andiesenji

Scroll to the bottom of this page for a list of links to recipes that use lots of yolks, they are listed by the amount of yolks they use. and here is a cookie recipe that uses 12 egg yolks!

Perfumes and other things of this type also bother me because of my allergies. Sometimes patient's come into the office marinated in some kind of cologne and I have to stay away from them or risk an attack. Mine is not just sneezing, but also edema in my larynx. My voice gets hoarse immediately and sometimes I lose it completely. I use an inhaler for rapid relief and to keep the reaction from progressing but sometimes I simply have to leave a restaurant or wherever. I rarely use any kind of fragrance and then only spicy scents, very mild. Otherwise I buy unscented things. I have problems shopping in some stores where scented things are too strong. I avoid the cosmetic section in the higher-end department stores because so often they have women standing around with spray scents. It is like running the guantlet to get through the place.

In my opinion any place where things are grown for whatever reason, and whatever crop, that is a farm. Flower farms, herb farms, wheat farms are essentialy the same as a vineyard because people take care to plant seeds or rootstock in a particular place and in a particular way to give it the best chance of prospering. Fruit farmers grow apples, peaches, apricots and so on in orchards but the property itself is called a farm. Often other things are grown also, just as in many vineyards other plants are grown. I remember touring one place near Napa that grew fields of lavendar and other herbs as well as having a lot of acreage with vines and a large grove of walnut trees. I have a friend in upstate New York that owns a farm and part of it is leased for growing grapes and another part is leased for growing apples. She uses the rest for growing her own vegetables, keeps goats and chickens. She considers it a farm and is proud to call it so.

For those that are interested, this site The Vinegar Institute has a member list that gives the address, contact information and products of a great many producers of specialty vinegars. I note that one in Louisiana is in Abbeville, which I think is not a great distance from Mayhaw Man, at least as the crow flies....... Regarding the above post that included a mention of soy sauce. I do have several types - I use a lot of sweet soy sauce in marinades and dips. I have a mushroom soy sauce that I use in meat balls and meat loaf. Someone else may have posted this site by The vinegar Man which has some interesting information. I make my own vinegar and have for many years. I have friends who are wine fanatics - they won't drink some wines after the bottle has been opened for a couple of days - and they save the "leftover" wine, still in the bottle, for me for my vinegar making. I also get any that are opened, tasted and found to be not to their preference. This group gets together once a month for tasting of new finds or old bottles that have reached their peak. (I don't drink so I couldn't tell one from the other, but I am often invited because I don't mind "helping" with the food - actually they know it would take an act of congress to keep me out of the kitchen.) After these events, I usually go home with at least a half-case of partially filled bottles, sometimes more. I will take some photos when I am home.

Terrific blog. I've never really thought about visiting that part of Canada but your photos and descriptions make it seem very inviting. (I lived in Wisconsin for a few years in the 50s and prefer to live where the winters are a "bit" milder!)

One more thing. Regarding the "old" balsamic vinegars that are used for flavoring. One of my friends told me to try a couple of drops on the yolk of a (cut in half) hard-boiled egg. I did and it was delicious. The little bottle came with a dropper so one can dole it out drop-by-drop.

I was digging around in a cupboard and found another. Jackfruit vinegar - I don't remember buying it but I often come across things that I have picked up while shopping because they look interesting and they get pushed back on a shelf and I forget about them. One of the bottles of palm vinegar says it is made from "toddy" palm, whatever that is. Apparently there is more to the subject of vinegar than I realized. Now I have to see if I can find the Chinese blacks and others that sound interesting.

I use the coconut vinegar just as I would any vinegar, in sauces, salsas, mustard, marinades, dips, dressings and cooking. I find it and the palm and cane vinegars are particularly good in fresh vegetable pickles. It doesn't have a distinctive taste - just is made from coconut juice. I combine shredded daikon, jicama, cabbage and carrot and pickle them in a fairly sweet mixture using one of the above or the pineapple vinegar, which does have a flavor. I also use it when I make gado-gado, the Indonesian salad with peanut sauce.

I notice the tomato vinegar shown in helenas' post above. I had some "tomato water" vinegar (loose translation) that was sent to me by a friend in Roumania several years ago. It had a very interesting flavor and was great in salad dressings. I have looked for a similar product several times but have never come across it. Where is this one made?

Andie, I'm impressed at your Asian vinegar selection... I so rarely see this in North American pantries. The best part about them is that they're relatively cheap, at least they are here in Canada. Vinegars. Good God, I'm Filipino and worship at the altar of vinegar. We regularly use it as a condiment. Apple cider, malt, sugar cane, coconut, palm, palm with garlic and chili peppers, white wine, red wine, three kinds of balsamic, rice, mango. And good old fashioned white... admittedly, I only use this for non-food related purposes. Yoiks. That makes fourteen. And then there's soy sauces. Dark Chinese, two kinds of light Japanese, soy sauce with calamansi, kecap manis. Five. Six if you count Maggi. ← We have several excellent Asian markets here in Lancaster, including a Filipino market "Manila Seafood" whose owner is a friend. John does the whole deep fried fish thing in the store and some of his customers buy one and stand around in the parking lot breaking off bits of the fish and dipping it into bowls of vinegar. Right next door is a Filipino bakery which has the best cheese-filled buns I have every tasted. I try to avoid going past the door because it always pulls me in. John also has a keg of a dark-brown murky "agkug"(???) vinegar that I have yet to try. He fills bottles that customers bring in. The stuff is extremely pungent and I think it is meant to be diluted. When he draws off some into a bottle, the fumes make my nose sting. We also have a Korean market, a Thai/Tonkin market (their words), a Japanese market, an Indian market and the middle eastern market that carries a lot of Asian products in addition to the middle eastern ones. Palmdale, right next door to Lancaster, also has quite a few markets catering to the Asian population here in the Antelope valley.

There are so many varieties of cakes that are made with and without fillings. This one Spanish cake is also very moist and retains its moisture for a good long time. I have split and filled this cake with cream cheese whipped with orange zest and orange flower water but never thought of making a filling with almond paste. I do make a light and fluffly almond paste filling that is flavored with rose water or orange flower water and with a little flavored and partially set flavored gelatin which is what I use for Turkish delight. It does not set up like gelatin, but has the texture and mass similar to lemon curd. I really don't have a specific recipe for it as I prepare it to taste and texture.

You can also use paper doilies for their patterns. I used to use them as stencils for airbrushing a lacy pattern on the top of cakes covered with rolled fondant. I also would airbrush the fondant when flat on the bench and manipulate it to make the patterns look out of focus, pulled and stretched into odd configurations. We also used lace borders we bought at a yardage store and some netting I found at a millinary supply place that used to be in Burbank. The lace could be washed, starched and stretched to dry so it was re-usable. The number of patterns is staggering. We did one wedding cake using the same lace as on the bride's dress and veil on the sides of each tier, spraying silver on white. It turned out very nice and we also used the same lace to spray a design on the tops of 500 petit fours that were then finished with candied violets.

I believe it might, were I so inclined. I have never cared for most perfumes with floral scents but anything that is spicy gets my attention. For several years I had a bottle of KL that I used sparingly but it was one of the few things that were broken in the '94 earthquake. My bathroom smelled wonderful for months. A few weeks back I made a reduction of balsamic vinegar, not one of the very aged ones, and the aroma in the kitchen was just lovely.

I have a 100 ml bottle of a Balsamic 30 year Imperatore, which I have been using drop-by-drop, for which I paid some ridiculous price. The stuff is almost like a syrup and is delicious. I have a bottle that I received as a gift, that I have never opened, of Cavalli Gold Label that is 65 years old. The little book that comes with it in its wooden box says, "Extraordinary and complex, rich and harmonious fragrances, more sweet than sour with persuasive structure. Dense, suave and persistent. Ideal for savory and spicy cheeses, for berries, strawberries or cherries, for pastry cream or ice cream; but above all, it is a true elixir to sip from a spoon or glass at the end of a meal. Each numbered bottle contains 100 ml. of Gold Label Traditional Balsamic Vinegar by Cavalli from Reggio Emilia, Italy" I am waiting for a special occasion to open it.

I always cook my fried potatoes, AKA "cottage" fries, in Crisco or lard. Crisco because I have friends who do not eat any pork products. I have tried every fat known to man, including some rather exotic ones, and these are the ones that do the best for crisping, unless you have access to good beef suet and can render and strain it efficiently. That is the one I would use if it was as available as it was 30 years ago. I mention it only because at one time it was the preferred fat for frying potatoes in most restaurants outside of the south. I do brown the potatoes, cover for a short time so they are cooked through, then finish at higher heat to brown. I have a rather flat lid for my favorite pan that allows me to slide it under the mass of potatoes and turn the entire batch. It is tricky and one has to be careful to avoid burns, but that produces the best result - of course I have been known to turn them into a second, heated skillet when cooking for a crowd.

I have all of the above, also I have coconut vinegar, pineapple vinegar, cane vinegar, palm vinegar and brown rice vinegar. Then there are sherry vinegars and several balsamic vinegars and a very interesting balsamic syrup. A visit to an Asian food store will bring one a selection of these interesting vinegars:

The conversion of any measurements can be confusing, even with calculators. However there are several online sources for equivalents. This site conversion of measurements, answers to questions and etc. has been most helpful to me. The fact that the site includes a lot of practical information that is not available at other sources, is the reason I use it more than any other. You can also find a lot of other information about food on this site, also not generally available elsewhere.

I have. Lies I tell you, all lies! I did it last week to find out some new things about myself. I didn't know I have 6 brothers or that I moved to the States a few years later than I thought. Seriously though this goes back to Mr Clifford Wright's comment upthread regarding the potential of the internet. The stuff that's been written about me in print doesn't show up. But the internet is immediate and accessible globally. His site is fantastic by the way. Really informative. Clearly a scholar and teacher willing to share what he knows. ← Sometimes one is surprised by the things that pop up on Google searches when one types in their own name. chefzadi, you DO have impressive credentials! I didn't read anything about the brothers, but just reading your posts has told me that you have the expertise to do just about anything.

The first time I tried moussaka I thought it was vile. The "lamb" was so gamey I couldn't swallow it. The oil in which the food was cooked seemed to be rancid. I didn't eat this dish for 20 years. Then I had the dish at a real Greek restaurant after my hosts convinced me that my earlier experience was an aberration by someone who had no respect for their cultural heritage. I was agreeably impressed with the complex flavors in the dish, the sweetness of the lamb and the wonderful combination of spices. Now I give a particular dish several tries, at different restaurants or at the homes of friends, before I rule it out of my list of preferences.

Amazing and absolutely fantabulous. In fact, there are no words to really express my admiration. Your talent is awesome!

On one of the "makeover" shows, they had a similar thick chopping block that had been sitting in the owner's garage for years. They took it off the legs and mounted it on top of two second-hand, 2-drawer file cabinets that they took to an auto body shop and had powder coated (like enamel) in a bright yellow. The metal cabinets were welded together with one with drawers opening on one side and the other with drawers opening on the opposite side. They bolted that one to the floor but it could probably have been left free-standing. I have a 2-drawer fireproof file cabinet in my office that is only 26 inches from floor to top. It looked pretty classy. I have had several things powder coated, including some old metal lawn furniture, the base for one of my old electric roasters, an all metal step/seat stool and a couple of old metal waste baskets. It doesn't cost all that much and looks good. I saw a couple of oak 2-drawer file cabinets in the window of a thrift shop a while back, $20. each. Considering the weight of the block, you would have some difficulty making it stable with a pedestal-type base. You really need a broad-base, otherwise you might have the thing fall over and do considerable damage. Check out industrial bases. You can get steel legs with a steel top that could be fastened to the block- those legs can also be powder coated any color you want. The base on my band saw is close to 2 feet square, I think. I haven't measured it lately, but that is the kind of thing I would look for.

I almost always gravitate to the kitchen, if either or both of my hosts are there. To me it is always more interesting to hang out in the heart of the home than stand or sit around listening to people talk about things which have little interest to me. At many gatherings, one will find groups divided on gender lines, all the men in one place talking about sports or cars, etc., and the women gathered in groups talking about children, fashion or whatever. With groups that have something such as food in common, these lines blur and that is the kind of gathering were I am most comfortable. (It is very similar in the dog fancy, groups form by interest, not by gender.) I always offer to help but do not try to take over any tasks on my own. However, many of my friends have come to expect that I will pitch in on some tasks and plan for it. In fact, I am often asked if I can arrive early and handle something for which I have a particular talent. They know I love to do certain things and are kind enough to allow me to contribute. Even if there is nothing for me to do, I like chatting with whomever is in the kitchen and I feel uncomfortable if someone has to go off alone to the kitchen to work on something.

No way, you haven't offended me. I understand the tines down, but tell me, how do you eat rice? You can't spear it, and you don't use a spoon, right? ← Okay, for loose stuff you do use it like a shovel I guess (don't see how else you could do it) using the knife as a pusher. I probably do that with peas as well. But I really get a kick out of watching people try to get the rice/peas on the fork without using a knife. ← This reminds me of the old (very old) joke poem from way back when I was a child, growing up in western Kentucky - and it was old back then. "I eat my peas with honey, I've done it all my life. It makes the peas taste funny, but it keeps them on my knife!" When cultures meet, across a dining table, there will always be differences but as long as people are kind and considerate of each other there should not be any hard feelings. Even the most sophistacated diners in one culture will make mistakes when they come in contact with other cultures. To me, the best manners are in being helpful and instructive to others without making fun of them.

More than 40 years ago, Henri Charpentier was making "chips" that were long slices done the length of large Idaho potatoes, blanched in boiling water then ice water, dried and briefly cooked in hot oil so they were flexible, then rolled into "cigarettes", chilled and just before serving deep fried until browned and crisp. They were delicious and were served with a tiny cup of mayonnaise for dipping. I had dinner only once at his restaurant in Redondo Beach in 1959 and as I recall these "crisps" had a particular name and were served with a grilled steak that came with a butter sauce and also with medallions of veal. The waiter (who was dressed as one would expect in a French place, in black suit with a long apron tied around the middle of his chest) said that one could order a side of the crisps to go for $1.00! Quite expensive for that time. I asked how they were done and mentioned that I was a professional baker. I got a tour of the tiny kitchen and was shown the last part of the process. It was indeed a labor intensive process, especially rolling the long slicesof potato on a "huck" towel. (I don't know what else to call these towels that have a textured surface and are not as common now as they were back then, prior to disposable everything.) I did not get to meet Mr. Charpentier as he was very old at the time and seated at a table in the (also tiny) dining room with some important people. I think he passed away a couple of years later. I didn't learn until much later that he was a world-famous chef and there was an enormous waiting list for the place - as I recall, there were only 7 or 8 tables.

One quick note about using buttercream. It does not have the volume strength of fondant and may collapse as more layers are added. I speak from experience, having tried one time to build up a "rock-garden" on the bottom tier of an offset tiered cake. I finally had to scrape all the buttercream off and made fondant "rocks" that I shaped and airbrushed to look like rocks. Would you believe that three days after I finished the job, the cake/candy supply place got in their first shipment of the candy "pebbles" that would have been perfect. Anyway that last bit is OT but you do have to consider what is going to hold the buttercream up and in place.