Special Guest
This week I chatted with my friend Andrew Sluk who now lives and works in Pittsburgh Pa. where he is the sausage man at Legume restaurant. Some of the books he recommended if you want to try sausage making at home were:
Welcome!
Each week host Stacy Pearl and one of her many marvelous Guest Hosts present Mouth of Wonder, a half hour of topical, fast-paced, humorous banter with lots of solid cooking advice thrown in, a variety of segments, and some great musical introductions. The segments include:
- the Seasonal Recipe of the Week
- Altitude Adjustment, the high-altitude baking section
- Ask Rula
- The Refreshing Beverage of the Week
- Recipes that are Lo-Cal, but Still Lovely
- Stacy's Cookbook Corner
- The Excellent Ingredient of the Week
The Southwestern food scene
has never been so entertaining!
Monday, January 30, 2012
Saturday, January 28, 2012
The January 28, 2012 Show
On this week's Mouth of Wonder radio show host Stacy Pearl talks with old pal Andrew Sluk, a chef Stacy worked with for many years in Santa Fe who now lives in Pittsburgh, Pa. Andrew has developed his love and interest in creating high quality sausage, bacon, prosicutto,and other classicly processed meats into a position at the ultra hip and trendy Legume Restaurant. He discusses what he does, and offers some tips to make sausage at home.
Download the January 28, 2012 show
Download the January 28, 2012 show
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Almond Crust Blueberry Tart with Cardamom-Cream Filling
The Altitude Adjustment Section
This crust is great, easy to assemble, keeps its crunch, but is a little tricky to make. So follow the instructions carefully.
Ingredients for crust
Matzo cake meal
5 ounces sliced almonds toasted
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, beaten to blend
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Ingredients for filling
8 ounces cream cheese, room temp
juice and zest of 1 lime
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
2 cups of blueberries
Procedure
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom with heavy-duty foil, pressing foil into scalloped sides of pan. Grease foil and dust with matzo cake meal. Finely grind almonds, sugar, cinnamon and salt in food processor. Dump into a bowl and with a fork mix in egg a tiny bit at a time. Just use enough egg to stick the crumbs together. Too much egg will give you a mucky crust which will not set and get crunchy. Next add the extract and mix in. Using moistened fingertips, press dough over bottom and up sides of prepared pan. Bake crust 10 minutes. Wrap fingertips with paper towels and gently, but quickly, press puffed crust to original shape. Continue to bake crust until pale golden, about 3 minutes longer. Again, gently press crust to original shape. Cool crust completely (crust will crisp as it cools). Turn crust out of pan and carefully peel off foil. Place on flat plate. Tart shell can be prepared 3 days ahead.
For the filling, whip the cream cheese with the lime juice and zest, cardamom, and confectioners sugar. To assemble, brush top of crust with white chocolate to keep it crispy. Tube cream cheese on top and then pile on the blueberries (toss with a little melted jam first to help them stick together). Refrigerate uncovered until ready to serve.
This crust is great, easy to assemble, keeps its crunch, but is a little tricky to make. So follow the instructions carefully.
Ingredients for crust
Matzo cake meal
5 ounces sliced almonds toasted
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, beaten to blend
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Ingredients for filling
8 ounces cream cheese, room temp
juice and zest of 1 lime
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
2 cups of blueberries
Procedure
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom with heavy-duty foil, pressing foil into scalloped sides of pan. Grease foil and dust with matzo cake meal. Finely grind almonds, sugar, cinnamon and salt in food processor. Dump into a bowl and with a fork mix in egg a tiny bit at a time. Just use enough egg to stick the crumbs together. Too much egg will give you a mucky crust which will not set and get crunchy. Next add the extract and mix in. Using moistened fingertips, press dough over bottom and up sides of prepared pan. Bake crust 10 minutes. Wrap fingertips with paper towels and gently, but quickly, press puffed crust to original shape. Continue to bake crust until pale golden, about 3 minutes longer. Again, gently press crust to original shape. Cool crust completely (crust will crisp as it cools). Turn crust out of pan and carefully peel off foil. Place on flat plate. Tart shell can be prepared 3 days ahead.
For the filling, whip the cream cheese with the lime juice and zest, cardamom, and confectioners sugar. To assemble, brush top of crust with white chocolate to keep it crispy. Tube cream cheese on top and then pile on the blueberries (toss with a little melted jam first to help them stick together). Refrigerate uncovered until ready to serve.
Cucumber Basil Spritzer
Refreshing Beverage of the Week
I got some good feedback from my people last week because they liked the healthy bent of the show. So I thought I would do a simple, non-alcoholic beverage this week. After all, I try to give the people what they want!
Ingredients
1 cucumber, peeled and seeded and chopped
2 limes, zested and juiced
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
8 Basil leaves
32 ounces club soda (4 cups)
Procedure
Add cucumber and 1/4 cup water to the food processor and process until liquefied. Make a simple syrup by combining sugar, lime zest and remaining 1/4 cup water and bring to the boil.Chill this til ready to use. To assemble drink, place 2 basil leaves juice from 1/2 a lime,and 1 tablespoon simple syrup in the bottom of a tumbler. Using the back of your spoon crush the basil till it smells delicious. Now add 2 tablespoons cucumber puree and top with 8 ounces club soda. Stir gently to mix. This recipe makes 4 drinks.
I got some good feedback from my people last week because they liked the healthy bent of the show. So I thought I would do a simple, non-alcoholic beverage this week. After all, I try to give the people what they want!
Ingredients
1 cucumber, peeled and seeded and chopped
2 limes, zested and juiced
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
8 Basil leaves
32 ounces club soda (4 cups)
Procedure
Add cucumber and 1/4 cup water to the food processor and process until liquefied. Make a simple syrup by combining sugar, lime zest and remaining 1/4 cup water and bring to the boil.Chill this til ready to use. To assemble drink, place 2 basil leaves juice from 1/2 a lime,and 1 tablespoon simple syrup in the bottom of a tumbler. Using the back of your spoon crush the basil till it smells delicious. Now add 2 tablespoons cucumber puree and top with 8 ounces club soda. Stir gently to mix. This recipe makes 4 drinks.
Potato-Parsnip Latkes with Horseradish and Dill
Seasonal Recipe of the Week
I love this twist on a classic potato pancake. These are great as both a side dish and a base for an hors d'oeuvre.
Ingredients for latkes
1/2 pound (about 1 large) Russet potato
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 pound parsnips (about 2 large or 4 medium)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Canola oil for frying
Ingredients for sauce
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon freshly grated or prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon chopped dill
Procedure
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line one large or two smaller baking sheets with foil and leave them in the oven until needed.
Peel parsnips and potato and grate them. If using the food processor, lay the vegetables sideways in the chute, in an attempt to get the longest strands of vegetables. Transfer shredded vegetables to a lint-free dishtowel or square of cheesecloth, and wring out as much liquid as possible. Let stand for two minutes, then wring again. Wetness is the enemy of crisp, light latkes, so we want to get rid of as much as possible. Transfer wrung-out vegetables to a large bowl. Add lemon juice.
In a tiny dish, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper and any herbs or additional seasonings and toss with vegetables, evenly coating the strands. In the same tiny dish, whisk your egg(s) and then stir this into the vegetable-flour mixture, evenly coating the strands. Heat a large, heavy skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium heat, add 3 tablespoons oil and make sure its goof and hot.
Using a fork or your fingertips (letting the eggy batter drain off a little is good), gather spoonful-sized mounds of battered vegetables and drop them onto the heated skillet. When golden underneath, 3 to 4 minutes later, flip pancakes. Cook on the other side until nicely bronzed underneath, another 2 to 3 minutes, and transfer to paper towels briefly to drain pancakes, before transferring them again to tray(s) in warm oven. If latkes cook too quickly or slowly on the stove, adjust the heat accordingly. Add more oil if needed (you want to keep the pan at that 3 tablespoon level), being sure it is heated before adding more pancakes to the skillet. Repeat with remaining batter.
I like to keep the latkes in the oven for at least 10 minutes to ensure they’ve cooked through before serving them. This gives you time to make sauce. Mix sauce ingredients in a small dish. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve warm with a dollop of the sauce. With this same recipe you can use, sweet potato, zucchini, butternut squash, carrots, or any mix there of. This makes about 18 2 1/2 to 3-inch latkes.
I love this twist on a classic potato pancake. These are great as both a side dish and a base for an hors d'oeuvre.
Ingredients for latkes
1/2 pound (about 1 large) Russet potato
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 pound parsnips (about 2 large or 4 medium)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Canola oil for frying
Ingredients for sauce
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon freshly grated or prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon chopped dill
Procedure
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line one large or two smaller baking sheets with foil and leave them in the oven until needed.
Peel parsnips and potato and grate them. If using the food processor, lay the vegetables sideways in the chute, in an attempt to get the longest strands of vegetables. Transfer shredded vegetables to a lint-free dishtowel or square of cheesecloth, and wring out as much liquid as possible. Let stand for two minutes, then wring again. Wetness is the enemy of crisp, light latkes, so we want to get rid of as much as possible. Transfer wrung-out vegetables to a large bowl. Add lemon juice.
In a tiny dish, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper and any herbs or additional seasonings and toss with vegetables, evenly coating the strands. In the same tiny dish, whisk your egg(s) and then stir this into the vegetable-flour mixture, evenly coating the strands. Heat a large, heavy skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium heat, add 3 tablespoons oil and make sure its goof and hot.
Using a fork or your fingertips (letting the eggy batter drain off a little is good), gather spoonful-sized mounds of battered vegetables and drop them onto the heated skillet. When golden underneath, 3 to 4 minutes later, flip pancakes. Cook on the other side until nicely bronzed underneath, another 2 to 3 minutes, and transfer to paper towels briefly to drain pancakes, before transferring them again to tray(s) in warm oven. If latkes cook too quickly or slowly on the stove, adjust the heat accordingly. Add more oil if needed (you want to keep the pan at that 3 tablespoon level), being sure it is heated before adding more pancakes to the skillet. Repeat with remaining batter.
I like to keep the latkes in the oven for at least 10 minutes to ensure they’ve cooked through before serving them. This gives you time to make sauce. Mix sauce ingredients in a small dish. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve warm with a dollop of the sauce. With this same recipe you can use, sweet potato, zucchini, butternut squash, carrots, or any mix there of. This makes about 18 2 1/2 to 3-inch latkes.
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