Because we’re in county wide lockdown, we’re eating more home-cooked meals, courtesy of yours truly. Got lots of stuff to work with; the CHALLENGE is not getting stuck in a rut. So I‘m watching more cooking shows in my free time, looking for ideas.
One I just found: my local PBS station has been airing a show called Dishing With Julia Child.
It features prominent chefs & celebrity cooks watching and commenting on clips from Julia Child’s The French Chef- pretty much the Alpha of cooking shows. I never saw her show itself- it predates my interest in getting serious about cooking.
It‘s amazing watching DWJC because you’re seeing people who have forgotten more about cooking than most of us will ever know- even some who knew her personally- actually learning from her earliest episodes even now. She knew things they didn’t.
Of course, there are things she screws up...but she plows ahead anyway. So freaking educational.
And as I was watching them watch her show, she did this recipe that I’m going to use as a guide. I’m going to substitute a mix of Louisiana hot sausage and plain ground beef instead of the polish sausage, plus a mix of some hard cheeses.
From Julia Child's book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, this is a perfect dish for breakfast or brunch. It is super flavorful and ideal for a brunch party.
Well, that Julia Child recipe might work. You’d probably want to use more butter and cheese since you’d be using reconstituted milk instead of cream.
I usually use a splash of milk in my omelettes. (Hmmm...haven’t done those in a while...)
Chinese potato and onion pancakes are pretty tasty.
This is a recipe from Cook’s Illustrated that is pretty dependable. I’ve made it several times despite not having duck fat. You just need to substitute another kind of animal fat- for reasons I don’t understand, veggie oils just don’t give you the same results.
Duck Fat-Roasted Potatoes
* 3 ½
pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
* Kosher salt and pepper
* ½
teaspoon baking soda
* 6
tablespoons duck fat
* 1
tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1. 1. Adjust oven rack to top position, place rimmed baking sheet on rack, and heat oven to 475 degrees.
2. Bring 10 cups water to boil in Dutch oven over high heat. Add potatoes, 1/3 cup salt, and baking soda. Return to boil and cook for 1 minute. Drain potatoes. Return potatoes to pot and place over low heat. Cook, shaking pot occasionally, until surface moisture has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add 5 tablespoons fat and 1 teaspoon salt; mix with rubber spatula until potatoes are coated with thick paste, about 30 seconds.
3. Remove sheet from oven, transfer potatoes to sheet, and spread into even layer. Roast for 15 minutes.
4. Remove sheet from oven. Using thin, sharp, metal spatula, turn potatoes. Roast until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. While potatoes roast, combine rosemary and remaining 1 tablespoon fat in bowl.
5. Remove sheet from oven. Spoon rosemary-fat mixture over potatoes and turn again. Continue to roast until potatoes are well browned and rosemary is fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Well, that Julia Child recipe might work. You’d probably want to use more butter and cheese since you’d be using reconstituted milk instead of cream.
I usually use a splash of milk in my omelettes. (Hmmm...haven’t done those in a while...)
Chinese potato and onion pancakes are pretty tasty.
This is a recipe from Cook’s Illustrated that is pretty dependable. I’ve made it several times despite not having duck fat. You just need to substitute another kind of animal fat- for reasons I don’t understand, veggie oils just don’t give you the same results.
Duck Fat-Roasted Potatoes
* 3 ½
pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
* Kosher salt and pepper
* ½
teaspoon baking soda
* 6
tablespoons duck fat
* 1
tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1. 1. Adjust oven rack to top position, place rimmed baking sheet on rack, and heat oven to 475 degrees.
2. Bring 10 cups water to boil in Dutch oven over high heat. Add potatoes, 1/3 cup salt, and baking soda. Return to boil and cook for 1 minute. Drain potatoes. Return potatoes to pot and place over low heat. Cook, shaking pot occasionally, until surface moisture has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add 5 tablespoons fat and 1 teaspoon salt; mix with rubber spatula until potatoes are coated with thick paste, about 30 seconds.
3. Remove sheet from oven, transfer potatoes to sheet, and spread into even layer. Roast for 15 minutes.
4. Remove sheet from oven. Using thin, sharp, metal spatula, turn potatoes. Roast until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. While potatoes roast, combine rosemary and remaining 1 tablespoon fat in bowl.
5. Remove sheet from oven. Spoon rosemary-fat mixture over potatoes and turn again. Continue to roast until potatoes are well browned and rosemary is fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
I don't think I've ever used animal fat outside if a job to cook with.
My mother did, memories of her pouring it into cans to reuse it. Grandad also died of a heart attack before I was born, grandma used it for everything including cooked breakfasts.
Another thought: I mentioned omelettes? Well, if you have a small pan, cooking rings or the like, you can use the same mix to make small egg patties, Not only do they work great for portion control, they’re good for sandwiches, salads, and the like.
When I make them, I usually make a batch of 8 or more, depending on how many eggs I have. They reheat in 30sec in the microwave, and can even be frozen.
That last bit of info came in handy when eggs were so cheap, we were buying commercial boxes at Sam’s that contained several cartons, splitting them with my maternal Aunt’s household.
