The 'I Need a Recipe' Thread

[pooteeweet]

Charlottes come in many different forms--fruity, chocolatey, citrusey... I've only made it myself once and it was lemon. If you think lemon would work well with oreos here's the recipe I used: http://www.dianasdesserts.com/index.cfm ... Recipe.cfm

Be warned, however: 1) That recipe took me hours to make. It involves making custard, whipping egg whites stiff, and whipping cream. Although, come to think of it, it won't be that bad if you have an electric egg beater instead of a hand-cranked one.
2) I suspect that the lemon filling in this might be too sweet in combination with the oreos. It works well in the original recipe because ladyfingers are fairly light, flavorless, airy cookies. Then again, if you're such a huge oreos fan maybe you don't mind ultra-sweet.

Since I haven't tried making other varieties of Charlotte, I can't recommend a specific recipe. I would try using google to browse a few different recipes and choose either a simple chocolate mousse, or maybe one involving layers of whipped cream to lighten it up? Or make the lemon one and leave out some of the sugar.

Hmm. You might have trouble getting the oreos to stay in place (when you line the bowl with them) before adding the filling. Ladyfingers' oblong shape sort of helps with this. I would try only lining the bottom and then one row up the sides, adding just enough filling to hold those in place, and then proceeding with the next row up, and so forth.

[AntonGarou]

I need a recipe for a salad to take to the company picnic. Something I can make in a big batch, relatively inexpensively. I was thinking some sort of bean salad...I have a feeling there will be a lot of green salads and fruit salads there already.

Kohlerabi and carrot- dice about equal volumes kohlerabi and carrot, add some finely chopped garlic(1-2 teeth per medium kohlerabi) and a bit of olive oil. Fried nuts of any kind would go great in it as well.

[dubsola]

You can eat kohlrabbi raw? You would put raw garlic in a salad? You call a clove of garlic a teeth?

Not that I'm complaining, I don't know much about kohlrabi - I only came across it a few months ago - and I'm all for trying new things.

[Zohar]

The only way I know how to eat kohlrabi is raw. And of course you can eat raw garlic. It's a bit spicy, but if it's chopped thinly and you don't take a bite out of a big chunk then it's OK. As for garlic teeth, at least in Hebrew we call it "a head of garlic" and each specific garlic clove is called "a garlic tooth"

[Dasboard]

It's awesome that a thread like this exist! You guys rock.

Anyway, do any of you guys know a fun spaghetti recipe, not the usual pasta with tomato sauce recipe?

I've look around on the internet but couldn't really find anything like that.

[bigglesworth]

Carbonara?

Cook spaghetti/pasta.
Fry either pancetta cubes or lardons (thick chopped bacon) with a clove of garlic and some thyme.
Whisk an egg, and finely grate parmesan into it.
Add the meat to the pasta, then add the cheese and egg, which will be cooked by the pasta and meat to make a sauce.

[Bakemaster]

Bolognese is simpler - basically, you can start by cooking ground beef in a saute pan, add your tomato sauce and finish with some cream to turn it pink. There are plenty of more detailed and complete (and far tastier) recipes, but functionally it's meat sauce finished with cream.

[Zith]

For something new with Oreos, I'd suggest trying your hand at the homemade Oreo. It's not hard at all, and while it costs more, there a definite joy in the smell of them in the oven - and the ability to change up the cookie:filling ratio. There are recipes all over the 'net. It'd also help to be able to make the cookies to spec for the Charlotte idea. Speaking of, a lime one would work particularly well with the chocolate of an Oreo, as would raspberry. If you'd like a recipe, I can offer: chocolate, strawberry, strawberry-banana, raspberry, orange, and pear. Some might work better than others, but I think any could be tasty.

I'm fond of sauteeing a bit of minced garlic in some oil and tossing with the pasta (sorry, but spaghetti is the devil: penne or farfalle for me!), some Parmesan or Asiago on top, or balls of fresh Mozzarella. Or add sauteed mushrooms, or roasted squash or bell peppers, throw in some pancetta, or whatever. Hm, just had a thought that clarified butter would work just as well...
Pesto is a terrific alternative that's pretty easy to make: 2 cups fresh basil, 8 cloves minced garlic, 1 cup olive oil, a spoonful of lemon juice, puree in a blender, maybe add a cup of toasted pine nuts, chopped up a little, stir in a half cup to a cup of Parmesan, a little salt. Or switch a quarter, half or all of the basil for parsley, or spinach, or roasted peppers, or sundried tomatoes...
Or there's your creamy cheese sauces. I like using Mornay sauce, but for me there can't be too much cream.

[Dasboard]

Wow, so many replies and so fast. I think I'm going with a combination of those recipes. I'll make some meatballs with sauce and adding some of things you guys named ( Mushrooms seems like a good idea, plus of course some herbs and stuff ). Going to the mall in a couple of minutes to buy most of the things you named and I'll decide which ones I'm going to throw in when I get to eat I'm already excited!

Thanks for all the ideas!

[PictureSarah]

I have a coworker who makes regular old spaghetti - noodles with marinara sauce with meat and veggies - and then pan fries the spaghetti. So it's like...Italian lo mein? Or something? I'm skeptical, but she says it's delicious.

[PAstrychef]

Fried spaghetti is the best! The sugars in the tomato sauce make it crispy, and the pasta doesn't slither out of the sauce.

[dubsola]

The only way I know how to eat kohlrabi is raw. And of course you can eat raw garlic. It's a bit spicy, but if it's chopped thinly and you don't take a bite out of a big chunk then it's OK. As for garlic teeth, at least in Hebrew we call it "a head of garlic" and each specific garlic clove is called "a garlic tooth"

BBC Food (which is generally my go-to site for what to do with ingredients I'm not familiar with) has suggested a few recipes for kohlrabi, and some general advice (which I can't find right now for some reason) but never suggested it raw. Hence my surprise. I've used raw garlic before, it's just that it can be a bit much sometimes. And I love that garlic nomenclature.

Fried spaghetti is the best! The sugars in the tomato sauce make it crispy, and the pasta doesn't slither out of the sauce.

Absolutely!

Another quick and easy pasta dish involves prawns - cook some penne, chop up parsley / basil, chillis, garlic, and grate a bunch of parmesan. When the pasta is ready, heat some oil, fry the prawns, garlic and chilli until cooked, then remove from the heat and mix in the herbs and pasta. Top with the cheese, and season with s+p as always.

[Zith]

The kohlrabi conversation above just reminded me that I have a pair of books that focus on ingredients first, great for the "what do I do with ___?" approach as it offers tips on use, general direction, and a couple recipes for just about any fruit, vegetable or spice you can come across.
So for kohlrabi, it says it can be used in most places where Swiss chard is used, that it pairs well with creamy cheese sauces, particularly with blue cheeses and Gruyere, can be hollowed out and stuffed, and took off in Asian cuisine in braises and stir-fries. Basic preparations are raw, blanched, steamed or boiled, the raw and blanched good thin on salads and vegetable platters, the steamed or boiled then sauteed and used in soups and braises. Its recipe is a Sichuan braise with pork over rice.

[cerbie]

The names of these books would be...?

[Zith]

Oh, sorry, they're The Produce Bible and The Spice Bible.

[jportnell]

This is a simple and tasty recipe I like for vegetables.

I chop eggplant, red onion and red peppers, toss with olive oil and teryiaki sauce and bake, stirring occasionally until somewhat caramelized.

[texas3109]

Is there a good recipe for "chipotle butter"?

I would love to have this recipe to use on other things.

Thanks.

[PAstrychef]

Compound butters are great to use up odd bits of herbs as well as any other seasoning you want. They tend to freeze well, so make a bunch and form it in logs that you can cut a slice off of when you want to.
If you want your butter to be a smooth, even color, put it in the food processor along with a small amount of seasoning. I start with 1/4 cup chopped mixed fresh herbs, 2T lemon juice or white wine and about 1t. of salt for 8oz. butter. Buzz it until it's smooth, scraping once or twice. Scoop some into a small dish to use now, and make the rest into a log to freeze.
For a chipotle butter just add chipotles (no herbs)and some of the adobo (If you're using canned) sauce to the butter until it tastes hot enough for you. The heat will increase some as it ages, so don't go overboard. It's hard to say how much to use, because you might want it much spicier than I would, or blander for that matter. I might use 1 whole canned pepper per 8oz. butter to start. You can always add more butter or more pepper if you need to, and if you pack some in a nice dish it makes a great present.
If you want your butter speckled process the butter until it's soft and then add the seasoning and pulse a few times. Scrape the butter onto a cutting board and mix the seasoning in like they add mix-ins at those fancy ice-cream places.
If you don't have a food processor you can do this with a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, but you have to let the butter get a bit soft first. You can even do it with a spoon and a big bowl. Just chop your seasoning as finely as you can.

[pooteeweet]

Hmm. I don't know why it had never occurred to me to do this. I'm guessing that butter freezes much more neatly than similar preparations made with olive oil (my previous method for preserving herbs and such).

[Zohar]

I want to make my own puff pastry dough. I've seen some recipes online, does anyone have a tried and true one? Also, any suggestions on what to actually do with it once it's done?

[Bakemaster]

Oh, man. Just make sure you have the proper surface to work with. And I don't recommend using a vegan butter substitute.

...I may have some less than stellar experiences in this area.

Make turnovers!

[Zohar]

I will definitely use normal butter, maybe low-water content one if I can find it. I'm not expecting wonderful outcomes on the first try, but I'm really curious to try.

[dubsola]

I'd like to try to make regular pastry, it can't be that hard. But that's not why I'm posting here: I'd like people's recipes for beany things to put in burritos / wraps. At the moment I just fry up some onion and garlic, add red kidney beans and canned tomatoes, and flavour with s+p, cumin, coriander and cinnamon. Any other suggestions, especially with other kinds of beans, are welcome. Also, how to make that crazy red rice.

[PAstrychef]

I want to make my own puff pastry dough. I've seen some recipes online, does anyone have a tried and true one? Also, any suggestions on what to actually do with it once it's done?

I have gotten good results from Julia Child's recipe, also from the one in Bo Frieberg's Professional Pastry Chef, which you can get from the library.
This isn't all that hard-it will take most of a day before the dough is usable, but it's mostly rolling, turning, rolling and letting the dough rest. Have another project around-laundry is a good one-to do while the dough is relaxing. Or catch up on yur reading.
Tricky bits are getting the butter soft enough to roll out but not so soft it mixes with the dough and keeping the block reasonably rectangular. I whack on my butter with a rolling pin until it's fairly plastic. If the block starts getting lopsided I just trim it and use the bits to fit together the short side.
As for what to do with it- roll it to 1/4" thick. cut into squares. Put filling in center of squares. Wet edges with water, fold over and seal. Glaze with egg wash and bake. Fillings can be anything not too runny, sweet or savory.
Cut one long rectangle and two narrow strips the same length. Stack the strips on the edges of the rectangle, gluing down with water. Fill center with filling, again just about anything will work.
Cut rounds of dough. With some rounds, cut the center to make a ring. Stack two rings on one round glaze the top carefully with egg (don't let it drip or it will glue the edges together and it won't puff). Place on a sheet tray. In the corners of the tray put something about 2-3 inches tall and put a wire rack on top. Bake. The rack keeps the vol-au-vents from falling over as they bake. You can use ramekins or emptied out tomato paste cans or anything that won't catch fire or melt. Fill the baked vol-au-vents with any filling.
All of these shapes can be made in any size desired, from a single bite to family size. Keep the dough chilled while you're working-leave some in the fridge. Scraps, if stacked carefully to keep the layers lined up, can be rerolled and used for palmiers, or cheese straws.

[Nath]

I'd like to try to make regular pastry, it can't be that hard. But that's not why I'm posting here: I'd like people's recipes for beany things to put in burritos / wraps. At the moment I just fry up some onion and garlic, add red kidney beans and canned tomatoes, and flavour with s+p, cumin, coriander and cinnamon. Any other suggestions, especially with other kinds of beans, are welcome. Also, how to make that crazy red rice.

Try it with garbanzo beans: channa masala or chhole. Maybe aloo chhole. Think of Caribbean-style roti wraps.

[Zith]

Here's the puff I learned in school. You may wish to halve the recipe:
1lb butter, unsalted (2c)
3c all-purpose flour (14oz)
1c cake or pastry flour (4oz)
2 tsp salt
2 tsp lemon juice
1.25-1.3 c ice water

Spoiler:

If your work surface is warm, you'll want to chill it by placing ice trays, or some vessel filled with ice, on it. Dry well afterward. You'll want to do this basically any time you start using the surface.
Making the detrempe: Soften 1 tablespoon of the butter, keeping the rest cold, and mix with the flours and salt, pressing the butter into flat pieces. Combine the lemon juice and 1.25 c ice water, then pour into the flour mixtures. Mix together with a fork until the water is absorbed, then put the rough dough onto the work surface and cut through it with your fork until it's well-mixed, adding water as necessary. Be sure not to knead it. Form into a ball, which should be rather soft, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least an hour (15 min can work, 2 hours is best).
Prepping the butter: After the detrempe has chilled, lightly flour the rest of the butter, place between two sheets of wax or parchment paper and pound on it until it's pliable, not sticky, the same consistency as your detrempe. Shape it into a six inch square and flour it lightly.
Finishing: (Chill and heavily flour your surface.) Get out your detrempe and roll it out to a twelve inch square, thicker in the center than at its edges, place the butter in the center, and fold the dough over it. Turn it over and smack it a few times with your rolling pin to flatten it a little.
The first turn: Now roll it out to a rectangle - 7x18 or so? - and fold it into thirds (as in, one third into the middle, the other third over that one) keeping it as even and equal and squared up on the edges as possible. Seal the edges, rotate 90 degrees (such that the top flap would lay out to the left of the package were you to open it as a book).
Complete a second turn as you did the first. Wrap the dough and refrigerate for 15-30min to keep chilled. Then repeat, ensuring that your surface is always chilled and floured when you bring the dough back to it, for a total of six turns, returning to the refrigerator every two turns.
After the sixth turn, chill again for 15-30min before using.

After the fourth or sixth turn, it can be stored - one week refrigerated, three months frozen. If stored after four, do the other two just before using.

As for what to do with it, I'm most fond of jalousie, Mille-feuille, and palmier. The latter two also happen to be good uses for scraps cut from previously-rolled dough.

Spoiler:

For jalousie, which is essentially a real Pop Tart, roll it out like Pastrychef said and put a little layer of your favorite jam on a sheet of puff, leaving an edge that you brush with water, place another sheet of puff and seal the edge. (Chill it, can freeze for a month at this point). Bake at 425F for 20-30min (when it's puffed up and browned), reduce to 375F and bake till firm (traditionally you now brush with frothed up egg white and sprinkle with good amount of sugar). Best served still warm, though at room temp you can pick it up.
Mille-feuille, you make alternating layers of jam (typically berry) and already baked puff sheets (roll very thin, cut to your desired rectangle, three's a good minimum, six is probably pushing it, dock, bake at 400F till evenly browned, 30-40min), maybe with some Chantilly in the layers, put icing or more Chantilly on top. Line the top with fresh fruit matching the jam if you like.
Palmiers are one of the most wonderful cookies. If you're planning on this, a nice little layer of sugar before you do the folds for the last two turns will make it even better. If not, no worries. Use sugar instead of flour on your work surface, roll it out into an elongated rectangle - if you didn't turn it with sugar, an unhealthy dose of sugar would be good right about now - and fold the long edges twice over to reach the center, press lightly to seal, fold it in half (the cross section should be rolled similar to a cassette tape) and press again. Cut half-inch slices with a sharp knife, laying them cut-side-down on your lined baking sheet. Bake at 400F until golden and caramelized, about 10-12min, then turn them over and bake a few more minutes.

[Zohar]

Thanks for the help! I think I'll only prepare it next weekend, but I'll keep this thread in mind.

[poxic]

... Zohar, why are your ears firing cold rays of doom?

Also: does anyone have experience making curries without any kind of pepper? I'm allergic to all forms of the stuff (hot, sweet/bell, black, white, whatever). I'm not allergic to many of the other components of curry -- turmeric, cumin, fenugreek, cardamom, nutmeg/clove/cinnamon/allspice, ginger, garlic, not sure about coriander though.

I usually just use turmeric and cumin, and maybe a pinch of cardamom, but it never turns out delicious. I'm kind of tired of okay curries. Any suggestions?

[Nath]

Sadly, I've never had a homemade curry without either black pepper or some sort of chilli. It's unfortunate that you're allergic to both kinds, given that they're unrelated.

How are you with Sichuan pepper? They are unrelated to both, so there's a chance that they'll work. It's a different kind of heat, rarely found in Indian cuisine, but it may still be good. The mustard/wasabi kind of heat is another option. One way or another, a curry usually needs some sort of heat to come together. (Not much, necessarily; just enough to wake up the other flavors.)

Are you allergic to plain capsaicin? If you just need to add a bit of a kick, and aren't too concerned about the other flavors in a chilli, this may work if you can find it.

You can even get a certain kind of heat out of things like cloves (thus the name 'garam masala' -- 'hot spices' -- for the standard chilli-less spice mix used in Indian cooking). Or ginger. In any case, you might want to experiment with other spices and ingredients, and try whole spices for more flavor. Regardless of heat source or lack thereof, turmeric, cumin and cardamom are probably not going to be all you need.

[Zohar]

My avatar has been awesomefied, poxic. And the flames are coming out of the corners, not my ears.

[poxic]

I'm pretty sure it's the capsaicin itself that causes the problems. Sweet peppers don't have any, I think, but they are related to edible nightshades (tomatoes, white potatoes, eggplant) which I'm allergic to as well.

I can do wasabi, since radishes aren't a problem. I didn't think of adding that... hmm. Time to start browsing the spice aisles again.

And Zohar, I'll concede that your ears are sucking in cold rays of doom rather than producing them. I'm impressed that an avatar managed to get wordfiltered.

^_^

[Zohar]

I should explain that it's nothing done by the mods, J the Ninja did mine, it's in a thread on FaiD.

[Nath]

How about piperine? (The thing that makes pepper pepperey.) Probably goes with Indian food better than wasabi. Though mustard oil is a common ingredient in parts of India, and is sort of wasabi-ish.

[pooteeweet]

I'd like to try to make regular pastry, it can't be that hard. But that's not why I'm posting here: I'd like people's recipes for beany things to put in burritos / wraps. At the moment I just fry up some onion and garlic, add red kidney beans and canned tomatoes, and flavour with s+p, cumin, coriander and cinnamon. Any other suggestions, especially with other kinds of beans, are welcome. Also, how to make that crazy red rice.

What do you mean by crazy red rice? I have a pretty awesome red beans and rice recipe if that's what you mean. But it'll only work if you're a carnivore, I don't think it would be the same without the sausage.

[PictureSarah]

I made lentil and sweet potato curry a few days ago...and I don't *think* I actually used any chilies or pepper, though normally I would. It was pretty spicy, and I'm trying to remember why. I think it was just the massive amounts of fresh ginger and garlic that were in there. Also curry powder and garam masala.

[dubsola]

What do you mean by crazy red rice? I have a pretty awesome red beans and rice recipe if that's what you mean. But it'll only work if you're a carnivore, I don't think it would be the same without the sausage.

Hmm, for some reason I remember burritos having red/orange rice added to them. I could be mistaken. Is there a burrito rice standard?

And I'd love to have that recipe if you're in a sharing mood.

[PictureSarah]

My mom makes "Mexican rice" by cooking the rice with tomato juice instead of water, along with various spices. I'm not really fond of it that way, but it's definitely reddish orange rice.

[cerbie]

I made lentil and sweet potato curry a few days ago...and I don't *think* I actually used any chilies or pepper, though normally I would. It was pretty spicy, and I'm trying to remember why. I think it was just the massive amounts of fresh ginger and garlic that were in there. Also curry powder and garam masala.

Ginger has a heavy tongue/throat burn, if not cooked down a decent bit. Not unlike a radish, but far stronger.

[Bakemaster]

How are you with Sichuan pepper? They are unrelated to both, so there's a chance that they'll work. It's a different kind of heat, rarely found in Indian cuisine, but it may still be good.

It's used a lot in Nepali food, where they call it Timur. My friend's family swears it's different from the szechuan pepper they sell at the asian grocery, so they bring it back from Nepal when anyone goes for a visit, but I can't really tell the difference.

[poxic]

All "curry powder" and garam masala come with some form of peppers or chilies mixed in, unfortunately.

dubsola, do you mean Red Wahani? I've made it before. It cooks like brown rice, and will stain anything it's cooked with the way beets will. It will also stain a plastic rice cooker. I didn't find the flavour to be very good, though.