Cooks' Corner

[Arykana]

Not an acceptable post - UNLESS ACCOMPANIED BY THE RECIPE!

Erika, last night I dreamed that a local friend asked me about what to do and what to see in Hungary. I had no idea so I looked on the Forum and gave her your email address.  But as it was all a dream, you probably won't hear from her.

Yes, I still have not got her/him letter
recipe:
bit up 6 eggs white, add 25 dk sugar, 5 dk grated chocolate, a tablespoon grated coffee, vanilla  and a teaspoon of baking powder, 4 tablespoons of flour - bake as a sponge cake
stir well 1 whole egg and 3 eggs yolk with 25 dk sugar, boil up 2 dl milk, put the egg staff in it, give 5 dk good chocolate and a 1 dl strong coffee and cook until stick
if cooled down bit up 20 dk butter till turn in white and add the coffee cream

[Arykana]

I see you have eat to much from the cake 

[maggiepie]

Chickens cooked in a clay pot

If you have never tried chicken cooked this way, you really should.
You wouldn't believe how good they taste.
I usually just slice an onion, lay it on the bottom of the pot, then lay the chickens breast down.
If my french tarragon is in season I lay some of that on the bottom too.
Grind a bit of black pepper over them, put the lid on and bung into a cold oven then set the oven to around 200F for 10 mins then 300 for ten mins then 375.
They are usually cooked in 2 hours.

You also get all the stock and fat that comes out of the chickens while cooking.
The stock is great for gravies etc and the chicken fat is fabulous for making dumplings ( a la robert carrier)

I soak the clay pot and lid for 20 mins before using.

http://www.romertopfonline.com/clay-bakers/

Lots of good recipes at this site.

[mark smyth]

Be warned, if you get hooked on great olive oils expect to pay snowdrop prices.
johnw

I was looking at oils yesterday in Tesco. I think I would rather have a snowdrop. It will, hopefully, last longer

[Lesley Cox]

Thanks for that recipe Erika.

I have a small Romertopf but have never actually used it to cook in. It usually has the selloptape, some rubber bands, string and seed envelopes and similar garbage. It is very small, would just take one small chook. Must do something about it. I think I finally have enough tarragon. I bought 12 new plants on Saturday, to supplement what I already have! Hopefully - if I leave it unpicked for a little while - it will make a metre square bed of solid tarragon.

[maggiepie]

Lesley, you really must try your romertopf. I can guarantee you will be hooked.

Good luck with the tarragon, it grows like a weed here and spreads but not as much as mint.

[Kristl Walek]

You also get all the stock and fat that comes out of the chickens while cooking.
The stock is great for gravies etc and the chicken fat is fabulous for making dumplings

Helen....my daughter and I were just discussing this very subject. I was noting that one rarely finds cooks anymore who actually "keep their meat drippings" for further uses. I certainly do exactly what you do---and am always pleased to have the fat/drippings available.

Here is one of my favorite ways to use the fat, drippings and left over chicken:


Chicken Pot Pie
·   5 tablespoons chicken fat or butter
·   1 onion diced
·   2 carrots, diced
·   2 celery stalks diced
·   1 cup peas (frozen - and slightly thawed)
·   4 tablespoons flour
·   salt and pepper
·   2 to 3 cups cooked chicken up into bite-sized chunks
·   2 cups chicken stock - or for a creamier sauce - use 1 cup milk and 1 cup stock
·   1/2 teaspoon each of celery and/or onion salt (optional



·   Preheat oven 400 degrees
·   In skillet, sautee diced onions, carrots, and celery (until carrots and celery are soft)
·   Add flour and stir until blended.
·   Slowly add stock/milk liquid and over low heat, stir until thickened.
·   Add salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste. Add celery salt or onion salt if you would like (I use celery salt)
·   In casserole dish add cut up chicken and peas - and stir till combined. Add sauce and stir once more till combined.
·   Top with sour cream biscuits
·   Place your casserole into oven, and let bake for 30 minutes on the middle rack of your oven.


Sour Cream Biscuit Dough
·   2 cups all-purpose flour
·   1 tablespoon baking powder
·   1/2 teaspoon salt
·   1/2 cup butter
·   1/2 cup sour cream
Sift flour, measure, and sift again with baking powder and salt; blend in butter. Add sour cream; knead several times on a lightly floured surface. Pat dough out, cut into diamonds or rounds and place over chicken or drop dough onto chicken pot pie by tablespoon.

[maggiepie]

Kristl, thanks a lot for the recipes.
Very timely too as I have a lot of chicken left from the claypot chickens.
Will try your pot pie for sure.

I have a recipe very similar to your Sour Cream Biscuits.

Here is the Robert Carrier dumpling recipe in case you would like to try it.



Dumplings for chicken stew ( From The Robert Carrier Cookbook-1965)

1/2 pound  all purpose flour
3 level tspns baking powder
1/2 tspn salt
3tblspns chopped parsley ( I like the flat leafed )
1/4 pint milk
6 tblspns melted chicken fat


Sift flour, baking powder and salt into mixing bowl
Stir in the melted chicken fat and chopped parsley  with a fork
Add milk, a little at a time, stirring with a fork until mixture is just dampened

Drop a tblspn at a time onto the chicken pieces in gently bubbling sauce
Cover and cook for 30-25 mins or until dumplings are cooked through

You can take lid off to brown if wished.

These dumplings are really light and yummy.
You can vary the herbs and add some cayenne for a bit of a kick, or even grated parmesan
They are really good with a mix of chopped french tarragon, parsley and chives.


Btw, I also save bacon fat, it is especially good when making  black eyed peas and rice.

[annew]

I see you have eat to much from the cake 

If only I had...

[Lesley Cox]

Helen and Kristl, I'll try all these recipes. I love chicken in all shapes and forms and we can get good free range ones locally. My tarragon has never had the chance to grow much, every time a stem pokes its head above the ground, I'm snipping it off. It probably needs to have the leafy bits present for longer to get a good root system going.

I always keep the drippings from cooked meat, especially roasts and use them with oil or butter for the next thing as well as for best gravies and sauces. What a lot people waste nowadays, including these most flavoursome parts. Tragic!

[johnw]

As a treat for Maggi in recognition of her new appointment and wishing it were the real thing for her:

From the new Seaport Market the work of Gourmandises Avenue, a few cakes  - light on chocolate.

BTW their hot chocolate was out of this world, very thich and very, very dark with a hint of something vaguely Chinese.

johnw

[johnw]

And for Lesley a few shots of the exterior of the new Seaport Market plus a harbour view from within and an interior living wall.

johnw

[johnw]

Okay, a few more Gourmandises Avenue highlights. Maggi - brace yourself.

johnw

[johnw]

And the last of the torture.

johnw

[annew]

Kerrrrumbs!!!