Official Food Thread, v. Lonestar

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

I made this v. Lonestar because (as far as I'm concerned) he's the head chef around here.

Mrs. Cozmo and I just made some Pennsylvania Dutch-style chicken corn soup from scratch.  Good God was it awesome.   

It was a lot of work and being the first time we've ever made it, we have learned a couple of things to do differently to really knock it out of the park next time.  Not that it wasn't good this time, but next time it'll be even better.

Discuss your awesome food making experiences/killer recipes.

[lonestar]

I am truly honored.  Thank you.  As far as food goes, tonights special, we have a pan roasted alaskan halibut, a maitake mushroom rissotto, and a carmelized shallot and fennel ragout.  Fucking killer!

[73109]

Damn dude! Where exactly do you work?

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

I am truly honored.  Thank you.  As far as food goes, tonights special, we have a pan roasted alaskan halibut, a maitake mushroom rissotto, and a carmelized shallot and fennel ragout.  Fucking killer!

My pleasure!  Mmmmm, sounds good.  I've never had halibut before, but I have always wanted to try it.

Let me ask you, the recipe we semi-followed for tonight's soup called for saffron.  I was not going to pay $15 for a bottle of anything on the seasoning aisle.    We chose not to use it, but are we really missing out on something special flavor-wise by not using it or not so much?

[lonestar]

Damn dude! Where exactly do you work?

I'm a sous chef at one of the restaraunts in the Claremont hotel in Berkeley, Ca.
Here is a pic of the place...

Dinner shift is starting, see you guys in a couple hrs.

[axeman90210]

my contribution for Thanksgiving was a pumpkin spice cake with vanilla mascarpone frosting, glazed walnuts, and a pumpkin ale anglaise. As if this cake isn't awesome enough, there's beer in every part of it: porter in the cake and frosting, the walnuts are in an IPA glaze, and the anglaise is made with a generous helping of a pumpkin ale

[lonestar]

my contribution for Thanksgiving was a pumpkin spice cake with vanilla mascarpone frosting, glazed walnuts, and a pumpkin ale anglaise. As if this cake isn't awesome enough, there's beer in every part of it: porter in the cake and frosting, the walnuts are in an IPA glaze, and the anglaise is made with a generous helping of a pumpkin ale

The pumpkin ale anglaise sound killer.  Cooking with beer rocks.(actually, the whole thing sounds good, desserts have never been my forte, so I always like hearing good ideas)

[ZachyDou]

After visiting my brother at Kings University, I'm glad to be home where the food isnt... ya know... shit.

[axeman90210]

my contribution for Thanksgiving was a pumpkin spice cake with vanilla mascarpone frosting, glazed walnuts, and a pumpkin ale anglaise. As if this cake isn't awesome enough, there's beer in every part of it: porter in the cake and frosting, the walnuts are in an IPA glaze, and the anglaise is made with a generous helping of a pumpkin ale

The pumpkin ale anglaise sound killer.  Cooking with beer rocks.(actually, the whole thing sounds good, desserts have never been my forte, so I always like hearing good ideas)

cooking with beer is indeed awesome, especially when all the half empty bottles need to somehow be emptied

the anglaise was definitely the easiest part though... heavy cream, brown sugar, egg yolk, and plenty of pumpkin ale. It was my first dessert though... quite an adventure. I've got a somewhat simpler chocolate cake made with chocolate stout beer lined up for christmas

[Space Invader]

After visiting my brother at Kings University, I'm glad to be home where the food isnt... ya know... shit.

We deal. 

Today we had eggs florentine with hollondaise sauce.
Rockin'

[73109]

After visiting my brother at Kings University, I'm glad to be home where the food isnt... ya know... shit.

I was within walking distance of you...too bad.

[ZachyDou]

You live in Halifax?
Space Invader (post above you) is my brother.
Global Laziness and XianL also live near there.

[73109]

Different King's University then. My bad.

[lonestar]

Just started my shift, and after 14 out of 15 days and three double shifts(hope your enjoying your vacation boss), my culinary brain is shit.  So I gotta make a soup for tomorrow but don't feel like coming up with a fresh idea.  Any thoughts DTF? I"ll check back in a couple of hours.

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

I scoured the internet looking for different Mulligatawny recipes several years ago.  Basically a spicy chicken/vegetable soup.  I took my favorite bits from each and adapted them all into my own "Bastard Mulligatawny" recipe.  It's a lot of ingredients and a lot of work, but everyone who has ever tried it said it was delicious.

[millahh]

Just started my shift, and after 14 out of 15 days and three double shifts(hope your enjoying your vacation boss), my culinary brain is shit.  So I gotta make a soup for tomorrow but don't feel like coming up with a fresh idea.  Any thoughts DTF? I"ll check back in a couple of hours.

Something involving butternut squash and rosemary?  I guess it depends on how your weather is as to how appropriate that would be.

[lonestar]

Just started my shift, and after 14 out of 15 days and three double shifts(hope your enjoying your vacation boss), my culinary brain is shit.  So I gotta make a soup for tomorrow but don't feel like coming up with a fresh idea.  Any thoughts DTF? I"ll check back in a couple of hours.

Something involving butternut squash and rosemary?  I guess it depends on how your weather is as to how appropriate that would be.

Good idea, but that was our holiday soup last week.

[faemir]

I just made some iced cakes, does that count? (I LOVE ICING)

[lonestar]

I just made some iced cakes, does that count? (I LOVE ICING)

Anything edible counts.

So I finally settled on a roasted fennel bisque with hints of orange(IDK, but I've been on a fennel/orange kick lately, it's a win combo) and it turned out very nice.  I think I'll reduce some Grand Manier and drizzle it on top as a garnish.

[Space Invader]

I just made some iced cakes, does that count? (I LOVE ICING)

Anything edible counts.

So I finally settled on a roasted fennel bisque with hints of orange(IDK, but I've been on a fennel/orange kick lately, it's a win combo) and it turned out very nice.  I think I'll reduce some Grand Manier and drizzle it on top as a garnish.

Wow. My suggestion was going to be Cream of Mushroom, but your suggestin rocks harder than a back stage pass to Gigantour.

[lonestar]

I just made some iced cakes, does that count? (I LOVE ICING)

Anything edible counts.

So I finally settled on a roasted fennel bisque with hints of orange(IDK, but I've been on a fennel/orange kick lately, it's a win combo) and it turned out very nice.  I think I'll reduce some Grand Manier and drizzle it on top as a garnish.

Wow. My suggestion was going to be Cream of Mushroom, but your suggestin rocks harder than a back stage pass to Gigantour.

My young padawan chef, never underestimate the power of a good cream of mushroom.

[Space Invader]

I just made some iced cakes, does that count? (I LOVE ICING)

Anything edible counts.

So I finally settled on a roasted fennel bisque with hints of orange(IDK, but I've been on a fennel/orange kick lately, it's a win combo) and it turned out very nice.  I think I'll reduce some Grand Manier and drizzle it on top as a garnish.

Wow. My suggestion was going to be Cream of Mushroom, but your suggestin rocks harder than a back stage pass to Gigantour.

My young padawan chef, never underestimate the power of a good cream of mushroom.

I know. It's my favorite soup. 

[El Barto]

I've really gotten into cooking a whole lot more over the last six months or so.  A lot of it has to do with the Cooking Coarse videos on youtube.  Chef Todd is about the most annoying guy on the planet, but his technique for teaching is extraordinary.  Recipes are worthless in comparison to actually learning the fundamentals and going with them.  Just learning how to combine a starch, a fat, and a liquid will automatically make you far better than any cookbook ever could.  It's all about learning how to do things and then improvising.

As for me, I've been on an Asian rampage lately.  I actually went out and bought a decent quality fry-pan specifically for the purpose of stir-frying (electric stove), and it's been a fantastic investment.   

[lonestar]

Barto, I agree that most cookbooks are useless when it comes to learning technique and theory, but there are some that are very useful.  Check out the actual text they use in culinary schools, the most popular being The New Professional Chef.  They cover all the various dry heat and moist heat cooking methods, and once you learn the fine differences in these methods,  It will help immensly in day to day application.  They will also move from the basics, i.e. butchering, stocks, sauce theory, and product knowledge, to advanced techniques, some of which I haven't had a need for in years.  Nothing, of course, beats lots and lots of practice cooking(and eating) good food.

[Sigz]

I really need to get into cooking, at least a little beyond my current skills of 'boil pasta and add tomato sauce', 'cut and toast bagel', and 'put burger patty on foreman grill, wait seven minutes'.

[Space Invader]

I really need to get into cooking, at least a little beyond my current skills of 'boil pasta and add tomato sauce', 'cut and toast bagel', and 'put burger patty on foreman grill, wait seven minutes'.

I only wish I could cook like lonestar. 

[MetalManiac666]

I scoured the internet looking for different Mulligatawny recipes several years ago.  Basically a spicy chicken/vegetable soup.  I took my favorite bits from each and adapted them all into my own "Bastard Mulligatawny" recipe.  It's a lot of ingredients and a lot of work, but everyone who has ever tried it said it was delicious.

Mulligatawny soup is amazing.  Gotta have green apples though.

[ehra]

Barto, I agree that most cookbooks are useless when it comes to learning technique and theory, but there are some that are very useful.  Check out the actual text they use in culinary schools, the most popular being The New Professional Chef.  They cover all the various dry heat and moist heat cooking methods, and once you learn the fine differences in these methods,  It will help immensly in day to day application.  They will also move from the basics, i.e. butchering, stocks, sauce theory, and product knowledge, to advanced techniques, some of which I haven't had a need for in years.  Nothing, of course, beats lots and lots of practice cooking(and eating) good food.

Now I know what my next self-gift will be. Thanks 

[Space Invader]

I think lonestar should post some basic recipes here to get us lowly amateurs started. It's help us lear the basics if wer get tips from a pro.
No obligation, of course. But it might be fun to try our hands at some of our resident culinary master's faves.

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

I scoured the internet looking for different Mulligatawny recipes several years ago.  Basically a spicy chicken/vegetable soup.  I took my favorite bits from each and adapted them all into my own "Bastard Mulligatawny" recipe.  It's a lot of ingredients and a lot of work, but everyone who has ever tried it said it was delicious.

Mulligatawny soup is amazing.  Gotta have green apples though.

Granny Smith, to be exact.

[Dr. DTVT]

I was going to post this in a new thread, but I figure I'll just ask Lonestar here.  Do you have any recommendations based on personal experience for a good knife?  I know the general pros/cons of the various alloys available, but don't have much practical experience other than the Japanese santoku knife my Japanese friend gave me is vastly superior than any knife I've had.  It's a chrome-steel alloy I believe.

[lonestar]

I was going to post this in a new thread, but I figure I'll just ask Lonestar here.  Do you have any recommendations based on personal experience for a good knife?  I know the general pros/cons of the various alloys available, but don't have much practical experience other than the Japanese santoku knife my Japanese friend gave me is vastly superior than any knife I've had.  It's a chrome-steel alloy I believe.

It seems you've settled on the santoku design, which is a good, multi purpose knife(I use a Japanese cleaver myself, no reason, just what I'm comfortable with).  When deciding on a brand, look for the brands with the best warranties.  Though you may pay $120 for a Henkell or Wusthoff,  the knives are very durable, and have a lifetime warranty for most defects, i.e., if the handle comes apart, you just take it to any retailer and they will give you a new one.  The only other advice I can give is to buy it at a knife specialty shop that offers sharpening services, and develop a relationship with them so that your knife remaines in good condition.  Being comfortable with a knife and keeping it sharp is the best way to keep your fingers.

[faemir]

So I made some brownies. 'nuff said

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

Mrs. Cozmo made stuffed bell peppers last night.  Usually I'm not AS big a fan, but this time, prior to stuffing and baking them, the cut the tops of the peppers off, emptied them, and boiled them.

WOW, what a difference.  I've had them a number of times just stuffed right off the shelf and cooked.  Having boiled them a little first made them way easier to cut, much more tender, and (AFAIC) better tasting.  I need to look into the videos El Barto suggested as well as the book lonestar mentioned.

[ehra]

I need to look into the videos El Barto suggested as well as the book lonestar mentioned.

I looked through most of the videos El Barto mentioned last night. Lots of good stuff there.