Deryn

If you have a cast iron grill pan, you may find the results more to your liking - and don't use oil at all. If I were searing off a pre-SV'd steak in a pan (other than a grill pan) I would use a heavy stainless (not non-stick) or plain, well seasoned cast iron, and perhaps a bit of butter at the end to finish it.

Tony - Welcome to eGullet and to our FD thread. What a great first post! Thank you so much for doing all that temperature/cycle work. I have been trying to figure out how I could put a thermometer inside and still be able to see it to read the temps at various points throughout the process. All I had been able to find out till now is that the heat should come on at ~500 mtorr and go off again at ~600 mtorr, at which point the pressure increases, the mtorr drops till it again goes below 500 etc. I was also told that the temp would go up and down from -50 to -5F during the cycling till the end when it will slowly rise to +50F. I had no real 'confirmation' of what exactly was happening. I am not sure what you saw was what I understood either but thank you for your work.

Shel - you are talking about a $5 item probably available at any Walmart, grocery store that sells canning supplies (jars, etc.) or even hardware store. 'High quality' is relative. Just get one with a silicon dip (which will grip a ramekin better perhaps than just a bare metal one). You are better off going in person to browse for one so you can see 'the quality' rather than trying to figure that out on the web. And I doubt there are 'brand name' ones people will recommend - though I guess you could check Williams-Sonoma or Sur la Table to see if you can find some from Europe, finely crafted for $40 which might work just as well as the $5 ones. Otherwise, you can pretty well count on the one you buy being made in China and being 'cheap'.

Thanks, djyee - for the rundown on the Jackson series. I had hoped they were at least true to Greek culture if they even mentioned food. Too bad they are way too dumbed down and Americanized. Sorry, gfron. I would now agree with djyee about forgetting those unless you can turn the ideas around by asking the kids to 'critique' the book's food references and teach them what should have/could have been on the magic menu - i.e. Greek food for a Grecian themed book.

Tri2cook - Would it be possible (if they come to your establishment on a regular basis) to perhaps ask them to order in advance of arrival/the day? They are probably very familiar with the menu but if they can't recall it maybe you could email them a copy or provide a photocopied one to whoever might be designated the group's leader? I have definitely heard of the Red Hat Society - just didn't realize there were still 'chapters' in existence. The food looks wonderful, Anna - do hope it lived up to how nice it looks in your pictures. And thanks for including Kira - my how she has grown! What a lovely young lady.

Darn, Franci. I am sorry that one didn't work out for you.

gfron - if you are going to look into the Percy Jackson idea, you may want to have a look at this 'teacher's guide to' site for them: http://www.rickriordan.com/my-books/percy-jackson/resources/teachers-guide.aspx I think these books etc. are probably right for the age range you mentioned too.

Very appetizing meals, Smithy! You have me drooling and not only with these latest dinner delights - that sunset picture was the kicker. Thank you for that 'dessert' from near the desert.

How about a birthday dessert pizza? Shortbread crust (either regular or chocolate) baked (ahead of the party/day) on a pizza pan (pressed in is fine) and decorated with whatever the kids like (heck, you can let them decorate their own) - fresh fruits work well (berries and kiwi are especially good), coconut, or candy (if you must) and then drizzle the top with caramel and/or white or chocolate chocolate, cut in wedges and eat. Even adults love this. I did it as a demo for a bunch of seniors a while back and it was their favorite thing in the whole series of demos.

Haven't seen them (or read the series) because I don't have young kids any more, but, do any of the Percy Jackson and the Olympian books/films (maybe Lightning Thief) have any food references in them that would be useable maybe? Maybe someone who is a parent could comment? AlaMoi - those are merely Medusas - classic Greek mythology!

How about cake pops, Franci? Reasonably fast and easy to make, easy to decorate (just dip them in melted chocolate/fake chocolate and then in various pretty coloured sugars or other decorating bits), limited in size so the kids won't eat too much cake, easy to serve and clean up after, etc., etc. Don't bother to make the intricately decorated ones. I tried those and they can look awful unless you want to spend days on each one (don't ask me how I know!). But, if you haven't already used cake pops before, they might work for at least one birthday year anyway. Failing that, cupcakes with pretty sprinkles on top or paper flags on sticks - perhaps on some kind of interesting stand or serving platter. When my kids were small, I made them each very special cakes for their birthdays, based on what their particular interests were, the party theme, or what was appropriate for their age. I spent days playing with stuff like that - only to have it not really admired by the recipients and they were demolished in seconds. At one point I even went so far as to buy a new printer, send for edible icing sheets and design/print out pictures to put on the cakes. I made log cabin cakes, princess cakes, sand castle and under the sea cakes, hockey themed cakes, you name it and I had fun doing them (which is a good thing because honestly, the kids didn't much care). But, the upshot was I really was only doing it for ME. Since you don't particularly care to fiddle with that sort of thing, I suggest you use the KISS principle. I think the links you showed, particularly the one that used the corn flakes to make a tree, are wonderful. I would go with that sort of thing if I were you. Make a 'picture' that suits/illustrates the particular birthday child's interests on top of a simple butter-cream iced cake. Good luck.

Shel - I just did a search on TJ's pie crusts. Is this what you are using? http://www.blogher.com/storebought-pie-dough-showdown-do-any-compare-homemade?page=0,2 I still can't figure out how to just show the pic from that site (dl'd it to my computer but can't get it to post so I linked to the entire small review). You may want to read what this lady says anyway (about finding them crumbly and a bit too sweet for a savoury pie). She also has several other links though to other sites where people claim they like these. I would say though, if you are concerned about using a frozen pie crust, you may want to open the box and try it before a big dinner event. They are not a super expensive ingredient but yes, they can make or break your presentation (if not the whole dish) if they crumble too much. The crumbling may be only because they were frozen too long - don't know - but it may also be a recipe flaw. Really not much you can do to rescue a pre-made crust if crumbling does happen - other than just telling people it was meant to be 'really rustic' or 'deconstructed'. If your pastry is folded, you will have to thaw it completely so you can roll or press the fold lines to be sure they are secure and/or don't cause holes in the base. If it is not folded, you should not have to do anything other than flop it out, fill and bake. For a galette, I would put the box in the fridge for an hour or two to begin thawing (though crust like this should not take long to do that), open the box, flop it out on your baking tray, dock it, put in the filling (don't go to the edges or you will have no sides to fold p), fold up the edges for the rustic look, brush the folded up edges with an egg wash if you want, and bake as directed till done. Your filling does not sound too wet so prebaking is not likely necessary - and in any case, if you prebake I am not sure how you will fold up the edges after the filling is in. If your trial shows that the edges brown too much, cover them with a few strips of foil for the first few minutes of baking. If you want the edges shiny, brush with an egg wash before baking. I am sorry I can't offer more because I never use pre-made crusts since whipping up a pie crust (particularly for a galette which is generally a rustic looking thing) is perhaps a 5 minute exercise requiring few ingredients, very little space and only one's hands to mix - and maybe a wine bottle to roll out if you don't have a rolling pin. If the frozen regular crust does not work, you may want to consider using frozen puff pastry (butter based if you can find it - TJs sometimes has it). If you use puff pastry, make sure you cut to size with a very sharp knife, straight down, so the edges will really puff up.

Welcome to eGullet, ciderthom.What, if I may ask, is your background that would lead you to start such a venture if you don't already have at least some recipes, haven't thoroughly already researched salt beef history and trenchers and the like, and don't already have at least some supplier contacts (or know people who do) in your region, etc.? Are you a cook/chef/caterer? Or a historian? A hotel owner? Or a venture capitalist? Or ? What particular expertise do you have - i.e. where are YOU coming from when looking at this 'idea'? Have you done market research that supports your concept in that particular area? How did you do that if you don't have catering industry contacts? What 'festivals' do you want to service? Are there enough of those to support such a venture? I don't mean to throw everything right back at you, but, you asked for an awful lot of information. What leads you do this if you don't know much or anything about every area you just asked about? Nothing wrong with asking for input at all - but I do hope you were not planning on starting this business soon (as in any time in the next year or two) because it sounds as though you may have a lot more research to do - and more importantly - networks of 'useful' people/organizations to establish in that local area, before you can get it off the ground. If this is not the case, perhaps you could narrow down your questions a bit? It sounds like a wonderful idea - and delicious - but is it viable as a business and at what cost? Are you the right person to initiate it? These are all questions you may need to ask yourself.

How about a 4 oz. port wine glass? http://www.restockit.com/port-4oz-wine-glass-(09-1247).html May not be crystal but if you are going to use them in the restaurant, you may not want super expensive glasses anyway.

The really sad thing is that most of those New Yorkers eat out 7 days a week and don't have a clue how to cook that kale anyway. (I am related to at least one 'hipster' in NYC who might well have been in those lines - if she hadn't already called for pizza and Chinese delivery.) Thanks, Kim. Yes, those lineups and quips were funny. Had already seen them on the 'prepper' board I read - they were laughing too.

This is a 5 year old thread, wanda. Unfortunately Fat Guy is no longer even with us so he will be unable to answer. However, to address your question, it could be there was a recipe change made at some time in the past 5 years in the Thomas muffin factory to include soy (for higher protein content). Seems to me that they began advertising their English muffins a while back as 'healthier' and higher in protein than others - though I don't really recall when that was. As a result, they probably would not qualify now as low iodine - but, if I were you, I would ask a doctor if they would or could/have been tested lately.

Hello and welcome to the forum, Rett. 1) No, you don't have to freeze everything before putting it in the freeze-drier but if you can it will probably do its job faster. 2) No reason why you can't do that as far as I know. You don't really even have to remove them from the wrapper but you will have to make a slit so the vapor can escape. You should remove the box though if they are in a box. And remember the height issues with drying anything in a HR drier - 1/2" works best. You can do a bit thicker but it will take longer. In the HR drier, the tray slots on the holder are a bit limiting as there are sensors/heaters on the underside and they are only about 2 inches apart. 3) I haven't done raw eggs myself however I believe I read that it is best to scramble them before FD'ing.

This butcher shop claims to make their own guanciale - could this be the one? I don't know what theirs tastes or looks like, or if they even sell to places in NYC, but perhaps the name is familiar? http://nadolskisbutchershop.com/instore.html http://nadolskisbutchershop.com/contact.html There is also Jowciale from Surry Farms which I believe is made in Virginia. Seems Heritage Foods board includes ... Mario Batali ... so I am not surprised they have switched brands.

Perhaps if you think people will be so repelled by your flan that they will leave the dinner table without eating it, you might want to reduce the number of seeds you put in each custard so they are not so noticeable? Or maybe add the vanilla seeds to the caramel (where, if they congregate in a particular spot, you could fix that problem by moving them around with tweezers into a pleasing arrangement) and use just a bit of vanilla extract in the flan. I just looked at the picture you posted of the flan you made (on your 3rd front page thread about this technique/flan) - and I really have absolutely no idea what you are calling 'ugly and unpleasant'. Looks fine to me. I would put away the magnifying glass if I were you. I would personally not bother to try to thicken anything like that merely to distribute the seeds in the way you suggest you would like to (so I cannot tell you how to thicken your custard to make it work - and that might create a whole host of other problems and concerns for you anyway) - but, the general principle that Lia outlined is correct - if a mixture is thicker small items within that mixture will generally suspend better within it. In the case of fruitcakes, one also coats heavier things like raisins and fruit in a bit of flour so they won't cling to each other and will 'float' better.

Or you could unmold the custard and the caviar would be at the top? Seriously though, Lia is right.

The more fat in the milk, the thicker the sauce will be in my experience. I generally vary the liquid amount to get the thickness I want though, not the flour - but then I don't use a recipe either.

The colour is beautiful - and so different. Valentine's Day is coming - would be a great starter. Also appropriate for Easter.

I was always a 'raisinette' fan at the movie theatre when I was a kid - and my mother always bought us a pack when we had had a particularly 'un-fun' doctor visit (i.e. for shots). Yours however are 'gourmet' chocolate-covered raisins - and I am sure they are at least a 100 times more delicious than those commercial ones ever were! Yum!

I would love to do that, Dave, but unless I move the stovetop under the window or am prepared to walk quite a distance to use it, that is unlikely to happen in this house. I could use a recirculating hood I suppose but I regard those as mostly useless so probably won't go that route. Thank you for your comments though - I will need to keep that in mind. gfweb - Sorry, I don't know the answer to your question (and sorry if I diverted attention from it - I hope someone will address it soon).