Dinner Party Next Week

On 6 Oct 2005 01:17:02 -0500, "Bob Terwilliger"

virtualgoth@die_spammer.biz said:

In a rash moment, I agreed to cook dinner for a couple of friends next week.
Here's the menu I came up with:

Quoted message said:

* Ham Steak Glazed with Spiced Lemon Marmalade

Quoted message said:

Lemon Marmalade (from Cook's Magazine)

3 pounds lemons
8-10 cups granulated sugar

Slice the lemons as thin as possible. Discard ends. Remove all seeds and
tie them in a square of doubled cheesecloth. Put lemons and seed bag in a
nonreactive bowl with enough water to cover.

Bob, what do the seeds do? I have made marmalade a number of times and
never seen this use of seeds.

On Thu 06 Oct 2005 01:25:24a, Kathy in NZ wrote in rec.food.cooking:

Quoted message said:

On 6 Oct 2005 01:17:02 -0500, "Bob Terwilliger"

virtualgoth@die_spammer.biz said:

In a rash moment, I agreed to cook dinner for a couple of friends next
week. Here's the menu I came up with:

Quoted message said:

* Ham Steak Glazed with Spiced Lemon Marmalade

Quoted message said:

Lemon Marmalade (from Cook's Magazine)

3 pounds lemons
8-10 cups granulated sugar

Slice the lemons as thin as possible. Discard ends. Remove all seeds and
tie them in a square of doubled cheesecloth. Put lemons and seed bag in
a nonreactive bowl with enough water to cover.

Bob, what do the seeds do? I have made marmalade a number of times and
never seen this use of seeds.

The seeds add considerable pectin.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
_____________________________

http://tinypic.com/dzijap.jpg

Popie-In-The-Bowl

"Bob Terwilliger" <virtualgoth@die_spammer.biz> wrote

Quoted message said:

* Cardoons au Gratin

I'm jealous, I don't think I know where to get cardoons. Even
if I did, I'm not sure I remember how they were prepared.
Perhaps I'll remember to look next time I'm in Whole Foods.

nancy

Bob Terwilliger said:

In a rash moment, I agreed to cook dinner for a couple of friends next
week.
Here's the menu I came up with:

* Mixed-Greens Salad with Strawberries, Pine Nuts, and Honey
Vinaigrette
(This was posted here as "Strawberry Spring Salad" some time ago.)

I don't know about the strawberries but the honey vinaigrette with maybe
just a touch of mustard?

Quoted message said:

* Cardoons au Gratin

Never developed a taste for thistles or olive oil.

Quoted message said:

* Ham Steak Glazed with Spiced Lemon Marmalade

I have never liked the pairing of sweet and meat. Animal flesh, i know
glazed hams are nice but i would not make one for myself. Have you
considered an "Jambon Soufflé"? Jambon de Prague is a champagne braised
ham stuffed with foie gras and truffles. En gelee and served with thin
slices of ham taken from inside.

Cotes de Porc, Sauce Piquante or Sauce Robert or Sauce Charcutiere, a
egg and breaded port steak shallow fried in butter and served with a
white, brown or tomato sauce. But "Marmalade"? I once actually tried
James Beards Duck a l'orange with orange marmalade, was not that bad.

Quoted message said:

* Jasmine Rice with Peas and Caramelized Onions

Have you considered saffron basmati & toss a few chopped green onions in
& over just before serving.?

Quoted message said:

* Lychee Tea Creme Anglaise with Fresh Blackberries

Have not tried cooking with tea yet, but i occasionally make a coffee
cake.

I can only admire your willingness to make the marmalade from scratch.
I have a few preserved lemons but im not going to start making jam.
---
JL

Quoted message said:

There's nothing really *challenging* there except that "Glazed with
Spiced
Lemon Marmalade" part: The problem is that I've never made a lemon
marmalade, and I'm not sure whether adding spice would be feasible.
Here's
the basic recipe I intend to follow, only I'll be cutting it WAY down:

Lemon Marmalade (from Cook's Magazine)

3 pounds lemons
8-10 cups granulated sugar

Slice the lemons as thin as possible. Discard ends. Remove all seeds
and
tie them in a square of doubled cheesecloth. Put lemons and seed bag
in a
nonreactive bowl with enough water to cover. Let stand overnight.
Measure
the lemons and water into a wide, shallow, nonreactive pan. Add an
equal
volume of sugar and cook over low heat until sugar is dissolved.
Raise
heat to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently and skimming off the

foam as it rises, until temperature reaches 220°F., about 1/2 hour.

Remove marmalade from heat. To test for consistency, drop a little
marmalade on a saucer and put the saucer into the freezer until
marmalade
is cold, about 5 minutes. Tip the saucer: the marmalade should just
barely
run. If too thin, return marmalade to medium-high heat and cook,
testing
often, until it has reached the right consistency.

I intend to add ground cloves, powdered ginger, and dry mustard to the

marmalade. Maybe I'll use part brown sugar instead of the white sugar.

Is there any reason this shouldn't be okay? (In case it makes a
difference,
we'll be drinking a Gewurztraminer with dinner.)

Bob

Nancy said:

I'm jealous, I don't think I know where to get cardoons. Even
if I did, I'm not sure I remember how they were prepared.
Perhaps I'll remember to look next time I'm in Whole Foods.

There's ONE market in my area which carries cardoons. In fact, that's what's
prompting the dinner I'm making; I mentioned that the market carried
cardoons, and now I'm on the hook to make them!

They require some pre-preparation: You have to pull out the threads and boil
the cardoons in salted water before commencing other recipes.

This is another case where I can recommend Elizabeth Schneider's excellent
book _Uncommon Fruits & Vegetables: A Commonsense Guide_. The book gives a
description of cardoons, tells how to handle and store them, gives some
pointers on how to best use them, and gives some recipes using them.

Bob

Joseph replied:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

* Mixed-Greens Salad with Strawberries, Pine Nuts, and Honey
Vinaigrette
(This was posted here as "Strawberry Spring Salad" some time ago.)

I don't know about the strawberries but the honey vinaigrette with maybe
just a touch of mustard?

Here's the recipe, which has gotten very positive responses from everybody I
know who's tried it (including the people on this newsgroup). I'm not sure
who the originator was; I think it might have been Jack Schidt:

Strawberry Spring Salad
Yield: 4 Servings

3 tb White wine vinegar
3 tb Water
1 tb Honey
2 tb Extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 ts Salt
1/8 ts Pepper
3 c Strawberries, quartered
10 oz Italian Blend salad greens
4 ts Pine nuts, roasted

Combine first 6 ingredients and stir well with a whisk. Combine strawberries
and greens. Add the vinegar mix; toss to coat. Sprinkle with nuts.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

* Jasmine Rice with Peas and Caramelized Onions

Have you considered saffron basmati & toss a few chopped green onions in
& over just before serving.?

Yes, I considered it, but I'm happy with the choice I made.

Quoted message said:

I can only admire your willingness to make the marmalade from scratch.
I have a few preserved lemons but im not going to start making jam.

Here's the thing: I'm only going to be using about three lemons, so it won't
take all that long to make. And since I'm going to be using it immediately
to glaze the ham, it doesn't have to be canned.

Bob

On 6 Oct 2005 16:19:01 -0500, "Bob Terwilliger"

virtualgoth@die_spammer.biz said:

There's ONE market in my area which carries cardoons. In fact, that's what's
prompting the dinner I'm making; I mentioned that the market carried
cardoons, and now I'm on the hook to make them!

Which market is this?

I am in Fairfield for an assignment, and I come over to the Sacramento
area on occasion.. will probably be over thataway for the Sunday
market under the freeway. Then after that, over to Corti Bros....

Christine

Christine replied:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

There's ONE market in my area which carries cardoons. In fact, that's
what's prompting the dinner I'm making; I mentioned that the market
carried cardoons, and now I'm on the hook to make them!

Which market is this?

I am in Fairfield for an assignment, and I come over to the Sacramento
area on occasion.. will probably be over thataway for the Sunday
market under the freeway. Then after that, over to Corti Bros....

Well, it's kind of out-of-the-way for you: The market which carries cardoons
is the Raley's in Lincoln. When you reach Sacramento, you're only halfway to
Lincoln. Go to www.mapquest.com and enter "state highway 65 & sterling
parkway" in Lincoln, California to see exactly where it is.

Bob