chardan

That looks great!! Time for me to get some lunch, it seems! ;-P -J.

Wow... There seems to be no really polite way to say this... ← I hope that pornography is legal where you live. I'd do anything to just touch that strawberry to my lips. And you obviously didn't bring enogh to share. For shame!! -J. (P.S.: Gosh, I like you already! ;>)

Cherry season here in Southern Oregon, also... I know how you feel, although I don't (or, perhaps I do..? ;>) envy the quantity... How about making a nice classic for a bunch of friends? Cherries Jubilee! Also, cherries are very nice with much game, goat, or flavorful cuts of beef. I have less than you've got in my 'fridge right now... but they're just about perfect, and my honest-to-goodness plan..? Well... I'm just gonna eat 'em. :-D -J.

I'm glad I found this thread. On some days, it's getting to be 105F or so here in Southern Oregon, so I of course turn to the restorative powers of bitters. My current favorites. These aren't exactly "cocktails", but I usually like to keep it simple. :-} I figure that although they're pretty obvious, nobody's mentioned them yet... Campari and Soda: club soda, or just since nice sparkling mineral water, ice, chilled Campari to taste. Cynar: Ice cold, straight as a shot or on the rocks. Fernet Branca: How isn't this good? Guess how I enjoy it..? You've got it. Soda, on the rocks, or neat in a well-chilled glass. ...oddly enough, although I usually do enjoy Unterberg and Jaegermeister, I prefer them in cooler weather. Not sure why. The same is true for me of various Chatreuse, or similar. I'm editing because I forgot to mention an interesting and very herby/rooty spirit I encountered in Bavaria: Baerwurz, I believe. I remember liking it very much ice cold. Note: A good friend of mine has asked me to remember to mention that Baerwurz, like Chartreuse, or many spirits, does not refer to a single spirit produced by a single company but rather to a genre of spirits. (I suspect, for example, that few German spirit-lovers would recognize what frequently passes in the US for "Schnapps" as schnapps. Just a guess.)

marrow: meat butter foie gras: meat candy Mmmm-mmmm.

For the suet, "Les Halles Cookbook" by Anthony Bourdain suggests making fries with them. Just be sure to have me over, okay? -J.

Re. Indonesia... thank god... someone besides me really likes durian! I'm not crazy. Oh, good... And, what a gorgeous episode. I can see the appeal for sure. Unfortunately, I really want some of that pork now... -J.

Usually, something crunchy. Tim's Cascade Jalapeno chips, "Olive Oil Potato Chips", Doritos, pretzels. But most shameful of all... I have a weakness for BBQ Beef Burritos. Especially when they have sat just a little too long under the heat lamp. They're terrible. But every now and then... _Jesse Williamson ;-};

I order tea from Special Teas ("http://www.specialteas.com"). I'm especially fond of all things oolong.

...and, where are my manners? I forgot to mention the obvious! * Beer * Weisswurst (and, basically, every kind of sausage you can lay your hands on) * Leberkaes ...and so on. -J.

I think that the type of hax'n I'm thinking about ends up with a deliciously crispy crust. Thanks for the replies!! :> _Jesse Williamson ;-};

Hi, folks! I am develping a powerful, all-consuming craving for Schweinehax'n. I've found a butcher willing to get me lovely pig's knuckles, so I am ready to go for it! (Please assume that I'm starting with a raw, uncured knuckle-- so if it should be brined or otherwise treated, I'll need to know about it.) I would like to make, if I'm capable of it, a great haxen at home. I've got some friends who sound like they're a little nervous, but willing to try this truly awesome dish. And I definitely am looking forward to it! I will also need to learn to make the sauce, knoedel, and whatever else the Bavarians here recommend to go with it! All I need are some great recipes! :-) Can anybody help? Thank you!! Servus aus Oregon, _Jesse Williamson ;-}; (My German is sufficient to read recipes, and I own a good kitchen scale-- so German recipes aren't a problem, though I'm sure that eGullet at large would appreciate English renditions. But please make them authentic. I probably don't have everything required, but I enjoy and am interested in surlhax'l as well.) Fun link: "http://www.haxentest.de".

I can't say for sure if things are still as they were when I lived in Munich some years ago, but I can say that if you get away from the touristy areas (not all of downtown is "touristy", but a lot of it is), you're in for some major treats. I won't mince words: Munich is one ass-kicking food city! From the street food, to fine dining. I'll talk about some of the fine non-fine-dining options. On the cheap, start with street food. I suggest that you attempt to seek out the best Turkish Doenner in town. I know where I think it is, but won't spoil the fun for you. Look for Turkish patrons lining up in droves, and chances are good that you're in for one kick-ass Doenner! I wish I had one right now. <sigh> Although it unfortunately isn't too trendy, I highly recommend also seeking out the few special places that still serve Bavarian food with pride. Schweinehax'n, Surlhax'l, and well-made German favorites like Sauerbraten, Blaukraut, and the like. They were somewhat dissapearing when I was last there, but there were still some places in town that were great. I can't remember the name of the place, but in Untersendling within a few blocks of the church there was a place that made some really nicely cooked surlhax'l. Sorry, but I can't be more specific. You'll find it, though. There are good Portugese (wistful nostalgiac sigh for bacalao and vino verde) and Spanish restaurants that usually aren't /too/ expensive. For Spanish, I will vouch for Centro Espanole in Untersendling. You could spend a lot there, but can also have some nice food and a pitcher of house wine for not-too-much money. I personally love the very informal atmosphere, and basically just love that little place. Try the Vietnamese and Chinese places too. Some of them are very good and inexpensive. For lunch, look for places where workers go. I used to have a 3 Euro pizza-of-the-day, glass of mineral water, and pretty tasty sald at a friendly Italian joint, or pho at a Vietnamese place for the same. Just have a look around, and see where people are going. Also, check out the Greek places. You'll find whole communities. I also definitely second the suggestion to visit the Viktualienmarkt and every beer garden you can find... I'd also, sadly, have to say that Mexican and American food is best avoided. Forget about finding a good burger (Gunter Murphys and the Australian places are certainly fun places to meet expatriates, but although pretty decent the burgers aren't cheap and probably will just make you want a real one). You'll just have to make those yourself. The good news is that you can find everything you need, even habanero peppers if you like them spicy. (Ditto Mexican food. Unless the situation has changed, forget all about handmade tamales, much less your favorite taqueria.) Small potatoes. Great, inexpensive food is everywhere. I wish that I could comment more on your specific location, but I didn't spend a lot of time in that part of town. Don't worry, though. Although not the cheapest place to live, great and inexpensive food is alive and well in my favorite city. Bottom line: Avoid downtown (there are good places there, but also a lot of touristy and very expensive ones), and you'll do fine. Enjoy Munich! I'm jealous. ;> _Jesse Williamson ;-};

I got my copy a couple of days ago. I'm not done with it yet either, but I am really enjoying it so far. I was pleasantly suprised to learn that Bourdain and Eric Schlosser are very well aware of each other. "Fast Food Nation" is a fantastic, worthwhile book. "The Nasty Bits", so far, is a great read. I suppose that I'm also supposed to say "moving, funny, educational, imaginative"... well, I just did. Some of the articles are referencing episodes of "No Reservations", so it might help to see those, but I would say it's not a requirement to enjoy this book. I know, never "review" a book before you've actually read it... but what the heck. :-D Good stuff! _Jesse Williamson ;-};

Thanks for the compliment. I enjoyed the mustard... but now I've got to ask what piccalilli is! I mean, I'm going to have to try making pork pie again, so I'd better know... ;> -J.

Whew! A high level of relief... Some lessons learned for next time. Others might enjoy knowing that I served these to several of my friends (a couple were a bit squeamish about meat pies, even without knowing that a piggy's foot was involved), and without exception they were enjoyed! Perfect for hot weather. -J.

Thanks for the compilment. I was pretty nervous about giving it a go... my track record with baking is not good. ;> I'm very glad I did-- I just couldn't take looking at fatmat's pie any longer. hehe. By the way, I am enjoying your Dutch cooking thread! -J.

Thank you very much for the kind words. Sorry, but I don't think that FedExing them in this heat is a good idea... ;-P -J.

Thanks! That's a good suggestion, I may give that a go for next time! These were a joy to make, lots of fun. -J.

Thanks, Hector! You are indeed a great hero. One who can proudly stand up for pork pie is absolutely all right in my book, sir!! If only everyone could make a nice pie some night, of their vegetable or meat of choice-- sweet or not, how savory might that be... mmm. _Jesse Williamson ;-};

Hi Toliver, Thanks very much for pointing out Cost Plus World Market! We don't have one close to us, so we went ahead with the fish sauce. I'm pleased to say that the result was very tasty! The result: An American tries to make British Pork Pie. Thanks for your help, _Jesse Williamson ;-};

Sometimes reason abandons us and there are no logical explanations for our actions. After reading this amazing eGullet thread: fatmat's Great British Pork Pie! ...I realized that I had no choice: I was going to try to make a pork pie. Now, I had never made a pie of any sort before. At all. When I made tarts, I just bought a good prefab crust and called it good. So this was going to be something of a challenge. Needless to say, the bad news is that things did not turn out perfectly. The good news is that with the exception of an in places overly-thick crust and cloudy aspic, one thing that did turn out very well indeed was the taste: wow-- Delicious! I am definitely going to repeat! So, first thing's first. A big "thank you!" to fatmat for inspiring us to try this! What a treat. You may find the recipe from fatmat at the link above. I'm going to share some pictures, and also indicate a couple of things that I learned from trying this and could do better next time. 1. I don't think it is mentioned in the recipe, but fatmat uses an egg wash on the crust. This step is probably quite obvious to any experienced baker, but that's not me. So, we "sort of" added one toward the end of the baking. Not having a brush... well, it wasn't very even. But still a little more attractive than the gray color you get otherwise. 2. If you remove the paper before baking, your pie will probably "flatten out" a little. According to some sources (below) this is actually more traditional, but if you leave it on you'll have a more regularly-shaped pie. We took ours off, unlike fatmat's recipe (if I understood properly?)-- and I think next time, I'll be leaving them on. 3. Again, I had never made a true pie of any sort before, so I didn't quite get the "lid" applied correctly. Note that fatmat's recipe specifically says to leaves the cutter in-- we don't have any cutters, so they were not used and could not be left in. Happily, this doesn't seem to have mattered too terribly much. 4. The next time, I'll make the crust thinner, and be very meticulous about being sure the bottom especially is completely leak-proof. I had just a bit of seepage. 5. I'm pleased to say that Asian fish sauce seems to be acceptable (we used "Three Crabs" brand) as a substitute for English anchovy essence. You probably could try anchovy paste as well. Some further reading: Pork Pie Appreciation Society A pork pie article. Another Pork Pie Article ...well, I hope that I didn't embarass my countrymen too badly in my attempt. Although they aren't so pretty (a far cry from fatmat's beauties!), I'll bet that even a full-blooded Englishman wouldn't have minded a bite or two. Thanks for reading about this experiment! I'll definitely be making more of these during the hot Southern Oregon Summer! (Next time: Little ones to share with friends.) Here are the makings of our jellied stock. Pork bones, leeks, onion, carrot, pig's foot, parsely, bay leaf, peppercorns, etc.. Also, the rind (skin) of the pork belly. The filling was made from fresh pork belly and local bacon, with sage, mace, and other goodies (see fatmat's recipe): Filling the coffins (are these called coffins, or does that term refer to something else?): Ready for the oven. Obviously, I have got a great deal more to learn about how to build a pie! I found getting the lids on especially problematic (in part because the crust had begun to become a bit less pliable by this time), and the results weren't too pretty. My ladyfriend made the decorated one, mine is on the right. In any case, this will be something I definitely hope to improve for next time: Here's one that's been baked (see above note about egg wash): The moment of truth. Does total disaster await..? I declare this pie ugly but damn delicious! I ended up serving it with three kinds of mustard, a Ghentish one (bottom), Coleman's (powdered mix), and a Dijon. The crust was too think in places, but otherwise, this was very tasty! If you want to, you may read a little more about this near-misadventure here. Anyway, this was fun, I learned a lot, and am feeling very full and content! Thanks, again fatmat and eGullet!! _Jesse Williamson ;-};

Grub, I'd gladly try a bite. -J.

Wow!! I think I'm terrified. "Buttery Taste That's Pink" kind of says it all. I also am pleased to know that the shocking pink substance in that container is good for me-- just look at all of those healthy vitamins! A truly epic entry. I like durian, but that one does look... past its prime. Gee, thanks for getting my morning of to an appetizing start. Or something. ;> -J.

Hi, I can't find anywhere here that has anchovy essence. :< Would a good asian fish sauce be an acceptable substitute? I might have to give this a try-- fatmat, that is one awesome looking pork pie!! I have /got/ to have some! Any help is appreciated, _Jesse Williamson ;-};