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pam claughton

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Everything posted by pam claughton

  1. pam claughton

    Quiche

    Elie, Thank you!!! The best part is I already have Bouchon, and didn't realize there was a good quiche recipe there. Thanks a million, Pam
  2. pam claughton

    Quiche

    I'm obsessed with Quiche. It started a few weeks ago, believe it or not at the Cape Cod Hospital. While waiting for my grandfather to come out of surgery, I wandered over to the Casual Gourmet, a catering company that has a small operation there. I got a spinach and artichoke quiche, and have been craving it madly ever since. What I loved about it was that it had a very light texture, not too eggish, so it melted in your mouth and you just tasted cheese and butter and fresh veggies. I then went a few days later to another breakfast place, wishing for the same experience, and instead getting something that was more like a very eggy, almost curdlike filling. Yuck. Then, I discovered heaven again at Panera Bread. They have a fantastic little quiche/souffle thing baked in puff pastry. The texture is almost identical to the Casual Gourmet one. I want to try to recreate this at home. Eating quiche out almost every day this week is getting a bit ridiculous. I made one attempt, and the result was too eggish, curdlike custard. So, I guess I'm looking for advice on how to get more of a soufflee-like texture. Any recipe hints? Thanks! Pam
  3. Oh wow, that sounds amazing. I just realised I have some leftover cream, chocolate and passionfruit sitting in the house, exactly the right amounts for this. Thank you for the suggestion. How do you pour them into the ramekins? Do you thicken on the stove and then pour or do you pour both in from opposite sides and have them meet in the middle? ← We poured in from opposite sides so they met in the middle and then pulled a knife through to make a pretty swirl or two. :)
  4. "I had a great passionfruit creme brulee a while ago. You may want to try making some. The combo of vanilla and passionfruit really works well! I presume you would just add strained pulp into the custard mix." You do! Just stir the puree into the custard. It's unbelievably good. I took a cooking class a few years ago, where we made the signature dish of a popular Boston restaurant (name escapes me). Not only did the creme brulee have passionfruit, but we split the custard in half, flavored half with passionfruit, and half with chocolate. Then we poured equal amounts in ramekins and lightly swirled them. The combination of chocolate, passionfruit, and creme brulee custard, is decadent. Great for a special occasion. :)
  5. Yes, I was drooling. Todd English had some creative stuff, but Batali's looked mouthwatering. Unlike ICJ, where many of the ingredients and dishes looked a little too slimy or adventurous for my tastes, the dishes on this episode were something I'd love to eat, and would eagerly order in a fine restaurant.
  6. "I thus repeat my question: What is all the noise and fear about?" It's a very real fear, on an issue that has been swept under the carpet, with very little media attention. I started a thread on this a few months back, with links to some interesting articles showing that unlike what you hear in the news, BSE does NOT just reside in the central nervous system. It has been found in the muscle. The muscle is what we eat. This concerns me. Especially because the level of testing has not increased, it has decreased. Why? Well, if they test less cows, then their odds of finding BSE also decreases. If they don't find it, it doesn't exist ANYWHERE, right? Right(insert heavy sarcasm). The really scary thing is that unlike e.coli which shows itself immediately, and is usually not life-threatening, there are cures. BSE has no cure. And it does not show symptoms on average for 5 or even 10 years. We could have MANY cases of BSE in this country. NOW. We just don't know it yet. Some wonder if people that have been diagnosed with Alzheimers, may actually have BSE. Since they are not tested for it, we'll probably never know. But it is something to consider. And really, like tobacco, it is just not in this country's interest financially now to rock the boat. Beef is a huge industry. Increased testing could result in things they'd rather we not know about, and sales would dive. Not good for the economy. So, what's the solution? I love beef, and am not about to give it up. But, I will go out of my way to buy organic. BSE is believed to have entered our food chain via animals being fed feed with animal by-products, in other words, rendered cows, some sick with BSE. Supposedly, this practice was banned. But, it's a lot cheaper to serve cattle feed with by-products. So, I suspect that there are a good number who 'bend the rules' and still do it, in order to keep prices down and profits up. But, we may be the ones paying the price. :) Pam
  7. Guess it's been too long since I've been to Taco Bell, am now madly craving one of these things. Lunch tomorrow! :) Pam
  8. I've had great luck with Bon Appetit recipes, and also Cook's Illustrated and Cooking Light. I can usually tell though, by reading a recipe, if I will like it. But it's always nice when it's way better than expected. :) Pam
  9. I use almost the same recipe, adapted from Julia Child, but with a bit of Lemon juice, and almost double the oil. I make it in a big coffee cup, and use a stick blender, and whiz up the balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, dijon mustard, salt, shallots, and a bit of garlic, then I drizzle the oil in slowly. The blender makes a perfect emulsion. :) Pam
  10. Kris, thank you! Great advice, I really appreciate it. :) Pam
  11. This was an experiment that I was sure would fail. I thought I had almonds in the house, and I'd already drizzled honey and a smidge of dijon mustard on top of the salmon. No almonds, just some homemade granola, that is simply oats, honey, butter, and toasted coconut. I grabbed a handful of that and covered the top of the salmon, which was on tin foil, closed it up, threw it in the oven, and when I took it out, and tentatively took a bite, I was floored. It worked. Really, really well. It is now my favorite way to prepare salmon! The granola sinks into the honey mustard coating, and as it cooks, forms a delicious crust. :) Pam
  12. I'd slice them lengthwise, grill them up so the flat side gets plenty of grilled flavor, then slice into pieces, and serve with mustard or honey mustard on the side for dipping, and that beer and bread too. :) Pam
  13. Admin: This post and the post following were merged in from a thread on Mexican cookbooks. I went to Rosa Mexicano, last time I was in NYC, after we'd asked around for where to get 'good' Mexican, and everyone had the same suggestion. Lia, I'm curious what your husband thinks of it? We loved it, and it was packed on a rainy Monday night when we were there. The guacamole that they make tableside, it's the best version I've had yet, and now I try to make it the same way at home, very simple, all fresh ingredients. I can't wait to go there again on my next visit. :) Pam
  14. I know, me too. I was dying of curiosity as I saw the pictures. I'm sure she'll have the info up soon, she said she'd be posting it soon. I imagine, given the amount of dishes, that it might take a bit of time to write what is sure to be a very long post. :) Pam
  15. Yes, I hate it when I stop into the store for just 'a few things', and due to hunger, end up buying half the store. Everything seems to call to me, even the frozen dinners look good when I'm hungry. I should know better. :) Pam
  16. I'm hungry, and was checking my favorite food blogs, and had to share this. If you go to this link, which as of now is the newest post on Chez Pim's blog, you can click on the photo of El Bulli and it will bring up a slideshow of photos. Amazing pictures of each fascinating dish. In a coming post she promises to describe the meal. http://chezpim.typepad.com/blogs/2005/05/e...andy_el_bu.html Pam
  17. Just want to let you know how much I am enjoying this blog! Your pictures are gorgeous, and the ones of Steak and Shake made me miss my college days, when we used to go late night. They have the best taco salad in the world! :) Unfortunately I think they are a Southern chain, no signs of any in New England. Am also eagerly looking forward to the Mint Julep info. :) Pam
  18. Yes, Sage is a great idea, and you can walk down Hanover street and have dessert at Caffe Vittoria or Mike's Pastries. Caffe Vittoria has the best tiramisu. There's also plenty of other restaurants too in that neighborhood. If you want to treat yourself for Lunch, go to No. 9 Park, by Boston Common. Lunch is a great way to experience the amazing food there. Other good dinner suggestions if you don't feel like Italian, there's Clio, Mistral, and Radius, those are my favorites in Boston. Though there are many, many, more. Depends what kind of food you like. :) Pam
  19. Skate should never smell of ammonia, not in this day and age. If it does, throw it out. It is one of the most perishable fish, especially in the summer when temps go up and fish may sit around for up to a week (under ice) before making it to the market. You should cook it the same day you buy it. I actually recently took a class on odd fish like skate and monkfish. The skate wings we had were delicate, about a quarter inch thick, and the best way we learned to prepare them was to saute for just a few minutes, as they will cook quickly. A classic saute in butter, lemon and capers is nice, just dredge the skate in flour first. I also interviewed another chef, and got a nice simple recipe for skate using white wine, and there is a recipe here for monkfish that could work for skate as well. here is the link to the article, if you don't feel like reading it, just scroll to the recipes at the bottom. :) Pam http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/food/treasurefish13.htm
  20. I'm having a ball with my blog too, and started it for the same reason as Carolyn. As a beginning food writer, I didn't have many real writing samples when I started out, so blogging was a way for me to write something everyday and get used to coming up with ideas on a regular basis. If anything, it got me that much more enthused about writing, and when I started to sell, I blogged about that too. Each time I have a feature story in the paper, I blog about the backstory of the article on the day it appears, and link to it. I'm just starting to get the hang of the photography thing. For awhile, I wasn't including photos at all, just writing, but I think the photos are crucial. I like to see what people are making and talking about. I also agree that if your goal is to build a platform for your writing and branch into other areas, like cookbooks, then it is important to have a focus for your blog. :) Pam
  21. I have been pathetically addicted to fish sandwiches lately. It's ridiculous. One week I had them three days in a row from three different places. I guess I can blame it partly on living in Plymouth. There's many places to get a good fish sandwich here, and I only just fell in love with the damn things a month ago. Had my first ever, and got hooked. Isaacs on the Water is where I go for a leisurely lunch, sit at the bar overlooking the harbor, and get my cajun dusted, broiled haddock sandwich. This is pretty darned good. It's flaky fresh haddock, with a buttery spicy breadcrumb topping on a plump roll with tartar sauce. When I want to dine and dash, or get it to go, I go to Lobster Hut if I'm craving a fish sandwich, but want to be sort of 'good' and get it broiled instead of fried. Nothing fancy here, just a filet of broiled haddock on a soft bun. The favorite though, is the fried filet of fish sandwich, from the same place I get the gorgeous lobster roll, Wood's. It's a steal too, $4.95 gets you a big lightly fried piece of schrod, on a buttered, grilled bun, and a side of fries. And I learned the best way to enjoy these sandwiches....a few drops of tabasco mixed into your tartar sauce! Try it. :) Pam
  22. Don't cook them as long. It's really that simple! I discovered this by accident, when we had a batch that was taken out too soon, but we liked the result, so did it again. It has been awhile though, so I don't recall how long we cooked them for, but you could probably play around with it. :) Pam
  23. pam claughton

    Sole searching

    My favorite way to prepare sole is to lightly dredge it in flour, then quickly saute in butter until golden on both sides, maybe 5-10 minutes. Remove the fish, squeeze some lemon or orange (I love it with orange) into the pan, add some toasted almonds or hazlenuts, let it reduce for a minute or two, then pour it over the fish. It's elegant, simple, and really delicious. :) Pam
  24. I stumbled onto this recently at my local Trader Joes and was blown away....and I'm not a huge yogurt person. This stuff is just so good. I use instead of sour cream, and it's great with fruit and honey.
  25. I like some of the spices many of you are using in your granola. My recipe, the first one is really basic, but I do like the taste you get from butter. Next time I make it, I'll have to use some of the spices suggested here, like cardamom, etc. :) Pam
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