The first time I saw this recipe, I thought you have got to be kidding – fresh green beans in Soy Sauce? Mind you, I like stir-fried vegetables same as the next guy, but those are typically a medley of vegetables – broccoli, carrots and snow peas immediately spring to mind. Quick fried, still retaining their bright colors and crisp texture.
Continue reading “Sesame Soy Green Beans”Royal Toast aka French Toast
Saturday mornings and simple breakfasts just naturally seem to go together. Hands up – how many of you actually eat breakfast every morning? While most of us will whip up breakfast for our children, breakfast for us tends to be a quick cup of coffee and a bite or two of toast while rushing out the door.
The very first breakfast food that I taught myself to make (beyond maybe a scrambled egg) was French Toast. Since then, I have amassed a collection of French Toast recipes – some of these recipes have been plucked from old, obscure books on the subject.
Old cookbooks are a blast to read. Some are down right condescending toward women and their roles in the family. Others offer advice that is so out of the realm of life today. I have a cookbook that has an entire section dedicated to setting a proper table, everything from formal to casual to buffet dinners. This section includes the proper placement of cigarettes and ashtrays on the table! (My “jewelry” box on my nightstand is actually a cigarette box that once sat on the coffee table in our living room. It has a divider down the middle – filtered cigarettes were on one side, non-filtered on the other). I find old books that are a blend of recipes and “wifely” tips to be the most comical. We’ve come a long way, ladies. No longer is it a wife’s duty to fetch her husband’s slippers, among other things.
In 1887 The White House published a cookbook that contained recipes from their chef. Royal Toast is one of those recipes. It offers up two renditions of what we now call French Toast – one made with stale bread, the other with stale cake. I suppose it was a way of utilizing old breads and cakes. I don’t know about you, but generally speaking I don’t have a lot of old cakes just sitting about in my kitchen. If you were to read the original recipe from 1887, it would not contain a list of ingredients, only a brief set of instructions. (The instructions are intact; the ingredients I’ve written out for the sake of convenience). I’m not sure just when the White House first began publishing cookbooks or when that practice ended. I’ve tried googling that information but to no avail. I think the 1887 book might be the oldest, as it appears in most searches of White House cookbooks – or perhaps it is the most “famous”.
Royal Toast – Made with Bread
6 Slices of stale Sweet or white Bread
1 Cup Fresh Milk
2 eggs, well beaten
1 Stick Butter
Dip thin slices of bread into fresh milk; have ready two eggs well beaten; dip the slices in the egg and fry them in butter to a light brown; when fried, pour over them a syrup, any kind that you choose, and serve hot.
Royal Toast – Made with Cake
1 Stale plain cake, sliced
1 Cup Cream
1 Stick Butter
Equally as good is to cut a stale cake into slices an inch and a half in thickness; pour over them a little good sweet cream; then fry lightly in fresh butter in a smooth frying pan; when done, place over each slice of cake a layer of preserves or you may make a rich sauce appropriate to the hour to be served with it.
Note for Cake Recipe: Since most of us do not have stale plain cake just sitting around, use a store-bought butter loaf, pound cake or even Angel Food Cake for this twist on French toast. Use preserves such as berries and serve with warm blueberry syrup. Some fruit on the side is always a nice touch with French Toast.
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If you are interested in reading a few old recipes from the White House, here’s a link:
https://books.google.com/books/about/White_House_Cook_Book.html?id=FjgEAAAAYAAJ
Mango and Jicama Salad
Growing up, we were all fans of Mangoes – except my brother, but then his eating habits are beyond bad. I guess that’s to be expected since Mangos are the national fruit of the Philippines, my mother’s homeland. The little heathens that we were, we ate our mangos “uncivilized”. Mom would cut the top and bottom off the mango, stand it on end and slice the flesh away from the pit. Mom would then “dice” the flesh, taking care not to cut through to the tough skin. We turned the mango inside out and we would eat the yummy, sweet fruit right out of the skin. A civilized person, it seems, would slice along the skin and serve the cubes in a bowl. But hey – Mother Nature already provided the bowl – right? I love mangos! While mangos of the Mexican variety are more fibrous than their Asian counterparts, both are very sweet and juicy when fully ripe. An un-ripened mango is sour, more commonly found in chutney.
Off to the Races in Style
Have you ever hosted a Kentucky Derby Party? As much as I love to host parties, this is one I have never done. And that is really surprising since the Derby itself is not so much a horse race as it is an event.
Grilled King Crab Legs with Garlic
Since just before Thanksgiving, our local Costco has had a seafood and meat case in the middle of the fresh food section. It looks like those cases in the old-time butcher stores, with offerings behind glass and an apron-clad clerk waiting to take your order. The steaks and roasts in the cases are enormous! You know those Cowboy Cut Rib Eye Steaks that were making the rounds on the cooking shows a while back, but you couldn’t seem to find them at your local grocery store? Yep, they got them! One steak will feed an entire family. And those big steaks come with an equally big price tag. While the presentation is on a grand scale, you are paying a good deal of money for a handle bone that you cannot eat. Did I want to buy one? You bet. However; I just could not justify the cost.
Mexican Roast Beef with Chipotle Sour Cream Sauce
There are so many wonderful Mexican recipes – too bad we can’t serve them all for Cinco de Mayo. Can you imagine what a spread that would be? Endless tables of yummy, spicy foods. I know Hubby and Kiddo would be in dining heaven!
Continue reading “Mexican Roast Beef with Chipotle Sour Cream Sauce”
Roasted Baby Carrots with Nutty Browned Butter
Most of the time, Kiddo will try anything once. Most of the time he does so more to appease me than to truly sample something new with an open mind. His approach is with that “I’ve made up my mind, but I want you to be happy, so I’ve put some on my plate” attitude. The first night I served up these yummy roasted carrots, I passed him the platter filled with bright, buttery delights. The fact that he only took a few spoke volumes. He had already made up his mind. And in all fairness, carrots are not on his top-ten hit parade. Never mind that while I had my hands full making the Hunter’s Pork Chops I had left him in charge of the vegetable side dish. Kiddo has been my right hand in the kitchen, my strongest critic, and at times a source of inspiration. I get that you can make something but not necessarily eat something. I make an awesome Pumpkin Pie, but I don’t eat Pumpkin Pie.
One bite of carrot and Kiddo was sold. These are delicious. So delicious that Kiddo took a full serving – and ate every bite. The flavors are wonderful – but it’s the browned butter that really elevates the taste of roasted carrots. A little nutty, a little salty, and a whole lot of good. This is one of the easiest recipes for carrots. It’s actually a variation of another carrot recipe, minus the brown sugar and Kahlua. (Divine – but the brown sugar Kahlua flavors would have clashed with the Pork Chops. Not good.)
Roasted Baby Carrots with Nutty Browned Butter
1 lb Baby Carrots
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
½ Teaspoon Dead Sea Salt*
4 Tablespoons Butter
* For Christmas one year, Hubby gave me a collection of salts from around the world. I began experimenting with different salts. Dead Sea Salt is damp, and intense. A little salt goes a long way. If you don’t have Dead Sea Salt, a good quality Sea Salt is fine.
Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Position rack in center of oven.
Place olive oil and salt in a Ziploc bag. Place baby carrots into the bag, close and shake about, (or if you are Kiddo, dance about with the bag over your head for a minute) then rub and work the oil and salt into the carrots.
Spread carrots in a single layer on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. (Makes clean up a snap).
Roast carrots in the hot oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, shake pan to mix up the carrots for more even roasting. Return carrots to the oven and continue to roast for an additional 8 to 10 minutes or until carrots are just beginning to brown.
While carrots are roasting, melt butter over low heat. Slowly allow butter to brown, swirling and whisking often until butter is a nice, deep golden color. If need be, remove from heat and continue to cook in pan until the butter is just beginning to brown. The butter will take on a beautiful amber shade and begin to smell nutty.
Remove carrots from oven, place in rimmed serving bowl. Pour browned butter over carrots, toss to blend and coat carrots in the wonderful, nutty butter. Serve and enjoy.
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Fiesta Cinco de Mayo
Here it is, the second day of May and Cinco de Mayo (the 5th of May) is just around the corner. Let’s face it, Cinco de Mayo is always a good excuse to serve up a wonderful South of the Border feast. Like Saint Patrick’s Day, here in American Cinco de Mayo is a celebration embraced by all. This year, Cinco de Mayo falls on a Saturday – that means a day to party and a day to recover before the reality of Monday comes.
Hunter’s Pork Chops – Heaven on a Plate
On a crisp January evening a few years back, I decided to tackle two new recipes in a single meal. One was for carrots (a post for another day soon) and the other was for Pork Chops. I don’t know about you, but I simply adore Pork Chops. You can fry them, bake them, grill ’em up on the barbecue – the methods are endless. Slathered in sauce, marinated for intense flavor – whatever.
Continue reading “Hunter’s Pork Chops – Heaven on a Plate”Romance and Maria Luisa’s Leche Flan
Did you know that May is National Asian-American and Pacific Islander month? Me either! In light of this revelation, I wanted to start the month off with something special to honor my Filipino-Spanish mother.
Twice-Baked Sour Cream Potatoes
What could be better than an Old Fashioned Baked Potato with the Works? A twice-baked potato, of course! Twice baked potatoes are a delicious cross between a baked potato and a mashed potato served inside its skin.
Sourdough Nutmeg French Toast
Some days I cook to blog, others I cook just to be puttering about in the kitchen. This morning’s French Toast was just me, being hungry and wanting something to go with my fresh pressed morning cup of Joe. I ended up making the toast twice. The first time my camera was in the other room, broken down and packed away in my Cannon backpack. I wanted to whip up French Toast for breakfast. Nothing special – or so I thought until inspiration had other plans.
The inspiration began as I stood in front of my bread cupboard (yeah, a spot in the kitchen dedicated to all things bread-like such as sandwich breads, rolls, buns and tortillas). My plan was to make something very basic, very simple. I was hungry and I wanted it quick. I had planned Cinnamon French Toast, but all that changed when I spotted a loaf of Sourdough bread in the cupboard. Nutmeg French Toast – yeah, that sounded good. And maybe with a kiss or two of vanilla. Yeah, getting warmer. Oh, we’ve got a little heavy cream in the refrigerator. Heavy cream will make that custard mixture even more rich and sinfully delicious. Now we’re getting excited.
I whipped up my breakfast, plopped down at the breakfast bar and poured on the syrup. Oh my word, this was delicious. So delicious that I had to do some quick calculations, grab my camera and do it again to share.
So it’s lights, CAMERA, action . . .
Sourdough Nutmeg French Toast
8 Slices Sourdough Bread (see note)
3 Eggs
2/3 Cup Milk
2 Tablespoons Heavy Cream
1/4 Teaspoon Nutmeg
2 Tablespoons Vanilla Extract
1 Pinch Sugar
Butter
Maple Syrup
Note: When selecting bread, pick a Sourdough bread that is soft rather than hard and chewy. Pick a bread that is sliced in a long loaf rather than a round so that the slices are uniform in size. Bread that is several days old works best as it will stand up to the batter without becoming soggy and will toast up nice and golden.
Cut bread to create 16 triangles. Set aside until ready to fry.
Whip eggs in a shallow dish until yolks and whites are well blended. Add milk, cream, nutmeg and vanilla. Whip until smooth. Add sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved into the custard mixture.
Heat a large griddle to about 325 degrees. Oil griddle with margarine, just enough to lightly coat griddle.
Dip bread into custard mixture. Place dipped slices onto the griddle and cook until golden, about 3-5 minutes. Flip bread to “toast” other side. While the toast is still on the griddle, lightly butter each slice. This will allow the butter to melt quickly and the bread will soak in all that wonderful buttery flavor. If necessary, cook the toast in batches so as to not over-crowd the griddle.
Plate on individual plates, pour on the syrup and enjoy! This is wonderful with fresh fruit.
Thanks for stopping by. I’d love to hear your thoughts . . .
Mexican Salsa Rice
A few years back, in honor of Cinco de Mayo and all things Mexican, I decided to cook up all sorts of yummy foods – a week of Mexican dishes leading up to the big event. This super quick, delicious rice was a part of that week-long celebration.
Continue reading “Mexican Salsa Rice”Taquitos in a Spicy Chorizo-Alfredo Sauce
Have you ever made something without fully understanding what possessed you to come up with it in the first place? This is one of those “what the heck” recipes that my family adores! It’s so quick, so easy and yet so packed with flavor. Perfect for a busy night or when you what something that tastes good without a lot of work. The recipe is three ingredients. That’s it. The steps are only three – brown, mix, bake. See, I told you it was easy.
Continue reading “Taquitos in a Spicy Chorizo-Alfredo Sauce”
Portuguese Braised Chicken
Years ago, a dear friend returning from Portugal gave Hubby and I a beautiful bottle of wine from his family’s vineyard. We decided to honor the wonderful gift by serving it with an authentic Portuguese meal. Our friend (a chef in his own right) was kind enough to share his recipe for braised chicken. It was sumptuous! Perfect for casual outdoor entertaining.
Welcome to Rosemarie's Kitchen 