andiesenji

I am posting this at the urging of a friend who was hanging over my shoulder today at the office. She is a neophyte with computers and is wary of going online by herself but likes to read some of the things in which I am interested. I prepared this roast for her parents wedding anniversary last January and she says they are still talking about it. Lawry's, The Prime Rib, an L.A. landmark restaurant, does a roast in salt but I think mine is easier to do and it turns out lovely. This is my "secret" method of doing the salt-encrusted prime rib. It is so much easier that even people who have never before done anything like this can be successful the first time. Have your butcher saw the ribs off so they do not extend more than 1/4 inch from the meat. You can do this with any size roast from 3 ribs to 6. If you are doing the entire rib roast get it cut in half and wrap the two halves separately but roast them (not touching) in the same pan First, it is important to use coarse kosher salt. Get two 3-pound boxes. (do not use rock salt, it is not the same thing, no matter what your friend says) Anyway, here is what you do to make life a little easier when prepping this roast. On a sheet of heavy duty foil spread out a piece of doubled cheese cloth that is long enough to go all the way around the roast. -first rinse the cheesecloth for several minutes in hot water and wring it out well to get the sizing out of it but leave it quite damp. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. WEIGH THE ROAST, WRITE DOWN THE WEIGHT! Spread the dampened cloth on the foil. If the weave is very loose you may need 3 layers. Spread the salt over the entire cheese cloth so you have a layer about 1 inch thick. Spritz with water and press with your hands until it clumps. (I use thin latex or vinyl gloves) Place the roast near one end of the salt and roll it up, foil and all. Place the roast on a flat rack on a sheet pan or shallow roasting pan, if you have a rack, otherwise just crumple some foil to make a support- just enough to hold it up out of the liquid which will extrude from the roast. Cut the foil away from the top and sides - leave the cheesecloth. Spritz lightly with water and press to make sure it adheres to the meat. Place in oven and roast for 12 minutes per pound or until an instant read thermometer reads 135 degrees. When you remove it from the oven be sure and let the roast "coast" for a minimum of 20 minutes before you crack the salt crust. Use the back of a wooden spoon and it is a good idea to set the pan on some newspaper to catch all the flying bits of salt. Use a scissors to cut the cheesecloth away if needed. It may be charred but that is o.k. it will just fall apart. Crack the salt crust completely away from the roast and allow the roast to coast for another 10 to 15 minutes before carving. (It should coast for at least 30 minutes before you cut into it.)

Has anyone ever made the fermented lemonade popular in Victorian times? It has a low percentage of alcohol but is very easy to make, being simply lemons cup up and placed in a large jar with sugar (1 cup of sugar for every 5 large lemons or 6 small ones) then topped up with lemon juice and covered loosely. every morning and every evening the lemon mass is sort of churned by pressing down with a ladle in the center of the mass which forces the outside ones to push up to the top. There was always a large container of the stuff "working" in the kitchen during the months that lemons were readily available. After a couple of days you begin to see bubbles percolating through the mass and it takes on a definite aroma, very pleasant. We used to have it, a ladle full poured over cracked ice in a tall iced tea glass, then filled with seltzer water from the soda siphon. Diluted this way it was probably .2% alcohol or less. Sometimes the cook and her helper made it in bigger batches and bottled it. My cousins and I used to fight for the chance to operate the bottle capper. Such fun! It is interesting that although we were allowed this and similar mild alcoholic beverages even as children, none of my cousins or I ever had a problem with alcohol. (or drugs, etc.) My very Victorian great grandmother felt that this beverage was excellent for "cooling the blood" when we had been running about like a bunch of wildings in the heat of the summer. Sometimes she added some herbs to the mixture to get a different flavor, and to make it more medicinal. Still tasted good though.

Here in the "environs" of L.A. (really almost all one big environ) the middle eastern markets have very cheap "specialty" produce which is priced at a premium in regular supermarkets. The Mexican supermarkets and the Asian markets also have produce at super bargain prices. At the middle eastern market in Lancaster the "sweet" lemons (Meyer) are 1.19 a pound, regular lemons 39 cents a pound. WHEN they can be found, the regular supermarkets sell Meyer lemons for 3.99 a pound. Some difference. Shallots are very inexpensive and in good supply at the local produce market but they are so easy to grow (even in a windobox) unless you are using many pounds at a time, grow your own. I grow them in odd spots in the garden, between some of the other plants as well as scattered over the surface of the ginger patch. The ginger corms are much deeper and the shallots have shallow roots so they happily coexist in the same patch. Green onions or scallions or "bunching" onions (do not form a bulb) grow rapidly in planters and window boxes and as you thin them out to encourage some to grow bigger, you use the thinnings as you would chives.

cheese, how it came about. in the beginning.....

Well sure. The cheese was stored in cool caves during the summer because it kept longer. Probably most cheese became moldy and they were used to eating it in whatever condition. This mold just happened to taste better. And so an industry was born....

Thereby dispelling my longheld view of Santa Cruz as a "live and let eat" environment ..... one full of laid back aging hippies who live for their 60's retro lifestyle .. like whatever, man .. chill out ... My daughter mentioned that she toyed with vegetarianism briefly while attending Berkeley. I think that she began feeling faint at times and then someone waved a steak under her nose and that was the end of that experiment.

When food is scarce, when starvation is the only alternative, people will eat some pretty nasty things, will eat things that are only marginally edible. Having flour containing weevils is a luxury to no flour at all and spoiled milk, as long as it doesn't make you sick, still has some nutritional value. Having a diversified source of food is necessary to life. Think about the potato famine in Ireland. Too much dependence on one food source can be a disaster.

I'd say this is a question of attitude and personality rather than diet and its particular restrictions. While it might be "easier" to socialize with only like-minded people, there are many who chose the "less easy" route. One's diet does not determine one's personality. Unless, as I mentioned before, you deny yourself chocolate! Actually it depends on a willingness to respect the beliefs and traditions of others and if we accept that it can be beneficial to all. Back at the beginning of the 60s, I was a very young widow and began working for an internist in North Hollywood. I was not making enough money to afford an apartment close to work so my boss found me a situation with an orthodox Jewish family. I was what was popularly known as a Shabbos Goy. In exchange for a lovely room, all my meals and many other perks, not specified at the beginning, all I had to do was do the things that Orthodox Jews are not allowed to do on the Sabbath. This was not a lot of work, in fact, I often felt very guilty about taking so much in exchange for so little. I gained an enormous amount from the relationship, I learned to cook wonderful things that had been a mystery to me prior to that. (You should try my honey cake.) I learned to appreciate the many reasons for their beliefs and because they treated me like one of their daughters, I was safe and secure. Keeping kosher did not determine their attitudes, it was a fundamental part of their family life and they were happy and prosperous because they were generous and giving people. Others in their congregation who also kept kosher were selfish and bad-tempered because that was the way they were, not because of their diet.

I have no idea why some restaurants seem determined to generate "badwill" instead of goodwill by padding the check with extras. On the other hand there are some restaurants (rare) who provide extras at no charge. Late last fall I was visiting a friend in Arcadia and she took me to a restaurant (wish I could recall the name) which was quite full and we sat at the small counter that sort of mimics a 50s style soda fountain. Our server asked if we wanted water and when we said yes she prepared two large glasses and drew the water from what looked like a beer tap. We asked about it and she said that they serve only Crystal Geyser and it is also piped into their ice machine. No extra charge....... This reminded me of Belisles, a restaurant that used to be near Disneyland (I mentioned it on the pie thread) and in the wide hall leading to the kitchen were racks of Sparkletts bottles (the big ones that go into dispensers). Because the water in Anaheim is less than optimal, they had decided to serve good water and damm the cost. You never had to ask for it and it always had a slice of lemon perched on the edge of the glass. These places generate patron loyalty and lots and lots of goodwill.

This site has some very nice recipes for goat recipes here And this site has a couple of goat meat shippers, both in New York state, as well as an excellent recipe for roast leg of goat Florentine which I have made with beautiful results. recipes and meat Out here most Mexican carnicerias sell goat meat as a regular item and cut it to order so you have to ask. I usually order it a few days in advance to make sure they have it fresh and they will show me the carcass and cut the meat to order while I am there. I have not ordered meat from either of those suppliers but have used their recipes. The following site was recommended to me by a friend in Midland, TX who has bought from her. goat meat

Too true! Back in the dark ages, when I was just starting out as a baker, I saw my first vanilla bean when one of our pastry men talked my mom into ordering some rather than use the extract as usual. Lelo (Hungarian) was emphatic about not chilling the vanilla beans because it (in his words) steal-ess zuh assance frum zuh banahs. (We did have a bit of difficulty with communication in the early days and Lelo's teenage son spent a lot of time interpreting.) The other baker was too shy about trying to use English so we became proficient at sign language until he and Lelo got through the adult classes offered at the high school. (My mom sponsored two pastry chefs and their families who were refugees after the Hungarian revolt in 1956.) Anyway, I believe that refrigeration was not intended for everything and some fruits are ruined by it. I keep my immediate use vanilla beans in glass vials with ground glass stoppers that are in turn inside ziploc bags and keep the extras in the glass vials in vacuum sealed bags. I always have one in one or more of the sugar jars. I also have one (chopped and split to expose the seeds) in brandy and a couple in a double-sealed vial of Everclear. After these have released some of their essense into the liquor, I will strain them out and use them in something else, there will still be a lot of flavor left.

Excellent post Mktye. There is one additional consideration about the artificial vanilla. There is one grocery store chain with in-house bakery here in California that recently settled a suit because of using artificial flavors, including vanilla, in a product that was labeled "All Natural".... If customers discover that there is something in a product that is not 100% natural, they will sue, at least in this suit-happy state. A lot of bakers that I know prefer to use natural products, label their products thusly and find their customers will pay a premium price for such.

This site the Vanilla company, has an explanation of the Mexican vanilla which comes from Mexico. Their Mexican vanilla is made from Mexican vanilla beans but is not the stuff from Mexico. Click on "explanation" for the story about the stuff that is illegal to import into this country but can be bought on line from some sources. And you can't convince me that artificial vanilla is the same as the real thing. It may have more "vanilla" flavor but I don't like it and I won't use it. There are subtle differences between the different types of vanilla and I can taste those.

I do something similar but with Lovage instead of the celery leaves. I haven't been able to grow celery here with much success but lovage grows like a weed and I am constantly chopping off the tops to keep it from self-seeding all over the garden.

The previous recipe can be altered to fit any flavor you want. barbecue sauce - teriyaki sauce and a half cup of crushed pineapple and some sweet chile sauce plus another third of a cup of bread crumbs for the extra moisture makes these a "Hawaiian" meatball. Mexican seasonings, hot peppers, toasted cumin and etc. makes them Mexican. Masala seasonings (or if you must, some curry paste,never, never, never curry powder) gives a sort of Indian flavor. Omit the tomato sauce and add sour cream and dill for a northern Europe flavor, And so on.....

I have found that just abouty anything works as long as there is enough fat in the mix to make sure they are juicy. I make all kinds of meatballs (and I portion them with a disher which is faster and requires less handling which also makes them more tender) This is the basic recipe: 1 lb ground beef, 72/27 is the best for this recipe 1 lb. ground pork 1 lb. ground lamb or veal 2 medium yellow onions, finely minced 8 cloves of garlic, mashed and minced 1 TBS red pepper flakes 2 TBS Worchestershire sauce 1 cup or 8 ounces seeded and pureed tomato (or a can of tomato sauce if you must) Salt and pepper for seasoning 3 large whole eggs, lightly beaten 2/3 cup fresh breadcrumbs 1/2 cup milk, poured into the breadcrumbs and allowed to soak in before adding to the mixture. I brown them well in fat, then add two cups of beef or veal stock and simmer them, moving them about fairly often so they don't stick Oooops. I forgot to add that if the meats are very lean, I add 4 to 6 ounces of ground pork fat or beef suet, depending on what I have on hand, or in a pinch butter. It works too.

vinegar will often turn garlic blue. The way to avoid this is to slightly roast or blanch the garlic before it goes into the vinegar or brine. You can read the explanation here. Other than being a bit unattractive, it is not a problem. Because of the danger of botulism in cold-infused oils, it is considered safer to soak the garlic in vinegar for a day prior to putting it into the oil. Naturally this often turns it blue so the garlic has to be removed prior to bottling it. I get around this by roasting a lot of garlic cloves in a pot of oil then jarring the oil and adding a dipper-full of cloves to each jar. Looks good and tastes wonderful. For pickles I blanch the cloves in boiling water for about a minute or so (depending on the size of the cloves, larger ones need a bit more time), then plunge into ice water, I never have a problem with them turning blue.

Do not ever buy any of the vanilla extract that is made in Mexico. Much of it is adulterated and can be quite toxic. By all means buy the Mexican vanilla beans, they are perfectly good, but not anything that has been processed into extract. There are probably some fine producers in Mexico of vanilla products but without knowing who they are it is a crapshoot as to what you are buying. I make my own extract. I have never used the artificial stuff. Chemicals are not the most stable of substances and can change. I have tasted foods that have a strange metallic after-taste and invariably they have been made with an artificial vanilla flavoring. Unless you are using gallons of the stuff, get the real thing. It makes a world of difference.

It has been many decades since I was a renter and back then I kept a pretty low profile. Now I doubt I would be an ideal tenant because I am much more opinionated than I used to be and while I am law-abiding, I will not put up with any crap from anyone. A few years back we had an "undesirable element" move into a rental home in the neighborhood and this nitwit came by my house when I was out in the yard and told me he was going to "take over" all the gardening duties in the neighborhood so I could get rid of my gardener. While he stood there flexing his tattoos, I walked into my shed, picked up my chain saw, walked out to the gate, started it, reved it up, then turned it off and asked him if he knew how much damage one of these could do to a leg, an arm or a neck...... That was the last I saw of him although I used to hear him roaring down the next street in his truck with the oversized tires at all hours of the night. Then we had a spate of very cold weather. One of the other residents on that street ran a hose into the street very late that night and when the genius came roaring home he hit the icy patch,skidded about 100 feet and slammed into a light pole. Someone called 911 and the sheriffs found that not only had he been drinking, he had a trash bag full of marajuana. Goodbye nitwit. Meanwhile several of us had gotten together and formed a homeowners association for mutual assistance. We had discussions with absentee landlords and have had no more problems with bad apples. We have a very diversified group in this area, many nationalities and ethnic groups, we even have two families of little people (they work in the wings of airplanes doing tricky technical stuff is spaces where big people find it difficult to work), dog, horse, bird and reptile fanciers. People here can paint their homes any color they wish, can have flags, wind toys, wind chimes, bells, whatever hanging in their yards. The only thing we do not want are human predators.

Some of the prices at the supermarkets are downright obscene! Particularly when considering the wholesale prices.... I shop for produce (that I don't grow myself) at the Mexican supermarkets that are proliferating and moving into areas formerly strictly white bread..... My boss (on my recommendation) began shopping at one that opened near his home (Calabasas, CA) and loves their produce. The prices are very good, the quality is excellent and they have a rapid turnover. They also have some items that are not commonly seen at Anglo markets. On my last visit to the store cilantro 5 bunches for a dollar. Same with Italian parsley. Lovely big heads of lettuce, two for 59 cents. Huge ripe red peppers 99 cents a pound, green ones 69 cents a pound as were pasilla chiles and Anaheims. Limes, big and juicy, 3 pounds for a dollar, fresh ginger root 1.99 a pound, large, plump pieces, cantaloupes, 6 pounds for a dollar......... and so on. Oh yes, they also had large, lovely mangoes 5 for a dollar.

I do the scalloped thing, using celeriac instead of potatoes, sometimes adding cheese, but usually just plain. Occasionally layering it with medallions of pork tenderloin, searing the pork on each side briefly just before layering it in the casserole. Very tasty.

I have purchased vanilla beans from many sources over the years and have been most pleased with the ones from The Vanilla Company Their prices, like all vanilla vendors, have gone up in recent weeks but their quality is very good, nice fat, moist beans. I use all three types, the Tahitian for ice cream, custards and etc. The Mexican for less delicate recipes and for combining with chocolate and the Bourbon for making vanilla extract (I use Everclear grain alcohol). Check their "chefs in residence" page.

Hmm... my mother always maintained that chewing gum made one look like a cow. She must have known my great grandmother. She said the same thing. She was very strict about manners, life, according to her, being so much more pleasant if one behaved with decorum. As I was the only girl amoung a herd of nine boys, it was often an uphill battle for her and my grandmother but they fought the good fight and much of it stuck! We were not allowed gum. That was an absolute....

I do not get acne from chocolate, in fact I never had acne as a teen either. What I do get is a blinding headache, not a migraine as it is on both sides of my head, visual disturbances such as double vistion and slurred speech because my tongue seems to be partially paralysed and I have difficulty swallowing. Needless to say I do not consume chocolate. Oddly, I have no problem with cocoa, it seems to be something in the cocoa butter that causes the problem.

Harold McGee debunked this years ago.