Mr Nut was chef for the day

Hello loyal follower(s)

      Yesterday, Mr Nut demonstrated his lack of skill as a short order cook, along with his difficulty timing
everything to be done at the appropriate time.  He was in charge of all the meals for the day, plus preparing for guests this evening.

   It all started when Mr Nut decided to make  omelets for breakfast.  This was a first for him, and he decided to follow the recipe as written in Cook's Illustrated magazine.  The recipe was written for two omelets, to be done one at a time.

The filling were prepared as directed by the recipe.

Sure seemed like a lot of stuff. The recipe called for 1/2 medium peppers.  The question was what is medium?

Then one small onion, what is small ?  Nor very scientific for Mr Nut.

The fillings were sautéed in a "medium" sized pan. Mr Nut choose a 10" pan because that what was called for later on in the recipe.

Still looks like too much fillings.

A mess as only Mr Nut could make.  The floor was also in need of a cleaning, but the omelets did get made.

Just as suspected, too much fillings.

Maybe if the omelet were cook over a lower heat it would cover more of the 10" pan.  Mr Nut will find out next Sunday when he makes his second batch of omelets.







For the lunchtime meal Mr Nut made his and Cyndy's favorite: The  Best Tuna Salad sandwiches.
See Blog from May 26, 2011.
For the evening meal Mr Nut prepared Chicken Piccata, see blog Nov 9, 2011.

As far as the Denver Omelet recipe,  Mr Nut has modified the original recipe to reflect yesterday's experience.  Smart Balance replaced the butter because Smart Balance has 0 cholesterol compared to 30 mg for butter.


The modified recipe for a Denver Omelet follows:

À bientôt,
Mr Nut

Denver Omelets 

Modified recipe from Cook"s Illustrated  Published February 1, 2005. 

From Blog of Nov 14, 2011 

       Prepare the filling and then begin making the omelet. A ham steak or sliced deli ham will work. (If using sliced deli ham, add it with the garlic, parsley, and hot sauce.) The filling recipe makes enough for two omelets. You can make one omelet after another in the same pan, although you may need to reduce the heat. For the best results, serve all omelets, including this one, on warmed plates.

For this recipe: the total carbs;10.7 g  and total calories ; 630.3

INGREDIENTS

Filling

1 tablespoon Smart Balance.                                           Carbs 0 g; calories 80

1/4 cup green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and diced.  Carbs 2 g; calories 7.5

1/4 cup red bell pepper stemmed, seeded, and diced.      Carbs 2 g; calories 7.5

1/4 cup onion, diced.                                                          Carbs 2 g;   calories 10

1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt

1/2 cup (2 ounces) ham steak, diced.                                    Carbs 2.7 g; calories 67

2 teaspoons parsley flakes.

1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco.           

Omelet

3 large eggs.                                                                     Carbs 1.2 g; calories 216

1 tablespoon  milk.                                                           Carbs .75 g; calories 9.3

1/2 teaspoon Smart Balance.                                           Carbs 0 g; calories 13

2 ounces ( about 1/2 cup) Monterey Jack cheese shredded.  Carbs 0 g; calories 220

HEAT OVEN  TO AS CLOSE TO 150℉ AS YOUR OVEN ALLOW FOR 

WARMING PLATES.

FOR THE FILLING: 
Heat the 1 tablespoon Smart Balance in a 10" nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When the foaming subsides, add the 1/4 cup peppers, 1/4 cup onions, and 1/4 teaspoon Sea salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to soften, about 4 minutes. Add the 1/2 cup ham and cook until the peppers begin to brown lightly, about 2 minutes. Add the 1/4 teaspoon parsley flakes and 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce and cook for 30 seconds. Transfer to the oven in a small bowl to keep warm.

2.  FOR THE OMELET: Whisk the three eggs, 1 tablespoon milk, and  salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl With a fork until thoroughly combined.
3. Heat the 1/2 teaspoon Smart Balance in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over a medium-high heat.  When the foaming subsides and the Smart Balance just begins to turn color, pour HALF the eggs.  Cook until the edges begin to set, about 2 to 3 seconds, then tilt the pan to one side so that the uncooked egg runs to the edge of the  pan.  Repeat until the omelet is just set but still moist  on the surface, 1 to 2 minutes.

4.  Sprinkle HALF the cheese evenly across the surface of the omelet and allow to partially melt, 15 to 20 seconds. With the handle of the pan facing you, spoon HALF the filling over the left side of the omelet. Slide the omelet onto a warmed plate, filled-side first, and, with a slight twist of the wrist, invert the pan so that the other side of the omelet folds over the filling. Serve immediately.

Juicy Pub-Style Burgers on the gas grill

November 12, 2011

Hello loyal follower(s)

As you may of gathered by now, Mr Nut rarely uses a recipe as written.   He is  truly amateur in the kitchen, always asking;  What if? Could it be done a different way, using less expensive ingredients?  Could the recipe be done on Mr Nut’s high class grill?

Mr Nut’s project today involves a recipe from the blog of May 4, 2011; Pub Style Burgers and a recipe from Cook’s Country December-January 2012, 30-minute supper; Skillet Burgers With Sautéed Onions and Horseradish sauce.  It was time to put the great JENN-AIR grill to work on these recipes.  

First in the Pub Style Burgers recipe, The original authors strongly favored grinding their own hamburger.  Mr Nut has now tried it both ways; grinding his own and  using  93% fat free commercial hamburger.  Commercial hamburger worked well with less mess.  Today the hamburgers were seared on the searing burner of the JENN_AIR, then finished on the cooler part of the the grill. Butter was replace by Smart Balance because of the cholesterol; 30 mg in the butter as opposed to 0 mg in Smart Balance. For the toppings the onions will be Sautéed in a skillet on the grill.

This is Mr Nut’s baby.  Bought as a closeout at COSCO for less the $500, which was 50% of the in season price. Mr Nut had planned to buy a new grill this fall after our summer adventure.   As you know by now, our summer adventure was aborted because of Mr Nut’s herniated disk in his back.  About July 10, 2011, with back pain, Cyndy and Mr Nut assembled the grill just to be sure all the parts were there.   But I digress. 

This is the Searing  burner,  however it is difficult to see the heating element.

Here is the Searing heating element. 

Back to the project of the day.  Here was the hamburger loosened up and “buttered” with Smart Balance and formed into balls.  (Mr Nut was only making half the recipe today.

two six ounce balls, ready to be flattened. 

Using a spatula, the balls were pressed down to about one inch thickness. 

The burgers were seared for 2 minutes on a side.

Then finished on the cooler part of the grill.

topped with a lot of onions and horseradish sauce;  it was very tasty, and Mr Nut prefers the grill approach.

The recipe follows:

À bientôt,

Mr Nut

 PUB-STYLE BURGERS from the grill   (blog Nov 12, 2011)

 Based on Cook's Illustrated.  Published May 1, 2011. 

And Cook’s Country   December-January 2012

Serves  four; (six ounces burgers)

       Mr nut’s Jenn-air grill has a special searing burner. When mixing the Smart Balance and pepper into the ground meat and shaping the patties, take care not to overwork the meat, or the burgers will become dense.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 pounds 93% hamburger.                              Carbs 0 g; Calories 1020

2 tablespoons Smart Balance, melted and cooled slightly.Carbs 0 g;Calories160

1/8 teaspoon Sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon Canola oil.                                      Carbs 0 g; Calories 227

4 whole wheat hamburger buns.(42.5 g each)       Carbs 88 g; Calories 480

For complete recipe, with whole wheat buns: Carbohydrates 88 g;Calories 1,887

INSTRUCTIONS: 

1.  Loosely spread out the 93% fat free hamburger on a rimmed  cooking sheet.  Drizzle the 2 tablespoons melted Smart Balance  over ground meat and add 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Coating the raw ground beef with melted Smart Balance  not only ensures that the burgers cook up super-juicy, but also encourages flavorful browning.

2.  Gently toss with fork to combine the Smart Balance and the ground meat. Divide meat into 4 lightly packed balls. Gently flatten into patties about one inch thick and about 3 inches in diameter. Refrigerate patties until ready to cook. (Patties can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 1 day.) 

3.  Season 1 side of patties  with salt and pepper. Using spatula, flip patties and season other side.

4.  Oil and Heat the Sear burner of the grill. Using spatula, transfer burgers to the sear burner and cook without moving them for 2 minutes. Using spatula, flip burgers and cook for 2 minutes longer. Transfer the patties to the oiled cooler part of the grill (over a burner that was not turned on, bake until instant-read thermometer inserted into burger registers 125 degrees for medium-rare or 130 degrees for medium, 3 to 4 minutes.  Searing  and then finishing on the  low-heat part of the grill trades the usual overcooked exterior for a well-browned crust and juicy center.

5. Transfer burgers to plate and let rest for 2 minutes. Transfer to buns. Add desired toppings, and serve.

Horseradish sauce and charred onions dress up these simple indoor burgers.

1/4 cup sour cream 

1 1/2  tablespoons prepared horseradish

1 tablespoon tablespoon minced fresh chives

2 teaspoons lemon juice 

Salt and pepper

Combine sour cream, horseradish, chives, and lemon juice in bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste; set aside

 sauté onions over medium-high heat on the grill, until browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Place burgers on bun bottoms and top with onions and horseradish sauce. Serve.

Double header: Chicken Piccata; Rosemary and Chevre Mashed Potatoes

Hello loyal follower(s)
Tonight was a very successful  adventure for Mr Nut.   But as usual Mr Nut had to make changes to both of the recipes used for tonight's dinner.  What was Piccata ?  Mr Nut knew it was an Italian word, but what did it mean?  And there was Chevre which was  goat cheese.  Mr Nut has been expanding  his vocabulary.
Cyndy has a meat mallet which had a square head which was not ideal for the job.  The corners tended to cut up the breast meat.

Mr Nut purchased a man size tool without square corners to better beat the hell out of the chicken breasts.

 Cyndys  toy meat mallet is the one on the bottom.

The chicken recipe was reality simple even for Mr Nut.  It was not difficult dredging the beat up chicken breast (now called cutlets, another new word for MR Nut.

The cutlets were then sauté, here they were flipped and the second side is up.







Cyndy loves mashed potatoes thus the successful
attempt at a great mashed potato recipe.   However, Mr Nut's timing was a little off, the mashed potatoes were done too early.   What to do to keep the warm??  

Of course, a heating pad,  Mr Nut used this trick when fermenting bread dough.

The Rosemary and Feta cheese  mashed potatoes were a hit.

The cutlets also look perfect.

The final result.  The rd and green were asparagus and red peppers with a special sauce.




BOTH recipes follow:

À bientôt,

Mr Nut

Chicken Piccata

From a recipe from Cuisine at Home magazine

Makes 2 servings

If you like fresh lemon, tender chicken, and a quick recipe, then this classic Italian dish will fit perfectly on your dinner plate.

Part of piccata's charm is that it only requires basic cooking skills to prepare. You get professional results, even for Mr Nut. To make this recipe even more enticing, much of the preparation can be done hours ahead of serving ( beating the meat into submission)

Because cutlets are lean and cook in just a few minutes, they produce very little drippings to use in a sauce. A light coating of flour will act as an emulsifier and thickener, while a simple addition of fresh lemon juice and white wine, create the classic piccata flavors.

Per serving: 449 cal; 28g total fat ; 129mg chol; 259mg sodium; 3g carb; Og fiber; 41 g protein

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise and pounded into cutlets, 

 Salt and black pepper 

All-purpose flour

 Nonstick spray

2  Tbsp. vegetable oil

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 tsp. minced garlic

1/2   cup low-sodium chicken broth

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter 

Fresh lemon slices. (optional) 

Chopped fresh parsley

1. Flatten out the breasts: Place a chicken breast half between TWO pieces of plastic wrap. Using the flat side of a meat mallet, pound meat (smooth side down) lightly, aim for at about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Work from the center outward.  Remove plastic wrap. Repeat with remaining chicken.

1. Brine:  Dissolve 3 tablespoons salt in 1 quart cold water in large container. Add flatten breasts, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 30 minutes.
2. Season cutlets with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour. 
3. Coat a saute pan with nonstick spray, add oil, and heat over medium-high. Saute cutlets 2-3 minutes on one side. Flip cutlets over and saute the other side, covered, 1-2 minutes.
4. Transfer cutlets to a warmed platter; pour off fat from the pan.
5. Deglaze pan with wine and add minced garlic.
6.  Cook until garlic is slightly brown and liquid is nearly evaporated, about 2 minutes. 
7. Add broth and lemon juice.. Return cutlets to pan and cook on each side for 1 minute. 
8. Transfer cutlets to warm plates. Finish sauce with butter and lemons. 

Once butter melts, pour sauce over cutlets. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve 

immediately.

Rosemary and Chevre Mashed Potatoes

Modified from Cuisine at home

Per cup: 284 cal; 12g total fat (8g sat); 29mg chol; 856mg sodium; 38g carb; 4g fiber; 7g protein

Makes about 6 cups;

While we're not dealing with the most complex of dishes here, there are some things you can do to make mashed potatoes easier to prepare and taste even better than they already do.

First, pick the right potato. Some varieties make a better mash than others. The high starch content of russets gives them the perfect fluffy texture when mashed. An all-purpose variety like Yukon gold adds its own buttery flavor to typical mashed potatoes.

Once you've picked the right potato, three things ensure an above-average bowl of mashed: 

1. Cutting potatoes into even cubes speeds up cooking and makes mashing easier.
2. After draining, dry the potatoes well so they can absorb the flavors you're adding — even if that's only butter or cream. 
3. Make sure the ingredients you're adding to the mashed potatoes are warm. The potatoes will be better able to absorb the flavors of those ingredients and will mix together easier.

To test potatoes for doneness, insert a knife into the center — if the potato slides off the knife, it's done. Overcooking causes the potatoes to become waterlogged.

2¹/2 lb. Russet  potatoes, peeled, cut into 2-inch cubes

3 sprigs fresh rosemary; (3 inch pieces)

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
4 oz. chevre (goat cheese) or Feta cheese

1/3  cup buttermilk or sour cream

1 Tbsp. minced fresh rosemary

1 tsp. minced lemon peel

1 tsp. Sea salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

Boil potatoes and rosemary sprigs in salted water until tender, 15-20 minutes. Remove sprigs

and drain potatoes. Return potatoes to the pan and dry briefly over medium heat, stirring often

to prevent scorching. Remove pan from heat.

Mash potatoes and stir in butter to coat. Add goat cheese and stir until melted. Fold in

buttermilk or sour cream, minced rosemary, lemon peel, salt, and pepper.

,   

Nut-crusted baked Pork Chops

Hello loyal follower(s)

As usual, Mr Nut could not just make an existing recipe,  he had to develop his own.  Mr Nut was able to complete a merger of two recipes  into one recipe with  carbohydrate and calorie values.  Both recipes came from Cook's Illustrated, from January 2008 and January 2011.  Mr Nut took the best of each recipe, the choice of meat (pork loin chops) from one recipe  and the nut-crusting from the other recipe which was for chicken breasts.
Mr Nut main concern was to minimize the carbs in the recipe.  The nut-crusting ingredients were based on 6-8 ounce chicken breasts while the meat of choice was only five ounces each.  Therefore the Panko Japanese style bread crumbs was reduced from one cup to one-half cup, greatly reducing the carbohydrates in the recipe.   The crusting was fantastic, and will be used on many recipes yet to be written.

 This was all that was needed for the great dish.

Mr Nut did not know what a shallot was and it was called for in the recipes.  It seems that most of the Cooks' illustrated recipes use shallots.  Mr Nut purchased one and used it in the hybrid recipe.  It seemed to be just a high class red onion, thus if you make this recipe it will be your choice.

Mr Nut had a  new experience "browning butter", it was a neat experience, and he did not burn it.  Then the Panko crumbs and the chopped  nuts were added to the browned butter as shown at the left.

Notice the nut-crusted chops were placed on a cooling rack to allow for the heat to reach all sides of the chops.  A good idea that will have applications in future recipes.

It should be noted here that Mr Nut knows very little about the various spices,  but he is learning.

Cyndy checked out the doneness of the chop. She and Mr Nut really liked the results, it was a winner.

The total carbohydrate for the recipe was 124.2 which was 31 per serving.

Total calories  1991 which was 497.75



Recipe follows:

À bientôt,

Mr Nut

NUT-CRUSTED BAKED PORK CHOPS

 Based on recipes for Crunchy Baked Pork Chops Published January 1, 2008 and Nut-crusted Chicken Cutlets published January 1, 2011  From Cook's Illustrated.

Serves 4. 

For complete recipe; total carbohydrates 124.2 :  Calories 1991.

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup Sea salt.

4 center-cut boneless pork chops , 5 to 6 ounces each, 3/4 to 1 inch thick, trimmed of excess fat.                                          Carbs 0 g; Calories 280

1 cup roughly chopped almonds. (120 g)                Carbs 24 g;Calories 680

4 tablespoons butter (14 g).                                  Carbs 0 g;Calories 400

2 tablespoons minced shallot (20 g)  .                    Carbs 3.2 g; Calories 14

1/2 teaspoon Sea salt.

1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs.                                Carbs 36 g;Calories 240

1 teaspoons lemon peel.

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese.                Carbs 4 g;Calories 44

1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour.                    Carbs 23 g; Calories 110

3 large egg whites.                                              Carbs 0 g;Calories 48

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (5 g).                           Carbs 0 g;  Calories 10

6 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour.          Carbs 35 g; Calories 165

Ground black pepper 

INSTRUCTIONS

1.   Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Dissolve 1/4 cup Sea salt in 1 quart water in medium container.  Submerge chops, cover, and refrigerate 30 minutes. Rinse chops under cold water and dry thoroughly with paper towels.
2. Process almonds in food processor until they resemble coarse meal, about 20 one-second pulses. 
3. Heat butter in 12-inch skillet over medium heat; cook, swirling pan constantly, until butter turns golden brown and has nutty aroma, 4 to 5 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons minced shallot and 1/4 teaspoon Sea salt; cook, stirring constantly, until just beginning to brown, about 2 minutes.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low, add Panko and ground nuts; cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer Panko mixture to shallow dish or pie plate and stir in lemon peel, thyme, parsley flakes and Parmesan cheese.
5. Place 1/4 cup flour in a pie plate. In second pie plate, whisk egg whites and 2 teaspoons mustard until combined; add remaining 6 tablespoons flour and whisk until almost smooth, with pea-sized lumps remaining. 
6. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees. Spray wire cooling rack with nonstick cooking spray and place in rimmed baking sheet. 
7. Season chops with pepper. Dredge one pork chop in flour; shake off excess. Using tongs, coat with egg mixture; let excess drip off. Coat all sides of chop with Panko-almond bread crumb mixture, pressing gently so that thick layer of crumbs adheres to chop. Transfer breaded chop to wire rack. Repeat with remaining 3 chops.
8.  Bake until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of chops registers 150 degrees, 17 to 25 minutes. Let rest on rack 5 minutes before serving.