Shel_B

Thanks for all the great and interesting ideas. Shel

Yes, I'm in the east bay. Haven't been to Arizmendi in ages ... thanks for the reminder Shel

Fresh ground peanut butter on my favorite whole wheat bread http://www.vitalvittles.com is a favorite sandwich. I'll sometimes add banana, or possibly shredded carrot, maybe even some thin fruit slices or orange zest, some nuts like sunflower seed. I may try some chile peppers later today. What other combinations can you think of? I'm looking for some new ideas to kick up a peanut butter on whole wheat sandwich. Shel

There are at least several brands of Sriracha sauce available, and they all taste different. So, to just say "Sriracha" isn't all that helpful in some instances. Has anyone tried Shark brand? It's from Thailand, no preservatives, and from what I can tell from reading descriptions, not quite as sweet as the more ubiquitous "rooster" brand. I like the idea that it comes in glass bottles rather than a plastic bottle. Shel

Thus far I've not found any commercial hot dog relish that I like. They all tend to be too sweet. To be honest, there areen't too many brands around here that I've seen. So, two things: first, are there any brands of hot dog relish that you like. Second, and and of greater interest, does anyone have a recipe or some suggestions for making a good hot dog relish? I'm not interested in anything that contains mustard, although mustard seeds might be just fine. I prefer a "pickle" type relish rather than cucumber, but I'm open to suggestions. I was thinking that something with cornichons might work, maybe with some red pepper as well, but beyond that I haven't a clue. Thanks, Shel

No - I find it decidely lacking in flavor and character. Shel

Yesterday I bought some Boar's Head hot dogs that have an expiration (sell by) date of Sept 01. Does the flavor or texture of the dogs change much from a fresh pkg to one that is closer to the sell by date? Shel

I've been getting some great "heirlooms" and other tomatoes at the local farmers markets in Berkeley and Oakland. However, there have been some that were mediocre. I'm learning which growers consistently produce the better tomatoes, and of which varieties. Fortunately, all the growers offer a taste of their product, unlike many supermarkets, so it's fairly easy to get tomatoes that satisfy one's preferences. Shel

I don't want to use it for anything specific. I make my own chile sauce, and what I make depends on what I'm using it for - barbeque, grilled meat (beef, por, chicken), fish, veggie or egg dishes, etc. What I am looking for are suggestions based on what you like, and the foods you like to use the sauce with. In other words, ideas that I can use to check out various sauces. Today I tried the Sriacha sauce for the first time - nice, and I can see numerous uses for it, so that will be one that I'll ultimatel buy. I understand that there are several commercial versions of the sauce, so that may lead to more experimentation. Have you the recipe or a URL for the sauce you make? I'll Google for the David Thompson recipe. Thanks! Shel

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