. Originally posted December, 14, 2009/December 23, 2011 /Dec 20, 2012 @ 8:00 Some new text has been added. Fourth posting December 14-23, 2014 Fifth posting December 5, 2016 Sixth posting December 5, 2018
Panettone French Toast
When the Christmas season rolls around one sees so many of those red and gold boxes in the food stores, it’s the Italian Christmas-bread, Panettone.
I doubt that it’s a coincidence that this regal loaf is shaped like a crown and embedded with jewel-like bits of fruit. Continue reading →
This recipe originates from County Tipperary, Ireland (according to SAVEUR’S, Food for the Holidays issue – Winter, 2004.) A hearty Snow/Rainy-day-comfort-food-treat, this savory beef-pie will beckon you back to the fridge at 1:00 AM, and again at breakfast time. Purchase, at least, two 6-packs of Guinness Stout for 6-8 guests.
This recipe originates from County Tipperary, Ireland (according to SAVEUR’S, Food for the Holidays issue – Winter, 2004.) A hearty Snow/Rainy-day-comfort-food entrée, this savory beef-pie will beckon you back to the fridge at 1:00 AM, and again at breakfast time. Purchase, at least, two 6-packs of Guinness Stout for 6-8 guests.
Start early – allow 5-6 hours, from start to serving. Thaw pastry 1/2 hour before meat-mixture is done. Serves 6-8
INGREDIENTS
3 Tbsp. tomato paste
3 1/2 cups beef stock
4 lbs. beef chuck, cut into 1″ cubes
1 1/2 lbs. white mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
1 large yellow onion, peeled, sliced and quartered
6 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
2 cups Guinness Stout
1 1/2 cups flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves, chopped
1 egg
1 lb. frozen puff pastry, thawed
Beef and Guinness Pie - Web Image
PREPERATION
1) Preheat oven to 325′. Put tomato paste into a large bowl, add stock and stir until paste dissolves. Add beef, *mushrooms, onions, garlic, thyme and stout, and stir well. Sprinkle flour over beef mixture, season to taste with salt and pepper and stir well. Transfer to a deep 10 1/2″ x 12 1/2″ baking dish set on a large baking sheet. Cover dish with foil. Bake, stirring occasionally, until meat is very tender, 3 1/2 – 4 hours.
(One-half hour before pie has finished cooking, thaw puff pastry.)
2) Beat egg and 1 tsp. water together in a small bowl and set aside. Roll puff pastry out on a lightly floured surface to a *1/4″ thickness, 2″ wider than baking dish. Remove baking dish (fully cooked pie) from oven and uncover. Drape pastry over dish and brush with egg wash. Return baking dish to oven and bake until pastry is puffed and deep golden brown, about 40 minutes. Garnish with spearmint sprigs, if you like.
[I prefer 4-leaf clovers if I can find them – LVBC].
*Hints and suggestions: (a) If mushrooms are small (quarter-size) just halve them. If they are half-dollar size, quartering them is fine – small bits of mushroom disappear after 4 hours of cooking. (b) I prefer a pastry thickness of 1/8″ [LVBC] (c) Guinness draft can be substituted for the stout, for a slightly milder version. (d) Let the pie cool down before serving – 20 minutes. (g) For two to four people, use a round 8″ x 4″ deep baking dish and halve the recipe.
Serve with a glass of the Guinness or a solid Red wine.
Icy Watermelon Sorbet
I got the basic recipe for this Icy Sorbet from Carol Alt’s raw food cookbook. I embellished the recipe with a few new ingredients.
ICY WATERMELON SORBET
Ingredients:
1/2 seedless watermelon
1/2 medium lime
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
dash of cayenne pepper
1 tsp. sugar-free, Raspberry Jell-O
water
– scoop out the pulp from the watermelon and puree in a blender or food processor until liquefied, retain the shell
– add the juice from the lime, orange juice, cinnamon, cayenne and Jell-O
– blend again, adding water if necessary
– pour into an ice-cube tray and freeze
– when the mixture is frozen, remove the cubes and place them in the blender
*blend until the “sorbet” has the consistency of a snow cone
– place in a pint deli-container or used ice-cream container and freeze
Beef and Guinness Pie
BEEF AND GUINNESS PIE
This recipe originates from County Tipperary, Ireland (according to SAVEUR’S, Food for the Holidays issue – Winter, 2004.) A hearty Snow/Rainy-day-comfort-food-treat, this savory beef-pie will beckon you back to the fridge at 1:00 AM, and again at breakfast time. Purchase, at least, two 6-packs of Guinness Stout for 6-8 guests. [Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day] Access the LVBC Recipe page for the complete recipe…
RATATOUILLE is a feast for the eyes as well as the taste buds: Ratatouille the (animated) movie is about a country-rodant, as in RAT, with a fine, furry nose for food, and a slacker “garbage boy” who become alter-ego, so to write, chefs in a gastronomique Parisian restauant. (A recipe for Ratatouille can be found below.)
Ratatouille, the animated movie (2007) is nominated for 5 Academy Awards (2008):
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score Michael Giacchino
Best Achievement in Sound Randy Thom
Michael Semanick
Doc Kane
Best Achievement in Sound Editing
Randy Thom
Michael Silvers
Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
Brad Bird Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
Brad Bird
The LasVegasBuffetClub says: “BEST ANIMATED MOVIE SINCE CARS”.
Peel and slice 6 aubergines [eggplant] and 6 Italian marrows (courgettes,) [zucchini] sprinkle with salt and leave covered with a weighted plate for 1 hour.
Slice 2 large onions. Skin, remove pips and cut up 8 tomatoes. Slice 2 peppers [green bell] very thinly, removing core and seeds. Chop 3 garlic cloves.
Heat 1 cup olive oil in a heavy pan, fry onion until slightly colored, add the garlic. Cook for 5 minutes, then add aubergines, courgettes, peppers and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper, add a bouquet garni [bundle of herbs: thyme, bay leaves, and sage, tied with a string] and cook, covered for an hour. This dish may be served hot or cold.
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