What Have You Cooked Recently?

[PFM]

I did home made kefir for the first time. Was weird letting milk sit out on the counter for a day....then drinking it. I hate milk by itself,never would drink a glass even asa kid. But damn, home made full fat plain kefir is so delicious it was shocking. And I didnt die of food poisoning, so it seems to have worked fine.

I'm curious, where did you find the starter?

 

[Bored & Confused]

Cooked a rib roast last Sunday.
It took way longer to cook than I read in my cookbooks, but the meat came out a perfect medium, & the pad of fat that crisped up was to die for. I served it with a side of carrots & mashed potatoes.

Today, I made some maraschino cherry & macadamia nut cookies. Pretty good. I think I'll swap out the cherry juice for pineapple juice in another batch. That might taste alright.

 

[Betonhaus]

Oh my god so much baking. At least all I have left is the lemon buttercake and it's mostly just waiting for it to rise.

 

[ATI Escapee]

I'm curious, where did you find the starter?

Amazon tbh. I might try to find something 'better' here, locally though if I will keep doing it. Got maybe 15 or 18 little foil packets with the portioned starter. Like how yeast comes in those packets and you just tear one off. It was just under 20 dollars iirc. I think its 1 starter packet per quart of milk. Bout to make my second batch

 

[HarveySperg41]

Oh my god so much baking. At least all I have left is the lemon buttercake and it's mostly just waiting for it to rise.

I got eggnog made, have to get up early tomorrow to make breakfast casserole. Sorry Null, I bought a big block of cheddar.

 

[The I Scream Man]

I'm gonna assume it's like a mix of pumpkin pie stuff and cheesecake? Don't have any mixes for it but if I can't think of another reason to go to the store I'm not going to.
Might just make a regular cheesecake, since I just noticed I didn't make one.

But I'm gonna make a pumpkin one in the future, I have a fuckton of ideas for this shit involving that, lemon, or maple syrup.

If you're still looking for a fifth cheesecake flavor I made a brown butter and pecan one a few years ago that came out really well, I ground up some pecans and made a crust with them (barely touched those ones with a little sugar and salt), I swirled the brown butter mixture through the center of it in a marble pattern and then added candied pecans on top

Shit was cash, I don't really like cheesecakes that much since I've had what feels like a million of them over the lifetime but that one struck a nice balance between savory and sweet

 

[PFM]

Amazon tbh. I might try to find something 'better' here, locally though if I will keep doing it. Got maybe 15 or 18 little foil packets with the portioned starter. Like how yeast comes in those packets and you just tear one off. It was just under 20 dollars iirc. I think its 1 starter packet per quart of milk. Bout to make my second batch

AFAIK with part of the finished product you can use as starter, so you could keep it going indefinitely.

 

[indomitable snowman]

I did home made kefir for the first time. Was weird letting milk sit out on the counter for a day....then drinking it.

I'm curious, where did you find the starter?

I've started making it too. I bought the starter grains off of eBay and they came in a human breast milk baggie lol.

Not to mention gluten free flour is often made of rice, sorghum, or whatever and it doesn't have the same flavor profile as wheat

Also fellow celiac here. There is a flour import from Italy and the main ingredient is wheat starch (they clean the purify starch in some way to removes the gluten proteins, don't ask me how). I went to a pizza place that used it and it was the best gluten free pizza crust I have ever had. I've not bought it yet as it's a bit pricey.
https://caputoflour.com/products/caputo-gluten-free-flour. You can get it on Amazon too and I've seen it at 1 grocery store.

For the gritty texture, you basically need to let the dough rest for a while before baking. This allows the flour to better absorb moisture. Try 30minutes minimum and it may need to go longer. Some flours are less fine than others so ymmv.

My mom made me some really good gluten free cookies for me recently. I'll need to get the recipe from her and share it.

 

[ATI Escapee]

AFAIK with part of the finished product you can use as starter, so you could keep it going indefinitely.

Not quite indefinitely, apparently some important strains die off after a bit and cant reproduce but idk what the timeframe is. I think at least a couple more batches could be started from the same previous batch....but I am afraid to trust that just yet in case I accidentally give myself something akin to dysentery

 

[mindlessobserver]

In the process of making hot crossed buns for Christmas breakfast. Getting the dough to rise has proven a merry hell on account of fucking cold and dry the air is right now. Resorted to putting the damn dough ball next to the heating grate for 3 hours. Got some joy from the lazy yeast, and it's rolled and shaped nicely into the baking pan. not happy with how much it raised though. Gonna let the buns proof overnight on the kitchen table before readying the oven first thing tomorrow.

*edit*

They came out pretty good. Denser then I wanted, but what can ya do. Taste great though!

 

[Art School Admissions]

Proud of myself for my Christmas cottage pie (which I learned is the proper name for when you use beef for shepherd’s pie instead of lamb).

Fresh mashed potatoes, well seasoned beef and veg. Definitely adding that to my arsenal.

If you haven’t made it before, I highly recommend it.

 

[.iota.]

i decided to host a small christmas dinner this year, so i prepared and served the following:

- a 16 pound turkey that i brined for 36 hours, stuffed with lemon and fresh herbs (rosemary, sage, savory, and thyme), and then roasted on a bed of carrot, celery, parsnip, garlic, and white onion
- an amazing gravy that i made by puréeing those roasted vegetables with an herb-infused stock
- yukon gold potatoes mashed with butter, chives, and parsley
- fresh green beans baked in a crimini mushroom roux
- fresh brussel sprouts pan-fried with chopped bacon
- a traditional stuffing made with bread that i baked myself (i also baked rolls)
- a fresh cranberry-lemon-champagne compote

there was mirth and merriment, there was wine and champagne, and all of it was delicious!

 

[Spitz]

The holidays are great, but I'm glad to be going back to ~1700cal of fish, fruit, salsa, and bread a day. I ate way too much. But how can one limit themselves with so many people watching and waiting for opinions on all the delicious treats they made? I don't want to be that asshole.
Anyways, Christmas:

Prime rib stuffed with garlic, marinated in Worcestershire sauce overnight, and coated in pepper immediately before going in the oven. Brought to room temperature-ish for three hours before putting in the oven at 550F convection for 15min, rotating halfway through to char each side, then slow-cooked at 325F until internal temp is 115F. As it settles, the temp rises to medium rare in the center, about 120-125F.


Yorkshire pudding, for the drippings. My batter-pouring skill regressed.


The rest was simple; butternut squash and horseradish. Both fresh from the fall harvest, but the squash had some blossom end rot, that's why it's a deeper orange. It tasted good, and the horseradish was a pleasantly painful palette cleanser.


I made some bread for dessert. With all of the sweets around from other parties, I stuck to my expertise: slightly sweet and very savory.
Cranberries, currants, thyme, and feta cheese. I added some nutmeg, for holiday spirit, and it got completely lost amongst the other ingredients. It's amazing how spices vary in amount needed/strength of aroma/flavor. 1-2tsp of cardamom goes a long damn way. It takes 2tbsp. of thyme in the mortar and pestle for these loaves. One could make an entire loaf of bread out of ground turmeric and it still wouldn't taste like it.


This one is fun. Single-rise artisan brick bread. I put a Dutch oven coated with 1/4cup toasted sesame oil in the oven at 425F. Right before the oil starts to smoke, I throw the risen dough in like a brick, and put the lid on. Cook it for 30min, take the lid off, and let it cook for another 15min. It comes out looking like a brick, but after letting it cool under some parchment paper and throwing it in an airtight bag, it softens up just right. Hit 'em wit'a slice'a'brick!!!


Artisan brick on top. Frenchie stick on bottom.


It's always fun to cook the holidays. I hope you all had a merry one, and a Happy New Year.

 

[GrammaNazi]

Grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch yesterday. American as well as scorpion cheddar cheese, shredded chicken, pepperoni, on marble rye bread. The scorpion pepper cheese was acquired at an Amish market and it had quite the kick of spice, but very delicious!

 

[Spitz]

In the process of making hot crossed buns for Christmas breakfast. Getting the dough to rise has proven a merry hell on account of fucking cold and dry the air is right now. Resorted to putting the damn dough ball next to the heating grate for 3 hours. Got some joy from the lazy yeast, and it's rolled and shaped nicely into the baking pan. not happy with how much it raised though. Gonna let the buns proof overnight on the kitchen table before readying the oven first thing tomorrow.

*edit*

They came out pretty good. Denser then I wanted, but what can ya do. Taste great though!

One thing you could try to help with the dough proof:

Start your oven at 350F/180C and let it run for 30 seconds to a minute. Shut it off, put a meat thermometer in there, and close the door. Let the thermometer sit until it reads 100F/38C-115F/43C, and then you can put your dough ball in to let it rise.

I put a dough ball in a glass bowl or leave it in the mixer bowl, coated with some sesame or olive oil, put some paper towels dampened with hot water over the top of the bowl, and put it in the oven at ~115F to let it rise. After I roll the loaf, I do the same thing, but I put the soaked paper towels in the corners to keep the humidity up so that the crust doesn't dry out. I get a good rise in about an hour.

For something like hot cross buns, you might be able to cut the usual 1.5 hour proof down to an hour, depending on yeast and recipe method. Might be something fun to experiment with. One recipe I saw for hot cross buns had them putting clingwrap over the bowl and putting it into the dryer after running it for 3 minutes.

 

[derpherp2]

Oh right I forgot to add to the cheesecake shit a while back. I found that when using the food processor to make the crust, adding or outright just using golden oreos is a lot fucking better than graham crackers. Also cook the crust for a few minutes, then let it cool for a half an hour.

Also mixing in whipped cream to the filling until the consistency is to your liking too.

Anyways I cooked a monte cristo using the leftover ham/cheese/bread from last night, then tried making some sort of tomato-soup analogue using leftover spaghetti sauce realized that was retarded and turned it into chili instead.
Still would've preferred tomato soup with french ham and cheese, but whatever.

 

[mindlessobserver]

Grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch yesterday. American as well as scorpion cheddar cheese, shredded chicken, pepperoni, on marble rye bread. The scorpion pepper cheese was acquired at an Amish market and it had quite the kick of spice, but very delicious!

I cant unsee it now that I see. Null was right. Even when buying from the God dn Amish....it's still just CHEDDAR

 

[toilet_rainbow]

Baked around four dozen cookies for sampler gifts. Types were M&M, sugar with sprinkles, peanut butter, and wedding cookies/snowballs. Since I made so much dough between the four varieties, I rolled into balls, then froze most of what I did not bake for home use later.

I also made some plum tarts with puff pastry and plum marmalade. Most were also given as gifts.

 

[The I Scream Man]

Hello Kiwi Farms Chef Hivemind, I wish to query the gestalt regarding stocks/broths

It is understood that a great stock adds so much depth and complexity to a dish, be it a soup or something more complex, and I feel that I want to up my game in this regard for 2024. When I’m in a hurry I’ll use the prepackaged shit but I need to make more of my own bone broth and whatnot, what are your guys’ favorite recipes or flavors for doing so?

This was brought on by cooking down the center bone from the Christmas ham for a few hours on the stove with some additional spices thrown in for good measure, it made a great ham and navy bean soup which I’m killing as we speak but I know I can do better.

I look forward to any advice yall can throw my way

 

[CIS White Droid]

Hello Kiwi Farms Chef Hivemind, I wish to query the gestalt regarding stocks/broths

It is understood that a great stock adds so much depth and complexity to a dish, be it a soup or something more complex, and I feel that I want to up my game in this regard for 2024. When I’m in a hurry I’ll use the prepackaged shit but I need to make more of my own bone broth and whatnot, what are your guys’ favorite recipes or flavors for doing so?

This was brought on by cooking down the center bone from the Christmas ham for a few hours on the stove with some additional spices thrown in for good measure, it made a great ham and navy bean soup which I’m killing as we speak but I know I can do better.

I look forward to any advice yall can throw my way

I mostly make chicken stock and typically just use celery, carrot, onion and what ever fresh herbs I have on hand. If I'm making vegetable stock I'll usually add mushrooms in place of bones and maybe something like bell peppers and cabbage. For beef stock (which I haven't made in almost a decade; I need to remedy that) I like to slather the beef bones in tomato paste and roast them.