KennethT

I haven't seen the recipe you're talking about, but I have made something that seems similar - trying to copy a squab dish I had at a 3* Mich in Paris. The squab crown was seemingly roasted and then had some kind of sugar shell molded to the top. At tableside, the captain removed the shell, cracked it in half, carved the breasts off the crown, re-applied each half-shell to each breast and plated. I do it based on the El-Bulli sugar shell technique - which is basically fondant, sugar and isomalt melted and caramelized (adding spices (star anise, coriander, cinnamon, cardomom, clove, and cocoa nibs) near the end so they don't burn) then pour onto a silpat and cool. Once cool, break into chunks and powder in a spicegrinder. Then sift into thin rounds on a silpat and stick in a hot oven until just remelted. Remove, and cool again. Just before service, place the sugar disk on the breast and lightly torch so that the disk conforms to the meat underneath. Wow... rereading this, it does seem like a lot of work!

I have been searching for these forever!!!!!! I was going to use them to make some different types of kueh that are blue colored... my favorite kueh is pulut inti - see https://www.google.com/search?q=nyonya+kuih+pulut+inti&biw=1280&bih=913&tbm=isch&imgil=A8u_a-g27_66aM%253A%253BxO02MYF-ezYJlM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fnonya-cooking.webs-sg.com%25252Fpulut_inti.html&source=iu&pf=m&fir=A8u_a-g27_66aM%253A%252CxO02MYF-ezYJlM%252C_&usg=__SHtEu10be78naCKaTZgUIR9SSkU%3D&ved=0CCcQyjc&ei=s3iIVPHOKqq1sATJxoKACg#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=A8u_a-g27_66aM%253A%3BxO02MYF-ezYJlM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fnonya-cooking.webs-sg.com%252Fimages%252Fpulut_inti_blue_glutinous_rice_cakes.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fnonya-cooking.webs-sg.com%252Fpulut_inti.html%3B280%3B210 I don't know if that link will come throught - but do a google search for 'nyonya kuih pulut inti' and you'll find a bunch of stuff...

I don't know if this is actually the reason why, but one thing I have found is that you can get water very hot in a glass vessel (say a measuring cup) in the microwave since (my theory is) the glass is very smooth and doesn't provide nucleation sites for vapor bubbles. So, you can get the water hotter than 212, and then, if you put something in the vessel that is rough (say a toothpick or something), the water will boil EXTREMELY vigorously (think volcano) until the temp drops to normal boiling point. When boiling on a stove burner, typically, your pan will not be as smooth as a glass container and will have no problems with lack of nucleation sites. Conversely, I think about an explanation the TSA (I think it was them - maybe an international body?) gave regarding the downing of the Air France flight over the Atlantic enroute to France from Brazil. They showed that extremely pure water can stay liquid at much colder temperatures than 0C if it is kept in a very smooth vessel. As soon as 1 ice crystal is introduced, the whole container spontaneously froze and turned solid. Really cool to watch - but terrible for that plane and all the people in it.

Cilantro is very difficult to grow - even indoors... there are considerable discussions in some of the garden threads. If it gets too hot (like in a sunny windowsill) it will bolt in no time.

I know you said you're using the fridge's controller to control temp, but if you're turning the fridge on and off - really, you're controlling it that way... I haven't had a chance to check your code, but I would just make sure that the fridge can't turn on/off that frequently as it will greatly shorten compressor life.

I haven't tried this, but I wonder if you could make a modernist processed cheese using your aged pecorino, some pasta water, and sodium citrate (and carrageenan if needed)? You could make a big batch of cheese in advance, then chill it down to solidify. Grate out however much you'd want when you're making the dish and treat like normal. Theoretically, it should (re)melt much smoother, stay emulsified, and basically be bullet-proof.

I've heard the same thing - but I always thought of the shell steak as more of a roast made from a at least a few inches thick of strip steak.

sometimes the thai, asian or indian markets will carry coriander with the roots on... when that happens buy a whole bunch and freeze the roots - they freeze fine (since you'll be pounding them into paste anyway). Other than that, yeah, you'd have to grow your own!

I had a dish at El Cellar de Can Roca years ago that had ice cream that was infused with cigar smoke... When I tasted it, it blew my mind - the cigar smoke aroma was powerful and intoxicating (not actually intoxicating - but an expression) and stayed in my head for the rest of teh day in a good way... I had once found a video of how they did it, but can't find it now - but this link gives you the basic idea... http://www.molecularrecipes.com/ice-creams/cigar-smoke-ice-cream/

Sorry - I forgot to mention that when I did it in the past, I whipped it with a hand mixer to incorporate air first... I had read about the isi, but I was a little nervous to have it chill too fast and clog the dispenser....

Chocolate doesn't aerate well in an isi because it cools too quickly and will plug up the dispenser! The key to aerating chocolate is to have it liquid enough so it moves, then under vacuum, the entrapped air expands creating air bubbles within the structure. Then, when the chocolate cools, it holds the structure even when pressure is reapplied.

In order to do aerated chocolate, you need a vacuum chamber of some kind. You can't use a vacuum bag because the pressure inside the bag stays constant (the bag conforms to the food - so you remove the air, but the outside air pressure presses the bag against the food). In a rigid chamber, you remove the air, and nothing presses on it from the outside keeping the air spaces until the chocolate can set. What kind of cryovac machine do you have? Is it a chamber vacuum with sealing bar inside or a clamp type edge sealer? Some edge sealing machines have an output port where you can use a tube to connect the vacuum pump to an external chamber (like the foodsaver canisters), but unless you have a very powerful one, it can't create enough vacuum to initially expand the chocolate. If you have a chamber type machine, you can put the warm chocolate mixture in a mason jar or other jar with one way valve in the chamber and evacuate. Then when you release the vacuum, the jar will seal itself and maintain the internal vacuum. Edit: Just noticed in the title that you have a MV31 (I can only assume you mean MVS 31x) - in which case, you can use the mason jar routine I described above...

I also wonder if some of it has to do with flavor extraction. Depending on how small the meat is cut/ground, the extraction of flavor from meat to sauce can take quite a long time. I think about how long it takes to make a good stock... the sauce is basically doing the same thing...

Personally, I think 3 hours at 135 is too long for pork tenderloin... I haven't done it in a while, but I remember doing PT just until it hits core temp. 2-3 hours shouldn't affect the texture much... but, in my experience, it will lose some of its juiciness.

I think they look great - but if you want a little more gloss at service time, and don't want to take the time to do full assembly at teh last minute, can you put some of the sauce in a disposable pipette and put a few drops on the shrimp right before plating? ETA: or maybe use a small brush?

I thought cruciferous veggies gave off a gas when cooked - which would then inflate the bag and cause it to want to float (even more than when cooking normal veg) and also insulate the contents from the water bath.... Not 100% sure, but I seem to remember something like that.

Once it starts growing, how much light does it need?

If you're handy (or you want to call these guys have them do it for you) you might consider making this hydroponic option: http://www.generalhydroponics.com/blog/2010/11/03/urbanhydros-super-cropper/ I think the Urban Hydro Growers Union site is down - I haven't checked it in a while, but when I just did, the page was down. In any case, if you've got basement space, you can grow a LOT of herbs, peppers, tomatoes - practically anything.

OK - I know this is a very specific topic that is not intended to elicit a lot of discussion. But - I have become very disenchanted with the restaurant which currently supplies my delivery sushi in Murray Hill. I know there are a couple of people in these forums who either live or work in the area, so I was hoping to get a suggestion or two of their go-to places.... Thanks!

I use a torch quite frequently. But, this is because I do a lot of cooking SV, so the torch is a convenient way to brown. It takes a little practice, but once you're familiar with it, you can get great results with no fuel taste or other issues. I use a Bernzomatic hose torch - which attaches to a standard 1 liter propane tank. I find the hose torch convenient as I can hang the tank on my belt and manipulate the torch 360 degrees around without fear of it extinguishing. Sometimes, when you use a regular torch, it will extinguish if you hold it close to upside down too long (which is exactly what I do when torching food!) Plus, the hose torch has a "swirl" head which turns the flame into a sort of cyclone which is supposed to ensure more complete combustion and more heat. I don't know about the claims, but I will say that I've never experienced torch taste when using it.

It's hard for me to answer this question because I only used Mae Ploy once a long time ago. I found it ridiculously salty compared to what I had in Thailand. So I asked my Thai grocer and he recommended the Nittaya. I don't think it is incredibly hot - I find it well balanced and the most similar to what I had in Thailand. I find it better than what I can make on my own since I don't have a really good mortar/pestle and most of the ingredients I can get here in NY aren't nearly as ripe as the ones they make the paste from in Thailand. So the flavor of my own paste is not as bright. BTW, now after several trips to Thailand, all over the country (North, Central, South) I have to say that I don't think that Thai food in general is super hot. I think some dishes can be, but in general, I found the best Thai food to be spicy only to balance the other flavors, like a single color in a painting full of other colors - not a piece of modern art where the entire canvas is red! ha!

I'd love to hear your opinion on the flavor of the bread made from the starter in Paris versus those made from your standard starter. I'd assume that the natural yeasts that are colonizing your starter would be slightly different in each location, and would thus result in different flavors.

I find Mae Ploy to be pretty salty. I think the refrigerated pastes from Nittaya are harder to find, but much higher in quality.

I think it cool, but don't think it would work. UV sterilizers have problems with suspended particulates - shadows...

Rather than freeze drying, can't you just freeze the thai eggplants for consumption later in the year? I'm sure any textural changes that come about from freezing will be just as (if not more) present in the rehydrated freeze dried product, unless you were thinking of powdering it, which I just can't imagine... Sorry to derail the original topic... now back to our show...