Posted on 11/12/2011 9:05:46 AM PST by libertarian27
Welcome to the 49th installment of the FR Weekly Cooking (Recipes) Thread.
Looking for something new to make or made something new that came out great? Please share a 'tried-and-true' recipe or nine- for fellow FReepers to add to their 'go-to' Recipe Stack of Family Favorites!
Here's the place to share and explore your latest and greatest favorite recipe.
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November 12 - National Pizza with the Works Day
November 13 - National Indian Pudding Day
November 14 - National Guacamole Day
November 15 - Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day
November 16 - National Fast Food Day
November 17 - National Baklava Day
November 17 - Homemade Bread Day
November 18 - National Vichyssoise Day
***Ping to the Weekly Cooking Thread***
(to be added/deleted - please post here or PM me)
~~~I’ll be loading the listing from last week later on....as some know - my computer blew up last week during the arborgeddon - I’m loading office 2010 in my new computer now - it’s taking awhile to load :>)
Please add me to the list.
you’re added:>)
Riverbend Shrimp and Pasta
Made this the other night...had not had it for awhle and had forgotten how good it was (not a fat free dinner).
20-25 Count peeled and de-veined shrimp (about 6 - 8 per person)
Your favorite pasta (we like linguine)
1/2 tablespoon frozen fresh basil
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic.
1 tablespoon frozen fresh lemon grass.
1 table spoon frozen fresh ginger root.
3 tablespoons creole seasoning (we like Emeril’s)
1/2 pound unsalted butter.
Get the water boiling for the pasta (don’t forget to salt the water). When the pasta is nearly done, melt the butter in a large pan. When the butter is melted, add all the spices - except for the creole seasoning and then all the shrimp. Sprinkle with the creole seasoning and cook the shrimp until it just turns pink.
Spoon the shrimp and sauce mixture over the pasta and enjoy!
Hint: the frozen spices can be bought in small, frozen tubes at the store. You keep them in the freezer and always have great spices.
So, what are you in the mood for today, Lib27?
I’m going to a benefit dinner tonight - Prime Rib (yum) so just grazing lightly this afternoon :>)
Something to add to your Thanksgiving table
I HATE carrots, won’t touch them with a ten foot asparagus, but I LOVE this recipe as does every one I make it for. It’s my most asked for recipe.
COPPER CARROTS
2 lb Carrots cut into ½ inch slices
1 green pepper cut into long slices
1 red onion cut into rings
1 small can Tomato Soup
1 cup Salad Oil
1 cup Sugar
1/3 cup white Vinegar
1 Tsp Dry Mustard
Salt & pepper to taste
Boil carrots until tender, drain and cool. Then combine in a casserole dish with the green pepper and the onion slices.
Heat soup, oil, sugar, vinegar, and dry mustard until hot and sugar is completely dissolved. Make sure you stir while it cooks to mix ingredients.. Then, Poor this mixture over the carrots. Mix and then cover and refrigerate overnight*. *Best made a day or two ahead.
Serve - Can be served warmed-up or left cool, your choice.
Ooh, I haven’t seen those yet. I bet they would make awesome Rice Krispie treats!
“I’m going to a benefit dinner tonight - Prime Rib”
Rare and with a Kosher salt & herb crust is the way my wife roast it. We have it every Christmas.
This year we are also adding bouillabaisse to the menu. We have some in the family who do not like seafood, so we will do both.
Not a big Rice Krispies Treats fan, but they probably would be pretty good.
Sweet Potato Cheesecake
with Praline Sauce and Whipped Cream
Besides being a music venue, the House of Blues also has a pretty darn good restaurant within. I’ve only eaten at the ones in New Orleans and Los Angeles, but I’ve never had a bad meal there. They specialize in Southern, Cajun and Creole cooking, and they do quite a good job (and lemme tella ya, they got a lot o’ competition in New Orleans).
Gumbo Pages contributor Greg Beron sent in this recipe, which is similar to an excellent dessert once served at the House of Blues. Unfortunately, it’s no longer on the menu ... but you can put it on the menu at home. The ground toasted pecans in the ginger-snap crust are a perfect touch.
If you want to be really extravagant and decadent (and this is dessert, so that’s exactly how you want to be), substitute Mascarpone cheese, a wonderfully sweet and rich Italian cream-style cheese, for good ol’ Philadelphia Cream Cheese.
For the crust:
1-1/2 cups finely ground ginger cookie crumbs
3/4 cup toasted pecans, ground
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the filling:
8 ounces cream cheese or Mascarpone cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup puréed sweet potato (or yam; the orange kind, not the yellow kind)
5 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
For the praline sauce:
8 ounces unsalted butter
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
In a large mixing bowl, mix the ground pecans and cookie crumbs; add the melted butter and mix well. To form the crust, press the crumb mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
In a mixer, beat the cream or Mascarpone cheese until smooth, then add the sugars and spices and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, approximately 3-4 minutes. Add the sweet potato purée and mix until just blended. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping bowl after each egg. Stir in heavy cream at low speed until completely blended.
Pour the filling into into the pan. Put the pan into a 1 to 1/2 inch bain marie, or warm water bath (it’s a good idea to wrap the bottom and sides of the springform pan to prevent water from leaking in.) Cook the cheesecake in the bain marie for 50 minutes at 350°F.
Cool the cheesecake at room temperature for 45 minutes. Chill for at least 4 hours before serving.
While the cheesecake is cooling, make the praline sauce: melt the butter in a saucepan, then add the brown sugar, cream and pecans. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Keep warm.
To serve, place each serving a slice of pie onto a dessert plate, then spoon a pool of warm praline sauce over and around each serving. Top with a dollop of fresh whipped cream, and garnish with a sprig of mint.
My post 14 is the perfect desert to go with your Shrimp and Pasta.
Questions for bread making folks.
To make bread less dense, use less flour, right?
Also, what’s the optimum temperature to make bread to ensure maximum yeast growth? I found a recipe for burger buns that reads, “Slightly warm milk.” I don’t have a setting on my thermometer for, “Slightly Warm.”
Thanks in advance.
I think so too. In fact my wife just headed for the store and is picking up what is needed to make the dessert.....can hardly wait!
Crostini en tapenade -- looks complex, but is really fast and quite easy
1 cup green olives, pitted
1 cup black or Nicoise olives, pitted
1/4 cup dried tomatoes
1 TBSP capers, nonpareil size, drained
1 clove garlic, smashed
1/2 tsp chopped parsley
1/2 tsp dried sweet basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp honey
2 fillets of anchovy
For tapenade, put half the olive oil and all other ingredients in blender and pulse until a paste is formed. You may (probably will) add more olive oil in stages to get to your desired consistency. The tapenade should be "easy" to spread, but not ever runny.
For crostini, take 1 loaf of French bread sliced thinly on a diagonal bias. Preheat oven to 250 F. Brush olive oil lightly on each slice of bread, then bake for 6 or 7 minutes. Remove bread, let cool for a couple of minutes, cut a peeled clove of garlic in half and rub each slice softly with the cut side of the garlic. Let cool completely.
Spread the tapenade on the bread and serve on napkin-covered hors d'oeuvre plate.
To dry a tomato: make an 'x' with a knife in the bottom of the tomato, bring a pot of water to a boil, toss in the tomato (or two, or three). Cook 25-30 seconds, then remove tomato(es) to a bowl of iced water (or just cool will work fine) for 15 seconds. Peel off the skin starting at the 'x'; skin should come off very easily.
Preheat oven to 250 F. Core tomato(es) and discard core(s). Slice or quarter the tomato(es) and place on an oiled baking sheet for 55 minutes or until starting to shrivel. If not using immediately, store in olive oil in a sealed jar, refrigerated.
Happy crunching!
Mmmmmm Prime Rib! I think I will be ordering one to cook at home after Thanksgiving. Planning on having a nice homebrewed Trappist ale with it.
Or, as our old Irreverent U. Cookbook used to say: "Boil carrots until tender, approximately 3 hours. Remember, you cannot kill a carrot."
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