HungryC
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Posts posted by HungryC
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Good lord, banh da lon has its own facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/pages/B%C3%A1nh-da-l%E1%BB%A3n/112681152076156
Maybe the shopkeeper didn't want to possibly offend you by translating the name? (pig skin cake)
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Here's a vote for carciofi al mattone at Evangelista.
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Some of the best & cheapest food I ate on a Dec '11 trip to SF came from the lunchtime food trucks at UN Plaza...can't recall which day of the week (Tuesdays, I think). Tamales, wood-fired pizza, samosas, fresh juices, etc. Definitely an economical pig out with lots of ethnic variety, and a farmer's market nearby to boot.
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I understand what the business manager *wants* people to do, but I prefer to exercise my rights as an American: lists of ingredients aren't copyright protected. If I want to share a list of ingredients with my own instructional text, I will always say "adapted from" and give the original source (usually with a page number), and will also provide an Amazon (or Google books or other purchasing link). But to think that no one can ever use a fixed ratio of ingredients ever again simply because ONE person in the world published it in a book, forever making someone's sole intellectual property? The U.S. laws are clear on this one. A recipe is NOT a play, a book chapter, or a song sample.
I think the Reinhart example cited upthread is a great one. He's figured out that internet recipe postings aren't hurting his book sales, they're increasing his reputation as a teacher & author. So many (most?) of his Bread Baker's Apprentice recipes are posted online, yet it still ranks as #1,304 in Amazon's total book sales (not just food books, but ALL books). The thing will sell for years and years, thanks not only to its quality, but to the widespread references to the material.
So the Lepard/business manager's action is a hostile, counterproductive practice, IMHO. Look at this thread's content: it's not good press, where we're discussing the quality of his work & his ability to influence breadmaking. Instead, we're discussing his business manager's attempts to curtail the circulation of his material. This sort of activity makes me laugh: do authors not realize that (gasp) *public libraries* circulate their material for free?! To thousands of people? For years? And they don't pay any more for the books than an ordinary user? LOL. (And some of those people are even using those recipes in commercial kitchens, and Dan Lepard's business manager can't do a damn thing about it.)
If people are using your book and sharing information about it with others, it's GOOD for sales. If they're liking it enough to use it repeatedly and it inspires them to share it, it's GOOD for sales. If bloggers are chatting up your backlist, it's GOOD for sales. (ETA spelling fixes)
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The organic label simply references the farming practices....it is no guarantee of anything else nor is it a health claim.
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Any sort of dry cookie will work fine...though you might want to look for less-sweet versions. Have used plain choc wafer cookies, vanilla wafers, gingersnaps, amaretti, shortbread, and even Tollhouse crumbs (watch for over-browning/burning chocolate if you use chocolate chip cookies). For a sweet/salty crust, try pretzel crumbs.
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My preferred cuisine when dealing with these situations is to go for Cajun/Creole dishes--things like Gumbo, Jambalaya, Red Beans & Rice. It can be made well in advance, makes economical use of very flavorful meats, gets stretched further with rice, and as an added bonus many if not most people have ever had a truly great example of the cuisine unless they are from Louisiana (and even then...
). Downside: it would be difficult to adapt these to be meatless, and if you're making gumbo the right way it won't be gluten-free.We're thinking along the same lines. Red beans & rice is practically the cheapest thing you can make, it is gluten-free, and is easily made in delicious meatless versions (or made as meaty as you'd like). It is screamingly easy to make, and it scales up very, very well. You can even do the beans in a slow cooker (try borrowing one if you don't already have one) and the rice in a rice cooker (again, look to the people in your life with established kitchens--neither of these items is exotic and most folks with a full kitchen own one or both). Here's a slow cooker red beans recipe from the NOLA Times-Picayune: http://www.nola.com/food/index.ssf/2011/05/slow_cooker_is_great_for_red_b.html
Add some chopped parsley or green onions to the hot, cooked rice for eye appeal.
Jambalaya is another natural for large groups....also pretty inexpensive. (In case you ever have to prep jambalaya for way more than 26, here is a spreadsheet to calculate ingredient:water:rice ratios: http://www.tigerdroppings.com/rant/p/26150638/Jambalaya-Calculator---Free-Download.aspx ) But if you've never-ever made it before in any quantity, I'd hesitate to fiddle with a large batch as an initial try.
If beans & rice alone seems too pedestrian, consider enhancing it with a big ol pan of bread pudding for dessert. Again, very inexpensive, easily prepped in advance, and so easy to make in a huge pan. Fancy it up with a few different sauces: rum, whisky, chocolate/white choc. Plus, you can buy stale bread from a bakery seconds store (or try asking to buy stale stuff at an independent baker or nearby sandwich shop).
It's almost Mardi Gras, which gives you an excuse to use a Louisiana theme anyway. If you wanna go crazy, bake a king cake from scratch....
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At least the Sunbeam cupcake maker is probably cheap: Williams Sonoma is hawking an individual pie maker from Breville at the price of "just" $80.
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We haven't had much of a winter this year, but I did pull up all the dead pea vines, put down a thick layer of compost, and top-dressed with a load of leaf mould as mulch. Will try to get the tomato transplants (mostly beefmaster, better boy, Celebrity, a few Early Girls) in the ground this weekend. Our historic last frost date is Feb 21, and the forecast for the next two weeks looks pretty warm, so I'm gonna chance it...Lots of thai basil overwintered, as did a couple of pepper plants.
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I really like instant clearjel for berry pies. I buy it at kingarthurflour.com. It's a thickener that works without heat so you know exactly how thick your filling is going to be before you fill your pie. Also, it doesn't taste starchy. The only thing to remember is to combine the sugar in your recipe with the powdered instant clearjel before you add it to the berries to avoid clumping.
Seriously, this stuff takes the guesswork out of berry pies. I give bags of it as gifts. Sometimes people are disappointed that it's not cocaine. Just checking to see if you're reading this post.
Agreed---Instant ClearJel (aka modified food starch) is great. Made a fresh, uncooked strawberry pie using ClearJel last night.
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It helps to have a towel with a completely smooth surface...sort of like the smooth percale used on US bedsheets. In fact, old 100% cotton pillowcases make excellent dough cloths. I haven't had any problems with flour washing out of my very smooth towels, but the even slightly "bumpier" weave of others is problematic.
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Another vote for the Mae Ploy brand in the plastic containers.
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Yes, you can freeze starter, though you'll still have to defrost it, re-hydrate it and feed it a few times before it is active enough to raise a loaf of bread. It's faster/easier to keep a starter semi-dormant in the fridge; it can sit for weeks without feeding, then can be reactivated & made tasty again with just a couple of feedings.
For long-term storage, some ppl spread a thin layer of starter on a piece of foil, freeze until hard, then crumble it up into shards. The shards go into a bag/container, allowing you to keep the starter for months without any fuss.
I'm a fan of freezing (certain kinds of) completely baked loaves. I like to have different kinds available, so I'll bake & slice/portion some of the baked bread, wrapped tighly in plastic, then stowed in a zipper bag. I can take out just a few slices/pieces at a time. Defrost at room temp & a quick refresh in the toaster oven, and it's (nearly) as good as new. I bake big batches of burger & hot dog buns and store for later use: the enriched, soft white bread seems to freeze especially well.
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kudos to you for being inventive, but oysters (at least the gulf coast ones) are so varied in thickness/shape that I don't think your device could be used consistently. For all but the most inexperienced shucker, it would take longer to fit the oyster into the device than it would to simply shuck it in hand.
P&J Oyster Company in New Orleans is the oldest continually operating oyster dealer in the US (since 1876). The processors at P&J still hold each oyster in hand to shuck....so there must be compelling reasons of speed? irregular shape? or something that keeps the pros doing it by hand.
And here's a gratuitous oyster photo, on my grill w/butter, garlic, parmesan, and parsley.
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I agree that high hydration isn't the way to go. To approximate the texture of the storebought thin rolls, you'll want something closer to a pita or sandwich loaf texture. I was thinking that a whole-wheat pita dough, stretched and docked (poked all over with a fork), might yield a tender, flat, pocketless round similar to the PepFarms version.
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I'm happy to have discovered the Liberte coconut yogurt thanks to the Saveur 100. Dayum, that stuff is good. Makes my usual 0% greek seem wan by comparison.
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You need an extra-large bowl of pho, stat. I prefer beef, but chicken will do. Be sure to load it up with sliced jalapenos....
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You can certainly get a tremendous amount of baking done without a stand or hand mixer. That said, I use mine plenty. You can allow the mixer to do its thing while you line pans with parchment, preheat the oven, or load the dishwasher...you'll never cream butter & sugar as thoroughly by hand as the mixer will achieve...your arm will get mighty tired if you try to make Italian buttercream or marshmallows by hand. Yes, it can be done, but it's more physical labor than most of us enjoy (even on an occasional basis).
RE: needing a stand mixer for bread; as of late, I'm stuck on high-hydration doughs that are stretched & folded, not kneaded, so I use my mixer less for bread than for sweets/pastry.
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I use canned beans (esp black beans, cannellini, chickpeas, and Blue Runner creole cream style red beans). So there, take away my eGullet membership.
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Wow--just one? Of course I always have butter and accept no substitutes. But my kitchen is never without onions, garlic, and a stash of smoked meat (tasso, ham, andouille, bacon, etc). I find it hard to cook anything savory without those items.
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I'd ask for Lyle's Golden Syrup.
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Just one for 2012, but it's a biggie: I resolve to discard/waste less food due to poor planning or neglect.
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Was in San Fran week before last, found the Rancho Gordo stall at the Saturday Ferry Building farmer's market. Bought a pound of the Rio Zapes for $5.50 (ouch!) and wondered if they would be worth it.....cooked 'em simply with browned onion, a fleck of bacon grease, some epazote, salt & a tiny bit of ancho chili powder. WOW! What a fantastic flavor; subtle and nuanced. I'm from a bean-eating part of the world, and I grew up on field peas, blackeyes, speckled butter beans, red, white, baby green limas, etc. Still grow my own pinkeye purplehulls. But I'll be buying the Rio Zapes again.
(edited for spelling)
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I certainly haven't tried it, as I can't imagine the (to me) soapy taste of baking soda on the outside of roasted meat or poultry. Why wouldn't you use fat? A thorough oiling (or buttering) of chicken skin or tenderloin exterior has always yielded great browning for me. If you're really concerned about color, you can put a tiny bit of sugar (or honey) in any seasoning rubs/pastes used on the exterior. Sugar will help to form a nice brown crust.
Breakfast Adventures
in Restaurant Life
Posted
He knows sumpin'.....you need to, ASAP, get a "coming soon" sign with your potential hours & maybe even a draft of your menu posted in the window. People are naturally curious, and your location appears to be in a strip mall...traffic to the other businesses are your potential customers. Get some pre-opening buzz going. Make some biscuits & deliver them to the employees at neighboring businesses, along with a copy of your menu.
When I think of diner breakfasts, it's the small things that matter: homemade or locally made jams, good syrups (sorghum, local honey, mayhaw), etc. Have you considered putting a grilled pimento cheese sandwich on the menu?