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I tweak recipes. It's just what I do. For our all's entertainment, I thought I'd start posting some of my... successes and failures.
And quiches. So, so many quiches.
And quiches. So, so many quiches.
Why jam all those things together and try to force butternut squash into the dish? Its like trying to jam that one last item into your trunk or closet that won't let the lid close.
Why not use the roasted butternut squash to make a butternut squash bisque or soup to serve as an accompaniment?
Why add stuff?
Because the squash was there.
I'll get to quiches another day. Today's experiment: adding butternut squash to a perfectly good pastitsio because it's fall and Assassin's Creed Odyssey is out.
Huh. I should have taken pictures. I'll upload some tomorrow.
For once, I didn't do anything different other than the intended change, adding an ingredient.
Well, I didn't change anything I haven't changed before... I have a gluten thing, so I eat gluten free. Brown rice penne and white rice flour replaced the wheat pasta and flour. Somewhere someone started a rumor that rice flour rues are unstable and grainy. These are both lies. I've made this recipe so many times, I only reference the ingredient list for the spices. The white sauce is smooth, delicious, and I've even used it for regular macaroni and cheese (subbing cheddar). Whoever started that rumor, go eat a brick.
What else have I changed? I left out the eggs because I like the smoother texture in the white sauce. I also subbed pork for the lamb because I'm in college and can't afford lamb. ;(
I may have a problem. However, my Frankenitsio is delicious.
Then I added roasted squash. Now, it's still good, but the flavor balance is off. I love the combination of pork, pumpkin, and pecorino, and when you bake all that in a casserole, yeah, that's fall. Now, the simplest answer is leave out the squash. I had a perfectly good recipe before I messed it up. Why add stuff?
Because the squash was there.
Rather than jam the squash in the casserole just for the sake of doing it, why not roast it, puree it, and add it to the custard? could use it to help thicken the custard while adding the flavor more subtly. No reason the squash shouldn't work with the warm spices in pastitsio along with the pork.
I've done several custards, panna cottas, and crème brulees with butternut squash. It adds great body, allowing you to reduce the fat and make a healthier product without compromising mouth feel too much. You can just puree it, or puree it and strain it if you want a smoother texture.OMG that's such a good idea. I need to try this!
I've done several custards, panna cottas, and crème brulees with butternut squash. It adds great body, allowing you to reduce the fat and make a healthier product without compromising mouth feel too much. You can just puree it, or puree it and strain it if you want a smoother texture.OMG that's such a good idea. I need to try this!
How is Assassin's Creed Odyssey? I just finished Syndicate.
It's been awhile since an experiment that deserves reporting here. Not that I haven't, because I can't resist, but with holidays and school starting back up, I haven't had the time for anything beyond playing with flour ratios in biscuits. I should post my gluten free experiments here. I look for low cost, simplicity, and reliability, so maybe one of the pros could actually use the information.
Anyway, I'm thinking about playing with that pastitsio again. I swear I've only made one casserole since the original post (kale and pecorino, I needed a cheap offset to Christmas dinner). I should try ChefBryan's suggestion of squash mornay, but I had this crazy idea I can't find any examples of on the internet. What would happen if I ground eggplant like lamb/pork? Would it turn to mush? I don't know. I have to find out.
My first thought if I were trying this would be to do a small dice on the eggplant and then roast it. You'll draw out the moisture, improver the texture, and add some umami.
Now about this new cookbook I bought, Korean Home Cooking by Sohui Kim! I've been oddly haunted by Korean things the passed two weeks, so when I saw this in the university bookstore, I bought it. The last time I bought a cookbook full price was, actually, never, but, so far, I have no regrets. There's a few small issues that someone who has no experience with Korean food and didn't read the book cover to cover might encounter, like she lists "sesame oil" but means toasted sesame oil. There's a picture in the front, but no mention of the different oils.
And I have to dodge gluten in the form of soy sauce (easy), gochujang (difficult), and rice cakes (don't have the time). Oh man.
So anyone who actually reads this is going to get to watch me tinker with gluten free flours after all. The first recipe I tried was pajeon, scallion pancakes. They're supposed to be thin (or less thin if you add shellfish yum!), savory, and crispy. Kim calls for a mixture of half AP wheat flour and half potato starch.
Normally, recipes that cut a large chunk of wheat flour are easy to make gluten free. I usually don't have to change anything but the flour. I didn't have potato starch, but I did have corn starch, so I used that and Bob's Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour, which I can get from the local Smart Foodservice for a great price.
Wow, it was a starchy mess. The batter held together perfectly, without xanthan gum and with less water than the recipe called for. The flavor, aside from being too starchy, was actually nice. I like the Bob's GFAP flour in savory recipes. The texture was just awful, a gummy mess.
The next change I made, this was all in the same week so no time to visit the grocery store for potato starch, was 120 grams GFAP flour and 15 grams corn starch. It was better, less starchy, crisper, edible, but not something I'd serve to anyone else. The next two trials on my list are all GFAP flour and the original recipe half potato starch. Bob's GFAP flour already contains potato starch, and even the low starch trial was gummy, So, I don't want to, but I will. What I really want to try is part rice flour.