The Professional Chef |

British cookery is often treated as a joke, not least in Britain. Memories of over-cooked school meals and stodgy desserts abound. Yet cookery in Britain is going through something of a renaissance, where traditional recipes are being re-invented and re-discovered whilst new techniques and new styles are being brought into the cooking.

It must be said, however, that British cooking has always tended to excel in the area of desserts. Here I present two desserts. A classic ‘pudding’ and a dessert from the new school of British cookery.

Blackberry Suet Pudding

Ingredients:

400g blackberries (or sufficient to fill), washed and cleaned

4 tbsp sugar

450g flour

180g suet

pinch of salt

Method:

Place the flour, suet and salt in a bowl and mix together before adding sufficient water to form a stiff dough. Cut 2/3 of the dough and roll out on a floured board. Use to line the base and sides of a 1l heat-proof bowl. Tip the fruit into this and add the sugar. Roll out the remaining dough and use to cover the pudding. Cut a circle of greaseproof paper and use this to cover the pudding. Tightly cover the entire dessert in a double layer of foil, place in a steamer and boil for 2 hours. When ready remove the foil and greaseproof paper and tip the pudding onto a bowl. Slice and serve with ice-cold milk.

Gooseberry and Elderflower Parfait

Ingredients:

450g gooseberries, topped and tailed

2 tbsp elderflower cordial

225g sugar

150ml water

2 egg whites
300ml double cream

Method:

Place the gooseberries in a pan along with the elderflower cordial. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until soft (about 30 minutes). Allow to cool then liquidize into a puree. Pass through a fine-meshed sieve, pressing down with a wooden spoon, and discard the pulp. Set the sieved puree to one side.

Add the water and sugar to a separate pan and slowly bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes then take off the heat. Whilst the syrup is cooking beat the egg whites until stiff (but not dry) then add the syrup in a steady stream. Continue whisking all the while until the mixture is glossy and stiff.

Whip the cream until thick then fold the gooseberry puree into the meringue, followed by the cream. Stir well to combine then freeze. Serve from the freezer.

I hope you enjoyed these classic British desserts and that you will now investigate both traditional and modern British cookery further.

A traditional Napoleon is a French dessert made from layers of puff pastry spread with a vanilla pastry cream. The top of the rectangle or triangular shaped sweet is drizzled with chocolate and or dusted with powdered sugar. Historians say that the Napoleon was created by a Danish royal chef in honor of a visit by a French emperor. And that Emperor Bonaparte’s defeat at Waterloo was the result of an overindulgence of his now famous namesake pastry.

You may have a hard time distinguishing after eating a Napoleon what part is the best part. Is it the puff pastry or the pastry cream? I think all of the flavor combinations work very well together, so, I say all of it! This is a very quick and easy dessert recipe, and you will not spend all day in the kitchen. We are going to take the shortcut method and make it work for our recipe.

Making puff pastry from scratch is not an easy task to undertake. It is a labor and time intensive endeavor. Perfectly chilled ingredients, repeated rolling to the correct thickness, and precision folding are the keys to faultless puff pastry. Not to mention working in a kitchen that is not humid. The meticulous rolling and folding, along with the moisture in the butter, creates steam which causes the dough to puff and separate into the flaky layers that the pastry is known for. Some chef’s recommend anywhere from thirty minutes to two hours chilling time between rolling and folding. Consider that the roll, fold and chill process is done four times, you need to block off two to eight hours to make puff pastry. Or, take a trip to the frozen food section of the grocery store and buy it.

Ready made puff pastry is available in sheets or shells. To thaw it at room temperature takes about thirty minutes, in the refrigerator about four hours. It will keep in the refrigerator up to two days. When shaping the dough, work with one sheet at a time, refrigerating remaining sheets until ready to use. As with all dough handle as little as possible. A pastry wheel, pizza cutter or sharp knife are the best utensils for cutting the dough. Cut edges should be crisp to keep the layers separate so that they puff during baking. Always bake puff pastry in a conventional oven and keep in mind that darker baking sheets cook faster.

Vanilla pastry cream is the standard filling for a Napoleon. This is a very short recipe for making quick Napoleons.

1 Package of frozen puff pastry dough

2 Packages of Vanilla instant pudding

1 Bottle of a good chocolate fudge or chocolate drizzle

3 Ounces of confectioners sugar

Prepare instant pudding according to package directions. While pudding is chilling follow directions for thawing, unfolding and baking puff pastry sheets. Cut into desired shape at bake at 400° for twelve minutes or until golden. Pay close attention to baking time, sheets burn easily. Let cool to room temperature.

To assemble you will place a layer of pastry in bottom of a sheet pan. You will then gently spread with a layer of pudding, then another layer of pastry. Repeat the layering process until ingredients are used up. You will then heat your chocolate fudge until it is at a pouring consistency. You will pour or drizzle over the tops of your Napoleons, and dust very lightly with the confectioners sugar. You will need a serrated knife to cut these into bars to sreve. Keep refrigerated until serving time.

If you want to substitute a low fat, or zero fat pudding in this recipe, there is still enough sugar to give it flavor with half or no fat in the pudding.

In this article I will provide steps on how you should go about implementing this plan. This plan is not for everyone but if you enjoy shopping and flipping products you will have fun and make some money. Start off buying low cost items to test the water. After you feel comfortable go for the more expensive items, this is where you will make the most profits.

Getting Started:

Search for and then sign-up on several on-line action sites.

Scan items of interest and do some research on what items are selling. It is very important that you research the products to ensure that you are getting a fair deal. And watch out for over inflated shipping cost. Many times shipping cost can be negotiable.

Only bid on an item that is to expire in 10 minutes or less, also bid on items that have not received any bids and are due to expire. And only if those items meet the criteria mentioned before.

Place your bid and in most cases you will win the auction.

Purchasing:
After purchasing the item tell the seller that you need to wait 7-10 days before you receive the item. Most of the times you will not need to give an excuse why but if you do tell them it’s a gift and you do not want the recipient to see it. After you have resold the item send the original seller your buyer’s address for shipping. If you are not comfortable with this approach, go ahead and have the item sent to you first. This will indeed cause more work on your part.

Re-selling (Flipping):
Using the same information in the seller’s ad, repost the item back on the auction site. By now the item has received a few interested buyers from the prior sellers marketing and you may get the person you out bid to place a higher bid right from the start. Be sure to price the item at the price you paid for it.

In Conclusion:
Now there are some risks in doing this. You have not seen the item and this could cause you to reimburse the buyer if the item is in bad shape. Also, you risk over paying for an item causing you to take a loss. Also, the seller may not want to wait in sending the item to you, which will cause a little more work for you. The good side to that is you will be able to inspect the item before shipping it to the next buyer.
I usually bid on hard to find dishware or specialty items like, The Pampered Chef, Candle-lite, and Stampin’ Up!, the options are endless. Give it a try, start off slow and buy low cost items at first. Good luck!

The canning of foods will sterilise and seal the contents so that they will be preserved for future use. Food is place into glass or tin containers and then hermetically sealed. These are then heated so as to destroy the micro-organisms that spoil the foods. It is a process which was first invented in the early 19th Century and is still very popular today. Many products which we buy at the store are canned to preserve their freshness. Canning has always been a very popular way to increase the shelf life of products at home and there are many companies who produce specialist jars for this purpose. One of the longest standing manufacturers of canning equipment is Kerr. Not only have they produced their glass jars since the early 1900s but they have published Kerr Canning recipes in their highly respected books.

During the depression, canning became a vital part of every day life, with many people dependant on the preservation of foods for the winter months. Kerr set up an educational program to teach the principle of canning and to show how the process could ensure a steady food supply even when fruit and vegetables were out of season and difficult to get hold of. They had promotional cars which toured the country giving advice and advertising their products. Many small books were distributed to housewives showing the science of canning and giving Kerr canning recipes for them to use at home.

As a part of their drive to bring canning into our homes, Kerr also gave many demonstrations of canning techniques and even installed some model kitchens in the 1930s. The company did an excellent job in capitalising on the great depression. The timing was good for Kerr as many people were suffering from job losses and reduced incomes and were finding that times were hard. The preservation of food was becoming an important fact of life and as a relatively new company, they were able to establish their glass canning products as being indispensable. The Kerr canning recipes were a tremendous help to many people during the depression and enabled families to preserve foods much more easily and with increased safety.

Kerr were marketing two main products; the economy jar and the self-sealing mason jar. The latter was well known for its two piece lid. As these could create a vacuum at the neck of the jars, canning could easily be done in the home and Kerr Canning recipes became a great success.

The jars are still available today, although the original plant in Sand Springs Oklahoma was closed when the company was bought by Ball-Incon in 1991. Ball has continued to produce their canned food recipe book and it is still possible to get hold of the book of Kerr Canning recipes from second hand book stores and on the internet.

Halloween costumes for couples are popular, because couples often want to look “connected.” The imagination can go wild when thinking about things, people and themes that are related. If you are not creative this way, fortunately there are Halloween costumes sites that are.

Famous couples are very popular. Think about Ricky and Lucy, Gilligan and MaryAnne, Fred and Wilma, Caesar and Cleopatra, Dog the Bounty Hunter and Beth, Peter Pan and Tinkerbell, Frankenstein and the Bride of Frankenstein, or Robin Hood and Maid Marion. Or make a political statement with George W. and Condeleeza. Theme costumes can be fun; they can be characters out of movies or stories.

The costumes themselves can be made authentically or made sexier. Consider Captain Jack Spade and his girlfriend, prison guard and prisoner, King and Queen, Prom King and Queen, the Wolf and Red Riding Hood, doctor and nurse, Mummy King and Queen, Toga Couple, or even Thing 1 and Thing 2 from Dr. Seuss.

Then there are the funny couples Halloween costumes: Plug and Socket, Mustard and Ketchup, Bacon and Eggs, Brick Layer and Brick House, Bun Maker and Bun in the oven, Nut and Bolt.

Some of the classically popular couples costumes are a pirate costume and wench costume, toga costume for the male and goddess for the female, vampire and beautiful, sexy victim, Spiderman and Wonder Woman, and Elvis and his red hot mama. Whatever costumes you decide on, Halloween is the time to act out your fantasies and have a little fun with yourself.

This is the flavorful bean pie often served by Muslim bakeries and individual cooks. Don’t let the beans fool you, though, this pie is really delicious and taste similar to pumpkin pie.

1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup evaporated milk

2 cups navy beans, cooked and mashed

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon cloves

Whipped cream topping (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Put cooked beans into a food processor or use an electric mixer to get them to a smooth consistency.

In a bowl, combine the eggs and evaporated milk. Add in the beans, sugar and spices. With an electric mixer, beat on low speed until well blended.

Pour bean mixture into the pie shell. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake another 35 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

=> Bean Pie Recipe: Pinto Bean Pie

This is a mock pecan pie that is lower in calories, but still very delicious. I bet your family and friends will be shocked when they find out it’s made with pinto beans (but then again, it can be your little secret).

1 cup white sugar

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

3 eggs, slightly beaten

1/3 cup butter

1 cup pinto beans, cooked and mashed

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, cream together the butter, sugars and eggs. Add in the beans and nuts. With an electric mixer, beat on low speed until well mixed. Pour mixture into unbaked pie shell.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

=> Bean Pie Recipe: Butter Bean Pie

Butter beans are also known as lima beans. When shopping for butter beans, you want to use the light colored variety if the can says lima beans. This recipe makes a nice custard style bean pie.

1 can butter or lima beans

2 cups white sugar

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/4 cup butter

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

2 eggs

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon half-and-half cream

9-inch unbaked pie crust

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook beans without seasoning. Drain and mash well.

In a bowl, combine the beans, sugar, flour, butter, vanilla, eggs and salt. With an electric mixer on low setting, blend until well mixed. Add in the cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and cream. Blend completely.

Pour mixture into the unbaked pie shell. Bake 30 to 45 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

=> Bean Pie Recipe: Black Bean Pie

This is a great vegetarian pie to serve for dinner along with a nice salad. For an added treat, you can garnish the pie with sour cream, salsa and guacamole.

2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, drained

1 (4 oz.) can diced green chilies, drained

1 (14.5 oz.) can peeled and diced tomatoes, drained

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, crushed

2 (9-inch) unbaked pie crusts

1 (16 oz.) package cheddar cheese

10 (6-inch) flour tortillas

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the beans, green chilies, tomatoes, onion and garlic.

Line a 9-inch pie pan with one pie crust. Pour 1/4 of the bean mixture into the crust and spread evenly. Sprinkle on some of the cheese and cover with a tortilla.

Continue layering the bean mixture, cheese and tortilla until all used up. Cover with the second pie crust. Seal edges of crust and make several slits on top of crust to vent.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until pie crust is golden brown.

Yes, believe it or not, working with family members is NOT always the kiss of death. In fact for the freelance world or small businesses person, it’s a great tax deduction and a great way to get your kids away from their Ipods, IMs, DS’s and other distractions. This deduction is pretty specific to certain kinds of businesses, so before you make a honey-do list for your son or daughter, make sure to run it by your accountant so you don’t run into any complications.

If you ARE in the right kind of business to take advantage of this, however, it is a GREAT way to lower your taxable income. Here’s how it works: In almost all cases, children are exempt from having to pay taxes on the first $5,000 they earn – even young children. And because the amount you pay is a business expense, and thus is deducted from your business, you basically keep your money under your own roof. Let’s face it, life is much easier when someone else does a few of those mundane things that detract us from doing what we do best as businessmen and women – so make a list and delegate, delegate, delegate. Even your ten-year old can stuff your envelopes, clean your office, stock your shelves, etc., etc.

To keep things on the up and up, keep good records. File a Quarterly Tax Return for Employers (Form 941) and issue your kid a W2, just like any other employee – but most of these forms will be filled up with lots of zeros, and you will save lots of $$$. You should also have the child fill out a time sheet and fill out a status report every week – these have the added benefit of preparing your kid for the real world and setting the stage for the things we ALL face in the working world – deadlines and accountability.

This is also a great opportunity to teach your kid about smart spending and smart saving. Make a day of it, go to your bank and open a savings account (or better yet, an tax-sheltered education fund) with their first paycheck. Make sure to take a couple of $20 bills out, however, to have a great lunch and buy something they love – after all, all work and no play makes little Jack a malcontent at work!

Finally, you can employ all of your children this way – so if you have five children, you can potentially save yourself $25,000 by employing each of them for ten hours a week at $10 an hour. 10 x 10 x 52 = $5,200 (don’t worry, they’ll lose a few hours to sore throats and softball games, bringing them safely under the $5,000 cap).

Talk to your accountant to find out more about this and many other simple, everyday deductions that might be available to your small business (or even your hobby business, like Pampered Chef, Tupperware, or the sweaters you knit and sell to your friends).

For more free tax tips, you may visit http://johnpaulcpa.com/

Catering for one of the premium level ski resorts in the Wasatch region, Deer Valley restaurants are renowned for their quality. This is true of both service and food, as they cater for a more discerning palette, used to the delights of fine dining, and exclusivity. Such an approach settles well with the upmarket focus of the resort, offering such luxury service as ski valets and shopping boutiques.

Within the resort itself, there is a selection of three fine dining restaurants to choose from. The most respected of these is the Mariposa, which has won several top awards, and is often named as one of the best restaurants to visit in the skiing world. Only open throughout the ski season, patrons are able to enjoy both contemporary and classical dishes. Also offered are signature tasting menus, allowing the kitchen team to showcase all that is best about them. With attentive staff, exuding comprehensive knowledge about the food and its provenance, you are assured a memorable experience.

No fine dining collection would be complete without a seafood representative in the stable. And Deer Valley resorts Seafood Buffet delivers here. With a focus on presenting diners with only the best quality food available, they are committed to sourcing sustainable stocks wherever possible. Offering a more relaxed atmosphere than some fine dining restaurants afford, guests from the local area vote this as one of their favorite restaurants.

Ending the list with a flourish is the Fireside Dining restaurant, that delivers Alpine charm, and introduces a novel concept to dining that is fun. Diners are invited to explore the delights on offer, with a tour around four fireplaces. The first offers tempting appetizers including homemade breads, cheeses and chutneys. The second and third fireplaces, present Swiss inspired main courses, with succulent meat dishes, game, poultry and authentic vegetarian options. At the final fireplace, you are invited to select from a tempting range of desserts to finish the meal and partake in the bar offerings.

Whilst the restaurants within the resort are popular, and worthy of attention, it is wise not to ignore other restaurants in the surrounding area.

First amongst these is the amazingly popular Goldener Hirsch Inn. The winner of many awards, and often booked up for extended periods of time, diners will receive service that is parallel to that offered in the resort.

Other Deer Valley restaurants to consider if vacationing in the area include The Glitretind, and the Stew Pot. The Gliterand provides an exceptional regional experience, whilst the Stew Pot provides a homely, more traditional approach. Again, these restaurants are open year round, and are worth visiting during the summer, to take in the breathtaking views.

If you are lucky enough to be vacationing in Deer Valley this ski season, you are sure to not be disappointed, with high quality restaurants at every turn. However, be sure to check out those restaurants away from the resort, particularly if you intend visiting throughout the summer.

Wines are not just for drinking. They can also be used for cooking to add or fortify the flavors in every dish. A good bottle of wine can also make a fine dish even better by trying to enhance the flavors that they invoke.

Wines in cooking can be used in three ways. They can be used as a marinade ingredient to add some unique flavors to any fine dish. They can also be used as a cooking liquid usually in place of water or as the final flavoring to a cooked dish.

What good wines can do to these fine dishes is to accent, enhance or intensify the inherent flavors of the dish. It should not in any way overpower these flavors or mask them in any way. Using these wines should be done with care especially if a variety of spices are being used in cooking. Care is needed in using just the right amount of wine in cooking a dish since it would be quite easy to put too little or too much. Either way, the whole purpose of intensifying or enhancing the resulting flavors would be all for naught.

If you are worried that the alcohol in the wine may have an effect on the dish that you are cooking, you have nothing to worry about. The alcohol usually evaporates the longer the dish is being cooked. This leaves only the flavors and the aroma of the wine to combine with the characteristic flavor of the dish. And since most wines contain generally only 12 to 14 percent alcohol, it won’t pose as that big of a problem for most people. Just bear in mind that the longer a dish is being cooked, the more alcohol evaporates.

When dealing with fine dishes, it would be a mistake using so-called cooking Sherries. Most of such cooking wines are made from a thin and cheap base wine with salt and food coloring added to give you a supposedly nice looking bottle of cooking wine. If you wish to make a fine dish become more magical, it is suggested that you use quality wines that you usually drink. In fact, it is common wisdom for cooks not to use wines that they wouldn’t normally drink.

What you need to do is try to know more about fine wines such as a variety of Port, Sherry, Marsala or Madeira wines which are the usual varieties used in cooking. These wine types are among the best cooking wines because they pack the most intense flavors. Not only that, such wines also have more alcohol content in them and so may stay longer on the pantry shelf for cooking your other fine recipes.

In cooking dishes with wines as part of the recipe, it is always important to remember that they are used not to replace the flavor of the dish. They should instead work together with the combination of flavors in order to make every dish have that extra tang and zing that will tickle the palate and make a fine dish even more appealing. So handle your wines with care while cooking and use then like you would with a seasoning to your dish.

Do you know that waterless cooking retains 98% of the minerals, while boiling food the old-fashioned way destroys an average of 42% of the food’s minerals? Do you know that it’s easier to clean waterless pots since the heat is evenly distributed; hence there’s less burning or sticking? Do you know that vegetables cooked via the waterless technique preserve their natural color better than vegetables cooked via traditional techniques? …

Yes, all of the above are true! The waterless cooking method has these 7 advantages over conventional cooking:

Ease of cooking Reduced cooking time Ease of cleanup Reduced amount of fat and oil in the food Taste of the food Amount of nutrition left in the food after cooking Appearance of food

Waterless cooking is easy and takes less time than conventional cooking. Since the specially designed cookware distributes the heat evenly, there is less burning or sticking, making cleanup easier. And, waterless cooking is healthier because cooking foods in their own natural juices eliminates the need for added oil or nutrient-leaching water.

Enjoy Youthful Foods!

Research from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University suggests that maximizing the nutritional quality of your diet may slow down or prevent age-related problems that are often considered inevitable. The study recommends cooking foods for a short time and in as little water as possible. Cooking in our multi-ply cookware retains 98% of the minerals, while boiling food the old-fashioned way destroys an average of 42% of the food’s minerals.

Enjoy Healthier & Tastier Meals

You will enjoy a wonderful new method of cooking with multi-ply stainless steel waterless / greaseless cookware. Foods cooked via the waterless technique help retain the greatest percentage of nature’s health-giving minerals and vitamins because a food’s water soluble nutrients are dissolved and lost when then food is cooked in water. The greatest favor you can do for your family is to prepare food that provides maximum nourishment. Foods cooked the low heat, minimum moisture way have more flavor. Vegetables and fruits retain appetizing colors, meats can be roasted on top of the stove and become tender, juicy and delicious. And, you can cook without oil or grease, reducing calories and cholesterol.

Read the remaining articles in the series: What is Waterless Cooking and Waterless Cookware? How does Waterless Cookware work? What are the 7 Principles of Waterless Cooking?…