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Maison Rustique

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    Costco

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    15 hours ago, lemniscate said:

    Another run to Costco to get milk, butter, cheese, veg, eggs....staples.   There's a "hot buy" on pork shoulder that I brought, I picked one of the smaller packages, but its still 13ish lbs of meat.   I will do the Chefsteps pork shoulder 24 hour version and portion for the freezer this weekend.  

     

    I did have 1 impulse buy.  I have a 'meh' relationship with pancakes.  I never order them at restaurants.  Making them at home is useless because more batter is made than desire for pancakes in our house.  Crepes are a different matter and there's a couple great creperies not too far away to scratch that itch.

     

    However, I found these La Marie Patissier (origin France) mini pancakes, pre-packaged.  Each small package has 2 soft and slightly sweet pancakes, maybe 3".  So far I just ate them right out of the package, but I'm sure heating them is no issues.  I think $9USD for 25 packs of 2 at my Costco.

     

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    I got those pancakes a year or so ago at my Costco. They were tasty, but I didn't use them as quickly as necessary. I took the rest and used them to make a maple-bacon pancake bread pudding. Waste not, want not!

    • Like 3

    Imperfect, Misfit, Etc. (The Food Delivery Services)

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    10 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

     

    Looks interesting.  I can't quite see how Market Wagon works.  Can anyone explain in simple words?

     

     

    I'm not sure how they manage it but the foods all come from local producers. And they seem to deliver nearly everywhere. I have no idea. It has to be a logistical nightmare. Or maybe it is set up like a franchise where each region has someone who pulls it all together for that area. If anyone knows, please share.

     

    Commercial spice mixes

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    57 minutes ago, TdeV said:

    @Maison Rustique, sounds delicious. And that recipe would be?

    This is for a huge quantity. I cut it down considerably when I made it and it still made a lot because there are so many ingredients. I found all the flowers on Amazon because I don't think there is a good source locally.

     

    This is from blog post (I think, but I have no idea what blog it was now.) The narrative in this is not mine:

     

    Quote

    Like many of the things that I find at Trader Joes, Flower Pepper was one that was short-lived. Shortly after discovering it (and subsequently falling in LOVE with it), they discontinued it. I was not about to live without my new-found pantry staple...so I set out to make my own.

    I no longer even have plain peppercorns in my kitchen. My pepper mill is constantly full of flower pepper. Between that and sea salt, there's not much else I season with (well, maybe fish sauce).

    This was my second Christmas making "Uncle Daisy's Organic Flower Pepper" as gifts for friends and family. (The story about "Uncle Daisy" will have to wait for another time, but let's just say, like the nickname Food Sheriff, it's another childhood story.) This year I had to make even more than last year, as the word has spread and I've got friends asking for larger bulk quantities this time around!

    While pretty simple to actually make, there are a few pointers I would suggest for you making at home:

    1. Go organic. Flowers are known to have some pretty nasty chemicals sprayed on them. Take the time to search and find all organic ingredients. I've had good success using sources like Frontier Natural Products Co-Op and even found a lot of items on Amazon. C'mon people, just use google. 
    2. Sort through the ingredients. Though the roses are the worst (I have not been able to find organic petals, only buds - and the buds won't run through the grinder), you may have twigs in the lavender or even small stones in the peppercorns.
    3. Think small...but not too small. Another lesson from last year, I found that large pieces of some of the petals (calendula in particular) will tend to get caught in the mill. Using either a food processor or one of those super-duper high speed blenders, give your ingredients a quick pulse to make the pieces smaller. But DO NOT grind them into dust. You may even want to sift out the smallest pieces prior to mixing it all together.
    4. Pepper burns. That's right, it burns! My first time around making flower pepper was a painful lesson. I rolled up my sleeves and mixed it by hand. Not only did it start burning and itching my skin, but I was sneezing like crazy! So be careful when mixing it up.

    Here's my recipe - it yields a total of about 24 cups

    • 5 pounds organic black peppercorns
    • 4 cups organic lavender flowers
    • 8 ounces organic rose buds (that weight is before sorting - it yields about 3 cups after sorting and pulverizing into smaller pieces)
    • 1 ounce organic cornflower petals (about 1 cup after pulsing in the food processor)
    • 1 ounce organic calendula petals (about 1 cup after pulsing in the food processor)

    Mix all the ingredients together and enjoy!

    Quote

     

     

     

    • Like 1
    • Thanks 1

    Commercial spice mixes

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    I love Penzey's blends. Fox Point, Sunny Paris, Garden Salad (I've never used on a salad. I use it on garlic bread.), Mural of Flavor and probably others. Occasionally, Trader Joe's has a blend I really like. A number of years ago they had Flower Pepper--black peppercorns with various flower petals. Like many things I love, it was promptly discontinued. My sister and I moaned about it for years and years. I finally found a recipe online and made my own a couple of years ago. 

     

    • Like 3

    Experimenting with my Bread Machine

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    8 hours ago, ElsieD said:

    Has anyone ever made brioche dough in their bread  machine?  If you have, would you mind listing the ingredient list for me?  I would like to make the dough but shape it into buns.  

    I haven't made it but I'm sure there are recipes in my bread machine cookbooks. If you'd like them, I can post.

    Trader Joe's Products (2017–)

    in Kitchen Consumer

    Posted

    17 hours ago, Katie Meadow said:

    Last year i became hooked on TJ's seasonal Butter Toffee Pretzels. I tasted them again this year and they are actually quite awful! Maybe it was Pandemic Lunacy, or maybe just the usual unpredictability of taste.

     

    I've been addicted to these in past years. I picked up a bag last week and haven't opened it yet. I so hope you just got a bad bag and mine will be as wonderful as in the past.

    How Do You Deal with Handicaps in the Kitchen?

    in Food Traditions & Culture

    Posted

    1 minute ago, Tropicalsenior said:

    A couple of years ago I fell and injured my left arm badly and I became quite Adept at doing things with one arm. I've since recovered the use of it but my problem has been lifting things. I have tons of counter space but only one outlet that I can use for all of my kitchen appliances. Everything, my instant pot, KitchenAid mixer, food processor, electric skillet, all have to be carried from some storage place to that one outlet. I started using a rolling cart more in my kitchen because just one wrong lift can mean I'm out of commission for a couple days.

     

    Lifting heavy items is difficult for me, too. I seldom use very heavy pans like I used to. Cast iron, when full of food, is nearly impossible for me to lift. I am trying to re-arrange my pantry and cupboards so that I have better access to my appliances and don't have to carry them so far. Ideally, I'd like to have the ones I use most on the kitchen counter, but that is very much space.

    • Like 1

    How Do You Deal with Handicaps in the Kitchen?

    in Food Traditions & Culture

    Posted

    This is an on-going quest for me. My hands and right arm get worse and worse all the time. I have changed the way I cook--nothing that requires tons of chopping or slicing unless it can be done with a food processor. Even a mandoline is problematic because you have to hold things. I got this gadget a few months back (someone recommended it and I can't recall who or if it was an eG member). It works great and makes peeling many different things so easy. They are available at various prices from many sources. This just happened to be the first one that popped up. Starfrit Peeler

     

    Blenders, mixers and immersion blenders can also save your hands/arms/shoulders from a lot of mixing and stirring. After many years of it sitting in the back of a cupboard, I am using my bread machine a lot for mixing a kneading dough. 

     

    As I say, it is an on-going search for me as my issues get worse.

     

     

    • Like 2
    • Thanks 1

    Corn flour vs. Corn starch in Irish Shortbread

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    22 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

    Since you're following an Irish recipe, that's probably going to be closest what they are making.  That said, you'd probably get a nice shortbread with either one, just different.  I've got a number of recipes for cornmeal shortbread and some that call for polenta.  They're going to add a bit of a gritty texture which can be nice, depending on your preferences. Do post your thoughts after baking!

     

    Today, I'm planning on trying a recipe for salted rosemary shortbread that's flavored with grapefruit zest.  It calls for 180g AP flour and 43g rice flour, assuming my pantry coughs it up 🙃

    That salted rosemary shortbread sounds wonderful! Please let us know how it turns out.

    • Like 1

    Corn flour vs. Corn starch in Irish Shortbread

    in Pastry & Baking

    Posted

    First of all, I am not really much of a baker, so be gentle with me and use little words. ☺️ 

     

    I love shortbread and in a cooking group, saw someone post about Irish Shortbread. That led me to looking for recipes. I saw one that calls for corn flour and another that calls for corn starch. I do know that these are 2 different things. Obviously, corn starch is much easier for the average person to find. So, my question is, what would be the difference in using one vs. the other? How would it affect the dough and the handling of it, and also the finished product? 

     

    I have never used corn flour nor have I ever baked anything that had a significant quantity of corn starch in it, so have no experience. Thanks for your patience with me and my probably stupid question.

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