djyee100

I emailed my friend Carole Latimer, who was a wilderness outfitter & gourmet cook (also a cookbook author, http://books.google.com/books?id=uu1dw0FZDTsC&printsec=frontcover&dq=wilderness+cuisine&source=bl&ots=pWTYWlT_c1&sig=o46Eedbbbp_GcFbKgAqZ4ljJqJE&hl=en&ei=m-U0TNXUFs3nnQer4dyABA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCEQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false). This was her reply: "Yes, there is a leak-proof way to carry oil. Use a Nalgene bottle and give the lid an extra twist to make certain the lid is screwed down tightly. That will probably do it, but I also then slipped the entire bottle into a zip loc bag for 'leak insurance.' You could double-bag it to be sure and I also sucked all the air out of the zip-locs. It's important not to fill the bottle too full. Give it at least a couple of inches from the top. Also, if you are going to a higher elevation that can cause any liquid, including oil, to be forced out of the bottle. So at the trailhead open the bottle to let out the expanded air and repackage as before." Hope that helps. I don't recall nalgene bottles as having that blah taste that one can get from regular plastic bottles. Any outfitting store like REI carries a wide selection of nalgene bottles.

Yep, that's what I was taught. Wipe down the leaves, then pass them over a flame or grill, moving them constantly, until they soften and become pliable. The banana leaves have a white film on them. The heat should burn off the white film and make the leaves shinier. I once made a mini version of the tamal zacahuil under the watchful eye of cooking teacher Agustin Gaytan ( http://www.agustincooks.com/main.html ). When I say mini, I mean the tamal was about 2 feet long and 1 foot wide, and it was too small to fill up a pit and feed an entire village. I laid out the banana leaves on aluminum foil, smoothed on the filling, then wrapped up the tamal, using the aluminum foil to help fold the banana leaves. This tamal was actually cooked on the grill in aluminum foil. But I wonder if a temporary aluminum foil backing might help you fold your tamales.

SobaAddict, I like that combo. Was the squash winter or summer squash? It looks like orange winter squash in the pic. I'm intrigued by the mint raita. I would never think to put a mint raita on a curry. I bet it tasted good with those peas. How did you make the raita?

If you put the ramekins on a baking sheet, they will be easier to transport in and out of the oven. I reserve the bain-marie for delicate desserts with eggs that might curdle (e.g., pots de creme). I've never cooked a crisp or crumble in ramekins, but there's no reason why you can't do that successfully. Are you thinking of a bain-marie to slow down the cooking action of the fruit, since it's in small baking dishes? The bain-marie might moderate the heat too much, so that the fruit is not cooked through. I suggest just putting the ramekins in the middle of the oven on a baking sheet. The baking sheet will provide extra insulation on the bottom of your ramekins, and slow down the cooking time of the fruit somewhat. Just watch those little ramekins in the oven. If it looks like the fruit is cooking too fast in relation to the topping, move the ramekins up a rack or two closer to the top of the oven, so that the radiant heat there will zap the topping a little more and it will cook faster. Or if the topping is cooking too fast, move the ramekins down so that the radiant heat from the bottom of the oven will hasten the cooking of the fruit. Make sense? Since you're making crumble in a non-standard way, I'm afraid you'll have to wing it. When the fruit is bubbling with thickened juices, and the topping is golden and cooked through, those crumbles are done. BTW, I'm assuming that you preheat the oven at the target temperature for 20 mins, so that those oven walls really are hot. good luck with your baking

The sorrel plant in my garden is throwing off leaves with the warmth of summer, so I picked a bunch and cooked Eggs on a Creamy Bed of Sorrel. This is a simple preparation, and it's delicious. Perfect for brunch. I particularly liked the light cooking of sorrel in the sauce. At other times I've cooked (overcooked?) sorrel, and it turned everything into an unappetizing khaki color. This dish tastes good and looks good, too.

I notice when celery's missing from a dish. As a counterpoint to the other easier flavors in a dish, celery adds complexity. In long-cooked dishes like mirepoix or stew, celery should be in the background, blending with the other flavors. If it's at the forefront, then there's probably too much celery in the dish (unless the recipe is supposed to highlight celery), and/or the celery is undercooked. Celery in a soup or stew tastes so different from raw celery (much milder) that I'm surprised anyone can identify it as the hated celery.

Sometimes I wonder where these food dislikes come from, so that the person won't touch it. A bad experience with too much, undercooked celery? When properly cooked, celery adds a note to foods that really can't be duplicated. Fennel is a good substitute, especially with fish, but I think that flavor is even more intrusive than celery! Like Tri2Cook, I believe in subterfuge. If you're making a mirepoix, grind up the celery so it can't be seen, and reduce the amt of celery by at least one half. The celery should melt into the dish. For a beef stew, try cooking whole stalks in the stew, then removing them before service (hide the stalks in the garbage). I'm afraid that for dishes with raw celery, like chicken salad, you'll probably have to try fennel. I've never done this, but blanching the celery in boiling water for a minute or two, then cooling it down quickly, should reduce its assertiveness for a raw application. Perhaps this person could accept that? Once I served tapenade to a dinner guest who hated olives. I did ask beforehand if there were any foods he didn't eat, but because he was trying to be polite, he never told me. Just as well. He scarfed down that olive tapenade with rounds of crusty bread. It turned out he was used to blah canned olives from his childhood, and he hated those. Tapenade made with properly cured picholines...that was just fine with him.

I eat roast chicken all year. In summer the leftovers are great, cold out of the fridge. Tonight, a go-to dinner for a busy weekday night, Thai Basil Chicken, a stirfry of chicken chunks, garlic, shallots, chile pepper, and (of course) fresh basil. In the wok, ready to be served over steamed rice. To make Thai Basil Chicken: Heat 3 TB peanut oil over high heat in a wok until it begins to smoke. Toss in 3-4 cloves of chopped garlic, let brown slightly, then add 3 shallots, thinly sliced. Toss and cook until the shallots soften and turn translucent. Add in 1 lb of boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces. Let the chicken brown and cook. When the chicken is no longer pink, toss in 1-2 serrano chiles, thinly slivered with seeds. Sprinkle on 2-3 tsp black (semi-sweet) soy sauce, 2 TB fish sauce, and 1/2 TB sugar. Combine and cook until the chicken is done. Add in 1 cup of fresh basil leaves (preferably Thai basil), and toss until the basil wilts. Taste and adjust for seasoning. Serve immediately over hot steamed rice. I've substituted ground chicken thigh meat, as well as tender pork shoulder strips, for the chicken chunks. Both versions taste good. Once I ran out of black soy sauce, so I substituted kecap manis, omitting the sugar, and that was fine too. My Basil Chicken is a streamlined, milder version of Kasma Loha-unchit's recipe. Her recipe is available on her website, here: http://www.thaifoodandtravel.com/recipes/baschi.html

I don't own a bundt cake pan either, though I do own a tube pan, which I rarely use. I have successfully baked a bundt cake recipe in two 9"X5" loaf pans. Would that arrangement work for you? (I usually give the extra loaf to a friend or neighbor, which makes me very popular.) At other times I have halved the recipe and baked it in a single loaf pan. A word of caution, though: as with all baking, there's no guarantee that any of these changes or substitutions will always work. Some equivalents from the Food Lover's Companion. (Measurements are in inches.) A 10X3 1/2 Bundt cake pan holds 12 cups. A 10X4 tube pan holds 16 cups. 8X5 loaf pan holds 6 cups. 9X5 loaf pan holds 8 cups.

Ce'nedra, that bo la lot looks great. Now I'm tempted to make that myself. Aloha Steve, what did you put in those delicious-looking lasagnas?

Meyer lemons have an incredible fragrance and sweetness. They are like a cross between an orange and a lemon. I love 'em. However, in my experience, meyer lemons do not cook up well. Their unique flavor tends to get lost in complex food pairings, and I think heat destroys some of their flavor as well. For example, I've cooked a meyer lemon souffle, and wondered, So what? I don't think meyer lemons would stand up to the cream in an ice cream, either. So I suggest, keep it simple, and if possible, uncooked. Meyer lemon juice is fantastic squeezed over fish or in a vinaigrette with shallots & great olive oil. I think a sorbet would show off meyer lemons really well, too--but watch the sugar, because meyer lemons are sweeter than other lemons. The zest could go into some kind of fresh relish with chopped green olives, parsley, and olive oil and served alongside grilled chicken or fish. My fave is lemon gremolata with braised beef short ribs. The original recipe appeared in the Chez Panisse Cafe Cookbook. An adapted version (same ingredients, different instructions) is here: http://www.foodista.com/recipe/2NLBKBTR/braised-beef-short-ribs-with-gremolata Another possibility, which I haven't tried, but which was recommended to me--making Moroccan preserved lemons with meyer lemons. The cook who tried this thought the Meyer preserved lemons were superb. I suggest going easy on the spices, or dispensing with them altogether and simply preserving the lemons in salt for the purest flavor. have fun with your lemons!

Somebody gave me a fresh blood sausage, so I tried a recipe I've had my eye on, Red Beans with Chorizo, Blood Sausage, and Piment d'Espelette, from Paula Wolfert's Mediterranean Clay Pot Cooking. A stew of Basque origin, & a super-savory mix of chorizo, blood sausage, beans, garlic, onions, carrots, bell pepper, and hot paprika. There are chunks of pork belly in there, too, almost too much for a warm weather meal. If I make this stew again in the summer, I'll probably reduce the amt of pork belly (but keep it in for the fall and winter). The beans are Rancho Gordo's scarlet runner beans, which turn a glossy black-red with cooking. Big deep flavors in this stew. One of my favorites out of this cookbook. The recipe is available on Googlebooks, Page 242, here: http://books.google.com/books?id=DwtbDDGaQcIC&pg=PA242&lpg=PA242&dq=wolfert+red+beans+chorizo+blood+sausage+piment+d%27espelette+claypot&source=bl&ots=qlxORE5ZvV&sig=J5ybgd_E29aKtVgOME-XPsminGU&hl=en&ei=XhEnTLuKNcumnQfhsvGbBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBIQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

I pulled the rosewater and orange flower water from my kitchen cabinet and tasted them with cream. That's a great way to compare these products. Thanks, Andiesenji. At the high dosages, both ingredients tasted dreadful, "alcohol-y," as the OP mentioned. But in the low dosages, they were just right--light, floral, and aromatic. I agree with Andie, the different brands out there can vary a great deal in quality. I used to buy a supermarket brand (Carlo) and I wasn't that happy with it. I switched to products from a local herbal store (Lhasa Karnak; they do mail order), and I've been much happier with those products. Do orange flower water or rosewater really have any flavor? It seems to me that they are mostly an aromatic. At best, these ingredients provide only a whiff of aroma. More than that, and it can become bad-tasting, even oppressive --like someone wearing too much perfume. I once ate a "molten" (soft-center) chocolate cake that was garnished with whipped creme fraiche containing a few drops of orange flower water. It was fantastic.

mmm...lobster. Nickrey, I've never eaten lobster with vanilla, and now I'm curious to try it. Yesterday's dinner, one of my favorite "slow" dinners, Slow-Cooked Roast Pork. A boneless pork shoulder is rubbed with a paste of garlic, sage, rosemary, and fennel, then roasted in a 275 degree oven. Just out of the oven, and resting on a rack. Served with roasted potatoes, and a salad of green beans, roasted red bell peppers, and sauteed shittake mushrooms, tossed with garlic vinaigrette. Leftovers tonight, but good leftovers. Roast Pork Sandwiches with caramelized onions, tomato, and gorgonzola cheese. I put the sandwiches under the broiler to warm everything up and melt the cheese. I found the recipe for the pork roast when I was surfing on the web one day. I halve all the ingredients, except the white wine and olive oil, and cook a 3 lb roast for about 3 hours. The recipe is here: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Six-Hour-Pork-Roast-102530

Kim, how do you cook your collards? Some collards will be in the CSA box I'm picking up tomorrow, and I'm wondering what to do with them. I received some fresh sausage today, too, so that will be dinner tomorrow. How do you make the onion and sauerkraut relish on your sausages? I'm ready to copy your plate, right down to the fries. SobaAddict, I like that combo of greens & beet salad & croutons with the fried egg. I'll have to try that.

Was the kale raw? That could be bitter! Blanching kale helps, but really, that's a vegetable that needs cooking and some fat to tone it down. More suggestions for you. My fave, the Sgroppino, is no kind of health food, but so what. >>Basil oil--best made in a blender, compared to a food processor, and this is the time to buy fresh basil. >>A summer soup of yogurt, cucumbers and mint. In the winter, pureed winter squash soups. >>Sgroppino, made with limoncello and vanilla ice cream. I found them addictive. Combine 2 cups softened vanilla ice cream, 6 TB fresh lemon juice, and 1/3 cup Limoncello in a blender; blend until thick and smooth. My adaptation of a recipe in Lemon Zest by Lori Longbotham.

Wonderful food, everyone. Kim, that peach-cherry crisp looks just right. I'll have to make a fruit crisp soon. Yesterday's dinner started with Penne with Sage Pesto and Roasted Tomatoes. The Sage Pesto comes from Judy Rodgers' Zuni Cafe Cookbook. I was curious to try this recipe. How can raw sage taste good? Pounding the sage with garlic, salt, and olive oil in a mortar helps tame it, and so does a generous amt of parmigiano-reggiano cheese and walnuts. Very tasty, and unusual, too. Followed by a "salad" of boiled leeks and asparagus, wrapped in ham, and drizzled with a mustard vinaigrette. I started with the recipe for Leeks Vinaigrette in Alice Waters' The Art of Simple Food, and kept going. Boiling the leeks makes them sweet and mild, and the spicy vinaigrette gives them zing. For dessert, Lattice-Topped Cherry Tart, also from the Zuni Cafe Cookbook. A few drops of balsamic vinegar in the cherries heighten their flavor. Balsamic is not something I would ever think to add to cherries, but it works. Ah, summer.

I found this cake in the pastry case of an Italian specialty food store. The counter guy said it was a new product, he didn't know the name of it, and he wasn't sure what ingredients were in it. But since it was the end of the day, he gave me a piece to take home and try. Yum! The cake has a cookie-like crust, with a buttery cake filling layered with cherries. The cake filling has the loose texture of a simple loaf cake. I detect lemon and vanilla in it too. Since it's cherry season, I'd like to try making this cake myself. Does anybody know the name of this cake? Where I might find a good recipe for it?

If you have a chance, check out Gratin of Pig's Foot with Vin Jaune and Comte Cheese in Paula Wolfert's Mediterranean Clay Pot Cooking. I haven't tried the recipe myself, but someone recommended it to me. In that recipe the pig's feet are cooked in a stock for a couple hrs, then deboned when they are still hot but cool enough to handle.

Have you checked the expiration dates on your leavening recently? Another possibility, an imbalance between the amts of sugar and flour, because of the different ways you and the recipe author measure flour. People can measure the same cup of flour and differ by ounces. Did the cake have a sugary crustiness to it, very dark brown, in addition to a sag in the middle? That characteristic signals to me that a cake has too much sugar in it compared to flour.

Many years ago, a bill was introduced in the California legislature that forbid people to eat their pets. I can't remember the exact wording of the bill now, but the gist of it was, you couldn't consume your pet for food. And why would you need a law to keep you from doing that? (The topic of this thread notwithstanding.) Someone told me the bill was a reaction to the the SE Asian immigrants here who kept cute little piglets as pets in their households, then slaughtered the animals for food when the pigs became too expensive to feed and too big to keep in the house. That policy made sense in SE Asia, but in urban-suburban California it, um, distressed the neighbors. In any case, the bill didn't pass.

Two kinds of pizza for dinner yesterday. It was a crunchy evening. Pizza with Grilled Asparagus, Fava Beans and Prosciutto Pizza with Eggs and Prosciutto To make the Pizza with Grilled Asparagus, Fava Beans and Prosciutto, I brushed a round of pizza dough with garlic-infused oil, excluding the rim, and layered it with shredded mozzarella, grated parmigiano-reggiano, grilled asparagus pieces, and cooked fava beans. I baked the pizza on a preheated stone at 550 F. As soon as the pizza came out of the oven, I draped it with pieces of prosciutto. On days when I cannot deal with prepping fava beans, I skip 'em, and the pizza still tastes good. To make the Pizza with Eggs and Prosciutto, I started the same way with a round of pizza dough, brushed with garlic-infused oil, excluding the rim. Then I layered on thinly sliced red onion, shredded mozzarella, and shredded fontina. Some grated parmigiano-reggiano got into the mix for this pizza, too, though normally I don't add it. I baked the pizza on a heated stone at 550 degrees for 5 minutes. Then I pulled out the oven rack and dropped some raw eggs from a small bowl onto the surface of the pizza. I very gently pushed the rack back into the oven. (With too much momentum the raw eggs can skid off the pizza crust, onto the pizza stone, then onto the oven floor. Guess how I know that.) When the pizza was done, I added on pieces of prosciutto, drizzled it with a little white truffle oil (high quality extra-virgin olive oil is good too), & sprinkled it with freshly chopped parsley. The original recipe for this pizza is in Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Cafe Cookbook. The pizza dough recipe came from Joanne Weir. I reduce the oil to 1 TB, and if I have the time, I let the dough rise slowly in the fridge overnight. The recipe is here: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/aspen-2005-the-best-pizza-dough

If those salted eggs are anything like the ones I remember from my childhood dinners, they are seriously salty. Don't think of them as eggs, but as a salty garnish, condiment, or seasoning. My parents regularly served them with steamed pork and/or plenty of rice. The blandness of the meat or rice tempered the saltiness of the eggs. My mother in particular liked to put those salted eggs in a steamed pork cake. Now that's serious peasant food, usually not served in Chinese restaurants. To make a steamed pork cake, combine some ground or well-chopped pork with ginger, garlic, soy (not too much), chopped scallions, chopped shittake mushrooms, chopped water chestnuts, and then anything else you think would taste good. All the vegs should be finely chopped. (My parents used cleavers. I reach for the food processor.) Tuck some salted duck egg quarters into the pork, covering them up--not too much duck eggs--remember they will help salt the pork. Smooth the mixture into one big patty in a dish, and steam until the pork is cooked. Serve with plenty of steamed rice. You could also make a chicken stirfry over steamed rice, and garnish the plate with a couple quarters of salted duck eggs. Once, in Kasma's Thai cooking class, we were making Son-In-Law eggs, and we made some Son-In-Law eggs with salted duck eggs. Those salty Son-In-Law eggs weren't half-bad, though I prefer fresh boiled duck eggs for that dish.

Wonderful food, everyone. Bruce, I am drooling over that BBQ, and I'm not even hungry. David Ross, I'm feeling inspired to make some gravlax myself, and I haven't done that in years. SobaAddict, I love poached eggs and bread in soup. For dinner here, Pot-Roasted Steak with Piquillo Peppers from Paula Wolfert's Slow Mediterranean Kitchen, Potato Salad with Green Garlic, and buttered sugar snap peas. I drizzled some of the pepper oil & juices over the slices of meat. That's the orange tinge you see. It tastes good, but it's not that aesthetic for the camera. (!) I was pleased with the potato salad, the first time I've cooked it. It's my adaptation of a recipe from chef Rick DeBeaord, who was kind enough to give me the recipe when I requested it. This potato salad shows off the taste of green garlic. To make Potato Salad with Green Garlic: Boil 1 1/2 lbs red creamer potatoes in salted water. While the potatoes are cooking, combine 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 2 TB chopped green garlic, and salt in a small pan over low heat. Cook slowly until the garlic is aromatic, softened, and translucent. The garlic should not brown. Set the garlic mixture aside. When the potatoes are done, and still hot (but handle-able), cut into bite-size chunks, sprinkle with 1 TB sherry vinegar and salt, and toss gently with a rubber spatula. Pour on the warm garlic mixture, and combine. Taste and adjust for salt, oil, and vinegar. This salad tastes better if allowed to sit 1/2 hr or more so that the flavors mellow.

steamed clams with melted butter