theabroma

Guadeloupe/Martinique, esp blaff and 'ti ponche Jamaica/Trinidad, brown down stew, black cake, callaloo w/crabs Theabroma

I had the same Costco experience, and the same reaction. It is, like the hors d'oeuvres book, a good, solid reference, as always ideas for presentations, and a great book to turn to when you have to produce something - usually a same-old same-old item, and need some ideas to bounce it up. It's on my bookshelf. THeabroma

For the sauce in poulet normande; in tarte Tatin, and in frangipane for tarte aux pommes; and together with Pasita and a touch of chile chipotle in a sauce for a roasted pork loin. Hic! Theabroma PS: and always, always for the cook!

Well, after reading the reviews of Alborz on that web site, I realize that the contributors, though they took the time to go, to take note, and to review/critique, don't know the first thing about Persian food. And that makes any comments - positive or negative - rather without value. I must admit that I find reviewing chain restaurants a bit odd, especially multiple outbreaks of them. But what floats your boat and mine ... It is a great idea to encourage people to forego a few visits to everyday restaurants in favor of occasional dining experiences and treats at places like The Driskill. But take care - it is not the only venue in Austin. And I think it is good for many of us to be reminded that there is a whole world of taste out there, as well as opinions of its quality. It can indeed be frustrating, but it is also very exciting. After all, all foie gras and no sheep's eyeballs make Jack a dull diner. Theabroma

Kent, it is an interesting list, with both interesting and 'interesting' reviews. For me it becomes increasingly difficult rather that more and more easy to identify 'fine' dining, good restaurants, or 'authentic' cuisines (at least those I have a solid familiarity with through travel and kitchen experiences with native 'speakers' of those cuisines.). To discuss 'fine' dining in any meaningful way, and expecially outside a pathetically few cities in the US, I believe that a working definition of 'fine dining' needs to be agreed upon, for the purposes of that discussion, at the outset. That way the participants are as close to being on the same page, with the same frame of reference. The resulting discussion and evaluation can, therefore, have some meaning and validity. What I thought of early in my life as fine dining (laugh as you will) centered around places like the original Old Warsaw on Cedar Springs in Dallas. Then I wound up in New York, and seated before a snowy field of damask, with a surgeon;s compliment of cutlery at Le Pavillion, La Grenouille, Lutece, and places of that ilk. Well, needless to say, the subluxations in my notion of what constituted fine dining were smartly realigned by the culinary chiropractor. But - does that mean that The Old Warsaw was not fine dining? Zoom forward several years and there I am working in the kitchen, rather than primarily seated in the dining room. A different perspective. Totally. One has to reevaluate 'fine' in the face of the warts and all reality of what one finds in in the sauciers, saute pans, and stock pots of the local 'fine' dining establishments. So ... is a heavily themed, expensive, and culinarily adventurous restaurant, with a 'slam' kitchen which prides itself on 400+ covers a night capable of delivering 'fine' dining? What about one that got into a groove and stayed there, amidst flurries issuing from a devoted PR machine? I recently had dinner at a restaurant in Northern California; that experience totally reworked my definition of 'fine.' The bar is now incredibly high, and a hyperthyroid pr manger, a superstar flounce through the dining room, and signature products in bottles, have NOTHING to do with it. Oddly enough, however, that last experience put everything back where, at least I, thing it belongs: the kitchen and the plate. So my working definition of 'fine' had to be thought through again. We maybe have 3, possibly 4 restaurants in Dallas which would not create too much argument for being regarded as 'fine' dining. In Austin, I don't know. I love Asti, but do not consider it 'fine' dining in the generally understood meaning of the term. Vespaio. Ah, yes. I have tried to eat there twice, my brother - a resident of Austin - a couple of times. The attitude of the staff has on those occasions been what could only be described as John Cleese/Fawlty Towers behaving in a manner he believed to be the appropriate demeanor of a 'fine' dining establishment. Snobby does not cut it (unless you are a circa '66 French maitre 'd at Le Pavillion). Snotty should be directed to the nearest pharmacy for an OTC mucous drying tablet. Neither has a place in a great restaurant. I suppose the Driskill and the Four Seasons would be the likely contenders. And Emilia's when it was still alive and kicking. But in the end, there are other ways to define fine ... does it mean a ruinously expensive check? a table in the kitchen? a million zillion tiny courses? a wine cellar to make Bocuse weep? a smutty cascade of Tuber melanosporum over a plate which could only be christened a la chimneysweep? Or is it the best a region's cuisine has to offer? Perfectly fresh - or perfectly preserved - and perfectly prepared? Must it be served with wine? Or is this European colonization of the world's tables? We can now elevate Mexican food to a higher rang on the pecking order because we can pair it with wine? It makes a great debate topic. It is, sadly, for many an open and shut case: 'fine' dining costs a lot of money, involved a batterie de service on the table, old or arcane wine in quantities to float a freighter, and a mega-celebrity chef who knows your first name. (On the California trip I learned a bit about the software used to run front of the house operations these days .... if the more nefarious agencies of the gov;t get their hands on it, we;re doomed. They know everything about the customers, and they use it to quietly welcome you again, for the first time, you liked x so much and we can do that tonight, etc. Quiet cosseting and a good kitchen ... maybe that's the definition of 'fine' dining after all. And that could cut some of the biggies out of the confraternity, and admit some of the more lowly places I return to for just those two things. What do you think??? Theabroma

I must confess that the above left me with an image of those Dr. Scholl's footbath spas, which led me to the ultimate in recycling: tired, dis-tempered chocolate for pedicures. But that's a whole 'nother thing. Thanks so much for the demos and suggestions. Theabroma

This has been so incredibly helpful and fascinating. You do get the genius award for the dental table ... among other things. And I am wondering if you ever make any of your own molds? Would you have any suggestions for mold-making equipment sources? And classes/training. Anything to recommend there? Thank you! Theabroma

I seem to remember a wonderful photo coupled with a discussion about a fraisier, plus a recipe in Linda Dannenberg's Paris: Patisserie, Boulangerie. It think it was made with a split genoise, and with a mousseline buttercream. Theabroma

Bialys? From Kossar's? I'm all over it. Theabroma

I think you may be talking about 2 different varieties of lime: the Mexican, or Key, lime, and the Persian lime. The Mx lime - usually light green, smallish, skin ripening to a yellow color, thin skin, little pith, and a rounded, floral juice typically sells for a buck for 10 to 20 of them, sometimes more. The big, suspiciously deep green Persian lime is often dry, hard to juice, with a violently green skin and a rather thick pith. Due to their picturesque appearance, their size - quality of juice notwithstanding - and their durability, they are the most common lime out there. And yes, Whole Paycheck does often charge a bundle per each of them. Now the Key lime or pie fame often fetches a purse-pinching price, yet is is the same species as the Mexican lime ... it is exactly the same thing. So if you want to make pies, be sure to visit your Mexican, Central American, or Caribbean market, and run away from Key limes at .65 each! Theabroma

This is fabulous! Great description, great set up, very instructive photos, and I liked the exercise suggestion. But, where O where did you get that nice Mommy tempering machine? And the vibrating 'table'? Best, Theabroma

It is my impression that it is the india or the mestiza who ran/runs the kitchens of the well-to-do, rather than a chef, usually European trained, as is more typically the case here in the US. (Eg, in extremis: I was once called in to serve as sous chef for a very special event in the home of a Dallas family: the chef was British, as was his friend who had come from Britain for the event. As the evening wore on I learned I was cooking with Princess Diana's former chef, and the Queen's pastry chef. I had to retire to the Ladies' to recompose.) That being the case, how might that situation affect the use of nixtamalized corn in the household. Was wheat embraced? Was it window-dressing? I am guessing that the majority of the ladies of the house were relatively or totally unskilled in the ways of the kitchen, leaving the person running the kitchen in a kind of catbird seat. I have, also, known a few who disdained things corn, especailly tortillas. But after having the opportunity to get to know a wide range of Mexicans from the social spectrum, it seems that it is mostly those on a rigorous upwardly mobile path who eschew tortillas, and things like that. They also purport to be of such delicate, sensitive, and high-strung constitution, that anything spicy, especially chiles, is devastating to them. Do you run across this as well??

Mercy, this is fascinating!!!!!! Thanks to Rachel, I realize that I wasn't clear about something: fermentation and souring are generally similar processes, yet quite different in particular. I am aware of soured masa being used to make atole, and being used to make the masa for certain very particular styles of tamales. It may have wider application than the examples I am aware of. I am equally unaware of any fermented beverage or dish made strictly from nixtamalized corn. Rachel is again correct that those types of products (eg: Andean chicha, or corn beer) begin with the fermentation of the whole grains. As for batters I do believe that there are area within the Mayan regions - especially in the Yucatan - where the nixtamalized masa is diluted somewhat and 'poured' onto a banana leaf, which is then set on a comal to cook into a tortilla. If you will accept that as batter cooking, then that is the one example of it with which I am familiar. Oddly, it is both feasible and easier to make corn cakes cooked on a griddle from fresh field corn, or from the dried corn, not nixtamalized, but cooked to soften it, and then coarsely mashed and griddle cooked. But that is just a statement of 'fact'; I do not have any examples of that being done in Mexico. So, on we go. I am looking forward to what Rachel digs up. Theabroma

Certainly there are wild yeasts in the air. And there are those which hang out on fruit, such as the natural yeasts on grapes. (Not all grapes are old world - Vitex mustangensis, for example; but sugar-loving critters that yeasts are, they would/could be around on tunas, etc.) The original tamal masa often had no leaveners - they just whipped the bejesus out of it with their hands, adding cold water from a height. When you think of the tamal as beginning its life as a steamed bread, this makes sense. Somewhere down the line they figured out a veritable witches' brew of the husks of tomatillos infused in water to which a crushed powder of tequesquite, an alkali occurring naturally as a precipitate from certain brackish water lakes (apparently similar to natron, which Egyptians used in mummification and similar precipitates at the Great Salt Lake and the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. Probably also the Dead Sea). This 'coccion' was strained and added to the tamal masa to lighten it. Today people use Royal, which is to say, baking powder. But being that corn does not contain precursor proteins for gluten, you cannot develop that stringy, webby network you get from wheat flour which traps the yeast belchings or chemical gas and causes the rise. The main means of aeration or lift in tamales is the air you can whip into the fat, and, ultimately, the masa. The added baking powder helps a little, but very little. I have been making masa and steaming it blind to taste test the differences between no fat, fat only, the coccion, and with baking powder. So far, fat vs no fat, and the strong arm of the KitchenAid or Hobart seems to rule. All of the various recipes for tamales that I have - and with the exception of Kennedy and Bayless, I am referring to books in Spanish by Mx researchers or food specialists, many do not use baking powder at all, or else in quantities so slight that they would have to be veritable Davids to hoist the Goliath of all that masa. The coccion does, however, have a distinct taste ... somewhat acquired. It is quite common for the third ingredient of the infusion to be anis seed, not to add lift, but to mask the taste of the alkali. Obviously the use of anis seed is post=Conquest; I have not yet found anything indicating that there was a native saborizante used to minimize the alkali taste prior to the arrival of anis. Also, the tamal doughs which are cooked like cream of wheat, and which have melted fat added to them do not use baking powder. The texture of these doughs is like very light polenta. This masa is from the Mayan regions of Mexico and is typically used with banana leaf or chaya wrappers. Theabroma

Adam, thanks for mentioning the oat cakes ... that helps me get an idea of what I'm dealing with. My experience with masa - directly and indirectly by asking un chorro of questions to any mayora or market lady who'll endure the barrage - indicates that it sours rather rapidly. Even under modern refrigeration after about 3 days all bets are off. And it really sours. If you leave it out on the counter, and add some water to make it a bit liquidy, it still sours and does not begin to bubble and puff. My understanding is that in the absence of gluten, the masa won't go anywhere but south. However, if you add some wheat flour to it ... then it will 'sponge. Crudely thought through and quickly stated: wheat and yeast came w/the Spanish, although in the appropriate regions people began to use pulque as a leavening agent. There is an entire class of panes de pulque, which now are dying out as pulque begins a retreat, and Pan Bimbo rules the day. It seems that the Spanish gravitated to the population centers or built little kingdoms on their encomiendas, and this had everything to do with the spread and introduction of wheat flour around Mx. Also, the wheat ranches were established from Tlaxcala through Queretaro and up into the northern part of Mexico, approching what today is known as the Frontera, and where flour tortillas have ruled alongside, and sometimes over, corn ones for some time. Today, it becomes increasingly difficult to get a flour tortilla once you get south of Monterrey. In the rural areas the pure masa and the corn tortilla rule. In the larger cities it is not uncommon to find that a little wheat flour is sneaked into the masa when making gorditas, molotes, and the assortment of masa whimsies served as appetizers in restaurants and by street vendors from carts. On the Frontera, a guiso would more likely be thickened with a spoonful of wheat flour; in the Centro and south, with a bit of masa diluted in water. The boundaries are largely intact, though there is some blurring around the edges: there are gorditas made from wheat flour (thick flour tortillas, kinda like an unholy cross of a hockey puck and a crumpet), and I have seen recipes for the occasional tamal with a wheat flour dough (a steamed dumpling, in my book). Really didn't mean to run on so ... but you made a wonderful thing and asked some very good and provocative questions. Now I am going to be driven crazy trying to find out about the origins of pan de pulque. The mfg of a reliable dried or fresh cake yeast is of very recent origin. It was commonplace in Europe to utilize the dregs of beer bottles or beer vats to get yeast for mfg of bread. Since the indigenous groups of Mexico were ob viously familiar with the process and effects of fermentation (pulque, balche, etc) just who was it that decided to used pulque to give the bread dough liftoff, instead of wine or beer or wild yeasts? Anyone? Caroline? Get in here!!!! Regards, Theabroma

Sounds lovely. T.

Verrrry interesting stuff. In my experience in Mexico, and in reading and researching, I have never found a reference to using yeast in corn masa. It is not uncommon, however, especially in small towns and rural areas to use day old or soured masa to make atoles, and various masa based foods. It seems that yeast is pretty strictly related to wheat flour items. There may be some mixing of leftover masa with wheat flour, additional liquids, and eggs to make pancake like things ... but I would also guess that this would take place randomly in one house or another, especially in large cities, and in a family with an international and Mexican pedigree. There is such a thing as a fluffy taco - a puffy taco - and it is of fairly recent origin. It appears to be a treat from the frontera, and likely devised on this side of the border. It is slowly working its way across. But it is made from a flour tortilla, or, at best a flour tortilla dough leavened with baking powder, to which a tiny bit of corn masa has been added. Sort of the cornbread dough of Mx??!!! I am going to try your taco, though. It looks way cool - kinda like a gritty pancake w/nice texture. Theabroma

Adam, what a beautiful meal. Must have a bunch of happy, salivating Spirits radiating around your home. Theabroma

I am delighted to hear that and I do look forward to seeing the photos. Also glad to hear that Garcia is happy. This is most important ... I know all too well. I think I may have missed something ... tell me about your restaurant. Where, menu,, etc. I am very curious. Regards, Theabroma

A slab cut off the block at the deli, or Kraft Philly. No whipped ... not ever. Too goyische. Now, having said that, buckle up: you haven't lived 'til you apply a bissel mascarpone. So the relatives in Bologna used Philly? I don't think so!1 Theabroma

Lardy! What a splendid idea. Theabroma

And truffles fell out of the family because ... ? Amanita caesarea Amanita rubescens Morels Boletes Candy Caps Maitake Honshimeji Hedgehogs Lactaria indigo Matsutake Chanterelles Trompettes de mort But very well cooked! Theabroma

Here 'tis. It is from an article on Muertos foods I wrote for the now extinct Women on the Net. It appears very long: I was trying to explain in an excess of simple detail how to do it for total first timers. I love the bread that results from this. Please let me know how it turns out!!!! Theabroma PAN DE MUERTO Although this bread is inextricably linked to Día de Los Muertos, its only ties to pre-conquest Mexico lie in the stylized dough "bones" and "tears" and in the coarse red sugar topping used to adorn the loaves. The bone motif is a universal cultural reference to death; the color red is a reference to an ancient practice among Mesoamerican tribes of painting corpses red. Wheat growing, milling, and the production of ferment- or yeast-leavened doughs came to Mexico with the Spanish. The use of butter in the dough is European; the use of anise and orange flower water came from the Ottoman Turks during their occupation of the Mediterranean basin and from the Arab rule in Spain. Enjoy this in the traditional manner - tear off chunks and dip into a small bowl of chocolate, with a large cap of foam - the spirit of chocolate itself. And - remember those who have gone ahead, and be grateful for those who are still among us. For 2 large loaves you will need: For the sponge: 1/2 cup warm water 1 T active dry yeast 1 T sugar 1 cup all-purpose flour (about 10% protein) For the dough: 2 T anise seed 1/4 cup water 5 egg yolks (large) 3 whole eggs (large) 3/4 cup granulated sugar 8 ozw unsalted butter (soft, but not melted) 1/2 t salt 3 T orange flower water (Middle Eastern groceries, pastry suppliers, or pharmacies) 1T orange rind, finely grated 1 Ib all-purpose flour For the glaze 1 egg 2 T water For the finish: 1 cup granulated sugar red food coloring (optional, paste or gel colors preferred) Large mixing bowl Towel Flour for dusting work table Stand-type electric mixer with paddle attachment and bowl Knife Sheet pan/baking pan Parchment or pan liner Pastry brush Small bowl Spatula Spoon MAKE A DOUGH SPONGE: put the warm water, sugar, and yeast in the mixer and mix on slow until the yeast and sugar are dissolved. Allow to sit about 5 minutes to proof the yeast. It should begin to puff and foam. If not, the yeast may be dead, and you will need to begin again with new yeast. Once the yeast has proofed, add the flour and mix on low speed until smooth. Remove paddle, scrape down sides of the bowl and cover top with a damp towel or plastic wrap. Allow sponge to double in volume. You may place sponge in the refrigerator and allow it to develop over night. MAKE ANISE WATER: put anise seed and 1/4 cup water in a small pan and bring to a boil. Reduce to 3 T. Strain, reserving liquid and allow to cool. Discard seeds. MAKE THE DOUGH: if you have placed the bowl in the refrigerator, bring it out and allow it to warm up a bit. Place bowl on the mixer with paddle attachment. Stir down the sponge. With mixer on slow speed, add the eggs, egg yolks, soft butter, orange flower water, orange rind, anise water, salt and half of the flour. Increase speed to medium, and mix for one minute, or until ingredients are well combined and creamy. Switch back to slow speed and start to add the remainder of the flour, a little at a time, until the dough comes together and "cleans the bowl". Take care not to over mix - it will toughen the bread FINISH THE DOUGH: remove mixing paddle and scrape dough onto a very lightly floured worktable. Knead gently a few times - just for a minute or two. The dough should be soft, but not sticky; with enough oomph to hold a boule shape and not flatten out. If it is sticky, gently knead in small amounts of flour until it ceases to stick. FIRST RISING: lightly butter a large bowl, put the dough in the bowl and roll it around to lightly oil the surface and prevent it from drying out. Cover with a damp towel and allow to double in bulk - about 2 hours. FORMING LOAVES: gently deflate dough and return it to a lightly floured work table. Remove about 1 1/2 cupsful of the dough to make bones and tears. Divide remainder of dough in half and form each half into a smooth, compact round loaf. Place loaves on the sheet pan, on a diagonal if necessary to allow for further expansion during proofing and baking. Cover loaves loosely with a towel or a sheet of plastic wrap. MAKING "BONES" AND "TEARS": each loaf gets 3 "bones" and 6 "tears". Using the reserved 1 1/2 cupsful of dough, make 8 equally sized balls. Using 6 balls, roll each into a rope about 8" long. Pinch each rope in the middle and about 1 1/2 inches from each end. Taper the ends to a point. These are the stylized bones - use your imagination with them. Using the remaining 2 balls, make 6 smaller balls from each one (12 total). Shape these balls into teardrops (an elongated pear shape, pointed at the top). ATTACHING BONES AND TEARS WITH THE GLAZE: beat the egg and 2T of water until well mixed. Lightly brush the glaze on the two loaves and on the bones and tears. Gently pick up the bones and lay 3 of them across the top of each loaf, forming a spoke pattern (this is why you pinch the bones in the middle - so you can cross them over each other without adding a lot of height to the loaf). Attach the tears in between the bones. FINAL PROOF AND BAKING: preheat oven to 375F. Allow the loaves to rise until almost double in bulk - about 30 minutes. Place in center of oven and bake 30-35 minutes. Check loaves for doneness by tapping on the bottom - they should have a completely hollow sound when done. If necessary, return to the oven and check every five minutes up to an additional 15 minutes. Remove the loaves from the oven and allow to cool down a bit before sugaring. SUGAR TOPPING: ideally, you would use coarsely granulated sugar but you may not be able to find it. Bakeries sometimes have it and will sell you a small quantity, otherwise it can be obtained from the King Arthur catalog. Regular granulated sugar is just fine. Just sprinkle the sugar heavily on the loaf and let it sit until completely cool. Shake off excess sugar. Now, if you want to get into a serious case of Aztec lily gilding, put the sugar in a small bowl and put several drops of liquid or paste red food coloring in the sugar. Work it like the dickens with the back of a small spoon, or, put it in the food processor. This sugar needs to be seriously deep pink or very red. Sprinkle the loaf heavily with the red sugar and allow it to cool completely. Shake off excess sugar.

Methinks the envelope has been pushed to the point of requiring a tummy-tuck. The menu is ambitious, but having just passed my Orals in tasting menus, and now having a great and fresh grasp on the responsability of the diner/marathoner to ramp up, persevere, and ramp down from such an event, I question the sanity of a chef throwing all one's training, education, and firepower into one menu. I was out for the count for two days. I dreamed the whole meal, aleph to zed for three days. I also find it interesting that the first menu seemed to stop at entree, and totally bypass cheese, dessert, and mignardise. Are these offered? What might they be. The Sweet Tooth demands to know. Amuse guele? And the wines? Theabroma

Sandra, could you give us some idea of the recipes you are using? Are they from cookbooks? Alas, it is not at all uncommon for cookbooks, especially baking ones, to have poorly tested recipes or inaccuracies in the measurements. The pan de muerto dough, known in the off season as pan de yema, is very like a rich challah or brioche dough, and quite similar to the one used for stollen and panettone - it has milk, butter, and eggs and yolks in it (except the challah where water and oil are used along with the eggs for those who keep kosher). The main difference in pan de yema is that it has an infusion of anis seeds in it ... or sometimes the seeds themselves ... and orange flower water, for which you can use orange rind zested on a Microplane grater. I do have a good recipe, using American all purpose flour (protein content about 10-11%). You can use bread flour but will have to adjust the liquid a bit, and take care with the kneading. Let me track it down and I'll send it along to you. Are you working this dough by hand? If so, do you have the option of working it on a strong stand mixer? This is where a tabletop Hobart model is worth every penny of its cost. This buttery, eggy dough is soft and can be a pain to work with, especially by hand. You have to knead it a lot before you can make the decision that it needs more flour, and then only in very small amounts after more kneading. That's one reason a machine makes the task easier: it is so easy to just dump in extra flour by the handsful and the result is dry and heavy. Let me see what I can lay my hands on. Shall I pm the recipe or put it up here on the thread? Regards, Theabroma