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ElainaA

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Everything posted by ElainaA

  1. My favorite soup is Sweet Mama soup - winter squash and apples garnished with cubes of raw apple. Like kayb, I like apples sautéed as a side or garnish with chicken or pork. I make a casserole of layered apples, sweet potatoes and sliced port tenderloin. Or you can leave out the pork. And apples and onions is a dish with lots of variations that has been around forever. According to Laura Ingells Wilder's Farmer Boy it was Almanzo Wilder's favorite dish when he was growing up in the 1800's. There is a caramelized version on the NY Times site that is very good. Then of course, there is applesauce. Is it permissible to eat latkes without applesauce?
  2. ElainaA

    Dinner 2017 (Part 1)

    This thread makes me very hungry. Heck, this whole site makes me hungry. Last night's dinner: Venison back strap (a gift from a hunter friend) (which fell out of the freezer on my feet) that I marinated in red wine, lemon juice, juniper berries, thyme, garlic and olive oil then seared quickly per @Shelby and my mother. With Deborah Madison's 5 minute beets (golden beets) and roasted potatoes. When we ate at the CIA last month I had venison served with guava gelee and cherry sauce. I couldn't manage the guava but I simmered some dried cherries in water and lemon juice, drained them and seasoned them with coriander, cinnamon, a dash of cayenne and a little butter. They made a very good accompaniment to the venison. When my husband came home last night there were 5 deer in our driveway - he thought they might have heard about our dinner menu and were staging a protest.
  3. Do I get extra points if my freezer is in such shape that the first ingredient fell out when I opened the freezer door? This was before I read this thread but it became last night's dinner. The freezer item was a package of venison Backstrap, I served it with shredded golden Beets just because I thought the tastes and colors would be nice together. The dinner was excellent - I will post pictures in the dinner thread when I get home from work this afternoon.
  4. The dough is spread into a rectangle, the filling (cinnamon and sugar) is spread over it and the dough is first rolled up and then pulled out to be about 12-14" long. That piece is cut lengthwise in two. The two pieces, cut side up, are then made into a two strand braid (twist?). The shaping does leave some of the cinnamon/sugar exposed - that creates the very dark areas on the bread. I like it both because it is pretty but also because it distributes the filling well. The recipe in the CI cookbook simply rolls the dough and filling into a loaf.
  5. @gfweb Thanks for the suggestion but I don't have sous vide equipment so that's out. @Shelby That's just how my mother cooked venison steaks - except as I remember she went more for medium well done. I guess I'll stick to the traditional... but stop much sooner.
  6. @DiggingDogFarm Sorry - From your comments, I thought you were in Broome not Chemung.
  7. I have been given a lovely piece of venison back strap. It is currently marinating in red wine. olive oil, juniper berries and various other stuff. Given how lean venison is I think that steam roasting may be the way to go. Has any one had experience cooking venison is their CSO? @Shelby? Anyone?
  8. I haven't been baking very much, other than the basic no-knead Ci bread that is our staple. But yesterday I made cinnamon swirl bread - also from Ci. Interestingly, the recipe in the cook book is not the one I use - this is from their "Holiday Baking" special magazine from 2-3 years ago. The recipes are similar but the shaping is very different. I like this one. ' I used both golden and black raisins - that explains the yellow areas.
  9. They are available not very far from you. Cortland County, just north of where you live, provides summer feeding programs in most towns - open to anyone 18 or younger. Some towns only do lunch, many do both lunch and breakfast. And Loaves and Fishes provides either lunch or dinner (on alternate days) year round. I know Tompkins and Onondaga counties also have similar programs - I would be really surprised if Broome did not.
  10. @Thanks for the Crepes 's post has reminded my of how many prepared foods there are that I don't even think of a "pre-prepared". I do make (and can) my own ketchup, salsa and chutney. I have made mayonnaise but very rarely - I rely on Hellman's. Pasta is a staple in our house and I rarely make my own. I've never made ice cream at home. I make my own hummus but I use canned chickpeas and purchased tahini. ( @liuzhou - or anyone - i would love to hear how one makes tahini!) So I guess the question is - what do we mean by "from scratch"?
  11. I just pulled out all my seed catalogs. Pinetree has been my main supplier for at least 15 years, closely followed by Johnny's. I figure anything that will grow in Maine will grow in central NY. Last year I ordered from Territorial for the first time and I am intrigued by High Mowing Seeds due to @DiggingDogFarm's comments last growing season. I'm thinking of trying artichokes in the hoop house this year and I know they need a very long indoor start so I better get moving. I would love to hear any recommendations - especially for tomatoes which are my main crop.
  12. I'm not sure how to answer this. Tonight we had pasta with pesto. I made the pesto back in August and froze it. Does that count as pre-prepared"? If I bake eggplant with tomato sauce that I also made and froze last summer, is that pre-prepared? I'm thinking of defrosting a quart of Sweet Mama squash soup for tomorrow - I made that last month. I have a lot of foods frozen or canned that I use - but I made them from scratch - just several months ago. If we are talking about foods that are purchased pre-prepared, then maybe once a week -or every two weeks - we either get take out or go out. Otherwise it is all from scratch or my own canned or frozen preparations.
  13. @pastryani I have both of Greweling's books. I like the 'At Home" one because the quantities are what I want (40 or 50 pieces rather than 150) but when I compare similar recipes I always use the professional book. Some of the differences make sense - the various gianduja and marzipan recipes in the 'At Home' book call for purchased praline paste, almond butter or peanut butter while the professional book starts with actual nuts - many home candy makers may not want to be preparing nut pastes or butters although I do. However I don't see why the coffee ganache recipes in 'At Home' use instant coffee when those in the other book start with real, ground coffee. There are several other differences, usually small, but I think they weaken the 'At Home' book. Also - @Chocolot" book is Candymaking. I think it may be out of print (@Chocolot???) but it is available on Amazon. It is very much a home candy maker's book with some excellent recipes. Besides the fondant recipes I recommend Amy's Toffee and the recipe for dipping caramel.
  14. I have used both the cream and water fondant recipes from @Chocolot's book many times with success. This year I tried the recipe in Greweling's "At Home" book - with total failure. In this recipe, unlike the recipe in the version of Chocolates and Confections meant for professionals, he has you beat the fondant in a stand mixer rather than by hand - I believe that was the major problem. This is just one of several incidences where the recipes, for what is ostensibly the same candy, vary between the two books to, in my experience, the detriment of the "At Home" variation.
  15. It is becoming a tradition - next year just start out earlier.
  16. We traditionally (well, this is the third year so I figure now it is a tradition) host a brunch on New Year's Day. We, and most of our friends are at an age where staying up late New Year's eve is unlikely and what do you do New Year's day but watch football and there is plenty of that other days. This year we have 35 people coming that I know of and probably a few more. So I have been cooking all day yesterday and today. Very little is actually done but most things are ready to pop in the oven in the morning. i did ask my husband if we could get another oven delivered tonight but that isn't going to happen. Luckily I do have an adjunct refrigerator - most people would call it a garage. We will have, for aps, gravelax with some condiments and rye bread, and a cheese, olive,salami, grapes and cracker tray. Then there will be a kielbasa, pepper and potato hash, baked French toast, 2 spinach and ricotta pies, grilled pineapple with yogurt and pistachios, citrus salad, a green salad with pears and pecans, scones, stollen (left over from Christmas), pumpkin bread ( because I had 3/4 of a can of pumpkin left over from making pumpkin caramels), rolls (not homemade but from a good local bakery), a cranberry almond coffee cake (in the oven as I type) brownies, a cream cheese and cherry pastry braid and a plate of my holiday candy. I have tried my best to prevent guests from bringing food but I am sure some will. And of course there will be wine, coffee, oj, tomato juice and a few other liquids. Any egulleters living in easy reach of Virgil NY are welcome (you there, @DiggingDogFarm ?)- we start at 11:00 am. Edited to add - and lots of bacon. Last year I cooked 2 lbs and it was gone in 2 minutes This year I'm cooking 3 lbs.
  17. After the recent posts I am in awe. However, here is the second part of my strictly amateur candymania. There are probably my favorite - puddles of whatever left over tempered chocolate i have with various toppings. Every candy book calls them by a different name - I prefer mendiants from Alice Medrich's Bittersweet. Pumpkin caramels Greweling's Sleeping Beauties (how does he come up with these names?) - A layer of caramel topped with a layer of chocolate nougat. If I repeat them I want more nougat and less caramel. A blurry picture of vanilla and espresso ganache chocolates Cashew buttercrunch Peanut brittle Cherry and almond marzipan Peanut butter bark There were a few more but I didn't get pictures of everything. The bags are not only packed but mostly either mailed or hand delivered. So no more candy making here for another year. Today my husband scrapped the chocolate off the kitchen floor and counters. It is absolutely amazing where smears of chocolate show up - the door handle to the back porch? Oh yeah - I let Fanny in. The TV remote. Well, yes. But on the door into the garage?! How did that happen?
  18. @Shelby I got the same email yesterday. It was a relief as I was afraid my recall response had been lost.
  19. @Kerry Beal That was a heroic effort for the egullet team!
  20. I didn't realize that made it into the picture! I made pumpkin caramel molded chocolates and had some of the filling left over. Chilled, it was solid enough to make into vaguely rectangular blobs which I dipped in chocolate. I had a few squares of transfer sheet left from last year so I used them up too. I am a firm believer in repurposing.
  21. My annual candymania is well under way. This is a strictly amateur production - I make candy once a year for holiday gifts so even when I improve my skills I tend to relapse and have to learn them all over the next year. My equipment is minimal - a stainless steel bowl and a saute pan for melting chocolate, a silicone spatula and instant read thermometer for tempering, my preserving pan for sugar based candy. My husband did make me a set of confectionary bars. I have a lot more candy cook books than equipment. I have a ton of fun, my family and friends enjoy the result and when it is all over, my wonderful husband scrapes the chocolate and sugar off the kitchen floor and counters. Here is some of what I have done so far: Greweling's hazelnut lattes Coconut- lime white chocolate truffles and raspberry truffles - both from Carol Bloom's Truffles, Chocolates and Confections. Dark chocolate truffles with kirsch and pistachios and plain dark chocolate truffles White chocolate truffles with candied orange peel, dipped in dark chocolate and Greweling's gingerbread squares Holiday fudge from @Chocolot 's book, Candymaking - one of my first candy books and one I use a lot. If I showed up at my brother's for Christmas without a batch of Amy's toffee I might not be allowed in. And there is more to be made......
  22. Just barely warm. I actually preferred the pineapple - but I have a weakness for grilled or broiled pineapple.
  23. When I make breakfast it is totally boring - but we just got back from 2 nights at A B&B in Hyde Park, NY where the breakfasts were really special. If any one is going there - and given the CIA, the FDR home and museum, the Vanderbilt mansion, I highly recommend it - stay at Journey Inn. Friday morning started with grilled pineapple with yogurt and pistachios. I will be making this although maybe not for breakfast. It was followed by pumpkin pancakes and bacon This morning started with a roasted pear over yogurt, followed by a blueberry scone, a fruit gratin (pastry crust, custard, fruit, oats and almonds) and sausage.
  24. We are just back from a quick trip to Hyde Park which included two nights at the Culinary Institute of America. Sadly not a lot of pictures and those i have are not great. Thursday night we ate at Ristorante Caterina de Medici. We were told by the hostess at out B&B that this restaurant is the first placement for students so they are less experienced and the service might not be perfect. Our waiter was just fine but we did watch a faculty member having another student change the tablecloth on an empty table four times until she got it right. My meal: I started with pumpkin cappellacci with pumpkin seeds, parmegiano reggiano, butter and sage. Lovely. The pumpkin seeds gave a really nice texture. My husband had orecchiette with broccoli rabe, garlic and anchovies. (Sorry - the picture is terrible.) Next, I had a salad of baby greens with a mustard dressing, He had a radicchio salad with endive, grapes and walnuts. We had the same main plate - venison loin with grappa sauce, a garnish of cauliflower and guava gel and a potato and turnip gratin. We shared dessert: A gianduia mousee with coca crumbs, caramel sauce and cape gooseberries. I stopped myself from licking the plate. Just barely. Friday night we ate at American Bounty. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera and my husband didn't bring his phone so we have no pictures. Which is really sad as the presentations were gorgeous. I started with a roasted beet and frisee salad with baby carrots (REALLy baby carrots not the fake kind), candied almonds and a tangerine emulsion. This was easily the best presentation of both nights and I am so sorry I do not have a picture. My husband started chestnut and wild mushroom ravioli with butternut squash, crispy shallots, sage and cream. My main plate was breast of duck with mission figs, salsify, sassafras and pine nut spinach. I wish there had been more figs but other wise it was fine. Barney's main plate was pork tenderloin with kaboucha, freekeh tabbouleh and blood orange gel. we again shared a dessert - pressed apple - which was baked rectangles of thinly sliced apples, with smoked maple ice cream, gingerbread crumbs and caramel. Everything was good but the ice cream was absolutely amazing. Perhaps the most interesting part of the evening came after we finished eating on Friday and started talking with our waiter. All the kitchen have glass walls onto the dining rooms and we were seated immediately in front of the pastry chefs area in American Bounty. My husband is a plumbing/HVAC contractor who has done HVAC in multiple restaurants so of course he asked about temperature control - and off we went. He ended up getting a tour of the the kitchen and an inspection of it's HVAC system. The entire kitchen was donated 2-3 years ago by Hobart and to say that it is top of the line is an under statement. The pastry area (they called it the 'pastry bubble') is kept cooler than the rest of the kitchen - although there is no physical barrier. (He told us how much cooler but what I remember is 25 degrees and that is clearly wrong.)The cooking line - with at least 25 burners and I am not sure how many ovens - is kept at a steady 68 degrees F. The pastry oven has a USB port that connects directly to the factory in Germany to be used if there are any problems. No one but the pastry chefs are allowed to touch the controls. We were also told that the Bakery/Cafe (which was not open when we were there) had 3 kitchens, each with their own temperature (the one for chocolate work being the coolest) which have negative air pressure, ensuring that if a door is opened air will only move from the cooler room to the warmer room not the other way around. My husband has installed HVAC systems for restaurant kitchens, research lab clean rooms and a surgical suite. He said this was very close to the surgical suite and way more complex than anything else. I did ask our waiter if graduates used to this high tech kitchen would have trouble in the real world. He laughed and said that the kitchen in the third restaurant, Bocuse, is purposely small, loud and cluttered so they all have to work in that environment also. We had a great time. Next time it has to be Bocuse....
  25. Like @Dejah I have been vicariously enjoying all the beautiful and delicious meals here. I am currently consumed by trying to finish several presents for family before Christmas so it's simple meals and little time on line. But I did take a few pictures. I love this dish - rice with squash (it calls for butternut but i used gold nugget because I still have some from the garden), onions, black beans and spinach, seasoned with lots of ginger, all spice and curry powder. With fried plantain and a (not shown) salad. It is from Vegetarian Planet - a book with good recipes but some awful names, of which I think this has the worst -"Jamaican Rice Mix Up". I refer to it as Rice with squash, black beans and spinach. My grand parents were from Jamaica and lived very near us. When I was a child in upstate NY you could not buy plantain. We ate a lot of fried or baked bananas. A very plain pork chop with roasted broccoli and a variation on colcannon. (I thought I had posted this but if so I can't find it - so my apology if this is a repeat.) And a very bad picture of a very good dinner. My husband's birthday was last week -this is one of his favorites. Pasta with chicken, asparagus, roasted red peppers and eggplant in olive oil with lots of garlic. We are off again tomorrow for a brief visit to Hyde Park - which will include 2 nights at the CIA - Thursday, dinner at Caterina di Medici and Friday dinner at America's Bounty. I plan on taking notes. It has been at least 20 years since I have eaten there so I expect it will be very different. I hope the quality is the same - the meal was a long time ago but it is still memorable.
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