How you doin’? St. Louis is Missouri's second-largest city and is known for its beer, baseball and The Blues hockey team, the Arch, the Mississippi River, the zoo and Ooey-Gooey Butter Cakes all in the center of the country. I’ve only been there a few times on client business and I’m sure there is much more than that—butter cake should be enough. If anyone can help me out, let me know what I’m missing.
 
I’ve been told that in St. Louis Ooey-Gooey Butter Cakes are more than just a favorite dessert but an essential part of growing up. At first glance it’s just another slice of yellow cake. However, one taste will tell you it is really special—sweet, sticky with contrasting textures: a dense, cookie-like crust, and a sweet, gooey filling reminiscent of a vanilla custard. Nothing too complicated… just flour, sugar, butter, eggs and corn syrup, yet it’s immediately satisfying and luxurious to eat. It’s chewy, rich and creamy… almost like a vanilla pudding that’s been nestled into a blondie.
 
You can find commercially made Ooey-Gooey Butter Cakes in most St. Louis grocery stores, bakeries, and restaurants, but homemade is so much better. Where did Ooey-Gooey Butter Cakes originally come from? Judy Evans, former Food Editor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, says that the origins of the cake are shrouded in myth. Like so many great things it may have been the result of a happy accident. Maybe a baker was making a butter cake and messed up the proportions and voilà!... the ooey gooey butter cake was born. Another story is that this cake just started showing up in the early 1940s.
 
Prep time: 20 minutes
Proof time: 2 hours
Bake time: 25-30 minutes
Cool time: 20 minutes
Yield:  16 servings
 
Ingredients 
For the cake
1/4 cup whole milk
1 package active dry yeast (2-1/4 teaspoons)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large egg
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons additional soft unsalted butter for prepping the pans
 
For the filling
1-1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1-1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup whole milk, at room temperature
1 cup cake flour
 
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar for dusting the cake
 
Directions
To make the cake

1. Place the milk in a small saucepan over medium heat for about 1 minute, or in the microwave on low power for about 45 seconds; heat until the milk is 100° F. Do not overheat or the yeast will be killed.
2. Sprinkle the yeast over the milk and stir to dissolve; set aside.
3. Place the butter, sugar, and salt in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Add the egg and beat until incorporated. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
5. Add the flour alternately with the yeast and milk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. When all the flour has been added, blend on low speed until the dough is smooth and elastic; about 5 minutes.
6. Lightly rub butter into the bottom of two 8-inch square pans.
7. Divide the dough in half and press one half into the bottom of each pan.
8. Cover each pan loosely with plastic wrap, and place in a warm place to rise until nearly doubled, about 2 hours.
9. When the dough has nearly finished rising, make the filling.

To make the filling

1. Place the butter, sugar, salt and corn syrup in a large mixing bowl and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy; about 3 minutes.
2. Scrape down the bowl and add the vanilla and 1 egg. Beat on medium speed until combined, then add the second egg.
3. Add the milk and half the flour, beating until combined. Add the rest of the flour and beat until smooth: set aside.
4. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350° F.
5. Pour the filling over the rising dough, dividing it evenly between the 2 pans, and spread it to the edges. Place the pans in the oven.
6. Bake the cakes until the tops are golden brown; 25 to 30 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven, and let the cakes cool for 20 minutes. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, slice, and serve warm.

ChefSecret:  Cake flour is a low protein flour that’s milled into a fine consistency. It contains about 7-9% protein, while all-purpose flour, a harder flour, has anywhere between 10-12% protein. What does this mean for baking? The protein content is directly related to gluten formation. Cake flour’s lower protein means less gluten is formed as you mix the batter together. Less gluten formation means a softer, fluffier texture.
Don’t have any handy?  You can make your own cake flour.

• Measure 1 cup all-purpose flour. Remove 2 tablespoons.
• Add 2 tablespoons cornstarch to the flour. Cornstarch contains less gluten than flour, so it’s a wonderful tenderizing ingredient to help make cake flour.
• Sift the flour mixture into a mixing bowl once. Then run it through the sifter one more time. Sifting not only mixes the two ingredients together appropriately, but it also aerates the mixture so the consistency is similar to real cake flour.
• Sometimes sifting can produce more volume since it’s adding air.

Quip of the Day: “My friend hurt his foot walking around a St. Louis landmark...
it was the Arch.”
-------------------------------------------
Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com.  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide .
-------------------------------------------
To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America. 

#Desserts #Snacks #Baking #Butter #OoeyGooeyButterCake #StLouis #Arch #JudyEvans #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup

                                               ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2022

How you doin’? Are you a muncher? Do you snack on potato chips, tortilla chips or corn nuts? We all have “trigger foods”…  foods that we crave and once we start eating them it’s hard to stop. Joan’s trigger food is Cheetos, and I always know when she’s been indulging by the telltale trace orange stains on her fingers. Sorry Joan, you can’t get away with it. My trigger food is peanuts. I feel so sorry for the relative few that have a peanut allergy and can’t indulge or over-indulge in this wonderful snack.  Aside from them being healthier than fried snacks they just taste so darn good.
 
Back in my early jet-setting days, I was obsessed with Eagle Snacks Honey Roasted Peanuts. If memory serves me right, they were made by Anheuser-Busch as a complement for beer. It was a great way to help pass the time on an airplane and I got hooked on them for life.  Then, alas, Eagle Snacks and Honey Roasted Peanuts were gone—no longer on the planes of the friendly skies.  Heart break! So, what’s a guy to do?
 
I went into the test kitchen with my gang of developers and we created our own absolutely delicious recipe for spicy honey roasted peanuts! This recipe started as a basic honey-roasted beer nut recipe and became a fantastic party treat or everyday snack.
 
Prep time:  15 minutes
Cook time:  35 minutes
Cool time:  1 hour 30 minutes
Yield:  16 ounces
 
Ingredients 
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons chipotle chile powder
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon roasted garlic powder (I prefer Penzeys brand)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons natural honey
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pound skinless, lightly roasted peanuts
 
Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 325⁰ F and lightly coat a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with Pam food release.
2. Stir together the sugar, chipotle powder, chili powder and garlic powder in a small bowl; set aside.
3. Stir together the butter, honey and kosher salt in a large saucepan over medium heat until the butter has melted, and the mixture is bubbly.
4. Stir in the peanuts until well coated; pour and spread them out into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
5. Bake in the preheated oven until the nuts are golden brown and somewhat dry— about 30 minutes, stirring the mixture 2 or 3 times to ensure even cooking.
6. Once done, scrape the peanuts into a large bowl, and sprinkle with the spice mixture. Toss the peanuts to evenly coat with the spice mixture.
7. Allow the peanuts to cool to room temperature, tossing every few minutes so the nuts do not stick together.

Chefs Secrets:  What’s your Honey IQ? Honey has been around since the times of the pharaohs. It is syrupy and sweet and has been a staple in households as a healthy sweetener used for all kinds of cooking. We had a large honey client for several years and we discovered all kinds of good things to do with honey.
 
The first thing to consider, buy a good brand of honey—one that has not been adulterated with corn syrup or liquid sugar. A lot of honey imported from China may not be 100% honey—in fact, chances are, it’s not. There is only one place I know where you can source real organic honey and that’s from the Amazon basin areas in South America. Bees fly and visit many farms as they pollinate crops and suck-up their nectar. It isn’t always organic. I’m not much of a stickler on organic as I am on adulterated honey.
 
There are some rights and wrongs in storing honey. If you have a jar in your kitchen and it isn’t stored correctly it could end up crystalized. While it might not change the flavor too much when it’s no longer fluid, it may never have that luscious texture you think of when you make recipes with honey. For the best results, there are a few secrets you should take to heart.
 
Honey is food safe stored at practically any temperature. Honey is resistant to bacterial growth due to its unique composition. It's a bit acidic while having a low moisture level. That means that bacteria can’t get a foothold to survive and thrive. With no bacteria, there's no spoilage to worry about—no need to keep it in the refrigerator… in fact please don’t.
 
Keeping air out of the container will help the honey stay viscous longer. The best idea for avoiding air is to keep the honey in the container it came in. These bottles and jars are designed for long-term honey storage with few entry points for air. If you do need to change containers, make sure it's airtight. Glass or plastic is preferred; metal can oxidize the honey leading to “off” flavors.
 
Keep honey in the dark… sunlight is less than ideal for honey. The sunlight and increase in temperature can take a toll on the sweetening power. So, avoid windowsills, cabinets near ovens, or anywhere that's hit by the sun or heat. Honey can be kept indefinitely; after all they found it in King Tut’s tomb thousands of years after he was interred and it was still edible (can you imagine the poor soul who volunteered to tasted it?).
 
While you may not want to eat something older than you, rest assured that most honey is safe to eat if it still looks like honey. You can tell honey is past its peak when its darker or crystalized. Even then, the honey is likely still safe to eat. It just may have a grainy texture or weaker flavor and that's not what you're looking for.
 
Quip of the Day: “if everything is honey, and I am what I eat, I must be made of honey and life is very sweet.”  Winnie-the-Pooh
-------------------------------------------
Do you have a question or comment?  Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com.  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
-------------------------------------------
To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America.

#Snacks #HoneyRoastedPeants #ChipotleHoneyRoastedPeanuts #Peanuts #NationalPeanutBoard #NPB #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup

                                          ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2022

How you doin’? Last week I was sitting in a booth at one of my favorite Mexican restaurants when the server walked by our table with a piled-high plate of nachos. There’s something lovely about the unapologetic lustiness of a big pile of nachos. I ordered a far less decadent dish consisting of a pair of beef tacos.
 
I came home and kept thinking about those darn nachos. I looked around the kitchen and had everything but the tortilla chips. What’s a person to do? I decided to dial it up a bunch with my recipe for Carne Asada Fries. This recipe was created to fill the hole in your hearts left by all those missed happy hours not shared with friends and family during the pandemic. These make the ideal appetizer or even a dinner. The center of this recipe is the highly-flavored carne asada. It is a tender, juicy steak marinated in a sauce made with roasted chiles, cumin, citrus and cilantro.

The carne asada (steak) contributes a hearty, smoky flavor while the fresh jalapeño, tomato and onion add a zesty bite of heat and acid. The crema takes down the spiciness. The crunchy fries add a decadent counterpoint to the tender carne asada.
 
I only had frozen fries on hand, which was just fine because time was of the essence, but if you have the time and the equipment you can make your own light and crispy homemade air fryer French fries.

Finally, the hearty protein of the steak will be a steadying influence alongside the cocktail of your choice. I enjoyed mine with a top-drawer margarita, or it could work with an ice-cold beer. The perfect choice for celebrating Cinco de Mayo. 
 
Prep time:  45 minutes
Marinate time:  3 hours or overnight
Cook time:  15 minutes
Assembly time:  5 minutes
Yield:  4 to 6 servings
 
Ingredients 
For the carne asada
3 dried ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed
3 dried guajillo chiles, stems and seeds removed
2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1 cup water
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for grill
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoon Thai fish sauce
4 tablespoons minced garlic
1 small bunch cilantro, leaves and tender stems; reserve some for garnish
1 tablespoon whole cumin seed, toasted and ground
1 tablespoon whole coriander seed, toasted and ground
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
1-1/2 pounds skirt steak, cut into 2 equal-size pieces
 
For the air fryer French fries
2 15-oz packages frozen French fries
Spray oil (I prefer Pam)
1 seeded and diced tomato
1/2 cup diced white onion
1 thinly sliced jalapeño pepper
1/4 cup crema
6 lime wedges, for garnish
 
Directions
To make the carne asada

1. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the ancho and guajillo chiles; microwave until pliable and fragrant, about 10 to 20 seconds.
2. Transfer the ancho and guajillo chiles to a blender and add the chipotle chiles, water, orange juice, lime juice, olive oil, soy sauce, fish sauce, garlic, cilantro, cumin, coriander and dark brown sugar. Blend until it forms a smooth sauce; about 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Adjust the seasoning with salt, to taste.
4. Transfer half of the sauce to a sealed container and set aside in the refrigerator.
5.  Transfer the other half to a large bowl and stir in the 2 teaspoons kosher salt.
6. Add 1 steak to the bowl and turn to coat. Transfer to a large container. Repeat with the remaining steak, and then pour any excess marinade over the steaks.
7. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight.
8. When you’re ready to make the fries, remove the reserved sauce from the fridge to allow it to come to room temperature.

To make the fries

1. Spray the basket of an air fryer with oil. Spread half the fries on the air fryer basket in one layer, spray the fries with oil, and cook at 400° for 6 minutes.
2. Shake up and turn the fries and cook for 6 to 8 minutes more or until crispy.
3. Transfer to a serving plate. Repeat with the remaining fries.
4. Lightly oil and heat a grill or grill pan to high heat.
5. Remove the steaks from the marinade and wipe off any excess sauce.
6. Grill, turning occasionally, until the steaks are well charred on the outside and the centers register 110° F on an instant-read thermometer, 5 to 10 minutes total.
7. Transfer the steaks to a cutting board, tent with foil, and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Slice the steaks thinly against the grain, then chop into bite-size pieces.

To assemble the carne asada fries

1. Place the fries on a large plate and drizzle the reserved sauce over them, to taste.
2.  Scatter the carne asada, tomatoes, onions and jalapeños over the fries. Drizzle with the crema and garnish with the reserved cilantro leaves.
3. Serve hot.

ChefSecret:  Consider making a double batch of carne asada to use in tacos, enchiladas, tortas and rice bowls.

Quip of the Day: “Why are eggs packaged in flimsy Styrofoam packaging and batteries come in a package that takes a chainsaw to open?”
-------------------------------------------
Do you have a question or comment?  Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com.  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
-------------------------------------------
To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America. 

#Appetizers #CarneAsadaFries #CarneAsada #FrenchFries #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup

                                             ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2022

How you doin’? This is a delicious, fun crispy-cookie-style bar with the taste and texture of a Butterfinger bar. Butterfinger was invented by Otto Schnering in 1923 after he founded the Curtiss Candy Company in Chicago the year before.
 
The company held a public contest to choose the name of this candy. In an early marketing campaign, the company dropped Butterfinger and Baby Ruth candy bars from airplanes in cities across the United States as a publicity stunt that helped increase their popularity—it was raining chocolate and peanuts.
 
The first bite of a Butterfinger bar is a unique experience. There’s no candy that quite captures the same flaky crunch of this peanut-y pleasure. After several different shifts in ownership, the taste and texture has remained pretty much the same.
 
The whole thing starts off with real, freshly roasted runner peanuts. These peanuts are then ground into a creamy peanut butter—the base for the Butterfinger filling, with additional ingredients to deliver that crispy, crunchy texture.  
 
To get that rich flakiness, the recipe calls for the addition of hybrid corn flakes to create the light, airy and perfect texture that compliments the smooth peanut butter. They’re stirred into the churning vat of peanut butter, making up the Butterfinger center!
 
While the peanut butter is being readied, another mixture is boiling away. It is a mixture of molasses, corn syrup, sugar and water which is heated 300⁰ F degrees, and then poured onto a cooling table to rapidly bring down the temperature. The sudden temperature changes cause the candy to crystallize, adding even more of a bite to the consistency of the filling. Then the whole thing is covered with chocolate.
 
Nestlé sold over twenty of their candy brands, including Butterfinger, to Italian chocolatier Ferrero, for $2.8 billion. The newly acquired brands were folded into the operations of the Ferraro Candy Company. Butterfinger has since been reformulated to improve the flavor and texture with a cleaner label.
 
Here is my version of a clean label Butterfinger-style confection.
 
Prep time:  15 minutes
Cook time:  20 minutes
Cool time:  20 to 25 minutes
Yield:  2 dozen servings
 
Ingredients 
Food release spray (I prefer Pam)
4 cups crispy cereal (corn flakes or crispy rice)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup white corn syrup (I prefer Karo)
1/3 cup molasses
1 (16 ounce) jar crunchy peanut butter
2 cups milk chocolate chips
 
Directions

1. Line a 9 x 13-inch pan with aluminum foil leaving a 2-inch overhang on either side.  The overhang will make it easier to remove the sheet of confection when it has set up.
2. Spray the foil with food release.
3. Using a rolling pin, slightly crush the crispy cereal; set aside.
4. Heat the sugar, syrup and molasses together in heavy pan until boiling, then cook to 300⁰ F; check the temperature with a candy thermometer.
5. Remove from the heat and carefully add the peanut butter, mixing until well blended.
6. Pour the mixture over the lightly crushed cereal, coating it well.
7. Transfer to the prepared 9 x 13-inch pan pressing into the corners.
8. Melt chocolate chips in a small saucepan.
9. Spread the melted chocolate chips over the crushed cereal mixture.
10. Chill for 20-25 minutes.
11. Cut into 24 bars.

ChefSecrets:  If you ever wondered, it’s the molasses that gives the Butterfinger the unique orange color.

Quip of the Day: “I tried juggling some candy bars but kept dropping them. I guess I have Butterfingers.”
-------------------------------------------
Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com.  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
-------------------------------------------
To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America.

#Desserts #Snacks #ButterfingerBars #CrispyCereal #PeanutButter #NationalPeanutBoard #NPB #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup

                                         ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2022

How you doin’? Peanuts just might be the magical ingredient for a happy life. 
 
The peanut's origins have been traced to Peru. It was brought to Europe by the Spanish and then spread to Africa and Asia. It arrived in North America in the mid-18th century with African slaves.
 
Before the salted caramel craze, there was the peanut pie. Some say it's simply a poor man's version of pecan pie—I don’t, I think it stands on its own and I love it. Others say its salty-sweet punch was inspired by the flavor thrills of a now-vanishing gas station treat created by pouring a five-cent packet of salted peanuts into a bottle of ice-cold Coke. Either way, we say it's a crackerjack pie.
 
It's at its finest when made with roasted, Virginia peanuts, the super-sized Cadillac of peanuts grown in the sandy soils of Tidewater Virginia and North Carolina. The near century-old Virginia Diner, located a stone's throw from the country's first commercial peanut farm in Wakefield, serves up a swoon-worthy peanut pie topped with a tender peanut-brittle-like veneer. It's totally addictive.
 
One of the first variations on the original recipe peanut pie that I tasted was Peanut Butter Cream Pie served at Williamsburg's Shields Tavern. There's something about this pie that gives it a nostalgic quality, whether through childhood memories jogged by the peanut butter flavor, or via the old-time creamy filling I remember as a kid.
 
This pie recipe makes, what I would call, an upscale ice cream pie with a delightful crispy rice crust. This is one of those heritage recipes that you can easily add to your family’s must have list.
 
Total Prep time:  15 minutes
Chill time:  10 minutes (for the crust)
Freeze time:  5 hours or overnight
Yield: 8 servings (1 9-inch pie)
 
Ingredients 
For the pie crust
Food release spray (I prefer Pam)
1/3 cup unsalted butter
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2-1/2 cups crispy rice cereal
 
For the pie filling
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
10 ounces sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup warm chocolate fudge sauce (more if you desire)
1/4 cup chopped roasted peanuts
 
Directions
To make the pie crust

1. Spray the bottom and sides of a 9-inch deep dish pie pan with food release.
2. In a heavy sauce pan over low heat, melt the butter and chocolate chips.
3. Remove from the heat and gently stir in the rice cereal until coated.
4. Press into the bottom and sides of the prepared 9-inch pie plate.
5. Pop the finished crust in the freezer for 30 minutes.

To make the pie filling

1. In a large bowl, beat the whipping cream to stiff peaks; set aside.
2. In a separate large bowl, beat the cream cheese until fluffy.
3. Gradually beat in the condensed milk and peanut butter until smooth.
4. Stir in the lemon juice and vanilla.
5. Gently fold in the whipped cream.
6. Pour the filling into the frozen prepared crust.
7. Drizzle the fudge topping over pie.
8. Freeze the finished pie for 5 hours or until firm.
9. Keep the finished pie in the freezer until 30 minutes before serving to temper. It makes it easier to cut and more enjoyable to eat.
10. Sprinkle the chopped peanuts on the top before serving.
11. Store leftovers covered in the freezer as well.

ChefSecrets:  I use creamy peanut butter, but it is okay to use crunchy. You can substitute a store-bought chocolate wafer crust for the crispy rice crust if you prefer. The lemon juice brightens the flavor of the pie filling without added salt. 

Quip of the Day: “Why did Charles Schultz call his comic strip Peanuts?
The name Peanuts was chosen because it was a well-known term for children at the time, popularized by the television program “The Howdy Doody Show,” which debuted in 1947 and featured an audience section for children called the “Peanut Gallery.”
-------------------------------------------
Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com.  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
-------------------------------------------
To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America.

#Desserts #FrozenPeanutButterPie #PeanutButter #Chocolate #CrispyCereal #NationalPeanutBoard #NPB # #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup
                                             ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2022