Cooking Questions 4: More questions about cookery

[MercenaryChef]

Chef:

I think while it's true that there are probably no new dishes under the sun any more, except maybe in molecular gastronomy, I don't think it's true that dishes cannot have fresh interpretation. Like, you know, seared scallop ;). Yes, the basics are the same but what you choose to pair it with and the relative proportion of each of the dimensions. If you think of classical music, each orchestra plays the same pieces but they also put their own signatures in it. So is it "new"? Both yes and no, I think.

Ini:

I've had some luck kind of focusing on an ingredient, and play around with it in different dishes. Like, orange. I tried it in different contexts and see how it goes, e.g., orange cranberry scones, mashed sweet potatoes, fruit salads with pairings of different fruits (apples, grapes, pineapples, cantelopes, all work, but not pears or strawberries). Next I want to try orange pancakes because I think the scone works well and with syrup it may taste like marmalade! Also, some kind of chocolate dessert to pair with orange, and maybe a cervice with a strong orange background. And then I might riff on that and swap orange our with tangerine in some of the dishes and see.

yes, classics can be re-imagined. the tried, true and often tired tomato salad i have given new life to by taking fresh heirloom cherry tomatoes pairing them with avocado, aioli, fried pickled green tomato slices and bacon. it is good. but at the end of the day your dishes have to have ingredients that compliment and contrast each other.

man, do i love cooking.

[Inigima]

Thanks MC and Terra :) I will try to take that advice to heart.

I know I am vanishingly unlikely to create anything truly original -- my goal is to be able to think to myself, "Okay, I have these things, they'd go great together with a bit of this, and a little touch of this to give it that little bit extra." Given a set of ingredients, I will make something okay; I want to make something amazing.

[kairparavel]

MC bought me a book at Christmas that was on my Wish List. Sadly I didn't have time to play with it until now. It's called The Flavor Thesaurus: Pairings, recipes and ideas for the creative cook. I had read about it in a magazine blog and it seemed interesting. You may find it to be as well, Ini.

http://smile.amazon.com/Flavor-Thesaurus-Compendium-Pairings-Creative/dp/160819874X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411218976&sr=1-1&keywords=the+flavor+thesaurus

[Inigima]

Added to the list, thanks!

[wolverine]

MC bought me a book at Christmas that was on my Wish List. Sadly I didn't have time to play with it until now. It's called The Flavor Thesaurus: Pairings, recipes and ideas for the creative cook. I had read about it in a magazine blog and it seemed interesting. You may find it to be as well, Ini.

http://smile.amazon.com/Flavor-Thesaurus-Compendium-Pairings-Creative/dp/160819874X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411218976&sr=1-1&keywords=the+flavor+thesaurus

Looked at the book a little on amazon. Looks pretty interesting and useful.

I have a lamb loin from a local farmer. I was planning on grilling it similar to how I usually make lamb chops (rosemary, thyme, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper), but was going to leave the loin whole. Does anyone have any suggestions?

[DreamSongs]

How long did you cook the roux and did you use the 1/2 and 1/2 or substitute regular milk in?

[DreamSongs]

The length of time the roux cooks will affect thickness and color. You could try simmering a little longer to thicken it up or add an element to add thickness to the soup. I've used great northern beans and potatoes in the past to add creaminess without changing the overall taste with good success.

[MercenaryChef]

Alfredo sauce traditionally is just butter, cream, parmesan, nutmeg and salt. Chopped parsley add the garnish.

[Lily Valley]

Alfredo sauce traditionally is just butter, cream, parmesan, nutmeg and salt. Chopped parsley add the garnish.

...and eat immediately. Thank you. I think the expectations after refrigerating such a beast are screwing me up. Cooking down the cream and butter a big help too.

Wait. No cayenne???

[Inigima]

This may come as a shock to NOLA natives, but in other parts of the world -- even the country -- there exist dishes that do not feature cayenne. :p

[Lily Valley]

BLASPHEMY! :puts more ground pepper in coffee: PEOPLE DON'T KNOW HOW TO EAT!

[DreamSongs]

BLASPHEMY! :puts more ground pepper in coffee: PEOPLE DON'T KNOW HOW TO EAT!

:agree: I am off to make biscuits for the first time ever. Cayenne, fresh picked chives from my parents' house, locally grown/ground flour, locally produced butter and organic Australian cheddar cheese will be involved :smoking:

[TerraPrime]

Mandy:

When you make the roux, make sure the butter is all melted first before adding the flour.

Once you add the flour, stir steadyly and slowly to let the flour soak up all the fat. Don't go strictly on the 3-5 min mark. Instead, watch for the consistency of the roux. It should resemble a thick paste and be light golden brown in color (for this soup, roux can be made to different degrees of color depending on what you make). If the flour is not cooked properly they will not thicken properly.

When the roux is done, I will add the chicken stock first, not the half-half. Stir in the quart in 3 batches, and stir the roux to mix evenly each time. You want a smooth and even liquid at the end. Let it simmer a bit, then proceed with adding the rest.

Another thing to keep in mind is to make sure your brocoli and other ingredients are not water-logged. If you have a salad spinner, spin dry the brocoli (fresh and washed, or frozen and thawed), or you will end up adding a lot more liquid than required by the recipe. If no spinner, use paper towel.

Finally, you can thicken a thin soup with a little bit of cornstarch water (1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 2 tablespoons of your soup, mix well, then add back to the soup and simmer).

[Seli]

Another way to approach these soups, if less creamy, is to add some potato; it will help bind the soup a bit. And go easy on the liquids, it is relatively easy to add some more after the blending phase.

An immersion blender works great as well, perhaps even easier than a full blender.

[Fragile Bird]

I would also say, when making a roux, that is helps if the broth you add is at least warm, or even hot.

[TerraPrime]

Hoping someone can help me out with a quick question.

I don't know too much about cooking, but I wanted to do some chili in a slow cooker today. I didn't do much homework, but here's my question. I just threw everything into the slow cooker including raw beef with the intention of cooking it for a long time. Now of course I'm doing some retroactive reading and seeing some suggestions that the meet should be browned separately before.

Is this a safety issue or just a cooking approach? If I have it in there on high for several hours, am I OK?

Thanks

It is more a safety issue. The slowcookers just takes too long to ramp up to the higher temperature. Meanwhile, before it gets there, it's a bacteria incubator. So...

Enjoy the chili!

[Lily Valley]

Also Trisky,

If you don't brown the meat all of the fat will be in the chili. ALL OF IT. I usually strain the grease off of ground meat before adding it to the beans, but that's me.

[MisterOJ]

It is more a safety issue. The slowcookers just takes too long to ramp up to the higher temperature. Meanwhile, before it gets there, it's a bacteria incubator. So...

Enjoy the chili!

Is it a safety issue? I cook meals in my slowcooker a lot. And it seems like the only recipes that call for browning involve beef - which I assumed was more of a cooking approach than a safety thing. I don't think I ever come across slowcooker recipes that say to brown chicken or pork, and they are generally much more of a safety risk than beef.

[MercenaryChef]

Maillard reaction is flavor. It comes from browning your meat.

The lack of maillard reaction is one of my biggest beefs (get it beef) with crpckpot cooking.

Another issue for me is stews and the like have only one texture being the meat or the veggies.

[MisterOJ]

Maillard reaction is flavor. It comes from browning your meat.

The lack of maillard reaction is one of my biggest beefs (get it beef) with crpckpot cooking.

Another issue for me is stews and the like have only one texture being the meat or the veggies.

Is that generally more noticeable in beef than chicken or pork? Is that why most recipes call for beef to be browned before cooking in a crockpot?