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FrogPrincesse

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Posts posted by FrogPrincesse

  1. 44 minutes ago, dscheidt said:

     

    So, this scale is dead.  I suppose 16.5 years is okay life span.  But, I need a scale.  I could just buy another, it's still sold.  Or I could buy something new.  Waht's out there? 

    I recently got the OXO scale (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) to replace my old Teraillon which was getting very inaccurate. I really like it! It’s a good design, compact, and it works really well. I like the greater capacity (11 pounds).

    • Like 2
  2. 45 minutes ago, Smithy said:

     

    I'm delighted at your writeup and results, but surprised that a peaty Scotch worked so well. Did it not leave a heavy whiskey flavor in the fish? If not, why not, do you think?

    You only use 1 tablespoon for a 1-pound fillet of salmon, and most of it is lost with the water that leaches out of the salmon as a result of the curing process. So, in the end, some of the wonderful peaty aroma of the scotch get imparted to the salmon, rather than a heavy / obvious whisky flavor. 

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  3. Thank you @blue_dolphin for starting this thread. It's time to resurrect it! :)

     

    Before the holidays, I got Alison Roman's books (it's an upcoming theme for the cookbook club I joined a few months ago) and noticed the recipe for gravlax, because this is something I like making for new year's. I was very intrigued by her non-traditional take, especially the use of scotch whisky and aleppo pepper which are supposed to impart a smoky flavor to the dish, re-creating the flavor of cold-smoked salmon.

    I used Laphroaig for the scotch, which is ultra-peaty. I skipped the dill in the marinating step because I didn't have any on hand and prefer to use fresh herbs as a finishing step / garnish. The salmon was sushi-grade from Catalina Offshore. I placed it on chopticks inside a baking dish, covered in plastic wrap, put a small cutting board on top with two heavy cans, and let it sit for 4 days in the fridge.

    Well, it turned out to be truly delectable and we finished it in no time. We had it on thinly sliced rustic sourdough, with crème fraiche and fresh dill. It is now my favorite recipe for gravlax!

     

     

    Scotch gravlax

     

    Scotch gravlax

     

     

    Scotch gravlax

     

    Scotch gravlax

     

    Scotch gravlax

     

    • Like 8
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  4. This dinner thread never ceases to be a source of inspiration. Poached haddock in spicy tomato sauce! Sous vide goose legs!! Roasted teal!!! 😋 

     

    Here are a couple of recent dinners.

    Coconut saffron curry (recipe from Vij’s for shrimp curry - made a large batch of sauce and froze leftovers) with beautiful scallops from Catalina Offshore, homemade cucumber raita (also Vij’s). The naan is from Trader Joe’s. 

     

    Coconut saffron curry (Vij’s)

     

    Grilled hanger steak with chimichurri (made from parsley, cilantro, torpedo onion, garlic, dried oregano, smoked paprika, olive oil, red wine vinegar), fresh spinach wilted in butter and lots of nutmeg. I don’t know why I don’t buy hanger steak more often, it’s so delicious!

     

    Hanger steak with chimichurri (Ruhlman), spinach with butter and nutmeg (Jamie Oliver)

     

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  5. Spaghetti alla gricia. I used organic spaghetti alla chitarra from Trader Joe’s (great product) and guanciale from Alle-Pia in SLO.

     

    Spaghetti alla gricia

     

    • Like 19
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  6. Who is still cooking from this great book?

    I made the duck legs & carrots this weekend and it turned out delicious. The carrots (I used humble, supermarket carrots) were very flavorful from all the duck drippings, stock and onions etc. I got Peking duck legs from a local butcher shop, Iowa Meat Farms. The oven temp wasn't specified (other than "medium to hot"), so I went with 375F for 1 hour (in a Dutch oven, covered) and lowered to 350F for the last 30 minutes (still covered as the liquid was already quite low) when I noticed that the duck seemed to cook pretty quickly. The duck legs were super crispy which was great but a bit overcooked, so I think that 350F would have been sufficient. I made minor modifications - I used goose fat and stock instead of chicken stock because I had some on hand and it was a flavor-booster; I didn't have any leeks and used a fennel from my CSA (and I love fennel). Also I seasoned everything, unlike the recipe which seems to forget about salt & pepper (or assumes that you will season when needed because you know what you are doing...). I made this for a family meal but this would be a great, simple recipe to serve at a dinner party.

     

    Duck legs and carrots (Fergus Henderson)

     

    Duck legs and carrots (Fergus Henderson)

     

    After I made the recipe, I found this wonderful video of Margot & Fergus making the recipe. It has some modifications from the published recipe - it adds celery, "a blob of soppressata" (which looks like a fresh spicy sausage in the video), and there is also a splash of red wine in the cooking liquid. The oven temp  is 180C = 356F and the cooking time only 1 hour.

     

     

    • Like 5
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  7. I find the frozen gyozas, dumplings etc at TJ’s quite good in general!

     

    I wouldn’t buy these “savory herbed (boneless skinless) chicken thighs” again. They are juicy but also weirdly rubbery (the haricots verts, also from TJ’s, are a staple). The pesto chicken breasts are much better.

     

    Trader Joe’s savory herbed boneless chicken thighs

     

    Trader Joe’s savory herbed boneless chicken thighs

     

     

     

    • Like 4
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  8. Last night - local halibut with lime ginger beurre blanc, bok choy, new potatoes. Served with a bottle of Sancerre. 

     

    Local halibut with lime ginger beurre blanc, bok choy, new potatoes

     

    A few nights ago, carbonnade de boeuf a la flamande (recipe from Anne Willan, using chuck and Mammoth double nut brown). It is served with "croûtes", aka slices of rustic bread covered with Dijon mustard, placed on top of the stew and broiled for a few minutes. It's a dish that is perfect for the "cold" San Diego weather! :)

     

     

    Carbonnade flamande

     

    Carbonnade flamande

     

     

    • Like 18
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  9. 5 minutes ago, Smithy said:

     

    Thanks for bringing this up. I have a jar of rabbit rilllettes that I bought on impulse at a favorite restaurant in October, and it's still sitting in the refrigerator. it's easy for me to overlook it, because (a) it's small and hides easily and (b) I haven't known really what to do with it. Put it on toast or crackers! What could be easier?

    You are welcome! It's great for a quick lunch with a green salad. In France, rillettes sandwiches (inside a baguette, with sliced cornichons) are pretty common as well!

    • Thanks 1
  10. After the new year, I made goose rillettes with the carcass from the goose I had cooked at Christmas. I cut it in half and put it in the instant pot with some water and pressure cooked it. Then I transferred all the meat to a Dutch oven (discarding the skin), added some goose fat (set aside from cooking the goose) and some of the stock. I cooked it for a bit at low temperature, mixed and shredded it (a potato masher works well for that purpose), and transferred into jars with a layer of goose fat on top. The recipe was loosely based on the "simple rillettes from confit" recipe in Ruhlman & Polcyn's Charcuterie (time to re-activate the thread?).

     

    Great stuff on a slice of rustic bread with some cornichons! Next time I will probably add thyme, bay leaf and sneak in a little bit of cognac/armagnac for an extra boost of flavor.

     

    Goose rillettes

     

     

    Homemade goose rillettes

     

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  11. @TicTac Bummer. At least now it's very viscous and, more importantly, it tastes great! :)  It will continue to set in the jar, so maybe in a week or two it will be fully set.

    And now that you have found a new source of interesting citrus, you know what you have to do next - make more marmalade! ;)

  12. 2 hours ago, Pete Fred said:

    And I wanted to test a tarte au citron filling: the one Heston Blumenthal made in the early days of The Fat Duck when it was more of a French bistro. Rather than make a full batch I scaled everything down to ring-sized and brûléed it...

     

    Lemon1.thumb.png.1f92e9d5b0315d51825906f607e6fb58.png

     

    Lemon2.thumb.png.e6b896fd3e4d463525f7f291616a242a.png

     

    In effect, a lemon crème brûlée. Errrr... lembrûlée?

     

    Looks good. I love tarte au citron. Is it this recipe?

     
    Quote

     

    Filling
    • 5 lemons, zest finely grated and juiced
    • 300 ml double cream
    • 390 g white caster sugar
    • 9 large eggs
    • 1 large egg yolk

    Place all the filling ingredients into a heatproof bowl and mix together using a spatula. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and allow to warm up until the temperature reaches 60ºC. At this point, strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a jug. With a spoon, remove the bubbles from the surface of the liquid.
     

     

  13. @JohnT That sounds wonderful. I do various types of citrus as well (mostly bitter oranges, kumquat, yuzu). It's fun to mix them and experiment based on what is available. Other than bitter oranges or kumquats which are delightful on their own, I have found that citrus mixes are more interesting than single citrus - one of my favorite combinations is yuzu, Cara Cara orange, and Meyer lemon.

    • Like 3
  14. Yes,  I am the bubble whisperer. I also cook rice by sound, believe it or not. :D

     

    It's correct about the foam. It will foam quite a bit, and then much less as you get closer to the end. Marmalade is a commitment for sure and I am glad you haven't given up. You cannot always predict how long it's going to take, but once you are in, you have to keep going. It's going to be so worth it at the end, trust me!

     

    • Like 3
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