aliwaks

Want to make my own hot sauce but don't know how...anyone?

I have pork belly sitting in my freezer right now, was considering a braise then a roast perhaps the seasonings can by used in both applications? Braise in stock with garlic/bayleaf/etc thyen rub with paste & liver to roast.. Does anyone have a technique they could offer for the braising?

Just picked it up for my bar..Mandarin Bloosom Vodka..smooth absolutely no burn whatsoever and smells liks orange bloooms, we serve it chilled straight up in a martini glass with an edible orchid..also bringing in thier Kaffir Lime leaf am thinking of mixing withg thai basil infused simple syrup...calling it an Emmanuelle anyone have any other suggestions? or have you tried ?

pomengranate sorbet would be delicous and decadent lucky you to have proximiy to so many. Maybe marinate lamb with the juice with some middle eastern spices like harissa and mint? I'm sure Claudia Roden will have some recipes also try the chez panisse fruit cookbook..Alice Waters is always a good source for what to do with exotic fruits that are difficult to work with and expensive unless you are lucky enough to live in northern CA (sorry having a bout of west coast produce envy)

Dirty Franks in Philadelphia, 13th & Pine the odor of smoke,old beer, neglected hot dogs, perspirtation and hopelessness clings for days no matter how much you wash. The floor is a mysterious substance half solid half liquid held togther tremulously by cigarette butts. The last time (and I mean the last time) I was there I found a disposbale razor in the bathroom ...not a drug razor someone was shaving thier legs in the sink that produces a bare dribble of cold brown water with the bar of cracked & fingerprinted soap.. After prying myself out of the bio hazard that is the bathroom (still needing to pee mind you as there was no way that any article of my clothing was coming off in thier in fact needed a Haz-Mat suit. ) I and several other patrons were projectile vomited on. Not surprisingly I was the only one perturbed enough by this event to leave.

I've used them and simmered in a shallow pan of broth (last year thanksgiving left overs, wild mushroom ravioli in reduced turkey stock w/ white truffle oil & root veg) they had a lovely light slippery-ness but moore wonton-y than ravioli

how about gnocci witha pureed butternut squash and/or pumpkin cooked witha bit of stock & some sage with a drizzle of truffle oil & some fluer du sel & black pepper. It will certainly give you a rich sauce with the same umami sense as cheese + its very pretty Also you can make a fair approximation of pesto by pureeing the basil with stock & cashews oh and how about roasted fennel. tomato, garlic orange zest & saffron..excellent with fish sort of faux bouliabasse

Brined Turkey (takes 24 hours) You need: One BIG 5 GALLON BUCKET with lid Note: You can use what ever fruits you like, orange, red onion mix would work as would raspberries or frozen peaches or mangos Part One: • One Free range and/or organic Fresh (not frozen) turkey @ 18-20 lbs • 2 gallons apple juice or apple cider (100% juice) • 4 Apples, halved • 3 onions, halved • Rosemary • 1 head garlic, cloves separated & smashed • 2 cups brown sugar or maple syrup • 4 cups Kosher Salt • Handful toasted black peppercorns • 3 bay leaves 1. Wash Turkey, remove giblet package 2. Put turkey in BIG BUCKET 3. Put Fruit, Veg & herbs in Big BUCKET 4. Mix together salt & sugar or maple syrup and dilute with water 5. Pour water/Sugar/Salt mixture over Turkey in BIG BUCKET 6. Add Apple Juice/Cider to cover turkey (if that is not enough add more water) 7. Let sit in a very cool place for at least 18 hours (outside in cold weather , in fridge, or surrounded by cold packs in a cooler PART 2 The Roasting the Turkey (If you change the fruits in the brine I would continue with the same here) • ½ cup butter softened • 2 sprigs thyme • 3 pears • 1 head roasted garlic (peeled) • Juice from one lemon • salt • ground black or white pepper • 1 lemon, quartered • 4 onion, quartered • 3 shallots, peeled • rosemary stalk • bunch of sage leaves • 4 carrots • 3 ribs celery Preheat oven to 425 1 Remove Turkey from Bucket, discard liquid, fruit, veg etc 2 Pat dry inside and out (If you have the time you can let the turkey sit uncovered in fridge for about 3 hours will crisp the skin even more) 3 Salt & Pepper the inside of the bird and stuff with lemons, onions, shallots, rosemary ½ the sage, 1 pear 4 Mix together butter, thyme leaves, roasted garlic cloves, lemon juice to form paste 5 Stick you hand under the skin of the turkey separating the skin from the meat (I know it sounds gross and it kind of is but it is ultimately for the best) 6 Smear the butter all over between the skin and meat 7 Thinly slice the pear length wise and insert pear slices and sage leaves over the butter under the skin 8 Place carrots, remaining onions, shallots, & celery in bottom of roasting pan, place under rack 9 Place buttered tinfoil over rack 10 Put turkey breast side down on foil, roast this way for 1 ½ hours 11 Turn Turkey, lower heat to 375 roast until dark meat reads 180 degrees Don’t need to baste, skin will stay crispier if you don’t and brining + upside down + butter will keep meat moist Part 3 Gravy Foundation • Giblets • 1 cup white wine • 2 cups chicken or turkey stock • 2 diced carrots • 2 ribs diced celery • 1 diced onion • 5 sage leaves • ½ cup brandy • ½ cup butter 1 Sauté (in large sauce pan) carrots, onions & celery in butter till translucent 2 Add giblets + sage leaves and brown 3 Add wine + stock + brandy 4 Simmer on low for remainder of cooking day 5 Add turkey basters full of pan drippings as you go 6 Once turkey is done remove & set aside giblets & Veg & Veg from roasting pan (discard stuff from inside turkey) 7 strain liquids and pan dripping, return to pot 8 Take half the veg from pan & half the stock veg & the liver of turkey and blend in blender or food processor 9 Add veg mush to pot and reduce approx. 15 –minutes till thick enough for you season with salt & pepper to taste

Saw this and had to try it slice of baguette, chunk of bittersweet chocolate melted on then a drizzle of real fruity olive oil & sprinkle of fleur du sel... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm lovely afternoon pick up also good as a mini desert course after cheese & fruit before coffee.. incidentally I use olive oil ( the brand chez panisse is touting via website is great) to accent dishes right before serving, little drizzle not to much I was at my local cheese shop yesterday (DiBruno's in Philly) and started "selling" olive oils to the other customers whilst on line, I mentioned having grades of olive oil in my kitchen, one for saute (least flavor), one for salads & drizzles (most), one for making pureeds(med & least expensive) I got these 2 ladies to but 2 different bottles it was so fun Also I use my least expensive olive oil to make an exfoliating body scrub, olive oil, kosher salt sugar & nuetrogena (or minersal oil +scent) oil , sometimes lavender buds mixed together slathered on scrubbed in then rinsed off your skin feels like silk

Sunday Salad made form very very thinly sliced zucchini, radishes & japanese cucmber with mint, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil & sea salt and a dollop of labneh Salad of left over chicken (which had been roasted with preserved lemons, garlic & dill seeds), baby arugula, ginger gold apples, shaved fennel, toasted walnuts & coach farm goat cheese dressed with honey, poppyseed & lemon & olive oil a Plumcot Monday Linguine with steamed zucchini, bread crumbs sauteed in olive oil & shaved parm Seedless watermelon with fresh mint. Last Night pinch of aged provolone half the sausage & pepper sandwich (cold) i didn't have time to eat for lunch half a toasted bialy with coach farm goat chees & slice of beautiful pinky orange hierloom tomato Tonight looks like pasta with hierloom tomatoes zucchini blossoms & fresh ricotta

ooh I love lavender lemonade so genteel Chile spiked sounds great I would try a jalapeno infusion it would make a fantastic cocktail..jalepeno infused limeade with tequila...have to give that a try

I make a somewhat international gazpacho: I start with an yellow hierloom tomato juice that one of my local farmers makes into that I put a fine dice of cucmbers, red tomatoes, purple onion, jalapeno, scallions, cilantro I season with lime & lemon juice (fresh & lots of it) a touch of wasabi, sea salt and some basque red pepper ( the name of whihc escapes me at the moment) I garnish with shot of vodka (pepper vodka if I want to go really spicy) & sometimes a grilled shrimp or two It's a fasntastic way to start off a BBQ..somewhere between a bloddy mary & a salad..also a pretty good hangover lunch

Scrambled eggs & a Kossars bialy with butter

toasted hershey's kisses..open then a little bit the put in the toaster oven till they get a teeny bit burnt

ahh you had the experience I wish I had, I had a reservation for 9:30 on Sunday of memorial day weekend. Waited an hour for my table, was nearly shuffled to the communal table (there were 4 of us wwe would have had to sit abreast,..not if I'm ready to throw down $150!) When finally seated we were informed that they stop serving the omakase at 9pm (something the rather hasty and rude reservationist neglected to mention weeks before) so we had to order from the regular menu. After a reprimand the manager sent out glasses of house sparkling wine as a concesssion, which I did not think was adequate. I would have sent an extra course. When Our food arrived it was dissapointing, not in quality but it was not what the server had described. The Pork Belly cooked for 24hrs over rice congee was fantastic I asked the server for dirrection on my entree and he suggested the yellowtail describing it as seared fish on rice which sounded very pristine and perfect for after the rich pork belly. It was in fact very cooked fish, raw egg, vegetables, the same thick sweet brown sauce the pork belly was in over rice, also for $27 I would appreciate more than 4 thin slices of yellowtail. For dessert upon finding out it was one of our birthdays we were sent a complimentary dish of melted sorbet with a broken cookie. The bill came to about $100 per person. I was extremely dissapointed as was looking forward to a culinary expedition. I'm in the business, I know better than to take it personally but i think it is an absolute shonda when a restaurant treats customers like that. I have a strong feeling also that it was because we were 4 women I have noticed that often times women dining without men are not always treated as well as couples or men dining alone. shame though would like to go back and try the omakase, maybe will have to wait till the organized egullet lunch (Does anyone else think the table lights look like sex toys?)

I eat as much as I can get away with with my fingers, I prefer eating salad that way. When I eat alone I definately do. Roast chicken (a favorite eating alone food) is not the same with a knife and fork. I think if you can do it gracefully there should be no problem, carefully placing food in you mouth with clean fingers is so much differnt than grabbing hunks and shoving in to a gapping maw. However I have been comfronted with loaves of bread that have tempted me to do just that. I believ it is proper to eat asparagus with your fingers

Sorry for the lack of information, honestly didn't think anyone would even respond. I've been actively promoting to newspapers, we've been mentioned in Daily News, Inquirer, Philly Mag & Philly Weekly Bella, an American Bistro, is named after my grandmother who I loved deeply and who passed on during the initial planning of the resuarant. It felt only right that I name it after her. We're not Italian, we're New York Jews. Go figure with the name. We will serve Creative American Cuisine reaped from the bounties of Pennsylvania and her surrounding states. I see it as my responsibility as a small business owner to support other small businesses and small farms count. Also I believe the quality of ingredients raised by human beings rather than corporations is less compromised.( shout out to Alice Waters!!!) We are member of Slow Food and the Fair Food Project.We work with Farm Fresh for Chefs & Pennsylvania Preferred. I'm the owner, 32 yr old former actress/model/event director from New York daughter of a chef and raised a foodie. Luckily my 2 aunts are in Seattle & San Francisco repsectively so I get to eat there. I dream about the Marin County Farmers market & Pike Street Market. I grew up eating in Manhattan, Brooklyn and East Hampton ( forget the movies stars, the produce is FABULOUS). I always wanted a restaurnat and here we are, found one for sale and am living my dream. The Chef is Debra Deaner a Striped bass alum, Debra also worked at La Campagna, Circa, Rocco. Our Sous Chef Lorrie Thiel also from Striped Bass has worked at Rouge and the Fishmarket. The girls have some good pedigress both are Graduates of the Restaurant School and spent time training in France. Yeah we are kind of a chick restaurant, but it won't be precious we all believe in real food. A few items you may find on our menu: Molasses Brined Paul's Pork chop w/ mac & cheese Pretzel Crusted Halibut with Mustard Buerre Blanc & Glen's baby mustard Greens Maple Chipolte Glazed Duck with Pumpkin Speatzle Mussels with Carmelized fennel, Fennel pollen and Gieger's PA grown Saffron Broth Bison Short Ribs with Yukon Gold Horseradish Puree Chocolate Cupcake with Pink Peppermint Icing Handmade Mallomars Roasted Banana Split. Sliced apples & pears with white truffle honey, roasted walnuts & Cowgirl Creamery Osprey Triple creme Our wine list will be primarily from small domestic wineries. We have a full bar. The Bellatini is Stoli with raspberry puree & Poire William topped with Sparkling wine. we seat about 65 in dining room, around 20 in the bar/lounge. Open for dinner Tues -Sat, Late nite Fri & Sat. Brunch Sat & Sunday(in a few months) www.BellaEpicura.com will be up Sept 18. Our number is 215 985 3222

Opening Sept 18th Bella,is named after my grandmother (we are Jewish, not Ialian) Our menu is creative American with an empahasis on regional & local products. The chef is Debra Deaner, a Striped Bass alumni

depends which season summer :mm heirloom tomatoes, the really dark red nearly black ones that look like fresh meat with garden mint,olive oil & salt..alternatively black raspberries I think they are available about 2 weeks a summer then later on black mission figs, ginger-gold apples for springtime: ramps, fraises de bois, fresh lamb, fiddle heads then there are meyer lemons..hard to choose a favorite isn't it

Bella, An American Bistro 20th & Lombard coming in September 2002, Keep an eye out.