What are you Cooking?

[jamesbondsmith He/him]

21 hours ago, Treamayne said:

Did you use a yogurt marinade for the lamb? I've found it helps a lot with my Afghan curry (and other dishes). 

The recipes I found (and in the linked video) didn't have a marinade, so I didn't use one. Just seared the chops off, took them out, and then put them back in once the veggies had softened a bit. I'm not sure how well a yoghurt marinade would go in what is basically a one pot rice dish.

[Treamayne]

3 minutes ago, jamesbondsmith said:

The recipes I found (and in the linked video) didn't have a marinade, so I didn't use one. Just seared the chops off, took them out, and then put them back in once the veggies had softened a bit. I'm not sure how well a yoghurt marinade would go in what is basically a one pot rice dish.

For people that find mutton and lamb (Venison, etc.)to be "gamey" I use a yogurt marinade before cooking, as it draws the excess blood from the tissues (while tenderizing the meat) and reduces gameyness. Just light-rinse the reddened yogurt off before cooking. . . 

[Use the Falchion]

I haven't cooked a lot since my last post, but last night I tried out a recipe I've been thinking about for YEARS - Dessert Arancini. Basically, fried rice pudding. 

I made the rice pudding, smoked it with applewood for 6 minutes (3 on each side), chilled it in the freezer, coated it in crushed graham crackers, and fried it in duck fat. The flavors were all there and all amazing (although as time went on, the smoke flavor did become more pronounced) and I'd love to make this again...but the arancini shape didn't work. I kept needing to freeze the rice balls after coating them, and they'd fall apart when frying. If anyone has any tips on how to keep the structural integrity, they'd be greatly appreciated! Otherwise, next time, I'm just going to mix the duck fat and crushed graham crackers, sprinkle them over the top, and buy a torch to cook them. Like a rice pudding creme brulee. 

 

My next cooking adventure will probably be smoked mango served alongside blackened trout and some coconut risotto. (Bonus points if I can make duck earlier that week so I can make some duck stock and then use some of that duck stock in the risotto.) I'm not sure if I want to turn the mango into a salsa or anything, or just served it smoked. 

[Treamayne]

3 hours ago, Use the Falchion said:

I made the rice pudding, smoked it with applewood for 6 minutes (3 on each side), chilled it in the freezer, coated it in crushed graham crackers, and fried it in duck fat. The flavors were all there and all amazing (although as time went on, the smoke flavor did become more pronounced) and I'd love to make this again...but the arancini shape didn't work. I kept needing to freeze the rice balls after coating them, and they'd fall apart when frying. If anyone has any tips on how to keep the structural integrity, they'd be greatly appreciated!

Sounds amazing. Can you confirm you used Arborio rice?
(Arborio matters because it releases more starch in the cooking, which is that helps it hold together).

My technique for Arancini is to chill the risotto, form it into balls then freeze. Coat it after it's frozen and right before frying (by going into the oil semi-frozen, the center doesn't overcook and it's less likely to break apart). Hope that helps

[Cinnamon]

2 hours ago, Treamayne said:

My technique for Arancini is to chill the risotto, form it into balls then freeze. Coat it after it's frozen and right before frying (by going into the oil semi-frozen, the center doesn't overcook and it's less likely to break apart). Hope that helps

SMART. I'm going to try this next time I make some.

[Use the Falchion]

On 3/16/2025 at 11:15 AM, Treamayne said:

Sounds amazing. Can you confirm you used Arborio rice?
(Arborio matters because it releases more starch in the cooking, which is that helps it hold together).

My technique for Arancini is to chill the risotto, form it into balls then freeze. Coat it after it's frozen and right before frying (by going into the oil semi-frozen, the center doesn't overcook and it's less likely to break apart). Hope that helps

It was good! I can confirm that I did NOT use Arborio rice! I used short grain Japanese rice, since it's what my family cooks and has lying around. I'll definitely try with Arborio next time, and that along with the other tips, will hopefully work! (I'd probably freeze it again if I had time, but I started making the Rice Pudding late and it took a long time to just get it hard enough to form into balls.) 

 

Also, for my mom's birthday yesterday, we (me, representing my sister and I, mom, and dad) went to a steakhouse. For dessert, they served us a buttercake for dessert, and it was good. Like, so good I got legitimately mad. I want to make it. I want to perfect it. This is my new white whale...after the Dessert Arancini of course! 

[Treamayne]

4 minutes ago, Use the Falchion said:

It was good! I can confirm that I did NOT use Arborio rice! I used short grain Japanese rice, since it's what my family cooks and has lying around. I'll definitely try with Arborio next time, and that along with the other tips, will hopefully work! (I'd probably freeze it again if I had time, but I started making the Rice Pudding late and it took a long time to just get it hard enough to form into balls.) 

Yeah, the whole reason Arborio is used for Risotto is because it releases much more starch when cooked slowly (basically making it's own sauce of stock thickened with rice starch) - which is what holds the Riotto balls together when formed into Arancini. . . 

4 minutes ago, Use the Falchion said:

Also, for my mom's birthday yesterday, we (me, representing my sister and I, mom, and dad) went to a steakhouse. For dessert, they served us a buttercake for dessert, and it was good. Like, so good I got legitimately mad. I want to make it. I want to perfect it. This is my new white whale...after the Dessert Arancini of course! 

Sounds great - and a great goal to pursue. 

[#1 Taln Fan he/him]

On 5/21/2023 at 11:07 AM, Treamayne said:

Cooking (as a hobby) is entertainment, right? So, what are you cooking (with recipes if you want).

 

I realize it's a bit late, but I've moved this topic to the General Discussion subforum, as I don't think it really fits under Entertainment. 

[Treamayne]

59 minutes ago, #1 Taln Fan said:

I realize it's a bit late, but I've moved this topic to the General Discussion subforum, as I don't think it really fits under Entertainment. 

Copy all - sorry. I only followed the "What are you <blank>ing now" threads

[Duxredux he/him]

I'll throw this out there. I cook for friends and family with a variety of allergies including potatoes, rice, corn, black pepper, gluten (and celiac), milk, onion, garlic, olives, nuts, and tree nuts. Some gatherings are really hard to make meals for that everyone can eat without having to make more than 4 versions of a single dish, but considering some cases are anaphylactic, I often need to make everything from scratch.

Surprisingly, ChatGPT does a pretty remarkable job a making meal recommendation with the allergens in mind - though as with everything that is produced by generative AI, double check it and ideally compare it with an existing and trusted recipe. It even went so far as to list off brands of dairy free alternatives along with ingredient information if it was available based on the region I gave it. Sometimes it will check recipes and give recommendations on how to accommodate allergies by breaking down steps. For example, making BBQ pulled pork sandwiches and serving it on the appropriate bun to accommodate the gluten allergies. An obvious step perhaps, but it was nice to see it didn't filter out the recipe.

If there are other people out there who also have allergies that mean they can't eat most sauces or seasonings (our culprit is high fructose corn syrup), I find that it's well worth the time cooking up the sauce in bulk and going back to it over a year. I've done this for teriyaki sauce, Worchestershire sauce, and a couple others that often have gluten or corn. A lot of Chinese and Japanese dishes can be made to accommodate celiac restrictions if you get gluten-free soy sauce. If there's meals or foods that people have been missing due to an allergy, feel free to tag me and I'll see if I can come up with alternative methods. I'm a decent chef, not spectacular, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to help with anything too elaborate.

[Use the Falchion]

I tried to make a butter cake in muffin pans, in order to replicate some of the style of what was served at the restaurant my parents and I went to for my mom's birthday, and it...wasn't the best. I think the primary issue was the recipe. While I feel like the butter cake served as more akin to a snickerdoodle than a solid cake, or at least in-between the two, a majority of butter cake recipes I saw were either incredibly simple, or for a St. Louis Gooey Butter cake. I choose the latter, if only to see what would happen, and it was...okay. The best part was the top layer, and that tasted too similar to chess pie for me to enjoy it as much as I probably should have - after all, if I wanted a chess pie, I would have made a chess pie! The cake part was decent, but probably overcooked given that the recipe was meant for a sheet pan, muffin tins. Oh well, live and learn. 

 

I'm getting the urge to work on my Frankenstein (cheesy spinach-stuffed chicken breast that's panko-fried in duck fat and served over toasted spinach tagliatelle and vodka sauce) and then try out my smoked rice pudding arancini again for dessert, but I have no one to share the meal with, (as I plan on making it when my parents are out of town and I get to watch the house), and that's just sad. Oh well, eating for one never stopped me before! 

[Treamayne]

4 hours ago, Use the Falchion said:

The cake part was decent, but probably overcooked given that the recipe was meant for a sheet pan, muffin tins. Oh well, live and learn. 

Have you tried putting about an inch of water in a half-sheet pan, and placing the muffin pan in that? The water bath should help the cake batter heat evenly without getting the outsides done too quick for the center to finish cooking. Note: I have not done this with buttercake, but I have done it with a swirl of pumpkincake and brownie batter to make chocolate pumpkin swirl muffins.

In other news:

Tonight was V4 fo Jägerschnitzel (pork) with mushroom leek sauce over butter-parsley Spaetzle. I'm getting closer with with the spaetzle, but this time the batter(dough?) was a bit too thick so the spaetzle was more little balls than noodles (but the flavor was about where I wanted it).

Spoiler

Spaetzle:

2 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
1/2 cup Chicken Stock
1/4 cup cream
4 Eggs

I spun it in the stand mixer for nearly 10 minutes to get the texture it was supposed to have, and let it rest anothe 10 before cooking it in salted stock. Part of the problem is I'm still getting used to the Spaetzle "maker" (with the little batter holder - internet picture below) I received last year as a gift (so only second use of that tool).

Spoiler

Guess I need to try again. . .

 

[Use the Falchion]

14 hours ago, Treamayne said:

Have you tried putting about an inch of water in a half-sheet pan, and placing the muffin pan in that? The water bath should help the cake batter heat evenly without getting the outsides done too quick for the center to finish cooking. Note: I have not done this with buttercake, but I have done it with a swirl of pumpkincake and brownie batter to make chocolate pumpkin swirl muffins.

I've done it with other steamed cakes/breads (Souffle Cheesecake and Japanese Mushi-Pan), but not this. I want the outside to have a crisp, but the inside to be soft. Hence, the comparison to a cookie. 

[Use the Falchion]

Almost a year since my last update! I haven't made anything too fancy (I did make some well-received brown butter mashed potatoes tho), nor have I cooked any of the revised things discussed here yet, but I do have some upcoming things I'm excited about! 

First up is the smallest item: 

Bacon Jam - For some reason, the idea of a bacon and kimchi grilled cheese on Asiago bread has been haunting me for the past few weeks, so I really want to make it. But then I decided that bacon jam may work even better, and I'm dedicated to this now. (I'm holding back on doing one of those viral mashed potato grilled cheese thingies because I want this part to work first.) 

 

Next up we have two straight-up items and one hybrid item:

Butter Chicken Mac and Cheese - I saw a video on YouTube with this recipe, and I think it'd be a cool thing to add to the Thanksgiving menu when my sister is visiting her in-laws. (She usually does the Mac & Cheese, and my mom has her own classic recipe, but I need a new Mac & Cheese recipe, and I feel like this could be fun.) I imagine this will be a fun experiment and nothing more, but I want to try it all the same. 

Bourbon Buttermilk Cornbread - I love using bourbon in recipes, and I think this could be a smash hit. Like the above recipe, I want to add it to the Thanksgiving menu, but I need to test it out on a few subjects first and then run it by my mom. (As of 2024, I'm in charge of the turkey, but she still holds the keys to the full menu.) 

Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls - I plan on using this as a base recipe but doing some minor changes from other recipes. I'll do a Tangzhong from my favorite milk bread cinnamon rolls recipe, add buttermilk powder and brown butter to the sugar mixture (from this buttermilk brown butter cinnamon roll recipe), and drench the whole thing in heavy cream before cooking. (From multiple sources.) I don't expect this to be THAT much better, but I'm excited to try it out. 

 

I hope to make these before the end of February, but we'll see what happens. 

 

On Valentines Day, I plan on treating myself! I'm talking: 

Breakfast - Roast Duck and Pork Belly Eggs Benedict with a miso brown butter hollandaise sauce and creme anglaise French Toast. I plan on using the base recipes here and adding in a tablespoon or two of bourbon from this recipe I tried a few years ago. I'm toying with adding in some simple cheesy scrambled eggs and candied bacon, and then inviting my friend and his kids to breakfast, but it'll depend on how motivated I am. (Of course I'll invite his wife (aka my childhood friend/older sister in all but blood), but I assume she'll either be working or resting, so it'll be nice to be away from the kids.) 

Dinner - Wine-poached pear salad, Beef Wellington (served with a bourbon, red wine, and coffee sauce), Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes, and Pomme Paves. If I could poach some mussels in white wine and serve with a white wine butter sauce, then I'd be in heaven. Yes, this is a lot of carbs, but it's a food coma I'm willing to enter. 

Dessert - Linda's Fudge Cake from Cheesecake Factory, because it was either that or make a souffle cheesecake, and the advice I was given was "go all out but you're already doing too much; make dessert easy." 

We'll see how much I actually do.

 

Finally, during Spring Break, I'll attempt to make the Dessert Arancini again. 

 

On 3/16/2025 at 7:24 AM, Use the Falchion said:

My next cooking adventure will probably be smoked mango served alongside blackened trout and some coconut risotto.

Can confirm that this was NOT my next cooking adventure lol! But I still want to try this! Maybe during Spring Break I could do a 2-Day thingy. On Day 1, I make this and smoke the rice pudding for the Dessert Arancini before freezing it. Day 2 I make the Frankenstein and serve it with the Dessert Arancini. We'll see. 

[Verdance he/him]

I found these green onions in my backyard, ripped them from the earth, washed and cleaned them, then cut them up and threw them in a pan with some white onion, garlic, oil, and sausage, then dumped that over some tater tots and grated cheese on it. I never do stuff like this so it was fun!

[Usseewa]

omg so yum!

and sounds extremely fun and good and undepressing!

tho sometimes looking at/thinking of food makes me sick :3

(nothing against your food it looks delish but just sayin)

[Verdance he/him]

1 hour ago, Through The Living Girl said:

omg so yum!

and sounds extremely fun and good and undepressing!

tho sometimes looking at/thinking of food makes me sick :3

(nothing against your food it looks delish but just sayin)

Ya fair enough

[jamesbondsmith He/him]

What, if anything, do I need to do differently when cooking Impossible Meat? I was going to try a small bolognese and maybe a stirfry, I'm presuming I can't cook it for hours like a normal bolognese would be.