Cucumber Salad with Sour Cream (Slide Dish)

One of the first times I had dinner at the home of my husband-to-be, his mother served a cucumber salad with sour cream.  I had never heard of eating sour cream and really couldn't imagine why anyone would want to!  It took quite a while, but eventually I did try it - more out of politeness than anything else - and I was amazed to find it was delicious.  Today, I wouldn't think of serving steak or roast beef without this great side dish.

1 cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2  medium onion, diced
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup sour cream

Combine the cucumber, onion and salt.  Fold in sour cream, cover and chill for at least an hour.  Stir before serving.

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Flan-Spanish Caramel Custard Dessert

Flan De Leche Acaramelado
Spanish Caramel Custard

2 cups half and half or milk
¼ teaspoon salt
6 eggs
6 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup sugar

Preheat the oven to 275F.

Heat half and half but do not let it boil.  In a medium mixing bowl, whisk eggs with 6 tablespoons of sugar and vanilla until light and foamy.  Gradually add half and half to egg mixture, whisking constantly.  Set aside.  In a skillet, place the ½ cup of sugar and cook over moderate heat until a golden caramel is obtained.  Do not stir the sugar, simply swirl it around the pan as it begins to melt.  Divide caramel among 6 custard cups and allow to set for a few minutes.  Strain the custard mixture into a pyrex jug and then divide the mixture among the lined custard cups.  Place the cups in a shallow baking dish and fill the dish with hot water to come halfway up the custard cups.  Bake for about 50 minutes or until custard is set.

Remove the cups to a rack to cool, then cover and refrigerate until chilled.

To serve, run a knife around the edge, shake lightly, and invert onto a shallow serving dish.

 A helpful hint:  to clean the caramel out of the baking dishes and pan in which you cooked the sugar, simply fill them with very hot water and allow to sit until the caramel dissolves.  It may take a second "treatment" with hot water to dissolve entirely.

Read about the Tampa restaurants where we first had flan....50 years ago!

(Rick was raised in New Jersey, but he spent many Summers visiting his grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins in Tampa, Florida, particularly the Cuban-Spanish-Italian section: Ybor City.  The Garcia family owned the Las Novedades and the Valdes family owned the Spanish Park. Both restaurants are long gone.) http://www.tampapix.com/lasnovedades.htm


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My shopping spree at NJ's Bridge Kitchenware

Here is a photo of my haul from Bridge Kitchenware's sale for the incredible sum of $60!

Next sale will be on Labor Day weekend. Check their website at bridgekitchenware.com for details. 

The values are amazing - French quiche pans for $2.00. More photos to come.

Betty's Shrimp and Avocado Salad is being featured on the iFood.tv homepage today!

May I share this nice note from ifood.tv?
"Hi Betty! 
I hope you're having a great day! I just wanted to let you know that your recipe for Betty's Shrimp and Avocado Salad is being featured on the iFood.tv homepage today! So be sure to check it out and share with friends, family and fans and if you ever have any questions, feel free to let me know! 

PS. I love the new introduction you have for your video"

        Click on the ifood logo on the right to visit the site.

Chocolate Soufflés

For some reason the mere mention of the word soufflé can strike fear into the hearts of even the most experienced chefs - never mind home cooks!

Actually, all you need is a recipe, some time, be willing to pay attention to detail and some willing candidates to enjoy the fruits of your labor.  Don't wait for an important dinner party to give this a try - give your family an amazing treat.

Chocolate Soufflés

For the pastry cream:

¾ cup milk
⅓ cup superfine sugar*
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons flour

Put the milk and two-thirds of the sugar in a small pan and slowly bring to a boil.  Put the egg yolks and remaining sugar in a bowl and whisk until light and thickened then beat in the flour.  Pour the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly.  Return to the pan and bring to a boil, whisking constantly.  Transfer to a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let cool slightly.

For the soufflés:

½ cup unsweetened cocoa, sifted
4 ounces chocolate - you may use semisweet or bittersweet - finely chopped
5 egg whites
2 tablespoons superfine sugar*

*If you can’t find superfine sugar, simply whiz regular sugar in a food processor  briefly.

Preheat the oven to 400º and put a baking sheet in to heat.  Butter and coat with sugar two 4” soufflé dishes (you may also use 4 smaller dishes).  Fold the cocoa and chopped chocolate into the pastry cream.

Beat the egg whites until foamy then gradually add the 2 tablespoons sugar until soft peaks form.  Fold ⅓ of the egg whites into the pastry cream then carefully fold in the rest of the egg whites using a rubber spatula.

Divide the mixture between the soufflé dishes to the top, smoothing gently.  Transfer to the baking sheet and cook for 10 to 14 minutes until risen.  Remove from the oven, place on a serving plate and dust with confectioner’s sugar.  Serve immediately.

Note:  You may make the pastry cream a day ahead and bring to room temperature before proceeding.  The soufflé dishes may be filled and covered and can wait for 30 minutes before baking.

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How to Peel a Tomato

Why would you ever want to peel a tomato?  Well, in certain dishes you don't want the skin, which can sometimes be a little tough and sometimes you just want to be a little more elegant.  It only takes a minute or two for this extra step and for a special dish it's well worth the time.

Here's how:

Betty's Chinese(y) Chicken Meatballs

The inspiration for this appetizer came when I was looking through a very old cookbook and found a recipe which called for finely chopped cooked chicken along with a few other ingredients. After combining, the recipe said to cook the meatballs for 20 minutes. Already cooked chicken cooked for another 20 minutes didn't sound very appetizing but I liked the idea. So after a few tries, I came up with these:


Chinese(y) Chicken Meatballs

1 lb. ground chicken
1 8 oz. can water chestnuts, drained
4 green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon sriracha hot sauce (optional)


Preheat oven to 375°.
Combine all ingredients except chicken in a food processor and process until finely chopped. Place chicken in a medium-sized bowl and add remaining ingredients. Mix well and shape into 1-inch balls. Arrange on a foil-lined baking sheet with raised sides. 

Bake 15 to 20 minutes until slightly browned.
In a medium skillet, warm your favorite prepared sauce - orange/ginger, Thai chili sauce etc. Add meatballs and toss to coat.
The meatballs may be frozen before adding to sauce.

Makes about 3 dozen meatballs depending on size.


Hint: You may find it easier to shape the meatballs if you rinse your hands in cold water occasionally.

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Shrimp and Avocado Salad

I recently saw a picture of this salad in a restaurant review in the New York Times. No recipe was given, but they did give a list of the ingredients. It looked and sounded so delicious that I had to give it a try. Here is the result:

8 large cooked shrimp
½ an avocado, diced
2 tablespoons red onion, finely diced
1 red tomato, peeled, seeded and diced
1 yellow tomato, peeled, seeded and diced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salt and pepper 


Dice 6 of the shrimp, reserving two for garnish.

Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper together in a medium bowl. Add the remaining ingredients, reserving a few pieces of the tomatoes for garnish, and toss to combine. Place ring molds on two plates and fill each with half the mixture, packing down slightly. Remove the rings carefully and garnish the top with the whole shrimp. Scatter the reserved pieces of tomato around the salads.

Serves 2 as an appetizer or a light lunch.


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Peking Chicken Salad

Many, many years ago we were on a business trip to San Francisco and had dinner in a wonderful Chinese restaurant. The first course was a salad composed of iceberg lettuce, crisp noodles and chicken with a dressing that was very rich and slightly spicy. I have never had it before (or since), but it was a delicious dish. When we got home, I experimented until I came up with a close approximation of a dish we had enjoyed so much. Here is the recipe and I hope you will like it as much as we do:

Peking Chicken Salad

1 poached chicken breast (recipe follows)
2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
1 - 1½ cups fried Chinese noodles
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (toast in fry pan until they turn brown and start to pop)
1 or 2 finely julienned scallions

Dressing:

¼ cup duck sauce
¼ cup plum sauce
2 tablespoons Chinese sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon chili oil (or to taste)

Poached Chicken Breast:

In a pot just large enough to hold chicken breast, bring to a boil water to cover chicken, add 3-4 slices fresh ginger and 3-4 scallions. Add chicken and let water return to a boil, cover and turn off heat. Let sit for 20 minutes WITHOUT REMOVING COVER. Allow chicken to cool in the water. Remove chicken skin, remove meat from bones and shred.

To serve:

Place shredded lettuce in a wide shallow bowl, add noodles, leaving a rim of lettuce showing; add chicken in center of noodles, leaving a rim of noodles showing. Place julienne scallions on top of chicken and sprinkle toasted sesame seeds over all. Add dressing and toss.

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Comment from YouTube:

Joshua Luminosu has made a comment on Betty's Peking Chicken Salad This looks absolutely delicious! I also love the new opening!

Betty defends British food!

UK Master Chef Hosts

So here is another one of my pet peeves: complaints about British food.

I have just watched a series on BBC America called UK Master Chefs - The Professionals.

I don't think I have ever seen the equal of the food prepared by the chefs on this show. The competitors were brilliant - especially when they had to go into the kitchens of Michelin starred restaurants and prepare some of their signature dishes.

Perhaps Heston Blumenthal goes a bit over the top when his seafood appetizer is accompanied by a conch shell and earphones so you can hear the sounds of the sea while eating and do you really need to be sprayed by a "woodsy" mist to fully appreciate a deconstructed Black Forest Torte???? Maybe not, but his food is amazing.

So no more denigrating British food please! And if you have access to the BBC America, do watch some of their food programs.


Here is one episode (more on YouTube if you don't have the BBCA channel).

Note: Will not play on Apple IPAD