andiesenji

A great gift. I have had Vita-Mix for many years, including a 35-year-old commercial one with stainless steel container that still works. I got the newer one with the extra "dry" container for grinding grains for breads. I often make soups with it, especially the ones that are subject to scorching on the stove. "cooking" them in the Vita-Mix means there is no chance of that. It is amazing how rapidly the stuff heats up from the action of the blades. Enjoy!!

I have tried an experiment which has turned out to be pretty good, a bit different from "normal" onion confit, but good. I got home from my visit to OC yesterday afternoon and found I had a big bag of onions (had intended to take them along) that needed action and I start back to work tomorrow. I dragged out the big crockpot and began slicing onions. While slicing the onions on the mandoline I happened to notice the jar of preserved lemons setting on the counter and decided to put one in the pot with the onions. I just cut it into quarters and extracted the seeds and put it in the middle of the onions when I started them. I had them cooking on high, covered overnight, stirred early this morning, looking good. About 10 a.m. I removed the lid and stirred again, turned to low and continued cooking with the lid off. Now they are nicely done and taste just wonderful. The preserved lemon has added a hint of lemony-salty flavor to the sweet of the onions and I like it very much. I would have taken pictures but something is wrong with the battery on my camera, it won't charge. I put it in the charger and the light is red and blinks rapidly, meaning it is not charging. I have a backup battery somewhere but can't find it. I use the lemons whenever I make a Moroccan dish and for a few other applications. This is the first time I have tried it in a recipe such as this. While visiting with my friends I bought a bag of onions at Costco and made a batch of onion confit, finished with a quart of it. Heated it and served it with a rib eye roast, then topping mashed potatoes (Yukon gold) and also on a sandwich made with the sliced roast beef leftovers. My friends had never tasted it before and are now hooked. I left the remainder with them.

Actually there are so many versions of cassoulet, I see no reason why you couldn't do one that is pork free. See the one here. And in the article about the cassoulet "war" there is a mention that "only" duck and goose is used. as noted here. On another thread regarding cassoulet I mentioned a couple of friends, both French, both passionate about cassoulet and always arguing about which makes the more "authenctic" version. She is from Dauphin and makes duck sausage, heavy on the garlic and spices and uses no pork at all. She uses both duck and goose but the only beans she will use are flagolet, which I happen to grow for use both green and dried. They seem to do particularly well here in the desert and I routinely have a heavy crop. I have to confess that I too have made a cassoulet that is nowhere near what is usually considered authentic because I used a combination of duck and pheasant since I had several phesant legs to use up, having prepared the breasts for the hunter that shot them. (It was very good.)

Bristol Farms markets have just about everything one could want. There are several from Westlake Village in Ventura County to Westwood and West Hollywood to South Pasadena to south Orange County at Mission Viejo. I have been to just about all of them. Their "ready-to-serve" items are supurb. I have tried many of them and have never been disappointed. They also have an excellent cheese selection and they have, besides the inhouse bakery items, the best of the "gourmet" bakeries items. Bristol Farms locations. If you can, go to the Beverly West store at the corner of Beverly Blvd. and Doheny in West Hollywood. It is considered their "flagship" store.

My friend and I saw this movie on Thursday, early matinee and there were only about 40 people in the theater. Apparently many of them were wine geeks because most of them got the "in" jokes. There was a lot of giggling and outright laughter all the way through the movie and we enjoyed it. We both know people like both of these guys. During my years of working as a personal or private chef I had several encounters with both types. One who fancied himself a knowledgeable oenophile had a problem in that he could just not make up his mind about what to serve with a particular course or dish. He would come into the kitchen with an armful of bottles and ask me and I couldn't answer him because I did not drink wine or anything else containing alcohol. He did keep a journal of the wines he had tried and I reminded him that he should go through the journal and look for wines he had consumed when out at a restaurant and served a similar meal. This was prior to the computer boom and a few years ago I did hear from him when he stumbled across my web page. He had moved to the Santa Barbara area in the early 90s and was apparently still enthusiastic about wines and was collecting an extensive "cellar". Fortunately I don't think he was as much of a womanizer as Jack. Much safer that way.

Congratulations! Wear it in good health...... You will not be disappointed it does a teriffic job.

I agree that something is wrong with the board. Return it. I have had mine for a long time and never put them in water. I use a scraper, spray lightly with a 10% bleach solution, wipe then wipe again with a towel with plain water, scrape well, wipe again with a dry towel then oil, rub, oil again and wipe down. It sounds like it is complicated but it actually only takes a couple of minutes. Go to Smart & Final and get a bench scraper - it is inexpensive and is what butchers use.

I have never been able to understand the "detox" issue regarding foods that are normally consumed without difficulty. I can understand food allergies, intolerance to dairy and other foodstuffs, but why a healthy person needs to "detox" by avoiding eating foods they normally eat without problem, is simply a mystery to me, since many of the things contained in these foods are abundant in other foods that are consumed. I have supported friends going through "detox" for substance abuse and also a form of "detox" which was chelation therapy, with another friend who had high levels of heavy metals in her system after 5 years of living and working in a very poor area in another country as a healthcare worker. I can also understand the reasons for religious semi-fasting during Lent (and Ramadan). I don't smoke, can't eat chocolate, can't drink alcohol because of allergies, ditto some seafoods. Candy or sweets are not my problem. It is the rich and savory foods that are my downfall, however moderation is the way for me. I am unable to exercise vigorously because of disabling musculoskeletal conditions but do what I can. Even with the additional holiday dinners and snacks I did not gain any weight, in fact I lost a little over 2 pounds, my goal has been a pound a week and so far I am on target. I really would like to know the philosophy behind the "detox" idea.

Georges told me that many chefs relied on the Gallo jug wines for cooking because they did not vary from year to year, even when made from different grapes the blend was brought to the same taste and consistency as it had been for years, a particular standard that was difficult, if not impossible, to find in vintage varietals.

Apparently the New York State legislature has finally got the message that people who pay premium prices for bottles in a a restaurant want to take them home if not fully consumed. article here.

Here is a note about the Gallo wine.

As a child I ate "continental style" because that is the way my family handled their utensils. During a brief sojurn at boarding school (totally homesick) I was told my table manners were "barbaric" and was given instruction in cutting a piece of meat, putting down the knife, switching the fork, etc. I couldn't get used to the change and simply avoided eating, would sit and stare at my plate until excused from the table. I lost weight and became lethargic. Sent home after 3 months and no more of that nonsense. It simply seems more efficient to me, when one has something that requires a knife. If eating something that does not require a knife, I eat with either hand. And I handle chopsticks quite well. While in the Army I was stationed in San Francisco at the Presidio and my roommate was Japanese. Almost every weekend was spent with her family and I learned very quickly how to use them efficiently. As far as elbows on the table are concerned, as long as they are not dipping into the neighbor's soup or coffee, or knocking over the glassware, what is the big deal? If one is wearing big, loose sleeves, then it is best not to drape them on the table, nor do I do so when wearing a cashmere sweater, however any other time, space permitting, my elbow will be applied to the table sometime during the meal.

This may be anathema to the wine fanciers but I have had excellent results with a very inexpensive red, in fact, it is a jug wine, Gallo's Hearty Burgundy. Since I can't taste raw alcohol without suffering from an acute allergy, I have to depend on recommendations for such ingredients and, of course, the final result. When I was planning a meal around a similar main course, I asked a friend, a retired chef who was at the Century Plaza for quite a few years, and he told me to use this when cooking beef, venison and similar red meats as it was "soft" and brought out the flavor in the meat without overpowering it. I have been using it for several years and have never been disappointed. I transfer it into a bottle with a textured surface, which is easy to grasp with wet hands, and it also has a pourer cap. Several times my guests have helped themselves to a glass while hanging around in the kitchen while I cook and have tried to guess the source. Most have been somewhat taken aback when I told them the name.

I've had one of these since they first appeared on the market and it did take me a bit of time to get the hang of using it so the blade works the way it is supposed to. I found that a straight down cut with a slight push at the bottom of the stroke will break even sticky onions loose from the blade and I also keep a deep can of ice water near and stick the blade into that while switching from one vegetable or fruit to another.

In case anyone is interested, Cost Plus World Market has the roasted and shelled chestnuts in a jar closing out at half price - I bought all they had at the Brea (Calif) store today. This is a good buy, they keep for a long time on the shelf and are just fine to use in recipes or even eaten out of hand - I know, I have consumed quite a lot. Check your local store.

Thanks so much for posting this recipe. I have been intending to try it for a sort of bread pudding I make using brioche dough, as an alternative to the very old recipe I have been using for many years. I use it in the following recipe which I developed from something mentioned in one of my great-grandmother's journals. She was travelling in France in the 1870s, as I recall and being very interested in foods, often described their meals in detail. She, like most Victorian ladies of that era in England, adored sweet breads, cakes and similar sweets. I looked in vain for such a recipe in by collection of cookbooks and never found even a mention of anything similar. Marzipan filled brioche bread pudding. original recipe by Andie Read all directions first. This recipe takes 2 days to do it correctly Easy Brioche Rolls Must start day before serving this dessert. 1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup butter or margarine 1/3 cup sugar 1 tsp. salt 1 pkg. dry yeast 1/4 cup lukewarm water 1 egg, separated 3 whole eggs, beaten 3 1/4 cup flour Scald milk and while hot add butter (margarine), sugar, and salt. COOL TO LUKEWARM. Soften yeast in the water. Add to LUKEWARM milk mixture. Add egg yolk and beaten eggs and stir. Add flour and beat with wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Cover and let rise in a warm place (80-85 degrees) until more than double in bulk, about 2 hours or less. Stir down and beat (stir) thoroughly. Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate overnight. Remove from fridge and allow to come to room temp. Take plain brioche dough and form into small buns (golf ball size works nicely), cover and let them rest for 10 minutes. Filling You can use store bought marzipan or make your own. Make a rope of marzipan about the size of a tootsie roll and cut into pieces about the same width. (You don't have to shape them.) Put one of the marzipan pieces on each bun, draw the dough up around it and pinch and twist to seal. Place in a buttered pan with seam side down. Cover and allow to rise about 30 minutes or until nearly doubled in size. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush tops of rolls with melted butter. Place pan in center of oven. Bake till nicely browned. Remove from oven and place on a wire grid. When cool cover loosely with a cloth and let them set out several hours. We want them to be just a little stale. The next step which takes this into an entire new category Egg custard 4 eggs + 2 egg yolks, beaten till creamy 1 1/2 cups milk 1/2 cup cream 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg 1/4 cup sweet sherry (optional) Mix all these ingredients and beat until completely blended Preheat oven to 325 degrees Place the marzipan filled buns in a buttered baking dish sides touching. Pour the custard in and around the buns but do not cover the tops of the buns. Let this stand for a few minutes then add more of the custard mix as the rolls will have soaked up some. Place the pan in a bain marie and bake until the custard is set. (Time varies with the size of the baking dish and the amount of custard) For a 9 x 11 pan it should be done in about 25 minutes. Test with a thin knife blade BETWEEN THE ROLLS at about 20 minutes, then at 25 minutes. Test every 2 minutes after that until blade comes out clean.

If it is the Danish dough whisk, you will find it does an extremely rapid job on quick breads thus insuring a more tender result. It also is great for slack doughs. I have been using them for years and it is very helpful for those of us with arthritic hands.

When I make croquembouche I get the styrofoam cones in various sizes and cover them with gold foil which makes a nice base and looks fine even when some of the puffs have been served. It makes it much easier to transport them as I have a thick, high-density styrofoam base into which I stick 1/2 inch dowels onto which the cones fit and that keeps them from tipping in transport. I invert a tall Cambro container over the cones and secure them to the base so they won't shift.

My best friend gave me (besides several non-food items) a glass cutting board with a savannah scene with basenjis on it. This is not for use with kinves. It will work as a trivet if I can bring myself to use it. It will probably be hung on a wall in my kitchen as it is much too pretty to use. Her brother and his wife gave me a set of cheese spreaders with porcelain handles that are the little fat French chefs character figures - I have a set of the canisters with the same design as well as some towels, hot pads and a pepper grinder, but I have never seen these little cuties.

Regarding the best utensil for making spun sugar.... If you can find one of the old-fashioned italian pasta servers, the kind that looks like a small paddles with a bunch of dowels stuck into it..... That works better for me than a cut off whisk. The pegs are at right angles to the handle of the utensil so for someone who is not too tall, it is much easier to work with. I used to have to stand on an inverted milk carton to get my arm high enough above the dowels to make the really fine spun threads. However with this utensil I can stand on the floor. Also the wood holds onto more of the syrup so you get more threads per dip into the sugar pan. I got the ones I use at an Italian market as regular stores do not carry the large ones. It wouldn't be difficult to make your own. My teacher, back when I was first learing, had a fat dowel (actually I think it was a piece of closet rod) into which he had drilled holes and inserted thin dowels that were about 5 inches long, in a sort of double spiral pattern. He would spin the dowel as he waved it back and forth over the catch rods and would get an incredible amount of extremely fine threads very quickly. You could do the same thing with just a double row of pegs.

There is a Canadian distributor for the Electrolux because I have a friend near Niagara who bought one last year after some searching. She is away on a trip right now so I can't ask her the name but you could probably find it via a search.

This is the one I have been using for many years. It was put up on this web site a few years back and it works quite well. This one is slightly different and may be easier for your purposes. Depending on how long it will be between preparation and delivery and serving, you can make spun sugar and drape it over the top of the iced cakes, however if the humidity is high, it is going to weep and collapse unless added just before presentation. An alternative could be spun sugar "ornaments" formed on parchment paper and packed loosley in a box so the customer could place them on the cakes just prior to serving. I have done these in the past and put them in a box with a couple of packets of the "Dry-Store" pellets to reduce damage from humidity.

Do you have it stored in a container with your eggs, just so the eggs will take on the flavor, right through the shell? That is the way I keep mine! I feel like I am getting more for my money that way.

One of the doctors that subleases in our office gave me a pizza baker which I am going to leave at the office. I don't think she has a clue that I make real pizza from scratch and have an oven in which to bake it. My daughter sent me a Trader Joe's gift card for $100.00 (she knows me quite well) and some lovely jellies she brought back from Scotland, from Moniack Castle, Sloe Berry Jelly, a meat and game jelly and Pear and Rosemary Jelly. A weaver friend sent me some hand-woven kitchen towels that are so lovely I don't know if I can every bring myself to use them. One has a pineapple (for hospitality), another an eggplant, another a carrot and the fourth an ear of corn. I also got a gift card for Sul La Table but the giver did not indicate how much it is for....... Also subscription renewals for several cooking magazines. There is also in my email a notice of an Amazon.com gift but I haven't checked it yet. It is possible it is for something other than kitchen stuff, but I doubt it. Oh yeah, from several folks who still have not got the message that I can't drink alcohol (severe allergy) several bottles of wine most of which I am passing along to my best friend who can and does drink wine. I am keeping some for cooking and for making vinegar as I am getting a bit low. Perhaps the wine buffs can tell me if Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1988 Bordeaux is a good year.

This is the vendor that I recommend. I have bought several appliances from this place and they are unfailingly helpful. Compare what they offer with the offerings from other vendors.