Better than Five Guys French Fries

Let me tell you about my new favorite toy – my deep fryer. The wonders a deep fryer can do. Zeppoles are next on my list, but let me first tell you about the garlic and herb French fries I made that were way better than Five Guys Burgers. Everyone loves French fries, if someone says they don’t – lies! Pommes Frites in New York City is one of my favorite spots, especially around 2AM on a Saturday night. They have a bunch of different sauces; Vietnamese Pineapple Mayo and Sweet Mango Chutney Mayo are a must.

Ok back to my French fries. The process is long but so worth it in the end. They are twice fried. First fry them at 250F to make sure the potato cooks through and then turn that bad boy up to 375F to make the fries crispy. Baked French fries are good too, but nothing beats these.

I adapted this recipe from Joy the Baker

Ingredients:

3 large Russet or Idaho potatoes, peeled

1 quart vegetable or canola oil

dried parsley

garlic powder

Sea salt, pepper, and ketchup

Deep Fryer

Directions:

Wash the potatoes and peel them as little or as much you like. I didn’t peel them at all. The skin on fries tastes great and it’s the tastiest part of the potato (my opinion).

Slice the potato into ¼-inch planks. YouTube might have a video on how to cut a potato. As you’re cutting them put the slices in a bowl of cool water. It helps to prevent the potatoes from browning and helps the potatoes from sticking to one another while frying.

My deep fryer tells me how much oil to put in it but if you’re using a heavy bottom saucepan fill it up with 1 quart of oil. This should fill up 1 ½ inches deep. Heat the oil up to 250 F, use a thermometer to test the temperature. See if you had a deep fryer the light will just go off when it is ready – go buy one.

When hot enough fry a small batch for 4 to 6 minutes so the potato slices cook through. While they are cooking prepare paper towels to place them on to soak up the excess oil. Remove the fries from the oil with tongs when they are cooked.

After the first step of the frying process is completed and all the fries have been cooked once turn the oil up to 375 F.

When heated, continue to add more fries in small batches until crispy – about 3 minutes.

Remove and immediately sprinkle with sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, and parsley.

When In Doubt… Chocolate Chip Cookies

When in doubt just bake chocolate chip cookies! Every guy I come across loves chocolate chip cookies – men really are so simple, just like these cookies. I found this recipe from Joy the Baker who got it from the quirky Alton Brown. He uses bread flour for the cookies, which truly makes all of a difference. Bread flour has more protein than regular all-purpose flour and is ideal for bagels, pizza crust, and other breads. Bread flour in chocolate chip cookies makes the cookie so chewy and delicious. The overload of butter might also help with making the cookies so yummy. I will never use another method of baking cookies again!

Oh and don’t skip chilling the dough before baking. It really helps!

From Joy the Baker:

2 sticks unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.
Pour the melted butter in the mixer’s work bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Add the egg, yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Chill the dough, and then scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for even browning. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Goat Cheese Ravioli with Walnut Cream Sauce

Let’s talk goat cheese. I have an unhealthy obsession and guilty pleasure with goat cheese. I don’t know how it started and I am happy it did. Whenever I see a dish with goat cheese on the menu I am immediately sold. Or any cheese with that matter. My friend and I once ate entire block of goat cheese with a pitcher of sangria at the beach – I am not proud of myself. Goat cheese is just so creamy and savory, it just tops every dish off in my opinion, but what do I know?

The first time I ate goat cheese ravioli – hmmmm I cannot remember where but I do remember it was covered in a vodka sauce (another guilty pleasure). Raviolis are god’s gift to the world and that is a fact. You can stuff raviolis with anything! Seafood, vegetables, cheese, meat, or even potato and then you have a pierogi.  Then you get to smother it in sauce. I just love all Italian food!

Now let’s combine goat cheese ravioli with sauce – not just any sauce – walnut cream sauce.

I’ve adapted this recipe from Emeril:

His recipe and instructions are as follows

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots (I used white onion)
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups whipping cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated Asiago or Parmesan

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the walnuts and cook, stirring, until brown and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Remove nuts from the pan. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, shallots and garlic, and sauté for 1 minute. Add the wine and cream, and bring to a boil. Cook over medium-high until the liquid has thickened and reduced by nearly 50 percent in volume, about 4 minutes. Stir in the basil, salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the ravioli until they are tender and rise to the surface, carefully stirring to keep them from sticking together, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain in a colander. Transfer the cooked ravioli to the pan with the sauce, and gently toss to coat and heat through. Divide the ravioli among 6 serving plates or shallow bowls, and sprinkle each serving with grated cheese. Serve immediately.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/goat-cheese-ravioli-with-creamy-walnut-sauce-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback

PUMPKIN PIE CRUMB CAKE

I love Thanksgiving and now Christmas and New Years is quickly approaching. Thanksgiving in my house is an overload of food and leftovers. Two turkeys, yams, vegetables, cranberries, cornbread, mushrooms, and gravy – my list can continue, would you like me to? Holidays are an opportunity for me to make new desserts, appetizers, and side dishes because I know everyone will eat whatever I bring to the large buffet table.

When I adapted this recipe from Joy The Baker I thought it was going to be much different. So instead I made it a pumpkin pie crumb cake. The pecans make it crunchy, velvety cream cheese gives the cake a rich taste, and the spices bring it all together to a very holiday-worthy dessert with extra extra extra crumble topping.

Creamy Pumpkin Pie Bars

makes 9 bars in a square 8×8-inch pan

For the Crust:

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup old fashioned oats

3/4 cups (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes

1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans

For the Filling:

4 ounces cream cheese, softened ( I used about 6 ounces)

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg plus 1 large egg white

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon all-spice

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract.

9 roasted pecan halves for topping

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease an 8×8-inch square pan with butter or shortening.  Line with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, and oats.  Add cold butter and quickly but thoroughly break the butter up into the dry ingredients.  When broken down, some butter pieces will be the size of small peas; others will be the size of oat flakes.  Add the chopped pecans and toss to thoroughly combine.

Remove about 1 1/2 (to 2 cup) of the mixture from the bowl and place in a small bowl in the refrigerator.  This will be our crumble topping.

Dump the remaining crust mixture into the prepared pan.  Using your fingers, evenly press the crust into the bottom of the pans.  Try to make sure that the crust has an even thickness across the pan.  Place the pressed crust in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.

To prepare the filling place cream cheese in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat cream cheese on medium speed for about 1 minute, until smooth and pliable.  This will help the cream cheese be less chunky when combined with the pumpkin.

Add pumpkin and sugar  to the softened cream cheese and beat on medium speed.

Stop the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl, ensuring that the pumpkin and cream cheese are thoroughly combined.  If the cream cheese looks chunky, switch to the whisk attachment and beat on high speed until most of the cream cheese lumps are incorporated.

On medium speed add the egg and egg white.  Beat to combine (about 1 minute).

Add the spices, salt, and vanilla extract.  Beat to combine.

Remove the pressed crust and loose crumb from the refrigerator.  Pour the creamy pumpkin filling over the pressed crust.  Sprinkle generously with crumb topping and top with pecan halves.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the center no longer jiggles.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before removing from the pan and slicing.  I like to slice and serve these bars chilled.

To store, wrap individual bars in plastic wrap and keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Granola Bars

I tend to think that granola bars are healthy since there are nuts, seeds, and dried fruit in them, but when you read the nutrition facts you’ll be surprised. I adapted Alton Brown’s recipe I saw on my new favorite blog Cupcakes and Cashmere. I went to Trader Joe’s for all of my ingredients – I ended up spending way too much money. I should have just bought a $5 box of granola bars and called it a day. But since everything I bought came in bulk I will just have to bake something else.

These granola bars turned out to be a bit too sweet for my liking but everyone else in my house loves them. Next time I am going to use half the measurement of brown sugar or maybe none at all. I also saw a similar recipe that used coconut flakes as well. That sounds delicious.

Ingredients:

–       2 cups of old-fashioned rolled oats

–       ½ cup raw sunflower seeds

–       1 cup sliced almonds

–       ½ cup of wheat germ (I used flax seed)

–       ½ cup of honey

–       ¼ cup packed of brown sugar

–       2 tablespoons of unsalted butter

–       2 teaspoons vanilla extract

–       ½ teaspoon kosher salt

–       1 cup of chopped dried fruit, any combination you chose (I used dried cranberries)

Directions:

Start by buttering a 9 by 9-inch baking dish and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

On a baking sheet spread the oats, sunflower seeds, sliced almonds, and flax seed and toast in the oven for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally so it does not burn and toasts evenly. Remove from oven when completed and reduce the heat to 300 degrees F.

Meanwhile combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, vanilla extract, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once the sugar has completely dissolved add the oat mixture along with the dried fruit combination stirring together well enough so all of the oat mixture is covered.

Transfer the oat mixture to the prepared baking dish and press down so the mixture is evenly distributed throughout. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Allow the granola to completely cool before cutting into squares.

These treats will last up to a week in an airtight container.

 

 

 

Thanks to my sister Nikki for all the pictures!