David Ross

I have this cookbook and it's a wonderful reference.

Ha Kim we think alike! The squirrels love my yard, lots of big trees and a lawn where they can plant their findings and come back for a snack months later. And yes, I to put out stale gougere's for the little devils.

I usually make these cheese gougere's for the Christmas and New Years holidays, but a few years back I started making them for Easter. And if we're lucky in the Pacific Northwest, like we are this year, I'll add some poached first of the season asparagus. They started cutting asparagus in the Pasco and Walla Walla areas last week and it's just starting to show up. It'll be about $1.75 a pound or so. But other than nostalgia for the local asparagus crop, of course this time of year any asparagus is good. The recipe calls for homemade mayonnaise but I've also substituted a bottled avocado oil mayonnaise that's delicious. I don't do anything fancy with the asparagus other than trim the stalks, blanch it a few minutes then chill and serve it on top of sliced cucumber. Cheese Gougere's with Smoked Salmon Mousse-the recipe makes about 10 small gougere's Ingredients- Gougeres (Pastry) ½ cup water 2 tbsp butter ½ tsp salt ½ cup flour 2 whole eggs ½ cup shredded Swiss cheese 1 whole egg beaten with 1 tsp. water ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese Smoked Salmon Mousse- 4oz. softened cream cheese 4oz. Nova lox-style smoked salmon 2 tsp lemon juice 1 tsp chopped fresh dill 1 tsp snipped fresh chives ¼ cup whipping cream Salt and pepper to taste Mayonnaise- 2 large eggs 1 tsp. salt 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice 1 tsp. Dijon mustard 1 ¼ cups olive oil Salt and pepper 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper 1 tsp snipped chives for garnish 1 tsp dill fronds for garnish Preparation- Gougere’s- Heat the oven to 425 . Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a saucepan bring the ½ cup water, butter, salt and cayenne to a boil. Pour in the flour and stir the dough very fast with a wooden spoon until the dough pulls away from the saucepan, about two minutes. Take the pan off the heat and add the eggs, one at a time, and beat the eggs into the dough with a wooden spoon until the eggs are fully incorporated. Stir in the Swiss cheese. Using two spoons, form small balls of the dough about 1” in diameter and spoon onto the baking sheet. (You can also add the dough to plastic bag fitted with a piping tube and pipe the dough in 1” circles). Brush the gougere’s with the egg wash and sprinkle some of the parmesan on top. Bake the gougere’s for 25 minutes until golden brown. Let the gougere’s cool before filling with the smoked salmon mousse. Smoked Salmon Mousse- Place the cream cheese, smoked salmon, lemon juice, dill and chives in a food processor and pulse until blended and smooth. Transfer to a bowl and season with salt and pepper and stir in the cayenne. In another bowl beat the whipping cream until stiff and then fold into the salmon mixture. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Mayonnaise- Place the eggs, salt, lemon juice and mustard in a blender. Pulse just a few seconds until the mixture is combined. With the blender at low speed, (place the top on but leave the hole open), slowly drizzle in the olive oil. As the mayonnaise starts to thicken, increase the speed and continue to add more olive oil until the mayonnaise is thick. Stir in black pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Cut each gougere in half and scoop out some of the inside dough. Spoon some of the smoked salmon mousse on the bottom layer and cover with the top layer. (You can also pipe the salmon mousse onto the bottom of the gougere using a plastic bag fitted with a pastry tube). Place the gougere’s on a serving platter. Spoon some of the mayonnaise around the platter. Garnish the plate with some snipped chives and dill fronds.

Thanks I'll check it out

Bringing back this Cook-Off this morning. I've been looking through the Cook-Off index and we have lots of great dishes and discussions to go back and reference. While I like a Banh Mi sandwich any time of year, I've had a hankering to make one as the weather improves into spring and summer.

I had a taste the other day for a roast chicken, but didn't remember where I kept my favorite recipe. Then it came to me, I use techniques that Thomas Keller uses in his cookbook, ad hoc at home. I didn't include the root vegetables he calls for, and in addition to adding thyme, I added rosemary and sage to the cavity of the chicken. Takes basically two days as I stuff the chicken with herbs and garlic, tie it up then put it in the fridge, uncovered, overnight, which helps the skin get crispy during roasting the next day. The poor bird doesn't look very good the next day, but after roasting it comes out a beauty, golden with crisp skin and the meat is very juicy. 1 whole fresh chicken 3-4 cloves garlic, smashed sprigs of fresh thyme, rosemary and sage salt and black pepper olive oil and softened butter Remove the giblets from the cavity of the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Stuff the chicken with the garlic, thyme, rosemary and sage. Truss the chicken, then rub all over with olive oil and rub the softened butter over the breast. I place the chicken on a rack over a cookie sheet rather than on a roasting pan so that the hot oven air can get round all the bird. It goes in a blazing hot oven at 475 for 25 minutes. No basting, no turning yet. Then lower the oven to 400, turn the cookie sheet around, and another 35-40 minutes until a thermometer registers 160. And I remembered to resist the temptation I usually can't, let the chicken rest out of the oven for 20 minutes before carving. Very delicious and I have to remind myself not to get anxious next time and follow this recipe for roasting a chicken.

Going through more of my eG archives looking for some ideas for pastries to make for Easter. Well, I came upon our Apple Cook-off and found this recipe and instrk uctions I did for making apple fritters. I don't eat many donuts these days and this one takes a lot of steps and work, but I'm thinking it would all be worth it for Easter.

Going through more of my eG archives looking for some ideas for pastries to make for Easter. Well, I came upon our Apple Cook-off and found this recipe and instrk uctions I did for making apple fritters. I don't eat many donuts these days and this one takes a lot of steps and work, but I'm thinking it would all be worth it for Easter. https://forums.egullet.org /topic/149304-eg-cook-off-67-apples/?do=findComment&comment=1992673

Dave that looks delicious and that crispy fish. Ahh.

That looks and sounds so incredibly delicious.

Another dish using the avocado crema-Ancho Chile Adobo Roast Chicken with Avocado Crema. It a simple adobo of dried ancho chiles, sour orange juice (bottled from a local Mexican market), a bit of water, garlic, dash of sugar and cumin, salt and pepper. I marinated chicken quarters and roasted in the oven. Sorry, snow is still covering the bbq and patio so I'll have to wait another week or so before I can grill outside, (a better way to grill this chicken rather than oven-roasting).

Thanks!

This took some planning but it turned out to be some of the best recipes I've ever created. All of the dishes can be done separately, all together or in a combination. I'm really pleased at how the pickled avocado experiment worked out. I've been making avocado crema, "salsa de aguacate" for a few years now and it's delicious with both seafood and chicken. Some of the recipes have sa lot of ingredients, but the actual prep and assembling the ingredients takes a lot longer than the actual cooking. I'm having corn cakes with pickled avocado watermelon salsa for breakfast tommorrow with a poached egg! Pan Roasted Salmon with Pickled Avocado-Watermelon Salsa, Skillet Corn Cakes and Avocado Crema-Serves 4 Pickled Avocado-Watermelon Salsa-makes 3 cups ½ cup white vinegar ½ cup water 1 tbsp. Kosher salt 1 tbsp. sugar 1 tsp. coriander seeds 1 tsp. mustard seeds 1 tsp. cumin seeds 6 fresh cilantro sprigs 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 1 tbsp. finely diced jalapeno 1 tsp. lime zest 2 unripe avocados 1 cup, seedless watermelon cut into small cubes ½ cup finely chopped onion 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tbsp, minced jalapeno ½ cup finely chopped cilantro 2 tbsp. fresh lime juice 2 tbsp. olive oil Salt and pepper to taste Combine the vinegar, salt, sugar, coriander, mustard and cumin seeds and water in a small saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil and stir to dissolve the salt and sugar. Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour the brine into a container. Add the cilantro, garlic, jalapeno and lime zest to the brine. Let the brine cool to room temperature. Cut the avocados in half then remove the pit. Peel off the skin and dice the avocado into small cubes. When the brine is cooled add the avocado cubes. Cover the container and refrigerate the avocado overnight. The pickled avocado will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Before serving, drain the pickled avocado from the brine. Place in a bowl and add the fresh watermelon and avocado cubes, the onion, garlic, cilantro, lime juice and olive oil and gently toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. The salsa should be served the same day you combine all the ingredients. Avocado Crema-makes 1 ½ cups 2 large ripe avocados, peeled 3/4 cup heavy cream 1/2 cup water as needed ½ cup cilantro 1 tbsp. minced jalapeno 1 clove garlic, minced Salt and pepper to taste Cut the avocado in half. Remove the pit and use a spoon to scoop the avocado into a blender or mini-food processor. Add the cream, cilantro, jalapeno and puree. Add water to thin the crema to a spreadable consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper. The avocado crema will keep covered in the refrigerator for up to two days. Salmon- 4, 6-8 oz. salmon filets 2 tsp. mustard powder 2 tsp. chili powder Salt and fresh ground black pepper 2 tbsp. butter 3 tbsp. olive oil Heat the oven to 400. Rub each salmon filet with some of the mustard and chili powder and season with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the butter and 2 tbsp. olive oil. Add the salmon filets and brown on each side, about 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast the salmon for another 4-5 minutes or until the salmon is firm to the touch and done. Skillet Corn Cakes-makes about 16 3” cakes 1 cup corn kernels, (frozen corn works well, thaw before using) ½ cup melted butter ½ cup heavy cream ½ cup whole milk 1 large egg ¾ cup Masa flour 1/3 cup all-purpose flour ½ tsp. baking powder ¼ cup sugar 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. black pepper 1 tsp. ground cumin 1 tsp. chili powder 2-3 tbsp. oil for frying Combine the corn, melted butter, cream, milk and egg in a large bowl. In a separate bowl combine the Masa flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt and stir to combine. Add the dry ingredients into the corn mixture and stir to combine and create a smooth pancake like batter. Add additional milk if the batter is too thick. Heat a skillet or pancake griddle over medium heat. Drizzle some of the oil into the pan and add 2-3 large spoons of the corn cake batter to make small dollar size pancakes. Fry the corn cakes until bubbles appear, 1-2 minutes and then turn over and fry the other side, about 1-2 minutes. Keep the corn cakes warm on a plate tented with foil while you finish frying. To serve, spoon some of the avocado crema on the bottom of a plate. Place one of the salmon filets on top of the avocado crema. Place one of the corn cakes next to the salmon and top with some of the pickled avocado-watermelon salsa.

The pickled avocado experiment worked beyond my expectations. I chose fairly hard avocados because I wanted to make sure they would hold their shape during the pickling. I was surprised at how it turned out-salty and pickled yet a different flavor of avocado I hadn't experienced and they did hold their shape and weren't at all mushy. The recipe will follow once I finish the details, but this is what it looked like after two days in the pickling brine-

Very impressive thanks for showing so many unique dishes using the avocado.

If I'm looking for a quick pastrami I'll buy a prepared corned beef then rub it heavy with a spice mixture for pastrami. I use a digital smoker on the patio that uses "bisquettes" and I like to use hickory or mesquite chips and let it go for about 4 hours at 250 degrees. Then I'll steam it a couple hours and slice for sandwiches. Works pretty good for me as I live in a region with nary a decent deli for a few hundred miles in any direction.

Thanks. I'm going to start one later this week.

Just last week I was searching through my eG archives for a recipe for corned beef that I had posted. Lo and behold I found it from way back in 2008 during our discussion of corned beef at home. I'm too late now to make it for this week's celebration, but that's fine as a good corned beef is delicious any time of year. And I hope my food photography has improved over the past 11 years..... https://forums.egullet.org/topic/113064-corned-beef-at-home-recipes-tips-etc/?do=findComment&comment=1537296

Well, the pickled avocado experiment begins. I'm starting with a recipe from Food Network. The avocados in the market were really small today and pretty hard. But I figured for pickling I wanted them hard rather than ripe so they won't turn into mush during pickling. I'll let them sit in the fridge for at least a day then figure out the recipe from that point forward. I originally thought of pairing pickled avocado with raw tun in a sort of tuna poke bowl, but this afternoon I shifted a bit to using raw and pickled avocado with salmon in maybe a grilled or poached dish. I doubled the recipe amounts and because I couldn't find whole coriander seeds, I substituted mustard seeds. 1/2 cup white vinegar 1 tbsp. salt 1 tbsp. sugar 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds, (substituted for coriander seeds) 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds 2 avocados, peeled, I cut them into small cubes, (the recipe calls for cutting the avocado in slices) fresh cilantro 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced 1/2 jalapeno, I sliced the jalapeno into thin rings, (the recipe calls for cutting the jalenpeno into matchsticks) zest of 1 lime

That is a fantastic representation of avocado!

I found a recipe for pickled avocado that I think I'll try but instead of cutting the avocado into thick slices, I'm going to experiment with trying to cut it into cubes. Then I'm thinking of some type of a Hawaiian-style poke bowl with the avocado and either shrimp or salmon. https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/pickled-avocados-3797230

I thought it would be interesting to see how a Chef is using avocado in dishes. This is a Sansho Crusted Ahi Tuna, Shiso-Yuzu Guacamole, Jalapeño . It looks to me that it's basically a type of sushi roll with an outer layer of nori, then a blanket of rice and the center is guacamole that's probably lightly dressed with shiso and yuzu. Then seared tuna on top. It's a nice presentation but I'm not sure I'd order this if I was in the mood for avocado. Looks good but for me it doesn't sound like anything really unique. I do like, and will try, mixing avocado with yuzu and some other ingredients. This is Chef Laurent Tourandel who I met some years back when he opened a small French Bistro at Caesar's in Las Vegas. This dish comes from Brasserie Ruhlmann in NYC.

I agree and I also like it on a everything bagel rather than a plain bagel

My guacamole isn't really special but I do use a couple of different techniques to add flavor. I started a few years back with a guacamole recipe out of Truly Mexican by Roberto Santibanez. I add garlic to my recipe and char both the garlic and onion in a hot cast iron skillet, no oil. And the Chef gave me an idea I had never considered-serving the guacamole with chicarrones. We have a very good local Mexican supermarket and cafe and they make the chicarrones fresh each day from the hogs they butcher at the restaurant to use in their other dishes. 2-3 cloves garlic, roasted dry, skin-on then peeled and smashed 1/2 roasted onion, finely diced 1/2 cup or so of fresh cilantro 1/2-1 small jalapeno, minced 2 large Haas avocados, coarsely mashed 1 roma tomato, seeded and diced 2 tsp. chili powder Salt and pepper to taste Crumble some of the chicarrones to garnish the guacamole and serve with the large strips of chicarrones

My gosh that's something. It would be interesting to know the technique they used to coat it in the tempura batter and hold everything together during frying. It looks like lettuce was wrapped around the avocado? And I might add looks delicious.