zamorski's Profile
Viking Range Hood Cleaning Nightmare
I have several pro-style hoods (Viking, Vent-a-hood, and Thermador). All have done a great job, but none were easy to clean--each had its own annoyances and tricks, and each required some practice to avoid sliced up hands. Above all else, I had to learn to accept 90% clean as an acceptable target. Otherwise, blood transfusion, electroshock therapy, or heavy sedatives would be required. Getting any of them to an immaculate standard is just way too much work for me.
Tater Salad: How Do You Take It?
I also am a "switch-hitter," using a vinaigrette with herbs, salt, pepper, and mustard to infuse the potatoes while warm and then mayo to finish it off. My secret ingredient, thanks to Joy of Cooking, is celery seed--it adds a 'je ne sais quoi" to the final product. I prefer chopped cornichons to sweet relish. I love eggs in it, but they are not essential. My pet peeve: Too many onions or too much celery: I like both, but they should be in the background.
Substitute for epazote
I found that fresh summer savoury is the closest thing I can come to a substitute. Works great in black beans.
Electric Pressure Cooker with Stainless Insert?
Cook's Illustrated reviewed some of these a couple of years ago, including Cuisinart, Deni, Nesco, and Fagor. The only one the recommended outright was the Fagor Multi-cooker, which triples as a rice cooker and a slow-cooker. The Fagor's rice cooking function worked well, but the slow cooker function was limited by only having a single heat setting (low)--HOWEVER, it appears as though the current version of the Multi-cooker offers a high setting now. The other cookers had systematic problems sealing properly, so steam leaked out and the food burned.
They did not review either InstantPot or Gourmet. Some reviews of the InstantPot online seem to show that people either love it or hate it, with the main (but not only) dissatisfier being the leakage issue. My hypothesis is that there are people who are very careful with the sealing step and those who are not.
After putting a lot of thought into getting a slow-cooker plus a pressure cooker vs. an all-in-one solution, I decided that given that I have the space and can afford buying two appliances, I would be better off with that approach. But if I had limited space and thrift was a concern, the Fagor Multi-cooker would be my choice. It was about $120 bucks (Canadian) and seemed sturdy when I took a look at it. Biggest drawback to me would be that the maximum pressure is only 9 psi, which still results in much faster cooking than a pot on the stove.
Pairing for Za'atar and Pistachio Crusted Poussin with Quince and Rose Jam
My vote: A weighty, slightly off-dry Cab Franc rose. The herbal/vegetal flavours would work well with the za'atar, and the fruity sweetness and acidity would work with the jam.
Best place to look would be the Niagara Peninsula. Rose from the Loire would also work, but they don't have the trace of residual sugar. Beyond that you would be looking for some oddities from California, Washington, etc.
Another idea: A sparkling Rose. If you wanted to make it just a tad sweet, add in a bit of late harvest or icewine.
Seduced by Costco (Meyer Lemons)
Meyer lemon marmalade is delicious and always a welcome gift. It is good plain (sugar, lemons, water), with a vanilla bean, with pear, with pear and vanilla, with pear and a bit of cardamom...your get the picture.
In my hands, five lemons make about five or six 8-oz jars.
Complex white wines for under $10?
Finding Grand Cru Burgundy complexity for less that $10...that is a tall order!
In Burgundy, the best bet would be a Macon, though the quality varies a lot. It would be a good place to start though. My experience has been that among the affordable appellations for white Burgundy, Saint-Veran has a bit of an edge in terms of consistency and price/quality ratio. White Burgundy has had very fine vintages (hence consistent quality) over the past decade, except for 2003 and 2001, so with those exceptions you don't have to worry a lot about the vintage.
Other places that might interest you would be a white Cotes-du-Rhone--good value, and also a series of great vintages lately (except for 2008). Good value, interesting, some minerality in some of them. White Rioja is also tasty and good value, but some N. Americans find it a bit austere. Alsatian whites are very, very consistent in quality and tend to have a tight price/quality relationship. Some whites from the Willamette Valley might work, especially the Pinot Gris, though good luck finding a great one for under 10 bucks.
Recs on amazing pinot blanc wines
I agree with Simon--British Columbia produces some very nice Pinot Blanc. Ontario (Niagara) also produces some very nice ones (Henry of Pelham, Vineland).
To put a finer point on zin1953's comments (with which I agree), I think what appealed to you about the wine you loved had very little to do with the varietal. If it really turned you on to white wines, I suspect that you were liking was a fruity, well-oaked (this was 1999, remember), rich, and well-aged white from a warmer region. As such, if you are looking for that taste (which I also like, at least on occasion), I would look for an aged chard or pinot gris from the New World from a good (hot and dry) year. Oregon Pinot Gris might be a good place to try, though finding library whites is always tricky. I think if you go looking for that same "taste" in Pinot Blanc you will be very quickly frustrated.
Why is my bread crust not crusty?
Once the bread is done (i.e., at about 210 degrees F), just leave it in the oven with the heat turned off and the door cocked open for about 5 to 10 minutes. Does a great job keeping the crust crusty.
Cream of Tomato Soup
My approach is driven largely by the desire to use up fresh tomatoes, so I don't use any chicken stock or water:
Saute a good bit of onion in butter or duck fat with some garam masala. Deglaze with some white wine until fully evaporated. Add a bit of flour to thicken and cook for a few minutes. Add sieved tomatoes (I run them through the "food strainer" attachment on my KitchenAid mixer). Cook uncovered at a heavy simmer until reduced by 25 - 30%. Finish with some cream. I garnish with a chiffonade of basil (ideally Thai) and/or some garlic croutons.
Mexican adobo sauce with chipotle peppers, canned
You can get dried chipotles from this vendor in the UK, which has a good reputation and presumably ships within the EU: http://www.southdevonchillifarm.co.uk/shop/index.php?target=products&product_id=157
As I mentioned above, just cut off the top (removing seeds if you want less heat) and rehydrate them for 30 minutes in hot water. Very convenient and no waste!
Mexican adobo sauce with chipotle peppers, canned
Chipotles in adobo are used just like regular old chipotles (dried ones); the adobo is just there as a liquid to hold the chiles. It is a convenience approach, really. The adobo is limited in volume and adds very little to the flavour.
I prefer using dried chipotles myself, mainly because there is no waste involved. You only use as much as you need.
The chiles are used as a flavouring, not as a sauce in and of themselves--they are pretty spicy and flavourful--would overpower just about everything.
Pumpkin Pie for Canadian Thanksgiving but there is no tinned pumpkin. Are there any good substitutions?
Incidental note on buying canned pumpkin: I am not sure if this is one of those Canadian things, but most of the canned pumpkin puree I see up here (labelled clearly as such) is actually a mix of pumpkin and squash (if you read the ingredients), hence not as full-flavoured or dense. I have to really hunt to find the "real" stuff.
Wine cooler vs. a small refrigerator question
We have a large wine fridge for cellaring, but for keeping whites at drinking temperature we went with a cheap undercounter fridge. Reasons: 1) We don't use it for cellaring, so the lower temperature won't inhibit the wine's development; 2) We like the ability to use it as a back-up fridge (for example, when preparing for a party. 3) The temperature range is sufficient for our needs--we turn up the temp. when we are having a fancy wine event so that the whites are at a good drinking temp, but we leave it at fridge temp. otherwise (keeps beer and pop colder). 4) We live in an apartment, so having an extra fridge in, say, the basement was not an option. That said, the big wine fridge sits happily in our walk-in closet!
Washing your wine glasses - delicate glassware and no residual smells?
We use unscented dish soap, the insertable sponge/mops for wine glasses, and air drying (inverted on a clean towel). We clean up everything EXCEPT wine glasses the night before--this has really decreased the breakage rate...even a bit of alcohol makes you clumsy, so better to wait until morning.
Pumpkin Pie for Canadian Thanksgiving but there is no tinned pumpkin. Are there any good substitutions?
Have also put squash or fresh cooked pumpkin puree with a bit of sugar into a saucepan and cooked it down until it is drier, denser, darker, and a little caramelized. Without that step, I find it is too bland and watery.
Authentic Italian Gravy
I agree with joonjoon that browning the meats well is what gives the gravy its "je ne sais quoi." I also "deglaze" the meatball pan with a little stock and toss it into the sauce with the meatballs. Coating the meatballs with flour aids with browning, so I sometimes do that, too.
Kaffir lime leaves = Fruit Loops?
The kaffir lime juice is quite bitter--use it cautiously. I had a sorbet experience go awry once...managed to salvage it by expanding the recipe with some sour orange juice and more sugar.
Kaffir lime leaves = Fruit Loops?
You can also find freeze-dried lime leaves in some Asian grocery stores, as well as online (I presume). They are not bad at all, though fresh or frozen are better.
Spice grinders
I had used one of the ubiquitous Krups coffee grinders for years, until it gave up the ghost. Replaced it with a Kitchenaid grinder, which has a larger capacity, a removable grinding chamber (nice to wash), and a more powerful motor. Very happy with it. Only drawback: It does less well with very small quantities (they just sort of fly around in the chamber), but I just use my mortar and pestle for those instead.
How does bisteeya make any sense?
I almost always make this as filo triangles for cocktail parties. Having the powdered sugar on top makes it a bit messy as finger food (who wants their Little Black Dress covered with white powder?) , so my trick is to grind up toasted almonds with powdered sugar and cinnamon (I use Mexican here--a little less assertive) and sprinkle the "right" amount (not too sweet) on the strip of buttered filo before I fold it up into a triangle. Helps keep the pastry light, and it is a lot less messy to eat with your fingers.
For those worried about too much sweetness, just use less powdered sugar.
I use about 1/3 squab and 2/3 chicken thighs myself--all squab is a little heavy for my palate. When squab was lacking I have thrown in some chicken livers instead--adds a similar taste in my mind.
I am a big fan of adding in some chopped preserved lemon to the mix.
Finally, if you are making it as triangles, make sure to salt the filling very well--it should be just a little saltier than you would choose if you were just eating it. But once wrapped in the bland filo, the salt kicks in and makes it perfect.
Mexican Squash
It's calabacita--use just like zucchini. I generally slice it and saute it in some olive oil and garlic, finishing it with a splash of white wine and some Mexican oregano.
What to drink with Italian Frying Peppers
An iconoclastic choice: An inexpensive Ontario Cabernet Franc, lightly chilled. Lighter-bodied red with prominent bell pepper aromas.
Seafood Croquette -- Bechamel or no?
Bechamel is essential for croquettes--makes them creamy. You can make other sorts of deep-fried treats with other binders, but I would call those "cakes" (e.g., fish cakes, crab cakes) or fritters. Also tasty, but not a croquette.
Secret to spaghetti with garlic and oil?
Also use a mixture of cooked and uncooked garlic--a bit more punchy. A few other ideas: 1) I generally mix in a bit of the pasta cooking water to moisten it without relying on too much oil. 2) Some Italian is probably gonna lynch me over this, but I use a mixture of olive oil and butter--maybe 50-50. 3) I mix just a bit of grated Reggiano into it before serving--this rounds out the flavour and gives a bit of body to the sauce. 4) LOTS of salt--without it the dish is pretty tragic.
Indian Food
Herby, consider joining www.ottawafoodies.com--great site dedicated to the Ottawa foodie community. I have no relationship to the site, which is remarkably non-commercial (you can even turn the ads off).
KitchenAid Pasta Cutter - should I take the plunge?
I love the Kitchenaid pasta rollers/cutters--they make it go about twice as fast, and it is a lot less awkward compared to the crank version. I looked at the ravioli maker, and to me it looks like it could be difficult to get it to work just right--looks like more trouble than just doing them free-hand, which is what I do. I like the rustic appearance, and I can get the pasta thinner that way without risking tearing. I also like having control over the ratio of filling to pasta--for totelli di zucca, I like just a small button of intensely flavoured filling in a big, thin square of pasta.
Indian Food
You can get bitter gourd at Vaishali's in the West End of Ottawa. They also have some other Indian fruit and veg.
