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The Recipe Thread!

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I haven't tried it with agar-agar. It's possible that it would work, as long as it would form a stable gel.

The whole thing works by exploiting syneresis. When you freeze the gelatinized liquid, the ice crystals pierce the gelatin structures, and free the liquid (and here's the cool part) and *only* the liquid. All the solids are kept trapped in the gelatin structure, and anything that might slip by are caught by the secondary filters (cheesecloth, coffee filters).

The only downside to these "consommes", is that some of them re-cloud when heated. The upside is that there's tons of applications for these cold consommes.

You could, for example, re-gel them and use them as a garnish, use them as-is as a cold soup.

The idea of having virtually anything be clear, to me as a chef, is fucking amazing. I was reading a blog linked from egullet.org where a guy was doing a peanut butter-ancho chile consomme. It doesn't get much more opaque than peanut butter. And there it was, 3 days later, peanut-butter colored, but completely clear.

So, here's some pictures:
Frozen broth:
frozenbrothwz5.jpg


Clarification in progress:
clarificationmo5.jpg


Finished product (toasted coconut/lime/coriander consomme):
consommels4.jpg
 
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I've got some agar-agar kicking around... i may have to try that out. My suspicions are that it won't work because agar gels are incredibly stable. In fact, a cool thing to do with agar gels, is to heat them. Our pastry chef does a hot chocolate gelee with agar. Standard gelee making, but he torches it, and serves it piping hot.

If you're interested in these kinds of things, playing with nifty food additives, I've got (an admittedly out-of-date) blog @ chiantiblue.blogspot.com

also check out ideasinfood.typepad.comand studiokitchen.typepad.com and testkitchen.typepad.com
 
I was hoping this thread would be revived! Here is a little poutine recipe that is not mine, but I can vouch that I made it and it tastes great!

Poutine Recipe!

Ingredients :

cooked French fries

cheese curds (farmer cheese or "squeaky cheese")

beef gravy
-------
1. Mix French fries and cheese curds.
2. Pour the gravy over top and wait until the cheese begins to melt.
3. Then dig in.

BEEF GRAVY
*
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups beef broth
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon pepper, or to taste

Melt butter in a saucepan then add flour. Blend together until no lumps are visible. Add salt and pepper. Cook and stir over medium heat for 5-10 minutes or until mixture starts to brown. Turn heat to low and slowly add broth, stirring constantly. Turn heat back up to medium and continue cooking and stirring until gravy boils and thickens. Adjust seasonings to taste.
Serving Size: 1

Poutine is a classic french canadian dish. The proper way to prepare it is as follows. Deep fry french fries-preferably thick hand cut. Season with a bit of salt, then put half a porton of fries into a bowl or container add some fresh cheese curds-NOT MOZZARELLA OR OTHER CHEESE, then add the rest of fries and top with more cheese curds and finally pour piping hot beef gravy overtop as desired. Should not be garnished with any condiments other than a bit of salt and pepper. The cheese curds are key it makes it extra gooey and tasty.

----

Another good one that I stole from online. Both are so damn tasty

----

Smoked Salmon with Dilled Cream Cheese on Puff Pastry

1 package smoked salmon
6 oz whipped cream cheese

1 sheet puff pastry

1 egg, beaten with 1 tsp water

fresh dill

You will need a tin of circle cutters,
available at any restaurant supply store or kitchen shop.
Use the smallest two cutters.

Cut rounds of puff pastry out of the larger of the two rounds.
Put the rounds on a cookie sheet and brush with a beaten egg.
Bake at 400 degrees about 8 minutes until starting to puff.
Gently place a second cookie sheet on top of the puff pastry.
Cook 8 more minutes. This will let the puff pastry puff partially.
Let cool. Meanwhile, mix cream cheese with 1 tablespoon fresh chopped dill.
Spread cream cheese mixture on top of puff pastry.

Top with a round of the salmon, cut from the smallest round cutter.
You may garnish any way you wish. With a tiny sprig of dill on top or another herb,
with several caviar eggs, or with a caper, or with a 1 inch piece of chive.

Be creative!
 
There's a place in Montreal that does poutine with a HUGE FUCKING SLAB OF FOIE GRAS on top. Au pied du cochon (too lazy to look up the website.)

French fries + gravy + cheese + foie gras = heart-stoppingly delicious.

IIRC, they use veal demiglace instead of gravy.
 
Does anyone have a recipe for some yummy pad thai? I prefer it not to have any seafood/fish sauce.
 
Hands down best salmon recipe I've ever had. I recommend this one all the time, it's just SO good!

INGREDIENTS:

* 4 6 ounce salmon steaks or fillets
* 1/4 cup peanut oil
* 2 tablespoon soy sauce
* 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
* 2 tablespoon chopped green onions
* 2 teaspoons brown sugar
* 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 3/4 teaspoon grated ginger
* 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
* salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION:
Combine all ingredients except the salmon. Place salmon in a large resealable bag (or two). Pour marinade mixture over top. Force all the air from the bag and seal. Place in the refrigerator and marinate for 1 to 2 hours.

Preheat grill. Remove fish from bag and place on a hot grill. Brush with some of the marinade and discard the rest. Cook over a high heat for about 4 to 5 minutes per side or until done. Time might vary because of the thickness of the fish. When salmon flakes easily an is a consistent color and texture through the middle remove from grill and serve.
 
Cheddar Beer Fondue

News Canada - "The Brewers Association of Canada encourages you to experiment with the beer recommended in this recipe. The beauty of beer is that its complex flavors can change the character of a dish each time you prepare it - heartier with a dark beer, lighter with a lager" Source: 1001 Recipes

I N G R E D I E N T S
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
1 bottle (12 oz.) Alpine Lager
3 cups old Canadian Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 Baguette, cubed; each cube with crust

I N S T R U C T I O N S
In saucepan, melt butter; blend in flour, Worcestershire sauce and mustard. Gradually stir in beer; stir until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat; add cheese, stir until melted. Transfer to fondue pot; place over low heat. Serve with bread cubes; use long handled fondue forks.

this is a good one, folks
 
Yesterday's dinner:

Eggplant & Random Greens Dumplings (vegan)

Dumplings:
1 tablespoon grated ginger
2 tablespoons mashed garlic
2 tablespoons cilantro or Vietnamese coriander, chopped finely
4 smallish eggplants, salted and drained, then chopped into small cubes
a handful of greens, chopped (I used talinum but anything will do)
1/2 jicama or a handful of water chestnuts, cut into small cubes
3 tablespoons of Dtergent's Special Sauce (recipe follows)
Round dumpling wrappers for steaming

Dtergent's Special Sauce
3 tablespoons garclic
1 small red onion, minced
3 tablespoons cilantro or Vietnamese coriander root
1 uber hot small red chili
2 tablespoons raw sugar (or more, to taste)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
salt or liquid aminos, to taste

Dipping Sauce
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce or liquid aminos
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Make Dtergent's Special Sauce first:

Mash garlic, onions, cilantro, and chili in a mortar and pestle (or chop them up really finely). Heat some oil in a skillet and sautee them for 5 minutes. Add the rest and sautee for another 5 minutes. Taste and adjust.

Then make the dumplings:

Mash the garlic and ginger together in a mortar and pestle. Sautee with the onions. Add eggplant, sautee for 5 minutes. Add greens and coriander, as well as Dtergent's Special Sauce. Add crunching agent (jicama or water chestnuts) and stir. Remove from fire and let cool.

Take a dumpling wrapper, put a teaspoonful of filling in center, and form balls by pinching moistened edges together. Steam these on banana leaves or wax paper, pinched side down.

While steaming, make your dipping sauce, just by combining everything.

VeggieDumplings.jpg


Enjoy!

PS- you can put strips of lemongrass in the dipping sauce for extra flavor as pictured. :D
 
Here's a recipe for one of my favourite Malaysian food. Hainanese Chicken Rice. It is relatively easy to make even with ingredients from the US.

Hainanese_Chicken_Rice.jpg


Hainan Chicken Rice

INGREDIENTS :

* 1 whole chicken [2½-3 lbs]
* 5-6 stalks fresh scallions
* 6 inch fresh ginger, peeled, cut into thick slices
* 2 tsp soy sauce
* 1 tsp sesame oil
* 2 additional stalks fresh scallions, chopped, for garnish [optional]
* 1 seedless cucumber, peeled, halved and sliced diagonally
* a few sprigs of fresh cilantro, for garnishing
* ½ tsp white peppercorns
* salt

Ingredients for Chicken rice :

* 3 cups long grained rice, washed and drained
* 1 tbsp chopped garlic
* 2 tsp salt
* 2½ tbsp chicken fat or vegetable oil
* 6 cups, or more, chicken broth [from the cooking broth]
* 6 pandan leaves [screwpine leaves] [optional]

Ingredients for Special Chili Dipping Sauce :

* 1 tbsp kaffir lime juice [Substitute: lime or lemon juice]
* 1½-2 tbsp chicken broth [from the cooking broth]
* 2 tsp sugar
* 4 tbsp hot chili sauce
* 4 cloves garlic, finely ground or mashed
* 1 inch ginger, finely ground or grated
* salt

To Prepare Chili Dipping Sauce :

* Mix hot chili sauce with lime juice, sugar, garlic, ginger, chicken broth [spooning some of the chicken fat oil] and salt to taste
* Pour chili sauce into small condiment dishes, for each individual serving

Cook's Note : This meal can be made a low-fat diet dish. Skim and discard any residual fat/oil from the chicken broth before cooking the chicken rice. [Best if chilled in the fridge for easy removal of fat/oil]. You may also remove the skin from the cooked chicken before serving.


To Prepare Chicken :

* Cut off any excess fat, reserve for using to cook rice, wash chicken, drain well, stuff ginger slices and scallions stalks into the cavity of the chicken
* In a large stockpot, add sufficient water [to cover the chicken], white peppercorns and about 2 tbsp salt, bring to a boil
* Submerge the whole chicken, breast-side down in the boiling water, and immediately reducing the heat to a slow poach
* Cover, poach chicken for about 45-50 mins, [check to make sure the water does not 'boil' the chicken]
* When chicken is cooked, remove and plunge immediately into a bath of icy cold water, submerging the chicken for about 10 mins
* Remove chicken from the ice bath, discard ginger slices and scallion stalks from the cavity, drain the chicken well, set aside - meanwhile cook the chicken rice
* When the chicken is cool enough to handle, cut it neatly into serving size pieces [de-bone chicken, if you prefer]

To Prepare Chicken Rice :

* Wash rice till water runs clear, drain well
* Heat wok on high, add the reserved chicken fat, render into an oil to about 2½ tbsp [add vegetable oil if chicken fat oil is insufficient ]
* Add chopped garlic, stir-fry for a few seconds
* Add the raw rice, stir-fry till the rice grains start to look translucent, about 8-10 mins
* Transfer rice to a pot, add 6 cups chicken broth, salt and pandan leaves [*Note: depending on the type of rice, use more or less of the chicken broth]
* Bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer uncovered, until the chicken broth is absorbed by the rice [small 'bubble' holes start to appear on the rice]
* Reduce heat to very low, cover the rice with a tight-fitting lid, cook for a further 10-12 mins
* Turn off heat, DO NOT open the cover, wait for 10 mins before opening [steam inside will gently finish steaming the rice]
* Fluff up the rice with a fork [If rice is not fully cook, simply add a little chicken broth, cover and steam on very low heat for another 5 mins or so]
* Alternatively, 'fry' the raw rice in a wok until translucent, then transfer into an electric rice cooker and add sufficient chicken broth to cook
* Any leftover chicken broth after making the rice, can be served as a small side soup, garnished with some chopped cilantro
* Line a serving platter with cucumber slices, arrange chicken pieces on top, sprinkle with soy sauce, sesame oil, and garnish with chopped scallions and cilantro sprigs
* Serve Hainan chicken [usually served at room temperature] with chicken rice, side soup - and special chili dipping sauce!
 
ok, this is what i like to make myself most of the time
pasta with vegetable

i use 3 kind of pasta
the green one (spinach) the red one (tomato) and the important one the yellow one (citrus) :)

the philosophy is to cook everything in the same bowl

so u start with the pasta
follow by...
the brussel sprout if you have them...
1315223913_bcf2605085_m.jpg

feve verte
1315223933_39a0fb8ac9_m.jpg

brocoli
1315216633_4bc946ecb6_m.jpg

red onion cut super fast, cuz real men dont cry..
1315216571_3f2d35840e_m.jpg

ginger
1315216649_d4e50a2f53_m.jpg

garlic (and spinach when i have some)
1315216555_afedc4fbee_m.jpg
well i guess its the end...
drama
1315216565_c078e1332a_m.jpg

at the end after you take the water out, you put the cheese, tomato (and shrimp)
1315223907_0d81ec2f35_m.jpg

skwidlipwuit
1315223897_c13b30c5ef_m.jpg

i usually don't use swiss
1315223897

et voila,
1315216619_91228aea83_m.jpg
 
^:) cool
now im rolling some dessert
(don't forget to use freshly cut parsley mmmk)
1315980899_2f3e2b2c34_m.jpg

i hope i don't burn it this time...
1315980907_f554c030ab_m.jpg


...and now, time for a little walk :)
 
psychetool said:
I was hoping this thread would be revived! Here is a little poutine recipe that is not mine, but I can vouch that I made it and it tastes great!

Poutine Recipe!

Ingredients :

cooked French fries

cheese curds (farmer cheese or "squeaky cheese")

beef gravy
-------
1. Mix French fries and cheese curds.
2. Pour the gravy over top and wait until the cheese begins to melt.
3. Then dig in.

BEEF GRAVY
*
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups beef broth
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon pepper, or to taste

Melt butter in a saucepan then add flour. Blend together until no lumps are visible. Add salt and pepper. Cook and stir over medium heat for 5-10 minutes or until mixture starts to brown. Turn heat to low and slowly add broth, stirring constantly. Turn heat back up to medium and continue cooking and stirring until gravy boils and thickens. Adjust seasonings to taste.
Serving Size: 1

Poutine is a classic french canadian dish. The proper way to prepare it is as follows. Deep fry french fries-preferably thick hand cut. Season with a bit of salt, then put half a porton of fries into a bowl or container add some fresh cheese curds-NOT MOZZARELLA OR OTHER CHEESE, then add the rest of fries and top with more cheese curds and finally pour piping hot beef gravy overtop as desired. Should not be garnished with any condiments other than a bit of salt and pepper. The cheese curds are key it makes it extra gooey and tasty.

*droooooools* I think poutine is my favorite food EVER. EVER, EVER, EVER. More than pizza. I'm abstinent from meat for the time being... it may be poutine that makes me break. I'm sure subbing veggie broth would be a reasonable approximation... ahh who am I kidding. ;) I toss the salt lightly with the fries and put cracked black pepper on top. Eat it quickly... shouldn't be hard!

Thank you! I've used mozzarella balls (I forget what they are called) quartered in place of curds successfully for poutine in the past.
 
mariposa said:
*droooooools* I think poutine is my favorite food EVER. EVER, EVER, EVER. More than pizza. I'm abstinent from meat for the time being... it may be poutine that makes me break. I'm sure subbing veggie broth would be a reasonable approximation... ahh who am I kidding. ;) I toss the salt lightly with the fries and put cracked black pepper on top. Eat it quickly... shouldn't be hard!

Thank you! I've used mozzarella balls (I forget what they are called) quartered in place of curds successfully for poutine in the past.
you mean Bocconcini cheese??


yess miss!! you know where your going!

poutine is Haute cuisine around here!

i believe it as some drug effect, when you eat a nice large poutine from lafleur or the greenspot. you feel relaxed, overwhelmed with greasse clogging your arteries for a minute or 2 (thats the third plateau, near mont royal, anyway) giving you a near death experience... its bring proper sweat drops to your back !

viva la poutine!!
 
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