[Recipes That Rock: 2008]

Thanks, Maggie!

[Recipes That Rock: 2008]

Put on your lederhausen and pull out your accordion. This meat loaf recipe rocks Milwaukee-style. To say I was dubious is an understatement. I don't like sauerkraut.

But the view from the fridge and a scan of the much-underrated  food writer Marcia Adams's "Heartland"resulted  in tonight's dinner. "German Meat Loaf."

Two pounds of ground chuck. One pound of drained sauerkraut. Two cups of fresh rye bread crumbs. Two eggs. A T of ketchup. A big pinch of caraway seeds. Pepper. A half cup of diced onions. Mix, form, bake at 350.

Astounding! It didn't taste like sauerkraut, caraway or rye bread. It was light textured, deep flavored, mysterious and brilliant. And come to think of it, all that cabbage had to be good for us.

It rocked. (If I ever read "flyover country" from anyone here I will discount anything you write about stuff starting with momo, Keller or Masa. A good chef would put this on his menu tomorrow, with twiddly bits.)

Edited to add:Eat it hot. It doesn't rock as hard cold. Rats!

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Maggie, did you shape the loaf 10 inches long by 8 inches wide as the recipe directs?

[Cooking with "Cook's Illustrated"]

Chris~

that looks amazing.

Can you paraphrase your sauce, the way you make it (ingredients?)

I like Thai curry on almost anything ! 

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You can find the sauce recipe here (scroll down.)

[Steamed Puddings- eG Bake-Off X]

Reporting back...

My Christmas plum pudding was spot on. I couldn't have been more pleased. Took a picture as the flame died down.

[Steamed Puddings- eG Bake-Off X]

I grew up having a plum pudding for dessert every Christmas. My great-aunt Violet always made it. Sadly, no one asked her for the recipe. I have the recipes for the accompanying hard sauce and brandy sauce, and have the same pudding basin she used. Would like to make something close to what I remember, dark and rich. So, after mulling over dozens of recipes, I made a pint-sized pudding on Sunday.

Here's the pudding basin...

Butter the basin and fill with batter...

Cover with buttered parchment paper, wrap with foil, and tie to secure...

Steam a few hours...

The pudding has firmed up now, looks and smells pretty good. Will store it in the fridge for a month.

Of course, the proof of the pudding is in the eating and this will have to wait until Christmas. So, I'll report back then.

[Cookbooks – How Many Do You Own? (Part 4)]

66 more for me.

[Where to buy chocolate?]

Another good source: Gourmail

[Cookbook looks at 400 years of Thanksgiving food]

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday; the history, and our traditions are fascinating.

Here's another short article:

Piecing together the first Thanksgiving meal

[Cookbook looks at 400 years of Thanksgiving food]

Interesting article and reviews. This book sounds very good.

Thanks, Melissa.

[New York System Hot Weiners]

The confusion might be because in English "ie" is pronounced like "eye".

As in: tie, pie, die, lie...

The German "wiener" doesn't fit this rule and is easily misspelled "weiner."

And an owner can name their establishment whatever they want.

Krispy Kreme comes to mind.

Anyway, I don't want to derail the original topic here.

Back to wonderful hot dogs...

[New York System Hot Weiners]

The Austrian (German) word for Vienna is "Wein".  There is various discussion over who actually "invented" the hot dog in the US, but it was about at the turn of the last century; Originally Americans of German origin brought in Weinerwurst, or "Vienna Sausage".  And the 1920s brought on the famous "Weinie Roasts".  So it could never be spelled with the "i" before the "e".  Don't know why you think it was "transposed"...

As far as pronunciation, think "Weinerschnitzel".

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No. Vienna is "Wien."

And it's Oscar Mayer wiener, shortening of wienerwurst, from German Wiener "of Vienna" (from Wien "Vienna") + Wurst "sausage."

BTW, Wiener Würstchen are called Frankfurter in Vienna and all of Austria.

Same for wiener schnitzel

—Etymology: German, literally, Vienna cutlet.

In German, weiner is pronounced like "viner."

[Baking English Muffins - The Topic]

Okay, made these yesterday. Used the same formula as before, although this time used all bread flour and kept the dough as wet as possible. Cooked them on a griddle, which is a bit more tricky than just popping 'em in the oven. Lots of nooks and crannies in these, very authentic-looking English muffins. Tasty, too.

[Electric Tea Kettles]

I have a Russell Hobbs stainless steel cordless electric kettle. Very fast.

[Danish recipes?]

I made Beatrice Ojakangas' Danish recipe from Baking with Julia this summer. Very pleased with the results, really superb. And being able to watch the video first is a big plus. You can see the butter and layers in the dough here...

Baked Danish...

Close-up of flaky layers...

Drizzled with glaze...

Fresh strawberry jam and pastry cream...

[Baking English Muffins - The Topic]

Thanks for the kind words.

Next time I will cook them them on a griddle, just to see how they differ.

[Baking English Muffins - The Topic]

Made sourdough English muffins yesterday.

Here's the formula I used:

1/4 cup starter

1 cup warm water

2 T. instant dry milk

1 T. sugar

1 T. corn oil

2 1/2 cups flour (half bread flour, half all-purpose flour)

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

Combine ingredients in mixer.

Knead dough on floured surface until smooth.

Rise - 1 hour in warm place, covered.

Divide into 9 pieces (approx. 3 oz. ea.)

Shape into balls, then flatten to 3/8" thickness.

Place on sheet pan scattered with semolina.

Allow to rest 3 hours in warm place, covered.

Bake in preheated 450°F oven for 8 min., turn over and cook another 6 minutes.

Remove and cool.

After 3-hour rise...

Fresh from the oven...

Fork-split and toasted...mmm...

[Chili – Cook-Off 15]

My Chili starts like this:

Had some hot green chiles from the garden so added those for a kick.

Prefer to use beef chuck cut into 1/2" dice but ground will do in a pinch...

No beans.

[Amy's Chili]

Amy's Chili

My best chili.

From the Chili--Cook-Off XV thread.

• 4 slices bacon
  
• 1 large onion, chopped
  
• 3 lb beef chuck, 1/2" dice, or ground
  
• 1 T cumin seeds
  
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 4 large ancho chiles, ground
  
• 4 medium-hot chiles, ground
  
• 1 T paprika
  
• 1 T ground cumin seeds
  
• 1 tsp smoked salt
  
• 1 tsp Mexican oregano, crushed
  
• 1 tsp ground coriander seeds
  
• 1 tsp cocoa powder (unsweetened)
  
• 1 tsp brown sugar
  
• 1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
  
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  
• 2 bay leaves
  
• 1 can beef broth (14 ounces)
  
• 1 can beer (12 ounces)
  
• 1/2 c brewed coffee
  
• 3 T tomato paste
  
• 1 T cider vinegar
  

Toppings:

• minced onion
  
• grated Cheddar cheese
  
• sour cream
  
• crumbled bacon
  
• chopped cilantro
  

In dry pan, toast chiles; remove. Toast cumin and coriander seeds; remove. Once cooled, place in spice grinder and pulverize to fine powder.

Cook bacon in large pan; remove to plate and set aside.

Cook onion in bacon fat until it starts to caramelize; then push to side of pan.

Add beef and cumin seeds to pan, brown; then add garlic.

Stir in seasonings and liquids.

Cook chili at a bare simmer (partially covered) until beef is tender and sauce has reduced, about 4 hours.

Adjust seasoning, if necessary.

Remove bay leaves.

Finish with hits of smoked paprika, fresh lime juice, and cilantro to brighten flavor.

Serve with cornbread or over rice, with toppings.

Keywords: Main Dish, Beef, American

( RG1470 )

[Starting charcoal w/o a chimney]

I use a blowtorch.

[Cookbooks – How Many Do You Own? (Part 4)]

627 cookbooks here.

[Dinner II: The Gallery of Regrettable Foods (Part 1)]

Any guesses as to what this mess was?

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Pork braised with mango, lime & coconut?

[Grilled Zucchini & Butternut Squash]

Quarter a butternut squash, scoop out the seeds (keep the skin on). Chop up 3 to 4 garlic cloves, sprinkle with about 1 tsp. kosher salt and mash into a paste. Mix garlic with about 1 tsp. ground cumin then add about a tablespoon of olive oil. Rub this all over the flesh of the squash. Grill. Yum.

[Food chains you trust enough to try any new item]

The only one I like in this category is Duchess, a small chain in Connecticut. Consistently good for decades. Love the chili cheeseburger, had fried clams recently and they were cooked to perfection—very tasty. I'd definitely try anything from their menu.

[The Chocolate Report]

Lisë Stern's The Chocolate Report was 12 years ago (1993).

Here's another list: Dale's Chocolate Table —Merckens is near the bottom.

[Pumpkin Pie!]

Pumpkin Praline Pie is wondeful and I use roasted butternut squash purée instead of canned pumpkin.