Wash and quarter mushrooms. Tip 1: We prefer to slice the bottom of the stem off. You can also remove the stem.
Tip 2: You can slice the mushrooms and they will cook slightly faster, or leave them whole and they will take more time.
Cook in Actifry for 10 minutes
Add remaining ingredients: butter, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, wine, and oil
We’ve been craving beef braciole and the local go-to restaurant hasn’t had it on special in a long time. easier4.me never made braciole before, but figured it was a perfect application for sous-vide.
This braciole came out amazing and will be a regular dish from now on.
After about 5 minutes of ad-hoc internet searches and a call to Chef Joe we got to work. We asked Chef Joe for any pointers and specifically if eggs belonged in the braciole. His response was “no eggs, the simpler the better; throw some prosciutto in there.”
When Chef Joe sliced into it he asked right away if it was butterflied. It wasn’t, just pounded. I told him I had only looked at a couple ideas on stuffing and not how to prep the steak, but thought it seemed a bit thick. Regardless I didn’t have a knife that might butterfly it easily. Chef Joe reached into a drawer and presented us with a 14″ slicing knife for future use. Because it was cooked sous-vide, the thickness did not affect the taste or tenderness at all.
Yield: 2 beef braciole (enough for 2-6 adults, depending on appetite!)
Ingredients
(2) 2 pound flank steaks
1 Tbsp. olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1.5 cups grated parmesan / asiago blended cheese
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp. dried parsley
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1.5 quarts tomato sauce, divided
4 slices prosciutto di Parma
1 pound pasta
Instructions:
Heat sous-vide bath to 131 F Tip: User preference for doneness of beef. Next time we might go down a degree or two.
Put chopped garlic and olive oil in small pan and turn to medium-high heat
When garlic starts to sizzle, cook for 2 min stirring regularly
Set aside
In a mixing bowl combine breadcrumbs, cheese, dried parsley, fresh parsley, salt, pepper, and garlic
Mix well Tip: You can divide at this point if it helps you to evenly distribute
Pound one side of the flank steak to tenderize
Flip
Pound reverse side of flank steak
Repeat for second steak
Spray with olive oil
Sear with torch Tip: A torch works best, but a screaming hot pan would also do the trick. Because it is not very thick you do not want to end up cooking the steak through. If you are going to use your broiler, it may be better to either just do one side (the outside) or to brown it after it is rolled.
Flip, repeat with second side
Repeat for second steak
Lay steak out
Pat the top dry
Tenderize one side Tip: The steak will shrink during the searing process, we still had the tenderizer out and figured a quick touch up couldn’t hurt. It seemed to help with the elasticity for the next step.
Stretch the steak out
Lightly salt and pepper the side facing you
Apply a thick coat of stuffing to the steak, approximately the thickness of a pencil
Lay prosciutto on top of stuffing
Roll the steak tightly, ending with the flap under the steak so it does not unroll
Tie with 3-5 pieces of twine Tip: The ties do not need to be super tight, if they are snug it will keep the shape just fine. You do not absolutely have to tie it up but it will come apart when you cut it if you don’t. See images / video below for untied.
Repeat for second steak
Put steaks in vacuum bag Tip: We divided into two vacuum bags because we attempted one braciole not tied. Dividing would also be useful if you plan to save one for later.
Add tomato sauce
Seal on moist Tip: When sealing with a liquid it helps to elevate the vacuum sealer and be ready to manually hit the seal button. When cooking alone, an easy way to do this is by resting the bag in a drawer below the counter. Another option would be having a second person hold the bag below while you operate the sealer
Cook 16 hours Tip: If your braciole are suspended vertically in the bath, you can flip the bags one or more times during the process.
Transfer to a pot or pan large enough for the braciole to lay flat
Start your pasta
Put braciole on stove until the sauce begins to steam
Sous vide is a great way to cook burgers, especially huge ones. It is also perfect for cooking a burger stuffed with something else. Today we sous vide an 8-ounce burger filled with aged cheddar.
We learned this time around to check the melting point of the cheese. In this example, the cheese softened but did not melt. Next time we’ll use different cheese to see what happens!
Press a little more firmly around the perimeter to ensure contact between the two patties
Optional – Get a strip of plastic wrap about 2 inches wide Tip: We like to get a 4 inch section and fold it in half
Optional – Wrap around edges of burger Tip: This aged cheddar doesn’t melt at 134 for 1 hour, so the wrap is not necessary. For other cheeses it may be useful to prevent leakage.
Season with salt and pepper
Seal in vacuum bag on moist setting
Cook for 1 hour in sous vide bath
Heat grill or pan to medium high heat
Remove from sous vide
Remove plastic wrap
Sear 1st side 15 seconds
Flip
Add American cheese
Sear for 15 seconds or until cheese melted to your taste
They are delicious and versatile serving as the star in many other dishes and good for days after the original meal.
Ingredients:
3-4 chicken breasts
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. milk
1 cup Progresso Italian Breadcrumbs http://amzn.to/2rfChTf
or
1 cup Progresso Italian Panko Breadcrumbs http://amzn.to/2DfwzT2 Tip: Use Italian breadcrumbs without dried cheese. Progresso is the go-to here at easier4.me.
or make them gluten-free
1 cup gluten-free breadcrumbs (recipe: http://bit.ly/2pYHnTf)
1/2 cup olive oil
Instructions:
Cut chicken
Cut off 1/3 pointy end
Butterfly remaining 2/3 section
Pound chicken Tip: Optional, but highly recommended for best results!
Heat oven to 225 F
Heat oil in large frying pan or electric skillet to medium-high ~ 335 F, at least 1/8″ oil coating entire surface
Combine eggs and milk, mix well Tip: Blend if you have time
Coat chicken with egg mixture Tip: You can coat them one at a time or coat them all in a large bowl
Coat each side of chicken with breadcrumb mixture
Add to pan trying to leave at least 3/4″ between pieces
Flip when you can see the outer edges beginning to turn whitish and the bottom is golden brown. Tip: Wait a few seconds between picking up the cutlet and putting it back down to let oil distribute below it
Cook until internal temp hits 165
Place on paper towel lined plate, uncoated paper plate, or perforated drying rack
You can pretty it up a million ways, but American cheese + white bread is timeless.
easier4.me enjoyed this grilled cheese with a Burlington Beer Wizard and Thomas Hooker No Filter.
We aren’t sure where this great crusty dense white bread is from but it was on the rack with star bread from Balboni’s so we’ll speculate they should get credit!
Did you know you can reheat grilled cheese and it is almost as delicious as the original meal? Scroll to the bottom for instructions.
Ingredients:
Dense white bread
3 thick slices Land of Lakes or Hilldale American Cheese
Tip: These two brands are our favorite plain white American cheese and have similar flavor profiles to our palate.
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
Salt (in a grinder)
Instructions:
Melt butter
Paint butter on outside of two pieces of bread
Create a double layer of cheese between the pieces of bread Tip 1: It will generally take 2-3 slices for average sandwich sized bread.
Tip 2: Don’t be afraid to break up that cheese into small pieces to cover the entire surface!
Heat griddle or pan to medium / medium low heat Tip: Put a weight on top of the sandwich during cooking. We suggest a ramekin, small glass bowl, or even a coffee mug.
Cook until bottom side golden light brown with some spots beginning to turn brown. Tip: Your cooking surface will determine the time.
Flip
Cook until other side is golden light brown with some spots beginning to turn brown.
Test for doneness by trying to pick up the top piece of bread. If it is stuck to the bottom you are done. If it peels up but cheese is stringing or dripping from the top it is done. If there is still a large section of un-melted cheese, go to step 7.
If both sides are golden and the cheese isn’t cooked, make sure the heat is on medium low.
Cook on each side 15 additional seconds until the tests from step 6 are successful.
One crank of salt on each side of the sandwich Tip 1: You just want a very light sprinkling.
Tip 2: A pinch of popcorn salt also works well!
Add buffalo chicken bites seasoning mix to breadcrumbs in a bowl, mix well Tip: For more consistent bites divide your mix in two and add new mix as you go along. Otherwise the mix will tend to pick up flavor from the marinade and get more flavorful as the quantity of breadcrumb mix becomes less.
Combine Frank’s RedHot, Worcestershire sauce, and olive oil in large bowl to create marinade Tip: Worcestershire sauce can be substituted by gluten-free soy sauce, or more Frank’s RedHot sauce.
Cover a baking sheet or oven safe container with foil or parchment paper
Lightly oil the baking sheet with olive oil Not required if using parchment paper
Cut chicken into bite sized pieces
Toss chicken in marinade until all fully coated
Bread each piece of chicken
Place pieces on the baking sheet leaving space between the bites Tip 1: The less space you leave, the less crispy your bites will turn out. You are better off using multiple sheets.
Spray chicken lightly with olive oil Tip: Less is more. Too much oil will result in soggy or gummy bites.
Bake @ 425 F for 9 minutes
Remove from oven
Spray again lightly with olive oil
Flip each bite
Spray again lightly with olive oil
Turn pan around 180 degrees and return to oven
Bake @ 425 for 5 additional minutes, internal temperature should be 170 or above Tip: Measure the temperature a few of the largest nuggets, internal temperature can vary widely!
Serve with blue cheese dressing, accompany with carrot and celery sticks if desired
Buffalo chicken bites is a go-to favorite for family dinners and sharing with friends. At easier4.me we make the seasoning mix in advance. A good thing about having the pre-made mix is the ability to use more or less to taste without having to adjust all the ingredients individually.
Yield: 40 tsp (use 1 tsp per breast in nugget recipe)
