| "Neiman Marcus" Cookies |
[May. 12th, 2008|09:46 pm] |
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I made the cookies of the urban legend, and they're quite delicious.
Into the oven they go!
Incredibly delicious.
( The recipe ) |
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[May. 12th, 2008|02:50 pm] |
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| Duck Breast Prosciutto |
[May. 12th, 2008|05:14 pm] |
Duck Breast Prosciutto
1. Cut small shallow slits into the skin in a criss-cross pattern (not deep enough to cut the muscle).
2. Rub with herbes de provence, fresh rosemary, and pepper (white is preferred but I was out).
3. Cure in salt cure mix (I use Morton's Tenderquick) for 2 days.
4. Wash away salt with 50/50 mix of vinegar & water.
5. Brush generously with rendered duck fat (skip this step if you want a drier/less raw texture).
6. Make a wrap of cheese cloth with enough extra that you can hang it. (pic below)
8. Air "cooking"-I started this in January (shortly after hunting season ended). In Virginia the climate is such during January and February that I could hang it from a tree for a few weeks and it turned out well (between 4o F and 50 F is perfect). In warmer months when old school methods would destroy the duck, I hang meat in the garage fridge with the temperature turned to near the warmest setting. Finishing the duck should only take another 3-4 weeks or until the breast is firm. I haven't ever had any go bad, but from what I've heard when it goes bad it smells like rotten duck crap. If you screw it up, you'll know it.
( Further instructional process pics behind the cut, click if you so desire... ) |
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[May. 12th, 2008|12:10 pm] |
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A friend of mine is having a birthday in a couple of weeks, and I've got an idea for a birthday cake, but am having trouble working out the icing.
My plan is this: A dark chocolate cake with some sort of raspberry/cabernet icing. I originally thought of doing a buttercream, but they always wind up so sweet. Does anyone have any experience with using cornstarch as a thickener? Maybe cornstarch added to a reduction of some kind (like raspberry/cabernet, for example?). |
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| Camping Food! |
[May. 12th, 2008|12:38 pm] |
Spareribs made in the Alton Brown smoker:
more pics found at Fotocuisine |
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| Oatmeal Raisin Cookies |
[May. 12th, 2008|09:30 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  sleepy | ] |
Oddly enough, I'm one of those gals who bakes when she's sorely in need of a study break...
As such, I baked several batches of oatmeal raisin cookies last night using this recipe.
( More pictures... ) |
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| Equpiment |
[May. 12th, 2008|08:14 am] |
Hey Pornistas, a couple of questions:
1) What piece of equipment, perhaps unusual, do you have in your kitchen that you absolutely adore? (Nominate one big & expensive, and one small & cheap.)
2) What piece of equipment do you desperately want for your kitchen? (Again, one from each category...) |
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| Pluots |
[May. 11th, 2008|10:06 pm] |
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[May. 11th, 2008|09:01 pm] |
Japanese pickled vegetables (carrots, daikon, cucumbers, peppers), lightly seared tuna sliced thin & drizzled in apricot chipotle mustard.
More to come I am sure...
(edited to specs to accomodate whiners) |
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| Tom Kha Goong |
[May. 11th, 2008|09:26 pm] |
It's been a weekend of serious shopping. Fairway and Whole Foods in particular have shown me paradise in cheeses, beers and produce. After finding some perfectly fresh and wonderfully priced shrimp I made some spicy Tom Kha Goong soup with shallots, red peppers, mushrooms and some nice cold pineapple chunks thrown in. The hotness and the spiciness and the delicious shrimp contrasting with the cool sweetness of the pineapple. Amazing.
( one more ) |
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| Grilled Prawns |
[May. 12th, 2008|10:19 am] |
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We went prawning again! This is becoming a habit...and I really need to watch it...eating way too many prawns!
These were garlic-ky good...that is if you are a garlic fiend like I am. It takes all of 10 minutes to prepare...pop them into the grill and they are ready.
Too easy! I bet they will taste better with the sea prawns.
Click here for the recipe and more pictures
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| Mother's Day lunch and misc. pictures |
[May. 11th, 2008|05:34 pm] |
I was enlisted into making lunch for mom today. I decided to go with a semi improvised salad with obvious inspirations, grilled pesto stuffed trout from The Joy of Cooking, string beans with butter and almonds also from the Joy, potatoes boiled than sauted with onions and finally, a raspberry clafouti.
The trout was very good! I usually hate cooked fish (I'll have it in sashimi please :D ) but I had extra servings of this one. I really recommend it. It also looks quite pretty when your dad hasn't mangled it too badly (so my mom's was prettily done, his plate looked like there had been a genocide war on the grill...)
So, overall, not only was it tasty and simple, but it also didn't completely ruin my diet. How awesome is that?
I don't have pictures of this meal because it went away too fast. Dad was being impossible you see? He always is unbearable when I get cooking. Also, he had to eat fish because of his heart. Dad is a meat and potatoes kind of guy. But I do have some pictures of other food below the cut.
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| San Francisco - The Food Pornographer's Heaven |
[May. 11th, 2008|08:46 am] |
There are home cooked meals and there are restaurants....and then there is San Francisco. I have attended foodie sections of cities all over the world...New York, Paris...but never, have I encountered such an abundance of gourmet gastronomic delights as in San Francisco's current offerings. Seems like every time I step off the BART I find some amazing new tasty delight.
There are Farmer's Markets and ethnic eateries galore in this city, but non surpass the Foodie Mecca that is known as the Ferry Market Building on the Embarcadero where we spent the day yesterday strolling from shop-to-shop and booth-to-booth. Every weekend during the spring and summer, the exterior of the building is lined with white tents offering everything from the most beautiful tomatoes you've ever laid eyes on, to the more obscure varietals of eggplant or plantains. Inside, there are specialty shops, each dedicated to its own kind of exquisite gastronomical delight. Food is artfully displayed in bursts of creative, harmonious color and composition. Just looking at it almost makes this writer high!
( Read more... ) |
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| Who doesn't love pizza & cupcakes?! |
[May. 11th, 2008|09:22 am] |
Yesterday my friend and I ventured down to Bayridge (Brooklyn) to go to this little place called Piazza Mercato where they sell glorious cheeses, meats, prepared foods (fried eggplant, pepper salad) and black & white cookies the way they are suppose to be (spongy and frosting that isn't a hard shell) and other Italian goods.
I got some sharp, imported provolone (as we planned to make pizza upon return to my apartment).
We also walked along Shore Road, down the Narrows, along the Verrazano. It truly felt like another world compared to the rest of Brooklyn--homes with yards of fresh cut grass, what?! Cross walks with no waiting line of cars in sight, huh!? We got cupcakes at The Little Cupcake Bakeshop and let me tell you--AWESOME. Far better than any of the overly sugared crap you purchase anywhere in Manhattan (-gag- Magnolia's)
Here are some photos!
sauce, sharp imported provolone sliced not grated, (we never make pizza with mozzarella it just isn't as flavorful as provolone), pecorino romano (grated), artichokes, orange peppers & portobello mushrooms--the kitchen smelled like my mother's! oh, and I made the dough from scratch.
( more ) |
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[May. 11th, 2008|09:03 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  aggravated | ] |
Alright I'm stepping my diet up to vegan and I'm only really mortified of the vast amount of crap everyone is going to give me of it because the majority of them are still giving me crap for being a vegetarian and I've been one for 3 years.
My parents, my brother not the problem. Really it's everyone else. It's easier to disagree with your immediate family that those who are not. I am not the type of person who shouts at people to solely eat vegetables because I hate it when people shout at me to eat meat. Plus I believe the moment of clarity that pushes you to go veggie can only be attained by one's self. People generally ignore the pictures, the statistics. No, if I want to convince people I just cook for them.
Still everyone looks at me like I have 3 heads. They act as though I'm going to preach to them even though they're the only ones who are doing the preaching- I couldn't get a word in if I wanted to. How do I deliver this to people with out finally snapping at their barrage of insults? Additionally I am living with a friend's relatives and do not want them to feel insulted either. |
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[May. 11th, 2008|10:02 pm] |
Sometimes, when I tell people Im a vegetarian, I get the most frustrating and ridiculous respones.
Eg today, after being told I was a vegetarian, I was asked -"what about the animals whose habitats are destroyed when land is cleared for fruit and vegetable farms?..where do you draw the line about caring for animals??"
uh...wha?
Despite that awesome argument, I still have no desire to eat meat. I said that if I had heard about a farm who had done that an animals had died as a result I wouldnt eat their products, but Im not familiar with any such cases and you know I gotta eat sometthinnggg
Ok another note- vegan meringue? anyone had any success? |
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| Blue Corn Fritters |
[May. 10th, 2008|05:11 pm] |
We went on a mid week excursion to Sedona, staying at the coveted Garland's Lodge . When there we ate trout for breakfast....sounds strange but was immensely delicious and satisfying.
Accompanying the trout were these Blue Corn Fritters:
( Recipe Here ) |
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| Food Porn: The Parmageddon |
[May. 10th, 2008|07:56 pm] |
The Parmageddon: Potato & cheese pierogies, grilled onions, and slabs of cheddar sandwiched between two huge slices of bread. Served with freshly-made vodka kraut and fries. Sinfully delicious. |
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