Sweet Tea

Last night, Martin and I had a couple of co-workers over for dinner. I tried out a few new things on willing bellies but failed to do any prep work the night before. So, consequently, on the day of the dinner, I was cooking a lot and efficiently freaking out. That’s why I failed to take any pictures. Food posts without pictures are sad, but sad food pictures are perhaps even worse. I guess you can’t win them all.

I thought I would devote today’s entry to sweet tea, which I made to go with our “barbecue” theme. For many, this beverage needs no introduction. But for others, like our co-workers, sweet tea is a drink served at McDonald’s and true southerners know that just ain’t right. I took a quick poll from all my friends who have experienced real sweet tea and happened to be available online and here are the results:

I asked, When you think of sweet tea, what do you think of?

Manveer: I think of Bojangles sweet tea!

Not quite what I was looking for but let’s go on:

Martin: Bojangles.

Okay … still not quite. I’ll cross my fingers with this next person:

Stuart: Bojangles.

Did I miss something?

Arun: Bojangles. Then the Rockford.

Obviously, yes.

Who knew Bojangles and sweet tea were so irrevocably tied in people’s minds? I was hoping for awesome adjectives like “amazingly awesome” or “summer” or “end-all be-all” of drinks, but these could also describe Bojangles biscuits so that’s good enough for me.

There is a lot of debate on the proper way to make sweet tea. Everyone has a different trick to getting that ever-important crystal-clear amber color.  I’ve heard a variety of techniques, from steeping the tea in a saucepan and pouring it into the pitcher for a natural cool down to not adding any cold water to the mixture. I do subscribe to the “don’t shock the tea” superstition and abstain from pouring cold water onto it, but that’s about it. Of course, everyone is different.

This is the recipe I use to make my sweet tea. I don’t think it compares to the Bojangles version (can anything?) but at least mine doesn’t come with a gross wedge of lemon. I always forget it and sometimes don’t follow the ratios (which I’ve learned one too many times is VERY VERY BAD) so now I’m writing it down where I’ll always know to look.

Sweet Tea

2 family-size or 6 normal-sized Lipton tea bags
2 cups hot (not boiling) water
3/4 cup sugar
6 cups lukewarm water

1- Add sugar to bottom of a pitcher. Place tea bags on top. Pour hot water over mixture and stir to dissolve.

2- Let sit, covered, for 15 minutes.

3- Add remaining water and let chill in the refrigerator until cold.

4- Serve in tall glasses over a lot of ice.

Servings: 4

Homemade Butter

Recently, I tried making butter. This was mostly prompted by the fact that I had half a gallon of heavy cream in my refrigerator that expired the day before our three-day trip to Santa Barbara. There was no way that stuff was going to be used in time. So … butter, anyone?

I’ve never made butter before and this was a real adventure for me. I stuck all that heavy cream in my KitchenAid and set the whisk a-spinning. At first, I left it on about 4 or 6, worried it would splatter everywhere. Then I realized that this really only jiggled the heavy cream and we needed to get this party started.

So I turned up the heat. And got a lovely mound of soft-peaks whipped cream:

It looks like billowy clouds. I couldn’t resist taking a taste. Without vanilla and sugar, whipped cream is surprisingly disappointing.

All the blogs I read about homemade butter included rapturous sentences about tastiness and also about how the whipped cream will just “seize.” I had no clue what that meant so I kept whipping.

This looks curdly and not so appetizing. I was not tempted into taking a taste.

Finally, I heard what I thought was a seize. But I was confused. Stuff at the bottom looked mealy. Stuff along the sides looked like whipped cream. Could this be right?

I can’t believe it’s not butter! Oh, wait, yes, I can. What is that?

I let it drain for a few minutes and the amount of buttermilk generated was weak-sauce. I slid it back into the mixer bowl and set it a-churning again. I repeated this step twice because I was unsure of what my final result should be. Then, suddenly, I got this:

They weren’t kidding about the seizing. Or even the EXPLOSION of buttermilk you will suddenly see.

And now I know. And I am passing this on to you so you know, too. And knowing is half the battle.

Note: Whenever food blogs talk about making butter, they never bring up washing the butter to remove it of all buttermilk, which will turn it rancid. I had to read a recipe for that. I think that’s an important, unsaid step. Because I totally would have stuck my butter in a bowl and put it in the fridge and wondered why my butter tasted like “gross.”

I mixed it with some honey and now I have lots of honey butter. Anyone want to come over for biscuits?

I understand if you don’t.

Meyer Lemon Curd

I have often seen recipes for lemon curd on Tastespotting. Very often, they are accompanied with glowing praises, like “amazing” and “mouth watering” and “would marry lemon curd and make lemon curd babies, if possible.” Okay, not really that last one but seriously. Everyone seems to love lemon curd.

When I found (heaven of heavens!) meyer lemons being sold at the local farmer’s market, I filled a plastic bag with them and decided I’d make lemon curd too. Too bad I didn’t read the recipe or I would have realized a giant plastic bag is not necessary. However, having a nice stash of them in the fridge has been pretty not bad so I ain’t complainin’ about my sweet sweet meyer lemons.

The recipe was really easy to make. I feel like anyone could really make these, but many recipes online said things like “CAUTION, EXPERIENCED COOKS ONLY.” I thought this was lame. I think it’s to make people think it’s fancier than it really is. To me, it is basically like lemon pudding or the yummy filling that goes between layered cakes.

So there you have it. I served it at my St. Patrick’s dinner as dessert on top of blueberry bread. Nothing too fancy, everything seriously tasty.

Lemon Curd

3 large eggs
1/3 cup FRESH lemon juice
1 tbsp. fresh lemon zest
3/4 cup sugar
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1- In a double broiler (or make your own by simmering water in a saucepan underneath a metal bowl placed on top), whisk eggs, lemon juice and sugar together.

2- Stir constantly to prevent curdling until the mixture is thick like sour cream, approx. 10 minutes.

3- Add butter and whisk mixture until butter is melted. Add lemon zest.

4- Remove from heat to let cool. When it has cooled, cover to prevent a skin from forming.

5- Store in an airtight container and keep in refrigerator when not using for up to 1 week.

Servings: 1-1/2 cups

Wow, this is making me really hungry.

Basic Yogurt

Today is the day for posts with no pictures. I made a lot of different things last night, one of them being yogurt!

Some of you may or may not remember my first attempt at homemade yogurt, where I fell asleep and asked Martin to pour the milk into the yogurt container. He very nicely did, except he put it in the actual yogurt warmer, not the container that goes into the yogurt warmer. When I woke up the next morning, the results were interesting, to say the least.

This time, however, I had a handy dandy food thermometer and powdered milk. And this time, it went off without a hitch! The yogurt is thick and creamy and Martin, who hates plain yogurt, pronounced it a success. He then tempered it by saying he would fiddle around with flavorings, but either way, it’s nice to know we have mastered one of our favorite foods. If only you knew the joy I felt when I opened up the quart container and stared down into a smooth batch of yogurt, you would realize … I am a big DORK!

Either way, here’s the recipe I used, so I’ll know where to find it.

Basic Yogurt

4 cups milk
3 tbsp + 1 tsp. dried non-instant milk
1/2 cup yogurt with live active cultures

1- Pour milk into saucepan and scald until food thermometer registers 180- to 200-degrees F.

2- When milk has reached temperature, take off heat and stir in dry milk. Let cool down to 105- to 110-degrees F.

3- Plug in yogurt maker to pre-warm.

4- When milk has cooled, add yogurt and gently mix to combine. Pour mixture into yogurt container and place in yogurt warmer.

5- Let sit in yogurt maker for 3 hours. If tarter yogurt is desired, let sit longer, up to a maximum of 8 hours.

6- Remove from yogurt maker and cover. Refrigerate for minimum 2 hours before serving.

Servings: 1 quart

Note: If you don’t have a yogurt maker, you can achieve the same results by keeping the yogurt at a steady 110-degrees F, either in an oven or some other warming aparatus.

Candied Orange Peels

Oranges is such a funny word. Orange, orange, orange. O-range. But I like it. Does anyone remember that comic strip, Rhymes With Orange? Always good for a chuckle.

I decided to see if I could make these after our Thanksgiving party and they are very easy and time-consuming in the way bread is - you just have to be patient and let it sit. Also, after my second batch, I think I realize that you also have to make sure the syrup you boil it in is more sugar and less water. Some recipes say to boil until the orange peels are translucent, others say to boil until all the sugar has dissolved. My personal formula was boil until you think its done and then boil it some more. Worked like a charm!

I dipped the first batch in chocolate without coating in sugar and Martin and I both liked it more that way, though that is a matter of personal preference, most likely. The first batch, which had some brown sugar tossed in (because I ran out of white sugar) had a great, deep flavor but did not hit the bright, citrus-y notes of the second batch, which was all granulated sugar. So it just depends on your preference, I suppose. Both batches made everything VERY sticky, I will say that! Every time I thought I was finished cleaning, I’d find another sticky spot stuck in a random place.

Everyone who I’ve given these to / tried them have thought they were very tasty. So overall, I will call this a success!

Candied Orange Peels

Orange peels
3 cups sugar
1 cup water

1 cup sugar
8 oz. chocolate

1- Remove pulp from oranges and slice peel into thin slices.

2- Place peels in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Heat on high until water comes to a boil. Pour off the water. Repeat twice more. This step is to take the bitterness out of the pith. But if you want to skip this step, you can just peel the pith off until there is mostly just peel. One downside is that your orange slice will not be as hearty.

3- Combine sugar and water in saucepan and bring to boil over high heat until temperature reaches 230-degrees.

4- Add peel and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer until peels are translucent (30+ minutes).

5- Remove peels from syrup and roll in sugar if desired and set on rack to dry for several hours.

6- Once the peel is dry, dip in tempered dark chocolate. Shake of excess and place on foil, wax paper or baking sheet to dry.

7- Store in Tupperware or, if not chocolate covered, in sugar. Refrigerate if covered in chocolate.

Servings: Approximately 10 - 14 slices per large orange

Boil, my pretties!

Drying into a less-sticky mess

Chocolate-dipped. This is the second batch - notice the slightly brighter color.