I'm taking a break from cooking to dash off this quick note. Here's what
I'm making:

Deviled Eggs
Parmesan Crisps

Creamy Chestnut-Arugula Soup

Hot Melon Salad on Field Greens

Goose Breast with Blackberry Sauce
Thyme Popovers

Green Beans with Butter, Lemon, and Bacon
Parsnip-Potato Purée

Spicy Sweet-Potato Pie (contains habañero peppers)
Pandora's Black Pear Tart with Gran Marnier Zabaglione
Trio of Ice Creams: Vanilla, Maple, and Butter-Pecan
Whipped Cream


I'm done with the desserts, the pre-meal munchies, the green beans, and the
soup. (I particularly like the soup. It's lucky to have survived the
night.) The field greens are ready to go, but the melon part of the salad
is a stir-fry, so I'm not going to make it until just before it's time to
eat. The popovers likewise should be eaten almost as soon as they come out
of the oven, and the potato-parsnip purée gets kind of waxy if you make it
too far ahead. The goose will only need another twenty minutes or so, and
that will be on the stovetop (and it's too early to do that). Thus, I have
time to write this message and tell you all that it's great to be me! :-þ

Bob

"Bob Terwilliger" > wrote in message
...
> I'm taking a break from cooking to dash off this quick note. Here's what
> I'm making:
>
> Deviled Eggs
> Parmesan Crisps
>
[snip yummy food]

What's a parmesan crisp? it *sounds* good.
Teri

On Thu 24 Nov 2005 03:14:01p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Bob
Terwilliger?

> I'm taking a break from cooking to dash off this quick note. Here's
> what I'm making:
>
> Deviled Eggs
> Parmesan Crisps
>
> Creamy Chestnut-Arugula Soup
>
> Hot Melon Salad on Field Greens
>
> Goose Breast with Blackberry Sauce
> Thyme Popovers
>
> Green Beans with Butter, Lemon, and Bacon
> Parsnip-Potato Purée
>
> Spicy Sweet-Potato Pie (contains habañero peppers)
> Pandora's Black Pear Tart with Gran Marnier Zabaglione
> Trio of Ice Creams: Vanilla, Maple, and Butter-Pecan
> Whipped Cream
>
>
> I'm done with the desserts, the pre-meal munchies, the green beans, and
> the soup. (I particularly like the soup. It's lucky to have survived
> the night.) The field greens are ready to go, but the melon part of the
> salad is a stir-fry, so I'm not going to make it until just before it's
> time to eat. The popovers likewise should be eaten almost as soon as
> they come out of the oven, and the potato-parsnip purée gets kind of
> waxy if you make it too far ahead. The goose will only need another
> twenty minutes or so, and that will be on the stovetop (and it's too
> early to do that). Thus, I have time to write this message and tell you
> all that it's great to be me! :-þ

Everything sounds good, but the goose breast with blackberry sauce sounds
fantastic!

Enjoy!

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
_____________________________________________

A chicken in every pot is a *LOT* of chicken!

What is the Hot Melon Salad? Sounds interesting!

By the by, I must say as an Aussie, I can't believe the effort that
goes into all your TG dinners - yes I know you all love cooking,
but.... the number of dishes... You and your gastronome guests are very
fortunate.
Our Christmas dinners are not that impressive (the only festive dinner
for the year) (other than ones I cook every night, hehehe!)
Who will put their hand up to invite me and DH to TG next year? This
is *almost* a serious question, we would love to be part of someone's
TG. I have spent 3 x Xmas in the US before I was married - Niagara
(ok, the Canuk side), Co Fairfax Va x 2 - with friends.

I just love reading everyone's posts at this time of the year.
Cheers
Bronwyn

Teri wrote:

> What's a parmesan crisp? it *sounds* good.
> Teri


the ones i'm thinking of are just a blob of shredded parmesan cheese on a silpat
or parchment paper then baked off until they kinda melt and become crispy.
they're very tasty! if you get to them while they're still warm, you can mold
them into different shapes. very cool in my opinion

On Fri 25 Nov 2005 09:40:33a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Michael
"Dog3" Lonergan?

> Wayne Boatwright > looking for trouble wrote in
> :
>
>> On Thu 24 Nov 2005 03:14:01p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Bob
>> Terwilliger?
>>
>>> I'm taking a break from cooking to dash off this quick note. Here's
>>> what I'm making:
>>>
>>> Deviled Eggs
>>> Parmesan Crisps
>>>
>>> Creamy Chestnut-Arugula Soup
>>>
>>> Hot Melon Salad on Field Greens
>>>
>>> Goose Breast with Blackberry Sauce
>>> Thyme Popovers
>>>
>>> Green Beans with Butter, Lemon, and Bacon
>>> Parsnip-Potato Purée
>>>
>>> Spicy Sweet-Potato Pie (contains habañero peppers)
>>> Pandora's Black Pear Tart with Gran Marnier Zabaglione
>>> Trio of Ice Creams: Vanilla, Maple, and Butter-Pecan
>>> Whipped Cream
>>>
>>>
>>> I'm done with the desserts, the pre-meal munchies, the green beans,
>>> and the soup. (I particularly like the soup. It's lucky to have
>>> survived the night.) The field greens are ready to go, but the melon
>>> part of the salad is a stir-fry, so I'm not going to make it until
>>> just before it's time to eat. The popovers likewise should be eaten
>>> almost as soon as they come out of the oven, and the potato-parsnip
>>> purée gets kind of waxy if you make it too far ahead. The goose will
>>> only need another twenty minutes or so, and that will be on the
>>> stovetop (and it's too early to do that). Thus, I have time to write
>>> this message and tell you all that it's great to be me! :-þ
>>
>> Everything sounds good, but the goose breast with blackberry sauce
>> sounds fantastic!
>>
>> Enjoy!
>>
>
> I've never done just the breast. Have you? I wonder if it's less greasy
> than the whole goose.

No, I haven't. I often do just a turkey breast, though, and it's far less
greasy than the whole turkey. Goose, in general, is greasier.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
_____________________________________________

A chicken in every pot is a *LOT* of chicken!

One time on Usenet, "Bob Terwilliger" > said:

<snip amazing menu>

> Goose Breast with Blackberry Sauce

This sounds wonderful, and reminded me of a question I've got for
RFCers: I have some raspberry jam I want to use up and thought about
making a sauce for chicken. Beef marinades are pretty easy -- good
vinegar, oil, aromatics (onion, lemon, etc.), and seasoning. But IIRC,
vinegar isn't a good idea for chicken. Or am I thinking of something
else? What would you do to turn regular jam into a nice sauce?


--
Jani in WA (S'mee)
~ mom, Trollop, novice cook ~

"Michael "Dog3" Lonergan" > wrote in message
...
> "Bob Terwilliger" > looking for trouble
> wrote in :
>
> > I'm taking a break from cooking to dash off this quick note. Here's
> > what I'm making:
> >
> > Deviled Eggs
> > Parmesan Crisps
> >
> > Creamy Chestnut-Arugula Soup
> >
> > Hot Melon Salad on Field Greens
> >
> > Goose Breast with Blackberry Sauce
> > Thyme Popovers
> >
> > Green Beans with Butter, Lemon, and Bacon
> > Parsnip-Potato Purée
> >
> > Spicy Sweet-Potato Pie (contains habañero peppers)
> > Pandora's Black Pear Tart with Gran Marnier Zabaglione
> > Trio of Ice Creams: Vanilla, Maple, and Butter-Pecan
> > Whipped Cream
> >
> >
> > I'm done with the desserts, the pre-meal munchies, the green beans,
> > and the soup. (I particularly like the soup. It's lucky to have
> > survived the night.) The field greens are ready to go, but the melon
> > part of the salad is a stir-fry, so I'm not going to make it until
> > just before it's time to eat. The popovers likewise should be eaten
> > almost as soon as they come out of the oven, and the potato-parsnip
> > purée gets kind of waxy if you make it too far ahead. The goose will
> > only need another twenty minutes or so, and that will be on the
> > stovetop (and it's too early to do that). Thus, I have time to write
> > this message and tell you all that it's great to be me! :-þ
> >
> > Bob
>
> That soup sounds like was fantastic. Your whole menu sounds great. I'm
not
> a big goose fan. I made one a long time ago and it was, well, terrible. I
> may have to do a duck for Xmas at mother's. She can't cook, not that I
> can. Mom is having the usual standing rib roast and I assume all the
sides.
> I'm taking the fixings for my cranberry relish which no one eats. I think
a
> fat mallard will suit. Just might have to find one on my travels over the
> month. I'll probably be too sore to cook by then I'll be spending
most
> of the month at a friend's house. She has a big horse farm. I'll either
> get kicked, bitten or fall. All three might happen. I am really looking
> forward to it Oh, I'll still be posting the whole time. My headers may
> look differently but it'll still be me. I can just see the RFC eyes
> rolling LOL
>
> Michael
>
> --

You disappeared for about 6 weeks during the summer to the horse farm,
didn't you? I rememer that!

kili

S'mee wrote:
> One time on Usenet, "Bob Terwilliger" > said:
>
> <snip amazing menu>
>
>> Goose Breast with Blackberry Sauce
>
> This sounds wonderful, and reminded me of a question I've got for
> RFCers: I have some raspberry jam I want to use up and thought about
> making a sauce for chicken. Beef marinades are pretty easy -- good
> vinegar, oil, aromatics (onion, lemon, etc.), and seasoning. But IIRC,
> vinegar isn't a good idea for chicken. Or am I thinking of something
> else? What would you do to turn regular jam into a nice sauce?
>
>

I've done raspberry jam with lime juice and chili powder for a quick sauce for
both chicken and pork. I just add lime juice to the jam until it becomes thin
enough and add chili powder to taste. I use Penzey's chili con carne because
it has good flavor with no heat and I can add and adjust the heat with
cayenne.

--
..:Heather:.
www.velvet-c.com

One time on Usenet, The Bubbo > said:
> S'mee wrote:
> > One time on Usenet, "Bob Terwilliger" > said:
> >
> > <snip amazing menu>
> >
> >> Goose Breast with Blackberry Sauce
> >
> > This sounds wonderful, and reminded me of a question I've got for
> > RFCers: I have some raspberry jam I want to use up and thought about
> > making a sauce for chicken. Beef marinades are pretty easy -- good
> > vinegar, oil, aromatics (onion, lemon, etc.), and seasoning. But IIRC,
> > vinegar isn't a good idea for chicken. Or am I thinking of something
> > else? What would you do to turn regular jam into a nice sauce?

> I've done raspberry jam with lime juice and chili powder for a quick sauce for
> both chicken and pork. I just add lime juice to the jam until it becomes thin
> enough and add chili powder to taste. I use Penzey's chili con carne because
> it has good flavor with no heat and I can add and adjust the heat with
> cayenne.

That sounds really good, thanks!


--
Jani in WA (S'mee)
~ mom, Trollop, novice cook ~

Michael wrote:

> I've never done just the breast. Have you? I wonder if it's less greasy
> than the whole goose.

The recipe calls for you to pull off all the fat and just cook the breast
muscles. It's dark meat but definitely not greasy. The legs are used in a
different recipe and the rest of the goose (sans skin) is used to make
stock. I'm going to render the goose fat out of the skin so I'll have it on
hand for cooking potatoes or for confit.

Bob

Teri wrote:

> What's a parmesan crisp? it *sounds* good.

It's also simple: Shred Parmesan cheese. Put a Silpat into a sheet pan. Put
mounds of the cheese onto the Silpat and bake at 375°F until the mounds
flatten out and the edges start to brown. Remove from the oven and allow to
cool slightly. (If you like, you can shape them while they're still warm.)
Store between paper towels in an airtight container.

Bob

Bronwyn wrote:

> What is the Hot Melon Salad? Sounds interesting!

I got the recipe off FoodTV.com; it's from "Good Eats." Here it is, but I
have to say that it wasn't my favorite part of the meal:

Good Eats Hot Melon Salad

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small red onion, sliced into thin rounds
16 ounces medium-diced melon, approximately 2 cups
1 tablespoon fresh basil, cut into chiffonade
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted

Heat a large saute pan or wok over high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the
olive oil, followed by the onion, and saute for 1 to 2 minutes, moving the
pan continually. Add the melon and saute for another 1 to 2 minutes or until
the melon starts to take on color. Add the basil, salt, and pepper and
continue to cook for another minute. Add the vinegar to the pan and toss to
combine. Pour mixture onto a serving platter, sprinkle with the cheese and
pine nuts, and serve immediately.


Bob

In article >,
(S'mee) wrote:

> One time on Usenet, "Bob Terwilliger" > said:
>
> <snip amazing menu>
>
> > Goose Breast with Blackberry Sauce
>
> This sounds wonderful, and reminded me of a question I've got for
> RFCers: I have some raspberry jam I want to use up and thought about
> making a sauce for chicken. Beef marinades are pretty easy -- good
> vinegar, oil, aromatics (onion, lemon, etc.), and seasoning. But IIRC,
> vinegar isn't a good idea for chicken. Or am I thinking of something
> else? What would you do to turn regular jam into a nice sauce?

I've got a recipe for Cherry Chipotle Relish on my website. Raspberry
Jam would be swell instead of the cherry stuff.
--
http://www.jamlady.eboard.com, updated 11-23-05 - Potica!

Michael "Dog3" Lonergan wrote:

[parmesan crisps]

>
> I have made these and I'm thinking Bob is talking the same thing. They are
> soooo easy to make and so good. You just shred the cheese (I have to add
> some onion but it's a personal thang , and dump it into flattish clumps
> on the pan. Bake 'em at like 350 until they look like you like them. I
> like mine totally crisp but that's just me.

These sounded so interesting that I did a google images search on them,
and the first link was to semihomemade.com. I laughed.

serene

Sounds delicious.

We had :

cheese tray (fontina, havarti, creamed asiago, and ementhaler) with
summer sausage and crackers

parmesan, crab, and artichoke dip

waldorf salad

rib roast with roasted veggies

turkey with apple and chestnut stuffing

glazed carrots

mashed potatoes

gravy from neck and gibblet stock

parslied mashed potatoes

green bean casserole

fried succotash

cranberry sauce

black forest cake

pumpkin pie

Started cooking early Wednesday evening, and just finished on time for
dinner Thursday.

Dean G.

On 25 Nov 2005 23:08:18 -0800, Dean G. wrote:

> parmesan, crab, and artichoke dip
>
> fried succotash

Recipes, please???

--

Practice safe eating. Always use condiments.

Michael wrote:

>>> I've never done just the breast. Have you? I wonder if it's less
>>> greasy than the whole goose.
>>
>> The recipe calls for you to pull off all the fat and just cook the
>> breast muscles. It's dark meat but definitely not greasy. The legs
>> are used in a different recipe and the rest of the goose (sans skin)
>> is used to make stock. I'm going to render the goose fat out of the
>> skin so I'll have it on hand for cooking potatoes or for confit.
>
> If you get time, can you post the recipe or send it to me. I would really
> like to have it. I don't think I have ever done a good goose. Thanks.

I posted this a few weeks ago. It's from _Fresh Ways With Poultry_:

Goose Breasts with Blackberry Sauce
Serves 4

1 9- to 10-pound goose, gizzard, neck, and heart reserved
2 cups red wine
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar or 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 onions, cut in eighths
2 carrots, sliced in 1/4-inch rounds
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme or 3/4 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
10 black peppercorns, crushed
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons safflower oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper

BLACKBERRY SAUCE
1 lb fresh or frozen blackberries, several whole berries reserved for
garnish, the remainder puréed and strained through a fine sieve
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons gin

Lay the goose on its back. Cut through the skin where a thigh joins the
body. Bend the leg outward to find the hip joint. Free the leg by cutting
around the ball at the end of the thigh bone and through the socket. Repeat
the process to remove the other leg. With a heavy knife or meat cleaver,
chop the knobs off the drumsticks.

Slit the breast skin lengthwise along the breastbone. Keeping the knife
pressed against the breastbone and then the rib cage, cut away each breast
half. Pull the skin and fat away from the breast meat as much as possible
with your hands, then use a small knife to finish the process. Pull the
skin off the legs. In a shallow dish, combine the wine, balsamic vinegar,
one quarter each of the onions and carrots, one third of the thyme, and the
peppercorns. Refrigerate the goose pieces in this marinade overnight.

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

To make the stock, first trim as much fat and skin from the goose carcass as
possible. With a meat cleaver or heavy knife, cut the carcass into two or
three pieces. Trim and roughly cut up the giblets and neck. Place the
bones and giblets in a heavy-bottomed roasting pan and brown them in the
oven for 15 minutes. Then add the remaining onions and carrots and cook for
15 minutes more.

Transfer the contents of the roasting pan to a stockpot. Pour off the fat
from the roasting pan, deglaze it with some more water, and pour the liquid
into the stockpot. Add enough water to the pot to cover the bones, then
bring the liquid to a boil and skim off the scum. Reduce the heat to
medium-low. Add the remaining thyme and the bay leaf. Simmer the stock for
two hours, then strain it into a saucepan and reduce it to about 2 1/2 cups.
Allow the stock to cool overnight in the refrigerator.

The next day, remove the breast halves from the marinade, leaving the legs
and marinade in the refrigerator. [See Note] Heat the oil in a
heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the breast halves for
five minutes on their smooth side. Turn them in the pan and sprinkle 1/8
teaspoon of the salt and some pepper over the cooked sides. Sauté the
breast halves for three minutes more, then remove them from the skillet.

To prepare the sauce, skim the fat from the refrigerated stock. Add 1 cup of
the stock to the skillet along with the puréed blackberries, 2 tablespoons
of the marinade, the remaining 1/8 teaspoon of salt, the vinegar, and sugar.
Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-low heat. Add the breast halves to
the pan and simmer them for seven minutes, turning once. Remove them from
the sauce and set aside to keep warm. Raise the heat to medium and pour in
the gin. Cook the sauce, whisking frequently, until it is shiny and reduced
to 3/4 cup -- about 15 minutes.

Cut the breast halves along the grain into very thin slices. Arrange the
slices on a serving platter, pour the sauce over the top, and garnish with
the reserved whole berries.

NOTE: This recipe is part of a two-recipe set. The other recipe is for
braised goose legs with shiitake mushrooms, and it uses the goose legs and
marinade left over from this recipe. Since the skin isn't cooked in this
recipe, you won't have much in the way of goose fat. But you can simply
render the fat in a skillet if you want to make Yorkshire pudding or you
want the fat for some other use.

Bob

The crab dip is someone else's recipe, but from what I gathered, it had
a can of good crab meat, a jar of artichoke hearts, quite a bit of
mayonaise, and some good parm on top. Cooked until the top was brown
and bubbly. I'll see if I can get the exact recipe. I'd probably cut
back on the mayonaise, but it was good.

As for the fried succotash, start the limas in the microswave for a few
minues or so. Meanwhile start a pan with some butter. I used about 2-3
Tbsp for a large pan full of 50/50 corn and limas. Put the corn in
first, and fry until it starts to brown the corn. Add the limas, and
lower the heat. Stir in some pimentoes or diced red peppers. Cook until
everything is hot. Sprinkle with salt and parsley. Sometimes I fry a
shallot with the corn, but not this time.

Dean G.