deensiebat

do i need to re-filter?

i strained my first-ever batch of vin d'orange through coffee filters until it was a beautifully clear, poured it into containers with screw or cork tops, and now, two weeks later.... it's gone cloudy again! it seems to have settled to a small cloud at the bottom of the bottle. the recipe mentioned that there would be some sediment, and you'd need to pour carefully. is this what she was talking about? i guess i was expecting something more particulate, not this nimbus. is it okay?

i just bottled up this recipe (the only change was a steeping time of three weeks, as per the cookbook recipe it came from, and straining through coffee filters instead of cheesecloth, which took a ridiculously long time). my question: is this recipe fine to age at room temperature? some of the bottles have stoppered corks, and some have screw-tops -- will this affect it? if so, can i jam in corks to the other bottles, or is "corking" an official process? input appreciated (after all the fussing, it would be kind of crushing to see it get nasty).

those look great. recipe?

isn't it nice? in the accompanying article the author said that at restaurants she either tries the dish that sounds the tastiest, or the one that sounds so awful it practically dares you to order it. she ordered this for the latter reason, but was obviously very pleasantly surprised.

here's the nytimes recipe: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/24/dining/2...=rssnyt&emc=rss it's become one of our regulars -- it's really nice and garlicky/lemony, like a healthy caesar salad. even better the second day.

just the usual alarmist toxics propaganda. i figure i could contact individual companies and make sure the plastic involved isn't polycarbonate or polyvinyl chloride, but i'd still just as soon steer clear of plastics in contact with boiling water.

this kettle search is harder than i thought it would be -- neither consumer reports nor cook's illustrated has reviewed electric kettles (that i can find), and feedback on big sites like amazon varies a lot (some people love a particular brand, some people find nasty strange smells and frequent breakages). i'd be grateful for any feedback on non-plastic models -- i don't care if the outer part is plastic, but i don't want plastic on the part that touches water (and i've heard that some of the metal models will still have plastic on interior parts of the spout, or level indicator). all details appreciated.

leftover aquavit (sitting in the freezer since we struggled with shots for midsommar) and a recent trip to the ikea food section led to the development of the scandopolitan: aquavit lingonberry juice triple sec lime and soda water, bc i was in the mood for bubbly, but could be made without. not uber inventive, but tasty (and incredibly fun to say). i was surprised how nice a slight hint of caraway is in a sweet context.

thanks for all the ideas -- we went to mary's, had lobster knuckles, steamers, and a grilled sardine salad. all was wonderful (except the lack of air-conditioning).

thanks for all the recommendations -- definitely in line with what i'm looking for. mary's sounds esp good.... what is market price for a 1.5 lb lobster these days? i have no idea.

i'm going to be heading back to nyc from portland for a visit next week, and would love to have some of the atlantic ocean seafood i've been missing on the pacific coast -- steamers, bluefish, lobster, etc. i'm on a pretty tight schedule, so no daytrips to long island -- any recommendations in manhattan or brooklyn or queens? this trip is already straining my budget a bit, so reasonably-priced = good (plus since i haven't had these fishes in forever, simple preparation sounds better than fancypants).

minas are a nice main dish option in the sephardic tradition that also can fall within ashkenazi dietary constraints -- they're basically matzoh pies. think the sort of thing done with phyllo dough, except with soaked matzot. i've had a spanikopita-like version, and another with eggplant (there are tons of variations out there). my friend's sephardic seder also featured baby artichokes with lemony garlicky matzoh crumbs....

sadly i've got to go totally dairy free -- no butter, no milk, no nutella (which, in addition to being choc full of lactose, is a little too similar to the chocolate ganache option). the walnut option with soymilk sounds good. still looking for more ideas.....

i am making macarons for a bunch of lactards in a few weeks, and am looking for advice for dairy-free fillings. a dairy-free ganache is easy enough for chocolate macarons, but i'd like to provide some variety. i was wondering about a citrus curd, but i didn't know if it would be firm enough (or if you could make with margarine instead of butter, or use a different firming agent?), and had some ideas about using cocoa butter for a dairy-free white chocolately taste (perhaps flavored with macha, or rosewater, or vanilla), but i have no experience working with that. any tips/recipes/ideas much appreciated.

how do you make a vegan tiramisu? and one that looks so good?

i'm visiting my sister next week, and fresh noodles are definitely something we're lacking in portland (at least as far as i know). however, i am vegetarian (well, fishetarian). is xiong's veggie-friendly? any other recommendations?

i used it to make this, based upon this. the one main difference over regular couscous is its slipperiness, which is nice to take advantage of in a saucey dish.

when my boyfriend had dental work, i made soft-cooked polenta with a pureed tomato-mushroom sauce. worked out alright.

our break fast is a potluck at shul, so most of my cooking is for the erev meal. i'm excited to try the kreplach recipe -- i don't eat meat, so a recipe like this seems ideal to adapt to the less-than-moist mock meats out there. after an amazing sephardic rosh hashana meal at a friend's (phyllo filled with artichokes, mint and lemon; halibut in a glaze of pomegranate molasses, seeds, and pistachios; grilled bread with taramosalata; individual savory kugels with fideo noodles and eggs and parsley and lemon zest, etc etc etc), i'm trying to think of more western european accompaniments...

aw thanks for the welcome. to answer questions: freestyled. i souped up the tomato sauce with a cup or so of broth, and then cooked the couscous and fish directly in it. definitely could have been less stewy, but good as it was. saffron + mint = good combo. i think that aging doughs give them a more developed flavor, better crust-to-crumb distinction (or maybe i've just been brainwashed by my cookbooks). my focaccia (or pizza rustica) definitely pulled away from the filling -- it was one big air bubble when i took it out. not sure how to change that part.... the recipe was from 'bread alone,' and meant to be topped rather than filled. it was a very good recipe -- i think i would do nice things as a pizza crust, cooked in a hotter oven (this was only baked at 400).

dinner last night was inspired by dishes in both the puglia and sardinia thread. fish couscous, blatantly copied from kevin72's sardinian meal: (given the lack of fregola in the stores i checked, it was actually israeli couscous.) sauteed shallots and celery, white wine, tomato sauce, broth, saffron and mint, then couscous and tilapia (my partner added chili flakes to his portion). definitely will make again. focaccia stuffed with fresh tomatoes and green olives: probably a little crustier than it should be, but i liked it (changes of plans led to dinner being delayed a night, so the dough had a longer-than-intended overnight fermentation). i don't know if the green olives are traditional, but it seemed like a good compliment (maybe the couscous put me in a tagine-ish mood). and following andrew's tradition, here's the pet-watching-the-meal shot (aka "are you gonna eat that?"):

hey andrew! my significant other made that for me last valentine's day -- here's the archival pic: i think he freestyled based on several recipes -- melted fennel and onions, fresh sardines and anchovies (which he also complained about prepping), pine nuts, raisins, etc. i'm normally somewhat squicked out by the mixing of sweet and savory items, but this was excellent.

kumquats are a nice self-contained travel snack (plus keep you from getting scurvy).

not tuaca....not sure if it was an orange liquor -- if it was it wasn't overpowering. and not orgeat (although i am tempted to try making that now). hmm....