Gentlemen's Essentials - Official B&B Cookbook

[saegoose]

Ultimate BBQ Chicken - Courtesy of Tyler Florence


Ingredients

Brine:

* 2 quarts water
* 2 tablespoons kosher salt
* 1/4 cup brown sugar
* 2 garlic cloves, smashed with the side of a large knife
* 4 sprigs fresh thyme
* 6 chicken legs and thighs, still connected, bone in, skin on, about 10 ounces each

The Ultimate Barbecue Sauce:

* 1 slice bacon
* 1 bunch fresh thyme
* Extra-virgin olive oil
* 1/2 onion, chopped
* 2 garlic cloves, chopped
* 2 cups ketchup
* 1/4 cup brown sugar
* 1/4 cup molasses
* 2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar
* 1 tablespoon dry mustard
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1 teaspoon paprika or smoked paprika if available
* Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

For the brine, in a mixing bowl combine the water, salt, sugar, garlic, and thyme. Transfer the brine to a 2-gallon sized re-sealable plastic bag. Add the chicken, close the bag and refrigerate 2 hours (if you've only got 15 minutes, that's fine) to allow the salt and seasonings to penetrate the chicken.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Wrap the bacon around the bunch of thyme and tie with kitchen twine so you have a nice bundle. Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the thyme and cook slowly 3 to 4 minutes to render the bacon fat and give the sauce a nice smoky taste. Add the onion and garlic and cook slowly without coloring for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, give the sauce a stir, and turn the heat down to low. Cook slowly for 20 minutes to meld the flavors. Once the sauce is done cooking, remove about 1 1/2 cups of the sauce and reserve for serving along side the chicken at the table. The rest of the barbecue sauce will be used for basing the legs.

Preheat oven 375 degrees F.

Preheat a grill pan or an outdoor gas or charcoal barbecue to a medium heat. Take a few paper towels and fold them several times to make a thick square. Blot a small amount of oil on the paper towel and carefully and quickly wipe the hot grates of the grill to make a nonstick surface. Take the chicken out of the brine, pat it dry on paper towels. Arrange the chicken pieces on the preheated grill and cook, turn once mid-way, and cook for a total of 10 minutes. Transfer the grill marked chicken to a cookie sheet and then place in the oven. Cook the chicken for 15 minutes, remove it from the oven and then brush liberally, coating every inch of the legs with the barbecue sauce and then return to the oven for 25 to 30 more minutes, basting the chicken for a second time half way through remaining cooking time. Serve with extra sauce.

 

[btheath294]

Pineapple Banana Nut Bread


3 cups flour
1 tsp. soda
1 cup nuts, chopped
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 cups mashed bananas (ripe)
1 (8 oz.) can crushed pineapple, drained
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. salt
3 eggs, beaten well
1 1/2 cup oil


Combine dry ingredients, stir in nuts, set aside. Combine remaining ingredients and add to dry mixture, stirring just until batter is moist. Spoon into two greased and floured loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 5 minutes. Cool 10 minutes.

 

[Scotto]

Sour Cherry Sauce

My choice for blintz topping, but also superior on pound cake, ice cream, you name it. Dead nuts easy.

The only hard part is to find the cherries. Trader Joes sells 24oz jars of Morelo cherries which are great. Well stocked grocery stores and any place that sells German stuff will have them also. Do not use sweet cherries. If you are in a place that grows sour cherries, you are a lucky man.

Drain the cherries. Reserve ~1/2c. of their juice.

In a (cold) saucepan, mix 1/4c. sugar, about 2 1/2t of cornstarch, and a pinch of salt. Whisk in reserved cherry juice and 1/4c. dry red wine (port will work, too, but I like the wine), and a cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil until thick. Toss the cinnamon.

Add back in the cherries, add a drop of almond extract, and cook for a minute or two. Voila!

 

[btheath294]

This is for Deacon.


2 cups of water
1 (14 oz.) container of chicken broth
3/4 cup half-and-half
3/4 tsp. salt
1 cup uncooked regular grits
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. hot sauce
1/4 tsp. ground white pepper
3 bacon slices
1 lb. medium size shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup low-sodium, fat free chicken broth
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. hot sauce
chopped green onions


Bring first 4 ingredients to a boil in a medium saucepan; gradually whisk in grits. Reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until thickened. Add cheeses and next 3 ingredients. Keep warm. Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp; remove bacon, and drain on paper towels, reserving 1 tbsp. drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon and set aside. Sprinkle shrimp with black pepper and 1/8 tsp. salt; dredge in flour. Saute' mushrooms in hot drippings in skillet 5 minutes or until tender. Add 1/2 cup green onions, and saute' 2 minutes. Add shrimp and garlic, and saute' 2 minutes or until shrimp are lightly browned. Stir in 1/2 cup chicken broth, lemon juice, and hot sauce, and cook 2 more minutes, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet. Serve shrimp mixture over hot cheese grits. Top with crumbled bacon and chopped green onions.

 

[_JP_]

This is a great way to use up some sourdough starter so that you can feed it and keep it alive.



2 cups sourdough starter http://whatscookingamerica.net/Bread/SourdoughStarter.htm room temperature
2 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons olive oilhttp://whatscookingamerica.net/OliveOil.htm
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salthttp://whatscookingamerica.net/Information/Salt.htm
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoons warm water


In a large bowl, add sourdough starter, sugar, egg, and olive oil; mix well.
Dilute 1 teaspoon baking soda in 1 tablespoon of warm water. Only add baking soda to batter just before you are ready to cook the pancakes. Fold gently into the sourdough batter (do not beat). This will cause a gentle foaming and rising action. Let the mixture bubble and foam a minute or two.


Heat up a lightly greased griddle until fairly hot; then pour batter onto the griddle. For each pancake, pour 1/4 to 1/2 cup batter onto hot griddle. Cook 1 to 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Serve on hot plates.
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[flabajaba2213]

Sorry for the blurry pics. My camera hates me.

Ingredients:

3 - 4 Pound roast, Eye of the round preferable
Fresh ground pepper
Garlic salt
Salt
Dehydrated onions

1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Place the roast in a broiler pan, with about 1/4 cup of water in the bottom.

3. Mix about 2 table spoons of fresh cracked pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of garlic salt together, then sprinkle over the roast.

4. Sprinkle dehydrated onions over roast.

5. Place roast in oven. Cook for 7 minutes a pound for medium-rare, and 8 minutes a pound for medium. (For example, a 3 pound roast would cook for 21 minutes for medium rare).
6. Once the timer dings, turn off the oven.

***DON NOT OPEN THE OVEN!***

Leave the oven closed for 2 hours.

7. After the 2 hours is over, you can remove the roast.

8. Let the roast sit for 5 minutes before you cut into it, to allow the juices to settle.

9. Enjoy!


The initial cooking gets a nice bark on the outside with the seasonings, and seals in the juices. The 2 hours slow cooks the meat using the radiant heat, cooking it just right and letting the juices work their magic. It is fool proof. I've cooked up to 6 pound roasts using this method, and they all turn out perfect.

EDIT: Added Pics

 

[_JP_]

A very simple side dish.

• One 14.5 oz can of green beans, either cut or French style (you can use fresh or frozen as well)
• Dried Rosemary
• Ground Savory

Add a two or three pinches of rubbed Rosemary and a pinch of Savory to the green beans. Cook to taste and serve. The Rosemary alone works well. Optional seasonings include onion powder or garlic power.

 

[ouch]

Pizza Rustica

Prepare enough pie dough for a double crust. Line a pie pan with dough, cover, weight, and pre bake.

In a large bowl whip a pint of ricotta cheese with three eggs. Fold in diced prosciutto, dried sausage, salami, capacolla, sopresatta, or crumbled bacon in any combination- the more the merrier.

Top with remaining dough and bake one hour at 375.

Eat alone, hot, room temp, or cold.

 

[johnniegold]

Sorry fellers. Here ya go:

The "Gravy"


1 lb ground beef (you can make it meatless too)
1-2 tsp. onion
1/4 C. oil
2 Cans Crushed Tomatoes (20 oz. each)
1/2 tsp. salt
pinch of sugar
1/4 tsp. red wine vinegar
fresh bay leaf, and fresh basil
a little garlic
a little dash red pepper flakes, if desired

Directions:
1. Saute the onion in the oil until golden not burned.
2. Add the meat and saute until crumbly or brown.
3. Add the cans of crushed tomatoes.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients (bay leaf, basil, sugar, garlic, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper flakes)
5. You can add tomato paste or water to get your preferred consistency.
6. Mix it together and simmer about one hour. You can add meatballs to the sauce 30 mins after you started this simmer. Then simmer for another 45 mins. (just a suggestion, take with a grain of salt). Try to stir every 10-15 minutes or so to prevent sticking.


The Meatballs

1 lb Veal/beef/pork mixture
2 eggs
1 cup italian bread crumbs
1/2 cup parm. cheese
3/4 cup milk
salt/pepper to taste
Cover the bottom of pan with olive oil and put over medium heat
Fry the meatballs until they are brown on the outside and firm, making sure not to over cook them and make them too hard.
Add them to the gravy to finish cooking

Will make 12 nice size meat balls.

TIP: when rolling the meatballs wet hands so the meat doesn't stick to your hands.

 

[ouch]

I've made 100's of these from scratch using my trusty little wooden dowel, but I'll confess to converting to premade wrappers. They're round, thin, fresh, uniform, and a buck for a hundred, making them a no brainer for the hard part. One of the dirty little secrets is that many a high end restaurant will use them for their upscale ravioli dishes, as they obviate the need for a dough expert.

Filling
Pork. Should be a bit fatty. Pork butt (shoulder) works well. Have the butcher coarsely grind it or slice and whack until minced with two cleavers (lots of fun to do!)
Stir in minced ginger, garlic, shallot, scallion.
Add minced water chestnut (optional)
Add a bit of soy sauce and sesame oil.
Mix in a puck of tofu (lightens the mixture).
Put about a teaspoon in a wrapper. Apply cornstarch/water mix or egg wash to one half of the wrapper (you want a dry portion of the wrapper to press against a wetted part for a good seal).
Starting at one end, press about a 1/4" of the wrapper together, then continue, pleating the edges. This will take some getting used to, and there should be roughly seven pleats or so.
Repeat until you're out of stuffing.

Steam in bamboo steamer (placing them on a piece of lettuce or cabbage makes for easy retrieval) over boiling water for 8-10 minutes until just done.
Alternatively, heat a non-stick pan and film with oil (or cast iron, black steel, or aluminum, if you dare). Add dumplings, spacing them. Do not turn. Cook over medium heat 2-4 minutes (again, you'll have to get the hang of this) until the bottoms turn golden. Add 1/2 cup water or chicken stock. It will bubble like mad. Cover and continue to cook, trying your best not to peek, until the liquid evaporates, about 4-6 minutes. Transfer to plate. They should be crisp and golden on the bottom and steamy on top, with the meat just cooked through.

Dipping sauce
There are numerous, from a simple chili oil on up.
1T soy sauce
1T dark soy (sweeter and less salty)
1T sugar
1T Chinkiang black vinegar (Chinese balsamic, but you can use plain rice vinegar)
2T water or stock to thin
dash hot chili oil or pinch of hot chili paste
white pepper
minced garlic, ginger, shallot, scallion, and cilantro
Stir and let stand

 

[FiXXXer]

Mojitos by the Pitcher

I make these in a 1 gallon pitcher

juice of 10 limes
fresh mint, I throw in a whole package from the grocery store
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups white rum
club soda or sprite, chilled

Add the sugar, mint leaves, and lime juice and muddle until the mint is shredded to bits, then add the rum and the soda (I generally use 6-8 cans of Sprite for mine)

If you want to add a little something extra, half of a small bottle of pomegranate juice is excellent.

 

[ouch]

Cheesecake a la Ouchette

1 store bought prepared graham crakcer pie shell
preheat oven to 350
bake pie shell for 10 min
cool
reduce heat to 325

2 8oz packs Neufchâtel* cream cheese, room temp
2 oz sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs


In a large bowl, whip cream cheese and sugar with a hand mixer until smooth
Add one egg at a time and continue to whip unitl completely incorporated
Add sour cream and vanilla and blend briefly
Transfer to prepared pie shell
Bake at 325 for one hour
Remove to rack
Allow to cool one hour
Refrigerate minimum 4 hours




*Amazingly, the lower fat cheese works well. You want your kid happy, not fat and happy.

 

[flabajaba2213]

Surprise!

This is my grandmothers recipe, which I've changed a bit. Ideally, this is a quick and easy dish that you can make with ingredients that you probably have in your house right now, when you get home from work tired and the kids are hungry, and nobody wants to really do anything!

The name comes from when my uncles were kids, and one day pulled the wrappers off of every can of veggies in the pantry. So, whenever my grandmother made the dish, the veggies were always different, so it was a surprise!

Ingredients

1 Pound Lean Ground Turkey or Beef
16 oz. Frozen Mixed Veggies
2 Cans Del Monte brand Stewed Tomatoes with Italian Seasoning
Salt
Pepper

Optional
Pasta Sauce
V8

1. Cook the veggies as per instruction, drain and set aside.
2. Brown the meat in a large saucepan, drain the fat.
3. Add the stewed tomatoes and break up the tomatoes a bit. Add the veggies. Add a pinch of salt and pepper.
4. Give it a good stir, cover the pan, and reduce the heat to medium / medium-low.
5. Let simmer for 10 - 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes.
6. Serve.

If the surprise seems a little thin to you, add 2 tablespoons of pasta sauce. If it is too thick, add an 8 oz. can of V8.

I suggest serving this over rice (brown or white), since the rice will absorb a bit of the juice and become delicious. I like the Del Monte brand stewed tomatoes because they already have a nice balance of herbs, so that is one less thing to worry about when making the dish. This keeps very well, and reheats easily. If you start the veggies when you start to brown the meat, you can have this whole meal done in 20 - 25 minutes. Also, if you use the turkey, there is very little saturated fat, and you can get your kids to eat their veggies too!

 

[btheath294]

1 (8 oz.) bag red kidney beans (Be sure beans are not old)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. parsley, chopped
water to cover
1 large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 cup green onion tops, chopped
6 strips of bacon, cut up
salt and pepper to taste (I use Lawry's season salt)
3 bay leaves
2 lbs. cajun sausage, cut up
1 lb. ground sausage (Owen's or Jimmy Dean), pulled apart into pieces
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
cooked rice


Put beans in a heavy pot with enough water to cover; bring to a rolling boil for a couple minutes. Remove from heat; soak overnight in same water. In the morning, bring to boil again. Add all other ingredients. Reduce heat; simmer at least 3 hours. Add cold water as needed. Serve over rice.

 

[Jim]

 

[TimmyBoston]

People's expectations of marsala sauce vary a lot, depending on what they have eaten at restaurants. Much of what you get is gloppy junk barely tasting of marsala. This recipe will produce a quite light sauce with intense marsala flavor; try and see if you like it.

2 1/2 ounces pancetta (about 3 slices), cut into thin strips
8 ounces white mushrooms , sliced
1 clove garlic , minced
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 1/2 cups sweet marsala
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Use thin chicken or veal cutlets, give them a dredge in flour and fry them up. Keep them in a warm oven while you make the sauce.

Add pancetta to hot pan and saute at medium heat until crisp. Remove it to a paper towel lined plate. Add in the 'shrooms and cook at med-high heat until they are good and brown. Add in garlic, tomato paste, and pancetta and cook for a moment to caramelize the paste a bit. Remove pan from heat and add the marsala, scraping the goodness from the bottom of the pan, and reducing it until the thickness of maple syrup. Work in the butter a tablespoon at a time, add in the lemon juice, parlsey and any meat juices from the resting meat. Serve and take a bow.

This same sauce works great for saltimbocca and other goodies.


This recipe is from Scotto, not me.

 

[Jim]

OK lets get started~

What you need:



3- 28 ounces cans of plum tomatoes, San Marzano is best.

1 cup of chopped onion

4 cloves of garlic chopped or more

A large handful of fresh basil

2 lbs of veal, cubed

1 tsp of red pepper flake (or more later)

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 oz EVOO

Dice, slice and cube everything to start, drain as much moisture from meat and tomatoes as possible, this aids in browning.

Heat oil in large enough pot to fit all the tomatoes with plenty of room left over.

Brown cubed veal and reserve.

Lightly brown onions and half way through add garlic, reserve.

Brown 2 cans of tomatoes,this can take 45 min or more Don't rush this part!

Add onions and garlic red pepper and salt.

Add the rest of the tomatoes.

Simmer on low for many hours, add water as needed.

(After 3 hours,almost half way)

(After 6 hours, keep going)

After 6 hours or so add reserved meat and Basil to sauce, cook one more hour.

Cook Pasta.

Enjoy!

 

[EmTea]

Or sliders, or mini-burgers, what ever your fancy.

What you'll need (this makes 8-9 burgers):

1lb of ground chuck
1 tsp each of kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder
Dinner rolls
Mayo

You can mix the spices together or put them on the meat one at a time. I mixed mine ahead of time.

Preheat your oven to 250F
Let your griddle/pan heat to 350F

Unless you have an unusually large cutting board, I'd suggest using parchment paper to make one. A dab of water in under the corners will prevent the paper from moving.
Take the chuck and roll it over the parchment paper to get it really thin. Once the meat is spread out, sprinkle the spices on the meat.

Then, using the parchment paper to help, fold the meat over itself.

Now, using a pizza cutter works the best, cut the meat into squares. Some won't be perfect but add/subtract meat to make the best of it.

*Notice the roll in the background, I used it to judge how big to make the burgers

Half the dinner rolls like buns and place them in a aluminum foil cocoon.

Place said cocoon in the oven for 5-10 minutes

While the buns are heating, throw the meat on the griddle/fry pan.

*If your griddle/pan is not big enough to cook all of the little burgers at once, cook the buns after you cook the meat to avoid burning the buns.

Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side.

When the burgers are done place them on a plate with a paper towel. Remove the buns from the oven and put a little bit of mayo on the inside of the bun, this prevent the buns from being soggy.

Add desired condiments and serve!

 

[EmTea]

I dont mean to double post, but I figured this seperates the recipes.

I've decided to try out bacon and blue cheese burgers. The idea here is to put the blue cheese and bacon in the patties themselves, thus adding cheesy goodness in every bite.

First, get of the banana-phone, this is serious business. Making french fries, the proper way requires your undivided attention. (Seriously)

For the burgers you will need:
5-6 Pieces of thick cut bacon
2-3 Cups of Crumbled Blue Cheese
1 pound each of ground chuck and sirloin

Cut up the bacon and fry it. I had to cut the cooked pieces smaller, you want the bacon to be the same size as the crumbled blue cheese.

In a bowl, combine the bacon, ground sirloin, ground chuck, and blue cheese. Make into about 6-7 patties.

On to the grill, you want to start the grill on medium heat. Get the grill to about 350F. Flip only once and no pressing!

Cook these until desired doneness is reached. Once they are done, kill the heat, and place your buns cut side down on the grill.

Now the fries!
You'll need:
About one russet potato per person
Sunflower Oil (or safflower oil, just avoid monster oils like peanut and vegetable)

Cut up the potatoes into fries, try to get them as uniform as possible. Removal of the skin is up to you.

As soon as you cut the potatoes, place the soon to be fries in a big bowl of ice cold water. You can do this as far head as you want, as long as the water stays cold.

Heat your oil to 315F, then let it coast on low to 320. Proper heat control is key.

When ready to fry, remove your fries from their bath. Do not use a strainer, this will just put back the starch that has fallen off the potatoes. Remove them by hand and dry them with tea towels or a salad spinner.

Once the fries are dry, fry them for a few minutes. Not long enough to cook them, just long enough to soften them. Keep the temperature at, or around, 320. Work in batches, about one potatoes worth of fries at a time. Once limp, let them drain and cool to room temperature. This is a good time to turn your oven to 200F Then increase the heat to around 330 or so. Then fry those fries until golden brown.

Let them drain and season with kosher salt. Stick them in the oven to keep them warm.

Serve with a beverage and you're done!

 

[EmTea]

Last one for now.

To make the dip you'll need:

1 & 1/2 Cups of Cucumber (peeled, seeded, and cubed. This worked out to be about 1 Cucumber)
1 Cup of Finely Chopped Red Onion (This worked out to be about half a large onion)
3 Tablespoons of Dill (Fresh, chopped)
3 Tablespoons of Mint (Fresh, Chopped)
1 Cup of Feta Cheese (I used the crumbled kind)
2 Tablespoons of Fresh Lemon Juice (I was able to get away with half a lemon to make all the juice)
8 Lemon Wedges (This worked out to be about 1 Lemon)

For the Pita Crisps you'll need:
3 8in Pitas, Split in Half
Cooking Spray
Kosher Salt (Or Sea Salt)

First Pre-Heat the oven to 350F

While the oven is heating up, lets make the dip
Start by fine chopping the red onion

Then peel and quarter the cucumber
Add this into your mixing bowl

In a second bowl, I used the bowl I was going to plate with here, add the Feta cheese, pepper, and lemon juice.

Using a fork, mash up the Feta cheese and lemon juice.

Add the onion and cucumber mix, dill, and mint to the bowl with Feta cheese. Toss to coat.

Plate with the lemon wedges.

Making the Pita Crisps is real easy.

Grease a baking pan, place the chips on the pan, spray the chips with more cooking spray, sprinkle on the kosher salt.

Let those cook for 10 minutes or until they are brown and crisp.


Now for the main course, grilled chicken pizza!
You'll need:
Pre-made thin crust pizza dough
1 & 1/3 Cups of Olive and Mushroom tomato sauce
1 Cooked Chicken breast
3/4 cup of Mozzerlla cheese

Preheat the oven to 450F

Chop the chicken breast, make sure you take out the bones!

Put the tomato sauce on the pizza dough, leave about an inch of crust exposed around the edge. Then add the chicken, then top with cheese.

Cook for 12 minutes or until brown.

Cut the pizza into quarters and serve!