Chef Darontee's Kitchen

04/25/2021

Caramel

Caramel
1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons butter
1 cup heavy or finishing cream
1/2 teaspoon salt

Put the sugar in a cast iron skillet and melted over medium-high heat stirring constantly. The sugar will come first then melt into an amber colored liquid. Remove from the Heat and add the butter slowly as it will spatter of it. Cook the sugar butter mixture for 1 minute stirring constantly then remove from Heat and stir 1 cup cream in slowly and carefully as it will also spatter.
Cook for 1 minute over medium Heat remove from heat and stir in salt. This is also known as salted caramel. You can use a salt substitute if you're mostly in diet where you can omit the solve all together and we'll have a different flavor. I find the caramel is basically just coffee with cream in it.

Now the picture is of a caramel apple pie and the recipe will be following soon.

11/09/2020

Today's recipe, marinated pork shoulder chops with mashed potatoes and gravy
This post is for my mom, Donna Gandy

Oven 350° F

Pork shoulder chops
Italian dressing
Good beer
Garlic
Fresh lemons or lemon juice
Flour
Chicken bouillon or stock
8 to 12 medium potatoes
Butter
Milk whole or low-fat
Salt and pepper

Wash chops put Italian dressing on, generous garlic, 1/2 can or about 4 oz. of beer, then sprinkle with lemon juice. Pierce with a fork and marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
Heat oven to 400° degrees Fahrenheit take the chops out and shake marinade off leaving them just coated.
Dredge the chops in flour and Fry over medium heat until well browned on both sides. Use a nonstick surface as you want the breading to stay on the chops.

Meanwhile, quarter your potatoes and boil them until soft 15 minutes or so. Then, the potatoes are much easier to peel once they've been boiled or you can choose to leavee skins on and make smashed potatoes instead of mashed.

Mix the mashed potatoes or smashed potatoes adding butter and milk, salt and pepper to taste. I quite often add sour cream, mayonnaise, garlic or other things to complete my zen mashed potatoes.

Place the mashed potatoes in a large baking pan and put the browned chops on top of the potatoes. I like to do add just a little bit of barbecue sauce to the top of the chops.
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, some thicker shops may require an hour.

Be sure to save the pan drippings as this will be for your gravy.
also, be sure to save the water that the potatoes were boiled in as this also will accent the gravy.

For your pan drippings put in 2 cups of chicken stock.
Mix 1/2 cup of cold water 1/2 cup cold milk and 1/4 cup flour until smooth. This can be done with the mixer, or I use a Shaker jar in the kitchen.
bring your pan drippings and chicken stock to a boil then stir in the water milk flour mixture slowly until gravy is thickened.

remove the chops place them on a platter and put the mashed potatoes in the serving bowl and serve with your favorite vegetable.
I like fresh asparagus with butter and garlic and lemon juice.

Bon appetit` !

07/11/2020

Tonight recipe: meat lovers penne pasta Alfredo with mushroom sauce.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Heart of celery
One red onion
One # lean ground beef
1/4 to 1/2 cup thin sliced Italian dry salami
3 Italian sausage or equivalent I used Farmer John's smoked Polish sausage
Fresh parsley, basil, garlic, and butter
Dried parsley
116 Oz container alfredo sauce
Two cans Campbell's cream of mushroom or equivalent
One package penne pasta
Finishing cream or half-and-half
Italian blend cheese, I used Tilamook
One can sliiced Italian tomatoes
1/8 or 16 oz can or jar of sliced mushrooms
Extra virgin olive oil
White cooking wine

Put on a large pot of water add tablespoon of olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and cook your penne pasta al dente approximately 9 minutes. While you're waiting for your water to boil,
Brown hamburger in a large deep frying pan or Dutch oven. When it's almost brown add sliced sausage and thin sliced salami, diced celery and onion. When the onion gets translucent, add sliced basil, fresh parsley, alfredo sauce, mushroom soups, canned mushrooms, and the juice from the tomatoes. Cover simmer for 10 minutes remove cover stirring 1/4 cup of wine and simmer uncovered for an additional 15 minutes.
Drain pasta put back in a large boiling pot and add 1/8 to 1/4 cup butter. Stir to coat.
Add the sauce and stir to make even. Put in a baking pan and top with the diced tomatoes, cheese blend, and dried parsley.
Bake at 350 for 35 minutes, then broil for an additional 8 minutes to Brown the cheese.
Served with warm Italian bread and the rest of the wine.
Bon appetit`

04/19/2020

Spiral cut ham with
"special" scalloped potatoes
Oven 375° Fahrenheit

I got a big spiral cut ham, hour and a half in the oven then I took the brown sugar glaze, mixed with water, Dijon mustard, and a bit of garlic.
I then brought gently to a boil, stirring constantly, and glazed the ham with the mixture.

Scalloped potatoes
5 large russets
1 can white potatoes
When can cream of mushroom soup
1/8 cup whipping cream
1/8 cup butter
1 Lg. jar alfredo sauce (22 ounces)
About 1/4 cup cream cheese
1/2 cup shredded extra-sharp cheddar
1/2 cup grated monterey jack
1 quarter cup fresh grated Parmesan
Fresh garlic
Seasoning salt
Lemon pepper
Fresh ground pepper
Parsley
Paprika

Wash, Pierce and bake the potatoes for an hour at 350°. That's about the time I took the ham out to glaze it. Cut potatoes in half , then in thin scallop slices. You can peal them if you like I peeled half, much easier after they're baked. Place in a large pot with the canned potatoes, Alfredo sauce, butter, cream of mushroom soup, cream cheese, garlic, whipping cream. Mix well, add in the grated sharp cheddar. Season to taste with seasonings. Spread in baking pan. Put grated monterey jack on top, with parmesan, parsley, and paprika. Bake at 375° for 30 to 45 minutes until cheese is brown.

03/26/2020

Southern peach cobbler
Preheat oven to 400 degrees

About 4 cups of peaches,. As you see, I used both birds eye Frozen sliced peaches, in addition to Earth's finest yellow clea canned peaches
1 c sugar
2 tbsp. of cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cinnamon

Combine the sugar salt and peaches put in a pan and heat over medium heat until bubbling and the sugar is dissolved.
In the meantime, mix the cornstarch with about an eighth of a cup of cold water.
Stir carefully into the bubbling mixture to thicken. Place mixture in the bottom of your baking pan. Sprinkle cinnamon over generously.

2 cups flour 2 cups sugar
1/4 + 2 tablespoons cup of butter, that is 6/8 c
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c milk

Mix dry ingredients together well then cut the butter in. Mix well, add milk and stir until well mixed. Spoon the mixture over your peaches, bake at 350° for 45 minutes.

There will be a picture of the desert when it's done!

03/26/2020

Some shots I got a rainbow 4 years ago today.

03/16/2020

Tonight's recipe: Wilshire Black Forest
uncured ham with scalloped potatoes.
Oven 375 ° F

Ham
5 potatoes
2 cans sliced potatoes
2 med. Onions
Maple syrup pure is best, but flavored will work
Brown sugar
Butter
Garlic
Olive oil
Cooking wine, I used a light Chablis
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
Half & half or cream
Sour cream
Parmesan: fresh or store-bought grated
Italian blend grated cheese or equivalent ie. ***mozzarella or provolone
Seasoning salt, fresh ground pepper, poultry seasoning, paprika, fresh or dried parsley, Italian seasoning

With an uncured ham, the baking time this much longer, as the ham is sealed. I baked it for one hour at 350°< , but when I cut it open the center was still cool to the touch. So I spliced it, and put it back in the oven at 375° for another 30 minutes before it was done.

Uncured Ham
With an uncured ham, you want to be sure that it's cooked thoroughly, as this is an uncooked ham. Place the ham in a baking dish, with1/4 c water and place in the 375° oven
After 15 minutes, reduce heat to 350° .
Cook about an hour, basting every 10 or 15 minutes with wine, melted butter, and water. When it's mostly cooked, add maple syrup brown sugar. It still has a great flavor without these ingredients so they are optional, and is much less salty.

When I put the ham back in the oven, I sliced off the end cuts and fried them in a pan.

Cheesy scalloped potatoes with mushroom sauce

Sliced potatoes in half then and thin pieces and the roast in olive oil. Add a generous dash of the crushed garlic. When they start to Brown, add chopped onion and drained canned potatoes. Saute' slowly stirring frequently for another 10 minutes.
add cream of mushroom soup, 1/4 c butter,
2 tbsp sour cream, and 1/4 c cream or half-and-half.
Muix well, then top with the Italian cheese blend, ground Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, parsley and paprika, then sprinkle on Parmesan.
Bake at 350° for 30 -44 minutes, then 375° for 15 more. This will make your cheese topping nice and brown.

03/09/2020

Tonight's recipe: meat lovers penne pasta with a creamy mushroom alfredo penne pasta baked with cheese , and Cracked Pepper.

Oven 375° F

One package penne pasta
A generous pound of hamburger
One or two medium onions
Two smoked sausages
Fresh ground garlic
1 can alfredo sauce
Two cans cream of mushroom soup
1\2 # Butter
Milk half-and-half or cream
Marinara sauce
Italian seasoning, parsley , paprika, fresh ground pepper

Put water on to boil and cook pasta to desired consistency I usually do it Al Dente. It says 9 to 11 minutes I do 9 minutes.
Brown hamburger in pan, poor off most of the grease, add onions, sausage and garlic .
After the garlic roasts, pour in the Alfredo sauce with cream of mushroom soup and be sure to add a generous dollop of butter and a bit of milk, half-and-half, or finishing cream.
Season the sauce with seasoned salt, natural seasonings, a bit of ground Italian seasoning and parsley.
Drain the pasta, put it back in the pan and pour the sauce over all mixing to moisten the well. Top with marinara sauce, monterey jack, sharp cheddar, provolone, anr fresh ground black pepper
Then top it off with a generous layer of shredded parmesan.
Bake at 375 for 15 minutes and then turn it down and bake at 350 for an additional 30 minutes.

Bon apatit' !

,

03/08/2020