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Carolyn Tillie

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Everything posted by Carolyn Tillie

  1. Having only lived in the area a few months, I'm surprised no one has mentioned Barney's. Right after the move, I was advised to try a Barney's and I was rather impressed with the choice of toppings as well as the amazing Turkish Coffee Shake. Can't attest, necessarily, to the quality of the meat. It was juicy and thick but I can't tell you if it Niman or anything special. I like 'em...
  2. I think you would have to use an awful lot of them to get the temperature down enough which, in turn, would cause a displacement problem with the stock (I'm just thinking that when I bother to make stock, I make GALLONS of it, so I wouldn't be able to add enough of those plastic units to do much good). I suppose in theory it is an okay idea, though...
  3. Again, thanks but no... Read my first post - I mention the Emile Henry product line which contains things that will work, but not the authentic product. I have received an incredibly generous offer to borrow one for the holidays, but still hoping to eventually acquire one of my own.
  4. Been there -- done that -- they don't (or at least haven't yet) existed on eBay...
  5. Thanks, Jat. I have a plethora of pots into which I can make the Cassoulet and that was not the difficulty -- it is just the desire for authenticity. It is hard to explain, but if you saw my kitchen you would undestand. I have a professional, antique Hamilton Beach soda fountain-style shake maker (the kind that makes three at a time, not just one), an American Duplex Grindmaster coffee grinder (like the ones you find in gourmet grocery stores -- except that mine is really old), etc... Yeah, there are more modern, acceptable utensils and gadgets that will do the job, but somehow the oysters taste better on an oyster plate, the pates taste better in an antique terrine, and I think my Cassoulet would taste better out of an authentic cassole (but I'm a hopeless romantic . )
  6. I did a search to see if this topic had been covered before and the closest I got was a discussion on Earthenware that drifted towards recommendations of Emile Henry products. I am looking for an authentic stoneware cassole into which I can make my authentic cassoulet. Not being able to read French, I am having a hard time even searching French sites for some place where I can mail order one and I have no friends travelling to that area any time soon. Any brilliant eGulleters out there with a source -- or someone in France want to help me buy one? Merci!
  7. We have a place here in NoCal called YoSushi that has thirty or forty different rolls -- at least six or eight of them are fried. I adore this place and eat there at least once a week, sometimes ordering the fried, sometimes not. Also, they are creating some rolls where there is a fried element WITHIN the roll. All-in-all, here are some of my favorites: Awesome: Deep fried shrimp, crab meat, cucumber, topped with unagi, ebi, spicy sauce, and house special sauce. Crispy: Tuna, salmon, avocado - deep fried. Crazy Monkey: Salmon, yellow tail, unagi, cucumber, tobiko (not fried). Black Hole: Yellow tail, cream cheese - deep fried. Dragon: Deep fried prawns, cucumber, topped with unagi, avocado, and dragon sauce. Just a selection...
  8. Sauce Espagnole 4 oz onion, medium dice 2 oz celery, diced 2 oz carrot, diced 1 oz butter 2 oz all-purpose flour 1-1/2 qt brown stock, warm 2 oz tomato puree 1 bay leaf 1/3 tsp thyme (two fresh sprigs) 4 parsley stems 1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat 2. Add the mirepoix to the butter 3. Stir until all the vegetables are well browned. Note: It is important to do this over a MEDIUM heat, slowly (it could take over half an hour). If you try and do this quickly, your melted butter will evaporate! 4. Add flour, stir to make a roux 5. Cook slowly until roux is medium brown, stirring constantly 6. Gradually stir in the brown stock and tomato puree 7. Stir constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. Scrape the bottom for any browned bits of roux. When it has come to a boil, add the bouquet garni (herbs). 8. Reduce heat to simmer and skim surface. Let simmer for two hours until sauce is reduced. 9. Skim every half-hour or so. 10. Strain through a chinois lined with DAMPENED cheesecloth (this time, the cheesecloth IS important!) Press on mirepoix to extract their juices. Be patient (again!) as it will take a while for this thickened sauce to get through the strainer Keywords: Sauce, eGCI ( RG620 )
  9. Basic Veloute 1 oz butter 1 oz flour 2 c white stock (veal, fish, or chicken), heated 1. Make a roux with the butter and flour. Cook over low heat for three to four minutes. Cool the roux slightly. 2. Gradually add the hot stock to the roux, beating constantly until it boils 3. Simmer the sauce very slowly for 1/2 hour. Skim the surface once and let reduce and thicken. 4. Strain through a chinoise (strainer) to remove thickened bits. Professional note: In high-end kitchens, professional sauciers will strain this sauce through dampened cheesecloth for an even more smooth consistency. I do not feel this is necessary for a serious amateur. In a professional kitchen, this strained sauce would be covered with plastic wrap (directly on the surface of the sauce to prevent skin formation). They would then keep this sauce hot in a bain marie or cooled in a water bath for later use. Keywords: Sauce, eGCI ( RG618 )
  10. With all due respects to your suggestions... uh... please, no. On any of them. The Stinking Rose is a chain and a pretty mediocre one with over-cooked meat, long waits, and unexceptional service. Their ONE redeeming quality is their Bagna Cauda appetizer. Trader Vic's -- well, maybe thirty years ago, but way past its prime. Chart House? Another chain. If you want a good steak, head towards Morton's, Ruths Chris, or Nick & Stef's -- all will give you a better cut of meat with more interesting sides. The Proud Bird is a dive hang-out for local pilots and people who want to spend too much money on mediocre Eggs Benedict on Sundays. The Ports of Call also is past its prime -- about ten years ago it was a lovely but has long since been considered a dive. Sorry. Consider FoodZealot's selection or search for recent discussion as there have been many (especially for Redondo, Torrance, & Gardena) for exceptional Japanese.
  11. Until my mid-twenties, once every other year or so I would buy and eat a jar of Plum B.F. Haven't even thought about these past fifteen years until this thread, but the memory is still relatively pleasant. It was just decent, not-very-sweet, concentrated Plum flavor that didn't (doesn't?) exist in any other product that I am aware of...
  12. Nope... We've been in the hundreds for several days now and won't be cooling down anytime soon!
  13. I think you could do better. Yeah, Tra Vigne CAN be all that, but it is terrilby hit-or-miss. CIA is a beautiful atmosphere but lacks in food quality compared to others in the area. Melkor is big on Bistro Don Giovanni but I've only had lunch which was only a soup and salad and hard to judge on just that. Read the other recent posts -- Bistro Lucy, Zuzu, Jeanty, and Bouchon have all had more favorable reviews.
  14. So... Here's what we did: Having to visit Shawn's favorite bookstore on Polk first (Field's), we opted for Swan's for a luncheon of fresh oysters on the half shell (6 Blue Point and 6 Kumamoto), a few slices of smoked salmon, and a bowl of clam chowder. Upon arriving at Belden, we walked the length and perused all the menus and while we had received additional recommendations to dine at Plouf, the menu at B44 looked the most enticing, even though I had been craving French. Inded, we were not disappointed. Two appetizers continued the seafood theme of the day, Herb-Crusted Scallops served atop white beans and fresh greens, and their version of Mussels which was secondary to the amazing sauce they were served in. We had to ask for extra bread to sop up this lovely, herby sauce. For dinner entrees, I had the Chicken, Rabbit, and Fresh Mushroom Paella and Shawn had the roasted Rabbit. We both paired our meals with different Tempranillo blends that were lovely and finished the meal with their version of Creme Brulle (extra cinnamond and lemon zest) along with a glass of 10-year-old Dow Tawny Port, which combined and enhanced the cinammon. All in all, too much money was spent but a lovely time was had. I really needed the nice day out. Besides the books at Fields, too many CDs at Amoeba, we discovered Dee Vine Wines at Pier 19 where I picked up some fabulous German Whites (their speciality) which I am looking forward to opening soon... (Bay Area Potluck???)
  15. Another local's hangout is The Martini House. Also, if you want to celebrity-chef-watch, head to Bouchon LATE. After everyone's restaurants have closed for the evening, all the local and visiting chefs head there. I hung out with Julian Serrano there one evening when he was visiting for a single night, cooking for some other hoity-toities...
  16. Sorry to be late in this thread, but a very easy idea would be a soup party... It can be exremely elegant with a variety of meat-based, vegetarian, and/or fruit soups already made with various stations of crusty bread and butter set around. I've done this several times to great success -- a potato-leek soup with some side garnish of freshly-chopped chives and sherry to add at the last minute; a minestrone; and an elegant peach/champagne soup served in martini glasses. The soup possibilities are endless and can be upscale or not. It makes for less time in the kitchen as all can be pre-prepared and all the guests can then serve themselves. Easy for $20 a person...
  17. I lived in San Pedro after the Northridge earthquake. What I miss most is Slavko's. Apparently they opened in the 1930s when all the local harbor-workers were Hungarians. Absolutely amazing fried chicken and the store, even though rather sparse looking, still uses the original frying vats and cash register. Don't forget the potatoes! An absolute must-visit! Slavko's 1224 S. Pacific Avenue San Pedro, CA 90731 310-832-5723
  18. Carolyn Tillie

    Gewurtztraminer

    This is great! Can one procure these shirts on the winery website? IS there a winery website? Please fill me in as I believe this has to be added to my goofy wine themed T-shirt collection. My other favorties are my Ravenswood "No Vino Sin Huevos" (their standard logo "No Wimpy Wines" in Spanish) and my personal pride & joy, my "Le Bec Fin Wine Tasting Team" shirt. I'm looking into getting a "Friends Don't Let Friends Drink Bad Wine" shirt as well. If you see below, Tanabutler told you about the website, GunBun.com. Sadly, the t-shirt is unavailable on the site. However, I'm sure we could make some sort of arrangement... The shirt is $15.00 and the Gewurtz is $22.00. PM me privately and I could acquire and ship the items to you.
  19. I was wondering about these. I figure that the pan last night must have been at 600* F or higher. Can silicone gloves handle those temps? I bought one of these over the weekend! They are amazing and I'm sorry I didn't buy more than one. I am definitely going out to get more and will be throwing away my "cloth" mitts as the 600-degree thing is no problem!
  20. Carolyn Tillie

    Gewurtztraminer

    Here's my weekend spiel when I sell GunBun's Gewurzt (which I love, BTW): Being the oldest family-owned winery in Norther America, Gundlach-Bundschu has been making Gewurtz for 145 years. It is our flagship white as it is made in the Alsacian style with very low (.63%) residual sugar. This means that it is not a sickly-sweet Gewurtz but one with more flowerin the nose that deceives until it hits the tongue. It is a wine with a cult following that has received numerous gold medals, fifteen years in a row. It pairs fabulously with spicy Asian food, especially Thai, and paired with a Pinot Noir is my Thanksgiving wine. We also sell a rather famous t-shirt, picturing a circa 1950's shot of a cop standing next to an old car with the caption: "Sonoma Valley Sobriety Test #3: If you can't say 'Gundlach-Bundschu Gewurztraminer' you shouldn't be driving."
  21. Meritage on the square is the only Seafood restaurant I can think of. I was perusing their menu only yesterday and considering dining there (I was craving oysters). But honestly, at over 105 degrees fahrenheit, nothing sounded good. (I ended up going home and making a cold salad). Sorry I can't attest to it, other than it's existence.
  22. Carolyn Tillie

    1918 Yquem

    Oh... I am MANY kinds! Liz, where are YOU? Perhaps you should have an intimate eGullet party to share with other Yquem afficiandos to get various opinions and then post back to us. I'm terribly curious! The oldest Yquem I've been fortunate enough to try was one from the '50s but I had several friends who had one back to 1923 or 25 (can't remember exactly which year). They actually put it in the freezer to start as it was described as the most orgasmic Slushy they ever tasted. As it warmed, there was a whole list of adjectives that was tantamount to pornography. I envy you...
  23. Carolyn Tillie

    1918 Yquem

    This is obviously a job for a professional. Send it to me and I'll be happy to assess it for you and I won't even charge you for my services...
  24. that's a really nice turn of phrase--may i borrow it to describe these delicious elixirs when i use them in class? i, too, am a big fan of the "o" brand, and especially the blood orange and meyer lemon ones. they are a bit less expensive than the agrumato. not sure if anyone's mentioned this, but they are best used as a finishing oil, or a flavoring agent, as the delicate flavor dims when heated...so no blood orange oo saute. Well put. I've used all of the O varieties at various times on fish or chicken, in salad dressing, and even in mashed sweet potatoes. The oils aren't cheap (unless you find them at TJ Maxx ) but it doesn't take much to make an impact. If I recall, the O brand is infused, not integrated. The biggest difference is that you have a potential for faster rancidity. The company I USED to work for (yep, laid off on Monday) sold DaVero Meyer Lemon Oil. It was also an oil that was made of pressing the Meyer lemons with Olives. It is the oil from the skins that gets blended with the oil ~ the juices (water) from the lemons and olives are then filtered out. It is not a cooking oil, per se, but a finishing oil. It technically cannot be called Extra Virgin and if one sees an "Extra Virgin Olive Oil" that is infused with something, it is incorrect. The IOOC is trying to stop this practice but I don't believe any of the U.S. organizations are willing to fight the battle at this time.
  25. Here's yet another EASY way to get a reservation... Bribe one of us locals to go to FL at 10:00 a.m. exactly two months to the day before you want your reservation. I've got a relatively open schedule and could be enticed with an appropriate carrot dangling in front of me...
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