chefathome's Profile
How far are you willing to drive for a good restaurant?
We live nowhere remotely near a good restaurant, let alone a great one, so we regularly drive three hours to the city to eat out (and stay the night). We live far away from anything so driving three hours is nothing, really. We would not bat an eye at driving six hours to eat at a wonderful place.
your best deviled eggs please
My favourite recipe contains mayonnaise, a touch of yellow mustard, Dijon, horseradish and a capful of brandy. The brandy absolutely makes it.
Best, moist, flavorful pork loin roast. How do I make it?
Have you tried roasting it in milk? It becomes succulent and extremely tender with a great sauce besides.
Help! Too many cucumbers!
Too late but perhaps it will be of interest to others. A really tasty way to serve raw cukes is to slice and sprinkle with equal amounts of salt and sugar. In about 10 minutes you have sort of a "pickle". Also works well with daikon, jicama, etc.
What to Do With Raw Lavender Honey
Try drizzling it over proscuitto and burrata cheese and throw in some toasted marcona almonds for a treat. It is also nice with ground chipotle mixed in. I love to infuse honey with a spicy kick.
Please help me understand Balsamic vinegar
Ast year we bought the third level aceto balsamico tradizionale de Moden from Modena and it is like liquid gold. We use only a few drops at a time and it is glorious. It is one of my favourite things in the house, actually. If our house was on fire it is one thing I would grab.
Traditional Ethnic Recipes
We do this as well. I have a very nice collection of traditional books from all over Europe that are not translated to English. Italian is easy to understand but others? Not so much. So, I try to figure them out with the help of friends, books, googling and so on. But we have not purchased books with baffling letters, just those that at least have most of the same letters as we do. I am learning Croatian and my Croatian cookbooks really help with the language, actually. Not an easy language to learn by any stretch but that is a different topic. :-)
Dreams of Tuscany and Venice : MENU IDEAS NEEDED!
Venice is easy to fall in love with. We go twice a year and enjoy trying foods of all sorts. Polenta is a staple (shrimp or octopus on polenta is great). How about mostarda di frutta? It is awesome with carpaccio of fish or beef. Mozzarella in Carozza (fried mozzarella toastes) are delicious and fun. In Venice you can find octopus on menus regularly - if you have access, why not try Polpo con Patate? Polpette di tonno (fish balls) are found throughout Italy but often in Venice. Of course carpaccio di carne is popular, too, both in Venice and Tuscany.
Other ideas:
Pasta e fagioli
Gnocchi con scampi
Lasagne di pesce (fish)
Spaghetti (or risotto) al nero di seppie (if you can find squid ink) -
Radicchio, fish, asparagus and scampi risotto
Brasato con amarone di valpolicella (braised beef with amarone)
Maiale a latte (pork in milk)
Melanzane sotto olio e aceto (eggplant in oil and vinegar)
Salsa piccante di peperone e acciughe (red bell pepper and anchovy sauce)
anything with artichokes
La peperonata (bell peppers with anchovies, capers, oil)
Zabaione is one of my favourite desserts
Psyllium husks....can I bake with 'em?
Yes - they are often used in gluten-free baking. I use them in quick breads and yeast breads but only a tablespoon or two a time.
What Foods Do You Forego in the Name o' Domestic Tranquility?
Yes! I agree. My husband loves sea bass, shark, all manner of seafood/fish. Just not salmon. Oh, well. It does not prevent me from having it!
a rant about some recipes
I know - that is what I meant when I edited my comment. It is true - we were all there once and I certainly do not knock a vendor for promoting a product!
What Foods Do You Forego in the Name o' Domestic Tranquility?
Thankfully my husband has a very adventurous palate and is very open to every single thing except salmon. He wants to love it but just cannot. So, it is a good thing for me to enjoy for lunch when he is not home.
a rant about some recipes
Another thing that strikes me is the use of ginger POWDER. It should be fresh ginger.
ETA: Sorry - I had forgotten this recipe was in a spice catalogue. No wonder...
Is home cooking an art, or a craft?
Both but more craft than artistry. And yes, it matters. Cooking to me is almost always pure joy; very rarely a chore. It is what I am happiest doing and am extremely passionate about the process. Nearly each dish I create I consciously make it the best it can possibly be. For me it started out as a craft and has evolved into artistry as well.
As it says in the book "Culinary Artistry", "...without being really highly skilled in the craft, I don't believe you can ever attain artistry. A craftsperson is someone who masters technique and can do a lot of dazzling stuff with technique. And that comes from practice. Artistry can come from people with virtually no skills with a knife at all. That's cooking in the soul-and some people have that, some people don't. The artistic is intuitive." I cook with my mind, soul and gut.
White truffle paste
I bring some home with me from Croatia twice a year from Zigante. I've truffle hunted in the area where the largest white truffle on earth was found in Istria. Love it.
http://www.zigantetartufi.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12&Itemid=18&lang=en
Not Your Granny's Jams, Jellies & Preserves
Preserves are amongst my favourite things to make - those and condiments. I make all sorts of butters including plum, vanilla bean pear, apple, roasted grape, etc. I make a pretty mean blueberry ketchup and tons of mustards and mostarda.
Some of my favourite jams and jellies include:
- roasted garlic bacon
- chipotle raspberry
- habanero plum
- caramelized onion and roasted grape
- rosemary lime
- strawberry balsamic black pepper
- jalapeno apricot
Many of the jams and jellies I make are small batch preserves and do not require actual canning.
I make many kiinds of marmalades - my favourites would include grapefruit vanilla bean and blood orange.
I pickle everything I can and throw ginger, juniper berries, chili peppers, garlic, etc. into them. Quick pickles are fun to make, too. I like jicama and diakon especially.
Don't even get me started on marinades! I make so many it's not even funny.
Making white sauce gluten-free: what do I sub for the wheat flour?
I have celiac disease and use sorghum or sweet rice flour (very close to the same amount). Just a quick caution - if your friend is celiac, cross contamination in a non gluten-free kitchen is very difficult to prevent. In fact, most with celiac I know will not eat anything that comes from a gluten-y kitchen. Not to be cruel but just to be safe. Having said that, you may be very knowledgable in which case your friend is very lucky.
You are very thoughtful in trying to accommodate your friend!
Ten Types of Foodies
1, 4 and 10 describe me so well it is not even funny (not bragging about #4 - I'm making a conscious effort not to do make these comments aloud). Thanks for this - it was fun! :-) It is also fun to read about how others view themselves.
Raspberry birthday dessert
How about Eton Mess? It is basically broken meringue pieces blended with whipped cram and raspberries as well as raspberry coulis. Very easy to make and full of great textures and flavours. Of course it is made with all sorts of berries but I find that raspberries are particularly wonderful.
what to do with lefover homeamde mustard?
Slather it onto lamb chops with fresh herbs and garlic and panko and grill or roast. I use it often to emulsify vinaigrettes. I add some to potato salad and pan sauces. I also add to mayo with a touch of honey to make a dip for sweet potato fries. Oh, and of course in deviled eggs.
How about a mostarda such as this? I just love it - it is divine with a cheese and charcuterie board.
http://www.grouprecipes.com/24726/mostarda-di-cremona.html
This caper mustard butter recipe is wonderful. I think your mustard would be fabulous in it.
http://chefshop.com/Caper-Mustard-Butter-P7780.aspx
Happy to See This Board
Me, too. It is encouraging to see awareness of dietary restrictions become increasingly important and taken more seriously as they should be. This is a great step in that direction!
What cookbooks have you bought lately? Springtime edition! [old]
...and October in Canada as far as I can tell. I cannot wait for this one.
What did you have for breakfast today?
A wild blueberry and mango smoothie. I make 'em thick enough to be soft serve ice cream.
How Come "Rare" Duck is Okay, but "Rare" Chicken is Deadly?
I'm a fan of medium rare duck but much of the duck I eat is wild and shot by local hunters. My brother also raises about 25 very happy free-range ducks on the farm each year (just for family) and the cleaning process is meticulous. Delicious, that is for sure. I have never balked at having medium rare duck at good restaurants, either. Maybe I should?! I eat a lot of it.
Airplane Food
I have celiac disease so have a very, very hard time finding anything to eat in airports. Frankfurt's airport is very bad - the odd time I am able to find a piece of fruit or insipid salad. So, I do take snacks with me for layovers and in case of delays. Plus I take a few snacks such as GF crackers on long-haul flights as the GF food is inedible. I have never taken perishable food/meals on flights with me, however.
I'm a newbie gardener in N.J. (7a, not a parkway exit but our zone)
As we still have snow on the ground (and in the air) and I garden in Zone 1a (about 80 frost-free days a year) I am very limited to what I can grow. We do not even think of seeding anything (even lettuces and spinach) until the end of May. So, you will definitely be safe direct seeding many things!
You have been given great advice on starting seeds, amending soil and planting. I will just add using compost (i.e. veg peels, eggshells - kitchen scraps that do not include animal matter/meat) really boosts soil nutrients. As tomatoes often need potassium I usually throw in banana peels into the holes before transplanting.
Good luck! Enjoy the process.
What were your FIRST three cookbooks?
Though many have more than I, my 500+ cookbooks each has its place and I could tell you where each is (at least which shelf it is on) as they are divided into sections. There are about 15 cookbook "regrets", though. Those I would be ok with giving away. The rest? No way.
Your dad's and grandparents' recipes are a treasure!
What everyday dishes don't you make?
You've just listed a few of my favourite comfort foods! From your list I regularly cook:
fish
homemade burgers
poached eggs
hummus (but I prefer roasted carrot hummus)
meatballs (made some Finnish meatballs with partridge berry sauce two nights ago)
meatloaf (but then you do, too)
frittatas, especially asparagus and caramelized onion
polenta, especially soft
wild rice, quinoa and lentils - often
I'm adding:
chicken and dumplings
all sorts of stews and tagines
stocks
all my preserves
condiments (i.e. BBQ sauces, ketchups)
breads (gluten free)
vinaigrettes and dressings
Well, most things.
But never, ever wieners! Ever.
