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Rico

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  1. I just bought the Fat Duck cookbook and The Perfect Meal based on this - has anyone else out there read any of these? Any of the others worth looking into, in your opinion?
  2. I would avoid the ones that have curly noodles. I'm going to recommend googling Momofuku's ramen recipe, but with the caveat that I think you should buy the book. It's great, and most of the sites that give his recipe are simply ... well, plagiarizing his work. But off the soapbox, that was my first ramen that I made, and it turned out great. For the amount of time it takes, you want to take the time to do it right.
  3. @avaserfi, do you recall under what conditions you aged the chops? I've got a Berkshire coming in this week, and I'd like to give one of the loins a similar treatment. (The other is turning into lonzino).
  4. Rico

    Making Bread that Lasts

    Thank you all for the responses. And I might add, to specify, everyone on eGullet is my culinary hero. It has large part responsible for my culinary education over the past 10 years. Blether, the freezer is a good idea; I know bread freezes well, but for some reason don't want to believe it - likely due to those times I've put a lof in the freezer only to rediscover it six months later heavily laden with freezer burn. Do you just put the bread in a ziploc and throw it in there, or do you have a specific way to freeze it? I usually count the eggs as 50/50 fat and water (so, for example, the portuguese-style bun has a hydration of 54 percent and a fat percentage of 36 percent). The yolk is somewhere around 60 percent fat, so I may be overaccounting for that aspect of it at the expense of hydration, but surely only by a couple percentage points, right? Andie, I use the milk powder in the Portuguese style bread, but I've never specified whole milk. The added fats surely have a beneficial effect. I'll try that immediately. CatPoet, your post is a revelatory one - I never realized the scalding of flour (what I refer to as tangzhong above) - was a common practice in Scandinavia until I read your post and researched 'scalding flour'. I thought it was a purely Asian approach. Something new every day, right? I just discovered the approach a few weeks ago and yes, it's amazing: the difference is significant, plus it offers an interesting way to incorporate flavor into the bread. Ultimately what I want is about the most un-'artisan' bread we can think of. I don't want that shatteringly brittle crust, or a crumb beautifully arrayed with an assortment of shapes; just a plain, supersoft, slightly chewy white roll. If I must use the freezer, that's fine, but if I can make it last for just a few days unchanged, that would be ideal.
  5. Note: There is no doubt a conversation on eGullet somewhere that addresses the issue, but my searching skills, despite years on the site, still remain markedly flawed. That said, I have a question. The title of the post should read, rather, 'bread that lasts and is pillowy soft for days. I'm not scared of using those nebulous 'additives,' though I'd rather not. Here's the issue: I'd like to make buns like, say, In-n-Out or Chic Fil A. Buns that are inoffensive and squishy soft. I'd like to understand how they get the texture and - also important - how they get them to last that way. For my purposes I would go beyond those basic buns, but I need a starting point. There are two methods I've used so far that have gotten me the best results - both high hydration and/or fat - but neither is close enough to what I'm looking for. Not sure of the standard baking percentages, but I always just ratio based on the largest quantity of flour type. Tangzhong: AP Flour: 100% Potato Flour: 12% Pre-saturated Slurry, 5:1 water to flour: 7.5% Water: 30% Milk: 30% Butter: 24% Eggs: 15% Salt: 2.5% Sugar: 14% Yeast around 1 percent. Crumb is right with a featheriness about it. Density seems right, but I want a softer give when I bite in. And then the other is pretty much a variation of the portuguese sweet roll in the KA cookbook. Texture is right, but I can't get it to last. Again, not scared of adding additives, but don't want to jump to it if there's a more traditional way. Help from my eGullet culinary heroes appreciated.
  6. Rico

    Duck: The Topic

    How do you find the farmed duck varies from the wild? Right there with you, Shelby, though I'll occasionally buy the farmed stuff if I want the fat or am dry curing them. Seems like down here they've all already used up their fat stores by the time they arrive. I'm lucky to get any at all on them. They do make great pastrami. Each has its place; they are almost completely different different ingredients. Like beef to venison. As for SV prep of the wild ones, gfweb, I've done it a few times with a decent amount of success. My favorite prep is to take them whole (each breast is maybe two ounces), dip in a little batter and throw them in the frying pan for a couple minutes.
  7. And a victory, for now - appears they are backing off. http://www.forbes.com/sites/gregorymcneal/2014/06/10/fda-backs-down-in-fight-over-aged-cheese/
  8. Rico

    DQ Blizzards

    There is a blizzard, off the menu now but present there 25 years ago when I had my first Blizzard, called Chocolate Covered Cherry. It is their cherry blizzard mixed with the dipped cone chocolate. It can still be ordered. So much as a DQ Dinky of it (ht Toliver) will form an addiction that lasts at least a quarter of a century.
  9. Rico

    Any Lardo Tips?

    That is some fantastic looking pork! The only time I've seen them that fatty is Mangalitsa - is that what you got? If so, and at two bones a pound, I'd pay a lot of money just to get the name and number of that farmer of yours ... As for the lardo, our eG friend jmolinari has a recipe for lardo that I've tried and had success with, as well. It's a 3-month brine. http://curedmeats.blogspot.com/2010/04/lardo-darnad.html
  10. To understand the principles of pastry, I think, is my goal for 2014. Chocolate tempering and shaping, laminated doughs, yeasted bread; all of it. I'd like to look at anything the best pastry chefs make and say - if not "I can make that" - at least "I understand how he or she made that."
  11. Rico

    The McRib is back!

    Flatten a tasteless hot dog into the shape of ... well, whatever the shape of that thing is, and that seems like a good textural reference - emulsified meat. Thank you Jaymes for sparing me the surprise of the texture. Overall, though, I can see why it's popular. Those are bold flavors for a place like McDonalds, and for someone who's maybe just accustomed to big macs and quarter pounders, it may very well be a daring culinary adventure. Actually, it was a daring culinary adventure for me, too. Just not one I'll be repeating.
  12. Rico

    The McRib is back!

    Here's the problem. Even though I expect it to be a dreadful experience, enough of the folks on here have pulled the trigger to make me want to be part of the order. By not having been hazed by this sandwich, I feel I am unable to relate wholly to those who have undergone the experience. I apparently lack the self confidence to stand alone in my McRib ignorance. The valleys make the peaks more gratifying anyway, right? I'm on my way.
  13. To be fair, I live in the suburbs, drive a pickup and eat animals. Some of which I have acquired after hunting them. Whole Foods also attracts me. Though if someone were to give me a BMW, I wouldn't fight it. And I think through various experiences recalled in the thread, we can probably conclude that the thesis (and correct me if I'm wrong, but I'll paraphrase it) of "Shopping at Whole Foods doesn't necessarily mean you will be spending much more money than at a regular grocery store" is true in many cases. This is based on anecdotal evidence from above. The thesis that was never presented, but seems to have been inferred is, "Shopping at Whole Foods equals thrifty spending." I do not believe that anyone made the assertion, though that seems to be the one that is being argued. I would not argue for the second point.
  14. Prawncrackers, this might answer your question, but I'm not exactly how he's cutting it. Arbitrarily? Or are there specific muscles/sizes/shapes to follow? Shelby - that's a great idea! But even 80 percent with this venison might be too much. I'm thinking 20 will be ample. And Martin, it's going to be three months before I can even pronounce rådjursköttbullar. Doesn't mean I can't make them, though. Got a recipe, by any chance?
  15. I have started doing a moderate amount of drinking at the beer and wine bar inside my new local Whole Foods, as well. That particular aspect is not just comparable, but notably less expensive than at a counterpart. No, it's not the dark bar atmosphere that I typically enjoy, but the bartenders are pleasant and knowledgable and the TVs work ... (Edited to specify beer and wine bar)
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