jgarner53
-
Posts
1,201 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Store
Help Articles
Posts posted by jgarner53
-
-
Good:
freshly ground coffee (though I can't stand the beverage)
baking bread
proofing bread
baking pie
toast
pot roast
a tomato plant and vine-ripe tomatoes before you cut them
onions and garlic sweating in butter
beer mash
Bad:
boiled chicken
canned tuna
black-eyed peas
office coffee-maker (aka "burned coffee")
-
Boo Berry cereal. I buy one box a year, when it's on sale at Target (like now). It's a holdover from childhood.
-
I'm reading OFaC now, too. Fascinating stuff, though after highlighting and post-it'ing my way through it, I can't imagine doing the same through a new/updated edition any time soon.
Yeah, I'm a huge geek. So what?
What good is a reference if you can't find the information you want when you need it? -
As a reformed non-beer drinker (aikibrewer is my personal brewmaster though I am the one who taught HIM to like beer
), I might be able to offer you some less technical advice.I didn't start to like beer until late in my college career, when the so-called "dry" beer wave hit. Essentially beer without any flavor (and especially no bitter aftertaste), it allowed me a wedge into developing a palate for the basic taste of beer. From there I moved to beers like Rolling Rock, Corona, and MGD.
And now I'll drink just about anything except a rauchtbier (German smoked beer).
Things I liked once I moved past the RR and its ilk? Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Pyramid Apricot Hefeweizen, as well as their regular Hefeweizen, Newcastle Brown Ale, Shiner Bock, Morretti La Rossa, Belgian krieks and lambics, and maltier (less hoppy) ambers. The suggestion to go to a brewpub is a great one. Sit at the bar and talk to the bartenders. They can guide you to something you may like, or help you work your way through a flight.
-
I made my first croissants!
Congratulations! My first croissants were a leaky, buttery mess, so my hat's off to you! Did you find it easier this time? How did you approach it to get over your fear of laminated dough? I've found that the gluten development in croissants makes them harder to roll out (mind you, this is my one and only attempt to date) than puff pastry. Did you also find that to be true? Which recipe did you use?
-
See, now the idea of a coffee shop attached to a hotel is absolutely not foreign to me. It seems to meld perfectly with my mental image of the coffee shop. Even in an urban environment. A place that would allow the weary traveler a quick bite or cuppa joe before heading out to meetings in the morning, or at the end of a long day, without having to spend extra time or effort to seek out such things outside the hotel. Kind of one-stop shopping for travel.
I think that the outgrowth of that is hotels with their own complete restaurants (and in larger hotels, many have more than one, or a restaurant and more casual dining, akin to a coffee shop).
When I think "coffee shop," I see a place not unlike the restaurant in "Pulp Fiction." That, to me, is a coffee shop, not a diner.
-
When I think "coffee shop," I see a building with mid-60's decor (lots of brown and orange), formica counters with vinyl stools, women servers in polyester uniforms and beehive hairdos (with the little tiara thing stuck in it), pouring a pot of stale coffee. Menu is barely palatable renditions of American favorites: denver omelettes, stacks of pancakes at breakfast, club sandwiches, burgers, meatloaf.
When I think "diner," I see a retro-styled building (old RR car not required), lots of chrome, maybe a jukebox at the booths, main colors of black, white and red, and better-tasting versions of the same classics. Probably great milkshakes, too.
-
I'm a recipe gal. Mainly because I like to try new things. I have a few tried and true favorites, but even then I don't know the recipes by heart. Probably if I'd spent more time learning technique and less time following the recipe, I could do more from scratch by now, but oh well.
-
Onion rings without the actual ring of onion? Um....ew!
And chicken rings? Did we really need another shape of extruded, deep-fried chicken "meat?"
-
When the smell of the deodorizing disinfectant overpowers any smell of food. I can't stand strong-smelling cleaning products, and the industrial Lysol some of these places use makes it seem like they had to swab down the whole place (floors, walls, ceilings, food) with the stuff. Makes me turn around and leave because I'm wondering, "Good god, what died in here that they had to use so much disinfectant?"
-
Oh, definitely stir & slurp. I had a friend who'd usually let half of hers melt because she drank it so slow. My favorite was a "smurf" slurpee: Pina Colada (white) on the bottom, Blue Raspberry (blue) in the middle, and more Pina Colada on top.
-
If your wife knows of a good tailor/alterations shop, can she see about what it would cost to repair? If it's repairable, perhaps the restaurant could cover that cost.
-
How about eclairs? You could mix up the fillings: do some with plain pastry cream, some coffee, some chocolate, and vary the top coating as well. For a real bit of panache, add a dusting of gold dust (available at a cake decorating place).
When do you start pastry school? Are you quitting your current job for it? (I start next Monday, but as it's part-time, I will continue working).
Edited to ask about pastry school.
-
I once had a housemate who picked all the lemon glaze off MY birthday cake without asking, hiding her crime by virtue of the metal lid on the cake pan.
-
I did a similar mock puff pastry and made it into apple turnovers. Report is that they were quite tasty, and they appeared to be more flaky (sort of like a cross between puff and pastry dough).
Something in me still loves making puff pastry, though, what with the folds and turns and waiting. The reward is so worth it, and the stuff keeps well in the freezer (vacuum-sealed to keep out off flavors). Which reminds me - I have half a batch in there right now!
-
Damn. Just when I thought that having had lasik was the coolest thing ever.
-
ast night we went to friends for dinner to celebrate another friends birthday. Lovely old timber framed house dating back to the 17th century, about 45 minutes from here. No pics, but imagine the dark polished oak table, old silver cutlery gleaming in the candlelight...12 sat down for dinner. Haddon Hall china.
We had
Indian nibbles (various bhajis); Champagne (en Magnum)
Poached Salmon, Hollandaise sauce; Poilly Fuisse (but I did not get the year)
Roast Beef, Green Beans, Broccoli, Roasted Veg (parsnips, carrots, potatoes, jus, leeks); Ch. Valandraud (St Emilion, Grand Cru Classe) 1995, en Magnum
Raspberry fool (Raspberries muddled with cream: like Eton Mess, but with Raspberries)
Coffee. Birthday Cake (orange and chocolate), a 1975 Barsac (drying somewhat) and Port ( 1977 Warre)
Moving a little slowly this morning...need more coffee.
Man, I just don't go to the right dinner parties! Clearly, I need more gourmet friends.
What a lovely, lovely blog. All that bounty in your yard, the glorious pictures, the fish balls, the starter. All just beautiful.
-
he had to add that they tasted just like the ones you buy in a bag.
I think that for some people, this is a compliment -- as though your goall had been to recreate store-bought marshmallows from scratch.
-
So I unexpectedly got off work yesterday and heard my mixer calling to me in a sort of sad, forlorn voice. I chose a recipe (the Vanilla Chiffon roll from Baking with Julia. A simple vanilla chiffon cake rolled around a chocolate walnut mousse filling. I'm not a huge fan of walnuts - here and there, or in a salad, fine, but I tend to find them generally a bit astringent in baked goods like cookies. I considered swapping the walnuts for pecans, almonds, or hazelnuts, but decided that for this first go-round, I'd stick to the recipe.
I suppose I should say that I was planning on sending this off to work with my husband this morning, not serving it up for us. I did feel that I needed to taste the cake and the mousse, though.
In my estimation, the walnuts overpowered the chocolate in the mousse, and I didn't particularly care for the texture they gave to the mousse (the walnuts were chopped pretty fine in the food processor). But since I wasn't eating it, I could manage a taste.
Do you, whether as home cooks or PCs often prepare things for others that you yourself don't care for? How do you deal with the fact that you should taste the components of the dish (or the final product) when you're not crazy about the flavor?
-
Doesn't it also depend on the market? I remember liking Hershey bars with almonds as a kid (as well as Kisses). But now that I've developed a taste for darker chocolate, I find the Hershey's overly sweet, grainy, and insipid. I don't really even like any milk chocolate anymore (which is why I have two uneaten See's Easter bunnies at home)
My point is that if you're serving to a pack of hungry 5-year olds craving a sugar fix, they're probably not going to be discerning. But that's a different market than a dessert in a high-end bakery or at a high end restaurant.
I'd probably be pretty disappointed to pay top dollar for a dessert, especially one that's about the chocolate, only to find out that it was made with Baker's chocolate.
-
We must all remember that "average" intelligence (of whatever kind) is just that - middle of the road. It all has to balance out somehow. Though how I wind up driving behind the below average ones 90% of the time is a mystery to me!
But not knowing (after 2 years of pastry school?
) that you need a whip to mix a meringue? How did this person even pass? Or not being able even to crack eggs without getting shells in them? I'm flabbergasted. Again, I wonder how these people even passed their courses. -
I check the eggs (and was surprised once, when at Trader Joe's, the clerk asked me if I'd checked them. I thought everybody did!)
Melons get a thump (watermelon) or a slight pressure on the end and a sniff (cantaloupe). Tomatoes, figs, plums, nectarines, and peaches get gently squeezed. Harder things like bell peppers, apples, and pears get checked for bruises or funny spots. I even make sure the garlic is heavy for its size and not dried out. I generally don't check the dates on dairy because we go through it too fast.
-
The cake cones were called "safety cones"
Probably because some mother somewhere thought that the pointy bottom on the sugar cones was dangerous and could put somebody's (your little brother's?) eye out.
I have had pointy cake cones in Russia and England, however. Still tasted like packing peanuts, but there wasn't a choice. And, of course, in England, they have those nifty double-headed cones for two flavors (usually soft-serve).
It's a sugar cone for me, mainly because the waffle cone's just too darned big. Used to make 'em, though, back at my first job, burning my fingers rolling the hot waffle around the mold. But, man did they smell good!
-
All your talk of peaches is making me jealous. Peaches have all but disappeared from my farmer's market, and I'm afraid that what's left will be flavorless and mealy. (I live in San Francisco, but have never lived in Minnesota, so can't appreciate your fine, fine corn).
Enjoy that late summer bounty while it lasts! I know just how you feel, yearning for braised dishes and slow-roasted meats. Fantastic blog!
Cleaning Up
in Food Traditions & Culture
Posted
I want to know what kind of chromosonal deficiency creates the blind spot for the stove that my husband seems to have. It's the only explanation I can think of for why he never wipes it down.
Due to my astonishing lack of counter space, the place where I do most of my prep is also where the clean dishes go after they're washed and rinsed, so clean as I go is a challenge. Dishes pile up to the left of the sink, and I do wash up when I get a break (like when the sauce starts simmering, or something goes into the oven.