Ah, summer. The season for grilling. I’ve recently realized that potatoes are one of my favorite foods. Roasted, mashed, fried… it’s all good! One of my favorite things in the summer is grilled veggies. I scored some fingerling potatoes (my favorite) at Cub on sale for $2.50 for a bag! I thought that grilled veggies would go great with a fun steak recipe I found on Mark Bittman’s blog, Bitten. You can visit his blog for the steak with shallot-thyme butter recipe that I made for the main course. (Note: we used filet mignon instead of skirt steak because we like that cut better.)
Fire up the grill! Here’s how you make them. There’s no actual recipe, so go ahead and add your favorites.
First, take two pieces of tin foil.
Then, wash the potatoes and cut them up so that they are similar sizes. That way they cook evenly. The smaller they are, the quicker they cook, and the sooner you can eat them!
Next, take a shallot or two and slice thinly. I prefer shallots to onions due to their milder flavor, but you could certainly add onions instead.
Now, cut up some green beans and mince some garlic. Throw it all onto the tin foil sheets. Sprinkle on some of your favorite herbs. I chose rosemary and thyme. Add salt and pepper too.
Then drizzle on some olive oil. And, then add some butter for good measure. Butter makes everything better.
Fold up the sides and close the packages tightly to seal. Throw them on the grill at medium heat for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. In the meantime, you can add the steaks to the grill. If you are lucky like me, you have an awesome grill-master husband who can get perfect grill marks on the steaks.
Look at that steak!
And here’s the finished product… it was delicious! Sprinkle a little lemon juice on the finished veggie packets to lighten up the flavor a bit.
So, it’s been a while since my last post! It’s not that I haven’t been cooking, it’s just that I finished graduate school last week, so I was busy with finals! I’ve actually been cooking more than normal, I just haven’t had time to write. Last weekend, I hosted a bridal shower for my brother-in-law’s fiance, Sarah, and then also hosted Mother’s Day breakfast for the in-laws the next day. So, I don’t think I will be entertaining for quite a while!
John and I had a little get-together at our house yesterday with friends to celebrate my graduation. We had burgers, veggies, chips and chocolate chip cookies. And for dessert: CREAM PUFF CAKE! I got this recipe from my grandma, who is a wonderful cook, and the party was a great excuse to make it. Cream puffs are always a hit, and it’s just way easier to make them in cake form.
Note: my grandma’s recipe calls for Cool Whip, but I prefer real whipped cream. So, if you don’t feel like making real whipped cream (but you should, because it’s so much better!), go ahead and substitute a tub of Cool Whip. You can refrigerate any leftovers for a day or so (although you probably won’t have any leftovers!).
Cream Puff Cake Adapted from Grandma Jurek, serves approx 15
Cake:
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 cup water
1 cup flour
4 eggs
Spray bottom of 9×13 pan with cooking spray. Melt butter with the water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil. Add flour. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon or spatula until dough forms a ball. Remove from heat. Let cool slightly for 1-2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Stir until dough is completely combined. It should be smooth and light yellow-colored. Spoon dough into prepared pan and smooth out to coat pan evenly. Bake for 30 minutes or until puffed and golden brown and no longer wet on the inside. Cool before topping.
Topping:
1 package vanilla pudding
3 cups cold milk (or whatever the pudding box calls for)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
Chocolate syrup, for serving (optional) Recommended: Guittard Dark Chocolate syrup
Prepare the vanilla pudding according to package directions. Once set, spread onto cooled cake. Beat the whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla together until soft peaks form. Spread on top of pudding. An offset spatula works great for this. Cut cake into 15 pieces. Top with chocolate syrup. Enjoy! (Believe me, you will!)
Try not to open the oven while the cake is baking. You will get a cream puff steam facial.
The finished cakes. They look like a cream puff mountain landscape.
Making the pudding in the Kitchen Aid mixer. Best wedding gift ever - thanks, Jeff!
The finished whipped cream.
Ta-da! The finished product! Make sure you get a piece before it's all gone!
About once every few weeks or so, I make pretzels as a late night snack. I recently came across a new pretzel recipe that called for boiling the pretzels before baking, and I was curious to see how that would change the finished product. So I invited my friend Lauren over to try out the new recipe.
The original recipe is Martha Stewart’s Hot Buttered Pretzels. The challenger recipe is also from Martha: Soft Pretzels. Side note: the Martha Stewart Original Classics and New Classics are wonderful cookbooks. I received both as Christmas gifts from my husband. Everything I’ve made from them has been a hit! Ok back to the pretzels.
After baking both recipes, there’s no clear winner. Like the Coleman-Franken senate race, maybe we’ll need a recount of the votes and an appeal. The Hot Buttered Pretzels are more bread-like, pale and more doughy on the inside. The Soft Pretzels have a darker, crustier crust (due to the poaching I believe) and chewy inside. You’ll have to make them for yourself and decide which one you prefer. Believe me, they are worth it!
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for and for work surface
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons regular instant yeast
About 1 cup warm water
Kosher or sea salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Whisk to combine flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in a bowl. Slowly add water. Depending on the humidity, I usually end up adding about 1 1/4 cups of water. Knead until soft and smooth, about 5 minutes.
Dust the dough with flour and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Divide dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a long thin rope. Twist each rope into a pretzel. Dip each pretzel in warm water. Place on prepared baking sheets lined with parchment paper or baking mat (I use a Silpat). Sprinkle with salt. Let rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and brush with melted butter (a “butter wash” as John calls it). Serve warm. You’ll want to eat them all right away.
Waiting for the dough to rise - longest 30 minutes ever!
2 1/4 teaspoons dry active yeast
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup warm water
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons baking soda
1 tablespoon pretzel salt
Mix yeast, coarse salt, sugar, and warm water in a small bowl, whisking until sugar dissolves. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
Mix flour and cayenne in a large bowl. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, cut butter into flour until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Pour yeast mixture over flour mixture, stirring to combine. Using your hands, gather dough together. Knead dough until it is no longer sticky, about 5 minutes. Cover with plastic, and let rise for 30 minutes.
Cut dough into 12 pieces, and roll each into an 18-inch rope. Form a U shape with 1 rope, and twist ends together twice. Fold twisted portion backward along center of U shape to form a circle, then gently press ends of rope onto dough to seal. Transfer to an oiled baking sheet, and repeat. Let rise for 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add baking soda. Boil pretzels in batches until puffed and slightly shiny, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to wire racks to drain. Return to baking sheet, sprinkle with pretzel salt, and bake until golden brown and cooked through, about 15 minutes. The recipe doesn’t call for melted butter, but we did brush butter on top.
Are they ready yet?!??
The finished soft pretzels - see, they are darker and look more like pretzels
