High-heat roasted fish fillets (p. 398) and White wine sauce for fish (p. 552)

I am on a ROLL tonight! I have written four blog entries already--make sure to read them! Josh and I went to the grocery store early Monday morning to get ingredients for my day of obsessive cooking. We always search the sale sections and found some nice tilapia on sale. I thought it would be perfect for lunch.

I made High-heat roasted fish fillets (p. 398).

The recipe was very simple. Looking at the picture and comparing it to the recipe, I apparently didn't read thoroughly before starting because I spread butter on the fish but didn't melt it. I seasoned it with salt and pepper.




I popped the fish in the oven and started it cooking. It seemed to be taking an abnormally long time to cook. TJOC said that the fish should only take about ten minutes and it was taking much longer. I mentioned the issue to Josh and he said "even though you are broiling it?". I told him no, I was roasting, and I looked at the oven again. I WAS broiling rather than roasting (door open rather than closed) because I had gotten confused. ::sigh:: I shut the door and roasted the fish for a couple more minutes. It turned out well.



I will admit, I had an ulterior motive for making fish. I wanted to make the White wine sauce for fish (p. 552) because it was an option on the randomized list.

The sauce was extremely easy. I made a white sauce in one pot and a white wine/chicken stock/bay leaf/cloves/peppercorn/shallot mixture in another pot.



I actually made that combination twice. I was supposed to reduce it by half but it evaporated really quickly and I reduced it to near nothing the first time.

I added the reduced wine mixture to the white sauce:




And over the fish it went:



(I can't wait until I get new plates after the wedding--these are going straight to the thrift store)

It was extremely good! The fish had a nice texture and was nice and buttery while the sauce had a terrific texture and a nice wine flavor. The recipe was extremely easy and could be easily dressed up for a more impressive presentation.

Soft-boiled eggs (p. 194) and Chocolate cream caramels (p. 865)

I'm going to admit it--this blog and the four following it are randomly split up. I made all 13 recipes in three days and several of the recipes that go together were made over several days. So I decided to break them up over multiple entries.

I wanted to make something fast (and TJOCy) for breakfast. Unfortunately, I hadn't been grocery shopping and the cupboards were essentially bare. But I always have eggs! I made a couple Soft-boiled eggs (p. 194). I don't know how you all eat your eggs, but I can definitively say that I never order them soft-boiled. In fact, I think I've only ever had a soft-boiled egg once (at dad's).

I boiled some water, reduced it to a simmer, added the eggs, and cooked for four minutes. When they were done I cracked the top off.



I could have easily eaten it in an egg cup but, alas, I don't own egg cups (does anyone?). How were they? Very very runny. If you don't like runny yolks AND runny whites, soft-boiled eggs are not for you. I like runny yolks and I throw the whites away (or give them to my mom or Josh, depending on who is with me), so I enjoyed my egg with some toast. That being said, I can't imagine making these again.

I have been thinking about candy making for a while now. I really like making candy. It requires a totally different skill set from cooking or baking. I have relatively bad circulation and cold hands, which are a terrific asset for candy-making and pastry. I like watching the candy thermometer--and I have three awesome new candy thermometers. And I had a terrific experience making marshmallows. I decided to make Chocolate cream caramels (p. 865).

Sugar, corn syrup, salt, and heavy cream were mixed and brought up to 234 degrees Fahrenheit. It took about twenty minutes and needed to be stirred constantly. The mixture went from this:




To this--a nice caramel color:




Actually, that was after I added another cup of cream and brought it back up to 234 degrees. I then chopped up three ounces of unsweetened chocolate.



I really hate using baker's chocolate because it's poisonous to dogs and my little dog is constantly at my feet when I'm cooking. Josh and I put up the baby gate to keep her out of the kitchen (just in case). I added the chocolate to the sugar/cream mixture, briefly stirred it, and then poured it in to a buttered pan (without scrapping the bottom).



Perfect! I let them dry overnight and then cut them into squares (using kitchen shears) and individually wrapped them in plastic wrap. They were really good--chocolaty and smooth with a terrific caramel flavor. I can't wait to make the cream caramels now.

Caribbean red beans with pork (p. 255), Mediterranean white bean soup (p. 133), and Fresh strawberry variation IV

I had pork in the fridge and searched TJOC for the perfect recipe--Caribbean red beans with pork (p. 255) seemed perfect. Of course, every time that you consider making a bean recipe, build in time to soak your beans (unless you use canned beans or use a quick soak method). I soaked them overnight. Dried beans are amazingly cheap so if you are running into money problems, beans are cheap and easy.




The red beans were combined with water, an onion, a "leafy celery top" (weird!), a bay leaf, a garlic clove, and a cinnamon stick. A cinnamon stick--uh oh. I really don't like cinnamon. It's always concerning when I see it used in recipes--especially savory recipes.



After cooking for an hour and a half it looked like this:



Muddy! Not too appetizing. The beans were drained, the vegetables and bay leaf thrown away, and the cooking liquid was reserved (and I actually read that before tossing it down the drain!). It smelled strongly of cinnamon--not a good sign.

I cut up some sweet potatoes (sweet potatoes rather than yams, which are white rather than orange):



I sauteed a pound of pork (I cubed some chops) and then added the sweet potato (one sweet potato was about two cups worth), an onion, some garlic, and some salt (I omitted the peppers because I don't like them), eventually adding some paprika.




The beans and reserved cooking liquid were added to the pork mixture and it was simmered for about an hour.



How was it? Really good! The cinnamon wasn't overpowering and I love sweet potatoes and pork. I really wished I had made some rice, because it would be particularly good over rice. TJOC says that the recipe is a good way to stretch a little bit of meat--with rice it would be even better.

I wanted something quick for lunch, while the red beans were cooking. Quick might be a misnomer because I did decide to make it the day before--otherwise the beans wouldn't have been soaked. I settled on Mediterranean white bean soup (p. 133).

The beans were simmered for two hours with rosemary, a ton of garlic, and water.



Tomatoes, parsley, olive oil, red wine vinegar (how many types of vinegar do you have? I have about a half dozen and could use more), salt, and pepper were added.



And it was done! It was extremely good. But very very garlicky--I think I sweated garlic the next day. It was one of those perfect mixtures of flavors, really tasty. I will definately make this again. The recipe only makes about two servings though, so keep that in mind if you make it.

I had a pint of strawberries so it seemed like a good idea to make something out of TJOC. I chose Fresh strawberry variation IV (inspiring name, right?). Number four is pretty much just strawberries tossed with balsamic vinegar (no specified amount) and topped with creme fraiche or sour cream (I went with sour cream).




Delicious! It was a terrific day of recipes--everything was tasty! I love balsamic vinegar and the tang of the vinegar with the sweetness of the strawberries was amazing. I can't recommend this enough (if you like vinegar, otherwise choose against it). Actually this was one of those combos that I saw on Top Chef and wondered about!

Sausage and mushroom strata (p. 98)

I have had the Sausage and mushroom strata (p. 98) on my "to-make" list for months but somehow never actually made it. I decided it was the perfect time to cross one of the stratas off the list.

I know what you are thinking--what the heck is a strata? A strata is essentially a savory bread pudding. TJOC points out that they can be assembled one day and baked the next, making it a perfect recipe for a brunch or lunch when you need a big meal and don't want to be in the kitchen cooking all day.

The recipe is easy. First, I browned a pound and a half of sausage. TJOC doesn't specify the type of sausage, so I used half Italian sausage and half breakfast sausage. Mushrooms (both button and shiitake) and some onions were added and it was cooked for about fifteen minutes.



I then cut up a loaf of bread and shredded a ton of cheese. Half of the bread was spread in a 13x9 pan (buttered, of course). I started to get concerned at this point--every time I bring out the 13x9 pan I get nervous. It's so big! It always produces WAY too much food for the two of us.



The sausage mixture and most of the cheese was layered on the bread.




The remaining bread and cheese were then layered on top. Milk, eggs, salt, and black pepper were mixed and then poured over the top. I actually kept this in the fridge overnight and baked it the next day, although you can let it soak for as little as two hours.




It was then baked for 45 minutes.




How was it? I'm very conflicted about this strata. I think it was tasty and I liked the toasty taste of the bread on top. That being said, it made an ENORMOUS amount, so I would half it if I made it again (and will probably half the other two TJOC stratas when I make them). I'm so used to sweet bread puddings that it was a little strange for me, but Josh liked it. So if you like bread puddings, sausage, and mushrooms, give this recipe a try. If you don't like bread pudding DO NOT make this recipe, you will not be happy.

I promise I will catch up!

I am behind on posting--I have several to post (and backdate--I'll delete this post when I do it). I have my preliminary exams for my PhD's starting on Monday and I'm a stressed out, nervous wreck. I will update when I'm finished with my exams, I promise! Don't give up on me!

UPDATE--I'm not going to delete this blog because I really like the comments. I'm in the midst of catching up :) Keep checking back!

Shredded pork tacos (p. 189) and Macleid's rockcastle chili (p. 513)

I'm getting caught up on postings!

Since I had made pulled pork, it seemed really logical to make Shredded pork tacos (p. 189). This is one of the stupidly easy recipes in TJOC--a tortilla, some pulled pork, a little sour cream, some avocado, and it's done.





It's amazing that something so simple can be so delicious! The pork and avocado combination was tasty. And it's a great use of pulled pork when you are starting to get sick of bbq.

I decided to knock another recipe off of the randomized list and make Macleid's rockcastle chili (p. 513). The recipe is has a lot of steps and ingredients but isn't particularly difficult. First, bacon was cooked, then removed from the pan. A pound and a half of beef, a lot of garlic, some onion, and a bottle of dark beer were briefly cooked in a pan and then removed to a Dutch oven. Make sure it's a big one because this recipe produces a LOT of chili.





I used a local beer (although I don't remember the brand). Cans of tomatoes, kidney beans, Northern beans, and pinto beans were added to the mix, along with some ancho chile powder, ground cumin, black pepper, and another bottle of beer.

This seemed like an awful lot of beer for chili, but I figured, what the heck do I know. And this chili wasn't looking great for Josh--he really hates beans.




The chili was simmered for about three hours and it was done!



How was it? It's hard to objectively say. The experience was bad and it took Josh and I (who are apparently idiots) a couple bowls to realize that the chili wasn't the problem--our crackers were horribly bitter and awful. I think there was too much beer in the recipe too and if I was to make it again, I probably would only use one bottle and the rest water or tomato juice.

I'm not a huge chili fan (I feel like a terrible American by saying that!) so I'm probably not the best judge. But between the strangeness of this recipe and Josh's hatred of beans in chili, I doubt I'll be making this recipe again (although I do like ground beef better than chunks in chili).

Chicken or turkey meatballs (p. 445) and Tuscan bread and tomato soup (pappa al pomadoro) (p. 132)

Most people know that I don't tend to like poultry-based versions of foods that are typically red meat (ie turkey bacon, chicken burgers, etc.). So I wasn't particularly excited about Chicken or turkey meatballs (p. 445). I picked turkey over chicken because chicken always seems so bland. Ideally, I adore a pork/beef/veal mixture for meatballs.

The recipe was easy enough. I sauteed some onions and a little garlic in olive oil. That was mixed with turkey, an egg, Parmesan, a little milk and breadcrumbs, tomato paste, basil, salt and pepper. And then on to the fun part! I mixed it with my hands.




Although, I must say, it looks a bit ick at this point.



The meat is then balled up and rolled in a little bit of cornmeal (these were difficult pictures to take! I was constantly washing my hands). They were pretty soft until they started to cook and hold together.



The meatballs were cooked in a bit of olive oil until they were brown. TJOC says this will take ten minutes but it took considerably longer (like always).



Eventually they were done and nice and brown.



They were DELICIOUS!! Wow were they good. In fact, they were far better than TJOC's beef version (although not as good as my Italian grandmother's meatballs). I am salivating just thinking about the meatballs--wow, were they (unexpectedly) good. The meatballs are essentially the turkey loaf balled up so I'm now excited about the meatloaf!

I needed something quick to go along with meatballs and decided on the Tuscan bread and tomato soup (pappa al pomadoro) (p. 132). The recipe looks extremely long but is pretty easy. An onion was sauteed in some olive oil, garlic and basil was added to it, and a big can of tomatoes (drained and chopped) was dumped in.



Two cups of chicken stock and some salt and pepper were added and then the concoction was poured over some stale bread (or, in this case, some toasted bread).

From this:



To this:




Easy and tasty, although it would be better with fresh garden tomatoes. I wish I had a garden (and a gardener to go with it--I really hate weeding). We have an extremely limited farmer's market, too, which makes me miss Des Moines. Do they have decent farmer's markets in your neck of the woods? You might notice that I'm asking a lot of questions at the end of these posts but I'd like to know other people's thoughts :)

Bolognese sauce (p. 564)

First off, Duchess in a dinosaur costume. Why? Do you really need a reason to dress a small dog up in costumes? I don't.




I've mentioned before that I am less excited about TJOC recipes for which I already have a terrific standby on hand. Bolognese sauce (p. 564) is one of these recipes. I have an AWESOME Bolognese sauce recipe already and I feel no need for another. And I LOVE Bolognese sauce--I ate as much as possible when I was in Italy.

But, cookthrough bloggers can't be choosers.

The recipe started promisingly--render bacon in some olive oil.



It seemed like an awful lot of oil but what do I know?

Next step, I added minced carrot, celery, and onion (there have been plenty PLENTY of pictures of this step on TJOTJOC already). I then added some ground beef and stirred in a little chicken stock, white whine, and tomato paste.





I'll be honest, I didn't like the looks of this sauce. I know Bolognese sauce is a far less tomato-y sauce than most but this particular sauce was really pushing it for me. Plus, it only had beef in it! My sauce always has a beef/pork/veal mixture. But I slowly added a cup and a half of milk, like the recipe required.



It cooked for about two hours. This is not the recipe to make if you want something to eat quickly--the sauce took at least three hours and then requireed time to cool.




How was it? To be honest, I thought it was gross. Way too much beef and it had a weird fatty flavor/texture. My Bolognese sauce is way better--way way better. I won't be making this recipe again. I don't have that many other stock recipes (I've made the bread pudding, lasagna, chocolate chip cookies, and meat sauce recipes already with varied results) but I've been dreading rice pudding. I LOVE my rice pudding recipe--it is absolutely amazing. I should probably just make it and get it out of the way. Do you have any stock recipes? Do you stick to it or try new versions?

Egg noodles with garlic and bread crumbs (p. 330)

I needed something very quick because I had been very busy. I usually look in the pasta chapter when I need something fast. Egg noodles with garlic and bread crumbs (p. 330) seemed to fit the bill. I melted a stick of butter, then added some garlic and a cup of bread crumbs. It was a LOT of breadcrumbs--an inappropriate amount of bread crumbs, I thought.



Eventually the bread crumbs brown and a little parsley is stirred in.



At this point, a pound (a pound?? Why didn't I cut this recipe down??) of egg noodles were added.



How was it? It tasted like it looked--like egg noodles covered in bread crumbs. Not my thing. I think this recipe goes in the "no thank you" pile. I wonder how the authors came up with some of these recipes and I imagine it went like this:

"Hmm...I'm so hungry but all my food spontaneously combusted except for a bag of egg noodles, some stale bread, and a stick of butter. And gophers dug up my entire garden--except for my garlic. Maybe I can combine it all--tada! Into the book it goes!"

Pulled pork (p. 500), Southern barbecue dry rub (p. 587), Western North Carolina barbecue sauce (p. 587), and Ray's mustard barbecue sauce (p. 586)

As all of my regular readers know, I'm trying to get through my entire Randomized List as quickly as possible because I want to make a new list. Pulled pork (p. 500) was on the RL so that's what I decided to make.

I burned out, years ago, on pulled pork. One summer, my father roasted THREE (yes, three) whole hogs in one month. Hundreds of pounds of pork. There were TONS of leftovers. My stepmother, brothers, and I ate so much pulled pork that month (whereas dad got to escape for two meals a day to work). I think there were weeks where we ate pulled pork for all three meals a day. My stepmother finally threw the rest away. And I have never been able to look at pulled pork again. That was about 15 years ago. I decided it was time to try my hand at pulled pork again.

The first step was to make the Southern barbecue dry rub (p. 587). The recipe requires a quarter cup of cracked black peppercorns. I didn't know how to do this in a way that wouldn't make a huge mess. It finally occurred to me to put the peppercorn in a plastic bag:



And then smash them with a meat tenderizer:



Totally worked! The rub also included brown sugar, paprika, chili powder, red pepper, cumin, mace, and salt. Very very easy.



The dry rub was then rubbed into a pork shoulder roast:



The dry rub recipe makes a LOT of spice.

I decided to use my awesome Le Creuset dutch oven. The pork went into the oven at a low temperature for around three hours.



At this point the pork shredded easily. Look at the blade bone:



It pulled cleanly out. This pulled pork was among the easiest things that I have made out of TJOC. The recipe made a LOT of pulled pork. A simple, cheap, easy recipe that makes a LOT of meat--I really recommend it.




What is pulled pork without barbecue sauce? I decided to make several types so that we wouldn't get bored with the pulled pork. I made TJOC's simple barbecue sauce. I also made the Western North Carolina barbecue sauce (p. 587) (which I thought was a very specific name). It was easy--I mixed white vinegar, cider vinegar, hot peppers sauce, sugar, crushed red pepper flacks, and a little catsup and it was done! I heated the bbq sauce a little but the recipe doesn't require it.



Finally, I made Ray's mustard barbecue sauce (p. 586). I don't typically like mustard so I wasn't very excited about this recipe. Again, it was easy. I mixed yellow mustard, catsup, cider vinegar, vegetable oil, onion, honey, garlic, a little lime, Worcestershire sauce, and some black pepper.






I made a LOT of barbecue sauce. Three containers! Yum.




So how was it all? Tasty! The pulled pork was tender and flavorful and the sauces were awesome! The vinegar sauce was amazing and the mustard sauce was incredibly good too. When you think of barbecue sauce what do you think of? I think of the sauce on the far right but do you think of something else?

I do realize that I wrote this entry almost two months late. I've been insanely busy with my comprehensive preliminary exams for my PhD (I PASSED!!) so I was incredibly behind on TJOTJOC--and I took about a month off from cooking. I promise to have it caught up to date within a day or two and I'm already back to cooking :)