Drink/Food Of The Day

Wolf, I'm so glad to know that someone else shares my cookie addiction. As Cookie Monster would say "Nom, nom, nom!"



And Pipette is right on the money suggesting "Five o'clock au gingembre" It really captures all the warm spice notes of Specula.

My family's heritage is Scandinavian so this time of the year I start thinking about Pepparkakor (gingersnaps) and krumkake. I love when the house smells of ginger, cinnamon and cardamom.

Also, I have a bad habit of stopping by a local deli/bakery that makes Cowboy Cookies: They are made of graham flour instead of regular flour and are basically chocolate chunk cookies with the addition of pecans, oatmeal and shredded coconut. The good news is that they're high fiber so they go through you like a Ferrari and your body can't absorb any of the fat. I love science...

These are my favorites, I buy them at Trader Joe's for the holidays.

Pfeffernüsse (German Spice Cookies)

I have bought some fresh Black salsify, and I think it will go into a risotto.

Apicius, dude, you are so bumming my cookie groove with your healthy cooking! Oh, wait, risotto? Mind if I stop by for dinner?

Beware!

My cooking is rather creative, and I haven't done any Black salsify risotto before!

Do you get Black salsify in the US?

Only chocolate can unstuck me from biscuits, and vice versa.
Fortunately do not need to choose because I have two hands (I suspect this is the intention of this design primordially)


Interesting to me, I love new flavors - what it taste and smell, Is it piquant? Or just healthily?

P.S. bon appétit

Very occasionally I see salsify in the produce section of our grocery but what variety it is, I don't know. Since you can incorporate just about anything into a risotto I'm sure it will taste wonderful. Send me the leftovers… if there are any

I have no idea what Black Salsify is but I have eaten the white, it is what we call the oyster plant in the states. It really does have a oyster flavor. You don't hear much about it here, in fact many people have told me they never heard of it. My grandmother used to grow it in her garden.

Back salsify is seasonal food, it is also called "Winterspargel" (winter asparagus). Accordingly, the taste is rather mild. In a way it resembles asparagus, and it can be prepared more or less the same way.

You can buy it canned, but preparing fresh salsify is a bit tricky. You peel these brownish roots with a potato peeler, and then you immediately have to put the pieces into a mixture of water, vinegar and floor to prevent oxidization. The brownish skin contains some kind of glue that will stick to your fingers.

This is what our salsify looks like.

home.howstuffworks.com/salsify-oyster-plant.ht m

I think, Black salsify (Scorzonera hispanica) is not the same as salsify (Tragopogon porrifolius)
It looks like this:

www.kalorio.de/Img/BPics/Schwarzwurzel.jpg

Big difference in the two. When you peel the black salsify is it white? If so if you don't soak in vinegar it turns brown?

Exactly.

Beef Liver, apple and onion rings, brussel sprouts and mashed potatoes...

...and a very good local Pinot Noir from a nearby cooperative.

If I may redirect the discussion back to biscuits for a moment, frickin' Starbucks has come out with a PECAN TARTE that is as good as a piece of pecan pie and it's only about 320 calories! (Compared to 900+ in a slice of pecan pie from Marie Calenders).

Plus it's exremely delicious!

Proof that prayers are sometimes answered.

Please give me your tried and true recipes for brussel sprouts.

I am particularly interested in ones involving caramelization.

The more flavorful the better (ie, no one's trying to eat healthy at the moment).

Let's see...

I trim off the woody core and quarter them, then saute in extra virgin olive oil until lightly browned. Then I add chicken stock (or good quality broth if no stock on hand) and simmer 'til the sprouts soften slightly. Stir in a can of Great Northern beans, add a pat of butter and some grated Parmesan (the real kind, not that vile stuff in the green can) and season with black pepper. You can also top with some bacon pieces if you like, because bacon makes everything better.

Oooooh, yummmmm!

Here's a link to a very similar recipe. I use Parmesan instead of Pecorino because it's less salty.

www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Brussels -Sprouts-with-White-Beans-and-Pecorino-233160

Why thank you ma'am!

Turns out I have until Christmas to find and execute the most mind-blowing sprouts recipe there is. My cousins are crazy about the b-sprouts and are excellent cooks, so I need to bring my A game.

Oh, I cook them plain simple with a little water and salt, to get the natural taste.

If I want more seasoning: a pinch of butter, black pepper, macis or nutmeg, and a spritz of Worcester Sauce.

youtu.be/gG62zay3kck

Prost!

Sounds delicious!

The simplest cooking recipes are the best!

Today, I had chicken French bistro style:

- cut out the backbone of an organic chicken with a big knife or poultry scissors
- generously season the chicken with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- flatten it out on an oiled baking tray (skinside on top)
- pour app. 1 oz (30 gramm) melted butter over it
- put it into the heated oven at 400° F (200° C) for 40 minutes
- then, spread mustard over it (I used French Dijon mustard)
- put a dried bread roll from yesterday's breakfast into the food processor and grind it
- pour the breadcrumbs over the chicken so they stick to the mustard
- generously pour another 2 oz (60 gramm) melted butter over it so the breadcrumbs get soaked.
- put it under the grill of your oven for another 10 minutes

Delicious!

In my quest for creative ways to utilize leftover turkey, I found a recipe for a sandwich with a slab of roast turkey topped with the balsamic onion marmalade pictured below from Willliams Sonoma and bacon (!!!). Slap some butter or mayonnaise on your roll/bread and you have a delicious sandwich.

img4-2.realsimple.timeinc.net/images/daily-fin ds/food/0709/wichcraft_300.jpg

Here's the recipe for the marmalade if you happen to be a do-it-yourselfer:

www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/04/balsamic-o nion-marmalade-recipe.html