slkinsey
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Posts posted by slkinsey
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Interesting how much more expensive the Jack Daniels barrel is compared to the cask offer from Bruichladdich. That said, to be fair, it sounds like the JD barrel is already aged and ready to be bottled whereas the owner of a Bruichladdich cask would have to wait at least 10 years to realize the fruits of his investment.
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A long time ago I read an article in Vogue about a guy on a quest for the best home cooked pizza. He tried everything he could but had problems getting enough heat. I think he had good results with the grill, though, and that was without the thermal retentive properties of fire brick!
You mean Jeffrey Steingarten?
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...God didn't kiss our instruments with big enough, or beautiful enough, or distinctive enough, sound to cut it in the world of three-thousand-seat houses.
I should hasten to mention that there are plenty of opera singers out there with relatively pedestrian voices who are nevertheless having huge careers based on their other strengths (acting, networking, looks, whatever).
Sam and Kathleen: Didn't Don Giuliani* make it illegal to have ferrets as pets? What happens if you get busted, as just happened to that guy with the monkeys?
Ferrets are likely to be leagalized in NYC sometime soon, actually. There was already a referendum by the City Counsil back in the Guliani days, but the mayor vetoed it and there were not enough votes to overturn him. Bloomberg has indicated that he would sign off on it if it comes up again. Basically it's a political thing involving the Board of Health -- somewhat lengthy and complicated to explain. Anyway, I doubt that the cops are going to walk past the college kids openly smoking marijuana, not to mention the local crack dealers, to knock down our door and arrest our ferrets.
More info at NYCFerrets.com
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K will respond, I'm sure... but there are no formal requirements for being an opera singer, per se. You just have to have the right mix of vocal talent, looks, dramatic ability, interpersonal/networking skills, political savvy, luck and in some cases, the willingness to have sex with certain highly connected people in the business. Some people are stronger in some categories than others... but most successful singers have a pretty high aggregate score.
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Appreciate your comments, Robert. Any inside look into the kitchen you could give us would be greatly appreciated. Please post your thoughts and impressions (not that you have a ton of time on your hands, I'm sure
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Upcoming great first-time productions to see at the Met:
L'Italiana in Algeri (The Italian Girl in Algiers). Very funny/accessible Rossini opera. All star cast: Olga Borodina, Juan Diego Flórez (probably the #1 light Rossini tenor today), Ferruccio Furlanetto. Performances on March 11 and 17.
Rigoletto. Very famous tragic opera. Lots of familiar hit tunes. Very good cast featuring Ruth Ann Swenson as Gilda and Ramón Vargas as the Duke. Performances March 18, 22, 26 and April 1, 6, 9.
Salome. The music might be a little freaky and advanced for first-time attendees, but it is a very powerful, dramatic and sexy opera. Chances to see super-hot soprano Karita Mattila dancing around in practically nothing do not come along all that often. Superstar cast featuring Mattila in the title role along with Matthew Polenzani, Siegfried Jerusalem and, starting on March 31, Bryn Terfel. Performances on March 15, 19, 23, 27, 31 and April 3, 7, 10.
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What to do, what to do?!?!?
I'm a complete and utter opera newbie. Hell, I don't even know what they're singing or what the plot's about in most of them. (Well, except for Don Giovanni.)
Little known opera facts for NYers:
1. You can get a seat at the Met for as little as $25 dollars... standing room for as little as 11 or 12.
2. There is a plot synopsis in every program, as well as on the Metropolitan Opera Company's web site (here is a synopsis of tomorrow evening's performance of L'Italiana in Algeri).
3. In front of every seat (usually affixed to the back of every seat in front of it) is a little LED screen which can be turned on and off. This is the Met's proprietary Met Titles system. When activated, the screen displays a real-time translation of the opera.
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I don't know which is more facinating, the ferrets or the food! When will we see pictures of the adorable ones?
Pictures from September, 2003. They are a good bit larger now, and their markings (masks, etc.) have evolved as they matured.
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There is a similar thread from a while back on Swiss chard that has some interesting and applicable ideas, like this:
Remove leaves from stem.Cut stems into equal lengths, season, EVOO and balsmico, roast for twenty minutes at 350 in a convection oven. Add lardons if you have them.
Blanch and shock leaves, saute with much butter, finish with cream.
Or mince and add to a soup made with mire poix, chicken stock, white wine, chorizo.
Or...
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From today's NY Times:
The Second Avenue Deli is celebrating its 50th anniversary by rolling back to the 1954 prices! On Monday, March 15, from 11:30 AM to 8 Pm, sandwiches will be fifteen to twenty cents and main dish platters will be $1 to $1.25.
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JJ and I were quite taken with Red Breast 12 year old at the Seppi's Whiskey Dinner. All pot still whiskey. Big flavor. Heavy mouthfeel. Powerful long finish.
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As was explained to us by the charming Sheila Golden at the Seppi's Whiskey Dinner, this is more or less bunk, but it is preserved to a certain extent in American "Irish" pubs.
After a lof of distilleries closed, the only two operations left were Jameson's and Bushmill's. Now, it just so happened that there Bushmill's is located up in the North (where most of the Protestants are) and Jameson's in the South (where most of the Catholics are). Back in the old days it was perhaps true that Catholics drank Jameson's and Protestants Bushmills, but this was entirely out of necessity. Due to distribution issues, it was very difficult to obtain Bushmill's in the South and vice-versa. This really is no longer the case in Ireland, and plenty of Catholic Bushmill's drinkers may be found.
However, given that many Irish immigrants came to the US during the years when Irish distilleries had limited geographic distribution in Ireland, this tradition evolved in America. The only places you're likely to see it are in insular, provincial Irish American communities in certain areas of Boston, etc. IMO, it's no more Irish than green beer on St. Patrick's Day.
I don't know why anyone would think that about Harp and Bass, since Bass isn't Irish (it's brewed in Burton-on-Trent).
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If you think that's interesting, you should hear me trying to talk Kathleen's mother through PC problems on a computer with an operating system we don't have in the house.
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You and Sam work at the same place? How can you stand it? (Although I guess you don't have to see each other during the workday.
) Oh . . . come to think of it, HWOE and I did (that's how we met), although not once we hooked up together. Kathleen and I actually met on the job... on the real job that is. Which is to say, on a gig.
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BTW - I went to Divertimenti yesterday (UK equivalent of Surly Tubble/Willy Snowman - as my wife calls Sur la Table/W. Sonoma) who Mauviel also make a 'line' for, and - they've completely reinvented their Stuff! 2.5mm thickness with Bourgeat-like curved edges - across the whole line - and Stainless Steel handles - as opposed to brass or iron. This stuff looks amazing. I haven't found any pictures of it though. Are they sending this stuff to America?
Yes they are sending this stuff to the US. Unfortunately, it does not seem to be 2.5 mm. Mauviel's 2.5 mm stuff still has the traditional straight rim like this and the 2.0 mm stuff has a rolled rim like this. Looking at the two pans above, the 2.0 mm pan looks like a pretty rotten deal considering that it is the same price as the 2.5 mm pan!
Here is a similar pan with the stainless steel handle (also 2.0 mm). This pan is actually more expensive than the 2.5 mm pan!
You can see examples of all four lines of Mauviel's stainless lined copper (2.5 mm/iron handle, 2.0 mm/iron handle, 2.0 stainless steel handle and 1.6 mm/brass handle) here.
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Hmmmm... what is "fine dining" and what is "fine dining in New York" (and does NY have a distinct style of fine dining) and what separates fine dining from really good dining. A lot of interesting fodder for discussion, and these questiona may merit their own thread. I'll inject another point to the debate: to what extent is one's concept of "fine dining" in NYC and elsewhere dependent on the French model of what a top restaurant experience should be?
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With all due respect to Ursula Ferrigno, that is one of the stupidest things I have ever heard with respect to cooking ingredients. Right up there with using ultra-expensive sea salt for salt-baked fish and pasta water.
That said, and as Soba suggests, there is good extravagance (aceto balsamico tradizionale, A-grade foie gras, white truffles, even things like artisinal Italian pasta asciuta and heavy stainless lined copper cookware) and there is bad extravagance (see above). The point, I think is that you don't waste your money, but rather spend it in places where it will make the most impact.
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Right before taking the pizze to the oven, the pizzaiolo stretched a string over the peel and ran it under both pieces of dough.
Will you clarify this? I'm not quite visualizing it. Did he hold the string at both ends and pull it down the length of the peel to sort of separate the dough from the peel after the toppings had been applied?
Exactly. Stretched the string across the peel using both hands. Pulled the string tight against the peel. Ran the string down the length of the peel, under the dough, to separate the dough from the peel. After accomplishing this, went immediately to the oven.
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One thing we saw at Patsy's in re to the pizza sticking to the peel.
As you can see, they load two pizze at a time. Right before taking the pizze to the oven, the pizzaiolo stretched a string over the peel and ran it under both pieces of dough.
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I'm curious do you make pizza on your soapstone? Have you made pizza on regular baking stones? If not, do you know anyone who has that could compare the results?
I've done both. In fact, currently I am without the soapstone as I lent it out and do not expect to get it back. The soapstone produces much better results -- especially for my kind of use. In general, I think it's too much hassle to go to all that trouble for one pizza. These days, whenever I make pizza it's because I'm having a pizza party at my house, in which case I am likely to be making 10 - 15 large pizze. When using a baking stone, there is a significant problem with the baking stone losing heat over time, and pizza #5 takes 4 times longer to cook than pizza #1 (there is some discussion about this problem on a professional scale at Grimaldi's in the NY Pizza Survey thread. This is simply not a problem with a big chunk of soapstone.
Rather than putting the oven on self-clean, I would suggest turning on the broiler if you have a regular gas oven with the broiler underneath. With the baking stone on the floor of the oven and the broiler firing more or less directly into the stone, you should get all the heat your oven is capable of producing.
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Another couple esoteric questions.
Does anyone make an induction pan with a magnetic (iron) base, copper layer for even distribution of heat as well as up the sides, and stainless outer layer?
The only thing I have seen that even remotely reminds me of your specifications is All-Clad's Copper Core line. It is a core of copper fully clad in stainless steel. I assume the stainless is magnetic.
Finally, have you seen a stockpot with a spigot like the Bourgeat which is induction compatible? Theirs and all of the others I have seen use non-magnetic stainless or aluminum.Grand Gourmet Serie 210012102
Outside and inside satin polished. Top edges mirror polished. - Valuable stay cool handles in stainless steel, strong, ergonomically shaped. 1) Extra thick edges. 2) Double thick bottom. 3) Sandwich thermoradiant bottom (stainless steel-aluminium-stainless steel). Concave bottom when cold and flat when hot (100% heat exploiting). 4) Endowed by tap, in order to facilitate water downflow. -Perfect for use on any type of stove, whether gas, electric, glass ceramic cooking surface or induction stove. All items up to Ø 50 cm. have an induction-suited sandwichbottom.
Looks pretty sweet, no?
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I have a pretty extensive collection of tin-lined heavy copper, which I use daily. I recently had a few of my ancient pans relined by Rocky Mt Retinning with great results. I am wondering why you don't recommend these for home cooks?
Well... because the tin wears off eventually, whereas it does not with a stainless lined pan. Also, you have to be much more careful about regulating the temperature of a tin lined pan. Tin melts at around 450F, and it doesn't take too much preheating to get a saute or fry pan up in that temperature range. You get a tin lined pan up to 500F and you've got a retinning on your hands. And, of course, you have to be carefull with using metal utensils, etc.
Now, for a professional cook who really knows what he's doing and who never stretches the tolerance of the pan, they probably work okay. But for a home cook, I just don't think it's worth the extra hassle and the limited usefulness with respect to high temperatures. This is not to say that you should throw away your old heirloom tin lined pans... just that I wouldn't recommend buying any more of it.
Given that I own them already, what besides the obvious (no brillo, etc) do you recommend to extend their life between retinning? (Rocky Mt states that their tinning should last at least 2 years in a busy commerical kitchen or decades for home/light/irregular use.)With all due respect to Rocky Mountain Retinning, I don't believe for a minute that a tin lined pan could survive decades of regular use in a home without needing to be retinned. I know plenty of people who own old tin lined copper, and most of their stuff started to look patchy only a few years after retinning. This is, of course, another argument against tin linings: you have to keep on paying throughout the life of the pan. When you figure in the cost of retinnings, a stainless lining is actually less expensive.
The only thing I can think that would extend the life of a tin lined pan is to be extra careful about the hardness of the utensils used with it (I would recommend heatproof rubber spatulas instead of wooden spoons) and to be very diligent about never using more than medium heat and never preheating the pan.
Any alternative to metal whisks for sauces? (That is all I have seen used in kitchens I have worked in as well as La Technigue, etc.)This is a tough one, as the main usefulness of tin lined copper, IMO, is for saucemaking and that generally requires a whisk. I can't be sure, but I think I saw some nonmetalic whisks and Apex spatulas at Bridge Kitchenware. You might consider giving them a call.
Finally I would appreciate if you would expand on the following. Many experienced chefs believe that bright copper is necessary for even heat across the bottom, and I find it recommended in almost all major cooking textbooks.I don't know how expansive this is, but I think it's complete bullshit. You're talking about an oxidized layer that is maybe a few atoms thick. I can't believe that it impacts the thermal properties of the pan one iota, and if it does you'd have to have superhuman perceptual skills (not to mention cooking skills) to tell the difference. Many experienced chefs, of course, believe a lot of things that are total bullshit ("searing seals in the juices," anyone?). If I were a betting man, I'd bet you're right about the insistence on bright copper being a holdover from the hardline French days. That said, it's relatively easy to keep copper bright with a Scotch Brite pad and some Bar Keeper's Friend, provided you don't mind a brushed finish (probably okay for a working pan, but I wouldn't do it to an heirloom piece).
Welcome to the Gull, Henry. Hope to see more of you around on the boards!
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I was wondering having an aluminum stockpot has any advantages or disadvantages over a stainless steel one (with aluminum bottom)? Are there any health risks with cooking with aluminum?
No health risks asociated with aluminum cookware. Probably nothing to worry about in terms of stocks either. However, stainless steel is a lot more versatile as you don't have to worry about reactivity for other applications.
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Did they offer a cheese plate?
There was one on the menu, but they weren't pushing it. Cheeses chosen by the same guy as Celeste.
Food Blog
in Food Traditions & Culture
Posted
I guess I am of a similar mind with the others. It's actually quite good in the context of a middlebrow chain place -- similar to Burritoville in that respect. I don't hesitate to eat there during the week. But, part of that has to do with the fact that the choices are limited given a day job in Midtown East and 60 minutes for lunch. I'd certainly pass right by Chipotle to eat at Noche Mexicana, Taqueria Y Fonda or even the W 104th Street taco truck if it were in my neighborhood (that speaks more to the good quality of the three alternatives than it does any deficiencies at Chipotle).