[Inspired by StudioKitchen]

Thanks for the tips, I'll have to try it again!

-al

[Dash and Dine]

It's hard to beat a nice steak in this situation: pick your favorite cut, season, sear on a cast iron skillet, and you're done. My go-to starch would be a quick couscous, with some diced tomatoes.

[Pigs' Feet]

The local butcher supplied two pigs legs. These are Tamworth, and incredible value for money: they were about 50p each, roughly a dollar each, and enough meat to feed a family for a week. Ideal protein for impoverished students.

A dollar each! Unbelievable. I really need to scope out nearby butcher shops next time I move...

Looks fantastic, Jackal.

[Inspired by StudioKitchen]

I tried making the StudioKitchen corn soup as described here in this thread, with pretty disappointing results. I used 4 cobs of sweet Jersey corn to 4 cups of whole milk, let it steep for an hour in the fridge, blended, strained, and then heated slowly till the milk barely started to froth. Problem is, the milk never really thickened at all. I've never had the SK original, but I know this is supposed to be be pretty light. Still, what I ended up with was just warm milk with a subtle corn flavor. Any thoughts on what I might have done wrong?

Thanks,

-al

[Inedible beef stir fry]

Your skillet is overtaxed for this job. An inexpensive steel wok, over a very hot gas flame, (I don't have a stove for this job, but use a propane powered patio burner) is ideal, as the food is heated quickly bottom and sides, and falls back onto the middle as you stir.

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I think the real key for this kind of cooking is the heat capacity of your cookware- which means there's no substitute for something heavy. My gas burner is pretty underpowered, but since I switched from a carbon steel wok to a crazy heavy cast iron one, I've had much less problems with the temperature dropping. The only downside is that it's too unwieldy to pour food out: you need to scoop it out and that can be hard to do quickly.

-al

[Poaching/Freezing truffles?]

Thanks ChefJonny, that was exactly the answer I was looking for! I'll give it a try...

-al

[Braised pork shanks - bland, what did I do wrong?]

I prefer red wine over white when braising pork or beef, or if you want a lighter color, vermouth adds a nice herbiness over normal white wine. However, I'd second snowangel in that my first question would be if the meat was browned enough.

Another fantastically flavorful way to braise pork shank, assuming the skin is still on, is to red-cook it in a chinese style: the braise with soy sauce, star anise, rock sugar, rice wine, and some ginger, at a minimum- though everyone has their own variation.

[Poaching/Freezing truffles?]

Hi Patty,

I still haven't pulled the trigger myself. The way I read it in the French Laundry book, you poach the truffles in mushroom stock, then you take the truffles out of the liquid and freeze them separately. However, it wasn't clear to me whether you should try to dry out the truffle before freezing: I guess I could see arguments for and against. The truffle-infused mushroom stock of course should be separately frozen and stored, and that in itself sounds fantastic.

-al

[Need ideas for a fancy meal on a TIGHT budget]

I'd vote for some interesting mashed potatoes (a nice cheese? chipotles?). I can't even count how many fancy meals i've had where the taters end up being the crowd favorite.

[Vietnamese Restaurants in New Jersey]

I've got another one to add to the list - Pho Anh Dao, 1483 Rt. 27 South, Somerset, NJ 08837 (732) 246 1788. I came upon this place by accident this past Saturday. It was a cold and rainy day and a hot bowl of pho really hit the spot.

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Here's another vote for Pho Anh Dao- if you're stuck in the Princeton area and find yourself beset with a sudden pho craving, this place is probably your closest remedy. A pretty humble little place, but the pho and the spring rolls are both good.

[Poaching/Freezing truffles?]

Hi all,

Has anyone tried the method Thomas Keller suggests for preserving black truffles, which is to poach them in a mushroom stock and then freeze? I'm curious how well it works out. Do you need to excessively dry the truffles to avoid frost? Can you easily refreeze the unused portion?

Thanks,

-al

[Absurdly, stupidly basic cooking questions (Part 2)]

Hi all,

After lurking for a little while, it's probably fitting that my first post would be under this topic. I have a stupid question about adding alcohol to hot pans, such as for deglazing. I know you're supposed to remove it from heat, but does this mean actually letting the pan cool down some before adding alcohol, or is it okay if you simply turn off the burner, immediately add alcohol, and then turn the burner back on? Is the danger from the open flame, or just the temperature of the pan?

Thanks!

-al