Slow Cooker Ribs

For the rub:

6 Tablespoons brown sugar (1/4 cup plus two Tablespoons)
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 Tablespoon paprika
1Tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

This will make enough for two batches. This is a sweet rub, but you can cook ribs this way simply with salt and pepper.

The night before, rinse ribs (St. Louis style is our favorite and fit well in the crock pot) and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the rub over ribs (top, bottom, sides). Cover and refrigerate overnight (right in the crock pot crock if possible). If you are refrigerating the ribs in the crock, make sure to have the bone side (not the cartilage side up). This way you can more easily see when the meat is pulling away from the bones. 

In the morning, pour in about an inch of water and about 8 drops of liquid smoke. Place the ribs in the crock with the crock pot on low. Cook for at least 9 hours, or until the meat is falling off the bones and everything is really tender.

Put the ribs, meaty side up, on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Pour on your favorite BBQ sauce (sparse to generous--it's up to you). Put under the broiler until BBQ sauce is bubbly but not burning. This should only take a few minutes, so watch carefully.

Sous Vide Trials

L. Reuteri Yogurt - 10/16/2022 - FAQ

10/14/2022 - Tried "poached egg": 140 degrees for 45 minutes - the whites weren't done enough. Everyday Food said suggested this temperature and showed better results. Said that eggs were fully cooked at 160.

Anova Culinary suggests:

Want perfect eggs? This is the recipe for you! 4 different time and temperatures and 4 different eggs.

145°F/ 62.7°C for 1 hour results in a loose white and very creamy yolk.

147°F / 63.9·C for 1 hour gets you a set white with a spreadable fudge like yolk.

167°F / 75°C for 13 minutes gets you a very similar egg as 145°F / 62.7°C for 1 hour with the white just a touch more set.

194°F / 90°C for 8 minutes results in a firm white with a semi-set yolk.

America's Test Kitchen suggests:

167 degrees for 12 minutes: Start with cold, large eggs covered by double with water. Shock in ice bath for 1 minute. Crack over toast, add salt and pepper.

Sous Vide Everything agrees, but suggests sitting in an ice bath for 30 minutes, or better yet overnight, and that they will last in your fridge over a week. When you are ready to eat, put a little bit of oil in a non-stick pan and gently break the egg over the oil. The excess white will fall away and you will have a beautiful poached egg. Fry a couple of minutes on each side (remember the yolk is still runny so gently flip using two spatulas). This is a "froached" egg. Try adding seasoned panko and a drizzle of oil to the top before flipping. Also suggests a bacon marmalade to serve with a froached egg: Fully cook chopped bacon in a skillet. Drain well and return to pan. Add a little brown sugar and mix well, cooking on low heat. Add a splash of water to deglaze the pan. Keep on low heat and reduce the water to nothing. Serve on toast, layer of marmalade, froached egg on top. There is also a filet mignon recipe (131 degrees for 2 hours, pat dry, use a flame thrower to sear) with froached egg on top.

This look interesting:  $200 Egg on Toast vs $10!

10/14/2022 - Tried egg bites cooked submerged in 1/2 cup mason jars with canning lids and rings. 2 eggs (111 g); 111 g cream cheese; 1 g salt; 185 degrees for 25 minutes. These were very tasty with great texture but called for additions like broccoli or bacon or something. Sous Vide Everything suggested (1) crispy bacon bits mixed with souv vide cheese and chopped parsley and (2) cherry tomatoes, basil, souv vide cheese, olive oil, pepper, flaky salt. Wonder if they will cook the same in larger containers?

To try the souv vide cheese you need:

Large Container: http://amzn.to/2n5v1UH

Small Container: http://amzn.to/2DsSh5X

Cheese Cloth: http://amzn.to/2DBAjlh

Cheese Press S: http://amzn.to/2DuvLhl (used on video)

Cheese Press L: http://amzn.to/2DVCNbf (just double recipe)

Tertiy Pirog with Plum Jam

Tertiy Pirog means grated pastry. You can use any thick jam for the filling, but when you have an abundant plum harvest, try making your own plum jam!  Ingredients

• 1 stick, 1/2 cup butter, softened at room temp

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1 egg, room temp

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp white vinegar

• 280 grams all-purpose flour (2 cups + 2 Tbsp, fluffed*)

• 1 cup jam or thick preserves, I used plum jam

• Powdered sugar for dusting, optional

Instructions

1. Cream together 1 stick of butter with 1/2 cup sugar and 1 egg.

2. Stir together 1/2 tsp baking soda with 1/2 tsp vinegar. Once it fizzes, pour over your batter and mix until well combined.

3. Blend in 280 grams flour.

4. Freeze 1/3 of the dough (about 180 grams) for 45 min to 1 hr**. Place remaining 2/3 of dough onto a large sheet of parchment paper, sprinkle lightly with flour and roll into a 9x13" rectangle.*** Transfer rolled dough with parchment paper onto a cookie sheet.

5. Spread 1 cup of strawberry preserves over the top (or your favorite preserves - pick one with a little bit of sour/tartness). Grate the frozen piece of dough evenly over the top of your preserves. Bake at 350 for 22-25 min or until top is golden. When cooled, dust with powdered sugar if desired and cut into square cookies.

* Measure flour by fluffing it up with a spoon then spooning it into the measuring cup and scraping off the top.

**Make into a flat disc shape like you do for pie dough and then take your time rolling your dough and spreading the jam. Clean up a little. By then the dough in the freezer will probably be frozen enough. 

*** It is difficult to roll an exact rectangle, but the dough is forgiving enough to cut excess and patch in the corners. I'm lucky enough to have a 9x13 cookie sheet that works perfectly.

Recipe found here

Plum Jam

Great jam to make during plum harvest! If you let it get nice and thick it's great to use in Plum Tertiy Pirog!

Ingredients:

• 3 ½ lbs. very ripe or over ripe plums

• 1 cup water

• 1 ¼ cups sugar

• ¾ teaspoon cardamom

• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Cut plums in half, remove pit and chop into 8ths then cut those in half.

2. Place in a heavy-duty saucepan with water and sugar. Stir and bring to a boil. Lower heat and cook until fruit is soft, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

3. Place in blender and carefully puree. IMPORTANT: The heat from the jam can build up pressure inside the blender and spew out. Let the mixture cool slightly then just pulse in short spurts until mixture is smooth.

4. Clean out saucepan and place pureed mixture back into pan. Add spices and cook over low heat for 2-3 hours or until it reaches a spreadable consistency. Stir often to prevent burning.

5. Place in glass jars such as a mason jar and let cool. Place lid on top and store in refrigerator. Will keep about 1 month. If frozen, will keep about 6 months.

Found the recipe here.

Oven Pancakes - Apple Dutch Baby

 Put an 8x8 glass dish* in the center of the oven and preheat 450 degrees.

1 thinly sliced apple (any kind, a mandolin makes easy work of this)

2 Tablespoons butter

In a skillet, sauté apples and butter over medium heat for 3-5 minutes.

While the apples are cooking, blend the following:

4 eggs**

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup milk

3/4 teaspoon salt

3 Tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 Tablespoons melted butter

Remove the 8x8 glass dish from the oven. Pour in apple mixture. Stir letting the butter coat the pan, then distribute apples evenly. Pour the egg mixture over the top. Using oven mitts (remember the dish is hot!), place the dish into center of the oven and cook for 15 minutes. The Dutch Baby will come out puffy, then slump. Let cool a few minutes before serving.***

*If you have an appropriate sized cast iron skillet, you can just use that to sauté the apples, then pour the egg mixture over the apples and put the cast iron skillet directly in the oven.

**If you only have 3 eggs, make it anyway. It's still good.

***I think this is delicious as is. If it is not sweet enough for you, sprinkle with powdered sugar (this makes for a beautiful presentation as well), and add syrup if desired.

Rhubarb Cheese Galette

Rhubarb Cheese Galette

Half a batch of this pie crust dough

Poached rhubarb 

-6-8 stick of rhubarb, chopped 

-1/3 cup of granulated sugar 

-1 cup of water

Cream cheese filling 

-8oz (aka 1cup or one pack) of room temperature full fat cream cheese 

-2 tablespoons of granulated sugar 

-the zest of 1/2 lemon

Egg wash
-1 egg
-splash of milk

Turbinado sugar

Make the dough and let chill for a couple of hours or overnight.

Place rhubarb in a single layer in an oven-proof skillet. Add sugar and water. Bring it to a simmer. Cover and put in a 325 degree oven for 8 minutes. (You could cook it on the stove, but it cooks more evenly in the oven). Pour into a jar and let it sit for several hours or overnight.

Combine all cream cheese filling ingredients in a bowl. You can make this ahead of time, but you will want it at room temperature when it is time for assembly for easy spreading.

Preheat oven and cookie sheet at 400 degrees. Have another cookie sheet covered with parchment paper ready. Drain your rhubarb. (The syrup can be added to soda water for a nice drink.)

For assembly, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Place on the cookie sheet with parchment paper. Spread cream cheese filling leaving a 2 inch border. Cover filling with rhubarb. Fold edges of dough in. Cover dough with egg wash. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

Remove cookie sheet from oven. transfer parchment paper and galette to heated cookie sheet. Cook for 30 minutes.  Let rest 15 minutes before serving.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgW8_plxnEQ&t=305s

Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding

Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding

3 cups half-and-half
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
6 Tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon fine salt
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups croissants, preferable stale, cut into 1/2 inch cubes, lightly pressed into measuring cup

Heat half-and-half, chocolate, sugar and salt in a sauce pan over low heat, stirring until chocolate is completely melted. Remove from heat. Whisk in eggs briskly (or temper first, then mix).

In a large bowl, combine croissants and chocolate mixture. Let cool, then refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 6-8 cup soufflé dish (round white Corningware). Pour pudding into dish and bake 40 minutes. Cover with foil and bake another 30 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. Can be served warm (but still let it cool slightly). Refrigerate leftovers. Tastes better the next day. Delicious with diced fresh peaches on top.

Note: Sometime try replacing the chocolate chips with cocoa.
(1 T cocoa + 2 t fat + 3 1/2 t sugar = 1 oz semi-sweet chocolate is equivalent on Hershey's box)

Ice Cream in a Bag

 Ice Cream in a Bag

1 cup half-and-half
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups ice
1/3 cup kosher salt

In a sandwich size ziplock, combine half-and-half, sugar, and vanilla. Remove air and seal. Place in another ziplock for safety (remove air).

Into a gallon ziplock, combine ice and salt. Place small bags inside the bigger bag and shake vigorously for 7-10 minutes until ice cream has hardened. Enjoy!

Sam's New Chocolate Cake

Dry Ingredients

3 cups flour (431 g)
1 1/3 cups white sugar (284 g)
1/3 cup cocoa powder (35 g)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dark chocolate chips (286 g)

West Ingredients

3 large eggs, beaten (159 g)
1 1/2 cups milk (370 g)
1 1/2 Tablespoons plain Greek yogurt (24 g)
1/2 cup vegetable oil (116 g)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla 

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. 

Butter and flour two round cake pans.

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients, then add to dry ingredients.  Mix.

Pour into 2 round cake pans.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes. Check for doneness--a toothpick in the center should come out clean.

After cooling in pans for 10 minutes, dump onto cooling rack.  Frost when cool, or sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Sam's New Chocolate Cake

Double Chocolate Almond Brownies

Double Chocolate Almond Brownies are gluten-free. 

Recipe came from the Blue Diamond Almond Flour Bag.

1/2 cup butter
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate*
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups Blue Diamond Almond Flour
2/3 cup chocolate chips**
1/2 cup chopped almonds**

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly butter an 8-inch baking pan (square/glass).
2. Melt butter and chocolate in a medium saucepan over very low heat.
3. Stir in sugars and vanilla; set aside to cool.
4. Add eggs and beat well to incorporate. Stir in almond flour and mix well. Then stir in chocolate chips and almonds.
5. Spread evenly in prepared pan; bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
6. Let cool completely before cutting into squares.

*or:
        8 teaspoons butter (2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons or 2 2/3 Tablespoons)
        4 Tablespoons cocoa 
        14 teaspoons sugar (4 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons)

        Melt all the butter and stir in cocoa and sugar.

**or:
        2/3 cup Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips
        1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Rhubarb Lassi

For the Rhubarb Sauce:

2 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb
1 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon lemon zest
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
pinch salt

In a pot, bring rhubarb and sugar to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in zest, juice and salt. Let the mixture cool for awhile, then blend until smooth. Pour into an ice cube tray and freeze. This will make 14 ice cubes for our tray. 

To make the Rhubarb Lassi:

In a blender, put:

7 iced rhubarb sauce cubes

1 cup plain full fat yogurt (Greek yogurt will make this a little thicker)

1/2 cup milk

4 teaspoons honey

Blend and enjoy!

This also makes a good fruit dip. Dad's tried watermelon. I think it would be good with strawberries. :)