Lemon Curd Tartlets Part II

This is yet another combination of lemon curd and this time, puff pastry dough, which I had left over in my freezer. I think I prefer making pate sucree dough however, it goes together better with the filling.

And I piped some of the curd with a pastry bag, but I think the nozzle is too small. A larger diameter nozzle would have looked better.

Bombay Curry Sliders

Sliders are miniature cheeseburgers, although in my formulation, I omitted the cheese. For the buns, you can either make your own (which I've done before, but it's too much work), or grab dinner rolls and slice them in half. Ground turkey is used for a healthier alternative. It's a slight tweaking of a March '07 Bon Appetit Recipe.

Curry Sliders

- 2 lbs ground turkey
- 4 tbsp minced cilantro or parsley
- 1/4 cup minced chives
- 4 tbsp minced green onions
- 2 tbsp minced ginger
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 6 tsp curry powder
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- dash of cayenne pepper
- salt/pepper to taste


- 24 small potato dinner rolls, cut in half.

1. Mix the first 11 ingredients together.
   
2. Form into patties.
3. Sautee in skillet ~3-4 minutes per side, depending on thickness.
4. Lightly brown dinner roll halves in skillet, with butter.
5. Assemble sliders, top with favorite toppings.
   

Homemade Steak Sauce

I saw this recipe in my latest issue of Saveur, so I'm going to transcribe it here. A.1. Steak Sauce, it turns out, was invented by the British no less, one Henderson William Brand, the cook to King George IV in the 1820s.

Homemade Steak Sauce

Part I
- 1/2 cup vodka
- 2 tsp. crushed whole allspice
- 2 tsp crushed cinnamon stick
- 10 crushed whole cloves

1. Combine with plastic wrap, let sit at room temp for 8 hours. Strain vodka mixture, set aside.

Part II
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 2 tsp hot sauce
- 4 crushed cloves garlic

1. Combine, and set aside.

Part III
- 4 cored and quartered medium tomatoes (discard skins)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 6 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup tamarind pulp (for later use)

1. Scrape tomatoes through sieve to make 1 cup tomato pulp, set aside.
2. Cook sugar and vinegar in skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly.
3. The vinegar/sugar mixture will make a deep brown caramel in 6-7 minutes.
4. Carefully stir in tomato pulp.
5. Reduce heat to medium low, and cook until thick, ~ 4-5 minutes.
6. Remove and discard garlic from the Part II mixture, then add to skillet.
   
7. Bring to a boil, add tamarind pulp and Part I vodka mixture.
8. Cook until thickened, ~10-12 minutes.
9. Refrigerate for up to 2 months.
10. Makes ~ 1 cup. (sounds easier just to buy it!)
    

Maple Bourbon Marinade

Sometimes when I cook for the week, I just make large portions of one dish. A favorite of mine is baked chicken drumsticks/thighs, which is easy to prepare, yet tastes great. What better way to prepare the chicken, than to make your own marinade, which tastes infinitely better than any store bought brand.

This would also go well for BBQ meats, but alas, I have no grill.

Maple Bourbon Marinade

(Makes enough marinade for ~ 24 drumsticks)

- 6 cloves garlic
- 2 large yellow onions
- 2-3 Tbsp parsley
- 2 Tbsp dijon mustard
- 200 mL (~ 0.8 cups) bourbon whiskey
- 2/3 cup Grade A maple syrup
- 1/4 cup red wine
- 1 oz butter

1. Add butter to pan, sautee chopped garlic cloves and yellow onions.
2. Add in parsley, mustard, sautee for 5 more minutes.
3. Add in whiskey, maple syrup, and red wine. Bring to boil, then let simmer ~ 20 minutes.
4. Blend in food processor.
5. Marinade meat in finished product overnight, or at least 6-8 hours.
6. Bake at 400 degrees F for 1/2 hour; brush with sauce, then bake at 350 for rest of 1/2 hour, or until marrow is translucent. (It depends on how good your oven is, mine is a bit weak, so I need to bake for longer.)