Lisa Shock

The Cordon Bleu North America's books also use weight-based measurement. The basics are: Professional Baking, 5th ed. by Gisslen Professional Cooking, 6th ed. by Gisslen (the prior editions also use weight-based measurement, I just linked to the newest)

I forgot to mention that Shibuya had great desserts! They were trios on long plates, each just a couple of great bites. I'd go back just to get dessert.

Roast them, remove the outer skins and then freeze them in small portions for use later. You can make green chile, posole, chile rellenos, or my favorite, just roast slice and put on top a regular red-sauce & cheese pizza. They are also great as a lasagna topping.

Thanks for posting this! One of my biggest disappointments with Recipe Gullet is that most pastry & baking recipes posted there are do not use weight mesaure.

Do you have Smart & Final in your area? I was there yesterday, and, at my local one, they had seven different scoops. (some of which were too large for you)

As a vegetarian, I normally wouldn't bother replying to a thread like this, but, my husband and I had a great meal at Shibuya in the MGM Grand. We were there in November, and the sushi chef made us a great winter vegetable roll with steamed cabbage instead of Nori. We also had a warm mushroom salad and some veggie sushi. It was well made and thoughtfully presented. They have a large selection of sake and shochu. I enjoyed a cocktail made of shochu and yuzu juice. My husband drank tea, and said that it was very good. (we have been to Japan, so, we have some basis for comparison) The environment is high-end modern Japanese. At the time we visited, the place was packed, loud and energetic -like a Tokyo place. HERE is a link to the website.

http://www.castingduo.com/foodnetwork Looks like they want someone with on-camera skills, a background in a commercial kitchen or food education, and between the ages of 25-45. Oh ya, and a HUGE personality. The up-side is that you don't have to bother with all of the fuss of competing on 'The Next Food Network Star.' Interestingly enough, they are using the casting agency that has also cast Top Chef.

I am able to get cumin and other seeds to a powder, what I tend to use is a bit coarser, but that also depends on how long I work on it. For curries, I usually just break things down a little and move on. Herbs have not been an issue, even rosemary breaks down pretty quickly. With dry chiles, I have been able to get an extremely fine powder. I recall once that I made a confection where the chile was so fine that in the final sugary product, people didn't call the dessert spicy, they exclaimed that had an effervescent sensation on their tongues. My mortar is fairly heavy, making grinding easier. And, I have noticed a difference between it and its smaller predecessor (which still grinds green tea for the husband) which is made of soapstone. The larger marble one is faster and makes finer powder. My guess is that harder rock yields a finer powder. I use a grater, the cool new mini-microplane nutmeg grater, for nutmeg. For cinnamon I use the fine microplane and the mortar and pestle. This is all at home. The health department here hates mortar & pestles and stone ones are not allowed in a commercial kitchen. I have seen stainless ones and been meaning to try one for a while, but, keep forgetting.

That would seem to work, however, most health department guidelines for professionally producing such a product (where it's allowed at all) also require acidulation of the garlic as the first step. One quick note is that even under pressure canning conditions, the product would have to fully reach temperature and stay there for more than 5 minutes. You may have noticed that there isn't much garlic oil for sale in supermarkets.

I just use a small mortar & pestle. (well, not the smallest out there, it's 5" tall, the bowl is 3" deep and 3.5" wide) I got it 16 years ago for under $10, at World Market, it's made of black marble and cleans up fast. It sits right next to the stove, and is always ready to go.

You may wish to check out THIS thread on infused oils and food safety. In general, it is best to make and consume them on the same day.

There was (at least when I lived there) a bar in Santa Fe that served martinis as a plain glass and a 6-inch bowl of ice with things in/on it. There was a flask of the martini down in the ice, it actually resembled a mini wine carafe. On top of the ice were 3 large olives, 3 pearl onions and three twists. There was enough martini to consume all of the garnishes if you poured 1/3 of it in the glass at a time. Most people consumed this from least to most flavorful: onion, olive, twist. I know the concept is similar to the glass that is so hated, but the larger open shape is easier to manage. The biggest drawback to this setup is that one must stay seated to enjoy it.

Well, I tend to wash them in a freshly set up 3-compartment sink with the usual 'wash, rinse, sanitize' setup. You want to avoid having any oils in the sink, like might be present in used dishwater. I haven't seen any real difference in soaps. At home, with a 2-compartment sink, I wash with soap in one side, rinse with the tap, and sanitize in the other side -using bleach in the water at a concentration of a tablespoon per quart of water. (I measured the capacity once, now, I just know to add ¼ cup of bleach to the filled sink.) I also pick them up with fresh clean towels right after washing. My biggest problem with silicon mats is ripping them while doing sugar work. Nougatine really rips them up.

At home I tend to dry mine on the handle of my oven door, if the oven is cooling down it speeds things up. Don't forget to shake it as you pull it from the sink, a lot of water will roll right off it. In a commercial kitchen, I tend to put them on the side slats of an empty speed rack and then into a cooling oven.

That's great! Just make sure to get a good relationship going with the servers, so they talk up your desserts from the start of the meal so people look forward to your special desserts.

I like to mention whether the spiciness hits immediately, or if you get flavor first. I also prefer to describe where you feel it on the palate. For example, jalepenos get you right away and right up front on the tip of the tongue and keep burning. Whereas, cayenne sneaks up on you (allowing a taste of the food first)and warms the back of the throat.

You could try Duchess potatoes, those are always well received.

Very little sticks to the bamboo. I generally just rinse mine off with water and allow to dry. The steam kills most everything anyway. I use mine for veggies and, occasionally, steamed buns made with a lean yeast dough. But, the buns go onto parchment squares before being placed inside. Anything sticky or saucy is in a separate bowl inside the steamer, and that bowl gets washed as usual in the dishwasher. I like the steamer because it's easy to handle and cool to the touch, except for the metal stitches on the side.

Try checking out your local health department, and their regulations. Here, for example, you need to turn in plans before having a vehicle made or re-fitted for food service. You also, at least here, stock it and clean it at a health-department licensed facility. There are specific guidelines for hand-washing facilities, water storage, ice storage, etc. Your regulations will probably be different, but, it's better to know in advance rather than be fined or shut down later.

I've never been able to make anything very good at home. But, the 'Gimme Lean' stuff is available at most of the big chain supermarkets, and is similar to breakfast sausage patties. As stated above, it's very low in fat. I am able to get it to crisp-up by frying in a little oil. It holds up well in casseroles and on pizza. White Wave, a Colorado tofu company, used to sell 'SoySage' (a small brick with a patè-lie texture) to Wild Oats, prior to the WF buyout of WO. It was tasty, but had to be fried til crusty to stand up in most dishes. It had visible sunflower seeds in it, which was comforting as an indicator that there wasn't any meat in it.

There's always the gin & tonic, just twist lemon or lime zest over the glass before filling it. I have seen ice cube trays that make big diamond shapes. I think it was at Sur La Table, but I am not 100% certain, they are not available in their online store. Two clear alcohols not mentioned here are aquavit and corn whiskey (there are legal versions for sale), but, I'd go and look at the variety of clear liqueurs and eau de vies available to you. Maybe some good Poire Williams?

Purple cauliflower keeps its color very well. I have gotten it at Sprouts and 99 Cents Only stores.

Deep frying in plain cast iron can cause oxidation of some fats, which results in carcinogenic substances associated with rancidity. (remember, oil can be rancid and have no odor) This isn't a problem with some saturated fats, but, most people don't deep fry in pure lard anymore, either. Alton Brown covers this in an episode of Good Eats. The enamel-ware is the way to go. Remember, always use a pan with high sides and a thermometer.

I really liked this episode, but, I was wondering if two of the groups didn't pair up correctly? Shouldn't the sauce Munier have been with trout, and the Bernaise been with the frog's legs? I mean, I understand that nowadays we mess around with the classics all the time, but wasn't the point here to start with classical pairings?

Dry ginger is what was usually used in western kitchens as a flavoring. When a recipe calls for a teaspoon of 'ginger' that's what they mean. Candied was also used, but recipes will specify it. You can use fresh, but, you'll have to experiment, as stated above.