Prog Chefs Unite!!!

Raff wrote: Atavachron wrote: I've been self-saucing for years yeah I don't know what that means either I thought such a great cook as you are knew what that means... It's basically a cake that is meant to be eaten hot, like a steamed pudding, and that makes its own sauce, so to speak. After you've made the cake batter and put it into a pan, you pour a mixture of boiling water, cocoa powder and dark brown sugar (that was the recipe I used at least) onto the batter, without mixing. Then you bake it for half an hour or so. The result? A wonderful, moist pudding-cake in a delicious, fudgy sauce.

In the UK they are known as Pond or Puddle puddings, often named after an English county, such as Sussex Pond Pudding ot Kentish Puddle Pudding, in the past they were usually lemon, but more recently chocolate.

had a nice flank steak sandwich for lunch at a place near me-- flanksteak is of course quite chewy but if pounded, sliced thin and grilled, has a lot of flavor..it was on a fresh baked roll that was soft and chewy inside but a crunchy crust (lightly baked, not like rustic or artisan bread), greens, tomato and an aioli mayonnaise

OK, we've had our dinner, and the lasagna was fabulous. Next time I'll try it with the fresh pasta sheets - the no-boil noodles were good, but the fresh ones have a different texture, and are definitely thinner. For dessert I made a self-saucing chocolate pudding cake (recipe found on the web), which was also delicious - served with a blend of sour cream and Greek yogurt. Yum!

RE Greek yogurt: it is one of the staples of my cooking. I use it instead of sour cream, or even whipped cream on cakes - tonight I'm going to use it as a topping for a chocolate cake. The contrast between the sweetness of chocolate and the tang of the yogurt is heavenly!  I also use it a lot in salad dressings, for instance blue cheese dressing, which I make without adding any oil. As for honey, I am also a big fan of it, though I'd have to sing the praises of Italian honey - something I really miss here (chestnut flower honey is da bomb!).

Sun-dried tomatoes are another of the things we always keep in our pantry - they're wonderful in just about anything! David, try putting some finely chopped ones in your vinaigrettes (I always use the ones not packed in oil, after having softened them in hot water). I also endorse using herbs of any kind! One thing is for sure though: I'd NEVER make any salad dressing with any oil other then extra-virgin olive oil!

three-bean salad tonight with garbanzos, green & kidney beans, red onion, and parsley in a honey-mustard vinaigrette, some good sourdough bread on the side

..any favorites for vinaigrette?  Good olive oil is a must of course, I also like a sweeter vinegar like apple cider or orange, a good clove or two of garlic, a squeeze of lemon, shot of dijon or grain mustard, and cracked black pepper ..I also like honey and sometimes yogurt if I want it creamy

Slartibartfast wrote: jammun wrote: Having finally recovered from the Super Bowl Monte Cristos, I am now able to contemplate the couple pounds of scallops and shrimp that are sitting in the fridge.  I suppose it will be the usual:  shrimp w/ pineapple in Thai hot sauce and grilled.  The scallops are a bit more of a question.  Probably the usual:  marinate in Yoshida's sauce ((http://www.mryoshidas.com/)  and no I don't have any connection with Yoshida) to enhance the inherent sweetness of the scallops.  Then also grill those scallops.  We are having remarkably good weather here in the U.S. Northwest, so it's no problem to get them outside on the grill.  Served over rice or just eaten off the skewer, these are excellent. But of course if Yoshida would send you some free bottles in thanks for your plug, you would not refuse. So I'd like to take a moment to plug this in the hopes that I might actually get sent some freebies. http://www.extremefood.com/shop/home.php

hmm, sounds like a plan ...

Jim, that sounds wonderful! I love all kinds of seafood, but unfortunately don't cook it as often as I would like (and should). Anyway, I've found that here in the US frozen seafood is way better than in Italy, where it all too often doesn't smell or taste fresh.

As regards ricotta, I find it a very versatile ingredient, and I particularly like to put it in pancake batter (tomorrow morning I'm going to use cottage cheese though). However, I have to say I miss the fresh ricotta we have in Italy, especially the one made with sheep's milk.

Atavachron wrote: the béchamel lasagne sounds wonderful.. ricotta is good but a bit cottage cheesey as for fresh - or should I say 'wet' (raw?) - pasta, I prefer dried whether homemade or not, and only eat the fresh stuff occasionally

That's really interesting.  My first encounters with lasagnes were those my Mom made when I was a kid.  She used cottage cheese which was the substitute for ricotta and available at a time and place where ricotta wasn't available (Virginia in the early '70's)  The beauty of the dish is that there are so many variations you can do. 


Edited by Slartibartfast - February 13 2010 at 19:10

the béchamel lasagne sounds wonderful.. ricotta is good but a bit cottage cheesey

as for fresh - or should I say 'wet' (raw?) - pasta, I prefer dried whether homemade or not, and only eat the fresh stuff occasionally

I've seen those pasta roller things used on TV (not actually on top of the telly )  Some things are best bought premade so you can focus your energies on the rest of the dish.  Tortillas fall into that category.

Shame on you Dean, you need to use a gift kitchen gadget at least once. 

I'm doing a French recipe for dinner tomorrow - garlicky shrimps and scallops...


Edited by Slartibartfast - February 13 2010 at 19:05