What can you expect in the Food Thread on PF?

[Ben Niehoff]

I just learned to use an electric drill two days ago, actually. I don't have the equipment or space necessary to do power sanding...no eye protection or work bench or anything. I live in an apartment building in Hollywood. :P

I've gotten slightly bit by the collector's bug, so I think I will grab a high-quality antique piece with smooth surface. I have a #6 skillet and a #9 Dutch oven on the way already...watching certain websites for a good #9 skillet, as that will probably be the primary cooking tool.

I got a great price on the #6 skillet...about $20 for a Wagner Ware. I probably overpaid for the Griswold #9 Dutch oven, because it was from an antique store. Both are professionally cleaned, re-seasoned, and ready for cooking, according to the sellers.

 

[turbo]

Good news, Ben. Nice old cast-iron is something that you will treasure forever. It's easy to over-pay if you're on the hunt, but if you are patient and check estate-sales, house clean-outs, and yard sales, you should bump into some nice stuff, cheap. It takes time, but it will happen if you are patient.

I'm lucky in that I came from a family of good cooks. When I went off to college and got my own apartment, my mother, aunts, etc gave me some pretty nice used stuff from their own kitchens. 2nd-hand, mis-matched cookware, but great stuff, for the most part. My first kitchen was stocked with a couple of cast-iron frying pans, some copper-clad SS lidded pots, a couple of decent old German knives, and a tiny little stoneware bean-pot that was just right for 2 people, or one person planning limited leftovers. My cups, plates, bowls, and "silverware" were all Heinz 57, but very serviceable.

Most of the family were of modest means, but they all appreciated and gathered good cooking implements over the years. My grandmother on my father's side was the cook for a very large logging/pulpwood operation and fed a huge hungry crew every day at breakfast and dinner, and made up massive lunches for those guys to eat during their work-day. An aunt was the cook for the town's only restaurant, and ran a catering service out of her home when she quit that job after the kids were out of the house. My mother was the best cook of all, with a real talent for delivering French provincial meals on a budget.

 

[Evo]

My background is French haute cuisine. One thing good is that I was taught all of the classic basics of cooking from experts. Which unfortunately makes me an insufferable snob about classic cooking techniques.

Not to mention that French haute cuisine has fallen out of favour. Too rich and too difficult.

 

[IcedEcliptic]

Every good cook is a snob! Cooks take pride in their work, and seek perfection. That is why cooking is so good to do, and tasty besides. The French taught the world so much of cooking technique, how to use the knife, and they adopt much of the middle-east and northern africa cuisine. The french put into a technique, what many cultures do. French cooking applied to Indian food is delicious! Who would wish to live without monte au burre? :)

 

[turbo]

My background is French haute cuisine. One thing good is that I was taught all of the classic basics of cooking from experts. Which unfortunately makes me an insufferable snob about classic cooking techniques.

Not to mention that French haute cuisine has fallen out of favour. Too rich and too difficult.

And too expensive! My mother was a child of the depression, as was my father, so she adapted provincial French cooking to our means, as did her elders before her. We ended up with family favorites like "French Soup" made with potatoes, home-canned tomatoes, onions, leeks, rice, and herbs. Delicious with fluffy layered pastry biscuits.

My mother used to serve us kids julienned steamed green beans in hot buttered cream. Not too expensive, since our milk-man delivered whole milk from a local farm, and the top 1/3 of every quart was cream. The farmer once told me that he'd never allow a Holstein on his farm because they gave water, not milk. Only Jerseys and Guernseys. I'm approaching 60 and grew up in a cultural oasis where things changed very slowly, if they changed at all. I grew up pretty poor, but I feel sorry for the "better-off" kids that got boxed macaroni and cheese and canned soups shoveled at them day after day.

 

[turbo]

BTW, Ben, people in these times often store stuff in rental storage units, and default on the rent, so their stuff gets sold. Another option to the clean-out sales, lawn sales, etc. Do you think that the owner of a rental-storage business knows what decent cast iron is worth? Unless the owner hires an appraiser and a good auctioneer, stuff will go cheap.

 

[Ben Niehoff]

So I received my Wagner Ware #6 today. I have a Wagner Ware #8 and a Griswold dutch oven on the way...should get them in a few days.

Here are pictures of the #6 (whenever attachments get approved):

 

[Evo]

They look very nice!

 

[IcedEcliptic]

So I received my Wagner Ware #6 today. I have a Wagner Ware #8 and a Griswold dutch oven on the way...should get them in a few days.

Here are pictures of the #6 (whenever attachments get approved):

That is a fine investment that can last a lifetime! You can cook full course meals in a dutch oven, and some very delicious breads.

 

[turbo]

So I received my Wagner Ware #6 today. I have a Wagner Ware #8 and a Griswold dutch oven on the way...should get them in a few days.

Here are pictures of the #6 (whenever attachments get approved):

That's wonderful, Ben! The #6 will end up being your go-to pan for sauteing onions, garlic, etc prior to their addition to sauces and casseroles. Our #5 serves that purpose here, as well as providing me with fried hot dogs and rolls (a weakness that I can now indulge because my wife found Applegate Farms hot dogs with NO glutamates), and the occasional mini-omelet. I'd like to have a #6 and a #8, too, from a decent manufacturer. Our cast iron gets heavy use.

BTW, if you have never cooked a New England boiled dinner, you might want to try your hand at it with the Dutch oven. Sear a cheap chuck roast in the pot with salt, pepper, and a high-smoke-temp oil (I use peanut oil). When the roast is browned on all sides, deglaze the pot with cheap burgundy and water. Add garlic powder and onion powder to the liquid, cover and simmer for hours. After about 3 hours or so, add chunks of potato, onion, carrot, cabbage, turnip, and cook until the vegetables are tender and have soaked up the flavors from the glaze, the wine, etc. Killer meal, and the left-overs make a wonderful hash for breakfast.

 

[Ben Niehoff]

That's wonderful, Ben! The #6 will end up being your go-to pan for sauteing onions, garlic, etc prior to their addition to sauces and casseroles. Our #5 serves that purpose here, as well as providing me with fried hot dogs and rolls (a weakness that I can now indulge because my wife found Applegate Farms hot dogs with NO glutamates), and the occasional mini-omelet. I'd like to have a #6 and a #8, too, from a decent manufacturer. Our cast iron gets heavy use.

That's exactly what I did with it tonight, in fact. Charred and caramelized some onions, carrots, celery and sauerkraut, dumping each one in pot of simmering beer as it finished. Then I used the pan to brown some bratwurst, then simmered everything together for an hour.

The most amazing thing is that when I add things to the pan, the pan actually stays hot. This is the first time I've cooked with cast iron...I can say it's completely different from anything else. Each ingredient simply starts going, rather than requiring a minor adjustment of the heat every time something is added.

I've read that copper cookware has a similar heat capacity...but of course, copper is way more expensive.

The #6 looks about perfect for a full-size omelet, if you ask me.

 

[IcedEcliptic]

That's exactly what I did with it tonight, in fact. Charred and caramelized some onions, carrots, celery and sauerkraut, dumping each one in pot of simmering beer as it finished. Then I used the pan to brown some bratwurst, then simmered everything together for an hour.

The most amazing thing is that when I add things to the pan, the pan actually stays hot. This is the first time I've cooked with cast iron...I can say it's completely different from anything else. Each ingredient simply starts going, rather than requiring a minor adjustment of the heat every time something is added.

I've read that copper cookware has a similar heat capacity...but of course, copper is way more expensive.

The #6 looks about perfect for a full-size omelet, if you ask me.

Oh that sounds SO good! Copper is pain to take care of too, compared to "salt and fat" for cast iron!

 

[Evo]

Overpriced trendy food.

Todays rant - Greek yogurt.

It's the new trendy thing on tv food shows. I'm sure it's great and the local market has just started carrying it. YAY! WHOA! Eight dollars for an 8 ounce container? Are you kidding? Oh, but you say, it's thicker than regular yogurt. Ok, so I buy two containers of regular yogurt for $3 total and drain it in a cheesecloth. Why, it's greek yogurt!

 

[turbo]

It will only get worse, Evo. Yesterday, my wife dropped in at the supermarket to pick up some food, and they were pushing some froo-froo dish samples that contained all kinds of really over-priced ingredients, like some "special" sun-dried tomatoes that cost more than filet mignon. The base ingredient was eggplant, but the herbs, cheeses, and afore-mentioned tomatoes could easily put an idiot in the poor-house. Luckily for the supermarkets, idiots abound, so they will make their nut every week.

 

[Monique]

Oh that sounds SO good! Copper is pain to take care of too, compared to "salt and fat" for cast iron!

Only if you want to keep it in a show-room-shine state. I have a copper pan that I use daily and don't really care whether it shines perfectly, I have it for its function: to cook. Since copper pans are coated on their insides with a non-reactive metal, they are actually easy to take care of.

 

[vorcil]

What does PF think about this?

http://www.punchsupplements.co.nz/supplements/fusion-bodybuilding-sub-q-get-beyond-ripped.html

I bought some,

the effects are amazing,

i use about 2 of the before I go to unviersity or study
they keep me focused when doing physics, so my mind dosen't wander off thinking about random things
and keeps my head in the books,

- it seems to complement my gym workouts also, (i've been to the gym everyday for 4 months, lifting weights for about 1-2hours with my friends and such at night time)

 

[Evo]

What does PF think about this?

http://www.punchsupplements.co.nz/supplements/fusion-bodybuilding-sub-q-get-beyond-ripped.html

I bought some,

the effects are amazing,

i use about 2 of the before I go to unviersity or study
they keep me focused when doing physics, so my mind dosen't wander off thinking about random things
and keeps my head in the books,

- it seems to complement my gym workouts also, (i've been to the gym everyday for 4 months, lifting weights for about 1-2hours with my friends and such at night time)

Capsules of tea? I hope this stuff is cheap because it appears worthless.

Green tea, sage, dandelion, coleus, black pepper, caffeine, and a bit of bean protein.

 

[vorcil]

It's better than drinking 5 sugar filled energy drinks,
It's like a study pill for a physicist REALLY
effects of Sub Q

it's cheaper than energy drinks, and is about 80 cents NZD per pill, where a 300ml energy drink is about $2.50,
for $98 NZD i got 120 pills, and this manual thing which is really good
usually these pills are taken by body builders and professional athletes but I thought i'd try them

how would I go about making my own pills Evo? with the same effects?
--------
speeds digestion, increases digestion efficiency, has a strong diuretic effect,

alters fat metabolisim, prevents fat absorbtion, increases levels of norepinephrine a fat burning hormone,

adds a positive nitrogen balance, which will keep the metabolisim active for longer periods of time (about 8 hours from the effects that I feel)

accelerates muscle recovery time, let's me exercise with increased frequency,

has leucine, isoleucine and valine, that upress appetite and food cravings,

has taraxacum officinate (dandelion leaf - also one of the teas you mentioned)
speeds digestion

Camellia Sinensis (Green tea leaf)
stimulates central nervous system with a natural form of caffine and provides long term energy increases, and imporvements in focus, moods and exercise performance. - directly triggers fat loss by causing therelease of fatty acids from body fat stores and increasing body heat generation (themogensis) and the burning of released fats for conversion into usable energy, also helps lose excess water that makes you look bloated.

anhydrous caffine, - increases focus/motivation apparently

- I'm writing these out of the little book that came with the pills,
there are heaps more of ingredients with all these effects but I can't be bothered writing any morethese things in turn create the folloew 3 effects that are awesome for studying/training at gym
----------
It increases your metabolisim ten fold - in turn makes you feel warm so when studying you don't have to think about turning a heater on because you're already warm (if it is cold)

It has a lot of fast acting caffine - like the equivalent of 5 energy drinks worth of caffine, without all the water so you don't pass it when you go to the loo, This keeps me concentrated while studying

is an appetite supressant, so when I'm studying I'm never thinking about food :P lol

----------------------------------

 

[vorcil]

But I do understand your concern
how some of the ingredients were
Green tea, sage, dandelion, coleus, black pepper, caffeine, and a bit of bean protein.

I'll write out the main ingredients:
Branched chain amino acids: Lecuine, isoLeucine and Valine
Razberi-k (4(4-hydroxphenyl(butan2one)
Taraxacum officinale (dandelion leaf)
Camella Sinensis (green tea leaf)
anhydrous caffeine
Forslean (cyclic adenosine monophosophate)
N-acetyl l-tyrosine
Salvia Sclarea (sage leaf)
Bioperine (extracted from black pepper)

If i wanted to make something like Sub Q, how would I go about it?

 

[Evo]

Eat a bowl of lentils seasoned with sage and black pepper, drink some green tea, eat a salad of dandelions, and have a shot of espresso.

It looks like the doses in the pills are low enough that they're harmless, but you're almost always better off eating the real foods.

 

[vorcil]

Eat a bowl of lentils seasoned with sage and black pepper, drink some green tea, eat a salad of dandelions, and have a shot of espresso.

I laughed,
thanks..lol

 

[Evo]

I laughed,
thanks..lol

If they make you feel good, I see no reason not to take them. They really don't seem harmful, unlike some "supplements".

 

[Ivan Seeking]

D’s Tacos

I’ve been meaning to post this for some time. I may have posted part of this before, but this is the whole enchilada.

While I have attempted Chicken Kiev, Flaming Cherries Jubilee, Baked Alaska, and a few other top-shelf efforts, with varying degrees of success, in the end, I’m not a knowledgeable cook. I really have just three specialties: BBQ’d Rib-Eye steaks, which a good number of people say are the best they’ve had [when things go just right], nachos, and my favorite food of all time, TACOS. Really, there are all sorts of tacos. Tsu absolutely loves a good fish taco, or four. But I have endeavored for over thirty years to perfect one particular style of taco. What I use is essentially a recipe that came from Tsu’s mom. I’ve been fine-tuning it to our tastes ever since Tsu and I met. For the sake of anonymity [Tsu’s family], I will call them D’s Tacos. Tsu and I both think these are just about the perfect taco. In fact, just last night we had tacos. As often happens, Tsu loaded more on her plate than she could eat. At about 5 AM., she awoke and couldn’t quit thinking about her uneaten taco, so she finally had to get up. I’m just as bad. I could eat these things every day; seriously.

Serves two to four; two if you’re into midnight fridge raids..

Pan-fry one pound of ground sirloin, med-high, as a large patty or patties. When fully cooked, use a stiff spatula to break the meat up into very small pieces. We want a meat sauce when we’re done.

Reduce heat to med and add 15 ounces of Las Palmas brand or similar enchilada sauce. Mix well while continually chopping the meat into smaller and smaller pieces.

After bouncing around for years, it turns out that the best combination of spices was easy to remember. I have doubled or more D’s suggested quantities of garlic and red pepper,

Mix well into the meat sauce, one-half teaspoon of each.
Garlic powder [not sure of the best quantity of fresh garlic. I always forget to get some!]
Oregano
Chili Powder
Red Pepper [I use a heaping half-teaspoon]
Cumin

Add also liberal quantities of black pepper to taste. I’ve never measured the amount that I put on, but I season with pepper as I normally would a hamburger.

Simmer on med-low while frequently stirring and chopping, until almost all of the liquid is gone, It should have approximately the same consistency as a sloppy Joe – just dry enough to be manageable, but still saturated. You can do this while cooking the shells.

This is very important.
Fry in a pre-heated pan in Wesson oil, on med-high or so, Guerrero brand, yellow-corn tortillas
http://www.tortillasguerrero.com/products.aspx?cid=578#

If you can’t get Guerrero brand, I’m sorry, you might as well stop now. I have searched high and low and I think these are the absolute best. But you could substitute another dark-yellow-corn tortilla for a crude simulation of taco perfection. If you buy shells in a box, please leave the forum now.

For each shell: Slide the shell into the oil, which should be hot enough to cause the shell to inflate like a balloon [note that Guerrero brand is one of the few that will do this. This makes a difference in the end]. Using two, safe, cooking utensils, keep moving the shell so as to allow for even heating. Hot oil should be sloshing liberally over the top of the shell. Also, keep pressing the ballooning sections down. Try not to poke holes in the shells. Depending on the precise temp of your stove, after about five to ten seconds, the edges of the shell start to turn white. Immediately flip the shell over and fold. Depending on how crisp you like your shell, cook another five to ten seconds on each side, or until the shell starts to show brown spots. Interestingly, it seems that the trick to cooking the perfect shell is the same as that for a BBQ steak – Cook the shell as fast as possible without burning it [or you!]. The finished shell should still be somewhat ballooned, slightly flexible, but crispy on the outside..

From there, top with Tillamook brand, XX-sharp [aged two years], white cheddar cheese [or another brand of very sharp white cheddar, for a crude simulation], in addition to diced:
Onions [if you like them]
Tomatoes
Red and or green bell pepper
Add lettuce and whatever else you might like on a taco. If you want salt, lightly salt the lettuce. This provides the maximum flavor for the least amount of salt. Note that none was added to the meat

Eat until in excessive pain. Don’t plan to move for a time.

 

[Evo]

Red pepper, is that red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper? I don't remember ever seeing Guerreo brand.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Red pepper, is that red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper? I don't remember ever seeing Guerreo brand.

I use cayenne pepper. The dark yellow really adds flavor. Get them as dark as you can. Also, they should be about as thick as an envelope; maybe a little thicker, say, two envelopes. The thickness seems to be part of the key. The thin ones cook too quickly [hard not to overcook] and don't add enough flavor. If they are too thick, you can't cook them all the way through without too much browning, which ruins the flavor, so they end up undercooked. If you turn down the heat, they absorb too much oil. I suspect that what happens is that one sears the tortilla much like one does a steak. Ideally, mine probably cook in just over fifteen seconds - five seconds per side plus flipping and folding. But I find that even after all of these years, getting it just perfect is still an art. I still screw up about one out of four shells.

 

[IcedEcliptic]

Ms. Evo, any tortilla based on masa will work, usually this is a local brand however.

Ivan Seeking, that sounds delicious! I am going to make these and give you feedback. Tilamook cheddar, I order 3 times a year from oregondirect, so for those people not in the pacific northwest, it is WORTH it!

Ivan, are you a chemist? You seem to have a very good appreciation of caramelization and how important it is for meats and starches.

I should add, the high heat for frying fats is important as you say, because as long as the food to be fried is "bubbling" and releasing water, the oil does not saturate. If the oil is too cool, the water does not go to steam, and if all the water goes, then the oil floods in. You should cook more, and then tell us more good recipes. :)

 

[Evo]

oooh! Pick me, pick me! <shoves Ivan aside> Ask me about the maillard reaction.

 

[Dadface]

Tonight I'm knocking out a fry up.Sausage,bacon, egg,tomatoes, chips,beans,mushrooms and fried bread.Lovely jubbly.

 

[turbo]

Tonight, my wife whipped up a hearty soup. As she was chopping vegetables, she said "I can't believe we didn't have this knife a long time ago." "Why did you wait so long to get one?" She was joking, of course, because when I told her that I had ordered the knife, she asked why we would need it when we already had the Thiers Issard chef's knife. She thought it was a needless extravagance when I ordered it. Now the Thiers Issard santoku is her favorite knife of all. "Her" knife, if you will.

 

[IcedEcliptic]

sushi! yum :)

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Ms. Evo, any tortilla based on masa will work, usually this is a local brand however.

Ivan Seeking, that sounds delicious! I am going to make these and give you feedback. Tilamook cheddar, I order 3 times a year from oregondirect, so for those people not in the pacific northwest, it is WORTH it!

Ivan, are you a chemist? You seem to have a very good appreciation of caramelization and how important it is for meats and starches.

I should add, the high heat for frying fats is important as you say, because as long as the food to be fried is "bubbling" and releasing water, the oil does not saturate. If the oil is too cool, the water does not go to steam, and if all the water goes, then the oil floods in. You should cook more, and then tell us more good recipes. :)

Heh, no, I'm not a chemist or a qualified cook, and most of what I know has been learned through observation, trial, and lots of errors. But I do know my tacos. I have certainly cooked and eaten more tacos than I care to admit in public. They have been my favorite ever since I kicked the Gerbers.

I did make a point of learning how to BBQ a steak from a true, world-class, gourmet-BBQ chef. I do love a properly BBQ'd steak. But again, even after many years of practice and trying to perfect my technique, it is still tough to get it perfect every time.

Oh yes, I meant to mention that after decades of using grated cheese for tacos, I discovered that chopped or diced cheese is better. This is esp true for the xx-sharp cheddar. If you shred the cheese, it tends to blend too much with the other foods. By using diced cheese, in 1/4 inch square or so [or bigger] pieces, you get these bursts of cheddar that I think really adds to the overall flavor.

PSS. In case it isn't obvious, this is spicy stuff! However, if you like it hot... I do still like to top mine off with a bit of tobasco on the lettuce. Also, you can get the enchilada sauce in regular or hot. We like it hot. If you go with the hot enchilada sauce plus the heaping half-teaspoon of red pepper, it starts getting serious.

 

[lisab]

I was searching for a basic recipe for banana bread and found this site: Cooking for Engineers!

http://www.cookingforengineers.com/

I poked around a bit and I like it. I *really* like the format for recipes. They have standard recipe directions with a lot of pix, maybe too many (good for beginners though). But they also have the recipes in table format. Check out banana bread:

Cool idea ! I'll let you know how the bread turns out tomorrow.

 

[Borek]

I suppose it was already posted:

The following recipie for chocolate chip cookies recently appeared in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN, Jun 19, 1995, p. 100). It was attributed to Jeannene Ackerman of Witco Corp.
Ingredients:
1. 532.35 cm³ gluten
2. 4.9 cm³ NaHCO₃
3. 4.9 cm³ refined halite
4. 236.6 cm³ partially hydrogenated tallow triglyceride
5. 177.45 cm³ crystalline C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁
6. 177.45 cm³ unrefined C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁
7. 4.9 cm³ methyl ether of protocatechuic aldehyde
8. Two calcium carbonate-encapsulated avain albumen-coated protien
9. 473.2 cm³ theobroma cacao
10. 236.6 cm³ de-encapsulated legume meats (sieve size #10)

To a 2-L jacketed round reactor vessel (reactor #1) with an overall heat-transfer coefficient of about 100 Btu/F-ft2-hr add one, two, and three with constant agitation.

In a second 2-L reactor vessel with a radial flow impeller operating at 100 rpm add four, five, six, and seven until the mixture is homogeneous.

To reactor #2 add eight followed by three equal portions of the homogeneous mixture in reactor #1. Additionally, add nine and ten slowly with constant agitation. Care must be taken at this point in the reaction to control any temperature rise that may be the result of an exothermic reaction.

Using a screw extrude attached to a #4 nodulizer place the mixture piece-meal on a 316SS sheet (300 x 600 mm). Heat in a 460K oven for a period of time that is in agreement with Frank & Johnston's first order rate expression (see JACOS, 21, 55), or until golden brown.

 

[IcedEcliptic]

Heh, no, I'm not a chemist or a qualified cook, and most of what I know has been learned through observation, trial, and lots of errors. But I do know my tacos. I have certainly cooked and eaten more tacos than I care to admit in public. They have been my favorite ever since I kicked the Gerbers.

I did make a point of learning how to BBQ a steak from a true, world-class, gourmet-BBQ chef. I do love a properly BBQ'd steak. But again, even after many years of practice and trying to perfect my technique, it is still tough to get it perfect every time.

Oh yes, I meant to mention that after decades of using grated cheese for tacos, I discovered that chopped or diced cheese is better. This is esp true for the xx-sharp cheddar. If you shred the cheese, it tends to blend too much with the other foods. By using diced cheese, in 1/4 inch square or so [or bigger] pieces, you get these bursts of cheddar that I think really adds to the overall flavor.

PSS. In case it isn't obvious, this is spicy stuff! However, if you like it hot... I do still like to top mine off with a bit of tobasco on the lettuce. Also, you can get the enchilada sauce in regular or hot. We like it hot. If you go with the hot enchilada sauce plus the heaping half-teaspoon of red pepper, it starts getting serious.

Dicing the cheese, now that I had not considered. I am going to make Tacos a la Ivan this weekend, and report the result. I love spice, and I am in love with southwestern and mexican food. So good.

 

[IcedEcliptic]

From an Australian friend, a soup, and entree.

2 bulbs of garlic, brushed in oil and roasted
1 large fennel bulb caramelized in butter and sugar
8-10 new potatoes boiled in salted water
2 cups heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
that's the gist

you prepare like a vichyssoise by blending the ingredients.

GRATIN OF YABBYS: aka australian crawfish.

1kg peeled cooked yabbies
200ml Hollandaise sauce
50ml butter blanc sauce
200ml whipped cream
Salt and Pepper

Method:

Poach yabbies till hot in vermouth and fish stock.
Fold together hollandaise, buerre blance and whipped cream. Place this sauce on top of strained hot yabbies.
Then gratinate under salamander.

Serve:
Garnished with fleurons and chives.

 

[Evo]

Ivan, great tip on the cheese! I agree, grated cheese does get lost. Did you know that Hukyl is also a homemade taco addict?

Lisab, I love "cooking for engineers". his step by step photos are great. I cook with my eyes.

Borek, that's too funny.

Iced, those sound so tasty, I must try them.

I love this thread.

 

[lisab]

From an Australian friend, a soup, and entree.

2 bulbs of garlic, brushed in oil and roasted
1 large fennel bulb caramelized in butter and sugar
8-10 new potatoes boiled in salted water
2 cups heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
that's the gist

you prepare like a vichyssoise by blending the ingredients.

GRATIN OF YABBYS: aka australian crawfish.

1kg peeled cooked yabbies
200ml Hollandaise sauce
50ml butter blanc sauce
200ml whipped cream
Salt and Pepper

Method:

Poach yabbies till hot in vermouth and fish stock.
Fold together hollandaise, buerre blance and whipped cream. Place this sauce on top of strained hot yabbies.
Then gratinate under salamander.

Serve:
Garnished with fleurons and chives.

Sounds really great, but...salamander ?

 

[Evo]

Sounds really great, but...salamander ?

A salamander is a broiler.

 

[turbo]

A salamander is a broiler.

Fire above, food below.

 

[IcedEcliptic]

Heh, it runs on eye of newt :)

 

[lisab]

Heh, it runs on eye of newt :)

ha

 

[lisab]

The banana bread was OK. Not a too-sweet recipe, which is good. I used pecans instead of walnuts - yum. It's not very oily, and although I prefer the oily kind of banana bread to the bready kind, the oily kind is really loaded with calories.

There was one bad thing, but I'm not sure what the cause is. The last two times I've baked, I can taste the baking soda. Not overpowering but it's definitely there. I'm positive I used the amount called for in the recipe. Does this happen to anyone else?

 

[turbo]

My wife brought home a new treat offered by our "artisan butcher" who is expanding into other foods. Chocolate-covered roasted coffee beans. They are sweet on the outside and pure coffee on the inside. I may never sleep again.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Dicing the cheese, now that I had not considered. I am going to make Tacos a la Ivan this weekend, and report the result. I love spice, and I am in love with southwestern and mexican food. So good.

Cool, I hope you like them.

Btw, I checked and the enchilada sauce comes in ten-ounce cans, not eight ounce cans as I had thought. So the quantity should be fifteen ounces of enchilada sauce, not twelve. The original post has been edited. The original recipe called for ten, but we found that another 50% works well. Ten ounces just isn't quite enough.

While I was growing up, my best friend was Mexican, so I frequently ate authentic, home-cooked, mexican food. I was eating menudo for years before they would tell me what's in it!

Something else, if you like Mexican food, you must try tripe tacos. I used to brave one of the most dangerous areas of Los Angeles just to get tripe tacos from this wonderful little hole-in-the-wall Mexican taco stand.

 

[turbo]

Another cool rainy day, and my wife is caring for her mother, so I'm making a batch of New England-style baked beans for our supper. I'll slow-roast a glazed ham later to go with the beans. I'd rather cook and warm the house by running the oven on a cool day than start a fire or run the furnace. 2 birds and all that.

 

[turbo]

There are myriad ways of preparing meat, and I use them all. It just so happens that hams, rib-roasts, etc work well with oven-roasting. If I have a large beef roast (especially a tougher shoulder cut), I'll brown it in oil, then simmer it for hours in a seasoned broth of water and wine, then when the meat is tender, toss in lots of vegetables to make a New England-style boiled dinner.

I grill meat, pan-fry venison organ meats and steaks, roast poultry, and grill cut-up chicken in sweet-hot BBQ sauce. Good fish fillets like salmon generally get cooked on my charcoal-fired smoker. This American cooks and eats meats prepared in any way appropriate.

 

[Evo]

Another cool rainy day, and my wife is caring for her mother, so I'm making a batch of New England-style baked beans for our supper. I'll slow-roast a glazed ham later to go with the beans. I'd rather cook and warm the house by running the oven on a cool day than start a fire or run the furnace. 2 birds and all that.

Darn, I wanted to make your beans today, but I forgot molasses when I went to the store and it's pouring down and cold, and I also don't like to use the car to get a single item.

I've got mussels, shrimp and fish, so a seafood stew might be an option.

 

[turbo]

Baked beans scale easily. For a pound of black beans, 1/2 cup of molasses and 1/2 cup of dark brown sugar are my starting point. This is a smaller batch, since we have ham and still have left-overs in the fridge. I cut everything about in half.

Give them a good squirt of prepared mustard, add in chopped onions, pressed garlic, salt and black pepper, and check them after about 3 hours simmering covered at 300 deg. That's a good time to adjust the sauce. This time, a bit more molasses seemed called for. This batch is meatless, but I often like to add chopped lean bacon, chicken thighs, or salt pork to cook with the beans. With the ham baking, too, the house smells wonderful! Nice antidote for a cool showery day.

 

[Borek]

Speaking of Food Network...

http://www.ecanadanow.com/entertainment/2010/05/15/food-network-chef-juan-carlos-cruz-arrested/

 

[turbo]

Speaking of Food Network...

http://www.ecanadanow.com/entertainment/2010/05/15/food-network-chef-juan-carlos-cruz-arrested/

With my hot salsas and chili relishes, I could recruit an army of migrant farm workers.