Chipotle Buffalo Turkey Meatballs with Ancho Ranch Dressing

Buffalo wings are an absolute staple of Superbowl cuisine, so I figured I’d make something based on those flavors to munch on during the big game. I was originally going to use chicken, but the grocery store only had ground turkey so there you go. The meatballs are based on Martha Stewart’s recipe: http://www.marthastewart.com/349216/mini-spicy-buffalo-chicken-balls-blue-cheese-and-hot-sauce and the ranch dressing is from http://penniesonaplatter.com/2012/06/04/buffalo-ranch-dressing/.  I thought these would have been a bit spicier than they turned out to be; I think next time I would use another chipotle and toss in some cayenne pepper as well.

Meatballs:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

3/4 cup Frank's RedHot hot sauce, plus more for serving

2 pounds ground turkey

2 large eggs

3 ribs celery, minced

1 2/3 cups panko breadcrumbs

2 teaspoons coarse salt

1 teaspoon cumin

1.5 teaspoon oregano

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon onion powder

2 chipotles in adobo, minced

In a small sauce pot, melt the butter add in the hot sauce and whisk until emulsified. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix to combine. Form into 1” meatballs and place on 2 baking sheets, lined with aluminum foil and sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Heat the oven to 450°F. Bake the meatballs for 15 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted into the center of the meatballs reads 165°F. Serve with Ancho Ranch Dressing, additional Frank’s, blue cheese crumbles on a crusty roll.

Ancho Ranch Dressing:

3/4 cup mayonnaise

3/4 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

¼ cup chopped chives

1 clove garlic, halved

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup buttermilk

3 teaspoons ancho chili powder

1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Combine all ingredients in a blender and give it a whiz to fully incorporate everything.

Coffee Macarons with Bailey's and Chocolate Ganache

Macarons have been on my list of things to attempt, but all the literature out there seemed to suggest that baking macarons was some real magical voodoo type stuff, and that the slightest misstep would ruin everything. Honestly though, these weren’t too difficult to turn out. Now I’m not saying that I’m a master of the macarons afer one decent looking batch, just that if you take your time and follow the recipe carefully you shouldn’t fear the macaron.

The macaron recipe is from http://playingwithflour.blogspot.com/2012/02/sweet-taste-of-success-coffee-macarons.html and the ganache recipe comes from: http://www.raspberricupcakes.com/2012/03/shamrock-macarons-with-baileys.html

Coffee Macarons

90 grams egg whites (3 eggs) (aged at least 24 hours – see below)

110 grams almonds (use slivered almonds – not the sliced ones with some skin still on the outside)

1.5 teaspoons ground coffee or espresso powder

200 grams confectioners (powdered) sugar

30 grams granulated sugar

A day or two before you bake:

Separate the whites from the yolks of 3 eggs and refrigerate the whites for 24 hours or up to 5 days. You’re looking for 90 grams of egg whites by weight. This step is to eliminate moisture from the egg whites, which helps thicken the batter. Before you start making your macarons, remove the egg whites from the fridge and allow to come to room temperature.

Step 1: Prepare the dry ingredients:

I found it helpful to use a coffee grinder for this step, but if you don’t have one you can just use a food processor. Add the coffee to the grinder (I used regular coffee grounds, but I wanted to break them down a bit. If you use espresso powder, you may be able to skip this step) and pulse to grind fine. Add to the bowl of a food processor. In two batches, add the slivered almonds to the coffee grinder, pulsing until fine. Add to the bowl of a food processor.

Add the powdered sugar to the food processor bowl, and run it for a few seconds to make sure everything is chopped and incorporated. The mix should be powder-y. Run the dry ingredients through a medium sieve (Too fine a sieve and you’ll run into issues getting everything through), sifting the mixture into a bowl. If there are pieces remaining at the bottom of the sieve, run them through a coffee grinder and back through the sieve and into the bowl.

Step 2: Make a meringue:

Add your room-temperature egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on medium/medium-high until the whites are good and foamy. Slowly pour in the 30 grams on granulated sugar, and whisk on medium-high until you get a glossy white meringue with stiff peaks. Keep an eye on the meringue, as overmixing will dry it out.

Step 3: Combine the ingredients:

Add the dry mixture into the meringue in two or three batches, carefully folding the mixture together to form a batter. The meringue should be completely incorporated into the dry ingredients, and the mixture should be thick and viscous. If you take a spoonful of batter and place it on a plate, it should hold its shape and the top should flatten. This is how you know the batter is ready.

Step 4: Piping and resting:

Prep two baking sheets with parchment paper or silpats. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a ½” tip (I used an Ateco #806, in case you’re interested about such minutiae) with the batter. If you’re not confident about your ability to pipe perfectly sized circles, use a pencil and a guide to draw 1.5” circles on a piece of parchment paper (I used the bottle cap of a growler that was lying around), and flip the paper over, pencil side down, so you don’t get graphite in your cookies. Pipe the batter into 1.5” rounds (too big and they won’t set up correctly in the oven – this happened on a few larger cookies that I freeform piped), spaced about ¾” apart from each other.

If the batter has little nubs on the top, you can bash the baking sheets against your counter 2 or three times to flatten them. This is also the time to shape your batter into perfect little rounds, in case you’re a perfectionist. Let the batter rest for 30 minutes up to an hour, to allow the tops to dry out. While that’s going on, preheat your oven to 400°F and make your ganache (recipe below).

Step 5: Bake and Finish:

Place your oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Add the two baking sheets, and immediately turn the temperature down to 300°F (the higher initial temp helps the cookies get a bit more spring) and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. The macarons are ready when the tops are set and you can lightly tap on the tops (they should feel hollow).

Remove from the oven and let rest on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Match up like-sized pairs, and spread ganache onto the bottom of one macaron and make a sandwich. The easiest way to do this is with a butter knife. Let the macarons rest for 24 hours in the fridge before eating for best results.

Bailey’s Chocolate Ganache:

150 g good quality chocolate

85 grams (100 ml, just over 1/3 of a cup) heavy cream

65 grams (1/4 cup) Bailey’s Irish Cream

In a small saucepan, heat the cream until boiling. Meanwhile, break the chocolate into small chunks and place in a medium bowl. Pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and let it sit for 5 minutes, then whisk to combine. If not all the chocolate has melted, place the bowl over a small pan of boiling water to create a double boiler (make sure the water in the pan doesn’t touch the bowl), and whisk until the chocolate is all melted. Remove from heat and add in Bailey’s, whisking to combine. Refrigerate until thickened and ready to use, 20 to 30 minutes.

Black Bean Ragout

This is my lightly adapted version of a recipe in the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. What’s great about this recipe is that you can use the beans for any meal of the day. That, and it’s dead simple to make. The chilis, cumin and oregano give these beans a great depth of flavor with a definite nod to Mexican cuisine.

Note that you do not have to soak the beans beforehand, but you can if you want to (it should knock some of the cooking time off. Also, according to a slow-cooker cookbook I have, if you presoak the beans before cooking them in a crockpot, you get more consistent cooking times.  I haven’t tried testing this out to see if it’s true).

For the beans:

1 lb. dried black beans

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, finely diced

1 tbsp cumin

1 teaspoon Mexican oregano

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 teaspoons salt

1 guajillo chili

1 dried chipotle chili

9 cups water, divided

Lime juice

In a dry skillet over medium heat, heat the chilis for about 30 seconds per side, until they are fragrant. Remove the seeds from both and the stem from the guajillo, and break into pieces. Place in a blender along with 1 cup of water and puree. Add the puree to your slow cooker.

Rinse the beans and add to the slow cooker, along with all the other ingredients beside the lime juice. Cook for 3 to 6 hours on high, until tender. Mine took 4 hours to get to the correct amount of tenderness. Stir in the lime juice when the beans are finished cooking.

For the pickled shallots:

2 shallots, chopped

2 tbsp lime juice

Salt

Mix the lime juice, shallots and salt in a small bowl for 15 minutes.

To finish:

Rustic Bread

Garlic Clove

Olive Oil

Egg

Cilantro

Brush a piece of bread with olive oil and rub with a garlic clove. Toast the bread as you see fit.

Meanwhile, poach the egg: heat some water in a medium sauce pot, along with a splash of vinegar. Heat to a simmer, just before the water boils. Create a whirlpool with the water. Crack your egg into a small dish/ramekin, and slide the egg into the middle of the whirlpool. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes and remove with a slotted spoon.

Spoon the beans on your toast, top with the egg, pickled shallots, and cilantro.

Heavy Metal Dinner Medley

This week’s 52 Weeks of Cooking theme was Inspired by Music, so I present you with a heavy metal themed meal:

Thyme Does Not Veal:

Pan Roasted Veal Chops Stuffed with Mushrooms, Spinach, Serrano Ham and Thyme, Topped with a Lemon Thyme Compound Butter

A Vulgar Display of Potatoes:

Duck fat Roasted Potatoes with Thyme, Bacon, and Melted Onions

Rust in Peas:

 Green Peas with Sun-dried tomato pesto

My original idea was to have an all thrash metal inspired dinner, but I couldn’t think of a thrash metal album I could shoehorn into a potato dish, so I went with Pantera instead. Once again I wish I had a grill, if only so I could’ve done the blatantly obvious “Grill ‘Em All” (or if you prefer, “Grilling is my business (and Business is Good)”.

A few cooking notes: For the potatoes, try to use russets if you can. I ended up using some Yukon golds I had, and they had a tendency to stick to the pan, and a few got mushy and crushed with I tried to remove them. Never had that problem with russets, which I assume is due to their starchy-ness.

The compound butter recipe comes from Ruhlman’s Twenty, and the melted onions are from Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc at Home.

Thyme Does Not Veal: Pan Roasted Veal Chops Stuffed with Mushrooms, Spinach, Serrano Ham and Thyme, Topped with a Lemon Thyme Compound Butter – Inspired by Dark Angel’s “Time Does Not Heal” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeH0FinbW6Q

Stuffing (enough for 2 chops):

4 cups loosely packed baby spinach leaves

1.5 cups sliced crimini mushrooms (about 5 whole mushrooms)

1 large garlic clove

2 slices prosciutto/Serrano ham

¼ cup breadcrumbs

2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped

Zest of ¼ lemon

salt

In a dry pan, place the breadcrumbs and heat over medium for about 1 minute, until they start to get some color on them. Remove to a bowl. Splash a little olive oil in the pan, then add the mushrooms and cook until most of their water is released and they start to color, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the spinach leaves, turn off the heat, and stir them around until they wilt.

Add the mushrooms, garlic, and spinach to the bowl with the breadcrumbs. Add the Serrano ham, thyme, and lemon zest and stir to combine. Can be made ahead and refrigerated.

Compound butter:

½ cup/8 oz./1 stick butter, room temperature

2 teaspoons shallots

2 teaspoons lemon juice

Zest of 1 lemon

1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped

In a bowl, work all the ingredients together with your hands. Form the butter into a log shaped, then place on a piece of plastic wrap. Roll the butter in the plastic wrap to form a circular log shape, and refrigerate until firm.

Cooking the Veal Chops:

Cut a pocket into 2 one-inch thick veal chops, and insert half the stuffing into each cavity. Allow the chops to sit on the counter for about an hour to come up to room temperature. Preheat your oven to 350°F, and set an oven safe pan over high heat. Season the chops generously with salt and pepper, and pour some canola oil over the chops themselves. Brown the chops in the pan for 2 minutes per side, then transfer to your oven for about 4 to 5 minutes, until they reach an internal temperature of 130°F. Remove from the oven and let the chops rest for 5 minutes. Serve with a piece of compound butter on top.

A Vulgar Display of Potatoes – Duck fat Roasted Potatoes with Thyme, Bacon, and Melted Onions, inspired by Pantera’s “Vulgar Display of Power” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nx08MK_O_TQ

Melted Onions:

2 white onions, diced

6 tbsp butter, cut into 6 pieces

3 sprigs thyme

1 garlic clove, crushed

2 bay leaves

Parchment paper for a cartouche

Cheesecloth (optional)

Salt

In a large pan, cook the onions over medium low heat (don’t add butter/oil to the pan yet, but do sprinkle some salt on them) until they release all of their liquid, about 20 minutes. Keep the heat pretty low so the onions don’t brown.

Place the thyme, garlic, and bay leaves in a piece of cheesecloth, and tie off with butchers twine to create a sachet. Alternatively, you can just place the 3 ingredients directly on the onions, and fish them out when you’re done cooking.

Place the butter and sachet on the onions, and cover with a parchment paper lid, aka a cartouche. If you’ve never made a parchment lid before, it’s probably easies to head over to youtube for an explanation, courtesy of Michael Ruhlman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtFS6R93UWY

Let the onions cook, still over medium low heat, for another 30 to 35 minutes, until meltingly tender. If the butter separates or the pan looks dry, add a bit of cold water and stir to emulsify.

Remove the sachet/garlic, thyme, and bay, and place the onions in a bowl. These can be made ahead of time, and you’ll have plenty of leftovers which you can use to top pretty much any meat.

Roasted Potatoes

2 russet potatoes

1 tbsp thyme leaves, chopped

Salt (generous amount – like a tablespoon or thereabouts)

Black Pepper

1 tbsp duck fat

2 slices bacon

Dice the potatoes (skin on or off, whatever your preference), and place in a bowl with the thyme, salt, and pepper and toss to coat the potatoes.  Add the duck fat, and toss to coat. Place in an 8x8 baking dish, and roast at 425°F for 45 minutes, flipping the potatoes over after about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook 2 slices of bacon in a pan until crispy, and remove to a paper towel. Cut into small pieces and reserve.

When the potatoes are done, remove from the oven, and place in a serving bowl along with the bacon and melted onions.

Rust In Peas – Green Peas with Sun-dried tomato pesto, inspired by Megadeth’s “Rust in Peace” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4l9WbnqFSw8

Frozed Green Peas (however many you want to serve)

¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, diced

1/3 cup olive oil (I used some of the oil the tomatoes were packed in, and some extra virgin olive oil to make up the difference)

1 large garlic clove, roughly chopped

¼ cup walnuts, roughly chopped

¼ cup parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon dried basil (use fresh if you have it)

Pinch of red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper

In a small food processor, add the tomatoes, garlic, walnuts, parmesan, basil, and red pepper flakes, and turn on the food processor. Pour in the oil, and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Can be made in advance and refrigerated.

Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil, and cook the peas for about 3 minutes, until cooked through but still with a little bite to them. Drain, and place back in the pan. Add pesto as needed and serve.