What's Cooking (Take Three!)

Apricot pork steaks with Jansson’s temptation.

Jansson’s temptation.

I had to look this up. Thanks, Barb! I'm always glad to learn something.

Well, I couldn't ignore that, so I looked it up, too. Sounds wonderful. I also liked the fact that the dish is referenced in an episode of Archer, which is a favorite of mine.

Now if I can only find some pickled sprats.....

Now if I can only find some pickled sprats.....

Mike most recipes seem to use anchovies which is what I did and it’s pretty good. However you got me thinking about using other dead fish, maybe Riga sprats lhat are lurking in the pantry.

Now if I can only find some pickled sprats.....

Mike most recipes seem to use anchovies which is what I did and it’s pretty good. However you got me thinking about using other dead fish, maybe Riga sprats lhat are lurking in the pantry.

Oooh - that reminds me of a market where I might be able to get them. Thanks!

Tonight it’s “leftovers “ on “toast “
So leftover grilled chicken and vegetables, slice of cheese,wrapped a la burrito, brushed with butter.
Spicy beef casserole drained mixed with beaten eggs, lightly cooked into a loose omelette, placed on the last flour tortilla a little cheese, fold brush with butter,
Whack them all in the oven.
Plenty of veg in both, lots of flavour, no elegance
Sunday night in.

Holiday prep is moving along. Chocolate orange ice cream is in the freezer, roasted cinnamon ice cream goo is chilling in the fridge. Fancy cranberry sauce is done (it takes three different alcoholic beverages to make cranberry sauce in my house!). Up next: gingerbread!

Fancy cranberry sauce is done (it takes three different alcoholic beverages to make cranberry sauce in my house!).

So you wrestle out the tartness and provide depth with the alcohol, which then allows you to serve the cranberry sauce with wine?

We're having cranberry sauce tonight because there's no way it does anything fun for wines on Thursday.

And I tend to do a pretty minimalist cranberry sauce: cloves (or sometimes star anise) for the original cooking, maybe orange juice and then a bit of sweetener.

So you wrestle out the tartness and provide depth with the alcohol, which then allows you to serve the cranberry sauce with wine?

We're having cranberry sauce tonight because there's no way it does anything fun for wines on Thursday.

And I tend to do a pretty minimalist cranberry sauce: cloves (or sometimes star anise) for the original cooking, maybe orange juice and then a bit of sweetener.

Make that minimalist cranberry sauce with half water and half red wine, then and add cinnamon, clove, Cointreau, pomegranate liqueur, chop up half an orange, and finally add a few toasted crumbled walnuts. Now you have a chutney worthy of honored forefathers. And goes with everything.

So you wrestle out the tartness and provide depth with the alcohol, which then allows you to serve the cranberry sauce with wine?

We're having cranberry sauce tonight because there's no way it does anything fun for wines on Thursday.

And I tend to do a pretty minimalist cranberry sauce: cloves (or sometimes star anise) for the original cooking, maybe orange juice and then a bit of sweetener.

Make that minimalist cranberry sauce with half water and half red wine, then and add cinnamon, clove, Cointreau, pomegranate liqueur, chop up half an orange, and finally add a few toasted crumbled walnuts. Now you have a chutney worthy of honored forefathers. And goes with everything.

Interesting. Yes, it does seem downright chutneyesque, with the walnuts for texture. Will try something along these lines.

[Jenise]

I'm making a cranberry-orange-ginger sauce for taking to TDay on Thursday. Think I'll add a bit of gelatin and mold it into a terrine. Gonna be pretty!

Jansson's Temptation, makes a regular appearance at our St. Lucia festivities. A great dish.

Taking an easy/cheat route tonight, roasting a marinated, butterflied chook from Aldi (by request I hasten to add) with an Astoria salad (being fresh out of Waldorfs subbed pears)

We'll be eating the turkey at the home of some friends who always supply way too much food. The only course they don't really do is dessert, so we're bringing a chocolate-pecan cake, some cranberry curd, and the roasted cinnamon ice cream.

[Jenise]

We had TDay dinner last night with friends. I took:

cranberry relish (need to post this recipe)
haricot verts topped with chanterelles in a vermouth cream sauce
"lobster rolls" (as described in another thread, a huge hit)
fresh pumpkin pie

Breakfast today was "waffles" of leftover T'giving dressing topped with an egg. Heard idea on public radio other day. Quite tasty. Probably even better if our dressing had been the rather wet dressing my parents always made, ours was moist but not really wet so broke up a bit. Still tasty.

[Jenise]

Breakfast today was "waffles" of leftover T'giving dressing topped with an egg. Heard idea on public radio other day. Quite tasty. Probably even better if our dressing had been the rather wet dressing my parents always made, ours was moist but not really wet so broke up a bit. Still tasty.

Must have heard the same show--love that idea, Dale.

Our Tday leftovers consisted of pieces of several types of pie and some corn-squash-misc. veggie mix. So I made meatloaf and mashed potatoes to serve with the squash stuff. Later, some friends dropped by and we ate some of the pie.

[Jenise]

I just love Thanksgiving leftovers. The only leftovers we had are a bit of the cranberry relish that was longer than the presentation plate, so it stayed home.

But on the way home we bought a turkey of our own. Monday!

I've got extra of everything: turkey, stuffing, gravy, cranberry, salad, pumpkin pie, gingerbread, whipped cream, both ice creams. Stop on by!

[Jenise]

You had me at sfuffing. Ill even eat it cold out of the fridge.

[Jenise]

On the stove: a pot of long-cooked green beans. Had a chunk of real ham and threw that in there with the beans, some sliced onions and a few chunks of carrots. Lots of water, some peppercorns, a cup or so of some chicken broth I made a week ago, and voila, magic is happening in the pot. I just LOVE green beans cooked this way.

I just LOVE green beans cooked this way.

Mush?

[Jenise]

Actually, soft stringy, like a noodle. As I just explained to a friend, for the first few hours of cooking they merely taste overcooked. But the flavors concentrate as the broth gains body, and after about a four hour simmer the beans turn incredibly sweet. Food magic.