How to Make Paczki! Mmmm... Not Doughnuts

So, that didn't take long! Here's the Paczki (pronounced POHNCH-KEE) video recipe I just produced for About.com's Eastern European Foods site. It's quite an easy recipe, and it's traditionally made on what we call "Fat Tuesday," the day before Ash Wednesday.

This surprisingly light, fried Polish pastry is most similar to our American jelly doughnuts – but, please, do not use the term "doughnut" around any Polish people. They go totally "świrują" (Polish for crazy)! They're right, doughnuts have holes, and these are indeed hole-less.

I had never made this exact recipe before, and was surprised how much less sweet it was than one would imagine. The dough is very similar to a soft roll, with just a hint of sweetness.

While the actual Paczki dough itself wasn't very sweet, the final package – warm soft dough, sweet fruit filling, and powdered sugar dusting – was just right. If you don’t drink coffee, you should really think about starting, just so you can drink it with these. It's a perfect pairing.

By the way, you know the drill; since I can’t embed the actual video player in the blog, when you click on the video you'll be taken to a recipe page on About where you can watch the clip. Just don't forget to comeback here for comments, questions, and general fried pastry discussion.

Special thanks to Barbara Rolek for the recipe! If any of you want to explore some more Polish recipes, or any other Eastern European cuisine, check out her great site. Enjoy!

Braised Grass-fed Beef Meat Sauce – Because I'm Down on the Ground

If you saw the video recipe for the London Broil I did using the Normanton Farm's grass-fed beef, you saw me save some of the top round, which had a little more connective tissue in it, to make a meat sauce recipe. This is that.

Most meat sauce recipes call for ground beef, and as most butchers will tell you (off the record), it isn't exactly the premium cuts that go into making ground beef. In fact, usually included somewhere in their answer is the statement, "you really don’t want to know."

This super-easy video recipe for a braised beef pasta sauce is similar to regular ground meat sauces, but instead uses freshly cubed beef as the base. The advantages are obvious and quite delicious.

Using this method, you get to choose the cut you like; I used top round, but rump roast, or chuck steak would be just as good. You can also control the fat content, trimming as you and your summer Speedo see fit. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
1 pound top round steak (may substitute rump roast, or chuck steak)
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
red pepper flakes to taste
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch green onions, white and light green parts only, chopped
1/2 cup beef broth or water
1/2 cup milk
1 (28-oz) jar prepared pasta sauce
1 (14.5-oz) package penne pasta, cooked
grated Parmesan cheese as needed

A Tuesday Tease: Paczki (Please do not call them Polish doughnuts!)

I just completed a rather fun assignment for About.com's Eastern European Guide, Barbara Rolek, on the Polish fried pastry "paczki." It should be airing very soon, so stay tuned. By the way, the chicken roulade video recipe I teased like 6 months ago will also be debuting soon – so a certain person can save their email!

Deviled Shrimp Ragu Over Creamy Corn Custard – Hell Yeah!

As promised, here is part 2 to the heavenly corn custard video recipe I just posted. This sexy seafood concoction is a slightly more refined take on the southern classic, shrimp and grits.

Grits has yet to find its way into my repertoire. I've made it maybe twice in 30 years of cooking.

I don’t even remember if I like it, but I like polenta, and every time I see someone on TV making, or eating shrimp and grits, I think to myself, "that looks great, I really should make that."

Whatever the inspiration, this subtly sweet, fairly fiery shrimp ragu poured over the light, creamy custard was a magnificent combination.

The firm spicy shrimp and the soft, sweet corn not only complimented each other, they pushed each other to places neither could have reached alone.

This would make a fantastic first course for any summer dinner, and it's certainly rich enough to be enjoyed as a entrée. You can also pour this over rice or noodles with complete confidence. Enjoy!




Ingredients:
1/2 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells reserved
1 cups water
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 tsp chipotle pepper
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 clove garlic, minced very fine
salt to taste
cayenne to taste, optional
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp minced chives
1 tbsp cold unsalted butter

Sneak Preview: Heaven and Hell

Airing Monday, this unbelievably perfect combination of fiery deviled shrimp ragu on creamy corn custard.

Celebrate the 4th of July by Having Your Flag and Eating it Too!

As the wise man once said, a video food blogger has to know his limitations. I had planned on doing a flag cake demo for the 4th of July, but since I've never made one before, I decided to do some pre-shoot research.

I figured I would watch a few clips to see how others have approached the subject. Once convinced I could do a better, funnier job, I would head into the kitchen and roll camera.

Well, after seeing this concise, clear, and easy to follow flag cake video from my friends at Howcast, I decided to just post this instead. Being a true patriot means putting your country ahead of your own selfish interests… and I'm kind of busy.

Anyway, have a happy and healthy 4th of July weekend, and (since I can’t say it at the end of the video) as always, enjoy!




Photo (c) Flickr user BL1961

Creamy Corn Custard – This is How They Serve Corn in Heaven

If you checked out my top ten list of Aspen Food & Wine highlights, you read about Christopher Kostow's impressive roasted corn custard with truffles and popcorn. Ever since that Patron-soaked evening I've been craving the sweet, silky goodness of this extremely easy recipe.

Corn custard is a wonderful side dish for all kinds of meats. Since it is so soft and light, texturally, it makes a great foil for things like barbecue pork, grilled steaks, and fried fish.

One major difference between my corn custard and Christopher Kostow's (pictured here), or any other "real" chef for that matter, I don't spend 20 minutes straining it. If you really want the ultimate creamy corn custard experience, you need put the mixture through a fine mesh sieve several times to remove all the fibrous corn kernel skins (is there a word for that?).

Since Thomas Keller wasn't coming over for dinner, I used the puree as is, and it was fantastic. If you do strain out the corn solids, you get something closer to a flan, but since you will lose a good deal of volume, you won't need as much egg to bind.

I guess I'll just have to make that version sometime, so I can give you’re the exact measurements. In the meantime, give this method a try. By the way, this is just part one. I love to use this corn custard, along with some spicy shrimp, to make a beautiful, and very summery first course. So stay tuned, and enjoy!



Ingredients for six (6-oz ramekins):
2 cups corn
1 1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup milk
1 1/4 tsp salt
pinch of cayenne
3 egg yolks
2 eggs
butter

Stop Screaming for Ice Cream and Start Making Some

With the Fourth of July holiday right around the corner, I decided to rerun this video recipe for vanilla ice cream that I did last year. An abbreviated version of the original post follows...

When it came to choosing a flavor, I decided to do vanilla, as it really is the king of ice creams (sorry chocolate). No other flavor makes milk taste milkier, or cream taste creamier.

When I do vanilla ice cream, I prefer the old fashion "American," or "Philadelphia-style" which doesn't contain any eggs, as does the more popular French vanilla. While this style of ice cream is certainly not as rich, in my opinion that sacrifice is rewarded with a brighter, more pronounced vanilla flavor.

I also use a combination of milk and cream, which is obviously much lighter than the traditional all cream versions. You can experiment with different proportions to find your "perfect scoop."

The Cuisinart ice cream maker pictured here is the one I use, and highly recommend. It's relatively inexpensive, and will provide many years of homemade ice cream and other frozen desserts. The great thing about this model is that the "bucket" is kept in the freezer, and is ready any time you are. Enjoy!




Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup cream
2 1/4 cup milk
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Ice Cream Photo (c) Flickr user Yogma

Average Betty Reinvents the Celebrity Chef Interview in Aspen

It's safe to assume that in the hundreds of interviews Chef Michael Chiarello has given during his long career, he's never been asked his thoughts on Kool-Aid soaked pickles.

Ming Tsai's could sit through another decade's worth of questions and never again be asked, "Who's a better cook, you or your mother?"

When it comes to how celebrity chef interviews should be conducted at the Food & Wine Classic, Average Betty didn't just flip the script; she juiced it and made everyone Jell-O shots. As you'll see in the video, her unique approach exposed these chefs' true personalities in a way you will never see on television.

Average Betty (Sara O'Donnell in real life) is a talented video blogger who mixes sketch comedy and cooking, and while we'd been admiring each other's work for years, we'd never so much as shared an email.

Well, we finally got to meet in Aspen, and it was so much fun picking each other's brain, trading ideas, and discussing the ups and downs of our similar existences as professional online foodies.

After much discussion and several cocktails, we decided that I'm a comedian trapped in a chef's body, and she's a chef trapped in comedian's body. Regardless, we're both searching for the same things – a larger audience to share our creations with, and of course, fame and fortune.

I hope to be collaborating with Average Betty on some future projects, and will be sharing more of her very entertaining work on this blog for your viewing pleasure. Stay tuned and enjoy!


Photos (c) Average Betty

Richard "Don't Call Me a Molecular Gastronomist" Blais' Toasted Sesame and Root Beer Glazed Lamb

One of the most interesting demos I attended at the Food & Wine Classic, starred Top Chef contestant Richard Blais, who partnered with McCormick for a "Flavor Forecast 2009." The theme was new spice/flavor trends, and our morning started off with one such combo; a smoked paprika and agave nectar margarita.

Note to anyone planning an early morning cooking demo: start with a strong margarita. As we sipped the spicy, yet delicious breakfast-of-tequila-loving champions, Blais went on to describe the dish he was preparing. We were about to taste lamb ribs braised with root beer and toasted sesame.

As he explained his thought process for matching these ingredients, and the cooking methods he uses in his kitchen to achieve the best results, he made it clear he does not like the term "molecular gastronomist." He said it sounds soulless, and too clinical. Fair enough.

He then went on to use the term at least a half-dozen times during the demo. I'm not sure if this was done tongue-in-cheek, or if there just isn’t a decent term that's synonymous, but either way, I was amused.

This video recipe is my version of the spiky-haired chef's dish. I used easy-to-find lamb shoulder chop steaks instead of Colorado lamb ribs, which were quite delicious, but maybe a bit hard to track down.

As far as the root beer and toasted sesame glaze goes, when I first heard it, I have to admit it didn't strike me as a great combination, but at the end of the demo, as I sat eating the tender lamb with the sweet, aromatic, nutty sauce, I was a believer.

As if the lamb, root beer, and toasted sesame combination wasn't different enough, Blais served it with a coleslaw ice cream. That's right, he used the sweet, tangy juices from a traditional coleslaw recipe, and with the help of liquid nitrogen, he created a surprisingly delicious frozen side dish.

I'll try and figure out how to make it without the chemistry set, since I'd love to show you that video recipe also. It was a strange and wonderful combination. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
1 tbsp vegetable oil
6 large lamb shoulder blade chops, about 3 to 3 1/2 pounds
1 bottle (12 ounces) good quality root beer
1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup toasted sesame seed
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon chipotle
1/2 tablespoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/2 cup water
additional toasted sesame seeds to garnish
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions