Category: Cooking

Cooking, Entertainment, Family, Holidays

Carving Meat

Lora Knows...

Some family traditions have relatives sharing ham, while others opt for turkey, prime rib or a meatless main course. Regardless of the choice, mastering the art of carving is important.

A few decades ago, the first Thanksgiving Dean and I shared, I wanted to show off my skills. I watched Martha Stewart carve the most beautiful roast turkey. I recorded her artistic carving on a VHS tape from a television show. I watched it, rewind, play, pause, rewind – I definitely felt ready, however that poor turkey didn’t stand a chance against me and our dull butcher knife. The following year we had purchased our first few professional knives, and Dean took over the carving.

Turkey Carving:
Cover the turkey loosely with foil and let it rest for a minimum of 30 minutes before carving. Employ a specialized carving knife designed for slicing. Maintain the bird’s tenderness by cutting the meat against the grain.

Bone-in Ham Carving:
Create a stable base by trimming one to two slices from the ham’s bottom. Employ a carving fork alongside a knife to ensure stability during the cutting process. Craft thick, uniform slices down to the bone, using the knife skillfully to release slices from the bone.

Beef Roast Carving:
Secure the carving fork beneath the top rib, and initiate horizontal slices. Glide through each slice with one or two smooth motions to prevent meat shredding. Utilize the knife’s tip to cut along the rib bone, freeing each slice with precision.

Cooking

Apple Cider Pork Chops with Pear Sauce

Lora Knows...

This nourishing fall dish contains all of the flavors of the season, including apple cider, pears and cloves. It’s delicious with a seasonal salad.

Ingredients: for pork chops

  • 2 cups apple cider
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 4 bone-in center-cut pork chops
  • 2 tablespoons (¼ stick) salted butter, for cooking

Ingredients: for pear sauce

  • 4 tablespoons (½ stick) salted butter
  • 2 pears, cored and cut into ½ -inch-thick slices
  • 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup chicken stock
  • 6 whole cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper

Directions:

  1. To make the pork chops, combine the apple cider, salt, and pepper in a medium casserole pan or deep dish.
  2. Place the pork chops in the mixture, ensuring that all of the meat is submerged. Cover and refrigerate for two hours.
  3. To make the sauce, melt the butter in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Add the pears and cook until tender. Add flour and gently turn the pears, taking care that they don’t break. Add the chicken stock, cloves, salt, and pepper. Remove the pork chops from the cider and pour the cider into the pear mixture. Allow it to come to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer.
  4. In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter on medium-high heat and cook the pork chops approximately 3 to 4 minutes per side or until cooked through.
  5. Plate the pork chops and generously ladle the pear sauce on top, removing any cloves

Recipe excerpted from “The Kerber’s Farm Cookbook: A Year’s Worth of Seasonal Country Cooking” by Nick Voulgaris III. All images © Lindsay Morris. Rizzoli, 2019.

Cooking, Entertainment, Holidays

Decorate Holiday Cookies

Lora Knows...

Nothing says the holidays are coming like spending a a day listening to music and baking treats. Here are some great tips for decorating sugar cookie with flood icing.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons Wilton® Color Flow Mix (or a brand you like)
  • ¼ cup + 1 teaspoon water
  • 4 cups confectioners sugar, sifted

Materials

  • Piping bags
  • Decorating couplers
  • Wilton® icing tips size 2, 3, or 4 (or a brand you like)
  • Rubber bands
  • Gel food coloring, colors of your choosing
  • Tip covers
  • Squeeze bottles with covers

To Prep

  1. Prepare your piping bags with the couplers. Cut off a small tip of the bag, and remove the ring from the base of the coupler. Put the coupler base inside of the bag, and attach the desired tip size (2, 3, or 4) to the outside of the bag. Secure with the ring to lock the bag in place, and repeat with the remaining couplers and bags.

To Make Icing

  1. Make the icing by beating all ingredients in stand mixer on low speed for about 5 minutes.
  2. If using white, place some of the plain icing into one of the piping bags, and secure with a rubber band to maintain the consistency.
  3. Take another small amount of white icing, dilute it slightly with small amounts of water until it flows easily, and place into squeeze bottles. (Tip: Make sure to keep icing covered with a damp cloth or paper towel to avoid crusting throughout the decorating process.)
  4. For colored icing, separate the remaining white icing into different bowls, and add gel food coloring. Add water in 1/2 teaspoon increments until thin enough to spread easily.
  5. Add the thinner, colored icing into squeeze bottles.

To Decorate

  1. Make sure the cookies are cooled before you begin decorating, and then start outlining your cookies with chosen color from the piping bag.
  2. Next, take the thinned icing from the squeeze bottles and squeeze into the inside of the cookie. Using a toothpick, spread around to make icing even. Allow the first layer to dry a minimum of 4 hours, preferably overnight.
  3. Once dry, add any additional designs on top of the first layer, using the same technique, or drawing on with the piping bag. Allow all new layers to harden overnight. (Tip: Always keep the piping bags covered when not in use.)