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Gifted Gourmet

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Posts posted by Gifted Gourmet

    Schmaltz (i.e. Chicken Fat, Goose Fat, etc.)

    in Cooking

    Posted

    Use it to fry things -- onions, greens, meat, eggs, potatoes, etc. ... cooks like butter but has some bacon-like flavor qualities ... You can deep fry in it too ... home fries, french fries, latkes ...

    But, I use it in my traditional chopped liver and in my matzo balls .. it adds "depth" of flavor ...

    Cheese (2008– )

    in Food Traditions & Culture

    Posted

    Saint Albray is a cheese which comes from the Aquitaine region of France.

    Invented in 1976, the cheese is similar to Camembert cheese, it has the same attributes, but is not quite as strong. Made with pasteurized cow's milk, this popular cheese is ripened for 2 weeks and formed into a shape not unlike the head of a flower with each "petal" forming a half pound of cheese. The "petals" are formed around a disk, when removed, it creates a hollow center giving the impression of the center of the flower. Saint Albray slices beautifully and when the whole wheel is displayed, this cheese makes an attractive centerpiece to a table. Saint Albray is mild and moist, but still retains its body despite its creamy nature.

    Wikipedia entry

    Olive Oil Questions, Options, Favorites

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    If you want actual product names for the best and fruitiest olive oils there are some here:

    a Spanish brand, Columela (*est. $16 for a 17-oz. bottle), citing its "fruity flavor and excellent balance."

    Columela finishes slightly ahead of a more expensive Spanish entry, Nunez de Prado (*est. $30 for a 16-oz. bottle),

    as well as the significantly cheaper Greek import Terra Medi (*est. $11 for a 17-oz. bottle) ...

    Good Housekeeping, puts its money on the Italian import Monini (*est. $10 for a 17.9-oz. bottle), calling it "the perfect all-in-one oil, with a lightness that's also surprisingly rich and complex."

    ... positive comments about Colavita -- a widely available, mainstream, supermarket brand -- to merit inclusion in ConsumerSearch Fast Answers. Cook's Illustrated praises this extra virgin olive oil for its "full-bodied and bold flavor," Men's Health likes its "dark-green color" and it's a particular favorite of olive-oil enthusiasts ...

    If you're not comfortable with Colavita, a good, widely available alternative is Da Vinci Pure Olive Oil (*est. $7 for a 17-oz. bottle). In its 2005 roundup of plain (not extra virgin) olive oils, Cook's Illustrated put Da Vinci ahead of Colavita, calling it "the most like good extra-virgin olive oil," and Da Vinci also finishes on top of the magazine's 2005 roundup of extra virgin oils (partly for its "rich, deep and beautifully green" color) ...

    and, finally, there is this: writer Susan Westmoreland recommends Whole Foods 365 Extra Virgin (*est. $5 for a 17.9-oz. bottle): "The house brand of the Whole Foods Market chain has an intensely robust olive taste -- and a much lower price than most top-grade oils."

    Fruit Caviar recipes?

    in Cooking

    Posted

    I am assuming that you are referring to this type of thing:

    fruit caviar descriptions, etc.

    As with much of the mad science cooking coming out of restaurants like WD-50 and Alinea, creating caviar-like pearls of food can be traced back to El Bulli's Ferran Adriá. Basically, the caviar is made by combining some sort of fruit base with sodium alginate, a gelling agent, and sodium citrate, an anticoagulant. The thickened fruit mixture is then dribbled into a solution of water and calcium chloride, a common preservative.

    apple caviar recipe

    Atlanta for a quick trip

    in Southeast: Dining

    Posted · Edited by Gifted Gourmet (log)

    I actually had the opportunity to eat at both Watershed and JCT Kitchen in the same week when I had guests in town who wanted to try upscale southern cuisine .. both places offer quite a combination of old and new south cooking ...

    Watershed was not up to par because Chef Peacock was out of town .. many dishes were oversalted and the shrimp and grits lacked shrimp ...

    Watershed photos

    JCT Kitchen was wonderful, however, and my guests immediately were very pleased with all of the food we had there ...

    JCT Kitchen photos

    Rosh Hashana

    in Cooking

    Posted

    Now that I think of it, I might try that zabalione with my normal apple cake ...

    The use of olive oil in the cake shown sounds off-putting to me ... :huh:

    Mine uses peanut or plain vegetable oil ...

    Cocktails inspired by China

    in Spirits & Cocktails

    Posted

    The Lichitini sounds like something delightful to quaff while the Olympics are on television this week:

    1 1/2 oz vodka

    1 1/2 oz Lichido Liqueur

    dash of lime juice

    1 pitted lychee

    Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker.

    Add ice.

    Shake well.

    Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

    Drop a lychee in the glass for a garnish.

    Guess that the Singpore Sling is fairly old fashioned nowadays ...

    Tomatoes and Salmonella

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    never mind ... :blink:

    and the growers who suffered losses?

    The Food and Drug Administration revoked its warning against eating certain kinds of raw tomatoes on Thursday, even though officials said they had yet to pinpoint the source of the nation’s largest food-borne outbreak of illness in the last decade.

    The agency continued to recommend that the elderly, infants and those with weak immune systems not eat raw jalapeño or serrano peppers.

    do many babies eat pureed jalapeño or serrano peppers in their pablum? :shock:

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