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Thursday, February 28, 2013

Recipe With Shrimp

Author: copycats recipes

 

Photo:  eatwell101.com

This is the Copycats Recipes site
The site that help you to discover the secrets to making your favorite restaurant recipes at home
With this, you can finally:

-Stop waiting on those long lines at restaurant to pay for dishes you can quickly make in your own kitchen!

-Re-create your favorite restaurant dishes at home for a fraction of the cost by following these easy step-by-step instructions.

-Get kudos and praise from friends and family members when they find out you actually made these delicious dishes yourself!

-Uncover the cooking techniques used by world class chefs from famous restaurants.
Today let's discover how to make this recipe called "New England Fried Shrimp"

For information, "New England Fried Shrimp" takes virtually fat-free shrimp out of the deep fryer and pan-fries them in a little bit of oil instead. With 9 grams of total fat and 213 calories per serving, you can feel good about enjoying them.

Ingredients to make this delicious "New England Fried Shrimp":

1 cup pale ale or other light-colored beer,
1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour (see Ingredient Note) or all-purpose flour,
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard,
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided,
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided,
1 pound raw shrimp (13-15 per pound; see Ingredient Note), peeled and deveined, tails left on,
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Everything ready, then here are the instructions:

Whisk beer, flour, mustard and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl until smooth. You'll need to cook the shrimp in two batches. Wait to batter the second batch until the first is cooked. For the first batch, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Hold shrimp by the tail and dip in the batter one at a time. Let any excess batter drip off, then add the shrimp to the hot oil, making sure they aren't touching. Cook, turning once and adjusting the heat as necessary to prevent burning, until golden brown on the outside and curled, 3 to 4 minutes total. Transfer to a platter.

 Wipe out the pan. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan and heat over medium-high. Batter and fry the remaining shrimp. Season all the shrimp with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper and serve immediately. Ingredient notes:
Whole-wheat pastry flour, lower in protein than regular whole-wheat flour, has less gluten-forming potential, making it a better choice for tender baked goods. You can find it in the natural-foods section of large super markets and natural-foods stores. Store in the freezer. Shrimp is usually sold by the number needed to make one pound. For example, "21-25 count" means there will be 21 to 25 shrimp in a pound. Size names, such as "large" or "extra large," are not standardized, so to be sure you're getting the size you want, order by the count (or number) per pound. Both wild-caught and farm-raised shrimp can damage the surrounding ecosystems when not managed properly. Fortunately, it is possible to buy shrimp that have been raised or caught with sound environmental practices. Look for fresh or frozen shrimp certified by an independent agency, such as Wild American Shrimp or Marine Stewardship Council. If you can't find certified shrimp, choose wild-caught shrimp from North America-it's more likely to be sustainably caught.
Serves 4

That's it! Now you can try it for yourself! Hope you'll like it
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/recipes-articles/recipe-with-shrimp-4328210.html
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Information just like this will help you Discover delicious recipe with shrimp that you'll love,and also hundreds of copycats recipes

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

An Introduction To Essential Culinary Skills

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Photo: internationalculinarycenter.com
 
There are hundreds of reasons why an aspiring chef or cook should enroll in a culinary school. It's not enough to simply know how to cook. In order to be competitive in the hospitality industry, you should acquire basic culinary skills. Now, acquisition of these skills begins with a sound background of certain topics that are discussed in this article. Once you have acquired a solid theoretical foundation of a subject matter, you can then apply it to your cooking.

While gaining years of experience in the kitchen is a good thing, understanding essential culinary skills can be of added value. First, you get to compare if your skill is at par with industry requirements. Second, you can improve your cooking method by making it more efficient in terms of reduced cooking time. Third, you lessen the costs involved in meal preparation. Indeed, it is worth learning fundamental cooking skills either for commercial or personal purposes.

Fundamental Skills for Culinary Arts
1. Cooking Methods - As there are many types of meat, there are also various ways to cook them. Roasting chicken would definitely differ from roasting meat due to the meat's texture and weight. Aside from learning the right temperature to cook certain cuts of meat, it is also necessary to learn how to prepare simple sauces. Even poaching eggs the right way is very important because restaurant customers can be very picky. If you need to know the right way to stew, caramelize, broil, bake, or simmer any dish - learn cooking methods.

2. Familiarity with Kitchen Equipment - There are many varieties of kitchen equipment that can be used to prepare food. However, it is significant to understand when and how they should be used. Proper handling of equipment such as mixer, oven, or even a spatula promotes efficiency and safety. Think of cooking for a dinner party with a hundred guests then you would understand the necessity of learning this culinary skill.

3. Knife Handling Skills - The knife is an indispensable tool for any chef or cook. Use it properly so it can drastically reduce your food preparation time. There are many types of knives each with a specific purpose. Cheese knives, bread knives, cleavers, carving knives, sushi knives " they all play a role in creating the right cut or slice. A good chef or cook should master knife skills; in fact, a good chef demonstrates the right way to mince onions. It seems trivial but a chef is measured by how he handles the knife.

If you are serious in making a career out of your passion for cooking, enroll in a reputable culinary school. Make sure the school has accreditation to make it easier for you to land a job. There are many local schools offering culinary courses to choose from. Make the right choice today by getting a certificate or diploma in culinary arts.

Thinking about starting a rewarding career in the food industry? Want to become a chef or a cook but do not know where to start? Then visit Culinary Schools In USA where you will find lots of excellent information and easy to follow tips about training and becoming a qualified chef!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Greg_J_Carson

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Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Tuna and Thyme: Alternatives for Pasta Perfection

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Pasta originally started in Italy as a staple food. They made pasta with the freshest ingredients such as wheat flour, cereals and grains. They mix it with either water or egg depending on their choice. They come freshly made to provide the best flavor in the dishes. Due to commercialization and the need for export, pasta makers developed "dried" pasta that had a longer shelf life. This allowed for a long-distance transport. The dried variants seem to have smaller dimensions but upon cooking turns back to the normal pasta size. Pasta can also produce diverse meals due to its flexibility that some people use alternative ingredients. Here are some suggestions on making a new pasta recipe.

Common Pasta Dishes
Before you can formulate your own, you have to know the existing pasta recipes. Here are the meals you should know:

- Tomato Based: These pasta dishes use crushed tomatoes as the main sauce. This method is popular with spaghetti and Bolognese dishes. One popular spice added to these dishes is garlic.

- Cream Based: These dishes use cream and cheese instead of crushed tomato as sauce. The common recipes used with this method are carbonara and marinara. This sauce's best combination is with mussels, squid, and other seafood.

- Oil Based: These dishes use edible oil as the bases for their sauces. Olive oil, along with some vegetables, is the best arrangement for these dishes.

Fundamental Pasta Dish Ingredients
Many ingredients are important to any type of pasta dish. These are the components that the meal cannot live without or can change the consistency and flavor of the traditional pasta dish. Pasta is the first on the list because this is what differentiates it from other meals. Make sure you cook the pasta "al dente" or firm otherwise consuming the meal will not be as enjoyable. Tomatoes are also necessary if you intend on making it the sauce base. There are pre-made tomato sauces available in the market for easier preparation. If you plan to use real tomato fruit, make sure to cook it for a long time until it becomes dark red.

Cheese is also important to a pasta dish. This technique originated from the old Roman tradition. The more aged the cheese is, the better. You can use different add-ons to the dish like vegetables. These may include thyme leaves, seafood and other meats. Lastly, bread provides the perfect combination for any kind of pasta dish.

Spice it Up
These days, many people have developed new ways to prepare pasta dishes. The most popular ones include tuna and thyme as ingredients. It became prominent because you can get these components for an economical price in any grocery store. The tuna is best with oil-based recipes and the thyme leaves as an alternative for basil. Visit food websites online for more information about other pasta dishes you can try.

Carl Schiller is an experienced chef who uses thyme leaves for different pasta dishes and recommends mccormick.com.ph for other recipes.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carl_Schiller

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Monday, February 25, 2013

Learn the Different Ways of Preparing Stews

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Photo: dishragdiaries.com

Recipe 1 - Beef stew

The traditional recipe of beef stew is delicious and inexpensive and can be used to serve 12 people. The preparation time is 30 minutes while the cook time is 1½ hours. In total this accounts for 2 hours.

Ingredients

· One pound beef stew meat
· 1 quart beef broth
· One large potato
· One celery stalk
· One onion
· One carrot
· Salt and pepper
· Tomato paste (optional)
· 2 bay leaves
· Red wine (optional)
· Oil (any kind)
· Several spoonfuls of flour
· A large or medium-sized pot
· A heatproof container

How to make stew

1. Chop the vegetables into pieces (large).

2. Sprinkle the meat generously with salt and pepper on all sides. Also sprinkle flour on the meat and then toss to coat.

3. Coat the pots bottom with oil. Heat the pot over a medium-high heat. Allow the oil to become extremely hot and shimmering, for about 3 minutes. Put the meat in the cooking pot and cook for 3 to

 4 minutes without stirring. This will allow a brown crust to form. Then turn the meat, allowing it to cook for several minutes until all the sides have browned. Remove the meat and place it on a plate.

4. Pour several spoonfuls of hot oil in a heatproof container (the oil can be thrown away after cooling) and place the pot on the stove over a medium-high heat. Then add the onions, celery and carrots. Season the mixture using salt and pepper. Cook by stirring occasionally for 5 minutes until the vegetables have browned.

5. Add tomato paste and bay leaves. Stir the mixture of vegetables to coat them with the tomato paste. Then pour enough wine to coat the pot's bottom and use the spoon to scrape away any browned bits that could be stuck on the bottom (deglazing).

6. Add the meat, potato, accumulated juices and beef broth so as to cover everything. Allow the meal to boil, then lower the amount of heat to allow the stew to simmer. Cover the mixture and simmer for about one hour, to the point the meat becomes tender. Season the meal with pepper and salt to taste, and then serve.

Recipe 2 - Tomato stew
Ingredients

· Fresh plum tomatoes
· Vegetable oil
· Tinned tomato paste (600 grams)
· 1-2 medium sized onions

Preparation

1. Pour fresh tomatoes into a pot and cook using high heat until most of the water has dried
.
2. Add the chopped onions and vegetable oil.

3. Cook using low heat. Stir after short intervals until oil has separated from tomato purée. The tomato purée often features streaks of oil. Taste the tomato purée to ensure the taste of raw tomato is gone.

4. Pour out the extra vegetable oil and pour some tinned tomato paste. This simple tomato soup can be served together with rice & beans, or spaghetti.

We provide the best info about How to make stew and howto.gd. For further details please visit the provided links.
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Thursday, February 21, 2013

Why Personalised Chocolates are the Ideal Gift

Author: Peter Barker


Photo: cdn-17.create.net

The average chocolate consumption per person in the United Kingdom every year is 11 kilograms, which actually makes the country the joint highest chocolate lover with the Swiss.  And they really take some beating when it comes to chocolate that is renowned across the globe!

In fact, 90% of all adults in the United Kingdom admit to eating chocolate regularly, but why? Chocolate offers one of the most luxury indulgences for a price that everybody can afford. As this is the case, sales of chocolate have continued to increase even during recent tough financial times. With the above in mind, it is all too easy to get lazy with your choice of chocolate gifts if you are buying a present. Buying a box of chocolates and giving them away does not show much effort on your part. Just because chocolate gifts are simple, it does not mean that you cannot put some thought into them.

What is the solution?
The solution is very simple. If you buy personalised chocolate, it shows that you have put some thought into the gift. People love personalised chocolate mostly because it is unexpected. A personalised solution can contain a message that means something to your partner, and this can really make the difference.
With personalised chocolate wrappers, you can give your partner a tasty gift that they can also cherish and have as a keepsake as well. By putting in that extra effort and thinking outside the box you are showing the person that you are buying the gift for that care, and, at the same time you are still buying a quality chocolate gift that you know they will love.

In fact, personalised chocolate bars are ideal for a variety of events. As well as giving them as presents you could also give them away in party bags at children's parties and even provide them at weddings for something a bit different.

One thing is for sure... Chocolate will always be a winner when it comes to treating people or giving them a gift on a special day, event or to mark a special occasion.  If you can provide your family, friends and colleagues with a personalised chocolate bar as a reasonably inexpensive gift it can become priceless to the person receiving it!

At the end of the day, chocolate gifts will continue to provide people with a unique solution for a wide range of events and will always be a firm favourite across the generations and for all ages.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/chocolate-articles/why-personalised-chocolates-are-the-ideal-gift-6466556.html

About the Author
Peter Barker is the Founder of The Chocolate Wrapper - the UKs leading on-line store for personalised chocolate bars

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Amazing Gluten Free One Egg Quiche Recipe

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Years ago in college my friend who had an off-campus apartment served me this quiche one day for dinner. It was so delicious I started making it myself. People love it and I am always asked for the recipe whenever I bring it to someone or serve it to my guests. Back in college it was an economical choice for dinner; originally it was made with cheddar cheese and frozen broccoli, now I take gourmet ingredients and mix it up to create wonderful variations if the earlier recipe. Of course you can always take a small amount of last nights leftover vegetable or meat and keep it simple.
It is easy to keep it vegetarian; as long as you eat eggs and cheese, or try my favorite combination, Fontina cheese, cooked cubed chicken breast and sun dried tomatoes. I also have made it gluten free using an easy gluten free baking mix I always have on hand for the crust. Give it a try either using your favorite pie crust recipe or the pie crust recipe below, either way I think you will be amazed at the results!

Filling:

1 extra-large egg
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon gluten free baking mix
1/2 cup milk (any kind)
1/2 cup green onions, chives or red onion chopped
2 cups shredded cheese (any variety)
8-10 ounces of any vegetable, meat, or seafood you like. Vegetables should be slightly wilted to get rid of moisture, and meats and seafood thoroughly cooked.
Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl and pour onto the prepared pie shell.
Bake @ 350 degrees for 40 minutes until set.
Examples of combinations I have used:
Asparagus & Cheddar Cheese
Zucchini & Monterey Jack Cheese
Crab, Spinach & Gruyere Cheese
Chicken or Turkey, Broccoli & Cheddar Cheese
Ham & Swiss Cheese
Diced Smoked Salmon & Havarti with Dill Cheese

Crust:

1 1/4 cups gluten free all-purpose baking mix
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons sugar
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
3 tablespoons Crisco Shortening
1/4 cup ice water
11/2 teaspoon white distilled vinegar

Place first 5 ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pulse with a steel blade a few times to make pea size pieces of dough. Mix the water and vinegar, and slowly add to the mix drop by drop through the feed tube as you pulse the mix. Stop when the dough comes together into a ball.
Dump the dough into a pie plate and work it up all the sides in an even layer. Cool in the fridge for 30 minutes. Bake @350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool and its ready to be filled. ENJOY!!!
Gluten free doesn't mean without flavor. In my house I have some who eat gluten free and some who don't. I love it when a recipe pleases everyone and they can't tell they are eating a gluten free food. The gluten free all-purpose baking mix helps me accomplish this. To learn more and get other amazing recipes visit: http://www.glutenfreebakingmixes.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Maura_E_Dillon

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Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Five Great Guatemalan Desserts

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Every country has its own sweets and desserts. Sometimes they are known mainly only in their country of origin, and sometimes they become quite popular through exposure in ethnic restaurants. Some Guatemalan desserts are similar in nature to ones in other countries, as with their Borracho cake. Many cultures have cakes that are soaked with a sugar syrup and alcohol. Other Guatemalan desserts are far more unusual.

The cake mentioned above, the Borracho is a light sponge cake that is literally drenched in sugar syrup laced with a typical Guatemalan rum made from their sugar cane crops. This cake is found in pastry shops around Guatemala City, and is generally sold by the slice. Slices are set into a larger muffin paper to contain the syrup dripping out. The cake is topped with a cornstarch pudding made with milk, and then decorated with raisins. In my early life I had never heard of this kind of cake, and it quickly became a favorite. The sugar syrup is cooked with a true cinnamon stick so the syrup is cinnamon flavored. The cake is simple to make as any sponge cake will do, and any simple cornstarch pudding works for the topping.

Rellenitos de Platano are one of the desserts I have always been enchanted with. Platanos are plantains, and relleno means filled. In this case, these little oval shaped desserts are filled with black beans cooked down to a paste. If this sounds strange, it is nonetheless a delicious flavor combination. Eating plantains and black beans, a common pairing at any meal, are a particularly tasty combination. In this case, the plantains are cooked and pureed, a little sugar and cinnamon are added and this is the outside of the dessert. Pureed black beans are cooked down to a thick paste and a small bit is placed into the center of an oval shaped bit of the plantains. These are fried and rolled in granulated sugar to serve, hot or cold.

Chancletas are another interesting use of a vegetable. These are made with Chayote squash. At times, these squash are plentiful, and using them as a dessert is just another way to use up the excess. The chayotes are cooked whole. Once tender, they are split in half and the insides are scoped out as for a twice baked potato. The inner flesh is mashed or pureed and sugar, cinnamon, raisins and cookie crumbs are added to thicken. The mixture is placed back into the skins of the chayote and set on a baking sheet. These are baked until set, about 20 to 30 minutes. The name chancleta means slipper, as they are supposed to resemble a slipper.

Polvorosas are a type of shortbread cookie. The name comes from the word polvo, meaning powder or dust. The cookies are rolled into powdered sugar when baked, so biting into them gives one the reason why they are thus named. Shortbread of any kind is made without eggs added to bind the batter or dough, and this makes shortbread unusually crumbly. These little cookies are made into small round shapes with a flat top. They are much the same as the cookies known as snowballs, or Mexican Wedding Cakes.

Other typically Guatemalan sweets are found sold by street vendors on many street corners. The Guatemalans make candy out of unlikely things such as squash or sweet potato, along with some fruits like figs, orange peels or guavas. These candied fruits or vegetables can take days to make, because of the long, slow cooking process required to get them down to their dried, crystallized state.
Many other typical candies are also sold alongside these candied fruits or vegetables, and all of them have their particular flavor and shape. All of these desserts are amazing in their variety and in the imagination of those who came up with the recipes. Nothing is wasted. Even leftover cakes are made into a new cake, using the crumbs as a base.
Thank you for taking the time to read my article. I hope it was informative and helped you along your own culinary journey.

My passion is to teach people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking and help pass along my love and joy of food. I would love to hear from you! Join my "e-family" and share recipes, stories and good times in the kitchen. Visit my Web site http://www.aharmonyofflavors.com my Blog at http://www.aharmonyofflavors.blogspot.com my Marketplace at or join me on Facebook. Let me know, and I will send you a copy of my monthly news letter full of recipes the latest tips.
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