highchef

I think the corn cakes would be very creole..But we usually have tons of French bread and a salad. Potato salad is the standard, but I like a green salad with seafood gumbo. Abita beer goes good with anything, or Dixie. I usually have a nice dry white. There's no traditional dessert to follow gumbo...something with bananna sounds good, bananna pudding is a southern staple. Make it with Pepperidge Farms chessmen cookies instead of vanilla wafers like Paula Dean does! Have fun. Gumbo on!

someone's quote on the fn boards read something like "if you're going to make anything from scratch, you must first create the universe" that always calmed the cumpulsive in me. I use for convience sake frozen veggies a lot, mostly seasoning blend. The kids like hot pockets, I don't. that's about it.

There is a wonderful spice cake recipe in Tyler Florence's Real Kitchen cookbook. It may be posted on Food TV. it has a cranberry sauce with it. It is very, very moist and wonderful. There is a problem with the recipe though. It calls for a 9 inch round cake pan and the batter mushrooms over. I've double checked and I can only assume his professsional pans are deeper. I was going to start a thread on this here today, but didn't have time to check his book to see if he specifies deep dish cake pans in his cooks kitchen section. but do try the recipe, it is a true, perfect textured spice cake...just use a bigger pan. trust me. if you can't find it, pm me.

Yes. I don't think you NO people know how to cook it. Young okra smothered down with a little vinagar and a tablespoon or 2 of h2o will loose the threads. add tomatoes and sauteed trinity, some shrimp, smoked sausage and you'd never know it was ever slimy to begin with. It is all in the cooking people...the stuff is good. so. YES

We've kinda agreed that 'white chili' did not meet the criteria, but the man was good engough to post it and I figured I'd give it a try. I don't know if there's been enough discussion about it to warrent it's own thread (I think it's more of a white bean cassarole, but it looks darn good) Don't those award winning chili's usually have some 'secret' ingredient? I made the Tyler Florence's chili with out the chocolate the first day, but threw it in on day 2. No one was supposed to eat it the first day, I hadn't quite finished it yet, but my sweet husband saw the pot in the fridge and had to try it. said it was 'missing something'. When I finished it I added the chocolate after heating and served after it heated through. Now he says it's perfect. I think the flavors just mellowed and combined overnight and the chocolate (you do not want to know how much I paid for that bar...but it there was an ounce left over so in it went) blended perfectly. I do/did not taste chocolate. There isn't one single thing that pops out...it's a blended thing. very good. Please post those rules, I'd love to know them. Do they apply to just Texas Chili???

The Real Kitchen recipe was good, better the next day. The chocolate was perfect. I did brown the meat first, I know it did not detract from the recipe and I'm sure it added flavor. I toasted some of the spices and that put it a little over the top at first, but it mellowed after a day. Next is the Larry/Steve white chili in the interest of education...and I think my kids will like it better!

Mine came yesterday as well. This is one hell of a book. I don't say cookbook, and if I were a librarian I would probably be tempted to put it in the history section, but the recipes are exact on. You all have got to get this book. It weighs a ton, is beautiful and worth twice as much, at least. Beware, shipping is a bit high, cause it does weigh a ton.

You did clarify that for me chef, and I greatly appreciate it. I shall let you know how I do. The white stock is known. Now to the unknown. thanks

I have read it, but the roasted chicken bone question I either missed the answer or something. I've printed it to review tonight as I'm going to make stock tomorrow, and hopefully still be able to do the lesson on braising. I could get the meat off, I was just trying to figure out a good methodology for using all parts to an optimum degree. Thanks.

I got a copy for a wedding gift a long time ago. It's a classic.

That's a Southern Living shot if I've ever seen one! Good weather for it!

It depends entirely upon their usage, IMHO. Raw Bones stock would be a better base stock for things like risotto, where I would want OTHER flavors to be brought forward (such as mushrooms or asparagus) but a Roast Bone stock would be preferable in a soup. It doesn't mean that one is better than another, just that there are ultimately going to be different uses depending on how the stock was originally made. ← Forgive a stupid question, but where do you get the roasted chicken bones? I mean, are roasted bones from roasted chickens, or are they from a deboned chicken and then roasted with aromatics? If I have 2 chickens and I want a light stock and a darker chicken stock, would I roast one and boil the other? then boil the bones of the roastd chicken and then reduce both? Also curious about the beef stocks. I've read the lesson. I think I'm having logistics problems. thanks ← It comes from roasting raw bones, carcasses. Light stock whether it's chicken, beef or veal= no roasting of the bones Brown stock= roasted bones. If you want to make a light chicken stock for the homecook you can use the whole chicken. If you want a brown chicken, veal or beef stock brown the bones, carcass. No such thing as a stupid question (well most of the time ) Stupid answers are found in abdundance though. ← Thanks. So if I roast a whole chicken I can still use the carcass (like I do turkey for gumbo) for what, a medium stock? It's kind of hard to debone a chicken leg/thigh just so you can roast the bones for a stock; what do you end up with? raw shredded dark chicken meat. I'm sure you can find a use for it, though, why bother going to that trouble unless that's what you wanted? If I have 2 chickens with breast removed (for whatever use later) and I cut wings and legs off of them and use them for white stock, I could then roast the remainder of the carcass for brown stock. Otherwise the bones I roast will have been cooked twice. In a brown beef stock you roast the meat on the rib shanks don't you? It probably doesn't matter how you do it, as long as you strain well several times and don't let the stock boil, but I was wondering if there was a method to the madness or if it was more laiz'faire (forgive the spelling, it's more a verbal expression around here). Thank you for your patience.

It depends entirely upon their usage, IMHO. Raw Bones stock would be a better base stock for things like risotto, where I would want OTHER flavors to be brought forward (such as mushrooms or asparagus) but a Roast Bone stock would be preferable in a soup. It doesn't mean that one is better than another, just that there are ultimately going to be different uses depending on how the stock was originally made. ← Forgive a stupid question, but where do you get the roasted chicken bones? I mean, are roasted bones from roasted chickens, or are they from a deboned chicken and then roasted with aromatics? If I have 2 chickens and I want a light stock and a darker chicken stock, would I roast one and boil the other? then boil the bones of the roastd chicken and then reduce both? Also curious about the beef stocks. I've read the lesson. I think I'm having logistics problems. thanks

Nor could sister Patricia...she was my nemesis. seriously, sweet potato lends itself to seafood pretty well as I've also discovered. It took a while and some left over shrimp but I tried the sweet potato and shrimp cakes on the epicurious site and it's now an all time favorite. If anyone can direct me on how to post those sites I'd appreciate it. I usually copy and paste but if I leave what I'm typing for a second I've got to go through 25 pop up ads to get back to it! Major overhaul coming for mr. computer. I have a kid who'll put choc. syrup on corn chips..HE says it's good.

I'm gonna brown this week. If I like the flavors in the recipe, I'll braise the meat next week and make another batch. I'm going to follow the braising class that starts monday, so that'll be right in line with that. It'll be tomorrow before I can report, I really have my hopes up cause I love Tyler Florence (pretty food, pretty guy!)

a lovely gumbo, hope you made enough to freeze!

I've gone from novice, to a 'cook every thing from scratch' girl. literally, the bread, pasta, fresh tomatoes, home grown basil etc..just to make lasagna! No frozen/dried/canned there. Then I had kids. Now I'm not so obsessed with the scratch thing, and I'll cook them the chicken tenders and mac and cheese and enjoy a little myself. It's been this evolution from the french chef to chef boyordee. and then to the middle. I'm willing to try anything once, but I'm not going to necessarily do it today even if it kills me type anymore. I'm more relaxed and have better stuff to play with, and even if I don't use them everyday, I use them often. My basics are better too. good olive oil, my own stocks, good salts, organics.

Don't let it. You're the customer. And if you're in French restaurant in the U.S. or U.K., just translate it into English: "I'll have the frog's thighs, please." In France just point to the menu item and say "ceci". Smile warmly, they'll smile back. ← Is there a French wine pronounciation guide out there somewhere? I must apologize in advance to all you sumMAHlyerz for when I come to your restaurant and attempt to order the GevREE ShamBERTin. What can I say? I'm a rube. ← Hey! you took my new quote!! gotta love dire straits...

FistfulloRoux said...Last night, the forecast low for Birmingham was 24 degrees. Gumbo weather. As I said before, living with a heathen and having the flu makes for a difficult roux environment. So I had to cheat. I used Tony Chachere's Instant Roux. It worked, but I wanted a slightly darker roux. This was very good gumbo, however. I missed the heathen part, having been on the recieving end of that expression many times, I must confess to feeling a bit sorry for your roomie. The flu I can relate to. The feel-good gumbo feeling I can relate to as well. But I'm the one who cooks and i'm the one who's sick so no gumbo for me until I feel like standing on that cold tile floor. I use Savoies', and when I need some extra cajun kick I pull out the tabasco. Cajun spice is really just cayanne pepper with onion, garlic and celery salt in there right?

I am trying to refine that Tyler Florence's recipe, but found another anomoly. He does not brown the meat first, but seasons and brings it to a boil, then adds rest of ingredients and lets it go till tender. I've never made a chili without browning the meat first. It's either habit or instinct. so I think I'll have to change that unless someone can tell me why I shouldn't. thanks.

I have a few, please don't laugh. risotto..I have a friend who says 'rizott' with no e sound on the end and a long o. Is that the Italian way, or is it also ok to pronounce the o? edamame...I know WHAT it is, just never heard it pronounced..help. gravlax- is that x sounded out? And I'm sorry, but I say biscotti - with the i. the aforementioned friend says biscot with the t ending. is pancetta 'panchetta' or pansetta? I have more, be nice.

Is this the spice mix you are referring to? That mixture is intriguing, to the point that I keep a jar of it around. I suppose one could make an interesting chili based on that profile. It was originally published in relation to a slow roasted pork loin. (That group of recipes has made it into my permanent repertoire, by the way.) Maybe it could make a killer pork chili. Maybe combined with some New Mexico green chiles. Then dollop crema on top. Hmmm. ← Yes, that's the one. I wonder if you toasted the ancho's with it if it might make a different chili powder mix. It goes well with the dishes it was designed for too, I've made them and they are really nice. Yea, pork chili....

you mean like Billy Bob and Billie sue? True to life brother and sister, the middle names necessary to tell them apart? Just kidding, I love north Louisiana folks, I married one, kinda. The chili recipe sounds great..I'll try it soon. maybe this morning as I can't sleep.

I think dry roux evolved through the low fat craze...kinda like we got that low carb roux mentioned above. Fish in gumbo..well I'll put it in Sauce Picante, and I'll smother it, and I've had fish stew. I don't think it's used too much in gumbo though because it has too much of a fishy flavor. I know that doesn't make sense, but it's another class of seafood. If I did fish in a gumbo, it'd be a bullaiabise (I know, my spelling sucks). The crab meat and shrimp don't compete with each other, nor oysters. Fish would kind of give it a whole other flavor, but with out a roux in there it'd probably be great.

sweet jalapano pepper rings are a good side with chili too. There is also a latin spice mix on epicurious that's interesting, I use it as a rub sometimes, but I know it has big potential for something else. My kids cannot have chili without cheese though, so if I only had one thing to serve with it it'd be that.