To fuck or to cook?

[Replaced_Texan]

Originally posted by ltl/fb
I will be using cinnamon. It wouldn't be right without it.

What kind? I'm headed to Penzey's this weekend to get some spices for the pumpkin pie filling. Anyone have strongly held beliefs on one sort of cinnamon over another?

I tend to be of the school of thought that only Mexican vanilla will do (Penzey's chooses Madagascar vanilla instead), but I'm not as picky about cinnamon.

(BTW, GGG, if your wife likes to cook, a Penzey's gift box might be a good Christmas present. I saw you were looking for recs over on the kids board.)

[ltl/fb]

Originally posted by Replaced_Texan
What kind? I'm headed to Penzey's this weekend to get some spices for the pumpkin pie filling. Anyone have strongly held beliefs on one sort of cinnamon over another?

I am lame and will be using the kind that comes in the bottle at the grocery store. I have Penzey's double-strength vanilla, though. I like them. My parents and my sister, who cook way way more than I do, have tons of their stuff.

[tmdiva]

Originally posted by Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)
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.

This is why my last pie crust turned out so awesome--the butter was too cold for the Cuisinart to process it too finely. After that grand success, I'm never doing it another way. Keep your butter in the freezer, and have it out/in the fridge just long enough for it to be cuttable with a sharp paring knife--where you have to use some oomph, but it's not so cold that it breaks before slicing. Next time I'll take the temp so I can tell you what is optimal.

I use the pie crust recipe from the Bittman.

tm

[Fugee]

Originally posted by Replaced_Texan
What kind? I'm headed to Penzey's this weekend to get some spices for the pumpkin pie filling. Anyone have strongly held beliefs on one sort of cinnamon over another?

I tend to be of the school of thought that only Mexican vanilla will do (Penzey's chooses Madagascar vanilla instead), but I'm not as picky about cinnamon.

(BTW, GGG, if your wife likes to cook, a Penzey's gift box might be a good Christmas present. I saw you were looking for recs over on the kids board.)

I love Penzey's. In case Mr. Man is reading, it's one of the few good things (along with Lands End) to come out of the Cheesehead Nation.

I usually buy two different kinds of cinnamon, the Ceylon Cinnamon and the China Cassia. The one I use depends on how strong I want the cinnamon taste to be and the intensity of the other flavors. For pumpkin I'll probably use the China Cassia because pumpkin is a stronger flavor than apple. For apple pie I'd use the Ceylon. In their Pumpkin Pie Spice, Penzeys uses the China cassia.

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally posted by ltl/fb
I think previous times I was trying to make it with a fork and a bowl in a hot and humid area. I was poor and owned neither a food processor nor a stand mixer.

They've been making the best pie crust in the South without mixers for years, so it's not the environment, it's you.

[ltl/fb]

Originally posted by Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)
They've been making the best pie crust in the South without mixers for years, so it's not the environment, it's you.

Thanks.

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally posted by robustpuppy
How do I persuade my father-in-law not to use a mixer (A MIXER!) when making pancakes without hurting his feelings? He's a dear man, but I just can't eat another gummy pancake.

Is he making Croissan'cakes or something?

Persuade him to get a better recipe.

[Fugee]

This recipe is from Fine Cooking magazine's 2005 Holiday issue. I got it out for some cookie recipes and thought of Thurgreed's inability to find the premade oreo cookie pie crust. It is meant for a shallow tart pan but should work for a pie plate as well.

The Nilla Wafer crust is really good with the creamy orange ricotta filling also in that issue. I would add another tablespoon of butter to the Famous Chocolate Wafers version.

Press-In Cookie Crusts
(from Fine Cooking Winter 2005 No. 68)

Yields one crust for one 9½-inch tart.

1 cup finely ground cookies (ground in a food processor);
choose one from the following: about 25 chocolate wafers, 8 whole graham crackers, or 35 vanilla wafers (author recommends Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers, Honey Maid Grahams, and Nilla Vanilla Wafers)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1½ ounces (3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted


Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350F. Have ready an ungreased 9½ inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom.

In a medium bowl, mix the cookie crumbs and sugar with a fork until well blended. Drizzle the melted butter over the crumbs and mix with the fork or your fingers until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Put the crumbs in the tart pan and use your hands to spread the crumbs (lightly) so that they coat the bottom of the pan and start to climb the sides. Use your fingers to pinch and press some of the crumbs around the inside edge of the pan to cover the sides evenly and create a wall about a scant ¼-inch thick. Redistribute the remaining crumbs evenly over the bottom of the pan and press firmly to make a compact layer. (Author likes to use a metal measuring cup with straight sides and a flat base for this task.) Tip: Lay a piece of plastic wrap over the crumbs as you spread them so they won’t stick to your hands.

Bake the crust until it smells nutty and fragrant (crusts made with lighter-colored cookies will brown slightly), about 10 minutes. Set the baked crust on a rack and let cool. The crust can be made up to one day ahead and stored at room temperature, wrapped well in plastic.

[greatwhitenorthchick]

Sparklehorse asked me for my Pumpkin Strudel recipe. I decided to post it here in case anyone else was interested:

Creamy Pumpkin Strudels

1 15 oz can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
12 sheets frozen phyllo dough (18x14 inch rectangles), thawed
2/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup granulated sugar
4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped pecans
1 8 oz. package cream cheese, cut into 12 slices
whipped cream (optional -- I have never used whipped cream)

Preheat oven to 400F. For filling, in a small bown combine pumpkin, brown sugar, the 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and the ginger, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.

Place 2 sheets of phyllo on top of one another; brush top sheet with some of the butter. (Keep remaining phyllo dough covered with plastic wrap to prevent it from becoming dry and brittle).

In a small bowl combine granulated sugar and the 4 teaspoons cinnamon. Sprinkle a generoud 2 tablespoons of cinnamon-sugar mixture over the brushed phyllo. Sprinkle with about 2 tablespoons of the pecans. Cut the 2 layered sheets of phyllo lengthwise to create two long strips. You will see that this will create enough for 12 strudels. Place a slice of cream cheese about 2 inches from end of dough strip. Spoon a well-rounded tablespoon of pumpkin mixture on top of the cream cheese.

To shape, fold bottom edge of phyllo up and over the filling. Fold in sides and roll up to encase filling. Place on a baking sheet, seam side down. Brush with some of the melted butter.

Repeat the process, starting with placing the cream cheese, for each strudel with the remaining ingredients. Sprinkle the strudels with any remaining sugar-cinnamon mixture. Bake for 15 minutes or until phyllo is golden brown. Serve warm with whipped cream, if desired. Makes 12.

[Replaced_Texan]

Originally posted by greatwhitenorthchick
Sparklehorse asked me for my Pumpkin Strudel recipe. I decided to post it here in case anyone else was interested:


1 15 oz can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

I discovered last night that a four pound pie pumpkin makes about a cup and a half of pumpkin pulp. I had to add another half cup of canned pumpkin to the mixture in order to make the two pies.

I followed the Joy of Cooking's instructions:

Hacked up the pumpkin into smaller pieces. Baked the pieces in some roasters at 325 for about an hour and a half. Scraped off the skins. Threw the pumpkin pieces in the cuisinart until pureed, and then squeezed the excess liquid out through a cheesecloth.

There are two pies sitting in my refrigerator right now that look good. I'll report later on how they tasted.

[Greedy,Greedy,Greedy]

Originally posted by Replaced_Texan
(BTW, GGG, if your wife likes to cook, a Penzey's gift box might be a good Christmas present. I saw you were looking for recs over on the kids board.)

Thanks, I think I may ask for those for Xmas for ME. Then I can cook for her.

[Sparklehorse]

Originally posted by greatwhitenorthchick
Sparklehorse asked me for my Pumpkin Strudel recipe. I decided to post it here in case anyone else was interested:

Creamy Pumpkin Strudels

1 15 oz can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
12 sheets frozen phyllo dough (18x14 inch rectangles), thawed
2/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup granulated sugar
4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped pecans
1 8 oz. package cream cheese, cut into 12 slices
whipped cream (optional -- I have never used whipped cream)

Preheat oven to 400F. For filling, in a small bown combine pumpkin, brown sugar, the 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and the ginger, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.

Place 2 sheets of phyllo on top of one another; brush top sheet with some of the butter. (Keep remaining phyllo dough covered with plastic wrap to prevent it from becoming dry and brittle).

In a small bowl combine granulated sugar and the 4 teaspoons cinnamon. Sprinkle a generoud 2 tablespoons of cinnamon-sugar mixture over the brushed phyllo. Sprinkle with about 2 tablespoons of the pecans. Cut the 2 layered sheets of phyllo lengthwise to create two long strips. You will see that this will create enough for 12 strudels. Place a slice of cream cheese about 2 inches from end of dough strip. Spoon a well-rounded tablespoon of pumpkin mixture on top of the cream cheese.

To shape, fold bottom edge of phyllo up and over the filling. Fold in sides and roll up to encase filling. Place on a baking sheet, seam side down. Brush with some of the melted butter.

Repeat the process, starting with placing the cream cheese, for each strudel with the remaining ingredients. Sprinkle the strudels with any remaining sugar-cinnamon mixture. Bake for 15 minutes or until phyllo is golden brown. Serve warm with whipped cream, if desired. Makes 12.

Thanks for posting this!

[NotFromHere]

I'm looking for a cast iron grill to grill meat/fish/chicken on the gas stove. I currently have a Calphalon grill pan that is just barely large enough for 2 t-bones. If I want to do more, I'm screwed.
Anyone use these? Is there a good one?

I found one at Williams Sonoma here but don't know if there's a better one.

Any help would be appreciated.

[Paisley]

Originally posted by NotFromHere
I'm looking for a cast iron grill to grill meat/fish/chicken on the gas stove. I currently have a Calphalon grill pan that is just barely large enough for 2 t-bones. If I want to do more, I'm screwed.
Anyone use these? Is there a good one?

I found one at Williams Sonoma here but don't know if there's a better one.

Any help would be appreciated.

I have this one:

http://www.nextag.com/Le-Creuset-9-I...98/prices-html

I don't recall where I got it, but it works well. Not sure if this is bigger than what you already have, though.

ETA - Well, shit, I should have clicked on your link before replying. Uh, yeah, I have that one, and I like it . . .

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally posted by NotFromHere
I'm looking for a cast iron grill to grill meat/fish/chicken on the gas stove. I currently have a Calphalon grill pan that is just barely large enough for 2 t-bones. If I want to do more, I'm screwed.
Anyone use these? Is there a good one?

I found one at Williams Sonoma here but don't know if there's a better one.

Any help would be appreciated.

Why not get a real grill?

And, because I'm guessing your answer is "I live in an apartment":



So, no balcony?