msacuisine

I live in the Southwest were salsa is made in just about every imaginable variety. I have had salsa with peaches in it. Also, mango goes really well in salsa, so I would suspect it would be a good candidate for your fruit-on-fruit experimentations.

Thanks for the feedback! Your shrimp and sausage recipe is right along the lines of what I was thinking. Great minds (and pallets) think alike.

Thanks for the suggestions!

I am thinking about making Crawfish in cream sauce--see other post--and this dish traditionally calls for Tasso. I don't have any, but I do have some cubed ham that I would like to make do with. I am thinking about thoroughly coating them with a rub of salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder, cayenne, etc. Anyone have any advice on how to best make this work?

I have a nice batch of crawfish that I would like to use. I am cooking for someone who thinks she doesn't like them. I may just not tell her what it is and let her assume it is crab meat or something. Thinking probably of doing this with a cream sauce with pasta: while this is done often in New Orleans, I think it is less likely to give away the secret than say, crawfish ettouffee, but I am open to other suggestions as well. Anyone got some good recipes or ideas.

Thanks for the link to the other thread. Unfortunately, I was not the only decision maker and the Cuisinart has already been ordered. I feel like we may have jumped the gun a little bit, but we can always return it if we decide it is not going to meet out needs. Thanks for your response, Michael

Oh, btw, Jackel10, despite that fact that I live in a major metro area (Phoenix) I have trouble finding a wide selection of wine at reasonable prices. So we usually end up paying a premium to get a decent selection. Arizona is one of those fascist states that will not allow out of state shipments of wine, so the internet is out as a source. Do you have any suggestions as how I might source more competitively priced wines?

Post-Game Report Just thought I would wrap up this thread with a report on how it went. The sauce was wonderful--you just can't beat the quality of a sauce made form a proper demi-glace; jus reductions are just never the same. The sauce was a little sweeter than I had intended and I think next time I will try using one of the drier Madeiras suggested or just go the Bordelaise route. But it was something out of the ordinary and the complexity of the Chateau Neuf I served with it still made for a nice pairing. The Sancerre I served with the first course of Shrimp Remoulade on a bed of baby heirloom lettuce was also somewhat sweeter than anticipated, so sweeter-than-expected was almost a theme. LOL. I also served sherry glasses of the Malmsey with the creme brulee, which married very nicely. All in all the dinner was a big success; one of my guests said, "This is as good as food gets!" I had another glass of the Madeira with the leftover dried apricots, almonds, and triple cream brie (served to after the main course, to finish off the wine) while I was cleaning up and it was wonderful. Thanks everyone for your input. I really appreciate everyone taking their time to help educate me about Madeira and make my dinner a success. Michael

I am thinking about ordering a Cuisinart MP-14 Limited Edition Metal 14 Cup Food Processor MP-14N today. They are having a great sale on them at ikitchens.com (http://www.ekitchengadgets.com/cumpliedme14.html) But their winter sale ends at tonight, so I have to make a decision today. I like the idea of having the extra capacity that this large unit will provide. My only concern is that it may be TOO big for daily tasks like grinding nuts, or pureeing fruits and vegetables for sauces. If it won't do what I need it to do on a day-to-day basis, then it will basically just be a VERY expensive paperweight taking up precious counter space most of the time. So what I would like is a sense of if it will meet my needs, or if I would really be better off with a smaller one. I am particularly interested in hearing from people who own larger models and what they thing of this issue. One thing I thing I like is that it comes with a large number of attachments, which I understand can be quite expensive individually: # Whisk attachment with stainless steel beaters # Stainless steel medium slicing disc (4 mm) # Stainless steel medium shredding disc # Stainless steel chopping/mixing blade # Metal dough blade # Small and large pushers # Detachable disc stem Thanks for your help, Michael

Great!!! I like dark chocolate desserts--thought we are having creme brulee for dessert tonight. The only thing that I have ever found that marries beautifully with dark chocolate is ruby port. It is nice to have another option!

So the consensus I getting both here and at foodieforums.com is that the Malmsey should be fine, though perhaps a bit extravagant, and that I might do just as well with a cheaper choice next time. I am okay with a little extravagance. But really at $25 a bottle, the Malmsey doesn't seem over the top--the day and a half's work the demi itself takes--now that's extravagant! So I am now feeling more confident I haven't made a big mistake here. My next question is, if the Malmsey would be better served as an afterdinner drink, what sorts of things would it marry best with? Desserts? Nuts? Cheeses? Any ideas? Thanks everyone for your responses, Michael

What type of Madeira is used for a classical Sauce Madeira? All of the references I find just call for x amount of "Madeira wine". This includes French references I have on the sauce making. After doing a little research, I have discovered that Madeira is made with a wide variety of different grapes and comes in styles from dry to rich to sweet. So I am confused about which one to use. I got a 5 yo Malmsey to go in the sauce I am making for tomorrow night. I am spending a lot of time and effort to make a real, classical demi-glace to make it with, so I don't want to ruin it by using the wrong fortified wine. Does anyone have any experience with this or know the answer? The sauce will be for aged prime beef rib eyes accompanied by pommes de terre anna; the course will be paired with a nice Chateau Neuf du Pape. if any of that makes any difference. Thanks, Michael (My apologies in advance if some think this belongs in the beverages forum, but since it is primarily a sauce making question, I thought I would get the quickest and best responses in the cooking forum.)

The classical recipes are an just approximation to get you into the general ballpark of the particular taste and feel that you are after. And the classical author themselves often offer different recipes for the same basic preparation. In regards to hollandaise specifically, butter varies in the amount of butterfat, solids, etc. In particular, European butter tends to have more fat content than American butter. Egg yolks are of different sizes. Lemons have differing levels of acidity. No recipe can capture all of the possible variations. One simply needs to develop a feel for the end result based on trail and error and practice. If a hollandaise is breaking and resulting in a pool of grease, then too much butter has been added, at least for the given application. And you will be able to make adjustments for next time.

Hi RAHiggins! Glad to see this thread. Our dieting goals and strategies seem to be right in line with one another--right down to starting and ideal weight! Same with our desire not to allow the need for weight loss to compromise culinary quality and variety. So I look forward to exchanging ideas with you. Are you following a Ketogenic strategy (like Adkins)? Or an Insulin Response strategy (like the Zone)? I am doing a modified Zone--reduced starch and sugar, hi-veg resulting in moderate carb, moderate protein, and moderate (mostly monosaturated) fat diet for well-controlled insulin response. I am just starting with my recipe mod experiments, but one of the key strategies I intend to adopt is Silken Tofu, perhaps thinned with soy milk or stock, as a cream replacement. Perhaps it could be used in the cauliflower puree to achieve a creamier consistency. Here is the manufacturer website with lots of recipes: www.morinu.com. Most root veg is high in starch, but not all starch is created equal. There is a big difference in Glycemic Index among them. Sweet potatoes/yams are particularly good in this way. This is slightly off-topic, but here is a sight I have found very useful--www.nutritiondata.com Their pantry feature allows you to enter recipes, menus, and menu plans and analyze them on a variety of measures. It is a great way to balance a recipe to make sure you are meeting you dietary objective. Good luck with the diet! Michael

To my way of thinking, hollandaise is all about that rich mouth feel. In fact, I find the normal problem when you end up with a 'blah' hollandaise is that it does not have ENOUGH butter. When I make hollandaise, I always try to push the egg yolk to hold as much butter as possible. (you are using just egg yolks right?) There are a lot of factors that effect this--size and composition of yolk, amount of butterfat, etc--so don't be tied to the recipe; just slowly drip in the melted butter until you get that thick, rich, shiny consistency of a perfect hollandaise. With a little practice, you will learn to recognize when the sauce is getting to the point where it won't take any more butter. In general, I use A LOT more than a half stick of butter per egg yolk. (Also, always use unsalted butter or you could end up with WAY to much salt in your sauce.) In the recipe you use, you mentioned "bit of water." I am not sure what the purpose of water would be in a hollandaise--it is unnecessary and could only serve to work against the taste and texture one is trying to achieve in a good hollandaise. I agree with what everyone has said about the lemon juice. Throw the recipe out and use your taste as a guide. The idea is to have the acidity of the lemon cut across richness of the yolk-butter liaison; the lemon should not be so forward that it dominates. Balance is the watchword. Also, fresh-squeezed lemon juice will add brighter notes to your sauce. But be aware that the acidity of any given fruit will vary widely--another reason following a recipe doesn't work. Bottled lemon juice will work in a pinch. Cayenne (or a dash or two of Tabasco) is essential to rounding out the taste of a hollandaise. It is not there to make the sauce spicy, just to add a note of depth and complexity. One of my housemates is overly sensitive to capseicin, but I still use cayenne in my hollandaise and he is unaware of its presence. Again, it is all about balance. One easy (and tasty) variation on a classical hollandaise, born out of necessity and lack of lemons, is to use lime juice instead. Again, fresh-squeezed is best. Hollandaise sauce is one of the five classical mother sauces on which the classical system of French sauces is based and the only one that is regularly used 'as is' (though as others have noted, there are a huge variety of daughter sauces that are based on it--Bearnaise being the best know.) As such, a good Hollandaise sauce is an essential part of any cook's repertoire. So throw out the recipe and don't be afraid to 'break a few eggs' and experiment. With a little practice and experience, you will soon be making a perfect hollandaise. Good Luck! Michael

I have gotten back into cooking again, much to the delight of my family. However, my penchant for rich dishes and haute cuisine has lead us to decide to follow a Zone Diet-inspired meal plan 4 days out of the week, so that we don't all become blobs. Basically, the diet we will follow on our "diet" days seeks to reduce simple carbohydrates--above all simple sugars, but grains and starches as well, and pair large servings of low glycemic index carbohydrates with moderate servings of proteins, preferably lean, and a small amount of monosaturated fat. Within these guidelines, I want to continue to produce gourmet meals that are varied, flavorful, and satisfying. I see this as a challenge to my culinary creativity and an excuse for experimenting and developing new techniques. I just got a great new Japanese gyoto, so I am also looking at all of the vegie work as a challenge to improve my knife skills. I am looking to really push the envelop and avoid the 4 oz hunk of meat with enormous salad or mass of steamed vegetable monotony that this diet easily falls into. Some of the things I am considering are: roasting or frying thin slices of different vegetables and/or vegetable skins and using them as pasta replacements; micro-dicing different vegies into grain-sized pieces; saucing with various purees and stock reductions. I am inspired by nouvelle garnishes and sauces as well as Chinese and Japanese vegetable carving techniques, though sadly I must admit I don't know much about either of these areas. Does anyone have any experience with these types of techniques? Anyone have interesting or creative ideas along these lines that I might try? I'd really appreciate some help brainstorming. And if there is interest, I will post the results of my experiments. Michael