Butcher's Pie - Untested

https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/butcher-s-pie

1 - I will likely want to figure out a substitute for the raclette cheese and for the chicken livers. Pork liver? Dunno.

2lbs potatoes (about 4), pierced all over with a fork

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

6 medium parsnips (24oz/720gr), peeled, finely diced

1 small fennel bulb (7oz/200gr), finely diced

1 large Spanish or white onion (10oz/85gr), diced

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 lb ground pork shoulder (Boston butt)

1 lb fresh pork sausages, casings removed, finely chopped

1/2 lb ground or chopped chicken livers

1 tsp piment d'Espelette or 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tsp freshly ground white pepper

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp ground mace

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 1/2 cups shredded raclette cheese (6 ounces), divided

1 cup whole milk

1 (heaping) Tbsp butter

Salt and ground black pepper

Flat-leaf parsley leaves

Fresh tarragon leaves

Fresh chervil leaves

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 tsps red wine vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 450°. Bake potatoes directly on oven rack until fork-tender, 40–50 minutes. Let cool slightly.
2. Meanwhile, heat vegetable oil in a 5-qt. Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add parsnips, fennel, onion, and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in flour and tomato paste; continue stirring for 1 minute. Add ground pork, pork sausage, and chicken livers; cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 6–8 minutes. Stir in piment d'Espelette, white pepper, coriander, and mace. Add broth; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until slightly reduced, about 1 minute. Set pork filling aside.
3. Slice potatoes lengthwise to open; let steam release, then scoop out flesh into a large bowl. Add 1 cup cheese, milk, and butter. Using an electric mixer, beat until smooth and airy. Season to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Let cool; cover filling and potatoes separately and chill.
4. Place pork filling in prepared baking dish, spreading to evenly cover bottom of dish. Drop dollops of potatoes over and spread out to edges with a spatula. Using a fork, make decorative peaks on top; sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese over. Bake until potatoes and cheese are browned and filling is bubbling rapidly, about 30 minutes, or 35 minutes if topping and filling have been chilled. Let stand for 10 minutes. Toss parsley, tarragon, and chervil leaves to combine; drizzle with olive oil and vinegar and toss to coat. Sprinkle over potatoes and serve.

Savory Tarte Tatin - Testing

https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/root-vegetable-tarte-tatin

1 - I've made this once before but took no notes. However, I was interested enough to try it again. I ended up dicing everything instead of leaving them in rounds and it was very good. My homemade puff pastry worked just fine with it, too. I didn't add the vinegar to the hot caramel, so this still has to happen to graduate the recipe to anything. I'll try the full rounds next time as well, just to see. It works perfectly well in an 8" pie plate, but it means I have to reduce the size of the disk of the pastry dough from 12" to something less. Maybe 10"?
2 - This didn't take as long as I thought, so I'll change that. I just need to give time for roasting the veg and then baking the pie. I'm altering the instructions to add some detail. For example, making the caramel, I used my own method then added the vinegar, and it spat a lot! I was expecting it, but it totally is a burning danger, so I want to indicate that. No changes in the ingredients part.

About 2.5hrs

1 medium potato (7oz/200gr), peeled, sliced into ½” rounds
7oz/200gr sweet winter squash, peeled, ½” slices
2 medium carrots (4oz/120gr), peeled, sliced into ½” rounds
1 medium parsnip (4oz/120gr), peeled, sliced into ½” rounds
1 small onion (4oz/120gr), sliced into ½” rounds
¼ cup olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper
⅓ cup sugar
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1½ tsps chopped fresh rosemary
1½ tsps chopped fresh sage
4oz fresh goat cheese
1 disk pie dough 

Make sure to give yourself plenty of time to first roast the veg and then to assemble and bake the pie.
Roast the vegetables by .
While prepping the veg, placing a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°. 
Toss potato, squash, carrots, parsnip, and onion with oil on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper and arrange vegetables in a single layer. Roast until golden around the edges and tender, 30–35 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, prepare the herbs because you'll need to add them immediately after pouring the hot sugar in the pie plate, while it's still hot and sticky.
In a small stainless steel (for the light colour) saucepan, pour in the sugar. Shake the pan to evenly distribute the sugar - it shouldn't be too thick to allow for the sugar to heat evenly.
Without any stirring (!) heat the sugar over low to medium heat until it starts to melt. This will begin at the edges - since this is where it starts to melt it also means this is where caramelization starts. 
Be patient and DON'T turn up the heat - sugar can burn very quickly.
Once the sugar starts to melt around the edges, use a rubber spatula to bring the melted sugar into the middle of the pan.
Gently stir, just enough make sure all the sugar is dissolving.
Once everything has dissolved, continue to slowly cook, watching constantly and closely ('cause it can burn quickly), until you get the colour you want - light caramel colour = sweeter; dark caramel colour is more complex with bitter notes (recommended for this dish). 
Remove from heat and quickly add a pinch of salt and the vinegar but BEWARE the vinegar will spit and pop so don't burn yourself. Swirl the pan to combine and let the vinegar cook off a bit. 

Quickly pour caramel into a 9”-diameter pie pan; tilt and rotate pan to evenly coat bottom with caramel (or as much as you can, don't worry too much). Scatter the minced rosemary and sage across the surface. Set aside.
Set onions aside for the end, and arrange the potatoes, squash, carrots, and parsnips snugly in a single layer on top of the caramel, using smaller carrot and parsnip pieces to fill in any holes. Scatter onion rings over all, and crumble goat cheese over vegetables.
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a 12” (10"?) round. Drape over the vegetables, tucking the edges into the pan. Prick the dough all over with a fork. Bake until the crust looks dry, in other words that the fat has been absorbed into the dough, about 20 minutes; reduce the heat to 350° and bake until the crust is golden brown, 15–20 minutes.
Let the tart cool 5 minutes before inverting carefully onto a large plate.

Whipped Cream Icing - Test 1

https://www.food.com/recipe/whipped-cream-frosting-39013

1 - First attempt was successful. It is much lighter than buttercream icing, of course, and isn't overly sweet. I was a little concerned about the quantity of sugar, but it worked very nicely. I don't have to make any changes to the recipe, but it's a good base for other flavors. Oh! The home-made fennel liqueur! I made it for the vanilla cake recipe. Surprisingly, it has staying power on the cake, likely because of the sugar.

2 - I didn't have the full amount of cream and I tried adjusting the ratio of sugar and I didn't freeze the bowl and beater and the icing is running a bit. This means I haven't set up the experiment properly since I didn't actually follow the instructions. Next time, FOLLOW THE RECIPE!

2 cups heavy cream, well chilled

1 cup sifted icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1. Put the mixing bowl and beater in the freezer until well cold.
2. Beat the cold cream in the frozen bowl just until frothy.
3. Slowly add the icing sugar and vanilla while beating.
4. Whip until light and a thick enough consistency to spread as an icing.
5. Use immediately.

Pork ribs and beans - Testing

https://cafedelites.com/slow-cooker-barbecue-ribs/#recipe

https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/slow-cooker-glazed-pork-ribs-white-beans

1 - This was good, I ended up using the instructions in the Notes for super fall-off-the-bone, and it worked. The beans were really good, and having them the next day with eggs was really good. The improvement I'm looking for in the glaze. It was really acid and tomato-ey. I substituted the honey for maple syrup. Next time, I'll stick with the honey and TASTE the sauce before I use it. I wonder if balsamic vinegar might also help.

2 - Well, that was disappointing. The beans had little flavor so I need to add salt to it and how much. The glaze for the ribs was actually much improved though, and I think I could make more for more goo. I also only had 1 lb of ribs and didn't change the amount of beans. Oh, and I think I omitted the tomato paste from the beans. Which should go back in.

2 cup dried beans

4 cups chicken broth

28oz can diced tomatoes, drained

1/2 cup dry white wine

4 garlic cloves, smashed

1 tsp salt

One 6-inch rosemary sprig plus 1/2 tsp finely chopped rosemary (trying herbes de provence)

2+1 Tbsps tomato paste

2 racks baby back ribs and/or side ribs (about 4 pounds), cut into 3-rib sections

2 Tbsps balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp honey (TO TASTE)

Salt and ground pepper

1. In a slow cooker, combine the beans with the broth, tomatoes, wine, garlic, salt, rosemary sprig and 2 Tbsps of the tomato paste. 
2. Cook the beans on High for 3 hours. 
3. Nestle the ribs into the beans, cover and cook on High until the ribs are almost fall-off- the-bone tender, 2 to 3 hours more. Test the beans, if they need to cook longer transfer the ribs to a rimmed baking sheet and cover with foil. 
4. Discard the rosemary sprig and skim off as much fat as possible once the beans are cooked.
5. Shortly before serving, preheat the broiler. 
6. In a small bowl, mix the remaining 1 Tbsp of tomato paste with the balsamic vinegar and honey. 
7. Season the ribs with salt and pepper and set them on a baking sheet, meaty side up. 
8. Brush with the balsamic glaze and broil the ribs about 3 inches from the heat for about 3 minutes, rotating if necessary, until browned and heated through. 
9. Cut into individual ribs. (?)
10. Stir the chopped rosemary (? where did this come from ?) into the beans and season with salt and pepper. Spoon the beans into shallow bowls, top with the glazed ribs and serve.

NOTES

Cook times depend on the results you are looking for:

LOW: 7 HOURS / HIGH: 3 HOURS — Ribs that are soft but stay on the bone (as shown in the video in post).

LOW: 9 HOURS / HIGH: 4-5 HOURS — Tender, fall apart ribs that melt in your mouth like butter (as shown in the images in post).

La Pescajoune au jambon et citrouille - Test 1

1 - I have made many variations on my Pescajoune aux lardons recipe, figuring I'd know how to do it next time. However, I've decided it would be handy to have a ready selection of variations in case I don't feel like figuring it out on the spot. Now, I don't think I put milk in this one, but the pumpkin seems to have done the trick! Not sure, I just don't have a memory of it. To try again!

3/4 cups flour
2 tsps baking powder
1 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups (total 6oz) grated cheese, a mix of 1/3 Parmesan and 2/3 old cheddar

5 oz cooked ham, diced small

1 cup mashed cooked pumpkin
6 eggs

2 Tbsps olive oil 

1 onion, sliced thin

1. Start by making the batter to allow it to rest before cooking.
2. Mix together the flour, salt, baking powder, cheese and ham. 
3. In a large bowl mash the pumpkin (if it isn't already) then whisk in the eggs; add the flour mix and combine until there are no lumps. Let the batter sit for at least the time it takes for you to prepare and cook the rest of the ingredient.
4. Heat the oil in an 8 to 10" pan and add the onion and cook over medium low heat until the onion becomes quite soft and brown. The browning is very important - the more caramelized, the better.
5. Once cooked, drain from the oil and add to the batter; mix thoroughly. 
6. Making sure there is plenty of oil in the pan, pour in the batter. Cook, covered, over low heat until the underside lightly browns and the top becomes firm.
7. Meanwhile, lightly grease a dinner plate for the next step.
8. Once the underside is browned, flip the plate on top of the pancake, hold firm with your hand, grab the handle of the pan and flip the pancake onto the plate. Set the pan back on the stove-top and slide the pancake back into the pan to finish cooking, just enough to lightly brown.
9. Once browned on both sides, flip back onto the plate and serve immediately.

Pasta with butter braised nettles - Test 1

https://blog.williams-sonoma.com/orecchiette-butter-braised-nettles/

1 - Very successful and suspiciously similar to my Arugula Pasta recipe. I shall have to compare.

2 - It was very nice, but this time the nettles clumped when I cut them up. I blanched them, turned them out onto a board and diced the clump of blanched leaves. I thought they would just come apart while cooking them in the pan and they did not. Next time I will chop them up while they are fresh and instead of blanching them, I will add water to the fry pan to cook them down.

3 - It was a bit dry. I had all 12oz of nettles etc. but I used spaghettini (another variation which might have an impact. But when I compared this recipe with the Arugula Pasta recipe, I noticed that there is an 8oz difference in the quantity of pasta used. So, before I change the type of pasta, I will try reducing the ratio of pasta-to-nettles and sauce. Oh, and cooking the nettles with water added to the pan seemed to work just fine. And is more fun to do.

2 servings

12 oz. (375 g) stinging nettles
2 Tbsps butter
2 Tbsps good olive oil
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 small fresh hot chile, minced, or a generous pinch of red pepper flakes

1 tsp salt, to taste
1 lb. (500 g) 8oz spaghettini (or dried orecchiette or other short, sturdy pasta)
3/4 cup (3 oz./90 g) grated pecorino romano cheese

1. Roughly chop the nettles (I use tongs to hold them while I chop, you could use gloves). Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Wearing gloves to prevent stinging, cut the tough stems off the nettles and rinse well. Using the gloves or tongs, place in the boiling water and blanch until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain and let cool, then chop coarsely. Fill the pot with fresh water, salt generously and bring to a boil. 
2. Boil the pasta in plenty of lightly salted water. 
3. While the pasta is cooking, add the olive oil, butter, and minced garlic to another large pot or skillet, along with the red pepper flakes. Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes, or until the garlic is soft and fragrant.
4. Add the nettles, a handful at a time, using tongs to toss the greens to coat with the oil. 
5. Add 1 tsp. salt and up to a ½ cup of the pasta water to achieve the desired sauciness. 
6. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook gently, stirring occasionally, until the greens are tender, about 10 minutes.
7. Drain, reserving another ½ cup (4 fl. oz./125 ml) of the cooking water. 
8. Transfer the pasta to the pan with the greens and toss well to combine. 
9. Add a splash or two of the pasta-cooking water to loosen the sauce, if needed. 
10. Sprinkle half of the cheese over the pasta and toss again. Divide among 2 shallow bowls, garnish each serving with some of the remaining cheese and serve immediately.

Pâte sablée - Testing

https://www.marmiton.org/recettes/recette_pate-sablee_14540.aspx

https://www.ricardocuisine.com/recettes/4585-pate-sablee-

0 - The instructions come from the first link, and is all done by hand. I've included the second because it is slightly more complicated and uses just egg yolk. While I appreciate separating eggs when necessary, when it is not, I prefer not to.

1 - The simpler version worked quite nicely. I've made it twice now, and it's just fine.

100gr butter

250gr flour

1 egg
125gr sugar

1 pinch salt
1 lemon zeste or vanilla extract

1. Melt the butter and allow it to cool a bit.
2. Put the flour in a large bowl and form a deep well in the center. 
3. Whisk together the egg, sugar and salt until the yellow from the yolk turns pale. 
4. Into the well pour the egg mixture, the zest of extract, then the cooled butter (make sure the butter is cool enough that it won't cook the egg).
5. Mix with your hands until you obtain a smooth dough.
6. Here you have two choices, either to press it into a pie plate or to roll it out. If you elect for the latter, refrigerate the dough by flattening it into a rough disk, wrapping it and leaving it for 15 minutes to a half hour. Thoroughly flour your board before rolling it out.
7. Blind bake at 400F for 12-15 minutes.

Squash Soup - Untested

https://keskonmangemaman.blogspot.com/2015/10/batlle-food-36-veloute-de-delica.html

0 - I wonder if I can apply this to other successful squash soup recipes I have that require curry powder?

2-3 lbs squash (suggested delica moretti which looks like a buttercup type, but any squash or pumpkin with a little sweetness) 

1 1/3cups milk
1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp ground fenugreek seeds
? tsp salt 

? tsp pepper

1. Very carefully toast the fenugreek seeds in a dry pan until they just start to brown, allow to cool then grind in a mortar and pestle.
2. Preheat the oven to 350F.
3. Cut open your squash and scoop out the innards as if you were making a Jack-o-lantern. Place it in a high-sided baking dish in case the milk leaks out.
4. Pour in the milk, spices and seasoning.
5. Put the cap back on and bake for 45-50 minutes.
6. Check that the squash flesh is soft enough to easily scoop out with a spoon. If it isn't, leave in the oven a bit longer.
7. Pour out into a blender any milk left over from the baking and as much of the flesh as you can scoop out and purée. Add more milk or cream if you want the soup to be thinner.
8. Reheat to your desired temperature to serve.

et pour finir de compléter ce délicat potage je vous donne en prime la recette de mes tartines de compotée d'oignons jaune au gouda (jaune) , pour une symphonie aux couleurs du soleil ^^  (de quoi bien éclairer la grisaille parisienne ;) )
- 1/4 de baguette par personne
- 1 oignon par personne
- 5 cl d'huile
- sel et poivre du moulin
- 50 grammes de gouda râpé.

Servez bien chaud , accompagné ou non de tartines à la compotée d'oignons gratinées au gouda : 
Coupez la baguette en deux , émincez les oignons et faites les cuire doucement dans une sauteuse avec l'huile , salez et poivrez , étalez en une couche généreuse sur le pain , râpez le gouda , disposez le gouda râpé sur le pain , enfournez le tout dans le four encore chaud jusqu'à ce que le fromage soit bien doré.

Ragout de porc au yogourt - Test 1

 https://www.zeste.ca/recettes/ragout-de-porc-a-la-menthe-et-au-yogourt

1 - instant hit. Yogurt curdled, didn’t soak the fenugreek but toasted and ground in a pestle, needs rice. Tried with roast potato and not a great match. Rice is king.

2 - I may have discovered something about this recipe. When I first put in the yogurt, it combined with the oil to become this lovely smooth sauce. But in stewing the pork in the yogurt, it curdled and looked gross. I think the order of things is off in this recipe, so I'm going to try a few things to change it, and one of them is putting the yogurt in last, just to warm through.

1 tsp fenugreek (toast and grind before using)

1/2 cup olive oil

1 Tbsp grated ginger

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

2lbs pork loin, cubed

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp chilli powder

2 cups plain yogurt 

1 bunch fresh mint

1. In a dry pan toast the fenugreek and grind in a mortar and pestle. 
2. Heat a few Tbsps of the total amount of olive oil in a wide-bottomed pot and brown the pork cubes on all sides. 
3. Add the rest of the oil along with the ginger, garlic and pepper flakes and stir until fragrant.
4. Add the salt, ground fenugreek, chilli powder and mix well.
5. Mix in the yogurt and stir until the yogurt combines with the oil and thickens.
6. Last step before serving, roughly chop the fresh mint and mix in. 
7. Serve with rice.

'Original' translated instructions

1. In a dry pan toast the fenugreek and grind in a mortar and pestle. 
2. Heat the olive oil in a big wide-bottomed pot before adding the ginger, garlic and pepper flakes and stir until fragrant.
3. Brown the pork on all sides. 
4. Add the salt, ground fenugreek, chilli powder and mix well.
5. Mix in the yogurt. Cook for about 20 minutes until the yogurt thickens.
6. Last step before serving, roughly chop the fresh mint and mix in. 

One Pot Garlic Pasta - PUBLISHED

 https://damndelicious.net/2014/10/11/one-pot-garlic-parmesan-pasta/

1 - As promised, really quick and simple and only uses one pot. And quite good! I caramelized the garlic and it was probably too much. I also didn't have parsley, which will make a big difference when I have some.

2 - Made it with 2 cloves of garlic at 7gr total and that seems about right. But I'm not changing the status from Testing because I tried making 12oz of pasta to the same quantity of sauce and it was too dry.

3 - Measuring the garlic by weight is the ideal. And I do like it best when the garlic has just started to go blond. It's also that it's when the butter browns.

4 - I very easily doubled the recipe. I didn't need to increase the butter since it was just enough to brown the garlic anyway.

2 Tbsps butter

2 cloves garlic (7-8gr), minced 

2 cups mild broth such as chicken 

1 cup milk, or more, as needed

8 oz uncooked fettuccine or spaghetti

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 oz Parmesan cheese, grated, + 1 oz for garnishing

2 Tbsps fresh parsley leaves, chopped 

1. Have your broth at the ready to stop the browning of the garlic.
2. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Just as the butter melts, put in the garlic. This next part is really quick, just a minute or so. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant and just starting to lightly brown.
3. Immediately stir in the broth, milk and pasta. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
4. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, stirring frequently, until the pasta is cooked through, about 18-20 minutes. 
5. Stir in the Parmesan. 
6. If the mixture is too thick, add more milk as needed until the desired consistency is obtained.
7. Serve immediately, garnished with parsley.

Cream Cake - Test 1

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/7800/cream-cake/

I've made this once, but have to admit I have no memory of it. I kept the recipe, therefore it had to be ok. I was likely looking for a simple vanilla white cake recipe.

1 - A very simple and quick cake! It's a great sponge cake recipe, I think. I'm rewording the instructions.

2 - This is only enough for one layer of cake, so only one cake pan! I have to make it again this way. I divided the batter into two cake pans which made super thin layers, which would be ok if that's what I wanted, but I'd likely have to reduce the baking time. Oh, and reducing the temperature from 350 to 325 seems to help with the doming effect in the middle, but I still have to try it with the single cake pan/thicker cake.

Yield - 1x8" cake pan.

2 eggs

¾ cup white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

2 tsps baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 cup heavy whipping cream

(Optional: Fruit coulis and liquid whipping cream)

1. Preheat oven to 350 325F. Line and grease an 8" round cake pan.
2. Beat eggs in a small bowl until thick and frothy before adding the sugar and the vanilla. Continue to beat vigorously until well combine and thick and fluffy.
3. Add the baking powder, and salt and beat in. 
4. Alternate adding, in three parts, the flour mixture and the whipping cream, mixing until combined. (this would look like 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup cream, 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup cream, 1/2 cup flour)
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
6. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes.
7. Option to serve - a drizzle of coulis with a drizzle of thick cream.