Cooking with "This Will Make It Taste Good", by Vivian Howard

[Maison Rustique]

Those citrus fruits are gorgeous!! I never see fun things like that here in the midwest.

[curls]

Today I’m finally going to make a batch of R-rated onions. I may also make Here’s to Eggplant (will be adjusting the recipe since I don’t have all the ingredients but I do have most of them. Also time to make another batch of Little Green Dress.

[curls]

The results of yesterday's labor...

 

Little Green Dress. I added a quarter of a lemon from Citrus Shrine to this batch.

 

 

R-Rated Onions. I'm happy with how they turned out but this batch of onions seemed to take forever to wilt down and caramelize.

 

the beginning

 

starting to wilt

 

starting to brown

 

the end... looking forward to having some of these in the freezer for when the whim to use caramelized onions hits. I ordered the Oxo Good Grips large ice cube trays to store these (trays are scheduled to arrive today).

 

 

[blue_dolphin]

@curls, I like the idea of adding preserved lemon to LGD!   Your mention of the R-Rated Onions reminded me that I have a couple of batches of them in the freezer so I made the Anchovy Gateway Spaghetti for lunch:

I don't need a gateway to anchovies but I noticed that a small jar in the fridge had a significant layer of anchovy sludge in the bottom and figured this would be a good use. 

Love the garlic bread crumbs and the flavors.  The savory anchovy nicely balances the sweet onions.  There could be vegetables like sautéed bitter greens or roasted Brussels sprouts but it's very nice as is. 

[curls]

For this morning’s breakfast I topped some sous vide egg bites with my latest batch of little green dress; they worked quite well together.

 

@blue_dolphin your Anchovy Gateway Spaghetti looks great.

[blue_dolphin]

Three more This Will Make It Taste Good recipes to report on.  The first 2 use R-Rated Onions and the last one uses Can-Do Kraut.

First up is a zucchini version of Here's To Eggplant p 52.  The recipe makes a chunky vinaigrette with caramelized onions, kalamata olives, feta, garlic, fresh herbs, lemon zest & juice.  This results in a brown-ish sludge that you are instructed to spread on a plate and top it with the grilled eggplant.  The nicely styled photo instead shows the individual ingredients attractively scattered over the eggplant.  

Since I followed the instructions, this is not a looker.  Whatever, it tasted good.  

Vivian suggests using the vinaigrette on other grilled veg, leftover chicken, grilled fish, lamb or meat.  I'm looking forward to trying the leftovers on salmon. 

 

Next is a riff on the Sloppy Joe Shirred Eggs with Spinach p 43.  Per the book, this is made with ground turkey.  I had no intention of trying it.  But I had that tofu/mushroom chorizo that I made recently.  Great flavors but a bit dry so perfect for a saucy application like this.  I also had some slightly wizened cherry tomatoes that could be used here since they just get blitzed in the blender.  The egg gets nestled on a isle of spinach in the Sloppy Joe sea.  Shaved Parm goes on to finish. 

Perhaps I should call this Sloppy José Shirred Eggs?  Again, not stunning, but I enjoyed it and was pleased to use up a couple of things in a tasty way. 

 

Last, we have the Beets Meet Reuben salad p 95.  Roasted beets get sliced, lightly marinated and served with a Russian-ish dressing that includes Can-Do Kraut.  Rye bread croutons add texture and the Reuben connection. 

I tried to make this look pretty but it was not to be.  I enjoyed the flavors though. 

 

[blue_dolphin]

The Citrus Shrine p 140 that I set up towards the end of January is about ready to use.  The grapefruit and some of the bigger oranges still need a bit more time but the rest is good.  I'll note here that I probably won't combine so many kinds of citrus in one jar as rooting around for the citrus you're looking for is annoying.  Separate jars or maybe combining 2 easily differentiated types will be my preference.  

Today, I made a meal out of the New Leaf Pilaf p 152, an oven-cooked rice & black bean dish, and Autumn's Crunch Factor Slaw p 147.  I was going to sauté some shrimp but they were being shy and hiding in the freezer and I was hungry so I went with the vegetarian option.  

It ended up being a nice contrast between cooked and raw uses of preserved citrus.  The pilaf has preserved lime rind that gets cooked along with everything in the oven while the slaw uses preserved orange rind in the dressing.  

 

The slaw contains apples, sweet potato, beet, scallions and pickled ginger while the dressing includes the preserved orange rind, mayo, sour cream (I used yogurt), sugar and cider vinegar.  

The Cosmic Crisp apple I used was quite sweet so I reduced the sugar to 1/4 the amount specified.  Unless I was using a super-tart apple, I'd leave it out entirely.  

After tasting, I doubled the amount of pickled ginger and preserved orange rind.  I skipped the salt and added some of the orange pulp, chopped up, and a few drops of the brine to taste. 

Vivian suggests rinsing the beet strips several times to avoid bleeding.  I did that but also dressed the beets separately and combined them just before serving.  The beet dressing was still quite pink so keep that in mind if you want to keep the colors separate.

I liked the use of non-traditional slaw vegetables here and it does indeed have a nice crunch.  Should be good with other vegetables like kohlrabi, jicama, radish, carrot, etc.

 

The pilaf is quite easy, just sauté raw rice, cumin, garlic and preserved lime zest in a bit of oil to toast the rice and let the aromatics get started.  Then add the beans, broth and chopped cilantro stems, bring to a simmer and put the skillet into the oven for 30 min.  It gets a drizzle of olive oil around the edge of the pan and a few minutes on the stovetop to crisp up the rice on the bottom. I used Rancho Gordo midnight black beans instead of the canned beans specified so I had to cook them first but once the beans are ready, this is super easy.  

 

I would make both of these again. 

[blue_dolphin]

Following @Anna N's post about their toast & jam piece, I've been trolling through The Guardian's "How to Eat" articles.  In their Tuna Melt essay, they recommend going with acidic mix-ins (gherkins, capers, pickled hot guindillas, brined green olives, etc) saying, "In a melt, acieeeeeeed is the way to go. You need that low pH action to offset, punctuate and cut through all that mayo and melted cheese oiliness."  Clearly, Little Green Dress fits the bill here. 

I pretty much followed the recipe for Tuna Salad Snack Crackers except for being more generous with the LGD.  Per The Guardian, I used a nice sharp cheddar. 

Not sure I've ever made a tuna melt before.  Maybe tried one on an English Muffin?  Clearly not memorable, but this on was and I will make it again.  

Most importantly, it let me use up the can of tuna I opened solely to treat my cat to the juice in order to apologize for trying to bisect him with the closet door 🙃

Edited March 11, 2021 by blue_dolphin
to close quote (log)

[Anna N]

14 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

Following @Anna N's post about their toast & jam piece, I've been trolling through The Guardian's "How to Eat" articles.

I have found some excellent suggestions in these articles in terms of flavour combinations and additions and subtractions. I am glad a couple of other people are reading through them. 

[blue_dolphin]

13 minutes ago, Anna N said:

I have found some excellent suggestions in these articles in terms of flavour combinations and additions and subtractions. I am glad a couple of other people are reading through them. 

 

They're good reads and some of them generate a phenomenal # of comments.  I like that they don't feel bound to present a single, "best" recipe at the end.

[blue_dolphin]

Still in the Citrus Shrine chapter of This Will Make It Taste Good, I made the Rock Me Don't Shake Me Lemon Pie p 167.  I made a half recipe in a 6" pan.

WRT to the book photo, I'd say that citrus rind was not cut into "very fine strips" nor was it whisked into the the custard.  It also looks like more than the amount called for in the recipe.  I reserved some of my citrus rind and sprinkled it on top before going into the oven but it still sank.  

I should have trusted my instincts that blind-baking a crust direct from the freezer at 325°F for 12 minutes is not sufficient to properly cook the bottom crust so you can see it's not done.  Edited to add: I usually blind bake @ 425° for 8-10 min, then remove the weights and put it back in the oven 'til the bottom starts to brown. 

The custard is nice, I liked the combination of lemon and orange but the flavors are more mellow than tangy and I like tangy. 

Probably not something I'll make again but I do like the idea of using preserved citrus rind in desserts.  The texture is just a little chewy, like a candied rind in syrup but without the candy-like sweetness and during the cooking time, the saltiness seemed to diffuse through out.

 

Edited March 12, 2021 by blue_dolphin (log)

[Anna N]

36 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

Still in the Citrus Shrine chapter of This Will Make It Taste Good, I made the Rock Me Don't Shake Me Lemon Pie p 167.  I made a half recipe in a 6" pan.

Well I must say that yours looks awfully good but I am with you.  If a citrus pie doesn’t have some tang it fails my taste test. 

[blue_dolphin]

23 hours ago, Anna N said:

If a citrus pie doesn’t have some tang it fails my taste test. 

It does have some tang but just isn't quite as puckery as I'd like.  It uses both lemon juice and orange juice so one could go with all lemon to boost the tang.  On the upside, it's not as tooth-achingly sweet as some lemon desserts can be. 

 

Also from the Citrus Shrine chapter is this Margarita with Salt Inside p 155:

This one simmers preserved lime rind and pulp with sugar and water to make a syrup. It's 1:2, sugar:water, so less sweet than a standard simple syrup and has salt and funky notes from the preserved citrus. 

The cocktail has either tequila or mezcal, the syrup, plus fresh lime and orange juices.  No triple sec or other orange liqueur.  I am not a fan of salt rims on margarita glasses but I do very much like the savory flavor that the syrup adds. 

I made this first with kumquats and now with lime.  The kumquat version was stellar.  I might chop up another piece of lime and simmer this syrup a bit more to boost up the flavor. Or maybe add a couple of those limequats I preserved.  

I've also tried both tequila and mezcal.  Without the competition of an orange liqueur, the mezcal flavor comes through nicely. 

 

Fun fact:  I learned that Pechuga mezcal supposedly acquires some of its flavors from a piece of raw meat that's set up to hang inside the still, above the liquid.  Fruits, nuts and other ingredients are also added.  This particular brand uses turkey breast.  Note the colorful turkey on the label, surrounded by pictures of fruits and nuts:

 

It tastes spicy and fruity, not smoky at all. I did not taste turkey but honestly, I was trying not to think about it!

 

Going back to the Little Green Dress chapter, I made another batch of the Cherry Tomato Baked Feta...Surprise! p 25.  This stuff is so good.  I'm happy to just spoon it on to hot, crusty bread and wash it down with some red wine. 

I was going to serve it over fish, per the recipe, but I forgot to pull that out to thaw and was getting hungry so figured I could pretend this was like the TikTok baked feta and used it as a pasta sauce:

I liked this but the LGD adds quite a bit of acidity so some might prefer to dial back on the amount of LGD used.   That, or add some protein like chicken, shrimp or garbanzo beans, which I think would balance it out. 

 

 

 

[Smithy]

22 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

<snip>

 

Going back to the Little Green Dress chapter, I made another batch of the Cherry Tomato Baked Feta...Surprise! p 25.  This stuff is so good.  I'm happy to just spoon it on to hot, crusty bread and wash it down with some red wine. 

I was going to serve it over fish, per the recipe, but I forgot to pull that out to thaw and was getting hungry so figured I could pretend this was like the TikTok baked feta and used it as a pasta sauce:

I liked this but the LGD adds quite a bit of acidity so some might prefer to dial back on the amount of LGD used.   That, or add some protein like chicken, shrimp or garbanzo beans, which I think would balance it out. 

 

 

All your posted dishes look delicious, but the top photo here is flat-out gorgeous. Maybe "gorge-ous" would be a more appropriate way to spell it in this case. I just finished my November batch of LGD ("what's that stuff?" asked DH, but he thought it was okay on whatever I used it for) and I may have to make more soon rather than later. 

 

Our cookery and eating at home have been very pedestrian lately. Thanks for the inspiration to explore more.

[blue_dolphin]

30 minutes ago, Smithy said:

All your posted dishes look delicious, but the top photo here is flat-out gorgeous.

Thanks!  I took that one right after I took it out of the oven.  It was bubbling so deliciously, I was tempted to take a little video and figure out how to turn it into a GIF!  

As mentioned above, that Cherry Tomato Baked Feta...Surprise is supposed to be served over fish.  The shrimp I was seeking earlier decided to reveal themselves in the freezer so I sautéed a few in butter and tossed them with a little LGD.  That would have been a fine dish right there, over rice or orzo maybe, but I went ahead and topped them with the tomato/feta bake.  

I'm still not sure I'd want this over a more delicate fish, but it worked nicely with the shrimp - these were big U-15's. 

 

[blue_dolphin]

My, but I do seem to be posting to this thread a lot!

I'm still working on the Citrus Shrine chapter and today I made the "Fish in a Bag" p 144, an oven-baked fish in parchment paper with spinach and quinoa to make it a complete meal in a bag. 

The name is especially appropriate to my effort since, unlike the artful photo in the book, mine really did look like a lunch bag, maybe one fished from a dumpster!

 

Here it is, plated:

The tahini sauce that looks completely smooth in the book photo (and was, going into the oven) is rather more baked and slightly broken here but still delicious.  Honey makes the sauce a little on the sweet side.  I figured the salmon I used would be able to handle that but would dial it back with a more delicate fish.  Likewise, 12 min at 500°F, in my oven was a bit much and I'll likely lower the temp a bit next time but the parchment keeps things moist so it was still good. 

To go along with the same flavors, I used some of the Citrus Shrine preserved lemon to make a preserved lemon butter to anoint the asparagus. For the butter, I used a recipe from Gabrielle Hamilton's Prune, available online here, though I only made 4 oz instead of 2 lbs!

[blue_dolphin]

From the Herbdacious chapter in This Will Make It Taste Good, I made the Juicy & Bright Citrus Salad p 227.  I used a mix of pink grapefruit, blood and navel oranges with some kumquats thrown in for fun. 

I wasn't sure how a roasted garlic-based herb pesto was going to work as the main ingredient in a dressing for a citrus salad but Vivian did not steer me wrong.  It works very well.  

One of the "No Brainer" ideas for Herbdacious is to slather it on corn on the cob, steak, chicken or fish so that's what I did with a piece of salmon before broiling it.  Also works well!

[blue_dolphin]

This morning, I finally got around to making the Quirky Furki p 234 from This Will Make It Taste Good, so that's # 9 of the 10 flavor heroes in the book that I've tried.  

I made half a batch and used bonito flakes instead of dried shrimp.  As @Shelby noted when she made this, the recipe makes a LOT!  I'll make another batch when I get the shrimp but this will last me for a while!

Per Vivian's suggestion, I left some of the Quirky Furki with bigger chunks and ground some of it more finely.  The toasted sesame seeds getting broken up made the ground stuff smell amazing. 

 

I used some of each to top the Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes & More p 241, Vivian's take on the basic Chinese scrambled egg with tomato

This was very good.  Loved the crunch of the topping, especially the salt & vinegar potato chips.  Using them in the mix is pretty genius.  

 

Edited to add that the one flavor hero that I haven't made is Sweet Potential p 296, basically fruit preserved in a light syrup that can be made with the fruit of your choice.  I'm not particularly excited about this one, at least with the fruits in season  right now.  I bought some pears to try but they're not at all as crisp as Vivian recommends so I think they'd make a mushy preserve.  I meant to try with Fuyu persimmons back in the fall but never got around to it. Figs or cherries sound like they'd be good but aren't in season. I guess I could try some apples but it doesn't excite me. Has anyone else made this one?

Edited March 18, 2021 by blue_dolphin (log)

[paul o' vendange]

On 3/13/2021 at 10:53 AM, blue_dolphin said:

It does have some tang but just isn't quite as puckery as I'd like.  It uses both lemon juice and orange juice so one could go with all lemon to boost the tang.  On the upside, it's not as tooth-achingly sweet as some lemon desserts can be. 

 

Also from the Citrus Shrine chapter is this Margarita with Salt Inside p 155:

This one simmers preserved lime rind and pulp with sugar and water to make a syrup. It's 1:2, sugar:water, so less sweet than a standard simple syrup and has salt and funky notes from the preserved citrus. 

The cocktail has either tequila or mezcal, the syrup, plus fresh lime and orange juices.  No triple sec or other orange liqueur.  I am not a fan of salt rims on margarita glasses but I do very much like the savory flavor that the syrup adds. 

I made this first with kumquats and now with lime.  The kumquat version was stellar.  I might chop up another piece of lime and simmer this syrup a bit more to boost up the flavor. Or maybe add a couple of those limequats I preserved.  

I've also tried both tequila and mezcal.  Without the competition of an orange liqueur, the mezcal flavor comes through nicely. 

 

Fun fact:  I learned that Pechuga mezcal supposedly acquires some of its flavors from a piece of raw meat that's set up to hang inside the still, above the liquid.  Fruits, nuts and other ingredients are also added.  This particular brand uses turkey breast.  Note the colorful turkey on the label, surrounded by pictures of fruits and nuts:

 

It tastes spicy and fruity, not smoky at all. I did not taste turkey but honestly, I was trying not to think about it!

 

Going back to the Little Green Dress chapter, I made another batch of the Cherry Tomato Baked Feta...Surprise! p 25.  This stuff is so good.  I'm happy to just spoon it on to hot, crusty bread and wash it down with some red wine. 

I was going to serve it over fish, per the recipe, but I forgot to pull that out to thaw and was getting hungry so figured I could pretend this was like the TikTok baked feta and used it as a pasta sauce:

I liked this but the LGD adds quite a bit of acidity so some might prefer to dial back on the amount of LGD used.   That, or add some protein like chicken, shrimp or garbanzo beans, which I think would balance it out. 

 

 

 

 

Man I wish there were a dozen or so more emoticons....YIKES. YUMMMMM.

[curls]

I've also really enjoyed the Cherry Tomato Baked Feta and have already made two batches of it. 6 ounces of feta to 2 cups of tomatoes is a bit too much feta for me... so for the 2nd batch I went with 3 cups of grape tomatoes to 4 ounces of feta and will probably stay with this new tomato to feta ratio. Like @blue_dolphin I have enjoyed this topped with shrimp. I have also used it with brown rice and chicken. If I have some pre-cooked pasta or rice in the fridge, this tomato-feta-little green dress mix, and some sort of protein, it makes a great dish to take to work and heat in the microwave.

 

pre cook

 

post cook

[blue_dolphin]

My adventures with This Will Make It Taste Good continue with a scaled down batch of Inspiration Strikes Party Rolls p 251, that use Quirky Furki p 236.  These are surprisingly good but I will not be serving large batches them at any parties inside my house because the melted butter that helps make both the tops and bottoms crispy and delicious also leads to messier eating than I want going on. Not to mention the melty cheese, juicy pineapple and mayo.  Maybe outside?  With lots of wipes?  I dunno.  They are tasty though.

I loved Vivian's "Inspiration Strikes" essay about how the idea for this recipe came to her while shopping at her local Piggly Wiggly.  Bologna, cheese and pineapple on King's Hawaiian rolls, topped with butter and a furikake-inspired seasoning mix sounded so strange that I had to give them a try.  I used Black Forest Ham instead of bologna and Fontina instead of Provolone but otherwise followed the recipe.  The pineapple gets cut into very thin slices and marinated in rice vinegar so they're almost more like a pickle than a hunk of fruit.  

 

After whining in a post above about not wanting to make Sweet Potential p 296, I decided I might as well play around with some small batches so I can see if it's something I want to make more of when the summer fruits are in season.  

Instead of using 4 lbs of fresh fruit, per the recipe, I used 12 oz of blackberries and half a pound of apples and kumquats.  I put Meyer lemon slices in with the apples and blackberries. 

Here they are after macerating overnight and simmering for 15 min for the kumquats & berries and an hour for the apples:

Much more manageable than 6 quarts!

I set up another small batch of Sweet Potential with a pound of pineapple and lime slices since I had plenty leftover from those sandwiches above and I'll cook it up tomorrow. 

In the meantime, I've already taken my blackberry Sweet Potential over to Cocktail o'Clock p 314 and used it to make a Blackberry Mint Gimlet. Very pretty.  I also made a Blackberry Old Fashioned with 1/4 oz blackberry Sweet Potential syrup, 2 oz bourbon and ginger bitters, garnished with a blackberry.  That last one is not in the book but do recommend it.  Apologies for not taking photos of the drinks. I was apparently thirsty 🙃

 

[rotuts]

@blue_dolphin

 

continuing to add to this thread

 

I hope to try a few things in the very late spring

 

would any of the Sweet Potential be interesting w rum ?

[blue_dolphin]

18 minutes ago, rotuts said:

@blue_dolphin

 

continuing to add to this thread

 

I hope to try a few things in the very late spring

 

would any of the Sweet Potential be interesting w rum ?

 

Absolutely.  I enjoy Old Fashioned-type cocktails made with any rum that's delicious enough to sip on its own and a dash of most of the Sweet Potential syrups as the sweetener would be enjoyable to me. Not sure about the apple but I think the blackberry, kumquat and especially the pineapple Sweet Potential with be lovely with rum.  On the cocktail page in the book, there's a recipe for a Strawberry Daiquiri, using white rum, that I think would be nice with a lot of fruits.

 

In the book, Vivian says that most of the recipes in the Sweet Potential section can be made with other jellies, jams or preserves you might have on hand.  I believe that's true for most of the recipes but the cocktails really need a lighter syrup and wouldn't work as well with a spoonful of jam from the fridge.

[shain]

7 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

 

Those rolls are very similar in appearance to ones we get around here - which are topped with a mixture of zaatar, toasted sesame, garlic, olive oil and probably some starch. I guess this should work with any similar mixture of fat ans spices.

[Maison Rustique]

I want to make up a batch of those marinated pineapple slices. They sound like they would be great with ham. Quick dinner: grilled ham steak with marinated pineapple. Yum!