djyee100

Julia's classic spinach souffle recipe mentions "other vegetable souffles" towards the end of the recipe, such as a souffle with finely diced or pureed asparagus tips. http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/spinach-souffle For a variation on the classic souffle, I've always liked Joanne Weir's 10-minute souffle. It's baked in an oval casserole for 10-14 mins. The souffle is shallow and puffy, rather than deep, with more of that golden souffle crust for everyone. It's very attractive to serve. Although the cooking process is the same, I've always felt that this souffle is more easygoing than its classic counterpart. Joanne Weir's website has a recipe for a leek and gruyere souffle, to which you can try adding some asparagus. http://www.joanneweir.com/recipes/mains/ten-minute-roasted-leek-gruyere-souffle.html

yes, I'm tempted to make that tart also. A vendor once told me that the wiring was to help keep the claypot together. But Paula Wolfert has a better explanation in Mediterranean Clay Pot Cooking: it improves the heat distribution. More on Chinese sandpots from Wolfert's cookbook, on Googlebooks, Page XV: http://books.google.com/books?id=DwtbDDGaQcIC&printsec=frontcover&dq=mediterranean+clay+pot+cooking&cd=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false Great meals here, everyone.

I can't remember where I got this idea (a cooking teacher?) but when I tried this experiment on myself, it answered my questions about black pepper. Put a black peppercorn in your mouth and chew on it. What does it really taste like? That's the flavor you're adding to the food. To me, black pepper not only tastes hot, but also sweet, fruity, and umami. (BeeZee, I think the umami explains why black pepper deepens flavors.) Keep water and a paper napkin handy! At some point you will want to spit out that peppercorn and rinse your mouth! Try the experiment with a white peppercorn, too. For me, the difference between the two peppers was striking.

Not so long ago I found a way to make great breadcrumbs from Alice Waters' Art of Simple Food. My adaptation: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pare crust from day-old country-style bread, cube bread, and process in a blender. Toss crumbs with salt and 1TB olive oil per cup of crumbs. Spread on a baking sheet, and bake until golden brown, stirring every few minutes for even color. Yes, a blender. The crumbs from my blender were fine and evenly chopped, much better than when chopped in my Cuisinart. Learn something new all the time. BTW, Waters' book contains a mini-thesis on breadcrumbs, a full page and a half in the book, starting on page 62, that discusses types of bread for good crumbs, types of good crumbs for the various kinds of dishes, how to preserve the crumbs, how stale is stale (1 or 2 days), how to embellish (olive oil, herbs, duck fat, butter), fresh vs. toasted crumbs, proper toasting technique for even coloring, and more. It's a little overwhelming. Before reading this essay, I myself couldn't come up with more than 3 sentences to say about breadcrumbs. ETA: When using a blender or food processor, pulse to the count of 5, stop, and check the texture of the crumbs. Then continue for another count of 5 if necessary. This prevents overprocessing the crumbs, yes?

If you can, pls give us the name on the label and the country of origin. Then we can figure out what you have and make suggestions.

A great idea. The last time I did a taste test of various coconut milks (again, thanks to my Thai cooking teacher, Kasma), I was surprised at the differences of taste and quality among them. Definitely worth doing.

I've never sold any products on Amazon, but I'm amazed at the level of web traffic on that site. Many people who buy used books know of Amazon, but not of other big online vendors like Abebooks or Alibris. So even though Amazon gets a big bite of your profits, realize that you're selling on some prime web real estate.

If you can find the Mae Ploy brand of coconut milk, those cans tend to have a generous amt of coconut cream on top. I prefer the taste of Mae Ploy or Chaokoh, and I think Chaokoh is better, with a rounder, almost sweet taste. Asian mkts will also sell various brands of frozen coconut milk, which may taste good. Be aware that there's a knockoff of Chaokoh around, with a similar sounding name and lookalike label. I last saw it in a market over a year ago, and I don't know if the brand has been prohibited since then. My Thai cooking teacher gave us a sample of the knockoff in class, and it was one of the worst coconut milks I've ever tasted. Lesson learned, be sure you know how to spell Chaokoh when you go shopping.

It's an interesting question. The essential oils from any of these herbs (oregano, parsley, basil, rosemary, sage, thyme), when distilled, are supposed to last a long time when properly stored away from heat or light. They are supposed to retain their scent and flavor, sometimes for years. Extrapolating from that fact, I'm guessing that the essential oil from the dried oregano in your meatballs probably stayed much the same in the freezer. What changed were all the flavors around it--the meat, tomato, and vegs in your meatballs. As those other flavors faded in the freezer, the oregano flavor became relatively more pronounced.

When I lived in SF, I was out by the avenues (wa-ay out by Ocean Beach), so I can't help you much with breakfast places downtown. One place comes to mind, where I've never had the breakfast, only lunches & dinners, but it's been a good reliable place to eat: Park Chow, close to public transportation (MUNI, J line to Church St). Another Park Chow is located at 9th & Irving (MUNI on the NJudah line, stops at the corner), near Golden Gate Park and the new California Academy of Sciences (but check out the admission price for the Calif Acad before you decide to go). Park Chow website with location info & breakfast menus: http://www.chowfoodbar.com/church_menu.html Arizmendi Bakery, also at 9th & Irving , doesn't really serve a big breakfast, just some great fresh-baked breads and pastries and good coffee. There are a couple benches with low tables where you can eat and drink and people-watch. This is one of my favorite stops when I'm in SF. http://www.arizmendibakery.org/ If you decide to take MUNI to these places, probably starting from the Civic Center station, pls do not walk from your hotel to Market St. Take a taxi. That area is a little scuzzy in the early morning hours.

Someone I know baked an apple pandowdy 7 or 8 years ago, and raved about it to me, so I've kept it at the back of my mind as something I would like to make. But I haven't gotten to it yet. Too many other good recipes to try out. A few months ago I was reading Richard Sax's Classic Home Desserts and found a good-sounding recipe for Pear Pandowdy. Sax prefers a pastry crust to biscuit, because the pastry will bake up crisper than biscuit after it's been dunked in fruit juices. The recipe and a short history of pandowdy is available on Googlebooks, Pages 50-51. Here:

That's what this thread is about, isn't it? If you like the taste of something, you like the taste of something, and you shouldn't feel ashamed of it. Have you begun your recovery program yet? Go out to buy your favorite hot dogs, and eat 'em! Happily. Yeah. Whenever I see low-salt chips at the store I ask myself, why do those mfgrs think I eat chips anyway? For the taste of potato??

I baked the Molasses Spice Cookies for a potluck dinner with friends, and the hostess removed the bowl from her husband's reach because he wouldn't stop eating those cookies. Later he asked me for the recipe, and I sent it to him.

For tonight's dinner, Grilled Steak with Herbs, from Alice Waters' Art of Simple Food, carrots tossed with picholine olives, and roasted potatoes and celery root. The carrots were cooked with a little butter in a Chinese sandpot, then tossed with chopped picholine olives to make them zingy. The potatoes and celery root were cut into cubes, rubbed with olive oil and S&P, then roasted in a very hot oven (450F). The steak with herbs is one of my perennial favorites. The recipe calls for grass-fed beef, but I have cooked this recipe with regular ol' sirloin and ribeye steaks, and they come out delicious. The recipe is here: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/grilled-sirloin-steak-with-herbs

The salted anchovies have a cleaner flavor, and I prefer them. Even around here, they can be a little trouble to shop for. If for some reason you can't find anchovies, Asian salted mackerel may make a decent substitute. I'm talking about the soft-textured salted mackerel slices that come in plastic wrap. It may be sold at room temp or stored in the refridg or freezer case. The last batch I bought were labelled "frozen salted mackerel" and kept in a box on the floor in an Oakland Chinatown shop. The salt preserves them, really. I hope. The salted mackerel is not the same taste as anchovies, but it's salty and umami, & when I eat it I'm reminded of salted anchovies.

OMG, uni, the one thing I won't eat at a sushi bar. It looks like and probably tastes like...well, I won't say. Years ago a friend and I went to our favorite sushi bar and asked the chef to deep fry the uni in a tempura batter. My friend said that with cooking the uni tasted like the bellies of New England fried clams. I agreed. That was the only way I ever liked uni (& it brought back fond memories of clam shacks in my New England childhood).

Before using them, I suggest soaking the anchovies in milk for about 10 mins, then rinsing and drying them. Sometimes the oil packed with anchovies has a fishy off-flavor that gives anchovies their bad reputation. Soaking them in milk shd get rid of the fishiness. Some people don't like the milk soak, though. They want anchovies to taste fishy and salty. Remember that Worcestershire sauce is mostly anchovy. You could mash up a few filets and substitute them in a recipe where a dash of Worcestershire sauce would add flavor. I used to cook a lamb cacciatore recipe that called for anchovies (6 anchovy filets for 3 lbs of lamb). You didn't taste the anchovy (you shouldn't taste it distinctly), but the anchovies bumped up the savoriness of the dish. Also, since anchovies are basically fermented fish flavor, you could use it as a rough substitute for fish sauce in an Asian dish. Any other pasta dishes that you like with anchovy? Pasta with cauliflower and pasta puttanesca come to mind. I like this recipe for pasta with cauliflower from Vincent Schiavelli's Papa Andrea's Sicilian Table. But don't use a whole can of anchovies, as the recipe calls for! That's too much. Maybe 1/2 can, if you really like anchovies. On Googlebooks, Page 42: http://books.google.com/books?id=Zt24M3F5PH0C&printsec=frontcover&dq=vincent+schiavelli&cd=3#v=onepage&q=cauliflower&f=false BTW, Schiavelli's cookbook has a wonderful introduction about his grandfather, who inspired this cookbook. The intro starts on Page 13, also available for reading on Googlebooks.

Gjetost on rye crackers, topped with some kind of berry jam. One of my college roommates spent a summer traveling around Norway, and lived on this Norwegian treat.

Sounds like a variation of Megadarra. Claudia Roden's classic recipe is on Googlebooks, Page 97. (No spinach in it, though.)

My friend Maria, a wonderful cook from Peru, once served us the potato dish with the white (?) sauce. She gave me the recipe when I asked for it, and I scrawled down all the ingredients. 1 aji amarillo, chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped 8 oz queso fresco 5 oz evaporated milk 1 tsp salt, or to taste ground black pepper to taste 1 oz vegetable oil

I notice that once people admit to their shameful foods, they feel hungry for them and eat them. Is this an aspect of recovery? I hope so, because I bought a bag of potato chips yesterday.

I stumbled across this method for roasting tomatoes when I made the Roasted Tomato Sauce in Alice Waters' Pasta Pizza & Calzone cookbook. I've always been happy with it, & I've never experimented beyond a few small touches of my own. The recipe: Core tomatoes, rub with olive oil, season with S&P. Roast in preheated 425 F oven for about 30 mins. The tomato skins will blister and brown; the tomatoes taste caramelized. This method is especially good for intensifying the flavor of blah winter tomatoes.

I like Lay's potato chips, those plain thin chips with lots of salt on them. A few years ago Lay's started frying their chips in healthier sunflower oil, and that's too bad, because I think they tasted better with the hydrogenated stuff. It's very important to me that the bag of chips I purchase contain as many whole big chips as possible. At the supermarket I gingerly finger the bag, then gently shake it a little. Too many pieces and crumbs, and I try out another bag. At the checkout I ask that that the potato chips be put in a separate paper bag. That's so the chips won't be crushed by my other groceries. Also, I hope that the cashier thinks I'm buying the chips for someone else. One of my favorite dinners, especially good for difficult days, is potato chips with ice cream, usually a pint of Ben & Jerry's that has some Heath Bar Crunch in it. The potato chips are a chaser for the ice cream. To my mind, this is a nutritious meal because it includes the four major food groups in my universe: fat, sugar, starch, and salt. I'm not really ashamed to be eating a dinner like this. But then, I haven't posted this contribution on EGullet's Dinner thread, either.

Yes, it does. Thanks.

If I understand correctly what is being said here: (1) There is no significant difference in the chemical composition of beet and cane sugars. (Which makes sense to me.) (2) There is a difference in granule size between beet and cane sugars, the beet sugar being coarser. The coarser granules in beet sugar may negatively affect mixing, dispersion, and crystallization in baked goods. (3) However, when beet or cane sugar is dissolved, there are no significant differences between the two.