Pretty much, I grew up with two grandparents that were old school European Chefs, especially since my mother would be 101 now. Much of the so called gourmet fare is peasant food. I have been playing with tomato/pepper  sauces over rice, keeping them chunky and not very wet

Chef, I have an Achilles heel with cooking, and I hope you can solve it, or at least give insight.

Flour.  Flour to fat ratio. Is there a written rule here?

I make a lot of sauces, gravies, soups. I generally do pretty well, but when following exact recipes, can seem to over/under flour.

Example, today was a "taste of the states" event at my children's elementary school. My son asked me to make my Clam Chowder, (he had a New England state) and I usually just throw it together and have made it a million times, but I thought to remove the bacon, to make it more user friendly for other cultures that attend his school.

OMG, I reduced the flour. But not enough apparently. I was band aiding that massive pot, damn near all night to fix the flour issue. I do know to cook it to remove the raw taste. But it still took hours, and adding and adding to make it whole again.

I'd like some guidelines, or maybe basic info on how the fat to flour ratio works.

My daughter asked for blueberry muffins for her state, Minnesota. It's their state muffin. I picked up 40 at the grocery for $15.00. She was content. That clam chowder (which cost over 50.00 and 6 hours) almost killed me.

Ouch..sounds like a challenging event..

and an issue even professional cooks(and retired Chefs) face on occasion...but.

to be sure..

you add the flour directly to the stock and boil it in?

as far as exact recipes..flour varies from harvest to harvest, manufacturer to manufacturer. it is by no means a zero sum game when using
any commodity item in cooking from flour, to shrimp to olive oil..all have a spec and a reasonable band width to that spec.
so many microns of X per gram or so many pounds of z per metric ton...a perfect example is shrimp are 21/25 or 16/20 Per Pound..

While cooking Is an art and baking is a science..both art and science are held within variables out of our control when it comes to the product we work with..

No, I made a roux, and added it to the carrot, onion, potato, celery and butter that had just finished cooking. It was thick, as it always is, and I carefully moved things around to cook out the raw flour taste... I then added cream, half and half, garlic clam juice and clams and pepper.

Brought it up to temp, and on first taste, could still taste FLOUR first. I  don't when I make this my usual way, with bacon and bacon fat in addition to the butter to cook the veg. I kept sauteing veg, and adding it in, and adding more cream until it tasted the way I like it, in addition to garlic and pepper...

had nothing to do with removing the bacon or bacon fat. had to do with how long you cooked the roux and again the inconsistencies of commodity items.
there's always a variable..that 'nutty smell' is key in cooking roux
wish I could offer a better explanation..

Ok, I get it. It was that I under cooked the flour. I thought the ratio was off. You are as close to cooking school that i've ever attended, and I sure appreciate your insight and advice. Live and learn! Next time I'm going to be extra careful when cooking the flour, and make sure it's done! Thanks for clearing that up!

one thing I do when cooking soups and stews..when I am going to thicken them, I remove all the "food" at least most of it and set it aside
so I can then cook in my roux./arrowroot/cornstarch into my stock with out over cooking the tasty bits. I also like to make the finished stock
and then add freshly sautéed veggies and meat to it, bring it to a boil and let it rest for 20 min before serving..(exception is cooked beef, it has to tenderize more).
Makes a more pronounced presentation and a fresher taste, feel, appearance...
CHEF

you are giving me so many great ideas, but what do do with a cream based sauce, that can't be boiled. (Clam chowder)

low simmer is fine, just a bit longer..and steady stirring..

Hi again chef, sorry to seem so needy, but as long as we are chatting, I have another culinary question.

I live near the ocean in SoCal. (elevation 10) and always have lived here.  I have spent week BEFORE thanksgiving with my extended family (my children, and their significant others) in Big Bear, about 2 hours from here, for the past three years.  (elevation 7000)

I have attempted to make a traditional thanksgiving dinner in each of the past three years. The first year I brought a fresh turkey up the hill, and prepped and cooked everything... The turkey button didn't pop, so I kept it in the oven forever! I told the booking agency that the oven might need to be looked at.

The next year I cheated, and brought up a "costco" half turkey, that included stuffing, and a gravy pack. Different vacation rental, and I swear to god, was royally pissed off that yet another rental property had issues with the oven.

THIRD year up there, I again went all the way, and brought up a fresh turkey, and all the ingredients to make the home made thanksgiving dinner. I let it go for an additional hour, then another hour.. and it was still pink in places. I then used Google, because all of these places can't all have bad ovens...maybe just bad cooks.  

I took me three years to figure out that cooking in altitude is a pretty significant change  I "noticed" it the first time, cooking bacon, boiling water, everything seemed off, second time it was things I don't normally cook...

If I can't figure it out, this year I'm cooking at home, and then driving up the hill!

I now know there are issues, but is there a way to cook a traditional dinner at 7000 ft, and make it work?

Cooking at high altitudes is different from cooking at sea level. Recipes that are otherwise reliable may not turn out properly when prepared at high altitudes. The reason for this has to do with differences in atmospheric pressures.
The higher the altitude, the lower the atmospheric pressure. Lower pressure in turn causes water to evaporate more quickly, and water actually boils at a lower temperature

boiling water is actually cooler at high altitudes than at sea level, that's because it's really, really weird. In theory, if you were high enough, a glass of water would boil at room temperature. So "boiling" — where we see the steam and rolling bubbles normally associated with the word, is really more a function of air pressure than temperature.

The effects are incremental, if not actually noticeable. In general, each 500-foot increase in elevation translates into a 1°F decrease in water's boiling temperature. So at 500 feet above sea level, water will boil at 211°F instead of 212°F. But the difference is so slight, you'll never notice it.

Where you will start to notice it is at elevations higher than about 3,000 feet. There, water will boil at around 207°F instead of 212°F. At 5,000 feet it will boil at around 203°F, and at 7,500 feet, it boils at 198°F. That's a significant enough difference where it will definitely affect how long it takes to cook something

Remember, too, that at any given altitude, the boiling temperature of water is as hot as water will get. You can't get it hotter by turning up the flame beneath the pot. So at 7,500 feet, you can't get water any hotter than 198°F.

What that means, then, is that you're going to have to cook foods a little bit longer than you would at sea level. Cooking pasta, for instance, which might take seven minutes at sea level, could take nine or 10 minutes at 3,000 feet.

In addition to adjusting cooking times, you should also make sure that you keep a tight-fitting lid on the pot when you're cooking at high altitudes. This is standard procedure when preparing braised dishes, but it's a good rule to follow at high altitudes because water evaporates so much more quickly.
Because the reduced atmospheric pressure of high altitudes affects the boiling point of water, it's moist-heat cooking techniques that are affected the most. Dry-heat cooking techniques like roasting or grilling are not affected in the same way because high altitudes don't alter the way air is heated. So a roasted chicken recipe shouldn't require any adjustment at higher elevations.

On the other hand, since water evaporates more quickly at high altitudes, meats cooked on the grill will tend to dry out more quickly than when cooked at sea level. Note that the temperature isn't affected, just the moisture content of the food. So a grilled steak might be more dry at high altitude than at sea level — even if it's not overcooked temperature wise.

There's not much you can do about that, other than to make sure that you give grilled and roasted meats a chance to rest before serving them.

You'll also find that eggs will take a bit longer to cook at high altitudes, because they naturally have a lot of water in them. But since fried eggs or scrambled eggs are cooked with dry heat rather than moist, take care that you don't compensate by using a hotter pan. That will just result in burnt eggs. When it comes to eggs, cook longer, not hotter

Another difference caused by the lower atmospheric pressure is that leavening agents such as yeast, baking powder or baking soda will have more rising power. That's because the thinner air offers less resistance to the gases created by the leavening agent. Therefore, you should use less leavening (about 20 percent less at 5,000 feet) as your elevation increases.

And because of the faster evaporation described earlier, you may need to increase the amount of liquid in batters and doughs. You can do this by adding an extra egg, or using extra-large eggs in place of large.

You may also notice a difference in how microwave ovens work at higher altitudes. That's because microwaves cook by exciting the water molecules in food. Therefore, when using a microwave oven you'll likely want to allow extra cooking time as well


Tips for High Altitude Cooking

Unfortunately there is no "quick fix" calculation for determining how much you'll need to increase the time or temperature at high altitudes. Each method of cooking and ingredient combination may require different tweaks. Use these tips to help you troubleshoot high altitude cooking and get great results.

Boiling - An increase in cooking time is required.Increasing the heat will not cause the food to cook faster because once water boils, it remains at it's boiling point temperature and does not increase in temperature any further. Soups, stews, pasta, and rice may also require extra water or liquid.

Baking - Increasing both the time and temperature may be needed to counteract the reduced atmospheric pressure. Some baked goods, like cakes, cookies, or bar desserts may also require a slight increase in dry ingredients, like flour.

Breads - Yeast breads and quick breads tend to rise faster and larger because there is less atmospheric pressure inhibiting the gas expansion. Try reducing quantities of yeast and baking powder, or reducing proofing times to prevent collapse.

Meat and Poultry - Meat and poultry generally have a high percentage of water, which is susceptible to fast evaporation at high altitudes. To prevent meat from dying out, use moist cooking methods, like braising, and increase the cooking time to ensure the meat has reached a safe internal temperature. Meat may require up to 25% increased cooking time to reach safe temperatures. A meat thermometer is especially helpful when cooking meat at high altitudes.

Deep Frying - Because water boils at lower temperatures in high altitudes, deep fried foods can over brown as its moisture quickly evaporates. Reducing the temperature of the oil can correct this problem. Reduce the temperature by about 3ºF for every 1,000 feet above sea level.

Microwave Cooking - Due to faster evaporation, microwave cooking times often need to be reduced. When cooking meat in the microwave, be sure to use a meat thermometer to ensure the meat has reached a safe internal temperature.


IT"S FREAKIN SCIENCE!!!!!

Ok. I read everything... twice.

Next year I'm cooking at home, and then packing it up, and driving two hours up the hill to eat!

The color of the fire on the stove was off as well. Going to Big Bear for Thanksgiving was supposed to be fun!

Chef Morris, do you have any good info regarding the preparation of carrots? I don't think they (or turnips, etc.) have been covered yet. We are always trying to get something green into our menu but often forget about other vegetables. It seems like the only time I see carrots on restaurant dishes is as a garnish.

I guess eating them raw is probably the most popular method to prepare them, but I like them cooked in butter or candied in brown sugar and a touch of mustard powder. I also like them roasted in the oven when placed around the Sunday pot roast. I usually try to add a couple of carrots to the pot when I cook chicken for broth. That's about all of the ways I know to use them. Oh, yeah, I forgot carrot cake but I've never made one so I guess I shouldn't count that.

good question and your on the path many are no longer walking..Carrots, Parsnips, Rutabaga,, Pumpkins and turnip once staples in our diets have seemed to fall to the wayside and or just become boring..and there are some recipes outside the norm and I will post them right here later today..


Chef  will return


OK

how about wrapping them in bacon and roasting in the oven?  have to try that..
I also like to make pan seared carrots, potatoes and onion, sort of like making home fries and adding carrots..

or
Carrot Fritters

4 carrots, julienned
1 onion, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 eggs
2 quarts oil for deep frying

In a medium bowl combine carrots, onion, green onions, flour, salt, pepper and eggs; mix well to coat.
2.Heat oil in deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
3.Using tongs, pick up veggies and drop into hot oil. Fry 3 minutes on one side and 2 minutes on the other.

Carrot casserole

5 cups sliced carrots
3 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup cubed cheddar or Swiss or jack cheese
2 cups seasoned croutons
1/3 cup melted butter

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 2 quart casserole dish.
2.Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add carrots and cook until tender but still firm, about 8 minutes; drain.
3.Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan. Saute onions and stir in soup, salt, pepper and cheese. Stir in cooked carrots. Transfer mixture to prepared dish.
4.Toss croutons with 1/3 cup melted butter; scatter over casserole.
5.Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until heated through.


Carrots and Cranberries
this uses a microwave but you can also sauté, steam or boil the carrots first then toss it together and cook to your preference.
1 lb. carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1 cup dried cranberries, or more to taste
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
 1 pinch ground cinnamon, or to taste

1.Put carrots and cranberries into a microwave-safe dish. Mix chicken broth, butter, and brown sugar together in a bowl;
  drizzle over the carrot mixture and stir to coat.
2.Cook in microwave on High for 4 minutes.
3.Continue cooking in microwave until carrots are tender, about 8 minutes more; cool at room temperature for 5 minutes and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Carrot Soufflé

1 pound carrots, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup white sugar

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 2 quart casserole dish.
2.Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add carrots and cook until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and mash. Stir in margarine, vanilla extract and eggs; mix well.  Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar; stir into carrot mixture and blend until smooth. Transfer to prepared casserole dish.
3.Bake for around 45 minutes.

Carrots and Hazelnuts

4 large carrots, halved
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup clarified butter

1. Steam the carrots in a steamer basket over 1 inch of boiling water for 7 to 10 minutes, or until tender but still firm. Cool, and grate with a large holed grater. Mix together the grated carrots, honey, apple juice concentrate, parsley, and hazelnuts. Season with garlic powder, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
2.Heat butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the carrot mixture in the hot butter until heated through.

Carrot and Parsnip Puree

8 parsnips, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
1/4 cup snipped chives
6 tablespoons butter, divided
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1.Place the parsnips and carrots into a large pot and cover with salted water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain; return vegetables to pot. Turn heat to low, stir in the chives and 3 tablespoons of butter.
2.Begin to puree mixture using an immersion blender. Add 3 tablespoons of butter and continue to puree until mixture is smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste


Roasted Carrot and Cauliflower

1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced
1 head cauliflower, trimmed and cut into bite-size florets
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, or more to taste

1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2.Combine carrots, cauliflower, olive oil, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper in a roasting pan; cover with aluminum foil.
3.Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove foil, stir vegetables, and continue cooking until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes more. Toss vegetables with Parmesan cheese.

Garlic roasted carrots with Parmesan.

1 pound carrots, peeled
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, or more to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2.Stir olive oil and garlic salt together in a small bowl; pour into a large resealable plastic bag. Add carrots to the plastic bag, seal, and shake to coat carrots completely in oil mixture. Arrange coated carrots onto the prepared baking sheet.
3.Roast carrots in preheated oven until crisp-tender, about 45 minutes. Sprinkle 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese over carrots and continue roasting until cheese is lightly browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Garnish with additional Parmesan cheese to serve, according to your taste.

Carrot cake

2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 cups grated carrots
1 cup flaked coconut
1 (15 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup chopped walnuts or Pecans
1/2 cup butter
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners' sugar

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F  Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan. Set aside.
2.In a large bowl, mix together sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk. Stir in carrots, coconut, vanilla, and pineapple. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; gently stir into carrot mixture. Stir in chopped nuts. Spread batter into prepared pan.
3.Bake for 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool.
4.In a medium mixing bowl, combine butter or margarine, cream cheese, vanilla, and confectioners sugar. Blend until creamy. Frost cake  


Carrot PIE


1 (9 inch) unbaked pie shell
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups chopped carrots  
2 eggs
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk

1.Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F   Press the pie crust into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate.
2.Bake the pie shell for 3 to 5 minutes, just to firm it up, then remove from the oven, and set aside. Place carrots in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain water, and mash carrots until smooth using a food processor, or potato ricer.
3.In a medium bowl, mix together the carrot puree, sugar and eggs. Mix in the cinnamon and vanilla. Gradually stir in the milk. Pour the mixture into the partially baked pie shell.
4.Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake for an additional 40 to 45 minutes at the lower temperature, or until firm. Cool

and carrot bread, carrot pancakes,  tossed and cooked with honey, cherries, almonds, Sarachi, Pears, horseradish, and tossed with Brussel sprouts or cauliflower and other savory vegetables

hope that gets you going...carrots will fit into almost any potato recipe and blends well with most of our usual garden veggies.

Chef!

You have my attention...

Wow! Those all look really good! I would never have thought to use carrots to make a pie. Thanks for the ideas!

Hey again Chef!

My oldest son and I have often had "friendly' competitions making a dish, having it judged by family, and it's always a festive, fun time. We have battled over Enchiladas, Grilled cheese and tomato soup, Burgers, stuff like that. It's always fun.

I made meatballs on our recent vacation, standard meatballs. Basic marinara sauce... We looked at each other and BOOM, now home we are going to have a meatball fight.

I don't think I am cheating by asking you a few questions.

I'm pretty set on going with  a Turkey meatball, with cornbread stuffing  croutons as a binder, (in addition to eggs) and cranberry glaze for my first one. Finely minced celery and red onion...or sauteed, finely minced celery and red onion..?

The second one lives only in my head.

Ground chicken.

Buffalo chicken meatballs.

Thoughts?

this is NOT cheating!

up to my knees in end of summer projects,,,will try to get to this Monday afternoon....sorry



OK..this is not cheating, nothing like a little familial competition and Mother should always win, so....lets try these..


buffalo meatball
Ingredients
 
+2 tablespoons olive oil  
+3/4 cup hot pepper sauce (such as Frank's RedHot®)  
+1/2 cup butter  
+2 pounds ground chicken  
+1 2/3 cups dry bread crumbs  
+2 stalks celery, minced  
+2 large eggs  
+2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce (such as Frank's RedHot®), or to taste


Preheat oven to 450 degrees Coat a large rimmed baking sheet with olive oil.

Heat 3/4 cup hot sauce and butter together in saucepan over low heat, whisking constantly, until butter is melted and completely incorporated. Cool to room temperature.

Stir chicken, bread crumbs, hot sauce mixture, celery, and eggs together in a bowl until evenly mixed; roll into 1-inch balls and place on prepared baking sheet.

Bake in the preheated oven until cooked through, about 15 minutes. thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees
Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer meatballs to a platter and drizzle with 2 tablespoons hot sauce.

I made these tonight, to test out before the actual competition, and boy they were tasty! I only changed this recipe at all by sauteing the celery with a little onion and carrot before adding the veg to the chicken mixture.

I cut carrots into small sticks to act as "toothpicks" for serving, and drizzled with blue cheese dressing.

The only mistake I feel I made was making them a little too big. This was my first time working with ground chicken, and I didn't anticipate that they don't lose much size due to cooking. In hindsight, I should have noticed that this package of meat was 95% fat free. I think they would have ended up the right size had it been pork or beef, but these things stayed the same size as when they went into the oven. Next time, I'm going to make them one bite, not two!

Happy to help!

Hi, Chef Morris!

I've seen several threads in the last month or so about seasoning and smoking pork butts (might have been in GD). Aficionados almost universally recommend bringing the temperature of a pork butt up to 205 degrees, yet all of my roasting charts say pork is well done above 155. I know that when I smoke a butt, I usually hit the "stall" in temp at 185.  Most of the smoking cultists say you have to wait it out and get to at least 195 before you pull it from the smoker.

I usually get impatient- I remove it from the smoker once it goes into the stall. Sometimes I'll pull at anything over 160 if I'm in a hurry or tired of waiting.

It seems to me that the longer I run the smoker, the drier the meat is going to get. I know that waiting a longer time can make the meat more tender but it doesn't seem like that big of a deal if I'm going to pull or chop/shred the meat anyway.

I know the ultimate answer is to cook it like I like it but wondered if you might explain why I might want to smoke it longer?

Btw, my usual method is to score the flat sides of the butt about an inch deep and an inch apart, then liberally rub Montreal Steak Seasoning all over right before  it goes into the smoker. I haven't heard anyone complain that it's not good enough yet!

Thanks.

Another question (two in one day! )



We made a rice stuffing for a chicken, with pre-cooked rice, sauteed trinity, and seasonings. The rice came out like mush - is it because it was already cooked? I was worried that uncooked rice wouldn't have enough liquid to plump up correctly. Thoughts on what I did wrong?

there are many "seasoned" BBQ Experts in that particular field..I never cooked pork above 160 as I felt it was too dry, too tough and only fit food for the hogs.
there's good smoked, decently smoked and then there is new shoe sole smoked some insist if it isn't well done to the point of dryness they are risking food borne pathogens..I don't eat at those BBQ'S. seems you're doing fine, stop listening to the experts..

I know, no one's been by in WEEKS.. ARFCOM has turned into my children
did you cook the stuffing inside the chicken? If so you should have parboiled the rice al dente, tossed with cooked trinity and seasonings then placed in the bird.
roasted fowl cavity is a steam machine.
IF NOT..and you were using pre cooked finished rice..next time. cook your veggies, well seasoned with some butter and microwave the cooked rice to steam
and toss at  the last minute with veggie/season mix and serve..(Still liable to be a wee bit mushy).

I haven't been feeling up to experimenting much lately. Doing better though, hence the rice.



Half-cooked rice didn't even occur to me... Sigh.  Would the veggies do better going straight into the bird raw?



 

I would take the "crisp" off of them,,heat them and the seasonings just enough to wilt them, them mix with par cooked rice, then stuff bird

Temperatures here are ridiculous for fall, hovering at 100 late into the night, all last week.  This thing call 'humidity" arrived too, so it's an especially unpleasant, sticky and miserable "hot".  We usually sit at around 80 degrees until the sun sets, then high 60's at this time of the year, sunny and warm, and nothing else. If I believed in Global warming, I'd have to move!

That being said, during this sweltering heatwave, I haven't wanted to cook, but was kind of interested in making Gazpacho. I've never made it before. I  have googled a lot of recipes, but am unclear on certain things. Tomatoes, should they be peeled? Seeded? Same with cucumber, I'm getting confused by looking at so many recipes, so if you have a minute, can you give me a concise basic recipe to follow? (with some of details about how to best prepare the above items) I'm confused about vinegar too, I've seen many listed. I like a spicy gazpacho, like they serve at my favorite Mexican restaurant.

Can you read my mind here on what I'm looking for?!

4 large fresh tomatoes, peeled and diced  
1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely diced  
1/2 cup finely diced seeded red bell pepper  
1/4 cup minced green onion
1/4 cup minced sweet onion  
1 large jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced  
2 cloves garlic, minced  
1 teaspoon salt  
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin  
1 pinch dried oregano  
1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste  
freshly ground black pepper to taste  
1 pint cherry tomatoes  
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil  
1 lime, juiced  
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar  
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce  
salt and ground black pepper to taste  
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil  


Combine diced tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, green onion, jalapeno, and garlic in a large bowl. Stir in salt, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper, and black pepper.

Place cherry tomatoes, olive oil, lime juice, balsamic vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce in a blender. Cover and puree until smooth. Pour pureed mixture through a strainer into the tomato-cucumber mixture; stir to combine.

Place 1/3 of the tomato mixture into the blender. Cover, turn blender on, and puree until smooth. Return pureed mixture to the remaining tomato-cucumber mixture. Stir to combine. Cover and chill in refrigerator for 2 hours.

Season cold soup with salt and black pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and top with basil.

generally does NOT hold over night..nor do most gazpacho recipes, they tend to ferment over night..

if it isn't "hot" enough, simply add some Cholula hot sauce..


thanks for stopping by
Chef..

I love Culinary school with you!

I tend to feel that I'm bothering you with questions that might seem silly to you, but they aren't to me. Thanks you so much for you time/.

Eta: the part about fermenting makes a lot of sense to me, and most of the recipes I've read have this in the refrigerator overnight.

you're very welcome and it's never a bother...I love to hear from my few loyal followers...
I have NEVER had a batch of gazpacho keep over night..ever.

hope it worked well for you..
Best
Chef.

So... scones. I've never really paid much attention to them, or even eaten that many of them. I recently was sent a blueberry-lemon scone recipe that turned out pretty good, but was kind of dry and not lemony enough. Are scones supposed to be served with jam or some other moistening topping? Do you have any other scone recipes that are delicious?



Edit: I like that the recipe didn't have a lot of sugar, and seems to be somewhat healthier than muffins. In case that's an important piece of information...

scones can be a bit dry and are generally served with crème fraiche, cream cheese, butter and jams. the only changes in your scone recipe
would be the flavorings and or fruits added, classic scones have a few currents thrown in them but not a lot, nor are they very sweet when making
savory scones you'd want to reduce the sugar

Crème Scones,  
2  cups flour
2  tablespoons sugar
1  tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup shortening
2  eggs
1/2 cup milk or 1/2 cup light cream
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Combine dry ingredients.
Cut in shortening with two knives or a pastry blender until mixture has the consistency of coarse cornmeal.
Set aside. Reserve a little of the egg whites (to brush over tops of scones) and beat eggs until light. Stir in milk.
Make a well in the dry ingredients and add liquid all at once, stirring with a fork vigorously until dough comes freely from the sides of the bowl.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat dough out to 3/4-inch thickness.
Cut into 8 triangles or squares or form into "biscuits".
Brush tops with egg whites and sprinkle generously with sugar.
place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until tops are golden.
Variations: Raisin Scones Add to dry ingredients 1/2 cup seedless raisins, currants, Craisins or other fruits (fresh blueberries or raspberries, apple chunks, chocolate chunks etc).

For Cheese and or other savory scones you can add bacon, fresh spinach, feta, minced ham, minced cooked onion etc.
and reduce sugar to 1 tsp Add 1 cup of shredded sharp cheese or feta/bacon/spinach combo's to dry ingredients.
Do Not sprinkle with sugar before baking savory scones..

Scones are usually served with Afternoon TEA  

A Brief History of Afternoon Tea

Legend has it that afternoon tea was started in the mid-1800s by the Duchess of Bedford. Around this time, kerosene lamps were introduced in wealthier homes, and eating a late dinner (around eight or nine PM) became fashionable. At the time, there were only two meals each day -- a mid-morning, breakfast-like meal and the other was an increasingly late dinner-like meal.

The story goes that the Duchess found herself with a "sinking feeling" (likely fatigue from hunger during the long wait between meals) and decided to have some friends over for assorted snacks and tea (a very fashionable drink at the time).

The idea of an afternoon tea gathering spread across high society and became a favorite pastime of ladies of leisure. Later, it spread beyond the highest echelons of society and became more accessible for some other socioeconomic groups.

Today, tea is a major component of many British meals, including breakfast, 'elevenses,' afternoon tea and 'tea' (which is more like traditional high tea than afternoon tea).


Types of Afternoon Tea


Although many Americans think of afternoon tea as having a set menu, there are many variations on this tea-centric meal.

The simplest form of afternoon tea is cream tea -- a meal of tea, scones and cream.

Add fresh strawberries to cream tea and you have strawberry tea. Alternately, if you add more sweets to cream tea, you get light tea.

Add savory foods, like finger sandwiches to light tea and you get full tea, which is the elaborate meal most Americans think of when they hear the phrase 'afternoon tea.'

Some hotels and tea rooms also offer other variations on afternoon tea, such as champagne tea (afternoon tea served with a glass of champagne) and teddy bear tea (a children's afternoon tea party featuring dolls and teddy bears).  .


In a couple of my hotels we did afternoon tea, teddy bear tea and for years I offered a Victorian based Christmas party that always sold well
but was limited to 30 people due to the intensity. 10 to 15 of these per season was a norm for about 15 years before I retired.
and of course both sweet and savory scones held a presence for these dinners.


Hope that helps

CHEF.

I know very little about formal teas. When you mention adding more sweets to cream tea, do you mean add more things like English Biscuits or fruits? So you expand the selection of items to get to the next level?

adding more things just moves the board more than anything else, what we would recognize as TEA, served from 2 to 4pm is a "pick me up" more than anything else and customarily practiced by the upper crust of society..

more low brow types (those that could afford it)had High Tea around 4 which was meats, stews, soups, and a sweet or two, sort of a mid day supper and Supper was eaten around 8 and off to bed..but, in the era, Supper was usually some sliced meat, cheese and a few slices of bread or maybe a bowl of soup/stew, a rather small meal..The largest meal of the day was breakfast, eggs, sausages, bacon, bread, cereals..then dinner at noon lots of protein and carbs, High Tea when home from the field or factory floor after a 12 to 15 hr day and a light supper before bed time around 8pm   4 meals a day
I have taken to eating my main meal of the day in that order sans "high tea" and have dropped 18lbs since march and have dropped 1 point off my A1C. doing nothing more than dropping my American dinner time to a light lunch and eating a full "dinner" at noon, salad, protein, veggies and light carbs..so, maybe our grandparents and great grandparents of the Victorian era weren't so ignorant after all.

That's really interesting. We generally eat around 5pm and then snack something small around 8 or 9.



 

makes a lot of sense back then.  breakfast had to sustain you through a morning of back breaking work on the farm, so you loaded all the carbs and protein into it you could. lunch was a chance to rest a bit and more fuel, then a midafternoon snack to keep you going, and finally a few bites once you drug yourself in at the end of the day.  With no electricity in the house it had to be easier to see to cook in the morning and early afternoon vs a big meal in the evening.

I'm sure its been posted, but what is your recipe for honey glazed ham and turkey roast? Going to cook Thanksgiving dinner for my family this year.

please check the following.. index of chefs threads

Turkey should be covered fairly well...honey glazed ham...the title would be the recipe...my secret to moist ham? 7up in the bottom of the pan..


Thanksgiving turkey using an oven bag.
The bird will be perfectly moist when done, and you can make gravy out of the juice that forms in the bottom of the bag.  
The cooking time will vary for different sized turkeys."

12 pounds whole turkey  
salt and pepper to taste  
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 stalks celery  
2 large onions, quartered


Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Rinse turkey and remove giblets. Salt and pepper to taste.
Sprinkle the bottom of a turkey size oven bag with flour( I use a basic paper bag, painted with olive oil on the inside, sealed and stapled)
Place turkey, celery and onions in the bag. Seal bag and poke several holes in it with a fork.
Bake 3 to 3 1/2 hours, or until internal temperature of the thigh meat reaches 180 degrees

Funny, I just noticed the index as I came back to this forum. Thanks for the help!

Chef:

Long timer lurker, first time poster.


I've tried to do my due dilligence here, and check the index but didn't really see this addressed.


Not really any kind of chef or cook, but love trying.  One of the hits with my family is a crockpot chicken soup recipe.  Nothing over the top, and the love it.  One thing though, I've been trying to find a way to thicken it a little.  Can't use cream or "cream like" products (aka cream, half and half, cream cheese, etc:  tried that and the family said no).  I thought about a roux, but not sure if that's the answer.  Also considered corn starch, but don't really want to add anything over the top to ruin the soup's flavor.


Is there something out there that you can think of?  Don't want to overcook the soup.  


In any case, thanks for any advise and all that you do with this thread!

Chef:

Do you have any recommendations for surface temps when cooking on a flattop?  I'm interested in breakfast items like eggs and pancakes.  How about meat products like burgers/sausage patties?  I'm planning on using an IR thermometer to measure the surface temp rather than go by the dial readings - they don't seem to be all that accurate.

I've got a 24" flattop with 2 burners on my Vulcan range.  Is it possible/practical to have two different temp areas on that size?

Thanks for providing the threads - lots of very good info here.

thank you,,I try to be helpful..

how about tapioca or arrowroot are your likely candidates.. it won't change the taste and will thicken it up.. you can even use potato starch...


Happy Thanksgiving
chef

I have to ask, do you mean a Griddle for pancakes or a flattop for a huge heating area for multiple pots and pans..??

 
Thanks Chef!  I'll try that next time.  Right now, trying to salvage the latest go around... wife asked for more sage...it's waaaayyy overpowering!


Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

I don't know what he means, but I'm interested in knowing what to set a griddle to. We use ours for pancakes, French toast, bacon, eggs, etc. I always just set it to 350* because I don't know what else to do...



 

Chef:

To clarify - yes - I'm asking about a griddle.  Mine's on a 60" Vulcan commercial stove and 24" wide.

OK

Griddles

average temp is usually held at 325 to 350 dependent on how you need the speed to feed.. hotter of course cooks faster but also burns. creates crust
and carbonizes the griddle.

Most breakfast cooks who use large griddles for eggs, meats and hotcakes keep 1/2 the griddle at 325 and 1/2 at 375 leaving a moderate temp
in the center.
ALL griddle have variable temps..directly where the gas/electrode sits below the sheet is far warmer than the outer edges and corners
and you "learn your grill" V adjusting temps and just set it at 350 and learn where it's hot for cooking, cooler for holding.
if you're cooking eggs..pick your egg spot, the best temp for you to successfully cook and egg with minimal sticking and always cook eggs in that spot
doing your best NOT to cook meats in that spot and it'll season up fine.

any cook can be taught to cook eggs in a saute pan and to turn them out consistently as they want them while watching their bacon, eggs and hotcakes. Consistent egg cooking on a flat griddle while cooking said bacon and sausage and hamburgers and French toast and a pork chop and hash browns is far more an art/feel/talent and a good grill cook who's sober, sane and serious is worth far and above what they're taking home on Friday.

I have never had a home griddle, besides a table top model of two, had a rather large one when all the kids were home for hot cake mornings. They are great
for holiday family visits, and or anytime you've a bunch of folks to feed. But again Practice, practice practice and you may quit the day job and run off to Denny's or your nearest Silver Line Diner to be a famous Short Order Cook along side Odd Thomas...

Chef

Thanks Chef!
 

Happy Thanksgiving Chef, thanks for all you do. Thanks for making me a better cook.