mudbug

Looking forward to it!

Well that's no fun! Didn't realize it was going to do that... look here instead: http://www.google.com/search?client=safari...=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

I think this one is an issue of practice - an lots of it - makes perfect. The kind of practice where you grow up helping your family make them to the point you can do it without much thought and the texture, consistency, size, thickness, and forming the folds becomes muscle memory.

Completely agree with trillium on that one. That would be like saying "worcestershire sauce" is a good substitution for "balsamic vinegar". It wouldn't be, they're too different.

You may find this of interest: http://www.food-allergens.de/symposium-3-3...n-abstract.html

The assumption that "heirloom tomatoes" are wild by definition is incorrect. Heirlooms are varieties that are open-pollinated and can be traced back for 50 years or more. Example: My great grandfather brought these over from Czchekoslovakia. Or, you could cross varieties and come up with your own favorite and circulate the seed in the gardening world and after 50 years, it can be considered an heirloom. Most of the seeds sold today have been hybridized to ripen at the same time on the plant (normal tomato plants don't do that), be uniform in color, shape, size, be disease resistant, pest resistant, survive days or weeks of transportation and shelf life, etc. After all that... what is the one thing you lose? Flavor. The average consumer has no idea what a good tomato tastes like when they buy tomatoes they can bring home and hammer a nail with and have no flavor. Try this combo for another sandwich: Better Than Sex Tomato Basil Baguette * french baguette or your favorite artisan bread, fresh as possible (toast if you like) Ingredients listed in order from bottom to top layer * mayonnaise (Hellman's Mayonnaise or homemade recommended) * kalamata olive spread or chopped black olives * fresh picked heirloom tomato (your favorite variety) sliced - sprinkle with salt & pepper OR oven roasted tomatoes OR homemade sun-dried tomatoes stored in herb infused olive oil * fresh basil leaves (your favorite variety/color) * optional: tomatoes are exceptionally good when infused in herb infused extra virgin olive oil, fresh mozzarella cheeze, bacon, etc. Slice the baguette lengthwise so the bottom layer is not too thick. Spread mayo on the bottom layer. Then top with olives/olive spread, add sliced tomatoes, salt, pepper, then basil. Drizzle with olive oil add mozzarella if you like. Finish by adding the top part of the bread. Slice into manageable pieces for sandwiches. This is summer in your mouth! It is absolutely delicious. If you like basil at all, you'll be craving this one! This is a favorite in our house. Sun Dried Heirloom Tomatoes I take garden fresh tomatoes, slice them, and lay them on food dehydrator trays. They are sprinkled with herbs, kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Then I take them outside, (keep them off the ground) to dry in the sun. At the same time, I'll pour olive oil into a bowl and throw some freshly hand picked herbs from the herb garden, coarse chop them and mix them into the oil (add salt and pepper if you wish), also to sit in the heat of the sun. This infuses the oil tremendously in a couple of hours. (No waiting around for days or weeks in a jar.) We'll dip fresh bread or crustini into the oil or use it for whatever... if we don't use the sun dried tomatoes all up, I'll stack them in a glass jar and pour the oil in making sure there's enough oil to cover the top of the tomatoes. (Add fresh herbs if you wish, and/or roasted garlic cloves.) They'll be the best you've ever had. Different than oven dried tomatoes and they make gorgeous gifts.

Did it look like this? http://www.melissas.com/images/products/196a.jpg The Vietnamese call taro root: khaoi mon Have your friend write the word of the vegetable in the native language, then take a digital picture of it or scan it in and post it here. Does she know how it is grown and what the plant looks like?

RECIPE #1 Flour .................... 5 oz Baking powder ...... 1 1/4 tsp (it says 5/4 tsp) Cornstarch ............ 1 oz Custard power ....... 1 tbsp Sugar .................... 5 oz Water .................... 5 oz Eggs ...................... 2 Evaporated milk...... 2 tbsp Oil ......................... 2 tbsp Sift together the first 4 ingredients; beat the eggs and sugar, add milk and water. Stir dry ingredients in, add oil last. Heat both sides of griddle, add batter to about 80% full. Close griddle and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes per side. Remove with fork and serve immediately. RECIPE #2 http://rthk27.rthk.org.hk:62500/mdc/cityue...5cuen/food3.htm Flour ............... 100 g ... 4 oz Baking powder ... 1 tsp ... 1 tsp Cornstarch ..........25 g ... 1 oz Custard power ... 1 tbsp Sugar ............... 100 g ... 4 oz Water ............... 125 ml .. 4 oz Eggs ..................2 Evaporated milk .. 60 ml ...2 oz Oil .................... 2 tbsp The same instructions as above except the oil is added by brushing onto the griddle before each batch. As with pancakes or waffles, griddles tend to stick for the first 2 or 3 batches after which it should become seasoned.

Tangent: this recipe looks good... Agar-agar Black Beauty http://www.kuali.com/recipes/viewrecipe.asp?r=461

Brown Bean Paste : Yellow Bean Paste What do you like to use it for, sauce, marinade, rub, primarily for pork and beef? Any dishes that just wouldn't be the same without it? Do you prefer brown to yellow or vise versa? What brand do you rely on?

Thanks for the confirmation. BTW, did I mention I'm a guy? I noticed a similar comment earlier and let it slide. When I refer to someone online, I prefer to use their username which is not gender specific. Perhaps this is Dejah's MO. Maybe an intentional or non-intentional method of finding out by assuming? Since the statement usually elicits a reactionary response...

Sushi included. heh... All of which lends itself to an entirely different thread...

Understood. I read in haste earlier.

Sounds like one for the food scientists like Shirley Corriher. Evidently it makes scalding easier because it breaks down (denatures) proteins and has long been used for this purpose: http://www.motherearthnews.com/library/197...To_Butcher_Pork "The main idea we need to understand is that each protein is very large, and that each protein has to be exactly right or it will not do what it needs to do. Cooking does not usually destroy the actual molecular formula for a protein, but it destroys the shape of the protein from how it was folded and re-connected and related to the environment around it. The process of destroying the useful shape of a protein is called denaturing. Cooking is only one of the ways to denature protein. Adding acid or salt or lye (base) to the protein can also denature the protein and these processes also tend to kill bacteria and other things that would attack the protein." http://www.chemtutor.com/ms.htm "A less-common form of pickling uses sodium hydroxide (lye) to make the food too alkaline for bacterial growth. Lye will saponify fats in the food, which will change its flavor and texture. Lutefisk uses lye in its preparation, as do some olive recipes." http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/encyclope...reservation.htm "Food uses of lye include washing or chemical peeling of fruits and vegetables, chocolate and cocoa processing, caramel color production, poultry scalding, soft drink processing, and thickening ice cream. Olives are often soaked in lye to soften them, while pretzels and German lye rolls are glazed with a lye solution before baking to make them crisp. Lye is used to make the Scandinavian delicacy known as Lutefisk (from lutfisk, which directly translated to English means "lye fish"; basically cod jellied in lye). Hominy is dried maize (corn) kernels reconstituted by soaking in lye-water." http://www.answers.com/topic/potassium-hydroxide

Are you sure you meant "prevent" instead of "encourage"? For me the end goal is always a light yet firmly crunchy, evenly blistered surface.

250C = 482F celsius fahrenheit calculators: http://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en...tor&btnG=Search

Exactly - whether it's in person from a family elder, friend, culinary teacher, student, stranger, or via a forum on the internet.

Yum... the prep sounds divine. What exactly does the lye water do? What is it's purpose? sheetz Tried that recipe with less then optimum results. Skin does not crisp properly or consistently.

Don't forget video segments....

You didn't misread my desire to learn. Otherwise I wouldn't be asking questions here. There are different levels of learning and motives for learning are unique to each individual. It's easy to make assumptions since it's human nature. Certainly I appreciate your suggestions, however they're further than what I deem necessary for my wants or needs. I thought of mentioning this in my first reply but decided to forego this and politely say "thanks" instead. I simply desire to learn to make specific dishes for whatever reason at whatever point in time in my life. If it works, it's a learning experience. If it doesn't work, it's still a learning experience and I can direct questions to those who posted the recipes and in order to achieve desired results or I can choose not to try it again and have those who enjoy cooking for me have their go at the dish. When and if I'm in the kitchen - I usually bake instead of "cook". However when I choose to bake, it's to learn. Example: I may want to learn how to and successfully make filo dough from scratch. Or croissants made from scratch (with butter made from scratch) with six turns, chilled between each turn, etc executed to perfection - just to do it. Or bread made from home grown wheat, hand ground with a grain mill and a recipe from one of Bernard Clayton's bread books. I'm pretty sure my methodology and motives are quite unique relative to most individuals. I don't believe a goal of a restaurant career or even cooking for a family are prerequisites for a desire to learn or execute a dish properly and well.

sheetz, Now that you mention it, I have no intentions to cook for a living or even on a regular basis for anyone else. So it's highly unlikely I'd find myself volunteering in a restaurant kitchen.

At the moment I'm interested in the variations of how different members here do things as you noted. Thanks for the advice. I'll take it into consideration if the time is right.

If you were blindfolded and tried kohlrabi, you'd find the texture in raw form is very firm and crunchy, closest to that of a carrot. The flavor is distantly reminiscent of the following: mild turnip, mild radish, celery, parsley, cabbage... Has a definite "crunch factor" when raw that is very satisfying.

Thank you. Precisely why I asked. And the peppercorns, just regular black, white, green and pink mix, correct?

Ben Hong, Thank you for your comments. Keep in mind my questions are in direct response to the recipes in post numbers #34 and #39. Post #34 specifies 3 teaspoons of sesame oil which I at first glance feel is too much for my taste and why I await hzrt8w's response based on the context of the recipe. The recipe in post #39 is adding soy sauce to five cups of water, so you can see that in context, the soy sauce would be greatly diluted and, if the recipe directions followed, much of the liquid cooked down in order to create the sauce which you can see in the photo if you follow the link provided. So you can see why I ask the questions - in order to get some specifics. Don't worry, I'm a firm believer in allowing each ingredient's natural flavor to shine in harmony with the others in balance.