Monthly Cooking Thread - December 2018

[Jamestown1630]

LOL! The only time I’ve had frogs’ legs, I didn’t even know I was eating them - they were in a paella, and tasted like chicken ;-)

[mylife]

BB, the problem is he has stories about me too!

[mylife]

Alligator tail confuses me, is this fish or a poke chop?

[mylife]

When I was on Submarines they would give us fried rabbit.
Everyone says it taste like chicken.
Damn oddest chicken I ever seen LOL!

[mylife]

My buddy Viet, loves to BBQ.
He got one grill going with chicken, marinated in asian spices, vermicelli noodles stuffed under the skin..
He has another grill going, and it is covered with cross cut beef ribs, Yummo!

3rd grill.. I look at the delicacy du jour... Puzzled by the anatomy, “I said Viet, what is this?”
He said that Gol dang squirrel!
I said “Where did you get that?”

He said ‘You see that damn tree?’ comical bastard :)

[miss marmelstein]

I made it recently with good ingredients and very fresh bananas. It was out of this world.

[miss marmelstein]

Yes, the oyster is good. A lot of people overlook it.

[lizma2]

Oh goodness! LOL. He needed to dip them in melted into butter and lemon. Poor baby.

Mrs. Paul’s sold breaded frog legs when I was a kid and since we are Catholic we had them all the time.

[mylife]

I love butter, not so sure about Mrs Paul, But Haddock broiled in butter and lemon... Yow

[boatbums]

You know what is even BETTER? The oyster from a turkey! More of a good thing. :o)

[Liz]

Here's a great Christmas gift idea for your fave cook.......a bottle of gourmet-flavored vinegar made by you.
Store-bought flavored vinegars are a bit pricey....but a chef wants all of them in his/her kitchen arsenal of flavors.
There is an amazing choice of flavored teas in every supermarket.

HOW-TO Simply steep a selected tea bag in a bottle of vinegar. Make small samples since only a smidgen is used.
DO NOT leave teas in the bottle---will contaminate the vinegar.

=================================

White wine and champagne vinegars work well with delicate herbal flavors and lighter-flavored fruits.

Red wine vinegar would work well strong flavors, herbs but will mask most flavors.

Rice vinegar is a mild, slightly sweet vinegar that can be used occasionally for flavoring dishes.

[Jamestown1630]

My husband grew up on rabbit, and keeps trying to convince me to try.

So far, a bridge too far ;-)

[pugmama]

Banana pudding id very popular there. Found some interesting pudding recipes here. That miso one is calling my name.

https://www.foodandwine.com/slideshows/pudding-recipes?hid=795a11e443fa785dcfcf836ad45aeb8cd0110493&did=311120-20181203&utm_campaign=faw-the-dish_newsletter&utm_source=foodandwine.com&utm_medium=email&utm_content=120318&cid=311120&mid=16682023727

[miss marmelstein]

That recipe looks fantastic although it says it takes 5 hours to make!

I also saw there a recipe for pot au creme. Again, Peg Bracken has a 2 ingredient recipe for it - cream and chocolate chips that sit in the fridge for a couple of hours. You’d never know it wasn’t from a French restaurant.

[pugmama]

The 5 hours includes the time in the fridge to cool. I love Peg’s books. I have them somewhere. I am going to be culling my cookbooks soon and will be looking for those books.

[miss marmelstein]

Yes, I know. I was just amused by the time posted.

Bracken's books are amazingly simple and yet workable. Another fun book is “Aromas and Flavors Past and Present” in which the great cook Alice B. Toklas partners with a 50s “modern” American magazine editor to make cakes from cake mixes and learns to use a Waring blender. The behind the scenes story is funnier than the book particularly her reaction of margarine.

[mylife]

Oleo still offends me.

[Liz]

Makes a pretty holiday presentation. Of course, you have most of the ing. Check your cupboards.

MIXED ITALIAN BRUSCHETTA

ING long thin French baton bread •400 g tin butter beans, drained,•2 tb black olive tapenade
•Small handful shredded fresh mint, •Zested/juiced 1/2 lemon •2tb evo, •Seeds from ½ pomegranate
•150 g (5oz) cherry tomatoes, quartered •200 g (7oz) mozzarella bocconcini, halved •tbsp fresh basil pesto
•2 tb chp fresh basil, •Small handful arugala •15 g (½oz) shaved Parm • 3oz sliced roasted red pepper, sliced

PREP Cut bread in 24 diagonal slices; toast in batches. TOPPING Mash mint, zested/juiced lemon, olive oil.
Season/stir in pomegranate seeds. Set aside. Stir cherry tomatoes, mozzarella bocconcini, pesto and basil.

ASSEMBLY spoon Topping on six toasts; garnish w/ pomegranate seeds.
Top six w/ mozzarella mixture; top six with rocket, bresaola and Parm. Drizzle w/ evo.
Six bruschetta get slices of roasted pepper, bit tapenade, basil leaf.

[Liz]

Marzipan vegetables are time-consuming---but are a lot of fun for the holidays.
Made easier by using ready-made Bob's Red Mill blanched almond flour/meal.

HOMEMADE MARZIPAN

METHOD Proc/pulse/combine almond flour and powdered sugar. Add/pulse/combine almond extract and rose water.
Add the egg white and process to thick dough. If the mass is still too wet and sticky, add more conf and ground almonds.
Will become firmer after it's been refrigerated. Turn out onto work surface and knead a few times.

Form a log, saran and fridge. Will keep fridged at least a month or freezered up to 6 months. Bring to room temp before using.

INGREDIENTS 1 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill blanched almond flour/meal (or blanch/grind/dry your own almonds),
1 1/2 cups conf, 2 tsp best pure almond extract, tsp quality food-grade rose water, egg white
(vegan tip: use egg substitute or 2 tb corn syrup)

[Liz]

EGGNOG CREME SAUCE / a NIGELLA CHRISTMAS recipe

The Brits are fond of Christmas Puddings with this as a topping. But EGGNOG CREME SAUCE would also turn ordinary
chocolate cake into a Christmas delicacy. Or dollop a latte; add a nutmeg sprinkle. Whip in 1-2 tb conf for a sweeter product.

METHOD Elec/whisk/thicken 1 1/2 c h/cream. While still floppy, whisk in 1/2 c Advocaat eggnog-flavoured liqueur
til cream is thick but still soft; spatula into server. SERVE w/ Christmas pudding..............or whatever.