The Perfect Barbecued Brisket

Brisket can be  delicious yet daunting. Many home chefs skip over it , preferring easier cuts to roast. Yet brisket is wonderful barbecued. It's an easy and flavorful cook.

Steven Raichlen, the king of smoking and barbecue wrote an informative article in this week's New York Times Food section. Chef Raichlen, star of the popular PBS show, Project Fire, knows a thing or two about grilling and barbecue. He offers excellent advice along with getting advice from barbecue chefs, well known for their dishes and recipes. A good barbecued brisket starts with a good brisket.  Don't be intimidated by its' size. The cut weighs anywhere from twelve to eighteen pounds and is known as a packer - so called because it's shipped from the packing house. It is probably the biggest cut of meat a home chef can cook.Its' anatomy can be pretty challenging as well.It's two slightly askew muscles connected with by a seam of fat. One muscle is fatty: the other lean. Both are loaded with collagen rich connective tissue that gives the meat its' structure.It requires  low temperature cooking for most of the day for the proper tenderness. Barbecuing it is just the same, but less intimidating.

When you're cooking brisket, Chef Raichlen suggests keeping in mind, not only the meat, but other components as well.it's more of a smoking than actual cooking over the grill. The meat should be prepped with just salt and pepper. This will form the crust or bark and it should be an equal peppery heat and brininess. Some professional chefs use such strange combinations of dill pickle juice and mustard. The next factor is the smoker. Many swear by an electric one but a charcoal one can do the same job for a lot less money. As for the smoke, a fruitwood like cherry will impart a sweet, smoky flavor. There should be lump charcoal mixed in for more heat. Temperature should be 125 F to start with and the cook should end with 325 F. The meat goes through a kind of doldrums cooking period where the internal temperature stalls at 150 F. This is just the liquid evaporating from the brisket. The meat's inside temp will rise to 325 F . There is the wrap phase when the meat hits 125 F where it is either wrapped in butcher paper or aluminum foil. This seals in the brisket's juices while allowing the excess steam to escape. How can you tell when it's done?  Some jiggle it .Some just poke a finger in it. If it sinks into the fat, it's good. Yet don't eat it right away. Wrap it in more butcher paper and stick in a cooler for two hours. Cut it into slices after you trim away the fat.

It's barbecue season. It's a good time to barbecue a brisket and enjoy it.  This robust cut is well worth the elaborate cooking method.

Barbecue Leftovers Now What

All those Memorial Day barbecues  lead to one thing - leftovers. if you're lucky the guests ate everything or brought home containers of salads and sides. They even may have taken home dessert for a late night snack. Yet what happens when none of that happens? What do you do with the barbecue leftovers?

Luckily extra burgers and dogs can be stored in the freezer or fridge and turned into a quick lunch or dinner. To jazz them up a bit, add bacon and cheddar to the hamburgers for a flavorful meal. As for the hot dogs.think chili or even salsa. Cheese dogs are a nice change up from plain ones and the kids won't complain about another hot dog meal.Split the dogs, add shredded cheddar and wrap with bacon for a totally decadent meal. You could also slice them and add them into a veggie or potato soup. Leftover steak? If it's cooked then slice and cut into bite size bits for salad. Add in ripe red Roma tomatoes and onions  dressed in a simple red wine vinaigrette. Barbecued chicken is good cold and can be repurposed as a no cook dinner with any left over salads and sides. The next question is what to do with the sides? Surprisingly potato salad can be roasted to produce crispy already seasoned chunks, Just rinse off any extra mayo - they'll need some for roasting and then pop them into a cast iron pan and roast at 425 degrees Farenheit. If you have any leftover veggies then , think tempura. Green beans and tomatoes dipped in batter and air fried  is a nice snack for movie night.

Sometimes there's extra dessert. Hard to believe but true.Barbecues always have fruit as the last course. Sometimes you overbuy , or guests bring fruit platters. If you have a lot of watermelon in the fridge , then think healthy slushie. It's a simple mix of crushing ice cubes in a blender, then adding watermelon cubes and just a drop of honey. It's a refreshing repurposing  and perfect on a hot day. You can do the same with any leftover cantaloupe too. Add a tablespoon or two of almond milk to make it creamy. Add a shot of vodka or gin for some zing.If there are any grapes left over, freeze them. They're great  as frozen bonbons and a nice icy hit when the temps rise. Sometimes you buy a lot as I did with the coconut milk based ice creams.I went out and bought waffle bowls along with Smucker's hot fudge sauce for sundaes. Add the coconut milk Reddi-Whip and all those scoops make for a fun treat.As for those famed chocolate wafers , they're just good on their own as a nice lunchtime dessert or afternoon snack. Of course they can be crushed and used as a sundae or cone topping.

Don't freak out at those Memorial Day leftovers. They can be recooked and repurposed into tasty new dishes and treats. They'll even be better a second time around.

A Memorial Day Treat

It's Memorial Day and there were tons of barbecues throughout the US today.Hopefully they all ended with a homemade ice cream cake.

                              This was mine strawberry and vanilla coconut milk ice cream with
                               chocolate wafer layers.

                                          This was before. As usual I accidentally refrigerated the hard shell  .

Despite the no hard shell it was a big hit with very little left over.

It's a nice treat.

Good food and goodies aside, think about inviting veterans , old and young to your next cookout. We always should remember our slain warriors but it's also the living we need to exalt as well. Invite them to your next cookout. Make them their favorite foods and celebrate their bravery and courage.

My Ice Cream Loaf Cake

My first barbecue in a long time is tomorrow and I want to make everything special. I would like to have the Gardein burgers cooked over cherry wood chips, I am making an Asian vibe coleslaw with soy sauce and fresh ginger. Then there's dessert. A homemade ice cream loaf seems like an easy
thing. I bought the silicone loaf plan and the soy ice cream below

As you can see I overdid it. Again.I bought two containers each of strawberry , chocolate and vanilla. In my mind I thought the loaf pan was big.

                      It's not. It was ten inches long and five inches wide (with a three inch  height). This is Elbee's bread loaf pan that I bought  on Amazon . I could use it for bread in the future but for the summer, I will definitely be using it for ice cream loafs.

These are those famed dark chocolate wafers that are crumbled for the cake layers. I only really needed just one box (but the other is good for snacking)

                                  They were crumbled into coarse crumbs, using my ever faithful food processor.

                                         Then to create a kind of batter, I used two tablespoons of melted (in the                                        microwave) I Can't Believe It's Not Butter.Mix well with a spoon.

Then start layering.

I used the Soy Delicious strawberry and vanilla to create a Neopolitan vibe.

This is now ready for the freezer where it will spend the night. It will be unmolded and covered with Hershey's Hard shell and Reddi-Whip 's Coconut whipped cream.

 In the meantime I have chocolate wafers to munch and a menu to contemplate. Now let's hope the cake turns out well. I may have another Easter lamb success on my hands.😄

Chinese Street Food A Pictorial Delight

China is known for its'  interesting cuisine and centuries old recipes. However it's the street food that is the highlight of any trip. Every city and town has its' specialty , perfect treats for tourists. Yet there are dozens of both savory and sweet treats. What's good and from where? There's a new carry along guide book that can help sort out the different dishes.

Frank Kasall has written an illustrated guidebook Chinese Street Food :A Field Guide For The Adventurous Diner (Blacksmith Books 2019). It is a travelogue through one of the biggest's country's many metropolitan areas. It's fair to say that each town has a street food it's known for, whether it be salty or sweet. The book is divided into cities and their specialties so it's easy to find such famed towns as Beijing and Shanghai. A map of China and a marker on the highlighted city opens each and every chapter. There are some treats that are sold throughout the country such as the New Year's jellied sweets that have all sorts of decorations on them. Yet every province is different, sometimes influenced by neighboring countries such as India  and Nepal who have given the bordering area naan and outside sources such as Russian Jews who introduced vanilla ice cream to the northern , snow region  early in the last century.

The pictures and accompanying descriptions are mouth watering. Unlike most countries, Chinese street food is served all day long from early morning to late at night. Travelers can enjoy a  porridge of veggies and meat to start the day and end it with a  chicken stew or rich soup, swimming with wheat noodles.Some can be eye openers as with Kao Can Yong or silkworm pupae, Yes, it's silkworm on a stick,  popular in town of Changchun where skewered food rules supreme. They look like rolls of bacon but creamy inside like pate. They don't taste like chicken. Mr. Kasalls assures that they have a buttery, nutty taste. Too wild? Try the city's Wu Hua Rou Juan Jin Zhen Gu or skewered mushrooms and pork belly  fried to a golden crisp. For those wanting a more European spin, then head to Macao, once a Portuguese outpost for  daan taat a sweet egg custard tart in a crunchy shell. The dumplings we Americans crave are also listed throughout the book, There are some variations such as the ones made with soup and mutton in the Muslim areas of the country.

Chinese Street Food :A Field Guide For The Adventurous Diner is the must have book on a summer trip to China. It is the best guide for navigating through the street vendors. Anyone will feel like an export upon reading it.

Spring Entertaining

Right now everyone is stocking up on dogs,burgers and buns. Home chefs are planning their sides - usually something with macaroni and mayo. Dessert will probably be watermelon slices, maybe Popsicles for the kids. Yet suppose- you could amp it up - turn the Memorial Day dinner into something a bit more sophisticated  - a bit more fun -and a bit unconventional. You can - and it's pretty easy to do.

Thessaly La Force, the editor for the Sunday Times T Magazine got to experience a Spring get together with Egyptian artist and chef, Laila Gohar. Chef Gohar is known for her outrageous art creations such as a thirteen foot long piece  mortadella hanging in Galleries Lafayette in Paris and a piece involving hanging large clusters of cherry tomatoes. Her entertaining style is a bit more laid back as she and her Spanish born husband celebrate the Egyptian holiday Sham el-Nassim which translates into "smelling the breeze' in Arabic. It goes back to the pharaohs when they welcomed in the Spring. Egyptians gather in outside places where they eat fermented fish, lettuce , beans and hard boiled eggs.This is usually celebrated the day after Coptic Easter (the same day as Greek and Russian orthodox Easter) however a Spring celebration can be held now. What I like about her entertaining style is that she juxtaposes a crusty boule next to almonds and olives. I would also have bowls of peppercino spiked olive oil too. There's nothing like a crusty slice dipped in a flavorful oil.

She serves braised rabbit and beans - the last is a new obsession of hers. The first may be too much for some - then rethink Cornish hens grilled crispy.  Chef Gohar is into beans right now  , using Rancho Gordo marcella bean which is similar to the creamy textured cannellini bean especially when it's soaked and then slowly cooked..You can go off menu by using chickpeas, which means there will be aquafaba for meringues - a dessert she loves. These don't have to be cooked. Add some chopped  parsley and sliced grape tomatoes or just serve the chickpeas in a flavored oil, maybe olive oil spiked with lemon juice. She recommends salad and seafood too. You can combine the two and have a chilled and grilled shrimp on a bed of Romaine lettuce. Put all food out as guests arrive. They can be served at room temperature. Doing this will free you up to greet guests and chat with them. As for dessert Chef Gohar likes "old lady" flavors like  meringue and marzipan. This is where the aquafaba comes in. Make meringues with it, whether vanilla, chocolate or coffee. I would serve them with cut , fresh fruit. It's a nice light end. What to drink the entire night long/ Champagne. It's a celebration so celebrate.

Go celebrate this Memorial Day weekend. Change up the barbecue menu with a more festive and fun menu. The guests will love it and you will too.

A Trailblazer's Cookbooks

One of the greatest chefs is archiving decade after decade of her works. Diana Kennedy, a contemporary of Julia Child and the chef who introduced Americans to true Mexican food is packing up her endless array of recipes and cookbooks. The University Of Texas at San Antonio will be the lucky recipient of not only her dishes but of her collection of 19th Century Mexican cookbooks. It will be a bonus to any culinary major studying at the school.

Tejal Rao, an impressive chef in her own right, conducted the interview with the English born Ms. Kennedy for today's New York Times Food section.It wasn't that long ago when Ms. Kennedy
 was out on the road in her pick up truck to research recipes. Mind you she is ninety-six and she has two artificial hips.Her attitude is no nonsense British, having been born in Loughton Essex, and even chastised Ms. Rao for wanting snacks on the trip.She is ferocious, brilliant and uncompromising and
 has been described as prickly (another Brit chef and cookbook writer, , Gordon Ramsey comes to mind with those descriptions)). Living in Mexico has her keeping   a 25 caliber pistol under her pillow. She didn't start out here. After the Second World War, she emigrated to Canada in
1953, then to Mexico in 1957. She met her husband, Paul Kennedy ,a foreign correspondent for The New York Times during a trip to Haiti. Theirs was a powerful relationship , only to be cut short a decade later when he died of cancer. They moved to Manhattan so he could receive better medical treatment.

After her husband's death, Ms. Kennedy taught Mexican cooking classes out of her New York apartment. The famed New York Times restaurant critic, Craig Claiborne attended one of those classes. It was centered around a Yucatecan dish of papadzules. He wrote about it in The Times, listing several Manhattan shops where readers could find sour oranges and fresh cilantro, along with pepitas so home chefs could make their own pumpkin seed oil. Editors in New York, encouraged her to write a Mexican cookbook - a rarity in those days, Yet how could she do that without reporting it properly without contextualizing the recipes. To her they weren't just lists of ingredients and steps but much, much more. They were crucial , regional histories and socio-economic  documents, records of ecological diversity. She sat with families and recorded their recipes with a dogged , journalistic approach. This is what makes her collection so valuable. There are not just dishes written down but notes, carefully organized by Mexican state and year. Rightly she feels that cookbook writing is undervalued , considering the amount of work that goes into it.

Diana Kennedy is leaving a valuable gift and lessons to future culinary students at the University of Texas. Her collection is a rare gift inside regional Mexican cooking. May it be followed and enjoyed , along with being parsed and studied for decades to come.