Peter the eater
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Posts posted by Peter the eater
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Paul, I'd get a good cat.
My cat is useless against rural Canadian mice, so she'd probably be killed by Brooklyn brewery mice. That's why we use traps, with excellent results. They're plastic and snap shut when the perp touches the peanut butter on the trigger. Sometimes they get bludgeoned to death but usually they're alive.
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Whoever may have come over with the Vikings a thousand years ago either perished or left, along with their food traditions.So what do you know guys about Polish and Ukranians accompanying viking to early exploration of North America?What about their inputs into foods. Are siliotky just cold pressed fresh fish with salt?
All the great Polish and Ukrainian food that's here now came much, much later.
What's siliotky?
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It's tempting to retain those first few tablespoons of butter for something -- it would be beautifully beefy and brown.
How did you know when to stop -- timer, thermometer, finger poke? I imagine that's a pricey bit of beef. I'd cave and snip a bit off the end by the 30 minute mark.
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Don't worry. Just wash well, and if you don't wash well, think of it as extra protein.
. . . and tell us what they taste like.
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Trying different solutions by percentage will give you the one you like the best as in the long run it is all a matter of taste.
That's the best way -- run a test in your own kitchen with your own stuff. So you're talking about poaching meat not dumplings? There must be a chart somewhere.
A higher salt content will also raise the dielectric constant of the solution which would inhibit the extraction of hydrophobic compounds, such as flavorful fats.
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Is there any conventional wisdom on the ideal salt content for poaching liquid? I've seen recipes that don't include any, but I'd worry that this would leach juices out of the uncooked meat (osmosis and whatnot).
Thoughts?
Good question -- beats me.
Ideal salt levels probably varies depending on the food being poached. The biggest effect of a saline liquid would likely be to make the food taste salty. There's certainly a tradition of using seawater to cook seafood, but having had lobster both ways it doesn't really matter for me. Besides, my tap water is cleaner than the beach water across the street.
For starchy foods there is some science to support salting the cooking liquid.
Unlike poaching, brining meat with salty water works best at low temperatures over long time. It takes hours or days, not minutes, to plump up the cells.
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I made Fish & Brewis -- see post #80 of this topic.I agree, the flat cure has worked well for us. And two weeks sounds like about the same amount of time I've hung ours. I was just curious.But -- what did you use your just-cut hunk of pancetta for? As in, how did you cook it / eat it? :-)
Mmmmm, cured porkbelly!
We also ate some as is, and fried some other bits. I think I'll mail some to family and friends in a FoodSaver bag for Christmas.
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Clearly, mayo and soy sauce are keys to a good Bastard Condiment.
I also like Marmite dissolved in a bit of vinegar, with maple syrup and a modicum of cayenne powder.
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A few images from this summer's visit to The Habitation:
About that picture – on top are the arms of Henri IV, King of France when the Habitation was built in 1605. Below that are the two governors crests, Sieur de Mons and Sieur de Poutrincourt. All three are overhead as you walk in through the front door.
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I used coarse salt, white sugar and KNO3 -- don't have the exact proportions handy.
I cured them flat in the fridge for five days changing the dry cure several times, rinsed them off and rolled them up tightly, and then hung them up in cheesecloth. That one's been drying for two weeks plus a day.
I agree there are a few different colors, but it all tastes good and I'm still alive. I figured a flat cure would mean much better penetration than a 4" diameter roll. I find the circle of pancetta more attractive than a regular slice of bacon.
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Creamed horseradish from a jar + mayo + soy sauce = happiness
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Buy Velcro Straps and cut them to length then you can loosen and tighten as needed.
Thanks RAHiggins1, that's a great idea too.
The roll shrinks a bit each day, I sliced a smidge off tonight:
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I make chicken liver pate the same way I make duck liver pate, and its almost as good.
Heavy cream and cognac is the key, and not overcooking the livers.
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A few images from this summer's visit to The Habitation:
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An outta this world rave book about Sam from today's http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/02/books/re...?ref=todayspape] New York Times I've ordered it for my dad for Christmas.Geez, what a guy.
That looks promising, thanks.
Bill Gaston's The Order of Good Cheer is worth a look: click.
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Well done -- food looks great!
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The Empress in Victoria is my favourite for a high tea or just a pot in the Bengal Room.
I'll add two more greats to the list:
Chateau Laurier - Ottawa, Ontario
The King Edward Hotel - Toronto, Ontario
and one more, if you're in Kingston, Ontario during July and August you can phone Bellevue House National Historic Site of Canada for a reservation to afternoon tea. It's the restored home of Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada's first prime minister.
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The greatest cook I've ever known, my dear grandmother Anita, was science illiterate to say the least and wasn't really interested in the Lore. She was all about taking care of family -- the book would've been of little interest to her. What does that tell me?
It tells you that Anita had learned from experience what St. Harold parses for us, his eager and grateful disciples.
Yes it does.
It also reminds me why I love to cook. Unlike, say, Neurosurgery, you can become a self-taught star. Or you can choose to be a Cordon Bleu CIA Ph.d. highly schooled egghead star.
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The trailer looks awesome. I like a good adventure/action/sci-fi flick. Must have been a blast to participate.
It was a blast, and I'm determined to make some appropriate and delicious food for the gang. The film's distribution company is not telling us when to expect a North American debut, so date and venue are unconfirmed. The rumor is it might even be, gulp, a straight to DVD affair. Whatever happens, we'll watch and eat.
Some photos to establish tone for the food -- I'm in the first and last:
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I'm halfway through Harold McGee's 2004 On Food and Cooking - The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, page 497 specifically, The Delightful Physics of Miso Soup. Where has this book been all my life? Mandatory.
The greatest cook I've ever known, my dear grandmother Anita, was science illiterate to say the least and wasn't really interested in the Lore. She was all about taking care of family -- the book would've been of little interest to her. What does that tell me?
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I'm probably closer to Iceland than Louisiana, but I can still get a turducken at my grocery store for around $75. This time of year there are a few giant boxes in the freezer -- they sit there like unclaimed luggage, and they'll be half price in a month if nobody claims them.
At the risk of sounding like a blasphemer, you could do a quick version with flattened breasts of chicken, turkey and duck. Layer them in wide pan with the appropriate supporting flavors -- looks like a bird lasagna. You don't get that whole creature inside a creature inside a creature thing, but it's fast.
Cabela's sells a Quaducant.
"The Quaducant is a six-pound mixture of quail medallions, duck breast and Creole pork sausage, all stuffed inside a bare-boned pheasant."
That sounds good, but this copied and pasted from Cabella's:
# Great for holidays and special occasions
# A six-pound mix of quail, duck and sausage
# Stuff insides a bare-boned pheasant
# Arrives frozen
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Erin, how did I miss this topic? What a hoot -- bring on the Tuesdays!
I don't have a Marcella book but now I want one. Your words paint a moving picture . . . I would've said directed by Woodie Allen, but since the accident I'll go with Quentin Tarantino.
I had a pint with Margo Timmins years ago at a New Year's Eve Party -- Allen's on the Danforth, Toronto, 1998 -- she talks likes she sings. Downbeat with a mischievous smile, perfect for your movie's soundtrack.
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Its important to remember that the cost of fish isn't measured in money alone.
That's for damn sure.
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I'm probably closer to Iceland than Louisiana, but I can still get a turducken at my grocery store for around $75. This time of year there are a few giant boxes in the freezer -- they sit there like unclaimed luggage, and they'll be half price in a month if nobody claims them.
At the risk of sounding like a blasphemer, you could do a quick version with flattened breasts of chicken, turkey and duck. Layer them in wide pan with the appropriate supporting flavors -- looks like a bird lasagna. You don't get that whole creature inside a creature inside a creature thing, but it's fast.
The best way to cook a sausage
in Cooking
Posted
Oil poaching is an excellent way to cook just about any meat -- raw, cured, processed, whatever. I've not tried it on a fresh sausage mostly because cooking oil is 100 times more expensive than water-cooler water, and orders of magnitude more compared to tap water. I'll bet Tim's right about oil tasting better though.