Iron Cook is da joint!

The end-of-the-monthly competition is going to be finger food/appetizers. If you're in the Austin area you should get in on this. It's a good excuse to cook...like we need an excuse. It's also a pretty relaxed atmosphere to just hang out and bullshit about food and assorted goodness.

Here's the link. Go there. Now. Shoo.

Neat-o kitchen crap you didn't want but now do.

I try to avoid being all sucked in by gimmicky or pretty much useless kitchen junk but sometimes form over function gets me. The Zero Gravity Spice Rack from Zevro one http://www.organize.com/ is pretty darn neat and only $24. Personally I am kind of a sucker for well designed organization doodads - everything in its place and what not. The prices are pretty reasonable as well when compared to Williams-Sonoma or something comparable.

Zero Gravity maybe all well and good but this chrome spice rack is something I would like to have in my stainless steel, chrome, and black marble futuristic dream kitchen.

Sigh.

My Secret Ingredient (the first)

My Secret Ingredient #1:
Compound Butter

To those out of the know, compound butter is basically butter with herbs in it. Yep. That simple. Deelish on anything grilled, especially fish. Make different varieties and store them in your freezer so they're on hand!

My Method:
Take 2 sticks of UNsalted butter, and set them in a glass bowl. Set them atop your stove while something is baking or just pop them in while it's warm. I know this takes a while, but a little patience goes a long way. If you want to irradiate them instead, for gods' sake put your box on the lowest setting! Our goal here is to soften the stuff, not melt or clarify it. Mix in about a tablespoon of olive oil as well to soften even further.

Meanwhile, pick out which herbs you want in there. For each stick of butter, use about 2 tbsp of herbs. If fresh, dice as finely as possible. If dried, crush to release oils. Fresh herbs look and taste better, but we can't always get them on a shoestring budget, now can we? You can also use liquid extracts, about 1/2 tbsp. Yes, I said extracts! They're not for Grandma anymore!

Good Herb Pairings:
Dill, black pepper and lemon juice (or lemon extract); cilantro, chiles and lime juice; herbs de provence (That's marjoram, thyme, savory, basil, rosemary, sage and fennel, for the non-foodies out there). Shallots are good for a more intense onion/garlic flavor. Oh, and PLEASE don't use raw garlic! Roast, roast, roast!

I love plain ole roasted garlic. Cut off the tops of garlic bulbs, drizzle with EVOO and roast @ 400 until brown. Now, the roasted garlic is all smooshy, and we want our butter to have a nice consistency instead of chunks of garlic, so I recommend throwing the garlic into a Cuisinart and adding the softened butter & olive oil a little bit at at time. Add parsley or black pepper for that speckled herby look.

You also can make a sweet butter with sugar, cinnamon, and a dash of vanilla extract for baking or just spreading on toast. You can take this butter-for-toast idea and run with it! Think fruit butter, mmm...

Back to The Method:
So basically, toss the herbs into the softened butter and mix. An electric beater is best to get the butter nice and creamy and everything evenly distributed. A spoon or whisk and elbow grease works too. You can add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil at this stage if you'd like a softer butter.

Now we're wrapping it up. Sprinkle water on the counter and lay down a nice layer of cling wrap. (Love that trick!) Then glop your compound butter down onto it, keeping it roughly in an oblong shape. Then pick up the wrap and, well, wrap. Our goal here is a rolled, sausage sort of shape. Twist the ends tight, and then wrap again in heavy aluminum foil so it keeps its shape. Now pop it in the fridge/freezer to cool. Store in the freezer and cut off slices whenever you need em!

That's it!

Now taking requests for the Summer spice mix.

That's right. There was a Christmas mix...okay a mix that came out around Christmas but didn't have any funky "holiday" peppermint or nog or anything mulled. Now I think I'm gonna make a Summer batch. Something probably spicier than last time. Let me know if you want something a lot spicier and I'll put something together for ya.

Just let me know and send a mailing address and I'll get something out to ya.

Good Eats win a Peabody.

Is there anything Alton Brown can't do?

Brussels Sprouts

Most people don't like Brussels Sprouts then again most people like American Idol. I like Brussels Sprouts, in particular I like them roasted. Here's a simple way to do it. I actually stole this recipe from Playboy a million years ago and only half remember it.

Get a bag of Brussels Sprouts.
Boil some water.
Preheat the over to about 400...give or take depending on your oven.
Blanch the Brussels Sprouts for a couple of minutes - about 5 or one cigarette.
Drain and rinse off whatever loose leaves or dirt is left.

So far so good? Here comes the hard part.

Toss the Sprouts in olive oil, bread crumbs, coarse ground pepper, kosher salt, and "shakey" cheese.

Put the sprouts on a baking sheet. Personally I put a layer of tin foil on the sheet so I don't have to clean up afterwards.

Put the baking sheet and the sprouts in the oven. Cook for a half hour. Shake them around, throw some more breadcrumbs on them if you want, put them back in the oven for another 20-30 minutes.

Poke them with a fork. If they look done then they are done.

Serve with whatever you feel like eating with Brussel Sprouts. Chicken's a safe bet.

Of Cake and Rabid Babies

My niece is 14 months old now and I think I've stumbled upon evidence that she is in fact my child. At the very least we're kindred spirits, the first evidence of which is manifesting itself through food.

When my niece was born she was a shrimpy little thing. She still is. However, what has become apparent is that she can eat. I mean not only does she eat, but she really packs it away. AND apparently she already has favorites.

When the cake came out to the table this Easter, she tranformed from "cute baby" to "rabid for cake baby". She beelined for the cake (she was sitting on the cleaned post-supper table: mistake) and needed to be restrained mid-way through. In reaction to this she cried - a wail of anguish from the depths of her small soul. Now here's the best part: of course she was to have cake and as my sister cut her piece she began to shake. Yes, my niece shook and kicked her feet with baby excitement/glee over her slice.

Oh... the places we'll go and the things we will eat someday wee one.

So in solumn salute, here is one of my favorites gleened from The Herb and Spice Handbook by Arabella Boxer. The instructons she gives are more detailed, but what's below will work too.

This is for you small cake-rabid one (or at least it will be someday when you have more teeth and can handle the sugar content).

Oven: Preheated to 350

The goods:

6 tablespoons of butter
4 ounces of chocolate (The author recommends semisweet, but there is room to play. I like and have used the darker stuff.)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons of flour
3 eggs
heavy cream

Melt the chocolate. Once melted let cool for 1 to 2 minutes. Add butter 'til mixed through and then stir in flour and sugar. Separate your eggs and throughly mix in your egg yolks. Then whisk your egg whites until stiff and fold them into the chocolate goodness.

Fill your pan with the chocolate mix. I'm not a very scientific cook, so I say find a pan that seems to fit and go with it. Rough guidelines: you should butter the pan first and the mixture should fill your pan just over half way. Bake for 15 minutes (the cake should/will rise) and remove from oven. Let cool.

Frosting: Lightly whip heavy cream. I can't imagine using a sugary frosting for this. The thought makes me twitch.

The book recommends adding strawberries and mint inside and over after baking. I haven't tried this but I think it could be fantastic.