jmolinari

Hrm, yeah...i think i would go crazy if i had to remember to do something every single day.

You can actually make the duck prosciutto in a normal fridge. The breast is generally so thin that it'll cure without "case hardening". But having said that, i think 50-60 should be OK. 60 is really at hte upper end though. Try and keep it 50-58 if you can.

I assume that would be season 5, since season 4 is already well into shooting in Chicago

I don't know. I'll be the Nth person to say this. I just don't think Atlanta WANTS this kind of food. Don't get me wrong, I personally LOVE it. But how many Atlantans are like me? Not many, me thinks. Maybe the problem is that Element wasn't the place most people would go more than once every month or 2,as exciting as it is/was. There may be something behind the fact that it seemed, to me, that Blais was most successful at One Midtown Kitchen, where 80% of the patrons could choose standard dishes (seared tuna, steak/fries, chicken etc.) OR the option to let chef do a tasting menu for you at the bar with all the interesting dishes he's become famous for. I think a restaurant in Atlanta needs to offer the option for diners to have a "normal" meal, where they can go for a steak, or some scallops and risotto or items like those, and have the option of having Blais dishes too. jason

I'm definitely NOT a wine drinker, but i use Trader Joe's for cooking, and it has worked well. For oil and balsamic, go to Costco, and get their Kirkland Tuscan oil it is about $10 for a liter and is EXCELLENT quality. (Make sure it is the Tuscan one in the glass bottle. The Kirkland EVOO is mediocre at best, but much cheaper too). Also get their Kirkland Balsamic. Also excellent quality, barrel aged in Italy, not caramel/molasses stuff. Also about $9.

I can't even open that page you linked. One thought, are you using dark soy sauce ? The thick sweeter type?

Jane, i have nose to tail which is Fergus Henderson's 1st book, and i like it, although i have yet to cook a single thing out of it! Glad you like my blog. I should have an update to the farmer/commercial taste off in the next few days. You'll also have to rememebr that as winter comes along, air tends to get dryer as well, so you might have to have some sort of humidification device. jason

64 is a touch high in my opinion...for dry curing that is.

I did a similar thing with a on/off controller with a portable electric eye and a pot of water on top, and it worked OK. If i set it at 130 F it would vary between 128 and 135 or so. But i didn't experiment too much with it.

Looks real tasty. Thanks for the pictorial

Oh man, if he went to Sardegna he'd showcase one of the most beautiful areas of Italy by far.

Ah good to know MSK. Mine is in fact analog. It is fine for what i do since i think cycling the fridge every degree would be very bad Hey, where did you find a heating pad that doesn't have a timer built in? The only ones i can find all have a timer so it can't stay on for 24-36 hours that i need!

The director in Tuscany had some role in Sicily, but i don't know what role.

I use something similar to that Ronco controller for a cured meat chamber, and you have to remember it has a large hysteresis. It'll only cycle ever 4-5 deg. So if you set at 100F, it'll go from 96-100 or so.

Oh GAWD, that "carbonara w/ meatballs" look horrific.

Naftal, yes, it is correct. Meatballs are never served with the pasta. It is unheard of. If meat is cooked in the sauce, the meat is served as a 2nd course after the pasta. I haven't watched the show yet, but Tuscany being the epicenter of italian oil, is oil based, rather than butter based cuisine. And pasta is finished with fresh oil and parmiggiano often. But i'm not sure if you meant that Tuscans like plain pasta with oil and cheese. If that is what you're asking, then no...unless they're in a real hurry!

Kitchenqueen: i can help with your proofing box needs. http://www.thebuzzelectronics.com/thermoko...ooler_and_w.htm adjustable to any temp, relatively inexpensive, and small.

I wonder if that's why i've never seen it replayed on Travel Channel.

yeah, i'm confused. I liked the Sicily episode...

Stuckey, what are you trying to make? How come you used dextrose instead of regular sugar? The sweetness level is different between dextrose and sucrose, although you'll probably be fine. As far as using too much cure i think you should be OK. There is a risk of having too much curing salt, which can be unhealthy, but i'm not sure what the unhealthy quantity is. I think firmness and if you really want to see, cutting a slice to see that the cure has gone all the way throough the meat, is the only way to tell if it is fully cured.

I think the meat needs to be covered, and you need to at least use the right proportion of salt/sugar to water, if you don't feel like putzing with the spices. Can't really help with the iron pot. Sorry.

the maggot cheese is a Sardenian specialty and has to be home made of course, it is illegal to sell. I don't think i could bring myself to try it though!

The use of the parm wheel as a bowl can also be seen in a trattoria in Rome i've been to...i don't remember the name though! The bucatini that came out of it were excellent, and like mario, they first wet the wheel with alcohol and light it to melt a layer of cheese. They obviously re-use the bowl at the restaurant after scraping it clean!

Kretch, no, Tenderquick is not the same as cure #1. Unfortunately, i've only used tenderquick to make pastrami which is not cured in a brine. I would follow the recommendations on other pages. This one: http://www.sausagesource.com/catalog/mrtn-tndrqk.html Says to use 1 cup in 4 cups of water. Tender quick only seems to have about 0.5% of both nitrates and nitrites, while cure #1 has 6.25% nitrites. The rest is salt and sugar. You might be able to call morton's and ask them the % of salt and sugar. In looking at the "nutrional value" i found online, i looks like there is 1.35g of sodium per 3.5g serving, which is about 38% salt. The rest should be mostly sugar (60%?) That doesn't sound right, since sugar is listed 2nd, meaning there is more salt. Look at your package and see if the online info is wrong. Alternately you could go by the recipe on Morton's page for corned beef, http://www.mortonsalt.com/recipes/RecipeDetail.aspx?RID=43 I would probably go with the 1 cup to 4 cups water, to make a brine, and add the spices and herbs from Ruhlman, and order yourself some pink salt, might as well cure #2 while you're at it if you every think you might need it. Soooooo...i hope i didn't screw up you telling you to get tenderquick, you said you needed it right away, and i know you can make corned beef with it, but you'll have to do some adjusting to the recipe. Definitely don't use it as if it were cure #1. jason

Tom, you can find morton's tenderquick at Supertarget. At least the one at Perimeter has it. That would be appropriate for corned beef.