Manitoulin test kitchen

[onrushpam]

Could we have the recipe for the Summer Torte, please?

[Anna N]

Could we have the recipe for the Summer Torte, please?

Thanks to Ann_T for the inspiration:

http://www.thibeaultstable.com/2013/07/summer-torte.html

[MelissaH]

That's exactly how I clean leeks, also. I've always wondered how one is supposed to clean leeks for recipes where the leeks are left whole, or mostly whole. Unless the grit left in them is supposed to act like sandpaper and sharpen your teeth as you eat?

 

Borek looks wonderful.

[Shelby]

That's exactly how I clean leeks, also. I've always wondered how one is supposed to clean leeks for recipes where the leeks are left whole, or mostly whole. Unless the grit left in them is supposed to act like sandpaper and sharpen your teeth as you eat?

 

Borek looks wonderful.

I love leeks but I've only successfully made them ONCE.  I can never get all the grit out no matter how hard I try (when left whole).

[Anna N]

That's exactly how I clean leeks, also. I've always wondered how one is supposed to clean leeks for recipes where the leeks are left whole, or mostly whole. Unless the grit left in them is supposed to act like sandpaper and sharpen your teeth as you eat?

 

Borek looks wonderful.

Search on the web for episode 113 of Essential Pepin and the master himself will teach you how to clean whole leeks. Thank you for your compliment on the Borek. For so few ingredients it was really quite tasty.

[Anna N]

I love leeks but I've only successfully made them ONCE.  I can never get all the grit out no matter how hard I try (when left whole).

Shelby,

See my answer to Melissa on this same subject.

[Anna N]

Good morning. Breakfast is bacon, eggs and toast. Note to self: bacon is NOT better in the microwave!

[Okanagancook]

Thanks Anna for the reference to Essential Pepin. Couldn't stop watching the whole show. He is such a good teacher but you have to listen carefully as he gives little tips quietly as he chops!

[Anna N]

Thanks Anna for the reference to Essential Pepin. Couldn't stop watching the whole show. He is such a good teacher but you have to listen carefully as he gives little tips quietly as he chops!

Yeah. I never had teenage crushes on pop stars but I have an adult crush on Jacques. Could happily watch him over and over again for hours on end.

[Kerry Beal]

With no help from Julia or Jacques - for lunch I made a bastardized Reuben.  Based only on the sauerkraut that needed using up - kielbasa, cheddar, mayo/ketchup.  It was tasty if not 'correct'.

 

 

 

 

[Kerry Beal]

Holy Cow...

 

To me cleaning leeks is like folding fitted sheets - I needed someone to show me how to do it.  Doesn't mean I think ex-con Martha is a god - but I did appreciate seeing how she did it.  

Edited July 24, 2014 by Kerry Beal (log)

[Porthos]

I assume this comment will be blocked as being off-topic but I want to say this. I cried the day Julia Child passed. I felt like I had lost a family member. I still use her cookbooks and, on occasion, will watch topic-specific TV segments on YouTube.

[Anna N]

So let's see if we can get back to food as you all mean much to me. Of all the meals on eG it's huiray's that call out most to me and rotuts' encouragement and generosity help restore my faith in mankind.

Not a lot of cooking will take place today. Kerry has just replenished our supply of sugar, milk and butter.

I lay awake last night wondering what I could make for dinner this evening. I did a mental inventory of the freezer and came up with pork from Max Burt's farm. It is labeled as stir-fry pork but when I bought it my intention was to use it for laarb. It was the laarb topic that persuaded me to become a member of eG lo these many years ago.

Don't think I'm likely to find any Thai sticky rice in the house and certainly not in town! So I will toast some jasmine rice and make it do. Beyond that it's only a matter of further chopping up the pork, finding some scallions, some shallots, mint, etc. etc., all of which I'm sure we have. I think I will mostly follow the recipe on Serious Eats which is pretty close to most of the recipes on eG.

[Anna N]

You would surely think that toasting a few tablespoons of rice in a dry pan ought to be one of the easiest culinary tasks ever. But for me toasting rice, seeds, or nuts is one of the most challenging things I will ever do! Either I toast them until they're burned, or I pull them before they have quite reached the ideal level of toastiness. How about you?

Should have gone longer.

[rotuts]

well, if this is not your 'suit'

 

you might consider 'toasting' them in an oven

 

no steam for them

 

take notes

 

then your' done.

[Okanagancook]

I too struggle with toasting. I find that the "toastees" require undivided attention and constant stirring/shaking. I have a dump bowl near by so I can get them out of the hot pan if they are going too fast or too long. You can always put them back in for a bit more. The other thing is toasting one kind of seed/spice at a time as they tend to need different treatment.

For practice, there is a recipe for Versatile Vinaigrette in the July issue of Bon Appetit on page 32 which requires toasting of coriander, cumin and fennel seeds(they don't tell you to toast them individually though)....the result is delicious on salads and especially on steak.

[KennethT]

So let's see if we can get back to food as you all mean much to me. Of all the meals on eG it's huiray's that call out most to me and rotuts' encouragement and generosity help restore my faith in mankind.

Not a lot of cooking will take place today. Kerry has just replenished our supply of sugar, milk and butter.

I lay awake last night wondering what I could make for dinner this evening. I did a mental inventory of the freezer and came up with pork from Max Burt's farm. It is labeled as stir-fry pork but when I bought it my intention was to use it for laarb. It was the laarb topic that persuaded me to become a member of eG lo these many years ago.

Don't think I'm likely to find any Thai sticky rice in the house and certainly not in town! So I will toast some jasmine rice and make it do. Beyond that it's only a matter of further chopping up the pork, finding some scallions, some shallots, mint, etc. etc., all of which I'm sure we have. I think I will mostly follow the recipe on Serious Eats which is pretty close to most of the recipes on eG.

As a fan of laap and of Thai food in general, I would like to recommend Andy Ricker's Pok Pok cookbook. Not only does it have extremely labor intensive recipes (he makes all of his curry pastes from scratch), but there are many stories talking about his travels around Northern Thailand and the people he knows there. It also explains how many dishes are eaten in their native area, which I have found makes for a considerable increase in my enjoyment when trying it "their way". Being in NYC, I am very lucky to have a Pok Pok restaurant relatively nearby - but, supposedly, the recipes in the book are exactly what they do in the restaurant. In the book, he gives at least two recipes for laap (there may be more, I don't remember now and don't have the book handy), and a very interesting story about his friend who makes what he considers to be the seminal version. His friend's version is standard for Northern Thailand - this version has no mint, no (or very little) lime juice and is very different from the laap that is standard in restaurants in the US (I don't know what's available in Canada, but from seeing photos of your Thai lunches in the past, it looks pretty similar to our standard fare here). It's not that spicy, but intensely funky, herbal and completely addictive. He also gives a recipe for Isaan (Northeast Thailand which is very different from Northern Thailand) laap, which is what we would typically think of - with mint, lime juice, etc.

ETA - for clarity

Edited July 24, 2014 by KennethT (log)

[Kerry Beal]

We have Pok Pok up here in Kindle format.  Shall cruise through it later.

 

 

Rum swizzles tonight with a sickbird panela rum.

 

Made some grenadine this am to replace the stuff from the fridge that had been tossed.  Really miss all the little bottles that got tossed!

 

Working on some orgeat.

 

 

[Shelby]

HOLY CRAP those are the coolest straws EVER.  Are they metal or plastic?

[Kerry Beal]

Stainless.

[Kerry Beal]

 

Larb - delicious.

 

 

[rotuts]

I also like the "stainless"

 

[MelissaH]

With no help from Julia or Jacques - for lunch I made a bastardized Reuben.  Based only on the sauerkraut that needed using up - kielbasa, cheddar, mayo/ketchup.  It was tasty if not 'correct'.

My husband's family reubens were always made with smoked sausage. The Noo Yawker in me squawked about that; but then again I typically prefer my reuben sans sauerkraut and Thousand Islands dressing.

 

Anna, Kerry can tell you about the issues I had toasting coconut. I believe I destroyed three portions the day we prepped for the workshop she gave for the students here. And I'm not much better with other things that need to get toasted. As if the toasting issues themselves aren't bad enough, I'm also notorious for being impatient about letting nuts and spices cool before I try to grind them. So you probably really don't want me as your kitchen flunky, at least not for that particular task!

[Tri2Cook]

I love a Reuben. I've never had one made with sausage but it sounds worth exploring. I love larb as well but for some reason never think about it when meal planning. That too shall be remedied in the near future.

 

[Kerry Beal]

Made a second strawberry rhubarb galette.  This one has some almond filling in the bottom.

 

A you can see in the first pic there was a bit of overflow - and in my attempt to control it - I placed the inner side of my forearm firmly on the inside of the oven door.  Going to be feeling that for a few days!