Kim D

I had lunch at the Shake Shack today. I arrived around 12:30pm and it only took 20 minutes to get through both of the lines. Cost for a shack burger and fries was $6.75. So nice that tax is included. I am not used to that. I never get tomato on a burger because I'm not a raw tomato fan and the tomatoes are usually some color other than red. I decided to get the tomato anyway. And it was good. Red. And it tasted like a tomato. I am always afraid that tomatoes are going to taste mealy. This one was sweet. The burger was juicy. And that made me happy. I am used to thin burgers tasting dry. And the inside was pink. And that made me happy too. The burger was small. And that made me very happy. In Chicago, everything is supersized. This burger was just the right size. As for the fries, they weren't terrible. And that made me happy. I only ate half and that was plenty for me. If they had been the way I prefer them, I would have eaten them all and wanted more. I was perfectly full. And pleased with my meal. It was definitely worth every penny of the $6.75. - kim

You just reminded me of one of my favorite dishes. Tian de Legumes from Slow Cooking by Joanne Glynn. It calls for both regular potatoes and sweet potatoes. And it cooks for 2-1/2 to 3 hours at 325F. I love slow cooking. - kim

This recipe uses baking powder.

Nasser, thank you for bringing up this topic. My sister lived in Bahrain years ago (she now lives in Texas) and brought back mamoul molds. She gave me one the last time I visited her, but, unfortunately, she couldn't remember the name of the sweet. Thanks to you, I not only know what the mold is for, but I have a recipe to try! Mine looks just like this. - kim

Brithack - Thanks for the nudge. I couldn't psych myself up for the Friday afternoon crowd at Borough Market. But I had my heart set on scallops so I made the hike to Steve Hatt. Four scallops with roe attached set me back six quid. I fried them in ghee with lots of garlic. Best scallops I've ever had. I have never been a fan of eating fish. Until this last trip to London (I'm back in Chicago and missing London already). And that's because I got to eat good, fresh fish. I bought cod from Applebee's. And frozen fish stock. I had only had cod that had been frozen. What a difference. I used a Julia Child recipe from the Way to Cook. Dry French vermouth, fish stock, tomatoes and butter make a fabulous sauce. My husband said it was the best cod he had ever had. Two nights later I made the same recipe with monkfish. Equally good. Thanks Jon Tseng for your list. Next time I'm in London, I'll put it to use. - kim

camp_dick, thanks for the laugh. I honestly can never remember who says cilantro and who says coriander. After I wrote zucchini and hit Add Reply, I remembered that I should have written courgette. (Can I admit that sometimes I intentionally invite sniggers from the vulgarians? This time, however, it was unintentional.) I just remembered another two dishes from Yauatcha. Mongolian Beef. Not great but it was good. A bit tough. Everyone but me liked the Chinese broccoli. At least that's what I think it was. As I didn't order it, I'm not sure how it was listed. It had a nice flavor but was undercooked as far as I was concerned. - kim

I shop at Berwick Market now and again and never noticed that Yauatcha is right around the corner. Until last night. When I had to meet my husband and another couple for dinner. We started with drinks in the tea room. I wanted a martini and only had time to quickly glance at the menu. I ordered the 3 Grapes martini. I have no idea what was in it (other than the three grapes sitting at the bottom). It had a strong alcohol flavor that I recognized but can't quite put my finger on. Can anyone help me out? I know nothing about dim sum. Had it not been for the suggestions here, I would have had no idea what to order. I wish I could remember everything we had because every dish (with the exception of the ribs which were good but not great) was a winner. The Salt and Pepper Quail were delicious. The last time I had quail, I had to pick out the bones and I remembered what a bother that was. This time, the only bones were in the wings. So nice not to have to bother with that. I was surprised by the chive dumplings. I never would have ordered them had it not been for the reviews. I split one with my husband and immediately wished there had been four dumplings instead of three so I wouldn't have had to share. My friend ordered the duck salad. I never would have ordered that because it sounded impossible to share. I was wrong. This dish wound up being our absolute favorite. Excellent mix of flavors. I had never had pomegranate seeds but I'm now a fan. They were perfect. Juicy. Tart. I never thought a seed would taste good. I've been missing out and will have to rectify this. I also tasted cilantro among the greens and as I love cilantro, this made me very happy. There were also slices of some kind of squash like a zucchini. Words fail me. The balance of flavors was perfect. I want more of this dish. Our bill was quite high but we did have two or three drinks a piece before dinner, a bottle of white wine with the first dishes and a bottle of red to go with the last dishes. Afterwards we walked over to the French House for after dinner drinks. Interesting place. My husband accidentally stepped on a woman's foot and she demanded an apology. Of course, he gave her one as it was an accident and she seemed quite upset. She accepted his apology and licked his arm. I don't know why. - kim

While searching this forum for more information on Borough Market (I'm still looking for recommendations on the best stalls to frequent), I came across this thread: borough market which was started in November of 2003: BTW, the thread does contain "where to shop" recommendations but I don't know if the recommendations still hold true. - kim edited to add: I just noticed that the quote above is by Jonathan Day. And I thought I was adding value.

John Whiting - I enjoyed your comparison to the artist colonies: Perhaps I'm an avant-garde tourist. I know I'm not a rich transient. I also go around 11:30 on Fridays and leave around 1:00 when the crowds get to be too much to handle. The problem with being a visitor (albeit a frequent one) to London is that I don't know which stalls are the best. So, what are the stalls to shop? Do you buy crabs from Shell Seekers? If I hadn't had a chorizo sandwich for lunch I would have had scallops from Shell Seekers. It is impossible to find scallops with the coral attached in Chicago and I have no idea how that tastes but would love to find out. I'm spending more than I'd like at Borough Market but I do so because I can buy foods that I cannot get anywhere in Chicago. And the foods that I can get in Chicago (butter, milk and cheese as examples) taste so much better here. Speaking of cheese, I usually shop at La Fromagerie but (thanks to Sarah for the tip) decided to check out Rippon Cheese on Upper Tachbrook. Sadly, they are closed from August 23 to September 3 but I did get to take a look in the window. I'll definitely check them out on my next trip. - kim

The last time I was at Borough Market was in March. I went again today. I wouldn't have thought that the place would have changed much in five months, but it has. Five months ago there were plenty of "made things" but it still felt like a farmer's market to me. Five months later it feels as though Borough Market is predominantly shops with "made things". It feels as though the fruit, veg and fish shops are hangers on and a bit out of place. The overall feel is that it's a tourist hangout. At Turnips they had girls in tight dresses wearing hats with dangling pieces of fruit being photographed with a dog wearing a lei made of roses. I don't like being around tourists. No matter what country I'm in. And I don't want to be one. I think that Borough Market will soon be off my list of places to shop. But where should I go instead? I had thought about going to Portobello Road today and now I wish I had. - kim

I now love laab gai. Why? It's a great dish to eat on a diet. There is no added fat. I use chicken left from making chicken stock. I make a batch of sticky rice. Then I make the sauce and mix it all up: juice of one lime two or three tablespoons of fish sauce a handful of torn up coriander leaves two or three tablespoons of toasted rice powder two or three dried bird peppers - chopped to bits (seeds removed) two or three (or more) shallots, thinly sliced a bit of sugar (as needed) freshly ground black pepper The laab sits in my refrigerator and the flavors meld. I grab a bowlful when I'm hungry. It's good either warm or cold. The more I cook, the easier it is not to have to follow a recipe to the letter. My husband will never let me forget how I used to measure everything (and I do mean everything) exactly. This recipe does not need exact measurements. I add fish sauce until it tastes right. I add more shallots because I love them. And I add more peppers because I enjoy the heat. - kim

IIRC, I made the duck confit mid-March. And now I'm all out. I had to read through the duck confit thread to try to remember when I made it. Wow, what a great thread. Malawry had one of the many great posts. Since my husband noticed the difference in the taste of the duck and not me, I asked him why he thought one tasted better than the other. He thinks that the shredded duck gets its flavor leeched out and the big pieces don't because they have less exposure to the liquid. He also said that there needs to be more duck. I point this out because when we first got together, duck was just about the only thing he wouldn't eat. I have converted him to a duck lover and he now orders it whenever he sees it on a menu. - kim

Thank you! My very first pictures on eGullet. It's been in the 90s all week here in Chicago. Me, I'll eat comfort food any time of the year. We sat outside on our deck sipping a cool Riesling and eating goat cheese from Capriole while the cassoulet was in the oven. I kept my duck confit in the fridge in a bowl. It was fully submerged in duck fat. Even so, I wondered if it would be okay to eat. I nibbled a piece the day before just to see if I'd get sick. I didn't, so I figured it was okay. Did I mention how great those Tarbais beans are? I just looked at the package. A kilo set me back 14.50 GBP. I'm guessing that's right around $25. Worth every penny. - kim

I have learned so much from this thread. I knew that you can break the crust up to 7 times. What I didn't know was that the crust did not involve bread crumbs. Um, I know I learned more than that but that's all that's coming to mind. I picked up Tarbais beans (since we don't know how to pronounce Tarbais beans, we just call them Tar-Babies) at Borough Market earlier this year. I already had Duck Confit in my fridge because I made it when everyone else made it. I had chicken broth made with chicken feet in my freezer. And I used the recipe (more or less) from Les Halles. Hands down, this was the easiest cassoulet I have ever made and the absolute best. Are Tarbais beans worth the money? Fuck, yeah! Did I say that? They make the dish. Creamy texture like no other beans I've had. I could just eat the beans and be happy. I love duck confit but I've always felt that the flavor got lost in my other recipe. I think that maturing it for months made a significant difference. I used salt pork (soaked overnight) for the pork belly and rind and the next time I will search out the real thing. I was not impressed with the rind I cut off from the salt pork. It just sat in the bottom of my pans looking flabby and inedible. Next time I'll make my own sausage, too. All I could find was knockwurst and while it was okay, I would have preferred a sausage with some texture. I made it in two pots because I wanted to see if there was a taste difference. I didn't notice one. My husband did but only with the taste of the duck. I pulled the duck off the bone for my Le Creuset because I was afraid the cassoulet would overflow. I put the whole duck legs and thighs in the bean pot. And here's a closeup showing the crust. I can't wait to make it again but I'll have to because I still need to make duck confit and I want it to mature for a few months. And I need to go back to Borough Market! Man, I love that place. - kim

Thanks for the suggestion... Right after my disappointment at the Mexican grocery (DelRay Farms on Argyle), I walked down the street to the Vietnamese grocery store (the name escapes me). They were closed. I remember seeing pork belly there but I don't remember seeing the rind. I will definitely try again the next time I need it. For now, I am on a quest for sausages. I'm heading out the door to Fox & Obel. I find it ironic that pork bellies are traded in the futures market and yet I can't find them today (or yesterday) in my local market. Maybe if I shop tomorrow. - kim

I found my answer. Soaking overnight is the way to go. - kim

Pork belly? Last year when I asked at Paulina Market, the butcher didn't know what it was. I have never seen it at an American grocery store. Perhaps there something else I should be asking for? I've decided to use the recipe from Les Halles and it calls for 2 pounds of pork belly and 1 pound of pork rind. I picked up three packages of salt pork (.75 pounds each = 2.25 pounds) thinking that I could use that. Then I headed to a Mexican grocery store because I remember seeing pork rind the last time I was there. Unfortunately they were out. I was pleasantly surprised (I never use salt pork) to find that the salt pork has the rind attached. I cut it off and started soaking both in water. I've got it in a sieve because I'm thinking I should treat it like I would salt cod. I know that with salt cod you don't want it sitting on the bottom of a bowl because it would end up soaking in the salt that falls to the bottom. So, where am I going with this? I remember reading somewhere that salt pork can be used as a substitute for pork belly. Will soaking it be enough to get rid of the salt? Or is there something else I should do? Should I go buy pork shoulder instead? Thanks in advance for your help! - kim

Black Star Farms sounds like a very cool place to visit. Binny's did not have their raclette when I went in and I am tempted to drive on up and get some in person. We camp two hours south of there and I don't think it would take much to talk my husband into making a side trip. My husband and I have been spending a considerable amount of time in London (he's there now, without me ). Each time he brings back cheese from La Fromagerie. The last time we did a side-by-side taste comparison of Telaggio with cheese from La Fromagerie, Fox & Obel and Whole Foods. The cheese from La Fromagerie won by a landslide. I cannot tell you how very sad that was. We've recently started talking about building our own cave because we have been disappointed by most of the cheese we buy here in Chicago. We've made mozzarella and we've always wanted to make more complicated cheeses but haven't had a place to put them. And we need someplace to store the cheeses he brings back. We have been impressed by the local cheeses we've purchased at Pastoral and Binny's. It must be easier to store a locally produced cheese. Now that I've seen a picture of Giles Schnierle, I remember buying cheese from him at CHIC two years ago. Unfortunately, I did not have the appreciation for cheese that I do now. His website lists where to buy his cheeses. I had never heard of Giselle's but I'm going to make it a point to go since it is in my neighborhood. I have been so disappointed in buying cheeses. But that was then. Now that I have a better idea of where to buy good local cheeses, I am excited about my options. And I want to learn All About Cheese - how to buy store annd handle cheese, how to pair cheese with beverages, etc. - kim

Ok, so how cool is this... My nephew and his wife recently visited. I made Green Wrapped Flavor Bundles from HSSS and they absolutely loved the dish. As a thank you, they sent a Kaffir Lime Tree. I cannot imagine a better gift. If anyone is still looking for a source, they ordered it from Smith and Hawken. - kim

My childhood sounds so different. Mom didn't like anyone in "her" kitchen when she was cooking. One day when she was taking a nap, I decided to make chocolate chip cookies. I used the recipe from Tollhouse. I must have quadrupled the recipe because I remember using 9 cups of flour. I put the first batch in the oven but didn't know how to tell when they were done. So, I went to ask Mom. Her eyes were closed but I didn't think she was really sleeping. I lifted her eyelid and there was her eyeball looking back at me. She told me the cookies were done when they were brown on top. I took them out when they were brown on top. And black on the bottom. Lesson learned. Good thing I made lots of cookie dough. To this day, Dad says I make better chocolate chip cookies than Mom. And I never asked her for cooking advice again. - kim

We were just about packed up for a camping trip when I noticed that I had a bunch of lemons, limes and an orange sitting on the counter. I didn't want to throw them away but I had no idea what I could do with them so I did a quick search online. Of course, lemonade! I had never made it before (how is that possible?) so I had to find a recipe to show me proportions. I got almost 2 cups of juices. After I picked out the biggest seeds, I poured the juice in a mason jar and added 3/4 cup of sugar. And then it was time to hit the road. After we set up our tent, we sat and relaxed. I poured one part juice and added 3 parts water. Took one sip and knew that I would be making my own lemonade from that point on. It was so refreshing. And easy. I was hooked. - kim

I am about to get my hands on two pounds of beef suet for the princely sum of 75 cents. I was wondering what I would do with it and now I have several options. My husband accuses me of pampering the squirrels so I know that some of the suet will go to them. Does putting ice cubes in their water sound like pampering? It is 90 F here after all. - kim

I've made Laab Moo Tai Yai two more times. My husband totally digs chopping the pork by hand and now wants to hand chop pork for any recipe that calls for ground pork. The texture is better. The first time, he thought the laab was too spicy and asked that we only use 4 chiles the next time. The second time, we again used 6 chiles because 4 is just not enough. He's starting to agree that 6 is the correct number. We've also made Laab Gai (Minced Chicken with Fresh Herbs) twice. Again, my husband enjoyed hand chopping the meat. I was not all that impressed with the finished product. I may have overdone it with the fish sauce as I was using a different brand. But I think it was the texture of the chicken that bothered me. Last night we made Laab Gai again. This time I took the chicken leftover from making chicken stock and shredded it. This time I liked it. Maybe it was the texture of the chicken that made it better. Anyway, we put the laab and sticky rice on a lettuce leaf and squirted on Sriracha. Yum. - kim

One of my recent batches of yogurt didn't work. I was cooling down my milk mixture and the temperature never (according to my now-dead Polder) got below 138 F. I added the yogurt anyway hoping that it would just work somehow. It didn't. The next day, I had a great idea. Why not try heating it back up? If you heat up milk/yogurt/powdered milk, you get ricotta cheese! Bonus. I whipped up some crepes (with a little chopped parsley added to the batter). Added sauteed spinach, parmesan, nutmeg and fennel seeds to the drained ricotta. Put some marinara on the bottom of a 13x9 pan. Spread the ricotta on the crepes and rolled them up and put them in the pan. Covered with marinara and parmesan and then baked. What a yummy mistake. My next batch of yogurt turned out great. I used Seven Stars Farm yogurt (my new favorite) from Whole Foods. - kim

I am so totally hooked on Hot Sour Salty Sweet's Green-Wrapped Flavor Bundles . We've made them three times in the last two weeks. Once for guests. What fun! I love being able to assemble my own little lettuce "burrito" with as much of the fillings (pork, ginger, lemongrass, scallions and sticky rice) as I like. - kim p.s. I just looked at the recipe (page 269) and it's from Laos. Not Thailand. To stay on thread topic, we also love "Our Favorite Noodles with Greens and Gravy" (page 116). We haven't quite figured out how to cook the fresh noodles so they don't stick together but that's just a detail. We do know that leaving off the Chile-Vinegar Sauce (oops) makes a huge difference and we won't be doing that again.