What recipe would you make if...

R

richard-in-cincy

Well-known member
I'm going to visit an old college chum, who also happens to be a graduate of Cordon Bleu in Paris, for a long weekend in late winter. We're already plotting our menus, recipes, shopping lists, etc. for this 4-day frenzy of baking, cooking, and high-rise architectural dessert construction. I was thinking about wanting to play with pâte feuilletée and Strudelteig so that there is a fresh supply of homemade croisants and pastries for breakfast. I'm mulling this over, trying to remember the over the top recipes that would require several days to put together, as this would certainly be the event to do them.

So I thought I'd ask: You're going on a "no holds barred" weekend of hedonistic splendor in the kitchen.

What recipe would you want to make?

My friend calculates the worth of a recipe by the amount of butter and cream it contains. LOL

 
speaking of pâte, a few years ago...

my brother skinned a turkey, leaving the skin almost entirely intact, and restuffed the skin with a pâte made of the turkey meat.

the pâte was too bland to my taste, but the presentation was awesome. a whole turkey is clearly (i would hope) too much for 2 people, but maybe you could do the same with a smallish game bird.

having been born in baltimore, the smallish game bird that jumps first to my mind is an oriole, but i suspect that that's not the game you have in mind.

 
rvb, I have done Julia Child's "chicken melon" with great success >>>

she bones a whole chicken, purees the meat with cream, shallots, tarragon etc. and mixes in lots of lovely things such as cubed ham and pistachios, the skin is sprinkled with cognac & s&p before stuffing. The filling isn't bland as you sautee a spoonful to ensure the seasoning is correct. It's roasted and is wonderful to serve on a picnic, which is my plan for later this summer. Richard, if you would like the recipe please let me know and I'll bring it in to the office. I believe it is from one of her JC & Co. books.

 
Remember "Babette's Feast"? The same vintage of wines might be hard to get now...LOL

You are such a crazy man- I am glad you have the energy to do a no-holds-barred event. I am not sure I would anymore.

In the middle of your hedonistic splendor please concoct the food of the gods, French Onion Soup done the right way.

How about Veal Prince Orloff? So delicious, so absolutely tedious to make!

...and really, you should weave thin blanched asparagus into a dome for something, don't you think?

 
Speaking of Sfogliatelle, had a COMPLETELY WONDERFUL different version on vacation....

it was from Mike's Pastry in Boston's North End. Would love someone to figure this one out for me - the wrapping around it was much denser - I almost wondered if it were actually pasta wrapped around it - not delicate at all like the version Marilyn posted.

http://www.mikespastry.com/lobster.html

 
I've made Sfogliatelle twice in my long life and it's the ultimate labor of......

love! I've been known to go to Boston for one (75 miles) Recently I found a place nearby which makes them. Trouble is once they put them into the refrigerated case they become tough and chewy rather than crisp. And they lie, they always say they were baked that morning. In any real italian bakery they bake just enough each day and leave them out on trays. Oh, well, I'll just have to give it another go.

 
Julia's later version of pate feuilletee, which is so much easier using diced butter...

works perfectly and freezes well. If you don't have The Way to Cook, I can post it for you.

I've never made a Pithivier, but I think your occasion calls for it. Or a giant Vol au vent with some extraordiary creamed filling. Both are in Julia's Mastering II, with the long, difficult version of puff pastry.

 
Excellent suggestions everyone.

Yes, it will be a frenzy. 4 days of it! But we won't be cooking for the 2 of us, there will be a big dinner party to foist all the experiments onto at the culmination of the event.

Funny story...my friend M doesn't want to be bothered with vegetables while "power cooking". Last time we got together to do this at my place about 10 years ago (! where does the time go !), I kept pleading, "we have to have a vegetable"...So M ordered me to buy two large heads of cabbage which was quickly shredded with some onions anc carrots, deposited into a large pot with a pound of butter, and cooked for two hours on very low heat until it was...carmelized cabbage jam.

The cabbage jam was then mixed with a pound of wonderful fresh feta, stuffed into a strudel with lots of chopped garlic butter, baked to a golden buttery succulence, and proudly served as our "nutritious" vegetable. M said, "There, you got your vegetable." LOL That dinner had, if I can remember everything after this many years:

Escargot Provencal in Puff Pastry
Grilled Jumbo Garlic Prawns on Rosemary Spears
Dried Shittake Mushroom crusted Grilled Ahi Tuna with Wasabi-Mango Cream
Russian Potato Casserole
Cabbage and Feta Strudel
Hussar Beef (sort of a russian beef wellington, beef is grilled, sliced, stuffed with mushroom sour cream filling, reassembled and wrapped in a rye crust, served with rich port sauce)
Several other dishes I've long forgotten and

dessert...

The plate had:

1. a pool of strawberry coulis with a bittersweet chocolate pyramid floating on top that was filled with white chocolate cheesecake.

2. a swirled white and dark chocolate design framing a slice of the 12 layer chocolate death torte. Each layer was different, sandwiched with chocolate mouses, jams, etc. Some of the layers were chocolate cheesecake, chocolate shortbread, chocolate cake, chocolate meringue, chocolate chip cookie, etc.

3. A hand-painted painted white chocolate tulip cup filled with raspberry mousse.

We groaned and hibernated for 2 days.

 
Heather, I don't seem

to have that recipe! Would love to get a copy, this sounds delightfully tortured and needing our attention! LOL

 
I know what I would want to make for that dinner.....

a reservation. is this enough advance notice? '-)))

it sounds like it will be awesome!

 
LOL, an asparagus dome? Cathy, have you done one? The best episode ever...

of the Mary Tyler Moore show centered on Veal Prince Orloff. I laugh every time I hear the name.

 
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