Culinary Goods

So this recipe is great, but has been perplexing. I've made it twice and have had to triple the cooking time each time or else it's raw. I don't know if it's because I have a new oven or because this is a Tartine recipe, which means all their recipes only turn out at sea level, but it's very strange. Anyway, once it's fully cooked, it's great. I left the orange zest out the second time I made it since Jared doesn't like chocolate and fruit mixed, but even he thought that it tasted better with the zest. This gets a 7. 1 fully baked and cooled Sweet Tart Dough tart shell This recipe is in the Tartine cookbook, but any good tart crust recipe will do.  6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1/4 cup Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur) or brandy (optional) I used about 2 TBS brandy 2/3 cup granulated sugar (divided) 3 large eggs 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest 1 cup whole hazelnuts, l...

This was rich and decadent, and as good as every other Tartine bakery recipe I've tried. You could probably cut down the sugar a bit, but it's great otherwise. It gets a 7.5. Ingredients 1 3⁄4 cups whole milk 1⁄2 cup heavy cream, plus 2 tablespoons  1⁄4 cup cornstarch 3⁄4 cup sugar 3 tablespoons cocoa powder 3 large eggs 1⁄4 teaspoon salt 2 1⁄2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped Here's a link I found to the instructions:  http://dessertfiend.com/blog/2016/2/17/recipe-tartines-chocolate-pudding

Ok, so this recipe is from John’s mom, and if you like classic potato salad, this is a good one. I’ve made a few tweaks to it, and I think I’ve improved it, so I’m not sure there’s a whole lot better recipe out there for classic potato salad. My mom used to always buy it in those deli sections of stores, and it is just so much better homemade. I made it yesterday, and here is what I changed from the original recipe, which I think is too heavy on the potatoes. Potato Salad 6 boiled eggs I doubled this 10 medium potatoes 1 dill pickle, finely chopped 1 stalk celery I used a whole bunch of celery hearts 1 bunch green onions, finely chopped It could use more 3 cups mayo see note below 1/3 cup pickle juice 2 Tbs. French’s mustard ½ tsp. salt 1 tsp. pepper ½ tsp. seasoned salt ½ tsp. garlic salt I used garlic powder, and this is one where I would almost go a bit scant if you don’t like garlic flavor ½ tsp. celery seed ½ tsp. onion salt I also added dry dill So, essent...

These were good, but the red onion in the chimichurri was a bit hot, so it thew the flavor off a bit. I love chimichurri, though, and it was good on the vegetables and steak. The steak needs to be flavored with more seasonings, so I'll play around with it next time. This gets a 7, and the recipe came from cookingclassy.com. Ingredients 1 3/4   lbs.   Sirloin steak (thicker steaks),   diced into 1-inch cubes 1   large   red onion,   chopped into chunks 1   lb.   cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes (look for larger ones) 2   small zucchini,   sliced 1/4-inch thick Salt and freshly ground black pepper Oil for brushing Chimichurri 1/3   cup   olive oil 1/2   cup (packed)   fresh parsley   (no thick stems) 1/4   cup (packed)   fresh cilantro   (no thick stems) 1   tsp   dried oregano 1 1/2   Tbsp   red wine vinegar 1   Tbsp   fresh lemon juice 1 1/2...

Oh my, these were wonderful. These are gooey and fudgy and marvelous. I will never try another brownie recipe again because these were simply the best. When I made them the first time I cut down the sugar to 1 1/4, but it worked because I served them with ice cream. If these aren't being served with ice cream, 1 1/2 C works great. These came from my Tartine Bakery cookbook, obviously, because everything in the book is culinary gold. These get a 10. 3/4 cup butter 1 pound bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 5 large eggs 2 cups brown sugar I use anywhere from 1 1/4 C.- 1 1/2 C.  1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 cups nuts, optional for topping Here's a link I found to this:   http://www.madeinmelskitchen.com/2011/05/tartine-brownies/

This was a great summer meal that had lovely flavor. Jared added some grilled chicken to it, and it was really filling. The recipe came from cookingclassy.com, and it gets a 7.5 Ingredients 2   medium zucchini   , ends trimmed, sliced into half moons 2   medium yellow squash   , ends trimmed, sliced into half moons 1   red bell pepper   , diced into 3/4-inch squares 1/2   large red onion   , diced into 3/4-inch squares 8   oz   button mushrooms   , sliced fairly thick I left these out  1   (10.5 oz) pkg. grape or cherry tomatoes, halved 2   Tbsp   olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper 2   cloves   garlic   , minced 1   (20 oz) pkg. refrigerated three cheese tortellini 4   cups   (4 oz) fresh spinach 2/3   cup   homemade or store-bought pesto I made my own Finely shredded parmesan cheese   , for serving Here's the link:  https://...

So, I got the idea for this recipe from the “Baked” cookbook I checked out from the library, and I pretty much just did my own thing. I wasn’t expecting much, so I was thrilled when this was fabulous and people thought it easily scored a 9. It is John’s top 5, which isn’t very happy for me since it involves practically no culinary skills so I can’t even take credit. So, here is what I did: Oreo Crust 24 oreos 1 Tbs. sugar 6 Tbs. butter Bake at 350 for 10 minutes Then, you soften coffee ice cream (we used the Umpquah brand, and I think this is seriously the best coffee ice cream ever—we get it at Harmon’s). You freeze this, and then I sprinkled ground Highland Grog (Cafe Ibis) coffee on top of it. I used a strainer, so it wasn’t a thick layer, but just to give it some more flavor. Then, I put the following ganache on top: Ganache 4 oz. chocolate 1/2 cup cream 1/2 Tbs. butter shake salt 1/4-1/2 tsp. vanilla Then, I topped it with chopped, toasted pecans. It’s amaz...