JoanN's Profile
March 2009 COTM Fish Without a Doubt: Broiling, Grilling, & Smoking
That's where I buy nearly all my fish as well--the local farmers market with a vendor who picked up early that morning on Long Island what he's selling that day. I can usually count on him being there both Thursdays and Saturdays. Maybe we should start a Thursdays With Rick club?
March 2009 COTM Fish Without a Doubt: Broiling, Grilling, & Smoking
The fish was indeed wonderful.
One of my all-time favorite cookbooks as well. Was surprised to discover how old the last post was. Perhaps you and I can have some fun filling in the yet-to-be-reviewed blanks. Have fun with your new broiler.
May 2012 COTM Spanish Month Companion Thread
For a crispy skin or crust on fish that's cooked indoors, it's hard to beat the broiling technique in Rick Moonen's Fish Without a Doubt. He preheats a cast iron griddle or skillet under the broiler for 15 minutes, dredges the fish in butter or oil, seasons it, and puts it on the killer hot cast iron to broil for just a few minutes. Best fish skin I've ever had; much more reliably crispy than sautéing. And even with skinless fillets, the bottom caramelizes better and more quickly than with either stove-top or oven methods.
March 2009 COTM Fish Without a Doubt: Broiling, Grilling, & Smoking
Broiled Fish Fillets with Butter and Herbs (page 122)
I made this recipe once before the book was a COTM selection and posted about it here (http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/584841#4313265 ), but last time I made a variation of a variation and this time I made it (almost) as written and thought it was worth posting to the main thread.
As with all his broiled fish recipes, this uses his regular broiling technique which is now my regular broiling technique. Fillets are dredged in butter, seasoned, then put in a cast iron pan that has been preheated under the broiler for 15 minutes. Seasoning here, in addition to s&p, was parsley, dill, and chives—although I substituted thyme for the dill because that’s what I had on hand. The herbs are topped with just a smattering of breadcrumbs which are moistened with some of the leftover butter from the dredging. Put in the hot pan, broil for 3 minutes, done.
My fillet, without skin, stuck to the pan a bit. Next time I might brush the pan with some butter or oil before putting in the fillet. But it didn’t affect the flavor in the least. Another super simple, super good dinner from this always reliable book.
What cookbooks have you bought lately? Springtime edition, part 2
"EYB - books to consider"
What a very clever thing to do. I don't think I've ever searched for a recipe that wasn't in my own collection. Sounds, though, as if it might lead me down a path I'm not sure I want to follow. There are only so many cookbooks you can fit into a one-bedroom NYC apartment and I'm just about at my limit. Were do you put them all?
May 2012 COTM Spanish Month Companion Thread
I cook fish often, had quite a few fish cookbooks, and thought I knew just about everything I needed to know about cooking fish. Fish Without a Doubt was still a revelation and is right up there with perhaps my 10 favorite cookbooks of all time. I think I've made at least a third of the recipes in the book so far and I buy it for friends whose homes I visit so I won't have to lug my copy around with me. I promise you, this book will have you saying, "Why order it out when I can cook it better at home?"
What's for dinner #145 [old]
What a great way to start the summer. Sounds absolutely perfect.
Best Recipes you have ever found on Chowhound Home Cooking board
A shoutout to Mrs. Smith, wherever she may now be, for her blueberry muffin recipe.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/276895#1462149
I don't much care for muffins usually, but I've made these many times and pray for overnight guests so I have an excuse to make them again. Lots of other good recipes on that thread, too.
Ideas for puff pastry appetizers?
I'm afraid I'm a little too late to this party, but for future reference, here's a do-ahead recipe I've mentioned before here on CH that's always a bit hit. Recipe linked is the original recipe from Michael Field and calls for croustades, but I've used the filling in both puff pastry cups and mushroom caps. The duxelles can be made ahead and refrigerated, and it even freezes well. I'm sure you could bake the puff pastry cups ahead of time and just reheat them with the duxelles, but I've never tried that.
http://www.timms.ca/kft/recipes/mushroom_croustades.html
Why should I buy tilapia?
I don’t buy tilapia here in the States, but in Guatemala, where I spend a couple of months a year, it’s a very important source of inexpensive protein for the local population. It’s also the fish they use to make mojarra frita, sort of a Guatemalan fish and chips without the chips. The photo below is from a roadside stand up in the mountains where many farmers have their own individual aquaculture ponds where they raise fish to feed their families and to sell, along with extra fruits and vegetables they’ve grown, at the local mercado. In Guatemala, the fish is practically never filleted. I’ve prepared it both fried and roasted and although mild, it can be quite tasty. I don’t think I’ve ever seen whole tilapia here; but then, I haven’t really looked, either.
*May/June 2010 COTM - GOURMET: Fish, Poultry
I took a look at the Slater recipe but didn't have the ingredients for the salsa verde which sounded essential. I have more cod in the freezer, though; will buy the makings of the salsa and give this a try. And thanks for the heads up on the Zuni. Yes, it is with salmon. Typically more ambitious than I'm up for these days, but definitely making note of it. Thanks.
*May/June 2010 COTM - GOURMET: Fish, Poultry
Sautéed Cod with Lentils (page 349)
This was not something I’d have searched out, but it was a decent enough meal found through EYB using ingredients on hand.
Onions sautéed to golden are mixed with cooked green lentils. Fish is seasoned and sautéed in butter and oil and sprinkled with parsley and lemon juice.
Fish was terrific, and why not? Lentils left a bit to be desired. Not a lot of flavor; too soupy. Mostly my own fault. Didn’t season properly and added a tad too much liquid when recipe specifically called for just moistening. Still. They could have benefited from more oomph. Wouldn’t rush to do it again, but wouldn’t hesitate either if it was pouring rain and the ingredients were in house (as was true last night).
My cookbook challenge! (long...)
He seasons with s&p, soaks them in buttermilk for an hour, pats them dry, dredges them in flour, and sautées them in butter. So far, par for the course. But once they’re in the butter he weights them with a brick or other heavy weight (I use two foil-covered bricks). He says the brick squeezes out all the excess water so the crab becomes really crisp. And it does. Aiming for the crispy factor, I’ve tried deep frying them in a tempura batter; but I like this method better. Once tried, I never looked back.
My cookbook challenge! (long...)
Great report. I'm going to have to try that minestrone. I've had the Dean & Deluca practically since it was first published but have tried very little from it. That said, I practically never make pork chops, whatever recipe, without using the brine on page 430. And the technique for cooking soft-shelled crabs (page 349) was a revelation. The Lime-Garlic Mojo was damned good, too.
May 2012 COTM Spanish Month Companion Thread
I respond the same way to the thought of grilled lamb. Adding this to my list immediately!
February 2011 Cookbook of the Month: THE ESSENTIAL NEW YORK TIMES COOKBOOK Chapters 9-12
@ Breadcrumbs: Looked for those Madagascar peppercorns at Citarella again where I had found them before and they told me they're no longer available. :( Couldn't find them online, either. Are you still finding them? I ended up using Delicias brand imported from Spain. Good, but not as.
What cookbooks have you bought lately? Springtime edition, part 2
I hadn’t bought a new cookbook in more than three months, so when The Good Cook had a 50% off sale, the itch had to be scratched. After some very positive reports here (thanks, dkennedy), I bought The Cheesemonger’s Kitchen. Took it for a test drive last night with Twice-Baked Potatoes with Midnight Moon Goat Cheese. Had to substitute a different aged goat’s milk cheese, but can’t imagine it could have been any better with the cheese called for. Very auspicious debut; I’ll be looking forward to trying more recipes from this appealing book.
Turkey Burger seasonings and moisteners
My best friend's teenage daughter made turkey burgers for dinner the other night. and mixed the ground turkey with turkey sausage. Not sure of proportions since I wasn't there when she made them, but she said she didn't add any other seasonings or binders. The fat in the sausage helped keep them moist and I loved the flavor.
What cookbooks have you bought lately? Springtime edition, part 2
The Simple Art of Perfect Baking contains the recipe for Crystal Almond Pound Cake, one of my favorite recipes of all time. It's somewhat similar to the almond cake in NYT Essential, but I like Flo Braker's version even better.
January 2011 Cookbook of the Month: STIR-FRYING TO THE SKY'S EDGE
Five-Spice Chicken with Sugar Snaps (page120)
Some beautiful sugar snap peas in the market led me to this recipe and I was very happy they did.
Skinless, boneless thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces, are combined with dark soy sauce, minced ginger, honey, cornstarch, Shao Hsing wine, and five-spice powder. The chicken is stir-fried for about a minute and removed to a plate. Then the sugar snaps are stir-fried for about a minute, the chicken returned to the wok, and a mixture of chicken broth, ketchup (!), and more dark soy sauce is stirred in. Stir-fry until the chicken is cooked through; she says another one or two minutes, but mine took more like four minutes.
I don’t care for ketchup and nearly left it out, but there was only two teaspoons of it and it really wasn’t discernible in the finished dish. Although my preference in Asian food is nearly always for something that has a bit of a kick to it, this was just so flavorful that I didn’t miss the heat in the least. This was a very easy, satisfying, and really delicious dish, one that I’ll be making again often. I served it with Flowering Chives with Smoky Bacon from Land of Plenty and plain Jasmine rice. An excellent dinner all around.
DUNLOP March Cookbooks of Month: Vegetables and Bean Curd
Flowering Chives with Smoky Bacon (LOP, page 290)
I had bought some flowering chives in Chinatown with no thought as to what I might do with them. Found this recipe through EYB, had bacon on hand, so it was a go--even though my proportions were off since I only had about half the amount of chives called for and decided to use the full amount of bacon. Didn't matter. Super simple, super delicious. And I, too, will definitely be making it again. Served it, by the way, with Five-Spice Chicken with Sugar Snaps from Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge which is also going directly on the do-again list.
All About Braising: Beef and Veal Recipe Reviews
I just returned from 10 weeks in a rental apartment in Guatemala so am fully cognizant of what it’s like trying to cook with unfamiliar equipment in an unfamiliar oven. My rental apartment had a Pyrex baking dish. Do you have something similar? Maybe you could cover that with foil to make it work as a substitute for a Dutch oven?
New Fuchsia Dunlop book
Could you be a little more specific, please, bt? LOL! Truly!
New Fuchsia Dunlop book
Thanks, Gio. I'd missed that other link. Good possibility they will be in the new book since they're Cantonese. Dying to try that char siu recipe. Will have to keep an eye out for maltose syrup.
New Fuchsia Dunlop book
The Gong Bao recipe Gio links to above is practically word-for-word the same as the one in Land of Plenty. The only difference, and I'm sure it must be a typo, is that the linked recipe calls for 6 teaspoons of potato flour whereas the recipe in the book calls for only 3/4 of a teaspoon. I'm guessing the Telegraph just picked up some old copy they had lying around. No way our beloved Fuchsia would repeat a recipe word-for-word, is there?
May 2012 COTM Spanish Month Companion Thread
Pollo al Ajillo (from The New Spanish Table, page 285)
I read your Moro and Food of Spain reviews of this dish and this preparation differs somewhat. The chicken pieces are salted and set aside for half an hour before being lightly floured and browned in olive oil along with a dozen slightly smashed, unpeeled cloves of garlic. The chicken is removed to a cazuela (I used a sauteuse), the original pan is wiped clean, and then 10 sliced garlic cloves are lightly sautéed in new oil, a crumbled arbol chile is stirred in, as is a tablespoon of flour, before adding chicken broth and white wine. The chicken is put in the oven to finish cooking for about 15 minutes before being finished with a sprinkling of vinegar and parsley.
The sauce was awfully good, but this recipe didn’t make as much of it as the others seemed to and I would have like more. I loved the addition of the vinegar; I used a very good Moscatel vinegar and thought it a delightful touch. I may have oversalted the chicken at the beginning, but I’m sensitive to salt anyway and find many dishes too salty for my taste. My grandson liked this dish a great deal (but then, I have him brainwashed; I have him believing that if I cooked it, it HAS to be good). I thought that all in all it was just okay, certainly not something I’d be in a hurry to make again.
All About Braising: Beef and Veal Recipe Reviews
I think it’s doable if you proceed with caution. First, those shanks. They look lovely. My guess is that they are whole foreshanks rather than sliced hindshanks which is what you’re probably referring to when you call the veal pieces “flat.”
The real problem is going to be maintaining even heat distribution over a long time using a thin aluminum stock pot. You’re going to want to keep the liquid at a slow simmer, trying to avoid hot spots at the bottom of the pot. A diffuser sounds like a good idea. And although it’s not usually necessary when you braise in an oven, I’d turn the shanks regularly to make certain that they cook evenly. And of course the timing is going to be tricky. But then, braises always benefit from sitting overnight in the fridge so you might consider making them the day before so you have the flexibility of cooking them an hour or two longer than you may have originally anticipated in case that turns out to be necessary.
What's for Dinner #143 [OLD]
Made a super Coquilles St. Jacques last night from Keller’s “Bouchon.” His recipe calls for duxelles in the bottom of the shell covered with a few tablespoons of tarragon infused velouté with horizontally halved sea scallops nestled in the mushrooms. That’s covered with a few more tablespoons of the velouté, which is sprinkled with panko and thyme before being baked and then, if you want, browned under the broiler. (I didn’t bother with the broiler.) My grandson Diego, the resident Coquilles St. Jacques aficionado, declared them “the best ever.”
Interestingly, no cheese. Did some research and was surprised at how many no-cheese recipes I found, from Elizabeth David and Paul Bocuse to Rick Moonen: In fact, the only coquilles recipe in Larousse that does include a cheese-and-crumb topping used a mornay sauce.
Anyway, different take on it but it sure was good. It encouraged me to delve further into the book which hasn’t been cooked from much at all.
