Cook's Corner

[Rayne]

Yes, a thread about cooking.

You want to eat something new and interesting? I'm sure you'll find it here.
Need help creating a new recipe, but feel you need advice before dashing in
extra paprika? Ask away. Have a problem with the way something is done? Critique it!

I'm hoping this thread can cover the basis for interesting dishes to soak
palates in a euphoria of national flavours. Most of all, I hoping people have fun
with this and who knows, maybe we'll all gain a new favorite dish. Perhaps
we'll even get to share our favorites.

I don't know... anything food related, talk about it. Pictures, descriptions,
food experiences, talk about it here! Food doesn't have to be droll. We may
as well make a melody of a meal if we need to eat day to day ^_^.

I certainly don't know much about cooking, but I'm sure there's those among us
who can prep a good Risotto, and sure they may not even be apart of the forum
yet, but I'm confident we'll find some talent. So don't be shy, spread the grub!

But for the faint of hearty tastes, experiment on what you feel you want
to eat. You aren't obligated to try everything there is to offer. Also if you
don't feel adequately equipped or perhaps you are still restricted from a
giant cleaver, I'd say best avoid recipes that demand too much in those cases.

I don't want to hear about horror stories in the kitchen and in no way should
anyone here be held responsible for some accident. Please get permission IF you
need it. Just try what you know you can handle.

Before I continue in my drivel, I'm going to share one of my mom's specialties:

Chicken Adobo

Description: An Eastern spin on a Spanish delicacy. Famous for it's tangy
flavor, and flavorful aroma, this is a fix for those looking for a robust meal.
Chicken is battered with Vinegar, Soy Sauce and Pepper while being
accentuated by onions and garlic. Great dish for all times of the year.
Casually enjoyed with a side of white rice.

Flavor: Salty and Sour

Preparation Time: 20-30 minutes
Cooking Time: 20-30 minutes

Ingredients:

-A pack of Chicken Drumsticks
-1 clove of Garlic
-1/2 a yellow onion
-Oil* [I use Canola, Vegetable is fine too.]
-Vinegar*
-Soy Sauce*
-Ground Pepper* or Pepper Corns*
-Water*

*In this recipe, ingredients are added liberally and necessary amounts can be adjusted as desired.

Preparation:

Begin by taking a large pan, one large enough to roll chicken
around without causing too much splatter of oil.

Place enough oil to cover the surface of the pan. The pan I
normally use is a circular, stainless steel pan, about 11 inches in diameter.
1/4 cup should do it here, but use your best judgement if you
have a smaller pan.

Simmer over low heat.
This will set while you prepare the vegetables.

Chopping an onion can be a challenge with the silicon dioxide gases that arise after cutting.
You can reduce the tearing effect by submerging the onion in water after chopping the ends off. I let it soak in a bowl for 5 min then I proceed to dice.

For garlic, take a blunt end and smash the garlic cloves once. You should be able to extricate smooth, waxy cream colored cloves. Chop and dice these and place the shells aside.

After getting your diced vegetables, place into heated pan.

CAUTION!
The oil will now be hot and any contact will cause the oil to jump wildly. Look away while placing diced Onions and Garlic into pan.

Stir the vegetables [while minding the occasional oil spray] until garlic slightly browned.

This usually takes 5-7 minutes.

Now go ahead and place the drumsticks into the pan.

Cooking:

Stir the drumsticks in with the vegetables.

Raise temperature to low-medium heat.

Drizzle soy sauce and vinegar over chicken.
I drizzle enough soy sauce to get about a
tablespoon over each piece of chicken.
Amount is approximate.

If you put more soy sauce, you get a more salty result.
If you put a lot of Vinegar, you get a very bitter result.

To my knowledge, 4 tablespoons of Soy Sauce is pretty decent
and a tablespoon or two of vinegar is suitable.

I pour straight from the bottle, but that's my best approximation.

You may have spent about 5 minutes stirring the chicken around
with the garlic and onions. At this point, everything is ready to sit.

Before that, add just a little bit of water so that the chicken doesn't
stick to the bottom of the pan. My estimate, about half a cup of water.
Just try to get enough so everything at the bottom is loose, but not
necessarily floating.

Now you're going to let everything simmer over low heat, covered.
Let sit for about 5-7 minutes.

Add water about 7 minutes in if chicken appears to be sticking to pan.
[don't be afraid to give chicken a slight nudge] Also, this is a good point
to add pepper to the mix. Go ahead and sprinkle over chicken. I give mine
a good, even coating, but then douse with the simmering broth surrounding
the chicken. Peppercorns may be used in place or conjunction for a sharper
taste.

Cover again and let simmer for 7-10 more minutes under low heat.

By the end, the chicken should be pale yellow-brown. If the Chicken
appears pink, it is uncooked. Let simmer with a little more water for
another 10 minutes until cooked.

Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Serving:

This dish serves as many drumsticks you've used.
1-2 drumsticks is my serving suggestion for one meal.

I think this dish is best enjoyed with a side of white rice and if need be, a side of Tabasco. The extra broth soaks into the rice adding a touch of flavor that could be missed without the rice.

Enjoy!

I'd like to say, that drumsticks don't need to be used exclusively and that
pork or pieces of shredded chicken may be used, though I haven't quite
cooked in that way yet.

Final note, the Chicken may contain small pieces of bone. Get your fork to feel in and around the exposed meat and don't be afraid to pick out bone fragments with your had. Please be careful not to chew/choke on pieces of bone.

Well I can only do so much, but I'd like to hear from what the rest of you guys have.
Bon Appetite!

 

[la5tchanc3]

I make really good scrambled eggs ^.^
Also I make really good French Toast, but I haven't gotten down the visual part yet. It tastes a lot better than it looks.

I can cook, I'm just to lazy to do it most of the time.

 

[Turtle Tamer Kammy]

HUZZAH A RECIPE THREAD

I shall post recipes for basil tomato soup and easy fudge when I have had some sleep!

 

[Kthleen]

I don't want to hear about horror stories in the kitchen

*snaps* Dang.


Anyway, I too can cook (kind of), but I'm too lazy and far too cautious. I'm one of those people who need to know exact amounts, times, and temperatures.
My Culinary teacher said I'm very meticulous, which means that I, according to him, would probably do well in bakery. Yet, at the same time, I'm all "No stove cook! Microwave! D:"


I will put up a recipe soon (there are at least three that I can think of), but I must ask: what are your cooking styles?
Mine is very reserved, I guess:

My teacher would be doing all sorts of sweet stuff like doing that pan toss-flipping thing, fire, showing us the jet engine-like wok burner, 1337 plating, cutting stuff up very quickly, eyeing amounts, and spreading boiling peanut oil over soy sauce-covered fish (which was awesome-tasting, by the way).

I, on the other hand, cut very slowly, am not fond of setting things on fire unless I intend to utterly destroy it (=not cooking), must measure ingredients exactly, must cook thoroughly (I will not eat beef that's less than... medium well-done? I don't like pink), don't like throwing things (and I can't do the flippy-thing because my wrists are weak and our frying pans are heavy), and know little about seasoning and flavoring besides 1. salt, pepper, sugar, and Tabasco sauce=good, 2. using stock or remouillage instead of water=good, and 3. Morton's Hot Salt=great. And alcohol tastes like crap. Give me my French onion soup sans sherry, thank you.

 

[Typhlosion In Repose]

I actually consider myself a pretty apt chef. My grandpa has had me cooking things since I was old ebough to hold a knife. Things most people havent even heard of, such as:

Tapenade

20 pitted Kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp rinsed, drained, and chopped capers
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp anchovy paste (optional)
Fresh cracked black pepper
PREPARATION:
Combine Kalamata olives, capers, lemon juice, olive oil, anchovy paste, and pepper.
Mix well. Refrigerate and use within two weeks.

Use as a spread for sandwiches like panini and muffaletta or as a condiment.

Yield: about 1 cup

I really like this stuff. It is kinda strong, and kalamata olives are kinda bitter, but I like that.

A couple weeks ago, we made about seventeen cups of pesto, an italian sauce consisting of grandisimo ammounts of basil, garlic, parmesan cheese, olive oil, and pine nuts. That is one of my favorite foods.

 

[Annubilitar]

I want to cook Mormons.

 

[Rayne]

I don't want to hear about horror stories in the kitchen.

*snaps* Dang.

Well, if you really want to, I guess. I just didn't want to hear about anyone getting hurt as a direct result of trying recipes here. Safety reasons, right?

Now if you want to talk about being a total goofball in the kitchen like my sister and I, splattering batter mix all over the place, then be my guest!

Tapenade
I really like this stuff. It is kinda strong, and kalamata olives are kinda bitter, but I like that.

Now that sounds like a good spread. I've been looking to try out new kinds of spreads since eating more homemade wraps. [ And Paninis are just awesome

]

 

[Kthleen]

Well, if you really want to, I guess. I just didn't want to hear about anyone getting hurt as a direct result of trying recipes here. Safety reasons, right?

Now if you want to talk about being a total goofball in the kitchen like my sister and I, splattering batter mix all over the place, then be my guest!

It's just that all my "good time" stories consist of things like "I tried X and liked it! ", "I tried X, added a little extra flavoring, then liked it! ", and "I learned how to cut up a raw chicken! " I guess I'm more interested in the "OMG Something happened, but I/we survived with no damage! "-type stories....

Like the time it was poultry day in class.

Spoiler

I was helping another team with their recipe while the rest of my team plus a couple of other people were doing fried chicken. (We got all mixed up for some reason; I guess some people just went with what they were interested in rather than what they were assigned.) Apparently they had the deep fryer's heat a bit too high because when it came time to taste all the stuff we made, the crust was dark, but the meat around the bone was still pink. Luckily, no one got sick.

Anyway, one of the recipes was chicken breast (or was it leg? I think it was breast...) with a stuffing that was simply divine. *does the fingertip-kiss thing*


Speaking of (another) "I tried X and liked it! ", I like the following fried rice recipe. I'm too lazy to cook it much, so when I do make it, I make a huge load and freeze most of it. The below makes one serving:

Time:
Sorry, but I never took notice of actual time.

The mise en place (chopping, cooking, and measuring beforehand) takes a while if you cut slowly and don't have a hunk of cooked meat handy (especially pork; my mom roasted that for hours, I think). It takes about 10 minutes to cook the raw veggies and the same for the rice. The rest depends on the meat you have and how quickly you cut stuff up.
After all that, though, it only takes maybe 10 minutes.

Ingredients:
1 -- whole egg, beaten (I've tried just egg whites once, but they stick, burn, taste funny anyway, and just don't work)
1/8 tsp -- salt
to taste -- extra salt
to taste -- pepper
¼ tsp -- soy sauce (optional)
~1 tbsp -- vegetable or peanut oil
1 cup -- cooked white rice, cold
¼ tsp -- minced peeled fresh ginger
1/8 cup (2 tbsp) -- thinly sliced scallion (optional)
1/8 cup (total, not each) -- various small-diced cooked veggies (I use carrots and peas)
1 tbsp -- small-diced onion
1 ½ tbsp -- small-diced cooked meat cubes (I use pork, but chicken works fine, too)

(For use as a side, I suggest reducing the egg by half and reducing the meat cubes by a third, but saving half an egg seems silly, so double the recipe and save the other half.)

Note: Small dice = ¼ inch/~0.64 cm all around. You don't need to chop up the peas.

Tools:
Excluding all the mise en place:
1 large skillet, preferably nonstick
1 offset spatula or metal flipper
2 medium-small bowls (5-6 inches/13-15 cm in diameter is good)
1 small whisk or fork
Measuring Spoons

Process:
1. Whisk the egg and 1/8 tsp of salt together, just enough to mix them, in one bowl.

2. Heat the skillet over medium heat, then add ¼ of a tbsp of the oil. Then add the egg. When the egg has set, break it into clumps and remove it to the other, fresh bowl. Add the diced/cooked veggies, the sliced scallions, and the cooked/cubed meat to the cooked egg bowl.

3. Put the rest of the oil into the skillet. Add the rice and ginger, stirring to coat it all in oil. Cook for ~3 minutes, stirring often.

4. Stir in the egg, diced vegetables, diced meat, and the scallions, then season to taste (pepper, extra salt, soy sauce). Serve immediately.

 

[Rayne]

I guess I'm more interested in the "OMG Something happened, but I/we survived with no damage! "-type stories....

Horror and drama are just spices of life n'est ce-pas?
*does the fingertip-kiss thing*

There's no real need to tiptoe around that kinda of stuff. I think it's just fine sharing previous experiences.

Speaking of (another) "I tried X and liked it! ", I like the following fried rice recipe. I'm too lazy to cook it much, so when I do make it, I make a huge load and freeze most of it.
The below makes one serving:

I really love fried rice, but Wow! One serving of fried rice? I had no idea. My mother and I would always make these huge batches. Anytime I just wanted a little, I'd feel so guilty because there'd be so much rice left over. I never like food to go to waste so I feel bad when the extra rice begins to sit in our fridge for days and I couldn't do a thing about it. [Well I could eat it... but I usually have to be hungry first ^_^;;]

I was reading your recipe and thought, "wow, you're certainly skimping on a ton of stuff there" then I re-read the part where it said serves one.

This kinda information will really come in handy. I guess I should thank your meticulous measurements for the single serving sized meal! ^_^

Ingredients:
1 -- whole egg, beaten (I've tried just egg whites once, but they stick, burn, taste funny anyway, and just don't work)

I wish there were some way to -not- get those egg whites to stick. I've tried this with pancakes and while delicious, it looked nothing professional. I had to scrape the Teflon [ bad idea X( ] for a good minute to get the pancake off. I'm surprised I even let myself eat it, but needless to say, those were some delectable pancakes; fluffiest I've ever had.

[Then my sister proceeded to make egg yolk omelets ]

Another thing about those eggs are that I find it better when cooking it directly into the rice. The egg smothers the rice grains and in the cooking process, get absorbed by the rice. In the end you get this really nice eggy rice mix. Yeah good stuff.

 

[Kthleen]

I was reading your recipe and thought, "wow, you're certainly skimping on a ton of stuff there" then I re-read the part where it said serves one.

XD

This kinda information will really come in handy. I guess I should thank your meticulous measurements for the single serving sized meal! ^_^

You're welcome.

I actually had to make a single-serving version because we had to prepare a dish for our Culinary final. It had to have chicken, vegetables, and a starch. Thankfully, I had been collecting random newspaper recipes....

The two parts (chicken fried rice and chicken in cream sauce) went well when I prepared them at home, but for some reason, during the test, my rice didn't "pop," so it was hard, and I ended up slightly burning the chicken in cream sauce.... D:
Not to mention that in a hurry to finish the onion (like I said, I cut slowly), I cut myself, which ultimately made me 4 1/2 (or was it 9 1/2?) minutes late to finish the first half of the practical final, which set me back 1/2 A POINT from an overall 90% in the class, and blah blah blah blah. DDD: ;_;

Another thing about those eggs are that I find it better when cooking it directly into the rice. The egg smothers the rice grains and in the cooking process, get absorbed by the rice. In the end you get this really nice eggy rice mix. Yeah good stuff.

You know, I've heard that somewhere. I think I'll try it... if I ever get around to cooking again. ^_^;

 

[Typhlosion In Repose]

I took a risk today making French toast. I came up with my own recipie. People should try it, it's good!

Personal French Toast
(Makes two pieces, double if you like it! Prep: I dunno, five minutes? Less?)

1 large egg
3 1/2 tbs sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup milk
2 slices of bread

1) Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. This ensures that the cinnamon will not float to the top of the batter, a problem I have encountered many a time. As for cinnamon, I used this really strong Vietnamese cinnamon, preferable to any kind for just about anything that calls for cinnamon, but if tha's not readilly available, regular works fine.
2) In another bowl, crack and scramble the egg. Once it is properly mixed, add cinnamon-sugar mixture.
3) Stir quickly. Mixture should congeal slightly and be a hideous color.
4) Add 1/4 cup of milk and stir well.
5) Heat greased skillett. When it is hot enough (let some batter drip onto it, if it cooks, it's ready), dip one piece of bread in batter, allowing it to soak up half of the liquid. You can do both at once, depending on the size of pan. Mine was small, so I did one at a time.
5) cook for about a minute. Flip. Cook until bread is firm, not burnt or mushy.


That's all. For bread, I used Country Potato bread, but there are many kinds you can use. I would not recomend wheat, rye, pumperninkle, etc. for obvious reasons.

I topped mine with vanilla sugar. You can use other things like syrup, but I wouldnt. To me, it defeats the purpose of even having cinnamon in the batter if you're just going to drown the hell out of it with syrup. I'd recomend sugar or powdered sugar, but not much as it's pretty sweet alone.

Enjoy!

 

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

I love to cook, but I hate cutting stuff up and getting ready to cook. It's kinda odd.

I love sukiyaki, and I make something that's kinda like it, but I can never get it to look right.

 

[Rayne]

French toast.
Enjoy!

Hellooooo Breakfast. I think I may just try that tomorrow.. or tonight. I've
always loved French Toast, but never bothered looking for a recipe but this
looks like a good one.

And I also agree with you; heaps of syrup tends to ruin any good cooking
[but only if the food was good in the first place. Sometimes syrup is a
lifesaver for stale bites, but I can go without most of the time.]

I actually had to make a single-serving version because we had to prepare a dish for our Culinary final. It had to have chicken, vegetables, and a starch. Thankfully, I had been collecting random newspaper recipes....

The two parts (chicken fried rice and chicken in cream sauce) went well when I prepared them at home, but for some reason, during the test, my rice didn't "pop," so it was hard, and I ended up slightly burning the chicken in cream sauce.... D:
Not to mention that in a hurry to finish the onion (like I said, I cut slowly), I cut myself, which ultimately made me 4 1/2 (or was it 9 1/2?) minutes late to finish the first half of the practical final, which set me back 1/2 A POINT from an overall 90% in the class, and blah blah blah blah. DDD: ;_;

What!? No Curves?
If what you got was a 89.5% that should round up to a 90% at most institutions unless this was one of those anally retentive classes where every single micro point counts :/.

Well, I can most certainly say that the dish was satisfying to me [as well as a room mate who wanted to try a bit of it]. I think that extra kick of soy sauce did the trick. I don't know why I've ever neglected that, I think I'm going to have to add it every time now.

You know, I've heard that somewhere. I think I'll try it... if I ever get around to cooking again. ^_^;

You ... stopped? D:

 

[Kthleen]

What!? No Curves?
If what you got was a 89.5% that should round up to a 90% at most institutions unless this was one of those anally retentive classes where every single micro point counts :/.

Yup. D:

I think that extra kick of soy sauce did the trick.

It's amazing what a difference it make, eh?

And if only I could instinctively tell what a dish is missing. I guess that's what practice is for, but:

You ... stopped? D:

I'm easily frustrated and too much of a perfectionist; I find it somewhat difficult to enjoy too much, even knowing I'll enjoy the results. Remember the 64-color pencil box thing? In a way, it's a bit like that for me.

Now that I think about it, I wonder if my teacher was right about the Baking class. I seem to vaguely remember that I like baking somewhat more than, say, sautéing, roasting, making soups, etc. I also wonder if that would still be true if I didn't bake sweet things (like orange loaf, which totally rocks [Noooo! It has milk in it!])....

Anyway, baking just seems more like my pencil/tool container distribution than the 64-color pencil box arrangements.


On the other hand, recipe time!

A vinegary bell pepper salad-thing with loads of olive oil. I don't know if the basil added a flavor, but I personally found it felt like eating floss in a sea of vinegary, oily, peppery goodness. Maybe you'll find differently.

Ingredients:

For 2 6-ounce servings:
4 3/4 oz by weight -- red bell peppers
4 3/4 oz by weight -- yellow or green bell peppers
½ cup -- olive oil
1 tbsp -- white wine vinegar
to taste -- salt
to taste -- pepper
1/3 oz -- fresh whole basil leaves

For 16 6-ounce servings:
2 lbs 6 oz -- red bell peppers
2 lbs 6 oz -- yellow or green bell peppers
1 pint -- olive oil
4 fl oz -- white wine vinegar
to taste -- salt
to taste -- pepper
2 ½ oz -- fresh whole basil leaves

Tools:
1 knife
1 large bowl
1 whisk
Depending on how much you're making:
1 2-cup measuring cup (or something that will hold at least 2 cups) OR
1 1-quart measuring cup (or something that will hold at least 1 quart)

Process:
1. Roast the peppers to make peeling easier.

2. Peel the peppers and remove their cores, seeds, and veins.

3. Cut the peppers into strips ½ inch wide and the length of the pepper.

4. Combine oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper to make a dressing; pour over peppers in a bowl and marinate for at least 2-3 hours.

5. Just before serving, finely shred most of the basil leaves and mix them in with the peppers, reserving a few whole leaves for garnish.

6. If desired, serve with bread for dipping in the dressing.

 

[Gamma Akutabi]

Has anyone here ever eaten Spritz cookies?

 

[Kthleen]

Ooh, I just tried these two recipes today, and they were awesome:

An awesome potato soup that I ate hot and without half-and-half instead of cold and with (as it's "supposed" to be served).

Yield: ½ gallon (10 6-oz servings)

Ingredients:
10 oz leeks, white part only, chopped fine
½ onion, minced
¾ fl oz vegetable oil
1 sachet of 2 cloves, 2 parsley stems, 2 peppercorns, and ½ a bay leaf
1 lb 4 oz diced potatoes
5 cups chicken stock
12 fl oz chilled half-and-half
½ bunch chives, snipped into little pieces
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground white pepper

Process:
1. Sweat the leeks and onion in the oil until tender and translucent.

2. Add the sachet, potatoes, and stock. Bring to a full boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes begin to fall apart, about 20-30 minutes.

3. Remove and discard the sachet. Place the mixture in a blender & purée. Strain it for extra smoothness, if desired. Cool rapidly.

4. To finish the soup for service, add the half-and-half, fold in the chives, and season to taste with salt & pepper.


Variation: Forget the half-and-half, the chives (maybe), and cooling it; just eat it as a nice, hot, dairyless potato soup.

A nice tomato-y soup that, in my opinion, tastes better hot. We didn't have vegetable stock available, so we used plain water. It probably would have been better if we did have vegetable stock, but it was good nonetheless.

Yield: ½ gallon (10 6-oz servings)

Ingredients:
2 oz minced garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
½ lb chopped celery
12 oz (by weight) chopped onions
2 3/8 oz chopped leeks, white part only
1 ½ lb roasted plum tomatoes
4 cups vegetable stock or tomato water*
2 oz basil
1 bay leaf
½ tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
Garnish:
½ lb small-diced yellow tomatoes
½ oz basil chiffonade

Process:
1. Lightly sauté the garlic in the oil.

2. Add the celery, onions, and leeks, and continue to sauté until fragrant.

3. Add the tomatoes, stock, basil, and bay leaves. Simmer 40 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

4. Remove the bay leaves and purée the soup in a blender. Season with salt and pepper. Chill.

5. Adjust seasoning before service, if necessary. Garnish with yellow tomatoes and basil.


Variation: Eat hot, not cold. Use regular tomatoes if you can’t or don’t want to use yellow ones as garnish (or just forget them, but it is better with tomatoes as a garnish). Using plain water (and the juices from the roasted tomatoes) is ok if you can’t or don’t want to use vegetable stock or tomato water*.


*Tomato water: Chop up some tomatoes, salt them well, then hang them up overnight in cheesecloth over a bowl. No, I don't know how much tomato makes how much tomato water.

 

[Ben Cousins]

When I did cooking back in year 10 we made the best stuff, like coconut chicken and peppermint slice. I wish I could find my old cooking books but I cant.

 

[Kthleen]

Cute little chicken salad-filled profiteroles!

Cute little balls of dough that are naturally hollow. D'aww, wookit 'em!

Note: I'm allergic to dairy, but these (which contain butter) didn't hurt me. I don't know if it's because I didn't injest much [I had a few, but they're hollow], or if baking broke down whatever I'm specifically allergic to, or if my body's a random fickle bastard, or what, but... yeah.

Yield: I calculated 20 pieces (this is half the [supposedly] 40-piece recipe I was given), but I think I actually ended up with almost 40 anyway. >_>

Ingredients:
4 fl oz water
2 oz butter
2 ¼ oz all-purpose flour, sifted
2 eggs
½ tsp salt

Process:
1. Combine the water, butter, & salt, & bring to a boil.

2. Add the flour all at once & stir well; cook until the mass comes away from the pot (which ought to happen fairly quickly).

3. Transfer the mixture to a mixer with a paddle attachment & mix on medium speed for about 1 minute. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, to achieve a stiff but pliable texture.

4. Transfer the dough to a pastry bag with a No. 5 plain tip (or just use a plastic bag, cutting a corner off so that the hole is a quarter of an inch) & pipe the desired shape onto parchment-lined sheet pans. (1-in balls [slightly larger than a U.S. quarter] produce profiteroles; other shapes such as éclairs may also be prepared.)

5. Bake at 400ºF until golden brown, then reduce the temperature to 325ºF to cook through, 12-15 minutes.

6. When ready to fill, slice off the tops with a sharp knife. Add the filling & replace the top.

Now a nice filling for the profiteroles.

Yield: Supposedly 15 pieces. I think we had enough salad for all of the profiteroles made above, but I wasn't the one who filled them. (If we did, then they really need to check their recipes....)

Ingredients:

NOTE: To suprême a citrus fruit is to remove the skin, pith, membranes, and seeds, and to separate its segments.

1 cooked chicken leg, small diced
1 oz tomato concassé
½ lime, suprêmed & small diced
¼ oz roasted pepper, small diced
½ tsp minced jalapeño
½ oz minced shallots
½ clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tsp chopped marjoram
1 tsp minced chives
salt, as needed
ground black pepper, as needed
15 profiteroles

Process:
1. Combine the chicken, tomato, lime, roasted pepper, jalapeño, shallots, garlic, & herbs. Season with salt & pepper. Marinate for 2 hours under refrigeration.

2. Split the profiteroles & fill with the chicken salad.

 

[Rayne]

Awesome sauce. I've been looking for a recipe to use up some of my eggs. I also have loads of apples so I think I may combine your first recipe with apple slices and see how that turns out.

 

[DerMißingno]

I'm bringing this thread back to life!

Here are some relatively recent things I've made:

Spoiler

Curry. Made with lamb, potatoes, onions and celery on white rice. I made the curry paste using cheap off the counter curry powder, lemon juice and fresh garlic. It was quite good, but I will pre-cook the potatoes next time.

Spoiler

Bacon, peppers and onions sauteed in bacon grease and mozzarella cheese on a kaiser roll. Delicious, but a little greasy.

My specialties are burgers and breakfast foods. I don't have any in depth recipes or anything since I take a real wing-it approach to cooking. I'll post more pictures, but other people have to contribute first!

On a different note, does anyone have a recipe for a good stir fry sauce? Last time I made stir fry, I used soy sauce, a little bit of sesame oil, some pepper sauce, garlic powder and cornstarch for thickness. It came out a bit too salty, and kind of bland. I also don't want to cheat again and get "stir fry sauce" from the international aisle (though that was pretty delicious).