scott123

Really Nice!, your recipe looks great, but I have a question regarding one ingredient - the soy sauce. Do Jamaicans use soy sauce? Is the soy sauce a substitution for something authentically Jamaican? Just curious.

First of all, no matter what the recipe, fry/syrup them tonight and then rewarm them in the microwave on Sunday. There are quite a few recipes on the web. I'm a big proponent of a chenna, mawa, flour combo. There are those that skip the chenna, which isn't the end of the world. Skipping both the chenna and the mawa, for me, is unforgiveable. My grocer just started carrying chunks of mawa (khoya). Hopefully yours has it as well since it's a big pain in the behind to make. Here is one recipe that looks right. I was about to make it but then I jumped on the low carb bandwagon and had to delay my plans. Hopefully I can come up with a low carb version. It is my belief that a lactic acid (yogurt/buttermilk) precipitated paneer (chenna) is superior for making desserts to a citric acid/vinegar/lemon juice one.

Net Carb count and GI share some common ground, but not all. A lot of low carbers dwell under the misconception that low glycemic and low carb are one in the same. When someone says "I tested my blood sugar after I ate _______, and it didn't rise," that's seems to be the green light for mass consumption. Unfortunately, there are exceptions. The first that comes to mind is Channa Dal. High net carbs, almost 0 on the glycemic scale. Dreamfields pasta is another. When the product first came out, 1, 2 and 3 hour blood sugar readings were low enough to send droves of people to buy this stuff. Recent research, though, has shown that the spike/carbs from this stuff can kick in way down the line, 7-8 hours later. I don't know how other low carb diets see it, but Atkins is very clear about it being a low carb diet, not a low glycemic one. Glycemic values can be helpful in preventing spikes/cravings, but ultimately it's the net carbs that count. As far as obtaining nutritional info online, there's quite a few sites, but most of the ones I've run into seem to pull their data from the USDA National Nutrient Database. Unfortunately the USDA database frequently conflicts with product labels causing much gnashing of teeth and consternation all around. In other words, if your sources for GI values are conflicting, don't expect a trip to the carb reporting arena to shed any more light on the subject. Nobody seems to have a monopoly on cold hard facts anywhere.

I disagree. Inferior ingredients make inferior baked goods. Unless of course you're using the chocolate in such small quantities that it can't even be detected. A chocolate's defects, much like a wine's defects, do not disappear when combined with other ingredients. Any recipe, regardless of it's target audience, will improve with a better grade of chocolate. Bake something, anything, with Baker's Chocolate and then make the same thing with unsweetened Scharffenberger or Callebaut. Not only will the latter be superior, but the difference will not be subtle.

I'm sure that a talented pastry chef like yourself could perform some alchemy and make it seem less inferior than it really is, but for the rest of us mortals, I'd say look for something else. You should give Nestles a try, though.I highly recommend tasting Bakers next to Nestle, and, at the same time, tasting other unsweetened chocolates such as Hershey's, Ghirardelli, Callebaut, and Scharffenberger. In this context, the inadequecies of the Baker's should be glaringly evident. And I don't 'eat' unsweetened chocolate. I taste it before I bake with it, like I do with all my other ingredients, to make sure everything is up to snuff.

Thanks for catching that. I was going by the numbers posted on netgrocer for a packet (teaspoon) of sugar. BTW, 8 oz. is 226.7 grams, which calculates out to 4.72g/tsp.

Yeah, I noticed that too. Considering that the menus are identical, I think the owner is the same.

Thank you for emailing the owner. It is exceedingly kind of you to do so.

Maybe I'm pre-diabetic or something but drinking on an empty stomach makes me very drunk and very miserable. If I'm cooking, there's a good chance that I'm hungry. The two usually go hand in hand. And speaking of hands, that's probably what I'd chopped off/burn off if I attempted to drink while I cooked.

Callebaut is my favorite chocolate (unsweetened or otherwise). They have some stores in Canada, as well as online catalog sales based in Canada, but I couldn't find unsweetened chocolate on the list. Until you find something better, the lindt will serve you well. The tablespoon/ounce conversion Prueitt mentioned is a good ballpark, or, if you want to be more exact about it, 1 tsp. of sugar weighs 28.35 grams. Take a look at the Lindt nutritional label. Take the sugar grams per serving and then multiply that by the number of servings in the recipe. Then divide that by 28.35 to find out how many tsp of sugar to subtract.

This is the web page for the restaurant Here is the menu. The sauce is red. Not a bright strong red, but almost a pale transparent red. It has onions (visible) and chili peppers (taste). It has a slight greenish hue that might be the result of tomatillos (or possibly jalapeno puree). It is mentioned on the menu 5 times, although I'm fairly certain the "red sauce" references mentioned are actually Monterey as well. I have made sauces with tomatoes, onions and chili peppers and they are nothing like this. There is a depth of flavor there that is coming from something else. Chicken stock perhaps? Although the sauce is phenomenal on everything, it really shines in the huevos rancheros.

A local (Northern NJ) Mexican restaurant claiming to serve Sonoran cuisine covers a good number of their entrees with what they call "Monterey sauce" Is this an authentic Sonoran sauce? How do I make it?

I've heard from a few sources that a high end cocoa like valrhona is good, but I'm fairly skeptical. The processing involved to extract the cocoa butter has to effect the flavor of the chocolate solids in some way. And then replacing that cocoa butter with a different kind of fat? Well, that's just asking for trouble. I wouldn't feed baker's unsweetened chocolate to my worst enemy. It is that vile *shuddering* Bitter, chalky, and harsh. If you're going to go with an typical supermarket chocolate, go with Nestles baking chocolate. Although the texture is a bit grainy, the flavor is far superior to bakers. Scharffenberger is not for everyone. Although it has the strongest flavor of any chocolate I've eaten, it has a very noticeable acidic twang to it. Raisiny. Lindt is not the ultimate in chocolate, but it is a good grade none the less. Would it be possible to go with the bittersweet and then compensate by adding some extra lindt and subtracting sugar from the recipe? What is this for? What other brands of chocolate do you have access to?

If it's anything like the recipes that come in their catalogs, I'd definitely skip it. Don't get me wrong, these guys are phenomenal spice merchants, but when it comes to cooking, well...

Come on, we're talking about James Beard here. As much as we love him and value his contribution to the culinary arts, the man had no scruples. He would have collaborated with the Nazis for a phenomenal Coq au Vin. One glance at his foundation reveals his legacy of ramificationless consumption to be very much alive and well. Let's face it, they're going to bury their heads in their plates until they keel over and die. Mr. Sape obviously doesn't get online much. Hmmmmmm *making a scale with my outstretched hands* Which has impacted me more? Discussing food with some of the best culinary minds in the world... sharing reams of gastronomic wisdom that cleave a path directly to my brain as they send me to my knees... at the same time putting better food on my table... OR Knowing that so-in-so just won an award/had a dinner. Hmmmmmm... That is really a tough one.

An iron pot can be a factor in ferrous sulfide formation in eggs, but the three major players are the iron in the yolk, the sulfur in the white and high heat. Green tinged eggs can occur in a glass pot. They can also just as easily occur in a steamer.

Boiling condensed milk in the can to make dulce de leche has been discussed on egullet quite a bit. Here's one useful link: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=27303&st=30 Since it's made by people who left India, wouldn't "emigrant kulfi" be more apropos?

Regarding stewing/consistency issues, using banana leaves will give you a very different product, as they are slightly porous, allowing some moisture to escape. They also lend a flavor that is quite unique in itself. The one critique I have of Rodriguez's recipe is the use of a citrus/vinegar combo as opposed to the traditional freshly squeezed sour orange juice (aka seville, naranja agria). I also should note that the converted-coffee spice grinder method for grinding annato seeds should have a disclaimer. Because these seeds have such a high oil content, the particles embed themselves in every nook and cranny and you'll be finding chunks in your grinder for weeks.

As previously mentioned, it should be safe to eat but may be compromised from a flavor perspective. Freezer burn is a good sign of deteriorated flavor. If I have stock that's been in the freezer for quite some time and/or showing some freezer burn, I'll take the frozen chunk and wash it under luke warm water, taking off the outer 1/8" or so. What's left after the rinse is just as wonderful as the day I froze it.

Regarding the brand of tahini - it's better to buy a lower quality brand that's very fresh than a top name that's been on the shelves for a while. As with all nut butters, time and inproper storage/handling are it's enemies. Middle Eastern grocery tahini tends to be vastly superior not because they start off with better sesame seeds or utilize some special processing. It's just very fresh due to the high turnover. Dusty old tahini will be bad regardless of the brand.

I have a few chef friends that rail against the vileness of powdered gelatin when compared to sheet gelatin. I seem to be more sensitive to flavors than anyone I know and I can't detect any taste in hydrated powdered gelatin. I think my friends are just biased against supermarket fare.

I'm going to echo foodietraveler on the creamyness/tahini connection. I don't know how big your spoonful is, but I'd recommend a heaping spoonful for each eggplant. That should thicken everything a bit as well.

Show me a non-ketogenic diet that places fat in a valued prominent position. A diet like that does not exist. Without the metabolic advantage gained from ketosis (or an initial state of ketosis acheived in South Beach), losing weight becomes a calories expended vs. calories consumed game. Because fat is so calorie dense, it's almost impossible to control calories without controlling fat. Is this a low carb/low fat cooking thread? Because that's what you're including when you reach out to semi-low carb/hybrid diets like Sugarbusters and Montignac, that have, to my perception, mixed feelings about fat. Ketosis is the magical key that unlocks the door to the culinary wonders of fat. Fat rules. I have grown to associate low carb diets with a celebration of lipids. Is this perception off?

Marcia, I have to admit that I have a hard time visualizing the benefits one would receive from a reduced carb diet without ketosis. Ending binging/mood swings, permanent weight loss, improved triglycerides, improved cholesteral, suppressed appetite, increased metabolism, conserved lean body mass... These are all benefits I associate with ketosis. However, just because I can't see the benefits from a non ketogenic reduced carb diet, doesn't meant they don't exist. It may just mean I have to look a little harder. Low carb is a big umbrella. And, in your own way, you are under it. Please don't let my zealotry prevent you from sharing your reduced carb cooking experiences with us. I have no doubt that you have something valuable to contribute to this discussion.

I love the MDH kesoor methi but hate the garam masala. The Rajah brand garam masala is slightly better but still way too stingy with the cardamom. 2 teaspoons?! Either those are some huge recipes you're working with or it's time to start looking at some new cookbooks. That sounds like some serious garam masala abuse to me :) Kudos to you (and your consitution) for finding a more sensible path.