mirage's Profile
Pepperplate menu planning app
Is there any way of looking for a specific category you've put in (ie vegetable) on your phone? I would need that in order to make it really useable. It's probably obvious, but I haven't been able to figure it out..
Can only see the first page of boards
I wish someone would respond to this and let us know it is being fixed. I've got a monkey on my back!
January 2012 COTM: Essential Pepin: Shellfish and Fish
Pasta Gratin with Fish and Spinach, p. 226
I had leftover baked cod and this recipe caught my eye.
First you cook your spinach until "wilted and soft" and put that in the bottom of a gratin dish. Cook 6 oz farfalle and toss with your cooked fish. Spread onto the spinach. Then make a bechamel sauce, pur it over over the pasta and top with grated parmesan. Cook 400 degrees until the top is browned.
This is a very old-fashioned, plain, supper item. I remember my mother making probably this very dish. Nothing super special, but I enjoyed it
January 2012 COTM: Essential Pepin: Puddings, Sweet Souffles and Crepes; Cakes, Cookies and Candies; Tarts, Pies and Pastries
Chocolate Souffle Cake w/Raspberry Rum Sauce, p. 541
Last week a friend who has recently gone gluten-free came over. I had previously noticed this recipe and decided to give it a whirl. It is a very basic, flour-free, cake with 2 Tbsp potato flour taking the place of the usual ground nuts. I had a little bit of a problem inverting it out of the pan - some part stuck to the bottom. But I just squished that bit into where it belonged and the cake incorporated it so well that nobody could tell, even after cutting into it.
The "sauce" is 1/2 c raspberry preserves, a Tbsp of rum and a Tbsp of water. It didn't say to do so, but I melted it all together. Because it really didn't stay melted (my house is probably way too cold) I wound up icing the cake with it. I might add a splash more rum if I make it again.
I thought it was just fine, but my friends loved it, and the gluten-free friend asked to take the remainder home with her. So, it was a hit.
January 2012 COTM: Essential Pepin: Meat, Charcuterie and Offal
Lamb Shanks with White Beans, p. 358
This very easy stew was quite nice - not company-worthy, perhaps, but very homey and we enjoyed it.
Lamb shanks brown without any extra oil in a pot, then add an onion in 1" pieces, a carrot in 1/2" pieces and six or so garlic cloves, chopped, 8 oz of white beans that had soaked in 5 cups of water for about half an hour, 3 bay leaves, thyme (I used fresh) and some salt. Boil gently, covered for about 2 hours and serve, passing tabasco sauce along with.
As I said, this made a very nice supper.
What cookies are you baking for Christmas this year? 2011 Edition
I have friends over every Tuesday and I usually make cookies for them. This week my oven was broken but you posted this recipe. So I made them. The ladies loved them! And my husband thought they were (note the past-tense, and it is a big batch) "awesome". So funny! Anyway, thank you for a very timely recipe.
Poached salmon guidance?
I have done lots of poached salmon. Bring your court bouillon to a boil. Add the salmon and it should quickly return to a strong simmer. Cover it and TURN OFF THE HEAT. A 2 1/2 lb fillet should take about 15 minutes.
December 2011 Cookbook of the Month Nominations
I did do the salt thing - a Hound mentioning that here is what drew me to them in the first place!
December 2011 Cookbook of the Month Nominations
That was exactly my experience with them. I thought they were fine, but my guests absolutely raved. By the third day, however, I was a HUGE fan.
October 2011 COTM: Splendid Table: Breads & Desserts
Torta Barozzi, p. 395
I'm not going to actually review this recipe, because I didn't get a piece. The people at the potluck I brought it to seemed to love it, though. The batter did taste good!
I do want to tell you all that I overcooked it, so be careful when you make it. I certainly will when I make it again! You start the oven at 375 for half an hour then lower the temp to 325 for "15 to 20 minutes". Although I don't have a thermometer in my oven, in the past if there's been a timing discrepancy it is that my oven has taken longer to bake an item. I checked the cake after 12 minutes and it was already overcooked. My toothpick came out bone dry. So be careful!
October 2011 COTM: Splendid Table: Antipasto, Risotto, Soup & Vegetable First Courses
Valentino's Pizza, p. 29
Well, this is certainly easy to do. Store-bought puff pastry base. Topping is sauteed onions and shredded carrots, fontina and parmesan cheeses. My husband and I thought this was fine - good enough, but probably wouldn't make it again. My guests, on the other hand, loved it and ate tons.
October 2011 COTM: Splendid Table: Second Courses
Well, the garlic and the sage would probably fall off.... :-)
October 2011 COTM: Splendid Table: Second Courses
Sage and Garlic Scented Bluefish, p. 263
We got a fabulous bluefish from our fish CSA yesterday. My husband filleted it and made this recipe. Absolutely delicious and very simple. Season the fish with sage and garlic, a little oil and lemon juice, S+P, refrigerate a couple of hours, then bake. That's it. Of course the caught-that-day fish helped. It was really good.
October 2011 COTM: Splendid Table: Pastas and The Sweet Pastas of the Renaissance
My husband recently made two dishes from this cookbook. The first was
Linguine with Braised Garlic and Balsamic Vinegar, p. 110
We loved this dish. I think it is perfect served with simply grilled anything. I know he followed the recipe as written. Loads of garlic and cheese - what's not to like?
For the vinegar, I broke out a tiny bottle of balsamic bought in Italy. My only comment is the recipe calls for 8-10 tsp for one pound of linguine. I think that is too much. She specifies a tsp per serving. I used, maybe a half tsp drizzle per serving and thought it was plenty. YMMV.
Cooking from Mighty Spice Cookbook by John Gregory-Smith
Not to mention she was the first person to mention Eat Your Books.
Trend setter, that beetlebug!
September 2011 COTM, Slater/Kitchen Diaries: Autumn
I used Maille. And Inglehoffer for the whole grain one. Of course now I'm going to look for Fallot.
September 2011 COTM, Slater/Kitchen Diaries: Autumn
Pan Fried Sausages w/Mustard Mashed Potatoes, p. 323
I made this easy supper dish for my daughter and myself, even though neither of us is super keen on mustard. It is exactly as it sounds: pan fry the sausages until they are “deep, burnished golden brown”, which took longer than the 20-25 minutes suggested on my moderately low heat. Make mashed potatoes with light cream – I used heavy cream cut with milk – adding a generous TBSP each of Dijon mustard and whole grain mustard. The mash went very well with the sausages, as you would expect, and we both enjoyed this supper very much.
August 2011 COTM, World Vegetarian: Vegetables, Grains, and Dairy
Red Peppers Stuffed w/Feta Cheese, p. 266
Made this the other night to go with our hummus and pita bread supper and it was a hit. Nice and easy, too.
I used her method of roasting the peppers, which was new to me. I usually roast peppers directly on the gas burners of my stove, which I will continue to do for one or two peppers. But her oven method (425 degrees, turning regularly for about half an hour) worked very well for the larger quantity.
Meanwhile you marinate thick slices of feta in oil sprinkled with thyme. Peel, deseed and stuff the peppers with the feta, place them under a broiler for a bit to slightly melt the cheese and serve.
Because I used feta from my supermarket (not terrible, but not great) I thought these were a little too salty, but my DCs disagreed. Next time I will use better feta.
A very nice addition.
September 2011 Cookbook of the Month Voting
And because it is over $25 there is free shipping.
May 2011 COTM, PLENTY: Tomatoes, Leaves Cooked and Raw
Thank you for posting about these - I probably would have skipped over them, and they were delicious. A tasty, really quick, weeknight supper. When I realized how much salsa I had made, I didn't stir the avocados into it, but put them separately into the quesadillas. There is a lot of delicious salsa left over.
Cooking from Ottolenghi's new vegetarian book Plenty
I have to glom on: This is a great dish. I brought it to a potluck where it was very well received. Love, love, love.
OK I'll bite - what do the Twitter counts on threads mean?
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!
What were your last three cookbook purchases? - [Old]
Please to the Table has been on my list for a looong time! Let us know how you like it.
APRIL 2011 COTM VOTING THREAD.
The few recipes I've made from South American Table came out really well.
Very Good were:
Potato Soup w/Avocado and Corn, p. 135
The Quinoa Soup w/Pork, p. 145
Neruda's Fish Soup, p. 152
Spaghetti w/Chicken and Spinach Sauce, p. 180 was pretty good, too.
What is your favorite cookbook?
I own 660 Curries, but I always forget I have it. Which recipes have you enjoyed?
Alcohol infused whipped cream in a can
My son brought a can of this (not sure if it was the same brand, though) to our Thanksgiving as a joke. It was pretty vile stuff, we all agreed - even the 20-something-year-olds.
January 2011 Cookbook of the Month: BREATH of a WOK & STIR-FRYING TO THE SKY'S EDGE
My plants will thank you - I never remember to water them! But next time I'm faced with pouring the unused rice water down the drain, I'm sure I'll remember your suggestion.
January 2011 Cookbook of the Month: BREATH of a WOK & STIR-FRYING TO THE SKY'S EDGE
I definitely use the rice rinse water. I just pour the rinse water into a large bowl. In fact, I've gotten so into the habit of saving the water that I find myself saving it even when there is no chance it will be used. Very silly.
Xmas Cookie Exchange
I've made these lots of time since TrishUntrapped originally posted the recipe: they are wonderful. Thank you for sharing them with us, Trish!
October 2010 Cookbook of the Month: BAREFOOT CONTESSA COOKBOOK
You have to try the brownies - they're amazing.
