Gravy's Cooking Thread

lurkingdirk said:

By a friend. Yeah.



Raw would probably be the worst. Folder would probably like brown.

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Agreed, and we all know Brown would be the sweetest for him, and refined would be the most expensive but unhealthy.

ToeMissile said:

Powdered sugar?

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That shit lets you bake all night muthfucka!

ToeMissile said:

I feel like apple pie is one of those things that gets made ‘just fine’ most of the time as it’s pretty straightforward, but every once in a while you come across one that was made by someone with legit skills and it kicks ass.

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My stepmom who was married to my dad for 25 years used to make an apple pie that was amazing before she passed away. She also used to make cobblers and other types of pies or whatever. She always used a bunch of butter and lard in the dough.

Birthday meals if I was around them, I never asked for a cake I would ask her to make a blueberry pie or cobbler or something similar. She would always make an apple pie during Thanksgiving and Christmas and with a big glob of ice cream, I enjoyed it, but it's not my favorite. They were always delicious and it was all recipes that her mother taught her when she was growing up in East Texas.

If I had to pick a particular hot pie, pecan is number one probably because I grew up in New Orleans. Coconut cream if you're going for a cold pie, no meringue, whipped cream only. I can plow through an entire coconut cream pie by myself, and I don't really eat that many sweets but it's so delicious.

kroenen said:

Also, I don't want my apple pie to have that too-sweet, borderline-syrupy taste. I generally prefer apple pie crumble or a German apple cake with vanilla custard/sauce.

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Yeah, I don't mind a crumble or German apple cake. I'd prefer them over the pie. Just the buttery brown sugar topping is why I probably prefer it, and of course with french vanilla.

Strawberry rhubarb crumble/ cobbler is also delicious. Mom used to make it all the time because my Grammy always made it when we visited her in Wisconsin. I remember summers as a kid up there, and we'd be out pond fishing on one of the farms with my grandfather or uncles, meanwhile mom and my sister and what other girls would be out picking blackberries and raspberries at would grow profusely. They'd come back with a bucket and then there was typically a cobbler or something made that evening with dinner. Plus you'd still have some left over and for breakfast you would do a bowl of berries and heavy whipping cream with a little bit of sugar. The cream was typically stuff from their dairy farm.

Goddamn that was so good. I think it's why I like just sweet cream ice cream so much. If my wife and I ever go to marble slab, that's what I always get with blackberries or raspberries mixed in. It's just such a clean and naturally sweet flavor or combination, I'm probably my favorite ice cream to make at home.

Anybody cooking anything good for Easter? Pulled a porchetta out of the freezer that I had prepped quite a while ago, and we're going to go ahead and roast it with garlic mashed potatoes and the roasted vegetable medley, just using stuff up.

I think it's been maybe 4 months if not a little bit longer since I had prepped it, I'm curious to see how much it's sort of cured being in the freezer with all of the herbs and stuff. I've been drying it out in the fridge for a roast, and it smells delicious, exactly like the kind we used to get from Frabonis in Wisconsin. If it's a successful as I think it might be, I think it ain't time I see pork butt on sale, I'll go ahead and buy up a few and prep a bunch and just have them waiting in the wings.

Siliconemelons said:

What is a good roast alternative to a standing rib roast - in terms of price (i.e cheaper) that is the same type of meat style - aka not pot roast and "shredded" type of meat outcome - but the "steak" type.

I know nothing will be 1:1 or why would it be a thing - but what other cheaper roasts with some prep and added stuff can make something nearly as good?

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Eye of round roast or you can even do a chuck roast.

Round is super lean, but the leftovers make great sandwiches. You can do Chuck, but when you go to carve got to separate all of the different muscles and pay attention to the grain.

I've roasted a few on the grill, and cook them to medium to at least give the connective tissue and fat a chance to render. They turned out pretty good for the price when you can pick one up a wagyu one for 10 bucks. I mean it's not a rib roast, but if you're wanting that sort of experience it's pretty close, or at least my wife and I enjoy it when I've made them. Really been more than experiment to see what I can do pushing a cheaper cut, and I think I've even posted about it before.

You're not going to get a big honking slab per serving, but you'll get nice slices that are fatty and juicy to go with whatever your accoutrements are.

It's definitely a reverse sear, but I don't see why sous vide probably wouldn't work, and might honestly be a better method.

I can't think of anything else off the top of my head, but I'm sure there's more out there. I guess it really just comes down to technique and finesse.

You can always take a big piece of skirt, I'm talking the full skirt, and roll it and then slice. That would probably be pretty good.

I'll think about it some more

Siliconemelons don't be listening to these parachuters, you can cook a chuck roast like a Sunday roast and it's probably the closest you'll get to a rib roast on the cheap, especially if you can find American wagyu. Just takes a bit of kitchen skills.



America's Test Kitchen don't lie.

They are right there with the eye of round, but it can still be cooked to be delicious, and like I said sliced then with a leftovers, you can make a great sandwich like a French dip.

Easter Porchetta. I had forgotten to take pictures but my wife took one. I guess I had prepped a pretty big pork butt a while ago and I think we only did maybe half or I think this was a third of it maybe, I'm just vacuum packed and tossex the freezer. Really tried to do the bare bones Frabonis kind with lots of pepper and salt and a ton of fennel. Probably the closest I've ever gotten to mimicking their in-house recipe.



I think the time in the freezer just sort of curing really made a big difference. seared it and my big pan to get some color, and then tossed in an onion, potatoes, thyme, white wine, and little chicken stock. Maybe about an inch of liquid that all cooked down.

We've had a couple rounds of sandwiches and just thinly shaving with arugula and provolone on some nice rolls. Had a jar of that pickled Italian vegetable blend jardinara or whatever it's called, and that goes really well with it to cut through some of the richness.

The next time pork butts are on sale, I'm going to load up get all the stuff I need to make quite a few to freeze and give to my neighbors and family.

That's why you do French dip with a nice au jus and lots of provolone. Dry brine it for a couple of days with a nice salt and herbs de Provence or Creole seasoning, and reverse sear. It's homemade roast beef cold cut meat.

It's not an amazing cut but it has its uses and can still be delicious. Roast it and keep your tabs on the temp to still make a nice Sunday roast with gravy and mashed potatoes. That's never going to be a rib roast, but it can still be tasty.