How to Make a Salad

Came across this video from Jamie Oliver's Google+ feed and thought I would share it, because I think his salads are amazing and he gives great tips for keeping it simple.

How to Enjoy a Stress Free Thanksgiving

In order to enjoy a stress free thanksgiving day start by remembering that the holiday is about sharing, gratitude and enjoying the company of loved ones.  Magical moments happen, they are not orchestrated and the best way to let them happen is to make sure everyone is as comfortable as possible.  Keep in mind the food is secondary, the company and conversation is what makes for memorable occasions.  So, stop stressing about the food.  It doesn't have to look like something from a Martha Stewart magazine.  In fact, without the dozens of cooks, food stylists and photoshop editors hers wouldn't look that way either.  But, you can give people a meal they will remember for a long time by following a few simple steps.  

Equipment Needed

A reliable instant read thermometer

An extra large ziplock bag (the type used for storing clothing - I found them at my local Home Hardware)

A large solid container big enough to hold a turkey and 2 gallons of liquid (don't trust a bag not to break)

A large roasting pan with at least 2" high sides

A roasting rack which fits said pan

A sheet pan

A 1.5 litre insulated thermos

Various casseroles and pots and pans

Step One:

The night before dinner, prepare a brine by mixing 1 cup of salt, 1 cup of brown sugar, 1 Tbsp of whole peppercorns, 1 Tbsp of coriander seeds, 1 Tbsp of whole mustard seeds, 5 bay leaves in 1 gallon of water in a pot and heat over medium high until all the salt and sugar has dissolved and the spices have a chance to become fragrant. Turn off and let cool  for 30 minutes and then add the equivalent of 1 gallon of ice and water.  

Step Two:

Clean and dry the turkey and place it in the ziplock bag.  Make sure the brine is completely cooled and pour into the bag with the turkey.  Place the turkey and brine in the large solid container and place it in the fridge or any place that is between 1-6C.  

Step Three:

On the morning of dinner, remove the turkey from the brine and discard the liquid.  Completely rinse and dry the turkey and either oil the skin or smear Miracle Whip on the skin (this will ensure crispy and golden skin) and season with salt and pepper inside and out and, if desired, place a sprig each of rosemary, sage, thyme and savoury loosely inside the cavity.  Place the turkey on the rack inside the roasting pan and add 2 onions cut in half, 2 carrots split lengthwise in half and 2 celery stalks to the bottom of the pan.  Place the turkey in a pre-heated 325F oven.  Note the lack of stuffing - this will ensure the turkey cooks in the shortest possible time, evenly.   Magic moments do not include salmonella.  Roasting times will vary but for a 12-15lb bird expect to use the better part of 3 hours.  You want the thickest part of the thigh to reach a temperature of 160F.  

Step Four:

Prepare your favourite stuffing recipe and pour it in a casserole dish and add 1 cup of chicken stock to moisten.  This will act as the moisture that would have come from cooking it in the bird's cavity.  Leave the casserole off to the side for now. 

Step Five:

Prepare the vegetables for your sides: peel, cut and chop any potatoes, carrots, beans etc. and place them in pots for cooking.  For the potatoes and any root vegetables, cover with water and leave any tender vegetables in the pots dry for now.  If doing any gratins, complete assembly in their casserole and leave in fridge for now. 

Step Six:

Remove the turkey from the oven when it reaches 160F as discussed.  Leaving it on the rack place it on the baking sheet and cover with aluminum foil and set aside.  The turkey will continue to rise in temperature for the next 1-1.5 hours and can stay like this for 2 hours.  Turn the oven temperature to the optimal for the stuffing and add it and any side dish that must bake for the next hour. 

Step Seven:

Prepare the gravy according to your favourite recipe in the roasting pan, the onion, carrot and celery will add additional flavours and a sweet Riesling would be a nice addition.  Pour the finished gravy into a thermos and set aside.  Clean up the mess. 

Step Eight:

Once the stuffing and any other baked sides are out of the oven turn on any tender vegetables (don't forget to add water) to be steamed.  If you are doing mashed potato you should turn them on 15 minutes prior to taking out the stuffing as they will take longer to cook and you have to allow time to mash.

Step Nine:

While the vegetables are cooking, start carving the turkey using this method.  Place the carved turkey and stuffing on the table then finish the vegetables and place on the table and finally pour the gravy from the thermos into a gravy boat and place on the table.  

Step Ten:

Toast your guests and enjoy the meal.  

Try to clean as you go and always accept offers of assistance especially when taking the food to the table and dealing with the pots and pans.  If possible, have a separate table set aside for dirty dishes and pots - in a separate room, of course.  Keep plenty of white wine on ice when you set the table and place any red wine (pinot noir) on the table ready to be opened (actually, if possible, try and stet the table the night before). Have any pies made or purchased the day before and place them in the oven when the last dish comes out and turn the oven off.  The residual heat will be enough to warm the pie through - unless of course you are serving a cold pie like key lime.

Following these steps and giving helpers clear directions and cleaning as you go, will make this a stress free thanksgiving.  Enjoy!

Here is a link to the USFDA for safe handling of turkeys.
How much turkey do you need? 

How to Make the Best Wine Vinegar

Recently, I posted a comment on reddit about turning unused wine into vinegar which led one commenter to suggest I post a how-to on the site.  This is my how-to turn leftover wine into vinegar.

By now you know, this blog is all about enjoying the food and drink you like.  It's your mouth, your taste buds and your food and no one should tell you what you have to like, though suggestions can be made for health.  So, if you find yourself with a bottle of opened wine and you don't know if it is still palatable, try it.  If you like it, drink it.  If it is a little dull for your liking, dump it in a stew, or braise and enjoy.

Or, take the cork out and replace it with a piece of cheesecloth, keep it loose.  This will keep the bugs out while allowing the microbial bacteria which turns the wine into vinegar in.  Leaving the bottles near an open window will give you the best results, in my experience.  It will take about 8 weeks to get the results you want, or you can use a mother of vinegar available at self brew wine and beer locations and the final product can be ready in half the time.  I also, at least once a week, shake the contents of the bottle a little.

You know it is working if the wine starts to turn cloudy.  One note: I have found that dumping commercial vinegar into the wine does not give the same results and will not speed up the process, it just results in wine with vinegar.  This has something to do with deactivating the bacteria through pasteurizing at the time it is bottled at the plant; you must have active vinegar.

Some people use a large crock with a spigot at the bottom to make the vinegar and this is handy if you are making large quantities and is easier to pour leftover wines into the vessel.  I have a small kitchen and am pressed for space so I find the bottles are the best bet for me.  Once the wine has become vinegar you have a living entity.  You may continue to add leftover wine and it will transform those small amounts much quicker, the addition of fresh wine will simply reduce the intensity of the acid and heighten the wines flavours so your product is in a constant state of change.  I enjoy this as it means a different vinegar each time.

I pour the vinegar through a sieve lined with a double layer of paper towel, rinse the bottles and pour the product back into the bottle.  You can use the vinegar without filtering if you don't mind those little particles accumulating in the bottom.  Herbs can be added to the white wine versions to create herb vinegars.  Once the wine is fully converted you can replace the cheesecloth with corks for safe storage but that is only if you worry about knocking over the bottles.

The best part of making your own wine vinegar is the pride of making your own wine vinegar!  It can be used for salad dressings or to brighten soups and braises but be careful, it is not good for pickling unless the ph is at least 4, distilled vinegar is a better bet for preserving.

The white was made from a combination of Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc and is bright and sweet.  The Cabernet is very acidic and sour while the Cabernet Franc has a deeper, less sour character.  I will use the white and cab/sav for vinaigrettes and the cab/franc for stews.

How to Cook Bacon

Ah, Bacon! Is there a more perfect food? I think not. It can be used in so many ways in so many dishes.  Why, it should be its own food group.  That smokey, salty, fatty goodness! But, alas, far too many people do not know the proper way to cook bacon.  So, as a public service I reveal the secret here today.

First: Put that frying pan away (for now) and pull out a sheet pan and spread the bacon on said pan. As pictured.

Now, preheat your oven to about 425F and place the sheet onto the middle rack. Keep an eye on it but expect it to take about 15-20 minutes, depending on weather you want it crispy now or crispy later.  You can have it not so crispy too, if you want. Hey it's your food!  It should look something like the picture below.

Here, I have cooked the bacon just shy of crisp, because I will be using most of it at a later time and will finish crisping it up in a frying pan when needed.  Don't worry about all the grease, we will be draining that to use for making English Toast at a later date, so nothing will go to waste.

I keep it in a little cappuccino cup cause I don't really like cappuccino and I have all these cups.  Anyway, the bacon, when crisp enough should look like the picture below:

Notice that the bacon is flat and not curled up at the ends or sides and that it stands up on its own, proud and strong.  Now, what could we use this for?  How about, a BLT (tis the season, after all) or, on the side of pancakes (oh wait, not Sunday yet) or, chop it up for the best bacon bits in a Cesar salad (or any salad, there are no rules here) or, to top a burger or ice cream ( damn it, I said there were no rules here!).  Anyway, now that you know the best way to cook it, you can think up a bazillion uses, bacon goes with everything.  Good luck and good eating!