| What's your favorite secret ingredient?
Posted: 8/30/2008 8:10:59 AM | | I bake more than I cook, so I have a tendancy to use cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla bean, anise and almond flavors to give kick, punch and background flavors. I use alot of fresh citrus and mint also. | |
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| What's your favorite secret ingredient?
Posted: 8/30/2008 8:50:25 AM | I add fresh garlic, butter and salt to my water when cooking any pasta...flavor is unbelievable...just remember to have enough water in your pot, for the amount of pasta...this will keep it from going gookie and starchy...do not rinse pasta...you will lose all the nutrients..
Thaw shrimp in salted, ice water...I add fresh garlic to that too...shrimp never tasted so good...delish, either plain as in a shrimp****ail...or in your fav. dish
I use sea salt when cooking any fish or seafood... | |
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| What's your favorite secret ingredient?
Posted: 8/30/2008 12:32:39 PM | TB you sparked my memory of a different variation on chili
that my oldest friend's wife made in Oakley UT.
Pineapple in a spicy chili. | |
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| What's your favorite secret ingredient?
Posted: 8/30/2008 1:40:56 PM | A LOT of great Ideas here!!!
I bake a lot....I like a little corn syrup in my oatmeal raisin cookies.....
Grated Hershey bar in my chocolate cakes.....
This taste like Orange on chocolate cakes...(Frosting..whipped cream/cream cheese/lemon juice/powered sugar) I will frost cake with chocolate but in empty center, a generous amount of the cream cheese frosting...swirl from out to in. I top with toasted/caramelized pecans, salted a bit with sea salt! Oh yummm!
Almond extract in my sugar cookies......
And buttermilk in place of milk.
I love to cook too and usually mix things up each time but the common works are:
(I don't measure)
Cumin in my tomato based soups....
Lemon pepper on fish, chicken, veggies....
Sea salt instead of table salt....
lemon juice....(lots of things)....
Strong coffee (ground beef, meat loaf, chili, some cakes)....
Brown sugar (meat loaf)....
Caramelized onion (add to soups, meats, eat on side, add to veggies).....
There are just so many....I know I'm forgetting import stuff! 
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| What's your favorite secret ingredient?
Posted: 8/31/2008 4:49:48 AM | | if you get a fresh vanilla bean, cut it in half and split it open, you can store it in your sugar jar to infuse the sugar with a vanilla flavor. | |
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| What's your favorite secret ingredient?
Posted: 8/31/2008 7:13:53 AM | Hawaiianluau,, Seriously,, pineapple??? Did she use juice, crushed, chunks or what exactly?? Interesting,,, I will say I have eaten salsas that had pineapple or mango and although the flavor was very different, I have to admit,, they were good. Tasty on grilled chicken tacos..
tb | |
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| What's your favorite secret ingredient?
Posted: 8/31/2008 7:36:04 AM | I guess she would have added some juice too. Not sure.
It was definately chunks and probably canned. I'd never seen it before or since.
I asked if she made it especially for me (since I'm from Hawaii)
and she said no she makes it like that all the time. | |
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| What's your favorite secret ingredient?
Posted: 8/31/2008 2:41:32 PM | Just saw your query, mightbe, and I tend to agree with j-moon. I like the fresh, garden flavors of tomato sauce too much to complicate it with heavy, savory flavors like chocolate.
OTOH, I have a friend who makes hot pepper chocolate bark for xmas gifts, and I'm drooling just remembering my last taste of it. And tomatoes are a fruit, after all, so I don't know why they couldn't be made to play nice with chocolate, somehow. I do get this specialty fruit-infused pasta from a little outfit in Colorado, and I serve it for dessert with a thin white chocolate sauce and mixed berries. But I never tried tomatoes in there.
Thanks a lot, man! You may have just ruined my supper tonight!
Chores!
Vulf  | |
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| What's your favorite secret ingredient?
Posted: 8/31/2008 4:13:23 PM |
Lemon pepper on fish, chicken, veggies....
Yes, I've used lemon balm from my herb garden and it rocks in salsa, various dishes,etc! | |
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kimtut
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Joined: 5/25/2008
Msg: 114 | |
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| What's your favorite secret ingredient?
Posted: 9/1/2008 9:57:33 PM | I have a new favorite secret ingredient!
Smoked Spanish Hot Paprika, also known as Pimenton de la Vers picante. Bought from a local spice importer.
Its good mixed in garlic mayonnaise as a spread for grilled chicken and fish.
I put it into my favorite garden vegetable/black bean soup (everything from the garden)--you only need a small amount--and it is fantastic. It has a smoky, rich, depth of flavor--nothing like it. | |
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| What's your favorite secret ingredient?
Posted: 9/3/2008 11:56:53 PM | Has anyone mentioned Five Spice Powder? It's not just for Chinese anymore. I used it tonight in a simple braise of greens and chicken, and practically licked the pot clean. I need to try it in beans, lentils, maybe roast some nuts with it.
Chores!
Vulf | |
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| What's your favorite secret ingredient?
Posted: 9/3/2008 11:59:24 PM | Deviled Eggs.....
Certainly not a gourmet meal,but I just made this and served these at a party last week with my two secret ingredients and everyone loved them.
I add curry and some honey along with the normal mayo etc mix....
Very tasty. | |
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DD10
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Joined: 8/12/2008
Msg: 119 | |
| What's your favorite secret ingredient?
Posted: 9/7/2008 4:24:35 PM | I'm a professional dinner party chef and I would say the most common occuring extras consistently seen in the upscale entrees are things like wine, nuts, shallots and cream.
Not necessarily all at the same time but they aren't things I put in my everyday food at home with any regularity. | |
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| What's your favorite secret ingredient?
Posted: 9/7/2008 4:39:19 PM | | resqchick, I have a recipe for mayonaise cake. very moist. I've seen alot of Old Bay seasoning raves but i've never tried it. I heard it's very high in sodium. Any truth and anyone know what's in it? | |
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| What's your favorite secret ingredient?
Posted: 9/7/2008 8:22:01 PM | | DD10~ interesting info. A friend recently made a simple fig jam recipe with port and shallots that was fantastic. Tasted a lot more complicated than it was. | |
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| What's your favorite secret ingredient?
Posted: 9/8/2008 9:38:06 AM | | Just yesterday made homemade pizza and I did put some sataed(how u spell that) onions on it, but had to sprinkle some onion powder on...seems can't ever get enough of that flavor... | |
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| What's your favorite secret ingredient?
Posted: 9/8/2008 6:45:58 PM | lol.. good question!
Depending on what your making, I like to use Sasafran (not sure on the spelling)
it gives a great taste to Chicken or anything you have to cook for a long time. | |
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