quote:

---

Kind of sticking with the toast theme, and prompted by a couple of posts on the Marmalade and Toast quiz in the Circus, what do people like on their toast, and more particularly with their cheese on toast?

Someone (I think it was WW) mentioned Branston™ pickle on the side (which sounds rather yummy); whenever I have cheese on toast I sprinkle it with a couple of drops of Worcestershire sauce. Any other traditions/ideas?

PS Mentioning Marmite™ is permitted ...

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Piglet
...what do people like on their toast, and more particularly with their cheese on toast?

---

I like cheese toast with a slice of tomato under the cheese.

Moo
 

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Posted by Kittyville (# 16106) on :
 
Not strictly cheese on toast, but toasted sandwiches of good ham, vintage cheddar and Branston are a thing of deliciousness.
 

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Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
It depends when I'm in the mood for and what the bread is, some combinations seem to work better than others and I'm not fond of brown bread. However:

Beans on toast, liver sausage on toast with Branston pickle, or toasted pate, either with tomato or Branston.

Mushrooms on toast are a lovely thing for Sunday breakfasts, and the mushrooms can be done in several ways depending on what mushrooms you've got and whether you feel like making a bit of a sauce. In their own juice with butter is good too.

With cheese on toast - depends on the cheese. Toasted Brie and ham, with or without mango chutney or Branston; extra mature Cheddar with pickle or with tomato; sometimes it has to be blue cheese either with pickle or with honey.

Tinned fish in spicy tomato sauce with grated cheese on top is a quick and easy standby for winter evenings when I can't be bothered to cook.
Occasionally, fish pate or crab pate on toast with a squeeze of lemon.

Yes, I'm afraid toast plays more of a role in my life than it probably should.
 

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Posted by Roseofsharon (# 9657) on :
 
Ah thinking further - more towards a light meal rather than a snack: Yes to beans on toast, but with a spoonful of curry paste stirred into the beans.
Or, mashed avocado topped with a slice of grilled bacon
Or piperrada; beaten egg stirred into cooked sliced onion and red&green peppers until it scrambles, with plenty of ground black pepper.
 

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Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on :
 
Thank you all

I just said no to having any supper and now I'm hungry so I think I'll go for a walk!

Stripey cheese on toast with white cheese, red cheese and blue cheese - and Marmite, of course, and a touch of Branston. The best blue chese I have found for this is St Agur™ but stilton is good, too.
 

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Posted by Palimpsest (# 16772) on :
 
This reminds me of the Red Dwarf Toaster

I like toast with sweet butter and strawberry jam or cream cheese. I like sour rye bread, sourdough or challah.
 

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Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Roseofsharon:
... mashed avocado topped with a slice of grilled bacon ...

---

IMHO a BLT sandwich is sent into the stratosphere by replacing the L with a few slices of avocado.

And yes to beans on toast: they can be a dish fit for a king, but they have to be Proper Beans, preferably made by Mr. Heinz, and absolutely not with molasses.

Over here, even the Heinz™ beans aren't quite the same as those at home, but D. came back from the supermarket the other day with a tin of something called "Heinz British Beans". We haven't tried them yet, but I'll report back.

I think I may have to go now and toast a slice of raisin bread, and spread it with M's Cumberland Rum Butter ...
 

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Posted by Kittyville (# 16106) on :
 
If they're the same thing as is sold here as Heniz English Recipe baked beans, they'll be the right stuff, Piglet.
 

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Posted by Kelly Alves (# 2522) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Piglet:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Roseofsharon:
... mashed avocado topped with a slice of grilled bacon ...

---

IMHO a BLT sandwich is sent into the stratosphere by replacing the L with a few slices of avocado.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Kittyville:
If they're the same thing as is sold here as Heniz English Recipe baked beans, they'll be the right stuff, Piglet.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by L'organist:
On cold toast spread the following:

Mix 1 tin of smoked mussels (draining away most of oil), 2 dessert spoons of cream cheese, 3 twists of black pepper, dash of tabasco.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Pomona:
...Also, be aware that tinned coconut milk in the world food aisle of the supermarket is usually the cheapest, as opposed to Blue Dragon etc. I've also seen it in places like Home Bargains for cheaper than supermarket prices.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by ArachnidinElmet:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Pomona:
...Also, be aware that tinned coconut milk in the world food aisle of the supermarket is usually the cheapest, as opposed to Blue Dragon etc. I've also seen it in places like Home Bargains for cheaper than supermarket prices.

---

That's very true, but it's worth checking the coconut content on the label, which can vary from 80+% down to as little as 20%.

I'm definitely going to try whipping coconut milk though, now that I know you can.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Sparrow:
Poached eggs on toast. But the eggs have to be perfect - the white just cooked, the yolk warm but still runny so it oozes out over the toast and you can spread it all over .... mmmm

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Piglet:
When I was a student and living in halls of residence in Aberdeen, I was lucky enough to have picked the hall with good food, and breakfast on Thursdays was French toast with tinned tomatoes, which was infinitely nicer than it sounds.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Yangtze:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Sparrow:
Poached eggs on toast. But the eggs have to be perfect - the white just cooked, the yolk warm but still runny so it oozes out over the toast and you can spread it all over .... mmmm

---

This. But on marmite toast. So good.

---

this, but topped with grated cheddar and popped under the grill until cheese is melted. Heaven!
 

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Posted by Doublethink. (# 1984) on :
 
I have comitted a recipe I feel I must share:

I Can't Believe It's Not Crannoch

1 Quakers Instant Cuppa Porridge
2 Tablespoons (ish) Co-op Extra Thick Brandy Cream
2 Heaped Teaspoons of Cashew Nut Butter

Mix porridge with boiling water a per instructions on the packet, add everything else and stir: eat with guilty childish pleasure.

(Alternative Recipe Title: Mildly Sweet Nutty Filling Gloop.)

[ 11. January 2015, 21:47: Message edited by: Doublethink. ]
 

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Posted by Doublethink. (# 1984) on :
 
Oops, that should be I can't believe its not Cranachan ..
 

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Posted by Gee D (# 13815) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Pomona:
IME French toast (aka eggy bread) in the UK can be sweet or savoury, but elsewhere is only sweet. Savoury eggy bread with tomatoes sounds fine.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Gee D:
Don't know gel stock cubes, but the others are well.... And the flavour of rabbit is good.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ariel:
Nobody likes green olives, anyway.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Firenze:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ariel:
Nobody likes green olives, anyway.

---

Nothing wrong with a green olive - if it's wrapped in a Martini.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ariel:
Looks like we have a deal. Pass me your black olives. I'll get some freshly baked bread, some soft, creamy goats' cheese, some sundried tomatoes, and together with the black olives, nothing more than a glass of good white wine is needed to round off the perfect snack.

(Cue cries of "Ugh" from various people reading this thread.)

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ariel:
... freshly baked bread, some soft, creamy goats' cheese, some sundried tomatoes, and together with the black olives, nothing more than a glass of good white wine is needed to round off the perfect snack.

(Cue cries of "Ugh" from various people reading this thread.)

---

Not at all. I'll be right over.

I'll bring a nice* New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.

* Actually I don't think there's any other sort ...
 

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Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 
Here's another rabbit recipe. I haven't tried it myself yet, but the company "Look What We've Found" kindly sent it to me when they discontinued it from their range. It tastes very good.

Rabbit, Leek and Elderflower Casserole

To be cooked in a slow cooker.

By volume

Diced Rabbit 33.5%
Camargue Red Rice 8.4%
Elderflower Cordial 5.8%
Cornflour 1.5%
Single Cream 27.2%
Sea Salt Maldon 0.5%
Black Pepper - Gr 0.1%
Frozen 10mm Leek 23.3%

I would assume the cornflour to be mixed to a paste with some of the liquid before adding, and blended with the cream to prevent splitting. And I'm wondering if the rice were to be pre-cooked, since otherwise the liquid doesn't seem very much. It was quite a thick texture from the package.

[ 13. January 2015, 15:14: Message edited by: Penny S ]
 

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Posted by tessaB (# 8533) on :
 
Has anyone got any good recipes for a fat-free cake? After hospitalisation for pancreatitis I have been put on a very low-fat diet and I am totally jonesing for a slice of cake. Also it is my birthday next week and I would love to take a cake into work to share.
The plus point is that with a week of no food in hospital and no fat since end of November, I have lost a stone and a half
 

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Posted by Doublethink. (# 1984) on :
 
Can you have sugar ? Just I know pancreas has something todo with insulin ?
 

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Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by tessaB:
Has anyone got any good recipes for a fat-free cake? After hospitalisation for pancreatitis I have been put on a very low-fat diet and I am totally jonesing for a slice of cake. Also it is my birthday next week and I would love to take a cake into work to share.
The plus point is that with a week of no food in hospital and no fat since end of November, I have lost a stone and a half

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by tessaB:
Sugar is OK, egg white is fine and the diet sheet says I am allowed two whole eggs a week!
The angel food cake asks for a tube pan, is that the same as a loaf tin?

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by LutheranChik:
Rabbit: I looove rabbit: We were bummed that our local source for rabbit, which isn't that popular this side of the Pond, moved...we're trying to find a new farmer. If you're on Pinterest, I have a collection of game recipes called Got Game? that include lots of rabbit recipes. I like rabbit recipes that include earthy, berry, nut and/or resinous flavors

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ariel:
This evening I discovered the Thug Kitchen Cookbook. Probably not worksafe, but if expletives don't shock you, you may enjoy the punchy style of the book.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by St. Gwladys:
I've been making quite a lot of casseroles lately, as I'm not really into "cooked dinner", even on a Sunday. I really fancy using venison - has anyone got a recipe for venison casserole?

---

I made one earlier in the week which turned out very nicely. Assuming you're using a metal pot/casserole -

Shake your diced venison in a plastic bag with some flour. Batch fry in a little hot oil until nicely sealed, and set aside. Soften chopped onion, carrot and leek* in the casserole. Tip the venison back in. Top up with red wine (if you have any) and beef stock. Pinch of thyme and a good tbsp of redcurrant jelly. Moderate oven for an hour or so.

I had a helping over which I am going to combine at some future date with diced, crispy bacon as a filling for pasties.

*leek because I happened to have it. The onion is the one essential - other veg can be varied.
 

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Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 
Beat me to it, though I would have seasoned the flour (not with salt, as I have reduced my use of that. Ground pepper, and I'm wondering if I would use the mustard I use with beef. And I tend to use a few lentils and pearl barley with everything. And use a slow cooker.

[ 18. January 2015, 16:30: Message edited by: Penny S ]
 

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Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
I cook venison casseroles much the same way as I cook beef casseroles, in a mixture of red wine and stock. I chuck in veg alongside them so that they soak up the flavour and cook in the sauce.

I do have a recipe which I posted on the boards a while ago which involves chunks of quince, if you can get it. These soak up the flavour wonderfully. The recipe is originally for lamb but it does work very well with venison. If you can't get quinces, firm apples (ideally an Egremont Russet if you can get it) or pears would do. If anyone wants the recipe, let me know and I'll send it to you. It is for 8 so quantities would need to be adjusted.
 

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Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :
 
I've never done venison, but when a friendly hunter gives us some moose, I'll make a casserole out of it, in the same way as I would a beef one.

My method's kind of a cross between Firenze's and Penny's - toss the pieces in seasoned flour (salt, pepper, thyme), then sear them in a frying-pan. Put veggies (I use finely-chopped onion and celery, chunks of carrot and potato and halved mushrooms) into the slow-cooker, followed by the meat as it browns. Deglaze the pan with red wine and a little red pepper jelly and tip into the slow-cooker, along with some beef stock and cook on Low for about 8 hours. If the sauce hasn't thickened to your liking, turn the heat to High and add a buerre manie made by mixing a tablespoon each of flour and butter to a paste, stir in and cook for about 15-30 minutes.
 

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Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on :
 
The bread didn't rise like it should have done - it either needed longer proving or it needed more yeast but it tastes okay - especially straight out of the oven with a little butter.
 

---

Posted by Lothlorien (# 4927) on :
 
WW, almost anything tastes better hot from the oven with a bit of butter.
 

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Posted by Emendator Liturgia (# 17245) on :
 
For lunch today we made baked pumpkin risotto - absolutely delicious, and dead set easy as well - no slowly adding hot stock a bit at a time, etc.

Went fantastically with roasted lemon and thyme chicken: before anyone comments on the sumptuousness of a mid-week lunch, we did have 3 guests to share table with us, all of whom expected something good from two experienced (and nearly professionally qualified) cooks.
 

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Posted by Roseofsharon (# 9657) on :
 
We've had baked pumpkin 'risotto' this week, too. With brown rice, and flavoured with sage.
Only two pumpkins left from last year's crop, but there are still about a dozen mini-pumpkins (Buffy Ball) in store, as I can't get a knife through the skin.
Today I'm going to try hammering a screwdriver into one to make a few ventilation holes (to prevent an explosion in the oven)and bake it for a quarter of an hour to soften it a bit before attempting to slice the top off.
I hope that works, otherwise I can't see how I am going to use them.
 

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Posted by Golden Key (# 1468) on :
 
Roseofsharon--

Re opening the pumpkin: I wonder if it would help to soak it in warm/hot water for a while, before trying to cut into it? Even soak it overnight?


About pumpkin in general: curry powder goes well with it. I've had curried pumpkin soup. Yum. Probably a recipe online.
 

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Posted by Lamb Chopped (# 5528) on :
 
You could try freezing and thawing them, though that takes rather a lot of room.
 

---

Posted by Golden Key (# 1468) on :
 
"How to cut a pumpkin"--The Kitchn. It's specifically about small pie pumpkins, with pictures. (IMHO, looks dangerous.) In the links towards the bottom of the page, there's one about baking a pumpkin before cutting.

And for general pumpkin info, All About Pumpkins and Winter Squash. I didn't see any cutting info there.
 

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Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
Brute force, basically. It's why making a pumpkin pie always takes me most of the evening and is therefore something I only do once a year. Sawing with a serrated knife then carving the chunks off for steaming takes the time it takes.

I may try grating the chunks next year.
 

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Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on :
 
I'm not sure if it would work with a pumpkin but a butternut squash needs to be cut with a powertool *unless* you peel it first, with a made-for-the-job potato peeler (which isn't going to slip and cause serious injury). Once the outer skin has been removed one you are down to the flesh which can be cut far more easily.
 

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Posted by Roseofsharon (# 9657) on :
 
Managed to make holes with hammer & screwdriver, and then baked them for 15minutes. Cooled them a little and found that I could cut the tops off without difficulty.
I removed the innards and cooked them stuffed with bread, cheese, garlic & cream. The flesh was rather dry and stringy - maybe the variety, or maybe I've had them siting around for too long.
They had ripened on the plants, and were rock-hard when I cleared the beds in October. I couldn't even nick the skin, not even with a serrated knife - maybe they were meant to be picked/eaten earlier?

Anyway, Mr RoS enjoyed his so I'll probably be doing them again - I do have at dozen or so left.
 

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
It sounds as if they were a bit gone over. I've never grown pumpkins, but I've noticed courgettes, peas and beans all have an optimal time before becoming variously watery/leathery/stringy.
 

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Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
Well, they do usually sit there in huge boxes in supermarkets for days before being sold, having been transported from who-knows-where for a few days as well.

Boil the buggers. Get a cauldron, tip the whole thing in with a resounding splash and boil it for six hours over a slow fire. That should do the trick.
 

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Posted by Palimpsest (# 16772) on :
 
I had a spectacular failure many years ago trying to emulate a colonial recipe. You cut the top off, gut the seeds and pour in cream, eggs and molasses. You replace the lid and then bake for 8 hours. Mine fell through the grill it was on in a mess, but it was tasty.

[ 28. January 2015, 18:09: Message edited by: Palimpsest ]
 

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Posted by Golden Key (# 1468) on :
 
Sounds kind of like a crustless pie.
 

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Posted by North East Quine (# 13049) on :
 
I'm hosting a fund-raising coffee morning in a month's time. I'll have to do a lot of home baking for it. How far in advance can I make tray-bakes and store in Tupperware? Or can I freeze tray-bakes?

I've baked and frozen my usual in-the-freezer standby chocolate cake, but I'm looking for other ideas that can be made well in advance and either stored or frozen.
 

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Posted by Pomona (# 17175) on :
 
Cake usually freezes well, so I'd freeze - the only kind I'd be wary of is a fatless sponge because I'd have thought it could get soggy. I'm assuming goodies to raise money wouldn't be fatless

For me this period of late winter/almost spring is all about seville oranges (so marmalade), rhubarb, and I think blood oranges are also in season about now. A rhubarb and frangipane thing (like a bakewell tart but rhubarby!) would be good, with or without ginger. Lemon is also nice and fresh at this time of year, and/or a tropical/coconutty slice.
 

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Posted by Moo (# 107) on :
 
My twenty-year-old bread machine died a few weeks ago, and I have bought a new one. The new one has a special compartment that adds yeast at the proper time, whatever that is,

I have an old bread-machine cookbook that says if your machine has a special yeast compartment, you should double the amount of yeast! What is this about? Does anyone know?

Moo
 

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Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :
 
Just because it amused me, I made duck soup on Friday night: using the frozen stock made from carcase of (reduced price) crown of duck, meat picked off bones and a bit of leftover breast meat that I hadn't eaten during the week, juices from under the dripping with a bit of fat to stir fry the (reduced price) bean stew pack from supermarket before I added the stock and then meat. It was really, surprisingly nice.

I bought the duck for last weekend, roasted it with soy and honey glaze and served it with noodles and stir fried vegetables, leftovers for lunch at work. And surprising myself, I followed up immediately by making and freezing the stock.
 

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Moo:
My twenty-year-old bread machine died a few weeks ago, and I have bought a new one. The new one has a special compartment that adds yeast at the proper time, whatever that is,

I have an old bread-machine cookbook that says if your machine has a special yeast compartment, you should double the amount of yeast! What is this about? Does anyone know?

Moo

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Curiosity killed ...:
... surprising myself, I followed up immediately by making and freezing the stock.

---

We buy a ready-cooked chicken from Costco about every other week, and for less than $10 it'll feed us several times (chicken casserole, paella, sandwiches, soup ...). I freeze the carcass and when I've got two, I put them together in a big pasta-pot (the sort with an inner colander thingy) with onion, carrot, celery, a couple of bayleaves, a few peppercorns, salt and some dried herbs and make a batch of stock - it yields about the right amount to fill up all the variously-proportioned plastic freezer-boxes I have.

Home-made stock is so much nicer than stock-cubes, and if I'm in the right mood, I find it quite therapeutic to make (even the skimming bit).

I made a big batch last week - I think I can feel a pot of soup coming on ...
 

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Posted by Moo (# 107) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Firenze:
Doesn't the new machine come with its own basic recipe book? I have tried making bread from general bread machine recipe books, and sometimes they work and sometimes they don't - so I tend to stick with the one that came with it.

---

Yes, the new bread machine came with its own recipe book, but I was interested in some of the recipes in this other book. For instance they have a recipe calling for white cornmeal as well as wheat flour.

I was asking out of curiosity; I can't imagine why you would need more yeast when it's added automatically.

I will try the recipes with the normal amount of yeast and see what happens.

Moo
 

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Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :
 
We've found that it's usually wise to be a bit of a miser with the yeast - it seems (paradoxically) to make the bread rise better. I wonder if the reason that some recipes specify generous amounts of yeast is that the books are sponsored by yeast manufacturers ...

I've got a batch of French sticks just about to go into the oven, and the soup for tomorrow's lunch is almost cooked.
 

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Posted by Palimpsest (# 16772) on :
 
My favorite bread recipe, the no-knead one suggests using very little yeast and a long rising time; 18 hours. That gives the yeast time to multiply.

If your special yeast dispenser is adding the yeast at a later point in the cycle and not mixed in at the beginning, it doesn't have as long to multiply so you'd need more.

That leaves figuring out why it's a good idea to add the yeast separately later.. maybe whole grains need time to sprout or gluten takes time to develop...
 

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Posted by Beethoven (# 114) on :
 
Ooh yes, the no-knead bread has become a Beethoven Family Favourite since I tried it a few weeks ago. Unbelievably easy, and soooo tasty!

Op 2 still likes handmaking bread - we had (white) hedgehog and (sweet) rabbit this weekend. And lemon meringue cupcakes last night, just because. Can I just say that I love having a daughter who is so keen on baking!
 

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Posted by The5thMary (# 12953) on :
 
Yesterday morning I made a delicious but not at all diabetic-friendly slow cooker French toast casserole. Boy, was it good! We gobbled it up after throwing some butter on it and sugar-free syrup. It was simplicity itself to prepare and only took two hours on the high setting to cook. It was a bit on the mushy side so I think next time I'll use stale French bread and also add some orange zest, more cinnamon, less brown sugar (Splenda blend, but still awfully sweet), chopped pecans and maybe some dried fruit of some kind. My blood sugar rose steadily after I had a heaping helping of this stuff! Luckily, I don't eat pure carbs like that every day.
 

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Posted by marzipan (# 9442) on :
 
As mentioned in All Saints, this is the link for my St Patrick's day boozy cake
yum!

You only need about half the amount of icing, though
 

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Posted by L'organist (# 17338) on :
 
Had an old friend for a meal last week and was astonished to discover they'd never eaten lentils!

I cooked them very simply (in stock with some celery and red pepper) and served under a pan fried chicken breast.
 

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Posted by Lothlorien (# 4927) on :
 
DIL makes great patties with leftover lentils or even leftover dhal. Add bits and pieces from fridge, season and fry in hot oil.
 

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Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
Red lentil soup can be nice, made with fresh chicken stock. However lentils themselves are usually a disappointment, and smell more appetizing than they are. Better as an ingredient than something eaten for its own sake, IMO.
 

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Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on :
 
I cook lentils with some red wine, which gives them a great flavor. (Plus onion, celery, and thyme, plus a can of chicken broth.)
 

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Posted by Palimpsest (# 16772) on :
 
Lentils for Lent.
I usually make a soup with lentils. They go really well with onion, cumin, stock and perhaps tomatoes.
 

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Posted by Heavenly Anarchist (# 13313) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Palimpsest:
Lentils for Lent.

---

Rather a lot of them here, as we gave up meat for Lent.
I like lentils, as an ex-veggie. We regularly have lentil soup, casserole or curry even when we are not avoiding meat. And they are great on the fasting days of my diet.
 

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Posted by North East Quine (# 13049) on :
 
Recipe for Holy Week.


 

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Posted by John Holding (# 158) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by North East Quine:
Recipe for Holy Week.

---

How right you are.

"And again I say "

John
 

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Posted by Lamb Chopped (# 5528) on :
 
!
!
And again I say !

Ahem. Perhaps it's time I went to bed.
 

---

Posted by Heavenly Anarchist (# 13313) on :
 
My main concern is whether anyone breaks their teeth on those little silver balls.
 

---

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
Just swallow them whole.

Or alternatively, treat like mini gobstoppers.
 

---

Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :
 
And for those of you giving up chocolate ...
 

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Posted by kingsfold (# 1726) on :
 
OK. My oven has just decided to give up the ghost. It's not such a major problem, as I have hob/microwave/slow cooker, but....

I had bought a load of chicken breasts, intending to oven bake them and then use the cold meat in salads etc. Is there any good reason why I shouldn't just lob them in the slow cooker as they are and cook on high for however long it takes? (They're currently in the freezer as I don't see an oven solution happening in the next couple of days!)
 

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Posted by Gee D (# 13815) on :
 
No good reason why you should not, and lots of good reasons to do so. Make sure that you put some flavour boost into the slow cooked - a couple of onions fried up with a bit of garlic and some herbs on the top of the chicken would go well. Maybe a bit of diced ham or speck (any cured pork would work). Keep any liquid to a minimum. If you use some wine, reduce it to little more than a glaze in the pan.

The instructions for our slow cookers say to make sure that anything you put in has been properly thawed as the temp may otherwise not get high enough to deal with nasties.
 

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Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :
 
If you've still got a hob, I'd sear them first in a little olive oil and butter before chucking them in the slow-cooker, to give them a bit of colour and flavour. De-glaze the pan with a little wine or chicken stock, add it to the slow-cooker with whatever herbs/spices/flavourings take your fancy and cook them until done.
 

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Posted by Ferijen (# 4719) on :
 
Recently my mother in law made a slow cooker pulled maple chicken, it was absolutely gorgeous. I imagine googling that combination of words will bring about a suitable recipe!
 

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Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
I wouldn't have thought chicken breasts would really benefit from slow cooking the way the tougher cuts of meat do. Grilling is the closest you'd get to roasting, though I'd probably either just cook them in a pan or else keep them frozen until needed.
 

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Posted by Graven Image (# 8755) on :
 
We have a new dog. Neighbor suggested cooking up some chicken with carrots and potatoes and freeze up mixture as treat for the dog. So I put in the slow cooker and hubby comes into the kitchen and says, " So glad you are doing up some chicken I am growing tired of two days of Easter ham." So I am making a salad and warm rolls to go with OUR chicken dinner tonight.
 

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Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on :
 
...and the poor dog has to suffer the ham!


 

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Posted by Pomona (# 17175) on :
 
While I am waiting for my appointment with the nutritionist (gastro trouble induced unfortunately) - low-fibre but healthy recipes? Lower-fibre veg is pretty much root veg which is unfortunately not my favourite, as I prefer less sweet vegetables like cruciferous veg (sadly I have to cook broccoli til soft if I eat it). I have the type of IBS which is triggered by high-fibre food, and I really miss it. Raw veg and lightly cooked onion are a no-go but I can have some raw fruit if peeled (ie no apple skin).
 

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Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :
 
Would soup recipes be any use? Root veggies of all sorts make lovely soups, especially of the pureed, creamy variety.
 

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Posted by Ferijen (# 4719) on :
 
I made the Chicken Bastilla from this link the other day. A bit of customisation - not so many dates, a few dried apricots, no pine nuts in so I used pumpkin seeds instead, a bit of variety on the spices - but generally, very, very yummy. A good way of using up left over roast chicken.

We only used about half the ingredients as filling and made 5, so I think the recipe is capable of stretching quite a bit further - good hot and cold.
 

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Posted by Pomona (# 17175) on :
 
Sorry for not responding sooner - yes, soup is fine and tends to be my solution to root vegetables (hate parsnip in any guise other than soup!). I like strong flavours and find root veg quite bland and often with an unpleasant 'grainy' or stringy texture.

Something I'm making today and have enjoyed before:

Polish sausage (preferably uncooked types but cooked ones still work, choose a coarser one and ideally a garlic and/or smoked one) cut into big chunks
Chopped tomatoes or passata or smushed up tinned plum tomatoes
Various seasonings - I'm using some rosemary, balsamic vinegar, few drops of Tabasco, a very small dash of olive oil for the flavour, salt and pepper - a stock cube dissolved in a small amount of water and/or some Worcester sauce would also be good

Cook in a slow cooker or dutch oven/well-covered pan or casserole dish, for as long as possible and on a low heat - if you put it on at breakfast-time, it will be done by lunch but will be even better by teatime! You can use any sausage - raw normal sausages are fine but Polish charcuterie is really tasty and so cheap. I sometimes like to use a couple normal sausages and a link or two of Polish sausage.

Lovely with pasta or in a sandwich (like a meatball sandwich).
 

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Posted by la vie en rouge (# 10688) on :
 
Speaking of sausages… last night I made English Food™ It was a flippin’ triumph.

I give you Grandmother en rouge’s Mole in the Hole* recipe:

Put 4 oz *plain* flour (v important – the egg is what makes it rise and self-raising doesn’t work) in a bowl with a pinch of salt. Make a well in the middle and break in two eggs. Beat together to a smooth paste. Grandmother en rouge always used a fork, but I think that was because she didn’t own a whisk . Little by little beat in half a pint of milk. Leave the batter to stand.

Heat the oven to 200°c or equivalent. Put a generous slug of oil into the bottom of your dish and put the sausages on top. Put into the oven to start cooking the sausages and heat the oil. For best results, the oil must be smoking hot when you add the batter. If it doesn’t sizzle immediately, it’s not hot enough. After about twenty minutes or so, take the dish out and pour in the batter ASAP. Put back into the oven for about another twenty minutes until all risen up and golden and delicious.

I also made a sort of onion gravy out of onions, butter, a spoon of flour to thicken, a splash of red wine, water and a bit of Marmite.

I served my mole with carrots and peas. Grandmother en rouge always had potatoes as well, but that does seem like a bit too much stodge to me.

The culinary reputation of Ingerland goes from strength to strength.

*Known to the rest of the world as Toad in the Hole. My grandmother always called it mole, after the song I think. In any case, she was the most gifted Yorkshire pudding maker I have ever known as so in my family Mole in the Hole it remains.
 

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Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Pomona:
... soup is fine ...

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quote:

---

Originally posted by Twilight:
I bought a loaf of bread on the 18th that said, "Best used by April 28th." When did "day old bread," quit being a bad thing that was half priced? Just how long are they allowed to sell bread off the shelf as though it were fresh? No wonder half the loaves I've bought lately taste stale from the first. I had been naively picking up a loaf and if the "best by date," was a few days down the road I thought I had fresh bread!

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quote:

---

Originally posted by Twilight:
... we eat the whole thing in one sitting.

---

No opportunity for the fungal mycelium then ...
 

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Posted by Moo (# 107) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Teilhard:
We'll have alongside a fresh fruit salad -- orange segments, blueberries and strawberries in vanilla yogurt ...

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Moo:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Teilhard:
We'll have alongside a fresh fruit salad -- orange segments, blueberries and strawberries in vanilla yogurt ...

---

Have you ever tried oranges, blueberries, and strawberries (or any other fruit combination) with a little bit of Cointreau sprinkled over it? It's delicious

Moo

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quote:

---

Originally posted by Piglet:

quote:

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Originally posted by Pomona:
... soup is fine ...

---

I think I posted this recipe, adapted from a v. good one made by my nephew, a while ago, but I think it's worth giving again, and has lots of roots (you can vary them according to your taste/contents of your fridge).

Sandy's Spiced Winter Soup

Ingredients:
2-3 oz butter and a little oil
3-4 medium-to-large potatoes
5 large carrots
1 very small swede, turnip or parsnip (optional*)
2 medium onions
1 tsp mixed spice
½ tsp each cinnamon, nutmeg and chilli powder
Salt and pepper to taste
About 3 pints of ham or chicken stock (real or from a cube)
A couple of generous handfuls of red lentils
A small carton of cream

Heat the butter and oil over a medium-low heat in a large, heavy casserole (or slow-cooker - see below). Peel and cut the vegetables into evenly-sized pieces (they don’t need to be very small as they’ll be whizzed later). Add them to the butter/oil along with the spices and a little salt and pepper. Stir, cover tightly and leave to sweat for about 10-15 minutes.

If using stock-cubes, make them up with 1 cube per 1½ pints of water, and add to the veggies along with the lentils.

Bring back to the boil and turn heat down to a simmer, cover partially and allow to cook for 1½ - 2 hours.

Check the seasoning, then whizz with a hand-held blender until smooth (or purée in a blender or food mill).

Stir in the cream and serve.

Note: if you have a slow-cooker, you can do the whole thing in it: turn it on to High, soften the butter in the microwave and add to the slow-cooker with the oil. Add the veggies as each is peeled and chopped, then add the spices, cover and allow to sweat for 10-15 minutes. Add the hot stock and lentils, stir and cook on High for 3-4 hours or Low overnight. Whizz and add the cream.

* If you add swede, turnip or parsnip it will make the soup a bit sweeter.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Gee D:
We would not be adding coconut cream. Apart from the dominant flavour it would bring, it's laden with saturated fats.

---

• single cream substitute e.g. Soya Dream
• ground almonds
• vanilla essence

1. grind the almonds even finer (e.g. place in a clean coffee grinder and whizz for a few minutes)
2. place all ingredients in a jar and shake

• silken tofu (150 g?)
• banana
• vanilla essence (10 ml?)
• creamed coconut (150g?)

1. chop banana and tofu
2. place all ingredients in a blender and whizz

quote:

---

Originally posted by Gee D:
Piglet, without in any way breaching the compiler's rights, can you give a rough list of ingredients and proportions for the mix you talk of please?

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quote:

---

Originally posted by Gee D:
Yes, wheat like all cous cous, but popped like a rice bubble is popped. Easy to cook, great hot or cold. It's readily available here at supermarkets.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Curiosity killed ...:
... I had hopes of a salad ingredient like couscous that is gluten free, but sadly not ...

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Penny S:
Delia's method of removing the scum by adding butter to the jam didn't work.

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quote:

---

]I found, early this morning, as I hulled and prepared, that I had no jampot covers, which was odd, as I remember having to buy new ones when I couldn't find the last lot for marmalade. I had to buy new, which resulted in far too many waxed circles,

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quote:

---

Originally posted by Heavenly Anarchist:
It's because they are chock full of preservatives. A commercial loaf will last days and still be soft whilst my homemade bread will start going stale after 1 day.
I make my own bread because I like to know exactly what is in what I eat.

---

Not necessarily true re homemade bread. It depends how you made it. If you use a 'slow' method, it can stays very fresh for a week or more. Very slow means using a 'pre-ferment' (biga, poolish are other words), where a small amount of yeast is mixed with flour and water in a mixture that is somewhere between runny pancake batter and a sponge. I typically mix 1½ cups water with 2 cups of flour and about ¼ tsp of yeast, and let that sit in the kitchen for 3 or 4 days, adding other ingredients (actually usually only more flour and small amount of sea salt). I do it slightly differently when I make pitas (some olive oil gets added), but the same principle applies: If it is a long time fermenting, it is a long time staling.
 

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Posted by Moo (# 107) on :
 
My experience with homemade bread is that it keeps longer if you make it with buttermilk. It also tastes better.

Moo
 

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
Once cool, I put the loaf in a plastic bag and seal it. That keeps it viable for a couple of days - by which time it's usually been mostly eaten in any case.
 

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Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :
 
Because I'm working extra hours today, D. made me a sort of Greek salad to take with me for lunch (made last night and kept in the fridge in a Tupperware box):

Chopped vine tomatoes, crumbled goat's cheese, Kalamata olives and a few snipped spring onions, dressed with a little olive oil, Herbes de Provence, small amount of pepper and even less of salt.

It came straight from Heaven.
 

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Posted by la vie en rouge (# 10688) on :
 
Last night I made mussel chowder. It’s a bit of a fuss, but good grief is it delicious.

Clean 500g of mussels.

Prepare the stock: coarsely chop 1 carrot, 1 celery stick, 1 onion and 1 small leek (or half a big one). Soften in a bit of butter with a bay leaf. Pour in a glass of white wine and reduce until almost dry. Add 500ml of water and bring to the boil. Add the mussels and cook for a few minutes until the shells open. Strain and reserve the liquor. Shell the mussels (this is the time-consuming bit).

For the soup: chop up 4-6 slices of smoked bacon into small pieces. Fry in butter until golden. Coarsely chop 2 potatoes, 3 large onions, 2 sticks of celery and add to the pan to soften for a couple of minutes. Pour in the mussel stock and cook until the potatoes are almost soft. Add 300ml hot milk and 150ml single cream. Add the cooked mussels and heat for a couple of minutes more. Season with salt and pepper as required.

Like I said, it takes a while, but it is muchly delicious and worth the work.
 

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Posted by Yangtze (# 4965) on :
 
I just made a variant on a version of Ottolenghi's Cauliflower Cake and I can heartily recommend it. It's a savoury cake btw. I adapted Gluten Free Girl's adaptation and she explains what it is far better than I.

(Basically I cut all the quantities to be based around two eggs (which made enough cake for two greedy people) used ordinary self-raising flour, leeks instead of onions, dried herbs instead of basil.)
 

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Posted by Palimpsest (# 16772) on :
 
If you want a gluten free quick starch bead, you might try instant tapioca ( the US brand is Minute Tapioca). It's not as large as the big pearls but it's pretty quick cooking.

Lundberg Farms in the US makes a Brown Rice Gluten Free Couscous but it takes ten or 15 minutes of cooking in boiling water.
 

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Posted by Pomona (# 17175) on :
 
Does anyone have any experience with a low FODMAP diet? It's a diet to relieve IBS symptoms (I am doing this with medical guidance by the way!).

Here is a list of foods to avoid - as you can see, a list of annoyingly tasty foods! I've already cut out beans/pulses as I knew they were a trigger, and dairy also seems to be a trigger. Cutting out onion and garlic is not something I'm looking forward to
 

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Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 
That seems a very odd list. You are allowed lentils, for example, but not other pulses. You can have cabbage, unless it's savoy. And you can use leek as an onion substitute, but only the leaves.
 

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Posted by Pomona (# 17175) on :
 
I've found that unless cooked until basically a puree in dhal, lentils still trigger me - but for FODMAP purposes, they're just the best of the pulses. Chickpeas are another 'in between' one - some can handle it, some can't. I too am puzzled by the green leek part and cabbage bit, but I just try and limit stalky brassicas (broccoli, cauli, traditional cabbage) and stick to kale/chard. Low FODMAP diets are about reducing various sugars (except ironically cane sugar) so I suppose the exceptions have less of them? I can understand the white parts of leeks having more sugars in, onions have a lot of sugar.

Different people find some things more triggering than others - I find white gluten (white bread, white pasta etc) OK but dairy not. Really not looking forward to cutting out onion and garlic though!
 

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Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Pomona:
I've found that unless cooked until basically a puree in dhal, lentils still trigger me - but for FODMAP purposes, they're just the best of the pulses. Chickpeas are another 'in between' one - some can handle it, some can't. I too am puzzled by the green leek part and cabbage bit, but I just try and limit stalky brassicas (broccoli, cauli, traditional cabbage) and stick to kale/chard. Low FODMAP diets are about reducing various sugars (except ironically cane sugar) so I suppose the exceptions have less of them? I can understand the white parts of leeks having more sugars in, onions have a lot of sugar.

Different people find some things more triggering than others - I find white gluten (white bread, white pasta etc) OK but dairy not. Really not looking forward to cutting out onion and garlic though!

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by not entirely me:
I have bacon. Any ideas for a creative and healthy recipe including bacon?

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by not entirely me:
Thanks for all the great ideas. I have loads of tomatoes that need using up so might go with that one.

---

Its proper name is Brown Tom. You can add herbs, garlic, cheese etc to taste or as available.
 

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Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :
 
If you've got bacon (and as you're in England I assume it's Proper Bacon™) and tomatoes, then get yourself an avocado, grill the bacon to your preferred degree of doneness, slice the tomato and avocado and sandwich between a couple of slices of lightly-buttered bread of your choosing.

Perhaps not the healthiest, or most creative dish ever, but much nicer than a BLT.
 

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Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on :
 
Lettuce is just a waste of good chlorophyll!
 

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Posted by Gee D (# 13815) on :
 
For the last couple of years or so, a popular café dish here has been mashed avocado, sliced tomato and a sprinkling of caramelised balsamic on toasted sourdough. Sometimes bacon and/or soft-boiled eggs can be added, sometimes some bacon is part of the dish. One coffee shop we frequent serves it as standard with some grilled haloumi on top of the toast, then the others. Reasonably healthy, light and with well balanced flavours, it makes a good lunch.
 

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Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on :
 
A complete cheat for those that either can't cook or can't be bothered [like me the other day] - you will need a medium frying pan, a splash of olive oil, a couple of spoons of some sort of generic tomato based pasta sauce, some cheese and some cooked rice.

Over a medium hear add oil to pan then the pasta sauce, chop the cheese and add that so that it melts into the sauce, stir in the cooked rice and stir a bit until it all heats through.

Voila, mock risotto in about 5 minutes.

I used some Gouda with Pesto and some Gorgonzola that was getting past it so got a lovely mix of tastes.

Chopped mushrooms or anything else really can liven it up a bit more.
 

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Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Firenze:
Or dice bacon, fry until crisp. Remove, brown chicken thighs. Pour in cider, return bacon, add thyme. Simmer until chicken is cooked. Reduce liquid if need be and add tbsp or so of half fat creme fraiche.

Serve with potatoes of some sort and a decent white.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Sarah G:
This joy was created because of a misunderstanding.

---

You can't tell us that and then not explain the misunderstanding
 

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Posted by Sarah G (# 11669) on :
 
The person whose party it was asked me to provide “spaghetti tacos” based on an episode of iCarly.

Being a little muddled, I bought soft tortillas as the wrap. The dish was an instant success, and later attempts to replace the soft tortilla wrap with the crispy hard shell tacos were unsuccessful.

Thus were spaghetti tortillas born (the sauce is my own concoction based on a love of Asian cuisine).

Except...

checking on the internet ten minutes ago, apparently the term taco covers both hard and soft wraps. So perhaps it wasn't a misunderstanding??? Now I'm really confused.

(If anyone has actually seen the episode, please jump in at this point, and clarify which type of wrap was used!)
 

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Posted by jacobsen (# 14998) on :
 
I've just made Mary Berry's lemon drizzle cake

Not being good with half a leftover egg, I used 2 medium ones instead of one and a half large ones.

Surely someone has posted this before on the thread, but in case no-one has, enjoy.
 

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Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :
 
That really is the most mental recipe I've ever seen.

One-and-a-half eggs???? And who has scales that can measure half a gramme? Stuff that for a lark - at least she gives the measurements in ounces as well.

Better yet - make two loaves - if it's as yummy as it looks, they'll go in no time, and you won't have to worry about what half an egg looks like.
 

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Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 
That recipe link played irritating music at me!

Clearly adapted from an imperial recipe where the amounts are whole numbers. I'd use tablespoons and forget the half grammes.
I'll agree on the half egg, though.
 

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Posted by Gee D (# 13815) on :
 
Those tacos/tortillas sound very filling.
 

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Posted by Sarah G (# 11669) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Gee D:
Those tacos/tortillas sound very filling.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by jacobsen:
I've just made Mary Berry's lemon drizzle cake

---

I make a similar lemon drizzle cake but sometimes substitute the lemon juice in the icing with gin...
 

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Posted by jacobsen (# 14998) on :
 
Now there is an idea to conjure with. I just happen to have a full bottle gathering dust since I ran out of sloes last year....
 

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Posted by Heavenly Anarchist (# 13313) on :
 
Gin and lemon cake is a personal favourite, I add lemon essence to the cake to compensate for the lack of lemon icing. It is also possible to make whisky and orange cake by the same method.
 

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Posted by jacobsen (# 14998) on :
 
A query. Gluten Free Girl's recipe for cauliflower cake mentions kosher salt as an ingredient. How on earth can salt not be kosher?
 

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Posted by Heavenly Anarchist (# 13313) on :
 
I know Kosher salt as being iodine-free salt but a quick google tells me it is also larger grain than table salt (so you might need less if using table salt which is denser). Apparently it is not the salt that is Kosher but it is used to Kosherize meats by drawing out the blood.
 

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Posted by Heavenly Anarchist (# 13313) on :
 
More reading tells me you can get certified Kosher salt as well, meaning additive free and prepared in a kosher way. There seems to be a lot of overlap here, as both would be iodine-free.
 

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Posted by Pomona (# 17175) on :
 
Kosher salt is for koshering food rather than a label as to it being kosher itself (as it inherently is).
 

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Posted by la vie en rouge (# 10688) on :
 
I made microwave banana pudding last night. I’m a fan. It’s very easy to make (throw everything in together and stir) and ready extremely quickly. With the remaining bit of custard that was still in our fridge, it made a most agreeable midweek treat.

The recipe says to cook for 8 minutes but it didn’t look done in the middle to me so I had to nuke it a bit longer. This may because my dish was a bit too deep (our shallower ones don’t fit in the microwave).
 

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
That might almost do...

I need a cake recipe. It should be light, quick and easy to make, and taste strongly of something or other - chocolate, coffee, orange, apple, whatever - and utterly fail safe.
 

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Posted by Ferijen (# 4719) on :
 
This lemon drizzle cake

Takes 10 minutes in the food processor, tops, lemony, and light. Never fails as a recipe.
 

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
My last attempt was more of a lemon downpour. It didn't really work that well.
 

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Posted by Pomona (# 17175) on :
 
Bero's milk chocolate cake. Best chocolate cake recipe and actually tastes of chocolate.
 

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Posted by jedijudy (# 333) on :
 
Bump
 

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Posted by Uncle Pete (# 10422) on :
 
It's been very hot this week and I haven't really felt like cooking at all.

Sometimes simple things are best. Like pre-cooked spiced mushrooms on toast, heated a bit in the microwave, topped with a dollop of sour cream followed by a nice cold glass of milk.
 

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Posted by Kelly Alves (# 2522) on :
 
I've recently been playing around with making causa rellena, and was encouraged to share a recipe... I really didn't measure anything, but here is what it is basically:

Cook about 8-10 medium yukon gold potatoes until tender, mash with about 1/4 cup olive oil (or less) , salt, and about a teaspoon or so of Aji amarillio to make a thick mash. Thicker is better, so add the oil slowly. This is your base.

You can then fill the causa with :
Tuna/ chicken/ shrimp salad
Avocado slices\
Hard boiled egg slices
mixed cooked vegetables
Anything else that sounds like it will mix well with potatoes and aji amarillo.


Line a medium-sized baking dish/ storage dish with cling film, fill 1/3 with mash. Layer whatever you want on potato. Cover the filling with another layer of mash. Cover the whole thing with more cling film and press down to make the causa a solid mold. Cover bowl and leave to set overnight. To serve, take the top layer of film off, upend the dish onto a serving plate, turn out the causa and remove the rest of the film. Garnish with hard boiled egg slices. Slice and serve.
 

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Posted by Palimpsest (# 16772) on :
 
For a simple cake it doesn't come much easier than Icebox cake
 

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Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
Ariel's chicken recipe:

Brown two large skinless (ideally boneless) chicken pieces (breast, thighs, legs) in hot olive oil and set aside. Chop a large onion and brown that in the oil, and add in two chopped cloves of garlic. Add about a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, slightly less of allspice, and a pinch of cayenne. Mix all these in then add enough rice for two portions and fry it all in the oil/onion/spice mix for a couple of minutes.

Then return the chicken portions to the pot and place them on the rice, throw in some pine nuts, add enough stock to cover the rice, cover the pot and cook it slowly until done. Add extra water/stock if it looks like running dry. If the chicken starts to fall apart, that's fine. It will probably take c. half an hour and your kitchen will smell very pleasant.

Serve with finely chopped green flat-leaf parsley or coriander as a garnish.
 

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Posted by St. Gwladys (# 14504) on :
 
I'm now the prouid owner of a stove top waffle iron. Has anyone got an anglicised waffle batter recipe?
 

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Posted by North East Quine (# 13049) on :
 
I tried to make a blackcurrant sorbet for dinner tonight. The recipe said that it would take 30 mins to make, but I forgot to factor in the time it took to pick and de-stalk the blackcurrants

Even so, it's now been in the freezer for three hours and its nowhere near frozen; the last time I beat it it was frozen round the edges, but only just. And our guest arrives in 30 mins, so we should be eating the sorbet in an hour.

How long should it take a sorbet to freeze? Any chance another hour will do the trick?

[ 06. August 2015, 17:13: Message edited by: North East Quine ]
 

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Posted by North East Quine (# 13049) on :
 
Have solved the problem - I'm going to serve it in glasses and call it granita.
 

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
Quite right. Anything starting from fresh black currants can never that far wrong.

Fed up with my curries turning out milder than expected (I blame supermarkets for only stocking really timid jalapeños) I made a vindaloo with some dried ones I bought in Leicester market. Ahem. Anyone need paint stripping? If so, I will come and breathe on it.
 

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Posted by Pomona (# 17175) on :
 
Jalapenos are relatively mild, at least for Indian food - green finger chillies (small slender ones) are the usual choice in India. I find Morrisons to be the best supermarket for chillies/herbs/more exotic ingredients and never have a problem finding finger chillies there, Sainsburys and Waitrose are the next best choices. Bird eye chillies will do otherwise (Indian recipes seem to much prefer green chillies).
 

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Posted by Uncle Pete (# 10422) on :
 
Even so, be wary of small purple ones. A long time ago, himelf made a dish with them I could hear WW gasp all the way back here in Canada. "What did you put in this? " Those little purple chilies from our garden" How many? Well, they were small, so I put in six.

Never again. I find the small green one a little much for my solo cooking, so I use long hot green peppers. halving them gives me the right heat.
 

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Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on :
 
V's dad has a shrub that gives the little white chillies - we hope to get a cutting so we can grow them as well as the tiny red ones and the tiny green ones. How can something so tiny be so fierce?
 

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Posted by Huia (# 3473) on :
 
I don't know. but my mother was both tiny and fierce - so I know it's possible.
 

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Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :
 
Basically because the chilli fire/Scoville units are concentrated into a much smaller area



(That's my theory and I'm sticking to it.)
 

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Posted by Gee D (# 13815) on :
 
If a recipe calls for chilli, our usual practice is to put one in whole (and remove it for serving of course). That gives both a spicy tang and the full flavour of the fruit without the burning of a chopped unseeded one. Sadly there is not the variety available here that there is in so much of the US.
 

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Posted by Lamb Chopped (# 5528) on :
 
You are much nicer than my mother was. She would make chili hot dogs and insert a pepper into the chili so that we kids couldn't see where it was, and had to eat very very carefully to avoid a mouthful (we were forbidden to dig through the chili with a fork to find it). Once she put TWO in, so that we thought we were safe after we discovered the first one. Nope. She laughed hysterically.
 

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Posted by jedijudy (# 333) on :
 
I used to grow bird peppers. Wonderful little spicy things! If I made a big pot of chili, only two would be needed to give a good kick.

I loved the plant, too. It was about eighteen inches high and the peppers were yellow-white, red, purple and orange. It was like a little Christmas tree. After about twelve years, it died. I was sad. Someday, I'll plant another.
 

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Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Huia:
... my mother was both tiny and fierce ...

---

She didn't teach in a primary school in Orkney in the 1970s, did she?

My Scoville tolerance rating is probably measured in minus numbers: when I make curries or chillies, they're very firmly planted at the "wimp" end of the scale.

I like to think of them as "subtle".
 

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Posted by jacobsen (# 14998) on :
 
As requested by WW.

Easy-peasy ice-cream

Measurements are approximate

500 ml double cream
1 395g tin condensed milk (not evaporated)
For most flavourings, 2 tsp vanilla essence as a starter.

Whip the cream till soft peaks form.
Fold in the condensed milk and flavourings.

Freeze for 8 hours or overnight.
Remove from freezer c.1 hour before serving.
Use spoon dipped in boiling water to serve!
After this, it's up to you.

Try adding some of the following to the mixture before freezing:

2 tbsp chocolate powder/
4 tbsp strong coffee/
4 tbsp ginger wine, some chopped crystallised ginger and crumbled ginger nut cookies/
Almost any fruit or fruit flavouring

Alcohol to taste....
 

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Posted by Huia (# 3473) on :
 
I didn't read that. And I'm not going to make it, especially with ginger (drool).

It's totally Over The Top.

Honest, I'm not

Huia

WW - Jengie posted another icecream recipe at the top of page 4 (which I'm also not going to make)

[ 10. August 2015, 07:53: Message edited by: Huia ]
 

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Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on :
 
Thanks jacobsen, sounds fab and we'll have a go.

We have used a variation on Jengie's Banana thingy - Herself freezes the chopped banana and also a 500ml packet of milk. When completely frozen puts milk and banana in the blender with half a dozen cashew nuts and whizz until smooth and it is a wonderful sort of thick milk shake - or refreeze for ice cream.

I imagine we could use soy milk just as easily.
 

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Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :
 
We had a farewell party this evening for one of our choral scholars, and as she spent part of the summer studying in Greece, part of my culinary offering was my take on a Greek salad, which went down rather well, so I think I might do it again:

Piglet's Greek Salad
½ a cucumber, cut in ½-inch slices and the slices halved
6 Roma tomatoes, quartered
1 red pepper, de-seeded and chopped
1 small carton of mixed olives
About 4 oz. goat's cheese*, cut in bits
A few snipped chives

Dressing:
Roughly 1 part balsamic vinegar to 3 parts virgin olive oil
A little finely chopped garlic
A generous pinch of oregano
About a teaspoon of lemon juice
Salt and pepper

Arrange the salad ingredients prettily on a platter and sprinkle the chives on top along with a grind of pepper.

Combine the dressing ingredients in a jar, shake well and drizzle a few spoonfuls over the salad.

* I used ordinary soft goat's cheese, which worked really well, but there's no reason why you shouldn't use proper Feta if you prefer.
 

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Posted by jacobsen (# 14998) on :
 
A friend gave me a jar of the most wonderful ginger marmalade. All she did was add a jar of chopped preserved ginger in syrup to the usual recipe.

Have other shippies any good recipes? I've just treated myself to a couple of kits - one orange,and one lemon.
 

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Posted by la vie en rouge (# 10688) on :
 
Having left the office late yesterday due to managerial incompetence (ahem) I had no recipe ready and found myself wandering round the supermarket for something to invent. I came up with this:

Slice one red onion and the white of one leek. Turn two carrots into thin strips with the peeler. Sweat the above in a little olive oil and put in the bottom of a oven dish.

Put two frozen* fish fillets on top and douse with coconut milk and a bit of water. Add coriander (out of the freezer in my case), curry and salt.

Stick in the oven for at 180° for about half an hour until the fish is cooked.

Serve with rice.

It was tasty and I am quite proud of myself.

*I would have preferred fresh but by time I got to the supermarket it was late on account of aforementioned managerial incompetence and the fish counter was already closed
 

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Posted by Cottontail (# 12234) on :
 
For my birthday this year my sister presented me with a bottle of gin. Now, I like gin. I like it very much, hence the present. But this is the most enormous bottle of really rather cheap gin. (Sister meant well, but does not understand gin.) This is not a gin to be savoured, but a gin for moments of desperation. And as I only drink alcohol about once a month, I wouldn't get through it for years.

So ... can anyone help with some recipes for improving this gin? I am aware of the traditional sloe gin and damson gin, though I might struggle to source these this year. But are there any other delicious combinations that I could bottle, savour, and perhaps even give as presents in their turn? Thanks.
 

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Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on :
 
Use it for this: Beet cocktail. My husband made this and it is delicious.
A further thrilling economy: after you steep the beets in the gin and drain the gin off for cocktails, don't toss the chopped beets. Cook a beet risotto and use the beets. Gin-soaked beets make a wonderful contrast with arborio rice and cheese.
 

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Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :
 
I've made cranberry gin using supermarket packets of cranberries (usually around for Thanksgiving and Christmas). That worked and came out a very pretty colour.
 

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
Alternatively, get a book of cocktail recipes. We have two categories of gin in our house - Good Gin and Mixing Gin.

Admittedly, you then find yourself acquiring bottles of dry vermouth, Italian vermouth, apricot brandy, maraschino cherries, cherry brandy, Galliano, Triple Sec, Pernod, Dubonnet, blue Curaçao, creme de cassis, Pisan Ambong, tequila, brandy, bourbon, creme de banane, vodka and angostura bitters. But think of the fun.
 

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Posted by Gee D (# 13815) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Curiosity killed ...:
I've made cranberry gin using supermarket packets of cranberries (usually around for Thanksgiving and Christmas). That worked and came out a very pretty colour.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Gee D:

quote:

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Originally posted by Curiosity killed ...:
I've made cranberry gin using supermarket packets of cranberries (usually around for Thanksgiving and Christmas). That worked and came out a very pretty colour.

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I don't recall seeing fresh cranberries for sale here, but the dried ones (often under a brand name of Craisins) are freely available on supermarket shelves all year round. Madame gets them to mix with other dried fruits and nuts to put on our Weet Bix. I imagine that they would go soaking in gin.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Welease Woderwick:
In an evening?

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It could be done.
 

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Posted by Cottontail (# 12234) on :
 
You are all very knowledgeable and helpful - thank you. I will get to work on some raspberry gin and dole it out to select friends for Christmas.
 

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Posted by Gee D (# 13815) on :
 
Not sure how craisins and their like are treated, save that the result is good in the breakfast bowl. No more likely to try cranberry gin than ordinary - can't remember the last time I drank any. But cumquat brandy.....
 

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Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Cottontail:
... can you just leave the fruit in the gin like forever, or should it be strained out after a time?

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quote:

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Alternatively, get a book of cocktail recipes. We have two categories of gin in our house - Good Gin and Mixing Gin.

Admittedly, you then find yourself acquiring bottles of dry vermouth, Italian vermouth, apricot brandy, maraschino cherries, cherry brandy, Galliano, Triple Sec, Pernod, Dubonnet, blue Curaçao, creme de cassis, Pisan Ambong, tequila, brandy, bourbon, creme de banane, vodka and angostura bitters. But think of the fun.

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Agree about the division of gin - we use Tanqueray for G&Ts and 'other' for mixing.

Also agree about the acquisition of different stuff, but then you can play the Flag Game.

To do this you need a variety of different coloured liquors, a cocktail shaker and jug and a well-lined stomach.

Every 'player' writes on slips of paper the name of every country they've visited during the year: a slip is chosen and a drink made from drinks of the relevant colour.

TOP TIPS:
1. Don't allow any of the cream-based drinks because they make most things taste uniquely foul.
2. Don't admit having been to either Belgium or Germany: the combination of Guinness, Yellow Chartreuse and Dubonnet isn't a taste I'd care to repeat
 

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Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on :
 
There is a cocktail called the Tootsie Roll. It tastes eerily, exactly like that candy, using quite disparate ingredients (which I mercifully cannot recall).
 

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Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :
 
Couldn't you have made Germany from Kahlua (black - it's as black as Guinness), Amaretto (golden) and creme de almond (red)? (A mixture of coffee and almond liqueurs doesn't sound so awful.) They might even layer, if you're lucky

[ 19. September 2015, 15:45: Message edited by: Curiosity killed ... ]
 

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by L'organist:

2. Don't admit having been to either Belgium or Germany: the combination of Guinness, Yellow Chartreuse and Dubonnet isn't a taste I'd care to repeat

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quote:

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Originally posted by Piglet:
St. Paddy's cocktails.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Piglet:
For true foulness, mix Bailey's with lime cordial - it turns to sort of globules of jelly in your mouth and is one of the most unpleasant things I've ever consumed.

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Known in these parts as a Cement Mixer due to the texture of the finished drink. I've only ever seen one drunk in real life once, on a bet.
 

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Posted by Gee D (# 13815) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by John Holding:

I'd be wary of using commercial dried cranberries in gin -- around here, the "craisin" type things have been treated in some fashion -- sometimes I see canola (=rapeseed) oil listed on the label. This is all right for baking or mixing with nuts and so on, but not (IMO) in gin.

John

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Checked the packet in the pantry - the ingredients are cranberries and sugar with no mention of oil. Packaged in NZ, so I'd trust the labelling.
 

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Posted by Cottontail (# 12234) on :
 
I have made raspberry gin using this recipe. The quantities were a bit more random than they should have been, because stupidly, I didn't realise the sugar and the fruit would take up quite so much room in the jar. I also used frozen raspsberries. But it is what it is, and I shall report back around Christmas.
 

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Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 
I'm currently on a quest to reconstruct Symington's Maple and Walnut Table Cream, a packet dessert product bought by Dr Oetker, who first discontinued the flavour, then added too much sugar to the remaining strawberry version, and then dropped it completely. I used my last, well past best by, packet at the weekend. Knowing the ingredients, I searched through a historic recipe book for something similar. Sugar, dextrose, gelatine, cornflour and flavourings -no quantities. Bring milk to the boil, add powder, boil 5 minutes and put into mould. My historic recipe put the gelatine in the saucepan with some milk and warmed it to dissolve it. Then it mixed some cornflour with the rest of the milk and sugars and added it, bringing to the boil and adding it to beaten egg yolks. Strange things happen to gelatine and heated milk. Large gobbets of rubbery curd appeared. I had already added maple syrup which had been mixed with crushed walnuts overnight and sieved the nuts out. I was omitting the eggs, and had increased the cornflour. I whisked the stuff as it got hotter, and the curds became very small and dispersed. It did set, but with a texture suggesting that the gelatine powder was in little blobules. Tasted OK, though. I wonder a) how Symingtons got away with boiling gelatine, and heating it with milk - both known failings, and b) how the Edwardian author of the Tried Recipes managed to heat the gelatine with milk without curdling it. A different method is required. Somewhere there should be the original recipe which the packet was intended to emulate.
 

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Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on :
 
I cannot believe boiling the milk with the gelatine is good. Suggest heating it gently. The gelatine needs the heat to dissolve, but it doesn't have to boil.
 

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Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on :
 
Could they have been trying to replicate junket or a version of blancmange? Junket is set by rennet, blancmange with cornflour.

I have eaten junket as a child, it wasn't memorable as particularly interesting and not repeated that I remember for us kids, but I do remember a slightly wobbly milk setting on a windowsill and us not being allowed to touch. I suspect we were being guinea pigs for my mother's dinner party experiments.
 

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Posted by Gee D (# 13815) on :
 
Milk changes characteristics on being boiled. Perhaps you should bring it to the boil, let it cool substantially and then whisk in the gelatine. If you're using leaf gelatine, soak it well and squeeze it dry before whisking it.
 

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Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on :
 
Also, if you're heating the milk anyway, suppose you put the chopped or even ground walnuts in it? This would get the flavor into the milk. You would want to strain the milk anyway, so as to get any skin off, so the nut bits would be filtered out as well. This is how they used to get the almond flavor into blancmange before the creation of almond extract. Which of course points at the other solution, a little bottle of walnut-flavoring. And then, into the warm and strained nut-flavored milk, the gelatine...
 

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Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Brenda Clough:
Also, if you're heating the milk anyway, suppose you put the chopped or even ground walnuts in it? This would get the flavor into the milk. You would want to strain the milk anyway, so as to get any skin off, so the nut bits would be filtered out as well. This is how they used to get the almond flavor into blancmange before the creation of almond extract. Which of course points at the other solution, a little bottle of walnut-flavoring. And then, into the warm and strained nut-flavored milk, the gelatine...

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quote:

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Originally posted by Penny S:
... I suspect it of being potassium permanganate.

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You're right.

I'm not at all sure I'd want to eat something that had been washed in it ...
 

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Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 
Thank you - she does use the stuff elsewhere under its own name. For staining floors, and for testing if water is safe to drink. (One drop, stays pink if probably OK, does brown if definitely not.) And there are other even more suspect things lurking in her recipes - especially in the invalid section. I would fear to get ill in her care. Or old. "Special daintiness should mark the tray put before an old person." This to disguise the beigeness, plainness, lack of flavour and general boringness. "Fish is too stimulating..." "Cake, if given, must be very plain and not new..."

"Cure for chilblains. 3 teaspoons sulphurous acid, one of glycerine. diluted with the same quantity of water. This, applied with a small brush, will be found to allay irritation."

She is very fond of a product called Plasmon powder which is used in the manner of a stock cube, so cannot be the Italian baby milk I found on the internet.

I was surprised to find the book dated as 1934. though it is the 23rd edition.

To be fair, there's a lot of decent stuff as well.
 

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Posted by Jengie jon (# 273) on :
 
My instinctive reaction

Gelatine and cornflour surely one thickener is enough!

Jengie
 

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Posted by Cottontail (# 12234) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Penny S:
"Cure for chilblains. 3 teaspoons sulphurous acid, one of glycerine. diluted with the same quantity of water. This, applied with a small brush, will be found to allay irritation."

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quote:

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Originally posted by Jengie jon:
My instinctive reaction

Gelatine and cornflour surely one thickener is enough!

Jengie

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Don't forget, I'm working from what it says on the side of the original packet. The recipe that I found had a smaller amount of cornflour, and egg. I dumped the egg to match the packet. And there was more cornflour in the packet, judging from the order of the listed ingredients. In the GH book, I found a recipe which combined both jelly and blancmange, so it's not entirely unknown. I think the reason will be textural, going for the way the spoon cuts through the stuff. Cornflour versions tend to follow the spoon a bit, and the mouthfeel is very soft. Jelly fractures by contrast, and the mouthfeel is of discrete bits. Symingtons used to be somewhere between, so there was more of a shape in the mouth, and I think it was aiming for, and hit, something of what you would get by putting gelatine with a thick cream. Like panna cotta.

Elsewhere in the amazing Mrs. Kirk's book, where she uses gelatine, she has boiled it in places. It may depend on the characteristics of her particular source. (Cox's Instant Gelatine.)
 

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Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :
 
I've come to the conclusion that bruschetta is a wonderful thing. How else can you feed two people with a chunk of bread that needs using up, a tomato and a few bits and bobs from the larder?

FWIW, this is what I did:

Cut 8 medium (about ¾-inch thick) diagonal slices from a French stick, and toast lightly on both sides.

Meanwhile, chop a large Roma tomato into about ¼-inch pieces. I didn't drain the tomatoes after chopping, but I think I probably should have done - the mixture was quite liquid.

Mix the tomato with a little salt and freshly-ground pepper, a pinch each of basil and oregano and a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I also snipped over a couple of chives, because I happened to have some in the fridge. Obviously, if you have fresh basil, that'll take it to a Whole New Level.

When the bread's toasted (and still warm), rub each slice with a cut clove of garlic and drizzle with a little olive oil.

Spoon the tomato mixture over the slices of bread and eat straight away.

It was v. yummy (and probably quite good for you), and might well become a regular post-Evensong feed chez Piglet.
 

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Posted by Palimpsest (# 16772) on :
 
From there it's a small step to Panzanella a stale bread, mozzarella and fresh tomato salad with oil and vinegar. Even better if it sits a day in the fridge.
 

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Posted by North East Quine (# 13049) on :
 
I have Steel & Gardiner's The Complete Indian Housekeeper and Cook Chapter 34 is "Cold Sweets" which is subdivided into "Farinaceous Shapes" "Creams" "Gelatine Shapes" and "Jellies".

Most of these seem to use either cornflour or gelatine, but not both. The recipes are hard to follow, with the authors airily remarking "these may be varied, by flavouring and decoration, to an almost endless extent."

(Code fix)

[ 06. October 2015, 15:43: Message edited by: Firenze ]
 

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Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Palimpsest:
From there it's a small step to Panzanella ...

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A friend of mine sometimes brings panzanella salad to church pot-lucks, and I have to confess I really don't like it. I think it's a texture thing - the soggy "toast" doesn't float my boat at all.

Each to their own ...
 

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Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on :
 
Successful re-creation of the table cream. Between 60 and 100 ml Canadian No 2 Amber Maple Syrup. (60 is too little for my taste, but was all I had left after the first experiment. 100 was, I thought, too much.) 30 g walnut pieces, smashed up in a mortar and steeped in the syrup overnight. 1 pint whole milk, warmed with the nutty syrup and strained. 1 tablespoon cornflour mixed with a couple of tablespoons of the milk, and then mixed with the milk brought to the boil, put back in the pan and boiled until thickened. 1 packet powdered gelatine, or equivalent, dissolved in a small amount of hot water, and stirred into the custard, placed in a mould and chilled to set. It is texturally different from a plain cornflour version, I think. But if not trying to reconstruct a vanished patent dessert, the gelatine probably isn't necessary.

Now for Honeycomb Mould, which only has gelatine, but it is boiled with milk, again. We used to get it from a packet.
 

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Penny S:

Now for Honeycomb Mould, which only has gelatine, but it is boiled with milk, again. We used to get it from a packet.

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quote:

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Originally posted by LutheranChik:
I just read an article about how fondue is making a comeback. I thought it came and went a couple of years ago, but apparently it's returning again as a trendy thing. Does anyone here make it? The cheesy original, hot oil, melted chocolate or something else?

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quote:

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Originally posted by Kittyville on the Stir Up Sunday thread
Moo - I don't suppose you'd post your grandmother's recipe in the recipe thread, would you?

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quote:

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Originally posted by AngloCatholicGirl:
I'm struggling to track down red currant jam for a slow cooked venison stew.

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You can order red currant jam from Amazon, but it's not cheap.

Moo
 

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Posted by John Holding (# 158) on :
 
Red current jam (with seeds) or jelly (without seeds)? It's fairly common to see fruit jelly of one kind or another with a roast, but I've never heard of using jam. And I'll admit I've never heard of red current jam (which of course is definitive, right?).

Both ED SMith and Smuckers make a vast array of jams and jellies, and one of them or both might make a red current jelly.

John
 

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Posted by kingsfold (# 1726) on :
 
I would say it should be redcurrant jelly: certainly here it would tend to be a little less sweet, and just melts into the casserole liquid.
 

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Posted by Huia (# 3473) on :
 
One of the Christmas cake recipes I use most (but not my personal favourite because it's boring) is an easy mix rum and raisin cake which is in an old book I have by my favourite NZ writer of recipes Dame Alison Holst. It calls for a kilo of raisins and 2 eggs and is baked in a 20cm cake tin. Recently I checked to see whether it was online and it is, except that this version has 3 eggs and is cooked in a 23cm tin at a slightly lower temp.

What difference would the extra egg make to the texture of the cake?

I'm a bit loath to try it at this stage because of the limited time and the cost of ingredients, but I am curious.

Huia
 

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Posted by Hedgehog (# 14125) on :
 
I have a slight issue. I will be going to my brother's house for Christmas dinner. The main course will be duck. I have been asked to bring a soup (as making soups is one of my few culinary skills).

So what would be a good soup to pair with duck?
 

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
Duck is fairly rich, so I would be inclined to preface with either a clear soup, or a light vegetable one. Or possibly even a gazpacho.
 

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Posted by Hedgehog (# 14125) on :
 
Thanks. I was thinking lighter was the way to go. I was considering making a test batch of tomato dill soup to see if it will measure up.
 

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Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :
 
I agree - maybe a lightweight minestrone-type? Fairly light, tomatoey broth with veggies but go easy on the pasta (or even leave it out altogether)?

Or as it's a special occasion, what about a consommé?
 

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Posted by John Holding (# 158) on :
 
I once had a recipe for "Green vegetable SOup".

Sweat some chopped onions in a little oil or butter. Add any quantity of assorted green vegetables, appropriate herbs and chicken stock to cover (or a little more). Bring to a light boil, reduce to simmer and cover. COok until the vegetable are soft. Pulverize... sorry make that Puree the vegetables in the stock. Correct the seasoning (white pepper was mentioned in the original). Thin if necessary, or add milk/cream.

The time for cooking has to do with which vegetable you use -- spinach takes just a few minutes, brocolli a great deal longer. So be careful which vegetable you choose to mix. For example, if you put broc and spinach together, the spinach is going to be dark green slime long before the broc is ready to puree.

John

(ETA)

I imagine you could use peas (frozen if necessary) and mint as the main seasoning, which could be quite light and refreshing even with a tablespoon of sour cream in each bowl. Just make sure you string the pods (if using) before you put them in the stock. Otherwise you get little strings that are the very devil to try and puree.

J

[ 01. December 2015, 20:27: Message edited by: John Holding ]
 

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Posted by Hedgehog (# 14125) on :
 
Just as a personal preference, I try to avoid cream/milk in soups (although I have a very, very good tomato bisque recipe that uses heavy cream).

The tomato dill recipe I mentioned involves puree-ing (if that is a proper word). That is why I want to make a test batch--to make sure that doesn't turn the soup too thick. The consistency of a consommé would be perfect for duck. I have a recipe for a Garlic Consommé, but I hesitate to spring loads of garlic on people at a dinner party.

ETA: I also have personal hang-ups with gazpacho. I agree the consistency would be perfect, but there are very few cold soups that I find acceptable, and those tend to be fruit based, like a sour cherry soup.

[ 01. December 2015, 21:00: Message edited by: Hedgehog ]
 

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Posted by Pomona (# 17175) on :
 
What about a watercress soup? It has a bite and watercress is a traditional garnish for roast duck. Normally it contains cream and potatoes but you could easily leave out the cream and use fewer potatoes to make it thinner.
 

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Posted by Cottontail (# 12234) on :
 
What about a light Chinese-style broth? I have had success with this recipe for Hot Sour Corn Soup. I think the original recipe said to add noodles to make it a hearty meal, but I find it works as a light soup without the noodles.

1 small tin sweetcorn
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 mild red chilli, seeded and sliced
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 stalks lemongrass
3 spring onions
1/2 red pepper
4 mushrooms, finely sliced into 'umbrellas'
400ml can coconut milk
850ml vegetable stock
2 kaffir lime leaves
juice of 1 lime
small bunch coriander

Chop or slice the chilli, shallot, spring onions, mushrooms, and red pepper. Heat the oil in a large pan, and add the sliced vegetables, together with the lemongrass. Cook for 3-4 minutes.

Add the coconut milk, vegetable stock, and kaffir lime leaves. Bring to the boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the lemongrass stalks and the lime leaves.

Remove from heat, and if serving immediately, stir in the lime juice and coriander. (Or leave the coriander separate for guests to add themselves - some people don't like it.) Add salt if necessary. If serving later, add the lime juice and coriander only when you reheat.

Serves 4.
 

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Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on :
 
Today for dinner, a chili -- that is assuming that the definition of the dish is something that involves beans and chile powder. Black beans, pork belly, chorizo sausage, two bottles of beer, and an wauntity of spices, from a recipe in the Guardian.
 

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Posted by TurquoiseTastic (# 8978) on :
 
You surely won't go too far wrong with those ingredients Brenda.... such a chili cannot help but be delicious!
 

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Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on :
 
It is very well-flavored but possibly a little soupy -- I just dumped in 2 bottles of beer without measuring, since what could I do with a third of a bottle of beer? Except drink it, of course. I am certain that sitting around will dry it out some, as the beans absorb juice.
 

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Posted by Pomona (# 17175) on :
 
That sounds marvellous - I will have to try it minus the beans.
 

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Posted by Surfing Madness (# 11087) on :
 
I've made a small ( about 10cm long) fruit cake shaped as a steam engine to go on top of the Christmas cake. Just looking for advice on how to ice it and keep the shape. It has far too many fiddly bits on it for marzipan. Any ideas/advice greatfully received.
 

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Posted by Moo (# 107) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Surfing Madness:
I've made a small ( about 10cm long) fruit cake shaped as a steam engine to go on top of the Christmas cake. Just looking for advice on how to ice it and keep the shape. It has far too many fiddly bits on it for marzipan. Any ideas/advice greatfully received.

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I replied on the steam locomotive thread.

Use a forcing bag with a star-shaped tip. Place the stars so close together that they touch.

Moo
 

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Posted by Hedgehog (# 14125) on :
 
To update from my earlier posts: I did go with a tomato dill soup and it turned out well:

Ingredients:
● 28 ounce whole peeled plum tomatoes
● 1 medium onion, chopped
● 1 clove garlic, minced
● 1 tsp salt
● 1/4 tsp black pepper
● 1 tsp sugar
● 1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
● 1 tbsp tomato paste
● 1/3 cup water
● 1 1/3 cup chicken stock

So put the tomatoes, onion, garlic, salt & pepper, sugar, dill, tomato paste and water in the pot. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes or so. Then add the chicken stock. Transfer to blender and puree. Return to the pot and re-heat.

I apologize for the funky 1/3 cup measures. I have been tweaking this recipe for years. It started out based on one in the NY Time Cookbook--but that recipe had cream and macaroni in it, and a lot less dill. Oh, and it was cold. As I mentioned upthread, I don't really like cold soups or cream soups, and I am not wild about macaroni. But taking all of that out forced me to compensate in the liquids...hence the weird measures--and adding stuff like the sugar.

I suspect I am done tampering with the recipe now. I rather like how I have it.

Meanwhile, I am a few days into making maraschino cherries using Brenda Clough's recipe (see upthread circa October 30). They should be ready for tasting around January 3.
 

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Posted by ArachnidinElmet (# 17346) on :
 
I made some mulled apple syrup a few months ago which has come in useful for constructing hot toddies with pale rum, ginger (grated or syrup), the juice of a clementine and hot water.

To be drunk purely for medicinal purposes you understand
 

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Posted by Piglet (# 11803) on :
 
Having been given a packet of Arborio rice and a book of risotto recipes as part of a Christmas present, I had my first attempt at making a proper risotto today, and it really wasn't bad.

I flavoured it with saffron and home-made chicken stock, and put in onion, garlic, a grilled and peeled red pepper and some defrosted frozen peas.

D. reckoned that it could have done with some chicken (I'd probably have put some in if I'd had any), but for a first attempt I was rather pleased. I might well try a chicken and mushroom one next.
 

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Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :
 
I could do with ideas of easy desserts for a crowd (one of whom doesn't like cream) to be cooked in someone else's kitchen with the chef half cut (like as not).

My mind was running on some sort of galette - ie puff pastry topped with some sort of custard? Marzipan? Then probably tinned apricots or peaches, and a glaze.
 

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Posted by Leorning Cniht (# 17564) on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Firenze:
I could do with ideas of easy desserts for a crowd (one of whom doesn't like cream) to be cooked in someone else's kitchen with the chef half cut (like as not).

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quote:

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Originally posted by Leorning Cniht:
Mille Feuille would work pretty well, I think.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Firenze:
I could do with ideas of easy desserts for a crowd (one of whom doesn't like cream) to be cooked in someone else's kitchen with the chef half cut (like as not).

My mind was running on some sort of galette - ie puff pastry topped with some sort of custard? Marzipan? Then probably tinned apricots or peaches, and a glaze.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Ferijen:
A crumble would be easy and unmuckupable, despite the merriment...

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