iguana

Cooking for a long time in a 250 oven is great, if you have a long time! fierydrunk, I have a couple of suggestions, but no recipe. 1. If you have it, the instruction manual that came with your pressure cooker will likely have a beef stew recipe. Do you have a new cooker or a vintage one? 2. Laura Brody has a couple of excellent cookbooks one of which likely has a beef stew recipe or close variant. She has one vegetarian pressure cooker book-- it's probably not in there . 3. If you find a good recipe, you can adapt it to the pressure cooker: -- Brown beef, add liquids, seasonings, and onions, cook on high pressure for about 30 minutes. -- Add vegetables to taste, finish by cooking on the stovetop, or very briefly (5-10 minutes) under pressure. Any veg added at the beginning will be mush if you cook them with the meat. -- Use about 30% less liquid-- one of the big detriments of stewing in the pressure cooker is that the liquids do not reduce. If you cook the veg without using pressure, you can leave the lid off and reduce then. -- Another detriment of the pressure cooker is that the flavors do not develop as well as they do with long, slow cooking. So, don't be afraid to boost flavor anywhere you can (ie well-browned beef, strong stock and robust wine for liquids, etc.) Having made the transition from recipe-based cooking to 'winging it' (except for pastry), I empathize with your needing a bit more guidance. Cook's Illustrated had a great recipe a while back. Good luck and happy stewing!

Hey! HEY!!

I'm glad we got an authentic Purdue alum to speak up. soupsister, thanks for the recommendations-- I drove by Triple XXX and thought "What the heck?". Lafayette is a strange place-- a 'Chocolate Shoppe' that is really a dive bar and a 'XXX' joint that is really a family restaurant. P.S. Just for the record, in case there was any confusion, I'm not a 'Boilermaker"-- I was just in the area on business. I'm an "Eph". Ten points to you if you can place that one.

>Or maybe people would like to see how easy it is to close a joint down based on second-hand accounts? This is an interesting question: how influential is egullet, specifically the Heartland. I was initially tempted to dismiss this as paranoia. However, I think it bears consideration. One way to assess this is to ask the reverse: has egullet ever 'made' a restaurant?

Okay, I'm heading back to Chicago today and you guys were no help whatsoever with this Bloomington thread hijack. . I did find a couple of good spots: Khana Khazana Indian Grill 108 Northwestern Ave Purdue campus This restaurant has a great Indian buffet-- many more selections than the usual buffet and some interesting selections (lentil rasam, dosas). Most stuff was mildly spiced, and a bit soupy, but tasty. Sofra "Authentic Turkish Restaurant" 213 State Street, West Lafayette This restaurant has some very tasty Turkish dishes-- I enjoyed the lentil soup and the stuffed grape leaves. The bread basket comes with a plate of spiced olive oil for dipping-- this oil is ladled out of a huge bucket, which makes for an interesting presentation. Shopping: Interested in apple varieties? How about Gala, Empire, and Liberty? How about NKX-413-53? Check out the Purdue Horticultural Research Station. They sell apples from the research program for breeding disease-resistant apples. With each bag of apples, you can take a feedback form and tell them how you liked each apple, so they can factor it into the breeding program. They sell fruit in Sept-Oct, 12N-5PM. From the Purdue campus, head west on State Street, which turns into Rte 26, and look for the sign on the left. They 'normal' and research varieties, and also sell chestnuts, pawpaws, pears, and some really delicious grapes.

Thanks for all the Bloomington dining options-- I'll actually be there in three weeks for the Hilly Hundred bike ride. But I'm in West Lafayette this week on a business trip, so if anyone has any help there, I really need it. So far I found out that Harry's Chocolate Shop is actually a dive bar. Turns out the name is a relic of Prohibition. Sounds like a cruel, cruel joke-- especially since I'm pregnant and can't drink.

...state of Indiana, wondering where a city girl can go... You get the idea-- please help me find good food in Lafayette and West Lafayette.

I only have a pressure cooker, but am interested in a slow cooker. For those of you who have one, how do you manage the food safety issue-- it seems like putting cold food over low heat would leave it at bacterial growth temperatures for a long time. Is is enough to subsequently cook the heck out of it? I love my pressure cooker (Kuhn Rikon), especially in beet season. It's also great for beans. I second the recommendation of Lorna Sass's cookbooks.

I tried the bake-from-frozen method this weekend and it worked great. Several weeks ago I made two cherry pies using frozen pie cherries. One was baked immediately with my usual method (425 for 15' then 350 until done, about 40') The second pie went into the freezer. I baked the second pie on Sunday, following Sinclair's instructions (do not defrost, bake at 375 until done). It took a very long time to bake but produced a lovely, well-thickened pie. My crust recipe contains about 1T of sugar, so it tends to brown faster-- I had to cover it with foil for the last 15 minutes to keep it from over browning. The pie that had not been frozen expressed substantially more liquid-- it was very watery compared to the pie that was frozen first. In my hands, this method is a winner. It certainly is worthwhile making two pies and freezing one to bake later. Thanks, Sinclair. So, when will we see the piecrust course? Pie season's a-wastin'.

whyknow, thanks for the tip-- I had heard about The Glen and was intrigued. How is the cheese selection? Bread? Is the Market worth it as a destination unto itself? I bike up there sometimes, so I would be more likely to shop and ride than to stop and dine.

How is Saturday the 21st at 6:00? Flowers are a great choice. Anything permanent is potentially difficult unless you're sure you can hit their needs and tastes exactly. I've received many serving dishes, etc, that are wonderful on their own, but just don't fit with grandma's china, much less with each other. Then I have to remember who gave me what and drag it out when they come to visit. Another thought-- having an extensive wine cellar implies to me that wine may be a good hostess gift rather than a bad one. After all, they must love the stuff to have so much of it. Unless you've heard them complain (whine) about a prior wine gifts, it might be worth considering. They can cellar it, drink it later, serve it forth, cook with it, or regift it. Or maybe I'm just a lush!

On the goat topic, but not of direct relevance to roasting (and too late for icicle's party anyway, there was a mouth-watering article about meat eating in Monterrey, Mexico in Saveur #76 (Jan 2004, pp 38-51). This article featured some gorgeous photos of roasted and roasting goat, but no roasting how-to. There was one kid stew recipe that looked tasty, as well as some good information about suppliers, etc. So, how did it turn out??

Mutton Button. (Old Chatham Sheepherding) Mutton Button. Mutton Button. Mutton Button. Mutton Button. Mutton Button.

Mmm-- the marrow from soup bones, spread on Saltines. I had a craving for this just the other day, so I had to make beef-barley soup in 90-degree Chicago weather. It was heavenly.

Fine Cooking has my vote for the best cooking mag. I've had great success with their fancy recipes and many many of their simple recipes have become my standards. They cover techniques in a way that allows you to be creative, without forcing their taste on you. The photography can be a bit muddy, but the recipes are outstanding and dependable. Gourmet is a distant second with all the travel, lifestyle, etc. Saveur is great food/travel porn of a similar, more exotic, ilk. Cook's Illustrated really annoys me-- how many articles about sauteed cutlets have they done? Also, you have to agree with their idea of what 'best' is. For a while I liked their scientific approach (being a scientist and all)-- then I realized I never cook anything from the mag!

Neither could I til I learned to ignore the cautions about adding too much water. Most recipes imply about 3 Tbs water, I find it can take up to twice that. I had the same revelation about adding water-- so many recipes emphasize that you shouldn't add too much water that I ended up overcompensating and adding too little water. This thread is great-- I'm delighted to see so many passionate pie-bakers.

This is a great thread-- Sinclair, I can't wait for your course on pie crust. I'm intrigued by the bake-from-freezer method. Do you find it works better for some fruits than others? I'm interested to see what oven temp you use. It certainly would be handy to have a pie or two in the freezer ready to bake! We've covered crust recipes; anyone have any opinions on pie plates? I have an unglazed pie plate from Sassafrass. It gives the best bottom crusts-- browned and crisp, not soggy.

I had a lovely blackberry-ginger scone once. I think it used candied, rather than fresh ginger. When I was young we lived across the street from a lot full of feral blackberries. We would pick quarts and quarts and my mother would make what my dad called "seed pie". Fool property owner planted blue spruce and shaded out all the blackberries. Sigh.

Cart ogling at Costco is also incredibly useful-- I don't know how many times I've spotted stuff I missed on the shelves as I trudged around in my warehouse daze. "Crabmeat? Where was that?". Of course, it's also good for a laugh or two-- I didn't dare ask about the 8 boxes of oatmeal!

Thanks for the report-- that is great news! I'm a little disappointed that he won't be moving to bigger digs, but the old space did have that cosy feel!

Here's my report from the Green City Market today: WOW! They have at least doubled the number of vendors from previous weeks, breaking out a second row of tents into the park. All manner of fruits are in: cherries, peaches, blueberries, raspberries. I was promised pitted pie cherries for next week. I scored carrots (with tops for my pet iggies), Chinese broccoli, and hothouse tomatoes. On the non-veg side, there was a new vendor selling yogurt and I got a quart of peach. Also bread and a chocolate croissant from Bennison's. The croissant is already history-- one of the best I've ever had. The Heartland Meats people were there, but I had stocked up on beef on Sunday at CHIC. We're having leftover grilled tri-tip tonight. This really is the best market in Chicago, and I've been to CHIC, both downtown markets, and several of the neighborhood markets including the Saturday Lincoln park market. The crowds here are mellow-- more babies, dogs, and bikes than uptight jerks. Also, this market seems to draw a better crowd of vendors. I love summer in Chicago!

I hit the CHIC farmers market this noontime. I think I'm spoiled by the Green City market, because this one seemed a bit sparse. I got chuck stew meat from Heartland Meats to grind for burgers tonight, plus beets and dill from Nichols farm and a few cheeses for a Ravinia outing this week. Ronnie_s, I'm glad you enjoyed the Heartland Meats ribeyes. The Heartland meats folks are just the sweetest couple and they produce some fine beef. I just had a new cut from there-- a flatiron steak. It's like a mini flank steak, very lean and beefy.

How about the Twisted Spoke at Ogden and Grand? Good fat burgers and the roof deck has a view of the skeleton on the spinning motorcycle. Good beer list too.

Too true-- I'm stuck between relatives telling me to get another slice of pie and others telling me "my manicurist gained 100 pounds with her pregnancy". Ugh. Of course, at 11 weeks, I can barely stand the smell of food, so I'm self-limiting now. I think you did the right thing leading by example-- if something yummy and healthy, like fruit salad is offered, a lot of folks will scarf it right up and maybe come back with a craving for it. My staff used to love doughnuts for our meeting snacks, but once I brought yogurt, fresh strawberries, bananas, and homemade granola-- now they clamor for that. Good luck with the little one!

It's way east of Ithaca, but another great artisianal cheesemaker from Upstate NY is the Old Chatham Sheepherding Company. I've enjoyed their Mutton Button at an upscale restaurant in Chicago (Tru).