Recipes

[High-Test]

This thread, if it sticks, will be glorious. Why? Because @Solid Lifters and @FoolKiller I have a recipe of Solid's somewhere for homemade mac and cheese that is THE BOMB.

If you can kinda cook, I've got one that will wow your social circle. If you can cook like nobody's business, this is a starting point. I never do the exact same thing twice. It might cost you ten bucks to make 6-8 servings. Also: This generally does not care about your arteries. lower fat options seem built in, but I would strongly advise against them. Then again, drain bacon grease on principle. Save it for popcorn, it's awesome that way. Just don't save it for the sauce.

Also, I don't do the exact same thing twice. This is, in ten years of making this, the very first time I've written it down. Generally, the longer the sauce has to simmer and meld flavors together, the better. Don't start the water until the pan has been deglazed.

Hi-Octane Vodka Sauce

The things that go in the food:

1lb box Penne Pasta (454g) OR Bowties Though I like Campanelle. ends up looking like roses.
28oz can crushed tomatoes (794g)
~5oz pancetta (~150g) OR 6 strips american bacon. It needs to be pork fat. If you can get pancetta, get it. It's seriously less fat, less maintenance, and worth every penny.
1 pint heavy whipping cream - half and half is a bad idea. It doesn't mix correctly and the texture gets ruined.
1-2 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes, depending on taste
3 cloves garlic, chopped finely OR 2 tbsp minced garlic
1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
no more than a half cup of vodka. Unless you're insane like me.

Other things: grill lighter / fireplace match / striker

The things to make it:

cutting board
large, deep walled non-stick skillet
medium saucepan that can cook a pound of pasta
collander
cooking spoon
a good knife, preferably very sharp.
can opener

Fill the saucepan with water. set it on a burner. Don't do anything with it yet.

put the skillet on a big burner, turn it to medium.

Chop up the piggy meat. pieces need to be small.

Throw the piggy meat in the skillet. Let it cook. enjoy the smell.

Open the can of tomatoes. don't do anything yet with them.

Go chop the garlic very finely. Leave it on the board for now.

Steal a piece of piggy meat when you're sure it's safe. You're cooking, after all. That's your prerogative.

allow piggy meat to get cooked but NOT crispy. crispy around the edges in cases of both pancetta and bacon is expected. needs to have bite in the center, but still be chewy. it'll be cooking throughout all of this.

Optional step. If you're using bacon, you might want to drain ~half the bacon grease. too much of it will mess up the whole damn thing. But that's my opinion.

throw in the garlic. Let it brown. enjoy the smell.

While the garlic is going, fill the saucepan with water. set it on a burner. turn the burner on medium high.

Get the attention of your friends/family. It is now time for the evening's entertainment.

move quickly. get back to skillet with vodka in one hand and ignition medium in the other. vent fan optional. Attention of friends and family demanded. Hold the skillet with your off hand if you're using a grill lighter. in the middle of the cooking area, off heat, pour anywhere between a quarter and half cup of vodka into the skillet. set the vodka down. Face out of the way? Good. light the lighter away from the pan, then kiss the fumes with the flame.

I hope you didn't drop it. You're now holding a two foot tall column of flaming pig meat. It's likely all burning in one side.

roll the skillet gently to make it even and let the fire burn off. Singing "Disco Inferno" "Fire" or something of the sort is suggested but not required.

Fire should be dead. set it back on the heat.

pour in the crushed tomatoes, stir it all in.

add the pepper flakes. Stir.

Add balsamic. stir.

Now, you wait for the water to be ready. Stir the sauce every now and then.

Oh, nifty! The water's almost ready! Salt it.

Now the water's ready. add pasta. You should have had about ten minutes or so to let the sauce cook. Now you'll have another 10-12.

pour the heavy whipping cream into the sauce. Stir it. It should look pinkish-orange.

While you wait for pasta, taste test the sauce every now and again. it may, in your expert opinion, be missing something. It may not. Who knows. The thing is that once the cream is in, it changes the game. the taste is different now. If you like it spicy, add some more pepper.

When the pasta is ready, drain it in the collander.

Pour pasta straight into the sauce, and stir it around, distributing evenly.

Announce to all in question that dinner has been served.

If people are happy, you did it right.

If people are happy and you still have your eyebrows, you made exactly zero mistakes.

enjoy.

 

[Sprite]

Here is one for all you cookie fiends. Not mine but it's so good.

blueberry and cream cookies
makes 12 to 17 cookies

after the milk crumb phenomenon in the kitchen, we had to find a mainstream use for it, rather than just hiding it under some ice cream. it needed its moment in the sun. so i brainstormed. a peaches-and-cream cookie was my original thought. momofuku does mean “lucky peach” in japanese, after all. but i decided we needed something that would hit home even more for guests.

did you know dried blueberries existed? i didn’t, until i surveyed whole foods’ dried fruit selection for a dried peach alternative. the clouds parted, and it was clear. we needed a blueberry-and-cream cookie, reminiscent of a blueberry muffin top (the best part of the muffin).

225 g (16 tbs) butter, at room temperature
150 g (3/4 cup) granulated sugar
150 g (2/3 cup) light brown sugar
100 g (1/4 cup) glucose
2 eggs
320 g (2 cups) flour
2 g (1/2 tsp) baking powder
1.5 g (1/4 tsp) baking soda
6 g (1 1/2 tsp) kosher salt
1/2 recipe milk crumbs (recipe below)
130 g (3/4 cup) dried blueberries

1. combine the butter, sugars, and glucose in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and cream on medium-high for 2-3 minutes. scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the eggs, and beat for 7 to 8 minutes.

2. reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. mix just until the dough comes together, no longer than 1 minute. (do not walk away from the machine during this step, or you will risk over mixing the dough.) scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.

3. still on low speed, add the milk crumbs and mix until they’re incorporated, no more than 30 seconds. chase the milk crumbs with the dried blueberries, mixing them in for 30 seconds.

4. using a 2 3/4 oz ice cream scoop (or a 1/3 cup measure), portion out the dough onto a parchment-lined sheet pan. pat the tops of the cookie dough domes flat. wrap the sheet pan tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 1 week. do not bake your cookies from room temperature—they will not bake properly.

5. heat the oven to 350°f.

6. arrange the chilled dough a minimum of 4 inches apart on parchment- or silpat-lined sheet pans. bake for 18 minutes. the cookies will puff, crackle, and spread. after 18 minutes, they should be very faintly browned on the edges yet still bright yellow in the center; give them an extra minute or so if that’s not the case.

7. cool the cookies completely on the sheet pans before transferring to a plate or to an airtight container for storage. at room temp, the cookies will keep fresh for 5 days; in the freezer, they will keep for 1 month.


milk crumbs
makes about 250 grams (2 ¼ cups)

40 g (1/2 cup) milk powder
40 g (1/4 cup) flour
12 g (2 tbs) cornstarch
25 g (2 tbs) sugar
2 g (1/2 tsp) kosher salt
55 g (4 tbs) butter, melted
20 g (1/4 cup) milk powder
90 g (3 oz) white chocolate, melted

1. heat the oven to 250°f.

2. combine the 40 g (½ cup) milk powder, the flour, cornstarch, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. toss with your hands to mix. add the melted butter and toss, using a spatula, until the mixture starts to come together and form small clusters.

3. spread the clusters on a parchment- or silpat-lined sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes. the crumbs should be sandy at that point, and your kitchen should smell like buttery heaven. cool the crumbs completely.

4. crumble any milk crumb clusters that are larger than ½ inch in diameter, and put the crumbs in a medium bowl. add the 20 g (¼ cup) milk powder and toss together until it is evenly distributed throughout the mixture.

5. pour the white chocolate over the crumbs and toss until your clusters are enrobed. then continue tossing them every 5 minutes until the white chocolate hardens and the clusters are no longer sticky. the crumbs will keep in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer for up to 1 month.

 

[photonrider]

Starting off a salmon head. Great minerals and protein. And the 'good' fat.

 

[Lizard]

Here is one that is absolutely delicious and simple but due to scaremongering not popular at all with the western audience.

Tomago Kake Gohan.

What you need.
Bowl of rice
Egg
Soy sauce


Method.

Boil the rice. Place cooked rice in bowl.
Make a well in the rice.
Crack the egg into the well.
Add a little soy sauce to the well.
Mix the rice and egg/soy until all the rice is coated.

Enjoy.

Now to answer the clear question. Can eating raw eggs give you salmonella? Yes, as it lives in the gut of a chicken and like most birds, chickens don't have vaginas. The egg comes out of their arse. There are steps you can take to reduce the risk however.
Buy approved eggs. In the UK that means looking for the lion symbol.
Do not use eggs with cracks in the shell.

 

[FoolKiller]

Now to answer the clear question. Can eating raw eggs give you salmonella? Yes, as it lives in the gut of a chicken and like most birds, chickens don't have vaginas. The egg comes out of their arse. There are steps you can take to reduce the risk however.
Buy approved eggs. In the UK that means looking for the lion symbol.
Do not use eggs with cracks in the shell.

In the US "approved" eggs will be labeled as pasteurized.

 

[Solid Lifters]

Wow, I just liked someones nine year old post.

My best advice to anyone would be get an instant read thermometer. Don't over cook meat, and let it rest before you cut into it.

Something like this will monitor temperature as you cook and sound an alarm when it reaches the desired temperature.

I have the dual temp model. One temp reading for the meat, one for the cooking temp. I use it all the time. It's a MUST HAVE item!

 

[FoolKiller]

I have the dual temp model. One temp reading for the meat, one for the cooking temp. I use it all the time. It's a MUST HAVE item!

What temp range does the cooking temperature cover? I have trouble finding probe thermometers that will go down low enough to use when smoking cheese.

 

[photonrider]

Here's my probe:

For meat that falls off the bone:

 

[FoolKiller]

Here's my probe:

I mean the one that measures cooking temperature. Most of those start at 100. I found a in-the-oven model that goes down to 50, but I have to open the smoker to see it.

 

[photonrider]

This is what happens when we start to compare probes; all kinds of mix-ups.

I'll be posting some recipes in here soon - I have loads (with pictures) and also recipes for younger folk. Cooking is one of my 'therapeutic' activities - the kind that tells me life actually has a purpose - so I cook a few times a week and have done recipes from all over the world.
I'm really keen to let people know how to make a good fish-head stew or soup, (it's a very healthy and nutritious meal) so I'll start out with that soon - have to gather the right pics together. There are several ways to make it - from a real 'down-home' concoction to one that is spicy and more tropic-island' flavoured.

 

[Scaff]

Oh yes, this will do me. I love cooking.

Here we go.

Ultimate Eggs on Toast (per person)
1 Egg
1 Piece of thick cut bread (make your own - tastes even better then)
Sea Salt
Pepper
Cheddar Cheese - finely grated around a tablespoon


You will also need a glass mixing bowl that will fit inside a small pan to allow you to use it as a bain-marie and pre-heat your oven to 180c.

Separate the egg yolk and white taking care to keep the yolk intact and put it to one side. Place the white in a glass bowl and put the pan of water (for the Bain Marie) onto heat, whisk the egg white until it forms stiff peaks and has increased in volume. Place the glass bowl with the whisked whites in the pan (make sure the boiling water doesn't touch the bottom of the glass bowl) and continue to slowly whisk as the whites cook. You must keep slowly whisking to make sure the air and volume remains in the whites.

Remove from the heat as soon as they are cooked, place the bread on a baking sheet and spoon around 2/3 of the cooked whites onto the bread, then make a hollow in the whites a little bigger than the egg yolk. Tip the yolk into the hollow taking care to keep it intact, then cover with the rest of the cooked whites and ensure its sealed all around it (the back of a small spoon is a great help with this).

Sprinkle the top of the mixture with Sea Salt, Black Pepper and the cheese and place into the oven for ten minutes for a soft yolk or around 14 minutes for a solid yolk (soft is much, much better).

 

[photonrider]

Great recipe - must try it out - and I agree: soft is so much better.

 

[Scaff]

A selection of some of my recipe books as well.

Great recipe - must try it out - and I agree: soft is so much better.

Let me know what you think, someone descried it for me and I had to try and figure out how to make it. Would still be interested to know where it originally comes from and how close mine is to the original.

I would also recommend this.

Taken from 'Culture' the renowned cheese magazine (I kid not)

 

[FoolKiller]

@Scaff That looks pretty cool. What is the mouth feel like? I'm imagining a non-sweet meringue. That makes me wonder, could you skip the double boiler system and just add some cream of tartar, the way you do pies, or does the cooking it as you whip it create a different texture?


Makes me think of a fancy take on a poached egg on toast, which is similar to a soft-boiled egg or sunny-side up egg on toast.

Christ, I now know four different ways to make what is basically the same dish, just with a different texture.

 

[Scaff]

@Scaff That looks pretty cool. What is the mouth feel like? I'm imagining a non-sweet meringue. That makes me wonder, could you skip the double boiler system and just add some cream of tartar, the way you do pies, or does the cooking it as you whip it create a different texture?


Makes me think of a fancy take on a poached egg on toast, which is similar to a soft-boiled egg or sunny-side up egg on toast.

Christ, I now know four different ways to make what is basically the same dish, just with a different texture.

Its like eating a cloud that's crunchy on the outside, the middle is so light that it just melts in your mouth. I've tried it with just beating the egg whites cold and it doesn't end up as light and its not as easy to work when you make them. However you do need to take care not to overcook the whites when they are in the Bain-Marie.

If you can use a really good salt on top as well (I always go for Maldon) that is also a key part of the flavour as well, it needs that contrasting bite of saltyness with the black pepper and eggs.

Its important to not use cheap bread either, a good think slice of home baked is best if you can, failing that buy some fresh and cut it yourself.

 

[FoolKiller]

Its important to not use cheap bread either, a good think slice of home baked is best if you can, failing that buy some fresh and cut it yourself.

Now I have to get some sourdough at the farmer's market this weekend.

Thanks

 

[W3H5]

My recipes are uninspiring and consist mostly of roasted, grilled or fried meats with home made seasonings and marinates. They typically always go in a baguette to make a sandwich.

And chilli. It all has chilli. For flavour, for spice and for crunch. All kinds of fresh chilli.

My favourite marinade is a handful of finely diced chilli (of your choice, amount depends in strength) mixed with half a cup of honey and quarter cup of good oil.
Mix together, dash of salt and pepper, maybe some oregano and leave for a few days.
Liberally apply to meat a leave it to flavour for a day.
Cook and enjoy 24 hours later.

Makes any basic meat cut (chicken breast, lamb chop, beef cut, whatever...) taste great.

 

[Solid Lifters]

What temp range does the cooking temperature cover? I have trouble finding probe thermometers that will go down low enough to use when smoking cheese.

Sorry, not really sure. When I use it again, I'll find out.

 

[Sprite]

@Scaff

Tried your eggs.

I like your eggs.

 

[Scaff]

@Scaff

Tried your eggs.

View attachment 383543 View attachment 383544

I like your eggs.

Best eggs in the world

 

[Sprite]

Speaking of eggs. I mentioned @Scaff recipe to my manager at work and this morning she sent me this over FB.

Basically you hollow a bread roll, line it with ham, place raw egg in and cover with cheese and season. Stick it in the over at 180c or GM4 for 15/20 minutes.

I'm tempted to make these on Sunday.

 

[Sprite]

Ok so I didn't managed to get any bread rolls but picked up some Duck Eggs. I only buy Clarence Court eggs. Usually Burford Browns or Cotswold Legbar as I find them good for baking and also boiled, scrambled or poached.

I've also had thier Quail eggs too and they were very yummy soft boiled. I really want one of their Ostritch or eggs but I'll need to order them I think.

How I do my scammbled eggs is simple and tasty and is a recommended way by a Michelin Star chef friend and its scrummy.

1. Crack eggs (2 or more) into bowl/measuring jug.

2. Don't whisk, season or anything else to them.

3. Bring your pan/skillet to temp and add a good dose of butter.

4. Put your eggs into the pan/skillet and break the yolks and gently mix and keep mixing but slowly not fast.

5. Cook till desired consistency but keep them moving so they don't burn.

6. Once cooked turn off heat and stir in a large dollop of cream cheese / Philadelphia and the plate up.

7. Season to tast and add chives if wanted.

8. Shove into face and enjoy.

 

[Scaff]

I always add double cream to scrambled eggs and omelette, but that is apparently not good for you. Does taste nice and you can always run it off.

 

[Sprite]

I always add double cream to scrambled eggs and omelette, but that is apparently not good for you. Does taste nice and you can always run it off.

Yeh double cream is always good to. Also good in mash potato.

 

[Scaff]

Yeh double cream is always good to. Also good in mash potato.

Indeed, but the secret to mashed potatoes is a potato ricer.

 

[Sprite]

Hoisin Plumb Sauce meatballs and rice. Not much of a recipe.

Just diced onion and garlic which is browned in butter. Then sear the meatballs and after they've cooked just to the middle add hoisin sauce (either pre made or home made) then lower heat and cook for about 15-20 until the meatballs are cooked through and tender.

Cook your rice to how you like it while cooking th meatballs and then serve.

Yum.