What Have You Cooked Recently?

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Workshopping a new basque cheesecake. Hojicha and sumac with kuromitsu syrup. Not quite right yet, but close.
 
Toxic BRAAAAP Mask said:
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Workshopping a new basque cheesecake. Hojicha and sumac with kuromitsu syrup. Not quite right yet, but close.
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The texture confuses me but looks delicious. Can I ask how it was achieved? When I tried a Basque burnt cheesecake the interior came out very smooth and I'm just wondering why it looks so different. I should note that I know fuck all about baking.
There She Glows said:
Basque burnt cheesecake. Didn't turn out as dark as I wanted and I think my oven heats more unevenly than I thought but the texture is good.
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There She Glows said:
The texture confuses me but looks delicious. Can I ask how it was achieved? When I tried a Basque burnt cheesecake the interior came out very smooth and I'm just wondering why it looks so different. I should note that I know fuck all about baking.
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Haha, no worries! Partly because I was in a rush and didn't let everything come to room temp and partly some of the tea is introduced as powder so it kinda throws off the emulsion. IRL it looks a bit smoother than in the pics though, this pic shows it a bit better.
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Half of the tea is steeped in the cream then cooled and half powderd to be mixed in along with 2tsp~ sumac along with the usual cornstarch/flour, 6tbsp total tea leaves for this 10in cake but can be adjusted to taste. There should be enough to give a lingering taste of tea on the tongue after a bite, otherwise you can use whatever cheesecake recipe you like and add flavor them this way.

The kuromitsu syrup is 80g Okinawan black sugar (sub with muscovado if needed), 40g sugar, and 100ml or less of water. Saucepan on medium heat until it simmers and dissolves, then drop to low heat and simmer until reduced to the consistency you want. It will thicken more as it cools so be aware of that, but if it's too thin the cake will absorb it.
 
I've lately been resorting to baking chicken thighs as one of my go-to easy weekday cooking staples.

Basically I just take a couple of bone-in/skin on thighs and bone them out. After that, they get hit with either my chicken/pork dry barbecue rub for a few hours/overnight in the fridge or a short duration soy/sugar/sake-based marinade with a shitload of ginger, garlic and some sliced bird peppers. If you go the dry rub route, leave them in the fridge skin side up while the rub does its thing.

Either way, when you're ready to cook, dry them off with some paper towels and preheat your oven to 375F. Place some aluminum foil on a sheet pan, oil that up liberally and place the thighs on it skin side down and chuck into the oven for 25 minutes. Pull them, flip skin side up and bake for another ten minutes and then pull out to rest for five minutes or so before serving with whatever else you want.

Decently crispy skin, perfectly done meat and tons of flavor. I particularly like these with a little rice or mashed potatoes and green vegetables that are either steamed or roasted in the air fryer.
 
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Made Thanksgiving Dinner since an older relative wanted to celebrate and I was the only one around.

Turkey legs, mashed potatoes with gluten-free gravy, garlic roasted broccoli, honey roasted carrots, and local berry mead.
 
Lazy dinner when my husband isn't home; generic salad mix, dates stuffed with toasted almonds and blue cheese, wrapped in bacon, and Balsamic glaze.
 
Both the best and most hastily-assembled curry I've made. I roasted some honeypatch squash, sweet potato, and apples in the air fryer before throwing them into a cast iron pan with sauteed onions. Added water and a curry roux brick, let it simmer for a bit before adding in some coconut milk. Paired with the frozen chicken Katsu cutlets from Whole Foods.
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Perfected my "poor man's cottage pie" recipe. I already typed it up for a friend so I'll copy it here (forgive the formatting). Pretty hearty on a cold day, though.

Ingredients: -1.3 lbs ground turkey/beef -1 cup frozen peas/carrots mixed -1/2 cup milk -1 bag frozen potatoes/tater tots -1 can condensed cream of chicken or broccoli cheddar soup -3/4 cup crushed crackers -shredded cheddar -salt -black pepper -red pepper flakes -minced onion/onion powder -minced garlic -paprika -MSG -Worcestershire sauce -Grey Poupon/hot mustard -Louisiana hot sauce

Cooking: Season meat thru cooking with salt, black pepper, red pepper, paprika, onion and garlic. Once meat is browning, hit with a dash of MSG and generous Worcestershire sauce.
In separate bowl, combine soup, milk, frozen veg, cracker (crushed beforehand), mustard to taste (I would add at least 3 tsp) and hot sauce to taste (several very generous dashes). Once mixed, fold browned meat into mixture.
Grease square baking dish (I used butter). Spread mixture evenly in pan. Top with generous layer of potato (whichever form). Layer generous shredded cheese (I used cheddar) over top of the potato.
Bake at 375 for 45-60 minutes (depending on how well done you desire it to be).
Best served hot. Hot sauce and ketchup make a good tangy garnish.
 
Truman the Jewman said:
View attachment 8046225
Perfected my "poor man's cottage pie" recipe. I already typed it up for a friend so I'll copy it here (forgive the formatting). Pretty hearty on a cold day, though.

Ingredients: -1.3 lbs ground turkey/beef -1 cup frozen peas/carrots mixed -1/2 cup milk -1 bag frozen potatoes/tater tots -1 can condensed cream of chicken or broccoli cheddar soup -3/4 cup crushed crackers -shredded cheddar -salt -black pepper -red pepper flakes -minced onion/onion powder -minced garlic -paprika -MSG -Worcestershire sauce -Grey Poupon/hot mustard -Louisiana hot sauce

Cooking: Season meat thru cooking with salt, black pepper, red pepper, paprika, onion and garlic. Once meat is browning, hit with a dash of MSG and generous Worcestershire sauce.
In separate bowl, combine soup, milk, frozen veg, cracker (crushed beforehand), mustard to taste (I would add at least 3 tsp) and hot sauce to taste (several very generous dashes). Once mixed, fold browned meat into mixture.
Grease square baking dish (I used butter). Spread mixture evenly in pan. Top with generous layer of potato (whichever form). Layer generous shredded cheese (I used cheddar) over top of the potato.
Bake at 375 for 45-60 minutes (depending on how well done you desire it to be).
Best served hot. Hot sauce and ketchup make a good tangy garnish.
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I think that if you're topping it with tater tots, it's technically more like Midwestern hotdish than cottage pie. 😁

I keep meaning to try my hand at something similar just because.
 
MerriedxReldnahc said:
Both the best and most hastily-assembled curry I've made. I roasted some honeypatch squash, sweet potato, and apples in the air fryer before throwing them into a cast iron pan with sauteed onions. Added water and a curry roux brick, let it simmer for a bit before adding in some coconut milk. Paired with the frozen chicken Katsu cutlets from Whole Foods.
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What's neat about curry is that you can make it out pretty much any vegetable
 
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Made this stuff from scratch. Made a simple mac and cheese up then fried a big batch of leeks, onions and bacon then added it to the cheese sauce. Its so nice.
 
I now understand why 'bangers and mash' is considered one of the great comfort foods. I made this a few weeks ago, and it was great.

Edit: I probably should have added something.

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It's officially soup season (not that it ever isn't, imo; fucking love soup). I decided to make Mexican meatball (albondigas) soup and was a little worried it would be too similar to the chicken tortilla soup I had made a week prior. Fortunately, the use of beef/pork, celery, carrots, and oregano puts a different spin on otherwise very similar ingredients.

I used a mix of beef and pork for the meatballs since the beef was too lean on its own. Cover a little uncooked rice (I used 1/2 cup for 1.5 lbs of meat) with boiling water and then let it soak for the better part of an hour while you prep all the other shit. Pour off the water and add to your meat mixture. Form and drop the meatballs into the simmering soup to cook. You can tell when they are done when they float to the top and you can see the grains of now-cooked rice poking out (if you've ever made porcupine balls, it's like that). The meaty flavor of the beef (and especially the pork) mixes in with the rest of the soup as it cooks and really punches up the taste.

I remember restaurant albondigas soup being fairly thin and skimpy on veggies, but fuck that, I doubled all the veg and it was very hearty. Onion, garlic, celery, carrots, jalapeño, and tomatoes in chicken broth for the bulk of the base, plus oregano, cumin, mint, and cilantro for the added flavors. You can find tons of recipes online if you need specific amounts.

Haven't eaten this in years! I'm delighted by how it turned out - the taste is exactly right. I made sure to make a lot so I can share with friends and family, but that'll have to wait until tomorrow.

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Truman the Jewman said:
View attachment 8046225
Perfected my "poor man's cottage pie" recipe. I already typed it up for a friend so I'll copy it here (forgive the formatting). Pretty hearty on a cold day, though.

Ingredients: -1.3 lbs ground turkey/beef -1 cup frozen peas/carrots mixed -1/2 cup milk -1 bag frozen potatoes/tater tots -1 can condensed cream of chicken or broccoli cheddar soup -3/4 cup crushed crackers -shredded cheddar -salt -black pepper -red pepper flakes -minced onion/onion powder -minced garlic -paprika -MSG -Worcestershire sauce -Grey Poupon/hot mustard -Louisiana hot sauce

Cooking: Season meat thru cooking with salt, black pepper, red pepper, paprika, onion and garlic. Once meat is browning, hit with a dash of MSG and generous Worcestershire sauce.
In separate bowl, combine soup, milk, frozen veg, cracker (crushed beforehand), mustard to taste (I would add at least 3 tsp) and hot sauce to taste (several very generous dashes). Once mixed, fold browned meat into mixture.
Grease square baking dish (I used butter). Spread mixture evenly in pan. Top with generous layer of potato (whichever form). Layer generous shredded cheese (I used cheddar) over top of the potato.
Bake at 375 for 45-60 minutes (depending on how well done you desire it to be).
Best served hot. Hot sauce and ketchup make a good tangy garnish.
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Would this work with condensed cream of mushroom soup? I have like 8 cans of the stuff I need to use up.
 
W00K #17 said:
Would this work with condensed cream of mushroom soup? I have like 8 cans of the stuff I need to use up.
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I can't imagine that using cream of mushroom instead would hurt, just a slightly different flavor profile. If you're looking for other suggestions, one of my favorite lazy meals is to cube whatever meat I have, mix into the mushroom soup with lots of pepper, then ladle over egg noodles. Fast and easy.
 
W00K #17 said:
Would this work with condensed cream of mushroom soup? I have like 8 cans of the stuff I need to use up.
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Oh, it works pretty well as a gravy base. I use it for things like slow cooked cuts of beef or oven braised and baked chicken. They also work decently well in potato casseroles, like a funeral potato dish.

I rip through cream of mushroom soup since it's a great stock base to customize. Just make sure to not add salt, since it has more than enough for you usually.
 
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