Monthly Cooking Thread - August 2020

[Liz]

A good idea to vary the flavor of the Instant White Sauce. When warming to serve on pizza or atop pasta,
or over mushrooms braised in Marsala served with a grilled steak....add a bit of powdered beef base.
Veg or chix base is also a good addition

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

Instant White Sauce / Makes 2 cups
With an immersion blender or a regular blender, puree thick and creamy,
about 30 sec to a min 2 cups h/cream ½ cup chp fresh basil 1/4 cup chp fresh chives
1 ½ tsp lemon zest 2 tb fresh l/juice minced gar/cl, pinch ea crushed red pepper flakes, ks/p.

[Liz]

Thought you might like this no-bake rich chocolate ganache mousse,
and creamy dulce de leche, nestled in a sweet/salty cinnamony cookie crust.

Dark Chocolate Dulce de Leche Tart

ING Crust: 1 1/2 cups vanilla wafer cookie crumbs (about 7 oz cookies) 2 tb light brown sugar 1/8 tsp fine sea salt 1/4 ts ground cinnamon 6 tb unsalted butter, cut into chunks For Dulce de Leche: 8 ounces dulce de leche 2-4 tablespoons heavy cream, as needed For Ganache Mousse: 6 ounces good quality dark chocolate (70-75%), finely chopped 1 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream, divided 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into chunks 1 teaspoon vanilla extract flake sea salt (such as Maldon), for topping

METHOD
CRUST Proc/chop wafer cookies. Add sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Proc/pulse to incorporate. Add melted butter fold to incorporate, evenly moisten. Chill/set 30 min Pressed into six 4-inch mini tart pans) with a removable bottom.

CARAMEL LAYER Combine Trader Joe’s brand jarred dulce de leche w/ 3 tb cream. Micro 45-60 seconds, stir once, til smooth and creamy, incorporated. Spread even layer in bottom of chilled crust. Fridge while you prepare chocolate layer.

CHOCOLATE LAYER Heat 3/4 cup cream til bubbly (do not boil). Pour over finely chp chocolate. Steep 30 sec, then begin to gently whisk, making small concentric circles in center, til melted and smooth. Add butter, 1 chunk at a time, whisking slowly to incorporate before adding the next chunk. Stir in vanilla.

In a clean bowl, vigorously whisk remaining 1/2 cup cream to soft mounds (a slightly softer consistency than typical whipped cream). Fold into melted chocolate mixture til no white streaks remain. Pour over dulce de leche; spread evenly. Set in counter 1-2 hours at cool room temp or rfrige 30-60 minutes just til set (if refrigerated longer, top won’t be as glossy.)

FINAL Liftout of pans. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes and edible glitter just before serving.

CHEF NOTES Tart will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 2 days. Let come to room temperature prior to serving.

[Liz]

Lawsuit: Chipotle Keeps Change, Without Customers’ Consent
Dailypoliticalnewswire.com ^ | August 21, 2020 | Keely Sharp
FR Posted on 8/21/2020, 10:54:59 AM by Red Badger

According to a new lawsuit filed on Thursday in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court, Chipotle is keeping change from customers’ orders, without their permission. The rounding up on tabs in some Chipotle chain locations has quickly added up to hundreds of thousands of dollars stolen from customers.

Yikes! Lawyer Frank Salpietro said he believes this is a move by corporate bosses: “It has become very clear that this is a top-down directive from the corporation, this is how they should handle the situation.”

Fox News reports:

The state attorney general’s office has received at least seven complaints, reports said.

Corporate bosses are likely behind the move, a lawyer told the station.

One customer in Hampton, Pa., said she received $4 change on a bill of $15.51 instead of receiving $4.49 after paying with a $20 bill, KDKA reported. A restaurant employee simply withheld the remaining 49 cents, she claimed.

Another customer, in Pine, Pa., received $11 change on a bill of $8.72 instead of receiving $11.28 after paying with a $20 bill, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported.

“What we’ve learned is that they are telling people after they order their food and give their money to the cashier that they don’t have any change so they are not going to be able to give you the change,” Salpietro continued.

He added that he thinks the restaurant will use the so-called national coin shortage as an excuse, but he said that he isn’t buying that.

“I understand that the pandemic is affecting all of us,” Salpietro added. “But that doesn’t give Chipotle the license to line its own pockets at the expense of consumers, particularly when you hide behind a coin shortage to justify taking more money than you should.”

Such actions can hurt customers who are struggling to make ends meet, according to KDKA.

There was no immediate response from the restaurant chain.

I don’t see this ending well for the Mexican grill.

[Liz]

Lawsuit: Chipotle Keeps Change, Without Customers’ Consent
Dailypoliticalnewswire.com ^ | August 21, 2020 | Keely Sharp
FR Posted on 8/21/2020, 10:54:59 AM by Red Badger

According to a new lawsuit filed on Thursday in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court, Chipotle is keeping change from customers’ orders, without their permission. The rounding up on tabs in some Chipotle chain locations has quickly added up to hundreds of thousands of dollars stolen from customers.

Yikes! Lawyer Frank Salpietro said he believes this is a move by corporate bosses: “It has become very clear that this is a top-down directive from the corporation, this is how they should handle the situation.”

Fox News reports:

The state attorney general’s office has received at least seven complaints, reports said.

Corporate bosses are likely behind the move, a lawyer told the station.

One customer in Hampton, Pa., said she received $4 change on a bill of $15.51 instead of receiving $4.49 after paying with a $20 bill, KDKA reported. A restaurant employee simply withheld the remaining 49 cents, she claimed.

Another customer, in Pine, Pa., received $11 change on a bill of $8.72 instead of receiving $11.28 after paying with a $20 bill, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported.

“What we’ve learned is that they are telling people after they order their food and give their money to the cashier that they don’t have any change so they are not going to be able to give you the change,” Salpietro continued.

He added that he thinks the restaurant will use the so-called national coin shortage as an excuse, but he said that he isn’t buying that.

“I understand that the pandemic is affecting all of us,” Salpietro added. “But that doesn’t give Chipotle the license to line its own pockets at the expense of consumers, particularly when you hide behind a coin shortage to justify taking more money than you should.”

Such actions can hurt customers who are struggling to make ends meet, according to KDKA.

There was no immediate response from the restaurant chain.

I don’t see this ending well for the Mexican grill.

[Jamestown1630]

Wouldn’t that be cheating on taxes on the actual amounts they take in, too?

[Liz]

Musta falsified the books.

[Liz]

Perfect for a vegetarian lunch, full of healthy fats to keep your body fueled.
4 serves, w/ 2 lettuce leaves and ½ cup Avocado Keto Egg Salad.

Lettuce Wraps with Egg and Avocado

Mix 4 diced Boiled Eggs, diced medium Avocado,
2 tsp L/Juice, 3 tb Mayo, 2 tb minced Chives, s/p.

Add ¼ cup into each of 8 crisp Baby Cos or Romaine Lettuce Leaves.

[Liz]

A rib roast, pork roast, and lamb rack are major cuts, between the shoulders and the loin.
Here, you need two racks as closely matched as possible — to get the "crown effect."
For a pork roast, cut in between the chops vertically to help them curve better.

An utterly breathtaking "crown roast" from a pricey cut of meat.
Alton gives tips on how to duplicate this w/ a Bundt pan on a budget.

Alton Brown's Crown Roast of Lamb

ING 2 1-1 1/2 lb racks of lamb (6-8 ribs each, frenched) tbl olive oil tsp k/salt 1/2 tsp black pepper 6 minced gar/cloves 4 tsp chp fresh thyme 1 1 /2 tsp grnd coriander 1-1 1/2 tbl sherry vinegar 1/2 to 1 tsp Dijon 1/2 to 1 tsp chp fresh rosemary 4 cups cooked stuffing of choice (or rice pilaf)

Bend each rack into a semicircle (meat side in, fat side out) and tie ends with kitchen twine. The rib ends should be pushed outward to create the crown.

Oil/Rub the lamb. Press in all over combined s/p, garlic, thyme. Place in a Bundt pan w/ center coming up through the middle of the roast. Roast 375 deg on middle rack 30-35 minutes, to internal temp of 130 deg, 8-12 min per pound. Remove to cooling rack, cfoil over, rest meat 20 minutes.

SAUCE add vinegar, mustard and rosemary to pan juices. Stir/combine. Adjust seasoning as needed. SERVE Cut string away from the roast. Place cooked stuffing, rice or barley in center. Serve slices w/ warm sauce with the roast.

Uncooked crown roast.

Alton's roast seems to be in backwards.

[Liz]

Here's a perfect side-- Apricot Dressing for a Crown Pork Roast.
And baste the outside of roast w/ apricot preserves while roasting.
Vary by adding chp apples.

APRICOT DRESSING for Crown Pork Roast.
Cook/stir/tenderize in heated 1/4 c butter cubes on med-high, cup sliced mushrooms, minced med onion, celery rib, fine-chp.
Add cup chp dried apricots, 1/2 tsp ea dried savory,dried thyme. Add 3 c soft bread cubes; toss to coat.
Bake in greased 8" sq 15-20 min til lightly browned. Fill center of roast.

SERVE Carve roast between ribs; serve with dressing on the side.

[Liz]

Air-fry without an air fryer: Consumer Reports
WSYR-TV ^ | April 14, 2020 | Staff
FR Posted on 4/16/2020, 12:37:33 AM by L.A.Justice

CONSUMER REPORTS — Sales of air fryers are hot. People love the idea of crispy, fried food that’s supposed to be a bit healthier because very little oil is used.

But what if you don’t have an air fryer? Consumer Reports say chances are you can still air-fry home without spending money or cluttering up your countertop with a new appliance.

So what’s the deal with air fryers?

These popular countertop cookers turn out chicken wings, french fries, shrimp, and other traditionally fried foods without using a lot of oil. You can spend $50 to $300 for one.

The good news is, you don’t have to! Consumer Reports says air-frying isn’t magic.

An air fryer is a mini convection oven. All you need is a little bit of oil, and then hot air circulates around the food to crisp it. The basket, suspended inside, allows for that air to move around.

But that basket might be too small. After testing 25 air fryers, CR found that the ones with small baskets might require you to make multiple batches of food to feed your hungry family.

But fear not: Consumer Reports says you may already possess the power to prepare air-fried food by using the convection setting on your oven!

Your food will brown best if you use a dark-colored pan because it absorbs more heat than light-colored or glass pans. That makes the heat radiate to brown your food even more.

And your oven can handle much more food than a typical air fryer’s basket can.

If you don’t have a convection over, consider a toaster oven with a convection setting. Some of the newer models even have an air-fry setting that lets you get the same crispy results as an air fryer without spending bucks.

And Consumer Reports reminds us that air frying isn’t just for nuggets and mozzarella sticks. You can give it a try for everything from asparagus to zucchini!

[Liz]

Make way for apple pie you can really sink your teeth into.
Snickerdoodle cookie crust, apples, cream cheese, crumb topping.

Snickerdoodle Cream Cheese Apple Pie

CRUST ING lb 1.5 oz pouch Snickerdoodle Cookie Mix 1/2 cup butter,softened
Cream Cheese Filling 8 oz bar cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, Tablespoon flour, Teaspoon vanilla, 1 egg
FILLING 1 1/4 cups canned apple pie filling, chopped 1/2 Tsp cinnamon

METHOD work cookie mix/butter into crumbs. Press about 2 c crumbs into bottom/up sides greased 9" pie plate. Bake 10 min.

TOPPING Add Tb melted butter to rest crumbs, toss/combine.

CREAM CHEESE LAYER Beat cream cheese smooth, sugar and flour. Mix well. Add vanilla and egg, beat smooth.

FILLING Stir/combine apple pie filling, 1/2 Tsp cinnamon.

ASSEMBLY Layer in cookie crust, cream cheese, then chp apples (get more apple--less thickened filling on cr/cheese).
Sprinkle crumbs over evenly. Bake 30 deg about 35 min, top is golden. Let cool completely, refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving.

[lizma2]

Have used the filling and cream cheese layer to make a pie and peach crisp.

I’m addicted!! THX!

[Liz]

Yummy....you took the recipe to new heights of deliciousness.

[Liz]

Good for summertime, or anytime of year.
Just in case you have extra peaches lying around......

Fresh Peach Ice Cream / Amaretto Caramel Sauce

METHOD proc/combine 20 oz bag frozen sliced unsweetened peaches, 1 1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp vanilla. Add 3/4 c h/cream; processor smooth 2 min.

Serve immediately drizzled w/ Amaretto Caramel Sauce.

Sauce Add a bit of Amaretto (or use almond extract droplets) to Hershey's Caramel Sauce.

[lizma2]

OMG! That sound like heaven.

Love homemade Ice Cream. Love Peaches. Love Amaretto. Love Carmel.

You are an angel!! Lol and THX

[Liz]

An easy, divinely delish recipe......the flavor combos are heavenly.

[Liz]

Just a reminder to all the great cooks our there......
if using fresh peaches, slice and freeze them first.....
this instant ice cream recipe requires frozen peaches.

[lizma2]

Oh Darlin, I’m still waiting for your cookbook!

One of my neighbors is always doing physical labor for me. Mowing my lawn, cleaning my gutters, etc.

I pay him with cooking treats This one is on my list. THX!!

His family just got a new puppy. Tomorrow he’s getting home-made dog biscuits and your snickerdoodle cobbler!!

[Liz]

........getting paid in home baked goodies is an excellent incentive.......think I’ll come over to mow.....