Things that worked...and those that didn't.

[marilynfl]

Tried Swiss raclette cheese for the first time. An expensive experiment that didn't pay off. I layered it with potatoes, but the finished product had absolutely no taste.



Tried sous vide methodology to temper chocolate. Method worked beautifully, but my use of the tempered chocolate was a failure. I wante d to keep the tempered dark chocolate at 87 degrees, which meant keeping it in the sous vide water bath. But I was trying to dip long pretzel rods and the vacuum bag I had melted the chocolate in had to be kept clamped to the top of the container, out of the water. So some of the pretzel met 89 degree chocolate at the bottom of the bag...but had to pass through 84 degree chocolate at the top >> not a smooth coating. Still tasted good though.

Then I tried tempering by seeding the chocolate. That worked as well and I recoated the pretzel rods. I decided to see if seeding would make a difference with generic coating chocolate discs. I've had a lot of issues with that type of chocolate cooling down too quickly, so I took milk chocolate discs, melted them, then seeded with a chopped 4 oz bar of organic 100% unsweetened chocolate...the real stuff, not the baking stuff. Using my Thermapen, I stirred constantly (this helps the crystallization process) and checked until it reached 87 degrees, then dipped 47 short pretzel rods...all with a very smooth coating. I would do this again in a heartbeat, plus the chocolate tasted so much better. It does not have the sheen of pure tempered chocolate, but it's good enough for bulk neighborhood gifts.



Cheddar pie crust for an apple pie from The Book of Pie. Wow...this was...good. In fact, I would make it again just to cut out cookies/cracker out of it. I sprinkled raw sugar on top, so it ended up a savory/sweet thing...something I usually despise, but this may have converted me. The sugar darkened too much with an hour-long bake so would need to watch closer next time and cover if necessary.

 

[Marg CDN]

Oh that pie is so beautiful. Cheese and apple. I think I tried it in my youth but it must not have turned out well, as I don't seem to be making it.

All I know of raclette is various Swiss cheeses melting on potatoes. I do have a machine but the cheeses are difficult as they have to be sliced and most cheese mongers are not willing to slice it.

Oh but that pie.

 

[marilynfl]

marg, I didn't realize until I opened the package, but the raclette (Emmi of Switzerland) was pre-sliced, as well as across to make the pieces shorter. That way a slice can be added to a burger or sandwich. The image on the packaging shows it melted and poured over potatoes. I used up the remainder tonight for a Spanish torta (or tortilla). Basically stacked potato slices binded with eggs. Looked up NYTimes (Bitman) recipe, but his was just potatoes and eggs, which seemed...boring. I started with a large shallot, sliced thin and sauteed in olive oil and butter in a 6" pan until soft. Pulled that out and added par-cooked potatoes, sliced thin. When those were brown, I added two big handfuls of fresh spinach and covered pan until they wilted. Then I added the onions back in and drizzled scrambled eggs over it (4 egg whites + 2 yolks). Cooked 4 minutes, then put a plate over the pan, flipped it and slid it back into the pan. Added 3 slices of raclette and cooked for 2.5 minutes.

Turned it out and waited a billion years for it to cool so I could sample. Which I did. A small tapa size slice. Perfect. So I sampled it again just to be sure it was still good. Then to make doubly-triplely sure, I went 3 for 3. Yep...still good.

It was amazing how much better this version turned out than the first stacked potato dish. Salt & pepper were used throughout, as the raclette isn't very salty. Oh, I also sprinkled paprika on it and added about a tsp of Dijon country mustard to the eggs.

Have no clue what it will taste like tomorrow, but it was perfect tonight.

Thank you, spanish TV series "Red Queen" for making me crave tapas at 9:30 PM.


I also had to look up pincho (pintxos)...another tapa format. Those are layered on bread...like bruschetta, but the bread is soft and fresh.
I opted for carbs in potato form.

 

[Marg CDN]

Old H used to make a torilla for Sunday breakfast. He loved eggs, I found them hard to get down. But the tortilla was just fine. He made an escellent tortilla which he always finished it under the broiler.

I've noticed that here, raclette is being used now to refer to the cheese rather than the dish itself. Raclette in Switz is always self-created at the table including a variety of Emmenthals and similar Swiss cheeses, plus served with pickles, cured meats, mustards and bread. My second after fondu. I am trying to convince a friend to use my machine for her family dinners

instead of my fondu pots as it is even more condusive to conversation. She has a hard time getting her grandkids to stay at the table for a 'normal' meal. (They are 11& 16)

there's a lot there for one person to eat, although it certainly looks perfect. I congratulate you on having the will to keep on cooking for yourself. I seem to have lost it.

And BTW, I now have shingles. It's a new month so something different to plague me. So I REEEEEELY don't feel like cooking. (nor eating) (nor anything else) Well, maybe a Scotch Frog.

 

[marilynfl]

Oh marg! Shingles..I was hoping the new year would be...a new year for you. I got the dual shots for shingles in the hope of staving it off. Mom had it bad...and I seem to get everything she had. She said the pain was worse than childbirth...and the woman had 8 kids. So, please take care of yourself!!

 

[mariadnoca]

Oh lawd, shingles…noooo! I had shinlges when I was about 20-ish. NOT FUN. Let’s hope the new year brings much better health!

 

[wigs]

Marg, you are certainly running into a string of bad luck. God bless you. FYI--A former colleague of mine named Frank (he passed in 2014 from stomach cancer when he was a mere 68 years old) came down with shingles in his mid-50s. Frank had been a Marine and prided himself on gutting out any type pain. With the shingles, though, he told me he was in such bad shape that after several hours of sheer misery, he called his MOTHER to drive to his house, pick him up and take him to the local ER. The pain was THAT BAD. I wholeheartedly believe the comparison made by Marilyn's mom. I took the single-dose vaccine of Zostavax, also went for the dual-shot of Shingrix when it came out at my doctor's recommendation. Am keeping my fingers crossed that all that will help me avoid the nasty VZV virus from chickenpox. Interestingly enough, my mom swore I never had chickenpox! My sister had both chickenpox and the mumps when we kids were little. I caught the mumps from Connie, and our brother broke out with chickenpox from her--per Mother. Thankfully, my PCP was smart enough to give me a blood test to make sure I had never had the chickenpox, and those results came back saying, yes, I had! Evidently, I had a much lighter case than Connie and never broke out so that fooled Mom. She was still alive when I had that blood test and was shocked when I showed her my results. Marg, I hope you are feeling better with each passing day. Thinking of you!