LOVING YOUR CAST IRON

A little while ago as I was in www land I stumbled across a website by a chef from Australia named Benjamin Chrisite.

Being the “foodie” that I am, I was hooked. His site is on Australian cooking, and fare indiginous to there. It was Chef Christie that first sparked the idea of writing about cast iron cookware. After speaking with friends and family members I realized that not everyone knew how to season or maintain cast iron. So I hope with this post I can try to pass on some information reguarding this. Dad, Mr. Chrisite, this one’s for you.

I love Cast Iron pans. In my humble opinion they are the great-grand daddy of all “non stick” cookware out there today. Unfortunately they aren’t widely used in a commercial kitchen but for home use you couldn’t ask for a better way to cook eggs, make a stew or just weight lift.

My mom has a full set of these things and although they are getting too heavy for her to use regularly (they must be at least 50 years old) she loves them. They are black, which will happen with age and use, and she lovingly cares for them like they were one of her kids. Heaven forbid that my dad should put them in the dish water and wash them like a regular pan, metal scrubby and all……….I actually think my dad is still in the dog house after having mistakenly done that.

SEASONING YOUR NEW CAST IRON PAN

1. Heat your oven to 250 F – 300 F

2. Coat your pan with lard or bacon grease… DO NOT use liquid shortening such as canola or vegetable oil as it will leave a sticky residue on the pan thus resulting in a pan that is not seasoned properly.

3. Place the pan in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and pour out any excess grease into an old soup can. DO NOT pour down your drain, or you will be placing a call to the plummer right quick.

4. Put the pan back into the oven and bake for at least 2 hours.

5. Remove from oven and let cool.

6. Try to repeat this process several times as it will help to create a stronger “seasoning” bond.

PANS THAT NEED RE-SEASONING

1. If your pan was not “seasoned” properly, or the seasoning has worn off, or if food is sticking, or if there is just rust, then it should be cleaned properly and re-seasoned.

2. To do this, remove any food residue by cleaning the pan thoroughly with hot water and a non-metal scrubby.

3. You can heat the pan first to a temperature that is still safe to touch which will help to open the pores of the metal and will make it easier to wash.

4. Dry the pan immediately with either a dish towel of a paper towel. Don’t let it sit and air dry as the rust will come back and you will have to wash it all over again.
5. Season the pan as if it were brand new.

CARING FOR YOUR CAST IRON

Seasoning you cast iron is a natural way to create a non stick piece of cookware. Take special care of your cast iron like you would your newer “non-stick” cookware, taking great care to not scratch the surface, lets your cast iron feel loved and special.
Clean your cookware while it is still hot by rinsing it under hot water and scraping when necessary. DO NOT use a scouring pad or detergents (soap) as it will break down the pan’s seasoning.
Never store food in your pans, as the acidity of the food will breakdown the seasoning and the food will inherit a metallic taste.
Store your pans with the lids off. Leaving the lids on, especially in an area where there is humidity, will cause the pans to rust and then re-seasoning is a given.
When you purchase your new cast iron cookware, it will be either a medium grey or a light brown in color. They will turn darker with use.
Some of the cast iron cookware available is already pre-seasoned before you purchase it. It doesn’t hurt to re season it yourself.
I do hope this helps for those of you interested in cast iron. Take care of it and it will last you a life time.

Homemade Ice Cream and Granita

When the summer season starts, the simple pleasure of going to The Marble Slab and ordering a double scoop of Vanilla Bean ice cream with raspberries and ‘smores is pure heaven. Having discovered this amazing paradise a couple of summers ago, it became my number one place to get some of the most amazing, made on site, ice cream ever created. I dragged everyone I knew there, and it immediately became their favorite place as well.

This past December a tragedy of major proportions struck………I developed a quick and severe allergy (can we say anaphylaxis) to peanuts, tree nuts, coconut and coffee. It is one thing to have this allergy but to have it develop so close to Christmas, when these are on every table that ever existed, was absolutely horrifically unfair.. As the weeks came and went the realization of the severity of the allergy stuck, I was overwhelmed. I have been in the food industry for 25 years, and have always been able to eat anything. I now had to completely change my eating habits, what restaurant I ate at, what groceries I bought (this alone is a major undertaking), even what I touched.

Now that summer has essentially arrived I am once again devastated by the fact that I can no longer go to my little slice of paradise and order my favorite vice. How cruel can life be………

So, being the resilient individual that I am, I decided to try to make my own ice cream. It was either this or eat the only brand of ice cream available for us nut allergy people. (I’m sorry, but this brand of delectable treat, tastes horrendous. Cardboard tastes better than this stuff. It is cruel and unusual punishment to be relegated to this, which is something I don’t even think my dog would eat. You can’t put enough berries or syrup on this to make it taste even remotely tolerable.)

Making my own ice cream seemed like a phenomenal idea. The more I thought about it the better it sounded. I could make any flavor I wanted, no matter how bizarre. Gelato and Granita are my two favorite ways to do this. So here are a few recipes that I hope will help those of you with being able to enjoy a favorite summer delicacy.

Fruit Granita

1 liter Apple Juice

1 liter Pineapple Juice

1 liter Passion Fruit Juice

1 liter Simple Syrup

250 ml sparkling Sparkling Wine (optional)

1. Place all ingredients into a stainless steel bowl

2. Pour the juice into an ice-cream machine filling it half full then churn-freeze for approximately 10-15 minutes.

3. If you do not have an ice cream machine pour the liquid in a shallow pan about 1 inch deep and place in freezer. As the liquid begins to freeze, use a fork to shave into crystals every half hour or so until completely frozen.

Gelato.

4 c Milk

½ c Sugar

8 ea Egg Yolks

1 ea Vanilla Bean ( or 1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract)

1. In a stainless steel bowl stir together, using a wooden spoon, the sugar and yolks until well blended. (Do not let this mixture sit too long or a film will develop on the yolks.)

2. In a small saucepan heat the milk and vanilla bean just to the boiling point. Remove from the heat and whisk a few tablespoons of the milk into the yolk mixture. Then gradually add the remaining milk, whisking constantly.

3. Pour this mixture into a medium saucepan and, over medium heat, or using a bain marie ( a double boiler), gently heat the mixture to just below boiling point (170-175 degrees F)(77-80 degrees C) You will notice that steam will begin to appear and the mixture will be slightly thicker than heavy cream. Do not boil or the eggs will curdle. Check to see if it is the right consistency by holding a wooden spoon sideways that is covered with the custard and run your finger along the back of the spoon. If the streak remains without cream running down through the streak, it is ready.

4. Immediately remove from the heat and pour through a strainer, scraping up any thickened cream that settles on the bottom of the pan. Remove the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the sauce. Stir until seeds separate. (If you are using pure vanilla extract, instead of the vanilla bean, add it to the cream now.)

5. Allow the crème anglaise (English custard) to cool in the fridge then put in an ice cream maker and follow the instructions to create gelato.

6. NOTE: If sauce becomes overheated and curdling occurs, pour instantly into a blender and process until smooth before the straining. If necessary, add a little heavy cream to the mixture before blending.

My first post

Hello world.  This is my first post on my first blog.