Cookin again

[prabe]

I don’t see coffee sauces that much...nice!

...and bourbon?

Well, technically it was the whiskey from my infinity bottle. ;-)

Most of the time when I cook off-the-cuff, I end up making a pan sauce with hard liquor as the deglaze.

 

[CleverNickName]

Last weekend, I learned how easy it is to make your own peanut butter. I can never go back to store-bought.

(For those who didn't know: Roast 2 cups of peanuts at 350°F (175°C) for ~10 minutes, then run them through a food processor with a splash of peanut oil and a bit of salt. Process them until it's as chunky or as smooth as you like.)

 

[Umbran]

I will be taking a stab at making congee tonight...

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I’ve heard of congee, but never seen it. Tell me more...

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Last weekend, I learned how easy it is to make your own peanut butter. I can never go back to store-bought.

(For those who didn't know: Roast 2 cups of peanuts at 350°F (175°C) for ~10 minutes, then run them through a food processor with a splash of peanut oil and a bit of salt. Process them until it's as chunky or as smooth as you like.)

I’ve tried “premium” nut butters- peanut and almond, mostly- and I have to say...I prefer the store bought.

it’s partly about the flavor. I like the sweeter overall flavor of Peter Pan and many of the generics. I know I could make homemade as sweet as I like, but...

There’s that convenience issue. I hate having to stir the oil back into the pureed nuts.

Still, props to you for going for the healthier option!

Have you experimented with any flavor variations? Different nuts? Unusual seasonings?

 

[CleverNickName]

Have you experimented with any flavor variations? Different nuts? Unusual seasonings?

I haven't, but a friend of mine does all the time. She sweetens her peanut butter with maple syrup. And according to her, two interesting things happen when you add it.

First, the butter will seize up a bit, turning more into a dough than a butter. To fix this, she says you have to add more peanut oil to make it spreadable again. The more maple syrup you add, the more oil you'll also need to add. I guess that explains why store-bought nut butters that contain sugar also contain added oil?

Second, the added sugar stabilizes the oil a bit, and keeps it from separating out as easily. She says that even if you don't like "sweet" peanut butter, it's still a good idea to add a spoonful of maple syrup or honey to it just to keep the oil mixed up. I guess this explains why some nut butters have to be stirred and others don't?

 

[CleverNickName]

This has given me an idea for a savory, spicy peanut butter. I'm thinking something like Thai peanut sauce...some red pepper, some garlic, some coconut oil...I bet it would make a really good peanut butter sandwich.

Or a really bad one.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I have learned from many pros and various culinary traditions that sometimes a hint of the unfamiliar (to you) can often pay dividends.

For instance, over the summer, I started going to our local Farmers’ Market, by happenstance, one of the more highly regarded ones in the area. One of the vendors makes cookies. Extremely good cookies, some with unusual flavor combinations. A great example would be his line of snickerdoodles: he incorporates a little cayenne pepper into the traditional cinnamon, resulting in an unfamiliar but subtle burn in the finish.

I also had Burmese cuisine for the first time last month, and their take on mustard greens- a common food in southern & creole cuisine- includes a bit of carrot. The sweetness of the carrot tempers the bitterness that can be present in greens. So, VISUALLY, they looked odd. But the taste was quite good...so good, in fact, that it was an instant hit with my Mom. She’s ordered it both times we’ve gone there.

 

[Umbran]

I’ve heard of congee, but never seen it. Tell me more...

Sure. For one of the simplest things around.. there was adventure! Well... there was cleanup. I you made a mess, there was adventure, right?

So, congee is rice porridge. If you take one cup of long grain rice, and two cups of water, and let it simmer and steam, in 15 to 20 minutes the water will be absorbed and you'll have... rice.

To get congee, you do the following:

Take 3/4 cup long grain white rice, rinse it until water runs clear.
Put it in a dutch oven with 1 cup of chicken stock, and 9 cups of water.
Add 3/4 teaspoon of salt.
Bring to a boil. Then, reduce to a lively simmer.
Let it simmer for 45 to 50 minutes. The liquid should reduce by about half.

The rice will nearly disintegrate, and you'll have a thick porridge. You top this with... just about anything. Soy sauce. Rice wine or black Chinese vinegar. Fried shallots. Chopped dry-roasted peanuts, Soft-boiled or poached egg. Scallions. Maybe some stir fried ground pork, or shredded chicken, or.. whatever.

Now, here's the very important bits the recipe didn't tell me...

As this stuff cooks, the liquid gets extremely rich and starchy, and holds bubbles well. And, as it cooks down, the amount of heat needed to keep it at a simmer decreases. If you forget these things, the pot will boil over... quietly. And then you'll turn down the heat when you discover this. And then it'll boil over again... also quietly...

If you are not in the kitchen for those 45 minutes... say you are trying to get caught up on Star Trek: Picard in the living room... the concavities in your stovetop that hold your burners will get filled up with thick, almost gelled starchy water.

The nice thing is, mess or not, the result still turns out okay, and your wife/spouse (who, due to migraine, is not on very good terms with food, and needs something super-gentle to eat) will still be pleased with you. If you clean it up yourself, that is.

 

[prabe]

I'm curious, @Umbran, because my copy came today: Are you working from or at least inspired by the latest issue of Cook's Illustrated? (Spoiler: There's a recipe for congee in it.)