Shel_B

Thanks John .... very helpful. Shel

I'd like to use it in many applications, so one particular sauce my not be best for my needs. I was hoping to get some recommendations and then look 'em up somewhere fore ingredients, etc. I don't have a set recipe for chile sauce. I just put ingredients together depending on mood and application. Shel

Nope .... Shel

I've never used a prepared chile sauce. Have always made my own. I'm getting lazy in my dotage. What brands do you recommend or use? I'd like something hot and flavorful, regular and chipotle. Other styles are fine as well - I just don't know what's out there. Shel

Some time ago I saw an Alton Brown episode in which he posted a recipe/technique for making a baked russet potato. He suggested coating the skin with oil and salt before baking, AB claimed, IIRC, that it would result in a nice, crispy skin. This morning I saw an episode of Sarah's Secrets, and she said that coating the skin with oil would prevent getting a nice crispy skin, and suggested baking the 'tater dry. Now, truth be told, I've not baked a russet potato in the oven since 1991, and at that I didn't actually bake the potatoes, but a house guest did, so, in essense, I have no experience in this regard. Anyone care to comment on these techniques and which gives the crispiest skin? Shel

Last night I watched Dinner: Impossible and the chef gave instructions for cleaning Portobellos. Apart from ridding the 'shrooms of the gills, he wanted the crowns peeled to show the white of the 'shroom under the skin, saying that he wanted a "cleaner" taste (iirc). I'd never seen that done before. Is this a usual practice? Does it result in a cleaner, or different, taste than an unoeeled Portobello? Any suggestions on how to do implement this technique efficiently? Are there specific situations where this is a preferred treatment of the 'shrooms? When might it not be appropriate? Thanks for any comments ... Shel

Thanks! Shel

Thanks for jumping in and for your suggestion. Kind regards, Shel

Thanks - following up, that link ultimately led me to some other books with which I was unfamiliar. Kind regards, Shel

Thanks - that's a lot closer to what I'd have thought a NYC type spice mixture would be. IAC, I agree wholeheartedly about ginger and allspice, just as I felt that juniper berries and a few other ingredients were "too much." Bueno, Bueno .. Shel

AB has the right idea about brining and the time the beef needs to "age." I don't recall if he has a specific spice recipe though. I'll have to double check. Thanks! I'n not familiar with Dave's. These are the two I was referring to: http://www.themonthly.com/food-02-07.html I've been to Saul's and, as of the last time I was there, I was not impressed. However, that was more than a year ago and perhaps things have changed, so I plan to check them out again. Shel

LOL - they've been on the list for a couple of days. Thanks! Shel

A lot of the spice blends seem to result in something "sweeter" than traditional NYC corned beef, and lack a certain "depth" of flavor. While I can't say for sure, Penzeys seems to have too many ingredients, or maybe the "wrong" proportions of some ingredients, such as cloves. While I know that cloves are used in some NYC recipes, their effect is far more subtle than what I've experienced in some other spice blends. I'm not convinced that ginger or cassia (if that's cinnamon) are traditional. The sense I get is that NYC-style has fewer ingredients in the spice mixture, and that the meat ages for a longer time in the mixture. There may be certain techniques in addition to the ingredients that give the NYC style it's unique character, and I'm looking to see if I can isolate some of those techniques. I've contacted a few people on the east coast to see what they have to say, but have not heard back from any of them yet. What surprises me is that you can find "copycat" recipes for so many things, but finding a corned beef (or pastrami) recipe that is comparable to the NYC stuff thus far seems to be more difficult. These recipes and techniques seem to be closely guarded, which is understandable but quite frustrating. I've tracked down a guy in Atlanta who is supposed to serve up a very good NYC style corned beef, but, according to sources, it took him years to come up with a succesful rercipe and technique. This morning I found out about a place in San Francisco that's supposed to have cracked the code, althoughit was mentioned in the same breath as another place that realloffers a poor imitation of NYC style pastrame (not tried their corned beef). Joyce Goldstein has some connection to this San Francisco place, so I'll try to contact her. Thanks for jumping in. Shel

Many of the NYC delis have their own blends. My old neighborhood deli in Queens had (and still has) their own blend. However, they all have a certain similarity in the way they taste. Your comment suggests that trying to find that elusive commonality, that looking for something more "Jewish" and NYC instead of some gentile-created, one size fits all blend is a waste of time, and that even asking is folly. There are also a lot of NYC delis that use a "generic" blend for their corned beef, and it tastes quite a bit different than Penzeys or supermarket-purchased CB that has spice packets enclosed with their plastic-wrapped meat. So, I'll keep looking for a NYC-style spice mixture. Thanks for your thoughts on the matter. Shel

Yes, I've played with the Penzeys blend, and the results have not been close to a NYC corned beef a la Carnagie deli. Thanks for jumping in. Shel

Anyone have an "authentic" spice blend for making a NYC Style Kosher corned beef, of the type found at Katz's or the Carnagie Deli and other such NYC institutions? Shel

No kidding! I'll have to look for it. I can't believe that my love Melinda has been cheating on me. ← http://www.belizemagazine.com/edition04/en...05questions.htm This'll give you a pretty accurate overview of the story, leaving out some of the gory details. Marie's sauce can be found on line if you can't find it in your local markets. Marie Sharp's sauces are some of my favorites ... Shel

Thanks for all the ideas and suggestions ... Shel

I've been enjoying Melinda's since around 1990. However, the current Melinda's is actually a copy of the original, now sold under the name of Marie Sharp's. It was Marie who made the original Melaindas, and than, as I understand it, got ripped off by her US distributor. Based on that, I no longer buy Melainda's and stick to Marie Sharp's. They are quite similar but Sharp's has, imo, a fuller, richer, fresher taste. Shel

Recently I tried buffalo wings for the first time. Pretty good stuff. However, I want to eat a lot of them, and I'd like to find a recipe or technique that will provide something close to the original in taste but with lower fat, calories, and salt. Playing around with chicken breast meat and tenders seems like a good place to start, and developing a nice, thick sauce shouldn't be too hard. There are numerous recipes available, including the original. So, anyone got some ideas for healthier wings? I though that the tenders could be breaded, baked, and then given a nice soak in the sauce and heated to caramelize the sauce a bit. The original sauce recipe supposedly contains cayenne pepper, vinegar, salt, garlic and margarine, although for wings I may want something with a little sweetness in the background. I think the margerine helps the sauce to stick to the breaded meat, but if one is baking the sauce on to the wings, I wonder if the margerine is really needed. Shel

Bison Brewing, Berkeley, CA Goose Island Brewing , Chicago Lakefront Brewing in Milwaukee Fish Brewing Company, Olympia, WA Butte Creek Brewing Company, Chico, CA Shel

Ton Kiang on Geary Blvd in San Francisco.

Recently I heard the term used in reference to sausage making and for salumi in general. It was said that it's the best fat to use in sausages, salami, and similar meat. So, what is jowl fat and what makes it so good. BTW, the salami I've had that's been made with jowl fat was really very, very good. Shel

That's the only PB I'll eat - I'll grind my own or use the fresh, organic peanuts and grinder at one of several stores in the area. I can't stand the commercial brands that use hydrogenated oils, sugar, and (usually) to much salt. Shel

I frequently look for certain vinegar and oil pairngs when making salad dressings and vinaigrettes. So, what are some of your favorite vinegar/oil pairings? It would be great if you could provide specific vinegars and oils, and perhaps even a situation in which you'd use them. Shel