In the kitchen with Sally

Turkey Brine:

1 can frozen apple juice concentrate
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3 bay leaves
3 Tbsp black peppercorn
peel of two small oranges
1 cup granulated sugar plus 1 Tbsp molasses (ran out of brown sugar)
3 juniper berries
1 Tbsp dried rosemary

Bring to a boil. Dissolve sugars. Cool.
I have not yet brined or cooked the turkey, but the cooled mixture is so yummy I almost want to just drink it!

(This recipe is lacking salt because of the turkey we purchased… I made the mistake once already of salt-brining an already salted turkey… not good!)

Inspired by some glazes in the Legal Sea Food Cookbook.

3 Tablespoons apricot preserves
1 tsp (approx) balsamic vinegar
1 tsp (approx) lime juice
1 Tablespoon (approx) fresh orange juice

Mix together. Lightly glaze salmon before broiling. Add more glaze halfway through cooking.

Verdict: A bit mild. But did not burn in the broiler, so that was a plus. I might use as a marinade in the future.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes as the side dish for dinner tonight.

I remember the first time I used a large chef knife to peel and crush garlic cloves. I was nervous. I mean, this knife… it is big, sharp and a little scary (our knives are extra-sharp; on the cutting edge and then the flat edge is also sharpened to 90 degrees for scraping fish scales, or so I am told.)
Here’s the thing about crushing garlic cloves with a big knife though – you cannot be tentative. Tentative will not get the job done and then you will just have to do it again. A good, solid, confident WHACK is called for the first time. Then that peel will come right off and your clove is mostly crushed already, thus requiring less mincing action.

I put the crushed garlic cloves (one whack each) right in the water with the potatoes. I find this gets a lot of the garlic flavor into the potatoes themselves and then the garlic is also nice and soft so it mashes right in to the final product.

We had houseguests this week – which meant dinner for eight – four adults and four kids. Since we were going to be out having fun for most of the afternoon, I opted to make some brisket the night before so as to minimize the time I would need to be in the kitchen that evening.

Menu:
BBQ Braised Brisket (combined recipe from Williams-Sonoma Meats)
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Mac & Cheese (adapted from Alton Brown’s Stove-Top Mac & Cheese)
Biscuits (from a can)
Broccoli & Corn (frozen)
Caramel Cheesecake w/ Caramel Sauce (from Williams-Sonoma Desserts)

This is the second time I have prepared brisket this way and it is definitely a good one for my repertoire. Using my dutch oven, I heat up a small amount of fat (oil or butter) (1-2 Tbsp enough… too much will end up boiling and splattering, trust me, you do not want that!) and then sear both sides of the meat. Once seared, turn the heat down, cover, and let the meat cook in it’s own juices for about an hour (or slightly more). Then smother with BBQ sauce (feel free to use prepared/bottled sauce, I do), cover and continue to braise on very low heat for a few more hours, until the meat pulls apart easily with a fork.
When prepared well in advance, I place the meat in a large seal-able container with all juices. About an hour before serving, return to pot and warm with low heat. All the juices (flavor) do a great job of keeping the meat from drying out. (If you are watching your fat/cholesterol intake, you can remove the layer of fat that will rise and solidify in an easy-to-remove layer during refrigeration.)

A yummy note: the sauce from the meat goes really well with the mac & cheese.

I love cooking for friends and entertaining, but I am definitely a solitary cook (especially in the current kitchen – it is really a one-cook space.) Once I start having conversations I start loosing track of where I am in a recipe or timing of tasks. As a result, things like forgetting to mix the eggs and milk *before* adding heat for the cheese sauce (unsalvageable) or forgetting to keep stirring else the eggs set up (barely salvageable) or dropping a plate on the floor (broken, but thankfully empty) are likely to occur.

The cheesecake was disappointing, but that is an entry unto itself.