mktye

Speaking of basmati rice, does anyone have a good simple recipe for saffron basmati rice? When I usually make basmati, I generally throw in a cinammon stick, a few cloves, and some salt, but that's it. Lately, I've been trying to incorporate saffron, but I can't get that rich yellow color that makes saffron rice so exotic (and delicious!)

Any tips are appreciated.

I usually use the following recipe and it is easily adaptable to variations.

SAFFRON ALMOND RICE PILAF

Serves 8

2 cups chicken stock or low-sodium canned chicken broth

2 cups water

generous pinch of saffron threads

1 cup shallots, chopped

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

2⅔ cups long-grain rice (preferably basmati or jasmine)

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Heat the broth and water in a small saucepan over moderate heat until hot, then crumble saffron into liquid and stir. Remove from heat.

Cook the shallots in the butter in a saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant and pale golden, ~3 minutes. Stir in the saffron broth, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook, covered, until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, ~20 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let the rice sit, covered for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork and fold in the almonds.

Sacre Bleu:

12-ounce jar Heinz Home Style beef gravy

Note that it is called for in the "quick" recipe designed for the average home cook. It appears to be an easy/quick substitute for the veal stock used in the restaurant version.

Anybody with experience growing artichokes?

Once.

When we lived in southern MD, I attempted it using a variety that did not bear until the second year (is there any other kind?). I grew it (from seed) in a very large pot, hauled it inside over the winter so it would not freeze to death, kept it down in the basement with the grow-lights all winter. Hauled it back outside in the spring where it produced one measly little artichoke.

Obviously, not the fondest of memories. But perhaps someone else has had better luck?

Corduroy's Slow-Cooked Pork Belly and Cabbage

I noticed the Fairfax County farmers markets were not mentioned in the shopping guide. As a vendor at those markets, I was wondering is there a reason why? Do you not shop at the various markets in Reston, Annanndale, Kinstowne etc? I know the market organizers would love any input we have to offer.

They are now. Not an intentional omission, I've just not yet gone through the main farmers' market thread to split out discussions of specific markets.

You pose some excellent questions to our members who live in that direction. I know that at least the Burke farmers' market was discussed in the main thread, but I don't recall much discussion about the other Fairfax county markets. We currently have 573 members who live in Virgina, which markets do you all go to?

And everyone, please feel free to start dedicated threads about your favorite farmers' markets!

Although she sent me the recipe, I want to halve the cake. I have 6-inch cake pans that I use expressly for that purpose. The question is: what do I need to take in consideration when halving the recipe.

The ingredients are listed below. I'm okay up till the 3 eggs and 1 egg yolk. If I used two whole eggs how will that affect the texture of the cake? I'm guessing that the baking powder and soda amounts remain the same; or, do they need to be adjusted for half a cake? Anything else I should keep in mind?

For the Cake

2 cups cake flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

1 ¼ sticks unsalted butter, room temp

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

¾ cup buttermilk

rwtye, who is reading over my shoulder, suggests to make the whole recipe and throw out half the batter. Can you tell he is an engineer employed by the federal government?

Without seeing the method part of the recipe, my suggestion is to use 1 whole egg and 2 whole yolks.

Or to use 1 whole egg and 1 large egg yolk and add a touch more of the buttermilk (but not more than a tablespoon additional). As to which one would work better, it will really depend on the what you are looking for in the finished cake. But I think adding two whole eggs might make the cake a bit rubbery.

Another more exacting option is to beat together one egg and one yolk and use half of that mixture plus one whole egg, but you may not want to waste the eggs. And if you want to get really precise, for large eggs, the total volume of one egg is ~3-1/4 tablespoons, with ~2-1/4 tablespoons being the whites and ~1 tablespoon for the yolk.

Halve *everything* else, including the baking powder and baking soda. You'll probably also want to keep an eye on the cake near the end of baking since it might be done a bit faster due to the smaller pan size.

However, you might also want to give txaggie a call/PM since she has more experience with this particular cake and can probably answer the 2 yoke vs. the 1 yolk + a bit more buttermilk dilemma.

Please let us know what you end up doing and how it turned out!

Last one I made, however, was a deliberate attempt to try something different: Lasagne Duchi di Ferrara with an unusual ragu, prosciutto and golden raisins. (Scroll up to look an an exquisite photograph of lasagne made with spinach dough in Post #60, unless you're hungry.)

The Ragu de Nobili features diced boneless chicken thighs that one sautés with minced pancetta, Italian sausage, giblets, a little ground beef and the customary battuto (mirepoix). White wine, a pinch of cloves, bay leaf, crushed garlic and a generous dab of tomato paste are gradually added with small amounts of stock. Once everything is incorporated, including more stock, the ragu simmers for less than an hour since small, browned bits of chicken dominate the mixture. Instead of adding milk early in the procedure, a little heavy cream finishes the sauce. That last step is the sweep of the Fairy Godmother's wand: the giblets are transformed from something funky to an assertive, sweet element.

My friend and I considered that lasagna for our New Year's Eve 2000 feast. But we decided to go with a tortellini pie (Pasticcio di Tortellini con Crema di Cannella) that uses the same ragu (plus a cinnamon custard, little chicken/pancetta/beef meatballs and tiny meat-filled tortellini cooked in stock, all layered with parmersan inside a sweet crust and baked). It ended up being the highlight of the six-course (all recipes from The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper) and multiple-hour dinner.

However, I've been meaning to go back and make that lasagna ever since because that ragu was so delicious. Thanks for the reminder!

Mine landed on Don Pablo's. And I didn't even know there was one lurking so nearby!

We may need a discussion about no-boil vs regular dried pasta. I've never used the no-boil-- seems very suspect to me.

I had my doubts too, until I started using then.

If I am not going to make fresh pasta (which I rarely do for just the two of us), I'll usually use the no-boil noodles because they are thinner than the traditional dried noodles. Something to keep in mind is that you'll need to use a much more liquid sauce (as in the zucchini/eggplant recipe) or partially cook them (as in the spinach recipe).

That said, if I am making lasgana for company, I nearly always use fresh noodles. I think they have a better texture and taste and are very thin (which, to my tastes, is preferable).

FWIW: I've only used the Barilla no-boil lasagna noodles.

I don't have my "fancy" lasagna recipes in electronic form at present, but here is another for when I don't want to make noodles... (And I am sort of partial to this recipe for sentimental reasons because my mom's lasagna recipe also called for cottage cheese. A necessary substitution, way back when, when ricotta was not easily obtainable.)

SPINACH LASAGNA

Serves 6-8

Caution: This one is rather rich and decadent. Using the more coarse, curly spinach is vital because regular or baby spinach will break-down too much during baking. Also, because the lasagna is broiled at the end of cooking to brown the cheese, make sure to use a baking dish that is safe to use under the broiler (such as a metal dish, not glass or ceramic!).

1 tablespoon salt

2 (10-ounce) bags curly spinach, stemmed and rinsed

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

5 large shallots, minced

4 medium cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup flour

3½ cups whole milk

2 bay leaves

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

½ cup (~1 ounce) parmesan, grated

8 ounces whole milk cottage cheese

1 large egg

¼ teaspoon salt

12 no-boil lasagna noodles (from 1 box)

1 cup (~2 ounces) parmesan, grated

2 cups (~8 ounces) Italian fontina, grated

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Fill a large bowl with ice water. Bring ~4 quarts of water to a boil in large pot over high heat, add the 1 tablespoon salt and the spinach, and cook, stirring, until spinach is just wilted, ~5 seconds. Using a skimmer or a fine-mesh strainer, transfer the spinach to the ice water bath and let it sit until completely cool, ~1 minute, then drain the spinach and transfer it to a clean kitchen towel. Wrap the towel tightly around the spinach to form ball and wring the spinach until it is dry as you can get it. Chop the spinach into medium sized pieces and set aside.

Melt the 5 tablespoons of butter until foaming in a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until they are translucent, ~4 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for ~1 minute, but do not brown the flour/butter mixture. Whisk in the milk and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Stir in the bay leaves, nutmeg, salt, and pepper, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the parmesan, and remove and discard the bay leaves. Taste the sauce and add more salt if necessary. Cover and set the sauce aside.

Blend the cottage cheese, egg, and salt in a food processor or blender until very smooth, ~30 seconds. Set aside.

Place the noodles in 9”x13” broiler-safe baking dish, cover them with hot tap water and let them soak for 5 minutes, agitating the noodles occasionally to prevent them from sticking together. Remove the noodles from the water and place in a single layer on a kitchen towel. Wipe the baking dish dry and lightly grease or spray it with non-stick spray.

Spread ½ cup of the white sauce in the bottom of the baking dish and position 3 noodles on top of sauce. Stir the reserved spinach into the remaining white sauce, mixing it well to break up clumps of spinach (you should have ~4 cups spinach/white sauce mixture). Spread 1 cup of the spinach mixture evenly over noodles, sprinkle evenly with the parmesan, and top with 3 more noodles. Spread 1 cup of the spinach mixture evenly over noodles, sprinkle evenly with 1 cup of the fontina, and top with 3 more noodles. Spread 1 cup of the spinach mixture evenly over noodles, followed by the cottage cheese mixture. Finish with 3 noodles, the remaining spinach mixture, and the remaining 1 cup fontina.

Lightly spray a large sheet of foil with nonstick cooking spray and cover the lasagna. Bake the lasagna until bubbling, ~20 minutes, then remove the pan from the oven and remove the foil. Adjust the oven rack to the uppermost position (~6” from the heating element) and heat the broiler. Broil the lasagna until the cheese is spotty brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Cool 10 minutes, then serve.

This recipe also is based on one from Cook’s Illustrated.

One of my favorite "everyday" lasagne...

QUICK ZUCCHINI AND EGGPLANT LASAGNA

Serves 6-8

2 pounds zucchini and/or eggplant, diced into ½” cubes

2 medium onions, coarsely chopped

olive oil

salt and pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

salt and pepper

1 box dried no-boil lasagna noodles

16 ounces mozzarella, grated

⅔ cups (~5 ounces) parmesan, grated

In a large bowl, toss the onions, zucchini and/or eggplant with enough olive oil to coat. Spread the vegetables on one or two (two will make it cook faster) half-sheet pans and bake in a 400 degree oven until the zucchini/eggplant are soft and the onions are soft and browned, ~40 minutes. Season the vegetables to taste with salt and pepper and set them aside until ready to assemble the lasagna.

While the vegetables are baking, heat the 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat in a frying pan or saucepan and add the garlic. Cook the garlic until fragrant but not browned and then stir in the tomatoes. Simmer until the mixture is slightly thickened, ~15 minutes, stir in the basil, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce into a 4-cup measuring cup and add enough water to make 3½ cups total volume.

Spray with nonstick cooking spray or oil a 9” x13” baking pan and spread ½ cup of the tomato sauce evenly over the bottom. Lay three (uncooked, dry) noodles crosswise over the sauce, making sure they do not touch each other or the sides of the pan. Spread ¾ cup of the vegetables over the noodles, then ½ cup of the sauce, ¾ cup of the mozzarella and 2 tablespoons of the parmesan. Repeat the layering of the noodles, vegetables, sauce, mozzarella and parmesan three more times. For the fifth and final layer, lay four noodles crosswise over the previous layer (you may have to break the ends off a couple of the noodles to make them fit without overlapping) and top with remaining 1 cup sauce, 1 cup mozzarella and 2 tablespoons parmesan.

Place an oven rack in the middle position and turn the oven down to 375 degrees. Cover the pan tightly with a piece of aluminum foil sprayed with nonstick cooking spray and bake the lasagna for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking, until the top turns golden brown in spots, ~15 additional minutes. Remove the lasagna from the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes. Cut and serve immediately.

Based on recipe from Cook’s Illustrated

I had the leftovers from this kick ass mushroom lasagna that I made the other night.

Perhaps there should be a lasagna thread.

Ask and...

Zora--Have you had problems with the waterbath getting into the springform pan? No matter how I try to do this (wrap spring form in extra strength aluminum foil, what have you), I've never been successful with the waterbath and it drives me nuts. I would love to hear a tip or two from somebody who has made this work.

I usually bake around two dozen cheesecakes every Christmas as gifts and never use a waterbath!

If you are lazy and foolhardy like me, you might want to experiment with cooking your cheesecake at a very low temperature (275-300F). My favorite cheesecake bakes at 285 degrees for 1.5 hours. Then I turn off the oven and let it sit in there until it's cool enough that I can pull it out with my barehands. No cracks or issues with texture.

Yes, a waterbath is more fool-proof, but if you know your oven and watch the timing, it is possible to skip the hassle (and fit more pans in your oven).

Also, to avoid cracks in the tops, be very careful to whip as little air as possible into your cheesecake "batter". Having everything at room temperature really helps. You want the cake to rise as little as possible and also be sure not to overbake it.

Another option for those who'd rather stay with a waterbath is something I read just last night in Nick Malgieri's Perfect Cakes -- bake your water-bathed cheesecake in a solid, high-sided (~3") pan, cool, and chill thoroughly (covered), preferably overnight. Run a knife around the sides of the pan, heat the bottom of the pan, moving it around for a total of 5 seconds over a medium burner, put a piece of plastic wrap that has been sprayed with water over the top of the pan (it does not need to touch the top of the cheesecake) with the wet side down. Then invert onto a plate (or cutting board or back of a sheet pan) and pray. Remove the pan, invert the cake again onto your serving dish, peel off the pastic wrap and gently dap the top of the cheesecake with a piece of paper towel to remove any residual moisture.

The theory is that the small amount of water on the plastic wrap will keep it from sticking to the top of the cheese cake.

When I make cheesecakes, I nearly always remove them from the bottom part of the springform pan before serving/gifting, so I know that a fully-chilled cheesecake is surprisingly sturdy. And I can really see how the wet plastic could very well not mar the top of the cheesecake. But I have yet to attempt this method. So the big question is: who is going to try it first?

For last-minute disaster provisioning, I always recommend bulk Costco profiteroles, in the freezer section. Because when that extended ice-driven power outage eventually leads to the desperate OMG-I-have-to-eat-everything-perishable-or-throw-it-out stage, wouldn't it be great if the only items you had to go Kobayashi on were boxes of slowly-thawing cream-filled bon bons?

This is why my extra freezer is full of cakes and buttercream.

I could not wait until Mardi Gras... beignets!

You are all very welcome and thank you for the kind words.

Don't say "us" - this is 100% you.

But it definitely is an "us". cjsadler has done his share in creation of the index (especially with the wrangling of threads into some semblance of order) and MBK was kind enough to give it a final once-over before I posted it. I really appreciate their help and input.

P.S. And a big "Thank You" to Miss Meaghan for pointing out the control + F tip. I'd forgotten to note that!

For those stuck in registration limbo and wondering why you cannot post: PLEASE check your email spam folders for messages from donrockwell.com.

And once again...

If any of you are wondering what actually goes on during the member registration process, here is a run-down:

Register here to enter your choice of log-in name, display name and email address. This information then goes to create an account and you are listed as "Validating" in the registration queue. The password you enter always remains completely private and none of the administrators ever have access to it (which is why, if you forget your password, we need to temporarily reset it to something else).

Daily (usually around mid-morning), I send out validation letters to all of those who have registered in the last 24 hours. One of the main purposes of this letter is to show that the email address you gave when registering is a valid, working email address. We also ask for your first and last names, city of residence, how you found DR.com and if you are in the food industry (food writer, chef/cook, server, sommelier, food educator, food chemist, food/dining-related business owner and so on). This information is kept strictly private and only available to Don Rockwell and the site's membership administrators.

[if you have registered and do not receive a validation letter within 24 hours of registering, please, please, please check your email's spam repository!!! ]

Once I receive a response to the validation letter at the membership account address (the validation letters are sent from the main donrockwell.com email account -- if you simply hit the reply button and respond to that address, there will most likely be a delay before your response reaches the membership account), I enter your personal information in the membership spreadsheet and validate your account so you will be a "Member" and have full access to the board. You can then begin posting, search the site and access the Restaurant Guide.

At that point, I stop bugging you. However, if you ever do have any questions about your account, forget your log-in/password, want to change your display/log-in name, update your email address, or just have a question about the site, I am here. Just contact me via email or PM and I'll be happy to do whatever I can to be of assistance.

Trader Joe's freeze-dried, unsweetened & unsulfured mango. Not quite sure about them -- I think I like the regular-dried (semi-dried?) mango better. Yesterday, I also tried TJ's new toasted and lightly salted freeze-dried apple slices. Not quite sure about those either, but I did somehow manage to finish the whole bag.

More bagel discussion: click.

Please return to your high-minded conversation.

I'll try...

I have three reasons for disliking Rachel Ray: she has threatened me with rain when I wanted it to be fine; she has found fault with the hanging of my curricle, and I cannot pursuade her to buy my brown mare. If it will be any satisfaction to you, however, to be told, that I believe her charcter to be in other respects irreproachable, I am ready to confess it. And in return for an acknowledgement, which must give me some pain, you cannot deny me the privilege of disliking her as much ever.

[My sincerest apologies to Jane Austen ]

Upcoming Citronelle classes featuring recipes from Happy in the Kitchen.

Chef Richard makes his highly acclaimed cuisine accessible and exciting for the home cook.

Start the morning with coffee and croissants while Chef Richard guides you through the preparation of a gourmet three course meal, with recipes from his new book Happy in the Kitchen. Ask questions and learn the secrets of the trade. The menu with wine pairing is served immediately after the demonstration, in the beautiful Citronelle Dining Room, with wines presented by Citronelle's Sommelier and international wine consultant, Mark Slater.

Beginners to Advanced food lovers welcome.

Thursday, February 15th

Appetizer: Potato Risotto

Entree: Duck Duck Beet with French Fries

Dessert: Raspberry Vacherin

Thursday, March 15th

Appetizer: White Gazpacho

Entree: Squab with Potato Fried Rice

Dessert: Pastry Puff with berry Sugar

Thursday, April 26th

Appetizer: Bell Pepper Wellington in flaky Croissant Crust

Entree: Low Carbonara with Tuna Chile

Dessert: Black & White Chocolate Bar

Thursday, May 10th

Appetizer: Leek Tart with Smoked Salmon and Creme Fraiche

Entree: Spinach Wrapped Snapper

Dessert: Apple Pear Blueberry Tart

Thursday, May 24th Appetizer: Scallop Kataifi

Entree: Onion Crust White Fish with Tomato Water Sauce

Dessert: Black & White Macaroon

Thursday, June14th

Appetizer: Turnover of Mushroom

Entree: Napoleon of Trout

Dessert: Elephant Ear with Raspberry Ice Cream

Thursday, June 28th

Appetizer: Fennel Cole Slaw

Entree: Tuna Burger

Dessert: Lemoneg

10:30 AM – 2:00 PM

$130 - per person

Signed copies of Happy In the Kitchen will be available for sale.

for information and reservations: call Mel Davis 202 339-6304

In all seriousness, not sure if my list would look much different -- heavy on the baked goods. Maybe vote off the profiteroles and add some sourdough. And bacon.

This sounds amazing. Are they being served now? If so, I know where I need to go very soon . . .

I had the pumpkin-filled donuts at the end of November, so... ??? And they were served with a to-die-for butterscotch pudding.

1. Cheesecake

2. Cityzen Pumpkin-Filled Donuts

3. Creme Brulee

4. A Pear-sicle a la Corduroy

5. Profiteroles

Oh. A desert island...

2) I'd like to dry age it, but I'll be out of town for the weekend immediately preceding the Monday night get-together. Everything I've read about dry-aging in your fridge says that you need to change the towel covering daily. Is it possible/recommended to leave it over the weekend without changing the towel? Any other suggestions? I'll probably end up just buying it Sunday night and dry-aging it for 24 hrs, but I thought it might be worth asking.

Dry-Aging thread

(Yeah, you've probably already read it Mr. everything, but in case anyone else is looking for more information. )

They're back...