Weekly Cooking (and related issues) Thread

[Liz]

A sumptuous no-cook dessert served at an incomparable Italian restaurant.

MASCARPONE CREAM w/ BERRIES

METHOD Whisk/soft-whip 8 oz chilled mascarpone, 1/2 c h/cream, 1/2 c conf, tea vanilla.

PRESENTATION Layer in dessert glasses 1/2 cream, fave berries, rest cream.

Top w/ berries or coulis, mint sprig. Cover/frige 1-24 hours.

SERVE cold.

[pugmama]

This is my favorite grilled cheese sandwich. Chef Greenspan also makes a version of this with a layer of braised beef ribs that is just awesome! The Champ: Grilled Taleggio Sandwich With Apricots and Capers
 Chef Eric Greenspan. Ingredients: 15 dried apricots 1 tablespoon nonpareil capers 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 8 slices dark raisin bread 5 tablespoons butter, at room temperature 4 small handfuls arugula 8 ounces taleggio cheese, rind removed, at room temperature 4 pinches fleur de sel Directions: 1. Place apricots in small saucepan and add water just to cover. Bring to full boil and immediately remove from heat. Mix in capers, mustard and olive oil. Pulse in blender to chunky consistency; set aside. 2. Spread one side of each bread slice evenly (to the edges) with 1/2 tablespoon butter. With buttered sides down, top four slices with 2 tablespoons of apricot mixture, handful of arugula and equal portions of cheese. Top with remaining slices, buttered side up. 3. Place large skillet over high heat, and melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Reduce heat to low and add sandwiches. Cook until browned and crisp on both sides, about 2 minutes a side. Transfer to a platter lined with paper towels, and sprinkle each with a pinch of fleur de sel. Cut in half and serve. Makes 4 sandwiches

[pugmama]

This is a modernized version of this old favorite recipe. I liked it more than the original version.

http://www.food.com/recipe/modernized-chicken-marbella-cooks-illustrated-493445

[pugmama]

This is a nice easy recipe. I serve it with baked rice or fresh pasta.

Braised chicken with wine and tomatoes, served with salsa verde.

Take 4 chicken legs and 4 chicken thighs and season them with salt and black pepper. Set aside for 15 minutes to 1 hour.

When you’re ready to cook, warm 3 tbsp. of olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the chicken, skin side down. Brown for 15-20 minutes. If you rush through this step or if you don’t brown the chicken enough, it will show in the final dish. Remove chicken from pot with tongs and transfer to a plate.

Add diced bacon to the pot. Guanciale or pancetta will work as well. Fry the bacon until it crisps. Transfer bacon to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Pour off most of the fat in the pot until you have 2-3 tbsp. Add diced onion, carrot and celery to the pot along with a pinch or two of salt and some black pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add bacon back to pot, along with a couple of bay leaves. I used fresh bay leaves, but dried will work as well. Cook until the vegetables are softened and are beginning to brown, about 25-30 minutes.

Deglaze with 1 cup red wine, making sure to scrape up all the browned bits in the pot. Add 1 cup water and 1 cup crushed tomatoes (or alternately, canned whole plum tomatoes that you’ve crushed by hand). Taste for salt and pepper. Stir a few times, then add chicken back to the pot. Add a couple of diced tomatoes. Raise heat to medium and bring to a boil. Lower heat so that the chicken maintains a steady simmer. Partly cover and braise for 40-45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

When you’re ready to serve, plate the chicken in a bowl. Ladle sauce over the chicken and top with 1 tbsp. salsa verde.

For the salsa verde:

1/4 cup mint leaves
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/4 cup basil leaves
1/4 cup minced scallions
2 oil-packed anchovy fillets
1 minced garlic clove or 2 minced shallots
extra-virgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients except oil in a food processor. Pulse for 10 seconds or until you have a paste. Transfer herb paste to a bowl and stir in extra-virgin olive oil until you have desired consistency. Use as desired.

[Liz]

Yup---another "must-have."

Hand-held coffee bean roaster---39.99 ---on Amazon.

[pugmama]

Saw this recipe last night and will make this for Halloween. We had loads of kids last year and ran out of goodies.

http://www.theflavorbender.com/2016/09/butterscotch-swirled-marshmallow-red-velvet-hot-chocolate.html

[Jamestown1630]

That’s a really nice site. The recipe would be great for Christmas, too; and she includes her own hot chocolate mix recipes.

[Jamestown1630]

I’ve been looking for something like that! I remember reading a book on the history of American cooking, and the authors were lamenting that there was no modern gadget for roasting beans, such as they had in Colonial times. I think they made them of cast iron for a long time.

(I wish I could remember the name of that book - I think it was written by a husband-and-wife team interested in culinary history...)

[Jamestown1630]

My husband would like that very much, and I would love the Grilled Cheese you posted - I’ve saved them both.

[Jamestown1630]

Pugmama, how much bacon do you use for the four legs/thighs?

[Liz]

The bean roaster might also be handy for roasting nuts to be added to desserts, stuffings, and the like.

[pugmama]

I use about 4 slices of bacon.

[pugmama]

Here is a recipe for braised short ribs that I used to put on the grilled cheese with apricot caper relish.

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/grilled-cheese-and-short-rib-sandwiches-with-pickled-caramelized-onions-and-arugula

[Liz]

Now that you've got your coffee beans roasted, how about sipping a Vanilla-Bean Coffee Cocktail?

Spicy, sweet, and creamy with an alcohol kick.

Make it with freshly ground coffee beans, rum, and light cream......add a simple syrup infused with vanilla bean.

The roasted coffee beans release their oil into the spicy rum, infusing it with a pleasant bitterness that's softened by the sweet cream.