sloepoke's Profile
G-Shaft Candy
They definitely have it at Dan's Candies (in both locations). Just saw it on the counter this morning.
Road trip from Rockford, IL to Minocqua, WI-- Any notable stops along the way?
Hi, I'm traveling in the slow lane on I 39 en route to family vacation in the North Woods next week with a 2-year old and my British husband, and want to know about any cool, corny, casual, kooky food stops we should be aware of on the ride up (goofy diners, the "world's best brats", a restaurant shaped like a rocket ship, etc.)? Is there any place we should especially look out for? Or even any place that is not super-memorable but will keep us out of a chain sandwich shop? Any recommendations seriously considered! Thanks in advance!
Olive Brine: We like our dirty martinis DIRTY
Thanks JerryC123, but I live in England, where buying olive juice is not as easy as checking Amazon! I'd like to know how to make it does anyone out there know? Or even know if it's possible?
Olive Brine: We like our dirty martinis DIRTY
Hi there,
We love dirty martinis at Casa Sloepoke, and we've used up all the brine from our jars of green olives, but not the olives, and are thirsty for more dirty martinis!
Is it possible to make your own olive brine and refill the jars so that we have this crucial ingredient? We have more olives than we need, just not enough brine.
French Macarons- Blubby, runny, disaster
I know. I know. I could just buy them. But why buy when you can bake? My very first batch (coffee) mixed up just right (using the recipe/technique from mytartelette.com), looked great on the pan, sat for one hour, and then into a 280F oven for 20 minutes. Then I had a cup of coffee while they baked (yes, I know I should have watched them). When I went to take them out, the tops (which are crisp) lifted up and OFF the rest of the cookies, and slid into the neighboring macaron. Arrgh! What did I do wrong?
They taste exactly right (perhaps a bit grainy). The coffee flavor came out perfect. They are chewy on the inside, crisp on the outside, but they look like Jabba the Hutt. What happened?
What time are you eating Thanksgiving dinner?
What time are people eating dinner? At lunchtime, or a little bit later? Has anyone got experience of the optimal time to serve when there are kiddies at the table?
I find myself hosting Thanksgiving this year, third time, but the first with a baby and child guests! Question is, what time to serve dinner? In the past, with just husband and me, we kind of ate whenever the bird was ready... This year we're having some friends over, who have kids between the ages of 5-9, plus a 15-month old. We're not football-watchers, so no restrictions there, it's all about the grub for us.
Any suggestions?
Fried Chicken Help Please!
Hi Everybody,
Wow, thanks for all the replies! All of them are really helpful-- I've got my thermometer in hand, a whole bottle of peanut oil, my cast-iron dutch oven at the ready, and am prepared to fry a second time when we have company over this weekend (so it has to be right!).
I'm liking that double-dip method that TrishUntrapped uses in her excellent recipe--I'm gonna try it Saturday. Also, does anyone have opinions about using a long buttermilk bath vs. dipping in egg? Thanks for the help, Hounds!
Fried Chicken Help Please!
I made fried chicken for the first time last night, using Paula Deen's recipe (from her website, the Grandma Paul version). The oil was hot enough, the chicken pieces not too big, and I cooked them for the time listed on the recipe, removing them from the oil when they were brown and crispy.
When my husband and I cut into the pieces, some of the bigger ones were underdone/pink at the bone. Yuck!
How can you tell when fried chicken is cooked all the way through? None of the recipes I consulted could tell me.
Help, Chowhounds!
American-style hot dogs in London?
Thanks everyone for the suggestions... I should also explain that I am 7 months pregnant, so the homesick craving for Chicago-style red hots was partly motivated by my bump!
I did take another look in my local Sainsbury's and lo and behold what did I find there but kosher, all-beef Vienna-style frankfurters that were pretty darn close to the real deal. So we assembled our Chicago-style dogs (found plain buns at Sainsbury's too-- by the way for a Chicago-style dog the buns should be poppyseed and steamed) and munched happily away. Of course it was not exactly like home: the one thing really letting me down was the enduring pickle problem many American ex-pats have already complained about on this board... couldn't find either a good pickle relish or a decent crunchy dill pickle in my neighborhood for love nor money, so we had to substitute with fancy French cornichons. But heck, with enough mustard and onion the dogs were pretty darn close, enough to satisfy both my craving and Bump's too.
But I will definitely check out the sausage stands in Borough market & Selfridges! Great suggestion!
American-style hot dogs in London?
Okay... so, I'm overwhelmed with a Memorial Day homesick craving for a Chicago-style hot dog, but alas, I live in London where I'm struggling to find a frankfurter that fits the bill. Does anyone know where I might find a good, quality American-style hot dog (like a Vienna Beef frank or similar) 'round these parts? I looked in Sainsbury's but their hot dogs come in tins and look scary. All suggestions welcome.
Fine Dining suggestions in Bristol?
Bells Diner is great! We had a verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry fancy dinner there with friends about a year ago. It's a really nice place for a meal, not too stuffy and/or pretentious, and the food is wonderful. They might not still have it on the menu, but for dessert I had a special chocolate tasting menu, which I remember as an all-time restaurant highlight.
UK pizza chains - best of the bunch?
Strada is waaaaaaaaaaaay better than PE, in my opinion. Far better crust, nice wood-burned taste, better quality ingredients.
And what's with the "American Hot" situation, anyway? As an American I can say it is a confluence of flavors I don't recognize as standard pizza fare at home.
Pre and post dinner drinks
If you like your drinks cheap and cheerful, and your music Piaf, Aznavour and Gainsbourg and love a crampy, hazy, gaslit room with old Comedie Francais posters on the walls, you must check out Bar Dix at 10 rue de l’Odéon, in the 6th. It is absolutely charming. They make their own sangria and it is both tasty and reasonably priced. It's homely and studenty and shabby chic; definitely a fantastic Rive Gauche experience.
Easter eggs in UK
One year I found German egg dye at my local arts & crafts shop in Chiswick, but it was so dark and vibrant (red and purple instead of pink and lilac) I went with food coloring and vinegar the next year and the eggs came out beautifully. I found white-shelled eggs at my local butcher (Macken Bros.) who sell eggs from the same farmer that supplies their chickens. You might be able to find white eggs at a farmer's market... didn't find any at my local Sainsbury's.
Meatless Moussaka recipes?
British supercook Delia Smith has a faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaabulous (and easy) veggie moussaka recipe that even my extremely carnivorous father-in-law will eat second, third helpings of. Here's the link to the recipe: http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/vegetarian-moussaka-with-ricotta-topping,1267,RC.html
Of course she uses the British "aubergine" instead of "eggplant", but I'm sure you could have figured that out on your own. Seriously it's SOOOOOOOOO good.
Duck Fat: What do you use it with?
British supercook Nigel Slater wrote about the joys of duck fat in his column in this Sunday's Observer. Here's the link (which also includes a couple of great recipes):
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/magazine/story/0,,2249267,00.html
can I make clotted cream?
I have tried to make it in the US and have found it simply impossible. The cream and milk you gan buy in a US store is just not fatty enough. The imported stuff you get in jars isn't the same... It should be gloppy, rich, gooey, thick and unctuous, not stiff and buttery. Here in Britain, you can buy several varieties of pouring cream, each with a progressively higher fat content, so making at home it isn't as difficult, although since all the best clotted cream comes from Devon, even accomplished home cooks know you're better off importing it from the experts (you can buy Devonshire clotted cream in most supermarkets here). When I was visiting my family in the US, I experimented a couple of times with American creams, and couldn't get any of them to work; heavy whipping cream only separated and solidified, the rest just sat in the pan and got yucky. I'm sorry! Come to Britain! Go on a tour of Devonshire (where they serve the cream in enormous, gloppy bowls) and eat your fill!
Dinner Party - Vegetarian Options?
My favorite veggie option for my veggie husband when entertaining non-veggie parents and friends comes from British cook Delia Smith's online recipe repository (http://www.deliaonline.com/). She's got a brilliant recipe for a wild mushroom stew served on a cheese choux pastry (http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/cheese-choux-pastries-filled-with-mushrooms-in-madeira,893,RC.html) that is super-easy, and goes well with the sides you'll serve with, say, the roast you're making for everyone else. The pastry takes about 15 minutes to make and you can do it the day before, the mushrooms just sit on the stove and simmer while you get on with the rest of the meal; you serve it all up together with no problems. It is brilliant, substantial, and simple. The only word of caution is to be careful about the wild mushrooms you buy: on one occasion I paid more for a handful of fresh ceps and chanterelles than I did for my organic pork roast for six!
No-cry onion methods
I third (fourth?) this suggestion-- I have extremely sensitive eyes and was so relieved to discover the candle trick WORKS!!! It _is_ because the flame burns away the vapors rising from the onion that cause the ocular irritation.
[London] Excellent cream tea, not fussy, near Tate Modern? Lunch?
I have had a lovely afternoon tea at the Tate itself (although tbh the afternoon tea at Tate St. Ives is better). Okay cream, lovely scones, delicious jam, nice cup of tea. You'll get to gaze across the river at St. Paul's, and spend a few more of your precious hours in London relaxing, rather than running around looking for places to hang out.
What to serve with the Herbed Spaetzle recipe?
Rouladen! It's super-easy and verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry tasty. Elizabeth Schuler has a good recipe, takes about 1/2 hour all in. Rouladen is simply roulades of beef, wrapped around chopped up bacon & onion and stewed for a bit. To my mind it's the gravy that really dresses up a spaetzle, and you get lovely gravy with rouladen. Also, a schnitzel is just a breaded and fried veal/pork/chicken cutlet, nothing scary at all. You'd serve the schnitzel with a lemon wedge; you don't get gravy from a fried cutlet. My mom also makes sauerbraten with spaetzle, which is a beef roast that's been marinaded overnight in a vinegar and ginger mixture, and when roasted tastes just like a tangy pot roast. Also, I have had roast duckling with spaetzle, another delicious combination.
Personally, I'd count spaetzle as my "last supper" meal, and could eat a bucketload just plain or with buttered breadcrumbs on top, but you should definitely go German and put it on the side of some meaty dish with gravy. Oh, I'm making myself hungry... Good luck!
Need recs for a special place in the south burbs
What about Tallgrass in Lockport? It's a very fine little restaurant in the middle of a historic old canal town (it's right on the main drag so easy to find). I think it can be a bit expensive, but it's Will County's answer to haute cuisine, so definitely worth the drive from Champaign/Indiana.
Looking for Authentic (German) Stollen
Also, what about the stollen at Lutz Konditerei on Western and Montrose? I've not tried their stollen, but all their bakery is EXCELLENT.
UK Kitchen Measuring- Cups, Spoons, Scales
yeah, you're not wrong about that. the nigella spoons are HUGE!!!! you could fit a teacup poodle in the tablespoon measure. but i'm used to it, and now can use both my american and uk recipes easily. if only i could get the old german ones to work....
also... thanks for correcting me. i didn't realize there was a difference between old uk cups and current ones. i've only been here since 2000 and my husband (a math whiz) converts the measurements i don't understand for me ;)
UK Kitchen Measuring- Cups, Spoons, Scales
Have you tried the Nigella Lawson range of kitchen utensils? They used to have them at Macy's, I don't know if they still do. I have them in my kitchen because they have both UK and US measurements printed on them (one US cup = 250 UK grams, etc.). Also, you can find a cheap set of imperial/metric measuring implements at Ikea. Additionally, most good scales will have both metric and imperial measurements on them.
In my baking experience in the UK, I haven't found "UK measuring cups and spoons" anywhere. Like, you won't find a British recipe that calls for "one cup of sugar." I brought my own baking cups and measuring spoons with me from the US and convert the measurements. Usually works out right. My British husband (an accomplished baker) uses scales and a Pyrex liquid measuring jug almost exclusively, or eyeballs liquid measurements using our regular kitchen spoons. Which as I said, usually comes out right.
Eurostar dining?
I usually travel on an expense account, though if you book late, sometimes Leisure Select seats can be had for the same price as standard, or only slightly more. But I always go with the cheapest ticket available... meal or no meal.
I do love the Eurostar, though, and I'm looking forward to the delights of St. Pancras as soon as it's properly up and running. And they've sorted out the taxi queue. Sheesh.
Eurostar dining?
just because I'm in a mood, I thought I'd tell you what I had to eat on the Eurostar leisure select Paris to London last night:
champagne aperitif, grilled aubergine frittata (starter), loin of pork with tomato & chorizo sauce, broccoli souffle, and potato something, very nice bread & butter, pear tart, coffee and a nice bordeaux for drinking. Ooh, and a delicious chocolate truffle for after ;) The other mains option was risotto with ceps and chanterelle mushrooms. They have also had a cheese course in the past, but not last night for some reason.
I'm writing this because I had an absolute stinker of a day and a crazy adrenaline-fueled nervous taxi rush to get to the station, and by the time I got into my seat, opened my book and the Eurostar steward popped the champagne, it had all melted away. So yes, I think in some cases it is worth it to pay for the dinner on the Eurostar.
Pumpkin Pie in London
In my experience, the English version of pumpkin pie is nothing like the American version we know and love. I've had it in some "American" restaurants at holiday time and it's more thin, brown and custardy than the spiced orange deliciousness I'm used to. So I would not count on being able to find an authentic version, if you could find one at all. But pumpkin pie is incredibly easy to make! I made my Thanksgiving pie with butternut squash (more available and less watery) and it tasted exactly like my mom's. Maybe you could send him a recipe?
Eurostar dining?
I travel and eat in Leisure Select ALL the time. I think the food is pretty good for traveling fare. Like, way better than airline food. I have eaten halibut with lemongrass, veal with wild mushrooms, organic omelette, chicken with mango, and a bunch of other things I can't remember but were, you know, okay. Tasted like actual food. And the booze it is a-flowing. However, if you're upgrading purely to experience the meal I wouldn't bother. For me it's a convenience thing (because I travel E-star either end of a work trip) and it's nice to not have to worry about grabbing-and-going when I'm already in a rush. But if you're saving cash, I'd buy a sandwich at the station and get a couple of tiny bottles of wine in the bar car. I myself have stood in the bar car all the way from London to Paris and back again... Oh, those tiny bottles! The food at Gare du Nord is okay (as is the way of France), you can get a _very_ decent meal at Cafe Terminus Nord just across the street from the station. I was in St Pancras this morning and it's still definitely getting going... not much opened yet save for a handful of coffee bars and M&S. So, to sum up, if you get a cheap seat yes, go for Leisure Select, but don't pay the expensive fare for the food alone.
Fun dinners in London with teens
Whoooooaaa... not busabaeathai with kids unless you're in for a tantrumtastic evening! I work right next door in Soho, and every night I exit my building (even at around 5- 5:30) there is a tremendously loooooooooooong queue waiting to get in. I myself have stood in that queue once. Once. No meal is worth standing outside in the rain for a long time, especially when there are better Thai restaurants (admittedly not as stylish) aplenty in Soho.
Another fun place for kids might be Masala Zone for Indian. There are (I think) three or four branches throughout the city (my "regular" one is on Marshall Street, off Carnaby Street in Soho). It's owned by the people who own Wagamama and they do a pretty authentic version of Indian street food, and really, really fantastic thalis. It's got a fun, buzzy atmosphere, isn't too expensive, there's lots going on kid-wise, and is near the delights of both Hamley's (the mega toy shop) and Liberty (shopping heaven as far as I'm concerned). Colorful, spicy, and very filling. I highly recommend it.
