Msk

This thread may help you out too. Msk

Bloviatrix, You beat me too it. I would echo your sentiments about food interest not being iconoclastic. Kashrut and enjoying food do not need to be mutually exclusive. They Orthodox people I know do not consider them to be. Even those who are a bit more strict than what Bloviatrix refers to as "Modern Orthodox." Saying pursuit of Foodie-dom is iconoclastic would mean the spirit of Kosher dietary law was deprivation of some sort. That seems almost counter-cultural to me. Msk

This is an interesting article and discussion. I keep a Kosher house for my wife, but I do not keep kosher. Can you be a foodie and keep kosher? Absolutely! However, it is primary through hard work and rigorous study and experimentation. I pride myself on making my favorite non-kosher delights (in a kosher version) in our own kitchen. Sure some things are off limits, but you'd be surprised what a little research and ingenuity can accomplish. I have experienced both sides, Kosher and non. Kosher beef was particularly difficult to get acceptable to my pallate. Now I make Kosher steaks at home that rival Non-Kosher beef. In fact I even make my kosher burgers using the Beef blend mentioned in one of the Burger threads here on eGullet. In fact I'll go as far as to say eGullet has had a major impact on my ability to raise the level of my Kosher cooking at home to that of some of my favorite non-kosher restaurants. I could gon for alot longer about this, but I'll leave it there for now. Msk

I loved those too Soba. Bullseye Barbecue Burger? I think there was another name too before it was using the Bullseye sauce. Wendy's is my Burger Chain of choice though I try not to eat fast food. I'll go with the Sausage Egg and Cheese Biscuit too. Hell I'll eat anything put on a good biscuit. Chix-Fil-A is also a great spot as far as the lesser available chains go. Msk

Mikeycook, Thanks thats an interesting idea. Msk

Franks Hot Sauce + Butter + BBQ Sauce + Vinegar In that order of larger quantity from left to right. I used to cook wings for my Fraternity wing night and never had a complaint. I would use BBQ sauce as a way to sweeten/cut the heat. Sometimes I would add some tobasco for pure heat if I like the particular taste the BBQ sauce gave. Deep fry, quickly hit them with the sauce, then put in the oven basting with the sauce for 10-15 mins. The wings are crispy around the edges, but all the meat falls off the bone. Msk

Thanks Fifi, I won't sear next time either. I know it won't compare to smoked brisket. Certainly not one a Texan would approve of. I am however, determined to come up with something as good as I can given the constraints.. Msk

I made my first brisket. No recipe but the goal was a BBQ-style brisket without the smoke. I started with a 3 lb First cut brisket (trimmed). It was bought for me so its what I had to work with, and apparently the butcher was crazy busy. I dry rubbed it the night before and Food saver-ed it. The next morning, I seared it on both sides, covered it in tin foil, and put it on a rack of a roasting pan. I cooked it for 1.5 hrs per lb at 225 F(actually a little longer) in my electric oven. The meat was good, though a bit dry since there was no fat cap to baste the meat, and I did not mop it. I added a generous amount of homeade sauce afterwords so it was extremely tasty. However, I have a few questions. Should I have mopped/basted it? Should I not have covered it in foil? Should I have just braised it with a BBQ style braising liquid? If can find a brisket untrimmed, will searing it set the fat so it won't render off? I do plan to try again multiple times changing these factors, but if anyone can help elimate some future mistakes from experience, that would be helpful. I have seen many resources on smoking brisket in a smoker, just none on trying to replicate a similar style, withthout smoke, in an oven. Thanks for your help. Msk

I'll second Wineaccess. I use it all the time to find wines eGulleters or other friends recommend. However, being able to purchase them (or have them shipped) is another matter altogether. Msk

I was the steward in my fraternity for 2 years, it paid for my room and board in the Fraternity house. In that time period we lost our chef of like 15 years and I went through the interviewing process. Our first cook was horrible, lets just leave it at that. THe second was a CIA grad that had lost her job because of a closing of the restaurant she worked at. She moved back to the area to be with family. She was great. Our biggest problem was she tried to do too much. She would make calzones from scratch for dinner, but would fill them with "gourmet" fillings. Too upscale for the college pallate (at least many of the brothers). We ordered food together. She created the menu for the week and we would go over it. We created the budget together. She also catered numerous events for us, like formals and such. Many other houses hired caterers, but our cook did ours. I imagine this was a place for her to exercise some creative freedom. She was also a good friend. She ultimately got hired away by a sorority who I'm sure appreciate her much more than our brothers did until she was gone. So the right job may be better than you might have originally thought. However, If its bad, it will likely be really bad. Msk

Ill echo what Bourdain and tana said. I will add to increase the amount of black you wear, inverse proportionally to how dressed up you go. The more casual, the more black. This is typically a safe bet for NYC across the board. Msk

Let me know what you think Alex. I have my eye on this assuming I enjoy home roasting. I am still waiting on my Freshroast Plus 8 to come in since it is apparently back ordered or something till January. Msk

I've never met a Prosecco I didn't like. Msk

Good Cheap Italian near the SI Ferry Rosario's. I work in the area so fee free to ask any questions. Msk

Jackal, Another amazing lecture. I made you latkes using yukon gold potatoes last night and they were fantastic. I did add a little bit of egg white since I was apparently very efficient at squeezing out the juices and the mixture was too dry. (and wouldn't stick) They were great. What a great base to work with for appetizers as well. I added smoked salmon and dill sour cream to some, Cheddar cheese to some. Blue cheese crumbles and cayenne pepper sauce (latter 2 quickly flashed under the broiler). I plan on trying some other recipes this weekend. I really feel like I understand the potato now. Msk

I have seen Zraly several times, though I haven't taken the course. He is very informative as well as entertaining. I do not know if it is stll the case, but the course used to sell out_VERY_ far in advance. I am not sure if this is still the case, but its certainly a good sign for the course. At the very least I would pick up a copy of the book, it is worth having, though, it does have some shortcomings. (What resource doesn't?) Of course, as others would say here, there is no substitute for drinking lots of wine. Msk

Jackal, First, I would direct you here. Its the support newsgroup for low carb, search it and you will find numerous recipes and substitution possibilities. When I was (and still am to a certain extent) doing atkins it was an amazing resource. Batter is a tough one (Just eggs?), but people often suggested ground pork rinds as a substitute for bread crumbs. There are numerous other low carb suggestions there as well, but I'm in a rush at the moment. Good luck Msk

I was referring to the brown bits often deglazed after cooking meat. I always thought people referred to this as fond. (i.e. Suzanne's reply) Yes, I meant deglazing. Sorry for the spelling error. I also thought one of its meanings was to use a liquid to melt the fond into a sauce. So the question was, should I have used some of the stock to re-incorporate this back into the stock, and was I losing any flavoring strength? Unfortunately I only have a 10 qt stock pot so I had to reduce in that, next time I will buy a smaller one to reduce in to mitigate this issue. It seems it is not worth risking all the work to try and re-incorprate this and I'll let it go. As an aside, I actually tasted the stuff (fondlike substance), and it tasted pretty good. As usual, you guys are great. Thanks for the help! Msk

I followed FG's eGCI course and made some chicken stock. The course was fantastic, and everything went according to plan. I do however have a couple of questions. I reduced the stock from about 6 quarts to 1. During the reduction process, the stock seemed to leave rings of what looked like fond on the inside walls of the stockpot. I also had to skim a skin off of it every 10 minutes or so (which didn't seem to show up in the course). So is this normal or was I losing flavoring by not declazing these things back into the stock? The glace is wonderfully gelatinous and brown by the way, and I'm really glad I did it. Not to mention it made my kitchen smell awesome for the 12 hrs it was simmering and we were snowed in. I can't wait to cook with it. Msk

Well, you all have done it to me. I have gone ahead and ordered a Freshroast and a couple of different types of beans. I am going to stick with my drip maker and crappy grinder for the moment, but if my drip coffee improves with the fresh roasted beans like I expect it to, I will likely add a press pot and Burr grinder to equation. Thanks to all for the information and education. Msk

I had the same question myself when reading the perfect roast chicken thread. I was then determined that Google could find a picture for me. Sure enough about 30 minutes later on page 35 of the search, there she was! I have yet to actually do it, but I sure plan to based on the flexibility it gives you. Msk

Some pictures of spatchcocking in action here.

I can't make this one either. I am moving the day before and will likely be unpacking boxes. I did, however, just have a great burger at MJ Grill on John st and Cliff. Perfectly cooked medium rare, great charred crust with juicy wonderful beef. The bacon was a slightly thinner version of their slab bacon from the steakhouse sister restaurant (it was a bacon cheddar burger). Fries were ok. The bun was kind of strange since it was a cut section of an italian roll or bread of some sort. The bun shape did not allow for symmetrical oozing of cheese from the centerpoint of the burger and caused undue spillage. It was toasted and tasty though. Msk

I was gonna say the same thing. Just like BB's. Msk

Agreed Tommy, I was thinking more along the lines of the ventilation and cooking surface area as the pros of an outdoor grill. As we have all discussed, a steak or burger on that screaming hot puppy smokes up the entire floor of my apartment building. Thanks everyone for all the suggestions, at this point it about trying to make a decision about what pan I need versus what company to buy from. I do think I am going to get a Le Creuset Dutch oven since I plan to make alot of barbecue-style brisket and I don't like the intense smoke flavor of smoking. Msk