Rachel Perlow

I finally ordered the book (as I found something else I "needed" to make up the free shipping minimum!) last night, so I'll be making more of these dishes soon too. I can understand the publisher not allowing every recipe in a book to be online, but you'd think any she demonstrates on the would be on there. A recurring theme in the reviews on Amazon is that her recipes are mostly for traditional dishes (or her spin on them) and that someone experienced with latino foods might find the book too basic. There's no modernization or fusion elements. This is fine for me because I have little experience cooking the various latin cuisines, so I need a beginners introduction. My expectation of Rick Bayless is more modernized versions of Mexican and/or authentically complicated recipes. I checked the reviews for Mexican Everyday and it sounds like a 30 minute Mexican with a lighter touch. The reviews are very positive and emphasize the streamlined approach that will help get a weeknight meal on the table. But he does this by stubstituting ingredients that require mail order or trips to specialty stores, and forgoing time consuming recipes (hours long simmered sauces) or ingredients (using canned beans). But again, it might be a good book for a beginner or someone in a time crunch.

Oh, that's just the green beans sauteed with a whole head of roasted garlic talkin'. ← I made her Yellow Rice and Daisy's right, it does make you want to beat your mamma! I started a new thread about Daisy.

You need to stock up: 1) Cubicle Cuisine 2) Discussion of cubicle pantry stashes in the "Do your friends think you're nuts?" thread starts here (click).

I stumbled on to Daisy Martinez' new show by accident one day and immediately it became a TiVo season pass. All of the food she makes on Daisy Cooks! looks real and fabulous! She mostly cooks latino dishes with a Puerto Rican flair. Her book is on my Amazon wishlist for the next time Jason places an order. Daisy is just so enthusiastic and it is infectious. I've watched plenty of cooking shows, love Julia & Jacques, Sara, Jeff Smith, and Emeril (in the early days), but I have never felt so compelled to make the food shown on the screen as I have with Daisy! I’m really surprised we haven’t been talking more about her, click here for one of the few mentions. She has some base recipes that go into many of her dishes, like sofrito. She gives substitutions for some of the more authentic ingredients, so that everyone can make it, but you know Jason! We went on a hunt for culantro and ajices dulces, rather than substitute extra cilantro or cubanelle peppers and made the Sofrito and Recaito just to store in our freezer for when we were ready to make some of her recipes. (Hint: culantro is also known as recao in some hispanic markets.) Pork Tenderloin over Daisy's Yellow Rice, with Tostones and Salad Last night we made her yellow rice to go with some pork tenderloin that Jason marinated in an improvised mojo. It was as good as promised, and easy to just pop my freezer baggie of sofrito right in to the recipe. I'm thinking of trying her recipe for Asopao, found on the NY Daily News website next. I haven't had an asopao like the one I had in Puerto Rico anywhere in my area, and I'm hoping it comes close! Caveats: - There are only a handful of her recipes online at her website, "because of copyright restrictions with the book publisher." Some of the basics are there, like the sofrito. But the yellow rice, which I have seen her demonstrate on the show more than once, is not. I finally found it published on the website for The Daily Times out of Prior Creek, Oklahoma! (Although I’d recommend halving the salt in this recipe. I wonder if Daisy smokes? She uses a lot of salt.) - I actually speculated during the first show and when I watched it again with Jason he agreed, if she went to culinary school or was self/home taught by her mother, grandmother and other aunts and friends she constantly refers to. I say this because her knife skills are terrible. She holds an onion in her hand to slice it, for example. However, in a later episode she talks about going to the French Culinary Institute and shows a picture of her with Jacques Pepin. I guess she wasn’t able to shake those lessons taught at home, but it doesn’t seem appropriate for a cooking show on PBS to show dangerous technique. - When searching the internet for her recipes, I found many feel she’s just too damn perky! And, I while I agree she is very perky, it’s not in a Katie Couric way, more in the way of a teacher that just really loves her subject and wants her students to get as excited as she is to have a successful cookbook and cooking show! Daisy's website Buy the book:

My dad picked up the check at a local restaurant and called the waiter back. The bill was for over $900, when it should have been a hundred and something, it was quickly taken care of. Forget to hit that decimal point and bad things happen. Jason tends to just put down the credit card and not look at the bill. I always look at the bill, it's so easy to make a mistake at a register where someone has to type in the numbers. Think about how many typos you make at the computer. Incorrectly programmed scanners are another issue altogether.

I'm so glad you showed the stretch technique, warts and tears and all. It's great to know that even if there are tears all along the edges, it will still roll up to a beautiful log. I'm sure if I hadn't seen it myself, if mine started tearing like that, I'd have figured it was screwed upl

Oh, then I better save the box of it I have on my shelf for when I need a really white jello and not "waste" it by actually making it as Sparkling White Grape just to consume. lol.

Good point, it probably isn't one of their most ordered dogs, so the pineapple might sit for a while. But it is good, I'd recommend it if someone wanted one of the more adventurous dogs. I preferred it to the Caped Crusader and the Nacho Dog, for example.

How to eat a jello shot (from experience and reading some of the jello shot websites, one of which is linked, above)... - If it is in a small paper cup, like the kind that sit next to ketchup pumps at fast food restaurants, or that hospitals portion medications into, you hold it at your mouth and crush the cup so that the jello is consumed in one mouthful. That's they way I've always made and been served them. - If it is a Dixie Cup, they're too big and stiff for this to work. And, they are harder to work your tongue around too. Avoid using Dixie cups. - Small Solo brand plastic cups, like the kind take out Chinese joints package the good mustard in, or salad dressing on the side from the deli, etc. The one ounce size is more appropriate for jello shots, the two ounce size can work, but it is a larger portion. Some areas of the country serve these with a toothpick, you run the pick around the edge to loosen the jello, then use your tongue to pry it out. Experts insist that the sexiest way for a bimbo to eat a jello shot is to loosen it with your tongue to consume (w/out help from pick). Additional benefits to using a small plastic Solo cup is that you can spray them with Pam to make extraction easier, and you can put on a lid if you have to transport them.

Does anyone have one of their take out menus? Could you please post their address & phone number? Their phone number as listed online (yp.yahoo) is incorrect.

Actually many people in my office asked me if my rainbow jigglers were, indeed, jello shots. I was sorry to disappoint them! ← You know, for an all adult party, making the Rainbow mold with alcohol would be an interesting option. I wouldn't use even half alcohol, but I would suggest dissolving each package with 1 cup of boiling water instead of 1.25, then adding 1/4 cup alcohol once they have cooled down, but before dividing and adding the creamy. ~~~ In another website, one of those ones about jello shots, someone asked how to make white jello, like for red, white & blue on the Fourth of July. Either make Chinese Almond Gelatin (I don't have a recipe, but I see it at dim sum restaurants), or use Sparkling White Grape Jell-O, don't bother with the carbonated beverage, and use 3 Tbs vanilla yogurt or sour cream in place of some cold water.

OK, I finally got the recipe up, Rainbow Gelatin Mold. Many thanks to TrishCT for helping to compile the tips and being a great copy editor! I also changed the title of this thread. If you have other fancy gelatin desserts to write about, let's put them in here.

Rainbow Gelatin Mold Serves 20 as Dessert. For the discussion about this mold and variations of other fancy gelatin desserts, click here. This recipe is based on Jell-O brand's Rainbow Ribbon Mold, only it's even more rainbowy! Click here for the original recipe. Plan on it taking about 3 hours to make, the day before you need it. It only takes a few minutes every 20 minutes or so, but you can't let a layer set for hours before adding the next one, or you risk the layers sliding apart after unmolding. And, you want the finished mold to set up at least over night. People ask what it tastes like. It tastes like Jell-O. Since you are eating many flavors at once, it's hard to differentiate, so it doesn't matter which flavor of red you choose, except that Watermelon is too light in color and Black Cherry is too dark. I suggest you begin layering with the purple (at the top of the unmolded dessert). This way you will be using a double batch of red,* which, according Kraft's customer service, is the most popular color of Jell-O. (You use a double batch of the last color because a bundt pan flares towards the bottom and if you don't use a double batch, the bottom layer will be very thin. Also, it finishes filling the mold.) However, you don't have to use Jell-O brand gelatin. If you can't find all the colors you need in one brand, it doesn't really matter if you substitute a store brand or Royal or some other brand. If you want to get fancy, you can use unflavored/unsweetened gelatin and make your own flavors with juice, but the colors will be hard to achieve without a lot of food coloring, so I just go with the boxed stuff. Note that Royal brand is 2.75 oz, while Jell-O is 3 oz, it really doesn't make a difference. The original recipe calls for 3 Tbs yogurt for each layer, I go with 2 Tbs, or really just a big soup spoonful, otherwise the creamy layers are too pale. Ingredients 8-3/4 c Boiling Water 7 pkg flavored Gelatin, 1 each of the 6 different colors of the rainbow, plus one extra, either red or purple* 1-1/4 c Vanilla Yogurt (smooth and creamy works best), or sour cream, or cool whip Whipped Topping or Cream for service (optional) Line up your boxes of gelatin in rainbow order (remember ROY G BIV?), next to 5 large cups, and one quart sized bowl. Put each flavor of gelatin in its own bowl or cup, use the larger one for the double batch. Stir 1.25 cups boiling water into each flavor at least 2 minutes until completely dissolved (do one at a time, to make sure each is completely dissolved), use 2.5 cups for the double batch. Lightly spray a 10 cup Bundt pan with cooking spray, wipe out excess with a paper towel. Beginning with your first color, either red or purple, whichever you DID NOT buy two packages of (I start with purple), pour 3/4 cup of the dissolved gelatin into the bundt pan. Refrigerate about 15-20 minutes or until set but not firm (gelatin should feel tacky and stick to finger when touched). Meanwhile, stir 2 Tbsp. of the yogurt into the 1/2 cup of dissolved gelatin remaining in the cup, use a small whisk or fork to get out all the lumps. Refrigerate this remaining gelatin about 5 minutes or until slightly thickened (consistency of unbeaten egg whites). Leave the rest of the flavors at room temperature, lightly covered with plastic wrap. Spoon the creamy gelatin over the set, but still tacky gelatin in pan. Refrigerate about 10-15 minutes or until gelatin is set but not firm (gelatin should stick to finger when touched). Repeat this with each remaining gelatin flavor. If the gelatin waiting to be used sets at room temperature, fill a bowl the cup will fit into with hot water and stir to loosen it up again. Refrigerate gelatin as directed to create a total of 12 alternating clear and creamy gelatin layers. See tips below. Refrigerate overnight until firm. Unmold. Garnish servings with whipped cream (optional). TIPS FOR SUCCESS: When making all the gelatin at once, instead of using bowls, the gelatin can be made in large, individual, plastic cups (facilitates cleanup). Mark each cup with its flavor and line the cups up in the order they are going into the mold. Put each color of gelatin in its own cup. This saves having to reboil water every 1/2 hour. Leave the gelatin waiting to be layered on the counter, at room temperature, lightly covered with plastic wrap. Mold type and size: This is a versatile recipe, and special molds aren’t needed, but a bundt cake pan makes a beautiful mold. To calculate the mold's volume, fill it with water to measure it. Plan on 1-2/3 cup of gelatin per box. For a 10-cup mold, seven boxes of gelatin work well. If you are using a smaller mold, use less of each flavor, fewer colors, or make a second "sampler" serving. Even for a large mold, making a small sampler in a clear glass will hit the spot after taking 3 hours to make this and not being able to have any until the next day. Order: For a nice look the colors of the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet) are most commonly used, but variations can be beautiful. For example, school colors for a school banquet or bake sale, or colors appropriate to a holiday, i.e. red and green at Christmas. Setting: To set properly, the gelatin must be cold and not warm when it is put in the mold. It is also important that the layers are tacky to the touch and not solidly firm, as each successive layer is added. Otherwise the layers may not stick to each other. To prevent the layers from cracking as each layer is added, pour the gelatin over a spoon to break the fall, close down to the set gelatin. Each time the mold is put into the refrigerator to set, give it a quarter turn. This will keep the layers even. It takes less time for each progressive layer to set. Unmolding: For best results, unmold just before serving. Fill a larger container or clean sink with warm water, not too hot (otherwise it will melt). Rub a few drops of water onto the serving plate, this will facilitate adjusting the mold after unmolding, if necessary. Either use a plate with a large lip and just a little bit bigger than the diameter of the mold, or use a larger platter, at least 2-3 inches larger than the mold, because it will spread when unmolded and cut. Dip the mold almost to the edge into the warm water for just a few seconds. Wipe off with a towel and check the edges to see if they are loose, if not, repeat the dip for just a few seconds. Invert serving plate on top and flip quickly. Having a spotter brings peace of mind! Keywords: Dessert, Intermediate, American ( RG1595 )

I read the recipe, but I'm still unsure of what to do. Does the egg form a ball with a sugar crust? You say to take two layers and wrap together, does that mean they form sheets? Any chance that next time you make this, you could take step by step photos? They look very interesting and delicious, but I think I need more hand holding on this one.

Whisks, I'm so sorry we haven't gotten our tips for this project on line yet. One of the first is to plan on it taking around 3 hours. I'm sure it will be worht it when it is a hit at the party.

Jello Shots Recipe, not on the Jell-O site, where only non-alcoholic Jell-O Shots exist. I think they may be too small to really get a rainbow effect going. Perhaps just go with 1, 2, or 3 flavors. Or, just make individual flavors, and make the rainbow out of a variety of shots. That first link I gave above, has many flavor options.

About the best time to arrive is 11:45-11:55. By noon the place is filling up, by 12:15 there's usually a wait.

Don't heat the sour cream, I was talking about the cream cheese. I just use a whisk or fork to beat out the lumps. But there always seem to be a few specks of the creamy ingredient left.

I was wondering why the microwave was running for so long, so I went to go look. I saw the smoke as I entered the kitchen. "Fire!" I yelled. I've never seen Jason respond to my screams so fast! ~~~ If I clean the soot with microwave oven cleaner and the ceiling doesn't seem damaged, is it still safe to use?

No pity!!! I think you should have to consume an order of fish maw as a hazing ritual -- Jason, call Cecil! re: Jell-O - Fat Guy has spoken. Now I have to go buy more jello.

I don't see why not. However, I would divide the jello into two containers while it is hot (see recipe), and maybe zap the cream cheese in the micro for a few seconds. I think it will mix together better while both are warm and the cream cheese is softer. Sour cream I do the same as yogurt, no prob.

One of the tips I told Trish, was to turn it 1/4 turn at each layer, that way it mostly comes out with straight layers. Another option is to use some paper toweling to adjust the height to level it. As explained above, for the jello molds, it is just a blending of a creamy ingredient with the colored jello. But for truly white jello:

If you take the train down, there's buses to NJ, or perhaps someone would be willing to pick you up at the ferry. However, the restaurant is right on a highway, very convenient from the GWB, so there's not too much navigating involved. ~~~ On another note, I was thinking of making a rainbow jello mold, so I could take step by step photos for another thread. However, I don't need such a massive amount of jello in my house at once! So, I was thinking of bringing it as an extra dessert to the banquet. Would you all like that or should I just bring it to my office for the Realtors to devour?

Trish, if you want to compile all those tips and post the recipe, I'll be glad for it to be done! Just keep in mind copyright issues. However, I think our adaptations make it different enough to post. Beautiful job! Next time either of us makes it, we need to take step by step pictures, I think.

French is great and all, but learn Spanish too. It is the lingua franca of most kitchens in the US. And, some of the most innovative cooking in the world right now is going on in Spain. Even if you are not planning on actually cooking, knowing Spanish will allow you to be comfortable in kitchens, you may want to stage or interview cooks, or read Adria, travel, etc.