Tell us what you have cooked lately (that's interesting)

[Leah C]

Today I hosted a dinner party for the first time ever. Not only that, but two of the guests were complete strangers and also OUR COMPETITION.

My friends and I are doing a scavenger hunt/contest centered around the SF Street Food Festival. One of our challenges: invite our competition to dinner. We had to google/facebook/twitter-stalk to find them (no last names provided). Then we had to solve a riddle to come up with our secret ingredient and make a dish using that.

Ingredient: peach! Dish: caramelized peaches with Bûcheron, arugula, and a peach gastrique. I am not much of a cook, so I was a little intimidated by the peach gastrique but it turned out to be pretty easy and pretty tasty!

[interman]

Wow, that looks yum-tastic.

[Omniscia]

But what about the arsenic?

[tromik]

But what about the arsenic?

My first thought, as well.

What's the deal with leafy green thingies on deserts? Like basil and chocolate and arugula and caramelized peaches? What's the flavour profile here?

[Tortilla]

It's just to make them photogenic. I've never found tossing a sprig of mint or similar on a dessert makes any flavor difference.

[Leah C]

But what about the arsenic?

That was in the buffalo meatloaf.

What's the deal with leafy green thingies on deserts? Like basil and chocolate and arugula and caramelized peaches? What's the flavour profile here?

Not sure about desserts. Garnish, probably. This one's an appetizer and it wasn't a garnish - the bitter greens balanced out the sweetness.

[Marged]

I've been making flatbread every night. Big piles of pillowy, delicious flatbread. I like it topped with lemon juice, sesame seeds and herbs, or shredded parmesan and olive oil. I have the recipe memorized and the rolling out and baking down to a science. It's good the next day, too, if it lasts that long.

[Eilonwy]

Share! I too want to make delicious flatbread!

[Ryan A]

It's just to make them photogenic. I've never found tossing a sprig of mint or similar on a dessert makes any flavor difference.

You're either using really old, weak mint or you're the opposite of a supertaster. What would that be? A Muggletaster?

[tromik]

You're either using really old, weak mint or you're the opposite of a supertaster. What would that be? A Muggletaster?

Subtaster. Pop culture has ruined your vocabulary, young man! No more of the Harry Potters!

[TimElhajj]

I've been making flatbread every night. Big piles of pillowy, delicious flatbread. I like it topped with lemon juice, sesame seeds and herbs, or shredded parmesan and olive oil. I have the recipe memorized and the rolling out and baking down to a science. It's good the next day, too, if it lasts that long.

Share! I too want to make delicious flatbread!

Yes, share!

[delirium]

I just bought a dutch oven, and after only a day of use, it has become my favorite piece of cookware.

I cooked this Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken recipe in it last night. This has been one of my favorite quick/easy/awesome recipes since I found it about a year ago. It's also really cheap to make. If you omit the lemongrass (which you probably could if you wanted to and it would still be good), you're barely paying for more than the cost of the chicken. Up until now, I didn't have a vessel big enough to use for stir frying, so I always had just thrown it all in a pan and lowered the heat a bit so the veggies don't burn. But yesterday I was able to use my dutch oven to actually stir fry properly and it came out absolutely amazing.

Cooked some scrambled eggs in it this morning, and again, fantastic results. Among the best scrambled eggs I've ever made. My only gripe was that it was kind of hard to get the egg off the bottom of the bowl when I was cleaning up.

Right now, I have this pot roast recipe cooking away in the oven.

[Marged]

Oh yes, okay, flatbread:

2 c. bread flour
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. warm water
2 tsp yeast
2 tsp honey or sugar
1/4 cup yogurt
2 T olive oil
1 tsp salt

Here's what I do:

Combine the warm water, sugar and yeast and let it sit to proof the yeast. (I buy yeast in bulk and my yeast is several years old but it's still kicking.) Then, combine the flours and salt in a food processor and process to combine. Add the water/yeast mixture, olive oil, and yogurt to the food processor and process 1 minute or so. It should form a ball that whips around the food processor. I make this all the time and sometimes I get sloppy with measurements but if it's way too wet, I just add more flour. I never seem to have the opposite problem.

Place in greased bowl and let rise 40 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

So, my heating element on my oven is broken but my broiler works, so I've jury rigged that to work. If you're baking this and not broiling, here's what I'd do. I'd place a pizza stone on the middle rack and preheat my oven to 450 for at least 30 minutes.

With my broiler situation, I put the pizza stone on the second-from-highest rack in the oven, and turn on the broiler while the dough rises.

When the dough is risen and the oven is pre-heated, I divide the dough into 8 pieces. On a well floured surface I roll each piece out to about 5 inches and let them rest for a few minutes. Then I roll them out until they're between 1/8-1/4" thick. I put them on my baker's peel dusted with cornmeal and add toppings (I like a mixture of lemon juice, olive oil, sesame seeds, thyme, oregano, hot pepper flakes. Parmesan works, so does olive tapenade). Then I slide them onto the stone and broil them for maybe 3-4 minutes. The problem with the broiler is that my bread goes from beautiful to charred in 30 seconds, so an oven will give you a longer window to yank them from the oven.

Sounds more complicated than it is, but make them a few times and you get a system down and then you have wonderful bread for any dish. Or a meal in and of itself.

[Marged]

Tonight:

Pad thai, a cabbage salad with peanut dressing, and fresh spring rolls. My hands are burning from jalapenos!

[TimElhajj]

Thanks for the bread Marged. Too hot for bread right now, but that won't last for ever.

[tiohn]

I've got fresh shrimp and fresh butter beans, so I've got a pot of Lima Beans and Shrimp Stew on the stove. It's really, really simple, but smells really fantastic at the moment. It smells like something else that I just can't put my finger on, something asian, I think.

[Marged]

Thanks for the bread Marged. Too hot for bread right now, but that won't last for ever.

I've made it in 90+ degree heat and humidity and no AC. You can do it!

Also it's delicious topped with ground beef that's loaded with spicy spices. Otherwise known as lahmacun, though lamb is more common.

[Christien Murawski]

Tried a new gumbo recipe last night, inspired by Tim's recent post. I worked off a recipe from one of my Cook's Country magazines in which the author of the recipe is trying to streamline the gumbo process. It worked pretty well, and I'll be happy to type out the recipe if anyone wants it.

I'm loving this dish, especially on Day Two. Not terribly interesting cooking, as per the thread title. What is interesting to me is this is the first time I've tried a roux in the oven as opposed to stirring one on the stovetop. It worked out beautifully. I'm so pleased. And it's so easy:

• Preheat oven to 350. Move rack to lowest position.
• Put 3/4 cup AP flour in your dutch oven and toast it on the stovetop over medium heat. Stir constantly. Give it five minutes or so. Should start to look tan-to-brown.
• Off heat, whisk in 1/2 cup veg oil.
• Cover. Transfer pot to oven for 45 minutes.

That's it. Beautiful roux. Experiment with times and amounts (and fat) as per taste, but I was so happy with how the oven version worked out. Yay.


-xtien

P.S. If you don't have a dutch oven and instead have something lighter weight, add ten minutes.

[Rimbo]

I haven't quite figured out the trick to fry corn tortillas into taco shells. Anyone got any tips?

[interman]

You can make a mold out of aluminum foil if you're a bit creative. Then use something to grip the tortilla around it, and then lower it into the oil.

Saw it on good eats.

[Marged]

I haven't quite figured out the trick to fry corn tortillas into taco shells. Anyone got any tips?

I just use tongs and hold half under the oil, then drop that half and pick up the other half. They end up folded into shape.

[Enidigm]

What should i do with dozens if not well over a hundred chiltepin peppers growing in my backyard? They're much too small to actually enjoy eating on their own, and are very, very hot.

[russellmz00]

They're much too small to actually enjoy eating on their own, and are very, very hot.

do you desire revenge against someone? if so, i have no idea.

[sinfony]

CUPCAKES!!!



Chocolate cake, peanut butter frosting, and chocolate/peanut butter glaze.

[Houngan]

What should i do with dozens if not well over a hundred chiltepin peppers growing in my backyard? They're much too small to actually enjoy eating on their own, and are very, very hot.

Pick, pickle, crush, salt, hot sauce. if you're equipped, some smoking in there wouldn't hurt.

H.

[baren]

My regular camera died, so all I've got is cell camera evidence. But I made Oatmeal breakfast bread today, subject of a recent Tuesdays with Dorie pass.



It's cooling now. The crumbs you see are a result of not flouring the loaf pan enough. Some of the under crust stuck.

[Meghan Bowyer]

Homemade arrabbiata sauce, and I'm sure I spelled that wrong. I want to make it at least one more time while tomatoes are still in season, and next time I'm putting Italian sausage in it.

[Christien Murawski]

Homemade arrabbiata sauce, and I'm sure I spelled that wrong. I want to make it at least one more time while tomatoes are still in season, and next time I'm putting Italian sausage in it.

My tomatoes are almost done so I'd love to hear how you did this. Love that sauce.


-xtien

[TimElhajj]

That's it. Beautiful roux. Experiment with times and amounts (and fat) as per taste, but I was so happy with how the oven version worked out. Yay.

What is the point of the roux?

I've been tempted to make the gumbo without it, but haven't felt bold enough to try it. I'm not much of a cook and really rely on my recipies for getting the dinners done and coming out right. I envy the people who can imagine what might go good with what, or improvise recipie wise. I occasionally can do this, but sometimes things like this roux make me realize I have no idea what the hell is going on with any of my dishes. Will it be a noticeably different dish without it?

[Enidigm]

Made some green chili stew. Pretty basic, but not bad.