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Source: (consider it)
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Thread: Heaven: Recipe Thread - The Second Course
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Mary Beth
Apprentice
# 92
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Posted
Hi Dormouse,
The secret is to rinse the sauerkraut well and chop it. Tastes like a rich, moist chocolate coconut cake. If you chop it very finely, it dissolves into the cake and you don't know it's there.
We have a sauerkraut festival in my town each fall and the sauerkraut cake sampling is a big attraction.
That's the most excitement we have all year here in the boonies. ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
Mary Beth
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Give yourself fully to Jesus. He will use you to accomplish great things on the condition that you believe much more in His love, than in your weakness. Mother Teresa
Posts: 39 | From: Finger Lakes, NY | Registered: May 2001
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rosamundi
Ship's lacemaker
# 2495
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Dormouse:
I have a recipe for a cake made with mayonnaise - when you tell people the reaction is usually "Uurgh!" - but it's only oil & eggs, after all,so I don't know what the problem is.
I have a muffin recipe that has grated courgettes/zucchini in.
I tend to peel the courgettes, so I don't have to explain what the weird green flecks are in the cakes.
Deborah
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Website.
Ship of Fools flickr group
Posts: 2382 | From: here or there | Registered: Mar 2002
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Amos
Shipmate
# 44
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Posted
Zucchini Bread (or courgette muffins) is (or are) delicious. The principle is the same as with carrot cake. Personally, I like the little green flecks: if you've got sultanas and chopped nuts and spice in the recipe, green flecks seem perfectly natural. There are also cake recipes whose secret ingredient is a small tin of tomato paste.
[ 18. June 2006, 20:06: Message edited by: Amos ]
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At the end of the day we face our Maker alongside Jesus--ken
Posts: 7667 | From: Summerisle | Registered: May 2001
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Keren-Happuch
Ship's Eyeshadow
# 9818
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Posted
Elderflower fritters
For the batter:
1 egg
225ml iced water
140g plain flour
pinch of salt
For the fritters:
16 heads of elderflowers
veg. oil
caster sugar
Beat the egg, then add the water. Slowly sift the flour and salt into egg mix, whisking to make sure there are no lumps.
Fill a wide deep-ish pan with veg oil to come 2-3cm up the sides, almost to smoking point. Dip the elderflower heads into the batter and fry, a few at a time, until golden brown. Drain on kitchen towel, sprinkle with sugar and serve hot.
There was also a recipe for elderflower champagne which sounds interesting.
36 elderflower heads
1 lemon
680g caster sugar
2 tbsp white-wine vinegar
4.5 litres water
Make sure there are as few insects as possible on your flowers ( ![[Eek!]](eek.gif) I don't know why it doesn't say this on the other recipe - maybe because they'll get fried!). Put them in a clean bucket along with the juice and zest of the lemon, sugar and vinegar. Add the cold water and leave for at least 24 hours. You may have to stir from time to time to dissolve the sugar. Strain into sterilised bottles. Put on the lids and leave for 2 weeks. Check fizziness from time to time and let off any excess - to avoid explosions!
NOTE - I haven't tried either of these so blame Matthew Fort and the Grauniad if they go wrong!!
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Travesty, treachery, betrayal!
EXCESS - The Art of Treason
Nea Fox
Posts: 2407 | From: A Fine City | Registered: Jul 2005
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Suzywoozy
Shipmate
# 6259
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Posted
I've just made my first batch of elderflower wine, slightly different recipe from above but pretty similar.
It's hubby's gran's recipe and her advise it to use plastic "pop" bottles as these have some expansion room without exploding. She says to keep for 3 months, but after 3 weeks it's OK as a cordial.
[ 22. June 2006, 13:34: Message edited by: Suzywoozy ]
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My life.
Posts: 658 | From: Ambridge | Registered: May 2004
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Yangtze
Shipmate
# 4965
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Yangtze:
I just bottled up some elderflower cordial.
<snip>
Given the slightly random quantity of citric acid I used and the fact I'm not entirely confident of how well the boiling water trick will have sterilized the bottles if I give any away I'll recommend it gets used quite quickly. But I have kept it for over a year in the past.
Well I was right to be concerned. Have just discovered a thin layer of mould on the top of the bottles. Definitely not enough sugar / citric acid. Sigh. Have scooped it off and put bottles in the fridge where they should be OK for a bit longer.
At least it's an incentive to find the recipe I used before!
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Arthur & Henry Ethical Shirts for Men
organic cotton, fair trade cotton, linen
Sometimes I wonder What's for Afters?
Posts: 2022 | From: the smallest town in England | Registered: Sep 2003
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Mary Beth
Apprentice
# 92
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Posted
Hi,
Reporting in on my little research project at church last Sunday with the varieties of deviled eggs. I labeled each kind, so that people would know what they were eating.
Most surprising to me was how many people liked the cayenne eggs. I guess we are a spicier lot at church than I realised.
The yogurt and standard eggs did OK, but the out and out favorite was the eggs with pickle relish. (I didn't have any dill juice, so I improvised.)
We even had a gentleman, originally from Ireland, who loved the caviar topped eggs. The ones he didn't eat there, he took home.
Thanks for all your suggestions. It was great fun and there were no eggs left for me to take home.
Mary Beth
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Give yourself fully to Jesus. He will use you to accomplish great things on the condition that you believe much more in His love, than in your weakness. Mother Teresa
Posts: 39 | From: Finger Lakes, NY | Registered: May 2001
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Flounder
Shipmate
# 3859
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Posted
This is Nana's Double-Secret gingerbread cookie recipe. It's not for the faint of heart!: ![[Devil]](graemlins/devil.gif)
2 1/4 c. flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp. ground cloves
2 tsp. ginger
2 tsp cinnamon
1-2 tsp nutmeg (Too much nutmeg can make things bitter)
(Sometimes I add some allspice as well)
3/4 c. shortening, although I substitute butter and margarine. Tastes better.
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1/4 c. molasses
Sift together dry ingredients
Cream sugar and butter; mix in egg and molasses.
Slowly mix flower mixture to the wet ingredients until just combined. The dough will seem wet for this type of cookie, but that is fine. Do NOT overwork the dough or it will become tough.
Chill completely, preferably overnight. This dough is easier to work with when frozen.
My mother's family usually does not complete recipe directions. I've had the best luck with flouring the greased cookie sheets. Roll and cut cookies out and bake in a 325-350F degree oven between 6-8 minutes, + or -. You'll need to experiment... ![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
Frost with homemade buttercream frosting (Confectioner's sugar, butter, vanilla, a tiny pinch of salt, and some cream or milk. Do not use the ready-made crap that comes in a can).
BTW, this recipe doubles very well (cut the salt a bit). The dough keeps nicely in freezer so that you can make as many cookies as you need.
Enjoy!
[ 23. June 2006, 19:06: Message edited by: Flounder ]
Posts: 1082 | From: Flounderland | Registered: Dec 2002
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Amos
Shipmate
# 44
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Posted
Shortening is Trex in the UK. It's hydrogenated vegetable oil. You can substitute butter: it's healthier.
Molasses is black treacle. Yum.
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At the end of the day we face our Maker alongside Jesus--ken
Posts: 7667 | From: Summerisle | Registered: May 2001
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Flounder
Shipmate
# 3859
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Posted
Butter is much better than shortening (hydrogenated vegetable oil), which is what was in the original recipe. The only reason why I use some margarine in the recipe is because butter alone creates a very spread out cookie.
Molasses is yummy by the spoonful, though not as tasty as Northern Comfort. ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
quote:
Originally posted by Amos:
Shortening is Trex in the UK. It's hydrogenated vegetable oil. You can substitute butter: it's healthier.
Molasses is black treacle. Yum.
Posts: 1082 | From: Flounderland | Registered: Dec 2002
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Josephine
Orthodox Belle
# 3899
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Posted
I've got to try the ginger cookies. That sounds just wonderful! And I love the idea of keeping cookie dough in the freezer, to make a few at a time.
Does anyone else have any cookie recipes you can do that with?
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I've written a book! Catherine's Pascha: A celebration of Easter in the Orthodox Church. It's a lovely book for children. Take a look!
Posts: 10273 | From: Pacific Northwest, USA | Registered: Jan 2003
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Dormouse
Glis glis – Ship's rodent
# 5954
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Posted
Josephine said: quote:
I've got to try the ginger cookies. That sounds just wonderful! And I love the idea of keeping cookie dough in the freezer, to make a few at a time.
I believe there are some raisin oatmeal cookies somewhere on this thread that you can do that with. I made them for my Bible Study Group - with the addition of coconut - They were well accepted!
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What are you doing for Lent?
40 days, 40 reflections, 40 acts of generosity. Join the #40acts challenge for #Lent and let's start a movement. www.40acts.org.uk
Posts: 3042 | From: 'twixt les Bois Noirs & Les Monts de la Madeleine | Registered: May 2004
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Flausa
Mad Woman
# 3466
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Posted
Josephine, I have found that most of the cookies I've made can be frozen in a pre-baked state. I learned this from working at a place that sold fresh-baked cookies. The cookies weren't actually made on site, but they were shipped frozen and then we baked them. We did this with peanut butter, chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin (my recipe is somewhere on this thread), macadamia and white chocolate, and a couple of other types. The trick is to freeze the cookies in the shape that you want to bake them. I usually freeze them on the baking sheet, then once frozen, remove them from the sheet, and store them in a plastic container of some sort in the freezer. Then you bake the cookies from frozen ... may need a minute or two longer than normal for baking, but nobody but you knows they weren't made fresh that day!
Posts: 4610 | From: bonny Scotland | Registered: Oct 2002
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Moo
Ship's tough old bird
# 107
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Posted
Mary Beth, would you please give us your recipe for sauerkraut cake.
Moo
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Kerygmania host
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See you later, alligator.
Posts: 20365 | From: Alleghany Mountains of Virginia | Registered: May 2001
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Flounder
Shipmate
# 3859
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Posted
Just a quick edit re Nana's Double-Secret gingerbread cookies. The original 2 tsp of baking soda:
quote:
2 1/4 c. flour
2 tsp baking soda...
Seems a bit high. I usually cut the amount a little, otherwise the cookies seem a bit bitter. I never seem to do the recipe exactly the same way each time. These unfinished/illegible heirloom recipes! So, remember to taste things as you go along, and good luck...! ![[Two face]](graemlins/scot_twoface.gif)
[ 24. June 2006, 12:43: Message edited by: Flounder ]
Posts: 1082 | From: Flounderland | Registered: Dec 2002
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Erroneous Monk
Shipmate
# 10858
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Posted
Can anyone advise on flapjack proportions? The Smith woman's recipe has 4oz Sugar to 6oz butter to 6oz oats and a dessertspoon of golden syrup. I made up a double batch, but found the recipe was far too buttery and not sufficiently oaty. I like a flapjack to be quite solid and filling. I was thinking of trying next time with 6oz sugar, 9oz butter and 12oz oats.
But can anyone recommend better? Also, can dried fruit or chocolate chips be added without needing to alter the proportions of other ingredients?
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And I shot a man in Tesco, just to watch him die.
Posts: 2950 | From: I cannot tell you, for you are not a friar | Registered: Jan 2006
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Erroneous Monk
Shipmate
# 10858
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Posted
I'd love the recipes if you have time...
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And I shot a man in Tesco, just to watch him die.
Posts: 2950 | From: I cannot tell you, for you are not a friar | Registered: Jan 2006
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Keren-Happuch
Ship's Eyeshadow
# 9818
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Posted
As they're from a BBC book I hoped the recipes would be on their website, but no such luck ![[Frown]](frown.gif)
Oh well!
Choc & nut flapjack
8oz oats
1 oz dess. coconut
5oz butter cut into pieces
2oz light muscavado sugar
5tbsp golden syrup
4oz brazil/cashew nuts in large chunks
2oz almonds in large chunks
3oz good dark choc. in large pieces
Makes 12
1.Preheat oven to 180C/Gas 4. Butter a 23cm/9in square tin and line the base. Mix the oats and coconut
2.Put butter, sugar and syrup in a pan, cook over low heat and stir occasionally until butter melted and sugar dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in oats and coconut. Spoon into tin and press down evenly. Scatter the nuts over the top and press lightly into mixture. Stick chunks of choc. between the nuts. Bake 25-30 mins or until pale golden.
3.Mark into bars with back of knife while still warm. Allow to cool completely before cutting and remove from tin.
Classic Flapjacks
6oz butter cut up
5oz golden syrup
2oz light muscovado sugar
9oz oats
Makes 12
1.Preheat oven to 180C/Gas 4. Butter a 23cm/9in square tin and line the base. (Or a 20cm/8in tin for thicker and chewier flapjacks). Put butter, sugar and syrup in a pan, cook over low heat and stir occasionally until butter melted and sugar dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in oats.
2.Press into tin, bake 20-25 mins until golden brown on top. Mark into bars with back of knife while still warm. Allow to cool completely before cutting and remove from tin.
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Travesty, treachery, betrayal!
EXCESS - The Art of Treason
Nea Fox
Posts: 2407 | From: A Fine City | Registered: Jul 2005
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Erroneous Monk
Shipmate
# 10858
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Posted
Thanks!
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And I shot a man in Tesco, just to watch him die.
Posts: 2950 | From: I cannot tell you, for you are not a friar | Registered: Jan 2006
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Mary Beth
Apprentice
# 92
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Posted
Hi Moo,
I'm at work now and don't have the "official, from scratch" recipe with me, but this works well:
One box of favorite brand chocolate cake mix.
One small can of favorite sauerkraut.
1. Make up cake mix as per box instructions.
2. Rinse* about one cup (handful) sauerkraut, chop to shredded coconut length or smaller, and stir into batter.
* Rinse thoroughly to remove all hint of sauerkraut or, if you are adventurous and like a little tang, rinse only once.
Through previous testing, people varied in which way they prefered it. YMMV. Everyone enjoyed the cake, though.
Please let me know how it was or was not accepted in your neck of the woods.
Mary Beth
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Give yourself fully to Jesus. He will use you to accomplish great things on the condition that you believe much more in His love, than in your weakness. Mother Teresa
Posts: 39 | From: Finger Lakes, NY | Registered: May 2001
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Dormouse
Glis glis – Ship's rodent
# 5954
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Posted
I am feeling sticky and pleased with myself having made:
2 jars of Spicy Apricot & Plum chutney
3 jars of cherry & plum jam
6 jars of golden plum & apricot jam
4 jars of sweet piccalilli.
I have the jam-&-chutney making bug. Can anyone suggest any other pickle/chutney recipes. Delia has several plummy ones, but I wondered if anyone had anything different.
And favourite jams...? I may have missed the strawberry season here, but I shall see what's around tomorrow at the Fruit shop.
Would either banana or melon work? If so, how...?
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What are you doing for Lent?
40 days, 40 reflections, 40 acts of generosity. Join the #40acts challenge for #Lent and let's start a movement. www.40acts.org.uk
Posts: 3042 | From: 'twixt les Bois Noirs & Les Monts de la Madeleine | Registered: May 2004
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Welease Woderwick
Sister Incubus Nightmare
# 10424
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Posted
My ma in law makes the best pickle ever in the whole history of the universe! It is really simple, too.
Carrot and Garlic Pickle:
1. Clean a carrot and peel an equal quantity of cloves of garlic.
2. Chop carrot to small dice - if you want you can chop the garlic as well, depends how big the cloves are.
3. Fry the carrot gently for a minute or two, stirring then add garlic and cook another minute or two, still stirring, until it goes light golden in colour. Coconut oil is the best medium but any oil will do except not something strong like olive oil.
4. Remove and drain roughly and put carrot and garlic in a bowl. Add a little salt, a little turmeric and chilli powder to taste. Add back a little of the oil used for cooking and an equal quantity of white vinegar. Stir.
5. Put in jars and leave for at least 24 hours for the flavours to meld.
If refrigerated this will keep a month or so. If not refrigerated probably best to eat it within a couple of weeks.
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I give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way.
Fancy a break in South India?
Accessible Homestay Guesthouse in Central Kerala, contact me for details
What part of Matt. 7:1 don't you understand?
Posts: 48139 | From: 1st on the right, straight on 'til morning | Registered: Sep 2005
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John Holding
Coffee and Cognac
# 158
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Posted
Welease --
One carrot (no matter how large) plus an equivalent volume? weight? of garlic is not going to fill "jars" unless they're fairly small.
Unless something's missing from the recipe.
(Mind you, it sounds delicious)
John
Posts: 5929 | From: Ottawa, Canada | Registered: May 2001
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Nats
Shipmate
# 2211
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Posted
Ages ago (I've only just found this! ![[Hot and Hormonal]](icon_redface.gif) ) someone asked about Japanese Hotpot.... well I grew up there and often serve it when we have dinner guests.
Start with a stock. A proper Japanese one would be fish and kombu seaweed - or use chicken!
To go in, I serve a selection of fish (bream or snapper are good - they need to be meaty and hold together not flake), chicken pieces (buy a whole chicken and de-bone it. You get variety and its cheaper than pieces. And use the bones for the stock!), tofu (essential at the end to soak up the yummy stock) king prawns (thread on wooden skewers and cook with shells, diners shell their own), chinese cabbage, spinich, carrots, and Daikon radish (sometimes known as mooli). Well as much or as little as you fancy really.
For a dipping sauce I mix soy sauce, some of the stock, lemon juice and lime juice. You should use Yuzu juice, but I've never seen yuzu in the UK. When the sauce you are dipping in gets to weak, pour it in to the pot and get some fresh. The stock gradualy gets yummier and yummier, and at the end you add in some udon noodles which soak it all up. (Big fat flour and water noodles). Don't need pudding after all that lot!
But it is really easy to prepare, and lots of fun with friends. One is supposed to serve rice with it, but I normaly don't bother!!
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life is purple
Posts: 376 | From: Swindon, UK | Registered: Jan 2002
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Dormouse
Glis glis – Ship's rodent
# 5954
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Posted
Welease Woderick - that sounds delicious, but not quite what I'm after...more like a pickle, perhaps - something that you keep in a jar for months and then eat with cold meats or something...
And jams. What is your favourite jam?
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What are you doing for Lent?
40 days, 40 reflections, 40 acts of generosity. Join the #40acts challenge for #Lent and let's start a movement. www.40acts.org.uk
Posts: 3042 | From: 'twixt les Bois Noirs & Les Monts de la Madeleine | Registered: May 2004
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Welease Woderwick
Sister Incubus Nightmare
# 10424
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by John Holding:
Welease --
One carrot (no matter how large) plus an equivalent volume? weight? of garlic is not going to fill "jars" unless they're fairly small.
Unless something's missing from the recipe.
(Mind you, it sounds delicious)
John
Yikes, I must learn to proof read better!
Yes, we make a fairly small quantity at a time and usually one jar, fairly small, suffices. It is not something one eats by the bucket load unless particularly brave - or foolhardy!
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I give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way.
Fancy a break in South India?
Accessible Homestay Guesthouse in Central Kerala, contact me for details
What part of Matt. 7:1 don't you understand?
Posts: 48139 | From: 1st on the right, straight on 'til morning | Registered: Sep 2005
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Anna B
Shipmate
# 1439
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Dormouse:
Can anyone suggest any other pickle/chutney recipes.
I just this weekend made a chutney from aloo bukhara, a type of dried sour plum available in my local Indian/Pakistani grocery. You soak the plums in water overnight, pit them, then boil them with their soaking water, vinegar and sugar to taste, as well as minced garlic, ginger, and as much cayenne as you like. When the mixture has boiled down somewhat, you add both black and golden raisins and boil it a bit more until it's nice and gooey and sticky. We had it with chicken tonight, and it was phenomenal.
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Bad Christian (TM)
Posts: 3069 | From: near a lot of fish | Registered: Oct 2001
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Nats
Shipmate
# 2211
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Posted
Just made strawberry icecream today - got the quantities slightly off I think but still very good. 1 tub of fresh custard from M+S on the way
home mixed with the strawberrys we had left over from jamming (I'm guessing a little over a pound but I'm not sure) blitz and freez. Yumm!
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life is purple
Posts: 376 | From: Swindon, UK | Registered: Jan 2002
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Jengie jon
Semper Reformanda
# 273
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Posted
How about Watermelon Konfyt which has the nice added property that you get to eat the watermelon as well as make the preserve (the preserve is made with the skins). It is delicious.
Jengie
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"To violate a persons ability to distinguish fact from fantasy is the epistemological equivalent of rape." Noretta Koertge
Back to my blog
Posts: 20894 | From: city of steel, butterflies and rainbows | Registered: May 2001
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Zorro
Shipmate
# 9156
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Posted
Well, summer's arrived, and with it come Smoothies/milkshakes at Fort Zorro.
I made one for the WC final which had 1 spoon of strawberry jam, 1 spoon of blackcurrant jam, 1/2 spoon of peanut butter and a shot of vanilla. It was really nice, but in small quantities I think, it gets really, really sickly after a while!
BTW, a spoon is a desert spoon, sorry, no accurate measurments available
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It is so hard to believe, because it is so hard to obey. Soren Kierkegaard
Well, churches really should be like sluts; take everyone no matter who they are or whether they can pay. Spiffy da wondersheep
Posts: 2568 | From: Baja California (actually the UK but that's where my fans know me from) | Registered: Mar 2005
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Jengie jon
Semper Reformanda
# 273
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Zorro:
BTW, a spoon is a desert spoon, sorry, no accurate measurments available
Zorro, by tradition many great cooks measure that way. How otherwise do you adjust for the peculiarities that beset cooking like the flour having less moisture in it than the last batch?
Jengie
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"To violate a persons ability to distinguish fact from fantasy is the epistemological equivalent of rape." Noretta Koertge
Back to my blog
Posts: 20894 | From: city of steel, butterflies and rainbows | Registered: May 2001
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Mamacita
Lakefront liberal
# 3659
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Posted
So I bought a bottle of balsamic vinegar at Costco. (It matches the bottle of olive oil. That's my excuse.) There's just one problem. I have *no idea* what one does with balsamic vinegar, other than make salad dressing. Any other creative uses for this condiment?
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Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly, now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.
Posts: 20761 | From: where the purple line ends | Registered: Dec 2002
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Dormouse
Glis glis – Ship's rodent
# 5954
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Posted
I love balsamic vinegar served with steamed asparagus & melted butter. Pity the asparagus season is over...
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What are you doing for Lent?
40 days, 40 reflections, 40 acts of generosity. Join the #40acts challenge for #Lent and let's start a movement. www.40acts.org.uk
Posts: 3042 | From: 'twixt les Bois Noirs & Les Monts de la Madeleine | Registered: May 2004
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Ferijen
Shipmate
# 4719
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Mamacita:
So I bought a bottle of balsamic vinegar at Costco. (It matches the bottle of olive oil. That's my excuse.) There's just one problem. I have *no idea* what one does with balsamic vinegar, other than make salad dressing. Any other creative uses for this condiment?
Baked onions/peppers/mushrooms/sausages with balsamic vinegar is a pretty good combination...
Posts: 3259 | From: UK | Registered: Jul 2003
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Zorro
Shipmate
# 9156
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Posted
quote:
I love balsamic vinegar served with steamed asparagus & melted butter. Pity the asparagus season is over...
I clicked this "last post" hoping to find other recipes for milshakes.
![[Projectile]](graemlins/puke2.gif)
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It is so hard to believe, because it is so hard to obey. Soren Kierkegaard
Well, churches really should be like sluts; take everyone no matter who they are or whether they can pay. Spiffy da wondersheep
Posts: 2568 | From: Baja California (actually the UK but that's where my fans know me from) | Registered: Mar 2005
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Firenze
Ordinary decent pagan
# 619
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Mamacita:
So I bought a bottle of balsamic vinegar at Costco. (It matches the bottle of olive oil. That's my excuse.) There's just one problem. I have *no idea* what one does with balsamic vinegar, other than make salad dressing. Any other creative uses for this condiment?
Experiment. It is what I would call a 'mellow acid' flavour. In the suggestions given, it is cutting a heavy rich flavour - butter, sausages, oil. So I tend to use a dash when deglazing the pan for meat sauces or stocks. Or a sprinkle over roasted mediterranean vegetables (effectively a hot salad, since they will have been cooked in olive oil). And while on hot salads, very nice with hot potatoes (and diced smoke sausage) with whatever else you fancy - my taste would run to chili or ketchup or mustard.
Posts: 17302 | From: Edinburgh | Registered: Jun 2001
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Nats
Shipmate
# 2211
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Posted
Fry some onion until golden. Add chopped fresh tomatoes and avocados and bits of grilled bacon (assuming you are not vegetarian!) and heat briefly over a high heat. Toss in balsalmic vinegar and the best olive oil you can afford. Mix with hot pasta and fresh basil and serve. Perfect for a warm summers evening.... ahhhhhhhh
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life is purple
Posts: 376 | From: Swindon, UK | Registered: Jan 2002
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KenWritez
Shipmate
# 3238
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Posted
It's more a question of, what can't you use balsamic vinegar on? I've even seen it reduced in a pan and then dripped over ice cream.
Try it on sandwiches, and it's also great on cooked, salted potatoes. I use it in lots of my soups, stews, etc.
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"The truth is you're the weak. And I'm the tyranny of evil men. But I'm tryin', Ringo. I'm tryin' real hard to be a shepherd." --Quentin Tarantino, Pulp Fiction
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Posts: 11102 | From: Left coast of Wonderland, by the rabbit hole | Registered: Aug 2002
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Welease Woderwick
Sister Incubus Nightmare
# 10424
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Posted
Black pepper and balsamic vinegar on strawberries!
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Posts: 48139 | From: 1st on the right, straight on 'til morning | Registered: Sep 2005
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Yangtze
Shipmate
# 4965
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Jengie Jon:
How about Watermelon Konfyt which has the nice added property that you get to eat the watermelon as well as make the preserve (the preserve is made with the skins). It is delicious.
Jengie
I happened to have some watermelon in the fridge as I read this so I'm now making it. (Literally, it's bubbling away in the syrup as I type).
But what do you eat it with?
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Posts: 2022 | From: the smallest town in England | Registered: Sep 2003
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Firenze
Ordinary decent pagan
# 619
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Posted
I am making a fairly failsafe main course for a dinner party this evening - port escalope braised in apple-juice,with fresh apple and creme fraiche to finish.
My question - anyone got interesting variants or additons to the basic dish they can recommend? Touch of thyme? Dill? Mustard?
Posts: 17302 | From: Edinburgh | Registered: Jun 2001
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Josephine
Orthodox Belle
# 3899
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Posted
When I was growing up, I couldn't stand to eat cooked greens of any kind. I just couldn't. But I have realized, in the last few years, that it wasn't the taste that bothered me, it was the texture. Wilted spinach, in a salad or in a Thai dish, is really wonderful. It was the stuff that was canned or cooked for an hour or two that I couldn't stand.
But I'm now living in the Pacific Northwest, where about the only kind of cooking green you ever see is spinach. And I was at the farmer's market a few days ago, and one of the stalls had organic collards and kale and two kinds of mustard greens.
Mustard greens! My grandmother fixed them regularly, and I thought I'd give them a try. Maybe sauteed lightly with some onion in a bit of bacon grease, they'd be good.
They smelled right as I was washing them and breaking out the tough stems. And when they were done, the texture was okay, and if I had to choose between what I fixed and greens boiled for two hours, I'd take mine. But they were unbelievably bitter. Mousethief, who doesn't mind flavors that are a bit bitter, and who likes mustard greens (and who really didn't want to hurt my feelings) wouldn't eat them, nor would his daughter.
So what did I do wrong? These greens didn't look like the ones my grandma fixed -- they had a red or purple cast to them, like red leaf lettuce. The other kind I could have gotten were bright green, with very curly leaves.
Maybe next time I'll try the collards.
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Posts: 10273 | From: Pacific Northwest, USA | Registered: Jan 2003
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KenWritez
Shipmate
# 3238
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Posted
J, how long did you cook them?
Mustard greens are really bitter when under-cooked. You'll need to cook them until the greens are soft enough for your liking and their taste is what you want. Also, do you want to fry, boil or braise them? Each of these methods needs different cooking times.
If frying, I suggest par-boiling the greens for at least 5-10 minutes first. More likely you'll need 20+, but YMMV. Test first. Also, the smaller the size of your pieces of greens, the faster they'll cook.
If braising, then ditto the 5-10-20+ minutes (use chicken or veg stock, not water.) This method will probably take the longest but will add the most flavor to the greens from the surrounding liquid.
If boiling, well, just boil until the greens are to your liking.
Regardless of method, the only real determiner of "done" here is your mouth. Cook them to your desired taste and texture.
It's not uncommon to boil some greens for as much as an hour and change.
[ 18. July 2006, 06:27: Message edited by: KenWritez ]
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"The truth is you're the weak. And I'm the tyranny of evil men. But I'm tryin', Ringo. I'm tryin' real hard to be a shepherd." --Quentin Tarantino, Pulp Fiction
My blog: http://oxygenofgrace.blogspot.com
Posts: 11102 | From: Left coast of Wonderland, by the rabbit hole | Registered: Aug 2002
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Jengie jon
Semper Reformanda
# 273
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Yangtze:
quote:
Originally posted by Jengie Jon:
How about Watermelon Konfyt which has the nice added property that you get to eat the watermelon as well as make the preserve (the preserve is made with the skins). It is delicious.
Jengie
I happened to have some watermelon in the fridge as I read this so I'm now making it. (Literally, it's bubbling away in the syrup as I type).
But what do you eat it with?
Its a conserve, its sweet, its delicious on bread and butter or toast and butter, or serve it over ice cream.
Jengie
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Posts: 20894 | From: city of steel, butterflies and rainbows | Registered: May 2001
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Yangtze
Shipmate
# 4965
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Posted
Hmm, maybe I didn't get the cooking right then. Mine has turned out more like chunks of crystalised fruit in a very thick syrup rather than a spreadable jam.
Should I have cut the fruit up smaller? Is it supposed to go soft and sort of mush up?
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Posts: 2022 | From: the smallest town in England | Registered: Sep 2003
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KenWritez
Shipmate
# 3238
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Posted
Jellies and jams aren't my area of expertise, but if your fruit sugar is crystallizing, I *think* that means the cooking solution is overcooked or didn't have enough water in it. Sugar is hydroscopic, it bonds to water, and if there's enough water and the proper heat, it should remain uncrystallized IIRC. But if the water lessens or it gets too hot, the sugar will recrystallize.
Sorry to be so vague. You might try Googling candy-making sites for info.
Here's one that might help you.
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"The truth is you're the weak. And I'm the tyranny of evil men. But I'm tryin', Ringo. I'm tryin' real hard to be a shepherd." --Quentin Tarantino, Pulp Fiction
My blog: http://oxygenofgrace.blogspot.com
Posts: 11102 | From: Left coast of Wonderland, by the rabbit hole | Registered: Aug 2002
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