Hounds In The Kitchen » Recipes & Meals

Handmade Chocolate Truffles {Recipe}

Rachel — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:12:06 +0000

Chocolate is a classic Valentine’s gift. It’s a special decadent treat that nearly everyone loves.

But there are problems with modern chocolate manufacturing: it often exploits the land and native peoples. Also, many big name companies use artifical flavorings and additives.

Treat your love like a king or queen and seek out fair trade, all-natural chocolate from an honest manufacturer. We like Dagoba, Equal Exchange, and Theo brands.

For an extra special gift, consider hand rolling truffles. This recipe is simple to put together and can be customized to a wide variety of tastes by changing the liquid flavoring and outer coating.

Lil and a friend made these truffles for holiday gifts. Their versions more closely resembled truffle mushrooms than a candy store confection, but they tasted fantastically gourmet. If distractable kindergarteners can make these, you can too.

Handmade Valentine’s Chocolate Truffles

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Yield: 30-40 tablespoon sized chocolate truffles

Combine four ingredients to make your own hand rolled chocolate truffles - so easy children enjoy it!

Ingredients

16 ounces fair trade chocolate pieces (any combination of semi-sweet to dark)
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon extract (vanilla, almond, or peppermint) or espresso
4-8 ounces coating ingredients (cocoa powder, powdered sugar, finely chopped nuts or coconut)

Instructions

Melt chocolate in a double boiler or bowl set inside a pot of simmering water.
When chocolate is mostly melted, pour in the sweetened condensed milk. Stir together and continue cooking until the mixture comes together with a smooth texture.
Remove from the heat and stir in extract or espresso.
Chill in the fridge for two or more hours.
Roll tablespoon portions into spheres. Finish these by rolling in your choice of powdered sugar, cocoa, finely chopped nuts, or coconut.
Store truffles in individual candy cups in a covered container.

As these truffles rely on only a few ingredients, use the highest quality chocolate and sweetened condensed milk you can afford.

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Added to Hearth and Soul blog hop 2/7.

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Handmade Chocolate Truffles {Recipe} is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Announcing the Tayse Family Cookbook!

Rachel — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:55:13 +0000

Do you remember the secret project I hinted at this fall? It’s finally time to introduce you to the Tayse Family Cookbook!

Over a year in the making, the Tayse Family Cookbook contains seasonal recipes, stories, and photographs to support dining with those you love. The Tayse Family Cookbook is optimized for tablet and e-reader reading. All recipes are original, tested, and timed.

Download the .pdf ebook for $4.99 right here on Hounds in the Kitchen.

Why The Tayse Family Cookbook?

In the fall of 2010, I tried to think of the perfect Christmas gift for my extended family and happened upon the idea of a cookbook. I started taking photographs and writing up family recipes but quickly realized that I couldn’t make all our family classics in the time before the holidays.

I decided to take stealth photos of all our favorite foods for the entire next year. I photographed Dad’s Christmas potica, our rhymes-with-ham Easter dinner, Mom’s pies, not-tomato salsa, and more.

Then I tested and typed recipes. I added header notes, stories, and an introduction. I enlisted my friend Susan McGowan to edit the work.

I attempted to print the book but wasn’t satisfied with the print quality for a price I was willing to pay. I finally settled on the next best thing to a physical book – an ebook.

My Family Favorites Become Yours

It is my greatest wish that everyone enjoy the love of good food that my family shares. I hope that by sharing Tayse recipes, I can spread a bit of inspiration for your family and friends to grow closer over a meal. Enjoy!

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Announcing the Tayse Family Cookbook! is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Bincho-tan at Freshstreet Yakitori

Rachel — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:48:09 +0000

Freshstreet Yakitori (previously Section 8 Yakitorium) has received a good bit of press lately. The reviews are universally great but no one has picked up on exactly what makes the Yakitorium so tasty and authentic.

It’s the bincho.

Bincho-tan is a special hardwood charcoal produced and imported from Japan. So far as I can find, no one else in Columbus (and possibly the state) is using this cooking fuel.

Bincho-tan is produced from oak by steaming the wood at high temperatures. The resulting charcoal burns at a lower temperature but for longer periods of time than traditional coals. More importantly to cooks, bincho-tan does not smoke.

Yakitori stands prefer bincho-tan, therefore, because it allows the true taste of the meat to come through the flames. The charcoal also powers a grill for many hours, allowing the chef to cook through a meal shift.

Yakitori the Freshstreet Way

Kenny Kim and Misako Ohba first brought Japanese street food to Columbus with their Foodie Cart crepes. They later added takoyaki (pancake-batter like savory balls filled with octopus or corn) and moved into a shack in the Short North. Yakitori is their latest endeavor, served late nights at the Double Happiness bar in the Brewery District.

Kenny and Misako import their bincho-tan from Japan through a Chicago importer. Several other ingredients including ramen noodles are obtained in this way. They invest great cost in importing these authentic goods because they are not satisfied with lesser replacements.

The pair skillfully skewer small bits of meat, some of it local, on wooden spikes so the meat rests evenly across the yakitori grill bricks. Traditional Japanese chicken thigh and skin are offered, as are more adventerous cuts like beef cheek, pork belly, tongue, and tuna. At least one vegetable is always available. Skewers run between $2-4.

Yakitori are grilled over hot bincho-tan to order. Some are served simply with lemon and salt; others are dipped in a soy-based sauce. The resulting meat has the crisp texture of a grilled product without excessive smokiness.

Wise visitors order a variety; I was surprised at how much I loved the unctuous beef cheek and also that I enjoyed okra cooked yakitori-style, as I don’t like it in any other preparation.

Other Japanese specialities compliment the yakitori, including an excellent take on okonomiyaki (savory cabbage pancakes) for $4. Diners can eat at the Double Happiness bar or in their comfy lounge. The bar makes notable soju (barley spirit) and sake cocktails, well matched to the Freshstreet food.

Despite, or perhaps because of, the Japanese street food authenticity, Freshstreet Yakitori is widely appealing to many palates. Kids will enjoy meat on a stick as much as adults. There is something for every diet and adventure-level.

If you go:

Freshstreet Yakitori at Double Happiness is a bit hard to find. It is just over the 70/71 split from downtown at Front and Brewer streets. Look for the slender building on the east side of the street across from Wasserstrom and Via Vecchia.
Current hours are Thursday – Saturday 6:30 – 11:59 pm.
Find parking on the street or nearby garages.
Prepare to wait 5-10 minutes for your food. Every dish is made to order.
Freshstreet crafts their menu to have options for gluten free, vegan, vegetarian, and low-carb diets. Be sure to specify if you are gluten free, especially, so that there is no contamination on the grill.

Freshstreet Yakitori at Double Happiness
482 S Front St
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 220-5558

http://www.facebook.com/freshstreet
www.doublehappinessohio.com

NB. I will be cooking yakitori with the Freshstreet folks in Cleveland at a Brick & Mortar pop-up Japanese Festival this Thursday, February 2, at 6:30 pm. Tickets are still available for the event. Columbus Food Adventures has a few spots left for their road-trip adventure that includes the festival dinner, ride from Columbus and back, and a meet and greet with Chef Jonathon Sawyer.

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Bincho-tan at Freshstreet Yakitori is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Sorta Scones {Recipe}

Rachel — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:25:39 +0000

The urge to make scones hit me in early January. I wanted a perfect-for-me scone: not greasy, not overly sweet, full of whole ingredients, and easy to pull together in the morning before breakfast. I made many batches of scones and finally came up with this recipe.

Alas, Alex doesn’t think they are scones. He says they are more like muffins without the shape or biscuits without the fluff. Out the other side of his scone-crumbed mouth he admits that it doesn’t matter what I call them so long as I keep making them. Done and done!

These scones are a breakfast or tea time treat. Lil likes them with chocolate, so I use fair trade dark chips, the healthiest chocolate choice. With whole wheat flour, buttermilk, and less fat than most recipes, enjoy my real food interpretation of scones.

Sorta Scones {Recipe}

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Yield: 6-8

Serving Size: pieces

A quick recipe for breakfast scones that is low-sugar, lowered fat, and full of flavor.

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour (I prefer King Arthur brand)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
1 cup cultured buttermilk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped dried fruit, nuts, chocolate chips or a combination thereof (optional)

Instructions

Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mix flours, baking powder, salt, sugar and cinnamon in a medium mixing bowl.
Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut in butter until mix resembles fine meal.
In a liquid measuring cup, measure buttermilk. Add egg and beat lightly with a fork. Pour vanilla into this liquid measure.
Mix together liquids into flours, stirring just until mixed. Add dried fruit, nuts, or chips and stir to distribute evenly. Do not over mix.
Turn dough out onto floured surface. Dough will be sticky but use floured hands to gently form into a round.
Cut round into six or eight equal triangles. Place each on a silicone- or parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until browned on top. Serve warm.

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Added to Simple Lives Thursday.

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Sorta Scones {Recipe} is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Fizzy Water with SodaStream

Rachel — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:27:41 +0000

Remember when I had a SodaStream on my holiday wish list? I put it on there because when I have sinus pain and pressure, nothing is more delightful to drink than some sparkling water. But I have always hated the packaging waste of bottles of water.

My friend Faith saw my list and said “Why don’t you just ask Soda Stream for one? They are promoting them with bloggers.” Duh.

I asked and amazingly the company quickly sent out a SodaStream unit and a selection of their SodaMix flavor syrups.

I spent five minutes setting it up and then had my first drink. I giggled. Fizzy water from a machine right in my kitchen!

How It Works

Lil doesn’t care for sparkling water or sodas but she loves to use the SodaStream. Here’s a quick video of how it works:

Flavorings

SodaStream produces an array of flavoring syrups called SodaMix including common soda knock-offs, a line of all natural (i.e. sweetened with cane sugar) selections, and no-cal flavored water. We found the taste of the flavors to be satisfying when we were looking for a shot of sugar.

The carbonation unit can only handle plain water, so to use the SodaMix syrups you have to pour it in after adding the bubbles. Each package comes with a measuring unit to fill the entire 1 liter bottle.

We found that we prefer to measure a bit of syrup into a glass and then pour soda water on top. We just don’t drink enough sweet drinks to go through a whole liter before it de-carbonates.

Other Uses

Honestly, I prefer the un-flavored fizzy water. Sometimes I enjoy a glass with a twist of citrus or splash of lime juice. Sparkling water makes for a great no-calorie drink.

And of course we also use the sparkle to make cocktails. Limoncello over ice topped with soda water is the most refreshing thing in the world. We top whiskey sours with soda water and mix cranberry liqueur with bubbles. Once our store bought tonic water runs out, I will experiment with making my own tonic syrup so that summer gin and tonics will have a lower environmental footprint.

Is It For You?

The basic SodaStream costs around $100. CO2 cartridges cost $30 for a new cartridge or $20 for a refill. As each cartridge lasts for about 60 liters, the cost of bubbles per 12-ounce glass is $0.12.

It’s hard to adjust for the amortization of the initial $100 investment for the machine because I don’t know how long it will last. The unit is simple with few moving parts so I expect it to withstand many refills.

We typically pay about 60 cents for a 12-ounce can or bottle of club soda. Even if the unit only lasts through two refills, the SodaStream will beat the price of store-bought club soda AND eliminate recycling or reusing the cans/bottles. Plus, there’s no denying that pressing the button and buzzing the water full of air bubbles is fun!

Disclosure: SodaStream provided me with a Genesis Soda Maker, Sodamix Variety 12-Pack, and a half dozen bottles of SodaMix syrups. My opinions remain my own.

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Fizzy Water with SodaStream is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Can PIPA and SOPA

Rachel — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:50:27 +0000

A little elf told me to black out my website in support of Internet freedom. I am not really tech-savvy enough to do that. Instead, I’ll spend some time today urging my congressmen to stop the PIPA and SOPA bills so that I and others retain the ability to express opinions without threat of censorship. Join me?

PS. Is this little elf not the cutest? My grandmother kept a canning booklet from 1935 including illustration gems like this and an article about ‘How to Preserve a Husband’ that I will reprint soon.

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Can PIPA and SOPA is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Meyer Lemon Marmalade {Recipe}

Rachel — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

When I finished making candied Meyer lemons, I couldn’t toss the remaining syrup. Lightly lemon flavored, I tried stirring it into a cocktail but it was too thick. Jam-like already, all signs pointed to marmalade.

I chopped ten Meyer lemons from my surprise windfall from Green B.E.A.N. into tiny bits, carefully removing the central membrane and seeds. I simmered them with the syrup, water, and seeds in a cheesecloth bundle until the rind softened and the jam set up. I felt like the marmalade lacked sweetness and added vanilla bean plus a bit more sugar to smooth out that side of the flavor profile.

The resulting trio of quarter pints, plus a nearly full quarter pint in the fridge, represent my first home-canned goods of 2012. It feels great to be putting up again, though I bet these jars will vanish before I complete another canning project!

Meyer Lemon Marmalade

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Yield: 4

Serving Size: quarter pints

Make and can sweet, tangy Meyer lemon marmalade with this simple recipe.

Ingredients

10 organic Meyer lemons
1 cup sugar (or 1 1/2 cup thick sugar syrup reserved from Candied Meyer Lemons
1/2 cup water
1/2 vanilla bean, optional
4 quarter pint canning jars, rings, and lids

Instructions

Wash lemons thoroughly.
Slice lemons into quarters lengthwise. Remove central membrane/core and all seeds. Reserve seeds and membrane and tie into a cheesecloth bundle, as they contain pectin needed to set the jam.
Slice each quarter into half lengthwise again and then slice into very thin pieces.
Place lemon pieces, sugar (or syrup), water, and seed bundle into a heavy bottomed 1 quart pot. Heat to a simmer over medium heat. Continue to cook until lemon rind softens, 30-45 minutes. Taste and adjust sugar as necessary.
Test the jam to see if it is set by placing a small drizzle on a ceramic plate. Put the plate in the freezer and wait 2 minutes. If the marmalade is jelled in the freezer, it is ready to can. If not, continue to simmer and test again in 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, sanitize jars, rings, and lids by heating them to boiling in water.
When jam is jelled, remove the seed bundle and discard. Use a sharp knife to halve and remove the seeds from the vanilla bean. Stir these into the marmalade. If eating fresh, ladle marmalade into clean jars, allow to cool, and store in the fridge for up to a month.
If canning, ladle marmalade into sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Secure rings and lids and process at a rolling boil for 15 minutes.
Remove from the water bath and allow to cool. Remove rings, wipe rims, label and store in a cool dark place. (See How to Manage Home Canned Goods)

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Added to Simple Lives Thursday 78.

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Meyer Lemon Marmalade {Recipe} is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

The Lemon Meringue Pie Test

Rachel — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

If there were a Homemakers Award system with a Home Baking merit badge, lemon meringue pie would be the final exam. This diner dessert requires mastery of a flaky crust, no-fall meringue, and tempered egg filling. These elements must be managed in quick succession so that they come together for a final bake before sogging the crust. Then, the whole thing must chill before service just enough that beads of moisture do not form on the meringue.

In my first sitting for the lemon meringue exam, I failed.

First, the sides of my all-butter crust slumped during the blind baking stage. I deduced that the oven was not hot enough. A second crust in a hotter oven retained its shape.

I read the recipe for the filling a half dozen times. The process starts by dissolving cornstarch and sugar into solution and then one tempers egg yolks into the pot. Off the heat, the recipe calls for adding lemon juice and butter before pouring it into the shell.

This all sounded a little fishy to me – every lemon meringue pie I’ve eaten tastes like the filling is lemon curd and this cornstarch solution isn’t part of lemon curd. Yet I persisted. I emptied our cornstarch jar with just a little less than the recipe called for but the yolks tempered beautifully. I timed every step and poured the ‘isn’t-that-a-little-runny’ filling into the crust just as egg whites came to a stiff peak in the mixer.

I scraped the meringue over top, learning that why a piping bag would make that step much more efficient. Again, I followed the recipe to a T, spreading the meringue to touch each edge. I carefully transfered the pie to the oven.

Top browned, I removed the pie, noticing the top quaking like a leaf on a rippling stream. When would that filling set up? Perhaps in the cooling. The pie sat at room temperature and then on our chilly porch for four hours.

Carrying it over to friends’, the filling was still a running river. When it was time to serve, our lovely hostess presented a knife. I asked for a spoon.

Of course, because the filling never set, the crust was a soggy mess too. The flavors were all good, so we ate the pie soup. Lil consumed only the meringue top to her piece – a choice I can’t fault, as it was the only truly successful part of the dish. We forgot the delightful candied lemon garnish which could have pulled the pie into passing territory.

Someday I’ll attempt making lemon meringue pie again. Until then, if you are looking for your Homemakers Award, I recommend anything but this recipe.

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The Lemon Meringue Pie Test is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

When Life Hands You Meyer Lemons, Candy Them {Recipe}

Rachel — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

After sipping my homemade limoncello last week, I decided I hadn’t had enough of this season’s Meyer lemons. I ordered another half dozen from Green B.E.A.N. delivery.

When I opened my box I found not six but eighteen petite yellow lemons. I immediately contacted customer service and offered to return them. The quick response: “We can’t take them back, can you use them?”

Oh can I? When life hands me Meyer lemons, I feel very lucky indeed.

I started with candied Meyer lemons. I spent 30 minutes focused with a sharp knife slicing thin strips of lemon and picking out the seeds.

Then I simmered them in sugar syrup until the rind turned translucent, enjoying the sweet summery scent as it wafted through the house. Finally, I moved the slices to a drying rack to drain the excess syrup.

Unlike the failure of a lemon meringue pie, candied lemons are a delight. I could see using them as a translucent garnish for nearly any dessert, chopping them into scones, or slipping the sweet slices in between cake layers.

But to be honest, I doubt they will make their way into any recipe at our house. We are eating a sticky slice or two with herbal tea in the afternoon and as a snack after dinner. The bright, bitter intense flavor adds moments of light to our days.

Candied Meyer Lemons {Recipe}

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Yield: approximately 24 slices

Preserve Meyer lemons by candying them in sugar syrup for a tangy, slightly bitter, translucent sweet.

Ingredients

2 organic meyer lemons
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Instructions

Wash lemons well.
Slice off ends and discard. Cut remaining part of the lemon into the thinest slices possible, at least 1/8 inch. Remove seeds as you come to them.
Meanwhile, simmer sugar and water in a wide skillet over medium heat.
When sugar is dissolved, add lemons and continue simmering. Stir occasionally to ensure that lemon slices are in a nearly single layer.
Cook until rind is translucent, about 30 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer slices to a cookie cooling rack.
Dry at room temperature for twenty four or more hours; lemons may still be sticky. Store in single layers between parchment in a loosely lidded container.

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Added to Hearth & Soul Blog Hop.

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When Life Hands You Meyer Lemons, Candy Them {Recipe} is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Confessions {Friday Five}

Rachel — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:05:27 +0000

1. I like to make jam but I rarely eat it.

2. Same with pickles. Hence, my pantry is overabundant and I give many jarred gifts.

3. I failed at worm composting last year. I so don’t like squishy creatures that I hated tending the box and turned the wigglers lose in my compost bin in the summer. I am keeping my awesome One20 Farm composter with the hopes that someday I’ll get over my fear or convince Lil to tend worms for me.

4. I don’t like the way I look on tv or in pictures. Thankfully this video segment on local news about moms who blog with Mikaela Hunt included beauties Amy Turn Sharp, Diane Davis Lang, Susie Owens, and Wendy Hondroulis to counter my awkwardness.

5. Alex is a better cook than I. He makes sauces, garnishes dishes and attempts recipes that I simply do not take time for.

6. (Bonus because I had to share the picture!) I take unwarranted pleasure in bathing the little dog. She hates it but Lil and I smirk as we wash her filthy body.

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Confessions {Friday Five} is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!