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I have a recipe that calls for "english style mustard". What is it?! here's the recipe that calls for it... yes, sorry, its Martha... beef stroganoff

OK. Here's a recipe I've been noodling around with for pickled onions... it's pretty much the same recipe that you'd use for bread & butter pickles, but without the cucumbers and other stuff ... just onions. I've found that frozen pearl onions work just fine for this recipe, so you can make them pretty much any time of the year. You can use fresh pearl onions, but they require peeling, and the ones I find in the produce aisle tend to be a little too large for my liking, since the syrup doesn't seem to permeate them as well. When I make them, I put them in jars, and can them up. They make pretty good gifts, too, since the syrup ends up a yummy looking golden color. A friend told me they're excellent snack food, but I serve them just like I'd serve a relish or a chutney. 1/4 c. salt 2 c light brown sugar 1/2 t tumeric * 1/4 t cloves * 1 T mustard seed * 1 t celery seed * 1 or 2 hot chili peppers (optional) 2 c white vinegar 2 lbs. fresh pearl onions, peeled, or 4 packages frozen Combine everything in a pot except the onions and slowly bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Strain out the spices, and return the syrup to the pot. (You can leave the spices in for more zing as they age, but I strain them out because they make eating kind of clumsy later on.) Add in the onions, and return the mixture back to just below the boiling point. Spoon into sterilized mason jars, and add a clove or two (and a hot pepper or two, if you want), and leave a 1/4" headspace... process the jars in boiling water for 15 minutes if you want them to keep more than a week or two. If you decide to serve them up fresh, best to let them steep, covered, in the liquid for at least day or so in the fridge (I'm guessing). * note: you can replace all of these items with a prepared pickling spice mixture if you want. Penzey's makes a really good one that I've used with good success. Also, if you want to use fresh pearl onions, just trim off the root end, and cut a shallow x where the root was, and dunk them in boiling water for a a minute or two -- the papery skins will slip right off. I've also tried making this recipe with cider vinegar, but it added an off flavor that I didn't care for.

Want to make my own hot sauce but don't know how...anyone?

I'd appreciate some information on the respective roles of light and dark soy sauce in Cantonese cuisine. Are there particular products that are better suited to each type of soy, and how might the intensity and saltiness of soy be affected (if at all) by the cooking method chosen for a product that the soy accompanies?

I few weeks ago I bought a bottle of: Saint James vieux rhum milesime 1976 for about $40. I like it, but was this a good deal ?

I made another batch of Apple Chutney at Diwan tonight. Made me wonder if others are making any. How do you make your version? Where is the recipe from?

Recently this rum had arrived on the shelves (or should I say on a shelf) at the Ontario Licquor Control Board - Vintages Store(the Main retail store in Ontario). It has very little information and before I buy it I would like to find what ever I can about it. The Lable reads as follows. "OLD JAMAICA RUM" - The secret treasures of the Caribbean This rum was originaly distilled at LONG POND DISTILLERY 1986/Bottled 2000 (thats 14 years). 70cl. 40%vol. Cost $69.00 canadian. The bottle is a regular clear bottle, not specialy designed. -- The back lable has a bar code and some advertising lingo in french and in German!. but no disctiption of the rum or its production. What is confusing is it says imported by S.FASSBIND.S.A. Which to me is South Africa?. The LCBO so far has not been able to give me any more information .. Looking for information. John Reekie.

I just noticed at the bottom of this page in Crain's that Bruno jamais - the maitre d' described elsewhere on this site as the "villain" of Leslie Brenner's The Fourth Star - has left Daniel to open his own club. From the report, looks like they'll be no misrepresentation that tables are available on any kind of first come basis .

I was likely distracted in pastry class when baking with raspberry jam was discussed. Can anyone explain the difference between "regular" and baking jam and the practical reasons why we make the distinction? I'm working on a raspberry bar and I don't want the critical commentary to include raspberries (if you know what I mean). Thanks. NYC

I love hot sauces...Im always curious as to what are the great ones since there are so many to choose from... Right now I have... Cholula's (w a wooden top) Tabasaco Habanero Tabasco Chipotle Heaven on SevenHeavenly Blend Emeril's Red Pepper Sauce Frank's Red Hot I like it hot but not way way way too hot you cant taste anything...what are your suggestions! Ive always wanted to try Dave's line and that call me sally stuff...what do you guys recommend that I run out and get NOW

Homemade mayo does not have a great shelf life...or fridge life. We checked the ingredients on the jar in the fridge (Trader Joe's) and it was oil, eggs, egg yolks, spice, vinegar and lemon juice. They make a point of pride in saying there are no preservatives, sugar, etc. So, why is our homemade mayo not going to be appealing, let alone safe, for a month in the fridge? Do they irradiate this stuff? Please, Sir, I want to know.

I have been reading Between Bites, a memoir by James Villas, for many years the food and wine editor of Town and Country magazine. The title is dangerously close to the immortal Between Meals, and Villas is no Liebling. He is, though, pleasant company in a mannered, old school kind of way. His tastes and his views on dining are definitely old school - one chapter inclues a paean of praise for the Veau D'Or! The first chapter recounts his chance meeting with Alexandre Dumaine while studying in France. Thereafter, he seems to have stumbled almost unwittingly into a succession of encounters with major chefs and food writers. He makes it all seem very casual. There are some funny stories - the rare interview with MJK Fisher he conducted while retching from the after effects of oyster-poisoning - and the portraits of the editors he worked for are entertaining. And he deals with his lively private life - his, er, confirmed batchelorhood - candidly but with a light hand. I particularly wanted to mention some opinions he expresses on topics we've discussed here. He believes that customers do indeed have some obligations to the restaurants they patronize (he is thinking upscale restaurants, of course): 1. Dress decently. 2. Never pour your own wine. 3. Ask the captain's name (anyone do that?). 4. Smile occasionally, and say thank you. 5. Show an intelligent interest in the menu and wine list. He also claims that palming the captain a $10 or $20 bill will certainly get you better service ($10??!!); and that waitstaff particularly appreciate being handed a (cash) tip with an expression of thanks, although he acknowledges that this rarely happens. Another of his themes caught my attention: the ascension of celebrity chefs and concomitant decline of great restaurateurs. He acknowledges Maccioni, the Massets and Tony May in New York, and says nice things about Danny Meyer; but he misses the days of Soule, Baum, and the other great dictators. Finally, in the chapter describing his undercover stint as a captain at Le Perroquet in Chicago, he points out some service rules, two of which I memorably recall seeing broken recently: never turn your back on the customers (Cello) and never, ever, touch the table (La Grenouille). The book is only slightly frustrating in that, having read the genesis of many of his articles, one would then like to read them.

JAMIN 's decor was understated elegance...with walls, banquettes and table cloths in shades of rose, cream and spring green. The china, silver and crystal sparkled. The greeting was warm and gracious. Service was superb and unobtrusive. Aperitifs were accompanied by warm toasts w. melting leeks & cheese. We chose the menu degustation which was 80E. Mis en place--a demitasse cup w. tomato confit or thick gazpacho on top, covering layers of avocado mousse and lastly, tomato water. Very good Cappuccino-style frothy cepe soup w. 2 langoustines encased in a sheer noodle wrap---heavenly Tart --thin puff pastry base filled w warm eggplant puree and topped w. roasted green, yellow & red tomatoes..garnished w fried basil leaf and thin eggplant round...superb I'm a little vague on the fish course...but think it was a pan sauteed white fish surrounded by individual spring veggies Quail--while the breats were a bit dry, the leg was crisp and delicious & both were accompanied by a luxurious dark pan sauce w. sauteed girolles. Cheese; prime condition--Epoisse, camembert, reblochon and brin d'amour A chocolate tart & frais de bois plus warm pistachio & hazelnut madeleines RELAIS D'AUTEUIL..Chef Patrick Pignol We had 'discovered' this restaurant 2 years ago and were very excited by it.... for its attention to decor[beautiful, I thought] , service and cuisine. We were enthused when they received a second M* this year and returned eagerly. My beautiful restaurant has been re-decorated along sleek, contemporary lines. "Oh, we change it every 3 years!" ...It seemed more masculine; has madame disappeared from the scene? The service remained excellent. The sommelier is well informed and enthusiastic but we disliked his recommendation [Maranges] as it had very musky tones. The cuisine remained very good......but what surprised me was that it seemed to have changed little. I droned on re; Taillevent...but shouldn't even a good restaurant vary its offerings? All of the dishes are artistically presented, on plates of varying sizes, shapes & colors. Aperitifs of 1 champagne and 1 gin =33euros Menu degustation 98 euros Mis en place; 3 items, a quail leg, a warm carrot coated w sesame seeds and a slightly warm cherry tomato w basil --a fabulous cream-emulsified gazpacho w. 'critters' [? moules] at the bottom --2 large langoustine tails, lightly coated ? in breadcrumbs & lime --oysters wrapped in spinach. slightly warmed in a frothy sauce w. garnish of carmelized shallots & peppercorns. We weren't so enthused about this dish but suspect that it was us, not the dish. -- a superb veal steak, rendered very salty due to the pan sauce w. very good pureed potatoes and petite oignons. --an entensive offering of cheeses, all appearing to be in prime condition --sl warmed frais de bois w. creme chantilly --chocolate beignets The mignardises included a raw hazelnet, half-shelled w. its leaf still attached We would recommend both of these restaurtants. Has anyone else dined there recently? oi

Does anyone have a favorite recipe for this delicious dessert? I find it sad that so many restaurants in NYC never serve good ones. Actually I am yet to eat any that come even remotely close to the great ones we would eat the Bengali Sweet in Barakhamba Road in New Delhi. Does anyone have a good source for these? A recipe that you love?

Tomato Chutney I have missed this chutney for the longest of time. Growing up in Delhi, my sisters best friend in school was from the South. (Andhra Pradesh to be precise. Andhra is most famous for their pickles and chutneys). Her mother would make the best tomato chutney. A couple of years ago, experimenting with some really ripe tomatoes and relying on my memory, I came up with the recipe. It really tastes like Durgas mothers recipe. I now make it all the time. And in fact, when tomatoes are in season and ripe and bursting with flavor and juice, I make a lot of this chutney, can it and give it out as gifts to friends when visiting them. It is a fiery chutney for most palates. But those that are familiar with Andhra pickles and chutneys will find it just average. I love the chutney with fenugreek seeds, they add a slight bitterness to the chutney that I love. If you are not a fan of bitter tastes, avoid using it. 8 pounds very ripe beefsteak tomatoes, chopped finely 1 1/2 cup canola oil 40 fresh curry leaves 16 whole dried red chiles 2 tablespoon mustard seeds 1 tablespoon cumin seeds 1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds, optional 1/3 cup sugar 2 tablespoon cayenne (half if you want a milder chutney) 2 tablespoon coriander seed powder 1 tablespoon paprika 1 tablespoon sambhaar powder 2 teaspoon turmeric 1/2 teaspoon asafetida 1 6 oz. can of tomato paste 3 tablespoon salt, or more to taste 1. Pour the oil in a large sauce pot, enough to hold the tomatoes and then some. It is important that the pot be deep, as the chutney will simmer a long while and will splatter otherwise all over your stove and counter. 2. Measure out all the dried spices other than the asafetida into a bowl and set aside. 3. In the oil add the curry leaves, whole red chiles, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds if using. Fry over a medium high flame for 3 minutes or until the chiles are a nice dark color and the cumin are a nice golden brown. 4. Now add the asafetida and fry for half a minute. Add the dried spices and fry for barely half a minute and add the chopped tomatoes. Add the salt and sugar. Stir well and cook on this medium high flame for an hour and a half or until the oil has separated and the chutney begins to stick to the bottom of the pan. 5. Fill the chutney into 10 sterilized half-pint jars and process as per manufacturers instructions for 20 minutes. 6. Cool, check for seal, label and store.

I have tried losts of them and Grey poupon is still my all time favorite... Ive tried Pommery, Food and Wine mustards and French mustards but still cant beat Grey Poupon w white wine in my opinion.... Am I missing something... Help!

how do you make flavored mayo? will duke's work or should i make it from scratch. what's the best way to make a basil wasabi mayonnaise? drop cut basil and wasabi powder (paste) in to mayo and stir? what about chipotle mayo? i'm asking for a generalized technique for the newbies. thanks

Went to the NEW location of GUSS PICKLE....stocked up on Sauerkraut for my turkey semi Reubens, full sours, green tomaters, and HOT peppers. When I sampled one...I was heard BLISSFULLY gasping HOLY SH*T THATS GOOD! HOLY SH*T THATS GOOD as a heavy smoke condition emitted from my ears and ten years worth of sinus congestion suddenly cleared. I then hauled home the last they had....a heavy quart. Now that I can see again...I need to figure out what to do with the little incendiary bombs. I cant have prosciutto or provolone....what else *IS* there????

After reading Stellabella's post on figs where she mentions fig preserves I thought I would ask about preserves and canning...I have never tried it as I have always been afraid I would poison myself (or friends) with botulism. How hard is it to do? What are the most important things to remember so I don't make anyone ill? Any tips for making what seems complicated (to me ) easier? And what would be the best thing to try first (the one with the best chance of success). Thanks in advance for the help! Edit to correct spelling

Chutneys are to Indian food what Salsas are to Mexican. Made from vegetables, fruits, dairy, grains and pulses, these are as diverse as the country itself. Each home has a favorite few and their own versions of those classics that are known throughout India. When making chutneys in a food processor, make sure to use as little water as you possibly can. This makes the chutney taste more potent and rich in flavor. Often adding some sev, chivda or papri to the chutney is a good addition. These absorb the extra moisture and are also a great added flavor.

Mustard oil keeps showing up all over the India board. Is it a flavored oil, or, as I suspect, oil pressed from mustard seeds? Does it have a mustard flavor? I am intrigued. I like to spread fish with prepared Dijon mustard before broiling it. I remember seeing a post (by Simon?) about frying fish in mustard oil, but I haven't been able to locate it. Can someone fill me in, please? What other uses are there for mustard oil? As Waverly Root pointed out in The Food of France, much of the character of an area's cuisine is determined by the type of cooking oil used. I believe this is true in India, as well. You mentioned that mustard oil is used in the north, for example. Does "ghee" properly ever refer to anything but clarified butter? (I have seen labels, saying "vegetable ghee." What other oils are regularly used? Are certain oils preferred in certain regions? Are certain oils used for certain foods?

Oscar Madison called it "tomato wine." I love it. I love it on everything. I splosh it on my burgers. I plosh it on my vindaloo. I mosh it into my ice cream. I splorge it on my morning cereal. I squeeze it over corn, under towers of steak tartare, around store-bought pastry-puffs of mushroom and crab, and into doughnuts because what's jelly anyway but a misguided attempt at fruit-ketchup. I drench it on broccoli and quench my thirst with it. I've done away with Crest in favor of Heinzing my teeth every morning. 57 varieties for 30 teeth. I've filled my jacuzzi with a delightfully sweet tomotao froth. Some people think ketchup should be banned. That's crazy talk if you ask me. What say we petition the government to declare Ketchup the truly American food (hamburger and frankfurter sound too tuetonic for such an honor).

In America, we think of pickles as a kind of a relish, or side dish – a cured vegetable that adds a sour or tart note to the meal. We pickle a variety of different vegetables but, for whatever the differences, pickles all have a recognizably “pickled” taste. Indian pickles use many of the same ingredients – salt, vinegar, coriander, mustard seeds, turmeric, cinnamon, cloves and ginger – but they present some of the most diverse and exotic tastes and textures imaginable. They are fiery hot, sour, pungent, fragrant, sweet- and- sour, and tart. They are crisp, silky and chewy. Flavors may be fresh, the taste of each spice distinct, or married and intensified by months or even years of aging as the textures of the ingredients melt and soften. While Indians eat some pickles (such as the Mixed Vegetable Pickle, below) in relatively large quantities, the pickles are often too intensely flavored to be eaten that way; they’re used in tiny amounts as a spice or condiment to enliven a dish. Indians also use pickles in a way that Americans never do, that is, medicinally, to cure an ailment. Indians love to taste food; they live to taste food. Indians want many layers and many contrasting tastes. No one food can satisfy that hunger except a variety of pickles. I have jars and jars of multi-colored pickles sitting on the kitchen table. One is a tiny onion pickle, picked young and fresh and pickled in rice vinegar, that is common to almost all north Indian homes. Several are pickled chilies: one is made of whole green chilies and is dangerously hot while another, made from habaneros stuffed with spices, is more savory than hot, and a third is made from chopped green chilies soured with lemon. There is a crunchy sweet- and- hot cauliflower, turnip and carrot pickle, a ginger-lime pickle and a gooseberry pickle. These pickles are made from recipes that have been handed down by the women of my family for two to three hundred years. Some of these jars have been maturing for just a few days, others for much longer than that. A jar of lemon pickles made by his family chef at home in India, a jar that has been maturing for 60 years. In India, food is understood to be intimately related to health and medicine. The Ayurveda, the ancient Hindu text that defines the relationship of food, spices, exercise and meditation for the health of the human body, gives recipes for various medicinal foods and elixirs, of which pickles play an important role. I use lemon pickle as it is traditionally used in my native country: to cure queasiness and tummy aches. In my New York household I use pickles the way that wealthier households do in India, as a condiment guaranteed to give plain foods taste. In fact, in India it’s considered rude to ask for pickles if they are not on the table; it suggests that the food isn’t savory enough. Indian homes make several signature pickles, recipes that have been passed down through generations of women. Pickles made the season before are served daily. Aged, well-loved pickles are brought out when someone is sick or when the household is hosting a special meal. With the exception of some pickles that are made with winter produce such as cauliflower, radishes, turnips and carrots, pickles are made in Indian homes in the heat of the summer. Fruits and vegetables are bought from local vendors who sell door to door. Women spend several weeks preparing pickles. The fruits are laid out on terraces on sheets of muslin for several days in the summer sun to dry, or “ripen” and concentrate their flavors. The produce is brought inside every night to protect against dew and laid out again in the morning. The pickles are put up in very large ceramic jars, each about 20 inches tall and 8 inches wide. Once jarred, the pickles are ripened again for several more days in the sun. If you ask an Indian where the best pickles are made, they will name three centers: the Marwari and Baniya trading communities in northern India, the state of Gujerat in western India, and the state of Andhra Bradesh, in southern India. The Marwari and Baniya communities are completely vegetarian and they subsist on pickles and bread. The people of these communities make pickles everyday and their meals include several different types. Pickles that are spiced with fenugreek and fennel and pickled in mustard oil, are likely to be from northern India, as are pickled cauliflower, carrots, turnips and radishes, the so called “winter vegetables” that are grown on the northern plains. Pickles represent a ritual world of food and community in India. Pickling is an ancient art and a part of Hindu spiritual practice: according to the laws of Hindu religion, pickling, or “cooking” foods with sun and air is one of the three acceptable ways to make raw foods palatable. The rituals of pickle making define a certain period of the summer in India when entire households are given over to the task of their making. Traditionally, in small towns, the women join together, spending days outside in the shade of tamarind trees cutting, preparing, and drying the fruits and vegetables. The kids play above in the dense greenery of the trees, eating the green fruit of the tamarind and tossing the seeds onto the ground below. (Stomach aches and tiny tamarind seedlings are evidence of their gluttony.) Play, food, music and storytelling combine to give the season a celebratory mood. Even in urban centers in India today, the time of pickling still invites ritual community and celebration. Women call each other on the phone to organize the making of the pickles or to ask for the gift of a jar of a favorite kind. Life slows a bit, personal connections are made, and thousands of years of ritual is repeated. --Suvir Saran and Stephanie Lyness

any ideas on how to make it? fresh coconut? what is it ususally served along with? what purpose to chutney's serve? calm down spicy foods? mike

Michael Anthony, formerly sous-chef at March, won the First Annual Bertolli Sous Chef Awards. As reported by the spring issue of Art Culinaire . . . One of Anthony's creations photographed was the Smoked Salmon Belly with Avocado-Yogurt Puree an Pickled Watermelon. Note the utilization of pickled eggplant in the dish described by Food & Wine. I wonder what other uses pickling has at BH. Dan & Mike -- If you find pickling interesting, could you consider discussing the role of pickled vegetables and pickled fruits in your cuisine? Are certain of your pickling processes different from what one might expect?