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andiesenji

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Posts posted by andiesenji

  1. The grits I've typicaly seen and been served in restaurants (and people's homes) are white grits - I believe they are also called hominy grits. Once, while dining on an Amtrak train, I was served what the waiter referred to as "yellow grits". It had much more flavor and was more like a runny polenta (which I believe is what it is). My local Italian market sells three grades of golden durum wheat flour. The one that's about the same granularity as cornmeal is labeled as "semolina", the extra fine variety that I use in my pizza dough is is labeled as "golden durum flour", and there's a third bin labeled "Polenta" but I haven't looked at that one to see what the texture is. I was in an airport gift shop down south somewhere lastyear and found a bag of "yellow grits". Haven't tried it yet but this thread has inspired me to do so.

    For some reason many people in the south consider white grits the "only" real grits.

    Where I grew up in Kentucky many referred to the yellow grits or cornmeal as "horse corn" or "Indian corn" or even "mash corn" as it was favored by the rural folk who cooked their own "spirited beverages".

    I like the flavor of the yellow corn meal (the good stuff, not the one from the supermarket) much better than white, unless I can get dried "shoepeg" white corn and grind it myself. It is very sweet.

    I think it all depends on your personal preference.

    Polenta is always yellow, never white.

  2. The seasoning method I advocate is, more or less, the one used by professionals on their cast iron and "French steel" cookware. It is quicker, and it creates better protection right off the bat. The oven method does not create an immediately useful utensil in my experience. You have to cook with it six or seven times before it works the way a well-seasoned cast-iron utensil should. Whereas, what I'm saying to do gives you a pan within about 45 minutes that cooks the same as one the you've had for a decade.<p>I very much discourage the use of soapy water on cast iron, at least for the first few dozen uses. Once you have the surface very well seasoned by repetitive cooking, scouring and reseasoning, it will be relatively impervious to soap. But not at first. Residue is too likely early on. Conversely, with the heating-after-cleaning procedure, you don't really need to do it once the pan is well worn. At that point, it won't rust from a little residual moisture, just so long as you towel it out pretty well. But with a relatively new utensil, you want it totally dry and heat is the best way to accomplish that.

    I agree. I collect cast iron and have several pieces that are well over 100 years old.

    If the cast iron is seasoned properly it is virtually non stick.

    I do not use soapy water, ever.

    If something sticks I put the pan on the range, pour boiling water into it, turn the heat on and let it simmer until the stuff loosens and can be brushed away.

    (I use one of the bamboo brushes used for cleaning woks).

    The boiling water is poured off along with whatever came loose and the pan is wiped with paper towels and put back on the heat. When it is dry I brush it with oil. Years ago I used to use lard, then crisco but after a visit with a cast iron old timer a couple of years ago began using mineral oil. Do not use olive oil or other vegetable oils, if it sits unused for awhile the surface will become sticky.

    Cast Iron Jack had an ever larger collection than mine and he had been using the mineral oil for a decade. This is the stuff you buy in the drug store next to the Milk of Magnesia.....

    I use this same method on my steel crepe pans and they have not been touched with soapy water for many years. Nothing sticks on them. I have a graduated set from 4 inches to 12 inches. They are so slick I can put a dollop of batter in a pan, swirl it and flip the crepe without using an implement.

    Tell your wife that the cast iron can be passed on to future generations. I am the fourth generation that is using some of mine.

  3. When I was still able to do engraving on glass (before arthritic right hand stopped me) I used to cut colored bottles down and make tumblers and engrave designs into the glass.

    (One of my engravings is my avatar.)

    I also engraved a lot of holloware for clients over the years, mostly dogs and horses, occasionally other things.

    I have made several sets of windchimes out of odd flatware, old spoons, forks, (knives do not work).

    I had a lot of kitchy kitchen pottery received as gifts over the years that I cleaned out of storage. I drilled holes in the bottoms and use them as planters.

    One huge round "pasta" bowl with 50s "modern" designs - is now a bird bath in my yard. Would you want a bowl with orange, brown and turquoise boomerangs on your kitchen counter?

  4. While speaking of grits, does anyone have any experience with Soy Grits?

    Just once. It was enough to put me off them forever.

    Actually I think they were old and rancid, but the taste and odor really was offensive.

    I do like some soy products. I make a pressed and barbecued tofu marinated in teriyaki which is pretty good. I like stir fried tofu in some dishes.

  5. When I add the nuts at 300-310º F the sugar crystallizes. What am I doing wrong. I want the nuts to toast a bit and then retain the sugar/caramel glaze, clear. Should I have more syrup solution to the quantity of nuts? Start the nuts at a lower temp?

    Thanks for your help,

    Tom

    On his show yesterday (Food TV Network) Jacques Torres coated nuts with a glaze.

    He used corn syrup heated to a simmer until it was very thin.

    He then added the nuts, stirred them in the syrup then spread them on a rack over a tray. After the excess syrup had drained away he turned them onto a sheet pan lined with bakers parchment to harden. When cool he just rubbed them in his hands to break the nuts apart.

    Very easy process. You do need one of the grid type cooling racks with small openings.

    I bought some at Linen's 'N Things which are non-stick (black) and very reasonable priced.

  6. I love adding cheese to my grits. My latest combo: half sharp cheddar and half bleu cheese.

    But you really have to use stone ground grits to get the full effect of good cheesy grits, none of that instant or quick cooking stuff.

    I buy the Bob's Red Mill brand Coarse, Medium and Fine grits or cornmeal and mix the three together. Most health food stores carry the full line of Bob's Red Mill products and they are excellent.

    I use this mixture for cornbread, grits (or polenta) as is or molded in a loaf pan, chilled and fried.

    This is the next best thing to grinding my own.

    I do a lot of baking and have a Whisper Mill which I regularly use for grinding wheat, oats, etc.

    The problem is finding the dried corn for grinding. I have a cousin in Kentucky that can sometimes be coerced into sending me a 10-pound bag but not often.

    I did find a Native American store in New Mexico that shipped corn and other products. However their site went down several months back and I have not been able to make contact.

  7. Hunh. This is an idea with real appeal, since the filter over my stove -- even if I clean the damn thing, which I obviously have to do -- doesn't do anything about removing smoke, and smoke is one of the two big problems. You say this baby really does get rid of smoke quickly?

    The other big problem is grease, which collects in droplets in the air and then festoons itself across my ceilings and walls -- and is by no means confined to the kitchen. Do you think the air purifier does anything with grease? Perhaps I should call the company. At any rate, thanks for a very interesting option.

    You can call them: It takes everything out of the air. I have tried other air filters and they were ineffective. I live in the dessert and we have a lot of sand/dust storms. This unit cleans the air in my home so well I no longer have to dust every day. Even my TV screen and my monitor stays dust-free.

    ECO LIFE INTERNATIONAL / LIVING AIR

    LIVING AIR CLASSIC AIR PURIFIER (FILTERLESS)

    1-800-895-5006 E-Mail: ECOLIFE@PACBELL.NET

    website: www.ECOLIFEINTL.com

    Visit the HOME ENVIRONMENT CENTER, located at:

    4454 Van Nuys Blvd. Suite B

    Sherman Oaks, CA 91403

  8. I bought a package of dried Hibiscus flowers and made the tea with it, but was wondering if Hibiscus flowers (fresh or dried) have other uses in Mexican cooking?

    You can make a granita from the hibiscus tea.

    Make the tea double strength, sweeten to taste the pour into a freezable container.

    when it has gotten to the slushy stage begin mixing and scraping it and continue this until the entire batch is in crystals.

    There is also a gelatin dessert made with hibiscus flavor.

    I have seen sweet rice dishes flavored with hibiscus. Sort of like rice pudding.

  9. I wasn't offended....I just wanted people to be aware that hands can get so bent out of shape that cutting hard vegetables like potatoes, carrots, turnips can be a chore--if not impossible. The already made mashed potatoes in the fridge and freezer sections are a decent alternative to that "library paste in a box" called "instant mashed potato." If you need to stucco your ceilings, that stuff is perfect. At least the other variety is made from real potato and you just add milk and butter. Great to keep on hand, no matter what your situation. Sometimes, I myself don't get excited at the prospect of peeling, cubing and boiling. And I loves me my spuds!! :biggrin:

    So true! I have had to stop one element of my art work, engraving in glass and crystal, because I have arthritis in the joint at the base of my right thumb that controls my grasping and no longer have the strength to hold the engraving handpiece.

    I have had to alter the way I do many things in the kitchen. I went to a two-handled mezzaluna for chopping herbs, etc., because I couldn't hold the regular one.

    If I have to do a lot of knife work I have to break it up into sessions no more than twenty minutes long. Otherwise I can't hold on to anything.

    The things I really think should be banned are:

    "Designer" anything.

    For God's sake, what is a "designer vegetable" ?

    As far as I am concerned, tacking "designer" on anything, coffee, wine, beer, ice cream, candy or whatever, is just an excuse to charge a premium price for a medicore (or worse) product.

    Even "artisanal" is losing its meaning. In my opinion artisan breads, for instance, should be made by small local bakeries that maintain a distinct product that is different from the mass-produced pap that passes for bread.

    I bake most of my own bread but occasionally buy a loaf. One used to be able to find French style breads that had a distinct flavor, a bit of a toasty, slightly yeasty hint that was distinct.

    Now they all taste alike.

  10. when they plow snow to the side of the road and it gets kinds dirty and light gray i think it looks like crumbs on a crumbcake!

    Yesterday my gardener was preparing some raised beds and large containers for planting.

    He had been sifting compost into a large round container compressed it and then turned it out onto a tray on the planting bench. I was standing behind him and I swear the large round cake of nearly black compost looked like a fine dark chocolate cake. (Made with black cocoa.)

    I was practically salivating. So a little later I retired to the kitchen and produced one. Much smaller of course, but it almost identical in appearance.

  11. You might consider the Living Air air purifier if your problem is really serious and cleaning the filter in the exhaust unit does not improve its effect.

    The price is steep, probably near $750. including shipping.

    http://www.ecoquestintl.com/dealer_products/classic.asp

    It is not at all like most air filters. It can clear a home of smoke, dust particles, etc., very rapidly.

    These units were used in the Pentagon after 911. We used one in my office after the fires last fall because the office smelled like the inside of a barbecue from the smoke that had been drawn into the building by the air conditioner which obviously was not filtering much.

    I have had one for a couple of years and it is worth its weight in gold.

    I turn it on when I am going to fry or bake fish and the unplesant odors are gone instantly.

    I have a friend who lives and works in a loft in downtown L.A. and had a lot of trouble with unplesant odors coming from outside as well as the fumes from the paints and printing inks with which she works. (Not to mention the occasional odor of burnt coffee when she forgets to put the carafe back in the coffee machine.)

    She bought a Living Air on my recommendation and reports that it works so well that when she burns scented candles she has to turn the unit off because it also removes that from the air.

  12. Potato pancake topped with a crabcake topped with a slice of seared foie gras topped with mango salsa. Someone shoot me. That's neither fad nor cliché. It's a culinary abomination.

    I agree.

    I can't imagine adulterating seared fois gras with anything with such a strong flavor.

    I occasionally poach fois gras in white wine and serve the slices on a very thin slice of an artisan bread. I have occasionally served it on a bet of finely shredded deep fried potato for a bit of texture. (This reminds me that I have to soon make a pilgramage to Surfas to stock up on a few things unavailable near me.)

  13. For all of you that are over garlic mashed potatoes (but they are SOOO good), try saffron mashed potatoes. Or horseradish mashed potatoes (but only with freshly grated). Weee-o, baby.

    I still make mashed potatoes the way our cook did when I was a child in the 40s.

    Add finely chopped green onions and chopped egg yolks and mash with cream and a little of the potato water.

    I always make large batches because the potato cakes baked on a griddle the next morning for breakfast or brunch are even better.........

  14. I've been assured that chocolate cannot be very shiney unless it's formed on acetate, but recently in the bookstore I ran across a book, The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern

    by Claudia Fleming, that shows on the back page chocolate that's shining like jewels. How'd they do that?

    In his book Au Couer Des Saveurs, Frederic Bau gives a formula for a sprayable coating which is very shiny. Unfortunately it is tricky to prepare and you have to have special equipment to achieve it.

    I just checked in Pierre Herme's book (The Patisserie of) and the only coating that is very shiny is a "printed" topping made on a silpat sheet.

  15. To coat all sides of a brownie you can use the same technique I use for petit fours.

    I spread a strip of ganache on a slipat sheet with a broad spatula and working six in a batch, set the petit fours on the sheet about an inch apart then transfer them to a clean silpat sheet. When the chocolate is set I place them onto a cooling rack set over a tray, then pour the ganache over the petit fours and let the chocolate set up. This way the bottom is evenly coated and the top and sides also have an even glaze.

    This has the advantage of sealing the cake away from air so that it will not stale.

    I like doing the chocolate glaze, it is much quicker and easier than the rolled fondant coating used when pastel colors are required.

  16. I'm not sure if there are local purveyors of goat; I'm not sure if I want there to be. I'm still readjusting to this meat thing and goat scares me more than a little. I know it's irrational but I'm not overly fond of lamb, even from my earlier meat eating days. That might be the connection.

    Actually goat or kid is much milder in flavor than lamb.

    The local Mexican supermarkets carry chivo or cabrito

    (both are regional names for goat) and I buy it for a spicy stew and also for chili.

  17. For me it would be smothered pork chops, fried potatoes, string beans and real corn bread.

    By that I mean corn bread that is made without flour, without sugar, without baking powder.

    A dense slab that is baked in a cast iron skillet, cut into wedges and is firm enough to hold together when dipped into bean soup. Bread pudding for dessert.

  18. Whether a "cliche" or a "classic" tastes change over time.

    It is true that foods go "out of style" or out of favor and then reappear as if new and the cycle seems to be a bit more than a generation.

    Take for instance fondue - in the '60s fondue pots proliferated and every other party I attended has something melted in a pot with various things (some rather odd) for dipping.

    I can recall being able to find fondue forks in many stores, including the Five and Dime which disappeared also, then were reincarnated as the 99 cent or Under A Buck stores, although these have only a fraction of the number of items found in the old stores.

    About a year ago I opened one of the numerous catalogs that come in the mail and there, on the front cover, was a fondue pot. In fact there were three in the catalog, one was an electric.

    Fondue as a rare treat, as long as it is made properly, is fine. I just don't care for it as a steady diet and there are many, many ways to screw it up so the texture and/or taste is ghastly.

    Stir frying seems to be phasing out, although I think it will remain an option.

    More people are grilling than ever before and the variety of grills is staggering. The prices of the more elaborate ones is amazing.

    A friend who had to mount a major campaign to get her husband to spend a thousand dollars for a new kitchen range was flabergasted when he came home one day and announced that he had just plunked down almost four times as much for a barbecue for the patio.

    He excused the amount by saying, "It does have a fridge built in."

    My friend grumbled "For that amount it ought to come with a chef!"

  19. Cheese grits come in many flavors and many consistancies.

    There are a couple of pretty grits cookbooks, Gone With The Grits is a small one that has a lot of really good recipes.

    I can't eat shrimp but have a friend who loves shrimp and grits so I fix them.

    My favorite is grits mixed with cooked rice and very sharp grated cheese then dolloped onto a griddle and crusted on each side.

  20. That very scenario caused me to change my behavior and let the answering machine do its job. I love answering machines that I can here the message beign left. Most of my friends and family know that I screen my calls.

    I DO have an answering machine, but it's far from the kitchen, and I still run like an idiot to see who's leaving a message. It's mostly when I'm expecting an important call, but the important calls seem to come in at more convenient times. Isn't it funny how it's always the telemarketers who call at the most inopportune moments?

    After way too much of this, stripping off gloves to pick up call when up to my wrists in dough, or working with sugar, I finally solved the problem. I bit the bullet and bought a VTech 5.8 mhz cordless that I can clip onto my pocket and it has a speakerphone built in to the handheld unit. I can hit the button with my pinky and answer just fine. Sometimes callers are startled by the sounds of chopping, frying, tossing or banging pans but at least I can tell them to call back.

    Worth every penny and then some.

  21. Toddle off to beddy-bye thinking I had hit the off button on the crock pot.

    How do you clean beef brisket/garlic/ginger charcoal out of a crock pot?

    Fill the crockpot with hot water, turn it to high then dump in a cup of baking soda.

    (I buy it in the industrial sized boxes because I use so much for all kinds of things.)

    Depending on how thick the crust is, it will take several hours to loosen but will loosen eventually with very little work.

    If you have chrome appliances or shiny stainless cookware with burnt-on spots, you can use this trick which I have been using to clean antique appliances.

    Take a dry cloth (no terry cloth, no sponge), barely dampen it, have a saucer full of dry baking soda.

    Dip the dampened cloth in the dry soda and rub. This does take a little elbow grease but it will remove the spots and polish the metal without scratching or damaging it.

  22. I will never, ever forget to clean the auxillary vent on a pressure cooker before use.

    Big pressure cooker - 20 quart. Cooking turkey backs and necks with rice for dog food.

    (great danes back in those days).

    Waited till pressure up to 15 pounds, turned burner down to maintain it.

    Left kitchen. Twenty minutes later BLAM!

    Kitchen now decorated with mangled turkey parts and rice.

    Lid of pressure cooker split, half stuck in wall, other half missing, hole in ceiling.

    Husband climbed into attick and found it imbedded in roof rafter.

    Dogs rushed into kitchen and tried to help with clean up.

    One does not get between three great danes and food of any kind.

    Actually they did a pretty good job up to 5 feet on the walls. I hired a crew to come in and clean the rest of it while I retired to my bed with a book and an ice pack on my head.

    Regarding hot pepper handlling (or how to avoid Hunan-hand, as it is referred to on the Chile-Heads list)

    Milk or milk products, yogurt, sour cream or whatever you have available with remove the capsacin. The casein in the milk surrounds the capsacin molecules and renders it inactive.

    Try it by touching your tongue with a hot pepper then take a sip of milk and hold it in your mouth. The burn will stop instantly.

    That is why sour cream is almost universally served with foods made with hot peppers in Mexican and Central/South American foods. It will kill the burn and leave the flavor.

  23. I make large batches of onion confit or carmelized onions.

    I also make fairly large batches of duxelles, not to use in beef Wellington, which I rarely fix.

    I use it in combination with the onion confit and shredded meat to make a filled bread roll.

    I buy the round mini boules (Costco has them), cut out a "lid" on the top, about half the diameter of the roll. I dig out all the interior of the bread, leaving at least a 1/2 inch shell.

    I fill the hollow with a layer of the duxelles, layer of finely shredded beef or pork (cooked) then a layer of the onion confit. Replace the top of the roll.

    Wrap this in foil and place in a 300 degree oven for 20 -25 minutes just to heat through.

    Serve with a salad.

    *DUXELLES (Recipe from Melinda Lee, host of Food News KNX 1070 Radio Los Angeles)

    1/2 pound, mushrooms – finely minced

    3 tablespoons, butter

    2 tablespoons, shallots – minced

    salt and pepper

    1 teaspoon, dried tarragon

    2 tablespoons, flour

    1/4 cup, Port wine

    2-4 tablespoons, heavy cream

    Using a towel, squeeze the liquid out of the minced mushrooms. Heat the butter in a skillet. Add the shallots and sauté briefly. Add mushrooms and stir until mushrooms begin to separate. Add salt, pepper and tarragon. Blend in flour. Stir for 2 minutes. Blend in wine, then cream. Simmer to reduce cream and thicken to a thick, paste-like consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. Flavor will be intense!

    Enjoy!

    Andie

  24. Regarding the question of the chocolate glaze, I just make a basic ganache which I pour while warm over the torte while it is on a rack. After the chocolate sets I lift the torte off the rack (using a giant spatula I found at Smart & Final) and place it on the serving plate.

    I use a method that is essentially the same as the one in the recipe on the Scharfenbarger site.

    It works every time. I use the Manufacturers cream also available at Smart & Final - it is not ultrapasturized and I like the way it "feels" better than regular heavy cream.

    Deep Chocolate Glaze or Ganache

    8 ounces Scharffen Berger 62% semisweet chocolate

    1/4 cup heavy cream

    3 tablespoons sweet butter

    Heat the chocolate, cream, and butter in the top of a double boiler. Stir gently until the mixture is completely melted and smooth.

    Use lukewarm as a pourable glaze or let stand until thick enough to spread like frosting.

    If using as ganache, chill in refrigerator to desired consistency.

    May be reheated to soften. Refrigerate or freeze leftovers.

    Makes a striking coating with rich chocolate taste

  25. I buy some cheap things that I consider semi-disposable - pizza pans, because they suffer a lot of dings and bumps.

    I found some inexpensive knives at Smart & Final that are pretty good, especially the long serrated slicer that I use for a bread knife. It workes better than just about anything else I have used, especially on artisan breads with thick crust.

    I buy a lot of utility bowls of various sizes at the Corning outlet, plus baking dishes, casserole, gratin bakers.

    I buy the Cambro storage containers at Smart & Final. They are non-reactive, airtight, and range from one quart to 26 quart. I store everything in them and also use them for brining turkeys, pork roasts, for processing pickles, saurkraut.

    Thre are some things on which I will not penny-pinch. I have things that I have been using constantly for 35-40 years and are still in perfect condition. They were expensive when newly purchased but have proved to be economical in the long run.

    By the way, on earlier posts there was some discussion of a crumb sweeper.

    Those used to be know as a "Silent Butler" ............

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