Salade de carrottes - PUBLISHED

https://cookieandkate.com/french-carrot-salad-recipe/

1 - Tasty first go, no improvements suggested.

2 - I've made this a few times, now, and I feel like the quantity of dressing isn't quite right. I added a variation which I did not record, which is maple-syrup for honey, and that might have been just enough to change things too much. Therefore I will try it with honey next time and see.

3 - Just lovely. And the carrots don't have to be great carrots.

4 - Ok, made it again and there didn't seem to be enough dressing! Did I do too much carrot? It seemed like so much. 

1 lb carrots, peeled

2 Tbsps minced chives or chopped green onion

2 Tbsps minced fresh parsley

Optional: 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas

Dressing

2 3 Tbsps fine olive oil*

2 Tbsps lemon juice

2 tsps honey

1 tsp Dijon mustard

½ tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp salt

1. Grate the carrots and put them in a bowl. 
2. Add the chives, parsley and optional chickpeas.
3. To make the dressing, whisk all of the ingredients together in a small bowl until emulsified.
4. Pour the dressing over the carrot mixture. Toss until the carrots are evenly coated in dressing. 
5. Allow the salad to marinate for 20 minutes before serving. Toss again before serving. 

*I don't usually talk about 'using only the best' of anything, but I did bother to point out that a fine extra-virgin olive oil would be choice in this instance. Regular olive oil is mainly for cooking and doesn't have much in the way of flavor. However, in a salad dressing of this kind you want to taste the olive oil, which is why a real cold-pressed, extra-virgin olive oil, preferably unfiltered, is best for a really tasty dressing but, if you don't have any, it'll be just fine.

Blackberry Wine - Untested

Food in England by Dorothy Hartley, pg 428-9

The quantities of ingredients for this recipe are dependent on the volume of berries picked. The instructions from the book are pretty straightforward, and I've just broken them down into bullet points to mark out the different steps, which helps me when working a recipe.

- Blackberries
- Sugar
- Isinglass

1. "Take your berries full ripe, and fill a large wood or stone vessel with a spicket in it, and pour on as much boiling water as will just appear at the top of the vessel, and 
2. "as soon as cool enough to bear your hand, reach in and bruise well (as if you were breaking curd) till all the berries be broke. 
3. "Then let it stand covered till the berries be well wrought to the top, usually three or four days.
4. "Then draw off the juice through the spicket into another vessel, wash out the cask and replace the spicket, and pour back the juice, adding to every 10 quarts 1lb of sugar. 
5. "Let it stand and work (with yeast floating on a slice of toast) for a week, then the night before steep() [4 oz. isinglass] 12 hours in a pint of good white wine, and next morning melt() over a slow fire ().
6. "again draw off [the blackberry juice] and clear it with 4 oz. of isinglass. Stir [in] the isinglass till it mixes well, strain into a barrel, bung it up and bottle late next spring."

Blackberry Fool - Testing

Food in England by Dorothy Hartley, pg 428

1 - This was very good and totally wrong. It's such a rich dessert, but is kind of uninteresting, like eating a bowl of just cake icing (I realize in writing this some people are happy to do this). I served it to Ben piled in a glass. We both felt it needed something else, for more variety in mouth feel but also in terms of flavour; how to elevate it. He suggested layering it in the glass with fresh berries; I thought it needed some sort of simple sponge cake. So ultimately it's an ingredient in, like, a Parfait or a Trifle or something like that. Very, very good, but just needs to be matched with something else.

"Bake the blackberries in a covered jar till the juice runs. Rub through a sieve and when cold mix the resultant pulp with equal quantity of whipped cream. Serve whipped high in pale lavender-coloured whirls, in glasses. When cream is not available, use an equal amount of fine cornflour cream (rather thinner than blancmange, but slightly thicker than custard)."

2 cups (8 oz) ripe blackberries
3 Tbsps brown sugar
2 cups whipping cream
RECOMMENDED
zest of 1/2 lemon
OPTIONAL
1 Tbsp brandy
OR
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, to be pressed with the blackberries
AND
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Extra blackberries

1. Bake the blackberries in a covered ceramic baking dish at 350F until just softened, about ??? minutes.
2. To remove the seeds from the blackberries, place a sieve over another ceramic or glass bowl and with the back of a wooden spoon, and push as much of the softened blackberries through. 
3. Make the whipping cream with the sugar and, if desired, any of the recommended or optional ingredients. Whip to soft peaks, about 2 minutes using an electric mixer. How long by hand?
4. Gently fold about 2/3 of the blackberry pulp into the whipped cream. When spooning them into glasses, use the purple streaking to create interesting patterns (usually swirls).
5. Drizzle the remaining pulp over this and serve. You can also garnish with extra fresh blackberries.

Galettes de sarazin (sourdough) - Untested

Below are several recipes I need to read through for similarities, differences and interesting tips.

https://www.fermentingforfoodies.com/buckwheat-crepes/

SOURDOUGH FERMENT
1 cup buckwheat flour
2 cups water (chlorine free)
REMAINING INGREDIENTS
1 egg
2 tbsp melted butter
1/4 tsp salt
INSTRUCTIONS
Mix the flour and water in a glass container and leave it somewhere warm to ferment for 12-24 hours. Buckwheat is very quick to catch a sourdough starter, so it won’t take long before it starts to bubble.
When you are ready to make the crepes, add in the remaining ingredients and mix well.
Preheat a cast iron pan or non-stick pan on medium until it is hot.
Ladle on a small amount of batter. It should be liquidy enough to spread into a thin layer right away. However, you don’t want it too thin or it will be difficult to flip.
Once it has started to bubble and the middle of the crepe has begun to dry out, flip the crepe over and allow to cook for another minute on the other side.
Fill and serve immediately.
NOTES
Traditional crêpe pans are flat cast-iron circles with a long spatula (affiliate links.)  I just used my cast-iron frying pan and regular spatula, which worked with this recipe.
Light buckwheat flour is nice for crepes (like in my photographs.) However, dark buckwheat flour will give your crepes a beautiful purplish shade and an earthy flavour.
Traditional fillings for buckwheat include: cheese, bacon, sausages and scrambled eggs. Sweet fillings are also nice. Try chocolate spread with fresh fruit and cultured whipping cream.

https://www.shipton-mill.com/baking/recipes/sourdough-buckwheat-crepes.htm?print=true

1/2 cup buckwheat flour
2 Tbsp white flour
5 Tbsp sourdough starter
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 tsp salt
butter for cooking

Whisk together all of the ingredients Let the batter rest for at least an hour.
Melt a bit of butter an 8- or 10-inch nonstick skillet and place over medium heat.
Pour a couple of tablespoons of batter into the skillet. Swirl it around so that it forms a thin layer on the bottom of the pan. (If the crêpes doesn’t get thin enough, add a little more milk or water to the batter – I ended up adding about 2 Tbsp water to mine.)
When the top of the crêpes is dry, after about a minute, flip and cook the other side for 15 to 30 seconds. (The crêpes should brown only very slightly and not be at all crisp, or so says Mark Bittman – I actually like my crepes a bit crispy so do as you wish.)
Stack the crêpes on a plate as you make them. You can keep them warm in a low oven while you make the remaining crêpes. Or freeze the leftover crêpes, separating each crêpes with a piece of parchment paper.

https://www.seriouseats.com/2017/05/hot-to-make-french-buckwheat-crepes.html

Annoyingly, there is no itemized recipe, but there is a lot of blah-blah that may contain important info. This site is usually good for that.

Isinglass information

There are many older recipes that require 'isinglass'. Luckily, one can find some at a local home brewery or winery store (I hope, I still have to go see). A simple search helped me find a great site called Food Hacks that gave me what looks like a pretty concise rundown; it's where I discovered that I can still buy the stuff.
Basically isinglass is what was replaced by gelatines and is still used for 'fining' or clarifying alcohols during the brewing process. Hence, the reason why the Food Hacks article is titled: Isinglass (Or Why Your Guinness Has Fish in It)

Blackberry Salad - Untested

Food in England by Dorothy Hartley, pg 428

Gather the first large ripe blackberries, very ripe. Stand them in a glass bowl in the hot sun (or in a greenhouse) till hot through, then crush lightly with rough sugar and serve with a little red wine poured over.

Blackberry Junket - Untested

Food in England by Dorothy Hartley, pg 429

"(very delicate) This is a very old recipe, and if you have any people in your household who cannot eat the seeds, make this. Take a square of coarse strong cheese cloth, and pile it full of the ripest blackberries you can find. Knot that four corners, slip a stick under them and twist, over a china bowl, pressing the bag with a wooden spoon, till you have a bowl full of rich thick blackberry. Don't add anything to it; it should set solid in about 2 hours if left undisturbed in a warm room. It will be of the consistency of junket, and is delicious served from the bowl with thin rolled brown bread and butter, or sponge fingers (and, of course, Devonshire cream if possible). I have never met an old lady or gentleman who did not appreciate this dish made specially for them."

1 cup very ripe blackberries?
1' x 1' piece of cheese cloth or coarse weave linen
1 stick (the handle of a wooden spoon?)
1 wooden spoon
1 pretty bowl

1. Line a bowl with the cloth.
2. Pour in the berries.
3. Pull the four corners of the cloth together and tie in a knot.
4. Under the knot, slip in the stick/spoon handle.
5. Lift the bag over the pretty bowl and hold pretty low to avoid splashing.
6. Twist the stick like a tourniquet while hold the bag stationary until the berries start to get crushed and the juice runs out. You may have to press the bag against the side of the bowl and press on it with the extra wooden spoon to get all the juice out (why not hands? Is it because it stains?). 
7. Cover loosely with a cloth (to keep flies out) and leave in a warm room for about 2 hours, undisturbed. It will become like junket, or a very delicate-yet-firm yoghurt (I think).
8. Eat with cream or Devonshire cream or with some sort of sweet bread or biscuit.

Blackberry Cordial - Untested

Food in England by Dorothy Hartley, p. 428

"Take new cider straight from the press and equal parts of blackberry juice. Strain both together and mix with as much honey as will float an egg. Boil gently 15 minutes in an earthenware pot. When cool, barrel it, but do not fill the barrel. In March bottle it; it will be fit for use six weeks after bottling."

NOTES:

I sent this to Katie and Matthew and they made some interesting observations. Here's our e-mail exchange so far. Research continues (eventually, probably, maybe).

On Sat., Jul 18, 2020 at 8:41 PM Roland Maurice <rolandmaurice@yahoo.ca> wrote:

I found this curiosity in Dorothy Hartley's 1954 Food in England:
"Take new cider straight from the press and equal parts of blackberry juice. Strain both together and mix with as much honey as will float an egg. Boil gently 15 minutes in an earthenware pot. When cool, barrel it, but do not fill the barrel. In March bottle it; it will be fit for use six weeks after bottling."

On Mon., July 20, 2020 4:06 PM Katie Selbee <katieselbee@gmail.com> wrote:

Wow! I love this. I guess it's like a simple syrup? I love the "float an egg" instruction :D

On Mon., Jul. 20 at 5:07 p.m. Roland Maurice <rolandmaurice@yahoo.ca> wrote:

I think it’s meant to ferment, since it’s barreled and left until March. I assumed, considering the source since Ms Hartley collected olde timey recipes in the UK, that this is done when apples are being pressed for cider and there are still fresh blackberries on the bushes. So that would be, what? August? September? And then barreled for 6, 7 months?

On Mon., Jul. 20 at 10:58 p.m. Katie Selbee <katieselbee@gmail.com> wrote:

That’s what I thought at first but then I re-read about the 15 minutes of boiling...that would pasteurize it and kill all the yeast! And the pressure of fermenting that huge amount of sugar would likely blow a sealed barrel even if only partially filled...I think some context or instruction for this recipe has been lost! It’s very fascinating!

On Tue., Jul. 21 at 10:27 a.m. Roland Maurice <rolandmaurice@yahoo.ca> wrote:

Interesting. I get it, and it didn't occur to me. I wonder what the boiling is for. Without boiling there's be yeast from the apples, I suppose from the blackberries, and also from the honey (oh, Barry's honey! Imagine!). It didn't get boiled, does the partially filled barrel make sense? And that brings up a question - with bread making, you use a wooden bowl or trough to knead and do the first rise and you rinse, you don't wash it. That's because it captures the bread yeast and it continues to inoculate any bread you make in it (which is why old bread troughs are so valuable). Is it the same with wood barrels you brew stuff in? Could it be that the original recipe boiled everything but it still brewed because it was made in a barrel that was already inoculated with the right yeasts? If there are links to medieval recipes, I know that people thought that fresh fruit and veg were unsafe to eat because they were riddled with disease, so everything was cooked; maybe this is a holdover from that? Anyway, I think I'll slowly keep exploring these interesting questions.

Olde English Blacke Berrie Pie - PUBLISHED

Food in England by Dorothy Hartley, p. 427-8 as Blackberry Pudding (original recipe at bottom)

1 - Success! These were early season blackberries so I did not add the ginger or lemon. Perhaps a little honey to set of more flavour, but otherwise it did not need any sweetener, and the apple gave the pie just the right texture.

2 - Success again! This time I added some of the blackberries left over after making Blackberry Liqueur.

3 - Success again, but I didn't get to eat any of it. I made it for a potluck and got loads of compliments on it, which just makes me want to make it for myself! Since I didn't have any of it, and can't judge for myself, I will keep this at Test 2. However, if I end up liking it and have no further changes I'd like to try, I will graduate it immediately to LaMouffette.

2 medium apples (364gr) peeled, cooked and mashed
1 cookie pie dough recipe, rolled extra thin and the edges rolled up to be a bit thicker
A little oil
1/2 cup sugar
3 cups (432gr) blackberries (or substitute 1 cup with leftover blackberries from making liqueur)
1/4 cup butter
For Late Season Berries
- 2 tsps fresh grated ginger
- zest from 1/2 lemon

1. Peel and core the apples. Steam with a little water to get perfectly soft, then mash (fine? chunky?). Mix in the sugar and allow the sauce to cool completely before mixing with the blackberries and before putting in the pie shell (you don't want to melt the butter in the shell). 
2. If you have late season berries, now is the time to add the ginger and lemon to the apple.
3. As the apple sauce cools, roll out the dough quite thin, so 1/16" or the thickness of a dime. 
4. Put in the pie plate and brush the bottom with a little oil or melted butter to help seal it against  the liquid of the blackberries and avoid the soggy crust syndrome. 
5. HOWEVER, not to loose the loveliness of the crust, instead of cutting away the excess, fold the edge over to double the thickness of the edges. I can also just fold over the crust, pinch the edges, and allow the rest of it drape willy-nilly over the face of the pie. 
6. With a wooden spoon, very gently combine the blackberries and the applesauce. Spoon the mixture into the pie shell, then dot the top with bits of butter. Fold over the crust, wet the edges and pinch. Pop in the refrigerator or freezer for at lest 15 minutes.
7. If you're ready to bake, turn on the oven to 400F. Brush the top of the pie with a little more oil and put it on a parchment-lined baking sheet to catch any drips and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the crust is deep golden brown

"Use a deep earthenware piedish and pack it full, sprinkling sugar between the layers. Fill up (there should be very little room if well packed down) with the very moist pulp of cooked apples."
"Because it is a mistake to overcook blackberries, the pudding should be given the thinnest possible crust, and apple pulp used for filling the interstices between the tight-packed berries. A knob of butter inside is a great improvement. Late in the season it is good to add a pinch of spice."

Rye bread - Testing

1 - So, apparently rye flour hydrates differently from wheat flour. The first rise came out quite wet and sticky, so I had to add half as much wheat flour before it started to be a little better (even though it was likely stickier than I would otherwise be happy with). It looked like the texture was wrong, too, kind of like the surface of a freshly stirred cottage cheese instead of the lovely smooth and, frankly, clammy feeling of a wheat sourdough. Once I'd surmised that my loaves were too wet, I decided to go with an internal temperature reading to establish when it was done. So baked it in the covered casserole for 20 minutes, then twenty minutes without, took a temperature reading and then left it in for a total of 22 minutes until it came up to 205 (I think anyway, but my digital thermometer decided to punk out on me at the last reading). Oh, and the amount of caraway seeds is good.
 - took much water at the beginning
 - which caused too much flour to be added
 - which caused too long a bake to get the proscribed internal temperature
 - I suspect that the 20 minutes lid on and 20 minutes lid off isn't quite right, either
 - overall, it may have been a better idea not to make my first attempt with a 50/50 rye-to-wheat ratio, but something like a 25/75 rye-to-wheat ratio.
 - it's also possible that I mixed in the starter at a point of decline after it had been at full strength
2 - I put in 500g of water and, while the bread has come out better, it still isn't quite right. I followed the recipe for the Sourdough boule I made with wheat flour, and I suspect maybe the timing isn't quite right. According to Breadtopia for rye bread, the first proof should be 12 hours! Ok, that's my next attempt. This time, the bread was less dense but still too dense, at it was still to wet inside while the bottom crust was just verging on burned. The kicker is that Breadtopia also recommends 475F instead of 450, but they suggest to bake by internal temperature of 200F, instead of by time.

Makes 2 loaves

570g water NOTE: start with 500g and after adding the flours increase the water if it looks like it needs it, at no less than 105F and no more than 110F
415g of 'fed' rye sourdough starter
2 Tbsps honey
3 tsps salt
4 tsps caraway seeds
450g rye flour
475g all purpose flour, + more for kneading (I ended up adding 270g)

1. Whisk together the water, starter, honey, salt and caraway seeds until dissolved. 
2. Add the flours and mix together until combined, then let rest in a warm, dark place, covered by a damp dish towel, for about 15 minutes  3 hours.
3. Knead the dough by hand, adding flour in small increments until the dough forms into a ball that is tacky but doesn't cling to the fingers. I have a wooden dough bowl so I knead right in the bowl, but if you don't you can take it out and use a floured surface. This should take no more than 10 minutes and no less than 8.
4. Weigh the ball of dough and divide it into two equal parts. 
5. In a medium bowl or spare casserole dish, form a piece of parchment paper to line the vessel.
6. Fold the dough to form a ball and place on top of the parchment paper, seam-side-down. Brush with a light coating of oil or melted butter and allow to rise another 2 hours, covered with a damp towel, in a warm, draft-free place.
7. At the end of the 2 hours, place a dutch oven with its lid on to heat up in the oven as it pre-heat to 450F (about 20 minutes depending on the oven).
8. Dust the top of the bread with a bit of flour, then cut the top with at least one gash or a nice design using a lame, safety razor blade, or a serrated knife for a clean cut (this lets out steam for an even bake, otherwise the steam builds up and bursts willy-nilly).
9. Take the hot dutch oven out and gently lift the parchment paper with the risen dough into it. Put the hot lid on and pop back into the oven.
10. Bake until the internal temperature is 200F. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until it is light brown, then remove the lid and bake another 10-15, or until the top crust browns nicely. You can also check for internal temperature of 205-10

Egg Noodles - Testing

I've made this lots, but it's always been nestled in other recipes instead of getting a page of its own, which it totally needs for me to document the best way to make it.

1 - Made what looked like perfect dough, put it through the machine to make the thick egg noodles but, once cooked, they were pretty tough (still delicious though). What can I do to make the perfect egg noodle? What did I miss?

2 cups + flour
3 eggs
pinch salt

1. On a board or the counter, make a mound of flour, sprinkle on the salt, create a bowl in the centre of the flour mound, crack in the eggs and start combining with your fingers. You should end up with a very dry dough, almost cracking; if sticky, add flour until this is achieved. Cover and allow to rest for 1 hour. 
2. Cut the pasta dough into 4 pieces and keep wrapped. Using a hand-cranked pasta machine and dusting lightly with flour, run each piece of dough through each setting 3 times, beginning at the widest setting and ending at the second-to-the-narrowest. Place the pasta sheet on a floured work surface and cover to prevent drying out. Repeat with the remaining 3 pieces of pasta dough.

Beef stew with garlic cream sauce - Testing

https://www.saveur.com/beef-stew-with-garlic-cream-recipe/?sRGFXm4rgc4IPD6R.32

1 - On the whole, very good. I served on a bed of home-made egg noodles. The cream as is currently in the recipe is problematic. Serving it on the side doesn't appear to serve any purpose. Next time I will make the cream and incorporate it directly in the stewing liquid at the end. The cream could also be made with anything instead of the garlic; shallot, or an herb or, oooh, a spice! I only had 1 lb of beef when I made this, so the numbers in parenthesis are for a third of the recipe.

(1) 3 lb. beef chuck, cut into 2-inch cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
(3 Tbsps) 1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour
(5 tsps) 1⁄3 cup vegetable oil
(1 small) 1 large onion, roughly chopped
(1 small) 1 medium carrot, roughly chopped
(1/3 cup) 2 cups red wine
(1 sprig) 2 sprigs thyme
(3) 8 cloves garlic, peeled
(1/3) 1 cup olive oil
(3 Tbsps) 1⁄2 cup whole milk
(3 Tbsps) 1⁄2 cup heavy cream

1. In a large bowl, season the beef with salt and pepper and toss with the flour. In an 8-qt. saucepan, heat the oil at medium-high. Working in batches, add the beef to the pan and cook, turning, until browned on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate and return the pan to medium-high heat.
2. Add the onion and carrot and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Stir in the wine and thyme and cook, stirring, until the wine reduces by half, about 10 minutes. Return the beef to the pan and then stir in 8 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a slow, steady simmer and then cook, stirring occasionally, until the beef is very tender and the sauce is reduced, about 3 hours.
3. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the garlic with 1 cup water and bring to boil. Cook for 5 minutes and then drain the garlic. Return the garlic to the pan along with the olive oil and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Cook for 5 minutes and then remove from the heat and drain the garlic, reserving the olive oil. Return the garlic to the pan, add the milk and cream, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring, until the cream is reduced and the garlic is tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
4. Pour the garlic cream into a blender and purée until smooth. With the machine on, slowly drizzle in the reserved olive oil and blend into a thick sauce. Scrape the sauce into a serving bowl and serve alongside the beef stew.

Gnocchi à la Romaine with sage brown butter sauce - PUBLISHED

-- adapted from Elizabeth David's book French Country Cooking, pg 87

1 - Ms. David's recipe calls for wheat semolina, and I made it with cornmeal by accident. It turned out quite nice. Instead of the brown butter, I served it with grilled zucchini sliced in half and drizzled with olive oil when, once cooked, was drizzled with pesto sauce, which I also drizzled over the gnocchi.

2 - I think I've got it. The flavor is very good, the texture is quite nice. I arranged the squares almost standing-but-not-quite in a glass bread pan - the quantity wouldn't quite fill a gratin dish. Hmmm... maybe I should double the recipe? Anyway, a slightly larger container to allow the pieces to lay down a bit more would likely be preferable. It got an enthusiastic thumbs-up from Ben. I served it with the Salade de Carottes.

3 - I made again and as a dish, it is very good, with a compliment of flavors, but it sorely needs to be matched with something - it is not a stand alone dish but requires a companion. I will add this information in the recipe, as well as a note to experiment with doubling the recipe to fit a gratin dish.

4 - I think I finally got it! I ended up tripling the recipe, adding a bit about using parchment paper, and adding in a bit about baking (which I still have to test to be able to give more accurate instructions.) It turned out really nicely and I look forward to doing it again. I think though that the big breakthrough was using a finer grind of cornmeal. In the past the cornmeal I had was coarser and so the paste didn't have the same stiffness it got this time with the finer cornmeal (which is essentially just a regular grocery-store grade cornmeal).

5 - It continues to be good. I changed things a bit, adding the butter in with the boiling like I would for grits. I don't quite have the baking time down. I put it in for a half hour reasoning that I was essentially reheating it, but I think it actually has to bake. After a half hour the cheese was melted but not browned, and while the sides had puffed up the middle had not. Next time, more time! Oh, and I used the gratin dish and I had a hard time getting it all in. I have to admit I didn't allow the paste to cool enough, so that is key to making it easier to cut and arrange. It needs to not only cool, but actually be cold.

6 - Don't change a thing! It's really good, a bit like a cornmeal souffle. It definitely needs something light to go with it if you're serving it a the main dish.

6 cups milk

1½ tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

¾ tsp nutmeg

3 Tbsp minced chives

12 oz (340g) cornmeal, fine or medium grind

⅓ cup and 1 rounded Tbsp (3oz/85g) butter + 2 oz butter + extra

⅓ cup and 1 rounded Tbsp (3oz/85g) + ⅓ cup and 1 rounded Tbsp grated Asiago or Gruyère

3 eggs, whisked

8 fresh sage leaves

1. This dish takes a long time since the cornmeal paste needs to cool completely, so make the paste in the morning for an evening meal. 
2. Put the milk in a medium saucepan and slowly bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
3. As the milk warms, add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, chives, cornmeal and the first 3oz of butter. Stir constantly.
4. When it start to gently boil, turn down the heat. You'll likely have to stir vigorously to avoid getting burned by the bubbles popping in the thick paste. 
5. Stir until it stiffens to a consistency where a wooden spoon can stand in it. Remove from the heat.
6. Mix in the first 3oz of the cheese and stir until the batter is smooth.
7. Whisk in the egg until completely incorporated.
8. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and evenly spread the paste to a thickness of 1⁄4" to 1⁄2" and set aside allow plenty of time for it to get cold in the refrigerator until very stiff.
9. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
10. Once the paste is cold and nicely stiff, grease a gratin dish (or a lasagna dish? Last time I really had to cram it in). Cut the lump of paste into 1½" diameter rounds or 1½" squares and arrange them in an overlapping pattern like fish scales.
11. Sprinkle the remaining 3oz cheese on top.
12. Put in the oven for 45 minutes to on hour, or until the dish is bubbling nicely all over.
13. Now, turn on the broiler and cook this way until the cheese starts to brown in spots.
14. Meanwhile, put the remaining butter in a small saucepan and melt at medium-high heat. 
1. The butter will start to froth and making crackling sounds. 
2. When the frothing stops and the crackling slows, look to the bottom of the pot and you will see the milk solids, which have separated and settled there.
3. When the milk solids start to turn golden brown, remove immediately from the heat source - this stage is quite quick when it comes, and left any longer the butter will be in danger of burning.
15. Add the sage leaves and leave for at least 5 minutes for the sage to infuse.
16. When the gnocchi is ready, remove from the oven and pour over the browned sage butter.
17. Serve immediately as a side or with something a bit tart or vinegary, such as a crunchy salad like Salade de Carrottes, or a selection of pickled vegetables like onions, beets and carrots.

Chaussons aux pommes de Grand-Maman Noël - Untested

This is a recipe from my Grand-Maman Noël, Marie-Thérèse. It is an unexpected kind of 'chausson' than the apple turnovers I think of. This is actually a dumpling cooked in syrup. Fascinating. I'm glad my mother dug this out to share with me. Merci, Maman!

Stage 1 - Les chaussons
4 small apples, cored and peeled
1/4? cup butter
1/4? cup brown sugar
1/8 tsp nutmeg or cinnamon
1 batch Cookie Pie Crust

1. Core, peel and quarter the apples (optional: immerse the pieces in water spiked with a squeeze of lemon juice to avoid browning, but I've never understood this step since the apples will be cooked and browned anyway). 
2. Divide pie dough into four equal portions and roll out into ??" disks.
3. Divide equally the apples slices to each of the disks of dough.
4. Divide the butter into four equal portions and cut into small cubes. 
5. Divide brown sugar into four equal portions and plop on top of the butter cubes.
6. Sprinkle the nutmeg on top of each.
7. Wet the edge of the circle of dough and fold over to completely cover the apples, leaving about a half inch edge. With your fingers or a fork, pinch the edges to seal completely (the wetting helps with this). Put in an over-ready baking dish with about 1" between dumplings and put in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes, or until you're ready to put in the oven, whichever is longest.
8. Once the syrup is done, you're ready for the final stage.

Stage 2 - Le sirop

3 cups water (? - voir la note de Maman)
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp butter
A squeeze of lemon

1. Pre-heat the oven to 425F.
2. Mix all the ingredients for the syrup in a saucepan and bring to a boil. 
3. When the oven is at temperature, take the dumplings out of the refrigerator and pour the syrup over them. Put in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
4. Reduce the oven temperature to 375F and baste the dumplings with the syrup.
5. After 10 minutes, baste the dumplings again and a third time 10 minutes after that, then let bake for a final 10 minutes (or until it gets to the browning you want); this makes a total of 30 minutes at 375F, and a grand total of 40 minutes in the oven at 425F and then at 375F. 
6. If necessary, continue baking until the dumplings are a lovely brown. 

Recette Chaussons aux Pommes ou Dumplings - de ma maman, Marie-Thérèse Lambert

1 moyenne pomme par personne
Sucre
Beurre
Quelques brins de muscade
Pelez et divisez les pommes en quatre quartiers, enlevez les cœurs, déposez dans un plat où vous aurez mis de l’eau pour couvrir les pommes entièrement afin de les empêcher de brunir mettez quelques gouttes de citron dans l’eau à peu près 1 c. à thé laissez de côté. Préparez de la pâte à tarte. Roulez là comme pour faire un pâté quelconque. Divisez la pâte en parts égales de forme ronde. Sur ces abaisses ou morceaux posez les quatre morceaux d’une pomme saupoudrez de sucre de dés de beurre et quelques grains de muscade. Repliez la pâte sur la pomme de manière à ce qu’elle la recouvre entièrement. Humectez les bouts de la pâte afin de la faire coller. Faire cuire dans un sirop fait ainsi
SIROP
3 tasses d’eau (je pense que maman faisait cuire 4 ou 5 pommes à la fois)
1 tasse de sucre
1 c. à table de beurre
Quelques gouttes de citron
Mettez sur le feu et laissez jeter un bouillon. Mettez avec les chaussons séparés à peu près de 1 pc dans une casserole quelconque et faire cuire dans le fourneau à 425F comme une tarte. Réduire le fourneau au bout de 10 min. à 375F et finissez de faire cuire en arrosant deux, trois fois avec le jus à peu près 1/2 heure.
N.B. J’ai fait cuire 2 pommes, avec la pelure et, contre mon meilleur jugement, j’ai mis 3 tasses d’eau, c’était beaucoup trop ! Encore une fois dans ma longue vie, j’aurais dû suivre mon intuition...

Golden Milk - Untested

https://www.theayurvedaexperience.com/blog/golden-milk-for-arthritis-recipe/

NOTE: All ingredients in this recipe have complementary medicinal functions, even the nutmeg.

200 grams raw turmeric
500 ml cow’s milk
2-3 tsp honey
1/2 Tbsp cinnamon powder
pinch of cardamom
2-3 cloves
whole nutmeg for grating

1. For making turmeric milk, thoroughly rinse the raw turmeric and keep it aside to dry.
2. Pour one cup of water into a pot and place it over a hot flame. When the water boils, add a half tablespoon of cinnamon powder and 2-3 cloves. After 3-4 minutes add the milk to the pot. Continue boiling the mixture over a medium flame.
3. Meanwhile, peel and grind the raw turmeric. Wear gloves or else the color of the turmeric can stain your hands. Peel or scrape the turmeric like you would ginger. Chop the turmeric into small chunks so you can grind it easily. Grind the turmeric finely. Transfer the ground turmeric into a bowl and set aside.
4. When the milk in the pot starts simmering, reduce the flame and mix one teaspoon of ground turmeric into it. Let the milk simmer for 2-3 more minutes. Now, the milk will turn a golden color. Strain it through a sieve. Mix two teaspoons of honey into the strained milk. Whisk the milk for a while to create froth.
5. Serve this milk in a cup and garnish with some powdered cardamom. Grate a little nutmeg into it. Your golden milk is ready to be served.

Spaghettini with Lemon, Garlic and Thyme - Test 1

https://www.southernkitchen.com/recipes/main-dish/spaghetti-with-lemon-garlic-and-thyme

1 - I've made this once from the Web site and made changes as I went along, but now I don't remember what they were! I liked the result, though.
2 - I futzed quite a lot with this one, but it turned out quite good. I think there's not enough cheese, though... I used 2 1/2 lemons and the zest from only 2.
3 - Still tasted good, but I forgot the salt. It needs the salt. I've made it more prominent in the recipe to make sure it gets in there.

4 - I did not have garlic scape paste, nor did I have lemons, so I substituted with 4 cloves of garlic and limes. I feel like there wasn't enough garlic flavour and I think the sharpness of lemon is better than the floral of lime. I will increase the garlic to 9 cloves (9 for the White Goddess).

1 lb. spaghettini
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup garlic scape paste OR 9 cloves garlic, minced 10 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp red pepper flakes
Juice and zest of 2 to 3 lemons
⅔ cup white wine
4 Tbsps. butter (2oz/56g)
⅔ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp salt
A few sprigs of fresh thyme, minced or 1 tsp dried thyme
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the spaghetti until just al dente, or one minute less than the package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the garlic scape paste or minced garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until golden and fragrant, but without browning, about 1 minute the aroma changes from sharp to sweet.
3. Add the red pepper flakes and cook until aromatic, 15 seconds. 
4. Stir in the wine, lemon juice and salt; increase the heat to medium-high and let simmer until thickened and reduced by half. 
5. Stir in the butter, along with 2 tablespoons of the reserved pasta cooking water. When the butter is melted, turn off the heat and add the cooked pasta, Parmesan and lemon zest. Toss to coat evenly with the sauce. Stir in the thyme. If the sauce seems too thick, add more pasta water, one tablespoon at a time. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Pain Suisse au Chocolat - Untested - To Frankenstein

https://www.eatlivetravelwrite.com/2019/09/french-fridays-pain-suisse-au-chocolat/

3 1/3 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup (250 mL) 2% milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
All-purpose flour, for sprinkling
1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil, for the proofing bowl
1 recipe Pastry Cream
1 cup (200g) chocolate chips
1 large egg, beaten (for eggwash)

1. Place the flour, sugar, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Whisk to combine.
2. Heat the milk in a small pot over low heat to 110˚F (43˚C), measuring the temperature with a digital thermometer. If you are using a microwave, use a microwave-safe bowl and start with 30 seconds on high. If it’s not hot enough, you can continue to heat in increments of 15 seconds, to be sure not to overheat.
3. Pour the warm milk into the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until the dry ingredients are just combined. The mixture will be a little shaggy and dry at this stage.
4. Whisk the beaten egg and melted butter together to combine and then stir them carefully into the dough until the mixture comes together and all the dry ingredients are fully combined. This will be a fairly sticky mixture at first. I use a rubber spatula to press the dry ingredients into the dough when it seems like the wooden spoon can’t be of any more help.
5. Bring the dough together with your hands, still in the bowl, and start to knead until the dough comes together fully and starts to feel smooth.
6. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface, sprinkle it with a little more flour and start to knead. You’ll be kneading for 5 full minutes continually, so it’s a good idea to share this task with another person! To knead, you’ll need to stretch the dough away from you with the heel of one hand and pull it toward you with the other hand and then roll the dough into a ball. Knead a few times with the heel of your hand and then stretch the dough again. Continue like this for 5 minutes. The dough will be smooth and elastic by the time you’re done.
7. Pour around 1/2 tablespoon of vegetable oil into a large metal or glass bowl and use a paper towel to evenly coat the insides of the bowl with the oil. Place the dough in the bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and leave it to proof at room temperature for 1 hour.
8. While this proofs, make the Pastry Cream.
9. Once the dough has rested for 1 hour at room temperature, punch the dough down, turn it over and let it rest another 30 minutes.
10. Line two baking trays with parchment paper.
11. Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a work surface covered in parchment paper (you don't want to work on a floured surface here).
12. Roll the dough out to a large (50cm x 30cm) rectangle. Work slowly but deliberately here as the dough will "bounce" back.
13. Spread the crème pâtissière over half of the dough, lengthwise and sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the cream.
14. Fold the dough in half, lengthwise (this is where parchment can help - use it to manipulate the dough so you don't have to touch it too much), making sure the edges meet on the long side. Press the dough slightly and pinch the edges closed.
15. Use a long, sharp knife (or a pizza cutter) to cut 12 rectangles (roughly 4cm wide - if you like you can place a tape measure down the length of the pastry to guide you).
16. Place the pastries on the baking trays, flattening them slightly with your hands (be careful the cream doesn't escape!) and cover with a clean tea-towel and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
17. Bake and enjoy
18. Pre-heat the oven to 400˚F.
19. Brush the pastries with a little eggwash and bake for approx 25 minutes or until golden on top.
20. Allow to cool slightly befor eating. Great at room temperature the day they are baked. The next day, you can gently reheat them in an oven or pop them in a mocrowave for a few seconds.

Risnātu (Stew of Lamb) - Untested

https://www.laphamsquarterly.org/roundtable/ancient-mesopotamian-tablet-cookbook

The cut of meat is not specified. We chose 

lamb shanks. For risnātu, we used parboiled 

barley mixed with 

emmer flour and 

fat and toasted into small hard cakes that were later crumbled into the dish. The meat is sautéed in 

sheep’s fat, and then the 

barley and 

vegetables are added. Finally, 

whole milk is poured in, and the cakes are crumbled into the stew. As the pot is left to simmer for a couple of hours, the milk curdles, and the meat and grain soften. The resulting dish is delicious when served with the peppery garnish of crushed 

leek and 

garlic. The plural noun risnātu is derived from the verb rasānu (“to soak, to steep”) and clearly refers to a function in the dish—“soakies” or the like. We could have used wine, water, milk, or beer to soak the grain and join it through pressure to produce the risnātu. We know from other texts that the cakes could be spicy and variously scented, but because nothing is specified by the recipe, we chose a neutral option to intrude the least on the overall taste of the dish. We broke up and crumbled the cakes to incorporate them in the broth and allowed a few to dissolve in the dish on their own for texture.