tim

Hi, The reduced stock was the problem with the salt. Do not add salt to stock and you can eliminate this problem. Cream is wonderful for a sauce, when appropriate. Milk just does not have the flavor or fat needed. Taste your sauce as it is being developed and you can compensate as needed. If you have to dilute with water due to excess salt, you may thicken with arrowroot. Tim

Hi, The salt must be coming from somewhere, possibly over salting the meat. New cooks usually get too much salt from using a commercial stock or salted butter. Is there any chance that you are using salt when you prepare your own stock? A reduced stock should have well balanced flavor/texture before being added to a pan sauce. The khaki color is from the additions of red wine and milk or cream. Try using dry white wine (madeira, fino sherry, vermouth or a good varietal) to deglaze and mount with cold butter. Cream is very appropriate for lighter meats. Heavy cream is your best bet and will NOT curdle if it is stirred constantly while reducing. Flavor balancing with salt, pepper, seasoning, acids, alcohols and herbs can come after the sauce texture has been developed in your pan. Taste as you go... Have fun, Tim

Hi, Stems in a glass with water at the bottom. Plastic bag over the glass. The same concept as the Sharper Image for a little less money. Tim

Hamburger!

Hi, You might try soaking the board in mineral oil. or, you might want to call Boos. They seem to have developed a better attitude about customer service in the past five years. The new generation of management is enlightened. Tim

Jan. I think your instincts are correct. Cut the meat into a thick steak. Bring it to room temp and sear it on very high heat for one minute on a side. This makes for a wonderful steak. Tim

Patience is a virtue with producing Limoncello, although the microplaning helps move along the infusion process, it really does mellow a bit with time in the bottle. Katie, I had some bitterness the last time I made orangecello. That was after a three week infusion of microplaned orange peels. Could you explain the bitterness and bottle aging process? Thanks, Tim

? You add water to your Hollandaise? ← Hi, I always use a Tbsp of cold water / yolk to make a sabayon, before adding clarified butter. I have wanted to use the milk solids to replace the water. I do want to try that. Tim

Hi, Anyone who makes hollandaise sauce (or bearnaise) with any frequency should learn James Petersons method. It takes about two minutes on direct high heat to make the sabayon and another two minutes to make the sauce and adjust the seasoning. It is very fast, reliable and fun. Tim

Hi, Isomalt may be scored with a knife while it is cooling to make a sharp edge. The scored Isomalt may be broken just like glass. You may also use a hair drier, heat gun, torch or microwave to soften the partially cooled isomalt to allow for trimming, polishing, shaping, bending or molding. It helps to use latex gloves to keep the surface clean and insulate from the heat. Tim

HQ, Thank you for your expertize and the link. You have solved a problem that my wife is familiar with. She has reverted to pouring isomalt on aluminum foil but does not get the desired smooth surface. Last year to obtain a perfectly smooth surface, she layed out a fresh sheet of Reynold's Wrap Release Non-Stick foil. The resultant "window" was perfectly clear, bubble free and included the prominent logo reading Reynold's Wrap Release Non-Stick. Thanks again, Tim

The attribution is anecdotal in Steingarten's book, something along the lines of: "...said to be Joel Robuchons method to make fries at home." Does anyone have other sources? ← Hi, Wikepedia and Food24.com both credit Robuchon. Pamela Anderson also credits Robuchon in her book, "Cook Smart". FYI, rinsing the potatoes in ice water removes flavor. Tim

That doesn't make any sense. It doesn't matter which states produce the veal. It matters who is selling veal. I mean, we can get beef bones up the wazoo in NYC, and New York isn't a beef-producing state. If butchers in St. Louis are selling veal, then there are surely veal bones to be had. Unless every butcher in the area is getting its veal pre-cut and pre-packaged with no bones, there will be bones that have to be dealt with when they break the veal down for sale. Since these bones are generally considered a waste product (unless they're selling the bones to restaurants or companies that use them for stock) they shouldn't be too terribly expensive. I suppose it's possible that there are no real butchers actually cutting meat in the St. Louis area, and that veal is therefore extremely hard to come by. But I have a hard time believing there aren't at least a couple of butchers or meat packagers in the metro-St. Louis area who aren't breaking down whole veal for the trade. ← Sam, Where are all of these New York City supplier of Veal bones??? Melissa needs your help. Tim

HI, Wikipedia says, "A third method, invented by the celebrated French chef Joël Robuchon for the home cook, is to put the sliced potatoes into a saucepan with just enough cold oil in it to cover the potatoes, then to cook them over high heat until golden, stirring occasionally." This does not mention rinsing or drying. I will try both methods. Tim

Hi, One potato, 3/8" cut, two layers, 8" diameter 4 qt sauce pan, medium high heat. I took 21 minutes to reach temp and to brown the potatoes. They were delicious. They did absorb some oil, but my they were wonderful. Does one layer at high heat really finish in 8 minutes??? Tim

Joan, I think we should offer to exchange rare local gourmet foods with the New York City crowd. We'll ship them Provel cheese and they can ship us veal knuckles! Steve should jump at that opportunity. Tim

HI, It also is important to begin rolling at the middle of your dough. The idea is to spread the dough from the middle to the outside, turn and repeat. It also helps to be careful not to press down at the end of your stroke. Tim

HI, I think that it would be called a "saddle". Tim

Hi, Sear the outside of the roast on the cooktop to the desired color. Then place the roast in a 200 degree oven until the temp gets to 118. With this method, it is not crucial to let it rest. Tim

Hi, For your first house, you hit a home run. That is really a beautiful job. Let me ask how you attached the gelatin sheets to the gingerbread, that can be a little frustrating. The isomalt greenhouse was made by pouring the two side pieces and shaping them to match. Then after remeasuring, a rectangle was poured for the front. After the isomalt cools a bit, the lines are scored with a knife and the from sheet was rolled over a rolling pin to the appropriate curve. The fondant framing was affixed after the greenhouse was put up. K8, What is CK's??? Tim

Hi, The Themapen is fast because it uses a thermal coupler to provide the temperature. It takes about 4 seconds to come up to temp. In my experience, the Comark PDT 300 is also fast and at $30 a relative bargain. It gets within 3 degrees in about 4 seconds, and that is close enough for me. Comark PDT300 Shalmanese, Do you heat up your thermometer before sticking it in the meat? Tim

Hi, You will want a thermapen. It's fast, reliable and expensive. ThemoWorks Thermapen Tim

Anna, No design background. Just a lot of passion and some frustrations with design resources. She freehanded the Thomas face. The toys, signs, mats and elves were sculpted by our daughter in law, she is very talented. Five years ago, we began noticing architectural errors in the designs that were included with books on the subject. I tried to correct patterns that just didn't flow like a real house. At the same time, Lib began working on large houses with more realistic features. Kind of houses for adults with less candy and better detailing. Two years ago, she began taking pics of real houses and ceramic model houses. I was enlisted to translate the pictures into templates. This year she did it on her own and did a better job than I could. I still get called on for complex roof shapes and for sanding edges, mitering corners and reshaping panels. I also do the internet search for materials. Gumpaste is a nightmare, the stuff from NY Cake does not harden. We are also having problems with shelf life on Isomalt. Nest year, pastillage. The blue fondant with the authentic lead content was really hard to find. All the way from China.... Tim

Kerry, You are a very lucky man. I would take about half of those knuckles and cryovac and freeze them for the future. The rest will make an enormous amount of demi-glace. I have used a heavy cheap cleaver to split knuckles. The bones really do a job on the edge of a cleaver, don't get out your Nenox for this job. I have better luck with my bone saw. Go to your hardware store an buy a blade (about $1.50 each) that fits a standard hacksaw. The blades list their uses and you will see a tri-metal blade that includes bones. Get the coarsest blade that is used for bones. I visited with a butcher in St. Louis this afternoon after spotting a full CALF SHOULDER CLOD. I asked if their was a processor who broke down veal in St. Louis. He said, "Nobody breaks down veal in St. Louis. I have to ship this from Chicago." Sadly, Steven has it right. We midwesterners have to suffer with lousy supplies of fish and other non-local exotics. We do get nice fresh soybeans. Tim

Joan, I have also purchased osso buco at Dierberg's and DiGregorios. These are veal shanks with meat and marrow attached and cost $8 per pound or more. That marrow is worth the price but it is not a veal knuckle. Veal knuckles are knee caps/joints, with no meat and cost $1.50 to $2 per pound. You take these home and split then in quarters or ask your butcher. Tim