Pecan Pie and Pie Crust

Ingredients:


3 eggs

1 cup of white sugar

1/2 cup dark Karo syrup

1 stick of butter or margarine (softened)

1 cup pecan halves

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat eggs until light and fluffy.

Add sugar and beat again.

Add syrup, butter, pecans, salt and vanilla.

Mix ingredients together and pour into pie crust.

Cook on 350 F for 10 minutes; then reduce temperature to 325 F for 30 minutes.

Temperature reduction is to keep crust from burning.

Ovens vary in performance and cook times should be adjusted accordingly (I had to cook mine an additional 10 minutes).

edited to add: (The pie can look a little buttery until it is cooked completely. Some people have reported having to cook it an additional 20 minutes)

Pie is done when center jiggles like jello when you shake the pie.

Make sure the pie cools completely before you cut it.

Pie crust:

1 1/2 cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs

1/3 cup white sugar

6 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

Directions

Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, melted butter or margarine, and cinnamon until well blended.

Press mixture into an 8 or 9 inch pie plate.

Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 7 minutes. Cool. If recipe calls for unbaked pie shell, just chill for about 1 hour.

Coconut shrimp

1. Cut off the top of the coconut, and drain the water.

On the side, make a paste of mustard seeds, onions, and cilantro/coriander. Mix with shrimp. Add salt and mustard oil.

Put the entire mix into the coconut. Put coconut on some foil, and cook till the coconut is blackened, and the mix starts bubbling.

After a few minutes of the mix bubbling, take off the stove. Serve with rice.
You'll love the taste of the malai on the shrimp, I can guarantee you that!

Basil Chicken Meatball - italian style

Mix together minced chicken, chopped up basils, a little soya sauce and an egg. Roll into balls (rather large balls) and lay them out.

Fry them in heated oil till sides are golden brown. Afterwards, lay them out on a oven safe dish.

Pour out two cans of chopped tomatoes into a pot. Add garlic and chopped up basils, and salt to taste. Add one meatball to this all let this sit on low heat for a while, about 1 or 2 hours.

Spoon out ragu on top of meat balls. Top with cheese (gouda or parmesan) and bake on 175 C for 30 mins before serving.

Suggested side: Whole wheat lime chili spaghetti.

Boeuf Bourguignon -- finally a successful recipe.

Even if I discount for my usual obsession with the French cuisine, my love for boeff bourguignon (bb) is above most food. I have therefore attempted to make bb myself several times, with recipes from different chefs. Over time, I have tried with Julia Child's (too complicated), american versions on youtube and Swedish version on Swedish french food books (too...non french) and several others that I do not recall, only to be left disappointed by the eventual outcomes. Most often the problem I felt was that it was too bland, non rustic and flavor less. They unfortunately all lacked that particular je ne sais quoi of a proper french bb affair. So I decided to take matters into my own hand. I would create a recipe based on my culinary knowledge and what I could taste in the best bb I have ever had. I did this yesterday, and I don't mean to gloat but yay! It was tres magnifique!! Just as it should be!! So here is the recipe before it escapes me:

Take a good chunk of lean beef. I used a 0.8 kg chunk. Rub with a generous amount of paprika and salt so that a layer of this covers the whole meat. Poke with fork on all sides so that some spice enters the meat. Notice here that I have used a dry rub. Heat up a pan two tablespoons of olive oil. When the oil is beginning to smoke -- put in the piece of beef to sear on all sides. This will seal the flavors.

When the meat has browned up on all sides, fish it out of the pan and lay it on a cutting board to rest.

Using the same oil, put in about 250 grams of turkey bacon cut into pieces and let them fry. Meanwhile, slice up the earlier piece of beef and make then into cubes. Size of the cubes are up to your discretion but they should not be very large, about one inch by half an inch. Also make sure they are approximately even sized. This will make sure that the beef cooks evenly.

When the bacon has fried for a bit, add in the rest of the cubed meat and and stir them in together.

Add about 2 table spoons of soya sauce and stir.

Add one cube of beef stalk dissolved in 1 cup of water.

Add one teaspoon on thyme. I used the dried version but I assume the fresh version would work equally well.

Add 2 cups of peeled and chopped carrots.

Add 1.5 cups of pearl onions, picked or fresh. I used pickled.

Add half a cup of chopped celery.

Top up with red wine till it just about covers everything. I used french Clos de la Cure (Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2008) and it worked really (really!) well.

Dissolve about 2 tablespoons of corn flour in 1.5 cups of water, and mix it in as well.

Add 3 bay leaves.

Now stir till everything is well mixed.

Let the mixture come to a boil.

Pour everything into an oven safe pot. You have to choose one that comes with a cover. I used a non over safe cover, and almost got it melted :P...but managed to save it in time.

Bake covered at 175 degrees for 4/5 hours...till the carrot becomes like butter at room temperature.

Voila!

Its a lot of work but omg, you won't regret it ;).

Suggested side: Herb mashed potato.