HungryC

Not glass, but ceramic--the Le Creuset french press is pretty heavy stoneware. It's not going to shatter, but it will still break if you drop it from sufficient height onto a tile floor. http://www.surlatable.com/product/PRO-959486/Le-Creuset-Cherry-French-Press But why not just replace the Bodum beaker? Around $15 online: http://www.surlatable.com/product/PRO-6626/Bodum-French-Press-Replacement-Beaker

Oh Lord, won't something please replace kale and/or chard? I love both, but enough already. I vote for the baby green lima as the next trendy thing. It has the similar "I hated it in childhood so let me overuse it now" appeal as Brussels sprouts.

Plenty of folks in south LA use the oven method; it seems to be especially popular with ppl making a dry (oil less) roux or those using very little oil. Have also heard from some folks using gluten free flours (rice, various blends) that the oven method seems to produce better result than stovetop, thou I have no direct experience with comparing GF flours and methods. Plenty of cooks use the microwave. Here's a micro roux methodology: http://www.nomenu.com/joomla1/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1066:microwave-roux&catid=98:building-blocks&Itemid=167

No flavor differences that I've ever noticed in a lifetime of making roux (and not just as a thickener for gumbos and stews, but for completely roux-centric dishes like roux peas & baby green limas in a roux). I can't think of anyone who takes 2 hours to make a roux, unless they're a complete novice and totally afraid of burning it. Most people I've observed roux-making probably come in around 20-35 minutes, depending on the amount being made & the stove's heat output. I usually get it done (most often a "2 cup roux", ie, 1 cup of oil and 1 cup of flour) in 20 minutes on my crummy Amana gas stove. Here's a big one, made w/2.5 lbs of flour. Takes about 35-45 minutes over a propane burner, depending on how hard the wind is blowing.

I have an entire drawerful of kitchen towels....some are smooth linen (for covering bread or under a rising loaf), others are terry (drying dishes or clean hands, and a new, fresh one is set out every day), the "pretty" tea towels, and others are just a few steps above rags for gross stuff like wiping up floor spills, etc. All are machine washed in hot w/a little bleach--the same treatment I give to my bath towels & sheets (all white, so it makes life easier). For completely disgusting things (drying the inside of a whole chicken, draining fried foods), I use paper towels.

I've given up trying to use Silpats/silicone bakeware in all but the most specific circumstances. I find them very hard to keep clean. Parchment is easier to use for routine pan lining. I'm lazy and buy precut half sheets that fit my pans.

I have to agree with Martin and several other posters. Some jobs are still paid by piecework....imagine picking crabmeat by hand, paid only on the volume you produce. Yes, it is still picked by hand, even in the USA. Ditto for crawfish. Both of these are seasonal jobs, so you won't have year round employment either.

Take heart, there is a Craigslist New Zealand.

Will you have an oven at the new place? Will you have an electric or gas stove or what? I'd need at a minimum, a good chef's knife & sharpening steel, a large cutting board (though this is probably easily purchased or improvised once you arrive), measuring cups and spoons, two sheet pans sufficiently sized to fit in the oven (if it exists), and a 3 to 4 quart saucepan (maybe your oval LC dutch oven can serve as this?) and a 10" skillet (nonstick or not, as is your preference). Maybe a single smaller pot if you like oatmeal or grits, or boil eggs frequently. And a loaf pan if you bake sandwich breads.

Pretzels aren't simple; no individually shaped item is easy once scaled up. Yeasted items will require more advanced prep and planning than a non yeasted item. How about a honey and spice cake, heavy on the ginger and cinnamon, as more representative of period flavors? Bake it whole or half sheet pans as your oven allows, and you will simply have to slice and serve at the event. On the savory side, a simple egg and cheese quiche in a pastry crust would also be appropriate. Sell it by the slice rather than attempting to make individual portions. Also consider an apple topped cake...apples were used in both savory and sweet fashion in medieval kitchens.

Try cooking the shrimp shells for a bit in butter before making the stock--it develops a deeper flavor when the shells get a bit toasty.

My chest freezer, a fairly inexpensive model, has the sliding baskets described above. Plus, the space below is divided into bins by plastic separators. Thus, you can fill each compartment by category (beef, poultry, etc) and things are easily accessible. I try to keep cooked frozen foods apart from frozen raw materials. I haven't had any problems with ice buildup or forgotten things at the bottom. I do keep it full of ice in food safe containers....which help to fill up the bottom, raising the good stuff to more accessible levels, and serving to make the freezer run more efficiently and as an emergency drinking water reserve.

Or make your own extract. Toast skinless hazelnuts, then steep in brandy.

Have you tried using oversized flour tortillas? You have to be very light with the toppings, but they do get very crunchy and crackerlike.

I haven't heard of Malgieri. Have you tried his recipe? He's an excellent pastry chef and cookbook author. Here is his website: www.nickmalgieri.com I haven't tried the recipe, but I've used many of his other recipes with great success.

There is a home kitchen sized recipe in Nick Malgieri's "Great Italian Desserts".

You can make a sort-of version with puff, but it won't have the same texture. In Neapolitan style sfogliatelle, the layers are completely separate (like phyllo), which is not at all the same texture as puff pastry. Assuming, of course, that we're talking about the same sort of pastry (pictured below).

No, widely available US roma varieties are never seen green. And most US consumers have an extremely limited tomato selection, even in season. The rock-hard, pinkish mechanically harvested tomatoes predominate in the mainstream marketplace. "Nice" salad tomatoes are a seasonal and fleeting thing, and the varieties vary quite a bit across the US due to the huge climate & growing season differences across the country. For example, I see lots of Early Girl tomatoes on CA menus, but this variety doesn't perform very well in my part of the USA, so they're not terribly popular in the Gulf Coastal south. I'd probably describe the sort of tomato desired, much as you've done above, because the average US reader will not be able to find specific named varieties anyway.

Broccoli rabe is very easy to grow. Maybe someone in the PA area should think about planting it once the ground thaws.

Maggi is a pretty common Vietnamese Ammerican ingredient, often used on banh mi. It is a table condiment at several Viet restos Near me. It is also the key ingredient in the dish nui Maggi (read about it here on Andrea Nguyens website: http://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/2008/08/vietnamese-garlic-noodles.html ).

I've been using them to make chicken adobo. Calamansi juice, soy, ginger, garlic, onions, a little sugar, and a long, slow braise. A Filipina coworker suggested that I use vinegar with pork, but calamansi with poultry.

The Pelican Inn is in Muir Beach, near(ish) to Muir Woods. A very interesting structure; I visited last December and had a nice ploughman's lunch. Better half had a burger, IIRC. Dunno that I would drive all the way out there just for the food, but it's a decent bite and not too far out of the way from Muir Woods. http://www.pelicaninn.com/index.html

I feel your pain regarding supermarket olive oil. However, I recently discovered California Olive Ranch, which produces a nice, fruity EVOO in CA. No worries about adulterated oil, no off flavors from god-knows-what, and an affordable product suitable for copious daily use. Check 'em out: http://www.californiaoliveranch.com/ I can purchase CA Olive Ranch's oils at Winn Dixie and Whole Foods, as well as other chain supermarkets around the Gulf Coast. You can buy direct. And if you want a super fruity oil, the unfiltered first pressing from the '12 harvest is still available via the website. ETA: I never thought about oil's purity or production until I read Extra Virgin: http://www.amazon.com/Extra-Virginity-Sublime-Scandalous-World/dp/0393070212

weinoo, I want that for lunch *every*day.

You took the words right outta my mouth. Pretty much sums up how I feel about everything in that cookbook.