These are just so good. That's all I have to say about that. Ha!
2 medium bananas
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 cups all purpose flour
Whisk all ingredients together except the flour until well combined. Whisk in flour until flour lumps dissolve.
Cook on medium heat until outer edges start to dry and bubbles pop in the middle. Flip and cook another minute.
There are a few reasons why I go ga-ga over this pie. It's easy, has great chocolate flavor and since it's frozen, I don't have to eat the whole thing in a couple days (though we usually do)
I apologize for the poor picture. It looks blah but is so good. :)
I like to use Cool Whip as the topping of this pie. I know, I know, it's cool whip. Fake, flavorless blah cool whip. But I always mix a little vanilla paste into it and I think it's just fine. It's great in this application because it freezes well and has a good texture. If you're too proud to like it, you can top the pie with whipped cream.
You will need one baked and cooled crust. You can find the recipe here
2 cups milk
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tablespoons soft unsalted butter
Heat 1 1/2 cups of the milk on low heat in a saucepan until small bubbles appear.
Whisk 1/2 cup of milk with the 3 egg yolks, cornstarch and sugar.
Slowly whisk egg mixture into hot milk. Cook while whisking until mixture becomes thick. It will be pretty thick, don't worry.
Strain custard through a fine strainer to remove any lumps. Melt chocolate chips, cocoa powder, butter and vanilla into warm custard. Chill custard until cold.
*to cool custard quickly, put some ice and a small amount of water into a bowl larger than the one holding the custard. Put the custard bowl into the ice bath and stir it every few minutes until cool.
3 egg whites
Pinch of salt
6 tablespoons sugar
Whip egg whites and salt until stiff peaks form. Whisk in sugar, one tablespoon at a time, until peaks are stiff, glossy and smooth.
Fold half of egg whites into cooled custard until combined. Carefully fold in remaining half.
Pour chocolate filling into cooled, pre baked pie crust.
Top with 1 tub of Cool Whip with 2 teaspoons vanilla mixed in.
Freeze pie for at least 6 hours, overnight is best.
You can slice and serve the pie immediately after taking it out of the freezer. Place leftovers back in freezer immediately.
I love wheat flour, I'll throw it into just about anything because I love the flavor. These pancakes have just enough wheat flavor and still a spongey chewy softness that I love about pancakes.
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup milk
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup bread flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons melted butter
Whisk together eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla, milk and canola oil until well combined. Addd baking powder and flours, whisk. Whisk in melted butter to finish.
I cook them on an a dry electric griddle at 325, if you're cooking them in a non stick pan, cook at medium temperature. Do not put butter or oil on cooking surface if it is non stick.
Flip pancakes when outside rim starts to dry and small bubbles form in the middle.
Makes about 16 5 inch pancakes
I make some of this about once a week. It's our standard house bread. You can bake it in a 9x5 loaf pan or split it into rolls.
1 1/2 cup hand hot water
1/4 ounce active dry yeast
2 tablespoons honey
2 1/2 cups bread flour
Mix all ingredients and let rise for 20 minutes.
Add:
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups whole wheat flour
Knead on low speed with a dough hook in an electric mixer for 10 minutes. Dough will be slightly sticky. Allow dough to rise until it doubles, about an hour.
Shape dough by making a square while pinching out the bubbles. Then roll the dough tightly and place into a non stick sprayed 9x5 loaf pan with the seam on the bottom.
Allow dough to rise until it reaches the top of the pan, about 45 minutes.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. (About 20 for rolls)
Allow to cool completely before slicing.
Most recipes for pizza crust floating around out there taste kind of biscuit-y to me. There's too much oil in most recipes and they only tell you to knead the dough once. I knead it before and after the dough rises. I also highly recommend bread flour, it has more gluten, thus makes the crust more chewey and delicious.
This recipe makes 2 12x17 baking sheet sized pizzas. This recipe halves easily if you like.
You can put whatever you like on here, but I will share my favorite sauce. It's pictured below, they sell it at my Giant Eagle store. I usually only make fresh pizza sauce when tomatoes are in season. One jar is enough for both pizzas. I also never buy yeast in packets. It's pretty much a rip off. I must also suggest you purchase good cheese. I'm not saying it's got to be organic buffalo mozzarella... but you aren't going to spend an hour plus making pizza dough to cover it in mozzarella flavored melted rubber... are you??
1 ounce active dry yeast
1/4 cup honey
2 1/4 cups hot-to-the-touch water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
5+ cups bread flour
In a large bowl, mix the yeast, honey and water. Let proof 15 minutes, until nice and bubbly. Stir in olive oil and salt, then flour. The dough will be wet after mixing in the 5 cups (hence the "+" in the recipe)
Knead dough on a well floured surface, adding flour as needed. You'll probably end up kneading another 1/2 to 3/4 cup of bread flour into the dough. Knead for 5 minutes total. Dough will be soft, smooth and stretchy.
Return dough to bowl and allow to rise for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 450
Divide dough in half and knead each half for two minutes on a floured surface. Then stretch and roll the dough to the size of your baking sheet. Put 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil on the baking sheet (enough to wet bottom and sides) Shape dough into pan and top with your desired ingredients.
Bake pizzas for 20 minutes. Rotate them halfway through. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before cutting pizza.
Over the years I've gotten so many questions about how I do some of the things I do. Like, how to cook hashbrowns that are golden brown, cooked all the way through and don't stick... how to grill chicken without it shredding on the grill... and on and on... So here are my biggest and most helpful tips that I know of that can help you everyday!
1- KOSHER SALT AND FRESH BLACK PEPPER: How to properly season food is one of the first things you learn in culinary school. And you will notice a huge difference in your food if you switch to kosher salt and fresh pepper. I like the Morton Salt in the blue box, it has the perfect texture and flavor. And please, buy a pepper mill... fresh pepper makes a world of difference.
2- HARD ANODIZED PANS: In my experience, these are the best non stick pans you can buy. And the process is patented, so you don't have to buy Emeril's brand in order to ensure quality. I bought mine (well, my mother bought mine :D) at Sam's club 4 years ago.. they are "Member's Mark" aka Sam's Club Brand. The whole set was like $60 and they show almost no wear and tear (and I use them pretty much every day)
3- CAST IRON PANS: For those times when you need to get a good sear on something, or fry something, you can't beat cast iron. When you're not using your non-stick pans, I would chose cast iron over stainless steel any day.
4- BEWARE OF THE DISHWASHER:Nothing will ruin your pans or knives faster than a dishwasher. Take the teeny weeny extra bit of effort and wash all of your pans and knives by hand. Dry them immediately and put them away. Anodized pans say they can be put in the dishwasher, but please, don't do it. It ruins the finish. Especially don't put teflon or other non stick finishes in there.. bad news bears.
5- DON'T BE AFRAID OF HEAT: In the restaurant business, we have all our ovens at 500 and all the burners and grills on high. I'm not saying do everything on high! But don't be scared of it. I'll go more in depth about temps/techniques a little later.
6- STEPS TO SEARING AND SAUTEING SUCCESS: This simple steps with help you cook anything; potatoes, eggs, fish, chicken, steaks, veggies... ect. A: Heat the pan dry first before adding oils/butter B: Once pan is preheated, add cooking oil/butter. I very often use half butter, half olive oil. But you can use whatever you like C: Heat butter or oil before adding whatever you're cooking. D: When cooking with butter, it's very easy to tell when it's time to add your food to the pan. The butter will melt and bubble, when the butter stops making noise, it's ready. E: Add food and shake in the pan slightly. Then LEAVE IT ALONE. Shake it slightly then leave them be. If you heated your pan properly, when the food caramelizes it will release itself. So when the food moves, it's ready to be turned. If it doesn't move, leave it be until it's ready. This is the secret to hashbrowns, fish, chicken, steaks, all sorts of stuff!
7- GRILLING BASICS: The most important part of grilling is proper preheating. Most grilling that we do is searing and cooking relatively quickly. This is the same concept as searing and sauteing in a pan on your stovetop. In order to keep the food from sticking, heat your grill to 400 or 450 (anywhere in there is fine) If you don't have a temperature gauge on your grill, a good rule is about 10 minutes of heating before cooking. You always want a little oil on what you're cooking to keep it from sticking. It's much easier (and safer) to put the oil (or non stick spray if you prefer) on the food itself rather than the grill. If you have cast iron grates on your grill, you will need to "season" them occasionally with oil. When the grill is hot, take and old rag, roll it up, dip it in a little oil (canola is great) and use tongs to rub the oiled towel on the grill grates. For cast iron grates, it's good to do this everytime you start from a cold grill. If you have porcelain or stainless steel grates, you don't have to season them. On the contrary to searing food on your stovetop, when you grill you won't move the food at all after placing it on the grill. But you will let it sit until it moves. If you try to pick it up and it's sticking, just leave it be. It will move when it's ready... I promise!
8- ROASTING: You can roast almsot anything. It's easy, healthy and delicious. I roast almost everything at 450. Asparagus, Broccoli, Chicken, Onions, Fish, Potatoes, Crostini, Croutons, Squash.. on and on. I know it sounds hot, but without some heat you don't get adequate caramelization. Season whatever you're roasting olive oil or canola oil, salt, pepper, plus whatever else you like. Want some roasted chicken for fajitas? Try some cumin, chili powder, oregano and some lime juice. Herbs for fish? Try tarragon, garlic and parsley. Herbs for chicken or pork? Try thyme, sage, rosemary and garlic. Croutons? Garlic, dry thyme and parmesan cheese can't be beat! Now for timing, toasting bread products is usually between 5 and 10 minutes. Vegetables take about 10-15. Potatoes start at 30 mins for a smaller dice, and 40-50 for quartered red potatoes. Chicken breasts usually take about 15-25. Fish about 10-15.
9- BOILING: The biggest tip is to season your water well with salt and use lots of water for what you're cooking. Seasoning water for potatoes and pasta makes a world of difference in flavor.
10- POACHING: For easy poaching liquid that's great for Shrimp, Fish, or Chicken. Bring water to a boil with some cut up carrots, celery, onions, a couple quartered lemons, a good amount of salt, some whole peppercorns and some fresh thyme. Simmer for 10 minutes before adding your seafood or chicken. Add seafood or chicken and simmer until cooked trough. Seafood usually takes about 5 minutes. Chicken can take 10-15 depending on how thick it is.
Oh, biscuits... how you have given me so much grief over the years! It's been a long time coming.. but I finally have made a biscuit recipe that is worth the effort! Hallelujah!
A couple of notes on this recipe:
After the addition of the buttermilk, the dough will seem a little wet. It's very important to not overwork the dough and don't add more flour to the mix. Just make sure you put the dough onto a well floured surface to shape it. Also, if you don't own biscuit cutters, I've found a white wine glass works well the cut the biscuits ;)
Oven: 450
3 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
6 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Cut butter into dry ingredients using a pastry cutter (or a fork if you don't own one) When the butter is the size of peas, mix in buttermilk until just combined.
Turn dough onto a well floured surface and pat until 1 1/2 inches thick. Cut into circles and place in a non-stick sprayed pan.
Bake for 18-20 minutes.
Caramelizing the sugar before making the filling brings out the flavor of the bananas without overpowering them.
You will find a pie crust recipe to the right. You will need to pre bake and cool crust before filling.
This recipe is going to read a little different: instead of all the ingredients listed at once and then directions, the ingredients are listed with each step. Be sure to read all the way through to make sure you have everything you need.
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 cups whole milk
Combine sugar and water in a high sided saucepan. Cook on medium-low heat until sugar caramelizes to a rich, amber color. Slowly whisk in milk. Be careful, as caramelized sugar will seize and milk will bubble violently. Don't worry when sugar turns solid, it's fine. The sugar will melt as the milk heats.
2 egg yolks
1 whole egg
6 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 cup milk
Whisk eggs, corn starch and milk in a small bowl. With the heat on low, slowly whisk into milk and caramelized sugar once sugar has completely melted into milk. Continue to cook on low, whisking, until filling becomes thick.
Remove from heat and strain through a fine strainer. Mix in:
2 tablespoons softened butter
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
Chill filling until it is at least room temperature before adding bananas.
With an electric mixer fitted with a wire whisk beat 2 medium bananas until broken apart. Whisk in filling until combined. Pour filling into a pre baked pie crust.
Chill pie for at least 6 hours and top with fresh whipped cream.
For whipped cream topping:
1 2/3 cups heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
By roasting the chicken and veggies in one step, you can save time and dishes. My grocery store carries a 5 ounce tub of shredded Parmesan-Asiago-Romano blend that I like to pick up for this recipe. Makes it quick and easy for weeknights.
5 cups fresh broccoli florets (about 3 crowns)
1 pint grape tomatoes, quartered
3 medium (or 2 large, about 1 lb) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch chunks
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons dry thyme leaves
2 teaspoons dry oregano leaves
1 teaspoon dry parsley
1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Toss all the above ingredients in a large bowl. Turn onto a sheet pan and roast at 450 for 20 minutes.
For the pasta:
3 cups milk
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
5 ounces grated Parmesan-Asiago-Romano cheese blend
12 ounces rigatoni (about 4 cups dry)
1/2 cup pasta water
In a large saucepan, whisk together milk, flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Bring to a boil while whisking constantly, boil 1 minute.
Remove from heat and stir in cheese until it melts.
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
Combine sauce, pasta, pasta water and cooked chicken and veggies.
This recipe makes enough for about 2 lbs of chops. Marinade chops overnight for best results. Grill on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes per side for 1 inch chops. Serve with my applesauce recipe for a classic combo.
In a food processor combine:
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 tablespoons honey
2 garlic cloves, smashed
2 teaspoons dry thyme
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon salt
I whip up this quick and yummy applesauce for my daughter when she asks. There's two techniques. The first being a fresh, cold applesauce. The other being one that you cook and store. The addition of the vinegar keeps the sauce from turning brown. The addition of sugar balances the vinegar, leaving a balanced, fresh flavor. If you're not going to eat the sauce right away, do the cooked version, as it will turn brown quickly.
Cold Applesauce:
1 medium gala apple
1/4 cup apple cider
Peel, dice and puree apples in a food processor with the cider. Voila
Cooked Applesauce:
Combine "Cold Applesauce" with 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar and 1 teaspoon sugar per apple. Add additional sugar if needed to maintain desired sweetness. Cook for 2 minutes on medium heat.
When I was in culinary school, my American Regional Instructor insisted that we change the red velvet cake recipe in the curriculum to my recipe after tasting this cake.
This is going to be a strange tip- fyi. But when I was a kid my mom always baked cakes with paper towel circles lining the cake pans vs parchment paper. Which I thought was super weird, but I've got to tell you, it works really well. (And is super cheap) just cut white paper towels to the size of your cake pans, then non stick spray the pan all over. Place the paper towel on the bottom, then spray the towel with a small amount of non stick spray. After the cake bakes the paper towel peels off so clean and perfect. And the cake bakes soft on the bottom, it's fantastic. I know- it sounds like a crazy hillbilly method. But it works really good, I swear!
I use apple cider vinegar versus the traditional distilled white vinegar. But this is because I have absolutely no need for white vinegar in my house, and I don't like it. But if you have white vinegar, you can by all means use it.
For the frosting you can add chopped and toasted pecans or you can leave them out. It's totally a personal choice.
Cake:
Preheat oven to 350
1/2 cup butter, room temp
1 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ounce (1 small bottle) red food coloring
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 cup buttermilk
Cream butter, sugar, and salt together with an electric mixer until soft and light. About 2 minutes.
Add eggs and vanilla, beat until combined.
Add food coloring, vinegar, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda, mix until combined.
Add half the flour, mix. Add half the milk, mix.
Finish by adding the rest of the cake flour, then the rest of the milk. Mix until combined.
Pour batter into prepared 9 inch cake pans. Bake 25-30 minutes.
Allow cakes to cool 10 minutes before taking out of the pan. Then turn the cakes onto wire cooling racks and cool completely.
Cream Cheese Frosting
8 ounces cream cheese, room temp
1/2 cup butter, room temp
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 lb (4 cups) powdered sugar
1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped (optional)
Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla until smooth. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, beat until fluffy and smooth. Add pecans (if using) at the end.
