May 05

Memories of France – Trader Joe’s Frozen Mini Croissants

I love France.  If I had to chose something that transports me back to our travels in France, I would choose either good french wine or croissants.

Baked Frozen Croissants from Trader Joe's

Fresh Baked Croissants from Trader Joe's

In 2002, we took our first trip to France.  We stayed at Chateau Ouvrard in the Aquitane region and the rental agent introduced us to two people.  The local vintner & the local baker. We made two Frenchmen very happy, and wealthy, that week! The rental agent arranged for the baker to deliver fresh croissants on the first morning after our arrival.  Being a true Chateau, the windows were open, meaning no glass, with heavy shutters that can be opened or closed.  When we opened the shutters, we saw there was a hook in which the baker had hung his bag of tasty delights. They were warm & fresh & the made the perfect first morning for our French holiday.

For breakfast we had croissants & coffee.  For mid-morning snack, we had chocolate croissants. For lunch we made croissant sandwiches.  When the local vintner arrived, we celebrated our purchase of several cases of wine: by feasting on croissants & wine. Funny thing, when we asked for more croissants to be delivered for the rest of the week, our agent was surprised.  Apparently, the delivered croissants, were to last us a week! We finished them off in shortly more than a day.

Until recently, I had not found any product that could compare to those heavenly, flaky, buttery croissants. Then, my husband brought me Trader Joe’s Frozen Mini Croissants. They need to be left to defrost (rise) in the oven overnight, then baked. They are so perfectly buttery & fresh that, for a moment, as I ate mine standing next to the stove, I could see the Chateau, feel the stone of the Princess’s Tower, smell the grape on the vintner and hear the agent laughing at our folly in eating all the croissants in one day.

May 04

Tastykake Fruit Pies now Available at Randall’s on Mason Road

Walked into Randall’s grocery store on Mason Road this afternoon and saw a display case topped with Tastykake Fruit Pies. I did not have the time to see if there were any other displays of Tastykake products in the store. This is the first sign that Tastykake Fruit Pies are now in Katy / Houston, TX.

Tastykake Fruit Pies at Randall's on Mason Road

Tastykake Fruit Pies (Apple & Cherry) on Display at Randall’s on Mason Road

May 04

To Boil, Or Not To Boil, That Is The Egg I Ask Of Thee (How To Bake Hard Cooked Eggs)

Wondering what I was going to have for lunch I realized that I had not had Egg Salad in quite some time. I remembered that Stuart had posted a short article to the website about Hard Cooked Eggs (Baking Versus Boiling). I figured it was time for me to try a recipe / technique contributed to this website by one of my friends. In lieu of boiling eggs for egg salad, I would risk the oven and bake my eggs for egg salad.

Hard Cooked Egg

Hard Cooked Eggs

I read the instructions and selected nine eggs to be baked. I chose nine eggs that appeared to be free of hairline crack. I had this image of eggs exploding in the oven like firecrackers; egg whites, yolks and shells splattered everywhere with the missus of the house being very displeased with me. I placed the eggs on a cookie cooling rack which was on top of a baking sheet. This was to minimize any possible disasters from eggs exploding an spewing egg whites and yolk like a lava pouring out of a runaway volcano.

Eggs on Cooling Rack on Baking Tray To Be Hard Baked

Eggs on Cooling Rack on Baking Tray To Be Hard Baked

I preheated the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and once ready placed the eggs in the oven for 30 minutes. 14 minutes into the baking the eggs, I heard a crack. With trepidation I turned on the oven light and peered into the oven. Once of the eggs had lost part of it’s shell, but it did not appear that the interior of the oven was covered with the contents of this one egg. The expanding gasses in the interior of the eggs must have found a weak spot, but the liquid contents appeared to have already become firm.

Eggs Baking in the Oven

Eggs Baking in the Oven

After 30 minutes I turned off the oven, removed the tray of hard cooked eggs and immediately moved them to a bowl filled with ice and water. The eggs were hot and I would suggest using oven mitts (gloves) to transfer the eggs to the bowl of ice water. About half of the eggs were moved this way, with the remainder being handled with bare hands.

Baked Hard Cooked Eggs on Cooling Rack on Baking Tray

Baked Hard Cooked Eggs on Cooling Rack on Baking Tray (Notice the egg in the center has a cracked shell)

After the eggs had cooled for about 10 minutes, I started to peel the eggs. With the exception of the exterior of the whites being off-white (nothing significant) and two small brown dots where the eggs were resting on the cooling rack in the oven, the eggs appeared fine. They peeled easily and I would even say that they peeled better then when boiled. When peeling the eggs you will notice in the air pocket that always forms there is a discoloration on the interior of the shell. There is no odor and all I can determine is that the heat of the oven begins to burn the organic contents of the gases trapped in the air pocket. Personally, I would not think this to be an issue. The egg salad that I made from the hard cooked eggs had no odor or flavors not normally associated with hard boiled eggs and there was no apparent discoloration on the hardened egg white around the egg yolk.

Hard Cooked Eggs Peeled in a Bowl

Hard Cooked Eggs Peeled in a Bowl (Notice the small brown spots where the eggs rested on the cooling rack while being baked)

Overall I was very pleased with the experiment and consider this alternative to hard boiled eggs to be practical and potentially a time saver. When making a large number (1 – 3 dozen) batch of hard cooked eggs (hard boiled eggs) for egg salad, deviled eggs or even for coloring Easter, I would recommend this alternative for you can bake more eggs at one time then you can boil.

 

 

May 03

Lamb Kofta Kebabs with Tzatziki

The word kofta literally means ‘to grind’ and comes from the Persian word kūfta. Though the spelling is slightly different, kofta is known all the way from the Eastern Mediterranean, through the Middle East to India. Basically kofta is ground (minced) meat, mixed with spices and formed into meatballs. However in this dish, the kofta meat is formed into sausage shapes before cooking to make kofta kebabs, or kabab koobideh as they are know in Iran.

Lamb Kofta Kebabs

Ingredients

  • 1lb ground lamb
  • 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 1 tsp salt
  • a small, onion grated
  • a handful of chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 0.5 tsp chilli pepper
  • 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 0.5 tsp ground ginger
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Kofta KebabsMethod

Mix together all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl by hand, being careful not to over handle the meat. Divide the meat into 6 or 8 equal sized portions and form long sausage shapes. You could form the kebabs around bamboo skewers to aid with turning on the grill. Cook under a medium high broiler (grill) for about 6 to 8 mins, rotating regularly until cooked. Serve with a simple fresh salad, tzatziki sauce (see below) and flat bread .

Lamb Kofta Kebabs with Tzatziki

Tzatziki

Tzatziki is a yoghurt and mint sauce from the Eastern end of the Mediterranean and can be served as an accomplishment to food or on its own as a dip for bread,

Ingredients

  • 1  cup (235ml) plain Greek yoghurt
  • 1 lb cucumbers, peeled
  • 1 clove of garlic, crushed
  • 1 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 0.25 tsp salt

Method

Finely chop the cucumber using a food processor and then using a cheesecloth, or tea-towel, squeeze all the liquid from the cucumber.  Mix all the ingredients together and then leave in the refrigerator overnight for the flavours to develop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

May 03

You Say Tomatoe, I Say Tomato…Strained, Pureed, Paste, Crushed, Whole Peeled, Sauce

Tomato Products

Different Types of Tomato Products

So many options, so many uses and quite possibly the potential to use incorrectly. As much as I enjoy growing tomatoes in the garden, I come nowhere close to produce tomatoes enough to process and can for use throughout the entire year. Therefore, I must purchase canned, jarred and boxed tomatoes to get my fix of tomato based meals.

Point of Reference: The terms and explanations below are United States in focus. There is no standardization between tomato products between the United States and Great Britain.

Crushed: I do not use crushed tomatoes as often as I could, due to the inconsistency of the product between brand names. I define inconsistency as the liquid / solid content, skin or no skin, tomato pieces versus paste, heavily seeded or nearly seedless as a few examples. This makes it difficult to find the brand that I would prefer to use. When I think of crushed tomatoes in an Italian sauce, I envision a sauce that is fresh and rustic but packs substance in that the tomatoes have not been too processed or simmered to a smooth consistency.

Diced: Whereas I experience the same inconsistency between brand names of crushed tomatoes, I am more forgiving with the use of diced tomatoes in my cooking. A measure of this forgiveness is that the uses for diced tomatoes is far greater then crushed tomatoes in relation to their inconsistency. I use drained diced tomatoes for use in my version of Pasta Fazoul or as the basis for a semi-quick pasta sauce where I am going to simmer the ingredients for 30 minutes, but less then an hour. In that period of time, the heat softens the tomatoes, but not to the point of being mushy

Fresh: When I think of fresh tomatoes for cooking, I am not referring to the mealy flavorless tomatoes from the grocery store, but those that are grown in a garden by yourself, given to you by friends or purchased in a farmers market. My favorite meal pasta dish with fresh tomatoes is to peel the tomatoes then hand crush them, season with fresh basil and salt then chill and serve with angel hair pasta. At the end of the tomato growing season when I have had my fill, I freeze them whole and add them to a sauce where they are only one of many components.

Paste: Is concentrated tomato pulp with the skin, stems and seeds removed. It is a very versatile product that can be used in sauces, gravies, soups and stews. It is used as a thickening agent and a little amount can provide the tomato flavor that the cook is seeking with minimal time required to boil off the water found in other tomato products. Unfortunately, high fructose corn syrup is sometimes added which makes it difficult to use when sweetness is not desired. Personally, I rarely use tomato paste.

Puree: Inconsistency between food processors creates a lot of variation in the final product. In some products the skin remains and almost all do not strain the seeds. This variation results in the flavor varying greatly between different processors. My personal opinion is that the inclusion of the seeds regardless of how well they are minced, ground and pulverized leaves a bitter taste to the product that is difficult to overcome.

Strained: Of all the products listed in this post, one of the most difficult to source at a grocery store. Processing the tomatoes includes removing the stem, leaves, skin and the seeds removed from the tomato pulp prior to further processing and packaging. Strained Tomatoes are my personal favorite and I use this product exclusively in making marinara and long simmered sauces. I find the texture and quality of this product superb. I am sure there are other companies that sell this product, but I have only been able to find the Italian brand Pomi in the grocery stores.

Sauce (not shown): Most often Tomato Puree with seasoning and salt added. Due to the inclusion of seasoning and the use of Tomato Puree as it’s base, I never consider this product as an option when cooking.

Whole Peeled: Years ago this was the product that I used to make my marinara sauces. I would put a can of whole peeled tomatoes into a blender with a clove of garlic, grated Italian cheese and basil and liquefy the entire contents of the blender. I have learned much in the two decades I have been cooking and rarely use whole peeled tomatoes in my cooking. In a pinch I will use the product in lieu of crushed or diced tomatoes.

Additional Notes: When choosing a tomato product for you meal consider the net result of what you are seeking to achieve in regards to flavor, texture, aroma. The final product whether a quick salsa, a simple pasta sauce, a long simmered pasta sauce, stew, soup or or other meal requiring tomatoes can be greatly impacted by the original product used. Read the ingredients to see if the product has been seasoned with salt, sweeteners, herbs and spices. Another thing to consider is that with the diced and whole peeled tomatoes, they are canned with a fair amount of tomato juice / liquid / water. I usually drain this liquid prior to cooking and will save it in the freezer to add to a sauce that I am going to simmer for a long time.

Personal Bias: In the end the final decision is yours on which tomato products to use in your cooking. Personal preference and comfort level go a long way in making a decision. For me, there are certain products and specific processors that I use exclusively. Whether my thought process is sound or not, but I am biased towards processors based in Italy. They are a little more expensive and not always better, but I have been more pleased with their products then not.