The Food and Beverage Thread

[Scott]

Re: The Food and Beverage Thread

Anybody with some good vegan recipes?

[55]

Re: The Food and Beverage Thread

This is the best sandwich I have had in a long time:



It is called the Big Popper and it comes on beer battered bread (with a pinch of powdered sugar) with fresh jalapeno peppers, herb cream cheese, cheddar cheese and a side of mixed berry preserves to dip it in. I know the combination may sound a little strange, but it is unbelievably delicious. The fries on the side are called Ultimate Fries and are covered with a cup of vegetarian chili, grilled peppers and onions, three different cheeses and sour cream. There's also a side of sweet slaw in between them that I didn't touch.

Courtesy of Melt Bar and Grilled: http://www.meltbarandgrilled.com/

[Stumbleweed]

Re: The Food and Beverage Thread

Hmm, sounds kinda like a Monte Cristo but vegetarian.. pretty heavy sandwich haha.

[55]

Re: The Food and Beverage Thread

Hmm, sounds kinda like a Monte Cristo but vegetarian.. pretty heavy sandwich haha.

Yep, it's like a cross between a Monte Cristo and a giant Jalapeno Popper. Very interesting to say the least. The mixed berry preserves really set it off, especially enhancing the flavor contrast with the herb cream cheese. I will definitely be ordering this sandwich again.

[oakfan162]

Re: The Food and Beverage Thread

Just learned a cool trick for some healthy popcorn. Take 1/4 cup of un-popped kernels, put in a paper bag, fold it over twice, and microwave for 2 minutes.

Then you can season it with whatever you want, right in the bag, or eat it plain. Really easy. Great drunk snack!

[Stumbleweed]

Re: The Food and Beverage Thread

Made a vanilla-rose ice cream last night that turned out pretty crazy... it's like eating a sugar-coated flower or something. Used some rose water and vanilla paste and made a 3-egg custard style ice cream.. yessir.

Doing some 5-spice steamed pork buns (char siu bao) today, just waiting for the dough to rise. Had a big hunk of pork cut into big chunks in the crock pot with soy sauce, honey, rice wine vinegar, sugar, oyster sauce, chili-garlic paste, and a bunch of Chinese five spice.

Needless to say, my house smelled ridiculous when I got up this morning, and then I've been making the dough, which is also one of my favorite smells. Good Saturday for a fat kid who learned to cook his favorite things, I tells ya. Gotta go pick up some more steamers so I can cook more than a few of these at a time.

[DC]

Re: The Food and Beverage Thread

Damn all of the good posts are in the supporters forum

[Stumbleweed]

Re: The Food and Beverage Thread

Just had one of the more ridiculous and satisfying meals in a long time. Went to Keegan Gerhard's (host of Food Network Challenge and pastry bad-***) dessert bar in Denver D-Bar with my fellow foodie friend. Holy crap.. here's the rundown:

Glass of Prosecco each
Medjool dates stuffed with Marcona almonds and wrapped in applewood bacon (shared these)
House Salad w/Meyer Lemon viniagrette (my attempt at not being a total glutton, ridiculously well-made salad though)
Mac n' Cheese w/crab (she ordered this one, I had some)
Ice cream sandwich made with 2 rock sugar Belgian waffles, vanilla ice cream, 3 cherry compote, and an amaretto cream (mine)
Pear and Almond trio with an almond cake, a pear cooked in some crazy honey sauce, a pear chip, some sort of almond gelee, almond ice milk, and a pear mousse-type thing (hers)
Double-shot of espresso for me

Anyway, whew! That ice cream sandwich was god damned genius, so I'll be firing up my waffle maker (that I've never used) and the ice cream maker sometime soon. Thinking of making a cinnamon-nutmeg waffle with some apples cooked in Calvados brandy, with my homemade vanilla ice cream... I love getting ideas from restaurants... my favorite part of going out to eat is picking their brains and analyzing the menu so I can steal things for myself to make at home for a quarter of the price.

After that, we went and picked up some nice beers. I got the Stone Brewing Ruination IPA and Weihenstephaner wheat beer. Haven't touched those yet, but I'll report back in the beer thread when I work up the stomach to drink them haha, I'm ruined after that meal.

WAFFLE ICE CREAM SANDWICH... the end.

[JohnnytheSkin]

Re: The Food and Beverage Thread

WAFFLE ICE CREAM SANDWICH... the end.

Yeah...that sounds AMAZING!!

[Stumbleweed]

Re: The Food and Beverage Thread

Yeah, so my waffle maker worked great (made some for breakfast yesterday). I'll be re-creating that ice cream sandwich contraption... thinking of making a spiced pumpkin waffle with vanilla ice cream, a cranberry compote, and some cinnamon cream. Either that, or a cinnamon waffle with coffee ice cream and an apple-brandy reduction. Heh, I'll be making savory waffles too, because those rule. Oh, and the key to making waffles ridiculous is to add egg whites that have been whipped to peaks then folding them in gently -- makes the insides so fluffy and good while still getting the outside crispy. Here's the recipe I used (super-easy aside from all the egg whipping): http://www.averagebetty.com/?p=156

I'll be prepping everything for this bread recipe tonight. It doesn't require kneading at all (just combining the flour and wet ingredients) and you can leave a big container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, just pulling off a piece whenever you want to bake. There's a whole book based on this technique, and this is the master recipe -- you can modify it with almost anything: http://www.globalgourmet.com/food/co...ead/boule.html

I'm planning to make a serious-*** chicken pot pie (or 2) tonight. Gonna use 3 lbs. of chicken legs, purple potatoes, asparagus, turnip, celery root, carrots, and onions in it and make my own crust as usual.

[JohnnytheSkin]

Re: The Food and Beverage Thread

Chicken Pot Pie? Dude, you might have single handedly lost all culinary respect I had for you in that. Those gravy filled masses of crap, no matter how tender the veggies nor the handmade love, can bring those back to my dining room table.

[ezekiel55]

Re: The Food and Beverage Thread

I love chicken pot pie, when cooked properly...It doesnt have to be a gravy filled over cooked veggie mess. And when the crust is prepeared an cooked properly its so comforting and wonderful.

I've even had deconstructed chicken pot pie, and it was fantastic.

[Husker_OS]

Re: The Food and Beverage Thread

I've been making pancakes a lot lately. Most recently were pumpkin pancakes. Next up is chocolate cinnamon.

[Stumbleweed]

Re: The Food and Beverage Thread

I love chicken pot pie, when cooked properly...It doesnt have to be a gravy filled over cooked veggie mess. And when the crust is prepeared an cooked properly its so comforting and wonderful.

I've even had deconstructed chicken pot pie, and it was fantastic.

Yeah, mine turned out pretty damn good. I let the potatoes, celery root, and turnips roast a little bit too long (would've liked a firmer texture on those), but it tastes amazing and the lightly-sauteed carrots, mushrooms, and onions I added later helped improve the texture. The crust is nice and thick and got crispy and golden brown throughout (just did a single crust instead of 2, both because it's healthier and because the bottom crusts always get disappointingly soggy). The gravy was made with the broth leftover from cooking the chicken, spices, and a roux -- it had fennel, sage, and parsley in it and came out tasting great.

I ended up with a big deep casserole dish full and enough leftover filling and crust for 5 or 6 individual ramekin pies, which I'll make tomorrow probably. Not a bad deal to get lunch/dinner about 6 times as well as those individual pies... cost me about $14 total for the ingredients. Next time I do one, I'll probably make some kind of curry pie. I have pics but they're at home... I'll up them pretty soon though.

EDIT: also ended up with a large container of broth leftover. I cooked the chicken legs in chicken broth (storebought) and then made the broth better with onions and leeks that were cooked along with the chicken. Once everything was done, I hit the mixture with my immersion blender and now I have a pretty bitchin chicken/leek/onion stock to use for risotto (which will be tomorrow night's dinner most likely).

[GSW]

Re: The Food and Beverage Thread

Stumble,

you are a SOB

got me salivating at work right now