New Year's Eve

On New Year's Eve (Sylvester, or St. Sylvester, to some, Hogmany to the Scots, etc.) we had a nice family gathering at the home of Carla's daughter.

Carla had made a fabulous black-eyed pea soup (that legume is a traditional favorite for the occasion in these latitudes), along with the obligatory cornbread.

As expected, the twins were the big stars (just about two months old and remember, they were one month premature).

Here we see Landon (the younger, and so far, smaller of the twins) showing his command potential:


Best regards,

Doug

Hi Doug,

Glad to read that you have had a nice family gathering, we had a similar one with friends from the neighborhood. Can we by any chance get the recipe of the black-eyed-pea soup please? Sounds like a hearty treat to me.

Landon is a fine fellow and won't have much trouble commanding his way to success it seems. I wish him and your family all the best

Cheers,

Cem_Usakligil said:

Glad to read that you have had a nice family gathering, we had a similar one with friends from the neighborhood. Can we by any chance get the recipe of the black-eyed-pea soup please? Sounds like a hearty treat to me.

Click to expand...

Carla is glad to oblige.

I have added some annotations for the global context. "tsp" is teaspoon (about 5 ml). "lb" is pound (about 450 g). "oz" is ounce (about 30 ml). "cup" is about 240 ml.

**********

BLACK-EYED PEA & HAM SOUP

From the kitchen of Carla Kerr, Weatherford, Texas USA

1 medium onion, chopped
4 bacon slices, diced (only 2 if thick sliced)
2 tsp. garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
12 cups water
2 cans chicken broth
2 (10 oz) cans Ro-Tel tomatoes [this is a brand of canned diced tomatoes with chopped green chile peppers]
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. dried black-eyed peas, rinsed [these are of course actually a bean]
2 tsp. salt
6 large carrots, peeled and sliced
2-1/2 cups ham, cooked and diced (If you don't eat ham, just leave it out)

In a large stock pot, sauté onions, bacon and garlic. Add rest of listed
ingredients with exception of ham and cook until peas are tender. When
they are tender, add ham and cook about 20-25 minutes on simmer until
carrots are tender. Garnish soup with fresh chopped parsley.

Serves 16

**********

Best regards,

Doug

it's the same recipe we use to make lentil soup, without the tomato (of course). I'll try it!

Time to cheer myself up right now
from everybody around opinion, I'm a pretty good cook
So if you need any French (or British) recipe
come on, ask....

Hi Carla,

Doug Kerr said:

Carla is glad to oblige.

I have added some annotations for the global context. "tsp" is teaspoon (about 5 ml). "lb" is pound (about 450 g). "oz" is ounce (about 30 ml). "cup" is about 240 ml.

**********

BLACK-EYED PEA & HAM SOUP

From the kitchen of Carla Kerr, Weatherford, Texas USA

1 medium onion, chopped
4 bacon slices, diced (only 2 if thick sliced)
2 tsp. garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
12 cups water
2 cans chicken broth
2 (10 oz) cans Ro-Tel tomatoes [this is a brand of canned diced tomatoes with chopped green chile peppers]
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. dried black-eyed peas, rinsed [these are of course actually a bean]
2 tsp. salt
6 large carrots, peeled and sliced
2-1/2 cups ham, cooked and diced (If you don't eat ham, just leave it out)

In a large stock pot, sauté onions, bacon and garlic. Add rest of listed
ingredients with exception of ham and cook until peas are tender. When
they are tender, add ham and cook about 20-25 minutes on simmer until
carrots are tender. Garnish soup with fresh chopped parsley.

Serves 16

**********

Click to expand...

Thanks so much, I will try this out sometime soon. Will let you know how it goes.

Cheers,

Sandrine Bascouert said:

it's the same recipe we use to make lentil soup, without the tomato (of course). I'll try it!

Time to cheer myself up right now
from everybody around opinion, I'm a pretty good cook
So if you need any French (or British) recipe
come on, ask....

Click to expand...

OK, here it comes. First the French: how about your recipe of crème brulée then? Then the English: Christmas Pudding please. ;-)

Cheers,

ouch hard one...
I will make no respect for the Christmas pudding because usually the ready made ones here are pretty well made (I mean not the cheap ones of course). But my dad was a baker and he used to make pudding the French way (FELONY!)...
For the creme brulee, the problem is to find the welding apparatus to make them well because through the grill, it's not that nice....

basically you make a sort of custard but a very thick one with some lemon/or orange rinds boiled in the milk at first (you can add some orange extract after in the liquid if you like a more "Spanish" taste.

When it's done, you put them in small ramequins and you leave them to cool and to set.... Sparkle some brown sugar and set fire ahahhahahahah! evil laugh...

Edit: It's better to make the custard with half wheat flour and half maize/corn flour and use whole milk (discard the cream when boiled)

I'm making bread right now (it's resting slowly at the moment) be sure that I'll post the result...

Hi, Sandrine,

Sandrine Bascouert said:

ouch hard one...
I will make no respect for the Christmas pudding because usually the ready made ones here are pretty well made (I mean not the cheap ones of course). But my dad was a baker and he used to make pudding the French way (FELONY!)...
For the creme brulee, the problem is to find the welding apparatus to make them well . . .

Click to expand...

In the US, we have these nice propane torches (used for amateur plumbing repairs and the like) - originally made by Otto Bernz Co (and still sold under the "Bernzomatic" name). They are wonderful pour le brûlage!

Best regards,

Doug

Yes I know these (in French it's Butagaz!) My sister in law have one, and one day she found out her 3 children trying to make some creme for her birthday while she was working (she loves that). The youngest trying to light a match while the middle one was holding the paraphernalia. ouch, bad call! Now it's in the top cupboard

Doug Kerr said:

...In the US, we have these nice propane torches (used for amateur plumbing repairs and the like) - originally made by Otto Bernz Co (and still sold under the "Bernzomatic" name). They are wonderful pour le brûlage!

Click to expand...

That's the torch I have been using in my kitchen for many years. Beats any other torch (or the grill oven) hands down.

Cheers,
(did I mention that I was an amateur cook with a specialty in crème brulée?)

So I got it wrong then...(I'm not a specialist of creme brulée, I make it the quick way...But never with ready made custard)

My specialities are stews, pies (steak and kidney pie for example)...
Pancakes...(a great favorite)
Blanquette de veau (veal stew)
Chocolate cake with almonds...

etc...
It's not nouvelle cuisine, It's good honest food, made to please your guests, not to show off...

Hi Sandrine,

Sandrine Bascouert said:

So I got it wrong then...(I'm not a specialist of creme brulée, I make it the quick way...But never with ready made custard).

Click to expand...

Why would you say that? You did not get anything wrong imo....

Cheers,

Chefs usually make creme brulée a different way (although I don't remember exactly what's different) but of course like anything (photography for exemple) nothing is cast in stone... I'd like to see more food photography here. I used to make some studio shoots of food when I was an apprentice. I did enjoy that. Choosing the plates, set the elaborate lighting, spray some water, gather leaves and herbs in the forest (we did that!), go to the markets buy some fabric to mimic the restaurant background, choosing silverware (1 set of each, as well as for the plates : 1 plate for different pattern) It was nice....

1- 1st decision, I'll make some today!

Sandrine Bascouert said:

. I used to make some studio shoots of food when I was an apprentice. I did enjoy that. Choosing the plates, set the elaborate lighting, spray some water, gather leaves and herbs in the forest (we did that!), go to the markets buy some fabric to mimic the restaurant background, choosing silverware (1 set of each, as well as for the plates : 1 plate for different pattern) It was nice....

1- 1st decision, I'll make some today!

Click to expand...

here it is
http://www.openphotographyforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=108360#post108360

For creme brulee I use double cream (1 pint), egg yolks (4) and whole eggs (2), vanilla sugar (some!) and a vanilla pod for the custard. Perpped and then baked in a bain marie to set off. You can add raspberries to the custard or replace the vanilla with thyme, rosemary etc.

Just when ready to serve, sprinkle with demerera sugar and blast with the blowtorch.


I'll add a yorkshirepudding recipe later - I can't do a Christmas pud as good as my mum's.

MIke
Let the caramel cool before you eat!

Mike Shimwell said:

For creme brulee I use double cream (1 pint), egg yolks (4) and whole eggs (2), vanilla sugar (some!) and a vanilla pod for the custard. Perpped and then baked in a bain marie to set off. You can add raspberries to the custard or replace the vanilla with thyme, rosemary etc.

Just when ready to serve, sprinkle with demerera sugar and blast with the blowtorch.


I'll add a yorkshirepudding recipe later - I can't do a Christmas pud as good as my mum's.

MIke
Let the caramel cool before you eat!

Click to expand...

A very good recipe Mike, if may say so. Can't wait to read your Yorkshire pudding recipe. And can you please ask your mom for her secret/cherished recipe of Christmas pudding?

Cheers,

There nothing that beat homemade yorkshires. I'm looking forward the recipe...
I'm open as usual for more recipes as well