http://homebrewforums.net/categories/food-recipes/feed.rss Sun, 19 May 13 04:25:42 -0700 Recipes Discussions on Home Brew Forums - A Home Brewing Community en-CA http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/97/atomic-buffalo-turds Thu, 15 Dec 2011 08:34:19 -0800 FromZwolle 97@/discussions
you'll need:
a dozen jalapenos (at least)
1 block of cream cheese. (or that neufchatel stuff)
1 # breakfast sausage mild or hot.
1-2 packages of bacon (thin to medium cut)

Cut the tops off the jalapenos and with a thin knife bore them out to remove any seeds and pith. Some recipes call for halving the peppers lengthwise, but the presentation is best when you keep the body intact. now with a butter knife, shovel the cream cheese into the pepper. I find it's easiest to insert the knife with cheese on it and then use the rim of the pepper to scrape the cheese off the blade while you retract it. Do this until you have about 1/2" of room left in the top of the pepper, you'll have to use a finger dipped in water (or the cheese will stick to you) to force all the cheese into the bottom of the pepper. Once all the peppers are cheese stuffed, move on to the sausage. take a spoon and scoop a small meatball sized portion of sausage and cram it into the pepper, on top of the cheese. You'll want to use enough per pep so that the sausage mushrooms out the top just a bit. Finish all the peppers similarly and grab yer bacon. I like to wrap each pepper with one whole slice of bacon, so try to get peppers that aren't too small (bacon has to be cut or double wrapped) or too large (bacon covers only half the pep). Start by placing one end near the opening on the pepper and cover the sausage (to hold all the stuffing inside), then wrap around the bottom of the pep and wind it back towards the top in a spiral shape. Don't worry if you haven't covered all the stuffing, the sausage will hold itself together, just make sure the bacon is wrapped on tight enough so that it won't fall off easily.

To cook, set your smoker for about 275F, though these are very forgiving on time and temps. They should take about 2.5-3 hrs, but I always pull them when the bacon looks like it won't be too chewy anymore. You can use whichever type of wood to smoke with, but my favorites are maple or hickory.

*disclaimer* smoking jalapenos takes a good deal of heat out of them, but like all peppers, the heat varies from each individual pepper. so if you're serving to a wide audience, let gradma know that there's no way to tell which ones are safe. ]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/901/crunchy-baked-chicken- Sat, 27 Apr 2013 13:51:31 -0700 FromZwolle 901@/discussions
Beat an egg or two and toss some chicken strips (i use chicken tenderloins) until they're nicely coated. then mix in some flour until you have a thick batter. You can add seasoning to the flour if you like, omit it if you don't. I use preseasoned chicken batter mix because I have it, so why not use it. You want it thin enough not to clump up, but thick enough to grip the breading. For the crunchy 'breading' crush some corn flakes and coat the chicken with it. I like to sprinkle a little crushed chiles/garlic salt/pepper/whatever. Now toss em in the oven @325-350F for about 20 minutes or until cooked through. You can spray em with a little olive oil to get it extra crispy, but they're just as tasty without.

There ya go, healthy and delicious.

]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/873/pear-and-pecan-salad Mon, 15 Apr 2013 09:25:48 -0700 ceannt 873@/discussions
Pear and pecan salad

2/3 cup candied pecans
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups torn green leaf lettuce
4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
4 cups chopped radicchio
2 ripe red Anjou pears, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Combine vinegar and mustard, stirring with a whisk. Gradually add oil, stirring constantly with a whisk.
2. Combine lettuces and radicchio; top with pear and candied pecans. Drizzle dressing evenly over salad; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Toss gently to combine.

]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/799/soft-pretzel-bretzel-recipe Sat, 09 Feb 2013 23:01:29 -0800 scoob 799@/discussions

Here is what you need for the dough. Like many baking recipes it is completely weight based (except for the yeast which is simple rapid rise dry yeast):

ingredient
bread flour 500 g
dry malt extract (*) 20 g
butter or margarine 10 g
salt 11 g
Rapid rise dry bread yeast 1 tsp (or 1 packet)
water 245 g

(*) if you are out of dry malt extract use 10g table sugar.


Preheat the oven to 375 F.

1 - Weigh the ingredients. You don't have to weigh them in separate containers or anything, I weigh them one by one while adding them to the mixing bowl

2 - Using a powerful kitchen mixer like a KitchenAid, kneed the dough for 10-15 min until smooth. You'll notice that Brezel dough is stiffer than normal bread or pizza dough. That makes the resulting bread denser and working with it much harder

3 - Once the dough has been kneaded let it rest for a few minutes before portioning. When making Brezels I don't want the dough to rise before forming the Brezels since it makes rolling the necessary long strands more difficult. To ensure evenly sized Brezels and rolls I aim for about 70-80 g (2.4 - 2.5 oz) per dough ball. You may use more or less depending on the desired size

4 - Now form a smooth dough ball. This is done by stretching a thin membrane of dough over the ball and pinching it close at the bottom of the ball. Check out the last few minutes of Good Eat's Flat Is Beautiful. Alton Brown does a much better job describing it than I can do here. Keep in mind that it is easier to do with a soft pizza dough than a stiff Brezel dough.

5 - Place the ball on the counter with its top up and roll it around under your flat hand. This will smoothen it further. If the dough ball keeps slipping, moisten your hands with water

6 - Keep the completed dough balls covered to prevent them from drying out

7 - For Brezels you need to make long strands of dough. Take a dough ball and start rolling it into a log. Moistening your hand makes rolling the fairly dry Brezel dough easier. You'll also notice that the dough doesn't like to be stretched very far. This is why you have to make the strands in steps. First roll them all to about 10 cm (4 in) in length and let them rest. Then roll them to about 25 cm (10 in) and let them rest again. Finally you should be able to roll and stretch them to about 40-60 cm (16-20 in). Resting the dough between rolling and streching allows the gluten proteins to relax before they can be stretched further

8 - Finally the strands will be long enough to be formed into a Brezel. The strands should be thicker in the middle and have a slight taper towards the end. To tie the Brezel lay the strand in an U-shape....

9 - ... pull the left end towards the lower right and the right towards the lower left.

10 - Take the end that is now on the right and pull it back over to the left where you pinch it onto the Brezel. (you are just making a twist in the center)

11 - Do the same with the end that is now on the left and done is your Brezel shape (see? A twist in the middle!)

Once the Brezels, rolls and other pieces have been formed let them rest and rise for 20-30 min. After that it is time for a lye bath!

Lye, also known as sodium hydroxide or caustic soda, is a fairly aggressive substance and should be handled with care. (Keep it out of reach of children and pets... duh) you may want to wear safety glasses and gloves whenever you are using it. Clean spills of lye solution immediately. Please review this material safety data sheet for lye Sodium Hydroxide / Lye MSDS for possible dangers and first aid.

Brezels and lye rolls get their characteristic taste and dark brown color from Maillard reactions during baking. While those reactions also happen during the baking process of regular bread and rolls it is greatly accelerated by the high pH that the lye treatment provides.

Food grade lye can be found for sale on the internet and local specialty stores may carry it as well. The lye solution should have a strength of 3-4 % by weight. This means you add 30-40 g (1-1.2 oz) to 1 liter or quart of warm water. I found that 0.5 liter ( 1 pint) of lye solution to be a sufficient amount. Always add the lye to water and not the other way around. When lye is dissolved in water heat is created and adding water to lye can cause a rather sudden release of heat and possibly an eruption of concentrated lye solution.

A much safer alternative (boo!!!) to lye is the use of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). Though the Brezels and rolls won't have the same sheen compared to those prepared with lye is is a sissy option for those who want to avoid using lye or try baking Brezels without having to buy lye. I have made a few batches of Brezels and rolls using this boiling baking soda solution and they came out tasting at least fairly similar. Prepare a 3-4% baking soda solution (30-40 g /1- 1.2 oz baking soda per liter or quart of water) and bring it to a boil. Submerse the formed Brezels and/or rolls in it and keep it in there for 30 seconds. Then follow the rest of the instructions.


12 - Place the risen Brezels and rolls into the lye (or boiling baking soda) solution. If you are using lye getting the Brezels covered with lye is sufficient. When using baking soda, keep the Brezel in the solution for 30s, Place the treated Brezels onto parchment paper, sprinkle with coarse salt and cut the dough where you want it to open up during baking.

13 - Bake them in a 375 F oven until the desired color is reached. It generally takes about 15-20 min

14 - Let them cool a bit and enjoy. I generally make an assortment of Brezels, rolls and sticks intending to enjoy them over several days, they never seem to make it past the first day before they are all gone.]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/785/chex-mix-recipe-aka-crack Wed, 06 Feb 2013 16:31:45 -0800 MRS_JLW 785@/discussions
3 c. each: rice chex, corn chex, wheat chex
1 1/2 c. pretzels (thin sticks, small twists, etc.)
3/4 c. peanuts
3/4 c. cashews/pieces

1 stick margarine
6 T Worcestershire Sauce
3 tsp. seasoned salt
1 1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp onion salt
1 1/2 tsp onion powder

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Mix all dry ingredients in roasting pan. Melt butter in saucepan over med. heat; add Worcestershire sauce and heat for a few minutes. Remove from heat and add all spices to mixture, stirring until dissolved. Pour liquid over dry ingredients and stir well to coat evenly. Bake at 250 for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread out on paper towels to cool. Store in airtight container. ]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/631/beer-can-chicken Sun, 02 Dec 2012 12:53:18 -0800 jlw 631@/discussions http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/238/spent-grain-bread Mon, 20 Feb 2012 15:38:11 -0800 jlw 238@/discussions
I read a lot of recipes on line and finally settled on the simplest.

For each loaf you only need 1/4 of a cup to 1/2 cup of grain depending on your tastes and texture preference. The grain will freeze so save as much as you want for future bread.

Ingredients for one loaf:
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of spent grain
3 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
1/4 tsp of kosher salt
1 tbsp of bread yeast
1 1/4 cup of luke warm water

Process:
dump all of the ingredients together and mix. Yes, including the yeast. This recipe didn't call for soaking the yeast in warm water first. Once thoroughly combined let rise. I let it rise for an hour or do then stored overnight in the fridge. Just make sure the dough warms up on baking day.

Time to bake.

I preheated my oven to 425. While that was going on I punched the dough down and shaped into a loaf (use flour to keep from sticking) and let rise on top of the stove for 20 minutes. On the bottom rack I placed a roasting pan with water to create steam. I placed the loaves and cut slits on the top crust on my baking stone and placed on the center rack. I set the timer for 20 min. Checked and set for another 5 min. Checked again and set for 10 min. The bread is done when you knock on the top and it sounds hollow. Once done remove and let cool.

Here is the original site to give full credit.

http://www.topfermented.com/2010/02/01/homebrew-making-bread-with-spent-grain/

]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/629/big-time-real-deal-eggnog-recipe- Sat, 01 Dec 2012 22:48:13 -0800 scoob 629@/discussions 1/3 cup superfine or powdered sugar
1 quart heavy cream
1 750ml bottle VS or VSOP cognac
1&1/2 cups dark rum
2 cups milk
Freshly ground nutmeg

Beat the egg whites and sugar till foamy, almost to the soft peak stage, in another bowl beat the yolks till they fall from the beater in a thick bright yellow ribbon,

Add the whites to the yolks and combine with an electric mixer till nicely combined... 3-4 minutes,

In your serving bowl, beat the heavy cream till it just barely holds soft peaks, with mixer running at medium speed add the cognac, rum, eggs, and milk, grate some nutmeg on the nog and refrigerate 4 hours or longer, if the nog seems to be thicker on top than the bottom after chilling, gently stir before serving, top each glass poured with a dusting of fresh nutmeg before drinking.]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/615/beer-cheese-soup Sat, 24 Nov 2012 15:44:11 -0800 Lakewood 615@/discussions http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/616/soap-making-is-easy Sun, 25 Nov 2012 09:28:06 -0800 frydogbrews 616@/discussions
finally decided to make my own and was blown away by how easy it was. here is what i did.

i bought all my stuff from amazon. one of the nice things i picked up for 13 bucks was a silicon loaf pan to pour the soap into to harden.

this recipe fills a loaf pan that is about 12 inches long, 3 inches high, and 3 inches wide or so.

please be accurate in your measurements.

take 4 oz of lye pellets and slowly pour while stirring, into 10 oz. distilled water. never pour the water on the lye, terrible things would happen. as you stir, this solution will get very hot, might throw off some steam and smells a little funky. that's all normal. where gloves and stuff, this is a caustic solution. stir with anything that isn't aluminum because aluminum, water, and lye = hydrogen gas.

stir that for a minute or so until its all dissolved, and set aside to cool down to 100 degrees or so while you prepare your oils.

different oils do different things in a soap. some make soap hard, some make it lathery, etc....learn all about that somewhere else (this is a homebrewing forum damnit!)

take 8 oz coconut oil, 8 oz olive oil, 6 oz canola oil, 8 oz palm oil. then i mixed all this together and heated is slowly until the coconut and palm oils turned into liquids.

once the oil is below 100 degrees and the lye mixture is around 100 degrees, slowly pour the lye mix into the oils. stirring the whole time. once its all in, break out the immersion blender and blur that shit up. once it gets the consistency of unset pudding, add any herbs you may want. we added a cup of powderized rosemary we made with a spice grinder.

then pour the whole thick mess into your loaf pan, over with some kind of lid (we used cardboard and binder lips, insulate with some towels around the top and sides, and let sit for 24 hours.

after that time frame, slice it up.

its good to go, but apparently letting it dry after slicing for a few weeks makes it work better. ]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/612/onion-bread Fri, 23 Nov 2012 12:47:19 -0800 FromZwolle 612@/discussions
ctrl+v:

Poolish:
1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
Dough:
Poolish
3-3 1/2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 tablespoons butter or shortening
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1 3/8 ounce package of onion soup mix
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
Wash:
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
The night before, in a bowl, mix together the poolish until it form a batter. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside overnight.
The next morning, combine 2 cups of the flour, the yeast, the sugar, the onion soup mix. Mix in the poolish, the milk, one of the eggs, the butter, and the Parmesan cheese with a wooden spoon. Add more flour a quarter cup at a time until a proper dough forms, one that is dry enough that you can hand knead it yet moist enough that it is still tacky to the touch.
Pour the dough out of the bowl onto a clean work surface and knead the dough for approximately 10 minutes. Return the dough to a clean, greased bowl, cover with plastic, and allow to rise until doubled in size, approximately 90 minutes.
Remove the dough from the bowl and shape it however you like.



Notes:
1-make sure that the poolish has plenty of room to expand or you'll have sticky dough slime urrywhere.
2-this sucker expands quite a bit in the oven, so plan for that as well.

I served this with spinach dip for turkey day. It was great.

]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/603/smoker-tips Sun, 18 Nov 2012 22:23:33 -0800 Lakewood 603@/discussions How are you making your thanksgiving turkey? Here is mine..]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/610/someone-i-think-cb-c_dubb-or-whatever-you-call-yourself-posted-they-made-turkey-noodle-soup Thu, 22 Nov 2012 10:15:32 -0800 jlw 610@/discussions http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/43/chestnut-quiche Sun, 13 Nov 2011 08:36:13 -0800 FromZwolle 43@/discussions
it all starts with the crust. i don't have my own recipe, so i pulled this one off of google:
Perfect Crust for one 9” pie plate
.
1 cup + 2 Tbsp flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter
3-4 tablespoons milk
.
Combine the flour and salt. Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour mixture until there are pea-sized (or smaller) pieces of butter. Gradually pour the milk in, one tablespoon at a time while stirring the mixture. Grasp the dough (still in the bowl) and mix with your hands, gently. Place dough on heavily floured countertop, put flour over entire rolling pin surface and roll it out, gently until it’s about ¼ inch thick and large enough for your pie pan. Carefully, with a spatula to keep the dough from sticking to the counter, roll the dough around the rolling pin then roll it out over the greased pie plate.
.
Cut off excess (about 2” from edge of plate), fold 1” under and flute the edges with your fingers. Perforate the bottom of the crust to prevent it from bubbling up while it’s cooking.

i usually cook my crusts first, because that seems to work better in my toaster oven.
the filling is where the real work comes in, but it's definitely worth the effort.

4 eggs
2 cups, half and half or whole milk
12-18 chestnuts
one large onion of your choice (shallots are the best, but not always easy to find)
one package thick cut bacon
1/2 pound gouda

get some nice thick cut bacon and smoke at about 250F with plenty of maple chips. normally meat only absorbs smoke for about the first 15 minutes, but since this bacon is used as an ingredient, you can keep feeding the wood chips for as long as you like. the longer, the smokier.

while you're smoking the bacon, heat your oven/toaster oven to about 425 and cut an X in the chestnut shell. if you skip that step, they're likely to explode. they'll take about 30 minutes to finish. once cooled, you'll have to peel them. this is a bit of a pain in the butt. i don't have any tips, so if you have some, feel free to share. once peeled, chop into 1/4" bits and set aside.

Chop up the bacon (i find it's easiest to do this step once they've been cooled in the fridge for a while), shredd your gouda and mix with finely chopped onion and chestnut to the ratio of your liking, with four eggs and two cups whole milk (or half and half if you don't care about that jiggly belly. look down. yeah, that bowl of jello right there.) you can add salt and pepp if you like it that way, or perhaps some herbs, but i haven't tried that yet.

I prefer to make these into mini quiches, using a cupcake pan as the form, but a big old pie would work just fine. spoon the mix into the pastry shell and bake at 375 for about 15-20 minutes for the mini's and 35 min for the full pie, until golden brown.

stuff yourself till super fat. ]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/602/how-are-you-making-your-thanksgiving-turkey-here-is-mine- Sun, 18 Nov 2012 18:53:13 -0800 scoob 602@/discussions
First off the brine recipe:

1 cup sea salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
6 bay leaves
2 tablespoons black pepper corns
1 tablespoon garlic powder
3-4 fresh rosemary sprigs
1 tablespoon rubbed sage
1 tablespoon coriander seeds

Bring half a gallon of water to a boil and add in brine ingredients, I give it 5 minutes at a simmer and kill the heat, add in another half gallon of ice water and allow it to cool in the fridge, once cool brine the bird for 24 hours in the fridge or other suitable cold location in a bucket or jumbo zip-lock (meant for sweaters.)

Remove bird from the brine and rinse, prior to the brining I seperate the skin from the breasts and thighs to allow better brine contact and so I can season the bird under the skin prior to cooking.

Now the roasted garlic and herb butter:


3 large heads of garlic, unpeeled, top 1/3 inch cut off to expose garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2cup (1stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees,
I arrange the garlic cloves in little foil nests to keep them upright and leak free, drizzle the oil over the top of each head, cover with foil and roast for about an hour, then remove and cool enough to handle. Squeeze the garlic from the skins into a processor, add the butter and other ingredients and blend till smoothe, transfer to another bowl if made ahead of time for storage in the fridge.

And now... The bird.

I take the bird out to come close to room temperature, I start slathering a load of the herb butter under the skin and inside the cavity, a little on the skin for nice color and stuff the bird with chopped carrot, celery, and onion. Truss if needed, and park on the smoker for about 40 minutes per pound at 230-250 degrees, after hitting it with some smoke I tent the breast to keep it cooking at the same rate as the rest of the bird, I also keep the bird in a cheapie aluminum pan so i can build a gravy from the drippings, sweet jeebus, yes.... smoked turkey gravy!
]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/601/my-main-bread-recipe Sun, 18 Nov 2012 13:26:52 -0800 frydogbrews 601@/discussions
6ish cups bread flour
2ish cups water
1 tbs yeast
2tbs salt
3tbs sugar (honey or brown sugar are best)
2tbs olive oil

mix all that shit up and put it in a stand mixer with a dough hook (or knead by hand) and knead for ten minutes. let double in mass and then condition it by gently flattening it out on a floured surface and folding it, etc, basically knead it again for 3 minutes.
shape into whatever you want.
let rise for 20-45 minutes, covered with a damp towel.
cook in 450 degree oven until 200 degrees in middle. ]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/543/easy-crock-pot-chicken-and-dumplings Wed, 17 Oct 2012 05:42:11 -0700 ceannt 543@/discussions
My daughter came up with this one. It is brain dead easy to fix, and is really yummy on a chilly day. It’s also good for days when there are more important things to be concerned about than cooking… like brewing… football…. Etc….

2-cans cream of chicken soup
1- “box” of chicken stock
3-4 chicken breasts (NOT frozen)
1-bag of frozen mixed vegetables (doesn’t matter what kind, but “HAS to have peas and carrots”…)
black pepper, coarse ground of course
some dried onion flakes
a little dried parsley
just a touch of thyme
1 “roll” tube of biscuits (I think 2 rolls would be better myself, but it’s her recipe)

Add all ingredients except the biscuits to slow cooker, cook on high for 4-hours.
Remove chicken breasts, shred them up good and stir back into crock pot. Adjust seasonings if necessary.
Open the biscuits and cut up into quarter sized pieces (maybe a tad smaller), and place on top.
Continue to cook on high for an additional 2 hours or so.
Spoon some in a bowl and chow down.
]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/591/green-chile-and-cheddar-cheese-cornbread Sun, 11 Nov 2012 07:50:44 -0800 scoob 591@/discussions
3/4 cup sugar

4 eggs

3/4 cup green chili, diced (one 8 oz can of hot diced hatch green chiles)

1 1/2 cups cream-style corn

1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1 cup flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal

2 tablespoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt


Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 325 degree f.

2) Cream butter and sugar.

3) Add eggs slowly, one at a time.

4) Add chiles, corn and cheese, mixing well to incorporate.

5) Sift together dry ingredients, then add and mix until smooth.

6) Pour into well-buttered, square 9 inch pan and bake about 1 hour

This is what should be a close approximation to the cornbread at the Fuego Bistro restaurant here in Phoenix , after much bugging last night I was told by the chef that their recipe is a basic scratch cornbread recipe with creamed corn, they add shredded cheddar and green chiles to it, the cheddar flavor is subtle so I imagine there is not a ton in it, might be good if the cheddar was upped to 3/4 cup or a full cup. But it might throw off the wet to dry ratio and result in a mushy cornbread.

So here is a good start point, I'm going to make some midweek with a cup of cheddar and see how it turns out, then I can adjust this recipe and add tasting notes.]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/576/cheddar-and-poblano-drop-biscuits Tue, 30 Oct 2012 07:32:56 -0700 FromZwolle 576@/discussions
1.75 cups flour
1 tbs+2 tsp baking powder
2.5 tsp sugar
.25 tsp salt
2 tbsp bacon fat (shortening)
2 tbsp butter (cold)
6-8 oz grated cheese
.75 cup buttermilk (i just used milk)
1 tsp garlic (just guessing, i usually go by sight for the amounts)
2 tsp parsley (same with this one ^)
1-2 finely chopped poblano pepper
.25-.75 cups spent grain (from a wit works great)


Preheat oven to 450F

mix the powdered ingredients, then whisk in butter and fat until it resembles corn meal in texture. stir in everything else until it's just mixed. drop in large spoonfuls onto a baking pan and bake for about 18 minutes or until golden brown]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/563/spent-grain-bread Thu, 25 Oct 2012 08:14:37 -0700 frydogbrews 563@/discussions turned out pretty good, turned the bread pretty dark, like a rye. added extra honey to counteract the expected bitterness from those grains in this application. worked pretty well

5 cups bread flour
1 cup spent grain (combo choc. and black)
1 tbs yeast
1.75 cups water
3 tbs honey
1 tbs brown sugar
2tbs salt

take .75 cups warm water and mix with 1 tbs honey. bloom the yeast in there for ten minutes. then mix everything together and knead for ten minutes (dough hook in kitchen aid is what i use)

place in oiled bowl until it doubles in size, anywhere from 1 hour to 5 hours depending on conditions

remove from bowl and knead again, by hand, for a few minutes. smash down and fold in thirds, smash some more, you are trying to make the yeast homogenous throughout the mixture.

put into whatever shapes you want and cover with a damp rag, let rise another 30-45 minutes.

make a 1/4" slit down the middle with a small serrated knife.

put into fully heated up, 425 degree oven.

cooking time depends entirely on the shape you chose. ~20 minutes for baguettes, an hour maybe if put into a loaf pan.

remove from oven when internal temp is 200 degrees

let stand on a rack for a half hour before cutting into it]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/571/easy-sous-vide-cooking-in-a-cooler Sun, 28 Oct 2012 11:40:55 -0700 scoob 571@/discussions
Given the fact that many homebrewers use a cooler to mash grains in because of the excellent thermal properties and ability to maintain a temperature for relatively long periods of time, it is a logical step that a cooler can be used as a cooking device in the same way it is used as a mash tun, heat water to a bit over the desired temp of the finished food, put food in vacuum bags and seal up, add to the hot water and let it rest for a half hour, hour, whatever!

I have done this with cheap steaks that always seem to come out tough and chewy on the grill, I season them as I like, put them in vacuum bags, vacuum just long enough to get the air out and seal em up.

Next I get the water heated to 155, and into the cooler it goes, when the steaks are added I check that the water is dropped to 145-146 degrees (rare steak)I close the cooler lid and start prepping everything else for dinner, after 45 minutes or so I pull em out and get the grill blazing hot, I sear the steaks to desired final doneness of the guest, rare just gets a quick sear on both sides, medium or well get a longer searing.

This can be done with steak, chicken, fish, whatever you like that can be brought to desired internal temp within the time your cooler can hold temp.

I really like this method for big events as I can have everything ready to roll, the steaks are cooked already and cannot overcook because of the set temperature, they just need a quick char to finish em off, less time spent cooking when guests arrive and the steaks are tender and juicy because the connective tissues gelatinize instead of toughening up.]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/567/spent-grain-pizza-crust Fri, 26 Oct 2012 19:14:41 -0700 frydogbrews 567@/discussions

2 cups bread flour
1 cup spent grain
some yeast, maybe 2 tsp
salt
3/4 cup water
1 tbs sugar, or honey or brown sugar

knead for 5 minutes or until gluten chains are formed, i just put it into the dough hook and let er rip. then put into bowl to rise for at least an hour or until you are ready to roll it out.

made one thin crust and one deep dish in a cast iron skillet. both turned out awesome.

now go do it. ]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/555/baked-pork-chops-with-bread-filling Mon, 22 Oct 2012 08:31:36 -0700 ceannt 555@/discussions

6-8 Pork chops (boneless)
1 ½ cup Milk
4- eggs
4- Tablespoons butter
Cheap white bread (better part of a loaf)
¼ cup diced onion
a little dried parsley
just a touch of thyme
3-“pinches” of rubbed sage
Salt/black pepper
Applesauce

Place pork chops in a large rectangular glass baking dish. Season with salt and black pepper. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Lightly beat eggs in a large bowl. Stir in milk. Tear off small pieces of the bread and stir into liquid. Add the onions when it starts to get a little thicker. Keep adding bread until it is the consistency of stuffing, this will take almost an entire loaf. Melt the butter, and add the seasonings. Pour the butter/seasonings over the bread mixture and stir in well. Add more bread if necessary.

After the pork has baked for 15 minutes, spoon the bread filling over the pork chops. Spoon applesauce over the top of the bread filling to cover.

Bake at 350 for an hour.

]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/537/simple-spicy-pickles Fri, 12 Oct 2012 18:34:53 -0700 Lakewood 537@/discussions
Ingredients:
Cucumbers
White Distilled Vinegar
Balsamic Vinegar
Cholula Hot Sauce
Salt
Pepper
--- insert favorite spices here---
Water
]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/523/caerphilly Wed, 03 Oct 2012 18:56:07 -0700 FromZwolle 523@/discussions @Frydogbrews.

I've never had this cheese from a commercial producer, but from the descriptions that I've read of it, mine turned out pretty darn close to what it should have. It is supposed to be a hard/semi-hard cheese somewhat similar to a cheddar, but with a unique tartness (sour) note that's really quite unique. The tartness is very hard to describe and really tasty. It's a little like the tang of a well aged cheddar, but not quite.

Now on to the recipe.

For this cheese, you'll need some equipment that you probably don't have. Oh noes, you'll have to spend a bunch of money! :(( No need! you can get by with a makeshift version of any of the fancy cheesemaking toys that you'll need to use.

As always, sanitation is key. Keep in mind that, unlike brewing, there is no boil to sanitize everything, so you'll have to be a stickler for sanitation from the very start. Everything should be very clean and preferably sanitized via star san or iodophor.

What you'll need:
A pot big enough to heat however much milk you plan to use
A stirring utensil
A knife
Cheese cloth
A cheese press
Some weights
A thermometer
A timer
Rennet
Milk (one gallon makes ~1# cheese, this recipe is for 1 gallon)
Cheese culture (edit-i may have used a mix of buttermilk and yogurt-meso and thermo, can't remember)
CaCl

I'll give you other options for some of these in the method, so don't give up if you don't have cheese culture, cheese cloth, a cheese press, or opposable thumbs. That last one sure is handy, though.

Let's get started! Try to maintain a constant temperature in your milk/curd while you perform each step.The temperature is important for things like lactic acid production and flavor development. You don't want to let it cool down until it gets into the press.

First you'll take your milk, put it into your nice clean pot (preferably a double boiler, but it's not absolutely necessary). Now gently raise the temp to 89F and add your mesophillic cheese culture. Don't have any of that lying around? I used buttermilk and it turned out just fine; use about 1/3 cup of buttermilk (with a spoonful of yogurt, maybe), the fresher the better. Give the culture about 30 minutes to wake up and start partying, then add 1/2 tsp CaCl that's been diluted in a little water. If you have trouble finding that, try the No Salt salt. Read the ingredients, it's likely just CaCl. After you mix that in nicely, and remember to use mostly up and down strokes to get it to mix into all the milk, go ahead and add your rennet. For my cheeses, I use junket rennet. It's not as good or effective as the microbial rennet (liquid) stuff you'll find on the cheesemaking supply sites, but it's much cheaper and more widely available. Try looking in the baking isle of the grocery store. I had to get it online, but it's super cheap. Since mine is a bit old now, I use 2-3 tabs per gallon to get it to work how I want it to.

The next step involves a little more math than I'm happy about, but such is life. Skip down to the next post and I'll explain a little bit about Flocculation as is applies to cheesemaking, otherwise this next step won't make much sense.

Did you read the next post? sucker! OK, not really. It's useful info.

For this cheese, we're going to use a flocc multiplier of 3X. Go ahead and read the third post to learn a little about what that is and why it's used for this cheese.

So you've reached the surface gelling stage, now multiply that time (from rennet to gelling) by 3 and wait that many minutes before you cut the curd. Cut the curds into about 1/4" cubes, remembering to go back diagonally so you cut along a horizontal axis as well. Now let those curds sit for about 10 minutes, so they 'heal'.

Now gradually raise the temperature to 91F over the course of ten minutes. Hold that temp for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep the curd from clumping together.

Drain into a cheese cloth (if you don't have one, an old but clean pillow case or even t-shirt will work out ok) for 5-10 minutes to form a curd cake. You can press lightly if needed, just put a plate or something over it with a can of beans on it. I like to perform this step with my cheese cloth in a colander, but you can let the cheese cloth hang by itself if you'd like.

Next, take the curd cake and cut it into 1" slabs and stack them on the bottom of your warm pot. This is very similar to the process of cheddaring. Flip the curd slabs every 10 minutes, for 30 minutes, and don't worry if they get stuck together.

Now it's time to mill the curd. That just means you break it up with your hands or a large whisk. Aim for thumbnail sized pieces, or slightly less than 1/2". Add about 1 tbsp regular table salt and mix into curds. Now add the salted curd into your cheese cloth and put that into the press. Yep, one more post down to learn a little about what to do if you don't have a cheese press.

Press under 10# for ten minutes. Then, redress the cheese (take the cheese cloth off, rub a pinch of salt on the cheese, and put the cloth back on). now flip it and press under 10# for another 10 minutes. Now redress, salt and flip the cheese. Press for 20 minutes under 15#. Then, flip, redress and press under 20# overnight (12 ish hrs.)

After all that, remove the cheese cloth carefully, it tends to stick and place the cheese in your cheese cave (fridge, cooler, whatever) and store for at least 3 weeks to age and dry it. You'l want to keep the cheese at about 50F and 80% humidity to age. If any mold happens to show up, just wipe it off with a cloth soaked in vinegar. The cheese should be as dry as your palm. If it gets very dry and starts to crack, you need more humidity. Try putting it in a tupperware container with the lid cracked.

And there you go, delicious cheese in 3 weeks. You can vac seal this cheese after a couple weeks, just make sure it's done drying. If you notice a little moisture leaking out of the cheese after you seal it, you've sealed prematurely. Just take it out for a few days to dry and try sealing it up again. ]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/518/damned-yummy-coleslaw-dressing Sun, 30 Sep 2012 21:38:36 -0700 scoob 518@/discussions 1/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt (or to taste)
2 tbsp. white vinegar
1 tbsp. white grated or pureed horseradish (hot!)
1/4 tsp. celery seed
fresh ground black pepper to taste

blend all ingredients together till smoothe and pour over shredded cabbage, you can add grated carrot, bell pepper, apple, raisins, whatever you like in your slaw, then refrigerate overnight to allow cabbage to sweat out and the flavors to blend.

I made a double batch and filled a ball jar to save for later use and made a bowl to have for tomorrow, the rest will be used as a side for pulled pork and ribs.]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/455/brown-sugar-and-honey-crockpot-ham Sun, 16 Sep 2012 07:21:26 -0700 C_B 455@/discussions
Take your favorite type of pork roast (shoulder, butt, etc), I prefer something around 4-5 pounds.
Put it in the crockpot and add

2 cups water
1 cup brown sugar
2-3 ish Tbsp honey

I think this is the recipe we started with. Now its pretty much an eyeball and go sorta thing...

Let it cook all day on medium heat.
Simple and friggin' delicious.]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/454/easy-smoking-recipes Fri, 14 Sep 2012 20:38:56 -0700 C_B 454@/discussions
Suggestions on a simple "recipe" would be appreciated. ]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/445/knick-knack-dry-rub Mon, 03 Sep 2012 15:46:12 -0700 C_B 445@/discussions @azcoob]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/450/azscoob039s-pseudo-quiche Tue, 11 Sep 2012 21:33:15 -0700 C_B 450@/discussions http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/444/jlw039s-salsa Sun, 02 Sep 2012 18:23:01 -0700 C_B 444@/discussions http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/443/hot-italian-giardiniera Sat, 01 Sep 2012 19:01:31 -0700 scoob 443@/discussions
This is typically used as a condiment on beef sandwiches, hot dogs, hamburgers, or as a pickled salad on its own.

Ingredients:

2 green bell peppers, diced
2 red bell peppers, diced
8 fresh jalapeno peppers, sliced
2-3 celery stalks, diced
1-2 medium carrots, diced
1 small onion, chopped
1/2-1 cup fresh cauliflower florets
1/2 cup salt
water to cover


 
2-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 (5 ounce) jar pimento-stuffed green olives, chopped (I buy the chopped house brand salad olives)
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup olive oil

Directions:

Place into a bowl the green and red peppers, jalapenos, celery, carrots, onion, and cauliflower. Stir in salt, and fill with enough cold water to cover. Place plastic wrap or aluminum foil over the bowl, and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, drain salty water, and rinse vegetables. In a bowl, mix together garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and olives. Pour in vinegar and olive oil, and mix well. Combine with vegetable mixture, cover, and refrigerate for 2 days before using.]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/440/veal-and-peas-stew-on-fettuccini Mon, 27 Aug 2012 08:32:36 -0700 ceannt 440@/discussions
1 ½ pounds veal, cut into ¼ to ½ inch pieces (shoulder is best)
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
3-garlic cloves, smashed
¾ cup +/- flour
2-teaspoons dried marjoram
Salt/black pepper to taste
1-cup dry white wine
¼ cup fresh flat Italian parsley-chopped
3-bay leaves
1 or 2 tablespoons fresh oregano chopped
¼ yellow onion-diced
3-large tomatoes, diced or a 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 cup small peas (“heaping cup”)

Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet or dutch oven. Brown garlic cloves and remove (save them).
On wax paper, coat the veal pieces on all sides with flour. (this is the most labor intensive part of the whole thing, I cut up the veal and flour the pieces while the oil is heating, and the garlic is browning).
Brown the veal well on medium heat with the marjoram, salt and black pepper.
After the veal is browned, add the wine, parsley, oregano and bay leaves, cook until the wine starts to evaporate and thicken. Scrape up all the little brown bits on the bottom.
Add the tomatoes and about a half cup of water. Cut up the browned garlic cloves and add them now too. As soon as it stats to boil, turn down the heat, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes. Check for seasoning, it takes a lot of salt and pepper. Add more water, and a little more wine if necessary. After it has cooked for 45 minutes add the peas, stir in well and allow to cook for another 10 minutes. (I time it so I can add the peas right after I start the fettuccini to boil)
To serve, ladle the “stew” over fettuccini, coarse grate parmesan cheese and sprinkle a little chopped parsley on top. Serve with warm Italian bread with olive oil.




]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/438/arrosto-con-il-rosmarino-braised-pork-roast-with-rosemary Mon, 20 Aug 2012 08:35:30 -0700 ceannt 438@/discussions This is a Northern Italian dish that tastes very German. It is wonderful in the fall, and pairs well with any malty beer; an O-fest or Bock is perfect. This may well be my favorite recipe for pork that does not involve hickory smoke. It is intended for wild boar, but works just fine with domesticated pork.

2 ¼ pound pork roast (I like the round tenderloin ones)
Needles from 3-4 rosemary sprigs
2-tablespoons butter
4-tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves- minced
½ onion chopped
¾ cup dry white wine
Salt/pepper
Sauce:
Drippings from pork
2-tablespoons olive oil
1-tablespoon white vinegar
1-teaspoon Dijon mustard

Take half the rosemary and stick it in the pork…. Make it look like a porcupine…
Heat the butter and olive oil in a big pot. Brown the pork well on all sides. Add garlic, onions and the rest of the rosemary. Pour in the wine, and cook until the alcohol evaporates. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the pot and simmer for 1 ½ hours… add a little water and more wine if necessary… turn the pork every now and then.

After it’s done, remove the pork, and make the sauce: To the drippings, add the vinegar, a little more wine, olive oil and mustard. Stir well and cook for a couple minutes. May take a little salt/pepper.
Slice the pork fairly thick and pour the sauce over it at serving.
]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/426/spicy-pickled-eggs Sun, 15 Jul 2012 17:21:00 -0700 scoob 426@/discussions
You pickle them of course...

This recipe makes killer eggs, not the sissy clear vinegar eggs with a few pepper flakes at the bottom like you find in the grocery store.

These eggs are ugly, the brine is murky, in short... AWESOME!

WARNING: This recipe may make your house smell like crap

Here is the list of what you need:

3 cups white vinegar
1 white onion, sliced
4-5 cloves of garlic
2-3 tablespoons of salt
5-6 dashes of pepper
2-3 healthy dashes of tabasco sauce, or better, Spontaneous Combustion (spicier)
2-3 tablespoons of crushed mustard seed
2-3 tablespoons of curry powder
15 jalepeno peppers, sliced
5 jalepeno peppers, whole
10-15 habenero peppers, sliced (optional - makes the eggs fairly spicey)
3-4 tablespoons of crushed red pepper
5-6 peppercorns
1-2 gallon jar, to pickle the eggs in
Pretty much anything else that sounds good (carrots, pearl onions, pig's feet, etc.)

The first thing you want to do is to hard boil the eggs. Remove the shells from the eggs, and set the eggs aside. In a large pan, bring the vinegar to a slow boil. Place all of the ingredients, except for the eggs (and whatever else you want to pickle, such as carrots) and sliced jalapenos, into the boiling vinegar. Your going to want to cover the boiling vinegar combo, so that the vinegar fumes do not escape too much into the air. Let the vinegar boil for 1/2 to 1 hour, to cook all of the flavor out of the spices. Place the eggs into the jar, and pour the vinegar combo into the jar over the eggs and sliced jalapeños and whatever else you are adding like carrots, pearl onions, cauliflower....Fill the rest of the jar with hot tap water until all of the eggs are covered. Seal the jar tightly. Turn over the jars every other day or so to remix the spices, After 2 weeks or so, enjoy.

I have recently started making double the brine and have been making jars of the peeled baby carrots, and jars of pearl onions instead of adding them to the egg jars.]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/420/old-ceannt039s-montreal-beef Fri, 06 Jul 2012 04:42:15 -0700 ceannt 420@/discussions
1 tbsp celery seed
1 tbsp fresh ground black pepper
2 tsp fennel seeds… crushed
2 tsp Indian Coriander seeds…. Crushed
1 1/2 tsp cumin
2 1/2 tsp allspice
2 tbsp turbinado sugar
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp Hungarian paprika
1 tbsp garlic powder

Use a mortar and pestle (or a bowl and a glass) to crush the Indian coriander and fennel seeds. Mix all the dry rub ingredients up in a bowl.

Marinade beef (minimum 3-pound roast or brisket) in Red wine (Cabernet or Burgundy) for at least 5-hours. Pat dry with paper towels. Cover with the dry rub, thick. Rub it in well. Place meat in a large freezer zip lock bag. And refrigerate overnight.
Prepare smoker for cooking. Allow meat to sit out for half an hour or so. In a pan under the meat, put water, vegetable oil (about 2 or 3 tbsp), 4 crushed garlic cloves and any leftover dry rub.
Place 4 or 5 strips of bacon (un-cooked) over the top of the meat, prior to placing in the smoker.
Smoke on hickory (oak would be good too) for around 1 ½ hours per pound, or until the internal temperature is 149 degrees.



]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/339/sauerbraten Mon, 23 Apr 2012 08:32:45 -0700 ceannt 339@/discussions
4-pound Beef roast. (Rump, Sirloin tip or tenderloin)
1 ½ cup vinegar
1 cup dry red wine
¾ cup water
3-medium red onions, sliced
2- stalks celery, sliced
2- carrots, sliced
20 whole peppercorns
10 whole cloves
3 bay leaves
2- tablespoons sugar
1 ½ teaspoons salt
Flour
3-tablespoons Olive oil

Gravy:
3- cups drippings plus strained marinade
5 tablespoons flour
5 tablespoons crushed ginger snap cookies

Place meat in a large plastic zip lock freezer bag. In a large bowl mix vinegar, wine, water, onions, celery, carrots, pepper, cloves, bay leaves, sugar and salt. Pour over meat and seal the bag. Place bag in a 9” X 13” pan and refrigerate for a week, turning twice a day.
When ready to cook, remove meat (save the marinade) and dry off well. Rub the surface of the meat lightly with flour. In a dutch oven, or large cast iron skillet, heat about 3-tablespoons of olive oil and slowly brown the meat well on all sides. Add a cup of the marinade and the vegetables. Cover and place in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for three to four hours until the meat is fork tender. If needed add more marinade during cooking to keep at least a half inch of liquid. Remove the meat and keep warm until ready to slice.
To make the gravy, strain the drippings into a large measuring cup (some folks add ice cubes until the fat separates, and remove it, I leave it in….) add marinade to get a total of 3-cups. Add the flour and crushed ginger snaps. Stir and cook for 5-10 minutes until gravy has thickened.
Serve with Red Cabbage and potato pancakes… pairs well with an AltBier or a Bock. This is an intense pain in the butt to make, but is one of my all time favorite meals….. and is so worth the effort.


]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/403/pork-fajita-rub Mon, 11 Jun 2012 09:24:10 -0700 ceannt 403@/discussions
1- Garlic powder
1-Black Pepper
1/2- White pepper
1/2- Cumin
1/2- Chipotle Chile Powder
1/2- Cayenne
1/4- Salt
Add Mesquite chips to charcoal grill.

Quantities refer to any consistent volumetric unit, i.e. tablespoons, teaspoons, cups, 55-gal barrels…. etc.
This is great on pork tenderloins or boneless pork chops. (Also good on chicken.) Sprinkle on slices of onions and bell peppers tossed in a little olive oil, and grill along with the meat…. I normally cut the meat up after grilling and roll up with the grilled vegetables and some cheese in big flour tortillas.




]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/289/dried-pears Fri, 30 Mar 2012 18:50:28 -0700 FromZwolle 289@/discussions
Fruit leather is really easy. Take some apple sauce and mix in whatever proportion of fruit puree you think will taste good, then spread it onto the handy form they give you, or a piece of plastic wrap if you lost that thing many years ago like I did. Then turn the thing on. The temp really doesn't matter too much, but I usually go with a lower setting. 110F, round about.

For dried pears, I ran into a few issues. First, I tried to just slice them up and toss em on the dehydrator. They turned out horrible. The texture was just like the dried apples that come in mixed dried fruit gift baskets. Very rubbery and slimey. Gross. The second problem was the shape of the pear. It has much more fruit at the bottom than it does at the top. If you try to halve and dry them like any other fruit, you'll get a crunchy dry rock on the top, and a mushy lump on the bottom.

Here's what I came up with to solve those problems:

Step 1-Halve the pears and remove the seeds. I take out the hard shell parts that cover the seeds as well, because I hate biting into one of those things. This cheapo apple corer works great for this. Just twist and gouge.



Step 2-The pears need to be poached. I find that a cheap white wine does the best. Go grab the cheapest reisling you can find and boil the pears in that until they're nice and soft. Reds will work too, just make sure it's not a dry red wine. The flesh of the fruit needs to be softened to get that nice texture that you find in store bought stuff. The great thing about this step is that it allows you to use fruit that isn't ripe yet. It doesn't seem to matter.

Step 3- When the pears are soft enough, put them in the dehydrator on a low setting and wait until the thicker/lower portion isn't mushy anymore. The top part will seem too dry, but the next step will correct that.

Step 4-Put the whole load of dried pears in a bag for a week or so. The remaining moisture in the bottom parts will be drawn up into the over dried tops, giving you a nice even moisture content.

Step 5-Hide them from yourself, or you'll eat 5-6 pears in one sitting. That's no bueno the next day...


]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/259/neufchatel-recipe Sun, 11 Mar 2012 15:43:16 -0700 FromZwolle 259@/discussions
What you'll need:

A pot large enough for however much milk you want to use.
Milk*
CaCL (if using store bought milk) 1/4 tsp per gallon
Rennet
Thermometer
Cheese culture
Colander
Cheese cloth

*raw milk is the best choice for cheesemaking, but we work with what we can get. as long as it's not ultra-pasteurized, whatever milk you are able to find will work fine.

First, pour milk into sanitized pot and add the mesophilic cheese culture and the cacl. I use buttermilk for this recipe, 1/4 cup for one gallon. Warm the milk to about 65-70F. While that is happening prepare your rennet. For this recipe, I use the Junket rennet tablets. Liquid rennet is fine too, be it animal or vegetable. Follow the manufacturers instructions for dosage. Mix 1/2 tablet in 1/4 cup of cool water and mix it into the milk with an up and down stirring motion. My rennet was old, so I used a whole tab.

Now let this milk sit covered overnight until a soft curd forms. Once you have a clean break (see picture below), it's time to cut the curd. If you don't have a clean break, give it more time.

Cut the curds into 1/2 inch cubes, then cut again diagonally, to achieve the horizontal cuts. Let the curds rest for 10-15 minutes and gently ladle them onto the colander lined with cheese cloth.

Let the curds drain for several hours (overnight).

Sprinkle 1-2 tsp salt and gently mix to distribute through the cheese.

From here, you can mix more vigorously and pack into a container for a cream cheese type spread or you can innoculate with a slurry of blue cheese culture (penicillium roqueforti) and gently place into a mold to shape it.

For the blue cheese, flip it every two hours two or three times, then place on a well draining surface in a cool spot. You'll need to keep the relative humidity up around 80% until the mold takes over. Soon after the blue mold appears on the outside, pierce the cheese with a screwdriver/thermometer/ice pick/whatever to allow oxygen into the cheese. This is how to achieve the blue veins that are found in the store bought cheeses. Once that happens, it's best to keep it in a sealable container in a cheese cave at about 50F. Flip the cheese twice a day and keep an eye on humidity until it's ready to get eaten.

Once it's ready (anywhere from 30-90 days, depending on how strong you want it), wrap in foil to stop further mold activity and store in a normal fridge (under 45F). I like to melt it onto some nice rustic bread with some fresh garden tomatoes and a little cracked pepper. ]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/269/smoked-deviled-scotch-eggs Sun, 18 Mar 2012 08:24:48 -0700 scoob 269@/discussions Smoked & Deviled Scotch Eggs with Bacon
Rate Post:
This is an adaptation of a traditional Scotch egg recipe, well actually its waaay out in left field from the original.

this recipe is for making 6 eggs, for 12 servings.
The sausage mix:
*6 peeled hard boiled eggs, buy them a week in advance. real fresh eggs peel poorly. I use the float method to see if they are good for hardboiling, in a pot of water set the egg on the bottom, if the egg stands up on end it is a good hardboiler, if it lays flat its too fresh, if it floats to the top its good to go in the trash.
*2 lbs of fresh bulk sweet Italian sausage, cut it out of casings if links are all thats available at the store
*1 raw egg to go into the sausage mix
*breadcrumbs (enough to tighten up the sausage-egg mix)
*6 slices of bacon cooked crisp in the oven and minced up, can be mixed into sausage mix (might be a good idea for my next batch)

The deviled egg ingredients:
*****based on list for 18 whole eggs, needs to be adjusted down!******
*1/2 cup real mayo
*2 Tbsp dijon mustard
*1Tbsp minced green onion or shallot
*1Tbsp lemon juice
*1/2tsp sriracha sauce
*1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
*1/4 tsp salt
*addl sriracha sauce for garnish

mix the raw egg into the sausage mix, add breadcrumbs until the mix tightens up and is no longer runny. seperate into 6 even balls.

take one sausage ball and flatten into an oval, add some bacon crumbles to the top if they were not incorporated into the sausage mix



wrap the sausage around an egg and try to maintain an even thickness to promote even cooking. repeat for all the eggs.



get the smoker to 225-250° and start smoking the eggs, I hit them with mesquite wood for the first hour or so, then use natural hardwood charcoal for the balance of the cooking



I use a cooling rack to smoke them on, I use it while making them and transfer to the smoker.



mine took approx 3 hours for the sausage to get to 160 internal temp to properly cook the sausage.



once cooled a bit I cut them in half, scooped out the yolks and deviled them, mix all the ingredients with the egg yolks until smoothe and pipe into eggs, top with a drop of sriracha sauce and enjoy!



]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/260/ricotta Sun, 11 Mar 2012 16:03:12 -0700 FromZwolle 260@/discussions
Make some ricotta out of it.

First, put all the whey into a large pot. Now add a little more milk and heat it up. I've read not to take it to 200F but not to boil it and other recipes say to boil. I've done both and can't tell the difference, so go ahead and boil it.

Once it's nice and hot, add about a 1/4 cup of lemon juice or vinegar. Boil for a few minutes (5), then let it cool down. Once it's cool enough to handle comfortably, strain it through some cheese cloth. You might have to let it drain overnight to get to the right moisture level.

Mix in a pinch of salt to taste and store in the fridge until you feel like cookin some pasta. ]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/249/wing-flavors-and-recipes- Sat, 03 Mar 2012 05:41:13 -0800 jlw 249@/discussions
any other flavors you have grilled?]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/244/roasted-butternut-squash-soup Sat, 25 Feb 2012 10:32:42 -0800 viking73 244@/discussions
1 medium Butternut Squash
4 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
1 medium onion, sliced thin
4-6 cups of chicken broth (I used stock made from a smoked turkey)
3-4 stalks of celery, diced
4 slices of thick cut bacon, or 1 cup of lardons


Cut the squash in half lengthwise, add butter and grill until soft. I added apple chunks to my charcoal for extra flavor. When it is done remove and cool.

Slice the bacon/lardons into half inch pieces and cook. Set aside the bacon add the onion and garlic to the grease and cook.

Remove the flesh from the skin of the squash and place into a food processor/blender. Add 2 cups of broth and puree til smooth. Pour into stockpot with the remaining chicken broth. Add the piggy, cooked onion/garlic mix(drain the fat), and celery. Sprinkle a little bit of a pepper blend on top an simmer for a bit.

Serve up with some french bread and a little bit of parsley on the top for a garnish and enjoy!]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/165/braised-country-ribs Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:26:07 -0800 FromZwolle 165@/discussions
What you'll need:

1 package country ribs.
Dark beer
Onions
Garlic
Pepper
Worcestershire sauce

Chop up the onions and garlic pretty fine, so that it dissolves into the cooking liquid. Add the beer, pep, ribs, and worshy sauce (about 1 tbsp) to a square pan so that it covers about 2/3 of the meat. You can sear the ribs in a pan with olive oil first, but i never bother. To cook, I normally toss the whole thing in my toaster oven at about 350F, flipping the meat when the top of the ribs start to dry out a little bit. It's ready when they get nice and tender, which usually takes around 1.5 hrs. This is a dish that takes well to the grill, if the weather is nice enough. set up the coals for indirect grilling, but place the pan so that a small area of it is over the edge of the coals. You'll need just a little direct heat to reduce the liquid into a nice glaze. Once the meat is done, I like to take the liquid in the pan and throw it over some fire (range or coals) and reduce it down to a sauce, which is why I don't add any salt other than the worshy sauce. Pour the sauce over the meat and the potatoes you should have also cooked, and you have a killer meal.

This is a good recipe to mess around with, as well. I've added balsamic, herbs, and numerous types of beer with great results. The best beer I've used so far was a shwarz, but stout and porter (not sweet) work great as well.





]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/207/smoked-carrot-bisque Sun, 29 Jan 2012 09:27:15 -0800 scoob 207@/discussions Ever had a really meaty meatless dish before? this is fan-fricken-tastic! I mix it up a bit, I roast a whole head of garlic in the oven instead of using chopped garlic, I also toss a few jalapenos in the smoker along with the carrots before chopping it up and adding to the rest of the ingredients.

Ingredient list:

* 5 pounds carrots, peeled and trimmed
* mesquite or hickory wood chips, as needed for smoker
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 2 onions, chopped
* 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
* 4 cloves garlic, chopped
* 2 stalks celery, chopped
* 4 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
* 2 teaspoons curry powder
* 5 quarts vegetable stock
* 1/4 cup butter
* 2 cups cream
* salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Place whole, peeled carrots onto smoker rack. Smoke 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
2. Heat vegetable oil in a 1 1/2 to 2 gallon soup pot over medium heat. Stir in onions, jalapeno pepper, and garlic, cook until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Chop carrots, and add to onions along with celery; continue cooking another 5 to 10 minutes until the celery softens.
3. Stir in turmeric and curry powder until evenly distributed; pour in vegetable stock. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
4. Strain the vegetables out of the soup and puree in a blender until smooth. Pour the puree back into the soup, and continue simmering 30 minutes more.
5. Whisk butter into soup until melted, then stir in cream, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Strain soup through a fine mesh strainer before serving.

I don't usually bother with the strainer, it is nice for presentation, but I prefer some texture in my soups.]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/105/slow-cooked-black-beans Fri, 16 Dec 2011 09:07:46 -0800 ceannt 105@/discussions
This is a "quick and dirty" version of a recipie I got from a small Mexican eatery in Niles California back in the late '70s.




1-large can black beans
1-small can diced tomatoes
1-small can whole kernel corn
2-small cans green chilies
1-smallish sweet yellow onion diced
3-garlic cloves crushed and minced
½ bell pepper diced
1 dried large chipotle pepper chopped coarse
Black pepper (about a tablespoon)
White pepper (about a tablespoon)
Cumin (about a tablespoon)
Cayenne (about a teaspoon and a half)
Dried cilantro (about a tablespoon or two)
Dried parsley (about a tablespoon)
Worcestershire sauce (just about 2-tablespoons)
About half a bottle beer (Brown Ale is best, but anything malty)

Throw all ingredients into a crock pot, being very liberal with spices, and cook on high for around 3 ½ to 4 hours, stirring well every half hour or so. Taste after about 2-hours and add more spices as needed to taste. If needed, add more beer, don’t add too much, it should not be soup.

Note: I never measure spices, just throw them in, so the measurements are a wild guess, use your judgment.
]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/130/viking039s-shrimp-scampi Sat, 31 Dec 2011 14:36:57 -0800 viking73 130@/discussions
1# 60-80 shrimp (peeled and deviened, or whole, whatever...)
A good handfull of pasta (fettucine, linguine, you get the idea)
Garlic, at least one head, more is better (yeah, you read that right)
8oz of proscuitto
8oz of capocolla
1 stick of butter. Don't even think about margarine, if you want healthy stop reading this now and go here:http://www.healthyveganrecipes.net/Wuss.

Get the pasta going in a pot of boiling water, add a pinch of salt and a splash of oil.

When the pasta is almost done, drain it and set aside. Or if you're talented you can try to time it with the following.

Take the butter in a large fry pan and clarify it. Add the garlic and delectable Italian cured meats. Sauté until the garlic starts to turn golden. Add the shrimp. When the shrimp is almost done add the pasta.

Serve with some artisan bread, some Riesling or appropriate beer and enjoy!]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/115/cold-smoking Wed, 21 Dec 2011 19:06:53 -0800 FromZwolle 115@/discussions
I use my round weber-style grill. You place what you want to smoke on the grill grates (cheese, nuts-in a mesh basket, bacon, etc.) and put the smoke producing instrument on the lower grates where the coals would normally sit.

You want to fill the can with your chips/pellets and position the soldering iron in the can so that the chips will rest on the iron where it gets hot. It will be hot enough all the way up to the metal guard to burn the chips, so try to get that whole area in contact, being careful not to get the plastic handle too close to anything that will be burning (ask me how i know that lesson).

Here's a pic or two of the assembly:







i use some crumpled foil to keep the chips contained and keep them from igniting. without oxygen they'll just smolder and smoke.

it's easy as pie to cold smoke. just choose what flavor of wood/pellets you want and toss em in the can. ]]> http://homebrewforums.net/discussion/106/beef-dry-rub-and-sauce Fri, 16 Dec 2011 09:15:50 -0800 ceannt 106@/discussions
Dry Rub:
2-Garlic Powder
2-Onion Powder
2-Turbinado Sugar
1-Hungarian Paprika
1- Black pepper
½- White pepper
½- Salt
¼- Cayenne


Quantities refer to any consistent volumetric unit, Tablespoons, Teaspoons, cups, 55-gal barrels….

Also good on Chicken, Turkey, oatmeal…. some cuts of Pork (just not Ribs or full blown pulled pork)

Beef BBQ sauce:

Serve on the side....

½ -yellow onion chopped fine
3-cloves garlic minced
3-tablespoons olive oil
1 ¼-cup-Ketchup (yup, plain ole ketchup…)
¾ cup-cider vinegar
1 ¼ cup beer (only thing BMC is good for)
2- tablespoons- Worcestershire sauce
½ -tablespoons- Black pepper
1- teaspoon- Texas Pete
1- teaspoon- salt
3 -tablespoons- brown sugar
1- tablespoon- Cumin
¼- cup chopped fresh Cilantro

Heat Olive Oil in pan (I use a small stock pot). Sautee onion and garlic until onions are clear with a little brown on edges.
Throw in everything else and stir the crap out of it. Bring to low boil, turn down heat and simmer (stir a lot) until it just starts to thicken. Done.
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