quick recipes – The Salted Table

Cured Egg Yolks

So, I think we should start this off on a note of honesty. I rarely make cured egg yolks because it calls for such an inordinate amount of sugar and salt and you can’t really reuse it once it has absorbed all of the moisture from the yolks. But if you have egg yolks that are still intact from making meringue or an egg white omelette, then this is one of the many things you can do with them. Remember, no yolk left behind.

The process is simple and nothing to be intimidated by. You could even do this with your kids, if you have them, but if not – then by yourself or your significant other is just fine. This technique is guaranteed to impress your friends, assuming they aren’t already in the ‘egg preserving’ circle. When I first made these, we had to take off to East Tennessee for a week because my mother-in-law passed out, hit her head and was hospitalized. So, my yolks actually sat in the fridge for 9 days before I got back to them. At this point, they were nice and dry so I didn’t bother putting them in the oven to dry them out more – but you may need to if you let them go the recommended 3-6 day period like most guidelines say to do. And if you want a softer version, simply let it go for 12-hours and you will achieve a runnier egg that is great for serving with crostini and smoked fish, or maybe just a schmear across your morning toast.

img_4905-1 This procedure is from The Splendid Table via America’s Test Kitchen. And once you learn the process, you’ll be able to riff and create your own seasoning blends and find out what flavor profiles you do and don’t like. In this batch I added five bay leaves, and a heavy teaspoon of crushed red pepper flake. The spice took a little bit but not enough to make a significant difference, so I would up the quantity next time until I achieved the level of heat that I desire. But enough chatter, the recipe is below and if you make them, tag us @thesaltedtable on Instagram, I’d love to see your results!

“Contrary to popular belief, diamond is not the hardest material known to man. The hardest material in the universe is dried egg yolk. And one day, it will revolutionize the construction industry.”
― Ron Brackin

Cured Egg Yolks

1.5 cups white granulated sugar
1.5 cups Diamond kosher salt
4 egg yolks
5 bay leaves
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flake
1 1-2 inch deep dish

Method:
1. Combine sugar, salt, red pepper, and bay leaves in a blender and pulse until ingredients are combined well. Bay leaves and crushed red pepper should be sugar size particles.
2. Pour half the mixture into the bottom of your dish. Take an unbroken egg and use the shell to make indentions in the sugar/salt mixture, or you may use the back of a spoon. Make four spaces and place a yolk in each one. Cover the yolks with the remaining mix.
NOTE: I lightly pressed my fingertip on top the yolk to remember the placemat for later retrieval.
3. Cover the dish securely with plastic wrap and place pan in the fridge. Once the eggs are ready. Do a quick rinse to remove any residual mixture that is still attached. Place them on a wire rack in a 150 degree oven and let them go for about 1.5-2 hours or until your level of dryness is reached. That’s it! Your are ready to grate those babies over soups, pastas, salads and sandwiches. Enjoy!

NOTE: I simply wiped mine off with a damp paper towel and allowed them to dry at room temp before placing them in a weck jar for safe storage. Eggs are good in the fridge up to a month, if they last that long.

A video clip and close-up of the final product:

Nanny’s Homemade Pickles

Nanny's Homemade Pickles There’s a minimalist inside of me just screaming to get out. I want to be surrounded by less and somehow I continue to take in more. My affinity for food props and ‘old things’ that appear to tell a story continue to steal my heart with every visited estate sale. How is it these families of deceased loved ones could let go of such treasures. Sets of silver and hand-woven baskets, wood-working pieces and quilts consisting of fragmented memories. It’s a bit melancholy when I reflect on it. I know that some of the pieces I own were simply thoughtless purchases of a scrambling aunt who forgot a birthday or two but it doesn’t mean there’s no value…or maybe it does?

The thought of clutter and neglected things often cause me to yearn for simple things. You know the sandwich your mom used to make with a spread of mustard and a slice of ham nestled between two slices of white bread. Or maybe for you it was a cup of chocolate pudding and a glass of milk. What is it about simple prepared foods that often have our palates pleading for seconds and sometimes third servings? I mean, sure it’s nice to have a piece of smoked meat wrapped in something, suveed in something, cured, smoked again, sliced thin, piled high with a gastrique chasing the plates rim. But that isn’t how the typical person eats or at least I wouldn’t dare to think so?

homemade pickles I’ve run into this time and time again from the recollection of my childhood to the occasional venture to a new dining spot here in Nashville. The dish that has 5 ingredients as opposed to fifteen is the ‘last man standing’. Nothing annoys me more than a chef who over thinks their dishes. It’s often as simple as leaving off that hibiscus foam or random shaved vegetable that could make a dish shine. And leave an everlasting impression on that first-time or returning guests palate that could possibly ignite their passion for food. Not just eating it for necessity but also for sheer pleasure the enjoyment flavor profiles, local ingredients and textbook cooking techniques. My great-grandmother and grandmother were both skilled artisans at these simple things and I could go on and on telling you about some of the best meals I ever ate because they were so simple that they can’t be erased from my ‘food memories’. And I don’t think that I’d be willing to part with them. Nanny's Homemade Pickles by The Local Forkful

I’m sharing these pickles with you today because the farmer’s markets have been overflowing with them and I just couldn’t resist making you a batch of them the way my great-grandmother and her daughter made them. Sometimes I sit and long for the day when I could walk into her backyard and be greeted by the hung sheets on the line, being dried by the suns warm beams. Carelessly running across that fragile bridge that connected to her quarter acre garden in the middle of suburbia. It was perfection at its best and I still long for those days when life was truly simple. These pickles don’t involve a tedious collection of herbs and spices. No boiling of liquids or Ball mason jar’s, no, these pickles only require white granulated sugar and apple cider vinegar. I know you might be thinking, “could it really be that good, if there’s only two ingredients for the brine?” And I tell you, yes, yes they are. And if you aren’t a believer after trying them then back to your usual way’s and I’ll eat them for you.

There’s no need for me to write out a method for them. You simply rinse and slice 3 medium cucumbers about a 1/4 inch thick slices. Place them in a mixing bowl or storage container with 2 tablespoons of white granulated sugar, 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar and a smidgen of kosher salt. I gently stir them until I see most of the sugar is dissolved and be careful not to bruise the cucumbers. Let them sit at room temp for one hour stirring every 15 minutes to insure all cucumbers come in contact with the liquid. I like a bit of spice in mine so I added 1 1/2 teaspoons of crushed red pepper flakes. They are ready to eat at the end of the hour but if you’re a chilled pickle fan then put them in the fridge for about thirty minutes. These pickles also taste fantastic on burgers, or just eat them when no one else is around. Nanny's Homemade Pickles by The Local Forkful

Homemade Buttermilk & Chocolate Buttermilk Pie

How come no one told me that buying a house is so stressful? Well, I guess my ignorance could be based on the truth of ‘not asking’. I honestly don’t remember how many properties we’ve viewed at this point, or how many layouts we’ve scoffed at nor the times my wife has said, “Eww!” at the sight of hideous wallpapers and dirty bathrooms. No, nobody warned us, but my gosh, we’ve learned quickly. And all that late-night HGTV House Hunter watching is not necessarily the go-to if you need questions answered.

I’m learning that while looking for a home you desire some of the same characteristics that were/are present in the home you grew up in. You want to pull into the driveway and feel at home. You’d like to walk in the front door and the creak of the hinge greet you ever-so gently. You want to step foot in the room and be greeted by warm snapshots of life hanging on the walls and rays of sunlight reaching across the floor. You simply long to be at rest and to have a place worthy of providing that for you when the day is done.

Well, the search for this place continues and while I don’t want to get my hopes up. We have recently put in a bid on what I’m sure has the potential to be all those wonderful things mentioned previously. It’s the emotions of a warm slice of buttermilk pie from grandma’s windowsill. Of course, my grandmother never put pies in the windowsill, no, they were on top of the washer and dryer which sat next door to her stove in the kitchen. I remember buttermilk pie from my great grandma’s, who we affectionately called “Nanny”, like I remember walking down the hardwood steps as a child pleading for a cup of apple juice (according to my parental units).

What is it about pie that has the ability to slow the heart-rate, calm the nerves and soothe the soul? Is it that flaky crust, the warmth of that creamy or fruity filling? Or maybe it’s the warm memories that it evokes in every swift stroke of the fork? Whatever it is, its quite magical and its my desire that if you’ve never had it before this recipe will make you a believer.

Homemade Buttermilk Pie

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon flour
3 eggs (beaten)
1/3 cup melted unsalted butter
1 cup whole fat buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest

for Chocolate Buttermilk Pie:
add 2 tablespoons cocoa powder and 1 teaspoon fine ground coffee (dark roast). combine with dry ingredients.

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the sugar and flour. Stir in egg one at a time. Add your butter, then buttermilk, kosher salt and vanilla.
2. Pour mixture into your shell. Bake the pie for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 30 minutes or until you insert a knife and it comes out clean. Allow the pie to cool and serve with coffee/milk and whipped cream. I also enjoy a dollop of lemon curd on top.

Basic Pie Dough

If I may be honest with you for a minute, as a chef I hardly ever use recipes for what I have been taught to be must-have basic kitchen staples. Like making pie dough, biscuits, “mother sauces” etc. So at the bottom of this post there is a tried and true recipe for pie dough that I have used in the past that always delivers great results.

If I were to give you my recipe, it would go something like this:

1 1/2 handfuls of flour
a smidge of kosher salt that I process in my spice grinder to break it down
a few tablespoons of ice-cold water
a few pats of chilled butter or the frozen grated stuff

1. Combine butter, salt and flour until it forms into pea-sized crumbles. add water by the tablespoon until dough holds together. Then form a ball. allow to rest for 15 minutes.
2. flour your rolling surface and pin. place ball in the center and roll until the proper circle size of your pie pan. Roll the dough on to your rolling place and unroll over buttered pie pan. tuck the dough in around the sides and trim the excess. Using a flour-ed fork press the edges of your crust or use the thumb-index finger method.
3. Prick the bottom of the dough and the inside seam a few times and bake for 4-5 minutes. I do this to ensure crispy crust from top to bottom because I hate soggy bottoms.

😀 Then carry-on with the recipe as usual.

Now, for some of you. You might be thinking, oh, that’s simple enough. But for the rest of you who tend to be right-brained organize kitchen cooks here’s the play-by-play via Williams-Sonoma Pie Dough.

Marshmallowy Cornflake Treats

It makes me laugh when I think about some of the silly things my sister and I ate for dessert as kids. Prepare yourself, because this is pure unadulterated truth. When I was in my youth, I used to enjoy heating up fudge rounds in the microwave until the filling was slightly runny, and then I would proceed to drizzle it with milk. At first scrape of that gooey rich but soggy creation off of my plate, I was in heaven and you couldn’t persuade otherwise. This dessert when I think about it still warms my heart but I haven’t done it in years. That might have to change sooner than later.

My sister liked to take Nestle cookie dough and crumble it on a plate, heat it in the microwave for 20 seconds intervals while rotating the plate. Because back then our microwave wasn’t as ‘fancy schmancy’ as the one we have today. I’m sure this was completely unhealthy in one way or another but we survived it and these are our food memories. It’s one of things that I adore about food is the simple fact that no matter your likes or dislikes it has a way to connect with you and tell a story.

It turns out that my mom was no world-famous pastry chef but she knew the basics and she knew what to do to satisfy our sweet tooth. This recipe is an accidental, oops! we don’t have any, kind of concoction. My mom made these for us when we were kids and it was clearly contrived from a day of wanting something sweet and missing a ‘key’ ingredient. There are some of you Rice Krispie treat purists out there thinking to yourselves. “cornflakes and marshmallows?!?!” And that’s o.k. But just in case you didn’t notice, the cereal companies have jumped on the bandwagon as well, they just sold it to you as breakfast food. So I hope you enjoy these and they somehow make their way into your family traditions, but if not, whip up a batch and tell me you’re not a believer?

Do tell me your favorite childhood desserts? I’m dying to hear it.

Marshmallowy Cornflake Treats

10 ounces marshmallows (big or small)
1 stick unsalted butter
12 ounces plain corn flake cereal
1 oz heavy cream

Method
1. place butter into a medium sauce pot over medium heat. Once butter has completely melted, add heavy cream and then add the marshmallows a small handful at a time until completely melted and all the lumps are gone (unless you like the lumps).
2. Pour the cereal into a large mixing bowl. Pour the marshmallow mixture over the cereal and mix thoroughly using a wooden spoon until all the cereal is completely coated.
3. Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray or line it with parchment. Spoon all of the mixture into the dish. sprinkle a little powdered sugar on your hand or use a little butter to coat your palm and press the mixture down into the pan until completely even across the top (now you can cancel that pure barre membership). allow the mixture to cool down for about 20 minutes before cutting into desired shapes. Enjoy!

Zucchini ribbons in Sage Brown Butter

I sat down at the desk with my chilled glass of apple juice to the right of me. I thought I had it all figured out. The words had an extra week to find themselves since I didn’t get a post up last week. But as I set there at the desk wanting to share with you my hectic week, and the woes of working too many hours in a hot kitchen. I could only think of this heart-felt blog post I read on Thursday from The Merry Gourmet. I’ve grown fond of this blog as Merry is a great writer and a painter of vivid imagery through well composed lines. She is an oncologist who also has an affinity for cooking, baking and making eye-candy chocolate desserts. But any-who, as you scroll down to gaze over the zucchini recipe which makes an awesome side dish. Here is The Merry Gourmet post I’m insisting that you read and enjoy the peach bar recipe as well. I’m also a fool for a high crust to peach ratio. Enjoy.

Ingredients

4 medium-sized squash
1/2 cup unsalted butter
5-7 sage leaves
smidge of kosher salt(to taste)
fresh cracked black pepper(to taste)

Instructions

1. First rinse your zucchini and pat dry. Then grab a folded kitchen towel and stand your zucchini in the center of the towel to peel ribbons. If you apply too much pressure you will break your zucchini. Set ribbons aside on paper towels to soak up any excess moisture while your butter browns.

2. Heat your butter in the skillet on medium high heat until it begins to foam. You can not walk away from the pan. Throw in your sage leaves once butter has melted. Stir gently in a circular motion until you begin to see little bits of milk fat separate from the butter. Once butter has turned golden brown remove from heat quickly and add one tablespoon of chilled butter to keep your butter from burning. Return the skillet to the eye and add ribbons.

If you are confident, feel free to give it a few quick chef toss in the air to incorporate the butter throughout the ribbons. But if you are not confident use tongs or a wooden spoon to stir your ribbons.

3. Add your salt & pepper to taste. Continue moving the ribbons around as they will cook quickly because they are thin. Remove sage and use for garnish. Now, that was simple.