CHOW: Home Cooking Digest

Overheard on the Home Cooking Boards

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:55:00 -0800

“Toasting spices can be useful, but it’s just one way of bringing out their flavour.”
-Channa

“I actually quit using a rack several years ago, and instead roast my turkey on a bed of vegetables.”
-dmd_kc

“My first time eating fennel pollen was dusted over pizza, and it was absolutely divine.”
-vorpal

Mascarpone Makes Everything Better

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:38:00 -0800

Mascarpone, the rich Italian cream cheese, is handy for both sweet and savory dishes. “Marscapone makes everything better,” enthuses normalheightsfoodie.

TorontoJo mixes mascarpone with homemade or jarred caramel and uses it to fill a baked pastry shell, then tops with sliced bananas. “One of my easiest, yummiest desserts,” she says. Paula76 recommends mascarpone cheesecake with candied pecans and dulce de leche sauce.

jeniyo likes these sesame-mascarpone cookie and lemon-ginger ice cream sandwiches. “The cookies are very tasty, even without the ice cream,” she says, and they keep for a long time. Full tummy loves room-temperature mascarpone on scones with jam. “Please don’t anyone accuse me of sacrilege,” she begs, “but the flavour of mascarpone reminds me somewhat of Devon cream.”

4Snisl makes a pasta sauce by combining mascarpone with some pasta cooking water, lemon juice and zest, and blanched broccoli rabe or spinach. Occasionally, she tops the whole shebang with a poached egg.

More ideas for mascarpone:
• Add it to cooked polenta or mashed potatoes.
• Mix it with herbs and goat or blue cheese and use as a spread.
• Use it to fill the cavities of halved poached pears.
• Stir it into scrambled eggs.

CHOW.com’s Chocolate Icebox Cake with Mascarpone and Blackberries gives a sophisticated spin to a classic.

Board Link: leftover mascarpone–what to do?

How to Keep Tortillas Hot for the Table

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:27:00 -0800

Tortillas, whether used to make tacos or as an accompaniment to an entrée, should be served hot. Chowhounds have some creative solutions for keeping them hot on a buffet table or taco bar.

hoosfoos likes the La Tortilla Loca Microwave Tortilla Warmer, which holds up to a dozen and keeps them warm for at least an hour. Bryan Pepperseed wraps tortillas in a damp cloth and puts the whole bundle in a slow cooker on the low setting.

HillJ has developed a technique that she says keeps tortillas “moist and warm for hours”: Wrap an electric heating pad in a bath towel, place it on the serving table, and plug it in. Park a platter of tortillas on the towel-wrapped heating pad, keeping the tortillas covered with a paper towel or napkin. HillJ uses the same setup for brunch buffets, and says it works equally well for waffles, French toast, and pancakes.

Board Link: Keeping tortillas warm

Better Béchamel

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:01:00 -0800

Béchamel, the white sauce that’s a building block in many casseroles and creamed vegetable dishes, is a simple enough affair: Milk and seasonings are added to a butter-and-flour roux and cooked until thick. A few variables can make for an easier and better result, say hounds.

It’s not necessary to heat the milk before incorporating it, many hounds contend, though using cold milk can lead to lumps if you don’t take care. But others do find using heated milk easier. “I always throw the milk in the microwave to warm it up,” says Janet from Richmond. “No lumps and also makes the sauce thicken much more quickly.” Heated milk creates a glossier, shinier, and much smoother béchamel, adds maria lorraine.

Sooeygun learned to make béchamel by heating the milk with onion, bay leaves, and peppercorns to infuse it with their flavor. “And don’t forget the nutmeg,” another classic addition, says maria lorraine.

Board Link: Sauce-making technique (bechamel)

Positively Degenerate Flourless Chocolate Cake

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:45:00 -0800

When it comes to flourless chocolate cake, there are two main types: dense and intensely chocolaty versus lighter-textured and -flavored. The dense type is made with whole eggs, while the lighter type calls for separated eggs, with the whites whipped and folded in. “I guess it comes down to whether you want a truffle-like experience, in which case you’d go with the whole egg recipe, or something a little more subtle like the ones with beaten whites,” says bear.

Among the rich and dense types, bear is a fan of David Lebovitz’s “lusciously smooth” chocolate idiot cake. “It’s incredibly easy,” she says. BobB loves Lora Brody’s bête noir, which is also easy (it’s made in a food processor) and “so rich that a one-inch slice is plenty.”

fern makes a different dense flourless chocolate cake, also called la bête noir. Lynndsey Rigberg tried it, and says it was almost too intense: “The Beast is indeed, the Beast. It had a wondrously smooth texture…it was almost like a chocolate pot de creme.”

Lynndsey Rigberg prefers the texture that comes from incorporating beaten egg whites. Martha Stewart’s recipe has “a light, but surprisingly chocolaty and rich texture,” she says. Nigella Lawson’s chocolate cloud cake is also fabulous, says bear.

Board Link: best flourless chocolate cake recipe?

Don't Toss Your Fennel Tops

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:37:00 -0800

Don’t throw out fennel fronds and stalks once you’ve trimmed them from the bulb. Fennel fronds can be used like an herb to add a punch of fresh flavor to salads, or to finish dishes. “I sprinkled the chopped fronds over a sweet potato bisque and it made a huge difference in flavor,” says danna.

coll uses fennel stalks and fronds to stuff chicken or turkey cavities before roasting, and suggests adding an orange or lemon, too. ChristinaMason uses fennel trimmings to stuff whole fish before roasting, or lays them under fillets before cooking. goodhealthgourmet adds the stalks to the liquid when poaching fish.

Board Link: How do you use fresh fennel trimmings? Or do you?

A No-Strings Celery Romance

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:30:00 -0800

Raw celery can be tough and stringy, but there’s an easy fix. Many hounds peel the stalks with a vegetable peeler or paring knife before eating the celery raw. Or simply pull off the strings: alkapal breaks off the bottom end of a stalk, leaving the strings attached, then pulls the broken-off end upward, leaving the stalk “de-stringed in one fell swoop.” If you’re going to cut the celery in several pieces for stuffing or crudités, don’t cut quite all the way through, recommends RGC1982. “Bend the celery back for a final crack while peeling the toughest, longest strings from the outside layer of the celery.”

Favorite fillings for stuffed celery are cheese spreads like pimento cheese, and tuna, egg, and chicken salads.

Board Link: Cheese/spread in celery ribs: celery’s too tough, too large; what to do?

Hearty Pasta e Fagioli for Cool Weather

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:06:00 -0700

Pasta e fagioli, Italian pasta and bean soup, is a nourishing dish. “What a healthy, hearty, and delicious soup for the fall and winter,” says SaraASR.

smtucker praises Mario Batali’s recipe, which begins with sautéing onion and parsley. “Cooking the parsley for a full 10 minutes was a test of faith the first time I made it,” says smtucker, adding, “But what an amazing amount of flavor.” If the soup is refrigerated, the pasta absorbs the broth and becomes soggy; add pasta only to the amount that will be eaten immediately.

lexpatti likes to purée a cup of broth and beans and return it to the pot before adding the pasta. “Makes it a bit creamy,” she says. cassoulady recommends adding a Parmesan rind to enhance the soup’s flavor. Cheese Boy suggests adding a small pat of lightly salted butter or a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil to each bowl after serving, saying, “Your pasta e fagioli will suddenly become memorable then because these two lastly added ingredients will put it over the top.”

roxlet makes a nonsoupy pasta e fagioli without tomatoes. She adds cooked pasta to olive oil, beans, garlic, parsley, salt, and red pepper flakes, adding pasta cooking water and tossing with Pecorino Romano. Andrew_Cookbooker likes this version, with spinach, carrot, and potato.

Board Link: Pasta Fagioli

Squash for Dessert

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:03:00 -0700

There is more than pumpkin pie when it comes to winter squash desserts. Butternut, acorn, and kabocha squash all translate easily into sweets.

chocoabot likes this citrus squash tart because its flavor is different than the typical warm spices paired with pumpkin. jsaimd loves kabocha squash cheesecake with walnut crust from Pichet Ong (P*ong).

“Squash slices layer up wonderfully with apples in a baked crisp,” says 4Snisl, who uses equal amounts of each. paulj recommends Ecuadoran dulce de zapallo, squash poached in a spiced brown sugar syrup, which is often paired with fresh cheese.

Board Link: Squash-y Dessert??

Pesto Without Pine Nuts

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:36:00 -0700

While pine nuts are most often called for in basil pesto, Chowhounds use a variety of nuts and herbs in pestos.

Hounds are split in preferring pine nuts or walnuts in their basil pesto, though a few use almonds. ZagChef uses roasted macadamias (he adds only half the amount of nuts called for), and TroyTempest has enjoyed it with pistachios. rozz01 makes a pesto of Italian parsley, cilantro, and cashews that her guests love, and hotoynoodle likes walnuts in parsley pesto.

Pesto freezes well, and is handy portioned in small containers or frozen in an ice cube tray, with the frozen cubes then stored in a freezer bag. Hounds recommend brushing or spraying the ice cube tray with oil before filling to help with release of the frozen pesto.

Board Link: pesto pine nuts or walnuts?

Pork Shoulder Ecstasy

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:21:00 -0700

Pork shoulder is a fatty cut with lots of connective tissue. Long, slow cooking melts the fat and breaks down the connective tissue, leaving the meat moist and very tender. “Because of its high fat content and marbling, pork shoulder is the classic cut for pulled pork barbecue,” notes Tom Armitage. “The general advice I’d give is to braise the heck out of it and just choose the sort of flavor you want,” says katecm. “It can fit into so many sorts of dishes.”

Crispy pork, a stovetop version of carnitas, is TorontoJo’s favorite way to cook pork shoulder (she uses chicken broth in place of the water called for). “It looks gray and unappetizing for about 90 percent of the cooking time,” she says, “then at the very end it suddenly transforms into this golden brown, crispy, savory wonder.”

This chile verde from Bay Area Bites is “foolproof and delicious,” according to Dcfoodblog. JungMann recommends cider-braised pork shoulder with caramelized onions.

Caroline1 loves this simple prep: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place a pork shoulder in a deep, covered pan not much bigger than it is. Sprinkle the top of the pork liberally with Worcestershire sauce, then pack a fairly thick layer of brown sugar over it. Pour enough apple juice in the pan to come at least halfway up the pork, avoiding the brown sugar. Cover, place in the oven, and reduce the heat to 200 degrees. Bake for six to eight hours, until it’s falling-apart tender. “It just vanishes before your eyes,” says Caroline1, “and it tastes far more complex and sophisticated than it sounds. Don’t tell your guests how easy it is.”

CHOW’s Chinese-style Red-Cooked Pork is made with shoulder.

Board Link: What is your favorite recipe for pork shoulder?

Nudging Zucchini into Deliciousness

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:01:00 -0700

Zucchini can be watery and tasteless, or it can be delectable. The first step is choosing the right zucchini. Buy small ones, advises mbfant, who adds, “The larger it gets, the more water, more seeds, and less flavor it has.”

If you sauté zucchini, it’s best to cook it quickly over high heat, so it browns, say several hounds. “I find browning zukes to add a ton of great flavor!” exclaims scuzzo. Or marinate it, then grill. Hounds like to sauté zucchini with onions and/or garlic (add garlic at the end, so it doesn’t burn), and top it with crumbled blue cheese, or Parmesan and lemon juice, or cilantro and lime juice. karykat likes this quick sauté of zucchini with toasted almonds.

It’s also easy to make flavorful dishes incorporating grated zucchini. linguafood makes kolokithokeftedes, Greek zucchini fritters, by mixing grated zucchini with fresh mint, feta, a bit of flour and panko, and an egg. Drop into oil and fry until golden brown. “Dip into tsatsiki, and it’s heaven,” she says. LauraGrace makes an even simpler fritter: “A huge pile of grated zucchini with an egg and just enough flour to hold it together, salt and pepper, and maybe a bit of cayenne. Fry until very crispy and serve hot.”

linguafood also likes it raw, sliced carpaccio-style, with feta and pine nuts. (Try CHOW’s recipe.) paulj arranges the zucchini slices, along with sliced bell pepper and tomato, in a pool of olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper, saying, “It’s an easy way to create a visually pleasing salad.”

Board Link: Is zucchini worth eating? ;-)

Goat Cheese at Every Meal

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:11:00 -0700

Goat cheese is a natural on pizza, on crostini, and crumbled over salad, but hounds also incorporate it into dishes from breakfast to dessert.

shanagain mixes goat cheese with butter, salt, and chives or flat-leaf parsley and uses it on finger sandwiches, and Phurstluv makes it into mousse by blending it with some heavy cream and folding in finely chopped parsley, salt, and pepper. This “can be put on or in just about anything,” she says.

Goat cheese can be used in cheesecake, as well as other desserts. goodhealthgourmet calls these goat cheese custards wonderful, and bluemoon4515 recommends goat cheese ice cream.

More ideas for goat cheese:
Bread it and pan-fry it in rounds, then serve it on green salad.
Add it to mashed potatoes.
Add it to scrambled eggs, frittatas, or quiches.
Mix it with garlic and herbs and use it to stuff mushrooms.

CHOW’s Corn with Chèvre and Red Peppers is a twist on classic creamed corn.

Board Link: What to do with LOTS of goat cheese?

Coconut Milk Adds a Tropical Twist

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:36:00 -0700

Coconut milk is wonderful combined with many foods both savory and sweet.

“I use it for baking all the time,” says vorpal. “It makes a great substitute for milk, or mix it up and use 50 percent milk, 50 percent coconut milk. I’ve tried it in waffles, pancakes, muffins, and banana bread (YUM) with excellent results.” He also adds it to the custard base for ice cream.

4Snisl makes coconut-chocolate panna cotta by whisking sugar and cocoa powder into heated coconut milk to taste, along with a dash of salt and some vanilla, then adding 2 teaspoons of powdered gelatin per cup of coconut milk, bloomed in a bit of cold coconut milk, and chilling until set. cimui agrees that the richness of coconut milk works well for panna cotta.

bear loves this coconut milk sticky rice with mangoes, while LauraGrace replaces half the water for cooking jasmine rice with coconut milk for a savory side dish. She likes it with Caribbean-style black beans, Thai-style curries, lechon, or kalua pork.

Emmmily tosses chunks of butternut squash with coconut milk, salt, and pepper, and roasts at 375°F for an hour. Coconut milk is also great in smoothies and cocktails, and stirred into oatmeal, say hounds.

Coconut milk adds a twist to a classic dish in CHOW’s Coconut Tres Leches Cake

Board Link: what do do with leftover coconut milk

Garlic Bread for Perfectionists

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:25:00 -0700

Making garlic bread can be as simple as mixing garlic with softened butter, spreading it on bread and broiling, but hounds have developed their own special techniques for this treat.

chowser sautés chopped garlic in olive oil, adds butter until it melts, and brushes this mixture on a horizontally sliced loaf of French bread. She then covers the whole thing with aluminum foil and bakes until hot, then uncovers, adds Parmesan, and broils. Butterguy mixes crushed garlic, Italian dressing, shredded Parmesan, and clarified butter, and spreads it on bread before heating.

Some hounds add secret ingredients for extra flavor. shanagain sautés garlic in a mixture of butter and olive oil, before adding a bit of anchovy paste and some crushed red pepper flakes, and cooking it all a bit longer. sparkareno mixes a bit of mayo with softened butter, roasted garlic, Parmesan, and oregano or basil. “I like the little bit of tang the mayo gives,” he says.

Board Link: Garlic Bread recipes?

What to Do with All Those Apples

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 07:21:00 -0700

“Oh, please make Scandinavian sour cream apple pie,” implores kookiegoddess. “I made it last week and am still upset that I gave away the last two pieces. It tastes divine and needs no accompaniment except a big ole spoon.”

NYchowcook loves this apple cake. “It’s very moist,” she says. “There’s a caramel sauce that goes with it, which I think is gilding the lily. I make in a Bundt pan and just sprinkle confectioners’ sugar on top and call it done.”

newfoodie loves Ina Garten’s old-fashioned apple crisp. And if you like your apples in the presence of maple flavor, check out CHOW’s Spiced Apple Cupcakes.

Board Link: went apple picking, now need a way to use them up

Make the Most of Fresh Shiitakes

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:06:00 -0700

Fresh shiitake mushrooms take well to many preparations, but hounds favor simple recipes to show them off.

potluck tosses shiitakes with sesame oil, ginger, soy sauce, and a bit of water, and roasts them on a baking sheet at 450°F for 15 to 20 minutes. cheesecake17 roasts them with olive oil and salt, and uses them as a pizza topping. “Fabulous on whole-wheat crust with goat cheese,” she says. Chefpaulo simply crisps them in a hot wok with walnut oil and sea salt, then eats them as a treat.

BigSal braises shiitakes with onions: Bring 1 1/2 cups water, 1 tablespoon each soy sauce and toasted sesame oil, and 2 teaspoons maple syrup to a boil; add 10 to 15 halved shiitake caps, half an onion, chopped, and 5 crushed garlic cloves, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until liquid has reduced to a rich sauce.

4Snisl loves this pan-seared tuna with ginger-shiitake cream sauce, and has used the same sauce on chicken, as well.

Fresh shiitakes star in CHOW’s Goat Cheese Toasts with Asparagus-Mushroom Ragu. And check out this CHOW video on choosing shiitakes.

Board Link: Shiitake mushrooms $2/lb… what’s a girl to do?

Homemade Jalapeño Powder

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:59:00 -0700

Faced with an abundance of fresh jalapeños, JonParker created a homemade chile powder. He washed and dried the peppers, chopped them finely, and dehydrated them in a toaster oven. Once dry, he ground the pieces to powder in a spice grinder. “Now I have a jar of jalepeño powder that I can use for various dishes,” he says. “Today I’m doing red beans and rice, and I put a teaspoon into my onions/peppers/garlic when sautéeing them.”

JonParker notes that hotter chiles, such as habaneros, can give off fairly volatile fumes while dehydrating, so err on the side of caution.

Board Link: Jalapeño powder

Corn Pudding for the Harvest Months

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:55:00 -0700

Corn pudding, a savory casserole with a custard base and lots of corn kernels, is a favorite during the harvest months, and a Thanksgiving staple for many Chowhounds.

Ina Garten’s Sagaponack corn pudding is made with ricotta and cheddar. “Something about the fresh basil and the cheese, it always is a crowd pleaser,” says juli5122. This corn-chive pudding is “a good combination of savory and sweet,” according to lesliedm3. another_adam finds it quite sweet, so halves the sugar called for.

Querencia makes an easy version: Pulse a bag of frozen corn kernels, thawed, in a food processor. Beat 2 eggs with a cup of milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or melted butter, and 1/4 cup Bisquick, then stir in the corn and 9 ounces shredded sharp cheddar. Bake in a buttered casserole at 350°F until brown on top, about 45 minutes.

Board Link: Corn Pudding for Thanksgiving

Grandma's Apple Pie, or Something New?

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:02:00 -0700

A well-made traditional apple pie is a thing of beauty, but variations can be equally good, say hounds.

shanagain highly recommends this apple pie by Grandma Ople for a traditional double-crust recipe. “My only tip is to follow the directions,” she says, “except feel free to add some typical pie spices—even though it honestly doesn’t need them. But cinnamon and cloves never hurt anything.” middydd calls the filling for this blue-ribbon apple pie, which uses four types of apples, the “best ever.”

Popkin tosses apples with flour and cinnamon, places them in a pie shell, sprinkles with equal amounts of raw sugar and maple syrup to taste, and covers with a top crust. valerie says this apple-cranberry crumb pie is “truly a delicious pie.”

And as an alternative to pie, amy_wong loves this French apple-almond tart. The almond custard “makes for a great flavor pairing” with the apple, she says.

Board Link: ISO Killer Apple Pie Recipe, but in which style?