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Alex

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    Jews and Chinese Food

    in Food Traditions & Culture

    Posted

    And to avoid cultural contamination, researchers from the US should collect data over the course of several months only in non-US large cities with a sizable Jewish population (London, Paris, Lisbon, Montréal, etc.). This, of course, should be built into the grant. :biggrin:

    (....thinking about my one and only trip to London as a food-naive 21-year-old, opting to eat at a Chinese restaurant in Golders Green.)

    Solis Maestro Plus

    in Coffee & Tea

    Posted · Edited by Alex (log)

    Last night, while pouring the caffeinated beans out of the hopper so I could grind some decaf, I spotted some very odd-looking beans (so I thought). But lo and behold, there were the three missing feet. Apparently they were soft enough to not get caught up in the burrs.

    So, an additional caveat: Look inside the hopper. :wacko:

    edited for spelling

    Recipe etiquette

    in Food Traditions & Culture

    Posted

    nessa, I admire your honesty in the face of all this eGullet scrutiny.

    As someone else posted, if the recipe will be in an upcoming cookbook, recipe contest, etc, then it may be ok to withhold it temporarily. Otherwise, I guess I see it not so much as letting someone else take credit for your baby, but letting your grown-up baby leave home gracefully.

    If you do decide to withhold the recipe, for whatever reason, I beleive that simple, absolute honesty is best for all in the long run: "I'm so flattered that you loved what I made, but for now I'd like to keep it a family secret. I hope you understand."

    Solis Maestro Plus

    in Coffee & Tea

    Posted

    I think you can trust that Aabree will take care of you. Aabree, 1st Line and Chris Coffee are the three vendotrs that seem to have the best word-of-mouth reputations for follow up service. One of the others who is well known and has good prices plus an excellent web site is Whole Latte Love but they get very mixed reviews for their customer service after the sale.

    I think you'll like the Plus. I had the original Maestro before upgrading to Mazzer Mini and was very happy with mine. If I was just doing drip and press pot coffee I would have kept the Maestro but 90% of my activity is now espresso and a better grinder helps a bit in espresso consistency.

    Thanks for the encouragement, Owen. I do at least 90% drip and press pot, so I'm sure it'll be ideal.

    Solis Maestro Plus

    in Coffee & Tea

    Posted

    Thanks to eGullet (and epinions) I decided to order a Solis Maestro Plus to replace my 12-year-old, faithful-but-fading-fast Bosch. I went with Aabree Coffee Company (aabreecoffee.com) because they had the same price as virtually everyone else -- $149 -- but offered free FedEx ground shipping and had a good reputation.

    The Solis arrived very quickly and in good shape. However, when I unpacked it I found only one of the four rubber feet, and it was in the bottom of the box. I called Aabree immediately. They said that for some reason the manufacturer was shipping the product with the feet uninstalled, and apparently some are getting lost along the way.

    They were very apologetic about the whole thing. They have a bunch of feet on order from the manufacturer and will send three of them to me as soon as they arrive, probably in about a week. The Solis now is sitting on four hemispherical Sorbothane feet designed for stereo equipment, which makes it look like a robot.

    If you order a Maestro Plus in the near future, you might want to contact the seller directly and ask them to make sure all four feet are in the box.

    Oh, yeah -- I really like its performance. It looks way cool, too, and appears to offer a significant improvement over the original Maestro.

    Cookbooks – How Many Do You Own? (Part 2)

    in Cookbooks & References

    Posted

    Three more!

    The Roasted Vegetable, by Andrea Chesman

    Good stuff. Testimonials on the dust jacket from Charlie Trotter, James Peterson, Nora Pouillon, and others. One surprise though -- not one Brussels sprouts recipe.

    The Frog/Commisary Cookbook

    I am so happy that this was reprinted. Eclectic, solid recipes. The best veggie burger ever.

    Jeques Pépin's Complete Techniques

    $6.99 on the remainder shelf!!! I still have the original hardcover La Technique, but this one-volume paperback combination of La Technique and La Methode may actually fit in my cookbook bookcase.

    Food and Wine Pairings

    in Food Traditions & Culture

    Posted

    Thanks, everyone, for your incredibly quick replies. I e-mailed a summary report, so to speak, to my cousins. I think they're leaning toward Champagne (NYE, French wine fans, etc.) but they'll probably wait until we get there to decide. Maybe I'll also ask for a glass of sherry (my preference) so I can compare.

    I'll do a post about the meal after the holidays.

    Food and Wine Pairings

    in Food Traditions & Culture

    Posted

    To start our New Year's Eve dinner I'll be making a recipe from San Francisco's Millenium Restaurant: Chilled Avocado, Tomatillo, and Cucumber Soup with Saffron-Lime Ice. It has a base of miso and lime juice, with puréed avocado, tomatillo, cucumber, onion, garlic, and jalapeño, seasoned with cilantro, oregano, nutmeg, and black pepper. (Full recipe here.)

    The citrus elements make me think that a bright and somewhat acidic white would be a good match, but otherwise this is beyond my wine pairing knowledge. Any suggestions up to about $25 retail would be greatly appreciated.

    The Wine Clip

    in Wine

    Posted

    The quote from Mr. Blue is on the Wine Clip website under testimonials.

    Thanks for the reference, Mark. For some strange reason there weren't any eGullet quotes.

    I imagine it's not their highest priority, but has there been any word from your Berkeley friend or Lawrence Livermore?

    Alex, I believe the reason there aren't any eGullet quotes has more to do with eGullet's copyright policy than members not willing to be quoted.

    Yes, you're right. However, my tongue-in-cheek comment referenced Dennis Lynch's (Mr. Wine Clip) perception that he was unfairly and vindictively booted off eGullet.

    New Year's Eve

    in D.C. & DelMarVa: Dining

    Posted

    We'll be in DC visiting my cousins, but won't be at a restaurant. I'll be making a kick-ass dinner for them (his b-day is Dec 31) and we'll be drinking some spectacular wines from their cellar. We'll be eating out other nights, though -- probably Tuesday at Lavandou and Friday at Zaytinya.

    If we did go out on NYEve I'd want to be someplace romantic at midnight.

    Most overrated holiday food

    in Food Traditions & Culture

    Posted

    Okay, here's one to balance out all the goyishe stuff:

    CHANUKAH GELT.

    I mean, why eat shitty chocolate that is a major pain in the ass to eat? Its enclosed in these rediculous foil wrappers that you need to have dragon nails to open. And by the time you get it open its all melty from you handling it, or the stuff is so old that its totally bloomed out.

    Is there GOOD chanukah gelt out there? I doubt it.

    EDIT: Okay maybe these are decent:

    http://www.lakechamplainchocolates.com/php...W=hanukkah_gelt

    I've had them; they're not bad. Expensive, though. I'd wait and see if they show up at TJ Maxx or Marshall's after the holiday.

    What Pantry Item Are You Never Out Of?

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted · Edited by Alex (log)

    I have learned the great value of a pleasant and civil wife, especially in the morning. Therefore we never, ever, run out of coffee. And almost never run out of half-and-half or cream.

    Otherwise:

    EVOO

    balsamic vinegar

    Plugra

    organic eggs

    cheese of some sort

    dried beans

    canned tomatoes

    Edited to add -- everyday wine

    The Wine Clip

    in Wine

    Posted

    The quote from Mr. Blue is on the Wine Clip website under testimonials.

    Thanks for the reference, Mark. For some strange reason there weren't any eGullet quotes.

    I imagine it's not their highest priority, but has there been any word from your Berkeley friend or Lawrence Livermore?

    The Wine Clip

    in Wine

    Posted

    So now Anthony Dias Blue has jumped aboard.

    In his usual radio gig, he supported the Wine Clip as an "ingeniuos invention that actually works."

    He first stated that he is usually skeptical of devices purported to improve the taste of wine but said that the Wine Clip seemed to improve the wine's drinkability and soften the tannins and would make a great gift for a wine geek friend.

    I believe he is well respected in the wine community, no?

    Or are we going to pile on Anthony Dias Blue now?

    No need to pile. I'm sure that there are many people with excellent palates who for whatever reason would not bother scrutinizing the WC like we did here. I'd be curious to know what kind of comparisons he did, if he is receiving any kind of endorsement fee, etc.

    Dinner! 2003

    in Cooking

    Posted

    Pot roast! I used an Epicurious recipe, "Gordon's Pot Roast," subtracting the ginger, adding some bowtie pasta. Mighty tasty.

    2002 Argyle Pinot Noir (with the screw top)

    leftover cranberry-orange sorbet for me, B & J chocolate ice cream for Ms. Alex

    Cookbooks – How Many Do You Own? (Part 2)

    in Cookbooks & References

    Posted

    54,257. And welcome, Holly.

    To your question, ludja, Southern Cuisine is neglegted in my collection, actually. I have Edna Lewis's "Taste of Country Cooking," amd "Pursuit of Flavor" the "Southern Cooking" volume of the Time-Life American series (a terrific book, ) and Joyce White's "Brown Sugar." Thassit. Where do I start? "Charleston Reciepts?"

    How about Bill Neal's books: Bill Neal's Southern Cooking and Biscuits, Spoonbread, and Sweet Potato Pie?

    For next year's Heartland Gathering I'll check out Classical Southern Cooking from the library for you to enjoy over the weekend. (That is, if neither of us has gotten it by then. At $100 for a used copy I kind of doubt that will happen. :sad: )

    Things we refrigerate

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    My mother-in-law told me vermouth should be refridgerated. Is that true? I never even thought to put vermouth in the fridge.

    From eGullet's Classic Cocktails Q & A:

    "Vermouth, with its lower alcohol content, doesn't last indefinitely. It should last 3 to 4 months unrefrigerated (but kept cool). If you don't go through it quickly, buy it in smaller bottles and store them in the refrigerator. That should increase the shelf life by a couple of months." (JAZ)

    Turkey Stock/Broth

    in Cooking

    Posted

    Thanks for the ideas, everyone. I'll probably make something now with some of the stock and freeze the rest. I ordered some Carnaroli rice the other day and am looking forward to risotto. Everything else sounds good, too. We still have three organic turkeys in the freezer, so there'll be plenty of opportunities to try stuff out.

    Aidan, I like what you do for post-Thanksgiving Shabbat dinner. This year, though, we went to friends' homes on Thursday and Saturday and made our turkey on Sunday, so we wanted to spend a quiet (and turkey-less) Shabbat at home.

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