Monthly Cooking Thread - September 2018

[Jamestown1630]

Isidore Verheyden - 'Afternoon Tea'

I’ve always been attracted to the various forms of traditional English Tea Time, and found that Chef John of ‘Food Wishes' has done a video on making clotted cream at home. His method is very easy, and just involves heating the cream in the oven at low temperature for many hours, cooling, chilling, and then skimming off the solids that rise to the top. I’m sure it’s not as good as the authentic product enjoyed in Devon or Cornwall, but it looks pretty good.

This is very simple, but takes many hours over several phases, so you will want to start a couple of days ahead if you’re planning for guests; and my choice would be to have it with Black Raspberry Jam on scones :-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDyyAb6lB48

For a savory afternoon tea, you might want to try Coronation Chicken, a curried dish originally created as a salad dish for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II; but it makes a very nice tea sandwich filling, and there are many versions of it. Here’s one from the BBC and the ‘Hairy Bikers’:

https://www.bbc.com/food/recipes/coronation_chicken_30402

Here’s a link to the BBC page for the ‘Hairy Bikers’, with links to many of their recipes:

https://www.bbc.com/food/chefs/hairy_bikers

-JT

[Liz]

Agreed.....

I’ve made it 1-2.

It was good.....but its a huge time consuming job.

The frozen product serves up very nicely.

[Liz]

Tuck this into your holiday recipe file. A versatile sauce, tastes great with turkey or pork roast.
Or as a side condiment for savory dishes like chicken entrées or as an almondine sauce for veggies.
Dessert uses are many. Perfect over a scoop of ice cream or to fill sponge cakes, maybe even in a tiramisu.

Cranberry Amaretto Sauce

ING ¼ cup butter, 12 oz pkg fresh cranberries, 2 c sugar, 2 ts lemon juice,
½ cup amaretto, 2 tablespoons orange marmalade, 2 teaspoons lemon zest.

METHOD Stir/combine melted butter, cranberries, sugar, l/juice. BTB,
simmer 10-15 min (cranberries begin to pop). Offheat, add amaretto,
marmalade, lemon zest.

[ptsal]

Have you tackled the Instant Pot?

So far, I have a had a delightful experience. One quick dessert is baked apples. Great way to use those backyard apples with a little cinnamon, pumpkin spice, raisins, craisins, and sugar.

Hot applesauce or pie filling in about 45 minutes - start to finish. ;)

[dennisw]

I have a hot tip for all you aspiring and perspiring cooks. Go to Aldi and get their grass fed hamburger meat. Only $5.29 a pound and comes in a very nice rigid plastic package.

The source .... it is imported from Argentina, Uruguay and Australia. Three countries where you basically cannot find feedlot beef. Of course it has been frozen but it is still good.

[Liz]

A must try——thanks.

[Jamestown1630]

We’ve mentioned the Instant Pot in several threads; my husband and I think it’s just about the most useful gadget we’ve bought:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3650657/posts

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3659886/posts

[Jamestown1630]

Is that generally a regular price, or a sale price?

[Liz]

Still got zucchini hanging around? Try this zucchini cake for a change of pace....served at a health spa.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Orange Glaze

CAKE 1 1/4 c flour cup sugar 1/4 cup cocoa tsp b/powder 1/2 tsp ea b/soda, salt, cinnamon 2 eggs
1/3 cup canola oil 1/2 cup plain yogurt teaspoon vanilla 2 tsp orange zest 1 1/2 cups grated zucchini

CAKE METHOD Beat eggs; stir in canola oil. Beat in alternately with yogurt sifted flour, sugar, cocoa,
b/powder, soda, salt, cinnamon. Stir in vanilla, orange peel, zucchini.

FINAL Bake in Lightly greased 8×8” cake pan or 8” round springform 350 deg 50-60 min (pick in center comes clean).
Cool. Make Glaze; drizzle over cake.

Orange Glaze
Mix 1/2 cup conf, tb melted butter. Stir in 2 tb oj, 1/2 tsp orange zest

[dennisw]

Regular.

[Jamestown1630]

That’s good!

[Liz]

Tea time in the country.

[Jamestown1630]

I saw that one when I was looking for pictures. The kitties are having ‘tea’ too ;-)

[Liz]

SECRET GARDEN TEA HOUSE, UK serves Victorian Vanilla Tea

Victorian Vanilla Tea: scone w/ devon cream, lemon curd,
eight petite "tea sandwiches",
sweets-mini dark chocolate slice, lemon curd mini slice, three types cookies,
fruit includes honey dew, strawberry, grapes, and kiwi.

Sandwiches on tiered server: Herbed cream cheese, Curry Egg, Chicken Salad,
Tomato and homemade pesto, smoked turkey with baby dill and lemon capers, tuna melt

Ones that stood out were: pineapple and almond, Ham and apple

The vanilla tea came with cream and sugar cubes.

[Jamestown1630]

I’ve always been confused about tea time - and why they aren’t all fat as whales.

We tend to eat dinner rather late, especially on weekdays; but I don’t think I’d want anything after a late-afternoon ‘high tea’ full of sandwiches and sweets...

I could deal with ‘elevenses’ though; I eat lunch late, too ;-)

Nice article about the English Tea custom:

https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/06/30/418660351/high-tea-afternoon-tea-elevenses-english-tea-times-for-dummies

[Liz]

Thanks for the link.

Maybe it’s all those gins and tonics they have before (after or in between teas?) that keeps the Brits from getting fat?

[Jamestown1630]

In my experience (burp!) that’s not exactly the case....:-)

[Liz]

LOL.......

[Jamestown1630]

G’Nite!

[Flaming Conservative]

Does anyone have the recipe for a dessert called Dutch apple cake or Dutch apple dessert? Has about a 2 inch thick. rich vanilla crust like a really heavy cake, sliced apples on top, with sour cream, powdered sugar, egg and lemon zest poured over that and baked. I can probably work out the toppings, but it’s the crust I need a recipe for.

[Flaming Conservative]

Yum!