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djyee100

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Posts posted by djyee100

  1. Years ago I cooked a fish pie from Macao, originally Portuguese with influences from the Silk Route. The fish filling was savory and spicy, the crust was sweet with sugar and Port. The sweet-savory combination reminded me of Arab food brought back from the Crusades.  I thought it was too sweet to serve as a main dish. With some tweaking you might make a dessert out of it. My notes say "delicious, unusual." 

     

    I clipped the recipe from a food mag. Incredibly, I was able to find it online. Here:
    http://recipes.wikia.com/wiki/Empada_de_Peixe_%C3%A0_Maniera_de_Macao

  2. I think you should be scientific about your new location, so it is as close as possible to all of your EGullet fans. Don't worry, I did the work for you. I set up a database of EGulleters' locations, plotted them on a grid, then calculated mean distance times by auto, train, and air. Rob, the optimal location for your new restaurant is Berkeley/Oakland in the Bay Area! Welcome!

     

    :wink:   good luck, pls keep us posted.

    • Like 3
  3. The "Tunnel of Fudge" cake that won the Pillsbury Bake-Off in 1966. It was a craze like the molten chocolate cakes of the 2000's.
    http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/tunnel-of-fudge-cake/8d3b4927-2f71-41a3-9dab-7750f045f252

     

    Stained Glass jello, which I found totally fascinating when I was a kid.
    http://www.instructables.com/id/Stained-Glass-Jello/

     

    Mentioned upthread, Baked Alaska and Crepes Suzette were haute bourgeois for the 1960s. :wink:

  4. ...Does anyone have any suggestions, particularly among new-ish or forthcoming books?

     

    I was curious, so I went to the website of Ten Speed Press, a notable cookbook publisher, and checked out their new releases for cookbooks. I ended up going thru their entire current list, marking books for possible Amazon purchase and reserved holds at my public library. It took an hour or two. This is how time slithers through your fingers when you're on the web.

     

    These new-ish books looked interesting to me, maybe some of them would be of interest to you.

     

    Ricker, Pok Pok (Asian street food)

    Lindgren, SPQR (modern Italian, the promo says)

    Lebovitz, My Paris Kitchen

    Armstrong, My Irish Table

    Shafia, New Persian Kitchen

     

    An oldie but goodie, Ono, Japanese Hot Pots

     

    Also on my radar for awhile (I'm waiting for it at my public library)--

    Bundy, Pomegranates and Roses, Persian Family Recipes. I met the author years ago when I assisted her in a cooking class. I liked her food then and still cook her recipes.

    • Like 1
  5. Nancie McDermott's Quick & Easy Thai. This cookbook should fill your requirements. I've cooked many recipes from this book, and I've liked them all.

    Quick & Easy Thai: 70 Everyday Recipes

     

    Another possibility, Ruta Kahate's 5 Spices, 50 Dishes for Indian food. I've cooked many recipes from this book as well. One important caveat: the salt amts in the recipes are for kosher salt, not sea salt, although the recipes don't specify kosher salt. I blew a couple recipes before I figured out what the problem was.

    5 Spices, 50 dishes: Simple Indian Recipes Using Five Common Spices

     

    I bought this book at a used book sale, but haven't cooked from it yet. It might fit your requirements. Cooking times are on the long side for slow-cooked dishes like tagines. If you cook from it, you can tell me about it. Cooking at the Kasbah: Recipes from My Moroccan Kitchen by Kitty Morse

    Cooking at the Kasbah: Recipes from My Moroccan Kitchen

  6. "deterrents" have a very spotty record.  if they work for you, wonderful.  just don't bet the corn on it.....

    "deer" visible is good - what they see and don't like - works best.

     

    I didn't have deer problems in the last place I lived (too urbanized), but I've become a deer expert since I moved to this place 3 yrs ago. I call the fire lane beyond the back deck the Wildlife Freeway. The deer and other critters ramble along it because it roughly follows a path between 2 open space areas. They browse for food en route. I've discovered, the hard way, that hungry deer will eat anything they can chew. The only exception is a really strong taste, like mint or other herbs--they have to hate the taste to leave it alone.

     

    Deer prefer not to eat any texture that is rough or prickly or fuzzy, but they will selectively eat what they can. Hence, they leave the foliage and stems of rose bushes, but eat the blooms. Also, as the season wears on and they prepare for winter, they become less picky to store up fat. I stunned a nursery guy by telling him the deer ate my abutilon one September--that plant is usually deer-resistant.

     

    I've tried some deer-proofing sprays that seemed to work, but the smell made my back deck so unpleasant I didn't want to be there. So what's the point? Also, those sprays have to be applied regularly, and they're expensive. Other than that, I've never known deer to be deterred by smell alone. Either they can't chew it (camellia leaves, rosemary, bay leaves, lilies) or they detest the taste (mint, lavender, most herbs).

     

    A tall fence will work--9 or 10 feet. Deer will still jump it if they are very motivated and somewhat dumb. A rosarian I know keeps his extensive heirloom rose collection behind a high cyclone fence like that. The deer look in and salivate. Over the decades a couple deer have jumped that fence, feasted on roses, and then, very sated, discovered they couldn't jump out. They panicked and died of heart attacks. The rosarian had to haul their carcasses out of the garden.

     

    Someone told me that deer will not jump into a space they cannot see. Keep in mind that they can stand on their hind legs, so a tall fence has to be a TALL fence. But still, when I consider if I will fence off my back deck, I think a solid redwood fence might do the trick.

     

    FauxPas, pls let us know how it goes--I'm always open to more deer-proofing/resistant ideas.

    • Like 2
  7. Garden6-16_3610.jpg

     

    I had to stop buying herbs at the nurseries when I ran out of spare pots. This year's haul: Moroccan mint (in the black grower's pot), thyme, marjoram, 'Spice Islands' rosemary, lemon savory, a couple Genovese basil, one variegated basil (Ocimum 'Pesto Perpetuo' , very pretty on fresh tomato salads), Italian oregano, dwarf Greek oregano, and green shiso. Some of the plants got short haircuts when I made a pot of spaghetti sauce this weekend.

     

    I lost almost all of last year's herbs to a whitefly infestation, and then the rest didn't overwinter that well. They rarely do. There's not enough cold weather here to send them into dormancy. The herbs become shaggy and woody and lacking in vitality, and don't grow well in their second spring. Eventually I lose patience and dump them. I frequently start with new herbs every year.

     

    The pink rose is 'Jeanne Corboeuf' (hybrid tea, 1902). My other roses have finished their first flush of bloom and are contemplating rebloom, but Jeanne is already budding and flowering. She always seems to be ahead of the pack. On the left edge of the pic, peeking underneath the Japanese mock orange, is sweet woodruff, an herb whose flowers can be made into wine. Mine blooms very little, so there will be no wine, only an attractive groundcover.

    • Like 3
  8. See this recipe for ricotta made with lemons--some people tried lime juice with success.
    http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2011/06/rich-homemade-ricotta/
    See notes # 187 Akalei and #451 Debbie.

     

    Have you considered rennet? Animal rennet will last in the fridge for 1 yr, vegetable rennet will last 6 mos. It can be purchased online from cheesemaking suppliers. I've made this recipe with rennet:
    http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/articles/2009/06/24/recipe_for_homemade_ricotta/

  9. Are fava beans in season where you live?

    -- Fava bean spread of pureed favas, lemon, olive oil

     

    Also

    -- Roasted bell peppers, different colors if you can get them, cut into small matchstick (or whatever), dressed with olive oil

     

    I've tried this herb jam from Paula Wolfert, also one of her versions of tomato jam (though not this one). I liked the herb jam more than the reviewers did.
    http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/herb-jam-with-olives-and-lemon-231567

     

    http://www.brightonyourhealth.com/moroccan-tomato-jam-with-sesame-seeds/ (keep scrolling)

     

    Try going with some marinated sun-dried tomatoes if the fresh tomatoes don't seem quite ripe. It's still early in tomato season around here. This recipe:

    http://www.callwild.com/recipe.php?id=1

     

     

    The best greens spread I've ever eaten was from an Indian chef. I suggest you make it and say it's Mediterranean. :wink: 
    Posted on EGullet here, post #6:
    http://forums.egullet.org/topic/143226-sarson-da-saay/

  10. ...Wine isn't easily approachable without the help of others IMO.

     

    Unfortunately, I think that's true. If you can find a wine vendor you like, that would be a big help. Also, there's a mystique about wine drinking and wine jargon that can be intimidating  to almost everybody. Last year I attended a wine and cheese class at the Cheese School of SF, and one of the instructors said (to paraphrase), "Wine jargon is very intimidating to most people. If you can say what you like and why you like it, in your own words, people will know what you mean." Almost everybody in the class gave a sigh of relief, myself included. :rolleyes:

     

    As for aging wines, I don't do serious cellaring. I don't have the space or inclination for it. I do try to put a few more years of age on my biggest reds and Chardonnays. But I'm careful to buy wines that are drinkable now, even if they will improve if I can hold them a few years. I never hold a wine for more than 5 years.

     

    Bottles that are good for cellaring have a bigger extraction and more care in how they are made, and usually come with a higher price. There are some better-priced wines made in Spain and Italy, though, that are very good for cellaring. Around here, I perceive the extra care for age-able wines means bigger extraction and better balance to start with, and a potential for "boutique" flavors, all adding up to the ability to develop well in the bottle.

     

    By "cleanliness," I wonder if they meant discontinuing the use of old funky wine barrels that (no surprise) put old funky flavors in the wine. There are stories of 1960s Napa Vly wines made in redwood barrels, that were..memorable... Napa Vly wines today are made with obsessive care for barrel selection, as you can imagine.

     

    I've known few people who do extensive cellaring. They buy a case, try out a bottle as a baseline, then periodically taste a bottle over the years to test how the wine is going. When the wine says Ready to them, they drink up the supply. If the wine doesn't seem to be developing as expected, they either decide to drink it all right then, or sell it, or otherwise ditch it to free up space in the cellar. The people I've known don't seem to have much angst about deciding when the wine is at its peak, or close to it. Either they know what they're doing and feel confident, or they're trying to act cool around me. :hmmm:  :biggrin:

  11. My problem with many aged wines is that they taste of aged characteristics (cigar box, leather, tobacco, meat) rather than their primary fruit structure. ..

     

    ...Like Syzygies, I'd tend to err on the side of drinking too young but there is a lot of pleasure in a well aged bottle of wine that is drinking at its peak. Too often I've had old wines that are a shadow of their former selves and nothing but a missed opportunity best enjoyed years earlier.

     

    I once attended a tasting of some fine wines, including a well-aged Hermitage from the host's cellar. The Hermitage had a strong aroma of tobacco. The person next to me complained it smelled of cigarette butts. The host's expression was priceless, as he struggled to hide his dismay at hearing his precious wine described like that.

     

    But yes, your point is well-taken, that a well-aged bottle like the Hermitage can be special. I found the flavors and aromas (including the tobacco) to be intriguing, although I wouldn't exactly call it delicious. And yes, if people think aging wine is good for the sake of aging, they're going to reach the point of diminishing returns as the wine passes its peak.

  12. ...which is an interesting way to win an argument, he suggests that those who don't understand are posers who ... uh ... don't understand.

     

    ...Nevertheless, I'm calling the king has no clothes on. There's so much attitude and context that gets layered on older wines, covering the fact that most of them would have been better drunk a bit earlier...

     

    IIRC, Dr Vinny has said beginner wine drinkers typically do not like old wines. That makes sense to me because other kinds of wine, rather than old wines, are more accessible and likeable for most beginners.

     

    I don't think Dr Vinny puts a value on old wine over any other kind of wine, nor implies that someone is ignorant if they don't like old wine. Quite the contrary, if you reread my quote from one of Dr Vinny's columns.

     

    There are some people, perhaps they are self-styled connoisseurs, who make a big deal about the unusual flavors in old wines. Fine for them. I'm willing to believe they are sincere if they say that's what they like. Frankly, your setting the standard as younger is as meaningless as others setting the standard as older. People like what they like.

     

  13. Other people have mentioned these things, I'm probably repeating them here. There's no cut-and-dried answer to this. So much depends on the particular wine. In general, white wines have more acidity than red; red wines have more tannins than white; dessert wines have more sugar than either. All these factors will help a wine hold its flavor longer.

     

    Red wines have a plush fruitiness compared to whites, and that fruitiness declines rapidly after the bottle is opened. That's what's most noticeable to me. My red wines stop being fun to drink after a couple days, unless they're big wines that are very tannic. Then a couple days on the counter helps them out.

    • Like 1
  14. I've long held a theory that the trend toward 'spicier' foods becoming more common place (eta: in US chains...the rise of Chili's, Chipotle, Buffalo everything etc.) is related to an aging boomer population that is losing its sense of taste and needs bigger flavors in order to taste anything...this thread inspires me to see a corollary that suggests that as wine has become more popular among a younger demographic that they have created a market for more nuanced/restrained wines, as their more sensitive, un-dead (heh) palates don't need massive flavors to enjoy a wine..

     

    I'll be the contrarian here. The younger generation is not spending its money on $50 bottles of wine, even if a very small subset of them has just made a million dollars overnight from an IPO. I'll point to the affluent older generation (over 50), which has decades of experience in wine drinking, and which has done more recreational travel compared to previous generations. That older generation has the money and the sophistication to drive a market for nuanced, restrained wines. That's my theory. I haven't seen any marketing studies.

     

    Also, spicier foods are more popular among the younger demographic compared to the older. Older people aren't used to that level of spice, often don't like it, and show caution in what they try. That's my observation.

     

    ...my take is that idolizing older wines is just old gheezers trying to put a positive spin on their own mortality. With few exceptions (Brunello comes to mind) I've always preferred the same bottle young.

     

    Once the wine ages enough so that the tannins come into balance with the rest of the wine, it's really a matter of taste of how aged someone likes the wine. Those funky, even repellent, smells and flavors from aged but quality wines are not for everyone (myself included). Have you ever read Dr. Vinny in The Wine Spectator? Dr. Vinny has repeatedly said old wine is an acquired taste.

     

    I get a lot of questions from folks worrying about how to age their wine, and I always ask them to stop and reflect: do they even like the taste of older wines? A wine cellar isn’t a wine hospital—older wines aren’t necessarily better or worse than younger wines, they’re just older. Fresh fruit flavors fade into the background and give way to more dried and baked notes. Spice and earth notes become more prominent.

    http://www.winespectator.com/drvinny/show/id/49436

     

  15. This trend in California wines has been going on for some time, at least 10 years by my count. But I guess when a group organizes and publishes a manifesto, the world takes notice. My long-time wine vendor attended the IPOB meeting last year, and came back much enthused about the wines. I've tried one of the Matthiasson chardonnays, one of the Flowers chardonnays, and I have some bottles from a couple other IPOB wineries in my wine closet (Failla, Liquid Farm). But I really haven't focused on these wines.

     

    Still, I don't know what Parker is so upset about. I don't think the prototypical California fruit bomb is going out of style. People like the taste of these big fruity wines, and they match Californian food. If this trend continues, you might see less oak, less alcohol, and less ripeness in the wines. With restraint comes more complexity. That all sounds good to me. But I think they'll still be big wines, fruit forward, with a level of ripeness (I call it sunniness) that is identifiably Californian. Not really Burgundian as I think of Burgundian--leaner and more complex, sometimes with funky flavors that (face it) many Americans don't like.

     

    Of all the winemakers in IPOB, I like to keep my eye on Steve Matthiasson. He strikes me as very experimental. He pushes the edge, I think, and sometimes goes over it. I tried the 2013 Matthiasson Chardonnay, Linda Vista Vineyard, Oak Knoll, Napa--neutral oak, little malolactic fermentation--and I came away realizing that more malolactic fermentation in chardonnay is a good thing.  Well, you never know unless you try something different, right? :laugh:

     

    I wrote about the Flowers chardonnay on the EGullet "What Wine Are You Drinking Today?" thread. KD1191 writes about Littorai wines on that thread, also. Littorai is another IPOB member.
    http://forums.egullet.org/topic/147119-what-wine-are-you-drinking-today/page-2

     

    Really, the only way out of this controversy is to drink some wines yourself and compare.

     

     

    • Like 2
  16. Sorry, but mini hot dogs with bbq sauce and grape jelly sounds like something only a Klingon would love...

     

    I thought Klingons liked bitter, strong, animal-y flavors, like steppe warriors. But the culture revers he-man types who will eat anything, so your average Klingon will eat those embellished mini-hot dogs if you're watching.

     

    Savory and meaty (hot dogs) mixed with spicy-sweet (BBQ sauce) with more sweet plus fruity (grape jelly)--that's American, not Klingon. :raz:

     

    As for ketchup on hot dogs...If you like it, it's not bad.

     

    Once I was at an event somewhere--I forget where--and a friend ran out to get us some lunch. She brought back hot dogs from a nearby street vendor. She handed me a hot dog with a stripe of yellow mustard down the length of the dog, and three equal-sized dots of ketchup, all equidistant from each other, also along the length of the dog. She was an artist. I don't normally eat ketchup on hot dogs, but I smiled and ate that one.

     

    Remember? You eat with your eyes first.

     

    Also, as you can tell, I'm not picky. :biggrin: 

    • Like 3
  17. Isnt there a syndrome called Supertasters which explains pickiness?

     

    Supertasters are people with a high number of taste buds who taste foods very intensely. Supertasters especially have a problem with bitter flavors--not a surprise.

     

    People for whom coriander/cilantro tastes like soap have a genetic predisposition for that.

    http://www.nature.com/news/soapy-taste-of-coriander-linked-to-genetic-variants-1.11398

     

    Compared to me, Tri2Cook is a saint. I expect people to eat what I put on the table. I do ask about allergies, and I judge whether I'm hearing "can't eat" versus "won't eat." I'm fine about asking people to bring their own food. I tell them to please bring their own food so I will be sure they'll be happy at the party. I do put down a variety of foods to suit different tastes, but I won't cater to the few.

     

    OK, so I don't know many vegans, gluten-intolerant, whatever-intolerant kinds of people. Almost all my good friends are omnivores like me. I'm OK with that.

    • Like 5
  18. And kneading isnt that hard and good exercise or you can use a machine to do it.

     

    I don't think no-knead bread is about laziness or an unwillingness to knead bread. It's another technique for people to learn about and use as it may suit them. Many committed and skilled bakers have tried the NY Times No-Knead Bread and liked it. I encourage beginners like KofB to try it to learn about what's possible. I don't know why your results went awry, but it doesn't sound like what the bread is supposed to be like. It's supposed to be like a French-style boule.

    • Like 1
  19. I never manage to make a  no knead bread that  is delicous , I have follow the instruction and  the bread is stale one day after or in worse cases   2 hours after slicing it and also the  crust is like leather.  

     

    Have you made the NY Times No-Knead Bread?

     

    It is a lean French-style white bread, made in a boule, with a thin crispy crust and excellent aroma. The method is unusual, and probably not like other no-knead breads you may have tried. I baked this bread extensively for awhile, and afterwards I felt I learned a great deal about slow fermentation and wet doughs. That's why I recommend it as part of a baker's repertoire.

     

    The EGullet thread about NY Times No-Knead Bread, which goes on and on. This thread garnered attention in the NY Times and

    Jeffrey Steingarten's article about NY Times No-Knead Bread in Vogue.

    http://forums.egullet.org/topic/95345-minimalist-no-knead-bread-technique-part-1/

    EGulleters did an incredible amount of experimentation and testing on this bread. Such creativity!

     

    ETA: I was browsing through the EGullet thread and noticed that people recommended more salt in the recipe, myself included. I use 1 1/2 tsp salt in the basic recipe.

  20. Never heard of this before. I did just a quick search on the web--the dish is also called la potence

    flambee.

     

    Try a google search "restaurants that serve la potence"

     

    I also picked up at least one YouTube video with a google search for "youtube la potence flambee"

     

    Off the top of my head, this dish is a house specialty, not common at all, and I noticed only a handful

    of restaurants--worldwide--that serve it.

  21. So I'm asking, can anyone tell me what to do? Give me a challenge?

     

     

    KofB, I suggest that you try the NY Times No-Knead Bread, if you haven't done so already. That would be a change of pace for you--not a classic method at all, but an effective, alternative method based on  slow fermentation and a wet dough. Also, the NY Times No-Knead Bread is really delicious.

     

    Recipe here:

    http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/11376-no-knead-bread

     

    Explanation why it works:

    http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/08mini.html?_r=0&adxnnl=1&pagewanted=all&adxnnlx=1432429282-NaepVHeZWsRDCtWC7htNvQ

     

    If you google "NY Times No-Knead Bread" you'll find many links to blogs and videos about this bread. There is also a very long thread about this bread on EGullet. EGulleters made a dizzying number of variations on this bread. In fact, I joined EGullet back then so I could log onto that thread and blab about no-knead bread. :biggrin:

     

    • Like 1
  22. I've seen several recipes for quick preserved lemons - does anybody have any favorites? I have an event coming up in less than 2 weeks and need a pretty large batch....

     

    I've tried this "quick" preserved lemons recipe that can take 5 days. Longer is better if you can do it. From Heidi Krahling of the Insalata restaurant in Marin.

    http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/preserved-lemons-0

     

    The hot brine on the lemons really does the trick of speeding up the curing process. But these lemons do not have the depth of flavor as regular preserved lemons. They also have a softer, more watery texture from the brine.

     

    But if you need preserved lemons quick...the flavor is good, and I have used them in savory dishes as a substitute for regular preserved lemons, with good results.

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