2010 Holiday Meals

[IMGreat101]

Thyme, rosemary, onion and garlic powder, black pepper, kosher salt.



This went into the fridge to dry age last Thursday.

[IMGreat101]

Roasted garlic for the Roasted Red Bell Pepper Bisque crostini

[APB]

We may have to "O/R Iron Chef" sometime.

LOL... "Two will enter... and two will leave!"

[Buttercup]

LOL... "Two will enter... and two will leave!"

[IMGreat101]

* 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
* 2 cups granulated sugar, divided
* 4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt
* 3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
* 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract



Cream the butter and sugar together. (about 5 minutes)
Add 1 egg at a time and mix well.

Sift dry ingredients together in one bowl and in another bowl mix the wet.




Add alternately until mixed well.



Prep pans: Grease and flour. Place parchment paper in the bottom of the loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 1 hour

Let poundcake rest for 15 minutes then pop out of pan onto cooling rack.







The heart shaped cakes did not pop out. The loaf was cooled, wrapped and placed in the freezer.

[IMGreat101]

Roasting the peppers



Cut in half and take out stem/seeds and membrane. Cut in half again.

Place on sheet tray lined with foil.



Turn on broiler in oven. Place peppers on top rack. Broil for approx. 8 minutes. Watch this closely, turning the pan to roast the peppers evenly.



Put roasted peppers in bowl and cover with shrink wrap. This will steam the peppers and loosen the skins so they are easier to remove.

[IMGreat101]

Making Creme Fraiche

1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp buttermilk

We did 2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream and 5 Tbsp buttermilk.



Whisk these together. Top with paper towel held with a rubber band.



Let this set at room temp for 24-48 hours. I set this inside a paper sack over a heat register. After about 36 hours it was the consistency of sour cream all the way through.

[IMGreat101]

1 medium onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 large celery stalk, chopped (I used a few stalks from the celery heart for more flavor.)
3 Tbsp olive oil
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 tsp ground hot pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup heavy cream (Do not add if you are making ahead of time. Add when reheating before service.
Creme Fraiche for garnish.



Saute carrot, celery and onion with olive oil in a 4 qt stock pot about 8 minutes. Add ground hot pepper, chicken stock and roasted peppers.
Simmer for 30 minutes.

Place in stand blender and run on liquefy for about 1 minute. You can pour this through a fine sieve or not. We tried both ways and did not notice that much difference.



Stir in heavy cream and serve.

[IMGreat101]

Bread for crostini and croutons

5 tsp yeast
1 tsp sugar
2 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees)

combine these and let yeast start

Happy yeast!



Add
1Tbsp salt
6-7 cups bread flour, 2 cups at a time.
Mix until the dough is dry to touch



Cover and let rise for about 30 minutes. Knead for 4 minutes, cover and let rise. Repeat 3-4 x.

I made two baguette style and one loaf for croutons.

[IMGreat101]

Same bread recipe.

I used half of the dough for plain hard rolls. The other half I rolled out flat and smeared roasted garlic and about 5 small scallions diced. Rolled this up and cut rolls.



Proofed and ready to bake.



Perfect!

[Buttercup]

Making Creme Fraiche

I'm sorry, IMGreat, but this is the first thing that came to my mind.

Cafeteria Fraiche (Season 14, Episode 14) - Video Clips - South Park Studios



Your dinner looks great as always, I'd love to have a place at your table!

[IMGreat101]

I'm sorry, IMGreat, but this is the first thing that came to my mind.

Cafeteria Fraiche (Season 14, Episode 14) - Video Clips - South Park Studios



Your dinner looks great as always, I'd love to have a place at your table!

Yup, that's me! Maybe not as many f-bombs tho.....hehe.




C'mon over BC!

[pgg]

I have a hard enough time putting things in the microwave let alone even attempting what you cook

[mavriktu]

Traditional Southern here,cabbage,black eye peas,pork roast,and cornbread.

[pgg]

I cooked up some ground beef, mashed potatoes (from the box), and brown gravy. Mixed it all together to save time. There is my lunch

[IMGreat101]

7 cups russet potatoes peeled and cut into 1-1/2" chunks
1/2 cup room temp heavy cream
7 tablespoons butter, room temperature
2 large egg yolks
1 1/2 teaspoons salt



Boil potatoes for about 20 minutes or until fork tender. Drain the potatoes and return to stove on medium heat until excess moisture evaporates.





I chose to rice the potatoes for a nicer consistency. This takes a little more time but is worth the effort.





Fold in the butter. Then add the rest of the ingredients.



Fill a piping bag with a large star tip with potato mix.
Pipe into desired design on a parchment lined baking pan.



Ready to bake.



Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

[IMGreat101]

Time to set up the grill.

Grab some apple wood.



Went outside to prep the grill.

uhhh, yeah....



Get the roasts out. These were dry aged for 10 days and set out to get to room temp.



Get the charcoal lit and place apple wood.







Looking yummy!

[IMGreat101]

I like using a blender hollandaise sauce recipe and add 1 1/2 Tbsp tomato paste.

3 egg yolks
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
Dash of cayenne pepper
1/2 c. butter
1 1/2 Tbsp tomato paste



separate yolks



Place all ingredients in stand blender except butter and blend. Then drizzle melted butter in while blender is on.

[IMGreat101]

1 cup homemade croutons
1 coddled egg
2 cloves fresh garlic
2 anchovy fillets
Pinch kosher salt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 head Romaine lettuce, chopped
Coarsely ground black pepper



Using 2 forks mash garlic, anchovies with salt in the bottom of a large bowl.

Add worcestershire, lemon juice and coddled egg. Whisk with forks for 1 minute.

Drizzle in olive oil while whisking.

Add croutons, romaine and toss.

Garnish with fresh cracked pepper, shaved asiago and anchovy filets.

[IMGreat101]

Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin

Chateau Durand-Laplange 2005 Bordeaux

Remy Martin Louis XIII