MsMelkor
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Posts posted by MsMelkor
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How about pasta with arugula and toasted walnuts and goat cheese, or arugula pesto?
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Is this what you're referring to?
My dad fries a turkey every year. He's Captain Safety so I'm confident all necessary precautions (and then some) will be taken.
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Schmaltz is chicken fat. Think of it as chicken-flavored lard.
We were saving bread for breadcrumbs for a while, until we realized that we have a 20-lb bag of panko we bought at a restaurant supply store that we are going to have trouble finishing before it gets stale. So instead Melkor turned a stale loaf of pugliese into a decadent chocolate bread pudding.
I put parmesan rinds in minestrone soup - yum.
And as far as buttermilk goes...I hide it in the back of the fridge on purpose, so it can "age" properly and without detection!
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Despite Harold McGee's well-informed opinion on the matter, I like to brine the turkey (1 cup of kosher salt per gallon, sometimes with bay leaves, peppercorns, etc. too). I always let it air-dry completely to make sure the skin gets crisp, and I rub the meat under the skin with an herb butter.
You might want to use a digital probe thermometer that can be left in the turkey while it cooks so you don't end up with an overcooked/undercooked bird.
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We render and save all sorts of fats: schmaltz, turkey fat, duck fat, goose fat, smoked chicken fat, beef fat. Ditto with stocks, bones, carcasses, drippings. We saved the oil from oil-packed tuna and made mayo with it for tuna salad. I save egg whites if I only use yolks, and vice-versa. All of this behavior could be explained if I were a child of the Depression, but I'm about 50 years too young for that.
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What I think that article missed was that it is, for some of us at least, much more enjoyable to make espresso drinks at home than it is to wait in line at a coffee joint. It's not just the quality (although I do prefer the drinks we make to those at nearly all coffeeshops) - it's also the ritual of making the espresso/cappuccino/latte, not having to get dressed or leave the house, and the tinkering to account for variations in the roasted beans, humidity, etc.
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question, do you only go to the starbucks stores or do you go to the starbucks counters that are in Albertsons, target and other such places? Is that considered a real starbucks? Are the stores and the counters the same thing? is the quality of the coffee the same? I have always been afraid to go to one of the counters, it just did not seem the same, no music, no lines, nada.
In my town, there is a shopping plaza with a Starbucks at one end, and 4 or 5 stores later, a Safeway with a Starbucks in it. They can't be more than 100 meters apart.
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A good place to start would be a vintage chart like this one. You could then use Wine Searcher to see who is selling what. You also may want to consider purchasing a membership, or getting a free trial membership, at Robert Parker Online to find out more about specific producers.
Buying older wines can be a bit tricky - we've been pretty fortunate with Marin Wine Cellar, and have had some luck with Premier Cru. It's far more important to find a bottle that has been stored well than one that is a good deal.
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The Basque Cultural Center in South San Francisco has a similar deal - $15.95 or $16.95 for soup, salad, two entrees, and ice cream. From what I remember, it's a ton of food and prepared simply but well.
We spent $17/person at Shalimar last night - we had about a dozen dishes for 7 people, although the time before that I spent $11 or $12.
I heartily second the recommendation for Dasaprakash.
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Shalimar for Indian and Pakistani food - was just there last night to drown my sorrows. Most items are under $10.
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But do you have any idea what is right for that recipe? I know all recipes are different, but perhaps there is a gerenal rule of thumb based on the other ingredients. Should I have used 200 grams or 7 Tbls? I'm leaning toward the 7 Tbls, since 200 grams seemed like way too much. There's obviously a typo somewhere; I'm just curious if anyone has the correct recipe or can offer an opinion as to which measurement to use.
In his cookbook he calls for "7 tablespoons (3 1/2 ounces; 200 grams) unsalted butter". Since 7 tablespoons = 3.5 oz, I'd go with that. Seems reasonable given the amount of chocolate and Nutella. Although some eGulleters would no doubt err on the side of more butter!
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200 grams of butter is about 14 tablespoons.
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In a previous life
my ex and I were at his brother and SIL's house in Syracuse for T-Day one year. She is Italian -- very Italian -- and a marvelous cook. Being the other cook in the house at the time I was helping in the kitchen and knew what was on the menu. (My BIL was a professional cook but always declined to participate in T-Day preps -- that was her thing start to finish and she wanted him out of there! ) We starting loading the table to serve family-style with one heavenly Italian dish after another. When my ex came to the table he looked it all over and then just went with it, taking just a little bit of everything. I could almost see the wheels turning. After he finished his sparse plate he sat back and my SIL (little hurt look on her face -- the woman had knocked out an incredible feast!), asked him if he wanted more of anything. "No thanks, I'm saving room for the turkey."
She just burst out laughing. "What turkey? We are Italian, not Pilgrims!This is traditional Thanksgiving in my family. You better eat up or hit the cafeteria!"
What a moment! What a glorious meal, and what pleasure to partake in other traditions.
But I absolutely had to roast a big turkey for Christmas that year -- which is not tradition for me at all.
I'm going back to Syracuse for Thanksgiving this year - my stepmother, who is Italian in origin, will be doing most of the cooking (with help from Melkor and me). She always makes both a turkey and lasagna. I love lasagna, but it just doesn't seem to fit with turkey, gravy, stuffing, sweet potatoes, and the rest of the usual Thanksgiving fare. It will still be delicious, no doubt!
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I generally find that when the crust has fully formed the fish will release on its own.
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One of my clients took a large group of her customers out for dinner, and when the check came she reviewed it to find that she was charged $3100 for a bottle of wine that should have cost her $100, bringing the total to $5700 instead of $2700. Oops.
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My favorite is a Nutella and banana sandwich browned in a skillet. A banana is a fruit, so I count it as health food!
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Melkor, did I miss your visit? Were you incognito or did our attendant Jake take care of you?
We asked for you but you weren't there - so we will have to catch you another time. Your staff took good care of us in your absence, though, and the story of the dog is amazing!
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Beautiful baby and gorgeous space! Keep the updates coming....
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I have both smoky stock and non-smoky stock in my freezer. I use the smoky stuff in dishes that normally use bacon fat, substituting schmaltz, oil, or butter for the fat itself and adding enough stock to impart a smoky flavor. I don't eat pork (and I find beef/turkey bacon a poor substitute for bacon fat, given how little fat they render).
As other posters have mentioned, smoky stock is good in certain dishes, such as tacos and some soups. I think it's best to embrace its smokiness and use it where it adds to the dish, and otherwise make sure you have enough non-smoky stock on hand for when you don't want to add a smoky flavor.
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Rancho Gordo, Melkor, and I ended up meeting at La Luna - not a truck (it's a Mexican market) but still quite good. The wait for our food was waaaaay too long (20 minutes including a very long line at the cash register to pay), and I think some of the truck food in the 707 area code, especially Dos Hermanos in Vallejo and el Coronel in Geyserville, is better. Rancho Gordo did say he really enjoyed his carnitas.
I think it's worth a stop if you are in the area and don't mind a potentially long wait, but I wouldn't go out of my way to eat there.
A few people did PM me but weren't able to make it, but perhaps we can try again this Friday. Let me know if you want to join us.
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My favorite local ethnic restaurants. ( something influenced by the location).
I tend to be frugal, frustrated and overly fussey, when it comes to fine dining restaurants , hence- I cook alot at home.
Never the less, I do try to get out , to see what's happening.
Pomposh(Indian)
Hiro's
Royal China
Kirin
Pepi's
Jhanthong Banbua (Thai)
Thai Taste 2
Do you have any suggestions, to add to my list ?
Looks like you live in Santa Rosa - I haven't eaten much in that area, although a few of us enjoyed a snack at a taco truck just off Hwy 101 in Geyserville last month.
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For non-special occasion everyday Restaurants in my neighborhood. Places that get my dining dollars. Excluding friends restaurants(thats why my list is short)
1. Farmhouse Inn
2. Ledsons
3. Applewood Inn
4. Many local ethnic restaurants. Thai, Mexican, Indian, Chinese ETC.
So what are your favorite local ethnic restaurants...?
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Next taco truck adventure: Friday, September 17 around 6pm, somewhere in the Napa area.
If you're interested, PM me by 5pm and we should know by then where we are going!
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I really liked the grilled tortilla - much tastier than steamed.
wine detective...sort of
in Wine
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