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What classic dish is due for a revival?


Pat Churchill

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We've been out and about doing a lot of foodie stuff this week (an Alain Ducasse then a Fergus Henderson dinner - see my website if you're interested) and when I eventually got round to taking a trip to the market yesterday, discovered my car had disappeared (son had called by and "borrowed" it to go to work.) So no car, no shopping, no fresh produce...

Anyway, husband and I went to a Slow Food event today and I thought he wouldn't be hungry tonight. Bad call. He suggested soup. Well I had a huge bag of onions in the pantry so made a batch of French onion soup. A long time since I had done so and it was so yummy. I got to thinking it was overdue for a revival. Then I was watching TV later in the evening and they were discussing Coq au Vin and someone remarked you only ate it these days if your grandmother made it.

These were both dishes we enjoyed back in the 60s-70s. It's almost time for them to become fashionable again. What other dishes would be worth a resurrection?

Suggestions welcome!

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The floggings will continue until morale improves

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Neither of these has ever fallen out of my repertoire - guess I must be REALLY old! :biggrin:

But judging by the postings I would have to say that onion soup remains a favourite of many members.

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

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My wife and I collect cookbooks, concentrating on mid-20th century American. We have about 1000 in our library, and we frequently try recipes from them. One of my recent favorites, which was an enormous hit with my college buddies from the 60s, was this, which Adapted from Margaret Costa’s Four Seasons Cookery Book

CARBONADE FLAMANDE

Don’t let all the simple directions scare you — this delicious stew is easy to make, although it takes about an hour to put together and 2½ hours to cook. Serve it with a hearty red wine and a simple vegetable, such as steamed carrots or broccoli; the bread replaces the potatoes usually served with stews.

3 Large Onions

2 Cloves Garlic

3 Tablespoons Butter, Divided

2 Pounds Boneless Stewing Beef

½ Cup Flour, Divided

Salt & Pepper

½ Pint English Brown Ale (Newcastle, Samuel Smith, Bass, Etc.)

1 Teaspoon Red W ine Vinegar

1 14½ -Ounce Can Beef Stock

Water as Needed

2 Teaspoons Brown Sugar

¼ Teaspoon Powdered Thyme

4 Thick Slices of French Bread

Dijon Mustard

1. Peel onions, cut in half from end to end, thinly slice, and set aside.

2. Crush or finely chop garlic and set aside (separate from onions).

3. Cut meat across the grain into strips about 1 inch wide, 3 inches long, ½ inch thick, trimming off fat.

4. Melt 1½ Tablespoons of butter in a large skillet or a heavy, deep, pan with tight-fitting lid; if using a skillet, have a 5 to 6 quart covered casserole dish ready.

5. Add onions to butter and cook over medium heat until browned, about 30 minutes.

6. Add garlic and brown sugar when onions are nearly done, stir and cook for two minutes.

7. Remove the onion mixture from pan, put in bowl and set aside (put in casserole dish if using).

8. Reserve 2 Tablespoons of flour, then put the rest in a plastic bag and add a little salt and pepper; put about a of the beef slices in the bag and shake to coat with flour.

9. Add 1/3 of the remaining butter to pan.

10. Add the floured beef slices to pan and brown on all sides, then remove and add to onions; repeat steps 8, 9, and 10 with remaining flour, meat, and butter until all of the meat has been browned.

11. Return all of the onion mixture and browned meat to the pan.

12. Blend in the reserved 2 Tablespoons of flour and stir well.

13. Add the ale and vinegar and stir.

14. Add the stock and just enough water to barely cover meat and onions and stir.

15. Add 1 Teaspoon of salt, ½ Teaspoon of pepper, and the fresh herbs or powdered thyme, and stir well, scraping up any brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan and stirring them into the mixture.

16. Cover pan tightly, or transfer meat mixture to casserole dish and cover it tightly; cook in oven, preheated to 300 degrees Fahrenheit, for 2½ hours, stirring every 30 minutes. Add water if necessary.

17. When meat is nearly done, spread mustard liberally on slices of French bread.

18. Remove lid and lay the bread on top of the meat, mustard side down, and cook uncovered until the bread is brown and crisp.

19. Serve with toasted bread on top of meat, mustard side down.

Edited by RDCollins (log)

Douglas Collins

Hermosa Beach, California

Un dîner sans vin est comme un jour sans soleil.

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My wife and I collect cookbooks, concentrating on mid-20th century American. We have about 1000 in our library, and we frequently try recipes from them. One of my recent favorites, which was an enormous hit with my college buddies from the 60s, was this, which Adapted from Margaret Costa’s Four Seasons Cookery Book

CARBONADE FLAMANDE

Don’t let all the simple directions scare you — this delicious stew is easy to make, although it takes about an hour to put together and 2½ hours to cook. Serve it with a hearty red wine and a simple vegetable, such as steamed carrots or broccoli; the bread replaces the potatoes usually served with stews.

3 Large Onions

2 Cloves Garlic

3 Tablespoons Butter, Divided

2 Pounds Boneless Stewing Beef

½ Cup Flour, Divided

Salt & Pepper

½ Pint English Brown Ale (Newcastle, Samuel Smith, Bass, Etc.)

1 Teaspoon Red W ine Vinegar

1 14½ -Ounce Can Beef Stock

Water as Needed

2 Teaspoons Brown Sugar

¼ Teaspoon Powdered Thyme

4 Thick Slices of French Bread

Dijon Mustard

1. Peel onions, cut in half from end to end, thinly slice, and set aside.

2. Crush or finely chop garlic and set aside (separate from onions).

3. Cut meat across the grain into strips about 1 inch wide, 3 inches long, ½ inch thick, trimming off fat.

4. Melt 1½ Tablespoons of butter in a large skillet or a heavy, deep, pan with tight-fitting lid; if using a skillet, have a 5 to 6 quart covered casserole dish ready.

5. Add onions to butter and cook over medium heat until browned, about 30 minutes.

6. Add garlic and brown sugar when onions are nearly done, stir and cook for two minutes.

7. Remove the onion mixture from pan, put in bowl and set aside (put in casserole dish if using).

8. Reserve 2 Tablespoons of flour, then put the rest in a plastic bag and add a little salt and pepper; put about a of the beef slices in the bag and shake to coat with flour.

9. Add a of the remaining butter to pan.

10. Add the floured beef slices to pan and brown on all sides, then remove and add to onions; repeat steps 8, 9, and 10 with remaining flour, meat, and butter until all of the meat has been browned.

11. Return all of the onion mixture and browned meat to the pan.

12. Blend in the reserved 2 Tablespoons of seasoned flour and stir well.

13. Add the ale and vinegar and stir.

14. Add the stock and just enough water to barely cover meat and onions and stir.

15. Add 1 Teaspoon of salt, ½ Teaspoon of pepper, and the fresh herbs or powdered thyme, and stir well, scraping up any brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan and stirring them into the mixture.

16. Cover pan tightly, or transfer meat mixture to casserole dish and cover it tightly; cook in oven, preheated to 300 degrees, for 2½ hours, stirring every 30 minutes.

17. When meat is nearly done, spread mustard liberally on slices of French bread.

18. Remove lid and lay the bread on top of the meat, mustard side down, and cook uncovered until the bread is brown and crisp.

19. Serve with toasted bread on top of meat, mustard side down.

Welcom Mr. & Mrs. RD; now get thee to the "How Many Cookbooks Do You Own" thread and boost our numbers with your bounty! :laugh:

"Commit random acts of senseless kindness"

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I sound like a broken record: ANY dish that requires table-side service.

I really want to go to a restaurant that makes Steak Diane, Caeser Salad, Bananas Foster, or Crepes Suzette table-side.

I know there are a handful of such restaurants on the East Coast, but here on the West, I believe it is a dead or dying art.

Gee... think I'll make Bananas Foster tonight!

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Rarely ever see Blanquette de Veau in a restaurant ... perhaps because there are so many other ways to prepare veal which are less calorie-laden? :rolleyes:

Blanquette de veau can be considered an institution of French cuisine. Indeed, noted food critic and author, Raymond Sokolov, included it in his new book, The Cook's Canon: 101 Classic Recipes Everyone Should Know. The dish itself has a long history and recipes for it were first noted in the 1739 ... It also appeared on the menus of the very first Parisian restaurants. In fact, Flandrin, in his book on the subject, says that you can trace the history of French cusine by studying the various recipes for this rather humble dish, which got its start with leftovers and then transformed itself into haute cuisine, appearing on the menus of starred restaurants
source Edited by Gifted Gourmet (log)

Melissa Goodman aka "Gifted Gourmet"

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Oooohh yes! Carolyn mentioned one of my all time favorites - Steak Diane, prepared tableside or not, as long as it ends up on my plate!

Lobster Thermidor, Beef Wellington, Baked Alaska, all that old cruise ship and country club food from back in the day needs to make a comeback, but lightened up and tweaked so it's modern. That could actually make for a very interesting menu concept.

Katie M. Loeb
Booze Muse, Spiritual Advisor

Author: Shake, Stir, Pour:Fresh Homegrown Cocktails

Cheers!
Bartendrix,Intoxicologist, Beverage Consultant, Philadelphia, PA
Captain Liberty of the Good Varietals, Aphrodite of Alcohol

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I sound like a broken record: ANY dish that requires table-side service.

I really want to go to a restaurant that makes Steak Diane, Caeser Salad, Bananas Foster, or Crepes Suzette table-side.

I know there are a handful of such restaurants on the East Coast, but here on the West, I believe it is a dead or dying art.

Gee... think I'll make Bananas Foster tonight!

There aren't many places like that left. We have one restaurant here like that which we frequent, because everything is made tableside. I love dining out like that.

Simple pot roast isn't made much anymore. We'll maybe by eGulleters :biggrin:

Marlene

Practice. Do it over. Get it right.

Mostly, I want people to be as happy eating my food as I am cooking it.

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I dined at the "fancy" steak restaurant in Reno at the Circus circus casino last week (more than once) first of..it was actually pretty good. The service was really quite good (not pro but very sweet and helpful) and the meat was always cooked perfectly. Anyhow, we had prime rib, tableside baked potatoes, baked alaska, banannas foster the works!!! It was really fun and secretly in my shameful snobby New York heart of hearts a dream come true. Why? It was comfortable and plush, the people were actually hospitible and kind and it reminded me of a "movie" fancy restaurant...which we just don't have in New York.

We need to bring back the old classics because they feel good, and elevate our tables! they're fun and a hell of a lot more different than most of the often-copied haute cuisene served these days. I cant wait for creppe suzette tableside!!!! :smile:

does this come in pork?

My name's Emma Feigenbaum.

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Oooohh yes!  Carolyn mentioned one of my all time favorites - Steak Diane, prepared tableside or not, as long as it ends up on my plate!

Lobster Thermidor, Beef Wellington, Baked Alaska, all that old cruise ship and country club food from back in the day needs to make a comeback, but lightened up and tweaked so it's modern.  That could actually make for a very interesting menu concept.

I crave all those old goodies (I've never had baked Alaska, but I crave it anyway). I guess for me because they conjure up a kid's cockeyed view of adult elegance. Which is probably why retro sells.

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This is a great topic! I truly love the "old" dishes which were used for family and entertaining friends. Some favorites are Chicken a la King, Country Captain Chicken and Apricot Chicken.

I have 2 cookbooks that my husband brought to the marriage, which I love because of thier "retro" type recipes. Nothing is stacked, cooked in a bag, arranged or deconstructed.

The books are from a series of cookbooks entitled 365 (fill in cuisine or low fat or vegetarian...). Mine are 365 Ways to Cook Chicken, and 365 Easy One Dish Meals. I love them!

Consider "Chicken a la Nancy", "Chicken Veronique", "Empress Chicken" and "Bombay Chicken". The names are succint and evocative. Not literal like today's recipe names which describe in sometimes excruciating detail, every element in the dish.

Anyway, if you see one of these cookbooks at a garage sale or such, check it out!

Edited by monavano (log)
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And would you believe I had Lobster Newburg yesterday??

Wait I ordered Lobster Newburg I got lobster and Surimi in pink GOO.

And when Shepards herd Cows and Chickens you can make Shepard pie out of those animals.

But Cottage pie seems to take care of that one.

tracey

The great thing about barbeque is that when you get hungry 3 hours later....you can lick your fingers

Maxine

Avoid cutting yourself while slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them while you chop away.

"It is the government's fault, they've eaten everything."

My Webpage

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and what ever happened to Lobster Thermador??recipe from a recipe archive (told you it was old!!) :wink:

Crab Louie Salad:

Credit for the origin of Crab Louie Salad depends on who you talk to and which state of the West Coast you are in. Most historians agree that the salad began appearing on menus of finer West Coast establishments between the turn of the 20th century and World War I. Other historians suggest that the salad was named after King Louis XIV who was known for his enormous amounts of food he could eat

and there was salade a la Russe as well about which little is currently heard ...history of salads ...

Edited by Gifted Gourmet (log)

Melissa Goodman aka "Gifted Gourmet"

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My mother cooked very nice renditions of some classic French dishes back in the 70s, when I was growing up. We all liked her Carbonnade Flamande, Coq au Vin, and Boeuf Bourguignon. She made a nice onion soup, too.

Michael aka "Pan"

 

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