Showing posts with label Diner food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Diner food. Show all posts
One thing which is done really well in North America is the North American Diner. These, usually roadside eating establishments are well known for serving up good, honest, simple and delicious fare!
With excellent service, great food, reasonable prices, brilliant conversation and great coffee, they are a mecca for anyone who wants to enjoy a really delicious meal in a comfortable atmosphere that won't break the budget.
This recipe I am sharing with you today was adapted from one I found in The American Diner Cookbook. I cut the recipe in half to make a small batch Mississippi Mud Cake, which is a very popular dessert and not just in diners!
Mississippi Mud Cake is a delicious dessert cake with a chocolate fudgy brownie bottom, topped with a marshmallow topping and a fudgy chocolate icing. It is called mud cake because of the fudginess of the chocolate cake bottom, and the gooey marshmallow and fudge frosting. Almost mud like. It is said to have been invented in the southern American states.
It is a delicious meshing together of brownies, cake, and s'mores. Ooey, gooey, chocolatey, fudgy, deliciousness that is impossible to resist.
Very easy to make this cake always goes down a real treat. Whether you choose to enjoy it with a cold glass of milk or a hot cup of java, this is one cake that nobody will be turning down a piece of! It's a real chocolate dessert treat! Family friendly and very simple to make.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE MISSISSIPPI MUD CAKE (SMALL BATCH)
A few simple store cupboard baking ingredients. There is nothing too out of the ordinary except for maybe the marshmallow cream. I will provide a link to where you can make your own.
For the cake:
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (60g) softened butter
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 3/4 cup (94g) unsifted all-purpose plain flour
- pinch salt
- 1/4 cup (28g) unsweetened cocoa powder (Not the drink mix)
- 1/2 cup (58g) chopped toasted walnuts or pecans
- 1/2 cup (25g) marshmallow creme
For the frosting:
- 2 TBS softened butter
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 TBS unsweetened cocoa powder (Not the drink mix)
- 1/4 cup (60ml) cream
- 1 cup (130g) icing sugar (confectioners' sugar/powdered sugar)
- Additional toasted nuts to garnish (optional)
Everything needed for this recipe is pretty self-explanatory. Do make sure your butter is at room temperature. When I am baking, unless a recipe specifically asks for something different, I usually make sure all of my ingredients are at room temperature.
The one thing which might be difficult to come by in the U.K. is the Marshmallow Creme. This is a spreadable marshmallow product. You could probably just top the cake with regular marshmallows and pop the cake back into the oven for a few minutes to melt them, but you can also make your own Marshmallow Creme. I highly recommend this recipe on Sally's Baking Addiction. Her recipes are always very reliable.
Do make sure that you use unsweetened cocoa powder and not chocolate drink mix or cocoa mix powder. Both of those are sweetened ingredients and you don't want to use them. Unsweetened cocoa powder is specifically to be used for baking and that is what you need here.
You can toast your nuts very easily by popping them onto a baking sheet and popping the baking sheet into a moderate (350*F/180*C) oven for 8 minutes or so. Keep an eye on them so that they don't burn. You just want them to be lightly toasty.
HOW TO MAKE MISSISSIPPI MUD CAKE (SMALL BATCH)
This was really a very simple cake to make. Quick, easy, delicious and just the right size. You can't ask for much more than that!
Make the cake part of the recipe first. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C./ gas mark 4. Butter an 8-inch round cake tin really well and dust lightly with flour. Set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar together until light. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the vanilla.
Sift the flour, cocoa powder and salt together. Add to the creamed mixture, stirring everything together just to combine. It should be smooth with no dry streaks. Fold in the nuts.
Spoon into the prepared pan, smoothing the top down.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. The top should spring back, and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out with only a few crumbs.
While the cake is still hot, dollop the marshmallow cream over top of the cake. Spread it out to cover with the back of a metal spoon. Set aside to cool completely.
Combine all of the frosting ingredients in a bowl, sifting in the cocoa powder so as to remove any lumps. Beat together until smooth and creamy. Spread this mixture over top of the cold cake. Sprinkle with additional chopped nuts if using.
Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.
This was incredibly fudgy, rich and delicious! Very decadent as well with that lush marshmallow cream filling. It was perfect enjoyed with an ice-cold glass of milk!
I did use pecans instead of walnuts as most of the people in my family prefer pecans instead of walnuts. The chopped nuts on top were optional but added a lovely touch! It made the perfect dessert cake! Quick, easy and delicious! Why not treat yourself today!
Are you a fan of the small batch dessert cake? I love them as they are just the right size for the smaller family without a lot of leftovers to tempt me into eating too much of what I shouldn't be eating! Here are a few other favorites of mine!
7-UP SHEET CAKE - There is no leavening in the recipe. No baking powder, or soda. Instead the cake relies on the carbonation of the soda drink to give it some rise. This also helps to keep the cake tender and moist. It is really delicious and has a lovely lime glaze frosting. It also goes beautifully with fresh berries.
SMALL BATCH GINGERBREAD CAKE WITH LEMON CREAM - This is a small batch Gingerbread Cake, built for two with leftovers. Not enough leftovers that you have it hanging around for a week or two or three. Just enough so that you can enjoy it once as a dessert with something lush spooned over top, and once as a teatime treat, served warm, split and buttered. I hope that I am not the only person who enjoys my ginger cake buttered! Its delicious!
Yield: 4 servings
Mississippi Mud Cake (small batch)
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 35 Min
I adapted this delicious cake recipe from a full batch recipe found in the American Diner Cookbook. The original said it made six servings, but they must have been really generous servings as a half a batch recipe makes four generous, deliciously fudgy servings! Simply delicious. This is a real winner of a dessert cake!
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (60g) softened butter
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 3/4 cup (94g) unsifted all-purpose plain flour
- pinch salt
- 1/4 cup (28g) unsweetened cocoa powder (Not the drink mix)
- 1/2 cup (58g) chopped toasted walnuts or pecans
- 1/2 cup (25g) marshmallow creme
For the frosting:
- 2 TBS softened butter
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 TBS unsweetened cocoa powder (Not the drink mix)
- 1/4 cup (60ml) cream
- 1 cup (130g) icing sugar (confectioners' sugar/powdered sugar)
- Additional toasted nuts to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Make the cake part of the recipe first. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C./ gas mark 4. Butter an 8-inch round cake tin really well and dust lightly with flour. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar together until light. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the vanilla.
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder and salt together. Add to the creamed mixture, stirring everything together just to combine. It should be smooth with no dry streaks. Fold in the nuts.
- Spoon into the prepared pan, smoothing the top down.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. The top should spring back, and a toothpick inserted in the center should come out with only a few crumbs.
- While the cake is still hot, dollop the marshmallow cream over top of the cake. Spread it out to cover with the back of a metal spoon. Set aside to cool completely.
- Combine all of the frosting ingredients in a bowl, sifting in the cocoa powder so as to remove any lumps. Beat together until smooth and creamy. Spread this mixture over top of the cold cake. Sprinkle with additional chopped nuts if using.
- Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.
.jpg "Mississippi Mud Cake")
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Oh boy, I hope the Purists don't get after me on this one, but today I cooked a Reuben Sandwich in my air fryer. I have to say I really love making grilled sandwiches in my air fryer.
The bread ends up lovely and crispy, not a soggy piece of bread in sight. Buttery, crisp and generously filled, this was a delicious sandwich to sink my teeth into! I highly recommend it!
.JPG "Air Fryer Reuben Sandwich")
I thought I would share a little bit of history with you this morning about where the Reuben Sandwich got its beginnings, but wow, what a can of worms, with no less than two or three places claiming to have invented it! I don't want to touch that with a ten-foot pole.
Suffice it to say, it is a delicious sandwich, consisting of rye bread spread with thousand island dressing, and layered with plenty of corned beef/pastrami, sauerkraut and Swiss cheese.
.JPG "Air Fryer Reuben Sandwich")
The first Reuben Sandwich I ever tasted was when I was a very young woman and had moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba. I fell in love at first bite. What's not to love about a hot sandwich piled high with smoked/corned meat, cheese and sauerkraut!
I have also been lucky enough to enjoy this iconic sandwich in Montreal and in Toronto. My ex-sister-in-law was married to a Jewish man and lived in the Jewish part of Toronto, off Avenue Road. Oh boy, she used to get the best bagels at Gryfe's bakery.
.JPG "Air Fryer Reuben Sandwich")
She would bring them home in big paper bags. Two or three dozen of them. All nice and still warm from the oven. They were the best bagels I have ever eaten and have ruined me from ever enjoying another bagel quite the same.
We enjoyed them with smoked salmon and cream cheese and were in bagel heaven.
.JPG "Air Fryer Reuben Sandwich")
There is no place where I live now to get a good Bagel, or even a good Reuben sandwich. Even the rye bread is suspect, lol
But I did try to make one as best as I could with what was available, and it really was delicious.
.JPG "Air Fryer Reuben Sandwich")
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE AN AIR FRYER REUBEN SANDWICH
You do need a few specialized ingredients. Buy the best that you can of these, and you won't be disappointed.
- 2 slices rye bread
- softened butter to spread on the outside
- 1 TBS Thousand Island Dressing
- 1/4 pound (4 ounces/115g) thinly sliced corned beef or pastrami
- 3 ounces (85g) sauerkraut rinsed and drained well (about 1/3 cup)
- 2 thin slices of Swiss cheese
.JPG "Air Fryer Reuben Sandwich")
I used Chris Brother's Pastrami to make my sandwich. He makes pretty good Deli meats here in the Maritime provinces. I made my own thousand island dressing from scratch.
It is very easily done. With a bit of mayonnaise, ketchup, relish, onion, vinegar, salt and pepper. You can find some really good recipes online. I used this one here.
I used PC Swiss Cheese. You could get by with only one slice, but I thought two gave much better coverage. Also, buy the best sauerkraut that you can buy and make sure it is really drained well.
HOW TO MAKE AN AIR FRYER REUBEN SANDWICH
Nothing really could be easier. I have a Kuraidori Air Fryer that I purchased at my local Home Hardware.
Spread the softened butter on one side of each slice of rye bread. Flip over and spread half of the thousand island dressing on each slice.
Top one slice of bread with the corned beef. Top that with the sauerkraut and then the cheese slices. Place the other slice of bread on top, dressing side down, butter side up.
Place into the basket of your air fryer. Place the basket in the air fryer.
Air fry for 4 minutes at 390*F/198*C. Carefully flip over and continue to air fry at 390*F/198*C for a further 3 to 4 minutes until golden brown and the cheese has melted.
Cut in half on the diagonal to serve.
.JPG "Air Fryer Reuben Sandwich")
This was really delicious. Not quite on par with a true Reuben that you might get in a restaurant, but something which I really enjoyed, nevertheless.
If I make it again and I probably will, I may add a bit more Thousand Island dressing, but over-all it was really tasty. I loved the crisp and buttery toasted bread and there was just enough filling without going over the top.
The flavors might also be enhanced by warming up the meat and the sauerkraut first as well. I adapted this recipe from one that I found on Fork to Spoon for The Best Air Fryer Reuben Sandwich. The original recipe made four servings.
.JPG "Air Fryer Reuben Sandwich")
Some other Diner Style sandwich recipes on here that you might also enjoy are:
BAKED WESTERN SANDWICH - With oven hash. The egg, ham and vegetable filling for these delicious sandwiches bakes on one small, rimmed oven tray, ready to be cut and tucked between slices of hot buttered toast and served alongside of crisp edged oven roasted potatoes and onions. Delicious!
THE ULTRA TURKEY CLUB SANDWICH - Another hefty diner favorite with three slices of toasted bread, plenty of sliced turkey, lettuce, mayo, crisp streaky bacon, ripe juicy tomato and real cheddar cheese. One sandwich serves two people amply. If you know you are only going to be eating half a sandwich you can afford to fill this tasty sandwich generously!
CLASSIC TUNA SALAD - Lunch doesn't get much better than this old classic. What you have here is a delicious tuna salad filling made with beautiful albacore white tuna, mayonnaise, chopped celery, minced onion, lemon juice and seasoning on soft buttered white bread. This is the sandwich of my childhood. Delicious and comforting.
Air Fryer Reuben Sandwich
Yield: 1
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 8 MinTotal time: 13 Min
The amounts given are for one delicious sandwich. You can multiply to make as many sandwiches as you want to make. Deliciously simple!
Ingredients
- 2 slices rye bread
- softened butter to spread on the outside
- 1 TBS Thousand Island Dressing
- 1/4 pound (4 ounces/115g) thinly sliced corned beef or pastrami
- 3 ounces (85g) sauerkraut rinsed and drained well (about 1/3 cup)
- 2 thin slices of swiss cheese
Instructions
- spread the softened butter on one side of each slice of rye bread. Flip over and spread half of the thousand island dressing on each slice.
- Top one slice of bread with the corned beef. Top that with the sauerkraut and then the cheese slices. Place the other slice of bread on top, dressing side down, butter side up.
- Place into the basket of your air fryer. Place the basket in the air fryer.
- Air fry for 4 minutes at 390*F/198*C. Carefully flip over and continue to air fry at 390*F/198*C for a further 3 to 4 minutes until golden brown and the cheese has melted.
- Cut in half on the diagonal to serve.
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
You just cannot beat the Classic Tuna Melt Sandwich for a quick and easy lunch option! I have been making tuna melts for as long as I have been making tuna salad, which is a very long time. Basically a tuna melt is a grilled cheese sandwich with tuna salad added!
I have been combing the two sandwiches before I knew it was an actual thing!
You can go as old school as you like or dress it up with a variety of things, but it doesn't get much better than this basic classic recipe which I am sharing here today.
One of the things my ex and I used to love to order when we went to our favourite Diner was a Turkey Club Sandwich. It would come to the table so tall and stuffed you could barely finish it. Always with a side of fries and coleslaw to die for.
When the children were growing up, during the time we lived in New Brunswick, we often drove across the border into Houlton Maine where we would go shopping. This was really exciting for me because they had a Wal Mart there and Wal Mart hadn't yet made its way into Canada. I have always loved grocery shopping in the US.
We would leave our home early in the morning and not get back home until the evening. This meant that we also used to go to the Elmwood Diner in Houlton for a hearty lunch. This diner was exactly what you would expect for a small town diner. The walls were covered with their dining specials handwritten out on paper place-mats. The place was always super busy and the food was always super good. I don't think it is in operation any longer, sadly.
Every time we went my ex husband would order their Turkey Club Platter, which involved a turkey club sandwich, fries and coleslaw. I think you could get any kind of potato you wanted with it actually. He always wanted the fries.
I used to get either fish and chips, or a roast turkey dinner. Those are my two favourite things when dining out, and nobody does them better than diners do.
I decided to recreate that dining experience today for Todd. He has been working really hard in the garden and I thought he would enjoy the treat.
I don't know many people who wouldn't enjoy a club sandwich . . . its like a double decker sandwich on 3 slices of mayo spread toasted bread . . .
with layers of sliced cooked turkey, sliced ripe tomatoes, cheese . . .
lettuce, crisp streaky bacon, sliced ham and more cheese . . .
I even made some coleslaw to go with it, only today I made a vinaigrette coleslaw. That way the leftovers could be kept easily in the refrigerator, and I thought there was enough mayo in the meal with just the sandwich.
A coleslaw vinaigrette makes a nice change every now and again. I will confess I am not fond of the coleslaw over here in the UK. Its too gloopy and overloaded with mayo. They don't do it well in my opinion. There is such a thing as TOO much of a good thing, and they way over do the dressing.
Speaking of overdoing it . . . boy can you tell we are senior citizens now . . . one sandwich would have fed the two of us amply . . .
Neither of us could get through a whole thing. The most we managed was half a sandwich each and we never touched the pan fries. (Not to worry, I have an idea for those for tomorrow, watch this space.)
In any case this little taste of home put a smile on my face today and pleased Todd to no end!
Turkey Club Sandwich
Yield: 2
A favourite Diner restaurant special. Served with home fries and a coleslaw on the side, it always goes down a real treat!
ingredients:
- 6 slices of sandwich bread, toasted
- 4 TBS real mayonnaise
- 4 ounces sliced deli turkey
- 4 ounces sliced deli ham
- 4 slices Jarlsberg cheese or your favourite cheese
- 6 slices cooked streaky bacon
- 2 tomatoes thinly sliced
- shredded lettuce
For the coleslaw vinaigrette
- 1/4 head of white cabbage, thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 medium carrots, peeled
- 2 spring onions, finely chopped
- 1 tsp grainy Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp celery salt
- 1 TBS fine white sugar
- 80 ml apple cider vinegar
- 1 TBS vegetable oil
- 1/4 tsp celery salt
- 1 tsp dry parsley flakes
- freshly ground black pepper
instructions:
How to cook Turkey Club Sandwich
- First make the coleslaw. Combine all of the vegetables in a bowl. Whisk together the vinegar, oil, sugar, mustard and seasonings. Heat in the microwave on high for about 30 seconds. Whisk to melt the sugar. Pour over the vegetables in the bowl and toss together. Set aside to macerate while you make the sandwiches.
- Arrange two slices of the toasted bread on a cutting board. Spread with some of the mayonnaise. Top each with 1/2 of the sliced turkey and 4 slices of tomato. (You can season the tomato with salt and pepper if you wish.) Top each with another slice of toast, which you have spread with some of the mayonnaise on both sides. Divide the shredded lettuce between the two and top each with 3 slices of streaky bacon. Divide the ham between the two and then top with a final slice of cheese. Spread one side of the remaining toast with the remainder of the mayonnaise and place mayonnaise side down on top of each sandwich. Press down lightly. Cut into quarters. You may need to secure each quarter together with a tooth pick.
- Place sandwiches onto each of two dinner platters/plates. Serve with a side of the coleslaw and some pan fried potatoes if you wish. (Potato chips are also very good.)
Something happens to you when you get older. You just can't eat like you used to. I can remember when it was nothing to polish off one of these and a piece of pie to boot! Not anymore, that's for sure. I leave that kind of eating to the younger generation these days!
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