Mackenzie 92
Member
I've seen that at traders joe's. It's a spread like peanutbutter or nutello, made out of cookies I think.
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IronGAF Cookoff (hosted by OnkelC)
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I've seen that at traders joe's. It's a spread like peanutbutter or nutello, made out of cookies I think.
Cosmic Bus
pristine morning snow
Speculoos are a spice cookie; equivalent would be ginger snaps or something along those lines.
Mackenzie 92
Member
BriareosGAF
Member
We eat it on some linguini fini, usually. It's one of my favorite dishes, make it super spicy.
BriareosGAF
Member
Wife just upgraded us to this one, we used to have the smaller white bodied plastic one, never had a problem with it, just wanted more capacity (we make a lot of hummus and baba ghanoush):
http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-DFP-14BCN-Processor-Brushed-Stainless/dp/B0000645TW/
Thanks a lot. Will do some more research.
Here's some pics of my dinner today: chile rellenos and Spanish rice
Argh, had no idea Speculoos weren't international !
It's a biscuit/cookie like shortbread cookies, very "butter-y" and "sandy", easy to crunch to use as crumble or things like those.
Here's what it looks like :
I use it a lot as a shortcut for crumble, cake bottoms and such, it's quite handy and frankly delicious
Looked at google images, and it looks like the same kind of cookies yes.
They made a spread our of it yes, quite delicious
killertofu
Member
Why do I always read this thread late at night.
Snkfanatic
Banned
Anyone have a great fresh guacamole recipe? I found some decent recipes online but I was hoping someone would have one that is awesome.
Got some fresh avocados the other day so I want to make some awesome guac.
Got some fresh avocados the other day so I want to make some awesome guac.
systemfehler
Member
So I am in the middle of making a salmon trout (Lachsforelle?) with about 1.2kg. So far I just used some lemon pepper, salt, olive oil and some parsley/thyme. Any ideas of how long I should cook that beast in the oven? I was thinking about an hour at 210° C but I am not sure since the guy who sold it said 35-40 minutes. I prefer the fish not too "glazed".
Anyway at least a pic before I mess it up:
Anyway at least a pic before I mess it up:
Cosmic Bus
pristine morning snow
Gonna give New York Times' shakshuka recipe a try this weekend. Non-traditional recipe that uses feta but it just looks so good. Had to share.
Tried doing this for breakfast, but I didn't like it. Seems when it comes to tomato + egg, I enjoy either raw slices or occasionally salsa, but not a hot tomato sauce (and definitely never ketchup, gross!)
Cosmic Bus
pristine morning snow
For a denser fish like salmon, you're gonna want the fish in the oven as hot as it'll go for 10-15 minutes; after this, lower the temp to around 175c for 20-30 minutes.
Properly prepared something today after a long time (no pics. Forgot to take).
Basically made some quinoa and combined it with 2 types of cherry tomatoes, cucumber, sundried tomatoes, red onion and made a vinigairette of olive oil (a good Spanish one we had), oil from the sundried tomatos, dijon mustard and lemon juice.
Overall, it needed some fresh herbs (which we didn't have) and some feta/goat cheese (which we apparently did, d'oh!). Still turned out alright.
I've forgotten the satisfaction of cooking. Need to get back into this properly. Time to roast a chicken this weekend.
Basically made some quinoa and combined it with 2 types of cherry tomatoes, cucumber, sundried tomatoes, red onion and made a vinigairette of olive oil (a good Spanish one we had), oil from the sundried tomatos, dijon mustard and lemon juice.
Overall, it needed some fresh herbs (which we didn't have) and some feta/goat cheese (which we apparently did, d'oh!). Still turned out alright.
I've forgotten the satisfaction of cooking. Need to get back into this properly. Time to roast a chicken this weekend.
codswallop
Member
This is a copy/paste of one I have in Google Drive. I like it. If you don't have anything just omit or replace as best you can. Cilantro/coriander and tomato are really important. Cut the tomatoes/onion as fine as you can.
Guacamole
Ingredients
2 ripe avocados
1/2 red onion, minced (about 1/2 cup)
1-2 chillies, stems and seeds removed, minced
2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of fresh lime or lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
A dash of freshly grated black pepper
1/2 ripe tomato, seeds and pulp removed, chopped
Garnish with red radishes or jicama. Serve with tortilla chips.
Method
Cut avocados in half. Remove seed. Scoop out avacado from the peel, put in a mixing bowl.
Using a fork, mash the avocado. Add the chopped onion, cilantro, lime or lemon, salt and pepper and mash some more. Add chilli to taste.
Keep the tomatoes separate until ready to serve.
Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the guacamole to prevent oxidation from the air reaching it. Refrigerate until ready.
Just before serving, add the chopped tomato to the guacamole and mix.
Serves 2-4.
Bright Side of Life
Member
Anyone know for sure if you can use almond milk and self rising flour for cream puffs or crepe cake.
Only asking because:
1. I really don't want to go grocery shopping for or to replace items
2. I've been strapped for time getting crap down around the house--no me time D:
3. I don't like wasting food because that means wasted effort and time.
Making a early dessert thing for my brother tomorrow.
Only asking because:
1. I really don't want to go grocery shopping for or to replace items
2. I've been strapped for time getting crap down around the house--no me time D:
3. I don't like wasting food because that means wasted effort and time.
Making a early dessert thing for my brother tomorrow.
systemfehler
Member
Thank you for the information. I think it worked out pretty well although a fourth person could have easily eaten with us and my decoration skills are rather bad
BriareosGAF
Member
Thank you for the information. I think it worked out pretty well although a fourth person could have easily eaten with us and my decoration skills are rather bad
Looks great, nice work!
Our harvest is coming in so it's been lots of greek salads around here since we're overflowing with cucumbers and tomato. Need to get some pics together, but since I've been travelling and eating out frequently it's nice to get back to some wholesome basics. Our blueberries, raspberries and blackberries have been coming in too, but the girls just eat them straight off the plant so we haven't done anything clever with them yet.
systemfehler
Member
I wish I had the space to grow my own fruits/vegetables. We have a small hut in the mountains with blueberries around but the ones that grow on bushes and not small trees. It takes ages to get a decent amount of them since they are hard to pluck and much smaller than the ones you can buy in a store. So we end up mostly eating without any serious harvesting results.
Metroid Killer
Member
You can easily substitute almond milk instead of milk, equal amount. Self-rising flour will obviously add more air to your batter, but for cream puffs it's kinda a plus, and I doubt slightly thicker crepes will ruin anything.
Started the process to make Heston Blumenthal's Roast Chicken (from Cook Like Heston).
1.8kg chicken is now untrussed and brining in a 6% brine (300g of salt in 5 litres of water). I've brined a turkey once before roasting it and the results were fantastic. Expecting similar results.
Will post pics of the finished product when done. I hope I got the % right on that brine. Will know tomorrow morning.
1.8kg chicken is now untrussed and brining in a 6% brine (300g of salt in 5 litres of water). I've brined a turkey once before roasting it and the results were fantastic. Expecting similar results.
Will post pics of the finished product when done. I hope I got the % right on that brine. Will know tomorrow morning.
Metroid Killer
Member
Tonight is the European release of Pikmin 3 a game of one of my favorite franchises.
In the game the inhabitants of the planet Koppai has to search the outer space for food resources when they stumble upon planet PNF-404. On PNF-404 they discover some strange beings...
Could it be, that by chance my back garden is actually PNF-404? This is what I discovered outside:
Apparently these plant sprouts are living creatures called Pikmin! They come in many colors and are great at working together. But PNF-404 also hosts other beings, much larger, and much more ferocious. A Hairy Bulborb approached a white Pikmin and gulped it up in one bite! It was a horrible sight to be seen.
None the less I joined in and ate some of the other Pikmins. Apparently the white and purple pikmin taste like chocolate and elderflower. The red and pink ones taste like raspberry. The yellow tastes like lemon. And finally the blue tastes like rum.
In the game the inhabitants of the planet Koppai has to search the outer space for food resources when they stumble upon planet PNF-404. On PNF-404 they discover some strange beings...
Could it be, that by chance my back garden is actually PNF-404? This is what I discovered outside:
Apparently these plant sprouts are living creatures called Pikmin! They come in many colors and are great at working together. But PNF-404 also hosts other beings, much larger, and much more ferocious. A Hairy Bulborb approached a white Pikmin and gulped it up in one bite! It was a horrible sight to be seen.
None the less I joined in and ate some of the other Pikmins. Apparently the white and purple pikmin taste like chocolate and elderflower. The red and pink ones taste like raspberry. The yellow tastes like lemon. And finally the blue tastes like rum.
Funky Papa
FUNK-Y-PPA-4
I love the creativity involved
Those things look very brownie-like. I bet the rum one tasted delicious.
Those things look very brownie-like. I bet the rum one tasted delicious.
Bright Side of Life
Member
Been cooking from 11:00am and just finished (it's 7:00). The only time I wasn't cooking was to take a shower after walking a dog I'm dogsitting, washing the dishes, and cleaning and clearing out the fridge. The only real break I got was when I had to make dashi and have it simmer so I used that time to watch Masterchef.
Made a strawberry crepe cake with some chocolate drizzle and zaru soba with tsuyu dipping sauce. Condiments are nitamago, shredded carrots and ginger, chopped green onions, and seaweed.
The soba dipping sauce came out fine but the cake...man did I botch that a bit or so. Mostly because the custard got a tad lumpy because I set the oven to medium instead of medium low and I did a chocolate covered crepe but realized after cutting it I should have done a ganache. Oh well.
Made a strawberry crepe cake with some chocolate drizzle and zaru soba with tsuyu dipping sauce. Condiments are nitamago, shredded carrots and ginger, chopped green onions, and seaweed.
The soba dipping sauce came out fine but the cake...man did I botch that a bit or so. Mostly because the custard got a tad lumpy because I set the oven to medium instead of medium low and I did a chocolate covered crepe but realized after cutting it I should have done a ganache. Oh well.
Alright step 2 complete of Heston's Roast Chicken. Stuffed it with thyme and a lemon and smothered the works in butter. Recipe said to use 125g but that seemed like too much. Like, the chicken was COATED in it and it felt like a waste. Will reserve it to melt for the basting sauce.
195F is REALLY low. He's right: You can stick your hand in the oven and nothing would happen haha. Time to check back in 3 hours.
edit: Well, looks like oven times really do vary. I think mine's been in for about 4 hours and it still not up to temp. That or my meat thermometer is wrong (god I hope it's not the latter). I don't see any juices at the bottom of the pan so I guess that is a good sign.
Keeping it in for 1 more hour.
195F is REALLY low. He's right: You can stick your hand in the oven and nothing would happen haha. Time to check back in 3 hours.
edit: Well, looks like oven times really do vary. I think mine's been in for about 4 hours and it still not up to temp. That or my meat thermometer is wrong (god I hope it's not the latter). I don't see any juices at the bottom of the pan so I guess that is a good sign.
Keeping it in for 1 more hour.
Alright, about 8 hours later: success! Haha.
My mother had to complete the process as I had to go out for a dinner. Whole thing took much longer than anticipated but the end result was apparently worth it. Chicken was moist, well cooked and overall tasty. Was definitely the most moist chicken I had cooked them. My mom said the juices were glistening. Really happy to hear that.
Only thing was the skin was too salty and that's my fault. Heston's recipe simply says to drain the chicken out of the brine and pat it dry. RINSE IT. Argh. I did this with the turkey I made a year or 2 ago. Why would I not do this with the chicken (instructions be damned)? Always rinse anything you brine with cold water.
Anyway, voila!
2 things to take away:
1) RINSE AFTER BRINING
2) Start early. Holy crap: 8 hours to cook the thing (+45 minutes to rest and 10 minutes to brown the skin. Yeesh).
My mother had to complete the process as I had to go out for a dinner. Whole thing took much longer than anticipated but the end result was apparently worth it. Chicken was moist, well cooked and overall tasty. Was definitely the most moist chicken I had cooked them. My mom said the juices were glistening. Really happy to hear that.
Only thing was the skin was too salty and that's my fault. Heston's recipe simply says to drain the chicken out of the brine and pat it dry. RINSE IT. Argh. I did this with the turkey I made a year or 2 ago. Why would I not do this with the chicken (instructions be damned)? Always rinse anything you brine with cold water.
Anyway, voila!
2 things to take away:
1) RINSE AFTER BRINING
2) Start early. Holy crap: 8 hours to cook the thing (+45 minutes to rest and 10 minutes to brown the skin. Yeesh).
Found your food processor I see (and also a juicer to boot) ;-)
I hope both of those appliances last you a long time. I'm actually interested in another Breville product, their Hemisphere Control blender. Can't seem to find it lower than $200, but I keep hoping I'll stumble onto a sale. Anyway, I hope my Kitchen Aid food processor lasts a long time since apparently their new models are not nearly as good. Maybe I'll have to try a Breville food process if/when my food processor ultimately kicks the bucket.
If you have an older oven, you might want to get an oven thermometer to put inside. I know my oven is off quite a bit from what the dial says.
GoodMorning
Member
Made some profiteroles:
Filled with a Goat Cheese Mousse with some white peaches, black apricots, and a rosemary syrup.
Filled with a Goat Cheese Mousse with some white peaches, black apricots, and a rosemary syrup.
Cosmic Bus
pristine morning snow
Sometimes I just want a bite to eat.
BriareosGAF
Member
So I mentioned vegan marshmallows before. I still haven't pulled the recipe out of my mother-in-law, but this was the last round:
They look a little melty but in fact they're sort of powdery and spongey Quite good alone, although we usually temper some chocolate and dip them.
Youngest daughter's birthday is coming up so my wife is busy making cakes and things. Italian buttercream:
Rainbow cake layers, frozen to make handling easier:
Assembly with buttercream layers:
Finishing the crumb coat. This will then go into the refrigerator to chill and form the base for the proper decoration:
Wife: "wish I had a cake plate for these pictures." Will post more later this weekend.
They look a little melty but in fact they're sort of powdery and spongey Quite good alone, although we usually temper some chocolate and dip them.
Youngest daughter's birthday is coming up so my wife is busy making cakes and things. Italian buttercream:
Rainbow cake layers, frozen to make handling easier:
Assembly with buttercream layers:
Finishing the crumb coat. This will then go into the refrigerator to chill and form the base for the proper decoration:
Wife: "wish I had a cake plate for these pictures." Will post more later this weekend.
Yup and thanks! First processor and upgraded to this juicer after using the same one for more than a decade so think it was time, haha.
And for dinner, shrimp cocktail.
Metroid Killer
Member
Nice stuff, those marshmallows look really good. So were those based on a regular recipe? And you totally need some cake plates when you make such awesome desserts.
Cake plates have almost become to me like shoes are a for women. I can always buy another one, eventhough there's no room in my kitchen.
In other news I've come to a pretty big decision. Two years ago I dropped out of college. I was majoring in Japanese, and although I was 4 years into the education(takes 6 years), I started failing some classes, missing assignments, etc. My motivation had completely vanished, too difficult, and not even an idea of what future job I could use my education for. So I called quits and needed some time to think what direction my life should take.
I got a job in a kindergarden, and while working I decided that becoming a Zookeeper would be my goal,, something I dreamt about as little. So I went about, saving up some money, telling people that I had chosen to become a zookeeper, until this summer.
Because in these two years I have also been making those damn cakes as you guys knows, and while I took comments like, "you should be a baker" , "what about becoming pastry chef?", as nothing more than nice comments, it's like they repeatedly gave life to the idea of getting into pastry professionally.
So during my vacation I weighted all the pro and cons, did my fair share of research, and have finally decided to apply to pastry school which starts this falls. I haven't gotten an answer yet, but the requirements are rather low.
So pretty excited about the future right now, thanks to IronGAF for getting me there.
I think this is a good idea, thanks. Will definitely invest into one.
ElectricThunder
Member
That's awesome Metroid, all of IronGAF will be pulling for ya.
Sweet! Pun intended.
What the hell !?!
I had to read two times to be sure that it wasn't the contrary, that you weren't dropping a pastry carreer to become zookeeper.
Had no idea you were an amateur. Seeing your cakes I assumed you were a pro. ( helped me not being ashamed of what I produce too
). I'm absolutely sure that you're doing the right thing. You look both gifted and passionnate. It will be a blast, no doubt about it !
Best of luck to you in this new adventure
Maklershed
Member
My stuff is like Jack in the Box compared to what you guys make but I made egg salad, asian salad (this stuff is fantastic - I eat it as a standalone meal), and baked spaghetti (not pictured)
NOTE: My camera phone sucks so the asian salad looks yellowish/creamy but its not like that at all. Its coleslaw mix mixed with soy sauce and other stuff.
NOTE: My camera phone sucks so the asian salad looks yellowish/creamy but its not like that at all. Its coleslaw mix mixed with soy sauce and other stuff.
codswallop
Member
Don't want to disparage your decision, because people pursuing what they love is always great, but please check out the job opportunities that will be available to you after.
My wife did a two-year patisserie course and since completion has taken up work in a different industry because there's not a lot of work and what there is means low pay and early 3am starts. She worked in a wedding cake place for a while and HATED it.
Again, do what you love, but please make sure you don't destroy a beloved hobby by trying to turn it into a vocation.
BriareosGAF
Member
I guess it depends on your definition of regular. They rely on a special ingredient that is essentially a slightly modulated carageenan that we buy in bulk from a specialty supplier. I'll try to chase up the details. Cake plates sound like a good fallback gift accessory for the wife now that we can't find our usual one
. And good luck on the course!The rest of the cake. Finished decoration:
Brownie cupcakes with lavender-infused buttercream:
Cake-cutting:
The rest of the cake. Finished decoration:
Looks really lovely Briareos!
Metroid Killer
Member
Actually, you aren't that far off. I'll launch a blog sooner or later, with the idea in mind, that I can actually present all the work I do, to someone interested in the future. I can't brag about knowing OnkelC, they shouldn't get the impression that I'm way overqualified!Good luck Metroid! You'll do great and I'm sure you can use your posts here as a portfolio and use OnkelC as a reference!
Yes, there's a very real possibility that the outcome is not exactly what I had in mind. However the education is pretty loaded with interships, and I figure that I will get a pretty good picture if this is something for me after perhaps 6-12 months. I also know that I wont have the time(motivation) to make as much pastry at home once I start working with it everyday, but that's probably a healthy outcome for me and my girlfriend
Great job! Really impressed with how clean you got the buttercream coated.The rest of the cake. Finished decoration:
Funky Papa
FUNK-Y-PPA-4
Being a zookeeper must be the oddest dream I've ever heard of. I'm guessing you were a Gerald Durrell fan when you were little? Best of luck, Metroid Killer
codswallop
Member
Awesome. Pursue your dreams! Better to take chances than the much easier alternative...
CrystalGemini
Member
Tried making shakshuka today. Overcooked the eggs. :'(
We have a ton of lemons so I also made some giouvarlakia me avgolemono.
Had some spinach, tomatoes and squid leftover from other meals over the week so I tossed them all in a pan with butter.
We have a ton of lemons so I also made some giouvarlakia me avgolemono.
Had some spinach, tomatoes and squid leftover from other meals over the week so I tossed them all in a pan with butter.
Tried making shakshuka today. Overcooked the eggs. :'(
We have a ton of lemons so I also made some giouvarlakia me avgolemono.
Had some spinach, tomatoes and squid leftover from other meals over the week so I tossed them all in a pan with butter.
ooooh man avgolemono is one of my favorite things ever. look awesome
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