Recipe Thread

[ehkay]

Instead of straining, I just centrifuge it.

 

[mgm9128]

I whip cream in my Vitamix with my Bamix.

 

[Piobaire]

I'm glad my question led to a rather philosophical post.
However, it was more meant to get some suggestions of what to put in the braising liquid in terms of flavours...

Since the you like za'atar maybe keep that ball rolling with a braise flavored by the Arab world? Saffron, cumin, powdered ginger, cinnamon, and all spice along with the typical root vegetables and red wine.

This is a great idea.

Thanks to the other thoughts too. I will probably end up more person of Italian descent than anything else. I have to find my recipe but I remember it's big on leeks and turnips.

 

[ehkay]

The turnip is the poor man's truffle, a product wrongly viewed as dull, which on the contrary brims with character if properly handled. Glazed turnips, turnips with salt or in broth--all are good. Their special taste makes them a basic ingredient of good cooking.

 

[mgm9128]



The turnip is the poor man's truffle, a product wrongly viewed as dull, which on the contrary brims with character if properly handled. Glazed turnips, turnips with salt or in broth--all are good. Their special taste makes them a basic ingredient of good cooking.

Where's that from? I think turnips are an underrated vegetable. At least in America.

 

[ehkay]



Where's that from? I think turnips are an underrated vegetable. At least in America.

It fills an entire two page photospread in Gagnaire's book.

 

[Piobaire]

Oh, for oxtails head to the local Chinese market. Ditto there for stock bones.

 

[b1os]

The best lentil soup out there.

Original recipe from "Der Feinschmecker":

Serves 4-6

200g Le Puy-lentils
400g tomatoes
2 sticks of celery
1 bundle green onions
2 cloves garlic
1 yellow paprika
1 tbsp harissa
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (apparently ground, I don't ground them)
1l vegetables/chicken stock/broth
1/2 bundle coriander
2-3 tbsp soy sauce
Pepper
2-3 tbsp lemon juice
100g feta
Olive oil
----------------------
1. Wash the lentils. Bring lots of water to a boil. Cook the lentils about 10 minutes or until firm to the bite. Refresh. Stand aside.
2. Peel the tomatoes. Cut coarsely.Thinly slice the celery and the light parts of the green onions in. Put the green parts aside for garnish. Finely chop the garlic. Peel the paprika, slice it finely.
3. Sauté the onions and garlic in olive oil until translucent. Add the celery, paprika, harissa and cumin and sauté for a further two minutes.
4. Add the tomatoes and broth/stock. Add the lentils. Let cook at moderate temperature for about 15-20 minutes until both the lentils and vegetables are done.
5. Season with the soy sauce, pepper, lemon juice. Shortly before serving, add the green parts of the green onions, the feta and coriander to the soup (note: I add it on the plate, not directly in the pot).
6. Bon appétit.
------------
What I like to do differently:
3. Use whole cumin seeds, about 1-2 tbsp. Add the harrisa (more if you can handle a little hotness) and a little tomato paste. Toast them for like 45-60 seconds. Add oriental spices to taste. This time, I added garam masala, madras curry and ras el hanout. Toast a little longer. Not too long or some of the ingredients (e.g. paprika) might get bitter. Add olive oil, onions, garlic. Sauté until translucent, like 1-2 minutes. Add the paprika and celery and sauté a little longer. Proceed with step 4.
Generally, use more soy sauce. If you have store-bought salty broth/stock, use a little less and add a little water thus it won't get too salty if you add a splash more soy sauce. If it's a little too sour or so, add some kecap manis. If you use canned tomatoes, use whole Italian plum tomatoes. Add the juices in the can, too.
If you're a big fan of coriander like I am, add some stalks at step 4. Remove before serving.

 

[shibbel]

Michel Richard’s Puff Pastry Dough:

From: Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan
Yield: 2-1/2 pounds dough

Ingredients:
2-1/2 cups (12.2 oz/ 354 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
1-1/4 cups (5.0 oz/ 142 g) cake flour
1 1/2 tsps salt
1-1/4 cups (10 fl oz/ 300 ml) ice water
1 pound (16 oz/ 454 g) very cold, unsalted butter
plus extra flour for dusting work surface

Mixing the Dough:

For step-by-step folding photos please click HERE

Put the all-purpose flour, cake flour, and salt in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade and pulse a couple of times just to mix. Add the water all at once.
Pulse until the dough forms a ball on the blade.

You may need to add a few more teaspoons of water if the dough is still crumbly. The dough will be very moist and pliable and will hold together when squeezed between your fingers.
Remove the dough from the machine, form it into a ball.
With a small sharp knife, slash the top a few times.

Wrap the dough in a damp towel and refrigerate for about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the butter between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and beat it with a rolling pin until it flattens into a square that's about 1" thick.

Take care that the butter remains cool and firm: if it has softened or become oily, chill it before continuing.

Incorporating the Butter:

Unwrap the dough and place it on a work surface dusted with all-purpose flour (A cool piece of marble is the ideal surface for puff pastry...but if you don't have one, use what you have as in my case) with your rolling pin, press on the dough to flatten it and then roll it into a 10" square or thereabouts. Keep the top and bottom of the dough well floured to prevent sticking and lift the dough and move it around frequently. Starting from the center of the square, roll out over each corner to create a thick center pad with flaps.
Place the cold butter in the middle of the dough

and fold the corners over the butter, stretching them as needed so that they overlap slightly and encase the butter completely.

(If you have to stretch the dough, stretch it from all over; don't just pull the ends) you should now have a package that is 8" square (or so)...mine was more like a rectangle.
To make great puff pastry, it is important to keep the dough cold at all times. If your room is warm, or you work slowly, and you notice oily butter coming out, you best cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate it . You can stop at any point in the process and continue when the dough is chilled. Just remember where you left off in the turning.
Making the Turns:
Gently but firmly press the rolling pin against the top and bottom edges of the square (this will help keep it square).

Then, keeping the work surface and the top of the dough well floured to prevent sticking, roll the dough into a rectangle that is three times as long as the square you started with, about 24"
With this first roll, it is particularly important that the butter be rolled evenly along the length and width of the rectangle.You might have to really use your strength here as the butter can be quite hard. If the butter is too hard, the dough may may rip as you roll and expose the butter. Just patch it up and make sure you get a smooth, even dough-butter sandwich.
With a pastry brush, brush off the excess flour from the top of the dough, and fold the rectangle up from the bottom and down from the top in thirds, like a business letter, brushing off the excess flour. You have completed one turn.

Rotate the dough so that the closed fold is to your left, like the spine of a book.
Repeat the rolling and folding process, rolling the dough to a length of 24" and then folding it in thirds. This is the second turn.

Chilling the Dough:

Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes. Each time you refrigerate the dough, mark the number of turns you've completed by indenting the dough with your fingertips. It is best to refrigerate the dough for 30 to 60 minutes between each set of two turns.
The total number of turns needed is six. That means about 1 and 1/2 hours of chilling time.

You should plan to chill the dough for at least an hour before cutting or shaping it.



[VIDEO]]

 

[itsstillmatt]

The only two things I would suggest would be to replace a small amount of the water in the dough with lemon juice (15 g), and another small amount (75 g perhaps) with melted butter. Both are pretty standard in classic puff paste recipes, and both serve to shorten the gluten in the pastry a bit, making the turns much easier to accomplish in twos.

 

[mgm9128]

What's your favorite salad dressing?

 

[erictheobscure]

Ranch, bien sûr.

 

[itsstillmatt]

Nonfat vinaigrette.

 

[mgm9128]

I think with something as simple as a vinaigrette, you really need to have the best quality ingredients. I've been trying to find my favorite dressing. Right now, I like white balsamic with minced shallots, olive oil, and a few drops of lemon oil. I usually eat salads after my meal, so I like the dressings to be refreshing. Sometimes the balsamic is too sweet, though. So, I'll use Jerez, or Banyuls, with a little dijon if I'm eating it with meat. Nut oil vinaigrettes with a little cream are nice, too.

 

[b1os]



Right now, I like white "balsamic" with minced shallots, olive oil, and a few drops of lemon oil.

ftfy