October 18, 2007

Tiny Pigs for Our Mini Meal Menu?

Wandering through the Union Square Farmers Market yesterday, we were impressed with the broad range of miniature edibles available at the market. We saw baby carrots, baby onions, tiny beets and ended up purchasing some baby fingerling yams and baby bok choy. We were hoping to find baby artichokes and baby corn to supplement the miniature meal we were planning for a small crew of vegetarians. But we were out of luck. We needed one more menu item, so back at our office, we turned to the internet for ideas. When we came across photos of the tiniest pigs on Buzzfeed, we had to remind ourselves that only a sick mind would feature these cooked cutie pies alongside the baby vegetables.

And don't worry. These cute pigs are safe from hungry carnivores with similarly sick minds. According to Chris Murray, the co-owner of a farm in England that breeds miniature pigs, he doesn't think they'll be featured on restaurant menus anytime soon. "They are too small," he said. "It would be uneconomic so it's unlikely they will be used for meat and there is already a huge amount of different pig meat available." [From BBC via Buzzfeed]

In the end, we made mini-vegetarian quiches and never admited that we considered sneaking in a little baby bacon.

UPDATE:

Our friends at our favorite restaurant, Little D Eatery had the same idea. They're now serving Heirloom Pumpkin Risotto with thyme and blue cheese garnish.

Posted by Cakehead at 04:47 PM | Comments (3)

July 20, 2007

The health risks of human flesh consumption

With grilling season here, we know that our readers are in search for unusual meats to barbecue. If you were considering human flesh, you may want to reconsider.

Health guru Randall Fitzgerald, is the author of The Hundred-Year Lie (Plume), a book that reveals how to protect yourself from chemicals that could ruin your health, and says the human body is so contaminated with chemicals from modern life that we can't eat ourselves.

Fitzgerald says, "If cannibalism were legal in this country and our flesh was up for review by the FDA, we would all fail the inspection."

[from azcentral]

Posted by Cakehead at 08:22 PM | Comments (0)

May 29, 2007

Quails Gone Wild

quails on a blanket

Rather than kick off the barbecue season with the traditional fare, we decided to go wild this Memorial Day weekend. Guests were instructed to bring their favorite wild game to grill or smoke. The result was quite an eclectic collection of creatures. If you lined them up you'd have a veritable evolution line leading from sea to upright mammals on land. Okay, not upright mammals, but we had everything from shark, squid, quail, lamb, venison and rabbit represented on the fire. There was even promise of crocodile and zebra, but those friends must have been mauled by lions because they never arrived.

We finished off the evening with thick slices of coconut cake, a reminder that it's almost time to lather up with coconut oil sunscreen and hit the beach.

For some more dirty pictures of the quail click here.

Read on for the smoked rabbit and coconut cake recipes.

Smoked Rabbit
Mario, our trusted butcher, warned us that rabbit is prone to toughness. He suggested that we soak the hare he provided in a marinade of oil, vinegar and garlic overnight. As added insurance that our guests wouldn't be chewing endlessly, we decided to haul out our smoker and roasted the rabbit at low temperature to lock in flavor and moisture. The result was a sweet smoky meat that fell loosely off the little rib bones.

Marinade:
1 whole headless rabbit, skinned and dressed
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup cider vinegar
juice of one lemon
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. coarsely ground pepper
2 cloves of minced garlic

Soak the hare overnight in the marinade.

Smoker Preparation:
We use a bullet style smoker. It looks like an upright hollow bullet in which a water pan separates the grill racks from the direct heat of the barbecue brickets.

Soak a handful of your favorite woodchips in a pan of water. We like hickory or applewood.
In the base of the smoker, light a pile of charcoal brickets.
When the flame subsides and the coals are glowing red, add the woodchips to the fire, then place the water pan and grill rack stack over the brickets.
Put the marinated rabbit on a grill rack and cover.

The rabbit should be tender and ready in about 3-4 hours. To test if the meat is done, insert a fork into the flesh. If you can twist the fork and the meat shreds away with the consistency of pulled pork, the rabbit is ready for eating. The meat tastes like a rich smoky chicken.

Coconut Cake
In the preparation of the the rabbit (and quail) we consulted The Joy of Cooking quite heavily. The chapters on small game and wildfowl were very helpful and it introduced us to birds like the figpecker, thrushes, moorhens and gallinules. In our perusal of this helpful reference book, we came stumbled upon a recipe for coconut layer cake. That's when our mouth really began to water. Below is a variation on the Joy of Cooking coconut cake.

**Have all ingredients at 70 degrees. Grease two round cake pans that are 8-10" in diameter. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients:
Sift before measuring:
2 2/3 cups cake flour

Resift with:
2 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Cream until soft:
1 cup butter

Add gradually and cream until light:
2 cups sifted sugar

Beat in, one at a time:
4 egg yolks

Add:
1 1/4 tsp. coconut oil

Add flour mixture to the butter mixture in about 3 parts, alternating with:
1 cup milk

Fold into the batter:
3/4 cup shredded coconut
1 1/2 tsp. grated lemon rind
1/4 tsp. salt

Stir the batter until smooth after each addition. Whip until stiff, but not dry:
4 egg whites.

Fold them lightly into the batter.

Pour batter into greased cake pans. Cook for 30-35 minutes. Cool cakes on rack. The frost.

Frosting:
1 cup butter
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1 Tbs. milk
1 cup grated coconut
1 tsp. lemon zest.

Cream the butter and smooth. Whip in sugar, adding milk if frosting gets dry. Fold in coconut and lemon zest.

Posted by Cakehead at 03:15 PM | Comments (0)

March 15, 2007

Snapping & Crackling to Show the Love

So as you can probably tell, we're not big on recipes and test kitchens here at cakehead.com. But sometimes we'll shock ourselves and make something so divine that folks beg us for the recipe.

There are certain lovelies who serve as the perfect muse for recipe invention. On Tuesday, the birthday of our favorite muse rolled around. The occasion demanded that we cook up the most divine of dessert recipes to spread and celebrate the love. What better way to do it than with marshmellow Rice Krispie treats? The batch we made was much too large for two, so the remaing squares were sent to the Conde Nast office for consumption. The recipe requests have been pouring in ever since. So we'll offer this public service and provide the recipe for those who covet the simple, yet tastiest of desserts.

Ingredients:
3 Tbs. butter
4 cups of Marshmellow Fluff
1 cup Krasedale smooth peanut butter (you know the generic brand at C Town)
6 cups of Rice Krispies

Directions:
In a large sauce pan, over low heat, melt butter. Stir in marshmellow fluff and stir until smooth and molten. Stir in and blend peanut butter. Remove from heat. Stir in Krispies. Pour into a greased 9 x 12" pan. Slice into cubes, squares or rectangles.

Posted by Cakehead at 04:17 AM | Comments (1)

January 31, 2007

Stapler Suspension

Recently a friend tried to pull the new favorite office prank on a co-worker. But when her prank failed, we decided to come to her rescue since the prank involved a failed recipe.

The inspiration for the prank came from The Office episode when Gareth finds that his stapler has been suspended in "jelly."

The victim of the prank never actually noticed that his stapler had been taken for a weekend away. It wasn't until Monday, when our friend, the prankster, returned to the office looking sheepish and confessed that her stapler Jell-O suspension never really hardened up. Instead of a gently jiggling mass her results were slushy soup, with rust already setting in on the stapler. We felt it was our duty to supply the proper recipe and correct her geling error.

In our test kitchen we've experimented with Jell-O colors, quanities and consistency and have arrived at what we believe to be a superior recipe.

Ingredients:
7 packets of clear Knox geletin
1/2 packet of Jell-O in your favorite color (but choose a different color than the stapler unless you're going for a monotone look)
1 cup of boiling water
1 cup cold water.

Directions:
Combine all packets of geletin in bowl. Add boiling water to geletin. Add cold water. Pour into mold. Insert Stapler.

The geletin will be so rubbery that even after unmolding the stapler will remain blissfully suspended.

Posted by Cakehead at 03:49 AM | Comments (0)

January 10, 2007

The Economy of Food

The latest issue of The Economist has two very good stories about the history of two of our favorite items: Cured Meat and Sugar. "Feet in the Trough" presents a historic overview of the oldest method of preservation (and the best). The article discusses regional approaches to curing throughout Europe dating back to the days of the Romans. We recently did some curing ourselves and were curious to read about the history of the Scandinavian tradition of preparing gravlax. While the article briefly touches on the history of smoking and salting salmon for lox, there was no mention of the surprisingly easy-to-prepare gravlax. So we did a little research.

See below to learn how to prepare gravlax and to learn more about its history.

The second article, "Sick with Excess of Sweetness" is about the political boycotts that were organized during the 17th Century to protest the barbarity of the sugar production in the West Indies. While scholars are doubtful that the actions of young British radicals made much of an impact, it's a reminder that boycotts are nothing new. Click here to see what food products today's radicals are protesting.

Gravlax, a Scandinavian preparation of Salmon differs greatly according to whether it is made in the traditional way dating back to medieval times, or by modern methods. Astri Riddervold has described both and pointed out the earliest mentions of the former:

The word gravlaks can be tracked back in Scandinavian history to 1348, when a man from Jamtland, called Olafuer Gravlax, is mentioned. In 1509, another man, called Martin Surlax is mentioned in the annals of Stockholm. The word gravlax and surlax (buried fish and sour fish) are used as synonyms, buried fish describing the technique, sour fish the result - the fermented stinking fish. According to the old custom of giving people surnames in Scandinavia, both were probably professional producers of buried Salmon.

[From The Oxford Companion to Food]

Making gravlax in modern times does not involve burial. Here is a very easy gravlax recipe:

Ingredients:
1/4 cup kosher salt
3 Tbs. light brown sugar
2 tsp. crushed coriander
1 tsp. crushed white pepper
1 large bunch chopped dill including tender stems
2 Tbs. aquavit or vodka

Directions:
Combine 1/4 cup kosher salt, 3 tablespoons light brown sugar, 2 teaspoons crushed coriander, 1 teaspoon crushed white pepper, 1 large bunch chopped dill including tender stems, and 2 tablespoons aquavit or vodka.

Spread this seasoning mixture over both sides of 1 skin-on fillet of salmon, about 3 pounds. Wrap in plastic, weight with a board and a heavy can, and place inside a pan to contain the drippings.

Cure the salmon in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days, turning over and reweighing every day. Continue curing in the refrigerator. The salmon is ready when firm to the touch.

Posted by Cakehead at 01:53 PM | Comments (1)

July 16, 2005

Red Tideless Recipes

To celebrate the red-tide infestation being over in Southern Maine and New England we are offering some delicious Red Lobster-like recipes for you to try. The recipes come from CopyKat.com whose tagline is You have tried it in the restaurant, now make it at home and we will show you how.

Since we can't stop thinking about the bottomless basket of freshly baked, warm Cheddar Bay Biscuits™ (even though we blame the bottomlessness of the basket as the reason we got violently ill during our last visit to Red Lobster), here is the mock recipe:

Cheddar Bay-like Biscuits

Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits
Ease of Cooking: Beginner
Notes:This recipe was sent in by Janelle.
Ingredients:
2 C. Bisquick
1/2 C. cold water
3/4 C. grated, sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 C. butter
1 tsp. parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix together baking mix, cold water, and grated cheese. Cut biscuits with a cutter, and place onto a baking dish. Melt butter and seasonings together. Brush with the butter and spices and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. However, you cannot make the EXACT biscuits, because they have a special butter/garlic sauce that is not available to the general public. See how they are!!

And since we can think of no worse way to serve Lobster than in fondue form, we offer this recipe:

Red Lobster Lobster Fondue
Ingredients:
2 C. Velveeta
1/2 C. Milk
1/2 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
1/2 tsp. Paprika
1 broiled Lobster tail or
1/4 lb. Crawfish tail meats
1/2 C. chopped Red Bell Pepper

Preparation:
Combine all in a saucepan, except the red bell pepper. Heat on low to medium heat until all is melted through. When ready to serve garnish with Red Bell Pepper, and some fresh parsley.

Posted by Cakehead at 04:12 PM | Comments (0)

July 07, 2005

Recipe: Curds & Chamomile

Sara fills tart crust with lemon curd

We decided to try something a little different for dessert this July 4th. Rather than taking the berry route - a route difficult to avoid if you want to pay homage to Old Glory through dessert - we went for subtlety, in flavor and in message.

Our dessert does not use red flavors of raspberries, cherries, strawberries, lingon berries nor will you find blue flavors of blueberries (grapes & blackberries if your guests are willing to suspend their state of disbelief). Our dessert is based not on color but on an experiment in pairing two flavors that we've never found together in a dessert. But if you're one of those people who has a full box of food coloring in your kitchen begging you to squirt away, and are still curious about the color, it's yellow. While we have some ideas about what the color represents, that's for a different column.

Churning Chamomile Ice Cream

For this July 4th fellow cakeheaders, Sara and Amy, are making a lemon curd tart with chamomile ice cream. Sara made the tart & Amy made the ice cream. The recipes for both are below.

Chamomile Ice Cream
2 c. milk
1/4 c. whole dried chamomile flowers
1/2 cup sugar
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup well-chilled heavy cream
Special equipment: an ice cream maker (see ** below for note on our opinion of certain types of ice cream maker).

Bring milk, chamomile, 1/4 cup sugar, and a pinch of salt to a boil in a pan, stirring, then remove from heat and let steep 30 minutes. Strain chamomile out of milk. For some subtle texture you can add 1/4 tsp of chamomile petals back into the milk.

Beat yolks and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a bowl with a mixer until thick and pale, about 1 minute. Add milk mixture, beating until combined well. Pour mixture into reserved saucepan and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until mixture coats back of spoon and is almost pudding-like in consistency(do not let boil). Immediately remove from heat. Chill mixture over night.

Stir in cream and freeze in ice cream maker. Transfer ice cream to an container and store in freezer at least 2 hours.

Lemon Curd Tart

Sara's Lemon Curd Tart
I used a 12" fluted tart pan that the bottom lifts out of.
Lemon Curd
6 large egg yolks
6 large whole eggs
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
8 tbl unsalted butter, cut in pieces
grated zest of 2 lemons

Whisk eggs in a medium sauce pan, add sugar, lemon juice and salt. Stir
constantly while cooking over low heat in a heavy bottom saucepan with a wooden
spoon. Cook about 10 minutes, until the mixture coats the back of spoon.
Remove pan from heat, let cool slightly. If the mixture is lumpy, pour
through a strainer. Add the butter, a piece at a time, stirring until smooth.
Stir in the zest. Cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from
forming. Let cool completely.

While the curd is cooling...

Cornmeal Crust
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp salt
8 tbl cold butter
2 large egg yolks
3-4 tbl cold water

Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Cut in butter in
small pieces with a pastry cutter, until crumbly. Mix the eggs with the cold water.
Add to dry ingredients. Stir with a fork, until it becomes coherent enough to knead
together in the bowl. Add more water if the mixture seems dry. Press into a flat disk,
wrap in plastic and chill.

This crust recipe usually makes two 9" crusts, but I used all of it for the
12" tart.

When dough is chilled, roll out between sheets of plastic to about a 14"
circle. Transfer to the tart pan, sans plastic wrap. Bake in a preheated 350
degree oven for about 20 minutes, until it is just golden.

Let crust cool. Spread cooled lemon curd over crust. Chill until ready to
serve.

If your lucky, you'll have a smart friend make a lucious Chamomile ice cream
to go with.

**We recommend that you avoid the fancy new ice cream makers - makers that advertise that they have the freezer part built in. Buy the ice cream makers where you must add ice & salt as you crank. We made the mistake of using the freeze and pray brand of ice cream maker. You know, the kind that doesn't require ice or salt. Rather you must freeze the canister overnight and then pray that it doesn't run out of cold when you're churning the cream. In our case, our prayers were not answered. The frozen canister was thaw long before the ice cream was sufficiently hardened. Unfortunately, we don't have a soft serve ice cream machine so we stored the under-done cream in the freezer. There it proceeded to turn crystalline - giving it a nasty freezer burn consistency. Go old fashion. We suggest you select "Dirty Work" by Steely Dan in your iTunes, round up a crew of crank-willing friends, and make sure you have lots of ice and rock salt on hand to get that real ice cream consistency.

Posted by Cakehead at 03:23 PM | Comments (0)

June 28, 2005

Cook at Home Mondays

Broccoli tortilla casserole
We're assuming you're like us and spent all your hard earned cash on restaurant dining this weekend. Since rent is due in less than a week we're guessing you need to find a way to cut some spending corners. That's why we're recommending you adopt our budget-conscious approach to eating and institute Cook at Home Mondays. On this week's menu is an ode to tequila season. We'll be preparing two dipping sauces and a tortilla casserole.

fig salsa
We suggest making the dipping sauces first so you can snack while you cook.

We assume that figs are in season since we found them plump and ripe at our local produce market. When you buy only one, they're reasonably priced. We paid only $.69 for a really nice one. To make the fig salsa you will need to dice the following ingredients:
1 ripe fig
1/2 pint of cherry tomatoes
1/2 red onion
1/2 yellow pepper
1/8 jalapeño pepper
handful of cilantro

Chop and mix the ingredients above and then add a healthy squeeze of lemon juice, salt and pepper. Dip and taste with your favorite tortilla chips.

radish-garnished guacamole
Radishes, like figs are the featured ingredients in this condiment. Of course you can't make good guacamole without a soft oily base of ripe avocadoes. But to get that deliciously chilling bite, crisp spicy radishes are a requisite. To begin, dice the following ingredients:
1/2 red onion
1/2 pint of cherry tomatoes
1/8 jalapeño pepper
a big handful of cilantro

Mash an avocado and douse with lemon juice.

Mix lemoned-avacado with first four ingredients and add salt, pepper and a little squeeze of fresh garlic.

Slice thin radish coins and decorate your guac.

Now it's time to prepare the entree: Broccoli tortilla casserole. The casserole pictured below is piping hot, fresh from the oven.

We're calling this broccoli tortilla casserole, but if there's a vegetable that sounds better or fresher or greener or redder that you'd like to use instead, don't let us stop you. This isn't a restaurant that prohibits requests for Parmesan cheese on seafood dishes. This is your kitchen. Improvise as you want. Essentially you're going to build a layered construction in the same way you would lasagna. Tortillas will be your noodles, salsa your tomato sauce. Be as liberal or conservative as you would like with the cheese and follow instructions below for preparation and assembling.

Ingredients:
1 pack of soft corn tortillas
1 jar of salsa
8 oz of grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 14 oz slab of extra firm tofu or ricotta cheese
1 large bunch of broccoli, chopped
1 large ripe tomato
1 onion, chopped
Large bunch of cilantro
4 cloves of garlic
salt
pepper
1 tsp dried hot pepper flakes

In a blender or food processor puree the tofu until silky smooth. Add some salt, pepper, hot pepper flakes, cilantro and 2 cloves of crushed garlic and set aside.

Sautee onion until translucent and sweet. Add broccoli and allow to cook until tender. Add salt, pepper, diced cilantro and two cloves of garlic.

Now assemble away. In a 9x12 inch pan pour a little salsa to moisten the bottom of the pan. Then cover the entire pan with soft tortillas. Cover the tortillas with a thick layer of the tofu puree, then add a layer of salsa, then with sautéed broccoli. Cover with grated cheese, then start again. Tortilla, tofu, salsa, broccoli, cheese. Of course you can go crazy and mix up the order, but don't feel like you need to. Continue until pan is filled. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Serve piping hot with fig salsa and guacamole.

Posted by Cakehead at 03:31 AM | Comments (1)

June 21, 2005

Picnic Recipes

We've outlined this week's best picnic-friendly events in the New York City area. Now we're going to provide you with a suggested menu for your picnic. Since our pick of the week is Billy Graham's Crusade in Queens, we're suggesting a southern-themed picnic menu of Turkey Meatloaf Sandwiches, Deviled Eggs, Cole Slaw and good old fashioned sinners beer. Here's the recipe for Turkey Meatloaf Sandwiches [from Ready Made Magazine]

Turkey Meatloaf Sandwiches Makes 6

I hated my mom's meatloaf as a kid, but it's clear to me now that I was a fool in my youth. This is her recipe, made spicier but less artery-hardening by substituting hot turkey sausage for the ground beef.

14 slices whole wheat bread
1/3 cup whole milk
2 tbsps extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup coarsely chopped mushrooms
3/4 cup coarsely chopped onions
1 lb 3 oz ground turkey
1 lb 3 oz hot turkey sausage, without casing
4 tsps stone-ground mustard
1 large egg
2 tsps dried oregano
1 tsp dried dill
Freshly ground pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour milk into a medium-sized bowl. Put in two slices of bread to soak. Set aside.
Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over moderate heat, and cook mushrooms and onions, covered, until soft, about five minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and add ground turkey, turkey sausage, mustard, egg, oregano, and dill. Remove bread from milk and break up into turkey mixture. Pour in any remaining milk and work it all together with your hands until well combined. Season with freshly ground pepper.
Turn mixture out onto a lightly greased sheet pan and form into a 10-by-5-inch loaf. Bake in middle of oven 55 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before cutting into half-inch-thick slices. Serve on the remaining bread with your favorite toppings and condiments: lettuce, cheddar cheese, ketchup, mayonnaise, and/or mustard.

Posted by Cakehead at 07:28 PM | Comments (0)

June 11, 2005

Minty Lentil Salad

Ingredients:
1 cup of uncooked lentils
1 cucumber chopped in little cubes
1 small red onion chopped finely
1 cup of parsley chopped finely
1/2 cup of mint chopped finely
1 cup of feta cheese
1/2 cup of lemon juice
1/4 cup of olive oil
salt
pepper

Cook the lentils in a pressure cooker for about 15 minutes. While the lentils cook prepare the remaining incredients. Chop and measure and combine in a bowl. When the lentils are cooked and cool add to the other ingredients.

Serve with arugula humus and icy mint tea.

Posted by Cakehead at 09:53 PM | Comments (0)

Arugula Humus

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked garbanzo beans
1 cup tahini
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
3 cloves of finely chopped garlic
1 1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper
1 cup of arugula

Soak garbanzo beans for at least 3 hours until they are plump and swollen.
In a pressure cooker cook the beans for 15 minutes. (Begin timing when pressure is up) If you don't have a pressure cooker, cook garbanzo beans for 1 1/2 hours or until very soft. As a short cut alternative, buy two large cans of cooked garbanzo beans. Save at least a cup of the water the beans were cooked in.

In a food processor puree the beans until the consistency is smooth. Add tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt and arugula. Add bean water if the mixture is too thick.

Serve with warm pita bread, minty lentil salad, olives, mint and feta cheese.

Posted by Cakehead at 06:31 PM | Comments (0)