Dyson's Delectables: July 30, 2012

MENU FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 30, 2012

The long range weather forecast for this week showed a good chance of thunderstorms every day. And muggy. So grilling was obviously not going to be an option. Therefore I’ve listed several dishes which are prepared in advance and served cold or room temperature. The one exception being Tues., which was not supposed to be so warm. So I decided to test drive the new Crock Pot.

When we were in London last Spring, the apartment’s owner pointed out to us the features of the place. She especially made a big deal about the Crock Pot. I commented that I thought I wouldn’t use it. She suggested I think twice about it and showed me how to operate it and gave me a few suggestions.

It was truly a life saver as I’d left the boat with a mild bronchitis and the lovely British cold and rain didn’t help. I felt like hell and really couldn’t care less about cooking. But we got in the habit of coming home after a day of sightseeing and picking up supplies for the next few days. In the morning I could throw some protein and whatever else I had on hand – vegetables, stock, herbs, wine etc. – and take off. When I’d come dragging home in the evening, dinner was ready. And it was pretty good.

Evidently Costco stocks Crock Pots only as a seasonal item, as when we returned they didn’t have them in stock, but I remembered seeing them. They showed up this week and I bought one – along with a cookbook on French Cooking in the slow cooker. This thing really seems interesting.

I tried it last night on a recipe of Emeril’s for Grillages. It did a nice job on it. The biggest problem being that you are not supposed to open it once you’ve started it and I missed being able to stir it - and sniff -every time I passed by. But I’ll learn to cope.

The interesting thing that I noted was that it generated very little heat. So while I had envisioned this as a winter cooking appliance, it could clearly be used as a summer one as well. Cook your dish and don’t heat up the kitchen at all, then chill and serve cold/room temp. This thing has all sorts of possibly…. However, you will need to brown a lot of food before you start out to get your fond and deglaze. I can live with that.

Mon. AM Chicken Salad Sandwiches