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Cheat Sheets

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Jenise

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Cheat Sheets

by Jenise » Sun Feb 17, 2019 8:01 pm

Bon Appetit magazine has been on a sheet pan dinner kick. Very paleo, or keto if you prefer to call it that: sheets of chicken parts and vegetables that all roast as one, just for instance.

And yesterday, a day of enforced rest and TV watching of the type I rarely do, I ended up watching some food/kitchen show with Geoffrey Zakarian, someone I like a lot and whose presence is probably the only reason I can stand watching that long dark haired skinny dip who was married, once upon a time, to Billy Joel who divorced her because she was having an affair with her clothing designer. I don't even know her name, but she's one of the three other 'talents' on this show. I believe she hosted the first season of that chef contest, no longer on, but was replaced by that the tall good-looking Aussie chef Curtis Stone.

But anyway, where Bon Appetit categorically calls these Sheet Pan Dinners, this kitchen show used the name Cheat Sheets, which is kind of cute and would appeal to Rachel Ray fans, which shouldn't even be neccessary but that's the world we live in. But you know who they are--the people always looking for ways to make cooking simpler. That said, they had two good ideas. Roast a modest selection of vegetables, then pour over a dozen eggs whisked with a dash of milk or water and some seasoning--bake 12 minutes, voila! A thin, rectangular frittata. They left it at that, but I thought it had some elegant possibilities for layering on toast like an open-faced sandwich.

Another idea was to again roast vegetables, and then distribute two cups of Moroccan couscous over them, then a cup or so of boiling water, veggie broth or chicken broth, cover tightly with foil, set aside for about eight minutes. Uncover, there's your dinner, ready for augmentation with any or all of things like mint, olive oil and lemon juice. Or nothing at all.

Besides cooking bacon this way exclusively, for years I've made sheet pan meals of duck, split and roasted with thick slices of fennel, red onion and potato. Anyone else have any sheet pan favorites?

Oh, and a little bully pulpit: I also watched a few episodes of Guy Fieri. Not a fan of the show and I've probably only seen two other episodes in my life, but yesterday I got seduced by a Maui episode and then watched a few more. I begrudgingly admit he's pretty adept at being in front of the camera and making whoever he's with feel comfortable, but the repetitiveness is quite annoying. I also noticed that every single thing that got served between buns, be that a hamburger, a Cubano or a ban mi (I thin an 'h' belongs in there somewhere), all, ALL, included mayonnaise sweetened with sugar. Yes, sometimes other ingredients too but in multiple cases just mayonnaise--but with sugar. No wonder America, as a whole, has a sugar addiction if extra fat and sugar have to be added to everything to make it taste 'right'.

(Says she who won't eat mayo on anything.)
My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov
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Jeff Grossman

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Re: Cheat Sheets

by Jeff Grossman » Mon Feb 18, 2019 1:32 am

Jenise wrote:Anyone else have any sheet pan favorites?

Nope. The only thing I do that is similar to this is Robin's gratin recipe.

I also watched a few episodes of Guy Fieri.

I also saw about 45 minutes of his "3D". Bleh. He's a kitchen Carol Merrill... just stands around and talks while other people do the work.
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Ted Richards

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Re: Cheat Sheets

by Ted Richards » Mon Feb 18, 2019 1:54 am

Jenise wrote:Anyone else have any sheet pan favorites?


My favourite was one I found in Fine Cooking, and posted a few years ago: http://forums.wineloverspage.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=54659

I've since modified it by adding a sliced fennel bulb, and extra lemon slices.
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Barb Downunder

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Re: Cheat Sheets

by Barb Downunder » Mon Feb 18, 2019 4:05 am

Hi Jenise, would you have time to share a bit more on your duck, fennel sheet pan dish.
I have a duck in the freezer I need to use, and weekend guests coming. Could be a win win.
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Re: Cheat Sheets

by Jenise » Mon Feb 18, 2019 4:16 pm

Barb Downunder wrote:Hi Jenise, would you have time to share a bit more on your duck, fennel sheet pan dish.
I have a duck in the freezer I need to use, and weekend guests coming. Could be a win win.


Barb, sure! Not really a recipe, more a method, but: I often use half ducks that I can get frozen (and organic) at a local coop--enough to feed both of us, so my success with this is based on halves pre-browned in a skillet separately (which also starts the fat oozing). I season the halves, sometimes with just salt Chinese five spice powder and, alternatively, sometimes glaze them (a favorite is made from powdered chiles, salt and a bit of chocolate melted into enough water to create a mixture that you can apply like paint) during the roasting process. Preparing one half a duck for two on a standard size sheet leaves me ample room for thick slices, or wedges, or quarters (depending on the size) of fennel and potatoes to roast alongside the duck--about an hour to an hour fifteen. One can use any vegetables that make sense, but for me the fennel/potato combo with duck is especially superb.
My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov
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Re: Cheat Sheets

by Barb Downunder » Tue Feb 19, 2019 4:34 am

Jenise, thank you for your always valuable response.d A general technique was exactly what I am after. Potatoes will be there as MBH’s brother is a potato freak and his daughter, our other guest, is very easy to feed And will guide me on other flavours her dad might cope with.
Cheers
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Bill Spohn

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Re: Cheat Sheets

by Bill Spohn » Fri Feb 22, 2019 3:19 pm

I avoid Fieri as he annoys me so much. He has an estimated vocabulary of maybe twenty words regarding assessment of any food he is tasting and they all pretty much sound like a 12 year old. Middle aged wannabe hipsters fail to amuse me.
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Jenise

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Re: Cheat Sheets

by Jenise » Mon Feb 25, 2019 3:44 pm

Bill Spohn wrote:I avoid Fieri as he annoys me so much. He has an estimated vocabulary of maybe twenty words regarding assessment of any food he is tasting and they all pretty much sound like a 12 year old.


But of course, so do his fans and that's why he's popular! Like you, I have no use for him.
My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov
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Bill Buitenhuys

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Re: Cheat Sheets

by Bill Buitenhuys » Tue Mar 12, 2019 5:07 pm

Jenise wrote: that long dark haired skinny dip who was married, once upon a time, to Billy Joel who divorced her because she was having an affair with her clothing designer. I don't even know her name, but she's one of the three other 'talents' on this show.
She was host for the first season of Top Chef, pre-Padma.
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Jenise

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Re: Cheat Sheets

by Jenise » Tue Mar 12, 2019 5:43 pm

Ah, that's where I saw her! I find her annoying (obviously). Of course, I might just be jealous because she gets to cook with Geoffrey on Saturday mornings and I don't. :)
My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov

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