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March 17, 2014 By Kimberly
Hard boiled eggs are the most common at our house throughout the year, not just at Easter. I think it is because they can be made and then they can sit until everyone wakes up. They do not need to be immediately served. Technically the eggs are not boiled they are cooked. If your hard cooked eggs are rubbery and dry they were cooked too long. They should still be soft. Soft cooked eggs have a runny yolk. They are served in their shell with bread to dip in the runny yolk or they may be scooped out and served on toast. Two differences in hard cooked vs. soft cooked eggs: Hard Cooked – eggs are placed in the pan then water is added. Soft Cooked – water is boiling then the eggs … [Read more…]
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March 14, 2014 By Kimberly
The next section in Martha Stewart’s Cooking School Cookbook is Eggs! Since we will be talking about them for a while we decided to share some interesting facts we have learned about eggs. Eggs are the most versatile protein because it can be the basis for so many dishes. Eggs should be cooked on low to medium heat. Eggs are comprised of the yolk (yellow part) and albumen (white part). Yolk = most fat and most flavor Egg whites whip up to many times its volume. Fresh egg = plump firm yolk, white will be thick Fresh egg is better for frying. Older egg is better for hard-cooking because it is easier to peel. Martha says eggs will keep for 4-5 weeks after the date on the … [Read more…]
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February 10, 2014 By Kimberly
The next soup in the Martha Stewart’s Cooking School Cookbook is Tortilla Soup. We were super excited after reading the recipe because our stock was already made and frozen. We had extra chicken from our chicken soup so making the tortilla soup was going to be super easy! We had a little shopping to do to pick up a few extra ingredients. The chili puree took the longest time but it was easy. This was Little Chef D’s assignment. She found it VERY interesting that both chili’s began as flat and dry. After dry roasting for a couple minutes one had puffed up while the other was still flat. After some investigating she realized it was because one chili had a hole in it while the other did … [Read more…]
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February 7, 2014 By Kimberly
We initially thought making Chicken Soup would be easy now that we have the stock. Well…perhaps it would be, but in following the directions in the Martha Stewart’s Cooking School Cookbook it wasn’t that easy. We made stock again, but this time we cooked the meat in the stock. So, we did two things at once. Maybe that made it a little better? Once the chicken was cooked, shredded and the stock was strained as explained in the cookbook we refrigerated it all and went off for a few hours. When we came back we reheated the stock, added in the cut vegetables (another great opportunity to practice chopping skills). This was the easy part of the cooking. 20 minutes later we were at the … [Read more…]
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February 5, 2014 By Kimberly
In order to make Chicken Soup (come back on Friday) we needed to learn how to cut up a chicken. We went to the grocery store and bought a whole chicken. I told my Little Chefs what we were about to do and amazingly they did not have a problem with it, in fact they were excited. They are really enjoying all the new bits of information we are learning. They each took a turn cutting off one part of the chicken as we read the instructions in the Martha Stewart’s Cooking School Cookbook. The directions were clear but it was still difficult to interpret because this was our first experience. I talked them through the anatomy of the bird. The thigh is like your leg and to cut it off we need to … [Read more…]
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February 3, 2014 By Kimberly
White (chicken) stock is the most versatile of all stocks. The process of making a stock is to put a mirepoix into a pot, cover with water and simmer for a given time. A mirpoix is a combination of vegetables that are used to give flavor to the water which transforms into a stock. Do you remember we gave a couple tips about the mirepoix when we talked about 9 Tips For Flavorful Stocks. We wanted the experience of making chicken stock. We followed the directions in the Martha Stewart’s Cooking School Cookbook. We added the chicken parts, mirepoix, herbs and finally the water to the stock pot. As soon as it came to a boil we reduced the heat to a simmer. We were surprised at the amount of … [Read more…]
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January 31, 2014 By Kimberly
Have you ever wondered what the components are that make up a stock, broth, bouillon, fond and fume? Stock – Martha Stewart says a stock is “made of water simmered with bones (except vegetable stock). The meat on them provided flavor while the bones and gelatinious connective tissue between them, slowly break down and add body to the liquid.” (p.39) A frugal stock can be made from the bones and carcasses of a roasted chicken with fresh vegetables. You can save the carcasses in a bag in the freezer until you have 3 or 4 then you can make the stock. It will not be as flavorful as stock made from various uncooked chicken parts but it will beat the flavor of a bouillon cube. White Stock – … [Read more…]
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January 29, 2014 By Kimberly
Fannie Farmer says, “It cannot be denied that the French excel all nations in the excellence of their cuisine, and to their soups and sauces belong the greatest praise. It would be well to follow their example, and it is the duty of every housekeeper to learn the art of soup making. How may a hearty dinner be better begun than with a thin soup? The hot liquid, taken into an empty stomach, is easily assimilated, acts as a stimulant rather than as a nutrient (as is the popular opinion), and prepares the way for the meal which is to follow. The cream soups and purees are so nutritious that, with bread and butter, they furnish a satisfactory meal.” (Fannie Farmer Boston Cooking-School Cook … [Read more…]
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January 27, 2014 By Kimberly
Citrus fruits are common in recipes to brighten it up. Rarely does a recipe call for an entire lemon. I am talking about the juice and the zest. So what do you do with the rest of it. Waste it is probably the most common thing that happens but is there a better way? I say yes! When citrus is in season and is a little cheaper it makes sense to freeze some citrus zest and juice for later. It is easy to freeze the zest and the juice. The first step is to wash your citrus fruits well to remove any pesticides that may have been used, dish soap works well. Rinse then dry your fruit well. Leave your fruit on the counter for a while until it is at room temperature if it isn’t … [Read more…]
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January 24, 2014 By Kimberly
Now that we know which onion is the right type to caramelize and now that we know how to slice an onion, let’s put the two together. It is time to learn how to caramelize an onion! I have to admit I am not a huge onion lover. In fact up until about a year ago I tried avoiding putting onions in anything I made. If a recipe called for an onion I would only put in part of one, not the entire onion no matter what. I have since learned they are a good flavor base, when they are cooked the taste mellows, and some I like better then others. If I was going to teach my Little Chefs to try everything I had to do it myself. I had to cook according to the recipe and then adjust later if we decided we … [Read more…]
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