Peter the eater

Well here is what she did: first course: shrimp cornets main course: duck breasts seared with a coriander crust, and then plated with sweet and sour orange sauce braised endive calrose risotto with peas and green onion roasted carrots and parsnips and for dessert: caramelized peach upside down cake frozen vanilla yogurt candied pecans pecan brittle So what do the egullet judges out there think? Of course a real black contest box involves multiple chefs working with the same ingredients, but since we have only one kitchen and two toddlers we do what we can.

Here are four items for our second black box: 1. duck breast 2. pecans 3. shrimp 4. endive What will she do???

I would pick duck, endives, papayas and radishes. ← That's a formidable foursome. I like the versatile items, ones which could show up in any course, savory or sweet. Choosing the four is almost as fun as cooking them. The papaya is huge like a football. Those pecans look very enticing in their lustrous red shell. I'll post some pictures tonight.

I have been shopping! For this weekend I get to load up the black box. I have got some stuff but I am not sure what four items should best challenge my spouse. Here's some of what I got: A free-range duck breast from nearby A bag of pecans, in the shell some endives A papaya from Belize (seems ripe) frozen shrimp (pretty big ones) 3 kiwis some radishes "tree ripened" peaches (from Chile I think) Any thoughts?

Half the challenge is knowing how you'll use the space. Having designed and built many kitchens over the years I can assure you there is never a "right answer" But I do find the U has those two under-utilized corners. Me, I would go with the galley but move the seating part of the island to the other end - so guests are not inside your work triangle. The end wall where the range is now becomes a great spot for non-cabinet storage (instead of that picture of a boat) For example: shallow 5" deep pantry shelves floor to ceiling (that's easily space for 100+ mason jars) How about a 4'x8' sheet of steel and a bunch of magnets? Hang your knives, display family photos, post recipes and notes. let us know what happens, we want photos!

the "Shoeshop"?!?!? That place has a lots of bustle and personality, but probably the WORST food in the city. Every 6 months or so I get dragged along hoping it will be different this time. Not so, in fact it keeps getting worse. Last fall I went for lunch and there was an insect frozen into my ice cube. The server said "oh" and 10 minutes later brought me a new drink, for the same price. Not a friend of yours I am sure.

and now for the appetizer: basil ravioli filled with parsnip puree the red sauce components are cherry tomatoes, tomato paste, celery and onion plated with buffalo mozzarella and the dessert: buckwheat crepes with gooey sweet d'Anjou pears inside, chocolate and Chantilly.

a pack of ground bison and lots of yummy alliums. sliced eggplant ready for baking. onions, scallions, shallots and garlic sizzling and about to be joined by the bison assembled moussaka going in to the oven cooked and cooling plated with tzaziki

Lets try this again. Here's the starting point: bison, pears, parsnips and buffalo mozzarella up front, pantry behind.

Everyone should make risotto - to me its just about as important as bread. It is valuable to know what the traditions are but then its really fun to mess with them. I'll make a batch on the weekend and use it up days later in the form of pan fried cakes, maybe encrusted with bread or as a ball. Crunchy outside but it stays real creamy inside. I agree that a roux gravy is a bit much along side risotto and generally like something crisp and light, like steamed asparagus or just a couple of shrimp. My main objection to traditional Italian risotto, and I may be way out numbered here, is the al dente part. To me there are few thing more unpleasant in the mouth as undercooked rice - I am just saying its good to be on the soft side. And then there are all those other grains that can be prepared the risotto way . . .

I am a bit surprised tripling the salt would do such a number on the yeast. Good to know.

Here is what I like to do with eggplant, which I don't believe has been mentioned: slice them unpeeled into long slender strips and "quick pickle" them on the stove with vinegar, water, salt, sugar. I'll usually add a few hot peppers and garlic. I find they can stay quite firm and almost feel like linguine in the mouth.

Here are few details of the endeavor: I boiled and then pureed parsnips to fill the pasta, which I made fresh (and green with basil) The sauce was tomato, celery, onion, garlic and black olives (foreshadowing the Greek entree) The idea was to have a red sauce on a green pasta with white filling. Rough chunks of mozza were laid on top and allowed to melted a bit. For me, moussaka usually means ground lamb inside an eggplant casserole but I think the bison worked really well - and I could bake it ahead of time. I used lots of garlic, scallions, onions and shallots. The eggplant slices were baked first on a sheet, and béchamel sauce poured into the dish after the meat and veggie layers are assembled. There was no cheese on top, just some freshly planed nutmeg. Tzaziki was easily made by dicing a field cuke and tossing it a yoghurt/lemon juice/olive oil/garlic/dill dressing. Very bright and juicy beside the rich meat. I made basic crepes with just a bit of ground kasha (toasted buckwheat) thrown into the white flour. Pears were chopped up and sautéed in butter and brown sugar with a bit of vanilla. Dark chocolate sauce and a bit of whipped cream topped it all off. The issues: The fresh pasta and sauce tasted great together, parsnip is a worthy filling! There were some big pieces of basil in the dough which can cause the ravioli to leak if the pasta is rolled too thin. The mozza is very delicate - I think it is best eaten on top as is. The ground bison was very tasty but extremely lean and required a fair bit of oil to brown it up in the pan. I really liked being able to make it early then let it rest. I used a 3" diameter rosti ring (big round cookie cutter) and a spatula to lift the warm round portions onto the plate. My casserole will be less shallow next time, I think a taller cylinder would be more appealing. Dessert was relatively fast and easy. A few teaspoons of kasha from the mortar and pestle were enough for four crepes although next time I might try actual buckwheat flower instead.

The black box: Bison (local, lean, fresh and ground) Parsnips Buffalo Mozzarella Red D'Anjou Pears OK here's what I did: appetizer: http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/11735918..._4330_35626.jpg parsnip ravioli with tomato and buffalo mozzarella main course: http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/11735918..._4330_14195.jpg bison moussaka and tzaziki dessert: http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/11735918...4_4330_4502.jpg pear chocolate buckwheat crepe I have lots of pictures but I am not sure I'm posting them here properly, so I'll try again later.

Some very compelling ideas! I must say I am vacillating on the bison, so to speak. Sometimes I love the idea of limiting texture to highlight a flavour like in a classic puree (hello parsnips!) but ground bison? Hmmmm, treacherous wife. And whats with the buffalo mozzarella, is this a play on words? I will not sleep easily tonight.

So here it is, the four items in the foreground: Bison (local, lean, fresh and ground) Parsnips Buffalo Mozzarella Red D'Anjou Pears The stuff in behind is "the pantry" - much of which could easily be elevated to feature black box item. There are plenty of grains and supportive produce, as well as oils, nuts, dairy, spices, etc. I have a few inklings but will sleep on it before committing. So bring it on! What should I do?

I am a bit embarrassed to admit this, but one of the best ways to prepare salmon is on the George Foreman Grill (it was a gift) We get farmed Atlantic salmon trimmings for real cheap - half the price of salmon steaks. They are irregular in size and shape but are just as delicious if not more so since the white bands of fat seem to be wider on the trimmings. They go directly into the grill right out of the package. They come out beautifully seared and ready for home made terriyaki or maple sauce. I have tried other species but none compare - similar fish such as Trout and Char don't do nearly as well, and juicy white fish like Haddock slowly explode with steam. Other than that (and chicken thighs with skin) I find the GF Grill quite useless and certainly not worth the price.

this weekend she shops, I cook. Next weekend the reverse. Otherwise we need babysitters.

I'll post the ingredients tomorrow Friday March 9th by 10pm Atlantic time, pics too if I can figure out how. I have never really cooked competitively nor even as a job but I am curious to learn if that changes things. Will my mojo be sapped? I get to sleep on it, and serve it up for Saturday dinner. We will be self-judged (just like ultimate frisbee) yet I hope you-all out there in egullet land will chyme in. until tomorrow . . .

I have entered into a serious cooking competition which pits spouse against spouse, so I guess the worst case scenario is I'll come in second. This weekend my wife is bringing home four secret groceries: a protein chunk, a fruity/veggy item, a carbo-thing, and a whatever wildcard ingredient. We have not yet agreed to all the rules, but I'm sure I'll find a scorecard template on-line or something within the next 48 hours to guide us. I will post ingredients, process photos, results, etc. assuming someone out there gives a rat's ass. Has anyone else out there done this domestically? I am stoked.

134. A plate of marshmallow treats, covered in waxed paper, taken to a party. Could be Edward Scissorhands - if "ambrosia" counts as marshmallow treats

That scene from "The Challenge" sounds intense - I will hunt it down. We don't eat a lot of amphibians here in eastern Canada . . . it does give me an idea for a grassroots food festival or something. I started this thread like a year ago and am thrilled to get more and more movie suggestions.

What's your favorite? Robyn ←

I have the Kraft dinner once a month or so for the feel-good factor. And ketchup is almost always there: I squeeze a thin red ring around the mound of noodles and pull it in for each bite as needed. Looks very fancy, I'll take a pic next time. As for additional ingredients there are few limits. I tried anchoivies from a jar once, the results were unremarkable. I find he union of cheese and seafood is a tricky one, in this case the wee fish were disrespected. I like a big yellow onion, a ton of garlic and some cayenne and cracked black pepper on top. The low point for me (as a starving student) was finding "cheese dust" and discounted pasta at the Bulk Barn for an even more affordable fix.

I'm curious, was " The making of Dixon Cider" about the apple orchard north of Santa Fe? ← I think jamiemaw is toying with us. "Eating Out Abroad" and "The Making of Dixon's Cider" in particular sound suspiciously ribald. see post#64.