chezcherie

no questions asked? is the diner supposed to disclose his/her immune status, or how is it determined why the request is being made? i would opine that the diner's immune status is his or her own business, and not to be determined by the server.

That raises an interesting point, and one I see an awful lot of : "Chef, the customer on table X is allergic to :" egg dairy products (but not butter) margarine water (!) gluten garlic, onions, tomatoes all vegetables blood Now, I'm a biochemist by original training; I know people can be allergic to all sorts of things, but I suspect a lot of people are jumping on the 'allergy bandwagon' in order to lend weight to personal whims. ← this is my line-cook son's pet peeve. "just say you don't like/want it. don't say you are allergic to it. ESPECIALLY when it's caramel, and you are ordering apple tart with(out) caramel sauce. the caramel is sugar and cream, and that's in the blasted tart." (he didn't say blasted, but i'm his mother...)

i'm left-handed, and something that i do instinctively is to hold the zester "upside down" on top of the fruit when i zest, so that the zest is caught in the "channel" of the inverted microplane, rather than falling to the counter. (does that make any sense? i wish you could just see my hands right now as i hold the imaginary orange and microplane...) it all stays neatly in place until i'm ready to deposit it somewhere. several people have given me the "wtf" look when they first see the technique, but then the light goes on when they see me "download" the goods into the batter bowl.

that's a great quote! i will be using that, with proper attribution, of course!

espresso whipped cream filling, 70% bittersweet/creme fraiche ganache "bark"...it was goood.

gorgonzola, red onion and prime rib panini yesterday. mmmmmm.

put a 2 cup pyrex measuring cup (or larger, or another microwavable vessel) full of water in the micro, and heat until boiling. stick the starter in there (leave the steamy warm water in there, if there's room--otherwise just shut the door quick to trap as much warmth and steam as you can)...instant, ersatz, improvised proofer.

the mold is used to form the shape, but the puffs are placed inside the (upside down) mold. when the mold is filled, it is inverted, then "pressed" ( i can just see the face my oh-so-french culinary instructor did as he demonstrated this, but it is hard to describe) to loosen the caramel and release the tower of puffs. voila! une croquenbouche!

well, then, merci beaucoup, 'cuz that's where i picked it up!

yesterday i picked up some really beautiful almond paste, made by mandelin. it is supple, and fresh and lovely to behold. what are your favorite uses for almond paste?

here's a tip that people don't always know about: don't use honey to sweeten anything. kids under a year should not have honey. something about botulinum spores that they have not developed immunities for at that age.

such great info here. thanks. can you estimate how much yield there would be from 5 lb white pork fat? i am getting my ducks in a row. or pigs.

is the ratio of 5 lb masa to 1 lb lard about right? does this change when you use freshly rendered lard? i am ready to make the switch, but there are a lot of tamales involved, so i need to have an idea of the level of commitment required. it's exciting!

i have a panini press that has flat plates...i wonder??? i do so love the crispy skin!!!

my microwave. (it's the only thing i use it for--kids do soup, and i do bread...) put a bowl of water in and bring it to a boil. leave the bowl in (if there''s room for the bowl and the bread dough) and place the bread dough in. close the door and put a post-it on the outside with a warning that bread is proofing in there. steamy, warm, improvised proofbox.

Julia ChildS???

i peel the little pearl ones ( a mix of yellow, white and red), and simmer them until glazed in hard cider (pear is my current fave). finish with a bit of butter and a splash of balsamic vinegar. they look like jewels.

a teaspoon sounds awfully tiny. i have made croquebouches, but just for private parties and friends. a tablespoon seems closer to me? edited to add" Croquembouche means "crisp in the mouth"--the caramel is the crisp. shattery crisp.

do jello shots--that should relax everyone, and get them in the festive holiday mood!

i was actually going to suggest that someone could wear the bowl, if space was tight....and the sister seems the perfect candidate. now, about that whisk....

the cream will dewhip in two days, no question. overwhipping will not help---it will just make butter. but if you have access to a cooler, can you stick a whisk and bowl in there? or in the glove box, or ??? it takes about 2 minutes to whip cream by hand, assuming you are using it for garnish and don't need 2 gallons.

i got my copy from jessica's biscuit yesterday, so maybe things aren't as dire as they seemed.

usually, oui. but not always. for example, when i tempura batter shrimp, i peel them first. but always save the shells in the freezer, for just such a bisque event!

i like to saute the shells first in some butter, to extract the flavor into the fat. i think that carries the flavor through the stock really well, but then, i like everything better with a little butter.

this post reminded me--when i was 18 (long, long ago) and had my first apartment and roommate, the metric system was threatening to take over the u.s.....(what ever happened to that?!) my roomie was absolutely panicked about this looming threat--actually spent time worrying about how to handle it , until i pointed out that the kitchen police were not likely to come and wrestle the teaspoons (and 1/3 cup measures) from her bony grip. i think she found something else to worry about then.