~ Happy Memorial Day ~

This weekend whether your grilling, on the lake, in the pool or simply relaxing in your hammock take time to remember those ... who have served, are currently serving or will serve in the future ... Happy Memorial Day! ~ Chef Wilkinson ~

~ Jane and Profiteroles ~

Now we all know who the Professional is ... according to Jane, "I had a go at making choux pastry and it was for profiteroles ... I was very impressed with myself as it worked!" So when any of us get ready for some scrumptious, exquisite pastries we will just call upon Jane the Professional Pastry Chef. Jane you are hereby awarded your very own Professional Pastry Chef hat. ~ Chef Wilkinson ~

~ Pâte à Choux ~

Not sure of the correct pronunciation but this is the dough used to make cream puffs, eclairs, profiteroles and croquembuches. It is made by beating eggs into boiled water, butter and flour. Pâte à Choux is so soft that it hardly supports itself before baking and often collapses after baking. It must either be spooned or piped into shape. This is one of those recipes that is better left to the Professionals. ~ Chef Wilkinson ~

~ Foods in America ~

I did not know until Jane my friend who lives in the UK informed me of this but not everyone knows what a Sloppy Joe is. She was reading my post and asked ... what is a Sloppy Joe? I just assumed all regions of the World had Sloppy Joes in one form or another. I thought they might consist of different ingredients but they would be called "Sloppy Joes". The things you learn everyday. So thank you Jane for letting me know not everyone has had the experience (be it good or bad) of a Sloppy Joe. ~ Chef Wilkinson ~

~ Summer Time ~

Has arrived! And if today is any indication of what it is going to be like ... it is going to be a long, hot summer! Nothing you can blog about on a day like today except ... something cold to drink! Of course here in the South we prefer Sweet Tea. So pour yourself a cold one and find a shade tree. Or better than that ... stay indoors with the air conditioner on! ~ Chef Wilkinson ~

Chicken & Rice

I've mentioned this before but it is worth repeating. If you don't have a rice cooker ... do yourself a favor and buy yourself one. It is so much better than cooking rice on the stove top. Not only can you use it to cook rice but you can also use it to steam cabbage, brussel sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, etc. ... the possibilities are endless. You don't have to spend big bucks either the inexpensive one works just fine. Pictured here is a Chicken & Rice meal I fixed this week using the rice steamer and the chicken was slow cooked in the oven. If I say so myself it was fantastic! ~ Chef Wilkinson ~

* Doughnuts *

Who doesn't love doughnuts? Around here the company most referred to for doughnuts is Krispy Kreme. The dough for yeast-risen doughnuts, as opposed to cake doughnuts which are chemically leavened, is closely related to the basic sweet dough which is used for cinnamon rolls and sticky buns. Usually the dough for doughnuts has more fat and moisture than sweet dough, making it richer but lighter in texture. The dough rises once before it is shaped and then it proofs once more before being deep fried in oil. So what's your favorite ... plain, chocolate covered or filled? ~ Chef Wilkinson ~

~ Winemaking ~

Are there any fellow Winemakers out there amongst my readers? Or are you just a wine connoisseur? It has been many years since I made a batch of wine but enjoyed it when I had the time. I got started making wine through winemakers Perry and Elaine Casteel of Tri-Star Vineyards. I had a million questions and they were always willing to help and do lots of taste-testing. People who consume wine but have never made their own have no idea how much work and time goes into making just 1 batch of wine. There is definitely an Art to Making a Great Wine. The Casteel's have now retired. They are in the process of selling the wine which was made with their last harvest in the Summer of 2008. ~ Chef Wilkinson ~

~ Strawberry Time ~

It's Strawberry pickin' time in Tennessee. Anyone here remember the scrumptious Strawberry pies you used to get at Shoney's? They were delicious! These days they are like everything else you buy - No taste, Small quantity, No quality but a High price. It all starts with the strawberries. If your strawberries are not at their peak regarding taste and sweetness you are not going to have a spectacular pie. Take the time to pick some fresh strawberries and prepare yourself a homemade Strawberry pie. You won't be disappointed! ~ Chef Wilkinson ~

- Foods from your Past -

Which is true ... food was better back when you was a child -or- you were a child and just thought it was good? I'm not sure which statement is true. This weekend I had a request from the family to make Puddin' & Cake. Many, many years ago you could buy this at the store but no longer. So I have done the best I can to come up with a recipe that is close ... but just not perfected. Then today I made Sloppy Joes. I've come to the conclusion there is absolutely no way to make Sloppy Joes that will stay on the bun. It lives up to it's name because they are always sloppy! ~ Chef Wilkinson ~

~ Pecan Pie ~

You can tell a true Southerner by asking them how to pronounce Pecan Pie. If they pronounce it pee-can instead of pu-con they are definitely not from the South. A pee-can is something you pee in. This is definitely a Southern "Rich" Delight. You will need: 6 Tbs. unsalted butter, 3 large eggs, 1 and 1/2 c. dark corn syrup, 3/4 c. packed light brown sugar, 2 Tbs. bourbon (optional), 1 tsp. vanilla extract, 1/8 tsp. salt, 1/2 c. finely chopped toasted pecans, 2 c. toasted pecan halves, (1) 9-inch partially baked pie shell. Cook the butter over medium heat until golden then cool until just warm. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, corn syrup and brown sugar until smooth. Whisk in the butter, bourbon, vanilla and salt. Stir in the chopped pecans. Place the pecan halves in the pie shell; pour the filling over the nuts. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and cook another 30 minutes or until set. Cool completely before serving. Enjoy! ~ Chef Wilkinson ~

- Goodies from the Garden -

Can you believe it is already time to start picking things from the garden? Yesterday I put up in the freezer fresh onions for future use. They smelled wonderful! They would have been really good with a pot of pinto beans. Since I didn't have a pot cooked I figured I would go ahead and freeze them at their peak. They will cook well this winter in homemade soup, meatloaf or spaghetti. It won't be long before tomatoes and cucumbers are ready for picking. ~ Chef Wilkinson ~

~ Cookbooks ~

I guess all Chef's have a cookbook collection. I mean after all a Chef never has enough recipes do they? My collection ranges from local Church cookbooks to Entertaining with the Soprano's. My latest addition is Mastering The Art of French Cooking by Julia Child. I think I should have bought a French translation manual to go with it. Not sure if I will ever be able to prepare any of the recipes in it. Tell me about your collection and favorite cookbook. ~ Chef Wilkinson ~

Homecooking ~ Healthy

This was supposed to be my post yesterday but I thought all of you would rather hear what Jane had to say about Scones. For Mother's day I prepared a simple meal of ... Fried Chicken, Dumplins, White Beans and Cornbread, Turnip Greens, Okra and Tomatoes. Talk about your typical "Southern Meal" this is it! Today, we decided to eat Rabbit Food -aka- House Salad. Definitely not my specialty! I fixed it with a bed of iceberg lettuce, carrots, broccoli, eggs, tomatoes, ham, cheese, pickles, beets, cottage cheese and blue cheese dressing. Again, salads are not my specialty and the reason they call it a "House Salad" is because you put a little bit of everything from the house refrigerator in it. ~ Chef Wilkinson ~

~ Jane on the subject of Scones ~

* This is what Jane had to say about Scones in the UK. *

"We generally have sweet scones, either plain or fruit with jam and whipped cream for a traditional cream tea ... this HAS to be accompanied by a pot of tea! If you get to buy this in a cafe then you would be given 2 Scones usually per person. A cream tea in Cornwall is the best as they use Cornish clotted cream. My sister makes the best cheese scones which are wonderful eaten warm with butter on. For the plain scones it is just flour, butter and some milk, cheese or fruit added for the other scones."

Readers are you drooling too? Those sound scrumptious! Thank you so much Jane! ~ Chef Wilkinson ~

<<< Biscuits & Scones >>>

My friend Jane from "across-the-pond" in Bognor Regis will be able to provide insight on today's post. Biscuits are generally a mixture of fat, flour and milk with a leavening agent. Though the pieces of fat left in the dough make plain biscuits quite tender many bakers give the dough a turn or two to create flaky layers. Scones are slightly sweet and richer than biscuits with the addition of eggs and cream. Some recipes for scones have no cold butter or fat cut into the flour but rather are a simple combination of flour, leavening and heavy cream. These are called Cream Scones and are exceptionally tender and moist. I look forward to having Jane comment on Scones in the UK. Happy Mother's Day to all the Mom's reading my blog. ~ Chef Wilkinson ~

~ The Color of Wheat ~

Color is the final determining factor in classifying wheat. A slightly bitter red pigment is present in the seed coat of red wheats, similar to the tannins in tea; this trait has been bred out of white wheats. Hard white wheats are used primarily in whole wheat products where the bitter taste is undesirable. Hard white wheat flour is also becoming popular with artisan bread bakers. Its higher mineral content makes it ideal for long fermentation periods and it has a slight natural sweetness. Red wheat generally has more gluten than white wheat. ~ Chef Wilkinson ~

~ ~ More Wheat ~ ~

Soft wheats have a high starch yield and a low protein content. They are grown in areas of high rainfall and lower soil fertility. Low-protein flours are used to their best advantage in biscuits, pies and cakes where tenderness is preferred over strength. Winter wheats are planted in the fall grow for a very short period of time and then become dormant. They resume growing in the Spring and are harvested in the Summer. Spring wheats are planted in the Spring and harvested in late Summer. Tomorrow we will discuss ... Color. ~ Chef Wilkinson ~

~ Wheat ~

There are 5 primary classifications of bread wheat grown here. They are: Hard Red Spring Wheat, Hard Red Winter Wheat, Soft Red Winter Wheat, Hard White Wheat and Soft White Wheat. The differences are determined by hardness, growing season of course and color. Hard and Soft not only refers to the actual hardness of the kernel but also to the kernel's protein content. The hardest wheats generally contain more protein and fewer starch granules. For the baker, this means that hard wheat flours produce doughs capable of the greatest gluten development. These hard or strong flours are ideal for bread. Hard wheats are grown where rainfall is low and the soil is more fertile. More tomorrow ... ~ Chef Wilkinson ~

~ Angel Food Cake ~

Egg-white based Angel Food Cake is the lightest and most tender of the sponge cakes. It has virtually no fat. Leavened with the air contained in the beaten egg white foam Angel Food Cakes get their moisture and tenderness from the egg whites and large amount of sugar. Careful beating of the egg white foam is essential to the success of the cake. Angel Food Cakes should be baked in ungreased tube pans since fat collapses the egg white foam. It should be cooled upside-down because egg proteins firm and set as they cool. If cooled upright gravity may collapse some of the air cells before the cake is set. Just one more example of the many delicious things that can result from egg white foam. ~ Chef Wilkinson ~