The Cookbook

[Mik]

Trying out the air fryer feature of my new range tonight on a French bistro classic - steak frites. Anyone have any suggestions? I'll pan cook the steak, and using Ore Ida frozen fries. Might coat them with some melted duck fat or olive oil.

We're pretty well over the covid, so nice to have some wine with dinner.

[George K]

Nothing says "August" like turkey, right?

Oven-Roasted Turkey Breast

¼ cup butter, softened
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon salt-free garlic and herb seasoning blend (such as Mrs. Dash)
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 (3 pound) turkey breast with skin
1 teaspoon minced shallot
1 tablespoon butter
1 splash dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons half-and-half (Optional)

Step 1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Step 2
Mix 1/4 cup butter, garlic, paprika, Italian seasoning, garlic and herb seasoning, salt, and black pepper in a bowl. Place turkey breast with skin side up into a roasting pan. Loosen skin with your fingers; brush half the butter mixture over the turkey breast and underneath the skin. Reserve remaining butter mixture. Tent turkey breast loosely with aluminum foil.

Step 3
Roast in the preheated oven for 1 hour; baste turkey breast with remaining butter mixture. Return to oven and roast until the juices run clear and an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast, not touching bone, reads 165 degrees F (65 degrees C), about 30 more minutes. Let turkey breast rest 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Step 4
While turkey is resting, transfer pan drippings to a skillet. Skim off excess grease, leaving about 1 tablespoon in skillet. Place skillet over low heat; cook and stir shallot in turkey grease until opaque, about 5 minutes.

Step 5
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in skillet with shallot and whisk in white wine, scraping any browned bits of food from skillet. Whisk in chicken stock and flour until smooth. Bring to a simmer, whisking constantly, until thickened. For a creamier, lighter gravy, whisk in half-and-half.

Here's my result...

I didn't cover the turkey breast with aluminum foil - just put it in a baking dish and let it brown on its own. I used an indwelling thermometer and cooked until 165 degrees. I basted with the butter/herb mixture a couple of times.

If you're a lover of turkey white meat with a nice gravy do this.

[George K]

Scored Potatoes

4 large baking potatoes
2 tablespoons butter, melted, divided
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

With a sharp knife, cut potatoes in half lengthwise. Slice each half widthwise 6 times, but not all the way through; fan potatoes slightly.

Place in a shallow baking dish. Brush potatoes with 1 tablespoon butter. Sprinkle with paprika, parsley, salt and pepper. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 50 minutes or until tender.

Drizzle with remaining butter.

[George K]

@George-K said in The Cookbook:

We got some large breasts from Amazon fresh - got 3 breasts at 3 ½ lb.

I thought Mrs. George and I could do with 1 breast per meal, so I took a couple of breasts and made this meal using 2 breasts, planning to freeze the remainder.

As a side, I made some (gasp) canned new potatoes:

• 2 cans of new potatoes
• ¼ cup melted butter
• "herby" salt
• grade Parmesan

Melt the butter and pour over the drained spuds. Sprinkle with salt, park and herby salt - I used Mrs. Dash and added salt.

Bake at 350 until they look a bit crispy.

Came out good.

[Mik]

Perfect summer dinner tonight.

Grilled Teriyaki Chicken
Fresh white corn on the cob
Grilled Southern peaches

Luzianne decaf iced tea

https://therecipecritic.com/grilled-teriyaki-chicken/

[Mik]

Turned out fantastic. Here’s the teriyaki sauce I used.

For the peaches I soaked some fresh basil in olive oil and brushed the cut side with it and a little sea salt.

[Mik]

I loved eating at Legal Crossing in Boston. It was Legal Seafood's experimental kitchen. They had this great yellow gazpacho with a crabmeat tower on it. Fantastic stuff. This looks very similar and is Legal Seafood's recipe.

Made it this morning. Every bit as good as I remember. Dinner tomorrow after it chills with the topping and some crusty rolls.

https://recipegoldmine.com/ccl/legal-seafood-golden-gazpacho-shrimp.html

[Catseye3]

NATURAL COUGH & COLD SYRUP

^
This tasty smoothie coats the throat to sooth and has anti-inflammatory properties. Pineapple has been shown to break down mucus with its enzyme bromelain and fight bacteria. Cayenne pepper contains capsaicin that acts as a pain relief and ginger that is good for anti-nausea. These are just a few of the many proven health benefits of the ingredients.

The recommended dose is half a cup three times a day but as it’s just fruit and spices you can have as much as you need (within limits of normal smoothies) without any side effects.

INGREDIENTS
1 medium Pineapple
1 Lemon
2" Ginger
½ tsp Turmeric
½ tsp Cayenne pepper
¼ tsp Black pepper
pinch of Salt

INSTRUCTIONS
Peel the pineapple and lemon.
Place all in a blender and blend until desired consistency is reached.
Enjoy straight away and store any remaining in the fridge.

Go here for the video:https://www.nestandglow.com/healthy-recipes/natural-cough-cold-syrup

[Catseye3]

I was visiting next door when a valued member of TNCR recommended signing up for the Bon Appetit mailing list. I did so immediately. This recipe was in my first mailing from them.

Tomato Salad with Basil Vinaigrette

2 lb. mixed heirloom tomatoes, cut into wedges
Kosher salt
1 cup (packed) basil leaves, plus more for serving
3 Tbsp. grapeseed or vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar
1 8-oz. ball burrata or fresh mozzarella, torn into large pieces

Place 2 lb. mixed heirloom tomatoes, cut into wedges, in a fine-mesh sieve set over a medium bowl (to catch tomato water); season liberally with kosher salt and toss to distribute. Let sit 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook 1 cup (packed) basil leaves in a small saucepan of boiling salted water, stirring, 30 seconds. Drain and gently press to remove excess water.

Transfer basil to a small food processor or blender, add 3 Tbsp. grapeseed or vegetable oil, and process until smooth. Pour basil oil through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl and press on solids to extract as much basil as possible; discard solids. Whisk in 1 Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar and 2 Tbsp. tomato water to combine.

Transfer tomatoes to a medium bowl and drizzle half of dressing over; toss to combine. Transfer to a platter or shallow bowls, top with one 8-oz. ball burrata or fresh mozzarella, torn into large pieces, and drizzle with remaining dressing. Scatter more basil over; season with freshly ground black pepper.
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I luuv Bon Appetit. I should have figured they'd have a website.

[Jolly]

Mortgage- lifters or else!

[Catseye3]

Trader Vic's Bongo Bongo Soup

^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

INGREDIENTS

1 pt milk

1/2 cup half and half

1 (9 1/2 oz) can oyster puree or equivalent of puree of fresh oysters

1/4 cup pureed spinach

1 tsp MSG, optional

Dash garlic salt

2 Tbsp butter

1 tsp A-1 sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

Cornstarch and cold water

Whipped cream for garnish

PREPARATION

Heat milk and half and half. Add oyster puree and pureed spinach. Add MSG (optional), garlic salt, butter, A-1 sauce, salt and pepper. Bring to simmering point, but do not let boil. Thicken with cornstarch mixed with a little water.

To serve, top with whipped cream and slip bowl under the boiler to let glaze to a golden brown.

[George K]

No ersters. EVAH.

[Jolly]

Raw, no.

Fried, good. Smoked, good. Dressing or gumbo? Take it or leave it.

[Mik]

I love them fried or in other cooked ways. Raw, um...not my cup of tea slime.

[George K]

Tonight's Dinner: Instant Pot Best Hungarian Goulash

• 4 tbsp (1/2 stick) of salted butter, divided in half
• 1 large Spanish onion, cut length-wise into strands
• 2 tbsp of paprika (regular, smoked or Hungarian is fine – since paprika is a key ingredient of this dish and if you wish to go heavier on it, add 1/4 cup instead)
• 1 tsp of caraway seeds
• 2-3 lbs of chuck roast, cut into bite-sized pieces (use this cut of meat for the best results and make sure it’s marbled – meaning strands of fat are visible)
• 1.5 cups of beef broth (I used 1.5 tsp of Beef Better Than Bouillon + 1.5 cups of water)
• 1/2 cup of a dry red wine, like a Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon (if you don’t wish to use wine, use another 1/2 cup of broth)
• 1 tbsp of white vinegar
• 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup of ketchup
• 3 tbsp of dark brown sugar
• 1 tbsp of seasoned salt
• 1 tsp of pepper
• 2 cups of baby carrots
• 2 tbsp of cornstarch + 2 tbsp of water to form a slurry (I think it’s perfect this way, but use 1/4 cup of each if you want the gravy very thick)
  Egg noodles, to serve the Goulash over (optional, but cook separately on the stove according to package)

Add 2 tbsp of the butter to the Instant Pot. Hit “Sauté” and adjust so it’s on the “More” or “High” setting

Once the butter’s melted and sizzlin’, add the onion to the pot and sauté for 3 minutes in the butter.

Then, add the caraway seed and paprika followed immediately by the other 2 tbsp of butter, stirring constantly so the paprika doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot too much. As the butter’s melting, we will also deglaze (scrape) the bottom of the pot to make sure it’s free and clear of any caked-on paprika

Add the meat and sauté/sear for only for 2-3 minutes, constantly stirring in the pot (it shouldn’t be fully cooked at all, just lightly browned/seared on the edges)

Add all the other ingredients except for the cornstarch slurry and egg noodles (if using, you’ll cook the noodles on the stove separately while the Goulash is pressure cooking)

Hit “Keep Warm/Cancel” and then hit “Manual” or “Pressure Cook” for 30 minutes at high pressure. Once done, allow a 10 min natural pressure release (also known as a “NPR” which means you do nothing for 10 minutes) and then follow it up with a quick release

Once the lid’s off, hit “Keep Warm/Cancel” again and then hit the “Sauté” button again and adjust so it’s on the “More” or “High” setting. Once it comes to a bubble, stir in the corn cornstarch slurry and let bubble for a minute and the sauce will have thickened to the perfect consistency

Serve over egg noodles (boiled on the stove separately), if desired

=-=-=-=-

3.5 out of 5 stars. I didn't have brown sugar, so I used regular sugar, but I doubt it mad much difference.

Made it with some oven-roasted potatoes as a side because Mrs. George is not a fan of noodles.

[Catseye3]

George, I recently redd a recipe that called for paprika, and the cook raved about these two paprikas: Pride of Szeged Sweet Paprika Powder and Pride of Szeged Hot Paprika Powder. She says if you have recipes you love that call for paprika, once you try these you will never have truck with the grocery store stuff again.

I haven't tried them, but she seemed credible, and I pass them along to you FWIW.

As to your recipe, it looks delish. I'm a little skeptical about the ketchup; can't decide if it's maybe overkill. Hard to say without trying it.

[Mik]

Fall is here, so it's time for comfort dishes. French ones, that is. Tonight is Chicken Normandy.

https://www.monpetitfour.com/chicken-normandy/

Ingredients

1 tbsp vegetable oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2" wedges
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tbsp apple brandy (or regular brandy)
apple cider (also known as unfiltered apple juice), *see note
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh sage

Instructions

To a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Pat dry the chicken thighs and a pinch of salt and pepper to both sides of the thighs. Carefully place the thighs into the pot and cook each side until browned.

Remove the chicken thighs from the pot and temporarily set aside on a plate. Add the apple wedges to the pot and sauté for a few minutes until golden and caramelized. Place the apple wedges on a separate plate.

Turn down the heat to medium. To the pot, add the onions and brandy. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan. After a few minutes, when the onion has softened, add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Add the chicken back into the pot and pour in enough apple cider so that the chicken is mostly immersed in the cider, but not completely submerged. Raise the heat to high to bring the cider to a boil. Once it's boiling, turn down the heat to medium and cover the pot with a lid; cook for 5-7 minutes, until the chicken is tender and cooked through.

Remove the lid from the pot and stir in the cooked apples, mustard, cream, and chopped sage. Allow the mixture to simmer for about 5 to 7 minutes longer, until the sauce has reduced and thickened.

Serve each chicken thigh with a few apple wedges and some cream sauce poured over it. Enjoy immediately with French bread.

Notes

Depending on how deep/wide your pot is, you may need anywhere from 1.5 to 2 cups of apple cider.

[Mik]

Twas delicious. Pretty easy too. The sauce doesn’t get reall thick, so I definitely recommend plenty of crusty bread. Flavors were great.

[Mik]

Trying something new with Brussels Sprouts tonight (I love them, but MFR doesn''t. She's out of town)

With Grilled Halibut with prawns and lobster butter.

Smoky Lemony Shredded Brussels Sprout. I always shred mine. Better cooking that way.

https://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-smoky-lemony-sauted-shredded-brussels-sprouts-recipes-from-the-kitchn-196909#post-recipe-10685

[Catseye3]

I am also a fan. This week I made a big panful of broccoli-Brussels sprouts-petite carrots medley sauteed in butter. That is how I discovered how tasty is pepper flakes with carrots.