and to you and yours

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.

amen.  happy thanksgiving to you and yours, chef!

Chef, I FUBAR'd tonight. I think my intentions were good.

I made twice baked potatoes, stuffed with blackened chicken ,and I like to hide veggies within these taters of the gods.

I followed no recipe, probably my first mistake.

In order: 2T Butter in a deep saute pan. Add one thinly sliced red onion. Add...a pre sliced box of baby bellas. <-I cheated.  Work that to almost no water, then add garlic.I did four cloves. Then add wine, just a splash. Then I added the tips and secondary parts of baby asparagus, baby "organic' Zucchini. Organic means its more expensive hen it should be. Thinly sliced red and Orange peppers.

Here was my dilemma...

The onion and mushroom part was done when I added in the raw goodness, so thought it might be a good idea to steam the newly added veg. I put in a little more wine, chicken bouillon, then covered the saute pan with an inverted plate.

It tasted good, but watery and didn't have the texture I would have liked.

Mushy maybe...

When you have a minute, could you direct me in the right way, with these ingredients?

thank you and to you and yours..

very simple solution

when cooking items that have different cooking times than others you've got to time them correctly in order which can be tricky.
you can "par steam your veggies"  then toss them into the saute pan which will avoid over cooking which would have been your best
bet with the asparagus stems and add the final "Tips" and gently toss to al'dante.
and
you probably added more stock and wine than you needed and it didn't cook off as you'd hoped.

saute your garlic and onions until they just start to break down, add your shrooms and cook until the edges
start to get soft, add your asparagus stem pieces cook a few minutes until the stems are cooked and at the last minute toss in your tips and toss like a salad to get them just hot enough so as not to start cooking off the buds..
if it's still wet, strain it, we usually just take a kitchen towel, press down on the lid, turn the whole pan over a collection point and release just
enough space for the liquid to drain off and drop it back on the heat a few seconds to cook off the final moisture..

hope that answers your question???
Merry Christmas..
Chef

Ok... You make a lot of sense. Different methods before putting it together..I get it.

You probably won't see this before I have to make it, but I'll check in early today anyway.

My two 6th graders have to bring in a sampling of food from their heritage as a fund raiser for at least 80 kids tomorrow. (Science Fair projects are ALSO due tomorrow...)

My Grandmother was from Spain, 100% Spanish, Every other relative on both side of the kids family tree are total mutts. I can claim several continents, countries, cuisines, and be legit. My kids have been loved, sang to in Spanish, and heard her stories, and history of their Gama Gama, so Spain it is.

My youngest son wanted me to make paella.  I talked him into  Churros con Chocolate. Paella is going to trigger most helicopter parents food sensitive kids allergies. You really have to live here to understand how popular it is to have a special kid.

I bought the Churro's. I'm not ashamed. I bought the best churro's, and have them cut into 4" parts. I know how to make the Chocolate. I'm banging my head against the wall thinking of how to make this work. No power supply, how do I get 80 portions (more like 100) to the school and keep it from setting up without heat. I know there is no answer, but wanted to vent anyway. Maybe you have a magic wand. I don't want to disappoint my son.

My daughter is fully done. She is bringing fruit Salsa and Churro chips. I spent hours fine dicing strawberries, apples, and frigging expensive kiwi's.  I've spent almost 200.00, and 6 hours making what I have so far. The tickets to buy these items from the lower graders are .25 CENTS EACH.

sigh.

I know you won't read this until after the fact. I just need to vent.

venting is welcome and this is racist and idiotic...My kids would have bought Haggis and bangers and mash with a side of Guinness...... screw it..it'd have
been haggis and they'd never do such an expensive money and time suck project..

how many kids bought salsa and tortilla chips from Taco Hell.. I'm going 1/2 the class or better   and I spent a couple of years in Cali..felt like a felon the whole time..having a 4 AR15 and 40 or so magazines and 2 Hi Powers with a dozen magazines for them hidden in the safes that didn't see the light of day the whole time I was there made me nervous as a cat in a room full of rockers....and lets not even go to the nights I left night clubs at 3am in LA with out a gun....

sorry you had to do such grunt detail for a couple of 11 yr olds...Maybe make who ever thought this up some "Special Hot Chocolate" for their politically correct non descript, Holiday Party..

I like ideas of haggis, and bangors and mash, that's my type of personality too. My youngest gets it as well, which is is why he wanted paella. He wanted his list of "dangerous" ingredients to be the largest in his grade...  I love that kid!

Most parents here go over the top, and just about every one of the 100 (=/-) 6th graders brought in their 80 samples. It was pretty busy. I told my kids to try to set up next to each other, even though they are in different classrooms. They could share the poster board, and save time.

How I solved the Chocolate.. I melted 3 # of chocolate chips (2/3 semi sweet, 1/3 milk) over a double boiler. Then... I  added an ass load of heavy cream, milk, butter, Mexican hot chocolate drink tablets, and a hit of water. I brought it to the school hot in a large pitcher, right as the event started.

My son was so excited that he sold the most, and sold out first... He tried to have me go home and do another batch on the fly. Yeah..no.

After he was done, he started "selling" my daughters item, the fruit salsa with cinnamon sugar tortilla chips. He managed to get that sold out quickly too.

He removed the word "salsa" from the poster board, and focused on the "Cinnamon Sugar Churro Chips" (with fruit) The kid has a future in sales.

I'd start preparing my negotiations for future requests for surf boards, Xboxes, motorcycles and cars along with parachuting and cliff diving..he sounds ready
to be the next Zig Zigler..  next time..and I am sorry I didn't answer this...got excited about serving haggis to 11 yr olds...with the chocolate and "Not Heat"
Hot hands, those chemical reaction heaters. They'd be a heat source in a double boiler set up..or MRE Heaters...

Chef,

What are your thoughts on Sous Vide?

cold but could be warmed up to it..

better than boiling mad i suppose

well, I try to keep emotions "sealed in"...

Probably already answered but...what's the best cookbook for a new cook?

Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile

I wish I could offer an answer..you've won stump the Chef....I havnt cracked an up to date cooking book since Wiensiels Menu Maker.


I"d probably point you to Alton Brown, I assume he has a cook book..he seems a down to earth. passionate cook who actually knows
what he's doing..
Sorry I can't offer more

Chef.

no Dumas' Dictionary of Cuisine, Joy of Cooking, Yan Can Cook, etc?

Hey Chef, sorry if this has been asked a million times, but I'm looking for a cutlery set for my mother for Christmas.

Keep in mind though, she is a bit of a hardcore kitchen woman, and I'm only a recreational goer in that department. So KISS is imperative here.

Budget?


well, since Mr Valintion hasn't returned to respond, I'll drop the mic right here and say

I want this set right here

i just bought this:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0019WQI04?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00


and this:




already had this:




they're not fancy, but work very well. i'd do her a favor and steel them out of the package; they're not sharp, but can be made so easily.


they also have this, which looks like a good value:

Since you mention "a new cook" who presumably hasn't developed particular cooking interests, you might consider Cooks Illustrated magazine.  Their articles are usually well illustrated and offer the reasons for their techniques. They might have cakes or pies in one issue and fried chicken in the next. One downside is that they do not progress in an orderly fashion like you might find in a series of cooking lessons where you keep building on what you learned earlier. A lot of our favorite recipes came from them.

We like to purchase the used bound hardbacks a couple of years old. For instance, you can purchase many of them dating before 2010 for less than $5 each on Amazon. Just because the recipe book is older doesn't mean it can't be a good recipe!

I asked for this for Christmas, and I'm pretty sure the GF picked up on it.



It appears to be a design book for flavors-  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/flavor-bible-karen-page/1100163990

looks good

Hello Chef.  Do you have any recipes or thoughts on how to proceed with braised beef shanks?  We've have ten one inch thick pieces so I'm thinking about trying two different batches on two different days to get my feet wet..

We have on hand;
No sodium beef stock and broth.
Dry and cream sherry.
Port and a merlot.
Should we consider something else for the liquid?

Would appreciate your ideas if you have time this holiday week..

your liquids are fine and can be substituted into these recipes...

Osco Buco

1/4 cup all-purpose flour  
2 teaspoons salt  
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper  
2 pounds veal shank  
3 tablespoons butter  
3 tablespoons olive oil  
1 cup chopped onion  
1 cup thinly sliced carrots  
1/2 cup chopped celery  
2 cloves garlic, crushed  
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce  
1 cup water  
1 cup dry sherry
1 teaspoon dried basil  
1 teaspoon dried thyme  
3 sprigs fresh parsley  
1 bay leaf


In a shallow dish, stir together flour, salt, and black pepper. Dredge meat in seasoned flour. In a large skillet, melt butter with oil over medium heat. Brown meat. Remove meat from pan, and set aside.

(Add onion, carrots, celery, and garlic to drippings in pan. Cook and stir for about 5 minutes and remove).

Stir in tomato sauce, water, basil, thyme, parsley, and bay leaf. Return meat to pan. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to simmer. Cover, and cook for 2 1/2 hours



braised beef shanks with wine and tarragon

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds beef shank  
salt and ground black pepper to taste  
1 onion, cut into 1/2-inch cubes  
2 stalks celery, cut into 1/2-inch cubes  
1 cup sweet red wine  
1 2 cups beef broth  
water to cover  
2 tablespoons dried tarragon  

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F


Heat an oven-proof deep skillet with a lid over medium-high heat on the stove; add olive oil. Season beef shank with salt and pepper. Cook beef shank in the hot oil until browned on all sides, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer beef shank to a plate.

Saute onion and celery in the same skillet until onion starts to get translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Pour wine over onion mixture and bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.

Return beef shank to onion-wine mixture; add beef broth and pour in enough water to cover 1/2 to 3/4 the beef shank. Sprinkle tarragon over shank; cover skillet with lid.

Bake in the preheated oven until meat is falling off the bone 4-5 hours. Season with salt and pepper before serving.


hope that helps
CHEF

Sweet!  Thank you.

Missed your edit last night

I'll try the tarragon version today, it sounds good.

If you're still around today, is fresh tarragon GTG?

Thanks again!

always fresh is better

Chef, that worked out terrific.  My wife is literally purring like a kitten after the hard day she had at work.

Will definitely experiment more with tarragon and beef, it's unique.

You guys have a good Christmas!

THANK you   and a very merry Christmas to you and your


tarragon was born to compliment beef.  Glad to help.

What sides would compliment the beef shank the best?

Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile

Roasted garlic mashed potatoes.  Steamed asparagus hollandaise

Chef, what's the basic motion to use with a honing steel?
Again, sorry if these are repeats.

PS- got a copy of The Food Lab for Christmas, that's going to take a while to read.

Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile

cutting downward like you're trying to slice a piece off of it heel to tip in an oval motion

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)  To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. – Luke 2:4-14 KJV -  


a very Merry CHRISTmas  and a happy Tshaunatsha and prosperous New Year to you and your families

L'chiam and God Bless..

to those who read this thread and are non believers , eat, drink and make merry, for tomorrow we may die,,, ...
and just something to think on, I was in your club for 40 years...and learned there are things far greater on this earth than I, me, mine, that no one can
explain.....that is all..Good Solstice.

Merry Christmas Chef.



(If you have a second, a little refresher on a fool proof way to cook a 9#  bone in Prime rib roast would be appreciated)

Kosher salt crusted P. R.

2cups coarse kosher salt  
4-5 pounds prime rib roast
1 tablespoon ground black pepper  
3tlb chopped fresh garlic


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Cover the bottom of a roasting pan with a light layer of kosher salt. Place the roast, bone side down, on the salt. Season the meat with the ground black pepper aarlic and  then cover completely with kosher salt.

Roast in preheated oven 15 min per pound for rare or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 135F or 145F for Medium to Medium rare

Remove from oven and let rest for 15-30 minutes. This sets the juices and makes the roast easier to carve. (Note: Be sure to remove all the salt from the roast before serving.most of it will be baked together like  crusty cap



or
 
1 (5 pound) standing beef rib roast
2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt  
1 teaspoon ground black pepper  
1 teaspoon garlic powder or 2 tlb chopped fresh

Allow the roast to sit at room temp before seasoning..

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the roast on a rack in a roasting pan so that the fatty side is up and the rib side is on the bottom. Rub the seasoning onto the roast.

Roast for 1 hour in the preheated oven.
Turn the oven off and leave the roast inside. Do not open the door. Leave it in there for 3 hours. 30 to 40 minutes before serving, turn the oven back on at 375 degrees F  to reheat the roast. The internal temperature should be at least 135 degrees F Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before carving into servings.



Merry Christmas..

Merry Christmas Chef,

Have some time on my hands, recommend something for me to cook. I have a pork loin on hand, but don't let that limit you.

merry christmas Chef!

with the 1000's of recipes in this and the other thread..I HIGHLY Recommend you visit the...while I appreciate a challenge a always

I am playing with grandbabies for the next 36 hours...and having a grand time...

Christmas best wishes to you and yours, a healthy and prosperous new year...and please come back Monday and I"ll try to throw you a challenge after work...



Mediknights...thank you and to you and yours...

LATERS


OUT

Chef

Hello hope everything is going well for you Chef, wife bought some lemon honey at the farmers market any suggestions on what to make with it?

combine with bourbon for cough syrup?

Okay

splain "lemon honey" is this lemon with honey, honey with lemon or honey harvested from bees in a lemon grove?

Sorry for the late reply, I read this before cooking, and it helped.

I'm just now digging out after the Holidays, and three of my children's birthdays, which all fall just after Christmas. (really poor planning on my part)  

So Chef, I bought my first REALLY fucking expensive and REALLY sharp knife last weekend. I had hinted to everybody in my family that all I really wanted was a sharp knife for Christmas... I received a spice rack, a gift card to my usual nail salon, and a coupon for drinks at my favorite hang out instead. All good!  

My students were very generous with visa gift cards this year, and I decided to use them to buy myself what I wanted. I went to Sur La Table (whatever the spelling is) and went to the knife counter. NOT a lookie loo this time, show me the KNIFES!! The guy selling these looked like he was previously homeless, and now a knife salesman in a retail store, so I didn't really pay a lot of attention to him. I wanted to feel the knives in my hands. I ended up liking the feel of one of them over the others. It will crush me if I was stupid here, but be honest, did I pick a good one? It's a chef's knife stamped with WUSTHOF, and is super sharp. I have to slow down when I'm working with it, because I accidentally touched the blade twice, and have been bit both times!

My first really sharp knife!! (I have another 20.00 knife that was my previous favorite, just sitting in the drawer now) this fellow was $160.00.

I would really appreciate your thoughts here, even if I made a mistake. I've cooked every day since buying this thing!

There is NOTHING like a new factory sharp knife in the kitchen..

Wustoff are an excellent quality German steel knife...and once a much sought after label to add to ones knife roll when I was a young and eager Chef..

these dream rolls included Sabitier, Forshner, and Henckels.  I FAVORED Henckels and Sabitier though would have never refused a Wustoff.

I gifted an up and coming sous chef my set of Henckels when I moved from single hotel management to multi unit management in which I only carried 2 Sabitier and a Chinese cleaver in my brief case for emergencies.
My current kitchen "block" includes Henkels, Forshner, a lone Henckels boning knife and a couple of mixed Dexter's and Sysco Black Diamond I use for butchering and my much used Chinese cleavers..

You did very well..and chose wisely...
now, get a set of crock sticks and learn to gently maintain the edge on that knife..

CHEF

Honey with lemon,sorry. All I ask is no fish, she's allergic.

well

Tea
facial
mixed with water for a digestive
weight loss


as far as recipes go..honey is a sugar replacement..1 cup of honey = 1.25 cups of sugar with .25 cups of water.

Lemon honey butter tarts
Ingredients
 2 eggs  
1/2 cup brown sugar  

1/2 cup honey  
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice  
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest  
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon  
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg  
1/4 teaspoon salt  
1/3 cup butter, melted  
18 (2 inch) unbaked tart shells

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F  
Beat eggs in a large bowl. Stir in brown sugar, honey, lemon juice, lemon zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Blend in melted butter. Fill tart shells halfway.
Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown, and filling is set.

tarts can be topped with raisin or other dried fruits, coconut, plain or toasted, chopped pecans,,,etc..before baking

I"ll be back with some more recipes later today,,,,

Good morning Chef!

Maybe you will be able to answer this for me. We just got done with Deer season around these parts. My buddy usually bones out the deer for me, but this year I did it myself and I understand what he is now getting at.


What knife set would you recommend for this process. I am currently using what I have on hand. Buck 119, a 4" fixed blade knife, fillet knife and another longer kitchen knife(insert laughter here). there's got to be something better. Not trying to break the bank, as these are used, in his case, on about 5-8 deer a year. A dedicated set you might say. Any suggestions?


And thanks for the recipies! The supper menu gets a little stale around our house with a 1.5, 4 and 6 yo that don't like to try something new....


Any good kid friendly recipes?

knives..
My butcher knives were always Dexter Russel..they got sharped a lot and worn out quick and no sense in ruining a $100 knife when a $20 knife does the job
just as well and usually longer...
curved boning knife
straight heavy boning knife
straight light/flexable boning knife
10 to 12" scimitar or cutting steaks, roasts etc in long smooth cuts
medium sized pork cleaver for breaking joints, cutting up back bones etc
that and nothing is nearly as frighting as a 12" cleaver with just the right grin..

and nothing is more annoying than stubborn kids who will only eat chocolate, bread, milk, cereal, baked goods and maybe an apple...yet they all seem to grow up fine
one of mine, for 3 years..ate canned green beans and chef boy arde spaghetti in one form or another..monitor their growth, have regular check ups and watch their teeth

and the best thing to do is add some art to kids food, there are ample magazines offering such thinks like hard boiled egg halves that look like mice
or ants on a log etc..with boys, anything that sounds gross tends to offer a challenge especially if Dad goes first...hit a used book store, go thru holiday
ladies home journals or similar, tons of ideas and one of my go to actions...80 hr weeks and creativity at times , hell Never go hand in hand...

best
Chef