Redsugar

Thank you, Zaelic – I do appreciate the principles of someone who acknowledges authenticity! A retired friend of mine is Slovakian: He and his (German) wife are avid gastromomes; they generally prepare German, Swiss, Hungarian, and Czechoslovakian fare. I generally have followed Mrs. B.’s instructions for preparing Gulyas Leves (the classic goulash soup), served with small dumplings which are cooked in it…. I heat the fat and brown the onions; sprinkle in paprika and add the cubed brisket of beef along w/ chopped red-bell pepper; pour in stock (she uses dry wine) and cook slowly until tender. I boil potatoes separately (she drops them in boiling water because she contends that the flavor is ruined otherwise), then add them to the meat w/ sufficient potato liquid to make a good soupish consistency. Referring to Woltner & Teubner’s Spezialitäten der Welt köstlich wie moch nie, we find recipes for two well-seasoned versions of goulash: Magyar Gulyás (for which either Potato or Bread Dumplings are recommended inclusions), and Székely (or Szeged) Gulyás, which contains drained sauerkraut and is thickened with a sour-cream-&-flour paste. Also, preparation methods are provided for Borjupaprikás (Veal Papika) and Debreceni Rostélyos, aka the famous Debrecin Steak; fried, of course, with lard, and further cooked with sweet paprika, potatoes, green peppers, tomatoes, and frankfurters. Another hearty paprika-spiced dish is Bohemian Pork Stew – which I have served with freshly boiled spätzle.

Ganache is typically prepared with cream, butter, and chocolate. It is strongly advised when thawing ganache to defrost it thoroughly in the refrigerator to prevent it from going grainy. After thawing in the refrigerator, allow the ganache to come to about room temperature; then gently heat the mixture to about 90° -- the melting point of chocolate is precisely 91.4° F. By all means, keep the temperature below 120°. The safest method is to use a double boiler. (Since cream has been added, tempering ought not to be such a critical concern – although some cooks have complain that the cocoa butter separates and they were left with a congealed mass of thick chocolate paste!)

As the name denotes, Velvet Cake is a beautifully textured cake, with a close crumb, almost like pound cake – but a little lighter. When iced and decorated, it makes an attractive & delicious bride’s cake. I believe that cake flour is de rigueur. Have you considered making a cream-cheese buttercream? Or even a faux version using all-vegetable shortening. No worry about spoilage; especially if there’s a probability that, heaven forbid, you’ve been contracted by (to use chefpeon’s characterization, above) “notoriously careless” clientele.

Mixed Bean Salad ½ cup each garbanzo and pinto beans 1 cup kidney beans ½ lb green beans, sliced ½ lb mushrooms, sliced ½ Spanish onion ¼ cup parsley, minced 1 or 2 cloves garlic, pressed 1/3 cup apple-cider vinegar 1/3 cup olive oil 2 Tbsp liquid honey salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste Soak garbanzo beans overnight. Cook w/ pinto beans in 1 quart water for 3 hours, until chick peas are soft. Discard the cooking liquid. Cook the kidney beans in 3 cups water for 1½ hours, until the juice is thickened; do not drain. Stream the green beens. Sauté mushrooms in a little olive oil. Slice onion into thin rings, then cut in half to form crescents. Blend the pressed garlic, vinegar, oil, honey, and seasonings; toss with other ingredients. Marinate at least 1 hour before serving.

Certainly you could turn those grapes into jam, jelly (flavored with Cointreau), and/or preserves. Also consider the possiblity of using some of them to make sorbets; sunken-grape coffee cakes; a stuffing for roast duck or poultry; adding red ones to braised oxtail; pickling both red-&-green grapes in rice vinegar; tossed onto a prosciutto pizza; as well as a refreshingly delicious grape Bavaroise.

Boulak: The primary intent of my remark re salted butter in breads, is that there is no overwhelming reason not to use the salted type, particularly as the fresh butter is, for many budgets, fairly more expensive. As you have reiterated, it is important to remember to adjust the salt called for in a recipe should one be using salted butter for another unsalted fat, or vice versa. For many bread recipes, bakers may be amenable to using less costly fats; concomitantly, they may be satisfied that vegetable oil, for example, works just as well as butter. However, I think it is inarguable that there are some very special rich and festive breads (such as brioche, Danish, Stollen, and certain Holiday loaves) where only high-quality butter will make the standard. Fat coats gluten molecules, so they can't amalgamate as easily, contributing to the baked bread's tenderness. Fat added to bread dough has the effect of making the gluten in the flour more supple, while simultaneously hindering its development. This means that the richer dough must be kneaded for a longer time and the finished product will be very smooth & soft. If an excessive amount of fat is to be used (as in a brioche), the dough will be so limp & sticky at the outset that the ordinary method of kneading cannot be used to develop the gluten sufficiently. The action of the yeast is also inhibited by the fat: A small amount of fat in a bread recipe will produce a slower rising dough and the texture of the baked bread will be finer & closer. Moreover, salt acts as a control for the yeast action in breads – specifically, it helps to control the rate of fermentation. During periods of hot, humid weather, additional salt can retard a faster-than-usual rising phase.

A vaild argument can be put forth to the effect that salt has the ability, in some instances, of disguising rancid butter. Lower grades can be made from soured cream and can present an acid or stale taste and a spongy texture. A chef’s experienced palate can easily discern butter with an off-flavor. Indeed, the flavor of many commercial butters can vary widely from one batch to another because butter easily adopts the aroma of other foods to which it has been exposed. Whipped butter spreads with facility because it has been aerated; but it shrinks down when cooked. And you pay unnecessarily for the air bulk of it. Many cooks prefer to use only unsalted butter for their baking. Yet, when making yeast doughs, the salt in butter tends to counteract the weakening effect of the fat on the gluten; thus, there really may be no persausive reason not to use the salted type. The most persausive reasons why serious cooks choose unsalted over salted butter – apart from the control of salinity in the dish for which it’s used – has to do with the (supposed or not) freshness of the preservative-free product and its relative moisture content. It can be frozen successfully up to six months; although some ardent perfectionists hold their artisinal butters at approx. 66° for several days. French pastry cooks often prefer to use “dry butter” (which has very little moisture) for making puff pastry. European-style butter (one of the four types I use) generally has a lower moisture content than the usual, run-of-the-mill commercial type and it’s quite ideal for making icings & sauces. You may benefit fom consulting the Gourmet News Specialty Butter Buying Guide.

"Here shall we see No enemy But winter and rough weather." ~ Shakespeare: As You Like It Obviously, there have always been aberrations for any particular date. Christmas day is another commonly benchmarked day for weather comparions: “Coldest I can remember!” “Mild & sunny; wasn’t like this when I was a kid!” And every possible variation in between. Where I live, it’s almost like a micro-climate: About 5 or 6 miles to the west, is an area which normally has the latest occurence of frost in the county. About 20 miles south, is the earliest occurrence in the county. About 120 miles to the southwest, farmers enjoy a two-week head start in the Spring for crop plantings compared to their peers who farm about 30 miles outside of my city. Of the last five winters in New England, one was normal, whereas four were not normal, in terms of the number of sub-freezing temperatures recorded. The upcoming winter is forecast to have a 20% probability of milder-than-average temperatures; whereas there is a 50% probability of a colder-than-normal winter. For one thing, higher natural gas prices may be a foregone logical conclusion, due to widening supply/demand imbalance re shrinking storage formations. Of course, a mere 1% seasonal variation either toward milder or colder temperatures can significantly impact a host of environmental issues – including, no doubt, our treasured sugar maples.

For the sake of this discussion-thread, let’s consider the next 100 years as “long term” – and the next 20 years as “short term.” Whatever the impending consequences of the global-warming phenomenon, Pacific Decadal Oscillator (PDO) is the operative meterological term for those of us living in the central & eastern portions of North America. The PDO is a 15- to 20-year weather-pattern shift to colder winters due to a frigid air flow from Canadian regions. The PDO is formulated on computer modelling based on data gathered from the last 120 years. The warm period of the pattern has concluded and we are now entering a return to colder winters. Significantly, the PDO acronym is deciphered by a simple triplet of definitions: “Pacific” refers to the slow fluctuations of water temperatures in the northern Pacific Ocean. “Decadal” refers to a trend that lasts multiple decades. “Oscillator” means that the pattern shifts back & forth more-or-less regularly between phases. [Reference source] So then, once again, the Eastern US is starting to see the effects of the early stages of a very cold cycle. It seems rational to expect that detrimental environmental factors that could harm the maple sugar groves over the “short term” will probably derive from something other than warmer-than-usual seasonal temperature ranges.

Presumably, most cooks would promptly think of paella when considering uses for chorizo. But other Spanish dishes present an admirable environment for these sausages, such as: Huevos a la Flamenca (Eggs Flamenco) and Fabada Asturiana (Asturian beans – a solidly sustaining dish, in which morcilla de Asturias, a smoked black blood sausage, is also included). Every winter, I prepare a large platter of charcroute garni; I would not dispute the practicality of substituting chorizo for the kielbasa. My primary recommendations would be either to make those thick fried patties known as Gorditas (consult the recipe in Real Beer and Good Eats by B. Aidells & D. Kelly), Caldo Gallego (a warming bean-&-sausage soup, worth considering as an alternative to Caldo Verde), or prepare fortifying stuffed squash: Brown the *sausage meat; add onions & garlic, cook until softened; then add plum tomatoes (concassé) and short-grained rice; cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, then stir in thyme and Dijon mustard; season with salt. Stuff hollowed-out medium winter squash with the mixture, place the filled squash in a baking dish with a little water, and bake, covered with foil, in a 375° oven 45-60 minutes. Precede the squash with an authentic Spanish soup: e.g., sopa Crema de Sémola (semolina) or Sopa de Ajo (thick egg-&-garlic soup). *Decide whether you are going to buy mild, medium, or hot.

Are these the ingredients for the Saveur recipe? 5 cups of milk, 1½ cups of sugar, 1 vanilla bean & 1 tsp of baking soda. Baking soda (chemical compound: NaHCO3) is an alkali; when mixed with a acid liquid (in this case, the lactic & amino acids in milk), it releases CO2 gas. In the present discussion, we have a basic emphasis: viz., the incorporation of baking soda counteracts any hyperacidity in the pan mixture because it’s a neutralizer. Consequently, alkaline bonds in the acids react with the sugar molecules to enhance the caramelization process, which might otherwise be slightly inhibited. Science broadly attributes the caramelization reaction to a range of browning reactions and flavor development. Essentially, caramelization is the application of heat to the point the sugars dehydrate, breakdown, and polymerize. Supposedly, due to the neutralizing effect, there will be a balanced taste in the finished product. One must be careful not to add too much baking soda to any recipe because one of its end products is salt. Originally, baking soda was referred to as saleratus – a portmanteau word based on two Latin terms: "sal" (salt) and "aeratus" (aerated.)

"This is the age, among things, of chocolate." ~ J.B. Priestly, English Journey Van Houten cocoa is manufactured in Norderstedt, Germany. Like Droste, van Leer, and Valhrona, it is a high-fat, Dutch-process cocoa powder. (Whereas organic cocoa – such as Rapunzel Kokoa – is, to my knowledge, generally marketted as a low-fat product. Dagoba doesn't seem to specify this characteristic for its cocoa.) In 1928, the Dutch chemist Coenraad J. van Houten first produced cocoa by inventing the screw press to extract all the cocoa butter out of chocolate. He used "alkaline salts" to remove the acidity and bitterness, which is why alkali-processed cocoa is also called Dutch chocolate. "Van Houten's inexhaustible patience and skill revolutionized the chocolate industry. It led to the manufacture of what we now know as cocoa powder, which in van Houten's time was called 'cocoa essence.' [He] sold his rights ten years after he took out the patent, and the machine came into general use. Among the first customers were the Frys and the Cadburys, ever eager to outdo each other." C. Atkinson, M. Banks, C. France, and C. McFadden: Chocolate & Coffee, (New York, 2002), p. 20. I would appraise van Houten as being similar to Droste, but slightly darker, with good strength & great depth of flavor. As for top-grade, high-fat natural cocoas, Scharffen Berger is commonly rated one of the best. Last winter, an eminent chef in my city told a friend of mine (he was a dinner guest at her home) that he considered Michel Cluizel "Dark" the premium high-fat, natural process cocoa in the world.

Neil, thanks for your comments re Pernigotti cocoa powder (esp. the caveat that it be used properly as a Dutch-processed cocoa!). I must purchase a small (2-lb.) sack and use it in custards. For many years, I used Droste predominantly, Bensdorp occasionally, but for the past 3 years, mostly van Houten because my provisioner supplies it at a consistently affordable price. Would someone please post their comment(s) on Scharffen Berger cocoa powder?

Mix equal parts mayo & sour cream; season with lemon juice and/or Dijon. Making your own mayo would be a dynamic improvement over the majority of bottled types. I really like a free-range egg-salad sandwich on the 7-grain bread I developed. Gotta have Tabasco & snipped chives in the filling. Buttercrunch lettuce is the ultimate. Darjeeling tea is lovely to drink with these sandwiches. Cold-smoked salmon would elevate the sandwiches to Ritz level. A guilty pleasure of mine is eating an egg sandwich with a bowl of lobster chowder. Almost too good to share! (To paraphrase Justin Wilson: "Lock the door and don't let anybody in.") For a reference on the subject of sandwich-making ideas, obtain a copy of The Sophisticated Sandwich by Janet Hazen. Meanwhile, peruse some of the Epicurious egg-salad files

1 quart homogenized milk 1½ cups cornstarch 12 oz. light-brown sugar 4 cinnamon sticks 1 small coconut, shredded Dissolve cornstarch in milk; add brown sugar. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly. After sugar has melted, add the cinnamon & coconut. When the natilla is very thick, pour the pudding into serving dishes. Another version, reprinted from A Taste of Old Cuba.

tharrison: I rode my mouse to the New York micro-brewery’s Web site, where I read that this port-like lambic has "the flavor of dark chocolate and cherry cordials." An excerpted review from the Anchorage Press describes the nose as being redolent of "malt, dark fruits, vanilla and sweet cherries." A couple of months ago I paired another dessert beer (Belle-Vue Kriek) with individual molded bittersweet chocolate-&-dried-cherry cakes topped by a small scoop of freshly churned vanilla-bean ice cream. The pairing with this beer (known as a kriek because fresh cherries are macerated in the lambic – a top-fermented ale) was wholly appropriate. A similar combination using the Ommegang Three Philopsophers brew could possibly merit your own approval: Perhaps a dense chocolate cheesecake with an amarena-cherry syrup glaze; or a Grand-Marnier/Orange-Choc-Mousse Cake plated with brandied cherry sauce. On the savoury front of the meal, consider some of the sensible suggestions proffered by an online resource: “Lambic Kriek - Roast duck with cherries, turkey with cranberries, apricot-glazed country ham, fresh cherries, crepes suzettes, cherries jubilee, tuna salad sandwiches, crab and shrimp salads, hors d’oeuvres, as an aperitif. Serve chilled, 45 degrees, in Champagne glasses.” (This resource does proclaim what is now a false statement: "There is no such thing as a domestic lambic.")

Pear-Ginger Waldorf Salad “First learn the classic, then improvise.” ~ Marcel Marceau From an early restaurant stage of mine (in the late '80s): 2 cups chopped pears (Bosc or d’Anjou) 1 cup chopped celery ½ cup chopped, lightly toasted pecans ½ cup dried currants, plumped Dressing: ½ cup mayonnaise 1½ fl. oz. lemon juice ¼ cup finely chopped crystallized ginger Whisk mayo, lemon juice, and ginger; season with salt & freshly ground white pepper. Pour over salad; toss well; serve immediately or refrigerate up to 4 hours. I enjoy eating the salad with curried-chicken crêpes. One could also use Apple Mayonnaise as the dressing for a Waldorf: 1 apple – pared, cored, diced 4 fl. oz. chicken stock 1 tsp curry powder ¾ cup mayonnaise 2 fl. oz. heavy cream zest of ½ clementine pinch of dried tarragon In saucepan, combine apple, stock, and curry powder; cover & simmer over low flame until apple has softened, about 2 minutes; let cool. Purée apple mixture with mayo, cream, zest, and herb. Season with salt & white pepper, to taste.

Portuguese bread has a thick crust and is moist & chewy on the inside. Perusing my home library, I have found numerous recipes for an assortment of Portuguese yeast breads: Pao Doce, Paposecos, Bolihnos de canela, Bolos Levedos (shaped like a huge English muffin), golden-crusted Massa Sovada (with an interior similar to a dense, rich Madeira cake), and Broas de Torresmos de Souzel (from Maria Odette Cortes’ Cozinha Regional Portuguese) which is also known as “crackling cake” – a rich, dark brown, sweet & spicy bread. Also Bôlo Rei (in the Time/Life Spain & Portugal). Moreover, Jean Anderson offers about a dozen bread recipes in her book, The Food of Portugal. I recall having read, many years ago, an excoriating wine review, in which the critic offered "nightmare" as the most appropriate accompaniment to the bottle under discussion. I shall concur with McDuff's remark, supra, that bread baked in supermarkets is "bizarro bread." Chemicial-filled balloons that might be served with that wicked wine. I am usually quite reluctant to speak in derisory terms about food, but this time it's warrranted. Nevertheless, I hope one of us can produce a recipe that will approximate the type of Portuguese bread sought by the thread starter.

VUE: Olives are picked either unripe (green), almost ripe (red to black), or ripe (black). They are virtually inedible until they are cured. Commercial methods of curing olives include soaking them in olive oil, water, brine or salt for several months; dry-curing them in salt; or lye-curing them in a strong alkaline solution – and then rinsing them thoroughly, which is the most common method. You may be interested in preparing these zesty, marinated spiced olives: 2 cups black olives 2 cups green olives ¼ cup black peppercorns ¼ cup white peppercorns 1 tsp each dried thyme & oregano ½ tsp hot pepper flakes 6-8 cloves garlic rind of 2 lemons, cut in strips approx. 2½ cups olive oil Combine all ingredients, except olive oil, in a bowl. Spoon into glass jars; pour in sufficient olive oil to cover. Seal jars; marinate at room temperature for 2 weeks, turning jars every day or two to ensure even spicing. Store marinated olives in the refrigerator.

Andiesenji: your Pumpkin Chili is an impressive preparation! (I would choose to use Kabocha squash.) It’s complexity of flavors reminds me of a South American dish, Pumpkin & Beef Stew which is packed with onions, garlic, two kinds of potatoes, chunks of a 12-pound pumpkin, peppers, carrots, tomatoes, zucchini, corn, pears, and dried apricots. That’s an entire grocery order in one stockpot! Years ago, I made the Bocuse Pumpkin Soup served in the whole pumpkin shell; at a small banquet, the beef stew would likewise have a grand presentation in the evacuated pumpkin.

On another culinary forum, I recently posted this recipe for Broa…. This yeast bread has the wholesome rustic flavor & texture that goes particularly well with hearty soups – such as Caldo Verde. 3 cups yellow cornmeal 2 tsp salt 16 fl. oz. boiling water 1 fl. oz. olive oil 2 tsp granulated sugar 4 fl. oz. lukewarm water 2 Tbsp active dry yeast approx. 3½ cups bread flour In processor, whir cornmeal until finely ground. In large bowl, stir together 2 cups of the processed cornmeal, salt, and boiling water until smooth. Stir in oil & let cool until lukewarm. Meanwhile, in glass measure, dissolve sugar in lukewarm water; sprinkle yeast into water and let stand for 5-8 minutes. Stir yeast mixure vigorously with fork, then stir it into cornmeal mixture. Gradually mix in remaining cornmeal & 2 cups flour. (Dough should be soft & sticky.) Gather into ball, place in lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat, and cover the bowl with a tea towel. Let rise in warm place for about 30 minutes, or until doubled in bulk (a heating pad on low setting placed under bowl works well for some bakers). Deflate dough and turn out onto lightly floured worksurface; knead for about 6-8 minutes, adding flour to make firm but soft dough. Divide dough in half and shape each portion into rounded 6-inch circle. Place on lined baking sheets; cover and let rise in warm place for 30 minutes, or until almost doubled in bulk. Bake in 350° oven for 40 minutes, or until loaves test done. Transfer to wire grid. An online recipe (depicting the loaf shaped as a large baguette) is also available.

Larousse Gastronomique supplies the method for Cailles Confites: “Decaptitate 4 plump qualis, putting the heads aside for another use. Season the birds with salt & freshly ground pepper. Flame in a frying pan with Armagnac….” I can transfer the remainder of the instructions to you, upon request. Recommendation: Quails – which look like tiny perfect chickens – usually weigh about ¼ lb. each, so a home cook may prefer to serve two birds per person. Advise everyone at the table not to rush when dining on quail, as the meat is tasty & succulent – but fairly methodical to eat (unless, of course, it’s been spatchcocked). I serve quail with an orange-&-brandy sauce; inside each cavity I place orange rind, crushed juniper berries, and a thyme sprig. Snow peas & wild rice for accompaniments.

Chezcherie: Likewise, I own a copy of English Teatime Recipes by Carole Gregory – part of a delightful series comprising about 67 mini books published by J. Salmon Ltd. of Sevenoaks, Kent. The quaint historical etchings are fully appropos to the scope & themes of the books. I purchased 10 of these titles a few months ago. Sadly, Irish Teatime was not available, so my order was shorted. The recipe you transcribed for Grasmere Gingerbread is printed on p. 32 of Ms. Gregory's collection; I would not, however, want to eat gingerbread made from any form of margarine! Moreover, as a point of distinction for bakers looking to substitute a N. American flour: Wheatmeal flour is not quite the same thing as wholemeal flour: the former has some of the bran blended into white flour (what I refer to as "white-wheat flour"), whereas the latter is richer wholewheat flour, as the entire wheatberry is ground into the finished product, closer to our stoneground wholewheat..

I buy my pork products from a rural Pork Shop. Herr Mueller, the proprietor, produces the most delectable ham. His authentic Black Forest Ham takes the leading role in a great pumpernickle sandwich w/ Kühne sweet Bavarian mustard; and his traditional roasts -- man, how different they are from the mass-produced, chemical-laced, bland-flavored, ready-to-eat supermarket hams! The proprietor bones his hams and then marinates them in a brine based on red wine fro a local winery. They are then left to dry for a day or two and somiked over rock-maple sawdust. During the smoking, the ham reaches an internal temperature of 170° – which makes it safe for immediate comsumption so that they need only to be baked until heated through to 130°. This takes about 15 minutes/lb. for the pork shop variety, as it is boned and so very dense. A bone-in ham will require about 10 minutes/lb. because the bone will conduct heat to the center. Re the foreshanks: I call the butcher to place an order before driving out to his shop. (He sometimes includes a couple of trotters as a bonus in a purchased order. Another satisfied customer, indeed)

Sinclair: Although not an innovative combination, a gingersnap crust is a good base for pumpkin chiffon pie. Presently, I am embracing the expectation of making a Pumpkin-Pecan Tart in November; the ingredients will include ginger, cinnamon, allspice, molasses, and sour cream – and a generous amount of pecan halves, about 2½ cups for a 10" tart. Served warm with whipped cream…double-yum. Boulak: Your description of the Pumpkin Foccacia has me yearning for another all-out Italian meal. Abbondanza – the buffet of plenty! In the realm of yeast-raised breads, acorn-squash crescents with hazelnuts are one of the loveliest dinner rolls this side of baking heaven. They're feathery light & buttery rich.