The Great FJ Recipe Thread

[StarrieEyedKat]

:text-worthless:

Will all the gourmet FJ chefs please share pictures with us all? I want to drool more over your creations! :mrgreen: (green for St. Patricks's day!)

I'm not a gourmet chef, but I bake a lot, so I can always share cupcake pics and the like. :D

[smores]

I was just thinking about this recipe since the weather is getting warmer again... tomato pie!

1 pie crust (if you get the kind in the foil pan, there is no clean up! Win-win all around.)

3-4 large slicing tomatoes - get the best quality you can find. You want heirloom style.

3/4 cup sour cream (you can use any type for this that you like)

1/4 cup mayo

2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped

1 cup shredded cheddar or colby jack

ground pepper

Slice and salt your tomatoes, and let them sit on paper towels for 10 or so minutes to get the water out. Heat your oven to 375 and pre-bake your crust for 5-7 minutes, before it gets golden brown. Pull it out, and mix the mayo, sour cream, ground pepper and fresh basil. Put two layers of tomato slices into the pie crust. Pour over the sour cream mix and add more tomatoes (you should have enough for 2-3 more layers). Top with the shredded cheese and put the pie back in the oven. Bake for about 35-40 minutes, or until your cheese is bubbly, crust is browned and you're dying to eat it!

I hate tomatoes and I crave this pie year round. A good old southern favorite :D

[Third]

http://onceamonthmom.com/homemade-cream ... hing-soup/

A way to make cream soup without using the nasty canned stuff. Even has vegan or gluten free options.

[Spider Burps]

Since it's getting warmer, I figured it was getting close to ice cream season. :) This recipe is from "Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home" and it is epically delicious! The recipe is paraphrased because I wrote it down and don't actually own the cookbook, but it should be fairly easy to understand.

Basil and Pine Nut Ice Cream

2 c whole milk

1 tbsp + 1 tsp cornstarch

1 ½ oz cream cheese, softened

Salt

1 ¼ c heavy cream

2/3 c sugar

2 tbsp light corn syrup

Large handful of fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces

1/3 c honey pine nut pralines (below)

Mix 2 tbsp milk with cornstarch to make slurry. Whisk cream cheese and salt in medium bowl until smooth. Fill large bowl with ice and water.

Combine remaining milk, cream, sugar and corn syrup in 4 qt. saucepan, bring to boil over med-high and boil 4 minutes. Remove from heat, whisk in cornstarch slurry. Bring to boil over med-high and cook (while stirring) until thickened, ~1 minute. Whisk hot milk into cream cheese until smooth. Add basil. Pour into 1 gallon freezer bag and submerge bag in ice bath. Let stand until cold ~30 mins, then strain to remove basil and churn.

Honey Nut Pralines

1 c pine nuts, walnuts or pecans

2 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp honey

1 tbsp butter, melted

Salt

Preheat oven to 350. Combine everything in bowl, stirring to coat. Spread on baking sheet, bake 8 minutes. Stir, continue baking 5-6 minutes, stirring twice. Nuts should look bubbly and somewhat dry. Let cool completely, stirring every few minutes to break up.

[smores]

I make this a lot during the warmer weather months... it's addicting. The tomato juices blend with the ranch to create this zesty refreshingness.

Tomato-cucumber salad:

several medium-large tomatoes (even store bought are pretty good in this)

1 hot house/english cucumber (you can leave the seeds or remove them)

ranch dressing to taste (for 1 cucumber and 2 tomatoes, 2-3 tbsp is good)

Optional add-ins:

- fresh dill

- fresh cilantro

- feta

- red onion

- chevre/goat cheese

- 1/2 cup cooked orzo, rinsed in cold water to cool it

You literally just add what you want and stir until everything is coated with the dressing. Letting it sit for 20 minutes before a meal is preferred, but hey, we don't all have that kind of time ;) Especially delicious with grilled burgers or grilled chicken.

[keeperrox]

When you think of Reading, PA, you usually don’t think of great food. There’s an Irish pub downtown, called The Ugly Oyster, that is absolutely excellent, though. Their Ugly Pretzel, a Crab Imperial and cheddar topped soft pretzel, is crave inducing. Now that we live an hour and half away, I had to come up with my own version. Use good quality soft pretzels for this. It’s worth it!

Ingredients

¾ cups Mayonnaise, Divided

½ teaspoons Kosher Salt

½ teaspoons Cayenne Pepper

¼ cups Fresh Parsley, Minced

¼ cups Fresh Bread Crumbs

8 ounces, weight Fresh Or Canned Crab Meat, Drained And Cartilage Removed

1 Tablespoon Butter

1 Tablespoon Flour

½ cups Milk

1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning, Plus More For Dusting Tops

8 ounces, weight Sharp White Cheddar Cheese, Grated

1 whole Egg

2 whole Fresh Soft Pretzels (thawed If Frozen)

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 F.

Mix 1/4 cup of mayonnaise, salt, cayenne, parsley and bread crumbs in a large bowl. Add crab meat and gently toss until well mixed.

Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add flour and stir with a wire whisk until blended. Do not allow the roux to brown. Gradually add milk, whisking until well blended. Add Old Bay seasoning. Bring to a boil while stirring constantly until completely smooth.

Pour milk mixture over the crab mixture and gently fold everything together. Fold in 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese.

Beat the egg in a medium bowl. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of mayonnaise and mix well. Mix about half of this mixture into the crab mixture. Set the rest aside for a moment.

On an ungreased baking sheet, top each pretzel with half of the crab mixture. Drizzle the remaining egg/mayo mixture over top, and then top with the remaining cheddar cheese. Dust tops with a little more Old Bay seasoning.

Bake for about 12 minutes or until bubbly and tops are lightly browned.

Serve as an appetizer or main course with a side salad.

[Shirley MacLaine]

Ohhhhh keeperrox... that picture gave me a total food boner. Copied into my recipe doc :P

[kittypie]

Any tips for a nice firm quiche? I want to make a spinach w/Swiss today. Mine always turn out a little watery.

[keeperrox]

Any tips for a nice firm quiche? I want to make a spinach w/Swiss today. Mine always turn out a little watery.

My gut says that your custard ratio is off and you may actually be over cooking it. How many egg and how much cream do you use?

[kittypie]

My gut says that your custard ratio is off and you may actually be over cooking it. How many egg and how much cream do you use?

Every one I've ever made used whole eggs. I'm thinking this time three eggs plus two or three yolks instead of 5whole eggs? Recipe calls for 1 cup each whole milk and heavy cream. Sound right?

[keeperrox]

Every one I've ever made used whole eggs. I'm thinking this time three eggs plus two or three yolks instead of 5whole eggs? Recipe calls for 1 cup each whole milk and heavy cream. Sound right?

I replied to you in your other thread. Cliff Notes Version = you're using way too much milk/cream.

[kittypie]

My quiches were an epic fail. I squeezed out the spinach really well, but I think I put too much spinach in the mixture and it weighed it down, they did not get all nice and puffy while baking. Oh well. They're still tasty but were not the nice silky inch-high custard I had envisioned.

I have plenty of the spinach left over...try, try again!

[samurai_sarah]

My quiches were an epic fail. I squeezed out the spinach really well, but I think I put too much spinach in the mixture and it weighed it down, they did not get all nice and puffy while baking. Oh well. They're still tasty but were not the nice silky inch-high custard I had envisioned.

I have plenty of the spinach left over...try, try again!

Have you tried leaving out the cream/milk? Or just using a tiny amount? Another thing that might be helpful is, after pre-baking your base for about 10 min (top heat only), put the filling in, and just "blast" it at a very high temperature (275°C ?) for about 5-10 min, until the filling has risen. That helps reducing liquid fast, and gets the eggs to rise. Turn the heat down, and continue baking for about 30-45 min. Under no circumstances open the oven! Sorry, I can't give you any actual temperatures. My gas-oven is ancient, temperamental and the temperature settings have rubbed off. :oops:

[kittypie]

Well, I cut way back on the cream and milk that the recipe called for. I'm a little confused now because I've been looking at other recipes online (America's Test Kitchen, Food Network) and they all call for a substantial amount of milk/cream. Also, next time I will put the spinach and cheese into the pie shell then pour the egg mixture over it. I think mixing everything together and THEN pouring into the pie shells was my fatal mistake this time. Duh. I will not give up!

[samurai_sarah]

Well, I cut way back on the cream and milk that the recipe called for. I'm a little confused now because I've been looking at other recipes online (America's Test Kitchen, Food Network) and they all call for a substantial amount of milk/cream. Also, next time I will put the spinach and cheese into the pie shell then pour the egg mixture over it. I think mixing everything together and THEN pouring into the pie shells was my fatal mistake this time. Duh. I will not give up!

I just googled it, and you're right. :shock: They all call for quite a lot cream/milk/creme fraiche. And some of them for a pint or more. Hmm, my recipe is a "family recipe", so I put a quarter pint (ca 250 ml) of milk in, tops. If I'm using spinach, I put the frozen stuff in first, pour the filling on top, and then add the cheese (it sinks anyway), but I can't really see how it would make much of a difference to do it your way. Unsolved mystery? :?:

[keeperrox]

Wow, that's disappointing, kittypie. Sorry it didn't work out. FWIW, I always put the fillings in and then pour the custard over it. Here's a picture of an Asparagus and Brie quiche I made with that same ratio:

ETA: Shit! Looking back at my notes, I used 3/4 cup cream, not 1/4. I am SO sorry!! That 1/4 cup for 2 eggs comes from Once Upon A Tart, and I've made several recipes from there and they are delicious, but now that I think about it, I've been using 1/2-3/4 cups of cream lately. It's still significantly less that your original recipe, but it certainly makes sense why the 1/4 cup didn't work. Again, I am VERY sorry! :(

[kittypie]

LOL keeperrox, no worries! My sister loved my "flat spinach pies" and asked to take some home with her yesterday! I had it for breakfast yesterday and this morning and there is only one piece left from the two pies. It tastes really good, just not the thicker custard as in your photo (and oh does that look good!). I think cutting back on the cream didn't do as much damage as mixing everything together in one bowl before pouring. Next time I will put the veggies in the pie shell then pour the egg mixture over it.

[samurai_sarah]

Kittypie, can I ask what you used to whisk your filling? I asked around a bit among friends as food-obsessed as I, and one of them suggested that your filling may refuse to rise, if you use a food processor (with blades) to mix the filling, instead of a whisk. Something to do with the blades, cutting/doing something funny to the eggs, whereas a whisk will just add air. Sorry, I know, I'm getting way too invested in this. :oops:

[Guest Anonymous]

Kittypie, can I ask what you used to whisk your filling? I asked around a bit among friends as food-obsessed as I, and one of them suggested that your filling may refuse to rise, if you use a food processor (with blades) to mix the filling, instead of a whisk. Something to do with the blades, cutting/doing something funny to the eggs, whereas a whisk will just add air. Sorry, I know, I'm getting way too invested in this. :oops:

I think the spinach/quiche saga is kind of cool. I like to read about how other people cook the same thing, and it gives me warm fuzzies when FJers work together to solve a problem.

Kittypie, I hope you turn out a quiche that is perfectly to your liking soon. ;)

[kittypie]

samurai_sarah, I know, I can get a little obsessed, too. I whisked it all together with just a fork. I don't have a food processor (except for a mini Oscar which is about 25 years old).

Thanks, Lissar. I'm planning to stop by the grocery store on my way home from work and get more eggs, cheese, and pie crusts because that spinach is so delicious and just BEGGING me to try again. I'm glad for the input and I am totally invested in my spinach and turning out a good quiche. That pic keeperrox posted made my mouth water :)

[samurai_sarah]

Kittypie-

Hmm, a fork should be fine, but maybe not as good as a whisk to get the consistency fluffy enough? Okay, last try and then I'll stop obsessing over your quiche. ;) Another friend just got back to me, suggesting frying the spinach, instead of squeezing. This is assuming that your spinach is frozen. She says that it would get rid of excess water much better. A-and she suggested using no milk at all, but only cream. Milk is too "watery". Nope, still obsessed, I really, really want to know how your next attempt works out now! Keeping my fingers crossed.

[kittypie]

I will use a whisk this time, thanks! The rest of my spinach is already steamed and in the fridge (it was freshly picked from my neighbor's garden). I may try draining it and frying it a little to see if that helps. I'm going to stick with cream and milk THIS time, but maybe use more cream than milk...we'll see! I shall report the results, samurai_sarah. Maybe. If you're good. :)

[samurai_sarah]

I will use a whisk this time, thanks! The rest of my spinach is already steamed and in the fridge (it was freshly picked from my neighbor's garden). I may try draining it and frying it a little to see if that helps. I'm going to stick with cream and milk THIS time, but maybe use more cream than milk...we'll see! I shall report the results, samurai_sarah. Maybe. If you're good. :)

:lol: I'll wait as patiently as I can!

[kittypie]

:lol: I'll wait as patiently as I can!

I am back to taunt you a second time.

Two more spinach quiches are in the oven. I used a cup of cream and a cup of whole milk. I WHISKED the eggs with a whisk in my mom's magic bowl. I have high hopes.

[samurai_sarah]

I am back to taunt you a second time.

Two more spinach quiches are in the oven. I used a cup of cream and a cup of whole milk. I WHISKED the eggs with a whisk in my mom's magic bowl. I have high hopes.

*biting my nails* On your behalf I said a prayer to St Lawrence, the patron saint of cooking, and I don't even believe in Catholicism anymore. Way too invested in your quiches, methinks. :oops: