Smithy

Tom Thomas, your recipe sounds delicious, and your timing is interesting because of another topic that just came up on Hyderabadi Biryani. Perhaps you could answer that person's questions?

Welcome, daniel! There are a lot of skilled confectioners on these forums, and they're happy to talk about confections of all types. A number of them are currently in Las Vegas, Nevada (USA) at a Chocolate and Confectionary Workshop, and you can see some of their activities here: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/148418-report-eg-chocolate-and-confectionery-workshop-2014/ You may find yourself interested in the topic titled "Your Daily Sweets: What are you making and baking?" The 2014 topic starts here: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/147429-your-daily-sweets-what-are-you-making-and-baking-2014%E2%80%93/ There's also a topic titled "Confections! What did we make?" here: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143988-confections-what-did-we-make-2012%E2%80%93/ Of course, there are a lot of other topics in the Pastry and Baking forum, but we have a lot of lively discussion on other food-related topics. Come join in the fun!

I'm glad to see Delights from the Garden of Eden getting so much attention and going into a new publication. I have the original paperback version (mine came in good condition), given to me by a friend who met Ms. Nasrallah and loved her stories. The stories in the book are fun and interesting, and the recipes fascinating. I can't remember which I've done and which I haven't. I'll have to pull the book out and start cooking from it again.

There are some good ideas coming here. Note that the handout listing approves hard cheeses such as cheddar, swiss and mozarella, in small quantities. I'm with Lisa on the fruit salad. It's a pity about the stone fruits, but with citrus, berries, pineapple and melons you still have a lot of options.

Actually, that photo looks to me like 2013, not 2012. Kerry, can you confirm the year, for our curiosity? At any rate, I picked up 2 bottles of the 2013 and will be opening at least one this weekend. The vintage makes a difference, but for purposes of this game let's assume that it's less important than the winery and the wine in question.

Welcome to the Forums, Nucoffe. I'm sure you'll get lots of advice, not only about where to eat, but also on the very best ways to cook any of those dishes. Note I said 'advice', not 'agreement'. ;-)

Welcome! We'd love to read about your desserts, or any other Moroccan food about which you'd like to post. What are some of your favorites?

Congratulations! Please tell us more as you find it out. I'll be interested to hear what you do with your purchase.

Is this it? Chicago metallic 41800 1/8 Sheet Pan from katom Restaurant Supply was the first thing that popped up when I put "Chicago Metallic 1/8 Sheet Pan" into Google. The next link, from Amazon, notes (a) that it was only available through third-party sellers and (b) only available in packs of a dozen, which is probably more than Shel wants. I don't know the first thing about katom, by the way, but the photo in the link is a good one. This was just the first of five links for 1/8 size pans.

Shel_B, have you looked at Sur La Table? I have their heavy-gauge sheet pans in full and half-size, and like them very much. Their quarter-sheet pan is made by USA Pan out of Pittsburgh, PA: http://www.surlatable.com/product/PRO-189234/?source=igodigital It wouldn't surprise me to see that they also carry smaller pans. As for whether you need heavy-duty at that size, it depends on what you're using it for. My cheapo trays left over from my toaster oven days are of course wildly warped. They wouldn't be suitable for trying to get an even layer of jelly-roll batter, but they do fine for quick toasting of nuts.

Oh, that would make it well worth the price of admission.

Rats. Now I'm considering the purchase, and it's gone up to $70. Never mind, maybe later.

Excellent, Kerry! Thanks for taking the plunge, and for finding such an accommodating store! Photos would be fun, if possible. I'm glad there wasn't any breakage involved. I know we have the Alamos Malbec in town. I'll pick some up tomorrow.

That fish was swai. We buy it in packages of individually-wrapped fillets, frozen, much like tilapia that we buy. We think swai may be slightly firmer than tilapia, but they're very similar. Tilapia should work as well, I think.

A pate possibly, or use them to thicken a sauce that would go with, say, vegetables and rice. I remember this from some of Paula Wolfert's work; I think it's a Moroccan technique. I'll post more when I get a chance, but it will be much later today (tomorrow for you, liuzhou). You might try going to her website for inspiration.

I made my first attempt at Nadan Meen Curry tonight. Here's my report and my feedback. First of all, it was delicious! I did come away with a number of questions, but I'll show some pictures of what I did as I go. First, the raw ingredients, as near to what you specified as I could manage: You didn't specify what kind of oil to use to begin cooking. I happen to have some red palm oil, and I used that. It adds an interesting color, as can be seen with this photo of the onion, which was already beginning to soften, and the garlic, which had just been added. In your notes you indicated that the onion, garlic and ginger should all be added at once. (I usually end up burning the garlic when I do that, so I added it after the onion was already softened.) Your instructions say to add the fish "when the masala is cooked"...I realized I didn't know what that meant! I probably added the fish too soon. It was well-cooked enough after a short simmer that I removed it to a warm oven while I cooked the sauce down. It took a while to cook the sauce down, and I wondered just how thick it should be. Here's the fish and sauce, ready to serve: and here's a plate of the fish and sauce over rice. Bread and vegetables were served separately. We both thought it was delicious! We'll be trying it again, possibly with thicker fish (these were thin fillets) and certainly with a shorter cooking time to the fish. If I can lay my hands on the missing ingredients, I'll add them. So: First, thanks so much for this recipe! It passes the taste test! Second - and this is the test of communication - how close did I come to what you tried to explain?

Great! I'm sure that there will be differences in availability even within one country; I often can't find a specific California label in a Duluth wine store, for instance. The closest approximation will be acceptable; think of the discussion that may generate!

Rebel Rose just came up with a great idea for a new game that we'll call Wine Roulette: It sounds like a great way to explore wines and get new ideas for wine pairings, as well as a few laughs and...well, maybe 'ewwws' . Who's up for playing?

Welcome, Lee! It sounds like you'll fit right in. People around here love to talk about every aspect of food, from the origins of a cuisine to the best recipe or technique for a particular dish, from sources of an ingredient to food ethics. There's something for everyone here. I think it's interesting that what you describe as repetitive, simple and bland food led you to take a jump in the opposite direction. All too often, people continue in the way they were raised. Good for you, for breaking out of the mold. Here's hoping your family feels the same way. :-) Come on in, explore the forums, and join the fun!

I'm not sure that "Precision Cooking" helps much either, although I agree it's a step in the right direction. I think "Long Term Low Temperature", as advocated elsewhere on these forums, is most to the point. However, it's a bit cumbersome, and LTLT isn't very informative. If I were a marketer, I might try introducing a phrase like "Low and Slow, Hands-Free Cooking" to appeal to the home market. (I'm not a marketer, but I just now coined the phrase. I'll take a cut of the royalties if it catches on. )

Does Chapter 2 address the preservation techniques in addition to dishes using them, or does it use the salted or otherwise cured food as a starting point? Specifically, the 功夫黄瓜 "Konfgu" Cucumber /388 and 风味酱黄瓜 Special Sauce Cucumber /389: are those fairly basic dishes, like pickles, or do they start out with already-treated cucumbers? Some of those titles make me want to go get some pork belly, NOW.

I didn't realize how versatile tofu could be. Your photo really brings that point home. Thank you very much for these interesting posts!

Darn you, rotuts, I thought I was learning a new culinary term. :-D Nonetheless, I agree with you that the smear looks out of place. It's too big, too green, too...something. Soba, what actually was that? It seems the wrong shade of green to be pea puree. What did it taste like?

Welcome to the Society! Are there any particular international cuisines that you favor over others?

I have yet to try larb. I have the recipes, including an entire topic on these forums. I have the ingredients. Now I have your reminder. Thanks for this!