Smithy

I'd go with al dente, if I understand that term properly*. Without a soak it's crunchy all the way through, correct? It may even be crunchy enough to break a tooth, but at any rate it is too hard to give off flavor: just a very loud CRUNCH. You don't want it like that. You want it somewhere in the 'resists without crunching, but doesn't seem mushy' stage. It will visibly expand...I can't think how much offhand...maybe to twice its volume? * I confess: my idea of al dente pasta is strictly through reading.

I agree with @pastrygirl: 1-1/2 hours sounds like much too long a cooking time for the product you show. My own assessment is that this looks like the bulgur I get and only soak. I'd try soaking it first, probably only for 1/2 hour, and see how it does. The stuff I get often has vermicelli bits mixed in, and even then I only soak the mix for 20 - 30 minutes. This topic sent me on a search for my bulgur packages, only to realize that I seem to have left them in the trailer. The trailer is in the shop. I want tabbouli NOW and can't have it! :scowl:

I made a lemony tahini dressing similar to the recipe that @Thanks for the Crepes posted. It's similar but not identical, I suspect, because I needed to use a blender to remix the tahini - no fork or whisk was going to get that done in my lifetime. Once the blender bowl was in use it made sense to add everything else and blend. It's a beautiful green color due to the fine texture of the parsley. Next up will be the Serendipity version, but I think this is quite nice.

Hmm, somehow we always avoid Phoenix altogether. One disadvantage of that, however, is that we miss out on visiting Haus Murphy's in Glendale, near Phoenix. Great German food (braised pork shanks and sauerkraut is our favorite, but their selection of wursts is also excellent), broad selection of beer, and an oompah band in the biergarten. It's well worth a visit. Arrive hungry. I think @Darienne is the one who wrote about restaurants in Moab. Maybe she'll chime in.

I might have a few recommendations. How far south in California, by what route? and does the Southern Route include Phoenix, or Tucson? Good that you're getting to The Curious Kumquat again. Sip one for me as well, will you?

It does look like a great spread and far more food than 8 people could eat! The last photo of your first post in the set has food labeled as "Some pickled root. Tasted like parsnip.". It looks like it has a coating, as though it was also fried. Do you remember whether it was?

What beautiful produce and food! What a lovely welcome! The refrigerator decoration, although far prettier than my assortment of magnets and notes, looks a bit obstructed for opening and closing. If it had a cloth covering like that in my house, it would discourage people opening and raiding the refrigerator, and we'd claim that it was to encourage our diets. I suppose they just flip back the part that covers the door?

Do you have to be registered with them for that promo code?

How strange. The article says that thighs and drumsticks are generally considered 'by-products' and sold off quickly. I'd have said, based on what I see in our stores and the personal preferences of my family and friends, that thigh meat (at least) is prized almost as highly as breast meat here. At any rate, I read this linked article to mean chicken parts, as opposed to processed (ground, mixed with other things, cooked at the factory) chicken. That doesn't help your farmers - nor does it mean you're getting good, fresh local chicken if it's coming from here - but maybe it means that a recall is a recall.

Since we're on tahini sauce recipes in general, be sure to check out Rachel Perlow's Tahini Sauce in RecipeGullet. FoodMan also posted a recipe in his eGCI course, Introduction to Lebanese Cuisine. The recipe is somewhere midway down the first page, in the "Basics" section. He also gives uses for tahini other than as dressing.

Oh, that waffle does look delicious. It looks as though it uses pre-cooked bacon. Yes? No? He doesn't specify, that I can see, but the timing ("until the cheese is melted") doesn't seem long enough to cook bacon.

John's right about our needing some more ideas about which way you're thinking. I, being a chocolate fiend, would suggest chocolate - either a layer cake (double chocolate, anyone?) or even a single-layer variety, like Death by Chocolate or Reine de Saba. But that's just me, and I have rich dark chocolate on the brain lately. If you make a smallish dessert for her to take home to her family, is there any danger that the office staff will try cutting into it anyway, despite the macarons? Would it be advisable to box it securely for her to carry away?

Host's note: this seems to be the post formerly known as #132, to which as least 2 posts have referred:

I see this sort of adjustment being made often among those of you who have taken the IP plunge and who are learning its ways. Forgive me if it's been noted before, but how much time does it take to come up to pressure, and at the end to release the pressure? In this specific instance, if 50 minutes wasn't enough, and you had to go for another 5 - 7 minutes, how much total time extra would be required as a result of releasing and then re-pressurizing?

@Thanks for the Crepes, when you posted your question I thought you meant, say, a salad dressing based on tahini, with a lemny note added. Is that what you mean? Would you describe your ideal a bit more fully, please? Consistency, uses, flavor profile if it's more complex than tahini with lemon would all be helpful.

You may find this eGCI course useful: Knife Maintenance and Sharpening. There is also an associated Q&A session; the course contains a link to it at the end.

I wonder what would happen if Kerry freeze-dried some of that jam?

Mmm. Does 'Pâté' need a diacritical over the center vowel in the word? The last editing must be crazy-making, both from the standpoint of having seen it (one thinks) dozens of times already but trying to see it afresh, and from having it seen so many times already that you want to replace the recipe. Crazy-making or not, it's exciting!

Before you die, please post a report. With pictures.

I think a lot of folks who enjoy events like the Renaissance Faire have no idea what it takes to keep the staff fed. You've done yeoman's work for them, for many a year. I hope they find a worthy team leader to take the load off you. It's good that you'll be able to keep cooking.

That larb looks luscious. I like the comment on the heat scale at the bottom of the menu. Thanks for reviving this topic!

Oh, I'm so pleased to see the stone fruits coming in!

I probably would do it (in fact, I have) if I trusted the maker of the preserves to follow directions. Sugar is supposed to be a good preservative, so the mold should not extend far beyond whatever surface contamination caused the mold. I say "supposed to be" because if the directions weren't followed - say, the temperature didn't go as high as it was supposed to during the preservation process - then the sugar concentration isn't as high as recommended. On the other hand, I'm not a microbiologist and don't know what sort of mold might be growing there...

Thanks for that response! I won't record my attempts to pronounce your screen name, though the .wav file might be good for a laugh. From what I've read, New Orleans folk are pretty resilient, so going with the punches makes sense. Please tell more about the 'slow fish expose'. Am I correct in assuming it was a slow-food take on fish cookery?

Welcome, Ryan - er, Ji pushii tmge! It sounds like you bring a lot of spirit to your cooking. It should be interesting to see you around here! I have to ask about your screen name...is this some obscure-to-me Cajun or otherwise southern term? How would one pronounce it? It's been rather wet there this winter...to the point that my DH and I blasted through last fall without stopping to enjoy the seafood. Has the wet winter affected the NOLA food scene? C'mon in and check the place out! Ask questions, join in the conversations. If you have any questions about where to find or post something, or need technical help, don't hesitate to PM a host or ask in the Moderation and Policy Discussion forum.