Month: January 2012

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Gung Hay Fat Choy from Wood Stone Home!

Char Siu Pork

To kick off the Year of the Dragon this week I had some fun making delicious Char Siu or Chinese style BBQ pork. Replicating this Chinese deli staple at home is remarkably easy in the Wood Stone Home oven. Instead of the traditional method of hanging strips of pork on hooks so they hover over a vessel of water, I simply laid the meat on a rack fitted over a pan that held about a half an inch of water. The oven temperature was 575 and the Flame Height was set at #1. The pork took about 45 minutes in the center of the oven, basting and rotating as needed. A dip in a honey glaze at the end sealed the sweet deal. Gung Hay Fat Choy from Wood Stone Home!

Tips:

• Boneless “Country Style” pork ribs are the perfect cut.

• Marinate the meat for at least 3 hours or overnight.

• Finish the meat with a higher Flame Height if needed to produce a slightly charred exterior.

• Char Siu is typically sliced thin and added to soups and stir-fry dishes or used in the filling for steamed buns. (Char Siu Bao)

 

Marinade: (for about 1 ½ – 2 lb. meat)

• 3Tbsp. hoisin sauce

• 3 Tbsp. soy sauce

• 3 Tbsp. ketchup

• 2 Tbsp. rice wine or dry sherry

• 1 Tbsp. minced garlic

• 1 Tbsp. minced ginger

• 1 tsp. sesame oil

• 1 tsp. paprika

• ½ tsp. Chinese 5-Spice seasoning

• (if you want the classic color add a few drops of red food coloring…I personally choose to skip this)

 

Glaze: (microwave for 1 minute and let steep)

• ¼ cup honey

• 2 Tbsp. water

• 1 star anise, broken up

 

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wood stone home recipe: oven roasted ratatouille

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The beautiful summer vegetables in this classic dish are roasted separately and then combined before a final warming to meld the flavors together.

Ingredients

1 ea. globe eggplant, unpeeled and cut into 1-in. cubes
1/2 cup olive oil, as needed
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
4 ea. bell peppers, cut into 1-in. chunks
2 med. onions, peeled and sliced (optional)
6 med. zucchini, cut into 1-in .chunks
4 lg. tomatoes, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup basil leaves, cut into chiffonade (thin ribbons)

Preparation

Oven Temperature: 570–600 degrees

  1. Toss the eggplant with a couple of tablespoons of oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Repeat with peppers, onions and zucchini separately. Place each vegetable on a thin aluminum baking dish or sheet pan.
  2. Flame Height: 4
  3. Roast the vegetables in front of the flame for about 4-6 minutes, stirring and rotating the pans 2 or 3 times. The vegetables should be well browned and blistered in spots.
  4. Place the tomatoes and garlic in a shallow baking dish, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place dish just inside the doorway and roast for about 8-10 minutes until the tomatoes are well broken down.
  5. Toss all of the vegetables with the tomato mixture in a large bowl along with the basil. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust accordingly.
  6. Mix all vegetables in a gratin dish or casserole and place just inside the doorway for about 10 minutes, rotating once, to heat through and meld all of the flavors together.
  7. Garnish generously with basil.
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wood stone home recipe: cedar planked salmon

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Wood Stone’s Pacific Northwest location affords us what we believe to be the finest salmon in the world. Ours comes from the ecologically sound reefnet practices of Lummi Island Wild, which gives us the best possible beginning to a magnificent meal. Baked to a tender pink in a Wood Stone oven, we think this salmon tastes delicious when cooked to rare or medium rare.

Ingredients

1 ea. untreated cedar shake
1 Tbsp. olive oil
Kosher salt
6 oz. center cut salmon fillet, skin off and pin bones removed
1 ea. lemon wedge

Preparation

Oven Temperature: 525-575 degrees

  1. This recipe is for an individual portion. You can easily multiply it by the number of guests and either use that number of individual shakes or use larger planks for more of a family style presentation. Either way, rinse and then soak them for about 15 minutes in water.
  2. Flame Height: 4
  3. Rub the salmon with a little oil and sprinkle with salt. Drizzle a little oil on the cedar shake as well, to ensure that the salmon won’t stick. Place the thickest part of the salmon on the thinnest part of the shake.
  4. Place the shake in front of the flame with the thick part of the salmon closest to the flame and roast for 5 minutes.
  5. Return plank to just in front of the flame and cook for another 2 or 3 minutes.
  6. Serve on the plank with a lemon wedge.

Note: Every now and again the plank may go up in flames! Not to worry…remember the best place to have a fire is in your oven. Have your lemon wedges handy and squeeze them over the flame to extinguish it.

This simple Salmon recipe can also be accompanied by Roasted Asparagus and Potatoes or drizzle the salmon with a scented oil or an herb butter when it comes out of the oven.

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wood stone home recipe: dutch baby

This breakfast (or any meal) dish always earns cheers and praise from our test kitchen visitors and children of all ages. The pancake rises dramatically up the sides of the pan right before your eyes. Try it sweet or savory!

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Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. sugar
1 cup whole milk
2 Tbsp. melted butter
4 ea. eggs
Butter, for skillets
Powdered sugar
Lemon slices

Preparation

Oven Temperature: 500-550 degrees

  • Mix the flour with the salt and sugar.
  • Whisk in the milk, a few lumps are ok, and add the butter.
  • Add the eggs 1 by 1 whisking after each egg.
  • Heat a 9 -10-in. skillet with a knob of butter until it is melted. Swirl the pan to coat the bottom.
  • Pour a 1/3 or a ½ of the batter into the pan. The more batter you have in the pan the thicker the Dutch Baby will be.

Flame Height: 2.6

  • Put the skillet in the center of the oven (or if the oven is hotter than 550 put it just inside the doorway).
  • Bake for 6-8 minutes, rotating once, or until the Dutch Baby forms a tall golden brown crown.
  • Remove from the oven and if you wish, finish with powdered sugar and a squeeze of lemon. It is also great with baked fruits, cinnamonsugar, or without the sugar in the batter it can be finished as a savory item with cheese and bacon.
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wood stone home recipe: clams cataplana

Whether you are looking to entertain a group or just your family, this classic seafood dish is a must! This signature dish of Portugal is a natural for the Wood Stone Home oven. Begin by sautéing with the cataplana open and then clamp shut to allow the clams to steam in their own juices. Open and serve in the pan using the lid for discarded clam shells.

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Ingredients

3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 med. onion, thinly sliced
1 each bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 each bay leaf
3 oz. jamón, diced (Spanish dry-cured ham)
3 oz. Spanish chorizo, diced
1 each Roma tomato, chopped
1/2 tsp. pimentón (Spanish paprika)
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 cup white wine
3 lbs. clams, scrubbed
2 Tbsp. parsley, minced

Preparation

Oven Temperature: 550-580 degrees

  1. Flame Height: 3.6
  2. Open thecataplana and pour oil in the bottom half. Add the onion, bell pepper and bay leaf and place in the center of the oven (the lid will be resting in the doorway) for 6-8 minutes stirring once or twice, until the onions are translucent.
  3. Add the remaining ingredients, top with the lid and clamp the cataplana shut. Cook in front of the flame for about 8-10 minutes, (rotating half way through with the bubble hook) when the clams will have all opened.
  4. Open the cataplana and serve with a chewy, crusty bread for dipping and a glass of chilled Vinho Verde.

*Adapted from The Spanish Table by Steve Winston