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Ashen

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Posts posted by Ashen

  1. On 03/02/2017 at 3:37 PM, Porthos said:

    I am thinking that I may have scored big-time. Not sure, though. Picked it up this morning for $4.00. The best info I can find is that it may or may not be a Shun but it is an 8" carving knife. As usual, the edge needs work. I normally change knives I buy to have an 18°/18° degree edge but I think I will keep the original angle on this one.

     

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    I would say you got a great deal..    there is three views at the following link, the third one shows similar markings to yours. I think yours is just an older model. 

    https://shun.kaiusaltd.com/knives/knife/classic-carving-knife

     

    • Like 1
  2. On 26/02/2017 at 6:40 PM, andiesenji said:

     

    I use a Tupperware "pitcher" with a pouring lip, go around the outside first, about an inch in from the outer edge of the iron, then fill in the center.  The outer rim of batter "sets" so it contains the the inner stuff so it won't run out the sides.

    I learned this when I took a course when I first began catering.

     

     

    cool tip  Thanks.  I can definitely use that for my regular waffle batter recipe, I will have to see how I can adapt that concept next time I make the sweet potato ones . The batter ends up much thicker than any waffle batter I have made before, it was a spoon in situation, as it really wasn't pouring consistency.     Maybe pipe it in using a large zip bag with corner cut off would be easiest. 

  3. 10 hours ago, Ann_T said:

    58b0520ab0c39_Pizza_February_23rd_2017.thumb.jpg.f8e423f80a9368400455a7b25aba6af6.jpg

     

    Pizza for dinner last night.   

    Dough was made on Wednesday and left in the fridge for 24 hours.   

     

    58b051d2ebf81_PizzaFebruary23rd20173.thumb.jpg.1ebd1677a14b20df3de568811aadc9f9.jpg

    Topped with mushrooms and Italian sausage.

     

    Pizza February 23rd, 2017 4.jpg

     

     

    Look at the cornicione on that.  Perfect as always :) 

  4. I recently made a batch of Alton Brown's Sweet Potato waffles,  excellent flavour , I really like the touch of orange from the zest.     It is a fairly involved recipe though, will take a bit of extra effort and leave you with 6 egg yolks to use. Hollandaise anyone??    I just ended up making Thomas Keller's 7 yolk pasta the next day.  Calls for 6 yolks and one whole egg. 

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    • Like 4
  5. On 31/01/2017 at 8:48 PM, edgarallanpoe said:

     

    Yes, I do.  I wont touch the stuff.  El Dorado is one of the more egregious examples of what I was talking about earlier.  Their 12 yr has tested at between 35-39 grams of added sugar.  That's an insane amount of added sugar and it begs the question...if it really was 12 yr old why the heavy dosing?  Only they can answer that question and they haven't as far as I know.  Please understand that I am in no way trying to keep you from drinking that rum, I am simply saying that I have a real problem with companies that, IMHO, are misrepresenting what they are selling.  If they are adding that much sugar, then it *legally* ceases to be a rum and is actually a liquor.  Please keep in mind that sugars are destroyed in the fermentation process and a pure rum should only have trace amounts in it...35-39 grams of sugar can't happen unless it has been added after, it is simply impossible.  If you enjoy the rum, then by all means, drink it and please enjoy it....just know what you are buying and be an educated consumer.  American whisky and Scotch whiskey would *never* tolerate this nonsense and companies who did it would be ostracized by the people who love those spirits.  Why these rum companies get away with it is baffling to me.

     

     

    that is probably why the 12 smells so much like brown sugar then.   I will be honest, I am not particularly worried about sugar in rum, but it is nice to know what I am drinking.    The spirits world is full of shenanigans unfortunately, even in American whiskey and Scotch.   

  6. I will second the smith and cross recommendation, awesome rum.    

     

    Edgar- do you have any thoughts on El Dorado?  My brother-in-law and I did a blind  vertical tasting over the holidays .  5, 8,12, 21 yr old   ( neither of us has the 15 yet).   My favourite was the 12 for sipping neat. It has more flavour and much more pronounced pleasing smell than any of the others but is slightly more harsh on the finish than the 21.    For mixing the 8 yr old was my favourite.  Don't worry we didn't mix with the 21 yr old, on the mix test with stopped at 12 yr. 

  7. it sounds like you got it right.    Frying is my second favourite way, brustolada  (Trevisano dialect)  is the way I like best.  basically grilled under broiler, or you could do it  on a fine grate over a heat source. 

     

    Lidia Bastianich is the only TV chef I have ever seen that does it the way my family does.  Pour out the hot polenta onto a cookie sheet in a thin layer , then let cool and set.  Cut squares or rectangles of the set thin polenta , and place on a preheated cookie sheet with the broiler on high.    Let that side toast and colour, top of the pieces will most likely bubble a bit as well,  flip and do the other side.  Depending on how loose or firm you make the polenta and how close your rack is the broiler element it can usually take anywhere from 5 - 10 mins on a side. 

     

    sorry I don't have a picture of the process but you can sort of see what i mean about the bubbles on this picture. 

     

    spezzatinogrilledpolenta1.jpg

     

     

     

     

    Frying is similar in that you have to be sure the pan is preheated  properly so it doesn't stick on you. .  Brush with a high temp neutral oil or clarified butter, put the slices in and fry .   

     

     

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    • Like 6
  8. On 17/12/2016 at 4:34 PM, BonVivant said:

     

     

     

    Headed to the christmas market straight away after lunch just for this pastry. Christmas markets are one of those "special kind of hell" places for a highly sensitive person but it's the place to eat chimney pastry from different stalls right now.

     

     

    Had it in Prague in 2005, also at the christmas market. The rig and operation back then was more primitive. I prefer that, actually.

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    Everywhere you look you see people eat this. "Chimney" pastry is an extremely popular Hungarian snack. It's fun to unroll the dough as you eat. There are several kinds of coatings to choose from. Mine is vanilla.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    When you were in Toronto, you could have had a chimney cone at Union Station  .  Using the pastry as an Ice Cream cone has apparently become a fairly widespread thing, but I think this summer was the first time there was a stand selling it in TO.

  9. 27 minutes ago, Darienne said:

    That's a really clever idea.  I'll think about it.  What's the red sauce?  I can't stand ketchup...which I know that is NOT...on eggs. 

      That was just Huy Fong Sriracha . 

     

    I picked up that trick while watching a show about food styling.   Apparently pretty much  all Sunny side up eggs  in pictures  for menus or commercials are cooked this way.   A bell went off in my head that it is the perfect way to deal with the runny white vs overcooked yolk  contradiction. 

    • Like 2
  10. High River- Tears of the Sun hs,   Strawberry topping is a joke name  from a friend, it is actually Carolina Reaper Strawberry Jam. 

     

     

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    Almost forgot I  meant to have some kippered Herring with this

     

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    • Like 8
  11. HungryChris-  Whenever I see one of your pictures that doesn't have Crystal hs on the table it always throws me for a second searching for it .. lol..   One of these days I am going to track down a bottle of it.   

    • Like 4
  12. Oh well , it's good to support a Canadian rye.... about 7 more yrs until their actual  vermont  grown and distilled rye is ready. 

     

    http://www.canadianwhisky.org/reviews/whistlepig-10-year-old-straight-100-rye-whiskey.html

     

    Waiting anxiously for Smith & Cross naval strength rum.. My last bottle is on its final legs and it has been out of stock for months.    

    Ordered online through LCBO. .   Took the only 2 left in stock at the time but looks like they have more  in stock now. 

     

     

    http://www.lcbo.com/lcbo/product/smith-and-cross-traditional-jamaican-rum/402834#.WEnffefQeUl

     

     

     

     

     

  13. Short answer do a blind tasting and drink what you like

    Don't worry about what other ppl tell you should should like.

     

    There is a lot of smoke and mirrors in the distilling industry.  A friend of mine who worked at a distiller and looked at opening his own told me $ is as much an indicator of marketing hype as it is of quality .

     

    For example which is a better Rye Whiskey.   bulliet rye george dickel rye   or Angels Envy Rye?     All get the rye whiskey from the same industrial  distiller but dickel and AA put their own finishing touches.  The rum finish on the Angels Envy does do something pretty magic imo. 

     

    http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/07/28/your-craft-whiskey-is-probably-from-a-factory-distillery-in-indiana.html

     

    So many small batch producers are doing the same thing across the board with other spirits. vodka gin etc. 

     

    • Like 2
  14. Specific to your black flake problem, it could be that the extra seasoning that you tried didn't adhere properly to the factory seasoning.   The few factory finished pieces I have bought over the years, I have ended up stripping and then reseasoning to my process.     Different fats will work but you should be aware of their smoke points, and they don't all give same results as far as how durable they are.  I prefer using a high smoke point oil, refined grapeseed is usually what I have in house.  Many thin coats with long enough between applications to fully polymerize. 

     

    a CS wok I bought a couple years ago with about 10 or 11 very thin layers

     

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    • Like 5
  15. I know you didn't ask me but this is a pretty solid  formula.   I normally make my families recipe which is more of a polenta grassa  type recipe with milk , butter and wheatlets as well as corn meal . It changes these ratios slightly but  for straight up corn meal this works well. 

     

    polenta calculation per 1 litre of water

    300g cornmeal firm polenta
    250g medium consistency
    200g  loose consistency 

    • Like 2
  16. worth it for us just on Gas. My wife works across the road from it.   average at least 100$ per year savings in gas alone.  meat isn't really a savings factor, but quality is much better than supermarkets here.   Cheese can be huge savings.  Feta , parm, brie, balderson cheddar.   Baking supplies  and spices often huge savings.   If you are willing to wait , they often have huge discounts on high end  small appliances.  kitchenaid mixers, blendtec blenders, nespresso machines.   Return policy is crazy good too.  we had a holder tab break off on a drop bowl for kitchenaid mixer we bought there.  phone kitchenaid and the support guy told us just to box everything up and take it to costco , instead of waiting for kitchenaid to do something.  Walked in and within 15 mins we were walking out with a new in the box unit.   I think their electronics policy might have  changed but they used to double manufacturers warranty on most electronics   .. called concierge program in Canada. Not sure about other countries. 

     

    http://www.costco.ca/concierge.html

    • Like 1
  17. On 20/09/2016 at 5:58 AM, BonVivant said:

    Lunch at Phil's smoked meat. The fat kind of smoked meat was ordered. We found the amounts of meat traumatising. It's quite messy to eat with the hands. The gherkin is salty but not sour, is this the style here? Gherkins are usually more sour than salty.

     

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    I would be tempted to say it might be a half sour pickle but generally half sours have a more vibrant green skin and closer to white interior, as you can see in the google image link that follows.    If you hit another deli and see half sours on the menu , grab a plate and try them. They have a more fresh cucumber vibe to them.  A good half sour is my favourite pickle at a good deli.  I will order a plate of them to go with my smoked meat sandie. 

     

    https://www.google.ca/search?q=half+sour+pickles+with+montreal+smoked+meat+sandwich&client=opera&hs=1Kb&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj_6-PXvK3PAhXCeD4KHZzyAHUQ_AUICCgB&biw=1920&bih=970#tbm=isch&q=half+sour+pickles

     

     

    • Like 1
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