Swiss Steak

Another Thursday Evening with Richie!  The classic Joy of Cooking Swiss Steak Recipe just like his Grandma used to make!  This is a very old school recipe, pounding the seasoned flour into the meat so the sauce gets nice and thick and the meat browns beautifully.  Needless to say with all the slow cooking the meat is fall apart fork tender.  Takes you back to the days when you could grab a free meal at your Grans!!!! 

6 servings

Preheat the oven 300°F.
Pat dry: One 2-pound bottom round steak, ¾ inch thick
Rub with: ½ garlic clove
Pound into both sides of the steak with a mallet:
As much seasoned flour, as the steak with hold
Cut into serving pieces or leave whole. If leaving whole, gash the edges to prevent curling. Heat in a Dutch oven (a cast iron cooking pot with lid):
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Sear the steak on one side until browned. Turn it over, brown the second side, then add:
½ cup finely chopped onion
1/3 cup each chopped carrots, bell peppers, and celery (1 cup total)
Do not allow the vegetables to brown. Season to taste and bring to a boil:
1 cup beef stock or broth (1/2 cup hot tomato sauce)
Cover and bake for 1 ½ to 2 hours, or until the meat is tender. Remove the steak to a hot platter.

Serve with pan gravy and mashed potatoes.

Easy Peanut Butter Cookies

This recipe is very easy to throw together!

1 Cup Peanut Butter, smooth or crunchy your choice.
1/2 Cup white sugar
1 egg

Directions
Preheat oven 325F
mix all ingredients thoroughly in a bowl
roll into one inch balls
place on baking sheet
flatten with a fork to make the classic lines
Bake for 10 minutes or until you are happy with them.

cool on a wire rack, then try not to eat all of them!!!!!

Steak Frites

Steak Frites is a happy occasion at our house, the time honoured combination of meat and potatoes can't be beat for flavour or comfort!  Sirloin, Tenderloin, or Ribeye all cook up wonderfully on the grill.  Served with a nice handful of fried potatoes, a few shrimps and a fresh salad you have a fabulous meal to share with some good friends! 

Below are a few shots of some Ribeye we did one summer day on the gas grill!  

Just salt and pepper to season these Ribeyes, then right onto a red hot grill!

 Home made wedge style fries drying off on the rack ready for blanching in the deep frier!

 The fries soak for an hour or so in cold water, then hit the rack to dry out, then blanch for 6-8  minutes at 350F

 Take them out and let them drain in the basket ready to drop in for one minute or so at 375 F for the final crisping!!!!

                                      

I like to keep a box or two of prebreaded frozen shrimp in the freezer.  They make a great add on to your steak dinner and only take a couple of minutes in the deep fryer.  The fryer is already hot from the french fries so why not!!! 

Remember to turn your steaks on a 45 degree angle to get some great grill marks!!!!!

Apple Pie

This recipe turns out a fabulous pie!  The crust is light and flaky and the filling treatment makes the insides moist but not wet.  You can edge the pie anyway you want, but I prefer the traditional fork or wave finish! You can see a video of the finished product at the bottom of this post!

Pie Crust:
2 1/2 cups (350 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon (30 grams) granulated white sugar
1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter, chilled, and cut
into 1 inch (2.5 cm) pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup (60 - 120 ml) ice water

Apple Filling:
2 1/2 pounds (1.1 kg) apples (about 6 large), peeled,
cored, and sliced 1/4 inch thick (about 8 cups (2 L))
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar
1/4 cup (55 grams) light brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons (15 grams) cornstarch (corn
flour)
Garnish:
Softly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream


Apple Pie Recipe
Pie Crust: In a food processor, place the flour, salt, and sugar and
process until combined. Add the butter and process until the mixture
resembles coarse meal (about 15 seconds). Pour 1/4 cup (60 ml) water
in a slow, steady stream, through the feed tube until the dough just
holds together when pinched. If necessary, add more water. Do not
process more than 30 seconds. Turn the dough onto your work surface
and gather into a ball. Divide the dough in half, flattening each half into
a disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about one hour
before using.

After the dough has chilled sufficiently, remove one portion of the dough
from the fridge and place it on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry
into a 12 inch (30 cm) circle. (To prevent the pastry from sticking to the
counter and to ensure uniform thickness, keep lifting up and turning the
pastry as you roll (always roll from the center of the pastry outwards).)
Fold the dough in half and gently transfer to a 9 inch (23 cm) pie
pan. Brush off any excess flour and trim the edges of the pastry to fit the
pie pan. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. Then
remove the second round of pastry and roll it into a 12 inch (30 cm)
circle. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet, cover with plastic
wrap, and place in the refrigerator.

Make the Apple Filling: In a large bowl combine the sliced apples with
the sugars, lemon juice, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Let sit at
room temperature for at least 30 minutes or up to three hours. Then,
place the apples and their juices in a strainer that is placed over a
large bowl (to capture the juices). Let the apples drain for about 15-30
minutes or until you have about 1/2 cup (120 ml) of juice. Spray a 4 cup
(960 ml) heatproof measuring cup with a nonstick vegetable spray, and
then pour in the collected juices and the 2 tablespoons (28 grams) of
unsalted butter. Place in the microwave and boil the liquid, on high,
about 5 to 7 minutes or until the liquid has reduced to about 1/3 cup (80
ml) and is syrupy and lightly caramelized. (Alternatively, you could place
the juices and butter in a small saucepan and boil over medium high
heat on the stove.)

Meanwhile, remove the top pastry crust from the refrigerator and let it
sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes so it has time to soften.
Transfer the drained apples slices to a large bowl and mix them with
the cornstarch (corn flour). Then pour the reduced syrup over the apples
and toss to combine. Pour the apples and their syrup into the chilled pie
crust. Moisten the edges of the pie shell with a little water and then
place the top crust over the apples. Tuck any excess pastry under the
bottom crust and then crimp the edges using your fingers or a fork.
Using a sharp knife, make five- 2-inch (5 cm) slits from the center of the
pie out towards the edge of the pie to allow the steam to escape. Cover
the pie with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill the pastry
while you preheat the oven.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Place the oven
rack at the lowest level and place a baking stone or baking sheet on
the rack before preheating the oven. Place a piece of aluminum foil on
the stone (or pan) to catch any apple juices. Set the pie on the stone or
pan and bake for about 45-55 minutes or until the juices start to bubble
through the slits and the apples feel tender (not mushy) when a sharp
knife is inserted through a slit. Make sure to cover the edges of the pie
with a foil ring to prevent over browning after about 30 minutes.
Remove the pie from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for
about 3-4 hours before cutting. Serve warm or at room temperature with
vanilla ice cream or softly whipped cream. Store at room temperature
for 2 to 3 days.
Makes 1 - 9 inch (23 cm) pie

Mussels

Preparation time: 
Cooking time: 
Yield: 4

                          To enjoy your mussels you need friends and beer!!!

And lots of crusty bread to sop up the mussel liquor!!!!!!

Ingredients

• 2 pounds mussels
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon butter
• A handful chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Pick over the mussels, discarding any that are open. Scrub the remaining mussels, removing any beards. Put the wine, bay leaf, shallots, garlic, and pepper in a large pot and bring to a simmer. Add the mussels, cover, and steam until they open, 5 minutes.
2. Move the mussels to a large serving dish with a slotted spoon, discarding any that have not opened. Whisk the butter into the cooking liquid, along with the parsley, and pour over the mussels.

These mussels are best served with a loaf of crusty bread for dipping into the mussel liquor and some nice chilled white wine on a sunny day at the patio!!!! 

Braided Raspberry Tart

This recipe makes a great little breakfast tart excellent with tea or coffee!

This is a cheater recipe for puff pastry.  There is no folding or turning involved and it only takes minutes instead of days.  It won't rise quite as high as store bought puff pastry but you will not be unhappy with the results.  The key here is to ensure the butter is frozen and to work it quickly into the flour!  This pastry turns out a very flaky crust with lots of layers.

Ingredients

4 oz butter
6 oz all purpose flour
pinch of salt
ice water
raspberry jam
egg wash
course sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 F
Freeze butter for 30 minutes.  While butter freezes weigh flour and sift into a large mixing bowl with a pinch of salt.
Use a course grater to grate butter flakes into the mixing bowl with the flour and salt.
Use a fork or spatula to stir the butter into the flour until they are fairly combined.
Now add ice water one teaspoon at a time until pastry forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.  Use your hands to finish forming the pastry ball. Form into a disc, wrap in plastic film and put back in the freezer for 15 minutes to rest.
Roll out pastry into a rectangular shape, line the center 4 inches with raspberry jam.
Cut one inch diagonal slices on each side of the jam line and fold over to form the braids.
Apply egg wash and sprinkle the top with course sugar.
Bake top rack of oven for 30 minutes till pastry is golden brown.
Cool on a wire rack and sprinkle more  sugar on top of pastry as a finishing touch!