heidih

That Yoshida sauce sounds pretty intense and probably masks the majority of any beery hoppy malty addition. It has been my experience that folks in recovery are more put off by the flavor/smell of the booze rather than being super-tasters of alcohol. With that in mind I would not attempt to mimic the beer. Considering the strong character of the Y sauce I would just add a touch of acid like orange juice as previously noted. Or even some ginger juice or gingerale but watch the sugar content. You have roundness already with the soy and the sugar.

Having trouble picturing "tops" that are not "greens" - can you explain?

The classic mapo dofu relies on them for the signature tingle of the dish. Sample recipe http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/07/real-deal-mapo-dofu-tofu-chinese-sichuan-recipe.html

How do you use them? I am headed to a possible foraging spot Saturday.

These terms generally have further descriptors like "mix until well combined", "whip until soft peaks form", "blend till forms a paste" and "stir until sugar dissolves". If your recipes are not informative, and you are unsure, you can consult similar recipes for comparison. I don't see direction and motion so much as intensity or level of "togetherness". Folding is certainly a down the side and up over the top motion.

Anna - so your herb paste was bitter or insipid or?

As Anna notes you just want that bare burble of bubble. I use the crockpot with the clear lid and that is the level of "simmer" I aim for. That said, I have left the house and forgotten it perfuming the garage on high, turned it down upon return and still had happy eaters. Relatively forgiving unless you pop it in a hot oven with no liquid

As noted earlier it won;t be as smooth or creamy.

Yes agreed - intrigued - is that a puffed rice sort of coating?

Just back from the $1 store - 1 pound bag of Mexican key limes for a dollar. Bit scabby looking but not shrivelly. Juicy - who knows?

I have enjoyed these pods so much in various ways. Our weather is horrid with the drought and I fear the blow & go gardener ripping them out when I am not around because they are yelllowing in spots so I harvested all the nice green seed pods. Half of the harvest rinsed and the rest to be cleaned The batch in brine

What are you planning to use it for? That might affect granulated versus dried minced.

I am with Beebs on preferring granulated garlic versus the powder that is almost like flour. I don't use it often but do keep a bottle in the pantry. I have been buying the Olde Thompson California granulated garlic from Smart & Final.

Looks like Serious Eats will be cooking with the book this week. Here is the link to the first sampled recipe. http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/04/leeks-with-mustard-bacon-vinaigrette-from-my.html?ref=title I am following along with your recipes tries as this is a book I am thinking of springing for. I enjoy cookbooks that tell food stories and it sounds like this one fits the bill on that front as well.

You are referring to fresh Atlantic cod versus salt cod? If so why are you trying for a huge flavor punch? The fish is known for its mild sweetness and firm yet flaky texture. Light complimentary seasonal sauces if going the sauce route and of course the traditional fried prep are what I have always seen employed. No point in trying to turn a steady sweety into a shock-punk queen? I have seen it occasionally employed in fish tacos with a range of flavorful hot sauces- but it is more a flavor vehicle/protein heft carrier.

On the other hand there is the whole word of e-cookbooks that many bloggers are putting out. Wait - sooo - maybe a blog is the first step?

By definition - locally sourced - it seems the recipes would be an issue as there are so many different types of things available at different times across just the US; unless you are just going to paint broad strokes and idea pallettes and that concept does not seem solid enough. If you have not read David Lebovitz's recent blog post about the making of his new book I urge you to do so The complexity and attention to detail is staggering; and he is a seasoned and highly regarded cookbook writer (well he is overall a fantastic guy). http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2014/04/the-making-of-my-paris-kitchen-cookbook/

The only brilliant words that come out of my mouth or keyboard since I heard the sad news are "damn, crap, and no". When I first poked my nose into this site Steven made it feel comfortable and accessible and at the same time full of passion. It changed my life in a positive way and he was a great part of that. When my son first went to Manhattan I showed him a picture of Steven in his infamous fish pants and told him to be sure and say hello should he spot him. He didn't catch him, but I know that Steven would have been kind to him. Words fail in expressing condolences to his wife and son.

I found this interesting/helpful http://letspreserve.blogspot.com/2010/08/blanching-vegetables-is-must-before.html I was always told that you needed to blanch to avoid mush

As soba's link notes, the completely encasing in salt is a lovely steaming method. I have only done it with whole fish. So it would seem not to yield what we think of as a "baked potato" as the skin would be soft? On the other hand a method like this sounds like it results in a well executed "baked potato" http://www.ourbestbites.com/2013/02/salt-baked-potatoes-with-roasted-garlic-rosemary/

I used to be able to find a mellow one - can not remember where- but the current ones in the local markets are not anywhere close -too harsh and boring. Look forward to input as well as it is a lovely ingredient.

I think you will have a textural issue with the dried cherries as they are pretty chewy and brownies are quite soft. Without adding other flavors from booze, you could hydrate in warm water and dry well before incorporating. Maraschino and glace (fruitcake style) cherries don't sound like your style at all. When you think about it though, have you ever seen a raisin in a brownie? Maybe failed experiments are the basis for that gap. I do recall my mother making a brownie type of sweet with canned cherries but that is an old vague memory without details.

I think chocolate chip cookie variants really touch home and give most/many people a smile. Quick breads sliced so they are 2 to 3 bite friendly also come to mind - I love a pumpkin bread in a loaf pan and have served it in that sort of setting with the slices in 4's. Goes great with coffee. Banana bread is in the same vein but I have found more and more folks that recoil from nanas

Back to powerdog's question - have you cooked lamb before and what sort of recipe were you intending for the leg? We can talk about supermarket, versus local farms and all agree on certain points, but if you just want to try out some lamb and not break the bank - perhaps a frozen NZ leg in a marinated prep might fit your experiment?

powerdog - where are you? - helps us to know