jgm

Kerry, my friends and co-workers are nipping at me about the bacon chocolate. It's a matter of tempering the chocolate, adding the ingredients, and spreading it onto parchment, right? Would you also list the ingredients, the relative amounts, and the brands you used? I remember the bacon is Ronnie Suburban Special Reserve but I didn't catch the brand of smoked salt, and I've slept since you told me the brand of chocolate. I do remember that you mixed and milk and the dark. Jenny

Others' pictures of the food are much better than mine. I'm still undecided as to which I enjoyed more: the people or the food. Tino27 sprinkling salt on foccacia dough Note: catching the salt in midair is more a function of serendipity than expertise on the part of the photographer. Kerry's bacon chocolate probably should be illegal, and just might be one day. When nyokie6 and Lora started posting about having some cheese, etc. during the day, I thought "Oh good. That'll be nice to nibble on while we're working." The appetizers alone probably would have feed the entire group for a week, but no one complained. Incredible, opulent, wonderful. See what I mean? A reporter and photographer with the Kansas City Star were "embedded" with us for the weekend, and I do believe we impressed them in several ways. When talking to them, I found myself struggling to find words when trying to describe how eGulleters tend to develop a fondness, respect, and attachment to each other, despite the fact most of us have never met. I tried - and didn't really succeed - to describe what it's like to belong to this group, and how on fortunately rare occasions that we lose a member and find ourselves grieving deeply for someone we've never laid eyes on. We share each others' joys, failures, and accomplishments, and we get to know each other in ways that people in other online communities often don't. We learn from each other, challenge each other, and share the misery of various culinary disasters and frustrations. But I just couldn't find a way to describe how all this really works. I guess what it boils down to, is that eGullet isn't about food. It's about people who love food. We understand that food is more than fuel for the body; it's also nourishment for the soul, and we connect with each other on that level. I probably should just leave it at that. Jenny

Much depends on how much you can spend for the container. How about a tray? Depending on theme, you could put containers on it for the smaller stuff. If the finish on the tray won't be damaged by them, you could use glue dots (available in craft stores; get the removable ones) to keep things from sliding around. You could even use a half or quarter sheet pan for a kitchen-themed arrangement. Think of things people would find useful. Everyone can use trays for something. Baskets. . .well, I think people are tired of them. You might also start scouring local thrift stores to see what they might have; toy departments in discount stores might also have something interesting. A large plastic car (convertible) or truck would have room to hold several items.

I will post pictures tonight. I just wanted to jump in and thank Judy and Aaron for doing such an incredible job! Later in the week, when they wake up from their well-deserved rests, I hope they'll understand how much the rest of us appreciate their efforts. I returned to learn that last week, not one, but actually two of the three attorneys I work with, had their cars stolen because since 1963, they've parked their cars in back of the building, unlocked, with keys inside. (I can't figure out why it took so long.) Which is proof that two out of three attorneys have no good sense whatsoever. I've always joked with one of them (who likes to try to fix things around the office) that "if you were the kind of guy who can fix things, you wouldn't have had to go to law school." Guess I will have to change that to "if you had any common sense, at all, you wouldn't have had to go to law school." Fortunately, both wives are making sure their husbands understand the breadth and depth of their utter stupidity. One car has been found, stripped and trashed. We haven't heard anything about the second. My co-workers just love the bacon chocolate, Kerry! Jenny

Botulism as I've read, grows from 40 to 140f. ← What about freezing it? If your freezer was around 0 degrees F, and if you packaged it in small quantities (so you wouldn't have to be accessing the same container repeatedly), that would at least address the temperature issue. Would freezing hurt it? It could be put in a pan over low heat, and brought to whatever temperature you wanted, fairly quickly. Just asking.

My husband is diabetic, and I'd like to try this recipe with Splenda instead of the sugar syrup. I assume Bittman is making the syrup to make sure the sugar is completely dissolved in the pudding mixture. Does the syrup serve any function other than that? Will this recipe still work with Splenda? Jenny

I won't address the bread machine issue; I have one and continue to have fantasies of finding recipes I like, to make a variety of breads. However. There are two threads you should take a look at: Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a day with Zoe Francois and one about the "Minimalist No-Knead Bread technique" (I can't figure out how to link to topics. Sorry.) What I recommend, is to go to the word search at the very top of the page, click on it, search the Pastry & Baking forum for the word "bread", and look at the incredible amount of information you'll find. Whether to buy a bread machine is a personal choice, but rest assured that you don't need one to turn out good bread. The two topics above will get you on the road to some very good, very easy homemade bread, but there are still many more options. Jenny

I am dealing with massive guilt feelings today. As I write this, I am preparing to attend the Heartland Gathering, and if my math is accurate, I'll be spending in the neighborhood of $200 for food alone, over 4 days. That doesn't include motel, gas, and whatever else. Today's local newspaper had a story about how more and more children in our community are hungry. I mean really, really hungry. When I read a description of a little kindergarten boy who had been stealing food, I burst into tears. The staff has found food for him and they help him ration it; he eats one item before leaving school in the afternoon. Although I don't fault the staff - I'm sure he's not the only hungry child at that school - I know it's not enough. Although I am tempted, I am not going to cancel my plans to attend the gathering. I am, however, determined to find ways to make a difference. Is there anything going on in YOUR community that you consider to be clever and innovative? We have some good resources in our community, and people ARE giving. Yet there are children who aren't eating regularly. We have a substantial manufacturing sector (aircraft) here, and layoffs have been massive. The ripple effect has been devastating to some families. A meeting is planned for representatives from local agencies, to figure out how to help those who aren't being reached. Let's trade ideas and see what we can do to help. One idea that's being used here during the school year, is probably widely used, but I think it bears mentioning. Backpacks are prepared to send home with children on Fridays, with a little bit of food for the weekend. They include things like peanut butter crackers, juice boxes, containers of pudding, etc. Certainly I'd love to see kids getting better than that, but the goal is to fill their tummies and have food available to them that they can access, and that doesn't have to be cooked. This program is administered through a local food bank. Your turn. Jenny

Exactly. The water evaporates, and the butter by then has coated each wedge (I think by magic or something...) and that's how the crispy coating forms. Don't skimp on the salt. I haven't made these in awhile, but I allow 1 to 1 1/2 hours in the oven. Jenny

I try to do this, but my only real success is one I stumbled upon. For over a year, I tried to duplicate the mushroom soup at a local restaurant. Several random recipes didn't get close. I wheedled details, one at a time, from the waitstaff, but all assured me they'd be fired if they told me everything. A co-worker's sister had been married to a former cook at the restaurant; I asked if it would be possible to try to get them back together long enough to get him to cough up the recipe. "Only if you wanna get shot," was the reply. I proposed several scenarios to her over the next few months, but all she would say is, "you don't want to be in the same room with those two. You won't get your recipe, but you probably will get caught in the crossfire." I thought about asking a cop friend to borrow his bullet-proof vest, but later discarded that idea. So I gave up. A subsequent discussion on eG indicated Anthony Bourdain's recipe in his (then) new Les Halles cookbook was really good. Since I couldn't make the one I wanted, I thought I'd try Bourdain's recipe, and maybe we'd like it as much, or even more so. One taste told me I was close to the restaurant recipe, and it was obvious that all I needed to do was use white wine instead of sherry, and leave some mushroom slices in the soup, instead of pureeing all. Bonus: it was the easiest, simplest recipe of all. Now that the obsessiveness of the matter is over with, I've realized that I enjoy the challenge as much as finding success with the results. I'm still working on the lentil sausage soup at Carrabba's. Jenny

Although I often roast potato wedges simply by coating them with olive oil, salt and pepper, there's another method I sometimes use which has its own special pleasures. Put potato wedges into a pan with at least 1-inch sides. Grease the bottom first. Put wedges in and then pour in water to about halfway cover the wedges. Dot generously with butter and sprinkle salt over all. Start at 450 degrees for 20 minutes, then turn down to 375, and just keep watching them... when they have attained the degree of brownness you like, they're done. This yields wedges that are very soft on the inside and very crispy on the outside. That's not always what you want for oven fries, but like I said, these are special in their own way. Jenny

We've touched on this on other threads, but some gadgets are a waste for some people and a godsend for others. One of my friends laughed at my battery-powered pepper mill, but only until I explained that when I have an arthritis flare-up, it's the only way I can grind pepper. We don't have an electric or battery powered can opener, and have no plans to get one anytime soon. With the increasing use of pop-top cans, we may never get one. But there have been times when turning the handle on the manual can opener has brought tears down my cheeks. I've found out the hard way not to do stuff like that if it hurts, because over-stressing one joint can produce a whole-body flare-up that lasts for weeks and takes a dangerous amount of NSAIDs and Tylenol to chase away. Most of the time, I can use a manual can opener with no problem. Next time it hurts, though, if Mr. jgm isn't home, one of the neighbors will have to open the can. I used to think the electric jar openers were a ridiculous waste of money, until I watched a friend of mine who has rheumatoid arthritis hold a jar between her forearms and use one of those things. Even with the opener, it was a struggle for her, but at least the opener made it possible for her to get the jar open. Jenny

Clay is often used as a laxative, and depending on which kind you're talking about, it can also have other properties. My concern, if you're actually eating the clay, which gfron1 says is not his intention, is that it can interact with the body and with pharmaceuticals in a number of ways. I've had only a couple of mineralogy courses and am far from an expert, so I'm not about to venture any guesses, etc. I would also think that cooked clay would be a whole 'nother matter from raw clay. If serving it to people to eat, I would research: 1. If I were serving it cooked, and if it were actually edible at that point, whether enough vitrification would have taken place to make it harmful; it's generally not a good idea to eat glass. 2. If it were being consumed in its raw state, whether there would be possible drug interactions, since it has properties of binding with certain types of molecules. For example, it's used in face masques - the kind that come in jars -- because of its ability to bind with dirt, oil, and other substances, and "pull" them out of the skin. I don't know how selective that process is, but if it's consumed within a certain amount of time after someone has taken certain medications, I would be concerned about what the result would be. I would predict (which would have to be researched, also) that people with certain kinds of health issues would not want to consume it, whether it would affect their medications or not. If the clay isn't being consumed, and if the clay comes in a form that is considered food safe by the purveyor, then I doubt very much that there would be an issue. I'm concerned only about where they clay comes from and whether it's going to be consumed. Jenny What's the risk? If he uses an edible/foodsafe clay as opposed to the potters or yard clays people keep using as a basis for their concern why would there be a risk involved? I'm going to take one for the team here. I'll obtain some kaolin and bentonite clay powders, bake some things in them, eat, rinse and repeat a few times and report on my health. Rob: if the forum never hears from me again, scrap the idea! Maybe the clay will neutralize the tonka beans and cherry pits I use to flavor things now and then. ←

If you're thinking of actually consuming the clay, please research it extensively. The term "clay" encompasses a wide range of materials, and quite frankly, I don't think eating them is necessarily a good idea, especially for some members of the population who may have certain diseases or conditions, or may be on certain types of medications. Please, please be careful.

I don't think I'd care for LC for everyday top-of-stove stuff, but for braising in the oven, it's wonderful.

← PEACH PORN!!!!

It's only been in the past few months that anything faster than dial-up service was available for some, and it's still not available for all. If you don't mind waiting 7 to 12 minutes for each page to load, it's a heckuva deal! Edited to add: When it comes to something expensive like cookware, I ain't buyin' until I can see it up close and personal, heft it, flick it to hear how it sounds, etc., unless it's a product I'm already very familiar with.

Having done quite a bit of work with clay before arthritis set in, I can tell you that you want to be very careful where you get your clay. Other than testing in a scientific laboratory, you really have no way of knowing what's in it. There's a company called Amaco that would be a great start; they sell clay - probably in a store somewhere near you - and I'm sure they could tell you if there's likely to be anything in it that you wouldn't want in your food. Having gotten some of Amaco's clay in my mouth through various mishaps in the studio (some involving significant quantities of beer, some not...), I'm not sure I understand why you want THAT flavor in your meat! When clay is fired in a kiln, it's heated to a temperature high enough to melt its components (vitrify), so any impurities would be sealed in. Theoretically, at least. If you haven't added anything acidic to the meat, there would be no problem at that point, but I'm not sure you'd want to cook meat at that temperature. Clay, as a product that you might dig up in your area, would be subject to the same problems as the local groundwater. If the local groundwater is fairly pure, then all you've got to worry about is whether there's anything undesirable -- like a radioactive substance -- in the local mineral mix. Tread carefully into this territory. Amaco is your best bet, in my opinion. There's also a technique involving salt, which is added to other ingredients and made into a clay-like consistency, wrapped around food, and cracked open at the table. That may be something to look into. FYI, a few years ago I posted a thread about a website I found about cooking chicken in hot volcanic lava, I believe in Hawaii. I think they wrapped the chicken in banana leaves first. It would be worth Googling. Frankly, it's one of my "bucket list" items. I think it sounds like a hoot!

For me, it just boils down to what you're going to use, and what you're not. A granite countertop would be a huge waste of money for me, for a lot of reasons. But for Chris, if he's making pastry, I can see where he wouldn't want to be without it. The same kind of evaluation can be made for nearly everything else mentioned here. But there's something else I want to discuss. I live in an area of the country where the desire to purchase a specific item is often the start of an adventure, and not always a good one. If I lived in Western Kansas, as many of my family members do, All Clad might be exactly what I need. I might want to make one and only one trip into a large city to purchase my cookware, and I might not know of anywhere other than Williams-Sonoma, WalMart, or JC Penney for purchasing kitchen items. I might not want to drive all over the place looking for that out-of-the-way kitchen place, only to learn they're closed on the day I happen to be there, or that they're out of the piece(s) of some other brand that I wanted to buy. In such an instance, All Clad might be an excellent purchase. It might represent the best bang for the buck, all things (including gas and time) considered. At least I would know I am getting a good product. Jenny

I'm no chemist. . .but the situation suggests an acidity problem. Interesting topic!

One of my favorite salads is chunks (~ 1/3 inch) of tomato and cucumber; add chopped mint leaves, and dress VERY lightly with olive oil and vinegar. Yum!

I freeze wine for cooking a lot. At first I did cringe at the idea, but a chef who was teaching a class pointed out that although you don't want to buy rotgut stuff, you also don't want to cook with really good wine, since any nuances it has will be overpowered by other flavors in dishes... and the same thinking applies to freezing wine. It's always worked well for me.

Not knowing anything specifically about carrot greens, I can only fly by the seat of my pants on this one. I can't think of any other green I would add to chicken stock, so I don't believe I'd add carrot greens, either. If this soup is for a sick friend, I think you're better off sticking to what you know and delivering something you know will be good. Try using the greens in salads, or cooked the way you would other greens - perhaps with a little bacon, onion, and lemon juice? - in another dish. You certainly could garnish the soup with them, of course. Let us know what you learn!

As someone who works in the legal field, I urge you to think long and hard before you even go to small claims court. If you can find the guy easily, fine. But this situation is set up to consume a considerable amount of time and energy on your part. Small Claims Court will give you only a judgment. Then you have to collect on that judgment. Good luck with that. You'll need it, because half the time, collecting requires more luck than skill. My recommendation: find a good attorney and pay for an hour of his/her time to have the local laws governing such situations explained to you. Armed with that information, you can create policies and procedures so that you won't go through this again. The reason I suggest the attorney is because the devil is in the details. Without knowing the whole picture, you could find yourself believing you're doing everything right, except for that last step on which everything hinges. Believe me, it'll be the best couple hundred dollars you ever spent. As I always tell our clients: "Mopping up a mess is considerably more expensive than preventing one." See the attorney and get it done right. Trying to pursue this guy will require a great deal of time, energy, and stress, and will keep your anger about it alive for months. Anger can be extremely toxic. I know you have a lot invested, but if you pursue this, you'll have a lot more invested. Next time, require a 1/3 deposit when the order is placed, a 1/3 deposit X days before pickup day (to cover your supply purchases), and the final third when the order is picked up. Half-and-half might work for smaller orders, but with an order this size, you want as much up front as you can get. And make them sign a contract in the first transaction. You'll then have a few days to make sure the address, phone number, and checks are good. Circulate a letter to other caterers and restaurants. Use the wording "...a man identifying himself as John Doe called and ordered. . ." Run it by that lawyer you're going to see before you send it out. It'll give you satisfaction, and it may save others from the same grief.

I'm bumping this up for the benefit of anyone who might be interested but didn't see it earlier. Deadline for entries is February 15. Contest is in June, and they'll pay for you to come to Wichita, Kansas for the final competition. Tornado season is usually over by then, so have no fear. I'm not connected with the contest at all, but I do live in the host city. If there's anything I can help any contestants with, I'm at your service.