Long distance cooking buddies share their food

[Kerry Beal]

So the Home team is falling behind once again! There was no cooking done on Sunday as my husband and I went to my daughter’s to sit around the pool and we were served a burger which, since it came midway between lunch and dinner, was all we ate that day.

Monday was not much of an improvement. In the morning I went to Costco to get this:

And a late evening app’t in Toronto meant that meals had to be juggled so I also grabbed a rotisserie chicken while I was at Costco. We had some of it for lunch and I made myself a salad with it for dinner. Being Monday my granddaughter was here at dinner time and she demolished two toasted sandwiches – a bacon and tomato and then she asked if it would be possible to have one with just bacon. She’s a skinny, active child who normally eats a very varied and healthy diet so I don’t worry about her Monday night indulgences.

Yesterday I had set aside as a “don’t bother me day” so I could prepare for tonight, our wedding anniversary. But that plea fell on deaf ears! An early morning email from dear friends in Montreal said they were going to be here last night. At least that’s what both my husband and I thought the email said! So, knowing they would arrive later in the evening I prepared the makings of a cold salad platter. I boiled some eggs, cut up the last of the rotisserie chicken, roasted some shrimp (brushed with mojo de ajo!) added some ham and the usual salad fixings. I also made up a batch of creamy basil dressing.

My husband’s favourite cake is a Black Forest Gateaux and I had decided to challenge myself to make one for our anniversary. Not being a baker this was a nerve-wracking procedure. But it appears to resemble a cake – that in itself is a first for me:

Then I tackled the tenderloin and here are the bacon-wrapped filets ready for the grill.

I rendered some beef fat from the trimmings and vacuum packed a couple more small filets and some scraps that will make fine skewers and/or fondue chunks for another time.

By 7:30 there was no sign of our friends and a phone call established that we had the day wrong! So we dove into the salad and then took a glass of wine out onto the front porch and called it a day.

My husband wanted surf and turf for our celebratory dinner but admitted that he hates the decision process – eating cold turf or eating cold surf. I suggested a compromise and so we will be having the bacon-wrapped filets hot and the lobster cold in a salad.

Today’s cooking tasks then are to steam the lobsters and make the dressing, assemble the cake and then take everything up to my daughter’s where we will eat on their deck overlooking their pool. She will grill some vegetables to round out the meal.

That's going to be a fabulous cake! Not a baker - my ass!

What's Mojo de ajo?

[Kerry Beal]

I'm loving this blog.

Kerry, what recipe did you use for the Halva. The color and texture look perfect.

I really miss the eG food blogs.

That is the recipe that Lior linked to over on the Halvah thread here - the link is on post 44. But note the amount of sugar is 1/2 a kg rather than 1/2 cup. I did the second batch with 400 grams sugar, 200 grams water and 125 grams of honey. I think the next batch I'll go higher on the honey and lower on the sugar. 1/2 kg of tahini. I mixed in the thermomix - heating the tahini to 50º C before incorporating the syrup and beating until I saw signs of thickening (which was pretty quick).

[Anna N]

What's Mojo de ajo?

Here

[Marmish]

Anna, that sounds like a lovely anniversary dinner and an excellent compromise! Kerry, your output is amazing! I'd like to see a pizza done on that little egg of yours.

[Anna N]

Anna, that sounds like a lovely anniversary dinner and an excellent compromise! Kerry, your output is amazing! I'd like to see a pizza done on that little egg of yours.

Thanks, Marmish. I sure hope the lobster salad is good but either way it will be a "one of"! As I posted in the kitchen feats topic I am still washing lobster guts off me and every surface in my kitchen.

[Kerry Beal]

Used the bits that Beth trimmed from my basil yesterday to make a nice almond pesto in the Thermomix.

Spatchcocked chicken on the little Big Green Egg. Think maybe I'll put a bit of the pesto on it. Relearned that valuable lesson - probe thermometer inside BBQ is hot!!!

Worked on the reserve today - apparently I CAN now tell you how to get to Sesame Street.

[Kim Shook]

I love the look of that halvah! The halvah thread keeps calling to me!

[Anna N]

Food preparation yesterday was challenging to say the least. The temperature in my kitchen was almost unbearable as my tiny window air-conditioner struggled to keep up with the heat and the humidity. I bought three small lobsters in the morning and immediately steamed them and removed the claw and tail meat for the lobster salad.

The recipe I had chosen called for the legs and shells to be finely chopped and poached in olive oil for the dressing. I am not sure if I was suffering heat stroke or just had a brain fart but when the recipe called for chopping with a large knife I blindly followed the instruction. NEVER AGAIN. Both me and my kitchen ended up covered in lobster guts and in the heat of yesterday a major cleanup was brutal.

After poaching the shells and straining the resultant oil I added the vinegar and seasonings to the dressing and found it to be not at all to my liking. A pinch of sugar made it just palatable but I opted not to dress the salad but to let each person decide for themselves. Surprisingly all opted for the dressing but I suspect it was more to be polite than anything else.

When it was time to assemble the Black Forest cake the heat again was challenging. I had to rush far more than I would have liked just so the cream stayed whipped! Then I had never pitted cherries before and now I know why people buy cherry pitters! But I managed it with a paring knife and a paper clip. The grated chocolate, however, was another disaster. As I moved it over from one side of the kitchen to the other, the ceiling fan caught most of it and I now have a chocolate-covered kitchen! The recipe called for chopped fresh cherries to be piled on the cake and they looked very attractive until the fan splattered them with grated chocolate and turned them into a dog’s dinner. Oh well. The cake was appreciated by all especially the grandchild!

I was the only one totally disappointed with the cake. The consistency was nothing like what I had hoped it would be. It could have been a brownie recipe rather than a cake recipe. I was hoping for something light, airy, almost ethereal and this was not it! I will have to look to the cake experts here to guide me to a recipe that will meet those standards.

The steaks turned out great and the grilled vegetables were superb.

We ate here:

Overlooking this:

[Kerry Beal]

The kitchen looks more like a scene from Apocalypse Now than usual then? (When I skype Anna, the two fans are going overhead, her head in front of the screen - but everything is backlit from the window behind - very surreal).

Those veg look fabulous - potatoes done on the grill?

What sort of cake was the base for the Black Forest Gateau?

Edited July 15, 2010 by Kerry Beal (log)

[Marlene]

No, it's an issue with the Eggs, period. There is another ceramic cooker, the Primo which has the divided firebox. We almost bought that one, but went with an Egg instead. The Egg has something called a platesetter, which is used to control indirect cooking. Ours is on backorder, and it's been a problem not to have it.

We did pizza on our Egg last week, and totally burnt the bottom.

I know they have small platesetters, but I don't know if it is small enough for the Mini.

It occurs to me that if they don't have a diffuser for the Mini, a diffuser such as one for a gas stove might work, and I think it would be small enough.

Edited July 15, 2010 by Marlene (log)

[Anna N]

The kitchen looks more like a scene from Apocalypse Now than usual then? (When I skype Anna, the two fans are going overhead, her head in front of the screen - but everything is backlit from the window behind - very surreal).

Those veg look fabulous - potatoes done on the grill?

What sort of cake was the base for the Black Forest Gateau?

Yep the kitchen is a disaster so today I will have to do something about it - like lick the chocolate off the fridge?

The potatoes were done on the grill - they were new potatoes from the farmers' market.

Here's the cake recipe

[Kerry Beal]

That's sort of the standard cake I've seen used with black forest - but like me - I wonder if you are looking for the cake mix texture?

Check out page 582 in the Cook's Book. He talks about heating the yolks while beating for a genoise.

Edited July 15, 2010 by Kerry Beal (log)

[Kerry Beal]

Made 2 pans of brownies this morning - since I was working in 2 places today. Forgot to take a picture before I left the house. This was all that was left by 11am.

I finished work at a decent hour so the rug rat and I went down to the dock to schmoose with the boaters. I got chatting with a delightful couple in a trawler (when sailors give up their sailboats as they get older - they always move to a trawler) - and the subject of where to get a decent loaf of bread in town came up. Since farmer's market day is Tuesday and Saturday - they were kind of SOL. But since I had some dough rising - I decided I'd pop back down when the bread was done and give them a loaf.

They had been out cruising the islands for a week - and had made 4 blueberry pies! So I dropped off some bread and a hunk of butter, some of the nice flour that I was given as a welcome back gift and of course some chocolates. I came home with a couple of nice slices of wild blueberry pie!

After sitting out on the porch with the folks in the unit below me, sipping my tea, chatting with everyone walking by - I came back up and started working on a jelly roll. When I was looking up some cake information - brought about by Anna's disappointment with her black forest gateau - I ran across the recipe in the Cook's Book. So I made the cake roll, rolled it up in parchment and one of my nice sack cloth towels, then made a lemon filling. Gotta say - having the thermomix makes the whole thing quick and dirty.

Tomorrow I'll assemble and sprinkle with some coconut. Not sure if the coconut will stick - I guess it depends if the cake stays nice and moist wrapped up like that.

[Kerry Beal]

Cake was tough as an old boot, and as a clear indication of a problem - there was still half a cake left in the break room at work when I left this afternoon.

Within an hour of getting home I'd put version 2 together - used Sponge 2 recipe from recipeGullet - but failed to read the directions. You were supposed to separate the eggs, beat the whites, add the sugar, then add the yolks and beat to a ribbon. I just put the eggs and sugar in the thermomix and beat to a ribbon, then added the flour, baking powder and the oil.

Much more satisfactory cake, but I think some vanilla next time around, and maybe some potato flour or cornstarch in place of a bit of the flour to make it a bit more tender.

[Kerry Beal]

The rug rat and I went out for a little walk (well, I walked - she rolled). One of the staff at the clinic mentioned she was sick of picking raspberries in her backyard and that I was welcome to come get what I wanted. We quit when the mosquitos started snacking more than we were.

I think perhaps the crumble top bars from smitten kitten with raspberries and blueberries.

[Marmish]

The rug rat and I went out for a little walk (well, I walked - she rolled). One of the staff at the clinic mentioned she was sick of picking raspberries in her backyard and that I was welcome to come get what I wanted. We quit when the mosquitos started snacking more than we were.

I think perhaps the crumble top bars from smitten kitten with raspberries and blueberries.

I love those bars. They'd be delicious with a combo of berries.

Anna, sorry the dinner was so challenging to prepare! That deck and pool make up for a lot of hassle, I bet.

[Anna N]

. . . .

Anna, sorry the dinner was so challenging to prepare! That deck and pool make up for a lot of hassle, I bet.

Life would be boring with a challenge now and then! But just to make sure you understand, that deck and pool belong to my daughter and her husband - I have about four patio stones that constitute my backyard!

[Kim Shook]

Kerry - I am in awe of your energy. And your cooking!

Anna - everything looked delightful, but I'm thinking that a visit from Merry Maids would have made the perfect anniversary gift for you!

[Anna N]

. . . .

Anna - everything looked delightful, but I'm thinking that a visit from Merry Maids would have made the perfect anniversary gift for you!

Kim, I couldn't think of a better gift than a little Maid Service. Next year I'll be sure to add you to my invitation list.

[Anna N]

July 17

On Thursday my husband and I undertook a “small” home reno that we had discussed for some time and like all renos it took twice as long as estimated and disrupted life three times as much as I had thought. Consequently dinner became an afterthought.

Most Thursdays our unattached son joins us for a meal, so late in the afternoon I grabbed some chicken thighs out of the freezer and plunked them in cold water. I microwaved a few small potatoes until they were just starting to cook as I wanted to throw them on the grill with the chicken. I added some sliced zucchini and red onion to the mix and voila – dinner! Or so I thought. At 5:30 the chicken was on the grill. At 5:45 the friends we had expected on Tuesday called to say they would be arriving at our house in 30 minutes for dinner!

A few more potatoes went into the microwave, another zucchini was added to the vegetables and I quickly defrosted some shrimp, skewered them and brushed them with some mojo de ajo! I love having stuff like that in the fridge so that on short notice I can pull something tasty together.

Dinner was good and just sufficient for the 5 of us. The friends brought a supermarket coffee cake and this:

On Friday morning I once again went to the Farmers’ Market but bought only a tiny cauliflower, 2 onions and some pastries for hubby.

On Fridays, my husband and I try for a little romance – candlelight, wine and something special on the menu. This week he requested a couple of really retro dishes – a Colossal Onion with a dip for an appetizer and Baked Crab and Gouda Pots as the main. Since I can’t eat crab mine had sautéed scallops and you’ll notice the distinctly different dishes so that I don’t end up tasting the one with crab in it and spending my evening in Emerg.

The onion was closer than I have come to actually getting it right but it still failed to meet my expectations. I long ago tossed the gadget that makes an onion blossom so I used a knife to make approx. 16 wedges. I soaked the cut onion in ice water to open it up (this didn’t seem to do much), carefully dipped it in the flour mixture then in the batter, then in the flour mixture, back in the batter, etc.. But in the end only the edges of the onion were battered and crispy. Someone must know the technique to getting each petal crispy and coated.

I served it with a dip made simply from sour cream and homemade chipotle ketchup which got raves from my husband.

Now it’s time to get ready for the garage sales and you can bet I’ll be looking for that blossom-making gadget again!

[Kerry Beal]

Remind me again about the chipotle ketchup - is it just regular ketchup mixed with chipotle? I brought a couple of cans up with me - with the intention of making some chipotle mayo.

[Kerry Beal]

Nice flavour with the combination of raspberries and blueberries.

[Anna N]

Remind me again about the chipotle ketchup - is it just regular ketchup mixed with chipotle? I brought a couple of cans up with me - with the intention of making some chipotle mayo.

Chipotle Ketchup

Adapted from Chipotle by Linda Scheintaub

Combine in a small saucepan:

1 cup ketchup

½ tsp Worcestershire

½ tsp lt brown sugar

1 T fresh lemon juice

1 ½ tsp chipotle powder or 2 T chipotles in adobo, pureed, or to taste

1 tsp ground cumin (optional)

½ tsp ground turmeric

¼ tsp ground ginger

Stir to combine and then cook over low heat for about 5 minutes or until just a bit thickened. (Have a splatter screen handy as this stuff can really splatter!!!!!!!!!!) Put in a sterilized jar and refrigerate.

[Kerry Beal]

Thanks for the recipe - I tried some chipotle mayo this am, but added the chilis too early in the game, so the mayo didn't form. Next try I'll make the mayo - then add the chipotles.

I decided to hit the market this am on the way to work - the first garlic of the season was available. Grabbed some of the really big heads for roasting. It was in the car while I saw the first lot of patients - the car smelled heavily of garlic when I got back in.

When I made it home for a few minutes at lunch time, I fired up the little BGE and put on the little shoulder roast that had been sitting in the fridge with a nice rub on it for a couple of days.

Four thirty I got home, stuck the thermometer in and it was a little over 190º F. Pulled it, topped with a good glug of Western NC BBQ Sauce Replica ala Mayhaw Man. The rug rat came home with her sitter and her sitter's two grandkids - I asked the 7 year old if she'd like a pulled pork sandwich. "I don't know what that is" she said. Gave her a little piece of the pulled pork, and she jumped at the offer.

Gotta love the smoke ring.

Beth - if I'm not home - it's in the fridge! Better bring some squidgy white bread.

[Anna N]

Well I think I nailed it. Take 2--Colossal Onion:

I tried to make the onion blossom again tonight and this time it was close to perfect. I chose a different recipe, watched a couple of You Tube videos and the result was crispy petals that were easily detached. I learned from one of the videos that you should remove the centre of the cooked onion to help release the “petals” before serving.

Dinner tonight is just a repeat of last night as one cannot really make just 2 crab and gouda pots. Generally I share with my daughter but her dinner plans were already made for at least 3 days.

At the garage sales today there were no cookbooks worth having and no kitchen toys. I did, however, find more than one sale offering very nice blank notebooks so I will be trying once again to keep a kitchen journal (see this topic).