janeer

Sticking in my mind like a mantra from cooking school is "Never cook less than a 4-rib roast." I like the high-heat blast/reduce and finish method, although the Craig Claiborne is very good--I just once forgot it (really). The method suggested that is akin to cooking it like a steak (stovetop then oven) would be the only thing I would try for less than 4 ribs. As others have stated, the meat is crucial. Buy the best. And don't forget the Yorkshire pudding.

I am so jealous. I love the neck meat for making mincemeat, and haven't been able to get my hands on any in years--since I moved away from my one hunting friend.

Well, this is nice--talking and looking at my favorite cuisine! Great idea. I too adore quesadillas, which I make with cheese and epazote (which I can occasionally find fresh where I live) and serve with tomatillo sauce, or fill with huitlacoche when I can get it. I have a Mexican fiesta every summer and make 4 or 5 dishes in addition to antojitos and desserts. Here is a photo of a nontraditional taquito--caramelized corn, roasted beet and chorizo, and queso fresco. I also make tiny tamales about once a year--very labor intensive but so worth it--usually chicken and beef. I freeze them and then microwave them for breakfast. Divine.

As someone from lobster country, I think that if you are are going to take delivery on Saturday, ordering from Legal is much less risky than ordering from a local market if you want a top quality lobster. Remember, "if it isn't fresh, it isn't legal."

Did you try Legal Seafoods? They might ship on Saturday.

Mine are done--lots of small ones, and one larger one. The benefit of small ones is that you can have an early nibble.

At this time of year, steamed puddings, using relatively fresh cake crumbs. Also, see Rick Rodgers' book, Kaffehaus, which contains many recipes calling for cake crumbs.

Janet, thank you for the link; I'm one of your rss subscribers; as a fellow historian and foodie, love your blog.

Like most lists, this one is annoying/beneath notice. "Still in print" is clearly the major selection criterion for at least half the list; several of these books I passed on when they first came out (like Silver Palate, ho-hum)--and I own hundreds of cookbooks. Rick Bayless for Mexican? I do have it, and it's fine--but no way it would be on the list if Kennedy's The Cuisines of Mexico were still in print! And The Way to Cook? I gave my copy away. Now, From Julia Child's Kitchen, that's another story.

I have a collection of old pamphlets from food companies, and they are wonderful sources of solid recipes. My oldest is from 1896--Ceresota flour company; I have several from flour and baking powder companies. More "recent" ones, from the 1960s, include one from Eagle sweetened condensed milk and a really fine one from Baker's chocolate. Of course, there are some quite famous "back-of-the box" recipes, such as the one for Toll House cookies, the meatloaf recipe from Quaker Oats, or the divine refrigerator cake on the box of chocolate wafers.

Creamed onions are one of the must-haves in our family at Thanksgiving, for as long as I can remember, which is back to the '50s: white boiling onions, bechamel made with milk and light cream, nutmeg, salt, white pepper. We all still love them, but I do find we are each eating fewer every year--they are rich! I used to figure three or four per person, now two. I boil them in their skins, then peel, and thin the bechamel if needed with some of the onion stock.

Haven't tried frangipane but think the resulting cakey texture would be weird. I would chop almond paste and distribute it in the dough if you want to cut back on the amount.

Thanks for an interesting version with potatoes, I look forward to trying it. A question though: the glaze formula is lacking (probably sugar). Is it crystalized or icing sugar? I actually have some old copies of Pleasures of Cooking, I'll have to dig them out to see if I have this one. ← 10x=confectioner's sugar=icing sugar

That is one impressive steak and kidney pudding; thank you. I'd like to note that sweet does not necessarily mean dessert; in my family, plum pudding was served WITH DINNER (alongside the meat course as a side dish), covered in a lovely clear sauce loaded with brandy and nutmeg.

I have used the following recipe for about 20 years; it was from the "Sharing Recipes" column of the late, great Pleasures of Cooking magazine from Cuisinart when the Cuisinart food processor was first introduced in this country. The recipe is an old German family recipe brought to this country by Constantia Just, a woman in her 90s when this was contributed (1980s). Though this doesn't contain marzipan, which does help with keeping qualities, it does have both potato in the dough and a glaze on top, both of which would help preserve moisture. 1 pkg dry yeast 1/3 cup sugar (2 1/2 oz; 70g) 1/4 cup warm water (60ml) 3 1/4 cup a-p flour (16 oz; 450 g) 1 tea ground cardamom 1/4 tea salt 8 oz unsalted butter, cut into 8 T (4 oz; 110 g) 1/4 cup mashed potatoes (1 1/2 oz; 45 g) 1/4 cup + 1 T cold milk (75 ml) 1 large egg 1 1/2 T brandy 1 tea fresh lemon juice 1/2 cup mixed candied fruit , lemon, orange, pineapple ( 3 1/2 oz, 100g) 3/4 cup golden raisins (4 1/2 oz; 125 g) 1/4 cup currants (1 1/2 oz; 45 g) 1/4 cup blanched, slivered almonds (1 1/2 oz; 45 g) Glaze: 1 cup 10x (4 oz; 110 g); 1 T fresh lemon juice; 1 T water Dissolve yeast and 1 T of the sugar in the warm water; when bubbly, stir in milk, egg, brandy, and lemon juice. Process remaining sugar, flour, cardamom, salt, and 6 pats butter for 20 sec; add the potato. With motor running, pour in liquids thru feed tube as fast as it can be absorbed. Process til it forms a ball, about 45 sec. It will be smooth and slightly sticky. Remove and divide in half. Put the fruits and nuts into the processor; add the dough and pulse a few times to knead roughly. Remove and knead by hand for a minute or two to distribute evenly. Shape into a ball and put into a floured gal ziplock bag, squeezing out air. Let rise about 2 hrs. Punch down, roll or pat out to a 14x10x5/8" (35x25x2cm) oval. Gently fold the long side over to within 3/4" (2 cm) of the opposite side and press lightly to seal; curve ends to form a crescent. Place on greased sheet and cover with oiled plastic; let rise until double. Melt remaining butter; brush stollen and bake at 375F (175C) for 45 min; cover loosely with foil if gets too brown. Remove to rack; drizzle glaze while still warm. Happy Holidays!

There's a long discussion here: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...ples+for+baking

I've been making steamed puddings of all kinds for 30 years--I just like them and the sauces that go with them--and while I have several metal pudding molds with fitted, clamped lids, I have made steamed puddings in just about everything you can think of. I like to give small plum puddings ("Christmas" puddings) as gifts and make them in small ramekins, little French coffee bowls, or, for something slightly larger, mini bread pans. I cover the batter with pieces of cotton cut out of a freshly laundered old sheet or pillowcase; I always butter and flour the cloth. Then I cover the pan/bowl/ramekin with heavy-duty foil secured with fat rubber bands; sometimes these break, but if you use a couple, you're usually fine. So molds are not necessary--truth be told, it is easier to unmold a pudding from a smooth ceramic bowl than from a fluted or otherwise decorative metal mold.

Yes, I'm afraid it's not really canneloni without the bechamel...

I absolutely agree with the questioner that flour (gluey? who says?) is the thickener of choice for most fruit pies; for some, like cherry and currant, I combine it with cornstarch. Key is to get correct amount; always underestimate: better a bit runnier than gummy. I don't like tapioca for pies. But I confess I have not tried tapioca flour so perhaps I will pick some up next time I go to an Asian market.

Per my grandmother, long dead--and I concur--the finest apple for pies is the Gravenstein. If it is not available, I agree with some others that the Cortland is an excellent pie apple. Here are some photos from a recent post.

Turkey stock is my favorite stock for getting a rich flavor without a beefy taste. One of my favorite things to make with it is the Italian soup pasta e fagioli. Here is my recipe, and there is a photo on my blog as well: Little Compton Mornings 6 oz lean salt pork or prosciutto end (see Note), chopped to ¼” dice 1 T olive oil ½ cup onion, chopped fine ¼ cup carrot, chopped fine 1 large clove garlic, chopped fine 2 cups shelled cranberry beans (about 1 ½-2 lbs unshelled) 4 cups stock or water, preferably rich turkey, beef, or chicken stock 1 cup imported Italian plum tomatoes a sprig of fresh oregano or ¼ tea dried oregano 1 cup ditalini salt if needed freshly grated parmeggiano reggiano freshly ground black pepper chopped flat-leaf parsley (optional) Put the salt pork or prosciutto and the olive oil into a large open pan over medium-high heat. When it begins to render, add the onion, carrot, and garlic; sauté until the onion is translucent, reducing the heat if needed to avoid burning. Add the tomatoes and cook a few minutes, chopping with the edge of a wooden spoon. Add the shelled beans and the stock or water. Cover, leaving a tiny crack, and cook over moderately low heat, enough to maintain a slow boil, for 45-60 minutes; the beans should be soft, but just soft. Taste for salt; you will probably not need to add any unless you used water. In a separate pan, boil the pasta in lightly salted water until it too is just done, about 9 minutes; drain. To serve, place about ½ cup of the cooked pasta in a shallow soup bowl, and ladle in the beans and broth to the rim. Garnish with a generous amount of freshly grated parmesan and black pepper, and a little chopped flat-leaf parsley if you like.

For my all-around basic pancake--which is thin and tender versus cakey (I don't like cakey pancakes at all)--I use sour whole milk, and like to let the batter age a bit. I cook on a 25-year-old stove-top griddle. Here is the recipe; I have a photo in one of the May posts of my blog but couldn't figure out how to upload it here. 3 c. unbleached flour 2 c. whole fresh milk 4 tea baking powder ¼ c melted unsalted butter 1 tea salt 1 c. or more sour milk 2 large brown RI eggs Sift together flour, b.p., and salt. Beat the eggs; beat in the melted butter and fresh milk, and add to the dry ingredients, stirring just until combined. It will be thick. Add sour milk, mixing, until it is the consistency of heavy cream. Refrigerate overnight or two.

This is the Pensylvania Dutch "potato filling" I grew up with. We are all obsessed with it, as is anyone who has ever visited our house at the holidays and eaten it. Decades go by, and people will mention the stuffing they had at our house when they were kids. It's utter simplicity. Clearly, there is no need to serve mashed potatoes when you make this. Potato Filling 5 lb Idaho potatoes, as fresh as you can find 2 lb white bread, partly dry, crusts removed and diced medium 1 bunch celery, outer stalks only (about 6) diced small 1 - 1 1/2 large onions, diced medium 1 lb or more butter 2 T or more dried thyme salt and white pepper milk Saute bread cubes in butter in large pan in single layer under they are golden and slightly crisp; you will need to do this in batches, using about a stick of butter at a time. Set aside. Boil and mash the potatoes in salted water with a hand masher or ricer. Fold in the bread, then blend in the onion, celery, salt, pepper,and thyme to taste; be generous with the thyme, but not overpowering. Use a wooden spoon, and thin with a little milk to achieve a medium-heavy (it will actually be fluffy on cooking) but not dry mixture. Spread into buttered gratin or other shallow baking dishes; smooth the tops and dot generously butter. Cover with foil; Bake at 350 for 15 minutes; remove the foil and bake another 20-30 minutes or until the center is hot and the filling is lightly browned, slightly puffy and "heaving." Do not overcook.

Assuming they are not "off," you could make a shrimp paste or potted shrimp--i.e., something in the food processor with lots of added flavor--brandy, cream, herbs, etc. Put on toast and broil. Although basura sounds appropriate too.

There is a thread here on Peter Rinehart's Whole Grain baking book: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=106329