To fuck or to cook?

[bold_n_brazen]

Originally posted by pony_trekker
I picked up some Old Bay seasoning and sprinkled it on some fries to emulate the Crab Fries I ate at Lincoln Financial.

Oh man, is this stuff good. I am relieved to find that it doesn't have MSG -- that hot feeling I get is from Mace and Red Pepper. I can't stop eating once I start.

What's the problem then? Sounds good to me.

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally posted by pony_trekker
I picked up some Old Bay seasoning and sprinkled it on some fries to emulate the Crab Fries I ate at Lincoln Financial.

Oh man, is this stuff good. I am relieved to find that it doesn't have MSG -- that hot feeling I get is from Mace and Red Pepper. I can't stop eating once I start.

the smell and taste of mace would remind me of my "dating" days. .......Sigh.........

[robustpuppy]

I picked up some buttermilk to use in a new muffin recipe (Carrot-Apple-Nut, with toasted walnuts and cranberries subbed for the recommended raisins), and I'm looking for ways to use the rest of it, other than in pancakes or 3 more batches of the same muffins (or in mashed potatoes or biscuits). The muffins were a huge hit at home, so I will want to make them pretty regularly, but not 4 dozen at a time, and so I'll want to concentrate my buttermilk-related cooking/baking whenever I do.

I know we talked about buttermilk on the board before, but I am too lazy to search and sift, so if anybody has any suggestions, please let me know. It would be good if your recipes did not require me to go out and obtain another perishable ingredient that I can only buy in a quantity larger than I need for the recipe.

FYI, these muffins were very nice. Only 2/3 cup brown sugar for a 16-muffin yield, so not too sweet, and I think 1 1/3 cup buttermilk and half a stick of butter, so the fat content is only very unhealthy, rather than extremely so. (I have to admit that I pay little attention to fat content in recipes.)

[robustpuppy]

Look what I found when I googled buttermilk:

http://homecooking.about.com/library/archive/blc27.htm

Dr Pepper Texas Chocolate Cake!

You will note that they got the "Dr" correct - no period.

[Pepper Timmy]

Originally posted by robustpuppy


Dr Pepper Texas Chocolate Cake!

You will note that they got the "Dr" correct - no period.

Kudos to them on that.

But what a waste of a fine beverage.

[Cletus Miller]

Originally posted by robustpuppy
I picked up some buttermilk to use in a new muffin recipe (Carrot-Apple-Nut, with toasted walnuts and cranberries subbed for the recommended raisins), and I'm looking for ways to use the rest of it, other than in pancakes or 3 more batches of the same muffins (or in mashed potatoes or biscuits). The muffins were a huge hit at home, so I will want to make them pretty regularly, but not 4 dozen at a time, and so I'll want to concentrate my buttermilk-related cooking/baking whenever I do.

I know we talked about buttermilk on the board before, but I am too lazy to search and sift, so if anybody has any suggestions, please let me know. It would be good if your recipes did not require me to go out and obtain another perishable ingredient that I can only buy in a quantity larger than I need for the recipe.

FYI, these muffins were very nice. Only 2/3 cup brown sugar for a 16-muffin yield, so not too sweet, and I think 1 1/3 cup buttermilk and half a stick of butter, so the fat content is only very unhealthy, rather than extremely so. (I have to admit that I pay little attention to fat content in recipes.)

I don't have a recipe to offer right now, but I can recommend the powdered buttermilk for baking recipes calling for buttermilk. It's not so good for pancakes, but I think it's a pretty good substitute otherwise.

[robustpuppy]

Originally posted by Cletus Miller
I don't have a recipe to offer right now, but I can recommend the powdered buttermilk for baking recipes calling for buttermilk. It's not so good for pancakes, but I think it's a pretty good substitute otherwise.

That's good to know. I have found that the milk with lemon juice trick (as a buttermilk substitute) works really well for pancakes. I don't want to experiment with these muffins because of the peeling involved (of the carrots and apples). That's too much labor these days to take a risk.

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally posted by robustpuppy
and I'm looking for ways to use the rest of it, other than in pancakes o

1) Waffles?
2) For next time, Safeway at least has buttermilk in half-pint sizes, which may be more than you needed, but surely doesn't waste too much.

[tmdiva]

Originally posted by robustpuppy
I know we talked about buttermilk on the board before, but I am too lazy to search and sift, so if anybody has any suggestions, please let me know. It would be good if your recipes did not require me to go out and obtain another perishable ingredient that I can only buy in a quantity larger than I need for the recipe.

Man, you are lazy.
Here you go. You can adjust the proportions as necessary to match the amount of leftover buttermilk.

You will not regret trying this.

tm

[robustpuppy]

Originally posted by tmdiva
Man, you are lazy.
Here you go. You can adjust the proportions as necessary to match the amount of leftover buttermilk.

You will not regret trying this.

tm

Thanks!

If it helps my reputation any, the lawtalkers site has been loading verrrry slowly for me lately and searching is a PITA. But I knew there was something good in the thread. Mmm.

[Sparklehorse]

Originally posted by robustpuppy
Thanks!

If it helps my reputation any, the lawtalkers site has been loading verrrry slowly for me lately and searching is a PITA. But I knew there was something good in the thread. Mmm.

I was thumbing through Cook's Country the other night and I noticed the following:

Buttermilk at the Ready

I rarely use buttermilk, so when a recipe calls for a cup or so, the rest of the container usually goes to waste. Now whenever I use the buttermilk, I measure out the remainder of the carton into 1-cup portions, pour them into freezer bags, and freeze. This saves the buttermilk, and I don't have to measure it when I go to use it.

Ginger Garrett
Cumming, Ga.

[Replaced_Texan]

This is my atempt at distilling the Steingarten pie crust. He spent a whole chapter talking about the gluten factor and then discarded it in favor of large, irregular lumps of shortening.

Ingredients:

(Whatever the filling is going to be)

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour (scooping the flour in 1 cup measures, press it lightly into the cup, and level off excess with the side of your hand)

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups shortening (Crisco, butter, lard or a combination) (He talks about substituting 10 tablespoons of cold, unsalted butter for 1/2 cup of the Crisco and beating the butter with a rolling pin. I'm assuming ya'll don't want his lard instructions.)

3/4 cups very cold water (a little less if you're using butter in the shortening because butter has water)
[list=1][*]Make whatever the filling is, but wait on the last steps to avoid having the bottom of the pie overflowing before the top can be attached.
[*]Preheat oven 450 F.
[*]In large bowl, mix flour, 2 teaspoons sugar, and salt with your fingers.
[*]Drop the shortening onto the flour in the bowl. Toss the pieces to coat them with flour, then quickly break them up into about twelve nuggets about the size of small walnuts, again tossing gently to coat, and arrange them on the flour in a rough circle, about an inch from the side of the bowl.
[*]Now "rub" the fat into the flour with your fingers in two stages.

First, scoop up under pieces of fat and rub your thumbs across your fingertips, so you're breaking up the fat into pieces the size of small olives while coating them with flour. You're not smearing it or rubbing it too hard. Let it fall back in the bowl. Repeat five times until the 12 larger pieces are gone.

Second, repeat, but only rub your thumbs across your fingers once, letting whatever is left in your hands fall. You're aerating it. You should ultimately end up with flour coated fat particles that range in size from cornmeal to the small olives, and it's important for him that they vary widely in size. A little flour may remain uncoated.
[*]Add 1/2 cup of the cold water, sprinkling it evenly over the mixture. Stir with a fork, starting on the sides of the bowl and moving inward to the middle with light motions. After a few stirs, all of the flour should be moistened and the dough gathered into small clumps. If there are too many loose dry crumbs, add more water.
[*]Gather all of the dough by pressing it together firmly against one side of the bowl. Break off about half and shape it into a ball with cool fingertips, not hot palms. Flatten onto countertop into a disc about an inch high. Repeat with other half of the dough.
[*]Grease a 9 inch pie plate.
[*]You may immediately roll out both crusts or wrap in plastic and put in the refrigerator for 15 to 30 minutes. If you do that, let it stand for 5 to 10 minutes at room temp.

Use a light touch with the rolling pin, you should not compress it downward but stretch it outward. This dough should be easy to work with and only require ten to 12 strokes. The first few dozen times, your circle of dough may take the shape of an ameoba; just make sure that when you're finished, the smallest diameter is 13 inches so it will fit in the pie plate. [/list=1]

Most of the rest is construction. Fold the pie crust into quarters and gently put into the pie. Trim off edges, do some patching as necessary. Fill quickly, put the top on quickly, vent the sucker and bake.

[Sparklehorse]

Originally posted by Replaced_Texan
This is my atempt at distilling the Steingarten pie crust. He spent a whole chapter talking about the gluten factor and then discarded it in favor of large, irregular lumps of shortening.

Ingredients:

(Whatever the filling is going to be)

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour (scooping the flour in 1 cup measures, press it lightly into the cup, and level off excess with the side of your hand)

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups shortening (Crisco, butter, lard or a combination) (He talks about substituting 10 tablespoons of cold, unsalted butter for 1/2 cup of the Crisco and beating the butter with a rolling pin. I'm assuming ya'll don't want his lard instructions.)

3/4 cups very cold water (a little less if you're using butter in the shortening because butter has water)
[list=1][*]Make whatever the filling is, but wait on the last steps to avoid having the bottom of the pie overflowing before the top can be attached.
[*]Preheat oven 450 F.
[*]In large bowl, mix flour, 2 teaspoons sugar, and salt with your fingers.
[*]Drop the shortening onto the flour in the bowl. Toss the pieces to coat them with flour, then quickly break them up into about twelve nuggets about the size of small walnuts, again tossing gently to coat, and arrange them on the flour in a rough circle, about an inch from the side of the bowl.
[*]Now "rub" the fat into the flour with your fingers in two stages.

First, scoop up under pieces of fat and rub your thumbs across your fingertips, so you're breaking up the fat into pieces the size of small olives while coating them with flour. You're not smearing it or rubbing it too hard. Let it fall back in the bowl. Repeat five times until the 12 larger pieces are gone.

Second, repeat, but only rub your thumbs across your fingers once, letting whatever is left in your hands fall. You're aerating it. You should ultimately end up with flour coated fat particles that range in size from cornmeal to the small olives, and it's important for him that they vary widely in size. A little flour may remain uncoated.
[*]Add 1/2 cup of the cold water, sprinkling it evenly over the mixture. Stir with a fork, starting on the sides of the bowl and moving inward to the middle with light motions. After a few stirs, all of the flour should be moistened and the dough gathered into small clumps. If there are too many loose dry crumbs, add more water.
[*]Gather all of the dough by pressing it together firmly against one side of the bowl. Break off about half and shape it into a ball with cool fingertips, not hot palms. Flatten onto countertop into a disc about an inch high. Repeat with other half of the dough.
[*]Grease a 9 inch pie plate.
[*]You may immediately roll out both crusts or wrap in plastic and put in the refrigerator for 15 to 30 minutes. If you do that, let it stand for 5 to 10 minutes at room temp.

Use a light touch with the rolling pin, you should not compress it downward but stretch it outward. This dough should be easy to work with and only require ten to 12 strokes. The first few dozen times, your circle of dough may take the shape of an ameoba; just make sure that when you're finished, the smallest diameter is 13 inches so it will fit in the pie plate. [/list=1]

Most of the rest is construction. Fold the pie crust into quarters and gently put into the pie. Trim off edges, do some patching as necessary. Fill quickly, put the top on quickly, vent the sucker and bake.

So there's no blind baking, even for 1-crust pies?

ETAsk if anyone knows what the benefit is for using your hands rather than a pastry blender or a food processor? And what about using the dough immediately versus chilling before rolling out?

[Replaced_Texan]

Originally posted by Sparklehorse
So there's no blind baking, even for 1-crust pies?

ETAsk if anyone knows what the benefit is for using your hands rather than a pastry blender or a food processor? And what about using the dough immediately versus chilling before rolling out?

What is blind baking?

In this recipe, I think the benefit of the fingers is to make sure that the pieces are uneven in size. Pastry blenders and food processors are really good at uniformity.

He didn't really seem to care either way about chilling vs. rolling out immediately. There was something about how chilling may be a good idea if you're working in a hot kitchen. But after chilling, you had to let it stand for a little while at room temperature.

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally posted by Sparklehorse

ETAsk if anyone knows what the benefit is for using your hands rather than a pastry blender or a food processor? And what about using the dough immediately versus chilling before rolling out?

My recollection is vague, but I think using a food processor makes the fat globules too small. The ideal for flakiness is to have layers of fat between layers of flour. A pastry blender I think is suitable for this. Just don't use the cuisinart.