April Kitchen Tools

This month I am sharing 3 favorite kitchen tools that are some of my most valued pieces but may seem unassuming in appearance.  I have actually gifted these tools to my close friends for birthdays and/or other holidays simply because I felt that they have made such a difference with my kitchen prep work.  I will admit that the excitement in opening one of these three items definitely wasn't there, but after my friends tried using any of these tools, they understood why I had included them in their gift.  These three tools are inexpensive, multifunctional and have made my kitchen prep work significantly more enjoyable.  

Peeler

 This peeler may not look like anything special, but in this case looks are definitely deceiving!  Whether you are peeling a squash, cucumber, cheese or even citrus , this peeler glides with incredible ease!  The best part?  It comes at a cost of $4!  The Kuhn Rikon Straight Peeler is one of my kitchen essentials and can be purchased at Williams Sonoma.

**Note on Care: To keep this peeler in tip top shape, hand wash only.

Victorinox Knife

This knife has been a favorite of mine since college!  It is dishwasher safe, cuts like a dream, very affordable (about $8 each), and never goes dull!!  Good kitchen knives can get pricey and require significant upkeep (handwashing, honing and regular sharpening).  While I am all for having a nice set of knives, I still find myself using this Victorinox knife as my "go-to" for kitchen prep.  They even make wonderful steak knives and I have even given these knives as gifts.  You can find these Victorinox serrated knives at restaurant supply stores or on Amazon.  

*For more information on the world of kitchen knives, I recommend checking out Sur La Table's "A Guide to Cutlery."

Kitchen Sheers

A must have in my arsenal of kitchen tools is a good pair of kitchen sheers.  I use this pair of Wusthof kitchen sheers for a variety of tasks from chopping herbs, trimming fresh flowers and even cutting a whole chicken!  In addition, I love that these Wusthof sheers pull apart for easy cleaning.  Kitchen sheers are so versatile and a great tool for giving you a precise cut.  

3 Tasty Assemble & Serve Hors D'oeuvre Recipes

Today on the blog, I am redefining your classic cheese and cracker combo with three new creations.  There are so many great products and flavors on the market today, why not spice up this classic pairing?  

The three recipes I am sharing evolved from some of my staple cheesescape ingredients that were the biggest hit with my guests.  Having pre-assembled nibbles tends to be popular with guests during cocktail hour because the flavor profiles are intriguing and all of the work (ie. assembly) is already done.  In addition, these are great alternative nibble options when I am not wanting to put together a full cheesescape because they are easy to make, delicious to eat and most of the ingredients I already have in my pantry. If you are looking for something new and low fuss to serve, I highly recommend trying one of these concoctions at your next cocktail party. 

For the Pear Bites:

1. Simple & Crisp Pear Crisp
2. Gorgonzola Crumbles
3. Chopped Candied Walnuts
4. A few pieces of freshly julienned sage (you can cut clean and even pieces of sage with kitchen shears)
5. Light drizzle of lavender honey (regular honey works well too)

For the Cheddar Bites:

1. Apply a thin layer of Eat This Flamin' Raspberry Preserve to a 34 Degrees Poppyseed Crisp
2. Top with Freshly Shaved White Cheddar Cheese (*I use a vegetable peeler to shave the  cheddar cheese)

For the Spicy Brie Bites:

1. Place a 1/4-1/2 inch thick slice of brie on top of a 34 Degrees Natural Crisp
2. Top each brie slice with a dollop of Virginia Chutney Company Hot Peach Chutney
3. Sprinkle each bite with fresh thyme and red chili flakes

Easy Homemade Marinara Sauce

Learning how to make a good quality marinara sauce has been something that I have wanted to do for some time now.  Why?  Aside from my culinary curiosity, my husband has grown up in a family where sauce was always made from scratch, so having a homemade marinara recipe of my own is something I knew he would appreciate.  At the very least I would appreciate telling his authentic Italian family that my sauce doesn't always come from a jar (not that there is anything wrong with sauce from a jar..see my Weeknight Meatsauce Recipe). 

After much research and taste testing, the biggest takeaways from my marinara sauce journey are: 1) Use high quality ingredients (*San Marzano tomato products are a perfect example and definitely make a huge difference in the flavor). 2)  Add a little sugar. Why?  There is a ton of acidity in the tomato products used to make marinara sauce.  The addition of a little sugar helps to balance the flavor profile by muting the acidity.  

Making your own marinara (as opposed to buying the marinara in a jar) is slightly more time consuming, but I like the fact that I know every ingredient used to make the sauce and the difference in flavor is definitely worth the additional effort.  

Ingredients

• 1/3 c Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 7 Cloves of Fresh Garlic, Minced (*If using minced  garlic from a jar, cut the amount by half)
• 1/2 Yellow Onion, Diced
• 1 tsp Dried Basil
• 1 tsp Dried Oregano
• 2 28oz Cans of Crushed Tomatoes (recommend San Marzano)
• 1 Tbs Tomato Paste (recommend San Marzano)
• 1 Tbs Granulated Sugar
• 1/2 c Grated Parmesan
• 2 Dried Bay Leaves
• 10 Fresh Large Basil Leaves, Julienned
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In a large saucepan, heat 1/3c Olive oil on Medium heat
2. Once oil is hot, add minced garlic and let simmer for 2-4 minutes stirring frequently
3. Add diced onion, Dried Basil and Dried Oregano
4. Sweat down onion (about 5 minutes) while stirring occasionally
5. Once onion starts to appear slightly translucent, add both cans of crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, parmesan cheese, sugar and bay leaves
6. Stir, cover and let simmer for 10-15minutes on a medium to medium-low heat
7. Once simmered, remove bay leaves and then blend contents with immersion blender until consistency is smooth throughout
8. After sauce is thoroughly blended, stir in salt
9. Fold in fresh julienned basil 
10. Add fresh cracked pepper to taste

Favorite Flavor Enhancers for Cooking

When it comes to cooking, I am all about creating dishes that are packed with flavor.  I love incorporating fresh spices and herbs into my recipes because they not only enhance the flavor, but also aid in the creation of unique and interesting dishes.  Over time as I have continued to improve my skills as home cook, there have been some great tips and techniques that I have learned along the way.  These techniques are super easy to include in your recipes  and make a huge difference with the overall flavor profile of final products/dishes (especially soups and roasted chicken and turkey).

Bouquet Garni

A bouquet garni is a selection of various herbs and other aromatic plants that are tied together with kitchen string for easy removal during cooking, after the desired flavor has been extracted. A bouquet garni is a staple ingredient that I use to flavor my various soup, stew and roast chicken recipes.  According to the Professional Chef (*a textbook used by Culinary Institute of America Students, and a favorite resource of mine), a standard bouquet garni consists of:

• 1 sprig thyme
• 3 or 4 parsley stems
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 or 3 leek leaves and/or 1 celery stalk, cut in half lengthwise
• 1 carrot, cut in half lengthwise (optional)
• 1 parsnip, cut in half lengthwise (optional)

I will be the first to admit that this is a lot to have on hand, especially given that you are only going to be using a small quantity of each ingredient.  I really am not a fan of wasting food, so I have come up with an alternative Bouquet Garni option.  What I like to do is purchase the Poultry Blend fresh herb package (contains Rosemary, Thyme and Sage) and tie the contents of the package together with kitchen string.  This makes for a wonderful flavor enhancing bundle that you can throw in a soup you are making or even in the cavity of a chicken or turkey that you are roasting.  My version of the bouquet garni is something I would definitely recommend trying in your next recipe.  It really makes a difference in the flavor and is so easy to do!  

Mirepoix

Mirepoix is the French name for a combination of onions, carrots and celery (aka the holy trinity of aromatics).  Just like the bouquet garni, I love using a mirepoix whenever I am making a soup or roasting a chicken.  The additional flavor and color that a mirepoix brings to the dish is unreal!  It can really take your flavor profile to the next level and again, so easy to do!  

Classic Mirepoix Recipe

• 2 Parts Onion
• 1 Part Celery
• 1 Part Carrots

If making a white stock or cream soup, use the White Mirepoix Recipe:

• 1 Part/4oz Onion
• 1 Part/4oz Celery or Celeriac
• 1 Part/4oz Parsnip
• 1 Part/4oz Leek

**For more information on the other types of mirepoix combinations, check out the Professional Chef

When cooking a soup, I will start out by sweating down a diced mirepoix and when roasting a chicken I like to fill the base of the roasting pan with chunkier mirepoix pieces. Whether you are directly incorporating the mirepoix (ex. in a soup) or indirectly (ex. roasting a chicken), these aromatics are a "must" in my recipes.

Parmesan Cheese Rind

Parmesan cheese rinds make for a fabulous flavor enhancer when cooking soups.  Simply add a rind as soon as the liquid in your soup comes to a boil (*if using a crockpot to make soup it's ok to add the rind at the beginning when everything is still cold) and let the rind simmer throughout the duration of the soups cooking.  The heat from the cooking will cause the parmesan cheese rind to slowly release rich and nutty flavor notes into your soup, leaving you with a finished product that is bursting with wonderful flavor.  Just remember to remove the rind before serving the soup!  In addition to cutting the rind right off of the parmesan cheese block, you can also find parmesan cheese rinds for sale at cheese shops or in the cheese section at some grocery stores.  Un-used rinds will keep for a long time and can be frozen or refrigerated.  This is a great use for something that would normally be discarded.

All three flavor enhancing techniques discussed in this post are easy to do, provide great flavor for your recipes and promote minimal wasting of food.  Try one or all of these techniques the next time you make a soup or roast a chicken.  At the very least, you can definitely count on seeing these techniques in recipes featured on Redefining Domestics.  

Sun-Dried Tomato, Feta and Wilted Kale Frittata

I have been wanting to learn how to make a frittata for the longest time now and I finally decided to try my hand at making one.  Results?  Major Success!!!  Frittatas are super easy to make, taste delicious and can be very healthy.  They are also a great menu choice when hosting a breakfast or brunch because they don't require a lot of prep time and a typical frittata recipe yields roughly 8 servings.  This frittata recipe was inspired by my favorite omelet ingredients as of late.

Ingredients

• 9 Large Eggs
• 1/4 c. Half & Half
• 1 tsp Kosher Salt
• 1/4 tsp Fresh Cracked Pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp Fresh Thyme Leaves
• 1/4 c. Dry Packed Sun-Dried Tomatoes
• 1/3 c. Feta Cheese
• 1 large or 2 small Shallots thinly sliced
• 2 c. Fresh Baby Kale Wilted (heat in a microwave safe bowl for about 1 minute)
• 2 Tbs. Grapeseed Oil
• Non-Stick Cooking Spray

Instructions

1. Set oven to Broil and place oven rack in the top third tier
2. In a 10in Skillet, spray generously with Non-stick cooking spray and then add 2 Tbs Grape seed oil
3. Heat pan on medium high heat
4. When pan is hot, add the sliced shallots
5. Stir shallots intermittently until they are slightly browned and crispy. Remove from heat (for about a minute) and bring stovetop temp down to medium-low
6. Meanwhile, whisk together eggs, salt, pepper and half & half in a bowl
7. Add egg mixture to the skillet and return pan to heat (*At this point I suggest taking a spoon or fork and shift the shallots around so that they are evenly distributed throughout the fritatta)
8. Sprinkle fresh thyme leaves all over the surface of the fritatta
9. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, wilted kale and feta cheese 
10. While the base is cooking, continuously run your spatula along the edges and underneath the frittata to prevent it from sticking to the pan
11. Once the base of the frittata has solidified, place the oven safe skillet under the broiler to finish cooking (approximately 4 minutes)
12. Remove from oven and transfer to a serving platter (I like to use my pizza cutter to slice up the frittata)
13. Serve and Enjoy!