William Penn Life, 2011 (46. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2011-11-01 / 11. szám
HüD^TOD Kltch^D® with Főszakács Béla Fall Potpourri FÁRADJON BE A MAGYAR KONYHÁBA! Fall has arrived with the leaves changing into vivid autumnal colors. The days are warm and sunny and the nights cooler, adding a majestic change to life in New Hampshire. You can enjoy not only the great outdoors but also the fruits that have grown all summer, namely apples and cranberries. That makes this the best time of the year for those who enjoy laboring in the kitchen. This month, let's explore making some autumn favorites: biscuits to enjoy with a hearty soup, apple pie for a tasty dessert and a few recipes with cranberries. Chef Vilmos and I have put together some great procedures for you to share with family, friends and neighbors. Let us fall into the kitchen, but first, here are two trivia questions for the month: (1) For more than 100 years, what college, now a major university, served apple pie at dinner every night? and (2) How many pounds of cranberries are consumed each year in the United States? When making biscuits, it is best to use a soft dough which can be rolled out, cut and egg washed, then baked to perfection. A good biscuit makes the perfect companion to a soup or stew. They also are a treat for breakfast when smothered with sausage gravy. Here is the best procedure to make award winning biscuits. 1. Scale all your ingredients accurately. 2. Sift the dry ingredients together into a mixing bowl. 3. Cut in the shortening using the paddle attachment or a pastry knife attachment, or cut in the fat by hand using a pastry blender or your fingers. Continue cutting in the fat until the mixture resembles a coarse cornmeal. 4. Combine the liquid ingredients. 5. Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined and a soft dough is formed. Do not over mix! 6. Roll out the dough to a thickness of V2 inch, making sure the whole sheet of dough is even. The biscuits will double in height during the baking process. 7. Cut into desired shapes using a biscuit or cookie cutter. Press down firmly but do not twist the cutter. Twisting seals the edge of the biscuit and they will never rise. 8. Place on a baking sheet that has been greased or use parchment paper to line the pan. 9. Brush with egg wash and bake according to the recipe instructions. Pie dough is easy to make and can be filled with a variety of ingredients depending on what kind of pie you are making, savory or sweet. The two basic types of pie dough are flaky and mealy. To obtain a flaky crust, cut the fat into the flour until the mixture is the size of peas or small hazelnuts. For a mealy crust, blend in the fat more thoroughly so your mixture looks like cornmeal. The key to making a good pie crust is not over mixing your dough and using cold ingredients, namely the fat and the liquid. If they are both warm, your dough will lack the proper structure and not hold together when baked. You may follow any recipe for pie dough or use the following formula: 3-2-1 Pie Crust is a simple formula to use. All the ingredients are expressed by weight, not volume: 3 parts flour, 2 parts shortening or fat, 1 part ice water or ice liquid. I have substituted fresh cider for the water in my recipes with very good results. Another technique to use when making pie dough is to use hand mixing for small quantities. Up to 10 pounds can be mixed by hand as fast as with an electric mixer. If you do choose a mixer to produce your pie dough, use the paddle attachment and blend at low speed. Pies are classified into two categories based on how you make them. Baked pies have raw pie shells that are filled with fruit or custard type filling, topped with a crust then baked. Unbaked pies have a pre-baked pie shell filled with a prepared filling. Starting this month, most of the recipes will list ingredients by weight, not by volume. Have fun with the recipes and enjoy the rest of your fall season. Have a great month and a Happy Thanksgiving! (Jé átuáfl'ff'üt f'ősza&á.C'S B&Fa The Hungarian Kitchen is a trademark of William S. Vasvary. Oops.. •In our September 2011 recipes, the recipe for Hungarian Green Bean Soup incorrectly included egg yolk and heavy cream in the list of ingredients. These ingredients are not part of this recipe. TRIVIA ANSWERS: (I) Yale University, once a college, served apple pie for dinner every night for 100 years. (2) 400 million pounds of cranberries are served in the U.S. and 80 million pounds are served during Thanksgiving week. 8 0 November 2011 0 William Penn Life Photo © Gary Smith/Dreamstime.c
