Food in the time of a pandemic

[ElsieD]

Lemon posset?

[weinoo]

When life hands you lemons...

 

https://food52.com/recipes/3060-lemon-posset

 

Or if you have it (since they don't share many recipes online), the March/April 2016 issue of Cook's Illustrated.

 

Their recipe calls for 2 cups heavy cream, 2/3 cup sugar, 1 T grated zest, 6 T lemon juice. Combining cream, sugar and zest and bringing to a boil, cook until reduced to 2 cups.(Be careful it can boil over easily). Then stir in lemon juice. Let sit about 15 minutes, skin will form on top. Strain through a fine mesh strainer, and divide into 6 ramekins. Refrigerate, uncovered,  at least 3 hours, then they may be covered with plastic wrap. Unwrap and let sit 10 minutes when ready to serve. Serve with berries atop. Can keep in fridge 2 days.

[blue_dolphin]

From the LA Times:  Everyone is cooking on Instagram. These are the best chefs and celebrities to watch

 

I have to say that José Andrés cooking with his kids while singing along to songs from Hamilton is pretty hilarious!

 

 

[kayb]

There was a good interview with Jose Andres on NPR the other day, too. Read or listen here.

 

Aldi order arrived this morning. After an initial backup on ordering, I logged on yesterday mid-afternoon and could have had an after-five delivery yesterday. Wasn't anything I was desperate for, so I chose a midday delivery today.

 

I have a double front door (Child A calls it a Brady Bunch front door). Now, I could see putting bags in front of the wrong side of the door. However, I had left the wooden door open and only the storm door closed, so it should have been apparent which one I was planning to use.

 

First two bags went in front of that door. I picked them up, brought them in, and put frozen things away. Four more bags had arrived by the time I got back; two in front of that door, two in front of the other door. Maybe they expected me to exit the garage, walk around, and bring the bags back, I dunno. Fortunately, I was able to shove bags out of the way with the door relatively easily.

 

I remain nonplussed by the amount of frozen junk food Child A orders. Pizza rolls. Frozen lasagna. God help us.

[caroled]

On 4/22/2020 at 4:43 PM, chromedome said:

It looks like a rutabaga to me, but if you don't recognize it then perhaps not.

Most commercially bought /at store rutabagas have been cleaned and are usually waxed. Being from the growers, and not being so processed, yours will look different. Looks like a rutabaga to me.

[chromedome]

https://www.blogto.com/eat_drink/2020/04/toronto-bakery-uber-eats/

[JeanneCake]

Can we get a WOW! emoji added to the list? (not embedded in text), that Toronto bakery story is one of many I would have used 😮 for! 

[liamsaunt]

A local restaurant has started a food share for my town.  They charge a $10 fee per week that they use to pay the staff that sorts and packs the shares.  They are ordering from their supplier and charging participants the wholesale cost that they pay.  Average cost per share is $70-80 a week, and they are delivering to homes.  Since there is no obligation to sign on for more than one week at a time, I decided to try it out.  My first share comes tomorrow.  I'll post what I get here.  I figure anything I don't want/cannot use can be given to my brother and parents.

[rotuts]

@liamsaunt

 

glad to see there are innovative minds somewhere 

 

these days.

 

looking   forward to seeing what you get.

[TicTac]

chicken tinga tostadas w fixins

 

 

[Tri2Cook]

I already knew a decent Mexican beer and masa harina were not going to happen by May 5th. Now the commercial corn tortillas that were promised to be arriving yesterday at the local store did not arrive and my enthusiasm to do anything for Cinco de Mayo is rapidly declining. Unless I can convince myself to use flour tortillas or soften up a box of Old El Paso crunchy shells so I can roll them  (something I actually briefly considered... shame on me), it may not happen. There's still an outside chance of pambazos but like I said, the enthusiasm is waning. May just buy some good ginger beer, break out the tequila and crème de cassis and toss down an El Diablo or two. I can't imagine even a global pandemic causing the local shoppers to hoard corn tortillas so I'm assuming it's a supply problem.

[lemniscate]

11 minutes ago, Tri2Cook said:

Now the commercial corn tortillas that were promised to be arriving yesterday at the local store did not arrive and my enthusiasm to do anything for Cinco de Mayo is rapidly declining.

 

Empanadas might be a thing to try, these Santa Rita Chihuahuan style sound pretty interesting.  Interesting spices in it.

[Tri2Cook]

14 minutes ago, lemniscate said:

 

Empanadas might be a thing to try, these Santa Rita Chihuahuan style sound pretty interesting.  Interesting spices in it.

Thanks! I know there are plenty of things I could do, I just had a couple things I wanted to do. It's a minor thing, people have much larger things to worry about right now, but it doesn't take a whole lot to kill my home cooking enthusiasm on a work night.  I'm sure I'll end up doing something even if it's just a cocktail or two and a plate of nachos. 

[liamsaunt]

Here is this week's CSA box (this is not the food share I referenced earlier, that comes tomorrow).  20 potatoes.  20!!!  Good gravy. I already foisted 16 potatoes off on my parents and brother.  I might have to start leaving mystery potato baskets on my neighbor's doorsteps 🙂  

 

Bottom left to right: ramps (yay!), apples, Jerusalem artichokes (meh), potatoes, garlic greens, MORE potatoes, dried local cranberries, fiddleheads (I gave my husband and I food poisoning by cooking these wrong many years back so I rise to this challenge), locally made sriracha, fava bean shoots, Iggy bread.  And in the middle, two big turnips and a heck of a lot more potatoes.

 

[Shelby]

@liamsaunt  Nice haul!!!   I suggest shredding the taters and freezing them for hash browns .  Not trying to cause a panic or anything but taters are being bought up big time around here.

[Smithy]

1 hour ago, liamsaunt said:

fiddleheads (I gave my husband and I food poisoning by cooking these wrong many years back so I rise to this challenge)

 

Did you cook them wrong, or were they the wrong fiddleheads? What did you do then, and what will you do now?

[Dr. Teeth]

1 hour ago, liamsaunt said:

Here is this week's CSA box (this is not the food share I referenced earlier, that comes tomorrow).  20 potatoes.  20!!!  Good gravy. I already foisted 16 potatoes off on my parents and brother.  I might have to start leaving mystery potato baskets on my neighbor's doorsteps 🙂  

 

Bottom left to right: ramps (yay!), apples, Jerusalem artichokes (meh), potatoes, garlic greens, MORE potatoes, dried local cranberries, fiddleheads (I gave my husband and I food poisoning by cooking these wrong many years back so I rise to this challenge), locally made sriracha, fava bean shoots, Iggy bread.  And in the middle, two big turnips and a heck of a lot more potatoes.

 

That’s a good looking CSA.   I’d be real happy with a haul like that.   I agree with Shelby potatoes are a precious thing right about now. 

[Porthos]

3 minutes ago, Dr. Teeth said:

 I agree with Shelby potatoes are a precious thing right about now. 

That must be a regional issue. My regular supermarket has all of the varieties they typically carry.

[ElsieD]

1 hour ago, Shelby said:

@liamsaunt  Nice haul!!!   I suggest shredding the taters and freezing them for hash browns .  Not trying to cause a panic or anything but taters are being bought up big time around here.

 

I've never heard of freezing raw potatoes.  How do they turn out?  I would think they would turn an ugly grey color but maybe you mean shred cooked potatoes?

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Shoprite trip today.  There was a selection of poultry:  chicken breasts or gizzards.  But customers were limited to two packages total.  (I bought one.)

 

I could not pass up the opportunity for limes, nice looking ones.  But there were no hot peppers of any sort.  Green chillies are called for in the dish for which I bought the chicken.  Oh well.  It had been a long time since I'd seen green beans, so I got those.  Scallions too.

 

I also wanted cheese.  I got Roquefort and Gruyere.  There was only one piece of Gruyere to be had in the store.  Two pounds worth for $39.14.  I think Gruyere keeps pretty well as cheeses go.

 

For the first time I tried contactless payment so that I would not have to touch the card reader.  The payment processing part worked OK but I still had to enter in my PIN on the keypad.  Sort of defeats the purpose.  On the other hand, for checkout in the wine store I did not have to touch anything at all.  I guess I should be drinking more wine.  (They sell rum too.)

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

2 hours ago, Porthos said:

That must be a regional issue. My regular supermarket has all of the varieties they typically carry.

 

Same here.  I seem to be hoarding.  Sadly potatoes don't seem to keep as well as toilet paper.  Baked potato tonight for dinner.

 

[chromedome]

Lots of potatoes here. Like neighbours Maine and Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick is a major producer. Lots of local cabbage and apples, too. Most other stuff is imported, sadly.

[Shelby]

12 hours ago, ElsieD said:

 

I've never heard of freezing raw potatoes.  How do they turn out?  I would think they would turn an ugly grey color but maybe you mean shred cooked potatoes?

I did mean to say cook them first--I boil for a bit , cool and then shred.

[liamsaunt]

18 hours ago, Smithy said:

 

Did you cook them wrong, or were they the wrong fiddleheads? What did you do then, and what will you do now?

 

I cooked them wrong--not long enough.  They tasted delicious but we were both terribly ill later that evening.  I am thinking of pickling them.  Or I might make a recipe I found on Food 52 for a miso sesame fiddlehead.

 

So, the food share arrived.  It is a ton of food!  I could not fit it all in one picture. I am using the haddock tonight to make moqueca.  My nephew does not eat fish unless it is fried so he is having a couple of the burgers.  All the other meats are in the freezer for later on.  I gave my mother the cauliflower (because I already have one), the carrots (again, because I have lots already), the potatoes, half of the clementines, and the evil green bell pepper you see lurking in the back.  None of us eat deli meat, but my brother in law does, so that's in the freezer to give him when I see him next. 

 

 

[kayb]

Nice! And an interesting assortment.