amyknyc

Thanks Mottmott -- I added an eggwhite wash to the top and sprinkled some sugar on it too. OK, I'll give the food processor another chance, but pulling it out and mixing in the water by hand was actually much easier than I thought it would be. Thanks for the mixing tutorial!

Thanks Patrick! That was the missing step I was looking for. So this first photo is my finished pie. I pre-cooked the apples in butter and sugar and they released a lot of water, so I scooped the apples out and reduced the liquid while adding my spices and about a tablespoon of corn starch. I put it all in the shell, put the top on, fluted the edges, cut some slits and put it in the freezer overnight. I pulled it out yesterday, egg washed the top, sprinkled on some sugar and baked it on the lower rack on top of a baking sheet for probably an hour and a half total. About a half hour in, my edges were pretty golden, so I covered them with some tin foil, which worked well. Anyways, here it it: And here's the problem I encountered where some of the filling broke through the curst and pulled it away from the edge: It's not a huge problem, but I'm not sure why this happened. I used a larger pyrex so I wonder if my crust was too thin. We're not eating it until tonight, so I have no idea what it tastes like... BTW, I loved the result of baking in a glass pyrex to be able to see the bottom of the crust. Also, for the first time ever, my pie top didn't puff up and then collapse on top of the fruit -- I'm assuming this is because the apples were pre-cooked. One thing I did find out is that I'm really bad at rolling dough on top of a rolling pin and then putting it in a pie dish. Instead, I rolled it out on parchment paper, flipped it upside down into the dish and peeled off the paper. This worked really well for both the bottom and the top.

OK, my pie is finished! I used the extra flaky pie dough recipe and actually made it twice before I was happy with the consistency -- adding the water in the food processor definitely overmixes the dough (my first attempt). I also cooked down the fruit and added cinnimon and ginger. I had a slight problem with fluting, though, mainly that during baking the top slightly seperated from the fluted crust (btw, I found an excellent diagram of how to flute in the CI Baking Illustrated cookbook). I have some photos of the pie and the problem but can't for the life of me figure out how to post them... can someone explain this to me? (I've got them in an album on imagegullet but can't get them on this post). Thanks!

Ah, that makes more sense. So you're basically reheating your filling while the crust bakes. OK, I'm giving it a shot this weekend, I'll let you know how it comes out!

Thanks! Just so I understand, you pre-cook the fruit, put it in the crust and then freeze the whole thing overnight? I'm mystified as to how this doesn't overcook the apples, but willing to give it a shot...

Patrick, I made a precooked apple pie filling almost exactly the same way -- except for the ginger, which I must try next time -- and filled it into a pie crust based on Wendy's all-butter pie crust recipe in RecipeGullet. It was fantastic. I am wondering if you made a 9" pie and if the 3 lb. measure is the weight before or after peeling and coring the apples? I use IQF apples and I'm never quite sure how much to weight out for a 9" pie, 10", etc. I just kinda wing it as I go along Wendy's recipe is for a large quantity, so I scaled it back but must have made a mistake in my calculations. I think a 9" pie shell needs about 12 oz. of dough (approx. 24 oz. for double crust), but I only had about 19 oz. total, so I made a small pie (about 8.5 inches wide) and used about 2 lbs. of apples. I followed Wendy's suggestions and froze the pie, then baked it at 325 degrees (convection) from the frozen state for about 2 hours... maybe a little too long for a small pie, but it was the first pie I've ever baked that had a noticeably cooked bottom crust --almost crunchy. It was great. ← I came across this thread trying to brainstorm ideas for an apple pie this weekend. Do you know if the freezing process would work well if I don't have a convection oven? Would I have to cook the pie even longer or adjust the temp? I'm desperately trying to end up with an apple pie filling that doesn't turn to soup (like so many ones before). Thanks!

Hi Roz - I'm also heading to Istanbul in mid-Sept. and just starting to do food research, etc. Did you see the piece in the travel section of the Sunday NYTimes? The link is here: http://travel2.nytimes.com/2005/03/27/trav...rkey%2FIstanbul

I had four Hamentaschen for breakfast. I think I'll be done long before Passover!

I apologize for the length of this.... I ate at the new Gari this past Saturday night. We were four people with a reservation for 10 p.m. (caught a movie beforehand) and I thought that maybe the late time would help avoid the crowds. Not quite. Just to be fair to the restaurant, almost everything we ordered was very good quality -- but the service and the attitude were horrible. I will probably never go back again because of this (as an aside, I haven't been to Sushi of Gari on the Upper East in a while, but don't remember it being this bad). We got there a few minutes before 10 and were told that they were waiting for our table to finish dessert. There's nowhere to really wait inside, and you end up being shuttled back and forth between tables and doorways as servers try to move through. At 10:20 we were asked if we wanted to wait for our table at a big, long communal table that was unoccupied and order drinks. We looked over at the table that was supposed to be ours and saw waiters setting down dessert. Hmmm, so much for them finishing dessert 20 minutes before. So we sat and ordered drinks. At 10:30 we were given menus and asked to order appetizers at the communal table, and since we were starving we ordered edemame and a tuna tarare to tide us over. We really wanted to do the omakase and wanted to wait until we were at our table to eat. Finally, at 10:45 we were seated at a different table, where our waiter problems began. When we asked the waiter about the omakase, he explained that it was $60 for 10 pieces of sushi or 10 pieces of sashimi or 5 pieces sushi and 5 pieces sashimi. I asked if we could set our own price and after what seemed like a lot of confusion (the waiter started trying to explain that we could do just tuna omakase or just yellowtail omakase and the chef would only send those pieces out), the waiter told us that it was cheaper if we just ordered a la carte and that he didn't recommend the omakase! I was really surprised by this, but his comment discouraged some of my friends and by that point we were so hungry no one really wanted to argue. We ordered about 30 pieces of sushi -- tuna, salmon, eel, scallop, ebi (which they were out of), snapper but when I asked about several names of fish I didn't recognize and wanted to try I was told they were types of mackeral that the kitchen didn't carry. We also ordered some rolls -- there was a fried oyster one that I remember liking a lot. I had to ask the waiter if there were any specials to which he responded, "Well, sure, but the only one I'd recommend is a special snapper with something like a salad on top." We ordered one, it was exactly as billed and not necessarily something I recommend. Sushi comes and I look at the plate and realize that instead of raw scallop there are four pieces of seasoned, cooked scallop on top of rice. I've eaten at most major sushi places in this city and have never had this happen (and scallop is one of my favorites, so I was disappointed). I practically had to wave my arms in the air to get the waiter's attention and ask if they have raw scallop. I was told "No, no, scallop is not supposed to be served raw," in a tone that implied I was an idiot when it came to sushi. I must have looked at him like he was nuts because he then offered to take it off the bill. The sushi was all of pretty good quality -- no complaints in that department. The service alternated between being condescending and completely absent (we were one of three tables still there and it took forever to get our bill). I think that with 2 bottles of sake and 2 beers, the bill came to about $300 before tip.

These all sound great -- thanks! I think I'm leaning toward the braising book... mmmmmm

well, I own tons of cookbooks and I'm not really looking for a recommendation tailored to me, per se. more interested to hear what other people like to use... just looking for some inspiration

I've got amazon open on the next screen.... hit me with your best book.

Six if you count Tia Pol (my favorite of the lot)

Well, we stayed at the Ritz in Shanghai because that's where my husband's business puts them and so I don't know if they treat the water themselves. But I haven't heard of any of his co-workers getting sick from it either (they also stay at the Westin) and I checked in with a lot of them before I left, so maybe it depends on where you stay. All I'm saying is, I had a relatively easy time there, compared to what I thought it would be like. You know, I'm sitting here thinking of the meals we ate, and I can't remember garnishes or anything raw in any of them. Again, just my experience, and it could have been due to the winter season. Honestly, I've had worse reactions to the food in Germany and Prague (albeit 10 years ago) than to the food in China, so I think it just depends on the individual.

Hi Robyn -- Having just returned from a week in Shanghai and Hong Kong not too long ago, I'd have to agree with HKDave on this. Bottled water is everywhere and I used tap to brush my teeth every night in both cities. I basically felt that as long as I didn't drink glasses of water straight from the faucet, I was just fine (and I am someone with an extremely weak gastro system). I never felt sick there and I ate in tons of restaurants and dumplings from stands on the street without any worries (and if you think about it, how often do you eat out in a restaurant on vacation where you order raw veggies?). Personally, I was more taken with Shanghai than with HK, only because I felt like I was seeing Shanghai at such a fascinating time in its history -- HK to me was a very cool city, with great food, but not too different from lots of other big cities. Honestly, though, if I were you, I would head to Beijing. I can't speak to the safety of water there or the food, but after just going to Shanghai and HK I felt very starved for Chinese history and culture. It was just too cold to go when I was there. I'm happy to pass along any recommendations if you want!

Geez, smack me now. I was looking at the non-Boos board. That one is indeed $65. Sigh.

Hi Anchita -- I've been looking at cutting boards too and I like the Boos a lot -- but are you sure you're calculating the price of the board right? I think the one you're looking at is actually a lot cheaper. The 18x12 board on the site you linked to is only $36.50 and I would be stunned if shipping was twice that -- it only costs $9 to ship to me! Double check the site! (And thanks for the link, I'm totally buying mine there)

OK, reporting back a bit late here but I did end up making artichokes a couple of nights ago and I ended up using GG's dijon vinegrette (mostly based on the fact that I didn't have any mayo in the fridge). First of all, great vinegrette! It was nice and light and had a little kick -- it was a good staple. But it also reminded me of how much I love creamy things with artichokes and the next day I went out and bought mayonnaise for like the first time in 5 years. On a related note, since it's been so long since I bought mayo, there were some new things in the aisle. Has anyone tried these soy-based mayonnaises like Nayonaise, or something like that? Are they any better for you?

Yeah, there's no such thing as hollandaise in moderation in my house. Instead, there's leaves so weighed down with huge globs of the stuff! I don't mind it once in a while, but I was just looking for alternatives. I like the dijon vinagrette and the raita... time to go experiment!

Which, specifically? ← The dijon vinagrette soudned particularly good... I'm thinking of trying the raita too...

Nothing wrong whatsoever.. that is all that is there now .. the other dipping sauces in that list are mine .. from my head actually ... ← Lol ... ok, so how would you make it?

I'm not crazy about using salad dressings. Actually, I'm not crazy about salad dressing in general -- usually I just toss my salads in an evoo/balsamic vinegar combo. Mayo is ok, just in small amounts... I like the sound of a dijon vinagrette though. GG -- I tried clicking on the link but only got the pesto mayonnaise -- what am I doing wrong?? how would you doctor up a yogurt? i like that idea!

I love simple, steamed artichokes. But I grew up dipping the leaves in oh-so-unhealthy hollandaise sauce. I'm looking for something lighter, but not too sharp (I've tried an oil/balsamic vinegar combo but it tasted too much like salad dressing). In my mind artichokes should be dipped in something tangy and creamy. Any suggestions? What do you use?

True, true about the dim sum. I guess in my mind that was a cuisine all to itself! Hu Tong was probably Cantonese too -- just a much more modern version with stronger flavors. OK, I won't rule out all Cantonese food yet....

Woo hoo! Here’s to jetlag folks. Been up since 2. Since Michael, my husband, has ditched me to go to the office at an ungodly hour, I’ve got nothing left to unpack so I figured I’d give this post a try. Caveat: this is insanely long, because I am insanely jetlagged. But first, before we get to the food, please indulge me for just a sec to tell you a little about these vastly different cities. I was stunned by Shanghai – totally floored by it. On the one hand there is this completely futuristic skyline and on the other, they are still driving on highways in packs of bicycles and rickshaws. I had a cab driver get out of the cab at a red light and walk up to two cars ahead of him and start screaming at the driver (and then he came back without a word and we continue on). Scenes like that blew my mind. I am an admittedly aggressive NYC driver, but would never get out of a car to yell at someone – it’s too dangerous! But that kind of crime hasn’t come to Shanghai yet. What has come is a level of food worthy of international attention in beautifully decorated spaces. Some of it is very authentic, some of it is great new twists on Shanghaiese food and some of it is missing the mark. The other thing is that service in Shanghai is outstanding. This will make your meals so enjoyable. I mean I’m not going to praise Communisim – it’s got its drawbacks. But when they say everyone works, well, that means there are 19 people working at your local Starbucks (yes, they’re everywhere) hovering over you to see if you’re all set. And at restaurants, service was in total better than in the states. They may not understand exactly when you’re asking for, but they smile and are friendly and are never more than a quick glace away. It was great. But first, one word about the prices. Except in extremely cheap situations, I have no idea what food cost. Michael was there on business and I was along for the ride. Most of these places can be looked up online though. So here goes (I’ll talk about HK further down): I landed in Shanghai after a looooooooooooong trip from JFK, connecting in Tokoyo. Pretty much every other westerner on this packed flight was going for business (evidenced by all the laptops, meetings in the aisles, etc.) This was pretty much true for most of my stay in Shanghai. I was there in the off-season, but still, I barely ever saw another westerner tourist. Got in Saturday night, had a quick meal at the hotel bar and crashed. Ambien is my new best friend (except for right now when it clearly isn’t working!) On Sunday, Michael didn’t have to work so we made a quick beeline for the very long line of Chinese folks waiting in Old Town at Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant. I kept wondering how we’d spot the place (there are SO many people in China). But let’s just say it’s the only 2-hour line in the area. No one spoke English so by the time we got to the front we made the universal sign for 2 orders ($1 U.S. for one order) by holding up our fingers and when our time came we were handed a paper container (like the kind you get fries in at baseball games) stuffed with a dozen pork dumplings that were so hot you had to blow on them. They were amazing – Michael wanted to wait in line again and I refused. (I have pictures, but it’s 4 a.m. and I don’t feel like figuring out how to do that now, so that will have to wait). From there we street-grazed … roasted chestnuts, yams being cooked over an open flame on a sidewalk, sweet mealy pieces of candy from one of the millions of stores. I couldn’t even contemplate dinner and we ended up eating at a sort of passé touristy place called T8 that I would not suggest a trip back to. Stick with the buns, baby. OK, Monday and Tuesday I was on my own exploring and lunch for the most part took some form of wait-in-line-and-get-some-dumplings form. Monday night we went for an outstanding meal with Michael’s Chinese co-worker and her husband. I had mentioned in an e-mail to them that I wanted to try hairy crabs (they were thrilled after having suffered so many Americans who only wanted to eat at the Italian place) They took us to Wang Baohe Restaurant – the oldest restaurant in Shanghai (and I won’t lie, it’s decorated straight out of pink tablecloths and crystal shandaliers). Basically it’s crab crab crab all the time. I was in heaven. There were steamed asparagus with crab meat, a lovely bean curd with crab meat in a sauce, crab and row stuffed dumplings, fish and crab balls in broth, shrimp and crab with a garlic sauce..... OH! And crab! One for each of us that they bring to the table live first and then come back a few minutes later with some tools and you’re off. Michael and I must have hesitated a bit too long, because the waitress came right back and proceeded to undo Michael’s crab while I watched (still not sure how he managed to swing that one). Using the pointy tips of other legs she pulled out all the meat in about 8 minutes and then recreated the crab’s shell on a plate (that is, she broke no shells getting the meat out) Again, got a pic, promise to figure it out. I pretty much ate my crab the local way – that is I put sections of it in my mouth and spit out the shell. The Chinese are realllly good at doing this without distracting from the conversation. I was not so practiced. The crab was wonderful and the meat is mildly sweet and not fishy– its shell is slightly softer than blue or stone crabs so you can use a scissors-like instrument to cut through. The roe, which is I guess the delicacy, is rich and buttery and so good when it’s dunked into a ginger/soy dipping sauce they give you. I had to be rolled home. Our last night in Shanghai, I wanted to try one of the restaurants on the Bund. Michael had eaten several times at M on the Bund and had not had very good meals there, so we decided to try one of the new spots in the 3 on the Bund complex, a place called the Whampoa Club. My memory of this meal is probably the worst (started a little too early with drinks, the rational being Michael is finally officially on vacation with me and it’s our last night in Shanghai, and oh, whatever). If you go, be sure to go to the top of the complex and grab a drink overlooking the water and Pudong across the way (that place with the very cool skyline). We started with a grilled eel and a fried squid that bore no resemblance whatsoever to calamari. This stuff was almost caramelized to the point where it was crunchy round nuts of squid. It was like an utterly addictive bar snack. Then we had a whole lobster that was stir-fried in piles of minced garlic and ginger. It was wonderful – tender, tasty, but again there were quite a few run-ins between me and the shells. Even Michael is getting better at this. We had a shrimp dish too, and I think maybe a vegetable, but now I’ve blanked on both of those. OK, off to Hong Kong….. You guys were great with your suggestions. Hong Kong is such a fun city – shopping and eating – our two favorite things! One word of advice, if you’re going for knockoffs, stick with shanghai – I found some great things there. HK is better for higher end stuff. Some advice, if you’re young (or young at heart) there’s a great little guidebook out there called Luxe Guides. It’s only $7.50, it’s updated every 6 months, it’s written with total British ‘tude and it’s a great resource for taking you shopping down streets you wouldn’t even think of and for steering to you some of the latest nightspots, restaurants, etc. You can get them online (I read about them on some other board, come to think of it, maybe it was here). Ok, I know, I know, *the food*. So, we landed in HK around 1 p.m. and didn’t quite have time to get from our hotel to any of the dim sum spots recommended so we ended up grabbing our first dim sum at Spring Moon in the Penninsula Hotel where we were staying. It was lovely and serene, but we really wanted the old ladies pushing the carts and all the loud families. Tomorrow, we promised ourselves, tomorrow. That night we headed out to Da Ping Huo a Szechwan place in SoHo. This was wonderful – “steel glam” was how I think the luxe guide described it – like you and 6 other tables are in someone’s basement for a feast. And what a feast. You don’t order, but the dishes just keep coming – a perfect medly of “just little hot,” then so hot you can’t finish it (at least I couldn’t – Michael fared slightly better), then calmingly cool. From marinated cucumbers, to bean soup to chili green beans, to pork with yams, to spicy beef in noodle broth (Had to change my chopsticks after that one) to a spicy fish dish it was quite an experience. At the end, the owner’s wife who is also the chef came out to sing peking opera for us. Bravo! Next day (Thursday) we did dim sum the right way at Metropole (big thanks to HKDave for that one). They had the carts, zero view, spoke zero English, had zero Westerners and lots to try. We had tons of variations on dumplings, steamed pork buns (which I am now seriously addicted to), roast meat buns, shu mai, and the most outstanding mango pudding that was more like a custard with tapioca peals. I’ll never eat again, I thought… I was wrong, but that night we ate intentionally light. It was sushi at Aqua – good views, decent fish. We needed a break from Chinese food (Michael had been eating it for a whole week before I got there) and what I was really craved was a nice big chopped salad. Couldn’t have that so some tekka had to do. Great view at Aqua of the harbor – another plus was it was a block from the hotel. Next day we did Maxim’s at City Hall for dim sum. This was my fault it went wrong. We had been putzing around the city all morning, didn’t get to Maxim’s until 1 p.m. I totally underestimated the line on a Friday and we waited a half-hour and by the time the first carts rolled around at 1:45 they were practically packing up. Not a great experience. But I saw stuff at Maxim’s that I hadn’t seen at Metropole, so I wanted to give it another shot…. OK, this is for the poster above who couldn’t understand why you wouldn’t come to China and eat only Cantonese food. On Friday night we went to Yung Kee and had an epiphany. We learned that what we’ve been telling ourselves all these years about Chinese food in America is actually not true. I always believed that America’s version of Chinese food was the “dumbed” down version – bland and thick-sauced. Apparently, that’s Cantonese food. Now, don’t everyone jump on me for saying this but that’s pretty much what we had at Yung Kee. The roast goose with stewed beans was great. The rest….. eh. Not worth it. But I had a big discovery that night – it’s not that I don’t like American Chinese food. I’m just not crazy about Cantonese food! But I love Shanghai food and like Szechwan… sort of interesting for me. Anyways, after Yung Kee we stumbled on what must be ex-pat haven at Lam Fook Kai or something. It seriously looked like a New Orleans street party complete with beer gardens. We fled to a nearby bar called Alias, which was pretty cute and had good music. Last day for food and this time we prepared. We skipped breakfast and headed back to Maxim’s at noon, waited a half-hour and sat down like old pros waiting for tea and dumplings. Good lord, I’ve never ordered that much food in my life. Along with the usual assortment of dumplings and fried wontons, bean curd rolls and spring rolls, I became obsessed with cheung fan – these long rice noodles wrapped around shrimp and doused in a sweet soy sauce. I was going to explode by the end of this one, and we wandered around Causeway Bay in a food coma the rest of the afternoon. Dinner that night was our last and we wanted it to be fun. We made 9 p.m. reservations at Hu Tong – again right next to our hotel which was such a bonus. Unfortunately we got there and there had been a reservation mix-up (despite having no other problems with any other restaurants) so they sent us to the bar to wait. Two drinks later and they tried to sit the 2 of us at a 6-top and I was getting pissed. I slightly raised my voice at the hostess (who I was pretty sure understood about 1/8 of what I was saying) but kept it polite and instantly a manager-type-man was at our sides taking our coats and handing us two glasses of champagne, telling us it would only be two more minutes, not to worry. Hmmm. I guess I’m not as worried if I have this champagne to drink. Needless to say, my memory of this meal (although it is most recent) is a little fuzzy. But it was damn good. Started with apps of bamboo clams with a spicy tomato topping – the clams were long and thin but plump – delicious. Also had a shrimp roll in taro – this was our choice and since it was so much less stellar than the clams we decided to go with the waitress' recs. We got a crispy fried de-boned lamb that was great. Then a dish of fat green beans smothered in dried pork crispies and chili. But I gotta say, the highlight was the shrimp in egg sauce. This dish was like jacked-up comfort food – whole shrimp smothered in a slightly runny, thick version of scrambled eggs. We were moaning it was so good. Had to go for dessert after that – pan-fried taro cakes. Perfection. One block to bed. Never eating again. So that’s it – I meant to only write the highlights, but kept stopping to try to go back to sleep and couldn’t. Can’t wait to go to work today! Thanks again everyone for all your help. HKDave – it was great to meet you and Michael sends his regards!