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[Rookje]

Anyone else marveled at the sheer number of recipe blogs these days? Do they make a lot of money? Its interesting that the vast majority are by women, and almost none of them are chefs or anyone with professional experience cooking. They also all comment on each others blogs, I assume so people click their links through the comments to go to their own blog.

 

[codswallop]

Anyone else marveled at the sheer number of recipe blogs these days?

I know, they seemed to have multiplied a lot in the past year or two. Quite useful though, as the wife has been making me a ton of dessert-type things recently, using my homebrewed beer instead of some other liquid (usually water).

 

[nakedsushi]

Roasted cauliflower tossed with a sweet Korean pepper sauce (gochujang). It tasted like a Korean version of bbq sauce.

I made a quick salad for lunch w/ kale, lentils, quinoa, and sprouts. I thought that this protein bomb would keep me full for longer, but now 2 hours later...HUNGRY AGAIN.

 

[Deleted member 59090]

Made some pork stew for the first time. Good stuff

 

[nakedsushi]

^-- Looks great for a cold weather day. Good idea putting brussel sprouts in it. Sprouts + pork is such a great combo.

 

[BriareosGAF]

What don't sprouts go great with? Mmm... sprouts. Popovers this morning. Think we might have finally got a reliable flour/egg type/ratio setup.

Fried eggs in background were for sriracha + mayo fried egg sandwiches on English muffins. Yum.

 

[Vazduh]

Hello, guys! I'm usually over at PopGAF, hope you don't mind me coming by I often check out this topic which I find simply inspirational, there are so many great photos and recipes here.

My humble contribution to this topic is this photo of

Spoiler

some of the

brownies I've made over the past few months:

I've tried out many recipes, but the one I find fantastic is this one (the middle photo):

Red Velvet Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

I just leave out the food coloring, and sometimes substitute cream cheese for ricotta. Oh, and I always double the batter, which is enough for a 9x13 (20x30 cm) cake pan. The brownies always turn out moist and delicious.

 

[nakedsushi]

What don't sprouts go great with? Mmm... sprouts. Popovers this morning. Think we might have finally got a reliable flour/egg type/ratio setup.

Fried eggs in background were for sriracha + mayo fried egg sandwiches on English muffins. Yum.

Those are some lovely popovers. Looks like the perfect ratio.

I noticed you're frying eggs in a stainless steel frying pan. What's your secret to not having them stick? Every time I try it, even with more oil than I think necessary, they stick.

 

[Ether_Snake]

I made Chef John's brie and pear grilled cheese sandwich, such a good idea and so easy to make. I can imagine I'm going to be making all sorts of variations in the future.

 

[BriareosGAF]

TI noticed you're frying eggs in a stainless steel frying pan. What's your secret to not having them stick? Every time I try it, even with more oil than I think necessary, they stick.

This is going to sound overly fussy, but I'm pretty obsessed with eggs... I heat a 10" pan sufficiently to melt at least a half tbsp of butter so that it moves around the pan with the viscosity of oil but isn't hot enough to brown (minute or two on med on my 15k btu range). Coat entire surface of pan plus an inch up the side. If the guest wants an egg that is slightly crisp, I'll leave it on med until it sets, then flip and drop temp to low. If I'm going for a perfectly set but velvety egg (almost poached, really), I'll switch it down to low immediately and let it take its time to set there properly before flipping and setting the other side.

I made Chef John's brie and pear grilled cheese sandwich, such a good idea and so easy to make. I can imagine I'm going to be making all sorts of variations in the future.

motherofgod.gif

 

[nakedsushi]

This is going to sound overly fussy, but I'm pretty obsessed with eggs... I heat a 10" pan sufficiently to melt at least a half tbsp of butter so that it moves around the pan with the viscosity of oil but isn't hot enough to brown (minute or two on med on my 15k btu range). Coat entire surface of pan plus an inch up the side. If the guest wants an egg that is slightly crisp, I'll leave it on med until it sets, then flip and drop temp to low. If I'm going for a perfectly set but velvety egg (almost poached, really), I'll switch it down to low immediately and let it take its time to set there properly before flipping and setting the other side.

No, not overly fussy at all. I love eggs and agree that it is Serious Business. Wow, sounds like you use a lot of oil. I guess I've not been using enough oil when I use the steel pan. I usually put in enough oil to coat the bottom but it's not even 1/8" up the sides, so it usually sticks. When I like crispy eggs, I like doing them on med-high in the wok. The round bottom of the wok is perfect for containing the egg and since the wok is nicely seasoned, doesn't stick if I put in a bit of oil.

 

[Deleted member 59090]

Why would you flip eggs? What is this madness?

 

[Metroid Killer]

MK. the carrot cake looks amazeballs. would you have the receipe ?

Sorry for the wait, finally got my hands on the recipe and found the time to write it down

Mind that this is a for a big batch resulting in 7 medium/small cakes. I suggest dividing the recipe by 3. Also for the powders which are measured in gram: 1 tsp = 5 grams.

750 g light muscovado sugar
350 g vegetable oil
9 eggs
9 g vanilla sugar
24 g baking powder
15 g baking soda
525 g flour
225 g grahamsflour
7 g salt
12 g cinnamon
700 g carrot, shredded
150 g raisins (I omit these because I really dislike raisins...)

Mix all ingredients together carefully, and pour into form and bake at 180C for 50-55 minutes

For the frosting you mix 200 g cream cheese with 200 g butter, 200 g powdered sugar and 20 g vanilla sugar until it has a smooth texture, add lemon zest to taste.

My humble contribution to this topic is this photo of

Spoiler

some of the

brownies I've made over the past few months:

[/URL]

Looks really nice, hope you contribute more in the future

My posting pace have dropped quite a bit lately as I have been rather busy at school and baked less at home so not much to report in with. We did however do our midterm projects last week and things went quite well for me We had to plan and order ingredients for a 2 day production and obviously create the actual products were we had to make a certain amount of stuff in various categories under one big theme. I chose Valentine as it was a really flexible theme which you could fit a lot of the products under. A lot of things just went right during production and I got the best grade possible, so I was pretty satisfied. Pictures:

I got the week off though, so expect lots of cakes soon

 

[OnkelC]

Really good stuff! How do you like the school so far?

Haven't posted much lately as well, job is eating a lot of time. I made a few Gyros-flavored chicken/onion spits for the grill tonight, turned out OK:

 

[Metroid Killer]

Really good stuff! How do you like the school so far?

Thanks! So far I'm really happy about the school. These beginning 20 weeks are meant as an introduction to the vast range of the world of baking, so every day is very exciting as we always learn something new. And eventhough I'm fairly trained in some of the stuff I can definitely feel my confidence in making said products grows enormously after having gone through it in school. Of course having dedicated theory classes helps knocking the knowledge into your brain. The teachers are cool and very down to earth(no screaming and yelling that you hear in stories), there's this young guy(25!!) who's the coach for the Danish Pastry team who's got some insane talent, I'm tailing him as much as possible when I can. Otherwise I'm kinda the model pupil in class, the age range is from 16 to 38 so there's a huge gap in maturity between people, but still I prefer some immaturity to actually working together and tackle tasks together compared to the desolation of studying at University for 5 years.
When we hit July I my internship starts and I'm excited to see where I end.

I just ate and am full, but *drool*. Haven't had gyros in ages.

 

[killertofu]

I've got a bunch of random veggies (carrots, brussel sprouts, etc). What ways can I cook them up as side dishes?

 

[Laekon]

I've got a bunch of random veggies (carrots, brussel sprouts, etc). What ways can I cook them up as side dishes?

Roast them with olive oil and garlic. Brussel sprouts are great cut in half, mixed with soy or fish sauce, and then sauteed so they get caramelized.

 

[Vazduh]

Today I made pudding truffles, which is a recipe I discovered on one of Croatian cooking portals. I made it so many times with so many different flavor combinations and every time it turns out great. It's also one of the simplest recipes out there, so even someone who's not skilled can make these. In Croatia pudding powder is sold in 40 gram-packets, but I believe that in the States you can find 110-gram packets, although they're pretty much the same thing: flavored cornflour.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients: 200 grams pudding powder (use any flavor you want), 5 tablespoons of sugar, 8 tablespoons of milk or water (you can also use rum if you want or mix rum with milk), 2 egg yolks, 100 grams of butter or margarine.

My friend who's from the States used the following ingredients: 2 packets of chocolate pudding mix (110 grams each), 5 tablespoons of sugar, 8 tablespoons of water, 2 egg yolks and a stick of butter (which is 113 grams).

1. In a pot over low heat, combine the egg yolks, milk and sugar and stir constantly (it's best to use a whisk) until the mixture becomes somewhat syrupy. It won't take too long, maybe two-three minute tops, the most important thing is not to let the mixture curdle.
2. Once the mixture starts to thicken, add butter and stir until it is completely melted and then immediately remove from heat.
3. Add pudding powder and mix well, the mixture should be on the thicker side.
4. Let it cool to room temperature for 15 minutes, then put it in the refrigerator for at least two or three hours so it can set.
5. Take the mixture out of the refrigerator and make truffles. Take a spoonful of mixture (use a teaspoon) and roll it with your hands. If the mixture is too sticky, either put it in a freezer for 15 minutes or try adding a few spoonfuls of shredded coconut or ground cookies.
6. Roll the truffles around in whatever you want, be it cocoa powder, powdered chocolate, shredded coconut, ground walnuts/almonds/hazelnuts.
7. Enjoy!

Here's a photo of today's truffles. I mixed vanilla and chocolate pudding, and it turned out great. Rolled them in powdered chocolate.

And here's a photo of vanilla truffles I made more than a year ago.

 

[TheExodu5]

Made a pale coconut cream pie for my girlfriend's birthday. It was extremely delicious. Very rich though... The next day I made a crushed pineapple sauce to go over it, which was fantastic.

 

[Metroid Killer]

A few days ago I made an organic roast chicken in herbs, stuffed with some onion, garlic and lemon, and it was goooood

Then the next day, I made a big chicken stock from our organic fella, and made it into a sauce for tartlets with chicken and green asparagus. It's not that often that I make my own stocks, but I should do it some more as the food you make from your homemade stock always blows me away with its rich taste.

Also it's that time of year again, which means...

Brownie Eggs! Ever since I stumbled upon these in Yue's Handicraft blog it's been a staple Easter tradition in my household. It's always funny to see the reactions of people who have no idea what is going as they crack open the eggs. The eggs do require a bit of pre-planning as you will want to have around 10 empty eggshells beforehand. Also make sure you don't make the holes too small as the batter is rather thick and it can take ages to pipe it out via a tip that is too small. The brownie is a pretty simple and straightforward recipe, and you can easily make these with the kids if you are tired of painting eggs every Easter. Have fun! and happy Easter!

~Recipe~
Yields: ~9 eggs

Ingredients

140 g dark chocolate, chopped
80 g butter
2 eggs
110 g sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
95 g flour​

Directions

- Prepare eggshells by poking a small hole in one of the ends of the egg and empty the content. Make sure the hole is big enough for the piping tip you will use to fill the eggs later on.
- Rinse the empty eggshells with water and let them soak in salt water for 30 minutes. Then rinse again and turn them upside down to dry. Add a tsp of vegetable oil in each eggshell, let the oil cover the inside, and turn the shell upside down to let the excess oil run out.
- Preheat oven to 180°C. Place the prepared eggshells in a cupcake pan and use aluminum foil to keep the eggshells upright
- In a medium bowl, melt chocolate and butter over a hot waterbath.
- In another bowl whisk together eggs and sugar until the eggs have dissolved, add the chocolate butter and whisk until smooth and uniform.
- Sift in the cocoa powder and flour and fold until incorporated. Transfer to a piping bag and fill each egg 3/4 full and bake for 18-20 minutes.
- Right out of the oven remove the excess cake while still soft and clean the shell with a damp towel. Cool down for at least 30 minutes before serving.
​

Recipe from Yue's Handicrafts

 

[Rookje]

I have this problem where when I stir fry the oil goes crazy. Most recipes say to add garlic after the oil begins to have wisps of smoke. Which causes a bunch of splatter. I'm scared the oil is going to shoot into my eyes. Am I doing something wrong?

 

[thespot84]

I have this problem where when I stir fry the oil goes crazy. Most recipes say to add garlic after the oil begins to have wisps of smoke. Which causes a bunch of splatter. I'm scared the oil is going to shoot into my eyes. Am I doing something wrong?

is your garlic wet or dry?

I like to wait until the oil starts to shimmer (you can see convection currents in it but it's not yet smoking

 

[Talon]

Those are some lovely popovers. Looks like the perfect ratio.

I noticed you're frying eggs in a stainless steel frying pan. What's your secret to not having them stick? Every time I try it, even with more oil than I think necessary, they stick.

Honestly, I find the hot pan, cold oil trick works pretty perfectly for me. I'll heat the stainless steel pan by itself and then drop the oil in and do a quick jerk of the pan and then drop the egg in.

 

[nakedsushi]

^-- Oh geeze, you know what I've been doing wrong? I've been reading "hot pan, cold oil" as in make the pan really hot, pour in cold oil, wait for that to warm up, and THEN put in the egg. Maybe that's where I'm going wrong.

In other news, my husband is away for the night which means BACHELORette FOOD for me. Normally, I would indulge in my guilty pleasure: ramen with an egg cracked in it, but I don't have any on hand. I've been obsessed with canned smoked oysters lately so:


Rice cracker, oyster, manchego, squeeze of lime, topped with yuzu kusho. A swig of beer. Heaven!

 

[Dom Brunt]

Made my easter staple, lemony mini cheesecake thingies. I don't even have a name that makes sense for them in my own language heh. Also crappy cellphone pic :|

 

[Gibbo]

Made my easter staple, lemony mini cheesecake thingies. I don't even have a name that makes sense for them in my own language heh. Also crappy cellphone pic :|

Looks delis. Mind posting the receipe?

 

[Dom Brunt]

Looks delis. Mind posting the receipe?

Ehh... I can try translating the recipe but I'm pretty sure some of the ingredients are mostly found in Scandinavian countries. I don't know where you are but I'm sure you could improvise and go with whatever normally goes in cheesecakes but I've only tried this version since it is pretty good and not like a traditional cheesecake I guess. I usually have to do a serious amount of googling when trying to figure out how to make things from American or British recipes with Finnish ingredients and there's usually a way to replace most of the weirder stuff so hopefully it works both ways heh.

So translated the best I can, mini lemon cheesecakey things:

Crust:
75 g butter
3/4 dl sugar (a little under 1/3 cups)
1 egg
2,5 dl flour (just over 1 cup)
1 tsp baking powder

Filling:
400 g lemon flavored quark (or plain quark with I dunno, zest from 1 lemon and the juice from 1/2-1 lemon, I have no idea)
150 g crème fraîche
1 egg
3/4 dl sugar (a little under 1/3 cups)
1-2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp potato starch

Mix together the flour and baking powder. Whisk together slightly softened butter and sugar. Whisk in the egg. Add the flour mixture to the dough, mix until combined.

Grease and flour a muffin tin. Divide the dough evenly in the cups of the muffin tin. Press the dough in the cups so that the bottom and sides of the cups are covered.

Combine the ingredients for the filling. Mix with an electric mixer for one minute to get the right consistency. Spoon the filling into the muffin tin.

Bake in 175 C (347 F) for about 30 minutes. Let the cheesecakes cool in the tin before removing them (use a knife to ease them out).

 

[Cfh123]

Brie cheese and pear grilled toast. Very rich. A Chef John recipe.

 

[nakedsushi]

^---- Yes! Brie and pear is such a great combination. Now I am craving one too, and a side of tomato soup. Thanks.

 

[Zyzyxxz]

Brie cheese and pear grilled toast. Very rich. A Chef John recipe.

Nice. Simple pleasures like that aren't often appreciated enough.

 

[CrankyJay]

Pork loin roast. Plugged some garlic cloves and just salt and pepper.

Sautéed kale in bacon grease with bacon, onion, garlic and topped off with lemon juice.

Hassleback potatoes with Parmesan cheese.

Sorry for iPhone shots.

 

[cr_blah_blah]

Man, that looks obscenely good. Any recipe or how you cooked it?

 

[CrankyJay]

Man, that looks obscenely good. Any recipe or how you cooked it?

I winged it, but set oven to 425. For the potatoes get medium ones and put them in a big serving spoon and cut thin strips until the spoon top so they are uniform. Coat in melted butter or oil and season. Bake 1 hour. I added Parmesan cheese the final 10 minutes.

Let pork roast come to room temp. Season however you want. I seared it fat side down in 2 tbsp canola oil until I got a good crust in a big cast iron pan, about 6 minutes. Turn over the roast then put the entire pan in the oven. Bake in the oven with potatoes for about 35-40 or the internal temp you want. I pull mine at 140-145 and rest for 10-15 before slicing.

For the kale I took 3 bacon strips and cut them into smaller pieces and fried them in a big sautée pan on medium until cooked 3 quarters way thru. Remove. Add a half a diced onion and minced garlic. Sautée in bacon grease until translucent or slightly brown. Add in 1 lb kale in batches to wilt it. It will seem like a lot but it will cook down. Cook until tender but still crunchy, and season to taste. Right before serving sprinkle with lemon juice. Don't be afraid to add a little water if the pan is getting dark. Or turn down the heat.

That's what I did.

 

[cr_blah_blah]

Awesome. Sounds like something I can manage. Thanks.

 

[rezuth]

Anyone sitting on a good tandoori recipe?

 

[Oersted]

Aiming for the more fancy stuff. Any "overpriced" ingredients you can recommend, like Kobe?

 

[Le-mo]

Anybody have suggestions for tasty salads? I have a party coming up and I need some ideas.

 

[Cosmic Bus]

Anybody have suggestions for tasty salads? I have a party coming up and I need some ideas.

Little things like nuts, citrus, small pickled vegetables (asparagus, radish, mushroom, etc), or pea shoots are an easy way to liven up a basic salad if all you've got access to are spring greens.

One thing I've been making a lot of is roasting some corn and cubed eggplant with olive oil and s&p, then letting it cool before tossing with blanched string beans, parsley, cilantro and a red wine vinaigrette.

 

[Zyzyxxz]

Anybody have suggestions for tasty salads? I have a party coming up and I need some ideas.

A good panzanella is always a crowd pleaser.

 

[nakedsushi]

^--- Yes, but it's not tomato season yet. I love some juicy tomatoes in a panzanella.

Are you trying to do the "salad as a meal" type thing, or want more of a side? I like a hearty flavorful greens + grains combo for salads that can also double as a meal.

How about laccianato kale, quinoa, avocados, hard boiled eggs, capers and/or olives, a lemony dressing with dill, and some candied walnuts?

Or a simple massaged kale with avocado and preserved meyer lemon dressing.

How do you feel about canned fish? I like canned smoked herring with a simple arugula salad with lemon and olive oil dressing.

Orzo salad with edamame.

Edamame and sugar snap salad with sesame seeds.

 

[Mario]

Anybody have suggestions for tasty salads? I have a party coming up and I need some ideas.

I make a tasty "Asian" noodle salad with udon noodles, avocado, red pepper, coriander, pine nuts, baby spinach, and lime juice.

Super quick - just heat the noodles in a pan, throw in the pine nuts halfway through cooking, then toss gently in a bowl with everything else and squeeze some fresh lime juice over the top.

Looks great on the plate too

 

[nakedsushi]

^-- That looks great! Thanks for the idea. I may try to cook this on Thursday.

I love udon but for some reason never end up cooking it because I don't love it in soup.

 

[Mario]

^-- That looks great! Thanks for the idea. I may try to cook this on Thursday.

I love udon but for some reason never end up cooking it because I don't love it in soup.

Cool. Forgot to mention, (I think) I usually chop of the coriander/cilantro finely and mix it into the noodles when frying them. Has been a while since I've made it.

 

[Le-mo]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I work in a kitchen so I'll whip them up and see how it tastes.

 

[systemfehler]

So I really like to make stock/broth on my own - using salt, beef, onions, carrots, loveage (lol), parsley, leek and know celery BUT I always have to use 1 or 2 stock cubes because without them it tastes only like hot salty water more or less. If I use them you notice the difference compared to only using cubes but I really would like to try without all that artificial flavours and stuff. Is there something I could use instead or is this just because most people can't really taste the subtle flavours anymore?

 

[Mekere]

How are you making your broth? I'm often making chicken broth and it's really really strong in taste.

 

[systemfehler]

How are you making your broth? I'm often making chicken broth and it's really really strong in taste.

I cut the vegetables in small pieces and put it together with 500-800g beef (sometimes even bone marrow) and fry it for a bit then I add some salt and fill it up with 2l water and cook it for ~2 hours. If I just use vegetables it is even worse. It doesn't tase bad or anything just less than I expected. Maybe my taste buds are ruined by all that glutamate or something.

 

[Mekere]

Hmm, maybe 2 hours is a bit short? Or you don't let the broth evaporate enough. The recipe I use is this one, it's bone based, so maybe a bit different:

My base is from a whole chicken that I debone, so bones + edible internal organs (heart, liver..)

- Roast the bones a bit in a large pot

- Cover the bones with cold water
- Add the veggies (I really don't bother cutting them small, also, I don't use parsley leaves but only the stems that taste the same but that we don't use often when cooking)

- Put the water to a boil then immediately lower the heat so it will simmer
- When all the bones are ... separating from each other (not sure what would be a good indicator for beef), I remove all the solid parts. (it usually takes 2-3 hours)

- Put the liquid to a boil and let it evaporate a bit (usually I only get 1/4 of the initial liquid), store it and let it cool down. I don't remove the grease of my stock, it separates from the liquid while cooling down and protect the stock.

The result is not liquid at all, and one spoon is enough to make a very tasty broth.

 

[systemfehler]

Wow thanks for that. Maybe I am really a bit on the short side when it comes to time. I will try it with a chicken next week. So basicly after you remove the solid parts (after those 2-3 hours) you boil down the rest until you get a "gelatinous" consistency?

 

[Mekere]

It won't become gelatinous before it's cooled down so you won't be able to use the texture as a reference point.

Don't be afraid to let the liquid evaporate a lot, you may obtain less "liquid" by the end but the taste will just be more concentrated (and thus, use less of it in your recipe)