thayes1c

Any other preorderers getting antsy waiting for the price to drop? I mean, I'm sure it's worth the sticker price but the release is just a few weeks away and I'd figured to would've dropped by now.

I think even some producers of "uncured" products are fed up with the FDA's standards that allow nitrates to be in "nitrate free" products if they are derived from natural sources. I work with a woman who thought pepperoni pizza was exuding some kind of nitrate gas that was causing her to flush, but will eat "uncured" bacon. Naturalistic fallacy much?

Well, just had a tonguestrami on rye with some sauerkraut and mustard. Pretty darn good. I don't think it's better than brisket pastrami, but still delicious. I brined it for 15 days with the MC equilibrium brining method and it was cured well throughout. I opted to use the cooking method from Thomas Keller's Under Pressure, cooking it sous vide for 24 hours at 158F. I peeled most of the skin off when the tongue was still raw (not very easy!), and the rest off after I had cooked it. The pastrami spice didn't adhere very well, even where the skin had already been removed, so it didn't have the spiciness I was looking for.

There are a couple of recipes in Dave Wondrich's Punch that involve ambergris. I think I'd try that before eggs and amber, but if you're buying I'm game!

I'm a big fan of pastrami and a big fan of lengua tacos, so when I saw a tongue at the butcher's shop I immediately thought "tonguestrami!" I've never had it before, but I know it exists and it sounds delicious. I'm going to use the Modernist Cuisine recipe, seeing as I've got copious amounts of the spice rub on hand, but I had a couple questions: First, do I need to skin the tongue? I always find my lengua more appetizing if this step has been followed, but am not sure if it's necessary if it is going to be sliced. I was thinking about blanching and peeling after the cure and before the cook. Second, what is the best temp/time to cook sous vide for a good sliceable texture? MC lists 154 F for 12 for a tender, juicy texture but don't know if thats equates to what I want. Other recipes seem to show much longer cooking times, like 24-48 hours, so I just want to make sure that I get the right formula. Thanks!

I bought a four foot tall bottle of 1969 chianti at a garage sale a few years ago. I just thought the bottle was cool and mentioned off hand that the wine probably wasn't good anymore, which got me the Jersey accented reponse "Whaddaya mean IF it's still good? People drinks wine all the time that's like four hundred years old!" I did try the wine, and it was dreadful. A Japanese friend of mine thought it tasted like fish sauce. And I think he was the only one that finished his glass.

I got a refurbished Vitamix from the company website. Comes with a 5 year warranty for just over $300. Haven't regretted it for a second.

Made some creamy horseradish in my Vitamix for a BBQ today. Just horseradish from the garden, enough white vinegar to keep it all moving and a bit of salt. No tears until I stuck my head over the pitcher, and a lot less than when I made it in the Cuisinart.

Somewhere I saw somebody tweeting about lamb with 60 garnishes, I bet that's it. They seemed awestruck if I remember right.

I really like Warres Otima, which is about $16 for a 500 mL bottle.

Agar filtration?

Issue one seems to be in high demand. Copies are going for upwards of $80 on eBay, with some sellers posting buy-it-now prices in the hundreds! Not sure what's driving the demand but it certainly does make me think of parting with my copy, or at least putting it in a safe place!

Opted for the refurbished one, been wanting one for a long time. Agar fluid gels, here I come! Between this, Modernist Cuisine, Sous Vide Magic and countless other books and tools egullet has proven rather deadly to my wallet!

Been eyeing this all day, does anyone know what model this is equivalent to?

Sounds like it's time to bust out Escoffier! There are dozens and dozens of consommé recipes in there. It's also availible free from archive.org.

I've made the birthday cake as well and it received rave reviews. I used the birthday frosting on a chocolate stout cake as well to rave reviews. It does have that magical grocery store taste, and my girlfriend declared that it was her new favorite frosting and she would accept no other cake for her birthdays henceforth. The clear imitation frosting is pretty inexpensive and you can buy it at Michael's. I think it really adds that delicious artificial note. The chocolate malt cake is really good, too, the burnt marshmallows are delicious and a lot of fun to make. Marshmallows + blow torch= 30 seconds of awesome in the kitchen.

Googled Modernist Cuisine first editions today to see what they were selling for and came across a picture of the Spanish edition put out with Taschen. Looks really cool. It's black and the cover photo looks almost like it's in infrared. It's like the sexy European cousin of my white one! Here's a link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/3836532581/ref=dp_image_z_0?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books

Cornucopia for burgers, Osteria Sfizio blows B & G out of the water in my book, Rabbit, Bistro for fancy modern Frenchish food, Pizza Research Institute for the most Eugene pizza. For markets you've got the Kiva downtown, a fun little hippie market by the library, and the. Markets of Choice are the larger upscale markets, then one on Willamette is best and it's also across the street fom Sunrise, our best Asian market. There's also Sundance, the most hippie market (no meat) and the Sundance wine cellar purports to have Oregons largest selection. The farmers market starts up in spring, the Mushroomery is my favorite stand.

Pasteurize it. (Couldn't resist!) If I got my hands on some I'd definitely make some mozzarella.

My first five or so attempts at reverse spheres resulted in gloppy, mucousy sludge and lots of angry notes in my kitchen log. And then I found hemisphere molds at bed bath and beyond and that changed everything. I know it can be done without freezing, but I think that the insurance that freezing provides makes it worth it.

Don't think this has been mentioned elsewhere, but registered owners of the 1st edition can order the 4 prints for the price of shipping and handling! Just got mine, they're beautiful (naturally) and I can't wait to get them framed and up!

The way I do it may well be heretical, but here goes. Dried pintos, half an onion chopped, a goodly scoop of lard (the brown stuff from the Mexican market. Find it, it's magical), put in the water and pressure cook for about an hour. When the beans are done, take out and reserve a bit of the liquid and then (and this is the part that I think may be the most contentious departure from tradition) hit it with the stick blender until it's a smooth, creamy consistency. A little more lard and some smoked salt for that hearthy, smoky flavor. I usually cook the beans down a bit to the right consistency, adding the cooking liquid back if it's too thick (which it seldom is). Great to put in a bowl, cover with cheese and eat with tortilla chips. I used to do a quick soak and normal boil, but I'm a big fan of the pressure cooker's speed.

Reading about the Next ebooks was one of the factors that pushed me to buy an iPad. I really enjoy it. If this were a physical cookbook I could probably be convinced to spend about $30 on it. Like the Alinea cookbook it has beautiful pictures and the recipes have numerous components that could be used in different dishes. I'm looking forward to making some of the mignardises at the end of the book.

Golden Valley Brewery used to have a biere de champagne called IPA VS Brut, which if I recall was a double IPA aged in chardonnay barrels with a touch of Oregon sparkling wine added. I remember it was very good, with the clean, yeasty character of champagne and a pleasant hoppiness. It was also very, very expensive. I think maybe $35 for a 750ml bottle, but if I ever saw it again I might have to buy it. Definitely the best champagne style beer I've had.

I finally succumbed to my desires yesterday and purchased an ipad, and one of the first apps I bought was the CIA's Professional Chef. It's amazing. I imagine this is what cookbooks are like on Star Trek. The whole textbook is at your fingertips. There are videos to show techniques, pop up tips and even quizzes at the ends of chapters. You can highlight passages and add notes, and share those notes with an online community. I've barely scratched the surfaces of what's in the book, but already it seems like an indication of where cookbook apps are going to be headed in the future. Has anybody else got this? Planning on asking your loved ones to buy it for Christmas?