Emme's Profile
food swap food-recipe ideas
i've only done 1 1/2 (the 1/2 was called a swap, but more like a potluck, as each person was instructed to bring enough to trade with everyone...)
for the 1/2, IIRC i brought homemade vanilla, and homemade lavash crackers and some other cracker and homemade cheese. no noses turned. not all that crazy, but a little more novel, as these weren't things that this crowd normal had homemade.
the other swap, i did pint sized two kinds of curry, one eggplant and i forget the other, and naan... went over well. a few professed to "not do curry," said ubiquitously as if "curry" means one specific flavor/dish, the same way one might say, "i don't like milk."
live and learn. know your audience.
What vegetables do you like to deep fry?
i have a friend that fries cauliflower dipped in egg and rolled in cornstarch and S&P; good stuff.
tempura lightly steamed first sweet potato
jerusalem artichokes
artichoke hearts
vidalia or maui onions
oh how i miss the days when...
What would you make with canned fruit syrups?
i'd use it to make a custard, with or without some seriously reduced white balsamic vinegar. to fill a pie shell or mini cups; or just to eat on its own.
or a "tres frutas cake" -- sub the syrup for the soaking milk; incorporate some into a whipped cream frosting, and put fruit on top?
Chocolate Covered Strawberries on the Westside -- Where to buy for a gift
Really Servorg? Wow... I don't know whether to be flattered, saddened, or frightened... ;)
Foods that pass the "Pizza and Ice Cream Test"
honey -- honey bbq chicken pizza and honey vanilla ice cream
black pepper -- on pizza however and balsamic strawberries with black pepper over vanilla (or another) ice cream
sour cream -- with avocado, roasted corn, beans, etc on pizza and in ice cream
pistachios -- interesting ground into sauce and in or on ice cream
What cookbooks have you bought lately? Springtime edition, part 2
just ordered Flo Braker's Simple Art of Perfect Baking -- I got it for 4 bucks and figured I should own it.
the other one I've been making myself wait to buy because I have no business spending money on more books, but this one was worth it for me, and i just couldn't wait any longer... The Art of Royal Icing by Eddie Spence. the man is my god... only bummer is it's shipping from the UK, so a long lag time... booo.
Make ahead meals for Elderly
you're a good person.
i know everyone has already made a lot of fabulous suggestions, so i'll do my best not to repeat...
-baked fruit -- apples or peaches or nectarines... bake with some brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and a little juice. great breakfast... if the sugar isn't a "problem" for him...
-cottage cheese and noodles - my grandmother used to make this for my grandfather -- cooked egg noodles with cottage cheese, salt and pepper
-macaroni and cheese -- with protein plus pasta and maybe some cauliflower pureed into the cheese sauce (or blended with evaporated milk, as that's how i do my mac)
-deviled eggs and crackers?
-basic beef or chicken or turkey chili -- not too spicy with some cornbread
-french onion soup -- package it in cups with cheese pre-placed for melting; or separate with instructions to lay over the top
-maybe ravioli instead of lasagna -- easier portions less work for him?
-breakfast for dinner? -- maybe some waffles (sweet or savory) to toast or nuke; or french toast or pancakes
-pizza -- cold pizza = no heating :)
-does he like anything chinese? like dumplings or egg rolls or American chop suey?
-egg based quiches or frittatas -- puree in veggies or chop small
-vegetable terrine or pate with some lavash crackers
sorry if i've overlapped... i'm sure even if he doesn't express it directly, your uncle appreciates your efforts and care.
Ideas for puff pastry appetizers?
I don't think of puff pastry cups as BBQy in general, but i thought of roasted corn as well...
ricotta cheese, roasted corn with lime butter, sundried tomatoes, and a bit of cilantro or parsley.
i know it's too late but also thought a little mascarpone or ricotta, some gruyere, caramelized onion and crispy sage... maybe some roasted butternut squash as well...
What are you baking these days? May 2012
Friend brought me back some macadamia nuts from a trip... Planning to make some macadamia butter tomorrow with most of them, then turn that into Macadamia Blondies with white chocolate bits, lime zest, and a dash of garam masala... I like food-ouvenirs.
What else can I brulee besides creme brulee?
highly recommend combining the brown sugar by a little nonfat dry milk powder, 1:4 ish milk: sugar...
How Should Recipes be Written?
numbered yes! i am not interested in reading "The Tale of Baking Brownies;" i just want them clean and concise. oh, and within each, don't stack 16 million components into each step. Add x, then y, then z... fine. But if you sandwich and smash too much in, I'll be annoyed that I have to keep fishing through the step to see where I am at... A recipe should be written like a song; there should be punctuation; I should be able to see easily where I am to stop and take a breath.
the carrot thing is easily handled by including weights...
"Least Favorite Vegetable" Poll
i agree cuke is fine.
lightly steamed asparagus is lovely! with a little salt on a crudite platter.
i don't much care for raw broccoli. i like the sweeter taste imparted by the cooking process. years and years ago, there was a salad bar i frequented often. i used to take raw broccoli out of some weird thing of guilt. like, i like broccoli cooked, so i shouldn't snub it raw, or hurt its feelings by not taking it... clearly needed more therapy.
"Least Favorite Vegetable" Poll
not a fan. too bitter for me. stepdad, however, eats it out of the bag like potato chips.
The dream kitchen
Money's no object, so...
1. Double mounted 5 rack convection ovens
2. Wood-burning brick oven
3. 6 top burner with the burners well spaced
4. Massive walk-in food pantry
5. Chilled walk-in fridge and freezer (with big cambros to store flours)
6. Full pantry spice cupboard
7. Granite countertops
8. Marble slab station for pulling sugar and whatnot, along with a heat box, lamp, etc.
9. Bread station with a solely devoted kneading surface
10. Cake Decorating station - with silpat for rolling, drying racks, several turntables of various heights, along with a stool at perfect level for decorating; a nice holder/showcaser for my airbrush (functional to use)
11. "As if from nowhere" appliances -- press a button and the kitchen aid rises out of the counter, along with food processor, fryer, etc.
12. 3-4 kitchen scales -- 2 for large, at least one for .001 g measurements
13. Walk-in utensil pantry with all tools, pots, pans, etc hung from nails on the wall
14. Easily accessible waste receptacles and recycling bins; compost bin outside
15. Greenhouse off of the kitchen to grow herbs and small plants (massive garden out back growing 10 kinds of 1000 things :) )
16. Dishwasher
17. LOTS of DEEP counterspace; an island as well
18. A bar with stools along one side of the island so people can sit and hang out whilst cooking
19. Cozy eating table and a more formal dining room
20. Water through my fridge (I can't ever go back to not having this ;)
21. Built in music system so I can mood-cook
22. PEOPLE who I LOVE that want to be in my kitchen with me and share the LOVE
How Should Recipes be Written?
the way i load things into my recipe holder, MacGourmet is different than i necessarily want in a book/site/whatever.
1. Weight is a necessity; volume optional.
2. Ingredients first in order of usage.
2a. If a particular ingredient is used twice, but in different steps and amounts, list it twice, and avoid the "divided" term
3. Sparse but precise instructions. "Beat til ribbony, approx 8-10 minutes" or whatever. Time is a useful to an extant, insomuch as I have an approximation. This does not hold for caramelizing onions ;)
4. No teaching/food science in the method. Put it in the precursor/descriptor or a separate section. I LOVE chemistry, science, explanations, but not in my recipe.
5. I like when there is a summary up top of oven temp and active vs inactive prep and cooking time. Just for a ballpark of where I'm headed.
PEEVES
1. Without weights, I detest an ingredient like "4 medium onions" or "5 perfect tomatoes." Useless to me.
2. Don't tell me in step one to preheat my oven to 450, when in step 4 I'm chilling the dough for two hours.
...These come to mind at first...
"Least Favorite Vegetable" Poll
interesting thought... however, i intensely dislike watermelon, mostly due to flavor, don't love but don't detest the texture. i'm perfectly okay with cucumbers. they're not my favorite vegetable, but i like them peeled and salted. they're nice in salads, though i wouldn't go out of my way for them. i wouldn't put them in a salad i'm making just for me, as i'm lazy and the peeling isn't worth the payoff in my mouth. though sometimes when i'm at my mother's house, she'll be peeling cukes for a salad, and salt some cucumber boats/sticks to finish the leftover cuke / snack on during cooking, and i'll eat those, if i'm in the mood.
Need a Recipe for a Coffee Cake to Travel
I have a great Ricotta Loaf that travels really well. Happy to post if you're interested.
Cool way to present tiramisu and gelato
a few hours to overnight... just make sure it's well sealed from other flavor seepage and freezer burn.
What cookbooks have you bought lately? Springtime edition, part 2
Ecrit par Jean-Yves Duperret... Tu peux le voir ici. Négliger la revue. Il a rien de faire avec les contenus du livre..
http://www.amazon.com/La-Nouvelle-Patisserie-Beautiful-Pastries/dp/0670815500
ou ici
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jean-yves-jacqueline-mallorca-duperret/la-nouvelle-patisserie-the-art-and-science-of-m/#review
Things you want to bake
absolutely can and have. it's good. i increase the vanilla when i make it too. and i generally skip the ganache on top and serve with a simmered raspberry sauce and/or creme anglaise.
What are you baking these days? May 2012
that's like buying a shirt that says "dry clean only," and the salesperson says, "oh no it won't cost you a lot in dry cleaning... you're not gonna wear it a lot, right?"
i wouldn't have know what to say either. i'd have been pissed though. i am far from high maintenance; i can sustain in almost any condition... but my oven better be functioning and consistent.
"Least Favorite Vegetable" Poll
i love chayote and Jerusalem artichokes. the former i love to julienne and roast with some garlic, some onion powder, and any herbs i have on hand.
the artichokes i treat simply too... love em even with some Bragg's (soy sauce), some white balsamic, S & P. i'm not one of the unfortunates that experiences (um... gastric) distress...
"Least Favorite Vegetable" Poll
haha, i got someone to try eggplant once that was in a salad (by the now defunct Koo Koo Roo) by telling her it was just green tomatoes... she loved it. she became an eggplant convert... man I wish I had the recipe for that eggplant salad though.
Your mom's weird cooking ... and other stories? (recipes encouraged)
yum. sounds like a wonderful textural combination.
Those weird things you eat when you are in your kitchen
mmm leftover roast chicken... juicy... maybe not even fully cooled, just the outside chilled but the inside slightly warm... with or without (fat-free -- i know) mayo. when i was a kid and had homemade chicken soup, we always had our chicken on the side on a plate, dipped in mayo.
Donuts: Cake or Yeast-type?
Glazed Old-Fashioneds (aka Sour Cream Doughnuts) are the only ones I like.
The runner-up, a Buttermilk Bar, which has similar flavor, but the interior to exterior ratio is wrong.
I guess that means I'm in the cake camp, though I feel like the Old-Fasioned falls squarely in between...
