A Picnic
The culinary adventure which boosted my enthusiasm for cooking began Tuesday, August 23rd. I planned a picnic to the Toledo Botanical Gardens for my boyfriend and I. I started out in the usual way: making the menu far too complicated because I was under the impression I could serve a gourmet meal two or so hours after making it and without access to a stove. After all, typical picnic food is boring. Then I realized how improbable my ideas were and promptly transitioned into making an extensive list of typical picnic foods. With my allergies to wheat and dairy, I knew this would prove slightly difficult. For instance, a pasta salad would have to be made with rice pasta...but would it stay soft or turn into a hard, chewy substance like it has in the past? (Still need to experiment with that one!) I also knew our foods had to "match" or be close to matching. This meant if I made him a sandwich, I would need to have spelt bread on hand to make myself a sandwich as well. After much deliberation, I made my menu as stress-free as possible while still being something special. This is what I served:
First course:
Deviled Eggs
Fruit Salad of raspberries, strawberries, and peaches (don't make this too far in advance because all the flavors bleed together)
Main course:
Homemade Chicken Salad Sandwiches on Olive Bread for him and Spelt for me
Kettle Chips (from a bag)
Dessert:
A brownie baked in a silicone heart pan for him and gluten-free, dairy-free for me
Oh, and, we drank lemonade from the store because I didn't want to experiment too much.
Four recipes could be included with this, but since I didn't follow one for almost all of the elements, I will share some basic techniques and the regular brownie recipe. I still need to play with the gluten-free, dairy-free brownie recipe (it has to potential to be soy-free, egg-free, and sugar-free, too). Once I have it figured out, I will share it with you!
1.) Put eggs in a single layer along the bottom of a saucepan. Cover them completely with water and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and remove from heat, letting them sit in the hot water for 9 mins for medium eggs, 12 mins for large eggs, 15 mins for extra large.
2.) Remove the eggs from pan and place them under cool running water. Peel them as hot as you can stand it. The heat causes the shell to expand a bit so it is easier to peel. Also, remember to utilize the air pocket on the bottom of the egg. It is your friend for getting into that film which allows you to peel easily. After you pop the air pocket with a gentle "thwack" on the table, roll the eggs long way applying slight pressure so they crackle. If you end up accidently pressing too hard, they will split vertically. You can then follow that line to make your halves!
3.) Rinse the peeled eggs to remove any shell fragments. Cut them in half and remove yolks, placing them in a bowl. Use a fork to grind up the yolks, add a small amount of mustard, a smaller amount of horseradish, and then larger amounts of mayo (one spoonful at a time) until it reaches the desired consistency. Add a decent amount of salt and a touch of pepper to taste. A touch of citrus is nice at this point, too, to brighten the flavor. You could also add paprika and parsley at this point, or wait to dust the eggs with them later. Put the filling in a bag, cut a tip from the bag, pipe into whites. I like to top my eggs with a sliced green olive, but some people will just do paprika and parsley. Be creative (smoked salmon, capers, etc)!
I've never made chicken salad before this experience. I'd never even actually tasted it. I knew what it looked like, though, so, I did my research and delved into preparations. I had rented 'wichcraft from the library and have the first volume of Alton Brown's Good Eats cookbook to give me ideas. I didn't put any nuts in it this time because I didn't want them to get mushy. Pecans would have been my choice.
Typically one uses boiled or baked chicken for such an application, but we had some grilled chicken breasts that were really tender (this is what's key...make sure they have liquid to drink after they are cut) already prepared in the fridge, so I cut them into about half-inch cubes. Because I did not weigh my chicken ahead of time and nearly all recipes call for 1 lb chicken, I realized I would have to go by looks for the rest of my ingredients. So, I chopped up a stalk of celery into tiny pieces, halved some red grapes and quartered some others, soaked some chopped red onion in a diluted red-wine vinegar mixture for a few minutes to get rid of some of their bitterness, and mixed them in with the chicken. I added a bit of citrus, some salt and pepper, and a little bit of mayonnaise. Instead of putting a slice of tomato on the sandwich, I cut cherry tomatoes long-ways and mixed them into the chicken salad. They, along with the citrus, broke down the mayo a bit, so I would recommend not adding those elements no more than an hour or so before serving. I then served this on the sandwiches with some lettuce. Remember you can play with the lettuce. You could try a bitter herb or a bitter lettuce here with good results! The bread can also be something fruity or nutty as opposed to a simple loaf. Olive bread is good, but so would a cranberry orange. If what's in the bread would be good on the sandwich, it will make a yummy carrier for the ingredients.
First course:
Deviled Eggs
Fruit Salad of raspberries, strawberries, and peaches (don't make this too far in advance because all the flavors bleed together)
Main course:
Homemade Chicken Salad Sandwiches on Olive Bread for him and Spelt for me
Kettle Chips (from a bag)
Dessert:
A brownie baked in a silicone heart pan for him and gluten-free, dairy-free for me
Oh, and, we drank lemonade from the store because I didn't want to experiment too much.
Four recipes could be included with this, but since I didn't follow one for almost all of the elements, I will share some basic techniques and the regular brownie recipe. I still need to play with the gluten-free, dairy-free brownie recipe (it has to potential to be soy-free, egg-free, and sugar-free, too). Once I have it figured out, I will share it with you!
Deviled Eggs
To make deviled eggs, one must first make hard boiled eggs.
I followed what the Incredible Edible Egg people suggested.
1.) Put eggs in a single layer along the bottom of a saucepan. Cover them completely with water and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and remove from heat, letting them sit in the hot water for 9 mins for medium eggs, 12 mins for large eggs, 15 mins for extra large.
2.) Remove the eggs from pan and place them under cool running water. Peel them as hot as you can stand it. The heat causes the shell to expand a bit so it is easier to peel. Also, remember to utilize the air pocket on the bottom of the egg. It is your friend for getting into that film which allows you to peel easily. After you pop the air pocket with a gentle "thwack" on the table, roll the eggs long way applying slight pressure so they crackle. If you end up accidently pressing too hard, they will split vertically. You can then follow that line to make your halves!
3.) Rinse the peeled eggs to remove any shell fragments. Cut them in half and remove yolks, placing them in a bowl. Use a fork to grind up the yolks, add a small amount of mustard, a smaller amount of horseradish, and then larger amounts of mayo (one spoonful at a time) until it reaches the desired consistency. Add a decent amount of salt and a touch of pepper to taste. A touch of citrus is nice at this point, too, to brighten the flavor. You could also add paprika and parsley at this point, or wait to dust the eggs with them later. Put the filling in a bag, cut a tip from the bag, pipe into whites. I like to top my eggs with a sliced green olive, but some people will just do paprika and parsley. Be creative (smoked salmon, capers, etc)!
Chicken Salad
I've never made chicken salad before this experience. I'd never even actually tasted it. I knew what it looked like, though, so, I did my research and delved into preparations. I had rented 'wichcraft from the library and have the first volume of Alton Brown's Good Eats cookbook to give me ideas. I didn't put any nuts in it this time because I didn't want them to get mushy. Pecans would have been my choice.
Typically one uses boiled or baked chicken for such an application, but we had some grilled chicken breasts that were really tender (this is what's key...make sure they have liquid to drink after they are cut) already prepared in the fridge, so I cut them into about half-inch cubes. Because I did not weigh my chicken ahead of time and nearly all recipes call for 1 lb chicken, I realized I would have to go by looks for the rest of my ingredients. So, I chopped up a stalk of celery into tiny pieces, halved some red grapes and quartered some others, soaked some chopped red onion in a diluted red-wine vinegar mixture for a few minutes to get rid of some of their bitterness, and mixed them in with the chicken. I added a bit of citrus, some salt and pepper, and a little bit of mayonnaise. Instead of putting a slice of tomato on the sandwich, I cut cherry tomatoes long-ways and mixed them into the chicken salad. They, along with the citrus, broke down the mayo a bit, so I would recommend not adding those elements no more than an hour or so before serving. I then served this on the sandwiches with some lettuce. Remember you can play with the lettuce. You could try a bitter herb or a bitter lettuce here with good results! The bread can also be something fruity or nutty as opposed to a simple loaf. Olive bread is good, but so would a cranberry orange. If what's in the bread would be good on the sandwich, it will make a yummy carrier for the ingredients.
Brownies
I adapted this from Best Brownies posted on allrecipes.com. They are fudgy, not cakey, brownies.
This makes a perfect 8x8 pan worth of brownies. I cut it in half, though, for use with my heart-shaped mold. This recipe is so quick, easy, and tasty, I doubt you'll feel the need to use box-mix ever again!
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