The culinary greatness thread.

[karadan]

I like to cook. I like experimenting in the kitchen and over the years I've become fairly proficient at making nice tasty food.

This thread is dedicated to your signature dish. The one you enjoy making for other people because you know it will blow them away. This thread was created because ACSlater mentioned he made something called 'Orange Chicken' which I desperately need to know how to make...  

I'm currently making really mean Thai curries. The following is my recipe for Thai Yellow curry with chicken (serves 4).

You can cheat with this and buy the ready-made paste. There are some pretty good ones out there but I recommend doing this from scratch. It tastes so much fresher and gets you good kudos points from whomever you are cooking for.
Unfortunately I don't use measures. I do everything by eye. This recipe has slowly evolved for me over the years. I'll try to use measurements as a guide, but if you are going to make this, use common sense. E.g. If it looks like too much salt, then it probably is :p

Ingredients (spices first):
4 - 6 large dried chillies, finely chopped (my preference is the milder type. If you are a nutter then go for the hot smaller ones).
1/4 tsp of nutmeg
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp curry powder
2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper (you can use cayenne pepper here if you wish)
1 tbsp shrimp paste
3 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp lime juice (you can also use kaffir lime leaves but I find them fairly bitter, so I never use them)
1 finely chopped stalk of lemon grass, (throw away the tough outer leaves and the end of the root)
3 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
Finely chopped fresh ginger (I use about the same amount as 6 chopped cloves of garlic - which is rather a lot - but I like the strong taste)
a small handful of finely chopped Galangal (this stuff can be hard to find but luckily I live on a road which contains lots of Chinese supermarkets)
A large handful of unsalted cashew nuts

Method:
Gently warm the cumin and coriander seeds in a pan until they start to lightly smoke. It is very easy to burn these so you must be careful. Once they are slightly browned, put into a pestle and mortar. Add the cashews and crush with the pestle and mortar. Once powdered add with the rest of the ingredients and pummel until in paste form. You can use a food processor to make the paste an even texture but I like to keep mine slightly chunky. Leave the paste to settle in the fridge. I generally make it about 3 hours before the meal to give the flavours time to mature.

The rest of the ingredients:

6 free range organic chicken breasts cut into thin strips
1 large onion, roughly chopped
A large handful of baby corn
A large handful of fine runner beans
3 medium sized potatoes cut into quarters.
3 tins of coconut milk
Enough plain rice for 4 people

Par boil the potatoes and then drain. leave them to cool. Get a wok. Add 2 tbsp of oil. I use sunflower or peanut oil. Get to a high heat and thrown in the chicken, onion, corn and runner beans. Once the chicken looks cooked, add the yellow curry paste and stir in well. Add 2 tins of coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Add the potatoes and the final tin of coconut milk. leave on a low heat. Start boiling the rice.

Once the rice is done, put on a plate for everyone to share. Add the yellow curry to bowls. Nom nom.

Enjoy!

[Will]

My signature dish? Eel matelote and grilled foie gras. I'm giving this recipe to my son on the day he tells me he likes girls. Or boys. It'll give him a big leg up.

What I can share is andouille and halibut chowder, which I partially stole from someone else that I think stole from Sunset Magazine.

~2  pounds halibut, boned and skinned
2  medium andouille sausages, sliced
1  sweet potato, peeled and cut in 1/2-1/3" chunks
1  onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon olive oil
kosher salt and black pepper

Heat olive oil in a medium pan, add andouille and stir vigorously until browning. Add onion and stir until clear. Add the broth, potato, and saffron. Boil, then reduce heat to simmer. In about 7 minutes, the swet potato will be softening, then add the whipping cream, salt, and plenty of pepper. Cut halibut into 3/4" chunks, and lay on top of the soup, cover, and cook for about 8 minutes or when the halibut is just barely cooked. Stir.

The dish isn't complete without your favorite light chardonnay or souvignon blanc. If you eat this without wine, I'll ban you.

[VanReal]

The dish isn't complete without your favorite light chardonnay or souvignon blanc. If you eat this without wine, I'll ban you.

Yikes, what if we don't like wine, can we do it with a fruity beer?  Or maybe Boones Farm, I can handle the Strawberry Hill.  

Okay here's mine:  Chicken Lasagna

Need:

1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
10 3/4 ounces cream of chicken soup (1 can)
1/2 cup chopped pimentos
1/3 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon basil
8 ounces lasagna noodles
2 cups ricotta cheese (to go light try whipping cottage cheese, never ever try the low-fat ricotta, blah)
3 cups cooked chopped chicken
1 1/2 cup shredded mild chedder
1 cup grated parmesan

How to:

Preheat oven to 350

Saute onion and bell pepper in 1 tablespoon water
add soup, pimentos, milk and basil (milk well over medium heat)

(Noodles should be boiled, am not going to give directions on that, will assume they are already cooked)

Arrange half of noodles on bottom of baking dish
Spread half soup mixture on top
spread half ricotta on top
arrange half of chicken on top
sprinkle with half the shredded chedder
sprinkle with half of parmesan

Repeat layers, of remaining noodles, soup mixture, ricotta and chicken

Bake covered for 45 minutes.
Sprinkle with the remaining chedder and parmesan
Bake uncovered for 4 minutes

This receipe compliments of Grandma's Kitchen.

[Ihateyoumike]

Wow. Only two recipes so far, and I'm already doing this:

[Will]

Yikes, what if we don't like wine, can we do it with a fruity beer?

I may have been exaggerating. Yeah, you can have it with beer, and yes, have it with a lighter, fruitier beer. I'm thinking Samuel Adams White Ale, but hurry because they'll replace it with their summer line before too long.

[G.ENIGMA]

Egg & Bacon Butty

1 small stottie cake
2 fresh organic eggs
butter (as much as you want)
4 rashers of lean bacon  (no rind)
touch of salt

place rashers of bacon in a casserole dish in a hot oven for 10 minutes
melt some butter in a frying pan and add the two eggs and salt and constantly mix together until cooked thoroughly.

slice the stottie cake in two and spread the remaining butter evenly across both slices.
place the 4 rashers of bacon evenly on the bottom slice of stottie cake and spoon the scrambled egg on top.

place the top slice on top of the egg and bacon and press firmly together.
slice down the middle into two seperate pieces ( it's always nice to share )

Serve with fresh orange juce or a lovely cup of milky tea .

Shlup.................

[Whitney]

I am still working on my cooking skills and have gotten pretty good with making good yet not very fancy dishes.  I guess my signature dish would be Spinach Dip because that is what I make when people come over.  It is quick, simple, and yummy and is best served with tortilla chips or toasted breads.  You need a strong dipping food otherwise it will break in this dip. You can throw drained canned artichokes into this if you want spinach-artichoke dip.  Spice amounts are estimated.

10 oz frozen chopped spinach*
1 box of cream cheese**
1+ t Cayenne powder and/or Jalapeno powder
1 T Garlic Powder***
1 t Garlic Salt or Salt
1/2 T Cilantro powder***
1/2 T Pepper

This can be made on the stove or in the microwave:

Stovetop:
Place spinach in medium pan with the spices and heat on medium until dethawed; stirring occasionally.  Add in cream cheese and stir until melted.  Let cool for a couple minutes then serve -or- chill in a tightly covered container then serve.

Microwave:
Place spinach in large microwave safe bowl and heat on full power for 3 to 4 minutes****.   Add in spices and stir.  Place cream cheese on top of spinach and heat for an additional 2 minutes.  Stir and heat for 2 minute increments until cream cheese is melted.  Let cool for a couple minutes then serve -or- chill in a tightly covered container then serve.

*Absolutely do not used canned spinach (unless that really is all you have and it isn't for a party).  It doesn't taste as good and it give the dip a brown look.  Frozen spinach is an nice healthy green.  You can use fresh if you feel like it; but frozen is easier.  I only use fresh if I happen to have baby spinach that is about to go bad.

**Can use reduced fat or fat free if you want.  I don't notice a difference in taste between the different kinds.  I typically use American Neufchatel cheese (aka 1/3 less fat cream cheese) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neufch%C3%A2tel_(cheese)

***You can use fresh chopped into very small pieces.

****Microwave oven times may vary.

I also make a really good guacamole, but that's basically just rough chopping stuff you'd have in a restaurant guacamole and mixing it together.

Edit:  spelling and cheese comment

[VanReal]

Quick tip on substituting for "light" or "low fat" or "fat free".  Be wary especially of things like mayo, mayo is made of egg and oil....not really sure how they make that "light" but seems scary.  Instead go with the olive oil mayo, at least you are getting the good oil you are supposed to have daily.  (And it's yummy).

Same with ricotta which will make you gag and ruin a receipe and cream cheese.  A good substitute for ricotta is whipping cottage cheese, a lot less calories, pretty close to the same flavor and won't ruin your recipe.

A quick tip if you are worried about the fat content when using one of these kind of things in large amounts, cut it in half or so and use greek yogurt in place of some of the fatty ingredient.  It mimics what it's mixed with and has barely any calories.

[curiosityandthecat]

I've always found that simple is best.

Best. Steak. Ever.

What you'll need:
 - Steak
 - Oil
 - Salt/pepper
 - Cast iron skillet
 - Oven/car engine/Beyonce's booty/whatever

Buy your favorite steak: T-bone, porterhouse, rib-eye, whatever. Go for something about 1" to 1.5" thick. Place on countertop for a few hours before cooking; it should be room temperature.

Set oven to 500F. Place cast iron skillet in oven while it heats.
When oven is preheated, taken skillet out and place on a burner set to high (we want it ROCKET hot).
Coat the steak in whatever oil you have with the highest smoke point, then pat on salt and pepper (kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper, please).
OPEN A WINDOW.
Slap the steak down on a dry skillet. DO NOT MOVE IT. It will smoke. A lot. That's what the window is for. Oh, by now your smoke detector should be going crazy. Ignore it.
Count to 90. Flip. Count to 90.
If you have a digital thermometer, now's a good time to stick it into the thickest part of the steak.
Stick skillet in the oven (still crankin' along at 500F). Set thermometer to 120F - 125F, use your discretion on this one. Trust me on this one -- the temperature will continue to rise for a couple minutes after removing the steak from the oven, making it perfectly medium rare.
When it beeps, take the skillet out, move the steak to a plate, DO NOT REMOVE SENSOR, cover lightly with foil. Wait five minutes.
Die and go to carnivore heaven.

(The more adept of you will recognize this as Alton Brown's Pan Seared Rib Eye, but I say sear for 90 seconds on each side, where Alton says 30 seconds. I like that wonderful crispy outside thanks to the Maillard reaction. Food geeks, unite!)

[VanReal]

Yum, that would be great with a flat iron steak....yum!  I guess I'd need to put my alarm on test so the fire department doesn't arrive as I am ignoring the detector, hehe.

[karadan]

Wow.

This is way better than a cookery book. I think i'll make Whitney's spinach dip tonight

[ACSlater]

My infamous Orange Chicken dish.

I made this out of experimenting with the idea that Orange Chicken doesn't have to be bathed in a thick, sticky, syrupy sauce. All of the measurements are approximations and might be off, but I just go by my palate and what looks right (as I am NOT a trained chef).

Ingredients:
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, diced
Soy sauce
Salt (I know it seems redundant to add salt when using soy sauce, but there's a fight the soy sauce is going to have later in the cooking process)
3 tbs of olive oil


For the sauce:
2 tbs freshly chopped ginger
2 tbs minced (or chopped) garlic
1/2 c of scallions
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
Salt to taste (there's too many types of salts that are stronger than others. I tend to use a fine sea salt.
1 tbs of orange zest
2 cups of orange juice
Pepper (Tellicherry peppercorns add a fruity spice to the finish of the dish.
2 tbs turbinado sugar or brown sugar.
Prep:
Get a wok or stir-fry pan ready with the olive oil (or other high smoke point oil). While it heats, preseason the chicken with a little salt and a few dashes of soy sauce to cover the pieces of chicken.

Once the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the ginger and garlic and stir frequently to season the oil. The garlic/ginger mixture shouldn't burn, but it should just start to get fragrant. Remove the ginger/garlic from the oil and keep in a saucer on the side as you will need it later.

Add your chicken and cook until brown. This may soak some of the oil so just add more oil sparingly during the cooking process as you will want to keep those drippings in the pan for the sauce. Remove the chicken when slightly brown and set aside.

For the sauce, deglaze the pan with the orange juice, stirring frequently. Add the ginger/garlic back into the pan along with scallions and orange zest. Now season to taste with coriander, salt, sugar, and soy sauce. Your own palate will determine the level of sweet/savory. The sauce will begin to thicken as it reduces but should not be very thick.

You can then add the chicken back in the pan and serve over rice or vegetables of your choice.

I was too excited to post so, again, I don't have the accurate amounts for everything. I'm making this for dinner tonight so I'll actually write things down and amend the post later. Also, I use an unseasoned frozen blend of Asian stir-fry vegetables and cook that in small batches to keep from losing heat in the pan. I then add everything back into the pan to warm things back to serving temp.

Hope you all can crack this code. Haha. I'll be back with another soon. It's a smooth avocado dip with a Texas twist

[Tom62]

Wow, I love this thread. I'll post my favorite German and Indonesian recipes later. Since we use the metric system over here, Ill have to find a good site where I can convert the measurements for the ingredients.

[Whitney]

Once the oil is hot, but not smoking

This is probably very important.  I was watching Good Eats the other day when he was doing a show on frying and he said to throw out the oil if it reaches the smoking point.  If there is a god of food it is Alton Brown and we must do as he says.    Maybe in this case the smoking wouldn't matter as much (yet still should be avoided as it would probably affect the flavor) since you wouldn't plan on saving the oil for later use.  Apparently allowing the oil to reach the smoking point does something on the molecular level which allows it to become rancid in storage.  He explained it on the show in detail, as always.

[karadan]

Once the oil is hot, but not smoking

This is probably very important.  I was watching Good Eats the other day when he was doing a show on frying and he said to throw out the oil if it reaches the smoking point.  If there is a god of food it is Alton Brown and we must do as he says.  

[youtube:2rzumu78]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g28-9NVUHj0[/youtube:2rzumu78]