snowangel

bleachboy, I can't address the questions you have related specifically to your grill since I use a Weber Kettle. But, several things I've learned. I've always let my meat go until it was done, and never had to put it in foil in the oven. Brisket. As long as it's not too big to go on whole, there is no need to cut it in pieces. I rarely do, although last time, the brisket I had was such a big hunk o meat (over 18 lbs). Did you do any mopping on the ends? I rather like those crispy bits, but I know what you mean. Had you not cut it, you'd only have had two ends. For your next project, go out and get a bone-in shoulder. One with as much skin on it as possible. I tend to do my shoulders naked -- without rub. For more on the shoulder, go to Behold my Butt. A shoulder will have quiet a temperature stall at a certain point (usually 160 ish, as I recall), but be patient. That the time when the collagen is changing to that melty state. And, somewhere here, quite some time ago, I recall reading the temp at which meat quits absorbing smoke smell, so there is a real advantage to putting the meat on as cold as possible. I usually stick it in the freezer when I start the grill. I've also learned to put as much meat on at a time as is possible since it's the same amount of work to smoke a couple of shoulders, a shoulder and a turkey, etc. as a single hunk of meat. Leftovers freeze beautifully; reheat in a low oven, covered with foil and a bit of broth. I find leftover shoulder to be so versitile. Finally, give =Mark's South Carolina Mustard Barbeque Sauce a spin. Fab. So, I'll await a report, and don't hesitate to keep that Butt thread going. I'll be posting an addition to that it a couple of weeks!

Bella, I've been puzzling over what happened with your braise. What kind of pan did you use? Stove or oven? Parchment crumpled or not? Perhaps Paula will see this and give some sage and wise advice. On another note. It was cold here today. We topped out at 34 degrees (f), and it was rainy (and there were some flakes of the "S" word mixed in with the rain). So, when I was at the meat market today, there were some absolutely beautiful bone-in pork country ribs. Some extremely ripe mangos at the supermarket on the TPR rack. I always have coconut milk, garlic, ginger, hot peppers, and limes. It was destined to be. Molly's pork with lime, coconut and mango. My dad has been in hospital for quite some time, and my mom has been doing most of the duty. So, when we visited tonight, it was with a container of leftovers, two plates, a corning ware thing that they can reheat said leftovers, dishes, placemats. And, some slaw. The cruchy slaw is a nice play on this dish, as Molly suggests.

There are two other pancake topics: Pancakes, Achieving Fluffiness and Pancakes, What's Your Secret?

Is there a grocery or market near the hospital? Is there a freezer in his room or one on the floor where patients can store frozen stuff?

May 12, 2005 In the Star Tribune's Taste section: All about Betty Crocker, part and parcel of Minneapolis. Further to this article, click here. I had no idea there was a Betty Crocker radio show than ran for 27 years. Did you? . All about Betty, the myth and the lore.An article all about the Minnesota State Mushroom. I'm hoping it's a good season! Restaurant review of Longfellow Grill, part of a local "chain" owned by the folks who also own the Highland Grill and the Edina Grill. In Counter Intelligence, local restaurant news. Bring down jackets if you want to eat on Solera's rooftop (yes, it has been that cool here at night). More about new products from Uncle Al in Tidbits. Finally, Food Events and Local Tastings (wine). In City Pages Restaurant section: Dara goes on The Great Steak Hunt, seaking out , Time to head out Highway 55.In the Pioneer Press's Restaurant section: A guide to Patio Dining. Although it is only 37 degrees (F) this morning, patio dining season will soon be upon us. More Restaurant News. <><><><><> Media Digest Notes... Updates from some Twin Cities media outlets, which do not 'go to press' by Friday each week, may be edited into each week's post as they become available. Please do not reply on this thread. For discussion of any stories which are linked here, please feel free to start a new thread or contact the forum host or the "digester" who will be happy to do it for you.

I'm just remembering that as I took care of the sick in hospital, I always took real dishes, flatwear and cloth napkins. I hate paper plates, hate paper napkins, and hate plastic forks worst of all. A garnish is nice. Be it a small vase of pansy's from the garden or whatever. Totally un-food related, the patient should have a framed photo of loved one(s) at the bed side.

Wild Ramps!

They are slightly different. BBA calls for high gluten, bread or AP flour, and a bit less (flour) than American Pie which is specific to use AP flour. The American Pie book calls for slightly more water, so it may balance out. So, I think I'm going to give it a go again tomorrow, because I still have ramps. But, I am probably going to pre-bake all of the crusts, hold them for a few minutes while we top. The problem with 5 people in the family, three of them very hungry kids, is getting them on the table fast enough. Plus, my crusts didn't brown enough on the bottom before the cheese got too brown. I do think I'll set the oven to broil to heat it and the stone up.

Has anyone had any success with pre-baking crusts and holding them for a few hours before topping and giving them the final blast?

Yes! Did you get white or brown?

I am reminded of taking things to two different chemo patients, when they felt like crap, and were nauseous. I ended up taking little bits of lots of things. The little lemon tarts were a big hit. I remember taking salty snacks, as well, little salads with little containers of balsamic vinegarette, deviled eggs (another big hit), little pots of rice pudding. Soups of all varieties (a cream of spinach with dijon was another big hit). And, often these patients don't know what will taste good until they taste it! Neither of these people seemed to want to eat much, and they most certainly were happier with things that weren't too bland. I know that when my mom had radiation, she was happier eating food that wasn't too much work to digest, and meat, for that reason, was not particular appealing.

From the Twin Cities: The Minneapolis Farmer's Market has been open for a couple of weeks. There is a smaller version (read veg only, and not all of it local; oh they also have plants and flowers) weekdays and a big version on the weekends (with cheese, meat and craft products). They also have a location on Nicollet Mall on Thursdays. The St. Paul Farmer's Market was open last weekend. This is a different style market from Minneapolis's version in that everything has to have been produced within a 50 mile radius. For me, the proxmity to the Mpls. Farmer's Market is a draw. As is that fact that on a weekday, I can stop for veg, and park right there, so it's a quick trip. But, given the cool, cloudy weather, there isn't much veg yet. Come early June, that will change. There are also some other more "local" farmer's markets. Among my favorites is the one in Northeast Minneapolis in the St. Bonifacus parking lot at Univerity and 7th (??? on the 7th, it could be 5th). Mostly organic. Very small. Click here for more details. Come tomato season, this is the place to be, for the stand that has those amazing baskets of a variety of heirloom tomatoes. I still need to figure out the farmer's market thing in Anoka County. Will do, and will report.

Crepes, anyone? Savory or sweet...I'm still remembering many dinners and lunches at the Magic pan, and the magiv of crepes. Easy, but look difficult. Or, composed salads (think cobb, nicoise or other inventions), but for me, a member Northern Hemisphere population, would prefer to do this a bit later, when we actually have the veg ingredients available at our local farmer's markets). Or, we could tackle Carnitas. They could be Mexican style, or what Fifi and I termed "Thai (or Asian) carnitas."

This brings a huge smile to my face! The kitchen in my new house is much smaller than our previous one, but much safer for the kids. And, speakers in the kitchen. Not a guilty pleasure in my book, but a necessity. Thanks for the report.

I'm seriously entrenched in the charcoal grill school. I have a Weber Kettle that we've had for about 20 years, and I love it. With a chimney, it doesn't take very long (I'm thinking 15-20 minutes) for the thing to get ready, which is about how long it takes me to get the other stuff together. And, since I smoke meat fairly often, the kettle is wonderful.

Yes to the fridge, although that may be just over 100 years old (or just over 100 years older than I am). The fridge amazes me. At home I have a side by side with water and ice in the door (the kids drink more water and the doors open less often for ice). But, what amazes me more about the fridge is that up at our cabin, we have a big, huge LP tank that the truck fills every other fall. Up there, we have no electricity, but we have a Servel fridge. Actually we have two. One in the cabin, one in a shed. These are not the models shown on the web site, rather they are the 60's (they are that brown 60's color -- the brown equivalent of harvest gold or avocado green), with rounded edges, and the freezer door inside the fridge). But, they are quiet. No compressor going on and off. No noise. A door that closes with a latch thing. They save us from coolers and melted ice and putting food in stuff that the melting ice won't get into. Yes, the fridge. 'Tis a very good thing. Forget the knives. Forget the stoves (I could cook on a grill (and make one myself, if need me). But, cold! Ice, a way to keep food. To freeze food.

I finally got around to this cookoff. I used the Neopolitan dough recipe from Reinhart's American Pie book. It was a soft dough, and since I've not done much dough before, I was worried. Oven (pizza stone in place) was set to 550 for over an hour ahead of baking time. As you can see, the balls are pretty blobby. I had my usual problems with plastic wrap. . No photos of the stretching part. I started with the knuckel method, and after an initial knuckle spin, resorted to the press it out method. Lots of semolina on the peel (which is one of those insulated cookie sheets I hate to use for anything else but as a peel). I wanted canned Italian tomatoes, so, it was off to Costco (yet another story; I have this paranoia of big stores with big parking lots, so joining Costco was a Big Move, but the fact that is is so close and the lower gas prices and my vehicle with a big ass gas tank was a draw, as are the cheap milk, eggs, Malle mustard, etc., so I breathe deep when I contemplate a trip). So, I bought a can of tomatoes. This is one big huge can. I crushed some in my hands, and froze the rest in managable quantities (in some zip locks I got at Costco; just hope I can use a 1,000 of them). This, with some dried basil (the fresh stuff at the market was limp and flaccid, and some olive oil (also from Costco). So, back to the pizzas. I shaped a crust on the dusted "peel." I dusted the peel heavily, afraid of the sticking that some have reported. Topped the first 'za with sauce, pepperoni (not from costco) and some shredded mozz (from Costco). Into the oven it goes. Timer set for 6 minutes. At six minutes, we have a beautiful pizza which I didn't take a picture of, because I was busy making the next pizza. The next one was some sauce, some italian sausage I had leftover from an Italian market near the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Topped with cheese. I did remember to take a picture of this one. Next on to a pepperoni and ramp pizza. Yes, this is a wonderful use of ramps. Just absolutely perfect. Sauce, pepperoni, ramps and cheese. . Finally, I did another pepperoni pizza, and an anchovie pizza (for me). These were wonderful. The crust was crisp, but not as "holey" on the edges as I would like. The one picture I took of the bottom didn't turn out, but it wasn't as browned as I would have liked. And, the cheese was probably a bit too brown. Next time around, I would try another dough from this book, and I would think about slightly pre-baking the crusts before topping. And, I'm wondering about pre-baking crusts and taking them to The Cabin for baking in the oven or putting on the grill with toppings for great meals in bathing suits on the dock. I way to have pizza without messing around with the dough, etc. Thoughts on my overbrowning (cheese)/under browning (bottom of crust) and the prebaked thing) are welcome. Oh. And, I was so worried about sticking that I ended up dumping a ton of semolina into the oven and, well, between my horrible vent fan, opening all of the windows and getting every fan going, we didn't set off too many smoke detectors... Onward and upward. Hopefully, more pizza before ramp season is over.

There is a whole forum devoted to the The Alinea Project. A behind the scenes look at the making of this restaurant. In that forum, there is a topic on Alinea Serviceware.

Reminder that rhubarb also freezes well. I just chop it up and put in a ziplock.

You don't have to punch it down. Just leave it in the fridge overnight and it will be fine. When you're ready to bake your pizza, remove the dough and let it rest at room temp for 1 - 2 hours. This depends on the temp of your kitchen. Flour your counter, flatten the dough to about 1/2" thick, spray a little EVOO and cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap so it doesn't dry out. ← I punched it down. It was threatening to take over the fridge. Tripled in the following two hours. I'm dough impaired, and think I need to take to bed with a cold compress and Bread Baker's Apprentice and a laptop to figure out this flour and yeast thing. Someone asked about toppings. I have this mongo can of plum tomatoes, which are a better bet than what is in the markets right now. I have sausage, I have pepperoni, I have ramps, I have fresh mozz, I have basil (fresh, from a pot on the deck), I have onions, I have much stuff. Oh, and I have anchovies (my fav). Given that I have kids (3 of them) and a husband, I am thinking that we will either have small pizzas, customized, or half and half (or third, third, third) pizzas. From what I gather, it's one pizza at at time in the oven, but I figure if they are small, and the ingredients are room temp, I could do two "personal" pizzas at a time.

So, the dough is in the fridge (Neopolitan from American Pie). It has been there for about 5 hours, and has doubled in size. I'm thinking I should punch it down. Correct? I know next to nothing about baking bread or pizza.

Dinner tonight needed to be a fast "one-dish" meal. Orichette pasta, broccoli and italian sausage, with a few red pepper flakes. So, I didn't have as much broccoli as I thought, but I had ramps. Outstanding!

Serious countdown. We leave two weeks from tomorrow morning. We'd leave on Thursday night, but we don't know how flooded the road is, nor do we know how many trees are down on the road. So, I've talked to my friend about food. I'll fry up a mess of chicken on Thursday so we have food ready to eat for Friday night, when we're too excited to be there to cook. We're going to watch the weather to decide about dinner on Saturday night. If it looks cool, it'll be a braise. If it's nice and sunny, we'll grill hunks of meat. Breakfasts are a piece of cake. Next, Susan and I will work on the noshing/munchy stuff. We're thinking a mess of cheese, fruit, salami, crackers, an assortment of mustards. And, I should bake some cookies. Peter has his bag packed, and I have picked up most of the stuff on my list that I made last October, and I've amassed a stack of New York Times Sunday magazines with undone puzzles, and some other stuff I've been meaning to read.

Yet another suggestion. Canyon Grille in Maple Grove (or is it Coon Rapids). Apparently, they have a great wine list and occasional wine pairing dinners.

May 5, 2005 From today's Star Tribune Taste section: A wonderful article about Minnesota's own Baker Laureate -- Beatrice Ojakangas, who just won a James Beard Foundation award for "The Great Scandinavian Baking Book." Other links provide some of her recipes. In Daughter's Love of Cooking Takes Mom Along, a Strib Staff Writer delves into how her daughter has influenced her cooking. Restaurant Reviews this week focuses on three different places -- Indonesian-American, Cambodian and Korean. Local Wine Tastings details some up and coming dinners with wine pairings. Counter Intelligence -- for the lastest in restaurant news. In Now Open, yet another article about 20.21, one of the new eating venues at the "new" Walker, which is a Wolfgang Puck restaurant. In Also Open, Hot Plate takes center stage as a breakfast/lunch diner, in Bloomington. Note: it's not a national chain! In Tidbits, Uncle Al takes on several new food items he's spotted at the market. Finally, a great article about the Mercado Central on Lake Street, including hints about where to eat. Reminder to self to get down there and do some serious shopping and eating. In the Pioneer Press's Entertainment section: Kathy Jenkins gives us a blow by blow of her Week on the Eat Beat, a week of dining out every day. In Restaurant News, Kathy takes us to Pop! in nordeast, gives news of Crema Cafe, which is getting a nice tweak, and news of a Joe's Valley in Prescott. In City Page's restaurant section: Dara Moskowitz visits Craftsman. Her review of the restaurant was not as positive as some of the other reviews I've read, but she did clue me into their bar, which is on my list of "go to" places. Although not much in the Minnesota Monthly is available on line, if you can get a copy, please do. There is an article on Lynn Rossetto Kasper, and the beginnings of her Spendid Table radio show. Note that there is a link to this article. Also included in this issue is an article about Slow Food In the North Country: And, one about Supper at Simone's <><><><><> Media Digest Notes... Updates from some Twin Cities media outlets, which do not 'go to press' by Friday each week, may be edited into each week's post as they become available. Please do not reply on this thread. For discussion of any stories which are linked here, please feel free to start a new thread or contact the forum host or the "digester" who will be happy to do it for you.