By Diva Winterheart
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My nephew Carson has been in Kuwait for
nearly a year now. Our thoughts are with him this 4th of July as we
serve up his favorite dishes along with timeless American dishes in our
American Menu for July. In addition, we have some interesting drink
tips for summer.
Summer Drink Tips
Coffee Cubes
If you're like me you enjoy coffee year-round. The
first sip is just right, but by the time you get
to the bottom of a long, cool glass of iced coffee, you’re drinking a
watery shadow of your former beverage. If the ice is made from coffee,
it won’t dilute your drink as it melts. Freeze hot coffee (or tea, if
you prefer) in an ice-cube tray, then use the cubes to cool your brew.
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Blender Tips
Nothing says summer more
than frozen drinks by the pool or on the deck. Frozen drinks are known
by a lot of different names; Smoothies, Frosties, Frozen Daiquiris,
Tropical, Umbrella. What they do share is a blender, ice and all are
refreshing on a hot summer day.
The Basics
Whether you are creating Smoothies
(generally yogurt /ice cream based), Coffee inspired creations, or
classics like frozen Margaritas or Daiquiris, here are a few basic tips
that will help you get the most from your blender.
Frozen Drink Tips
Use frozen fruit: For most
frozen drinks having a key ingredient like fruit already frozen will
help you get the consistency in the final product that you want. Even
thirty minutes in the freezer for most fruit will help. This also
allows you to store unused fruit for later use.
Add the liquid
ingredients first: For most frozen drinks add the liquid (ideally
chilled) ingredients first, then the frozen fruit and finally the ice
or frozen yogurt.
Start the
blender at a low speed and increase speed to get the desired texture.
To thicken the drink- just add ice. Too thin - add more fruit or
liquid.
Non Alcoholic
frozen drinks. Almost all frosted drinks can be prepared as a
non-alcoholic. It is easy to add the alcohol to most frosted drinks
after they are made giving you more options for yourself or guests.
Use "cracked"
ice, or ice chips will be a little easier on the blender and will
allow you to mix all frozen drinks quicker.
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July's American Menu
Buffalo Wings
Beer Batter Onion Rings
Green Beans with Bacon
Grilled Cheese on the Grill
Patty Melt
Macaroni and Cheese
Apple Brown Betty
Vanilla Ice Cream
Buffalo Wings
The key to good Buffalo Wings is how you prepare them as well as the
ingredients and the handling of the wings. Wash them in cold water,
split them at the joint and remove the tips. Place them on a rack on a
pan and refrigerate overnight to let the blood and water drain out of
the wings.
Drying the wings under refrigeration will help to make them a much
crispier product, once deep fried.
Next, use a deep fryer or a very heavy deep pot with a thermometer and
add the oil. Peanut oil is the best or a commercial product such as can
be found at a restaurant supply store for use in a deep fryer.
Heat the oil up slowly to 365 F, and depending on the size of the
fryer, deep fry the dry wings 6-8 minutes in small batches, until
thoroughly done and golden brown.
Hold the cooked wings in a warm oven if necessary.
A combination of melted margarine and hot sauce in the ratio of 1 part
margarine to 3 parts hot sauce will add the right zing. The key here is
to add just enough sauce to coat the wings - the more sauce you add,
the hotter they will be.
For the very brave, 1 part margarine to 3 parts hot sauce and 1 part
Tabasco is referred to as "Suicide Wings".
Working quickly, place the deep fried wings in a large bowl and add the
sauce mixture, shaking to coat them.
There are many good hot sauces to use; Durkee Franks Red Hot Sauce or
Wingers Original.
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Beer Battered
Onion Rings
Ingredients:
2 large onions, peeled (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut crosswise into
3/4-inch thick slices
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1/3 cup flat beer*
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
cooking spray
1/4 cup ketchup
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Separate
onion slices into rings and select 16 of the largest rings. Reserve
remaining onion for another use (I keep using the rings until the
batter is gone).
Combine flour, salt, pepper, and paprika in medium bowl. Stir in beer
and egg white (batter will be thick). Heat 1 1/2 tsp oil in large
non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.
Dip
onion rings in batter, letting excess drip off. Add onion rings to pan;
cook for 2 minutes on each side or until golden. Place the onion rings
on a jelly roll pan. Coat the onion rings with cooking spray.
Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until crisp. Serve with ketchup.
*To make beer flat: measure 1/2 cup beer into a small bowl and stir it
with a fork. You are left with about 1/3 cup flat beer.
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Green Beans with
Bacon
Ingredients:
1/8 pound slab bacon, diced
1/2 onion, minced
1 pound green beans, trimmed
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt
1/2 cup boiling water
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
Freshly ground pepper
Directions:
In a
large deep skillet, cook the bacon over moderate heat, stirring, until
golden. Transfer the bacon with a slotted spoon to a plate. Add the
onion to the skillet and cook, stirring, until softened. Add the beans,
pepper flakes, and salt and saute over moderately high heat, stirring,
for 2 minutes.
Add the boiling water and cover the skillet
immediately. Steam the
beans, shaking the skillet occasionally, for 15 minutes, or until just
tender. Add the butter, vinegar, and salt and pepper and toss until
combined. Sprinkle with the bacon.
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Grilled Cheese on
the Grill
The
tastiest crisp-on-the-outside-and-gooey-on-the-inside grilled-cheese
sandwiches aren’t prepared in the kitchen in a frying pan. They’re made
on a grill. Serve some at your next cookout. Preheat grill or grill pan
until hot. Cook several strips of bacon in an oven. Slice bread, cheese
(we made ours with New York cheddar), and tomatoes—the juiciest ones of
the season. Lightly butter one side of each of two pieces of bread. Lay
bread slices, buttered sides down, on a plate. Top both with cheese,
and add tomatoes to one. Place bread on the grill, buttered side down;
cover. Grill until the cheese has melted, about two minutes. Remove
sandwich halves from grill. Add the bacon. Season with salt and pepper.
Put the sandwich halves together, and serve.
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Patty Melt
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter, softened
4 slices rye bread
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 1/2 pound fresh ground round (divided and shaped into 2 oval burgers)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small red onion, peeled and sliced into rings
2 to 3 slices American or Swiss cheese (Carson loves American cheese!)
Directions:
Melt
butter over flat top griddle or large cast-iron skillet and toast rye
bread slices. Season and grill burgers on flat top. Cook to
medium-rare. Put olive oil on griddle and grill onions until
caramelized. Melt cheese slices over each burger. Assemble pattymelt by
placing cheeseburgers over one slice each rye toast, top with
caramelized onions and remaining slices of rye toast.
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Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable or olive
oil
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups whole or 2 percent milk
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese, white or yellow
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, a couple pinches
Salt
1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked 8 minutes or to al dente, with a little
bite to it
Directions:
Heat
a medium, deep skillet over medium heat. Add oil and butter. When
butter melts into the oil, add flour and combine. Gently cook, whisking
flour and butter together, until smooth and flour has had a chance to
cook, about 3 minutes. Slowly add milk while continuing to whisk.
Gently bring milk to a bubble while stirring frequently. Allow the milk
to thicken a bit, then stir in 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese a
handful at a time. Season sauce with cayenne. Taste and add
a little salt, if you like. Add cooked pasta to sauce and coat
completely by turning over and over in the cheese sauce. Transfer to a
baking dish and top with remaining cheese. Place baking dish under a
hot broiler and brown the cheddar cheese on top.
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Apple Brown Betty
Directions:
3 firm, tart apples like Granny Smith - peeled, cored, sliced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 1/2 tablespoons melted butter
- divided
2 cups fresh bread crumbs
1/4 cup firmly packed light
brown suga
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon amaretto
Ingredients:
Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, toss the apples with lemon
juice. Brush 4 6-ounce ramikens with 1/2 tablespoon melted butter and
sprinkle with the granulated sugar to coat.
In a small bowl, combine the
bread crumbs (finely ground) with 4 tablespoons melted butter. Add
remaining ingredients (brown sugar to amaretto) to the apples and toss.
Divide 1/3 of the bread crumbs among the ramikens. Arrange half the
apples over bread crumbs and add another 1/3 of the crumbs. Repeat with
the rest of the apples and bread crumbs. Press into ramikens.
Bake
for 20 minutes. Raise oven temperature to 450 degrees; continue baking
until tops are golden brown and apples are tender, about 15 minutes.
Remove from oven; cool for 5 minutes. Run a knife around side of
ramikens and turn apple betty out onto dessert plates.
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Vanilla Ice Cream
Ingredients:
3
cups cream
1 cup milk
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
Directions:
Whip two cups of the cream; to the thin part that drains from the
whip add 1 cup of cream and 1 cup of milk, the sugar, and scald
thoroughly. Cool and add the flavoring. Freeze till soft mush, then add
the whipped cream. Turn the freezer as fast as possible for five
minutes; remove dasher, repack and let stand thirty minutes before
serving.
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