User:	food_fiends (posted by epilady)
	Date:	2009-07-08 17:37
	Subject:	Two Summer Cocktails
	Security:	Public

I don`t drink as much red wine in the summer....the combination of heat and red wine, especially in the afternoon, invariably makes me desperately in need of a nap. So, when it gets warmer, I find myself turning to sparkling white and rosé wines, rosé, and chilled cocktails. You won`t often hear me saying no to a margarita, caipirinha, sangria, or mojito....but I am getting really excited about some of the new liqueurs that are now available, and I have been playing with them recently....( Below the cut, pics and recipes for two delicious summer tipples! )

So....what are your favorite summer tipples? I am always looking for new recipes!

	User:	naka_sf
	Date:	2009-07-07 07:16
	Subject:	Hazelnut Espresso Macarons
	Security:	Public

hazelnut flour 110g
confectioner's sugar 200g
egg whites 110g
fine sugar 35g
instant espresso 20g

Ganache:
Nutella
instant espresso



(recipe)

	User:	naka_sf
	Date:	2009-07-06 23:37
	Subject:	Hot smoking salmon, trout, Cornish hens
	Security:	Public

Got myself a new toy - electric smoker. Food smoking for me was a little intimidating. I thought one had to be a professional to smoke food. Now I know it is very easy if you have a smoker. Put some meat in a smoker and forget about it for an hour or two. My smoker has two levels. I smoked two things at the same time. On top rack I put fish: salmon first, then trout. On lower rack I put two Cornish hens, it took longer time to cook through. The food turned out very good looking and tasted even better.




( Read more... )

	User:	cheese_party (posted by nicegeek)
	Date:	2009-07-02 20:16
	Subject:	Dangerous Cheeses
	Security:	Public
	Mood:	amused

Q: Who do you call to handle truly dangerous cheeses?

A: The Cheese Enforcement Agency

	User:	food_fiends (posted by ubiquity75)
	Date:	2009-06-30 16:39
	Subject:	"Mmmm, ¡gazpacho!"
	Security:	Public

There isn't much better on a hot summer day to cool you down than a nice bowl of gazpacho. To me, it embodies all of the best things about summer, and it can be made just about entirely from things that may be growing in your own garden.

Last night, I endeavored to throw some together. Living in another city than my home, I am utterly lacking in kitchen utensils and appliances, but I persevered and came out with something pretty tasty. Want to make your own? It's easy. Here's a very quick and classic method that you can try yourself. Feel free to add in embellishments to your taste (e.g. a bit of lemon juice or zest; perhaps some fresh cilantro or similar), but I prefer this simple recipe.

I just took a cucumber, seeded and diced, a green pepper, seeded and diced, four or five vine-ripened tomatoes, finely chopped, several cloves of garlic, minced, half a medium-sized yellow onion, diced. I threw that into a bowl and mashed the hell out of it as best as I could without proper cooking implements.

Then, in another bowl, I took some dried out crostini (any dried out decent bread with do), crumbled it up, and put it in a little water to soften it. Once I had the mixture above all set, I added the bread.

Finally, I threw in salt, fresh-ground pepper, good olive oil and some red wine vinegar (critical) to taste. You could add some sugar, too, I suppose, if you find the tomatoes bitter at all; mine were good without. Then set it to chill.

It came out really, really good, but obviously on the chunky side. I would love to throw it into a blender or food processor for about 15 seconds, being careful not to purée it into gazpacho foam.

¡Delicioso!

	User:	naka_sf
	Date:	2009-06-30 14:15
	Subject:	Fig brûlée with Cabrales-Picon cheese melted with culinary torch
	Security:	Public

Extremely quick and tasty little appetizer. I also love it as a dessert. Any creamy blue cheese can be used.








Ingredients:
Fresh figs
Turbinado Cane Sugar
Cabrales-Picon cheese



Cut figs to halves.
Sprinkle 1 tsp of sugar on top of each fig half.
Using a torch, melt sugar until forms a crispy caramel layer. 
Put pieces of cheese on top of the caramelized figs and melt for few seconds using a blowtorch.
Serve immediately.

	User:	naka_sf
	Date:	2009-06-30 01:52
	Subject:	Matcha Macarons
	Security:	Public

Another variation of Macarons. This is the same recipe but with different ingredients. To make these macarons I used Mathca / Green Tea Powder. It can be found at any japanese store. Some supermartkets carry it as well. To fill macarons I used once again Nutella (You can`t go wrong with Nutella) and caramel paste I made with caned sweetened condenced milk by simmering unopen can covered with plenty of water for two and a half - three hours.






( Read more... )

	User:	food_fiends (posted by riverafire)
	Date:	2009-06-27 09:35
	Subject:
	Security:	Public

Hello fellow </a></b></a>food_fiends ! June gloom has finally cleared over our fair city, and our Southern California sun has returned. Consequently, the temperatures have gone up a good 15-20 degrees. I am scrambling for some good hot weather recipes: tasty and healthy (or not) dishes that require little to no cooking. How do you get through the summer, food fiends, when you still want good food but don't want to heat up the house?
     One of my favorite dinners in warm weather is a pile of salad greens, a balsamic vinaigrette, some salami and a nice crusty loaf.
     I also lovelove asparagus. I like to steam it until it is just bright green and still crisp and marinate it in a mixture of olive oil, lemon juice, lots of black pepper and a bit of dijon mustard. It isn't a complete meal, but it is one less thing to cook on a hot summer night.
     So what say you, food fiends? Give me some suggestions to help me avoid heat stroke this summer.