Foodgasms

SaintPeter said:

My 7018 better not smell like buttermilk.

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Just shake the bejesus out of it...you'll have cheese!

stick cheese!

I know it's for breakfast. I know most people don't like them, but I'm having GRITS for dinner. I have been having a craving for them lately and it's very cold outside and they're warming me up inside!

I usually make mine with cream and a little water, fresh coarse ground pepper, salt, chunks of bacon, and sharp cheddar, OH and butter!

Fried are good, too! You cook them, pour them into a loaf pan and let them solidify and then slice them like polenta and cook in butter with either salt and pepper, or maple syrup. Mmmm memories....

pineapple cookies

they are more like cakies. kinds of like slightly sweet biscuits. if you want really sweet and crunchy these aren't the cookies for you.

1 stick butter, at room temp
1c light or dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1 egg
1t lemon extract (you can use 1t lemon zest or vanilla if you prefer)
1 c pineapple, either canned crushed (drain juice) or fresh 1/4" dice
1/4t baking soda
1t baking powder
2c flour

cream butter and sugar. add egg, lemon, pineapple. mix in dry ingredients. drop in 1T globs onto greased cookie sheet. they don't spread much so they don't have to be too far apart. bake at 350 on top rack for 15-16 minutes. let cool for a few minutes before eating.

VermilionSkye said:

I know it's for breakfast. I know most people don't like them, but I'm having GRITS for dinner. I have been having a craving for them lately and it's very cold outside and they're warming me up inside!

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I saw this on Food Network the other day. Sounds like something you might like. I love the parfait look!

Breakfast in a Cup



For the grits:
2 cups water
Salt
1/2 cup quick cooking grits
1 tablespoon butter
Half-and-half

For the scrambled eggs:
2 eggs
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon sour cream

For the poached eggs:
1 egg
Salt
1 tablespoon vinegar, see Cook's Note*

For the crumbled sausage:
1 pound ground bulk country sausage

Grated cheese, for topping
Chopped parsley leaves, for garnish

For the grits:
Bring 2 cups of salted water to a boil. Slowly stir in 1/2 cup quick grits, stir immediately and reduce the heat, then bring back to boil. Add butter and stir. Reduce the heat and simmer. Let cook approximately 4 minutes, then stir in half-and-half to desired creaminess. Cook grits to taste, up to 30 minutes.

For the scrambled eggs:
Have pan heating on stovetop over medium-high heat. Crack 2 eggs into a bowl. Add salt and pepper, water and 1 tablespoon sour cream. Whisk together. Add butter to pan. Pour in egg mixture and use spoon to scramble.

For the poached eggs:
Have water boiling in a large pot on stove. Add a sprinkle of salt and 1 tablespoon of vinegar to water. Use spoon to swirl water and drop egg into the middle. Cook for approximately 3 minutes for an over-medium egg. Remove from water. Allow water to drain off the egg before serving.

*Vinegar helps the egg to hold its shape by causing the outer layer of the egg white to congeal faster.

For the crumbled sausage:
Prepare according to package instructions.

To assemble:
Spoon grits into mug, about 2/3 full. Spoon sausage on top of grits. Add poached or scrambled egg. Sprinkle cheese on top then garnish with parsley.

Mmm, grits parfeit! Can't get much better than that.

the squash ravioli with chocolate shavings were excellent last evening.

Questions

question: why does my meatman look at me strangely when I request a "boiler fryer" chicken as specified in recipe? Is this termonology now defunct?


question: is "heavy cream" the same as "whipping cream" for recipe purposes?


question: where can I order cured pork products like salt pork, hamhocks both smoked and not, cajun seasoning ham, smoked hog jowls, neckbones & nuckle bones and the like? There has to be some online source but I can't find it and I'm in no condition to be beating the streets of Harlem looking for a soul food meatman connection.

rosco rathbone said:

question: why does my meatman look at me strangely when I request a "boiler fryer" chicken as specified in recipe? Is this termonology now defunct?


question: is "heavy cream" the same as "whipping cream" for recipe purposes?


question: where can I order cured pork products like salt pork, hamhocks both smoked and not, cajun seasoning ham, smoked hog jowls, neckbones & nuckle bones and the like? There has to be some online source but I can't find it and I'm in no condition to be beating the streets of Harlem looking for a soul food meatman connection.

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Question 1: Because it's "BRoiler/fryer", not "boiler/fryer". Also, at least at my mega-mart, it does seem like the term is getting phased out. Why, I don't know.

Question 2: No.

Question 3: Salt pork and hocks oughta be relatively easy to come by. Tasso (not cajun seasoning ham) you're gonna have to google most likely. As for the rest, either google, or try the phonebook. Harlem and Spanish Harlem are your best bets.

rosco rathbone said:

question: is "heavy cream" the same as "whipping cream" for recipe purposes?

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I often have a "need to know" and this was one of those circumstances. This is what I found:

By the USDA, to be called "heavy cream" a cream must have at least 36% milkfat and can have more.

By law, "light whipping cream" must have at least 30% but less than 36% milkfat.

"Light cream" (sometimes called "coffee cream") must have at least 18% milkfat, but less than 30%

"Half and Half" must have at least 10.5% milkfat, but less than 18%

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Now we all know.

One of the things that I found interesting is that many times whipping cream also contains additives, so check the label.

Outstanding. Thanks for the answers, folks. Foodsnob, I can get salt pork and hocks here at the supermarket, there's a big Mexican and Brazilian population here. The quality is not so hot though. There's usually no more than a 1/4 teaspoon of meat on them, if that, it's all fat and skin.

Xanthan Gum. Where else would one post a story about Xanthan Gum.

The husband and I are watching our carb intake. I roasted a turkey and was looking for a way to make gravy without using wheat flour. I googled, and one of the suggestions was to use Xanthan Gum.

I went to our local Organic/Healthy market and bought the only size of Xanthan Gum available. It was about a cup in dry powder volume and cost $12.95! Wow! Spendy.

The article on google said you need just a very small amount and to start with a teaspoon. I added about half of a teaspoon to my drippings and de-glazings and they were thick enough. I put the half full measuring spoon on the counter to deal with at a later time because I needed to stir and get the meal on the table.

Has anyone ever eaten gravy thickened with Xanthan Gum? It is one of the slickest textures I have ever had in my mouth. Now, I'm a believer that texture is as important as flavor in most things as far as desirability, and I had created a couple of cups of gravy flavored personal lubricant...It's the only thing I can think of that has the same texture - well that or snot. Thin Jello doesn't even come close. You know, personal lubricant might not even be as slick as Xanthan Gum...that stuff is slick!

That extra half teaspoon of Xanthan gum was sitting on the counter and somehow it was knocked onto the kitchen floor. This being our first experience with Xanthan Gum, the husband grabbed a wet cloth to wipe it up. Reproduction! The floor immediately became slick. And the slickness spread wherever it came in touch with more water. He had a slick the size of half the floor and the only way to get rid of it was through continued dilution, wiping and rinsing. 30 minutes later, the floor was finally a clean, no-slip surface again.

So, anyway, I think we found the secret ingredient in Astro-Glide.

That's an ingredient in all kinds of junk and processed foods, I think,



I've got a recipe here calling for "baked or seasoning ham", pickled pork and ham bone. I don't know where to get this stuff. Google is not helping me. I want my Creole red beans and rice! And no substitutions. I am a whiteboy obsessed with gnarly authenticity.

This ingredient encyclopedia, with pictures and covering all the different names for the same thing, is great!

http://www.foodsubs.com/

rosco rathbone said:

That's an ingredient in all kinds of junk and processed foods, I think,

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Xanthan Gum is an emulsifier and is grown by a bacteria...it's used in ice cream, salad dressings and the oil industry. I looked it up before I decided to try it.

Have you thought of just making your own?

Here's a site I found for pickled pork. http://www.nolacuisine.com/2005/10/16/pickle-meat-or-pickled-pork-recipe/

A ham bone is a ham bone. I'm sure there is a specialty market where you are that will order you anything...or do you have a meat market you go to that will order for you?

rosco rathbone said:

That's an ingredient in all kinds of junk and processed foods, I think,



I've got a recipe here calling for "baked or seasoning ham", pickled pork and ham bone. I don't know where to get this stuff. Google is not helping me. I want my Creole red beans and rice! And no substitutions. I am a whiteboy obsessed with gnarly authenticity.

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cajuns don't worry about authenticity. theirs is a plebian food. they use what is at hand--squirrel jambalaya, anyone? that's one thing that makes cajun food so wonderful.

if you're gonna go to all of the trouble of ordering, though, order some tasso: http://www.cajungrocer.com/fresh-foods-sausage-andouille-c-1_15_34.html

you might as well as order some andouille, too.

ham hocks work in lieu of ham bone. surely, though, with thanksgiving around the corner you can find someone to give you a leftover ham bone. (i make people save them for me; turkey carcasses, too, for gumbo.)

rosco rathbone said:

I've got a recipe here calling for "baked or seasoning ham", pickled pork and ham bone. I don't know where to get this stuff. Google is not helping me. I want my Creole red beans and rice! And no substitutions. I am a whiteboy obsessed with gnarly authenticity.

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You want tasso: http://www.pochesmarket.com/poche_prod/tasso.htm

or: http://www.cajungrocer.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=tasso&x=0&y=0

CrackerjackHrt said:

cajuns don't worry about authenticity. theirs is a plebian food. they use what is at hand--squirrel jambalaya, anyone? that's one thing that makes cajun food so wonderful.

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They don't need to worry about it because they already have it!

I can get all the cast-off pig parts here in my international mart. The Brazilians love that shit. I just figure it would be more old-school to have free-range neckbones & nucklebones, grown in a boutique farm somewhere. When I see that "Hormel" label, I feel rather nauseated.

i cam send you goat parts. no pig parts, though.

Question

question: will my cod bisque freeze well?

rosco rathbone said:

question: will my cod bisque freeze well?

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probably. what's in it?

rosco rathbone said:

Outstanding. Thanks for the answers, folks. Foodsnob, I can get salt pork and hocks here at the supermarket, there's a big Mexican and Brazilian population here. The quality is not so hot though. There's usually no more than a 1/4 teaspoon of meat on them, if that, it's all fat and skin.

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Doesn't really matter. All you're looking for from hocks, bones etc is the curing and or smoking in the product to flavor the dish, plus some collegen for body.

Buy 'em, use 'em, it'll be fine.

Hester said:

probably. what's in it?

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Ah, cod, cream, wine, tomatoes, potatoes, fish stock made with clams juice.


Foodsnob, I will take your advice, as you have the air of an English football hooligen who has gone to chef school.

oi. This cajun page looks pretty great and has a big list of mailorder suppliers.

www.gumbopages.com

rosco rathbone said:

Ah, cod, cream, wine, tomatoes, potatoes, fish stock made with clams juice.


Foodsnob, I will take your advice, as you have the air of an English football hooligen who has gone to chef school.

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It should be fine.

You know, you can ask the fish monger for the backbone the next time they fillet some salmon. Makes for excellent fish stock.