Monthly Cooking Thread - March 2018

[Jamestown1630]

Dear Cooking FRiends;

Due to issues at home and at work, I am going to be unusually busy for the foreseeable future, and I have decided that I will have to reduce our Weekly Cooking Thread to a monthly thread. Often, the thread is still quite active when I’m ready to post the following week’s installment, so I don’t think it will make a great difference if we continue each thread over a month.

I’ve greatly enjoyed the camaraderie that we’ve developed here; learning about all of your family culinary traditions and cooking secrets; and just sharing TALK, as our conversations wandered - often into ‘terra incognita’, as a lot of threads on FR do ;-).

You have all taught me many things, and introduced me to new horizons – not all of which have had to do with food and cooking - and I’m grateful for that, and for all of you.

I’ve also enjoyed and learned a great deal from the sheer effort of posting on a weekly basis for the last couple of years, ‘digitally challenged’ as I am. I’m still not very smart about using this little 'spaceship' as I call my computer; but at least I can post a picture and have a little HTML under my belt (Thanks, Liz!)

Instituting a cooking thread was one of my priorities when I ‘signed-up’, because I had always enjoyed the cooking threads on FR during my many years as a prior lurker – especially the Thanksgiving ones! - and I hope to continue for a long time.

I will probably post around the first of each month – and will always be checking in!

***********************************************

I recently discovered Stephane of the ‘French Cooking Academy’ YT channel. He does great videos that are packed with information on ingredients and technique, and I’ve been especially impressed with everything he does with Potatoes.

Here is his video on Gratin Dauphinois - the Classic French Potato Bake; but check out the Duchesse potatoes, as well - they look fancy, but aren't that hard to do:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QCdN89DAYE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjdzwYREr48

-JT

[Trillian]

I’m currently addicted to watching The Great British Bake Off and Master Class. I found their few hundred recipes online including this one.

Paul’s Kanellängd

Ingredients
For the dough
75g/2¾oz unsalted butter, melted
250ml/9fl oz full-fat milk, warmed
450g/1lb strong plain bread flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tsp ground cardamom
5g salt
7g packet instant yeast
40g/1½oz caster sugar
½ free-range egg, beaten (approximately 1½ tbsp)

For the filling
75g/2¾oz unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla paste
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
75g/2¾oz caster sugar
½ free-range egg, beaten, (approximately 1½ tbsp), for brushing

For the sugar syrup
100g/3½oz caster sugar

For the icing
150g/5½oz icing sugar
1 satsuma, finely grated zest only

Method
1. Melt the butter and gently warm the milk in a saucepan.

2. Tip the flour and cardamom into a large mixing bowl and add the salt to one side of the bowl and the yeast to the other. Add the butter, milk, sugar and egg and turn the mixture round with your fingers. Continue to mix until you have picked up all the flour from the sides of the bowl. Use the mixture to clean the inside of the bowl and keep going until you have a soft dough.

3. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and begin to knead. Keep kneading for 10–12 minutes. Work through the initial wet stage until the dough starts to form a soft, smooth skin. When your dough feels smooth and silky, put it into a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and leave to rise for 30–40 minutes, until doubled in size.

4. While the dough is rising, make the filling. Cream the butter and vanilla paste together in a bowl until soft and spreadable. In a separate bowl mix the cinnamon and sugar together.

5. Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knock it back. Roll out the dough into a rectangle, about 25x35cm/10x14in. Turn the dough 90 degrees if necessary, so you have a long edge facing you. Tack the back edge to the work surface, pushing down with your fingers, sticking the dough to the work surface.

6. Spread the butter mixture evenly over the dough and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. Roll up the dough tightly like a Swiss roll, using the tacked edge to create tension. Place on the prepared tray.

7. Using a clean pair of sharp scissors, cut the roll into 15 slices (approximately 2cm/¾in each) almost all the way through. Pull each slice out to alternate sides and press down gently with your hands. Put the tray inside a clean plastic bag and leave to prove for 20–25 minutes, or until the dough springs back if you prod it lightly with your finger. Do not over prove.

8. For the sugar syrup, tip the sugar and 100ml/3½fl oz water into a small pan and bring to the boil stirring until the sugar has melted. Boil until reduced by half.

9. Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 6. Brush the loaf with beaten egg and bake for 20–25 minutes until risen and golden-brown. Cover with aluminium foil after 10 minutes if it’s browning too quickly.

10. For the icing, mix the icing sugar with enough water to make a thin icing, then stir in the satsuma zest.

11. Place the loaf on a wire rack to cool. Brush with the sugar syrup then drizzle over the icing. Leave to cool completely.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/pauls_kanellngd_49838

All the recipes to search through:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/search?programmes[]=b013pqnm

[Trillian]

It is the best I have ever had. I have two of the extra large jars in my house right now and it’s not enough to have on hand ;)

[Liz]

This is a different kind of Italian dish. Worth a try. It’s a fast, easy, filling meal.
It’s vegetarian but you could add a layer of small spicy meatballs to make it seem more lasagne’ish.

RAVIOLI LASAGNA (vegetarian version)
FILLING mix 2 c ricotta, 10 oz pkg wrung-dry chp frozen spinach, cup romano (or more to taste), one egg, s/p.

ASSEMBLY Layer in deep 8x8 casserole your fave tomato sauce, pkg frozen ravioli, filling, tomato sauce; foil over.

FINAL Bake 375 deg 40 min. Remove foil; cook 10 min.

CARNIVORE VERSION: Add a layer of small spicy meatballs.

[miss marmelstein]

This sounds easy and nice! Anyone have a suggestion for a decent brand frozen ravioli?

The storm has hit here.

[Liz]

You could serve this dessert with the potato-dogs and be crowned a 5-star chef.

Caramel Cream Cheese Pie

FILLING ING •can dulce de leche caramel (divided) •8 oz cream cheese, softened •1/4 cup powdered sugar •2 1/2 cup whipped cream •1/4 cup granulated sugar

METHOD: beat cream cheese with 1/2 cup of dulce de leche and powdered sugar. Set aside. In a clean and COLD mixing bowl, beat whipped cream with granulated sugar for a couple minutes until stiff peaks form. Remove about 1/2 cup of the whipped cream and reserve it for the garnish.

To the remainder of whipped cream, fold in the caramel cream cheese mixture until fully blended. With the remaining dulce de leche, reserve about 1-2 Tbsp for garnish. Spread the remainder in the bottom of your cooled pre-baked pie crust. Top with caramel cream mixture. Top with reserved whipped cream. Melt dulce de leche in microwave and drizzle over pie. Refrigerate pie 4-24 hours before serving.

[Liz]

Celentano are usually good......they even come in mini sizes which would be good for this recipe.

[miss marmelstein]

Ok. I could also use Whole Foods’ ravioli. I love short-cut Italian traybakes, although my husband doesn’t.

[Liz]

He’ll really like this......and just before you serve it,
add an olive oil drizzle and a blanket of Parmiggiano-
Reggiano. He’ll be in seventh heaven.

[miss marmelstein]

Will do.

[Liz]

Here's another helpful hint. While he's looking at the Ravioli Lasagne -----maybe a little skeptically,
you just look off into space and casually say "chocolate and raspberries for dessert."

Raspberry Swirl Brownies / makes 24
BATTER Stir 50 strokes 19.8 oz brownie mix, 8 tb melted butter, 1/3 c water, 2 lge eggs, tsp vanilla (batter lightens in texture). Pour into lightly sprayed 13x9" pan, smooth w/ rubber spatula. Drop 1/2 c seedless raspberry jam by the teaspoon-ful on top; w/ dinner knife swirl jam into batter. Scatter 1/4 c semi/choco/chips over top. Bake til outer 2" form crust; feels slightly firm 350 deg 23-27 mins. Set pan on wire rack 30 mins. Slice and serve.

[lizma2]

“oops”

Even angels make mistakes.

[Aliska]

I remember going with my grandma down to the garden to dig some fresh potatoes for supper with a butcher knife (I have it or one exactly like it). She'd pull out the green tops and start digging, and little potatoes would appear which she collected in her apron.

Then she turned her attention to what she called ground cherries which reseeded themselves every year. Maybe I spotted them and their unique appearance and asked about them. Those are known by different names but are like little round yellow tomatoes in a husk like tomatillos. Sometimes we called them "little yellow tomatoes". She made preserves with them. I always meant to grow some, can't be too hard, but never got the seeds. Think you can get them at seed savers exchange decorah iowa. I love going through their catalog.

Walmart had some "golden berries", Reese brand they were selling out. Canned in juice like fruits which they are. They are native to Peru I think. I ate them for snacks cold out of the fridge. Delicious. Now they bring top prices if you can find any.

Now for a gripe. I can't find any of those hard-shelled but chewy marshmallow eggs in bright colors. Looked all over for them. They've ruined so much of our candy by discontinuing it. Guess young kids don't like it.

Just got off jet.com ordering some stuff. None there either. And they have lots of plastic eggs you can fill for the kiddies. Some are hinged. Some looked to me a little one could put one in their mouth and choke on it. I pray it won't happen.

Oh yeah, I think my grandma's potatoes were red. We took them back to the house and she cooked them for supper. My mother used to love to make little "new" potatoes, just a strip peeled around the center and put a white sauce with peas over them. I didn't like them but ate them. Now I'm kind of hungry for some. And I'm sure my mom never put nutmeg in her white sauce.

I think I will honor her memory and my "Papa" with a photo. She called him Papa so I did, too. My father was away in WWII so he was like a surrogate father. I adored him. Loved my grandma, too, so crippled with arthritis. Papa died in 1946, and grandma in 1958. I'm probably the only one alive who remembers Papa.

[Yaelle]

We were addicted to the Great British Baking Show too. We watched all 4 seasons on Netflix. How can we watch the next season? It would be the 5th season American style, but we would be willing to even pay for it from Britain, where it would be “Series” 7 of the Great British Bake off, also known as the 2017 season or series as they say it.

[Trillian]

I couldn’t find the other seasons so I started watching Master Class. My daughter made Paul’s chocolate volcanos twice in the past week.

[Yaelle]

Ok, I did find the master class show, we can watch that. Thanks.

And Paul and his volcanoes... I wonder if we could find his American version, where he dumped his wife and had an affair with the American female cohost. Volcanoes indeed. My mom loooooooves him and always tells me what gorgeous eyes he has.

[beethoven]

Aliska,

The Vermont Country Store has the Easter Eggss you’re looking for. They call them Marshmallow Hiding Eggs.... They are dependable with mail orders.

I hope this helps.....

[Trillian]

He does have the most gorgeous blue eyes.

[Aliska]

Oh, thank you so much! They also have those mint patties I used to enjoy so much.

Sorry I got carried away with a long one again. And it occurred to me that little kids could possibly choke on the ones I like so much in addition to what I mentioned.

Thanks again!

[Yaelle]

I love the photo of your grandparents. Kind of reminds me of my own.

I think I remember eating those marshmallow eggs when I was a child. A hard colorful shell, and marshmallow inside that was pretty solid, more hard than marshmallows today.

In our house the eggs to get are the tiny Cadbury pastel chocolate filled eggs. We call them “crack” eggs because they are horribly addicting.

[Aliska]

Thank you, Yaelle, for the nice comment about the photo. I like the lace curtains they had back then. Made some pretty ones with scalloped edges on the vertical sides for 8 windows in my sunroom but put them away because one cat used to claw them, she's gone now. Guess I could put them back up if I wanted to, the nice rods I put up are still there.

I think the eggs were Brach's, not sure, and a little over an inch long, proportioned more narrow than a real egg. I got myself some just a couple Easters ago, sure enjoyed them. I also loved those nougat-like ones, ah couldn't think how to describe the shape so looked for something - rectangulaar prism or long little box. They had little chunks of colored they say jelly bean but much chewier, wrapped in clear cellophane. They still have those with not as many colors and in the shape of taffy and wrapped in clear papers twisted.

Wow, four 7-oz bags/package at one place 2# for $24.39. Same amount individually wrapped same price. That's expensive! At the Vermont Store 7-oz. bags for $14.90, about the same.

I will look for the Cadbury eggs you described. I always looked forward to getting the chocolate ones with the white, creamy filling, and I think it had yellow centers for yolks. Their chocolate has always been superb.

I think I found some small Cadbury ones liike you describe at Target with chocolate. There are some Cadbury caramel ones called robin eggs, all like aqua with darker flecks. Yours the photo would be harder or impossible to embed.