Recipes That Rock: 2009

[Bella S.F.]

mukki, try the Roasted Shrimp Cocktail. It is really wonderful!

It's a shame if Ina Garten is given a "bad rap" if people have not tried her recipes. I sort-of poo-pooded her books even though many of the recipes looked good to me. She sort of "rubbed me the wrong way", but that was unfounded. This new book looked really promising so I bought it thinking that I might give it as a present or just look at it and then perhaps return it. It has found a home here and now I am looking at her other cookbooks.

I just bought more broccoli so there will be more Parm. Roasted Broccoli this weekend. By the way, it also has roasted garlic and toasted pine nuts in it. True YUM!

[Pierogi]

mukki, try the Roasted Shrimp Cocktail. It is really wonderful! 

  It's a shame if Ina Garten is given a "bad rap" if people have not tried her recipes. I sort-of poo-pooded her books even though many of the recipes looked good to me. She sort of "rubbed me the wrong way", but that was unfounded. This new book looked really promising so I bought it thinking that I might give it as a present or just look at it and then perhaps return it. It has found a home here and now I am looking at her other cookbooks.

  I just bought more broccoli so there will be more Parm. Roasted Broccoli this weekend. By the way, it also has roasted garlic and toasted pine nuts in it. True YUM!

I am a HUGE Ina fan......have all of her books with the exception of the new one, and I love them and cook from them often. I think her recipes are fabulous, real food for real people, that can be done in a realistic amount of time, using fresh ingredients.

Yeah, sometimes she gets on my last nerve, like when she makes a lobster chowder with about 5 pounds of lobster tail meat she's gotten from her fish monger, and trills about how much easier it is to have someone cook and clean the critters for you (right, Ina, like *I* can afford that.....) but still.......

Over all, I find her style very accessible, and very real. I've never had a failure with one of her dishes. I can't even say that about La Supreme Julia.....

[Bella S.F.]

Pierogi, try the new book. It's great. Are there any recipes that you make from her other books that "rock".

[Anna N]

So here's my first find of 2009:

Parmesan and Red Onion Crostini

Easy, tasty and not too expensive. I keep crostini ready in the freezer so a spoonful of this on a frozen crostini and under the broiler for a minute or two and voila! a plateful of nibbles.

[cbread]

So far this year, the newest and best... Pot roast - nothing surprising in recipe, but I'd never made one... Pathetic, huh? It was wonderful, and the leftovers seemed better each day.

A chicken panini sandwich made from a foccacia I made that day.

The "Three Cheese Baked Egg Puff With Roasted Peppers" from the 2002-2003 "Best American Recipes" books by Fran McCullough and Molly Stevens. Somehow I turned it into a two cheese puff with roasted peppers, but it had the lift of a souffle and just a wonderful eggy toasted cheesey concoction. I really like the "Best American Recipes" books.

[prasantrin]

My latest Recipe that Rocks may not be new to the rest of you - but it is my newest favorite.  It's Prasantrin's Mango Pudding - put into recipeGullet back in 2005.  I saw it mentioned in a dessert thread a short while back and made it for the first time today. 

I found 30 ounce cans of Kesar mango pulp (thought I'd bought Alphonso until we checked out the cans in the car).  The only changes I made to the recipe were to use 1 cup milk in place of one of the cups of heavy cream and cut the sugar down to 1 cup.

It is a lovely light textured, but strongly mango flavoured dessert.  Just the right amount of gelatin - not at all rubbery - unlike other mango puddings I have had in the past.

Mango Pudding

Thanks Rona!

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Awwwwww! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. It is a very good mango pudding recipe. I don't know if you already have, but if you share it with your nanny and her friends, they'll love you forever. It's always a huge hit with the Filipino crowd. Actually, it's been a huge hit everytime I've made it (and only once was it not a huge hit when my mother made it, and that's only because she tried to put cream cheese in it).

BTW, my mother added yoghurt once for some of the cream, and she quite liked the result. It was much better than the cream cheese version. Tangier and lighter than her usual full cream version.

I brought back one large can of Alphonso mango puree from Singapore, just so I can make this pudding again! I only make half a recipe, and freeze the remaining puree for another time.

[ElsieD]

I just made Thai Green Curry Chicken from the current issue (February 2009) of Cuisine at Home. It is an amazing dish.

[jackal10]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_...icle5480824.ece

[Marmish]

So far this year, the newest and best... Pot roast - nothing surprising in recipe, but I'd never made one... Pathetic, huh? It was wonderful, and the leftovers seemed better each day.

A chicken panini sandwich made from a foccacia I made that day.

The "Three Cheese Baked Egg Puff With Roasted Peppers" from the 2002-2003 "Best American Recipes" books by Fran McCullough and Molly Stevens.  Somehow I turned it into a two cheese puff with roasted peppers, but it had the lift of a souffle and just a wonderful eggy toasted cheesey concoction.  I really like the "Best American Recipes" books.

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I think that's the same book I have and everything my friend and I have made from it has been excellent. Neither of us really eats eggs, but maybe we'll try this one.

[Pierogi]

I just made Thai Green Curry Chicken from the current issue (February 2009) of Cuisine at Home.  It is an amazing  dish.

OMG, Elsie, I made that for dinner last night too !

I thought the taste was outstanding, but I was a bit disappointed in the consistency of the sauce. I used a "light" coconut milk, and thought that might have made a difference.

Did you use regular and, if so, how was the consistency of the sauce? I really tried to trim all the excess fat from the chicken, because I figured that would dilute the sauce from the slow cooking. I really think the coconut milk should've been the "full fat" version, with the heavy coconut cream.

But I'll make it again. It was very, very tasty

[ElsieD]

I just made Thai Green Curry Chicken from the current issue (February 2009) of Cuisine at Home.  It is an amazing  dish.

OMG, Elsie, I made that for dinner last night too !

I thought the taste was outstanding, but I was a bit disappointed in the consistency of the sauce. I used a "light" coconut milk, and thought that might have made a difference.

Did you use regular and, if so, how was the consistency of the sauce? I really tried to trim all the excess fat from the chicken, because I figured that would dilute the sauce from the slow cooking. I really think the coconut milk should've been the "full fat" version, with the heavy coconut cream.

But I'll make it again. It was very, very tasty

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Pierogi, I used regular coconut milk. I thought the sauce was a bit thin so I made the big mistake of reducing it. My husband then complained that there wasn't enough sauce. In retrospect, I think it was mean to be on the runny side. I don't think any fat left on the chicken would have made a difference. Next time, I will leave the sauce as is. It sure was yummy though, and I too will be making it again. And again. And again................

[abooja]

Roasted Shrimp Cocktail. Who would think that such a simple technique would give such a delicious result.

This sounds very similar to Alton Brown's, "The Shrimp Cocktail", which I've made and really like. He broils the shrimp instead of roasting it, however.

Edited January 21, 2009 by abooja (log)

[Pierogi]

It's been a good week ! I hit three absolute stellar recipes that will go into the regular rotation.

From the final "150 Best American Recipes" a grown-up ice cream sandwich made with lemon curd, creme fraiche and lemon zest that's whipped together until it forms peaks. Then you smear that on butter waffle cookies, top with another cookie and freeze. Roll the sides in chopped pistachios before inhaling. SO rich but still very light.

From the June 2008 Food & Wine (yeah, I'm behind in my magazines.....so?) Grilled Scallops with Mexican Corn Salad. The corn is *supposed* to be fresh, on the cob, and grilled. I cheated and used Trader Joe's frozen, roasted sweet corn kernals (an excellent product, BTW......), which I thawed, but didn't cook. You mix that with garlic, onion, lime juice, mayo, ancho chile powder and cotija cheese, and add hot sauce to taste. Grill your scallops (I used a grill pan) and serve on top of the corn salad.

Finally, from the Chef's catalog website, Lemongrass-Garlic Stir Fried Pork. Sauce is lemongrass, fish sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, lime juice & Sriracha. In addition to the pork there's green beans, onion and red bell pepper in the stir fry, garnish with basil. Over lo mein noodles, it was outstanding !

[LizD518]

I made Waldorf Salad from The Waldorf Astoria Cookbook (a Christmas present). It's an updated recipe that uses yogurt and creme fraiche (I used all yogurt) instead of mayo, as well as white truffle oil. It was really light and delicious - and I may have to have some for dinner tonight!

[Emily_R]

Hey all --

Finally made a non-dessert recipe that is good enough to post on the Recipes that Rock thread. From smittenkitchen, and originally posted on orangette, two of my favorite food blogs of all time. A butternut squash and chickpea salad with tahini dressing. Fantastic. Filling. YUM!

http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/01/warm-but...chickpea-salad/

[dividend]

This asian slaw is a truly awesome recipe! I've made it twice this year, the first time as a side dish, and the second time as a main dish salad, marinating chicken in some of the dressing, then grilling it and serving it warm over the slaw. The dressing is seriously delicious. I plan to try it on other things, like cold noodles, but cabbage is so easy, and so cheap.

I'm not fiddly, so I normally just sort of eyeball the dressing amounts. I warm my peanut butter so it mixes easier. And I think the slaw ingredients are pretty flexible, although I wouldn't leave out the green onions, or the cilantro - they give this such a bright, fresh taste. This recipe is definately going in my regular rotation.

[KristiB50]

I'm a huge fan of Rancho Gordo's chickpeas (and other beans of course)

I use them in Israeli hummus with paprika and whole chickpeas. I don't do the vinegar soak though. I cook them using Mark Bittmans no soak method. This is my new favorite hummus recipe.

This Farro avocado cucumber and cherry tomato salad rocks too. Farro is my new favorite grain.

[Nick King]

Hi all, my first post

Not really a recipe as such, but it was however the most wonderful piece of beef I've ever eaten.

Heston Blumenthal's 20hr fore-rib of beef

I served it with a red wine jus, roast spuds and caramelised parsnips.

I'm 10 hours in to trying the same thing with a blade of pork, so we'll see if that works as well.

Cheers

[Batard]

Hi all, my first post

Not really a recipe as such, but it was however the most wonderful piece of beef I've ever eaten.

Heston Blumenthal's 20hr fore-rib of beef

I served it with a red wine jus, roast spuds and caramelised parsnips.

I'm 10 hours in to trying the same thing with a blade of pork, so we'll see if that works as well.

Cheers

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Any preparation that requires a powerful blow torch and 20 hours cooking sounds good to me! Welcome to the forum.

[Nick King]

Any preparation that requires a powerful blow torch and 20 hours cooking sounds good to me! Welcome to the forum.

Thanks for the welcome

Edited February 16, 2009 by Nick King (log)

[nakji]

I like beans. Lima beans got a bit of a bad name with me for being included in those horrible frozen vegetable medleys along with cubes of carrots and mushy peas that I grew up eating. But I've been circling around some gloriously fat white beans at the market for the last couple of months, and thinking they'd be a reasonable substitute, finally got the excuse I've been looking for to buy them when my husband requested this Jaime Oliver recipe. He calls for lima beans to be served with seared tenderloin; but I substituted the Japanese beans and sirloin. I think these beans are delicious enough to stand on their own, perhaps with a side salad for a light dinner. I served them with some roasted baby leeks and asparagus - much better dinner companions than those freaky carrots and peas.

Fillet steak and Lima Beans

[Eliza]

After two years of filing it away in my to-make list, last week I finally made Pierre Hermé's (via Dorie Greenspan) lemon cream. There is nothing like it. Texturally somewhere between pudding and aïoli but actually lighter than both; it melts in your mouth. I slathered it into a yummy sweet tart shell (Alice Medrich's recipe = perfect). Where has lemon cream been all my life?

You can find the recipe in Baking: From My Home to Yours, or here:

Lemon Cream

[hazardnc]

Varkenshaas

Don't ask me how to pronounce this, but this was the most tender pork tenderloin I have ever eaten with a fabulous mustard sauce.

[ElsieD]

Varkenshaas

Don't ask me how to pronounce this, but this was the most tender pork tenderloin I have ever eaten with a fabulous mustard sauce.

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Thanks for the reminder. I made it a couple of years ago and had forgotten about it. We loved it. I just happen to have a pork tenderloin in the freezer so will make it again the next time I cook one.

[Chufi]

Varkenshaas

Don't ask me how to pronounce this, but this was the most tender pork tenderloin I have ever eaten with a fabulous mustard sauce.

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Thanks for the reminder. I made it a couple of years ago and had forgotten about it. We loved it. I just happen to have a pork tenderloin in the freezer so will make it again the next time I cook one.

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Looks good, but I´m quite puzzled why an Epicurious/Gourmet recipe would have a Dutch name? varkenshaas is the Dutch word for pork tenderloin...