How do you cook.....?

[Demimonde]

Hibiscus really needs heat to reach its full potential. I like to brew mine in a French press because it the easiest way to make tea ever.

I have a 32 oz press so I use half a cup of dried hibiscus tea. Some folks also add a cinnamon stick, but I have never tried that. Pour boiling water over the flowers, cover without plunging for 3-5 minutes depending on the strength you like it. After it has steeped press the plunger down half way. You don't press it like coffee, you are really just using it as a sieve and crushing the flowers it will make it bitter. Pour into a pitcher, add sugar if you like, let cool and serve over ice.

If you don't have a press I suppose you could steep it in a pan and use a sieve to strain it. However, using a press makes it so much simpler and neater IMO and that crazy red tea can stain like no other.

[lisarea]

I have been just making it in the refrigerator. (Put some bags or leaves in a bottle, fill with water, put in refrigerator, drink the next day.)

I love hibiscus tea.

[vremya]

I usually don't like iced tea, but I had hibiscus tea when I was in El Salvador and LOVED the stuff. (I thought it was cranberry juice, and probably wouldn't have touched it if someone had said it was tea)

[Qingdai]

I used to just put the whole flowers in a pint glass and pour near boiling water over them.

Hibiscus tea gives me vivid dreams, so I tend to avoid it. I would wake up tired.

[vremya]

I picked up some hibiscus, in tea form - they didn't have the whole flowers, so figuring out the proportions is going to be fun.

[Qingdai]

Tablespoon per pint? That's about the proportion I was using.

[Sock Puppet]

Okie dokie. So I have a coupla items in my freezer that need some cookin.

First, tonight I want to grill the pork ribeye I got a couple weeks back but threw in the freezer since I didn't know when i'd get to it. Obviously I don't have time for a proper marinade, so I just plan to do a quick rub and grill, unless somebody has a brilliant alternative.

Second, my daughter's friend's grampa went fishing and ended up with a freezer full of trout. So I have two big freezer bags full. I've done various fishies over the years, but never trout. Anyone have a favorite prep?

My profanities for this--oh, wrong thrad.

[livius drusus]

I'm afraid both of those are outside of my purview. Good luck, tho.

[Zehava]

For trout I've always had it dredged in a flour/pepper/salt mix and pan fried. That said, it's not my favorite fish.

[Qingdai]

I do just like Zehava except I use corn meal instead of wheat flour to make it crunchier.

[Demimonde]

I have never cooked with trout, but I have had this recipe before and it is to die for: Trout Meunière Amandine. Pretty much the best trout I have ever tasted.

[Sock Puppet]

Ima try both of those for the trout; I've got plenty, after all, and Mrs. Puppet won't eat it no matter how I do it.

For the pork, I just rubbed it in olive oil and a basic pork rub, and charged it into battle. Since I'm a coward about undercooking, despite reports that the dangers of trichinosis are greatly exaggerated, I knew I'd leave it too long if I left it that thick. So I sliced it down the middle to make two steak-like pieces. Then I indirect-grilled it in the middle of the gas grill with the burners on low on either side. It was aight.

[Janet]

I've always just broiled my trout with salt, pepper, paprika and lemon juice. I'm a fan of trout, myself but I rarely buy it. It's much easier to get my brother-in-law to catch me some walleye.

[Zehava]

Originally Posted by Sock Puppet

Ima try both of those for the trout; I've got plenty, after all, and Mrs. Puppet won't eat it no matter how I do it.

For the pork, I just rubbed it in olive oil and a basic pork rub, and charged it into battle. Since I'm a coward about undercooking, despite reports that the dangers of trichinosis are greatly exaggerated, I knew I'd leave it too long if I left it that thick. So I sliced it down the middle to make two steak-like pieces. Then I indirect-grilled it in the middle of the gas grill with the burners on low on either side. It was aight.

Get an instant read thermometer. 145F is now the USDA recommended temp for pork (down from 160F). Even if you do under cook it some you are right about trichinosis, it is rare with modern pork processing.

[S.Vashti]

Trout almondine. You'll need sliced, toasted almonds, and fry the trout (lightly floured) in plenty of butter. Plate, drizzle lemon juice and throw some of the almond slivers on it. Serve with baby asparagus and seasoned rice.

I love trout. But it doesn't hold a candle to northern pike.

[wildernesse]

This is the only way I think I have cooked trout at home, and we both liked it. Usually without the tomatoes, since RA dislikes them.

Rosemary Trout with Cherry Tomato Sauce

[vremya]

Anyone have a good recipe for cornbread?

[Qingdai]

I've made Molly Katzen's recipe before and it's pretty good (plus it gives you substitutions right in the recipe).

Mollie Katzen

[S.Vashti]

Mix together in Kitchenaid bowl:
1 1/3 cup yellow cornmeal, (2/3 cup, 1/2 cup)
8 tsp Splenda, (4 tsp, 2 tsp)
1 tsp. salt, (1/2 tsp, 1/4 tsp)
2 tsp. baking powder, (1 tsp, 1/2 tsp)
1/2 tsp. baking soda, (1/4 tsp, dash)

2nd bowl, mix together:
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal, (1/3 cup, 1/4 cup)
2/3 cup boiling water, (1/3 cup, 1/4 cup)
1 tbsp lemon juice, (3/2 tsp, 3/4 tsp)
2 cup skim milk, (1 cup, 1/2 cup)
1 tbsp olive oil, (3/2 tsp 3/4 tsp)
2 tbsp butter, melted, (1 tbsp, 3/2 tsp)


Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Mix together the first cornmeal, Splenda, salt, baking powder, and soda in a medium bowl.

In another bowl mix together the second cornmeal and the boiling water and stir well. Stir in the lemon juice/milk mixture, oil and melted butter.

Pour this into the dry mixture and mix briefly. Pour into a well-greased 9" square baking pan. Bake for 25 minutes or until it tests done and is crusty on top.

[lisarea]

Has anyone here tried this?

The best and easiest (seriously) mac and cheese you've ever made. — Four Chord Kitchen

I would just try it, but I don't have any sodium citrate lying around, for some reason that is probably Matlock's fault somehow.

The end result looks kind of thin and watery, but maybe I'm just used to seeing it with that big fat creamy bechamel sauce and have developed an irrational bias.

[Vivisectus]

this looks like fun. I ran into it when I was looking at Peas "fun with Food Additives" linkus up there.

Welcome to Modernist Pantry - Magical Ingredients for the Modern Cook

finally a place to buy those Heston Blumenthal-style food alchemy ingredients. You know, for the next time you intend to spend 12 hours cooking the perfect curry or something.

[lisarea]

Two things:

1. Back in the 80s, at a now long gone hipster coffee shop, they had something they called "Bolivian Chili." It was mostly mushrooms and it was served with feta cheese on top. I'm pretty sure in a tomato base. I think it may have been vegetarian, just because I was at the time, but it would have been totally appropriate with stew beef. It was not very spicy. It was not just like European seasoned, like a regular beef or mushroom stew.

I'm sure the name was just something someone made up, but 'Bolivian' might have a clue to the seasonings, and 'chili' would indicate it probably had chiles in it. Plus, I know I've heard that there actually are traditional chilis that feature mushrooms kind of the same way some chilis have beans.

It was really, really good, but I didn't really cook much at the time, so I didn't even try to figure out how to make it.

Does anyone have any idea what this thing might have been, or any ideas about how to go about a tomato based mushroom chili that would go well with feta cheese?

2. HOW AM TO COKE WATER??!?!! Our stupid new kettle we stupid got on stupid "Black Friday" stupid broke. Does anyone have a really reliable non-plastic electric kettle that doesn't die all the danged time? I'm looking at this one right now, but if anyone has a better recommendation, let me know. I really don't want to be buying another stupid kettle in another few stupid months.

[Zehava]

Originally Posted by lisarea

Has anyone here tried this?

The best and easiest (seriously) mac and cheese you've ever made. — Four Chord Kitchen

I would just try it, but I don't have any sodium citrate lying around, for some reason that is probably Matlock's fault somehow.

The end result looks kind of thin and watery, but maybe I'm just used to seeing it with that big fat creamy bechamel sauce and have developed an irrational bias.

Hardly irrational, mac and cheese is supposed to be big, fat, and creamy; otherwise what's the point?

[Demimonde]

I don't know from Bolivian chili, but I am googling for you and discovered it might be the secret to immortality.

I did find that the staple tomato based sauce in Bolivia appears to be llajwa. It is made from locotos chiles and two of two exotic herbs which I have never heard of. I called my local fancy schmancy spice shop and they don't carry either.

I had trouble finding anything that called for mushrooms. The closest chili-type thing I could find was this recipe that is identified as Peruvian, but those guys are pretty close in terms of culinary families. Also that site seems pretty hippy-dippy, so I could imagine it being served in a hipster coffee shop. Regardless, it looks pretty darn tasty and I am sure it would be happy with mushrooms.

[lisarea]

Thank you, Demi.

Yeah, it's looking like this was probably a completely idiosyncratic thing from the cook. That Peruvian chili looks good, though, and I might try something like it, too, but I guess I'm going to just start experimenting based on the parts I remember. I tried something a couple of weeks ago and got a little distracted, so it turned out really weird, so I'm going to start over from scratch. I think I'm gonna start with mushrooms, cocoa, and chili and go from there. And I am game for any other suggestions, too.

(BTW, it was this coffeeshop. More hipster than hippy, really.)