50 new things to cook in 2005

"New things" = new foodstuffs and familiar things done in new ways. Also things I haven't cooked in a long time (like yeast bread). So far - souffles and brussel sprouts (blanched, sauteed til crispy, walnuts and romano cheese).

Next up - rabbit, butternut squash.

My "50 different breads this year" includes some I've made before. So far: 1. Whole wheat cumin rolls. 2. Brioche. 3. Bialys [Bialies?]. 4. Cracked wheat sandwich bread.

Tomorrow I'll make another one but I don't know what yet...

Chris, I've been meaning to ask - are you using the desklamp to get the dough to rise, or did you find a better method? Our place is chilly, drafty, etc., not to mention all electric, so no pilot lights anywhere.

I got a bit of heat in the house, but it's still ~60 degrees. Now I'm keeping bread next to my portable radiator. It's not an ideal method, since it tends to keep just one side warm, and it's still a bit colder than ideal.

The problem with the desk lamp was that it made the dough TOO warm -- it rose too quickly, and the top dried out. I didn't play around with it enough to try to fine-tune the concept, although I probably should, since the radiator method is in many ways less than ideal.

I normally sit dough on the hob above a v low oven (or while I'm cooking something else in there) to rise. Alternately, it should still rise overnight even in a cool house - you'll have to wait for it, though.

Yeah, you can also turn the pilot light on in the oven without turning the heat on, and I guess that makes the oven the proper temperature. I have an electric oven, though, so that doesn't work.

Ooh Liz, good tip. I've been balancing bowls on radiators up to now and it's a bit precarious.

Sauted goose liver on rosemary sourdough croutons for a starter, then roast goose. I've rendered all the lovely fat and packed the remaining meat under a good layer of it for cassoulet later this year.

And! a loaf of bread! It's been at least 15 years since I make a loaf of yeast bread. I used the main recipe from Beard on Bread, but added some olive oil. I have a clamp-on worklight in the kitchen now, and pointed it at the bowl (from about 3 feet away) to give it a cozy place to rise, which worked. Since I was roasting the goose and screwed up on timing things, I gave the dough two bowl risings then one in the pan. It turned out beautifully. We snarfed two big slices when we came home from listening to a co-worker's band at a local dive and had more this morning as toast.

Ice. Cream. Yesterday. Yum.
(shame the chocolate sauce separated but hey ho, and it tasted fine)

Tip for helping dough rise: put an electric heating pad under the bowl. These are cheap (I use something like this.) and provide a steady, controllable low heat. I've gotten consistently good results with this trick.

I sometimes set the bowl with the dough on the heating pad inside another bowl so that the heat goes up the sides.

(Using a warm oven works well, but not if you want to preheat the oven to the baking temperature or use it for something else while the dough is rising. Having an electric heating pad eliminates this problem.)

Hurrah for your bread, Jaq!

I made stock this weekend, which I've never done before. I just threw a bit of everything in. It came out rich and flavorful.

We bought tamales at the farmer's market this morning for breakfast. These were pork and chili filled and very yum. But I'd like to learn to make green corn tamales this year. I used to get them when I lived in Phoenix and when I was working down in Mexicali. Basically they are the masa with sweet corn kernels mixed in, then wrapped in the husks and steamed. Anyone out there have any tips? Is it better to use fresh corn husks or are the dried ones just fine?

I've used dried both times I've made tamales — worked fine.

So, I didn't get to 50 (I also didn't actually keep track, just scanned back through the messages in here and on our blog), but here's the new stuff I cooked in 2005:

souffles
brussel sprouts, blanched and roasted with walnuts and romano
fried rabbit
whole wheat bread
challah
caltrops
roast goose
sauteed goose liver on rosemary croutons
green corn tamales
home-rendered lard
paneer
palak paneer
keema mutter
chapatis
ghee
leeks
sweet dumpling squash
sauerkraut
interesting burger sauce
waffles
berry compote
parsnips
hash browns
shredded pork with mango chili sauce
peach pie
blackberry cobbler
steamed pork buns (char sui bow)
pork pie (thank you Chris and Vicky)
jellied pork stock
roasted pork belly
air-dried ham
yam risotto
key lime bars
flambe'd peaches

I don't think I made it through 50 breads but I haven't tabulated yet. Perhaps this thread revival will make me finally get around to it.