CookingEra | OT | vol. 1 mise en place

I played bartender for my family's Christmas party last night, so I made Norwegian gløgg, spiced holiday wine:



Red wine, aquavit, rum, cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, cloves, raisins, brown sugar, orange peel and grated nutmeg brought to a simmer and then left to sit for two hours before warming it back up, straining and garnishing with blanched slivered almonds. It tasted a little bitter at first, but after sitting for a while a good bit of alcohol evaporates off. Excellent results for a first attempt, smelled and exactly as Christmas should!

Some secreto de Iberico. I think it's better than most other cuts/pieces.. :P

I think your link is broken, Liljagare

I kind of hate secreto, though. It's way too porky for my taste. As much as I love Ibérico and chorizo, there's something about the taste of swine in raw cuts that puts me off :(

Obligatory Christmas spreads. Table setting sans entree. Garlic and parsley infused olive oil, roasted mushrooms, bread, a spinach sort-of-fattoush like salad, roasted butternut squash with pine nuts, red onion, and a tahini sauce, a lovely round of moses sleeper, and some ricotta salata.



Entree, ricotta fritters with a garlic tomato sauce.



Sprinkling shaved chocolate on the tiramisu.



A large cut thereof.

Yo that tiramisu looks awesome!

Can you tell me about the ricotta fritters I'm intrigued.

So IronEra, I have picked up a new title today. I am the guy that failed at making Apple Crumble

I used this recipe:

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/best-apple-crumble

And everything that could go wrong went wrong:

Apples were brownish/hard in the middle, either started to or were rotten-ish. But I didn't notice until they were open.

I fucked up peeling majorly. Using both the same peeler-style in the video in the link above and using a swivel style peeler. Also cut myself a number of times trying this (first time peeling mind but it went so horribly wrong)

by the time both of the apples were peeled, one was too brown to use at all and the other was a mess but semi-usable by the time I cut off all the skin I could see.

Also cored the apple and the core refused to go through without a LOT of resistance and more hurting me while trying to push the core tool through the apple.

I then tried to open the sugar packet which I had trouble with and then burst on me causing some sugar to go on the floor)

I mixed in some sugar with the apples (which according to empressdonna was the only bit I got right lol)

I tried to adjust the floor/sugar/butter since I went from 2 apples to 1 or less than 1 even with how small it was.

I ended up mixing it into a bad dough-like texture rather than crumbs like it should have been. Aka I probably used too much butter and/or too little floor/sugar

We then gave up at this point as it was an obvious failure.

I can say I expected some sort of failure but I didn't expect to fail almost everything. ;_; my first and not my last time trying to make it. But it's really a big confidence hit when I fail almost everything.

Still there is my story. The story of a failed apple crumble. A crumble that was never to be.

If it was your first time making it, you can expect one or two things to go wrong. It's highly improbable that you'd get it spot on on your first go. I agree it is disheartening when things go wrong - it happens to me, even after my first attempt - but you just got to learn from your mistakes and try again.

Mario's Nipples said:

If it was your first time making it, you can expect one or two things to go wrong. It's highly improbable that you'd get it spot on on your first go. I agree it is disheartening when things go wrong - it happens to me, even after my first attempt - but you just got to learn from your mistakes and try again.

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I mean I expected at least one or two things.

But all of that, in a row. Even just opening the sugar.

I just didn't think almost everything would go wrong. I mean, it's so absurd to me that I'm almost laughing/crying about it lol.

Don't let it put you off trying again or trying new recipes. Honestly, making mistakes is an integral part of the learning process. Even top chefs such as Gordon Ramsey or Paul Hollywood made mistakes, and still do.

I do plenty of times. It frustrates me that I put the time and effort in only for it to fail, but I accept it and learn from the mistakes I made.

I wouldn't really worry about peeling the apples the way she does in the demonstration, especially if you're slicing them afterward. That's mostly for preserving the shape for presentation, and if you're just making it for yourself then it won't matter unless you particularly care about that. Just peel them from top to bottom. You can also cut the apple flesh away from the core in 3-4 sections, so that you don't need the coring tool. Might save you some time. Give it another try, you can do it!

CrimzonSamurai said:

Yo that tiramisu looks awesome!

Can you tell me about the ricotta fritters I'm intrigued.

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From my wife:

It's basically a mix of ricotta and Parmesan cheeses and stale bread (soaked in milk) with some garlic and shallot fried up in olive oil. You can find it in Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Suppers. We used to serve it with a red sauce and thin pasta but over time nixed the pasta in favor of making triple batches because... Christmas? We were tired of doing that delicate dance of angling for more, yet being polite--the knife fights and arm wrestling over the last fritter were getting annoying. Obviously, going to destroy your gluten and/or dairy intolerant relatives but everyone else is super happy.

CrimzonSamurai said:

I wouldn't really worry about peeling the apples the way she does in the demonstration, especially if you're slicing them afterward. That's mostly for preserving the shape for presentation, and if you're just making it for yourself then it won't matter unless you particularly care about that. Just peel them from top to bottom. You can also cut the apple flesh away from the core in 3-4 sections, so that you don't need the coring tool. Might save you some time. Give it another try, you can do it!

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Nah, I'm not trying to do it the same way as in the video. Trying to do it the way I see most normal people do it (including my mother).

And yeah, I know how to cut away the core normally (again, seen mother do it when I was younger), just thought ya know... the tool would be easier. Like tools are meant to I'd have thought >.>

For the record though, I'm not giving up. Just wallowing about lol. Need to get some fresh apples.

Then need to figure out how to mix the stuff to make the crumbs. I'm confident on at least getting the apples done in another try or so. Almost everyone, professional or amateur I see makes it look so easy >_>

What apples are you using?

Mario's Nipples said:

What apples are you using?

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Standard Bramley ones. Similar to ones I used to eat as a kid (aka ones I've seen peeled plenty of times growing up before I learned to like eating apples with the skin on lol)

Apparently, according to Google, just your standard 'cooking apple' will suffice for a crumble. Just slice and cover in sugar, mixing to ensure it's covered, then proceed with the recipe as instructed.

Finally got a "new" oven. Damn thing can easily break 250c in about 15min, so *massive* upgrade compared to what i was using. Plus its broiler is pretty legit too. Heated up the ceramic tile i use to cover my cast iron so goddamn much it shattered as soon as i placed it on my stovetop :D

Anyway, did a cast iron sourdough to give it a test run. Pretty satisfied with the result. Never got a crust this nice without having to flip the loaf and bring it closer to the burner before.

I got a KitchenAid stand mixer for Christmas and picked it up today. Was super excited but this particular one is defective. The hinge-locking mechanism doesn't lock properly, which alone I wouldn't really care about, but also the lowest speed setting starts at about speed level 5 for a normal KitchenAid. I wanted to make cookies to celebrate but now I don't want to use it since I'll have to try and take it back to get a replacement tomorrow :(

I'm hungry.

Happy new year, culinarians! I hope my fellow professionals in this thread had a good NYE service. Personally, if I never see another Beef Wellington in my life it'll be too soon.

Happy New year from my humble kitchen as well! Here are a few samples for the last few weeks of pre-holiday stress.

Christmas market foods in random order, we managed to visit a different one each sunday in advent:
Weihnachtsmarkt LEV 2017 by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr
Ohne Titel by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr
Weihnachtsmarkt LEV 2017 by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr
Weihnachtsmarkt LEV 2017 by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr

Christmas Eve Rosatbeef:
Ohne Titel by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr

Christmas day 16lb Turkey (wrapped in bacon) with sides:

Ohne Titel by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr

side was mixed veggies and mushrooms, pot-seared and mixed with the bird drippings and a helping of white wine :
Ohne Titel by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr


And a pot full of mashed potatoes.


Fort he bird-unsavvy I made a few steaks:

Ohne Titel by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr



Table service wasn`t possible, so it got sliced centrally :
gruppe by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr


To the table!
Ohne Titel by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr
Ohne Titel by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr

(on plate: wonderful baked bacon!)

Ohne Titel by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr

Ohne Titel by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr

Ohne Titel by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr

Second day of christmas had my wife in charge, she prepped a variety of platters to enjoy. I added a few bratwursts from the Grill because Bratwurst!
Dec27 by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr

In particular:
Graved salmon with a honey-mustard dip

Dec27 by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr

Old School tuna and rice salad

Dec27 by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr


potato salad


Dec27 by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr


"Falsetto Tonnato" made with pork instead of veal:

Dec27 by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr

beetroot carpaccio with goat cheese and roast pineseeds:

Dec27 by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr

cheese carpaccio with fig sauce and pink pepper

Dec27 by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr


and a small helping of Pecorino to soothe the tummy:


Dec27 by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr



As for the bratwurst, I tried a LED flashlight as illumination, but that was too bright, so it was grilling in the dark.


Dec27 by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr


Dec27 by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr


Dec27 by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr

Bon Appetit!

Dec27 by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr

Dec27 by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr

Dec27 by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr

OM NOM NOM NOM!

For the accompanying drinks, we played "Fizzy Roulette" with an Amazon surprise box I spared from November. Go to box, pick one, "enjoy".

Dec27 by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr

Ohne Titel by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr

Ohne Titel by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr

The results of the lottery were:


Dec27 by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr

For the days between the years, it was a lot of bakery and Pasta.

Ohne Titel by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr

Ohne Titel by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr

Ohne Titel by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr

Ohne Titel by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr

Ohne Titel by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr

Just good, handcrafted Pastry stuff.

New Years eve had a traditional Fondue Bourguignonne:

Ohne Titel by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr

Ohne Titel by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr


Ohne Titel by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr


Ohne Titel by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr


Ohne Titel by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr

CrimzonSamurai said:

Happy new year, culinarians! I hope my fellow professionals in this thread had a good NYE service. Personally, if I never see another Beef Wellington in my life it'll be too soon.

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I literally had dreams last night that tickets were still printing out and spilling onto the floor.

Two people handling plated dessert service for ~250 reservations, a wedding cake + kids desserts, and room service orders for the hotel... jfc I am wiped out.

Cosmic Bus said:

I literally had dreams last night that tickets were still printing out and spilling onto the floor.

Two people handling plated dessert service for ~250 reservations, a wedding cake + kids desserts, and room service orders for the hotel... jfc I am wiped out.

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Hahaha yeah I also could've sworn the first thing I heard when I woke up this morning was the ticket printer. I'm also sore like I haven't been in years. At least it's over for a whole year.

Onkel your stuff looks great as always!

So, as you guys saw above, we tried to do Apple Crumble a few days back and messed almost everything up. Tried again today doing it in what I would call an unorthodox way and I'd say it was a semi-success story.

It's unorthodox because it used digestive biscuits as the crumbs which I've never heard done before but empressdonna said she had done almost every year when she was living with her parents and she loved it so I thought, fair enough let's try it that way instead

Peeling went much better, still didn't get everything off but I got enough off that I could knife away the bits I missed. Coring went a lot better as well but I missed some seeds, tried to cut it out and I stabbed myself. No blood thankfully but it freaking hurt.

The rest of it, cutting, sugaring the apples and making the biscuits into crumbs on top of the apples went great, put it in at Gas Mark 4 for 20 minutes (should have been 30 but it looked okay after 20).

Took it out and it looked fine, I then after putting it on the table, touched the bowl that it was in for some stupid reason without protection and burnt my finger, ouch.

That said, put it into a bowl and put custard on it and it looked pretty nice. According to Donna, it was great but it could probably have done with the extra 10 minutes but it was still great.

I feel like it could have gone better but a success story is a success story for me and a good way to start the new year.

If you've read all this post, I assume you'll be interested in seeing how it looked after it was done sooooo:

Does anyone know of any resources to learn about the history of the introduction of chiles to Thai and other SE Asian cuisine? Like they're North and South American plants and I've always been super curious how they became such a cornerstone of Thai cuisine and I'd love to learn more about it.

The family's sick so I made Chef John's Chicken Noodle Soup

It was super comforting.

This is probably not thread-worthy, so I'll ask it here: what is your most cherished item in your kitchen?

Mine has to be my induction hob. It's a fairly standard one, but coming from a normal glass ceramic cook top made a world of difference. It heats up so much faster than any electric/coil or gas equivalent (I can boil 1 litre of water in about two minutes), it has precise, gradual controls, it cleans so much easier than my previous glass ceramic hob since it doesn't heat per se, it even turns itself off if there's some spillage and it's just such a joy to use. It just makes me so much productive. It's probably my favourite tool by far and a total steal given the savings in terms of time and electricity.

I have a bottle of pear nectar and I had an idea to use it to braise a pork shoulder. Does anyone have an idea about what spices would work well with pear nectar?

Funky Papa said:

This is probably not thread-worthy, so I'll ask it here: what is your most cherished item in your kitchen?

Mine has to be my induction hob. It's a fairly standard one, but coming from a normal glass ceramic cook top made a world of difference. It heats up so much faster than any electric/coil or gas equivalent (I can boil 1 litre of water in about two minutes), it has precise, gradual controls, it cleans so much easier than my previous glass ceramic hob since it doesn't heat per se, it even turns itself off if there's some spillage and it's just such a joy to use. It just makes me so much productive. It's probably my favourite tool by far and a total steal given the savings in terms of time and electricity.

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I love mine too. When I'm not cooking I usually have a pot of water simmering on it to humidify the apartment since it's 7*F outside and that makes for a dry environment. I wouldn't say it's my most cherished item since it's a cheap one and pretty easily replaceable, but I use it a ton. This place has those awful stovetops that look like this:

It's awful and gets dirty easily and the burners smoke. I avoid using it every chance I have and use the induction instead.

My most cherished would be my stand mixer. While it's not an everyday tool, I love using it when i do and would hate to have to replace it.

The Kree said:

I have a bottle of pear nectar and I had an idea to use it to braise a pork shoulder. Does anyone have an idea about what spices would work well with pear nectar?

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Definitely star anise. You could also consider things like cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, saffron etc. Look at poached pear recipes and see what spices they use. if they use it it goes with pear. Most of those will go with pork too. It just depends on which direction you want to take your dish.

The Kree said:

I have a bottle of pear nectar and I had an idea to use it to braise a pork shoulder. Does anyone have an idea about what spices would work well with pear nectar?

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Following on from the post above which already leans in this direction, "curry powder" would go with it. Would add depth, a little colour, and a little heat which would go well with the sweetness of the pear on pork.

The Kree said:

I have a bottle of pear nectar and I had an idea to use it to braise a pork shoulder. Does anyone have an idea about what spices would work well with pear nectar?

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You've gotten some great suggestions above but I'd add that some sage would be great to add a little savory depth to balance out some of the sweetness from the pear. I'd just take a few leaves and put them right in the braising liquid.

CrimzonSamurai said:

You've gotten some great suggestions above but I'd add that some sage would be great to add a little savory depth to balance out some of the sweetness from the pear. I'd just take a few leaves and put them right in the braising liquid.

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I'd also make sure there's enough acid, maybe from Apple cider vinegar

Funky Papa said:

This is probably not thread-worthy, so I'll ask it here: what is your most cherished item in your kitchen?

Mine has to be my induction hob. It's a fairly standard one, but coming from a normal glass ceramic cook top made a world of difference. It heats up so much faster than any electric/coil or gas equivalent (I can boil 1 litre of water in about two minutes), it has precise, gradual controls, it cleans so much easier than my previous glass ceramic hob since it doesn't heat per se, it even turns itself off if there's some spillage and it's just such a joy to use. It just makes me so much productive. It's probably my favourite tool by far and a total steal given the savings in terms of time and electricity.

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This is a great question and a head-scratcher for me. All of my equipment could be replaced if my house burned down or something, but I have a cookbook from my wife's grandmother that is irreplaceable. She used it for decades, writing notes in the margins and sticking extra pages in the back. She's Cuban and the book is in Spanish, and since my Spanish is pretty limited I have to look up a lot of translations when I use it, but I feel very proud to have it. Her grandmother let me take it when she moved out of her house last year (she's too old to take care of herself now, and hasn't done any cooking in a few years). I use it to make some of my wife's favorites from when her abuela was the one making them, and I know it means a lot to her, too.

You might want to get the cookbook scanned into a PDF to ensure nothing bad happens to it if it's that important.

For cherished, I'd have to go with the hand-turned wooden bowls my wife has bought for me over the years that I use for bread-making. They're beautiful, light, but require a bit of care given the humidity differentials we go through in the Northern climes between summer and winter. They're all unique and would take time to replace as they're not produced in volume.

For sheer utility, it's a trio: my Wusthof santoku(s) for all my chopping needs, my All-Clad skillets, and last my heavy duty Dexter walnut-handled spatula. I use all three of these every single day. Yesterday, made fried eggs in skillets with spatula for breakfast, made a pasta with shallots, garlic, mushrooms, and a stock reduction for lunch, everything chopped with santoku and sauteed in skillets. (Daugher made risotto for dinner so I didn't have any responsibilities there, but pretty sure she chopped everything with the santoku too.)

zbarron said:

You might want to get the cookbook scanned into a PDF to ensure nothing bad happens to it if it's that important.

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I agree! It's on my to-do list for this year.

Funky Papa said:

This is probably not thread-worthy, so I'll ask it here: what is your most cherished item in your kitchen?

Mine has to be my induction hob. It's a fairly standard one, but coming from a normal glass ceramic cook top made a world of difference. It heats up so much faster than any electric/coil or gas equivalent (I can boil 1 litre of water in about two minutes), it has precise, gradual controls, it cleans so much easier than my previous glass ceramic hob since it doesn't heat per se, it even turns itself off if there's some spillage and it's just such a joy to use. It just makes me so much productive. It's probably my favourite tool by far and a total steal given the savings in terms of time and electricity.

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My top 3:

1. Anova Sous Vide cooker. At under $100 it's the best kitchen upgrade I've ever made for the price. Seriously considering getting a 2nd to be able to cook more things at once with more specific temps.

2. All-Clad 12" stainless steel pan. Was a little hesitant about getting away from non-stick but it hasn't been an issue at all. This thing kicks ass.

3. SodaStream ("Fizzi" model). No more spending money on Periere; also under $100.

Rigatoni with white bolognese. Third attempt at making this in the past couple months and the best batch so far (I think I might have posted a pic in this thread of an earlier attempt).

Thanks for the spice suggestions for the pear nectar.

I only took 9 photos last year of stuff I cooked, both a symptom of traveling so much I didn't cook as much as usual, and not taking photos of things I have made before. Hopefully, I'll at least deal with the first issue this year by making the time to cook.

Some snaps below, including jalapeno poppers I grilled at the start of the year as part of a bigger barbeque spread, as well as my 3 favourite images/meals from last year - barbeque venison, Nutella french toast for dinner.

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OnkelC said:

Ohne Titel by Chris Jaeger, auf Flickr

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Oh wow, Bundaberg drinks have made their way to Europe! Their ginger beer is their original drink and it's amazing. Have you tried it? I highly recommend it to anyone who likes ginger beer (non-alcoholic).

Anyway, here's my contribution:

Fasolada (Greek white bean soup)


Fasolada 001, on Flickr

I have been exploring a few Greek recipes lately, with some guidance from my mother. Something that I never really liked as a kid was fasolada, a traditional white bean soup with vegetables. However, now that I am older, I have discovered that I was crazy for not eating this stuff when I was a kid. It is amazing and so easy to make (like most traditional Greek foods).

Basically, you saute some garlic, onion, celery and carrot in a pot, add some white beans (cannellini, butter or black eyed beans), add some crushed/peeled tomatoes and some water or stock. Then you bring it to the boil and then simmer for a while (the longer the better I think).

I usually make a big batch and then keep it in the fridge and reheat some in the microwave. It should be fine to freeze as well. I am planning on freezing some of this batch up so that I can take it to work for my lunch.

Protip: serve it with some proper fresh crusty white bread (not the plain sliced bread that I used in my pic).

Don't feel bad, there's something charming about using plain sliced bread when talking about a recipe from your childhood.

BriareosGAF said:

Don't feel bad, there's something charming about using plain sliced bread when talking about a recipe from your childhood.

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Oh I don't feel bad. Plain white bread is one of life's pleasures.

However, when it comes to dipping bread in soup, nothing compares to something like this

Have never done duck before so I thought I'd give it a shot - Friedduckbreast with spicy blackberry compote, twice cooked duck fat potatoes, and carrot purée

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Funky Papa said:

This is probably not thread-worthy, so I'll ask it here: what is your most cherished item in your kitchen?

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Probably my waffle iron. I bought it and the "Will It Waffle" cookbook at the same time and I love making stuffing or potato waffles in it. And to a much lesser extent, normal waffles.

Glad I figured out that this thread existed. Been getting into cooking a lot lately and was interested in discusisng and learning some things from a community here.

Here's some stuff that I've made.

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Haven't done too many recipes yet. (Though these aren't the only ones I've done) Should probably add some different veggies to my pallete.

I've made my own pastas yesterday (which were a bit too thick to my taste, but I'm learning.)
Served with a veal rib and mushrooms in creamy sauce.

i really am ridiculously in love with this oven.
Sourdough loaf. initial rise took nearly 4 goddamn hours.

MarioW said:

Have never done duck before so I thought I'd give it a shot - Friedduckbreast with spicy blackberry compote, twice cooked duck fat potatoes, and carrot purée

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Looks great!