I am NOT a wine guy though I enjoy a glass on occasion and have a good basic knowledge of what is what,,but there are SOOOO many
wineries in America today and many have left the French and Italians and Spainiards in the dust with their over all quality and flavor..

that said

A good, average table red will do the job..the only issue is to be sure it isn't pithy,,,if you've ever bitten a grape seed, you know
what this flavor is,,this can destroy the any dish when it's reduced..

Hello Chef



Do you ever look at some of the food / recipes posted and wonder wth is wrong with our palate?

actually yes and no..people will eat anything...While I've not watched the whole series I have occasionally tuned into one of the food shows
where the fellow travels the globe eating the disgusting things folks eat to stay alive many of which have become staples and or gourmet dishes today.
Spiders, unborn ducks, raw fish, I've often pondered to others and somewhere in the first thread on how brave and noble the first primitive man was
who picked up a rock from the ocean, cracked it open saw this gray, slimey mass inside, decided to taste it, then ate it and said Umm Good, Gooey, Tangy,
Ogg call it Oyster tasty but need crushed hot ground tuber and golden fruit juice.

In Costco recently and saw a 20 spice spinning rack for .$20, fair price, interesting piece, and cost per ounce for the spices, not bad.
Then I began to read the spices and about 1/2 of them will turn to dust before the majority of Americans would use them. Just not fitting
to the palate of the average American. I play at home a bit with different spices at times and I would be at a loss for a common use of these flavors.

Add all this to the RAGE for HOT, HEAT, the need for these Inedible sauces to show how much tougher you are than the other guy only to realize in your mid twenties you've no taste buds functioning in your mouth and you're facing a life of everything tasting like bland oatmeal..great weight loss plan..but who wants
to live like that?

All good things come from experimentation from fine foods to great wines and liquors and even those rocketing into space all began with someone risking friendships, life and oft times, liberty for the next great thing..
CHEF

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer, Chef





I agree - all good things come from experimentation - what do you consider your most successful (or enjoyable?) food experimentations?

 

First, a big THANK YOU to watercat for the tip on using Google to search Chef's Index after posts were rearranged!!!

Chef, I've watched the threads in the outdoor forum for making sauerkraut over the past few years and have started a small batch.  The problem is my family has never liked eating it and none of us have any good recipes for using it.  I remember a large casserole dish of sauerkraut and wienies on Grandma's table at family gatherings.  Now I'd like to know how to fix some. A reuben sandwich would hit the spot. That's the only ideas I have for using it.  Any suggestions?

sorry, I"ve been lax on making this answer...I guess when Wild game first started hitting the menus in fine dining restaurants in the late 80, really
got into presentation, sauces etc to match flavors to City Slicker palates..

one of the most successful experience I had was were a maître D Hotel that I really didn't like
took it upon himself to purchase a GREAT DEAL on a French red wine..had this whole LONG story on
how successful he was in getting the Fine Vintage from this now defunct winery...I was sort of

I grabbed the restaurant manager and this pin head Maitre D Hotel by the ear and said, Lets sample this nonreturnable $10k purchase
that came thru with out my approval
so we popped a bottle, I sniffed the cork we let breathe smelled like old gym sox...really old, unwashed gym sox...HORRIBLE


tasted like unwashed feet.....

so, we popped another bottle from a different case..same thing..

opened a 3rd, 4th..etc 12 bottles out of 120 and they were just unfit for consumption...


TEN THOUSAND freaking dollars that I have to answer to a board of directors about(As chef of this hotel, I ran all of food and beverage with underlings, usually not the case but a small, upscale hotel that could afford me or a lesser chef and a food and beverage director,,I wasn't cheap)   anyways

I immediately FIRED the Maitre D..
grabbed 4  bottles and headed to the kitchen..handed a bottle each to my lead staff and said marry this ass-wine to something, winner gets a $500 bonus if
you come up with an edible dish...

we had a attempts at trying to marry it with beef, pork, soaking meat in it, straining it. numerous other experiments....until I, in all my glory reduced the wine by 2/3 and added a shot of frambois and some sugar and soaked some poached pears in it..it was STELLAR as a dessert..BUT, when the pears were diced and served with some black buck antelope filets it was FABOULOUS....and sold for $38 a plate.. we used the compound with the pears pureed on home made ice cream and did a complete reduction and served it with chocolate flourless cake and Crème Fraiche...mmm..we used about 5 cases while I was there, no idea what those who followed me did with it..but, I certainly got our $10K back with interest...

Chef

thank you Skunkum..haven't seen you for some time..welcome back..


sauerkraut....has several uses besides a side dish for ham, roast pork or NATHANS Hot dogs...


It makes a different slaw

1 quart sauerkraut, well drained
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 large carrots, chopped
1 (4 ounce) jar diced pimento peppers, drained
1 teaspoon mustard seed
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup cider vinegar

In a large bowl, mix together sauerkraut, onion, celery, green bell pepper, carrot, pimientos, and mustard seed.
Set aside this mixture.
In a small saucepan, mix together sugar, oil, and vinegar. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat.
Pour sugar mixture over salad, cover, and leave it in the refrigerator for 2 days before serving.



It can be made into meatballs


3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 cup finely chopped cooked ham
1 cup finely chopped corned beef
1/2 clove garlic, crushed
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups sauerkraut, drained and minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup beef broth
1 egg
2 cups milk
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 cups fine dry bread crumbs


In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook until softened. Stir in ham, corned beef and garlic. Cook mixture, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Stir in 6 tablespoons flour and cook mixture over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes.

Stir in sauerkraut, parsley, and broth; cook for 3 minutes or until thickened and paste-like. Spread mixture on a platter and chill for at least 3 hours.

Heat oil in deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In a bowl, whisk together the egg, milk and 2 1/2 cups flour. Shape the sauerkraut mixture by level teaspoons in to balls, dip them into the egg mixture and roll them in the bread crumbs.

Fry balls in batches for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Serve warm.
great with some brown gravy, bbq sauce..even Ketchup..



With pork loin


1 (2 pound) boneless pork loin roast
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 sprigs fresh thyme leaves
salt and pepper to taste
4 pounds sauerkraut
1 pound kielbasa, cut into 3-inch pieces

Preheat the oven broiler. Place the roast in a roasting pan, brush with olive oil, sprinkle with thyme leaves, and season with salt and pepper. Place under the broiler for 10 minutes, until lightly browned in several places.

Place 2 pounds sauerkraut in a slow cooker. Arrange kielbasa pieces around the edges of the slow cooker pot, and place the roast in the center. Cover with remaining sauerkraut.

Cover slow cooker, and cook roast 6 hours on High.



or Chops

8 center cut pork chops
2 pounds sauerkraut, drained
1 large red apple, diced
1 onion, chopped
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, and brown the pork chops on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Place the chops into a 9x13-inch baking dish.

Mix the sauerkraut, apple, onion, brown sugar, and caraway seeds in a bowl until well combined, and spread the sauerkraut mixture over the pork chops. Cover the dish with aluminum foil.

Bake in the preheated oven until the pork is no longer pink inside, about 45 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a chop should read 145 degrees F (63 degrees C).



and even Cake



2/3 cup butter
1 1/3 cups white sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups water
2/3 cup drained and chopped sauerkraut
preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 8-inch pans, round or square.

Thoroughly cream together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

Sift together cocoa, flour, baking powder, soda, and salt, and add alternately with water to egg mixture. Stir in the sauerkraut. Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick comes out clean. Frost with your favorite chocolate or white frosting.

hope that helps..

And that Chef is what we call making lemonaid out of lemons! Bravo! [raises glass]

I've made weinkraut using cabbage, bay leaves, caraway seed, and nice gewurztraminer. I pefer to use red cabbage when making this for use on ruben sandwiches as it stands out.

Very simple and quite tastey.

A quick answer would be serve the wine you cooked the meal with can't go wrong. Also aside from Chef's 10k save try to cook with wine that one would want to drink. simple advice but it works.

If you were going to spend your own money opening a restaurant and running it yourself with the goal of making a profit, what type of restaurant would you open?  Any advice or pitfalls to look out for?

great question, long answer and Chefs on the road today, Will try to get a response this evening.
Thank you
Chef



Chef is baby sitting a 2 yr old boy....

while I raised 5 children with out the loss of a single one in some far off mall..



I aint never sayn never....


will get to this next week when not sticky, greasy, worn out, cranky and hangin on by a few threads

CHEF

I have some dessert questions:



Will rice pudding that is made on Wednesday still be good on Sunday?



And,



Do you have any other suggestions for a dessert that I can make on Wednesday for a lunch on Sunday?

yes and yes

you MAY get some sweating on the rice pudding (that I believe will freeze as well)


a simple sponge. stored in the freezer until Saturday night..then topped with strawberries and cool whip NEVER fails to make
folks happy....

all basic cakes pretty much store frozen and slack out in an hour or two

Thanks Chef. Should the cakes be frozen with or without frosting? I've never really thought about freezing cake before...



 

wedding cakes are nearly all frozen when initial frosting is added, then kept in a cold room to finish up.

cake can be placed on the countertop Saturday night lightly covered, maybe parchement wrapped..then
splash with some liquor over the layers and build a quick cake with some ready made commercial or BOILED frosting...butter cream made Wednesday will break down with out the homogenization commercial frostings get.

cookies are great and hold well..anything with creams, custards, butter blends are going to separate out in 2 to 3 days..

another quick throw together is just using jello custard, whipped up in 5 min In the moring. some sponge cake smeared with jam, stacked in a bowl and the custard
poured over the cake, jello custards set up pretty quick even at room temp, but an hour in the refer is best...sort of a knock off on an English trifle...

Hmm... What about cheesecake?



 

Cheesecake will hold very well for a week in the refer.  90 days and more frozen

Now I have too many choices!



Thanks for the help - I started out feeling like it was an impossible task.



 

Nah,,nearly Nothing is impossible



going to war in the middle and far east is impossible....putting up with a former professional cheerleader as a spouse is NEAR impossible...
getting your kids to do exactly as expected is border line but, after that...Nothing is impossible..

Let me start out by saying I'm no Chef, but I do like cooking. We just bought the Wolfgang Pressure Oven to give it a try, she wanted it and I sort of like gadgets. Well I have never cooked with a pressure cooker let alone a pressure oven. Any tricks or suggestions? Or is it one of those things you play with till it works out for you. What does pressure cooking actually do for you?

NICE!!  I had the money, I'd probably buy one!

Appears to be all it says..reviews look pretty good...We had one of the Ronco Rotissary oven O.U.A.T. and the wife loved it..I played with it a bit and it
too worked as designed for the 7 years, possibly more.

this thing is going to be a play as you go, follow directions until you understand the whole operation. Rememberr KFC's Colonel started the pressurized fryer
and they've one wonders with that over the last 60 years.

leave some feedback. LOTS of folks read this but don't necessarily reply/respond sure it'll evoke some interests..!!


Thank you
CHEF

We did our first chuck roast out of it and followed directions for the pot roast. It says to put at 3 hours to get fall apart tenderness, it was that tender but it was dry. Somewhere in there we need to shorten the time I think. Its definitely a learn as you go, for me anyway. What does a pressure cooker actually do? Shorten time? Lock flavor in? My mom just got a regular pressure cooker for her needs, wondering if I should expand my knowledge in this area.

it traps the steam, making it hotter than normal, and the food cooks faster.

pressure cooking

Hi Chef- I posted this question in another thread but would also like your feedback and perspective.  Thanks much.



The wife and I are going to do something different this year for turkey day since it will just be us and the baby. I'm planning on making a stuffed pork loin for the main dish but have never done one and not sure what we want it stuffed with. Anyone have recipe recommendations for one? Any tips on preparation and/or cooking are appreciated. I have to work and will not be able to smoke it so oven or grill recipes requested.

Thanks in advance

MMmm Chef buttercream icing breaks down in a few days? never had that happen, oh wait cake never lasts that long here

I was going to do lamb leg for Thanksgiving..it was going to be me and the wife who doesn't care for either lamb or turkey but loves all the accoutrements of that
standard holiday meal, BUT now the children are coming and a 40lb bird is the main dish this year...and 3x the prep to get it to table..

that said
a stuffed pork loin sounds perfect for the day. If we look to the traditions of the Pilgrims harvest festival meal, we'd see pork, fish, lobsters and clams along side those
hard to hunt wild turkey's (they had probably domesticated a few birds by the 3rd or 4th successful season)they'd be feasting on so you're as close to the original traditional meal as can be..

This recipe follows a more classic English dried fruit stuffing for the season, according to tastes   you can also sub apples, cranberries, raisins, cherries and figs.

ingredients
3/4 cup chopped pitted prunes
3/4 cup chopped dried apricots
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 (4 pound) boneless pork loin roast, butterflied
cord for tying the loin

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

Mix prunes, apricots, ginger, orange zest, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, and cinnamon in a bowl; season with salt and black pepper.

Open pork roast and spoon stuffing down the center; fold meat over stuffing and tie securely in several places with kitchen twine. Set roast onto a rack in a roasting pan.

Combine brown sugar, flour, cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon cumin, and mustard powder into a paste; spread brown sugar mixture over the roast.

Bake in the preheated oven until a meat thermometer inserted into center of stuffing reads 160 degrees F (70 degrees C), about 1 1/2 hours. Transfer roast to a serving platter and tent with aluminum foil while you make gravy.

Skim fat from roasting pan and transfer defatted drippings into a small saucepan. Pour 1/2 cup water into roasting pan and scrape up and dissolve any browned bits of food into water; pour into saucepan with pan juices. Bring pan juices to a boil over medium heat. Dissolve cornstarch in 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl and whisk cornstarch mixture into pan juices, stirring constantly until thickened, about 1 minute. Strain gravy into a gravy boat. Serve gravy with roast.


Happy Thanksgiving

CHEF

Chef,

Here's a follow on question about a Thanksgiving loin, but regarding venison.  I took my first deer last week, so now we have a freezer full of venison from the local processor.  It will be just the SO and I together tomorrow, as our big family Thanksgiving meal will be later this weekend.  I'm thinking about cooking a venison loin for our meal tomorrow, but I've never cooked venison before.  Could you suggest a recipe for venison loin and provide some general cooking advice for venison?

Congratulations on the first deer...and I do love some venison..best thing I have experienced in cooking venison is good marinade, well seasoned, low and slow for roasting to just the other side of Medium.  Medium heat and lightly floured for sauteing..and medium hi heat for grilling..

4 pounds venison tenderloin
1 cup red wine
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 medium onion, chopped  
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 bay leaves  
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary

Combine the red wine, cider vinegar, onion, garlic, bay leaves, thyme and rosemary in a medium bowl, and mix well. Transfer to a large resealable bag, and put the venison tenderloin into the bag. Close tightly, pressing out as much air as you can. Place meat in the refrigerator to marinate, turning two or three times, for at least 12 hours.

.Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Remove meat from marinade, and place on a roasting rack in a roasting pan.

.Roast in the oven for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or to your desired degree of doneness. For medium rare, the internal temperature of the roast should be at least 150 degrees F (65 degrees C) when taken with a meat thermometer. Let the roast stand for 15 to 20 minutes before carving.

While the tenderloin roasts, heat marinade in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until the liquid is reduced by 1/3. Serve with venison.




1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground sage
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 tablespoons butter, divided
1 cup chopped Vidalia onion
2 cups sliced mushrooms or baby bellas
6 (3 ounce) venison tenderloin steaks
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sherry
1/4 cup water

Combine 1/2 cup flour, sage, salt, and pepper in a resealable bag, set aside. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large pan over medium heat. Stir in onion and cook until almost soft. Add mushrooms, and continue cooking until soft. Remove from pan.

Turn heat to medium-high and melt 2 tablespoons of butter in pan. Toss the venison steaks in the seasoned flour and shake off the excess. Sear venison in butter for 3 to 6 minutes per side and remove.

Reduce heat to medium-low, and melt the remaining tablespoon of butter. Whisk in 1 tablespoon of flour, followed by the sherry and water. Return the vegetables and meat to the pan. Increase heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.

hope that's a good start
Happy Thanksgiving
CHEF

FIXED a TYPO on the searing time above..Sorry baby sitting grandbabies..and screwed upp
CHEF

Thanksgiving Day is a jewel, to set in the hearts of honest men; but be careful that you do not take the day, and leave out the gratitude.  ~ E.P. Powell, American author & journalist

Heavenly Father, on Thanksgiving Day
We bow our hearts to You and pray.
We give You thanks for all You’ve done
Especially for the gift of Jesus, Your Son.
For beauty in nature, Your glory we see
For joy and health, friends and family,
For daily provision, Your mercy and care
These are the blessings You graciously share.
So today we offer this response of praise
With a promise to follow You all of our days.
Thou hast given so much to me, give one thing more, – a grateful heart; not thankful when it pleaseth me, as if Thy blessings had spare days, but such a heart whose pulse may be Thy praise.   ~ George Herbert, Welsh-born English poet

I made the first recipe with overnight red wine/apple cider vinegar/spice marinade.  Gave them a quick sear in a cast iron skillet then into the oven at 325 until the center temp was just at 155.  Fantastic!  The flavors of the marinade really complimented the venison, and it was melt-in-your-mouth tender.  Thanks Chef!  Seconds and then thirds were enjoyed by all.  Apparently, now my new marching orders are to go shoot some more deer

Amen.  

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, Chef.  Thank you for your wit, your advice, and your stories!

excellent and thank you for the feedback, glad I could assist

CHEF

Chef, we make our own vanilla extract by soaking the vanilla beans in cheap vodka because good extract seems pretty expensive and the imitation stuff just doesn't taste right. I know that variations based upon type of beans used or type of alcohol can be made.  Now I've seen vanilla pastes offered which claim that they are preferred by professional chefs.  If so, are they preferred because of taste or convenience?  What do you prefer? Which do you actually use at home?

ps- made a batch of Chef's Holiday Snack Nuts last night and I've just about emptied the dish already! Thanks for that recipe!

You're welcome, those nuts are horribly habit forming so be very careful..you'll be turning tricks on Main St for nut money...


I have not used the flavor pastes, there were some available when I was still cooking professionally but never used them
when baking professionally you tend to get whats available from Sysco for the most part, usually McCormick.
I do have some extracts here at home I made myself, vanilla, peppermint, cinnamon, cocoanut, walnut and pecan, all  by the vodka soak method.

Merry Christmas Chef to you and your family. HurricaineAllie requested the traditional Jewish CHristmas Dinner, so I am picking up Chinese as soon as I am Off Duty

a Happy Hanukkah to you and yours sir.. and hope you had a more traditional meal for that celebration?

Latkes
Borekes
Parsley and Beet salad..
Chicken soup with extra schmaltz
Cholent
a nice Brisket... followed
by
Baklava
poached apples
Turkish Kaffee?

megn der porets zayn mit`du un yours  der zun bay dayn tsurikvegs der veg gently sloped un khayes zorgn zikh bkhinem

We did the latkes last night, MsWind needs a break on Christmas, what do the Chinese eat for breakfast?

link to nuts recipe?



merry christmas to chef and everyone else in the thread!

in my experience, working with a Chinese entourage, white rice, fruit and fish.

thank you and to you and yours as well!!
Nuts are in the orginial thread, they should be in the index..

I will stick with rice krispies

Link to nuts recipe



 

aww Nuts...


HAPPY CHRISTMAS Mz H2OCat and family!

we'll just repost it!!



HOLIDAY SNACK..


4 cups pecans or peanuts or walnuts etc...
2tsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp Cajun blackening seasoning..(Kpauls or anybodies)
2 tlbs white sugar. I prefer natural sugar, unrefined
mixing bowl
cookie sheet pan
paper towels

toss nuts, olive oil and seasoning together liberally..
place on cookie sheet
bake 350 for about 15min,
(some ovens are a bit hot or cold either way..you will smell the pecans toasting...when you smell em...they are done.).

layer paper towel in same bowl
remove nuts from oven and dump on paper towels toss and allow to drain...
pull out paper towel from under nuts,,toss as you springle suger on still hot nuts

let cool..
a spicy/sweet holiday treat


you can also add after it cools
pretzels
fritos
any savory snack items to increase yeild and,,give it your own personal preference
I have over the years made pounds of this for both commercial , it is the only bar snack I will use and..in fancy containers for presents to friends and family..

Happy Holidays Chef, Thanks for everything.

thank you and you're welcome...best of the season to you and yours as well!!


Chef.

Chef, I am a blessed and lucky man. I know this, and this may be the greatest blessing of all.

Chicken and dressing, Short ribs, and mashed potatoes, and roasted cauliflower and carrots, steamed broccoli, and of course gravies to go with them.

Chicken is done poaching, ribs are salted and in the fridge to go in the oven tomorrow. Corn bread is going in the oven soon as it is up to temp.

Life is good.

I am honored to be associated with you.

gracias

thank you, it sounds wonderful