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merstar

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    Grated Orange Zest

    in Cooking

    Posted · Edited by merstar (log)

    I drizzle asparagus with olive oil and sea salt, then pop them in the oven to roast on high heat.

    After I take them out, I let them cool, then scatter some citrus zest over them. I usually use lemon, but orange would work great as well. So would tangerine, come to think of it...

    I do this too, with orange zest and crispy sliced shallots. It's great!

    Dinner! 2004

    in Cooking

    Posted

    I'm not so sure that it's a West Coast vs. East Coast thing. I would think it would have more to do with whether or not the fish is farm raised or wild. Although, even the wild varies. I've tried wild salmon from the West Coast, ie, the Columbia River, and it couldn't compare to the wild Alaskan. The Alaskan wild is by far the best salmon I've ever had. Too bad it's not easy to find.

    Dinner! 2004

    in Cooking

    Posted · Edited by merstar (log)

    Last night was an exceptionally well balanced dinner: Half a baguette with butter and some Boucheron, 3 or 4 forkfuls of scrambled eggs, and 3 homemade bittersweet brownie cookies with coffee ice cream for dessert.

    Edited to add: I forgot about the green salad I had earlier, so it wasn't totally unhealthy!

    Dinner! 2004

    in Cooking

    Posted

    I think maybe I don't like salmon anymore.  Oily and blech.  I'll have to try the sauce on something else.

    Have you ever tried wild Alaskan salmon? It's far superior in taste and healthier than the farm raised, ie, less fatty, with a much lower level of pesticides and other nasty things.

    Dinner! 2004

    in Cooking

    Posted · Edited by merstar (log)

    Fettuccine tossed with a sauce of goat cheese, parmigiano reggiano, mushrooms, and fresh basil with lots of freshly ground black pepper, served with a mixed salad.

    Baked Dessert Tweaks: Lower-fat, Lower-carb, etc...

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    Lots at the Splenda website under "Desserts." Here's one of the recipes plus a link to the site:

    http://www.splenda.com/page.jhtml;jsession...pes/library.inc

    Flourless" Chocolate Hazelnut Torte with Frangelico

    Makes 12 servings

    Active Preparation Time: 20 min.

    Bake Time: 15-20 min.

    Cake

    3/4 cup Finely Chopped Hazelnuts

    2 1/2 oz. Unsweetened Baker's Chocolate

    3/4 cup SPLENDA® Granular

    1/2 cup Plain Bread Crumbs

    2 Tbsp. Corn Starch

    1 tsp. Baking Powder

    1/4 cup Egg Substitute

    3/4 cup Brewed Coffee

    2 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil

    2 Tbsp. Unsweetened Applesauce

    2 Tbsp. Frangelico

    Glaze

    3 oz.Sugar-Free Chocolate

    2 Tbsp. Frangelico

    Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly Spray an 8 inch cake pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

    Bake hazelnuts in preheated oven until golden brown, approx 5-7 min. Set aside.

    Melt chocolate in a small pan over low heat. Set aside. Place hazelnuts and remaining cake ingredients in a medium-size mixing bowl. Stir until well blended. Add chocolate and mix well. Pour into prepared cake pan. Bake 15-20 minutes. Cake will seem slightly under baked.

    Remove cake from pan. Cool on a wire rack.

    Place cake on a serving plate. Place chocolate and Frangelico in a small saucepan. Heat over low heat while stirring constantly. Pour melted chocolate glaze over torte. Refrigerate torte until ready to serve.

    Nutritional Information per serving

    Total Calories 170

    Calories from Fat 110

    Total Fat 12 g

    Saturated Fat 4 g

    Cholesterol 0mg

    Sodium 80 mg

    Total Carbohydrate 15 g

    Dietary Fiber 2 g

    Sugars 4 g

    Protein 3 g

    Appetizers with Apple as Ingredient

    in Cooking

    Posted

    Here are two possibilities:

    Apple-Stuffed Mushrooms

    Yield: 32 servings

    32 large Mushrooms, fresh

    Vegetable cooking spray

    3 tb Celery; finely chopped

    1/2 c Apple; minced

    2 tb Fine, dry breadcrumbs

    1 tb Parsley, fresh; chopped

    2 tb Walnuts; finely chopped, toasted

    1 tb Blue cheese; crumbled

    2 ts Lemon juice

    Clean mushrooms with damp paper towels. Remove stems; finely chop 1/3 cup of stems, reserving remaining stems for another use. Set mushroom caps aside. Coat a small skillet with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat until hot. Add 1/3 cup reserved chopped mushroom stems and celery; saute 2 minutes or until tender. Combine celery mix, apple and next 5 ingredients in a small bowl; stir well. Spoon 1-1/2 ts apple mix into each reserved mushroom cap. Place mushrooms in a 15x10" jelly roll pan; bake at 350~ for 15 minutes.

    ROQUEFORT DIP WITH APPLE, ENDIVE, AND CELERY HEART

    4 ounces fromage blanc or softened cream cheese (about 1/2 cup)

    3 tablespoons milk

    2 teaspoons medium-dry Sherry

    4 ounces Roquefort (about 1 cup crumbled)

    2 Belgian endives

    12 inner celery ribs with leaves

    1 medium head white radicchio* (optional)

    1 crisp red apple such as Gala or Fuji

    *available at some specialty produce shops

    This dip is especially attractive served in a hollowed-out head of Castelfranco radicchio, a white radicchio with loose, pink-streaked leaves that readily open to form a bowl.

    If using fromage blanc, in a bowl stir together with milk and Sherry until smooth. If using cream cheese, with an electric mixer beat together with milk and Sherry until smooth. Crumble Roquefort and gently stir into mixture (being careful not to break up lumps). Dip may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.

    Have ready a large bowl of ice and cold water. Trim root ends of endives and separate leaves. Trim celery to 4- to 6-inch lengths. Remove any discolored outer leaves from radicchio and trim root end slightly so radicchio stands upright. Put vegetables in bowl of ice water to crisp (and to help radicchio leaves open). Let vegetables stand at least 15 minutes and up to 2 hours.

    In a colander drain radicchio and shake to remove water. Twist and pull out center leaves to form a "bowl" for dip. Spoon dip into radicchio or a small bowl.

    In colander drain endive and celery and pat dry. Quarter apple and remove core. Cut quarters into thin wedges. Put several ice cubes in each of 2 wine glasses and stand endive, celery, and apple over ice.

    Serve dip with apple, endive, and celery.

    Serves 8 as an hors d'oeuvre.

    Gourmet

    December 1998

    Dinner! 2004

    in Cooking

    Posted

    Last night was "Pasta With Roasted Vegetables And Garlic Broth" from Bon Appétit -

    penne with roasted red and yellow peppers, fennel, red onion, and carrot. Tossed with a reduced chicken broth infused with roasted garlic gloves, fresh basil, and lots of Parmigiano Reggiano. This is the third time I've made this, and it never fails to amaze.

    All About Puerto Rican Food

    in Caribbean, USVI & West Indies: Cooking & Baking

    Posted

    Cuban roast pork is communirific!

    Definitely one of the best dishes I ever had. I used to order it at Victor's, (it was called Roast Pig on their menu), when they were on Columbus Ave, very sad day when they closed down. They also had the greatest paella, shredded beef, red snapper, black beans and rice, fried bananas, corn tamales, cafe con leche, and for dessert, natilla. I miss that place!

    Dinner! 2004

    in Cooking

    Posted

    Last night I had wild Alaskan salmon for the first time, and it was unbelievably great. I had tried wild salmon before from the Columbia River, and it wasn't half as good. The Alaskan is the best salmon ever. I broiled it with a garlic/butter/Dijon mustard/wine sauce with fines herbes.

    Three Susan Purdy books

    in Cookbooks & References

    Posted

    I love my copy of "A Piece Of Cake" and was so happy to hear they had updated and reissued it. For classic american style cakes I think it's only rival is "The Cake Bible".

    I also have the other two books, and they're OK for low-fat desserts. None of the recipes I tried would fool anyone into thinking any of the recipes are anything but low-fat, though some were better than others. Alice Medrich's book is better.

    Thanks very much for your info. I'll be able to check out "Perfect Cake" when it comes in from B&N. Sounds like that's the better choice, and I'll stick to Alice Medrich for the lowfat recipes. Unfortunately, "Chocolate And the Art Of Lowfat Desserts" is unavailable at present, (except for used copies) so I'm limited to those that are included in "Bittersweet."

    Three Susan Purdy books

    in Cookbooks & References

    Posted · Edited by merstar (log)

    Hey Rhea, How's it going?! Thanks for the info.

    Alice Medrich is my favorite, especially being the chocoholic that I am. I've tried some of her recipes from "Chocolate and the Art of Low-Fat Desserts," (although I don't have the actual cookbook), and they were fantastic. I do have her book "Bittersweet," which I've been reading a lot lately - it's great.

    Anyway, from your description, I'm not so sure Susan Purdy is what I'm looking for. I ordered "Perfect Cake" aka "Piece Of Cake" from my local Barnes and Noble, so I'll be able to check it out to see if I want to buy it or not. They don't have the other two, however, so maybe I should follow your example and preview them in the library. I've also posted this query at the FC forum, so I'll be curious to see the responses. Will see you later!

    Discontinued Products

    in Food Traditions & Culture

    Posted · Edited by merstar (log)

    I really miss Hagen Daz Vanilla Orange (sobet) Swirl ice cream.and their Margarita sorbet

    It seems Häagen-Dazs is big on discontinuing good flavors. In addition to the two you have listed, others have mentioned Elberta Peach, plus my favorite chocolate gelato which I posted previously (they say they still make the chocolate gelato, but I haven't seen it anywhere in quite awhile). I also find it annoying that I can only find their Belgian chocolate in a few of their ice cream shops, I have never seen it in the stores.

    Discontinued Products

    in Food Traditions & Culture

    Posted

    Oreo ice cream sandwiches (giant ice cream sandwiches with oreo cookies and vanilla-oreo ice cream inside). 

    Yum....those giant Oreo ice cream sandwiches are my favorite!

    They still carry them around here, so they're definitely still in production.....you might want to try requesting them from your grocer - they might start stocking them!

    I thought they were gone forever! Do you know who the manufacturer is?

    Discontinued Products

    in Food Traditions & Culture

    Posted

    Haagendazs Chocolate Gelato (apparently the company still makes it, but I can't find it anywhere).

    Pepperidge Farm Chocolate Brownie Nut Cookies

    Altadena full fat yogurt made with cream (boysenberry, strawberry, raspberry, etc)

    Oreo ice cream sandwiches (giant ice cream sandwiches with oreo cookies and vanilla-oreo ice cream inside).

    Lucky Cakes (my favorite as a kid).

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