Cranberry Sauce

For the love of all that is good and tasty, can we all agree to ban the "cranberry log" from our tables this holiday season. Really, there are indentations from the can!!! The really unfortunate thing about the log, is that it only takes ten minutes to make real cranberry sauce that not only tastes better, but actually looks appetizing.  I never ate cranberry sauce until about five years ago, when mom made some from scratch.
Cranberries are in season right now so get local ones if you can, otherwise Ocean Spray distributes nationally.  Fortunately for me, my local supermarket sells Jersey Fresh produce, otherwise many farm markets have them as well.

Ingredients

• Cranberries
• Orange Juice
• Sugar

Tools

• Measuring cups
• Saucepan
• Spoon
• Stick Blender (optional)

Instructions
Making cranberry sauce is simplicity defined. Rinse an bag of cranberries (about 12oz) and put them in a medium saucepan. Add a cup of orange juice and a cup of sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to simmer for 10 - 15 minutes depending on how thick you want the sauce to be, cool and serve. The sauce will still be thin when you first take it out of the pan, but it thickens as it cools.

Probably the best part of making your own cranberry sauce is that the above recipe is just a guide. The OJ and sugar are just suggestions. If you like more tart cranberry sauce, use a cup of water and less sugar. Or try pineapple juice, or honey instead of sugar, or half water, and half OJ. My favorite is 3/4 cup OJ and a 1/4 cup Grand Marnier, definitely for adults.

Let us know how you like it, just don't tell me you prefer the log. Enjoy.

Grilled Buffalo Wings

It's football season again and, as everyone knows, the absolute best food to eat while watching a game is PIZZA. Buffalo wings, however, run a close second and are the most requested item for me to bring to football parties. Over the years, I have cooked wings every method conceivable. I started by putting oil in an 8qt pot and frying them on my (electric) stove which is very, very messy. Eventually I bought a deep fryer and used that for a long time. At one point, I owned two deep fryers just for making wings. After Wifey came along and complained the house smelled like oil when I fried, I took to baking the wings, but it took forever (over an hour) and the wings never seemed crisp, so I moved to the grill. First I grilled the wings and after they completely cooked, tossed them in sauce, but no one liked them. My cousin Mike told me how he and his brother grilled wings once, and the rest, as they say, is history. The technique is to cook the wings by alternating between grilling and braising, which imparts both the grilled smokiness and sauce spiciness into the wings. My grill is close to my back door, and as long as there isn’t snow on the ground I don’t mind grilling all winter. I make this recipe all the way into December (they are a must for my annual Army-Navy game bash)


Ingredients

• Wings
• Salt
• Pepper
• Hot sauce of choice

Tools

• Grill
• Pan
• Tongs
• Meat Thermometer

Instructions
Tyson, Purdue, and other companies sell bags of individually quick frozen wings in supermarkets. Defrost the wings, and season with salt and pepper, or a dry rub if desired. Heat the grill until it has a medium high heat (350-400 degrees if you have a thermometer on your grill). Grill the wings for about a minute per side directly on the grate. Put the wings into a roasting pan and cover with sauce. Leave the pan on the grill and cook with the lid closed for about five minutes. Return the wings to the grill for another couple minutes, then back in the sauce for five. It usually takes three or four cycles for the wings to get fully cooked. Use an insta-read meat thermometer if you want to make sure the wings are done (160 degrees F).

Notes on sauces: You can use any sauce you want. I like Steve and Eds Buffalo Wing sauce, because it gives some heat, but my mom will eat them.

Homemade sauces can be cooked right in the roasting pan. Just put the ingredients in while the grill is preheating and turn the wings over the first time you put them in the pan.

A note on the thermometer: A good insta-read thermometer is indispensable in the kitchen. I recommend ThermoWorks Super-Fast Thermapen (now Splashproof). Simply the best cooking thermometer I've ever had.

Steamed Clams

Instead of Flügtagging, Wifey's dad held the annual Stahl Crabfest, this weekend. After three years of being in the family, he offered me the honor of helping in the cooking. While Dad-in-law steamed two bushels of crabs, I took to the grill and steamed 500 clams (minus the ones we ate raw).

I really enjoy steaming clams, because it’s easy, and the number of ways you can influence the flavor of the clam. All you really need is a cooking vessel, a liquid, and heat. The liquid imparts the most flavor to the clams. Water gives you a true clam flavor, but beer, wine, chicken broth, or any other clear liquid work great and add flavor. Beyond that, you can add any number of things to the liquid to impart more flavors; aromatic vegetables, seasonings, or butter give the best results. I steam with water when I am using the clams as part of another recipe (clams over linguine, pork in clam and garlic sauce) but when we are eating the clams as an appetizer, I usually cook my clams in white wine with butter, red and green bell peppers, and garlic. This time I kept it simple and steamed with white wine, except for one batch I steamed in beer.

The size of the steaming pan depends on how many clams you are cooking and what you plan on using to heat the pan. On a stove-top, I use a large frying pan or a stockpot. In the oven I use a cast iron pan, a roasting pan, or a casserole dish. On the grill, I use a roasting pan, or sometime just put the clams on the grate. I like using the “foil-ware” lasagna pans or steaming trays in the oven or on the grill when I am cooking more than one batch, since I can use a new one instead of cleaning the pan when switching liquids, or when serving the clams in the juice.


Ingredients

• Clams
• Liquid of choice
• Flavorings of choice
• Water
• Corn Meal
• Ice

Tools

• Pan
• Tongs
• Knives and cutting boards to prep flavorings (if necessary)
• Storage container

Instructions
Prior to cooking, any bad clams (broken shells, chipped, barnacled) should be discarded. The remainder need to be cleaned by soaking them in ice water with some cornmeal added to it. After about a half hour the water will be cloudy and dirty, but the inside of the clams will be dirt free. Pick the clams out of the water, don’t pour them through a strainer or you will just be pouring the dirt back over them.

Pick a cooking vessel which fits over your heat source, and is over an inch or two deep. Fill the pot with one layer of clams.  Don’t stack clams on top of each other, or you risk over-cooking the bottom clams. Pour about an inch of liquid, and add any flavorings into the pan, and cook over high heat until the clams start opening. As each clam opens completely, remove them to your serving plate. Discard any clams that don’t open within a few minutes of the rest of the clams. Eat right out of the shell or dip in drawn butter and enjoy.

The __T Sandwich

That's right; no B or L. If you want to make a good BLT go see Lisa's post on EatingInSJersey. IMHO, bacon and lettuce aren't worthy to be on the same sandwich as fresh, ripe, in-season Jersey tomatoes. Save the bacon until you need to overpower early season, late season, or *cringe* out of state tomatoes. I keep a cutting board and knife at my desk, bring in a loaf of bread and jar of mayo to the office every Monday, and carry in a tomato every day and make the sandwich fresh for lunch for as long as I can get good tomatoes. Yes, I do get funny looks at work, but once you try the sandwich, you'll agree the looks are worth it.

Ingredients

• Tomato
• Bread
• Mayonnaise
• Salt
• Peppercorns

Tools

• Cutting board
• Serrated knife
• Butter knife or rubber spatula
• Pepper grinder

To make the sandwich, slice the tomato horizontally (not from top to bottom) so you get full round quarter inch (6mm) slices. Spread the mayo on both slices of bread and season each with salt and pepper. Stack the bread and two tomato slices (bread, tomato, bread), cut the sandwich in half if desired, and enjoy.

Notes:

• A medium sized tomato (three inch diameter) should yield enough for two sandwiches and a little leftover around the stem to eat (just salt, pepper, and yum) or put toward a salad.
• The mayo not only provides flavor, but creates a barrier between the tomato juice and the bread, keeping the bread from becoming a pink soggy mess.
• You can use any bread you want, including rolls, but I like whole wheat sandwich bread.