Msk

As a point of reference Marlene, Mine was bubbling on low. I have one of those dumb crockpots that have 4 settings. Msk

Jaymes, Thank you so much for that contribution. I promise to make the recipe exactly as you describe until I have ample experience with it. It sounds very tasty. I am a good student and will do as I'm told! One quick question. This is considered a cooked salsa even when only the Jalapenos are roasted? Thanks, I can't wait to give this a try. Msk

Thanks for the great recommendations. I see tamales as the end-game not the beginning. My wife and I love Mexican, and its the one area that I am sorely lacking skills in. I plan on changing that. Jaymes, Is there any one particular recipe you might like to share? If I had a list of your recipes I'd surely have started with it. Or if there was an eGCI course from you (Hint Hint!) Can I use the standard Maseca for most Masa recipes? Do I need the Tamale version for the Tamales? Whats the best substitute for corn husks if I don't have any in a pinch (Parchment? Foil?) Thanks again guys, I think I'll work on that repertoire of 3 salsas Jaymes mentioned. Now off the figure out which recipes to use. Msk

I hear her works lauded all over the place, and I bought her most recent book, the one thats the compilation of her prior work. After perusing it, I am finding it quite intimidating, since I feel like I need a translation for every other ingredient. I went out and bought one of the prior books for the description of ingredients and the pictures. Does anyone have any suggestions on where to start? Im thinking of trying some of the salsas/sauces first. Ultimately I'd like to make tamales. I have purchased the needed equipement from Mexigrocer as well. All input is welcome. Msk

Marlene, I went out and bought a crockpot for just this reason. I left it on overnight with the lid on and there was liquid, but not that much. Did your onions brown? I put my crockpot on low, but it didn't seem "that low." I just drained the liquid and the onions were fantastic. Msk

In an effort to partake in the most amount of eGullet threads possible, I made some Onion Confit and layered it on top of Fresh Focaccia from the Self Improvement through baking thread. Drizzled (poorly mind you) some Goat Cheese on half. My recipe for the confit? 6 onions chopped 1/4 cup butter 1/4 cub olive oil Put in crock pot on low (kept the lid on the whole time) Go to sleep Wake up to confit! Msk

Ok here are the pics! Pain L'Ancienne Focaccia BWJ Focaccia with Onion Confit and Goat Cheese on half Also made a couple of baguettes for good luck too. All the bread was delicious, finished up the last piece of Focaccia for dinner tonight as a makeshift Pizza. Thanks for dropping in Dorie! Msk

MDT -- Beautiful work! Seth -- That Focaccia looks tasty! Did it have any extra yeasty taste? I'll post my pics tonight. I was going to my mother's for dinner with some family that was in town, so I decided to go a bit crazy. Since I had all the baking stuff out, I made 2 Focaccias a la BWJ and also made Pain L'ancienne version from Reinhart's Bread Bakers Apprentice. Both came out absolutely great. I topped mine with carmelized onions and one half of one with some goat cheese too. I liked the BWJ version but it was a bit more work relative to the Reinhart version. His recipe is basically combine everything, mix together for a couple minutes and stick it in the fridge overnight. BWJ's had much better flavor (I also spiked it with a bit of sourdough starter for flavor). Reinhart's seemed to rely more on the olive oil for flavoring since the baguettes I made were a bit bland. I love looking at all the pics and hearing the stories, its alot of fun. Msk

This weekend is perfect for me to bake, so I'll do the focaccia and catch up on the other stuff later. I also look forward to comparing this recipe to my other attempts. Msk

I bought this on accident the other day for the trainride home. I'm a hardcore Diet Coke drinker and I enjoyed it. Much better job than the lemon version. Msk

An additional negative: The menus are that annoying orange with a standard printed white insert. I had to take the damn thing out to be able to read it with the "mood lighting." Msk

I went to Mix last night and enjoyed it thoroughly. Its a swanky room though a bit too modern for my taste. The food, however, was innovative and fantastic. Our waiter was great, perhaps trying to overserve a bit, but better that than nowhere to be found IMHO. The wine service was a bit pretentious. The sommelier was not overly friendly, nor helpful, though we did end up with a nice selection. I ordered the Mix of Mix which includes 1 First course, 1 main, and a dessert. I am not a dessert person so I inquired if I may substitiute the dessert for 2 firsts (since the menu really looked appetizing to me). The waiter pleasantly replied, "Not a problem, we do it all the time!) I would have gone for the off-menu tasting but my friend was not up for the experience. When I asked about the tasting menu the waiter was more than willing to help me figure the best combination based on which menu items piqued my fancy (or work around any dietary restrictions I might have--which are none). I will be back to do this. As per recommendations here I ordered: Clam chowder - WOW! Best clam chowder I have ever had. Very creamy and luxiours with a sort of subtle sweet finish. A portion larger than I needed, but I finished it all. The more I ate it, the more layers of flavors that opened up. Off menu -Chicken breast / Foie Gras roulade - Not really sure how this was prepared but it was almost as if it was a poached flattened breast of chicken wrapped around pate. The foe gras had more of a creamy texture than seared foie gras (though the waiter did say it was seared). This tasted great, but lacked a certain textural contrast. The flavors were still compelling and vibrant. Bison wellington - Very tasty, wonderful tender meat in a flavorful pastry. Perhaps too much "Fleur de Sel" garnish in a bite or two. I think FG was right on in his description Msk

Im gonna catch up this weekend hopefully. Tart and Focaccia sound great to me, though I may pass on the tart for purely dietetic reasons. Msk

Those fancy doors that turn smoky when they are locked are very cool. Unless someone in a unisex bathroom forgets to lock it in their rush! Msk

Phaelon, Well I can't help you on the recipe, but Cafe Decadence was great. Ithaca is such a beautiful place. Msk

Hmm that takes out alot of options. You could look into protein powders. When bought in bulk they aren't that expensive, and you can then make your own protein shakes. You can then start to experiment with the powder in other recipes like muffins, etc. Good luck! Msk

Thanks for the insight Tommy. Msk

Kim Crawford Sauv Blanc is the only screw top wine I have had. It was good but a bit above your range. around $14 Msk

I keep a kosher home (for my wife) and technically fish and meat cant be had in the same dish. My wife really doesn't care about this particular rule and I have fish sauce to make it with. However, Jennyuptown asked in another thread and I thought I'd ask it too here as I am just curious. My first Larb will be chicken larb. Msk

Thats interesting to know. I have read here and elsewhere that vacuum packing does increase the penetration of dry marinades. I will say I did not notice any difference this time without the vacuum packing. I frequently see people refer to pores in meat, perhaps they are just referring to the gaps between muscle striations.

Is there an acceptable vegetarian substitute for fish sauce? Soy sauce? Where the heck can I find dried thai chilis, none of my markets near me carry them. Can I use crushed red pepper? Thanks, I have all the makings for Larb just wanna ask a few last details. Msk

Phae, What you describe is why people often use a Foodsaver in combination with a dry rub---to open the pores. The theory sounds reasonable to me, but I have never tried it, nor heard of it. Msk

3 part(s) paprika 2 part(s) salt 3 part(s) garlic powder 1 part(s) black pepper 2 part(s) onion powder 1 part(s) cayenne pepper 1 part(s) dried oregano 1 part(s) dried thyme I make it in huge batches and use it for everything from fish to chicken to beef. The last two briskets I made I put on the rub 1-2 days ahead then vacuum-packed it. This one I just put in a ziploc after applying the rub (I was lazy). This is also prior to saucing, which I made with BBQ-sauce, the reduced jus from the brisket, vinegar, and cayenne pepper sauce. Leftovers? Sopping up those little bits with the sauce on the rest of the homemade foccacia was fantastic. I'll take into consideration your added comments as it seems I can never find a brisket that isn't trimmed. Thanks again. Msk

OK all thanks for the help here's how it looked. It turned out great. They only change I'd make is to skip the broiling/searing part because at 210F internal temp, and a crispy crust, it was difficult to slice, even after letting it set for 15 minutes. The side facing the water (shown in the pic) was more moist and the top a bit dry which made it so hard to slice. If I could have gotten a brisket with the fat cap intact it also might have helped the top stay moist. Anyway, this tasted fantastic and was the type of brisket I was looking for. BBQ-style brisket, in an oven, without intense smoke flavor. I think its just a matter of a couple of little tweaks at this point. Thank you all so much. Msk

Ok got my book, so hopefully I can catch up. Here are some pictures of the focaccia I made to bake along in spirit. This is a foccacia I made with the Dan Lepard's Baking Day recipe (Modified to include basil/tomato/garlic/parmesan) , changed a bit to use Jack Lang's starter instead of the leaven. This didn't last long. Sorry about the poor photography. Msk