Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

I can't remember if I've mentioned this before, but I lived in Nashville for 3 years while attending law school.  Admittedly, I haven't lived many places, but Nashville ranks at the top of the list.  It was SUCH a fun city and I had the best time while I was there!  The people were wonderful, the cost of living was low, there were tons of activities in the downtown area (which was easily accessible), traffic was almost non-existent....I could go on and on.  Someday I really hope to live there again;  I've just got to work on convincing Shane - he's not sold on the South.  One of the things I miss most about Nashville are the barbecue restaurants.  There's simply nothing around me now that compares.  I remember leisurely lunches with my coworkers at Jack's during the summer after my first year of law school.  I always ordered the pulled pork and it was simply divine.


(I like to use a liner in my slow cooker to make for easy clean-up but it's certainly not necessary.)

Without a good source for pulled pork here, I've wanted to try making my own forever.  I'm almost embarrassed to admit it, but the thing that kept me from doing it sooner was that I didn't know what cut of meat to buy.  I've found that the same cut of meat can have many names in the market and it confused me for the longest time.  Finally, though, I think I've got it figured out thanks to an afternoon spent reading All About Braising by Molly Stevens, a book I recently ordered from Amazon after recommendations from both Whitney and Andrea.  This recipe calls for pork shoulder but in your market it might also be called Boston butt (or Boston shoulder) or picnic shoulder.  If you have a choice, go with bone-in.    



This might be one of the easiest recipes I've ever made.  You create a spice rub, massage it onto the meat, let it rest in the fridge and then pop the meat in your slow cooker with a bit of water.  The meat cooks on low all day and you wind up with wonderfully tender and flavorful meat.  I used a 6 pound pork shoulder for this recipe and found that it was fork-tender after about 8 hours, if you're trying to plan ahead.  I'll warn you that unless you're feeding an army, you will have leftovers, but good news - the pork freezes beautifully!  I portioned it into quart-sized freezer bags and on nights I didn't feel like cooking, I pulled a bag out for a super quick and easy meal.  Shane and I were both huge fans and though it's not exactly like Jack's, it's the next best thing until I can get there again! 

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
adapted slightly from The Way the Cookie Crumbles

1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon dried oregano
4 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons table salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 (6-8 pound) bone-in pork shoulder
1 cup barbecue sauce (plus extra for serving, if desired)

To make the spice rub: Combine all of the ingredients except the pork and the barbecue sauce in a bowl.  Massage this spice rub onto the pork, coating each side thoroughly.  Wrap the pork tightly with two layers of plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours (or up to 3 days).

Unwrap the roast and place it in your slow cooker.  Add 1/4 cup of water then turn the slow cooker to low and cook for 8-10 hours, or until the meat is fork-tender.

Transfer the pork to a cutting board and discard the liquid in the slow cooker.  Shred the meat using two forks to pull it apart.  Discard any fat.  Place the shredded meat back in the slow cooker and add 1 cup of barbecue sauce, tossing to combine.  Heat on low for 30-60 minutes, or until hot.  Serve the pork with additional barbecue sauce, if desired.

TWD: Mocha-Walnut Marbled Bundt Cake

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie was chosen by Erin of When in Doubt...Leave it at 350 (a clever blog name, don't you think?): mocha-walnut marbled bundt cake!  Bundt cakes are great - low maintenance in that they don't require frosting and so easy to transport, which is a key factor for me with desserts since I give away just about everything I bake.  My biggest decision this week was whether to scale the recipe back or not.  I'd made mini bundts last week and was reminded of how much I hate cleaning my mini bundt pan (it's nearly impossible to get in all of the tiny cracks and crevices), so easy decision to go with the full size bundt cake!


 Though this cake created a mountain of dishes, it's not difficult to whip up.  Walnuts are ground and mixed with the dry ingredients but otherwise, the vanilla portion of the cake is pretty standard - butter and sugar are creamed, eggs and vanilla extract added and finally the dry ingredients are added alternately with milk.  Originally, I'd figured I would skip the walnuts since I don't like them, but I planned to give the cake away and I had walnuts on hand, so I ended up using them.  A little less than half of the vanilla cake batter is added to a bowl containing a mixture of bittersweet chocolate, butter, instant espresso powder and coffee.  We don't drink coffee and don't even own a coffee pot, so I substituted water for the coffee along with a dash of cocoa powder.  The vanilla cake batter goes in the bottom of the pan and is then topped with the chocolate batter; a knife is used to gently swirl the two in the hopes of creating a marbled effect.  The baking time for my cake was 60 minutes.  



I was excited to cut into my cake and see how it looked.  Generally, I don't have great luck marbling so I had no idea if the inside would be pretty like Dorie's.  It wasn't, but I still liked it!  I think I probably added too much of the vanilla batter to my chocolate mixture because the chocolate portion of my cake seemed to dominate.  I saved one slice to try before passing the rest along to Shane's dad and I loved it!!  This is one tasty cake!  Since the walnuts are ground finely they really didn't bother me.  The cake was incredibly moist, especially the chocolate portion.  I topped my slice with some chocolate sauce but this cake is definitely good enough to stand on its own.  Many thanks to Erin for hosting this week!  You can find the recipe on her blog or on pages 180-181 of Baking: From My Home to Yours.

Mushroom Herb Macaroni and Cheese

Although Shane and I have a go-to macaroni and cheese recipe, I couldn't help but try this variation which Michelle shared over on Brown Eyed Baker a few months ago.  The recipe is similar to our favorite, but even more interesting because it adds mushrooms, shallots and herbs - three things I absolutely love, especially when they're combined in one dish!  Annie also tried the recipe and posted it just a few weeks ago, reminding me that I still hadn't gotten around to making it yet, and since she also raved about it, I knew I needed to get on it.  As luck would have it, Shane was heading out of town for the weekend and since he doesn't like mushrooms or shallots it was the perfect opportunity to make this dish.  I whipped it up ahead of time and had enough leftovers to feed me all weekend, which freed up the time I would otherwise have spent cooking dinner so I could bake :) 



Not surprisingly, I loved the macaroni and cheese!  I rarely eat cheese and I hadn't tried Gruyere prior to using it to make our go-to recipe for the first time.  Now, I can't believe I was missing out for so long - it's such a fantastically nutty, creamy cheese and it works beautifully in this dish.  The mushrooms were a wonderful addition to the macaroni and cheese - one I wish I'd thought of before - and the quantity was right on.  As Annie noted, it will seem like a lot of mushrooms when you cut them up, but they cook down quite a bit so don't be concerned.  Ever since I made homemade macaroni and cheese for the first time, I've mostly given up the boxed variety and with so many variations out there to try, I imagine that won't change anytime soon!

Mushroom Herb Macaroni and Cheese
adapted from Brown Eyed Baker and Annie's Eats

1 pound (16 oz) elbow macaroni (or other small pasta)
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 pound baby bella mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
3 cups whole milk
6 ounces shredded Gruyere cheese
6 ounces shredded white cheddar cheese
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Butter a 9×13-inch baking dish and set aside.   Add the pasta to a large pot of boiling salted water and cook the pasta until it is al dente.  Drain the pasta in a colander then return to the pot. 
 
While the pasta is cooking, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and shallots to the pan and saute, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are tender and most of the liquid has evaporated from the pan, about 6-8 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds more, just until the garlic is fragrant.  Remove the pan from the heat and season the mushroom mixture with salt and pepper to taste.  Mix in the vinegar and then set the pan aside.

To make the sauce, melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  Once the butter has melted, add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is golden, about 1-2 minutes.  Stir in the herbs and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add the milk to the pan and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce comes to a simmer and thickens.  Once thickened, remove from the heat and add the shredded Gruyere and cheddar cheeses, whisking until they are completely melted and the sauce is smooth. 

Pour the sauce over the cooked pasta and stir to coat.  Add the mushroom mixture and mix to combine.  Transfer to the prepared baking pan.

Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter.  Pour the butter over the breadcrumbs and use a fork to coat the crumbs evenly.  Sprinkle the breadcrumbs evenly over the top of the pasta.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, until browned and bubbly.  Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

SMS: Pecan Shortbread Cookies

This week's SMS was chosen by Lara of The Lab: pecan shortbread cookies.  Or, as I like to call them, the cookies that would not look attractive in photos no matter how many times I tried :)  What they lacked in attractiveness, though, they more than made up for in ease of preparation.  The entire recipe can seriously be made in a food processor in about 5 minutes and the ingredient list is short, with pecans, butter and flour serving as the major players.



I feel like I say this every week, but once again, I scaled the recipe way back.  I bet I'd have to search my archives for quite a while to find an instance where I actually made the full SMS recipe.  With only two of us here, it rarely makes sense.  This week I made 1/4 of the recipe, which yielded 9 cookies.  I probably could have whipped up the dough in my mini prep had I thought about it but I didn't until I'd already dirtied the full size food processor.  Though the recipe didn't specifically instruct it, I pulsed the pecans in my food processor to chop them (instead of doing it by hand), then removed them to a bowl and proceeded with the rest of the recipe.  Given the small quantity of nuts I needed for 1/4 of the recipe it wouldn't have been a big deal to chop them by hand, but why dirty a knife and cutting board when I didn't have to? 



I'm not a huge fan of cookies with nuts (though I have had Mexican wedding cookies before which these reminded me of) and I'd rather save my calories for a different type of treat so I didn't try the cookies.  I gave them to my neighbor and she did tell me they were quite good though!  I can comment on the texture - this type of cookies tends to be crumbly by nature but these were even more so than other similar recipes I've tried; the edges of a few of my cookies fell off when I rolled them in the confectioners' sugar.  These probably aren't something I'd make again, unless they were specifically requested, but that doesn't speak to the recipe so much as my lack of passion for cookies with nuts, even if they are pretty finely ground.

Many thanks to Lara for hosting this week!  You can find the recipe on her blog or on page 84 of the Sweet Melissa Baking Book.

Homemade Puff Pastry

I had the house to myself for a few days last weekend and I took the opportunity to spend some time  in the kitchen, trying out a few recipes I'd been hoping to get to for a while - homemade puff pastry and homemade pasta.  We'll get to the puff pastry in a minute but just a brief thought on homemade pasta first.  I don't have a pasta roller and while I'd love to get one, I doubt I'd use it often enough to  justify the expense, and I really don't have the room to store it anyway.  Still, I've seen people have success with a rolling pin alone, so I figured I'd give it a shot.  The dough came together beautifully, but sadly despite my best efforts, I could not roll it thin enough.  The dough kept shrinking back as I worked it, so I let it rest but still no luck.  My noodles were thick, and when I boiled them, they got even thicker and a bit rubbery.  They were definitely not tasty.  I am determined to try again though, so if you have tips for making homemade pasta without a machine, please send them my way!
      



For as much as the pasta was a failure, the puff pastry was a huge success!  I think puff pastry is the perfect thing to keep in the freezer - you can make any number of elegant and wonderfully delicious dishes with it (both sweet and savory!) and most of them are really simple.  There are a few brands of frozen puff pastry readily available in the supermarket, and while I have absolutely no problem with using them, sometimes it's just fun (for me anyway) to try making my own.  I'm also cheap, and the store-bought brand of puff pastry made with butter is quite expensive so I hoped this recipe might save me some money.



This is a quick recipe for puff pastry and it really is quite doable.  The only tricky part is that the dough is a bit shaggy and rough, not really coming together into a smooth, satiny mass until the final turn (a turn is the process of rolling and folding the dough).  While I did not take step by step photos to demonstrate the turning process this time, you can find some here in my post on making homemade croissants.  There are only three turns required to make this dough yet you'd never know it from the end result.  I used my puff pastry to make upside-down mango tartlets earlier in the week and then I used the remaining dough to make these apple tarts yesterday.  Both times, the puff pastry baked up light and flaky and I also thought it had a lot more flavor than the supermarket brands I've tried in the past.  While I can't say I'll never use store-bought puff pastry again (sometimes shortcuts are necessary), this homemade version is definitely my preference and I'll likely be restocking my freezer with more in no time. 

I'm linking to a few recipes I've made in the past that utilize puff pastry if you're looking for ideas:      
Caramel Apple Turnovers 
Roasted Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart
Parisian Apple Tartlet

Homemade Puff Pastry
from The Art & Soul of Baking by Cindy Mushet

4 1/2 sticks (18 oz) cold unsalted butter
3 cups (15 oz) all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3 oz) very cold water
1 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar

Cut the butter into 3/4-inch cubes.  Transfer the cubes to the bowl of a stand mixer.  Add the flour and salt to the bowl also and use your hands to mix briefly, until the butter is coated with flour.  Put the bowl in the refrigerator to chill for 20 minutes.  Combine the water and vinegar in a measuring cup and chill this mixture in the fridge for 20 minutes as well. 

After 20 minutes, remove the mixer bowl from the fridge and attach to a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Mix on low speed for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.  You want the butter to break into smaller pieces of varying sizes (the largest about 1/2-inch square); be careful, however, not to over-mix - if the butter is too small, it will be unable to form flaky layers in your puff pastry.

With the mixer still on low speed, slowly add the water/vinegar mixture to the bowl, drizzling in different points around the bowl.  When the dough begins to come together in large chunks (within about 10 seconds), stop the mixer.  The dough will be slightly moist but it will not look smooth.  Turn the contents of the bowl onto a floured work surface.

Use your hands to shape the dough into a rough rectangle about 6 x 8 inches and 1 1/2 inches thick.  Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a 14 x 16-inch rectangle.  You can flour the dough a bit if necessary, but brush the excess flour away once you've finished rolling the dough out.  Fold the dough into thirds like a letter.   Start with a narrower side facing you and begin by folding the bottom third up.  Next, fold the top third down to complete the "turn." 

[Note: for more detailed step by step photos, please see this link to my recent post about homemade croissants.  There you can find photos depicting the process of completing a "turn" with your dough.  Please be aware, however, that the dough won't be as smooth here as it was for the croissants.  It may even look shaggy, but it will come together so don't be concerned.]

After you complete the first turn, roll your rolling pin across the top of the dough gently 1 or 2 times, just to fuse the dough.  Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  You'll want to repeat this process 2 more times - to create three turns total.  Continue to chill the dough for 30 minutes between turns.  Once you've completed all 3 turns, chill the dough (wrapped in plastic wrap) for at least 1 hour before using. 

The dough can be refrigerated for 2 days or frozen (double-wrapped in plastic wrap) for 4-6 weeks.  Thaw frozen dough overnight in the refrigerator. 

Makes 2 1/4 pounds of dough

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Buttercream

Last night I baked these cupcakes to celebrate a special occasion.  You see, three years ago today I did this:



I know it's cliche to say, but I really can't believe it's already been three years!!  It seems like just yesterday we were planning the wedding.  Happy Anniversary to my wonderful husband - hope we have many more!  I thought it would be fun today to share photos of our wedding cakes, since this is a food blog and all :)  We actually had three cakes - a traditional wedding cake, a groom's cake and a kransekake, which is a traditional Norwegian cake (you can read a bit more about it here on Wikipedia).  I wish I could remember what flavors the cakes were, but my memory fails me.  I'm sure chocolate was involved somewhere though!  I really wasn't a baker before our wedding, and for that I am grateful.  I probably would have convinced myself it'd be a great idea to make my own cake and for me personally, that would not have been wise, given my tendency to procrastinate...   
 

This photo was taken by Shane's cousin, Kieran - not only does he take amazing photos, but he designed my site!


Kieran's brother, Brian, generously made our kransekake and transported it to the wedding - on top of being a great baker, he builds custom bike frames!


Shane loves comic books and super heroes so this groom's cake fit him to a T

Thanks for taking a little jaunt down memory lane with me!  And now, on to the cupcakes!  These dark chocolate cupcakes have been on my to-do list for a while now and when I saw that there was also a recipe for an easy peanut butter buttercream, I knew they'd be a good choice for Shane.  Though we have a go-to chocolate and peanut butter cupcake combo, it never hurts to try another, right?



The cupcake recipe was developed by Cook's Illustrated as an alternative to a boxed mix - they hoped to make it almost as quick and easy but with a more rich chocolate flavor.  I'd say they were successful!  Once you melt the butter and chocolate, the recipe is as simple as whisking together the components - no mixer required.  The cupcakes bake beautifully, rising just enough to give them a small dome perfect for frosting.  The buttercream also comes together easily, though you'll probably want to use a stand mixer here if you hope to achieve light and fluffy frosting.  I thought the buttercream was delicious - not too buttery as they can sometimes be - and a perfect consistency for piping!  I sent the majority of the cupcakes to work with Shane today and his coworkers have been raving about them.  I can't say whether they're better than our go-to recipe yet though - I think a side by side comparison will be necessary (and soon)!

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes 
adapted from Cook's Illustrated

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup (1 1/2 oz) Dutch-processed cocoa
3/4 cup (3 3/4 oz) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs
3/4 cup (5 1/4 oz) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup (4 oz) Greek yogurt (or sour cream)

With a rack in the bottom third of the oven, preheat to 350 F.  Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

Place butter, chocolate and cocoa powder in a medium heatproof bowl.  Microwave in 30 second spurts on 50% power, stirring in between, until the butter and chocolate are melted and the mixture is smooth.  (Alternatively, you could do this step in a double boiler.)  Set the mixture aside to cool until just warm to the touch.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder.  Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl to combine, then add the sugar, vanilla and salt and continue whisking until fully incorporated.  Add the cooled chocolate mixture to the bowl and whisk to combine.  Sift one-third of the flour mixture into the bowl and whisk gently to combine.  Add the yogurt (or sour cream), whisk to combine and finally, sift the the rest of the flour mixture into the bowl and whisk until everything is well combined - the batter will be thick.

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin tins, filling each about 2/3 full.  Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes.  Cool the cupcakes in the pan on a cooling rack for about 15 minutes and then remove each cupcake from the pan and place directly on the rack to cool completely before frosting. 

Makes 12 cupcakes


Peanut Butter Buttercream
from Cook's Illustrated

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter (don't use old-fashioned or natural brand)
3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
pinch table salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon heavy cream

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the butter and peanut butter at medium-high speed until smooth, about 20 seconds.  Add the confectioners' sugar and salt and beat at medium-low speed until most of the sugar is moistened, about 45 seconds.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat at medium speed until mixture is fully combined, about 15 seconds.  Scrape the bowl again, then add vanilla and heavy cream, and beat at medium speed until incorporated, about 10 seconds.  Finally,  increase speed to medium-high and beat until the buttercream is light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, stopping to scrape down the bowl once or twice.

Makes 1 1/2 cups of frosting (will frost 12 cupcakes)

TWD: Coconut Tea Cake

In the past week I've had a string of unfortunate incidents which have resulted in either a huge mess or minor injury to myself.  For example, last week I dropped a gallon of milk as I was pulling it from the top shelf of the fridge.  It crashed to the floor, the cap flew off and milk splattered several feet in every direction.  That was fun to clean up :)  I've also dropped an open bag of popcorn kernels on my kitchen floor and spilled an entire container of powder in the bathroom.  I'm not usually such a klutz, I swear.  When I set out to make this week's Tuesdays with Dorie selection, coconut tea cake, Sunday night at about 10:30 pm (good things rarely happen when I start baking that late at night), I kept the streak alive by injuring myself within the first 10 minutes.  Despite shaking my can of coconut milk before opening it, I lifted the lid only to find that it was completely separated.  I grabbed a spoon in one hand to stir it up and something in me decided it would be a good idea to grab the sharp edge of the lid in the other hand to secure the can.  Ouch!  I wound up with a nice slice in my middle finger and while it wasn't terribly painful, I did have to find a way to stop the bleeding before I could continue with the cake.  This isn't the first time I've sliced my finger open (rewind to an incident with a mandoline a few months ago) so I've learned that if I wrap a paper towel around my finger and then a little sandwich bag, I can secure the contraption with a rubber band and continue on my way.  It's cumbersome, but it works!  Anyway, I hope this is the last in my string of accidents and that it'll be smooth sailing going forward...



This recipe makes a full size bundt cake and as usual, I scaled back.  I love when a recipe is easy to scale, and this one was a breeze!  No messy fractions or partial eggs necessary.  I made only 1/4 of the recipe and divided the batter among the tins of my mini bundt pan.  Dorie provided a lot of flavor variations this week to go along with the coconut and I went with orange, though I'd like to try lime another time too.  I also added the optional dark rum.  The batter includes shredded coconut and mine was both sweetened and toasted, which are the dark bits you can see in the cake in the photo below.  The quarter recipe yielded three mini bundts for me and my baking time was about 18 minutes.  I greased the pan well, but I still had a bit of trouble getting the bundts to release from the pan.  I did eventually get them out without incident (by gently prying them with a toothpick), but I'll be curious to hear if folks have trouble with the full size bundts. 



I topped one of my minis with some of the leftover raspberry sauce from the pavlova I made on Sunday and left the others plain.  I tried a bite of the cake on Monday morning and I wasn't all that impressed.  Though they were moist, the cakes were also dense.  The coconut flavor was pretty subtle and even the bits of shredded coconut didn't add much coconut flavor - they were more of a textural addition.  I went back to the cake on Monday evening and tried a second bite and wow, had it ever improved for me texturally!  It was still moist, but now instead of a dense cake, I found a fluffy one!  I'll definitely enjoy eating the remainder of that mini and I've tucked the other 2 in my freezer for another day.  Many thanks to Carmen of Carmen Cooks, who selected the coconut tea cake this week.  You can find the recipe on her blog or on page 194 of Baking: From My Home to Yours.