alycemoy

So I ordered a roast suckling pig from a Chinese deli for this weekend. I plan on picking it up at noon, but people aren't coming over until 4pm. will the pig and more importantly it's skin stay fresh until then? Last year, I had ordered a pig rather than a piglet and we had it covered for hours before we started eating it and the skin stayed crisp, but since suckling pig skin is a bit more delicate, I'm not sure how it will behave. Any advice? And if the skin does get a little chewy, would sticking it in the oven crisp it up at all? Thanks in advance for the advice!

So I'm arranging to have my birthday meal at Incanto this year, and am going to do the whole beast meal, so I'm incredibly excited! However, I keep bouncing between choosing the lamb and the pig. (they offer goat too, but I don't think too many of my friends would be up for a whole goat) The other reviews of people's experiences at Incanto with the whole beast have chosen pig, and it looks oh-so-good. However, I'm very intrigued by the lamb, and have heard wonderful things about roasted lamb's head. Any thoughts? Anyone done a whole roasted lamb at Incanto, or anywhere? <a href="http://www.incanto.biz/index.html">Incanto's website</a> <a href="http://firststep.vmbrasseur.com/?p=344"> Someone's Blog of the whole pig experience</a>

So I'm trying to make eclairs and decided to survey the books I have to see what the generally accepted recipe is. So the ingredients seem to be pretty much the same and in pretty much the same quanitites except for the butter. Jucques and Julia, along with some other sources online seem to like the half a stick (4T). While others seem to like the full stick (8T). That's presuming the following proportions of ingredients: 1 cup water (or milk) pinch salt 1T sugar (optional) 1 cup unbleached flour eggs (4-6 depending on the recipe) Any thoughts? What's the difference in the final product if I use the 4T vs. the 8T of butter? Thanks! --Alyce

I guess I'm at the beginner level. And I primarily interested in home-style dishes, though I would consider banquet-style food as well. I'm primarily interested in learning technique, and am finding it difficult to find any places within the US to learn these skills and the ingredients. Frankly, if someone was willing to just let me watch and learn off them, I'd be ecstatic. But since I don't know how to adopt a grandmother of my own to learn from, I'd be willing to do more structured learning at a school.

I'm looking to take some time off this winter to travel to China. I would love to spend some time intensively learning Chinese cuisine. I'm particularly interested in Szechuan, Beijing, Shanghai, or Cantonese style. I'm sure I'll only have time for one of them, and it really doesn't matter to me which one. Anyways, has anyone had any experience learning how to cook in China? If so, words of advice of where to go to learn? Any local places or homestays where the host is willing to teach cooking? Or programs offered at some of the local culinary schools? Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

I was in Guangzhou, China last year and was hanging out with someone from Hunan. We went to eat at a Hunan restaurant and I asked her to order things that are signature for that region. One of the dishes she ordered was Beer Duck. It looked pretty much a lot like the Mutton cooked with beer, but it was cooked with pieces of duck. All I remember was that it was amazingly good. I have yet to find it in this country at all (though a restaurant just north of Berkeley called China Village has a Beer Duck on the menu, it's more Szechuan in style; the duck was in a large bowl of broth that was made spicy with chilis... quite good, but not the beer duck I was expecting). Anyone know of a good recipe for Beer duck? Would love to make it at home!

I have used this recipe for chile verde for over twenty years. MY splattered notes say "Jane Butel 1979" and I know she produced some books on BBQ and other southwestern cooking but from which the following arose I have no idea. Pork with Chile Verde 2 pounds boneless pork, cut in 1” cubes 3 T. flour 2 T. lard or bacon drippings 1 large onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced Water 1 tsp. salt Freshly ground black pepper ½ tsp. ground Mexican oregano ¼ tsp. ground cumin 3 large ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped 20 fresh green chiles, roasted, peeled, and chopped 1. Sprinkle pork cubes with flour. Heat lard in a large, heavy skillet and brown pork. Remove to a plate. 2. Sauté onion and garlic in the same pan until the onion is soft. Return meat to the pan. 3. Add water to just barely cover the meat. Add salt, pepper, Mexican oregano, and cumin. Cover and simmer for one hour. 4. Add the tomatoes and green chiles; simmer 30 minutes or longer, adding a little more water if necessary, until flavors are well blended. Notes: I’ve used two 7-oz. cans of chopped green chiles, drained when I’ve been too busy (or too lazy!) to deal with fresh chiles. ← Sounds very promising! I'll probably try it this weekend! Thanks much!

I personally love smoky beef chili that's done in a little more Indian style. My Indian friends pretty much call chili a curry anyways (not too far from a good keema). But, my boyfriend loves chili verde, and I have yet to encounter a recipe that he likes. The RecipeGullet recipe for green chili didn't really work out for me. As a point of reference, he really liked the two verde chilis at Encino's <a href="http://www.chilimysoul.com/flavors.html">Chili My Soul</a>. Anyone know of where I can find a great chili verde recipe that is produces chili just as good if not better??

Thanks for the great advice. I guess maybe I just haven't made it enough times to even know where to start with the eyeballing. Maybe I'll try it this weekend and see.

That's right. Yook beng. I don't think I've had it with lap cheung. Trying to think of what haam yee is. Salted something?? I've tried mincing random ingredients before, but a couple thing I get wrong are the propotions of meat to everything else, and the seasoning (often ends up either too bland or over salted). Short of soy sauce, I'm not sure what else goes in. Any oyster sauce?

I recently find myself craving steamed pork patty. I had it a lot as a kid, and I now live on the opposite coast from my grandmother and parents, none of who can articulate anything resembling recipe of course. So I'm just trying to figure out where to start. I know there's minced pork, and water chestnuts, and other stuff.... Mushrooms? some sort of picked veg? I don't even know... but I do know you mince it all together with some soy sauce and maybe some other stuff and then steam it, sometimes with an egg (plain or salted) on top. Can anyone help me? Do people even know what I'm talking about?

sounds so yummy! Laksa is so good. I'd love to learn how to make good Penang laksa....

the most amazing brisket! i'm not from the south, so i can't say how authentic, but so incredibly smokey and tender! the chicken wasn't bad, and the ribs we also amazing. next up is are the links if you haven't tried, i highly suggest people go and eat! can't wait to go again!

I have to second Uncle Franks. Hands down the best bbq I've had in the Bay Area.

Thanks for the great reviews! I'm always looking for good places to satisfy my beef cravings around the Bay Area that aren't the standard chains of Morton's and Ruth's Chris and Cattleman's. I've heard that Alexander's in Cupertino is pretty good. It's fairly new too and not in the most obvious location. <a href="http://www.alexanderssteakhouse.com/">Website</a><BR> <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/06/24/PNGMNDBRT01.DTL&type=food">SFGate Review</a> I have been to Sundance in Palo Alto, which is pretty decent too. Plain, but decent. My favorite, though, when not in the mood to go to Ruth's Chris or House of Prime Rib in the city is Izzy's in San Carlos. I know they have locations in Corte Madeira and the city. The don't have my favorite cut, the porterhouse, but they have great sides and a good NYStrip. <br><a href="http://www.izzyssteaksandchops.com/">Web Site"</a> Should check it out!