Prime Cuts

We are always on the lookout for new and exciting recipes as well as interesting twists on traditional recipes.  Recently we came across a recipe over at the DCist by Alicia Mazzara for deep fried pumpkin pies.  Now I don’t know about you, but it sounds delcious to both of us. 

We will definitely be trying this recipe in the very near future.

Do you have an interesting recipe or awesome cooking technique that you want featured on Prime Cuts?  If so, contact us and let us know what your idea is!

 Photo by: Alicia Mazzara

One of our favorite desserts, and also one of the most popular at the steakhouse, is chocolate mousse.  It is such a simple dessert yet seems delicate, is light, and presents well.  We have gotten questions before on how to make mousse.  While it doesn’t take a lot of ingredients to make mousse, it does involve a few techniques which some may not have used before.  But, what better way to learn a couple new cooking techniques…learning by making an awesome dessert!

Ingredients

10 eggs
4oz white sugar
½ lb unsalted butter, roughly chopped
1 lb semi sweet chocolate chips
1 qt heavy cream

Tools Required

1 large mixing bowl
1 small heat proof mixing bowl
Stand mixer with bowl and whisk attachment (or separate bowl and whisk if you don’t have one)
1 large whisk
1 large rubber spatula
Slotted metal spoon

Procedure

• Carefully separate the yolks from the whites of the ten eggs.The best way to approach this task is to do so one egg at a time so you can be absolutely sure not to get any yolk in with the whites.Ultimately the yolks should be in the large mixing bowl, and the whites should be in the bowl of the stand mixer.
• Use the stand mixer with the whisk attachment, on medium/high speed, to whip the egg whites to stiff peaks, and set aside.

• Add the 4oz sugar to the egg yolks in the large bowl and, use the large whisk to whip until the yolks double in volume and turn very pale, set aside.

• Place the chocolate chips and the butter in the small heat proof bowl. Bring an inch of water to a simmer in a pot that is of a slightly smaller diameter than that of the heat proof bowl, place the bowl on top of the simmering pot, making sure the bottom of the pot does not touch the water. Use the slotted spoon to stir the chocolate and butter mixture until it is completely melted and free of lumps, make sure not to get any water in the chocolate during the mixing process or it will seize up. Set aside and let cool slightly.

• Use the stand mixer and whisk attachment to whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks, set aside.

• Carefully fold the egg whites into the egg yolks, in ¼ increments.

• In approximately 10 installments, fold the melted chocolate into the egg mix. The reason for the many installments is to raise the temperature of the eggs as little as possible, in order to avoid curdling. The easiest way to lightly distribute the melted chocolate into the eggs is to let it flow through the slots of the spoon, in thin strands. Make sure to scrape the chocolate off the bottom when folding as it tends to sink through the eggs, and you want to get all of it mixed in.

• Finally, fold the whipped cream into the egg and chocolate mixture in ¼ increments, for this final step it is important to mix as little as possible, just enough to incorporate the whipped cream into the egg mixture, in fact it is better to leave a few streaks of whipped cream unincorporated, than to over mix.

• Place the finished mousse into serving vessels, or a larger container, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate. Mousse will keep for up to a week.

NOTE: This recipe can be cut in ½ or ¼ but depending on the size of you mixer, the small quantities of eggs that result from the recipe reduction may not whip evenly.

Once the chocolate mousse is completed you can serve it with a couple strawberries, some whipped cream and a piece of mint.  Other uses would include chocolate mousse pie or just eating straight from the bowl

Enjoy!

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A few days ago we posted a recipe for turkey stock to help you make the best use of your turkey leftovers from Thanksgiving.  So, now you have all of this great turkey stock but nothing to do with it until now.  Here is a turkey and rice soup recipe that’s pretty simple to make and will be great on a cold night or when you don’t have time to cook dinner and want good food quick.

Ingredients

We’re both suckers for all things chocolate and peanut butter.  So when someone that Justin knows gave him a recipe for chocolate-dipped peanut butter pretzel cookies, we just had to share it with all of you.  The recipe comes courtesy of Sarah Brewer, a culinary student at the Allegany College of Maryland and was posted in a recent issue of Maryland Life Magazine.  This recipe was recently featured in a magazine but we’re unsure of which one.  But, we highly recommend you give this recipe a try, we’re sure you won’t be disappointed.

Do you have a special recipe that you would love to share?  Please contact us about featuring your recipe on Prime Cuts.

Ingredients

1/2 c. unsalted butter
3/4 c. smooth peanut butter
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 large egg
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour, sifted
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
16 oz. mini pretzels, salted (coarsely chop 1 cup for the dough, keep the rest whole)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
16 oz. milk or dark chocolate
powdered sugar (optional)

Preparation

Preheat over to 350 degrees.  With a mixer, cream together the peanut butter and both sugars for approximately 1-2 minutes, scraping down the bowl halfway through.  Add the egg and vanilla, mix until blended, and scrape the bowl again.  Don’t over-mix!  Combine the flour, baking soda, and baking powder and add to the batter.  Mix on low until just combined.  Add the chopped pretzels and mix until just blended.  Scoop out 2-inch balls of dough and drop on greased sheet pans.  Press one whole pretzel into the center of each ball to flatten.  bake for approximately 10-15 minutes until golden brown.  Cool.

Melt chocolate in a double boiler.  Dip the bottoms of the cooled cookies in the chocolate.  Place the cookies upside-down on a parchment-lined tray.  When dry, flip the cookies back over and sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar.

Enjoy!

You can download a PDF version of this Chocolate-Dipped Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies Recipe.

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Photo by: abbyladybug

There are three ways to check the doneness of steak: using a thermometer, the finger test, or just taking a guess.  Using a thermometer is the best way to cook steak to an exact temperature however sticking a thermometer in and out of a steak will cause the juices to run out.  Obviously, just taking a guess at how done your steaks are isn’t the brightest option.  Therefore, what we prefer, and most chefs use, is the finger test to check for the doneness of steak.  With a little practice you can master cooking a steak to the level of doneness you like without ever having to cut into it or prod it with a thermometer.

All tests will be done with the palm of your hand.  It is important that your hand is relaxed and not tense or else the pressures you will be checking for will be off.  Each test will involve you using the index finger of your other hand and pressing on the meaty area between your thumb and base of your palm.  You will be comparing the feeling in this area of your palm with that of the center of the steak you’re cooking.

Raw
Your hand is open.

Rare
Touch the tip of your thumb to the tip of your index finger.  The meaty area between your thumb and the base of your palm should give and not be firm.

Medium-Rare
Press the tip of your middle finger to the tip of your thumb.  This will feel more firm and less giving but still spongy.

Medium
Touch the tip of your ring finger to the tip of your thumb.  It should still give a little but getting more firm.

Well-Done
Touch the tip of your pinkie to the tip of your thumb.  This should feel hard yet springy kind of like a tennis ball.

Before you ask about medium-well, it will be the slight difference between medium and well-done.  If you are trying to achieve medium-well as the level of doneness for your steak, you should pull the steak off when it is about medium and let it rest for approximately 5-10 minutes.  As the steak rests it will continue to cook to medium-well.

Now, run out to the grocery store, buy some steaks and start testing!

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