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by Susan Doyle



Your tip for June 22, 2009




GRILLED NEW YORK STRIP WITH MALAYSIAN TAMARIND GARLIC GLAZE AND CILANTRO
AND LEMONGRASS SCENTED HERB
Servings: 4

Glaze:
2 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons finely minced garlic
1 tablespoon red curry paste (see Note)
1/2 cup tamarind liquid (see Note)
6 tablespoons beef broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion
1 tablespoon finely minced ginger
Vinaigrette:
1 shallot, finely minced
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon good quality curry powder
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1 stalk lemon grass (the bottom bulb-like third only), chopped (see
Note)
1 1/2 cups canola oil
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Salad:
1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch chives
1 cup arugula, micro green baby arugula, or mache (optional)
4 (8-ounce) New York strip steaks or filet mignon

For Glaze: Heat oil in skillet over medium heat, add garlic and stir-fry
for
15 seconds. Stir in curry paste and cook briefly, until spices release
their
scent. Add tamarind, beef broth, soy sauce, sugar, green onions and
ginger.
Cook until sugar dissolves and sauce thickens slightly. Set aside. (You
may
have more glaze than you need. Put half in the refrigerator to use
another
day.)

For Vinaigrette: Combine shallot, garlic, mustard, curry powder, sugar,
rice
wine vinegar and lemon grass in blender; process until smooth. With
blender
on medium speed, remove center of lid and slowly add oil. When
thoroughly
emulsified, season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

For Salad: Wash cilantro, dry, remove stems and discard. Cut chives into
1-inch long pieces. Wash arugula or other greens and pat dry. Combine
all
greens and set aside.

Heat grill, place steaks on rack and cook partway through. When the
steaks
are about ¾ cooked, begin brushing with Glaze on both sides until
steaks are
cooked to desired temperature. Remove from grill and let rest for a few
minutes. Meanwhile, toss Salad with the desired amount of Vinaigrette.
Serve
steaks topped with salad.

Note: The red curry paste is sold under the brand Thai Kitchen,
available at
H-E-B Alon Market, Central Market and Asian markets such as Tim's
Oriental &
Seafood Market. Fresh tamarind is available at most grocery stores in
the
produce section; the frozen pulp can be purchased at Las Americas Latin
Market. The pods contain edible pulp that can be soaked in water and
strained to obtain the liquid called for in the recipe. It is also sold
in
plastic-wrapped blocks or in liquid concentrates. Fresh lemon grass is
available at the above markets as well. The dried version must be soaked
before using.

Source: L'Etoile Pat Mozersky: Chefs' Secrets - San Antonio
Express-News



Nutrition Information

Steaks make 4 servings (without salad), each 540 calories (61.7 percent
calories from fat), 36 g fat, 125 mg cholesterol, 250 mg sodium, 3 g
carbohydrates, 0 dietary fiber, 47 g protein.

Vinaigrette makes 2 1/4 cups, each tablespoon 80 calories (99.3 percent
calories from fat), 0 cholesterol, 0 sodium, 0 carbohydrates, 0 dietary
fiber, 0 protein.







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Welcome to the Kitchen Project's
H O U S E H O L D H I N T S

____________________________________

by Susan Doyle



Your tip for June 23 , 2009



FORGET CAKE, LET THEM EAT PIE

When Paula Haney brags about "experiencing a slice of heaven on earth,"
she's referring to her own nostalgic creations -- the cream and seasonal
fruit pies she concocts for comfort-craving customers in upscale coffee
shops, at Green City Market and online.

Yes, Haney -- the "mama" behind her two-year-old Hoosier Mama Pie Co. --
takes online orders (www.hoosiermamapie.com
<http://www.hoosiermamapie.com/> ) for her pies.

Being a perfectionist, Haney spent nearly a year developing her pie
crust recipe in the couple's Rogers Park home shared with Nori, their
adopted blind stray cat.

Pie is all about flaky crust, says Haney, who oversees baking five
nights a week in leased facilities at Kitchen Chicago, 4664 N. Manor.
Her secrets to good crust include using both chilled and rozen unsalted
butter, frozen all-purpose flour, ice water and red wine vinegar.

Other advice from Haney



Refrigerate the dough, flattened into individual discs and wrapped in
plastic, for at least one hour -- but preferably overnight -- for better
rolling.

Don't over-mix the dough. Stop mixing just when the dough starts to come
together, dump it onto a clean countertop or cutting board and knead it
by hand.

Make plenty of dough so you have enough to fit your pie plate.
"Ingredients are cheap so always make a little extra," she says.

Always add a pinch of salt and a teeny bit of sugar to balance the
sweet-salty contrast.



"And don't feel like a moron when it doesn't work," Haney says. "Crust
is tricky. It changes from summer to winter because of the temperature.
Accept that sometimes it will need less water, sometimes more water."

Pie crust

MAKES 2 SHELLS (SEE NOTE)

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 cup ice water
1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, chilled
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon sugar
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes, chilled
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes, frozen

Combine red wine vinegar and ice water; set aside. Place flour, salt and
sugar in a food processor; pulse to combine. Add 9 tablespoons of
chilled butter; pulse until butter is size of small peas and mixture is
sandy. Add frozen butter; pulse until frozen butter is size of small
peas. Add 10 tablespoons of water-vinegar mixture; pulse 2 or 3 times.
Turn off food processor and squeeze a small amount of dough between your
fingers. If the dough easily stays together it is done. If not, add 3
more tablespoons of the water-vinegar mixture; pulse 3 or 4 more times.
Do not let dough come together.

Empty dough onto a clean countertop or cutting board and knead together
into
a lumpy ball. The dough does not need to be perfectly smooth. Flatten
into a
disc, wrap in plastic, and let rest in refrigerator for at least 1 hour
or overnight. The longer the dough rests, the easier it will be to roll.

After the dough has rested, cut the disc in half; roll half the dough
into a circle Æ-inch thick. If you have a 12-inch cake pan or plate,
you can roll the dough out into a square and cut around the cake pan or
plate to get a perfect circle. Place the dough in a 9-inch pie plate;
fold the edges under. You may flute the edge or flatten it with a fork.
Let the pie shell rest for at least 20 minutes in the refrigerator, and
then place it in the freezer for 1 hour or overnight.

Pre-bake the pie shell in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes or until it
is golden brown and the bottom of the pie shell is dry.

Note: Leftover dough will freeze for up to 2 weeks.

Paula Haney, Hoosier Mama Pie Co.

PEAR-APPLE-CRANBERRY WALNUT CRUMBLE PIE
MAKES 9-INCH PIE (6 TO 8 SERVINGS)

FILLING:

4 cups Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, cut into 2-inch pieces
3 1/2 cups ripe Bartlett or Bosc pears, peeled, cored, cut into 2-inch
pieces
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder (see note)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup fresh or thawed frozen cranberries

Combine apples and pears in medium mixing bowl; toss with lemon juice.
Place
cornstarch, sugar, brown sugar, five-spice powder and salt in a small
bowl;
mix to combine. Add to the pear-apple mixture; toss until fruit is
well-coated. Transfer mixture to a cake pan or casserole dish and bake
at
400 degrees for 20 to 25 minute until fruit juices are thickened and
fruit
is just tender. Add cranberries and bake 5 to 10 minutes more until
cranberries are softened and a few have burst. Remove from oven and set
aside. Once the mixture has cooled to room temperature, it may be
refrigerated overnight.

Note: Chinese five-spice powder is available at the Spice House or Asian
markets.

WALNUT CRUMBLE TOPPING

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
Pinch kosher salt
1 cup walnut (or black walnut) halves or pieces
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

Place all ingredients in bowl of stand mixer; mix with paddle attachment
on
medium speed until butter is size of peas and mixture is crumbly. Do not
let
mixture come together into a dough. If you prefer, you can place all
ingredients except walnuts in medium mixing bowl and cut the butter in
by
hand with pastry blender. Add walnuts once the butter is size of peas
and
mixture is crumbly.

To assemble pie: Place fruit mixture in the baked pie shell. Top with
1½
cups Walnut Crumble Topping; bake in 400 degree oven for 10 minutes. Add
1
additional cup of crumble, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until crumble
is
evenly browned. Note: There will be some crumble left over.

Source: Chicago Sun-Times. SANDY THORN CLARK, Sandy Thorn Clark is a
Chicago free-lance writer. Paula Haney, Hoosier Mama Pie Co.,



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Please forward Susan's "Tip of the Day" to your friends.



If you have a favorite tip, idea or request you would like

to share with our readers, please send them to
mailto:susan@... <mailto:susan@...>



Visit our Website at http://www.kitchenproject.com
<http://www.kitchenproject.com/>

Welcome to the Kitchen Project's
H O U S E H O L D H I N T S

____________________________________

by Susan Doyle



Your tip for June 24, 2009


A CLASSICAL FRENCH RESTAURANT IN COWBOY COUNTRY
Greg Morago - Houston Chronicle for San Antonio Express-News

When talking about his new restaurant at La Torretta Del Lago Resort &
Spa,
chef Albert Roux can't stop praising the property on Lake Conroe. He
marvels
at the water and the magnificent sunsets. He waxes poetic about the
natural
surroundings. "You can open your window in the morning and hear the
birds."
And he's practically effusive when describing the hotel rooms.

"The whole family can get in the bath tub. The shower is big enough for
three, and then some," he said. "The rooms are huge! After all, this is
Texas."

It sure is. And yet he took none of Texas' penchant for the oversized
when
planning Chez Roux, the just-opened destination restaurant at the $130
million Montgomery resort. One of Europe's most lauded chefs, he was the
first in the U.K. to earn three Michelin stars, for his Le Gavroche in
London, where the careers of world-renowned chefs Gordon Ramsay and
Marco
Pierre White were launched. Roux decided to do things his way when
opening
the first restaurant in the U.S. to bear his name.

That means it's 100 percent French. "No Tex-Mex, no barbie," he said,
shaking his head.

Foodie curiosity about the classical French restaurant in cowboy country
is,
however, huge. If Roux is worried about opening a pricey eatery in the
middle of an economic meltdown, it isn't showing. In fact, he's almost
alarmingly unconcerned about the untested waters of Chez Roux.

"I'm French. I'm not going to change my food," he said of his
three-course
menu, which costs $80 per person; the five-course version is $135.
"Hopefully, they will like my type of food. If not, I will pack my bag
and
go home."

Looking at the menu, however, it might not come to that. Roux's
contemporary
French cooking includes dishes such as foie gras and chicken-liver
parfait,
poached turbot in red wine with leek and salsify, roast rack of lamb
with
aubergine gâteau, fillet of grouper with saffron risotto and
ginger-crusted
John Dory with Puy lentil salad. "Texas has everything one needs to
cook,"
he said. "And there are a lot of things we'd love to have in Europe
which
are here." One can see regional inflections on his menu: frilled quail
with
creamy polenta, Monterey Jack cheese soufflé with corn-kernel cream,
Black
Angus beef cooked two ways.

What you won't find are nods to American food trends or restaurant
buzzwords. "I never take food as a fashion. I'm very classical, but
there is
always room for improvement - to learn," he said. "Not to invent.
Everything
has been invented."

Roux began his culinary apprenticeship at 14, and he's pretty much seen
it
all, done it all.

He relates a story about younger chefs who have on several occasions
attempted to introduce him to the "sous vide" (under vacuum at low
temperatures) method of cooking.

"'Have you heard, chef, of this new thing?'" Roux said chefs have asked
him.

They obviously didn't know that Roux was an early pioneer of the
technique;
he began experimenting with it in 1983.

The soft-spoken, 74-year-old chef has witnessed many changes in the food
world since he began cooking.

Today's obsession with food television shows and personalities may have
brought a welcome light to the profession, but it hasn't necessarily
resulted in better chefs, he said.Unlike those famously fouled-mouthed,
ill-tempered chefs, Roux said his kitchens are run in a civil manner.

They might even be considered romantic. Roux said he compares his
classical
style of cooking to "a beautiful woman" who takes no more than 15
minutes in
the morning to look fabulous.

"That's my food," he said. "It doesn't need a lot of dressing up."

Chez Roux La Torretta Tarte Tatin
Servings: 8

1 sheet frozen puff pastry
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup butter (two sticks), at room temperature
12 golden delicious apples, peeled, cut in half and cored

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll out the dough and cut a circle 14
inches in diameter. Pierce some holes using a fork and refrigerate.

Mix the butter and sugar together in a 10-inch diameter heavy-bottomed
pan.
Spread the mixture evenly to cover the bottom of the pan.

Arrange the apples sideways, close to each other, to form a circle and
cover
the whole pan. Place the dough over the apples and place the edge of the
dough down between the apple and the pan. The apples should be tucked
under
the dough. Place the pan over high heat and cook until the sugar has
caramelized. Turn the pan from time to time to get an even
caramelization.

Place the pan in oven and cook for 20 minutes or until the dough is
golden.
Remove from heat and leave to cool for 20 minutes.

Place a plate over the tart and carefully turn it upside down, making
sure
to keep the juices. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Makes 8 servings.



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