Category: Recipes

Vanilla Ice Cream

• 1 cup (250ml) whole milk
• A pinch of salt
• 3/4 cup (150g) sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 2 cups (500ml) heavy cream (or heavy whipping cream)
• 5 large egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Heat the milk, salt, and sugar in a saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the milk with a paring knife, then add the bean pod to the milk. Cover, remove from heat, and infuse for one hour.
2. To make the ice cream, set up an ice bath by placing a 2-quart (2l) bowl in a larger bowl partially filled with ice and water. Set a strainer over the top of the smaller bowl and pour the cream into the bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, stir together the egg yolks. Rewarm the milk then gradually pour some of the milk into the yolks, whisking constantly as you pour. Scrape the warmed yolks and milk back into the saucepan.
4. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a heat-resistant spatula, until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula and reached 175 degrees.
5. Strain the custard into the heavy cream. Stir over the ice until cool, add the vanilla extract, then refrigerate to chill thoroughly. Preferably overnight, potentially in bowl of ice.
6. Remove the vanilla bean and freeze the custard in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Notes:

1. You can combine the milk/sugar/bean and let it steep overnight in the fridge. 
2. Don’t worry if when you pour the egg mixture into the strainer some of the egg doesn’t go through. You can use a spatula and push some but it’s OK if some doesn’t make it. And you can use the spatula on the bottom/outside of the strainer to remove stuff too.

Adapted from David Leibovitz

Shortbread Cookies

• 1 stick butter
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup rice flour
• 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

1. Cream 1 stick of butter with 1/4 cup powdered sugar. Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.
2. Work in 3/4 cup flour with 1/4 cup rice flour, 1/8 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/8 teaspoon salt.
3. Pat dough into 8 inch circle on cookie sheet. Score the dough.
4. Bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees.

Adapted from Laurie Colwin’s More Home Cooking. 

Slow Roast Salmon

• salmon
• salt & pepper
• olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 225°.
2. Season both sides of the fish with salt and tuck it into an optional bed of herbs. Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil onto the fish and rub it in evenly with your hands (Peachy’s note: ew). Slide the pan into the oven.
3. Roast for 40 to 50 minutes, until the fish begins to flake in the thickest part of the filet when you poke it with a knife or your finger. Because this method is so gentle on its proteins, the fish will appear translucent even when it’s cooked.
4. Then finish in a hot pan on the stove.

Adapted from Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat

Update: my preferred recipe for salmon is now very similar to the chicken recipe but my cook time is reduced to roughly 15 minutes.

Kenji’s Garlic Focaccia

• 5 tablespoons (75ml) extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• Kosher salt, for seasoning
• 500g all-purpose or bread flour (17 1/2 ounces; about 3 1/4 cups)
• 15g kosher salt (1/2 ounce; about 1 tablespoon)
• 4g instant yeast (0.15 ounce; about 1/2 teaspoon)
• 325g water (11 1/2 ounces; about 1 1/2 cups minus 1 tablespoon)
• 1 whole head garlic – roast at 350 for 1hr with oil & salt, wrapped tight in aluminum

1. Combine flour (250g), salt (6g), yeast (2g), and water (162g) in a large bowl. Cover bowl tightly, rest on the countertop for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours.
2. Add 3 tablespoons (45ml) olive oil to a 12-inch cast iron skillet or large cake pan. Transfer dough to pan by tipping it out of the bowl in one large blob. Turn dough to coat in oil. Flatten dough in skillet. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let dough stand at room temperature for 2 hours. After the first hour, adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 550°.
3. At the end of the 2 hours, dough should mostly fill skillet, up to its edge. Use your fingertips to press it around until it fills every corner, popping any large bubbles that appear. Lift up one edge of dough to let any air bubbles underneath escape. Repeat, moving around dough, until no air bubbles are left underneath and dough is evenly spread around skillet. Peel roasted garlic cloves and break up large cloves into 2 or 3 pieces each. Scatter roasted garlic evenly over surface of dough, then push down on each clove until it is embedded in a deep well of dough.
4. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until top is golden brown and bubbly and bottom appears golden brown and crisp when you lift it with a thin spatula, 16 to 24 minutes. If bottom is not as crisp as desired, place pan on a burner and cook over medium heat, moving pan around to cook evenly, until bottom of focaccia is crisp, 1 to 3 minutes.

Adapted from J Kenji Lopez Alt

Sautéed Chicken

• chicken breasts
• salt & pepper
• soy sauce

Directions

1. Marinate the chicken breasts in salt, pepper, and soy sauce.
2. Heat up the pan on medium high heat, usually in a Le Creuset pot.
3. Put olive oil in hot pan.
4. Cook the chicken breasts for 1 minute without moving. Turn the heat to medium. Add the chicken breasts. Cook for just about 1 minute to help them get a little golden on one side (you are not actually searing or browning them).
5. Then flip each chicken breast over.
6. Turn the heat to low.
7. Cover the pan and cook on low for 10 minutes. Cover with a tight-fitting lid. Set a timer for 10 minutes, and walk away. Do not lift the lid; do not peek.
8. After 10 minutes have elapsed, turn off the heat. (If you have an electric stove, remove the pan from the heat.) Reset the timer for 10 minutes and leave the chicken breasts in the pan. Again, do not lift the lid; do not peek.
9. After the 10 minutes are up, take the lid off, and your chicken is done. Make sure there is no pink in the middle of the chicken breasts. If you want to be absolutely sure it is cooked, you can use an instant-read thermometer to check (the chicken should be at least 165°F). Slice and eat.

Adapted from The Kitchn

Beets

• beets
• olive oil
• salt

1. Beets are best when roasted, whole and unpeeled.
2. Rinse the beets and put them in a small baking pan with ¼ inch of water and a sprinkling of salt.
3. Cover the pan with foil and roast in a 450˚ oven until a knife meets very little resistance when slipped into the center of a beet, about 1 hour.
4. Remove from the oven, uncover, and set aside to cool. Slip the skins off the beets with your hands, cut them into slices or wedges, and dress with red wine vinegar, olive oil, and salt.
5. (Some people like to wear rubber gloves when peeling red beets, though to me pink fingers are a small price to pay for being able to feel the food I’m cooking.)
6. Eat them warm or refrigerate for up to 3 days. Serve with plain yogurt, salt, and olive oil. Balsamic vinegar optional. 

Adapted from J Kenji Lopez Alt

Leek Soup

• 4-6 potatoes
• 3-4 shallots
• olive oil
• chicken stock

Directions

1. Peel and slice potatoes, about 4-6. 
2. Chop up a few shallots in the food processor.
3. In a large soup pot, put the chopped shallots and some olive oil, just enough to cover most of the bottom of the pot. 
4. Stir and add the sliced potatoes. This combination should cook for quite some time so that the potatoes are getting a bit soft. I’d say about 20 minutes.
5. Add the chopped leeks from the fridge. Stir. 
6. In the sink, you will find several containers of chicken stock. Remove as much of the fat that’s at the top and then dump into the pot. 
7. Stir, let cook at a medium temperature. 

Tomato Onion Crostata

• baby tomatoes
• 2-3 onions
• 1.25 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 stick butter
• 1/8-1/4 ice water depending texture

Directions

1. Slice in half cherry tomatoes, lay on paper towel and sprinkle with salt. Let rest for one hour. Rinse after to get off salt.
2. Now make the dough. Mix the dry ingredients, and then add butter cut up into tablespoons. Barely pulse. Add water.
3. Take the dough out of the food processor and put it on plastic wrap, shaped into a disc about 9 inches in diameter. Put in the fridge for an hour, wrapped in the wrap.
4. Preheat the oven to 425˚.
5. Sauté 2-3 chopped onions with olive oil and salt, into slivers.
6. Take the disc out of fridge, roll out on floured surface, roughly a foot. Then transfer to parchment paper.
7. Put the onions everywhere, leaving an inch border free to make sides.
8. Put the rinsed tomatoes, patted dry, on top of the onions. Sprinkle on top a little sugar.
9. Bake in oven for 35-40 minutes.

rachel rolls

• 1 packet (2 1/4 tsp) yeast
• 1.5 cup warm water
• 3 cups flour (white + whole wheat)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• various seeds

directions

1. dissolve yeast in warm water with pinch of sugar and wait for foam. stir gently with spoon
2. put under lamp for 5 minutes and wait for burst of yeast to rise to surface
3. when all yeast has come to surface, begin to slowly add flour
4. cover mixture with towel and let sit for at least 15 minutes, max 3
5. add salt to sponge and flour
6. cover again and let sit under lamp for 30 minutes to an hour
7. in a small bowl, mix seeds and salt
8. with flour on your hands and cutting board, pull a handful of dough. knead lightly in seed-salt mixture. place on pan with parchment paper
9. repeat until you have 6 rolls
10. cover pan with towel and let sit under lamp for 15 minutes
11. preheat oven to 400 degrees
12. if you have a spray bottle, spray the oven a few times. if not, doesn’t matter
13. bake rolls in center of oven for about 17 minutes, consistently misting oven. flip rolls over and bake for 7 or 8 more minutes

Ravioli Filling

• 2.5 cups of ricotta
• 1/2 cup of Parmesan
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice

Directions

1. Put towel on baking sheet. Spread ricotta over surface. Sit for 5 minutes.
2. Transfer to bowl and add the Parmesan, nutmeg and lemon juice.
3. Sautéed onion and garlic in olive oil, add the washed spinach only after the onion is well browned. Let it wilt, but not too much, stirring. Add a splash of cream, stir.
4. Add ricotta and salt and pepper. Stir.
5. Taste the raw spinach and if it’s really bitter add a tablespoon of sugar while stirring.

Notes on mold:

Place first sheet of dough over metal base. Gently and evenly press plastic mold down to make depressions in dough. Remove and fill each depression with approximately 1 tablespoon filling. Rap mold once or twice to remove any air bubbles.

Place second sheet of dough over surface and pat down. Run rolling pin over dough until ridges beneath become visible. Flip the mold over and gently peel it away. If ravioli remain stuck, rap edge of mold on table. If ravioli do not separate easily, use fluted ravioli cutter to complete perforation. Cover ravioli with towel to prevent drying.