Cooking Tip: What is a silpat?

Sending a shout-out to the Baking Bites blog for today's tip.

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A silpat is an alternative to parchment paper when you are baking. According to the blog, "silpats are non-stick baking sheets made of a blend of food-safe silicone and a fiberglass mesh. They’re incredible versatile because nothing sticks to them, they can be used thousands of times and they work at a very wide temperature range." You don't even have to grease your cookie sheet before placing in the silpat, then put your cookie dough right on top, and you are ready for baking. One tip to keep in mind, silpats also provide a level of insulation which may help cookies bake more evenly but may also mean a familiar recipe takes a minute or two longer to be fully done.

In addition to baking with silpats, you can use them for kneading any type of dough or working with candy and other sticky foods.

Recipe Wednesday: Maple-Orange Glazed Ham Steak

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Maple-Orange Glazed Ham Steak
1 cup orange marmalade
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
2 ham steaks, each 1-inch thick

Directions

Stir together the preserves, maple syrup, ancho powder and orange juice in a medium bowl.

Heat grill to high. Grill the steaks for 2 to 3 minutes on both sides, keeping the grill covered to heat through. Baste with the glaze every few minutes. Slice and serve. 

Like this recipe? It's from our Spring Brunch Class. Want to learn more about cooking and take home a whole packet of new recipes? Check out our cooking classes.

Recipe Wednesday: FRUIT SALAD WITH HONEY-LIME DRESSING

FRUIT SALAD

Ingredients

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• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (from about 3 to 4 navel oranges)
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 apple
• 1 pear
• 1 banana
• 1 peach
• 3/4 cup melon (such as honeydew or cantaloupe)
• 1 cup pineapple chunks
• 3/4 cup seedless red or green grapes, cut in half
• 1 cup strawberries, hulled and quartered

HONEY-LIME DRESSING

• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup lime juice (from about 1 lime)

POUND CAKE CROUTONS

Instructions

1. To make the Fruit Salad: Place the orange zest, orange juice, and lemon juice in a large bowl.

2. Cut the apple, pear, banana, peach, and melon into cubes, adding the fruits to the bowl as you cut them to prevent discoloration.

3. Add the remaining fruits. Stir, coating the fruits with the juices, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

4. Mix thoroughly before serving.

5. To make the Honey-lime dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together the honey and lime juice until smooth.

6. To make the Pound Cake Croutons: Heat the oven to 350º. With a long, sharp knife, slice the pound cake into cubes.

7. Place them on a baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes, turning twice, until golden.

8. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the mint, if using, then add the toasted pound cake.

9. Sauté for 1 to 2 minutes or until golden.

10. Spoon the salad into serving bowls, drizzle it with the Honey-lime dressing, and then top with Pound Cake Croutons. Makes about 6 cups.

Tip of the Week: Grilling with Skewers

As grilling season starts to heat up, we thought we'd toss out a few ideas for grilling with skewers.  

 

• Soak wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes before using them so they won't burn during cooking.
• If you prefer metal skewers, which have a long life, use square or twisted types, which will hold the food better than round ones.
• To keep food from slipping off during cooking and turning, use two parallel skewers rather than a single skewer.
• If you're using a wooden skewer, as you thread the food move the pieces close together, with no space showing.
• If the skewer is metal, you can leave small spaces between the pieces.
• When using foods with different cooking times (such as shrimp and beef), don't combine them on the same skewer. Instead, make skewers of just shrimp or just beef, start cooking the beef first, and then combine them on a serving platter.
• Cut meats and veggies to the same size. One- to 1½-inch inch cubes work well.
• Group foods with similar cooking times together. While a skewer of bell peppers, cherry tomatoes and chicken looks appetizing, those tomatoes may turn to mush--or worse, slither off the skewer--by the time the chicken is done.
• To stabilize round or hard-to-skewer foods like tomatoes and shrimp, use two skewers parallel to each other. 

 

 

 

Check out our cooking classes

Recipe Wednesday: Crustless Mixed Vegetable Quiche

Crustless Mixed Vegetable Quiche

1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1 cup cooked stir-fried vegetables

1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

3/4 cup grated Cheddar

1/4 cup low fat milk

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon grated Parmesan

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine spinach, stir-fried vegetables. In another bowl combine ricotta, cheddar, milk, eggs, Dijon, thyme, salt, and black pepper. Mix well. Spoon cheese mixture into a standard size silicone muffin pan. Fill about 2/3 full. Top with vegetables and then top with shredded parmesan. Bake 22 minutes, until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean and crust is golden brown.

Tip of the Week: Making Bread Crusty

The key to crusty bread is quite simple: lots of steam. Steam allows bread to expand to its maximum limit, decreasing the chances of a flat or tough crust.

 However, what do you do if you are buying bread from the store and would like the bread crustier? Misti Wilcox had a great suggestion in her last class. We bought baguettes that were not as crusty as she would have liked. Her trick was simple with a variation on baking with steam. Coat the top of the prepared bread with water (using your hand, don’t run the bread under the water) and bake for about 5 minutes at 400 degrees you will end up with a nice crust on the outside while the bread inside stays warm and chewy. Perfect!

Recipe Wednesday: HIGH FIVE PEPPER JELLY DIPPING SAUCE

SPICY MEATBALLS OR OTHER MEATS WITH HIGH FIVE PEPPER JELLY DIPPING SAUCE

  12 oz jar  High Five Pepper Jelly (in our store now!)
  1/3 cup    Soy Sauce
  1/4 cup    Sesame Seed Oil
  60           mini meatballs or chicken wings or ribs
 
   Cook meatballs or other meats. Blend other ingredients together and heat until bubbly. Pour over meat and reheat and they are ready to serve.