trillium
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Posts posted by trillium
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The Nick Malgieri recipe I use, combined with a yeast formulated for rich, high-fat doughs, and a slow, cold 2 day raise, comes pretty damn close to the texture of an industrial loaf, and tastes loads better.
I don't soak my fruit in anything, and I found that candying my own citrus peels was the biggest improvement I could make to my panettone. I have a tough critic at home, because he loves the commercial panettoni. Even he likes mine better now, but it took a few years! If you are looking for that orangy-vanillay taste a lot of them have you can look for what goes by Fior di Sicilia here in the US to add as a flavoring agent.
regards,
trillium
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I think those are both really good organizations to give to. I happened to choose MSF and Mercy Corps. Mercy Corps is here in Pdx and I heard them on the morning news talking about the sanitation packs they were putting together to take. My co-worker, who is a Brit, chose to go with Intl Red Cross, because he's more familiar with it. I think any of these discussed in the thread, including the Indian based ones mongo mentioned are trustworthy places to send money. The important thing is to pick one you like and send as much as you can.
regards,
trillium
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I think it depends on how well the chestnuts were cured too, because I've had batches that were very easy to peel and ones the tortured us until we just gave up. I'm guessing it has something to do with the moisture levels in the chestnut. You need to dehydrate them slightly for long term storage, but maybe the bad ones are just too dehydrated. For eating right away, some farmers will sell them uncured, and those are a lot easier to peel. We've been playing around with Judy Roger's method, and it works much better then the X, but only if you get the cut deep enough (which seems to be tricky to judge).
regards,
trillium
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Hmmm, interesting Trillium.
I picked up the $15 15" Farberware pizza stone kit at LnT today... but when I got it home the stone was shattered in the box, so it looks like I need to return/exchange... I wonder if that is an omen...
Trillium -
What are the differences in actual performance between that stone and the regular one you had before? What does it do differently, better, etc?
Performance wise, my 12 inch pizze cook in around 7 - 8 minutes, total. Before that they took around 13 - 14 minutes and the edges cooked a lot fast then the center. With this stone, the center cheese bubbles around the same time the edges do, in otherwords, things are cooking around the same rate throughout the pizze. I do what I guess would be thin crust, but it isn't cracker crisp type, just a basic hand thrown simple dough. The breads I bake on the stone don't deflate as much, I'm not sure how else to describe it, but when I push them from the peel to the stone they tend to poof instead of deflating as before. They also cook more evenly, with a more even browning on the bottom, before a corner or two would get pretty dark/burnt before the loaf was done. Lastly, I bake my cakes (in their pans) directly on the stone and they don't dome, they bake flat. Again, I think this is due to the cakes cooking more evenly then before. It could be I notice such a dramatic difference because I am baking in crappy apartment ovens, which tend to be the cheapest money can buy and have horrible hotspots.
regards,
trillium
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When I checked, you could get through to the donate page for DSF/DWB through a secure server very easily. Here is a direct link to the donation page. Just for good measure, here's the Oxfam Asian earthquake donation site.
Everyone please remember that even a small amount to most of us (USD$, €uro, or £ pound) can go a long way in all of the countries that have been hit. I don't want to sound preachy or self-righteous, but really, the amount you spend for your cups of coffee (or tea) for the week has the potential to make a big difference. And on a more practical note, you can print off a receipt for tax deductions from most of the sites, that's not something you can do at the coffeeshop.
regards,
trillium
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Another frequent contributor and e-Gullet cooking school teacher was planning a holiday in the south of Thailand, with Krabi as the starting point. Anyone know if she's OK, or if she is even there at this time (I don't think she mentioned exactly when she was going)?
That's me you're thinking of right? And we weren't planning to leave until late January, so I'm ok, thanks. We're not sure what we're going to do now.
We spent Sunday morning calling friends and relatives from AP to S'pore, my heart is in my throat from such horror. The scientist in me is more worried about what is going to happen in the aftermath in terms of sanitation and disease....it has the potential to be more devastating to the region then the actual tsunami.
I appreciate the links to good places to donate money, a little of ours can go a long way in most of these places and it is sorely needed. I wish I had more information on reputable SE Asian orgs but I don't.
regards,
trillium
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I like doing turkey legs coq a vin style, or braised with onions and achiote.
regards,
trillium
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I think heat transfer is independent of how thick the stone is and has more to do with the physical properties of what is conducting the heat.
I used quarry tiles for years. They work better then nothing at all, but someone I trusted swore by the patented FibraMent-D stuff. To celebrate not being a starving graduate student I finally ordered one, and I really wish I had done it sooner. It makes a huge difference in making pizze and breads and it also evens out the heat for baking things like cakes in a crappy oven. I leave mine in the oven almost always, and just preheat for around an hour. It's one of my favorite pricey things to have in the kitchen, I'd lose my stupid KA mixer before I lost the stone.
FibraMent-D stones for home use
regards,
trillium
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I have all that stuff, so I can try it tonight. I usually like cocktails that are not on the sweet side, so I'm wondering how sweet it runs?
regards,
trillium
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I feel your pain. I eat tons of vegetables and this is always the hardest time of the year for me because there is only so much root and brassicae that one can eat in a given period. I caved and bought a couple of pounds of green beans from Mexico last night.
Bergamots (and other sour oranges) aren't good for eating out of hand, they're as sour as a Eureka lemon, and sourer then a Meyer! I guess they're good for eating if you like eating lemons. I use them in cocktails, sorbets, marmalades, candied peels for Christmas baking, on fish and chicken, etc. But if you are desperate to try one (or 2) I'd be happy to mail them. I've posted a link for the SF wholesaler who stocks them in the cocktail forum if your favorite produce manager needs a source. If you do get your hands on Sevilles and you're a cocktail drinker, try a Bronx with them and Punt e Mes as the sweet vermouth. One of my favorite winter time libations.
I found last year disappointing for citrus, but I think this year is doing better. A couple of the clementine variaties I've really been loving are Page and Freemont. We gorge ourselves silly on them for a couple of months while they're in season. The Freemonts have this smell that reminds you of how tangerine lifesavers tasted as a kid. The parnter always remarks on how they taste almost fake (but in a good way), but they're pretty tart (Page are sweeter but I tend to avoid the super sweet duller tasting ones). Cocktail citrus are a grapefuit/pommelo cross (funny, since the pommelo begat the grapefruit) that are really delicious too. They have that nice bitterish/astringent component but are much sweeter then most grapefruits and the bitterness is balanced by the aromatics. I tend to peel off the skins to eat them, and it makes picking out all the seeds easier.
Pink Lady apples can be good, if you find a place with high turn-over and someone who knows not to toss them around, they bruise easily. Also I think the tasty dessert pears will be in season soon, look for Abate Fetel types, they are crazy sweet and fragrant.
Mangos are biannual, I think, but I like the ones that ripen around April - Jun, it depends on how the season goes. Because I live with a SE Asian who grew up with a mango tree in the back yard, we're pretty selective about when and if we buy mangos. When you can smell them when you walk up to them and they are plump (not wrinkled) and the skins are very blushed and there is juicy sap running down the fruit from the stem end, he starts to consider buying some.
When I can't eat another bit of kale, cabbage, broccoli or spinach, I go for the hydroponic dau miu (pea shoots) you can find at most Asian groceries these days. Look for ones that don't have any slimey leaves, and buy at least 5 times more volume then you want to end up with, they cook down a lot.
Ok, I guess I've run off enough, and better sign off. Good luck (and chocolate can be medicinal, right?)
Oh, one last thing, frozen raspberries done into some kind of sauce can add a very bright spot this time of year.
regards,
trillium
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During Meyer lemon season I make all of my cocktails using lemon with them because the scent of the peels makes me swoon (in a good way). Instead cutting back on the sweeter components of a drink, I just add more lemon juice. Since I'm always making the more classically sized cocktail (ie, small) it works well.
Bergamots do a have a really great peel/zest, and an alcohol extraction with Everclear did make a very tasty digestivo. I like to add in the juice too.
I'm trying to imagine the flavors with rum, which didn't ever really cross my mind, I'm such a gin drinker for cold cocktails. Let us know if you like the combo, and I'll try it too.
regards,
trillium
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In this case, it would be the anti-fennel-in-American-style-gravy-parade...
but don't let that stop you from posting reviews of places you try, I'm always happy to read about people eating in pdx, even if I don't want fennel seeds (or carrots) in my gravy.
regards,
trillium
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I have a recipe for a pork tenderloin marinade which calls for (among many other things) achiote seeds. I'm sure if I spent half a day driving around and hitting specialty hispanic grocery stores - I'd find some. But I don't have the time right now. One web site recommended the following possible substitutes: turmeric, paprika or saffron. I don't want to put $5 worth of saffron in a marinade. I have turmeric and paprika and lots of other stuff in the spice drawer - but don't know which to use - because I don't know what achiote seeds taste like. What would you use (any of those things mentioned - or something else)? Robyn
No, don't put in saffron, it tastes really different from achiote. I would just skip it alltogether, because paprika and tumeric don't taste like achiote either, but if I had to pick one, I'd pick paprika because it isn't astringent the way tumeric is.
regards,
trillium
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I have one of those "professional" models that turns itself off if it overheats. I think it was made around 1995. I hate that bloody thing with a passion, and it's the third one. I killed one making the white bread from Baking with Julia (and yes, I followed the instructions to the letter, including the speeds and cups of flour), they replaced it. It danced around on the counter and the bowl would even get knocked off. They sent me special clips to clip the bowl to the mixer, which helps. I killed the second one on some wet ciabatta dough. After they sent me the 3rd one they told me I was black listed and wouldn't get another if I broke it. Ok then. I don't use it to knead bread dough (which is what I bought it for in the first place) just for grinding meat or making cookies and cakes, which isn't that frequent. And I treat it very carefully. I rue the day I spent that much money on something that turned out to be not useful for my type of cooking. My Cuisinart, on the other hand, I've downright abused, working it until it smoked, and it's still going strong.
regards,
trillium
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Fennel in gravy? The stuff you put on biscuits? Fennel?? That's as bad as that mixed dried herb crap they put in everything at the Delta Cafe. Ok, not everything, but it ruined the mac and cheese for me.
regards,
trillium
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Ohh goody! Pass on any good cocktails you come up with using them, ok? And they make the best candied peels for pannettone.
I'm wondering about bergamot and creme de cacao these days, mostly because of Sam's 18th Century cocktail.
regards,
trillium
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I'm not trying to make it taste just like Colonata, I'm just trying to make a tasty lardo that you salt and spice. I completely understand that place makes something special, however, I'm looking for help on making something with this wonderful milk fed pork fat I have here. Have you used your box to make lardo? Could you tell me the ratios of salts you used?
thanks,
trillium
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What a perfect timing sort of thread. I just got done processing a whole milk fed hog (the salume were hung in the closet with care....) but I saved a piece of the shoulder (boned out) to roast skin on, in addition to the pieces of belly I saved from the pancetta and bacon production (the ethnic Chinese dude in the house has dibs on how those get cooked). This is the first year we got our pig done by someone who leaves the skin on. I was wondering how to roast the shoulder meat so it gets tender, but to have a nice crisply crackling on top. Thanks to this thread, I now know! Because this pork has such a buttery and soft, sweet flavor, I might just do S&P, but I wonder about the advantage of removing the skin before it roasts. Comments?
regards,
trillium
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Not that long. Maybe a month?
Good luck on your search.
regards,
trillium
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I find them at New Seasons, which is sort of like Whole Foods, but geared towards more affordability. The produce guys actually waved me over when they came in because they knew I would want some (ok, I admit, they even know me by name). The produce buyer for this local chain really rocks, he's brought in Buddhahand citron, kaffir limes, Seville oranges and bergamots. Seville or sour oranges used to pop up in latino grocery stores in Chicago. I know that Green Leaf, a SF wholesaler had bergamots last year, you might contact them and ask for retail venues.
If all else fails, I'd be happy to mail out an orange or two to a few desperate cocktailian eGers.
regards,
trillium
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I promised Audrey I'd sound the alarm when bergamot sour oranges showed up on the left coast, and they have. So all of you deprived right coasters need to bug your specialty producemongers to get your mitts on some of these, they make the best cocktails (and candied peels). At the very least, track down some Seville oranges....
And when you find the bergamots, don't forget to try a
Friday After Five
1 ounce gin
1/2 ounce green Chartreuse
3/4 ounce bergamot juice
1 dash Herbsaint, absinthe or Pernod
Shake over ice, pour into chilled glasses and garnish with a bergamot peel twist.
regards,
trillium
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Thanks for all the help everyone. I would love to hear what people do to make lardo, since I have so much of this lovely buttery fat. I guess I'll just do something Asian with the kidneys.
Last night we were up until 2 am stuffing beef middles for soppressata and finnochiona. First time I did it with a kitchenaid attachment instead of a real stuffer. Never again. That was horrible.
Tonight should be easier, it's time to make the guanciale, pancetta and some good old fashioned bacon. Oh yeah, and a terrine with the liver and tongues. Hmmm... I see more sleep deprivation in my future.
regards,
trillium
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How funny. The chatter in this thread was getting to me, and I decided to just go ahead and tell you all about Scholls Public House even though it is not in Seattle (neaner, neaner, neaner). Brian beat me to the punch. Check his pizza out next time you're in pdx. I don't know if it is NY style because I have not eaten pizza there, but I have eaten pizza from Venezia to Agrigento, and his can hold its own.
regards,
trillium
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depends what kind of lardo you are making..
the collonatta style is pork fatback ( I believe) with little or no "meat" the whiter the better..
It is salted, spiced and aged in marble boxes..
The there is whipped lard, Burro di Chianti that Dario Cecchini makes..and in that style..
as for Nduja here is a site. that gives a general idea.. if you need help with the Italian, let me know
I was thinking of the Collonatta style, because I have a lot of fatback from a milk-fed pig, but wondering if I could make it without the marble box. I was also wondering about the salts, just NaCl or that plus saltpeter or sodium nitrate? And how much salt and spice to the layers of fat, the same as for pancetta or different?
I was under the impression that nduja contained kidneys. My Italian is not good enough to know all the words on the site you pointed to, but I don't think I see mention of kidney or any other offal, unless sottopancia = kidney?
thank you
trillium
"Fannie Farmer" by Marion Cunningham
in Cookbooks & References
Posted
I like my Fanny Farmer book. I like my super old edition Joy of Cooking better, but I still like the Fanny Farmer book. Some of the recipes in Joy look like they were taken directly from FF. I find that when I'm in search of quick information (how long do I fry a hamburger on each side so it's medium rare?) the FF book is a nice reference.
Some of my favorite recipes from FF ....the raised waffles..everyone in the waffle eating free world has to eat these at least once.
The blue cheese dressing (on quartered iceburg lettuce).
The chow-chow and other pickle recipes.
regards,
trillium