Thursday, April 23, 2020

Rosie Makes Shrimp Curry.

02-11-2020
I thought I'd try something different today - SHRIMP!
Hahahaha!!!!

Really.
This is going to be different.
I'm making shrimp curry, per Youngest Hawthorne's request.

Now, when we're talking about curry,
you're talking about one of two things -
there's curry and then there's curry.

First, there's commercial curry powder, the yellowish spice.
Curry powder is a combination of spices,
containing, cumin, turmeric, coriander, cayenne, and a few others
that when mixed together give you the
flavor and feel of India,
even though the mixture itself really isn't used in India.
In India, you have the combination of spices,
notably garam masala, 
but not curry powder per se.

Second, you have a good curry,
which generally refers to a gravy like mixture
and a stew-like dish
containing Indian spices.
In South India, the word for gravy is "kari"
which is probably where the name comes from.
Curries came into being when the British
invented the term and introduced it to the rest of us
via traders, conquerors, and slavers.
It's a bastard with many potential parents
and no clear pedigree.

Oh, wait a minute.  
There might be a third.
That would be the actual curry leaf from the curry tree,
which grows in south India and Sri Lanka
and has an earthy, citrusy taste
and is used in India in various curries and other dishes.

Oh gosh.
I just thought of something else.
Curry could have come from the French verb, cuire,
meaning "to cook."

Confused yet?

Or you can just say to hell with all that
and buy a jar of Thai Red Curry sauce.
(How did we get to Thailand?
Oh yeah.  Via Harris Teeter.)

So, I'm making a bastardized Shrimp Curry today.


























Now That's Some Good Pie!

All this quarantining is making me hungry.
Add a sweet tooth to that and I gots me some PIE!
Make that chocolate pie.
With pecans.
And because I can't just leave well enough alone,
I had to add some chocolate ganache.
And then some vanilla ice cream for good measure.


This pie was soooo good,
I've already made it twice.
In three days.
And they're asking for more.

The secret to my pie,
which is no secret anymore,
is the ESPRESSO.


Rosie's Chocolate Espresso Pie
1 9" pie crust, unbaked, placed in glass pie dish
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 TB espresso powder
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
5 oz. evaporated milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 TB vanilla
1 cup pecans, sorta chopped

Heat oven to 400°.
For the pie crust, you can make your own
or use a store-bought crust.
For store-bought crusts, 
I recommend the refrigerated ones that come rolled up,
two to a box (They're near the eggs.),
NOT the frozen individual crusts.

Mix together:
sugar, cocoa, and espresso powder
Stir in:
melted butter
evaporated milk
beaten eggs
vanilla
Pour into:
1 unbaked pie shell
Press:
chopped pecans onto surface
Bake at 400° for 10 minutes.
Reduce heat to 325° and bake 25 more minutes,
rotating pie halfway through baking time.
I also slipped on a pie crust collar after the first 10 minutes
to keep the crust from burning.
Let cool, then refrigerate.
RESIST the temptation to slice right into this pie.
It needs to sit OVERNIGHT to set.

Now, for the step-by-steps:
Combine sugar, cocoa, and espresso.

Add in buttah.


And mix.


Add in evaporated milk, mixing.


Finally, whisk in eggs and vanilla.



Pour into unbaked pie crust with fluted edges.

Pecans go on top.




Just sorta poke 'em in.
Lightly.
Ready for oven.



Resist the urge to dig in as soon as it comes out of the oven
This pie needs to cool, then be refrigerated for hours so everything sets.


Dense and fudgy.



Oh my.
This is wonderful.
So then I just had to add some ganache.
Or chocolate sauce.
Simply heat up some cream
and pour it over bittersweet chocolate.
Let the chocolate melt.
And stir.

How much cream?
How much chocolate?
Well, it depends.
Depends on whether you want to make truffles,
or a glaze, or an icing.

For a pourable glaze or soft icing, 
you want one part chocolate to two parts cream (by weight).

For a thick glaze, try 1:1.
For chocolate truffles, where you chill the mixture,
then roll it into small balls, then coat it with whatever,
try a ratio of 2 parts chocolate to 1 part cream.



I went with 1 part chocolate to 2 parts cream.
If you want to add some more pecans in there,
I won't stop you.


Then I just HAD to have some ice cream.









Enjoy!