huiray

Eating through Sunday... I made a big pot of chicken broth from pastured chicken frames. Had multiple bowls of the broth just as-is (with or without a bit more salt added in) or with nothing more than chopped scallions in it. Pic of just one of the bowls I had: Very satisfying to just sip and drink hot broth like this, again and again. Fresh fettucine w/ Hazan-style tomato sauce & grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Salad of red oak leaf and red curly leaf lettuces w/ parsley leaflets & de-skinned simply cooked Russian Banana fingerlings; dressed w/ Alziari EV olive oil, balsamic vinegar, black pepper, Maldon salt. I had several helpings of this (from a big bowl of it) over a period. Various cheeses & semolina bread plus this-and-that at various times. Host's note: this topic is continued in Dinner 2015 (Part 6)

Aren't those Pok Pok Wings more Vietnamese anyway, courtesy of Ike, his collaborating chef, where they tried to reproduce what they had on the streets of Saigon? It's not hard to make these (cánh gà chiên nước mắm), and there are many variations where almost every cook in South Vietnam has his or her own version. :-) I've posted a couple of renditions of them here on eG in the dinner threads. ETA: It might also be of interest to remind ourselves that Andy Rickert has said (there is an old NYT article on this) that he carefully selects ("curates"?) what he offers to the USAmerican public, where he by-and-large has avoided dishes that use seasonings - pungent ones, e.g. fermented shrimp paste, but there are others; or ingredients like offal - that offend the general USAmerican dining public. No doubt eGulleteers would embrace all of those ingredients but he has said that one key to his success in the USA has been avoiding that stuff on the whole, even if he takes care in the (relative) "authenticity" of the dishes he does offer. ETA2: Those wings really should be called "Ike's Wings", anyway, rather than "Pok Pok Wings", or "Andy Rickerts' Wings"

Arey, heh. I haul out fossilized carrots from the back of my fridge and decomposing veggies from the bottom of my crisper (or elsewhere) of my fridge from time to time. The shops at Central Square in Linwood look nice. I used to go past that Square on my way down to Waldor at the end of Poplar, and can vaguely remember when that spot wasn't yet "modernized" into Central Square. :-) Ivins Spiced Wafers - interesting, I had not known of these before. Hmm, I haven't had stuff like this for a while now. I used to get gifts of German cookies and stuff from a friend - which included Lebkuchen of various sorts, Spekulatius, and so on; some made by her, some from Heidelberg &etc. I guess the carbonnade depicted was a previously-made one – hope you have the desired dish next week as planned!

kayb, sorry to hear about your illness. I trust you are better. In the Indy area, we are gearing up for the transition over to the Winter Farmers' Markets. The "Indy Winter Farmers' Market" and the "Carmel Winter Farmers' Market" will both be starting up soon, both in indoor covered spaces. In effect quite a few of the vendors will be sailing right from one market to the other, while some others will take a break for the winter. There is actual produce that is grown for sale during these winter markets (greenhouses, hydroponic houses, glass/polymer hoop houses, etc) and some very nice fresh stuff will be coming out in due course (especially like in Jan/Feb of next year) from time to time, such as (my favorite) winter spinach which is much squatter, stouter, thicker-leafed and sweeter than the lanky stuff of spring and summer. Wonderful for simply blanching and drizzling with a sauce of one's choice (simple oyster sauce + black pepper will do the trick) Some produce will be offered from stocks stored from the main growing season (e.g. carrots, root vegetables, apples, beets, etc) and which will decline in quality of course as the winter goes on. Meats and eggs will be offered "fresh" through the winter --- and if a particular period is very cold eggs will be unavailable (just. too. cold. for the hens to lay anything!!) until a warmer period comes again. And so on.

Today at BRFM. Details here.

Thurs 2015-1022 / Sat 2015-1024 Rene’s Bakery: A slice of “Bête Noire” (flourless chocolate “cake” – pie, really) (I love this – one of the most intense chocolate desserts around these parts); a slice of a pecan/nuts pie; a “tier” of carrot cake (normally meant to be cut and used as a layer in the actual cream-layered carrot cake they would assemble). Broad Ripple Farmers’ Market: Large head of napa cabbage, 2 anise bulbs, loose small broccoli heads/florets, 2 bunches young daikon, 2 bunches baby carrots, fresh shiitake mushrooms, lots of smallish sweet yellow onions, pastured/free-range chicken frames (for stock). Goose the Market: Bone-in Berkshire pork loin [from Angela Jollie’s farm], Prosciutto Rossa [La Quercia](cured Berkshire pork ham), Everton cheese (has a Chinese lap cheong taste note!), Raclette [Emmi Roth] cheese. Amelia’s bakery: (The separate shop for the bakery finally opened recently, right next to Bluebeard) Half a loaf of semolina bread, fresh fettucine [Bettini Pasta]

You mean this pig, of course. Yes, they have nice stuff. :-) Did you see the acorn-fed Berkshire cured ham legs (limited supply!) they offer? :-D Just a BTW for those who just maybe might have let it slip their minds...Black Berkshire pigs/pork would be equivalent to Kurobuta pigs/pork. The "pure Oriental strains of Black Berkshire" in Japan is regarded by some as the highest quality pork one can get there.

Lunch at Taste of Havana today. Enchilado de Camarones "platter", over rice. Fried sweet plantain slices on top. Toasted bread alongside. (Friday special) Crunchy & fresh shrimp, perfectly cooked. Sauce OK, wouldn't hurt to be slightly spicier. Rice in the typical slightly "al dente" style. Guava pastelito; and a Cafecito (Cuban espresso shot). Not too sweet, fruit filling does taste of guava; pastry decently flaky. Coffee quite enjoyable, good coffee kick; already slightly sweetened as is customary with Cuban coffee. Sign besides the cashier counter. Shot of the outside. Location on Google maps. I've reported before on a Cubano and meat pastelitos I've had from them – here and here (scroll down).

If you would like CURED Berkshire pork, one that I enjoy and get from a local place (a charcuterie/enoteca/butcher, which carries it off-and-on) is "Prosciutto Rossa" put out by La Quercia (this one). They get their Berkshire pork from "selected farmers" from this group.

Crepes, thank you. This batch was made with Dunar Elonga basmati rice (this one). I do it the usual way I do it on the stove top. The rice is washed first till the rinsing water runs essentially clear. (The 1st wash is done by adding just enough water so that the rice can be lightly "ground" with my hand made into a fist, before the first "rinse" - running water in from the tap with agitation then decanting the water off from the rice in the pot. The "grinding" is rarely repeated. Two more rinse-and-decants is then usually sufficient.) Enough water (usually about 1 1/2 volumes of water to the wet/just-drained rice measured at 1 volume when dry for basmati) (or I use the "palm depth" method sometimes, plus just a splash more maybe) (depending on experience with the particular brand) is then added and the pot with the rice & water is heated on medium flame till the water just drops below the surface of the (expanding) rice, the cover then put on and "rotated" after a bit of a head of steam has built up after maybe 30 sec to a minute (to create a tighter "seal") and the fire turned down to the lowest setting for about 15 minutes (I sometimes forget, darn) before being shut off. I leave the pot untouched for at least 5 minutes after that (often longer) before taking the lid off and fluffing with the back of a rice serving ladle (or a spoon or a fork) while letting the steam escape. I have to say though that I almost always use the same pot for making rice that I've had and used for 30-plus years. I cook basmati rice much of the time, jasmine and other rices less often. The basmati rices I currently have: Dunar Elonga (as above), Z Reserve (this one), Zebra (this one), Daawat Super (this one) brands; at other times I may have Tilda, Royal, or other ones around. Of the six I specifically mentioned I find Daawat and Zebra probably less compatible with E Asian dishes of the sort I make, although they would be as good as or better with spicy ("curry-type") S/SE Asian dishes. (For the sake of completion I also have: Shirakiku Keisenmai Premium Hitomebore (Californian) (this one), "Four Horses" (sic) Thai Hom Mali, Tilda Sona Masoori (this one), Bineshii wild rice (this one). (Plus also some unknown (bulk) "brown basmati rice" somewhere in the cupboard, I think). I'm out of the more usual Thai hom mali I buy.

Beef short ribs** browned (rice bran oil) then braised (stovetop) w/ garlic, red onion, shallots, cracked black peppercorns, fresh bay leaves, sea salt, bulb fennel, water. Eaten w/ white rice. ** with membranes/connective layers left on; simmered till everything was tender. Some of the stuff. Earlier: Sautéed broccoli & cauliflower. Carrot cake.

Fedelini with andouille sausage & stuff. EV olive oil, sliced-up andouille sausage, chopped smashed garlic, sliced shallots, hot red chile flakes, trimmed brussels sprouts, de-skinned sliced Pink Beauty tomatoes, dried thyme & oregano, sea salt, chopped de-stringed celery, just-cooked fedelini, chopped parsley, toss in pan on heat.

Unless I'm missing it ... looks like dim-sum and/or "traditional" Chinese food (whatever regionality) is no longer on the list? I recall you were keen on dim-sum at the beginning, that's all.

Eater article on how the no-tipping scenario will work (at least for Danny Meyer's restaurant group). Treat it as you wish.

They did. It was called Top Chef All Stars. :-) Apart from that season, they've also had 4 cheftestants who competed twice in past seasons: Chris "CJ" Jacobsen (S3 & S10) Josie Smith-Malave (S2 & S10) Stefan Richter (S5 & S10) Stephanie Cmar (S10 & S11) List of all competitors through S12.

Breakfast at Love Handle, newly opened in Indy by a returning Hoosier & his wife. Very nice meal. What I had... Smoked beef tongue, head cheese egg yolk & toast. Scrumptious, a really nice combo. The still-gooey-inside egg yolk was encased in nicely savory head cheese in individual teeny pots and were served slightly cool. This contrasted well with the warm grilled slices of beef tongue. Matched with toast w/ a slightly sweetish coating (?syrup?) plus the butter. The tongue was very nice - soft and almost buttery on the inside while the outer layer retained a nice textured but tender chomp. Got a big chunk of tongue afterwards which came home with me. :-) I learned that the tongue was just corned then smoked - but they did it very well, I think. Whey-fed tesa, with tiny cubes of pickled beet & slices of pickled turnip; accompanied by toast points & an aoili. Another yum. Tesa is similar to prosciutto but is made from pig belly rather than the hind (or ham). I also had some of their stewed greens in a sour-ish broth with some toasted pork belly chunks & pickled jalapeño slices in it as well. Oh, plus a mug of coffee. :-) Location on Google maps.

Soup. Tender amaranth (see here; scroll down) & unpeeled straw mushrooms (canned) in chicken broth w/ dried shrimp & garlic. Bitter gourd stir-fried w/ garlic, pork & black beans.¶ White rice. ¶ Plus some oyster sauce, a dash of sesame oil, some thick black soy sauce + light soy sauce, ground white pepper, some jozo mirin. Ingredients.

Heh. I've seen "palette" used instead of "palate" so often all over the place (even on eG) that it's really funny to see the error inverted for once! I suppose, though, one could argue that leaving "palate" in there is sort-of evocative of how we will be engaged by the end result of all those recipes that Rob will be revealing to us, as a sly play on words? But I agree, it really should be "palette" in that sentence. :-) Congratulations, Rob.

Aha! Thanks, heidih & Pierogi. I just picked this up from my emailbox : http://www.eater.com/2015/10/19/9568451/top-chef-announces-season-13-road-trip Grayson Schmitz (from Season 9) is re-competing. Here's the list, copied from the eater.com article: Karen Akunowicz, Boston Angelina Bastidas, Miami Carl Dooley, Boston Garret Flemming, Washington, D.C. Jeremy Ford, Miami Renee Kelly, Shawnee Mission, KS Phillip Frankland Lee, Los Angeles Marjorie Meek-Bradley,Washington, D.C. Kwame Onwuachi, Washington, D.C. Amar Santana, Orange County, CA Grayson Schmitz, New York City Jason Stratton, Seattle Frances Tariga-Weshnak, New York City Isaac Toups, New Orleans Wesley True, Atlanta Giselle Wellman, Los Angeles Chad White, San Diego, CA & Tijuana, Mexico .. The companion piece to the one Pierogi sent on was posted to Bravo this afternoon, which also has some blurb from them. http://www.bravotv.com/the-daily-dish/top-chef-season-13-chrissy-teigen-mc-hammer and the chef bios are now also up on the bravotv site.

Like this? :-)

Very fresh Chinese chives don't have that intense a smell, yes. leaving them around for a while especially if the tissues are hurt (release of alliinase, presumably, and promotion of enzymatic transformation of the sulphur-containing precursors to the volatile components) results in stronger and stronger odors. Try leaving a bundle of them around, even in your fridge for a week...and noting what your fridge smells like when you open the fridge door... :-) ;-)

I used various variations of this, some more fancy than others, during my decades in the lab - often for spraying visualization agents onto TLC plates. Some fancy versions were like these, where one connected it to the lab (pressurized) air supply. Others were hand-crafted by the in-house glass shop of the company I worked in.** Often they comprised an "escape hole" for the air in the barrel of the "tube" surrounding the tube dipping into the liquid - one closed off the hole with one's finger/thumb to activate the Venturi effect by directing the air flow to project outwards from the tip of the tube drawing up the liquid to be sprayed. ** which also made my custom 7-port 6-footer vacuum double manifolds for me. :-)

http://www.duall.com/store/product/116943.116966/mouth-atomizer.html?gclid=CK3rvv_LzMgCFUc7gQodbo8EWA

Agree. pastryani, please confirm that when the two pieces are at 90 degrees the larger tube (with the wooden bit at one end) sits just against the rim of the top of the smaller tube (i.e. does not "overlap" the top of the smaller tube).

I read eater for general stuff and for odds and ends, often useful "in a general sense" or for alerting me to some stuff. As others have pointed out, their accuracy and thoroughness can vary greatly, so I read accordingly. They also sometimes make sweeping generalizations and use misleading headers or titles etc (which fall into clickbait territory), and I've sometimes posted comments that dispute this or other of their assertions. So – I read it with caution; but as I mentioned, they can be useful in a general sense. Their Top Chef coverage is actually pretty good, at least in the past, but that is a somewhat more specialized area of their coverage. :-) Have you read the food sections of The Gothamist?