All Activity

Wow - thanks so much for all the time you put into sharing your incredible journeys with us. Visiting local (not in tourist areas) markets is one of my favourite things to do on holiday. Years ago, when our daughters were about 10, we went way off the beaten track in Mexico and I hyped the kids up about going to a market and finding cool things to try. When a fish vendor held out a still wriggling fish to us and proceeded to slice a piece off for us to taste, one of my daughters began to gag and fell to her knees. The poor guy was devastated and kept apologizing. Fortunately, she has grown into a very adventurous cook and eater! And we did buy that fish!

Thanks! You are most welcome to swing by! Good Things was the book of the month for December in the cookbook group I participate in. It didn’t grab me right away. It’s not a book to pick up at 5:30 when you’re already hangry but I spent a little advance prep time making a few condiments, dressings, etc and have been very much enjoying Samin’s creative ways of using them…and my own, too! I need to write a little review over in the Cookbooks topic.

Atendees Chocolot Kerry Beal alleguede curls RanaMN Melani RobertM

Count me in!!

Atendees Chocolot Kerry Beal alleguede curls RanaMN Melani

That lemon artichoke pesto looks amazing - I could definitely make a dent in that! My biggest challenge these days is trying to figure out in the morning, how hungry we will be or not be a dinnr time!

So excited to be going back to Montreal!

I will be there, and I can't wait!

Last night's meal of small salad and 2 meatballs was way too much for me. I thought I was paring down just having one meatball tonight but my side was extra heavy, though delicious. Mashed potatoes with spinach and some artichoke and lemon pesto from the back of the pantry. It turned out great. I'm calling it Deb- anized stoemp.

I try to use lean bacon and the meat glue helps in the finishing process which is browning the roll in oil. I've certainly had better luck when using it. Here's a photo of a ready to serve tenderloin roulade from 2022.

Atendees Chocolot Kerry Beal alleguede curls

I'm planning to be there. Looking forward to it!!!

Dammit, @blue_dolphin, I do not need another cookbook. Mind if I move in with you for a while? (Seriously, those all look delicious. I may have to buy that book.)

Very nice, @Steve Irby! I love the seasonings you describe. The mystery seasoning (and its analog) sound especially tantalizing. One question: why the transglutamase dusting on the tenderloins? To make the bacon stick better?

It's turkey time again! I had a 24# butterball turkey in the freezer that was competing for storage space with the sausage that I made at the first of the year. I solved that issue by roasting the legs and thighs and prepped the breast and tenderloins for the circulator. One breast half was seasoned with Cavender's Greek Seasoning, kosher salt, lemon slices, rosemary, sage and olive oil. The second breast half was seasoned with a mystery green spice blend that my sister brought back from Istanbul. The fragrance and flavor is similar to a spice blend from Spicewalla that includes curry leaf, fenugreek, dill, tamarind, cumin, coriander, onion, garlic and S&P. I added orange and lemon slices along with a little olive oil. The tenderloins were seasoned with Tony Chacere's and Cavenders seasoning blends, dusted with transglutaminase, and bacon wrapped. I cooked the batch at 141 for 4 hours plus. The breast halves were a little less than 3 lbs and the tenderloin was 1.75 lbs. I split the breast lengthwise and resealed after chilling. I also cooked two 8 oz pork steaks for about 2 hours

Thanks pastrygirl. I'll check into both of those.

Atendees Chocolot Kerry Beal alleguede

Sorry to take so long getting this up here - no excuse! We plan to have the workshop this year in Montreal at the Callebaut Chocolate Academy - it will be May 15, 16 and 17. We are still working on finding a hotel within walking distance. Will post details as we sort them. I'll start a list of attendees in next post.

Tried King Arthur’s recipe of the year. Pretty tasty pizza, laminated dough is different. Something to do when I don’t want to get the Ooni out.

I’ve been remiss in posting recent salads I’ve made from Samin Nosrat’s Good Things. I may have posted this Crunchy Cabbage Slaw dressed with the Creamy Sesame- Ginger Dressing so apologies for the repeat but I’ve repeated it several times as it’s quite good. This is the White Bean, Celery and Tuna Salad, dressed with Creamy Oregano Dressing Chickpea salad with cucumbers and dill, also dressed with the Creamy Oregano Dressing. Two marinated beet salads. The first is dressed with the Tahini Sbagliato dressing and includes avocado (which blends into the greens so it’s hard to see) and a topping of crispy fried shallots. I added the marinated beets. The second is a marinated goat cheese salad, featuring the marinated goat cheese, breaded in panko (I pre-toasted the panko) baked and served over greens dressed in the House dressing with marinated beets. This salad was assembled with the “Roasted Vegetable Salad Matrix” in the book. Yeah, It’s a lot. Roasted cauliflower, celery for crunch, Royal Corona beans and pickled onions, all dressed with the creamy lemon-miso dressing that includes poppy seeds. Last up is the Snap Pea Chopped Salad, also dressed with the creamy lemon-miso dressing. This one includes fennel, aged Gouda, Medjool dates and herbs. The recipe calls for pine nuts but I used chopped, toasted almonds.

Murray's Cheese in NY carries Cashel, so it stands to reason that local Kroger/QFC stores with Murray's cheeses may carry it but no promises (I don't usually shop there and different stores may have different selections). Have you looked at Met Market? https://www.murrayscheese.com/dp/grubb-family-cashel-blue Or maybe here for Cabrales? https://parismadridgrocery.com/

Thanks! Beans and pasta can be stodgy but I think the greens help out here!

Puttanesca is my go to recipe. Always have the ingredients on hand. Yours looks great! I've done it with with fish, chicken, even roasted veggies are a great option for pasta.

Oh silly me, looking in Seattle. Sorry, I haven’t visited here for a long time.

Hi folks: I can’t seem to find these two cheeses, both favorites combining creaminess with strong blue flavors, anywhere in town anymore. Just searched DeLaurenti’s and Central market again… Any suggestions would be very welcome. Thanks!