She Crab Soup

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She Crab Soup

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Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 3/4 cup Whole Milk
  • 3/4 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
  • 1 ea Sweet Onion, small, diced
  • 1 ea Celery Stalk, diced
  • 2 ea Garlic Cloves, minced
  • 1 ea Small Lemon
  • 1/2 pound Lump Crab Meat
  • 2 tbsp Butter
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1/4 tsp Ground White Pepper
  • 1/8 tsp Ground Nutmeg
  • 2 tbsp All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/2 cup Clam Juice (or Chicken Stock)
  • 2 tbsp Dry Sherry (plus some for garnish)
  • Fresh Parsely, chopped (plus some whole sprigs for garnish)

Instructions

  1. Add milk and cream to a bowl and allow to sit at room temperature while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
  2. Finely dice the sweet onion and celery and add to a separate bowl. Mince and add the garlic as well.
  3. Zest the lemon and set aside.
  4. Coarsely chop the parsley and set aside.
  5. Pick through the crab and remove any shell pieces. Reserve 3 ounces of the crab for serving (1-1/2 ounces per person).
  6. Melt the butter in a cast iron pot. Add the onion, celery, and garlic. salt, ground white pepper, and nutmeg. Cook until the onions and celery are softened, but not browned. 5-10 minutes.
  7. Add the all-purpose flour to the cat iron pot, stirring to coat the onions and celery. Cook gently, making sure not to brown the flour too much. Deglaze the pot with half of the clam juice or chicken stock. Cook until the liquid mostly evaporates. 2-3 minutes.
  8. Add the milk, whipping cream, remaining clam juice or chicken stock, and the lump crab meat to the pot. Make sure to stir very lightly so as not to entirely break up the crab meat. Bring to a light simmer and cook, whisking often. About 10 minutes.
  9. Remove pot from the heat, add lemon zest, chopped parsley, and dry sherry. Stir to combine. Taste and season with additional salt or white peppers as needed.
  10. Add 1-1/2 ounces of crab meat to the bottom of each of the serving bowls. Ladle the warm soup on top. Float a teaspoon or two of the dry sherry on top of the soup and garnish with remaining whole sprigs of parsley.
  11. Serve.

Notes

Serve with toasted crusty bread or oyster crackers.

Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to two days.

  • Prep Time: 0 hours
  • Additional Time: 0 hours
  • Cook Time: 0 hours

Hollandaise Sauce

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Hollandaise Sauce

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Description

This is a basic blender recipe aimed at

Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 ea Egg Yolks
  • 2 tbsp Lemon Juice
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
  • 3/4 tbsp Dijon Mustard
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • Pinch of Cayenne Pepper (optional)
  • 8 tbsp Butter (1 stick)
  • 2 tbsp Water

Instructions

  1. Heat butter in medium in a small sauce pan.
  2. Add egg yolks, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, salt, and cayenne pepper to the Aer Disc Vitamix Blender container.
  3. Start the blender on the lowest speed and raise to 8. Blend for 30 seconds.
  4. Remove the pour stopper, and slowly stream hot butter into the blender.
  5. Once fully incorporated, add water as needed to bring the hollandaise to the right consistency.
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Additional Time: 0 hours
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes

Chicken Sandwich

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Chicken Sandwich

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Ingredients

Units Scale

Marinade

  • 2 ea boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 tsp Paprika
  • 1 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Black Pepper

Breading

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup corn starch
  • 1 tbsp Paprika
  • 1 tbsp Garlic Powder
  • 1 tbsp Onion Powder
  • 1 tsp Black Pepper
  • 1 tsp Salt

Instructions

  • Prep Time: 0 hours
  • Additional Time: 0 hours
  • Cook Time: 0 hours

Churro

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Churro

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Ingredients

Units Scale

Version 1

  • 1 cup water
  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 tbsp Brown Sugar
  • 1 cup flour

Version 2

  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

    4.5 to 5 minutes at 375

  • Prep Time: 0 hours
  • Additional Time: 0 hours
  • Cook Time: 0 hours

Ranch Dressing

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Ranch Dressing

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Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 3/4 cup Buttermilk, or regular whole milk
  • 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup Sour Cream, or Greek yogurt
  • 1 tsp Dried Dill
  • 1 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Dried Chives
  • 1/2 tsp Dried Parsley
  • 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions

  1. Mix all ingredients and let rest in the fridge for at least half an hour.
  • Prep Time: 0 hours
  • Additional Time: 0 hours
  • Cook Time: 0 hours

Bolognese Bianco

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White Bolognese

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Ingredients

Units Scale
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 sweet onion, peeled and finely chopped
  • 2 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
  • Sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 pound mild Italian pork sausage meat, removed from casings
  • 1 pound ground beef (not lean)
  • 1 1/2 cups dry Italian white wine
  • 1 cube beef bouillon dissolved in 2 cups simmering water
  • 1 1/2 ounces dried porcini mushrooms rehydrated in 3 cups lukewarm water
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1 pound rigatoni
  • 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Instructions

  1. Add enough oil to a large, deep sauté pan to coat the base and place over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the onion, carrots and celery and sauté until glassy and just tender, about 5 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Add the sausage and beef to the pan, breaking it into walnut-size pieces, and brown well.
  2. Pour in the wine and keep at a rapid simmer until the pan is almost dry. Then pour in 1½ cups beef bouillon and lower the heat to medium. Simmer gently, uncovered, until the bouillon is nearly gone, stirring now and then. Meanwhile, chop the rehydrated porcini into small pieces, reserving the liquid.
  3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add mushroom liquid to the sauce to cover the meat halfway (about 1 cup) along with the porcini and continue simmering until the sauce is loose but not soupy, about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and pepper; it should be highly seasoned. When the consistency is right, fold the cream in. Remove from the heat and cover.
  4. When the pasta water is at a full boil, add the rigatoni and cook until still firm, but not hard, in the center. When the pasta is almost done, scoop out 1 cup of pasta water and reserve. Drain the pasta and then return it to the pot. Pour the pasta sauce on top and fold in with a wooden spoon. The pasta should not be dry. Add a little pasta water or mushroom liquid to loosen it. (It will continue to soak up sauce on the way to the table.) Serve in one large bowl or in individual bowls, passing the cheese at the table.
  • Prep Time: 0 hours
  • Additional Time: 0 hours
  • Cook Time: 0 hours

Pickled Pineapple Ice Cream

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Pickled Pineapple Ice Cream

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  • Author: BruceHartman.net
  • Total Time: 24 hours 35 minutes
  • Yield: 24 ounces (Creami Deluxe Container) 1x

Description

You need more? That title isn't enough to have you drooling? Make it yourself and see.

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 2 tbsp Cream Cheese
  • 1 tbsp Magical Salt Butter (optional, see notes) or 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1/2 cup Sugar
  • 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1–1/8 cup of Heavy Cream
  • 1/2 cup Evaporated Milk
  • 1/2 cup Frozen Pineapple Juice Concentrate
  • 1/2 cup Pureed Pickled Pineapple
  • 2 tbsp Pineapple Pickle Brine

Instructions

  1. Measure the frozen pineapple juice concentrate into a small bowl and let it sit on the counter while you begin to work allowing it to thaw somewhat.
  2. In a large microwave-safe bowl, microwave the cream cheese and Magical Salt Butter for 10 seconds on high. Add the sugar, and beat with a whisk for a minimum of 60 seconds. The goal is to mostly dissolve the sugar into the cheese and MSB. Once incorporated, add the vanilla extract and mix.
  3. Slowly mix in the heavy cream until the sugar mixture is fully incorporated.
  4. Add the slightly thawed pineapple juice concentrate to the batter and mix it in slowly until it's fully incorporated. Add the pureed pickled pineapple and brine, and mix.
  5. Pour the batter into your Creami Deluxe Container. Place the lid on the container and put in the freezer for 24 hours.
  6. Process with your Creami Deluxe as you would for a full container of ice cream.

Notes

Magical Salt Butter is the by-product of my ghee making process. See the recipe for ghee and MSB, here. This is a magical umami substance that adds depth, richness, and body. If you don't want to trouble yourself, a half teaspoon of salt will get you part of the way there.

We've tried everyone's heavy cream, and and somehow Kroger's store brand is the best we've ever found. Compare it to any other and you'll see why we only get our cream from Kroger.

  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Additional Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 24 hours
  • Category: Dining Out

Date Night at Brenner Pass

I’ll say it up front, this has been our number one choice for a consistently surprising and delicious food experiences since just before COVID got going at full steam. We’ve eaten here at least a dozen times since February 2020, plus a handful of visits to the chef-owner’s other two local restaurants. Never mind that said-chef happens to be a veteran of Top Chef, and the only person to beat all three Titans on Bobby Flay’s Triple Threat (receiving the first perfect score all season).

Carrie and really, really, really enjoy Brittanny Anderson’s food and last night’s visit did little to change that.

We shared a half dozen PEI oysters. A little brinier than we like, but that’s our own bias… The oysters were top quality and clean even if a little salty.

We thought about a salad, but our server was on point and gave us the desert menu so we could decide early if we’d try and save room. She started selling us the chocolate tort. We made a tentative plan for dessert.

I say that I don’t like ordering pasta out, but three of my last four meals at Brenner have been pasta. Last night was the Lamb Gnocchi… It was perfect. The gnocchi we’re the lightest little pillows I’d ever tasted. I’m not sure how they even stayed together in the sauce. The ragu was perfectly seasoned… Reminiscent of long-cooked pot roast, but with a depth of flavor your mom couldn’t make. I finished two-thirds of it before pushing it away (and destroyed the leftovers later last night).

Carrie had the pork chop… It was spiced we’ll and had a nice smoke, but the pepper was a surprise. We need to start mentioning our pepper sensitivity when ordering to let the server offer some help in advance.

Speaking of servers, we met Selena for the first time. She was delightful and very friendly; attentive, but not obtrusive.

For dessert we ordered the chevre cheesecake and an americano. They paired wonderfully and put a nice bow on the night.

Kitchen Update

Over the last few months we’ve been slowly revising our kitchen. In October I added some new shelving and counter space where there hadn’t been any and relocated our fridge to the opposite side of the room.

Before
After

Last weekend I installed a new vent hood over the stove. Next month I’m planning to rip out the rest of the cabinets and counters and replace them with new shelving all the way around. There’s a lot of work to be done, but it’s been an incredible upgrade for us already. Both of us can work in the kitchen at the same time now… Something that hasn’t really been possible before. Next for the overhaul is to remove the dishwasher we never-ever use and install a new much larger farm-style apron-front sink that’s been stored in the kid’s room since November… waiting and taunting.

We’ve also replaced and added some new small appliances. The toaster recently got swapped out for what I thought was a better choice for us. I found out quickly that it was a major downgrade. Long story short: another toaster is on the way to replace the replacement. I’ll write about it soon (further evidence that I’m a big fat liar and this is just a food blog® masquerading as anything else). We also picked up a Ninja Creami after discovering it’s an arguably better consumer-focused version of the commercial PacoJet (I’ll probably write about that soon, too).

This post is really about the new blender and food processor that will be joining our happy little family in a week.

Food has always been important to us, but over the last four years especially we’ve been upping our game… working to seriously level-up the food that we’re able to eat through improved ingredient quality and elevated technique and cooking skills. This is partly because we’ve both worked hard to lose a lot of weight (450-plus pounds between us) and we just can’t eat the volumes of food we did before. Figuratively we can’t because if we do, we’ll go back to where we were… and also–the literally, in my case at least–my designer-inspired tiny stomach literally can’t hold much beyond two slices of toast at a time. For the record, mine was surgically assisted in 2011, but hers has been au naturel, baby, since 2017.

We eat out a fair amount. We like fine dining… small portions, big flavors. What we don’t like, though, is paying someone to make something in a restaurant that we can make at home ourselves. We try to save our dining out dollars for experiences and meals we wouldn’t or couldn’t think of because we’re not fulltime chefs who make their living inventing new flavor combinations that inspire their patrons.

I’m losing the thread…

Anyway, we took the leap on a new blender and food processor last night. After a fair amount of research we decided on the Vitamix A2500 Ultra Smart Prep Kitchen System bundle. I was originally planning to cobble my own set together from a reconditioned A2500, an additional 48-ounce container, and the food processor attachment kit, but once I did the math, it made sense to go with the new motor, and add the blender cup and bowl for basically nothing. The five-year warranty for their reconditioned items is almost unheard of, but the ten-year warranty for their new machines means I probably won’t ever have to think about buying a new blender again. All of this will replace a moderately-okay Hamilton Beach food processor and a $25 Oster blender that’s been treated terribly over its surprisingly long, but pathetically unimpressive life. All I can say for it is that it makes a passable hollandaise.

I can’t wait for our new toys to arrive. Standby for new food adventures.