Monthly Cooking Thread - December 2018

[Jamestown1630]

We will be away this Christmas and probably won’t be cooking a big holiday meal. But one thing I’ve always wanted to try is a crown roast of pork – just because it’s so beautiful.

Especially this time of year, you can often purchase a crown roast that is already boned, trimmed, frenched and tied. Depending on where you are, you may have to order well ahead, and will certainly pay a pretty penny, but it will save you a lot of work – and this is definitely a Very Special Occasion or Holiday dish.

Here from Taste of Home is a recipe with Apricot/Apple stuffing:

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/pork-crown-roast-with-apricot-apple-stuffing/

If you want to buy two rib halves of pork loin and do-it-all-yourself, Jimmy Kerstein, author of ‘The Butchers Guide: An Insiders View’, has an excellent video (all of his videos are very succinct and informative):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_rXxawB6Og

(Those pretty little paper decorations on the bone ends are called 'chop frills' and are easy to find on the Web.)

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I don’t know if this is new, but I just discovered it a few months ago – Rice a Roni has a Cilantro/Lime flavored rice now, and it really is very good for a prepared, boxed item like this. If you have spent a lot of time and effort on a great Mexican or other dish and need a quick and unusual starch to go with it, you might appreciate this.

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Chef John of Food Wishes has an interesting little ‘pudding’ dish that would make a nice lighter dessert for a fancy meal, and sounds and looks very Holiday: Lemon Gingersnap Posset:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_933Sthfx5c

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Finally, one of my favorite holiday things is in the stores now - the Kraft Roka Blue Cheese Spread, which comes in a little jar that you can use as a juice glass later. We only seem to see this in our local stores from Thanksgiving through Christmas, and it's displayed on special stands in the dairy department (not refrigerated). They also make other versions, including an Old English one. This year there's a little flyer with coupon and recipes on the display.

-JT

[mylife]

Hot fat makes that yorkshire pudding GOOD

[miss marmelstein]

I have no faith in these high-end chefs. Yorkshire pudding is easy if you preheat the pan to smoking point and watch the temp and timing.

[miss marmelstein]

Thank you, my life. Prayers up for Kathy.

[Jamestown1630]

Yorkshire Pudding and Popovers always taste much better to me than Pancakes ;-)

[Jamestown1630]

That’s very clever!

[kalee]

Happy Christmas to you and many blessings for the New Year!

[Jamestown1630]

And to you!

[mylife]

Another fine breakfast LOL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOHGr8r5Cs4

[kalee]

My grandmother used to serve the Old English spread broiled on toast. Yum! I recently saw the display at Harris Teeter and bought a jar in her memory. I hope it tastes as I remember it. I thought they had discontinued it too.

I have been buying the Spanish tapas selection from Trader Joes recently. It is very good!

[Fungi]

She is missing a lot. Mutton is technically an adult sheep whose age is not specified. Lamb is defined as being younger than one year, some insist on six months. In any case, even mutton can be cooked with great results. Birria is a Mexican dish traditionally done with mutton and also lamb. It is cooked long and slow with typical herbs in a tomato sauce. Done right it is excellent! Many Mexican restaurants specialize and cook only one dish--birria. Your wife has missed fabulous cuisine, all for the sake of a bad meal in her past.

[Jamestown1630]

The man who sold us our last car had an accent I couldn’t place. I first guessed Kiwi - and he said ‘There are more sheep there than people!’

He was an Aussie.

[kalee]

We use to be guests of Jewish friends for Chanukah and Passover. We’re still friends but sadly they moved away.

Happy Chanukah to you and yours!

[Liz]

Remember a few months back? Everybody was salivating over
Gruyere popovers served at BLT Restaurant in Trump's DC Hotel.

[TianaHighrider]

Thank you and Merry Christmas!

[Jamestown1630]

I saved that recipe - somehow in my memory they were blue cheese, which would probably work, too (?)

[Calvin Locke]

Blumenthal's in to "spectacle".

Otherwise, *anybody* can do "fill in the blank".

Yes, most of the "prep-entertainment" aspect of his shows can and do get old fast.

I'm surprised he hasn't joined with Christo to wrap some iconic UK structure in fondant or whatever.

[cherry]

we expect maybe 15 for Christmas Day so I can’t really do a prime rib, but I might get a good plain old rib roast....seasoned and roasted the right way, it can be very very good..

[Liz]

I’m sure bleu cheese would work fine. I’ve seen herbs added, even bacon and goat cheese.

There’s a delightful sweet popover......melted butter brushed on baked popovers then rolled in cinnamon sugar.

[cherry]

"The problem is that the labels are hard as heck to get off of those jars. I’ve had one in the dishwasher for a week ;-)"

my Thanksgiving day story.....in Portland and Seattle all the "in" restaurants...you know the ones in the crummy parts of town with old pipes showing and that industrial look....well, they put these old liquor containers filled with ice cold water on the table for you to fill your water glass....

so I worked incessantly getting the label off a Captain Morgan large rum bottle...then filled it with water, into the fridge and then put into the freezer for the last half hour....

refrigerator must have been set high because that darn bottle broke into a million pieces...

[cherry]

Happy Hanukkah!!!