jmcgrath

Savenor's in Cambridge used to sell lion steaks. I'm not sure they still do since they moved to Boston. Jim

I had my first lamb burger at the rather quirky A1 Diner in Gardiner, ME. The meat was mixed with a bit of fresh cilantro, and it was stuffed with Boursin. It was truly to die for. I've tried to duplicate it many times with varying success. My version is still a work in progress, but good enough that I make it often. Jim

Having a scale does not preclude the need to sift. ← Most sources I've googled indicate that it is unnecessary to sift flour if it has been weighed. There may be exceptions of which I'm not aware. It appears that the purpose of sifting is to get a more accurate weight/volume measurement without weighing. The 4 oz = 1 C measurement I mentioned came from King Arthur Flour 200th Anniversary Cookbook. Whatever works for you... I consider weight or volume measurements to be just be a good starting point. Jim

Since I got an electronic scale, I have given up on sifting entirely. 4 oz. (by weight) = 1 C (by volume). For anyone who does serious baking, a scale with a tare function is much more useful than a sifter. Jim

Umm, I think that you or your guests will be disappointed with the final color if they are expecting "traditional". ← In New England, especially in the Boston area, gray corned beef is more traditional. Both red and gray versions are available in most supermarkets, but gray is much more common. Perhaps "gray" is an Irish tradition. Jim

Could it be that you have pantry pests in your flour? Jim

I can only say good things about the integrity of this company. I recently ordered from them and there was a shipping error. We exchanged emails and resolved the issue as noted. Hi, YES, it's a mistake. This knives is named NOGENT. The blade is also forged by hand. Today, we send to you the ordered knife by Fedex. You will receive Tracking Reference from them. Very sorry for this mistake. You can keep the 1st knife for our apologize. Best Regards, Philippe

Uncooked beet greens work well as part of a greens salad. Wash the greens and tear the leaves off the stems. Depending on leaf size, tear up a bit more. Jim

My saffron came in a very sturdy circular metal container with a tight fitting slide-on metal top. I don't know how to explain the difference in our packaging experience. Jim

The dark belly meat has a particularly strong taste. I always trim that off before cooking. The rest of the fish still has enough flavor to stand up to anything you throw at it. Blue fish are close to the top of the ocean going food chain, and older fish pick up an undesirable level of PCBs. I always shop for smaller fillets or steaks. Jim

I buy saffron here. The current price quoted on their website is $68.95/oz. It is also available in 1/2 oz. and 5 gram quantities. Mark Bittman recommended this company in a column a number of years ago, and I have been very happy with them. The web site is very informative. In case it may bother you, the saffron is imported from Iran. Jim

One of the Legal Seafoods cookbooks has a recipe that I greatly enjoy. It involves coating the flesh side of the fillet with a mixture of Dijon mustard and mayonnaise and then running under the broiler to cook. I've never done it, but you could try a quick fry, skin side down, in a very hot skillet to crisp the skin and then finish under the broiler to lightly brown the topping and finish the fish. Jim

Coquille St. Jacques, or for a variation, seafood St. Jacques. If you use seafood instead of scallops, I'd suggest scallop sized chunks of a firm white fish. Jim

I can't speak for frozen lobster tails, but fresh lobster picks up some pink coloration (not discoloration) along the edges when it is cooked. The pink is just on the surface. It may be bleeding from the shell pigmentation, but that's only a guess. Jim

This brought back some fond memories. See 9th Semi-Annual Concord BBQ/Hotluck in the Photo Gallery. It's been a few years, so perhaps it's time for another hotluck. I think I have an unopened bottle of Inner Beauty floating around. We could do a taste comparison with homemade versions. I also have a bottle of the original (made in Belize) Melinda's. We could do a comparison with the Costa Rican version. Jim