Hunter's Beef Stew

The book this recipe is from calls it "Hunter's Beef Stew"...and then calls for cubed beef. Do guys get dressed up in an orange vest and camouflage hat, pack a lunch, grab some rifles and then use skill and guile to track down the crafty and elusive cow? You know, the animal you could stroll up to and kill with a sledgehammer as it patiently waited for you.

Pumpkin Pie

'Tis the season for pumpkin pie. As I had never made one before, I actually made two from entirely different recipes. Both went over well, but this one was slightly preferred as it had a darker, richer color to it so the eye appeal was better.




Filling:

2 eggs slightly beaten
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp each nutmeg, ginger
1/4 tsp each allspice and cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1 can (1 lb) pumpkin
3 tsp molasses
2 cans (6 oz size) condensed milk
1 egg white

Preheat oven to 400 F
In large bowl combine eggs, sugar, spices, salt, pumpkin,
molasses, and condensed milk, stir with wooden spoon until smooth.

Lightly brush pie shell with egg white and fill with pie filling.

Bake 55 - 60 minutes or until tip of sharp knife inserted in center
comes out clean. Let cool on wire rack, serve garnished with whip cream if desired

CCK KF1301

Behold! After a few years of loyal service from my Global Santoku G-46, I finally added to my "collection" of one good knife with a second one, a Chan Chi Kee KF1301 cleaver, much desired amongst the knife nerds and hard to find (hushed whispers on message boards about how a friend of a friend has an uncle who knows this guy who knows a place in San Francisco you can buy one). For some reason, outside of Kowloon, Hong Kong the only other official listed store is in Toronto. Which leads to...

Much thanks to my Toronto-area buddy Randy, who stopped by Chan Chi Kee Cutlery in Pacific Mall and picked it up for me...actually he bought it for me, what a guy! I've only just unwrapped it and right after I post this I'm going to maim and kill some tomatoes.

Naan Bread

The instructions are pretty lengthy, so I won't re-post them here (and there are many recipes for this stuff so you can find your own as well) but keep in mind you can do 1/2 of this work a day ahead, so it's no big scary deal. And the resulting flat bread was extremely yummy...soft, buttery, wicked finger-burning hot right from the cast iron pan, I might add.

We brushed the bread as it cooked with a butter / olive oil mixure with a clove of garlic cooked into it (see bottom of picture). Cooking this outside on a fire pit just made it better somehow. We had this with beef kabobs and tzatziki, but of course, some good strong curry would be ideal with this.

Crab Alfredo

Ever consider murdering yourself with dairy fat? Well, here's how you do it, you make this then you eat a lot of it. Now kiss your wretched life goodbye as you moan on the couch while your soul marches towards the glowing light.

This was a) stupidly delicious, and b) so...excessive it took me three days before I could bring myself to look at the picture I took so I could make this post. I think I had some toast and salad the next day, but it's kind of a blur.

Let's roll.

4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups heavy cream (or half & half if you wuss out)
1/2 cup (or more to taste) grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and white pepper to taste
Cayenne pepper
6 to 8 ounces cooked snow crab meat, cut into chunks*

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in the flour, and cook briefly until the mixture looks sandy. Do NOT let it color.

Wisk in the heavy cream, and stir until the mixture forms a thick sauce.

Stir in the cheese, and season to taste. Don't miss out on the dash of cayenne, it's good. Simmer for a few minutes to blend the flavors, and stir in the crab meat. Too thick? Add a splash of your pasta water.

Cook only until the crab is heated through, toss with your freshly drained pasta and get down to the business of entering a food coma.

*Mine was flakier, and sort of dissolved into the sauce. Still really good though.

Peach-Blueberry Cobbler

After we cranked out a really nice roasted whole chicken and vegetables (and gravy, hello) Karen got in the mood to bake. Yes, Karen, my wife. That Karen. Yes, I know.

Yes, KAREN. Ok? You can let it go now.

Anyway, she hit it out of the park. Ryan and myself were all over it, and declared that Karen should make it "every day!". Props for recipe to Alton Brown (Good Eats), but Karen made some alterations (rhubarb replaced with blueberries, lime replaced with lemon, etc.).

Peach-Blueberry Cobbler

2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons, plus 1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus 1/4 teaspoon
4 1/2 ounces unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces, plus extra for dish
1 1/2 ounces shortening, chilled and cut into small pieces
3 tablespoons ice water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 ½ cup blueberries
2 pounds sliced peaches, peeled and sliced into 1/2 to 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 9 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside.

Place the flour, 1-ounce sugar, lemon zest, and 1 teaspoon salt into the bowl of a food processor and pulse 3 to 4 times. Add the butter and lard and pulse until the mixture just becomes crumbly. Sprinkle the mixture with the ice water a little at a time and process just until the dough holds together when squeezed in a fist. Place the dough into a 1 gallon zip top bag and place into the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the 1 cup of sugar, cornstarch, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Stir in the blueberries, peaches, and lemon juice.

Remove 1/3 of the dough from the bag, pinch into pieces and distribute evenly in the bottom of the prepared dish. Pour the fruit mixture into the dish and crumble the dough over top of the fruit mixture evenly. Bake, uncovered, for 60 minutes or until the dough is cooked through and starting to turn golden.

*If using frozen fruit, increase cooking time to 90 minutes.

Change the oven setting to broil and continue to cook until golden brown, approximately 3 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 15 to 30 minutes before serving.

Grilled Corn

Pull down the husks but leave them attached. Remove the silks. Pull the husks back over the corn. Tie the ends of the hunks with string or a metal twist tie. Soak the corn in water 15 minutes. Grill over medium heat until done, turning on each side, about 10 to 15 minutes.

If you're not eating them right away, wait a few minutes, remove from husks and grill the corn directly for a touch of charring. Mmmm.