Tips

Unclutter Your Freezer!

loaf from the freezer 20151027-_MG_3042.CR2
A loaf of my husband’s bread from the freezer. We take the loaf out of the freezer the night before we need it and leave it on the counter to defrost. It tastes just baked in the morning. Or pop it into a 350F oven for 10 minutes and you have warm bread. TIP: If you have a good loaf of bread and you can’t eat it all, cut it in half – freeze part to have later.

Freezer drawer 20151029-_MG_3083.CR2

What do you really need in your freezer? I am the queen of stuffing little leftovers in the freezer and having such a cluttered mess that I can’t find anything.

Having a small amount of freezer room means you need to use that space wisely. What would make your life easier? 4T of leftover frozen peas slightly freezer burned isn’t going to be very useful.

What will you use within the next two months? Most items (fish, meats, soups) don’t last a long time even in the freezer. What you consider essential is going to differ based on what you like to cook. I’ve tried to unclutter my freezer so nothing attacks me when I open the door and what I pull out is edible.

 

There are a few basic things I like to always have in my freezer:

• At least one sweet and one savory pie crust
• A box of good puff pastry (the kind made with real butter)
• A frozen soup or two (perfect for those nights you don’t feel like cooking)
• Homemade chicken broth (sometimes I have fish or lobster)
• Butter (Kerrygold – my husband is Irish)
• Nuts
• A whole chicken
• Frozen peas and blueberries
• Chevre starter (to make goat cheese and powered rennet to make mozzarella) freeze it to last longer
• Rinds from parmigiano reggiano to make soups and stews more flavorful
• A zip lock with chicken necks, tops of carrots, celery and onion…to make a stock
• Lemoncello
• My husband’s wonderful bread (he makes it on the weekend and we freeze several loafs or baguettes for the week)
• Ice packs (Yeah, I’m getting older)

You can make a great meal quickly with these ingredients on hand. They also don’t take up a lot of room if you have a small freezer.

November 8, 2015 by
Cheese, Great Gift Ideas

Homemade Goat Cheese – Chevre

Goat cheese final 3 20151019_MG_2904CR2

Homemade Goat Cheese – or Chevre

Making goat cheese is so simple you don’t even have to know how to boil water. It’s one of my favorite unique gifts and is a great project to do with children. You can make it your own by adding herbs and spices. You do have to plan ahead and get the ingredients – but there are only 2 ingredients.

I first made goat cheese years ago when I started having migraines. On the no-no list of foods was any aged cheese. Actually, all my favorite things in my refrigerator were on the list. I decided to make my own goat cheese. First I had to find fresh goat’s milk. You cannot use the ultra-pasteurized version – what I found in the grocery store – so I decided to find a herd of goats.

Rosie (left) and Serenity (right)

Rosie (left) and Serenity (right) at Latte Da Dairy

By sheer luck I found Latte Da Dairy just as Anne was getting it off the ground and she had extra goat’s milk to share. She has now won a number of awards locally and nationally for her outstanding goat cheeses. Unfortunately, she no longer has goat milk for sale.

Latte Da has their annual open house on November 8th. It is worth the trip to Flower Mound, TX to see her girls and boys (as she calls her goats). Definitely try her smoked goat cheese, my new favorite. Find Latte Da Dairy on Facebook, too.

I found a new source for goats milk in the Dallas Ft. Worth area at the Coppell Farmers’ Market. Check out the Hidden Valley Creamery in Argyle, Tx. In addition to goat’s milk, Hidden Valley has wonderful yogurt and my favorite, Cajeta (a traditional Mexican caramel sauce). Your local farmer’s market or natural grocery store may have low-heat pasteurized goat’s milk. For you sailors who can find goats around most ports of call go to: Ricki Carroll online and in her “ Home Cheese Making: Recipes for 75 Homemade Cheeses” book, which has great information on pasteurizing raw milk.

 

more ideas for flavoring

Sautéed sweet onion, garlic with black pepper and smoked paprika, lemon zest with fresh dill and black pepper, dried oregano, sage and rosemary

So, on to the fun part:

Homemade Goat Cheese

Makes about 1½ lbs of cheese.

Ingredients:

1 gallon pasteurized whole goat’s milk. Not ultra pasteurized. If you use lower fat goat’s milk your cheese will be drier.

1 packet direct-set chevre starter (which is inexpensive)

Utensils:

Large stock pot, large colander, large spoon or ladle with slots or holes, thermometer, cheese cloth (or use butter muslin) and kitchen twine.

Method:

Pour the goat’s milk into the pot. Slowly heat the milk to 86F. Watch it because it is easy to overheat. Gently stir in the chevre starter. This is great to do with children because the milk won’t burn them.

Take the pot off the heat, cover it, and let it sit for 12 hours. Your room should be above 72F.

Curds in cheese cloth lined sieve

curds in cheese cloth lined sieve

Line your colander with the cheese cloth. Gently move the semi-solid curds from the pot to your colander with the slotted spoon. The whey is the liquid left in the pot. (“Little Miss Muffet sat on her tuffet eating her curds and whey”)

Gather the cheese cloth around the curds and tie it so it hangs over your sink or over a pot to drain for 7 to 12 hours. Again, your room should be above 72F. The longer you leave the curds to drain, the crumblier and drier your cheese will be. After draining, your cheese will need salting. You can use cheese salt. I use kosher salt to taste. It will take more than you think.

hanging curds

hanging fresh curds

curds after hanging for 12 hours

curds after hanging for 12 hours

That’s it! Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Goat cheese topping 20151019_MG_2889.CR2

 

Personalizing your chevre: To add flavors to your goat cheese spread your flavoring on top of a piece of plastic wrap. Roll a log of cheese over it so it sticks on all sides. Very tightly wrap your cheese in the plastic wrap.

 

 

 

November 3, 2015 by
Desserts, Travel

Lemon Meringue Pie – for my sweetie pie

lemon merangue pie

Lemon Meringue Pie

For years – 20 or so – I have been making lemon meringue pies for my husband because I thought it was his favorite. Last Thanksgiving I made a pecan pie. I rarely make them because I find them too sweet. At dinner my husband exclaimed ‘Pecan pie, my favorite!” Oh well. It is good to learn something new.

I’ve tried all sorts of recipes for lemon meringue pie and most of them take a long time. A few years ago it dawned on me that lemon curd was the perfect lemon filling because it makes the pie quick to create and not a chore. If you buy a crust, it is a cinch. I often make the dough and the lemon curd a day ahead.

At the Koffee Kup in Hico, Texas they make a lemon meringue pie with a meringue top well over 6” high. It is a marvel. In Hico you’ll also find wonderful chocolate confections from Wiseman House Chocolates.

The meringue in the lemon meringue pie does not reach the 6” height but add another egg white and you might make reach it!

Lemon Meringue Pie

one 10″ pie

Ingredients:

1   Old Fashioned Pie Crust, made with this recipe.

Lemon Curd, made by doubling this recipe.

Meringue:

3 egg whites (room temperature is best but not essential)

1/2 c sugar

Utensils:

Mixer, 1 large mixing bowl (very clean), spatula

Method:

If you are doing this in one day, start by making the pie dough. While it is cooling in the fridge make the lemon curd. While the curd is cooling, roll out the pie dough and place it in a 10-inch pie pan. Chill the pie crust one more time to stop shrinkage and blind bake it. Pour the lemon curd into the baked pie crust.

Finally, preheat the oven to 400F and make the meringue: whisk the egg whites until they begin to get fluffy. Add half the sugar while continuing to beat.  Beat egg whites until stiff peaks just begin to form. Add the rest of the sugar and beat till stiff peaks form.

Spread the meringue on the lemon curd, making sure to completely cover the curd and sealing the meringue to the crust.

Place the pie into the 400F oven and bake for 7 minutes.  The meringue will be slightly crisp, golden brown on the outside and lovely and soft on the inside.

November 1, 2015 by
Desserts

Old Fashioned Flaky Pie Crust

Rolled out pie crust 20140818-_MG_8661.CR2

Old Fashioned Flaky Pie Crust

I’ve tried a lot of different pie crust recipes over the years. I have a collection of unusual ones like a boiled crust. While most are quite good, I find myself going back to the basic French recipe I’ve been using for a long time.

Treat your dough gently and you’ll have a wonderfully flaky crust. Double the recipe and put half in the freezer. It will make your next pie a cinch.

Pie Crust ready to bake 20140818-_MG_8668.CR2

a double crusted pie ready to bake

Old Fashioned Flaky Pie Crust

makes one 10 inch pie crust

Ingredients:

5T              butter, cut into 1 inch cubes. I usually keep a few sticks of butter in the freezer expressly for making pastry

5T              shortening, very cold, just like the butter

2c              all-purpose flour

1t               salt

1                egg yolk (optional). Save the white to brush on your crust if you are blind baking your crust.

2t               sugar (for a sweet crust)

1/4c           ice water (more if you need it)

Utensils:

Food processor, a fork, measuring cup, measuring spoons

Method:

measuring flour 20151023_MG_2913.CR2

By Hand: On your counter or in a bowl add the butter, shortening, sugar (if using) and salt to the flour. Cream the butter and shortening into the dry ingredients by using your fingertips to rub the butter mix into the flour until it looks like coarse meal. Beat the water and egg together. Make a well in the center of the flour and gradually add the egg and water till the dough comes together.   You can do this with a fork. Gently gather the mixture into a ball of dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes

In the Food Processor: Mix the flour, salt and sugar (if using) in the bowl with a few quick pulses.

pie crust butter and shortening 20151023_MG_2918.CR2

Add the butter and shortening. Pulse the motor a few times until the mix resembles peas. Whisk the water and egg yolk. Leave the motor running while you slowly pour in the ice water/egg yolk mix. When the pastry starts to form a ball stop processing immediately. Empty the dough onto the counter, gather it up in plastic wrap and form a disk. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to give the gluten in the dough time to relax and the butter time to become solid again. I have been known to stick the dough in the freezer to speed the process.

Blind Baking for a pre-baked crust

Preheat your oven to 350F. When you want a pre-baked pie shell such as is needed for a lemon meringue pie, roll out the chilled dough and line your pan with it. Put it back in the refrigerator and chill it for 30 minutes. Place a disk of parchment paper or foil on top of the crust and place weights on the paper. I use beans or rice for weights. I save my rice and reuse it.

Pie Crust with rice weights 20151023-_MG_2957.CR2

Bake the crust for 25 minutes then remove the parchment paper and weights. Brush the crust with lightly beaten egg white and bake for another 5 minutes. You now have the basis of, for example, Lemon Meringue Pie.

October 31, 2015 by
Desserts, Fruit

Lemon Curd

lemon curd blackberries 20151030-_MG_3101.CR2_

Lemon curd is so simple and delicious that I make it all the time. There is something about the balance of tart with sweet that perks up your taste buds. And I’ve just finished making limoncello so I have lemons on my mind.

You can use lemon curd over fruit or put fruit over lemon curd depending on which you prefer. Lemon curd is my secret for making a lemon meringue pie quickly. You can spoon lemon curd over ice cream, dip gingersnaps into it … the list goes on and on.

If you want something a little different, use limes or Meyer lemons. Lime curd with blueberries is wonderful.

Lemon Curd

10 minutes, makes 1 cup

Ingredients:

2 large lemons, zested and juiced

4T  butter

1/2c sugar

2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk, well beaten

Utensils:

1 medium size saucepan, a measuring cup, a wooden spoon, a bowl

Method:

Melt the butter over low heat . Add the sugar, lemon juice and zest. Slowly add the egg mixture, stirring gently so the egg does not scramble. Continue to heat and stir gently until the curd covers the back of the spoon. Take the saucepan off the heat, pour the lemon curd into a bowl and leave to cool and thicken.

 

lemon curd ingred 20151023-_MG_2930.CR2_

After cooling, place a piece of wax paper on the surface of the curd and store it in the refrigerator.

If you have a little scrambled egg in your curd from heating it too quickly, just strain the curd through a sieve.

October 30, 2015 by

Sign Up for Updates!

Don't miss a post! Sign up to be notified of new blog posts on SmallSpaceCooking.com!

Please check your email for a confirmation message.