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AlaMoi

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Posts posted by AlaMoi

    Eggs in stuffing/dressing?

    in Cooking

    Posted · Edited by AlaMoi (log)

    I'm a smidge confused . . . "eggs in stuffing" in my childhood-family-realm meant chopped-hard-boiled-bits mixed in with the stale bread / et.al. stuff.

     

    my fav is Pepperidge Farm - with diced onion + celery + mushroom added - using a not-specified stick/115g butter melted in the (usually) chicken broth liquid add.

    it is pretty 'sticky' - not sure how an egg binder would help....

    • Like 1

    Building a homemade pizza oven? Anyone done it?

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Checking Out at the Grocery Store

    in Food Traditions & Culture

    Posted

    bagging is a science perfected by experience and absence of "I don't give a rat's xss"  - and frankly imho the success of any bagger also depends on the sequence of how items are put on the belt.

    there's only so much they can do when you put 20 cans of vegetables on the belt after the potato chips have been scanned and bagged . . .

     

    one market here has a turntable bag holder - so the checker can check&bag in one fell swoop (almost...)

    another has - sometimes.... - checkers and baggers.  more frequently checkers no baggers.  the management moved all the peons - who actually make things work . . . - to part time.  so,,, count thee not on any specific level of service . . .  I have no beef with their reaction "You want me to come in for two hours and micro$$ to do what?"

     

    for self-scan . . . the sequence you shop and sequence you pull things out of the cart . . . drastically affects your success in getting home with 12 unbroken eggs....

    • Like 1

    Crab Cakes

    in Cooking

    Posted

    broiled or fried, either way they have to be flipped . . . so "binder" can be essentially same.

    what really makes a really bad crab cake is too much filler - it's a crab cake, not a bread crumb cake . . .

    • Like 1

    Crab Cakes

    in Cooking

    Posted

    arrrgh!

    been to the west coast. 

    done had dungeness crab.  made a point of it . . .

    on the plate, in a sourdough bowl . . .

    symps to the west coast crowd - but dungeness just ain't real crab.....

     

    panko will work as crumb -

    as would (staled) white/french/whole wheat . . .  bread .

    but me thinks the corn flake crumbs be one of the nuances of this recipe.

     

    then again, I'm pretty dang sure no one on the Delaware Bay side of the world used corn flake crumbs . . .

     

     

    Crab Cakes

    in Cooking

    Posted · Edited by AlaMoi (log)

    for decades I struggled to make crab cakes ala "my kid recollection"

    tried bazillions of "recipes" - and pretty much all of the mayo approach types failed "uber miserably"

    DW found a 3x5 car tucked in as a bookmark in a totally unrelated book, from her mother....

    it's working . . presented here with a few undocumented updates and 'tasty' extrapolations.

     

     

    1 lb / 450 g steamed and picked crab meat
    2 eggs - large
    1/4 c finely diced onion 35-40g
    1/4 c "crumbs"
     side notation, and highly recommended:  Corn Flake crumbs  20-25g(*)
    3 T / 39g mayo
    1 T / 15g yellow mustard
    light sprinkle of Old Bay for seasoning, approx. 1 teaspoon per pound, to taste.

     

    recommended:
    "blue claw" aka Callinectes sapidus; "lump" size, "Jumbo lump" not needed
    explicitly DIS-recommended - swimming/asian/south american = Portunus armatus formerly Portunus pelagicus.
    (sigh) this is the typical supermarket crab, pasteurized in cans .... it does not have the same taste as real blue claw crab;

    if you grew up with Delaware/Chesapeake Bay crab - you'll be sorely disappointed with the 'swimming crab'

    and I wasted a lot of $/fake crab can and time trying to replicate the 'real deal'

     

    technique:
    drain the crab meat.  depending on vendor/source, it will have more/less water content.
    put into an overly large bowl, cursory check for shell "oops."
    use a fork to break up any clumps of crab meat.

     

    sprinkle the diced onion/crumbs/Old Bay over the crab meat, use a spatulas or spurtle to fold and blend with the crab meat.
    "stirring" is not a good method - avoid breaking up the crab meat.

    in a smaller bowl, use a hand/electric whisk to combine / beat eggs + mayo + mustard
    a homogeneous mixture works best.

     

    spread the liquid mix over the crab and toss to coat and combine.
    the crab mix is "loose" - portion it out for 4 to 6 crab cakes, lightly hand squeeze to compact into patties.


    (*)  I crush extra corn flake crumbs 'just in case' more are needed to eliminate free liquids in the patty mix.

    (recommended) refrigerate the patties for at least two hours, so they "set up"


    tasty option adds:
     - diced pimento
     - capers
     - 0.5 tsp creamy horseradish to egg/mayo/mustard mix

     

    looks like:

    (+ pan steamed spinach + cornbread . . .)

     

    MHP_20231111.thumb.JPG.848381b5629a8c39dc94cb5054f68982.JPG

    • Like 2
    • Delicious 4

    100 year old stuffed dates

    in Food Traditions & Culture

    Posted · Edited by AlaMoi (log)

    oh, , , it's the recipe that is . . .

     

    my grandmother related making this "holiday treat" as a pre-teen - she was born in 1898 - "Christmas" was celebrated with slight differences to today . . .

     

    pitted medjool dates are recommended - due to size and shape.

     

    the recipe is incredible difficult and time consuming . . . NOT!

     

    roasted salted/unsalted whole almonds

    as one stuffs, do check the pitted dates for those few that did not get pitted, and more often,,,, a piece of the stem still attached.

     

    stuff the dates with an almond nut, drop into powdered sugar / toss to coat / store in bowl of powdered sugar . . .

     

    here's the remainder of the thousand words:

    IMG_3151.thumb.JPG.a485b65ff999439b11fe1c5ebcfad668.JPG

     

    • Like 3
    • Delicious 1

    Is there actually any European influence in American BBQ?

    in Food Traditions & Culture

    Posted

    yes.  indeed.  always an interesting bit of wtf? for those interested in  . . .

     

    Asia is 50% of the world population, , , one cannot 'dismiss' the habits and accepted definitions applied to their experiences.

    I suspect that the usual USA BBQ method require far more fuel than Asians use (by choice or by need. . . )

     

    whether Asians  crave USA BBQ style . . . I cannot address - don't live there.  which raises the question - is there an Asian cooking technique which can be considered 'the same as' (the rather loosely defined) US BBQ?

    Is there actually any European influence in American BBQ?

    in Food Traditions & Culture

    Posted · Edited by AlaMoi (log)

    okay.  word origins aside -

    . . . .

    physically. . . . in USA terminology . . .

    "to grill"  is exposing the "target"   - supported on some "structure" - to heat from the bottom, heat intensity 'undefined'

    "to broil" is exposing the "target"   - supported on some "structure" - to heat from above, heat intensity 'undefined'

     

    "BBQ" is a real can of worms even in US parlance.  my take is low heat, usually indirect, long long cooking time.

    basically sous vide without water or bag . . .

    high volume operation often employ a vertically rotating chain arrangement - others simple flat racks.

    definite worm can . . . .

     

    so,,,, how does one classify Greek vertical rotisserie meats ala ''shiskabob' . . . and all fifty spellings thereof . . .

    or a USA "ox roast" - on a huge rotating horizontal spit over open coals . . .

    or "roasted chicken" on a rotating spit, on a vertically oriented rotating conveyor rack, exposed to heat "from the side" . . .

    ((in Germany, this was/is "Wiener Wald" style....if you need an image....))

     

    should we be concerned, for those other than quaint historians . . . with Shakespearean definitions, or real live today meanings of "words?"

    just as US "All Purpose Flour"  is UK "Plain Flour" and US "Bread Flour" is "Strong Flour" . . .

    different words for the same thing.

     

    the same cooking "methods" identified by different "words" - which is the point.

    the etymological word origin(s)  (did  I get that spelling right.....) is not remotely meaningful as to how the "words" are used today.

    • Like 1

    Is there actually any European influence in American BBQ?

    in Food Traditions & Culture

    Posted

    veddy interestink . . .

     

    I'm personally only familiar with the USA and western European usage.

    it would be neat to see a listing of:

    Country/Region.......................Term/Word for BBQ .....................Term/Word for Grilling..................Term/Word for Broiling

     

    ...obviously, a treatise description of what BBQ and Grilling and Broiling physical means is needed - before the country/region"name" can be applied....

     

    similar to the US vs UK common names of flours/sugars/etc....

    not to mention the flour 'number' descriptions in France/Germany/Italy / et.al.

    oh,,,, I feel a headache coming on . . .

    • Haha 1

    Vanilla sugar

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    thanks @all for the input!

     

    I guess I'll just get some beans and give it a go.

     

    smothering a bean with granulated is well 'documented/practiced' - I'm wondering if the much finer structure of 10X will 'circulate' the vanilla aroma/flavor in a similar fashion.  I will use a largish jar/whatever so I can tumble and mix the 10X . . .

    Vanilla sugar

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    I'm fond of using "vanillized" confectionery / 10X / powder / icing sugar as a dusting on tortes, flans, crepes, sweet muffins, etc . . .

    somewhat common in Europe.

     

    vanilla infused _granulated_ sugar is commonly available in USA - but not 10X.

     

    sometime back found a Swedish supplier on Amazon - and now: "no longer available and we don't know when it will be back in stock"

    can mail order from same company (Dan Sukker - not on Amazon tho) - five one pound packages . . . that's close to a lifetime supply (I'm old . . . )

     

    has anyone done the "vanilla bean in a jar of sugar" trick with 10X sugar vs. granulated?

    any tips?

     

    and . . obtw,,, reputable (non-selling sources) cite vanilla beans from Tahiti as "the best" - deeper flavor, yadda yadda.

    any experiences to that?

     

    Penzy's offers one bean for $10.  uhmmmm, okay - that's not me....

    so other sites offer "Grade B" beans 'suitable for infusing' - sounds good,,,,  too good to be true?

     

    how many pounds/kilos/whatever will one bean infuse?

     

     

     

     

     

    Panettone: Do You Hate It or Love It?

    in Ready to Eat

    Posted · Edited by AlaMoi (log)

    bought some - typical supermarket stuff - usually low end, according to the video critique above . . .

    and . . . yeah not worth the stamp to write home about . . .

     

    Amazon is sold out on his 'best' Maina brand but I did snag a Balocco - his second choice.

     

    we have both Lidl and Aldi in the area - I picked up a stollen at Lidl - Favorina brand - I was stunned at how good it was - very moist.

    usually stollen is rather dry by the time it makes it here.

    . . . . actually,,,, we've eaten most of it, so I'll have to do a second trip for Christmas . . .

    • Like 1
    • Haha 1
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