Recipe: Pineapple Curry

Posted on August 1, 2025 by Burnt My Fingers
Pineapple Curry with Duck

Pineapple Curry with Duck.

Pineapple Curry tastes exotic but it’s super easy to make with one of those fresh pineapples in markets these days. We used some leftover duck breasts from an earlier experiment, but pork or chicken or tofu would work as well. Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:
1 lb protein: duck breast or boneless chicken or pork or tofu sliced into bite size pieces
1 can (13.5 oz) Chaokoh coconut milk or equivalent*
3 T Red Curry Paste (Mae Ploy or Maesri brands)**
1 c fressh pineapple, cut into 1 inch cubes
½ c cherry tomatoes
½ c bell peppers, cut into 1 inch squares (optional)
Generous handful fresh basil, chopped

Method: if using duck, score the skin then place skin side down in a nonstick skillet over very low heat. As fat renders, slowly increase the heat until it is finally hot enough to crisp the skin. Flip the breasts and cook another 2 minutes for rare/medium rare. Then proceed with the recipe. (Save the duck fat for another use.)

Spoon out 3 T thick coconut cream into a skillet and heat till it liquifies*; if using raw protein sauté gently till cooked through along with optional bell pepper. Add red curry paste and the remainder of the coconut milk and stir to combine. Add pineapple, cherry tomatoes and duck if using and heat through. Stir in fresh basil and serve over rice.

*Chaokoh coconut milk is widely used in Thai kitchens. It separates in the can into fat and liquid. If you use another brand which is all liquid you will need to start with a little oil for sautéing and you may also need to cook down the sauce before adding pineapple and tomatoes.

**Our go-to is Maesri but we were out and found Mae Ploy Red Curry Paste at our local Walmart, of all places. It is less dense than Maesri so if using the latter consider starting with 2 T then adding to taste. You want a flavor profile with just a bit of heat.

Posted in Mains, Recipes | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Recipe: Saratoga Slaw

Posted on July 26, 2025 by Burnt My Fingers
Saratoga Slaw

Saratoga Slaw. A fellow taster detected thin slices of apple and I do think I see some in this serving, though it isn’t in the recipe.

The Cornell Cooperative Extension of Saratoga County held a 4-H fundraiser recently featuring Cornell chicken served with various sides including a thimbleful of slaw. Did you make the slaw here, we asked? Yes, everything is our recipe. A friendly AI produced the formula, which is a worthy vinegar-based mix. Saratoga Slaw deserves recognition as a regional food specialty, just like Saratoga Chips.

Ingredients:
6 c shredded cabbage
1 T Kosher salt for crisping cabbage (optional)
2 medium carrots, peeled and grated
4 scallions, thinly sliced*
1/3 c apple cider vinegar
1-2 T honey
2 t Dijon mustard
1 t celery seed
½ t Kosher salt
¼ t ground black pepper
¼ c olive oil

Method: work 1 T Kosher salt into the cabbage and let it sit 60 minutes in a colander; rinse and squeeze out liquid. This step is optional but will produce crisper slaw, so no reason not to do it.

Whisk together all dressing ingredients except oil till the solids are dissolved. Add oil and whisk a bit more to emulsify. Pour the dressing over the cabbage, carrots and scallions* in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate at least two hours before serving alongside Cornell Chicken or other grilled meat.

*There were no scallions in our takeout order, possibly a decision made by the cooks since not everyone loves alliums like we do.

Posted in Recipes, Sides | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Too hot to cook?

Posted on July 22, 2025 by Burnt My Fingers
Cornell Grilled Corn

Too hot to cook indoors? Head for the grill and make some Cornell Chicken with Cornell Grilled Corn.

Yep, the summers are getting hotter and our cooking interests wane as the temperature rises. Here are a few easy to prepare and mostly stove-free dishes we find ourselves repeating.

Cornell Chicken. This goes on the grill so it’s technically cooking, but there are a couple of features that make it easy. Unlike most marinated foods, it needs only an hour in its sauce; in fact, the food scientists at Cornell warn it should never marinate past two hours. Second, because of the low oil content of the marinade it’s less likely to burn on the grill. And this stuff is delicious: grab a jumbo pack of chicken thighs and see for yourself. Bonus feature: you can run farm-fresh corn on the cob through the marinade for Cornell Grilled Corn.

Tabbouleh

Tabbouleh

Tabbouleh. We’ve started making half portions of our recipe and seems like as soon as one tub is gone, we want another. A big bunch of Italian parsley is enough for three of these half size salads. One Roma tomato, seeded and chopped, is just the right amount for one. Fresh mint grows in abundance outside our kitchen. Easy, cool and refreshing.

Gazpacho. A flavorful and painless way to eat your vegetables. We nearly always have a beaker in our fridge these days. Resist the urge to gulp it down as soon as it is blended; the flavor will change (improve) dramatically after it sits a few hours.

Ultimate Gazpacho

Ultimate Gazpacho

Hot dogs with the works. Ball Park franks and buns have been on sale most of the summer at our local supermarket and we have succumbed to their siren song. We dress them one of two ways: with Stewarts-style meat sauce, hot relish, pickled onions, sauerkraut and stone ground mustard, or else with dirty water sauce, sauerkraut and yellow mustard. Pop a bun into the toaster oven, microwave the tube steak with the kraut and meat sauce for 90 seconds, and in under five minutes you have a mini feast.

Hot Dog Meat Sauce

A well dressed tube steak with hot dog meat sauce.

What’s cool to eat when it’s too hot to cook in your house? Suggestions appreciated!

Posted in Cooking, Eating | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Recipe: Snow’s BBQ Beans (sort of)

Posted on July 17, 2025 by Burnt My Fingers
Snows BBQ Beans

A nice cup of Snow’s BBQ beans, or as close as we can get without going to Lexington, TX.

There can never be an official recipe for Snow’s BBQ beans because Kerry Bexley says he improvises. Still, there are several things we know. He starts with generic pintos from Sam’s Club. He mixes in a salt/pepper combo which is probably the same as the rub he uses for brisket. His chili powder is Toné’s though another similar mild New Mexico style should work. He says he uses bacon ends for the fatty element, but it’s hard to imagine he would buy a separate product when so much pork and beef fatty trim is available from his smokers. Anyhow, our interpretation is in the ballpark and also delicious. Makes 8 cups, about 16 servings.

Ingredients:
1 lb dried pinto beans
6 c water
2 T mild chili powder (we use Toné’s)
1 ½ t Kosher salt
½ t ground black pepper
¼ to ½ c animal fat such as bacon ends, bacon fat, suet or BBQ trim

Method: rinse beans and remove any pebbles (recipes always say that but when was the last time you found a pebble in your dried beans?) and add to inner pot of Instant Pot along with 6 c water, chili powder, salt, pepper and fat. Pressure cook on high for 50 minutes followed by 15 minutes natural release. Taste for seasoning; Terry admits he has a heavy hand with the salt shaker and the finished product should be noticeably but not unpleasantly salty. Serve hot with smoked meats.

Don’t have an Instant Pot? Then soak the beans overnight and add seasoning in the morning along with plenty of water. Cook over low flame till tender but not falling apart, maybe 2 hours. Don’t throw out the pot likker; we think it’s as tasty as the beans themselves.

PPS. We don’t care what Texas Monthly says, Snow’s Barbecue is still the best we’ve found in Texas which means the best in the world. Snow’s BBQ beans are a wonderful side benefit because you can dip a cup for free with your order.

Posted in Sides | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Cookoff challenge: Aaron Franklin vs instant Pot

Posted on July 13, 2025 by Burnt My Fingers
Baby Back Ribs Plated

Aaron Franklin (left) vs Instant Pot (right) baby back ribs.

A rack of baby back ribs is a wily beast. It’s a thin cut that is easy to ruin, yet it needs a long time in the smoker for tenderness. On a previous outing we managed to char the outer edges of our baby back ribs. This time we were more diligent in following pitmaster Aaron Frankin’s advice.

We started with “St Louis Style” ribs which are pre-trimmed, something Aaron doesn’t like. But this avoids food waste in paying for product you don’t use, plus a St. Louis Style rack fits snugly in our 18 inch Weber Smoky Mountain/Bullet. We slathered on yellow mustard then dusted the surface with a 2:1 black pepper/salt blend. Two racks went on the top level of the Weber while the lower shelf remained empty; it was a waste of BBQ space but we were correct that the top rack would maintain the ~250 degree temp that is recommended for ribs. 4 hours of this, then the ribs were wrapped in aluminum foil and returned to the Weber for another 2-3 hours till the fire went out. So far so good.

Saucing Baby Back Ribs

It’s easy to tell the difference as the baby backs were slathered with sauce before a final run under the salamander.

All this time a third rack of ribs was slumbering in our fridge. Only when the smoke cycle on the first two was nearing its finish did we crack open the cryovac. We dusted with a rub (Salt Lick Dry Garlic, which was what we had on hand though any good rub would work) and fitted in an Instant Pot on a trivet with a cup of water, half a cup of cider vinegar and a healthy dash of liquid smoke. These went on the Meat setting for 24 minutes, followed by 10 minutes natural release.

In our picture you see the state of affairs as the meats prepare for their final outing, a journey under the broiler for a few minutes with a cider vinegar/BBQ sauce lathering. (We used our Texas sauce for both.) The Instant Pot rack was pale at the beginning but after a few minutes under fire they looked identical. More important, tenderness and taste were so close it was hard to tell one from the other. The Franklin ribs had a bit more smoky flavor but the difference was very very slight.

Baby Back Ribs Grilled

A few minutes later, the racks look (and, more important, taste) nearly identical.

We’re not saying Aaron Franklin needs to move over for a new sheriff in town. But the Instant Pot deserves a deputy badge at least. And we’re going to keep this option in mind for occasions when a rib craving strikes but we don’t have all day to hang around the smoker.

Posted in Cooking | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Recipe: Hot Dog Meat Sauce a la Stewart’s Shops

Posted on July 8, 2025 by Burnt My Fingers
Hot Dog Meat Sauce

A well dressed tube steak with hot dog meat sauce.

This hot dog meat sauce is so close to the product offered at Stewart’s Shops, we predict you could swap out the crockpot on the counter and regular customers would not notice any difference. After our earlier experiment we simplified, added paprika and included cornstarch as a thickening agent. Makes about 2 c, enough for a cookout’s worth of hot dogs.

Ingredients:
1 lb 80/20 ground beef
1 c canned tomato sauce
2 c water
2 T mild chili powder (we used Toné)
1 T paprika
¼ t cinnamon
½ t kosher salt
¼ c dried onions
½ t garlic powder
2 t cornstarch in 2 t water

Meat Sauce Comparison

Stewart’s hot dog meat sauce is on the left, ours on the right. Can you tell the difference?

Method: sear the meat without browning until fat renders and any redness disappears. Drain off some fat if you like and add tomato sauce, water and seasonings. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until most liquid evaporates and the sauce reduces to coat a spoon consistency, about 2 hours. Mix in cornstarch slurry and stir until sauce thickens somewhat. Serve hot as a hot dog condiment.

Posted in Condiments, Recipes | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Hacking Stewart’s Hot Dog Meat Sauce

Posted on July 4, 2025 by Burnt My Fingers
Hot Dog Meat Sauce

Service area for Stewart’s hot dog meat sauce. Notice the purpose-built tongs and holder to the right of the grill.

Stewart’s Shops festoon the northeast like ripe fruit on a raspberry bush. There are 6 of them in Saratoga Springs  (which is also Stewart’s home base) alone and another 4 on the outskirts. Stewarts (often thought of without the apostrophe or affectionately as Stewies) is like 7-11 or other convenience stores but with a number of quirks that create great affection among locals.

Stewarts Waste Lid

Every Stewie’s has a trash receptacle like this one, which looks like it was made out of formica and label maker in a high school shop class.

A favorite Stewart’s item for me is the Deli Dog. I wrote about this soon after I moved to Saratoga; the price has gone up and for some reason (probably a copyright issue) the name has been changed to Hot Dog but the product is the same. You can currently get two of them for $4 and will serve yourself from a roller cooker with tongs from a special hanger on the side, and place the tube steak on a bun which comes prepackaged atop the cooker or in a drawer underneath. (In modern they times have discontinued the practice of steaming vs grilling the dogs, and no longer warm the buns. Such is progress.) You can add condiments to your heart’s content: mustard, green or spicy red relish, sauerkraut, chopped onions, ketchup… and meat sauce.

A family member is fond of Stewart’s hot dog meat sauce, which is like chili but without the beans (which of course should never be in chili to begin with) and unlike the chili is free with your hot dog purchase. You can’t always be at Stewart’s when a hot dog urge strikes so we decided to hack Stewart’s meat sauce at home.

There are lots of hot dog meat sauces on Amazon, including Coney Island, Chicago and Detroit varieties, but we guessed the Stewart’s product was heavily influenced by the sauce on the “Michigan Dog” originated a hundred miles north of us in Plattsburgh, and ladled onto the mini-dogs served at various establishments in the Capital District. Hot Dog Charlie’s, based in Troy NY, sells Hot Dog Charlie’s Meat & Chili Sauce in a jar by mail order and at local supermarkets so we were able to suss out the ingredients by reading the label: Water, Beef, Dehydrated Onions, Soybean Oil, Paprika, Salt, Chili Powder (ground Chili Peppers), Spices, Citric Acid, Garlic.

We liked that there is more water than meat, which suggests a formula for an item with very low food cost. Using first-ingredient-is-water as a criterion we hunted around for “hot dog meat sauce” recipes online. The most promising was this on TikTok from doihavetocook for “Coney Island Hot Dog Sauce” so we cooked it up. The ingredients:

1 lb ground beef (we used 85/15 mix)
2 c water
¼ c tomato paste
1 T minced dried onions
2 T mild chili powder (we used Toné)
½ t garlic powder
½ t Kosher salt
¼ t ground mustard
¼ t ground allspice
¼ t cinnamon
1/8 t cayenne pepper
1/8 t ground cumin

Method: sear meat in a saucepan, crumbling with a spoon, over medium heat to render fat without browning the meat. Drain off fat and add all other ingredients. Simmer for 2 hours or more till the sauce is reduced to the thickness of a pasta sauce that coats a spoon without dripping off. Serve warm over your favorite cooked wiener.

Deli Dog Comparison

Our hot dog with hacked meat sauce in on the top, a Stewart’s dog on the bottom. Notice their sauce is more viscous and spreads more evenly vs clumping.

Verdict: this was the same consistency as Stewart’s meat sauce but much more interesting flavor-wise thanks to the warm spices. For a more authentic Stewart’s hot dog meat sauce hack, next time we plan to eliminate the allspice and cumin (cinnamon stays because we like it in chili; unsure about the tiny amount of mustard) and substitute 1 T paprika for one of the T of chili powder. Other things we might consider:
Using canned tomato sauce or puree instead of tomato paste
Thickening/stretching the sauce with flour, cornstarch or corn flour
Adding some brown sugar (a variation since Stewart’s sauce is not sweet)
Perking it up with some cider vinegar (again, a flavor note missing in Stewart’s meat sauce).

Did we nail it in the second test? Stay tuned to find out in our next post. And happy 4th to those who celebrate!

Posted in Eating | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Cornell Grilled Corn

Posted on June 27, 2025 by Burnt My Fingers
Cornell Grilled Corn

Cornell Grilled Corn.

You’ve just grilled off a brace of quarters or halves of Cornell Chicken. Now you’re going to do the same with some ears of sweet corn at its summer peak. Soaking the ears first to keep them moist is not a bad idea, nor is a sprinkle of chili lime seasoning. But how about this:

The bowl you used to marinate the chicken is right there next to the grill , and there’s plenty of juice remaining. So why not give each ear a bath in it before hitting the grill? The vinegar mixed with oil provides really nice flavor and the egg in the marinade helps seal it in. And no worries, the heat of the grill should lingering any food safety concerns. (Which you probably don’t have if you’re a regular reader of this blog and enjoy ake or raw foods in general.) Dig in and enjoy your Cornell grilled corn!

Posted in Eating | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Mid-century musings, or ruminating about rumaki.

Posted on June 20, 2025 by Burnt My Fingers
Rumaki

Rumaki, a mid century favorite.

There is nostalgia in America for “mid century” culture evoking a time when suburban moderns congregated in verdant back yards to get seriously drunk, flirt with their neighbors’ spouses, and eat rumaki. Those times are not coming back. Reason one: today’s rising potential suburban homeowners would find such a lifestyle out of reach financially. Reason two: bacon.

I have been fiddling with foods wrapped in bacon and broiled. Last week we tried scallops with a dash of lemon juice. Today it was rumaki: chicken livers and water chestnuts marinated in a soy/sugar/ginger sauce then wrapped in bacon before hitting the oven. Angels on horseback (oysters wrapped in bacon) and devils on horseback (dates stuffed with cream cheese and ditto) are tempting but I’m throwing in the Hula Hoop because the bacon I’ve used falls apart.

Notice how the bacon in the photo of a Trader Vic’s pu pu platter is meaty and thick compared to today’s thinner, stringier rashers even in premium brands. (Not shown: little crunchy nodules from dead trichinosis parasites which were ubiquitous in those gentler times.) The rumaki in my feature photo tasted fine and the bacon was crisp but Instagram is not going to come knocking at my door.

Trader Vic Rumaki

Trader Vic rumaki with improbably pink yet crisp bacon.

I’m now turning the page to more successful uses of bacon, like fried up crisp and served with eggs and pancakes or hash browns. If you’d prefer to linger in the 1950s, here is a history of Trader Vic’s pu pu platter with its faux Polynesian roots and husband-pleasing (yours, and someone else’s if you are a suburban wife with a roving eye) flavors. And here is an account of an early-aughts party in the deep south that successfully recreated the steamy decadence of mid-century. Bottoms up!

P.S. Except visually, my rumaki was a success. Here’s what I did and what I would do differently next time.

Ingredients:
½ lb chicken livers
12 water chestnuts (from a 6 oz can)
6 slices bacon, each cut in half crosswise
¼ c light soy sauce
2 t grated ginger
2 T dark brown sugar

Method: trim connective tissue and any yellow bits from the livers and marinate an hour or so in a mix of soy/ginger/dissolved ground sugar. (Online recipes say to marinate the water chestnuts too but why? The soy sauce won’t penetrate and will only discolor them.) Assemble 12 rumaki with a half slice of bacon, a portion of liver and a water chestnut on top for each then fold together and secure with a toothpick. (This part was a mess and must have been the bane of mid-century prep cooks. Whole livers are too large but they are slippery and you have to slice through a lot of strange tissue to create smaller pieces, and the water chestnuts are also too big and tend to pop out and shoot across the room. Experiment with smaller chicken liver pieces and sections of water chestnut. Good luck!)

Secure each rumaki with a toothpick (some recipes advise soaking in water but this makes the toothpicks collapse when you try to penetrate the water chestnut) and broil until bacon is crisp but chicken livers are still pink in the middle, about 20 minutes. Serve warm with other appetizers.

PPS. If you want to get in the midcentury mood with  tales of suburban infidelity, try some John D. MacDonald books. He’s best known for the Travis McGee mystery series but his other bus station paperbacks are full of sultry bedroom stuff.

Posted in Eating, Something Else | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Recipe: Copycat Durkee’s Famous Sauce

Posted on June 15, 2025 by Burnt My Fingers
Copycat Durkees Famous Sauce

Looks like Durkee’s oozing out of this turkey sandwich but it’s really Copycat Durkee’s Famous Sauce.

Copycat Durkee’s Famous Sauce was the runaway winner in our taste test. It is so close in taste and texture to the original that we really can’t tell the difference. We used distilled (white) vinegar because that’s what is on the Durkee’s label, but if you want to get it closer to the yellowish cast of authentic Durkee’s Famous Sauce consider using cider vinegar instead. Makes about 1 ½ c.

½ c cold water
¼ c cornstarch
½ c plus 2 T distilled vineger
2 T Kosher salt
½ c white sugar
1 egg
¼ c French’s prepared mustard (the stuff in the yellow plastic bottle)
¼ c neutral oil

Copycat Durkees Famous Sauce

Texture and thickness same as original Durkee’s: very important.

Method: add all ingredients to a blender or mini-chop. Blend on high speed until cornstarch is fully absorbed and sugar and salt are dissolved, a minute or more. Transfer to top of double boiler and cook over gently boiling water, stirring often for 12 to 15 minutes or until thickened and smooth. Cool before using. I expect this will keep quite a while in the fridge, just like the original.

11/25 update: our Copycat Durkee’s Famous Sauce is still in our fridge 5 months later and will be used for our Thanksgiving leftovers sandwiches. Looks and tastes the same as when we made it; there’s a very slight separation of liquid but easy to stir that back in.

Posted in Condiments, Eating, Recipes | Tagged , , | 26 Comments