Our Picks

eG Member "Baron d'Apcher" is a bit more ambitious than I am, posting this gorgeous photo of Turkey Leg Ballotine with chestnuts, Brussels sprouts and cranberries. All I did was smoke a chicken!
http://bit.ly/2jLQ29b

New eG member "thepelkus" has entered the contest to win Modernist Bread with these gorgeous loaves of Lean French Bread. If you need to make bread for Thanksgiving, stop by and check out the recipe! http://bit.ly/2jI0her

Beard-nominated chef and eG member Rob Connoley's new St. Louis restaurant Squatter's Cafe has been open a couple of weeks now. From Rob: "Just wrapped up our first week. Very exhausted. I love the energy of creating everything new balanced with the fear of making it (or not), but the hours are long." Well, the food looks great, I may need to make a pilgrimage to St. Louis! Can't wait for Bulrush. http://bit.ly/2jGW3DK

If you're anything like us, there have been some gourds in your kitchen recently. Which means seeds. What do you do with yours? Member heidih: "I am currently in major seed roasting mode concurrent with my winter squash play. [...] I want to taste the seed rather than a coating spice..."
http://bit.ly/2jHxBSQ

Society staff member Chris Hennes made the huitlacoche and yellow corn sourdough from Modernist Bread this weekend. From his post: "What a terrific flavor for bread! The huitlacoche puree added to the dough gives is a great earthy taste and an intriguing dark color. I'd definitely serve this one to guest with a Mexican-themed dinner."

http://bit.ly/2hMvkFh

Modernist Bread is out now, but maybe you haven't taken the plunge. Here's your chance to win your own copy, courtesy of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. For recipe two, we're featuring another cornerstone recipe from the book: Direct Country-Style Bread. The only leavener here is instant yeast, so production time is considerably shortened. http://bit.ly/2jsmxZF

Barrytm's entry in the contest to win Modernist Bread, made in a combo cooker: "It sang after came out of the oven, I enjoyed the cracking noise, normally I don't get that with 100% whole wheat"

eG Member Duvel got creative in an entry to win Modernist Bread, making both a boule and a pizza with the French Lean Bread recipe. Because all dough is pizza dough!

Another entry in our contest to win Modernist Bread, this time from eG Member edsel: "My first attempts at the French Lean Bread. I thought it would be quite similar to the Ken Forkish white bread with poolish recipe, but the results are significantly different."

My second Holiday Quick Bread sort of got off to a rocky start.  I found a recipe for Eggnog Muffins, I got all the ingredients out on the counter to get started.  But then I realized I didn't have any paper muffin cups, which I prefer to use in this case for the presentation.  So I figured I could just turn it into a loaf pan and make the traditional quick bread form.  I added some dried cranberries to the batter, but I think I'd prefer raisins next time for their sweetness and softer texture, and I doubled the spice measures, also adding cloves and nutmeg.  I added brown sugar to the recipe for the streusel topping and it gave it a nice crunchy texture.  The recipe called for rum extract, a mere 1/2 tsp.  That was too puny I thought, so I added two tbsp. of dark rum, which is the same ingredient we add to our homemade egg nog.  It's a nice, simple recipe.
 
Eggnog Quick Bread-
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cloves
2 eggs
1 cup eggnog, (I bought eggnog made by a local dairy co-op)
1 cup butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. dark rum or bourbon
1/2 cup raisins or currants
 
Preheat the oven to 375.  (I used the convection setting).
 
Spray a loaf pan, (I used a 8x4 small loaf pan). In a mixer bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves and mix to combine.  With the mixer running, add the eggs, eggnog, melted butter, vanilla, rum and raisins and thoroughly mix the batter.
 
Pour into the loaf pan and sprinkle the top with the streusel mixture.  Bake for about 25 minutes, until the topping is golden and a toothpick runs clean when inserted into the bread.
 
Streusel Topping-
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3 tbsp. butter
 
Combine all the topping ingredients in a mini-processor and pulse a few times to combine.


 

Our next entry for a chance to win Modernist Bread comes from Michael-hb, who says: "Enjoyed the bake; should have let final proof continue longer. Had not previously used dissolved salt. I was (and still am) confused about "vent" process following initial bake with steam."

http://bit.ly/2hnwVBB

DRIED MUSHROOMS
 
The widest selection of dried fungi is to be found, not in the supermarkets, but in the traditional Chinese medicine pharmacies. They are believed to cure almost everything and some, such as ganoderma, are being seriously investigated by western scientists for their alleged anti-cancer properties. Here I’m only going to consider the mushrooms sold for their culinary qualities rather than medicinal.
 
First up, just as shiitake mushrooms are the most common fresh mushrooms, they are also the most common dried mushroom. The most common name for the dried variety is 冬菇 dōng gū, or ‘winter mushroom’ (so-called because they are picked in winter).
 
They should be soaked in very hot water for about twenty to thirty minutes before use. We save the soaking water as it will now be full of the flavour of the mushrooms. It can be used in soups, stews etc for extra umami.
 
There are several sub-categories of dried shiitake mushrooms – the paler ones with cracked tops attract the highest prices.
 
The taste of the dried variety is usually stronger than that of the fresh. The drying process seems to intensify the flavour and scent. When buying them, I always smell them. The stronger the scent, the better the taste.
 


 

Roasted winter vegetables (brussel sprouts, purple potatoes and mushrooms) and watercress salad, with glazed cashews, peanuts and dried fruit
I'll have the recipe posted later.

That was a close shave.
 
I was mixing a cake while listening to a rather fascinating interview on the radio, when I was required by the recipe to add a teaspoon of vanilla extract, reached out (without looking) and grabbed the nearest small bottle of said 'vanilla extract'; and was just about to tip in a teaspoonful when, just on time, I realised what I was holding in my hand was actually a tiny sample bottle of nam pla, Thai fish sauce. I can't even remember how it got into my kitchen.
 
Looking at the two bottles now, I see that one is much bigger than the other and the nam pla is clearly labelled Oyster brand and in case that isn't a big enough clue there is also a picture of an oyster. I'm just hoping that I might have noticed the aroma wasn't quite right. Fish sauce sponge cake, anyone?
 

 
 

I should add that the recipe I followed instructed one to add the cream at the last "few" minutes of cooking--don't stir it in too early and let it cook for hours.

And the first entry in our contest to win a copy of Modernist Bread comes from eG Member "Raamo", who baked the French Lean Bread master recipe from the book and posted it at the eG Forums.

Want to win a copy? Join now and then get baking!
 
http://bit.ly/2ArhjS3

Kimchi bokkeumbap with sweet peppers and leftover kielbasa.
HC

 

Everyone's feedback has invaluable to me. Our discussions have made me realize that there are even greater differences between Chicken Pie with Biscuits and Chicken and Dumplings than I had realized before we began our Cook-Off.
I've started with the base for my Chicken and Dumplings--Chicken Stock. I'll be using the stock to then make the "gravy" for my dish.
The Stock-
I started with my tried and true recipe for making chicken stock. I think you may find it a bit uncoventional in that I don't do much straining of all the foam and mucky stuff that floats to the top of the stock as it stews down. I might skim the stock about 3, maybe 4 times, that's it. I suppose it's mainly due to laziness on my part. Maybe I'm just stubborn and don't think it's really necessary, or then again, since the final stock is so delicious and has such a concentrated chicken flavor maybe I've proven my own theory right in that I think spending all that time to skim away flavor isn't necessary. In any case, I put the below ingredients in the largest Le Creuset pot made and cover the whole lot with water and let it simmer on the stovetop for about 6 hours.
Two roasting chickens, 2 yellow onions, skin on and cut in half, 2 heads garlic cut in half, celery, carrot, rosemary, parsley, thyme, allspice berries, 2 bay leaves, black peppercorns-
After hours of cooking in the aromatics, you can almost taste this wonderfully flavorful stock and tender, moist, chicken-
The vegetables and spices are strained out and the stock is returned to the pot to reduce. The meat is pulled off the chicken and reserved. The bones are also returned to the pot to flavor the stock as it reduces. This second cooking of the stock takes about two more hours or so.
I didn't weigh the chicken meat but it's a lot. More than enough for a nice big pot of Chicken and Dumplings-

We never are really sure what our wild mushroom crops will be like up here until the season arrives, but right now the chanterelle crop is very good.  The mushrooms are huge and full of flavor, and at a really reasonable price of $9.99 per pound.  A couple of smaller markets have them at $19.99 per pound which is still somewhat of a bargain for wild mushrooms picked by hand.  I usually serve them simple, like this dish of bucatini pasta, some olive oil, butter, fresh thyme and sage. 

 
 Home made baguette slices brushed with olive oil and pan grilled before being scrubbed with tomato and piled with prosciutto. 

Our first go at one of the sourdoughs from the forthcoming Modernist Bread -- this one is the Master Recipe, using the book's preferred levain maturity (12 hours after feeding for a moderate acidity) and final proof (14 hours at 13°C).

My first Holiday Quick Bread was a combination of a recipe for pumpkin bread, but I added apple cider and some pecans.  Fresh apple cider up here is only sold in large jugs, but we get it in a lot of different apple varieties.  I happened to use Fuji apple cider that I originally bought to brine pork.  I'm terrible at making basic banana bread, it always turns out dense and dry.  So my reasoning I suppose was to add the apple cider to keep the bread moistened and add additional sweetness and flavor.  I wasn't happy with adding the pecans.  I thought I needed some crunch, but this bread turned out so soft and moist I felt the nuts took away from that a bit.  Next time I'll add some currants for a softer texture that I think will enhance the bread.  The powdered sugar icing and the holiday sprinkles were just to gild the bread a bit, but it makes it look nice and the icing is delicious.  It's a great quick bread for breakfast or at a buffet table. 
 
Pumpkin Apple Cider Quick Bread-
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup apple cider
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
 
Heat the oven to 350.  In a bowl stir together the pumpkin puree, oil, eggs and apple cider until the mixture is smooth.  Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, ginger and baking soda and mix to combine.  Add the sugar and the flour, and stir until the batter is smooth.  I used a bundt style of pan, but any loaf pan will do.  Bake in the oven for about 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
 
I don't have exact measurements for the glaze.  I just stirred in some milk, adding enough powdered sugar to make a thick glaze.  I'd say about 1 cup powdered sugar to only about 2 tbsp. of milk.
 
 
 

I just received my order of Madagascar Pepper from Old Stone Market.  The company is in Texas and they are great to deal with. Careful packaging and quick shipping.
I had a question and got an immediate response.  I recommend them highly!
 
 

It is very aromatic and is very flavorful.
My favorite way of tasting pepper is on a buttered saltine (unsalted butter) and so I carried out my usual "test" on these peppercorns.

It took me a few tries to get the grind just right for my taste (medium fine) I ground it into a shallow prep dish in segments so I could see the size. 
Then I moved it and mixed them together, doesn't matter, I ground the pepper directly on to the buttered saltines.

The flavor is very assertive and it has similar notes to the Wynad pepper, which I have been using heavily for the past year.
 
I think it will be very good on fruits, besides all the usual applications.  
 

Thanks @Okanagancook, it’s good to be back !
@liuzhou, I bet it’s changed, the new name came into play in 1972 !
 
I had hired a driver for the next 9 days, and he would turn out to be a great choice. He loved his food, and knew his country well. 
But first, breakfast at our homestay.. It was simple and traditional, cooked with care. String hoppers, dal and coconut sambal with a cup of tea. The string hoppers are made with a rice flour soft dough, extruded through a special tool, then steamed. We fell in love with coconut sambal, a good thing too, as it’s ubiquitous in Sri Lanka.

The average serve is 8 of these for breakfast, you see 2 above. Meals are almost always served family style, so seconds are easy. 
 
Another common sight are king coconuts. Roadside stall holders will hack the top off for you and give you a straw to drink the cool liquid. You give the shell back and they will prize out the flesh, yum. 

 
The roadside got wilder.

 
Lunch - Rice and curry is a favoured lunch meal all over the country. We ate with our driver at Chammy Restaurant in Anuradhapura. It’s a very local and typical Sri Lankan place, with two chefs cooking on the footpath in enclosed stations. Various curries are held in a display case. You can choose meat, chicken, fish, egg or veg. We chose vegetarian (one with egg) and were served three different veggie curries including jackfruit, okra and mixed veggies, dal, two hard boiled eggs, rice in a banana leaf lined basket and pappads. The local way to eat is with the fingers of your right hand. On our first full day here, we newbies used cutlery, that would change soon enough.


Happy chef too...

Charcuterie. By ruhlman and polcyn
They talk about emulsifying sausage. As opposed to just fresh grinding.
I just pulled my book and I haven't made any of this. Thought you might want to look at it