The Cookbook

[xenon]

@Mik Thanks! I'd never done it before either - but it worked.

My only qualm was that I love it when the egg seeps into the carbs (bread, potatoes, etc.) - but that couldn't happen. The flavor was fantastic though.

[xenon]

@brenda said in The Cookbook:

@xenon
Well, hubby and I have been doing our part toward that scientific goal, and our waistlines would greatly appreciate your help.

You know - a really nice part of this whole quarantine has been a greater appreciation of how much good cooking you can get done with a bit of planning.

Slow cooks, marinates, bread fermenting. Between all the little experiments on the go - I think we're actually spending fewer than average time executing our cooking.

[brenda]

@xenon
Indeed! That's the beauty of working from home, isn't it? It's also fun to experiment with new recipes and techniques.
I'm wondering how similar or different your pizza dough recipe is from the Peter Reinhart recipe I have used a lot. I'll have to do a side-by-side comparison.

[George K]

Tonight's Dinner: Chicken Schnitzel

INGREDIENTS

4 4-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/8-inch thickness
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour (for dredging)
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 cups (or more) whole wheat (or regular) panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
Chopped flat-leaf parsley
Lemon wedges

Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Place flour on a plate. Beat eggs and Dijon mustard to blend in a shallow baking dish. Place 1 cup panko in another shallow baking dish, adding remaining 1 cup panko, or more, to dish as needed throughout process. Working with 1 chicken breast at a time, dredge in flour, shaking off excess, then dip into egg mixture, turning to coat evenly; carefully coat with panko, pressing panko gently to adhere to chicken. Transfer chicken to prepared baking sheet.

Heat 1 Tbsp. oil and 1 Tbsp. butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat (pan should be large enough to hold 2 breasts). Add 2 chicken breasts to skillet and cook until golden brown on both sides, 8-10 minutes. Transfer chicken breasts to a paper towel-lined plate and season with salt. Add remaining 1 Tbsp. oil and 1 Tbsp. butter to skillet and repeat with remaining chicken breasts. Transfer chicken breasts to plates and garnish each with parsley and a lemon wedge.

This is one of Mrs. George's favorites. Tonight, we added some baked potato and steamed broccoli.

[Mik]

Pro tip: OreIda crispy fries are pretty damn good.

[George K]

@Mik said in The Cookbook:

OreIda crispy fries

https://www.oreida.com/product/00013120012518

These guys?

[xenon]

First moderately successful foray into baking bread.

I didnt flour the proofing basket enough - so it stuck to the bottom and ain’t super pretty. But the proofing was good and it had good oven spring.

[Klaus]

That looks like an excellent bread! I bet you can "hear" that bread (which is one of the most reliable quality indicators).

[mark]

@xenon Wow! That looks awesome!

[xenon]

Thank you fellas -

@Klaus - there was even a crackling sound coming from the bread for a few mins after coming out of the oven. Very satisfying.

It was nice - I've never gotten used to American bread. Too sweet.

[brenda]

Yes, the post oven crackle is a beautiful sound. Well done!

[Horace]

That looks great. Well done Xenon!

[Mik]

Looks like a professionally baked loaf I have. Very nice.

[George K]

Tonight's dinner: Schweineschnitzel

Ingredients:

4 boneless pork chops (1 pound total), 1/2 inch thick
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon seasoned salt (Spike or Lawrey's, or just substitute plain salt)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons milk
3/4 cup fine dry breadcrumbs or panko
1 teaspoon paprika
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or canola oil
3/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon dried dill or 2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream (full fat)

Instructions;

1 Use a meat hammer to pound the pork cutlets to 1/4-1/8 inch thickness. Cut small slits around the edges of the cutlets to prevent curling.

2 Set out 3 shallow bowls. One with a mixture of the flour, seasoned salt, and pepper. The second with the egg and milk whisked together. The third with a mixture of the breadcrumbs (or panko) and paprika.

3 Dredge cutlets: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Dredge the cutlets first in the seasoned flour, then dip the cutlets in the egg mixture, and then into the mixture of bread crumbs and paprika.

4 Working in batches, sauté the cutlets for 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove the cutlets from the skillet and cover with foil or place in a warm oven to keep warm.

5 Deglaze pan, make sour cream dill sauce: Add the chicken stock into the skillet to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen the brown bits.

In a small bowl mix the dill and salt into the sour cream. Stir the sour cream mixture into the chicken stock.

Heat and stir until mixture thickens (do not let boil).

Serve the cutlets with the sauce, and lemon slices if you like.

[brenda]

@George-K
How was it, George?

[George K]

@brenda said in The Cookbook:

@George-K
How was it, George?

Quite good!

Random things - based on a recipe I saw elsewhere, I threw a little Dijon mustard into the egg wash.

Also, the "paprika mixed with bread crumbs" doesn't work - the paprika filters to the bottom of the bowl, and there's none of it on the crust. Next time, I'll put the paprika into the flour.

Lastly, the sauce needs more dill.

But, Mrs. George approves, and I'll make it again.

[brenda]

@George-K
The Dijon sounds like a nice addition. It looks great!

[George K]

@brenda that's not my photo, but it came close to looking like that!

[xenon]

Anyone maintain sourdough starter?

I'm on day 3 of starting a new culture (just flour and water). The thing has already risen and bubbled - but it smells like baby vomit as of a few hours ago.

Some folks say this is normal and keep at it, other recommend starting over.

Thoughts?

[George K]

It's spring, so perhaps not a time for "comfort food."

But, what the hell....

Tonight's dinner: Slow Cooker Stroganoff.

Ingredients:

1 lb cubed beef stew meat
2 can golden mushroom soup
½ cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon Worchestershire sauce
¼ cup water
boullion cube
½ packet onion soup mix
sautéed mushrooms
4 oz cream cheese

Directions:

1. In a slow cooker, combine the meat, soup, onion, Worcestershire sauce and water.

2. Cook on Low setting for 5-6 hours, or on High setting for about 4 hours. Stir in cream cheese just before serving.

3. Add a "dollup" of sour cream when you add the cream cheese to get an extra "tang",

4. Add sauteed mushrooms about 1/2 an hour before serving.

5. Serve over cooked wide butter noodles.

Note: I sautéed the beef in butter(!) before putting it into the cooker. Yeah, it's pretty damn good!