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spoonbread

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Everything posted by spoonbread

  1. I agree The Liberty Bar is an excellent place to eat. Don't be put off by the "leaning" building, the place has great food. Also Cappy's and Boardwalk Bistro are in that area, they are both great.
  2. Rofl!! A puffy taco is a taco that is "puffed". What makes it puffed is the fact that baking soda is added to the harina mix,so when you fry the harina dough in oil, it will puff up and swell.
  3. Thanx Mark. I appreciate the info. Franktex- Van's restaraunt is pretty darn good! Love the live crabs.
  4. I was Exec Chef at Boardwalk Bistro at one time, and I know Babara Hunt is a liscensed sommelier (sic). Some restaurants that are hot here in San Anotnio that I don't see on your list are.... Silo Cappy's Cappycinno Polo's at the Fairmount Zuni Grill In Austin...is Ella's and Ranch 616 still open? Ellla's had a great wine list.
  5. Thank you fifi for the location! I'll be sure to check that out!
  6. Where do you find saltwort? I'd forage for that all day if I knew where to look.
  7. I liked the site, and the menu looked great. Right up my alley. I'll order the book as well. Looks very interesting. Thanx agian, pete!
  8. petemelb- I finally recieved "Simply Asian" and it is great! I will order "Rockpool" next. I haven't seen any other books by Neil Perry, but this one should keep me busy for a bit. The website is very cool, and the menu items are well worth mentally chewing over. Thanx for the recommendations!
  9. spoonbread

    Fish Sauce

    I use 3 crabs brand in my pro kitchen exclusively. I've found that no other fish sauce can compare to its flavor, although I recently tried a brand called Golden Boy that is pretty close. I use fish sauce quite a bit, not just Thai.
  10. Love horseradish! I do like to mix fresh horseradish with bread crumbs, lemon zest, herbs and shredded parm cheese and coat on chicken. One interesting way to use it is to grate it and squeeze the excess juice out. Then let it dry on a sheet pan overnight. When it is crisp. no water, it kinda tastes like coconut, no heat. I use it like a garnish that way.
  11. In San Antonio, I don't know of any, but will check around. I like to experiment with that type of cuisine, unfortunately the crowd I cater to doesn't appreciate it that much. But it's still fun to play with.
  12. Srirachi, mushroom soy sauce, sambaal olek, chopotle mayo are my favs of the moment.
  13. Hi chappie! Try this... 1/4 cup mirin( if you don't have that, sherry will work fine), 1/4 cup seasoned rice wine vinegar, 1 tsp. each of shallots, garlic, ginger, 4 TB lemongrass, 1/8 cup congac...place all ingredients in a pot and reduce by 1/2, then add 1 cup lobster stock, reduce by 1/4, then add 1/2 cup cream, simmer for 3 minutes. Strain and put back in pot . Over low heat, add 2 tb unsalted butter, stirring all the while. Salt to taste. Serve with pan seared scallops on basmati rice with wilted spinach and balsamic glaze. Hope this helps and it wasn't too wierd, but this really is good.
  14. I put them on a plate, and place plate in a smoker. Smoking draws out water, so don't keep them in there too long or they will dry out. But it does work. Thank you for the tip on the wood. Will do...thanx!!!!
  15. Correct........1 liter vodka to to 2 liters water to 4 liters simply syrup. Also, be sure to tase and adjust as you would like ( thats my favorite part! )
  16. I make most alcoholic sobets by using 2 cups simple syrup( made with 2cups sugar, 4 cups water), 1 cup water, 2 TB of citrus and 1/2 cup alcohol. This works well, but the alcohol still effects the freezing poit. The sorbet will work, but it will melt quickly. Some ideas....vodka, lemon and angostora bitters... vodka, bay leaf, vanilla and pepper.........vodka, lemon grass, ginger.......vodka, cilantro, orange, jalapeno......... Hope this helps..............
  17. Baking is the best way to go. It does help with the moisture and it retains better color and flavor. In my experience, it still had alot of moisture and, yes, just adding more flour made them chewy rather than light as gnocchis should be. The method I described worked for me, as I had it on the fall menu at the resort I was a chef at. They came out perfect on color, texure and flavor. But, hey, everyone has a different method that works for them.
  18. One day, Trixy, one day..... What of Niel Perrys' books? What are the names and are they good?
  19. I believe this is the 4th time Bruce Auden has been nominated. I hope he gets this one!
  20. One of my favorite reads is "Cooking Fearlessly"....the Hudsons on the Bend cook book. Good recipes, humor and wit. Very nice!
  21. Hi! Ok, sweet potato gnocchi is different to make than regular potato gnocchi becuase it has a higher water content. The standard potato gnochi calls for 6 potatoes, 2 eggs, 1 1/2 cup flour, a pinch of nutmeg, a pinch of baking soda and salt( this is what I use, but recipes vary) If you use this recipe and sub sweet potatoes, you have to pan fry the potatoes, no oil, dry in a saute pan to evaporate the water. Or you can use half sweet potatoes, half regular potatoes. The color isn't as pretty, but it works. As far as ideas, brown butter and sage is great, or a cream sauce is good. Gorgonzola and fresh thyme go well with sweet potatoes, so a cream sauce made with those will work great. Also a basil- sage pesto works as well. Cooking them ahead of time is easy. When the gnocchis are ready, put into boiling water until it floats. Pull out and put into an ice water bath. When cooled, pull out of iced water and place in a bowl and toss in a bit of oil, just enough to caot, so they don't stick together. Cover with plastic and put into the fridge until you are ready to use them. Aw Heck, here's a link.... Sweet Potato Gnocchi Hope this helps........
  22. spoonbread

    Chipotles

    Have to say I love chipotle in all forms. I know it has been used redundantly, and at times the flavor mishandled to the general public, but the true flavor is a staple in my kitchen. Others are anchos, pasilla and habaneros.
  23. Hi fif! Caramelize your onions as usual. Then put them in a smoker. Thats it. I'm not familiar with a Weber, but I use a wok smoker and smoking pellets that I buy from Walmart or HEB, as I can't seem to locate a person locally in Texas that sells different woods for smoking. I do the same with leeks. If you intend on putting them in mashed potatoes, you can knock'em dead by adding white cheddar cheese, sour cream along with the other ingredients you would use for mashers. The onions get a strong, smoky flavor, so a little goes a long way. I also stuff prok with this alonf with thyme, cheese and other ingredients. The reduction is simple, 10# sweet onions to 2 gallons water, thyme, garlic and bay leaf. Sweat onions for 456 minutes on low heat until caramelized, add water and aromatics, and reduce to 2 cups. Hope this helps......
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