Daily Pilots Post - What's Cooking?

[aurora-0811.livejournal.com]

[Poll #1648060]

Today's activity is called:  WHAT'S COOKING!

Let’s pretend that the fleet has its own version of Thanksgiving and since its one of my personal canon (yes I have many depending on my mood) that Lee and Kara are in a functional and challenging relationship they have decided to host a holiday dinner for their pilots and family.  Luckily the IKEA ship also has a fully stocked Whole Foods in the cargo hold.  Problem is all the remaining cookbooks are back on the colonies!

OH NO!  SET CONDITION ONE THROUGHOUT THE GALLEY!!!  THIS IS NOT A DRILL!!!

Naturally, Kara’s put herself in charge of hunting down all the ambrosia and hooch they will need to celebrate and tells Lee he’s frakked because he’s in charge of menu planning.  

Here’s where we come in!  Help Lee out and post your favorite recipes and bonus points if you can re-name it with some BSG-related name. 

Yes, this is just an excuse to have a shipper recipe swap.  So many foodie posts make their way through our flists (you know who you are) that I thought this would be fun for the holiday season.  Dust off your cookbooks and favorite recipes and let’s save the pilots holiday dinner!

Comments

[stripes13.livejournal.com]

*eyes the cast*

*cackles*

[ninety6tears.livejournal.com]

LOL, pretty much my reaction :)

[antismiles.livejournal.com]

HAHAHAHAHA YESSSSSSSSSS. My snarktwin is on board? Let me make some popcorn. This is gonna be awesome.

Pilots Thanksgiving, Old School-style

[callmeonetrack.livejournal.com]

Re: Pilots Thanksgiving, Old School-style

[aurora-0811.livejournal.com]

This would be hilarious if you swapped them, Kara needs her gun Tara!

[angelicalangie.livejournal.com]

I'm joining in .. I want to be Athena - I could make a comment here, but I dunno how many I might anger or offend so *Whistles*

If I have to have second choice - well it will be Leoben I want to be scary and a mind frakker)

[aurora-0811.livejournal.com]

Woohoo! The more the merrier. I don't think we've met so "hi!" nice to meet you!

I will add to the cast list tomorrow and do the same method for picking, if more than one apply for the same character I get random and choose out of a hat and move to your second choice and do the same thing!

Athena is awesome, I don't think we're an easily offend-able group as long as it isn't bashing of each other, pilots or the bsg actors. So no worries there!

LEOBEN *shiver* he gives me the heebie jeebies.

[thegreenkitty.livejournal.com]

*raises hand*

I have a question. If the IKEA ship has a Whole Foods (which is completely awesome, btw), is there also a ship for the free-range turkeys and chickens?

(Enquiring veterinary minds want to know.) ;)

(Also, everyone knows I don't cook so I'll be sitting over to the side w/ Kara and the booze.)

p.s.--Woohoo!! I get to be snarky and smoke all day Friday. If you want, I'll be Tigh also. :P

[aurora-0811.livejournal.com]

We have free-range pigeon....does that count?

IDEK bb. Sure...we can have free range poultry on the Whole Foods cargo level, it's on the port side next to the humane milking stations. ITS THE END OF THE WORLDS LIZ WE CANT HAVE EVERYTHING YOU KNOW. :P

If you want a second character add to the poll and I'll sort it out tomorrow night and let you know! Thanks hun!

Pumpkin Pie (Sorry, nothing witty coming to mind)

[ecstaticdance.livejournal.com]

Recipes? Really? Umm.....

Okay. Rolls and fresh pumpkin pie. (In order to have a Whole Foods, they also need to have the ability to grow food, so yes, they have fresh pumpkin.)

Start with the Fresh Pumpkin pie.

To make pumpkin puree:
Cut up the pumpkin into at least 8ths, smaller if it's really big. Scoop out the seeds and goop.
Coat the bottom of a roasting pan with oil, and place the chunks of pumpkin in rind up.
Roast at 325F until it's very soft (about 1.5 hours)
Blend in a blender or food processor or food mill, and if the resulting puree seems wet, line a colander with a cheesecloth, scoop the puree into the cheesecloth, cover it with the ends and place a 5 lb weight on top (please, no boots).

Make a single pie crust, and cook it ahead of time:
1 1/3 c. flour (I use whole wheat flour and find a ratio of 1 c. whole wheat pastry flour to 1/3 c. regular whole wheat flour gives the best texture)
1/2 c. butter or shortening (butter blends better, but take it out to soften ahead of time!)
dash of salt
3 tblsp. cold water (about -- whole wheat flour needs more)
1 pie plate
some aluminum foil
dried beans, rice or other grains (for weighting)
One egg, beaten

Preheat the oven to 400F

Cut together the flour, salt and butter/shortening. If you have a pastry cutter, great, if not two butter knives will do the trick.
Once it's well blended, add the water 1 tblsp at a time until the dough can be rolled into a flakey ball.

Roll the crust out and place it into the pan, folding the edge over, and finishing it a bit above the edge of the pan (it will shrink a bit when you cook it empty).
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Carefully line the pie crust with aluminum foil, shiny side down, and flare the edges out over the edges of the crust.
Fill that with whatever you found for weighting it (this keeps bubbles from forming in it).

Bake for 20 minutes to set the crust, remove the weight, and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, until it's golden brown.

Remove the crust from the oven and brush it with your beaten egg.
Bake once more, for 1 or 2 minutes, until the egg glaze is set.

Your crust can now sit for as long as you need it to before you make the pie (over night is fine, if you get distracted, Lee).

Pie Filling:
2 large eggs, thoroughly whisked
2 c. pumpkin puree
3/4 c. milk
3/4 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg (I go closer to 1 tsp -- I really like nutmeg)
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 375F.
Re-warm the pie crust in the oven until it is hot to the touch.
Whisk all the filling ingredients together thoroughly.
Pour the filling into the crust.
Bake until the center seems set, but quivery, like gelatin. 35 to 45 minutes.
Remove it from the oven, and cool completely.
Can be refrigerated up to one day.

Serve cold, room temperature, or slightly warmed.

Whipped Cream:
Pour whatever heavy cream you have left over from your pie filling into a bowl just a bit larger than you need. Add one tsp of honey, and whisk (manually or with an electric blender) until it forms peaks.
BE CAREFUL NOT TO OVERWHISK! YOU WILL END UP WITH VERY SWEET BUTTER! YES, I KNOW FROM EXPERIENCE! (Not a bad thing, necessarily, since you'll be able to use the butter on the rolls, but also kind of a waste of effort. And then you have no whipped cream for your pie! **sadface**)

Earthy Angel Dinner Rolls (for the grittier angels)

[ecstaticdance.livejournal.com]

Light and Fluffy Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls next

1 package (or 2 1/4 tsp or 1/4 oz or 7g) active dry yeast.
1 cup warm water

Combine and set aside to activate the yeast (the yeast should blossom. If it does nothing, your water is probably either too hot or too cold.)

3 tblsp honey
1 c buttermilk (you can make this with 1 tblsp lemon juice or white vinegar plus enough milk to make 1 cup)
1 egg

Mix together, stirring until smooth.

5 cups finely ground whole wheat bread flour (coarse will work, but the rolls will not be so fluffy and soft)
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp salt

1/4 cup cool butter

Stir flours and salt together in a large bowl.
Add yeast and other liquids.
Blend by hand to make the dough.
Knead by hand about 12 minutes (about 300 strokes), until the dough is smooth and supple. If the dough is seeming too dry, add water by wetting your hands as you knead.

Smear the mutter across your kneading surface, a little at a time. Gradually knead it into your dough. When you're done, and all the butter is kneaded in, the dough will be lustrous, silky and very, very soft.

Let it rise in a covered container at warm room temperature for 2 hours, or until a wetted finger makes a hole that does not fill in (but before it collapses!)

Carefully deflate the dough (punching it down breaks the gluten strands, which are what makes it rise -- press the air out gently, instead)
Let it rise again, maybe a little warmer, for about an hour (use the same test).

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and deflate.
Divide the dough into 4 pieces and round it, keeping the top surface smooth and unbroken.
Cover the pieces with a warm, damp cloth to prevent them from drying out.
Let it rest until the first ball is relaxed, soft and pliable.

Grease your thick aluminum bun pan(s) (they suggest one 11"x16", I've generally used 2 8" round cake pans) or pyrex dishes or cookie sheet.

Flatten the balls of dough in order once they've relaxed, and cut each into 3 equal pieces. Round each into a roll and place them in your dishes about 1/2" apart. If you have extra space, do not spread out your rolls. Instead, dust the rest of the pan with flour to prevent the grease from burning.

Preheat your oven to 400F

Seal the rolls in a plastic bag or keep them near some boiling water to keep them from drying out while they rise.
Allow them to rise in a very warm place for as long as 45 minutes or an hour. They should almost be sagging.

Put the rolls in the oven for 20 minutes, until they're just golden brown. Check them regularly, as they may be done even faster if they've risen well.
Take them out and brush them with melted butter.

Serve warm.

(I've also made them ahead by baking them for half an hour at 275F, then re-baking them the next day at 450F for about 15 minutes to brown them up.)

(Guess what I'm doing tomorrow!)

I'm bringing dessert!

[ninety6tears.livejournal.com]

I only recently became aware of the existence of Hersheys cinnamon chips. Life=made, as I have a total love affair with cinnamon. These cookies deceptively look like chocolate chip oatmeal, but then there's that homey spicy kick.
I can't think of a witty name here. Um...

New Caprica Sex cookies.

Ingredients

* 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
* 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
* 1/3 cup raisins
* 1-1/4 cups quick-cooking oats
* 1 cup HERSHEY'S Cinnamon Chips
* BAKING INSTRUCTIONS (recipe follows)

Directions

1. Use clean 1 quart (4 cups) glass jar with lid. Stir together flour, baking soda and granulated sugar; pack down into bottom of jar. Layer and pack with brown sugar, raisins, oats and cinnamon chips in that order. Close jar; attach card with the following instructions:

BAKING INSTRUCTIONS:

2. Heat oven to 350 F.

3. Spoon contents of jar into large bowl; break up any lumps with wooden spoon. Add 1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter, 1 lightly beaten egg and 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract; beat with spoon until well blended (batter will be stiff). Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Re: I'm bringing dessert!

[rayruz.livejournal.com]

Oooooh, amazing. So are the chips chocolate chips with cinnamon in them?

[scifishipper.livejournal.com]

I don't cook but I will volunteer to eat. YUMMY!

[callmeonetrack.livejournal.com]

Harbinger of Yum Sweet Potatoes

This is the best sweet potato recipe of all time, yo! (Not for the weak of heart, though. It's got more butter than Lee has emo faces!) It's actually the sweet potato casserole recipe that Ruth's Chris Steakhouse uses. It tastes like dessert and we never have any leftovers when we make it.

CRUST
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 cup chopped nuts (pecans preferred)
1/3 stick butter -- melted

SWEET POTATO MIXTURE
3 cups mashed sweet potatoes
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs -- well beaten
1 stick butter -- ( 1/2 cup) melted

Combine brown sugar, flour, nuts and butter in mixing bowl. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine sweet potatoes, sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs and butter in a mixing bowl in the order listed. Mix thoroughly. Pour mixture into buttered baking dish. Sprinkle the surface of the sweet potato mixture evenly with the crust mixture. Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to set at least 30 minutes before serving.

[rayruz.livejournal.com]

That is epic amounts of butter. Paula Deen would be like WHOA.

[aurora-0811.livejournal.com]

My sister makes a version of this for Thanksgiving without the nuts. She cuts down a little on the butter and used 1/2 regular brown sugar and 1/2 splenda brown sugar as to slow down the ride to a diabetic coma. HOLY CRAP it is good though. I can't wait for turkey day now!

Corn Pudding > Algae Pudding

[rayruz.livejournal.com]

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 cup evaporated milk
2 eggs, beaten
1-1/2 tsp baking pouder
2 packages (10 oz each) frozen whole kernel corn

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Melt butter in saucepan. Mix sugar and flour, stir into melted butter. Stir in milk, eggs, and baking powder. Mix well. Stir in corn. Pour mixture into 2-quart buttered casserole dishes or two 1-quart baking dishes. Bake in oven until top is golden brown and center is set. About 45 minutes.

Re: Corn Pudding > Algae Pudding

[aurora-0811.livejournal.com]

mmmm Ray this sounds really good and super duper easy. good side dish!

I want all the fangirls to come to my house for a pot luck dinner now.

[coffeesuperhero.livejournal.com]

FOOD POST OMG

I WILL BE BACK LATER WHEN I'M NOT IN CLASS. TRUST.

[rayruz.livejournal.com]

I WAS WONDERING WHEN YOU WOULD.

Six's Famous Fruit Salad

[mserrada.livejournal.com]

Sorry, I don't cook, so this is as close as I come ;^)

1) Choose SIX fruits to get a white fluffy coif
-Suggestions: bananas, grapes, apples, pears, mandarin oranges, cherries

2) Chop fruit of choice
-Kara might be coaxed into this activity

3) Whip cream to near fluffy bunnies, then add sugar & tsp of vanilla
(lots of sugar, cause this is dessert pretending to be a health side dish)
-probably Helo in charge of this, he's sweet & fluffy both.

4) Stir the pilots...er...pair of items together until you have sweet, fluffy goodness.

5) Enjoy

Re: Six's Famous Fruit Salad

[callmeonetrack.livejournal.com]

I think we used to call this kind of fruit salad....AMBROSIA!

It had mini marshmellows too!

Earth 1.0 Creme Brulee

[ninjamonkey73.livejournal.com]

(ETA: Too soon for a scorched Earth joke? Heh.)

This is one of the most requested desserts I have ever made. Although it takes a long time to make, I highly recommend both the regular and chocolate variations. It is not good for you and worth every creamy bite!

Creme Brulee
Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

Prep Time: 30 min
Cook Time: 2 hr 40 min
Serves: 6 servings

Ingredients
9 egg yolks
3/4 cup superfine white sugar plus 6 tablespoons
1 quart heavy cream
1 vanilla bean

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a large bowl, cream together egg yolks and sugar with a whisk until the mixture is pale yellow and thick.

Pour cream into a medium saucepan over low heat. Using a paring knife, split the vanilla bean down the middle, scrape out the seeds and add them to saucepan. Bring cream to a brief simmer, do not boil or it will overflow. Remove from heat and temper the yolks by gradually whisking the hot vanilla cream into yolk and sugar mixture. Do not add hot cream too quickly or the eggs will cook.

Divide custard into 6 (6-ounce) ramekins, about 3/4 full. Place ramekins in a roasting pan and fill pan with enough water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake until barely set around the edges, about 40 minutes. You may want to cover loosely with foil to prevent browning. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature. Transfer the ramekins to the refrigerator and chill for 2 hours. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar on top of each chilled custard. Hold a kitchen torch 2 inches above surface to brown the sugar and form a crust. Garnish with cookies and fresh fruit. Serve at once.

Variation: Before dividing into ramekins: add 3 ounces of shaved dark chocolate for chocolate creme brulee; add 4 slices of crystallized ginger for ginger creme brulee; add 3 slices of orange peel for orange creme brulee. Let steep 20 minutes to infuse the flavor. Strain out the ginger and orange peel before baking.

Re: Earth 1.0 Creme Brulee

[callmeonetrack.livejournal.com]

Ha! Scorched Earth Brulee! And I love Tyler Florence. <3 I have a cookbook of his (we went to an interesting dinner show/signing thing he did years ago) but the recipes always intimidate me!

[aurora-0811.livejournal.com]

I don't have my recipes here at work so more to come later but who doesn't like to drink while cooking? Kara may have the hooch under wraps but our Lee's a refined gentleman who would drink a martini yes, yes he would...or at least whip up a batch for his guests.

Cranberry Martini

2oz good vodka (don't skimp people...it's thanksgiving)
1oz Godiva liquor
1oz cranberry juice
1tsp cranberry sauce (the jellied kind..be sure to break it up so its loose)
1/2oz of chilled champagne

Put everything but the champagne into a shaker with ice, let the shaker sit for a minute to get its chill on, then shake for a full minute. Strain into two martini glasses and add 1/2oz of champagne to each. It's tart but sweet...yummy!

Garnish with lime or if you want to get really fancy you can drop a couple whole cranberries into the bottom

[ddt73.livejournal.com]

I'm the Chief! Must be sure to have plenty of my special brew ready! ;)

[coffeesuperhero.livejournal.com]

I am so late with these! Ack! But aurora_0811 told me to post them anyway, SO. Here you are!

01. Sweet & Sour Green Beans (Alternate BSG-related title?)
Ingredients

1. 4 cans drained french-cut green beans


2. 1 pack bacon (or fakon, if you're a vegan/vegetarian)


3. 1/2 onion, chopped


4. 1 2.5oz package sliced almonds


5. 3/4c. vinegar


6. 3/4c. sugar


7. *special vegan/vegetarian version ingredient: 2 tablespoons of not-really-meat broth of your choice (though perhaps not fake- beef or chicken for this recipe)-- Chef recommends homemade leek broth or Better Than Bouillon's Vegetable Base.

Combine beans and onions in large mixing bowl. Cut bacon into small pieces, place in frying pan, cook 'til crisp. Place bacon on paper towels to drain, save excess grease. (Or, if you used fakon, don't worry about it! :D) In a small saucepan over medium heat, mix sugar & vinegar with 2 tablespoons of bacon grease (or not-meaty-broth/base of your choice), heat until sugar dissolves. Pour this mixture over the beans, add almonds and stir it all together. Cover and refrigerate overnight (or, if you're like Kara -- or me-- and patience is not your strong suit, just go ahead and bake it right now). Bake at 350, covered, for about two hours.

SometimesAlways a Great Notion Potato Casserole

Ingredients

1. 2 lb. bag frozen hashbrown potatoes


2. 1/2 c. melted butter


3. 1/2 c. chopped onion


4. 1 can cream of chicken soup (if you're making a vegetarian version, swap this for 1 can of cream of mushroom)


5. 1 8oz. carton sour cream


6. 2 c. grated cheddar


7. salt & pepper to taste

Thaw the potatoes. Combine butter, salt, pepper, onion, soup, sour cream and cheese. Mix well with the potatoes. Dump it all into a large casserole dish and bake, covered, at 350 for about 45 minutes.

Chef's note: It is theoretically possible to make this a vegan-friendly recipe, but I have not done that. If I made it, it would involve some combination of Earth Balance, Teese, silken tofu and homemade not-really-cream of mushroom. These are my thoughts.