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What ratio of polenta to water do you use?

I had the same thought (wrt whisking polenta into water first), once I saw the lumps.  oops.  And I'll echo squidsdc's question: what ratio?

I think it's 1 to 3 if you want it slice-able.  I need to dig through my notes to see if I wrote anything down.

I'm pretty sure fiddleheads have been available for awhile now, maybe even over a month.

I am unable to pass up any opportunity to write circinate vernation.

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Didn't you recently have an Alphonso? If so, how would you compare them? (Not qualitatively, but descriptively)

There aren't many pictures of Assam mangos on the internet. I wonder if there's a relationship between Assam tea and Assam mangos (Assam is a state in India, and their teas are big, brown, and sloppy - best had with milk and sugar. A friend calls them the "Chateauneuf-du-Pape of teas.")

I suppose you could have an Alphonso that was grown in Assam, so this might (almost literally) be comparing apples and oranges, or more accurately, Braeburn Apples and California Apples.

I bought the Assam mango in a little grocery store in Manhattan on Lexington Avenue between 28th and 29th, next door to Kalustyan's--a few block stretch known as "Little India." they also had Alphonso mangoes, but were sold out of Kesars, which leads me to believe those are the most favored. We were on our way to several other places and our shopping bag was already heavy, so being familiar with the flavor of the Alphonso, we opted for a new (to us) variety. I would say that both texture and flavor-wise, the Assam is less interesting than the Alphonso, but much more complex than the standard supermarket mango. It is quite a bit larger and more bulbous shaped than the Alphonso, which has a flattened shape like a slightly larger "Champagne" mango, and the flesh is a bit stringier. Now I really want to try a Kesar.

Where have you found fiddleheads? Or when you say "Maine fiddleheads", did you actually get them in Maine? (That wouldn't be terribly convenient for me at the moment.) I remember finding some at the West End TJ's 2 or 3 years ago, but haven't seen them since, and isn't it kind of late in the season to find them even in Maine?

I remember my first spring in Maine, in 1997, seeing signs for fiddleheads at little markets and roadside stands all over the place. I had never encountered them before, and didn't know what they were. My first guess (when all I had actually seen was the signs) was that they were something like night-crawlers, some creepy thing used as bait by anglers. Turns out I was wrong.

I bought them at the co-op market in Damariscotta, Maine, and brought them home in a food cooler. I did see a few roadside stands advertising that they had them for sale. These had probably been picked a week or ten days earlier, judging by how the stems were starting to discolor. They had a very late start to spring this year up there, and the fiddleheads may have been picked further north. I first tasted and gathered them when I lived in Vermont on the early-mid 70's. I remember those as being much more flavorful, probably because very little time elapsed between picking and cooking them.

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Tonight I had a revelation.  I had bought some blue cornmeal and was trying to figure out the best way to use it, because I love it but it makes things look an unappetizing gray.  I had some open chicken stock, so I decided to make polenta.  As it was getting nearly done, I decided to throw a handful of blueberries into the mix. What a great idea! It totally changed the whole orientation of the dish without changing it much at all.

I also cut up a ball of fresh mozzarella and threw that in near the end too.  The berries added just a bit of sweetness but they modified/enhanced the color (especially the ones that managed to stay intact).  There was also some cream in there as well as the stock and extra water.  Not lo-cal but totally delicious.

If it were Chopped, it could have been a dessert.  But it was perfectly fine as part of the main course of a meal.  I tore up leftover chicken and made impromptu tacos out of that and salsa.

Flour tortillas
Leftover grilled chicken breasts
Peach-avocado salsa
Blueberry blue corn polenta
Fresh English peas and rice
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sour-milk biscuits with strawberries, sweetened ricotta, and whipped cream.

no, I did not mean to post this in the dessert thread.  :ph34r:

you've heard of "breakfast for dinner." why not "dessert for dinner"?

I have a group of friends who celebrate special occasions by having dessert for the first course and last.  Different desserts of course.

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I have a group of friends who celebrate special occasions by having dessert for the first course and last.  Different desserts of course.

I sometimes begin my dinner with dessert - I've been doing this for quite some time. It's the best way to show respect for the pastry chef, and why *not* start with something sweet? My usual MO is to get two savory courses, and then I'm too full to enjoy dessert; but when I use this approach, I get a dessert, then an appetizer, and I'm a happy camper. And I'm looked at like I'm crazy.

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last night:

lettuce and cucumber salad with lemon-mustard vinaigrette

English pea and mushroom risotto (almost vegetarian: I used watered-down homemade turkey stock) made with Vialone Nanno

sour cherry crisp with vanilla ice cream

2013 Le Petit Rouviére rosé

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I am making soup out of the last of 2013's summer tomatoes that had been roasted, pureed and frozen. Today I roasted onions and red, yellow and orange peppers. Once they were cooled and chopped, I threw that into a pot with a heaping teaspoon of ginger-garlic puree and cooked it till fragrant, adding a lot of hot Madras curry powder (from stall at Dallas Farmer's Market) along the way. Then I added the defrosted tomato puree, some chicken stock, a bit of red wine, a touch of sugar and some finely chopped yellow squash and zucchini. Right before serving I will finish with some basil and maybe mint. It's going to be called Indian inspired tomato vegetable soup.

Going to serve it with a whole roasted cauliflower.

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salad of red leaf lettuce, baby spinach, frisee, fennel, and tarragon, with a late-harvest zinfandel vinegar/olive oil dressing, shavings of campo de montalban, and an over-easy egg on top.  Astronomically speaking summer still isn't here yet, but it sure felt like summer yesterday.  Had no desire to eat anything hot.

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last night:

charcoal-grilled swordfish (I know it's not a sustainable choice, but I hadn't bought any in years and this was beautifully fresh and on sale at A&H. And it was delicious.)

basmati rice

4 bean salad (green, wax, kidney, garbanzo) with cucumber and spring onion

2013 Villa Maria sauvignon blanc

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The other night I smoke/grilled a 2.5 lb. cowboy cut rib eye steak on the grill. I did the CI thick steak technique on the BGE, smoked the meat with hickory at ~250F until the internal temp of the steak was 95F. Then I cranked up the grill to 700F and seared until MR (130F). Damn good way to cook a steak!

Cherry tomato salad

Roasted sweet potato

Grilled pineapple

Forge Slake IPA

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herb-brined, sumac-rubbed eco-friendly chicken, charcoal and oak roasted with cherry smoke chips

grilled yellow cauliflower with garbanzo beans and roasted red pepper, caper-dill vinaigrette

basmati rice

roasted apricots drizzled with honey, roasted almond oil, lemon juice and zest, orange flower water and pine nuts, served with vanilla ice cream

chilled rosé

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I admire those with the fortitude to cook during this heatwave.  I've got a radish dip (radishes and dill from the garden) and a bottle of wine chilling in the fridge. 

Reheating in the microwave was as close as I got to cooking last night.  (I roasted the pepper and boiled the eggs early in the day; the bacon had been cooked a couple days before.)

Guacamole and tortilla chips
Salad of butter lettuce, roasted red pepper, avocado, bacon, grape tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, and strawberries; balsamic soy-ginger vinaigrette
Leftover chicken hot dogs
Leftover au gratin potatoes
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a simple vegetable soup (trying to use stuff that's been in the freezer)

mystery bread (also from the freezer; had a sourdough taste and ciabatta-like texture, boule-shaped; no idea where it came from, which is a shame 'cause it was great)

salad of baby spinach, strawberries, pistachios, campo de montalban, and tarragon vinaigrette, made with some wacky sweet red wine vinegar I picked up last year, and really awesome olive oil (nothing in this came from the freezer)

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Taking advantage of the cooler weather, last night included hot soup:

French onion soup
Leftover broiled sirloin
Fried fava beans with sorrel, feta, and sumac
Leftover broiled peaches with honey and hazelnuts
 
I had bought fava beans at Eastern Market because...they were there.  I hadn't seen them yet this year, I guess because the weather stayed cool for so long. They weren't the very finest quality, but they were good enough. I bought some sorrel at Gardener's Gourmet for basically  the same reason, though I think they've had sorrel some previous weeks.  I started looking for a recipe using both and came across one in Plenty that uses dried limas and sorrel.  I figured fresh favas should work in that, and they did.  I served the feta on the side so I could control the amount I got in my portion.
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smoked eggplant baba ghanoush with pita chips

salade nií§oise: Spanish canned tuna loin, green beans, new potatoes, hard boiled egg, tomato, roasted red pepper, cucumber, pressure cooked garbanzo beans, kalamata olives, mixed lettuces, vinaigrette

seeded multi-grain toast

2013 Drylands sauvignon blanc

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Caprese salad

Leftover quinoa with gigande bean salad

Leftover blueberry blue polenta

Grilled center loin pork chops

Grilled chicken breasts and drumsticks

Grilled hot Italian turkey sausage

Yellow peach + yellow tomato salsa with jalapeí±o and cilantro

Grilled peaches with balsamic vinegar

 

We generally don't grill more than once a week, so we make extra food when we do.  There was some of all the meats left for upcoming meals.  

 

The chops were very thick and got a little dried out.  They probably should have been brined in advance.  Serving salsa over top was a good counterbalance that added some moisture back.  I love peaches in salsa.  I've been finding nice juicy South Carolina peaches (both white and yellow) at one of the outside vendors at Eastern Market the past couple weeks. (The place that sells all its loose fruit at the same price.)

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I made a venison stew this weekend that I thought was a complete fail.  I think it was the cut of the venison, which is one I have found a challenge. Hubby seemed to like it though, so what the heck.  I am still trying to figure out what sauces work well in my crockpot, the one I tried didn't, well at least I didn't think it did.  Will try again next time.  

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I made a venison stew this weekend that I thought was a complete fail.  I think it was the cut of the venison, which is one I have found a challenge. Hubby seemed to like it though, so what the heck.  I am still trying to figure out what sauces work well in my crockpot, the one I tried didn't, well at least I didn't think it did.  Will try again next time.  

How were the bites not containing any venison?

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How were the bites not containing any venison?

Not great, my crock pot sauce just failed, it wasn't thick enough or flavorful enough.  Well again Matt liked it, so maybe it's just me. I have a better time when making stew type things stove top so I can adjust easier and reduce, etc.  He said that venison was a bit gamier than others pieces we had.  So that might not have helped the sauce.  I think it was perhaps too acidic.

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Not great, my crock pot sauce just failed, it wasn't thick enough or flavorful enough.  Well again Matt liked it, so maybe it's just me. I have a better time when making stew type things stove top so I can adjust easier and reduce, etc.  He said that venison was a bit gamier than others pieces we had.  So that might not have helped the sauce.  I think it was perhaps too acidic.

A touch of cream maybe?

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Not great, my crock pot sauce just failed, it wasn't thick enough or flavorful enough.  Well again Matt liked it, so maybe it's just me. I have a better time when making stew type things stove top so I can adjust easier and reduce, etc.  He said that venison was a bit gamier than others pieces we had.  So that might not have helped the sauce.  I think it was perhaps too acidic.

Crockpot sauces usually taste waterlogged to me.  For flavor, adjusting the seasoning right at the end can help.  Another thing to try is to ladle the sauce (or much of it) out of the crockpot and reduce it in a saucepan on the stove, adjust the seasonings, etc.  That gives you more control over the final product.

I hate taking extra steps when using a crockpot (such as pre-searing meat) since it seems to defeat the purpose of putting ingredients in the pot and leaving them to cook.  It takes more hands-on time, more pans get dirty, and it's fussier.  That's one reason I don't use my crockpot more often.

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Gruyere quesadilla

Mexican omelet pie

Arugula salad with sirloin steak, red and yellow tomatoes, feta, cucumber, bacon, and croutons; miso-ginger dressing

Leftover pork with peach salsa

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Sausage with carrots, broccoli, leek and garlic in a butter, white wine and lemon sauce with salt and pepper over pasta.  And leftovers for lunch time for us.  I used the time to also slice the rest of our carrots and a bunch of radishes on the mandolin for salad or something.  Carrots from the Lee-Harrison HT seem to not last near as long as Wegman's so I now need to use them up quickly.  I also had a gf brownie with blueberries and strawberries.

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Crockpot sauces usually taste waterlogged to me.  For flavor, adjusting the seasoning right at the end can help.  Another thing to try is to ladle the sauce (or much of it) out of the crockpot and reduce it in a saucepan on the stove, adjust the seasonings, etc.  That gives you more control over the final product.

I hate taking extra steps when using a crockpot (such as pre-searing meat) since it seems to defeat the purpose of putting ingredients in the pot and leaving them to cook.  It takes more hands-on time, more pans get dirty, and it's fussier.  That's one reason I don't use my crockpot more often.

Pat, that is what I dislike about a crockpot too.  The benefit is supposed to be not having to do all that other work.  But you are right I should have taken the sauce out and put it in a pan.  I was just not that into it.  I like my crockpot at certain times and it is also a rice cooker which I find quite handy, but I don't make more recipes because if I am going to have to sear, and reduce sauces, well why not just make it on the stove.

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Gruyere quesadilla

Mexican omelet pie

Arugula salad with sirloin steak, red and yellow tomatoes, feta, cucumber, bacon, and croutons; miso-ginger dressing

Leftover pork chop with peach salsa

 

The Mexican omelet pie was a recipe I found online I was a little skeptical of, but I had all of the ingredients and so went for it.  It's sort of a crustless quiche, with jarred salsa as a base, then cheddar and jack cheeses, and sour cream beaten with eggs as the custard.  The finished pie gets garnished with cherry tomatoes and chopped parsley to serve.  It's colorful and tastes delicious (it should with all that fat!).  The basic recipe would be good as a little minute meal idea for a gluten-free guest (presuming you're using a gf salsa).

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meatless monday: well, ok it had some dried shrimp in it

sort-of-thai rice noodle salad with slivered veg (carrot, shallot, cucumber, zucchini, celery), rehydrated dried shrimp, tamarind-fish sauce-palm sugar-ginger-lemongrass sauce, garlic chives and cilantro, topped with peanuts

pandanus water

bing cherries

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Second attempt at preparing polenta in the rice cooker.  Whisked the polenta into cold water first.  No difference, still lumpy.  But I was able to whisk it smooth when it was done cooking, so it's still better easier then standing over the pot for 45 minutes.  Served with ricotta, sauteed corn, golden zucchini, eggplant, tomato of suspect origin, fresh basil and oregano from the garden, hot peppers, lots of parm.

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Arugula salad with sirloin steak, peaches, red and yellow tomatoes, feta, cucumber, bacon, and croutons; miso-ginger dressing

Leftover chicken drumsticks

Ratatouille, after a fashion

 

The "ratatouille" was zucchini, baby eggplant, mushrooms, onion, and sliced grilled hot Italian turkey sausages in tomato sauce with dried oregano and fresh basil.  It reminded me of when I was a vegetarian teenager.  One of my favorite summer meals was zucchini in tomato sauce.  I used to think of it as ratatouille, even though it only had two components of the dish.  That used to be the primary way I consumed zucchini, other than in bread and in frozen vegetable lasagna.

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Second attempt at preparing polenta in the rice cooker.  Whisked the polenta into cold water first.  No difference, still lumpy.  But I was able to whisk it smooth when it was done cooking, so it's still better easier then standing over the pot for 45 minutes... 

OK, now I'm going to have to try it again.  Are you using the long or quick cycle?  Edit - I think you have to add a tablespoon or so of fat to it.

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Trio of cold salads last night:

Leftover quinoa and gigande bean salad
Roasted cauliflower, hazelnuts and dates (variation on Jerusalem recipe)
Grilled chicken salad with sheep's milk yogurt, parsley, basil, cucumber, and tomato
 
Whole wheat pita bread and hummus
 
The chicken salad was also good stuffed into pita halves.  
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Grilled asparagus topped with crisped proscuitto (done on the grill) and a poached egg

Pasta with a pesto-esque (mint, basil, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, parmesean) sauce

The asparagus was based on something I saw Ina Garten do for brunch. Really nice combo and super easy to put together.

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Tuesday night:

beefsteak tomato with mozz di bufala and basil

cedar planked, charcoal-grilled Copper River salmon filet

sorrel-chard sauce

fresh corn polenta

2013 Mulderbosch rosé

last night:

Costco rotisserie chicken enchiladas with cooked salsa verde and cheese (enchiladas suisas)

La Costeí±a refried beans

pico de gallo

apricot crisp with vanilla ice cream

fat tire

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Last night I made burgers!  That doesn't sound special, but I normally don't make burgers a lot. I topped mine with tomato and it was lovely. They had some truffle sauce in them (not truffle oil this is a little pot of chopped truffles in oil that a friend got me).  Served with a side salad and the leftover fries crisped up in the oven from our meal at Cava.  

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