Very Infuuuuuuuuuusing!

I was going to make today's post about Mayo. The spread, not the clinic. But, as my brain so oft does, it hit upon a tangent. Now, there will be a mayo recipe, but that isn't my focus now. I would like to talk about infusing. Inwhosing?? Nooooooooo, infusing! Adding the concentrated or extracted flavour of one thing to another. primarily I am going to speak of Oil and Vodka! No thats not a new salad dressing. But they are the two things I most often infuse. Of course the range of oils is, as you know, quite extensive. And not all oils are good for infusing, or just not complimentary to certain flavours.

Now, I am never going to try and con you into thinking I am the expert on anything. What I will do is impart on you that which I know, or which I have learned from reliable sources *cough*GoodEats*cough*. Roughly 99.9% of the oil I infuse is plain vegetable oil. It's cheap (sorta) and most every cook has some and its the most widely found oil in North America. That, and it's a pretty neutral oil, not heavy in flavour on it's own. As a general rule, heavily flavoured oils are something we stay away from for infusing. They can often clash with anything you try to add to them and being a biological flavouring they can vary within the same brand from batch to batch.

I know you've already asked, what do you like to infuse? Well, my favorite thing is black peppercorns. Hot peppers (scotch bonnets or jalapeño) also make a nice oil. Really tho, most herbs make good infused oils, as well as many highly flavoured plants, but I usually find it easier to use the dried versions. Occasionally you may find the taste difference between fresh and dried to be worth using fresh. For example, I find the taste difference between dried spearmint and fresh to be so great, I use fresh, even though I need much more, to get the taste I like.

I follow 2 methods of infusing oils. Hot & Cold. Pretty self explanatory but I will explain to be sure. Cold infusing is just that, unheated ingredients in unheated oil(s). Take dill for example. I use fresh dill as it is cheap and I find a better flavour. I take my dill and bash it a bit, to bruise the cell structures and release flavourful oils. I will drop 3-5 sprigs of dill in a wine bottle, fill to the neck with vegetable oil and cork it. Place in a nice dark close that doesn't change temps much for 2 weeks. Test the flavour, if it needs to be stronger, remove the dill and replace with fresh. Wait another week and test again. When you reach your taste preference you have 2 options. You can take the herb out, or if you start with the taste being a tich light, leave it in. Not only does it look nice, but you can see what flavour it is without labels! Most fresh herbs/botanicals should be done with the cold method. You may occasionally run across one that doesn't infuse well, then you should try the hot method. The hot method is simply heating the oil a little. Now not too much. #1 You don't want to handle hot oil and #2 oild break down at higher temps, you dont want your oil degrading before you get to use it. Heat it just enough to feel warm in a heavy bottomed saucepan. When using dry herbs/ingredients its best to break them up a bit, but you don't want to grind them. Often grinding dried herbs can release bitter or foul tasting essential oils....blech.

When I do peppercorns, I either bash them a bit in my mortar and pestle, or do a few quick pulses in my small coffee grinder (I use it just for herbs). For most dried herbs I just put them in a plastic bag and scrunch it a few times. Add them to your bottle then pour in the oil. When I hot infuse tho, I check the flavour every 5-7 days. I don't normally keep the dried herbs in after I reach my taste preference either. They can gum op the works when using a spout and occasionally give off those nast tastes mentioned earlier if they sit for long periods of time.

Briefly, Olive Oil. Yes it can be flavored and is a decent one To flavour even given it's distinct taste. The hot method can be used just not too high.

Now I know what your asking, "Great! I have flavours oils......now what?!" Well, use them when your frying in a tablespoon or two of oil for extra flavour. They are great for salad dressings, drizzling over finished meals before serving or as we will see shortly, they make a loverly mayo!

As for the Vodka...thats a different story! Once again one of my favorite flavoured Vodkas is black peppercorn. Also excellent is strawberry, anise or cherry. Yes I realize there are fewer cooking applications for Vodka, but since blog is more then strictly food, hey...close enough. And who doesn't like a loverly beverage?? But don't count it out in cooking, it still has it's uses.

With Vodka, being alcohol of course, you dont want to heat it. For dried flavourings, same rule applies. Give them a bit of a bash/smushing before you add them to the Vodka. Now more than likely you will need drain a bit of the Vodka off, I am sure you can think of something to do with it. You'll need to give it a bit of a upending 2-3 times a week. Just upend the bottle (if you don't have the cap on you deserve to lose the Vodka :P) and let the stuff fall to what is now the bottom, then turn it back right side up and place on the shelf again. When using dried flavours strain them bits out before using the Vodka. For fresh stuff tho, cherries, strawberries, most fruits really, celery, fennel, etc etc. they need to be finely chopped or even puréed. I tend to go with the 1c(of stuff)/5th(750ml) of Vodka rule. Now this is going to require either 2 bottles, or a larger container to hold the mixture in. If you can remove seeds or pits that would be best. Anything like citrus with a fragrant peel can be used, but remove the pith (that's the nasty white stuff juuuust under the peel). When in doubt, peel it or just remove the fruit flesh. Sugar may be added prior to mixing with the Vodka. Combine your flavoring and Vodka in the holding vessle of your choice.

Here is where we come to some disagreement. Some people say that it is fine to leave this mixture on a shelf, others say it must be refrigerated. I am of the shelf camp, but as I am not a food scientist nor do i wish anyone harm, at this point I must strongly recommend refrigeration. I don't, but I cannot advise anyone else to do so. If you chill your mix, allow it to sit for 2 weeks, churning the mixture every day. If shelving your mix, 1 week should be sufficient, mixing daily.

Strain your mix well. I layer cheesecloth in a mesh sieve, pour the mix in and allot it to drain through. I will then swueezt the cloth after to get all the liquid I can. Rebottle and enjoy. Alternately you can make bombs (no not real boms). Cherry bombs, strawberry drops, blueberry bullets etc etc. Simply take fresh, washed and dried (dried off, not dehydrated) fruit, place in a large jar, pour your flavoured Vodka over and put the lid on, in about a month you'll have fruit with enough alcohol soaked in to make your eye twitch! The uses are yours to discover!

I know this has run on a bit long, so lets just dispense with the Mayo recipe and save anything else for another day!

Quick n Easy Mayo

2tbl White Wine Vinegar
2tbl Lemon Juice
1 Egg Yolk
1 Whole Egg
1tsp Salt
1tsp Dry Mustard
1/4tsp Sugar
2c Oil (minus 2tbl is using flavoured oil)
2tbl Flavoured Oil (optional)

Put everything except the oil(s) in your food processor. Pulse 3-5 times, just to start the emulsion. Turn the processor on (low if you have the option) and slowly pour a thin continous stream of oil into the processor. Do not pour too fast as it may swamp the mix and you'll have a nice goopy mess. Scoop out your nice fresh mayo and store as normal.

If using flavoured oils, never use more than 2 tbl/batch (double batch means you can use 4tbl etc) as the additives can sometimes break the emulsion or overpower the mayo.

A good foundation

I promised you an actual recipe last time so a recipe we will have. I sat and pondered this a bit, in-between the bouts of erf (been sick the last day or so), and tried to reduce from the billions of recipes which one would be good to put up. I want a recipe that is tasty, but easy. I wanted something the majority of folks could enjoy, but nothing too fancy. Well, that just screams cake!

Now, which cake?? Chocolate of course, those who don't like chocolate simply need seek a good therapist >:P. I didn't want a complex cake, so I went with my no egg cake. "No eggs? Are you nuts?" Well no, but I have seen variations of this recipe over the years and once in a while, well, ya just run out of eggs. The more I made it the more I came to feel it was a foundation cake. Something that is a good base, edible all on its own, but is also great for building on.

As a general whole, this cake tends to be a tich on the dry side, but I think that's ok. A little frosting and you're good to go. We make it as a not-so-rich snack cake. Everyone enjoys a nice decadent cake once in a while, but part of what makes a special cake special, is that you only get it once in a while. You can make cupcakes with it and add a nice cream filling. Top it with many and varied frosting and icings. Perforate prodigiously (thank you AB) with skewers or a fork, and top with a nice hot pudding or stove top custard. Bake it in a bundt pan, after it cools cut the top 3rd off, scoop out a nice trough in the bottom 2/3 and fill (cherry filling, whipped cream, cream filling, pudding, orange cream etc etc), place the top back on and drizzle with vanilla glaze. As you can see, the possibilities are many!

Another reason we like this cake is that its relatively easy and fool proof. As long as you just get in and get it done, you're golden (or chocolate in this case). Also, its a honest to goodness chocolate cake that is vegetarian friendly. Now don't get me wrong, I like my meat and there will be meat talk a-plenty in here. But I do have vegetarian friends and do at least try to think of them on occasion. I made this cake for a Christmas party last year with them and you would have thought Glen had never had cake before! So, lets have the recipe!

Chocolate Snack Cake - 350°F (175°C) Grease & Flour (9x13 or 2 9" rounds)

3c Flour
2c Sugar
2tsp Baking Soda
6tbl Cocoa Powder
1c Vegetable Oil
2tbl Vinegar
2c Cold Coffee

Sift together flour, sugar, soda & cocoa. Add oil, vinegar and coffee and beat until smooth. Pour into prepared pan(s). Bake for 40-45 (9x13) or 20-25 (9" rounds). If using metal or opaque pans turn oven down to 325° when you put the pans in the oven. The usual cake rules apply, cake is done if a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Now, with all that, lets talk a few tweaks. If the amount of sugar scares you, welcome to the club. I usually cut it by 1/2c but the more sugar you cut the dryer the cake is. You can substitute 1/2 of brown sugar for 1/2 of the white, it helps a bit on the hydration. As for the liquid, I prefer coffee as it blends flavours well with the chocolate. You can use water if you prefer, or if dairy isn't an issue you can use 1c milk 1c water (or coffee). The milk tends to make the cake a bit more dense, which I find makes filling a cake a tad more difficult.

I hope you find this useful, please feel free to ask if theres any questions!

Let there be.......instructions?

So, I've been sitting here debating on what to post for my first article. I debated between doing some basics and going in full for a recipe. I ended up opting for some basics. Not that I think all of you don't know the basics, but I am sure there are some that don't, some that can always use a little refresher, and sometimes I use terms you may not be familiar with. With that said, lets dive in.

Mirepoix, pronounced meerapwa, is also called the trinity. It is a mixture of carrot, onion and celery, although in the south sometimes the carrot is replaced by bell peppers. Although it doesn't have to be chopped at all really, more of ten than not its diced. This is an excellent flavour base for many recipes. I use this in soups, stews, roasts, sauces etc etc. Dice or chop these, sauté lightly to add to a sauce or rice mixture. In a pinch and out of spaghetti sauce? Sauté the mirepoix until nicely browned and softened, but not mushy. Add JUST enough boiling water to a stock cube (I prefer mushroom) to liquefy it. Add that to the pan and stir. Now add 1 can of tomoatoes, or 3-5 med tomatoes peeled and seeded, or 1 can of tomato paste + enough water to make it a loose sauce. Add 1 tsp of sugar and oregano, thyme basil, rosemarry and marjoram. If you don't know how much here, start with 1 tsp each and adjust. Simmer to desired consistency.

With the current economy, we are all trying to make our $$ stretch as best we can. I currently make alot of soups, stews and casseroles. When I bring home celery I cut the base off and the tops. Same with broccoli. I save the base/stems/hearts of these things to make soup stock out of. For a nice veg stock, toss in all the veg you want to use, fill with water just to cover. Add 1-2 stock cubes (any kind depending on what your going to cook, use vegetable for a nice neutral stock) and bring to a rapid boil. Drop immediately to med low/low and simmer for about an hour. If you cook this for too long some of the veg can actually lose their flavour. If you wish to add meat to make a nice stock do so when you add the veg, however, after about 30 minutes of simmering remove the meat. If there are bones, leave them in, or if the meat is still attached remove the meat as soon as you can and drop the bones back in. Now if you have the time, make this a day or more ahead of when you will need it. If your using meat keep it seperate from the liquid. Strain the liquid and refrigerate. After chilling in the fridge fully you can then easily skim off any solidified fat. If you in need of a clear broth, strain through several layers of cheesecloth before reheating.

Much as I hate to promote anything, the Debbie Myers bags (for deli meat, cheese, veg and bread) are really worth the buy. I am making a stew today, and the carrots I have are nearly a month old, but as I have kept them in the Meyers bags, they are still as good as when I brought them home. Same for the green peppers. I find I spend less money on produce #1 because I dont have any go bad & #2 I dont feel the need to use it faster so it doesn't go bad. Using the ends/stalks and such for stock also helps stretch the $$. Along that line, I also try and use anything peripheral from the foods I buy when I can. We occasionally buy chicken nuggets or patties, everyone does. I save all the coating that comes off them. Eventually when I have enough saved I make chicken strips with it. I add a little flour and spices to it and use it to coat my strips. If I have a lemon or an orange just for juice, I peel the zest off first and either freeze it or dry it.

So basically, I try and use as much of everything that comes in as I can. When we have to use boxed/premade I try to touch it up with a little of this and that to make it not only taste better, but make that $$ go further. Next time we'll do a recipe!

A New Hope...or...How YOU can cook too!

Hello! Welcome! Howdahellareya?

Welcome to The Old Smokehouse! I decided to start this blog for one simple reason, I love to cook. And as much as I would love to horde all the little secrets and tidbits about it, thats just not what cooking is about. I know we all cook day to day because we need to eat, and yes there are times when we make the frozen hamburger, or something out of a box. Not because we enjoy it over homemade, or because its the best choice, but because its quick and or easy. Its a fact.

So, I'd like to show you ways to alter those meals to be....well more. I'd also like to help you find more in general in the things you can buy and how to prepare them. Sometimes its a technique, sometimes its ingredients, sometimes it'll just be a good recipe. Hell, sometimes I might just toss up the most complex bass ackwards thing up there just because its awesome! All in all tho, I'd like this to be a place you can come for ideas or information. Break up the boredom or just find something new.

I called this The Old Smokehouse, not because I will focus on BBQ, but because above all else, BBQ is what I am good at. It's also a bit of a tribute to my father, who started my interest in cooking and who inspired me to make my own BBQ (from rub to smoking to sauce, it's my own recipes!). I'll try and put something on here a few times a week so keep checking back. Ask me if you have questions, but please, all I ask is be nice. Be nice to me and be nice to each other because this is after all, a place where you should come to be happy and enjoy yourself.