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David Ross

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Posts posted by David Ross

  1. This is a small booklet I found at a vintage shop.  A real find.  Produced by the Ford Motor Company.  The cover is missing somewhere, but I think it dates to the early 1950's when car companies were promoting the highway system.  I shared some of these restaurants with a friend in New York and a few of them are still around.  This is one restaurant from Connecticut that gives you an example of the format of the booklet.  

    Ford Best Places to Eat.jpeg

     

    Ford Motor Company Restaurant Book.jpeg

     

    Stonehenge Inn.jpeg

    • Like 4
  2. 21 minutes ago, Shelby said:

    Quail have been very scarce around here for a lot of years, but Ronnie went hunting and was able to get three--a perfect meal for us.

     

    thumbnail_IMG_0264.jpg.f3e3200f98f6c0c4920a5121924d34ba.jpg

     

    Did them in the CSO with mushroom risotto and stewed tomatoes to go with.

     

    thumbnail_IMG_0266.jpg.58e44b349bd6b1e3341ce65430ed46ca.jpg

     

    thumbnail_IMG_0267.jpg.69537c42085bfcfa5f7231119c0e77be.jpg

     

    My mom started a tradition years ago that we have soup for the first day of winter, so I follow in her footsteps.  I bought myself some cute Christmas bowls and we had lasagna soup last night.

     

    thumbnail_IMG_0272.jpg.74157b0dbad31543f2eea665bbce9396.jpg

     

    thumbnail_IMG_0274.jpg.3781ff2bdd8a141771ff5353800ba644.jpg

    I love quail and those look like nice big birds, bigger than farm-raised.  I'm having quail next week for New Year's instead of a big roast.

    • Like 2
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  3. On 1/21/2020 at 3:09 PM, David Ross said:

    I haven't made salt cod for about two years, and now I understand after that long absence why I love it so much.  I mainly didnt make it because the local seafood shop that sold it closed, and I couldn't find it in the markets during the Holidays last year.  This year, Holidays 2019, it was in all the markets.  This little 1lb. box was only 12.99, which is a reasonable price for salt cod.  One year I bought a whole dried cod, a scary splayed-open fish.  It was almost 2 feet long and I would have had salt cod for 10 years. 

     

    It's a recipe based on the Brandade de Nimes-Pureed Salt Cod recipe from the Saveur Cooks Authentic French cookbook.  Nimes was the southern French town that was the conduit for cod that was brought from Scandanavia.  

     

    Friends at a dinner club I belong to asked me about it last Saturday at our "Soup and Grilled Cheese" night.  Some are passionate home cooks, others like to eat, some just like the company and never cook at home.  But to a tee they all said it sounded delicious and they would at least try my salt cod dish.  We'll see what they think if I bring it sometime, maybe to a French Bistro theme dinner.

     

    The recipe is really easy but does take two days.  Mainly because I soak the salt cod in water overnight.  I add mashed potato to the gratin, but you can leave it out.  This dish is also a delicious side for roast cod or salmon, and I like it on toast for breakfast.  

    Salt Cod Gratin.JPG

     

    Brandade de Nimes-Salt Cod Gratin-

    Ingredients-

    1 lb. dried salt cod

    2 bay leaves

    1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

    1/2 cup milk

    1 cup mashed potatoes we use instant mashed potatoes blended with boiling water

    1/2 tsp. salt

    1/2 tsp. black pepper

    1 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme substitute fresh rosemary

    1 tbsp. chopped fresh chives

    toasted baguette slices

     

    Salt Cod Gratin on Baguette.JPG

     

    Instructions-

    Day One, Soak the Salt Cod-

    Place the salt cod into a large container and add cold water to cover. Cover and refrigerate the salt cod overnight. Change the water 2-3 times during soaking.

     

    Day Two, Prepare and Bake the Salt Cod Gratin-

    Heat the oven to 400. Rinse the salt cod and place it into a saucepot. Add cold water and the bay leaves and cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook the salt cod for 6-7 minutes. Drain the salt cod and remove the bay leaves.

     

    Return the salt cod to the saucepot over medium heat. Add 3 tbsp. of the olive oil and saute the cod, breaking it into pieces with a wooden spoon. Add the rest of the olive oil and the milk and cook the mixture for 5-6 minutes.

     

    Pour the salt cod mixture into a food processor and spoon in the mashed potato and puree. Add the salt, pepper, thyme and chives and pulse again to combine.

    Spoon the salt cod gratin into the gratin dish. Use our technique for cutting small indentations on the top of the gratin.

     

    Place the gratin dish in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Turn the oven up to broil and broil the top of the gratin until it's golden brown, about 4-5 minutes.

     

    Serve the Salt Cod Gratin hot from the gratin dish with toasted baguette slices.

     

    I use Galeco Bacalao from Newfoundland-

    Galeco Bacalao-Salt Cod.jpg

     

    Bacalao-Salt Cod.JPG

     

    This is the salt cod rehydrated after one day in cold water-

    Salt Cod after soaking.JPG

    Getting ready to make this dish again for the holiday week ahead. 

    • Like 3
  4. I was getting tired of the leftover turkey from Thanksgiving, and the boring dishes I was making.  But then I remembered my chicken salad sandwich recipe and realized turkey would be delicious in this sandwich.  And of course, homemade mayonnaise makes the difference. Slivered almonds and sliced grapes are also delicious in this sandwich.  

    Roast Chicken Salad Sandwich.JPG

     

    4 cups chopped, cold roast turkey or chicken meat

    1/2 cup mayonnaise

    2 tbsp. capers, chopped

    2 tbsp. caper juice

    2 tbsp. dill relish

    3/4 cup chopped celery

    1/2 cup chopped green onions

    salt and pepper to taste

    6 tbsp. soft butter

    8 thick slices of crusty bread

    1 cup thinly sliced red radishes

    butter lettuce leaves

     

    Pull the meat off the chilled roasted chicken, discarding the skin and bones.  Place the meat in a food processor and quickly pulse to finely chop the chicken meat. Place the chopped chicken in a large bowl and add the mayonnaise, capers, caper juice, dill relish, celery and greens onions and mix to combine.  Add additional mayonnaise as needed to make a creamy chicken salad.  Season with salt and pepper.

     

    Butter one side of each slice of bread.  Heat a skillet over medium heat and toast the bread, butter side down, until golden, about two minutes.

    To assemble the sandwiches, place one piece of bread, buttered side down for the bottom layer.  Add some butter lettuce, then a layer of sliced radishes.  Spoon some chicken salad on top of the radishes, then top with a slice of bread, toasted side up.  Serve with chips and fresh radishes or pickles.

     

    Fresh-Mayonnaise.jpg

    For mayonnaise I like to use Greek olive oil, but some may not like the bold flavor, so I sometimes use grapeseed oil or avocado oil.

    Homemade mayonnaise-

    2 large eggs

    1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

    1-1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil

    salt and pepper to taste

    2 tsp. chopped fresh oregano

     

    Place the eggs, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste in a blender. Process just until ingredients are combined, about 20 seconds.

    With blender running at low speed, slowly drizzle in the oil in a slow steady stream. Continue to add enough oil until the mayonnaise thickens. This will take about 3-5 minutes. 

     

    Refrigerate the mayonnaise at least one hour before using to allow it to cool and the oil to set.

    • Like 7
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  5. 18 hours ago, heidih said:

    This may appear non-responsive but I'll go with the looser D'Artagnan definition of pate v. terrine  https://www.dartagnan.com/pate-vs-terrine.html  My favorite one Christmas was basically Julia's Pate de Campagne which is a rough more chunky one and baked in this terra cotta duck. Back when the terra cotta baking vessels were "a thing". Everyone loved both the vessel and the treat inside. Adding pistachios and some duck confit might be nice.  Ms Duck has been garden decor for years so she is sporting outdoor maquiage.

    https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2014/sep/10/how-to-make-perfect-country-pate-recipe

     

    IMG_1521.JPG

    That's perfect and in line with what I've been looking for.  This project may take me some time to get right, but I'll have a good recipe during the cold winter months, maybe just not during this holiday season.

    • Like 1
  6. Going through this wonderful topic in a search for a terrine to make for the holidays.  I have a recipe I saved from the program New Scandanavian Cooking on PBS for "Pressed Pork with Christmas Spices" that I've wanted to do for a few years.  But after looking at the recipe again I'm not so sure this is the one I'll do this season.  Looking for something that is easier to make than this recipe which basically calls for a press/mold for the terrine.  I'm thinking of pork, pistachios, and possibly chicken livers and/or adding a duck breast down the middle.  But I'm open to suggestions and photos.  

    • Like 1
  7. 13 minutes ago, shain said:

    @David Ross Care to share the recipe? I've been looking at a few trying to decide which to make. Though I have to warn I might desecrate it with some coconut. Thanks!

     

    For the Rum Raisin Sauce-makes 4 cups of sauce

    4 cups heavy whipping cream

    2 cups packed dark brown sugar

    1/2 cup butter 1 stick of butter

    1/2 cup currants substitute golden raisins

    1/3 cup dark rum

     

    For the Sticky Toffee Pudding-

    1 1/2 cups water

    1 cup chopped, pitted dates

    2 tsp. baking soda

    1 cup butter, softened 2 sticks of butter

    2/3 cup sugar

    4 large eggs

    1 tsp. vanilla extract

    1/2 cup brandy substitute dark rum

    2 tbsp. dark molasses

    2/3 cup chopped candied pineapple substitute regular raisins

    1 cup golden raisins

    2 tbsp. chopped candied ginger

    1 cup chopped walnuts

    2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

    2 tsp. baking powder

    1/2 tsp. salt

    whipped cream for garnish

     

    Make the Rum Raisin Sauce-

    Pour the whipping cream into a saucepan over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and butter and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook until the sauce is reduced and thickens about 10 minutes. Stir in the rum.

     

    Pour half of the sauce into a bowl. This is the sauce we'll pour over the sticky toffee pudding. In the other half of the sauce, stir in the raisins. This is the sauce we'll use to pour over the baked sticky toffee pudding and serve on the side. Cover and refrigerate the two sauces until ready to use.

     

    Make the Sticky Toffee Pudding and Serve-

    Preheat the oven to 350. Spray the mold pan or bundt pan with non-stick spray. Place the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and stir to combine.

     

    Pour the water in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Stir in the chopped dates and baking soda. Take the saucepan off the heat and stir the mixture. The dates will start to melt and thicken, creating a sticky date paste.

    In the bowl of a mixer, beat the butter and sugar until it's creamed and fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla, brandy, and molasses and continue to beat until the mixture is combined. Add the pineapple, raisins, candied ginger and walnuts to the batter and mix again until the batter is combined. With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture and then the date mixture. Continue to mix until all the ingredients are combined.

     

    Spoon 1/2 cup of the rum sauce (without the currants), in the bottom of the mold pan. Then pour the batter on top of the rum sauce. Leave about 1" from the top of the pan for the cake to rise. Jiggle the pan so that the batter is evenly distributed.

     

    Bake the sticky toffee pudding for 30 minutes. At this point, the pudding is only partially baked. Carefully pour 1 cup of the rum sauce (without the currants), on top of the pudding. Continue to bake the sticky toffee pudding for another 20 minutes, or until it's dark golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the pudding from the oven and let it rest on a cookie rack for 5 minutes.

     

    Gently run the point of a paring knife around the edge of the mold. Place a cookie rack over the top of the mold and invert, turning the sticky toffee pudding over on top of another cookie rack. Tap the mold and gently release the sticky toffee pudding. Let the pudding cool for 5 minutes before serving.

     

    Place the warm sticky toffee pudding on a serving plate. Pour some of the rum raisin sauce (with the currants), over the top of the sticky toffee pudding and around the sides. Serve additional rum raisin sauce on the side. Serve whipped cream on the side.

    • Like 1
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  8. 1 minute ago, kayb said:

     

    David, how do you store them? We might be inclined to try.

    Now I put them in a cardboard box and keep the top open.  I put the "fake snow," aka, cotton, on top for some protection, and put it on a top shelf in a closet.  It does pretty good structurally, although each year I have a few candies I need to replace/repair.  What happened with the really nice gingerbread house is I put it in one of those large plastic storage tubs and put on the top, but stored it in the garage. We get very cold weather in the winters, hot in the summers, so I think the poor thing just wilted and collapsed.

  9. The annual Sticky Toffee Pudding that I'll make for New Year's Eve. I'm not sure what the original source of the recipe was, probably one of my many holiday food and cooking magazines, then tinkered with until I got it just right last year.  Served with Rum Raisin Sauce, but if my Father was still with us, he'd have a huge scoop of the hard sauce Mother made.  You know, just butter and powdered sugar and maybe a few spoons of brandy.  We always bought a Plum Pudding and made the hard sauce, but I like the softer texture of the Sticky Toffee Pudding and all that gooey, warm caramel.

    Sticky Toffee Pudding with Rum Raisin Sauce #2.JPG

    • Like 7
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  10. On 12/6/2020 at 11:36 AM, Chris Hennes said:

    I just finished making Eric Gestel's Croissant recipe from The Rise:  it has a couple of things that were unusual (to me) in it. First, it has two separate overnight refrigeration stages, one just after making the the dough and before doing the lock-in, and the second after all the folds are complete, but before shaping. These long cold-proofs give the dough a great flavor, but also give the croissant surface that bubbly texture characteristic of cold-proofs (and to me, uncharacteristic of croissants).

     

    20201206-DSC_7118.jpg

     

    The recipe also has you work with the butter much colder than I am used to, with 30 minute refrigeration in between every fold, plus rolling straight from the refrigerator in the morning both days. It seems to me it was developed for people working in a vey warm kitchen. I followed the recipe as written, but the layers of the croissants sort of blur together.

     

    20201206-DSC_7119.jpg

    Wow what a beauty Chris and obviously the work was well worth it.

  11. 11 minutes ago, heidih said:

    As some enjoy cheddar cheese with apple pie, I think some of Sister Noella's respected cheese from the Abbey of Regina Laudis  might pair nicely. Seriously - anyone enjoy cheese w/ fruitcake?

    I never thought of that but I would try it, might be delicious.

  12. 1 hour ago, MokaPot said:

    @gfron1, when you have the time, I'd be interested to know which one(s) of those fruitcakes you liked. I've always been curious about stuff made in the monasteries, like fruitcakes and fudge.

    One of the best fruitcakes I ever had was made by the Monks at the Monastery at Mt. Angel in the Williamette Valley of Oregon.  We lived in Salem and used to drive thru there every Sunday to visit friends that had a horse farm.  The monks also made delicious fudge and penuche.

    • Like 4
  13. I guess it's because I got behind in recent years with my fruitcake stocks, so I've been on the binge so far this season.  The tropical fruitcake was a new entry into the fruitcake stocks, and it's been delicious.  And social distancing has done something unusual, I've found how many of my friends love, and want, a fruitcake, so I've been making them fruitcakes in exchange for treats.  All done by leaving goodie bags at the back door.  Here are three using my traditional recipe from the Great Northern Railroad.  I add some brown sugar to the recipe to get the cake a little darker, and other than that it's pretty much the same as the original, but you can vary it to your liking. These won't be eaten this year but age for at least one, maybe go to about 5 years with the brandy fruitcake.

    Fruitcake 2020 #1.JPG

     

    Fruitcake 2020 #2.JPG

     

    • Like 7
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  14. I think it's the season for cheese fondue.  I bought some white asparagus at the local German market, so I think along with ham, bread and maybe a few pickles that sounds like a good fondue feast.

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  15. 54 minutes ago, heidih said:

    Ha! Maybe this is the year to build the gingerbread house of the future in a positive way ;). I love them, As a teen I made one for the Pediatric ward. Back in the day when home made treats were allowed. It was for Cgristma deco not really for eatig though all edible.  Reinvent the world via gingerbread.  2 priors 

     

     

    That top one I made sadly didn't survive one winter. I didn't store it properly and humidity got to it and the darn thing fell apart. But I've got a new one I built three years ago I'm still adding on to and will post it here when I get some photos. 

     

    • Like 2
  16. 15 minutes ago, kayb said:

     

    How much powdered sugar, or did I miss that?

     

    oops!  Here is the revised recipe:

    For the Filling-

    1/4 cup butter, softened

    4 oz. cream cheese, softened

    1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

    1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

    1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

     

    For the Cookies-

    1 cup butter, softened

    1/3 cup granulated sugar

    2 egg yolks

    1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

    1/2 tsp. salt

    1/2 tsp. cardamom

    1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

    2 tbsp. chopped pistachios

    1 tbsp. chopped pecans

     

    Make the Filling-

    In a mixer, combine the cream cheese, butter and vanilla and cream until blended.  With the mixer on low, slowly add the powdered sugar to make a creamy frosting, then add the chopped pecans.  You can make the filling ahead of time and keep covered in the fridge. 

     

    Make the Cookies-

    Heat the oven to 350.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a mixer cream the butter and sugar until light and creamy.  Add the egg yolks, vanilla, salt and cardamom and beat until thoroughly combined.  Slowly add the flour and beat until the dough is blended.

    Shape 1” balls of dough, then gently flatten.  Toss the cookie in the chopped pistachios.  Press your thumb down in the center of each cookie.  Bake for 12-14minutes until slightly browned.  Press your thumb down again in the center of each cookie. Let the cookies cool on a rack.

    Spoon the filling into a piping bag with a star tip and fill the center of the thumbprint cookies. Sprinkle with finely chopped pecans.

  17. Certainly not my Mother's Christmas thumbprint cookies, (which were delicious), but a newer take on this favorite.  These are really rich so I eat only one at a time.  

    Creamy Pistachio-Pecan Thumbprints.JPG

     

    For the Filling-

    1/4 cup butter, softened

    4 oz. cream cheese, softened

    1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

    1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

    For the Cookies-

    1 cup butter, softened

    1/3 cup granulated sugar

    2 egg yolks

    1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

    1/2 tsp. salt

    1/2 tsp. cardamom

    1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

    2 tbsp. chopped pistachios

    1 tbsp. chopped pecans

     

     

    Make the Filling-

    In a mixer, combine the cream cheese, butter and vanilla and cream until blended.  With the mixer on low, slowly add the powdered sugar to make a creamy frosting, then add the chopped pecans.  You can make the filling ahead of time and keep covered in the fridge. 

     

     

    Heat the oven to 350.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a mixer cream the butter and sugar until light and creamy.  Add the egg yolks, vanilla, salt and cardamom and beat until thoroughly combined.  Slowly add the flour and beat until the dough is blended.

    Shape 1” balls of dough, then gently flatten.  Toss the cookie in the chopped pistachios.  Press your thumb down in the center of each cookie.  Bake for 12-14minutes until slightly browned.  Press your thumb down again in the center of each cookie. Let the cookies cool on a rack.

    Spoon the filling into a piping bag with a star tip and fill the center of the thumbprint cookies. Sprinkle with finely chopped pecans.

    • Like 3
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    • Delicious 1
  18. Today I start the baking of the fruitcake recipe I've used for years.  It comes from the Great Northern Railroad who every holiday season served fruitcakes onboard their passenger trains, most notably the Empire Builder.  Passengers could actually buy fruitcakes at ticket offices and onboard the trains. What a different world.  It's more the traditional style rather than the tropical fruitcake I posted earlier.  The tropical fruitcake used dried fruits and this one, the "train" version uses the traditional candied fruits.  

    Empire Builder.jpg

    • Like 4
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