at the thought of a metric recipe!

There are two versions: a handheld, pocket-size (top, $25) and the Pro/Master Chef’s Edition (bottom, $35). I like the big, fat buttons on the Pro. The protective plastic cover that comes with it is a nice feature for keeping food goo off, but it makes punching the buttons a little tricky.

Anyone ever used one of these? Or has some other kitchen gadget revolutionized the way you cook?

What is quinoa?

Nest Colleen — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 13:36:00 GMT

Quinoa [KEEN-wah or KEE-no-uh] is a tiny seed* (often mistaken for a grain) with a faintly nutty flavor. It cooks like rice, but in about 15 minutes, and has a light, fluffy texture with a slight bite to it, like al dente pasta.

I’m all into quinoa right now because I’m trying to get more fiber and protein in my diet, and brown rice is getting boring. Quinoa is an excellent source of fiber and contains all eight essential amino acids, including lysine. (This is the amino acid that helps the body absorb calcium and builds and repairs muscle tissue.) It’s also gluten-free (quinoa flour can be used in baking).

Quinoa makes a great side dish—drizzled with a little olive oil or tossed with butter, fresh herbs or dried, savory spice seasonings. (The easiest: sprinkle it with furikake or shichimi.) It can be served hot or cold, like this Quinoa Salad or Minty Quinoa Tabouleh (pictured) from the Fine Cooking Annual. It’s also a good breakfast “cereal”, like oatmeal, mixed with honey, nuts and dried or fresh fruit.

To prepare, quinoa must be thoroughly washed to remove bitter-tasting saponins, a soapy chemical that makes the grain unpalatable to animals and protects the plant from disease. Most commercial, boxed quinoa is pre-rinsed, and only needs to be rinsed and drained once. Bulk quinoa may not be rinsed, and might need to be soaked in water for a few hours before rinsing and draining.

To cook, combine 2 parts liquid to 1 part quinoa, bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer until it is cooked, about 15 minutes. I always use veggie or chicken stock as the cooking liquid. You can also make quinoa in a rice cooker, but I usually cut the liquid to 1 3/4 parts to 1 part grain because it seems to overcook and lose some bite in the cooker.

If you’re getting into new grains and are looking for tasty recipes, The Whole Grains Cookbook (Chronicle, 2007) by Robin Asbell--it's an excellent resource.

Have you ever cooked or eaten quinoa? Share a recipe if you have one.

* Thanks to Nestie MaryEllen for pointing out that quinoa is a seed, not a grain. It's an important distinction for people with dietary restrictions.

Coping with a guest’s dietary restrictions?

Nest Colleen — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:17:00 GMT

An invited dinner guest RSVPs. She has issues—dietary issues. As much as you want to be the consummate hostess, you’re not obligated to re-work the entire menu to suit her. When (and how) should you draw the line, and when should you tweak your spread for a dinner guest?

There will always be exceptions to the rule, but if I’ve been planning a menu for weeks, there are generally only two reasons I’ll alter it last-minute: real health consequences and religious or personal beliefs. If someone has genuine food allergies, phobias or dietary restrictions, I’m more than happy to serve a nut-free or dairy-free meal, cut down on the salt or sugar, or include a vegetarian dish. (I probably wouldn’t rework the whole menu, but I would alter a few dishes, or add one.)

My host-ly goodness ends with finicky eating habits, fad diets and random dislikes. I won’t alter a planned menu because someone is on the South Beach diet. I won’t scrap a mushroom-stuffed lasagna I made from scratch if a guest calls a day before dinner to say, “I loathe mushrooms.” And I won’t buy low-carb dinner rolls because someone decided to stop eating carbs…yesterday.

Of course, good etiquette is all about making the people around you feel comfortable. As host, if you want to accommodate a guest’s request—not matter how outlandish—it’s your call. Most of us know the dietary quirks of friends and family, so planning a menu around a food issue—ahead of time—is no problem when they’re on the guest list. (But the same rules apply: if a friend calls to say, “I’m not eating meat now”, I’m not changing the menu. I’d ask her to bring a dish, or I might bulk up the veggie dishes I planned.)

It’s not as easy when you’re entertaining a group you’ve never fed before, like new neighbors or DH’s co-worker. My rule? Always ask about dietary restrictions when you extend an invite.

Have you ever had problems with a picky dinner guest? How did you handle the situation? What’s your house rule on accommodating a guest’s dietary restrictions?