Archive for the ‘Savory Snacks, Dips and Sauces’ Category
Shortbread is marked by its fine, crumbly and sometimes delicate texture, as well as its buttery flavor. They’re primarily made with butter and flour, and although they’re often served as dessert with coffee or tea, most shortbreads don’t have a lot of sugar in them. This means that they’re easily adapted into more savory applications, like this parmesan cheese-infused variation.
This shortbread comes together very quickly and makes a really nice homemade appetizer to put out with some wine. You can make it by hand, but it is easiest to put it together in the food processor. Simply add your flour, parmesan, spices and butter, then pulse everything together before pressing the mixture into a pan and baking it until golden. The spices I added in are the same ones that I might add to a batch of homemade macaroni and cheese – garlic, chipotle pepper (cayenne will work well, too) and mustard – since they go so well with cheese. They’re subtle and just give these shortbreads a little bit of dimension.
When baked, these are tender and slightly crumbly, and they’re much less crisp than a cracker because they are quick a bit thicker than your average cracker would be. They have a great flavor and are quite addictive, so it’s a good thing that this recipe makes quite a big batch. These are best when they’re fresh and eaten the day they’re made, but you can store them in an airtight container. If you need to crisp them up after a day or two, simply put them on a baking sheet and pop them into a 350F oven for 5-8 minutes and you’ll be all set.
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One of the best things about Thanksgiving dinner is that there are always plenty of leftovers for the next day or two. This means that all the time and effort that went into cooking and cleaning on Thursday makes up for the fact that there is no need to spend much time in the kitchen for at least a day or two. Aside from heating up the leftovers, of course.
It can be a bit boring to just eat plates of the same dinner items over and over again, so I try to repurpose them a little bit. This year, I’m doing Leftover Turkey Sandwiches with Homemade Cranberry Barbecue Sauce. The turkey obviously comes from the bird and you can use either white or dark meat. The cranberry bbq sauce starts out with whole cranberries that are made into a quick sauce (you can substitute 1 1/4 cups leftover cranberry sauce for the first three ingredients in the recipe below), to which some classic barbecue sauce flavors are added. The finished sauce has a nice tang to it and a good amount of sweetness from the cranberry sauce.
The sauce, like the turkey, will keep well in the fridge so feel free to make it in advance and just pull it out when you’re ready to dig in to leftovers.
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Mayonnaise is a creamy emulsion of vegetable oil, egg yolks, lemon juice and/or vinegar and seasonings, like salt or mustard. An emulsion is unique because the elements of an emulsion don’t necessarily want to come together smoothly on their own and need a little encouragement to become a silky smooth mixture, like mayonnaise. The trick really is to beat the ingredients at a very high speed and combine them bit by bit so that their individual elements spread out evenly throughout the mixture. Homemade mayonnaise can be made by hand, but I much prefer to use a food processor because it is faster and easier.This mayonnaise is made with olive oil and as a distinct olive oil flavor to it, noticeably stronger than other mayonnaises, which tend to be made with more neutral oils. While it tastes a bit strong on its own, the olive oil mayonnaise tastes great on most sandwiches and can be a great base for dips. This recipe also calls for a whole egg, not just yolks, so there is nothing leftover from the preparation that you’ll need to use up (like leftover egg whites). If you want a milder flavor, you can substitute canola oil for part of the olive oil.
The mayo will keep or at least a week, probably a bit longer, in the fridge if you store it in an airtight container. I would try to use it up relatively quickly and make a big batch of chicken or tuna salad, or another dish that uses a good amount of mayonnaise, to take full advantage of its flavor.
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Plain, salt-topped soft pretzels are one of the best snacks out there. They’re a great combination of chewy, crispy and salty – and they’re actually very easy to make at home. As good as they are when plain, however, it’s also easy to see them as a blank canvas for all kinds of other toppings. Much like a plain pizza, it can really be customized to suit individual tastes with the addition of extra toppings.
I used garlic salt to top off these pretzels and really give them a lot of flavor. This is one of those instances were garlic powder – or even already made garlic salt – is a great ingredient to have on hand. It’s perfect for sprinkling on top of the pretzel to give it an even coating and keep the outside of the pretzel crisp. While a clove of fresh garlic could be rubbed onto the dough to give it some flavor (as is often done with garlic bread), using dried spice really works out much better as a topping.
Getting back to pizza for a minute, the dough for these pretzels is one that I’ve used for pizza in the past. It’s made in the food processor and has a nice elasticity to it that makes for a chewy pretzel. The dough can also be mixed by hand, if you prefer or don’t have access to a food processor. The dough is dipped into a baking soda and water mixture before baking. Not only does this help the salt adhere, but it gives the outside of the pretzels an extra bit of tangy flavor that really makes them pretzels and not just breadsticks.
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Maple is one of my favorite cold weather flavors. It has a unique, rich flavor and a caramely sweetness that you can’t find anywhere else. This year, I’ve noticed that the price for pure maple syrup has gone up quite a bit, due to there being a bit of a drop off in the supply. It’s not going to keep me from buying it, since pancakes and waffles just aren’t the same without a drizzle on top, but I may use it a bit more sparingly in other areas.
One of my favorite things to do with maple syrup is to make it into a compound butter, whipping it up with softened butter and a pinch of salt to create a flavored spread. It doesn’t take much maple syrup to flavor a half-cup of butter, and that butter can be used to infuse the maple flavor into a variety of things. It tastes great on top of mashed sweet potatoes, for instance, but is fantastic on toast and even on a bowl full of oatmeal. I recommend making a batch and keeping it in the fridge. I’m sure you’ll find many good uses for it – I know I do!
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