Obuibo

I went to an Acadian wedding a few years ago and, every time the subject of food came up, I was told quite adamantly that gumbo has either filé or okra and never both. The subject came up so often I imagined that Houma information brochures would contain it.

Before huiray's post I was going to guess that you were referring to what a waiter at a particular dim sum place called, "Chinese slime vegetable." I was able to find some at an Asian market afterward and, raw, it looked quite a bit like rapini. I briefly sauteed some at home and it was definitely mucilaginous. I haven't seen it since, so I was never able to experiment with it further.

I don't have immediate access to any sodium citrate at the moment, but I'd like to try emulsifying cheese a la Modernist Cuisine. It's come to my attention that it's possible to synthesize it with an aqueous solution of citric acid (which I can cheaply find at any grocery store) and the addition of sodium bicarbonate. I'm assuming the visible reaction is just the release of carbon dioxide, but I'm just guessing. I'd really like to know if this is food safe and, if so, what proportions should I use to avoid undesirable amounts of reactants and reagents? Also, would it be stupid to use beer instead of water.? I don't know what else is in beer aside from water and alcohol, and I'd really prefer not to hurt anybody

For the past couple of years I've been toying around with a sandwich shop/cafe concept, so I'm really enjoying this thread. I think I'm finally convinced that, while I may be a pretty good baker, I have no business baking my own bread. @Qwerty: What sort of dessert options do you have in mind? Pie, cake, cupcakes? Also, have you considered curing fish?