Popcorn

So it looks like I'm responsible for christmas cookie baking for the office. One of our members is a displaced bostonian who keeps talking about the "italian cookies" she used to get at various and sundry bakeries in Boston. She couldn't get more specific other than to say that they weren't biscotti, and some of them had pine nuts in them. I've checked around a couple of my cookbooks but to no avail, anyone have suggestions as to what types of cookies she might be talking about, and a recipe resource (if possible)? thanks ben

Hi Arthur, Your soup cookbook was the first cook book I owned/cooked from. I think by now I've tried most of the soups and they're nearly all excellent. (Iota is a particular favorite, and is in heavy meal rotation around this time of year) So if you were writing a sequel, what new soups would be included? Any new especially delicious sides? Ben

from my attempts at winning free t-shirts and or free meals based on eating disgusting amounts of food... drink a lot of water a couple of hours beforehand - you'll be able to free up space as needed. slouch. really. slump forward a little bit. I swear it makes being full more comfortable (or more accurately, sitting ramrod straight makes being full less comfortable).

Thanks all, So what I'm hearing is, stay away from the steak and go for the grilled veggies? right. well, now that I've looked at the menu online (thanks G.G., I didn't even think about it) I have a few more specific questions: So I know (or have heard) to avoid the filet in all it's forms. I'm looking at the T-Bone or the New York Strip. What's the difference? Should the non-beef entrees be avoided? I'm not asking you all to pick my meal, rather whether the steak at A.B. is enough better than steak elsewhere that I need to try it, instead of going with the lamb chops, because I can cook some pretty mean lamb chops on my own? I notice they have fries. should I look forward to being wowed? or should I look forward to something else? and Al Dente, does this mean they'll *actually* cook it rare for me? excitement!

Hi All, anyone have advice for getting the most out of the Angus Barn, or a steakhouse in general? We're taking friends there to celebrate their engagement, and I've never been... Are there particular things worth ordering or staying away from? I've heard good things about their pickles. Thanks, Ben

THANK YOU. Now can you tell me where this place is so I can take my German relatives there and convince them to stop harrassing me about not using a spoon? I know how to twirl my pasta right, damnit. There was a great essay by I think John Thorne about the class politics of methods for eating pasta. Something along the lines of (it was a while ago that I read this) originally only the very wealthy could afford pasta, so eating it was a sign of refinement, and was done with the bare hands. When flour, and thus pasta, became more available - the wealthy began eating it with forks and spoons, and looking down on those who used their hands. later this was repeated with the transition from forks and spoons to merely twirling forks. And though I use only a fork to eat my pasta usually, I will break out a spoon if I know I can thusly offend someone. And on the off chance that they correct me, I loudly proclaim in my worst faux upperclass british accent "Mummy, raise the drawbridge! the commoners are approaching!" Ben

Whichever one was more passionate about burger joints.

How is a slab of graham cracker different than, say... a graham cracker? You may have covered this already, but how hot is the bag coming out?

Depends on when you go. If you get there at noon, there'll be a really long line. I usually aim to get there either when they open at 11 (for a very hearty breakfast) or after 1. Even with the line, it's not too bad. I wouldn't recommend the burger if you're in a hurry. They'll cook it from scratch and takes a little while.

Yeah, I knew crumble was the wrong word. Here's another try, The truffles I'm dreaming about... after you bite into them, there's a long pause where they've retained their shape before the warmth of your mouth engages the truffle's smoothness and unctuousness.

Okay, made the truffles this weekend. They turned out great! I used Steve KLC's method for incorporating the chocolate and cream, which was a little tricky without a third hand but worth it nonetheless. The texture was very close to what I was looking for, firm even while sitting out (cool room temperature), though I would have liked them to have a slight crumble (I think, I'm struggling with a description of this) when first bitten into. If I wanted to add some kinda alcohol, is there a particular time I should do it? Are there changes I need to make to the base recipe? thanks again, my wife is very happy because of y'all

Steve, Do I pour all the chocolate into the cream before beginning to whisk, or do I begin to whisk as I'm pouring the chocolate?

Yeah, I realize. Sorry I wasn't more clear, I meant that I'll take out the butter, which could be messing with the 2:1 proportions. Sinclair: I'll definitely try your method for incorporating the cream. I've whisked in the past so am looking forward to trying this. I re-checked the recipe I'm using and it in no way specifies % for the chocolate. What kind of a difference should I expect between the 71% and 61%? (or other %'s) Either way, thanks everyone, I'm very looking forward to trying out some of these suggestions this weekend.

Last time I did it I used valhrona. In the past I have used callebut as well. I don't know the percent for sure (nor do I really know what percent means wrt chocolate) but for some reason I'm thinking it was 71%, if that makes sense for a very dark chocolate. Is there a type/percent I should be looking for?

McKay, I heat the cream and pour it over the chocolate, the same way (it sounds) you do. I then let it chill in the fridge overnight before preparing and rolling the truffles in cocoa. I'll try the 2/1 ratio this weekend. Jon, creme fraiche sounds like an excellent ingredient. Do you add anything else (other than chocolate) to balance the flavor? I can get a moderately good creme fraiche here, at least as good as the heavy cream I can find. thanks again

Okay, so I used to make truffles all the time, until I lost my recipe (which had been my great grandfather's, who was a chocolate maker in Baltimore in the 1800's). I've searched high and low for a replacement recipe but they all seem either overly complicated -for me- or they don't turn out a decent product. The truffle I made had few ingredients, bittersweet chocolate, cream, I *think* a little butter, and that's about it. They were then rolled in cocoa powder. That's about it, but somehow they retained a toothsomeness, a solidity that lasted until you bit into one. I would store them in the fridge, but if I left them out for a few hours they wouldn't melt, or change shape or anything. The most recent recipe someone gave me that looked promising called for 1 lb of chocolate, 1 Cup of cream, and a tablespoon of butter. The ganache was... gooshy, kind of melty and unless you took them directly out of the fridge and ate them they would sort of collapse on your hand. I tried remelting the ganache and adding more chocolate, but that didn't seem to do the trick. Any suggestions? help? please? (and please don't suggest I temper chocolate and dip them. I'm not nearly talented enough to do that) Thanks

one more for Utz crab chips.

We always have tons of greens on hand owing to our large and demanding house rabbit. We eat a lot of kale (Dinosaur Kale being my favorite, followed by black Kale) and mustard greens. I'm also a fan of Lettuce soup, but by far my favorite green is the top, tender shoots of the stinging nettle, boiled for a couple of minutes to denature the stinging aspect of the plant, then topped with a little butter and vinegar. They have a rich, almost meaty flavor, and aren't bitter at all if you only take the small leaves.

Sure... bear with me, I've never written out a recipe before, let's see, 1 largish green cabbage Stuffing: 1/2-1 lb of meat (I use the chile rubbed smoked beef brisket from Q-shack in Durham, ymmv) 1/3 C of pine nuts, toasted. 1/4 C Pecorino Romano 1/3 C torn up pieces of bread 1/3 C capers 1/4 C chopped raisins, which are of course optional as much good olive oil as you can bring yourself to put in, I usually do about 4 T a few breadcrumbs might need to be added, but keep the mixture relatively loose Your favorite Tomato sauce (not Puttanesca or arrabiata), enriched with a little heavy cream Usually I make the stuffing mixture up ahead of time. I shred the meat with my fingers, not too fine and not too regular. Mix in the other stuffing ingredients one at a time, it should be fairly dry until you add the olive oil, and I like to add enough oil to make it loose, and because I love olive oil. I prepare the cabbage by boiling it, periodically stripping the outer leaves as they soften enough for stuffing. I use all the leaves, not just the outer ones. Stuff each leaf with a tablespoon or two of stuffing and roll up (like a packet, not like a tortilla) Put a thin layer of sauce in a dutch oven, followed by a loosely packed layer of cabbage packets, sauce, a little pecorino, cabbage packets, until you use them up. I (because this is not something I make TOO often) drizzle a little heavy cream over the top of the whole thing before putting it in a slow oven for 1 1/2 hours. Of course this is just an approximation, I have done it stovetop exclusively, I have done it starting on the stove and ending in the oven... Ben

One of my favorite things to make right now is cabbage leaves stuffed with a mixture of smoked beef brisket, raisins, pine nuts, capers, and a little pecorino. slowly braised in tomato sauce. But I'm a sucker for anything barbecue... I actually like (gasp!) pork barbecue pizza (and barbecued bluefish pizza for that matter).

I've had two standout banana puddings that I can think of. When I first moved to NC my new boss decided I needed to be educated culinarily. So the second weekend I was here he drove me out to Lexington to try 'cue. (after having Allen & Son's, Lexington is now a disappointment for me). He picked up an extra couple of pounds and made Brunswick stew for lunches the next week. Following this his wife made banana pudding for him to bring me. (Oh so lucky was I) It was excellent. She hadn't done the meringue thing, substituting lightly sweetened whipped cream because according to her meringue is the wintertime topping for b.p., and because she was worried that the meringue would get a little leathery after sitting in the fridge for a day or two. The second was at Allen & Son's. They usually have excellent b.p., but a few months ago I had some of a new batch, so the pudding was a little cool and the meringue was still warm... nirvana. My feelings are, the wafers need to still have a little tooth to them. Ideally so do the bananas. And the trick with the pudding is to give it some thickness without it getting gluey. My trick to homemade banana pudding is to ask my wife really nicely to make it, and I frequently make a pathetic attempt to justify it as a "healthy fruit" dessert.

I suspect it has something to do with the fact that they've hired black, white, and hispanic workers. Plus it's across the street from La Villita. Either way I'm happy about it. But more than that I'm happy with the Q-shack. Went there again this weekend and tried their devilled eggs. Not that I'm a devilled egg person, I'm just happy they're on the menu. Also tried their surprisingly good burger. I'm going to get wicked fat on this food. Ben

Hey Varmint, You really ought to try Q Shack up in Durham some time. I'm an Allen & Son's fan, but if you want a break from the Carolina style, you can get texas style beef brisket from Q Shack and I can promise you it will change your life. Very different experience. Q Shack has taken over from Pan pan the "most likely to see white, black, hispanic diners at the same time" award. It's a little more gentrified than Allen & Son's, but there are also way fewer foodies there (or at least were when I went). Ben

Yeah, and at least half the time I go there they're buy one get one free. However the lard from Nahunta is of a surprisingly bad quality. I've tried using it for pie crusts among other things and it's very... assertive. Ben

Nancy, Looks like a good site. Do you have a preference when it comes to the multitude of peach varieties they offer? And can I say how jealous I am of California fruit? I expected North Carolina to be good, or at least better than Ohio, boy was I ever wrong. thanks, Ben