Butter Bits

Butter Bits The Cooking Entertaining & Foods Journal

Volume 3 Issue 2

Fall 2012

Party Inventory: LOOK BEFORE YOU

N

BUY

o matter how large or small your party

the preparations will flow much more smoothly if you decide early on what you already have and what items you will need to buy. borrow or rent.

To simplify this process, draw up a list. Visualize the event from beginning to end and jot down each element as it comes to mind. Note the location, the occasion and theme, and the number of guests. List the food and beverages you plan to serve and in what style. Ask yourself: Will this be a formal sit-down dinner? A full-course buffet

Epicurean Adjective: fond of or adapted to luxury or indulgence in sensual pleasures; having luxurious tastes or habits, especially in eating and drinking.

with a central serving area? A simple cocktail

of the house—or outside if the weather is warm.

party with snacks arranged around the living room?

Make sure your cooking facilities are up to the task. If

What time of year is it? What's the likelihood of

you're hosting a barbecue, for instance, make sure

rain or snow or wide fluctuations in temperature?

your grill can handle the amount of food you need to

Will any of your guests need special accommoda-

cook, and that it's set up for efficient use. Would the

tions, such as ramps or doorways with wide clear-

process be easier if you had a small table for the serv-

ances for wheelchairs?

ing dishes and barbecue tools? Is the grill reliable

NARROWING DOWN Begin with the obvious. Take inventory of your chairs, benches, stools, and other seating options.

enough for a special event? What about that wobbly leg you never got around to fixing?

For an outdoor summer event, you'll need some-

Can they accommodate your group? If not, look

thing to shade both people and food from the hot sun.

for alternatives, such as large pillows you can

And if darkness will fall during the course of the party,

arrange on the floor. Will your dinner guests fit

you'll need lights. Candles, hurricane lamps, or tiki

com-fortably around your table? If not, make it

torches all fit the bill smartly.

bigger in a flash by extending it with a piece of

You'll need container for cold drinks and ice, and

plywood, or haul in the picnic table from the

maybe an extra garbage can, a recycling bin, or heavy-

deck. Consider a separate table for the kids. If all

duty trash bags to hold discarded utensils and plates.

this expanded fur-niture leaves the dining room cramped, move your parry to another part Continued on page 4

Butter Bits page 2

Great cooking is the source of true happiness.

Escoffier

Food Talk Q. The blue paper used to line and cover the shipping baskets of mushrooms will protect these fragile fungi A. Most of the fat can be soaked from discoloring, though not entirely. up with a piece of paper toweling. Discoloration, however, doesn’t necesMore of it can be removed by sarily indicate deterioration. But to sprinkling the surface with a few keep mushrooms fresh and white as drops of ice water, thus solidifying possible, refrigeration is necessary. the fat. If any still remains, pour Arrange the m rooms on a shallow the sauce or gravy through a strainer lined with a cloth that has tray or rack and cover them with a been wrung out in cold water and large. soft paper towel that has been thoroughly chilled. A sauce treated dipped in cold water and wrung out in this manner should be reheated about half so that air will circulate freely around the mushrooms. Don’t before serving. place the tray on the bottom of the .A. What is the best way to keep refrigerator or against any other conmushrooms fresh for a long tim tainer or food. Remoisten the paper and to prevent them from discolor- toweling each day. Mush-rooms stored ing? in this way will keep fresh for several days.

Q. Is there any way of removing all the fat from a sauce or gravy?

Q. Would appreciate your recipe for cocktail sauce for oysters and clams.

J. Smith Plano, Texas A. If you really must add a sauce to your good Gulf Coast mollusks , here is a winner.

Oyster Cocktail Sauce.

To 1 cup mayonnaise add 2 tablespoons thick tomato paste,1 tablespoon tarragon vinegar, ¼ cup chili sauce, 1 teaspoon onion juice,1tablespoon each chopped parsley and chives,1teaspoonWor -cestershire sauce, and salt and pepper to taste.

Cooking on the Run “A small garden, figs, a little cheese, and, along with this, three or four good friends – such was luxury to Epicurus.” ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

Turkey Chili Crusted Cutlets with Enchilada

Sauce 7 servings 1 pkg Boneless Turkey Breast Cutlets 1/2 cup cornmeal 2 teaspoons chili powder (2 to 3 t) 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 10-ounce can enchilada sauce 1/2 cup fine shredded taco cheese

Combine cornmeal and chili powder; dip cutlets to coat both sides. Heat olive oil in large skillet over high heat until hot; brown cutlets 1 minutes on each side.

Pour enchilada sauce over cutlets. Cover and heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Top with cheese; serve.

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 207 Calories; 13g Fat (54.6% calories from fat); 13g Protein; 10g Carbohydrate; 130mg Sodium.

Polenta Pound Cake yield (1) 9x5x3 loaf

Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods; good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts!” ~ James Beard

During baking, this dense loaf cake fills the kitchen with the sweet smell of com. If you make it in advance, wrap it well in plastic until ready to serve. ¼ cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature 1 cup sugar 6 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ½ teaspoon almond extract grated zest of 1 lemon ½ cup sifted yellow cornmeal Butter and flour a 9- by 5- by 3-inch loaf pan. Preheat an oven to 350°F Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg together; set aside. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add

the eggs, vanilla, almond extract and lemon zest; beat well. Stir in the flour mixture and the cornmeal and combine well. $v Pour into the prepared loaf pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean, about

Back To Basics

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Butter Bits Page 3

SEARING

Smothered Pork Chops

HOW TO BROWN MEAT PERFECTLY Browning is all about beauty, texture, and intensity of flavor (if you must know the scientific term, it's called the Maillard reaction, in which proteins become more complex under extended exposure to heat). Knowing how to brown well can add big, deep flavors and a restaurant-quality presentation to your repertoire. Think of a chicken breast with crackling skin, a steak with a crunchy crust, or braised beef with a mahogany color and incredibly complex taste. Here are

GO HOT Set a heavy skillet over medium-high heat (do not use a nonstick pan) for longer than you'd be inclined—say, a full three minutes.

The meat needs some stable heat. Then add a bit of oil to start the sear off right.

SPACE OUT

Don't crowd the pan. You've heard this before. Heed this warning, or pay with gray meat, which will be the result if you put too much food in the pan. Not only does crowding keep heat from circulating, too much food brings the tempera-

STAY DRY Moisture means steam, so blot the meat dry with paper towels before seasoning and searing.

KEEP IN CONTACT

Once you've placed the meat in the pan, don't move it until the bottom is wellbrowned. If it moves easily when you try to pick it up with tongs, it wants to. If it doesn't move, don't force it; it will release when ready. Then flip it over. And don't forget to brown the edges. Even if it means holding the meat with tongs while it cooks, do it. This technique will pay off immeasurably.

1 cup all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons onion powder 2 tablespoons garlic powder 1 teaspoon cayenne 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 4 pork chops, 3/4-inch thick, bonein 1/4 cup olive oil 1 cup chicken broth 1/2 cup buttermilk Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish Directions Put the flour in a shallow platter and add the onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels to remove any moisture and then dredge them in the seasoned flour; shaking off the excess.

Heat a large sautĂŠ pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat and coat with the oil. When the oil is nice and hot, lay the pork chops in the pan in a single layer and fry for 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove the pork chops from the pan and add a little sprinkle of seasoned flour to the pan drippings. Mix the flour into the fat to dissolve and then pour in the chicken broth in. Let the liquid cook down for 5 minutes to reduce and thicken slightly. Stir in the buttermilk to make a creamy gravy and return the pork chops to the pan, covering them with the sauce.

Simmer for 5 minutes until the pork is cooked .Season with salt

and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

Party planning continued

AROUND YOUR HOUSE You may be able to cook for any size crowd in your well-equipped

The plans should not be set in stone yet.

kitchen, but your serving gear might be inadequate. Do you have

Assessing what you have on hand can help you evaluate how much

enough platters, bowls, serving trays, and spoons? Can your coffeepot

effort your party will require. Concentrate on how to accomplish your

make at least one cup for every guest? If not, do you have large ther-

party goals, and don't overlook the small details.

mos flasks to hold coffee while more is brewing?

Make sure your cooking facilities are up to the task. If you're hosting a

As you take inventory, assess the condition of serving pieces. Could barbecue, for instance, make sure your grill can handle the amount of - the silver coffee service stand a thorough polishing? Are there cracks

food you need to cook, and that it's set up for efficient use. Would the

in your ironstone platter? Also make sure that tables and chairs are in

process be easier if you had a small table for the serving dishes and

fine shape, clean, and sturdy enough to support the weight they'll bear.

barbecue tools? Is the grill reliable enough for a special event? What

Explore your hall closet. Can it hold all your guests' coats? (For a win-

about that wobbly leg you never got around to fixing?

ter party, you'll need a lot of room.) When entertaining in cold or rainy weather, you may need extra coat hangers, a coatrack, an umbrella bucket, or a tub for wet boots Then take a look outside. Do you have enough space in the front of your house or driveway to park cars? Will you need to enlist a valet service or ask neighbors for additional parking space? Does your porch light shine brightly enough to guide guests to the front door, or could you use candles or tiki torches to add more light? Is your house number well-lit and clearly visible—even at night?

When you take inventory, don't worry if you don't have everything you need; you probably won't, and that's fine.

As you take inventory, assess the condition of serving equipment.

Also, make sure tables and chairs are in fine shape, clean, and able to support the weight they'll bear. equipment you need to buy or change at this stage is critical because it is still early enough to make changes.

“She wanted a whole chicken”

Bread & Butter Epicurean “knowledge of foods...pleasures in dining” C

Call us about our special holiday party rates !

Mention this ad and get an additional 15% discount !

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“You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces — just good food from fresh ingredients.” ~ Julia Child

Butter Bits page 2 Butter Bits page 2\

“A small garden, figs, a little cheese, and, along with this, three or four good friends – such was luxury to Epicurus.” ~ Friedrich Nitzsche“~

“The garden suggests there might be a place where we can meet nature halfway.” ~ Michael Pollan

If You Didn’t Know

Sweet & Sour Eggplant Relish (Caponata) until deep golden brown on several sides, 5 to 6 minutes per batch. Adjust the heat as needed to keep the oil hot but not smoking. Transfer each batch with a slotted spoon to dry paper towels to drain.

Reduce the heat to medium and if the pan is dry, add 1 tablespoon oil. Add the celery, sprinkle with salt, and cook, 1 medium eggplant (about 1 stirring frequently, until sof½ pounds) unpeeled, top tened with just a hint of and bottom trimmed crunch, about 5 minutes.

Kosher salt Transfer the celery to a bowl. ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil; If the pan is dry, add 1 tablemore if needed spoon oil. Add the peppers, 3 large inner ribs celery, sprinkle with salt, and cook, sliced crosswise ½-inch stirring frequently, until softthick ened, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer ½ red bell pepper, cut into to the bowl with the celery. ½-inch dice 1 14-oz. can diced tomatoes If the pan is dry, add an-other 1 (with juices) tablespoon oil. Add the onion, 2 tablespoons granulated sprinkle with salt, and cook, sugar stirring frequently, until sof2 anchovy fillets, minced tened and starting to brown (optional) around the edges, 3 to 5 ¼ cup green olives, pitted minutes. Increase the heat to and slivered medium high and pour in the 3 tablespoons drained and tomatoes and their juices. Add rinsed capers (coarsely the vinegar, sugar, and anchochopped if large) vies, if using. Bring to a vigorous simmer and cook until the Cut the eggplant into 1-inch juices have thickened slightly cubes. Spread the cubes on a baking sheet lined with paper to the consistency of tomato towels, sprinkle with 1 table- soup, 3 to 5 minutes. Add all the cooked vegetables and the spoon salt, and let sit for 1 hour. Pat dry with more paper olives and capers. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for towels; there's no need to another 5 minutes. Let cool rinse. Heat the oil in a small Dutch oven or large saucepan completely and then cover and refrigerate overnight. Before over medium-high heat until serving, bring to room temperhot. Working in batches to avoid crowding the pan, fry the ature and add salt to taste. eggplant, stirring occasionally, Yields about 4 cups.

Tangy-sweet caponata is best made a day ahead so its flavors have time to mingle. Serve at room temperature with pita chips or other crisps as a snack or hors d'oeuvre. It keeps for about a week in the refrigerator.

Capers The distinctive zing in remoulade sauce, chicken piccata, and puttanesca sauce comes from capers. Capers pack big flavor in a tiny pack-age. These little spheres are the flower buds of a prickly shrub that grows all over the Mediterranean. Some caper shrubs are cultivated, but most grow wild, and the harvesting is done by hand. Eaten raw, capers are unpalatably bitter, but once cured in vinegar brine or in salt, they develop an intense flavor that is all at once salty, sour, herbal, and slightly medicinal. If the buds are allowed to blossom and go to seed, they become caper berries, which are also packed in brine and can be added to salads or eaten out of hand like olives.

How to buy

Brined capers have the adCapers come in a range of sizes. vantage of an almost indefinite The smallest size (nonpareil) is said shelf life, but the vinegar by some to be the best; others pre- sharpens their flavor. Salted fer larger capers for their bolder, capers have a pure flavor, but more interesting flavor. What you they don't last as long bechoose is a matter of personal taste cause the salt eventually pulls and what you can find at your mar- out all their moisture. Look for clean white salt; yellowket. ing salt is a sign of age. All In addition to size, there's the capers should be refrigerated choice between vinegar-brined after opening. and salt-packed capers.

How to use Rinse brined capers before using.

Salt-packed capers are too salty to be eaten straight from the jar; soak them in cool water for about 1 5 minutes and rinse in several changes of water. If the capers are large, you can chop them roughly unless you want a big burst of caper flavor. Capers are especially good with other foods that tend to be oily or rich.

In addition to the recipe above, try adding them to a vinaigrette or a butter sauce for fish or chicken, or toss a small handful into a pasta dish or potato salad. For an unusual garnish or salad addition, pat capers dry and then lightly fry them in a little olive oil. They'll get crisp and open up like the little flowers they are.

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Wines & Spirits

Beyond the two basic designations of Tequila— agave and mixto—there are four categories:

The Original Tequila Sunrise created at the Agua Caliente resort in Tijuana, circa.1930s:

Fill a highball glass with ice.

Add 2 ounces 100 percent agave reposado tequila.

Squeeze in the juice of half a lime and drop in the rind.

Add 1 ½ teaspoons grenadine 1 tsp imported crème de cassis.

Top off with chilled seltzer or club soda and stir briefly Margarita juice of ½ lime or lemon 1½ ounces Tequila ½ ounce Triple Sec Shake well with cracked ice and strain into cocktail glass rimmed with salt.

Silver or Blanco/White Tequilas are clear, with little or no aging. They can be either 100% agave or mixto. Silver Tequilas are used primarily for mixing and blend particularly well into fruit-based drinks.

Tequila Rose 1 ounce tequila ⅓ ounce lime juice ⅓ ounce grenadine Shake or blend into Cocktail glass, chilled or Rocks glass filled with cube ice glass

Best Wines (Pinot Noir) $10.00 and Under

Reposado (“rested”) Tequila is aged in wooden tanks or casks for a legal minimum period of at least two months.

It can be either 100% agave or mixto. Reposado Tequilas are the best-selling Tequilas in Mexico.

Añejo (“old”) Tequila is aged in wooden barrels (usually old Bourbon barrels) for a minimum of 12 months. The bestquality anejos are aged eighteen months to three years for mixtos, and up to four years for 100% agave.

Mark West Pinot Noir (2010) (CA) $ 8 (Top Pick) A fantastic value wine find. This particular ruby colored Pinot presents ripe raspberry aromas and delicious cherry fruit on the palate with a dash of vanilla. It is a mediumbodied, silky smooth, red wine that offers a tremendous amount of food versatility.

2. Robert Mondavi Pinot Noir Coastal $10Strawberries galore, wrapped in super subtle tannins. This is an elegant red wine made to go the distance from informal backyard barbecues to formal dinners - Mondavi has made a wine that can truly do it all. All this for a very reasonable price.

Gold Tequila is unaged silver Tequila that has been colored and flavored with caramel. It is usually a mixto.

Made In The City with a Country Taste Strawberry Plum

Blackberry Peach

3. Camelot Pinot Noir (California) $8 Camelot Pinot Noir is reasonably priced at $8 a bottle.

This Pinot Noir is great with mushroom dishes and seafood, offering berry flavors with a touch of chocolate at the finish.

4.Beringer Pinot Noir Founders’ (California) $7 A super-value Pinot Noir from one of California’s largest producers. This Pinot Noir has remarkable flavors with a soft, engaging finish. Perfect for picnics! finish..

5. Beringer Pinot Noir Founders’ (California) $7 A super-value Pinot Noir from one of California’s largest producers. This Pinot Noir has remarkable flavors with a soft, engaging finish.

9 ounce jar $5.00 + shipping to order contact: gimagineparties@gmail.com Bread & Butter Epicurean 832-881-1225

City Country Jams & Preserves

Bread & Butter Epicurean

Butter Bits Volume 3 Issue 2 Published by Bread & Butter Epicurean Editor/Publisher Chef Gary B. Wilkins Phone: 832.881.1225 gimagineparties@gmail.com

Epicurean Avenue

“small parties-intimate affairs”

Bread & Butter Epicurean is a social and corporate foodservice company specializing in small parties (breakfast, cocktail. dinner and luncheon) and intimate affairs (romantic breakfasts and dinners planning, preparation, décor and entertainment.

Bread & Butter Epicurean Knowledge of foods...Pleasures in dining Contact: Chef Gary B. Wilkins Phone: 832.881.1225 Let’s Socialize: follow us on Facebook Bread Butter Epicurean Get recipes and Updates on our Blog Bits of Butter http://bits ofbutter.blogspot.com To learn more about Bread & Butter, log on to our on-line magazine:

Rice Epicurean Randall's’ Stores

The Creole Sampler

Spec’s Liquors Bed Bath and Beyond Jaxs Grill Sparkle Burgers

Andouille Sausage and Shrimp with Creole Mustard Sauce 1 pound uncooked peeled deveined large shrimp 1 tablespoon Creole or Cajun seasoning 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided 1 pound Andouille sausage, cut crosswise on diagonal into 3/4inch-thick piece 1 large onion, halved, thinly slice 1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1/3-inch-wide strip 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme 1 cup low-salt chicken broth 5 tablespoons Creole mustard 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

Toss shrimp with Creole seasoning in medium bowl to coat. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add sausage pieces, cut side down. Cook until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer sausage to bowl. Add shrimp to skillet; cook until browned and just opaque in center, about 3 minutes. Transfer to bowl with sausage. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil, onion, bell pepper, and thyme to skillet. Sauté until vegetables are beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add broth, mustard, and vinegar. Stir until sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Return sausage and shrimp to skillet. Simmer until heated through, stirring occasionally, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.