Big Al Frank's Potato Latkes - with some new tips

  

Frying Latkes in Dad's Skillet
Al Frank's Potato Latkes

Super Crispy Outside, Soft Inside

A food processor is used in this recipe.  My dad started using one about 20 years ago.  If you don’t have a food processor, you can use the shredding side of a grater.  It takes a little longer, but my dad used a grater for years and years

Ingredients:                                         Difficulty Rating: Easy to Medium

·       5 lbs baking potatoes – they have to be hard, like Russet.  Peel and cut out all the eyes, because they  add a bitter taste.  Hint - You can easily half or double this recipe. But when you half it,  use 2 eggs and use just a little less than 1 teaspoon baking powder.

·       3 or 4 yams (a variation – use 3or 4 medium size yams, it’s delicious if you want to give it a try)

·       1 big onion

·       3 eggs beaten

·       1 teaspoon baking powder

·       1 palm of Kosher (course) salt (if your palm is small, add more, my dad was a big guy with big hands)

·       Matzo Meal

·       All purpose flour

·       oil – a light oil like canola or sunflower oil or a light vegetable oil

Tip 1 - put a cheese cloth in a big colander in the pot or bowl you are using and put the shredded   potatoes in the cheese cloth covered colander.  The moisture will drip out through the colander and then you can squeeze the extra out using the cheese cloth.  Once you squeeze it all out, open it up, toss the potatoes around and squeeze them in the cheese cloth again to ensure that all the moisture is out.  If they aren't dry, they won't hold together.

Tip 2 -  Potato Latkes should be golden brown and crispy.  They often start out  that way, but by the time they hit the table they are soft.  Or, people make the mixture ahead of time and do the frying right before dinner, but then the potatoes turn black and ugly.  This year my sister Carol and I tried something new.  We cooked the latkes until they held together like a pancake but were not yet golden brown.  Then right before we served them we refried them in hot oil for about 45 seconds per side, or until they are golden on each side.  It is fast and a perfect way to serve perfect latkes even for a large crowd.

If you have one, use a heavy frying pan, if not, use what you have. Sometimes we use 2 frying pans to get this done faster, if you do that, you’ll need more oil. But usually there is too much going on in my small kitchen to use 2 pans

Cut the onion into pieces that will fit in the food processor - put in food processor with bottom blade – and process


Remove the bottom blade, put on top blade with shredder side up (not slicer)

Shred potatoes and then put them into a very large bowl or pot (preferably a colander covered with cheese cloth)

When they’re all shredded you need to get as much moisture out as possible. I do the following:
Drain excess liquid from potato mixture - if you have them in a colander over a bowl or pan, push them down and squish the moisture out.  If you're following the cheese cloth hint above, squeeze the moisture out, toss the potatoes around and squeeze again.  Only dry potatoes hold their shape.

Add eggs to onion/potato mixture

Add baking powder and salt

Cover mixture with flour  (not too thick, not too thin - that's what Dad told me)

Cover this mixture with matzo meal (thicker than flour)

Mix everything together - I use my hands because there's a lot of potatoes here.

Taste to be sure salt is OK (hint - if you taste before adding the matzo meal and flour it may taste too salty, always taste after they've been added)

(In the variation using the yams, the mixture doesn’t get as wet, but it is ok)

Heat the oil in a very large frying pan (or two). The oil has to be very hot or the pancakes will fall apart

Important - the oil must be very hot, but not smoking.  I usually am not patient enough to wait for the oil to be hot enough and my first batch fails.

Scoop some mixture into a slotted spoon - make it just enough to allow at least 4 pancakes to cook at the same time with enough room that they don't touch – don’t expect to make it into a pancake before it is in the oil.  Just carefully place it into the hot oil and it will stay together.

Before turning it over, lift it a little to be sure bottom is deep golden brown (they’re the most delicious when they’re crispy).

Remove from heat when both sides are golden.  When you lift them out with a spatula, press top of the pancake with a big fork or against the side of the pan to get excess oil out.  Drain on acookie sheet covered with paper towels (or a brown paper bag like Dad used to do)to get as much oil out as possible. 

General Hint - Keep an eye on the people in the kitchen at this point, because they will trying to sneak a latke.

Tip 3 - This is my sister Meryl's tip for cooking and freezing lateks ahead of time, and keeping them crispy. 
Cook the latkes as you normally would. When the are cool freeze them in a single layer.  When you are going to use them, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Put the latkes in a single layer on a rack in the oven.  Cook for 10 - 15 minutes or until warm all the way through.  Voila!  Crispy delicious latkes!

Traditionally, for Chanukah, Potato Latkes are served with apple sauce.

Roasted Cauliflower

Ingredients:                                  Difficulty Rating: Easy

·       6 - 8 cups of cauliflower florets cut into pieces about 2” in diameter. I used 3 heads of cauliflower in this picture because I found white, orange and purple cauliflower at a local farmers market and they were so pretty!  But 1 medium head is usually enough as a side dish for 4 or 5 people.

·       ¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

·       2 medium sized cloves of garlic – finely diced

·       Juice from ½ lemon (about 2 Tablespoons)

·       1 teaspoon Kosher salt

·       ½ teaspoon freshly grated white pepper.  If you don’t have this you can use freshly grated black pepper or even cayenne if you want an extra kick

·       ¼ cup freshly grated Parmigianino Reggiano cheese

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Put the cauliflower florets into a an oven safe pan or baking dish that is large enough to hold all the cauliflower in a single layer. 

Sprinkle the garlic, salt and pepper over the cauliflower.

Drizzle the lemon juice and olive oil over the cauliflower.

White, Orange and Purple Cauliflower
Delicious, Healthy AND Pretty!

Toss to make sure it is all covered.

Cook for about 7 minutes, take it out of the oven and sprinkle the grated Parmigianino Reggiano over the cauliflower.

Return to the oven and cook for another 7 minutes.  Remove it from the oven and test it. A fork should be able to go into the cauliflower easily – but it shouldn’t be so soft that it’s mushy.

Serve while warm.

Hurricane Sandy Skillet Apple Crisp

Ingredients                                        Difficulty Rating:  Easy

·         7 - 8 apples -  I like to use a variety of sweet and tart, like 2 Fuji, 2 Granny Smith, 2 Gala, 2 Delicious. Just be sure they are crisp apples

·         2 cups of granola – On Hurricane Sandy night I used Kashi Go Lean Crisp! – Cinnamon Crumble.  It was delicious.  You can use any store bought granola you want, but this had just the right amount of sweet and cinnamon. 

·         3 tablespoons unsalted butter.  They only had salted butter here the night of the Hurricane, so I used that and it was OK.  Use what you have

·         3 tables flour

·         ¼ cup + 1 Tablespoon sugar

·         1 teaspoon cinnamon.  I like to use a good cinnamon.  At home I use Penzy’s Vietnamese Cinnamon.  At Meryl’s house during Hurricane Sandy I used her Moroccan Cinnamon, it was great. 

·         1 ½ tablespoons  fresh lemon juice.

Preparation:

Peel and core the apples.  Quarter the apples and then cut each quarter into 2 or 3 slices.  You want the pieces to be a good size so they don't get to smooshy when you cook them. 

Put the apples into a bowl and sprinkle with about ¾ Tablespoon of the lemon juice and put aside. 




 

In a skillet that is oven proof (I like cast iron), melt the butter then add 2 Tablespoons flour and 1 Tablespoon sugar – stir until there are no lumps.

Add the granola or Kashi – and stir until it’s coated and nicely toasted – just a few minutes.  Be careful not to over toast because it can burn quickly. Pour the granola into a bowl and put the skillet back on the stove.  

Add the apples, the remaining ¼ cup of sugar, the remaining 1 Tablespoon of flour and the cinnamon- carefully toss. 

The skillet will be super full before the apples start to cook down.  Cook long enough for the apples to macerate (get juicy) a bit and start to get soft, but not enough to get them super soft.  Remember, we aren’t making apple sauce, This should take about 5 or 6 minutes.

When the apples are ready, add the granola (or Kashi) back into the pan.  I usually do it by handfuls, sprinkling it over the top.

Put the skillet into the 350 degree preheated oven for about 35 or 40 minutes – until it bubbles. 

 Let it cool for about 1/2 hour - if you've got some ice cream - Yummmmm.
 

Peanut Butter Crème Icebox Pie

Ingredients:

·       2 cups of graham cracker crumbs – or if you’re making the crumbs yourself from chocolate graham crackers, use about 1 ½ packages which should be about 14 graham crackers.

·       6 Tablespoons butter - melted

·      ¼ cup sugar

·       3.5 ounces good quality milk chocolate (optional, 1 or 2 extra ounces of milk chocolate, held aside)
·       ¼ cup heavy cream – plus 2 cups

·       1 cup peanut butter (smooth, not one that separates from the peanut oil)

·       8 ounces cream cheese

·       ½ cup fine sugar

·       1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

Preparation:

Crust: (preheat oven to 350)

If you’re not buying the graham cracker crumbs already prepared, you can break your graham crackers and pulse them in the food processor until they are a sandy consistency, or you can break them and put them in a large freezer bag and crunch them with a rolling pin.  If you have kids it’s a great way to include them in the cooking.

Put the sugar and half melted butter in a medium bowl and mix it

Add the graham cracker crumbs to the sugar/butter mixture and add the remaining butter.

Mix together well and empty it into a 9” deep dish pie dish.

Spread it around well and use the back of a spoon to push it evenly (more or less) up the sides of the pie dish.

Put the pie dish in the oven for about 8 minutes.  Take it out and put it on a rack to cool.

Chocolate

Heat water in the bottom piece of a double boiler – don’t let the water touch the top piece.

Break the chocolate (not the optional chocolate) into small pieces and when the water is just below a boil, put it in the top of a double boiler.

It won’t take long for the chocolate to melt, so keep stirring. 

Once the chocolate is melted take it off the heat, keep stirring and slowly add the ¼ cup of heavy cream – stir until it is smooth

Pour the chocolate mixture over the bottom of the graham cracker pie crust, tilting the pie dish a little to get it even all the way around. 

Let the chocolate and the pie crust cool completely on a rack.

Peanut Butter Cream

While the crust and chocolate are cooling, beat the heavy cream in the mixer using a whisk attachment on medium until stiff peaks form, about 10 minutes. Set aside

In another bowl, using the paddle attachment on medium-high and beat the cream cheese until it’s smooth. 

Once it’s smooth, add the sugar, peanut butter and vanilla and mix in well (use a rubber spatula to ensure that the bottom is well blended).

Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until combined.   

Spread the filling in the cool pie shell. Smooth the top.

Optional: Shred the remainder of the chocolate over the pie

Store in a covered container and refrigerate for about 5 hours (or overnight) before serving.

Cauliflower Puree

Ingredients:                            Difficulty Rating: Easy

·       1 good size head of cauliflower

·       ½ cup (or more) buttermilk (don’t use low fat)

·       ½ head or 1 head roasted garlic (to taste)

·       Kosher salt

·       Butter (optional)

Preparation:

Roasted Garlic:  preheat oven to 350.

Peel all the cloves of garlic, leaving them whole

Put the garlic on a piece of aluminum foil that is large enough to loosely close around them

Pour the olive oil over the garlic cloves, salt lightly

Close the aluminum foil to make a loose packet – make sure it is tightly closed.

Put it in the oven (or toaster oven) at about 350 for 20 minutes or until you can spread the cloves with a butter knife. Smush all the cloves with the butter knife until they are creamy.

 

 Cauliflower Puree:

Break off the cauliflower florets into small, even size pieces

Steam until you can easily stick a fork into the pieces

Put the steamed cauliflower into a food processor using the bottom blade

Add the buttermilk and the roasted garlic – add buttermilk until it is almost the consistency you like for mashed potatoes.

Using a rubber spatula, scrape the cauliflower into a serving bowl.  Add salt and butter to taste. Stir.

If you would like to, you can heat a little more buttermilk and stir that in. 

Mommy's Meatloaf

Ingredients:                                              Difficulty Rating: Easy

·       1 head of garlic

·       About ½ teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

·       Kosher salt (about 2 teaspoons or to taste)

·       1 medium size onion

·       2 lbs. chopped chuck (about 80% lean)

·       About 2 cups panko bread crumbs

·       2 eggs + 1 egg to hard boil (optional)

·       2 Tablespoons tomato paste

·       ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

·       1 teaspoon dried thyme (optional)

·       About 1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

·       Ketchup (preferably Heinz)

Preparation:

Roasted Garlic:  preheat oven to 350.

Peel all the cloves of garlic, leaving them whole

Put the garlic on a piece of aluminum foil that is large enough to loosely close around them

Pour the olive oil over the garlic cloves, salt lightly

Close the aluminum foil to make a loose packet – make sure it is tightly closed.

Put it in the oven (or toaster oven) at about 350 for 20 minutes or until you can spread the cloves with a butter knife. Smush all the cloves with the butter knife until they are creamy.

Meatloaf:

Dice the onion and sauté in olive oil until translucent. 

Put the panko bread crumbs in a blender and pulse until they are a fine consistency

Add the cayenne (if you decide to use it) the salt, black pepper and thyme and pulse a few more times

Put the beef in a large bowl 

Mix 2 of the eggs in a small bowl

Add eggs, roasted garlic, onions, tomato paste and bread crumb mixture to the beef

Combine the ingredients, but don’t press it together with your hands.  You can use your hands to combine it, but don’t press it because it will get too dense. It should be well combined.

Divide it into 2 pieces, one slightly larger than the other.

Put parchment paper on the bottom of a large pan

Form the larger piece of meat into a large rectangle in the pan.

Place the hardboiled egg in the middle.

Form the other piece of meat into a rectangle on top of the other piece.

Cook the meat for about 10 minutes, then spread the ketchup over the top.

Bake for about 35 minutes and check with an instant read thermometer (or you can use a regular meat thermometer) in the center (be careful not to touch the bottom).  It should read about 155. It will probably take about 10 more minutes to reach 155, but I like to check it at this point just in case. 

Butter - Easy, Fast, Delicious!

Ingredients:                                           Difficulty Rating:  Super Easy

·       1 pint heavy cream

·       Pinch Kosher salt (optional – no more than ¼ teaspoon)

Tools

·       Either a, b, or c below

a)     Food Processor (with bottom metal blade only)

b)    Mixer (with whisk attachment but regular beaters will work too)

c)     Jar – clean and dry

·       Strainer

·       Cheese cloth (optional – if you don’t have it, just use the strainer)

·       Bowl to hold the strainer

·       Ice water (you can throw in some ice cubes if you want, because it has to be very cold)

·       Butter containers – you can use ramekins, small bowls with lids, butter molds – be creative, but if you want to store it for up to a week, make sure your container has a tight lid.

If you use a jar, the time increases from about 4 or 6 minutes to about 15-30 minutes,
but if you have kids, it’s a great family project.

Preparation

Step 1:

Using a jar:

Pour in the cream.

If you’ve got a couple of kids working with you use a couple of jars and
divide the cream evenly.  Shake, shake, shake!  Keep shaking the jars
for about 15 to 30 minutes until chunks of butter start to form.

Using a mixer or food processor:

Pour in the cream

Process or mix until you pass the point of whipped cream.

In the food processor: When the butter turns into little balls pour in
about ½ cup of the ice water (it won’t hurt if the cubes go into the food processor)

With a mixer: When the butter separates from the liquid – it will gather around

the beaters or whisk attachment.

Step 2:

Transfer the butter mixture into the strainer over a bowl – the liquid that is strained
out is buttermilk

If you’re using cheese cloth, put the butter into the cheese cloth – pull it together into
a ball and squeeze to get the liquid out. Unwrap the butter, putting it back into the
strainer.

If you’re not using the cheese cloth, just skip that step and press the liquid out of the
butter using a rubber spatula or your clean hands. 

Rinse with ice water until it runs clear, kneading the butter and folding it into itself. 
The rinse step keeps the butter from turning sour.

Once it is rinsed, if you want to add ¼ teaspoon of Kosher Salt – this would be the
time to do it.  You might even want to add some cut up sundried tomatoes or herbs. 
Get creative if you’d like! 

Step 3:

Although it is best to refrigerate the butter overnight, sometimes the wait is just too
difficult.  You can get creative here too.  You can:

• put it in a jar that can be tightly sealed
• put it in a butter mold
• put it in waxed paper or plastic wrap and roll it into a log

Granita di Caffe con Panna - A real eye opener!

Ingredients:                                                   Difficulty Rating:  Easy

·         1 ½ cups brewed espresso

·         2 cups of water.   (1.5)

·         about 1/2 teaspoon lemon

·         1 teaspoon vanilla extract

·         about 1/3 c sugar (to taste)   (1/4)

·         1 cup heavy whipping cream   3/4

·         1 Tablespoon powdered sugar.

Preparation

  Make a simple syrup - this can be made ahead of time and stored to use it as needed.

-           Mix the sugar with 1 cup water and bring to low boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves.

When the sugar is dissoved add the coffee and then the last cup of water, lemon and vanilla. 

-           Pour it into a baking dish that is big enough to be sure the coffe mixture is not more than 1 inch deep. 

-           When it is cool, put it in the freezer.

-           After about 45 minutes, check the mixture.  If the top has any ice, drag a fork through it to break up the ice. 

-           Continue doing this every half hour for about 3 hours.  Keep dragging the fork through the mixture to keep it from forming into a big hunk of coffee ice.  Instead it will be like rich coffee snow.

-           Right before you serve it, whip the cream with the powdered sugar until peaks form.

-           Serve in chilled dessert bowl or chilled cocktail glass topped with a dollop of whipped cream.

Alternative - if you just can't spend the time scraping the ice, pour it into an ice cube try.  Pop out the cubes as you want to use them  and  pulse them in a blender.  Don't 'blend' or you'll just get very cold espresso, pulse until it is snowy.