Recipe challenge 2010

[Anna N]

1.Curry

2.Curry

3.Curry

4.Curry

5.Curry!

In particular Indian subcontinent curries. Thai and other SE Asian curries in the main I can make at home better than I can eat out. But I've been putting off teaching myself all those wonderful Indian curries for so many years. In my whole entire life I've only made two, a murgh makhani and a duck madras about 5 years ago, both were disppointing. It's not like I can't get the ingredients either, I can and in abundance, Birmingham having an enormous Asian population and being as you all know the curry capital of the Western world.

This is the year, mark my words.

We are marking your words and holding your feet to the fire! Good luck - bet you it will be worth it. I just made butter - OK so it's not on my list and it's no biggie but it's one of those things that have been niggling at me for years. However bad the day gets (and it can get pretty bad around here) I know I can mark up one small accomplishment.

[robirdstx]

Anna N - I found this on Peter Reinhart's Weblog:

"...Another recipe with errors is the classic baguette dough (French Bread). The water should be 16 ounces (453 gr.), salt 14 gr. yeast 7 gr., and flour 680 gr.). Mea culpa!..."

I don't know if he is referring to the version in your book or not but thought I would pass this along.

[OliverB]

I only have one thing I've been meaning to make (and bought the ingredients twice already for), the fried chicken from Ad Hoc at Home.

But this idea falls into my goal for this year: a threesome each month.

Meaning, picking any of my 200+ cookbooks and committing to making (at least) 3 recipes from that book in one month. That way actually using the books for more than reading pleasure. I might open the book at random and make what ever is on that page or I might select 3 things in particular, not sure yet.

First book is Ad Hoc at home of course, then probably Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking. We'll see how it goes...

[Anna N]

Anna N - I found this on Peter Reinhart's Weblog:

"...Another recipe with errors is the classic baguette dough (French Bread). The water should be 16 ounces (453 gr.), salt 14 gr. yeast 7 gr., and flour 680 gr.). Mea culpa!..."

I don't know if he is referring to the version in your book or not but thought I would pass this along.

Thanks very much for this but I don't believe it is related to the recipe I am using which is from BBA (Bread Baker's Apprentice). The recipe I am using calls for exactly the same ingredients in the same percentages for the pate fermentee and the dough.

[LizD518]

I love all of the responses to this topic.

Since I am starting the South Beach Diet on Monday, I guess the thought of perfecting my pasta and bread skills is pretty much out. But I've decided to approach this diet not as a ban on foods I love to eat (bread, pasta, ice cream) but as an opportunity to perfect my skills on new items - like not being so afraid to cook fish, and to take advantage of the lovely books by Eric Ripert, Thomas Keller and event Alinea that are sitting on my bookshelves. So here is my list:

1. Something from Eric Ripert "A Return To Cooking"

2. Something from the Alinea cookbok

3. Something from "The French Laundry At Home"

4. A souffle - I'm allowed all the eggs I want!

5. And because what is life with a little indulgence - Macrons! I've tried them a couple of times, and I have a long way to go!

[robirdstx]

Okay, I'm in. I need to expand on my vegetable dishes. I don't know which 5 recipes yet but they will be using vegetables I have not yet tasted, such as kale, kohlrabi, fennel (I love fennel seeds), Brussels sprouts and maybe collards or other greens.

[Amy D.]

Great topic Anna N!

agsin more ideas than specifics from me:

Paella ...never tried one before but as I've recieved a Paella pan amongst a treasure trove of kitchen goodies this christmas I have no excuses not to give it my best shot.

Lamb Biriani.. I have wanted to for a couple of years now but it has always seemed too much effort. I will do it one day soon.

Beef rendang.. sounds soooo good

Pecan buns... thanks to ncorrigbl I might actually get around to making some..

finally i'd love to have a go at some sort of complex patisserie item... as i'm not so good with precision and detail with cooking any thing patisserie esk could be a major challenge but at the least I definately want to tackle macrons again.

[Amy D.]

1.Curry

2.Curry

3.Curry

4.Curry

5.Curry!

In particular Indian subcontinent curries. Thai and other SE Asian curries in the main I can make at home better than I can eat out. But I've been putting off teaching myself all those wonderful Indian curries for so many years. In my whole entire life I've only made two, a murgh makhani and a duck madras about 5 years ago, both were disppointing. It's not like I can't get the ingredients either, I can and in abundance, Birmingham having an enormous Asian population and being as you all know the curry capital of the Western world.

This is the year, mark my words.

Prawncrackers I would strongly recommend "50 Great Curries of India" by Camellia Panjabi for some great tips and recipes

[Prawncrackers]

Amy D, I have that book already! The lamb pilau from Lucknow will be first I cook when I get round to it...

[Bella S.F.]

What a great idea! I am looking at my cookbooks and the ever expanding recipe file that I have on our computer. The only thing that I am sure of putting on that list is sticky buns. I have been wanting to make them for years. I just cannot decide what recipe to make. Other than the yeast doughs that I am looking at, Ina Garten makes one using frozen puff pastry dough. She says that it is easy and absolutely delicious, even better than the ones they made from scratch when she had the Barefoot Contessa store. (I know, what would I expect her to say. Although,I should add that I have had trememdous success with many of her recipes.) Perhaps I need to try a few different sticky bun recipes, unless of course, I hit one out of the ballpark right away.

Now, I need four more.

[kkeym]

Fun topic!

I don't have a lot of recipes I've been meaning to try, but I do want to do these:

1. work my way through Ciril Hitz's Baking Artisan Bread -- there's a lot I can learn in there,

2. finding something to make using the chinois I got last year -- I've wanted one forever, finally got one, and haven't broken it in yet!

Those are the only things in the front of my mind...

[Anna N]

. . .

Here’s my list:

Lamb with Apple from Paula Wolfert’s The Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean

French Bread (Baguettes) from Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice

Javanese Grilled Chicken from James Oseland’s Cradle of Flavor

Chicken Fricasse with Artichokes and Mushrooms from Molly Steven’s All About Braising

TBA from Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc at Home

Technically I can now cross the French Bread from my list. Today I produced two perfectly acceptable batards using this recipe. However, the crumb still wasn't quite to my satisfaction so I am leaving it on my list until I am satisfied that I have done the recipe justice.

[Kerry Beal]

Got around to making the Bienenstich cake last night. Very pleased with the results, but there will be some tweaking next iteration. Mostly involving the filling - I forgot to add the sugar until I'd spread half the filling on the cake and found the custard powder a bit raw tasting. Next time I'd cook it a bit.

Cake:

2 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup milk

1 tbsp. butter

Preheat oven to 350º F.

Prepare an 8 by 8 inch pan with parchment in two 8 inch strips overlapping the sides of the pan.

I made this in the Thermomix but essentially it's beat the eggs until light and fluffy, add sugar and continue to beat. Stir in vanilla, flour, baking powder and salt until just mixed. Heat milk in microwave until steaming but not boiling, add butter, when butter is melted add into remaining batter until mixed. Pour into prepared pan, bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Topping:

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons butter - melted

1/3 cup shredded coconut

3/4 cup slivered or flaked almonds

3 tablespoons whipping cream

Mix all topping ingredients together, when cake come out of oven, spread as evenly as possible over the top of the cake. Put back into oven with broiler on - watch carefully - remove from oven when topping bubbles and is nicely browned.

Filling:

2 cups whipping cream

1 package cream stabilizer (such as Dr Okter) - or 2 tbsp instant vanilla

pudding powder

1 tbsp custard powder

2 tbsp icing sugar.

1 tsp vanilla

Beat together until fluffy starts to firm up.

Let cake cool. When cool cut in half with serrated knife, removing top half carefully onto a baking sheet. Spread cream in thick layer over bottom half of cake, return top half carefully. I put the cake back into the 8 by 8 pan, and placed in the freezer for a couple of hours to make cutting easier. Store in fridge.

Edited January 10, 2010 by Kerry Beal (log)

[LizD518]

Lamb Biriani.. I have wanted to for a couple of years now but it has always seemed too much effort. I will do it one day soon.

=

Amy, I haven't made a lot of Biryanis, but the one in Madhur Jaffrey's "Indian Cooking" is delicious.

[kayb]

Wine-braised lamb shanks with herbs d'Provence, from Bon Appetit

Yorkshire pudding, from Nigella Lawson's How To Eat

Brioche, from Shirley Corriher's Cookwise

Lobster Risotto, recipe I cut-and-pasted from the NY Times

Dorie Greenspan's genoise (with fresh strawberries on top!)

[Anna N]

. . .

Here’s my list:

. . .

Javanese Grilled Chicken from James Oseland’s Cradle of Flavor

. . .

As you can see I grilled it on my Griddler which worked quite well though the outdoor gas grill would likely have made it even better. These were very good and the best part, for me, is that the thighs are essentially cooked before they ever hit the grill so none of that concern of chicken thighs being undercooked when grilled. I am glad I managed to try this recipe and will be doing more from Cradle of Flavor this year. Now I am off to make another pate fermentee to try again with the baguettes!

[LindaK]

I'm in, too. My list is short on specific recipes, but doing the research will be half the fun for me:

1. pain aux raisins -- an excuse to play with French patisserie

2. duck terrine -- an excuse to cook from the eG terrine topic

3. tagine of lamb smothered with onions, from Paula Wolfert's the Slow Mediterranean Kitchen -- I've been eyeing this recipe for a while

4. curry -- find one or two recipes I can adopt. Nice that others here are doing curries, I've already gotten some good ideas

5. TBD, something ambitious from Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet by Alford and Duguid -- so far I've just been reading, time to start cooking

[eldereno]

I can't say I have 5 "must make" things that I have never made before BUT I sure would like to use one of the 2 beautiful tangines that I have never yet used. Do not want to buy another cookbook....I already own way too many. Any suggestions or recipes?

Sooo

#1 tangine

I've made potato/leek soup, cauliflower, and 2 quiches from Thomas Keller's Bouchon cookbook. All were great. Would love to do some more recipes from this cookbook.

Sooo

#2 more recipes from Bouchon

Ice cream. Yea....Ice cream. I love ice cream and have 2 ice cream makers. Have done vanilla. Time for other flavors, textures?

Sooo

#3 ice cream

Will work on the other 2.

I did make braised lamb shanks for the first time (but that was in December, 2009 so does not count). They were fabulous! Making new things is a good thing!!!!

[Anna N]

It's great to see more members signing on! As for ice cream - we love it flavoured with (clear) Sambuca!

[Snadra]

What a great idea!

1. Mozzarella - ever since I saw the article about making it at home in Gourmet magazine I've wanted to make it!

2. This lamb dish from Neil Perry - sounds perfect for summer with a cucumber salad and cold beer.

3. Noodles with Laghman Sauce from 'Beyond the Great Wall', including the handmade noodles - I got the book just before Christmas last year and have made the Miao Pork with Corn & Chiles and Tofu Batons with Hot Sesame and both were wonderful. Although this might have to wait until winter

4. Sauerfleisch - If you have a good recipe, please let me know! I've found some on the web in german, but I worry my translations are a bit iffy. Another good summer dish. My father grew up on a farm in Germany and told me that they made barrels of it in pre-refrigeration days.

5. Grilled rabbit - I remember eating it in Spain about 20 years ago, and it was delicious and garlicky.

And if I get through these - croissants!

[Anna N]

. . . .

Here’s my list:

. . . .

French Bread (Baguettes) from Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice

. . .

Baguettes TAKE 2

Almost there. The crumb is not quite as open as I would like (sorry I forgot the photo) but I think if I had let it do a longer final rise it might have been perfect. I will still try again as the bread is very tasty even if imperfect.

I have some of the ingredients for the lamb with apple and hope to get to it tomorrow. Lamb shoulder is incredibly hard to get around here unless you are willing to pay high prices! I managed to find about 3/4lb lamb shoulder chops which is half the amount called for so I suspect I will be making 1/2 the recipe. I am also going to use the Armenian pepper and hope it is close to the Aleppo pepper that Paula calls for.

[Stephanie Brim]

Heh. My list reads more like a baking thing than a cooking thing, but...

Puff Pastry: It intimidates the hell out of me. I've finally gotten pie crust down in such a way that I'm consistent. I can make a good buttermilk biscuit. Puff pastry, though, I've always bought. Time to make it. Going to find a copy of Advanced Bread and Pastry through the library and use the recipe in there. Gotta think of something suitably decadent to make with it...one savory and one sweet.

100% Rye bread: This is intimidating as well. I'm starting to get the hang of 100% whole wheat breads. I understand how wheat works. Now I want to move on to something more challenging. Sourdough isn't enough anymore.

Ice cream: I have a really good base recipe based on Alton Brown's 9-8-3-2-1 method, but I want to start adding things to it. Maybe even do some weird and wacky things. Deb from <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com">Smitten Kitchen</a> has given me a really good idea for a flavor...so good, in fact, I have to find my bowl...

Coq au Vin: I've never made it. I can't believe I haven't made it. I'm wanting to source copies of Mastering 1 and 2 so that I can do multiple recipes out of them, but I haven't quite gotten off my seat to do so yet. I prefer going to the book store to buy books, so it has to wait until we get somewhere with a decent one.

Anis Bouabsa's baguettes: I've tried, but they're just not quite right. I'm thinking that I may be handling the dough a little too roughly. I tend to have this problem with most baguette formulas...except the ones using sourdough. Sourdough and I seem to get along so well...now why can't I and commercial yeast get on so swimmingly?

[Anna N]

. . .

Here’s my list:

Lamb with Apple from Paula Wolfert’s The Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean

. . .

I made this a few days ago but didn't have time to post. The techniques in this recipe are unusual. The lamb is first "sweated" in a covered pan, then browned before the onions are added. I don't think that the Armenian pepper was a good substitute for the Aleppo pepper which I could not source but Kerry Beal has now found a source so I hope to get some this week and will then try the recipe again. Initially I was a bit iffy on the flavour of the finished dish. Lamb and apples seemed such an odd combination. But it grew on me and next time I will use only Granny Smith apples (I had used a Spartan and a Granny Smith)to cut down a bit on the sweetness. All in all a fun recipe to make and to eat and one I am anxious to repeat.

I now have the Ad Hoc book so I will soon choose my 5th recipe.

[Chris Amirault]

Anna, be sure to try it again with the Aleppo pepper, which makes a huge difference. Using high quality lamb shoulder is the other key: the dish really depends on the quality of lamb for everything. When I made this last for a friend from the Middle East, using Eco-Friendly lamb shoulder, he said it was the best lamb dish he'd had in the states: "It tastes like home."

[Kerry Beal]

Anna, be sure to try it again with the Aleppo pepper, which makes a huge difference. Using high quality lamb shoulder is the other key: the dish really depends on the quality of lamb for everything. When I made this last for a friend from the Middle East, using Eco-Friendly lamb shoulder, he said it was the best lamb dish he'd had in the states: "It tastes like home."

Chris - what apples did you use?