What's cooking? part 4

This guy also thought rambutans were lychees. Clearly the man needs a fruit tutorial.

haha

Spent the morning baking cheese crackers for a partee!

Thanksgiving weekend here. Housemates are making turkey, mystery sides and pumpkin pie. Guests are bringing additional desserts. I'm doing beets with walnuts and brandied prunes, and green beens/shallots/orange zest. The recipe calls for ginger too, but that sounds like a bit much to me - might prefer it with just the orange.

That reminds me I still have to make that no-knead bread!

― Stevie D(eux), Saturday, October 12, 2013 11:01 AM

Is this the 18-hour rest method? I've been doing that for many months now, Very easy, and good results.

I just have to time it w/ a full time work schedule; I don't think I really have any blocks of free time 18 hours apart

I got impatient with the pork shoulder and messed it up. Pulled it at 9 p.m. after 12 hours but the internal temp was only 173, so it didn't fall apart like it shoulda coulda woulda if I'd gotten it to 195-200. I pulled the bone out and put it all in the crock pot, and am giving it a long slow cook today to get the meat up to the falling-apart temp. It will probably turn out a bit mushy, but the flavor is good and it got a good deep smoke penetration yesterday.

I need to revise my smoke schedule so that briskets and shoulders finish overnight and are ready in the morning, instead of trying to push it to be ready in the evening. My bedtime's too early.

Yeah my slow cooker only goes for 12 hours so I start it at night then restart it when it times out the next morning. I have dreams all night influenced by the delicious scent of pork.

I wish I could leave it out overnight in a smoker, but that would be too much temptation for this neighborhood.

I just have to time it w/ a full time work schedule; I don't think I really have any blocks of free time 18 hours apart

this! i have never made this bread because it requires too much planning and with all the other planning required of me (including work, grocery shopping, etc) i just can't handle another thing and would rather just buy a loaf of bread and be done with it. then again, if i can't make something regularly, i usually don't make it at all.

Making the momofuku bo ssam today, I'll see how it goes. Forgot to brine before I went to bed so I was salting/sugaring my pork shoulder at 4:45 this morning after I woke up to pee.

making braised kale & poached eggs on toast for late breakfast then this afternoon i'll set up slow cooker chicken & gravy for dinner

Gonna make kitfo-inspired burgers with berebere (sp?) tonight.

as long as it's not beri-beri :)

berbere?
that sounds deliiiiiiicious

I think the other U&K kifo flavorings are butter (maybe I'll melt some butter and season it with the berebere?) and that crumbly cheese, for which I think I will sub queso fresco. Now if only I could create an injera-inspired hamburger bun! Actually, I think I will put it on sourdough, so it will have a bit of that sourness.

I was salting/sugaring my pork shoulder at 4:45 this morning after I woke up to pee.

― joygoat, Sunday, October 13, 2013 12:05 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

this is devotion

I just have to time it w/ a full time work schedule; I don't think I really have any blocks of free time 18 hours apart

― Stevie D(eux), Sunday, October 13, 2013

I make the dough around midnight, then shape and bake it the next day when I get home from work. I do have to plan, but it's not that inconvenient.

Finishing in the crock pot totally solved that pig. Best pulled pork I've made yet!

Someone gave me a bag of almond meal so I made a pie crust with half almond meal and half spelt flour and the regular amt of butter, salt, etc. Only rolled it out as a top crust over my apples--basically I'm winging the whole thing using ingreds already in my house so disaster could easily ensue.

Kitfo-inspired burgers turned out well! I have a little bit of the mix left over, which I shall turn into kitfo-inspired MEATBALLS.

Okay the half-shell apple pie is great. The almond meal has a weird taste that I could maybe get tired of, whereas I physically cannot tire of delicious floury pie dough, but the first couple of pieces are delicious.

Not surprised (as an almond flour 1-min microwave muffin w/apple devotee).

almond crust sounds vv good!

It does sound good. I'm making banana bread for my stoods, just like I always do.

baker @ work on holiday so i offered to make some things from scratch, which she NEVER does.
never made bran muffins before and i don't even really care for 'em much but the recipe came out awesome.
have a Alice Medrich book for cookies. made oatmeal choc chip cookies that my boss went nuts for; and tomorrow we're gonna bake something called Panellets which is a cookie made with mashed yams, ground almonds, egg white, toasted coconut, sugar and i think that's it. hope the old peeps like 'em

i LOVE bran muffins!! they're my favourite kind. i wish i had the recipe my mum used when i was a kid, but i don't think i've seen the same kind of bran flakes here that she used.

what's your recipe, OM?

it's these: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sour-Cream-Bran-Muffins-13186

first time i subbed plain nonfat yogurt with just a little sour cream. second time was 1/2 sour cream. next time i'm gonna use plain nonfat greek yogurt with a little s.c.....they're really moist and totally delicious.

oh, and the panellets are AWESOME. if anyone needs a low sugar no butter cookie these rock hard

I am attempting a Kale, White Bean, Sausage, and Potato Thing. I will report back shortly.

I eyed a turkey soup recipe and threw turkey leftovers (yay Canadian thanksgiving!), lentils, carrots and celery in the crockpot this morning, using stock that I made from prepping all of the above the night before (+spices, an onion, garlic, Worcestershire sauce). Just strained the broth this morning then dumped the prepped meat and veg in, and it turned out excellently! Was a little worried crockpot would overheat so unplugged it this AM when I woke up and only re-plugged right before I went to work an hour later.

I probably put about 3x too many lentils in but I'm not complaining. Did not have recommended can of crushed tomatoes much to my chagrin.

I am attempting a Kale, White Bean, Sausage, and Potato Thing. I will report back shortly.

― Stevie D(eux), Wednesday, October 16, 2013 7:44 PM (55 minutes ago)

That sounds really good, I might do something like that later in the week.

It wasn't that good

:(

:(

What was lacking, Stevie D?

I am in the midst of a hummus experiment which, at the urging of smitten kitchen, will involve peeling each chickpea.

Oh nnnnooooooo. I have done that, or attempted to do that. It can become almost meditative but overall do not recommend.

Uh oh.

I just want to have hummus exactly like some I had in Tel Aviv, is that so much to ask? *cries*

I had this beetroot and sesame dip tonight, it was bright pink and awesome. You should make that instead!

<3 lo mein noodles <3

kinder, I have two beets sitting here on my counter (uncooked). And tahini, and sesame seeds. Need more details!

I'm afraid it was bought from the supermarket and I'd have no idea how to make my own! It said 'no mayo' on the packet so.. That's a start? :)

google turns up a couple nice looking recipes. I might try this one:
http://www.thecookingcardiologist.com/recipes/beetroot-sunflower-sesame-hummus-dip

Here's the ingredients of the Sainsburys one:
Beetroot (33%); Borlotti Beans; Water; Greek Style Yogurt*; Soured Cream*; Tahini (from Sesame) (5%); Rapeseed Oil; Concentrated Lemon Juice; Cornflour; Sugar; Salt; White Wine Vinegar; Garlic Purée;
Colour: Beetroot; Stabilisers: Guar Gum, Xanthan Gum.Beetroot contains: Beetroot, Spirit Vinegar, Water, Sugar.*(from Cows' Milk);

Hmm OK, I'm sure I can sub chickpeas for whatever the fuck borlotti beans are; I can score some yogurt (tho not greek style) and sour cream, got tahini, maybe olive instead of rapeseed oil, got lemon juice and the seasonings. Gonna do this, will report back! Thanks for info (to outdoor miner as well)

another warm'n'lovely day here so not gonna really cook. got scallops from Japantown just now to make spicy scallop rolls (small amount of habanero will be involved, along with chile sesame oil) - one of my favorite things in the world. also picked up pickled eggplant and some wakame salad

What are some good cookbooks I should put on my xmas list that are v HQ but not insaaaanely overcomplicated (like I'm fine w/ a little work in the kitch but nothing too crazy convoluted)

I'm thinking Smitten Kitchen, Ottolenghi's Plenty and/or Jerusalem, maybe David Thompson's Thai Food... what else?

The Ottolenghi books are great. Nigel Slater's Kitchen Diaries II is worth a look. Fuschia Dunlop's Every Grain Of Rice, Russell Norman's Polpo...

Are there any specific cuisines you are interested in?

David thompsons book has some pretty complicated recipes in it btw

That's true but it's more usable than his Thai Street Food, I think.