Peter the eater
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Posts posted by Peter the eater
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I count seven out of sixty-one. A few boxes went to the attic this summer, and there's still a ton of magazines around the house. What I'm noticing is how many of these food/cookbooks don't have any recipes at all.
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So what do they taste like?
I can try just about anything once, but Veggy Skallops doesn't sound promising. When ingredients misrepresent themselves as something they're not, the outcome usually sucks.
The proof is in the pudding.
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I like the clarity of proven trilogies, but equally the new surprises. I doubt I'll ever tire of cilantro, chiles and lime. Don't think I fall back on any trios, there's too many combos and not enough time.
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The point is that sometimes things aren't necessarily done when the typical conditions are reached.
How about leftovers, after a cool night in the fridge, reheated the next day? Chili, lasagna, pot pie, et al.
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We've got some ex-Nova Scotians visiting from Yellowknife, a mere four thousand miles west and north of here, and they are missing Atlantic seafood. Before the traditional lobster feed, which was not photogenic, I gave them a pasta appetizer with Digby scallops and local oysters:
Scallops and oysters are sauteed in butter and set aside. Into the butter goes flour, garlic, smoked paprika and toasted dulse powder. The oyster juice goes in next, then milk to get a good saucy thickness. Add the pasta to the sauce and top with seafood.
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Nice work Chris, what's the floor made of?
We've got three compost heaps:
1. a fancy box for prime organic waste to be used on the garden -- veggies, coffee, egg shells, etc.
2. a messy pile of woody stuff, lawn clippings, weeds, etc. just to get out of the way
3. a 25 cubic foot plastic container for curbside pick-up of all the other stuff like bones, seafood debris, etc.
Fortunately, my municipality has green bin pick up for the nasty stuff (no.3) every other week. Some neighbors don't use it because of raccoons, bears and rats. I've only seen the raccoons trying to get in.
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Earlier this Spring I chopped up a homemade ham that we cured then froze, prematurely. The brine penetrated only 2/3 in, so my response was a band saw and barbecue. My reaction: Sure, the brine made for pinkish juicy meat, but the untreated region was differently delicious.
Pork is much more like poultry than beef in this regard.
OliverB, those Bavarian style Ham Sülze on your link look very enticing.
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Provocative question. I like wine but I regard it as completely non-essential for good food. If I lived someplace where the wine was fine and cheap, like Eastern Europe or New Hampshire, I'd have more of it more often. Pure chilled water is often the best accompaniment.
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Hmmm . . . I think full belly in general is good for sleepiness. I crash well after a carbo-loading late dinner, whether it's preparation for an active tomorrow or purely recreational. I recall some physiological explanation about blood getting diverted from the limbs to the GI tract for digestion, which is why running on a full stomach can induce vomiting.
A hot mug of non-caffeinated tea is also good. Cheaper than three fingers of single malt.
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There are some good ideas for salmon in this topic.
Cooking whole fish is ideal .If it's too much salmon at one time, I like making steaks from the anterior section, fillets from the back end, and then make stock with the head minus gills, fins and scraps.
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I think Bourdain has ascended to a higher place. The vagaries of this dish or that just isn't that interesting. I get the fealing that Collichio would just assume be doing something else as well, except he can't really get away, he and the franchise are basically one at this point, and I think he is even producer.
I'm fairly new to this show and that's precisely what I was thinking. I watched several dozen episodes this summer from various seasons, and I'm following the latest shows with enough interest not to stop. I like the hosts, and many of the contestants, but at the core it's just another Mark Burnett tv clone. It's a proven format . . . not an innovative classic.
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Pork!!
Seriously, I don't cook a lot of pork in the summer except for the occasional tenderloin on the girl, so in the autumn I love to make it many different ways. I think this autumn I'm going to tackle carnitas.
I agree Emily, autumn is the season of the pig. I love the concept of carnitas, never made them. I had carnitas at a friends place this summer, lots of guac, refried beans, very spicy, and she used Coca-Cola.
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Is all capsaicin heat the same? Fooey's description indicates otherwise. I believe habanero, jalapeno, serrano, etc. are all capsicums. Does the body just process different amounts of capsaicin differently?
Let's not forget about the Sichuan pepper (aka prickly ash) used widely in Sichuan cuisine (of course), that have a numbing effect.
Here's what I think:
Capsaicin is the key player in making hot peppers taste hot, but there are other capsaicinoids at work. The effect in food can be measured using the Scoville scale.
Mustard, horseradish, cabbage, etc. don't contain capsaicin so I don't imagine the Scoville scale applies.
American Spice Trade Association (ASTA) has a chromatography test that gives ASTA pungency units -- these are related to the Scoville scale, but I'm unclear what compounds are being measured.
There must be some low-tech system out there for comparing mustards.
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Short fuse, fizzles = mustard, chopped garlic, shallots/onions, wasabi, horseradish
Long fuse, fizzles = serranos, chile arbol
Short fuse, explodes = jalapeños
Long fuse, explodes = habaneros, piquin
I like the weapons analogy, fits nicely into the batterie de cuisine concept.
I'm grateful that the human body has coping mechanisms for extreme stimuli, but what I wonder about is the non-chili forms of heat. Take wasabi -- the affordable green powder version, not the mysterious real stuff which I'm not sure exists anymore -- it's more like a pharmaceutical product than a spice. The sensations it can deliver are very different from habaneros or scotch bonnets, in my experience. Surely someone has written about these, maybe compared them, come up with a scale for isothiocyanate?
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The responses here are inspiring, and the question has been in my head all day.
When I was a kid, I went through a phase of being keenly interested in my friend's mom Anna. She did everything different from regular moms -- her reputation was based on never over-cooking anything. The roast was pink, veggies were crisp, and the fish never flaked apart easily.
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It's a hard question for me to answer, unlike my wife who has a repertoire of off-the-charts awesome baked goods that are famous in our circles and fought over at pot lucks. I see cooking as a creative opportunity to try new ingredients and techniques -- I don't think I've ever made exactly the same thing twice. My reputation, I think, is that I'll try anything, with enthusiasm, and with a little research.
But that's not what you asked. I think the cookbook of reputation making ideas could exist, more easily for the farinaceous world of baking than for savory cooking.
I'd say seafood is my strongest suit, but I will submit my duck liver pâté for consideration. You don't need cognac but you do need uberfresh organic duck livers. Saute minced shallots and garlic in 1:1 butter:duck fat until soft, remove, add cleaned and chopped liver and saute until the pink is almost gone, place in processor. Add just-cracked black pepper, coarse salt and the 10% cream as the processor is running. Cool in a jar, seal with unsalted butter.
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Sadly, we didn't raise a pig this year. On the other hand, it's a good time to clean the ice box. The chest freezer in the cellar is almost empty so everything was moved to the kitchen fridge and a few odds and sods were defrosted for immediate consumption. Found some lamb flank ribs, pork shoulder slices, a small beef flank steak and four chicken thighs:
Who says you can't have a four-protein tasting menu for dinner at home?
The pork was ground for a terrine, thighs were boned, the beef was rubbed with dry spices and the lamb was simmered for an hour. The beef and the lamb ribs are going on the grill:
Chicken thighs stuffed with three kinds of olives:
Lamb ribs on very thick rosemary sauce, with minty wild rice:
Beef sliced thin with horseradish mashed potatoes and walnut cherry sauce:
I forgot to add the sauce before taking the beef flank steak picture, so here's the black cherry sauce with walnuts:
The mini pork terrine with capers went over well as a starter, in fact it disappeared before I could take a picture.
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Below is a blueberry buckle. Batter goes in a pan and the fruit goes on top for baking. You could call it a blueberry cobbler, or a blue betty:
A grunt is made by simmering berries with sugar and water then adding dumpling batter -- also known as blueberry slump.
A blueberry bang belly is a basic pie with a top crust.
A blueberry dog belly is a roll of biscuit dough baked with a berry filling.
A blueberry fool is pretty much the same as a grunt but heavy cream is added instead of batter. Serve in a parfait glass.
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This is a great thread, we're going camping again around Columbus Day, and I'm already making up a menu. We're gonna be out there for a week, this time, so I need a lot of good ideas. We're already talking Greek, something like souvlaki. Maybe a paella, or jambalaya. Also, I'm in the mood for gumbo. Rice gives me trouble, on the pit, though.
This is a great thread. For twenty years my idea of camping food was based on no-nonsense ingredients that travel well, are highly nutritious/caloric, and easy to cook and clean-up. These things are important when you're hiking and biking, but I also like the challenges of car camping. How close can I get the tailgate to the fire pit? How long can I go without a real fridge? How many opulent and absurd culinary gizmos can I fit into a minivan?
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They have no BBQ, but do have a fire pit, which I plan on utilizing to the fullest extent...I have a grill already yanked out of the BBQ.
The question now is, besides steak's (doing on the first night) and sausages/burgers etc...what other suggestions can you think of for great food, which would benefit from being cooked over coals (which are not the easiest to manage given the setup)?
Corn on the cob is perfect for the fire pit. Peel back the husks to remove the silk, then put them back and soak tip first in water for an hour or so. Roll them around on the grill until the steam has gone past the kernels, maybe ten minutes, then peel and serve. Get somebody to bite into the cob that looks the least cooked to make sure it's not still raw.
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Two years of unreported picnics? Bump. I'm a virgo born on the equinox -- which means tons of excellent seasonal foods. For the last twelve years I've had a birthday picnic, each time a different place and menu, thanks to my spouse.
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Am I the only one who washes them in the dishwasher?
JAZ, you're taking liberties with your mat, according to SILPAT:
* Clean your SILPAT mat with a damp, soft sponge, then rinse with clean water.
* Shake to remove excess water and dry in open air.
* A mild detergent or soap may be used if needed.
* Note: a slight oily residue after washing is normal, as is a slight discoloration. Strong flavored foods may leave a trace scent on the SILPAT.
* Once clean and dry, store the SILPAT flat.
* Do not use scrapers or brushes to clean SILPAT.
* Never cut the SILPAT or cut ON the SILPAT.
* Do not fold the SILPAT.
* Do not grease the SILPAT. It doesn’t need it.
* Never use a cut or ripped SILPAT as the fiberglass mesh material could migrate into the food.
* Avoid using automatic dishwashers, as they may harm the SILPAT.
* Do not use SILPAT with a broiler, a grill, or place directly on the bottom of an oven.
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A very nice strong ale, malty and memorable. Looks nice in the glass. . .
ETA image of Fuller's 1845
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I like hot food, as in spicy hot food, but I find it difficult to verbalize the sensations that I enjoy. The Scoville scale is a useful way to describe the heat in peppers due to capsaicin levels, but what about all the other sources of spicy heat not from the Capsicum genus?
For example, how do you compare mustards? Some are so bland you could use them as contact lens solution without so much as a blink, whereas others reach inside your sinuses like acid steam before triggering a euphoric response.
Raw garlic, onions and ginger have heat. Cabbages can burn. Horseradish can overwhelm.
Is there some existing convention for quantifying these sensations? Something more scientific than "my scalp is tingling" or "that'll steam-clean yer donut"?
Breakfast foods: savory or sweet?
in Food Traditions & Culture
Posted
This is an enlightening discussion, I'm going to try salting the french toast this weekend. My breakfasts are very much on the savory side mostly because I eat them before I go to bed. Not very healthy.