slkinsey
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Posts posted by slkinsey
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Okay... so step one of menu planning is to take a look at what we had last year and decide what I think about it. There are three concerns here: 1. to replace or tweak things that weren't a total success, 2. to improve, refine or vary good ideas from last time, and 3. to rotate some dishes off the menu so it isn't the same thing every year. With that in mind, here are some thoughts I am kicking around:
Assorted Crudités
Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Rustico, Viticoltori Nino Franco, NV
This is something we eat/drink before coming to table. The idea is to have something to snack on, but not too filling.
The Nino Franco prosecco is excellent. That said, we've done this more or less the same for years and I think it might be time for a change. First, as certain regular guests have been agitating for cranberry, we had the thought of doing a "cranberry bellini" instead of just straight prosecco. This needs to be tested, but my going-in idea is: cook/puree/sieve a bag of frozen cranberrys (this is good, because it can be done several days in advance -- a key element of the overall strategy for this party), then each champagne glass will get a spoonfull of cranberry puree, then a sugar cube soaked with orange bitters, then filled with prosecco. Could use rosemary stalks with all the needles stripped off except up at the top as a garnish. One advantage of this is that I can (and should) buy cheaper prosecco.
Fellow eGulleter ewindels usually does the crudités. We will talk about ideas for this year.
More menu thoughts soon...
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We have in the past had guests with severe fish and nut allergies, which we were able to accomodate with minor revisions to the dishes they were served.
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We usually have between ten and twelve. The table is designed for ten, but twelve is workable.
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I did notice one thing, however. The bottom of my gratins appear to be raw cast iron. However, they actually have a "clear" base coat that I understand is applied prior to the enamel.
Just FYI, the clear base coat is also enamel. This is from Le Creuset's UK site:
Each piece of Le Creuset receives two coats of enamel. The first is a ground coat which once fired at 840°C is clear and uncoloured. This allows for better adhesion of the second coat, the coloured enamel, to the cast iron. This special colour coat is applied internally and externally. After the enamel is applied it is air dried before being vitrified to produce a highly durable, hygienic and shock resistant finish.This is from Le Creuset's Australian site:
Two layers of enamel are applied to all Le Creuset cookware. The initial, colourless ground coat protects against rust. A second coat of coloured enamel is then applied; giving the exterior its trademark colour and the interior a durable sand or matt black enamel finish. The rim is not covered with the second coat to allow a closer fit between the lid and base, enhancing self-basting properties of the piece. The enamel is then air dried before being vitrified at over 800°C to produce a highly durable and shock resistant finish.Interesting how they both give information that the other doesn't have.
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Note: Now that it's Thanksgiving week, this Diary has upped the ante by turning into the weekly foodblog as well. Click here to go down to the beginning of the foodblog.
In consultation with our blog Czar over in the General forum, I am going to be writing about the preparations leading up to our big Thanksgiving Dinner which, as most of you know, is just around the corner in a few weeks.
I guess it's been around ten years now that I've been doing Thanksgiving dinner partys, and they have increased in sophistication and complexity every year. It was just the usual turkey, dressing, and vegetable sides the first year. Then that grew into Turducken with the usual sides jazzed up a bit. After a few years of Turducken, I started getting tired of that and began moving in the direction of multiple courses. The first time I think we made a lobster bisque followed by a buckwheat crepe filled with a leek and gruyere mixture alongside a bundle of three asparagus spears held together with a strip of bacon, and then a turkey ballotine stuffed with a chicken and foie gras mousse. From there, it just kind of took off, and this is where we found ourselves last year:
Assorted CruditésProsecco di Valdobbiadene Rustico, Viticoltori Nino Franco, NV
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Kumamoto Oyster On The Half-Shell With Cucumber Granita
Muscadet de Sevre et Maine sur Lies, Cuvee Vielles Vignes, Domaine Clos des Briords, 2002
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Cauliflower Soup With Seared Diver Scallop And Curry Oil
Saumur Blanc "La Papareille," Domaine Saint-Vincent, 2002
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Mixed Herb Salad With Shrimp Ceviche
Saumur Blanc "La Papareille," Domaine Saint-Vincent, 2002
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Toasted Corn And Stilton Soufflé
Sautéed Brussels Sprouts With Guanciale and Chive/Oregano Vinaigrette
Bourgogne Rouge, Domaine Alain Hudelot-Noellat, 2000
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Lemon-Thyme Sorbet
Moscato d'Asti "Vigneto Biancospino," Azienda Agricola Dante Rivetti, Piemonte, 2002
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Turkey Two Ways With Cornbread Dressing, Foie Gras And Black Truffle Carpaccio
Coteaux du Languedoc Pic Saint-Loup "Le Rollier," Domaine Mas Foulaquier, 2001
Sonoma Valley Red Wine "Albarello," H. Coturri & Sons, 2001
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Bourbon Bread Pudding
Cranberry Cheesecake
Pecan Tart
Coffee
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Palmiers and Chocolate Truffles
Grappa, Scotch, Bourbon, Etc.
So the question is, what are we going to have this year? Over the next few weeks I'll post here about the process from end-to-end, from settling on a guest list to picking the wines, to QAing new dishes to picking out wines to dinnertime logistics and execution to cleanup, and more.
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Pableux Johnson, bon vivant, writer, and cocktail lover, has the recipe for Ramos Gin Fizz on his website and I highly reccomend it.
Dude. A cocktail that you have to shake by hand for five minutes can't possibly be a good/easy choice to serve out of a pitcher.
Kind of a funny recipe you linked to as well. Confectioner's sugar? No lime juice? Vanilla extract? Two egg whites for one drink? Half and half instead of cream, and more of it than gin? Try this one here instead, and try shaking it with ice for 2-3 minutes instead of blending it. -
Wow. That.s 69.95 CAD for a half liter! Expensive stuff.
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According to Gary Regan, a "New Orleans Sour" consists of a base spirit, triple sec (e.g., Cointreau) and lemon or lime juice. Famous examples include the Brandy Crusta, Sidecar, Classic Cocktail, Cosmopolitan, Between the Sheets, Pegu Club and Corpse Reviver #2. The most famous example being the Margarita.
The Sazerac is a classic NO drink, but doesn't exactly lend itself to pitcher deployment.
There are a number of drinks with "New Orleans" in the name over at cocktailDB.
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Message to Europe: [stop]
Must have Plymouth Navy Strength Gin. [stop]
Please send case. [stop]
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Hmmm. Haven't heard about it, but it looks interesting. Seems like the publication date is this coming Saturday, though?
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I've been very interested in trying Plymouth Navy Strength Gin at 100 proof. This is, I am given to understand, the "real" original Plymouth and I think there are a number of cocktails that would benefit from this higher octane version.
Has anyone tried it? Is it available in America? Anyone seen it for sale in NYC?
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Oh, I'm not defending them. It was just counter to the other information I've read, including their own materials. But it's entirely possible they applied a nonstick coating to raw cast iron for a short period of time until they figured out it was a horrible idea.
I'm still inclined to think wkl's pan is coated with LC's "black stuff."
I am thinking here mostly of cocottes (aka French ovens). As Trillium points out, Le Creuset does make raw cast iron crêpières.
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Hah! Well, I said "doesn't need to be very good" not "can be complete swill."
Of course, a real latte macchiato hardly has any coffee in it at all. I'm curious as to the difference between an American-style "double latte" and a "really big cappuccino."
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I think the article missed the point on a few levels:
1. The fact is that there are very few places in America one can go for a decent cup of espresso. For most, it's make it at home or nothing.
2. It is also a fact that is is extremely difficult, bordering on impossible, to consistently make a really good cup of espresso on a machine below the "Rancilio Silvia" level.
3. The fact is, of course, that most people in America don't really want espresso anyway -- they want milk-based drinks.
4. The deal with making milk-based drinks is that, while the quality of the espresso doesn't need to be very good, machines that really steam well for people who want to be able to make 3-4 capuccini in a row are even more expensive than the Rancilio Silvia.
5. Most of the lower-priced machines seem like a bargain, and it may even be possible to get okay results on them. But it's usually so inconsistent/unsatisfactory, or it's such a pain in the ass to get good results that most of them end up in a closet.
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. . . then the Bechamel, to which I'd already added 4 egg yolks, and 3/4 cup of Parmesan cheese . . .
Sounds almost like a Mornay with the cheese and egg yolk. Definitely beyond a plain bechamel for sure.
Good bechamel information may be found right here in this eGCI class.
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So, you're saying that the exterior is coated with enamel but the interior is raw cast iron? Are you sure it isn't coated with a different kind of coating on the inside? I just can't imagine why anyone would go to the trouble of enameling the outside of a piece of cookware and leave the inside raw.
To clarify re Le Creuset nonstick, it appears to me as thought the nonstick coating is applied over a base coat of enamel rather than directly onto raw cast iron.
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wkl: afaik Le Creuset has always made enameled cookware.
The above is imply not true. I have several Le Creuset pots and pans, from the early 70's, which are lined with a semi-smooth black surface designed to imitate Teflon, although it was not supposed to be non stick. After some use, it flaked and scaled and went to my basement, or under a plant. But it was stamped Le Creuset, and it did not have a smooth creamy enamel lining...
According to their own PR and marketing material, they make enameled cast iron.
What was on the outside of those pans if not enamel? What you describe sounds like they sprayed on a nonstick coating over enamel. It's pretty unlikely that they were or are applying the nonstick coating directly to raw cast iron. What is more likely that they don't use the familiar creamy white enamel when they are going to be applying a nonstick coating, and use a different base coat of enamel instead. That is exactly what is indicated on pages like this one, which says: "Le Creuset's unique Nonstick process combines a special base coat enamel plus three coats of Silverstone® Nonstick finish to the Le Creuset cast iron cookware."
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You can usually tell if it's Staub (my favorite) by the nodules on the underside of the lid.
wkl: afaik Le Creuset has always made enameled cookware. The following is from the Le Creuset web site:
All the Le Creuset cookware is made from enameled cast iron. Cast iron has been used for cooking utensils since the Middle Ages. The Le Creuset factory is at Fresnoy-Le-Grand in Northern France.In 1925, the foundry began producing Cast Iron by hand-casting molten cast iron in sand molds-still the most delicate stage of the production process. Even today, after casting, each mold is destroyed and the cookware is polished and sanded by hand then scrutinized for imperfections. Once declared good for enameling, the items are sprayed with two separate coats of enamel and fired after each process at a temperature of 800°C.
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Hmmm... interesting question. I never measure when I make mine. I just melt some butter, toss in enough flour to make a thick but not clumpy roux (my sense is that this means a bit less flour than fat by volume), cook the roux for a while, and then slowly start whisking in milk. The trick is to make sure the bechamel comes back up to the simmer after each addition of milk. This way you know that the flour has reached its full thickening power.
For lasagne al forno, I like my balsamella to be quite thick. This is the advantage of doing it by eye rather than by formula -- I simply stop adding milk when I reach the consistency I want. Going from memory (and I made some balsamella for baked ziti just the other night), I'd say that Mario's 5T butter/4T flour sounds like just about right for a good sized lasagne al forno. Again, you don't want to use all that much anyway. Hard to say whether his three cups of milk is too much, as I never measure. However, if you add the milk a cup at a time and make sure you bring the mixture up to the boil after every addition, it's possible that a fair amount of the milk evaporates.
Plenty of fresh grated nutmeg is, of course, crucial.
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If it does not have a ceramic coating, it is highly unlikely it is Le Creuset. Sounds like a regular raw cast iron Dutch Oven to me, and you should treat it as you would any piece of cast iron (seasoning, etc.). There are, of course, serious limitations that come along with uncoated cast iron. I wouldn't use it to cook anything acidic (e.g., with tomatoes) and I wouldn't use it to cook anything for a long time. Some people don't mind the iron taste, though, so ymmv.
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For what purpose?
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Well... different people have different priorities. I think you won't find too many owners of stainless lined heavy copper cookware who regret the purchase.
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No C&D? You have been deprived, slk!
I'm sure it would never be the same. I have a theory about simple dishes like chicken and dumplings, chicken fried steak, etc. Fundamentally these are very simple dishes to make. But that very simplicity means that small changes in technique or ingredients can make a big difference. It's all about just the way she worked the dough, or how she decided when the dumplings were done, or how she judged how much milk to add to the finished product, or how she knew the oil was just the temperature she liked for chicken fried steak, etc. There is no duplicating that. This is one reason I believe that, once my grandmother died, her chicken and dumplings and her chicken fried steak died with her.
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My grandmother's recipe always had flat, noodle-like dumplings. She made the dough dough by pouring some of the boiling broth from stewing the chicken into a bowl of flour, salt and pepper. Then the dough is rolled out and cut into wide strips. Although there is no leavening, the they did puff up a fair bit when cooked. Sigh... I haven't had any C&D since she passed away a few years back.
I wonder if the style of dumpling varies by region? My grandmother was from Texas.
eG Foodblog: slkinsey's Thanksgiving Week Diary
in Food Traditions & Culture
Posted
I'll get to that. Some of those are changing. However, I should point out that the scallop is really just a garnish in the cauliflower soup, and the ceviche/herb salad dish is basically herb salad with a ceviche garnish.