tim

Are there any stores in Chicago that stock Portuguese sausages. Gaspar's or Amarals are the best known brands, but I can't seem to find them. I would appreciate any ideas. Tim

Bill, If you are looking for a lighter stuffing, you might want to consider bulgar, wild rice of couscous. I use pearl couscous to stuff whole boneless game hens. 400 degree convection oven 2 TBSP. Butter/oil.....................) 2 shallots minced......................) 1 large red pepper, fine dice......) Saute 5 minutes Add....1 cup pearl couscous........ Saute 1 minute Add....1 1/2 cups chicken stock... Bring to boil, reduce to simmer10 minutes covered Season with salt and pepper Add herbs, fruit, etc. Microwave to heat before stuffing room temp. boneless whole game hens. Tie with string to restore the shape of the birds. Roast on celery sticks, breast down for 20 minutes Rotate to breast up and glaze with maple syrup/butter Roast breast up for 20 minutes Rest for 20 minutes while preparing a pan sauce. Note: Bone the birds, except wing and leg bones, being careful not to cut the skin. Begin at the neck end, separate the wing join and pull the meat/skin back removing the bones as you go. It's just like removing a pull off shirt. Good luck, Tim

Hi, A friend is about to receive a 6 month old Rooster, technically a Cockrel. The question is how to cook this bird. Coq au Vin seem obvious but.... Most recipes call for frying chickens, even Madeleine's and Julia's recipes. (Take that you Top Chef Judgementals!) Any recipes suggestions? How tender is a 6 month old male chicken??? Is it a prospect for roasting? Thank you in advance for your expertise. Tim

I found it, Meier's Bakery used to be on Main St. in Evanston, just west of Chicago Avenue. It was on the South side of the street in the 700 block. A really great bakery. Tim

HI, I remember the bakery. It was on Main St. just east of Vogue Drapery. I can't remember the name. Tim

Fat Guy, This is genius.... You really should come up with some appropriate titles to bestow upon your appointees. Maybe we could choose our own titles. Your humble servant, Tim

Joisy, The chef was Jacques Pepin who uses an electric BBQ starter in a flower pot full of sawdust to provide the smoke and a downspout to vent the smoke into the box. A fridge normally operates below 40 degrees. That is much colder than seems to be ideal. A non-working refrigerator provides excellent insulation and doesn't need to be running to hold appropriate smoking temperatures. I use the flower pot with electric bbq starter venting into a plastic garbage can with great success. This does limit my smoking to cool, but not cold, days. Tim

Glory, I don't know what polyol or HSH means. I thought it was clear that we used the SAME isomalt that had been stored. In this case, it may be caramelization of the isomalt. While isomalt is not hygroscopic, the supplier thinks that may be the problem. Tim

My wife uses isomalt to make clear windows for gingerbread houses. She cooks the isomalt with a little water to 280 to 330 degrees F. and pours the windows. We purchased a supply last year that worked perfectly. Last week she made windows and noticed that the isomalt began to color at 280 degrees F. I assume that the isomalt absorbed some humidity in the last year and this affects the properties when heated. Any thoughts? Tim

Hi, I have been experimenting with a new way to fully season, dry brine and herb a whole chicken under the skin. It's a new take on the Zuni method and looks very promising. I slip the skin over the breast, remove excess fat, and swing out the thigh/leg quarters without any cuts to the skin. This permits full seasoning and herbing under the skin. Then a few days in the refrigerator before cooking. Fresh basil looked turned the whole bird an awful looking green. It was wonderful. The same technique allows for removal of the breast bones to be replaced by stuffing and topped by the boneless breasts and skin. Looks like a regular chicken but remarkably easy to carve. Removal of internal fat does NOT result in dry meat, but does speed up the cooking. Now I want to find a way to place a small fan in the refrigerator to really dry the skin. Tim

Mojo, Domestic prosciutto is not really that expensive. Volpe makes a nice one at around $9 per pound. At least that is the price if you live near St. Louis. Tim

Vinotas, There is a very large and excellent cassoulet discussion that features Paula Wolfert's Toulousian Cassoulet from her book "The Cooking of Southwest France". Cassoulet Discussion This recipe uses pork skin to line the cooking vessel. I have prepared this cassoulet a few times and it is wonderful. Tim

Chris, That is one beautiful smoking rig. Very, very clean. Don't worry about the plastic, just keep it clean. How did you top the Brinkman, is that wood? Tim

Hi, As a general rule, I pack my stockpot with the bones and parts. I will then only add enough water to cover the parts by an inch. My guess is that you may have to do a lot of reducing to achieve the flavor that you are looking for. I would suggest that you begin saving bones in your freezer to collect a quantity that will mostly fill your stockpot. Tim

Chris, With salmon, the texture of you meat should be a function of the curing process. You will get the best results by smoking well under 90 degrees. I will assume that 50 to 75 degrees would be optimal. This is easiest to achieve by using an electric heat source to smoke heat and sawdust. By restricting the air flow to the chips, you produce smoke without much heat. I use an electric charcoal starter in a flower pot that is sealed to the smoke vent with aluminized tape. Tim

Hi, We like a combination of Melrose and Gold Rush for apple pie. Actually we love the Gold Rush apples for everything. We used to get wonderful Caville Blanc apples but our grower retired. In Central Illinois they had to pick it before it was really ripe and it carried wonderful acidity. I once read an article in Saveur describing the wonderful flavor of an old Caville Blanc. I was really confused. Tim

Hi, I am thrilled that Floyd may be again, prowling in the alley behind a wonderful kitchen. I will never forget having pneumonia and spending 17 days watching this crazy Brit, sneaking into strangers kitchens and letching his way into the hearts and onto bodies of the resident cooks. I always feared that he went through rehab and became a charismatic preacher. I need to know. WHERE? WHEN? WHAT? WHY? HOW? Tim

Hi, I made a hearthstone using a pizza stone, some firebrick splits and a thermometer. Tim

HI, Rabbit is greatly under-appreciated. Tim

Unlined aluminum cookware for home cooks is rarely manufactured at a sufficiently heavy gauge to avoid warping. There are some professional lines at >5 mm that I imagine don't warp. Anyway, the stainless lining does seem to provide some kind of structural integrity that helps to prevent warping in clad aluminum cookware. ← Hi, Conversely, a 2.5 mm aluminum roasting pan does not warp while All-Clad's Stainless roasting pan does warp. Tim

Hi, The spelling, "chille" is commonly used in Springfield, Illinois. Supposedly, there was an incorrect spelling on a sign for the Den Chilli Parlor in 1909. The new spelling stuck. The Den is still serving their suet/hamburger based chilli. You get to put your name on the wall if you eat a bowl of the "firebrand". Tim

Shel, I assume there are various methods to bond metals together. All-Clad Metallcrafters had a patent on their bonding process. Falk Culinar develop the process to bond stainless linings to copper pans. Spring cookware, from Switzerland was also very early in having a tri-ply product. Tim

Hi, Cook's Illustrated suggested the following: 1/2 cup decent supermarket balsamic 1 Tablespoon sugar 1 Tablespoon port wine Barely simmer over extremely low heat for 30 - 40 minutes to about 1/2 the original volume. Tim

Peter, I can't wait to hear about the WC's. What will they be called? Tim

Hi, It looks like a wide blade for cracking a wheel of Parmigiano-Reggiano. I base that on the slob recipient having a closer relation ship to Italians than to the Inuits. Tim