Gochujang & Sesame Skirt Steak

 

Steaks

· 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

· 2 tablespoons gochujang

· 1 garlic clove, grated or minced

· 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

· 1/2 pound skirt steak, cut into 2 portions

· 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

· 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

· Flaky sea salt for topping

 

Slaw

· 1/4 cup shredded carrots

· 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

· 2 scallions, thinly sliced

· 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

· Pinch of kosher salt

 

Steps

1) Make the steaks: combine the vinegar, gochujang, garlic, and salt in a large zip lock bag. Add the steaks, and seal the bag tightly. Toss to coat and let marinate at room temperature for at least 1 hour or in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. If
refrigerating, rest the steaks at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking.

2) Meanwhile, make the slaw: combine the carrots, cilantro, scallions, vinegar, and salt in a small bowl.

3) Heat the sesame seeds in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over high heat, stirring
constantly, until fragrant and lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl.

4) Heat the vegetable oil in the same skillet over high heat. Remove the steaks from the bag, allowing any excess marinade to drip off. When the oil is smoking,
carefully add the steaks. Cook without moving for 2 minutes, until the bottom is nicely charred. Flip and cook for 2 minutes more, until the centers are medium-rare and the outsides are charred. For a well-done steak, cook each side 2 additional minutes.

5) Remove the steaks to a cutting board and loosely cover with foil. Let them rest for 5 minutes. Slice each steak against the grain in thin pieces. Lay each steak on a serving plate and season with flakey salt. Spoon the slaw evenly on top of the steaks and sprinkle the sesame seeds over everything before serving.

 

Serves: 2

 

From: Tasty Adulting: all your faves, all grown up

Clarkson Potter/Publishers

 

Power Push

 

Ingredients
· 1 3/4 oz. dried soft apricots
· 1 3/4 oz. dried soft figs
· 1 3/4 oz. dried goji berries
· 1 1/2 oz. walnuts
· 1 1/2 oz. whole blanched almonds
· 1 1/2 oz. pumpkin seeds
 
Steps
1) Cut the apricots and figs into bite-sized pieces. Coarsely cop the walnuts and almonds. (if you wish, before chopping, you can dry-roast the walnuts, almonds, and pumpkin seeds in the oven.) Mix all ingredients together and store in an airtight container.
 
From: The Great Outdoors: 120 Recipes for Adventure Cooking
By: Marcus Sammer

 

Basic Carrot Jam

 

Ingredients

· 1 pound carrots

· 2 cups water, or more as needed

· 1 cup orange juice

· 2 1/2 to 3 cups granulated sugar

· Grated zest of 2 lemons

· 4 to 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

 

Yield: 4 half-pint jars

 

Steps

1) Pell, trim, and grate the carrots, using a food processor. You will have about 4 cups.

2) In a large preserving pot, gently combine the carrots, water, and orange juice. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then decrease the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit, uncovered, for 1 hour for the carrots to soften and drink up some of the liquid.

3) Place a baking sheet on the counter near your stove. Heat a kettle of water. Set a stockpot on the stove and fill it with enough water to cover the jars by 1 to 2 inches. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Sterilize the jars in the water bath.

4) Add 2 1/2 cups of the sugar, the zest, and 4 tablespoons of the lemon juice to the carrots. Return to a boil over medium-high heat, then decrease the heat to low and simmer until the jam has thickened and the carrots are tender and have taken on a glassy appearance. The juices will be quite syrupy. Taste and add more lemon juice for brightness if you think it needs it, some or all of the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar to adjust the sweetness, and up to 1/2 cup more water if you think it is too dry. Cook for a few minutes to incorporate the sugar and water. Do a plate test. It should mound on the plate and be syrupy, not dry. Remove the pot from the heat. 

5) Bring the water bath back to  a boil. If the jars have cooled, warm them in the water bath or in a 200°F oven. Simmer the lids in a saucepan of hot water. Place the jars on the baking sheet.

6) Ladle the jam into the jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe the rims clean and set the lids on the mouths of the jars. Twist on the rings.

7) Using a jar lifter, gently lower the jars into the pot. When the water returns to a boil, decrease the heat to an active simmer, and process the jars for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the jars in the water for 1 to 2 minutes.

8) Using the jar lifter, transfer the jars from the pot to the baking sheet and let sit for at least 6 hours, until cool enough to handle. Check to be sure they have sealed. Label and store the sealed jam for 6 months to 2 years. Once open, store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

 

From: Jam Session: A Fruit-Preserving Handbook

By: Joyce Goldstein

 

Pineapple Upside-Down Cupcakes

 

Topping

· 20 oz. can crushed pineapple

· 1/2 cup (1 stick) sweet butter, melted

· 3/4 cup packed brown sugar

 

Cupcakes

· 1 cup (2 sticks) sweet butter, softened

· 1 cup superfine sugar

· 2 cups self-rising flour

· 4 eggs

· 1 tsp. vanilla extract

 

 

Steps

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 12-cup muffin pans with butter and dust a little flour, tapping out the excess. In the bottom of each cup, drizzle 1 tablespoon melted butter, 1 tablespoon pineapple, and 1 tablespoon brown sugar.

2) Place the cupcake ingredients in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth and pale, about 2 to 3 minutes. Spoon the batter on top of the pineapple mixture in each cup. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove pans from the oven and cool for 10 minutes.

3) Turn out the cupcakes onto desert plates, serve warm with heavy cream if desired

4) Store in an airtight container for up to two days.

 

Makes: 2 dozen

 

From: 500 Cupcakes: the only cupcake compendium you’ll ever need

By: Fergal Connolly

 

Double Chocolate Dessert Waffles with Ice Cream

 

Ingredients

· 2.5 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

· 1.25 cups all-purpose flour

· .5 cup sugar, plus extra for cooking waffles

· .25 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

· 2 teaspoons baking powder

· .5 teaspoon of salt

· 1 cup milk

· 3 large eggs

· 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

· 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

· 4 cups ice cream

 

 

Steps

1) Microwave chocolate in bowl at 50 percent power, stirring occasionally, until melted, 30 to 60 seconds. Whisk flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, and salt together in bowl. Process melted chocolate, milk, eggs, butter, and vanilla in food processor until smooth, about 5 seconds. Add flour mixture and pulse to combine, about 10 pulses; transfer to bowl.

2) Meanwhile, heat waffle iron according to manufacturer’s instructions. Spray hot waffle iron with vegetable oil spray and sprinkle with .5 teaspoon sugar. Spread appropriate mount of batter onto hot waffle iron and cook until toasted and crisp, about 3 minutes; transfer to plate. Repeat with remaining batter Serve waffles hot with ice-cream

 

 

Serves: 8

 

From: Everything Chocolate: A Decadent Collection of Morning Pastries, Nostalgic Sweets, and Show stopping Desserts

By: America’s Test Kitchen

 

Blue Cheese Cowboy Burger

 

Serves: 16
Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 3 minutes

Chill time: 30 minutes

Level: easy

Calories: 377

 

Ingredients

· 1 pound grass-fed lean ground beef

· Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

· 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

· 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil

· 1 small Vidalia onion, finely chopped

· 1/3 cup blue cheese, crumbled

 

Steps

1) Remove the beef from the refrigerate 30 minutes prior to cooking so it will cook more evenly.

2) Divide the beef into 4 equal sections and gently shape into patties. The more you compress and manipulate the meat, the grainier the texture will be once it cooks. Season both sides to taste with salt and black pepper. Gently press the seasonings into the meat with the palm of your hand.

3) Heat the butter and oil in a large cast-iron pan over medium heat. After 2 minutes lay the burgers in the pan and start to brown them. The key to a great burger is the crust: to get a good crust you have to let the beef sit undisturbed for at least 3-4 minutes.

4) After 3-4 minutes, carefully lift up one of the patties with a spatula to check how brown it is: you want a deep golden brown, not burnt meat. Lower the heat and take the burgers out of the pan briefly if they are browning too fast.

5) When you think they’re ready to flip, add the onion to the pan in four little piles. Flip the burgers onto the onion piles and cook on top of the onions.

6) Add the blue cheese now if you want  it melted over the tops of the burgers,
otherwise just add it after the burger is cooked.

7) Cook until the onions are caramelized and the patties are cooked through, 3-4 minutes. Turn off the heat, transfer the burgers to a plate, an let rest for 3-4 minutes. Serve with your choice of
condiments or with a lettuce “bun”.

 

 

From: The Blood Sugar Solution Cookbook: More than 175 Ultra-Tasty Recipes for Total Health and Weight Loss
By: Mark

Shelli's Staff Pick

BPL’s wonderful Head of Adult Services, Shelli, chose Pillsbury’s Pizza Night : Top it, Stuff it, Twist it--the Easy Way to go with Refrigerated Dough, as this month’s staff pick. She stated, “this was my favorite cookbook while my kids were growing up. Pizzas were always a lot of fun to make because of all the ingredients we could throw on top of it.” Shelli also stated that the Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cookie Pizza recipe on page 151 “is sure to be a hit at your next family get together!” Between both the children and adult departments, BPL has 12 Pillsbury cookbooks – from sweets to holiday-themed treats! If you’re interested in Shelli’s staff pick, you can find it in the Adult Non-Fiction under the call number “641.824”.