LT from LF's Profile
favorite large bakery/cafe?
Preferably as big as City Bakery, but more interesting looking. Thanks!
favorite large bakery/cafe?
I'm prepared to visit them all...as long as they're not part of some soulless chain. I'm thinking of places like City Bakery, Porto's, Lovebirds, Susina, Clementine, etc. I love Europane but it's a little small for the gathering I have in mind. Suggestions?
Moving to Edinburgh - general recommendations?
Fisher's in the City!! Delicious! The Doric is good, though completely different (more on the "substantial" side...meaty...). And Valvona & Crolla's good...if you don't want to eat in, you can pick up all kinds of things from their deli and picnic...wine, cheese, bread, dessert--who needs more?
Blood Oranges?
Just how big IS this bag?! Of course you can make blood orange syrup...and/or juice the extra ones and freeze for later...make blood orange vinaigrette...blood orange reduction sauce...blood orange glaze...blood orange sorbet...
Dressing for Celery Root (Celeriac)
This is from Patricia Wells (in Sunday's New York Times:
For the lemon-chive dressing:
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup light cream
1/3 cup minced chives.
Does LA have cool SUPPER CLUBS for dinner and dancing?
There's a new Cuban place on Pico...can't remember the name, but it's on the north side of the street in the vicinity of Maurice's Snack 'n' Chat (just a bit west of Fairfax). On Sundays, they have dance lessons until about 4:30 or so.
Who knew that Log Cabin, Mrs Butterworth, etc, syrups do not contain actual maple syrup?
I never had any of those fake syrups as a child. My mother made her own syrup out of brown sugar and water. Now I've got her hooked on maple....
Who knew that Log Cabin, Mrs Butterworth, etc, syrups do not contain actual maple syrup?
Not so odd when you consider that fenugreek tastes like maple syrup!
Dealing with food snobbery?
I'm with you. It's all about the quality and the freshness. I too grew up on fresh baked bread and the like. The preponderance of processed foods in so many people's diets amazes me.
Egg flavor vs chicken feed
Absolutely...ANY animal product that you eat will vary in flavor based on diet. If you want eggs to use for their transforming properties (e.g., for baking) and you don't really want any egg taste, use commercial eggs. But if you want eggs that have real flavor, go for eggs from chickens that eat well.
Questions about beef tongue
And it's certainly not labor intensive if you have a pressure cooker.
Vanilla Bean "Crush" [moved from Home Cooking]
I was tempted to never tell anyone about this fantastic product. I wanted to keep it all to myself. But then I thought, "What if not enough people buy it and they go out of business and then I can never have it again?" and decided it was time to stop being a greedy pig and spill the beans. It's made by Sonoma Syrup Co.; it's a blend of Madagascar Bourbon & Tahitian vanilla with vanilla bean seeds. Comes in an 8 oz. bottle...and it's expensive, so you might look at it on a shelf and pass it by. But it is the BEST vanilla extract EVER...more vanilla tasting even than some vanilla beans I've used...this is LIFE CHANGING vanilla! (And no, they didn't pay me to say this...[sob] wish they would!)
The end of the world is truly upon us...
I wonder where they got the little Italian guys small enough to go into the machine....
American Cheese in Los Angeles-- Gripe
Twice-baked sour cherry brioche. And caneles.
Recent Post on Cuban Sandwich?
Milk is new; they do have a Cuban sandwich (billed as a medianoche), but a quick scan of the threads did not indicate that the sandwich was fabulous. It may be "good", but since no one bothered with a description, who knows?
White chocolate ice cream?
Scoops occasionally has white chocolate ice cream, and it's very good.
Searching for best CHINATOWN bakeries for pastries, etc.
I love the Chinese donuts at Wonder....
Trifle? [split from Trifle on the LA board]
I'm with you...except for the jello. Can't imagine wanting to put jello in a trifle. I sometimes spread the cake slices with a little jam before adding the booze. People FIGHT over my trifle.
Online Tea Merchants - Who Are You Ordering From And What?
I've ordered a lot of stuff from Tealuxe...and they do have the small sizes so you can order a taste of something expensive to see if you like it. www.tealuxe.com
Tea Room around the LA area?
Hmmm...what happened to my other post?
Let's get rid of the pesky comma: http://tinyurl.com/29am5w
Tea Room around the LA area?
I've always had good experiences tea and food-wise at Chado, though service has occasionally been a bit clueless. Scarlet is more of an "experience"...very girly and a little over the top. I'd never take a man there, or anyone who was really hungry--I was especially unimpressed by their "extra sandwiches" offer, which resulted in a surprisingly large add-on to the bill.
Princess Cake Los Angeles?
Here's a fairly accurate description: http://tinyurl.com/yq4beo
I did a similar taste test in NoCal when I was last there.
Looking for extraordinary cheeses
No one's mentioned my current favorite, La Tur. It's Italian, from a blend of cow, sheep and goat milk. It starts out with a sort of chevre-like texture, with a wholly edible rind (I call it the "wrinkly skin"); as it ages, it becomes creamier and creamier, until it is virtually liquid. At a recent dinner, I served cheese beforehand; I had two pieces of La Tur that were a week apart in age. Of course, the older one was much creamier, but they were both absolutely wonderful. As with the Humboldt Fog, it becomes tangier as it becomes creamier, but it's less likely to get that bitter edge. Whole Foods carries this.
Tea Room around the LA area?
You might give Tudor House in Santa Monica a call. In addition to the main room, they have a private room that would probably hold that number of people. The spread is not as good as the King's Head (also in Santa Monica), but I'm not sure what the capacity of the King's Head tea room is. Both places have hosted many, many bridal shower teas.
Convection Bake setting - When do you use it?
I use it for almost everything except cakes (too much heat too fast).
grains of paradise - anyone use them?
I use them in salad dressings and with fish, most often. If you toast them before grinding the flavor comes out more. It's sort of a peppery, floral, almost camphor-y taste. I usually just use a mortar and pestle to break them up, rather than grinding.
