Monday, December 29, 2014

Dinner, Softened Water,

Our Boxing Day 2014-12-27 02.45.54dinner went pretty well although I made one mistake, I followed the advice of Jamie Oliver (British cook) about blasting the pork on the highest heat to get the crackling crisp. I ended up with somewhat singed crackling and with the outside of the roast overcooked. I won’t do that again. I served a sherried consomme to start. With the roast pork we had puréed carrots, Brussels sprouts, gravy and apple sauce and roast potatoes. Our guest went nuts about the roast potatoes which considering it was the only thing I didn’t cook (Matt did) made me a bit peeved.

I have never made puréed carrots before and I thought they were delicious, I will Pureed Carrotscertainly do that again. Also, I have always loved sprouts and broccoli but recently went right off them, couldn’t stand them. Having been thinking about it, I decided it was the softened water in the building, it does add a different flavour to vegetables. I decided to use distilled water this time, guess what, I like sprouts again. In a private house, you usually end up with at least one source of unsoftened water, but not so in an apartment building, at least as far as I know. Of course I didn’t take a picture of any of the food, I was too busy cooking it I suppose. Thinking about it later, when I was kicking myself for not doing so, I realised I wouldn't have had time really.

So it’s over once again. Just one more celebration to get through. We certainly won’t be doing much for New Year. We used to throw parties in NC but nobody seems very interested here. Last year we sat up til midnight, drank a toast and went tamely to bed. At least we get to go bowling today and on New Year's Day. Plus I should be able to do my exercise class at least once this week.

Caviar If you are planning a party for New year's Eve, first thing, invite me, secondly here is a super dish to serve to your guests. I know many of you are going to say you don’t like caviar, but for those of us who do, this looks absolutely fabulous and I wish I had a reason to make it. Matt, by the way, does not like caviar. With a glass or two of champagne or sparkling wine, it would go down a treat. To quote Food & Wine Caviar may be pricey, but on New Year’s Eve it’s worth splurging. This caviar “cake” (below) is actually a simple chilled custard that’s topped with crème fraîche, onion and two types of caviar. It’s a deliciously luxe way to start 2015.  Of course you don’t have to splurge for the best caviar, I just found a place with a special on 3 small jars of Beluga caviar reduced to $189. That is the real stuff you understand. It’s normal price is $285. I’ve even linked to it in case you want to try. I have never eaten top quality caviar I am sad to say, but I love the cheaper versions. My mother once got to eat genuine, top quality, Beluga caviar and loved it. I was jealous.

Swedish Caviar Cake

Food & Wine, Contributed by Malin Elmlid
  • SERVINGS: 8 caviar-cake

This caviar "cake" is actually a simple chilled custard that's topped with crème fraîche, onion and two types of caviar. Malin Elmlid's family in Sweden serves this at every holiday smorgasbord, including Christmas and the summer solstice celebration known as Midsommar.
  1. 1 3/4 cups whole milk
  2. 3/4 teaspoon salt
  3. Butter, for greasing
  4. 5 large eggs
  5. 1 cup crème fraîche
  6. 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
  7. 3 tablespoons red caviar, such as trout roe (about 2 ounces)
  8. 3 tablespoons black caviar, such as paddlefish roe (about 2 ounces)
  9. 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
  10. Freshly ground pepper
  1. In a small saucepan, bring the milk to a boil over moderately high heat. Immediately remove from the heat, stir in the salt and let cool to warm.
  2. Preheat the oven to 325 and butter an 11-by-7-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. In a medium saucepan, bring 1 quart of water to a simmer.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk the cooled milk with the eggs until smooth. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Set the dish in a roasting pan and pour enough of the simmering water into the roasting pan to reach about halfway up the side of the baking dish. Transfer the roasting pan to the middle of the oven. Bake the custard for about 30 minutes, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer the baking dish to a rack and remove the foil. Let the custard cool completely, then refrigerate for about 1 hour, until chilled.
  4. Spread the crème fraîche in an even layer over the cooled custard. Spoon the onion, the red caviar and the black caviar over the crème fraîche in alternating diag-onal rows. Sprinkle the caviar cake with the dill, season with pepper and serve.
Make Ahead The caviar cake can be made through Step 3, covered and refrigerated overnight.

Have a great week and in case I don't post much, Happy New Year.
Jo



24 comments:

  1. Hi Jo - sounds excellent ... sorry about the burnt pork crackling. I love pureed (mashed) vegetables ... I don't do them often, but certainly they taste different. Interesting about the water. Well at least Matt was helping!

    The caviar cake looks a great idea ... I doubt I'll do it - but certainly would have done a few years ago .. Happy New Year .. cheers Hilary

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    1. It was good, the crackling wasn't burnt so much I couldn't eat it. I loved the carrots. Never done them before but I will be doing them again.

      You and me both about the caviar.

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  2. Hi Jo, shame about the crackling but perhaps it helped to cut down on consumption? LOL.

    Are the pureed carrots simply boiled and mashed? I do a combination of swede and carrot that way (with a knob of butter mashed in).

    I love brussel sprouts and had a great result yesterday. Went to Tesco for some salad leaves and they were selling mountains of brussel sprouts and parsnips at just 2pence per bag. Obviously they'd overestimated Christmas demand. The 'display by' date is today but they'll keep in the fridge for a while yet. I bought lots and lots of both ...yummy!

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    1. No it didn't, I still ate it all LOL. The carrots were boiled in stock with a couple of cloves of garlic. Then everything went into the processor with butter and finished with cream.

      I used to love them and they seem OK again with distilled water. That was a good buy. Don't often have parsnips. Matt not keen.

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  3. Jo, I meant to take a picture of my Sicilian carrots to post and forgot also. Too bad about your roast, but I was not happy with my beef on Christmas. Nothing wrong with the prep, but the beef on its own seemed to have no flavor, though my brother-in-law loved it. We had caviar in Russia that was divine.

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    1. I would like to know what you did with them though. Sorry your beef wasn't great. In Canada beef is not hung long enough so tends to be somewhat tougher and less tasty.

      Lucky you to have some Russian caviar.

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  4. It never occurred to me that water could make a difference in cooked vegetables! We don't do anything for New Years either. Bad night to be on the road. We are not thrilled that my stepdaughter is planning on going to a club north of Boston that night for a concert; it's about 70 miles away.

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    1. It doesn't seem to hurt some veg, but brussels and broccoli are definitely affected. Yes I agree driving 70 miles to see a concert is not very wise on New Year's Eve

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  5. Interesting to read what others do for special occasions such as Boxing Day. A little awkward in our house as I'm vegetarian but my wife isn't! But we manage and, of course, eat lots of vegetables in various ways (but I'll pass on the caviare)
    Best wishes..

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    1. Yum, love caviar. I used to think I would have no trouble being vegetarian until I started disliking veg I had loved for years, maybe I will enjoy them again. You made me green with envy about the cream comment on your blog reply.

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  6. Maybe your guest does not understand the work involved. That sounded like a delicious meal. I'm not really a potato person, but the rest makes me hungry(smile).

    I use distilled water all of the time. I even drink it to aid my health - a half glass in the morning keeps the pipes clean!

    Jo, if I were having a party I would certainly invite you. You're such a delight!

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    1. I think she does, before her husband died, she used to cook a lot I understand. She is a potato person apparently.

      Never thought of using it to cook veg. I will in future.

      Thanks Dixie, nice compliment.

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  7. I have never actually tried caviar. I'd give it a shot, though. I love trying new things.

    You're more than invited to our New Years party. The pros: I'm making slow cooker ribs with homemade sauce, grilled peaches with goat cheese and a balsamic glaze, and my famous gruyere/goat cheese mac and cheese. The cons: no caviar OR distilled water. I may have to try the latter next time I make something that calls for some water... I never even thought twice about just grabbing from the tap. Our water is very clean, but I never considered the taste effects.

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    1. You are my kind of man, trying everything new. I have said it before, but if I try something I don't like, I try it again 2 years later and again after another 2 years. I usually end up liking it.

      Your New Years sounds wonderful, wish I could come, but no caviar??? What kind of a party is that? You should post some of those recipes.

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  8. Hi, JO,

    Consider yourself invited! Yes, I am having a few friends over to watch the fireworks over Navy Pier in Chicago. My new place is on the 17th floor with a panoramic view of the Lake Michigan and downtown... Super gorgeous! SO, of COURSE, I have to have a party!

    LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! caviar and Beluga is the best. I may have to treat myself. I will definitely be checking out that link! That is such a bargain!

    Wishing you all the best for 2015, JO.... Hope to see you at the party! Chicago is not that far away from Canada,...

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    1. You're right, it isn't Michael and I would contemplate it. Hubby wouldn't though unfortunately. Sounds like a good party and I would love to see your panoramic view.

      Hope you have a wonderful evening, followed by a wonderful year

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    2. Thanks, Jo,

      You'll be missed! Same to you! I baked a bit today, but I have been fighting off this cold thing for two weeks now, Today I feel like crap, BUT, I hope to be up and running around tomorrow. Drinking hot tea like crazy and just staying inside. Too cold to be out. Only like 18 degrees today....

      HAPPY NEW YEAR! Have fun bowling tomorrow!

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  9. Wow, blasting the fat at such a high temp. Yikes.

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    1. No, not the fat Ivy, the skin. It actually didn't damage it as much as I thought and I ate every bit of it. I love pork crackling. The principle was good, but I think my oven goes too high.

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    2. Crackling bit is fat, no? I'm confused. At any rate, at least it didn't go to waste, that's fantastic.

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    3. Nope it is the actual skin of the pig although the fat is attached on the inside. However, it's not the fat but the skin which turns to crackling.

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  10. That's hilarious that your guests raved about what Matt cooked. Sounds like something that would happen to me! Happy New Year Jo in case I can't get back on the internet xx So lovely to have 'met you' this year and I look forward to your future posts!

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    1. Only one guest Pinky. I was teasing her about it at bowling yesterday too. She apparently tried cooking roast taties over the weekend, not as good as Matt's she said.

      A very Happy New Year to you too Pinky, yours comes before mine of course. Glad to have met you too.

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