eternal

Hrm. I'm not so sure it is a fantasy. We've made pistachio ice cream twice in the last month without using almond extract (because I didn't have it) and it came out very well. We bought a big bag of pistachios ($8 for a few pounds?) at Costco and use just over a cup of the seeds (washed first as they some salted, and then toasted) per batch. We ground up the seeds until they are fine but before they became butter. We did not remove the seed paste from the mixture after cooking. It tastes great, though different from the commercial versions I've had. On another note, we paired homemade coconut ice cream with warm chocolate chip banana bread last night and it was an amazing combo.

Is there any concern with letting the batter sit for 24-48 hours? We made some batter on Friday and I just now got around to putting it in the ice cream machine. I just put the attachment in the freezer and plan on doing the second batch tomorrow morning. I'm thinking that with fresh milk, cream and cooked eggs everything should be sanitary for at least that amount of time but some recipes say "refridgerate for 1-12 hours". Should I be worried at all about going to 48 hours?

Sounds like a wonderful night.

How are people reheating risotto? Mine always comes out like glue when I try to eat it the next day. I will try putting it in a saucepan with a bunch of stock tonight to loosen it up but do people have other suggestions? One problem is that I'm reheating "finished" risotto with all the cheese and butter added at the end...

I got the Cusipro yogurt maker for my birthday and I too did not think I would use it much. I don't like these kinds of gadgets taking up space on my countertop. But, I did try it out and have been pretty happy with it. After reading some posts on here, I started adding 1/2 cup of nonfat dry milk per liter of whole milk used and get a nice creamy Fage-esque style yogurt out of it. On the last bath, I had a cup of cream that I wanted to get rid of so added that too. The texture is more milk-ish (not as tangy) but smoother. I noticed that a layer of skin formed on the top after it cooled which wasn't present before. The only other thing I did differently was to rapidly cool the yogurt to 115 using an ice bath. It also seemed that this yogurt separated a bit more on the ride to work. What would cause this? I don't think of yogurt as an emulsion (though I guess it is), but does it break? In the next bath I will cut the additional cream to 1/2 cup and see what that does.

They tied in the "taste" category so I'm not sure there was a conspiracy. I did think that Mario and Emerill just did what Mario and Emerill always do - same for Flay. I thought Comerford actually brought something new and interesting to the show. Glad somebody put that recipe on here because I was going to go search for that too. Looked awesome.

Just picked up two bottles at half price : $30. Haven't opened any yet, though.

As a main course on top of polenta or similar and being that this is a pretty heavy/rich cut of meat, how are you portioning? I have a 3 4lb cuts in the freezer from a pig I just picked up. How many people will each 4lb piece feed?

Why would it smoke at a lower temp? My understanding was that clarified butter could go to very high temps without smoking. Does this only work once and I pushed it past this point of no return?

I rendered about 7 lbs pf lard today (about half the fat i got from the recent purchase of half a pig). It took about 3.5 hours and not sure i "cooked" it all the way. the port fat pieces never got super crispy, though i managed to get out almost 3 liters of lard. I have three questions - Do you think I went too far with the first batch of lard? I think it might be a little too porky for pastry.. compared to What do you think? Next, once the oil made its way to about 320 degrees, all the sizzling basically stopped and it just sat. I let it do this for 45 minutes or so before finally calling it quits. I figure I got enough lard out of it, but hsould i have let it go for longer? Finally, how are you storing this? I plan to put both lard batches into the fridge to solidify and then throw most of it in a bag and vacuum seal it and throw it in the freezer for the future. The rest will go in the fridge. How are you portioning it? Thanks

The other day I was clarifying a couple pounds of butter and I accidentally took it a little too far and lightly browned it. Without the milk solids it is hard to say how "brown: it got but it def has that nutty smell. What do I do with it now? Just use it for brown butter sauces or would it still work well for my original intentions (cooking meat at very high heats where I want to impart a butter flavor - steak au poivre, etc).

I'm on the fence with this machine so please, keep the reviews coming Good luck

how do you make may with the mini prep? Does yours have a spout on top to pour in the oil? Mine doesnt and there doesn't seem to be a way to slowly add the oil in.

Pig ordered and arriving in Dec. I couldn't get the ears or anything else with skin as they skin their pigs. Said the big processors scald the animals which is why they can offer those pieces.

Just ordered one. I saw an earlier post to get the jowl bacon so check on that. Other than that, any recommendations for choosing cuts? I figure I want the pork chops cut into double cut, the bacon with the skin on and the ears, feet and tail for fejoida. Anything else to think about? Never ordered a pig before.

When I left two years ago, we were getting a biweekly veg and fruit delivery from Pioneer Organics. It seems that they have been purchased by spud. I wasn't a *huge* fan of Pioneer Organics, but it worked OK. I'd like to go a little more local though. Is anybody having a great CSA experience somewhere?

They are all sold out of Turkeys. Might buy some pork from them though!

Got to Les Papilles just after 2 and they were finished for the lunch service so we asked for a recommendation. They pointed us to Comptoir du Relais, which we later found out was in all the guidebooks for being a great restaurant. And you know what? it was! Nothing crazy going on here but we had a delicious cream of artichoke and celery soup with Japanese pearls (tapioca, i think). A layered foie gras of duck and other things. The wife for a small roasted chicken (coquette) that was bathed in bread crumbs and mustard. Very crispy outside and juicy inside and came along with some crispy roasted potatoes - just to the point of charred on the cut side and flaky on the inside. I had the roasted duck breast, leg and peach. Also well cooked with a slightly crispy skin and tender inside. The only thing I didn't like was the side of mashed potatoes, which had zero flavor despite being topped with some sort of carmelized peach sauce (i think). Good stuff. Total bill with a dessert (coffee creme brulee type thing with coffee slush on top) and coffee was 89 Euros and it was a lot of food. Too much, really but all very good.

I like The Highland's Bar & Grill cookbook. No, it isn't the food I ate when I grew up in Alabama but I've made several things from it and they were great (though I do add some sugar to my cornbread )

I saw Le Chateaubriand. Will check that out along with Les Papilles. I realize now that I wasn't clear on my price ceiling. I meant to say 100 euros per person. Any more options come to mind with that doubling in price? A great lunchtime deal might work as well. We are arriving into the train station at like 11...

My wife and I are wrapping up a 10 month trip with one last night in Paris. Can you help with a restaurant recommendation? Looking for some place modern, not grand, old world French. We welcome places where you're in a casual, communal environment. Looking to spend a max of 100 euros for dinner and would lean towards a long, tasting menu style meal if possible at that price. Don't need anything too filling as I hate being stuffed the next morning for the flight home. We've been to L'Atelier before and that was a great experience but clearly not in this price range. Is anybody doing something similar, just not as well known? We are staying just south of St Chapelle. Maybe L'epigramme would work though would prefer to not be surrounded by Americans. That will come soon enough. Thanks

Any more places to check out? in lyon for a few days and our local host is great for finding warm and delicious french food but always loking for suggestions

I went down to the local bookstore and they didn't have much. Nor is there much in the Kindle store and it is too late for me to order them online (leaving on Sunday!) picked up the Michelin guide to wine regions in France. I figure it would be good primer on the regions and it mentions a few dining options in all the regions. I will take a look at the Relais du Silence. Thanks!

Is there a good book I can get on the different regions of France, what they are known for in regards to food and wine and that is more culinary based than just a Fodors or Lonely Planet? I'm going to be in France for about 4 weeks in August and while I'm traveling with a local Lyonaise who is pretty knowledgeable in such things, I feel overwhelmed right now trying to at least get a grasp on such a broad topic. I'm not that interested in the really fancy places as my budget won't allow for it (traveling for 10 months ) unless they have a good budget set menu for lunch. On that note, I have a 15 hour layover in Paris a few weeks before I start traveling there and plan on taking the train into Les Halles. Any recommendations on a bistro near there? I've been to the Fallafel place before. Looking for a 20 euro set menu or a good steak au poivre and frites..

You are right. It is lotus root. Thanks for figuring that out.