Shel_B

Pomegranate ... Subject says it all. I have a couple of salad recipes that call for the ingredient and I may not have enough time track it down before the weekend, which is when I'd like to use it. If I have time to search for it, what's a good commercial brand?

I've not made the salad before, but do plan to toast the pita. I'll have to take a look at the Three Pepper Shakshuka Pita. ETA: Took a look - it looks like a nice recipe. Added it to my files. Thanks for the pointer!

This coming weekend I'll be preparing dinner for a few guests, and I want to make a fattoush salad using some of the sumac I recently got from Istanbul. Does anyone have some good dressing recipes using sumac?

Many of the recipes I looked at contained mayo as well as bread or bread crumbs and eggs. So mayo must be used for flavor and moisture in those recipes, as well as a binding agent, yes? Would a low fat mayo behave differently than a full fat mayo? I'll be using a full fat mayo in my next batch of salmon burgers, so I'm more curious than anything.

What is the purpose of adding mayonnaise to salmon croquette ingredients?

I am not 100% sure that the almonds I bought were labeled "organic." They were in a bulk bin, and I am certain that they were labeled as unpasteurized. I'll double check when I next visit the store, which may even be today, but definitely this week some time. The store does claim to carry 100% organic produce,however, I don't know if their bulk items are 100% organic.

The last two batches of almond milk were somewhat disappointing. The soaking almond produced a very cloudy and somewhat slimy soaking water, and I had to change the water about four times during the 16-hour soak. The current batch of almonds that have been soaking now for about six or seven hours produced a much cleaner, slime-free water. The two problem batches were from organic, unpasteurized, Spanish almonds. I purchased them from the local Natural Grocery, which gets much of their grocery items from corporate organics rather than local, small, independent vendors, although their produce items are generally locally sourced. Today's batch is from a nearby orchard, organic, and unpasteurized. I've used almonds from that orchard before with excellent results. So, any idea what causes the slimy, cloudy soaking water? I read that a lot of "raw" almonds have been pasteurized, some with a chemical called PPO (http://www.almondboard.com/Handlers/FoodQualitySafety/Pasteurization/Pages/Default.aspx) Could this be causing the slimy water?

An idea worth thinking about. Thanks!!

No, not even close. With all the exquisite fresh fruit around here, baking seems like the wrong direction to go, as does adding chocolate and ice cream.

Citrus is out for this salad, although I like Valencia oranges and they are in at least some of the markets around town.Mostly from Texas, IIRC.

Yes, stone fruits and berries are stellar, right now, and Toots and I would be happy to just enjoy them out of hand. The dressing would be served on the side, so each can make their own decision. I like the idea of Cointreau, and I do have a 50+ year old balsamic in the cupboard. Nope, no pastries. Thanks for your input.

<LOL> That's very similar to the dressing I now sometimes use. Mine's yogurt, honey, vanilla bean, and maybe a scosh of cinnamon. I like the idea of the nutmeg.

Don't know - it depends on what looks and tastes good at the market. However, there will definitely be no citrus and no apples.

On the 19th a few people are coming to dinner, and for dessert I want to make a fruit salad. I usually eat my fruit salad plain - actually, Toots and I rarely eat fruit salad, rather, we just eat a few pieces of fresh fruit - so I don't have many ideas for a fruit salad dressing - just one, actually. And the one I have, although quite good, was given to me by one of the dinner guests, so I'd like something different. Any ideas for dressing a fruit salad - nothing too sweet or loaded up with sugar? Thanks!

I agree - many of the recipes I've tasted and looked at are overamped with sugar and other spices making the bread taste too sweet and cloying. The recipe Norm Matthews linked to above has more than twice the amount of sugar than a recipe I'm considering, and more sugar than the total amount of zucchini in the recipe. I'm hoping to find a line where the zucchini or similar squash is more than just a filler, and adds some real flavor (but not too much because I don't want the bread to be too vegetal) and texture. I was thinking that zucchini may not be the ideal squash for zucchini bread because of the high moisture content and the way it practically dissolves when baked (that's the way it seemed when I was on my tasting quest). Perhaps a firmer, drier squash, like a Costata Romanesco might work a little better as it has less moisture and is a firmer squash. Of course, I could also squeeze out the excess moisture from the more typical zucchini - none of the recipes I looked at mentioned doing that, but why add all that extra moisture to the bread?

I've only seen these: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwrCDfQy78Y http://www.amazon.com/Toastmaster-2244-Handheld-Can-Opener/dp/B00006IUZV What else might be out there? Has anyone used such a device? Comments?

I though I'd bump this thread as we'll be loaded with zucchini and summer squash in short order, and I'd like to try my hand a baking some zucchini bread. A lot of recipes I've seen are loaded with sugar, and others just don't seem right based on my limited baking experience. I'd like to find a zucchini bread that's heavy on zucchini flavor, but not so much so that the bread tastes vegetal, not overly sweet, and not too airy or fluffy. Any suggestions. There's one recipe I'd like to try except that it uses a large amount of sugar. I'd like to cut the sugar back by about 20% - 25%. Would I have to make any other adjustments to the recipe because of reducing the sugar? Thanks!

I found a place in a nearby town that carries the Cuervo Anejo Reserva de la Familia at what seems to be a very good price. I'll call them tomorrow and, if they have it, that's what I'll get him. Otherwise, one of the Tradicionales, probably the silver. He'll be happy in either case, I'm sure ....

Yes, it's a gift, and I want to get him something I know he'll like. I don't know enough about tequila to try some other brand, especially based on a recommendation from someone I don't know and whose taste may not reflect that of the recipient's. Thank you for your response.

Yes, he's a Cuervo guy, for whatever reasons, and that's why I'm looking for something that I know will satisfy him. I see that there are a couple of choices that will be satisfactory in the Tradicional line, although that Cuervo Anejo Reserva de la Familia seems like it would be a real treat for him, so that's what I'll look for and get if it's affordable to me. Otherwise some of the aged Tradicionales will work, and are probably easier to find.

I found this thread as I had just enjoyed a Kitchen Sink Salmon for dinner and was curious if there was any discussion about using the technique. This was the only mention I could find about sous vide salmon, although I recall some discussion elsewhere that at least touched on the subject. I bought a frozen, Alaskan salmon fillet from Trader Joe's, which was about 3/4-lb and rather thin - maybe about 1/3-inch. After defrosting in it's sealed package, I just put the fish into the kitchen sink filled 1/4-way with hot tap water. The hot water from my tap is 122-degrees and, from a previous discussion on cooking salmon, that seems like a good temp. I just let the fish sit in the hot water bath while I prepared the salad and set the table. Maybe twenty minutes later, the fish came out of the bath and made it to the plate, where I added a slight sprinkle of salt and a gentle grind of pepper. Man! The salmon was just how I prefer it, just barely cooked through. Is anyone else preparing salmon, or other fish, in this manner? Any tip or experiences you'd care to share?

I know next to nothing about Tequila, and I want to get the maintenance man at my apartment complex a gift. It came up in conversation that he's a Cuervo drinker. What are the differences between the various styles and which might be considered the best. Thanks!

The really dark, almost black stuff.

At the TJ's that we frequent, we bring the returns to the checkout stand along with our purchases, and a credit is issued at the register at time of purchase. A manager, in response to a signal, does come over to authorize the transaction.

I second clafoutis, and have several good, proven recipes.