rickmartin

Aside from the regular pickling and frying of green tomatoes, are there any good ideas for using them. Last year I substituted green tomatoes for tomatillos in salsa verde. I lightly oiled them and grilled them over coals until they were slightly charred. You have to be generous with the salt and sweet onions to counter the tartness of the tomato. It's very good. RM

Never said it wasn't a common practice, just doesn't taste as good. Even the blackest rouxs taste better with butter. Hell, everything tastes better with butter! Worked at a Cajun restaurant long time ago where we made vegetable oil roux. We made it in a big 5 gallon cast iron pot. We used mirepoix to cool it down when it achieved the level of blackness we needed for the gumbo. Worst burns in the world from roux. RM

The best way to make roux is to start with the butter from your said ratio and add your flour as it cooks. Is true about heat distribution. You always want your roux to be thin enough to completely cover the bottom of the pan with no crumbing. I always start way thin. This allows the water in the butter to evaporate without splattering roux around in big lava like clumps. As the flour cooks the roux will become thinner and you can add more flour in increments to desired thickening power. This method gives you much more control and it will never scorch the flour. It is also a quick way to establish a very dark color. If you use a low flame constant stirring is far from neccessary. I stongly disagree on the oil instead of butter thing. Yes it is easier to establish a very dark roux with lots of cooked flour flavor, but the nuttiness from the butter that makes roux so delightful is not present. If you appreciate the flavor and aroma of perfectly made ghee, you know the rewards of properly made roux. RM

andiesenji: I am a mustard freak! My favorite by far is the very simple, savory French Dijons. In many attempts my mustard never quite loses the "bite" referred to in this thread. People always think it is a challenge to get mustard really hot when in fact it is difficult to get it mild. If the microwave method works, would the range top work just as well for larger batches? At what point has it cooked too long? I've never had much luck with the cooking method so I am very curious as to the details. Can you explain your double boiler technique further? RM

We have been doing beer dinners at the brewpub I chef for 5 years now. They are a huge hit. People seem to relate to and identify the flavors of beer and food much more than wine. I would never say it is "dumber" than a wine dinner, just more enjoyable. Garrett Oliver has really paved some great avenues for the advancement of beer in the culinary pallette. Finally someone agrees with me that beer is the proper parter of cheese. RM

Whole roasted chicken meat, scallion, home made mayonnaise, a little orange zest, salt and pepper on good country french bread. Simple. Yum. RM

Thanks for all the help. I'll be sure and report back on our experiences at Tahoe. It sounds as if Trukee is the place to visit. RM

I was just given an all expense paid trip to the north shore of Tahoe (Incline Village). I will be a dumb tourist unless I get some serious e-gullet help. My wife and I enjoy non-tourist, of the path eats but still want the local atmosphere and experience. Ethnic foods are a must, but anything recommended by a local we will put on our list. We will be staying at the Hyatt Regency with all meals complimentary and I hope to not have to take advantage of my hosts hospitality. Thanks in advance for any help. Oh yeah, local beer too. Thanks. RM

The advantage of lump charcoal, which I assume is what you are speaking of, is the purity. There are no resins or accellerants you will find in most briquets so the flavor is very clean and free of the carbon and lighter fluid flavors. Adding a few wet chunks of wood on a hot bed of lump coals is sufficient in a webber grill or Brinkman smoker for lots of smoke flavor. Lump charcoal is much lighter in weight with the same BTUs as the briquets IMO. RM

In defense of critter problems, I know these things happen. Being a chef I have seen it all, most problems thwarted before reaching customers thank god. My best story for the thread took place in the kitchen and no customer was harmed. I had just opened a case of California grapes and was transferring them to a colander for rinsing. I just happened to notice some black legs just before I grabbed the next bunch. It was a black widow spider, thankfully hindered by the refridgerator temperature, that I was about to grab. The spider was alive and well otherwise. A cook took it home and kept it as pet until she produced hundreds of tiny black widows, some of which escaped. I'm still anticipating an article in the paper about Kansas' new black widow population. RM

"Cheese and Fermented Milk Foods", the cheesemaker's bible, calmly mentions the ass as a milk and cheese source. Imagine the marketability of ass-cheese. RM

Ate there 3 years ago while staying in Rockland with friends. It was one of my top 5 dining experiences of all time. Oddly enough, another top 5 was just south down the road in Tenants Harbor. Totally different dining category, but the Cod End Cookhouse is my favorite local dining experience ever! Can't wait to go back. Don't get to eat lobster off the boat in Kansas. RM

The ribeye is the back loin in between the strip loin (strip steaks) and the shoulder. All pieces will be different depending on size of animal and grading etc. The outer roll (that really tender ring around a ribeye steak) usually defines a good specimen. Prime rib officially should be of prime grade, but is the same cut anotomically. Roast beef is any roasted beef, but usually is a top round or inside round. Ribeye would be really good roast beef, but probably not a good ribeye. RM

I sampled it at AB's booth at the National Restaurant show last May. I liked it more than Bud. It was less on the corn and rice and more on the Pilsen style......but it was no euro-pilsner! It was refreshing but I would never buy it. RM

I think true Pilsner is one of my all around favorite beers. I always wonder why there is not a US micro brew that represents this great beer. I know there are some. But none that are flagship beers like pale ales and brown ales are. New Belgium makes the Plue Paddle Pilsner which is good but maybe a little to good. The price reflects. Something like an Urquell would be great. Priced higher than Bud but less than some of the more expensive micros. I'd drink it every day. Sad thing is most Euro Pilsners are flawed from transport as Wilson mentioned. I love finding a true Pilsner on tap at a place that takes care of and moves quantities of their beer. It is too risky to buy it in the bottle. I never liked Urquell because I rarely had a bottle that was not skunky. Then I had it on tap in Chicago. Love it. RM

I think alot of folks view hop character as they do the wasabi in a sushi roll: Bring it on, I can take it! Which fuels some of the market for over hopped beer. I know I was into that thing 10 years ago. Now, even moreso than malt, I enjoy yeast characters in beer. Weizens and Belgian wheat style beer with a good thick sediment in the bottle really satisfy my need to taste something a little further out. Dunkelweizen is a favorite because you get malt and yeast character. But back to my original point, I think some are just more sensitive to hops than others. Sometimes hop aroma gives me a sinus headache and the bitterness keeps me from tasting anything else. Sometimes not. It's still beer and thats what matters to me! RM

Is it just me, or am I the only one thinking Wilson doesn't like hoppy beer? Wow, man. I've often noticed, from working in a brewery, that there are distinct flavor thresholds for different people. Not that some beers are not over hopped, but alot of the IBU's detectable to some as bitterness are just nuances of flavor to others. Remember the bitterness test you did in grade school science.......uh huh. I for one have an ever changing hop tolerance. Usually, I've noticed, it is a very seasonal issue with me. Furthermore, as with Wilson, I get a little burned out on hops after I've over indulged in one of my hoppy binges. Another thing about PNW beers is the historic aspects of the brew. Hops were primarily used as a preservative in their early days, centuries ago, as a way to help the beer last longer on extended sea journeys. This could reflect some of the style of the region. I've noticed it in other northerly port regions. But mostly, supply and demand controls all. Brewers are smart and most take notes. They make more of what is selling. We make several beers here that are not exactly the faves of those making it, but the customers love them and buy them so we keep making them. They are great beers, don't get me wrong, but everybody has his own tastes. Another note on bitter detectability: We make a beer we call Hop Jack that we use a different, single hop variety in every batch. It gives the beer drinker a chance to taste the individual character of a specific hop and compare their preference when we bring out the next batch. Some are so less bitter than others such as Amarillo, my personal favorite. I, like Wilson, have much respect for those that balance hop charachter. But I still like to have my socks knocked off from a hop blast from time to time. RM

I'm shocked the lack of mention for the Mcdonald's regular cheeseburger. I can't really classify it as a burger- it's kind of it's own category. It's more of a junky snack than a sandwich. I have such a hard time eating a "big" burger because of the gross gorged feeling you get when you've uncotrollably finished the whole thing. The way those McD cheeseburgers are all sealed up from being microwaved, kind of like a bierrock with condiments inside, perfect little packages. All you really taste is the mustard, pickle and those tasty little rehydrated onions. I'm salivating just thinking about it. Fast food is usually only on my menu when traveling and McD's cheeseburgers never foul your fingers while driving. Very important! Any excuse to eat some McD's fries. RM

pumpkin seeds.

Probably very local to this area, but Art & Mary's are the best kettle style chips I've found. Crispy yet still crunchy, never over brown(unlike the always dissapionting Kettle Chips brand), perfectly salted, with just the right amount of oil still in the chip for great flavor dispersion in the mouth. Original, Jalepeno, Salt & Vinegar, Parmesan Garlic. Find them if you can! I don't think they are on shelves outside of Kansas and Missouri. RM

I've ran accross those who defend defects too. Being a chef I was taught all of the good ones early on: When you burn something you call it Cajun, etc. I've often wondered if ammonia is one of those smells undetectable to some. I've waived really strong pieces under sellers noses whom have refused any recognition of the smell. But then I've never thought the cilantro tasted like soap no matter how many times my friend demanded I admit it. I do think some pork products smell like wet dog at times (many good hams) and not many share my olfactory perception. RM

A note on ammonia: I have tried to solve this delima in the past to no "official" avail. In cheese (my hypothesis) is it's a storage defect that appears in just about any cheese that has been wrapped to tightly with a lot of moisture. My first experience was with a Cabrales blue that had an ammonia content that would wake you from head trauma. This Christmas I was sent a bell of Red Hawk from the Cowgirl Creamery, one of my favorite flavors in the world. I could smell the ammonia before I opened the box (even the UPS guy had complained of the smell in his truck). Since ammonia is a by-product of some (probably anaerobic) bacterial life cycles, I'm thinking it could happen to any cheese improperly stored and should not be used as a trait to describe a particular cheese, but rather it's handling. I made that mistake because it took me a couple of years to try another Cabrales. I missed out. The Red Hawk, BTW, was fine after a day of airing out. The Cabrales was suffocating so long it was permanently tainted. Any other comments on this subject? It reminds me of when people thought imported beer was supposed to smell like a skunks ass not knowing it was a flavor defect from light struck hops. RM

Thanks for all of the responses. I hope to make my own visit real soon. Until then, egullet will have to do. Placebo: Are you regulated on ageing temperature in Washington? I know here in Kansas the health department strictly enforces the 45 degree maximum which is not always ideal for the ageing of some cheeses. At what temp do you age at Beecher's? Thanks, RM

Maytag always sets the bar for me. Point Reyes (their cheesemaker is a Maytag former). Great Hill on the east coast, they use Guernsey milk which is creamier and yellow. Neals Yard stilton, one of the best cheeses I've had period. Yum.