on the subject of almonds

or, perhaps the subject of almonds in.
as in almond paste, or marzipan.
for this ingredient, i used almond paste, stuffed into dried apricots. The original recipe actually called for dried peaches, but apricots were what was available, so apricots were what was used!
I actually presented these to head table, in the form of a subtlety, to their Stellar Majesties, Owen and Genevria, at their coronation, as "sweetmeats, under a peacock's form, with plumage displayed"
they went over incredibly well! several people remarked upon how much they enjoyed them.
they have actually become something of a staple in my repetoire since then, the last time we made them, we dipped 2/3 of each in milk chocolate. I intend to experiment a bit in other types of chocolate, over the next few weeks!

Lets have Bacon!

Bacon. People eat it for breakfast, people eat it in sandwiches, people wrap other food in it. Some people might put it on pizza. Bacon is a widely diverse food, that is normally fried, but can be made many other ways. I even found a group called the Royal Bacon Society. Hmmmm. Anyway, let's see what we get out of this American favorite of an ingredient.

This ingredient has been suggested by our group member, Peter.

Peter-Almonds_Daryolles

Here is my Group Cooking Project entry: Daryolles, from the ancient English miscellany "Form of Cury", dated to 1381. Almond milk was used instead of cream: the almonds were ground up with a 2004 semi-sweet varietal (Mustang grapes, I think) from western Maryland, seasoned with a generous pinch of saffron, a half-cup of sugar and a pinch of salt. Crust was "pate sucre" from Jacques Pepin's Complete Techniques--ingredients almost identical to those in "A Proper Newe Book of Cookery", also English but from 1524. Baked for about 45 miniutes in an oven that started at 350, was immediately turned down to 300, and reduced gradually to about 200 degrees for the final 15 minutes (which simulates the thermal profile of an anient oven: it's heated by a fire built inside, the fires is swept out and the baking put in and the temperaure drops gradully as the oven cools) More details to follow!

Amy-Almonds_Bisteeya

I prepared bisteeya. Bisteeya is a Moroccan dish, that simplified is a sweet chicken pie with phyllo dough crust. I have to admit, I did not try to make my own phyllo dough. I'm just not that sadistic. This dish is commonly seen at large celebrations in Morocco.
The whole process was about three or four hours of almost continuous work. I started with my chicken, which I boiled with chicken stock, turmeric, parsley, a cinammon stick, salt and pepper. After that had simmered for a bit, I removed the chicken, and added five eggs to the mixture, slowly, until just set. This mixture was then placed in the refrigerator to chill. I prepared the phyllo crust at this time. Basically, layer eight sheets of phyllo dough, buttering each as you go. Arrange chicken, pour egg mixture over chicken (which is a lovely golden color from the turmeric). Then sprinkle the entire lot with a combination of cinnamon, confectioner's sugar, and ground almonds Proceed to top with eight more sheets of phyllo dough, buttering as you go. Then, I placed the pie pan in a preheated 425 degree oven for fifteen minutes. The pie is then removed from the oven and inverted onto a buttered baking sheet, and placed back in the oven for an additional ten minutes. I then placed the entire pie on a serving dish, surrounded it with a whole wheat couscous, and garnished with parsley.
It was definitely quite tasty. Ingredients were easy to find. My husband did comment that when he heard Moroccan he was expecting something very spicy, as in Texas spicy, and the Moroccan flavorings took him by surprise.
I will make this again, but next time it needs to be for a special occasion or for a larger group of people. The work is just too much for two folks.

The First Ingredient is... Almonds

OK, Lets go with almonds. I decided on this ingredient because it is so versatile and can be sweet or savory, and made into so many different things. If you cannot use these for some reason, go ahead and use another A ingredient.

A little history. Almonds originated in the Middle East. They are quite possibly one of the oldest domesticated trees known to man. And a little unknown tidbit, they are actually not a true nut, but a seed.

Have fun, and I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!

Ingredients A to Z

OK,
To prevent anyone from having to go out and purchase a new cookbook, I figured we could start this whole thing out with ingredients. Starting with A, ending in Z.

So, I'll go first an ingredient starting with the letter A.

Gee, feels like Grown Up Sesame Street a bit.

The only rule about the ingredient has to be that it is relatively easily obtainable.

More to come shortly.

Ingredients or Cookbook, which would folks like to go with first?

OK folks, here we go.

First question should be easy. Do we want to pursue an assigned cookbook first, or would we rather go with ingredients, or possibly a specific technique? Let me know!

Amy

Welcome to The Great Cooking Project!

Welcome to The Great Cooking Project.

The art of fine cooking at home is not what it used to be, and the use of "convenience foods" has become a staple in the American pantry. This group is for folks that think that they would enjoy helping to bring back the art of cooking.

Here is the basic idea, and we will fine tune it before jumping in and starting things off. A cookbook, or maybe an ingredient or some other inspiration will be selected. I am thinking of rotating between group members on this one. Everyone in the group will go forth and attempt the selected cuisine, and then come back and discuss the experience, taste, changes they would make, pros and cons, etc.

Anyway, we can start having fun with this soon.