How you doin’? Did you ever try my recipe for Texas Cowboy Casserole (Lesson #14) using Original Bisquick? Why not? Don’t be a slacker. You’re at home with the kids and baking and cooking are great releases from all the stress you are going through. Okay, I’m going to give you another chance to be a “baking hero.”

Cheddar Corn Cakes make a great accompaniment to a nice dining room dinner or an informal outdoor cookout. It all starts with a box of Jiffy Corn Muffin mix and a box of Original Bisquick. Skip the standard bake-and-serve, store-bought dinner rolls and try these quick-to-fix biscuits studded with cheddar and corn kernels. It's almost impossible to resist eating one right from the oven!
 
Prep time: 20 minutes
Bake time: 20 minutes
Yield: 16 to 20 biscuits
 
Ingredients
Food release spray (Pam)
1 box of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix (8.5-oz.)
1 large egg
1/3 cup milk
 
2-1/2 cups Original Bisquick Baking Mix
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground dry rosemary
8 tablespoons cold salted butter, cubed
1/2 can (14-3/4 ounces) cream-style corn
1 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons milk, plus more for brushing the tops
1/4 cup melted salted butter for brushing the tops after baking
 
Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 425°F.
2. Prepare 2-baking sheets with parchment paper sprayed with food release (Pam).
3. In a medium bowl combine the muffin mix, egg and milk; set aside.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together the Bisquick, sugar, mustard and rosemary.
5. Cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
6. Add the creamed corn, cheese, eggs and milk; stir until just moistened.
7. Add in the prepared corn muffin batter.
8. Deposit batter on the prepared sheet pans using a #20 scoop (standard ice cream scoop).
9. Place the corn cakes 2-inches apart on the prepared sheet pans, brush biscuit tops with milk.
10. Bake 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. Turn and rotate pans midway through the baking time.
11. When the biscuits come out of the oven brush with melted butter.
12. Serve warm.

#Biscuits #JiffyMuffinMix #Bisquick #Brunch #Dinner #CheddarBiscuits #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19

How you doin’? Do you have a lot of time on your hands? (Warning: If you are working from home or home schooling the kiddies, this may be too much for you to handle—Ben & Jerry’s Frozen Yogurt may be a better option and more rewarding.)

Do you want to feel that you really accomplished something beyond just pushing buttons on your Instant Pot? Well, here’s the 2020 Quarantine Kitchen Challenge—making yogurt from scratch in your Instant Pot.
As fair warning there are other, simpler ways to get your daily dose of yogurt. If you don’t mind all the sugar and additives there are plenty of brands at your local grocer. Check the labels… some may be cleaner than others.

Or, you can always purchase a single use appliance—a yogurt maker. They cost between $27.99 to a couple a hundred bucks. They are not very complicated to use. They are fairly automatic but take up a lot of room on your kitchen counters or cupboard and will eventually wind up in the same place as your juicer, automatic bread maker and slow cooker.

Let’s face it, you already have an Instant Pot that you are using for everything else, why not take a flier and make some yogurt in your trusty Instant Pot?

Here are some tips for making homemade yogurt. I do guarantee—homemade yogurt tastes so much better than the store-bought stuff. Now that you have plenty of time on your hands, give it a try.

Yogurt Making Tips
For your yogurt culture, you can use either store-bought plain yogurt with active cultures, a freeze-dried heirloom starter, or yogurt from a previous batch of homemade yogurt. A yogurt starter culture contains live bacteria that convert milk into yogurt—that’s a good thing. The bacteria feed on the lactose and convert it into lactic acid. This ferments the milk, making it thicker and giving it that tart flavor associated with yogurt. Every starter culture has its own blend of bacteria which gives the yogurt a specific taste and texture—it’s alive. Check out the internet to find the style of yogurt you prefer.

If you are using freeze-dried heirloom starter for the first time, read the directions that come with it. Instead of adding 2 tablespoons of yogurt, you’ll add the entire packet of freeze-dried starter in step 3.

Smell your Instant Pot gasket before you begin. If it carries a strong aroma of chili or curried lamb, you may want to order an extra gasket, as the yogurt can absorb those smells. Reserve the neutral gasket for making yogurt only.

 Prep time: 5 minutes
Total time: 4 to 12 hours, plus chilling time (most good things take time)
Yield: about 6-1/2 cups of homemade yogurt
 
Ingredients
 1/2-gallon pasteurized milk (we like organic, whole cow’s milk)
2 tablespoons yogurt culture
 
Directions

1. Pour the milk into the Instant Pot’s insert. Lock on the lid. It does not matter if the steam vent is open or closed. Press the YOGURT button, then press ADJUST so the digital readout says BOIL.
   On some Instant Pot models, you'll need to press the START button. Eventually it will bring the milk to 180° F (this kills off undesirable microorganisms). It usually takes about 30 minutes. When it's done, the Instant Pot will beep and its readout will say YOGT.
   For a thicker yogurt, keep the lid on, press YOGURT, then press ADJUST so the digital readout again says BOIL. Start a timer for 5 MINUTES; once the time is up, proceed with the recipe below. This cooks the milk a little longer and leads to thicker yogurt.
2. Right after the Instant Pot beeps, turn it OFF and lift out the insert of hot milk. Put the thermometer in the milk and wait until it’s 116°F. This may take as long as an hour. To speed the cooling, set the insert of hot milk in a bath of ice water and stir the milk; the temperature will drop in about 5 minutes. (If it dips below 110°F, pop the insert back in the cooker, press YOGURT, then ADJUST and monitor the thermometer until it reaches 116°. Remove the insert from the cooker.
   Remove the thermometer. There will be a film of coagulated milk on the surface of the milk; carefully lift this off with a spoon and discard (this film won’t ruin your yogurt, but it creates a distracting texture once it’s finished).
3. Put the starter in a medium bowl and add about 1/2 cup of the warm milk. Whisk until smooth, then pour into the insert of remaining milk and whisk to combine.
4. Set the insert of milk back in the Instant Pot, lock on the lid (once again, the steam vent may be open or closed), and press YOGURT. If the readout does not say 8:00, add time using the + button until it does to correct.
   The Instant Pot will incubate the yogurt for 8 hours before switching itself off (the display will read YOGT once the 8-hour default programming is complete). You can use the +/- button to adjust the incubation time.
   Note that, when incubating yogurt, the timer counts up (when pressure cooking with your Instant Pot, the readout counts down). When the readout says 2:45, it’s been incubating for 2 hours and 45 minutes.
5. Start checking on your yogurt after 4 hours. As the yogurt incubates, you don’t want to jostle the Instant Pot—it will keep the yogurt from setting well.
   It can take anywhere from under 4 to over 12 hours for your yogurt to set. A lot of it has to do with how active the cultures in your starter are—fresher starter takes a lot less time to incubate. Be patient and don’t lose hope! It will all pull together and it’s worth it.
   Open the lid carefully when you peek; a lot of condensation forms around the gasket and you want to minimize it dripping back onto the yogurt.
   The yogurt is set when it jiggles all as one unit when you carefully nudge the insert, and it does not run if you tip the pot a bit. You may see some clear liquid (the whey) floating on the surface and at the edges.
6. Once your yogurt is set, gently lift the insert from the cooker. Pouring it out or stirring at this point can make your yogurt runny, which you don’t want. You can set the insert on a rack to help it cool faster, but don’t pop it right in the fridge, since rapid temperature changes can also thin your yogurt. Once it’s at room temp (about 2 hours), set it in the refrigerator.
7. The yogurt might seem lumpy after it's been chilled, but a vigorous whisking will smooth it out. At this point, you may strain it or transfer it to sterile containers (I like sterilized mason jars).
8. Homemade yogurt can be stored for up to two weeks. As it sits in your refrigerator, it will get tangier and lose some of its body.

Hey, you did it!  You made homemade yogurt for the first time in your Instant Pot. Isn’t that rewarding? I am so proud of you!

ChefSecrets:

• To make yogurt in individual heatproof jars (of any size), put the steam rack inside the insert. Add 1 cup of water. Fill the jars with milk, stopping 1/2 inch from the rim. Set them on the rack, lock on the lid. Press the STEAM button and use the “-/+” keys to adjust the time to 1 MINUTE. When the cooker beeps, let the pressure release naturally.
• Open the cooker and use canning jar lifters to remove the jars. Stick a thermometer in one and wait for the milk to cool to 116°F. This can take up to an hour. Remove and discard any skin from the top of the milk in the jars.
• Divide the appropriate amount of starter among the jars—it’ll depend on how much the jars hold. Live on the wild side—experiment a little. Return the jars to the cooker, lock on the lid, press the YOGURT button, and proceed with Step 4.
  

#InstantPot #Yogurt #HomemadeYogurt #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19

The first year my brother enrolled at the University of California, Davis campus my dad treated our family to dinner at the Nut Tree Restaurant, Vacaville. It was a magically wonderful experience… including the small gauge train that circled the property, and the general aviation airport (that later in life I used to fly in for a weekend brunch). Over the years the Nut Tree became one of my favorite places to stop when visiting Davis and later when driving along the heavily traveled corridor of Interstate 80 between San Francisco and Sacramento.

The Nut Tree Restaurant was an early pioneer of, what is now known as, California Cuisine, with fresh fruits and vegetables featured in their recipes. By 1978, the Nut Tree was identified as "the region's most characteristic and influential restaurant." A notable feature of the restaurant was its large indoor aviary that had glass walls extending from floor to ceiling. Nut Tree knives and cutting boards, as well as books on aviation, were sold in the gift shop.
 
The restaurant attracted many notable visitors including Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, Danny Kaye, Shirley Temple Black, Chuck Yeager, Peter Marino, and Bing Crosby, among others. In 1983, the Nut Tree catered a luncheon hosted by (California) Governor George Deukmejian for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip at the State capitol.
 
Don Birrell was design director for the Nut Tree from 1953 until 1990. The Nut Tree's outdoor patio area was designed to loosely resemble Tivoli Gardens, in Copenhagen with unique its lighting and kiosks, and every plate was a food stylist’s dream.
 
The Nut Tree had a number of wonderful signature menu items… Whole Pineapple With Marshmallow Sauce, Seasonable Fruit & Sorbet Fruit Salad, Chicken Almond, Fried Shrimp, Freshly Baked White and Wheat Mini Loafs and, most memorable, Orange Nut Bread.
 
Because of changing times, rising property values and family squabbles the restaurant closed in in 1996.  Fortunately, I managed to save one of the best recipes—The Nut Tree Orange Nut Bread.
 
Prep time:  40 minutes
Bake time:  45 to 60 minutes
Yield:  1 large loaf or 2 mini loafs
 
Ingredients
For the orange rind prep
1 cup, orange rind, ground (from about 2-3 medium oranges)
1/2 cup water
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
 
For the cake batter
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup, plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, oil or melted shortening
2 large eggs, unbeaten
1 teaspoon orange extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract
3/4 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped, roasted
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoon raw sugar
 
Directions
To prepare the orange rind

1. In advance, grind or chop in blender enough orange rind to measure 1 cup.
2. Preheat oven to 400ºF.
3. Add the orange rinds, water and sugar to medium saucepan, heat to boiling; then cover and cook over low heat 10 to 15 minutes, until rind is tender and practically all the water is absorbed.  Cool and set aside.

To prepare the bread batter

1. Whisk together all-purpose flour, 1 cup granulated sugar. baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl.
2. Add milk, butter or oil, eggs, and flavorings and extracts.  Beat at low speed just until well mixed.
3. Mix in the cooled orange peel and walnuts.
4. Divide the soft batter evenly in either two greased 8” x 4” x 2-1/2” loaf pans or use one 9” x 5” x 3” pan.
5. Sprinkle tops generously with mixture of 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and raw sugar.
6. Place the pans in the oven. After 5 minutes lower the oven temperature to 350⁰
7. Bake at 350ºF. for 45 to 50 minutes for smaller pans or 55 to 60 minutes for one larger pan, until well browned and done when tested.
8. Turn out of the pan(s) and cool on rack.

#Breakfast #Brunch #Lunch #NutTree #OrangeNutBread #Dessert #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19

How you doin’? We have had lots strange days lately. One way to change a ho-hum day is a rasher of bacon. Bacon makes a day very special—even McDonald’s has bacon sales, where you can put slices on anything—as an extra—for just a few extra pennies. When it comes to bacon, there is only one brand that rises to the level of “gourmet”—Benton Bacon.
 
Allan Benton is his name and bacon is his game. He is known as the “pig whisper,” “bacon god” and the “ham hero.” He is the darling of high-end restaurant chefs in New York, Boston, Charleston, Chicago, Minneapolis, San Francisco and Los Angeles. His country hams can be found in Momofuku Noodle Bar's ramen bowls in New York City and his bacon is ground into the patties of Husk's legendary cheeseburgers in Charleston. It’s safe to say, Allan Benton’s phone number is on the speed dial of many of this country’s celebrity chefs. If you want to try the “real stuff” check Benton out at https://bentonscountryhams2.com/about.html.
 
Now let’s talk about another bacon maven--Tabitha Brown. I’m not sure she has ever seen a live pig or worked in a smoke house, but she does know her way around a kitchen.
 
Tabitha is a wife, cook, mother, actress and fashion designer from Eden, North Carolina. She also claims to be the inventor of Carrot Bacon—a simple substitute for the real fatty, piggy stuff—and it’s damn good. She has about 12.5 million followers on social media. Many swear they can’t tell the difference between the real stuff and Carrot Bacon.
 
So, now it is a far, far better thing I do, than I have ever done—here’s how to make a healthier, vegan Carrot Bacon.
 
Ingredients
1 large, thick carrot (the big honking ones)
1 teaspoon liquid smoke, Wright’s
1/2 cup real maple syrup (do not use “pancake” syrup… real maple only)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
 
Directions

1. Blend all the ingredients together and gently heat in a saucepan.
2. While the maple syrup and spices are heating, peel the carrot.
3. Then, using your vegetable peeler, shave the carrot into long thin strips. It will kind of look like bacon slices.
4. Soak the carrot strips in the maple syrup mixture for about 10 minutes.
5. Using an air fryer*, cook the carrot strip at 380⁰F for 5 minutes
6. Serve immediately for bacony-flavored, crisp breakfast strips.

ChefSecret: If you don’t have an air fryer, try cooking it on a rack in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes. You might have to experiment a little with time and temperature.

#Breakfast #Brunch #Lunch #Bacon #Pork #BentonsBacon #CarrotBacon #TabithaBrown #AllanBenton #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #ComfortFoods

How you doin’? I learned over the last few days that one of my favorite donut shops (Stan’s Donuts in Westwood, California) closed forever after 55 years. The next best thing to a donut is a freshly baked cinnamon roll, so let’s roll up our sleeves and get baking!
 
I want to share with you one of our most prized recipes that have ever been developed in the Perspectives’ California Kitchen. Phil Kellogg was our director of R&D back in the 1990’s working with us on client projects. For fun, we also developed recipes inspired by our old family favorites. (Today he’s the owner of Daffy Farms (The Daffy Apple Company). There was Phil’s Mom’s Stollen, Aunt Esther’s Babka and Grandpa Max’s Peanut Brittle. It was at this time Phil and I created Ed & Phil’s Glazed Cinnamon Rolls.
 
Now, before we even get started let me improve your kitchen work habits by reminding you to read all instructions completely before beginning. Do not take short cuts—think quality! And make sure to measure all ingredients and have them at your side before mixing.
 
Prep time:  40 minutes
Proof time:  1 hour + 1 hour or overnight
Bake time:  30 to 35 minutes
Yield: 12 large cinnamon rolls
 
Ingredients
For the Cinnamon Roll Dough
1/4 cup warm water (no warmer than 110⁰F)
1 package active dry yeast (7 grams)
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4-pound unsalted butter, chilled (1 stick)
3 large egg yolks
1 cup whole milk
1/3 cup unsalted butter, chilled
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/3 cup light or dark brown sugar
Butter (to grease the baking pans—2 cake rounds or 1 rectangle)
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
 
For the Powdered Sugar Icing
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 to 4 tablespoons milk or half & half
 
Directions
To make the cinnamon rolls

1. In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and stir.
2. Add 1 teaspoon of sugar and stir. Allow yeast to dissolve for 5 minutes.
3. Stir together 1/4 cup of sugar, the flour and salt.
4. Cut the stick of butter into small pieces and add to the flour. Mix until there are coarse little lumps of butter throughout.
5. In a separate bowl, combine the yeast mixture, egg yolks and milk. Beat until blended.
6. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture. Knead until a smooth dough forms.
7. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to ferment until dough has doubled in size; about 1 hour.
8. Butter your baking pans, bottom and sides… either two 9” cake rounds or one 9” x 13” rectangle.
9. Butter Punch down dough and knead for two minutes to pop all the air bubbles. Allow dough to rest for 10 minutes.
10. Divide dough in half and roll out each ball to a 10 x 12-inch rectangle.
11. Cut remaining 1/3 cup of butter into 1/4-inch cubes and place evenly on each piece of rolled out dough.
12. Sprinkle half of the granulated sugar, cinnamon and brown sugar over the first dough rectangle.  Reserve the remaining granulated sugar, cinnamon and brown sugar for the second one.
13. Roll the dough up and divide it evenly by cutting with a thin sharp knife into 1”-1-1/2” slices.
14. Evenly distribute half of the pecans in the bottom of a round cake tin (or all of them in the bottom of the rectangle). Place the slices of dough over the pecans in the baking pan, cut side down, leaving space between the rolls to allow for rising.
15. Repeat steps 12-14 with the second dough rectangle.
16. In a warm draft-free place, allow the dough to rise in the baking pan(s) until doubled (about 1 hour or you can let the dough rest overnight in the refrigerator—see the ChefSecret below).
17. Preheat an oven to 350º F. If you have refrigerated the dough overnight, allow it to come to room temperature before putting it into the preheated oven (about 2 hours).
18. Bake the rolls for 30 to 35 minutes.
19. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before turning out upside-down onto a serving platter; the buns will now have pecans on the top.

 
To make the powder sugar icing

1.  In medium bowl, combine all ingredients until smooth, adding enough milk for desired glaze consistency.
2. Drizzle the cinnamon rolls with powdered sugar icing. Serve and enjoy!

ChefSecret:

• Allowing the dough a longer fermentation time will develop more flavor.
• If you have refrigerated the dough overnight, remember to pull the pan(s) from the refrigerator and allow the dough to come to room temperature before baking. If the dough is cold when put into the oven, the rolls will only be baked on the outside but will be doughy and under-baked on the inside.

#CinnamonRolls #Brunch #Breakfast #StansDonuts #DaffyApple #DaffyFarms #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19