Chris Hennes

Is there a specific type of black bean I should be looking for, or will any bean do? I have to special-order the pork anyway, so may as well get the right kind of beans!

lol, I think this may turn into another "food purity" thread where everyone disagrees on the "one true version" of the dish . Not that Wikipedia is exactly known for its reliability, but it definitely lists versions from both Brazil and Portugal. I notice that there are no recipes for it in RecipeGullet: someone care to put theirs up there so I can play along? I've never even heard of the stuff, but if it contains black beans and pork products, I want in!

I don't see why not: I make hot chocolate by making a simple ganache first, just the chocolate and cream and a pinch of salt, then once that is emulsified, slowly add milk, stirring vigorously. Made entirely with cream sounds a bit too rich for my tastes... I have a huge box of E. Guittard milk chocolate tablets, so this concoction has proven hard to resist recently.

Presence of cheese is slightly controversial, or individual (like lemon peel vs. olives in a Martini). And don't forget, "Thousand Island" dressing traditionally is a Russian diluted with more mayonnaise, and in early recipes, also unsweetened whipped cream (to kill off any surviving savory flavor). I dug up the history a few years ago and posted it. ← If there was no controversy this would be a really boring thread... Naturally, I didn't realize it was controversial at all. Neither did I realize the history of thousand island and Russian dressing---is this the post you are referring to? So, apparently, to truly be a purist I ought to insist on Russian dressing, none of this Thousand Island crap. I will begin immediately... ETA: Incidentally, in yesterday's New York Times Bruni reviews the Second Avenue Deli, bringing along several compatriots who spend the meal "kibitzing" about the purity of the selections.

When I make fruit purees with something with plenty of liquid, like strawberries, I don't generally add any water. And I only add sugar if the fruit is really tart---I doubt it would be necessary for marshmallows. I would just toss a bunch of strawberries in the food processor and let it rip. Bags of frozen ones with no added sugar work well once thawed, too. Then strain out the seeds and voila! strawberry puree.

Kerry, thanks for sharing... I'm especially appreciative of the tip about the glucose, which I am still struggling with. I'm looking forward to trying out the wet hands trick.

this is what you really want?? In the states, it's not hard to find. Especially if you go to the warehouse club type places. These stores sell a lot of stuff to vendors that sell them at carnivals and what not. Really, you don't make it. You just buy it in a can and dump it out into something that can heat and dispense it. ← Well, are you really looking to replicate the neon orange ballpark nacho cheese, or do you just want a good cheese dip? There are many excellent recipes for cheese dip that actually use real cheese (imagine that!).

Both Niman Ranch and Heritage Foods USA practice humane treatment of their animals, from husbandry to slaughter (according to the literature... I haven't exactly visited the abattoir's to check out the claim...). You will obviously pay a premium for this, but in my opinion it is well worth it. ETA: In my guide to online meat sources I have a field called "humane" for pork, but not for any others. This does not imply that the other meats aren't available, just that I didn't think of it except for pork, the factory farms for which seem to be worse than those for beef, for example. I could be totally off base about this: I should probably add that field for all the proteins.

I was thinking the same thing, especially since that ambiguity is being used against them right now by another fast food chain, who is actively advertising that their fish sandwich is not "mystery fish." The commercial confused me at first, because I thought, "hey, isn't McDonald's just cod? That's not 'mystery fish'..."

That's very interesting. Does that pre-date its use meaning "to smoke" foods?

That reminds me: the Reuben! I am definitely a Reuben purist. Corned beef, sauerkraut, swiss cheese, and either Russian or Thousand Island, on rye, grilled. Many other good sandwiches exit: this is the only that may be called a Reuben. And I love it. So very much.

Could you describe it? Is this the "nacho cheese gel" or the "nacho cheese powder" that you are looking for?

Now see, that's where we disagree: I maintain that perfection is attainable. I'm not saying that we should stop trying to come up with new dishes, but I think that one can come up with a "definitive" example of some dishes, at least to ones own taste. For example, my Fettucini alla panna obsession: I have tried dozens if not hundreds of modifications to the basic recipe. These are small modifications (herbs, garlic, basic quantities, etc.): large changes would result in a different food entirely that I would not call "alla panna." I really think that the recipe I use is perfect. I keep trying things, sure: I might be wrong, and I wouldn't want to miss out on an even better version. But I haven't found one yet. I'm not convinced this makes me a purist, though---just a perfectionist. ETA: and maybe a pompous, arrogant jerk .

Until a couple years ago the chore split was that I cook, and my wife did the dishes. Well, this typically meant that she was in the kitchen cleaning up from breakfast while I was cooking dinner. I have a huge kitchen, it's the whole reason I rent the apartment I do. But I couldn't stand it! When I am cooking, I want the kitchen to myself. I'm not sure in quite the way Steven does, since most days making dinner is not really that therapeutic, but for whatever reason I get pretty grumpy when I have to share my kitchen space. So a couple years ago I took over the dishes chore: now, the kitchen is basically mine. I still hate doing the dishes, but it's better than sharing the kitchen!

← In The Ultimate A-to-Z Bar Guide Herbst & Herbst mention the railroad story, but seem to express some skepticism as to how accurate it is. Not that they offer a better explanation...

Good call, Mike. I love barbecue, but questions remain... does it have sauce??? And what, exactly, is barbecue sauce? Pork or beef? What kind of wood? Is there "one true barbecue" to rule them all? One thing is for sure though---you are right about that, Mike---barbecue means smoke. I could definitely be a barbecue purist. Yum.

My Italian grandmother only made the red-sauce, southern-Italy version of lasagna that I can recall, but a few years ago she sent me her favorite cookbook: it was Bugialli's "The Fine Art of Italian Cooking," which contains the recipe for the northern-Italy version. This was the first time I had ever seen the northern version of lasagna, made with no ricotta and no tomato sauce, but rather a meat sauce (with only a little tomato paste in it) and bechamel (balsalmella). It is a completely different dish, but also wonderful in its own right (I have come to actually prefer it). So, we have two dishes called "lasagna," both completely "authentic."

I guess I'm not a food purist at all: more like a linguistic purist. I'm not sure I go so far as to not order something whose name I disagree with, but as my wife can attest, I will complain about it all night . For example, my "martini" objection is not an intrinsic objection to the vodka martini... I happen to like them. But I always order it as a "vodka martini" because as far as I am concerned, a simple "martini" is, by definition, made with gin. Similarly, I have no objection to waffle-cut fries, but if I order "french fries" I expect long sticks of potato, not waffle-cut. Apparently, guacamole would get us into trouble, since as far as I am concerned, a mashed-up avocado with a little lime is not guacamole: it's just an avocado. Tasty to be sure, but if I ordered guac and got that, I would be... perturbed.

Can you describe how a Mexican lime differs from a Persian (or even Key) lime? I've never had one, nor seen them in stores, but I'm a hug fan of guacamole. Of course, I like mine a bit different : I like to add red onions, jalapeño and a little cilantro to the mix. Do you crush it all up, or try to leave some of the avocado pieces large? I like mine more "chuunky-style". I am really hungry for guac now...

When I made my patty melt it was probably medium, which I would consider moderately overcooked. It was thinner than I make burgers, which I think was in line with Janet's instructions. Over on the "How to cook a burger" thread I don't see anyone advocating well done, nor over on the "THE BEST: Burger" thread. Grind it yourself, and don't stress out, IMHO.

Do you mean that calling a waffle fry a french fry is a problem, or that the mere existence of the waffle fry is a problem? Are you a linguistics purist or a potato purist?

I wanted to bump this thread back up in the hopes that dining in the region has continued its upswing, and that perhaps there are some eGullet forum denizens with updated recommendations. My wife is interviewing for a job at Purdue and my usual habit is to check out the "food scene" in the area. My post about Oklahoma City was met with the lonely sound of crickets chirping...surely there are places worth eating in W. Lafayette! We've even got a couple here in State College! Do you all just take day trips to Chicago?

I agree that if I saw a dish advertised as just "pesto" I would expect basil, i.e. pesta alla genovese, but I see no problems with "cilantro pesto" etc. not containing basil. The fact that such things appear all over the place in the U.S. (heck the fast-food burrito place across the street from my office has a "poblano pesto") seems to indicate that in the US, pesto+modifier does not in any way indicate the inclusion of basil, which seems to be appropriate, in my opinion. Or, I may just like arguing about food and terminology... that was the point of this thread, wasn't it?

Until this thread appeared I had no idea that "highball" might have any other definition! Shows you what I know about cocktails... must be time to re-read Regan and DeGroff.

Good the hear---I'd have felt really bad if you hurt yourself!