Rants Raves and Recipes

February 19, 2015August 12, 2015

Caramelized Onions for Steak

Caramelized Onions for Steaks

I think that the person who coined the phrase “patience is a virtue” was attempting to make french onion soup or caramelized onions for steaks. The seemingly simple act of caramelizing onions is in fact not quite so simple.

In order for onions to get to the rich dark brown texture takes a lot of time. Moderate heat to prevent burning and allowing the sugars to exude and brown can take up to an hour.

The following recipe isn’t for soup, it’s a rendition made to top steaks. I use a few tricks to help the flavors along and the results make any steak a “masterpiece”.

For good results I like to use Valdosta (sweet) onions . You can use others, but watch them. Some onions have a very high water content and will take an extremely long time to render out all that juice before they begin to brown.

Ingredients for Caramelized Onions for Steak

This recipe is for two steaks, if your cooking for more you will need a larger sauté pan. You don’t want to pile the onions up in the pan , you need as close to a single layer as possible.

1 large or 2 medium Valdosta or sweet onions thinly sliced
2 Tbs butter
1 Tbs canola oil
3 Tbs sugar
4-5 Tbs good Balsamic vinegar
1 cup water (to prevent onions burning if necessary)

Directions for Caramelized Onions for Steak

Peel and halve the onions and slice then very thin.

In a large sauté pan melt the butter and oil on moderate heat. Add the onions in as much as a single layer as possible. Gently stir the onions to coat with the butter and oil and once coated leave them in a single layer and allow the pan to do it’s job.

As the onions begin to brown with a spatula turn them allowing the onions to begin to brown evenly.

Keep a watch on the pan and do not allow the onions to burn. If it appears the are beginning to burn add a little water to slow the cooking process. If you find it necessary to add water, as you add it deglaze the pan scraping up any brown bits (fond).

Continue to allow the onions to cook turning occasionally.

After 30 -40 minutes you should have fairly good results. At this time add the sugar and stir to combine, then let the onions brown more in the pan turning once in a while to keep them from burning.

Once the onions are completely browned leave the pan on low and begin your steaks.

Just before the steaks are finished, bring the onions up to a medium high heat add the Balsamic vinegar deglazing the pan with it. Stir to combine, remove from the heat and top on the steaks and enjoy.

It’s beef and since I can’t have the other stuff I get the “sanitized version. I’m Mooooooooved to say I love the steak.

Yum

Caramelized Onions for Steak

Ingredients

This recipe is for two steaks, if your cooking for more you will need a larger sauté pan. You don't want to pile the onions up in the pan , you need as close to a single layer as possible.
1 large or 2 medium Valdosta or sweet onions thinly sliced
2 Tbs butter
1 Tbs canola oil
3 Tbs sugar
4-5 Tbs good Balsamic vinegar
1 cup water (to prevent onions burning if necessary)

Instructions

Peel and halve the onions and slice then very thin.
In a large sauté pan melt the butter and oil on moderate heat. Add the onions in as much as a single layer as possible. Gently stir the onions to coat with the butter and oil and once coated leave them in a single layer and allow the pan to do it's job.
As the onions begin to brown with a spatula turn them allowing the top sides to begin to brown.
Keep a watch on the pan and do not allow the onions to burn. If it appears the are beginning to burn add a little water to slow the cooking process. If you find it necessary to add water, as you add it deglaze the pan scraping up any brown bits (fond).
Continue to allow the onions to cook turning occasionally.
After 30 -40 minutes you should have fairly good results. At this time add the sugar and stir to combine, then let the onions brown more in the pan turning once in a while to keep them from burning.
Once the onions are completely browned leave the pan on low and begin your steaks.
Just before the steaks are finished, bring the onions up to a medium high heat add the Balsamic vinegar deglazing the pan with it. Stir to combine, remove from the heat and top on the steaks and enjoy.

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February 15, 2015February 15, 2015

Chocolate Crème Brûlée

Chocolate Crème Brûlée

This is a fairly simple to make dessert that takes a little time but is certainly worth it in the end. As with most recipes, it is not written in stone. If you don’t care for the melted sugar on top simply omit it, there is no crème brûlée society waiting to scold you if you don’t.

Ingredients for Chocolate Crème Brûlée

1/2 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
2 cups heavy cream
1½ cupssemi sweet chocolate morsels
1 Tbs Myers’s Dark Rum (optional)
Demerara sugar for topping

Directions for Crème Brûlée

In a bowl place the egg yolks and sugar and whisk until fully combined and a pale yellow.

In a double boiler take the chocolate and about 2 Tbs of the cream and gently melt. Whisk to smooth and set aside keeping chocolate warm.

In a saucepan heat the cream and rum to 140° – 160º or until it begins to gently bubble, remove from heat and let cool slightly. Using a ladle slowly add about 2 ounces of the cream to the egg yolks in a gentle stream whisking constantly to temper eggs. Once you have combined add another ladle and continue to whisk gently. The eggs should be tempered by the second addition so you can pour the rest of the cream in and gently stir to combine. Using a fine mesh strainer, strain the mixture into another bowl.

Now ladle in the chocolate and whisk gently to fully combine the mixture.

At this point you need to remove all the air bubbles from the custard by either straining the surface with a spoon or using your blow torch lightly burn the bubbles off the surface .

Ladle the custard into ramekins and place in a pan large enough to accommodate all the ramekins with a water bath coming up about half way on the ramekins. Bake at 325° for about 35 minutes, until the custards are set and only slightly wiggly in the centers. Remove from pan let cool for a few moments and then place into the refrigerator for a few hours to finish setting.

Remove from the refrigerator about ½ an hour before you are going to serve. Sprinkle about 2 Tbs of Demerara sugar over the top and shake to evenly spread over the top of the custard. Using a torch melt the sugar, wait a few seconds and melt a second time to burn a few spots of the sugar to give it the slightly bitter flavor of burnt sugar.

Here are a few items to help make this recipe:
ExcelSteel 579 3-Piece Stainless Steel Boiler, 2.5-Quart
Oggi 5 Piece Creme Brulee Set

Another SAPP unfriendly recipe, oh! I feel so left out.

Yum

Chocolate Crème Brûlée

Ingredients

1/2 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
2 cups heavy cream
1½ cupssemi sweet chocolate morsels
1 Tbs Myers's Dark Rum (optional)
Demerara sugar for topping

Instructions

In a bowl place the egg yolks and sugar and whisk until fully combined and a pale yellow.
In a double boiler take the chocolate and about 2 Tbs of the cream and gently melt. Whisk to smooth and set aside keeping chocolate warm.
In a saucepan heat the cream and rum to 140° - 160º or until it begins to gently bubble, remove from heat and let cool slightly. Using a ladle slowly add about 2 ounces of the cream to the egg yolks in a gentle stream whisking constantly to temper eggs. Once you have combined add another ladle and continue to whisk gently. The eggs should be tempered by the second addition so you can pour the rest of the cream in and gently stir to combine. Using a fine mesh strainer, strain the mixture into another bowl.
Now ladle in the chocolate and whisk gently to fully combine the mixture.
At this point you need to remove all the air bubbles from the custard by either straining the surface with a spoon or using your blow torch burn the bubbles off the surface lightly.
Ladle the custard into ramekins and place in a pan large enough to accommodate all the ramekins with a water bath coming up about half way on the ramekins. Bake at 325° for about 35 minutes, until the custards are set and only slightly wiggly in the centers. Remove from pan let cool for a few moments and then place into the refrigerator for a few hours to finish setting.
Remove from the refrigerator about ½ an hour before you are going to serve. Sprinkle about 2 Tbs of Demerara sugar over the top and shake to evenly spread over the top of the custard. Using a torch melt the sugar, wait a few seconds and melt a second time to burn a few spots of the sugar to give it the slightly bitter flavor of burnt sugar.

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February 12, 2015

Best Baked Stuffed Clams

Many years ago when we lived on Long Island, there was a shopping center a few blocks from our house. It was one of the last of the community designed shopping centers built by William Levitt. At one end was a local tavern with a rather large backroom which the owner had converted into a dining room, hiring a young chef and serving pretty good meals. With two babies in tow it was a great place to get an early dinner, as it was never busy until later in the evening.

I have always been a “baked clam junkie”and the baked clams here were the “best”. One night I asked the waitress if I could get the recipe for them from the chef. Fearing it was a competitor trying to steal his recipe he came out of the kitchen to question me. I told him that I thought his were the absolute best and that I had no plans to market them in another restaurant. Satisfied with my explanation he went back to the kitchen and on a kitchen dupe wrote the recipe. He said that he originally had gotten the recipe from the New York Times cook book. I eventually had to have the dupe laminated to preserve it and still have it in the recipe box. Since he made rather large quantities he didn’t provide amounts of ingredients just a broad view of what was in them and the process to prepare. It wasn’t hard to adapt the recipe to smaller quantities and has been a favorite of ours for many many years.

They make a great appetizer, or serving a couple they make a nice dinner, and occasionally to make them truly elegant I top them with Hollandaise sauce for a decadent treat. You can get fresh clams and open them yourself and save the shells to reuse, or use large scallop shells which are easier to find, or even place in ramekins, the choice is yours.

The amounts for the recipe are not written in stone. If you want to add more garlic feel free, a little more basil OK!, less clam liquor perfectly fine, it’s all about how the final dish tastes to you. Remember there are no baked clam police lurking outside your kitchen door.

Ingredients for Baked Stuffed Clams

4 Tbs butter
2 medium onions diced
3 stalks celery finely diced
3-4 cloves garlic finely diced
2 tsp each salt & pepper
2 Tbs dried basil
2 Tbs dried parsley
4 thin slices ham chopped (appox 1-1½ cups)
4 oz chopped pimientos
½ cup white wine
4 Tbs Parmesan cheese + more for topping
1 -3 cups Italian style bread crumbs
4 cans chopped clams with ½ the juice reserved
Sliced lemon or lime

Directions for Baked Stuffed Clams

This recipe will make over 2 dozen stuffed clam shells or about 9-10 filled scallop shells.

In a large sauté pan melt the butter, add the onions, celery, garlic, salt and pepper and cook until the vegetables are wilted and the onions translucent.

Now add the ham , basil, parsley, pimientos and cook for about 2 -3 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and remove from the heat.

Empty into a large bowl when slightly cooled add the Parmesan and clams and juice.

Slowly add the bread crumbs until you have no liquid visible and the mixture is still fairly moist.

Spoon into shells. Sprinkle more Parmesan over the top of each. At this point you can cover and refrigerate until needed.

Heat oven to 425º place the shells on a sheet pan in the center of the oven and bake 10 – 15 minutes until cheese on top is melted and clams are hot.

Serve with wedges of sliced lemon or lime.

Here are a few items that can help make this recipe:
Harold Imports Natural Baking Shells Set of 4
Cuisinart 722-36H Chef’s Classic Stainless 14-Inch Open Skillet with Helper Handle

Not exactly Prime Rib, but every one else seems to like them. Tomorrow a little less surf and a lot more turf please!

Yum

Best Baked Stuffed Clams

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Best Baked Stuffed Clams

Ingredients

4 Tbs butter
2 medium onions diced
3 stalks celery finely diced
3-4 cloves garlic finely diced
2 tsp each salt & pepper
2 Tbs dried basil
2 Tbs dried parsley
4 thin slices ham chopped (appox 1-1½ cups)
4 oz chopped pimientos
½ cup white wine
4 Tbs Parmesan cheese + more for topping
1 -3 cups Italian style bread crumbs
4 cans chopped clams with ½ the juice reserved
Sliced lemon or lime

Instructions

This recipe will make over 2 dozen stuffed clam shells or about 9-10 filled scallop shells.
In a large sauté pan melt the butter, add the onions, celery, garlic, salt and pepper and cook until the vegetables are wilted and the onions translucent.
Now add the ham , basil, parsley, pimientos and cook for about 2 -3 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and remove from the heat.
Empty into a large bowl when slightly cooled add the Parmesan and clams and juice.
Slowly add the bread crumbs until you have no liquid visible and the mixture is still fairly moist.
Spoon into shells. Sprinkle more Parmesan over the top of each. At this point you can cover and refrigerate until needed.
Heat oven to 425º place the shells on a sheet pan in the center of the oven and bake 10 - 15 minutes until cheese on top is melted and clams are hot.
Serve with wedges of sliced lemon or lime.

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If you enjoy our site and are thinking of purchasing anything from Amazon, please use the link to Amazon from our site. It doesn’t cost you anything and we profit from the ads and purchases .

Please help us keep our blog going by letting your friends know we’re here and by checking out the links on our front page.