Mjx

One of the terrine queens or kings in this thread is going to have better suggestions than I probably would (I'd be inclined to dice the cooked pork, and re:stock, veal stock would proably be a good idea, nice and gelatinous, and goes well with pork; or, you could add a little gelatine, if veal stock was out of the question; you could do somthing xtremely attractive with the celery leaves, or you might look into lovage, too). My inclination would be to check back through this thread for some ideas, and if nothing solidly helpful emerged, and I couldn't find a really good recipe in my cook books, I'd PM one of the participants in this thread for sources/recipes. If I come across anything that looks promising, I'll post it.

There's the Sous Vide Pork Shoulder topic.

Steven, is it safe to assume you've looked at a variety of cheesemaker's sites, to see what they have to offer, in terms of mozzarella troubleshooting (e.g. http://curd-nerd.com/qa5-mozzarella-doesnt-stretch/)?

Would first cooking the meat at a low gentle temperature, then composing it in the terrine with the other ingredients be an option? Once you've cooked meat to tenderness, the chances of toughening it up by further cooking it are very much reduced.

That sounds familiar, my mother went through that when I was small (I'd been wondering whether you shopped every day, and how you managed it). Since your son's morning school is relatively brief, does it mean you don't need to make something like a merenda for him to take with him? I know you've mentioned that, relatively speaking, the selection of groceries there is a bit limited, but I still envy you, and your food looks delicious!

Have you tried putting a lid on the pan for the first 5 to 10 minutes? I haven't noticed onions being less wet (but I'm in a completely different part of the world, and probably using onions from a different source), but to make the most of whatever moisture does come out of the onions when I caramelize them, I put a lid on the pan until the exuded moisture has accumulated a bit, otherwise, since the amount of onion in direct contact with the pan is initially not that large, a lot of the moisture just evaporates off as it is exuded, instead of accumulating.

What happens if you cook the rosematta rice like normal rice? It's just that it never occurred to me to cook parboiled rice differently to regular rice (the first time I did this, and noticed 'parboiled' on the bag, I did wondered how that was going to affect things, but I've noticed no difference). I don't think you can get Uncle Ben's in Denmark

How come? I'm curious, because in Denmark it's a bit difficult to find not-parboiled rice, so that's what I'm usually working with.

I cook a lot of rice, and always go with a 1:1.5 rice:water ratio. The rice routinely turns out just right, no residual water, no cruchy centres, no overcooking (this was a CI recommendation, I can't take any credit for the idea), regardless of whether or not I first toast the rice in a litle oil.

I've simply flipped the cake over, when the top hasn't been as level as I wanted it to be. Probably not what you meant by 'solution', but it does work, if all else fails

For whatever it's worth, this illustrates the cut: http://www.fleischtheke.info/schweinefleisch/schweineruecken.php Further image here: http://www.hessen-netz.com/168/Frankfurter-Rippchen.html

If the meat is already cooked, I'm not sure there's much to be gained by essentially reheating it sous vide; the initial cooking will have already determined the consistency to a very large extent, so if it was cooked in a way that made it dry/tough, there isn't anything to do that will reverse that, although there are things that can disguise/compensate for the texture (e.g. shredding + a sauce).

But the 'foraged ingredients' thing is part of the reason one pays through the skull to eat at Noma. That, and Redzepi's direct involvement in the preparation. Not sure how much of the actual Noma team will be involved either, since July and August are major holiday months for Danes.

Oops. I should just go to bed and enjoy my stomach bug without trying to kid myself into thinking I can function normally...

Only person I know who lives in Monte Carlo is Franci

Seriously? You think that people only make messes in bathrooms that are already dirty? That's nuts. Have to agree with that. All you have to do is go into the rest rooms in Barnes & Noble, for example, over the course of a day a day, and you can see how things go: When they open they're clean; after about an hour, at least one stall will be nasty. They're big shops, and have dedicated cleaning staff, but a small concern isn't necessarily going to be able to even check after every customer (pretty much what you have to do, to stay on top of things), let alone clean constantly. If you have customers, you're serving them, although if the only people who come in are not customers, you would have plenty of time to pop your head in the door and see how poor their aim was... and then, I don't know, run after them and call them swine? Nod, smmile to yourself and think, 'Well, I'm sure glad he came in and pissed on next to the toilet, I'll bet next time he stops in he'll buy something'?

Thanks, I'm going to be reading that in a bit! The first cups tend be thinner, but aren't usually unbalanced (unless the beans themselves are; the first cups do tend to emphasize any shortcomings of the beans). I've toyed with the idea, although I can't really describe the situation as being at the level of 'problem' (the first cup is fine, but the second is better), more 'excuse to drink multiple cups', so I've held off. So far; if I want to eliminate the problem altogether, you're probably right, this going to be the way to go. Don't think it's that, since this happens regardless of whether the basket and holder have been scrupulously cleaned, left with the grounds sitting until we use it the next day, or any of the various options between the two extremes. The grinder is regularly brushed, poked, and tapped free of loose grounds (it grinds directly ito the basket) Actually, we tried that! And, the pattern seemed to persist. It isn't a huge deal, but I do find it kind of interesting, and have been wondering what lay behind this phenomenon .

No, if it's enforced, then it is no longer a "favor." It is a requirement to do business in the municipality which enacted the law. You want to do business in our city? Great! Then you WILL provide a clean bathroom to the public. Not just your customers. Everyone who walks in needing a restroom. Otherwise, find someplace else to do business. And we have code enforcement officers that will shut your business down if you try to skirt the law. Restrict bathroom usage at your peril, business owners. (Well, at least where I live. Not every city feels the same way.) EDIT -- As for "dirty public bathrooms," please by all means visit Las Vegas. Enjoy our public facilities. All the restrooms are public restrooms. And if they're not SPOTLESS, then casino management wants to know about that. We'd be horrified to discover we offered a guest a bathroom that didn't surpass their every expectation. Leaving aside the fact that you hacked off the portion of what I said that elaborated on what I meant, and dismissed most of the points I made, you're talking about one city on the planet (a rather unusual one, from what I understand, and thanks, but I doubt I'll be visiting, I'm not big on hot, sunny places ). But surely you aren't saying that you placidly accept that the public will behave irresponsibly in public restrooms, and that this does not present a problem (not necessarily a cheap one, either)? That the entire issue of who uses an establishment's restroom, and the state in which they leave it is irrelevant? That the cost of the combination of even a small fraction of the public being disgusting + owners of public restrooms needing to keep these spaces clean is not a cost issue? Does it really seem that unreasonable that some business owners have reservations about people who are not customers doing whatever they will in the bathroom (and since the door is shut, that's what it comes down to), given what it could cost them?

In the US (I realize that many thread participants are not Americans), most cities have statute in place that businesses which provide food or drink must have a public restroom. Some go even further that a business that is open to the public will provide a restroom. So, for a lot of people here, it's not a favor. Even if it's legally enforced, it still amounts to a favour; legislation doesn't automatically mean something is a basic human right (or vice versa). And what everyone who's ever managed to urinate in the sink seems to disregard is that every right is implicitly tied to a responsibility (which is unfortunately seldom legislated, making it awfully easy to exploit the rights). I'd bet (and I'm not a betting person) that the filthiest toilets were those most used by the general public, beyond just that portion of the public that fell into the 'customer' category. You've worked in the industry, so you've probably had more chance than you ever wanted to observe that people can be incredible pigs, and the worst tend to be those who feel that everything they want is a 'right'. My experience outside the US as an adult is limited to Europe. Speaking for those parts of Italy, Germany, and Denmark in which I've spent between a month and several years, I'd have to say that availability and conditions in public toilets aren't significantly different in these EU countries than from what you find in the US (and I have no idea of the legislation in any of these places): Most big shops have public toilets, you can use the ones in most places that serve food (unless it's just take-away), an even if they're officially for staff only if you ask to use the loo, they'll usually say 'Sure.' Occasionally, 'No', but that's happened in the US, too. And, the loos that are most open to the public are the most disgusting, as though their being readily available somehow incites the users' contempt (yep, I mean in the US, too). This seems to put shop/restaurant owners in something of a cleft stick: So, you have to open your loo to the public, who make it disgusting and unsanitary, therefore you have to keep a constant eye on the state of the room, and clean up the mess, or the Dept. of Health guys come down on you like a ton of bricks. If the people responsible for turning the place into a sty aren't even customers, they're costing you a bunch in cleaning material (not to mention, I've had a couple of near-falls--and one actualy fall that left me with a sprained wrist--in places where the bathroom floor was wet and slick; if I was elderly/had broken something I would almost certainly have sued).

Ever since we've had the Silvia, my boyfriend and I have noticed that the second round of coffee tastes better than the first; the first cups are fine, but the second are inevitably better. We hypothesized vaguely about the phenomenon, but didn't dedicate that much thought to it. We doubted it was the temperature, since we've noticed this even when the machine warms for about a quarter of an hour. Turns out, it may be the temperature after all. Yesterday, I picked up some coffee beans at one of the few independent local coffee shops that roasts its own beans, and spent some time chatting with the owner, who's American (meaning, I actually understood the conversation, since it wasn't carried out in a language in which I routinely confuse the words for 'cow' and 'queue'). I mentioned the thing with the first cup of coffee from our machine not being as good as subsequent ones, and he said that this is usual with most machines, consumer or commercial. His idea is that during the intial heating, the machine actually gets too hot, and using it brings lowers the heat to just the right temperature, but the first cup takes the bullet, so to speak. This makes sense to me, although I'm not equipped to test this: Anyone else notice this 'second cup' effect, or have data/alternate hypotheses?

If you don't want to order it from Amazon, Lyle's products, both the golden syrup and black treacle are sold at Cost Plus World Market in the L.A. and Orange county areas. I bought some last December at the Cost Plus in Brea. I'm pretty sure the stores around San Diego would carry the same items. You can always phone and ask. 372 4th Ave San Diego, CA (0.5 mi) (619) 236-1737 The idea of picking some up in the UK is to compare it to the stuff you get in the US, prompted by my speculation that the exported Lyle's might have a different flavour profile than that sold domestically in the UK, coming out of this exchange: . . . . I'm wondering whether the stuff exported to the US has a slightly different flavour profile to the UK syrup, which has a just the faintest saltiness to it, and tastes very rich and full. I think Dave the Cook's 'sunny' pretty much nails it.

7 years ago, Dave the Cook wrote: I find Lyle's bland & sweet to the point of pointlessness, and never thought of molasses as 'funky', but am now itching to try some Steen's. I managed to completely miss those comments. I'm wondering whether the stuff exported to the US has a slightly different flavour profile to the UK syrup, which has a just the faintest saltiness to it, and tastes very rich and full. I think Dave the Cook's 'sunny' pretty much nails it.

The only places I've ever seen such aggressive, buy-something-or-leave enforcement has been in the 'hood, where small shopkeepers can be plagued with crackhead shoplifters and are usually suspicious of everyone who's not moving quickly. In the worst neighborhoods, the corner stores keep everything behind bulletproof plexiglass, and you have to ask for what you want and pay for it through a rotating, plastic chute. (not the best setting for a chocolate shop, but kudos to you for trying if you are indeed operating a patisserie in a massively crime-ridden inner city area.) In more, ahem, "genteel" surroundings, you'd probably run off all of your customers if you discouraged browsing. And chasing people away in this fashion often leads to charges of profiling or discrimination, whether it is intentional or not. Actually, I've been asked quite pointedly whether I was planning on buying something, while browsing in book shops. Usually, by grouchy old men, with whom I ended up having great conversations, even after I admitted I was just browsing and got sucked into a book. This facet of the discussion seems to be getting a bit overwrought; upthread, Edward J mentioned he had no problem with people who asked. And it seems reasonable to assume that someone who is polite enough to ask may also be less likely to pee all over the place, and nick the bog roll. I just don't get the whole 'I have a right' thing, with public loos; it's a favour, not a right. And there are chefs out there, wearing orange clogs in public, so surely we have something more serious to get our knickers in a twist over!

Sounds much more workable than not-quite-meatballs!

How is Steen's different from Lyle's Golden Syrup? Is it thinner, or are they essentially identical and interchangeble (both are cane syrups)?