bushey
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Posts posted by bushey
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We could also ask the 3 questions relative to Plotnickiism: do you understand it? Do you appreciate it? Do you enjoy it?
1) no. I'd be scared if I did.
2) how could I? refer to answer 1 above.
3) well, I always enjoy the brouhaha that inevitably ensues
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LOL…First I see the scene in The Big Night where the chef goes on a rampage because a patron wants an order of pasta along with his risotto, then I hear my mother’s voice saying to my father “It’s a shame what you do to a good piece of meat, it’s like shoe leather”.
I relate to the example of strip steak vs ribeye for well-done lovers, since this is what I do at home for my family. Four of us prefer medium rare and one will not touch a piece of meat with any bit of pink. I also plan to experiment with having some of our steaks cut extra thin so it’s easier to coordinate cooking times.
I don’t think preference for well done steak is necessarily related to taste alone. In my father’s case it was a texture thing – he gets the willies if there’s any “give “ in the meat. In my daughter’s case she prefers to get as far removed as possible from associating what she’s eating with a living animal. In fact, if her sisters want to push her buttons they ask what part of the cow our steaks come from..........Vegetarianism may not be too far away for her.
Blue Heron -- I had a similar experience with tuna, but fortunately we were sitting at the bar right in front of the line and the chef/owner was supervising. We had a chat about the proper way to cook tuna (he was also the chief fisherman who went out on the boats to catch the tuna) and although we had a couple of back-and-forths with my tuna for further cooking I was able to catch it at just the right stage. Unfortunately, I've not been able to duplicate that right stage at home
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It's funny you mention Chillingsworth, paulazuchef, because it's become a sort of standing joke for us. Every time we drive by I say "You know, I've always wanted to try Chillingsworth" and my husband says "I know, honey." But we never do seem to get there, between being tired from the beach or having plans with friends, or being with the kids. So now it's kind of a "badge of honor" thing that we haven't gone....though I'm sorry you say it's not been as good lately.
Brewster Fish House has always had good, if not fabulous, food: perfectly prepared fish but not always that imaginative. We've had some great meals and some okay meals, sometimes marred by a touch of attitude from the staff.
Have you been to Nauset Beach Club, in Orleans on the road to Nauset Beach? We went a few weeks again and we favorably impressed by the new management and chef (formerly from Abbicci). Interesting menu, fresh ingredients, excellent wine list and they now take reservations, which is a big plus.
Right now the only firms plans we have are for dinner at Abbicci, which we've always wanted to try. If we feel like trying a romantic place it would be Red Pheasant or Bramble Inn in Brewster, where we had a phenomenal dinner eight years ago. It's a little inn on 6A with small dining rooms. We went with no prior knowledge (we had a gift certificate) and were blown away by the food. Not much publicized and it's dining by arrangement only.
Hallet's is a place I've always wanted to stop in for ice cream, so maybe we will next week. Another place I've wanted to try is the Red House (is that the name?) for breakfast -- we usually go to Marshside when we're in Dennis. Scargo Manor, where we're staying, is right on 6A at Scargo Lake and they serve full breakfast so we'll be all set. I'm actually hoping to get up early and take out a canoe on the lake or do some swimming.
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I model my curried chicken salad after one that used to be available at Rebecca's in Boston and the Silver Palate cookbook version. If I have the time I'll poach chicken breasts in a little broth with a few peppercorns, cloves and carrot tossed in, but it tastes just as good with leftover roast or grilled chicken.
The dressing is mayonnaise, a little lemon juice and curry powder (Madras brand). I leave the chicken in fairly large chunks and add in chunks of sweet red pepper, granny smith apples, grapes and either dry roasted peanuts or cashews. This makes a great lunch to eat as is or as a sandwich on a baguette. I showed my daughter how to make it and now she makes it to take to school whenever we have extra chicken around.....not your standard high school lunch fare. I think substituting chutney and pepper for the curry powder sounds like a great variation.
Paulazuchef -- I love Bitman's book also and use it all the time.
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Choco tacos are very much out there. At the beach they're on all of the ice cream trucks and at our local community pool the lifeguards sell them out of the freezer during "rest breaks". I've seen them in the supermarket, too.
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Here's a quick summer vegetable dish, from a Roman friend:
Steam green beans until they're al dente and toss with EVOO, minced garlic and sprinkle with salt, pepper and fresh mint. Serve at room temperature.
The mint really adds a nice flavor dimension to the green beans. Since I find it hard sometimes to spinkle fresh cut herbs (they bunch up when I chop them after rinsing, and if I don't rinse they'e too gritty
) I zap them briefly in the microwave until they crumble nicely.tommy, the pasta looks fabulous. Wish I had some of the leftovers, if there were any, for lunch today.
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Paulazuchef, I've always wanted to eat at Red Pheasant but we never seem to be able to work it into our week at the Cape. Several years ago we rented a house very close to the restaurant and it was one of my favorite Cape rentals. We were right next to a sheep farm and the house had a large kitchen with a big picture window.
We'll be at the Cape next week, so maybe we'll have a chance to have dinner there. We'll be staying at Scargo Manor for a few days, and already have plans to eat at Abicci, which we've wanted to try. May go to Inaho in Yarmouthport for sushi or Brewster Fish House. Swan River Restaurant is one of the places we like also, for casual family dining. Can't wait -- hope the nice weather holds!
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Here's a link to some information on cherry varieties:cherries
I generally store them in a loosely tied plastic bag in the fridge -- but I usually buy small quantities at a time and plan to eat them right away. Cherries are some of the only fruits I prefer chilled to room temperature.
Hmmm....going to visit my daughter at camp tomorrow and she loves cherries. Maybe I should bring some Bing and Rainier and we can have a taste test.
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Are white cherries different than Rainier cherries? Rainiers are in my grocery store now and they're a golden color with some red blush. They're hideously expensive, but I plan to try some when I have time to go to the store and "cherry-pick" some good looking ones. Sorry, I couldn't resist the pun
Every spring I gear myself for trying fresh fiddleheads at home and it never fails that I blink and I've missed the season. Ditto for shad, which is on the menu at a local restaurant for only a few weeks.
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mille fuille -- a popular 60's children's card game about cars
I loved that game! My brother and I used to play it a lot. For some reason I used to get a big kick out the french word for tire, "pneu". Was just thinking about it recently, too, when thinking of good new games to play as a family. Actually, I wish they'd come out with a similar game for cycling, based on the Tour de France.
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Last night I made steamed fish for the first time and was really pleased with the results. I downloaded a recipe from foodtv.com -- I think it was a Sara Moulton recipe -- for Steamed Halibut Fillets, Chinese style.
The best part was stopping by the fish market. When I asked if they had any halibut fillets (they had steaks in the case), they brought out a big halibut tale from the walk-in and proceeded to fillet it for me. Talk about fresh
The recipe calls for a marinade of sliced scallions, mince garlic/salt paste, a couple of tablespoons each of veg. oil, rice vinegar and sugar, 1/4 C. soy sauce, one tablespoon sesame oil and some slivers of ginger. Steam the fish in the marinade for about 12-15 minutes, depending on thickness of fish. It was delicious. The only thing I would change would be to strain the juices after steaming and garnish the plated fillets with strained juices and fresh sliced scallions -- the steamed scallions had turned a dark green that wasn't very attractive.
Served with fried rice made from leftover steamed white rice, stir fried with some wok-scrambled eggs, dice red pepper and peanuts, and steamed snow peas.
Does anyone have suggestions for a good steaming set-up? I had to improvise because I don't have a pot wide enough in diameter to accomodate a plate large enough to hold the fish.
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Yvonne -- Sounds yummy. I love simple dishes like this because you can always play around with variations on the theme, adding pine nuts or some spinach for example. Another favorite of mine is to saute strips of portabella mushrooms in EVOO and garlic and toss with spaghetti.
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Grilled boneless, center cut pork chops, black beans and rice.
Marinated the pork in a mixture of orange juice, dijon mustard, honey and curry powder. While they were grilling, I reduced the marinade into a glaze and brushed it on.
Black beans are a family favorite. Saute in a little canola oil chopped onion, garlic, diced multi color peppers and carrots until slightly softened. Sometimes I add celery if I have it. Season the vegetables with chili powder (when I'm not lazy I season with individual herbs/spices)
and add drained, rinsed canned black beans. Stir and cook over low heat for a few minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro. It's easy to double or triple this recipe.
The pho sounds great. Miss J, does the steak stay raw or does it cook a little in the broth?
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One of the neatest things at the Lobster Pot is the art gallery of photos, paintings and drawings of the restaurant all along the walls. And the portuguese kale soup, though not traditional at all, was outrageously good.
The waitress we had was fantastic. There were six of us: my husband and myself, our fourteen year old daughter and her best friend, and our eight year old daughter and her best friend. She knew exactly what to bring the liitle kids: sparkler straws, and she advised the teens on the best preparations for their salmon. She brought along a side of homemade bearnaise for my daughter's blackened salmon because "you've got to try this!" and when I asked about the lobster she said "You can get steamed lobster anywhere -- the pan roasted is our specialty". We're going to the Cape again in a couple of weeks and may shlep up to Provincetown from Dennis just so we can eat there again and have Julie serve us.
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Arnold's, an informal seafood place on Rte 6 in Eastham, just past the National Seashore Headquarters, has great seafood and burgers. It's one step above a clam shack -- you place your order at the counter and then go find a table indoors or a picnic table outdoors. The clam chowder is thick, rich and creamy with lots of clams, no heavy salt pork taste and none of that floury feeling. The fried clams are fantastic, as are the steamers. We usually eat there a few times during our week at the Cape, sometimes for lunch, sometimes for dinner. Never had a steamed lobster there, but their fried lobster nuggets are delish. No waiters, so that's a drawback for your daughter.
The Binnacle, in Orleans near the junction of 6A and 28 behind Christmas Tree Shops, has great pizza and good Italian specials. Their caesar salad is my hands-down favorite. You can have anything you want on your pizza (goat cheese, peppers, eggplant, lobster, shrimp, artichoke hearts, etc.), plus they offer specials like Thai Chicken Pizza and my husband's favorite, Shrimp, Bacon and Mustard. The pizzas are sort of deep dish style. Very reasonable. They also have some steak and seafood specials nightly that are usually good.
Haven't been to Brewster Fish House in several years but we plan to go in a couple of weeks. Not really a family place so we avoid it when we have the kids. Our family has never been wild about Land Ho!, but we do like Jonathan's Tavern at the Barley Neck Inn. It's in Orleans on the way to Nauset Beach. Another place that gets good reviews but leaves us kinda cold is Kadee's in Orleans.
If you make it all the way to Provincetown and want to have dinner there, The Lobster Pot has great seafood. Their salads and breads are served family style and are fresh and delicious. I had a pan roasted lobster that I devoured and the teenagers loved their salmon dishes. You can get any fish prepared in any number of ways and the staff is very helpful. Walking around Provincetown at night and poking around the shops is a favorite teenage activity. Escpecially when there's a lot of local color in the streets.
edit note: originally had "The Barnacle" instead of Binnacle. Must have been thinking of Barnacle Bill the old sailors' shanty
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Nina -- I've made an onion tart from The French Farmhouse Cookbook by Susan Loomis and it came out wonderful. Served it as part of a light French meal to complement our book club gathering for "Chocolat". Got lots of recipe requests. It's basically a yeast dough covered with slow cooked carmelized onions and creme fraiche. Definitely not as rich as the Tarte Flambe sounds, but it's delicious.
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Cabrales - If you are in a restaurant and have ordered a surprise menu and you do not prefer to be served choclate for dessert, then you should just say so at the beginning of the meal. 100% of the restaurants in the world will accomodate you. Otherwise, if a restaurant brings you a chocolate dessert when you don't say anything, I don't see how you are entitled ito hold it against them? Most people like chocolate and chocolate desserts are probably the most ordered desserts. How is a restaurant to know that you are chocolate averse if you don't tell them?
I learned an invaluable lesson the first time I was shy about speaking up in a restaurant about preferences, and it involved a choclate dessert. Or, rather, the lack thereof.
My husband and I had a lovely prix fixe dinner at a French restaurant where we had a choice for almost all the courses. When it was time for dessert, the waitress brought over a plum tart, sort of an upside down cake. To my husband, if it ain't chocolate, it ain't dessert and the waitress saw he looked a little disappointed. Her English was nonexistent and my French was pretty rusty but it was clear she was asking if it was alright. My husband insisted everything was fine -- I told him I would say something if he wanted me to, but he declined. The moment passed and a little later, after he had tried the tart he said "Gee, I wish you could ask for something chocolate." At that point it felt awkward and my French wasn't quite good enough to make a pleasant joke and ask for a substitute. Boy, was he glad to see the decadent choclate truffles they served with espresso..............
But I learned that it's always better to make your wishes known if you can do so politely, and especially when it's clear that the restaurant wants you to be happy. So now when I order Chef's choice sushi, I always ask if they can substitute something for mackerel (as long as it's not abalone ).
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I scrambled eggs in bacon fat this weekend. And added a little spring onion and aged cheddar.
Yum.
Miss J that sounds absolutely tops. Now I'm hungry again.
Last weekend when I made my husband's egg sandwich I fried the egg in bacon fat for a change, unbeknownst to him. Cooked the bacon on a sheet pan in the oven, my new favorite way, despite what everyone says on the "bacon" thread, and simply tipped some of the fat into the skillet I was using. It looked simply beautiful -- all crispy around the edges.
He said it was delicious, but then again, he always says that about my cooking.
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Maybe it was really a kasha knish?
From one who believes that no respectable knish should be filled with kasha....................
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Speaking of tin foil method, this week's NY Times Food section had a Bittman recipe for clambake on the grill that I was planning to try tonight.
To paraphrase:
On a double thickness of foil put some mussels, littlenecks, large shrimp. (Linguica or sausage is optional. I plan to use some). Squeeze some lime juice on and top with some minced garlic, ginger and fresh cilantro, basil and mint. Close package tightly and put in a closed grill, covered. Cook about 10-15 minutes. Open packages and drizzle with a bit of soy sauce and a squeeze of lime.
re: thyme I concur that it won't get lost in the mix. I make a marinade for poultry with balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, olive oil, black pepper and thyme that seasons chicken or turkey beautifully. The roasted parsnips sound fantastic.
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Haven't actually been to St. Maarten/St. Martin in a number of years, but recently passed through on route to St. Bart's, and there's a colleague at work who goes every year, so I'll pass along what I know......
See if you can find a good map of the island on the internet to get familiar with the lay of the land, so to speak. It's a pretty big island and there are beaches on the Atlantic and Caribbean sides. It's a pretty densely populated island, too, so the traffic can be heavy at times.
The area around Phillipsburg is pretty touristy and it's the major port for all of the cruise lines so there's an emphasis on shopping. The French side has two main towns, Marigot and Grand Case. Marigot is bustling yet charming and has lots of great boutiques. Very chic in that oh-so-French way. Fabulous baguettes and pastries -- the chocolate almond croissants are to die for. There used to be a little restaurant, Bistro Nu, and if it's still around you should try it. It's like it was transplanted from Paris. Marigot is also where you can catch a ferry to Anguilla, which I highly recommend if you feel like exploring miles of sandy beaches with virtually no one else around. I think the ferry takes about 20 minutes.
Grand Case is known for its "restaurant row". I haven't eaten in any of the places, but you could check the Fodor's bulletin board or the French West Indies Travel log, Phorum West Indies, which is a friendly site. There's also a strip of barbecue joints near the beach that are unbelievable. The women cook up ribs, chicken, and lobster in big drum grills. Served with rice n'peas and scotch bonnet hot sauce, it is finger lickin' steet food. All you need is an ice cold Red Stripe to go with it. Beaches around Grand Case and the Meridian resort are bay-like and calm. The beaches on the Atlantic side tend to be more rugged and have surf.
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Some like it hot. And some, I guess not.
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I take my eggs, especially egg sandwiches, with globs of mustard......
Then, a friend who was once a chef, made the scrambs for me with reduced heavy cream, and chopped chives, following similar proportions. Magnificant.
I love eggs with mustard, especially when there's salami involved. Salami and eggs with spicy brown mustard, on fresh rye bread. Hear that, tommy? When there's eggs involved with your salami switch from Wonder to rye
One night I got the urge for eggs with cream and chives just as you describe. But I folded smoked salmon pieces into the eggs and saved the chives for sprinkling on top. Mmmm, Mmmm good.
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Jaymes -- yum, yum. Love Huevos Rancheros and all sorts of eggs wrapped in tortillas.
I make something I call Mexican Eggs which is basically a fluffy omelette that you put in a gratin dish with avocado quarters then douse liberally with salsa, sprinkle with shredded Jack or Cheddar and zap under the broiler. I eat it with heated flour tortillas that I tear up as I go along and use to scoop some of the eggs.
Another egg sandwich I love is scrambled eggs with feta , or a feta omelette, in pita bread with tahini sauce. I had cravings for this while I was pregnant and used to make garlicky tahini spiked with cayenne pepper to go with the feta eggs.
Using an egg shell to get egg shell out of eggs
in Pastry & Baking
Posted
I just had to fish an eggshell out this morning and used a fork quite successfully. It was in a 2-cup pyrex measuring cup so I'm not sure I would have had enough room to manouver an eggshell half. Plus, if you're only using one egg (which I was) and you had eggshells in the egg because you made a total mess of cracking (not in this case) you might not have an eggshell half to use. The one egg was for:
Pancakes. Homemade buttermilk pancakes with real maple syrup. Mmmmm.