This week: Happy New Year!
(If you would like to be on or off of this weekly cooking thread ping-list, please send a private message.)
-JT
Crepes with crab filling sound amazing!
Santa brought me an Instant Pot. Today making beef barley soup with leftover prime rib. Start to finish about 40 minutes.... I made mashed potatoes in it for Christmas dinner and they were the best mashed potatoes I’ve ever made!
Never used a pressure cooker before but now I am hooked!!
Just do not use surimi for the crab - use genuine US caught crab. Surimi or Fake Krab is made from the soft flesh of hake (an otherwise useless fish) using a patented process, then colored and textured to make it look like crab or lobster.
Christmas Eve we had the crew over for Beef Wellington with roasted Brussels Sprouts and Acorn Squash.
Pretty ordinary internet recipe-blog fare but well received.
Usually don’t do New Year’s Eve. But just might this year as we have a second great year to look forward to.
Either reinforcement, or a different POV.
I remember a French friend of mine who served crepes covered in soft butter, sprinkled with granulated sugar, and folded in quarters. Amazing and simple.
I did a variant using the crepe cooking technique with plain beaten eggs that were immediately sprinkled with shredded swiss cheese and then rolled.
I’m probably going to just stay home and recover. I will make a big pot of lentil soup.
Champagne Brownies
Ingredients
16 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
12 Tbsp unsalted butter, cubed, plus extra for buttering pan
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 1/4 cup flour
1 cup champagne
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter 9 x 9 inch baking pan and line with parchment paper (leave extra overhanging edges for easy removal).
Melt chocolate and butter in saucepan over saucepan over simmering water (or double boiler)
Beat salt, vanilla, eggs, and sugar into melted chocolate and beat thoroughly to incorporate.
Add flour and mix just until blended.
Add champagne and continue mixing batter until it becomes shiny and pulls away from sides of bowl. (2-3 minutes on high for a stand mixer.)
Turn into prepared pan and bake 45-50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
http://dyingforchocolate.blogspot.com/2017/12/champagne-brownies-ring-in-new-year.html
Santa brought me a two week vacation from commuting so I’m still baking up a storm. Last night I baked my family’s traditional favorite “Christmas” cookies, spitzbuben*, without the holes in the top. My son asked me to put them into metal tins with wax paper between the layers like grandma did, so I did. Will bring some to my 91 year old uncle today if I get the chance.
*also called linzer
I still want to do gingerbread cookies or maybe speculoos.
Seeking cookie eaters. People can’t keep up with me.
Not a cook, just barely enough to be eating every meal.
But I got a copper pot with a deep glass lid that has holes for draining. All I have done so far is boiled some potatoes but I LOVE it!
Gee, how long has it taken for something like this and I don’t have to wash a strainer too! YEAH!
Oh and the outside of the pot is RED. I think that is pretty too. (Clashes with the copper tho)
Next up..... pasta.
May I be added to this topic/group, please?
I got a Christmas village bundt pan, A new electric toothbrush, and a daily calendar with pictures of Italy. And I just ordered myself a pair of new hiking boots that are waterproof. I tend to be uncoordinated and fall into Creek’s easily. Can’t wait to hit the AT in them!
New Year’s Eve? Haven’t given it a thought. We normally don’t do much of anything. Unfortunately we are on the East Coast this year, so we can’t watch the ball drop at nine :-(
My second assignment in culinary school 1 year ago this month! I still use ghee to coat the pan.
Our heater died two weeks before Christmas. Our water heater died one week before Christmas. Everybody on my list got food baskets because we couldn’t afford much else. I made spiced apple brandy jelly, cranberry bourbon jelly, candied citrus slices, wine salt, and an old Warcraft friend saved my butt with an easy cookie recipe. Got it all finished and packed 2 hours before we were due for family Christmas, and now I’m not cooking SQUAT for a week or so.
much
maybe
except I picked up some smoked butter that would be realllllly tasty with shrimp or flounder or even roasted chicken and I’m sure I could think of all sorts of good stuff to do with it. HELP ME I’M AN ADDICT.
Santa brought me a food processor, but it doesn’t have a dough making blade. :-(
Does anyone know of a food processor that makes dough, that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg?
A new water heater. :o(
I made this for Christmas dinner. It was wonderful.
Hope everyone had a great Christmas.
http://www.closetcooking.com/2017/12/butter-tart-cheesecake.html
There was a great crepe restaurant in my prior home town. I loved to go there as their crepes were so good and quite unique.
This is a good article re crepe making:
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2017/03/french-crepes-ham-cheese-eggs-recipe.html
My mom made these every Christmas season. We loved them.
https://natashaskitchen.com/2010/11/27/nalesniki-with-cheese-and-pineaple/