To fuck or to cook?

[greatwhitenorthchick]

Originally posted by bold_n_brazen
You're welcome. But am I pretty?

I can tell from your posts that not only are you pretty, but also hottt, and beautiful, and men would sell their mothers and grandmothers to the Russian Mob just to have sex with you.

[greatwhitenorthchick]

Originally posted by Sparklehorse
I'm not Coltrane, but I have an excellent pumpkin pie recipe that I will post over the weekend.

Making a pie with fresh pumpkin is easy. Buy a sugar pumpkin. Cut it in half and remove the seeds. Place the pumpkin pieces cut side down in a roasting pan. You can put a tablespoon of water in the pan and/or cover the pan with foil, or not. Roast the pumpkin in a 400 degree oven for about 45-60 minutes, or until a knife slides easily into the flesh. Let it cool and scoop out flesh. You can freeze it if you have leftovers. The same technique works well with various winter squashes, with baking time varying according to the size of the pieces.

Thank you very much. Now this is going to sound really stupid. What's a sugar pumpkin? How are they different from regular pumpkins? Are they labelled as such at the store?

[Sparklehorse]

Originally posted by greatwhitenorthchick
Thank you very much. Now this is going to sound really stupid. What's a sugar pumpkin? How are they different from regular pumpkins? Are they labelled as such at the store?

They have a better flavor and are not as watery as a regular pumpkin. They probably would be labelled but if not, they are smaller than the kind of pumpkins used to carve for Halloween, for example. Most likely, any of the pumpkins for sale in the produce section will work fine.

[Shape Shifter]

Originally posted by bold_n_brazen
Don't tell anyone, but I've kind of gotten used to it.

Your secret is safe with me.

[Paisley]

I should have posted my recipe when I did my other post. My contribution below. It was quite delish!

Almond-Crusted Pork Tenderloin With Dried Cranberry-Apple Conserve

2 (1-pound) pork tenderloins
2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons sliced almonds, finely chopped
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
Dried Cranberry-Apple Conserve (below)
Rosemary sprig

Preheat oven to 425°.
Trim fat from pork. Combine breadcrumbs and next 4 ingredients (breadcrumbs through salt) in a shallow dish. Dip pork in egg whites; dredge in breadcrumb mixture. Place pork on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Bake pork at 425° for 30 minutes or until meat thermometer registers 160°. Cover with foil, and let stand 10 minutes. Cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Serve with Dried Cranberry-Apple Conserve.


Dried Cranberry-Apple Conserve

2 cups sweetened dried cranberries
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1/3 cup diced dried apple
1/4 cup raisins
1 tablespoon minced crystallized ginger
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
Dash of ground allspice
Dash of ground cinnamon
Dash of ground ginger
1/4 cup red plum jam

Combine first 5 ingredients; cover fruit mixture, and let stand 30 minutes.
Combine vinegar and next 5 ingredients (vinegar through ground ginger) in a small saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Add fruit mixture. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in jam. Remove from heat; cool to room temperature.

[Sparklehorse]

Best-Ever Pumpkin Pie
From Classic Home Desserts by Richard Sax

Makes one deep 9½ -inch pie, serves about 8

Basic Pie Dough for 1-crust pie
2 cups pumpkin puree, preferably homemade (if you use canned pumpkin, be sure it’s unsweetened puree and not pie filling)
⅔ cup packed dark or light brown sugar
⅓ cup white sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
Pinch freshly ground pepper
1 cup heavy cream
⅓ cup milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons bourbon or rum
1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Whipped cream flavored with pure maple syrup or pure vanilla extract, for serving

1. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to a large circle about ⅛ inch thick. Fit it, without stretching it, into a butted deep 9½ inch pie pan. Trim of the excess dough, leaving a ¾ inch overhang. Fold under the edge of the dough, pressing along the rim of the pan and forming a fairly high fluted border. Chill the dough while you preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, with a rack in the lower third.

2. Line the dough with a lightly buttered sheet of foil, buttered side down. Bake the pie shell for about 8 minutes. Very gently remove the foil; prick the dough all over with a fork. Bake the crust until the surface of the dough is dry, but has not yet baked all the way through; about 5 minutes longer. Set the pie shell aside until needed; leave the oven on.

3. Meanwhile, whisk together the pumpkin puree, brown and white sugars, flour, salt, spices, pepper, cream, milk, eggs, spirits and vanilla in a large bowl. Taste and correct the seasonings. Pour the mixture into the pie shell.

4. Bake until the filling is set but still slightly wobbly in the center, usually about 45 minutes.

5. Cool the pie on a wire rack. Serve with the flavored whipped cream.

Variations
If you like substitute about 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup for an equal amount of the white sugar. A tablespoonful of minced crystallized ginger (in addition to the other spices) give the flavor a nice edge too, but don’t let it take over.

[Sidd Finch]

I have officially GIVEN UP on Marcella Hazan's newest (?) book, "Marcella Says..."

I am so disappointed. Her earlier books ranged from good to invaluable, and I continue to use the Classic... books regularly.

But Marcella Says is deeply flawed. Desserts that clearly were not tested, and fail miserably. Recipes with items on the ingredients list that never appear in the text of the recipe. Recipes that are woefully and unnecessarily impractical, or that call for cooking dishes until they are dried husks of crap.

And all this for meals that, for the most part, are not really all that interesting or unique.

I spent a lot of time last night rescuing dishes from the consequences of her bad instructions (for the most part, pretty successfully. But dessert was still a disaster.) It's been many years since I've needed to do this, with the exception of my other recent experiences with this book.

I am not pleased.

[bold_n_brazen]

I am so making this this weekend. I have no idea what I am serving with it, but this is a definite.

Roasted Acorn Squash with Chile Vinaigrette
October 2006 Gourmet

2 (1 1/2 - to 1 3/4-lb) acorn squash
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or to taste
1 to 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh hot red chile, including seeds
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 450°F. Halve squash lengthwise, then cut off and discard stem ends. Scoop out seeds and cut squash lengthwise into 3/4-inch-wide wedges. Toss squash with black pepper, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons oil in a bowl, then arrange, cut sides down, in 2 large shallow baking pans. Roast squash, switching position of pans halfway through roasting, until squash is tender and undersides of wedges are golden brown, 25 to 35 minutes.
While squash roasts, mince garlic and mash to a paste with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Transfer paste to a small bowl and whisk in lime juice, chile (to taste), cilantro, and remaining 1/4 cup oil until combined. Transfer squash, browned sides up, to a platter and drizzle with vinaigrette.
Makes 4 servings.

[greatwhitenorthchick]

Originally posted by Sparklehorse
Best-Ever Pumpkin Pie

This looks delicious. I am definitely going to try it soon. thank you for posting!

[Fugee]

Originally posted by Sparklehorse
Best-Ever Pumpkin Pie
***
⅔ cup packed dark or light brown sugar
⅓ cup white sugar
***
⅓ cup milk

***

1. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to a large circle about ⅛ inch thick.

Sounds great but the places where it shows "&#8532" or "&#8531" in this quote are little boxes in the post I see on my PC. Please let me know what those measurements should be. Thanks.

[J. Fred Muggs]

Originally posted by bold_n_brazen
I am so making this this weekend. I have no idea what I am serving with it, but this is a definite.

Roasted Acorn Squash with Chile Vinaigrette
October 2006 Gourmet

2 (1 1/2 - to 1 3/4-lb) acorn squash
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or to taste
1 to 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh hot red chile, including seeds
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 450°F. Halve squash lengthwise, then cut off and discard stem ends. Scoop out seeds and cut squash lengthwise into 3/4-inch-wide wedges. Toss squash with black pepper, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons oil in a bowl, then arrange, cut sides down, in 2 large shallow baking pans. Roast squash, switching position of pans halfway through roasting, until squash is tender and undersides of wedges are golden brown, 25 to 35 minutes.
While squash roasts, mince garlic and mash to a paste with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Transfer paste to a small bowl and whisk in lime juice, chile (to taste), cilantro, and remaining 1/4 cup oil until combined. Transfer squash, browned sides up, to a platter and drizzle with vinaigrette.
Makes 4 servings.

Roasted pork loin

[bold_n_brazen]

Originally posted by J. Fred Muggs
Roasted pork loin

I don't eat things that walk on 4 legs. Don't you pay attention?

(Although it would probably go really well together, I'm thinking.)

[Fugee]

Originally posted by bold_n_brazen
I don't eat things that walk on 4 legs. Don't you pay attention?

How about if they were crippled and only had 3 legs????

[taxwonk]

Originally posted by Fugee
How about if they were crippled and only had 3 legs????

Or if one leg had previously been cut off to make prosciutto?

[J. Fred Muggs]

Originally posted by bold_n_brazen
I don't eat things that walk on 4 legs. Don't you pay attention?

(Although it would probably go really well together, I'm thinking.)

I pay little attention. I'm relatively sure that a pork loin does not have legs.