Rosette Cookies

Rosette cookies are a cookie made from very light batter that is deep fried. A rosette iron is used to make them. They are of Norwegian origin, and are made as a Christmas treat.  Rosette irons come in many shapes and sizes. The more expensive ones are made from cast iron while the less expensive ones are made from cast aluminum. Mine is aluminum and works very well.

The most important thing with making rosettes is the temperature of the oil. It must be kept between 350-375 degrees. Any cooler and the cookie won't cook quickly and evenly as it should, any hotter and the cookie may burn or stick to the iron.  You can use an electric fryer with a thermostat, but I use a cast iron skillet and a thermometer.  The picture on the right shows my setup with a cast iron skillet filled half way with vegetable oil and a probe thermometer hanging halfway into the oil to keep tabs on the temperature.  If you do it this way, keep your eye on the thermometer. You'll probably have to make slight heat adjustments to keep the temperature within the 365-375 degree range.

Rosette Cookie Batter

• 2 eggs
• 1 TBSP sugar
• small pinch of salt
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla

Beat together eggs, salt and sugar. Add rest of ingredients and beat until smooth. 

Pour oil into pan or fryer, making sure to fill no more than half way to allow for expansion of hot oil when food is placed into it. Make sure you have the lid for the pan or fryer close by.  There is always a risk of oil catching on fire (although it is minimal if you keep it below 375 degrees) and the best way to douse an oil fire is by placing a lid on it.  Safety first!

Make sure rosette iron is clean and dry. After oil comes to temperature. put iron in oil for a minute or two so that it heats up.

Shake off excess oil, and dip iron into batter, but not all the way to the top. Leave a quarter inch or so from the top of the iron, otherwise the batter will cook over the iron and the cookie will be difficult to remove.

Place batter-coated iron into hot oil and cook for about 30 seconds or until brown.  

The cookie may slip off the iron when still in the oil. Just remove it with a metal turner.  If the cookie doesn't come off the iron in the hot oil, give it a gentle shake and it usually will fall off, or gently remove it by putting a metal turner edge alongside one of the edges of the cookie. Place it on a wire rack with paper towels underneath to drain.



Continue this procedure until all the batter is used up.  It may take a few tries to get a perfect cookie, but with practice you'll be cranking them out in good order. Just remember to keep that temperature between 365-375 degrees and you'll be rewarded with some of the lightest, crispiest cookies you've ever eaten! Once the cookies are done, dust them with powdered sugar and enjoy.

Apple Crisp

For those who like apple pie (and who doesn't) here's a recipe that makes a very good apple crisp without the hassle of pie crust.

I use a handy dandy piece of equipment that peels, cores and slices the apple all with a turn of the handle. It does a pretty good job, unless the apples are too much out of round. Then it leaves some of the peel. But all in all, it is a lot easier and faster than peeling, coring and slicing by hand:



Apple Crisp
This recipe makes enough to fill a 12 x 8 baking pan.

• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 cup white flour
• 8 TBS butter
• 6 large apples

Place 1/2 cup of the sugar, water, lemon juice and cinnamon in bottom of the pan. Mix ingredients well. Add sliced apples to mixture.  Blend in the rest of the sugar (3/4 cup) with the flour and butter. Blend until mixture becomes crumbly.  Put over apples and pat down until smooth.  Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until apples are soft and crust is brown and crispy.

Pizza Stones And How To Use Them

The home cook that wants to create a great homemade pizza should take a cue from professional pizza chefs. Half of the battle is in the crust. Whether thick or thin, the crust can make or break a pizza. No matter what the toppings are, if the crust is not done all the way through, or done too much to the point of being burnt, the pizza is ruined.

The home cook can come real close to the quality of cooked pizza crust of professional pizza chefs by using a pizza stone. With a pizza stone, a home oven can approximate the heat and cooking method of a commercial oven. A pizza stone increases the temperature and amount of heat that is directly applied to the pizza, so that it not only cooks on the top, but from the bottom also. As a good pizza stone is unglazed, it also wicks the moisture from the crust, which helps to ensure the crust is completely done.

To cook pizza on a stone, you of course need a stone and a paddle, or peel. The peel is made of wood or metal, and transfers the raw pizza directly onto the hot stone, and also removes it when done. But first, the stone.

There are many pizza stones available commercially. Make sure that the stone you get is not glazed. These stones can be rather expensive, but with care a pizza stone can last for a long time. Some have said that you can use regular unglazed terracotta tiles, which are not only cheaper but you can make the cooking are bigger or small by adding or subtracting tiles. I would advise using caution when using unglazed terracotta tiles that were manufactured for other uses besides cooking on. If you are positive that the tiles have no additives that could affect the food being cooked, then give them a try if you want. Otherwise, the money spent on a commercial pizza stone is money well spent.

Always place your stone in the oven before you turn it on. Placing a cold stone in a hot oven is inviting disaster, for the stone could break. Heat the stone for at least 30 minutes; an hour would be even better. For pizza, most times the temperature to set your oven at is 500-550. This allows the pizza to cook rapidly, another secret of professional pizza chefs.

Of course, after being in a 500-degree oven for an hour, the stone will be HOT! That's where the peel comes in. Liberally sprinkle the peel with corn meal, place your dough onto it and build your pizza. When ready to cook, CAREFULLY slide your pizza from the peel to the stone. The corn meal helps the pizza slide onto the stone.

After use and the stone has cooled, anything stuck to the stone can be scraped off with a plastic spatula or other utensil. There's really no need to ever wash the stone, but if you must, rinse it off with warm water only. Don't use detergents because the stone is porous and can absorb it and transfer tastes to the pizza. The stone will turn a dark brown color with use, but this is just the sign of a well-used, seasoned stone and will make it cook even better.

With a little experience, a pizza stone will not only bake a great pizza, but also bread, calzone, focaccia, stromboli, practically anything. With a little care and proper use, your pizza stone will last a long time, develop a patina and get better with age!
Pizza Stones

Baked Pasta Casserole

A hearty pasta casserole that is made with three different types of cheese.  Ricotta cheese is made from the whey that is left over from making other types of cheeses. Ricotta is similar to cottage cheese but is drier,  finer in texture and has a slightly sweet taste.

• 8 ounces ziti, penne, or macaroni
  
• 1 cup low fat Ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg slightly beaten
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon celery salt
• 1 tablespoon parsley flakes
• 1/2 jar spaghetti or tomato sauce (13 ounces)
• salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Bring a pot of water to the boil and cook pasta as directed on the package. Drain and set aside.

Place Ricotta, 1/4 cup Parmesan, 1/2 cup Mozzarella, egg, garlic powder, parsley flakes, celery salt and salt and pepper in a bowl and mix well.

Spread half of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a 2-quart oven proof casserole. Add cooked pasta, cover with the Ricotta mixture, then the rest of the tomato sauce. Add remaining Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese on the top. Put casserole on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until browned and bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. 

Cooked hamburger or sausage could be added to this recipe to make a main course dish.  

Pulled Pork Pizza

As a rule I don't care for pizza that is too far from the traditional Italian style, but this pulled pork pizza is an exception.

Barbecued Pork
3 lbs. pork roast
2 cans of beer
barbecue sauce of choice

I usually use a pork loin roast, but any kind of pork roast will work. I've also used boneless country style pork ribs. The roast can be larger than 3 pounds, use what's on sale or available. Put the roast in a crock pot and put enough beer into it to cover. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours. When done, remove roast and allow to rest until cool enough to handle. Using two forks, shred the pork. Put pulled pork in a large bowl and add your favorite barbecue sauce and mix well.  Reserve some of the barbecue sauce for later.

Pizza Crust
Use a prepared crust, a crust mix or use this recipe for home made pizza dough. Put dough in round pizza pan. If using raw dough, pre-bake for 10 minutes at 425.

Take remaining barbecue sauce and with a basting brush paint a thin layer of sauce on the dough. Sprinkle sauce layer with a little garlic powder and pepper. Add pulled pork in an even, thin layer. Sprinkle top with chopped red onion and drizzle a little barbecue sauce on top. Add a mixture of cheddar and monterey jack cheese evenly over all. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Peanut Butter Cake

Peanuts are thought to have originated in South America, known as early as 950 B.C.E. The Inca Indians of South America made a paste out of peanuts, thus the origins of peanut butter go back a long time. 

The following recipe is a cake made from peanut butter and other ingredients, and is topped with a peanut butter and honey frosting.  Reference to the recipe was given to me on the internet. I have no idea who devised the recipe, but it sure is a keeper! 

Peanut Butter Cake

• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups light brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup room-temperature butter
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 eggs

Peanut Butter - Honey Frosting

• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 5 Tablespoons milk
• 1 cup mini-chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10 x 15 cake pan. In a large bowl, slowly mix first four

ingredients with electric mixer until crumbly. Add the rest of the ingredients, blend at slow speed until mixed well, then beat at medium speed for three minutes. 

Pour into pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cake cool in the pan for ten minutes and make frosting.

Warm peanut butter and honey in the microwave for 20-30 seconds to make it easy to stir, add the rest of the frosting ingredients with electric mixer until smooth. 

After cake has sat for ten minutes, spread the frosting on the warm cake and sprinkle with the mini-chocolate chips.  

Hot Sauce - Store Bought And Home Made

I would much rather use the commercial hot sauces that I like instead of making my own.  Not that making basic hot sauce is difficult, but there is a certain amount of experimentation needed to make a sauce with just the right blend of heat and flavor. A basic hot sauce can be made with just three ingredients:

2 cups plain white distilled vinegar

1 1/2 lbs seeded jalapeno chilis 

2 teaspoons salt 

Simmer all ingredients for at least 5 minutes, then puree mixture in a blender. Put mixture in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid and put in a dark place to age for at least three months. Check on the jar once a week to make sure too much pressure isn't building in it. The sauce is actually fermenting to a certain extent, so removing the lid to let the fermentation gases out might be a good idea. Be careful though. The gases will contain capsaicin,  the substance that give hot peppers their heat. Getting a whiff of the fumes could be quite uncomfortable.

There are scads of other recipes out there that add tomatoes, spices, and god-knows-what to the basic recipe for the more adventurous. One of the problems with making hot sauce that is consistent in heat and flavor is that in any given season the heat of the peppers can vary significantly. Very hot, dry weather can make peppers hotter than seasons that are cooler. The variety of peppers used also can make a big difference. Cooking that many hot peppers and vinegar in the house can also really stink up the place and release capsaicin in the air, so it's best to do it outside. Cutting up and seeding hot peppers, even the milder varieties, can make your hands feel like their on fire, so I'd wear rubber gloves. 

So for anyone that wants to make their own, I say go for it. For me, I've found two commercial hot sauces that I use on a regular basis. The first one is a versatile sauce that was the original hot sauce used for Buffalo Hot Wings; Franks Original Red Hot sauce. This sauce has been around since 1896. It uses cayenne peppers and is just right for my palate. The original Buffalo Hot Wings are very easy to make:

Chicken wings

1 tablespoon vinegar

pinch of garlic salt

pinch of celery seed

Franks Original Red Hot Sauce

Deep fry wings until done and crispy. Drain wings. In a cast iron skillet, melt a stick of butter and add vinegar, celery seed and garlic salt. Put wings in butter and coat them with the butter, let cook for a few minutes. Remove wings from the skillet and put them in a large bowl. Add hot sauce, toss wings until evenly coated. Swerve with blue cheese dressing with carrot and celery sticks.  

When I want more heat, or I'm going to cook with hot sauce, I use Sriracha sauce, an oriental sauce. If you want more heat to your Buffalo Wings, this is a good sauce to substitute with. I like to use this sauce for stir fries.  The longer this sauce is heated, the more heat it will lose, so I add it towards the end of the cooking process. It gives a great flavor to stir fried chicken or shrimp.

There are more hot sauces out there than you can shake a stick at. Some are basic, some are complex. Some are too damned hot for my taste.  If you like hot and spicy, explore Chinese, Mexican, Indian and many other ethnic foods and you'll find hot dishes.