TongoRad

Here's my method (I just made these last night, actually, and had great results)- Preheat the oven to 375 with the roasting pan inside the oven. Cut russet potatoes into 1/8 wedges, place in a large bowl and toss with seasonings (usually just salt, pepper, rosemary) and oil. When the oven (and roasting pan) are ready lightly film the bottom with oil and add the potatoes in a single layer. About 3/4 through the cooking process turn the oven up to 425 and flip the potatoes to finish them off. I prefer the texture of potatoes cooked directly on the pan, as opposed to on foil or parchment, and starting them in a hot pan really tends to prevent a lot of sticking issues.

During the lunch hour I have noticed that the pies on the tables look a heck of a lot better than what I get at the slice counter. Lately my routine of ordering a torta at the taco shop next door, and then running down the block for a quick slice while it's being made, has been truncated of the slice part. I almost always got an undercooked slice that just hinted at some sort of potential greatness. I always figured that if I was eating in then I could request a well-done pie, which is becoming my norm these days, no matter where I'm ordering from.

For some reason this thread brings back memories of the old Mystery Science Theater bit about making your own ipecac in times of emergencies- combining common household items in a way so as to make them disgusting. Turns out that some group of people actually tried these suggestions: check it out It's amazing what you can find out on the internet.

I think Garrett Oliver's Brewmaster's table is precisely what you're looking for. There is a lot of general information on beer in there- how it is made, style breakdowns, some history, a reference section- and it is layed out in an easy to follow manner. You can even look at the central 'theme' of the book- pairing beer with food- as a bonus, if you like.

Lately my go-to party dish is a layered polenta casserole, usually with a veal/sausage ragu, though there are variations. The key is that it is a make-ahead dish that is assembled before the party. The ragu is even better the next day, naturally, but even the polenta can be made ahead of time; I just smooth it out in the casserole that I will be using, about 1-1/2" thick, and refrigerate it. The next day pop it out and slice it across as you would do with a layer cake, then layer it with your meat, cheese, sauce, whatever, and bake. This lets you get other things ready while your main dish is cooking itself.

Just the other day I made an interesting pudding from scratch- it was so easy and so good that now I've got the bug to do it more often. Essentially I just decided to make a kheer variant without the rice or vermicelli or tapioca- smooth like the consistency of vanilla pudding but flavored with cardomom and saffron. I used a simple recipe (no eggs, butter added at the end), and now it's gotten me thinking about what to do next. I'd like to try my hand at a Mexican chocolate pudding- does anybody have any suggestions about the best way to go about it? I'm assuming you just add cocoa powder to the base recipe, and then I can steep some cinnamon sticks in the milk like I did with the cardomom. Does adding melted chocolate work well? How about making coconut pudding? I have canned coconut milk at home. I'm concerned about smoothness- maybe I'll run it through cheesecloth first to remove any small bits. Other than that I think I'll just substitute it for the regular milk, maybe cut down on the sugar. Any other suggestions?

Bouchon is a great suggestion, although I'd have to add the grilled cheese and tomato soup to that :-) Margon is definitely great as well, there are also a few "Sophies" around where you can grab a huge lunch plate for $10 or under. ← Right by the Empire State Building, on Madison at 33rd, is Tina's, which used to be a Sophie's but is essentially the same. The platters are decent enough as is the Cubano but the best things there are the empenadas (fried and kept in a warmer, a bargain at a buck each) and the Fried Pork sandwich (roast pork that is deep fried to give it a crispiness, along with maduros, onions and mayo).

Yeah- that syrupy quality is a real turn-off. I was originally excited to find El Yucateco's Chipotle sauce because I am such a fan of the rest of their line, but then I tried it. It is very cloyingly sweet, and it has taken me forever to go through a bottle whereas Tobasco's or Melinda's Chipotle sauces don't last more than 4 or 5 'sessions'. It's not a bargain, even at $1.75.

I can't eat spicy, but my spouse loves it. Are those places that adjust the "heat level" to your preference? ← Szechuan Gourmet (39th between 5th and 6th) has non-spicy dishes on their menu, but they also say that they can alter the spiciness according to your taste. There is a thread on eG that should give you a good idea about the place, there is even a link to the recent Frank Bruni review: click Olympic Pita (38th between 5th and 6th) has a spicy sauce that they put on the sandwiches, just opt not to have any. Their laffa bread is made on the spot right at the sandwich counter, a better (and larger, fwiw) option that a pita. A lot of the items at Saravanaas aren't killer spicy, but I don't think you have the option of varying the degree of heat one way or the other. Even if you get something mild like idly or vada it will come with the sambar, which may have too much of a kick for you, unfortunately.

CaliPoutine- is spicy food an option? If so there are also Saravaanas (South Indian- vegetarian), Szechuan Gourmet and Olympic Pita (schwarma, felafel, kebabs, etc.)to consider. They are easily done at your price point, and near the tops in their respective genres. Close to, or in, midtown as well.

I think they handle the chile elements very well; they certainly aren't shy with them and the flavors definitely work well within the overall composition of the dish. Maybe it's the variety of pepper that has something to do with it, hot but not agressively so. They do seem to have a lighter hand with the szechuan peppercorns, though. Some dishes at Little Pepper will literally numb your mouth, and that really hasn't happened to me yet at Szechuan Gourmet. The amount used on the dan dan noodles comes and goes- yesterday's was actually a lot better for me than in the past but it may have been a fluke. One of the things that has become addictive to me (off of the lunch menu) is the Stir Fried Chicken with Roasted Chili and Green Chili- it's not just the interplay between the dried and fresh chiles, but there's also a ton of well cooked and caramelized sliced garlic and ginger. Don't forget the breath mints...

Not to people. We used to make jam from them. The first time, we didn't realize how much natural pectin they contained -- and ended up with chokecherry fruit jellies/gumdrops! ← Around here, people make a simple wine with them. It can be surprisingly good. ← I made some chokecherry mead about 10 years ago, and it was Awesome. (actually I should say 'still is' because I recently found an old sixpack- nice surprise that was.) The chokecherries were given to me by a friend who would forage for them on Long Island- the instructions were to simply 'muddle' them, and not to break the pits because I could possibly release toxins (cyanide, perhaps- but again, that's just hearsay), then add them to the diluted honey. I really just thought of them as more of a flavoring agent than anything else- the flavor is so deeply concentrated that by the time you had enough to get significant fermentables out of them I thought the final product would become overbearing. As it is I think I struck the right balance, because the aroma is rich with ripe cherries, not too much acid, and a hint of honeysuckle on the finish. And it was surprisingly easy- I'd do it in a second if the opportunity presented itself again. FWIW- the ones given to me were frozen, which had no ill effect on the final product in this application. So, if you don't know what to do with them at this point in time freezing may not be a bad option until you decide.

Nah- lagers weren't around back then. There are beers available today that are made with a nod towards ancient history. Unfortunately I don't know of any available continental examples, though there is something from Scotland that should be close enough: Fraoch Heather Ale. And it's really good to boot!

That's good to know. I haven't been there since the review but I typically get there around 11:45 and place an order. By the time I leave it really starts to get busy.

I assume you mean chicken tikka kati rolls- here's how I would do it: Use boneless, skinless thighs. Lay on a sheet pan and sprinkle with lemon juice and salt, let marinate (refrigerated) for half an hour or so. Meanwhile make up a paste of onion/ginger/chiles, schmear it over the chicken and then cover it all with yogurt. This should sit overnight, at least. When you are ready to grill the chicken remove as much of the marinade as you can and then give it a light sprinkling of garam masala before skewering. To serve (most places use roti, but one place I used to go to made these huge sandwiches in freshly made naan) chop up the chicken tikka, put it in the roti with onions, fresh coriander chutney, a squeeze of lime and maybe some chiles- roll it up and enjoy. Could you describe what you are doing in more detail? It sounds like your marinade is just a spice rub and you are not using the coriander chutney (which is my favorite part).

Yeah- if that qualifies as a salad, then that's pretty much a default option for me, especially if is that hot and muggy. It's always with diced cucumbers, but also includes whatever else I have available (onion, pepper, carrot, even chick peas...) placed in the bowl, salted and given a squirt of lemon, topped with the yogurt, herbs du jour (dill, cilantro, marjoram or mint) and then a sprinkle of cumin and cayenne. If I eat a major meal at lunch, then that is all I really need for dinner.

And you no doubt zipped right past the Whitestone Bridge on your way, so double points there Me- I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. When I was working in Flushing it was great to have access to these great Szechuan places, but now I'm in midtown so Szechuan Gourmet is the place to be. My strategy is pretty much the same, though- get 4 or 5 dishes for takeout and try to make it last for the better part of a week. To be honest I'd give the slight edge to Little Pepper for the things that I usually get ( greatest hits, I suppose- ma po dofu, dan dan noodles, pork dumplings, some of the pickled items), but not enough to make me head for the 7 train. This review came as a real surprise to me- good thing I was there today to 'stock up' for the week. I wonder if there will be larger crowds from now on?

I recently made something similar. I had some beer left over from a party (Yuengling Lager, for those keeping score) and had one in hand the next day when I spied the bottle of Cynar near the fridge, so I figured 'what the hell". It made for some pretty nice refreshing drinks, though a lot of that probably depends on how (let's say) 'neutral' the beer in question happens to be. Campari and prosecco (with just a bit of sugar to take the edge off) is also always nice, popular around the pool at my folks' house.

If you are going to make chili with it this may be a good time to use beans as well, maybe even some corn masa dumplings. You don't want the dry meat to be the focus, but a nice smoky/meaty part of a bigger picture.

That puttanesca does sound good, and it's probably my #1 default meal, but in this situation I'd probably go with something a bit heartier like a sicilian pizza topped with broccoli rabe, roasted garlic and sausage, accompanied by a Southern Italian red wine. I'd probably eat the whole thing, too. Well...I'd give it a good shot, that's for sure...

Nah- it's just a fancy way of having alcohol with breakfast, which no civilized person would ordinarily do. Just call it Brunch and you're good to go

Doesn't that require pancetta, guanciale, or plain ol' bacon? (You see my problem.) ← Nice, sure, but not required. A knob of butter added at the end will give you some of that additional character if that is what you're looking for. In addition, if you are also adding the olives, or even some mushrooms, you probably won't even notice the lack of porky goodness.

That sounds good- maybe even round it out with some yogurt, cheese, olives and salad type dishes (Carrots with Harissa is nice) on the side. Similarly- pasta is your friend in situations like this. Depending on what you have available (rapini, broccoli, green beans, etc.) all it takes is some garlic and olive oil, maybe even olives and/or pine nuts, to make something good.

Here is an article by Dave DeWitt and Harald Zoschke about the many types of peperoncino: http://www.fiery-foods.com/dave/peperoncino.html The ones you describe seem to be mentioned: "...However, an Italian–rather than Latin–term is used for the piquin-like fruits: diavoletti, or little devils." Dried piquins should not be too hard to find at a Mexican market if Kalustyan's doesn't carry them, and they would seem to make a very close substitute.

An additional idea to consider may be to supplement the stovetop smoke with some smoked paprika in your dry rub (or some chipotle or morita powder if you want things spicier.)