Gastronomy - The Food & Drink Thread

[Wryan]

Broccoli and melted cheddar is one of the greatest combinations...

[Spun Lepton]

Here is a blog post titled 20 Unholy Recipes: Dishes So Awful We Had to Make Them and ... WOW. Do NOT read this while eating. It will kill your appetite, unless you're Oscar the Grouch.

One recipe is "Jellied Chicken," and, yes, it's just as nightmarish as you might expect. AAAUUUGGHHH!!

http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/gut...shes_so_aw.php

There are links to the blogger's experiences with each recipe at the bottom of each blurb. Worth reading for a laugh, and maybe a bit of a gag ... if that's what you're into.

EDIT: The Pickle-Stretcher Salad? :lol: Eeewww!! IT'S PICKLE JELL-O!!

[Scar]

Jess made Martha Stewart's cheesecake w/ a blueberry sauce.

God DAMN this shit is good.

[Spun Lepton]

Bacon and banana pancakes. Would it work? One friend suggested I use brown sugar instead of syrup. I may try making it this weekend.

[Scar]

If all you've got in the house for sausage is andouille, don't toss it in your spaghetti sauce.

[Spun Lepton]

For the record, bananas overwhelm the flavor of bacon by quite a bit. They do work all right together, but you have to have a LOT of bacon inside the pancake for it to register with your taste buds. It's easier to just have it on the side.

Still, it was a fun and delicious experiment.

EDIT: A co-worker's response to my experiment, "THAT'S REVOLTING!" :lol: :lol:

[Mara]

"THAT'S REVOLTING!" :lol: :lol:

Pretty much my response.

But I can't handle savory and sweet together. It's an abomination.

[Spun Lepton]

Pretty much my response.

But I can't handle savory and sweet together. It's an abomination.

Mmmmm ... sacrilicious.

Hey, check this shit out:

Pizzacones. It's shaped like an ice-cream cone, but it's a pizza! Sounds ... it sounds quite awful, actually.

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/forkin...ing_frenzy.php

There are images, but they're not horrific. That said, I'll stick to the regular slices thankyouverymuch.

[bac0n]

Pretty much my response.

But I can't handle savory and sweet together. It's an abomination.

I guess that means you wouldn't be interested in my chocolate tarragon brownie recipe, huh?

[megladon8]

I have so much wine.

A full batch (24 bottles) of barolo I bottled yesterday. A batch of merlot I bottled 6 weeks ago. A batch of baco noir I bottled 2 weeks ago. A half batch of riesling from September. And a few bottles of my blueberry chateauneuf de pape I bottled around Christmas.

Plus I have a batch of chardonnay ready to bottle, half a batch of chianti coming out in about 3 weeks, and batches of ruby cabernet and shiraz coming out in mid-April.

I really need to buy a large wine rack.

[Mara]

This St. Patrick's Day, I shall experiment with corned beef & cabbage in the slow cooker. DUN DUN DUNNNNNN.

[Spun Lepton]

This St. Patrick's Day, I shall experiment with corned beef & cabbage in the slow cooker. DUN DUN DUNNNNNN.

Ooh, let us know how that turns out.

[Raiders]

By the by, for any of you alfredo sauce lovers, I have discovered that gruyere cheese is vastly better than parmesan. Melts better and the sauce seemed a little richer (may have to do with how much better it incorporates in the heavy cream).

[bac0n]

By the by, for any of you alfredo sauce lovers, I have discovered that gruyere cheese is vastly better than parmesan. Melts better and the sauce seemed a little richer (may have to do with how much better it incorporates in the heavy cream).

funny you should mention that - I made a make & cheese with gruyere (in addition to emmentaler & parmesan reggiano). Was quite tasty, but I don't know when I'll be willing again to spend twenty dollars on cheese for a mac & cheese recipe.

[Mara]

This St. Patrick's Day, I shall experiment with corned beef & cabbage in the slow cooker. DUN DUN DUNNNNNN.

Hmm. This was good, not great.

There were a couple of mishaps. As I was putting it together the night before, I found out we were out of yellow onions, and I had to use a purple one, which was really too sweet by the end. It tasted like I had put sugar in the brine.

Secondly, I depend on my mother to turn on the crock pot when I'm not there, because if I started it before I left for work, it would cook too long. Unfortunately, my mother forgot and went out to run errands, so the pot got cooking a couple hours too late, so we had to cook it on high instead of low, so it wasn't as tender as I would have liked.

Bah.

Still far more convenient than trying to do it all after work, though.

[Raiders]

Anybody have any favorite or personal family barbecue sauce recipes? I used The Deen Brothers' recipe last night (Here) and it was so gooooood.

I'm pretty sure I'll never go with the bottled stuff again.

[Scar]

I don't have a straight forward BBQ sauce recipe, but I do make a mean BBQ sauce with what's left in the pot after braising my brisket.

Bac0n can attest to the quality of the sauce. Now I just need to save more of it!

This is what all goes in to the braising sauce:

• 1 (28-ounce) can tomato puree
• 12 ounces lager or amber beer
• 2 ribs celery, minced
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 3/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup yellow mustard
• 5 thick slices bacon, coarsely chopped (about 6 ounces)
• 10 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, minced
• 3 ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus additional for seasoning
• Freshly ground black pepper

The brisket has a rub on it made from this:

• 1/4 cup sweet Hungarian paprika
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon freshly black pepper
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

After the brisket has braised for 3.5 hours or so, I remove it, dump in more brown sugar, some honey, and some molasses, and take the immersion blender to it.

Fan-fucking-tastic.

EDIT: If you don't add the extra brown sugar, etc, the sauce is still good, but the heat dominates the flavor.

[Scar]

Bac0n, I think it's time we try the brisket recipe again, but on the Weber. So it'll be smoked and braised....

The way it was meant to be.

[Raiders]

Wow, that does sound awesome. I haven't much experience with braising. Do you still brown the brisket before putting it in the braising liquid and cooking it for the three hours?

[bac0n]

Bac0n, I think it's time we try the brisket recipe again, but on the Weber. So it'll be smoked and braised....

The way it was meant to be.

Totally. There's a technique I want to try, it's called Barbecue Braising. Same concept as stovetop/oven braising, 'cept you do it on a Weber - You sear the meat at a high temp over the coals, then shovel the coals to the side, lowering the heat, stick the meat in a stockpot, put the lid on the grill, and slow cook it for 2 hours. All I need is a stock pot that I wouldn't mind putting on a grill.

[Mara]

Manly men are manly.

[Scar]

Wow, that does sound awesome. I haven't much experience with braising. Do you still brown the brisket before putting it in the braising liquid and cooking it for the three hours?

Here's the original recipe:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/t...ipe/index.html

I typically put the rub on for 24 to 48 hours, and just cover it in foil. Wrapping it in shrink wrap is a pain in the ass.

When I'm ready to cook, I turn on the broiler, and attempt to brown it on both sides, (don't think I've ever had a true browning, I can be impatient). Then I turn the oven to 300F, sometimes lower.

Then get out your big old roasting pan, I use something like this:


Then throw all the braising sauce stuff in the pot. I usually prep something, and just toss it in the pan, its easier that way, and just go down the list.

Heat the sauce up on the stove top until its more or less started to barely boil. Carefully add the brisket, (you'll probably splatter a bit), and then cover w/ parchment paper to make a smaller headspace, and then put the lid on, and into the oven. I try to flip the brisket every hour or so.

Its done when its tender, and close to falling apart. If you don't think its quite done after 3.5 hours, go longer!

So, back to your original question: I've tried browning it, but I don't think I've ever done a proper browning.

[bac0n]

Wow, that does sound awesome. I haven't much experience with braising. Do you still brown the brisket before putting it in the braising liquid and cooking it for the three hours?

That's the long and short of it. It's basically the best of both worlds - the sear, carmelization and mouthfeel you get from high-heat cooking, coupled with the fork-tenderness of slow-cooking. It's a great way to cook for company, as you do the bulk of the work 3 hours before, freeing you up to, you know, socialize when your friends arrive.

Apart from barbecuing, it's my favorite way of cooking meat. Braising short ribs in red wine has become a Christmas Eve tradition at my house.

If you're looking for recipes, there are only two words you need to know: Molly Stevens.

[Scar]

If you're looking for recipes, there are only two words you need to know: Molly Stevens.

Word.

Thinking about trying the braised cornish game hens in that cook book.

[Ezee E]

Any of you ever been to a crawfish/shrimp boil? Especially of those who are clean freaks?

Once the mass amounts of crawfish/corn/potatoes/etc are ready to go, it was poured onto a giant table, protected by slabs of wood to stop from any falling to the ground, a hole cut in the middle to throw the shells away, and we all eat from the table like pigs from a trough. The first two-three minutes are nothing but eating, afterwards, conversation and entertainment ensues.

Beer, friends, crawfish. A good time.

Just funny to see from the outside I bet.