The CC Friendship Group: Hosts a Potluck!! (What Will YOU Bring -- And What Will You Avoid Like the Plague?)

[CarriePie]

My mom made it, I grew up with it

My dad took me to an old diner when I was a child and they served homemade meringue pies. They were so amazing. When I got older, I learned on my own how to make them. And, I must say, mine taste just as good (if not better - but I must practice humbleness lol) than the ones at that diner.

 

[CarriePie]

@dkontner do you have a fave meringue pie and may I ask what it is?

 

[dkontner]

@dkontner do you have a fave meringue pie and may I ask what it is?

Lemon meringue pie

 

[Tall_Timbers]

I'll smoke a few briskets to contribute.

 

[seoulsearch]

I think this sounds ideal!
Shall I still bring a meringue?
Here's a pic of another meringue I made. It'd definitely go great with a bbq potluck...

View attachment 294112

Biscuits and Gravy!!!

That meringue is THICC, almost more so than the actual filling!!!

Hubba hubba.

Uh...

If all the meringue just "happens" to disappear on all your pies...

It wasn't me (fingers crossed.)

(Technically it wouldn't be me, but my other personality that would gladly free a pie from its meringue with no guilt, no regret, and no apologies.)

So "technically", I wouldn't be lying, either.

 

[seoulsearch]

Yes, it's amazing. I'm the only person that I know that makes meringue. Even my mother didn't. It's becoming a lost art.

I've tried to make it in my "trying stuff" phase...

But unfortunately, it turned out a lot like my "buttermilk biscuits."

Flat, hard, and stale.

Once again... hockey (pucks,) anyone??

Y'all really have a GIFT!!!

 

[CarriePie]

Biscuits and Gravy!!!

That meringue is THICC, almost more so than the actual filling!!!

Hubba hubba.

Uh...

If all the meringue just "happens" to disappear on all your pies...

It wasn't me (fingers crossed.)

(Technically it wouldn't be me, but my other personality that would gladly free a pie from its meringue with no guilt, no regret, and no apologies.)

So "technically", I wouldn't be lying, either.

I'll make some meringue, just for you! I'll mark it, seoulsearch only!

 

[seoulsearch]

I'll smoke a few briskets to contribute.

View attachment 294113

OOOOHHH...

And now we have a protein/savory dish to balance out all that meringue!!!

Seeing as we have now covered the only 2 food groups that count (sweet and savory,) not only will our potluck be delicious, it'll also be COMPLETELY nutritionally sound!!!

 

[seoulsearch]

I'll make some meringue, just for you! I'll mark it, seoulsearch only!

Where have you been all my life???!!!

 

[Lanolin]

Yes, it's amazing. I'm the only person that I know that makes meringue. Even my mother didn't. It's becoming a lost art.

Can get them already made here before Christmas for the pavlovas

Yes they require I don't know how many egg whites

What do you do with all the yolks? And how do you separate them? Use the plate method, or crack them and tip the eggs from one half shell because you always do it perfectly the first time?

With baking you do need a lot of equipment, its not just the ingredients, its the dishes, the whisks, the mixer (kenwood?) the bowls, the cookie sheets, the beans, the whip cream bags, the moulds, the spatulas, the baking paper, the rolling pin, the marble board, sieves etc etc.

 

[CarriePie]

Can get them already made here before Christmas for the pavlovas

Yes they require I don't know how many egg whites

What do you do with all the yolks? And how do you separate them? Use the plate method, or crack them and tip the eggs from one half shell because you always do it perfectly the first time?

With baking you do need a lot of equipment, its not just the ingredients, its the dishes, the whisks, the mixer (kenwood?) the bowls, the cookie sheets, the beans, the whip cream bags, the moulds, the spatulas, the baking paper, the rolling pin, the marble board, sieves etc etc.

There's nothing quite like homemade meringue, if the cook knows what they are doing. The only time I eat meringue that I didn't make is when I go to one of my favorite mom & pop eateries not far from where I live. They are one of the few places that serves meringue desserts. They've been in business since before my dad was born, so they've got it down.

With pies and puddings, the yolks are used in the pudding/filling portion of the dessert.

I just crack the egg against the glass mixing bowl and move the yolk back and forth between the bottom and top egg shell to separate the yolk. The white goes into the mixing bowl and I dump the yolk over into another bowl. Sometimes the egg shell doesn't crack well for this method. In which case, I'd just dump the egg in my hand and let the white run into the mixing bowl. My fingers stop the egg yolk. Just so everyone knows, I wash my hands about a billion times while I'm working in the kitchen! Well, it seems like a billion.

Equipment is a mixing bowl, handmixer, and measuring cups/spoons. For the pudding part: a pot to cook it in and a whisk to stir. Must be very attentive! Tempering the yolks is a must too.
Of course, after the pudding is made and the meringue is made, everything is assembled into a pie pan or baking dish (depending on what kind of meringue dessert is being made).
I didn't go into the pie crust part, but a rolling pin is definitely recommended.

 

[Lanolin]

What does 'tempering' the yolks mean?

I don't think I've ever made meringue, only pavlovas, I like whisking the fresh cream though with an eggbeater.

My mum used to make custard tarts, she made all the pastry, and the custard and that was her special sharing dessert specialty. She also made these long life cakes sort of like moon cakes but they were in the shape of a peach heart, and she had a special wooden mould for them. She made up the red bean paste from scratch (to me it tastes a bit like chocolate, but without the milk) and then made the pastry, she would put the filling inside the balls and press them into the mould, then bang the mould to release the cake
When she put them in the over she would glaze them with egg/milk.

It would take hours, even a whole day to make them.

I used to bake bread, till my mum told me to stop because I made a mess of the kitchen, the flour went everywhere. I would put the yeast to rise in the hot water cupboard, but some people say to put it in the back window of your car, as it's warm there. You can't really bake bread on a cold day.

I once tried a breadmaker but it made such a racket (it mixes/kneads the dough for you, overnight) and it leaves a hole in the bottom where the kneader is. So I didn't end up buying one plus I prefered to knead the dough by hand. It's so satisfying to do this, but can be messy because you need mass amounts of flour.

 

[Lanolin]

My friend has a birthday the other day, I didn't bake a cake, as I didn't have time plus my cakes are nowhere near as good one you can buy at the gateau shop (though it can be expensive). I bought a black forest gateau. I like sponge cakes with fresh cream layers.

My mum also made them using cornflour and she would drop the sponge tins on the ground to release the sponge, also it was to get air in them so they would rise.

We never really made or ate homemade pies. If I were to do a fruit pudding it would be a crumble. I made them about 2 or 3 times a week when it was feijoa season. The part that I kind of don't like doing is creaming the butter or sugar (for cakes and biscuits) or crumbling the butter with the sugar, as can be messy and hands get all sticky.

I always use butter though, never margarine. The thing with butter is you need it the right temperature not totally melted or its too thin. Then you can get a good texture in your cakes. My cakes or loaves never rose evenly, baking really is a skill you need to hone, and get all the measurements right. You can buy ready made mixes though but mum never did. I learned the hard way lol

 

[dkontner]

I'll smoke a few briskets to contribute.

View attachment 294113

Brisket has been very, very good to me.

 

[Lanolin]

Once considered working in a bakery but you need to go to work at 4am in the morning to have the loaves etc ready for people to buy when the bakery opens. Nothing like freshly baked bread.

The bread you buy sliced in plastic bags for toast/sandwiches cannot compare to freshly baked loaves/buns/pastries. But you need to eat them the day its baked, or they go stale and hard but you can use the crusty bread to make croutons and crisps or grind them to make breadcrumbs for coatings.

 

[CarriePie]

What does 'tempering' the yolks mean?

I don't think I've ever made meringue, only pavlovas, I like whisking the fresh cream though with an eggbeater.

My mum used to make custard tarts, she made all the pastry, and the custard and that was her special sharing dessert specialty. She also made these long life cakes sort of like moon cakes but they were in the shape of a peach heart, and she had a special wooden mould for them. She made up the red bean paste from scratch (to me it tastes a bit like chocolate, but without the milk) and then made the pastry, she would put the filling inside the balls and press them into the mould, then bang the mould to release the cake
When she put them in the over she would glaze them with egg/milk.

It would take hours, even a whole day to make them.

I used to bake bread, till my mum told me to stop because I made a mess of the kitchen, the flour went everywhere. I would put the yeast to rise in the hot water cupboard, but some people say to put it in the back window of your car, as it's warm there. You can't really bake bread on a cold day.

I once tried a breadmaker but it made such a racket (it mixes/kneads the dough for you, overnight) and it leaves a hole in the bottom where the kneader is. So I didn't end up buying one plus I prefered to knead the dough by hand. It's so satisfying to do this, but can be messy because you need mass amounts of flour.

Tempering the yolks is done by putting a little of the hot pudding into the yolks and then whisking. This is repeated a few more times. After tempering the yolks, then you stir them into your pudding. The reason for tempering is so that the yolks won't cook too quickly when they are added to the hot filling. You want a smooth pudding/filling.

Oh yes, I agree with preferring to knead the dough. One of my friends got a breadmaker years ago, and while I'm totally okay with her and anyone else owning/using a breadmaker, I clutch my chest when someone suggests that I get one lol.
I grew up making homemade yeast breads. I found the process to be satisfying. The working the dough and letting rise is all a part of the process that produces a closeness to baking/cooking like no machine can.

My favorite yeast thing to make is dough for my stromboli. Since I'm a big coffee fan and my coffee maker has a flat top, I place my covered dough on top of my coffeemaker while the coffeemaker is on. It works out just right.

Btw, I use real butter too and I use a pastry cutter tool to cut it into the flour. It makes the process faster, which helps keep the butter from getting warm from contact.

 

[Lanolin]

I think I would prefer a BBQ to a potluck, potlucks are rather awkward to cater to everyone, and the dishes/pots need to be kept warm because a cold casserole is not nice to eat.

 

[Lanolin]

I need to get one of those creamer/cutter things instead of using a fork. (or my hands)

Also, on my list of things to buy...a glass pyrex rectangular dish for making lasagne
And parmesan cheese! If I want it to be authentically cheesy, though a lot of people take shortcuts and just use plain tasty. Parmesan is a bit expensive but you only need a little
Oh and dried oregano.

I didn't know how complicated making it would be because of all the ingredients/equipment you need to buy. And food is so expensive these days! Mince is getting pricy, it used to be the cheapest meat.
But you can also make vegetarian, but that means I'd need to buy lentils and mushrooms (I don't grow my own)

 

[CarriePie]

I need to get one of those creamer/cutter things instead of using a fork. (or my hands)

Also, on my list of things to buy...a glass pyrex rectangular dish for making lasagne
And parmesan cheese! If I want it to be authentically cheesy, though a lot of people take shortcuts and just use plain tasty. Parmesan is a bit expensive but you only need a little
Oh and dried oregano.

I didn't know how complicated making it would be because of all the ingredients/equipment you need to buy. And food is so expensive these days! Mince is getting pricy, it used to be the cheapest meat.
But you can also make vegetarian, but that means I'd need to buy lentils and mushrooms (I don't grow my own)

I used to use a fork or my fingers too. After I finally got a pastry cutter, it not only became a lot easier but it was kinda fun lol. Mine looks very similar to this one: https://www.amazon.com/Spring-Chef-Professional-Stainless-Black-Medium/dp/B01CX1RIMQ/ref=sr_1_4_sspa
Really helpful for scones, biscuits, etc.

I'm fond of parmesan cheese. I've even made a parmesan omelette one time.

I often use ground turkey in a lot of dishes. Vegetarian is good too. I was a vegetarian for 2 years and I'm thankful for that time. I learned how to make tasty yet economical meals.

Lentils and mushrooms! A couple of my faves. I always have them ready for a culinary adventure.

 

[Tall_Timbers]

I didn't know how complicated making it would be because of all the ingredients/equipment you need to buy. And food is so expensive these days! Mince is getting pricy, it used to be the cheapest meat.
But you can also make vegetarian, but that means I'd need to buy lentils and mushrooms (I don't grow my own)

I'm not an advocate for most vegetarian meals, but spinach makes a delicious substitute for ground beef in lasagna. Spinach and Ricotta go well together.