malachi
-
Posts
469 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Store
Help Articles
Posts posted by malachi
-
-
I concur. A brilliant read and a "must-have" for your bookshelf if you're a member here. In particular, I loved the insight not only into Craig Clairborne's personality but also the way Pepin uses this to illustrate the differences between US and French cultures and attitudes towards food and entertaining.
Also - a quick plug for the upcoming Robb Walsh book Are Your Really Going to Eat That? I'm sure some will slander it for its obvious trend-following nature (it's a well-timed hybrid of The Cook's Tour and The Man Who Ate Everything). Despite this, it's a really enjoyable read and well worth getting once released.
-
I have a theory about people who order a ristretto shot. People will order a shot of espresso this way for two reasons: they know what they are talking about (unlikely) or they want to appear as if they know what they are talking about. In my experience most people order a ristretto shot because they are tired of getting served a long shot (i.e. demitasse full of espresso) when they order an espresso. In an effort to clarify what they want they will ask for a ‘ristretto’ shot, to make it abundantly clear they want a short shot. In reality I don’t think that they would know a true ristretto shot from a stupendous ol’ short shot if it came up and nipped them in the bum. The standard I teach is a 1 oz shot of espresso, not including crema. Unless otherwise requested I believe that this should be the default volume served in all espresso based drinks. I have served this to people asking for a ristretto shot and have only had positive feedback in return. To serve a true ristretto shot (.75 oz of liquid in 25 seconds) an adjustment to the grinder is required and is not realistic or recommended (NOTE: The preparation of a ristretto shot is highly debated with no definitive answers. The above is one of only many “right” ways to prepare a ristretto shot). A lazy man’s ristretto shot is as simple as pulling the cup out from under the pour when only .75 oz of liquid has run through. Please, don’t be lazy.
-
Friends are coming over. They're Belgian beer freaks.
Appetizer/Salad - Fennel, Breasola and Blood Orange Salad with Shaved Parmagiana-Reggiano (Beer - Rochefort 10)
Soup - Shrimp and Spicy Pork Sausage Soup (Beer - Cantillon Vigneronne)
Main - Homemade Lamb Sausage with White Beans and Fennel (Beer - Fantome Saison)
-
As I warned... it's a sensitive issue.
-
Check this article out. Well written, by one of the most respected american "experts."
As noted in various previous posts (and the above article) the problems are myriad.
For what it's worth - following are the key steps I teach our Baristi:
1) Use the best quality appropriate coffee (by appropriate I mean an actual espresso blend and roast),
2) Use the best quality espresso machine (I tend to swear by the La Marzocco),
3) Make sure the espresso machine is correctly set up and calibrated (if you live somewhere with extreme changes in temp or humidity throughout the day you'll need to calibrate at least 3 times a day, otherwise once or twice each day should do it) - a single shot should never be more than 1.25 oz and should be 1 oz after crema has settled,
4) Clean, clean and clean again. Clean the hopper on the grinder, clean the burrs, clean and backflush the machine, clean the frother, soak and clean the portafilters and the mallets and most of all clean the portafilter between shots,
5) Leave the portafilter in the grouphead at all times (most portafilters, if cold, can absorb up to 15 degrees Farenheit - resulting in espresso brewing at a lower temp).
6) Watch the grind, calibrate the grind, have the correct grind,
7) Use the correct amount of coffee (we spec 16 grams for a double),
8) Tamp! Tamping is incredibly important. I can't tell you how many places I've seen where they're actually using the POS plastic tamper that came with the machine. Get a real tamper, practice getting consistent 30 lbs of pressure with it and make sure you polish and remove any stray grounds.
9) Taste your shots. This is the most important step of all.
-
The place where my son works bought a new commercial machine when they opened, and the Illy rep came in to train everyone. Even he couldn't get a perfect shot every time, and he said that's typically the case.
No-one can pull a perfect (aka "god") shot every time. This includes the Baristi at the great Italian joints. There are simply too many variables.
This issues is that, in the US, it's rare to find someone making espresso who deserves being called a Barista as it's rare to find someone who can pull great shots ever time. In fact, it's rare to find someone who can even pull good shots each time. This is the problems.
My fear is that, when you say "perfect" you're describing what some might consider either "good" or "great".
-
I think one of the major problems is that it should be made "ristretto (sp)" or "short".
Not to be pedantic or anything, but actually a ristretto shot is not the same as a short shot. Short shots are merely less water through the same grounds as a normal (or long) shot (a shorter brew time in essence). Ristretto shots are made using a different (much finer) grind, resulting in the same volume of espresso as a short shot, using the same (reduced) amount of water as a short shot, but with a full duration pull.
Short shots are slightly more intense in flavour than normal shots.
Ristretto shots are far more concentrated and extracted in flavour than normal shots.
I've found very few places in the US that will do (or know how to do) true ristretto shots.
Finally - I'd tend to argue that espresso need to be normal, short or ristretto to be quality. I've had great "god" shots pulled all three ways.
The truth is that pulling great shots requires knowledge and training. Most american "baristas" have neither. Sadly, the truth is that most american customers not only don't care - but often prefer "bad" espresso to good (the over-roasted starbucks beans, the over-extracted 2 oz shots at many coffee shops, the 16 oz "cappucinos at Peets). It's why the Cafe Latte is the prefered drink and why Torani syrup sells so well here.
Finally, it is (of course) a vast overstatement to say that you cannot get good espresso in the US. I can name dozens of places where the espresso is on par with the good cafe bars in France or even Italy. I admit, I cannot name a single one that is on par with the great cafe bars in Italy, but that may be asking too much.
-
I'll let you know in advance.
-
I guess people are saying that he's been stretched too thin by the sudden publicity and resulting business and the quality (and consistency) has gone downhill.
I've really wanted to go for a while now but need to wait for one of my friends who is fluent in Mandarin to be in town while I'm there as well.
-
The Legends of Texas barbecue cookbook by Robb Walsh has the recipe for the Salt Lick’s sauce in it. Surprisingly one of the principal ingredients is pineapple juice.
Excellent to hear!
BTW - the new Robb Walsh book is quite good.
-
Now that I've stopped crying and can breathe again...
1) I will never, ever again dose and tamp espresso into the portafilter and stick it into the group head and start the machine without first checking to make sure the actual filter is still in the mallet (9 atmospheres pressure + 195 degree water + finely ground coffee + directional spout = weapon banned by the Geneva Convention).
2) I will never, ever again leave my knife roll at work, out in the open or where anyone else can find it.
3) I will never, ever again roast a chicken without checking the cavity first (why the hell would anyone wrap the giblets etc in plastic anyway?).
-
Crap - now you've made me have to admit that I can't keep either my Carolinas nor my Dakotas straight.
I stand corrected. South Carolina is, of course, the mustard sauce whereas North Carolina has the vinegar-pepper sauce (Eastern NC) and the sweeter tomato-vinegar-pepper sauce (Western NC).
My apologies.
-
Texas BBQ Sauce
- 2 Medium Yellow Onions (chopped fine)
- 3 c Ketchup
- 1 c Salted Butter
- 1 c Smokey Rendered Pork Fat (see note)
- 1/2 c White Vinegar
- 1/4 c Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 T Crystal Hot Sauce
- 1 T Cracked Black Pepper
- 1 T Cayenne Pepper
- 1 T Salt
- 1 Tspn Garlic Salt
- 1 Bay Leaf
Combine Butter and Fat in a large pot over low heat. Heat until butter melts. Add onions. Cook, stirring, until onions soften. Add dry ingredients. Cook for 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and cook, stirring, for about an hour. Cool overnight. Reheat slowly.
Note: to get the smokey fat - put 1.5 pounds pork fat, three pieces thick smoked bacon and one smoked ham hock in a covered roasting pan and cook in a 225 degree oven for a couple hours then move (uncovered) to the stove and boil off any water. Skim, cool, skim, etc. This will yield about twice as much fat as you need (grin).
Keywords: Side, Sauce, Grill
( RG529 )
- 2 Medium Yellow Onions (chopped fine)
-
I'm feeling good (not great but good) about the Texas style sauce. Feeling good about the KC sauce. Feeling great about the Jamaican Jerk sauce. But the North Carolina mustard sauce still isn't working for me.
BTW - given that you're in the Bay Area you should try Memphis Minnie's in SF.
-
You sure Smitty's doesn't? Hmmm... perhaps there is a link between consumption of copious animal fats and Alzheimers.
Just ate the brisket - It was excellent. Sauce was excellent on its own but sadly lacking when combined with the brisket. Then again... I think that's how I remember it (grin).
-
Ingredients
2 Medium Yellow Onions (chopped fine)
3 Cups Ketchup
1 Cup Salted Butter
1 Cup Smokey Rendered Pork Fat (see note)
1/2 Cup White Vinegar
1/4 Cup Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tbsp Crystal Hot Sauce
1 Tbsp Cracked Black Pepper
1 Tbsp Cayenne Pepper
1 Tbsp Salt
1 Tspn Garlic Salt
1 Bay Leaf
Combine Butter and Fat in a large pot over low heat. Heat until butter melts. Add onions. Cook, stirring, until onions soften. Add dry ingredients. Cook for 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and cook, stirring, for about an hour. Cool overnight. Reheat slowly.
Note: to get the smokey fat - put 1.5 pounds pork fat, three pieces thick smoked bacon and one smoked ham hock in a covered roasting pan and cook in a 225 degree oven for a couple hours then move (uncovered) to the stove and boil off any water. Skim, cool, skim, etc. This will yield about twice as much fat as you need (grin).
-
Recipe to follow.
Perhaps I should have been more clear... by BBQ sauce I do not mean some sickly sweet sauce that the meat is cooked in, but rather a condiment on the side which one might choose to apply to the meat.
As for where... my memory ain't what it once way, but I think all of the following serve sauce on the side... Louis Mueller, Baker's Ribs, Beans and Things, Kreuz', Salt Lick, Smitty's.... mmmm... I'm getting hungry. Perhaps I'll look into flights to Austin.
-
I think I may have finally figured out the key to making great (not good but great) texas style BBQ sauce!
I've been experimenting for years (no... seriously) and it's never been quite right.
Anyway - a while back I figured out about how much fat I needed in the sauce to give it the right consistency, texture and "unctiousness" and I've researched, done experiments, but I've never been able to get it quite right. There is something about the sauce at the truly great Texas BBQ joints that I haven't been able to duplicate. I was close with a 50/50 mix of salted butter and bacon grease. But today I rendered down a bunch of pork fat with a smoked ham hock and a little bacon and did a 50/50 mix of that and salted butter and.... eureka!!
Sorry - I had to share. It's a very happy moment for me - one that began almost 15 years ago with my first visit to Louis Mueller.
-
I don't have experience with them. I have a Transtherm Ermitage which I'm quite pleased with. My only piece of advice is to clearly and carefully describe the environment you're going to be installing in (including max and min temp and humidity) and make sure that the unit can maintain correct temp and humidity consistently before buying.
-
Or is it that restaraunt owners have an initial sexy vision of their work and then become disillusioned and whine when it turns out to be just as hard and as mundane as plumbing?
The only way I could put it better would be to describe it more like "harder than, as mundane as and more unpleasant than plumbing."
-
But are we in agreement? Are there any restaurants that consistently challenge Danko, Fifth Floor and Fleur d' Lys, or are they the Top of the Mark?
I hate to disagree, but since Ron Siegel took over at Masa's it has been (purely in my humble opinion) the best restaurant in San Francisco (and arguably the second best in the Bay Area).
In addition - I would tend to argue that there is a noticable drop-off from it to the three mentioned here. At Gary Danko there are periodic menu items that are merely average (the crab salad with avocado for example). Fifth Floor lacks the balance and subtlety of Masa's (most of the dishes would make great appetizers, but end up being overwhelming or out of wack as entrees). Fleur de Lys is coasting. Gorgeous room, professional service (though sometimes a bit condescending) and solid, well executed food - but nothing that opens your eyes.
If one were to talk about the Bay Area as a whole and haute cuisine as a type then I'd tend to say that it would go (in order) French Laundry, Masa's (by a nose over), Chez Panisse.
Just my $0.02 worth.
-
I keep hearing about this place in San Francisco - and it's either insane raves or big complaints.
Has anyone been there?
Opinions?
-
Cool - I used to live on Cumberland at Guerrero. Ate at Delfina with far too much regularity as a result.
-
I think El Toro is terrible and bland. Try Cancun or La Taqueria for authentic. El Cumbre on Valencia is my fave, but it can be very inconsistent. They do the best carne asada, though.
Delfina isn't really Italian food. It can be good, but its small and loud and very full. My favorite Italian, nay, favorite restaurant in all the world is Oliveto in Oakland. Paul Bertolli was chef du cuisine at CP for 10 years. Easy to get to, a half block from BART. I cant recommend it enough.
Acquarello is also fantastic. It was rated top 10 Italian restaurants in the country a few years back. The room is magical.
Dim sum is Yank Sing, hands down.
For great seafood, SF style, go to Tadich or Sam's Grill. Wicked old fashioned and cool. Sam's has booths with curtains. Get the sand dabs or grilled petrale sole. Swan's is also worth a visit for lunch.
Enjoy.
Totally concur on El Toro, but... "Delfina isn't really Italian food"? While there are a handful of menu items at any one time that are not "authentic" most of the food is nearly identical to the dishes prepared at Da Delfina outside Firenze (and similar to a half-dozen other restaurants from that region that I can think of). Try the tripe, for example, or the Chianti-braised shortribs, or the Ribolitta da Delfina or the Pappardelle with Rabbit Sugo. I can understand some folks not liking the experience (it is quite small, quite loud and quite full). But it truly is food of a style prepared in Italy.
Dinner! 2003
in Cooking
Posted
Yikes... I'll try...
Shrimp and Spicy Pork Sausage Soup
Combine two cups chicken stock with about a gallon of water and a teaspoon or two of Hon-Dashi bonito flake soup base. Add two serrano chilis (slit open), 2 bay leaves, one clove garlic (minced) and about 1/4 cup shaved fresh ginger. Bring to a boil (you want to reduce it some) and remove chilis. Add thinly sliced yellow onion, whole head-on shrimp and thin rounds of spicy pork sausage (in this case I used smoked hard andouille). Cook until shrimp are done. Adjust seasonings (I added a little salt and some vietnamese garlic-chili paste). Place shrimp in bowl over fresh bean sprouts, spoon sausage and onions over the top and add broth. Garnish with lime wedges, thinly sliced jalapeno peppers and mint chiffonade.
Homemade Lamb Sausage with White Beans and Fennel
The lamb sausage was pretty fatty and made with a fair amount of red pepper. Combine diced yellow onion, celery and carrot (you know the drill) in rendered duck fat over medium heat. Add coarsely chopped garlic, two large rosemary sprigs and two bay leaves. Add two large sausage links. Cook until sausage begins to brown and vegetables are soft. Add fennel seeds, green peppercorns, salt and pepper. Cook and stir briefly. Add two cups soaked Great Northern White Beans. Add water to cover, reduce heat. Simmer about 1 hour (adding water if needed). Beans should be fully cooked and sausage nearly exploding. Adjust seasoning. Place half a sausage in a shallow bowl. Spoon beans over the top, and add a small amount of liquid.
This is what I remember - I hope I've not missed anything.
The soup was OK. The sausage was really good. The bresola, shaved fennel, blood orange salad was awesome. The beers were to die for.