andiesenji

I believe it is possible my preciious culture has become contaminated. I learned yesterday that a brewery that is just 1/2 mile west of my home began pressure washing and venting their big lagering chambers on May 25. We have prevailing winds from the west and I can often smell the brewery. It is possible that when they vented the effluvia from the tanks some of the yeast cells took to the air and invaded my culture despite the care I take in keeping it isolated. The time line is right, I started the first batch that acted differently on May 26 and a second batch on May 28. Also I take all of the culture from the fridge, dump it into a sterilized bowl, feed it and allow it to "work," and then remove part to a sterilized container that goes back into the fridge, thus exposing the entire batch to whatever may have been in the air during the time it was uncovered, while mixing. Whatever it is, it is very potent. I used it to make English muffins last night and they rose well over the tops of the rings and spread out rather like a squat mushroom shape. For the second batch I used half the batter and they stayed within the rings. I think this weeked I will see what kind of effect I get with baking in a "coffee can" - (actually it is an old asparagus steamer with the handle removed.) And I am also going to try using it in some whole grain and fruited breads which usually do not rise well with the sourdough starters. More later.

I go to the market with my cane and my long reach grabber, (plus the scooter), because I usually try to shop during off hours when there are fewer people in the store for me to run over with my scooter. However, during those times there are usually no people in the aisle in which I find myself, needing help to get something from a top shelf. The scooter has given me more range, I can go to farmer's markets again, and mainly I can get around Costco and Sam's Club on my own. I love it.

Place the bottle in a plastic or a paper bag, the paper is better because it stands up on its own. Open the bottle the way you usually do and if any wax bits cling to the bottle just use a paper towel to wipe it down into the bag. There is less likelihood of banging the bottle around in a sink (slippery) and you can work on at table height which is a little less awkward. I use this for opening the large bottles of olive oil from Spain and from Greece that are usually capped with a very hard wax. Also some of the more expensive Balsamic vinegars come this way. When it is very brittle it cracks and sends little shards everywhere.....

I like grits with syrup, who cares if it ain't traditional. I do a lot of untraditional things. I cook grits, then cook sausage, either bulk, formed into small, thin patties, or the small links cut in half. In a muffin pan (nonstick) I put in just a small dollop of soft butter, add a tablespoon of granulated maple sugar (do you see where I am going with this?) I add a layer of grits, apply the cooked sausage, Break an egg on top of the sausage then another layer of grits. I bake this in a 350 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes then carefully turn out onto a large platter or tray. Not exactly flan, but an all-in-one breakfast dish. I have been known to used crumbled bacon instead of the sausage.

My grandfather's cook was a Gullah woman from the lowcountry. She had a huge selection of recipes committed to memory (she was illiterate). I didn't think about it back then, but now it amazes me that she could recall so many receipts accurately time after time. I have made several of her recipes, especially sweets and condiments. Pickled peaches, Sweet pickled figs. Then there are the rice dishes, besides hoppin John, Rice croquettes, especially served with smothered chicken. Squirrel pie or rabbit pie. (I haven't prepared the squirrel pie - the gray "tree rats" out here are not the same as the fat red squirrels we had back home. Fresh corn fritters..... Geez, now I am starving..

Or, you can order it here: http://www.internetwines.com/mh461484.html

Right, there is a Basque restaurant nine miles from me in Rosamond (next door to Edwards AFB) where they still serve this way. Prior to moving here 16 years ago, I managed to get to one of the Basque restaurants in Bakersfield, also family style, at least once a year when I was in town for a dog show. I enjoy the experience of meeting new people over a meal. So often in restaurants, there is almost an adversarial atmosphere, each table competing with the others for a server's attention, often with an annoying lack of manners.

You have a classic case of burnt grease ooze. The grease vaporizes condenses along with water on the sides of the oven and runs down the sizes and onto the bottom where it may find a place to exit the oven and drip out onto the counter. I have had this happen with two convection ovens, one a Cadco half sheet, the other I don't recall the make. I had a tech take a look at the Cadco, he pulled the stone from the bottom and it was litterly cemented to the floor of the oven with burnt grease, he had to heat it to get it out. Since then I learned to clean the oven every two weeks, removing the stone (a new one) and removing the high temp barrier pad the tech left for me to use, washing it (Dawn heavy duty grease cutter), allowing it to dry then replacing under the stone. Whatever the material is, it is rated to 800 degrees and so far has worked just fine. No more puddles of black grease on the counter.

I appreciate your suggestions, this has been rather annoying to me. Having a culture that had behaved as expected for so long, to suddenly have a growth spurt, so to speak, is frustrating. I have two freezer drawers in my baking area where I keep all flours, grains, seeds, nuts, etc., to keep them fresh as well as pest free. Because of arthritis, I can no longer work most dough by hand, except for exceptionally slack dough which I work in a dough trough, so I have two AEG mixers that do not work like planetary mixers, they have a roller and scraper that works the dough as the bowl turns. I also have a very old Hobart 12 quart but only use it for very dense or stiff doughs. I have two refrigrator drawers that have independent controls so I keep one at a higher temp than usual (50 degrees) as it is the one I use for retarding dough. I made an epi yesterday from dough using this culture and the tips "bloomed" . I should have taken a photo, but the neighbor for whom I made it was waiting to pick it up as soon as it came out of the oven. I set the steamer for just 2 minutes, thinking it would perhaps lessen the oven spring. The neighbor loved the way the epi appeared, thought it was very attractive, but it just didn't have the classic look so it was unsatisfactory to me. When this first began I had my oven calibrated and the tech found it was right on. It is a Blodgett, a workhorse, and I have had no problems with other items.

yes, on numerous occasions--but the sharing there is for the people at one table. it has not been the kind of general communal experience you're describing, which seems closer to a buffet. At one time there was a Moroccan restaurant in L.A. that seated either 2, 4 or 8 people at table. Actually the tables were huge brass trays set on low bases and there were cushions on which to sit. Another room had regular tables. I always had dinner in the first room. I often went alone and was asked if I would like to join the people at one of the large tables (if they had indicated they would welcome additional diners at their table. Many of the patrons were UCLA students and were happy to have anyone join them and share the table charge. This was a flat charge for the table which included several courses. Each diner would have a stack of plates, in front of them. As I recall there were two small plates, two medium plates and a large plate. The courses were brought in on one large platter or shallow bowl placed in the center of the table and everyone would select what they wanted. Each course was followed by hot damp towels to clean the hands. It was a popular restaurant and did a great business, however the property owner would not renew their lease when it expired. There is now a high-rise office building on the lot.

Mongo-Jones, Have you ever eaten at a Moroccan resturant??

You did not order anything the price was fixed per person. One day a week they served up almost all of their regular menu items in large platters or bowls. This was times three as they had lined up their regular tables into three long tables with 10 chairs down each side, 20 people per table. It was set up so you paid when you entered at 4, 7 or 10. The only additional charge was for wine and often people would order a bottle and share with others, who would in turn order a bottle and share, etc. Or you could have coffee or a soft drink, included in the cost of the meal. When all the tables had been filled with the foods you would be admitted and would select your seat. A server would ask what beverage you wanted, water was always on the table in carafes, and bring whatever you wanted. The platters and bowls were passed up and down the table and you could take as much or as little as you wished of each item or just a few items, or whatever you wanted. As I said, it was a lot of fun. I tried things I would never have ordered, I met people I would never have met and I wish there were still some restaurants that did this. As I recall, the cost was something like $15.99 a head, 60 patrons per seating and 3 seatings. I don't know how it compared to their regular days but there were never any vacancies and you had to make reservations weeks in advance.

I just love MFK Fisher. I love Mary Frances also! I am always happy to share my recipes with anyone who wants to try them and I never omit an ingredient. If it is something that I prepare sans recipe, I try to record everything the next time I prepare it, hanging a microrecorder around my neck. I have never been able to understand people who pull stunts such as omitting an ingredient or a particular step in a recipe. I bet they wouldn't share their toys when they were children.....

These are shared with others at the tables. At the Greek place each long table would seat as many as 20 people and there were rarely any empty chairs. They had three seatings on Saturday beginning at 4 p.m., a second at 7 and the third at 10. They had entertainment that started at 6 and continued to midnight. It was fun, meeting strangers who liked the same foods, getting recommendations, "take a bit of this, it tastes heavenly," etc. Passing platters and bowls up and down the table and talk, talk, talk. I met several people who became very good friends and still are, after all these years. The only rule they had was no children under 10 years. It became so popular that they had reservations weeks in advance for the later seatings.

I have a great recipe for raised (yeast) doughnuts in one of my Amish/Mennonite cookbooks, the best ever, according to people who try them. (I do not eat them myself.) It is a versatile recipe that can be made in various shapes, plain or for fillings and even for the apple fritter type doughnuts so popular with the Amish. I have to dig the book out, I have never put the recipe into the computer. More later, Andie

I can sympathize with your husband. I am a tea fanatic, so much so that I make my own teabags from the generous-sized herb bags available at most health food stores. They are filled and a flap at the top is ironed closed. (I bought a curling iron just for this purpose, never has been used on hair.) I explain that I will be happy to pay for the service, i.e., hot water but they can keep their teabag. I insist the water be freshly drawn and boiled, not out of a tap and I tip my server when I make the request. I get excellent results most of the time. One restaurant, which I visit at least every other week, has a small vacuum 3-cup carafe that that keep for me, into which I can place a larger tea bag and have my own pot of tea. Many times the servers are very interested in the varieties of teas that I have with me, all kept separately sealed in their own ziploc bag. At least two have become tea aficionados in their own right and every time I go in we have a discussion about the new teas we have tried. They are trying to convince the restaurant owner to begin offering better teas. So far he is very hesitant, although the espresso bar they added four years ago has been a great success. Tea is just too exotic, according to him.

Have you come across this site: http://www.pastrychef.com/htmlpages/recipe.html I have purchased several of the books listed on the site under "Events & Books" books by Bo Friberg, Frederic Bau, Paula Figoni, of course Peter Reinhart and Calvel & Wirtz, Taste of Bread. Bruce Healy & Paul Bugat's Art of the Cake. The links take you to Amazon... Some of the books are bundled with other books for a better price.

After reading through many posts on the tasting menu thread, I recalled that we used to have several "ethnic" restaurants around the greater Los Angeles/Orange County area that served "family-style" in that almost every type of food they served was set out on long tables and one could try as many or as few as they wished. One Greek restaurant in the Valley served this way one night a week. The individual tables were pushed into three long rows and down the center of the table were bowls or platters of all of their specialty dishes on each table. We would sit down, pass things back and forth, selecting perhaps only a bite from each and if we liked it, taking more later. This introduced me to several dishes that I would never have ordered from reading the menu because there was not enough description of the flavors, etc. An African restaurant in West L.A. had a similar routine as did a Morrocan restaurant, I can't recall where it was located. There was also a Mexican restaurant in Brea, Orange County. I liked these places because I could sit down and not have to trundle along a line as one had to do at a buffet type service, but had almost the same variety of foods. (I do not care for buffet service at any time, when I happen to be in a restaurant that has a buffet brunch, or whatever, I always order off the menu. I do not want to carry my food around a room, I want to be served. I also tip generously.....) Even the desserts were intersperced with the main dishes so if one had a sweet tooth, that could be satisfied early in the meal or at the end. The wait staff served drinks, wine or coffee at the Greek place, refilled platters and bowls and removed plates when one was finished. As far as I can determine, all of these places are no longer in business. A sad passing

"I live but to serve."

Flours available to the home baker and to commercial bakeries are not what they used to be. Companies keep changing them to squeeze out that little extra percentage of profit. I began milling my own grains several years ago, but not everyone can justify spending the money, or has the room for all these extra appliances. One would think, with the burgeoning popularity of home baking, the flour manufacturers would make premium flours available. When I worked in the family bakery almost 50 years ago, as small as we were, we had 6 types of wheat flour for various applications. The strong flour produced loaves and rolls with wonderful taste, the nuttiness which you mentioned. The crust on the regular bread would shatter while cooling, never became tough. On baguettes, boules and batards the crust would be thicker, crisp and chewy, and always that taste. When I failed to achieve the taste with locally available flour I tried buying from sources all over the country and had little or no success. Buying an electric mill was my only solution. Finding the grain has also been difficult, however it is possible, but expensive. Not as expensive as importing flour from France but close...

doesn't everybody Google to find something? Sometimes Google gives you so many responses it is difficult to find the one you want. I use Copernic, a web search engine that searches all search engines at the same time, including Google, and works in Boolian protocol. The Copernic search yielded this as the first selection. http://www.mtolivepickles.com/GiftShop/ "agent" is free - the results remain in your computer, so you can go back to the search results days, weeks and even months afterward. http://www.copernic.com/en/products/agent/index.html It doesn't cost anything to try it.........

I have friends who have Hearing Ear dogs. One is a Westie, and small as she is she is able to help by alerting Sonja to the phone, doorbell and of course timers, although she recently got some that have flashing lights. I have trouble standing for long periods so finally broke down and bought an electric scooter with an elevating seat. It helps when I simply can no longer stand. The seat swivels so it makes it easier to work at a counter.

I don't have flunkies, but I do have a large French food mill with a very fine double screen which I put the forcemeat through when I want it extra smooth, rather like a mousse.

I don't like the pasty texture of some of the meat when a food processor is used. I have a meat grinder/sausage stuffer because I handle a lot of wild game and make sausage from the parts that are not used in roasts, etc. I often smoke the sausage but some is used fresh. I have the Waring Pro MG 800. I got it to replace a Villaware that bit the dust. I bought it at Abt electronics on line because they ship free. (and since I am in Calif. there is no tax) It comes with three cutting plates, fine, medium and coarse and two sizes of sausage feed tubes. It is easy to use and versatile enough that it satisfies my needs. For 169.00 it is a good deal. I looked at a light commercial grinder but it was almost 600. and I didn't feel I needed to spend that much. The Villaware was not as powerful, cost more and was constantly needing to be taken apart to clean out stuff that backed up. Waring makes a cheaper one but it only has 150 watt motor. This one is 450. When I make patés and terrines or timbales, forcemeat, I want some texture. I often grind part of the meat fine, part medium and some coarse, depending on the meat, either mix it or layer it and also process some in the Cuisinart to get the paste consistancy.

Check out the three pages of rums on this site: http://www.internetwines.com/spirits-rum.html