Confabulation in the Kitchen

Thursday, July 02, 2009

Butterscotch Thins

First I have to say that the flavor of these cookies is phenomenal. I have been a butterscotch lover since I was a kid. (A Butterscotch Sundae was always my choice at Mickey D's.) I love butterscotch chips in my chocolate-chip cookies, and you know those old-fashioned butterscotch cakes? The kind with the cooked frosting? Omigod. Love. My grandmother made the best one ever. (Note to self: Try to find Maw Maw's butterscotch-cake recipe!)

That being said the question becomes: What did I do wrong? If you go to Nicole's site you'll see how perfectly her cookies baked. Lightly colored, obviously sugary and good, and easy to stack. Mine? Well, they didn't turn out like hers at all. That's not say that we didn't eat them. Of course we did! But they never completely firmed up, and I had a really hard time with the dough. It never got hard enough for me to slice so I'm thinking that's where I did something wrong. (I see that another commenter had the same problem. But others didn't. Weird.)

So can anybody help me out? Do you see a step that maybe I forgot that made all the difference? Why did my cookies spread so much? Why wouldn't they firm up? I know that we've all made mistakes in the kitchen and that one of you fine bakers can point me in the right direction. Like I said before: I loved the flavor of these cookies. I want to make them again. But I want to do it right this time!

Butterscotch Thins by Baking Bites

One year ago: I was a week away from having a baby! Unbelievable.
Two years ago: Behind the Stove Rolls

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Norwegian Waffles

My mom gives the same thing to almost every bride-to-be: a Belgian waffle maker. I call it her signature, and I sometimes give her a hard time about it, but at the same time it's a fantastic gift. Who doesn't love homemade waffles? Of course I had to say almost every bride-to-be because she left one bride out of this pattern: me! And boy did I want one. I registered for it, but no one bought it. Then I didn't buy it for myself, either. And I did get a regular waffle maker (from mama, of course, at Christmas), but I still wanted that Belgian one. I never let her forget it, and last year I finally opened one on Christmas morning. And I've used it SO many times since.

You see, they're my favorite kind of waffles. Deep, crisp edges with enough heft to give them a chew. They are the best thing about breakfast, except bacon, of course. And although I haven't dipped my toe into true Belgian Waffle waters (they call for yeast! the beast!) I have tried several plain waffle recipes. There has been a tie between two of them: The Joy of Cooking's recipe, and this Norwegian Waffle recipe. Don't ask me about the Norwegian part because all I know is the author says it's been in her family for generations. I guess Norwegians make good waffles.

I agree.

Norwegian Waffles / AllRecipes / Submitted by Vegsund

Ingredients:

2 eggs
2 tablespoons white sugar
3 tablespoons melted shortening
1 3/4 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Directions:

Preheat a waffle iron.
Beat together eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy. Pour in shortening, milk, salt, and vanilla; mix until well blended. Sift together the flour and baking powder. Mix the flour into the liquid.
Spoon 2/3 cup of batter onto the preheated waffle iron at a time. Close the iron and cook until steam no is no longer coming out and waffle is browned.

Breakfast recipes may also enjoy: Blueberry Pancakes (excuse the mess), Southern Grits Casserole (this is Brad's favorite thing in the world)

Two years ago: Squash (Zucchini) Fries

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Thursday, June 25, 2009

Homemade Barbecue Sauce

Every Father's Day - every holiday for that matter - my dad says the same thing. "Don't get me anything." I understand why he says it, but what he doesn't seem to understand is that we want to give him gifts. He's given me - and my sisters - so very much that the least we can do is do something to bring a smile to his face. Not that this is an easy feat, mind you. Why are men so hard to buy for? I don't like to buy dust collectors, and T-shirts and ties are nice, but I think that's more my mom's territory. So I did what every daughter who loves to cook should do.

I gave him food.

And it made both of us happy.

I got to expand my DIY repertoire and scratch one cooking goal off my list: homemade barbecue sauce. (Add it to the list of buttermilk, baking powder, cake flour and pizza sauce, which I plan to share with you soon!) It was so easy to make, and I even tried two recipes - I wanted to try a traditional sauce and a sweet one. I also got to visit one of my favorite stores in town, The Fresh Market, where I bought him the perfect accompaniment to barbecue sauce: ribs.

So if you're looking for a fail-safe, multi-holiday gift for the man in your life give this a shot. Everybody likes food. And if you make it yourself - you know, put a little bit of love into it - your special someone will love it even more.

Sweet and Tangy Barbecue Sauce - Epicurious
(This is the orange one.)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large yellow onion, minced
2 cups ketchup
8-ounce jar honey mustard
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Directions

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and sweat the onion until tender and translucent. Add all remaining ingredients and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat and use a handheld blender to process it to a smooth paste. (Alternatively, transfer it to an upright blender and back again.) Simmer gently for an additional 5 minutes.

Separate the sauce into two containers. Use one to marinate and glaze the meat during grilling. Reserve the remainder for use as a sauce at the table.

Classic Barbecue Sauce - Everyday Food - June 2009

Ingredients:

2 T vegetable oil
1 small white onion, diced small
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
2 t. ground mustard
1 can (28 ounces) tomato sauce
1/4 C unsulfured molasses
2 C water
2 T Worcestershire sauce
3 T white vinegar
2 t. coarse salt
1.5 t. ground pepper

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, and cook until fragrant, 1 minute.

2. Add tomato paste and mustard; cook, stirring constantly, until paste turns a brick red color, about 5 minutes. Add 2 cups water, tomato sauce, molasses, Worcestershire, vinegar, salt and pepper and stir until smooth.

3. Bring to a simmer; reduce heat to low and partially cover. Simmer, stirring occasionally, 2 hours (thin with water if sauce becomes too thick). Season to taste with vinegar, salt and pepper. Let cool completely before using. (To store, refrigerate up to 1 week or freeze up to 4 months.)

Two years ago: Core Egg McMuffins, Pecan Toffee, Cheesecake-Marbled Brownies