Practically everyone has their own pot roast recipe... some use Coca-Cola and Lipton soup mix (good, if a little salty), while others swear by cream of mushroom soup. This one, which is a nod to the Italian stracotto, is simplicity itself, yet upscale enough for company. My niece, Meg, makes her pot roast with a London Broil so it's not so fatty (and likes to add flour to the wine for a thick sauce). Certainly feel free to use whatever cut you're comfortable with (and may happen to be on sale).
Be sure to buy a little larger roast, because leftovers make the most wonderful French dip. Cut open a soft sub roll and cover one side of the roll with shredded meat. Top with a handful of shredded whole milk mozzarella or Jack cheese. Wrap sandwich in aluminum foil and warm for about 10 minutes in a 400 degree oven, or until cheese is nicely melted. While the sandwich heats, reduce the pan sauce to the desired taste and consistency for dipping. Perfect with oven roasted potato wedges.
Pot Roast
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 to 3 pound beef roast
4 whole garlic cloves, smashed
1/2 bottle red wine (Merlot or Cabernet)
1 cup beef or chicken broth
2 large sprigs of fresh thyme
3 carrots, cut into 2-inch lengths
4 to 6 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, quartered
House seasoning to taste
cornstarch (if desired)
Heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Sprinkle roast liberally with House seasoning. Sear meat on all sides until nicely browned. Add in garlic, sauteing very briefly. Pour in wine and 1 cup of stock. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 2 to 2 1/2 hours, until meat is tender, turning halfway through. Add in carrots and potatoes, cooking until also tender, about 30 to 45 minutes. Serve.
Note: If you find the pan sauce is too thin, add in a slurry of 1 or two teaspoons of cornstarch dissolved in an equal amount of water. Heat until slurry is incorporated and sauce has the consistency of gravy.
House Seasoning
1 cup salt
1 1/4 black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder
Combine seasonings in an airtight container.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Oatmeal Apple Cookies
Nothing says autumn like apples. And, if you're like me, you never tire of the classic oatmeal cookie. This one, adapted from a Domino sugar recipe, has lovely caramel undertones from the dark brown sugar. Definitely a keeper.
Oatmeal Apple Cookies
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 cup butter, room temperature
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups rolled oats
1 tart apple, peeled and finely chopped (such as Granny Smith)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Combine flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Using a stand mixer, combine butter and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add in eggs and vanilla. Add in flour mixture and rolled oats separately, blending well. Stir in chopped apples.
Using a cookie scoop, drop dough onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges but still slightly soft in the middle.
Oatmeal Apple Cookies
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 cup butter, room temperature
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups rolled oats
1 tart apple, peeled and finely chopped (such as Granny Smith)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Combine flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Using a stand mixer, combine butter and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add in eggs and vanilla. Add in flour mixture and rolled oats separately, blending well. Stir in chopped apples.
Using a cookie scoop, drop dough onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges but still slightly soft in the middle.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
The Pies Have It
When asked what my daughter would like for her birthday in August, she responded enthusiastically with one word: "Pie!" And, with such an abundance of summer berries, how could I refuse her small request?
I never thought of myself as a pie person, per se. I remembered my sister, Sue, making the most delicious peach pie when I was a child. And, she would always save me those little scraps of dough, sprinkled lightly with cinnamon and sugar and baked until golden... bless her. But, other than that, I always much preferred a cookie or slice of cake for dessert. Well, after tasting that berry pie, complete with homemade crust adapted from The August/September 2009 issue of Taste of the South, I had a change of heart.
As scrumptious as it was, I may have to give a nod to the apple pie I made a few days ago, using a recipe adapted from The Joy of Cooking. The crust was so light and flaky, with its lovely balance of butter and shortening... truly near perfection. While some prefer an all-butter recipe, I don't know that a shortbread-like crust belongs. I can't wait to make another pie, this time with crisp, tart apples and perhaps a crumble topping.
Mixed Berry Pie
1/2 recipe Jim's Majic Pie Dough (aged overnight)
5 cups mixed berries (such as blueberries and blackberries)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 overflowing cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Roll out the dough into two equal-sized crusts and line a deep dish pie pan with one.
In a large bowl, combine the fruit with the butter, cornstarch, sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon. Allow to stand for 15 minutes. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and cover with the remaining crust. Seal edges and cut decorative vents in the top crust.
Bake pie on the upper rack for 20 minutes. Then, reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and move pie to bottom rack. Continue baking until filling is bubbling through the vents, about 45 minutes. Cool completely before serving.
Jim's Majic Pie Dough
3 cups flour
1 1/4 cups shortening
1 egg
6 to 8 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
In a large bowl, combine the flour and shortening until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
Combine egg, water, vinegar and salt, beating lightly.
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add in the liquid ingredients. Work the dough just until a ball forms. Divide dough into 4 balls and cover loosely with a cloth or plastic wrap. Refrigerate until needed, aging dough overnight for fruit pies or only a few hours for pecan or cream pies. Makes 4 single or 2 double-crusts.
Apple Pie
1 double crust
5 cups sliced apples
3/4 cup sugar, plus 2 teaspoons
2 to 3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, plus 1/8 teaspoon
pinch salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Line a 9-inch pie pan with 1/2 of the dough. Mix the apples, 3/4 cup sugar, flour, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and salt. Allow to stand for 15 minutes, mixing occasionally so apples can soften slightly.
Pour filling into the bottom crust. Dot with butter before covering with top crust. Cut decorative vents into crust. Sprinkle with remaining sugar and cinnamon.
Bake pie for 30 minutes. Then, reduce oven temperature to 350 and slip a baking sheet under the pie. Bake until the juices have begun to bubble through the vents, 30 to 40 minutes more. If the crust gets too brown during baking, cover edges with aluminum foil or a silicon shield. Allow pie to cool completely before serving. The crust is best the day it's baked, but the pie will keep for several days at room temperature.
Pie Crust Cockaigne
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons sugar (or slightly more to taste)
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, very cold and cut into small pieces
1/4 cup shortening, chilled
6 tablespoons ice water, plus up to 1 tablespoon
Sift together the flour, sugar and salt. Cut the shortening and butter into the flour mixture until it has the consistency of cornmeal. Blend in the water until until a dough just begins to form. Be careful not to overwork the dough, leaving dots of butter and shortening throughout. Divide the dough; shape into disks and cover with plastic wrap until ready to use. When rolling out on a floured surface, work quickly and handle dough minimally to ensure a flaky crust.
I never thought of myself as a pie person, per se. I remembered my sister, Sue, making the most delicious peach pie when I was a child. And, she would always save me those little scraps of dough, sprinkled lightly with cinnamon and sugar and baked until golden... bless her. But, other than that, I always much preferred a cookie or slice of cake for dessert. Well, after tasting that berry pie, complete with homemade crust adapted from The August/September 2009 issue of Taste of the South, I had a change of heart.
As scrumptious as it was, I may have to give a nod to the apple pie I made a few days ago, using a recipe adapted from The Joy of Cooking. The crust was so light and flaky, with its lovely balance of butter and shortening... truly near perfection. While some prefer an all-butter recipe, I don't know that a shortbread-like crust belongs. I can't wait to make another pie, this time with crisp, tart apples and perhaps a crumble topping.
Mixed Berry Pie
1/2 recipe Jim's Majic Pie Dough (aged overnight)
5 cups mixed berries (such as blueberries and blackberries)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 overflowing cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Roll out the dough into two equal-sized crusts and line a deep dish pie pan with one.
In a large bowl, combine the fruit with the butter, cornstarch, sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon. Allow to stand for 15 minutes. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and cover with the remaining crust. Seal edges and cut decorative vents in the top crust.
Bake pie on the upper rack for 20 minutes. Then, reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and move pie to bottom rack. Continue baking until filling is bubbling through the vents, about 45 minutes. Cool completely before serving.
Jim's Majic Pie Dough
3 cups flour
1 1/4 cups shortening
1 egg
6 to 8 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
In a large bowl, combine the flour and shortening until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
Combine egg, water, vinegar and salt, beating lightly.
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add in the liquid ingredients. Work the dough just until a ball forms. Divide dough into 4 balls and cover loosely with a cloth or plastic wrap. Refrigerate until needed, aging dough overnight for fruit pies or only a few hours for pecan or cream pies. Makes 4 single or 2 double-crusts.
Apple Pie
1 double crust
5 cups sliced apples
3/4 cup sugar, plus 2 teaspoons
2 to 3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, plus 1/8 teaspoon
pinch salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Line a 9-inch pie pan with 1/2 of the dough. Mix the apples, 3/4 cup sugar, flour, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and salt. Allow to stand for 15 minutes, mixing occasionally so apples can soften slightly.
Pour filling into the bottom crust. Dot with butter before covering with top crust. Cut decorative vents into crust. Sprinkle with remaining sugar and cinnamon.
Bake pie for 30 minutes. Then, reduce oven temperature to 350 and slip a baking sheet under the pie. Bake until the juices have begun to bubble through the vents, 30 to 40 minutes more. If the crust gets too brown during baking, cover edges with aluminum foil or a silicon shield. Allow pie to cool completely before serving. The crust is best the day it's baked, but the pie will keep for several days at room temperature.
Pie Crust Cockaigne
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons sugar (or slightly more to taste)
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, very cold and cut into small pieces
1/4 cup shortening, chilled
6 tablespoons ice water, plus up to 1 tablespoon
Sift together the flour, sugar and salt. Cut the shortening and butter into the flour mixture until it has the consistency of cornmeal. Blend in the water until until a dough just begins to form. Be careful not to overwork the dough, leaving dots of butter and shortening throughout. Divide the dough; shape into disks and cover with plastic wrap until ready to use. When rolling out on a floured surface, work quickly and handle dough minimally to ensure a flaky crust.
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