Pork and Grainy Mustard Stew

I can take no credit for this wonderful recipe. I've made several recipes published by the good people at Canadian Living magazine and find that they are exactly to my tastes. Here's the link to the original recipe: Pork and Grainy Mustard Stew

3 lbs pork shoulder, trimmed and cubed
2 Tbsps flour
3 Tbsps vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
A few sprigs of fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
2 cups chicken stock
½ cup white wine

1½ cups water
1 bay leaf
¼ cup grainy mustard
⅔ cup fresh green peas
¼ cup minced fresh parsley

1. Toss pork with 1 tbsp of the flour. In Dutch oven, heat half of the oil over medium-high heat; brown pork, in batches and adding more oil as needed. Remove to plate.
2. In same Dutch oven, heat remaining oil. Fry onions, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.
3. Add stock, wine, bay leaf and 1½ cups water; return pork and any accumulated juices to pan. Bring to boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 45 minutes or until meat is tender. Discard bay leaf.
4. Whisk in the mustard and simmer, uncovered, until it thickens a bit. Stir in the peas and the parsley a continue simmering until they're heated through, about 3 minutes.

Pear or Apple Cake

We juiced some pears to make cocktails with, using some really lovely whiskey. What was left in the juicer was this wonderful frothy slurry which I strained to get more juice out of, then saved the rest to make a cake with. With this same recipe I've used sliced apple, apple butter, and a mixture of apple butter and apple diced small. All have worked nicely. In short, it's a pretty versatile recipe to use all sorts of fruit as the filling.

2 eggs
⅓ cup milk
¼ cup grape seed oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
¾ cup (105g) flour

½ cup (105g) sugar

¼ tsp salt
2 tsps baking powder
1½ cups crushed pears, apple sauce or butter or fresh fruit etc.
3 Tbsps whiskey

Part 2: The Topping
3oz (80gr) of butter (about ⅓ cup)
¼ cup (35g) icing sugar
1 egg

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Lightly butter a spring form pan.
3. Thoroughly beat the egg separately, and add the milk, oil, vanilla. Set aside.
4. In another bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. 
5. NOTE: Work the batter as little as possible.
6. Create a well in the centre and add the beaten egg, milk, oil and vanilla, folding gently until the batter is uniform.
7. Mix together the whiskey and fruit.
8. Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan, about 235g. Pour the fruit as a ribbon in the middle, to make a ring. Pour the remains of the batter over this, and put in the oven for 15 minutes or until the surface is starting to set.
9. While this is baking melt the butter and whisk in the sugar, then set aside to allow it to cool.
10. Just before the timer rings, add the egg and whisk until it's all uniform.
11. Pour the butter mixture on top of the cake, to even it out, and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until the top is uniformly golden (you may have to turn the dish after about 10 to 15 minutes for even browning).
12. Allow to cool and serve while still warm or at room temperature.

DuPuy Lentil Soup

A simple wintery soup. I've indicated "beef broth concentrate" in the recipe, but any very rich beef broth will do. Just make sure the flavours are big and bold or they'll get lost in the warm richness of the other flavours.

4 Tbsps. rendered bacon fat
5 onions, chopped (approx 800gr)
3 Bay laurel leaves
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
6 garlic cloves, minced
1½ cup DuPuy lentils
8 cups water
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1½ Tbsp beef broth concentrate
¾ tsp salt
Ground black pepper, to taste
Hot sauce, to taste

1. In a large casserole slowly render the bacon until it is brown and crispy. Cook the onion in the hot fat, along with, Bay leaves and cumin until the onion is tender. (Cooking the onions over low heat allows for the sweetness of the onion to come through). Add the garlic and cook another 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Add the lentils, the water, vinegar and beef broth concentrate and bring to a boil. Let simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 50 to 60 minutes, or until the lentils are completely soft.
3. Optional: you can blend about a quarter of the soup to make it thicker. If the soup is too thick, you can thin it by adding boiling water.
4. Stir in salt and adjust the seasoning to taste.
5. Serve with ground black pepper on top and, if desired, a few drops of hot sauce.

Poulet à la bière avec herbes de Provence (Chicken cooked with beer and herbes de Provence)

A lovely single-pot meal (unless you make some sort of pilaf to go with it, although a slice of crusty bread works just as well). It's simple, delicious, and kind of impressive in a rustic sort of way. When serving, I always slice up the meat and ladle some of the richly flavoured cooking juices over it.

1 chicken cut into pieces
2 cups stout or dark beer
3 carrots, cut into cut into chunks
2 potatoes, cut into chunks
1 white onion, cut into thick slices
2 tsps Herbes de Provence seasoning
1 tsp sea salt
Pepper
2 stems fresh thyme
2 stems fresh oregano
1 Tbsp olive oil

1. Massage the chicken pieces with olive oil and cover with herbes de Provence and salt.
2. Arrange the onions, carrots, and potatoes in a baking dish and lightly season with more herbes de Provence and salt&pepper. Place the chicken amongst the vegetables with the stems of fresh thyme and oregano tucked in between.
3. Pour in the beer - don't worry about it washing off the herbs, the olive oil should make them stick. Cover and bake for 45 minutes at 450°F. 
4. Remove the lid and continue baking for 15 minutes to let the chicken brown on top.
5. The chicken will be ready when the internal temperature of the breasts reaches 165°F. You could also service with rice or quinoa pilaf.

Pumpkin Bread

We've had a bumper crop of pumpkins this year, and I've been working on ways of using it. As hard as it is to believe, there's only so much pumpkin pie one can eat! Actually, I felt a little Harry Potter-ish looking and trying pumpkin recipes. Well, not actually like Harry Potter, since he and the wizards didn't really do anything so useful as cook, being too busy saving the world, la-dee-dah! I suppose I'm more like the house elves. Hopefully you'll find this recipe magically delectable.

1½ cups mashed baked pumpkin
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
¼ cup (2oz/58gr) melted butter 
1½ cups flour
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp cloves

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350°F.
2. Melt the butter and set it aside to cool a little. If you add it to the eggs too soon you'll get scrambled eggs!
3. In a medium sized bowl mix the pumpkin, sugar and the eggs together until you get a smooth consistency (it's ok if there are little chunks of pumpkin.
4. In a large bowl blend together the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and cloves.
5. Pour the butter into the wet ingredients, mix it in, and then dump the wet mixture into the flour, and lightly mix, only until evenly combined. Like cake, over mixing activates the gluten in the flour and makes for a tougher texture.
6. Grease a loaf pan and pour in the dough.
7. Bake for 1 hour or until a knife comes out clean.

Creamy French Lentil Dal

This contains all sorts of yummy. The cream smooths the flavour of the smoky spicyness of the chillis, and the firm yet tender tooth of the little du Puys lentils. This makes for an excellent addition to a multi-course Indian-style meal, or it does very well on its own, over rice, for a nice lunch.

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion (6oz/170g), minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 chipotle canned in adobo, seeded and minced
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced (4oz)
1 cup du Puys lentils
¼ tsp cumin
1 bay leaf
1 cup heavy cream (or 1 can coconut milk for vegan) 
3 cups vegetable stock or water (see NOTE)
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Chopped cilantro for garnish

1. Heat the oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, ginger, chilli, and carrots and sauté till the onions are soft and translucent.
2. Add the lentils, cumin, bay leaf, cream (or milk), and stock (or water). Turn heat to low and simmer until the liquid has reduced and the lentils are tender, about 40 minutes.
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If you like, use a hand blender to gently purée the soup for a thicker consistency. 
4. Garnish with cilantro. Serve over rice.

NOTE: If you prefer a thicker dal, you can simply subtract the total amount of broth/water, which I tend to prefer if it's meant to be part of a larger ensemble of dishes. Just keep in mind that the bare minimum required to cook the lentils with NO liquid left is 2 cups to every cup of pulses.

Roast Chicken with Savoury Apple Mash

3 to 4 (1lb before coring) quartered and cored apples
2 (1 lb before coring) peeled and quartered onions
½ to 1 whole head garlic, cloves peeled
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 sprigs thyme
1 tsp rosemary powder
1 generous pinch of salt and pepper
½ cup apple cider vinegar
4 lbs whole chicken
¼ cup (2oz/58gr) butter

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Toss the apples, onions, garlic, rosemary and thyme together in a roasting pan large enough to hold the chicken. Pour in the cider vinegar. 
3. Season chicken well with salt, pepper and rosemary powder and rest it on top of the apple mixture, on its left side. Put the butter as a block on top of the chicken and put in the oven; roast for 15 minutes and turn onto its back; roast another 15 minutes and turn onto its right side; Turn onto its breast and roast 30 minutes; turn onto its back and roast until the skin browns and the internal temperature of the breast is 165°F, about another 10 minutes.
4. Let the chicken rest about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, scoop out the apple, onion and garlic, leaving the juices behind to serve separately. Either use the coarse setting on a food mill or mash roughly, to push down the skins and herb stems and push up the delicious savoury/sweet apple and onion garlic and drippings blend. Scoop up the top part and discard the skins. Carve the bird, spoon some of the broth over it, and serve with the mashed apple mixture. 

Cheddar and Beer Fondue

Fondue are fancy. Not really. This was is insanely easy and quick. And the best part is that you can eat lots and lots of cheese! A word of warning - not to sound too much like Martha Stewart, but using high quality cheeses really is the secret to making this recipe work. In a pinch, we tried using inexpensive grocery store orange cheddar, and the consistency and flavour were all wrong. A nice aged white cheddar really is the way to go. I've used different beers and they all work well, but the cheese is key! Our usual vehicles to convey the cheese from plate to mouth is potato and bread. But there are other traditional options, which I've listed, which we will explore.

2 Tbsp (1oz/28gr) butter
1 clove garlic
6 oz beer (hold another 6 oz of beer aside to add if too thick, and record how much more is added)
8 oz aged white cheddar
8 oz Gruyere
2 Tbsps flour
1 tsp dry mustard
½ tsp paprika
pinch cayenne
pinch nutmeg
¼ tsp salt
⅛ tsp black pepper

1. Rub the bottom of the cook pot with the garlic. Melt the butter in it, then add the beer and warm it up without bringing it to a boil, over medium heat.
2. Meanwhile combine the cheeses in a bowl with the flour.
3. Reduce the heat under the beer to a gentle simmer and add the cheese in handfuls, stirring constantly until all the cheese has gone in and melted
4. Stir in the spices. Transfer the fondue to a warm fondue pot.
5. If the sauce is too thick, add beer.If it's too soft, add cheese

Serving Suggestions:
         - dense cubed bread (a Boule or baguette is particularly delicious)
and/or
         - with lightly boiled cauliflower (2 to 3 minutes in salted water)
and/or
         - boiled baby potatoes
and/or
         - boiled German sausage slices like wursts or franks
and/or
         - pickles, pickled onions

Cinnamon Hot Chocolate Tart

I seem to be on a bit of a Mexican flavouring kick recently. Not that I'm complaining! Spicy, rich, complex flavours are just fine by me. This makes such a lovely, smooth filling, with just a suggestion of chilli heat. And I like distinct foods that complement each other when eaten together, which is why I put the cinnamon in the crust.
NOTE: try replacing the heavy cream with crème fraîche; it makes for an almost mousse-like consistency.

Crust - must be completely cooled before using
1 cup (4oz/120g) flour
¼ tsp salt
1 Tbsp. (25g) sugar
¾ tsp cinnamon
½ cup (4oz/114gr) butter, cut into pieces
½ tsp vanilla
2 Tbsps + cold water

NOTE: The pastry needs time to cool in the refrigerator not once, but twice, for about 15 minutes each time, and then another 15 minutes to pre-bake in the oven, a total of about 45 minutes.

1. Put the flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the butter pieces and pinch with your fingers to create a crumb texture (it's like playing in sand).
2. Make a well in the middle, and pour in the vanilla and water. Quickly work in the flour to create dough. Do not over-mix. 
3. Pat into a thick disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate 15 minutes.
4. Roll out the dough, line the tart shell, and chill another 15 minutes.
5. Pre-heat the oven to 400°F.
6. Put baking weights in the shell and bake for about 15 minutes or until the crust is ever-so-lightly browned.
7. Cool completely before using to allow the crust to set.

Filling
6 oz (170g) 70% chocolate, chopped fine
1 cup (250g) heavy cream
½ cup (120g) milk
1 tsp vanilla
¼ cup (50g) sugar
⅛ tsp cayenne
3 egg yolks

1. Heat the oven to 325°F.
2. Bring the cream and milk to a very slow boil in a saucepan.
3. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla and the chopped chocolate, stirring to melt the chocolate completely.
4. In a bowl, whisk together the yolk, sugar and cayenne until yolk turns a pale yellow.
5. Very slowly whisk in the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Do this slowly; this is to gradually increase the temperature of the egg and avoid making scrambled eggs with the hot liquid.
6. Strain the mixture into the baked tart shell.
7. Bake about 35 to 40 minutes or until set. The pie will puff up a bit when it is cooked, and will settle again as it cools.
8. Let it cool completely, which can take a few hours.
9. Only once it is completely cooled, dust with cocoa powder. If you dust it before this, the surface will still be hot and damp and the powder will just get wet.
10. Delicious accompanied by a fresh sprig of currants or other tart fruit.

Cheese and Culture

I think I've discovered another good food read. Cheese and Culture: A History of Cheese and its Place in Western Culture by Paul Kindstedt looks right up my alley! Now, to get myself a copy...


Once I read it I'll report back here.

Mole-Inspired Meatloaf

Is it possible that I've made a truly tasty turkey meatloaf (the chocolate helps)?!? Don't get me wrong, I love roast turkey and turkey pot pie etc. However, I often find that recipes that try to substitute red meats with turkey (especially ground turkey, but chocolate helps) come out tasting rather bland. My solution has been to increase the flavour in the spicing (the chocolate helps). This is very loosely based on Mexican mole flavours (I did say 'loosely'). And in case you were wondering, the chocolate helps add depth to the flavour of the dish.

1 cup salsa
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
¼ tsp cinnamon
2 tsps chili powder
1 tsp lemon juice
1½ lb ground meat (turkey, beef, pork or a combination)

¾ cup bread crumbs
1 egg, lightly beaten

1. Heat oven to 350°F. 
2. In a medium bowl, thoroughly combine the herbs, spices and lemon juice with the salsa. 
3. In large bowl combine the turkey, the bread crumbs, the egg and ¾ of a cup of the salsa mixture, reserving the rest to use as a topping.
4. Bake in an ungreased 9 x 5" loaf pan, shaping the meat mixture into a loaf. Spoon the remaining salsa mixture evenly over the top.
5. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes (if you have a meat thermometer you can check the internal temperature by sticking it in the middle of the loaf at 1 hour and 10 minutes and every 5 minutes after that, until the meat thermometer reads 165°F).

Popovers

(NOTE: This recipe stopped working. I posted it before I had established my testing methodology, so it's now in the recipe development blog, the Experimental Mouffette. Things are going very well, it has been improved, has passed the first testing phases, and should be updated, here, shortly).

I have recently rediscovered the joy of popovers. These were never standard fare growing up. In fact, the first time I'd had them was in my mid-twenties at a friend's country place in McDonald's Corners near Perth, Ontario. Baked in a gas oven with home-made crabapple jelly (which I'd made), they were a revelation. A few days ago, realizing that my repertoire of breakfast foods was sadly under-developed, I mixed a batch from a recipe I found in the good-old Moosewood cookbook. This time, right after taking them out of the oven, I stuffed a few squares of dark chocolate into the pastry's hollow, covered it with parchment paper and waited a few minutes. The chocolate melted beautifully and I had a gooey, chocolatey treat to eat. The recipe below is mostly from Moosewood, with a few minor alterations.

But the popover has raised some questions - can it be stuffed? Can it act as a receptacle for savory foods? Would it be good flavored with, say, fruit juice, or herbs? My investigation is just beginning.

I think I'm onto somethine, if not new, at least tasty. While searching for popover recipes on-line, I found a restaurant review for something in Amherst, MA in the U.S. called Judy's, where the signature element in many of the dishes is the humble popover.

In the meantime, here's what is, so far, my favorite popover recipe.

NOTE: put ramikins or muffin tins in oven to heat before starting your mix. This can be done at least 5 minutes before pouring in the batter.

4 eggs

1 cup flour

1 cup milk

½ tsp salt

2 Tbsps (28gr) butter + more for buttering the tins

1. Pre-heat the oven to 425°F.
2. Melt the butter and allow to cool a bit.
3. Warm the milk a bit (microwave for 30 secs).
4. Whisk together the butter and warm milk, add the eggs and, when uniform, add the flour and salt; continue to whisk until it's a lovely smooth consistency.
5. When the oven reaches 425°F, put a little pat of butter in each muffin tin (about 1⁄4 tsp or less) and pop in the oven. It's important that the tin be super hot when you pour in the mix.
6. Work quickly for this part; take muffin tin out of the oven and quickly swirl the now-melted butter around until the bottom 2⁄3 of the containers are covered with butter (this is less of an issue for non-stick tins). With a 1⁄4 cup measure, distribute the batter among the tins (I use a muffin tin with 12 cups) and pop back into the oven.
7. Bake for 25 minutes; then bake for another 10 minutes at 325°F. Serve immediately with butter and jam or, stuff into the middle a square of chocolate - it will melt.

Originally published Sunday, April 4, 2010

Commons Bread

When my mother introduced brown bread to the family diet, she started something. I've eaten all sorts of different kinds of breads, some baked in outdoor rustic wood-fired ovens, some baked by my grandmother in her conventional electric oven (when she baked her 'pain de ménage'), from different kinds of grains, some herbed, some sweetened, baguette, olive oil, you name it. Never, ever would I have imagined that amazing bread could be made at home with a minimum of effort. Laura Calder's recipe for what she calls Miracle Boule  and is part of the No-Knead movement is not only frighteningly easy, but quite likely some of the best bread I have ever eaten. It is, also, a strange recipe. If you decide to try it, and I recommend that you do, follow the instructions to the letter, no matter how odd or wrong they appear to be. You'll end up with a beautiful, rustic round of bread with a crisp crust and a pleasantly chewy sponge. The only down side, and in my opinion it is a minor one, is that it takes 12-24 hours to make, because the dough needs so much time to rise. The wait is well worth it!
You can also leave the dough for an additional 24 hours and it will develop a sourdough flavour.
I originally called this my Wonder Bread, but I've changed the name to Commons Bread, in honour of reclaiming the commons for the people, to live a happy, really real, sustainable life. Bread, as a basic food, is a great place to start simplifying and making available to everyone the ability to make good, sustaining, satifying and nutritious food. Vive la Révolution! :)

ADDENDUM: turns out bread is far more interesting, versatile and sensitive than I ever thought. I'm starting some experiments that may change/clarify this recipe or create brand new ones! I'll save my notes here.

ADDADDENDUM: I have been making this bread in a much simpler format. Turns out that water temperature is a major factor, and it's possible to have same-day results within 4 hours instead of 24. This quicker version is available here.

3 cups flour (450gr)
¼ tsp instant yeast (yes, really, that's all!)
1¼ tsps salt (12gr)

1½ cups water (300 to 350gr) (for 4hr bread, must be at 125 to 130° F)
Your Options: Cornmeal, wheat bran, or extra flour, as needed

1. Mix the flour, yeast, and salt in a bowl. Stir in the water to blend (see NOTE). What you’ll have is wet, shaggy, sticky dough, but not so wet as to be batter. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and let it rest in a warm place for at least 12, and up to 24, hours. It’s ready for the next step when the surface is dotted with bubbles. It is crucial that the dough be kept warm, otherwise the little bit of yeast won't be able to proliferate in your dough - if you don't have a warm place, put in the cold oven and turn on the light; this should keep it plenty warm to rise.
2. Flour a work surface and dump the bread out onto it. Sprinkle over a little more flour and fold it once or twice. Upturn the bowl it was rising in over it and let rest 15 minutes.
3. Using only enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to your fingers, shape the dough into a ball. Sprinkle some flour onto a piece of parchment paper, and lay the dough on it, seam side down, and dust with more flour. Cover again with the upturned bowl and let rise, again being mindful of the temperature it's in, for about 2 hours. When ready, the dough will be more than double in size.
4. Heat the oven to 450°F\230°C. Put an 8-quart/2-litre cast iron pot or Dutch oven (cocotte) inside to heat. When the dough is ready, remove the pot from the oven, turn the dough into it, seam-side up (The parchment paper makes this pretty easy). Shake the pan to settle the bread evenly. Cover with the lid, and bake 30 minutes. Remove the lid, and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until the loaf is nicely browned. Cool on a rack.

NOTE: When I mix my dough, I add 1 cup of water and blend that in, then start to add water averaging about a half cup. We live at sea-level next to the ocean in a temperate rain forest, and when the humidity is high, I needs up to a quarter of a cup less water - my marker that I have enough water is simply when all the flour has been taken up into the dough.

Originally published Monday, April 5, 2010

The beginning of a sauce obsession - Caraway and Cream Sauce

Cook's Illustrated has an awesome Web site with amazing recipes. It's turned me on to sauces in a big way. I figure it would be great for a bistro - cooking the chicken ahead of time, a quick fry in a pan to liven it up, plate it, and drizzle with sauce. The following is a sauce inspired by one of theirs. I have made it to use with the recipe for Chicken Cutlets, but it could just as easily be made for a whole chicken cut into pieces and grilled as below.

For the chicken

2 to 3 Tbsps vegetable oil

1 whole chicken cut into pieces (either 4 or 8)

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
2. Pat chicken thighs dry.
3. Add chicken pieces to the skillet, smooth side down; cook for 5-7 minutes without moving, and then turn over when the chicken easily releases from the pan on its own. Cook until the juices run clear, an additional 7-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chicken piece.
4. Set the chicken aside and keep warm.
5. Remove all but 1 Tbsp of oil and immediately start to cook the shallot as per below.

For the sauce

1 Tbsp oil
2 medium shallots, minced

OPTIONAL: 1 Belgian endive or 5 large Romaine lettuce leaves, cut cross-wise, in thin strips

2 Tbsps apple cider vinegar

1 tsp caraway seeds

½ cup beef stock

½ cup heavy cream or crème fraîche

1 tsp Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Set the skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots (and leaves if using) and sauté until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the caraway seeds and continue cooking until the shallots are lightly browned, an extra 1 to 2 minutes.
2. Add the cider vinegar and bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon (remember, browned bits = flavor!).
3. Add the stock and cream; bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and reduced to a generous ½ cup, about 5 minutes. Stir in the Dijon mustard; season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the chicken pieces, spoon over the sauce and cook together another 5 minutes or until internal temperature of the breasts reaches 165°F. .
4. OR: Spoon the sauce over chicken cutlets and serve immediately.

 Originally published Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Conversion help

Most of my recipes are in some way Frankensteined, in that I look up a whole bunch of recipes and pick from one to add to another before I start testing my combination of recipes; I know, very Post Modern of me. This means that I look at many sources, some of which use different measuring criteria than how I've decided to standardize my own recipes. These are the sources I've used to help me convert other measurement systems:

Automatic Conversion Chart

From Ounces to Cups

French At A Touch

Specific Ingredient Conversion (Butter, sugar, etc)

Dry Beans