Squeat Mungry

About 75 here. Plus another say 50 books about food, food history, etc.

If I want to use fatty drippings in the gravy, I usually use them in making the roux. Sounds like there was indeed too much fat. If I want the butter flavor as well, I'll use a combo for the roux. Sorry about your gravy! Squeat

Okay, the report: It's good. The texture is great. Moist. Tender. Slices well, shreds well. Not mushy at all. The taste? Well, it tastes like pork. Maybe a slight trace of ham taste, but not much. It's fine and will make good leftovers, but the flavor is not really the revelation I was hoping for. I think I'll choose another subject for my next brining experiment. Thanks Dave the Cook, Margaret Pilgrim and others who gave advice! Cheers, Squeat PS This was also my first time trying out my new Polder thermometer which tracks the temp of the meat AND the ambient temp of the oven. Works like a charm! Now THERE's a revelation!

Thanks very much, Dave. I would imagine Bertolli must be going for a more cured, "hammy" product with this recipe, then. I'll be sure to post a post-mortem. Fortunately, I like pork AND ham! Squeat

Interesting. The recipe in Chez Panisse Cooking is called "Roast Loin of Cured Pork". So am I brining? Curing? Mushing? Or simply ruining? Tonight will tell. I'll post the results re: saltiness, mushiness, abject failure, etc. Cheers, Squeat

Perhaps Dave should address this. From my understanding, the longer you brine it, the saltier it will taste (thus getting "tastes like ham" comment from your dinner guests). I've also read on some of the other eGullet brining threads that brining too long can turn the meat mushy. Will this happen after a 5 day brine? It seems a little excessive to me. At what point in the brining timeline does the brining become moot because the deed is already done, so to speak, and any longer in the brine won't help the meat that much? I was kind of hoping he would. I'm of half a mind to cook it off tonight, but considering Margaret Pilgrim's advice and the fact that when I follow a recipe with a new technique for the first time, I like to do it "by the book", I probably won't. Fortunately there are no dinner guests to make remarks. Squeat

I apologize in advance, and I REALLY don't mean to come across as mean-spirited or jeering, but of this hilarious thread -- this had me absolutely cracking up! Where are these confused synagogues? Or has there been some mass inter-faith exchange that was not covered in the press? Are there an equal number of mosques where an unfortunate blaze would send congregants diving for their Torah scrolls? Sorry...couldn't resist! Anyway, to compensate, I will reveal my worst blunder when having people over for dinner. When I first got interested in cooking, I "planned" a very elaborate dinner party for about 8 friends. I bought a middle-eastern cookbook, and diligently shopped for ingredients for the 4 or 5 dishes I chose mostly at random. I then proceeded to do absolutely NOTHING prep-wise. In fact, I had read none of the recipes beyond the ingredient lists before the guests actually arrived at my house. Um, well, I spent the entire evening in the kitchen, from which individual courses appeared at random intervals over the next 6 hours! My friends all insisted they had a great time (plenty of alcohol was on hand), but the exhaustion and humiliation meant another 4 or 5 years before I could bring myself to even cook anything for anyone other than myself! Cheers, Squeat

Margaret, My thanks to you and your husband. I feel more relaxed now. Can't wait to roast that loin! Squeat

Excellent course, thanks! Coincidently I am brining a pork loin right now as my first experiment in brining, which leads me to ask you: Am I ruining my loin? I just bought Chez Panisse Cooking and am following their instructions for "Roast Cured Loin". They say to brine the loin for 5 days!! That's a lot longer than 12-18 hours. I did do a temp check on my fridge, and it averages 38F which is lower than the 40F they specify as maximum, so that seems okay. I bought the loin Saturday and was planning on cooking it off Thursday... am I screwing up big-time? Thanks, Squeat

Thanks, Dave the Cook! I have honestly never seen or heard of this stuff before.

Can someone enlighten me as to exactly what Chicken Powder is? As for Bayless, I wonder how the others on the Chef's Collaborative board would feel about endorsing a product with this ingredient list? Cheers, Squeat Edited for spelling -- oops!

Hey, corn chips...me too! Oh, and a roast beef sandwich I actually got myself to make before I left for work this morning.

It must be true, then. I'm 44 and have enjoyed many fine meals at Acquerello. Cheers, Squeat

Charcoop, I don't think you'll be disappointed at Acquerello. Tana, have you been there recently? I really think their pasta is some of the best available these days. I have only been to Farallon once, and was underwhelmed -- but it may have been an off night. I am consistently impressed by Delfina, however. Squeat

Charcoop, Not to worry. Mr. Soup was perfectly within reason to question my use of the word. I am not offended, and hope I have not offended him by my explanation. My apologies to you, though, for waylaying this thread. To bring it back on topic, do you think you'll give either Acquerello or Delfina a try? Cheers, Squeat

Would you be alluding to a recent legendary election?

To clarify my original choice of words (and I suppose a bit to defend myself -- even though thereby admitting to "common journalistic hyperbole"), I will quote the following "Usage Note" from the American Heritage Dictionary, 4th Edition (aka www.dictionary.com). Emphasis is mine: "Usage Note: Legend comes from the Latin adjective legenda, “for reading, to be read,” which referred only to written stories, not to traditional stories transmitted orally from generation to generation. This restriction also applied to the English word legend when it was first used in the late 14th century in reference to written accounts of saints' lives, but ever since the 15th century legend has been used to refer to traditional stories as well. Today a legend can also be a person or achievement worthy of inspiring such a story -- anyone or anything whose fame promises to be enduring, even if the renown is created more by the media than by oral tradition. Thus we speak of the legendary accomplishments of a major-league baseball star or the legendary voice of a famous opera singer. This usage is common journalistic hyperbole, and 55 percent of the Usage Panel accepts it." It was indeed in this sense that I employed the adjective. Cheers, Squeat

Perhaps you're right, Gary, but I was trying to convey a note of how impressive (to me, anyway) Delfina's (well-earned, IMO) rise to fame has been. When out-of-towners ask me about specific restaurants in the city, Delfina is hands down most likely to be named. Renowned would probably have been a more accurate choice, in hindsight. Cheers, Squeat

Charcoop, For first rate northern Italian, you can't go wrong at Acquerello, where they have a newish pasta chef who has brought the pasta up to the first-rate level of their other offerings, or at the legendary Delfina. Cheers and enjoy your visit! Squeat

Ooops! Sorry, girl chow... I just realized you're from Seattle, so excellent coffee may not be tops on your list of San Francisco treats! Still, if you're interested, try the Graffeo. I think you'll find it will stand up to many of the fine coffees available in your beautiful city! Squeat

Thanks, Tana. It's based on a childhood memory of my father imitating a "fast talking New Yorker". For some reason, we kids thought it was hysterical! (Not everyone gets it at first. For those that don't, say it out loud a few times.) And, to make this an on-topic post, I'll add for Girl Chow: If you want to take some coffee home from your San Francisco trip, my advice is to skip Peet's and head straight for Graffeo Roasting Company on Columbus Ave. in North Beach. For my money, it's the best coffee to be had anywhere. Cheers, Squeat

Hello, I am brand new to eGullet, but I have been dining out (and in) in San Francisco for 30 years now. In my opinion, L'Osteria del Forno is overrated -- the food is quite good, but nothing special. For my money, much better Italian is to be had at either Acquerello or Delfina. And for what it's worth, my new fine-dining favorite is Chez Spencer. The chef is Laurent Katgely (formerly chef at Foreign cinema, which now avoid at all costs), and the restaurant is located in the old Citizen Cake digs. Cheers, Squeat