Recipe and Cook's Corner

[AZ.bbm]

LOL

@ cg & jimmy

[Jer009]

My family is Cuban, and we live in Miami--except for my brother, who flies in from Texas. Our Thanksgiving meal is pretty much the usual--Turkey, gravy, etc. But the only thing different is my mother's black beans and white rice. It just wouldn't feel like Thanksgiving without it.

[CellarDweller115]

Thanksgiving with my family is a mix.

We're not big turkey eaters.  So we only make a turkey breast, some stuffing, and sweet potatoes.  We also have Italian.  Baked ziti, meatballs, sausage, garlic bread.

[gnash]

wow, thanks for the posts, they help alot!  black beans and rice sounds great, and so do meatballs and sausage.

here's an intriguing recipe... i don't think i have ever had grouse, but the way it's cooked here makes it sound so nice. and woodsy. like something ennis and jack might have cooked up when they were.. umm, away from their wives.


Alder Cone Smoked Grouse with Fern Root Glaze and Salal Sauce

2 tb Licorice fern root
2 tb Gewurztraminer icewine
3/4 c Water
3 c Dried alder cones
2 Wild grouse breasts, bone in and skinless

Juniper & Salal Berry Sauce:
1 1/3 c Water
1 1/2 c B.C. Pinot Blanc wine
3 1/2 c Salal Berries
1 1/2 tb Maple syrup
1 1/2 tb Black peppercorns
8 Juniper berries
1 1/2 tb Balsamic vinegar

In a small covered sauce pan, gently simmer fern root in icewine and water for 20 min. Pour into a glass jar, seal and let stand at room temp for 12 hours. Strain into a small saucepan and boil, uncovered, on high until reduced to a thick syrup. Set aside.

Heat alder cones in a large aluminum foil lined sauce pan over high heat until they smoulder. Reduce heat to low; place grouse breasts directly on top of the smouldering cones. Lightly brush the breasts with the fern root glaze; cover pan tightly. Smoke breasts for 3 hours or until cooked but not dry. Remove the meat from the bone and serve with Juniper-Salal Berry Sauce.

For the sauce: Pour 1 cup water and the wine into the bottom of a perforated double boiler. Place the salal berries in the top section. Cover; simmer gently for two hours. Gently press berries with a rubber spatula to extract remaining juice. Discard berries; reserving syrup in the bottom of the double boiler.

To the salal syrup, add the maple syrup, peppercorns, juniper berries, remaining water and balsamic vinegar. Bring to the boil and immediately remove from the heat; let stand an hour before returning to the heat. Cook, uncovered, until slightly thickened. Refrigerate until needed.



from justgamerecipes.com

holy smoke! is that an unusual technique or what?

[Marge_Innavera]

.................... David's Cheese Grits

Don't laugh! This is a good dish for a brunch, or as a side dish with turkey. 3 cups water 3/4 cup uncooked grits (NOT INSTANT) 1/4 tsp salt pinch of black pepper 1/2 tsp garlic powder 2 beaten eggs 4-6 ounces grated cheese (mild Cheddar, OR sharp Cheddar and Monterey Jack) 2 tablespoons butter or margarine Boil the water; stir in the grits and salt.  Lower the temperature and simmer for 1 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally, until thick and “buttery”.

 
Add a small amount of the grits to the beaten eggs; mix, and return to the pan; add the cheese, butter or margarine, garlic powder and pepper.  Mix well until the cheese is thoroughly melted.

Bake in a greased baking dish at 350º, 30-40 minutes.

[Jer009]

Marge, I love grits for breakfast, but I've never made them so elaborately (for me--I'm not a great cook).

BTW, I love your Betty White thing. She's a national treasure!

[chapeaugris]

This sounds better than the cheese grits my daughters used to eat at summer camp in Maryland. I remember them asking at the end of the first session, "Isn't there any other cheese in this country besides cheddar and Monterey Jack?"

[Marge_Innavera]

This sounds better than the cheese grits my daughters used to eat at summer camp in Maryland. I remember them asking at the end of the first session, "Isn't there any other cheese in this country besides cheddar and Monterey Jack?"

I suppose you can substitute a lot of other cheeses, as long as they have enough moisture content to have a smooth texture when they melt. That's the reason for the recommendation for mixing sharp Cheddar with Monterey Jack -- sharp Cheddar, unlike mild Cheddar, tends to have a low moisture content. That would probably work with other cheeses; i.e., combining a low-moisture cheese with a strong flavor and a mild-flavored cheese and more moisture.

I attended a reunion of some old college classmates in Los Angeles a few years ago: everyone there was either from Georgia or had gone to college at the University of Georgia.  A classmate who hosted a brunch told the caterers to be sure an include some elements of Southern cooking and among other things they had three kinds of grits: cheese, sausage and spicy shrimp.

It isn't strictly necessary to cook grits for a few hours, but long cooking will produce a buttery texture and more flavor.

[gnash]

This sounds better than the cheese grits my daughters used to eat at summer camp in Maryland. I remember them asking at the end of the first session, "Isn't there any other cheese in this country besides cheddar and Monterey Jack?"

at least they weren't complaining about velveeta.    

[gnash]

Gingered Cranberry-Raspberry Relish

Unlike cranberry sauce, a relish involves no cooking. Here, plump raspberries add a juicy freshness, while crystallized ginger provides sweetness and warmth. It is best served cold. Hold the mayo on your post-holiday sandwiches—use this relish instead for a real treat.

1 12-ounce package fresh cranberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup crystallized ginger, minced, (choose soft nuggets over disks, if possible)
3 cups raspberries, (2 pints), fresh or frozen (not thawed)

Pulse cranberries in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in sugar and crystallized ginger. Gently stir in raspberries; it's fine to crush some of them. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours to let the flavors combine.

from eatingwell.com

[Cally]

That sounds good, but I wonder what you could use instead of the raspberries - they're so expensive in the winter.  Will definitely try the cranberry-ginger combination.  (Cranberries used to be unknown in the UK, but very popular now.)

[Cally]

But grits we don't know about - is it maize porridge?  We only have oat porridge, though I've had wheat or barley in other countries.

[chapeaugris]

Grits: you're not missing anything, as far as I'm concerned.

For the cranberry relish, it says you can use frozen raspberries ("not thawed"? I imagine that means you mix them in frozen and let them thaw while in the fridge?)

But here is one that has been broadcast on National Public Radio for years and I tried it once. It was very good but I lost the recipe. Of course, all I had to do was Google it and here it is:

2 cups whole raw cranberries, washed
1 small onion
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons horseradish

Grind berries and onion together (chunky, not pureed)
Add everything else and mix

[Cally]

That's what I thought (about the grits ).

But raw onion - no, never!  The rest sounds good though.

[chapeaugris]

A red onion would work well, they're a little sweeter. And I know you got 'em over there.