Emily_R

Finally got my Unicorn Magnum pepper grinder. Holy cow can that thing pump out the pepper, and so easy to load! Why did I wait so long!?

Hi folks -- I'm thinking of throwing a mexican taco party, but something has me stumped. Imagine there'll be six people, each eating three tacos. That's at a minimum 18 corn tortillas to heat up in my dry cast iron pan for a minute or so on each side. Even at just a minute each, that's 18 minutes doing them one at a time, and makes it hard for everyone to eat together and get that hot-off-the-griddle toasty corn flavor. Is there some way to do these in larger batches? In a hot oven perhaps? Thanks in advance! Emily

Hey all -- I finally have a real winner to post here! This recipe for Ginger Chicken made for a fantastic weeknight meal, with a little heat, a little sweetness, and overall a great balance of flavors, ... The recipe has you make a little caramel first, then add that caramel to boneless chicken thighs cooked with lots of ginger, onion wedges, fish sauce, and some chiles. My only comment is that I used all the ginger called for (recipe indicates you can only use half if you're ginger shy) and it was perfect. Could even have added a smidge more ginger if I'd wanted. I also added more green onions which were really a good fit. I'm posting a link to the blog where I found this recipe. Says its a Food and Wine recipe, but I couldn't find it on the Food and Wine website... http://whatdidyoueat.typepad.com/what_did_...cken_.html#more

Hi folks -- Just wanted to report back that I also made the RLB open-faced fresh blueberry pie a few days ago, and really liked it a lot. I cut back on the sugar since our fresh berries were super sweet... I think I also put this in a pyrex pie plate that was closer to 8 inches, as I tested out what 4 cups of berries looked like in my 9-inch plate and it didn't seem like quite enough. That said, my crust did shrink back a little (even with doing the blind baking with beans in it), so the 9 inch pie plate probably would have been okay for that reason... All said, a nice alternative for summer pies, when it seems like a crime to cook those fantastic fresh berries to death!

I tried a very similar recipe that was labeled as tofu "chocolate mousse" and... Blech. The version I tried was too sweet as well, and to me it just sat in my stomach like a hunk of lead. My husband and I started to joke about it, calling it a "meal replacement," because once he had a cup he didn't need to eat for the rest of the day. It does make more sense billed as a pudding than am mousse, since there was none of the true air-pocket mousse lightness in it...

Just chiming in as a former Rhody to say that I also love frozen lemonade but think Palagi's is head and shoulders above Del's!

I haven't done this before, but have been tempted recently, after eating the most to-die-for chickpea soup at I Coppi in the east village. I asked the kitchen what kind of broth they used, chicken or beef, and they told me it was vegetable. I was floored. Sadly I don't even know where to begin trying to make a vegetable stock taste that good...

Good god Bruce, that looks amazing! Which Marcella book is that technique from? And is there any special trick to it besides scoring, slathering with oil and spices, and broiling? How long does it typically take in the broiler?

My favorite kitchen innovation of late is these stackable *magnetic* measuring spoons. No more ring! No more getting every spoon dirty when using one because they are all stuck together on the ring, and if you take the ring off then they get lost in the drawer. They are flat on the bottom so that you can fill them and then sit them on the counter awaiting whatever you need that ingredient for... And I also like the fact that they are doublesided, with a long narrow version on one end and a wider rounder one on the other, just in case you need to get into smaller spice jars. Every time I use these I marvel at their excellent design. http://www.amazon.com/Progressive-Internat...s/dp/B000V8F07E

I'm a huge Wegmans lover (also in Ithaca -- hi pax! We should meet up sometime!), but my experience is that the Shoppers Club card there is hardly worth the bother... Wegmans sells itself on its "everyday low prices," and in its circular each week essentially argues that consumers don't have time to be shopping for super-duper sales. Honestly that's been something I missed from Stop-And-Shop land -- as my husband and I always had fun shopping the sales and stocking up. I hardly ever find "sales" at Wegmans unless they are discontinuing an item -- though it is always worth checking out their international aisle(s) closely as they often have great deals on discontinued items there.

Love this post Fat Guy -- will be eagerly awaiting further results!

I certainly agree this is true of meat, but in my experience it is most definitely not true of potatoes... When I've had potatoes that have stuck to the sheet pan (even after being oiled), additional cooking just burned them on there even harder. Is it the starch? Do starchy foods in general not release with additional cooking time?

Hard to imagine given such a comprehensive list, but my one absolute-must, that changed my whole oven fry experience, is not on there! Reynolds Nonstick Foil! Prior to it, I had to completely drench the potatoes in oil to avoid them sticking badly to the pan, and when they stuck I lost the crust I was working so hard to develop -- not to mention that adding so much oil at least partially defeated my desire to have them be healthier than french fries. The nonstick foil is amazing -- I can use very little oil and still get a great crisp on them.

Nice to see this thread pop up again. So I went looking in my records of all the new recipes tried this year (ok, yep, embarrassing, but I keep an excel spreadsheet of them...), and found that most of the recent big hits have been desserts. However one recipe seemed worth posting here... A soba noodle with light sesame sauce... I've now made it three times, each time without the tofu, and also substituting broccoli for the snow peas. But the sauce, to me, is just perfect -- the right proportions, just lightly dresses the noodles, but provides lots of flavor... Tastes great warm or cold, so is nice to make for weekday lunches... http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/01/health/n...cipehealth.html

Hi folks -- Chris -- thanks for posting about RLB's blueberry pie -- I will have to try this over the summer. For anyone interested who doesn't have her book, it looks like the recipe for her open-faced fresh blueberry pie is available on Epicurious... http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/vie...erry-Pie-101866 Emily

My husband and I like a very full pie, and a pie that -- when cool -- can actually be cut without falling into a big pile of juice... Over many years of pie making (my husband and I pick and freeze about 100 pounds of blueberries a year, andl used to make a pie nearly every Sunday in the winter) we've found that the basic filling proportions we like are: enough blueberries to thoroughly fill a large pie shell (5-6 cups?), 2/3 cup sugar, 2.5 Tbs flour, and 2.5 Tbs cornstarch. We find that using both flour and cornstarch works much better than more of just one or the other... Bake the pie on the bottom rack of the oven to make sure that the bottom cooks thoroughly...

Perfect timing -- I just made this recipe for coconut popsicles and they are OUTSTANDING. Creamy, not too sweet, full of flavor... They'll be a regular staple in our freezer from now on! http://thenoshery.com/2009/05/30/limber-de...ream-popsicles/

Ok, here's what I swear by... Fairly fatty ground chuck, with just two added ingredients: melted bacon fat and Lawry's seasoned salt. For about 1.5 pounds of meat, I'd say I add around 1.5 Tbs of bacon fat and around 2 tsp of seasoned salt. The extra smoky fat and the bit of garlicky hint from the seasoned salt is just perfection to me...

Genius! Will try this ASAP and report back.

No picture, but I've been on a popsicle kick, and so I made Limber de Coco -- also known as coconut popsicles. The recipe uses coconut milk, evaporated milk, sugar, and an egg yolk, along with a pinch of cinnamon. They were fantastic -- creamy, not too sweet... Just perfect. Here's the link to the recipe... http://thenoshery.com/2009/05/30/limber-de...ream-popsicles/

Thanks for all the replies folks! In the end I did my own mish-mosh of strategies... First I roasted the oxtails to help render as much fat as possible before adding liquid -- this rendered at least a half cup. Then I made the soup, took all the large solids out, and strained the broth through a colander lined with cheesecloth. This took out all the remaining scum and I think some of the fat clung to the cloth. Finally I used a couple of pieces of old sandwich bread that had been languishing in the kitchen to soak up the fat on top. Worked pretty well -- certainly not totally fat free, but plenty good for my taste.

Hey folks -- Tomorrow I'll be making some vietnamese-style oxtail soup... Normally I make this the day before and then refrigerate overnight so I can skim the fat off... But I won't be able to and have to make it the day it gets served. Oxtails have SO much fat... Any suggestions for particularly effective skimming techiques? I've tried the back of a spoon deal but this usually still leaves (for me) a pretty greasy liquid... Emily

I certainly haven't been to Naples, and I guess I'm learning that apparently I don't like "true" Neapolitan style pizza... I like my crust thin, and I have loved wood-fired pizzas before, but I guess I like thin with a little bit more structure and char...

Hi all -- Ok, just went to Keste tonight... Had the same pizzas that Pan did, the margherita and the smoked mozzarella & butternut squash cream one... While the flavors of both pizzas were quite good, to me the pies didn't have enough char, not enough color on the bottom of the pie... As a result the middles of the pies kind of fell apart. I thought the tomato flavor was fantastic on the margherita, but would have liked a little more basil -- there were basically two or three leaves of it on the whole thing. The smoked mozzarella pie had very complex flavor, but it was rich, so I'd advise sharing it in addition to another pizza... I'll also say it was VERY noisy and we were basically pushed to get in and out. We got one of the last table at around 7:15, and it was packed with a line from then on... The food was delivered so promptly, and the waiters were right on us whisking plates away and bringing the check... Note that this just got a major write-up and positive review in Time Out, so I think it is likely to get considerably more mobbed from here on out... But to be honest, I don't think I'd likely go back. Between the noise, and what to me was a somewhat underwhelming crust... I was certainly satisfied but not over the moon. Again, maybe I just don't appreciate the style as much as others, because I'd like my crust with a little more substance to it, rather than something that kind of melts away in your mouth...

Ok, but given that I won't be in the Queen of Sheba neighborhood, is the village Meskerem *bad* or just not quite as good?