For years, I had pondered whether or not to buy a stand mixer. Sure it might make things easier but would I really USE it? Enough to justify the cost? I especially wanted one once I started trying to make bread. Kneading took a lot of energy out of me and it was hard to think of it as relaxing when I kept poking at the dough, anxiously wondering if it was ready for the next stop or whether I should keep kneading for another 10 minutes. But then I wondered if I was going to stay interested in making bread or whether my attention was going to wander on to something else and leave me with an expensive kitchen appliance that would hog counter space.

Then last year, during the Black Friday sales when I was supposed to be shopping for gifts for other people, I spotted a sale I couldn't resist. Finally caved and bought a KitchenAid Pro 600 stand mixer. Once all the various discounts and incentives were applied, I got it for 67% off the list price (or more realistically, 59% off of the going rate since no one should pay MSRP!). The bargain hunter in me whooped with victory. I figured if I didn't use it as much as I thought I would, I would still be able to sell it on Craigslist for as much as I had paid for it (possibly even be able to flip it for a little more cash). Best impulse buy I've made in a long time. (Is it still an impulse buy if you've wanted to buy it for years?) I wipe it down to clean it with the same affection car people feel when polishing their cars.



But wait, this post is about a recipe, not about equipment. So as I was flipping through the booklet that came with the mixer, I saw this recipe for Mushroom-Onion Tartlets. It sounded delicious but I was skeptical about the crust ingredients. Cream cheese, butter, and flour? That's going to turn into a crust? I didn't really see how that was going to happen but they sounded yummy so I had to try. Besides, then I could finally use my little mini-muffin tin that I had bought and never used.

I was surprised that the little pastry crusts did indeed turn out. It takes a bit of effort to make the shells so I said I wouldn't be making it very often but then I made it again just a few days later. And now it's two months later and I'll be making them again this week because I really liked them!

For filling the cups, I took a piece of the dough, rolled it into a ball, and placed it on a piece of wax paper. Then I folded a corner of the wax paper over the ball and flattened it with my hand (like a tortilla press). Place that small sheet of dough and press it into the muffin cup. I needed to clip my fingernails so that the long nails didn't rip holes in the dough. Used gruyere cheese. Tasty. Could've used a dab of salt (maybe because I had used unsalted butter).

Now the real reason I made the Bacon-Wrapped Pork Chops was so I could have some pig fat to turn into crispy bites of happiness. I had read this recipe for Deep-Fried Pork Belly and I couldn't wait to make this at home. Going to my regular grocery, the closest thing to pig skin I could find were some pork chops with some fat along the edges that I thought could work. I came so close. They looked beautiful when I was done. They had the perfect crispy texture. They tasted awful. All I could taste was baking soda. Clearly I messed up. Looking back at the original post, I'm pretty sure I had the same problem someone else did in the comments. I should've rinsed the baking soda off and patted it dry. If I had read through all the comments, I would've known this. But I didn't until after I had botched that batch of pig fat.

But I went to an Asian grocery (Super 88 in Boston) and saw that they had pork belly with the skin still on. I didn't buy it yet though. It was enough to know that it was available. First I wanted to consult the cooks of the internet. Do you have a tried and true recipe for frying up pig fat/skin? Do you have any tips for how I might've corrected this?



( Click to read what I did and suggest ways to fix it )

I like watching Good Eats on TV though I get annoyed by the silly skits and wish he would spend that time sharing more of his wisdom instead. But now I love Alton Brown for writing about making popcorn in the microwave. I love microwave popcorn but then I read an article in the New Yorker several years ago that basically said everything I ate was bad for me since I was a big believer in the convenience of pre-packaged foods. But it turned out that almost everything had partially hydrogenated fats including my beloved microwave popcorn. So for a while I gave them up and just occasionally indulged guiltily. Then Alton Brown came to the rescue with a solution that was healthy and dirt cheap.



( Microwave popcorn for pennies )
thread at food_porn
thread at cooking