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

[Alex]

1 hour ago, Anna N said:

Only @Duveldemands photographic proof. The rest of us would take it on faith.😂

 

I'm impressed that you remembered that comment from nearly eight months ago!

[Alex]

1 hour ago, Bernie said:

Not so. The latest mathematics/physics advances suggest information MUST get out of black holes. It may be delayed for a few billion years (I think it depends how old the hole is)

So take heart everyone making caramelized onions, if Anna's hypothesis is right (i suspect it is) then we are all stinking up the universe😂

 

Thanks! Always glad to revise my perception of the universe. But will the information reconstruct as caramelized onions, or might it become something else, maybe a baby sperm whale or a bowl of petunias?

[Bernie]

46 minutes ago, Alex said:

Thanks! Always glad to revise my perception of the universe. But will the information reconstruct as caramelized onions, or might it become something else, maybe a baby sperm whale or a bowl of petunias?

With my luck it would come back as kale (I think the universe hates me, or at the least is indifferent to my suffering )😂

[blue_dolphin]

Tonight's dinner was the Roast Chicken Toast from This Will Make It Taste Good p 20.

 

I've been giving this recipe the side-eye since I got the book.  The very idea of roasting a chicken leg quarter on a bread "pillow" with the intention of consuming said bread seemed extremely naughty to even think about, let alone actually cook and eat!  

Eventually, my conscience was worn down and I decided to try it.  As soon as the chicken is cool enough to handle, you pull the meat off the bones, toss it with some LGD, hot sauce and arugula, crispy chicken skin at your discretion, pile it atop the aforementioned  naughty toast and dive it. 

The flavors are excellent.  The warm chicken picked up the herb flavors nicely but I found the slab-o-toast awkward to eat as it was VERY crunchy on the bottom. 50 minutes in a 400°F oven will do that but my choice of bread could have contributed, too.  I would have preferred croutons.  In the end, I cut the toast up into squares, which was much easier to eat. 

I'll also say that when I removed the cooked chicken, the bread was brown and crispy on the bottom but rather pale and soggy on top.  The top did crisp up nicely when it went back into the oven, per the recipe, while the chicken cooled.

Because this was good, I'm inclined to try this again but maybe roast chicken thighs on their own, remove from the pan, toss fresh bread croutons in the drippings and let them toast while the meat cools a bit.  

[heidih]

39 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

Tonight's dinner was the Roast Chicken Toast from This Will Make It Taste Good p 20.

I've been giving this recipe the side-eye since I got the book.  The very idea of roasting a chicken leg quarter on a bread "pillow" with the intention of consuming said bread seemed extremely naughty to even think about, let alone actually cook and eat!  

 

Reminds me of Judy Rodgers Zuni Cafe roast chicken on bread "salad". https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/roast-chicken-bread-salad

[blue_dolphin]

4 minutes ago, heidih said:

Reminds me of Judy Rodgers Zuni Cafe roast chicken on bread "salad". https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/roast-chicken-bread-salad

That was my thought as well, though the Zuni croutons are only brushed with olive oil to crisp, rather than cooking in drippings.

The simplicity of warm roasted chicken, toasty, rustic bread and fresh greens makes them relatives, for sure!

[heidih]

26 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

That was my thought as well, though the Zuni croutons are only brushed with olive oil to crisp, rather than cooking in drippings.

The simplicity of warm roasted chicken, toasty, rustic bread and fresh greens makes them relatives, for sure!

Oh right - I was conflating it with Dan Silverman's more drioppings embracing take  https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/11/dining/11appe.html

Edited November 10, 2020 by heidih (log)

[blue_dolphin]

Finally got around to the Herbdacious from This Will Make It Taste Good p 204.  This is very reminiscent of a pesto except that instead basil as the primary note with a bite of fresh garlic, this one uses a lot of mellow, roasted garlic and a mix of fresh herbs with lemon juice and zest to brighten it up. 

Garlic, poaching in olive oil:

I needed to add a bit more than 2/3 cup of oil to cover the garlic

 

Before:

 

And after a blitz in the blender:

This stuff is very, very green!

 

On the "No Brainer" page next to this recipe, Vivian's first suggestion is to mix it with mayo for a BLT or BLP, which she says is a bacon, lettuce and peach sandwich.  Peach, you say???  I've got just a few from the last of the season a the farmer's market so I had to try. 

The last package of bacon stashed in my freezer was from Broadbent, thick and very smoky, not necessarily my first choice for sandwiches but a good choice with the sweet peaches and flavorful Herbdacious mayo. 

 

I'm looking forward to trying this in a few other recipes from the book but will probably stash a good bit in the freezer.

Edited November 10, 2020 by blue_dolphin (log)

[heidih]

Wow that IS green. The BLP sandwich was on some rom-com food truck war - good to know it really does taste good

[kayb]

Made my LGD today. It's currently resting itself on the counter preparatory to being jarred and refrigerated. I have some ricotta in the fridge that has no immediate plans, so I think I'll whip that with some of it for a cheese spread.

 

Amusing story re: making it. I walked out back to cut some parsley and mint for this, came in, washed it, and started to pick off leaves. Thought, "That doesn't really SMELL like parsley." It was, in fact, cilantro. Went back out, picked parsley, came in, washed and used that. So now I guess I'm making cilantro mint chutney, which in turn leads to making curry. Dammit, Vivian. I had ground beef thawed. I don't know that one can curry ground beef, and I don't much think I want to try.

 

If I have enough oomph to do it after I clean out the fridge here in a bit, I want to make the can-do kraut, too. I somehow managed to foul up my kraut this year. So I'll make just one head of cabbage worth.

 

[kayb]

On 11/9/2020 at 8:13 AM, shain said:

 

I wonder if one could dehydrate and salt the onions enough so that they are shelf stable (or at least fridge stable) for a long while. I wouldn't mind cooking down a huge batch of onions and having caramelized onion concentrate at hand to throw into dishes.

 

If you have a slow cooker, the easiest way to caramelize onions is to cram it full of sliced onions, throw a stick of butter on top, and let it go on low for 18 hours. Be advised your house will smell VERY oniony about 4 a.m. if you start it after dinner. After the first time, I did it on the back porch.

[Anna N]

9 minutes ago, kayb said:

I don't know that one can curry ground beef, and I don't much think I want to try.

Be not afraid of ground beef curry.

[kayb]

3 minutes ago, Anna N said:

Be not afraid of ground beef curry.

Copied. Thanks.

 

[Anna N]

 

Scrambled eggs with LDG.
 

After trying @Kerry Beal’s LDG and then my own, I believe if we were all gathered together and shared our versions no two of them would be the same! 
 

The version I made was considerably looser and definitely less minty. There are many varieties of mint and it’s possible that the mint I was able to get was different from that Kerry was able to get.  Anchovies differ; capers differ. I used a Cabernet vinegar because that’s what I had. I happen to prefer the version that I made but I’m fairly sure that Kerry will vote for her version. 
 

it has been quite an adventure. One I didn’t really expect to be able to share in. Not sure I’m up for doing it again. But I really enjoyed the interaction with all of you.

[Anna N]

17 minutes ago, kayb said:

 

If you have a slow cooker, the easiest way to caramelize onions is to cram it full of sliced onions, throw a stick of butter on top, and let it go on low for 18 hours. Be advised your house will smell VERY oniony about 4 a.m. if you start it after dinner. After the first time, I did it on the back porch.

I know that lots of people swear by this method. I tried it a couple of times and was never happy with the final result. I prefer both the taste and texture of onions done stove top but I do admit that it is a method that requires very little attention and perhaps I should give it another shot.

 

it occurred to me to wonder about caramelized onions in the instant pot and I came across this very interesting take on that idea!

click

Edited November 10, 2020 by Anna N (log)

[rotuts]

or in a conventional oven.

 

temp higher 

 

time to be determined based on temp.

 

just as easy  quicker based on temp chosen

 

and start in the earlier past of the day , done a few hours later.

[blue_dolphin]

36 minutes ago, Anna N said:

it occurred to me to wonder about caramelized onions in the instant pot and I came across this very interesting take on that idea!

click

I don’t recommend that method. I think I mentioned on it in one of the IP threads here but you can also scroll down to the first few comments on that Serious Eats recipe to read my experience.  There was so much liquid after releasing pressure that it took forever to reduce using the sauté function.  No time saving in the end. 
Edited to add a link to my comments here:

As you can see from the photos, the texture is very jammy.  That's not a bad thing but I still don’t think the recipe is a big timesaver. 

Edited November 10, 2020 by blue_dolphin
To add link (log)

[Anna N]

1 hour ago, blue_dolphin said:

I don’t recommend that method.

So would you mind, when you have time, describing your oven method. 

[Alex]

3 hours ago, Anna N said:

it occurred to me to wonder about caramelized onions in the instant pot and I came across this very interesting take on that idea!

click

 

From that link: 

Quote

Editor's Note: Due to reader complaints and further testing, we no longer recommend this method for caramelizing onions. For a quick method that yields better texture and flavor, try our 15-minute caramelized onions. For best results, however, we strongly recommend caramelizing onions the traditional way, low and slow.

 

[kayb]

I have wondered about doing them in the IP on the slow cook function, as I ditched the crockpot when I got the IP.

 

I did get around to the kraut:

 

Little Green Dress:

 

 

I've made a LOT of kraut in my life. I never made it with cucumbers in it. Makes sense, though; I've fermented pickles, and that's the same thing, and the cucumber brings some more water to the brine. I still made extra brine, just to avoid the issue I had this summer, when I don't think I had enough brine. Plus, grocery store cabbage is drier than just picked cabbage.

 

The LGD makes me sad -- sad this book came out at a time my herbs are about to be done.  I have some whipped ricotta cheese spread blended with it in the fridge as we speak. That's pretty awesome. 

 

One periodically comes across a cookbook that one recipe is worth the cost of the book. Mark Bittmann's How To Cook Everything was worth it for the pizza dough recipe and the technique on fried rice. This one is worth it for LGD. But there is so much more! 

 

Edited November 10, 2020 by kayb (log)

[Shelby]

54 minutes ago, kayb said:

I have wondered about doing them in the IP on the slow cook function, as I ditched the crockpot when I got the IP.

 

I did get around to the kraut:

 

Little Green Dress:

 

 

I've made a LOT of kraut in my life. I never made it with cucumbers in it. Makes sense, though; I've fermented pickles, and that's the same thing, and the cucumber brings some more water to the brine. I still made extra brine, just to avoid the issue I had this summer, when I don't think I had enough brine. Plus, grocery store cabbage is drier than just picked cabbage.

 

The LGD makes me sad -- sad this book came out at a time my herbs are about to be done.  I have some whipped ricotta cheese spread blended with it in the fridge as we speak. That's pretty awesome. 

 

One periodically comes across a cookbook that one recipe is worth the cost of the book. Mark Bittmann's How To Cook Everything was worth it for the pizza dough recipe and the technique on fried rice. This one is worth it for LGD. But there is so much more! 

 

Same on the sad note--I remember getting DRR after the garden was done...BUT there is always next summer   This new book will definitely up my herb planting next year.

[rotuts]

that a book bring seasonality to the forefront 

 

w must-do Rx's

 

speaks for the insight of the author and the thought put into the book itself.

 

 

 

 

 

[Anna N]

2 hours ago, Alex said:

 

From that link: 

 

Exactly! That’s what I found so interesting. They backtracked. 

[Katie Meadow]

23 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

Tonight's dinner was the Roast Chicken Toast from This Will Make It Taste Good p 20.

 

I've been giving this recipe the side-eye since I got the book.  The very idea of roasting a chicken leg quarter on a bread "pillow" with the intention of consuming said bread seemed extremely naughty to even think about, let alone actually cook and eat!  

Eventually, my conscience was worn down and I decided to try it.  As soon as the chicken is cool enough to handle, you pull the meat off the bones, toss it with some LGD, hot sauce and arugula, crispy chicken skin at your discretion, pile it atop the aforementioned  naughty toast and dive it. 

The flavors are excellent.  The warm chicken picked up the herb flavors nicely but I found the slab-o-toast awkward to eat as it was VERY crunchy on the bottom. 50 minutes in a 400°F oven will do that but my choice of bread could have contributed, too.  I would have preferred croutons.  In the end, I cut the toast up into squares, which was much easier to eat. 

I'll also say that when I removed the cooked chicken, the bread was brown and crispy on the bottom but rather pale and soggy on top.  The top did crisp up nicely when it went back into the oven, per the recipe, while the chicken cooled.

Because this was good, I'm inclined to try this again but maybe roast chicken thighs on their own, remove from the pan, toss fresh bread croutons in the drippings and let them toast while the meat cools a bit.  

Vivian has a twist on this recipe called Fresh Corn with Chicken Drippings. I'm not sure whether it's in DRR or not, but I have a copy and made it once. Very good. Labor intensive, like many of her recipes. And probably best made with high season corn. Chicken on croutons is a year-round proposition.

[blue_dolphin]

1 hour ago, Katie Meadow said:

Vivian has a twist on this recipe called Fresh Corn with Chicken Drippings. I'm not sure whether it's in DRR or not, but I have a copy and made it once. Very good. Labor intensive, like many of her recipes. And probably best made with high season corn. Chicken on croutons is a year-round proposition.

 

Yep, that one is in the corn chapter in DRR.  I've made it.  Though maybe the version in the book is different from yours as it's very easy and not at all labor intensive. That said, I didn't think that roasting under a chicken for 45 minutes was the best use for beautiful fresh corn so I've not repeated it.