hongda

There's a couple asian subsitutes as well. Palm sugar, rock sugar and a dark brown sugar bar comes to mind. The last one in particular adds a molasses note to the simple syrup. I usually simmer it with ginger and use it on some soft tofu for a simple dessert.

The general consensus I believe is that you are concentrating the flavors of the meat and also allowing the enzymes to tenderize the meat (which is true of venison as well) The amount of water loss is surprising, but doesn't affect the juiciness of the final product significantly.

I was thinking along the lines of butter in a saucepan with some capers, brown the butter and capers a bit, then a splash of white wine. It's a basic sauce for chicken, but can't remember the name of it right now. Also an italian salsa might go well. Chopped tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper, maybe some fresh onions, a bit of basil.

Alton Brown's method of refrigerator drying: Remove any plastic wrapping or butcher's paper from the roast. Place the standing rib roast upright onto a half sheet pan fitted with a rack. The rack is essential for drainage. Place dry towels loosely on top of the roast. This will help to draw moisture away from the meat. Place into a refrigerator at approximately 50 to 60 percent humidity and between 34 and 38 degrees F. You can measure both with a refrigerator thermometer. Change the towels daily for 3 days. From: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/re...6_17372,00.html

If you really run extra on eggs, you can freeze them http://whatscookingamerica.net/Eggs/FreezingEgg.htm Haven't tried it before though.... if your adventurous you can make some variations on asian steamed omelettes. The vietnamese one consists of pork, vermicelli noodles, and green onions. For a more chinese approach add in some salted duck eggs. For even more adventurous approach add in 1000 year old eggs.... oh that reminds me, you can make chinese salted eggs.. http://chinesefood.about.com/gi/dynamic/of...lted-eggs1.html

I like to top them off with japanese mayonaise and bake them... It tastes better than it sounds.

When I was in portugal, a friend made a nice scramble with eggs, onions, bacallau and potato straws.

I've used reduced balsamic in cooking (usually as part of a glaze), but never as a drizzle. I doubt it'll be as good as the expensive stuff, since your lacking a lot of the nuances. You'll end up with a sugary syrup with a touch of acidity, which would be good on some things, but not comparable to a true balsamic Here's a thread over at CH that you might find interesting http://www.chowhound.com/topics/361096

Did you add anything to make the banh xeo crispy? Mine always comes out soggy. Your's looks so crispy!!!

Interesting recipe. I'll have to give it a try. The ones I made before used a black bean paste with garlic that came out of a jar/can. The other variation is a mabo tofu japanese style with miso paste.....

Is there any dipping sauce to go along with that? I would think some mustard or soy dipping sauce or vietnamese fish sauce would go well with the meat and veggies.... but then again I'm a dipping fool...

I would recommend going for dark meat chicken (boneless thigh meat) It will stand up better to the chafing dish and is less likely to overcook.

We used chicken stock for the majority of the sauce, a little salt, sugar, white wine, sesame oil and thicken with cornstarch. The dark hue we got was from browning of the onions and vegatables beforehand. Then the fond and char will lend the slightly brownish color.

The specs in vanilla ice cream are the seeds. The texture of the skin is almost leather like. Cut down the middle using a paring knife and scrape the seeds out with the back of your knife. The texture of the seeds is kind of gummy, almost like a thick paste. If it's a solution that your gonna boil, you can let the skin steep in the liquid for a while, otherwise toss the skin in the sugar bowl and make some vanilla sugar. I just used some to make vanilla to make a vanilla pudding. Had some leftover cupcakes, so I made a ghetto trifle with layers of chocolate cupcakes, vanilla pudding and home-made strawberry jam :-P

Here's a recipe for tres leches from good eats http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/re...6_13536,00.html If you can find the show on food network or ummm, other means, Alton does a good job of making it look easy. It's always a good idea to plan ahead. Tres Leches is good because it's better if you make it a day before. Also the stews and ossobucco suggestion are also great made the day before then reheated. For Chicken Kiev, pound, stuff and roll the chicken the day before, then bread and fry the day of the dinner. Also I like to cook like BroeurR, have everything cut up and ready to go before cooking. I think it's usually referred to as Mise En Place (sp?) or french for everything in it's place. Maybe add some broiled asparagus with garlic and a squeeze of lemon. The brightness of the lemon will help to cut through the richness of the kiev.

Dinners for two: Italian: Veggies and an antipasto plate with a Bagna Cauda dipping sauce. For the sauce, olive oil heated up with thinly sliced garlic and anchovies. Just a low heat till the anchovies melt. Tuna Pasta: Heat a little olive oil till ripply. Add salt, garlic, pepper flakes, stir until fragrant. Add a can of high quality tuna packed in olive oil. Heat through. Toss with cooked pasta and a little of the pasta water. I like to top this with salad greens. Meditteranean: How about home made tzatziki sauce. Minced cucumber drained and slightly salted. Let sit in a colander for about 10 mins. Meanwhile place yogurt in colander lined with cheese cloth. Rinse the cucumber, place in yogurt with salt, pepper, crushed garlic, squeeze of lime juice, and cumin. Serve with grilled meat, sliced cucumbers, tomatoes and minced onions. Not sure where to put this one. Lightly flour chicken breast. Pan fry in a little oil. Remove chicken and drain most of the oil out. Toss in some capers. Fry for a second. Add white wine, chicken broth or oil, a pat of butter and the chicken back into the pan. Serve over rice or pasta with a side salad. Asian: Fish sauce: Vietnamese fish sauce, water, sugar, garlic, vinegar (or lemon juice). Nuoc Nam. Serve with either rice noodles or rice with plenty of bean sprouts, herbs (such as basil and mint) and grilled meats. works great on grilled pork chops.