Sunday, June 29, 2014

Hungarian Rice With Pork or Beef  (Husos Rizs)



1,
Heat oil or the butter in Dutch oven or large pot add and sauté the onion until translucent, for about 5 minutes.
2,
Add the meat and brown all around for 2 more minutes. (Be careful not to burn it)
3,
If the meat and the onions do not release enough juice, you might have to add a few tbsp. of the beef broth.
4,
The meat will begins to get brown and soft in about 15 minutes.
5,
Add the diced green pepper, leak, parsnip, mushroom, peas. garlic, paprika, cashews and tomatoes, 15 oz. beef booth, cup water and the rice, (salt to taste) to the pot. Mix well and bring to a boil.
6,
Lower the heat add the covers to the pot and continues to cook for another 45 to 60 minutes or until the rice is done.
7,
Dice the egg and sprinkled on the rice. (optional)
8,  
Serve this pork and rice recipe with a cucumber salad, Sour Cream, and a slice of fresh bread.

(see more)

Friday, June 27, 2014

Plum Dumplings (Szilvás Gomboc)


                 
1, 
In a large bowl, combine potatoes, eggs and salt. When well combined, add flour and mix until a soft dough forms. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest 30 minutes.
2,
Place a 1/4 of a teaspoon cinnamon sugar into the center of each pitted plum. Place a large pot of salted water on to boil.
3,
On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/3 inch. Cut into 2-inch squares. Place a plum in the center of each square and fold in half, pressing out all air and sealing the edges. Moisten edges before crimping if necessary to seal. Carefully drop into boiling water. Repeat until all plums are in the water. Cook 30 minutes.
4,
Meanwhile, melt butter in large skillet, add bread crumbs and brown. Using a slotted spoon, remove dumplings to a colander to drain. Place dumplings in skillet, coating with buttered crumbs. Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
(see more) 

Almond Macaroons




1
Preheat oven to 350°F. and lightly butter a baking sheet.
2
Break almond paste into small pieces in large bowl.
3
Stir in flour, powdered sugar and almond extract.
4
Add egg whites.
5
Beat with electric mixer on medium speed about 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally, until smooth.
6
Place dough in decorating bag fitted with #9 rosette tip.
7
Pipe 1 1/2-inch cookies about 2 inches apart onto cookie sheet.
8
Top each with almond. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
9
Heat oven to 325º. Bake about 12 minutes or until edges are light brown.
10
Immediately remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.
11
Cool completely.
12 
Store in airtight container.

(see more) 

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Canned Stewed Tomatoes
1
(Adjust amount of green peppers, onions and celery to your tastes.)
2
Mix together and pack in sterilized jars. Wipe jar tops, remove air bubbles and seal
3
Process 45 minutes in boiling water bath.
(see more) http://www.hungariancooking.com/Cannedstewedtomatoes.htm

Wednesday, June 25, 2014


Jewish Cookery Exposed

EDITOR'S PREFACE.
Among the numerous works on Culinary Science already in circulation,
there have been none which afford the slightest insight to the Cookery
of the Hebrew kitchen.

Matzo Soup.

For the broth:

Boil down half pound of beef leg bone, in 30-oz of beef gravy, and three or four quarts of water;
Season with celery, carrots, turnips, white pepper and kosher salt, and a bunch of sweet herbs;
Let the whole stew cook on low heat for eight hours, then strain.

Let it stand to get cold, when the fat must be removed from the top.
Return it to the saucepan to warm up. Ten minutes before serving.
Throw in the balls, from which the soup takes its name, and which are made in the following manner:

For the matzo balls:

Take half a pound of matzo flour, two ounces of chopped suet, season with a little pepper, salt, ginger, and nutmeg. Mix with this, four beaten eggs, and make it into a paste.
Brown a small chopped onion in a spoonful of oil is sometimes added.
The paste should be made into rather large balls, and care should be taken to make them very light.

Tuesday, June 24, 2014


    Keep your recipes organized.
    Nothing is more frustrating when you’re ready to start cooking then not being able to find your recipe. Keep things organized by finding a system for filing your recipes that you can keep close at hand in the kitchen. A great option is to buy one of those photo albums where you peel back a plastic sheet and underneath is a sticky surface. This makes recipes easy to find and at any time you can remove or replace them!

Monday, June 23, 2014

Greek Salad 
1,  
In a 2-quart bowl, mix peppers, cucumber, tomatoes, celery, feta cheese, and red onion.
2,
Season with salt, pepper, vinegar, oil, oregano, and basil.

(see more) http://www.hungariancooking.com/GreekSalad.htm


How to Have a Healthy Breakfast Every Day in Less Than Ten Minutes

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. That goes double for your children. They need a good start. They need to have energy in their body to learn, play and socialize. You can help them get started with a healthy breakfast. Even busy parents can get the job done. Here’s how to have a healthy breakfast every day in less than ten minutes.

Step One: Prepare.

The weekends are the time when most families get their errands done. That means grocery shopping for the upcoming week. Sit down for a few minutes and plan the week’s breakfasts. Think about what you can make ahead. Great make ahead ideas include:
* Whole grain waffles – pop them in the toaster in the morning before school. If you flavor them with spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, they may not even need syrup.
* Fruity pancakes – pop them in the toaster. Add apple chunks or other fruit to the mix. Then your children can eat them by hand on their way out the door.
* Oatmeal - steel cut oats warm up nicely in the microwave.
Other quick breakfast ideas include:
* Yogurt with granola and fruit topping (You can cut up the fruit ahead of time)
* Egg sandwiches. Try English muffins, a slice of American cheese, and scrambled or a fried egg.
* Smoothie with protein powder. A smoothie is delicious, and with a yogurt base and lots of fruit it can also be healthy. Add a scoop of protein powder to the mix to make sure your children have enough energy to get them through their morning successfully.

Step Two:

Shop from your list. Once you’ve decided what to serve your kids in the morning, make a list of the ingredients you’ll need. Head to the supermarket and make sure you shop from your list.

Step Three:

Do what you can ahead of time. Spend an hour on Saturday or Sunday night preparing some meals ahead of time. For example, you can make a double batch of waffles and pop them in the freezer. In the morning all you need to do is put them in the toaster and serve. Breakfast in less than ten minutes.

Step Four:

Commit to the process. Yes, you’re busy. Find ways that your children can help you prepare breakfast. For example, can they slice fruit? Can they stir the steel cut oats? Can they set the yogurt toppings on the table? Get the whole family involved.
Breakfast is an essential component of a healthy diet. With a little planning and forethought you can make sure your entire family is well nourished. And you can accomplish it without too much trouble, stress or headaches. Remember, breakfast is important for you too. Be a good role model and sit down with your kids for that first meal of the day.

http://www.hungariancooking.com/

Sunday, June 22, 2014



    Baked Tomatoes With Provençale Stuffing
               

(The Provençale sauce is a fragrant tomato sauce made with sauté onions, garlic, capers, olives and Herbs de Provence. It's delicious served with meat, poultry and fish.) 
1
Heat the oven to 375F. Core tomatoes and scoop the insides out to leave the whole shells.
2  
Heat skillet with oil to medium heat and sauté onion and garlic for about 3 minutes.
3
Stir in tomato, herbs and seasonings.
4
Sauté for about 4 minutes or until wetness evaporates.
5
Remove from heat and stir in breadcrumbs and cup measure of the Parmesan cheese. Reserve the rest of the cheese for later.
6
Stuff the tomatoes with the mixture and sprinkle evenly with the remaining measure of Parmesan cheese.
7
Bake for about 15 minutes.
   (see more)      http://www.hungariancooking.com/BakedTomatoes.htm

Saturday, June 21, 2014


 General Cooking Tips

1.       Use your kitchen scissors. Right now you probably only use your kitchen scissors for opening packaging and bags of milk. But next time you’re trimming fat from a roast, opening pitas or cutting chicken into strips, consider using your scissors! Chefs use them all the time for cutting meats and other food items. It’s probably best to have a pair that are designated as food scissors only. And be sure you clean them very well after each use because they do have crevices where bacteria can hide.
Loaded Potato Soup

Cook the onion in butter with a table spoon of chopped bacon until the anion gets translucent.
Add potatoes, celery, salt pepper, link sausage and water to cover the potatoes.
Cover and bring to the boil. Lower heat and simmer partly covered for about 25 minutes, or until the potato done.
Cook the rest of the bacon in a small frying pan in butter until crisp.
Remove the bacon and add to the soup.
Add the vinegar, sprinkle in the parsley, and the minced garlic.
Lower heat and simmer partly covered for about 10 minutes, or until almost done.
In the small frying pan blend the left over butter flour, paprika and sour cream until smooth. Stir into potato mixture. Add milk and cook for one more minute.

see more at http://www.hungariancooking.com/LoadedPotatoSoup.htm

Sunday, June 15, 2014

Hungarian Pastry
1, In a large bowl, combine two third cup flour and dissolved yeast. Heat sour cream, butter, and water until very warm (120° to 130°F). Gradually add to flour mixture. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Add egg yolks and half cup flour. Beat 2 minutes at high speed, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in enough remaining flour to make a s...tiff batter. Apportion into three parts. Cover each portion tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate 24 hours. The next day, lightly dust work surface with granulated sugar working with small sections of the dough (keep rest cold), roll out as thinly as possible, at least 1/8 inch; use a mixture of powdered sugar and flour on surface. Cut out diamond shapes, 2 to 3 inches square. Roll from one corner to another corner; shape into crescent. Place on greased baking sheets

2, Bake at 375°F for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from sheets; cool on wire racks. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

3, Nut Filling: In a medium bowl, beat 2 egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add 1/4 soft honey and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Continue beating until stiff, but not dry. Stir in 1 cup ground toasted walnuts.

see more at http://www.hungariancooking.com/HungarianPastry.htm

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Hungarian "Grilled" Glazed Tuna Steaks  (see more)




1
 Combine and Whisk together ingredients in a small bowl (Sherry, Gingerroot, Soy Sauce, Honey & Garlic)
Divide marinade in half, and set one half aside. Pour other half of marinade into a large, heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag; add tuna. Seal; chill up to 2 hours.
3
Remove tuna from marinade, discarding marinade. Grill tuna, covered with grill lid, over medium-high heat (350º to 400º) 1 to 3 minutes on each side or to desired degree of doneness.
4
Place reserved marinade in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Boil 4 minutes or until reduced to 1/4 cup. Spoon glaze over tuna steaks.

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Cook Italian Meals at Home
There are not too many people who do not love Italian cooking. Unfortunately, far too many of us discount the possibility of bringing Italian cooking into our very own kitchens for fear that many of the recipes are far too difficult. The truth is that learning to cook Italian food just might make your home the favorite drop in dining spot for friends and family all over.
Believe it or not, most great Italian recipes have an easier version that can be made with very similar effects when it comes to flavor and aroma. Also, despite the commercials of old, all Italian cooking does not require an entire day of simmering in order to achieve great flavor. Though you do not have to let your friends and family in on that little secret. Be a martyr for flavor and they will love you even more. You do not have to let anyone in on your best-kept secrets when it comes to preparing these often simple dishes.
The biggest challenge that most Americans face when it comes to Italian cooking is basically learning a new set of essential ingredients. The cheese, meats, or grains that are used in their creation most often identify or define Italian cuisine. It’s the combination of these primary ingredients that create some of the most distinctive flavors on earth. Learn about these ingredients. Identify the flavors and study the combinations of flavors and you should be able to not only follow many great Italian recipes but also to invent a few of your very own Italian inspired recipes.
The greatest thing when it comes to cooking Italian food is that most of these dishes are rather difficult to destroy. This of course does not indicate that it cannot be done, only that it isn’t as simple as with some of the more delicate cuisines around the world. Italian food is durable and flavorful but for the most part not too terribly delicate when it comes to flavor. You can go a little heavy with some spice or cheese without completely ruining the dish in most instances. If you are anything like me, this is a regular occurrence when cooking and one of the reasons I enjoy cooking Italian food so much.
Whether you are a beginner when it comes to the culinary arts or a seasoned pro there is something that will provide the appropriate challenge for you when it comes to Italian cooking. Take a look around there are recipes in abundance across the Internet, at your local library, in specialty cook books, and even in your favorite block buster best selling novels.
Another thing you should keep in mind when cooking Italian food is that nothing seems to bring out the flavor of Italian food better than a good bottle of wine to match. Perhaps this is the reason that it is difficult to ruin an Italian meal, no matter how bad it is, the good wine paired with it, will erase all ill will and tastes in very short order. You will want to spend a little time researching and studying the science (though some will argue that this is truly an art form) that goes along with pairing a good bottle of wine with the right flavor combination when it comes to Italian cooking. Once you’ve mastered this, there is nothing to prevent you from being the diva of all things Italian when it comes to food preparation.
The most important thing for you to remember when cooking Italian food is not to take the cooking too seriously. Good Italians know that the enjoyment of the meal is far more important than the process of preparing the meal. Make your meal an event with plenty of time for pleasant conversation and enjoyment of your company in between courses. The point of a good Italian meal is the pleasure of enjoying it with fine wine and good conversation.

Saturday, June 7, 2014

Hungarian Lamb stew recipe  (See More)




1  
Add the bacon in a 6-quart Dutch oven and bring to temperature over medium heat. Add the onions; sauté for 3 minutes.
2
Pushing the onions to the side of the pan, add the lamb and brown the meat in the butter. Stir the paprika, caraway, potatoes, tomatoes and the peppers, into the meat and onions. Add salt to taste.
3
Push the meat and onions to the side and sauté the tomato paste for 2 minutes, and then stir it into the meat and onions. Slowly pour the water into the pan. Stir to dissolve the tomato paste into the water. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes, or until the meat is tender.
4
Add the garlic, red wine, cover, and simmer for 10 more minutes. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper, if needed.

http://www.hungariancooking.com/

Friday, June 6, 2014

A Week's Worth Of Tips For Empty Nesters

Mary Young, a relatively new empty nester, remarked on how free she feels with her nine kids out of the house. This feeling is common. Joy Smith, author of "The Empty Nest Cookbook," encourages people to take advantage of it.

My former neighbor, Mary Young, a relatively new empty nester, remarked on how free she feels with her nine kids out of the house. This feeling is common. Joy Smith, author of "The Empty Nest Cookbook," encourages people to take advantage of it: "For the first time in years you can cook because you want to, not because you must. You have fewer people and palates to please, so cook in ways you've never dared."
1. Try new recipes. A majority of empty nesters say they enjoy exploring foods that their children would not eat, according to the July 2005 Pillsbury Empty Nester Survey.
2. Think smaller. With just the two of you at home, there's little need for family-size packages.
3. Buy perishables with care. To reduce spoilage, buy only a few pieces of fruit and small amounts of vegetables at a time. Choose dairy products and fresh meats with the latest expiration date.
4. Maximize nutrition. Pick foods that deliver the most nutrition for the bite. For example, broccoli (vitamins A and C), legumes (fiber) and fortified whole grain cereals like Whole Grain Total®. As you get older, you need fewer calories but the same, or sometimes greater, amounts of key nutrients.
5. Stock up on plastic containers. Prepare recipes that serve four or six and divide up the extra into two-serving portions. Label, date and refrigerate or freeze.
6. Swap homemade dishes with a friend. It's a great way to add variety to your menu.
7. Get a new gadget. A vacuum sealer seals out air and preserves the moisture and flavor of the original dish. "I seal and freeze leftovers in one-meal portions for fresh-tasting dinners anytime," suggests Smith. "Reheat in the microwave or boil in the bag on the stovetop."
This recipe makes four servings, two for now and two for tomorrow.
Crunchy Garlic Chicken Breasts
11/3 cups Whole Grain Total® cereal
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup skim milk
2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 11/4 lb)
Cooking spray
1. Heat oven to 425°F. Spray 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray.
2. Crush cereal. In shallow dish, stir together cereal, parsley and paprika. In another shallow dish, stir together milk, chives, salt and garlic powder. Dip chicken into milk mixture, then coat lightly and evenly with cereal mixture. Place in pan. Spray top of chicken with cooking spray.
3. Bake uncovered 20 to 25 minutes or until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut.

Save Time and Money by Cooking Once a Month

Do you find your time stretched to the limit and it is an effort to prepare good meals for your family? Unfortunately, cooking a good family meal requires both time and energy. A few wise moms have discovered a concept that has become known as once a month or freezer cooking to assist in those nights when time, energy, or both are in short supply.
The thought behind once a month cooking is that for one or two days (if you prefer to spread the process out over a couple of shorter days rather than one long day of cooking) of intense culinary effort your family can dine well for an entire month. Many women who have tried this have also discovered that not only does it help by always having something nice and home cooked for dinner, but also helps families stay within budget.
Far too many mother’s will guiltily raise their hands when asked whether or not they’ve ever resorted to fast food or junk food meals simply because they were too tired to cook or were missing one ingredient for a meal and did not feel up to running to the grocery store in order to pick up the missing ingredient. This practice can get expensive over time and rob your family of some well-earned fun money.
There are some important things you must keep in mind if you are considering once a month cooking as a way of life for your family. The first thing you need to keep in mind is that planning is the key. You will need to set aside a day (or two) for the cooking when nothing else is on the calendar. It is simply too difficult to see to all the details if you are planning your cooking event around car pools, soccer games, or dance practices. You need a full day that will be relatively uninterrupted. If you have a spouse, partner, or family member that can take the children for the day this will be the ideal situation. Otherwise be sure to have plenty of distractions on hand for the little ones or find a way to enlist their help with any cutting, chopping, slicing, dicing, or peeling that may need to be done.
You should also create a thorough menu followed by a list of each and every ingredient you will need. Shopping needs to be done on a day other than when you are planning to cook. This means that you aren’t likely to rush through the shopping trip and forget something as a result. Bring your menu and your list and get everything you need in one trip whenever possible. You can also save money by planning your meals for the month according to the sales circulars and coupons you have for the week in order to stretch your budget a little further.
Finally, you need to make sure that you have all the supplies, dishes, and containers you need in order to prepare and store the meals you’ve prepared properly. You should also make sure that the recipes you are using for your once a month cooking marathon are recipes that freeze well. It is even better if you have recipes that double well so that you can get twice the results from the same effort.
You should also make sure you are mentally prepared for your marathon cooking session. Beginning with a nice and tidy kitchen is a great start. Folding card tables make an excellent flat surface for storing things out of the way and freeing up valuable counter space for preparing and assembling the foods that will be prepared. You should also utilize as many appliances in your kitchen as possible for maximum efficiency. Don’t limit all cooking to the oven. Find dishes that freeze well and can be prepared in the crock pot or on the range top. Cook only once a month is challenging but it will save you time and money.

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Crunchy Pecan Chicken  (more...)
In terms of the procedures involved in this low carb chicken recipe, all you need to do is to combine the pecans, cheese, garlic salt and basil in a huge low dish. Then put the lemon juice in another low dish; dip the chicken in juice and then coat with pecan mixture. After that, you heat oil until moderately hot, and then add the chicken. The average period for each piece of chicken to be cooked is 3 to 5 minutes on each side or until golden. As simple as that!

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Cooking Gluten Free Food

In this day and age people have many dietary restrictions. One restriction that is gaining some degree of notoriety in recent years is the need for a gluten free diet. Gluten is a substance that is commonly found in flour products that a decent sized portion of the population has a negative reaction to in some form or another. For these people, gluten free isn’t a choice it is absolutely necessary.
Gluten free cooking does impose many restrictions and often makes it quite difficult to enjoy something the vast majority of us take for granted—dining out. The good news from those who require gluten free cooking is that more and more restaurants are beginning to acknowledge this condition and offer some selections that are gluten free. It takes time, just as it did with low carb craze for the demand for these products to make it worth the industries while to make adjustments in their way of preparing foods.
While on the one hand it is frustrating to not have the option of dining out, there is some challenge to finding new and tasty foods and combinations for cooking each and every night without falling into a rut of the same old foods that you know you can eat without worry. Consider cooking gluten free a challenge rather than a chore and you may find that the process is much more enjoyable. You might even find that you appreciate the meals you’ve worked hard to prepare even better because of the great sense of accomplishment.
There are many resources available for those who need to eat gluten free foods. There are even more and more ‘convenience’ or prepackaged foods that are designated for gluten free cooking. This means that those who once had no option but creating meals from scratch do now have the occasional shortcut available to them. We are even finding cookie and cake mixes that are now gluten free in order to enjoy some of the finer things in life for those who would have been completely deprived only a few short years ago.
Changes are being made and resources are being shared through the Internet that help not only adults that require special gluten free cooking and diets but also support for the parents of children who must have gluten free diets. Cooking for children in the best of circumstances is often difficult. It is even more difficult when there are excessive dietary restrictions that often eliminate the possibility of our children enjoying childhood favorites. That is why it is so important to seek out the many resources and recipes that are available for gluten free cooking.
If you require a gluten free diet and have no idea where to start or what you should be cooking you should check out the many websites and blogs online that address the issues and needs that are faced by those requiring gluten restrictions. You will probably be amazed at the wealth of information that is available. Also, if you have a Trader Joes or Whole Foods store in your area, most of them either offer or will order gluten free products for your cooking needs.
Gluten free cooking does not have to be the chore many of us think it must be and all gluten free food doesn’t taste like cardboard. Take the time to get to know the wonderful gluten free recipes that abound and incorporate them one at a time into your cooking repertoire. There are some wonderful recipes out there and you will feel great.

Tuesday, June 3, 2014


    Stop water from boiling over.
    To keep pans from boiling over when cooking, add a thin layer of butter around the rim of the pan. This works well for rice, pasta and potatoes.

Monday, June 2, 2014

  Smacking Buffalo Wings 
(tangy and sweet version)
  (more...)

The directions for this low carb chicken recipe are just so simple and brief. You just need to cut off and discard the bony wing tips, and cut the remaining wings in half. Then in a large bowl combine the remaining ingredients and blend well. Marinate the wings in this mixture for one hour in the refrigerator and then grill in a medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes.
Add a little zest.
When a recipe calls for a “zest” of a citrus fruit, it’s referring to the colorful outer part of the skin, not the inner white part, which is known as the pith. The zest contains all of the aromatic citrus oils and provides a hint of citrus tang to the recipe. A simple method of obtaining a fine zest is by rubbing the fruit against the smallest holes of a cheese grater.
Basic Cooking for Beginners
If you are learning to cook it is important that everyone started at the beginning originally. I do not know of a single person who was born with a wooden cooking spoon and ready to go. There is a lot of learning that must be done in order to become a prolific cook and then there is always room for improvement. Not only do you need to begin with the basics when it comes to cooking but you almost need to begin again when learning to cook a new cuisine such as Chinese, Thai, or Indian food.

The first thing that you need to learn is what the different terminology you will find in recipes actually means. There are many new and sometimes foreign sounding terms that you will find in common recipes. These terms can mean the difference in recipe success or failure. You should be able to find a good section in any inclusive cookbook that explains the different definitions for unfamiliar terminology. If you aren’t absolutely certain what is meant by “folding in the eggs” it is in your best interests to look it up.

Sunday, June 1, 2014


Grandmas Fruitcake  (more...)



         
1
Soak the raisins, walnuts, cherries, coconut and pineapple with 2 cups brandy overnight in a stainless steel bowl.
2
In a 5 quart mixing bowl cream butter and sugar, then add eggs slowly, then add your flour and blend well, add the baking soda and water and mix a minute more, add all other ingredients and mix until well blended.
3
Now you are going to bake it in a 2 pound pan, or in the pan of your choice, foil or hard pan, line the pan with wax paper or baking paper or better yet a pan liner the size of the pan. For a 2 pound pan, Place 1 pound 12 ounces of the mixture in the pan and level it with a spoon, don't bang it on the table. Bake it in a 350 degree preheated oven for 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes, depends on your oven and how brown you want it.
It's done when a pick is placed in the center and it comes out clean. Let it cool on a rack for a while and then sprinkle it with 1 ounce of brandy and then another ounce when it is cool and then pack it away for about 3 days in your refrigerator and then “enjoy it”.
       
Buy the Best Ingredients for your Gourmet Meals
 
Cooking gourmet food is the use of the freshest ingredients available. This means that to enjoy authentic gourmet food you must prepare your food immediately after purchasing the fresh ingredients that will comprise your meals. Not only do you want to purchase the freshest ingredients when cooking gourmet meals but you also want to insure that you are purchasing ingredients of superior quality.

Those who excel at gourmet cooking and food preparation have many options available to them. From catering to opening up their own restaurant these talented individuals who are entrepreneurial in spirit often do quite well in the world of business if their talent is sufficient.

When it comes to cooking gourmet food the two rules mentioned above are the only hard and fast rules. Everything else is purely a matter of adventure and taste. Now this doesn’t mean that any and every one can become a gourmet cook simply by going out and purchasing the finest and freshest of ingredients and throwing them into a pot. There is some degree of art involved when it comes to gourmet cooking and a large degree of skill that is necessary in order to achieve these culinary masterpieces.

 You should also understand and be prepared to discover that fresh ingredients are not always available so there are times when compromises must be made when cooking gourmet meals. For this reason you capitalize on what is in season and plan your meals accordingly whenever possible. One important quality when it comes to cooking gourmet food is the layering of flavors. You should be able to taste the meat or seafood as well as the vegetables, herbs, and spices that comprise your skillfully prepared meal.

 You should not however rely on taste or aroma alone when cooking gourmet foods. As I mentioned above gourmet cooking is a large degree skill but there is some degree of art involved. For this reason, presentation is a key component of the gourmet dining experience. Through a few freshly chopped herbs on the plate before placing the food or top the food with appealing and aromatic herbs that will complement the flavor of the meal you have prepared. Present the fruits and vegetable sides in a visually appealing fashion rather than simply tossing them onto a plate.
 
With proper presentation even foods that were simple to prepare can take on the flavor of a gourmet feast. This is something you should keep in mind whether your cooking plans for the evening involve the gourmet or the every day. The thing about gourmet cooking is that it is to some degree more art than science. This means that there is always room to improve your skills and stretch your limits as a cook. There will always be the next great challenge or the ‘what if’ when it comes to flavor combinations.

 In fact, some of the greatest foods began with someone asking, “What would happen if I added this?” Always ask what if and always seek to improve your skills. The good news if this is an avenue you wish to pursue is that there are often gourmet cooking classes offered at gourmet food shops in your area. Some colleges or local community programs will also offer these sorts of classes for a few if you are interested. This means that there are almost always opportunities to broaden your experiences with gourmet cooking and expand your horizons.

 Whether this is your first time considering gourmet cooking or you are an old pro, keep in mind that skills can be learned over time with the proper motivation and an open and honest desire to learn. If you want to learn more about gourmet cooking there is really nothing to stop you from doing so other than yourself. Check out your local library, bookshops and the Internet for great gourmet recipes to try.