Q: Dear Emily ~
I just love the orange butter challah toast at Atlas. But, my family all lives on the east coast and I want to treat them to the Atlas french toast. Can you share the secrets to the recipe?
A: Hi there!
I'm glad to hear you enjoy the French Toast at Atlas. It is a staff favorite, also. Below is the recipe for the batter as well as the butter. We make large batches of it, so I have scaled it down for a more home-sized use.
The Batter:
3 cups cream
12 eggs
1 Tbls real vanilla extract
3 Tbls Blackstrap molasses
Mix everything together until it is incorporated well.
Slice Challah in 1 inch thick slices and dip briefly into the batter.
Place onto a hot griddle or Teflon pan.
Griddle until nice and golden; then flip it over and griddle the other side.
Keep warm in the oven until all pieces have been cooked.
Orange Butter:
1/2 # unsalted butter
2 Tbls Triple Sec
1 Tbls orange zest
2 Tbls orange juice
1 1/2 tsp honey
1/4 tsp kosher salt
Burn the alcohol off of the triple sec and let cool.
Zest the orange and squeeze it for its juice.
Put the room temperature butter in a mixer and whip for several minutes until it become lighter in color.
Add all of the ingredients to the whipped butter and continue to mix for 1 minute.
Put this tasty butter on top of your French Toast and eat it up with REAL maple syrup!
Enjoy!!
Emily
Q: Dear Emily ~
Last weekend my Idaho farmer grandma visited me in Seattle for a weekend in the city. On Saturday night we went to the 5-Spot where my grandma proceeded to fall in love with your Cliantro Vinaigrette. Any chance I can surprise her with the recipe for Thanksgiving or Christmas?
Sincerely,
Lucia G.,
devoted grandaughter
A: Just in time for Thanksgiving!
Here is the recipe for the cilantro vinaigrette; it makes about two cups. The batch size we make is much larger than that - by reducing it down for your needs, some of the conversions may need a little tweeking. Here goes:
1 bu cilantro
1 Tbls chopped garlic
1/2 cup cider vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil
3/4 peanut oil - or some other mild flavored oil
2 Tbls honey
kosher salt and pepper to taste
Stem and wash the cilantro.
Press salt into the garlic with a knife blade to release some of its 'heat'.
Puree both in a blender.
Add vinegar and blend a moment.
Drizzle the oils in slowly to emulsify.
Stir in the honey, salt and pepper.
Adjust seasonings as needed.
Enjoy!
Emily
Q: Dear Emily ~
I visited Costal Kitchen for the first time just last week. How could I resist that amazing Corsican menu! The Duck was fabulous and we licked the plate clean (from our hidden corner booth). Our server mentioned we could send an email and request the recepie for those amazing root veggies! I would hate to think I would never taste them again.
Thanks and Happy Holidays,
Kristi
A: Hi Kristi,
I'm so please to hear you enjoyed your meal at Coastal Kitchen. The duck dish that you ordered is my favorite on the Corsican menu.
We make this root vegetable recipe in large batches, so I have scaled the recipe down for your home use. We make it in two steps, so I'll indicate that, also.
Step 1:
1/2 # purple potatoes
1/2 # yellow potatoes
1 # parsnips
1 weighted oz peeled garlic cloves
1/4 cup olive oil
1.5 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
Peel the potatoes and parsnips.
Cut into 1/2 inch cubes.
Rough chop the garlic cloves
Toss all ingredients in the oil, salt and pepper.
Put on parchment paper on a baking sheet and roast at 350 degrees until soft.
Cool.
Step 2:
Put the roasted potato-parsnip mixture in a pot and add 2 cups of cream. Bring this up to a simmer, then add 2 - 3 weighted oz of your favorite double cream brie.
Let the cheese melt into the cream, and let it reduce down a bit so it isn't runny, but a nice thick, creamy consistancy.
Season with more salt and pepper if needed.
I hope the recipe conversion from large batch to small batch works out for you. Enjoy!
Emily
Q: Dear Emily ~
My favorite restaurant in Seattle is the 5 Spot. I love everything there.
Unfortunately, I really love the Brisket, which is frequently sold out. The last time I was in, the waitress told me to ask you for the recipe so I could make it at home and continue enjoying the other dishes at the 5 Spot!
So, my question is... could I please have the recipe for the Brisket that is made at the 5 Spot? Thanks!!!
A: Hello there!
I have the recipe for you. We make this in such large batches, I have scaled it down for a more home-sized batch. Therefore, you may need to tweek it a bit. This is an old recipe we got from a 1950's cookbook years ago. It has been a hit at the 5 Spot for a long time now; glad you enjoy it!
2 # beef brisket
2 tsp kosher salt
1 Tbls black pepper
3 cups Coca Cola
2 oz package Knorr's Onion Soup Mix
Rub the brisket with salt, pepper and soup mix.
Put in a vessel that can go in the oven.
Add the coca-cola, cover the pot and braise in the oven at 325 until very tender.
Braising time may take 3 - 4 hours.
When it is delightfully tender, remove the meat from the pot and keep it warm.
Strain the braising liquid and put in a sauce pot.
Make a roux by melting 1/2 stick butter in a pan and sprinkle enough flour to make a paste.
Whisk enough of it into the strained braising mixture so that it begins to thicken slightly.
Allow this to simmer for 1/2 hour.
Skim any scum that rises to the top, then season as needed with salt and pepper.
Cut slices from your beef brisket and ladle the sauce over the top.
Enjoy!
Emily
Q: Dear Emily ~
I have a Small Diner in Ohio and I'll be open 1 year June 20th of 2005. I seat 48 and have a good breakfast trade but my biscuits and gravy are not too good. I've tried several but my people are spoiled by Bob Evans and Mickie D'S Biscuits and Gravy. I was serving about 5 gal of gravy when I first started but my cook moved out of state and didn't give me the recipe for her gravy and biscuits, please help if you can.
Carl
Owner of a Small Diner in Ohio
A: Hi Carl,
Hope business is going well for you. Congratulations on being open for one year.
We serve biscuits and gravy at a few of our restaurants - they are my favorites!
The sausage gravy we make uses Kentucky style sausage, diced white onions, fresh thyme, then once the fat is rendered out, we sprinkle it with flour, then add chicken stock and cream. I let it simmer gently for one hour to let the gluten cook out, and get nice and thick, then season with lots of salt and black pepper. Delish!
If you are looking for a specific recipe for biscuits, any buttermilk biscuit off the internet should work out well. Just be sure to cut the butter in slowly to get that 'cornmeal-like' texture in the mix before you add the buttermilk. It is good to substitute some lard or even Crisco into the mix also as that gives it extra flakiness. Pastry flour rather than regular all purpose flour can help with the flakiness, also.
Hope this info is helpful. Good luck to you!!!
Emily Mabus
Q: Dear Emily ~
How do you make canned chow chow?
A: Hello,
I presume you've eaten Chow-Chow before and know of its haunting deliciousness. Oh, it is so much like pickle relish, but sooo much better. Chow Chow truly haunts me; I must make it every canning season and eat it throughout the year on my hot dogs, my black eyed peas, pork chops... I'll get you my granny's recipe and email you tomorrow...
Emily
A:
Well Granny's recipe is from the 1928 version of the Jackson Mississippi Old Ladie's Home Cook Book. It is a delight of a recipe, but asks you to use a peck of this and a bushel of that, so I thought that I'd offer you a recipe that was more user friendly to the modern day cook. I found the below recipe on the Internet and thought it was a good step-by-step recipe as well as method for canning.
As a note, you can use any type of vegetable in Chow Chow - Okra, corn, onions, peppers, etc, so if there is an ingredient you hate in the recipe below, you can switch it out.
Chow Chows are made in many different forms, but generally the pieces are smaller than bite-sized. I hand dice all my vegetables when making my chow. My granny use to run everything through her hand crank meat grinder. Use a good quality cider vinegar like "Braggs". It makes a difference.
Good luck - enjoy! I'll be happy knowing someone else is 'putting up' Chow Chow this year!
Emily
Chow-Chow
1 medium green cabbage, about 2 pounds
2 red peppers
4 green peppers
4 onions
6 green tomatoes
1/3 cup non-iodized salt
Cold water, about 8 cups
8 hot sterilized pint-size jars
1 tablespoon pickling spice
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
6 cups cider vinegar
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons turmeric
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
- Choose vegetables that are garden fresh and free of blemishes. Select a tight head of cabbage with green, tender leaves. Rinse the vegetables several times, making sure all are completely free of debris or grit. Lay the cabbage on a cutting board and cut into quarters. Cut out the core and discard. Lay the cabbage flat on the cutting board and shred finely. Rinse 2 to 3 times with cold water and drain.
- Core and dice the red and green peppers; thinly slice the onions; and chop the green tomatoes. Place the vegetables in a large glass or earthenware bowl. (You will probably have to use two bowls.) Sprinkle with the salt, and add just enough water to cover the vegetables. Using a large spoon, toss the vegetables well.
- Cover the bowl with a cloth or plastic wrap and allow the vegetables to remain in the salt brine overnight, preferably in the refrigerator or in a cool place. The next morning, drain the vegetables well and set aside. Prepare the sterilized jars. Meanwhile, tie the pickling spice and mustard seeds in a small piece of cheesecloth or any other white cotton fabric. (Canning purists do this to keep from biting down on seeds and berries when eating the chow-chow. The bag is removed from the relish before canning. It is perfectly acceptable to can the vegetables with the spices.)
- Combine in a large, heavy, stainless steel or enamel pot the vinegar, sugar, turmeric, ginger, and the bag containing the pickling the pickling spice and mustard seeds. (Don't use an aluminum, copper, or iron pot because the interaction of the vinegar and salt with these metals will discolor the vegetables.)
- Add the drained, salted vegetables--the cabbage, red and green peppers, onions, and green tomatoes--and mix well. Cook the vegetables over medium-low heat for just 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Watch carefully because the mixture can stick and burn easily. Remove the pot immediately from the heat. Remove the cloth bag of spices and discard. Pack the vegetables into the hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/2-inch space at the top of each jar. Seal at once.
- Makes 8 pints.
Q: Dear Emily ~
I love to cook and one of the things I love but have the hardest time with is Roast Chicken. I mean a Whole Roast Chicken. I have tried many different techniques and can never get the skin as golden and crispy as you do in your restaurants.
What's the secret to golden, crispy skin?
Thank you ~
Brad (Doin' the funky chicken in Ballard)
A: Dear Brad,
Golden, crispy skin comes from having the skin being quite dry when it goes into the oven; patting it dry with paper towels before cooking is just fine. Next, be sure to put the chicken into a pre-heated, hot oven, let it cook for about 20 minutes, then turn the heat down the remainder of the cooking time. Now, if you want to baste the bird while it is roasting, you're going to get rid of all that delightful crispyness by adding moisture. Never fear, just turn the heat way back up to 500 degrees or so for the final 15 minutes. That should do it!
Q: Dear Emily ~
I love BBQ ribs! I have many different recipes for BBQ sauces and usually spread the sauce onto the ribs, start them in the oven for a couple of hours on a low heat then finish them on the grill while slathering them with more sauce. Whenever I read a recipe on BBQ ribs, the recipe always start with a dry rub. I'm not dry rubbing, should I be? What is the purpose of applying a dry rub before the rest the rest of the cooking?
Thanks ~
Duwayne "Up in Smoke" in West Seattle
A: Hi Duwayne,
I am an avid fan of pork ribs and on a slow day, can mow through a whole pound of ribs by myself. It's all about a roll of paper towels nearby and not wearing a good shirt!
I rub ribs because I want more flavor. Rubs are mixtures of salt, something sweet like sugar, maple syrup or honey, and spices. Paprika, cayenne, garlic, onion and dried herbs are common components to a rub. The salt actually tenderizes the meat rather than toughening it. Make your own rub following your recipe or purchase a reputable commercially prepared product. Take handfuls and rub it into the meat…don't be bashful! It's going to get messy! Let the rub sit at least 30 minutes on the meat, then put them in the oven or directly on the grill.
I suggest at the beginning of summer, you make up a couple of different tubs of rub to use all season long. Each time you're preparing the meat, play it safe and separate the amount you need each into a separate bowl to ensure you don't cross-contaminate by getting any meat juice gets into the tub-o-rub. If so, you'll need to put the whole tub in the refrigerator and use it within one week.
Q: Dear Emily ~
I keep getting mixed information on this:
How many teaspoons are in a tablespoon?
How many tablespoons are in a quarter cup?
Thanks ~
Betty C. of Queen Anne
A: Dear Betty,
As a schoolgirl, I was very adept at memorizing the alphabet, multiplication tables and State capitals. If only the Seattle Public School system had required the same repetitive memorization of measurement! We would all be saved so many family potluck mishaps! So, please commit this information to memory!
3 teaspoons (a.k.a. 'tsp') = 1 tablespoon (a.k.a. 'T')
16 T = 1 cup
