Sunday, September 17, 2017

Pastrami On Rye

Since we are talking great sandwiches....Let's talk about a Pastrami on some good Jewish Rye...In Philadelphia where I live there are Deli's and sandwich shops in practically every neighborhood and section...Minus the gentrified sections where the hipsters have taken over...but that's another story for another blog....

Right now we are talking Pastrami on Rye...

is a classic sandwich made famous in the Jewish kosher delicatessens of New York City. It was first created in 1888 by Sussman Volk, who served it at his deli on Delancey Street in New York City.

Sussman Volk immigrated from Lithuania in the late 1800s. He opened a small butcher shop on New York's Lower East Side. He befriended another immigrant, this one from Romania, who he allowed to store meat in his large icebox. In exchange for his kindness, the friend gave the recipe for pastrami to Volk, who began to serve it to his customers. It proved so popular that in 1888, Volk opened a delicatessen at 88 Delancey Street, one of the first delis in New York City, where he served the meat on rye bread.

It became a favorite at other delis, served on rye bread and topped with spicy brown mustard. Delis in New York City, like Katz's Delicatessen, have become known for their Pastrami on rye sandwiches.[3][4] In her description of the book on Katz's, Florence Fabricant, the noted food critic for the New York Times, described the volume "as overstuffed as Katz's pastrami on rye."

INGREDIENTS:
  • 2 teaspoons butter
  • 2 slices rye bread
  • 1 -2 tablespoon spicy mustard
  • 6 ounces sliced pastrami (more, if you can handle it)
DIRECTIONS:
  1. Butter both slices of bread and toast until golden.
  2. Spread mustard on both slices.
  3. Warm pastrami in a hot skillet until heated through.
  4. Pile on top of one slice of the bread and carefully close the sandwich.
  5. To make a cold pastrami sandwich, skip buttering and toasting the bread and place meat cold on the sandwich.
    Wash this down with a Coke also.... (No I get no maney from Coca Cola for these free pitches...That's just my cola of choice!)  Enjoy!  Eat and drink well my friends!

Saturday, September 16, 2017

Hot Roast Beef Sandwich

When I was a child...There was a Woolworth's on 69th and Market streets, They had a lunch counter that served all kinds of comfort food as they would call it today..One of my fondest memories was Saturday afternoon, When my mother and two of her sisters would take me and five of my cousins to 69th street to go shopping..

Like all kids...we begged for toys....Sometimes we got some and sometimes we didn't....but what we always did get was a nice lunch....My favorite in particular was their Hot Roast Beef Sandwich....Usually served with french fries....sometimes served with onion rings...

After childhood...I never did quite find a Hot Roast Beef sandwich that compared with that one at that Woolworth's, but here is a recipe for making one...

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 (3 -4 lb) beef roast
  • 3 -4 cups water
  • 1 (1 1/4 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
  • salt
  • pepper
  • FOR GRAVY

  • 4 -5 cups broth (from roast)
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 beef bouillon cubes
  • 2 teaspoons gravymaster or 2 teaspoons browning sauce
DIRECTIONS:

  1. Place beef roast, water, dry onion soup mix and as much salt/pepper as desired in crock pot and cook on low for 9-10 hours.
  2. Whisk flour and water together for gravy until smooth and set aside.
  3. When roast is tender and done, pour broth into a saucepan and bring to boil on stove top.
  4. Add 2 beef bouillon cubes and Gravymaster to boiling broth.
  5. Then add flour and water mixture to boiling broth until desired consistency is reached for your gravy.
  6. Cut up beef roast and arrange pieces between two slices of bread.
  7. Smother sandwich (and french fries) with gravy and ENJOY!
Wash this down with a nice sparkling glass of Coke... ENJOY! EAT and Drink Well My Friends!

Friday, September 1, 2017

Carmel Apple French Toast

Just in time for the Labor Day Weekend...If you're having Friends Over...How about Some Carmel Apple French Toast for Breakfast...My Grandchildren would love it...

Say hello to apple season with the perfect breakfast or brunch option served up in miniature skillets! The warm and creamy brioche custard paired with baked apples and cinnamon makes for a marvelous flavor combination that is sure to delight everyone at the table. The cinnamon cream on top acts as a neutral cool topping to temper the sweetness of the dish. Comforting and homey, this french toast is also elegant with a spiral look that originates from the perfectly placed apples on top!

INGREDIENTS: 
  • 6 tablespoons (3 oz.) salted butter, divided
  • 3 cups heavy cream, divided
  • 5 large eggs
  • 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 (16-oz.) brioche bread loaf, torn into 1-inch pieces (about 8 1/2 cups)
  • 4 Fuji apples
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 4 teaspoons cinnamon sugar, divided
  • 1/2 cup Caramel Sauce
DIRECTIONS: 


Step 1
Preheat oven to 350°F.Grease 4 (6-inch) cast-iron skillets evenly with 2 tablespoons of the butter. Set aside.

Step 2
Place 2 cups of the cream in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium, and remove from heat. Whisk together eggs and brown sugar in a large bowl. Slowly add warm cream in a steady stream, whisking constantly. Stir in vanilla extract. Add torn bread, making sure bread is completely submerged, and let mixture stand 10 minutes.

Step 3
Meanwhile, cut each apple into about 30 thin slices; toss together apple slices, granulated sugar, and lemon juice in a large bowl.

Step 4
Spoon 1/3 cup of the bread mixture into each buttered skillet, and press into an even layer. Top each with a layer of about 16 apple slices, and another 1/3 cup of the bread mixture. Arrange 16 to 18 apple slices in a concentric circle on top of bread mixture in each skillet.

Step 5
Place remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on HIGH until melted, about 15 seconds. Brush melted butter evenly over apples, and sprinkle evenly with 2 teaspoons of the cinnamon sugar. Place skillets on a rimmed baking sheet.

Step 6
Bake in preheated oven until custard is cooked and apples are mostly tender, about 40 minutes.

Step 7
Meanwhile, combine remaining 1 cup cream and 2 teaspoons cinnamon sugar in a small chilled bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Chill until ready to serve.

Step 8
Remove skillets from oven, and let stand 10 minutes. Top each warm skillet with 2 tablespoons of the Caramel Sauce, and a large dollop of cinnamon cream.

Chase it down with a cold glass of milk..
Enjoy....Eat well My Friends!


Food Safety Tips
Protect yourself against food-borne illnesses.


1. Use a "refrigerator thermometer" to keep your food stored at a safe temperature (below 40 degrees fahrenheit).

Cold temperatures slow the growth of bacteria. Ensuring that your refrigerator temperature stays at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or colder is one of the most effective ways to reduce your risk of food-borne illness. You can buy a refrigerator/freezer thermometer at appliance stories, home centers (i.e. Home Depot), and kitchen stores including online ones, such as Cooking.com.

2. Defrost food in the refrigerator, the microwave, or in cold water... never on the counter!

Perishable foods should never be thawed on the counter for longer than two hours because, while the center of the food may remain frozen, the outer surface may enter the Danger Zone, the range of temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees fahrenheit, in which bacteria multiply rapidly. If you’re short on time, use the microwave or you can thaw meat and poultry in airtight packaging in cold water. Change the water every half-hour so it stays cold and use the thawed food immediately.

3. Always use separate cutting boards for raw meat/poultry/fish and cooked foods/fresh produce.

Bacteria from uncooked meat, poultry, and fish can contaminate cooked foods and fresh produce. An important way to reduce this risk is to use separate cutting boards for raw meat/poultry/ fish, and cooked foods/fresh produce.

4. Always cook meat to proper temperatures, using a calibrated instant-read thermometer to make sure.

One effective way to prevent illness is to use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of meat, poultry, and egg dishes. The USDA Recommended Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures are as follows:

* Beef, veal, and lamb (steaks and roasts), fish - 145 degrees fahrenheit

* Pork and ground beef - 160 degrees fahrenheit

* Poultry - 165 degrees fahrenheit.

Cook meats like roasts and steaks to lower temperatures, closer to medium-rare, so that they retain their moisture. It is recommended that those who are at high risk for developing food-borne illness (i.e. pregnant women and their unborn babies, newborns, young children, older adults, people with weakened immune systems, or certain chronic illnesses) should follow the USDA guidelines.

5. Avoid unpasteurized/raw milk and cheeses made from unpasteurized milk that are aged less than 60 days.

Raw milk is milk from cows, sheep, or goats that has not been pasteurized (heated to a very high temperature for a specific length of time) to kill harmful bacteria that may be present. These bacteria, which include salmonella, E. coli and listeria, can cause serious illness and sometimes even death. The bacteria in raw milk can be especially dangerous to pregnant women, children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems or chronic illnesses. Raw milk cheeses aged 60 days or longer are okay, since the salt and acidity of the cheese-making process make for a hostile environment to pathogens.

6. Never eat "runny" eggs or foods, such as cookie dough, that contain raw eggs.

Even eggs that have clean, intact shells may be contaminated with salmonella, so it’s important to cook eggs thoroughly until both the yolk and the white are firm. Casseroles and other dishes containing eggs should be cooked to 160 degrees fahrenheit and you can use an instant-read food thermometer to check. Eggs should always be cooked fully and those who are at high risk for developing foodborne illness (pregnant women and their unborn babies, newborns, young children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems or certain chronic illnesses should follow the USDA guidelines. If you can’t resist runny eggs or sampling cookie batter, use pasteurized eggs. They’re found near other eggs in large supermarkets.

7. Always wash your hands in warm soapy water for at least 20 seconds before handling food and after touching raw meat, poultry, or eggs.

You can pick up a lot of bacteria out in the world, so it’s important to always wash your hands before you eat or prepare food. You should also wash your hands after touching any uncooked meat, poultry, fish, or eggs, as the bacteria from these foods can contaminate cooked foods and fresh produce. Use soap and warm water and wash thoroughly for at least 20 seconds.

8. Always heat leftover foods to 165 degrees fahrenheit.

The USDA recommends heating all cooked leftovers to 165 degrees fahrenheit in order to kill all potentially dangerous bacteria.

9. Never eat meat, poultry, eggs, or sliced fresh fruits and vegetables that have been left out for more than two hours or more than one hour in temperatures hotter than 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you leave perishable foods out of the refrigerator or freezer for more than two hours they may enter the Danger Zone—the unsafe temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, in which bacteria multiply rapidly.

10. Whenever there’s a food recall, check products stored at home to make sure they are safe.

You should discard any food that’s been recalled because it’s associated with the outbreak of a food-borne illness. But, according to a survey conducted by Rutgers University during the fall of 2008, only about 60% of Americans search their homes for foods that have been recalled because of contamination. For more information on food recalls, visit the website Recalls.gov






Cavier & Vodka
Courtesy of The Lady (Bug) of the Household