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Dawn T

Vancouver
British Columbia
Canada

About Dawn

Member since May 05, 2007

I dream of being a "Big Fat Italian Nonna". Why, because I want to be the kind of person that cares more about the food I cook and the people I feed, than what people think of me. Besides who doesn't want to cook with the freshest of ingredients, smell like food all day and live in Italy!

Tomatovine

User Recipes (contributed by Dawn)

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Turkish Chicken Kebabs

by Dawn T

These Turkish chicken kebabs are marinated in thick yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, tomato paste, red wine vinegar and the secret ingredient...Aleppo ...

Active Time: 30 minsComments: 4
Total Time: 4 - 24 hrsViews: 410
Success Rating: 100% (2 ratings)

Puerco Pibil | Mexican Slow Braised Pork

by Dawn T

Pork shoulder marinated with a deliciously tart and spicy marinade. It is slowly braised in banana leaves until it is tender and succulent. The bes...

Active Time: 30 minsComments: 3
Total Time: 18 hrsViews: 209
Success Rating: 100% (2 ratings)

Choucroute Garnie

by Dawn T

This classic Alsace dish consists of sauerkraut, pork, ham hock, carrots, onions, juniper berries and, of course, Riesling wine. It is typically se...

Active Time: 45 minsComments: 1
Total Time: 3 hrsViews: 249
Success Rating: 100% (1 rating)

Polenta Con Uova e Pesto | Polenta w/ Eggs & Pesto

by Dawn T

Delicious polenta is topped with crisp pancetta, a perfectly-cooked poached egg and is drizzled with homemade pesto.

Active Time: 1 hrComments: 0
Total Time: 2 hrsViews: 158
Success Rating: 100% (1 rating)

Polenta on a Board | Polenta Sulla Spianatoia

by Dawn T

A traditional and fun way to serve family-style polenta. This one is topped with a rich tomato sauce and Italian sausage, but you can use anything ...

Active Time: 45 minsComments: 5
Total Time: 45 minsViews: 291
Success Rating: 100% (1 rating)

Semolina Gnocchi

by Dawn T

Different than potato gnocchi, this gnocchi is made with semolina flour and enriched with milk and egg yolks. This gnocchi is easy to make and goes...

Active Time: 30 minsComments: 0
Total Time: 2 hrs 30 minsViews: 219
Success Rating: 100% (1 rating)

Braised Oxtail Ragu with Chanterelle Mushrooms

by Dawn T

Rich and flavorful braised oxtail ragu is delicious served with pasta, gnocchi or even creamy polenta.

Active Time: 1 hrComments: 0
Total Time: 3 - 6 hrsViews: 344
Success Rating: 100% (1 rating)

Sausage Ragu with Soft Polenta

by Dawn T

Popular in Northern Italy, this polenta dish is pure comfort food. A rich, sun-dried tomato and sausage ragu is served over creamy polenta.

Active Time: 20 minsComments: 4
Total Time: 45 minsViews: 327
Success Rating: 100% (1 rating)

Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing

by Dawn T

Blue cheese, buttermilk, sour cream, mayonnaise, white wine vinegar and touch of seasoning - that's all it takes to make this creamy and delicious ...

Active Time: 5 minsComments: 0
Total Time: 5 minsViews: 182
Success Rating: 100% (1 rating)

Creamy Polentina with Bananas & Maple Syrup

by Dawn T

For an unordinary breakfast, try creamy polenta topped with bananas and sweet maple syrup.

Active Time: 30 minsComments: 0
Total Time: 30 minsViews: 124
Dawn's favorite things
Breakfast: Cheesy Soft Scrambled Eggs
Cooking Knowledge: pretty good :-)
Cuisine: Italian (if I have to pick)
Dessert: Yes Please!
Dish or Meal: Anything w/Goat Cheese
Food Related Movie: Dinner Rush
Food Tip: Cook More
Kitchen tool: Tongs (Locking)
Knives of Choice: Wusthof 6"
Pots/pans: Maviel
Restaurant (City): Wild Ginger (Seattle)
Sinful Food Snack: Crisps (Chips)
Top Ingredients: Fresh Bay Leaves
Vegetables: Broccoli
Wine: Anything Full Bodied
Success Rating: 99% (7 ratings)

Pommes Frites | French Fries

by Dawn T

Crispy, homemade fries are soft on the inside and crispy on the outside. Simple to make, these twice-cooked fries make for a sinful and delicious t...

Active Time: 45 minsComments: 23
Total Time: 2 hrsViews: 9731
Success Rating: 94% (52 ratings)

Almond Coriander Chicken

by Dawn T

This mild and delicious Indian-influenced chicken dish is finished with ground almonds, thick cream and fresh cilantro.

Active Time: 30 minsComments: 51
Total Time: 1 hrViews: 27326
Success Rating: 97% (126 ratings)

Tortilla de Patatas

by Dawn T

Tapas from Spain at it's best and most simple…onions, potatoes and eggs are all that you need to make this famous tortilla.

Active Time: 30 minsComments: 41
Total Time: 45 minsViews: 7005
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Re: How to Cut Onions Without Crying

There seem to many tips out there for how to cut an onion without tears or crying; however I don't know too many professional cooks that really use any of the tips or tricks. I think this is mostly because they don't seem to work very well or they require too much thought and/or set up. Besides I couldn't imagine a chef chopping onions while wearing a pair of those "onion goggles" :-)

The one thing that is important is a sharp knife as this helps to prevent crushing the cells of the onion as you chop, which is what produces the gases that make us cry (in my case, "like a baby").

If you want to give some of tricks or tips a try here are a few I have heard over the years. Chill the onions, cut the onions near a draft or vent, cut the onions under water (WHAT?...seems weird and dangerous to me), breathe only through your mouth, put vinegar on your cutting board (ah, what if you don't want the taste of vinegar in your food?), soak the onion, light a candle and keep it next to your cutting board (how romantic), chew gum or bread as you chop, stand on one foot while chopping (okay I made that one up ;-)

Anyways you can see there are many many "ideas"...I say don't worry too much about it, just use a sharp knife. At least you are a man and you don't have to worry about your mascara running. Cheers!

by Dawn T | September 02, 2010 | Permalink
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RE: Pickling

Preserving foods is a big subject that we will likely tackle down the road. Maybe in the meantime someone could share some of their advice or ideas with you about pickling. There are also many resources on the internet and plenty of books available on this subject. Cheers!

by Dawn T | September 01, 2010 | Permalink
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Re: Types of Butter to Use in Cooking

We almost exclusively use unsalted butter as this allows you to control the amount of butter that goes into any given recipe.

Depending on what you are doing there are times when you may need to use clarified butter, as it has a higher smoke point. If you do a search for clarified butter (in the search field at the top right of every page) you will find a Drill-down on how to make clarified butter on Rouxbe. Cheers!

by Dawn T | August 28, 2010 | Permalink
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Re: Freezing Pies

Thanks Anne for taking the time to jump in and help out with this question...much appreciated. Cheers!

by Dawn T | August 28, 2010 | Permalink
RE: Can it be any kind of beer?

Indeed you can experiment with different types of beer. Just don't go too crazy and use something super dark, but then again, you can do that to, if you like. That's the great thing about cooking you are free to experiment and tweak almost any recipe until it suits your tastes etc. Cheers!

by Dawn T | August 27, 2010 | Permalink
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Re: Seasoning a Pan

I don't know your pan but I do know that I have stainless steel pans and I have never (nor do I need to) season them. I just heat them properly...add the oil and they are virtually non-stick. Cheers!

by Dawn T | August 27, 2010 | Permalink
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Re: Pasta Machine Recommendations?

I have the pasta machine that you are referring to in the link. I also have an attachment for my stand mixer and I prefer the stand alone machine for sure. I like that is just built for the job, it's not an add-on, if you know what I mean. If you are going to make a fair amount of pasta I would personally recommend the pasta machine. I have the one with an attachable motor and it has been put to some good use and it is still going strong.

Hope this helps but maybe someone else has something to add. Cheers!

by Dawn T | August 26, 2010 | Permalink
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Re: Mauviel Copper Pan Handles - Cast Iron or Bronze

Thanks for sharing your findings. Cheers!

by Dawn T | August 26, 2010 | Permalink
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RE: Freezing Pies

You can freeze a pie before it is baked but the end result will not be the same as freshly made pie. Also, the home freezer freezes slower than a commercial freezer so it will take longer to freeze which will again affect the crust etc.

That being said, many people freeze their pies and then bake them from frozen. To bake a pie from frozen, preheat your oven to 425°F and then place the frozen pie inside and bake for 15 minutes. After that lower the temperature to 400°F and then continue to bake the pie. You will need to bake the pie longer than if it were fresh. About another 25 to 35 minutes on top of the time that the original (fresh) pie would have taken.

Another thought: If you are going to be selling these pies, I would even suggest that you bake one of them from frozen and maybe even bake a fresh pie to see if you can notice a difference once they are baked. If so, how noticeable is the difference etc. Just so you know for your customers and for yourself.

Hope this helps - cheers!

by Dawn T | August 25, 2010 | Permalink
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RE: Pan Frying Fish

Andy you may want to watch the lessons on Pan Frying Fish and Cooking Fish Fundamentals, as we go into quite a bit of detail about this subject. Cheers!

by Dawn T | August 25, 2010 | Permalink
Re: Tomatillos

No a tomatillo is not an unripe tomatoe but it does come from the tomato family. Here is a drill-down about tomatillos that goes into a bit more detail. Cheers!

by Dawn T | August 25, 2010 | Permalink
RE: How to Make Sour Cream

There are a few ways to make sour cream. As for a "shortcut for sour cream?" I would say buying it already made is the best shortcut I can recommend.

However, if you want to make it yourself there are a few ways to go about it. For example, you can strain yogurt and add lemon juice...you can also make it like much like we made the creme fraiche (cream, buttermilk and lemon juice). For specifics you may want to google "How to Make Sour Cream" as I am not sure which method you would like. Cheers!

by Dawn T | August 25, 2010 | Permalink
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Re: Top Chefs and Vacuum Bags

Ah, the good old days of just using our hands to cook. Unfortunately I, like many Nonna's I imagine, am not familiar with this way of "making pasta". Cheers!

by Dawn T | August 25, 2010 | Permalink
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Re: Gripping Style

Ultimately, everyone will end up with their own unique gripping style. The more you practice chopping the more confident you will become and the more you will solidify your gripping style.

I remember when I first learned to use a knife and how awkward I felt chopping. I just kept practicing and then one day I remember chopping something and in the middle of chopping I said to myself "ah that's it...that's the sweet spot".

Slow and steady wins the race. Keep cutting, chopping and practicing and you will be surprised how much better you become. Cheers!

by Dawn T | August 24, 2010 | Permalink
Re: Type of Salmon

You can use any type of salmon. You could even use other meaty fish such as halibut for this dish. Cheers!

by Dawn T | August 24, 2010 | Permalink
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Re: Looks Good

Glad that you liked the lesson. As for the recipes, you can find most of them under the "practice" tab (it's on the top right of the video player). Cheers!

by Dawn T | August 23, 2010 | Permalink
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Re: Chicken Parmesan

Chicken parmigiana is best made fresh, so the bread crumbs hold their crunch. I would also not recommend using rice crispies as the Italian police may come to your house and take you away :-)

If I was cooking for a crowd I would make a big stew or a delicious spaghetti and meat sauce. Also, these would be easy to serve and who doesn't like spaghetti and meat sauce right!

by Dawn T | August 23, 2010 | Permalink
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RE: What is the Term?

The term is a gastride, you can find out more on this in the Beurre Blanc lesson.

You could do this for your chowder. You could also just add a touch of wine at the end if you like to brighten the flavor...up to you. I say experiment and see what you like. Cheers!

by Dawn T | August 23, 2010 | Permalink
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Re: Sweet Bechamel?

The sweet flavor is likely coming from the type of butter that you used. The "starchiness" we talk about won't taste sweet it will just taste and feel chalky. You will sort of still be able to taste the flour/starch.

The use of cake flour will only likely have less thickening power. Cheers!

by Dawn T | August 23, 2010 | Permalink
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Re: Vinegar

Indeed you can substitute many vinegars for other vinegars. You might even want to check out the lesson on How to Make Vinaigrettes, here we use many types of vinegars. Cheers!

by Dawn T | August 23, 2010 | Permalink