Food Porn and Discussion.

[arw]

Made dessert for a friend's stagette last night. Vanilla bean and sour cream panna cotta with raspberries in champagne gelee and topped with fresh lime whipped cream:

Step 1 - champange gelee:

Step 2 - panna cotta:

Step 3 - lime whipped cream:

Step 4 - finished product:

I know that technically panna cotta is supposed to come out of the mould and stand on its own, but I decided to leave it in the cups for easier and neater transport.

I brought almost twice as many as we needed, but they were all devoured. I think this one is a keeper.

I've made panna cotta at a lot of places I've worked and most of the time we made it in a martini glass. So I think it looks great in the glasses you made it in Looks really yummy. I love putting champagne in desserts

 

[arw]

It's a think dressing with a lot of flavor unlike the Kraft asian dressing, which I find completely nasty anyways.

I meant to say "thick" dressing not think That's what happens when you try to type with a cat sitting on your shoulder like he's the king of all

 

[kafrun]

I've made panna cotta at a lot of places I've worked and most of the time we made it in a martini glass. So I think it looks great in the glasses you made it in Looks really yummy. I love putting champagne in desserts

Thanks. I usually go for deliciousness over presentation, but I do like to make something pretty when I can. I need your skillz.

And I'll confess, I used Prosecco instead of actual champagne, but it still turned out beautifully.

 

[bonocomet]

just a little something I whipped up yesterday afternoon for a dinner party last night...

chicken caesar salad with homemade dressing, orange sesame wild rice, fruit, garlic bread (not in photo) and a lime cheesecake. Plus we had pink lemonade and white wine. Perfect light meal on a very hot summer night.

I am so hungry now.

 

[kramwest1]

Kafrun-that looks amazing.

Desserts FTW.


Besides eating my way through Southern California this weekend and every fish taco I could get my hands on, my friends introduces me to Blackberry Balsamic Vinegar on vanilla ice cream. Wow!

Vinegar on ice cream? WTF?
Mmmmmmmmmmm.

 

[Rachel D.]

The beets are ripe and I just ate a whole lot of them with salt and butter.

 

[cobl04]

My mum makes the best Shortbread, Lasagna and Zucchini Slice in the world.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

My mum makes the best Shortbread, Lasagna and Zucchini Slice in the world.

 

[mama cass]

been doing some more baking lately...

just made cranberry and white chocolate cookies this afternoon for my kids - they're really good, crispy but chewy, the recipe's from Nigella's Feast and it's become a family favourite over the years...

also made some red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting last weekend from a really fab baking book The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook - one of my fave cook books (i have a serious incurable cook book fetish) - it's got the best cream cheese frosting recipe i've ever tried...

also had to make some chocolate brownie cupcakes for my daughter to take to school, well, my daughter did most of it - she loves baking too! we used our fail-safe super-strength dark chocolate brownie recipe, very very heavy on the chocolate - 200 g good dark chocolate for 20 little cupcakes hehe

this weekend, i'm thinking of making chocolate pots for friends (a Nigella recipe again), and still trying to decide on a nice cake for sunday lol!!

here are the cookies - the other things were eaten before i could get pix...

 

[kramwest1]

The beets are ripe and I just ate a whole lot of them with salt and butter.

I've been gobbling up beet salads whenever I see them on menus.

The last casualty was at The Loring Kitchen in Mpls.--2 kinds of beets, arugula and tons of whipped goat cheese.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

this weekend, i'm thinking of making chocolate pots for friends (a Nigella recipe again)

ohhh i know what recipe you're referring to. are they good? i've never gotten around to making them.

 

[mama cass]

ohhh i know what recipe you're referring to. are they good? i've never gotten around to making them.

here they are! i love them and make them a lot for friends as 1) they're incredibly easy to make, and 2) everyone always goes quiet around the dinner table while they're eating them as they're so intensely rich and chocolatey - they're a chocoholic's heaven lol!!!

i've just made these babies and popped them in the fridge to set for this afternoon... going to serve them with a couple of little fancy "crepe" biscuits for dipping... ok and i admit i have the same crinkly porcelain cups as in Nigella's book - i know, i know i am a cooking fan girl

ps- i always use 200 g of dark chocolate instead of the 175 g specified in the recipe, as i just prefer to throw 2 whole bars in instead of faffing and weighing them out, plus i use slightly more cream (although i use "light" cream with a lower fat content) and slightly less milk (and use semi-skimmed instead of full-fat), so basically 200/225 ml of lower fat cream to 50/25 ml of milk, and that works nicely, it tastes just as good as the full-fat version and i don't feel as guilty ha

 

[BoMac]

Those look great. Can you post the recipe? Merci beaucoup.

 

[mama cass]

hi BoMac! no prob!

here is Nigella's recipe, but with my quantities in brackets

175 g best quality dark chocolate (i use 200 g because it's easier and avoids weighing)
150 ml double cream (i use 200 ml, usually lighter, lower-fat cream)
100 ml full-fat milk (i use 50 ml of semi-skimmed milk)
half teaspoon real vanilla extract
quarter teaspoon allspice
1 (very fresh) egg
8 x mini coffee cups or small pots

Blitz the chocolate in a food processor til it resembles crumbs.

Heat the milk and cream in a small saucepan until just about boiling, then add the vanilla + allspice, stir, then pour over the chocolate in food processor.

Let it stand for 30 seconds, blitz for 30 seconds, then crack the egg into the chocolate mix, and blitz for 45 seconds.

Pour into your cups/pots and chill in the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Nigella recommends taking them out of the fridge 20 min before serving, but i never remember to do that lol!

you can serve them on their own, but sometimes i decorate the cups with an edible crystallised rose petal or two which looks really lovely, or i like to serve them with a couple of small pretty biscuits, like "langue de chat", "tuiles", florentines, or, my latest discovery, these Kambly Butterfly biscuits which are just exquisite and delicate, best thing yet (apart from the rose petals):

 

[bono_212]

I'm trying to cook dinner on Fridays. Tonight: Fajitas

 

[kramwest1]

It's been too long since I had fajitas. Although the fish tacos I scarfed in Anaheim helped.

 

[bonocomet]

 

[SanDiego Brenda]

I just came across this thread (I had been away for awhile) and now I AM SO HUNGRY!

 

[bonocomet]

I just came across this thread (I had been away for awhile) and now I AM SO HUNGRY!

This thread is dangerous!!

 

[Purplereign]

hi BoMac! no prob!

here is Nigella's recipe, but with my quantities in brackets

175 g best quality dark chocolate (i use 200 g because it's easier and avoids weighing)
150 ml double cream (i use 200 ml, usually lighter, lower-fat cream)
100 ml full-fat milk (i use 50 ml of semi-skimmed milk)
half teaspoon real vanilla extract
quarter teaspoon allspice
1 (very fresh) egg
8 x mini coffee cups or small pots

Blitz the chocolate in a food processor til it resembles crumbs.

Heat the milk and cream in a small saucepan until just about boiling, then add the vanilla + allspice, stir, then pour over the chocolate in food processor.

Let it stand for 30 seconds, blitz for 30 seconds, then crack the egg into the chocolate mix, and blitz for 45 seconds.

Pour into your cups/pots and chill in the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Nigella recommends taking them out of the fridge 20 min before serving, but i never remember to do that lol!

you can serve them on their own, but sometimes i decorate the cups with an edible crystallised rose petal or two which looks really lovely, or i like to serve them with a couple of small pretty biscuits, like "langue de chat", "tuiles", florentines, or, my latest discovery, these Kambly Butterfly biscuits which are just exquisite and delicate, best thing yet (apart from the rose petals):

. . . I now know what I'm taking for dessert to a friends this weekend . . . methinks I may just be a little bit popular thanks

 

[SanDiego Brenda]

Wow I think I might have to make that, too! Sounds delicious.

 

[mama cass]

cool!! let me know how you get on!

 

[Purplereign]

^ made your chocolate pots for friends this week mama cass . . . and they were gobbled up in an instant! couldn't find the biccies in the pic but found something similar at a local deli and also served the pots in espresso cups with a bowl of fresh berries in the middle of the table (so we could all pretend we being a little healthy) ~ it should actually be illegal for something so divine to be so easy to make

no photos (I blame the wine on my poor memory ) but I'll be making these babies again for sure!

thank you

 

[mama cass]

^ made your chocolate pots for friends this week mama cass . . . and they were gobbled up in an instant! couldn't find the biccies in the pic but found something similar at a local deli and also served the pots in espresso cups with a bowl of fresh berries in the middle of the table (so we could all pretend we being a little healthy) ~ it should actually be illegal for something so divine to be so easy to make

no photos (I blame the wine on my poor memory ) but I'll be making these babies again for sure!

thank you

oh that is brilliant!! i'm sooooooo glad you liked them and they turned out well!!

 

[kramwest1]

I should take more pictures. I'm a bad food pornographer.

In Toronto, we ate at a Mediterranean place called the By The Way Cafe. Yum!
The had grilled salmon topped with an artichoke/kalamata olive salsa.

I think it was equal parts chopped marinated artichoke hearts, kalamata olives and roma tomatoes with some minced garlic and maybe a little onion. Probably a dash of salt and pepper and Mmmmmmmm! It went beautifully with the salmon.

I had the combination plate with some grilled lamb. Babaganoush, hummus, Israeli salad and tabouli with tender lamb chunks on top and pita bread to gobble it all down with.

 

[mama cass]

yum that salsa sounds amazing! i will have to give that a try!

i absolutely love Moroccan/North African/Middle Eastern food... spiced couscous served with chicken tagine with lemon and olives, or slow-cooked lamb with dates and almonds are some of my faves... hummus, kefta (sp ?), pitta, fresh mint tea, i love it all! i've got a really nice French Moroccan cookbook - have tried a few recipes, and so far they've all been great! really straightforward with very clear explanations...

anyway... today it's Bastille Day here in France, and we've spent the day around the dinner table at friends, and i introduced them to the wonders of good ole English sherry trifle lol!!! i had to think of a dessert at short notice, so just raided my fridge, larder and freezer!

for the base, i cut a "quatre-quarts" genoise sponge cake into slabs and lined the bottom of the trifle dish with it

then i doused it in 2 glasses of Muscat de Beaumes de Venise, a delicious pinky ambery coloured dessert wine (didn't have any sherry to hand)

then i grabbed some cherries from the freezer, stewed them with some sugar, then removed the stones (which took forever!!) and cooked them down to a puree... poured them over the alcohol-drenched sponge cake layer... then made some custard for the next layer... popped it all in the fridge to cool down, then whisked up some mascarpone and pouring cream til nice and thick for the final layer...

it went down really well!! it was very rich, but it was divided between 12 adults, so everyone had a nice helping and there was still enough for seconds... everybody really loved it and asked for the recipe which was such a relief lol - it scares me witless cooking for French people as they take their food soooooooooo seriously, even little ones lol!! i've had my kids' friends (when they were aged 5!) state that my home-made waffles were "slightly too eggy" and that my "mashed potato needed more salt" lol!!! so i definitely feel the pressure when i have to entertain - usually, to be on the safe side i will go for an "English" recipe so if i fuck up i can just say "oh it's an English thing, it's meant to look and taste like crap" haha

 

[kafrun]

Ok, I can't NOT add this:

Poutine in Montreal. Epic.

 

[kramwest1]

Ok, I can't NOT add this:

Poutine in Montreal. Epic.

We ate our crappy poutine in the rain storm. At least one damn "FanJam" food truck was still open. It paled compared to yours^ but was delicious at the time.

 

[alison0313]

Nachos from Sneaky Dee's in Toronto

 

[Dfit00]

They look very skimpy on the guacamole don't they?