tino27

I don't think what mattered was that the steel was ceramic. I think what mattered was that the grit of the steel was very fine. It just so happened that the dealer I purchased my knives from had a fine ceramic honing steel for sale.

I've never actually needed to get it sharpened -- using the ceramic steel has always worked fine. That being said, my primary knife is a Henckel 7" Santoku. That one I've sharped using a whetstone. ronnie_suburban brings up a good point in that I'm going to have to look good and hard to find someone who actually knows how to sharpen the Shun without ruining the edge when it finally needs sharpening.

I don't have this exact Shun knife, but I do have two other Shuns (chef's knife and a paring knife). When I purchased them, the dealer suggested I purchase a fine ceramic honing steel for these knives. I use a standard honing steel for my other knives (Henckels, etc.). The ceramic steel does a fine job of keeping the edge where it should be.

Ditto.......gross, bland......just not good...... ← Y'all must be doing something terribly wrong. My family actually asks me to bring this from-scratch dish every year now. I've also made it and taken it to several dinner parties where a casserole was requested and gotten many compliments. If you're curious, PM me and I'd be happy to share the recipe.

Sweet is often used to balance heat. Unfortunately, it's a delicate balance since chili is a savory dish. Try adding a little sugar or honey and see if you can't bring the heat level down. You might also try serving the chili with some bread.

Get her a Left Handed Knife. SB (Champion of Left-Handedness) ← As a member of the Left-Handed Club, I can definitely say that the "handed-ness" of your knife has less to do with efficiently cutting an onion than does practicing the skill many times. Mother has actually improved as a cook because of me, not the other way around. Mother learned from Grandmother who must have learned cooking from the English during the 1920's -- everything was boiled to death -- all of the green goodness being dumped down the sink and rather insipid looking vegetables being served with a pat of butter on top to make up for the difference. Now, my mother actually steams her veggies, grinds her coffee right before she brews it (this one was huge), and has even tried goat cheese! There was a time when I thought I would have to slip goat cheese into something (like a pasta salad) so that she would try it without knowing she'd actually eaten it. Kind of like how you mash up your child's medication and mix it in their apple sauce. "But, dear, it's milk from a *goat*?!?" "You eat cheese made from sheep's milk, don't you?" "Yes, but that's a sheep!" "And ... um ... this is a goat!" "But, dear, it's milk from a *goat*?!?" ad infinitum ... or ad nauseum, whichever you prefer.

Last weekend, I partially catered a surprise 40th birthday party. While the host provided dinner, I brought along some breads and dips and this focaccia to be served with dinner: I used a poolish in this dough as well as doing a second fermentation overnight in the fridge. It's topped with a mix of olive oil, fresh rosemary, and chopped garlic. It was definitely a hit as I made two half-sheet pans of it and by the end of dinner only about 10 squares remained. I was definitely jazzed to see the nice irregular hole structure when I finally cut it up for service.

I'm justing guessing here, but does the bar of chocolate have a nutrional label on the back of it? If so (and I'm assuming it does), it should list the portion size and how many grams of sugar are associated with the portion size. Do the math accordingly, and you should know how much sugar to leave out.

Friends of mine make their own "Kahlua" ... here is their recipe. 3 cups sugar 3 cups water 10 tablespoons vanilla 10 tablespoons instant coffee bring to a boil... simmer 1 hour... let set for 24 hrs... Add: 10 tablespoons vanilla 1/5 Vodka Stir and pour into bottles I've never made it myself, but I've tasted theirs ... it's pretty good, actually. I definitely wouldn't use top shelf vodka, but a nice triple filtered mid-level brand like Burnett's would make a good candidate.

Wow! You all rock! The date and time for the cast party hasn't been set yet, so I can't offer any specifics on whether it would be brunch, or an appetizer party, etc. However, you guys have really given me some great ideas to build on. Old Foodie ... once I get the specifics of the event, I may just take you up on that offer of some sample menus. Thanks, again, and feel free to keep the suggestions coming if you have them. I'll post the menu once I get a better idea of the type of party it is going to be.

Can I expect that upper society eating habits would be the same whether in New York or London? I've found a ton of information on American eating habits (thanks to that foodtimeline.org link), but nothing specifically British. I may have to settle for whatever was popular in the 20's, regardless of where it came from. Thanks for all of your responses ... they've been very helpful so far.

I'm catering a friend's cast party in November and the play he is in (Hay Fever) was set in the mid 1920's in England. We talked about possibly presenting some dishes at his cast party that would've been popular at that time. I've been Googling around the Internet this morning and haven't had much luck finding anything. Any of you eGulleters on either side of the pond have any interesting info or links you can send my way? Thanks!

Damn that sounds soooooo good! On the fire & ice front, I think warm tomato soup would go well with the stoli too, referencing the bloody mary, of course. ← I never thought of that until you mentioned tomato soup ... but a deconstructed Bloody Mary would be an interesting twist to serve at a party.

Beats me.

Oddly enough, I JUST did this over the weekend for a party I was catering. It was Russian-based (or inspired ) food. One of the appetizers I did was Fire & Ice -- alternating shotglasses of hot Borscht and ice cold Stoli. Here is a photo ... The novelty factor was high, but I think people were afraid of the word "Borscht", so it didn't go over quite as well as I thought it would. However, those brave enough to try it raved about it.

I'm guessing you meant Jeff Smith?

It should be noted that none of the dishes I am making for this party actually calls for bacon ... just the drippings. That said, I discovered one very important thing about rendering two pounds of bacon extra crispy to get as much fat as possible. When you know you don't need the bacon, it's literally impossible to get all of the cooked bacon from the oven to the freezer without incessantly nibbling pieces here and there. Between myself, the roommate, and his girlfriend, we probably ate half of the bacon. I did manage to freeze the other half. I'd make a terrible vegetarian.

I thought that this link might be an appropriate addition to the conversation. Anyone game?

Pumpkin risotto. I would cube the pumpkin into smallish pieces, cook them off in some chicken stock until tender. Puree half of the pumpkin and add it during the risotto cooking process for color. Throw in the remainder of the cubed, but cooked pumpkin at the end for some texture. To gild the lily, you could serve the risotto in hollowed out mini-pumpkins.

Why not bake the cake without the Amaretto and then moisten the layers of the cake after it's already baked with a pastry brush? That way you get a double win ... extra moist cake and flavored with the Amaretto.

Thanks for all the responses. I thought about lard, but I do think that the meaty (and smoky) flavor of either bacon fat or chicken fat would actually add an extra layer of flavor that lard wouldn't because it is so refined. I think at this point, I'll probably do as maggiethecat suggested and freeze some and use the rest out of the fridge over the next week or so. If the frozen stuff doesn't do so well, it'll be a lesson for all of us, I guess. I'll post results as I find them.

I'm catering a friend's party this weekend and some of the dishes require that ingredients be sauteed in "drippings". I was going to use bacon fat since the dishes in question are generally beef/pork dishes anyway. In order to get enough bacon fat for use, I was going to fry up about 2 pounds of good bacon and save the fat in a container in the fridge. The odd thing is that none of the dishes call for crumbled bacon directly in them. I would hate to throw away good cooked bacon that I could use in other dishes a couple weeks from now. So, my questions: 1) Is it possible to freeze the bacon once it's cooked? If so, is there a process other than just throwing them in a freezer bag? Also, how long can I freeze it? 2) Is there an alternative to having to fry up bacon in order to get bacon fat? I've been to a number of the stores in my area and none of them have bacon fat, chicken fat, etc. already prepared. Thanks guys!

Yes, but those were probably the healthiest crackers you could possibly make!

I'd like to commiserate ... I really would ... But the first time I saw freshly grated Parmeggiano Reggiano hit the hot pasta and instantly melt, I was hooked for life. I will use the stuff in the green can, but it's usually if I am at someone else's home and that is all they have.

Shaya -- If you want something a little chewier, I'd make the focaccia with the remainder of your poolish and then refrigerate the dough overnight. I find that aging the dough tends to make it chewier and also deepens the flavor profile.