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Has anyone tried both the Cabot butter and the cultured butter from these folks? I'm wondering how they compare. I bought some of the Vermont (not Cabot) Creamery butter last year at a grocery near my workplace. It was absolutely incredible. It struck a nice balance between cultured "tanginess" and mild sweet-cream taste. Also, the amount of salt in the butter was excellent - enough to bring out the buttery flavor, but significantly less than typical salted butter, which is too salty for my taste. The store no longer carries that butter. They still stock Lurpak from Denmark (unsalted and salted) and KerryGold from Ireland. I bought a half pound each of unsalted Lurpak and KerryGold for next week. Wish I could find some of the Vermont Creamery stuff in time for Thanksgiving.

I came across a DIY pod page that looks interesting. Certainly cheaper than the plastic refillable pod from the Netherlands.

There's a definite "comfort food" factor to creamed onions. This year I'll be joining a dear friend (from our college days) for Thanksgiving. I'm sure there will be a huge variety of foods there - it's a semi-potluck affair, and the various friends and family are adventurous in the culinary realm. One dish I guarantee we'll be having is creamed pearl onions... ...My friend absolutely can't do Thankgiving without them. Her mother and grandmother always included them in the holiday meal. There's nothing fancy here - just blanch the onions briefly, peel them, and douse them in a basic béchamel. Don't get too elaborate with the seasonings. A pinch of white pepper and a grating of nutmeg will do nicely. Enriching the béchamel with cream and/or butter can't hurt. Toss in a buttered casserole, top with bread crumbs, and bake until bubbly. The onions take on a nutty flavor and a subtle sweetness. Not the "ultimate" onion dish by any means, but I can understand how it could become a "tradition". If you've never had creamed onions, try the creamed pearl onions and keep it simple. Sometimes the simple foods are just fine.

Your take on the safety issue pretty much matches my intuative understanding. I don't cook "sous vide" in a commercial environment, so I'm not usually doing the cook-ahead-and-hold-for-service trick. I'm just fascinated by the unique textures that result from the technique. Jackal10 has a related question here about the safety of low-temp cooking. He mentions needing technical information to show the "food police". There are rumors that the FDA is increasingly suspicious of these methods, and I gather that something similar is afoot in the UK. Thanks again for joining us this week. You've been barraged with questions - not surprising considering the broad range of interests here. I'm looking forward to reading the new edition of your book.

Thanks for your elucidation, Helen. The "onsen tamago" sounds especially intriguing. Is this style of egg cookery considered "old fashioned" in Japan? You say it's been a long time since you've eaten eggs in that style. I find the notion of barely-coagulated egg-whites rather appealing. It strikes me as somewhat "modern", though in Japan that may not be the case.

and to give people an idea of the prices today eggs about 10~20 yen for 1 tofu 80~200 yen per pack rice average about 4,000~5,000yen per 10kg ← Is there some sort of price control in effect here? If I do the math correctly, an egg costs US$ 0.17 (max) by Kristin's account. (€ 0,16). Why have eggs risen so little relative to other staples? As a North American, when I hear the word "tamago" I instantly think of the flat omelets served over sushi rice. Are eggs commonly eaten poached/fried/etc. in Japan?

I just noticed this topic. Thanks for posting your pictures, Judith. My late beloved uncle Henry Jo brought cuttings of passion flower vine back from Israel a few years ago. There was never any question in his mind what the word "passion" signified. I didn't associate the passion flower vine with the passion fruit (maracujá) I knew from my childhood. I lived in Brazil many years ago, so I've tasted passion fruit juice many times. Here's a recipe for for a Batida de Maracujá . My tea-totaling Methodist uncle would not approve. Batida de Maracujá Receita enviada por Maria Lucia Aragão INGREDIENTES 1/2 garrafa de cachaça de boa qualidade ou de vodca 1 lata de leite condensado 1 garrafa de suco de maracujá industrializado (maguari)ou outro de boa qualidade ou 1 copo de suco natural de maracujá. Gelo picado Here's my best shot at translating. Johnny, Miguel, Pedro, or anyone else who speaks better Portuguese than I, feel free to correct me. 1/2 cup top-shelf cachaça * 1 can condensed milk 1 cup passion fruit juice (high-quality commercial or freshly juiced) crushed ice * we'll just ignore the suggestion that vodka may be substituted. MODO DE PREPADO Colocar tudo no liquidificador e bater por alguns minutos. Provar. Se necessário, acrescentar açúcar e se achar muito forte, acrescentar um pouco de água.Servir bem gelado. Buzz it in a blender. Adjust sweetness and thin with water if necessary. Serve well chilled. Edit: Add sweetness == add sugar. As Jinmyo would say, GAH!

Thanks for participating in this Q&A. There's been considerable interest in low-temperature cooking in vacuum-packed plastic bags ("sous vide") here on eGullet. Here is a representative topic. I have a couple of questions and concerns: It's been stated that the temperatures need to be maintained within a very narrow range. I purchased an immersion recirculating heater, intended for laboratory water bath use, that is claimed to be accurate to 0.5 °C. If a recipe calls for the use of a commercial steam ("combi") oven, am I right to assume that my water bath will produce similar results if set to the same temperature? In other words, will the temperature-transfer characteristics of a water bath produce the same results as a steam oven? Also, just how critical is the temperature tolerance? I have a vague, fuzzy mental image of protein molecules behaving differently at low temperatures compared to more conventional cooking techniques. Does a small change in temperature really affect the texture of the food to such a great extent? Some of the temperatures used are much lower than conventional cookery. Sealing the food inside the plastic bag supposedly protects against contamination, but what about anaerobic bacteria? Does the vacuum-sealing process actually increase the chance of developing botulism? How great is the increased risk of cooking at low temperatures for extended times? I've seen techniques that call for cooking times as long as 36 hours. I'm not squeamish about raw or rare foods - I enjoy eating sushi, sashimi, and steak tartar when I trust the cleanliness of the source. I'm not too keen on poisoning myself or my friends.... Sorry to be so long-winded. I really appreciate the input of people who have the discipline to research the scientific aspects of food. Thanks again for joining us here on eGullet.

There's an eGullet thread here regarding fennel pollen. I ordered some from The Spice House in the Chicago area. It's very fragrant/aromatic, but after all the hype I admit to being a bit disappointed. Yeah, it smells great, but it's not that much better than fennel seed. I do recommend the Spice House as a reputable source of spices and herbs - very nice folks to deal with.

Chef M - I think there's been a lot of creative "brainstorming" here. One crucial bit of information is missing: Who are you going to serve this Lobster Crème Brûlée to? Is your audience adventurous? Conservative? I agree with Linda that a caramelized sugar base is your best bet. Ducphat mentioned the "croquant" approach. The most succinct description I can find is by Ted Nicely in a thread on the Pastry & Baking forum here. Jackel10 raised the alarm regarding the "shell effect". If you keep the caramel layer wafer-thin I don't think there should be any problem.

Thank you for that cultured butter link, Helen. It never occurred to me that re-pasteurizing the cream might be necessary. I'll have to try that next time I do the D-I-Y cultured butter experiment. One other thought occurred to me about salted butter: I've long assumed that it's better to use unsalted butter, adding salt to it as appropriate. But I was struck by stories of Alain Passard and his vegetable cookery at L'Arpège. He always seems to specify salted butter for cooking the vegetables. Is there something special about the salted butter in France? Is it a matter of cooking chemistry?

I know this discussion is about salted vs. unsalted butter, but the issue of cultured vs. "sweet cream" butter seems to have entered into some opinions here. Ruth, have you tried other cultured (European-style) butters? The Plugra butter that you tried is made in a different style from the dominant "sweet cream" style of most US-made butters. It has a tangier taste due to the culture treatment (fermentation) and also has a higher butterfat content than most US-produced butters. If it tasted "off" to you, perhaps it had been on the store shelves too long as you suggest, but I wonder if it is the "cultured" taste that turned you off. I use Plugra (European-style from PA) or Lurpak (Danish) unsalted butter for cooking and baking. I like the salted butters from KerryGold (Ireland) and Vermont Creamery for spreading on bread, etc. The bottom line for me is that the "tang" of cultured butter is preferable to the "sweet cream" blandness of Land-o-Lakes, etc. In the opening chapter of Kitchen Confidential, Tony Bourdain describes his first childhood exposure to French butter: Later, in typically rebellious fashion, he decided to embrace French food: So pehaps there is more to it than just fresh vs. covered-up-with-salt.

My tried-and-true method of cooking crispy-skin duck comes from Paul Bertolli's Chez Pannisse Cooking. Prick the skin of the duckling all over, steam it gently until the flesh is succulent and the fat is well rendered, brush it with a nice glaze and roast at high temperature. I remember seeing an episode of some television show about "dream kitchens" where the subject had purchased Ken Hom's former abode in the Berkeley Hills. The absolute coolest thing about the house (to the new owner as well as myself) was the duck-drying cabinet in the kitchen. Hang the duck up and turn on the fan to circulate the air. Every kitchen should have one! The duck-drying cabinet is featured in a book I mentioned in a previous eGullet thread about "classic" cookbooks. I'll look up the thread when I'm feeling less lazy. Oh Yeah, KH had installed a Hobart dishwasher in his home kitchen - slide the rack into the dishwasher, crank down the hand-lever, and fifty seconds later you've got sparkling-clean dishes. Nifty!

Robert, to suggest that you have in any way "contributed" to terrorism is simply absurd. You have sought out and supported exemplary chefs wherever you might find them. I appreciate and support the eGullet policy of avoiding political derailing of our discussions. As far as I'm concerned, this is a matter of giving the chefs the benefit of the doubt, as you've implied, and also trying to place ourselves in their shoes. That's where I feel that the eGullet community should be vigilant in all of this ugly business. I live four thousand miles from where this is happening, but I certainly care about it. It's four in the morning where Victor and Miguel live - let's all sleep on it.

Thank you Miguel for expressing so much more eloquently what I was trying to get at. Perhaps I've got an overdeveloped sense of indignation. Victor may be right that the Basque chefs are in a unique position to challenge these thugs. I can only hope that I would have the courage to stand up to this sort of injustice, were I faced with such a challenge. Edit: blathered on a bit.

To clarify my previous expression of indignation, I don't disagree with Victor that the Basque chefs are in a position to make a high moral statement against these bullies. What makes the bile rise in my throat is the notion that they should even be placed in this position. I don't care where your political sympathies lie, it is a fundamental injustice that these people should be subjected to this abuse.

Gawd, this just makes my blood boil! This makes me think of the various restaurateur characters in Bourdain's novels who have to pay tribute to gangsters to have their garbage collected (and keep from winding up in the East River). Victor, you're an editor of a major daily in Spain, right? Is there a sufficient level of outrage there? If not, I dare say the eGullet world will chime in. Outrage is not inappropriate here.

Wow, what a great post. Thanks for sharing your impressions of Can Fabes. Umm Umm Good indeed! Your post on the Sous Vide thread gave us a taste of your recent travels. This is a veritable banquet. We're all living vicariously through your experiences! (especially the photos)

Carolyn, that was a lovely tribute to your mother. My condolences on your loss, and congratulations on your literary accomplishments. It may be bittersweet that your mother isn't here to celebrate them, but I know you make her proud! Like srhcb, I got choked up by the "taco meat" incident. It's the little, mundane things that get the tears flowing. You think that you're "dealing with it", and then some seemingly innocuous thing come out-of-the-blue to remind you. Whenever I'm channel-surfing and come across a a golf tournament, I still find myself thinking "I'll wait 'til the commercial break before calling Mom". Mom loved golf. I can't stand it. I second the suggestion by marie-louise to share a special food memory - a great recipe, or just a fun story about food with your mother when you were growing up. No better tribute in a community like eGullet. EDIT: misspelled your name.

I'm always careful to bring the temperature up quickly and maintain it throughout the cooking. I've been using a large pot of water held in a low oven - haven't found a water bath yet. I start out with the water somewhat hotter than the target since the food will cool it down. I use a digital thermometer with a remote probe in the water. I also start out with the oven at a higher temperature (~300°) and set the temperature alarm on the thermometer to my target temperature. When the alarm goes off I drop the oven to it's lowest setting and start timing the cooking from that point. If the food isn't being served immediately I cool it rapidly in an ice bath and refrigerate. I'm a bit wary of the super-long cooking times, especially at the lowest temperatures. I don't think that any of us are too keen on botulinum toxins. As for the plastic issue, the bags I use appear to be something like polyethylene. They don't have a chemical smell and don't seem to off-gas anything nasty. Maybe I should be more paranoid about this, but if the bags are sold as food-grade and boil-able I figure they're probably safe.

OK, this may be a dumb question, but how do you take the core temperature of something that is inside a vacuum-pack bag? Do you stick a thermometer in the food before you seal it? Do you pierce the bag with a remote probe and cover the opening with an adhesive-tape "bandage" before sealing?

Glad to hear that you can devote more time to this project. I especially like the idea of comparing notes on a specific recipe. The challenge, as you've already noted, is the amazing number of dependencies generated by following "one" recipe. Another question I have is even more fundemental: How do we replicate the experience of eating (even a single dish) at a Spoon restaurant? One ommission I find surprising in the book is any indication of what the menu looks like. In the preface there is the briefest mention of the Spoon concept ("1,2,3...") but nowhere is there a description of how these recipes are intended to be assembled and experienced. Well OK, I've ony had the book for a few days, so maybe I've missed something. Could someone who's actually eaten at Spoon (wherever) describe a strategy for ordering from the menu? Maybe then we could all play along....

My book arrived this week. Ordered from amazon.fr on Sept 16. In a fit of false economy I didn't opt for expedited delivery. Now that I've had a few days to peruse the book I've got a few initial impressions: Yes, this is a truly massive tome. The large format is great for displaying the photos in a dramatic fashion, but not so practical for a working cook book. I do wish they'd included a CD-ROM à la el bulli. I agree with serge that the photos are a bit abstract. They remind me of the still life photography of Irving Penn in the mid-seventies. Despite the fact that Penn's photos were of singularly unattractive subject matter - cigarette butts, flattened take-out containers, anything that he found in the gutters of the street outside his studio - his photography elevated them to a monumental level. Take a squished-up pack of Camel Straights, photograph them on a pure white background with a large-format camera, print them in platinum-palladium on a gigantic scale, and you've got something strangely beautiful. Fortunately M. Duval is working with considerably more attractive subject matter. I'd like to see these photos on a truly massive scale. Yes, even larger than this book. I'm struck by the complexity of the recipes. Somehow I was expecting the components to be relatively simple. Instead I find some of the recipes to be mind-boggling in their complexity (in terms of flavor). Consider the following list of ingredients: shallots, garlic, lemongrass, cardamom, olive oil, coriander, Szechuan pepper, sumac, pomegranate molasses, chili pepper paste, sherry vinegar. I've used all of these in combination of twos and threes. Actually, they would be included in my all-time list of favorite ingredients. Ducasse & co. use all of these, plus pork trimmings and fond blanc, in the recipe for "Sumac / Pomegranate Molasses" on p. 154. I can't even picture how the combination of all of these would taste. Something as simple as the jus de volaille ( p. 435) departs from my usual procedure. The browning in peanut oil followed by further caramelization with butter followed by triple-reduction with small quantities of water all strikes me as exotic. I tried it tonight and the results are fragrant but a tad cloudy. I'm guessing that I've overlooked some subtlety in the instructions. Does the word "boil" translate correctly between French and English? I'm guessing not.... FG, I see why you've found this book to be a little daunting. Plus we all know you've been busy. I propose that we all participate in a "cook-along", picking the recipes that seem do-able on our own schedule. Oh yes, my book is no. 2568 out of 5000. I was secretly hoping that the progression established by serge (2362) and stagiaire (1456) would hold up. I've edited my sig so Ted won't have to nag me.

I didn't know there was a "consumer" version. Does anyone know what the difference is between that and the commercial one? Slower? Less heavy-duty motor? Also, don't you need a commercial-quality freezer to make proper use of the pacojet? Their site refers to using a "4-star" freezer ( -4°F / -20°C ). Schneich, any idea what the knock-off version is called?

If I'm cooking something new (to me), I try to find several recipes and sort of "triangulate" amongst them. If it's something I've done before I just wing it. People find it annoying when they ask for a recipe for something I've cooked and I honestly can't remember what proportions I used. Maybe I should follow deltadoc's example.