Diane in Bexley's Profile
Lemon Meringue Pie always comes out runny??
How fresh is your cornstarch? I find that if my cornstarch isn't absolutely fresh, its thickening abilities weaken considerably.
BIG ROAST... HELP
Have never cooked a 12 lb sirloin tip, I think I would be tempted to cut it in 2. We like medium rare roasts so my suggestions would be for that. Make a dry rub of seasoned salt, garlic, pepper, rosemary and some other herbs you like. You can find good dry rub recipes on the 'net. Season the roast overnight with the rub. I would use the convection roast feature if you have one. This means the heat will come from the top element, ideal for roasting and the convection part means the fan will keep blowing, to ensure a good char/crust. I like to start my roast on high at 375 or 400 to produce a good browning. You should do this for about 30 min, then lower temp to 325 for even cooking. I figure 18-20 min/lb for medium rare. Buy an instant read thermometer, you only use these at the end of cooking to check the temperature. Frankly, it's tastier if you can "eyeball" and not use a thermometer as the hole you make will leach out some of the juices. Once the roast is at 120-125F for medium rare, it needs to sit for 15-20 min to "rest". Incorporate any juices left on the board into the gravy or sauce you are making. Good Luck!
BBQ Brisket via pot roast on stove
Frankly, I would braise it on top of the stove. Don't see any advantage to braising it on top of a grill unless spending a lot on fuel and worrying about keeping it low enough are exciting to you.
Find a good, study roasting pan with lid or lots of heavy duty foil to ensure juices will be trapped inside. Cover over low to med low heat, flipping meat over a couple times to ensure juicienss. I gauge 45 min/lb for braising time.
Wedding anniversary dinner in Budapest
Not to hijack someone else thread, but Rosenstein sounds perfect for our upcoming Budapest trip. Any other recommendations similar to this? Thanks!
Sfogliatelle within a 100 mile radius of Cincinnati?
The only Italian bakery I am aware of in Columbus (about 100 miles) is Auddino's. Have never tried them. Here is their website for more information:
http://www.auddinositalianbakerycolumbusoh.com/delicious-bakery-selections
Portugal, Prague, Vienna & Budapest on a budget
It sounds as if you may be on your trip already. Please try to post a trip report as we will be going to Budapest,Vienna, and Prague on a budget in July and will be very interested in any of your recommendations. Thanks!
Mid price dinner recommendations for Prague and Vienna
We are traveling to Prague and Vienna in July. Looking for mid price recommendations for dinner. In Vienna, we will be staying inside the Ringstrasse, and in Prague just on the border of Old Town. Looking for some innovative cuisine. We are 3 women, don't need more than 2-3 courses. Would like to stick around 100 Euro total before wine, if possible. Thanks!
Prague, Vienna, Budapest - need recs for picky eaters
John, I am already partaking of your wisdom about Budapest. Looking forward to the MAX apartment in July and your recommendations for delicious food. I am hoping to re-live the delicacies of my childhood - beef porkolt, dios testas, retas, etc. while managing to satisfy my 20 something daughters' reticence over anything braised. Thank goodness my eldest is no longer a vegetarian, as I know she won't be able to resist the Hungarian salami sandwiches we are planning. Looking forward to your tutelage in all things Hungarian, Diane
Prague, Vienna, Budapest - need recs for picky eaters
Thanks! Some of the best kosher salami I ever had was in Europe - in Antwerp of all places. Love good, long cured, dried out salami, my preference over pastrami and corned beef too.
Prague, Vienna, Budapest - need recs for picky eaters
K, not too worried as I speak fluent Hungarian, albeit with American accent. My father was from Transylvania and my mother's family from Miskolc, so very familiar with Hungarian menu. I love goulash, porkolt, stuffed cabbage, etc. but my kids (21 & 24) do not. Perhaps they will live on beer and pastry? We should be there at the height of sour cherry season, looking forward to some cold leves with cherries, peaches, etc. Also, love cucumber salad. Just praying my kids don't decide to practice with the only words they ever learned - of course all the curse words!
Prague, Vienna, Budapest - need recs for picky eaters
Will be traveling with my 2 early 20s DDs who are picky eaters. No pork, no tomatoes, lighter fare than sausages, cabbage and potatoes please. We will be staying in city center in each place during July 2012. Breakast is included in our hotel, so looking for lunch, snack and dinner recs. Hoping to get good dinner for
You knew you mastered the fine art of cooking or baking when you ______________.
Of my 2 daughters, only the older one shows any inclination of learning the finer arts of cooking and baking. Her request for a Kitchen Aid mixer for a birthday present gave me much joy. The "voodoo" strudel cloth will be part of her wedding dowry - along with recipes for paprikash, goulash, stuffed cabbage, poppyseed or nut coffee cake, etc. Apiece of her family's heritage!
You knew you mastered the fine art of cooking or baking when you ______________.
I come from a long line of excellent Hungarian cooks. I knew I had mastered baking when I was able to make strudel like my Mom and Grandma. I inherited the magic "cloth" passed down in our family which covers the kitchen table when I stretch the strudel dough. Who knew that voodoo was a part of strudel making as well, as it is considered the only means to success. This cloth survived the Nazis and is hand laundered after each use. BTW, you don't use your fingertips when you stretch strudel dough to cover an entire kitchen table, you use your knuckles. It helps tremendously if your fingernails are short, so the dough doesn't get mangled. Ah, the price of sweet success!
Pesach brunch ideas?
Ellie, can you please explain what shakskuka is? Never heard of that - what ethnicity is that? We are Hungarian. Also, can you share recipe for cheese latkes? Thanks!
Pesach brunch ideas?
Sharon, can you please share your blintze recipe? That is starting to sound like a good option. Thanks!
Pesach brunch ideas?
Any recipes for a Pesach coffee cake would be very helpful, as I would like to make something sweet. Thanks!
Pesach brunch ideas?
Ferret, good idea but one of the Seder desserts is lemon curd layered with berries and this will be a lot of the same people. Do want to keep it milchig. Perhaps fill potato starch crepes with lox, cream cheese, and dill filling?
Pesach brunch ideas?
DC, think I can find this in Columbus, OH? Are there other things I could use to make pancakes with? I do want to make this milchig as we are having heavy meat for the 2 Seders Can you make panckes with matzo cake meal? I also have a big container of potato starch. I make Pesach "noodles" with it, essentially crepes I cut in strips. What if I made cheese blintzes with potato starch crepes? Could do a farmer's cheese filling?
Pesach brunch ideas?
Having some people over Sunday around lunchtime after services. Would like to do brunch type food, rather than heavy lunch after 2 Seders in a row. Besides matzo brei and fruit salad, what else could I serve for 12 people at a brunch? Thanks in advance for your suggestions/
Passover chocolate walnut torte question
I am plannning to make the Gale Gand Passover chocolate walnut torte featured on the Food Network web site. It has eggs, butter, ground walnuts, matzo cake meal baked into a 10 in cake. While I am not planning to frost it until the day of the Seder, do you think I can bake the cake and freeze it in advance? With so much going on for 2 Seders, I am trying to do as much in advance as possible. Thanks!
DC Trip Report
The first night we were there, we fell into a long nap after driving 8 hours and woke up around 9 p.m. absolutely starving. I had done some restaurant research and we went to Hank’s Oyster Bar and Grill for fried oyster dinner. Seafood is a real treat for us, as we live in the land-locked MidWest. Oh boy, this was delicious! I am not usually a fan of fried food, but the oysters were so plump and perfectly cooked, they were divine. The cole slaw was not mayonnaise based, which is my preference, more a tangy oil and vinegar dressing, but very good nonetheless. A definite recommendation if you are in the mood for good seafood. I understand we were pretty lucky in that we got there at 9 p.m. and just sauntered right in. It is very packed during normal dinner hours.
We stayed in DuPont Circle area - We asked the concierge about buses, and took the #42 bus running to within 3 blocks of the FBI building. We found our new BFF, Paul Bakery, where we had breakfast of quiche, fruit, delicious coffee and bought some Palmiers for later. Breakfast for 2 was $26 with snacks for later, not exactly cheap but definitely tasty. Paul is also located near the Archives Metro, which makes it very conveniently located to a lot of the museum on Pennsylvania Ave. and the upper part of the Mall.
After breakfast, on to the National Gallery of Art, East & West. DD and I both love Impressionist art, and we focused on the beautiful azalea display in the rotunda as well as all the Monet, Manet, Degas, Cezanne, etc. In hindsight, this would have been a better place to have lunch than the Air & Space Musuem, but we didn’t know that at the time. In fact, the food trucks offering hot dogs and churros would probably also have been a better choice. The only choices available at the A&S were McDonald’s and Donato’s Pizza. I chose a cesar salad with chicken and DD had chicken nuggets. It was $20 for a truly regrettable lunch. Don’t make our mistake, go elsewhere.
For dinner Friday evening, we chose Bistro la Bonne on U Street where we both had steak and frites ($17 seemed a good price for this). We had 7:30 p.m. dinner reservations and got a little worried when not many people were in the restaurant. DC must be a late dining town, because by the time we left it was packed. DD had a lobster bisque starter that she said was OK, not terrific. The only thing I wasn’t crazy about was my dessert – an apple strudel. I guess I pictured a warm, puff pastry apple strudel and this was a very modern deconstruction, not to my taste. DD had a mocha chocolate confection, which was finger licking good indeed.
Saturday we chose to visit the Newseum and International Spy Musuem. We began our breakfast again at Paul, it was so tasty and just so darn convenient to where we were going. DD had a turkey sandwich on baguette and I had the leek tart. Again, $26 for breakfast for 2. Lunch at the Newseum was slightly better than the previous days’ A&S museum. The Newseum offered a cafeteria with both cold and hot lunch options. Perhaps we chose badly, but we weren’t impressed with the quality of the food and the $25 price tag for lunch for 2 seemed excessive.
After the Spy museum, we made an hour long stop at the National Portrait Gallery across the street and then we walked a couple of blocks over to Bistro d’Oc, across from Ford’s Theatre, another restaurant I found on Yelp. Our theme for the trip was French bistro food and seafood, both treats for us. DD started her meal with a bowl of lobster/crab bisque, garnished with a coconut ginger crème, and me with a traditional onion soup. The steamed mussels in white wine were outstanding and the delicious French Fries tasted like they had been fried in lard (yum yum!). I had an order of ris de veau (veal sweetbreads) in puff pastry, something no one would offer in my hometown. We shared a chocolate dacquoise cake. DD took pictures of the food, which I think the restaurant people thought meant we were food critics and they kept asking us if we were happy with the food and comped our dessert! While we felt this was superior to Bistro La Bonne the previous evening, even there we would return again. French food isn’t something offered in our Midwestern city and we really enjoyed both evenings.
On Sunday we began with our third breakfast at Paul, being certain to again order some snack supplies for later. After finishing the Newseum, we visited the National Museum of Natural History. The place was packed and when it came time for lunch, we decided upon the Sculpture Garden next door. Too bad the weather was not cooperative, it would have been a lovely setting to eat outside. This was the best lunch of the 3 days we toured the museums. My turkey with brie sandwich and cranberry relish was far superior to the Mickey Ds offered at the Air & Space museum. It was also more expensive than the previous 2 days, but only slightly so, far superior in taste.
Dinner Sunday night was my fault. I had not planned everything, thinking we could be spontaneous and it just didn’t work out. DD wanted Italian food, which is tricky because she doesn’t eat tomatoes. We called a few places (Otello and a couple others in DuPont Circle), she wasn’t satisfied with their offering. We finally went to Bertucci’s near DuPont Circle and both of us walked away with bad dinners. We don’t have Bertuccis near us, but I know it is a chain similar to Olive Garden. That they were practically empty at 8:00 on a Sunday night should have been a sign. I had the chicken marsala which tasted like rubber and she had some kind of sampler plate. Oh well, you can’t win them all.
All in all, we found Washington, DC to be a good city for Chowhounds and certainly lots of information and choices about food. Yelp was our primary source for last minute planning and we looked at this site as well.
Pesach Fancy Cookie recipes needed
Good suggestions so far, please keep it coming! Thanks!
Pesach Fancy Cookie recipes needed
So, I took the advice of other posters that I shouldn't try to adapt a non-Pesach recipe, but go with one created for the holiday. Am planning to make lemon curd, a lemon/sugar/butter sauce over strawberries/blackberries/blueberries/kiwi/mango goblets. Would like 2-3 kinds of fancy cookie recipes that I could serve alongside fruit dessert. Dairy is OK, as we are serving roast salmon and meal will be milchig. Thanks in advance for your help!
Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner recs near Washington Mall, Dupont Circle, tourist areas
Thanks Dennis for the suggestions. DD and I have both been to DC 5-6 times and have seen a lot of the museums. This trip we want to focus on some we really like. One day we plan to take Metro to Penn Quarter, breakfast at Paul and do National Gallery of Art and then the National Air & Space musuem with Metro back to DuPont Circle. Where should we plan lunch? IIRC the National Gallery has a cafe where you can sit outside if its nice? Other suggestions?
The next day we plan to take the Metro to the Newseum - suggestions for breafast near there? I am told that could be a 4 hour visit, so we will probably have either a big breakfast or lunch. Then on to International Spy Musuem and dinner at Bistro d'Oc which is near there.
Thanks!
Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner recs near Washington Mall, Dupont Circle, tourist areas
We have done some research and are planning to visit Paul Bakery & Cafe in Penn Center to begin the Smithsonian museums with a good breakfast. We are planning to visit Bistro La Bonne and Bistro d'Oc for a couple of dinners. We love French food and that is something we don't have in our Midwest city. Perry's drag queen brunch (no joke!) in Adams Morgan was recommended to us for Sunday. Perhaps a lunch at Hank's Oyster Bar, as seafood is also something we like and can't much fresh near us. Couldn't get into Tabard Inn (darn) and heard Old Ebbitt Grill has really gone downhill.
Critique of our choices? Any other must-do's? Thanks!
Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner recs near Washington Mall, Dupont Circle, tourist areas
We will be in Washington next week and will be spending 2 days visiting the Smithsonian Musuems and art galleries. Will be based near Dupont Circle off Connecticut Ave). Don't have plans yet for 3rd day, but probably in same general vicinity or National Zoo. Looking for hearty breakfast recs, quick (but good) lunch recs near the Mall, and dinner options near Dupont Circle or elsewhere. We won't have access to car, but public transit is supposed to be good. Have been recommended Old Ebbitt Grill near White House for seafood happy hour (?), Tabard Inn for jazz brunch, Paul's on Pennsylvania Ave. for breakfast. Are these any good? Any other suggestions? Thanks!
Your Favorite Kosher Cookbooks
The Rochester Hadassah Cookbook was published in the 70s & 80s by the women in Rochester, NY. Hadassah is a service organization dedicated to raising money for Hadassah Hospital & Research Center in Israel. It is a GREAT source cookbook, as it combines information about holiday traditions & customs with foods. It is not a professional cookbook, but one written by everyday women who had to feed their families. I received one 25 years ago when I was first married and it is the bible I use today (I am not from Rochester, this is a very well known book).
The recipes are very traditional with ordinary ingredients (no arugula here). Highly recommend it.
Help with substitutions for Passover
I saw this recipe on the Smitten Kitchen website for blueberry crumble bars and want to make them for Passover. I am posting the original recipe. Please help me figure out how to substitute matzo meal (matzo cake meal?) and potato starch for the white flour and cornstarch called for in the recipe. Is it an even substitution? more? less? Any suggestions would be welcome.They are for a dairy lunch, so the butter is OK. Thanks!
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cold unsalted butter (2 sticks or 8 ounces)
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
Zest and juice of one lemon
4 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup white sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9×13 inch pan.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and lemon zest. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter and egg. Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan.
3. In another bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently mix in the blueberries. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown.
academy awards dinner
For The Ides of March - George Clooney is from Cincinnati area, which is where the movie was filmed. I would serve Cincinnati-style chili, which is a little sweeter than the norm; you can provide the sides (cheese, onions, etc) so guest can decide how to garnish (3 way, 5 way). Google recipes, I don't care for it, but I am sure you can find some.
Easton/Columbus Places to Eat Feb 2012
I am pretty sure Boston Otter is referring to The Mohawk, not Mohican. Alsoin GV is Skillet, a unique place for breakfast, lunch. High end dinner places are G. Michael's and Lindey's.
There is a lovely home cooking Italian place in Gahanna, about 5 minutes from Easton called Lola's. They have about 10 tables, the restaurant is run by Lola and her husband, Joe, is in charge of the kitchen. I believe they are closed Sun/Mon.
