Betts
-
Posts
420 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Store
Help Articles
Posts posted by Betts
-
-
No kitchen should be without Terro. Just put a drop on the cardboard chip and put it near where the little buggers are coming in - 2 days ... antless kitchen.
-
Congratulations and best wishes for success. But - no butter tarts! How this expat Canuck misses those. Good looking website.
-
In the last few months I have made French dishes that had salt pork lardons. First sauteed to render the fat and then removed so that the next ingredient could be sauteed in the flavorful fat.
Are these crispy bits discarded? added later?
The recipe for the beef bourguinon and the chicken with prunes did not specify either way.
-
Lynn Rossetto Kasper ( a lady who knows her way around sauce) did a blind tasting of jarred sauces on The Splendid Table a few years ago. Although most were deemed awful, Classico got high marks for taste and texture. I switched then and there.
-
Rose Levy Berenbaum, in the Pastry Bible also uses baking powder in her crust - but specifies non aluminum type for better flavor.
-
I like Pomi Marinara, DeCecco Arrabbiata, Barilla tomato basil and Classico in that order. I just could not do Rao's for more than $8.00/ bottle in my Minnesota grocery but now I might rethink that policy given all the positive reviews.
-
Pam - not only is your demo fabulous but it makes the idea of doing a stretch dough seem possible. Have you thought about working it up into an article for one of the major food mags?
Hope you survive the Passover rush.
-
I am going to be exhausted by the week from hell before I get to Easter so it will be really simple.
Personally, I like Julia Child's Grilled butterflied leg of lamb on the grill. Marinate in 4 TB olive oil, 2TB soy, juice of 1/2 lemon, 2 pounded garlic cloves, sprig of rosemary and plenty of black pepper and grill. Serve with gratin of potatoes and grilled asparagus or steamed with hollandaise. Dessert - Eton Mess - smushed sweetened strawberries mixed with whipped cream and fold in some crumbled meringues and serve in wine glasses.
-
Same people as Trader Joe's - now there's a tidbit that I did not know. We are anxiously awaiting our first Minnesota TJ's in a few weeks.
I have shopped Aldi very rarely. It's cash only so it discourages stock ups. I'm the kind of gal who can exist for weeks with $10 bill in the wallet but has a red hot credit card at her fingertips.
-
He has established a "Pick Your Own" farm near Ridgetown about an hour west of London with strawberries, raspberries and a little asparagus. There is always excess fruit and the goal is to find uses and markets for what isn't picked.
The product goes by the name of SnoBerries - the family name is Snobelen. I'll see about getting varietal info or have my nephew respond on this thread.
-
My nephew is a twenty something Ontario farmer who is establishing a raspberry/ strawberry farm and wants to maximize the market for his fruit. He produces a soft, high sugar berry that is very flavorful and distinct from the mass market firm fleshed, low sugar varieties that ship well.
He is experimenting with a raspberry wine ( highly drinkable IMHO) and would like to know if you think that there is a market for this both from the chef user and from the consumer. Do any of you have experience with this?
We had a other ideas from the kitchen table marketing session --
* Fruit puree - frozen seedless but need a source for processing/ distributing
* Fruit vinegars - no LCBO issues but does anyone know a specialty food distributor who might carry them
*Jams/jelly - this market seems saturated. he is looking for something distinctive
Also ways to develop the wine idea.
All opinions and sources of expertise are welcome and gratefully accepted.
-
On a somewhat food-related note: If you get gum in your hair, rub in some peanut butter to get it out. Then find something to get the peanut butter out of your hair. Seriously, PB really does work on a lot of sticky, gummy stuff.
Last fall my little terrier escaped on an adventure and came back full of burrs - eyes, paws, everywhere! Somewhere in the back of my brain, I dug up the idea of spraying my fingers with PAM and then I was easily able to work the burrs/ pickers out of her coat. Best of all, she wasn't the least bit greasy when done.
-
I have made that cream cheese pound cake many times and it is always a big hit with the customers and does well by me with ease of preparation. I'll have to give Gale Gand's pound cake a try. Her recipes are always winners.
-
I sprinkle some on a raw apple wedges very nice. Also mine is much darker than the initial photo up thread.
-
I read this thread ... ran to kitchen and made the dope using my gram scale and I think 15 gms( .5oz) of cinnamon is too much... - run back and reread the thread- 1/2 TB in another post ...- that works if I double sugars and but I don't have another tangerine so it'll have to be a Meyer lemon ... not bad but not sublime. Post this and then decide to have some on toast.. back out to kitchen which now smells sublime and and mix is tasting better. If nothing else this will be fabulous in homemade sticky buns, however hot buttered toast with dope gets consumed quickly and now I need another one to check on the aging process. Do you think 15 minutes is enough
. I think I'll make a batch for small gifts for my gourmet group as a post holiday dinner present.BTW - How does aging effect the mix?
-
When I remodeled my kitchen, I put in a very large, very deep Franke stainless sink and it was the best decision I made. The disposer is offset to a corner and has never been a problem despite some very heavy duty cooking.
The old kitchen had the all in one faucet/ sprayer. They never really generate a useful amount of pressure and although designers and architects don't like them, I prefer the old fashioned sprayer.
Also give some thought to the disposer switch. I put in a button type( air switch?) that is concealed just to the left of the sink but have also seen them mounted on the counter next to the faucet. I always hate it when someone wants to turn on a light and hits the disposer switch instead.
Best wishes for the endeavor.
-
Man I make these a lot and in quantity for several meals. Very finely chopped herbs - chives, parsley, scallion work well and I always add a big dash of nutmeg.
When working in batches, drop the completed spaetzle in ice water while cooking subsequent batches. They are less sticky that way. I usually just reheat in micro not saute in more butter as often recommended.
They freeze beautifully.
With the maker it is unbelievably easy to whip up a batch. I have found that spraying the gadget thoroughly on every surface with pan spray saves a lot in clean up.
-
I had accumulated a lot of egg whites and saw a Joy of Cooking recipe for nut meringues and I already had ground toasted hazelnuts. The whites never really whipped stiffly and I think I was to impatient with the sugar. Instead af being really pipeable I used a scoop and they came out like flat domes - exceptionally tasty flat domes but not the peaks that I was hoping for.
-
I have a cast iron griddle/grill pan and that thing is a real *** to clean the ridges.
It is an unwieldy piece and I must have adequately seasoned it because there isn't any rust but it isn't a joy to use either. I had an opportunity to use an aluminum one lately and what a breeze to cook and clean.
-
Your menu sounds wonderful and braised beef with polenta is much easier to manage for 14 than goose or duck.
On another note - I have found that rather simple food, even if unfamiliar, that is well prepared always works. Also, if the guests come to the table hungry it really reduces the "pickiness" ; thus limit appetizers and snacks to just enough to really whet the appetite.
Good luck with the holiday meal.
-
Fabulous blog Jamie. I grew up in Ontario and they make Ice Wine from Point Pelee grapes, very near my old homestead. How does BC ice wine compare to the Ontario variety?
Stunning photographs BTW - especially that opening shot. Also, at the end of your blog tenure you might have convinced people that they want to live in Vancouver. Explain the tax system to them for a little dose of post blog reality.
-
Could you extend that offer to another middle ager? My copy has a few dribbles on it already and I never fail to find something delightful in it.
-
I love, love, love biscuits and gravy but mine is just not ever as good as the southern stuff. Northern sausage just isn't the same and there isn't enough fat left to make a roux.
-
I am back from Kauai and I have a few dining notes - this is no particular order
Hula Girl - probably the poorest food we ate but I tried poke for the first time and their version was pretty bland and alarmingly luke warm. My husband had the char sui ribs (looked steamed and then baked) and the coconut crab cakes were decent. There was a mother son duo for live entertainment. This is strip mall dining at its most dismal.
Princeville the classic drinks and sushi on the patio at sunset. The drinks were fine and not bank breaking and the sashimi was lovely but the whole experience was less memorable than expected.
Dukes We were staying at the Marriot in Lihue so Duke's was just a stroll from the room and when we were really tired this is where we headed. The first time it was drinks and apps in the beachside bar. Very disappointing - small portions, expensive and poorly executed. However a waiter at Coconuts said that Dukes was one of his favorite spots so we went to the upstairs restaurant midweek. Despite a rather tired salad bar the fish was first rate, generous portion and beautifully grilled. I had the grilled opah with lemon butter sauce and pineapple salsa. The menu lists the fish available and then the prep styles available. One diner had the firecracker ono and it was the spiciest thing that week. Great service by Mel, our waiter, who also gave us tips on making poke.
Kountry Kitchen This is a breakfast spot in Kapaa and really busy with locals and tourists. Lots of omelettes. I had the fresh vegetable benedict and my husband had the Idaho with bacon and sour cream. They also have a delicious cornbread that you dunk in coconut syrup - an unexpected treat.
Aromas This is a fine dining spot at night but serves breakfast Thurs - Sun in a upstairs venue in Lihue. The chef used to work at the Marriot across the street and the breakfast menu is way more inventive than standard fare. I had the scrambled eggs on fried rice and my friend had delicious coconut/macadamia nut and white choc pancakes. My husband had a breakfast wrap that came with a really piquant salsa. There is an open air porch for a relaxing meal. They were really short of staff the morning we were there so it was a little slow but we just poured our own coffee and had no schedule to keep to.
Gaylord's This is a restaurant outside of Lihue that was the site of a historica sugar plantation. The tables are on the covered porch that forms the innner courtyard of this large home. Service was very slow, and the hearts of palm salad had no hearts of palm!!. They have a terrific lilikoi tiramisu however.
Coconuts Like all other up thread, we had a wonderful meal here. It is a very busy place and reservations are highly recommended. We went at an off time of year, on a Tuesday night, and later in the evening and still had a half hour wait in the bar. The calamari with the panko coating was terrific. I had the tempura ono - delicious but my husband had the grilled ahi and it was beyond outstanding. Service is friendly and was the most professional of anywhere we ate.
JJ's this is a large bar/grill on Kalapaki beach with bland and pretty tasteless food according to the rest of the party but I had the Kaluha pig and cabbage. This is a local dish of a smoky pulled roast pig mixed with steamed cabbage and served with a couple of scoops of rice. I liked it. This is a great spot to watch the surfers.
Shave ice with macadamia ice cream - lots of spots and very yummy.
Tokyo Lobby - Now this was an experience. One of our group used to go to Japan on business several times a year and got to like sashimi/ sushi. This is across the street from the Marriot and appeared to have a lot of locals. We ended up with a couple of the "boat" dinners and this was way too much food. What was interesting was the contrast with the sushi at the hotel. The Marriot sushi bar was elegant, serene and everyone looked unhappy but the Tokyo Lobby was decidedly downscale, the waitress looked just like John Belushi's Samauri character and people were having a great time.
Casa di Amici in Poipu. This was our last meal on the island and definitely the most memorable. This restaurant is not easy to find ( we did a daylight scouting trip and it was a good thing). It is imbedded in a resort community, barely marked and you must have reservations. Although the restaurant seems Italian, the menu reflects the Island ethnic mix - some European dishes with a generous selection of Asian fusion dishes. I had the pork belly done like a Chinese duck with 5 spice risotto. It was truly memorable. My husband had a roast pork but with a trio of vegetable purees - the best being beet with raspberry and horseradish. Without a doubt this is the most creative food that we found and I highly recommend it.
Butter Tarts
in Pastry & Baking
Posted
Raisins most definitely and no nuts and no coconut which is funny because I like nuts in everything else. When I moved to the States my Mum gave me a Mary Moore cookbook - which I am sure must be out of print by now. Only a Canadian food writer would have 2 pages of tart recipes.
Pastry
1 1/2 c AP flour
1 1/2 c cake flour
1 t salt
1 c shortening
Filling
1/2 c butter
1/2 c corn syrup
1 c plumped and drained raisins
2 eggs
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
Make pastry and cut into rounds to fill tart pans. Stir filling together so no foam appears. Spoon into pastry shells, filling no more than 2/3s full. Bake at 425 for 13-15 min.
Notes: American flour is lower in protein so all AP works fine. Boil overs will fuse everything to the tins so watch carefully.