Musicplayer Recipe Book

[John Sayers]

Ah - bacon in australia is taken from a side of pork. It includes the rib eye and the belly (I think your bacon is only the belly without the eye) which has all been smoked. The bacon is then removed from the rib/back bones which are sold for soup purposes.

 

cheers

john

[djwayne]

For those who like to cook, here's some great recipe software called MasterCook Deluxe 8. I have version 6 and it's great, so I'm going to get version 8 soon.

 

http://www.valuesoft.com/products/mastercook.html

[bearded yeti]

This is one of my breakfast faves.

 

ALASKA SEAFOOD OMELET

 

1 cup (about 5 oz.) poached Alaska salmon or 1 can (7-1/2 oz.) salmon, drained*

3 tbsp. butter or margarine, divided

6 eggs, beaten

1 tablespoon finely chopped green onion

Dash each salt and pepper

1/3 cup dairy sour cream

2 tbsp. finely chopped parsley

Flake salmon. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in saucepan; add salmon and heat briefly. Combine eggs, green onion, salt and pepper; mix well. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons butter in omelet pan or skillet; pour egg mixture into pan and cook until set. Spoon salmon over half of omelet; fold in half and turn onto warm plate. Spoon sour cream over omelet; sprinkle with parsley. Makes 3 or 4 servings.

 

*If desired, 1 cup (about 5 oz.) Alaska Pink shrimp, Alaska Dungeness, King or Snow crab meat or a combination of seafoods may be subsituted.

 

Yeti

[John Sayers]

This is my kid's favourite breakfast.

 

Butter a square 8" backing dish and line with thin sliced brad with the crust removed.

 

Add a layer of sliced tomato and then break 6 eggs over the tomato. Sprinkle with either milk or cream.

 

Generously top with grated cheese and then cover with chopped bacon/ham.

 

Bake in a moderate oven for 45mins.

 

cheers

john

[bearded yeti]

Originally posted by John Sayers:

This is my kid's favourite breakfast.

 

Butter a square 8" backing dish and line with thin sliced brad with the crust removed.

 

Add a layer of sliced tomato and then break 6 eggs over the tomato. Sprinkle with either milk or cream.

 

Generously top with grated cheese and then cover with chopped bacon/ham.

 

Bake in a moderate oven for 45mins.

 

cheers

john

That sounds lovely. Do you have to pre-cook the bacon?

[Anifa]

Originally posted by The Sharster Of Crimbo Yet To Come:

Its that time of year when the turkeys are fat the sprouts are at their tenderest.

Has anyone got any tips on cooking a turkey without making it all dry.

I always end up with a dry turkey no matter how manytimes I baste it.

Any ideas anyoe?

Shars,

 

Have you ever attempted to use a turkey browning bag for cooking you turkey? They tend to work well for sealing in the moisture, although towards the end, you have to pull the turkey out of the bag for stuffing and browning the outer bird to a golden glow.

 

The quickest way to dry a turkey out is to cook it too fast or on too high of a temperature. The quickest way to spoil a turkey is to cook it too slow and use too low of a temperature.

 

If you prefer not to use a turkey bag, especially designed for cooking turkeys, foils are excellent for sealing moisture in when used properly. Make sure to turn the reflective side of the foil inward toward the meat so that the heat continues to be evenly distributed. Otherwise, as a old cooking wives tale, the shiny side of the foil will deflect the heat to a certain degree.

 

A turkey bag is the easiest way to go for a juicy turkey that doesn't require constant attention. The instructions that are included in the box with the bags are pretty thorough and the results are usually good. You do not have to worry about basting at all until the final stages where you pull the turkey out of the bag for browning and stuffing it.

 

I never cook a turkey on a temperature below 350 degrees or above 375 degrees regardless of whether I am using a browning bag or cooking old fashioned style. Depending on the size of the bird and the stage of completion you are at with the meal; this will make the determination of whether you use the higher setting of 375* or the 350*. Early on during the initial baking of a raw turkey, use the setting of 350* and then when you go for the final golding of the turkey, you may wish to turn the heat up to 375* while basting. If you cook the bird on too high of a setting, it will dry the external portion of the bird out while leaving the inner meat still undone. Of course, there are several things that can dry a turkey out or make it tough. Too high of heat, not basting enough, not bothering to cook with foils or bags to seal the juices inside... and etc.

 

Whenever turkey is not in a bag and is exposed to the open heat, cover the tips of the wings and also the entire legs with foil to keep them from drying out while the rest of the bird is cooking through. The legs cook faster than the thighs. I also have covered portions of the breast most suseptible to drying out with foil then I uncover those portions of the meat during the final golding. Basically what I'm saying is cover the entire top of the bird with foil during initial baking, while leaving the bottom half of the bird which has more density open. Be sure to lift foils and baste occasionally to frequently (Am I making sense) This stuff is hard to write out when not preparing it at the time.

 

Another VERY important step is to make sure that your turkey is thawed all the way through, without chancing spoilage, prior to attempting to cook it. If the bird is not completely thawed, the meat in the center of the bird that is still frozen will not be done as the external portion of the bird cooks thoroughly.

 

Since you have a rather large family, I'm going to assume that you will want to go with a turkey that is between 18 lbs to 21 lbs. The best way to thaw a bird this size without spoiling the outside while trying to get the inside to thaw, is to clear a space in your refridgerator to accommodate the size of the bird two days prior to the actual day of baking. Keep the turkey frozen until two mornings prior to bake day and then pull it out of the freezer placing it onto a plater to catch any blood that may drip and then placing it into your refridgerator....(make sure you begin thawing during the morning two days prior or your bird may not be thawed in time).

 

350 degrees is usually the best temp to bake at because it allows the meat to cook deep into the bird. In the olden days where my family was large enough to cook birds 18 to 20 lbs, the ladies would get up at about 4:00 am to begin dinner to be served at noon. The turkey was the first to go on and usually the last to come off. We prepared the pies the night before.

 

Here's a site that has a lot of good Turkey Cooking Tips... Temperatures, timing, thawing, prepping, flavor bring, basting, and etc.

 

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/turkeyselect.html

[John Sayers]

Do you have to pre-cook the bacon?

the bacon cooks on top - well aussie bacon does - I don't exactly know what you guys call bacon;)

 

cheers

john

[bearded yeti]

Originally posted by John Sayers:

Do you have to pre-cook the bacon?

the bacon cooks on top - well aussie bacon does - I don't exactly know what you guys call bacon;)

 

cheers

john

We yetis call this bacon.

 

http://aggiemeat.tamu.edu/judging/id/108P.jpg

 

Will that work?

 

What is this dish called?

[John Sayers]

Ah - that's half of our bacon. Ours uses the eye on the right of your bacon pic so ours is twice as long. Otherwise it's the same.

 

So - yes that will cook in the 45mins and be crispy

 

The egg/cheese rises in the oven.

 

cheers

john

[bearded yeti]

Sounds lovely!

 

What is this dish called, btw?

[John Sayers]

It's not call anything really - somone cooked it for me once and I cooked it for the kids and they loved it.

 

BTW you can do it in individual ramekins as a per person serve.

 

cheers

John

[bearded yeti]

Thanks John! I'll give it a try.

[Botch.]

Roast Beef Tenderloin in a Salt Crust

 

I prepared this for our Christmas dinner, it was excellent!

 

Crust:

2 cups kosher salt

3 large egg whites

2/3 cup water

3 cups flour

 

Beef:

At least 2-lb beef tenderloin (I used a 3-pounder)

Black pepper

2 Tblspns olive oil

2 Tblspns butter

1 egg yolk beat with 2 Tblspns water

 

Mix the first 3 crust ingredients in a stand mixer, then add the flour a little at a time until it reaches a Play-Doh consistency, not sticky. Warning: this stuff is like cement, it started bogging down my big Kitchenaid mixer! Let rest at room temp 2 hours.

 

Melt the butter with the olive oil in a heavy pan, then sear the tenderloin on all sides until a crust forms (approx. 2 minutes/side). Let cool, and meanwhile roll out the salt crust (again, this is like cement and a lot of work). Place the beef in the center of the rolled out crust, and fold it up and pinch to seal. It tears a bit but is easy to repair, doesn't have to look pretty. Place it on a roasting pan or baking sheet and paint all over with the egg yolk glaze (I don't understand this last step, unless the glaze makes a moisture barrier). Roast in a 400-degree oven until a thermometer reads 120 for rare, 125 for med rare or 130 for medium. Remove from the oven and let rest for 30 minutes. Using a knife cut the crust at the base all the way around, and lift off the top. Remove the beef and carve up. The bottom half of the crust is full of wonderful looking juices, but its way too salty to make a gravy out of it unfortunately.

 

A word about thermometers: I got to use my new fancy-schmancy digital thermometer with oven probe I got for Christmas on this dish, and now understand that this is not a gadget but rather a necessary item for roasting large cuts of meat. The difference between 120 degrees and 125 degrees at the center of the roast was only about 6 minutes, and I imagine that'll change greatly with the size of the roast, the thickness of the crust, your oven, etc. I failed to see in the recipe that the carryover heat will continue to raise the temperature a few degrees; I took it out at 125 and it was a bit too done (very little pink) for my tastes; the next one will come out at 120. I got a Polden thermometer, the probe measures the temp at the center of the meat AND the oven temp simultaneously (its left in the meat during cooking), and connects to the digital unit with a small cable that just hangs out the oven door. It beeps when the meat reaches your preset temperture, really cool, and it has a timer built in also.

[John Sayers]

Thanks for that Botch -I'll give it a go - I suppose you could also try chicken or pork in that casing.

 

cheers

john

[Botch.]

Originally posted by John Sayers:

Thanks for that Botch -I'll give it a go - I suppose you could also try chicken or pork in that casing.

 

cheers

john

I'm sure you can; beef tenderloin is about the most expensive cut you can get and definitely a Christmas-only item for my budget!

[John Sayers]

I assume the tenderloin is what we call the fillet, which is the small eye on the T-Bone??

 

cheers

john

[Bryson]

Originally posted by John Sayers:

I assume the tenderloin is what we call the fillet, which is the small eye on the T-Bone??

 

cheers

john

....and a bigger filet on a Porterhouse.

 

It's the New York on the other side of those.

[John Sayers]

Thanks for that - we call the porterhouse, or New York cut, the sirloin with the fillet on the other side.

 

cheers

john

[Bryson]

Originally posted by TheWewus:

----------------------------------------------

 

Puerco Pibil

 

Recipe from Robert Rodriguez.

Ingredients:

 

5 Tbs. annato seeds

2 Tbs. salt

1 Tbs. peppercorns

8 whole allspice

2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. whole cloves

8 garlic cloves, minced

2 habañeros (deveined, seeds removed)

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 cup white vinegar

juice of 5 lemons

splash of tequila

5 lb. pork butt, cut into 2" cubes

1 lb. banana leaves

 

 

Be sure to wear latex gloves when working with the

Habañeros....or don't plan on rubbing your eyes, picking your nose, or going to third base for a few days!

 

BTW: For a lot of Mexican foods the call for pork or beef, like Chile Verde, Chile Colorado, etc., I'll use turkey breast instead. I get the packaged "tenderloin" cuts that are easy to cut into chunks/cubes. I won't have that pork fat flavor, but it won't have the pork fat either.

[John Sayers]

I'd never heard of annatto seeds before - thanks for that.

 

That recipe is very close to a pork vindaloo

 

ceers

john

[John Sayers]

I'd never heard of annatto seeds before - thanks for that.

 

That recipe is very close to a pork vindaloo

 

cheers

john

[blackpig]

Fry chopped onion until soft. Add a tin of chopped tomatoes, juice of half a lime and a glass of dry white wine. Put in fillets of white fish and sprinkle chopped parsley on top. Season. Put a lid on and cook for five minutes or so. Serve over tagliatelle and cram into mouth. Very Mediterranean.

[Botch.]

Originally posted by Bryson:

...Be sure to wear latex gloves when working with the

Habañeros....or don't plan on rubbing your eyes, picking your nose, or going to third base for a few days!

Also, don't take a whiz (if you're a guy). That was the only time I jumped in the shower with my clothes still on!

[DC]

Originally posted by The Sharster Of Crimbo Yet To Come:

Its that time of year when the turkeys are fat the sprouts are at their tenderest.

Has anyone got any tips on cooking a turkey without making it all dry.

I always end up with a dry turkey no matter how manytimes I baste it.

Any ideas anyoe?

I didn't read the whole thread but here's what works for us. Stick a stick of butter (not margarine or other fake crap) inside the bird. Put the bird in the pan you're gonna cook it in with a ton of tin foil in the bottom (enough to completely cover the guy) and pour a whole bottle of Italian saled dressing on the bird. Seal it up in the foil and let it sit in the fridge overnight.

 

Then just put the whole bit in the oven at 400 degrees or whatever the next day and cook for four hours or whatever for the size of your bird. It won't be dry and it'll taste loverly!

 

[Bryson]

Originally posted by The Sharster Of Crimbo Yet To Come:

Its that time of year when the turkeys are fat the sprouts are at their tenderest.

Has anyone got any tips on cooking a turkey without making it all dry.

I always end up with a dry turkey no matter how manytimes I baste it.

Any ideas anyoe?

Before cooking, soak it in brine for a day. Water, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, apple juice, whatever, etc.

[eh steve]

Melt in your mouth Chicken Cordon Blue

 

take some chicken breast and butterfly it open.

brush with some melted butter and salt and pepper it.

layer some thin sliced swiss cheese and prosciutto (ham)

now roll it all up and stick about two or three toothpicks in it to hold it together.

beat some eggs in one bowl and put Italian bread crumbs in another.

dip chicken in eggs then coat with bread crumbs.

pan fry in olive oil for a minute or two on all sides

put in a roasting pan in oven(cover with foil) set 325-350 for an hour.

while thats cooking make some mashed potatoes and chicken gravy and a nice salad.

 

yeah!

 

[Wewus432]

What The Hay Have I Done?

 

Tonight I started out with a box of Zatarain's yellow rice, and I added a bunch of stuff to it for a kind of Jambalaya.

 

I added another cup of white rice, a lb. of sausage, a lb. of chicken, 1 onion, 1 green pepper.

 

I browned the sausage while I was boiling the chicken, then I put the sausage in a bowl and browned the diced green pepper and onion in that pan.

 

Took the chicken out, and let it cool and deboned it, and then added the chicken, sausage, green pepper, and onion to a dutch oven on the stove top. Added in the yellow rice, and white rice and 5 cups of the water I cooked the chicken in, and cooked it until the rice absorbed all the water. Not bad for an improvised dinner. Oh yeah I added some fresh garlic too. You know dat's right.

 

That puerco pebil was very good BTW, thanks for the reminder on the habaneros.

[djwayne]

Originally posted by TheWewus:

What The Hay Have I Done?

 

Tonight I started out with a box of Zatarain's yellow rice, and I added a bunch of stuff to it for a kind of Jambalaya.

 

I added another cup of white rice, a lb. of sausage, a lb. of chicken, 1 onion, 1 green pepper.

 

I browned the sausage while I was boiling the chicken, then I put the sausage in a bowl and browned the diced green pepper and onion in that pan.

 

Took the chicken out, and let it cool and deboned it, and then added the chicken, sausage, green pepper, and onion to a dutch oven on the stove top. Added in the yellow rice, and white rice and 5 cups of the water I cooked the chicken in, and cooked it until the rice absorbed all the water. Not bad for an improvised dinner. Oh yeah I added some fresh garlic too. You know dat's right.

 

That puerco pebil was very good BTW, thanks for the reminder on the habaneros.

Next time, forget the rice, add spaghetti and tomato sauce, and you'll have my Grandmother's old fashioned spaghetti recipe.

[Botch.]

Spread out your favorite pizza dough recipe into a thin disk, brush lightly with olive oil. Spread with your favorite pesto sauce, also quite thin. Spread with finely sliced artichoke hearts, then finely sliced raw tomatoe, and finally finely sliced Havarti cheese with dill (yes!). Bake on a pizza stone preheated at 500 degrees until crust is browned.

 

I made this a couple nights ago without the pesto, the girlfriend liked it but we thought something was missing. She suggested pesto, we spread it on top and it was ideal (my sweetie has excellent taste, except for men). Tried it with the pesto as the first layer and it was great! We also discovered that a grilled cheese sandwich, made with the Dill Havarti and multi-grain bread, was good too.

[Wewus432]

That's gotta be good with the pesto, excellent idea for a pizza alternative.