America’s Test Kitchen recipe. It specifically calls for skim (zero fat) milk. I’m going to say 5 oz and 1 oz by weight for the flour and cornstarch, respectively. I used only 1 tsp lemon zest, everything else the same. I used an 11-inch skillet, but 12" was specified in the recipe. We had some with powdered sugar, some with Nutella, but I personally preferred honey or maple syrup. Also when no one was looking i may have rolled up a slice and filled it with pastry cream.
3 Likes
Not dumb. Do you have a rack or perforated something you can fit in a pot with a lid? Just put your item to be steamed on there and put the lid on. You don’t need a dedicated steamer. If the rack isn’t tall enough, elevate it by placing it on top of an inverted mug.
1 Like
Thanks a lot, will try to make it! 
You can also put some water in a pot, with a rack like this, will do. I don’t own a steamer, but sometimes with a rack similar to the first one, I put a plate and then off I steam (whole fish, dim sum, potatoes)!
.
I have a steamer that was a gift but I’ve MacGyvered a steamer using a metal strainer/colander over a boiling pot of water (of course, do not submerge the food in the water). No need for special equipment for steaming at all.
2 Likes
Since returning from Bordeaux, I always made pasta, or bread and cheese or meal that I have showed here, nothing particularly interesting. Tonight I just made my first fish (head) soup. I followed a French Bouillabaisse soup recipe but not used the same fish. There were all types of fish heads I have been collecting for several months. I cut the head off before I cooked the fish and I tossed the heads in the freezers. There must be 3 pounds of heads.
Tomatoes, fennel, onions, garlic were roughly chopped. I added bay leaves and orange zest. As spice, there were dried chili flakes, White pepper and saffron. And finally a splash of Pastis. Steamed some potatoes and they were added in the final soup. The Aïoli wasn’t very successful, I added too much mustard (egg yolk, mustard, garlic and olive oil).
The grinding was the most time consuming part…it was almost discouraging.
2 tablespoon of Pastis enhanced the anise, fennel flavour.
I would say it was a success…and costed nothing! 
10 Likes
I’m just back from a Caribbean cruise, so I’ve been enjoying catching up on your dinners! We ate far too well on this cruise, so I have a feeling our dinners will be simple and somewhat ascetic for the next couple of weeks. Tonight is likely going to be a rotisserie chicken and a bagged salad, since I got back too late last night for a grocery run and the fridge is bare. Heading to the store as soon as I get home. Will be living vicariously through you all!
3 Likes
I was in this state last week, back from a trip and a bare fridge, was too busy even go out to shop as I was tied up with work. So I kept looking at the cans in the cupboard and the freezer!
Tell us more about your meals on your cruise!
1 Like
We sailed on Celebrity Silhouette, which has a multitude of dining options. Cruising has come a long way from the days of a fixed meal with 8 strangers in a banquet hall, thank goodness! On Silhouette, there is a dedicated restaurant for suite passengers, a dedicated restaurant for “spa class” passengers, and five other restaurants that can be booked by anyone, in addition to the main dining room and buffet. We generally book a cheaper room and spend money upgrading our dining to specialty restaurants, which is what we did this time.
The menus at these venues rarely change so this can get repetitive, but with five places to choose from, we didnt really get bored. Highlights were excellent veal (with a rich mushroom reduction) and venison (five spice and lingonberry) dishes, all the warm water lobster I cared to eat prepared in various ways, fabulous ramen sliders with ginger tobiko mayo, limoncello cheesecake and marvelous almond croissants. Most of the photos are on DH’s phone, but here are a couple from our night at the sushi/Japanese place:
Ramen slider:
Pork ramen (not stellar but good):
Gingerbread with wasabi ice cream (the gingerbread was dry but the ice cream and sesame tuile were fab):
The only true clunkers of the trip were a few buffet items, one ill-considered room service meal and a really bad ribeye. I have no idea what they did to it but it tasted as though it had been brined in sidewalk salt.
10 Likes
Thanks! Love that ramen slider and want to see more, if you can get a chance to get the photos from DH! 
, your meals are always so beautiful.
3 Likes
Tonight was a very simple meal of a hamburger and potato salad. There was supposed to be some cole slaw but clearly being sick has modified my sense of time. I could have sworn I made that cole slaw a day or two ago but it had gone way bad. It might have been as much as 10 days ago. Unfortunately, I didn’t notice this problem until it was too late, so no vegetable on the table.
Turns out we only had one hamburger bun in the freezer. So, my burger was served on today’s bread experiment. I am using a tried and true French country style formula and playing with non-white flours. My goal is to have a “house” multigrain mixture to enhance the flavor of my breads.
9 Likes
Thanks! I totally forgot about those metal folding things! I owned one at some point… definitely managable size and price 
1 Like
Thanks but I don’t have a rack of any kind… i’ll pick up one of the folding steamers soon and then lots of bao buns!
Stayed home from work today, spent significantly more time asleep than awake. Lots of very green juice and kombucha, but wanted legit food and went with some veggie dumplings from the freezer plus some more greens and random broccoli i had on hand. Generous bit of soyaki over everything. Not as hideous as most of my meals so i took a photo!
Cayannade kombucha sipped as dessert, no nyquil since i have to go to work and function in the morning
10 Likes
Warmed up some leftover prime rib from the freezer, with some broccolini, mushrooms, and waffle fries.
9 Likes
Shrimp Fra Diavolo over penne pasta with grilled asparagus on the side. The recipe was loosely adapted from barilla. Cut back on the chili flakes and black pepper, since I don’t care for spicy food, and topped it with parm.
https://www.barilla.com/en-us/recipes/blue-box/shrimp-fra-diavolo-with-penne
Eta- I think it could have used a little something. Perhaps pancetta, crispy prosciutto or bacon. Maybe vodka instead of wine
2 Likes
Have some left over salmon from last night and a small piece of cod from the freezer. In the process of Salmon & Cod Ceviche being made!..
Very simple …chopped tomato, thin sliced red onion, chopped cilantro, lime juice, a few drops of sesame seed oil, a splash of tabasco, EVOO, some s&p…let it sit for at least 2 hours in the fridge. I serve it with chopped red onion on the side, sliced bread, such as French Baguette or toasted challah bread. Tabasco, if needed.
3 Likes
you are toooo nice! thank you.
Well crap. Now i want waffle fries!!
1 Like
