ThreeBowls's Profile
Recipes/Uses for My New Immersion Blender?
Smoothies is a good one...I felt like such a dolt when it finally occurred to me that I didn't have to drag out a blender and then wash its various pieces. I could just stick all the ingredients into the big cup I was going to drink it out of and use the blender for that. I could not believe it had taken literally years for that to occur to me, and then felt rueful about all of those minutes of my life lost to washing those extra dishes....
I do something like LisaPA's salsa, too, very tasty and easy.
Gastropubs in Seattle?
I liked Quinn's pretty well, but my night there was not particularly memorable from a food perspective (maybe was an off night, only been that once) other than their really delish rarebit and pretzel. That said, it looks great and our service was excellent. If you do go, be sure to get the rarebit app.
SEA: Buying Mexican spices
If you do ever want to take a jaunt down South, I found what I think are pretty great peppers in bulk in Burien at the Guadalupe Market. In big baggies with the pepper name written on them in sharpie, in the produce section. Their dried chipotles smell so good I want to grind them up and huff them.
Guadalupe Market
(206) 901-1529
1111 SW 128th St
Burien, WA 98146
Biscuit Help - PLEASE!
I recently made the Buttermilk Biscuits with Green Onions, Black Pepper, and Sea Salt from Epicurious that were delicious and popular with my guests when I served them. It is a roll/cut kind, so you probably won't want the technique but might be worth taking a look at the recipe id you want some additional flavoring ideas. Good luck! :)
middle eastern groceries in Seattle
I agree with Mr. Nelso on PFI. I've gotten pomegranate molasses, rosewater, orange blossom, carob molasses, and harissa paste. I think it's a good place to get started. Have fun!
SEA - Whole Wheat Israeli Couscous Source?
Awesome, thank you so much! I am stocked up on the regular for now while I am too timid to drive on the slushy streets, but will head on over to Ballard once I am mobile again. Thank you thank you!
what are you making for dessert
No no! I can see your concerns, but I guarantee they are anything but antiseptic tasting. The phrase I keep repeating is "giant fudgey Thin Mint." Somehow all the chocolate makes the altoid flavor into something quite different than what I was expecting. Dangerously nomable.
Best tasting canned tomatoes? [moved from Home Cooking board]
You know, I haven't had Prego sauce in a gajillion years but the one thing I did always like about those sauces from my childhood was that they were thinner and I feel like less sweet than a lot of the fancier brands that became so popular. Again, it's been forever since I've had any of them (mainly from Atkins-induced fear of pasta than jarred sauce snobbery, I am only now reconciling with pasta and just haven't been doing much red sauce) but I do recall my college years being a series of jarred disappointments when I bought the stuff that was supposed to be better than what my mom used to stock and it just all tasted like...tomato jam sitting on top of my pasta.
SEA - Whole Wheat Israeli Couscous Source?
I am new to the Israeli couscous trend but I like it and am wondering if I can track down a whole wheat version of it. I've only seen two sources online, both kosher groceries. I don't mind getting it online, but as it's such an inexpensive item, seems a waste to use all the resources to ship it.
I am going to check out the kosher sections in the University QFC and some of the spots mentioned in this chow post: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/372937, but wondering if anyone has seen this out and about in Seattle, and where that was. Thanks!
what are you making for dessert
Epicurious has a Pumpkin Pecan Pie with whiskey sauce that was outstanding on Thanksgiving so I think I might have to make it again. The combo of two-two-two pies in one is awesome, with the contrasting crunch of the pecans making me realize i will never again be fully satisfied with a basic custard pumpkin pie. I paired it with a Sweet Bay Ice Cream and I really liked it (I am not usually excited by the stuff I made, but this was an exception, i totally wanted to bogart all the leftovers from my host's house).
I'm having a few different holiday dinners to cook for so I will also be doing a chipotle gingerbread with some cinnamon-caramel ice cream (I use this Chow recipe http://www.chow.com/recipes/11367 and throw a few cinnamon sticks in with the caramelizing sugar) and dulce de leche on top. Also possibly David Lebovitz's Altoid Brownies, which I can't stop raving about. Crazy good and crazy easy.
Best tasting canned tomatoes? [moved from Home Cooking board]
This seems surprising to me, but when Cook's Illustrated did a taste test a few years back, they picked Progresso's Italian style with Basil. (Of course that means it has basil, which you don't always want.) I believe they even stood up in a blind tasting with the San Marzano. It really does seem impossible, but there you have it. They did not test Pomi though, and i would be curious to see how a boxed tomato holds up against one in metal...
I am usually pretty contented with my Trader Joe's diced tomatoes but I usually use them in something where there is enough other stuff happening anyway.
You might be in for a tough winter as I am sure your home jarred ones are going to be a hard act to follow with canned!
Please help me open this jar of carob molasses.
I have been looking for more ideas for this ingredient too and saw a couple that looked tasty to me - an orange-pomegranate granita and also the idea of using a little bit of it with OJ and club soda to make a cooler type beverage.
Please help me open this jar of carob molasses.
All right folks thanks to your help I have cracked it open and am ready to commit to using this ingredient over coming months. Took a taste and was pleasantly surprised. Some of the online comments I had been able to track down on this ingredient indicated it could be a little bitter. But actually I find it to taste like a mild molasses without that kapow!!! hit to the back of your tastebuds that can happen with strongly-flavored molasses. I think the main note besides sweet is a little more sour or tangy than bitter, if that makes sense.
The carob note comes out more, on first assessment, in the smell and aftertaste than the actual taste, and I will be interested to see how it comes out in the baking. I think I will start with the gingerbread first and then maybe try as a glaze or something akin to BBQ sauce. Thanks, y'all! And it is a big jar, so any additional ideas, let me know, I am game to try 'em.
Please help me open this jar of carob molasses.
Those are all great, and the gingerbread one is so spot on for me right now...I've been doing some gingerbread variations based on different cuisines (chipotle gingerbread with dulce de leche, five spice gingerbread with ginger ice cream) and so this would be a great Middle Eastern-inspired addition. Maybe with some kind of ice cream and pomegranate molasses sauce and can then use up THAT neglected Middle Eastern impulse purchase as well. Thank you!
Please help me open this jar of carob molasses.
It's not stuck, I just can't bring myself to crack it open until I have more than a couple things to do with it (which all call for about 1 tbl and the jar is like 16 oz.)
It was an impulse purchase as Seattle's Pacific Food Importers, which is a dangerous place to go if you, like me, are susceptible to buying foodstuffs simply because they seem novel and interesting.
I've been googling the heck out of 'Carob Molasses' for months but am still underwhelmed by the number of things I have tracked down to do. I checked in with a Turkish-Kurdish cook I knew (figured that was sort of close to the region) but she didn't have any ideas either.
So here's what i have do far:
1. Salad dressing
2. Mix with tahini for a bread spread
3. Use as a pancake topping
I pretty much cook anything and everything from the savory to the dessert side, so am open to anything!
Homemade Hot Chocolate question
I just made a "powdered" mix from an Epicurious recipe for Vanilla Hot Chocolate that I think could be easily made vegan. It called for sugar flavored overnight with a split vanilla bean, unsweetened dutch-process cocoa and finely-ground semi-sweet and milk chocolates. I bet if you just used all vegan chocolate bars instead, it would still be super-delicious. I gave it to a friend, forgetting about her lactore intolerance but she said she would use hot rice milk instead.
favourite pistachio recipes- sweet or savoury?
I am still working on this recipe, so this is still kind of a work in progress...but Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix, AZ has an AMAZING white pizza that has pistachios, red onions, rosemary and a delicious nutty dry Parm. So first of all, if you have access to a wood-fired stove, do that!! ;)
What I'm trying to do is turn it into a pasta. So I've been starting with a basic Aglio and Olio type of olive oil sauce, but instead adding a sliced red onion and chopped pistachios (about 1/3 cup or so) to the oil first, then the sliced garlic (say 3-4 cloves), and right before it's done, sprinkling in chopped fresh rosemary (1-2 Tbls). I toss all of that with 1 lb of whole wheat pasta (ideally somethnig like spaghetti or cappellini cooked in well-salted water) and about a half cup of the pasta cooking water. Then sprinkle with about 1/2 cup of shredded Parm. As mentioned, there's still some refining to be done, so obviously amounts to be adjusted to your liking, etc...but even with just my test batches I have been eating them for breakfast-lunch and dinner. Literally, I think this is the only thing I have eaten for the past two days.
Also, last season's Top Chef winner Stephanie Izard braised pistachios; this is what she said she does: " I usually buy salted, shelled pistachios at Whole Foods or at another store and put them in a pot, cover them with chicken stock or even the chicken broth that you can get at the store, bring it up to a simmer, and just sort of simmer them for a little while until they get just a nice, tender texture, not to the point of being mushy. It's so easy but they just take on a whole other flavor profile and they have a great texture."
Also...pistachio and orange blossom ice cream, nummers.
Anyone attempted Elizabeth Falkner's Vegetarian Marshmallows?
I will take that as a general no.
Well, in case anyone else ever searches on this in the future, the marshmallows turn out a lot better when you use actual xanthan gum. It was gently pointed out to me that the ingredient that had been sitting in my pantry, and that, in my head, WAS xanthan gum, was in fact agar agar. While, as noted, it is possible to make them with agar agar, it's a whole different process, so that's why it didn't work. Magically, when you make the marshmallows with the proper ingredient for the recipe you are using, they turn out a heck of a lot better. Who knew?
Try the rose saffron ones if you do, and know that you are apparently part of a very exclusive club of xanthan gum marshmallow makers. There might just be two of us.
Anyone attempted Elizabeth Falkner's Vegetarian Marshmallows?
In Elizabeth Falkner's Demolition Desserts, she has a variation for her marshmallow recipe that uses xantham gum instead of gelatin. I made my first batch last night and it came out more fluff-like than solid. I am not sure if this is just the limitation of this ingredient or other user error.
It seems like most of the online chatter around vegetarian 'mallows are for recipes and methods that use agar-agar, so I am not sure where to start with troubleshooting. I am okay with the idea these might not be quite the same as regular marshmallows, but just not sure how far I should expect to get, and what other elements are under my control.
If anyone has also given it a shot and has any tips, I'd appreciate it. I am trying to make them as a bday gift for someone in early December, although there is a good chance I will now swap this with her Xmas gift since I get the feeling there are a lot of failed batches in my future...
SEA - Favorite U-Pick Farms?
Awesome, thanks! South 47 has corn maze! That's perfect. Thanks again!
SEA - Favorite U-Pick Farms?
Any suggestions on favorite U-Pick Farms with fall produce (not really picky on what) within reasonable driving distance from Seattle (i.e., hour or so)? Thanks in advance for any ideas!
Seattle food tours - worthwhile?
Hey all - have started updating the food events calendar again so feel free to check it out via my profile.
Seattle food tours - worthwhile?
Have fun billjac! Sorry I wound up going back to work and still haven't been able to keep the calendar updated just yet, but it is on the to-do list. In the meantime, I still have all the sources at the ready so if you need any specific ideas for your dates, feel free to contact me via my page or post here. Again, have a great time!
Seattle food tours - worthwhile?
Oh hey, Billjac, not sure if you are still checking this board. I'm sorry I have been so busy I have not a) been checking back here or b) updating my events calendar. I actually never posted the link because I wasn't sure if that was like Chow-board-kosher cuz it was kind of self-promoting. I have some downtime from work and will be starting to update the calendar again regularly in the next week or so, so will come back and check into the kosherness of my posting it once it's something that would be useful for folks again. Thanks, and again, sorry for not responding sooner!
Habesha: New Ethiopian Place
Does anyone have any thoughts on how these stack up against Cafe Ibex? A friend of mine really recommended it but I went right after New Year's and it was actually not good (and I'm pretty easy-to-please...food kind of cold, not fresh-tasting...just not tasty). I wasn't sure if it was an off night - my friend usually has good taste and I searched on the board and it looks to have gotten another good review last year. If folks think it's on par with some of the other places that are getting good marks, maybe Ethiopian in Seattle is just not my thing!
NEED OYSTER BAR TO IMPRESS GIRL in SEA
So this won't help you today but if things go well and you'd like to plan a follow-up date, there's an oyster event at The Tasting Room on the 21st. http://www.winesofwashington.com/Calendar.aspx
3 days in sea update: (almost) food itinerary-feedback?
I looked thru the original post and I don't see this noted but do apologize if I missed and this is a dupe - Crave is great but if you decide to go for an official brunch instead of breakfast or lunch (I am not quite sure how diff the menu is between those but their website should say or call ahead), just be prepared for a possible wait. It's teensy and popular so sometimes can take a bit to get in. I hate to wait (makes me crazy!!) but at least there's a lobby to stand in and you can get a coffee whilst you wait. But if you decide the breakfast or lunch menu look a-okay, you might want to do that instead on a weekday. If you are a patient sort, disregard!
Sorry to add more to your list, but if you decide to hoof it a bit, Phinney (which isn't far from Ballard) has a new cocktail place called Oliver's Twist that I like. They have some very nice small bites (truffled popcorn, some kind of cheese-stuffed fig or date, I forget which, refined little grilled cheese with tomato soup "capuccino") and some tasty cocktails. Last time we went it was crazeee busy (fri nite right after nice write up) and so things were a little slow, but the staff were very cognizant of acknowledging it and handling it as best as they could, which is really all you can ask. And so hoping they have now upped staff after that spike. Anyway, it's got some happy hour deals AND if you have a happy hour small bite and late dinner, you can squeeze in FOUR meals a day! :)
Panama is lovely and Top Pot is a nice cute little rest stop too.
Gotta say, I love Tom Douglas but was underwhelmed by Serious Pie. I don't know if I'd call it a must do.
I know how you must feel, every time i have guests come to Seattle, 2/3 of the way through their visit I despair at all the eating we won't have time to do...
Seattle food tours - worthwhile?
Not a ton on those dates, but a few things...on Monday at The Tasting Room, a Washington wine shop near the Market, they have Mac and Cheese Monday, where they get some mac and cheese from local cheesemaker Beechers (also in market) and pair it with local wines...from 5-7pm but they might run out so go early if you want to try. Not sure about cost. At same location on Tuesday, Steve Roberts who is releasing a book on wines of Washington will be having a little book release party with cheese and copies of his book Winetrails of Washington - that one is free to attend. If you're doing a Market tour that ends in the afternoon, either would be convenient and prob not a huge time commitment so you could still get to another dinner, etc. http://www.winesofwashington.com/Calendar.aspx
And then on Wed, Union Square Grill (the one i mention above that's doing the five-course cacao meal) is having a complimentary choco and wine tasting from 4-6 pm. It's chocolate's savory side - savory canapes paired with local wines.
So basically if you like wine and cheese or choco, you've got a few options there! Hope you guys have a great trip!
Seattle food tours - worthwhile?
Oh, also, I forgot - if you decide you don't want or can't schedule a formal tour and want to plan your own instead, there's a book called The Food Lover's Guide to Seattle that I bought when I was still getting to know the area and found it to be a good way to find some things I might not have otherwise easily come across.
