New Episodes Discussion: Cooking for Jeffrey!

[grisgris]

I caught today's chocolate show. Funny how Ina can create a show mostly out of retreads but with her it looks fresh an interesting ... unlike a certain redhead who also has shows produced by Pacific Productions. At least Ina has the courtesy to tape brand new presentations of the new/old recipes and not just lazily splice together segments from past seasons. (Just sayin'.)

Anyway, I came here to say now much I've been enjoying Ina's new series. Yeah.  Some of the stuff I've seen before or it's something that I already know how to make. But Ina has such an engaging way of presenting that I happily sat and watched her temper chocolate in the microwave. I like this series because it's just Ina cooking, which I guess from what we're seeing with the ratings, isn't going over so well with the "can of ... " and "grudge match" viewers. I honestly don't miss Jeffrey bumbling around with whatever Ina (or production) has tasked him with and I certainly don't miss the contrived stories and pretentious BFFs. (Yeah, looking at Bobby and what's-her-name.)

I didn't mind the guest Ina had on today. It was for such a brief period of time and I kind of enjoy seeing the behind-the-scenes folks. Wow! That young woman towered over Ina. I know that Ina is very short but that woman must have surpassed 6'!

[rhys]

I enjoyed the episode also. Thought the cake looked divine. I was glad she mentioned "no leavening" as i was thinking " hey,   no baking soda?" The white icing for the chevrons was easy too. I thought I'd skip the bark lesson as I figured she would use a candy thermometer but I'm glad I watched that.

[chessiegal]

On ‎7‎/‎9‎/‎2017 at 1:01 PM, annzeepark914 said:

Oh fer cryin' out loud...I missed it again.  I guess I'll have some episodes to watch for the first time when they re-run them. ~sigh~

If you have a tablet or smart phone, you can download the FN app for free and watch her most recent shows on it.

I have my DVR set to record her shows.

[anneofcleves]

I skipped the chocolate show (only because baking shows bore me) and I also almost skipped the roasted vegetables because I thought it would be retreads, but I'm so glad I stuck with it.  Everything that was made looked so delicious, especially chef Yotam Ottolenghi's roasted root vegetables with sumac yogurt.  I can't wait to try that.  

Ina, more shows about vegetables, please!

[annzeepark914]

That's funny!  You loved this episode about vegetables and I totally disliked this show.  I too skipped the chocolate show because I'm not all that into chocolate (weird but true--I do like Hershey's almond chocolate bars). I have a question, though:  does anyone think Ina has gotten shorter?  When she was standing behind her Dutch oven that was on the stove, she looked very short.  I've seen her cook using that pot before and she never looked so short to me.  Well, we all shrink a bit as we age.

[Spunkygal]

I enjoyed the veggie episode and have been roasting them a lot lately. I do forget about roasting eggplant and need to do that. This episode reinforced my desire to kidnap the person who scrubs Ina's cookie sheets/roasting pans to shiny perfection and bring them to my house. I have been lining my pans with non-stick foil for easy clean up. I haven't noticed that she looks shorter.

[Irlandesa]

11 hours ago, anneofcleves said:

Everything that was made looked so delicious, especially chef Yotam Ottolenghi's roasted root vegetables with sumac yogurt.

I haven't even this episode yet because of the delicious-lookingness of that dish.  I don't even like yogurt.  I also liked what Jose Andres showed. 

4 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

I have been lining my pans with non-stick foil for easy clean up.

I do that too sometimes.  But I have better luck with things not sticking with parchment paper.

[Lava VaVoom]

On 7/9/2017 at 8:58 PM, grisgris said:

I didn't mind the guest Ina had on today. It was for such a brief period of time and I kind of enjoy seeing the behind-the-scenes folks. Wow! That young woman towered over Ina. I know that Ina is very short but that woman must have surpassed 6'!

I had flashbacks to the Cooking (or Baking) with Tess episode, and I wondered briefly if that was Tess grown up.  I expected Ina to do most of the decorating, then squeal that she did it all by herself.

[Lura]

It was entirely due to Ina that I rediscovered good veggies when they're roasted.  They're so much more flavorful when prepared that way.  Back in the day, my mother boiled all of her vegetables, and while I enjoyed most of them, they were never anything special.  Roasting really intensifies their flavors.

My favorite shows lately have been her pie shows.  Pie is my favorite dessert, and Ina's always make my mouth water.  As she says, though, she usually makes crostatas, so we don't get to see her baking pies very often.

[annzeepark914]

On 7/20/2017 at 9:08 PM, Lava VaVoom said:

I had flashbacks to the Cooking (or Baking) with Tess episode, and I wondered briefly if that was Tess grown up.  I expected Ina to do most of the decorating, then squeal that she did it all by herself.

I saw Tess all grown up on a recent episode when Ina had a surprise outdoor dinner in honor of Antonia, Tess's mom.  If I hadn't seen her walk in with her mom, I'd never have recognized her.  She no longer looks like Kevin's girlfriend, Winnie, in that sitcom (long dark brown hair + bangs).  She's now a pretty young woman with long dark curly hair.

[Lura]

I hope that someone besides me enjoyed seeing the rerun of Ina's cocktail party for the library people.  Yummm!  My favorite shows are her appetizer shows, and these sounded wonderful to me!  :)  I would have planted myself smack dab in front of the chickpea spread so no one else could get at it!  LOL  (Not really.)

Edited August 26, 2017 by Lura

[larapu2000]

On 7/17/2017 at 0:00 AM, stewedsquash said:

Why do you need a bottle to separate eggs? I have always just used the egg shell. Crack it, then gently toss it back and forth until the white slithers away. Never broke a yoke yet.

I saw Sara Moulton once point out that shells have sharp edges, but your fingers don't, so now I just crack the egg into a bowl and pop out the yolk.  Unless I break the yolk on the cracking, I have yet to break a yolk since I started using this technique.

[rhys]

I just watched an episode that was new to me: cooking for the deans. Ina made a paella salad crackers & drinks for Jeff & the new dean of architecture at Yale. It was a nice show. The salad looked good.

[captain1]

Saw the rerun episode this morning with Neil Patrick Harris and his hubby (whose name I can’t remember) and they were grilling some beautiful ribeyes for Ina.  Anyhow,  they grilled them for 7 minutes per side!  Ina went on about how perfectly they were grilled, but I swear they looked medium well  - oh the humanity!

[Lava VaVoom]

I assumed they were grilled over low heat.  I was struck by the fact that the guys bought three thick steaks (I didn't know you could buy steak like that, cut to order) and wound up serving slices on a salad.  What happened to the rest of it?

[peacheslatour]

6 hours ago, Lava VaVoom said:

I assumed they were grilled over low heat.  I was struck by the fact that the guys bought three thick steaks (I didn't know you could buy steak like that, cut to order) and wound up serving slices on a salad.  What happened to the rest of it?

Soup!

[schnauzergirl]

New episodes of Cooking Like a Pro start March 11 at noon.

[Spunkygal]

Oh, Ina, thank you for breathing life into that vast barren wasteland of tripe known as Food Network. It was good to see her new show today. I loved everything she made, especially those fish cakes! She is so pleasant and I feel like a home cook of any level could produce today's recipes. 

[Mondrianyone]

I think I must be a very bad person, because I was so disappointed with today's new show.  The guide description said it was going to be about bread, so I naively thought she was going to be baking bread.  But except for that Irish oat bread (which was a quick bread, so in a sense not really bread-bread), she used store-bought bread to make pretty basic stuff.  And with the whole feature on bread crumbs--it was literally filler!  Plus the old faithful cheese board.

Just for my own amusement, I went to the Poilane bakery site to see what it would cost to have a loaf of their sourdough delivered:  $11.57 for the bread and $49.11 for shipping.  So around 60 bucks for just the bread in those appetizers.  (I know she said you could use any rustic loaf, but jeez . . .)  And lobster sandwiches from Wolfgang Puck.

I ended up feeling as if she really is just phoning it in, even though she's doing such a limited number of shows and could put more effort into the few she does.  I don't know why she doesn't just retire to do whatever it is she loves doing, because I think it isn't TV.

[Spunkygal]

@Mondrianyone, you're right, the episode title was misleading. I thought it would be about making various breads. I used to have a recipe for a quick cheese loaf which was good but have lost it. But in my old age, she can do no wrong with me. I laughed when I saw the ubiquitous fig leaves for the cheese board, the ubiquitous dried apricots, etc., but even her retreads are better than the other crap on this channel (:::coughTheKitchencough::). I wonder if she is just finishing out her contract with FN? I'm just glad to have her back.

[Mondrianyone]

You're right, too, of course, @Spunkygal.  Her mere presence elevates the Klown Kollege that FN has become.  It's probably wrong of me to want more.

[annzeepark914]

Yup!  I found myself thinking (while watching today's show), we've seen this before.  But then again...it was wonderful just to see her again on a channel that usually airs trashy shows (DD&D for example).  But I kept waiting for someone to pop in and taste the foods she was making (like that nice neighbor who lives in back of Ina).  A lot of folks didn't like those storylines of people stopping by for lunch or brunch or the dinner parties, etc.  But I always enjoyed them.  I also watched the rerun showing her making that tomato tart that Anna Pump used to make (so sad hearing Ina wistfully say, "I miss her").  IMO, making that dough IS scary!  At the end of the show I should've turned it off or switched the channel because up popped The Kitchen with all those loud-mouthed show-offs (Katie Lee? Get rid of that vocal fry, please).  Good grief.  I couldn't grab the remote fast enough.

[roughing it]

Re: the tomato tart.  I couldn't tell, did Ina slice the tomatoes horizontally or vertically?  Is there a right or wrong way to slice them?  I always slice horizontally.

[chessiegal]

1 hour ago, roughing it said:

Re: the tomato tart.  I couldn't tell, did Ina slice the tomatoes horizontally or vertically?  Is there a right or wrong way to slice them?  I always slice horizontally.

Depends on what you want. If you want slices, you cut horizontally. If you want wedges, you cut through the stem.

ETA: Just found the episode. She did slices.

Edited March 13, 2018 by chessiegal

[Irlandesa]

On 3/11/2018 at 2:32 PM, Mondrianyone said:

Just for my own amusement, I went to the Poilane bakery site to see what it would cost to have a loaf of their sourdough delivered:  $11.57 for the bread and $49.11 for shipping.  So around 60 bucks for just the bread in those appetizers. 

I know emphasizes quality but usually what she suggests isn't outrageous.  (Like good mayo to her is Hellman's, right?)  But I have to admit I broke out into laughter when she mentioned having Poilane bread shipped to her from Paris. Amazing. 

Maybe it was pretentious but it gave me one of the biggest laughs so at least it was entertaining.  I know someone who is going to Paris soon.  I want her to try the loaf for me own edification.

ETA:  Screw that, I don't really have the money to burn but technically I could afford ordering bread from Paris and I'm so darned tempted.  You can get a half loaf.  Or a pillow cushion that looks like a sourdough loaf.  I adore this site with its mish mash of French and English. "(Ideally 5 jours. Hee)

Edited March 17, 2018 by Irlandesa

[long beach]

• Please, no Jeffrey. Just the sound of his name makes me gag.

[annzeepark914]

I watched both episodes off and on.  None of the food interested me which is odd.  Awww...I like Jeffrey.  It's probably Ina's OTT love for him that turns people off...plus, the poor guy is always a bit awkward in his scenes.  He's no actor.  He should just say to his wife, "Include me out!" (who used to say that?)  Gosh...I should send my recipe for baked French toast.  It can be prepared the night before and placed in the fridge; then you bake the sliced bread the next day.  I'm not a fan of bread pudding and that's what Ina's French toast looked like to me.

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, annzeepark914 said:

It's probably Ina's OTT love for him that turns people off

Indeed, at least for me.  It makes me cringe in second-hand embarrassment for her.  I don't know if she really is cloying and desperate (I hope not!) or just comes off that way in the horrible, forced scenes they really ought to avoid since none of these people having acting talent and it shows, but I have a hard time watching her with Jeffrey.

I forgot there are new episodes.  Since I'm on the West Coast and my satellite gives me the East Coast feed, I'm never up to see her shows, and I'm terrible at remembering to record them.  It's a lot of the same food over and over again, but it's usually good food, and when she's just standing there cooking, I enjoy her, so I ought to incorporate it back into my life.

[chessiegal]

FN is actually running repeats of Ina's shows. One day they did a several hour marathon. I was so surprised to see that instead PW.

[Lava VaVoom]

Ina would rather write cookbooks than do a TV show.  They reused the footage of that salmon platter before.  And lemon juice in eggs?  Yech.  She lives in her world of the monied East Hamptons and doesn't understand that may of us can't find or afford all of the ingredients she uses.  Regardless, I wouldn't miss her show for anything.

[biakbiak]

3 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

I'm not a fan of bread pudding and that's what Ina's French toast looked like to me.

I prefer her method to slices of bread because more parts get crispy at the top. Havent tried it with fruit so will definitely try it with whatever fruit looks good. I imagine it would be great with strawberries.

Edited March 18, 2018 by biakbiak

[Nessie]

I'm finally getting a chance to see some of Ina's new shows...well, the bread one anyway, since my cable box seems determined not to let me see more.  Pretty basic so far...I guess you need to know the difference between types of breadcrumbs to cook like a pro...

After many seasons of Food Network Star and Giada and Bobby insisting the contestants TASTE THEIR FOOD on camera, I find it very refreshing that Ina doesn't do it.  She knows her food is good, and I appreciate not having to watch yet another TV cook talk with food in her mouth.  IMO that's a trend that needs to die.

[BlossomCulp]

3 hours ago, Lava VaVoom said:

Ina would rather write cookbooks than do a TV show.  They reused the footage of that salmon platter before.  And lemon juice in eggs?  Yech.  She lives in her world of the monied East Hamptons and doesn't understand that may of us can't find or afford all of the ingredients she uses.  Regardless, I wouldn't miss her show for anything.

I feel the same way.  It's funny though - TV cooks can't win, you and I get annoyed that one uses ingredients that are costly and that we are unlikely to have on hand, I hear others criticize Pioneer Woman and others because they use basic ingredients and are trying to cook food the way most of their audience probably does.  Can't please everyone I guess :).

[Spunkygal]

I adore Ina and will happily watch every new episode, but I do think she is just finishing out her contract. In addition to the retreads, one telling clue for me is that I didn't notice her asking us "how is easy is that" or "how good is that?" She doesn't care anymore. :sob:  I didn't care for the baked French toast and would love @annzeepark914's recipe if she is willing to share. And frittatas? We call them egg muffins. I have made them for years. I bake some, put in ziplocks, put in a cooler for our drive to Colorado in the summer. We eat for breakfast in the hotel on the way and have some for breakfast the first few mornings when we arrive. But I will watch Ina every day of the week before I suffer through fake pioneer woman. 

Actually, at this point, I think Ina should just do travel specials for FN. England, France, Italy, etc. I know I couldn't afford her destinations but I would enjoy watching her in various destinations and scenery. How exciting is that? See what I did there? 

[chessiegal]

4 hours ago, Lava VaVoom said:

Ina would rather write cookbooks than do a TV show.  They reused the footage of that salmon platter before.  And lemon juice in eggs?  Yech.  She lives in her world of the monied East Hamptons and doesn't understand that may of us can't find or afford all of the ingredients she uses.  Regardless, I wouldn't miss her show for anything.

Ina has been upfront from the get go that she does the TV shows to sell her cookbooks.

Edited March 19, 2018 by chessiegal

[sheetmoss]

I did have a giggle today when Ina slammed her oven door - that made me flash on a pissed Happy Homemaker, SueAnn Nivins, when she used her knee to kick the wall oven door back up to close

Edited March 19, 2018 by sheetmoss

[annzeepark914]

@Spunkygal:  This is my favorite version of French toast.  I used to use the Texas Toast that Walmart sold because the slices were thick. Now I hunt for bread in thick slices since Walmart doesn't seem to offer this toast any more.

(adapted from Franklin Farms French Toast) – this is THE best French toast!

Baked French Toast

1 large orange

6 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 tsp  vanilla

½ cup butter

12 slices country white bread, cut in half diagonally

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Grate 1 Tbsp orange zest into mixing bowl.  Cut orange in half and squeeze 1/3 cup into a measuring cup.  Whisk juice, eggs and  vanilla into orange zest; pour into pie plate for dipping.

Place butter evenly on 2 (10” x 15”) cookie sheets; place in oven until butter is melted.

Dip bread slices in egg mixture, coating all sides.   Place slices in a single layer in pans. Bake for 7-8 minutes on each side.  Serve with maple syrup, sifted powdered sugar and fresh blueberries.

Source:  adapted from “What Can I Bring” Jr League of Northern Virginia

My notes:

This is delicious with real maple syrup, sifted powdered sugar and fresh blueberries.  Could also serve bacon and/or sausages.  I also line the cookie sheets w/ nonstick aluminum foil.

It's also wonderful with whipped cream and fresh raspberries :>)

Also:  Try this method for overnighting it:

Line a large cookie sheet with parchment; smear with 1 T butter.  Lay the dipped bread slices on the sheet. Cover w/ plastic. Chill 1 hour or overnight.  Brush slices with 2 Tbsps melted butter.  Bake in 450 degree oven 10 minutes; flip slices…bake 7 to 8 more minutes or until golden. (this is for 8 slices of bread).

Edited March 20, 2018 by annzeepark914

[Spunkygal]

Yum, sounds amazing and so easy! Thank you! 

[annzeepark914]

@Spunkygal and @Nessie:  Correction in the overnight instructions.  Bake in 450 degree oven!! (I'm so sorry for typo). This is from a similar recipe at goodhousekeeping.com/french-toast:

Also:  Try this method for overnighting it:

Line a large cookie sheet with parchment; smear with 1 T butter.  Lay the dipped bread slices on the sheet. Cover w/ plastic. Chill 1 hour or overnight.  Brush slices with 2 Tbsps melted butter.  Bake in 450 degree oven 10 minutes; flip slices…bake 7 to 8 more minutes or until golden. (this is for 8 slices of bread).

[Spunkygal]

Thank you, @annzeepark914! I'm typing it up not only for me, but also for my BFF who makes a sweet breakfast for her family on Christmas morning. 

[Nessie]

Thanks @annzeepark914.  My son isn't a breakfast foods fan, except for Biscuits and Gravy and French toast, and this one looks really good.  I'm going to make it for his birthday, which is next month.

[buttersister]

We were fortunate to visit the Poilane bakery in Paris and be invited downstairs to see the baker and the huge ovens. The bread is delicious. There’s a Chicago supermarket that orders Poilane bread flown in twice a week. The loaves are round and huge, so they sell it by the quarter for around $5. Anyway, I wonder if markets in other cities do the same? Or could be persuaded to. 

[chessiegal]

21 minutes ago, buttersister said:

We were fortunate to visit the Poilane bakery in Paris and be invited downstairs to see the baker and the huge ovens. The bread is delicious. There’s a Chicago supermarket that orders Poilane bread flown in twice a week. The loaves are round and huge, so they sell it by the quarter for around $5. Anyway, I wonder if markets in other cities do the same? Or could be persuaded to. 

We've been to Paris the last 2 years (1st was a 1st for us), and I have to say Poilane bakery was not a priority, but next visit will definitely be looking to visit. Where is it located?

[buttersister]

It’s in the 6th—St. Germaine. Rue du Cherche-Midi. Between Metros St. Sulpice and Sevres-Babylone. Let me look for...ok, #8. Assume that’s the bakery, cafe is next door. Haven’t eaten there, hear good things about the tartines, open-face sandwiches. The bread is very wheaty with a sourdough undertone. I hope you enjoy it.

You can also eat your way up and down Rue Cler 7e or Rue Mouffetard 5e — grab & go to a park. From a baguette and cheese or pattiserie to a rotisserie chicken (in the open windows) and crepe, wonderful food at good prices. Ok, I’ll stop now. 

[chessiegal]

We enjoyed Rue Cler. It was where I got my first decent French omelet. First fail was in Bayeux in Normandy - rubbery, overdone, worse than I make at home. Second was at a café next to our hotel near the Arc de Triomphe. Third was the charm.

[Spunkygal]

Today's polenta with mushrooms and blue cheese looked really yummy!  And I'm sorry but the Cobb salad made me laugh. Who doesn't know how to throw those ingredients together? And I use a rotisserie chicken for mine. It's already done and so affordable. It also makes great chicken stock. But I'm not griping. I love Ina and am glad she's back. 

And to contribute to the food in Paris discussion, the worst creme brûlée I have ever had in my life was in a cafe on the Champs Elysee. I wanted to cry. The texture was not creamy and the sugar had been brûlée'd previously and then refrigerated because was no crack.

[annzeepark914]

People are always shocked when I've said not all the food in France is wonderful.  But there definitely is some great food there as well.  We were just saying yesterday how all the people we encountered in France, including Paris, were nice (or decent) to us (and we were prepared for the famous rudeness to tourists).  Someone said (I can't remember who) that a French chamber of commerce-type agency got on the case of Parisians and told them to be nice to tourists (if they wanted the money to keep coming in--their bad rep was beginning to have an impact on tourism).

Thanks for the info' on Poilane Bakery. That's something else I was just thinking of (we're contemplating a return to Paris).  And this time I'm determined to get to Ina's favorite bistro as well. One meal I'm def having is roast chicken and mashed potatoes.  The last night we were there we ate at Cafe Therese (in the 7th, not far from the Eiffel Tower) and that's what my husband  ordered.  I remember thinking, "Oh how boring" before I took a bite.  Wish I'd ordered it too because that was the best chicken and mashed potatoes I've ever tasted in my life.  It was like Julia Child's reaction to the fish she ordered after arriving in France in 1948. They were driving through the countryside on their way to Paris and stopped at a small cafe.  Such a simple meal and yet so memorable.

Back to Cook Like A Pro: I love Ina but this new show isn't pulling me in. Guess I was spoiled by her original shows (I'm one of the fans who loved the storylines, friends popping in, setting the table, flower arranging--the whole enchilada!). I thought the new show was going to give me advanced cooking tips from the pro's (well, there was the odd lesson from Jose re: separating yolks from eggwhites).  

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, Spunkygal said:

And to contribute to the food in Paris discussion, the worst creme brûlée I have ever had in my life was in a cafe on the Champs Elysee.

That's a bad area for good food.  Being from Los Angeles, I liken it to Rodeo Drive - sure, you can find a good meal, but in general you are just paying out the ass for mediocre food that happens to be served in a high-rent district.

Paris is like any other major city; the more touristy the immediate area, the greater chance of forgettable (or perhaps notorious) food.

[Spunkygal]

14 minutes ago, Bastet said:

That's a bad area for good food.  Being from Los Angeles, I liken it to Rodeo Drive - sure, you can find a good meal, but in general you are just paying out the ass for mediocre food that happens to be served in a high-rent district.

Paris is like any other major city; the more touristy the immediate area, the greater chance of forgettable (or perhaps notorious) food.

This is so very true! My creme brûlée experience was on my first trip and the cafe was gorgeous...brass pots and pans hanging and charming pots of fresh flowers everywhere. We were certainly enticed to go inside. On subsequent trips, we had learned our lesson. The charming cafe was still there but we scoffed at going in! But still, even I can make a more than decent creme brulee!

[biakbiak]

I have some lamb shanks in the freeazer so will definitely be making the orzo and lamb shanks. I know we joke about Ina's portion sizes but I cant believe she thinks one lamb shank is one serving, even my boyfruend who I lovingly call a garbage disposal would think that was too much for one serving! I also will definitely serve an arugula salad on the side.

I have a vegetarian friend who comes to dinner ever week and will definitely be making that polenta mushroom dish this week also with a salad.

The only two dishes I thought were compkete meals was the smoked salmon pizza and cobb salad.

I think i will do the smoked salmon pizza and maybe a procuitto one made similarly as apps for Easter.