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Lori in PA

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    Culinary Resolutions for 2007

    in Food Traditions & Culture

    Posted

    I'm amending this to "In 2007, I will TRY to..."

    In 2007, I will eat the foods my body not only wants, but needs.

    I will make more shortbread!

    I will find the best method for ME to bake "artisinal" breads.

    I will learn to work bread-baking into my daily routine.

    This is the year I will try not to check a cookbook out of the library without trying at least one dish from it.

    I will taste more critically, without becoming critical of others' efforts.

    I will use my talents as a cook to bless others in my orbit.

    I will give more time to teaching adult friends to cook.

    I will give thanks every day for not just enough food for my family, but good food, tasty food, and healthful food.

    We (The Husband and I) will try to budget for another meal at Restaurant Sydney.

    My kids will continue to learn cooking skills through my summer cooking classes.

    I will teach more children than I wish to cook. :raz:

    I will read about a cuisine unfamiliar to me.

    "The 150 Best American Recipes"

    in Cookbooks & References

    Posted

    I have this book checked out of the library after seeing/hearing about Snowangel/Susan's success with the Baked Eggs in Maple Toast Cups (pg. 243) in the cookbook roulette thread. I think I'm gonna have to buy a copy. I suppose some my disparage a "best of" cookbook like they might eschew buying "best of" CDs, but some of us they are a boon -- another knowledgeable person has done some of the footwork for us and found us some reliable dishes to try. Sometimes I enjoy the hunt, but sometimes it's nice to have someone say, "Make this -- you'll like it," and that is what Fran McCullough and Molly Stevens have done in this volume. Its subtitle is "Indispensible Dishes from Legendary Chefs and Undiscovered Cooks," which gives an accurate taste of what you'll find. The Zuni Cafe's Roast Chicken and Bread Salad is in here (Wow -- how did I not know about this? Maybe because I live far from Zuni Cafe?), but so is Skillet Blueberry Cobbler by someone named Ezra Stovall, via "gang email." Of course this cookbook isn't comprehensive -- there are only 150 recipes, after all -- but just about everything in it sounds good to me. So far, I've made the following and I'm just getting started:

    Tagliatelle With Creme Fraiche and Arugula (except mine was with linguini and frisee)

    Zuni Roast Chicken with Bread Salad

    Braised Green Beans with Tomato and Fennel

    Double Corn Polenta

    Here's what I hope to try next:

    Cheddar Walnut Crisps

    Smoked Salmon Rolls with Arugula, Mascarpone, Chives, and Capers

    Manly Meatballs

    Carrot, Parsley, and Pine Nut Salad with Fried Goat Cheese

    Monte's Ham

    (It's party season, you know. :biggrin: )

    So, has anybody else been playing with this book? Tell me.

    "Baking: From My Home to Yours" (Part 1)

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    This is sort of off topicish, but I bought a bunch of cranberries with intent to make Dorie's cranberry upside down cake.  I'm not going to get to it before after Christmas, so I stuck the berries in the freezer, per the instructions on the back of the bag.  Simply as is.  I'm worried about those holes in the bag, though.  Should I?

    Or does it really work to just stick the bag in the freezer?

    I've never had any problem doing this.

    Cooking for those with severe food allergies and sensitivities

    in Cooking

    Posted

    Seth and his family had lunch with us yesterday and it was a very productive visit. I had made veal breast in the style of Osso Buco sans onion and garlic (served those on the side). Mom and I made Risotto Milanese without onion, which was a new dish for her to learn. We also had roasted carrots. Dessert was baked apples with raisins, walnuts, and honey and also almond cookies brought by Mom. We spent the rest of the afternoon discussing possibilities and I answered lots of cooking questions. I sent her home with some recipes to try. She was so sweet and thankful -- a joy for me to help someone like her. I'm going to copy responsess to this thread for her, too. Thank you again, everyone.

    Cooking for those with severe food allergies and sensitivities

    in Cooking

    Posted

    Thank you VERY much for all the replies. To answer a few questions:

    chiles are not allowed (or any peppers), though Mom says she has gotten away with very small amounts of chile powder in a big pot of something.

    soy is not allowed, except for a small amount of tamari (this info from Mom -- I'm thinking tamari has some soy but I haven't researched)

    no cinnamon or other spices in that family (I haven't researched the "family" yet)

    no ginger

    Seth is five. I'm not sure how adventurous his palate is because of his extremely limited diet (and the limits of his mom's cooking know-how), but I think the whole family is open to trying new things, mainly to have variety. This all came about because Seth's mom told me she was feeling depressed about how difficult cooking has become -- making essentially two meals all the time to accomodate Seth's needs. She mentioned how EXCITED he gets when the whole family can eat the same thing. We talked about the importance/significance of sharing food and why Seth would feel that way, and we also discussed how much easier it would be if she could come up with a repertoir of many dishes everyone can eat and that she can take to potlucks, too.

    One thing that did occur to me: if I was Seth's mom, I think I'd keep sauteed onions on hand in the fridge and pass them around at mealtime like the salt and pepper, for those who can have them to stir into the spaghetti sauce or whatever "wants" onions.

    I've invited them for lunch on Sunday. I want to make some kind of main dish ahead, plus show her how to make roasted carrots and risotto (with sauteed onions to pass at table). I want to make a dessert ahead, too -- maybe a steamed pudding of some kind?

    Cooking for those with severe food allergies and sensitivities

    in Cooking

    Posted

    I'm working with a friend whose child has multiple food allergies to help her come up with as many dishes as possible to feed her whole family together. Little Seth has a shorter list of foods he can eat than ones he can't. The hardest thing I'm finding is the prohibition of all alliums -- I can't think of a single cuisine that doesn't use them extensively. Can you?

    In case you're interested, here's the list of allowed foods:

    Grains:

    rice

    corn

    potato starch

    potatoes

    cornstarch

    rice flour

    ground nuts (no peanuts or cashews)

    rice pasta

    gluten-free: bread, waffles, pancakes, etc.

    Fruit (in small amts.):

    apples

    kiwi

    pears

    peaches

    plums

    apricots

    cherries

    grapes

    dried fruit: raisins, dates, apricots, figs

    juice: apple, apple cider, grape

    Vegetables:

    carrots

    tomatoes

    corn

    limas

    green beans

    salad greens

    cooked greens

    potatoes

    sweet potatoes

    Protein:

    chicken

    beef

    lamb

    legumes

    egg replacer up to 2 eggs in a recipe

    Cheese:

    parmesan

    goat

    Dairy:

    goat milk

    Other:

    butter

    vegetable oil

    olive oil

    yeast

    Flavorings:

    herbs, except mustard

    tamari (small amts)

    sour cream or yogurt (small amts)

    vinegar

    wine

    cocoa powder

    nutmeg

    cloves

    pepper

    salt

    vanilla flavoring (artificial)

    other artificial “extracts”

    Ideas are welcome!

    Minimalist No-Knead Bread Technique (Part 1)

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    I've worked with wed doughs ... this was ridiculous. it was like glue. flour was helpless against its wrath. i thought it was trying to kill me.

    OK, we accept your plea of self-defense.

    Yes, we accept it, but still bake it anyway if it happens again. How else will you learn? I had a loaf in the oven while I was replying to your first post this afternoon. It was overproofed and I knew it wouldn't be great, but it turned out to be not so bad. It'll be great for toast in the morning, for sure.

    Minimalist No-Knead Bread Technique (Part 1)

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    Did you let it cool befor cutting into it, Paul? My first attempt wasn't so great either -- my dough was too wet -- but subsequent batches are much improved, so don't give up.

    How cool is it supposed to be before cutting into it? It was probably below 60 degrees, because that's how cold my loft is.

    How did you improve your dough? Less water?

    Thanks!

    Yes, I used less water. Also, to improve flavor, I've been reserving about 1/4-1/2 c. of dough in a covered jar in the fridge to add to the next batch. It sounds like your bread was fine temp-wise -- I asked because some of us got so excited we cut into our hot bread right out of the oven and were disappointed with the wet interior texture.

    Cookbook Roulette

    in Cooking

    Posted

    After reading Susan's glowing report, I checked Fran McCullough and Molly Stevens' The 150 Best American Recipes out of the library. I made Braised Green Beans with Tomatoes and Fennel, using frozen green beans. Yuh-hum. Even better with a little heavy cream stirred in at the end and allowed to reduce a tad. I've got to do more with this book.

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