phaelon56

I've always liked the phrase "like white on rice". "A few cans shy of a six pack" is in the "few sandwiches shy of a picnic" category. How about "now we're cookin' with grease" I can also think of one about eating peanuts but it's far too gross for public.... uhhh... consumption.

That's swell if you like asparagus It's actually included in my "Culinary Axis of Evil" (I smell a new thread coming on). The Axis is rounded out by brussel sprouts and tripe/tendon (those two might just as well be one and the same). I was actually in beautiful but gray Ithaca on Saturday doing some furniture shopping - they have about one foot of snow on the ground compared to our three feet. Time to investigate hydroponics - I'm tired of hunting around and paying through the nose for fresh cooking herbs.

Obviously I have never had a properly prepared version of this dish. The few tiems I've tried it the gravy was close to tasteless and the breading was not crispy. Then again.... I'm in the Northeast and we don't know from chicken fried steak (sadly, I actually have to really search just to find good fried chicken).

Only slightly better? Since you and Ms melkor passed through this way over the holidays we've had noe more than three or four days of sunchine and about as many snow-free days. It was also the second coldest January on record. Did I mention the 137" snowfall total for year to date? Could be worse.... North of us in Fulton and Oswego they received eight feet of snow last week. That is not a typo. Eight feet. I'm starting to think that Syracuse is not so bad in comparison.

The crust on the one I made was simply not crispy enough but the bottom layer of filling was okay - a basic firm chocolate cheescake type recipe seems to work okay. I had been advised to use what is essentially chocolate truffle for the top but it was definitely too soft. I'm a total newbie in the world of pastriy and baking - is ganache firmer than truffle?

For me the phrase is an oxymoron but hopefully the many folks who feel differently can offer some insight and suggestions.

For my tastes.... Starbuck brews their coffee too strong and DD brews theirs too weak. There's also a subtl eundertone to the flavor of DD coffee that many people love and I don't care for. Sources have told me that they mix a small percentage (10% or less) of hazelnut flavored beans in with the regular beans to achieve this. DD does deserve some kudos for committing to the use of Fair Trade coffee for their new espresso/cappuccino/latte products but all things considered.... I still think Starbucks has the edge in quality.

I'm with ya on the boiled peanuts. I'm a born and bred Yankee but when I was turned on to boiled peanuts it became and still remains a unique food in my experience. I can't say that I love them or crave them yet oince a can is open I can't stop eating them until they're all gone.

Really not true - Tommy pointed out correctly that it's all about the quantity. Yet another eGulleteer here with a not-so-shameful past. The brownies really, really work. I do recall trying to eat some in a PB&J sandwich once but the quantity was inadequate and the texture unpleasant. We were on our way to Buffalo to see Pink Floyd performing during the Dark Side of The Moon tour - the music made up for it. Then there was the Canadian guy in the row in front of us who had decided on impulse to eat all his downers when he thought the bus might get searched at the border. Screaming "Money.... play Money...." throughout the entire first set. Thank God they finally played money.

You could get some okay deli type food at Ben's - I think it's on either 35th or 36th between Broadway and 7th. Good Jewish deli style sandwiches, blintzes, fries, decent coleslaw and very tasty pickles. It's not Katz's or 2nd Avenue btu it's not bad and the prices are reasonable. If you want really simple but decent Italian food there's a cafeteria style place on the same block or perhaps directly north of it a block uptown. It's called Victoria's and is open only for lunch - lots of local workers eat there and they say the food is good if you happen to enjoy basic red sauce style Italian dishes.

No matter what.... avoid Pancho's Backyard. The original location is connected to the Cinco del Soles store on the waterfront and the new one is in the new complex out at the big cruise ship pier. We ate at the one in town on our first night based on a recommendation from an acquaintance. It was mediocre microwaved Americanized Mexican food of the worst type. Think Don Pablo's but bump it down a notch.

Getting slightly off topic but when I was growing up in the 60's, we had a local singles bar called the "Ding-A-Ling Lounge". They had the same phone system in place but also had the convenience of a "ring check" at the door (just a gag I hope but it was ostensibly a place for married guys to stash their wedding rings while they cruised the single women). It didn't last long for obvious reasons.

It's almost enough to make me want to start drinking again (NOT!!!). It is very cool and you deserve kudos for working "penultimate" into the thread. I mistakenly used it a month or two back and was gently corrected - I really meant the best of the best (which penultimate is not). Now that I've word powered myself a bit, might I suggest that is the "ne plus ultra" of liquor cabinets? One of my high school buddies parents had a "secret" liquor cabinet that was in the base unit cabiinet under the console TV in their family room (we're talking old black and white console TV days. The access door for the liquor was on the back where it could not be seen by my friend's unsuspecting grandmother, who still assumed that at age 50 her precious daughter did not smoke or drink.

Amusing. The one I remember best that caused no end of confusion for those who are unacquainted with animal husbandry or taxonomy was at a local ski area whos slopes served as a grazing area for a got herd during the summer months. The rest rooms were labeled Nannies and Billies. Seemd simple enough to me but cause lots of confusion. Speaking of bathroom threads.... a friend of mine used to drag her co-workers into a trendy dowtown hilly restauirant for a drink whenever they were in town on business - for the sole purpose of having them all see the tres kewl stall doors in the bathrooms. These are the glass doors that are clear when they're unlocked and turn opaque when the lock is engaged. I think that either the bathrooms or changing rooms at the downtown Prada store in NYC has the same deal going. My pet peeve is the places that use the symbol for feminine or masculine gender - the circle with the arrow or the circle with the cross. Used to be that you get a few drinks in me and I can't keep them straight. I've been sober for years and I still can't keep them straight (no pun intended). I think they should just make 'em all unisex and use Prince's glyph on the door.

Oooohhhhh.... the sticky buns at Home Dairy. They weren't better than sex but they were very high on my list of great experiences. Would you believe that as of last month the former Home Dairy location is now a "Yerba Mate cafe" ? Only in Ithaca - the same town where I saw an office door (upstairs in the building where the Moosewood restaurant is located) with a sign for "Pet Massage Therapy Services". Yes folks - massage therapy for your pooch (or feline if you're so inclined).

I live alone and on the occasions when I have someone to cook for, prefer to have a meal made from scratch for the specific occasion. My leftovers tend to get ziploc'd, frozen and taken to work as is for a quick zap - i'ts generally a better lunch than I ever get from the take-out places. That said.... I have a nice chunk ofham int he freezer that my mom gave me to take home after the last dinner I had with my folks. It's time for some scalloped potatoes and ham. I'm not usually big on casseroles but for leftover ham dictates a casserole and leftover turkey means that turkey noodle casserole is sure to appear that week. If you like Boggle... check out Perquacky It has a tiem element involved and we've always enjoyed it in my family but I dont' recall ever seeing it at anyone else's house. I also enjoy "vertical scrabble" (aka RSVP) but think it may be "out of print".

I've decided to revive this thread as it was the very first thread I ever posted on Egullet and probably the only one to which I never received any replies! We have a far higher activity level and expertise in the Pastry Forum than we did back then - perhaps someone here has worked with various confections that would function well as the layers in this delight?

This is a distinct possibility, especially if it's a relatively small operation that makes their own ice cream on premises. My first regular "on the books" job was at age 15 - one had to be that old to get "working papers" in NY state (my first "on the books" job was actually working as Mr. Peanut at grocery store grand openings but it was an intermittent gig). I worked in a Carvel store and was surprised to discover that all Carvel ice creams are made from two basic base mixes. The mixes are a thick liquid in a large waxy cardboard cart (like a 2.5 gallon milk caontainer) and came only in vanilla or chocolate. Every one of the carvel flavors that was not chocolate based had the vanilla base mix. Furthermore... another shocking revelation.... it was exactly the same stuff that was used to make the soft serve chocolate and vanilla. For example.... to make mint chocolate chip, the operator starts drawing soft serve vanilla into the big metal scooping container and adds green food coloring and mint flavor concentrate, blending and whipping it in as the container fills. The container full of soft serve is now placed in a walk in freezer to solidify before putting it out for retail sale. My boss never let me make the hard ice cream or the cakes but I became the "King of the Flying Saucers". I cranked 'em out by the hundreds on a weekly basis and perfected the art (what little there was to it).

The beans must be fresh - ideally between 2 and 10 days after roasting. You're also correct that crema varied from bean type to bean type. Some varietals produce farr less abundant crema than others - good espresso blends are optimized to produce a rich reddish brown crema.

This coffeegeek.com tutorial may also help.... How To Clean a Dirty Grouphead

I can't be sure but it appears the the portafilyter on the S1 is the standard 58mm size. I would assume that E61 grouphead is not as crucial as it is on single boiler machines. On the high end consumer level, the Pasquini Livias do not have E61 and if I recall correctly, in the comemrcial world there are many machiens that do not, including La Marzzocco's. The dual boiler scenario and the amount of thermal mass in the had assembly are probably enough to ensure both temperature accuracy and stability. The new Isomac has a few advantages as I see it. 1) smaller footprint 2) dual gauge - the S1 has gauge only for boiler pressure 3) E61 head - I just love the way it looks and it's such a well proven design for maintiaing temp stability - why mess with anything else 4) Raw sex appeal. I have seen pics of the new isomac and trust me - it makes even the the Giotto look like a dowdy spinster - it really is an amazing looking machine If it wasn't for the fact that I just bought a house and have my finances committed to some projects, I'd be doing an upgrade right now.

Perhaps this belongs on a separate thread but I have a question about dry rub. I see some folks doing the Foodsaver vac wrap overnight with the rub and others just wrapping it with plastic. I was once advise that any cut of meat to be treated with dry rub should be immersed in water that's just off the boil for about 20 - 30 seconds and then drained before rubbing in the rub. The notion is that this brief flash of hot water opens the pores of the emat and allows the flavor of the rub to be drawn in more effectively. Have any of you tried this and what is your opinion? Please note that I am NOT recommeding parboiling - this immersion is so brief that it hardly even constitutes blanching.

I'm surprised the the Giotto needed regular "servicing" but if you're looking for a step up you seem to be headed in the right direction. I think the dual boiler feature of the La Spaziale seems very appealign and better yet, it's being sold by Chris at Chris Coffee. Despite appearances, I'm no shill for Chris but he provides such outstanding serbvice after the sale that I feel obliged to recommend him as the vendor of choice for any high end espresso gear. In addition to the La Spaziale, he has a new model of Isomac that isomac developed specifically for the US market in accordance with input from Chris (he is the US importer of isomac and due to his volume his input carries serious weight with them). Can't recall the name of the new model but it's got a rotatry punp, is sold as a fuly plumbable unit, utilizes commercial grade dual manometer gauges, a commercial grade Sirai pressurestat and has fully swiveling steam and water wands. It's not lisate don his web site yet but if you call him and mention that I referred you he'll be able to provide all the details.

Great to hear - the reddish brown crema is usually a good clue that there's a likelihood of it being a decent shot. Don't be shy about adding the swetener (real or artificial). There seem to be some purists who scoff at the notion that one should ever sweeten good espresso but lots of great espresso is served daily in Italy and sugar is routinely added by many people. great tip if you're mkaing your own shots at home is to add the sugar to the top of the grounds in the portafilter and tamp it in. The brew water dissolves it and the result is totally dissolved sugar - no residue in the bottom of the cup. Everyone's tastes vary - I like a fair amount of sugar in my espresso, a very small amount in a latte or cappuccino and absolutely can't tolerate any sugar at all in my drip coffee - go figure....

Look for some posts by "KoffeeKev" in the forums at Coffeegeek and email him or post there - he's in the trade and works on/rebuilds every imaginable type of machine - he might know. I'll hazard a guess and suggest that what you need to get is a grouphead gasket at about $6 - $7 and you might just as well replace the "shower screen" (disperson screen) while you're at it. The screen will run about $12 or so. Look up into the grouphead at the screen and you should see a black rubebr gasket around the outer edge. On most machines of this type the outer edge of the screen is held in place by the gasket and it must be removed in order to throughly clean the machine. Typically a flat blade screwdriver is used to pry out the old screen and also used to carefully push in the new one. If you can identify the specific model of machine, some good exploded parts diagrams are available here and they will likely have the parts as well EspressoParts.com If you still have pressure on the grouphead and don't want to mess too much with this it might be worth just doing a backflush with Cafiza or Purocaffe if you have not already done so..... if your machine has 3 way solenoid valves for pressure release after the shot is pulled, it's okay to do a backflush but check into this before just jumping in to do one. Once you've done the cleaning, make sure to do a through water flush and then pull a shot or two of espresso that will be discarded - best to make sure al the residue is totally cleared.