Fernwood

Monday eve to Thursday, two weeks from now. Two adult omnivores. We don't get good Mexican or Southwestern much and I would love to go to Topolobampo. Other names I picked up from older threads: Acadia Avec Little Goat Mexique Publican Purple Pig Sable Wieners Circle Comments on these and additional suggestions would be much appreciated. Our first evening we will need to eat early-ish and I expect many places are not open Mondays so I need to do some homework. We are New Haven pizza eaters at home and I'm not sure Chicago pizza is a must for me but I'd be happy to hear an argument for it. I am always interested in local beer; are there breweries or brewpubs we should check out? Thanks, Fern

This. Some items are TJ's staple, others disappear as soon as I get them on my standing list so I would caution you not to count on specific "fancy" items too much. But most tend to be very reasonably priced = worth an impulse buy. My staples: -lots of nuts, esp toasted slivered almonds -lots of dried fruit, esp tart Montmorency cherries (get these even if you're not sure what to do with them and then try them wherever you might use dried cranberries or maybe raisins) and Blenheim variety apricots (less sugar/more flavor than the usual sort, fantastic for baking) -freeze-dried fruit (strawberries, raspberries, etc.) -maple syrup for way better than supermarket prices (don't know if this will be as compelling to a Canadian) -"Goddess" salad dressing (only wish it came in larger, unbreakable bottles) -peanut butter-filled pretzel nuggets -"Pound plus" chocolate (500g bars, various %s) Fancy things we currently enjoy: -Fig & Olive crisps, Raisin Rosemary crisps (little crackers, with boxed crackers, rather than bagged snacks) -refrigerated tamales (the ones we used to think were a seasonal item) -whatever looks interesting.... I'm sure you will enjoy browsing. The staff are generally much more helpful than in my area supermarkets.

Apparently Canadian Benefibre is inulin and American Benefiber is wheat dextrin; go figure! http://www.benefibre.ca/fiberHealth/index.shtml?faqs http://www.benefiber.com/fiber-faqs/

I'm seeing it frequently in southern CT (greater New Haven). Time to try tropical cocktails against the seemingly endless winter!

Whenever I remember to, I like to rub citrus zest into the sugar before combining with butter or other ingredients. I do think it releases the aromatic oil into the mixture better. I think I picked up that trick from Dorie Greenspan's Baking book.

Thanks! I had a feeling I had seen it mentioned before but I truly could not get a result from either the site search or from Google, though I double-checked my spelling. Sunspots, gremlins, rogue electrons, etc.

What is "dutch potato spice" and why is it that when I google the phrase, I get NO results, not even this thread? Is it top secret?

My sister-in-law changed my life when she taught me to use a plastic knife for cutting brownies. This am, as I was working my way through two 9 x 13 pans of >1" thick brownies (college athletes) with a flimsy plastic picnic knife, it occurred to me that I should ask Santa to put something sturdier in my stocking this Christmas. Does anyone use this Zyliss Dessert Knife? Or this Bakeware Buddy plastic knife? Other recommendations? Thanks, Fern

I think acetic acid is quite volatile. If you boil down white (distilled) vinegar, you will find there is no residue at all. That's why potato chip manufacturers have to fix it with maltodextrin or something similar in order to create a dry vinegar-flavor seasoning: http://www.seriouseats.com/2012/09/the-best-salt-and-vinegar-chips-tasting-brands-most-acidic.html I have to think it gets sucked away with the water during the freeze-drying.

In the US, isopropyl alcohol solution is commonly available as one variety of "rubbing alcohol" ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubbing_alcohol ) and denatured ethanol is another. Denatured alcohols have additives to discourage consumption: the additives are stinky, or bitter, or toxic in some way. If you have pure alcohol (ethanol or isopropanol), or a solution of nothing but alcohol and water, there should be no residue after the surface is completely dried. If there is an additive that is less volatile, it may leave an undesirable residue. Pure isopropyl alcohol should be OK as a solvent that will be evaporated off, but it's not safe to breathe and it should be used in a well-ventilated space. All of that being said, I'm not sure cocoa butter is very soluble in alcohol-water solutions. I think I would try hot water, +/- dish soap, and skip the alcohols.

What are the light-colored nuggets around the fish... cuts from some bivalve? Intriguing!

I think it's satire, or at least a prank.

I can't think how you can chill it below the melting/freezing point without wet pieces freezing together. Unless you can spread them out on large, non-stick trays... is there a giant freezer available?

I love the dried tart cherries from Trader Joe's. I haven't put them in my brownies but I make a killer chewy Cherry Chocolate Chocolate Chip cookie with them. For the cookies I chop them coarsely but don't hydrate; if I was making soft-ish brownies I might steam or soak the fruit first. Today I think I will use the dried tart cherries along with dried apricots in Maida Heatter's California Fruit Bars, inspired by this post: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/147440-meeting-friendly-snacks-to-bake/?p=1959194

I've had this problem. I think there's something about the rolling of the log that traps air inside stiffer, short doughs. With some recipes I think I get better results when I press the dough into a thick rectangle on a board, divide this into bars (square in cross section) and then pat/roll each bar a bit to smooth into a cylindrical log.

I was pleased to see them at TJ's, but found them bland and a little bitter. I'll probably go back to Ortega brand from the supermarket. No local access to anything more interesting in my part of New England.

We have an annual party where soup is the main food offering. Many guests (almost 100), quite crowded, most folks standing around. In the past I bought disposable rigid plastic bowls like these (though white): Plastic soup bowls. They were OK. I am thinking of trying these instead: Stalkmarket sugar cane fiber soup bowls. Does anyone have experience with this material? Most important features would be rigidity and not feeling too hot in the hand. I like the 12 oz size. The sugar cane fiber ones appear to be a slightly deeper shape, which would be desirable. Any feedback would be welcome! Thanks, Fern

Thank you! I've been thinking about trying this, in the absence of a pressure cooker. Do you use the baking soda? Do you roast the carrots uncovered and dry from the start? I am looking forward to doing this. No, I didn't use baking soda, as I've been roasting veggies for a long time without it. An oven is a good deal hotter and drier than a pressure cooker, so it's not surprising this worked. Baked in an open pan (ceramic, nearly nonstick) (not sure that's important, but it's how I do roasted veggies these days), dry except for the butter (which I reduced by half as a matter of personal preference), stirring every ten minutes. Pulled when the caramelization seemed right, about 30 minutes at 350ºF in a countertop convection oven (based on prior experience, about 40 minutes at 375ºF in a conventional oven also would work). Deglazed the baking dish with the water used to correct for evaporation. Hope that helps. Good luck. Thank you. I figured I would get something edible but it's nice to have a precedent.

Thank you! I've been thinking about trying this, in the absence of a pressure cooker. Do you use the baking soda? Do you roast the carrots uncovered and dry from the start? I am looking forward to doing this.

I have finally joined the 21st century and now I want an app for my iOS devices to support a grocery list that can be used on the iPad at home and the phone in the store. I am willing to pay a few bucks. Any suggestions? -Shopping Pro (Grocery List)? -Buy Me a PIe! Classic - Grocery Shopping List? -Any List - Grocery Shopping List & Recipes? and so many more! It's just the list management I care about; I have plenty of resources for recipes.... Thanks, Fern

For "dry" ice, meaning water ice that is quite cold, you need dry hands, or gloves, or tongs. Or you could turn your freezer temp up until your ice is just barely frozen, but that's probably not the preferred solution. If you do get stuck, don't pull--put the ice-flesh complex under the faucet.

Zout spray, also foam, etc. This works very well for us. Various enzymes designed to chew up various substances in food stains: fats/oils, proteins, etc. Much cheaper at supermarket or Target.

SUCTION SINK STOPPER Seals against the surface around the drain, so fits almost anything. I think this is the super-simple version and that Angie's suggestion may be the same concept with a more substantial handle. I might prefer that bigger handle now that my fingers are not as strong and nimble as they used to be.

The article is from the Business section. The intended audience is interested in the business development story, not necessarily in using the product. It does provide a link to the product website, marinatingstick.com, and it says the product is listed in Chefs Catalog and will be sold at Target. I would be interested to try it!

I believe that "cream of coconut" could be interpreted as the solid that rises to the top of coconut milk or as a sweetened product often used for mixing piña coladas. In 1980s US, I would assume this recipe used Coco Lopez. Maybe the emulsifiers in the Coco Lopez make a difference? Sour cream can also have stabilizers (or not) that could affect the consistency. And who knows what sort of white chocolate might have been used in the original recipe? Now that I have thought about these so much, I am wanting to try them myself!