andiesenji

The brunch buffet at the Ritz-Carlton in Laguna Nigel is one that I could happily graze on forever. Pricey, though. I haven't been to any of the buffets in Las Vegas for several years, however at one time the one at Caesars Palace was as good as at the major high-end restaurants.

Man, so many of my problems would be solved, if people would just put things back. I'm very generous with my tools, but I probably shouldn't be because they're rarely put back, and a lot of times, lost or ruined. Co-workers can be SO inconsiderate when it comes to tools.......WHY? Luckily that dowel board worked great in the cake shop, 'cause the only people working in there were cake people.....tips got put back. But yeah, working along with hot-siders creates a whole new set of problems. My husband would say something like: "I know, I'll make one with metal dowels. We'll hook it up to a power source, and when you're gone from work, just plug it in. Anyone stealing a tip from there would get a nasty shock!" Those things are fun to think about. ← I used to fill in occasionally in a small bakery and the owner had some of his tools in a small hanging wall cabinet sort of like a bathroom cabinet, only without the mirror on the door. He had an electrical wire attached somewhere in the back and on the center shelf a tiny can of Mace with a little sign that advised anyone opening the door that if they removed anything from the cabinet they would get a face full of Mace. Obviously that wouldn't really work, but apparently the workers were not smart enough to figure that out because no one ever took anything.

I have used all kinds of mushrooms. This is the basic recipe that works well by itself or with meats, fowl, etc. Stronger flavored mushrooms give a stronger-flavored result and stand well on their own. Some of my friends love the one I make with Porcini and spread on the bread I float on top of onion soup before adding the cheese and putting it under the grill. The Porcini seems to have a special affinity for cheeses of all types. If you make focaccia, this is good combined with onion confit and a fairly strong cheese, such as asiago.

Chewy lumps are not the result you want. It should be like a paste. Removing the liquid allows the mushrooms to carmelize and develop more flavor. My instructions say to add the mushroom water just prior to adding the Port. I have found that adding it at this point results in the best flavor. I have been making this stuff for decades and have fiddled around with the recipe and method until I got it the way I like it. If you like it slightly different, you can alter it to suit your taste. It is infinitely adaptable.

To answer several questions. I squeeze the moisture out of the mushrooms because that way they sauté better and sort of carmelize rather than stewing because of excess moisture that they release as soon as they are heated. I try to keep the moisture to a minimum early in the process, it gives a much richer result. You can reduce the flour if you don't like the way yours turned out. You can even omit it entirely but it takes a lot more time for the final reduction to get to the proper consistency. It can be frozen but you have to put it in something like a ziploc bag and get all the air out, then double bag it, otherwise ice crystals will form in it. I have added glace de viande, glace de gibier, etc. I have also layered it with onion confit in terrines with foie gras and forcemeat.

My tips are put away someplace that I can't find at the moment. I was going to take a picture so you could see my solution to "wandering" tips. I put a stripe of paint - made specifically to bond to metal and also non-toxic, around the tips about 1/2 inch from the base. I found a bright neon blue that is visible in drawers and across a room. I did this about 15 years ago and except for a few minor scratches from the things being tossed around in the little box cage that went into the dishwasher, the stripes are still bright. The place where the board used to be on the wall in my kitchen has an "L" hook for the hole at the top and at the bottom I had two deep mirror mounts which I could just twist over the bottom edge to keep it in place. When I had to go on outside jobs, I had one of the extra heavy plastic pillow covers that zipped at one end and I had cut a hole for the handle in the opposite end. I just slipped it over the board, zipped it up and it hung on a hook on the inside of my van with a bungee cord over the middle to keep it from swinging. To keep it from moving around on a counter, I just used that re-usable blue putty-like poster mounting stuff that you can get in any office supply or art store. I kept it in a ziploc bag and set up the holder on its easel back and stuck down the bottom edge with the blue stuff. (Must be getting senile, can't remember the name.) In fact, before they came out with the non-slip shelf and drawer liner stuff, I always stuck down my cutting boards with the blue stuff. I kept a bag in a pocket so it was always pliable. I also used it to anchor mixing bowls when I was using a whip in one hand and adding ingredients with another. It had enough gripping power that I could set a bowl at a slight angle and it would stay. Sorry this has wandered O.T. Andie

Also, sometimes the garlic has more moisture inside and the outside skin will shirnk as the interior expands and the cloves will split on the sides and it gets a bit messy. Note that often when roasting an entire head the cloves will have pushed up slightly out of the outer skin.

Try making bread pudding with the panettone. It is wonderful.

I have been buying Sona Masoori rice for several years to use when I make a molded rice ring which will have something with meat, chicken or vegetables in the center. I have found that it holds together better and sticks to the serving dish so it doesn't deform when the rest of the food is placed into the center of the ring. I like the flavor too, particularly when I cook it in chicken stock or broth. It seems to pick up the flavor of the broth better than basmati.

Several years ago, not long after Food TV became available here(probably early 1997), Marion Cunningham had a 1/2 hour segment where she hosted visiting chefs, cookbook authors and such. On one show, she hosted Helen Gustafson, who had just published The Agony of the Leaves. They discussed how best to brew tea and she described the way her mother had made tea, pouring in the water all at once with the leaves loose in the pot so they could fully uncurl and the most flavor could be achieved. They brewed tea in one of the glass teapots only without the infuser. They both agreed that for anything more than a small amount of tea, one of the infusers did not allow sufficient exposure of the leaves to the water, when using FULL LEAF tea. If using broken or crushed and broken tea that is in small particles, then an infuser is okay. I find tea balls unsatisfactory for full leaf teas unless one has one of the giant mesh balls that are actually intended for herbs. Of course if you want to be able to get multiple infusions from one batch of tea leaves, then an infuser can be used. I have a TeaMate electric tea brewer and the steeping chamber is half the size of the full vessel and allows full expansion of the tea leaves. It is too bad this appliance did not sell well when introduced here in the U.S., because it brews a fine cup of tea, not quite as good as the two-pot method, but better than any other method and the spent leaves are completely separate from the brewed tea so there is no "stewing".

The only "buffet" place I like, and try to get there if I am going to be in downtown L.A., is Clifton's Cafeteria. I have never had a single item that I did not enjoy, and, their bread pudding is as good as mine.

Years ago there was a Moroccan restaurant in what is now West Hollywood (before it became a "city"), that served foods either at small tables individually or if you wished, you could join others, sitting on cushions on the floor, at these huge round brass trays that were on folding supports and eat "family-style" where the food was placed in the center of the tray in a very large earthenware dish or dishes and everyone helped themselves. Small individual dishes and spoons were provided for those people who were uncomfortable eating with their fingers (right hand only) from the communal dish but most people tried the traditional way after instruction from "old hands" and learning a finger bowl was provided for frequent hand-washing. It was fun and interesting and since you did not order specific dishes, one got to try interesting new foods that you probably would not have ordered off the menu. The place is no longer there, in fact, a high rise office building is now on the site, but it was a great place, very popular with the college crowd because it was inexpensive and fun. They had musicians and dancers on Friday and Saturday nights and it was very crowded then. I usually went on Wednesdays when they had a lot of specials and extras that I think were being tried out by the chef. Most of the dishes included couscous in one form or another, often a wide ring of couscous with the meat or vegetable portion in the center.

Sadly, this is a U.S. company, but for those on this side of the pond who want a real couscoussier, this vendor, Fantes, has the best prices I have found for the copper ones. The middle eastern store in my town will special order them but the two quart would be 150.00. The one I have is similar to the large one shown on this page, however mine is just a bit larger in diameter at the base than their description and may be just a bit squattier. It also is not as pretty, having been knocked around a bit during my several moves over the years since I received it.

Ms. Wolfert, I would like to thank you for posting the information about the earthenware steamer. My pocketbook is now a little lighter as I ordered one plus a few other "must haves" from Clay Coyote pottery. Lovely things and very practical - even better they have a glaze that will go so well with the rest of the colors in my kitchen. I am really looking forward to using it for couscous, in addition to other things. - I always steam dried fruits to plump them, rather than soaking, particularly when used in baking. Andie

I pulled out several of my newer enamel cast iron pots this morning and found that some are not Le Cruset. (The old, old ones I have are Descoware.) I have two Chasseur like these That a friend brought me from England a couple of years ago. They have had plenty of use and I have no complaints. I have one round one that I have used on my induction cooktop with good results. I don't think they have been available in the U.S. for too long, I don't recall seeing them prior to this. (I did a Google search on the name.)

I have some notes on beans from a show by Curtis Aikens. He gave a "quick-soak" method for turtle beans or black beans for a vegetable stew. I have several of his shows, and the ones by John Ash, taped as they were right after each other on Food TV a few years back. I looked through some of the hundreds of tapes I have but couldn't find the particular one but do have a notebook in which I recorded some interesting (to me) side notes. That morning he had washed and picked over the beans, put them in a bowl and poured boiling water over them then allowed them to rest for half an hour, then drained them and again added boiling water and left them to soak for an hour. They were then ready to be drained and added to the vegetable broth along with the rest of the vegetables. This sped up the cooking time considerably.

I don't do much cake decorating now, because of arthritis in my hands. However when I was doing a lot I had all my tips on a thread rack or spool rack, similar to this. However I made my own using an odd cutting board that someone had given me and had a handle on one end with a hole drilled for hanging. I just drilled holes in it at an angle (using a drill guide set to a 45 degree angle) and cut a dowel into 3 inch lengths, sanded one end into a blunt point with a power sander, then dipped the other end into wood glue and stuck them in the holes. I added a wire easel back so it would stand on a counter when I had to take them along with me on a job. It held up for 20 years and is probably still in good condition somewhere in my storage building. The tips are easily identified and it will hold all sizes.

Acid does have an effect on dried beans, it actually stabilizes the protein in the bean which keeps them firm, just as a little vinegar in the water used for poaching eggs causes the protein in the egg white to firm up more rapidly. Soak and cook the beans until they are just tender, then add them to the recipe. Every recipe I have for Italian soups that involve cannelini and tomatoes, stresses that the beans must be cooked first then added to the broth then the tomatoes are added. I remember Maryann Esposito being quite emphatic about this when I used to watch Ciao Italia By the way, I have made the Spicy Black Bean Chowder and it is awesome. I always make my "real" black skillet cornbread to have with it.

I have prepared it using the lime or "cal" but not since the local Mexican markets began carrying the prepared posole (it was in bags right next to the corn for masa but because of some confusion, now is in deli containers clearly labeled 'Posole' and is available in white, red, blue and purple.) It has an extremely short shelf life and has to be used within a day or so of purchase. It is identified with a "use-by" date instead of a sell-by date. They often sell out early in the day, especially on weekends so if one wants it, you have to shop early. It instructs one to rinse it well as some "hulls" might remain. The texture and flavor is far superior to most of the canned hominy I have tried. However I have used Faraon and Royal Crown in a pinch.

Here is a tip to prevent overflow. Get a disher like this of the correct size to fill the tin (I have them from the tiny 1 oz. size all the way up to the huge, and difficult to find 8 oz. size) Once you get the hang of using them, the task will go much quicker and much neater and every muffin or cupcake will be the same size.

Dr. O'Neill was very pleased with your mention of the Syrah and passed it along to Shannon at the winery.

I use the Vegelene baking spray in the big gold and white can available at Smart & Final. I have large "clean-up" cloths that are simple old sheets ripped into pieces and I spread one over the cooktop and turn on the exhaust fan, set the pans on the cloth then spray the pans and set them aside. It takes 30 seconds for the exhaust fan to pull the overspray out of the air. The cloth gets tossed into the kitchen laundry where everything is washed at high temp with Tide and Oxyclean, bleach if needed. No problems If the stuff gets burnt onto the surface of the pans simply spray them with Dawn's Power Dissolver spray, let set for 30 minutes and either place in dishwasher or rinse with hot water, swish with a brush if anything lingers. I guarantee it will come clean.

This is a terrific thread. Thanks for introducing it, zeitoun. Couscous in one of my favorite starches and I have been preparing it, in what I believe is the Moroccan way, since the late 1970s. I hosted a young woman from Morocco who was in So.Calif. attending an artist's workshop for a few weeks. There were not as many "ethnic" markets where such things were available and it was quite an adventure just finding "real" couscous in bulk. There was boxed version but it was deemed not authentic. I liked it from my very first taste and found it went well with many different foods, not just the foods of North Africa. Mira sent me a rather large copper couscousier after she returned home and I still use it, so much so that it has been re-tinned at least 3 times in the last 25 years. Harissa was another thing to which she introduced me and it has been a staple in my spice drawer ever since, along with combining sweet dried fruits with savory meats and vegetables. It is true that couscous can be prepared in just about any type of steamer, however if you want to find an inexpensive stainless steel couscousier, you should be able to find one at any middle eastern market. The one in the town where I live has one for $29.95. and a larger one for $49.95 and they are the traditional shape. Finding an authentic tagine has not been as easy in the past. Now they are available online and at many cookware speciatly stores, even one with a cast-iron base is available now from Le Cruset (Sur La Table). I have several of the traditional terracotta type, both glazed and unglazed from small to large. I have never had a problem with cooking on top of the stove, using a diffuser, so have not considered the cast iron version.

I can speak from experience that this pot holds a 12 pound goose and a bunch of vegetables. It is difficult to lift when full, two people are best. The odd volumes are because they are manufactured to metric measurements.

Here's a tip that might help with this technique: Pre-fold and crease the paper, using a knife handle to smooth and tighten the creases and you can even build in a pleat or two so the paper will conform to an odd-shaped object. If you have all the pieces of paper prepared ahead of time, it makes the prep work much speedier when you are doing several pieces.