recipe: tomato basil soup

had a bunch of tomatoes from the garden that need to be used along with the neverending supply of basil. naturally... tomato basil soup seemed like a solid option for din din.

used the Rich and Creamy Tomato Basil Soup recipe from allrecipes. i followed the recipe verbatim except used only one fourth of the butter it called for... i just didn't have the heart to use an ENTIRE stick of butter in a vegetable soup, particularly one that involves heavy cream. and added garlic (of course : ).

ingredients list:

4 tomatoes, diced
4 cups tomato juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
14 leaves fresh basil (roughly)
1 cup heavy cream
3-4 tbsp butter
kosher salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

to make:
place diced tomatoes & tomato juice in large stock pot & let simmer for minimum of half hour on low heat (i left mine on for 2.5 hours). 10-15 minutes before you want to eat, take out about 3 ladles full of the tomato base and put it in a food processor. add basil leaves to processor and mix until well blended. return mixture to stock pot, and pour in heavy cream and butter, along with salt & pepper as needed. allow butter to melt, and serve!

the only times we usually eat tomato soup is with italian grilled cheese, but i had a monster loaf of italian bread on hand so we made cheesy garlic bread instead. the soup was really yummy - it actually tasted like vodka sauce, which is odd for soup but similar to a tomato basil soup i had at Chez Mike recently and loved (theirs had mini lamb meatballs in it tho... yummm). i err on the side of a thick-soup, and as much as a really loved the flavor of this, this one was a little thin for my taste. next time i'll cornstarch or flour it up to give it more depth (and maybe little meatballs...mmm), i'll just have to be careful not to make it thick enough so that it seems like i'm serving giant bowls of sauce. very torn on a rating for this one... i think i'll pop it 5.5 stars *****~? if it make it again, i'll probably alter it a lot, but at the same time, i'm pretty excited for lunch leftovers.

recipe: chocolate cappuccino cheesecake

needed a cheesecake to make for my dad's birthday. i've done a few before (classic ny, pumpkin, smores, & i think that's it?), but the Chocolate Cappucino Cheesecake from allrecipes was speaking to me today.

it reminds me of a tiramisu... which historically i always end up doubling the amount of coffee + booze than the recipe calls for, but since this was my first go at this recipe i made it exactly as written as far as the ingredients go.

ingredients list:
crust:
- 1.5 cups chocolate cookie crumbs (chocolate graham crackers or oreos)
- 6 tbsp cup softened butter
- 3 tbsp white sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

filling:
- 3 packages cream cheese, room temped
- 1 cup white sugar
- 3 eggs, room temped
- 8 1-oz squares Bakers chocolate
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp insant coffee granules dissolved in 1/4 cup water (or espresso)
- 1/4 cup Baileys or other coffee liquor
- 2 tsp vanilla extract (i used 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp rum extract)

to make: prep springform pan (parchment or greased) & preheat oven to 350 degrees. combine all crust ingredients and blend in food processor. press mixture into bottom of springform pan (i used parchement on mine since i'm going to need to easily move it into another container).

in medium bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth, then mix in sugar. add eggs, one at a time, at a LOW speed, and mixing ONLY until juuust incorporated. this is really the hardest part of cheesecake... i like to stir until everything is perfect, but if you beat the F out of your cheesecake, the air pockets that this forms will be released when it bakes, rendering it cracked and ugly.

in a separate bowl, combine sour cream, salt, coffee, Baileys, and vanilla and mix until smooth. microwave the Bakers chocolate until melted (the instructions on the box say 30 minutes for 1, 10 additional seconds for each additional. i put them all in for 2 minutes total and it was just right). blend melted chocolate into sour cream mixture.

pour chocolate/sour cream mixture into cream cheese bowl, and stir GENTLY until all ingredients are blended. pour mixture into springform pan.

bake for 45 minutes. i used a waterbath while baking, and left it in the oven with the door cracked for about 2 hours before taking it out. i usually (no matter what i do) get a crack in my cheesecakes, but this one worked. it looks undercooked, but i'm going to fight the urge to keep it in longer because i always think that w/ cheesecake. recommended to keep in the fridge for about 24 hours before eating to let all the ingredients marinate and get friendly with eachother.

if you pop open the original recipe link, the author has a pretty BA method of making chocolate leaves. i skipped that (i usually only decorate cheesecake if i eff it up), but it's worth checking out.

rating to follow tomorrow when we test it out. holler.

update 10/3: this turned out pretty well. i'm not a big cheesecake eater, but liked it. i would have liked a stronger booze/coffee flavor (i could taste more tang from the cream cheese than i could the added flavors) so next time i would def use espresso and maybe a bit of kahlua since that has more punch for less liquid. rating: 5.5 stars *****~.

recipe: lemon basil tinis

we all know the phrase... when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. after that, you add vodka. cuz you a crazy mother effer. and then some basil, cuz you fancy. and cuz ur garden has a lot of it.

i don't really have any wine left and was going to be cooking/baking this afternoon, so i needed a good bev for the day. vodka cocktails it is.

ingredient list: (for one drink)
8 oz of homemade lemonade*
1 shot+ of vodka
5 fresh basil leaves

to make:
pour vodka; muddle basil (mash with a muddler or wooden spoon or smooth edge, just enough to release the basil yumness but not enough to fully break up the leaves... that will release chlorophyll which will make your drink taste like S). finish with lemonade.

*to make lemonade:
my go-to lemonade recipe is Best Lemonade Ever from allrecipes, followed verbatim with a touch less sugar.

mmm love this smell. the first lemon is fun to squeeze, makes me feel like Giada. after the 3rd, it just sucks. i need a juicer. not sure what i'm saving the zest for, but i'm sure some unsuspecting chicken will find out later this week.

rating: these are the tits. eight stars ********.

iHop, uHop, weHop

the consensus was iHop for breakfast today (translation: double gym session). i didn't give a damn because all i wanted was delicious pancakes in my tum tum, whether we cooked them or bought em. usually when we end up in iHop we're hungover and it's "so bright in here, ugh". today i was on the up and up... turns out it's ACTUALLY just that bright in there. duly noted.

i ordered the pumpkin pancakes. odd choice, since i don't like pumpkin and all. but i've done blueberry/apple so much lately figure why not live a little, it is the iHo of pancakes.

now, the first thing i notice when i'm served that these cakes must have been poured from a guy standing on a 12-ft ladder. LOOK at those splatter marks. these are pankcakes in motion - they have a story to tell, and i only wish they could talk. they can't tho. so i eat them (after schmearing the whipped cream off... i just don't do pancakes + whipped cream, period). i have to wiggle my fork a little extra when cutting through them... uh-oh... somebunny has gotten the bottom of a pile of pre-cooked cakes in waiting. nbd, i've been in this situation before. i shrug it off and focus my attention to the sweet pumpkin cinnamon party flavors before me. cinnamon is delicious as per usual. pumpkin flavor is very mild. since i don't like pumpkin, i'm relieved, but at the same time a little disappointed as i was kinda curious. it did definitely make them more moist (i hate that word but can't think of another), and all in all, they would be on the up and up if i was eating a fresh stack of them.

my cakes came with bacon & eggs, and hashbrowns which were a surprise addition. bacon was delicious as per usual. eggs... well i don't think they were eggs at all. definite egg substitute, kinda scared of how many ingredients were involved, and can't figure out what's in them that's giving them an almost slimy finish (way too many jokes that can be made here haha). i only eat half, knowing these are probably more bad than good. next up hash browns. i'm usually a cube-hashbrown lover, but these little shredded effers had a sneak attack of onion that was just delicious. almost had a tangy hint of sour cream, but it was no where in sight. what was in sight was a massive pool of butter which was a bit unnecessary. i had to call it quits mid-serving (it was big enough for 2 anyway) as i just can't justify the calories. if i was able to ring out the butter, they'd probably go from good to great.

all in all 4 stars **** (note: this is rated on a sit down/chain QSR scale, not a standard restaurant scale). it's down & dirty breakfast food, and this one was cooked from a ladder - it doesn't get more authentic than that.

juicy burger

bad day yesterday. ended with good burgers though, courtesy once again of Juicy Burger, albany. kyle and i went halfsies so we didn't have to commit to just one burger topping.

Roasted Red Pepper burger with Basil Pesto & Fresh Mozz. LOVE that the top bun looks like it's jumping off in excitement haha. if i didn't have to eat it, would love to glue google eyes on it and keep it as a pet : )

Teriyaki Onion Burger (sauteed red onions & teri sauce) with Bacon & Mushrooms. this was our first time having this one and it was bangin.

side note: ordered them both "red" (brown, pink, red are the options) hoping for medium rare, but received a solid medium (pink) burger. EVERY place does this lately though - are people that fearful of mad cow still?! even with that said, these beasts are so juicy & tasty cooked medium that you don't miss it, but this phenomenon is irking me.

in short: consistently delicious, 8.5 stars baby ********~.

recipe: baked potato soup

mmm fall cooking. i used this Baked Potato Soup recipe from allrecipes, modifying just a little bit based on ingredients i had and time i didn't have (i forgot the original recipe calls for baked potatoes. seeing as i started din at 8pm, this was not an option).

ingredients list:- 3 strips bacon
- 1 cup chopped leeks
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp fresh basil
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 3 & 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 2 large russet potatoes, cubed
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 tsp chopped fresh chives

to make: boil 3 cups chicken broth, adding cubed potatoes once it comes to a boil. cook bacon in the meantime. when bacon is done, set aside. saute leeks, onion, & garlic in bacon grease, stirring in flour, salt, basil and pepper after the onion mixture has cooked down. by this time, the potatoes should be softened and cooked through (and absorbed a ton of the broth). pour the remaining broth from potatoes into bacon grease/onion/flour mixture. add in remaining 1/2 cup chicken broth, stirring until all flour clumps have dissolved (additional broth or water may be required if mixture is still too thick). stir in the potatoes, cream, and hot pepper sauce and simmer on low until 2-3 minutes until mixture is at desired soupy thickness. garnish with bacon, cheese, and chives, and sprinkle with salt & pepper to taste.

this dish is so easy - no drama, no surprises, no cursing. perfect weeknight din din if you ignore the calories, 6.5 stars ******~.

recipe: pierogies with kielbasa & leeks

sunday. had a pierogi craving & kielbasa in the freezer that needed cooking. i couldn't find a just-right recipe so did a fusion of a few (purposefully not posting the full recipe i ended up with...will be easier to pop the links below). it started swimmingly, then took a few bad turns. a quick play-by-play:

for the pierogie dumpling itself, i used an allrecipes recipe: Pierogies (Polish Dumplings). as far as the ingredient list, i followed the recipe verbatim except i added about 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese when combining the sauerkraut & potatoe fillings. for the mashed potatoes in the ingredient list, i used my fav recipe, Garlic Red Mashed Potatoes (made a full recipe so there were leftovers... yum).

if you're about 2 drinks into the prep process by the time you finish the fillings, be careful when you stir. i got hit with a triple whoops:

overall, everything was going fantastic (and i was getting SO excited for dinner) up until about step 4 of the recipe. i rolled out the dough onto an extremely floured surface, BUT, after rolling it, it warmed up and after spreading stuck like hell to the countertops. so my picture perfect circles* became deformed, holy (full of holes, not biblical) horrors.

*see, picture perfect circles:

fear sets in. it's so bad i'm ready to throw in the towelolie. cursing like a Polack on a math test, my sister assumes the beverages i've consumed are exaggerating the situation. after realizing the actual dumpling horror show among us, this now has become a 2-woman job as she helps pry and reassemble these little effers. step 5 of the recipe is out the door as there is no way we can boil these without them exploding everywhere they are so full of holes and/or patchwork dough. i decide to bake them, 350 degrees for 15 minutes (i think we end up with about 36. that deserves another drink). future lesson: chill dough first, or roll on a silpat or taped-down parchment paper.

while they bake, i slice and saute a 16 oz kielbasa over medium heat, adding about 1.5-2 cups of leeks for about the last 3-4 minutes. after the kielbasa/leeks are done cooking, pour mixture to a plate, reserving grease, and sautee the baked pierogies in the kielbasa grease until they are golden on each side - about 2-3 minutes per side (you may need to add additional oil (i used olive) if you run out of grease - these baked suckers are very absorbent).

i served these with a side of the mustard sauce from the Food Network's Grilled Pierogies and Kielbasa, making quadruple the sauce since i made such a massive batch of everything else. the recipe is basically dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, and olive oil. in a taste test, it's tooo vinegary. i cook it on the stove to reduce it a bit, add a few teaspoons of honey to dull it down, add milk (1/4 cup), and then even add mayo (3 tbsp). final product is good, just too intense to pour over the everything - perfect as a side dip.

in the end, this literally took me about 4 hours, but if i wasn't drinking, dancing around the kitchen, and making crude gestures with the kielbasa, it probably would have been about a 2 hour process (sorry for the rushed last photo - we needed to EAT by the time this ordeal was over).

final meal was very tasty, very fun. the texture of the pierogies themselves had more of a biscuit-like crust than pasta-like as you'd get from boiling them, but still good. i'd give it a 5.5 rating *****~... really yum, but probably stacking homemade goodness factor vs. time, it's not worth that long.

recipe: cupcake martini

cupcakes. martinis. these are a few of my favorite things. only seems natural to combine them. i'm providing the basic ingredients, but not quantities as each person as a diff opinion on how strong they like their drinks. play with it to see what works best for you. since the flavors (vanilla, chocolate, etc combinations in the icecream and liquor) are endless, there's a lot of ways this one can go.

general ingredient list - vanilla cupcake:
- 1 part Godiva White Chocolate Liquor
- 1 part Pinnacle Whipped Cream Vodka
- 1 part Vanilla icecream (or whatever you have in the freezer)
- whipped cream (alcohol infused preferrably)
- vanilla icing
- Sprinkles

to make: Blend all ingredients in a blender. Prep martini glass with icing rim; pour blender mix into glass. top off with whipped cream and sprinkles.

the first time we made these, we made them extremely strong, but the icing rim of the glass really cut the burn of the vodka. whipped cream (non-alcoholic) kinda sank on the glass, but it was still delish.

second time, didn't have any icing rim but a buddy brought over alcohol infused whipped cream. holy F that is goood stuff. love these!

Sam Adams Atlanta Brewhouse Sellout Burger

layover in Atlanta. while instinct says "get Popeyes", there are burger cravings raging for me & the man. Option #1... Heineken Bar and Grill. burgers on the menu look borrr-rrring. across the airport, the next best option, Opt #2 is Sam Adams Brewhouse, conjuring up images of solid New England hearty classics. after we settle into our table, we realize the burger options are really the EXACT same thing as Heineken Bar. not only that, but in addition to the standard Sam Adams beer list, they also offer Bud Light and have ads for Coors Light. what IS this place?!

i order the tex-mex burger (guac, pico... same old). looking around, the guy next to us is served a very gray looking burger patty and his wife a ceasar salad with this rubbery looking fake chicken on top of it (think "Subway"). not looking good. nor do the "chips" which are bags of Lays... no cutesy kettle chips that i was kinda hoping for. now don't get me wrong... nothing wrong with classic Lays, or being served them in the right food joint. love them. BUT. not what i was expecting here. Sam Adams has a name... and it's a name of high-quality, discerning taste, beer palate of a crazed idiot savant taster. hmmm...

burgers arrive.

as you may notice, there is no guac. didn't know this until i looked down sadly and then hunted down the waitress for the news. the burger itself is dry, and bland with an odd seasoning taste i've had before. can't place it... thought it seems like a really bad sausage patty. like some kind of clearance walmart sausage or something from a shitty cafeteria. i'm glad i keep the pickles on because they're drowning out the bad patty flavor and compensating for the no-flavor of everything else. after digging through a few (suppressed) memories, i place the flavor. vending machine burger from my days working at the PennySaver (i know, i know, though I had 3 very specific reasons for ordering it at the time... 1) poor; 2) starving; 3)sickly curious).

Sam Adams burger has better presentation than the soggy vending machine bun, but the taste is right on par. we can only laugh at what a-holes we are for not getting Popeyes and look around at the photos of hand-picked hops adorning the walls. thinking one of two things have happened here: 1) the brand is a sell out, prostituting their name to a shitty corp restaurant chain for a few bucks without taking the time to check what they were slapping their label on; or 2) they were so hammered when they taste tested the food and their "delicate palates" ruined by the salty Popeyes they just consumed that they didn't know any better.

In conclusion, 1/2 star ~. the 1/2 is a kudos that i was able to finish it (i was THAT hungry), and was able to hold it down. what WOULD make a SA Brewhouse great would be recommended beer pairings with the the entrees; beer battered onion rings; hot pretzels with tangy ale-mustard dipping sauce; steak and ale pot pies... you get it. goes without say offering a real burger.

i might not be as critical if it were Bobby's Brewhouse, but it's Sams. and it sold out. points LOST.

puerto rico eats

last week was vaca week, Puerto Rico. truth be told, i probably spent more time researching where to get the best burgers than i did the best beaches (the internet consensus: El Jefe, Fajardo; El Hamburguer, San Juan; & El Patio De Sam, San Juan).  quick snap shot of some of the highlights (or just what i remembered to take pics of : ) 

Dragonfly, Old San Juan: this was one of my must-try restaurants... I was torn between this & Budda Tai which both have fun latin-asian fusion menus, because that's apparently a thing. The drinks were some of the best I've ever had (Lemon Grass Kicker...omg), food was just as good as i was hoping. It's so dark inside we couldn't see our food - these pics were actually the only way i had to see what it actually looked like. 7 stars overall*******.

Short Rib Lettuce Wraps  

Shrimp & Lobster Dumplings

 

 Peking Duck Nachos w/ Wasabi Sour Cream. 

Kyle complained they were too "gamey" for his taste... which for the first bite, I felt the same. After getting into them it seemed to be a little more soy-heavy than it was gamey, but all in all good enough to the point that i housed the plate by myself. Just wish there was more nacho chips... 4 large albeit cute chips is not enough!

El Hamburguer! the only burger joint that on my must-try list that 

was close driving distance to our hotel. This joint is down-home dirty inside, and off the beaten path so i would have never guessed the wonders that lurked inside. i got the wine-infused patty with bacon & cheddar... when it was put in front of me i was a little apprehensive about the tiny patty (and standard bun...booo), but this teeny little burger packed some punch. great flavor, juicy, fresh. purist YUM.  the burger to bun ratio was off, but the whole thing was still a great mouth party. totally worth the trip 2 old san juan. 7 stars *******.


restaurant name: [still trying to remember]

so... after a day on the beach drinking jungle juice, 4pm hits and we need some tex-mex, stat. for the life of me i wish i remember the name of this restaurant, as they had some of the best fajitas we've ever had. period. even the pico was great (kyle told me i wasn't allowed to have any, it was all his... he doesn't even eat pico usually). that along with this adorable last drink that threw me over the edge. perhaps it's the alcohol, but 8 stars ********. (only complaint was that the guac was slightly runny for my taste. boo hoo)

Miro Seafood Bar & Grill

i call this "chicken something something". i originally ordered a mahi mahi with crab, only to find out the crab was still cooking... and would be a VERY long time to wait. i'm not big on ordering chicken (zzz...), but it came with polenta so what the hell. it was a massive piece of chicken, and even thought it had a great crust/seasoning, was a little bland from time to time when there wasn't enough juice or veggies (they're hiding under it) to go around. if it was actually a little smaller it would have been well balanced... it's just hard to do with such a large piece of chicken boob. polenta also had an awesome crust... these guys seem to love their hot pans.  profiteroles were on the menu so desert had to be ordered.  enough said... yumz. 6 stars ******.

burgers this way, you say? don't mind if i do. we tried this little gem on our last day in PR... it was a perfect end to the week. Name of the place was Punk Burger Bar. Cute little blackboard menu w/ cheeses and toppings (literally like 8 diff cheeses... serious stuff). I had pepperjack w/ bacon, guac & pico. hand cut fries...yes please. we got the burgers and again said "oh my tiny patties", but these stout little soldiers again had SO much flavor and again even though they weren't cooked to order, still were very juicy even given how thick it was (that's what she said). loved every little bite (and again, even though plain old buns, didn't make a difference b/c the burger itself outshone it all). 6.5 stars ******~.

recipe: thai spicy peanut butter noodles & chicken satay

i'm dying to go to thailand. seeing as this isn't in the foreseeable future, cooking thai is the best i can do while i wait. i have a cold, so i needed something easy... and spicy. tried 2 from old-trusty allrecipes.

spicy peanut butter noodles

i followed this recipe pretty much as written. i couldn't find Udon noodles so used stir-fry rice noodles, chili paste was non-existent in my supermarket so i used a tube (that sounds gross?) of fresh-chopped chilis that seemed like the next best thing, and didn't have green onions so i used chives since we have a plethora of them in our garden. i also added in an additional splash of chili oil since i was really craving spice : ) as far as the finished product, it was really good, BUT missing the sweet-spicy that i was hoping for. spicy yes, but the honey and peanut butter were barely a glimmer. next time i try this i'll up the PB, honey, and maybe even try some coconut milk (the rice noodles can be very sticky to work with, so it may also help to smooth out the sauce a bit also). 5 stars *****.

chicken satay

i probably could have just grilled the chicken and dropped it into the above spicy PB sauce, but i was looking for an excuse to cook more thai. i didn't read the reviews before prepping this marinade, and when i did noticed a lot of red flags about over soy-saucing. eeek! i added double/triple the amount of PB before cooking. like the above, the finished product was really good, BUT... not the sweet/spicy it should be. definately could taste the soy, but the brown sugar & PB was completely lost. less soy, more sugar next time. 5 stars ***** (reviewed just as a general chicken dish, not as the intended sweet/spicy dish)

drinking water as we speak to compensate for the sodium influx. the thai recipe quest TBC. also... as an aside... learned one important lesson today. apparently chicken/beef/veggie broths go bad after ONE WEEK of opening. ignore the long expiration date on the container, the post-open date is only 7 days. had no idea. i usually buy the big boxes and keep them on hand in the fridge for a splash here/there as needed... and apparently have been adding rancid broth into my dishes for some time now (sorry friends). time to go to the store and stock up on the tiny broth cans.

butter rant & a few fav butter facts

They say it’s the little things that count. This couldn’t be exemplified any greater when it comes toooo…BUTTER.  When I go to a restaurant and am served a packet of “buttery spread” with my bread, I’m immediately disappointed. 1) it’s insulting. Do you think I’m just too lazy to deal with spreading  ‘hard’ butter so you serve me this abomination; 2) do you just not think at all… which makes me a bit apprehensive about the rest of the meal I’m going to be served. Already starting one point under. Slap me a packet of the real stuff, or even better… some prime-label stuff, I am PUMPED for my dinner. You know your biz & are not effing around. 

Buttery spread features 1989032846 ingredients, mostly manipulated oil & added chemicals. It has no flavor. Only a weird chemical oil taste. Spreadable? Yes. Palatable? No. If I have to have it, I usually sprinkle salt on top of the bread to kind of get some semblance faux-butter flavor. Butter has 2 ingredients: cream, salt. And the more fatty fat cream, the yummier. I was lucky enough to dine in France on a work trip… and even though we were having a near 20-course 5-hour tasting menu, I still couldn’t help but have a little nibble of bread & butter in between plates. It was AMAZING... what kind of waxy smut had I been served my whole life before this?! (Butter? I barely even know her!) What makes the Euro-butter flavor so much better is the fat content (read: mmm).  That, and I’m sure the cows are a bit more fashionable than ours hehe. US butter has to have (minimum) 80% milk fat to be labeled “Butter” (NOT “buttery spread”, “butterish product”, etc).  In Europe, it’s typically about 82-84% milk fat to keep the title (basically more water is expunged during the development process, leaving a purer product)… this is not a HUGE percentage difference, but that little bit goes a long way in terms of flavor and how it cooks. (If you are having a hard time sleeping, reading reco: check out the regulations on import/export of countries’ butters and labeling regulations, it’s pretty intense. Don’t mess with the stuff.)

Higher milk fat content =

• higher smoke point.  Useful in sautéing dishes without prematurely browning the butter, or, just cooking dishes at a higher temperature.
• baking. Yields a flakier crust – the fat separates layers as it cooks and melts down, rather than the water sticking them together.

What is clarified butter?

I was looking at a recipe that called for clarified butter. I had no idea what this was (do I just melt it down until I can see through it? Why don’t they just say that?).  As you would have it… clarified butter is what in the hood we would say goes “hard in the paint”.  You start with your regular stick(s) of butter. You melt it down. You put it in the fridge… and wait. After an hour ++, you pop it out, and pull off the solid top.  What remains is clarified butter liquid in the cup. What you have gotten rid of is part water, salt, and some milk solids that burn a bit quicker. What you’re left with is pure butterfat.  Clarified butter (like European butter) is used for the higher smoke point in cooking, and at times even for deep frying. Expect to lose between 25-50% of your butter original amount in the final product. I imagine this process is very similar to the methods hippies use in making pot-brownies, but (unfortunately) this is a baked good that has not yet hit my kitchen.

Why do I have to use hard butter in some recipes and soft butter in others?

If you’re making a crust or any flakey pastry, cold butter is called for as the hard pieces of butter melt during baking, leaving small air pockets.  Softened butter will be consistently dispersed, leaving no room for these “pockets”. Softened butter is called for in cookie & cake recipes since that consistency is wanted, leaving ooey gooey texture throughout. If you’re like me and don’t plan ahead well (or want to make spur-of-the-moment cookies), and are cheat-softening your butter in the microwave, DON’T overdo it. Melted butter will NOT cook the same as softened… its physical properties change and it does not coat the flour the same way. Save it for a sauté dish.

And that’s all I have to say about that. Such a simplex product that can really make or ruin a dish depending how you balance it. I’m just doing what I can do help the obesity epidemic our country is facing... appreciate that pure fat people.