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I am looking for a relatively simple recipe for dill pickles. Any help would be appreciated.

Hi All- I tried a recipe out of The good cook, James and Jellies over the weekend. It is a bitter orange, lemon and watermelon Jam. Actually its more like a marmalade. The recipe went together easily, but a curious thing happened while I was cooking it. The recipe said to add 3 cups of sugar for each 4 cups of fruit and simmer slowly for 1 hour. I did that but at the end of the hour, the consistency still seemed thin. My first though was to reduce it further. I pulled some out of the pot to taste and continued to reduce. I never did get to a really jelled consistency, however the taste started to change, it lost the fresh watermelon flavor and took on almost a "tea taste" like the sugars in the watermelon had carmelized. It doesnt taste bad but should I have taken another approach? I'm not familiar enough with sure gel to use it if its not called for in a recipe. Any help would be appreciated. Its a beautiful jam, I would just like to maintain the fresh watermelon taste and have it thicker.

Hi guys: this is a recent recipe that I uploaded on my website for peanut chutney. I was wondering if anyone of you have any other recipe for the same. http://www.rupenrao.com/recipe.asp?rid=70 Regards, Rupen

article from the Independent UK I find this rather saddening because, by watching his show and how he pulled the team together, I had such high hopes for Jamie. Perhaps he tried to do too much for a guy his age .. or was it perhaps his abilities? Anyone eaten at Fifteen? Opinions?

Whew, finally activated my account ... guess I've been lurking for too long. So I've been using up the dark soy sauce (the one that's really thick, almost like molasses) I brought back from Singapore at a torrid rate, and being located in Indiana for now I haven't been able to find anything that is similar to it. Have been searching online and have turned up nothing so far, even on the big websites like ethnicgrocer etc. I'm sure I would be able to find it in a big metropolitan area but there's no such thing in Indiana. Would be nice to find a ready supply in the US so I can go back to cooking my braised dishes and char siew with abandon ...

In the jerk sauce thread in the cooking forum, soy sauce was mentioned as an ingredient in a couple of recipes. Since soy sauce is most definitely not Jamaican, it's obviously being substituted for something authentic. Anyone know what that is?

I'm making Gulab Jamon for a dinner on Sunday. If I make the dough tonight (Firday) and form the balls, can I hold them (in the frige or in the freezer?) for frying until Sunday? Anyone got a recipe they are willing to share? Thanks! Stephenie

article from the Scotsman UK Seems he is quite innovative .. from his taking on the British school meals to smoking bans ....More to the cheeky lad than originally met the eye it seems .... and other notables have paid attention to him in a variety of ways. Quite a "loverly" article, if I do say so myself!

For Chinese cooking, what are people's thoughts on the Pearl Bridge brand of soy sauce? All the Asian grocers in 100 km radius from where I live stalk only Pearl Bridge (light, dark, mushroom flavoured, and shrimp flavoured), and a HUGE variety of Kikkoman (which I use for Japanese cooking). (I thought something like this may have been brought up already but I did a site search and didn't find an answer.)

Until I can get to Jing Fong's, anyone know a place that I can get Kaya Jam in a jar? TIA, --Janet

I've jumped into middle eastern cooking with all burners blazing. One of my recent endeavors was to make batches of all the pickles in Claudia Roden's New Book of Middle Eastern Cooking. I often get home late and pickles, bread and/or rice, and some form of bean dish or dip/puree is probably my most frequent meal. Any additional sources of pickle ideas and personal favorites would be greatly appreciated. However, as I polishing off all of these pickles, I'm left with a quandry: jars upon jars filled with brine. I don't want to pour it out. I've been using it as a dip for bread, as a topping for plain rice, or mixed with olive oil as a dressing for salad/vegetables, but this uses very little at a time. Are their other common uses? What is "traditionally" done with it? Is there a name for the brine? Many thanks. rien

Mimi, Do you think that the JB awards will survive the corruption at the JB Society?

So I'm watching my local lunch time news program and see a cooking segment. I watch for a few minutes and it's someone from heinz it up making apple pie with ketchup. The poor host looked scared to take a bite LOL. She was surprised you could not taste the ketchup. Apple pie with ketchup recipe here. Anyone brave enough to try it? I know I will not be adding ketchup to my apple pies this week. I noticed a recipe for chocolate cookies as well. Now maybe if they come out with a recipe to add ketchup to fruit and veggies my 7 year old will eat them LOL. Sandra

Today seemed like a good day to clean up the tomato patch I made this last year. After a week it was bittre and nasty, so I put it back in the cupboard and forgot it. After six months it was amazingly delicious. The recipe is simplicity itself 3lb green cherry tomatoes 2 lb sugar 1/2 pt vinegar 1 tsp vanilla essence (or a pod) Boil the sugar and the vinegar and tomatoes for 5 minutes. Add the vanilla. Put into a non-metallic bowl, covered in the fridge for a week. Strin off the liquid, boil for 10 mins, add the tomatoes and bring back to the boil. Pack into jars and seal hot. I'll fry a few, but most of the rest will end up as green tomato chutney

i have recently seen a documentary on avantgard cooking in which ferran adrias el bulli was featured. in on shot they show someone injecting some kind of liquid jelly mixture out of a syringe into a bucket filled with (cold?) water. the next shot shows the outcome, which were perfectly round fruit caviar´s.... i bought the big black el bulli book "1998-2002" but couldnt find a recipe there... then i tried to make my own mixture which consisted of fruit juice and agaragar and gelatin in different concentrations.... but when the drops were injected into the water they always dissolved rite away or were badly deformed into little rings :-) which were also cute but not quite what i wanted... is there anyone who did those fruit caviars ??? i know there maybe other ways to do them but i really want to get them the "el bulli" way... dammn... cheers torsten s. cologne/germany

I whipped up a batch of cayenne mayonnaise this morning. I had some leftover roast turkey and wanted a sammich. I was out of mayo. So I thought, "what the hell?" Can't be that hard can it? Nope. It's a little thin, but damn tasty. Now for the question. Every book I've checked says to refrigerate immediately. Makes sense to me. A raw egg emulsion at room temperature seems to be a one-way ticket to a lengthy survey of the bathroom decor. But Alton Brown in "I'm Just Here for the Food" has a sidebar in the food safety section that says to leave fresh mayo out for 8-12 hours. Covered, I assume. His rationale is that the acids in the lemon juice and vinegar work best at room temperature and that they'll be more effective than refrigeration at doing in any nasty bugs that might be lurking. At best, he says, if you refrigerate, bacteria will stop reproducing but won't be wiped out like they will by the acids. Collective minds, what say you? Chad

Can anyone help me to answer this question as I have never made jam: I made some home made raspberry jam the other day (what a job that was!) and I don't know if I didn't cook it long enough or what, but it didn't thicken up enough. Is there a way to "save" this jam? Please say "yes"!

What's your favorite condiment? For purposes of this thread, "condiment" can mean anything from jams and preserves to spices and herbs to salsas and salad dressings to gravies and sauces to nut butters and dried seaweeds to miso shiru and wasabi paste, etc. As for me, it's a six way tie between kosher salt, cracked black pepper, fresh garlic, EVOO, Mrs. Dash and unsalted butter. Can't live without any of those. Everything else is negotiable, more or less. What are yours? Discuss.... Soba

A few people on the Maggi thread say they find the widespread use of this "enhancer" in various countries quite disturbing and unnecessary. Having only encountered it at a distance (as far as I know), Maggi doesn't bother me much. But when I see people putting ketchup on their eggs, it's enough to put me off my food. Nor do I much like to see people pouring huge amounts of HP sauce over everything on their plate, as is sometimes the case here in Canada and in the UK. What misuse and abuse of a condiment bothers you the most?

I recently acquired some fig preserves from Italy. Besides the obvious-spread it on some toasted bread- does anyone have some suggestions for its use? The first thing I did with it was spread it on some crostini with some chevre and topped it with some toasted chopped walnuts-a drizzle of Italian acacia honey. Yum. Any other ideas?

What has anyone heard about this place? Its supposed to be opening shortly. Apparently its in the former location of Irving on Irving. Andy Nusser from Babbo is the new Chef De Cuisine. Its at 17th and Irving, 52 Irving Place.

book signing at Book Ends in ridgewood. info here. i'm tempted to go, although i've never done anything like that in my life. although i walked past the guy who wrote Jaws once at a bookstore.

I just saw a preview for it while watching Date Plate. They will be working at his restaurant and the cameras are there to catch it all

Jamie Oliver restaurant snubs Clinton Even being a former president of the United States isn't enough to guarantee a table at Jamie Oliver's landmark London restaurant Fifteen, it appears. Bill Clinton was reportedly turned away from the television chef's restaurant because it was full and staff refused to bump other patrons with a booking. Fifteen, which is staffed by rookie chefs recruited and trained by Oliver in the television program Jamie's Kitchen, is so popular diners have to book three months in advance. The former US president wanted to visit the restaurant during a recent visit to London and a staff member rang Fifteen on a Thursday, seeking a booking for the following Saturday night. "It was impossible because that's the restaurant's busiest night," an unnamed staff member told British newspaper The Daily Mirror. "It would have meant cancelling a booking of other guests who made reservations weeks ago and that just wouldn't be fair. "If we're full we're full, and there's nothing that can be done about it - even if it is for the former president of the United States." Fifteen is booked out at night until 2004. A spokesman for Oliver confirmed that Clinton had been turned away. "Jamie was sorry the restaurant was unable to accommodate Mr Clinton, but his attitude was c'est la vie," he said. "Mr Clinton is of course more than welcome to come back at any time but he will have to give the restaurant a bit more notice." http://news.ninemsn.com.au/Entertainment/s...story_51809.asp

K. and I wandered into Jamie Kennedy's Wine Bar on Saturday afternoon. It's newly opened and quite undiscovered as yet. This will change--fast! We sat and grazed our way through seven of the dozen or so "tapas-style" selections with wine pairings that happened to be on the menu that day. We emerged onto the street a few hours later, a bit high on the food and the vino, with big grins on our faces. It's a neat space, very welcoming and informal. Lots of wood with cool stools around the open kitchen space and long bar, with only a handful of tables. The wall of preserves in mason jars works as design and is great fun as well. No reservations--just show up any time between 11 and 11 and order as few or as many of the tasting portions as you can handle. The prices are incredibly reasonable for the quality and size of the portions. This is hearty comfort food, (soups, braises, bread pudding) prepared with flair. It's all about flavour, folks. Don't expect a formal presentation of amuse, aps, mains and deserts. The concept is pick and choose. If you want more, just keep ordering, in any order that strikes your fancy. More on the menu and wine list when I have more time. The message now is--go and experience great value for money before this place is discovered by the foodies and the social x-rays and the line-ups form. As of this past Saturday afternoon, you could waltz right in and have the undivided attention of the friendly staff with Jamie ever present in the background, getting things up and running.