SethG

No one here or on that other thread (I missed all the deleted posts ) seems to be making a basic distinction between (1) frozen and canned vegetables or beans and (2) prepared meals that are simply heated or rehydrated. I can see no reason to disapprove of the first category, and for many people these products are superior to the fresh produce they can obtain for most of the year. As for the second category, I'm sure there are some good products out there. But, no offense, I disapprove of many products in this category. I know how snobbish that sounds. But I'm not saying I disapprove of anyone else eating them or liking them. I do disapprove of their existence, because as a parent I can't seem to stop the stuff from infiltrating my house. To cite two examples, I've broken down at the Costco recently and introduced my kids both to Kraft mac & cheese and instant oatmeal. They used to eat the real, and far superior versions, of these dishes, no problem. But now? We went to a party the other day, and the hostess made some beautiful real mac & cheese: nicely browned bread crumbs, nice mixes of cheeses. And the kids wouldn't touch it, because it wasn't bright orange like Kraft. That Kraft shit is truly a chemical warfare product. It is vile. And now I'm stuck with it. As for the instant oatmeal, it lacks all of the texture of real oatmeal, and is so sweet my teeth hurt when I taste it. But I fear I'll never get the kids back to the steel cut oats with real bananas. And that sucks. Convenience is convenience. It has obvious advantages. But it isn't snobbery to point out that it often comes at the price of good taste and health.

Gosh, quiche is out of fashion? I didn't know. I make them all the time. I made a leek quiche (I guess I refer to them as "tarts") this past weekend. Leeks sauteed in butter, topped with custard, and just a bit of grated Gruyere. Served with salad for a light dinner. If there's a problem with quiche, it's that people buy the pre-made supermarket atrocities. They're heavy, and the crusts are soggy. I think people have the mistaken impression that it is difficult to make your own tart crust. I even overheard a supervisor in my office tell someone that she makes quiche by mixing her custard ingeredients with bisquick, and then pouring it all in the pan. (!!!) Apparently, the part of the custard touching the pan browns enough to form some semblance of a "crust." Did I dare tell her that proper tart crust dough can be made in less than five minutes, then stored in the fridge overnight? And that rolling it out is no big deal, since you can easily patch up any problem areas? No, I kept my mouth shut. What can you do?

If you've had some fresh yeast, you'll immediately notice its strong aroma-- much stronger than the dried stuff. But I don't think I've ever been able to tell the difference in the taste of a final loaf of bread. You're not looking to taste yeast in your bread, anyway. That's one of the reasons you use as little as possible. The flavor you want comes from the wheat and bacterial & enzymatic growth.

Hellman's certainly is the best of the prepared brands and we always have a jar in the house. I'll use it all the time just to smear something on bread with some sliced turkey. BUT. I love real mayo, and if it's a major ingredient in anything I'm making, I like to make it myself. There's nothing like a potent aioli. And there's nothing like a batch of fresh mayo to mix with some freshly poached, still barely warm chicken. The taste and the texture of the store-bought stuff will never compare, I don't care what anyone says. I like to make the oil in mine about half olive, half whatever else is handy, unless of course we're talking about aioli, in which case it's 100% olive oil and more garlic than you'd think possible. I find there's something peaceful about adding that oil, drop by drop, even though you're whisking away like mad. It's reassuring... a magical alchemy that fosters the illusion that entropy can be held at bay, at least temporarily. I don't put mayo on burgers but on fries? You bet. And by the way, if you make it yourself you're unlikely to have much left over, but Jack Lang (mayo is the second of the sauces covered in the linked course) says it'll keep at room temperature. It's an acidic environment in which that bad stuff has a hard time living.

Nice, TurtleMeng!

Dude, are you making a savarin? The usual conversions are: 6 oz cake of compressed/fresh yeast equals one package (2.25 tsp) of active dry yeast equals 1.5 to 2 tsp of instant yeast. See here, on the SAF website, at the bottom of the page. Looks like SAF has renamed its instant yeast "Gourmet Perfect Rise" yeast. When I can find compressed yeast in Brooklyn, it's usually in the dairy case near the eggs and the margarine. But don't feel inadequate if you substitute. I'm not convinced it makes much difference, so long as you make sure not to use too much of the dry/instant stuff. But I'm a modern guy. I like instant yeast, used in minute quantities.

I've been enjoying reading this thread, and I've meant to jump in and do a few Reinhart recipes I've missed, but I haven't got 'round to it yet! Behemoth, if I may jump in to try to answer your question, I think there are two likely culprits to blame for your ciabatta's tight crumb: (1) This is the more likely: your dough should be wetter; and (2) Your dough is over-developed, i.e., kneaded too long. Ciabatta dough should be almost pourably wet. Any book's specifications should be tested against experience, as different flours under different climate conditions absorb water differently. Next time try it a bit wetter and see how it goes. If your dough is wet enough, you ought to be unable to keep the big holes from appearing. In fact, if you fail to poke the dough down all over with your fingertips you'll get one huge hole that will rip the top of your loaf right off of your crumb! As for the development of gluten, check out this thread from the Reinhart Q & A, if you haven't already. It really opened my eyes as to how little you need to knead rustic breads. The particular thread I'm linking to is about the technique called "turning" or the "stretch and fold," but the discussion of that technique quickly takes us to the subject of kneading and holes. Here's the advice therein from Prof. Reinhart himself: Happy baking!

You can say that again. Aside from the reviews by tetsujustin that Soba linked to above, there are several threads I'm aware of in the New York forum in which people involved in the business have talked about their offerings-- even in the face of criticism-- without resorting to abuse. See: Dinosaur BBQ and Pure Food & Wine These are just a couple of examples.

That glaze looks awesome, Richard! Elie, I mean.

Thanks, Susan. I added the stock later, and I think my veggies were a little too dried out. I rolled them around in the fat, though, and they were fine. Next time I won't ask a real-time cooking question on Super Bowl Sunday!

I'm making my own Zuni Cafe mock porcetta tonight, and I already had it in the oven about fifteen minutes at 350 by the time I read this thread and decided to change my approach. I wanted to brown the pork and turn the temp down, but I had some quartered turnips and parsnips in the pan and I didn't think they'd do well with an initial blast of high heat. So I took the skillet out of the oven, removed the root vegetables, dropped a spoonful of duck fat into the pan, and browned the roast on all sides on the stovetop. Then I stuck the veggies back in the pan and returned the skillet to the oven at 275. Question: Susan, do you brown at high heat in the oven with the veggies in the pan? Or do you do something like my impromptu change of plans this evening? And Rodgers sez to put some stock in the pan after two hours of cooking, but she's presuming two and a half hours of total cooking at a higher temp than I'm using. Should I wait longer to put in the stock, or does it much matter? I don't know what purpose adding that small amount (1/3 cup) of stock really serves, except I guess to keep the vegetables from burning. So maybe my answer is in watching the vegetables. Thanks to anyone with any thoughts.

A little tasteless what? ← Judging by Paula's book, she meant to say "a little tasteless [oil, such as safflower]." Despite my purchase of canele molds many months ago, I still haven't given them a try.

Oops, Richard, sorry I attributed your dessert to Elie. (I could've sworn I said this already, but I guess I didn't.) I made the mousse last night. I didn't take a picture, since I let it set in a big bowl and then scooped it out to serve. (I was pressed for time.) Not very impressive-looking. But wow! That is the best mousse I've ever had. Even after reading the comments here, I was taken by surprise. It really seems like nothing. Then it sets and... shazam! It is so easy, too. I threw it together in about ten minutes, using only the microwave and my mixer.

I want pretty much any one of the cookers featured in this thread. Just one. I'm not picky. And I'd like to have a back yard, so I could build an outdoor brick oven. Acquiring such a yard would be very expensive, given that my apartment is on the eighth floor.

I finally saw the Bonaparte's episode tonight. I've never seen a chef with less aptitude. He can't broil, sautee, or blend. He doesn't taste the food he cooks. His fridge is like some caricature of a freshman's dorm mini-fridge: empty, save for a few moldy mystery meats. I find it amazing that he was able to secure a position down the street at a real restaurant. I question whether he's capable of washing dishes at a real restaurant! Good entertainment, though. The scallop scene was priceless. And the lamb/pork trickery.

Here's the only prior thread I could find in which Knipschildt's chocolates are mentioned. One poster found them to be the only decent chocolates at the New York Chocolate Show.

On Saturday, I happened by this new shop on Brooklyn's Fifth Avenue, between St. Marks and Prospect Place. I had a chat with the owners, a couple who seem very nice, and who seem to have a commitment to good chocolate. They talked about trying to make their own chocolates, but after learning more about the field they decided to team up with a partner who has an established track record. They explored teaming up with Kee in Manhattan but eventually settled on Knipschildt Chocolatier out of Connecticut. I tried the classic truffles they were giving away and I thought they were very good. The shop promises to be another great addition to a street that continues to bloom with new life. Anybody know much about Knipschildt's chocolates?

I don't know the answer to Ben's question, but I didn't want it to get lost in the mix today on this thread. My guess is that you need a better thermometer, Ben. Cooking the mixture to the proper temperature might be the critical factor here.

I finally got around to reading Sifton's piece this weekend, and I thought the article was really a wasted opportunity. There's nothing wrong with brining pork chops (I always do), and there's nothing wrong with reducing a whole bottle of wine to make a sauce (I believe this is one of the tricks in the first cookbook Bittman did with Jean-George). But these steps to my mind are no substitute for making a sauce from stock. They are entirely admirable but entirely different techniques. Sifton says making veal stock is a laborious, weekend-consuming chore. Anyone familiar with the eGCI can tell you that this is not the case. By mere happenstance, I made veal stock just two weeks ago in the middle of the work week, and it was easy and quick, because making stock is easy and quick. Then, coincidentally, I made pork chops, and deglazed the pan with a little wine and some veal stock, and I bet the heavenly results I enjoyed were easier and quicker to make, and closer to Landmarc's dish, than Sifton's supposed "cheat." Couldn't Sifton have written an article which stated that Landmarc has this incredibly popular dish, and that the dish underscores how far you can go with just a few fundamentals? Don't be afraid of salt. Caramelize. And yes, make stock, which is easy to do. And then you too can have restaurant-quality food at home. Make veal stock for your pork chops, and drink that bottle of Pinot Noir! Edited to add: mods, if you want me to move this to a new thread, I will. I put it here because Sam posted about Sifton's article here.

Thanks everyone for your kind words about the savarin. I was very happy with the fact that I seemed to have done everything correctly-- it really looked impressive. And I don't want to knock it on the taste, either. It isn't too boozy, and the cinnamon, citrus peel and vanilla make for a sophisticated flavor profile. I did like it... but I think Dorie hit it on the head when she mentioned the texture. I didn't want to stop too soon on the syrup, so I kept patiently dabbing it on, and then at the end I found the soppy cake to be just not my kind of thing. And I wasn't sure I approved of how it paired with the chocolate. There is one grocery that carries fresh/cake yeast near me, by the way, and the yeast is often past its expiration date. So I don't always have access. When I can't get fresh/cake yeast, I go ahead and use SAF instant. In its unadulterated state, cake yeast has a much headier aroma than the dry stuff, but I've never been convinced it makes much difference in the taste of the final product. I think both Fleischmann's and SAF's web sites have conversion info for subbing in dry yeast for fresh. That sorbet looks really good, Elie, and so does the Grenobloise, albiston! I still don't have an ice cream machine, but I am getting one soon.

So I was reasonably happy with the Cinnamon Savarin au Rhum with the chocolate whipped cream. It came out looking nice. But I'm still mulling over how much I really go for these European-style dry cakes with sweet/alcoholic syrup. I really liked the results in the Pave, but here I'm just not sure it's my thing. There's nothing wrong with it, but I don't think I'll be making this cake again. The chocolate whipped cream is another matter. This stuff is really really good. Dorie advises that it whips up best when you place the bowl in an ice bath, and when I did that, I was able to whip the chocolate/cream in a matter of seconds, by hand, with a balloon whisk. It thickened right up. I'll consider using the chocolate whipped cream in the future in places where I might otherwise put a dollop of plain whipped cream. Seems like it could fit in lots of places.

I've decided I'm making the Cinnamon Savarin au Rhum (p. 26) on Sunday. My savarin mold is smaller than the one called for in the book, it turns out. So I'll put some of the batter into muffin cups and call them Babas.

Hey, your choices are obviously top places-- enjoy! I just wondered, since you obviously figured out the other great Brooklyn pizzerias, why you omitted Grimaldi's. If you managed to miss it while "growing up," you really should check it out some time. But if I were planning a trip to Brooklyn, the one I'd be sure to insist on is DiFara's (which of course is on your list), since who knows how much longer Dom will keep at it? And you know that place will be different once he's no longer making every pie.

Sorry I've been absent from this thread, although it continues on quite well without me! I'll be making something this weekend. Mousse, macarons, I dunno. I've never been a big fan of macarons, but the pictures posted here look so impressive I may give them a try.

That stuff is da bomb! It's much thicker and richer than the coconut milk from the can. I'll sometimes buy it in the afternoon and let it defrost in my bag on the way home. Edit: and Pan's right, there are a couple shops on (or just off) Bayard that have much of the same stuff as the Mosco street store, and cheaper. But the Mosco Street shop is friendlier and much easier for the neophyte to navigate.