A Patric

K, I'm definitely planning on visiting the Ferry building. Last time I was there I really enjoyed it. I'll probably pick up some hard-to-find cheeses at the Cowgirl Creamery while there. Alan

Slow Food Nation is why I'll be there. Actually I'm one fifth of the chocolate feature: http://slowfoodnation.org/events/the-main-...-to-your-table/ Feel free to stop by and say "Hi," since you'll be there.

Hi All, I'll be in SF for about eight days starting this coming Tuesday. I've amassed a nice selection of restaurants and other eateries to choose from when I'm there, but I am also looking for other "must-visits.". I don't have much specific in mind, but here are some possibilities: -Any really interesting grocery stores that a foodie would love. -Any book stores devoted to food-related books. -Any tours of interesting/famous food-manufacturing facilities. -Any interesting fine food boutiques. -Anything else that I should be thinking of... Thank you! Alan

CDH, Your comment on hop shoots led me to a few websites and finally to this one: http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Humulus+lupulus Looks like they are edible in many forms.

Hi all, Aside from the fact that eating hops may not taste so good, is there any other reason not to eat them, for example, as an herb in cooking? I looked around online, and all that I managed to find were a number of sites that said hops are poisonous for dogs to eat, even spent hops. Of course, what is poisonous for dogs is often safe for humans, and since hops play quite a role in beer I'd assume that it would be clear by now if there were any potentially hazardous compounds in them. However, one never knows. Any insights into the issue? Are there any food recipes that are made with hops? Perhaps some regional specialties? Thanks in advance, Alan

Great! I do enjoy a good trip to the store--especially when it sells things that I can't find elsewhere. I'll have to stop by.

I've read about Falkner. I'll definitely stop by. Thanks for that. Alan

Alan, actually cowgirl gets quite a few cheeses from Neal's Yard in England and other places, so not all American. Beyond special trips down to Cowgirl, I tend to buy cheese at the local natural grocery, whole foods, or the Farmers' Market. About the only other places I can think of are 24th Street Cheese Company and Say Cheese. Both are pretty good, but nothing I would go out of my way for. I'm hoping someone else will jump in on the pastry/bread front, as it's not really my area of expertise. For what it's worth, I like the yeast breads at Arizmendi and the French style pastries at Boulange de Cole. A lot of people seem to like Tartine, but I don't really get the appeal. If you're lucky, Chris Cosentino's new Boccalone store front in the Ferry Building will be open by the time you visit in August. Not cheese, beer, bread or pastry, but did you know that that Le Sanctuaire now has a store here in San Francisco? I mean, if you want to blow through a bunch of cash... ← Erik, Thanks again for the recommendations. I may just try to make it to all of these and take some notes for next time. Also, I don't know how you read my mind that I consider charcuterie to be one of the 5 major food groups, along with the three in the title of the thread and chocolate, but I'll be crossing my fingers that Boccalone is open too. Along the same lines, if you haven't visited Salumeria Biellese in NYC, then you are really missing out: http://www.seriouseats.com/newyork/2008/05...sandwiches.html http://www.salumeriabiellese.com/retail.html#curedmeats The place looks like nothing interesting on the outside, or on the inside for that matter, but Mark Buzzio does amazing things with pork and salt. The charcuterie is not even displayed anywhere, but if you ask for a menu, you'll see why the place is heaven for foodies. Fresh Berkshire pork sausages are also available. Alan

Thanks Erik! It looks like this just about covers my beer "needs." As for bread/baked goods, are there any excellent pastry shops that anyone can recommend? Also, as for the Cowgirl Creamery, if I recall correctly--and I may not--a large portion of the selection was American-made, which is great, but I also wonder if there are any shops that have a great selection of European imported cheeses that might be similar to Artisanal or Murray's in NYC, or even better? Best, Alan --edited to correct punctuation

Thank you for the links. I'll take a look. To answer your questions, I'm looking for both bars/restaurants, and beer stores. As for the bars/restaurants, I am flexible, though speed metal is not exactly on the list of things that I normally enjoy. Bars with some sort of food are definitely better. Here is an example of a bar in NYC that I absolutely love: http://www.spuytenduyvilnyc.com/generalinfo.htm They have a wide selection of bottled Belgian beers, charcuterie and cheese. It isn't too crazy, and it has character. I'm not looking for an SF version of Spuyten Duyvil, necessarily, but just some place with a very good beer selection and decent, simple food. As for the beer store, selection is of primary importance as I'd like to find some Belgians that I have yet to try so that I can bring a few back home with me. I'll definitely make it to the Ferry Building. I love Cow Girl Creamery and I though I didn't have the time to stop by Acme last time I was there, I'll do so this time. Any further suggestions are welcome, though, as I won't be limiting myself to visiting only one store of each genre. Best, Alan

Hi All, I'll be in SF in late August. I'm looking for the best cheesemongers, the best bakeries, with excellent sourdough and any other specialties, and places with the best selections of Belgian or Belgian-style beers. I have had luck searching out quite a few restaurants in the eGullet threads in this forum, but I haven't yet found the above three items. Any help would be appreciated. Best, Alan

All too true. Cheesemaking and basic physics/mechanics seem to rarely run together! The pressure is what matters and any weights are going to refer to a specific pressing arrangement only. The pressure is just force divided by the area its applied to. And for a round piston (or "follower") the area is of course π r squared. So, multiply the radius by itself, then by 3 (rough approximation for π). Thus for a 3 inch internal diameter mould, the radius is 1.5 inches, so its area is 1.5x 1.5x 3 = about 6.75 sq inches. But it gets even more murky when one realises that some people use a "Dutch Press" - where a weight is attached to a lever - when there is a force multiplication factor to consider as well. If the weight is attached to the lever 3x as far from the pivot as the piston, then the piston will exert a force of 3x the weight used! So, if we hung 11 lb on such a dutch press, we'd exert a force of about 33 lb, and applying this to our 3 inch diameter mould, gets us close to a pressure of (33 divided by 6.75) about 5 psi on our cheese. (Which I think is the right ballpark to be in.) The design of presses specifically for cheese is such that the force (and hence the pressure) doesn't drop right off as the cheese compresses. The force must follow the shrinking cheese. So, if using a press intended for some other purpose, you need to be mindful of this and try to build in rather a lot of elasticity! Stilton pressing is an interesting special case in that it is just "pressed" under its own weight, frequently flipping it over, so that both ends are 'pressed' equally. Edit: fixed the typo I spotted late! ← Hi Dougal, Thanks for this. I was wondering why the Dutch Presses were even relevant, but now it makes sense that they are probably far more adjustable and expandable to larger hoop sizes than some of the other types out there. Best, Alan

Chris, I think that you'll find that relative humidity recommendations for cheese and charcuterie can be substantially different. Humidity for cheese seems to need to be in the 80%-95% ball park, whereas for charcuterie, as you know, that will cause some significant mold issues, and the meat/sausage will not dry nearly as quickly as it should. Best, Alan

Hi Chris, Well, hoping that we could get some answers to the above questions, I posted a similar question to a cheese forum, requested some other books from the library, and e-mailed an expert for in-thread guidance. It looks like fortune is not smiling upon us, though, because so far I haven't come upon anything that seems to deal directly with the specifics of pressure in pressing. which could impact texture, or the issue of pH and texture. I'll keep reading what I can find, though. I am hoping to receive a few more books from the library that might help. Best, Alan

Hopefully this post won't lead to my post directly above not being answered by someone, but I just found some interesting information that might diagnose your problem Chris. In Cheese: Chemistry, Physics and Microbiology Vol. 2, I found the following information under the cheddar section--which I have summarized: The texture of cheddar should be right between plastic and mealy/non-cohesive. The pH that is necessary for the proper texture is about 5.2-5.0. Anything higher is too plastic, eventually becoming "curdy," and anything lower is too mealy and non-cohesive. To give some idea, they explain that American cheddar is higher moisture and higher pH (5.2), whereas British cheddars tended to range all the way down to 4.9 pH and be drier. I believe that they are referring to pH at the end of aging, though it is not fully clear to me. The book also points out that pH has more to do with cheddar texture than calcium or salt quantities, though they basically warn against adding extra calcium as it can damage the texture. Unfortunately, that is the best that I could find. Did you make sure not to use ultrapasteurized milk? That might also have a negative impact. I believe that even though Ricki Carroll says that checking the pH on her recipes isn't obligatory...still it is probably a good idea, and to take good notes so that you can compare the result of different batches taking into account differing pH, etc. Keep in mind that this is all coming from someone who has never made a hard cheese and is only gleaning the above from reading, thinking, and experience with other complex foods. I'm still hoping that someone will swoop in here and respond to the "cheese press dilemma." Best, Alan

Hi Chris, I'm not sure if it is related to your problem, but could a crumbly texture have anything to do with not pressing with proper weight? I have never made any hard cheeses precisely because I don't feel there is enough explanation in the books that I have about pressing. Home Cheese Making, specifically, does not do a good job of discussing the potential issues. I know, from posts upthread, that Carolyn had troubles with her press, and I find that recipes talk about pressing with a certain weight for a given mold size--for example, two-pound--but it isn't clear to me what a two lb press mold is. This is especially the case because molds with a wide variety of diameters and heights could hold two lbs of cheese, and also since the presses that I have seen online talk about sizes in relation to number of gallons of milk that are initially used for the cheese, i.e., 2 or 5 gallons. Also, I've seen that the more expensive presses have PSI gauges and this clearly means that it isn't simply weight that matters, but the amount of weight per square inch of cheese--I'm assuming the top surface here, though this is confusing in itself, as I can imagine a situation where a cheese could be spread more thinly in a wide mold, and would seem to require more weight to reach a given PSI, but would likely then over-press the cheese. At any rate, at the least, it seems to me that the presses that have a "50 lb" spring for both 2-gallon and 5-gallon cheese molds are not going to function properly as the top surface area of the 5-gallon cheese certainly will be larger, and therefore must require more weight to equal the same PSI as the 2-gallon cheese would. Is this all sounding about right here? Another issue is that it seems that more whey will be expressed from the presses that have perforated molds as opposed to those that allow the whey to be expressed at the bottom of the mold. I can't imagine that this difference would be unimportant. Are there any very experienced cheese makers here that can speak to these issues, and perhaps clarify if the crumbly texture that Chris is experiencing might be related to them? Also, what other problems could occur from over or under-pressing? I am assuming that too-dry or too-moist cheese could result? Thanks in advance.

I agree with Pennylane. When I saw buckwheat and griddle, I thought buckwheat crepes immediately. These are traditional in north-western France (Brittany). I have actually made them many times with goat cheese in them, and I can assure you that they are excellent. Additionally, pecans are good with cheese, and smoked pecans might be better yet, so I'd consider smoking the pecans and then adding them to the filling of the crepes too. The potatoes could be fit in easily--potatoes and cheese always work. However, I hate eggplant, so I'll not be much help there. Could you put it in a plastic bag, throw it in the back of the fridge and forget about it until after the meal? That would be the easiest way to prepare it.

Wow! That is expensive.

Jelly and Jell-o are not the same in the US. Jell-o is a wretched gelatin-based dessert, filled with artificial flavors and colors of all sorts, and sugar, of course. Jelly is usually a pectin-thickened--though I suppose that it could be gelatin-thickened--sugary fruit spread that is flavored and colored with fruit and its juice, but that has no chunks of fruit as does jam or preserves. Though jelly is no culinary triumph, in my opinion, it certainly is much better than Jell-o, and it can be had cheaply. Better would be some jam or preserves, I would think, and though they would be more expensive than Jell-o, they certainly wouldn't break the bank, and you could use less of them since they would be far more flavorful. Also, I don't buy the idea that Cool-Whip is cheaper than whipped cream, or if it is, not by much. You can buy a quart of cream for a relatively low price, and the added sugar is obviously quite inexpensive. Whipping the cream to the right consistency is easy and quick, and certainly tastes 100 times better than Cool-Whip. Just my 2 cents.

After getting the idea in my head from this thread I decided to make gnocchi tonight. I used Marcella Hazan's recipe, but added an egg. I also baked the potatoes instead of boiling them, though I did use the red round boiling potatoes as Hazan dictates. I found that with baking the potatoes not nearly as much flour is needed. In fact, I only used 1/2 of the flour called for in the recipe. I boiled the formed gnocchi as instructed, just until they were getting soft, but not yet falling apart. Pulling them too early will lead to a raw flour flavor as I found out in my past attempt. After draining them, I then browned the gnocchi on each side in butter over medium heat until deeply golden browned a la Keller. Finally, I served them with the butter and onion tomato sauce from Hazan's book, which she notes is perfect for potato gnocchi. My previous and only other attempt at gnocchi was a disappointing failure. This one, however, is one of the best things that I have ever eaten. It has such depth of flavor and complexity with so few ingredients. Truly an unbelievable dish.

Chappie, I just want to say that I really appreciate your thoughtful post. Best, Alan

I found the answer: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...dpost&p=1143823

Just picked up a whole Berkshire from Paradise Locker in Trimble, MO. The hogs are raised elsewhere in Missouri by Newman Farms, who does only Berkshire. Interestingly, the websites of both companies sport photos of Mario Batali with the owners, and I think that I read that this is where he is getting his Berkshire. I can hardly wait to start a few new projects with this pork, including some spanish chorizo, dry-cured ham, pig ear confit, pork belly confit, more bacon, and some nice BBQ too. I will certainly keep you all posted as to the quality of the Berkshire, for all those of you who have been thinking about spending a bit extra on your pork but haven't been sure that it is worth it. By the way, I read in this thread a while back about the benefit of having the belly with the ribs attached, so I had them cut it this way. Now, however, I can't remember what the benefit was. Does anyone remember? I think that Ruhlman even commented on the superiority of "rib-on" bellies. Best, Alan

This is a really good point. This is the type of burger that Steak 'n' Shake does too. It is thin, med-well to well, higher in fat, very nicely "maillardized" (if you allow me the honor of borrowing the term), and therefore flavorful, and in my mind, quite juicy. In fact, these are probably the best well-done burgers that I have ever had, though I still prefer something closer to medium.

Hey, just because chocolate is the best food doesn't make it the only food! Thank you for the link. Interesting stuff.