Would you like a Bib with your Pierogi? AND – The Ice Cream Maker Winner!

August 14, 2010 at 2:31 pm | Posted in Appetizers, Daring Cooks, Dinner, Giveaway, Lunch, Pasta, Seafood, Vegetables | 55 Comments
Tags: Corn, Corn Puree, Daring Cooks, Lobster, Lobster Pierogi, Pierogi, Potatoes

Have you ever had a piece of kitchen equipment, whether it be a gadget, something electric..some pans etc.. just sitting around gathering dust because you never use them?  You hold on to them anyway because who knows, you might need it one day, right?   Welllll, I had a box of plastic pierogi sealer/crimpers taking up room for years.  I never used them, and frankly, never thought I’d ever be making pierogi from scratch, so after letting this box take up room for way too long, and since I couldn’t even give them away, I trashed them a few weeks ago.  Whaddya know, this month the Daring Cooks are challenging us to make pierogis!  #$%^!!!

Oh, I had no idea how much I’d need these pierogi sealer/crimper doodads.   I truly thought I could easily make a beautiful crimp, not unlike some of my pie crusts – no dice.  I thought I could easily fold and crimp these pierogis without tearing – no dice.  OH, how much time I would have saved with those plastic pierogi sealer/crimpers and how much dough wouldn’t have been wasted!  I’m a sucky pierogi sealer.  Once again #$%^!

Alright, enough bitching – they’re gone, I need to make pierogis, and well, I do a pretty good job with asian dumplings, so this shouldn’t be difficult.  HA!  OK, I’m starting to bitch again..so it’s time to get to the good, as in my amazingly delicious pierogis.  Aesthetics aside, they really ARE that good. However, please excuse the sloppy plating and over browned pierogi.  Not loving this entry at all.  You can’t even make out the beautiful corn puree around the plate underneath my sad,artificial lighting (it looks like a yellow ring of who the eff knows?).  UGH.

The August 2010 Daring Cooks’ Challenge was hosted by LizG of Bits n’ Bites and Anula of Anula’s Kitchen. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make pierogi from scratch and an optional challenge to provide one filling that best represents their locale.

I knew I wanted to do some kind of seafood pierogi from the minute I saw what the challenge was.  I recalled a recipe for lobster pierogi by Micheal Symon that I had filed away somewhere.  Once I looked at his recipe, it all came together instantly.  I could take this lobster pierogi filling and give it a ‘clambake’ theme, minus the clams, of course.. lobster>clams, at least for me.  If you’ve ever been to a clambake, whether it be on the beach, at the pool, or in someone’s kitchen, a huge steam pot is partially filled with sea water and seaweed, and topped with potatoes, corn, clams, and sometimes lobsters and other seafood – then steamed over a fire and dumped on a paper covered table for all to gorge – not caring about the seagulls trying to pilfer a claw from your hand, the sand in your bathing suit, and the wind blowing more sand into your scalp and eyes.  Sometimes it’s just a lobsterbake, so that’s what we’ll think of when it comes to my pierogis..a froo froo lobster bake, but with a down home, old country feel and taste.  I know lobstah is usually associated with New England, particularly Maine, but we have clam and lobster bakes here in the NY-NJ area too, so I’m standing put and making this represent! 😀

You can enjoy them just boiled, like above, but a good sear in melted butter, after boiling, with caramelized onions (or sauteed shallots, for these), is the way to go.

Before I go on, I want to inject some of that ‘old country’ into this entry.  Being of Russian descent (along with several other international bits and pieces – I’m sort of a mutt), I grew up being able to sample some of the best pierogi and varenyky from scratch.  I never even considered making them myself because I honestly felt there was no way I could duplicate those – and I was spoiled.  I stuck with frozen pierogis doctored up with fried onions and sour cream, and that was good enough to satiate my pierogi cravings (Yes, it is a Mrs. and it does start with the letter before U and after S)).

I had a glimmer of hope when a lovely lady from Poland (you can see her in my DB  pizza entry – the blonde lady tossing the pizza dough), a recreational director/kitchen goddess at the rehab facility I stayed at for my knee, told me she would teach me the magic of pierogi whenever I wanted.  Unfortunately, I was released before that happened (my insurance ran out), and wasn’t thinking about pierogi upon my return home – since I had to basically focus on getting my knee in working order.  I thought of her when this challenge was announced, but so much time has passed, I decided to teach myself, which I’ve pretty much done my whole life when it comes to cooking and baking, anyway.

SO, here’s my take on this pierogi challenge.  Using a filling recipe from Michael Symon via Food & Wine  (I used the Russian dough from the challenge, although Symon’s dough is awesome), taking a few of my own liberties, I cut up 8 ounces fresh, steamed lobster – the recipe called for only 4, and used a purple potato along with a yukon gold for the filling.  Bad idea, but in retrospect, it seemed like a good idea at the time.  I had no clue that in lieu of a beautiful lavender, buttery, creamy potato-lobster filling, I would end up with a gray buttery, creamy lobster filling.  I suppose the yellow of the yukon gold with the purple doesn’t quite make for lavender.  However, after boiling the pierogi, as you can see in the photo above, the grayish hue disappeared, and the potato filling was almost white upon cutting.  Any scientists out there care to explain?

Having said all that, instead of adding corn to the potato-lobster filling, inspired by a recipe in Art Culinaire by Charlie Trotter, I decided to make a corn puree/sauce for my lobsterbake pierogi, and serve it along side and on the plate, topping it all off with some shallots sauteed in clarified butter and  butter poached pieces of lobster.  I must say, LOVED it.  Rich, fattening, comfort food in Loboutin heels.

If you’d like the Daring Cooks recipe for Pierogi, click HERE.  To see some  delicious looking and creative takes on pierogi, click on the links to the blogs, HERE.

FINALLY, time to announce the winner of the Hamilton Beach  1.5 QT ice cream maker.  I REALLY wish I could give everyone who commented an ice cream maker – but keep ehecking back as there will be more giveaways to come!  For this one, Random Integer.org decided that Charlene gets the ice cream maker!  Congratulations, Charlene – the peaches and gingersnap ice cream sounds awesome!  I’ll ship it out to you as soon as I get your address.  Just reply to my email with your info. 🙂

NOTE:  A few people entered after I already generated and posted the winner, so it was 89  people at the time.  For those who missed it by a nano second or more, keep checking back as there will be more giveaways to come!

Lobster Pierogi  adapted from Michael Symon via Food & Wine – with a few changes by me
DOUGH:
1/2 cup sour cream
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon minced chives
Freshly ground pepper
2 cups all-purpose flour

FILLING:
1 4 oz Yukon gold potato
1 4 oz purple potato
2 tablespoons half-and-half or heavy cream
6-8 ounces cooked lobster meat, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
Salt

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a medium bowl, combine the sour cream with 4 tablespoons of the butter, the egg, the chives and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Using your hands, work in the flour. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Shape the dough into two 6-inch disks, wrap in plastic and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, boil the potato in water to cover until tender, about 20 minutes; drain. Peel and press through a ricer or sieve into a medium bowl. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and the half-and-half, then add the lobster meat. Season with salt and pepper and let cool completely. 

3. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out 1 piece of the dough to a 15-inch ( I prefer the dough a tad thicker, so I rolled it to a 12 inch round) round about 1/8 inch thick. Using a 3-inch biscuit cutter or a glass, cut out 12 to 15 rounds. Brush each round lightly with water and spoon 1 scant tablespoon of the lobster filling in the center. Fold the dough over the filling to form half moons, pressing out the air; press and crimp the edges to seal. Arrange the finished pierogi so they don”t touch on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.

4.  Drop pierogis in boiling, salted water and cook until they float to the top.  If frozen, let cook a little more after rising to top.

Make Ahead
The pierogi can be refrigerated overnight or frozen for up to 1 month; do not thaw before cooking.

Corn Puree  adaption of a Charlie Trotter recipe, with changes by me (I never can just leave things alone lol)

Corn Stock
3 stripped cobs of corn, kernels reserved
1 quart of cold water

Corn Puree
1 tablespoon clarified butter or olive oil
3/4 cup fresh corn kernels
1 clove garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
2 tabelspoos white wine
1 1/2 cups corn stock (ingredients and directions above and below)
1 teaspoon ground cumin (optional – I didn’t use it)
2 more tablespoons clarified butter (you can use unsalted melted butter if you’d like)
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS FOR CORN STOCK:
1.  In a large saucepan over high heat, bring the cobs and water to a rolling boil.  Reduce the heat, cover with a round of parchment paper.  Maintain a simmer for one hour.

2. Strain through a fine mesh sieve, then return to saucepan.  Simmer stock over medium heat until reduced to 1 1/2 cups.

3. Remove from heat, set aside to cool to room temperature.  Reserve until ready to use.

DIRECTIONS FOR CORN PUREE/SAUCE:
1. In a small saute pan, heat clarified butter or olive over medium heat.  Add the corn kernels, garlic and shallots and saute unti soft, about 45 seconds.  Deglaze the pan with white wine and simmer until dry.

2. Transfer mixture to blender and add 1/2 cup of the corn stock.  Puree until smooth, then strain through a fine mesh sieve and set aside to cool to room temperature.

3.  Season corn puree well, then add in 3/4 cup of corn stock and cumin – if using. Using a hand held immersion blender, puree, drizzling in 2 tablespoons of clarified butter, until light, foamy and slightly creamy.  Add some or all of the remaining 1/4 cup corn stock for desired consistency.  I poured the puree into a squeeze bottle for easier plating, but you can spoon it around the plate or just serve along side.  Pairs well as an accoutrement to so many other dishes, savory AND sweet!

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