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Pierogi

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Everything posted by Pierogi

  1. Close. So very, very close..... And yet, so far away. Sorry Scotty, it's gotta be grilled ! A Reuben is a grilled sandwich, and as gfweb points out, its even better if the 'kraut is griddled before assembly. Toasted is not a Reuben. It is, however, a very nice looking pastrami sandwich with cheese and 'kraut.
  2. Well, I hit option C) on the Great Reuben Hunt of '12 today. The single, solitary restaurant that had them on the menu CLOSED fercryin'outloud !! I was *not* happy, hungry but not happy. Didn't realize I was in such a minority about prefering pastrami to corned beef. Lord knows, I would'nt refuse a corned beef Reuben (at this point, I'd probably do a happy dance if I found one), but to me the pastrami is more tender and way more flavorful. And I'm glad to know I'm not alone in my Reuben wasteland. Agree with all the comments, those foot tall sandwiches are an insult, and don't even think about not grilling my bread. Sadly, the last couple of patty melts I've had have also forgone the grilling for just slabs of toast with the cheese melted over the patty sans bread. THOSE were tragic. lindag, we do have Arby's here, and back in the day, I remember they served Reubens. However, as with most fast food chains, Arby's quality has tanked in the last 10 years or so, to the point I can't even take their roast beef sandwiches, which I used to love. I would be afraid, very afraid, of their attempts to make a Reuben. Looks like I'm going to have to go homemade. Which is probably for the best.
  3. Without a doubt, my favorite sandwich, bar none, is the Reuben. With pastrami please, and Russian dressing. 'Kraut is mandatory (NO coleslaw), and the cheese should be Swiss and melty. Grilled, on good, hearty rye. With caraway seeds. Which, apparently, is impossible to find in most restaurants in the LA Basin. At least *my* end of the LA basin. I've had a craving for a good Reuben, with onion rings, please (cholesterol be damned, they're only arteries....) for about 6 months. I *could* make one myself (and have), but I won't make the onion rings to complete the picture. Too much fuss and large amounts of hot oil. I have been searching, and searching, and searching on these here Interwebs for local restaurants that serve Reubens. And I have come up with.....in all of the Greater Long Beach area, with a population of, well, a LOT of people, exactly one. One. Even restaurants I remember eating Reubens at in the past (lookin' at YOU Polly's Pies) no longer have them on the menu. Diners, no go. Chain sandwich shops, no go. Loca chain coffee shops, no go. Even the so-called "delis" in the area have pastrami sandwiches, but no Reubens. Is this a SoCal thing only? Have Reubens become as scarce as hen's teeth in your neck of the woods? Is it just because we LaLa-ians fear the fat, and don't appreciate the 'kraut? What gives? I'd expect there's no shortage in NYC, but what about the rest of the country? I will, of course, report back after my pilgrimage to the one restaurant that claims to serve a Reuben. It's on the agenda for tomorrow. We'll see if a) they still offer it, or b) it's worth the name....
  4. Mistos for me clog and go from a spray to a piddle in about a week, and I've had several of them. Pam leaves that nasty residue and does have that "off" taste to me as well. Sort of like that flavor from any Pillsbury dough products.... I use parchment or Silpats for baking, but for roasting, or high heat like oven fries, or greasing the intricate Bundt-type molds, Trader Joes makes an aerosol olive oil spray that cleans up much more easily, and does't have a lingering obnoxious taste. It also works well if you spritz it over the food (like potatoes, fish or breaded chicken) to do that simulated "oven-fry" thing.
  5. Fresh cherries will not work at this late date for NY Eve, IMHO. They need at least a month to mellow in the booze. I do a batch or two in vodka every year when cherries are in full season, around June, and to me, they're not palatable until Novemember or December. You won't get any cherry taste, just a full-on hit of raw alcohol. Haven't tried macerating the red-dyed sweetened cherries in booze, though. They may have enough sweetness and other processing in them to work in a short time.
  6. For me, and I'm still in the "semi-novice, but making big strides to not be a hack" stage, I find the dough hook gives me more control, even for small batches. Too easy to overwork the dough in a processor because it goes so fast. I've used it a few times, for pizza dough and for pitas, but vastly prefer the KA. I can more easily stop the kneading, and check how the texture of the dough is doing.
  7. Who the hell braises rib-eyes????? For that matter, who the hell braises their stroganoff? I guess if you're trying to feed a huge family a "one-pot" meal, like The Evil Heather was espousing, you do, but really...? My stroganoff's done in the time it takes me to cook the egg noodles to go under it.
  8. I consistently rely on the America's Test Kitchen/Cook's Illustrated method of the hard sear in cast iron, then into a slow oven (I think it's 200° or 225°F) then oven off, then pull, tent with foil and rest. It's a spot-on method, I've used it on rib roasts, eyes of round (which I never thought would dry roast well), sirloins, and even tenderloins. It's now the only way I dry roast beef. Rubbing in some seasonings the day before (salt & pepper, maybe some granulated garlic, rosemary, etc.) only makes it better, as does bringing the meat to room temp before the sear. The only thing I'd say is you must, MUST have a remote probe thermometer to monitor the internal temperature. So many variables will affect the length of time the meat takes in the low oven....how hot your stove-top was for the sear and how long you let it go, the temperature of the roast when you started, how hot your oven runs, the size of your roast, bone-in or boneless, there's no real way to quantitate the time. You need the in-dwelling probe to tell you what's what. I'll be doing this again with a standing rib roast on Sunday....
  9. Thanks Pierogi, I'll have to take a closer look in my local 99 Ranch. Like I said earlier, I don't use it often, so this method would be great for me. Do you find the kaffir lime leaves there as well? I have a small tree in my back yard, but no matter how hard I try to keep it healthy, it looks anemic and the leaves are very small.. Yes, the kaffir lime leaves came from 99 Ranch as well. The one on Pioneer in Artesia. It's huge, I think one of the larger ones in the chain. They had a spectacular selection of fresh Asian produce. I just whack the leaves a bit with the back of my chef's knife, the way I do to fresh bay leaves, when I was ready to use them. Bruises them just a touch, so they oils come out more readily.
  10. I was sadly, sadly disappointed in those chips as well. And that sweet/salty combo is one one of my favorite tastes (witness my butterscotch coated pretzels). But those were really terrible.
  11. SAF Instant Dried Yeast. I don't know the specific terminology but its kept in a clamp lock style tin in the freezer door. This package must be years old but when I recently used it for Parker House Rolls & Cinnamon Buns and it still seemed to have plenty of life to it. I'm told the best place to store freeze-dried coffee or espresso powder is in the freezer. True? When my friend told me that I had a real 'huh'-type moment, not sure if its just a mental thing but it kinda makes sense to me. Also, thanks for this thread - reminded me I need to replenish my edamame supply from Trader Joes. Heh...great minds cross post ! I have a jar of freeze-dried Folger's crystals that's been in the freezer door for probably 10 years, I use it for baking about once a year. Still fine, although I did line the top with some plastic wrap, under the lid, to keep out moisture. Have NOT tried it with espresso powder, but the next time I buy some I will, since my last jar absorbed so much moisture sitting in a warmish pantry that when I went to use it less than 6 months after I opened it, it was so hard I couldn't even get it out of the jar to shave it with a microplane ! I would do the plastic wrap under the lid action for it from now on, no matter where I stored it.
  12. Not Natasha, but I can pipe in on the yeast. I bought a pound of the King Arthur SAF Instant Yeast (they also refer to it as "red label") and the yeast keeper from their catalog. The yeast keeper is a round, acrylic jar with an air-tight gasket seal. The set can be had for less than 20 bucks. The jar fits in the door shelf of the freezer, and I don't even bother to thaw it before I use it, just dump it in straight from the freezer. Works like a charm, and will keep the yeast well beyond it's expiration date Fresh galangal can be found around these parts at 99 Ranch Markets. I got a knob, wrapped it well, then stuck it in a zippy bag in the freezer. Like ginger, it doesn't freeze totally solid, so it's easy to whack off a chunk, or grate directly into your dish. I have kaffir lime leaves and curry leaves stashed in the freezer, too. I do think the "fresh frozen" galangal has a brighter flavor than the powdered....
  13. Re: the plastic bowl on the Electrolux. Wouldn't that absorb fat from the previously mixed cream/batters/etc. and negatively impact your egg whites? I've always heard (and perhaps its an old wives tale, but still, I've always heard) that egg white must be whipped in scrupulously cleaned metal bowls, or they won't whip up properly or hold after they're whipped. And, again "I've always heard...." that plastic could never be cleaned well enough, since the surface is porous, to ensure all the residual fat molecules were gone.
  14. Bummer that. Wonder what happened? The chef sounded like a really cool guy, and committed to the project. Guess you really can't trust anything anymore.....
  15. Heidi, hopefully this isn't too late for you to find some utility. The current issue of Saveur (#142 in their annoying system) has an article about smaller restaurants in NOLA. The featured restaurant, Dominique's, sounds right up your alley. Here's the link to the on-line article Saveur Linkie. Pay attention too, the sidebar with the clickable "New and Notable Restaurants In New Orleans". Look off to the right of the main link, you should find it. Unfortunately, I'm about a month behind in my food magazine readings, otherwise I'd have sent this to you before you left ! Those RB&R sounded wonderful. Have a beignet & chicory coffee for me, and maybe a Sazarac !
  16. Sorry I'm so late with my "gracias", but I've been down for the count this week, I'm afraid. I did note your suggestions for my effusively perfumed guava haul. I'll keep them in mind for when they start rolling in. Thank you ! And thanks for sharing your week with us. Loved it all.
  17. No spoilers, but less than 15 minutes into the premiere, I dead-bag on identified the single most douche-y contestant ever, EVER, EV-AH in TC, TC Allstars, TC Just Desserts, TC Masters, Next FN Star, America's Greatest Cook (or whateverthehell Ramsey's competition show is called), or any other show of this ilk. No one will every top this tool's douchedom. He is the textbook definition of jerk. And if you watched, you *KNOW* who I mean ! (insert finger down throat gagging icon here....)
  18. Interesting concoction to be sure ! I'm sure in Norte Americano culture (at least Anglo Norte Americano culture.... ) there's nothing similar. How thick does it eventually get from the corn flour, which, BTW is a very cool color ! On another note, what, other than this type of application, do you typically use pink guavas for? I had an overload in my winter CSA shares last year, and while I love the heady, intoxicating fragrance, and the flavor, I most certainly did NOT love the nasty little seeds that wanted to break every tooth in my jaw. I ended up cooking some down into syrup, and infusing vodka with another batch (which was yummy....). But most, I fear, I simply enjoyed for the scent and then tossed when they got past their prime. I'd like to use them to a better purpose this year.
  19. Oh my ! All that lovely food *and* puppy pictures too ! A perfect blog. Thanks again Percyn for showcasing this fabulous culinary tradition. I now have a serious tandoori (and dal and papad and biryani and on and on) craving. I see an Indian cooking frenzy in my near future...
  20. Ohhhhhhhh, I have one ! It's an old stand-by of mine. You make a corn bread batter (any standard recipe would probably work), but only a small batch of it. Spread the batter in a greased 11x7 inch sheet pan (or a 1/4-sheet would probably also work). You don't want the bread part too thick. Toss some sliced scallions into the batter as well, and some shredded cheese if you're feeling reckless. Take the weenies, and slit them, down the length, but not all the way through. Now, you can go two different ways. Either take some pickle relish (dill or sweet, whichever floats your particular boat), and drain it. Mix in some Dijon mustard, and use that to stuff the dogs. -OR- drain some salsa (use the drained salsa juice as part of the liquid for the cornbread) and toss in some additional chopped scallions. Stuff the dogs with the drained salsa (add spices/chiles to taste to the drained salsa, I've used cumin and jalapenos usually). Push the stuffed dogs down into the cornbread batter, spacing them evenly. Sprinkle with more shredded cheese and bake, I *think* at 350/375° until the cornbread is done, and the cheese melts. Cut between each dog, so that each person gets a stuffed hottie dog wrapped in cornbread.
  21. God God in Heaven, I want to eat everything you've shown us ! Indian food (and I realize saying "Indian" food as a generalization is as absurd as saying "American" food) is really probably my favorite cuisine. Everything, EVERYTHING, looks amazing..... And I second the request for additional details about the tandoori lobster. Oh. My.
  22. Pierogi

    The Chew

    After the train wreck of the first couple of shows, I have to say, I can now declare I like it. Daphne's become much less annoying. She accepts the ribbing (granted it's gentle ribbing, but public ribbing nonetheless) from both Mario and Michael with a good spirit. Mario in studio is MUCH improved over Mario on a delayed remote, and the rest of the group has melded quite well. They also seem to have gotten the memo that "NOT EVERYONE CAN TALK AT THE SAME TIME AND BE UNDERSTOOD" (note to "The View", read this, heed this, learn from this). I find myself tuning into it now more often than not. As tmriga said, I won't reschedule my life for it, but if I'm playing around in the kitchen, or folding laundry, or dusting, or whatever else relatively mindless task I need to get done, I'll turn the show on. It's officially better than most of the stuff on daytime Tee-Vee.
  23. Pickled green tomatoes ! One of the best things I've eaten recently. And amazingly easy. Next summer I plant one plant just for a supply of greenies for pickles and fried.
  24. Myself, I wouldn't worry about the grid from the BBQ going into a self-clean cycle. Just doesn't seem that it has enough mass to increase the thermal load that much. In light of the advice from the manuacturer, I certainly wouldn't go for the cast iron pan/baking stone route. But. That said, I also wouldn't advise you to go against what the manufacturer's rep suggested. I don't want to be responsible for blowing up your range, or voiding your warrenty (or burning down your kitchen.... ). Also, should be noted that my range does NOT have an electronic control. It's one analog dial with the temperatures, and another analog dial with the settings ("broil", "bake", "clean"). That probably makes a difference as well.....
  25. That's a fantastic idea! We've used ours, usually once a year in the fall, though it's been two years now, and we've not done it yet this year. I'm going to go get the grill grate! That's a great idea! Maybe I'll use the self-cleaning feature again just to do that, as well as "reconditioning" a couple of cast iron frying pans I've not taken the best of care with. Do you leave the oven racks in and put the stuff on them, or put them on the bottom of the oven? Thanks for any advice. Hey Country & Cookingofjoy ! I forget where I picked that tip up from, but it works like a charm. I usually have the oven racks in the "normal" positions when I run the cleaning cycle. One in the middle of the oven and one on the lowest rung. On the bottom rack, I put my pizza stone, which usually lives on the oven floor. I'm always afraid it would crack if I left it there, since that's where the heat comes from. So I move it to a rack to get some air around it. On the top one, I put the grid from the Weber Kettle when I run it through the cycle. I leave both oven racks in place, but try to put the Weber rack in so the grid is perpendicular to the oven grids. Just so that the Weber rack gets as much exposure to the heat as it can get. I've never bothered cleaning the Weber grid that holds the coals, just the one I cook on. For the cast iron, I'd just put them on an oven shelf as well. That one, I haven't actually tried, but have heard it works very well, too.
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