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gfron1

eGullet Society staff emeritus
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Everything posted by gfron1

  1. I sure miss having the time to be active in eG But I knew my long-time friends would have heard the news. So many learnings to get to this point, and many have asked me the difference between this and the one from New Mexico. I promise I'll post something as soon as I can. Thank you all so much!
  2. I don't remember what shipping was for either the boxes or inserts, but it was very reasonable considering, and more importantly once factored in to the per box price it was negligable...but that gets to your second question. I used the slow boat and so both took 2-3 months. The price increase for faster shipping wasn't worth it for me. FWIW, I used my new complete set up on Valentines and it was exactly what I wanted. They do very precise work.
  3. I always do a lot of extra fruit (candied and boozed) because they store forever, and then you can find other uses. Just last night (NYE) we used my 2 year bourbon aged dried fruit (prune, apricot and mango) in a sorta riff on a bastilla (Moroccan sweet meat pastry) using our goose scraps. We encased it in a mooncake skin. It was not nearly as dry as it looks
  4. Not knowing the consistency and if its solid or hollow inside, it very well could be the technique where you aerate tempered chocolate, blown into a mold to set. The white/grey looks to me, sprayed on afterwards.
  5. Quince was the launching point for the idea.
  6. gfron1

    Dinner 2021

    Thanks for making the journey up! Maybe next time I can actually not recoil from your hug (sigh, covid ptsd)
  7. An historically rooted Ozark menu going vegan would be ... well, it wouldn't be at all.
  8. gfron1

    Flan tin

    I've been using a 10x3" silicone pan off Amazon because I like my flans huge!. I've had no issues releasing. My caramel is fine. And never a leak. Just have to use a baking sheet to give it a firm bottom and for flipping over.
  9. Just another thought FWIW. This contraption is used for hard candies, and I just last night saw a very similar device used for mochi making HERE. The reason I'm suggesting this is the physics of trying to press down on a bed of hard candy (even before its set), and thinking how much pressure would need to be applied to force through all that surface area. The idea with these contraptions (as demonstrated in the video at the very first second and in more detail later in the video) is that friction/rolling assists in cutting through.
  10. At my last Coppel workshop I asked her specifically to teach me this technique. Obviously I only just started to figure out the pressure to apply and the angles, but I understood how she got to where she did...and that she could never do this is full production. If you'd like to see the step by step I'll share access to my google photos file. Just DM me your email.
  11. As usual, so much has happened since my last post. A while back I found an old pamphlet showing cemeteries down near my family cabin. It included a "slave cemetery." That cemetery is now on the campus of Crown Vineyard, which used to be the John Coffman farm. While digging around I found a WPA era interview of free slaves HERE. Searching through I found three slaves who were enslaved on John Coffman's farm. My history interns spent most of the past year doing genealogical research, and two weeks ago finished the family trees for each of them. I'm not sure where this will lead to, but I want keep things rolling to find out. A few days ago I reached out to the great, great, grand daughter of Mariah Douthit, and tonight she responded! I know none of this makes sense for a restaurant, but I also can't imagine not following these leads.
  12. I am, but I should have pushed SIlvia more to make a plastic dome top insert like I originally wanted.
  13. Yes, we use it as our kombucha base
  14. I also get mine from Mala, and now that I'm a Patreon supporter of Chinese Cooking Demystified I get a little discount as well. Last order I got the regular but also the flowers. I haven't delved into the difference yet, but love them both. I'm using them on all sorts of random foods, including a vinegar ice cream, with the same process - lightly toast, grind, add, finish with some vinegar or acid element. I'm a bit addicted. ETA: As if my computer were reading my posts, Mala market sent a marketing email just as I hit POST, with a new shipment of different chiles and peppercorns.
  15. Thanks Kay, and I know I'm remiss in posting here...but so much has happened over the past year and emotionally it's just hard...but you all get it. Alex, we are already open for in-house dining, limiting to just 6 families a night (normally that means 12-14 in a space the is rated for 100). FWIW, here is my most recent shared info: Here is my road map for 2021: 1. We have been conducting genealogical research on freed slaves from the Coffman, MO area. With the loss of our SLU History interns (due to COVID and SLU moving off campus), we haven't been able to get any more recent family connections than the 1980s...we're very close. I want to finalize this research and work with any living decedents to support them in sharing their story, if interested. 2. We had been working with the National Archives to identify shipping records, agricultural records or tax records related to the Missouri farmers/researchers who sent rootstock to France in the 1860s and 70s. Surely there will be some record of it leaving the country or entering France. By finding the records, our ultimate goal is to identify a farm, a town, a region where Missouri rootstock was used with more detail than what we currently have. 3. Our 1841 seed project had a great start last year. I want more farmers, more production, and more seeds and produce getting out to the general public to excite people about varietals that have not been grown or eaten in this area in generations. 4. Back in April I had a chef "rant" about the "fad" of locavore restaurants. I've been chewing on this for a long, long time. It has become clear to me that those of us who grew up on the Michael Pollan school of thought and the Laura Reilly awareness of how restaurants use this, have failed at maintaining awareness of the principals and hard facts around why local is important. It's not a fad and never has been so expect to see cold, hard numbers from me throughout the year. And I'm a believer in actions not words, so we will dig even deeper, and explain why, very publicly. 5. Lastly, I am so excited about working with Tosha Phonix and EVOLVE. A small part of her work is supporting African American growers in the STL area. We're not sure where this relationship may go yet, but we're committed to finding out both with support and finances.
  16. gfron1

    Shake Shack

    Since Danny based the whole idea on his experiences here in STL, especially Steak and Shake, and STL has much evolved and such amazing smash burgers at other places like Mac's Local Eats and F&B (among many, many others - all of whom have better fries that SS)...I go only when I crave their shakes. As for their other sandwiches, well, they've not blown me away.
  17. I do still want to know what you meant by this. Do you not think their recipes and techniques are good? Authentic? Personalities? I'd like to know because if I'm using them as a source for my learning I want to know what critical lens I should be applying since I don't know any better.
  18. True, but... Anyway, as you know how my mind works, I'm already plotting my version. Mine would include Hermé's 24-hour apples as an insert, and the crackle shell...well, I think I would make a dry caramel. Cool it. Throw it in the food processor. Roll the apple in it. Then hit it with a blow torch. That would do the trick - not for restaurant service but for showing off on IG. I might play with that next week.
  19. I thought the video showed the spoon cracking the surface not smooshing. It happens very fast but it looks like a crisp outer layer to me.
  20. I can't imagine that being enough, but possibly I suppose. Even at its coolest, a still liquid caramel would be too hot.
  21. Because if I'm right that the previous layer is tempered white chocolate, then the caramelized sugar would immediately melt the coating, not to mention the apple mousse underneath.
  22. The first dip looks like white chocolate to me - tempered to give the mousse structure. The second is a napage or maybe just a caramel glaze. I think the first shake around is to make the sphere less perfect and more apple like. ETA: The more I watch it, the second glaze is definitely not napage or gelatin-based glaze. The bubbles on the surface suggest something more rigid, but it can't be hot/warm caramelized sugar which is what it looks like. That layer has me stumped.
  23. My holiday collection: From Left to Right: Hanukkah: Ginger, honey Festivus: Black coffee Christmas: Cinnamon, nutmeg Las Posadas: Spicy roasted chile caramel Kwanzaa: Sweet potato pie
  24. I found mine on amazon and purely based my decision on reviews, but I was very happy with both. PEELS. CHERRIES.
  25. I never circled back to share the video I made: HERE ON YOUTUBE And here is my list. Note that just because it's on the list doesn't mean I particularly enjoyed it. Details are in the video.
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