jsmeeker

made some palmiers with some frozen puff pastry dough I had in the freezer. First time I made them. I think they turned out fairly well, though I wish my sheet of puff pastry was larger so the cookies could have been larger. I've eaten about half the batch already.

I'm debating which Apex kit to get. Kit 2 gets me a small ceramic hone plus an instructional DVD. The hone seems like it would be awkward to use since it doesn't have a real handle on it. I would think I would be better off with the hone the sell that does include a handle. But I'm sure the DVD would come in handy. Would it be better to buy Kit 1, then add in the DVD and the 12" ceramic hone?

canned tomatoes are great. Not just for make Italian tomato sauces, but they work equally as well when making Mexican. I can knock out a pretty good salsa with canned fire roasted tomatoes along with roasting fresh garlic, fresh chili peppers, and onions. Also, I think canned beans are just fine for a lot of things. Good to have on hand.

Several suggestionsin this topic don't call for gin. I really liked the Jack Rose with meyer lemon.

I've been to CF off and on over the past several years. The menu is the same. When people talk about it being long, they are talking about the sheer number of items on the menu. It goes on and on and on.. There IS a lot to choose from. Too much, some would say.

my copy arrived today. Looking forward to reading through it, then deciding what good Japanese knife to get. Shun or MAC. Then, buying a Apex sharpening system.

how thick should a tapioca be after it's chilled in the fridge? I made some tapioca pudding on Sunday. I've never made it before. I think I may have only ever had it once. Here is the recipe that I used as a guide. 1/3 cup tapioca (small pearls) 1 cup milk 1 1/2 cups coconut milk 1 small pinch of kosher salt 1 1/2 tablespoons molasses 1/2 cp whipped cream 2 heaping tablespoons brown sugar Toasted coconut for garnish Now, right off the bat, I'll say I made one change that may be the cause of the results I got. The store didn't have small pearl tapioca. Just the "Minute Tapioca". I knew it wasn't the right kind. I debated what to do. In the end, I bought and decided to go with it. The recipe called for soaking the tapioca for 1 to 2 hours in the milk. I decided to go with about 30 minutes. And I also used a bit less than 1/3 cup. After soaking, I dumped the milk soaked (along with milk) into a sauce pan. I added the coconut milk, molasses, and brown sugar. Put it to medium high heat. the recipe I had said to stir until it thickly coated the back of a spoon. The box of Minute tapioca suggested cooking until a full simmer. I did the full simmer thing. It certainly was coating the spoon by then. the sauce pan went into an ice bath.. I stirred until it cooled down. Then, I folded in the whipped cream. At this point, It seemed to have a consistency/texture that looked right. It was still "fluid". But it was only 2 or 3 in the afternoon. This was for after dinner. so, I loaded it into a container and stashed it in the fridge. I knew it was gonna set up some more. And it did. It wasn't fluid it all. Pretty stiff. But not really heavy. I think that the whipped cream hep there.. the flavor is really great, though. But it's just really thick. So, how thick SHOULD chilled tapioca pudding be? I assume if I made it with small pearl, the measure of tapioca would have been less over all since they are larger in volume than the Minute stuff, leading to less thickening power? Did I over cook it? It was coating the back of the spoon before it got to the full simmer. Maybe I should have stopped? I'm perfectly willing to seek out small pearl tapioca and try again if I will get a looser final result after it's been in the fridge. That is, if that's the way it should be.

Tell me about BBQ in Charleston. I'm from Texas. We do cow. I know that up in the Carolinas, they it's all about the pig. Where should I go to get some good BBQ that best represents Carolina style BBQ? Does South Carolina and/or Charleston have a "signature" style? A friend has tossed out Bessinger's and Melvin's to me as possibilities.

that's taking your coffee pretty seriously! I notice that both of your grinders appear to be empty. Do you not store your beans there, or are you fresh out??

Right now, 2005 Spring Wuyi Yen Cha "Shui Xian". Brewed it 2 tsp. and 6 oz. 195 F water. Steep for 3 and a half minutes. This oolong is close to the black teas I typically drink. Makes it "familiar" to me. Beyond that, it's hard to say more. I do think I can get a few steepings out of this. The leaves are in large pieces, and only opened up a bit during the first steep.

I was in the grocery store today picking up some things in the ethnic aisle. I saw lots of things called "Maggi" some of it was in a box, in cubes. Some was in a small jar in powder form. Then there was some stuff in a bottle in a liquid form. For a Michelada, which one would I want? And if I got it, I think I use that instead of the Worcestershire sauce?

wouldn't some evaporation lead to a reduction of the liquid, increasing it's flavor? Anyway.. I probably would had had both veal shanks.

Damn, Chris.. You just made me hungry. And I just finished a big bowl of chili! I like how you made one serving, too. I always make several, even when it's just me. And I do it in all my big 7 1/4 qt. Le Crueset. What's the deal with the paper on top?

sweet... Thanks for that tip, guys. Now, I just need to get my tortilla press.

A couple of questions. What size press should I get? When I get tortillas in the store, they are the 6" sized ones. Would a 6 1/2 inch press be big enough? I don't want anything really big, as I don't really want to make big tortillas. What kind of plastic? When I see someone calling for plastic film, I think of Glad pastic wrap or Seran wrap or whater. The stuff we all have to cover bowls, wrap food, etc. But what I see on TV and what I see in pics here seems to be a very different plastic. It appears thinker and looks like it wouldn't stick to itself.

It's on the menu of pretty much every Tex-Mex joint. Even Mex joints and joints that aren't really either. I would much prefer to make this with real cheese and not Velveeta or whatever. I can even be white instead of yellow. In fact, white would be nice as I have a block of Chihuahua in the fridge and some tortilla chips in the cupboard. Is it like make a bachamel based cheese sauce? Flour and butter to make roux. Then some milk. Then add in grated cheese? What do I do to "spice it up"?

Saw Rick Bayless make these on one of his shows. Then saw it on a restaurant menu about 2 months or so ago. Then, saw it on a menu last Saturday. So, I ordered it. About 5 minutes ago, I made one lime juice Bohemia cerveza Tapatio hot sauce woersteshire sauce I didn't salt the rim.. I usually don't like that. But I suppose I should give it a try. I also need to track down Maggi Sauce. Never heard of it, but I am sure my local Fiesta Mart has it.

I brewed a cup western style last night. 1.5 tsp for 8 oz. water. Water at 190 F. Steeped 4 minutes, then poured into a mug. It looked like a green tea. But this is an oolong, right? Anyway, based on just the color of the tea, it had more flavor than I expected. Understand, I am new to tea. Until recently, the only tea I drank was iced tea. And since I started drinking quality hot teas, I've been drinking mostly black teas. Anyway, back to this TYG. This type of tea is pretty different than the black teas I've been drinking lately. But I am having a hard time describing the flavors. I want to say "It tastes kind of like <blank>".. But I can't come up with what <blank> is. I have plenty left, of course. So, I'll try it again.

I have made Cooks Illustrated's recipe a few times. I'm not sure if they are "Milanese" style or not because, frankly, I don't really know the definition of "Milanese". Anyway, they were tasty. CI suggested they be served with polenta. (which I did). They also call for a garnish of gremolata. (I did that too).

Any way we could get a translation of the article on you in the Chinese Restaurant News? Also, as you work on editing the book, are you running into any issues with being an "outsider"? Not only are you not Chinese, you don't even speak Chinese.

I have my tea now! Thanks, Richard.. Now, I just need to brew up a cup. I'll check out the Gong Fu guidelines at Norbu Tea's website, but I'll probably wind up brewing it "Western Style"

Right.. And for me, it would be for home use.

How did you decide on an angle for sharpening the Shun? I've been drooling over this knife ever since I saw one a few years ago. You are using the Apex system to sharpen, so I'll assume that it is up to the task of sharpening the Shun properly (and hopefully, without too much effort or risk of damaging the knife). Did you use Chad's "An Edge in the Kitchen" for guidance?

¿Quién es mas macho? ← LOL How much more will it cost me to be more macho? Let me guess your answer. "It doesn't matter. It's worth it"

What does a Vita-Prep 3 get you over a Vita-Mix 5200? The controls seems pretty much the same. is the only difference 3 HP motor vs. 2 HP? And for home use, wouldn't 2 HP be enough?