deltadoc

Use your Google search engine, type in "Delta Doc's Garlic Beef" without the quotation marks. Keep plenty of hard rolls handy, some cole slaw and/or potato salad, pickled pepper rings are great with it too. doc

I regularly make a veal stock using directions from your EGCI course. Would getting something like a true demi-glace be just a matter of reducing it a lot more than a 3x reduction (20x)? Or would this entail a product with sauce espagnole and roux? Thanks. ← A demi-glace according to Escoffier, would entail making the stock, taking some of that and making a roux thickened Espagnole Sauce, combining equal amounts of the stock and Espagnole sauce, and reducing down 50%. A stock that is reduced 90% would be a glace de viande, and is much much thicker than a classic demi-glace. (Note: Demi- means "half", so a demi-glace is a half-glace, whereas a glace de viande is a "whole" glalce). doc

I've had my square pizza stone for over 10 years. I take it out of the oven only when it's cooled completely off. Every 4-5 times I make pizza, I use the self clean feature to make the stone like new. (Brush off the ashes before re-using!) I roll out my pizza dough which I make in the bread machine. 1 lb of bread flour, some salt, 1-2 Tbsp honey, 2-3 tbsp olive oil, cap ful of yeast, water. (For fun, you can add coarse black pepper, or fennel seeds into the dough) There's enough dough for two nice pizzas, one gets cooked right away, the other goes on a flat cookie sheet into the freezer where it lifts off quite easily. I roll it out on the corian countertop, sprinkle corn meal on the peel, lay the thin dough on the peel, paint the dough with olive oil using a paint brush, add sauce, add meat, add parmesan, add low moisture mozzarella which I processed in my Robot Coupe. Sometimes I also add a little bit of goat cheese here and there too. I make sure that I don't fully cover the entire surface of the pizza with cheese as I want moisture to be able to evaporate off the cooking pizza, and a full covering of cheese seems to defeat that purpose. It seems to act like a shroud. Painting the dough with olive oil prevents the sauce from making the crust soggy. Also, before painting the olive oil on, you can use a fork to punch fork holes (like in a pie crust) into the pizza dough. I preheat the oven to 550 F for at least 1 hour. Pizza takes about 12 minutes, is perfect on the bottom, and perfect all the way through. I've tried various sauces, including recipes, and settled on Muir Glen Organic Pizza Sauce. Thick, spicy, just right! doc

My It's Greek To Me friends in Minneapolis used to tell me that it's pronounced Ear'-row. One of my friends from the now defunct Greek Village restaurant told me that all his Greek friends liked the spice base of Shawirma better than their Greek Gyro, so they all used to head down to the now also defunct Abdul's Afandy restaurant in Minneapolis. Abdul's menu had information printed on it that said Abdul knew 8 ways to make Shawirma. Whichever way it was that he was making it, it definitely was better than any Gyro I ever ate. With that said, my Arab friends at Holyland Bakery also in Minneapolis send their own hand picked meat and spice blend down to Chicago to have the cones made. At this time, the very best Shawirma in the Twin Cities is at Holyland Bakery and Lebanese Deli on Central Ave in Minneapolis. They also have a grocery store attached to the restaurant and on the spice shelves are bottles of "Shawirma Spice". I've yet to try that blend, as it's too easy just to go over and order the Shawirma sandwich. I don't think they're using that commercial spice blend as Majdi, the owner, told me that he makes up the spice blend to send with their meat. Just as a side note, the Shawirma can taste different depending on the time of year and whether the meat being used was grass fed or hay fed, and what part of the country the meat came from. One of these guys, I don't remember which one, told me that the commercial cones (Kronos, Central, Athenian, etc.) are basically beef with lots of lamb fat trimmings. Also, cereal grains are a large part of the blend, which helps get that toasty brown layer. As far as Tzaziki sauce which is cucumber/yogurt based, I instead opt for the Tahini sauce everytime. To me and nearly all of my friends, it is so much more tasty, being based on Tahini, garlic, lemon juice, water, olive oil, salt, & pepper. For variety you can sometimes add just a touch of cumin. Recently, they had meat bundled together on a spit and sold it as "Homemade Shawirma". I didn't get a chance to try it, as the buffet spread they have now is irresistable, and priced about the same as ordering the special sandwich. While Abdul once took me into his kitchen and showed me how to make everything on his menu, the Shawirma was the one thing he wouldn't show me how to make!! But Majdi will rent me the Shawirma machine and sell me a cone whenever I want. So my quest to learn how to make it just isn't incentivized!! (yet!) BTW: You can also get 5lb "meatloaf" style Gyros from Bill's Imported Foods on Lake Street in Minneapolis, but baking these in the oven, or trying to grill them, just doesn't get the same effect as having those fat juices running down the vertical trapezoid on a revolving grilling machine. I think these 5lb loaves were Central brand. doc

Not sure what silestone countertop is, but that 27" next to the stove? I'd look at a piece of granite there which I think you could put hot pans on, but also use as a cold surface for making dough, etc. doc

Jackal10, I've been following your advice closely and would like to ask for clarification sake if in #4 above you meant "....and put half of the finished sponge back into the jar"?? Tx, doc

I was floored when I read one of the "Tips" on eHow where the guy states emphatically that "Hummous is not typically made with Garbanzo beans, but with Chickpeas, garlic, oliveoil, and Tahini". D'oh! doc

Actually, while not the brother, I make homemade ketchup, and I generally follow the Joy of Cooking recipe for tomato catsup. It is very very good. BTW: An "old" Joy of Cooking at least from 1970's I think. The whole mace has always been the hard thing to find, but Penzey's carries it. doc

I don't remember my mother inviting you to dinner. But you must have been there, because you described exactly perfectly the roast beef. Thick 1" slabs that were fibrous and unable to be chewed. Overcooked vegetables... And the fridge contents is the clincher. I found an egg carton in there that the eggs were hollow and had turned black. Only 3 years expiration date ago?? She must have used up the older stuff first. doc

Another option for stock you are not going to use right away is to put a knife in clean mason or Ball jars, pour in the hot stock, and put the jars in a pressure cooker and can them. Of course, don't forget to boil your lids first before putting them and their rings on the jars! doc

From reading about mcd, it would seem to indicate that the spinal column and brains are where any danger would lie. Not read anything about regular bones being a problem. doc

Both Lik-a-Maid and Lik-em-Aid get hits on Google, but further investigation shows that I'm not right, either. It's Lik-m-Aid! ← So, if you remember Lik-m-aid too, then it must be those pesky 45 years playing tricks with our memory. But then again notice....the corrected spelling spells out "maid"!! In any event, they was good too wasn't they! :) doc

I previously measured out 250 g chunks of clarified butter and Foodsaved 'em in the freezer. Since I have a digital scale, I just add 250 g of bread flour and start my roux. The milk I just add slowly whilst stirring to keep the bechamel thick. When I finally get the right thickness, I'd never use it on lasagna. I use it on Moussaka!!!! Layer your roasting pan with sliced browned potato slices, make a lamb mixture of cinnamon, allspice, S&P, red wine, onions, and garlic, layer that next. Then griddle the sliced Egg Plants, put them on top of the lamb mixture, and then the Bechamel, to which I'd already added 4 egg yolks, and 3/4 cup of Parmesan cheese and YES~! Lots of nutmeg. I hardly make Lasagna anymore, as we've grown so fond of the Moussaka. doc

Doc, while I don't doubt that it's more fun to Lik-a-Maid, I think the product was Lik-em-Aid!

We used to bite off all the chocolate surfaces on a 3 Musketeers bar, and then gobble the gooey nougat center which took FOREVER to melt completely. But alas, that was back in the '50's, when they still used real egg yolk in the nougat. The modern version just doesn't cut it and hasn't for years! Malted milk balls was the same thing. If you did it just right, you could get the chocolate coating off and leave the crunchy malted center intact. But alas, they don't make them like they used to in the '50's anymore either. Lik-a-Maid packets were always meant to be filled with water, thus dissolving and allowing swallowing the slightly bitter flavored water, before then enjoying the sugary wet dredges! Government did a study on how to layer a hamburger and that consisted of mustard and onions on the bottom, catsup and pickles on top. As I remember, McDonald's used that method when they were first opening, alas, back in the '50's again. Haven't ate there in years, so don't have a clue how they're doing it these days. doc

Regardless of which wine I am drinking, I usually save the "dregs" for cooking with. As far as a white wine for cooking, I use Dry Zack, aged 15 years. It is especially good as a deglazer when using a demi-glace for sauce making. It's kind of expensive, but then, if I like the taste of something, then hang the expense. If I can't afford it, then I just do it less often, rather than sacrifice a taste that I am looking for in a dish. doc

I too remember the 70's when ricotta was hard to find. I used dry curd cottage cheese, mixed up with 1 beaten whole egg and 1/2 cup parmesan. After I finally was able to use ricotta, I've never looked back. Spinach pasta, after steaming the spinach, wringing it out using a twisted dish towel, pureed in the food processor, and using the good 'ol Atlas manual pasta machine was fairly easy to do. Come a long way since Hunt's Skillet Lasagna Dinners, with their little freeze dried cheese packets that you had to mix with warm water, and then put dollops of it on top of the meat and noodle mixture cooking in the electric fry pan. But I did think they were pretty cool with spinach and regular noodles combined in the package. Height of gourmet eating in the early college years! doc

Could you post the URL of your Ask the Butcher? There seem to be many when googling "ask the butcher". Thanks! doc

Tax, is by definition, a percentage applied to the amount of a transaction. If restaurants are really charging tax on the "value" of the meal, not the "cost" of the meal, then do the car dealers in those states also charge sales tax on the list price of the car regardless of how much you actually "paid" for the car? I've never heard of that being done. Car dealer gave me a "free" loaner car, and when I checked it in, they had a pre-printed form that had a $10 sales tax permanently listed on it. I explained to the clerk that you can't charge me a "sales tax" because no money changed hands. 6.5% x 0 = 0. Had to call the manager over who quickly assured the clerk that I was right. I would have thought the same principle applies to any purchase, food in a restaurant included. If I lived in those states mentioned above, I think I would look into that State's Dept. of Taxation and make sure that's how the law is written. In Minnesota, you get two $14 entrees, and are charged only $14, then the tax is applied to the $14, not to $28. doc

I've had my stainless steel Vita-Mix since 1964. However, heed another thread on this where Kuan said they bought a bunch of the new plastic Vita Mixers and they were perceived as not very good. I don't know anything except this old one I have is indispensable. I use it to make ice cream, grind whole wheat berries and make whole wheat dough, and for pureeing most anything I want. doc

I am totally amazed. The Minnesota Dept. of Taxation posted a newsletter stating that tax can only be applied to the cost of the meal the consumer is paying for when the coupon is NOT reimbursed by a third party. If the coupon is the restaurant's coupon, and they don't get money back from someone else, then the tax can only be applied to the actual $ the consumer paid. If on the other hand the coupon is like a store coupon where the manufacturer gives the store back money for the coupon, then the value of the coupon must enter into the taxable column. Sorry, didn't know that other places did it differently. Its a wide spread practice in Minnesota that is definitely illegal according to the Man himself. doc

Another thing a lot of restaurants do concerns coupons. You have a coupon that says, "Buy 1 meal, get another meal of equal or lesser value free!". Ok, so you go there and order two exactly the same meals. The bill comes and they start off by listing the price of both meals, total it up, apply sales tax, THEN they deduct the price of the free meal. So in MN you end up paying 13% sales tax on your meal instead of 6.5%. Tax is, be definition, supposed to be applied to the amount that is actually paid for the meal, not on the "free part"! This is such a widespread illegal practice that I do have some trouble believing that it isn't deliberate. doc

Just yesterday the four of us were eating at KFAN in Roseville, MN, and Trent and I ordered the daily special pizza. Now the last time we ate there, about 2 weeks ago, the waitress said the Daily Special Pizza was $8.50. We both heard her say the same thing. But when the bill came it was $9.50. We asked her what the real price was and then she said $9.50. So we let it go. But when we heard the waiter say yesterday it was $8.50, we asked are you sure, and he actually had to go check and came back and repeated it again, $8.50. So when the bill came the first thing I did was look, and by golly geewillickers, it said $9.50. This time we spoke up and the Maitre'd came over and took off the extra $2. Bet this happens all the time with keyed in regular prices and the cashier doesn't bother looking up at the blackboard with the special prices on it. Or do you think they might do it on purpose cause nobody questions the bill?? doc

Don't like Ovaltine? Captain Midnight would never approve! When I was a kid, you had to dissolve it in a little warm tap water in order to mix the milk in. Those were the days. The product has morphed a bit since then, but mixed up with ice cream! Yum! doc