Smithy

First, let me say that I've never cooked with acorns, so I have no firsthand knowledge of this. Earlier this summer I was told (by a Minnesota Park Ranger) that certain varieties of acorn don't need all that leaching. I was surprised at this information, because we were taught in school that leaching was mandatory in order to make the acorns edible. One of the web sites I read earlier today brought up the issue of simply roasting the acorns, but of course it's possible that the web site author is misinformed; you know what they say about not believing everything you read on the internet. ;-) This web site indicates that not all acorns are created equal, and makes for some interesting reading: http://honest-food.net/2010/01/14/acorn-pasta-and-the-mechanics-of-eating-acorns/

Shalmanese beat me to the granita comment. :-) I'll note that semifreddo also doesn't require an ice cream maker. It does, however, include sugar. In case you're interested, here's a link to the Fine Cooking article that put me on this path: http://www.finecooking.com/videos/how-to-make-semifreddo.aspx

Watermelon sorbet would be a good start. I've done that just by pureeing watermelon flesh and churning it in an ice cream maker, with reasonable success. Getting the pure essence sounds like just the ticket. Then again, there's peach sorbet, or mango, or pineapple...wow, the sorbet idea sounds great!

Does the nickel plating affect the cooking properties of the pan, or is it only a cosmetic feature? It's certainly pretty.

It might be. Now that you mention it, I'm not sure I know the difference between a relish and a chutney, but I'm willing to learn. Got any good recipes for me?

If not turmeric, perhaps cardamom?

This is interesting. It's another in a series of movements to preserve diversity. Two others that come to mind are Seed Savers Exchange and the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. What seems to be different about The Ark of Taste is that they aren't limiting their efforts to seeds.

I bought 2 dozen ears of corn this weekend, because our corn season is also nearing its end, and tried the Bundt pan approach. The pan did make a nice catch basin for *most* of the corn kernels, with a few popping off too far for the pan to catch. The corn was so juicy that I still ended up having to wash the kitchen island and mop the floors all the way around when I was done. This job is best done outside on a fine day.

Pickled apples! I hadn't thought of that! Thanks for the link.

Minnesota's spring and summer were so wet and cool that the apple crop is a couple of weeks late, according to the farm reports. However, the local wild apples are starting to come into their own. I've been raiding one of the trees and now have this haul: They're sweet and crisp enough that I think they'll stand up well to baking. The obvious problem with them is processing; they're about the size of cherry tomatoes. Last year I chopped and seeded a bunch and made an excellent relish; when I got tired of seeding I threw the rest in a pot with a little water and, er, I forget what else. I used a food mill to remove the seeds afterward, and the resulting sauce was a very pretty red from the peel. This year I may try roasting some to make that apple sauce. I'm considering single-serving pies or pasties. What else might I do with these? Ideas, anyone?

Very, very cool! You indicate that the orange concentrate may go off before you can use it all. Can you freeze it? Are you considering it only for drinks? It should be a good cooking ingredient also: duck a l'orange, citrus-roasted chicken, drizzled over fruit salad like cointreau. If you're interested in ideas for use of your concentrates, let us know. It may be worth its own topic. :-) Thanks for posting the link to the Modernist Cuisine blog so some of the rest of us can try this too.

I'm not sure that this is the same as typical slash-and-burn, since the intent was to clear undergrowth but leave the trees standing. In the case of acorns, it appears also to have made them easier to find and to have roasted them: pretty efficient provided the fire didn't get out of control. Here's an interesting bibliographic paper: "References on American Indian Use of Fire in Ecosystems" http://www.wildlandfire.com/docs/biblio_indianfire.htm . Crop management is one topic discussed.

Here's a link to one such discussion: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/79068-english-toffee/Edit: here is an excellent lesson, with pictures, on making toffee that may be useful; it includes a strategy for keeping the layers together. http://forums.egullet.org/topic/92495-confectionery-101/?p=1292069 This is only one lesson out of a fine eGCI course titled "Confectionery 101".

*bump* My darling bought a 2-gallon crock for me earlier this year, and I made my first batch of sauerkraut in it about 3 weeks ago. The first surprise - it shouldn't have been a surprise, really - is that it's different trying to monitor the kraut in an opaque container. (I know: 'duh' ). I've been peering down past the covering plate, watching and sniffing. Haven't seen a lot of bubbles or scum, and it's smelling pleasantly sour. There never was much funky smell as described by others in this topic. I think we'll be testing it soon.

Logs N Lounges Wood, do keep us posted on this project, please. It's intriguing!

Very cool. Now I can stop feeling guilty about keeping a Bundt pan when I rarely bake cakes.

That looks beautiful, liuzhou. Thank you for that link; the dressing isn't the only thing that looks worth trying in that article.

I can't believe that 1psi (they must mean 'differential' or 'additional' psi, else it's a vacuum oven) would make much difference. The boiling point wouldn't change appreciably. The trapped steam might help prevent food drying out, as rotuts and others noted above.

It's worked for the smells I've had to deal with (olive oil, herbs? cheese?) but I haven't put it to the pickled herring test. Sorry!

Along similar lines as lesliec, I would try sprinkling the surface with salt, adding enough white vinegar to cover the surface and dampen the salt, letting it sit for 10 - 15 minutes, scrubbing, then scraping with a pastry scraper. That's the method I use for cleaning my butcher block and wooden cutting boards; it does a good job of picking up stains except from scorched wood. Edward J, I'd never thought about shellac for this purpose; thanks for your information. Does it affect the surface texture? I imagine shellac as producing a hard, shiny surface like varnish, but I may be confusing the two.

I've been to Bombay House in Provo a few times and loved it. The 'chain' is a family owned and operated set of restaurants from recent immigrants; I think they told me that Papa started the first one and his sons have opened the offshoots. The Provo place was busy but comfortable, with excellent food to my taste. I don't think it was very expensive. I haven't been to their Salt Lake City restaurant, but if you like Indian food I'd recommend checking it out.

This blog has an interesting set of links, with a broad range of viewpoints. Thank you for posting about it!

I agree with FauxPas that it's good information to include. If the scale isn't right to have 2 dishes in the same photo, maybe you could have 2 photos - in different places (upper left from recipe, and facing page, for example) or have the home version inset on a different scale into the restaurant-plated version. We'll be happy to provide ideas that raise the production cost! :-D

What about saffron semifreddo instead? Then you just need a good mixer; a hand mixer would do. It may be that a good strong arm would also do, but I'm not one of those who whip meringues by hand. :-)

Welcome! We have a lot of stubborn people here - amateurs and professionals alike - who will be glad to help you learn. In addition to the helpful topics on technique and recipes, there are topics on wild successes and hilarious failures that are bound to inspire, or console, as the case may be. ;-) Feel free to ask questions about cooking in the forums, and if you have questions about how the forums work, feel free to PM the hosts. We look forward to seeing you in the forums!