The always cute Bobby Flay will be selling a line of kitchenware at Kohl's next spring. It will be produced jointly by The Food Network and Kohl’s Department Stores.
Is there any Food Network Star who isn't shilling merchandise?
I don't actually mind, though. Emeril's pots are good, Mario Batali's pots are sensational and stunning, and I'm sure Bobby's will be fine.
Apparently, he is the first of the Food Network's celebrity chefs to collaborate with the Food Network on these products. I'm not exactly sure what that means, except that I guess he'll have larger marketing opportunities, coupled with a smaller piece of the pie.
I was rooting around for more information and I found a page on the Food Network website I didn’t even know existed. It's a list of products offered by every single host on the network from Al Roker to Wolfgang Puck. (Remember, they don't think we're terribly educated, so they alphabetize by first name.)
Many of the hosts only have cookbooks on that site, but some have interesting products. Paula Deen, for example, has a small appliance that measures the fat globules in your bloodstream after eating one her meals. Okay, not really, but she does have a machine which cooks an egg and an English muffin simultaneously.
Luckily, there are only cookbooks listed for Sandy. RR has hundreds of products on the site, including this aptly named Garbage Bowl, which, funnily enough, is sold out. I guess after misguided folks try her recipes, they need some place to put the atrocious food, before it goes to its final resting place: the garbage...Am I being too harsh? It IS a good looking bowl.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Thursday, November 29, 2007
It's A Nightmare, I'm Actually On Board With Gordon Ramsey
I don't like mean and nasty people in real life. I don't really like watching them on television either. Surprisingly, Gordon Ramsey was neither last night on Kitchen Nightmares and he was actually making a lot of sense.
He was trying to turn around a restaurant in Fairlawn, New Jersey... Campania. I know this kind of restaurant. They're in strip shopping malls with lousy service, long waits and mediocre food. And many times they don't have liquor licenses to lubricate oneself against the difficult dining experience.
We are introduced to Joe Cerniglia, the owner/chef. He seems to be much too nice a guy to run a restaurant. Added to that, he didn't go to to culinary school, he doesn't use recipes and he likes to have A LOT of fun in the kitchen with his wait and kitchen staff. Their favorite trick is to lock each other in their walk-in fridge.
But there are big problems. We're told that Campania owes $80,000 and later we learn that they've lost probably $120,000 in the last 18 months.
Gordon makes his first visit, orders and waits for his food. He actually waits over 20 minutes for his tortellini in brodo brought to him by a waitress with the strongest Jersey accent this side of Tony. He pronounces it bland and tasteless and definitely not worth the wait.
The ravioli comes next with huge pieces of garlic in the sauce. Chicken with some kind of cranberry something on it is next. It's too dry, it's too sweet, and it's too big a portion.
Day 2 of Gordon's turnaround begins by discovering that there's way too much food in the walk-in fridge. Mussels are going bad, there's enough chopped garlic to feed all of Sicily, and, considering the restaurant only has a handful of clients, it's money down the drain.
Gordon tells Joe he must start treating Campania like a business. Case in point: that night there are 11 members of staff in a mostly empty restaurant. Gordon says some of them must go home. Joe is forced to choose. He has trouble sending some of the waitstaff home, but he does.
They get serious and the dinner service seems to be ok until things get busy and then backed up. They're getting slow, so slow, in fact, that someone is ordering take away pizza while still sitting in the restaurant.
Gordon lectures Joe on portion size. "I've never seen such humongous portions.""You're throwing 1000's of dollars down the drain."
The next day, Gordon visits Joe's wife and family. He realizes there's a lot of pressure on Joe. Looking into the weepy eyes of the wife, Gordon declares that the business can be turned around.
This whole thing, this episode is kind of not that fun because they all agree with him. They decide his idea to have a signature dish - meatballs - is a brilliant idea. It looks like it's even Gordon's recipe. Didn't Grandma have one that she brought from the old country? They also cut the items on the menu drastically and stick to a smaller number of well-made, freshly cooked dishes.
To sell the idea of the meatballs, Gordon has teeshirts made up with up touting them and he even gives them a personalized van. Gordon's main advice to Joe is not to lose heart. He says, "Don't take it personally, just take it seriously."
The whole crew comes back to work. Gordon has sent a design team to change the outside of the restaurant to make it look more inviting. They also tweak the dining room and give him a new stove. Head Chef Gene has tears in his eyes when he sees it. Gordon snuggles with the owner's wife. He also provides smaller plates to better control the portion size.
They reopen. The restaurant is packed. Things start off fine, but they take a dive. When the tension mounts, Joe decides it's time to take a stroll in the dining room to chat with customers. Things go crazy and people are waiting 2 hours for their food.
Now this is funny. Outside the restaurant, one disgruntled customer is arguing with a pleased one. They're actually screaming at each other. Only in Joisey... The cops show up. Peace is restored.
Josette, the Jersey girl, wins server bingo, which involved the servers selling one of every dish on the menu. (It was an abbreviated menu.) She won a hundred dollar bill.
At the end, things do go well. Joe's mom cries. Gordon the Softie hugs her. Gene the head chef is told by Gordon that he proved he was a real head chef. They break the old big plates in the kitchen. Goodbye to the big plates...Hello profits.
Gordon was positively warm and cuddly, and more importantly, he gave constructive criticism without destroying their egos. It was impossible to disagree with any of his suggestions. It was almost heartwarming.
I WAS kind of disappointed, though. The folks in the restaurant were all good-hearted, fun-loving and eventually hard-working. There were no thieves or layabouts. AND there were no bugs or floods or mold. What kind of challenge is that for Chef Ramsey?
He was trying to turn around a restaurant in Fairlawn, New Jersey... Campania. I know this kind of restaurant. They're in strip shopping malls with lousy service, long waits and mediocre food. And many times they don't have liquor licenses to lubricate oneself against the difficult dining experience.
We are introduced to Joe Cerniglia, the owner/chef. He seems to be much too nice a guy to run a restaurant. Added to that, he didn't go to to culinary school, he doesn't use recipes and he likes to have A LOT of fun in the kitchen with his wait and kitchen staff. Their favorite trick is to lock each other in their walk-in fridge.
But there are big problems. We're told that Campania owes $80,000 and later we learn that they've lost probably $120,000 in the last 18 months.
Gordon makes his first visit, orders and waits for his food. He actually waits over 20 minutes for his tortellini in brodo brought to him by a waitress with the strongest Jersey accent this side of Tony. He pronounces it bland and tasteless and definitely not worth the wait.
The ravioli comes next with huge pieces of garlic in the sauce. Chicken with some kind of cranberry something on it is next. It's too dry, it's too sweet, and it's too big a portion.
Day 2 of Gordon's turnaround begins by discovering that there's way too much food in the walk-in fridge. Mussels are going bad, there's enough chopped garlic to feed all of Sicily, and, considering the restaurant only has a handful of clients, it's money down the drain.
Gordon tells Joe he must start treating Campania like a business. Case in point: that night there are 11 members of staff in a mostly empty restaurant. Gordon says some of them must go home. Joe is forced to choose. He has trouble sending some of the waitstaff home, but he does.
They get serious and the dinner service seems to be ok until things get busy and then backed up. They're getting slow, so slow, in fact, that someone is ordering take away pizza while still sitting in the restaurant.
Gordon lectures Joe on portion size. "I've never seen such humongous portions.""You're throwing 1000's of dollars down the drain."
The next day, Gordon visits Joe's wife and family. He realizes there's a lot of pressure on Joe. Looking into the weepy eyes of the wife, Gordon declares that the business can be turned around.
This whole thing, this episode is kind of not that fun because they all agree with him. They decide his idea to have a signature dish - meatballs - is a brilliant idea. It looks like it's even Gordon's recipe. Didn't Grandma have one that she brought from the old country? They also cut the items on the menu drastically and stick to a smaller number of well-made, freshly cooked dishes.
To sell the idea of the meatballs, Gordon has teeshirts made up with up touting them and he even gives them a personalized van. Gordon's main advice to Joe is not to lose heart. He says, "Don't take it personally, just take it seriously."
The whole crew comes back to work. Gordon has sent a design team to change the outside of the restaurant to make it look more inviting. They also tweak the dining room and give him a new stove. Head Chef Gene has tears in his eyes when he sees it. Gordon snuggles with the owner's wife. He also provides smaller plates to better control the portion size.
They reopen. The restaurant is packed. Things start off fine, but they take a dive. When the tension mounts, Joe decides it's time to take a stroll in the dining room to chat with customers. Things go crazy and people are waiting 2 hours for their food.
Now this is funny. Outside the restaurant, one disgruntled customer is arguing with a pleased one. They're actually screaming at each other. Only in Joisey... The cops show up. Peace is restored.
Josette, the Jersey girl, wins server bingo, which involved the servers selling one of every dish on the menu. (It was an abbreviated menu.) She won a hundred dollar bill.
At the end, things do go well. Joe's mom cries. Gordon the Softie hugs her. Gene the head chef is told by Gordon that he proved he was a real head chef. They break the old big plates in the kitchen. Goodbye to the big plates...Hello profits.
Gordon was positively warm and cuddly, and more importantly, he gave constructive criticism without destroying their egos. It was impossible to disagree with any of his suggestions. It was almost heartwarming.
I WAS kind of disappointed, though. The folks in the restaurant were all good-hearted, fun-loving and eventually hard-working. There were no thieves or layabouts. AND there were no bugs or floods or mold. What kind of challenge is that for Chef Ramsey?
Xmas List: I'll Take My Chocolate Anyway I Can Get It
I want this or this. Oh wait, I have to figure out if they're made from Blood Diamonds, or if they're ok.
On second thought, I'll settle for these. But then I need to know if they're made from Fair Trade chocolate.
You know what? Anyone that's shopping for me, just give me peace on earth and a couple of new pot holders.
On second thought, I'll settle for these. But then I need to know if they're made from Fair Trade chocolate.
You know what? Anyone that's shopping for me, just give me peace on earth and a couple of new pot holders.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Paula Feeds Oprah
The big news of yesterday's Oprah show was that Stedman has a daughter! Who knew? Oprah took her along on a trip to Macon, Georgia where she taped last week's Favorite Things Show. Oprah bought her a pair of earrings at a local store. And, by the way, Macon was chosen because 45 % of its TVs are tuned to Oprah's show.
During Paula's appearance, they showed a clip from her previous hilarious visit. (It looked as funny as when she was on Ellen). "Get out your helmet and your goggles and we'll make a cheese ball." After removing their shoes, they begin.
Paula whips a bunch of ingredients together in the stunning KitchenAid, which was the point of the entire recipe. That mixer was one of Oprah's Favorite Things. Oprah is so thrilled at the addition of bacon to the cheese ball that they do a little dance. Hmmm, I wonder if that would have helped Giada's chocolate and brie paninis. Prob'ly not.
They pass the cheese ball back and forth and then roll it in more bacon and nuts and parsley. THEN Oprah gives every member of the audience the gorgeous Artisan KitchenAid that Paula was using. Wow, the mixer AND samples of that cheese ball...They really scored big.
During Paula's appearance, they showed a clip from her previous hilarious visit. (It looked as funny as when she was on Ellen). "Get out your helmet and your goggles and we'll make a cheese ball." After removing their shoes, they begin.
Paula whips a bunch of ingredients together in the stunning KitchenAid, which was the point of the entire recipe. That mixer was one of Oprah's Favorite Things. Oprah is so thrilled at the addition of bacon to the cheese ball that they do a little dance. Hmmm, I wonder if that would have helped Giada's chocolate and brie paninis. Prob'ly not.
They pass the cheese ball back and forth and then roll it in more bacon and nuts and parsley. THEN Oprah gives every member of the audience the gorgeous Artisan KitchenAid that Paula was using. Wow, the mixer AND samples of that cheese ball...They really scored big.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Thanksgiving 2007 - Middle And Ends
...So, here's the rest of my Thanksgiving meal wrap-up...The turkey was fine. But I went against my ironclad rule of No Turkey Over 20 Pounds, because my young man picked it up for me at Whole Foods. I told him as close to 20 pounds as possible and when he found a 20.98 pound turkey, I didn't argue. I was just glad that he didn't come home with a ham or chicken fingers.
I don't care what anyone says that extra bit of weight DOES make a difference. It makes the turkey heavier and hotter and more difficult to maneuver. It also took a bit longer to cook than I wanted, so before it was done, I scooped out all the drippings and veggies from the bottom of the pan (not that easy) and strained them to start on the gravy. The good thing about THAT was that, when it was done, H could turn over the turkey in the roasting pan and let it sit THERE, covered, instead of having to moving it onto a board.
I wasn't loving my gravy at first, but after massive whisking and tons of boiling and the addition of more stock (and, yes, a secret dose of Gravy Master), it came out great.
Oh...and the stuffing was really good. I don't exactly know why, but it just had a lot of flavor and moistness. But there was a little problem...
I pride myself on having more food items stuffed into my closets and fridge and freezer than the average gourmet store. I had, of course, checked out my stuffing ingredients in advance and I had found a nice new bag of California apricots, which are the only kind I use for stuffing, because of their bright color and tart flavor.
The night before Thanksgiving as I'm chopping all my stuffing ingredients, I open the bag of apricots and discover that they're from last year and all dried and shrunken and nasty. I LOVE dried apricots in stuffing, so what was I to do? Luckily, in my packed larder, I found a container of dried cranberries, which did very well as a substitute. But a word to the wise...when you're checking to see if you have the necessary components for a dish, make sure they're still viable.
I am so sorry I don't have picture of my Bourbon Sweet Potatoes in the serving dish. My daughter made them and they were GREAT! She added twice the amount of booze as normal, which really improved them and at my behest, she combed the top...just beautifully. I do have a picture of my comb from Dehillerin.* You can use it for cake icings, glazes and any puréed-anything dish. Even a tool made for the simplest task can make a huge difference when it's well-made.
Back to the meal...I've told you about my cranberry recipe. It came out sooo well. Can I admit that this was the first year I didn't use Ocean Spray Fresh Cranberries? (Sorry, Em, I know how much you love those guys.) I used frozen huge organic ones from Canada that I found at Wegmans.
My mashed potatoes came out fine, but my usual formula - one large Idaho potato per person - was way too much for 15 people. Plus, I probably threw in an extra one as well.
Pies...there were four: 2 Pecan, 1 Pumpkin Chiffon and 1 Silver Palate Sour Cream Apple Pie. In my last post, I alluded to something coming out a bit dry. I thought the apple pie wasn't my greatest ever, but the funny thing was it was much better after a day or two and drowning it in whipped cream and/or ice cream didn't hurt either.
That was about it. (There WERE hors d'oeuvres, but I'm too stuffed to talk about them now.) Plenty of food and fun and I actually got the glasses washed that night and I only waited 3 days to do the pots hiding in the laundry room sink.
*Very funny English translation.
"Emeril Live" No Longer
After more than 10 years on the air, Emeril Live has been cancelled. The Essence of Emeril will stay on, but it doesn't look like there are any new Emeril series at the moment. Apparently, his audience is skewing older and is not as attractive to advertisers.
Frankly, I think the Food Network needs Emeril more than he needs them. He has a vast empire of, firstly, 10 restaurants - let's not forget that HE, unlike many newer FN hosts, is a CHEF. Secondly, he has written a dozen cookbooks, many of them fabulously successful. Thirdly, he's licensed his name on products from cookware, knives and tableware to teeshirts and clogs. AND there's his foundation, which is doing wonderful work with various children's charities. So an hour less on the FN is just going to give him more time to conquer more universes.
My favorite Emeril Lagasse TV moment was the special he did where a school won a lunchtime makeover. He went into an elementary(?) school and served lunch to the kids after working with the hilarious old-fashioned lunch ladies. I also liked that he visited with the kid who wrote the winning letter and cooked his family breakfast. He seemed easy-going, charming and very warm.
I guess in a food television world where telegenics is more important than knife skills, Emeril was bound to move on sometime. Let's just hope he's still available to turn around a lunchtime menu or two.
Frankly, I think the Food Network needs Emeril more than he needs them. He has a vast empire of, firstly, 10 restaurants - let's not forget that HE, unlike many newer FN hosts, is a CHEF. Secondly, he has written a dozen cookbooks, many of them fabulously successful. Thirdly, he's licensed his name on products from cookware, knives and tableware to teeshirts and clogs. AND there's his foundation, which is doing wonderful work with various children's charities. So an hour less on the FN is just going to give him more time to conquer more universes.
My favorite Emeril Lagasse TV moment was the special he did where a school won a lunchtime makeover. He went into an elementary(?) school and served lunch to the kids after working with the hilarious old-fashioned lunch ladies. I also liked that he visited with the kid who wrote the winning letter and cooked his family breakfast. He seemed easy-going, charming and very warm.
I guess in a food television world where telegenics is more important than knife skills, Emeril was bound to move on sometime. Let's just hope he's still available to turn around a lunchtime menu or two.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Thanksgiving 2007 - The Beginning And The Middle
I really enjoyed reading about how other blogging friends' Thanksgivings went, but I didn't have the time to write about mine until now.
No real glitches, except one...and I actually considered it a bit of good luck. My carefully planned-for house guests, A and HER H(usband), arrived 2 days earlier than expected. They were concerned that if they had kept to their original schedule, the transport strikes in Paris might have prevented them from arriving at all.
Now, you might think that premature arrivals would be a problem. A did, she felt terrible. But imagine a combination of your best friend, dearest sister, wisest mother and a cleaning crew of 5, and that's A! I kinda wish she had been here even earlier, but I guess there were a few things that I had to do on my own.
Let's get to the good part...the food. The good, the bad and the ugly. Actually, truth to tell, it was more like the good, the dry and the really messy, which started with my first course.
For almost the last two decades, I had only ever made soup or a salad to start. This year events took a slightly different turn. I had seen Giada make Sweet Potato Gnocchi and I decided that would make a perfect first course. Originally, though, I had planned it for dinner for the night before Thanksgiving, when there would be 7 of us.
I struggled mightily with the recipe, added GOBS more flour than it called for (I was also doubling it) and I made an amazing mess.
I ended up with almost THREE HUNDRED gnocchi, so I decided to make THAT my Thanksgiving starter.
I boiled up a couple to test them and they were great. I froze them and tested them again from the freezer...still good. And the best part was that I had 10 days to clean up the kitchen. And when my pre-Thanksgiving dinner dwindled to 5, I was happy that I saved them for T-Day.
I used the hugest pot I have - 12 gallons maybe - to boil the water for the dozens of gnocchi. It DID take forever to come back to the boil, but that's because they were frozen. The cooking time took some guess work, which involved guessing how many I had to eat to see if they were done.
The sauce couldn't have been easier. Melt butter, add sage leaves and cook until the butter is browned. Take off the heat and add maple syrup and cinnamon. I actually forgot the cinnamon and my daughter had the bright idea to just sprinkle some on top of each serving. They were great, although H wanted to know why he was eating French toast for Thanksgiving.
Note: You should always look at the reviews of the recipes on the FN and also on Epicurious. Those kind people that take the time to tell us what went wrong or what made the recipe better are a wonderful resource. Many of them referred to the need for more flour. Unfortunately, I made the gnocchi immediately after the first time it was on, so there were no reviews.
I don't know about you, but I find it difficult to wield a camera when I'm up to my elbows in gravy and mashed potatoes. THIS is the only picture I have of my turkey.
But it does show the Lady Apples I put around it and perhaps you can spy the carrot and onions underneath. And you can see that I covered the too-fast browning parts with foil.
Wait, I do have others of the turkey...LEG, that is. 
This is what it's all about. Grabbing a turkey leg and eating it with gusto.
More soon...
PS A brought me my mustard!!! It's on the mantlepiece in a place of honor.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Pecan Pies...Done!
Pecan Pie
Printable recipe here.
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups dark corn syrup
2 tbls. plus 1 tsp. melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup pecan halves
1 9"-10" unbaked pie shell
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Beat eggs just until blended, but not frothy. Add sugar, salt, and corn syrup. Add cooled melted butter and vanilla, mixing just enough to blend.
Spread nuts in bottom in bottom of pie shell. Pour in filling. Place pie in oven.
Reduce heat to 325°F at once. Bake 50-60 minutes. Makes 8-10 servings.
Pastry:
11/2 cups flour
6 tbls. unsalted butter
2 tbls. shortening (I use Crisco, a hundred years ago we used lard)
4 to 6 tbls. ICE water
Place flour in the food processor. Add butter and shortening and pulse until evenly incorporated. Add 3 tbls. ice water and process until mixed. Add another tablespoon of water and process just until mixture comes together. You may need a spoonful or more of water. Knead into a ball and roll out between sheet of plastic wrap. Line pie dish and crimp edge decoratively. Pie crust may be frozen after wrapping well. Thaw slightly before using.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
A Big Shoutout To Huge Red
I think that's what he said his name was in the store today. I don't often go trolling the supermarkets for people to talk to...oh, who I am kidding? I'll talk to anyone...supermarket or not.
I was asking the supermarket manager where I could find butcher's twine and he took me over to the butcher to sell me a roll from there. When he looked at the price ($9.00), he handed me a wad and said, "Just put this in your pocket". As I was thanking him, this other gentleman caught my attention and we got to talking. I noticed, most of all, a kind glimmer in his eye. There was something so sweet and dear about him. I asked him about his Thanksgiving and he said his wife was ill and that he was going to be doing all the cooking under her direction.
I don't know why that touched me, but it made me profoundly grateful for all the friends and family that I'll be cooking for, some with lifelong health challenges, others with recent ones and most, thankfully, just fine. I told Huge Red I had a food blog and gave him the URL and that's when he told me his screenname.
I hope he has a wonderful Thanksgiving. I hope his wife recovers soon and takes over the cooking again. And I know that I will have a Thanksgiving abundantly (excessively even) full of food and fun and I wish that for you, too.
I was asking the supermarket manager where I could find butcher's twine and he took me over to the butcher to sell me a roll from there. When he looked at the price ($9.00), he handed me a wad and said, "Just put this in your pocket". As I was thanking him, this other gentleman caught my attention and we got to talking. I noticed, most of all, a kind glimmer in his eye. There was something so sweet and dear about him. I asked him about his Thanksgiving and he said his wife was ill and that he was going to be doing all the cooking under her direction.
I don't know why that touched me, but it made me profoundly grateful for all the friends and family that I'll be cooking for, some with lifelong health challenges, others with recent ones and most, thankfully, just fine. I told Huge Red I had a food blog and gave him the URL and that's when he told me his screenname.
I hope he has a wonderful Thanksgiving. I hope his wife recovers soon and takes over the cooking again. And I know that I will have a Thanksgiving abundantly (excessively even) full of food and fun and I wish that for you, too.
THANKSGIVING TIPS - Roasting A Turkey, Plus Gravy for 50 - I Do It My Way
I don't claim there is only one way to cook a turkey. In fact, there are probably as many ways to cook one as there are mothers or mothers-in-law to tell you how to do it. One could write a book about this. There's so much to say.
Timing is always tricky. I don't worry too much about the turkey coming out early. That's what piping hot gravy is for. But the opposite IS a bit of a bore... when it's not ready and you are.
An instant read thermometer is your best friend. Having said that, the first year I got one, I put it in and I had something else to do. So I closed the oven door just for a minute or two. Guess what? It melted, thankfully not on the turkey. See? I don't pretend to know everything.
Parts of this recipe depend on the knowledge and experience of those that went before me: my mother, Julia, the authors of EVERY version of The Joy of Cooking...and some of it is just me.
Roast Turkey and Gravy - Narratively told...
The day before, when you’re cutting up all your vegetables - onions, carrots, celery and parsley - for the stuffing, or anything you’re making, save all the bits and pieces, including onions skins, and put them in a plastic bag.
On Thanksgiving morning, while the onions and celery are softening for the stuffing, place all your veggies and a couple bay leaves in a large stock pot. Add the neck and gizzards from the turkey. Fill with water and bring to a gentle simmer. That will stay on the back of the stove, cooking gently, for 4 to 5 hours. The exact time doesn’t really matter. This will be the stock for your gravy and for your roasting pan. It‘s also great to have to thin out your leftover gravy.
At some point when you have a minute, maybe before the company arrives (but never mind if you don’t get to it) strain the stock (I strain it into my KitchenAid bowls) and return it to the stock pot.
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. (I admit half the time I just turn it to 350.) Stuff the turkey and place a heel of bread in the biggest opening. Sew up the various openings with butcher’s twine and the biggest carpet needle you have. Tie the legs together.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 2 tablespoons of olive oil (not extra virgin) in a small saucepan. Rub that all over the bird. Salt and pepper it. (I never have before, but I will this year.) Place it on a rack in a roasting pan. After 30 minutes add a bit of stock to the bottom of the roasting pan. Cover with foil, if the turkey is getting too brown. Add a little more stock every 40 minutes or so, not even to cover the entire bottom of the pan. You just don't want the bottom to burn.
About 1½ hours before the end of roasting time, add 1 cup of diced onions and 1 cup of diced carrots to the roasting pan UNDER the rack (if you can). Noone said it was going to be easy. Place Lady Apples around turkey.
My approximate cooking time for a 16 to 20 pound stuffed bird is 5ish hours. Every part of the bird should register 165 degrees, including the stuffing.
Remove turkey from the oven. TURN IT UPSIDE DOWN. It's hot and hard to do. Cover well with foil and let sit for at least 15 minutes. Cut all the strings off and remove. Remove the stuffing from the 2 openings (not from under the skin). Slice off the legs. Cut off the breasts in one piece from each side of the turkey’s backbone. Slice them widthwise. Cover with foil until ready to serve, garnished with Lady Apples.
Now, don’t be frightened of the gravy and don’t judge me when you see what I do and how much I make. IT’S ONCE A YEAR.
Here’s the recipe in long form. (The truncated version follows.)
This is the formula for the gravy base: 3 tablespoons of fat to ¼ cup of flour to 4 cups of liquid. (1 cup of that can be white wine to deglaze the pan.) I usually multiply that by FOUR!!! I told you not to be shocked. For me, it’s about the gravy.
I strain all my drippings and the diced-roasting-pan-vegetables into a 4 cup measure.
Now, this is where I stray from the traditional recipes. I don’t skim those drippings at all. Remember they’re sitting in a 4 cup measure. I spoon out the fat (and whatever comes with it) at the top and use that as the fat in my gravy base. I need 12 tablespoons, which happens to be three-quarters of a cup. I scoop that up from the top (it’s not all fat, but some other juices, I don’t care) and put it into a large (5 quart) heavy bottomed Dutch oven.
I add 1 cup of flour (because I’m multiplying by 4) and stir it on the lowest heat for 3 minutes to make a roux. Cook it to as dark as you have the patience for. I don’t.
Deglaze your roasting pan with white wine (no more than a quarter of your total liquid). Strain that into the same 4 cup measure that has the drippings and juices. Make up to four cups with the turkey stock on the back of the stove. Add that slowly to the gravy base. Measure another 4 cups of stock and keep adding it, while whisking. Bring it to the boil and just let keep simmering, whisking occasionally.
Don’t tell anyone this next part. If you want to hate me, go ahead, but I’ve never found a better alternative. When no one’s looking, I add a few spoonfuls of Gravy Master and that will give the gravy its traditional rich brown color. Even if you had browned the roux, the stock isn’t dark enough to give a great color. (The onion skins in the stock do help, but not enough.) Season with salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper.
If the whole thing lumps up, put it through a strainer and work through all the floury lumps, so you don’t lose your thickening.
Now, actually, honestly, I probably don’t add all 16 cups of liquid. I just have it on the back of the stove and I add more liquid as I need to, leaving it simmering all during hors d‘oeuvres and the first course. I certainly add 12 cups, but maybe not all 16.
Short Form Gravy Recipe - using only 4 cups of liquid:
Strain all your drippings into a 4 cup measuring pitcher.
Skim 3 tablespoons of fat from the 4 cup measure into a large saucepan over medium low heat.
Add ¼ cup of flour. Stir slowly over low heat for 3 minutes, or until as brown as you have the time and energy to make it.
Deglaze your roasting pan with 1 cup of white wine. Strain that into the 4 cup measure. Make up to 4 cups of liquid with turkey stock.
Stir liquid into roux, whisking all the time. Simmer for at least 10 minutes or until thickened. Add gravy master for color, if desired. Season to taste.
Timing is always tricky. I don't worry too much about the turkey coming out early. That's what piping hot gravy is for. But the opposite IS a bit of a bore... when it's not ready and you are.
An instant read thermometer is your best friend. Having said that, the first year I got one, I put it in and I had something else to do. So I closed the oven door just for a minute or two. Guess what? It melted, thankfully not on the turkey. See? I don't pretend to know everything.
Parts of this recipe depend on the knowledge and experience of those that went before me: my mother, Julia, the authors of EVERY version of The Joy of Cooking...and some of it is just me.
Roast Turkey and Gravy - Narratively told...
The day before, when you’re cutting up all your vegetables - onions, carrots, celery and parsley - for the stuffing, or anything you’re making, save all the bits and pieces, including onions skins, and put them in a plastic bag.
On Thanksgiving morning, while the onions and celery are softening for the stuffing, place all your veggies and a couple bay leaves in a large stock pot. Add the neck and gizzards from the turkey. Fill with water and bring to a gentle simmer. That will stay on the back of the stove, cooking gently, for 4 to 5 hours. The exact time doesn’t really matter. This will be the stock for your gravy and for your roasting pan. It‘s also great to have to thin out your leftover gravy.
At some point when you have a minute, maybe before the company arrives (but never mind if you don’t get to it) strain the stock (I strain it into my KitchenAid bowls) and return it to the stock pot.
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. (I admit half the time I just turn it to 350.) Stuff the turkey and place a heel of bread in the biggest opening. Sew up the various openings with butcher’s twine and the biggest carpet needle you have. Tie the legs together.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 2 tablespoons of olive oil (not extra virgin) in a small saucepan. Rub that all over the bird. Salt and pepper it. (I never have before, but I will this year.) Place it on a rack in a roasting pan. After 30 minutes add a bit of stock to the bottom of the roasting pan. Cover with foil, if the turkey is getting too brown. Add a little more stock every 40 minutes or so, not even to cover the entire bottom of the pan. You just don't want the bottom to burn.
About 1½ hours before the end of roasting time, add 1 cup of diced onions and 1 cup of diced carrots to the roasting pan UNDER the rack (if you can). Noone said it was going to be easy. Place Lady Apples around turkey.
My approximate cooking time for a 16 to 20 pound stuffed bird is 5ish hours. Every part of the bird should register 165 degrees, including the stuffing.
Remove turkey from the oven. TURN IT UPSIDE DOWN. It's hot and hard to do. Cover well with foil and let sit for at least 15 minutes. Cut all the strings off and remove. Remove the stuffing from the 2 openings (not from under the skin). Slice off the legs. Cut off the breasts in one piece from each side of the turkey’s backbone. Slice them widthwise. Cover with foil until ready to serve, garnished with Lady Apples.
Now, don’t be frightened of the gravy and don’t judge me when you see what I do and how much I make. IT’S ONCE A YEAR.
Here’s the recipe in long form. (The truncated version follows.)
This is the formula for the gravy base: 3 tablespoons of fat to ¼ cup of flour to 4 cups of liquid. (1 cup of that can be white wine to deglaze the pan.) I usually multiply that by FOUR!!! I told you not to be shocked. For me, it’s about the gravy.
I strain all my drippings and the diced-roasting-pan-vegetables into a 4 cup measure.
Now, this is where I stray from the traditional recipes. I don’t skim those drippings at all. Remember they’re sitting in a 4 cup measure. I spoon out the fat (and whatever comes with it) at the top and use that as the fat in my gravy base. I need 12 tablespoons, which happens to be three-quarters of a cup. I scoop that up from the top (it’s not all fat, but some other juices, I don’t care) and put it into a large (5 quart) heavy bottomed Dutch oven.
I add 1 cup of flour (because I’m multiplying by 4) and stir it on the lowest heat for 3 minutes to make a roux. Cook it to as dark as you have the patience for. I don’t.
Deglaze your roasting pan with white wine (no more than a quarter of your total liquid). Strain that into the same 4 cup measure that has the drippings and juices. Make up to four cups with the turkey stock on the back of the stove. Add that slowly to the gravy base. Measure another 4 cups of stock and keep adding it, while whisking. Bring it to the boil and just let keep simmering, whisking occasionally.
Don’t tell anyone this next part. If you want to hate me, go ahead, but I’ve never found a better alternative. When no one’s looking, I add a few spoonfuls of Gravy Master and that will give the gravy its traditional rich brown color. Even if you had browned the roux, the stock isn’t dark enough to give a great color. (The onion skins in the stock do help, but not enough.) Season with salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper.
If the whole thing lumps up, put it through a strainer and work through all the floury lumps, so you don’t lose your thickening.
Now, actually, honestly, I probably don’t add all 16 cups of liquid. I just have it on the back of the stove and I add more liquid as I need to, leaving it simmering all during hors d‘oeuvres and the first course. I certainly add 12 cups, but maybe not all 16.
Short Form Gravy Recipe - using only 4 cups of liquid:
Strain all your drippings into a 4 cup measuring pitcher.
Skim 3 tablespoons of fat from the 4 cup measure into a large saucepan over medium low heat.
Add ¼ cup of flour. Stir slowly over low heat for 3 minutes, or until as brown as you have the time and energy to make it.
Deglaze your roasting pan with 1 cup of white wine. Strain that into the 4 cup measure. Make up to 4 cups of liquid with turkey stock.
Stir liquid into roux, whisking all the time. Simmer for at least 10 minutes or until thickened. Add gravy master for color, if desired. Season to taste.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Roasting A Turkey According To Giada And Ina
Instead of going through Giada's and Ina's entire Thanksgiving shows, I thought I'd get to the meat of the matter and look at how they they each cook their turkeys. They are somewhat different.
(I don't know why the FN couldn't produce NEW Thanksgiving episodes with Giada and Ina, or did they and I missed them?)
This is Giada’s Turkey with Herbes de Provence and Citrus. Go to the recipe for the exact cooking times and amounts.
Giada cuts lemons, oranges and an onion in wedges to cook inside the turkey. She says they will keep the turkey meat flavorful and tender. She also chops rosemary, oregano and sage.
Next Giada melts 2 tablespoons of butter for the rub for the outside of the turkey. She adds herbes de provence, pepper and olive oil. She uses dried herbs for the rub, because fresh will burn during the long oven time.
She takes her orange and lemon wedges and places them in the turkey. She squishes in the cut onion last with the fresh herbs and ties the legs. (These herbs will be in the INSIDE of the turkey, so they won't burn.) Giada says you can do this part up to a day ahead. Cover the turkey and keep it in the refrigerator. 30 minutes before cooking, take it out.
She spoons over the rub mixture and rubs it all over the turkey. "Massage everything." She does an interesting thing. She loosens the breast skin and smooths some of the rub under the skin on top of the breast. Good plan. Remember, I put stuffing under the skin to keep the turkey moist.
Giada covers it with foil, so the breast and legs don't brown too quickly and puts it in the oven. After 20 minutes, she adds stock to the pan.
The turkey comes out.
For the gravy, she melts 5 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan and stirs in 1/3 cup flour. She adds the skimmed pan drippings with 2 cups of stock and brings it to the boil. It looks really anemic. It's much too pale.
Giada arranges sage on the turkey platter and slices additional lemons and oranges and places those around the turkey too. It's pretty, but my Lady Apples are prettier. But it looked good and if you're not planning to stuff your turkey, this would be an okay way to go. In fact, it would be fine with roast chicken, as well.
Ina produces a beautiful turkey. She says she proposed cooking a ham for Thanksgiving, but her friends rebelled and she went back to her Perfect Roast Turkey. She says she doesn't understand why everyone's mother always got up at 4 in the morning to put the turkey in. A 12 1/2 pound turkey should take 2 1/2 hours to cook. Well, most people don't cook turkeys that small, but I always find my turkey is done before I expect it to be.
She stuffs the cavity "full, but not packed". She ties the legs together and tucks the wing tips underneath. Ina brushes the bird with melted butter and seasons the outside with lots of salt and pepper. (I must say I never do that...I probably should). She cooks it at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 1/2 hours uncovered.
(I don't know why the FN couldn't produce NEW Thanksgiving episodes with Giada and Ina, or did they and I missed them?)
This is Giada’s Turkey with Herbes de Provence and Citrus. Go to the recipe for the exact cooking times and amounts.
Giada cuts lemons, oranges and an onion in wedges to cook inside the turkey. She says they will keep the turkey meat flavorful and tender. She also chops rosemary, oregano and sage.
Next Giada melts 2 tablespoons of butter for the rub for the outside of the turkey. She adds herbes de provence, pepper and olive oil. She uses dried herbs for the rub, because fresh will burn during the long oven time.
She takes her orange and lemon wedges and places them in the turkey. She squishes in the cut onion last with the fresh herbs and ties the legs. (These herbs will be in the INSIDE of the turkey, so they won't burn.) Giada says you can do this part up to a day ahead. Cover the turkey and keep it in the refrigerator. 30 minutes before cooking, take it out.
She spoons over the rub mixture and rubs it all over the turkey. "Massage everything." She does an interesting thing. She loosens the breast skin and smooths some of the rub under the skin on top of the breast. Good plan. Remember, I put stuffing under the skin to keep the turkey moist.
Giada covers it with foil, so the breast and legs don't brown too quickly and puts it in the oven. After 20 minutes, she adds stock to the pan.
The turkey comes out.
For the gravy, she melts 5 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan and stirs in 1/3 cup flour. She adds the skimmed pan drippings with 2 cups of stock and brings it to the boil. It looks really anemic. It's much too pale.
Giada arranges sage on the turkey platter and slices additional lemons and oranges and places those around the turkey too. It's pretty, but my Lady Apples are prettier. But it looked good and if you're not planning to stuff your turkey, this would be an okay way to go. In fact, it would be fine with roast chicken, as well.
Ina produces a beautiful turkey. She says she proposed cooking a ham for Thanksgiving, but her friends rebelled and she went back to her Perfect Roast Turkey. She says she doesn't understand why everyone's mother always got up at 4 in the morning to put the turkey in. A 12 1/2 pound turkey should take 2 1/2 hours to cook. Well, most people don't cook turkeys that small, but I always find my turkey is done before I expect it to be.
She stuffs the cavity "full, but not packed". She ties the legs together and tucks the wing tips underneath. Ina brushes the bird with melted butter and seasons the outside with lots of salt and pepper. (I must say I never do that...I probably should). She cooks it at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 1/2 hours uncovered.
Ina lets it sit for 20 minutes and carves the turkey in the kitchen. Giada had someone carve it at the table in the dining room...Not practical. Ina cuts off the legs and puts them on a platter and then cuts down each side of the backbone to get each breast off separately. Then she slices them across lengthwise. Me too!!!
We don't get her recipe for gravy, but they do show her serving some. If you're desperate, use Giada's, or wait for mine. Soon, I promise...
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Gracie Allen's Classic Recipe for Roast Beef
Gracie Allen's Classic Recipe for Roast Beef
1 large Roast of beef
1 small Roast of beef
Take the two roasts and put them in the oven. When the little one burns, the big one is done.
Thanks, Cuz, for sending this to me...
Ingrid - Simply The Wrong Menu
Simply Delicioso with Ingrid Hoffmann
Comfort Food
Plantain Soup
Mini Cuban Burgers (Fritas)
Potato Chips with Chica Comfort Sauce
Peachy Mint Shake
To get the recipes:
Click here
Ooh boy, Ingrid's at the gym on a treadmill making up for overdoing it in the kitchen. Snap. Dances around.
She's back in the kitchen with a show about comfort food.
We're all about to go into the kitchen and not emerge for 6 days after having cooked and eaten and wrapped up and reheated and eaten again enough high calorie high fat food to last us until next Thanksgiving or Christmas at least.
But let's have a show about comfort food, because that's what we're craving. NOT!!!
Ingrid starts with mini-burgers. She grabs an onion that's been in the freezer for 15 minutes - her little trick for not crying. She grates the whole thing. Did she even peel it? She puts it in a bowl with 3 cloves of chopped garlic. She soaks 1 1/2 cups store-bought bread crumbs in 1/4 cup milk. Ewww...
She adds an egg, pepper, paprika, ketchup and the soggy bread crumbs to the onion. Then she goes into a little riff about how lime juice always adds a Latin flavor, which means that she'll add it to anything, no matter how inappropriate. Yup...lime juice goes in.
Uh oh, she has her ground meat right on the counter. She puts it down on her cutting board - the wooden one where she does all her prep. She opens it up and puts it into the other ingredients. She tells us not overmix. Okay, I won't overmix, if you don't spatter raw ground beef over the entire kitchen. Oh, but you already have...
She forms little patties and freezes the extras. She goes into an elaborate demonstration of HOW she freezes them. She lines a baking pan with foil and waxed paper and readies a piece of plastic wrap the length of the pan. The little patties go on.
She does some folding and twisting and turning, so that no hamburger touches another. Basically, what she's left with is a 2 foot long skinny roll of miniature hamburgers that will be a real trick to get into your freezer and will have sticky yucky wax paper stuck to them. Just open freeze them for 2 hours and then pack them into a plastic bag. Done!
Ingrid goes on to a savory plantain soup from her childhood. She cuts celery on the same board on which she unwrapped her raw ground beef. She struggles with the carrots. She actually does not know how to chop. Oh, she does better with the garlic.
She adds 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil to a fine looking stainless steel saucier type pot. (I looked all over for it, but I couldn't find the same one.) She chops onions into "squares" and adds them to the pot with cumin and salt and pepper.
Ingrid cuts off the ends of two green plantains and slices through the skin all the way down and cuts it off with her knife. She slices the plantains thickly and adds them to the soup. She roughly chops cilantro and puts it into the pot with 1 quart of chicken stock. It simmers for 45 minutes.
Next Ingrid is making a "decadent dip". She mixes 1/2 cup sour cream with 1/2 cup of mayonnaise. (For Ina, that would be a drop in the bucket.) She mixes in wooshter-she-eye-her sauce, lemon juice, salt and pepper and calls that a dip.
There doesn't seem to be too much (as in flavor) to this dip. There's a similar Joy of Cooking dip recipe that's actually good. It has soy sauce, chopped ginger, lots of chopped scallions, parsley and cilantro and chopped water chestnuts. IT is tasty. Ingrid accompanies her dip with an enormous bowl of potato chips into which she's sprinkles clumps of cilantro.
She checks on the soup. She thickens it up by blending 2 cups of it until smooth, and then adding back to the soup.
Now HERE is a good tip. Get ready...Before she blends the hot soup, she takes out the center thingie of the blender's lid and covers the hole with a dish cloth. That allows the hot steam to escape, so the mixture doesn't whoosh up and you don't burn yourself because of the dish cloth. (Actually, that's the only time I use my silicone pot holders. I think they're weird to use in the oven, but they're great on a hot blender. If they do get stuff on them, you can just rinse them off.)
She adds the puréed mixture back into the soup. She tells us she loves playing with her food. "It's a love affair between two cultures." If only...The Food Network could certainly use a show like that.
Ingrid heats her grill pan and put the mini burgers on.
She moves on to make "minty water". She boils one cup of water with one stalk of mint...can she spare it? She flips the burgers after 5 minutes. Judging by their appearance, YOU better make it FOUR minutes. She puts the burgers on some kind of strange looking stunted bread. Oh, it's the bottom half of little challah type rolls. They get topped with the other half of the roll.
She serves the soup after removing the bay leaf. I'm glad it SMELLS good, because it certainly wouldn't win any beauty contests.
She puts 1/2 cup of minty water in a blender with the boiled mint leaves. She adds 1 cup of frozen peach slices and 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream. Then a few scoops of ice go in. She blends it all together.
It's not really blending that well. She stops to add more minty water. Blends again. It still isn't getting smooth. I guess she just gives up, because she pours into the glass, chunky pieces of ice and all. She actually comments on its texture. Yeah, I would too, it's awful.
Lime juice goes in soup. She places all the stuff on a tray and goes and sits next to her admittedly adorable dog (it's not her fault who her mother is) to chow down. Enjoy Ingrid. I might not have waited until the next day at the gym to get rid of that awful food...and it might not have been at the gym.
Comfort Food
Plantain Soup
Mini Cuban Burgers (Fritas)
Potato Chips with Chica Comfort Sauce
Peachy Mint Shake
To get the recipes:
Click here
Ooh boy, Ingrid's at the gym on a treadmill making up for overdoing it in the kitchen. Snap. Dances around.
She's back in the kitchen with a show about comfort food.
We're all about to go into the kitchen and not emerge for 6 days after having cooked and eaten and wrapped up and reheated and eaten again enough high calorie high fat food to last us until next Thanksgiving or Christmas at least.
But let's have a show about comfort food, because that's what we're craving. NOT!!!
Ingrid starts with mini-burgers. She grabs an onion that's been in the freezer for 15 minutes - her little trick for not crying. She grates the whole thing. Did she even peel it? She puts it in a bowl with 3 cloves of chopped garlic. She soaks 1 1/2 cups store-bought bread crumbs in 1/4 cup milk. Ewww...
She adds an egg, pepper, paprika, ketchup and the soggy bread crumbs to the onion. Then she goes into a little riff about how lime juice always adds a Latin flavor, which means that she'll add it to anything, no matter how inappropriate. Yup...lime juice goes in.
Uh oh, she has her ground meat right on the counter. She puts it down on her cutting board - the wooden one where she does all her prep. She opens it up and puts it into the other ingredients. She tells us not overmix. Okay, I won't overmix, if you don't spatter raw ground beef over the entire kitchen. Oh, but you already have...
She forms little patties and freezes the extras. She goes into an elaborate demonstration of HOW she freezes them. She lines a baking pan with foil and waxed paper and readies a piece of plastic wrap the length of the pan. The little patties go on.
She does some folding and twisting and turning, so that no hamburger touches another. Basically, what she's left with is a 2 foot long skinny roll of miniature hamburgers that will be a real trick to get into your freezer and will have sticky yucky wax paper stuck to them. Just open freeze them for 2 hours and then pack them into a plastic bag. Done!
Ingrid goes on to a savory plantain soup from her childhood. She cuts celery on the same board on which she unwrapped her raw ground beef. She struggles with the carrots. She actually does not know how to chop. Oh, she does better with the garlic.
She adds 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil to a fine looking stainless steel saucier type pot. (I looked all over for it, but I couldn't find the same one.) She chops onions into "squares" and adds them to the pot with cumin and salt and pepper.
Ingrid cuts off the ends of two green plantains and slices through the skin all the way down and cuts it off with her knife. She slices the plantains thickly and adds them to the soup. She roughly chops cilantro and puts it into the pot with 1 quart of chicken stock. It simmers for 45 minutes.
Next Ingrid is making a "decadent dip". She mixes 1/2 cup sour cream with 1/2 cup of mayonnaise. (For Ina, that would be a drop in the bucket.) She mixes in wooshter-she-eye-her sauce, lemon juice, salt and pepper and calls that a dip.
There doesn't seem to be too much (as in flavor) to this dip. There's a similar Joy of Cooking dip recipe that's actually good. It has soy sauce, chopped ginger, lots of chopped scallions, parsley and cilantro and chopped water chestnuts. IT is tasty. Ingrid accompanies her dip with an enormous bowl of potato chips into which she's sprinkles clumps of cilantro.
She checks on the soup. She thickens it up by blending 2 cups of it until smooth, and then adding back to the soup.
Now HERE is a good tip. Get ready...Before she blends the hot soup, she takes out the center thingie of the blender's lid and covers the hole with a dish cloth. That allows the hot steam to escape, so the mixture doesn't whoosh up and you don't burn yourself because of the dish cloth. (Actually, that's the only time I use my silicone pot holders. I think they're weird to use in the oven, but they're great on a hot blender. If they do get stuff on them, you can just rinse them off.)
She adds the puréed mixture back into the soup. She tells us she loves playing with her food. "It's a love affair between two cultures." If only...The Food Network could certainly use a show like that.
Ingrid heats her grill pan and put the mini burgers on.
She moves on to make "minty water". She boils one cup of water with one stalk of mint...can she spare it? She flips the burgers after 5 minutes. Judging by their appearance, YOU better make it FOUR minutes. She puts the burgers on some kind of strange looking stunted bread. Oh, it's the bottom half of little challah type rolls. They get topped with the other half of the roll.
She serves the soup after removing the bay leaf. I'm glad it SMELLS good, because it certainly wouldn't win any beauty contests.
She puts 1/2 cup of minty water in a blender with the boiled mint leaves. She adds 1 cup of frozen peach slices and 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream. Then a few scoops of ice go in. She blends it all together.
It's not really blending that well. She stops to add more minty water. Blends again. It still isn't getting smooth. I guess she just gives up, because she pours into the glass, chunky pieces of ice and all. She actually comments on its texture. Yeah, I would too, it's awful.
Lime juice goes in soup. She places all the stuff on a tray and goes and sits next to her admittedly adorable dog (it's not her fault who her mother is) to chow down. Enjoy Ingrid. I might not have waited until the next day at the gym to get rid of that awful food...and it might not have been at the gym.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Sad News From Martha
Her mother passed away yesterday...That's tough, especially right before this most family-oriented holiday. I always enjoyed watching her on Martha's shows...
Friday, November 16, 2007
Let's Concentrate On What's Important
Listen, folks, we all have a lot of Thanksgiving cooking to do. Let's not engage in idle gossip and rumor-mongering about Rachael Ray's marriage. You know that I'm not an RR fan, but even I feel badly that because this nonsense has gone on for sooooo long, she felt she had to address it on her show. Let's concentrate on what's important and talk about HOW BAD HER RECIPES ARE!!!
I have nothing against her personally. I think she's a great talk show host, a hard worker, a good daughter...blah blah blah, but her food is awful. So the next time you're tempted to blab about her marriage, change it to a belly ache (literally) about her meatballs and then we'll have something to talk about.
I have nothing against her personally. I think she's a great talk show host, a hard worker, a good daughter...blah blah blah, but her food is awful. So the next time you're tempted to blab about her marriage, change it to a belly ache (literally) about her meatballs and then we'll have something to talk about.
THANKSGIVING TIPS - Conquer The Crust
I'm talking about that bit of graham cracker crust that always stays behind in the pie dish as you're cutting the pie. This is a brilliant Maida Heatter tip for dealing with that. It is, admittedly, a bit tricky, but it works beautifully. And you can, in fact you MUST, do it in advance. Here's what to do and then I've outlined it again below with pictures.
Line your pie dish with foil. The easiest way to do this is to turn your pie dish upside down and cover the outside with foil. Then remove it and fit the into the inside of the pie dish. Pat your graham cracker crust into the foil lined dish, making sure that the top edge isn't too thin.
After I've patted all the crumbs down, the inside bottom edge of the pie is sometimes a bit thicker than it needs to be. I scrape away at it with a teaspoon and use THOSE crumbs to build up the top edge. (Turn your sound on, it sounds as if I'm chipping away at a frozen sidewalk and this is BEFORE I've frozen the crust.)
The crust for The Pumpkin Chiffon Pie that I'm making doesn't need to be pre-baked, but YOUR recipe may. In that case, bake it according to your recipe’s directions. Cool it completely.
Whether you bake it or not, cover it with plastic wrap and foil and freeze it solid. I do it for a couple of days. You can do it a month in advance if you want. It must be very HARD.
Take it out of the freezer and carefully peel off the foil. You may have to do it in strips. It doesn’t matter how you do it. Just be careful not to shatter the crust.
After you’ve removed all the foil, place it back in the pie dish and wrap it superbly. And freeze it until you need it.
One more thing, often recipes give you JUST enough crumbs to pat into the shell and that takes time and it’s a bother. I ALWAYS make 1 1/2 times the amount of the recipe to give me enough crumbs to line the shell easily and quickly.
Note: My Pumpkin Chiffon Pie recipe is from a cooking class I took when I was a kid (way back in the 20th century). It's not my original recipe, so I won't post it here. But email me, if you'd like it. It is kind of a pain to make and you can only really do it one day in advance, but it is sooooooooooo good, that's it's worth it.
Line your pie dish with foil. The easiest way to do this is to turn your pie dish upside down and cover the outside with foil. Then remove it and fit the into the inside of the pie dish. Pat your graham cracker crust into the foil lined dish, making sure that the top edge isn't too thin.
After I've patted all the crumbs down, the inside bottom edge of the pie is sometimes a bit thicker than it needs to be. I scrape away at it with a teaspoon and use THOSE crumbs to build up the top edge. (Turn your sound on, it sounds as if I'm chipping away at a frozen sidewalk and this is BEFORE I've frozen the crust.)
The crust for The Pumpkin Chiffon Pie that I'm making doesn't need to be pre-baked, but YOUR recipe may. In that case, bake it according to your recipe’s directions. Cool it completely.
Whether you bake it or not, cover it with plastic wrap and foil and freeze it solid. I do it for a couple of days. You can do it a month in advance if you want. It must be very HARD.
Take it out of the freezer and carefully peel off the foil. You may have to do it in strips. It doesn’t matter how you do it. Just be careful not to shatter the crust.
After you’ve removed all the foil, place it back in the pie dish and wrap it superbly. And freeze it until you need it.
One more thing, often recipes give you JUST enough crumbs to pat into the shell and that takes time and it’s a bother. I ALWAYS make 1 1/2 times the amount of the recipe to give me enough crumbs to line the shell easily and quickly.
Note: My Pumpkin Chiffon Pie recipe is from a cooking class I took when I was a kid (way back in the 20th century). It's not my original recipe, so I won't post it here. But email me, if you'd like it. It is kind of a pain to make and you can only really do it one day in advance, but it is sooooooooooo good, that's it's worth it.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Serendipity - I Don't Really Like Rodents
With My Frrrozen Haute Chocolate
The New York City health department apparently agreed, when they shut down Serendipity 3 last night for a whole range of quite gross health violations.
I guess the lesson here is that you can get just as sick from a TWENTY FIVE THOUSAND DOLLAR dessert as you can from a three dollar hot dog off the street (except THOSE vendors are really closely regulated).
The New York City health department apparently agreed, when they shut down Serendipity 3 last night for a whole range of quite gross health violations.
I guess the lesson here is that you can get just as sick from a TWENTY FIVE THOUSAND DOLLAR dessert as you can from a three dollar hot dog off the street (except THOSE vendors are really closely regulated).
THANKSGIVING TIPS - Miscellaneous
Think About Who's Coming
Before all your various family and friends descend upon you, put their kids' pictures BACK on the fridge, and the flamingo pitcher back on the side board. No one else will notice, but THEY will.
I PROMISE I don't do this!!!!!!!!!!!! (REALLY, A, I don’t. THOSE pictures are on my fridge all year long.)
Keep Last Minute Panicking Down To A Minimum
Put out the hors d'oeuvres 30 minutes before the first guest arrives. It makes you APPEAR more ready than you actually are.
Have a bar area set up AWAY from where you’re cooking. Place cans, bottles and pitchers on one tray, glasses on another. It keeps the area tidy (I hate that word.)
Clean the guest bathroom at least 2 or 3 hours before the guests are supposed to arrive. If possible, ban family members, especially males, from that room (until the guests arrive).
Other Stuff
Tape the recipes that you'll be using to the inside of your kitchen cupboards. They'll be handy, but off the counter. (Actually, I keep my most-used recipes there all year long.)
Buy more paper towels and toilet paper than you ever think you could need.
Lay in cleaning supplies - garbage bags, at least 2 bottles of dishwasher soap, extra sponges, scrubbies, plastic wrap and foil.
Get one box of extra long heavy duty foil and keep it only for Thanksgiving (and lining cookie sheets).
Before all your various family and friends descend upon you, put their kids' pictures BACK on the fridge, and the flamingo pitcher back on the side board. No one else will notice, but THEY will.
I PROMISE I don't do this!!!!!!!!!!!! (REALLY, A, I don’t. THOSE pictures are on my fridge all year long.)
Keep Last Minute Panicking Down To A Minimum
Put out the hors d'oeuvres 30 minutes before the first guest arrives. It makes you APPEAR more ready than you actually are.
Have a bar area set up AWAY from where you’re cooking. Place cans, bottles and pitchers on one tray, glasses on another. It keeps the area tidy (I hate that word.)
Clean the guest bathroom at least 2 or 3 hours before the guests are supposed to arrive. If possible, ban family members, especially males, from that room (until the guests arrive).
Other Stuff
Tape the recipes that you'll be using to the inside of your kitchen cupboards. They'll be handy, but off the counter. (Actually, I keep my most-used recipes there all year long.)
Buy more paper towels and toilet paper than you ever think you could need.
Lay in cleaning supplies - garbage bags, at least 2 bottles of dishwasher soap, extra sponges, scrubbies, plastic wrap and foil.
Get one box of extra long heavy duty foil and keep it only for Thanksgiving (and lining cookie sheets).
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Giada Underwhelms Oprah
Well, that was my impression anyway about Giada's appearance on Oprah yesterday. And I thought Giada did fine with the great Pooh-Bah herself. But Oprah definitely didn't have the same chemistry with Giada as with RR. After all, she gave Rachael her very own show.
Oprah WAS ever-gracious, though, complimenting Giada on her first dish - an "easy" appetizer to show Nate that even HE could cook. I don't think fiddling with coating food and frying it in lots of oil is necessarily the easiest thing she could have done, but Ms. Winfrey was impressed with the results, which was the important thing.
Giada moved on to a quick little appetizer with blue cheese - crostini with honey drizzled over. Oprah seemed a bit forlorn that the blue cheese didn't get melted over the bread. She was sure it looked like it had been cooked. Giada had to explain that O's hot lights made it look like that. Luckily, Oprah's a grownup and got over it.
But, oh my, this next thing WAS kinda bad. Giada made (WHY didn't she read my blog on this topic?!) her panini with brie, chocolate chips AND BASIL.
Giada, honey, I could have told you that the O-Mighty wasn't going to like it.
Oprah took a bite and her face froze, as she thought of something to say. She came out with "In-TER-Resss-Ting". And then, and THEN they brought out tastes for the audience and the ENTIRE audience was unmoved and silent.
Oprah asked if they had ever had anything like it before. The whole audience said NO collectively, signalling, I think, their intention NEVER to have anything like that again.
I understand that Giada was trying to bring something different to the table and Oprah even thanked her for allowing her to try something she would otherwise never have tried before. (Goodness knows, there was really nothing else to thank her for. I was impressed that Oprah thought of THAT.)
Anyway, I get that she wanted to do something interesting, but Giada's very first consideration should have been making something that TASTED fantastic! Because when Oprah tastes something she likes, SHE REALLY GOES TO TOWN TALKING ABOUT IT. Remember the restaurant she backed, because of the amazing sandwich she had?
I'm not sure what it says about Giada or what it says about Oprah or even us, for that matter, that Rachael Ray has had more success on Oprah than Giada. And, maybe, for all I know, no one else noticed that Oprah was a bit off. (And, NO, it had nothing to do with her thyroid condition. She simply didn't care for what Giada made and, so, was less than her usual enthusiastic self.)
I love Giada, but I hate brie with basil and chocolate chips. One thing I know for sure...don't bring a truckload of something iffy to the Queen of Talk and expect her and her audience to embrace you. They just want something GOOD...LIP-SMACKING GOOD.
Oprah WAS ever-gracious, though, complimenting Giada on her first dish - an "easy" appetizer to show Nate that even HE could cook. I don't think fiddling with coating food and frying it in lots of oil is necessarily the easiest thing she could have done, but Ms. Winfrey was impressed with the results, which was the important thing.
Giada moved on to a quick little appetizer with blue cheese - crostini with honey drizzled over. Oprah seemed a bit forlorn that the blue cheese didn't get melted over the bread. She was sure it looked like it had been cooked. Giada had to explain that O's hot lights made it look like that. Luckily, Oprah's a grownup and got over it.
But, oh my, this next thing WAS kinda bad. Giada made (WHY didn't she read my blog on this topic?!) her panini with brie, chocolate chips AND BASIL.
Giada, honey, I could have told you that the O-Mighty wasn't going to like it.
Oprah took a bite and her face froze, as she thought of something to say. She came out with "In-TER-Resss-Ting". And then, and THEN they brought out tastes for the audience and the ENTIRE audience was unmoved and silent.
Oprah asked if they had ever had anything like it before. The whole audience said NO collectively, signalling, I think, their intention NEVER to have anything like that again.
I understand that Giada was trying to bring something different to the table and Oprah even thanked her for allowing her to try something she would otherwise never have tried before. (Goodness knows, there was really nothing else to thank her for. I was impressed that Oprah thought of THAT.)
Anyway, I get that she wanted to do something interesting, but Giada's very first consideration should have been making something that TASTED fantastic! Because when Oprah tastes something she likes, SHE REALLY GOES TO TOWN TALKING ABOUT IT. Remember the restaurant she backed, because of the amazing sandwich she had?
I'm not sure what it says about Giada or what it says about Oprah or even us, for that matter, that Rachael Ray has had more success on Oprah than Giada. And, maybe, for all I know, no one else noticed that Oprah was a bit off. (And, NO, it had nothing to do with her thyroid condition. She simply didn't care for what Giada made and, so, was less than her usual enthusiastic self.)
I love Giada, but I hate brie with basil and chocolate chips. One thing I know for sure...don't bring a truckload of something iffy to the Queen of Talk and expect her and her audience to embrace you. They just want something GOOD...LIP-SMACKING GOOD.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Ingrid Hoffman - She Actually Made Two Good Points
But May I Be Frank? The Rest Was Crap
Simply Delicioso with Ingrid Hoffman
Sunday Dinner
Coffee and Cola Pork Loin
String Beans in Vinaigrette
Spicy, Smoky Cauliflower Mash
Cheesecake Flan
To get the recipes:
Click here
Oh my! Dare I admit it? I kind of missed Ingrid while they were showing repeats...not enough to watch a show that I had already suffered through, but my snark meter was getting rusty. Not to worry. Today's show had enough to complain about to take me through an entire season of reruns.
She's making dinner for her family. At least her adorable mother is there, but alas, she remains frozen (how dumb is that?) while Ingrid cooks the meal by herself.
Ingrid starts with a pork loin. She makes a brine to soak it in. She mixes one cup of warm water with 1/2 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons salt. She eyeballs it. That's probably not a good idea. She stirs it to dissolve the salt and sugar, then adds COLD water to bring down the temperature of the brine. She doesn't want the pork loin to begin cooking in an overly hot brine. Wow, she almost sounds as if she's making sense. She places the pork loin in a big plastic bag and pours in the brine. The whole thing goes in a glass dish and into the fridge. She makes a big point of washing her hands.
Next Ingrid is making a combination of 2 different desserts in one - a flan and a cheesecake. She starts the caramel with 1/4 cup of water and 2 cups of sugar. She doesn't measure. What is it with people who can't cook who refuse to measure. How hard is it to pick up a measuring cup and just use it?
Simply Delicioso with Ingrid Hoffman
Sunday Dinner
Coffee and Cola Pork Loin
String Beans in Vinaigrette
Spicy, Smoky Cauliflower Mash
Cheesecake Flan
To get the recipes:
Click here
Oh my! Dare I admit it? I kind of missed Ingrid while they were showing repeats...not enough to watch a show that I had already suffered through, but my snark meter was getting rusty. Not to worry. Today's show had enough to complain about to take me through an entire season of reruns.
She's making dinner for her family. At least her adorable mother is there, but alas, she remains frozen (how dumb is that?) while Ingrid cooks the meal by herself.
Ingrid starts with a pork loin. She makes a brine to soak it in. She mixes one cup of warm water with 1/2 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons salt. She eyeballs it. That's probably not a good idea. She stirs it to dissolve the salt and sugar, then adds COLD water to bring down the temperature of the brine. She doesn't want the pork loin to begin cooking in an overly hot brine. Wow, she almost sounds as if she's making sense. She places the pork loin in a big plastic bag and pours in the brine. The whole thing goes in a glass dish and into the fridge. She makes a big point of washing her hands.
Next Ingrid is making a combination of 2 different desserts in one - a flan and a cheesecake. She starts the caramel with 1/4 cup of water and 2 cups of sugar. She doesn't measure. What is it with people who can't cook who refuse to measure. How hard is it to pick up a measuring cup and just use it?
Ingrid is using one and half packages of cream cheese. Do we really need to see her opening the packets? I think next time maybe we could skip that step. She adds 3 eggs, all at once and beats them in. Then she beats in 14 oz of condensed milk, 1 can of evaporated milk, plus 1 1/2 cups of room temperature whole milk with 1 tsp vanilla.
Ok, I see where this is going. She taking the best qualities of the flan and the cheesecake and flinging them out the window and making an institutional version of both: incorporating the overly sweet, gooey taste of condensed milk with evaporated milk, which "has a slightly caramelized, 'canned' flavor that is not appreciated by all who taste it". That's putting it lightly...
The caramel does look good. She spoons it into the bottom of her ramekins, without issuing adequate warnings, however. She spoons in her industrial filling and places the ramekins in a baking dish that she's lined with a dishtowel. She pours hot water over, covers it with foil and bakes it at 325 for 30 minutes.
I have to say that Ingrid actually sounds like she knows what she's talking about. She tells us that the dishtowel prevents the ramekins from moving around in the dish AND insulates them from the heat of the oven. Wow, that's twice in one episode that she's said stuff that makes sense.
For the next dish, Ingrid steams cauliflower for 15 to 20 minutes until completely soft. She takes the pork out of the brine. She grinds together 1/4 cup of coffee beans with 3 star anise (hate 'em!), brown sugar, cinnamon and peppercorns.
She turns on a skillet, adds 1 tablespoon SALTED butter (she WOULD) with 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. She gets it really hot. She pats the pork loin dry and rubs the spices on really well. It goes into the hot pan and Ingrid washes her hands. I do think that's great, but why was there such a complete lack of hygiene on her first couple of shows? She browns it for 3 minutes on each side. She takes out the ramekins and puts the pork loin in the 350 degree oven for one hour.
Ingrid freezes bacon for one hour before chopping it. (She freezes the whole package to use half a pound?) She washes her hands. She puts the bacon in a cold skillet, telling us it will make it cook more evenly.
She drains the cauliflower and puts it in a blender. Huh? She adds 1 cup of packaged pre-shredded mozzarella (to add to the rubbery mouth feel of the dish, I guess) with 1/2 cup of whole milk, 3 tablespoons of sour cream and salt and pepper.
Okay, let's take a minute here to discuss the merits of a blender compared to a food processor. It's not really that complicated and you would think that someone with a "cooking" show on the Food Network would know this already.
Mixtures that are basically liquid - soups, drinks - do better in a blender. They get much smoother than in a food processor. Mixtures that are predominately solids - puréed vegetables, meat loaf-y type of things - should go in a food processor.
The blender needs a certain amount of liquid to do its job. It's pointless to fight with it and to have to keep scraping at the mixture to get the solids to the top and the thinner stuff to the bottom. A food processor can do the job of puréeing effortlessly.
There is one huge food processor caveat: NEVER use a food processor for puréeing potatoes or any vegetable mixture with potatoes in it. They come out like glue. But that's doesn't apply here and WHY Ingrid is using a blender for the cauliflower is completely beyond me. There is absolutely no reason to.
She adds the juice of one lime and a tablespoon of chopped chipotle to give the cauliflower a smoky flavor. The recipe says to use just the adobo sauce and it doesn't say you get that from a can of chipotles. She blends that all together and puts the over-liquidy mass into a serving bowl. If she had been using a food processor, she could have cut down on the amount of liquid and the resulting dish would have had a more attractive texture.
Back to the bacon pan, Ingrid blots the actual pan with a paper towel to remove some of the fat and then she pours in 1 cup of cola with 1 cup of red wine and 1/2 cup of pre-made demi-glace sauce. She says you can substitute brown gravy mix. (The recipe says you can use a packaged demi-glace mix, whatever that is.) Why not just use gravy out of a can?
Honestly, please tell me do people really cook like this? I guess that's a bit of a disingenuous question, knowing, as I do, the popularity of certain FN hosts. She adds 1/2 cup of pineapple "tidbits". Where's the Red Food Coloring 2G?
She boils the green beans for 5 minutes. Frankly, I would STEAM the green beans and BOIL the cauliflower, but what do I know? I thought it was dumb to put a bunch of gloppy solids into a blender and, instead of soda and dried mixes, I usually cook with stock and real ingredients...
Back to the table, why are there framed pictures ON the dinner plates? Maybe they're the first course. Ingrid lets the pork loin rest. She has cooked the cola sauce for 30 minutes. It looks burned and bitter.
She drains the green beans. "It's almost dummy-proof." The operative word here is ALMOST. She thickly slices shallots and mixes them with mustard, sherry vinegar and salt and pepper. She adds the green beans and THEN the olive oil. Why the oil goes in AFTER the beans will remain an enduring mystery. Most likely, she has no idea what she's doing...They go on a platter.
She slices the pork, is that too pink? But, remember, I thought the flawless Ina had undercooked something or other. She "scoops" up the sauce and puts it on top of the pork loin.
For her table setting, she's using "granny chic", uniting different napkins by using the same napkin rings. Great, thanks Ingrid.
She gives them about 2 seconds to eat, before flinging the flan in front of them. They like it. Well, what are they going to say? The cameras are on and Mom is always gracious. Seeing her for 2 seconds was the best part of the show, oh, and getting my nettles up is always good to get the blood flowing again...
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