| Spicy Tuna Salad |
[14 Nov 2009|06:05pm] |
Sorry, no pictures, and not even that great a recipe - but it was really good!
3 carrots
9 baby dill pickles
1 clove garlic
1" of raw horseradish root
1 can of tuna
mayonnaise
Toss the carrots and garlic in your food processor - process until the carrots are about half broken up. Toss in the pickles, process until fine (about 1-2mm chunks?). Remove the outside of the horseradish, use your microplane to grate it into the bowl. Drain and add the tunafish. Break up the tunafish, mix well. Add mayonnaise until it's the consistency you like (I like mine dryish, I use about 2T.)
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| The Ace of Spades. |
[15 Nov 2009|01:17am] |
It was one of my best friends' 18th birthday last Sunday, and she refused to have a party or do anything to celebrate it, in some part thanks to the fact that it was in the middle of our university's exam week. Yuck. So I took the responsibility upon myself to bake a cake and take it to last night's post-exams party of the uni Pantomime Society*.
It was my first real attempt at decorating a cake. I cheated and used packet mixes for the cake (vanilla on the bottom, chocolate on top, with vanilla icing in the middle). I don't know any fancy icing techniques, so I just used what was in the box, adding more icing sugar to the vanilla to make it whiter, and less butter to the chocolate to make it darker (I also put extra vanilla essence and some All-Spice into the vanilla icing, but I don't think you could taste it). The writing is in melted white chocolate with pink food dye :P.
( Cake! )
*Pantomime is different to mime. It's basically a silly/smutty play with audience participation. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantomime (The 'UWA Pantomime Society' mentioned under the Australia section is us!)
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| Christmas Dinner |
[13 Nov 2009|11:56pm] |
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Settlin'-Sugarland |
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You know it's the holiday season when every other post here has something to do with Turkey Day or Christmas. Haha. Anyway, I'm hosting my first Christmas this year, and I'm really excited about it. My mother in law is so...well, she seems to think that if she eats anyone else's cooking but hers, she's going to spontaneously combust or something. I don't kno what her issue is, but I digress. I've got a tentative menu worked out in my head, and I'd like y'all's input.
( Mmm, Christmas dinner, anyone? )</lj-cut
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| Birthday party tomorrow, need to make a cake |
[13 Nov 2009|08:21pm] |
It's my friend's birthday party tomorrow (21st) and I said I'd make a cake. It's also bill paying time so I can't fork out the money to buy everything from scratch. Plus I bought him 2 liters of rum.
So, members of cooking, I need the best from the box recipes you have. Something that nobody will ever think I threw together tomorrow morning.
Thank you!
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| Paula Deen's Red Velvet Cake |
[13 Nov 2009|06:20pm] |
After trying numerous times to bake a red velvet cake... I have finally done it! I listened to everyone's suggestion and bought a creme based food dye from Wilton. It was the U.S. red color and not Canadian (stupid pink tones!), the cake finally turned red! However, I don't think I let the butter or cream cheese get completely to room temperature as it was a little bumpy after mixing. Nonetheless it was wonderful!
(Recipe)
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| Thanksgiving |
[13 Nov 2009|09:26pm] |
To keep this post on-topic, here's a photo of my "lethal" cranberry sauce:
Recipe is quite simple: cranberries and cranberry-flavored Jell-O made with the traditional Jell-O shot method. I buy a fifth of vodka and then enough Jell-O mix and cranberries to make a couple batches. Sometimes I will add a little sugar. It makes holiday gatherings with the family much more tolerable!
Anyway, on to my real point of making a post tonight: has anyone successfully done a fried turducken??? I have googled it but I am sure some of us food pornstars have some great advice. I also welcome advice on preparing an oven-cooked turducken but I really want to try deep frying it. Thanks.
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| Chocolate Pudding! |
[13 Nov 2009|11:17am] |
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Growing up, chocolate pudding was a staple in my home and one of my favorite comfort foods. Making pudding from a box, stirring it slowly over the stove is one of my earliest memories of food. Now a bit older and wiser, I know that the real thing is so much better! You can’t beat the smooth, velvety texture and rich creamy flavor. You’ll likely have many of these ingredients on hand. Why settle for preservatives when you can easily make the real thing? I like it served warm in a bowl with a nice dollop of freshly whipped cream on top. It’s a simple, year-round dessert.
Chocolate Pudding
Adapted from Joy of Baking
Ingredients:- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/3 cup high quality cocoa powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream or half n half
- 4 large egg yolks
- 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoons high quality vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature (cut into small pieces)
In a large stainless steel bowl whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder, and salt. Then whisk in 1/2 cup of the milk until you have a thick paste. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, whisking to blend into the cocoa paste mixture. Set aside while you heat the milk and cream. Have a fine medium-sized strainer and bowl ready near the stove as you will need to strain the pudding after it is cooked.
Pour in the remaining 2 cups of milk with the cream into a medium-sized heavy saucepan . Bring this mixture just to a boil and then remove from heat. (The milk will foam up to the top of pan when done, so watch carefully.) Gradually pour the milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly, until the mixture is smooth. Transfer the pudding mixture to a clean large, heavy bottomed saucepan and place over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens to the consistency of mayonnaise. Remove from heat and pour through the strainer to remove any lumps that may have formed during cooking.
Add the finely chopped chocolate, vanilla extract, and butter, stirring gently with a rubber spatula until the mixture is smooth. Pour into 6 to 8 bowls. Can serve warm or if chilling, press plastic wrap onto the surface of the warm puddings to prevent a skin from forming.
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| So wrong but oh so good! |
[13 Nov 2009|07:57pm] |
We had a friend visit us a couple of days ago, and had an impromptu chocolate tasting session - we bought a ridiculous amount of different flavoured chocolate in Germany a while ago, and it was a good time to share it.
Some flavours were good, some less so. But the one that truly stuck out was the Zaabar sage flavoured chocolate. Although it lacked a little something....and then we looked at the hard goat cheese on the table, and at each other, and at the chocolate....
The combination of dark chocolate, sage and goat's cheese is phenomenal. Aside from making a pretty unusual cheese course, I now want to combine these flavours in a dish, but I'm not sure the world is ready for it...and I'm not really sure what could be created! Any suggestions?
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| The Ultimate Thanksgiving |
[13 Nov 2009|07:59pm] |
Mmmmkay, so, I've seen a few Thanksgiving posts in the last week or so, but I don't know that I've seen this particular question.
What is your BEST classic Thanksgiving recipe? You know the classics: stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc. How do you prepare it?
In other words, share your ULTIMATE Thanksgiving menu, with recipes, please!
(Oh, and, you know, help a girl out here - I'm hosting Thanksgiving for the first time ever, and my family has never really had much of my cooking, other than a side dish here and there, so I'd really love to totally blow them away.)
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| Buttercream recipe? |
[13 Nov 2009|04:17pm] |
What is your favorite recipe for buttercream frosting that is stiff enough to decorate cakes/hold its shape? I tried my hand at buttercream frosting, but it got all melty before it hardened (see bottom border on this cake). I'd really love a good recipe that can be my go-to for all my cake decorating needs!
Thanks!
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| Conversion |
[13 Nov 2009|05:12pm] |
I was wondering what the conversion to Imperial is for a deciliter?
I have a recipe that calls for "1 1/2 dl sugar" and "18 dl (900g) flour" and I have no clue what that would be to an American.
Can someone let me know what the normal conversion rate would be, as well as how much sugar my recipe is calling for?
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| Lunch |
[12 Nov 2009|07:18pm] |
Japanese Noodles with Butternut Squash, Chanterelle Mushrooms and Brussels Sprouts in a Beef and Sriracha Broth
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| lowish fat vanilla cake with lots of eggs |
[13 Nov 2009|04:41pm] |
I am looking for a fairly simple lowish fat dense/chewy vanilla cake with lots of eggs(*). In my head it's almost like crispy-edged solid custard, but I'm not sure that's possible.
Sponge cake is too fluffy, brownies have chocolate (which I can't eat, woe), tend to be fatty, and aren't quite right anyway. French toast, waffles and pancakes can be ok but I'm hoping for cake.
Also: I can't eat dairy (or soy), so while I can substitute milk or butter the chemical properties of say buttermilk are not available.
Google has failed me, you're my only hope!
(*)I know eggs are kind of fatty, but I really like the taste and for some reason they don't irritate my stomach as much as oil/margarine. Also I usually don't like the taste or texture of cakes made with lots of oil/butter/margarine.
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| hooray for venison? |
[12 Nov 2009|09:55pm] |
Last week my husband got a few pounds of ground venison from a hunter buddy of his. He expects ME to cook it though. I have no idea what to do with venison. I mean, I know it could be used in place of beef, but I also have heard that it's not very fatty, so something needs to be done to make it easier to cook? I don't know.
I've only been really cooking for less than two years now. I don't think this is something that the microwave can tackle.
So yeah. Venison me!
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| Soupe à l'Oignon Gratinée |
[11 Nov 2009|08:49pm] |
... also known as French Onion Soup.
I've been making this for years, but kind of according to my own recipe, which was good. But tonight I took a look at Julia Child's, and I have to say she totally kicked my ass. I'm really not surprised though - the woman did write a few cookbooks, after all.
I used to use red wine to fill out the broth. Julia's uses vermouth and brandy - a distinct improvement. However, it did mean that I was stuck with some "superfluous" red wine. On a Wednesday, no less! :)
( Recipe! )
See more at The Cast-Iron Darling!
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| Tweaking a gluten free 'Xmas cake |
[12 Nov 2009|03:25pm] |
Am planning to bake my first gluten-free coeliac 'Xmas cake this year and for various reasons am adapting a basic Simnel cake. (Also means I'm facing a lactose-free crisis as well but I believe that is covered with the Rose wine gelee and a mango coulis. However, I'm cheating since the gluten free flours can be difficult, I intend to use an Orgran gluten-free Victoria sponge mix base.) The size of the cake has to be increased from 8" x 2" to 9" x 3" deep to feed everyone. I'd appreciate any input, ideas or suggestions from you more experienced folks if my planning is obviously faulty.
( Read more... )
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