Subtle House's Cookbook

Base
12 oz evaporated milk
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup, honey, agave nectar, or 3/4 cup maple syrup
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp Perfect Ice Cream (optional but highly recommended for vegan ice cream)
1 pint (2 cups) heavy cream

Vegan substitutions
12 oz evaporated milk: use a can of evaporated oat milk; gently simmer 3 cup non-dairy milk down to 1 1/2 cup; or blend 1 1/4 cup boiling water, 1 cup soy milk powder, and 2 Tbsp avocado oil at high speed until emulsified
2 cups heavy cream: blend 1 scant cup avocado oil and 1 generous cup unflavored soy milk, both of which must be at room temperature, at high speed until emulsified

Flavoring
Vanilla: 1–2 Tbsp vanilla bean paste (extract will do, but paste is better; adjust quantity to suit your vanilla intensity preferences)
Chocolate A: 8 oz unsweetened baking chocolate (or use semi-sweet chocolate chips and omit the white sugar from the base), 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
Chocolate B: 4 oz unsweetened chocolate, 2/3 cup cocoa powder, 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
For both chocolate recipes: Break up or shred solid chocolate if it's not already in pieces. Put chocolate, cocoa, and vanilla in the heavy cream from the base and microwave it in 1-minute increments, stirring in between rounds, until the chocolate is melted and has merged with the cream to form a chocolate cream. Then mix that into the other base ingredients. This will keep the chocolate from seizing.
Coffee: 1/4 cup instant coffee dissolved with 1 Tbsp hot water
Fruit: 2 cups chopped or pureed fresh or frozen fruit
For fruit flavor without fruit texture, simmer fruit with 1/4 cup of the sugar from the base and 1 tsp lemon juice, adding water 1 Tbsp at a time as needed, for 5 to 10 minutes until fruit breaks down and sugar thoroughly dissolves. Strain through a fine mesh. Let cool, then blend into base. If fruit is quite sweet, reduce sugar in the base as needed.
Cookie dough: Turn 1 cup eggless chocolate chip cookie dough into a mix of small balls and crumbs. Once ice cream is churned, stir in dough pieces.

Directions
0. If using the Perfect Ice Cream stabilizer, mix it into the heavy cream. Gently heat the mixture, whisking constantly, to 180F on a probe thermometer. Cool at least to room temperature; better yet, if you have time, chill it to 40F.
1. Blend evaporated milk, sugar, corn syrup, and salt at high speed until sugar is dissolved.
2. Whisk in heavy cream along with flavoring add-ins.
3. Churn in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions.

Sources
https://ultimatefoodgeek.com/2024/07/11/the-worlds-best-and-easiest-ice-cream-recipe/
https://www.noracooks.com/heavy-whipping-cream-substitution/#wprm-recipe-container-17379
https://www.icecreamgeek.com/making-the-ultimate-chocolate-ice-cream/

Note: If some of the people you're cooking for are strict vegetarians, put the bacon and sausage in their own pan and use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.

Seasoning Mix
1 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp paprika
2.5 tsp black pepper
1.5 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp white pepper (or sub 0.5 tsp black pepper)
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried thyme
3 bay leaves

Other Ingredients
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups rice

8 oz bacon
1 lb smoked sausage, sliced

3 cups chopped onions
2 cups chopped green and red bell peppers
1.5 cups chopped celery
1 teaspoon fresh garlic, minced
2 14-ounce cans black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
5 oz fresh spinach, chopped

Rinse the rice well in cold water. Put it in a pot with the chicken stock and half the seasoning mix, and bring to a boil. Put the lid on, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes; turn off heat and steam covered for another 10 minutes. Rice should now be cooked. Return to medium heat and add the beans and spinach. Cook just until spinach is wilted and beans are heated through.

Meanwhile, in a large pot over medium-high heat, cook bacon and sausage until crispy. Remove and drain on a paper towel.

In the grease, sauté onions, peppers, and celery until liquid has cooked off. Make a space in the middle, add the garlic and the other half of the seasoning mix, and cook until fragrant.

Combine all the parts of this that you like, and skip the parts you don't.

1 cup extra-fine almond flour
1 cup grated vegan parmesan, grated fresh from a block of hard cheese (Violife is good)
2 cups water, divided
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp white pepper or 0.25 tsp black pepper
0.5 tsp dried thyme
freshly grated nutmeg to taste
salt to taste

1) Combine almond flour, parmesan, 1 cup water, garlic, onion, and pepper in a high-speed blender. Blend until very smooth.
2) Pour into a nonstick saucepan. Put remaining 1 cup water in the blender, swirl it around or briefly blend it to pick up the remaining sauce, and add it to the saucepan.
3) Add thyme and nutmeg.
4) Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until thick and smooth, about 5 minutes.
5) Salt to taste. Serve immediately.

This is a great way to use up leftover mashed potatoes. You can mix in herbs or some chopped-up meat or veg, add cheese if you eat dairy or have a preferred non-dairy brand that melts well, or just have them as-is.

I used glutinous rice flour, but any 1:1 baking flour or starch would probably work; this isn't one of those places where you can swap in almond meal, though. If you don't have breadcrumbs, you can skip them, but the patties will be more delicate and won't get as crunchy.

I haven't tried this with mashed sweet potatoes, but it would probably work fine, though you might want to adjust the seasoning profile.

Ingredients

2 cups cold leftover mashed potatoes
Add-ins of your choice
1 large egg + 1 large egg
1 packet + 1 packet Manischewitz gluten-free matzo ball mix, or 2.5 oz + 2.5 oz of your preferred GF panko/breadcrumbs/matzo meal
Seasonings to taste
2 tsp GF flour or starch, plus a little extra for your hands and workspace
Canola or peanut oil for frying

( Directions )

Prepackage frozen ingredients

Place a 4-cup container on the scale and tare it, with measurements in ounces. Add:

1 whole banana or 5 oz banana pieces
A couple of pieces of pear
Enough frozen berries to make a total of 18 ounces (should mostly fill the container)
1.5 ounces of chocolate chips

This makes enough for a double smoothie batch.

Make smoothies

Fill the blender to the 3-cup line with soy milk. (Make sure the actual level of the milk reaches the line, not just the top of the foam.)
Add 2 scoops protein powder.
Add 1 container of frozen fruit.

Blend on medium-low speed until all frozen ingredients have been at least partly blended; then gradually increase the speed to maximum and flip the turbo switch. At first there will be periods where the lower half of the smoothie churns while the upper half stays still, a central vortex will form and gradually suck in the upper half, and then the vortex will disappear and the upper half will stay still again. Continue blending on turbo until the vortex is constantly present, which means the smoothie has fully amalgamated.

Flip the turbo switch down, turn the speed to zero, and turn the blender off. Pour the smoothies into two large Starbucks cups and add straws and lids. If one is being saved for later, put it in the fridge (not freezer). Wash the blender immediately.

Ingredients

4 large or 5 midsize crisp, sweet-tart apples such as Empires or Fujis (plus a couple extra in case one is off or mysteriously gets eaten during baking)
1 cup nuts or currants (optional)

Wet ingredients:
3 eggs, well beaten (or your preferred vegan egg substitute)
2½ sticks butter or margarine (or 1¼ cup refined coconut oil), melted
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Dry ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour or cup-for-cup gluten-free flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon or ground ginger

1 quart apple cider (to make cider syrup) or ⅔ cup honey

Directions

Line a 9x13" pan with parchment paper, or grease and sugar it. If you don't have a 9x13" pan, you can use an 8x8" or 9x9" square pan plus an 8x4" or 9x4" loaf pan. Or halve the recipe and use an 8x8" pan or 9" round springform pan. The baking time will be the same.

Peel and core the apples. Cut into 1 cm or half-inch dice—err on the side of smaller pieces, which will distribute better through the cake and make it moister. You should end up with about 3 cups of diced apple.

Measure flour into a 4-cup pitcher or bowl. Stir other dry ingredients into flour.

Gently melt the butter/margarine/oil until just liquified.

In a large bowl or a mixer with the paddle attachment, whisk the wet ingredients together. Add apples and optional nuts/currants, and mix well to coat. Stir in dry ingredients, and mix just until combined—don't overmix. Pour into prepared pan.

Let batter rest 15 minutes. While the batter is resting, preheat oven to 350F (or 325F if using a Pyrex or glass pan).

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes, until cake inner temperature measures 205F or a toothpick comes out clean.

If making cider syrup: In a sturdy pot, bring cider to a boil, reduce heat to maintain a medium boil, and cook down to about 2/3 cup; it should have the consistency of maple syrup and coat the back of a spoon. Don't touch or taste! Boiling sugar can burn very badly.

Once the cake is done, poke a couple dozen holes in it with a wooden skewer. Pour syrup or honey evenly over the top of the cake until it's well glazed. Store any remaining cider syrup in the fridge.

Let cake cool completely to room temperature. Cover pan tightly with foil or plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.

Cut the cake. Just before serving, gently warm individual squares/wedges in the toaster oven or microwave. Top with vanilla ice cream or vanilla whipped cream and drizzle with reserved syrup/honey.

Ingredients

1 large chicken, about 4 to 5 pounds (1.8 to 2.3kg)
1 Tbsp peanut oil
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp baking powder

If putting herbs under skin
2 teaspoons (10g) chopped fresh parsley, thyme, rosemary, oregano, marjoram, savory, or a mix

If turning spine into jus
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
1 medium carrot, peeled and roughly chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 medium rib celery, roughly chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 bay leaf
1 cup (240ml) dry vermouth or sherry
1 cup (240ml) water
1 teaspoon (5ml) soy sauce
3 tablespoons (45g) unsalted butter
2 teaspoons (10ml) juice from 1 lemon

Equipment

Cutting boards and knives
Oven
Kitchen shears (for cutting meat)
Oven-safe wire rack
Baking sheet

If turning spine into jus

Saucepan
Wooden spoon
Measuring pitcher with strainer insert
Citrus reamer

Instructions

1. Mise en place. Gather your ingredients and tools. Place oven rack in upper-middle position and preheat oven to 450°F (232°C). Mince herbs and vegetables. Mix the kosher salt, black pepper, and baking powder together.

2. Spatchcock the chicken. Using sharp kitchen shears, remove backbone from chicken and cut spine into 5 to 6 one-inch-long pieces. Set backbone aside (freeze it to put into stock if not making jus). Flatten chicken by placing skin side up on a cutting board and applying firm pressure to breastbone. Transfer to a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet. Position chicken so that breasts are aligned with center of baking sheet and legs are close to edge. Tuck wing tips under so they don't burn.

3. Prep the chicken. If using fresh herbs, gently loosen the skin and place herbs underneath it. Cover the skin with the salt/pepper/baking powder mixture. Drizzle peanut oil over the chicken and rub it in. Roast chicken until thickest part of breast close to bone registers 150°F (66°C) on an instant-read thermometer and joint between thighs and body registers at least 175°F (80°C), about 45 minutes.

4. Make the jus. Meanwhile, heat oil in a small saucepan over high heat until shimmering. Add chicken backbone and cook, stirring frequently, until well browned, about 3 minutes. Add onion, carrot, and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Add bay leaf and deglaze with vermouth or sherry and 1 cup (240ml) water, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from bottom of pan. Reduce heat to maintain simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Strain into the measuring pitcher and return liquid to pan. Boil over medium-high heat until approximately 1/3 cup (80ml) remains, about 7 minutes. Whisk in soy sauce, butter, and lemon juice off heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

5. Serve and store. Remove chicken from oven, transfer to cutting board, tent loosely with foil, and allow to rest 5 minutes before carving. Serve with hot jus.

This is pure wintertime comfort food, savory and warming, and it makes your house smells amazing. It's also pretty quick and easy to make, and adapts well to any veg you have lying around; we've made it with green beans and mushrooms, and some recipes call for sweet potato. Just divide the veg into "takes 10 minutes to cook" (goes in with/instead of the potato), "takes 5 minutes to cook" (goes in with the chicken), and "barely needs to cook" (goes in with/instead of the bell pepper). You can also omit the potato and put in noodles instead. Whatever! It's flexible.

If you don't have lemongrass or kaffir lime leaves, add more lime juice to compensate.

The curry paste is more for flavor than heat. If you want it spicier, increase the curry, add a bit of chili oil or some sliced fresh chili peppers, or throw in a few dried chili peppers while it's simmering.

1 Tbsp canola oil
1/2 sweet yellow onion, sliced very thin
2 Tbsp red curry paste
1 large piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into small slices
1 Tbsp minced fresh lemongrass (reserve stalks)
6 Tbsp minced cilantro, divided
30 oz full-fat coconut milk
4 cups chicken broth
4 tsp GF fish sauce (or 2 tsp GF oyster sauce + 2 tsp GF soy sauce or liquid aminos), divided
2 kaffir lime leaves
1/2 pound red or russet potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, trimmed, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 red bell pepper, sliced thinly
3 Tbsp lime juice (from 2–3 limes)

Heat oil in a nonstick pot over medium heat. Gently cook onion until soft. Add curry paste, ginger, lemongrass, and 3 Tbsp cilantro. Fry for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add coconut milk, broth, 2 tsp fish sauce, kaffir lime leaves, reserved lemongrass stalks, and potatoes. Bring to boil and reduce to simmer. Cook 5 minutes. Add chicken and cook another 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and potatoes are tender. Remove from heat and extricate lemongrass stalks and kaffir lime leaves. Stir in bell pepper, lime juice, and remaining cilantro and fish sauce. Serve immediately. Keeps for about a week; when reheating, stir well to reintegrate the broth and coconut milk.

Source: https://www.cookscountry.com/recipes/7259-thai-coconut-chicken-soup

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (3.5 lbs, 1.8kg), preferably organic
kosher salt
4-inch section of fresh ginger, unpeeled, in quarter-inch slices
2 stalks green onions, cut into 1" sections (both the green and white parts)
1 teaspoon sesame oil

FOR THE RICE
2 tablespoon chicken fat or 2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1-inch section of ginger, finely minced
2 cups long-grain uncooked rice, washed and soaked in cool water for 10 min or longer
4 cups (or the amount that your rice package says should be used for 2 cups of rice) reserved chicken poaching broth
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt

FOR THE CHILI SAUCE
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 tablespoon reserved chicken poaching broth
2 teaspoon sugar
4 tablespoon sriracha chili sauce
4 cloves garlic
1-inch piece of ginger
a generous pinch of salt, to taste

Or make Francis Lam's ginger scallion sauce:

2 ounces ginger (about a 3-inch piece), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
6 ounces scallions (1 large or 2 small bunches), cut into 1-inch lengths
2 teaspoons sea salt, plus more to taste
1 cup peanut oil

FOR THE TABLE
1/4 cup dark soy sauce
Few sprigs cilantro
1 cucumber, thinly sliced or cut into bite-sized chunks

1. Boil a large pot of water. In the meantime, clean the chicken by exfoliating with kosher or coarse salt. Rinse chicken well, inside and outside.

2. PRE-BOIL CHICKEN: When water is at a hard boil, add the chicken. Return to hard boil, let scum come to the surface. Boil for 5 minutes. Discard all the water, including the scum.

3. Refill pot with clean water to cover the chicken by 1-inch, and add in the garlic, green onion and ginger. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, then immediately turn the heat to low to keep a simmer. Cook for about 20–30 minutes more (less if you're using a smaller chicken). Check for doneness by sticking a chopstick into the flesh under the leg and see if the juices run clear or insert a thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh not touching bone. It should read 160F. The chicken will continue to cook to 165F during rest.

4. When the chicken is cooked through, turn off the heat. Immediately lift and transfer the chicken into a bath of ice water to cool. The quick cooling will stop the cooking process, keeping the meat soft and tender, and giving the skin a lovely firm texture.

5. To cook the rice: Drain the rice. Open a window. In a wok or pot (use a medium nonstick pot with a lid if you plan on cooking the rice on the stove top), heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add the ginger and the garlic and fry for just a few seconds until your kitchen smells like heaven. Be careful not to burn the aromatics! Add in your drained rice and stir to coat, cook for 2 minutes. Add the sesame oil, mix well.

To make the rice on the stove: In the same pot, add your reserved poaching broth and salt. Cook according to rice package directions.

To cook rice in a rice cooker: Pour aromatics and rice (after frying) into your rice cooker, and add your reserved poaching broth and salt. Follow the instructions for your model (usually this will just mean "turn it on!") and the rice package directions.

6. While your rice is cooking, remove the chicken from the ice bath and rub the outside of the chicken with the sesame oil. Carve the chicken for serving.

7a. To make the chili sauce: Blend your chili sauce ingredients in a blender until smooth and bright red.

7b. To make the ginger scallion sauce: Process the ginger until finely minced but not mushy. Do the same with the scallion. Combine in a three-cup bowl and salt until it tastes a little too salty. Heat the oil in a pan until it begins to smoke, then pour it into the bowl with the ginger and scallions. It will bubble up like a volcano! Stir lightly. Let cool to room temperature and serve.

8. To make the soup: You should have six or seven cups of the reserved poaching broth left over to serve as soup. Just before serving, heat up the soup, taste and season with salt as necessary.

Serve the chicken rice with chili sauce, dark soy sauce, cucumber slices, and a bowl of hot broth garnished with cilantro or scallions.

Source: http://steamykitchen.com/5068-hainanese-chicken-rice.html

Ingredients

Meat version
12 oz Barilla or other corn/rice GF pasta
28 oz crushed tomatoes and your choice of herbs, spices, olive oil, etc. (or 1 to 2 jars ready-made sauce)
10 oz sweet Italian sausage, raw or pre-cooked
8 oz Kite Hill ricotta (or homemade cashew ricotta)
2 Miyoko's Kitchen mozzarellas (or 16 oz shredded vegan mozzarella, but it won't melt quite as well)
Several handfuls of baby spinach or chopped adult spinach

Vegetarian version
16 oz lentil-based GF pasta
28 oz crushed tomatoes and your choice of herbs, spices, olive oil, etc. (or 1 to 2 jars ready-made sauce)
8 oz Kite Hill ricotta (or homemade cashew ricotta)
2 Miyoko's Kitchen mozzarellas (or 16 oz shredded vegan mozzarella, but it won't melt quite as well)
Several handfuls of baby spinach or chopped adult spinach

Equipment

Oven
Stove with two burners
Can opener
Two pots
A pan if you're browning raw sausage; a cutting board and knife if you're chopping up cooked sausage
Wooden spoons
9" x 13" baking dish
Aluminum foil
Rubber or silicone spatula

Directions

0) Mise en place. Gather your ingredients and tools. Preheat oven to 350F. Put water on to boil. Open the can of tomatoes. Chop up cooked sausage; crumble and brown raw sausage. Shred mozzarella. Oil the baking dish, or line it with parchment paper or a silicone pan liner.

1) Cook the pasta and make the sauce. Boil pasta until just a little crunchy (about 2 minutes less than the minimum time recommended on the package). Meanwhile, heat and season tomatoes. When the sauce is ready, mix in the spinach and let it wilt. Then mix in the ricotta and sausage. Bring to a simmer.

2) Make the bake. When pasta is ready, mix it into the sauce. Pour into the baking dish and top with shredded mozzarella. Cover with foil. Bake 15 minutes and remove foil. Use a spatula to spread the mozzarella until the top is uniform. Brown mozzarella under the broiler. Remove from oven, let rest 5 minutes, and serve.