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Chef Palooza's December '07 Recipes

THE BEST HOT COCOA

6 tablespoons Dutch Processed Cocoa
4 tablespoons sugar
Pinch salt
1 cup water
3 cups milk (1% or 2% - not skim)
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup half & half or heavy cream

To make for future use, blend cocoa, sugar, and salt together into a bulk mix prior to use and store in an air-tight container.


In heavy saucepan, whisk together bulk mix or cocoa, sugar and salt with water over low heat until smooth and heat, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes, making sure whisk gets into the edges of the pan. Add milk and increase heat to medium low. Cook stirring occasionally with whisk until steam rises from the surface and tiny bubbles form around the edge of the pan – approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Do not boil. Add vanilla and half & half/cream and blend. For foamy cocoa, beat mixture with hand mixer or blend until foamy. Top with whipped cream, marshmallow cream, or marshmallows. Insert a cinnamon stick if desired.

Variation – use Mexican vanilla for a hint of cinnamon

PEANUT BRITTLE

Grandma

1 cup sugar
½ cup corn syrup
½ cup water
1 cup raw peanuts
1 teaspoon butter
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda

Butter heavy-duty commercial grade jellyroll pan and set aside. Butter laminate countertop, marble, granite or equal surface in a 2’x4’ area minimum per batch of candy.

Mix together syrup and water in a heavy-duty sauce pan then add sugar; keep sugar away from the sides of the pan . Cook mixture to softball stage - 235° to 240° on medium or just above. Slowly add peanuts stirring only until mixed evenly. Continue cooking until mix reaches hard crack stage and then begins to tan - 310° to 315°. Remove from fire and add butter, vanilla, and then soda. It is important that these three ingredients are added in this order. Vigorously stir mixture until butter is completely melted and poor into buttered jelly-roll pan. Fan pan in an up and down motion approximately 40 to 60 times or until candy begins to stabilize in the center and moves in the pan as a single mass. Quickly invert pan and “poor” candy onto the buttered surface and pull as thin as possible using hands and butter knives. Allow to cool completely loosening candy from the surface once during cooling. Store in airtight container.

CASHEW BRITTLE


Substitute cashews for peanuts 1 for 1. Stir to mix and break up clusters. Stir occasionally until hard crack and finish like above.

Winter Morning Breakfast Strata (Casserole)

6 slices bread
16 ounces pork sausage, medium hot or hot, cooked drained, & crumbled
4 to 5 Baby Bella mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced
¾ cup broccoli, broken into small florets
1 cups chopped green onions (green part only)
1/2 stick butter or margarine 6 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 pound ricotta cheese, park skim, at room temperature
1 cups light cream
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/4 tsps brown sugar
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Spray grease or butter sides and bottom of 9”x13” pan or 3-mini 8”x 4” loaf pans and set aside. Chop onion greens, broccoli florets, and mushrooms. Brown onions and broccoli in 1/2 stick butter and set aside to cool. Brown meat, last 4 to 5 minutes of cooking time, add mushrooms – drain & cool mixture then add vegetables. In large bowl, mix cream, milk and ricotta until blended. Whisk in flour, baking powder and salt. Add beaten eggs, sugar, mustard, Worcestershire, salt and peppers and whisk until thoroughly mixed. Finally mix in Monterey Jack cheese.


Place 2 slices of bread in the bottom of each individual pan or cover bottom of large pan. Pour meat/vegetable mixture on top of bread. Pour egg, cheese, and milk mixture over all ingredients – split into 3 equal amounts for small pans. Top with Cheddar and Parmesan cheese and add cayenne pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, preheat oven to 350°. Bake large Strata for 40 - 50 minutes / smaller separate strata for 30 -35 minutes or until most of the casserole is set and knife in center comes out clean. Cut into squares or slices.

MIKE’S PANCAKES

2 cups flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
6 tablespoons brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 eggs
1 ¾ cups milk
4 tablespoons melted butter
berries or other add-ins as desired

Mix all together – batter will be slightly lumpy. Cook on a lightly greased 375° griddle

Basic Crab Cheesecake

Dan Blomgren of Cork and Barrel recommends a white Chardonnay to go with this. Also champagne - very nice.
This recipe is credited to Phyllis Murphy of Cambridge, Maryland, and was the Grand Prize Winner in the 1985 National Hard Crab Derby in Crisfield, Maryland.

Make cracker crust to line bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.

1 c. crushed Ritz crackers
3 T melted butter

Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees F. Set aside to cool.
Set oven to 325 degrees F.

To make filling, use electric mixer to beat until fluffy:

16 oz. cream cheese
3 medium eggs
1/2 c. sour cream

Add to the mixture:

1 t. fresh lemon juice
2 t. grated onion
1/2 t. Old Bay seasoning
1 drop Tabasco sauce
1/8 t freshly ground black pepper

Stir in 1 c. backfin crab meat. Pick it over well, shredding it while removing the shell. Mix well. Pour into cooled crust. Bake 50 minutes at 325 F until cake is set.

Remove from oven. Run knife around edge of cake, loosening it from side of pan. Cool on wire rack.
Remove sides of pan. Spread the cake with 1.2 c sour cream.

This cake is a versatile dish. Serve it warm for brunch to six people. When cold, serve it with crackers as a canape to 12 or more.
If you want a sauce with this, try a pesto sauce.

EISENHOWER CHOCOLATE FUDGE


In a thick-bottomed pan, bring ingredients to a boil; boil 6-minutes:
4.5-cups sugar
Pinch salt
2-tablespoons butter
1-tall can evaporated milk

In large bowl combine the following:
12-ounces semisweet chocolate
12-ounces German sweet chocolate broken into small bits
1-jar marshmallow cream
Up to 2-cups chopped walnuts or roasted pecans
2-teaspoons vanilla

Pour boiling mixture over remaining ingredients in bowl. Beat until all chocolate is melted and mixture begins to lose its gloss. Pour in well-buttered pan. Store tightly wrapped.

NEW FASHION CHOCOLATE FUDGE


In a thick-bottomed pan, bring the following ingredients to a boil and cook approximately 5 minutes until the mixture reaches 234°. Stir the ingredients when first mixing and occasionally until mixture boils. Scrape the sides of the pan to wash any sugar crystals back into the mix. Do not overcook or the fudge will be stiff and grainy.

2 cups sugar
Pinch salt
½ stick butter
1 small 7 ounce can evaporated milk

In large bowl combine the following:
2 cups milk, semisweet, or bittersweet chocolate (the better the chocolate, the better the fudge!)
1 ¾ cup mini marshmallows, loosely packed
Up to 1-cup chopped roasted walnuts or roasted pecans
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
½ stick butter

Pour boiling mixture over remaining ingredients in bowl. Beat until all chocolate is melted and mixture begins to lose its gloss. Pour in well-buttered pan. To make it easier to remove, you can line the pan with plastic wrap brushed with melted butter. When cooled, remove and cut fudge. Store tightly wrapped.

Aunt Vera's Chili Cheese Log

Dan Blomgren recommends the Verdi Raspberry Sparkletini to go with this cheese log.

3 oz. cream cheese
2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 T. lemon juice
1/4 t. garlic powder
dash of pepper
1/4 c. finely chopped nuts

Soften cheese. Combine with lemon juice, garlic powder, and pepper. Beat in mixer until fluffy. Fold in nuts. Shape into roll and roll in:
1 1/2 t. chili powder
1 1/2 t. paprika
Wrap tightly and chill thoroughly.
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