Weekly Cooking (and related issues) Thread

[Jamestown1630]

When we had our first home and my husband and I began cooking together, we acquired a copy of Julia Child’s ‘Mastering the Art of French Cooking’ from a book club. Being ignorantly ambitious, we decided to first try Boeuf Bourguignon.

We must have done a lot wrong because in the end, a can of Dinty Moore with a splash of cheap red would have been superior to our sad product; but we learned our lesson, and realized that we needed to know a lot more about cooking before attempting something like that.

We never tried that particular dish again, until last weekend; and we chose a simpler, less time-consuming recipe. I’m not crazy about beef – I like it in the form of hot dogs and hamburgers – but even I enjoyed this, and it smelled divine while cooking; a really nice Fall-Winter dish.

I guess ours should properly have been called 'Boeuf Sauvignon'; but most recipes I've seen have suggested Pinot Noir as a substitute for Burgundy. Also, we shorted the fresh thyme slightly, thinking it might be too strong; but if we do it again, I think we'll use the full amount.

The recipe we chose comes from The Casserole Queens Cookbook, and is available at:

http://www.tastebook.com/blog/recipes/2976174-BeefBurgundy

And their book, which looks very good, is available through Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Casserole-Queens-Cookbook-One-Dish-Recipes/dp/0307717852

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

Julia Child became an icon of American television, but people today don’t always realize what a unique accomplishment her program ‘The French Chef’ really was. The show introduced something very new and different to American home cooks; was begun on a shoestring; and it’s surprising to watch the first episode - which coincidentally featured Boeuf Bourguignon – with the eyes of today, and to realize how much work, discipline, and organization went into this. To me, it's remarkable how completely comfortable she seemed in front of the camera even from the very start (and before her natural flamboyance came to the fore); and how much information she packed into each episode. I think you can only accomplish this from a strong confidence in your own mastery of your subject:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zA2ys8C-lNk

-JT

[Randy Larsen]

See Post 80.

You won’t be disappointed.

[Jamestown1630]

I’m crazy about anything deep-fried, and that looks wonderful!

[Randy Larsen]

I use it for Deep Fried Mushrooms, Zucchini, Onion Rings, Shrimp, Cod, Shucked Oysters, Scallops.

The best all around batter for Deep Frying that doesn’t need changing but can be.

Enjoy.

[leaning conservative]

It’s funny you should mention Better Than Boullion. This weekend I had a lot to pick up at Wal-Mart & I was in a ramble around mood. I was in the soup aisle & came across BTB. Looked pretty good, not full of junk, so I bought the beef for fall/winter cooking. I feel better knowing it has your seal of approval! ; )

[Jamestown1630]

They make many different flavors; in our supermarket we can only find the basic ones - even the vegetable is rare - but you can buy it at Amazon and other places:

http://www.betterthanbouillon.com/locator.aspx

[Liz]

There's something primordial about biting into a hot crunchy deep-fried
vegetable. This recipe gives the taste/crunch sans those pesty calories of
deep-frying. And get a load of that dip.

Crispy Oven-Roasted Onion Rings / Jalepeno Dip

ING 3 onions Cut into 1 cm (1/2 inch) thick (outer rings are better)

DUSTING MIX 1/4 cup flour 1/2 t salt and pepper 1/2 t smoked paprika

BATTER 1/2 cup buttermilk 1 egg 1/4 cup + 2 T flour (6 T) 1/4 t smoked paprika, salt and pepper (I wanted some of the flavour in the batter too)

CRUMBS About 1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs (must use panko for crunch). Olive oil spray

PREP whisk batter ing to consistency of pancake batter or thick cream. Spread crumbs on a flat plate. Line a couple of large baking trays with silpat. Or use baking paper then brush or spray lightly with ol/oil cooking spray.

FINAL toss 1/2" onion rings in seasoned dusting flour, batter quickly, then crumbs to coat. Place single layer on sheetpan. Bake golden 450 deg 10 min.

SERVE w/ dip.

Spicy Jalapeno Dip: Mix 1/2 cup creme fraiche, 1/4 c Hellmans, 2 Tb minced green spring onion tops, 1/2 – 1 Tbl fine-chp pickled jalapeno, 1/2 tea pickle juice, s/p. Can do in advance.

[Jamestown1630]

I really like that dip recipe!

[pugmama]

Making the dijon stew today-house smells divine. Day of remembrance on this very sad 911 day.

http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/5571-auberge-de-la-madones-beef-stew-with-wild-mushrooms-and-orange

http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017085-dijon-and-cognac-beef-stew

Both of these recipes are some of my favorite beef stews.
I have sort of combined these recipes using the marinating technique for Augerge’s recipe and then doing the cognac and dijon recipe. I add mushrooms and orange to that recipe.

[Liz]

The Auberge recipe is spectacular....adding cognac and a bit of orange .......so French.

[Liz]

The Auberge de la Madone.

[pugmama]

This French restaurant has spectacular views and is one of the best restaurants we have ever eaten in. They use local very fresh produce, and serve classic dishes with a modern twist. We tried to go back another night but we could not get in. I was so happy to get the beef stew recipe and you are right-it is just wonderful.