Jump to content

Dave the Cook

manager
  • Posts

    8,020
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by Dave the Cook

  1. Dave the Cook

    Sauce Oysters

    A wild guess, based on reading of Mrs. Beeton's receipt for -- sorry, oyster sauce. Her oyster sauce is nothing like the Asian version, but instead seems to be oysters in a white sauce, meant to accompany fish or simply prepared chicken. So I'm wondering if sauce oysters are oysters suitable for making a sauce with -- not pretty enough for other presentations, but acceptable under a blanket of bechamel. Maybe?
  2. Huh. I didn't even know that "fancy molasses" was a thing.
  3. What do you suppose "cooking molasses" is?
  4. I've never tried Jack Daniel's BBQ sauce. I'm only chiming in here to point out that that review is from 2012, and contains incorrect information. The sauce does include, as your photo and a visit to https://jackdanielssauces.com/ confirms, Jack Daniels whiskey. It is not made by Heinz (it's not clear that it ever was). The brand name is licensed to Golden West Food Group, which has been producing the sauce since at least 2019. We are a former Bullseye house, lately converted to Stubb's. But that's another story.
  5. @Anna N is right. IMO, you really have to read a Keller recipe closely, and more than once, before attempting it.
  6. As far as I know, there's no hard-and-fast recipe for Creole mustard. However, it's usually made from brown mustard seeds (like Dijon-style mustard) steeped in vinegar (not like Dijon-style mustard, which famously uses wine). It usually includes a little horseradish, and often includes other things, such as sugar and spices. It's almost always mixed with coarsely ground brown mustard seeds. It's a little sharper in flavor than Grey Poupon or Maille, but not as sinus-clearing as some German or Asian mustards. It's easily found in the southern US (especially the southeast, if one includes Louisiana). In this recipe, I think I used it because that was what was available, and it worked, so that's what I wrote down.
  7. That's the best essay on noma's closing that I've read yet.
  8. Searing a chop that thick won't get you very much, doneness-wise. If you sear it long enough to seriously affect the interior, you might as well have cooked it traditionally anyway. You say that 132°F is underdone for your taste. I'd bump the temp to 136 - 138°F and let it swim another 75 minutes or so.
  9. Dave the Cook

    Gumbo

    I understand, on both counts. Especially okra, the taste for which I have yet to acquire. I was just trying, without personal conviction, to promote the traditional solution to the problem.
  10. I'm down for pretty much anything potato. However, I whittled it down to four that are in regular rotation (links go to Recipe Gullet): Lyonnaise Potatoes, simplified Crispy Salt-and-Vinegar Potatoes Potato "Scallops" A dish I invented/stumbled into while doing a foodblog way back in 2005: Really Simple Potato Gratin
  11. This is a mish-mash of several recipes, plus our own modifications. 5 ounces salt 1 quart water 10 to 12 ounces small red or gold potatoes (1 to 1 ½ inches in diameter) ¼ cup olive oil 2 tablespoons malt or other vinegar Preheat the oven to 400°F. Pour the water into a pot and add the salt. Bring to a boil and stir to dissolve the salt. Add the potatoes. Cook for 12 - 14 minutes, or until just tender. Pour the potatoes into a colander to drain. Let them cool for 10 minutes. While they cool, generously coat a sheet pan with olive oil. When cooled, place the potatoes, spaced evenly, on the sheet pan. Use a paring knife to cut a shallow cross in the top of each potato (about ¼ inch deep). Coat the bottom of a heavy glass or a heavy spatula with oil. Use the glass or spatula to gently smash the potatoes to about ½ inch thick. Work carefully so the potatoes don’t break into pieces. Brush the tops of the potatoes lightly with oil, then brush with vinegar. You may not need all the oil, depending on how many potatoes you have. Roast for 10 to 15 minutes or until crisp and golden brown on top. Carefully turn the potatoes over and roast for another 5 to 7 minutes until browned on that side. Remove the pan from the oven and brush the potatoes with the remaining vinegar. Serve immediately.
  12. Inspired by the scene in Midnight Run (the last five seconds are NSFW). Perhaps you didn't think a French potato dish was funny. Charles Grodin will prove you wrong. 1 large onion, thinly sliced 1 T butter 2 # Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/3” slices 2 T oil Kosher salt 1 T minced parsley In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium high heat. Heat until butter stops foaming and then add the onions. Sprinkle with salt and cook, stirring often, until browned but still slightly firm. Heat oven to 400°F. Toss potatoes in a bowl. Pour oil over and toss to coat. Sprinkle salt over and toss again. Pour potatoes onto a rimmed baking sheet large enough to contain them in a single layer. Roast for about 15 minutes, or until potatoes release easily from pan. If they don’t move easily, don’t force them. Cook another 5 minutes or so until they move. Flip potatoes and return them to the oven to roast an additional 20-25 minutes, or until potatoes release easily. Remove from the oven and turn oven off if proceeding immediately. If you’ve waited a while, heat the oven to 250°F. Sprinkle the onions over the potatoes and return to the oven to warm through, about 5 minutes. Dish it up and sprinkle the parsley over (this is a classic garnish).
  13. A riff on a recipe that originally came from Milkbar Memories (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) by Jane Lawson. She calls for russet potatoes, and we made the coating crisper. 1 pound medium Yukon gold potatoes Oil for deep-frying 115 g (4 oz/3/4 C) A/P flour 110 g (4 oz/3/4C) rice flour 1 tsp salt 1-1/2 tsp baking powder 375 ml (12 fl oz/1-1/2 cups) club soda or beer fine salt for sprinkling Heat the oven to its lowest temperature, usually 170°F or 200°F. Peel the potatoes and cut into slices 1/3-inch thick. Bring a pot of water to a boil (about 2 quarts)and add 1 tablespoon kosher salt. Add the potato slices and cook for 5 minutes, or until they’re just beginning to become tender. Remove the potatoes to cool water until they’re cool enough to handle. Meanwhile, line your counter with clean towels. Use a slotted spatula to carefully transfer the potato slices to your prepared bench, placing them in a single layer, then leaving until cool and fairly dry to the touch. Keep an eye on them because if left too long they will discolor. Heat a deep fryer to 350°F. Alternatively, fill a deep-fryer or large heavy-based saucepan 1/3 with oil and heat to 350°F, or until a cube of bread dropped into the oil turns golden brown in 15 seconds. Combine the flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl and make a well in the center. Gradually pour in the club soda or beer as you gently whisk to combine, until you have a smooth and thickish batter. Working in batches, dip the potato slices into the batter and fry in the oil for 7–8 minutes, or until the batter is deep golden and very crisp. Drain on a rack set over paper towels and sprinkle with fine sea salt. Serve immediately, or keep warm in the oven while you cook the remaining potato scallops.
  14. Dave the Cook

    Gumbo

    But that's what filé and/or okra are for!
  15. I did the same thing. It might have been my first experience with a food processor. The event so traumatized me that I don't think I used the food processor again for months. Those don't actually suck.
  16. Given the level of food knowledge and cooking expertise exhibited on this forum, I know I risk insulting one or more members by asking this. Apologies in advance. What kind of potatoes are you folks using? I ask because there are two basic types of potatoes: waxy and floury. Waxy potatoes are great for roasting. steaming and boiling. However, if you try and mash or whip them (or, as I once did, run them through a food processor), you'll get an express ticket to gluetown. Some examples are Norland, Kennebec and Pontiac. They are usually red- or white (actually pale tan)-skinned, and the skin is relatively thin. If you're mashing or whipping, you want a floury potato. Some examples are Russet (often called Idaho or Burbank), Norkotah, King Edward and Maris Piper. They're usually brown skinned. and the skin is kind of rough. There is a third type, most often called a gold potato (Yukon golds are the most common in North America). These fall between waxy and floury in texture, and, while they can be roasted or mashed with varying success, they excel in gratins, where starch lends them flavor and volume, and the "wax" (it's not really wax) provides structure that fades as the potatoes are cooked. Of course, there are lots of other potato types: purple, fingerling, petites, etc. Most are of the waxy type; few of them are suitable for mashing.
  17. Here's my take on green beans with mustard/lemon/butter: recipe. Maybe it will help you with proportions.
  18. Dave the Cook

    Fish + Cheese

    "Shellfish-of-some-type au gratin" is fairly common, at least along the east coast. Pierre Franey, a New Yorker (by way of Yonne, France), and from whom I learned as much about cooking as anyone, even had a recipe in one of his New York Times columns for crabmeat au gratin. In the 1960s, it was known to be a favorite of the Duchess of Windsor. I'll note with amusement his recommendation that it be served accompanied by rice with mushrooms and pistachios.
  19. I just returned from the grocery store, where the asking price for a dozen store-brand large chicken eggs was $5.39 (45 cents/egg). Some observations: This was at Publix, which has a big presence in Atlanta. Still this price is anomalous. A dozen eggs at Kroger is $4.29 (36 cents) ; Walmart wants $5.17 (43 cents). These three chains comprise 75% of the Atlanta market. There weren't many eggs to be had at all. At Publix, the cooler was about 40% full. A year ago, it would have been 100% occupied. The store brand was available in a 1-1/2 dozen carton. They were $7.82, or 43 cents/egg, actually slightly more expensive than by the dozen. A 2-1/2 dozen carton was available for $12.13, which is 40 cents per egg -- not what I would call a great quantity discount. Eggland's Best, a premium brand (though it's hard to figure out why from what's printed on their package), was a bit less than the store-brand: $5.26. They had also been packed only two days earlier than the store-brand. Usually, this brand is about 20% more expensive than the store brand, and as much as ten days older. (I note this because I am from the church that preaches that when it comes to eggs, age is almost everything.) Just because Kroger is advertising (relatively) cheap eggs, it doesn't mean they actually have Grade A USDA large eggs. They've been known to "suddenly" run out of advertised items. Even at five bucks a dozen, large eggs (as defined by the USDA) are still an inexpensive food source ($3.33/lb).
  20. Stew? I like James Peterson's description of cassoulet: ". . . it's just a French version of pork and beans."
  21. Oh hell, it was our very first eGullet Cook-off: more than you want (including what you need) to know, about Cassoulet.
  22. I did this once. My colleagues in Switzerland wanted to taste a "real" American chili. So my host and I exchanged lists of ingredients, including this fateful declaration: "oh, we have cumin! Seeds. right?" So I paid extra baggage fees to cart canned beans and tomatoes and dried chiles across the Atlantic. On a festive Sunday night, I spent the better part of a beautiful Alpine afternoon to put together a chili using very expensive Swiss beef, without telling everyone what I was doing. In Switzerland, anyway, "cumin' and "caraway" are the same thing. They look very similar in their seed form, so I didn't know what was wrong until it was way too late. When the dish was finally served, I was complimented effusively on my take on goulash. The beans were a nice touch.
  23. A combination of ketchup and mayonnaise. A Heinz product, though people have been making it themselves for nearly ever.
  24. Right. They can't avoid inspection, but I know a few organic beef producers who eschew grading for this reason (organic beef is expensive as it is). Also, beef from steers raised on grass might not align well with grading standards designed with corn-finished beef in mind.
  25. Based on my experience, this does not happen.
×
×
  • Create New...