Suggestions for culinary assignment

[macmesser]

This thread definitely deserves five stars! Didn't know you two were such culinary enthusiasts, mscriv and DP! Bresaola, fondue....mmmmmh...

My general rule is Italian food and French wine. Can't go wrong with that. Preferably some bruschetta (garlic and/or tomatoe) before main course.

French wine is good, but when I'm enjoying a paesano dinner a really nice chianti generally hits the spot. Add some fava beans and Hannibal Lector can eat his heart out.

I've been running late this week so I didn't get a chance to shop before this morning. Fortunately (did I say that?), we are having a snow storm and it's starting to stick. The stores were crazy but I got everything I need and as an added bonus they told me to stay home because we're closing early. I just put everything away and now can start reviewing the plan, which came together as an evolution of all the suggestions.

1) Bresaola dumplings.
2) Endive with goat cheese, mandarin orange slices (got some blood oranges too, to mix it up a bit) and almonds drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and sherry vinegar.
3) Endive with flaked smoked salmon and horseradish mayonnaise salad
4) Broiled sea scallops with proscuitto, sage and lemon

Tonight I'll stage everything and fight for kitchen space tomorrow. Will definitely take some pics, even if the aesthetics are not as great as they should be.

Thanks for all the great suggestions! Can't wait to taste them. Suggestions not used will be tried next time but they went into the hopper and helped me decide anyway.

ps- What would your recommendation be in a French wine?

 

[macmesser]

Photos or it didn't happen, eh?

Went well! Here are some pics; sorry for the poor quality. I had a last minute menu change and instead of endive with the smoked salmon salad I substituted whole wheat crackers. The others were as planned:1)prosciutto-wrapped sea scallops with lemon and sage, 2)endive w. goat cheese and mandarin oranges, 3)bresaola dumplings stuffed with goat cheese. The group as a whole found 2 and 3 different and really loved them. The scallops and smoked salmon were more familiar but were equally praised. Got a "Good job!" from the other cooks.

Thanks again for suggestions!

ps- Didn't get a pic of the smoked salmon salad.

 

[Don't panic]

good job! they look really good
I will try the prosciutto wrapped scallops and the endive with goat cheese and mandarin/oranges. blood oranges is a nice touch. they are my favorite fruit by far, but I haven't seen them in stores yet here.

 

[macmesser]

good job! they look really good
I will try the prosciutto wrapped scallops and the endive with goat cheese and mandarin/oranges. blood oranges is a nice touch. they are my favorite fruit by far, but I haven't seen them in stores yet here.

I love blood oranges too. The endive/cheese/orange was dressed, as suggested, with extra virgin and sherry vinegar. Sprinkled with chopped chives and almond shavings.

The scallops were dressed with fresh squeezed lemon juice and fresh chopped sage leaves. Broil them at low around six inches from the heat for about 6-8 minutes, or until they just turn translucent all the way through. They will render some juice which should spooned over them after sprinkling with sage. Then squeeze lemon over them and "baste" with the mixed juices until the sage is distributed and all are moistened.


A little black pepper on both dishes. I think the finishing details like these are very important since they add lots of flavor (and get compliments), although personally I could have chowed down on either of them in an undressed version.

Next time I do the bresaola I might try stuffing with something a little more like braciole stuffing. Maybe add some chopped raisins and pignoli nuts, and some flaked parmesan cheese (may be too much).

I could have done the presentation better, especially on the endive/orange/cheese. Practice.

 

[dec.]

Late to the party, but anyway: One of my absolute favorite hors d'oeuvres recipes and it looks all xmassy too and both foodies and non-foodies really loved it.

Rosemary skewered chicken bites

The marinade is perfect and the dipping sauce goes extremely well and you can adjust the recipe to cooking the chicken cubes in a frying pan instead of bbq'ing it with the chicken skewered on the rosemary twig. And there are so many ways to arrange it nicely, not everyone has 30 shot glasses around like they did it in the pic..

(on a side note - the links go to the lcbo, the provincial corporation that runs the liquor stores in Ontario - they have a free publication "Food and Drink" which comes out quarter yearly, it's amazing and has tons of great recipes and is well designed (at least you can see where some of the taxes that we pay on our booze goes))

 

[macmesser]

Late to the party, but anyway: One of my absolute favorite hors d'oeuvres recipes and it looks all xmassy too and both foodies and non-foodies really loved it.

Rosemary skewered chicken bites

The marinade is perfect and the dipping sauce goes extremely well and you can adjust the recipe to cooking the chicken cubes in a frying pan instead of bbq'ing it with the chicken skewered on the rosemary twig. And there are so many ways to arrange it nicely, not everyone has 30 shot glasses around like they did it in the pic..

Image

(on a side note - the links go to the lcbo, the provincial corporation that runs the liquor stores in Ontario - they have a free publication "Food and Drink" which comes out quarter yearly, it's amazing and has tons of great recipes and is well designed (at least you can see where some of the taxes that we pay on our booze goes))

Sounds really good!

 

[twietee]

My personal favorite lasagna is the one with meat, spinach, sauce hollandaise (nutmeg!) and no tomatoes.

For a casserole with tomatoes I'd suggest a nice and peppy mussaka.


What's with the desert? Crêpes?

 

[Don't panic]

Late to the party, but anyway: One of my absolute favorite hors d'oeuvres recipes and it looks all xmassy too and both foodies and non-foodies really loved it.

Rosemary skewered chicken bites

The marinade is perfect and the dipping sauce goes extremely well and you can adjust the recipe to cooking the chicken cubes in a frying pan instead of bbq'ing it with the chicken skewered on the rosemary twig. And there are so many ways to arrange it nicely, not everyone has 30 shot glasses around like they did it in the pic..

Image

(on a side note - the links go to the lcbo, the provincial corporation that runs the liquor stores in Ontario - they have a free publication "Food and Drink" which comes out quarter yearly, it's amazing and has tons of great recipes and is well designed (at least you can see where some of the taxes that we pay on our booze goes))

mmmmh. looks delicious
going to try that one too.
how about a variation with shrimps?

 

[macmesser]

My personal favorite lasagna is the one with meat, spinach, sauce hollandaise (nutmeg!) and no tomatoes.

For a casserole with tomatoes I'd suggest a nice and peppy mussaka.


What's with the desert? Crêpes?

That's a good idea. I like moussaka.

We had lasagna with tomato sauce, lots of spinach. I think I've had the one you describe. As I recall it was very good. Will have to see if someone has a recipe. I'd bet I can convince my sister to give it a try.

No crepes, just cookies from a good Italian bakery and someone brought shishkebab-like things with little cubes of cakes and pieces of various fruits, which had been dipped in chocolate. By desert time I was pretty full, so I didn't indulge.

 

[dec.]

mmmmh. looks delicious
going to try that one too.
how about a variation with shrimps?

Actually I made rosemary skewered shrimp a while ago, same procedure, although the recipe suggested a mint pesto, which worked out just great too, but I could imagine that the original dip with the chicken goes great with shrimp too.

 

[twietee]

That's a good idea. I like moussaka.

We had lasagna with tomato sauce, lots of spinach. I think I've had the one you describe. As I recall it was very good. Will have to see if someone has a recipe. I'd bet I can convince my sister to give it

No, no, no! No tomatoes and definitely no tomato sauce!

Just kidding, but I prefer it with sauce hollandaise, love the strong nutmeg and pepper flavor. Or a proper bolognese. But both combined?! Dunno, maybe perfect.

I can look after our traditional recipe tomorrow evening if you're interested.

 

[Don't panic]

No, no, no! No tomatoes and definitely no tomato sauce!

Just kidding, but I prefer it with sauce hollandaise, love the strong nutmeg and pepper flavor. Or a proper bolognese. But both combined?! Dunno, maybe perfect.

I can look after our traditional recipe tomorrow evening if you're interested.

proper lasagna definitively has ragout bolognese (which includes some tomato sauce) AND béchamel -with nutmeg of course- in alternate layers and parmesan. no spinach.

 

[mobilehaathi]

Went well! Here are some pics; sorry for the poor quality. I had a last minute menu change and instead of endive with the smoked salmon salad I substituted whole wheat crackers. The others were as planned:1)prosciutto-wrapped sea scallops with lemon and sage, 2)endive w. goat cheese and mandarin oranges, 3)bresaola dumplings stuffed with goat cheese. The group as a whole found 2 and 3 different and really loved them. The scallops and smoked salmon were more familiar but were equally praised. Got a "Good job!" from the other cooks.

Thanks again for suggestions!

ps- Didn't get a pic of the smoked salmon salad.

Cheers! Glad everyone enjoyed it!

 

[macmesser]

No, no, no! No tomatoes and definitely no tomato sauce!

Just kidding, but I prefer it with sauce hollandaise, love the strong nutmeg and pepper flavor. Or a proper bolognese. But both combined?! Dunno, maybe perfect.

I can look after our traditional recipe tomorrow evening if you're interested.

I don't think tomato and nutmeg would work either. Would love to see your recipe. Thanks.

 

[dec.]

I don't really know and care how "authentic" my lasagne is or not - and so far I've taken short cuts with the pasta as I buy pre-made sheets (the ones to boil, oven-ready sucks) (but since I've gotten a kitchen aid stand mixer for xmas, that might change, once I get the pasta attachment... mmmm fresh pasta with incorporated herbs and stuff)(it's not xmas but we've exchanged a few gifts already, we're both bad).

Anyway, the way I do it is pretty simple

I use about 1 pound each of ground beef and ground pork (beef only is too dry), 2 medium onions, a pound of mushrooms, one to two cans of diced tomatoes, a ton of garlic, red wine (usually merlot or cabernet sauvignon), beef broth if necessary...

Sautee the onion for a bit in olive oil, add the meat, while browning it add the mushrooms (sliced, although I usually dice one or two mushrooms really fine as it adds a ton of mushroom flavour) and 4 or 7 finely chopped cloves of garlic (garlic FTW), pour in maybe a cup of red wine or so and add the diced tomatoes and one or two bay leafs, season with approx. 2 teaspoons of dried thyme, rosemary, oregano each, add cayenne pepper (always add cayenne pepper!), salt and black pepper (fresh ground, there's a huge difference between pre-ground and fresh ground pepper), let it simmer until it thickens well. It's important that it's not liquidy at all. Runny lasagne sucks, I often spoon out a few ladles of sauce when I see that there's too much liquid. Try it and adjust some of the herbs and seasonings, if necessary (it usually is).

For the béchamel, I start off with 2 or 3 tablespoons of butter, heat and melt, add 2 tablespoons of white flour, whisk and let it get nice and golden in the pot for a minute or so (I often pour in a few drops of water or cream if it sticks too much to the pot) and then add 2 to 3 cups of cream (I use half-and-half, since I always have it around, other people might prefer milk or whatever), add a few pinches of cayenne, nutmeg (I'll repeat myself and say fresh grated yay!) and then add about a cup of grated parmesan (I'm bad, I don't hate Kraft shaker cheese as much as I should as a lover of fresh parmesan, but to be clear, in this case it's definitely fresh grated from a nice wedge of parmesan, a good sized wedge is about $30 at our Costco, but it's totally worth it, I grate(great ) that stuff on everything).

Take a baking dish, start off with a thin layer of meat sauce, drizzle béchamel on top, add a layer of pasta, rinse and repeat... (I usually end up with a ton f béchamel leftover, but that's always fun to put on top), finish off with fresh grated cheese like cheddar, mozzarella (and also that what non-americans know as mozzarella, the real fresh stuff... that was one of the biggest confusions when I came to Canada... "what, your mozzarella isn't a big round soft ball?"...). In the summer I throw a few fresh basil leaves in with the cheese as I grow it fresh in the backyard... season the cheese with salt and pepper, bake the whole thing for 35 minutes at 375 degrees and you should be good to go!

The end.

 

[twietee]

proper lasagna definitively has ragout bolognese (which includes some tomato sauce) AND béchamel -with nutmeg of course- in alternate layers and parmesan. no spinach.

I don't think tomato and nutmeg would work either. Would love to see your recipe. Thanks.

Wow. I screwed up royally. DP is right of course: béchamel sauce not sauce hollandaise :roll eyes:

Nevertheless, I still recommend at least trying it once with spinach but without tomato sauce. Although that is not the canonical lasagna DP pointed out - it's still great! Especially as a differential to spagetthi bolognese , which I do eat rather often.

Searching the recipe this afternoon. Hope I get that translated properly though..

 

[macmesser]

I don't really know and care how "authentic" my lasagne is or not - and so far I've taken short cuts with the pasta as I buy pre-made sheets (the ones to boil, oven-ready sucks) (but since I've gotten a kitchen aid stand mixer for xmas, that might change, once I get the pasta attachment... mmmm fresh pasta with incorporated herbs and stuff)(it's not xmas but we've exchanged a few gifts already, we're both bad).

Anyway, the way I do it is pretty simple

I use about 1 pound each of ground beef and ground pork (beef only is too dry), 2 medium onions, a pound of mushrooms, one to two cans of diced tomatoes, a ton of garlic, red wine (usually merlot or cabernet sauvignon), beef broth if necessary...

Sautee the onion for a bit in olive oil, add the meat, while browning it add the mushrooms (sliced, although I usually dice one or two mushrooms really fine as it adds a ton of mushroom flavour) and 4 or 7 finely chopped cloves of garlic (garlic FTW), pour in maybe a cup of red wine or so and add the diced tomatoes and one or two bay leafs, season with approx. 2 teaspoons of dried thyme, rosemary, oregano each, add cayenne pepper (always add cayenne pepper!), salt and black pepper (fresh ground, there's a huge difference between pre-ground and fresh ground pepper), let it simmer until it thickens well. It's important that it's not liquidy at all. Runny lasagne sucks, I often spoon out a few ladles of sauce when I see that there's too much liquid. Try it and adjust some of the herbs and seasonings, if necessary (it usually is).

For the béchamel, I start off with 2 or 3 tablespoons of butter, heat and melt, add 2 tablespoons of white flour, whisk and let it get nice and golden in the pot for a minute or so (I often pour in a few drops of water or cream if it sticks too much to the pot) and then add 2 to 3 cups of cream (I use half-and-half, since I always have it around, other people might prefer milk or whatever), add a few pinches of cayenne, nutmeg (I'll repeat myself and say fresh grated yay!) and then add about a cup of grated parmesan (I'm bad, I don't hate Kraft shaker cheese as much as I should as a lover of fresh parmesan, but to be clear, in this case it's definitely fresh grated from a nice wedge of parmesan, a good sized wedge is about $30 at our Costco, but it's totally worth it, I grate(great ) that stuff on everything).

Take a baking dish, start off with a thin layer of meat sauce, drizzle béchamel on top, add a layer of pasta, rinse and repeat... (I usually end up with a ton f béchamel leftover, but that's always fun to put on top), finish off with fresh grated cheese like cheddar, mozzarella (and also that what non-americans know as mozzarella, the real fresh stuff... that was one of the biggest confusions when I came to Canada... "what, your mozzarella isn't a big round soft ball?"...). In the summer I throw a few fresh basil leaves in with the cheese as I grow it fresh in the backyard... season the cheese with salt and pepper, bake the whole thing for 35 minutes at 375 degrees and you should be good to go!

The end.

Thanks for recipe!

----------

proper lasagna definitively has ragout bolognese (which includes some tomato sauce) AND béchamel -with nutmeg of course- in alternate layers and parmesan. no spinach.

I remember once as a very young child my grandmother made a lasagna which tasted very different than her usual, but delicious. There was nutmeg in it. I asked her and she explained that she made "it the way it's supposed to be made, but your grandfather likes it the other way better." My grandfather was a Sicilian immigrant and my grandmother was first generation, with a family name that is common in northern Italy. I never had that version more than once or twice at a family dinner. May have had it a few times at catered affairs.

 

[Don't panic]

Wow. I screwed up royally. DP is right of course: béchamel sauce not sauce hollandaise :roll eyes:

Nevertheless, I still recommend at least trying it once with spinach but without tomato sauce. Although that is not the canonical lasagna DP pointed out - it's still great! Especially as a differential to spagetthi bolognese , which I do eat rather often.

Searching the recipe this afternoon. Hope I get that translated properly though..

Oh, I am sure they are good. in fact i like many sorts of variants (others... not so much! ). just wanted to point out what the 'proper' one was supposed to be

man, I can't wait for the holidays to start so i have time to cook (and eat) the good stuff.

----------

Thanks for recipe!

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I remember once as a very young child my grandmother made a lasagna which tasted very different than her usual, but delicious. There was nutmeg in it. I asked her and she explained that she made "it the way it's supposed to be made, but your grandfather likes it the other way better." My grandfather was a Sicilian immigrant and my grandmother was first generation, with a family name that is common in northern Italy. I never had that version more than once or twice at a family dinner. May have had it a few times at catered affairs.

yep, Dec's recipes looks really good (although if i was to nitpick, which of course i am about to do, i would say that the bottom layer should be (double) pasta, to 'hold' the rest, and for additional crunchy deliciousness. Also, in our recipe there are usually no mushrooms).

and your granny sure knew her stuff!
In any case, I am strong believer that there are no 'fixed' recipes. tweaking to your taste (and more often in my case, to the available ingredients ) is an essential aspect of cooking.

 

[macmesser]

Cheers! Glad everyone enjoyed it!

It was a little hard to get the orange slices positioned nicely. I had sliced the oranges latitudinally. Is that what you meant, or should I have used sections? At any rate, appearance is secondary if important. Guests thought these were very good and very different.

 

[mobilehaathi]

It was a little hard to get the orange slices positioned nicely. I had sliced the oranges latitudinally. Is that what you meant, or should I have used sections? At any rate, appearance is secondary if important. Guests thought these were very good and very different.

I typically use satsumas or some kind of tiny citrus and either cut them quite small or use the whole sections if they are very tiny. I like a somewhat lower ratio of orange to everything else. But then again I can't tell how thin you sliced yours. Usually when I make them they look like little endive boats with goat cheese and a small peak of orange sprinkled with almond and chive. Importantly though, you and your guests liked them. So I'd call it a success!

 

[macmesser]

I typically use satsumas or some kind of tiny citrus and either cut them quite small or use the whole sections if they are very tiny. I like a somewhat lower ratio of orange to everything else. But then again I can't tell how thin you sliced yours. Usually when I make them they look like little endive boats with goat cheese and a small peak of orange sprinkled with almond and chive. Importantly though, you and your guests liked them. So I'd call it a success!

Think I got the image. I'll try using sections. Thanks!