Whats cookin

drmoss_ca

drmoss_ca

Is there a Doctor in the house ?
Rog,
My version is a short crust pastry base, which is blind baked 400ºF for 20 minutes, then put back in the oven with the foil and weights removed to crisp up a little, perhaps just 10 minutes at 350º. I think my short crust pastry technique is somewhere above in this thread, but it is like this:
1½ cups white flour
¼ tsp salt
4oz shortening
Pulse flour and shortening in a food processor till it is like breadcrumbs. Maybe 30 seconds in all. Add 8 TBSP ice cold water pulsing as you go. Should form a ball of pastry you can take out, flatten, wrap in cling film, and place in fridge for 30 minutes plus until needed. When blind baking, roll out chilled pastry so you can line a 10" dish (I used a cast iron skillet above). Cover with aluminum foil, fill with baking weights (rice, beans, but I use 1¢ coins) and "blind-bake" for 20 minutes at 400ºF. Remove foil and coins and proceed as described.
The filling is a chopped onion fried till clear in butter, then 1 TBSP flour added and stirred in. Scrape into a large mixing bowl. Squeeze out 10oz frozen spinach to remove as much water as possible, add to onions. Wilt 8 cups torn Swiss chard, and 8 cups kale. Roughly chop and add to mixing bowl. Stir, season with a little salt (less or more depending on the cheese you use), plenty of black pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Mix in a cup of shredded cheese, parmesan, peccorino, or whatever you have. More salt if using nasty processed cheese shreds, less if grated Italian cheese. Then mix in an egg and about a cup of heavy cream. The end result is to have something you can squish into the pastry base, but not runny. Make six holes in the filling with a dessert spoon, and crack a whole egg into each. Bake at 350º until whites firm and yolk springy - around 30-40 minutes. Serve either hot from the oven, or cold. Mine will be cold with salad on the side.
 
RHensley

RHensley

Resident Hand Model
drmoss_ca said:
Rog,
My version is a short crust pastry base, which is blind baked 400ºF for 20 minutes, then put back in the oven with the foil and weights removed to crisp up a little, perhaps just 10 minutes at 350º. I think my short crust pastry technique is somewhere above in this thread, but it is like this:
1½ cups white flour
¼ tsp salt
4oz shortening
Pulse flour and shortening in a food processor till it is like breadcrumbs. Maybe 30 seconds in all. Add 8 TBSP ice cold water pulsing as you go. Should form a ball of pastry you can take out, flatten, wrap in cling film, and place in fridge for 30 minutes plus until needed. When blind baking, roll out chilled pastry so you can line a 10" dish (I used a cast iron skillet above). Cover with aluminum foil, fill with baking weights (rice, beans, but I use 1¢ coins) and "blind-bake" for 20 minutes at 400ºF. Remove foil and coins and proceed as described.
The filling is a chopped onion fried till clear in butter, then 1 TBSP flour added and stirred in. Scrape into a large mixing bowl. Squeeze out 10oz frozen spinach to remove as much water as possible, add to onions. Wilt 8 cups torn Swiss chard, and 8 cups kale. Roughly chop and add to mixing bowl. Stir, season with a little salt (less or more depending on the cheese you use), plenty of black pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Mix in a cup of shredded cheese, parmesan, peccorino, or whatever you have. More salt if using nasty processed cheese shreds, less if grated Italian cheese. Then mix in an egg and about a cup of heavy cream. The end result is to have something you can squish into the pastry base, but not runny. Make six holes in the filling with a dessert spoon, and crack a whole egg into each. Bake at 350º until whites firm and yolk springy - around 30-40 minutes. Serve either hot from the oven, or cold. Mine will be cold with salad on the side.
Click to expand...
Thanks. I'm going to give this a try.
 
jaro1069

jaro1069

Administrator
Staff member
drmoss_ca said:
Rog,
My version is a short crust pastry base, which is blind baked 400ºF for 20 minutes, then put back in the oven with the foil and weights removed to crisp up a little, perhaps just 10 minutes at 350º. I think my short crust pastry technique is somewhere above in this thread, but it is like this:
1½ cups white flour
¼ tsp salt
4oz shortening
Pulse flour and shortening in a food processor till it is like breadcrumbs. Maybe 30 seconds in all. Add 8 TBSP ice cold water pulsing as you go. Should form a ball of pastry you can take out, flatten, wrap in cling film, and place in fridge for 30 minutes plus until needed. When blind baking, roll out chilled pastry so you can line a 10" dish (I used a cast iron skillet above). Cover with aluminum foil, fill with baking weights (rice, beans, but I use 1¢ coins) and "blind-bake" for 20 minutes at 400ºF. Remove foil and coins and proceed as described.
The filling is a chopped onion fried till clear in butter, then 1 TBSP flour added and stirred in. Scrape into a large mixing bowl. Squeeze out 10oz frozen spinach to remove as much water as possible, add to onions. Wilt 8 cups torn Swiss chard, and 8 cups kale. Roughly chop and add to mixing bowl. Stir, season with a little salt (less or more depending on the cheese you use), plenty of black pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Mix in a cup of shredded cheese, parmesan, peccorino, or whatever you have. More salt if using nasty processed cheese shreds, less if grated Italian cheese. Then mix in an egg and about a cup of heavy cream. The end result is to have something you can squish into the pastry base, but not runny. Make six holes in the filling with a dessert spoon, and crack a whole egg into each. Bake at 350º until whites firm and yolk springy - around 30-40 minutes. Serve either hot from the oven, or cold. Mine will be cold with salad on the side.
Click to expand...
That sounds interesting...
 
RHensley

RHensley

Resident Hand Model
pie.jpg
It's been a while since I posted so I thought I would start back with a photo of the green thing. Made with sugar free cool whip lime jello and cottage cheese. The wife thought this up just for me.
 
drmoss_ca

drmoss_ca

Is there a Doctor in the house ?
Possible new world record. Crumpet rings delivered by Amazon at 11am. First dozen crumpets devoured by testers by 1pm.





Recipe:
Ingredients
180g / 6.3oz Plain or All-purpose flour
235g / 235mls Lukewarm water / 40°C / 104°F
4g / 1tsp Instant or active dried yeast
4g / ½tsp Salt
4g / 1tsp Baking powder
6g / 1tsp Sugar
1tbls Olive oil & 30g / 1oz soft butter, for greasing the crumpet rings
You will need 4 to 6 crumpet rings/moulds for this recipe.

Method
Add the sugar and yeast to the warm water, mix well and allow the yeast to activate for 10 minutes until it foams up.
Add the now active yeast mixture to a bowl.
Add the flour and salt to the bowl, and sift in the baking powder, push any lumps through with your fingers.
Using a hand whisk, beat the mixture together for 2 minutes.
Halfway through the whisking, scrape down the sides of the bowl, then continue whisking for the rest of the 2 minutes.
If you are using an electric whisk, beat for only 1 minute.
Scrape down the sides of the again, cover the bowl, and rest it in a warm spot for 45 minutes.
Near the end of the 45 minutes, heat up a large non stick frying pan to a temperature of 190°C that’s 375°F.
Add the olive oil and soft butter to a bowl.
Using a pastry brush, coat the inside of one of the rings with the butter and oil mixture.
Place the ring into the hot pan.
Your crumpet mix should now be active and bubbly.
Spoon the mixture into the hot ring to about halfway up.
Do the same for 3 more rings, don’t overcrowd the pan, you need space to move the rings around.
It is very important to keep the temperature correct and constant at 190°C that’s 375°F, any hotter the bottoms will burn before the tops are cooked. Use an IR thermometer and check every few minutes to adjust temperature.
After 5 minutes the classic crumpet bubbles will start to appear from the edges of the crumpets.
You can use a small pointy knife to pop any stubborn bubbles.
Once the mixture has dried out around the edges, use your oven mitts to lift off the rings.
Once you see that the middles are less gooey, you can carefully turn them over to brown off the tops.
Once golden brown, remove them from the pan and onto a wire rack to cool.
Once completely cool, you can freeze these or keep them in your fridge until needed.

To Serve

Toast crumpets to slightly darken and crisp outsides, not too much. Spread with butter, and either jam or honey as well if desired. Best served with strong Indian tea (English Breakfast will do, I suppose).
 
RHensley

RHensley

Resident Hand Model
drmoss_ca said:
Possible new world record. Crumpet rings delivered by Amazon at 11am. First dozen crumpets devoured by testers by 1pm.





Recipe:
Ingredients
180g / 6.3oz Plain or All-purpose flour
235g / 235mls Lukewarm water / 40°C / 104°F
4g / 1tsp Instant or active dried yeast
4g / ½tsp Salt
4g / 1tsp Baking powder
6g / 1tsp Sugar
1tbls Olive oil & 30g / 1oz soft butter, for greasing the crumpet rings
You will need 4 to 6 crumpet rings/moulds for this recipe.

Method
Add the sugar and yeast to the warm water, mix well and allow the yeast to activate for 10 minutes until it foams up.
Add the now active yeast mixture to a bowl.
Add the flour and salt to the bowl, and sift in the baking powder, push any lumps through with your fingers.
Using a hand whisk, beat the mixture together for 2 minutes.
Halfway through the whisking, scrape down the sides of the bowl, then continue whisking for the rest of the 2 minutes.
If you are using an electric whisk, beat for only 1 minute.
Scrape down the sides of the again, cover the bowl, and rest it in a warm spot for 45 minutes.
Near the end of the 45 minutes, heat up a large non stick frying pan to a temperature of 190°C that’s 375°F.
Add the olive oil and soft butter to a bowl.
Using a pastry brush, coat the inside of one of the rings with the butter and oil mixture.
Place the ring into the hot pan.
Your crumpet mix should now be active and bubbly.
Spoon the mixture into the hot ring to about halfway up.
Do the same for 3 more rings, don’t overcrowd the pan, you need space to move the rings around.
It is very important to keep the temperature correct and constant at 190°C that’s 375°F, any hotter the bottoms will burn before the tops are cooked. Use an IR thermometer and check every few minutes to adjust temperature.
After 5 minutes the classic crumpet bubbles will start to appear from the edges of the crumpets.
You can use a small pointy knife to pop any stubborn bubbles.
Once the mixture has dried out around the edges, use your oven mitts to lift off the rings.
Once you see that the middles are less gooey, you can carefully turn them over to brown off the tops.
Once golden brown, remove them from the pan and onto a wire rack to cool.
Once completely cool, you can freeze these or keep them in your fridge until needed.

To Serve

Toast crumpets to slightly darken and crisp outsides, not too much. Spread with butter, and either jam or honey as well if desired. Best served with strong Indian tea (English Breakfast will do, I suppose).
Click to expand...
Wish I was closer to you. Looks good
 
RHensley

RHensley

Resident Hand Model
dead bird.jpg
One dead bird pot of the large lima beans pot of turn-it green (turnup that is ) some stewed taters and a skellet of cronbread and some sweet tea to wash it all down with.
 
drmoss_ca

drmoss_ca

Is there a Doctor in the house ?
Working on croquetas de pescado ahumado today, a variation on the more traditional croquetas de jamón Serrano version, with smoked haddock in, instead of ham. It's a two day process.
Today involves finely chopping an onion, frying gently till clear and adding a pinch of black pepper.
Then heat one pint of milk, add a finely chopped smoked haddock, and keep just below boiling for 20 minutes.
Strain the fish out of the milk, and set both aside.
Now we make an unusually thick roux with 4TBSP butter and 4TBSP olive oil, heated till beginning to foam, then 120g AP flour added and stirred. Keep stirring till the flour just begins to brown. Start dripping in the fishy milk, stirring as you go to incorporate it without lumps. It might take 20 minutes to add it all, but better go slowly rather than have lumps. Once added keep stirring continuously until it gets as thick as porridge. Add the fried onion, and the strained smoked fish, a pinch of nutmeg, a pinch of black pepper and a pinch of salt. Stir and take off the heat, cover and let cool to room temperature. Then cover with clingfilm directly on the surface of the sauce (to prevent a chewy skin forming) and place in the fridge for 24 hours.
Tomorrow I will roll the thick, set sauce into a sausage, and then cut it into short lengths. These will be rolled in flour, dipped in beaten egg and then rolled in breadcrumbs, and deep-fried. The intention is that they will be crunchy breadcrumb batter on the outside, and a thick gooey filling of smoked haddock and onion with the consistency of melted cheese. I shall have to try to remember to take a photo!
 
RHensley

RHensley

Resident Hand Model
drmoss_ca said:
Working on croquetas de pescado ahumado today, a variation on the more traditional croquetas de jamón Serrano version, with smoked haddock in, instead of ham. It's a two day process.
Today involves finely chopping an onion, frying gently till clear and adding a pinch of black pepper.
Then heat one pint of milk, add a finely chopped smoked haddock, and keep just below boiling for 20 minutes.
Strain the fish out of the milk, and set both aside.
Now we make an unusually thick roux with 4TBSP butter and 4TBSP olive oil, heated till beginning to foam, then 120g AP flour added and stirred. Keep stirring till the flour just begins to brown. Start dripping in the fishy milk, stirring as you go to incorporate it without lumps. It might take 20 minutes to add it all, but better go slowly rather than have lumps. Once added keep stirring continuously until it gets as thick as porridge. Add the fried onion, and the strained smoked fish, a pinch of nutmeg, a pinch of black pepper and a pinch of salt. Stir and take off the heat, cover and let cool to room temperature. Then cover with clingfilm directly on the surface of the sauce (to prevent a chewy skin forming) and place in the fridge for 24 hours.
Tomorrow I will roll the thick, set sauce into a sausage, and then cut it into short lengths. These will be rolled in flour, dipped in beaten egg and then rolled in breadcrumbs, and deep-fried. The intention is that they will be crunchy breadcrumb batter on the outside, and a thick gooey filling of smoked haddock and onion with the consistency of melted cheese. I shall have to try to remember to take a photo!
Click to expand...
You making me hungry
 
drmoss_ca

drmoss_ca

Is there a Doctor in the house ?
In the morning I scooped out the cold set sauce and rolled it into little sausages and coated them in flour, and then they went back to the fridge. They absorbed the flour, and stuck to the tray. So I rolled them in flour again, and that was easy, but coating them in beaten egg was hard (they began to fall apart, and rolling them in breadcrumbs was a nightmare! Perhaps they should go in the freezer for a while after being formed.

Anyway, the rather thalidomide-affected croquetas were deep fried and actually turned out nicely: cruchy outside and soft smoked fish cream inside. I didn't photograph them being fried as it was a mad rush. There are some left, and when the get reheated tonight I'll take their picture then!

Edit: here's the pic
IMG_1027.JPG
 
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drmoss_ca

drmoss_ca

Is there a Doctor in the house ?
Trying something new today. Homemade corned beef. Currently have some brisket sitting in a litre of curing solution (4 TBSP salt, 2 tsp sodium nitrite ('Prague salt'), some peppercorns, a bay leaf, allspice and garam masala) and I'll leave it for 5 days, turning it over once a day, then wash and boil for 3-4 hours. Vegetarian wife is away that night, so timing will be perfect!
Funny thing is this: I knew little about curing and didn't much care. Then there was a fuss about some guy in Toronto selling sodium nitrite over the internet for people to commit suicide with. Thought I'd better buy some (from Amazon) before Justin Castro bans it here. How many chemicals can one buy that might kill you if you use enough of them? Thousands, but Justin the Dick will ban whatever is in the news. Then thought I'd better use the stuff!
 
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