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B Edulis x

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Everything posted by B Edulis x

  1. B Edulis x

    Basil

    It really does taste good. I've been intrigued by the herb sorbets that I've been hearing about for quite a while. Though I've never tasted one the idea was interesting. So the herb lemonade was the first recipe I've tried where the savory herbs "crossed over." Nothing can stop my evil plans now! :learing and sneaky-eyed emoticon: ----- B. Edulis
  2. B Edulis x

    Basil

    Love all the pesto ideas. Faith Willinger wrote about a Tuscan pesto made of kale and garlic and olive oil. Yum! Here's something totally different to do with basil: Herb Lemonade. This recipe is from the NY Times Food Worship section, adapted from Five Points. It's really refreshing, and I've been playing around with the technique. I even made a teaberry syrup with wild teaberry (wintergreen) and a shiso syrup. Herb Lemonade Spritzer 2/3 c sugar 1 1/2 c basil 1 c mint 1/4 c cilantro 1 tbs tarragon 1 tbs oregano 4 tsp lemon zest (all herbs are fresh) 1/4 c lemon juice Make a simple syrup with the sugar and 2 cups of water. Combine the cooled syrup in a blender or processor with the fresh herbs and lemon til chopped, not pureed. Let it sit overnight or as long as you can wait, then strain it. Mix to taste with seltzer and garnish with whatever you've got leftover. ----- B. Edulis
  3. You know, I had seen that Steingarten quote and that's one of the things that got me thinking. I'm as neurotic as the next New Yorker, and it's possible that this is a combination of real and psychosomatic. I didn't know that cheese has little lactose. I do use parm/reg on occasion, more like a seasoning rather than an ingredient. Mamster: do you know how much lactose the fresh cheeses, like farmers, ricotta, mozz, and cream cheese, have? Re: Don Walsh's suggestion to build up a tolerance -- I've experimented a little in the past and it seems that rather than building up a tolerance, when I increase the amount I hit a "critical mass" point and then I'm really sick. Thanks to all for your suggestions. I'm going to experiment with aged cheeses. I'll let you know. ----- B. Edulis
  4. I'm starting a thread in food media... ----- B. Edulis
  5. Yeah, I've heard carbon goes dull faster, and when I've been in kitchens with carbon steel knives, it's been a real bummer to get rust on food. About 15 years ago an old hillbilly in the Smokey Mountains taught me how to sharpen knives with a whetstone. Once you get the trick it's easy, even with stainless. Cook's Illustrated has a thorough how-to in the current ish. In Kitchen Confidential David Bourdin advocates a knife that's serrated and has an off-set handle to clear the cutting board. I've never tried one. ----- B. Edulis
  6. Eggplants are wonderful, for sure. One of those foods that I never was introduced to as a kid, but has nevertheless become a comfort food. A guy who used to sell at our farmer's market (Black Dirt Eddie) had little bright red eggplants, I think he called them "persian." I tried them and found them very firm, even after cooking. I never figured out what they were good for, since eggplants are one of those rare vegetables that you really need to cook thoroughly. In How to Cook Everything Mark Bittman has a nice recipe where you saute diced eggplant with garlic for a long time. Delicious pure eggplant flavor, and the leftovers are terrific on sandwiches. ----- B. Edulis
  7. Eleven years ago, after a case of E.Coli poisoning, I discovered that milk products made me sick. It turns out that severe food poisoning can distroy the lactose-digesting cilia in the intestine. If the lactose isn't processed, bacteria move in and will do the job instead. This causes symptoms I'd rather not describe. So I usually abstain from milk products, but I've found that I can get away with butter, because it's mostly fat with very little lactose. But I really miss cheese! And cream (iced, whipped, pies, and sauces)! I've tried lactase pills, which don't seem to work. Nor does lactose-free milk, with the odd exception of Tasti-d-lite "ice cream" (I suspect that there's very little dairy in it). Sometimes I cheat, when I just can't resist and it seems worth it -- after all, it just makes me sick, it doesn't kill me. But here's the mystery. Usually I will have symptoms, as expected, but sometimes I won't. I have not been able to figure this out, but would love to be able to eat dairy again. Is there anyone else out there who has experience with this who would be willing so share tips with me? ----- B. Edulis
  8. Well, I wasn't saying that I stood for all viewers, just me and my friends. And of course, there are always oafs that will make fun of anything in order to feel superior. But I hope, Michelle, that it might make you feel a little better to know that there are lots of IC fans that truly do adore the show (or maybe you think it's worse :) ). We actually had a party and videoed an homage to program -- "Battle Leftover!" It's amazing to me that anyone would go to the trouble to throw a party just to make fun of something..... I'm a great lover of many manifestations of kitsch, folk art, pop culture, and collisions of cultures. I think "good taste" is overrated. One thing I've noticed is that when people think I'm making fun of an object of my admiration, it's because they think the object is tacky or inferior. Sometimes things go beyond ugly and come out the other side to beautiful. Sometimes "bad taste" opens new aesthetic doors. I guess I'm ranting a little, but I think it's an important subject, and interactions between cultures is one of the things that spins my world, makes life interesting. ----- B. Edulis
  9. Gosh, Michelle. I'm an Iron Chef fan, and I find it endlessly fascinating, and fun. It's an amazing window into Japanese culture and I really don't feel that the participants "talk funny" or "have bad taste." The language is odd, by turns surprising, humorous and poetic. The taste is different than mine, and that's interesting, too. Just because it's different, I don't think it's bad. Do you? The people I know who enjoy Iron Chef aren't bigots. I know a 10-year-old girl who has become an adventurous eater from watching the show! Everyone on the show is having fun, the viewers are having fun. Why can't good cooking also be joyous? That said, I don't know whether I will like the American version. For all the circus-like hoopla, the original has an innocence about it. Americans won't be able to pull it off without the contemporary crutch of pseudo-irony. Also, I'm afraid that they'll all act like Bobby Flay -- high test cooking. We'll see.... (Edited by B Edulis at 7:51 pm on July 20, 2001) ----- B. Edulis
  10. There are two restaurants I can recommend, both coincidentally owned by my cousin (full disclosure :) ) but really, they're terrific. Monk's Cafe has the largest collection of Belgian beer in the US, as well as fabulous mussels (cooked in various beers) and frites. Bobbing Head is a brew pub. Of the two, Monk is my favorite. It's casual and inexpensive (under 25.00 for dinner). ----- B. Edulis
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