FoodMan

Reading through Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's instructions about making salami (I'm really loving his books BTW), I noticed he uses what he calls simply "Acidophilus". He says it comes in powder form or tablet and can be bought at any healthfood store or pharmacy. The reason? To promote fermentation and a powdery mold. He uses no starter culture. So, a product that is readily available, is shelf stable, ferments and creates mold?? I did some research and Acidophilus is basically the bacteria that makes yogurt (well, mostly) Lactobacillus Acidophilus. It can be used as a food supplement or as an addition to sausages to aid fermentation and "good" mold. You can buy it from your local drug store for a very reasonable price, like at walgreens. I am sure this is not as good as it sounds. Is it? Has anyone tried using it? If it works as good as the Bactoferm stuff or even close to what Bactoferm does, then why bother paying for Bactoferm? Thoughts, ideas, suggestions. Am I totally off the mark here?

Many thanks...looks very familiar. I bet I've seen it many times, but never really knew what it was. Since pumpkins are everywhere now, I'll be making some pumpkin preserves very soon.

Totally sweet. The texture of candied fruit. Same method is used with pumpkin. This is the first time we make them. The skin is removed so the syrup can penetrate the eggplants. ← What I am very very interested in Chef is the wonderful pumpkin preserves I used to have in Lebanon made by our neighbors. The one with the sort of crunchy outside and gooy inside. Looking at this post I think the key is PICKLING LIME!! Am I correct? Where do you find it and under what brand?? I've never had these eggplants before (I make the spicy peanut filled oil covered ones ...I have a post here somewhere). So,. I might give them a try too. Thanks for sharing.

Hi FoodMan, I did experiment cumin. My fear is that I'm not using the right dosages. Do you mind telling us where to find you recipe for hummus? I looked around and found your post "introduction to Lebanese Cuisine" very impressive. actually it's not a post but more like a thesis. But there was no hummus recipe. Unless I'm blind, can you post it here? thanks Mike ← Honestly, I never use a recipe for Hummus, I go by taste. If I had to guess I'd say use: 1 can chickpeas + 2 to 4 Tbsp of the water the chickpeas are packed in. Do not use all the water in the can! (of course you can use an equivalent amount of dried, boiled chickpeas instead) 1/4 cup lemon juice 1/4 cup tahini 1 Large clove garlic, mashed 2 tsp to a Tablespoon ground cumin Salt Of course taste as you go. If it is too thick loosen it up with some water or lemon juice. I like my hummus on the looser smooth side, not stiff and coarse. Hope this helps.

A simple tart salad (Arugula is my choice) and a few crusty baguettes is what I normally serve with Cassoulet. I love the Toulouse one BTW.

"Misses the point entirely" is a very accurate statement! Sure people will buy the book, and I would like to add one other group to yours Shinboners. It's nerds like us, who buy the book, might cook very little actual complete recipes from it (let alone whole dinners), but will use it as a reference and guide to cook certain portions of recipes, to see new ideas, and to become a better cook all around. I'm getting the Alinea cookbook for much of the same reasons as well.

As soon as I get my hands on mine...hopefully by next week it should arrive...I'll be skimming through it from cover to cover. For a first recipe, I also think the hot potato, cold potato will be the one.

I cannot recommned Le Reve highly enough for fine dining. As for Mi Tierra, well to each their own, but IMHO it absolutly SUCKS. Worst dining experience in SA, ever. Click here if you care for more details. Do yourself a favor and head to any taqueria for a better meal.

Is it just me or is anyone else sick of those stupid Beef marketing adds that pop up in every magazine. You know the ones that tout the "Land of Protein" or something unappetizing along those lines. Pictures like this one make me cringe. Whoever thought huge hunks of presumably beef, shaped to look like hills, valleys with rivers of sauce is a good idea. IMHO, it is plain disgusting, unappitizing and makes something that came out of a living creature look like it is made from unidentifiable organic/flesh builidng material. Everytime I see one, I want to run and eat a Cliff bar. I am ranting, but seriously, what's everyone's take on this? Makes you want to grill a steak? Or eat more fish? Is it another symptom (like the Tyson commercial asking "Have you had your protein today?" instead of your chicken or beef or pork) to encourage consumers to think less and less of where their meat is coming from? After all it's just "protein" .

That's one thing I always thought it was a mistake but indeed some recipes mention to put lots of lemon juice. My tries never ended in a good results for my taste, it was to lemony. As for tahini, I did try a few brands. thanks for the input. ← 30sr- I agree that Lebanese hummus should have a healthy amount of both garlic and lemon juice. However, what most folks miss and never seem to figure out is that it also needs Cumin! I never make it without it. I bet that is what yours is missing. Also, to loosen it up a bit, use some of the chickpeas cooking water (or some of the liquid from the can if you are using canned--which are great BTW). Hope this helps.

This is way too cheap to make proper nut pastes. As for nut butter, sure I have a machine that does that and I use it to make peanut butter about once every month. It's called a food processor, mine is a Cuisinart and makes fantastic nut butters among other things like pie dough and pate mixtures .

Not sure why my stupid DVR decided to not record this week's episode...oh well we'll see if I get next week's.

I ordered the book almost a year ago and cannot wait to get my hands on it! As for cooking from it, maybe whole recipes will not be as accessible, certainly not on a regular basis, but I'm willing to bet that there is a lot to learn from technique, sub-recipes and other "base" recipes. From the mosaic website you can see that while certain recipes are very involved, others can be tackled at home if you are ambitious enough.

Sorry, I wrongly said she instructus at the CIA instead of ICE. Also, she runs the Butter in NY not the one in Chicago. I think the show is ok and will watch a few more episodes to see how it develops. It does have the look and feel of some of the good imported shows from the UK. Not a bad thing. Now only if FTV will import a few of Fearnley-Whittingstal's shows..

As far as I could tell, it either finished its run or maybe the episodes that FTV has are done. Why else would The Cooking Loft be running in its spot?

The Cooking Loft Kind of a silly name, but I've always liked Chef Guarnaschelli when she appeared on IC America as a contestant and judge. She runs her fine restaurant, Butter in Chicago, and teaches at CIA in NY. So, she is no hack. Of course it runs early Saturday morning, after all she does not have the huge fan base Sandra Lee has. So, will this be worth watching? Who knows, but I have my DVR set to start recording and we'll see what we get.

wow Jon, you are definitely back into brewing with enthusiasm. It is very inspiring reading yours and Chris' discussions about the hobby. As for me, I'll be brewing my first oatmeal stout soon. The recipe is a pretty much from Palmer's "How To Brew" book with some minor alterations: September Oatmeal Stout Style: Oatmeal Stout Type: Extract w/grain Size: 5 gallons Color: 61 HCU (~25 SRM) Bitterness: 44 IBU OG: 1.035 FG: 1.010 Grain: 0 lb. 8 oz. American crystal 60L 0 lb. 8 oz. Roasted barley 1 lb. 0 oz. Rolled oats, cooked loose Steep: Steep grains at 155-160 F for 30 minutes Boil: 60 minutes SG 1.050 3.5 gallons 4 lb. 0 oz. Light malt extract 3.3 lbs of Light DME at knockout Hops: 0.75 oz. Fuggles (4.75% AA, 60 min.) 1 oz. Nugget (12% AA, 30 min.) Yeast: Pitchable White Labs Yeast - Irish Ale WLP004 Starter? Y Carbonation: 2.3 volumes Corn Sugar: 3.93 oz. for 5 gallons @ 70°F

Fair enough Adam...I am still stuck at reading your "I am pretty rare in haing make ghammeh"!! Only my grandmother in our whole family makes that. No way I am tackling it .

I think there's nothing wrong with it, as far as it goes. On the other hand, there is absolutely nothing about it that makes it worth 250% more than Luksusowa -- especially in a cocktail. And don't even get me started on (570% more than Luksusowa) Stolichnaya Elit. In that sense, they and their ilk are all "swill." ← Fair enough, this makes sense.

Thank you for opening my eyes with your OPINION Mich. What was I thinking? Man, after this informative and highly logical post I think I will stop watching this shallow and snarky show. Again, thanks.

This is a fun and enlightning discussion. Mixologists seem to be both parts at once. I love going to a bar or restaurant that takes it's cocktails seriously, like Beaver's in Houston, and simply tell the bartender that I am in the mood for something with mint and lemon and let him do all the work of creating a tasty beverage. On the other hand it is a bit over the top to call Grey Goose "filth" and "swill"! It's a good spirit. I do like a vodka martini once in a while with GG. More often than not I drink a gin one though, made with the moderatly priced Broker's. What I'm saying is there is a place for both and if the bartender is good enough to open people's mind's and palates to new spirits then more power to him. If he does not want to stock GG or Crown Royal then that also is his bar and his choice. It might not cause any issues for me as long as there is a suitable substitute, but it might for others.

What is more authentic?? A book that incorporates Spanish culture, ingredients and proper cooking techniques of course. My mom makes fantastic Chinese food in Beirut and many Lebanese make very good roast beef with mashed potatoes on a regular basis. Neither qualifies as Lebanese and those who cook it know so. Actually they cook it specifically to cook something other than Lebanese. Nothing is wrong with 1080 or SS if all you want is another recipe collection that will take up space on your shelf. It will teach you almost nothing about what it's like to cook like a Spanish or Italian or how to properly use the ingredients of the country the way a Spanish Chef or grandma would. It is not a book for any serious cook who wants to learn and cook Spanish food. The way I see books like 1080 and SS is the same way I view those "Best recipes from around the world" and "How to Cook Everything from Asia". Sure, they might have a few decent recipes, but you can do a whole lot better with your hard earned cash.

I'm not sure that the books are intending to be anything other then a reflection on home cooking in these countries, rather then "traditional" recipes? It would be sort of odd to assume that people only cook recipes from their own cutural backgrounds? And for that matter that this is a new phenomenon? ← "1080 Recipes is the definitive book on traditional and authentic Spanish home cooking, trusted throughout Spain for over thirty years" From Amazon.com No, both this book and SS (and I made a similar comment about that book in it's thread a while back) give the illusion that this IS THE book for it's country, ie Spain. Why would any American (or German or Lebanese) care to buy a book from Spain if the subject matter is not Spanish cooking? I doubt anyone who buys this huge book is doing so becuase he or she really would love to know what a typical version of an American mac and cheese would taste like if a random Spaniard made it! I guess my point is the book as far as I could tell (again just like SS) has no focus and is mosly useless in today's world where we can buy books by Penelope Casas, Anya Von Bremzen and Jose Andres.

LOL, too funny. I think the show has a great format and I cannot say that I've noticed any problems with the picture. On another bright note, the music on this Saturday's episode did not play much when he was cooking. I'm still not buying the damn "soundtrack" though

When I watched the pie-baking show, when she baked off the piecrust with foil and beans, she said the beans would be fine to cook in the normal way. I've always read that once you use beans in that fashion, you should keep them for that use, and not cook with them. That would make sense to me; I've never tried to cook beans that have been used as pie crust weights, but I would think that baking them for 20-30 minutes would have an effect on them. I've never checked it out, though. ← I have, made the mistake once of cooking beans that I used once as pie weights. They took forever to cook and were still not right in the texture dapartment, kind of excessively grainy. So, no do not use for anything other than pie weights. Beans are so cheap, I am sure it is not problem keeping a pound or so for that purpose. Personally, I have t abg of dried chickpeas that I've been using for years.