prasantrin

My favourite is pesto with mozzarella. The one I get usually has tomato in it, too, but it makes the bread soggy so I prefer it without.

Thanks Hiroyuki and helenjp! I've passed along the info to my friend. So far, he's still OK, and has not had another large breakout. I had been trying to get him to eliminate rice for quite some time, but he just didn't want to give it up (an Asian without rice? Impossible!). He's much happier now, knowing that it isn't all rice, just Japanese rice. He only has a few months left here, so I think he can stand going mostly riceless. Thanks again!

Salad rolls? You'd need to boil some hot water in which to soften the wrappers, but there are plenty of plug-in kettles that don't have whistles. Then you can use use whatever salad fillings you have. And if you have a George Foreman grill, maybe you can add some thinly sliced "grilled" beef or shrimp to them. Easy and fast!

If the person sending the coffee is willing to send it via USPS marked as a gift with a value of less than $60 Canadian, you won't have to pay duty at all. For commercial packages, the value must be less than $20 Canadian to avoid paying duty.

Is there something about the way Japanese rice is processed that is different from how, for example, rice from Thailand or China is processed? Are there any additives that might be different? I ask because a friend has been suffering from allergy-related hives since moving to Japan. They've been quite bad, and he hasn't been able to pinpoint which food is making him ill. He spent a few days in Hong Kong (where he's originally from) over the holidays, and he was able to eat almost everything without a single outbreak!! The only time he had an outbreak was after visiting a sushi restaurant!! Since then, he has eliminated Japanese rice and anything made from Japanese rice from his diet, and he hasn't yet had another outbreak. So, since he was able to eat Chinese rice (long grain) without a problem, and only has problems with short grain Japanese rice, we're trying to figure out what it is about the Japanese rice that he might be allergic to. Any ideas?

this could partially be the problem prasantrin. Overmixing makes the dough elastic and it might shrink when baked, hence the breaking and slipping. Also I'm guessing the non-stick pan is helping the dough to slip. I use a food processor too when making it since I have no stand mixer either. Although I always use all the water and the dough comes out perfect. So, maybe the flour is a bit off with you. Do u measure it or weigh it? I always weigh it, so if u have a scale try doing that. Make sure when u put the dough in the pan, you do not stretch it into place but lay it in gently, especially in the corners. Last tip I would give you is to make sure it is very cold/rested when blind baking it. good luck, this quiche is worth all the work. ← I used flour with 8g protein/100g. I couldn't decide which to use--the 12g protein/100g or the 8g, so perhaps I should try using the 12g next time. I was worried that I was overmixing, but the "no visible bits of butter" make me want to mix more. I think when i mixed it, the butter got too soft because it started to come together in a ball (a little) even before adding the water. I'll try again with a little less mixing. I weighed the flour, but wasn't sure which weight/cup of flour to use (4 or 5oz per cup?) so I used 4.5 oz per cup. Was that too little? The next time I'm in Osaka, I'll look for a ring such as that suggested for making the quiche. They're a bit hard to find in Japan, but I would imagine the restaurant supply area would have them! Thanks for the advice. I think I'm going to try again tonight. Because of the lower sides of the crust, I had to use less filling in my most recent version. Thus it was not as creamy and rich as past versions I've done. It's still good, but not as good. (It's almost gone, though, so it's not too bad!)

Me, too! Please!!! I love longganisa, but rarely have it because I love tocino more (which means whenever I go for Filipino breakfast, I order tocino, not longganisa). But I could easily make my own longganisa sans skin in Japan!

Hi Corinna, I sent a pm to you in December, but don't know if you ever got it. Now that my plans have changed a bit because my friends backed out, any additional information is even more appreciated!

My trip is a short 9 1/2 weeks away! Unfortunately, my trip with friends has turned into a solo trip, which puts a bit of a damper on things. My main concern is, of course, food. Would I be able to eat at a place like Ali's alone (single non-caucasian female), or should I invite someone along with me (like my guide and driver, who will probably be men)? Will I be breaking any cultural norms if I do so? Are the food portions at more traditional restaurants small enough for a single person, or are they more family-size? Are there any places that might be more single female friendly?

Thanks! I usually just walk around and check out the different stores. There are usually one or two stores with slightly (very slightly) cheaper prices. I am a bit picky, though, and I prefer Golden Phoenix in the purple bag (or was it red?). I bought a bag of Golden Phoenix that looked similar to the rice sold at Murachin, and it wasn't very good at all! For me, Y2800 for 5 kg is well worth the price. For the kind of food I eat, jasmine rice is a much better complement than Japanese rice. Plus I just like it better! (I'm half Thai, so that's what I grew up eating.)

Great! I can get there early and do my shopping! The speech contest will be on the 20th (Jan). Our J1 entrance exams are on the 19th and 21st, and though I have to attend on the 19th, I don't have to go on the 21st, so they may let me stay overnight on the Sunday. If not, they said I could leave immediately after the exam on the 19th, arriving in Tokyo Saturday night. I should know by today, I hope, so I'll post in that other topic...what's it called? Dining friends or something like that. Hopefully some people will be available (hint, hint ) despite the awkward timing. I'm looking forward to seeing Tokyo again, and getting my rice!

I'm going to be in Tokyo for maybe a Sunday night. Can anyone tell me if Ameyokocho is open on Mondays? Or what time they open on Sunday? I'm going in for a speech contest which starts at 12:30, and will probably finish around 4 or 5pm. It's located in Ueno, so if Ameyokocho opens around 11, I can do some shopping before the contest. I need my Thai rice!!! (It's very very difficult to find in the Kansai area now, and even the Thai grocery store runs out often! Like everytime I've gone to get some!)

Fake fried chicken? It looks pretty real, to me! How did you do that? I'm trying to find a way to make a more healthful fried chicken, but the closest I've come is to fry a little, then bake.

I'm getting very annoyed! I'm making the Bouchon quiche recipe again, and for the second time I'm having a bit of problem with the crust. When I parbake, the overhang of the crust falls off. It's as though it melts. The first time it happened, only part of the overhang fell off, so the crust was still OK to fill. This time, not only has the overhang fallen off, but it looks like an inch or so of the sides have slid down the pan. Any ideas what may have gone wrong? I used 1 tablespoon less water than the recipe calls for, because the dough came together (and was a little sticky) after I had added only 3 tablespoons. The last time I made this, I thought the problem may have been due to undermixing (I could see some butter in the dough, and according to the recipe there shouldn't be any visible bits of butter). This time, I made sure to mix the dough very well, so there were no visible bits of butter at all. I also used a food processor instead of a stand mixer, since I have the former but not the latter. And I use a non-stick pan, which is smaller in diameter but higher than the pan called for in the recipe (the volume is almost the same as the pan used in the recipe). I'm a bit perturbed, but if anyone could give me an idea of what might have gone wrong, I'd much appreciate it!

Blondies with adzuki beans is quite nice. The beans are whole, not mushed. They're the only blondies I've had that I liked!

I think it's less the responsibility of the buyers and stores who buy the products as it is the government agency that makes the rules. If it's the FDA that decides what should or shouldn't be consumed, then it's the FDA that should be enforcing the rules. As a consumer, I don't expect to buy foods which contain banned ingredients, because I assume the government has done its job of keeping them out of our foods.

Bittman suggests up to 30% whole grain, 50% whole wheat, or 20% rye to start with, and playing around to see what you like. I just took my first loaf of no-knead bread out of the oven about 15 minutes ago. The wonderful smell makes it very difficult not to cut into it before it has cooled. I didn't make any changes in the recipe for my first time, but accidentally added too much yeast. Because of the very cold temp. of my apartment, it still hadn't risen enough after 22 hours, so I stuck it in my oven for 1 hour at 35C, then let it sit in the warm oven for a bit longer. For the second rise, it went into the oven at 35C for 20 minutes, then sat in the warm oven for 2 more hours. I baked it at 230C for 25 minutes, removed the lid, and baked for another 20 minutes. The colour is beautiful, and I can't wait to eat it! I brought some whole wheat flour back from Canada, so I'll be trying some whole wheat in the dough next time.

The crunchy corn snack--are those like corn nuts? The first time I ever had corn nuts was when I lived in the Philippines, and I loved them! Chippy!!! I love Chippy's, too!! When I was visiting the Phil. last spring, I ate many bags of Chippy (is it really "Chippy"? I've always called it "Chippy's" for some reason), and even brought some back to Japan with me. BBQ, of course! no other flavour is good enough! Is your Polvoron the special kind made with real butter? I generally don't like Goldilock's polvoron, because they're very artificial-tasting (I think they don't use pure butter). In fact, I don't really care for any of their baked goods that I've tried, not even their ensaimada! They do have one polvoron that is made with real butter, but it's more expensive than the others.

I have to admit, my first thought when reading of CaliPoutine's dilemma was Dutch food, especially when she mentioned no pasta. I have memories of friend's Dutch father, for whom spaghetti was "too foreign" a dish! About senior cooking, the survey/education idea is a great place to start. My mother (almost 71) recently joined a senior's lunch club. She is a very adventurous eater, and loves trying new things, but most of the seniors in the group are polar opposites (this is in Winnipeg, which I would equate in many ways to a very large small town). After lunch at an Indian restaurant (which was a crappy one, at that), the others rebelled and requested that future meals be at "normal" restaurants. My mother said, however, that most of the people had never tried Indian food, and no one bothered to explain it to them. She said she would have given them a mini-lecture on the food so they could better understand what it was and how to eat it. Education is a big help, but the supper organizers aren't paying CaliPoutine to educate, so they may not want her to go that route. Regarding food costs, I wonder if there isn't a poultry processing plant or similar place in the area, which might be willing to sell at cheaper-than-retail prices as a community service. It might be worthwhile to try...it wouldn't hurt, anyway! Slightly off-topic, but about Meals for Wheels...my mother volunteered for them for a couple of years, and she said the meals were horrible. They contained things like frozen cutlets made of mystery meat and similar items. I would never, ever let someone I loved eat that stuff no matter how difficult it would be to find other options. They do feed large numbers of customers rather cheaply, though, so MoW menus might be something to look into when looking for more menu ideas.

That seems rather simplistic to me. It is completely possible to monitor what you sell, but still have a product with a banned ingredient on the shelf for a period of time. Just because it was on the shelf, doesn't mean they wouldn't have taken it off once the error was caught (which may have happened even without your help, eventually). That an ingredient, food product, or even drug is banned in the US doesn't infer that it is unwholesome.

In his addendum, Bittman suggests making additions after mixing up the dough (before the first rise), or folding them in after the first rise. Someone here (I can't remember who) mentioned making the additions at the very beginning (before mixing everything up), and it seemed to work for her. In other words, it seems anytime would be OK to add things. As for adding things to the surface, I would think you'd get better sticking power if you add them at the very beginning of baking, after placing the dough in the pot. Maybe if you soak the rosemary in water a bit it would help prevent burning?

If you only have one meal in SF, don't waste it on In-N-Out. Sure they're better than McD's, but they're not really that great. If you're on the way to the airport, though, and you need a bite to eat for the plane ride home, they might be a good option if you can't get your hands on a tasty loaf of bread and some good cheeses at the Ferry Terminal. I still wouldn't bother, though... I didn't get to spend much time in SF, but I did enjoy my food from the Mexican place inside Ferry Terminal. I think we had stuffed banana blossoms, and some kind of nacho-like dish where the tortilla chips are doused in chile sauce (can't remember the name). The guava juice was particularly refreshing. (caveat: I don't get much Mexican, so I make no claims about the restaurant's authenticity. It was might tasty, though.)

That's what I was hoping! I've realized that the original recipe calls for 1/4 tsp., which means I probably added 3-4 times the amount. Oops again! Hopefully my extra cold apartment will prevent the superdose of yeast from doing too much damage. I'm sure everything will be fine in the end. Too much yeast won't kill me, after all, nor will very yeasty-flavoured bread!

Marya, I have the additional information printed in the NYT saved. If you still want/need it, I'd be happy to PM it to you, but don't want to post it all since it would probably violate copyright laws. There aren't any changes made to the recipe, just some clarification and helpful hints. Anyone else who wants it, please feel free to pm me, and I'll send it out to you asap.

I just arrived back in Japan last night, and I brought my 4.5qt. Le Creuset pot back with me (taking up 15 of my 50-lb luggage allowance, nevermind that my suitcase itself weighs 20-lbs). I've just started my first loaf of no-knead bread, and am really excited! (Is it silly to be excited over a loaf of bread?) My apartment is quite cold--10-15C during the day. I've read about other people's cold-rising experiences, and I may have to invest in a heating pad before long. I'll have to see how this loaf turns out. I'm probably going to do a 24-hour first rise, since I started this at 6am-ish. I'm a bit worried that I added too much yeast. I was using a scale, and pressed "tare" before adding the yeast, forgetting that my scale doesn't measure in 1g increments unless something has a weight of at least 5g. I think I have about double the yeast. Oops. But would the extra yeast help the bread at all in my cold kitchen? Any other hints for conquering cold kitchens?