favorite recipe

[2dimes]

Lavender creme brulee

https://www.thespruceeats.com/lavender- ... pe-1375055

Have you made this? It sound interesting but something I would be stuck eating because my wife and kiddies wouldn't like it.

I still have two pretty big chunks of bannock left. They didn't even hate it, the batch was just too big to finish in one sitting.

Once baked goods are no longer warm, unless it's cake or certain cookies, they become my problem.

[mookiemcgee]

Lavender creme brulee

https://www.thespruceeats.com/lavender- ... pe-1375055

Have you made this? It sound interesting but something I would be stuck eating because my wife and kiddies wouldn't like it.

I still have two pretty big chunks of bannock left. They didn't even hate it, the batch was just too big to finish in one sitting.

Once baked goods are no longer warm, unless it's cake or certain cookies, they become my problem.

I've made this a couple times at my wifes bequest... I'm not super into creamy stuff in my mouth, but she loves it. holds well after baking for like 3-5 days in the fridge, you also need a hot burning torch style lighter to burn the tops correctly.

I could see kids being wary, but usually the inclusion of the blow torch will bring them around to at least try it lol.

[2dimes]

The boy is a bit more adventurous. He likes spicy, plus he enjoys flan which I think is pretty close to creme brûlée.. Our daughter is more meat and potatoes.

Wife is just difficult for no particular reason. One time she might actually like some next time there would be a problem. She used to eat hot dogs, then last year flipped out. I didn't check but it might have simply been the wrong week to try and serve some up.

[mookiemcgee]

My wife is also incredibly picky... she will not eat any meat besides chicken and only breast, and only cooked certain ways. She loves anything cheesy and/or creamy so this was a fit but i do know your struggles making food with picky eaters in the house

[2dimes]

Well, if I cook something the options are.

Eat it.
Don't eat.
Make something you like better.

But yeah, I typically attempt to make things we all like, I'm not a monster.

[2dimes]

Pan frying is tricker than baking, but worth it once you get it down (not a statement specific to bannock)

The deep fryer was easy but I might have had it slightly too hot.

I tried.
1 cup of Bob's Red Mill gluten free flour.*
1 tsp baking powder.
1/3 cup of milk.

Made my son knead the dough. Wife mocked us for not using the stand mixer but it was a pretty small batch. He requested more milk I added a splash and he figured I over did it. I believe the dough turned out perfect.



* We got a small bag in an order of groceries a few months back.

[mookiemcgee]

Nice! I made corndogs recently, and the first batch werent quite right and a little extra milk did the trick. Maybe that is a thing with frying dough?

[2dimes]

Maybe.

I was making a variation of this.

Next attempt I'm going to try.

2 cups of flour.
1 tsp baking powder.
1/2 cup of hot water.

Some rando on yootoob made that and it looks good.

My wife claims the milk helps the baking powder leaven the dough.

I liked the quantity that batch made, so if I try it, I'm going to half that one first attempt for sure. I might use the full tsp of powder though. Even the milk didn't make it leaven quite fluffy enough, then again that might have been because of the gluten free flour.

I'll let you know if the milk is better, I suspect you're right it should be.

[mookiemcgee]

Gluten free flour kinda confuses my brain. What is yours made of? tapioca?

[2dimes]

Well I had not looked but, apparently it does contain tapioca. Also some bean flours.

https://www.bobsredmill.com/gluten-free ... flour.html

Turns out I was also supposed to add xanthan or gaur gum whatever that is. I think I'm just going to use the stuff up without the gum. Unless it's inexpensive and I notice it while strolling through a grocery store.

If I somehow became celiac I suppose I might intentionally buy the stuff. Then I would certainly try it with some gum.

[mookiemcgee]

lol Xanthan, I feel like that stuff is in most processed foods, yet I've never seen it used in a professional kitchen outside of the chemist chefs like Wylie Dufresne. I believe it's a thickener and it's helps foods that like to separate to stick together(emulsifier).

I have no clue if its made from plants, or just 'created in a factory in new jersey'... I don't have any and wouldn't know what to do with it in my kitchen

[Dukasaur]

lol Xanthan, I feel like that stuff is in most processed foods, yet I've never seen it used in a professional kitchen outside of the chemist chefs like Wylie Dufresne. I believe it's a thickener and it's helps foods that like to separate to stick together(emulsifier).

I have no clue if its made from plants, or just 'created in a factory in new jersey'... I don't have any and wouldn't know what to do with it in my kitchen

It's both. It's made from sugar using bacterial fermentation, just like alcohol (for instance.) So, made in a factory, using plant-based precursors.

As a polysaccharide, it's not particularly healthy, but the amounts needed are trivial and won't do you any harm.

It's not much different from other polysaccharide thickeners like guar gum or carrageenan. You've probably used carrageenan at some point, or at least you've used arrowroot or okra paste. All of those are long-chain polysaccharides from different sources.

[jusplay4fun]

Yes, basically what Duk said:

Xanthan

Xanthan gum (/ˈzænθən/) is a polysaccharide with many industrial uses, including as a common food additive. It is an effective thickening agent, emulsifier and stabilizer which prevents ingredients from separating. It can be produced from simple sugars using a fermentation process, and derives its name from the species of bacteria used, Xanthomonas campestris.

History
Xanthan gum was discovered by Allene Rosalind Jeanes and her research team at the United States Department of Agriculture, and brought into commercial production by CP Kelco under the trade name Kelzan in the early 1960s.[2][3] It was approved for use in foods in 1968 and is accepted as a safe food additive in the USA, Canada, European countries, and many other countries, with E number E415, and CAS number 11138-66-2.

Xanthan gum derives its name from the species of bacteria used during the fermentation process, Xanthomonas campestris.[4] This is the same bacterium responsible for causing black rot to form on broccoli, cauliflower, and other leafy vegetables.

Uses
Xanthan gum, 1%, can produce a significant increase in the viscosity of a liquid.[5]

In foods, xanthan gum is common in salad dressings and sauces. It helps to prevent oil separation by stabilizing the emulsion, although it is not an emulsifier. Xanthan gum also helps suspend solid particles, such as spices. Xanthan gum helps create the desired texture in many ice creams. Toothpaste often contains xanthan gum as a binder to keep the product uniform. Xanthan gum also helps thicken commercial egg substitutes made from egg whites, to replace the fat and emulsifiers found in yolks. It is also a preferred method of thickening liquids for those with swallowing disorders, since it does not change the color or flavor of foods or beverages at typical use levels.[6] In gluten-free baking, xanthan gum is used to give the dough or batter the stickiness that would otherwise be achieved with gluten. In most foods it is used at concentrations of 0.5% or less. Xanthan gum is used in a wide range of food products, such as sauces, dressings, meat and poultry products, bakery products, confectionery products, beverages, dairy products, others.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xanthan_gum

speaking of gums, how about:

Gum arabic, also known as gum sudani, acacia gum, Arabic gum, gum acacia, acacia, Senegal gum, Indian gum, and by other names,[1] is a natural gum originally consisting of the hardened sap of two species of the Acacia sensu lato tree, Senegalia senegal[2] and Vachellia seyal. The term "gum arabic" does not legally indicate a particular botanical source, however.[1] The gum is harvested commercially from wild trees, mostly in Sudan (80%) and throughout the Sahel, from Senegal to Somalia. The name "gum Arabic" (al-samgh al-'arabi) was used in the Middle East at least as early as the 9th century. Gum arabic first found its way to Europe via Arabic ports, so retained its name.[3]

Gum arabic is a complex mixture of glycoproteins and polysaccharides, predominantly polymers of arabinose and galactose. It is soluble in water, edible, and used primarily in the food industry and soft-drink industry as a stabilizer, with E number E414 (I414 in the US). Gum arabic is a key ingredient in traditional lithography and is used in printing, paint production, glue, cosmetics, and various industrial applications, including viscosity control in inks and in textile industries, though less expensive materials compete with it for many of these roles.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gum_arabic

There is more interesting stuff there, but not in the realm of what saxi wants to read; it is too much Chemistry for him. He is too worried about falling skies.

[mookiemcgee]

What are you making for dinner tonight 2dimes?

[jonesthecurl]

I have a current favourite recipe - a new one.

It all began with trying to find a restaurant open in NJ. I think it was Good Friday, so a lot of places were closed. Eventually we happened on The Spanish Tavern in Harrisburg (we were taking the daughter from Bayonne where we were staying to South Orange to visit a friend). A quick search showed that it was highly rated, and rightly so as it turned out.

One of the things I ordered was Pan con Tomate, literally bread with tomato. It was divine, especially when I added some of the Manchego cheese that the daughter had ordered, mistakenly thinking it would be some sort of dip. I wanted to make it for myself, and when I got back to Cali I tried to do so. After a few attempts I was remarkably successful in reproducing it, to my great delight.

HERE WE GO

Take a loaf of ciabatta and split it lengthways. Either (a) rub it with garlic and then drizzle a little good olive oil on it, or (b) as I do, drizzle olive oil which you've infused with garlic (this has the advantage that the oil will be exactly as garlicky as you want. For me, that's very garlicky. Peel and half several garlic cloves to taste and add them to a bottle of oil. seal it and forget about it for at least a month).
Put the ciabatta in an oven at very low heat for about half an hour until it's crispy but not burnt.

Meanwhile, take a couple of big, ripe tomatoes. This is the bit that surprised me - you don't cook them at all. You halve 'em and grate them through your grater's biggest holes until all you have left is the skin. Chop the skin up very fine and add it to the grated tommies. Then add quite a lot of sea salt (granule size is important here - not kosher, not fresh-ground), and a tablespoon or two of really good olive oil. Add in two cloves of finely chopped garlic and a twist or two of fresh black pepper, Spread this over the ciabatta thickly, and leave it to soak in a little. Cut the bread into fingers and add a sliver of manchego (or another tasty, mature, firm, and creamy cheese) to each finger.

Serve cold, it's bloody delicious/

[2dimes]

What are you making for dinner tonight 2dimes?

We had Mucho Burrito. Though we paid full price since even though the offer made it seem like they would be $7 until the 9th, they were not. So gaur is the healthy gum choice?

[2dimes]

I definitely used too much milk for a batch today. Pretty runny, I added more flour but it was not quite dough. Greased a pan with lard baked at 350F. Turned out fine.

I think it's probably hard to really ruin bannock.

I hope I run out of gluten free flour soon. It's not bad but it definately isn't great.

[The ram]

This thread is like the devolution of man from the 70s till today. Started off right wing, quite clever and funny. Turned into an old women's coffee morning with left wing wankers obviously having some type of competition to see who's the biggest melt.

[KoolBak]

[jonesthecurl]

This thread is like the devolution of man from the 70s till today. Started off right wing, quite clever and funny. Turned into an old women's coffee morning with left wing wankers obviously having some type of competition to see who's the biggest melt.

So right-wingers can't cook?

[mookiemcgee]

This thread is like the devolution of man from the 70s till today. Started off right wing, quite clever and funny. Turned into an old women's coffee morning with left wing wankers obviously having some type of competition to see who's the biggest melt.

So right-wingers can't cook?

and all famous chefs are women!

[timmy1]

Any Easter eve recipe suggestions?

[GaryDenton]

I picked up some marked-down boxes of Matzo Ball mixes for soup.
Passover is one of the three main religious holidays being celebrated now.

[jonesthecurl]

I miss the chocolate-covered matzos I used to get this time of year in NJ. You just reminded me of that.

[jonesthecurl]

Actually I'm off to D.C. tomorrow - maybe I'll find some there.
If not, I'll try making some.