Mise En Place, Again
Last July an article explained my new favorite French term, “mise en place.”
It means putting in place or gathering, which is exactly the point I wanted to get across. Multitasking has always been a characteristic of mine. Maybe being younger and staying at home with three children allowed me to get away with letting this become a major habit.
But long ago, trying to do more than one thing at a time caught up with me.
I’ve become scattered. Mise en place is the rule I need for my whole life. Repeating to myself the rules of getting things done quickly and professionally doesn’t work for me any more. I have to see it written down in proper order. I am not an auditory learner. That’s why I ask Boo to put trips and appointments on the calendar - again and again.
CHEESEBURGER WITH A FORK
Bisquick stands in for the bun. The burger patty is left in its loose form, the cheese is sprinkled on top.
INGREDIENTS
-Cooking spray
-1 lb lean ground beef
-1 large onion, chopped
-1 cup milk
-1/2 cup Bisquick mix
-2 large eggs
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 cup shredded cheese
INSTRUCTIONS
-Mise en place.
-Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
-Spray 9-inch pie pan with cooking spray.
-Cook beef and onion in a nonstick skillet over medium heat.
-Stir occasionally until beef is browned and fairly crumbled, 8 to 10 minutes.
-Meanwhile, whisk milk, Bisquick, and eggs together in a small bowl.
-Transfer beef and onions to the prepared pie pan.
-Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.
-Pour Bisquick mixture on top.
-Bake until knife inserted in middle comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
Discovering this recipe made me wonder, “Why not just make a hamburger?” Because young children can eat this casserole without the disintegration of a hamburger. This recipe is good without mayo, which lowers the fat content. The eggs add protein. My main reason for using this method is the non-disintegrating of a hand held hamburger. This is the equivalent of Billie’s Hot Dog Salad. Add a goodly amount of chopped romaine in a deep salad bowl, cover with a ladle of this cheeseburger, and use your fork. Let me tell you that the slightly wilted romaine is delicious. No bread crumbs on the table. No mayo stains on your tablecloth. No dribbles down your chin. Nobody complaining “Not sandwiches again!”
This is one recipe I would like someone to share their thoughts with me. Eating with a fork makes eating more like a real meal. Serve a salad as your side dish, because I know my hamburger salad idea is not for everyone. My cousin mentioned pasta, but it changes the whole chemistry of Cheeseburger with a Fork.
MISE EN PLACE, AGAIN
Not only do I love the term and that it’s French, there are rules for mise en place that help home cooks and chefs. These rules are what I’ve been gathering for years and sharing with you. This is necessary to have a quality product every time. Professional kitchens use these basic rules.
Rule 1 - Read your recipe ahead of time.
Read it carefully, and then read it again.
Rule 2 - Make sure oven is on and preheating.
Rule 3 -Gather your ingredients all in place and measured into small bowls.
Rule 4 - Have all pots, pans, baking dishes in place and prepared to use.
Rule 5 - Read your recipe again.
I added Rule 5 because I love you all.
Sunday I ignored the “mise en place rules” and experienced a misadventure.
Sunday morning at 7:30 we headed to Mississippi with Nikky and Gerrod knowing we would have a good day. Our neighbors were coming over for Treager Treats. Boo and Gerrod gathered meats of all kinds. Ribeyes to be cut in strips, chicken wings, a calf tongue (one of my favorites), bacon-wrapped chicken breast, and bacon-wrapped asparagus, to name the ones I remember.
Appetizers included hummus, fresh garden tomatoes, a fresh fruit tray prepared by Nicky, handheld watermelon wedges cut by Steve, cheese tray with crackers, and more.
I had everything ready for desserts, NOT “mise en place” but “in the house.”The strawberry cake that was introduced to you a few weeks ago, Duncan Hines Perfectly Moist Strawberry Supreme Cake Mix and a can of Pillsbury Creamy Supreme Strawberry Frosting with fresh strawberries between layers, was appealing. All went wrong when I started the crockpot chocolate cake, a cake I have made more than a dozen times. The Betty Crocker Triple Chocolate cake mix with ingredients is the first layer. Instant chocolate pudding made with milk is the middle. Chocolate chips sprinkled across is the top layer. When I opened my phone to look at the recipe AGAIN, I realized the cake mix and pudding mix were in the same bowl. What now? I put all ingredients except the chocolate chips into the crockpot and topped the mixture with the chocolate chips. The strawberry cake was only slightly dry after being in the oven a few minutes too long because I was struggling with the crockpot disaster. Following mise en place rules would have avoided that.
All appetizers and the strawberry cake were brought to the downstairs screen porch and the feasting began. The crockpot cake, forgotten upstairs, was overdone as well as over mixed. After the neighbors went home and the clean up was finished, we tried the very solid chocolate cake with ice cream. It was certainly not a success. The dessert is meant to finish still slightly in layers. It’s not a pudding and not a cake.
It was a great afternoon. My neighbors were not introduced to the crockpot catastrophe.
I’m adding another rule to the long “Mise en place” list.
Rule 6 - Compose a menu. Write it on paper and have it available until dessert has been eaten.
P.S. That easy-to-make strawberry cake is a real keeper, especially with fresh strawberries.
Jusqu’a la semaine prochaine!