trillium

My favorite sorbet I've made is a peach, lemon verbena, Banyuls combo. I don't know how unusual it would be considered. I posted the recipe here a few years ago. I ate scoops of Paul Lemieux's tarragon ice cream and pear sorbet together and really liked that combination. regards, trillium

I thought the ingredient MSG was invented in Japan in the early 20th Century, but on the larger point I do agree that the health claims against MSG have been pursued relentlessly but never proven. Like you, I had several points of disagreement with the Planck approach to the argument -- for example I'd have preferred not to see a Fast Food Nation-esque attempt to blame every problem in the world on capitalism -- but at the same time I think she gets the overall point right, and I find it particularly amusing that the vegans and their ilk are complicit in the spread of this fraudulent unholy goo. Just because someone gets an overall point right means that they can put forward unsubstantiated, unreferenced claims and downright untruths as fact? Because vegans and their ilk are involved it's ok to call glutamic acid, only the most common excitatory neurotransmitter in the nevous system, a known neurotoxin and say it's bad for you? Scientific claims are usually peer-reviewed for a reason. regards, trillium

Facinating stuff. I was wondering if the curdled bits in what I made were supposed to be strained out when you shake it and pour it through the strainer... I'm guessing that the milk they're talking about in the recipes cited in MatthewB and jackal10's posts is fresh, raw whole milk. When I used the half and half instead of 1% I did it under the assumption that my half and half was closer to "real" milk then my 1%, but in retrospect, I may have been wrong. I looked up the fat content of half and half and it varies from 10 - 18%, while whole milk is around 3 - 4%. As an aside, I think Paul Harrington doesn't attribute the drink's invention to New Orleans, but rather says that they adopted it as a regional drink in the 19th century. That was my interpertation anyway. The next time I'm in NO, I'll have to get out in the morning and order one, maybe I need to compare what I made to one done right. The problem is that I'm usually up too late the night before drinking Sazeracs. regards, trillium

How nice, a cocktail twin... if you can get your hands on Seville oranges next year, I highly recommend the Bronx made with Carpano Antica formula sweet vermouth (it makes great manhattans too). Very tasty, but unfortunately seasonal. I'd love to see what you can find in the Waldorf-Astoria barbook, and I'm jealous you have one. The best I can do is the Esquire's Guide for Hosts. (So quaintly sexist...) Maybe it was my half-and-half. I suppose I should try it with whole or 2% milk. regards, trillium

So I'm slowly working my way through Paul's cocktail book...instead of staying in my negroni, martini and manhattan rut. Daquari - check, Red Snapper - check, Pegu- check, Bronx - check, Petite Zinc - check, even a Cosmo ferchristsakes and I'm not a vodka drinker. But last night, in search of the mundane, as my week had started out anything but, I mixed myself up a Milk Punch. I was thinking comforting, in a bourbon and dairy sort of way. Kinda a grown up white russian. I'll admit up front that I was feeling lazy and didn't shake it over ice but rather mixed it up in the glass with the intention of putting ice cubes in and just letting it sit for a while. But when I poured the half and half (it was that or 1%) into the bourbon it turned into something pretty unappetizing. The half and half was fresh, but it, well, I wouldn't say curdled, but it got thick and strange. Mixing ice in alleviated the problem somewhat, and with enough fresh grated nutmeg, I drank it, but it's not something I could ever imagine drinking on a regular basis. Are there any milk punch drinkers out there? Is it supposed to get thick like that? regards, trillium

Make a sweet paste with lotus seeds, rock sugar and pandan. Use to fill mooncakes. regards, trillium

Just to clarify, I totally agree that these dishes were created for a perceived western appetite, real or not . I'm just questioning the statement ""American Chinese food" is mostly Cantonese (and inferior Cantonese as well)" in the text I quoted. I'm kind of surprised that this food is thought of as Cantonese. It doesn't resemble the food I eat at 1st or 2nd G overseas Cantonese homes and I don't know any Cantonese who would claim it as their own. I'm not trying to be pedantic, I'm just surprised that this type of food gets labeled Cantonese. regards, trillium

Is that really true? Most of the things I think of as "American Chinese Food" most Cantonese I know wouldn't acknowledge them as Cantonese, inferior or not, and I don't see at the Cantonese restaurants I frequent. What dishes are you thinking of? When I think about American Chinese food I think about chop suey, beef with western broccoli, orange beef, general tso's whatever, sweet and sour pork that is breaded and deep fried and served with bright red sauce and pineapple, deep fried eggrolls with indistinguishable middles and really dark brown horrible versions of fried rice. Basically stuff people buy at those mall "Chinese" fast food places. Do you consider these Cantonese? Some of the stuff that I read about from people in the eastern US I've never run across (shrimp with lobster sauce???) so maybe "American Chinese Food" has a regional element as well. regards, trillium

Hi again, Thanks for explaining your position, it does indeed sound like we're in agreement on many things. I'm all for dismissing processed foods touted as healthful because they contain soy proteins when in fact they're nutritional garbage and taste bad to boot. I just don't like seeing things generalized to the point that they aren't factual. I wanted to point out 1. there is a significant population of vegetarian ethnic Chinese (Buddhists) in many Asian countries that do in fact, eat a lot of faux meat stuff made from plant products (the things they can do with gluten!). 2. Tofu when eaten in its plain form, is not fermented, nor is fresh soya milk. I'm not talking about the red and white chou tofus which certainly are fermented and used as a condiment. Both are consumed with regularity in many Asian countries, but are not considered substitutes for anything else, where dairy is much more rarely consumed. 3. Most nutritional scientists don't think you need to get all your essential amino acids (essential aas = complete protein) in one meal or even in one day, so whether a food is a "complete protein" or not is not as important as whether your diet is varied (that goes for meat eaters too). Thanks for the link, I actually prefer to read nutritional studies in the primary literature, so I can draw my own conclusions from the data (it's the analytical scientist in me... a fault, perhaps) . Thanks again for spending time here. regards, trillium

My very favorite Chinese breakfast is jook with raw fish, followed by pai dan yuk jook. There used to be this little place in an alley in SF's chinatown that catered to mah jong players where you could get it all night and morning, alas, they're no longer. My partner loves teochew style jook. Like I mentioned in the bone soup thread, there's nothing like a steaming bowl of fresh soya milk with yew char kway fresh from the oil. I also like steamed choy yuk bao. Sigh...can't get any of that here, unless I make it myself. regards, trillium

Hi there, Thanks for taking time to be here. I'd like to respond to a few of your comments. Can you define what you mean by fermentation please? It's my understanding that tofu is made by coagulating proteins in soya milk with mineral salts. Are you referring to an enzymatic activity by yeast or bacteria? Additionally, while the ingredients you list as the basic ingredients in soya milk may be true for some products, it is not true for others, even western ones. Silk, put out by White Wave, is a national brand whose ingredient lists do not show isolated soy protein or vegetable oil, and you can buy it in an unsweetened version. I find that statement to be misleading, and wrong, actually. There is a significant population of vegetarians (mostly Buddhists) in many, many Asian countries. There is a very developed cuisine based entirely on faux animal parts made from various plant products. I don't disagree that the processed crap being put out by major food makers here in the US as healthy is greedy marketing and actually bad for you, but I think it takes away from your argument when you support it with statements that just aren't true. Vegetarians and vegans are two very different groups of eaters, lumping both together is unfair. I'm talking about vegetarians. The evaluation of protein quality is very complex, even nutritional scientists cannot agree on standards to evaluate a certain protein's "quality" and this is a pretty busy area of research. Instead of just counting amino acids in a protein, many nutritional scientists feel we should judge "quality" by how the body can retain or utilize a protein, the protein's digestibility and the bioavailability of individual amino acids, in addition to the essential amino acid content. Research indicates that some people have adaptive mechanisms that allow them to utilize plant proteins much more efficiently then expected. Of course, there are micronutrients that vegetarians have to be concerned about, since they need to be careful that their diet provide enough of the oft-quoted B-12, but also certain fatty acids and other mineral salts. However, I fail to see how in order to extol the virtues of animal products such as meat, which I enjoy eating, you need to put a vegetarian diet down as inferior. The area of nutritional research is not that black and white. It's my understanding that most nutritional scientists agree that diets based on a variety of non-processed plant products can provide protein in the quality and amounts needed for a healthy human. I'm coming to that conclusion based on articles and discussions I've read that are published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. A nice review: Millward DJ. The nutritional value of plant-based diets in relation to human amino acid and protein requirements. Proc Nutr Soc. 1999; 58: 249–260. regards, trillium

You can buy huitlacoche on the ears from Henry of "The Farm" at the Evanston's farmer's market when he has them. Usually you need damp, humid weather for it to show up on corn. My favorite way to eat it was to saute it with epazote and garlic and eat it as a taco filling. It shows up at Topolobampo's menu as well. People I know from Iowa thought I was crazy to buy corn full of corn smut...I thought they were crazy to throw it out. regards, trillium

we're just messing with your mind, man... Jim It was almost too easy.. heh heh. But seriously, Ken does make really tasty brioche and the best croissants I've had since Just Desserts bought out and ruined Tassajara bakery in SF. regards, trillium

I found the phrase "complete protein" somewhat disconcerting to read in a modern discussion of nutrition. To the best of my knowledge, you don't need to eat all of the amino acids your body cannot make (essential amino acids) in one sitting. Most people who eat a varied diet, including vegetarians, will consume enough of these amino acids over the course of a week. And I certainly hope there will be no soya milk bashing. Fresh soya milk with yew char kway or a nice warm bowl of tofu fa for breakfast? It doesn't get any better than that. I don't like soya milk that pretends to be cow milk, but bashing a whole catagory of foodstuffs that have a very long and lovely tradition based on a couple of soy coffee creamers would be unfortunate. regards, trillium (been known to consume soya milk, cow milk, oxtails and boneless skinless chicken breasts in the same week)

Ken's Artisan Bakery. Oh, wait, Northwest = Seattle for anyone up north, right? regards, trillium

I remember that you do. I was hoping you would know! I'll ask my mum, she goes there a lot. regards, trillium

More about laksa leaf...the Vietnamese name is rau ram. The latin name is polygonum oderatum or hydropiper (it gets labeled both ways). The malay name is duan kesom. Here in the US it gets labeled Vietnamese corriander a lot (very silly). You can usually find it in the fresh herb part of a South East Asian grocery. regards, trillium

The ones here in portland I've seen are around $25 - 30 for the 4 person size. I'm coveting a 6 or 8 person sized one, but haven't seen one. We don't really have a Thai grocery, so this is at the big Vietnamese grocery store (it's an IGA that's all SE Asian food). Are there none at the Vietnamese stores in the ID? I know the thai grocery store in Everett has them occasionally (and there very nice and not at all seedy) but I can't remember the name or address. regards, trillium

Thanks for the link, it was fun to read about you going to all the same places we go in the ID when we're there with my mum. It sounds like your Kent 99 Ranch (my friends and I always call it Ranch 99, I have no idea why) is a little smaller then the ones I've been too before. The one is south SF I used to go to was double the size of Uwajimaya, but then I haven't been to the Uwajimaya in Seattle in years. 99 Ranch used to make really great fish balls in house (ok, stop snickering you people) and carried certain brands we couldn't find other places (like the stinky red tofu with the twin brothers on it), or had dried goods of better quality (it's really hard to find dried shrimp that aren't dyed or lap cheong that hangs with a string, not the packaged kind) so that was the draw. I don't think they could ever replace the little mom and pop shops, though! Those are still the best. regards, trillium

Ah. I missed it because I don't tend to read all the threads about get togethers in Seattle (so little time, so much food near-by and all that). I really wish Portland would get a Ranch 99. Can anyone comment on how it compares to the ones in California? I'm trying to decide if it's worth a trip when I come up to visit my mum. regards, trillium

Why don't I hear of any Seattle gullets going to Ranch 99? Is Kent too far away? I think you all are so lucky lucky to have one, it's one thing I miss terribly from Northern California. I used to bring my huggest suitcase when I'd visit friends in the bay area to stock up on stuff. I know there are a lot of Uwajimaya fans in the crowd, but Ranch 99 has a much better representation of foodstuffs from all over Asia (much less Japanese stuff, of course) and as a bonus, you don't pay the yuppie mark-up. Of course, it could also be a little scary to the uninitiated, but hey, what's life without a little risk? I haven't been to the one in Kent, but if it's anything like the ones in California you won't be sorry you went. regards, trillium

that gorgeous thai morter and pestle set can be had at a thai grocery store too (if we're talking about the kind made of granite)...just so you know. Ours got lugged back from Singapore and is the second thing I'd grab if the house was burning down (after the cat). I adore it. regards, trillium

Lucky, lucky you! I hope you're also getting green wheat and olive oil from Lebanon, what a treat. Do you know how your grandmother makes her pomegranate molassas? The recipes I've read for grenadine are here and here. It seems to me that old-fashioned grenadine might taste a lot like pomegranate molassas, unless other things are added to the PM which I'm not aware of. Maybe grenadine is cooked for a shorter time? The only other difference I can think of is that grenadine is made with a different type of pomegranate than PM. regards, trillium

What's the brand of tequila sold all over northern Mexico that gets more expensive the more horns the animal on the label has? I like that one, even the one with the goat on it is good. regards, trillium

Um, in my experience, pomegranate molassas tastes nothing like molassas either. The one I had before was a dark, dark red and very thick and tangy. Is there a lot of variability in these products? I think the one I used to have was made by Indo-European foods. The original grenadine syrup was a syrup made from pomegranate juice and sugar, cooked down until it was a syrup. This sounds suspiciously like something very close to pomegranate molassas to me. I don't want something that tastes like Rose's grenadine (blech). I drank something really tasty (and tangy) in Italy that I think was made by Bols and went by the name of grenadine but I'm having trouble finding it. Perhaps I'll have to experiment making my own with canned pomegrante juice. regards, trillium