Scrapple Zuppa Toscana

This is my version of a Zuppa Toscana, an Italian soup made with Italian sausage, onion, bacon, heavy cream, and garlic. This one used bits of pork leftover in the fridge.

12 oz. Smoked Sausage (cheap brands will do, but higher quality will taste better)
6 strips of bacon
6 oz. chopped, roasted pork, pork chops, or ham
1 medium onion, diced
1 lb of spinach, cleaned and chopped
5 cloves fresh garlic -or- 1 tbsp prepared minced garlic from jar
4 cups chicken stock
2 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
1/2 c. heavy cream
3 tbsp flour
1 rutabega, diced and parboiled
3 potatoes, diced and parboiled
1 1/2 c. white/black/pinto beans
milk
water

Bean Prep
The beans can be soaked overnight, or fast boiled to a similar consistency. If soaking, put beans in a bowl and cover with water and let soak until the next day. If fast-boiling, put beans in saucepot, cover with water and boil on high for 20 minutes. Be sure it doesn't boil over. Once soaked or fast boiled, make sure the beans are covered with water and cook on medium-low heat for 20-30 minutes more or until done.

Meat Prep
Fry the bacon in a frying pan. Once cooked but not crispy, set aside and pour off the grease into a bowl. This will be used later. If using pre-cooked sausages, chop lengthwise in half and then into 1/4 inch chunks. Sautee in same pan as bacon, add the onion and garlic and cook until the onions are clear. Chop the other pork into small chunks.

Roots
Fill a large pot with 3 c. water, bring to boil. Chop the rutabaga and potatoes, and put in pot of boiling water. Cook for 5-8 minutes or until a fork can easily be stuck into them. The water from this can go into the soup too.

Spinach
Spinach has a tendency to be covered in dirt and must be thoroughly cleaned or else it tastes and feels gritty, like sand. Clean thoroughly and roughly chop the spinach.

Roux
Add the flour to the frying pan that cooked the bacon and sausage, and add about 2 tbsp worth of bacon grease. Use a rubber spatula and blend into a paste, gradually adding the heavy cream and stirring over medium-low heat. Add enough milk to make a smooth, thin sauce. This process should take 5-8 minutes

Assembly
Put the chicken stock into a soup pot. Turn heat to low to start a simmer. Add the potatoes and rutabaga, pork, sausage, beans, onion and garlic. Add the Spinach and seasonings. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add the roux and the bacon last. It is ready to serve once mixed together.

Homemade Buffalo Wing Sauce

1 habanero pepper, seeds removed, fine diced
3 red jalapeno peppers, seeds removed, finely diced
4 tbsp butter
1 tbsp minced garlic, fresh or from a jar
2 tbsp. raspberry jam
4 tbsp. white wine vinegar
1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 tsp. sweet paprika
1 tsp salt
3/4 c. diced, stewed tomato
2 tbsp whiskey

Dice the peppers carefully so as not to get your fingers full of the capsaicin juice. Add the butter to a small saucepan and simmer the peppers. Add all other ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes. Once the sauce is cooked, put into a blender and puree til smooth.

Toss chicken in the sauce and serve. This has enough flavor to stand on its own without blue cheese or ranch dressing, but those go well too.

Deep Chocolate Ice Cream

2/3 c. cocoa powder
3 cups half-and-half
1 cup heavy cream
8 large egg yolks
8 ounces sugar
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. coffee extract
1/2 tsp. black walnut extract

Place the cocoa powder along with 1 cup of the half-and-half into a medium saucepan over medium heat and whisk to combine. Add the remaining half-and-half and the heavy cream. Bring the mixture just to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and remove from the heat.

In a medium mixing bowl whisk the egg yolks until they lighten in color. Gradually add the sugar and whisk to combine. Temper the cream mixture into the eggs and sugar by gradually adding small amounts, until about 1/3 of the cream mixture has been added. Pour in the remainder and return the entire mixture to the saucepan and place over low heat. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon and reaches 170 to 175 degrees F. Pour the mixture into a container and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract. Place the mixture into the refrigerator and once it is cool enough not to form condensation on the lid, cover and store for 4 to 8 hours or until the temperature reaches 40 degrees F or below.

Pour into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's directions. This should take approximately 25 to 35 minutes. Serve as is for soft serve or freeze for another 3 to 4 hours to allow the ice cream to harden.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/chocolate-ice-cream-recipe.html?oc=linkback

Apple Fritter, Dunkin Donut Copycat Recipe

APPLE FRITTER DONUTS
Dunkin Donut Copycat Recipe

For the Dough:
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast
2/3 cup whole milk, warm to the touch
3 1/4 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup apple cider
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the Apples:
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 vanilla bean
7 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup apple cider
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

For the Glaze:
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 quarts vegetable oil, for frying

Make the Dough: Place the yeast in a mixing bowl. Pour the milk over the yeast a let sit for 5 minutes. Add 2 cups of the flour to the yeast and milk mixture, but do not stir. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place until the surface of the flour cracks, about 30 to 40 minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. Add the apple cider, melted butter, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, 1 1/4 cups of the flour and whisk until combined, then add to the yeast mixture. Using an electric mixer, beat the dough on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase the speed to medium and beat for 1 minute. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour and mix on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to medium for another 30 seconds. The dough will be VERY soft and sticky. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and set in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, about 1½ hours.

Make the Apples: Melt the butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Slice the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the pan with the melted butter and drop the vanilla bean pod in as well. Heat the butter until it is bubbling, then add the chopped apples, tossing to coat them with butter. Add the sugar and cinnamon and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the apple cider and vinegar, increase the heat to medium-high, and cook until all of the liquid has evaporated, stirring occasionally, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean and transfer the apples to a baking sheet to cool.

Assemble the Donuts: Scrape the dough out onto a well-floured surface and pat into a rectangle 2 inches thick, flouring the surface as necessary. Spread half of the apples over the dough, leaving space around the edges. Fold the dough into thirds (like a letter) by folding the bottom up and then the top down. Use your hands to again pat the dough into another rectangle about 2 inches thick. Spread the remaining apples on top and fold into thirds again. Gather the dough together in a rough ball and return it to the oiled bowl. Cover and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat to 375 degrees. Scrape the dough out again onto a well-floured surface and gently pat it out to 1/2 inch thickness, flouring the surface and the dough as necessary. Using a pizza cutter, bench scraper or sharp knife, slice the dough into 1-inch pieces in a checkerboard pattern. Shape 4 ounce portions of the dough into round mounds and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

Make the Glaze: While the dough is resting, mix together the glaze. Whisk together the powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla and salt in a medium bowl set over a small saucepan of simmering water over low heat. Heat and whisk occasionally until the mixture is warm to the touch. Remove from the heat and keep warm.

Fry the Donuts: Very carefully drop each mound of dough into the hot oil, only adding as many as will comfortably fit in the pot so they are not crowded. Fry until the underside is golden brown, about 3 minutes, then using a spatula or spider skimmer, carefully turn them over and continue to cook until the other side is golden brown as well, another 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the doughnuts to a paper towel-lined pan or a cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining doughnuts, allowing the oil to come back up to temperature between batches. After removing each batch of doughnuts, allow them to sit for about 5 minutes, then brush with the glaze. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Leonard's Bakery's Hawaii Malasadas

Butter, milk, and half & half give these Portuguese-style donuts their distinctive richness and luscious texture.

1 tbsp. active dry yeast
1 1⁄2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1⁄2 cup milk
1⁄2 cup half & half
1⁄4 tsp. kosher salt
4 cups bread flour (1 lb. 2 oz.), sifted
Canola oil, for frying

Combine yeast, 1 tsp. sugar, and 2 tbsp. water heated to 115° in a bowl; let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes; set aside. Beat eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until fluffy. Add yeast mixture, 1⁄2 cup sugar, butter, milk, half & half, and salt; mix until combined. With the motor running, slowly add flour; beat until dough is smooth. Transfer to a lightly greased bowl and cover loosely with plastic wrap; set in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 1⁄2 hours.

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 12″ square about 1⁄2″ thick. Using a knife, cut dough into 3″ squares; gather and reuse scraps. Place on greased parchment paper-lined baking sheets, at least 3″ apart; cover loosely with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Place remaining sugar in a large bowl; set aside. Heat 2″ oil in a 6-qt. saucepan until a deep-fry thermometer reads 350°. Using scissors, cut the donuts out of the parchment paper, leaving about 1″ of paper around the sides of each donut (the paper makes it easier to transfer them to frying oil). Working in batches, place donuts in oil, paper side up, using tongs to peel off and discard paper. Cook, flipping once until puffed and golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet with a wire rack; let cool completely, then toss with sugar.