kayb

I pulled the aforementioned rump roast out of the fridge yesterday, set it in a roasting pan, and seared it for 10 minutes in a 500-degree oven. It turned out with a lovely dark crust, and a beautiful rare inside, not quite fork tender after four hours SV at 125 degrees. But -- it had very little flavor, once I got past the coffee-ancho rub on the exterior. I know rump is a very lean cut and thus has little fat or collagen to lend flavor, but I really thought the SV cook and the overnight in the fridge afterward would allow the seasoning to penetrate a bit. Any suggestions out there on how to cook rump roast? One comes in my beef order every year, and I have yet to cook it in a fashion I enjoy it.

I went ahead and ordered the HIP book, too. Just for good measure.

How fun!

One of the reasons I love sous vide: I had coated a small (1.5 pound) rump roast in a coffee-ancho spice rub and put it in the water bath for four hours at 125. Decided I wasn't in the mood for roast beef for dinner. Took it out, stashed the bag in the fridge, and had a glass of wine and some cheese, pate and crackers. Tomorrow evening, I'll bring it back up to temp, then sear it, and go forward with the original plan.

The Instant Pot arrived this morning (Amazon's Sunday delivery still weirds me out). Won't use it today, as I am sous viding a rump roast, but may very well use it tomorrow, and certainly this week. Need to re-read this entire thread, as well as the recipe/instruction book. Will also take a look at the book rotuts referenced.

Dutch baby folded around peach butter and ricotta cheese. Would have been better with a stronger-flavored cheese, and I added a tablespoon of sugar to the batter that it didn't need. Still good. With a large cup of French press coffee, this went a long way to offset the third grey, rainy day in a row.

I made a pot of turkey posole, which was pretty good. Forgot to take photos.

Baron -- Just absolutely stunning. I envy your guests.

Change of pace from yesterday's overindulgence. The pate de campagne I made the other night (I deem it a success!), with some cheese, olives, pickles and quince paste. Crackers and a glass of red.

That's the one I got.

Thought it would be appropriate to have a place to recreate successes -- and not-so-much -- from the Annual Celebration of Overindulgence. Mine was mostly traditional Thanksgiving fare -- turkey, cornbread dressing, corn casserole, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, broccoli salad, cranberry salad. I made a white chocolate cheesecake, had enough batter for a second, smaller one. The first one was topped with cherries, the second with a spread of Nutella, toasted pecans, caramel sauce and sea salt. Neither were touched. I'm about to tear into the cherry one for breakfast. I do have to report, though, that I cooked the best turkey I have ever cooked. It was a farm-raised bird, local from here in the region, but not a heritage variety. I picked it up fresh on Wednesday, brined it for about 12 hours in a brine containing salt, brown sugar, thyme, paprika, garlic and onion. Roasted at 350, started breast-down (per the NYT's cooking section, "How To Roast A Turkey," where I was looking to check recommended roasting times) with a stick of butter, salt, pepper, thyme, and a quartered orange.Chicken broth in the bottom of the roaster to keep the drippings from burning. After an hour and a half, I donned oven gloves covered with plastic bags; turned the turkey over, breast-up, and returned him to the oven, where I overcooked him because I dozed off on the couch (had gotten up at 5 to start cooking). Thigh temp was near 185. I said, "Oh, s***!" and snatched the turkey out. He was a pretty thing, but I had little hope he would be tasty. Wrong. I sliced into the breast an hour later, and could see the juices in the meat. That was without any doubt the juiciest, tenderest turkey I have ever cooked. Don't know whether it was the farm-raised aspect, the brine or the breast-down technique, but be assured I'll do it EXACTLY the same way next year. My eldest daughter also contended it was the best mashed potatoes she'd ever had. Not sure why -- there was nothing but butter and cream in them, although they did whip for a while in the mixer while I got sidetracked doing something else. My dressing left something to be desired; some years it's good, some years it's not. This was a "not." How was your Thanksgiving?

I've joined the club as well. Amazon Black Friday deal. I figure I can get rid of my slow cooker and rice cooker, and create a little room in my cabinet. Plus, I haven't had a pressure cooker in forever. Looking forward to experimentation.

Welcome, and you've picked a great time to join in! Amazing cooks in this group turn out some amazing dishes over the holiday season. What kinds of things are you most interested in, and what do you most like to cook?

I grew up in the South, but never heard of this until I moved to Arkansas. Perhaps it's an Arkansas thing. The recipe I posted comes from the grandmother of an Arkansas friend. I thought it was weird when I first tried it, but it's really pretty good. Addictive on carrot sticks. And turkey sandwiches.

A cold plate of cheeses, salami, olives, pickles and crackers. Probably lunch (and potentially dinner) several days this week as I have the kitchen tied up in Thanksgiving prep.

One more thought. One of my favorite condiments with turkey sandwiches is the old standby Southern "curry dip" -- mayo, curry powder, Worcestershire sauce, grated onion, pressed garlic, chili sauce, white pepper. It really does marvelous things for turkey, and it's a good dip for fresh veggies as well. ETA the Worchestershire. Can't leave that out.

White chocolate cheesecakes for Thanksgiving yesterday. I use this cheesecake recipe; simple, but marvelous. I subbed one package of the cream cheese and 8 oz of the sour cream with 2 cups of slivered white chocolate melted with a half-cup of cream. I'll top them tomorrow night with a cherry glaze, so will post photos then.

What a fascinating flavor profile! I think I have to try this. After Thanksgiving.

I have a question about pate de campagne, as I am about to attempt my first one. It appears this makes a pretty sizeable loaf. 1. How long will it keep, refrigerated? 2. On the assumption I won't be able to use it all before that time, can I vacuum seal, say, half of it, and freeze it? Using the recipe from Epicurious, unless anyone has a better suggestion. Thanks!

I have done, with some success, a wild rice-based salad with a citrus-honey-balsamic viniagrette and lots of fresh and dried fruits -- clementine sections, cranberries, blueberries, cherries, etc., and pecans or almonds. Agree on a seafood salad or some sort of seafood dish. Sounds like much fun to be had by all!

Suggestion -- crisp up that stuffing in your waffle iron. Finest thing going with an over-easy egg and some cranberry sauce on the side.

I buy grass-fed beef in bulk, so SV is great for me -- mine are not the tenderest steaks in the world otherwise, though the flavor is outstanding. One thing I've foundt that helps is to SV for an hour or so, then chill, then take out and sear on the grill. The intermediate chill helps me get a good sear without getting the already-warm interior too hot and overcooking it. Rather abashed that I had never thought about drying/oiling the outside. Duh. Thanks for that tip.

I cook grits, rather than polenta, but when I want them particularly creamy, I add a chunk of cream cheese.

Mexican chicken. Only vaguely Mexican, pure rural Southern American. Boneless, skinless chicken (breasts or thighs), whole kernel corn, black beans, onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, cheese. Garnished with grated cheese, sour cream, diced avocado. Served on tortilla chips. Easy, quick, good.

Mine is a traditional Southern cornbread dressing, cooked in a separate pan from the turkey. Crumbled cornbread (some people add "light bread" as well; I don't), eggs, chicken pr turkey broth, sage, salt and pepper. Most people add chopped, sauteed onion and celery; some in my family don't like onion and I don't like celery, so I leave both out. Served, canonically, with cranberry sauce and giblet gravy.