Weekly Cooking (and related issues) Thread

[Liz]

Just a good memory——reading, and waxing nostalgic, about classic restaurants.

Has to be lots of reviews....as I recall, it was a celebrated eatery at the time.

[Daffynition]

Vitamin B12 is not naturally found in yeast extract, but is added to Marmite during manufacture.

[miss marmelstein]

Yes; I did not remember that it was in the Beekman. There was a time when there were so many small classic French restaurants and inexpensive French restaurants like Rene Pujol. Most, if not all, are gone, taken over by the unending Italian craze.

My nephew when he visits from Los Angles begs us not to take him to another Italian restaurant!

[Liz]

In one of her books, Julia Child raved over these--her version of a dish served in a charming bygone NYC restaurant "La Tulipe" which served these in baskets lined w/ red-checked napkins.

GRATED POTATO PANCAKES / from Child's 2009 "Kitchen Wisdom" cbook.
French cooks call these Potato Galette. Nice way to use leftover baked potatoes.GOOD DO-AHEAD Make entire recpe---reheat 425 deg when ready to serve.

METHOD Steam 3-4 large unpeeled baking potatoes 15-20 min (not quite tender). cool several hours completely cold. Then peel and rub through large holes of hand grater. Toss w/ s/p. Divide loosely into 6 mounds.

Spread 2-3 portions in pan of hot 1/8" clarified butter, press together lightly w/ spatula 4-5 min. Saute several min (brown bottom), turn with care, brown 2nd side.

[miss marmelstein]

Goyishe latkes!

[Liz]

Heh.....one and the same.

[miss marmelstein]

The difference, of course, is that in Jewish cooking, you would cook them in vegetable oil and grate them raw.

[Liz]

French techniques are always better——par-boiling the potatoes makes a more tender superior product.

[Liz]

food.com has Marmite recipes; it's used a lot in Malaysia. These looked
good. Great way to use leftover or offcuts of puff pastry; it's so simple.

MARMITE CHEESE WHIRLS

ING 9 ounces puff pastry;2 teaspoon marmite (or more depending on how strong you like it) 1 egg, beaten 2 ounces red leicester cheese or 2 ounces cheddar cheese, grated

METHOD Roll out the pastry to about 14x10 inches. Spread the Marmite on the pastry, leaving an inch border. Brush the edges of the pastry with beaten egg and sprinkle cheese over Marmite. Roll up like a jelly roll, starting from the long edge. Roll it quite tightly. Brush the outside with beaten egg. Cut thick slices; place on parchmented baking sheet.Cook 425 deg or 12-15 minutes until pastry is puffed and golden.

SERVE warm or cold.

[Jamestown1630]

I think ‘Gourmet’ was the magazine that used to have a feature where people would write in and ask the editors to ferret-out the recipe for something wonderful they’d had in a restaurant. I found the recipe for one of my favorite ‘mall eatery’ dishes that way, and saved a lot of others from that feature as well.

-JT

[miss marmelstein]

Yes, that was the one feature that remained with the magazine until the day it folded. I once requested sweet potato poopies from a diner in Montgomery, Alabama but they never answered me. Too bad, they were delicious, lol!

[miss marmelstein]

I knew you’d find a use for Marmite!

[Jamestown1630]

Well, I didn’t actually write-in; but just happened to read the feature one day, when someone else had requested the recipe that I had enjoyed. Apparently it was a popular dish at malls all over the country.

I have a hunch - maybe ‘wishful thinking’: I think folks might get tired of everything being online; and the actual publishing of paper magazines - or even mailed ‘newsletters’ like John Thorne’s - might come back again for some subjects :-)

There’s just something more personal, tactile, and substantial about them. Over the weekend I was in a bookstore for the first time in ages: the magazine section isn’t shrinking, it’s expanding, especially in the hobby and home-arts areas.

(I love the Internet; but there is still a place for old-school publishing of certain things, and I think there will always be.)

-JT

[miss marmelstein]

I’ve emailed with John Thorne. He’s a great guy. For those who don’t know, he’s a Maine food writer (he may have moved, though) who with his wife, Matt, writes wonderful, homey books and as Jamestown said, newsletters. Another writer I learned through the great Laurie Colwin. And that was back in the early 90s!

[Jamestown1630]

I believe that Carla Emery’s book, ‘The Encyclopedia of Country Living’ also began as a snail-mail newsletter. Compiled, it’s still available as a (very BIG) book:

http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Country-Living-Anniversary-Edition/dp/1570618402

-JT

[miss marmelstein]

And Ree Drummond started out as a blogger.

[Jamestown1630]

There’s room for all kinds of stuff :-)

-JT

[Liz]

I don’t think the recipe will generate a run on Marmite supplies.

[miss marmelstein]

Oh, Ye of Little Faith! Marmite Rules!

[Liz]

For sheer variety, Japanese chefs cannot be beat. Take sushi----other than a few classics like the California roll----the variety and creativity in each and every sushi restaurant is mind-boggling. Plus they are constantly developing amazing new methods of cooking. They can take an ordinary ingredient---say taro root---and turn it into a delectable, beautiful dish.

These crab-stuffed leeks w/ "gelatin caviar" are a prime example.

CRAB-STUFFED NAGANEGI (LEEKS)

METHOD Cut naganegi (leeks) into 1 1/2" lengths, cook a bit soft
in boiling water 6-7 min. Drain/cool; then push out and remove centers,
making double-layer tubes.

STUFFING Liftout 2 2/3 tb gelatin to bowl, add 2 tb fresh cream, tb mayo,
dash sugar and 3 1/2 oz cooked/shredded crabmeat, and mix. Set over ice to
chill. Now stuff naganegi. Chill rest gelatin mixture firm 2 hours.

PLATE spread chilled gelatin on plate, stuffed naganegi on top.

GELATIN Micro covered a min Combined 5/6 cup (200cc) water, tsp
plain gelatin, 1/2 chix bouillon cube. (use some in stuffing, rest as garnish).