A Tale of Two Fruitcakes

It can be the best of cakes, the worst of cakes, it makes the mouth water, it makes a good door stop...

All joking aside, I have a confession to make. I love fruitcake. There I finally said it.

Now, I know what you are thinking--EWWW! Right? Stop right there. I’m not talking about store bought fruitcake. I’m also not talking about the kind that contains fluorescent bits that kind of resemble fruit. Nope. I’m talking about homemade fruitcake. The kind made with dried fruit, real candied citrus and fed a healthy dose of booze. Mmm... I’m getting hungry just typing this.

Dry-Brined Turkey: Time to Roast!

The turkey has been brined and has dried overnight in the fridge. What next? Well, any large hunk of meat will cook better if you put it in the oven at room temp. So, take that bird out of the fridge about an hour prior to roasting.

A word about stuffing. Don’t. Just don’t. I know all the arguments for stuffing a turkey. I don’t care. If you roast a stuffed turkey until the stuffing is done, the turkey will be drier than the Sahara. So, please, just fix dressing instead.

That isn’t to say that I don’t put anything in the cavity. On the contrary, I cut up an orange and onion to stuff in the bird with rosemary and sage. I like to heat the orange and onion in a little water prior to shoving it up the turkey’s... what end is that anyway??? I can never remember.

Dry-Brined Turkey: Day 2

Since its salt rub, the turkey has been hanging out in the fridge and it’s time for the next step. It’s an easy one.

Dry-Brined Turkey: Day 1

The first time I brined a turkey was after watching Alton Brown’s Good Eats: Romancing the Bird episode. It was good. Amazing, in fact. Brining improves turkey in ways that you can’t imagine, unless you’ve tried it yourself. The only problem is, for a turkey, you need a lot of brine. Plus, a container to submerge the turkey and a lot of fridge space. Although it gives you delicious results, it’s a bit of a pain. Sorry, Alton.

Enter Judy Rodger, the chef at Zuni cafe in San Fransisco. She is known for her dry-brined roast chicken recipe, which inspired the original recipe for dry-brined turkey. I’m not sure who took their inspiration from Chef Rodgers, but I first came across this method in an LA Times article a few years ago.

Grapefruit Olive Oil Bundt Cake

One of the great things about moving to Texas is the grapefruit. Seriously. Texas pink grapefruit are so delicious. They are fragrant and surprisingly sweet, as grapefruits go. Plus, they are inexpensive here. So, I end up buying them in 5 lb bags. I, um, I mean we, have been going through them so fast I may start buying the 20 lb bags. I think it's safe to say, I won't end up with scurvy in the near future.

Why I've Been MIA

I realize I haven’t posted in almost three months. I apologize for that.

Life has been pretty hectic. First of all, we moved to another state. Then once we arrived, we didn’t have a working range for three weeks. As you can imagine, that part was difficult for me. However, the real reason I haven’t had time to post is because I’ve been in full party planning mode.

Multigrain Sourdough Pancakes

When my Mother passed, I inherited one of her recipe boxes. My sister inherited the other. I’m not sure what’s in the box my sister has, but mine is a treasure chest of recipes. Every time I open it, I discover something new and exciting.

Some of the recipes I remember from my childhood. Several I don’t. Some of the recipes I would never make--Minute Rice 7 Seas Casserole, anyone? Others just beg to be made and many of these are actually my Grandmother’s recipes, including this one.

It's Alive! A Cheater's Guide to Sourdough

Hello, my name is Charise and I’m a cheat. When it comes to sourdough, at least.

Traditional sourdough starters use wild yeasts, captured from the air or from fruit, to leaven breads and baked goods. Making these traditional starters can be tricky. Depending on cleanliness, weather and location a traditional starter may--or may not--take off. It can be a frustrating process. You can buy true sourdough starters, but that’s just not my style (feel free to purchase one, if it’s yours.) If you know someone with a healthy starter, you could just ask for some and feed it. I don’t know any such creature. So, I cheat.

No-Knead Bread

I came late to the no-knead bread party. Several years late. It’s not that I didn’t believe that the method was worth trying; I just didn’t see the need for a shortcut in bread making. Kneading bread was a kind of meditation for me and I liked it.

Then the cutest baby boy on the planet--In my opinion, at least--entered into my life. Needless to say, becoming a Mom has left me with much less time in the kitchen. I still like to knead bread, but this recipe is a great way to have homemade bread when you have very little time on your hands.

American IPA

Instead of our regularly scheduled wine review, I'm presenting you with a beer review. I figured you wouldn't mind. 

I love a good microbrew--a microbrew is a beer brewed at a commercial brewery that produces no more than 15,000 barrels per year--almost as much as I love good wine. One of my favorite styles being the American IPA.

The IPA stands for India Pale Ale, a style developed in England in the 19th century; Amercian IPAs being a bit stronger in flavor, with more pronounced hops, than their British counterparts. American IPAs tend to be quite floral, with citrus notes and a pleasant bitterness. American IPAs may not be labeled specifically as American, but most American brewed IPAs are made in this style. You will also, at times, see this style referred to as a Cascadian Pale Ale.

Leftover Cornbread Strata

I’ve been on a cornbread kick lately. So much so, that I’ve been planning meals around what dishes go with cornbread. Needless to say, we’ve been eating a lot of greens--Yum!

As much as I love cornbread fresh out of the oven, it’s not at its best when cold. This presents a problem at my house, since the two of us can’t finish a full pan in one sitting. What am I supposed to do with all this leftover cornbread? Why make cornbread strata, of course.

Think Pink with Vinho Verde Rosé!

I married in to a Portuguese family. Which is awesome. The Portuguese have a rich and very tasty culinary tradition. Sopas, sweet bread, linguiça and Vinho Verde are all wonderful things I’ve discovered since marrying my husband.

Vinho Verde is one of “the other” Portuguese wines. Everyone has heard of Port, but few have tasted this refreshing white wine from nothern Portugal. It’s a shame. Not only are many brands really good, but Vinho Verde is always very affordable. It’s rare to see a bottle over $10.00.

Skillet Cornbread

Southern-style skillet cornbread is a revelation. At least, it was for me. The cornbread of my childhood was a mix that came in a blue, red and white box. You know the one. I hear some people call it cake.

It wasn’t very long ago that I made my first batch of skillet cornbread. The crisp crust and moist, chewy interior almost did me in with the first bite. Heavenly! Who knew that cornbread could be so good without added sugar? I certainly didn’t.

Since that first batch, I’ve been on a quest to find my idea of the perfect recipe. So far, this is it.

Why Cast Iron?

I haven’t always loved cast iron. In fact, when I inherited my Grandma’s skillet and griddle, I did the unthinkable. I tried to give them away.

Yes, you read that correctly.

I rarely saw my father use his mother’s pans.  I had no idea how to use them or just how great they were. When a friend mentioned his love of cast iron, I quickly offered up Grandma’s pans. Thankfully, he knew they were worth their weight in sentiment (and in practical use.) He declined my offer and I will forever be grateful.