Petrissage

I bought my couche fabric at an art supply store where they had unbleached linen on rolls. It was quite a bit cheaper than buying the French couche fabric that specialty stores sell. You can cut and sew the unbleached linen into any shape you need, such as round for boules. I always use rice flour on my couches. With new couches, I rub the rice flour in as much as possible and then have a large soft paint brush on hand when I take the dough out of the couche. The brush does a good job of getting the excess flour off the bread. Whether to leave flour on or off the dough is a matter of esthetics. After several rounds of rice flour, I no longer need to flour the couches for every dough. I would guess I flour about 4-6 times a year [i bake about a kilo of dough at a time several times a week in cooler weather]. What kind of bread are you making?

Albuquerque is closer than Santa Fe; looking there might save you some money. I do not know any caterers there, unfortunately. Maybe the Frontier restaurant does catering? I have been to several events recently in Santa Fe catered by different caterers and cannot say I would recommend any of them except one, who is hardly mainstream: a vegetarian caterer. The rest served forgetable food. Congratulations on your marriage!

Yes, I have gone to the NM State Fair many times over the past 20 years. It is great fun, both in terms of people watching and in terms of activities. I absolutely have to go to the Bolack Building every year, which is the vegetable exhibition area. The Bolack Farms have a huge exhibit every year, behind a big plate glass window, of the most astonishingly beautiful produce I have ever seen. Children like the Future Farmers barn where they have quite cute baby farm animals and children can vote on their favorites. There is some good music at the fair. too, spanning a wide range of music types. I once heard a Navajo flute concert there that held a large crowd spellbound and silent for many minutes. The food is not terrific to my palate, but my family love the roast corn and the turkey legs. Here is a some information about the demographics of the fair: Fair Facts Demographics Gender Male: 48% Female: 52% Age 18-24: 13% 25-49:48% 50-64: 21% 65 plus: 16% Fairgoers attended the 17-day event an average of two times. 59% of Albuquerque metro residents attend the State Fair. 22% of visitors live outside the Albuquerque metro area. 2005 Attendance: 680,628 http://www.exponm.com/cms/index.php?sfsponsors It starts in 7 days! Are you coming?

I have never been within 2,000 miles of Kyoto and I love umeboshi, too. I have a jar in my refrigerator and often ask sushi chefs for umeboshi rolls when in sushi bars. Yum! I love shiso, too, even grow the green Japanese and the Korean. Now don't get me started on why I don't like a Native American food usually served at public festivals in the southwestern U.S.: fry bread, complete with greasy wrapping paper. I do, however, like mutton soft tacos... What do you like to do with umeboshi?

Been there, done that, more than once, lived to tell --- here is why. One of my husband's best friends is our state epidemiologist, who gave the following directions to my husband about a similar soup situation, except that my husband's pot had quite a bit of meat in it. Be sure not to put your fingers into the soup and be sure that you have not put your fingers into the soup since it cooled. Then, even a stew with meat in it should be safe after twenty minutes of boiling. If you have touched the food since it cooled, toss it. We got this advice 15 years ago and have lived to tell. I hope this helps.

I was thrilled to see that you have the same package of candle nuts that I do! Mine have also been aging in my pantry. I look at them every so often and wonder what possessed me to buy them. On the other hand, more than two years ago I bought a bag of dried black lemons, limoon, and just this week got a recipe that uses them, so don't give up on your oldies but goodies. I hope someone will tell us how to use the candle nuts...

I would recommend Baleen in the Inn at Loretto, 211 Old Santa Fe Trail. It is open seven days a week. The service I have had at Baleen has been impeccable on every visit and the food has been excellent. My frequent-restaurant-going friends say it is uneven, sometimes very good, sometimes quite indifferent, so you have to take your chances if you go... I have heard nothing but bad reviews about this restaurant, from everyone I know who has gone there, even people who are not very picky about restaurants. I hope this helps and that your friends have a good time here! ←

I have an 8 quart Magafesa pressure cooker and highly recommend it if you can go to $85 for it, which might even include shipping. I use mine at least three times a week and have been very satisfied with it, moving up from a 4 quart Presto, after two years. https://www.napl.us/Magafesa.htm

What truly beautiful looking buns, both in size and shape. The crust has a lovely shine, too. You shaped the breads perfectly, something I have always had trouble with when making this recipe. Do you think the dough needs to be a bit on the dry side to retain the shape or was there something else you did to achieve such perfection? I would love to know how you did it. ←

Clearly they have done something right in the intervening time! Hydrology sounds like a great field. What kind of work has it lead you to? Congratulations on spending so many years at Tech! Thank you for the recommendation of Don Juan's. Good Mexian / New Mexican is hard to find. I am not surprised that it has some very tough courses, since it has an excellent reputation. My son is interested in either mineral or chemical engineering. Do you have any thoughts on either department? Thanks again! ←

What an interesting observation you made. I think you are right about the food being less spicy than it used to be. I think the restaurant trade in Santa Fe is aiming its food squarely at tourists and transplants at this point. You also have to factor in the influx of the very rich who have moved to Santa Fe in significant numbers and who tend not eat at New Mexican restaurants. They prefer restaurants that remind them of what they left behind in big cities. Can you post your recipe for red?

They are correct the way they are.I have made the Reinhart English muffin recipe many times and yours look perfect. The photo seems fine, too. They do come out on the tall side, which is why I think Reinhart has you bake them in the oven at the end. How did you like the taste? Congratulations on a good baking job!

Thank you for the recommendation. I have a son who is about to go to Tech, so I will be using restaurants in the Socorro area. Coyote Moon sounds interesting and worth trying out, especially the green chile stew. My mouth is watering already....

I recently ate at an excellent restaurant in Socorro, NM, not otherwise known for its food. I thought knowing about this place might help someone out who is travelling south of ABQ. Martha's Black Dog Coffeehouse 110 West Manzanares, right off the Plaza, ample parking 505-838-0311 Martha's has an espresso machine and people who really know how to pull an espresso, which is rare in New Mexico. If you like espresso as a base, they make a wide assortment of other coffee drinks. The atmosphere is pleasant, with eclectic decor, and it is not noisy. Students from NM Tech study there on occasion. The restaurant seats about 40, I would guess. Martha's offers daily specials of pasta, soup and salad in addition to a fixed menu of deli-style sandwiches, nori maki, vegetarian entrees, tamales, ice cream treats, sodas and many desserts, most of them home made Martha's offers home made breakfast dishes, too. I had a salad and, as a passionate lettuce grower, was impressed: the salad had the best grade of greens, with romaine and radicchio and other premium greens, and was extremely fresh, offered with dressing on the side. There are several full-meal salads on the menu, with smoked turkey, feta, artichoke hearts etc. The bread served with my salad was clearly home made and done very well. I often bring my own home made bread to restaurants when I am on the road, but did not need it at Martha's. The maki was vegetarian and delicious, beautifully presented. I did not order a soup, but other patrons told me that the soups are superb, too. The menu is about five pages, and there is a board with daily specials that are not on the menu. Be sure not to miss the board when you come in the door. The desserts range from fairly light, baklava and home made cookies, to rich cheesecake and chocolate desserts. They stock a wide variety of higher-quality soft drinks like Way 2 Cool and Reed's root beer and ginger sodas, and a selection of wines and beers. The staff is very accomodating about special diets or requests. Service is good, but can be slow if it is very busy, since the staff is tiny. Voted best restaurant south of ABQ by the Weekly Alibi, October 2004.

Here is the steam injection oven we could all get, if it seems like the right sort and we have the right building for it: [g] TAG Gas Oven * Water supply: 1/2" cold water (65 to 100 psi) * Electrical: 220v/3 ph G+N/60 Hz/20 amp * Gas: 4" to 7" W.C. * Gas Exhaust: 8" 0 double wall; 36" above roof with weather cap * Steam Exhaust: 8" 0 S/S single wall * Damper exhaust (optional): 8" 0 S/S single wall * Floor sink needed * Optional steam exhaust fan * User friendly control panel * Facade and panels constructed from AISI 304 stainless steel ensures durability * Baking chamber windows constructed of stainless steel and tempered glass * 1" thick baking stones ensure longer lasting heat inertia and consistent heat distribution for the perfect baking of any type of bread * Independent steam generators, positioned directly inside each baking chamber, and equipped with an individual adjustment switch, assure abundant and accurate steam production * Double steam generators make it possible to perform special types of production in which considerable steam quantities are required * The furnace is made of high quality refractory bricks, carefully designed to ensure p perfect heat distribution * Furnace is easily accessible at the front of the oven * Pipes are high pressure "Mannesmann" process UNI 663/68 STANDARDS, STEEL FE 45,2, .35x5.5mm and are guaranteed by test certificate and tested one by one at the end of the internal production cycle

What a great thread idea! My wish: a steam injection oven and maybe an indoor brick oven that was easy to clean...

Masoor dal --- cooked with ginger, garlic, tomato, cinnamon, fenugreek, cumin, coriander, green chile, tumeric, salt and something else I have forgotten, and topped with cilantro and a lime's worth of lime juice squeezed over the dal before serving. It was all inspired by reading EGullet's India Forum today...

I second this recommendation of Casa de las Chimeneas. It is a wonderful place if you like feeling pampered. The only caution is that it is very popular, so reserve well in advance. There is a branch of El Paragua in Santa Fe, El Parasol at 1833 Cerrillos Road. It is takeout only and the menu is limited, but the food is all made in house and excellent, always dependable. I particularly like the red chicken burrito. Be sure to get the homemade salsas, too. Have a good trip! ←

Monica, I went twice to India thirty years ago, and have always had vivid good memories. Today my wife directed me to look at your wonderful post about Mumbai and Delhi. Your photos are wonderful, as is your commentary. It brings back the feel of being on the streets of both cities long ago. I remember walking slowly from the patch of shade under one tree to another patch under the next tree. I used to buy iced mango lassi from the street vendors. Thanks for the great message. I fell in love all over again. Next time I go, I will try to sleep in sheets, not on a bare charpoy with lizards hanging from the ceiling. They did keep the number of insects down, though. Best wishes, Charles

I have had the Electrolux [then distributed by the Magic Mill company] mixer for four years now. I use it 3-5 times a week for bread of all sorts. The mixer can handle just about anything you throw at it [but not 8x Peter Reinhart's BBA recipe for pâte fermentée...]. I also have the blender and vegetable shredding attachments, which are excellent. The vegetable discs go through a huge amount of vegetables faster than my food processor and more uniformly.

I have had one of these for four years now and agree entirely with your description of its qualities. How would you characterize the AEG mixer's action --- planetary or ? I am reading Hamelman's "Bread" and he discusses mixing times in terms of different types of mixer actions, which is what got me wondering about it.

El Parasol has an outpost on Cerrillos Road in Santa Fe, open Monday through Saturday, take out only. I agree with you that it is good fast food. They make the sauces and chicken themselves [i don't know about the other meats].

[Peter Reinhart,Oct 5 2004, 05:20 PM] I agree, you have to reduce the yeast by anywhere from 25-50%, depending on how high you are. Same with baking powder. Salt should stay the same. Baking temperature--well I lower the temperature by about 1 degree per hundred feet above sea level, but not everyone does this. It partly depends on your oven. Also, you may need a little more water in your dough the higher you go, but let the dough dictate that as you mix. _______________ Dear Peter, I am at 6500 ft. I have not been reducing the yeast as much as you suggest, but rather giving the dough two or three rises. Would your technique result in a much different loaf? Why do you suggest lowering the temperature when water boils at a lower temperature the higher you go? I have been baking my bread at about 25 degrees higher temperature than specified in the recipes, which is why I am curious about your technique. You are spot on about the water --- I always need to add quite a lot more since flour at high altitude gets very dry. ←

Do you lightly hydrate the barley flakes prior to adding to the dough? No, I have been putting them in dry. Thanks for the idea! My solution has been to spread the flaked product on a tray or sheet pan and spritz it with water, stirring and spritzing a few times. This does not add enough liquid to compromise the formula which would affect the dough itself, but adds enough moisture to the product to keep it from causing the problem which you describe and which I also had. The harder seeds and products that are cut or coarsely ground do not seem to have this effect. It is the flaking process that seems to make the product have such an affinity for moisture. Yes, your observation is quite correct. I have wondered why the sharper looking additions don't cause the problem, but I think you are right about the flakes being very dehydrating to dough. ←

Dear Peter, "I'll take a stab at it: the barley flakes may be creating weak spots in the gluten network that start small and then expand and split as the dough rises. The outside of the loaf, which is drier, is especially vulnerable" This makes perfect sense and is what I see when the loaf reaches a certain point in proofing and then shreds on the top. "brush it with a light egg wash two or three times (at intervals) while its rising" I will try that today instead of the oil. I had not thought to moisten it continuously during its final rise. "One final trick might be to mix the dough for 2 extra minutes. Sometimes this added kneaded can strenthen the network enough to allow it to hold together through the stressful final rise." I will try going two minutes beyond the point at which the dough windowpanes to see if that does strengthen the gluten enough to manage the flakes. If it works, I will report. Thanks so much! ←