FoodMuse

Poi? Ack. I don't know. Do you really like it? Can I make a fake poi? A dish that looks like poi, but isn't? Shave ice cocktail!!

Hi all, I'm hosting a cocktail party for some lovely NYC food bloggers. Want to help me plan some dishes? The theme is Tiki, Hawaiian, Luau! I'm keeping it loose so that know one feels overwhelmed with authenticity. I'm heading more in the Trader Vic direction. Pretty much anything tasty goes! So far, I'm thinking Musubi. This is where the theme came from. When I was in Honolulu I was obsessed with this spam "sushi" that you could pickup at any 7-Eleven. Some sort of sticky chicken wings. Dishes that use coconut, pineapple and macadamia nuts. Maybe even serving out of coconuts. Kahlua pork. I cook pork shoulders often for parties, because it's so easy to make a day or two before and serve with a great sauce. I've never made kahlua pork. Any advice? It would be hilarious to put out macaroni salad, because in Hawaii it's on every plate lunch you get from side of the road food trucks, along with a massive amount of white rice. I doubt I will, it would probably lost on anyone who's never been to Hawaii. Thoughts? Do you have any nostalgic Hawaiian or Tiki lounge food and drink memories? Grace

BadRabbit This is an interesting idea. I think we need advice from our food science geeks and canners to let us know if creamed soups thickened with flour hold up under canning. I know they don't freeze well. I imagine a tomato soup would can very well, not so sure about a cream of mushroom.

andiesenji Thank you so much for posting these links. Smoked trout sounds delicious.

Well, last night I made a mess of the spareribs. Actually they were Sparerib bone tidbits. Imagine spareribs hacked into bits about 1 1/2 inch by 1 inch. I smoked 2.3lb of them for about 1hour 45 minutes. They are tough! Horrible. We didn't eat them, instead reheated some braised short ribs in the hopes I can save the sparerib bits by braising them some time this week in some beer. I'm looking forward to tea smoking duck breast. That sounds fantastic. It seems there isn't alot of good information or recipes for that matter on the Cameron stove top smoker. What I would most like to make is Nova smoked salmon. I've read up on Gravlax which is just salmon cured in a salt and sugar mixture. I wonder if there is a way to cold smoke the gravlax with my stovetop smoker, turning it into Lox. Maybe fill the smoker with smoke, let it cool and quickly get the salmon in there and close lid again. I suppose I would lose all the smoke, but maybe the smoke residue could impart some flavor. I'm thinking of smoking some kosher salt this evening. I'll let you know how that goes. Grace

Reviving this thread. Grrr. "As per instructions." ??? I can't find any instructions online. Anyone else making salmon with a stovetop smoker. I have pork spareribs in my Cameron smoker going now.

Jayhay, Since you haven't opened it and if it is shrink wrapped I would stick it back in the freezer. You may change the texture the next time you defrost(mushy). I might puree or mince it and make it into some sort of spread or filling for an appetizer the next time you defrost. You'll know once you've tasted it. If it is well sealed you shouldn't have any freezer burn to deal with.

I'll be jumping into this pool soon. I love the idea. I'm always using Wikipedia for food research. Just yesterday I was trying to figure out the more obscure terms on my delivery sushi menu using it. I do think a new name is needed. WikiEats .... get it?! Play on WikiLeaks!!!! That's my fave. What do you think?

I'm with andiesenji. Disposal pans, doubled when needed. If there are certain dishes you'd rather serve from glassware try dollar stores. He in Park Slope Brooklyn we have a strip of dollar stores with very cheap pans and baking dishes. What a great friend you are!!

Hello everyone, I interviewed Joel last year, and in full disclosure later became friends. He hand makes every knife himself, which is time consuming, which is why the price is high. He is a craftsman. I've used his knives and I think they are excellent. I'm a little confused by Paulraphael's comment about the edge geometry. It is anything but thick and heavy. You see that on the photos over at his site here. I told Joel about this thread and here's what he said. "Thin edges are kind of the hallmark of my work. I grind my knives to between 0.006" and 0.008" (between 6 and 8 thousandths) at the edge before sharpening. Very few go that thin and grinding by hand is the only way you can do it without heat damage and warping." I've seen him work through the process and it is really exciting to see. Grace No, Joel did not ask me to post. I asked his permission if I could. I just happened to stumble on this posting in my eGullut wanderings.

I'm bringing back this thread for the new year! I've lost 5lb in 1 week since shunning sugar and flour. I'm planning on braising a pork shoulder this week. Is low carb over? Am I the only one who had great weight loss success with it? The last time I did it I lost 30lb in 3 months, and kept it off for 3 years. Any tales for the low carbers? Grace

Tomorrow I'd like to partially cook 3 giant magret duck breasts ahead of time, then finish them off to rare in the oven just before we sit down. Is this feasible? I really am freaking out about me being in the kitchen alone for an hour before Christmas dinner.Sounds like magret need to be cooked in a fry pan for a good 15 min to get a nice crispy skin. My fry pan can only hold 1 at a time. Any thoughts on cooking duck breast ahead of time? or finishing them in the oven? They have to be med. rare. Haaalp! Grace

Reviving this looking for advice. I have 3 big Magret duck breasts(4 lb total) in the fridge for Xmas that will be supplemented by a spiral ham. I confess I freak out just a bit when I have things that need last minute fiddling on a holiday. I've cooked duck breast for 2, but never for more. I have a total of 8 for Xmas lunch and would love if I could sear the duck breasts 2 hours before and then stick in the oven with a my great kitchen thermometer that beeps when it reaches whatever temp duck breast is rare at. What is that temp? Thoughts? Advice? Can I sear in advance then pop in the oven to finish melting away some fat? That's my main question. How can I partially cook magret duck breast then roast in oven last 10 to 30 min? I swear all that fat will go to good use.

Calw I'm so sorry to hear about your friend. I lost my mom to cancer and cooked for her often. When I talked with her doctors one of the major problems they brought up is weight loss. Chemo kills your appetite pretty quickly, so tasty savory things are best. You don't need to skimp on fat or calories. You mention her eating less meat and I'd like to argue against that! There is no research that is a good idea. In fact there's more evidence it's bullshit. Your friend needs healthy fats and healthy proteins. I hope your friend eats lots of delicious food, that is the best way for her to stay strong.

I second this method.

Chris, Wasn't trying to spread the blame! I wrote that posting in the depression following a meal I failed at making well. You're right I completely went overboard on the cornstarch. I'll try again and use some slurry restraint. Grace

I am sorry to say Chris, I followed the Cook's Illustrated ingredient list and it was a total failure. Even boyfriend who tends to say, "Eh it's not bad." said, "Eh it' not that great". I made goop. Damnit. It was a fun experiment though.

John and Chris I'm a huge fan of battering and frying. I was just feeling lazy today. I'm already girding myself for Thanksgiving. I'm hosting a dinner for 6, so feel that all meals until then should be one pot, or one baking dish and low cleanup. No dishwasher here, just me whining the whole time. Chris, can you message me the recipe? I don't think that breaks the Cook's Illustrated rules. Grace

I'd like to make Orange flavored chicken tonight and not the goop you get at the food court. I didn't bother posting this in the China: Cooking Forum since I'm sure this isn't an authentic dish. I have 2 oranges and 1 1/2 lb of chicken thighs. Now what? Any thoughts? I'm sure I'll be sauteing the chicken and not battering and frying. I love that the orange rind is edible. How do I make that happen? Just stirfrying? Thanks friends, Grace Hosting Note: This topic was moved from the General Cooking forum to this China Cooking forum

Preference to white meat does not compute. I wish I could buy 2 six pounders for extra leg meat. The smalled birds I can get are 10-12 lb I have 6 guests and am thinking a 15 lb bird will be just right.

I think you should candy some nuts.. and then bring any leftovers to our Orphan Thankgiving dinner. LOL. I think hard times calls for chocolate. How about truffles? Grace

Tex Mex pot pie. That sounds good!

Made it last night. Delicious!!! Ready! by gpiper, on Flickr I did find puff pastry in the back of my freezer, but had some troubles opening up the layers as you can see below. I cut it up with a pair of kitchen sheers. Puff pastry fail by gpiper, on Flickr It didn't really matter since I baked it separately on a cookie sheet. 400 degrees for about 10 min. That worked out perfectly. Baked Chicken Pot Pie Pastry seperately. No more soggy bottoms. by gpiper, on Flickr I'm really happy with the filling. When I have a moment I'll post my recipe. I used both dry sherry and Worcestershire sauce. It may sound odd, but they added a depth of flavor the pie filling was lacking. It was loosely based on this Cooking for Engineers recipe. Great site if you're nerdy. I love it.

I know what you mean. It turns out the two boxed brands I've used so far both say they do not need rinsing. Both grains are intact, but polished and prewashed. I didn't rinse the red quinoa last nite and it was just fine. Maybe it's only if you buy it in bulk? Grace

This has been such a fun blog to watch. I check in every morning. I'd love to know what are the one or two dishes you make on a regular basis? What you turn to when you are tired but want a good hot meat and veg dish on the table for dinner. Grace