Ree Drummond's Blog, page 59
March 30, 2012
These Are a Few of My Favorite Tools
I was cooking the other day. It happens sometimes!
As I was cooking, I was thinking about the myriad tools and gadgets and bells and whistles that are available for the kitchen…but how very few things are really necessary when you get right down to it. My favorite cooking tools are the ones I always have in my crock or in my drawer right by the stove—the things I reach for time and time again.
(My water softener has been on the fritz for a little while, so don't be disturbed by the non-shiny surface of some of these things.)
A flat whisk. Without question, one of my favorite tools in the history of tools.
Flat whisks become, well, flat when you press them against the surface of a skillet or pot. This is perfect for deglazing, making gravies, sauces, etc. Scrapes that pan like no one's business.
Stainless tongs of various lengths. Turn meats you're searing, use them to stir, retrieve things frying in oil…and save the world.
Stainless slotted spoon. I've had this spoon since I got married, and if it disappeared from my kitchen I'd have some sort of breakdown.
There are lots of stainless slotted spoons in the world. But this one, made by AMCO, is the best. Comfortable to hold, ridiculously durable, and it'll make you a happier, more rounded person.
So will the spatula version. I have two, and they were both covered with stuff when I snapped the photos. Here's a catalog photo.
Wusthof Nakiri knife. A good knife is essential in the kitchen, and this one's my favorite. It makes my heart go pitter-pat.
Boar's bristle pastry brushes. Until a couple of years ago, I used the same brush I'd used since I got married…and boy, had it gotten grody. I still have it, too. These are newer ones, and I love them for brushing on melted butter, egg washes, etc. Not everyone loves these—some prefer synthetic or silicone bristles. But for some reason, I've always reached for these.
Scoops of various sizes. The handiness of these can not be underestimated. I love them. Use smaller sizes for meatballs, cookie dough, melon balls; use the larger sizes to fill muffin tins with cupcake or muffin batter, scoops out meat for sliders, and many other things. They speed along lots of repetitive cooking tasks (making meatballs, etc.) and ensure consistent measurements and sizes. They make me feel like a natural woman!
I have no idea what that meant. I just love that song.
Fine mesh strainers of various sizes. Strain a lemon right into the blender, sift dry ingredients (larger size), sprinkle cocoa…endless possibilities!
Offset spatulas. Frost cookies (smaller size) and cakes (larger size) without contorting your body or getting icing all over your hands. These puppies are essential.
French rolling pin. I can't use rolling pins with handles. They're against my religion.
Not a tool here, just an essential: stainless bowls of all sizes. My favorite. This one's on the new side, but I love them most when they're scratched up and well worn.
Another essential: Aluminum pie pans. This is purely a personal preference—some pie bakers prefer glass. But to me there's nothing better than these plain, unadorned metal pie pans. When I make good pies, these pans are always involved.
This was by no means a comprehensive list—I'll write a separate post about pots/pans/baking dishes and small appliances—but I hope you've found one or two things you might like to add to your arsenal!
(Feel free to share your favorite cooking tools. We can compare notes.)
These Are a Few of My Favorite Things
I was cooking the other day. It happens sometimes!
As I was cooking, I was thinking about the myriad tools and gadgets and bells and whistles that are available for the kitchen…but how very few things are really necessary when you get right down to it. My favorite cooking tools are the ones I always have in my crock or in my drawer right by the stove—the things I reach for time and time again.
(My water softener has been on the fritz for a little while, so don't be disturbed by the non-shiny surface of some of these things.)
A flat whisk. Without question, one of my favorite tools in the history of tools.
Flat whisks become, well, flat when you press them against the surface of a skillet or pot. This is perfect for deglazing, making gravies, sauces, etc. Scrapes that pan like no one's business.
Stainless tongs of various lengths. Turn meats you're searing, use them to stir, retrieve things frying in oil…and save the world.
Stainless slotted spoon. I've had this spoon since I got married, and if it disappeared from my kitchen I'd have some sort of breakdown.
There are lots of stainless slotted spoons in the world. But this one, made by AMCO, is the best. Comfortable to hold, ridiculously durable, and it'll make you a happier, more rounded person.
So will the spatula version. I have two, and they were both covered with stuff when I snapped the photos. Here's a catalog photo.
Wusthof Nakiri knife. A good knife is essential in the kitchen, and this one's my favorite. It makes my heart go pitter-pat.
Boar's bristle pastry brushes. Until a couple of years ago, I used the same brush I'd used since I got married…and boy, had it gotten grody. I still have it, too. These are newer ones, and I love them for brushing on melted butter, egg washes, etc. Not everyone loves these—some prefer synthetic or silicone bristles. But for some reason, I've always reached for these.
Scoops of various sizes. The handiness of these can not be underestimated. I love them. Use smaller sizes for meatballs, cookie dough, melon balls; use the larger sizes to fill muffin tins with cupcake or muffin batter, scoops out meat for sliders, and many other things. They speed along lots of repetitive cooking tasks (making meatballs, etc.) and ensure consistent measurements and sizes. They make me feel like a natural woman!
I have no idea what that meant. I just love that song.
Fine mesh strainers of various sizes. Strain a lemon right into the blender, sift dry ingredients (larger size), sprinkle cocoa…endless possibilities!
Offset spatulas. Frost cookies (smaller size) and cakes (larger size) without contorting your body or getting icing all over your hands. These puppies are essential.
French rolling pin. I can't use rolling pins with handles. They're against my religion.
Stainless bowls of all sizes. My favorite. This one's on the new side, but I love them most when they're scratched up and well worn.
Aluminum pie pans. This is purely a personal preference—some pie bakers prefer glass. But to me there's nothing better than these plain, unadorned metal pie pans. When I make good pies, these pans are always involved.
This was by no means a comprehensive list, but I hope you've found one or two things you might like to add to your arsenal!
(Feel free to share your favorite cooking tools. We can compare notes.)
March 29, 2012
Individual Cherry Almond Crisps
I love fruit crisp of any kind (my mom's peach crisp is my favorite) and I come by it honestly: My dad's favorite dessert is fruit crisp. So when he and his sweet wife Patsy came over for dinner a couple of months ago (the dinner is chronicled on this Saturday's episode of my Food Network show) I made these yummy cherry almond crisps in individual ramekins.
My dad loved them.
The kids loved them.
Marlboro Man loved them.
Patsy and I loved them.
And the family was happy.
The lovely thing about fruit crisps is that you can use the basic recipe with any fruit you want: peaches, pears, apples, berries, cherries. And while I'd normally make a crisp in one big baking dish, the ramekins can be really nice because everyone's dessert is self-contained and you're not having to scoop out big, messy portions from a big ol' dish. Not that there's anything wrong with big, messy portions from a big ol' dish. That pretty much describes everything I cook. But still.
I made the crisps again three or so weeks ago, just before I left on my book trip. The light was strange and so was my brain, so excuse the small handful of process shots I missed.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: My brain is a highly imperfect place.
The Cast of Characters: frozen cherries, flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cornstarch, almond extract, slivered almonds, and whipped cream for serving (though I wound up grabbing the vanilla ice cream.)
Start by making the crisp topping: Combine flour and sugar…
With brown sugar…
Cinnamon…
Nice pruny fingertips, Ree! You should be very proud.
Nutmeg…
And a teeny dash of salt.
Stir it all together to combine…
Then add a stick-and-a-half of butter cut in pieces.
And then—this is really important—use a pastry cutter to combine the flour mixture and the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. But the really important part is that you MUST forget to take a photo of this step.
That element is essential if you want to duplicate my process.
(Sorry. Airhead here.)
After you've cut the butter and flour mixture together, pour in a good half cup (more if you'd like) of slivered almonds, which are perfectly perfect in the crisp topping. They add crunch and flavor, and they also lightly toast while the crisps are baking and…oh, yum. That's all I can say.
Stir them around, then set this aside for a minute.
Next, pour the frozen-hard cherries into a big bowl. Note that because I dragged my feet and was cooking some other things at the same time that day, I let the cherries thaw a little too much before mixing them. But the recipe works so much better when you work with totally frozen cherries!
In other words, don't be like me.
Also add some cornstarch. They'll give the cherries a little substance as they bake and will create a nice thick syrup (without being gloopy or overly cornstarchy).
Finally, add some almond extract, which absolutely catapults the cherry crisps into the stratosphere of deliciousness. Seriously. If you leave out the almond extract, you'll never, ever forgive yourself.
Ever.
Have I mentioned it's important not to forget the almond extract?
Toss the cherries around to coat them in the other ingredients. If your cherries are frozen like they should be (mine aren't) the other ingredients stick to the cherries and there's no juice at all. The juice happens in the oven.
It's groovy.
Fill ramekins or small baking dishes with an equal amount of cherries…
Then top the ramekins with plenty of the crisp topping.
It'll look like a lot, but it really does shrink/settle as the crisps bake and you want to have plenty of crust on top to compete with all the juicy cherries below.
After that, just place 'em on a baking sheet and bake 'em at 350 for at least 40 to 45 minutes, checking on them to make sure the top isn't burning. Keep baking 'em until the top is golden and crisp and divine.
Oh, and this is important: Forget to take a photo of the crisps when they come out of the oven.
Of course, I'd never forget the ice cream shot. I've never forgotten an ice cream shot in my life.
I have no idea what that means.
I was off my photo rocker the day I made these. I think I was so interested in sinking my teeth into the crisp that the photo taking became secondary in importance.
Ah—finally! A shot of the crisp. It's a little messy and gooey…but that's actually a good thing.
Yum.
You will love these, guys. Frozen cherries work so well, and the almond extract—not to mention the almonds in the crisp topping—make life worth living. I've eaten them with both ice cream and whipped cream, and I truly can't decide which way I prefer. Both options are totally divine. I think I'll serve them with both next time, just to settle the matter once and for all.
Enjoy!
Recipe: Individual Cherry Almond Crisps
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
|
Cook Time: 45 Minutes
|
Difficulty: Easy
|
Servings: 8
Print Recipe
3"x5" Cards
4"x6" Cards
Full Page
Ingredients
1 cup All-purpose Flour1/2 cup Sugar1/2 cup Packed Brown Sugar1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon Dash Or Two Of Nutmeg1/4 teaspoon Salt1/2 cup Slivered Almonds1-1/2 stick Cold (salted) Butter, Cut Into Pieces4 bags (12 Ounces) Frozen Tart Cherries1/2 cup White Sugar1/4 cup Cornstarch2 teaspoons Almond Extract2 cups Heavy Cream2 Tablespoons Sugar Preparation Instructions
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
Cut the cold butter into pieces. Add the butter to the bowl and use a fork or pastry blender to cut it into the flour mixture until it resembles a coarse crumbs. Add the slivered almonds and stir them in.
Place the still-frozen cherries in a bowl, and add sugar, cornstarch and almond extract. Gently stir the cherries to combine.
Divide the cherries between 8 ramekins (about ½ cup each). Top generously with the crumb mixture, evening out the surface.
Bake for 45 minutes, or until the topping is crisp and golden brown. If the topping appears underdone, continue baking in 10 minute increments until it's done.
Add heavy cream and sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whip until light and fluffy. Keep in the fridge until ready to serve.
Serve the crisps warm or room temperature with a dollop of freshly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Posted by Ree on March 28 2012
March 27, 2012
PW eCookbook + iPad Giveaway (Winners Announced)
UPDATE: First up, Statistician Don compiled some great visuals of your answers to the "What would you have for dinner tonight if you could have anything?" question. Here are the results in his words!
"This contest was fun to do, but man am I hungry now! Unsurprisingly, steak was the big winner, though chicken was hot on its heels. For your viewing pleasure, I have not one, but two tag clouds! The first has the top 50 most-listed items for dinner. The second is how you'd like it made (basically a bunch of the most popular descriptors). Finally, (What? Three plots!) shows the breakdown of how respondents take their steak. Not everyone who listed steak described how they like it cooked, so this just shows the counts for those who were specific."
THE RESULTS
(What's for dinner.)
(How it would be prepared.)
(How you like your steak.)
Thank you for the interesting results, Statistician Don! Your data collecting/organizing never ceases to amaze me.
Plus, you're nice.
THE WINNERS
The winners of the iPad + PW eCookbooks are:
#18629 Edgar S. "I would have Steak Diane with mashed potatoes!"
#49940 Elizabeth "We lived outside of Seattle for a number of years and our favroite thing was to pop over to the market and get peppered smoked salmon & lump crab meat from our favortie fish market, then a good loaf of bread, an avocado and some lemon would round out our meal. There is nothing better than those fresh flavors and to have a bit of a picnic indoors."
#30077 Kelly J. "Pizza – had the most amazing ultimate margherita pizza the other day that included pepperoni and feta – to die for!"
Congrats to the winners and thank you everyone for entering!
Contact prizes@thepioneerwoman.com to claim your prize.
THE CONTEST
(Contest time has expired.)
If you are an iPad user, or are a soon-to-be iPad user, or you're thinking of one day becoming an iPad user, or your mom's sister's husband's brother's wife is an iPad user, I am very happy to show you my new cookbook in ebook form.
I've played with the book. It is incredibly groovy.
Here are some features:
* You can easily swipe through the whole cookbook section by section, or page by page.
* The step-by-step photographic tutorials are included in a widget, which you can flip through with a simple swipe of your finger.
* You can also choose to enlarge the steps in the tutorial and see them each as a full-screen photo with the text for the step written below.
* You can tap on any photo in the book (food, family, cow, dog, or otherwise) and enlarge it to full screen mode.
* There are five cooking videos in the book.
* I also include a video of my favorite cooking tools.
* And a playlist of songs I like to listen to while I'm cooking. It's weird, I'll warn you.
* I also include a playlist of movies I like to watch while I'm cooking.
This particular ebook edition of the new cookbook is a multi-touch book (meaning you can use your fingers to navigate the book in lots of different ways) and was created using the incredibly sleek iBooksAuthor app. It's amazingly simple to use, fun to play with, easy to browse, and features bonus recipes, playlists and a few videos of me cooking some of the recipes in the book.
Here are some brief peeks.
Here's the main recipe page. If you were to tap on the photo of the quiche, it would expand to full screen mode.
On the next page are the step-by-step photos, with the instructions below each one.
You just use your finger to swipe through each step.
You can keep the step-by-steps this size, which is definitely nice and readable.
Or you can tap it once to enlarge, then swipe through the full-screen photos and text one by one.
Here's a screenshot of the full-screen mode with the instructions below.
And another…
And another. To flip through the steps, just swipe through the photos. Easy!
I am so excited about how the cookbook looks (and acts!) on the iBookAuthor format. It's totally interactive, incredibly user friendly, and I really do think it'll make cooking fun for those of you who either prefer electronic devices to hardcover cookbooks OR who want to try your hand at the whole digital device realm.
So today, because I love ya, I'm giving away three (3) new iPads (winner's choice of black or white), each loaded with the new ebook version of The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food From My Frontier.
I'll also include a Smart Cover (color of winner's choice), which not only protects the screen, but also doubles as a stand (it folds backwards into a triangle–awesome) so that you can pop the iPad right on your counter and start cooking.
TO ENTER
To enter the iPad and PW eCookbook giveaway, just answer the following questions in the Comments section of this post:
"If you could have whatever you wanted for dinner tonight, what would it be?"
Would you dive into a platter of sushi? Gnaw on a medium-rare steak? Devour a dish of macaroni and cheese? Inhale a scrumptious curry?
Just shout out your ideal dinner tonight and you're automatically entered to win the iPad and ebook!
THE RULES
One entry per person, please.
No entries after noon Wednesday.
Winners will be selected at random and posted Wednesday night.
Good luck!
THE EBOOK
The Apple/ibook version of the cookbook (shown above) can be found here: Pioneer Woman on iTunes
The Amazon/Kindle version of the cookbook (which behaves differently but is still great) can be found here: PW Cooks on Kindle
The Barnes and Noble/Nook version of the cookbook (again, not identical to the Apple version, but still awesome) can be found here: PW Cooks on Nook
Giveaway sponsored by Pioneer Woman and my publisher, William Morrow, whom I love and adore. Thank you guys!
PW eCookbook + iPad Giveaway
If you are an iPad user, or are a soon-to-be iPad user, or you're thinking of one day becoming an iPad user, or your mom's sister's husband's brother's wife is an iPad user, I am very happy to show you my new cookbook in ebook form.
I've played with the book. It is incredibly groovy.
Here are some features:
* You can easily swipe through the whole cookbook section by section, or page by page.
* The step-by-step photographic tutorials are included in a widget, which you can flip through with a simple swipe of your finger.
* You can also choose to enlarge the steps in the tutorial and see them each as a full-screen photo with the text for the step written below.
* You can tap on any photo in the book (food, family, cow, dog, or otherwise) and enlarge it to full screen mode.
* There are five cooking videos in the book.
* I also include a video of my favorite cooking tools.
* And a playlist of songs I like to listen to while I'm cooking. It's weird, I'll warn you.
* I also include a playlist of movies I like to watch while I'm cooking.
This particular ebook edition of the new cookbook is a multi-touch book (meaning you can use your fingers to navigate the book in lots of different ways) and was created using the incredibly sleek iBooksAuthor app. It's amazingly simple to use, fun to play with, easy to browse, and features bonus recipes, playlists and a few videos of me cooking some of the recipes in the book.
Here are some brief peeks.
Here's the main recipe page. If you were to tap on the photo of the quiche, it would expand to full screen mode.
On the next page are the step-by-step photos, with the instructions below each one.
You just use your finger to swipe through each step.
You can keep the step-by-steps this size, which is definitely nice and readable.
Or you can tap it once to enlarge, then swipe through the full-screen photos and text one by one.
Here's a screenshot of the full-screen mode with the instructions below.
And another…
And another. To flip through the steps, just swipe through the photos. Easy!
I am so excited about how the cookbook looks (and acts!) on the iBookAuthor format. It's totally interactive, incredibly user friendly, and I really do think it'll make cooking fun for those of you who either prefer electronic devices to hardcover cookbooks OR who want to try your hand at the whole digital device realm.
So today, because I love ya, I'm giving away three (3) new iPads (winner's choice of black or white), each loaded with the new ebook version of The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food From My Frontier.
I'll also include a Smart Cover (color of winner's choice), which not only protects the screen, but also doubles as a stand (it folds backwards into a triangle–awesome) so that you can pop the iPad right on your counter and start cooking.
TO ENTER
To enter the iPad and PW eCookbook giveaway, just answer the following questions in the Comments section of this post:
"If you could have whatever you wanted for dinner tonight, what would it be?"
Would you dive into a platter of sushi? Gnaw on a medium-rare steak? Devour a dish of macaroni and cheese? Inhale a scrumptious curry?
Just shout out your ideal dinner tonight and you're automatically entered to win the iPad and ebook!
THE RULES
One entry per person, please.
No entries after noon Wednesday.
Winners will be selected at random and posted Wednesday night.
Good luck!
THE EBOOK
The Apple/ibook version of the cookbook (shown above) can be found here: Pioneer Woman on iTunes
The Amazon/Kindle version of the cookbook (which behaves differently but is still great) can be found here: PW Cooks on Kindle
The Barnes and Noble/Nook version of the cookbook (again, not identical to the Apple version, but still awesome) can be found here: PW Cooks on Nook
Giveaway sponsored by Pioneer Woman and my publisher, William Morrow, whom I love and adore. Thank you guys!
March 24, 2012
Petite Vanilla Scones
On today's episode of the Food Network show, I have a breakfast theme going on. One of the things I decided to make were these yummy little vanilla scones I made after coming back from a trip to the city a couple of years ago. I wanted to bring the post up to the front today in case you'd like to see the step-by-step again. Yummy!
Originally published April 2010.
When I went to the big city last week to attempt to get my hair colored Lucille Ball red, I stopped at Starbucks to buy three Venti half-caf cappuccinos—one to drink on the way home, one to drink that night, and another to put in the fridge and enjoy the next morning. I predict that one of these days I'll start buying dozens of cappuccinos at a time and freeze them so I can have Starbucks cappuccino 365 days a year. I keep trying to convince Starbucks that it would be so much easier if they'd just put a franchise in our hay meadow…but they're not taking my calls anymore.
When I was at Starbucks, I also picked up a couple of their small vanilla bean scones. I found them totally delightful, delicious, and less of a commitment than the larger scones they offer.
A few days later, I made my own version of the little cuties. I figure until Starbucks steps up to the plate and builds their South Hay Meadow location, this is my only recourse.
Here's what you need. Flour, sugar, unsalted butter, whole vanilla bean, egg, baking powder, salt, and cream.
First thing you need to do is split open a couple of vanilla beans and scrape out the good stuff.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Vanilla beans should be sainted.
Mmmm. This is the good stuff.
Whoever first split open a vanilla bean and figured out the beauty that's inside is a genius. A gol darn genius!
Drop the caviar into the heavy cream and stir it together, then let it sit for a good 15 to 20 minutes, just to get some of the vanilla flavor imparted to the cream. (I usually throw the scraped bean in there too, just to get as much flavor out of it as possible.)
After a little while, sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Cut the cold butter into pats and throw it over the top.
Using a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture looks like crumbs. This usually takes about five minutes or so—don't rush it!
Meanwhile…ahhhhh. Look at that beautiful cream!
Beat the egg in a separate bowl and pour in this vanilla cream.
You can see some of the vanilla caviar was really sticky and didn't dissipate throughout the cream. BAD vanilla caviar. Bad!
Mix together the cream and the egg, then pour this into the flour/butter mixture and stir it with a fork until it just comes together.
Turn the dough onto a clean surface. It'll be very crumbly—that's good!
Work it into a rough rectangle with your hands, then use a floured rolling pin to roll it
Use a sharp knife and trim the sides so the rectangle is nice and symmetrical.
Cut slices in one direction…
Then cut slices in the other direction so you wind up with twelve squares/rectangles of equal size.
And THEE-yun, cut each square in half on the diagonal. You'll wind up with 24 cute little triangles!
Carefully transfer the scones to a baking sheet lined with either parchment or a baking mat.
They'll be a little crumbly, but that's good. They shouldn't be like sugar cookies.
Next, just pop 'em in the oven for about 18 minutes.
Meanwhile, look at the mess you've made and cry a really good cry.
Back to the scones. Once you pull them out of the oven, you need to let them cool completely. While they're cooling, you can go ahead and get the icing started. This is 1/2 cup of whole milk with the caviar of another vanilla bean. You can let this sit and become delicious while the scones are cooling.
Then, when the scones are cooled, sift some powdered sugar into a bowl.
Pour in the vanilla/milk mixture.
Stir it together, adding more milk if needed to make it stirrable.
I like to coat the scones completely in the glaze. One by one, drop the scones—upside down—into the glaze.
Press the scone down a bit…
Then flip it over to coat the bottom. (You'll see some larger flecks in my glaze; those are just little bits of the vanilla bean that got caught on my knife; if you like things to look a little more perfect, be a little more careful than me.)
Remove the scone and allow the excess glaze to drip back into the bowl…
Then place them on a cooling rack to set.
You could also take this approach if you just want a little covering of glaze instead of an all-over coating.
But I like the all-over glaze. It gives the scones a wonderful sweetness and seems to "seal in the freshness" a bit—keeps 'em moist!
Enjoy!
Love,
Pioneer Woman
Recipe: Petite Vanilla Bean Scones
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
|
Cook Time: 20 Minutes
|
Difficulty: Easy
|
Servings: 12
Print Recipe
3"x5" Cards
4"x6" Cards
Full Page
Ingredients
SCONES3 cups All-purpose Flour2/3 cups Sugar5 teaspoons Baking Powder1/4 teaspoon Salt2 sticks (1/2 Pound) UNSALTED Butter, Chilled1 whole Large Egg3/4 cups Heavy Cream (more If Needed)2 whole Vanilla Beans GLAZE5 cups Powdered Sugar, Sifted1/2 cup Whole Milk, More If Needed For Thinning1 whole Vanilla Bean Dash Of Salt Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Split the vanilla beans down the middle lengthwise and scrape out all the vanilla "caviar" inside. Stir caviar into cream. Set aside for 15 minutes.
Sift together flour, 2/3 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Cut cold butter into pats, then use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut the butter into the flour. Keep going until mixture resembles crumbs.
Mix vanilla cream with egg, then combine with flour mixture; stir gently with a fork just until it comes together.
Turn dough onto a floured surface and lightly press it together until it forms a rough rectangle. (Mixture will be pretty crumbly.) Use a rolling pin to roll into a rectangle about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch thick. Use your hands to help with the forming if necessary.
Use a knife to trim into a symmetrical rectangle, then cut the rectangle into 12 symmetrical squares/rectangles. Next, cut each square/rectangle in half diagonally, to form two triangles.
Transfer to a parchment or baking mat-lined cookie sheet and bake for 18 minutes, removing from the oven just before they start to turn golden. Allow to cool for 15 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
VANILLA GLAZE
To make the icing, split one vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape out the caviar. Stir caviar into milk; allow to sit for awhile. Mix powdered sugar with the vanilla milk, adding more powdered sugar or milk if necessary to get the consistency the right thickness. Stir or whisk until completely smooth.
One at a time, carefully dunk each cooled scone in the glaze, turning it over if necessary. Transfer to parchment paper or the cooling rack. Allow the glaze to set completely, about an hour. Scones will keep several days if glazed.
Posted by Ree on April 7 2010
March 23, 2012
Lunch
Marlboro Man and I kissed and hugged and called each other George and said goodbye early this morning. He and the kids headed home and I headed to Denver for my last stop before I finally go home early Sunday morning.
Between driving to Indianapolis with the kids and my signing in Indianapolis, I never got a chance to eat past breakfast yesterday. This almost never happens. I always find a way to eat. But by the time we got to Indianapolis, I had to shower and make myself presentable (which I definitely was not when we arrived) and get to the signing. Then I got back to the hotel late last night, and I had to spend some time hugging on the kids before falling in bed.
Then I had to head to the airport in Indianapolis airport at 6:00 am, and I didn't get a chance to eat before flying to Denver.
What I'm leading up to here is that when I finally reached my hotel in Denver, I…was…starving.
Ravenous.
I could have eaten a building.
I was tired and disheveled, so I decided to do room service rather than subject the citizens of Denver to my frightening hair day.
Here's what I ordered, which I recorded with my iPhone.
I am not ashamed.
Filet. Medium rare.
Shrooms. Different varieties. Succulent and heavenly.
I took a big bite of the steak before I remembered that I'd ordered this brandy peppercorn sauce, which was dark and rich and fragrant. Much different than the peppercorn sauce I make. But oh, so divine.
How much peppercorn sauce is too much?
I'm pleased to report I was not able to find a limit.
This meal will last me till I get home,
Pioneer Woman
P.S. Notice I didn't mention the fries. I think I'm trying to act like they didn't happen.
P.P.S. Oh, I also ordered a Diet Coke.
P.P.P.S. The end.
March 21, 2012
What's Your Favorite Guilty Pleasure? (Winners Announced)
The winners of the red mixers and the cookbooks are…
#232 Amanda: "Warm chocolate brownie with rocky road ice cream."
#3233 laura: "Cake. Bread. Carbs. Seinfeld or Sex and the city reruns. When Harry Met Sally. Wine. So many guilty pleasures!"
#27764 Kelly: "There are many, but right now this is all I can think of. Don't laugh. Authentic Australian black licorice."
Congratulations, winners! Contact prizes@thepioneerwoman.com to claim your mixers.
(My guilty pleasure is above. Goodness gracious.)
(But we'll get to that in a bit.)
(First things first.)
MORE COOKBOOK GIVEAWAYS
Some more of my online friends are holding PW Cookbook giveaways this week. Head over and enter some (or all!) of 'em. Great sites, all of them, so be sure to check out what they've got going on in the food realm.
A Thought for Food – Brian made one of my favorite recipes in the book, Orange Sweet Rolls (based on the regular cinnamon roll recipe.) Oh, yum.
Recipe Girl – Oh my goodness, Lori made a big ol' meatball sub based on my Rigatoni & Meatball recipe in the book. Looks glorious, Lori!
Brown-Eyed Belle – Thank you, Heather!
This Week for Dinner – Jane's beautiful site makes me drool every time. Yummy!
Wenderly – My dear sweet friend Wendy has such a lovely site, and she made the perfect batch of doughnuts from the book. I want one!
MIXER GIVEAWAY
Today, because it's Wednesday and because I love ya, I'm giving away three (3) of these gorgeous candy apple red KitchenAid stand mixers.
I love this mixer.
It's red.
It's shiny.
Amen.
TO ENTER
To enter this giveaway, just answer the following questions in the Comments section of this post:
"What's your favorite guilty pleasure?"
Do you eat Haagen Dazs coffee ice cream straight out of the pint? Do you microwave Ding Dongs for ten seconds until the chocolate icing is glossy and melted? Do you love a certain kind of chocolate bar?
Or is a Real Housewives marathon more your cup of tea?
Just shout out your #1 guilty pleasure—food or otherwise—and you're automatically entered to win a mixer.
I'll also throw in a cookbook with each mixer, just for kicks!
It just came out last week. There's lots of yummy stuff in there.
THE RULES
One entry per person, please.
Winners will be selected and announced Thursday night.
Have a great day, everyone!
(Contest is now closed.)
What's Your Favorite Guilty Pleasure?
(My guilty pleasure is above. Goodness gracious.)
(But we'll get to that in a bit.)
(First things first.)
MORE COOKBOOK GIVEAWAYS
Some more of my online friends are holding PW Cookbook giveaways this week. Head over and enter some (or all!) of 'em. Great sites, all of them, so be sure to check out what they've got going on in the food realm.
A Thought for Food – Brian made one of my favorite recipes in the book, Orange Sweet Rolls (based on the regular cinnamon roll recipe.) Oh, yum.
Recipe Girl – Oh my goodness, Lori made a big ol' meatball sub based on my Rigatoni & Meatball recipe in the book. Looks glorious, Lori!
Brown-Eyed Belle – Thank you, Heather!
This Week for Dinner – Jane's beautiful site makes me drool every time. Yummy!
Wenderly – My dear sweet friend Wendy has such a lovely site, and she made the perfect batch of doughnuts from the book. I want one!
MIXER GIVEAWAY
Today, because it's Wednesday and because I love ya, I'm giving away three (3) of these gorgeous candy apple red KitchenAid stand mixers.
I love this mixer.
It's red.
It's shiny.
Amen.
TO ENTER
To enter this giveaway, just answer the following questions in the Comments section of this post:
"What's your favorite guilty pleasure?"
Do you eat Haagen Dazs coffee ice cream straight out of the pint? Do you microwave Ding Dongs for ten seconds until the chocolate icing is glossy and melted? Do you love a certain kind of chocolate bar?
Or is a Real Housewives marathon more your cup of tea?
Just shout out your #1 guilty pleasure—food or otherwise—and you're automatically entered to win a mixer.
I'll also throw in a cookbook with each mixer, just for kicks!
It just came out last week. There's lots of yummy stuff in there.
THE RULES
One entry per person, please.
Winners will be selected and announced Thursday night.
Have a great day, everyone!
March 20, 2012
Primanti Brothers. Pittsburgh.
I've heard so much about Primanti Brothers sandwiches in Pittsburgh, and I knew before I even arrived that I was not going to leave the city without sinking my teeth into one. There happened to be one a block away from our hotel downtown, so Marlboro Man, the kids, and I made plans to stop in there after my book signing last night and chow down before leaving this morning.
Turned out, though, one of the kids was feeling puny and it was around 9:00 pm when it was finally time to eat, so Marlboro Man volunteered to take the kids up to the hotel room to order room service while I ran over to Primanti's to grab a sandwich to bring back to the room.
I told the gal behind the counter that I wanted the true Primanti's experience, and she recommended the pastrami sandwich, which had been recommended to me several times by Pittsburghians (Correction: Pittsburghers!) So I ordered that and a big Diet Coke because I'm all about healthy choices. Then I sat down and waited.
That's when I started fearing I wouldn't be getting a broad enough taste of what Primanti's was all about. Plus, I wanted to make sure there was plenty in case the kids regretted their room service choices. So I returned to the counter and ordered a roast beef sandwich with an egg, because evidently you have to get the egg. That's what I was told.
I'm such a follower.
I returned to the hotel room, where Marlboro Man and the kids were waiting for their room service. I removed the first sandwich out of the bag. The suspense was killing me. I knew Primanti's sandwiches were ultra layered and packed, but I actually hadn't seen any of the TV segments about them and didn't know what to expect.
Then I opened it up…and immediately prayed for my future. The kids gasped when they saw the size of the sandwich. One of my boys said, "Mama…are you gonna eat all that?"
"Yes." I answered. "I am."
Here's what we're looking at, from top to bottom: Italian bread, pastrami, FRENCH FRIES, cole slaw, tomato slices, and another slice of bread.
I didn't even know what to do. Where was the fork? Where was the knife? Could I even fit my mouth around this sucker? I wanted my mommy.
A few minutes later, here's where I was. After two or three hilarious bites straight from the sandwich—and by hilarious, I mean that I laughed at myself in between groans of ecstasy—I instead chose to gobble it down as a finger food, taking slivers of the scrumptiously delectable pastrami (my goodness, how good it is) and rolling it up with a little slaw (vinegar-based and beautifully unadorned) inside. Sometimes I'd stick a fry in there with the slaw; sometimes I'd just dip the fries in ketchup and eat them alone.
That's when Marlboro Man moseyed over, curious to check out the sandwich we'd both heard so much about. I didn't even entertain eating the other half of my pastrami (you'll see why in a minute) so I offered it to my beloved.
He took a bite. He chewed. He swallowed. Then he took another bite twice as big.
"That's good," he declared. "Man."
And it was. Oh, it was.
But I still had my roast beef sandwich to tend to. I'm holding it upside down, but here goes: Tomatoes, cole slaw, french fries, roast beef, cheese, and an unashamed fried egg. And I squirted a couple of packs of hot sauce all over it before diving in and eating half of this half. There was no way I was eating more than that. I wrapped up the rest and put it in the fridge in our hotel room.
It was absolutely, unbelievably delicious. The meat—both the pastrami and the roast beef was so flavorful and tender. The slaw was the perfect tangy-ness to compete with all the other things going on. If anything, I could probably stand for the fries to be a side dish…but I totally get how part-of-the-experience that is.
I wound up staying up till midnight out of respect for my gastrointestinal tract.
Then I ate the other half for breakfast this morning.
And I am not ashamed.
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